A publication dedicated to challenging and creating new perceptions.
Perceive More! strives to be a publication that features pieces that challenge our perception and broadens our understanding of complex issues in the world. From race, culture, politics, and more, the publication will offer takes on various topics and attempt to do what is often hard, see things from the other side. The publication is open to any and all perceptions and encourages healthy debate so that we can all learn from each other. Want to be a part of Perceive More!?
The publication is actively recruiting writers that submit pieces challenging us to see things differently. If you are interested in joining, please express so in the comment section below and your profile will be reviewed before you are accepted into the publication. Although this is a new publication, we are looking for quality written pieces that have clear takeaways. Perceive More! …
Bacon’s Rebellion was one of the first times where rich White people convinced poor Whites that their whiteness made them better than impoverished Blacks, which continues to this day.
In 1675, Nathaniel Bacon led an alliance between European indentured servants and Africans against the colonial upper class. The two groups, diametrically opposed in almost all ways, found unity in their fight against poverty. Bacon led the rebellion to Jamestown, Virginia where they were able to besiege the town against the colonial governor William Berkeley. Successfully scaring the colonial upper class into listening, the rebellion was resolved when the upper class convinced the poor Whites that they were better due to their whiteness.
The upper class responded by hardening the racial caste of slavery through the Virginia Slaves Codes Act of 1705. It was one of the first times in US history where the upper class preserved capitalism by creating a wedge between poor Whites and poor Blacks. …
Happy Friday!
This was a busy week for the publication with many more submissions. The publication continues to see increased traffic and it is all because of the writers who tell compelling and thought-provoking stories. To ensure transparency and remind you all that we are on this journey together, here are updated stats!
As men push the boundaries with their male friends on social media apps like TikTok, people are accusing them of queerbaiting.
As the pandemic continues in the US and people are largely told to remain home, I have spent plenty of time on TikTok. The social media app has become remarkably good at showing me videos that it knows I will enjoy, so it was no surprise when it began to show me videos of men flirting with each other. As a gay man, I have liked plenty of these flirtatious videos and the more I like them the more that TikTok’s algorithms work overtime to ensure they keep coming.
Recently, I came across a TikTok video with beauty influencer James Charles and musical artist Jason Derulo. In the video, James is found asking Jason if they could do “the thing” just once, with Jason telling James that he knows he doesn’t like to do “the thing”. After James continues to beg, asking Jason to do it just once, they are found harmoniously singing “Jason Derulo”. The video is sexually suggestive and made the audience believe they were going to do far more than sing. One of the users commented, “Did anyone else think they were gonna kiss. Nope just me. Okay.” As innocent and harmless as the video ended up being, it is a part of a larger trend being seen within the app. …
Biden wants the nation to heal by asking Americans to listen to each other again, but I have no intention of rekindling relationships with anyone close to me that supported Trump.
My aunt and best friend voted for Trump in 2016. At the time, I was taken aback that two people so close to me voted for a racist. I messaged my aunt shortly after I learned of what she did and asked her how she could support him knowing the family that she was in. My aunt is White, but she was very much so in a Black family. We were unapologetically Black and I never once felt threatened by her; not until I learned she voted for Trump.
We went back and forth over her voting for him and pretty much came to the conclusion that she “only” voted for him because of economic reasons. She didn’t want her taxes to go up, was pro-life, and pro-gun. My friend had similar reasons for voting for Trump. Although I came away from the conversations extremely frustrated and in disbelief, I maintained my relationships with my aunt and friend until 2020. …
Black women played a pivotal role in electing Joe Biden and continue to be the most important bloc in getting Black people to vote.
2020 was a year of many things, but it was also the year that showed the power of Black women. From Stacey Abrams to Kamala Harris, Black women played an integral role in getting Black people to vote for Democrats. Their influence within the Black community is nothing new, but it is about time we give credit to Black women for their outsized role in elections.
Having to combat racism and sexism, Black women play a special role in society. Battling this intersectionality all of their life, Black women play an outsized role in advocating for their communities because they have no natural shield to protect themselves from attacks. They understand that the best way in protecting themselves is through voting. Andre M. …
Expanding the use of the word ‘terrorist’ broadens the police state and encourages more surveillance of over-policed communities.
Almost two weeks after rioters attempted to overtake the Capitol building in the US, there has been debate over whether or not the rioters should be labeled as terrorists. To some, the term is appropriate because these people were inciting terror and intending to use it to topple the government. To others, they warn that in using the term we are encouraging an already sprawling surveillance state to become even larger as the FBI and CIA weed out anyone labeled a terrorist. …
As we approach MLK Day, White people really need to grapple with what Martin Luther King Jr would say about the current state of this country.
A friend of mine used to always ask me what Martin Luther King Jr would do/say whenever we got into an argument over racial injustice. When the Ferguson protest was happening back in 2014 over the killing of Michael Brown, I brought up the injustice of the situation to which my friend posed the question about MLK. She would say, “I get what the people are trying to do but protesting isn’t the answer. What would Martin Luther King say to the destruction occurring from those protests?”
I was always taken aback by this question because it was often the only defense she had in her argument. There were no other prominent Black figures she could name. Malcolm X, John Lewis, Bayard Rustin, James Farmer, Whitney Young Jr, and countless others were never mentioned. All she could remember about MLK was him preaching for nonviolence amongst civil rights activists, law enforcement personnel, and Americans as if he stood for nothing more. To simplify this man’s story to fit her narrative of inaction not only does a major disservice to his life but continues to this day by many Americans. …
Only thanks to healthcare workers’ sacrifices they continue making in tackling this pandemic.
Yesterday, I received my first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. It was the first time in a while that made me begin to believe there may be light at the end of the tunnel. A pandemic that has so far taken the lives of almost 400,000 Americans, receiving the vaccine let me know that it is possible for us to get a grasp on this devastating virus. Beyond that, I began to think about the impact it has had on healthcare workers, the people on the frontlines of this pandemic.
According to Registered Nursing, anywhere from 7–26% of healthcare workers have been infected with COVID-19. To put that into perspective, there are around 18 million healthcare workers in the US according to the CDC. On the low end, that would suggest that 1.26 million workers contracted COVID. While on the high end, that would put the number at 4.68 million workers. With the healthcare workforce being disproportionately female at 80%, COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on women in the economy. These are the same people that are continuing to fight the pandemic as January and February look to be the worst months. …
Hello!
First and foremost, welcome to Perceive More! It has been a couple of days since the founding of this publication and we are already blowing well past my expectations. Since Monday, the publication has had over 1000 visitors and views and minutes read have been off to an incredible start.
