softbadass:

as a mexican i can’t help but laugh at how wrong some americans writing mexican characters get the way our name system works so lemme explain so you can get it right!

so most mexicans (remarking MOST because i do mean 99% of us) have TWO last names that come from our parents. it’s basically like this:

name / paternal last name (dad’s first last name) / maternal last name (mum’s first last name).

the first last name is ALWAYS the paternal last name, it always comes from the dad side of the family. there are some exceptions though. in 3 states of the country it’s already legal to put the maternal last name first but it’s very rare and usually only in special cases, like when the father is absent for example.

there are also cases where the person has only one last name but this is not only extremely rare but it can cause a lot of hardships with legal documentation like school, banks, etc. this can happen for some reasons:

1- they’re the child of a single parent (however, to avoid the difficulties that come with having one single last name some end up being registered with the same last names as the parent, but inverted)

2- they were registered in another country where they only have one last name (for example USA, a friend of mine was registered there and for that reason they only have one last name in their documents)

it’s important to mention that unlike american last names, the two last names are not separated by “-” they’re only separated by a space.

the last names are not necessarily one word, some have two or three. for example last names like “de la rosa” or “del olmo”

also, there’s no such thing as married name here. women don’t change their last names nor mix them with their husbands last names.

as i am aware, last names tend to work like this in all latin america but many specific details may be different depending on the country and i am not that well informed.

either way, i hope this helps anyone who’s developing a mexican character!

Body sensitivity of boys.

Any time I hear someone mention they’re sensitive to scents I’m like, “No, no you’re doing it wrong. You’re doing it entirely wrong.” I just want to go up to them and kind of disapprovingly say “No, you’re not sensitive.” And when they become all indignant and defensive and draw in a huge breath to comment on how callous and unfeeling I am? “You’re scentsitive.”

It would be glorious.

“He was emblematic of a ‘new breed’ of man-sensitive and politically-minded with an air of integrity that only intensified his appeal to a generation of young men and women that chose to question the establishment instead of conforming to it.”

— ‘Another Man’ Magazine [Oct, 2017]

Ethics and Moral values in art

Many people love art for the freedom it provides through expression — it is often said that “a picture can paint a thousand words.” With many mediums at an artist’s fingertips, the creative possibilities are endless. Art can be produced around any subject matter, but it is debatable whether some topics shouldn’t be permitted. With such liberty, should there also be moral responsibility?

“Myra” by Marcus Harvey is an interesting example of blurred lines within ethics. This large painting was created in 1995, resembling a greatly magnified version of a photographic image. The woman displayed on the canvas is Myra Hindley (the person held accountable, as well as her husband, for The Moors murders). The victims consisted of five children, which the painting boldly comments on through thousands of tiny handprints, layered to portray one big visual. These small handprints are reminiscent of an “innocent child”, which the artwork consciously juxtaposes through the large canvas portrayal of the “depraved world of adults”.

Understandably, this is a very controversial piece with much to be said about it. Some people support it, describing it as the single most important painting in the show: “a very, very cathartic picture… It is an incredibly serious and sober work of art that needs to be seen.” Others saw it as glorification and were angrily provoked, causing the press and public to comment before the opening of the exhibition: “Myra Hindley is to be hung in the Royal Academy. Sadly it is only a painting of her”.

This is of course only one example, but clearly demonstrates the diversity of thought. Morally dubious artworks have always been, and will always continue to be produced. Due to differing opinions, people will always have dissimilar views regarding what is and isn’t acceptable to be published. Personally, I do believe that it is appropriate for the artist to consider their audience and what they are publishing in the world. There is a fine line between art that handles a sensitive subject matter to spread awareness, or to just glorify and promote disturbing matters. Ultimately, an artist is still a human being and a part of the social, moral world. This would therefore suggest that actions as either an artist or ordinary human is not to be exempt from following the same guidelines or moral scrutiny.

[ Sources:
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myra_(painting)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_murders]

sensitive insta- @ thejournalingrat