It’s Not All Doom and Gloom: Anti-Negative News

Live Your Timeline Transphobia makes no sense

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom: Anti-Negative News

Hi everyone, I hope you are well. The world seems to be in a state of chaos right now and it’s hard to hold onto hope when you’re a minority, immigrant, or from a group that isn’t the dominant in Western society. We feel pushed out. Villainised. Held responsible for a broken system that we are made to live in.

I just want to say that you’re not alone, and you are safe with me.

I’m not the type of person who is like ‘just be positive! it’s fine!’ because it’s not fine. Some people are in very real and direct danger with the rhetoric that is prevalent in the news and outside our doors right now. But I hope that this post offers just a counterargument to hate. Shows that not everyone is against you.

There are a lot of people out there who love you, see you, and very much want you here.

**Disclaimer/clarification: my cousin’s husband who is a history and politics teachers at a college said that what he notices in his classroom (which is a microcosm of our society at large) is that the left argue from emotion, while the right argue from logic/facts. We in the left camp (or anyone less far-right and less extreme) need to adopt this approach. Emotional discussions sometimes aren’t the answer. We need facts and figures to hopefully have healthy and well-meaning debates. Educate yourself. Don’t assume the person you’re in conflict with is as extreme or hateful as they may seem. Everyone has a perspective and it does us ALL a good to listen, critically think about what’s being said, and consider each other’s point of view.**

Leena Norms

One of my favourite YouTubers is Leena Norms. She talks about the climate crisis (alongside anti-fast fashion and creating your own clothes), politics in an accessible way, and literary books. She is a West Midlands gal like me, so I find her content very enjoyable and relevant. I also got to meet her this month! She’s so cool and funny and down to earth. She came out with a video recently that I found hopeful and helpful in these times, so I thought I would share it with you.

The takeaway: you don’t need to do everything, just something, and that is enough to counter what is happening.

Wholesome Charitable People

People in my family are raising money for amazing charities, one of which is of their own making! My extended family started a charity maybe about ten years ago now, in honour of my father-in-law’s brother who loved tennis and passed away from leukaemia. They have since helped so many people get into tennis and raise money to build tennis courts in their home country, Zimbabwe, which brings community, fitness, and passion to a place that may not otherwise experience that (something of which we take for granted here in the UK).

Alongside this, my sister decided to run 365 miles this year in honour of her father figure who lost his fight against depression last year. She is running for the Mind charity, to raise money that will hopefully save lives.

(If you or anyone you know if struggling with their mental health, please reach out to your doctor, the Mind charity, Samaritans or Young Minds for support. You are not alone. We don’t want to lose you too.)

Positive News Subscription

Not everyone has heard of this, so I am making it my mission to share it! It’s so easy to see only the negativity and extremes of society right now on mainstream media. However, there are so many amazing and beautiful things happening across the world that isn’t making it to the headlines because it’s not as enticing or shocking. But it should be!

Remember, mainstream media just wants to get you clicking and reading. They don’t care if it’s all factual or fair or how it affects the people reading it.

Check your/their sources. Don’t believe everything you read. And don’t have these as the ONLY places you get your news from.

Introducing Positive News! A site and free email subscription that brings positive headlines to your inbox. I love seeing these to combat the very negative headlines we see on a daily basis. If you do nothing else after reading this post, please go subscribe and let this be the news you consume daily instead.

Perhaps a good article to read that offers a new perspective on the far-right rhetoric we are seeing is this one, from the mouth of someone who has held these beliefs themselves.

Community, Unity, Diversity!

I started a new job 3 weeks ago. I was terrified. Making such a big shift from working in a fast-paced secondary school to working from home for a university in admissions was nerve-wracking. But it paid off. I have the best team! It’s multicultural and LGBTQ friendly. We have people who are German, Chinese, Romanian, and a Bulgarian (these are just the ones I know of, they are migrants who moved to the UK and have had a beautiful impact on our society). Then there is a woman allergic to oranges! I’ve never met anyone allergic to oranges! I’ve also noticed some LGBTQ+ lanyards and badges, so they are either allies or part of this community, too, which is a beautiful, though subtle, demonstration of supporting belonging.

Alongside this, I have had lovely encounters over the summer with communities. I went to the R F Kuang event and met two ladies in the queue. We chatted for about an hour or so, just because we were fans of her books. We spoke about our personal lives. We bonded. We exchanged Instagram accounts. It was nice. It shows that you can find people like you anywhere, if you are just brave enough to say hello.

The same is true for the park runs me and my husband try to do every Saturday at 9am. We have done runs in 9 different locations now and this weekend, I ran my 40th. It is not about the running, it’s about community. Everyone coming together to do something together every Saturday. People chat, walk, run, share treats, celebrate one another’s PBs, dress up and raise money for charities. It’s truly a wholesome event that you can join anywhere, for free, and go at your own pace.

How lovely!

My favourite authors

Speaking of R F Kuang, I realised that my two favourite fantasy authors are not the mainstream image of a successful author. What I mean is, one is a Chinese-American woman, the other a British trans woman. Rebecca Kuang and Juno Dawson represent the kind of authors I want to be: multi genre, and genre-blending. Kuang’s books Babel and Katabasis are dark academia fantasy books which address and critique academia, social issues and dark times in history. Colonialism, imperialism and language. These books seem to have given me ‘permission’ to write in this way myself.

Juno Dawson’s series Her Majesty’s Royal Coven (HMRC) are my favourite and only fantasy series that I’ve completed in adulthood. They have made me want to keep reading, unlike any other series I’ve started. Her books address LGBTQ+ themes and issues in a non-direct or preachy manner. I loved the twists and turns of this. I loved the characters. She makes me laugh, cry, gasp, and get jealous about how expertly she has crafted a fantasy narrative in contemporary Britain. Again, it’s what I hope to achieve with my own work.

Support the authors you love. Read authors who are not the mainstream. Read outside your comfort zone. Recommend their books to the people you know (without telling them the themes, let them confront, critique and ponder the topics more organically themselves).

I truly believe that books can shape our world. This is what I will be doing to actively shape our society and hopefully make a change towards a more inclusive and kind world.

People speaking and educating against the hate

Lastly, I wanted to share some people I have come across who are sharing poetry, writing, and book recommendations that are anti-hate and beautiful.

Article to read: https://open.substack.com/pub/shityoushouldcareabout/p/trump-and-i-were-both-in-the-uk-this?r=8c3c6&utm_medium=ios

My next non-fiction book to read: On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (it’s available on audiobook for free from my library, so check out yours on Borrow Box if you’re interested)

To watch: Adolescence on Netflix (watched, BRILLIANT) and next to watch The Walk-In and Hostage

Instagram accounts/posts that I’ve liked and shared lately: