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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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^ pot, kettle, black?
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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For fuck's sake.
Fresh from university and stepping into the world, a generation of dreamers and independently minded children voice their opinions.
Your parents are all far from understanding but you expect the government to be different? You expect to just walk away from education and into a job or the government will just pay you enough money to live comfortably?
I've done unemployment, I've suffered through having to go to job search multiple times a week and I've been fully aware of the true fruitlessness of the endeavour. While there, however, I saw that most of the people involved didn't want a job. They didn't care, they wanted an easy time of it. They were told to turn up so they did, they wrote on the tables and didn't give a fuck if they were late unless it meant they'd get their benefits cut.
Newsflash! THE GOVERNMENT IS THERE TO RUN THE COUNTRY! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN LIVES! BENEFITS ARE THERE TO PERMIT YOU TO SURVIVE WITHOUT EMPLOYMENT! THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE FOR! They are NOT a way of life. There is a whole system of support behind the job centre beyond just getting a signature and going off home.
Job search allowed me to reclaim the cost of transport and under New Deal there was a chance I'd be able to claim funding for driving lessons if there was a chance it could get me a job.
You think life is so hard and that these cuts will ruin your life? Plan well, get a job and get into society rather than living on the fringe and moaning constantly about how bad Tories are.
Grow the fuck up and get into the real world.
Harsh rules to drive the long-term unemployed into work come into force today, which state they will only receive their benefits if they either show up at a jobcentre every day or commit to six months of voluntary work.
hey look everyone, the tories are FINALLY bringing back the workhouse! (/s)
It’s not like i have friends for whom getting to their job centre every day for a fortnight would leave them less than £10 with which to feed themselves.
It’s not like i have friends for whom getting to their job centre every day would cripple them either mentally or physically (or maybe both! bonus!)
It’s not like people are going to DIE from this, because if they for whatever reason don’t make it to their job centre on any one day, they’ll be cut off completely from benefits for a whole month - and that’s just for their first offence!
It’s not like the alternative of six months’ unpaid “Volunteering” (as if it’s voluntary) IS LONGER THAN MOST COMMUNITY SERVICE SENTENCES FOR ASSAULT OR DRUNKDRIVING
it’s official guys, being poor and unemployed in the UK is criminal and the sentence is capital
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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UKIP is a racist, homophobic, xenophobic party full of bankers and privately educated bellends!
Wait a minute. So is the Conservative party! And the Labour party! And the Lib Dems!
But UKIP are worse. They want control of our borders! They want to keep people out of England! Don't these people understand that uninhibited immigration is what made this country great! That every year we let people flood in is another year of prosperity and happiness! All the talk about jobs is rubbish, UKIP can't tell their arse from their elbow! It's all wrong! They hate ethnic minorities! They want to stop sending aid to India! India needs that money! Rockets don't fire themselves!
Here is the basic thing about how Capitalism works: Companies make money by making things to sell to people. Those people get money for selling things to other people. This goes around in circles.
Now, when people realised that people in other countries worked for less, meaning the companies could pay some people less to make things to sell to other people, they seized on that fact! That is why call centres, factories etc are now in countries that have either no or a very low minimum wage. So the companies make more money and employment moves away from making things and more heavily into just selling things.
Now, this means there are more people looking for jobs, so wages can be driven down to the minimum wage permitted by the country. Because at the end of the day, if you want a job you want a job.
The more people there are looking for jobs, the lower wages can be. If the minimum wage is raised, companies raise their prices, so the actual benefit of raising the minimum wage is effectively lost. It's just a better number to think about.
Immigrants DO bring financial benefits. That many people will need to buy things from places and they need jobs. Problem is that, in the tertiary sector (selling things) you need few people to sell things. So effectively, for every 100 people you'll only need 1 more shopkeeper, 1 more policeman, 1 more teacher, 1 more bank clerk etc etc. So there's a disparity.
And then, the biggest problem of all. Most workers from the EU are used to worse conditions, lower pay and a harder life. Most young people in the UK are used to a cushy life, they've usually been in education a long time and want to stay inside the vocation they studied for. This basically means some people will work like motherfuckers for minimum wage while some people will resent it and look to leave at any opportunity.
Control of the UK's borders mean we can LIMIT the migrants who come here looking for work. We can manage the workforce better and this will cause an increase in wages as the economy recovers.
Or we can call UKIP racists, allow everyone to come here looking for work and when you all reach 75 years old and wonder why there's no pension, no NHS and no carehomes, you'll look back on a lifetime lived with plummeting wages, rising unemployment and an impossible to balance benefits bill.
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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Time to get healthy.
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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A fun little rant about gender.
I've been on tumblr today! I've read some posts from my friends and some stuff from people I follow mutually and then I came across a post that burnt my brain to read.
"Bisexual and pansexual are both cissexist terms in the same way that homosexual and heterosexual are too. All of them have been used to enforce cissexism against trans women, trans men and nonbinary trans people in varying ways."
And the thing goes on, using more fuckin' buzzwords and terms than the preppiest and most indie newsletter on the planet.
Just for a second though, consider the argument. All terms are oppression. Everything. It all needs to change.
MILLIONS, no, BILLIONS of years. Evolution, reproduction, all back to the first piece of shit that divided in two. Our genetics, circuits. Pretty well set into the "gay, straight or bi" setup really. Male, female. For a long time, it was argued that gay and bi were wrong but we're past that now, I think. But to fuckin' say that all terms need removing for a minority is just insane. You think it's hard to get recognised for the non binary genderfluid trans man that you are now? Imagine what it'll be like when you've changed the way every straight person sees gender. You want to tell them that they're not straight because that implies that you're bent and that hurts your feelings. They get to be heteronomerative inside their own binary.
For the millions of people in the world for whom the current system is fine, you want to change it all. You want to tell everyone they're wrong, and the last 20 years of history has brought to the fore so many shades of grey in the sexual scale that you cannot accept any of the current terms.
You're insane. You're up the fuckin' tree and it is not gonna help anyone. You're going to cause your entire quest for rights to look like a fuckin' comedy sketch. You're fucked up pieces of shit for trying to tell everyone how to view their sexuality because of meaning you attach to it. Don't fucking tell me that I'm in the wrong, I know I'm right. I've fought hard for the rights of my friends and I've stood up to bullies all my life. Don't tell me I need a new dictionary because you didn't like the old words. Deal with it.
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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The world is fucked
RAAAAAAAANNNTT PPOOOOSSSTTT People draggin' up the pastie tax and other weird anti-tory bullshit, neglecting all the other bullshit we're STILL dealing with from the Labour government before them and generally just being INCORRECT. The Tories didn't decide to tax the poor working class man's pastry treat, Cameron didn't decide to stick it to average Joe. Greggs exploited the VAT rules (Hot takeaway food has VAT on it.) by realising that you only paid VAT on food you MADE hot. So if you cooked something and never let it cool down, THEN sold it hot, it was now free of VAT through their rules loophole.
Greggs is a company that makes a lot of money from selling cheap food to people for quite a sum, in some cases. It's not a small endeavour, and they know what they did was wrong. But the media got hold of this and RAN WITH IT. And every dumbass motherfucker in the country believed the shit they were sold. They just assumed that the media would NEVER lie. That pasties were being unfairly targeted.
So the Government repealed the act. And Greggs kept making money. Cheats never prosper? Try making cheap and expensive pasties, you'll get a long way.
TRAYVON MARTIN AND GEORGE ZIMMERMAN? it's VERY SAD and NO-ONE won in that case. There is a lot more to this case than people are ever gonna let you believe. ZImmerman was aware of a crime wave in his small tight-knit area and he had made the police aware on multiple occasions of people acting suspicious. The Police hadn't turned up and those people had then broke into houses. So ZImmerman (Not a white guy, he's half latino I think) is already thinking (just like everyone else who's had dealings with the police) that he'll need to act himself to stop criminals.
I cannot comment on HOW Trayvon died, I cannot be sure of what happened and I DON'T think Zimmerman is totally innocent. But I don't believe it was clear cut. A young man lost his life that day and Zimmerman IS responsible. But did he ACTUALLY murder him? Did he ACTUALLY go out and try to kill Trayvon? No. Zimmerman HAS no future. He is an outcast and he is hated by the world because of the way he has been painted. He will never get employment or be able to go anywhere by himself because he'll be a target. This boxing match is a media circus where he's gonna be fucked up by DMX.
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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tumblr is not a "safe haven" for anyone, it is not an isolated community.
Registration is open to everyone and all you're doing is creating a little bubble. As soon as you go outside, that bubble is popped and you realise that you were never really separate. It's still the same world but instead of seeing that you're in the minority, you think you're the majority so you just expect things to go your way.
Heterosexuality is the fuckin' norm. it's the default. It's what we're taught to be from birth. That isn't 100% right but it's not 100% wrong.
People need to understand that we cannot legislate for everything carte blanche. You tumblr guys are 30 to 40 years ahead of the current voting majority. Tbh it's probably more, in the past people have only had their parents generation to influence them so things moved quicker. This generation has another 3 behind them, all looking down and judging.
On tumblr, close ranks and you feel like a big group, but when you're outside you need to realise: non binary gender isn't as prevalent as you think and most people don't even understand "binary" let alone "non binary gender". Have faith, stay strong but don't just bully people.
You're better than that. We're all better than that.
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frictionengine ¡ 10 years
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I don't get angry over serious shit, I usually stay calm but sometimes the most inane and stupid thing makes me angry and I really, really, really don't like being angry since it usually makes me dangerous to anyone around me :( :(
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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I wish more people would understand
Sometimes when I don't feel like doing anything, it doesn't mean "list things and invite me to do them"
It means I'm depressed and want to be left alone for a while, not to do anything, just kinda exist by myself.
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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This entire discussion concerns me.
So no-one who writes about any polarising topic such as mental sickness, racism, disabilities etc etc can do so unless they have suffered from them? And in the case of mental sickness, it's gonna need proof they were in an asylum?
What the fuck, kids? Do you know the difference between A DOCUMENTARY and A PIECE OF FICTION?
If a topic is well researched and well proofread, it is PERFECTLY OK TO WRITE ABOUT THE ABOVE THINGS.
Don't say "omg u werent there man, u dont kno" because fuck that shit. Fuck that argument. A white writer wants to write about a black character? Judge them on their CREATION not who they are.
Dumbledore being gay wasn't crap because it was written by a straight women, it was crap because it was badly written in (if it was ever written in at all).
Arguments about Homestuck are like water off a ducks back, if we lived in a world where such phrases weren't thrown around every goddamn day maybe I'd give more credence to the idea that Andrew Hussie was the webcomic antichrist.
before you decide to make an AU based off of mental health and “asylums”
don’t
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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also wow stop using religion as the only thing you want to blame for issues in your stupid games
yes christianity has played a major part in the misuse and discrimination of so many people 
but HEY THATS CUS THE PEOPLE IN POWER IN GENERAL ARE WHITE PEOPLE THAT ARE GIVEN THE POWER TO DO AWFUL THINGS
stop blaming the common persons faith for everything you fedora wearing, reddit browsing, friendzone whining assholes. 
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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This is a before and after series of porn stars with and without makeup (Makeup and photos by xmelissamakeupx)
I’ll just let that sink in with all of my followers who have low self esteem due to their appearance.
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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Gender stuff
Gender. It's a pretty big thing, it's one of the most obvious things that a human has to go by when they first interact with another human.
It's fairly important, and this is the first hurdle non-binary and/or trans people face. If I was only made aware of the colours yellow and blue and you showed me a shade of green, I'd try to work out if the colour was closer to blue or closer to yellow.
Despite all the stuff about alternative gender identity before now, in the past, currently we're still very much in the male or female camps nowadays. We're getting better, but remember that there's not really much acceptance of non-binary outside of you. That is, tumblr and the internet. It is becoming more of a thing but come on.
WOMEN cannot get representation in governments, ethnic minorities can't get representation in governments, sexism and racism are still problems we actively have to campaign against.
Please, don't act like you expect people to automatically understand, accept and have measures in place for non-binary individuals. Do your own parents support your stance on gender? Are they not, in theory, biased towards believing and supporting you?
Yeah. it is a long struggle, one that will be in the pipes for a lone time.
On a related note, you know that you're all a great tight-knit community of non-binary individuals who don't shave your legs, get piercings, grow taches and throw around terms like "cute" and "beautiful"? Remember that these quirks and features are only such to you. Please, do not be surprised if 95% of the normal population reacts with a laugh, a pointed finger or just shouts that "you're weird".
They're not right. They're wrong, they'll change, but they're only used to blue and yellow.
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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2600+ touches so far
Why you should date me:
I have a butt
You’ll have permission to touch the butt
If you’re nice you can squish the butt
Butts
Butts
BUTTS
Did I mention butts?
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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Politics protip
If your parents didn't know/understand/care about something until you brought it to their attention, then probably 75% of people 30 and older don't.
Don't expect equal representation when your own parents don't get it.
The government is probably a similar age to your parents.
Some of them are like your grandparents age.
Does your grandparents understand the difference between transman, transwoman, genderqueer, asexual etc etc?
Do your parents?
Please consider this before you storm the capital, shouting and waving banners. This isn't gonna be tumblr. You can't just shout a hyperlink at a BBC reporter.
You're dealing with people who have NO IDEA what "non-binary" means. Outside of tumblr users, I've NEVER seen someone identify as non-binary. On the inside, I still find the concept incredibly hard to believe.
So please, don't make a fool of yourself by going on TV wearing outlandish attire, sneering and shouting slogans at the media. Because the media will turn it into a circus, run with it and you'll be the next pisstake tabloid cover.
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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It's ok to hold different views! It's ok to dislike other people's views!
It's ok to think differently to everyone else!
To dislike something!
It's only a problem when you use that dislike or different view as a stick to beat other people with.
Don't believe in God? Thankfully this isn't a barrier to functioning in day to day life alongside people who do!
Feel a little bit racist? It's ok, you can still function in society, work alongside people and even talk to "them" because it's not like there's a physical reason why you can't! If you try to open up and accept people, it'll go away eventually! It's normal to be wary of people different to you!
Dislike fat people? Dislike seeing really thin people? Afraid of seeing a little bit of flesh? Doesn't matter! You can still function normally!
Dislike gay people? it's ok, it's not like you're gonna have to watch them have sex. They're PEOPLE! Like YOU and ME! We all just want to get by in life, and if you just try to "tolerate" them having rights and shit, maybe we'll all come out the other side a bit better!
Someone doing something you don't like? Well, thank God that it doesn't fuckin' matter because THEY are doing it! Maybe turn away or read a book, unless it's illegal in which case spray them with a hose or something.
The world isn't mutually exclusive and we're all in this shit together, so pull yourself on your damn feet and stop hating people!
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frictionengine ¡ 11 years
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Should I wait 6 months and apologise or apologise now?
I meant Hitlers views rather than his actions, which I suppose are inseparable. What he did was nothing like posting dumb shit on the internet, it was indefensible and barbaric beyond words.
People
Some people seem to have such weird definitions of standards.
Like, my dash is forever full of people decrying people I consider to be pretty balanced. My personal views are accepting to a fault whereas my language is not as flawless in that respect. I throw down nigger (I refuse to abstain and say ‘n-word’ because that’s giving it credence and power it doesn’t need. Making it into a secret hammerblow word that you can use as an ace in the hole. Yes, I am white, I am not (using the previous word here is NOT ok because that IS racism. I’d prefer to say “black” but “person of colour” is the cool thing apparently) a person of colour so it’s not a word I can say without being called a racist. And that is fine. But I’ll still feel ok using it in discussion about the word because that’s ok. Like, we make fun of the US Senate for not letting them say “vagina” during a debate on (I think it was abortion but generally it was vagina stuff) But we can’t say “nigger” when talking about racism?
But going back, standards. One of my friends used to be big into a celeb and said how ace they were on this and that, and the next thing we found out that their beliefs were weird as shit and my friend didn’t agree with them (I didn’t either) and then that person was in the dislike pile.
Jim Sterling gets a lot of hate for reason I haven’t yet worked out. Apparently he said some “p bad stuff” at some point?
Penny Arcade had a big thing a while back and tbh while I don’t think it was as big of a thing as it became, it was a fairly candid view into how they think.
  But these are people with similar media, news stories and experiences to you and me. Genetically almost identical. Their views aren’t magically invented. They’re not outdated firmware and you’re the newest version.
  They’re people whose views were shaped by the lives they’ve lived and the world we live in.
Some of them say “cripple”, some of them don’t tag for slurs and some of them don’t give a fuck about rights.
But really, have you NEVER fucked up?
Or will you accept an apology? “I fucked up, my views were wrong, I am different now”
Is that YOUR stance? John Lennon didn’t get chance to say that apology. He died in a world where those faults were far too common. Hitler might have changed his tack by now, had he lived.
But since you’re now 6 months older, you’re different and better? You’ve shattered those images and now you’re the next big thing in fighting THE PATRIARCHY/THINMAFIA/ABLEISTS?
People aren’t perfect, tolerate them for their flaws and yearn to teach them the errors of their ways.
Can they change like you, or are you bound by your past too?
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