You see how she explained how race is a social construct (it is) while ALSO SAYING THAT RACISM EXISTS AND IS FUCKED UP? You see how she did that? Don’t mistake this for colorblindness because it clearly isn’t.
If you would report an undocumented immigrant to ICE you would have reported me to the Nazis and I don’t fucking trust you
A note:
I live in a state where you “have to” report anyone you suspect of being undocumented (that wonderful hellhole of Arizona). Now in practice this law has fallen far short, thank goodness. But if you live in such a place and they start enforcing it, here is how you get around it:
Assume everyone who doesn’t speak English is visiting.
Never ask about their job, because if they tell you they work here then you know they’re not visiting. You see them a lot for several weeks or months? Hm. Someone in the family must be ill. That’s terribly tough. They always dress in old, ratty laborers’ clothes? I feel you, my dude, I can’t afford new clothes either, and my dad has the fashion sense of an aardvark, so sometimes it’s not even about “affording” them. They say they’ve been here for years? You must have misunderstood. Spanish isn’t your first language, after all. First and last name? It never came up, or you don’t recall–you meet a lot of people.
And then, if you’re asked: no, you haven’t seen anyone residing illegally in the United States. Just people visiting.
Very good very important addition
Essentially, this is the civil society version of a work-to-rule strike.
Don’t do more than is expressly asked of you, and do what you are asked with such an intense attention to protocol that not asking you at all becomes more effective than even bothering.
In this case:
“Have you seen an illegal immigrant?”
“Could you describe an illegal immigrant, officer?”
*officer describes a person who is in the country without appropriate paperwork, or who has crossed the border illegally*
“No, sir, I haven’t seen any illegal immigrant.”
And this is correct. You have NOT seen an illegal immigrant, because you have no way of knowing if Jose Fulano is here legally or not. And since you can’t see his paperwork (or lack thereof), and did not personally see him cross the border illegally, you are only answering precisely the question asked.
I’m not American, and I have like, three followers, but this is important.
“so, mr. stark, i have to ask, where’d you get the idea for this new invention?” the reporter asks, shoving her microphone in tony’s face. she looks young, new and so eager.
tony smirks, slowly taking off his signature sunglasses.
“well, actually, you’d have to thank my husband for that,” tony responds, looking upwards to find steve in the crowd. it doesn’t take long, and he sees steve roll his eyes down at tony. he likes to pretend he hates it when tony mentions him in public, but in reality he loves it. “i love you steve” tony calls out casually, a grin on his face, and the room explodes with noise.
“mr. stark is expected to arrive any minute now. this will be his third meeting with the president. his husband, Captain America, otherwise known as Steve Rogers is standing next to the President. And here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Tony Stark himself.”
Tony casually saunters off the plane, smiling around at the people waiting. He walks towards the President as the camera pans around to show the waiting line of security behind them.
Tony quickly shakes the President’s hand, posing for a few photos with her before turning to his husband and grabbing him by the back of his neck. the press at the sidelines of the plane all whip their cameras out. the kiss lasts for what seems like minutes before tony pulls away, casually fixing his tie as nothing happened. steve rolls his eyes and says something the camera can’t pick up before he turns back around, re-tying tony’s tie for him.
“Hot kiss in front of the President!” the headlines read the next day.
they go to public showings together, looking better than any couple has any right to. they’re always late, and natasha teases them about it, noting the bruises along steve’s neck and the suspicious marks behind tony’s ear.
they pose for photos and “power couple” trends on twitter for hours during the events. it’s america’s golden boy and iron man, the world eats it up.
steve loves to occasionally pull tony close, whispering in his ear, and the press is right there to capture the way tony’s face goes red before he turns to kiss his husband.
“so, mr. stark, would you care to give any comment on Senator’s Smith comment towards you and your husband this morning? a reporter asks. it’s been two years. she’s still young and still eager, but she’s in charge of a small group at her company now.
“i don’t know what there is to say, really. he thinks we’re ‘disgusting’” tony says, rolling his eyes, a smirk on his face. “ignorance isn’t all bliss, i guess, but denise, can you swing by sometime later? my husband just got off his flight and i’d really like to make the front page of the Entertainment Weekly with our welcome home kiss,” tony says, before flipping his sunglasses back on and walking towards the incoming plane.
they make the cover. “The World’s Favorite Power Couple!” is one of the best selling issues the magazine’s ever published.
Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are in love and they’ve got no problem with the whole world knowing it.
(i just wanted to write a short sort of thing about tony and steve being a power couple. hope you like it! please send me ideas!)
the avengers compound is busy with excitement. the smell of cranberries and mashed potatoes drifts around the large makeshift living room, and tony looks around, smiling. natasha and clint are laughing and joking with each other, thor and banner are having some sort of semi-heated conversation, and even fury’s cracking jokes. it’s thanksgiving, and everyone’s here. everyone except for the one person tony wants to see the most.
his smile shifts to the one that he uses for press conferences and photo reels. he makes his way across the room, patting backs and nodding absentmindedly at jokes.
eventually, he makes it to his bedroom, where he sinks down on his bed, his head in his hands.
“friday, call steve.” he says to the empty room. within seconds, steve’s face is up on his wrist hologram, ringing.
“pick up, pick up, pick up rogers,” tony says, staring at the blue hologram.
his heart nearly leaps into his throat when he hears static, then steve. steve’s blue eyes and blonde hair appears into view and tony smiles, his stress melting away and his heartbeat slowing.
“tony? is everything okay?”
“yeah, yeah, everything’s fine,” tony says, quick to reassure him. “i just, i-i missed you.”
“i wish i was there with you,” steve says, a melancholy smile on his face. he looks like he’s in some kind of board meeting, with long conference tables and professional photos hung behind him.
“how is everyone?” steve asks.
“everyone’s good, you know, pepper’s trying to teach peter how to cook but he’s helpless, and get this, even fury’s cracking jokes. nat and clint look happy, but you never know with them, they could be planning my assassination as we speak,” tony says. steve smiles fondly at him and tony feels his anxiety and worry lessen.
“i wish i could be there,” steve repeats, his blue eyes shining at tony.
“it’s lonely here without you, cap,” tony says.
“i’ll be there in a few hours, tony, i promise,” steve responds, smiling fondly at his husband.
tony nods, reassured. they talk for a few more minutes before steve has to go, and tony has to rejoin the party.
just before they’re all about to eat, the doorbell rings and tony’s nearly bolting to the door.
the partygoers can’t see him come in, but they can hear the door open and steve’s “hello everyon-” get cut off.
tony kisses steve as soon as he’s through the door, and steve laughs before returning it.
after a few minutes, they emerge from the hallway, and natasha notices that steve’s hair is tousled and tony’s tie isn’t as straight as it was before. she smirks as she hands steve a beer.
“happy thanksgiving, cap. welcome home.”
(this was a request from @starkrogerrs and i really loved writing it. the idea was kind of angsty but i’m already too sad because i’ve been reading their fics for the past hour so i wrote some fluff to make myself feel better. therapy. i hope you enjoy it! please send me more ideas!)
We need a name for the shock-trauma that comes from reading a long fic, chapter after chapter, barely pausing to eat let alone pay attention to what chapter you’re on, and then scrolling down to click a button that isn’t there. There needs to be a word for the way all of the emotions you’ve been carrying that were hurtling forward with you as you read non stop, suddenly crash into a wall around you. There needs to be a word for the way you’re abruptly unbalanced and lost. There needs to be a word for how you futilely attempt to refresh the page, even though you know the next chapter won’t appear.
KiernaSerea 