Question #8
I listen to different podcasts, TedTalks, and specific music artists who speak to my truth or allow me to think differently and make meaning of my experiences. I try to stay away from social media outlets as much as possible as it can be detrimental to me.
Steven Universe and Sense 8 have been my favorite forms of media. One thing that resonated with me that I did not already mention in the above answers is that it also casts masculinity in a softer light. Men can be affectionate with other men regardless of sexual orientation.
Music and books. Music because it's the soundtrack to so many of our memories and because we don't need formal training to consume and produce music. Books also because there is no physical image telling us what the story should look like. The author creates a story for us and we can put together an image which we feel goes along with that story.
Fictional shows, like Glee. It was relatable and it’s easier to accept certain things about yourself when you see your favorite character live it out within the plot of the show.
I love music and just books in general. It's a nice escape and I get to choose it. So much of TV media and social media just forces what they want you to see. I like that I get to make a choice in what I am exposing myself to.
Gilmore Girls is an all-time favorite. I think the strong female-female relationships and mother-daughter resonated with me, plus I was young and it's just kind of an old mainstay. Plus it was really funny and quick-witted humor. Old favorite book is called "A Corner of the Universe." Young adult fiction and mainstay again from youth, but depicts a relationship between a young girl and her uncle who has an intellectual disability and their incredible love, as well his ultimate suicide. I honestly had not thought of that book until this moment, but I think it does say a lot that had been my favorite book starting from when I was 12 or so.
Before realizing I was an aro ace, I really fell in love with the character of Kate Beckett on the TV show Castle. She was a strong, intelligent, no-nonsense woman who was beautiful, but also flawed. And when she meets her favorite author, she doesn't dumb herself down or cut him slack, etc. Castle is intrigued and falls for her because she's so different from the women he's usually around who are bimbos falling all over themselves to be with a rich author. Kate was single at the start of the show, and while I was kind of bummed she got into a relationship, it wasn't serious and didn't last. Castle and Beckett had great chemistry, and fans wanted them to get together. I think I saw myself in Beckett, and I think I felt hopeful that if this character could find this great lovestory, then maybe I could find that too. At the time I was working on my MS in Counseling with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy, which I pursued in part because I was trying to figure out why I was perpetually single, given I had no clue about aros and aces.
I like comedy TV, but am sometimes leery about it because I'm worried about feeling like I'm the butt of someone's joke. However, when that doesn't happen, I enjoy the impact of laughter and joy in media.
When I have down time, I like to look at Instagram and Snapchat because it’s quick and I don’t have to pay huge attention unless something catches my eye.
My favorite media tends to be television shows, but I also appreciate fantasy fiction. Not that any particularly resonate with me, but I look to most media as an escape from the everyday. I usually use media as a way to experience something different from my own life; granted this may be because I have not seen strong or accurate representations of my own experiences, and thus use media differently that others.
V For Vendetta, The Dark Knight, Worm - a web novel, UNSONG - a web novel, Stranger Things, A Practical Guide to Evil - a web novel, Code Geass, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Attack on Titan.
I tend to prefer media in which intelligent, resourceful characters are challenged by villains that aren't idiots, in settings that aren't morally black and white. I identify strongly with characters who are weaker but smarter than their adversaries (hello, high school me) and must use their intelligence, resourcefulness, cunning, and determination to their advantage. I also dislike black and white morality - it's reductive and unrealistic. I do enjoy Mitú media. They release a lot of content for Hispanic people and it keeps me connected with practices that my mom used during my upbringing.
I listen and consume a lot of White people media...I think this is just because I grew up in White American culture.
Multiracial, Demi & Heterosexual, Demi & Heteroromantic, Secular Humanist, Unmarried, Childless6/20/2020
I wasn't sure your of exact definition of media, so please feel free to leave out anything that doesn't align with what you were looking for.
Impressionism: This is my favorite style of paintings. I dream of visiting Monet's garden in Giverny and beyond him I love the work of Childe Hassam, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissaro. I spent a lot of time in pastoral scenery growing up, and impressionist art looks like you took a slightly blurry picture without losing any of the light or color of a subject, which is reminiscent of how my childhood memories look. Music: An embarrassingly large chunk of my music library is musicals and movie soundtracks. I love musicals because I spend much of my own life with a soundtrack in the background, and I can relate to characters that break out into song during pivotal moments of their existence. Books: One kind of literature I enjoy are books about the immigrant experience, particularly when written by women of color. Some books that have shaped my life experience include Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue, Americana by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez. I like to read female writers in this particular genre because their works includes discussion of how being a feminist is intertwined with the immigrant experience in a way that I can relate to. I love Instagram and following Antonio Marziale; it makes me feel seen and comfortable. I also love music and I follow Twenty One Pilots. The music is empowering though a little unrelated. Kesha and Demi Lovato are also very empowering.
I will always favor music over anything. Music is the one place where everyone is expected to share their emotions, no matter their identities, and you can hear a lot of rawness if you pay attention to the lyrics.
One of our son's favorite children's books growing up was, "Daddy, Papa and Me" which portrayed two fathers and an African American son. It was positive and validated our family. It was a favorite among us all really.
I love following influential people on Twitter. I follow a man named George Johnson who identifies as gay and African American. I don't hold any of his same identities but I find myself growing so much as an ally and as a person as I reflect on my own identities and find confidence in them.
Avatar: the Last Airbender. It's one of my favorite pieces of media ever created and in my opinion one of the greatest TV shows, animated or not, to have ever broadcasted. It doesn't really resonate with me in the sense of my identities, but rather it was just really nice to see an American show take so much influence from various Asian cultures and create such a wonderful work.
Chef's Table and some other food documentaries are in my opinion a beautiful way to explore someone's life and their relationship with food. It goes deeper than just that; it also shows their relationship with their culture and surroundings and how the food they create is a culmination of their life experiences. Some of the episodes or films have given a sense of longing to see the countries that I have roots in, China and Peru, as well as other countries that are within the same regions, like Mexico or Korea. Recently with labels such as 88rising, there has been an increase in American representation of Asian and Asian American experiences, of which some of them tackle issues of culture. However, most of them don't directly address these. Subtle Asian Traits on Facebook is my favorite group on Facebook. Very relatable content on there.
Sports - it resonates with me because I personally like to stay active, and I like to see others performing at such high levels.
Music - I am able to indulge in both active and passive mechanisms, and there are a variety of genres that cater to specific moods and situations. “African Giant” by Burna Boy. Burna Boy is an African artist who has really taken up the spotlight here in western pop culture and in Africa! He is not afraid to talk about his African heritage in his songs and with the public. I notice he has been snubbed by other platforms for doing so but he still continues to speak out loud. Trevor Noah is another good example of that. Speaking about racism in South Africa and his African heritage.
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