#and LEARN

[bookwyrminspiration]

If I knew how to draw it would be over for you hoes <- is an artist

#shitpost #artist shitpost #I want to draw chorus of dragons fanart SO BAD but I have a vision beyond my skill level… #FUCK #I have to TRY #and LEARN #and PUT IN EFFORT #ugh #ridiculous

[windienine]

at this point, i think i just generally like who i am and am excited for who i'm shaping up to be

#victor text #i have high standards for myself but i find myself meeting them more and more often #and i biff them sometimes but i'm starting to learn there is little i can't work to fix or improve in myself #and learn #most of my dissatisfaction is with the world at large

[dgalerab]

ayo really in the "my eye has surpassed my skill" vibes tonight so if a few people could toss some compliments re my writing and/or art that would be nice

#trying to remember that you just have to like #step back and look at some good art or read some good writing #and learn #and go back to try again #but sometimes lizard brain just sits there being like #that can't possibly work!!!!!!!

[lordadmiralfarsight]

Cultural christianity, and what it can look like

I often-ish see people get all upset and angry when cultural christianity is brought up, taking it as an insult. Most likely, they feel insulted because of past trauma related to abusive behaviour in the sect of christianity they were raised in. That, or they have delusions of grandeur about how rational and special and immune to religion they are and how dare people assume their perfect rational minds are affected in any way? (Don't worry, it's OK, I went through that phase too when I was a teen).

First off, I live in France, a country that has historically been rather Christian, Catholic to be exact, and only fairly recently moved towards more secular structures. Yes, a century since the law on secularism is a short time for a nation. Debate is still raging on what form that secularism should take, and talking about that debate would be a whole other post.

I was raised in a rather atheist familly, due in part to religious trauma in both my parents (even if they wouldn't necessarily think of it that way). My interactions with Catholicism have been limited to visiting churches for the art and stained glasses, a baptism I do not remember (due to being a baby at the time) and a handful of funerals. And I am going to supply you with an exemple of cultural christianity : last Saturday, I had a Catholic moment.

This was fairly topical, one could say, as I was going to visit the Mont Saint-Michel (very pretty, breathtaking vistas, strong recommend). I stopped at a supermarket to buy food for the road, and for the visit, one does need energy to climb up and down repeatedly on that rock, and everything costs an arm, a leg and the soul of your firstborn over there (or lots of money, if you're boring). I see a homeless person sitting outside, quietly hoping people give him some money. I walk along, awkward because I don't have money and I'd rather not have to tell someone "sorry, I can't help you, I don't have cash". I think this is bad, and resolve to buy him a sandwich, which I do. I also give him the sandwich, because just buying it on its own really isn't enough, the man can't eat his sandwich if I drive off with it, really defeats the purpose of the act.

Anyway. I sit down in my car, and have idle thoughts about how maybe that'll help me get the job I recently applied to and ... the Catholic Moment begins. Why am I hoping that? What can that realistically do? Did I give that man a sadnwich for selfish, supersititious reasons? Why would I "taint" this act of kindness with that superstition I don't even believe in?

And then the Catholic Moment ends. And I reassert reality. The guy doesn't care what was going on in my head when I bought and gave him a sandwich, he cares that he has a sandwich. He was smiling, thanked me and said it was nice. Who cares what was going on upstairs, I still gave him the damn sandwich. It's still an improvement in his life, however small. And it's OK to have idle thoughts about that kind of small hope, who cares so long as I don't try to force that on other people. And if it motivates other people to help someone, all the better. That act isn't tainted just because I thought the "wrong thoughts". The dude has his sandwich.

And that is cultural Christianity. I am an atheist, mostly by lack of care about spirituality, but still. But I was raised in a society that is still largely Catholic shaped. My parents were raised as Catholics and broke away later. My grandparents were Catholics. Their own parents were too. And looking back, a lot of my ancestors were more on the poor side of things, which made them even more Catholic.

That doesn't make me evil or bad or wrong. That just means my social and cultural software is cross-shaped due to centuries of previous updates being cross-shaped. And removing bits and bobs from it, and adding a few more, isn't going to change that. I just need to keep that in mind, so I can use that software in a way that takes into account people with non-cross-shaped software, and make sure I don't react in ways that hurt them.

The societies and cultures we live in were built over centuries or millenia, and are marked by our ancestors and what they believe in. You can break some walls, put in bigger windows and change the drapes, it's still the same building, and the crosses scratched into the mortar haven't gone away. But those crosses aren't stopping you from being more open, more friendly to other people. They don't stop people with software that isn't cross-shaped to set up their room as they please.

Just because you live in a building with crosses scratched into the mortar and the bricks, just because those crosses have been scratched into your brain by familliarity and repeatedly being seen, it doesn't make you evil, it doesn't make you wrong. It just means you've grown in there, and you may need to keep that in mind, to make sure those crosses scratched into your brain don't end up hurting someone or blinding you to someone's hurt.

Where you come from, where you grew up, doesn't reduce your worth as a human, and it's OK to carry on stuff from there. We all do. It's not a moral failing. All we're saying, is to take a good look at what those bits do to you, how they motivate your actions, and most importantly, when they tell you not to listen to others.

One of these little brain crosses is telling you that you're right, and everyone that thinks otherwise is wrong, because there is only One Truth, but are you sure you want to listen to that little cross? Are you sure you want to listen to the same little cross that caused your friend, parent, trusted adult figure, to hurt you and refuse to listen to you? Isn't it worth a go to listen to people whose software isn't cross-shaped, and try to understand where they come from?

It's not easy, I'm not going to lie. @athingofvikings can tell you, I stumbled a fair few times, in parts because he is litterally the first Jewish person I actually talked to. But he is a friend, a dear one, and I feel blessed to have met him and become his friend. I stumbled, but I keep my mind open to see my mistakes and correct them, and I do what I can to make sure those brain crosses aren't hurting people, and I got several great friends out of the deal. Imagine the friends you can find, if you just accept them as they are and keep the crosses in check?

#cultural christianity #atheisim #atheist #listen and understand #you don't need to always agree 100% #but at least try to understand #and keep an open mind and an open heart #metaphorically #a physically open heart is terrible news #you need a good surgeon to survive that #it's okay to be culturally christian so long as you keep the intolerant parts at bay #it takes efforts but it's worth it #and you won't be perfect 100% of the time #but no one sane would ask you to be entirely perfect #and when you are wrong you can apologize #so listen #apologize when needed #and learn #I'm done rambling #I hope I didn't fail at communication #foot-in-mouth syndrome begone

[rattusn0rvegicus]

Can't wait to start SCHEWL. Should I make a studyblr or just make a studyblr *tag* on this blog 🤔

#I want to CLASSES #And LEARN #I HAD A DREAM THAT I WAS SIGNING UP FOR CLASSES LAST NIGHT GOD IM SO BORING

[crows-and-cookies]

'Oh, so you played that card'

My coworker and I both interviewed for a higher position at work, and were discussing the first question, which was how to include diverse viewpoints as a part of a county wide initiative.

I started my answer with 'As a brown woman,' because I am a mixed brown woman.

And she said 'oh, so you played that card'.

I have been called a terrorist since the first grade for the food I brought in my lunch.

I have been called 'exotic' and so much worse by men who view me as a conquest, as they did my country.

I have been threatened to be deported for a speeding ticket.

People have been simultaneously telling me I'm 'ethnic' yet denying my status as non-white for 26 fucking years. The worst culprit of this is my mother, who is in denial that she is in an inter-racial marriage.

I have seen and experienced things you cannot fathom, and wouldn't believe if I took the time to told you. This does not make me better than you--it means I have the background and experience to adequately answer that single question, by the sheer virtue of the fucking way the United States hates Arabic people.

You bet I played that card.

#and i will play it again #and again #until you start to fucking listen to me #and learn #that Arabic people ARE NOT WHITE #If I have to deal with the trauma I deserve to be recognized as brown #suck my ethnic dick #yes I'm talking to you federal government #arabic #brown skin #woc #and proud

[ruhua-langblr]

Duolingo Sucks, Now What?: A Guide

Now that the quality of Duolingo has fallen (even more) due to AI and people are more willing to make the jump here are just some alternative apps and what languages they have:

"I just want an identical experience to DL"

Busuu (Languages: Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic, Korean)

"I want a good audio-based app"

Language Transfer (Languages: French, Swahili, Italian, Greek, German, Turkish, Arabic, Spanish, English for Spanish Speakers)

"I want a good audio-based app and money's no object"

Pimsleur (Literally so many languages)

Glossika (Also a lot of languages, but minority languages are free)

*anecdote: I borrowed my brother's Japanese Pimsleur CD as a kid and I still remember how to say the weather is nice over a decade later. You can find the CDs at libraries and "other" places I'm sure.

"I have a pretty neat library card"

Mango (Languages: So many and the endangered/Indigenous courses are free even if you don't have a library that has a partnership with Mango)

Transparent Language: (Languages: THE MOST! Also the one that has the widest variety of African languages! Perhaps the most diverse in ESL and learning a foreign language not in English)

"I want SRS flashcards and have an android"

AnkiDroid: (Theoretically all languages, pre-made decks can be found easily)

"I want SRS flashcards and I have an iphone"

AnkiApp: It's almost as good as AnkiDroid and free compared to the official Anki app for iphone

"I don't mind ads and just want to learn Korean"

lingory

"I want an app made for Mandarin that's BETTER than DL and has multiple languages to learn Mandarin in"

ChineseSkill (You can use their older version of the course for free)

"I don't like any of these apps you mentioned already, give me one more"

Bunpo: (Languages: Japanese, Spanish, French, German, Korean, and Mandarin)

#EDIT: Added a great resource for ESL and African languages that weren't found elsewhere #I do NOT recommend memrise and will talk about it another day but #langblr #duolingo #duo #language learning #language learning apps #mandarinblr #resource #reference

[i-was-today-years-old-when]

i learned about Shiniuzhai, a convenience store hanging on a cliff in Hunan, that’s been nicknamed “most inconvenient convenience store” in China (x)

#today i learned #facts #truth #travel #explore

[monsoon-of-art]

#I'm serious stop doing it #theyre scraping fanfics and other authors writing #'oh but i wanna rp with my favs' then learn to write #studios wanna use ai to put writers AND artists out of business stop feeding the fucking machine!!!!

[doccywhomst]

#i’ve been thinking abt that cringe post #i think the latent feelings behind ‘cringe’ are shame and sometimes envy/bitterness #same vibes as when six year olds say ‘those toys are for babies’ if they’ve been shamed for their age by older kids #anyway. i think part of the healing process is realizing that shame puts you at war with yourself bc part of yourself is a social being! #and that part of you wants community and acceptance (maybe love). shame is the absence of acceptance #unlearning shame means learning self-love and gaining the confidence to find your people #jerma #cw jerma #(someone asked me to tag lol)

[ace-and-ranty]

I gotta say, one of the greatest achievements of my 20s was that I learned (mostly) to differentiate between:

"I truly do not want to go" and

"I'm just feeling the Demand Avoidance, and I will like it once I get there."

#I have learned in my 20s #sometimes I DO just gotta make myself go places even if I don't feel like it #I'll like it once I get there.

[corpish]

#these are from my notes app page of skills I’d like to learn someday #there are others that I’ve already learned #and some more instruments that I didn’t include here bc I already put the harp #poll #100 #1k #5k

[koddlet]

personal rules for winter ❄

#this was fun bc i didn't intend for it to be kind of cryptic #i just wanted to make some reminders for myself about winter cuz i never learn #especially the back cover which i guess isn't really a rule but still stands. i'm in a rural place so when it gets dark it's Dark #and its hard to want to do anything #zine #mini zine #illustration #nonfandom #analogue art

[mrtequilasunset]

Listen man, you guys can't be like "you guys need to be normal about asexuality" and then turn around and get weirdly judgemental when you find out someone doesn't have sex by choice. Like that's weird that some of you do that.

#like I love sex im glad we're hyping it up #but also genuinely some of you have got to learn how to be normal around people who dont want to have sex #even if you're not talking about asexuality when you say stuff like that you're still being a weirdass #im not ace myself but i keep seeing posts that come across like they're taking it personally that other people don't want to have sex #it sounds like theyre trying to prove something to someone

[anarchywoofwoof]

#memes #oc #learning photoshop through play

[cyborgrhodey]

THE BANANAS ARE GAY

THESE BANANAS

THE BANANAS IN PAJAMAS ARE GAY

BELATED HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE

#somebody shut me up #this news is 4 years old but forgive me i only learned of it now #THE BANANAS IN PAJAMAS ARE GAY YALL thats my childhood