i do unironically think the best artists of our generation are posting to get 20 notes and 3 reblogs btw. that fanfic with like 45 kudos is some of the best stuff ever written. those OCs you carry around have some of the richest backstories and worldbuilding someone has ever seen. please do not think that reaching only a few people when you post means your art isn't worth celebrating.
Spanning a period of 42 months offers a unique perspective on time. In such an interval, a myriad of changes and developments can occur, both in the natural world and in human lives. This period, extending over several seasons, allows for the observation of recurring natural phenomena, such as the change of seasons and the rhythms of plant and animal life.
For individuals, 42 months can be a significant duration, marking substantial phases in life such as educational endeavors, career advancements, or personal milestones. This time frame, while substantial, is not so extensive that it disconnects us from our starting point, allowing us to reflect on progress and changes over a manageable period.
On this Valentine’s Day please don’t forget about the Palestinian people. Candy is being bought in droves while innocent people are starving. While people are planning romantic dinners for their lovers, Palestinian people are losing their lovers to bombs and snipers. There is no rest for the Palestinian people today. Don’t let them mask what’s really happening behind pink ribbon. Fight for love, find empowerment in your love for others. We will not stop fighting, not for a single day. Palestine will be free.
In front of the Journalists' Syndicate, Cairo, Egypt, on 15th January 2024.
The crowd chants:
مصر مشاركة في الحصار
معبر بيننا و بين اهالينا
الصهيوني متحكم فينا
طول ما الدم العربي رخيص
يسقط يسقط اي رئيس
عملوها احفاد مانديلا
و احنا فخوف و فعار و مزلة
عايزين المعبر مفتوح
Translation:
Egypt participates in this siege!
A crossing between us and our people!
Controlled by Zionists!
As long as Arab blood is seen as cheap,
Any and every president must fall!
Mandela's grandchildren have done it,
While we are seized by fear, shame, and humiliation!
We demand Rafah Crossing open!
Today my therapist introduced me to a concept surrounding disability that she called "hLep".
Which is when you - in this case, you are a disabled person - ask someone for help ("I can't drink almond milk so can you get me some whole milk?", or "Please call Donna and ask her to pick up the car for me."), and they say yes, and then they do something that is not what you asked for but is what they think you should have asked for ("I know you said you wanted whole, but I got you skim milk because it's better for you!", "I didn't want to ruin Donna's day by asking her that, so I spent your money on an expensive towing service!") And then if you get annoyed at them for ignoring what you actually asked for - and often it has already happened repeatedly - they get angry because they "were just helping you! You should be grateful!!"
And my therapist pointed out that this is not "help", it's "hLep".
Sure, it looks like help; it kind of sounds like help too; and if it was adjusted just a little bit, it could be help. But it's not help. It's hLep.
At its best, it is patronizing and makes a person feel unvalued and un-listened-to. Always, it reinforces the false idea that disabled people can't be trusted with our own care. And at its worst, it results in disabled people losing our freedom and control over our lives, and also being unable to actually access what we need to survive.
So please, when a disabled person asks you for help on something, don't be a hLeper, be a helper! In other words: they know better than you what they need, and the best way you can honor the trust they've put in you is to believe that!
Also, I want to be very clear that the "getting angry at a disabled person's attempts to point out harmful behavior" part of this makes the whole thing WAY worse. Like it'd be one thing if my roommate bought me some passive-aggressive skim milk, but then they heard what I had to say, and they apologized and did better in the future - our relationship could bounce back from that. But it is very much another thing to have a crying shouting match with someone who is furious at you for saying something they did was ableist. Like, Christ, Jessica, remind me to never ask for your support ever again! You make me feel like if I asked you to call 911, you'd order a pizza because you know I'll feel better once I eat something!!
Edit: crediting my therapist by name with her permission - this term was coined by Nahime Aguirre Mtanous!
Edit again: I made an optional follow-up to this post after seeing the responses. Might help somebody. CW for me frankly talking about how dangerous hLep really is.
People going "Tumblr is shutting down!" kind of made me laugh cause I was like "What is going on they made an announcement?" and then I found out that they're basically saying less staff which means fewer updates and removing features that didn't go as planned and I'm like-
ok, where did y'all get this idea then-why is everyone going into mass hysteria and making something that's a 2 at worst into a 10? Then I had to remember I'm Tumblr and this is just normal Tumblr behavior.