#legislation will be shut down. and no change will happen.

[oriax]

"voting blue is a requirement to ensure things dont backslide rapidly" and "dems have failed for 10+ years to enact meaningful change" are both true statements.

just because theyre spineless politicians whod rather BE elected than actually serve the people and causes they promise to focus on doesnt mean electing them anyway isnt important.

because unfortunately, in the end, better the spineless coward who might be persuaded to help than the people who actively want you dead and powerless

#this situation is COMPLICATED #and republicans have been blocking measures and chopping bills for just as long #and yes trump tossed a lot of power around but it also wasnt how things were MEANT to work #and the dems care more about image than anything else #they want to cater so badly to a centrist america. they want conservatives to vote for them #THATS their audience because as long as human rights are on the line they figure people further left dont have a chocie #we're being held hostage. #BUT. #without 2/3 control of house and senate and a blue pres. #which is a HARD thing to get #legislation will be shut down. and no change will happen. #its easier to kill or freeze a bill forever than it is to pass one #tags arent organized but again. complex issue. nuance. politics. #if any of the 'voting doesnt work' crowd clown on this theyre blocked #voting DOES work. but only if you clean house entirely. you need 2/3. nothing passes without a supermajority #and i mean. if trump had lost in 2016 this wouldnt matter. #a man who conspired/committed treason appointed a third of the court #we SIMPLY wouldnt be here if hed lost. #it wouldnt have mattered if conservatives kept trying to block appointments #they couldnt have done it forever

[eldritch-thrumming]

i don’t need wings to help me fly, pt. 1

Steve still vividly remembers the day his grandmother had flown in to Indianapolis when he’d turned sixteen years old. He’d never met her before but his constantly-traveling parents weren’t around, so he’d been tasked with airport duty and delivering his grandmother to the best hotel in the city.

His grandmother had turned up her nose and sniffed the minute she’d walked off the plane in head-to-toe pink Chanel.

“Your parents let you live here?” She’d asked in a posh British accent, not a single hair out of place even after an 11 hour flight from Europe.

“Oh, we don’t live in the city,” Steve had told her, smiling and taking her bags from her diamond-encrusted hands. “We live an hour away from here.”

His grandmother had done a double-take at that. “You don’t even live in the city?” She’d sounded so appalled as Steve led her through the airport, her eyes widening as they’d passed the food court and she saw the McDonalds and the Dunkin Donuts. “Is this what you eat here?” She peered at someone’s tray as they’d passed with their Big Mac.

All Steve could do was laugh and accept his grandmother’s invitation to eat dinner with her in her penthouse suite at the hotel, where she’d hired a private chef for her week-long stay in the city. It was actually more of a command than an invitation, anyway.

That night, Steve had laughed as his grandmother had told him he was the Crown Prince of Genovia.

“Shut up,” Steve had laughed, dropping his fork with a clatter on the fancy porcelain of his plate.

“Shut up?” His grandmother had repeated, sounding aghast.

Steve shook his head. “No, I mean, like. Stop pulling my leg. That’s very funny, grandma.”

“I’m not joking, Steven. You are Steven Pierre Harrington Renaldi, Prince of Genovia.”

“Grandma,” Steve had said, still smiling. “I couldn’t even tell you where Genovia is on a map.”

And the rest had, as they say, been history. There had been a few bumps in the road and he’d almost abdicated his throne once or twice, but after spending every summer in Genovia for the past five years, he’d come to love his country and its people. Now, with his twenty-first birthday just one week away, he’s finally moving to Genovia’s Royal Palace full time.

When he’s brought into the palace from the private royal airport, he’s told that his grandmother is in a meeting with representatives from Genovia’s parliament. Since Steve hasn’t been crowned king yet, he’s technically not allowed to sit in on those types of meetings, but when he’d been exploring the palace when he was 17, he’d found a passage that ran directly behind his grandmother’s public state rooms where she met with foreign dignitaries and domestic politicians. After being delivered to his room by palace staff, Steve quickly changed from his airplane clothes and made his way to the passage. As he unlocked the tiny gate that would allow him to see and hear what was happening in the room, he hears his grandmother’s raised voice.

“You cannot possibly be serious!” She says loudly and it’s the first time Steve has ever heard his grandmother come close to yelling. “That piece of legislation is absolutely archaic!”

“Archaic though it may be, it still exists,” the man across from where his grandmother sits says smugly. Steve does not like the condescending way the man looks at his grandmother.

“We’ve never enforced the law before,” his grandmother insists.

“We’ve never needed to,” Prime Minister Motaz concedes reluctantly from Steve’s grandmother’s side. Steve watches as she turns to him in shock.

“And we don’t need to now!” Steve thinks his grandmother might be coming close to slamming her fist down on the table.

“Steven is young. He has no experience,” another voice comes from someplace in the room that Steve can’t see. “It’s not a bad idea to give him as much support as he can possibly have.”

Steve goes hot all over, flushing with indignation. His throat burns. He wants to defend himself, but he’s technically not even supposed to know who’s in this meeting right now.

“And forcing him to marry would be our way of giving him support?” His grandmother sounds incredulous. Steve’s mouth goes dry. Marry? Him? He’d only just graduated college

“No one’s forcing anything,” the smug man across the table from his grandmother says gleefully. “He’s allowed to pick whoever he wants. As it happens, I have the perfect candidate in mind.”

“If you’re talking about your deadbeat, drop out of a son, then this meeting is officially over,” Steve can practically hear the way his grandmother rolls her eyes at the man. He can’t help the smile that spreads across his face as he hears her.

“I’ll have you know that Eddie has returned to school and is currently at the top of his class in the comparative literature program,” the man says haughtily.

“Oh, perfect, his ability to analyze Chaucer will be the perfect addition in running the country to Steve’s expertise in international relations and political science from his accelerated dual masters program,” Steve’s grandmother replies sarcastically.

Steve practically fist pumps in his hiding spot. His grandma is so badass.

“Your Majesty,” the prime minister cuts in reluctantly. “Now that Viscount Mabrey has brought the marriage clause to our attention we have no choice but to bring this to a parliamentary vote. The entire body is meeting tomorrow morning; we’ll cover it then. You are, of course, welcome to attend, but you mustn’t interfere with the vote.” He glances across the table at the smug man who is apparently Viscount Mabrey. “Either of you.”

Steve can tell that the meeting is clearly wrapping up and it’s only a matter of time before his grandmother comes looking for him, so he quickly latches the little window and hurriedly leaves his hiding spot behind. As he’s glancing down at his clothes, brushing dirt and cobwebs from the fabric, he bumps into someone as he rounds the corner of the main hall. The stranger grasps Steve’s elbows, keeping him upright. Steve raises his gaze and meets a set of intense, deeply brown eyes. Pretty, Steve thinks.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” the stranger smiles and Steve registers the rest of his face. He takes in the dimples and the long curling dark hair falling around his shoulders. Pretty, Steve thinks again. “Wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“No, uh—no worries, my fault,” Steve stammers out, before clearing his throat. “I’m Steve.”

The stranger tilts his head. “Yeah, man, I know.” His smile widens. “I’ll see you around, Prince Steven.” And then, without another word, he continues his way down the hall, in the direction Steve had just come from.

~*~

“I don’t get it,” Steve says to his grandmother, running a shaking hand through his hair. “I spent all this time studying and reading and interning and now they’re telling me I can’t be king unless I’m married? What kind of old-fashioned, ancient law is this?”

“Honestly,” his grandmother replies, “the law, sadly, is not even that old. It was ratified only 75 years ago. I’m not sure why, as it’s never been enforced until now. We’ll have to keep a keen eye on Viscount Mabrey and his no good son, though. They’ve got to be up to something.”

“Who’s his son?” Steve asks.

“Oh, I don’t remember his name. He’s completing a degree at Oxford—though between you and me, he’s dropped out twice already, so who knows about all that,” his grandmother waves a dismissive hand through the air.

“Grandma,” Steve says reproachfully, but even he can’t help but laugh a little. These people are trying to steal his crown, after all.

“Oh, Steven, I wanted your birthday week to be perfect for you,” his grandmother turns to him and grasps both his hands in hers, her eyes glassy. “I know this isn’t what you expected to come home to, but there’s nothing we can do until Parliament casts its vote in the morning. So let’s just focus on your birthday ball tonight, shall we?” She squeezes his hands in hers and then let’s them drop. “I’ve flown Paulo in to help you dress for the night.”

Steve groans. The last time he’d seen Paulo, the stylist had leaked his identity as the long lost prince of Genovia to the press. But he’s so good at what he does, his grandmother had apparently found it in herself to forgive him. And honestly, the leak had been somewhat of a blessing in disguise, one that allowed Steve to embrace both sides of himself: the small-town Indiana boy-next-door and the European royal with the world at his fingertips.

“Time to get ready for your ball, Steven,” his grandmother tells him happily.

~*~

Steve always feels strange when he has to dress up for a big event. He doesn’t hate it, exactly—he actually kind of likes it—but he still feels a little like he’s wearing a costume and he knows occasions like this are going to be even more frequent after his coronation in a month and a half.

Steve makes his way into the ballroom and let’s himself be announced to his guests. The ball has already started and he crosses the dance floor to greet his grandmother.

“Ah, Steven,” she greets him, kissing him on each of his cheeks. “You look beautiful, my darling.”

“Thank you, grandma,” Steve responds, glancing down at his tux. “You look gorgeous as ever, of course.” And she does. Her dark hair is curled and piled on top of her head, artfully arranged around her shining diamond and pearl tiara. Her deep violet gown flares out at the waist and brings out the emerald green of her eyes. She’s stunning and regal, all the things a queen should be. Steve’s going to have a hard time filling her shoes when he’s crowned king.

“Happy birthday, my love,” his grandmother says, hugging him to her. “Go have fun. Dance. Eat cake.” She gently pushes him toward the dance floor and Steve can’t help but laugh.

He wanders over toward the buffet table full of cupcakes and cookies, his giant green and gold birthday cake in the center. His mouth waters slightly just looking at the flowers of spun sugar decorating the top. He knows it’s chocolate with vanilla frosting, his favorite. He’s so intent on getting himself a piece of his birthday cake that he misses the person crossing his path.

Steve bumps directly into a hard body for the second time in one day. He’s usually not this clumsy. A large, ringed hand flies out to grasp his bicep, keeping him upright.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” a familiar deep voice says, laughter lacing the words. Steve stares up into now-familiar deep brown eyes.

“Oh, you—sorry,” Steve replies, smoothing his palms down the front of his tuxedo jacket. The stranger from earlier stands in front of him, wearing black on black on black, polished and pressed and just as beautiful as before. His curly hair is tied in a neat low ponytail and his mouth is curved into a smile, once again showing off the dimples Steve hasn’t stopped thinking about since this afternoon. His eyes are sparkling.

“Not at all,” the stranger shakes his head. “My fault entirely, Prince Steven.”

Steve clears his throat. “You don’t have to keep calling me that. You can call me Steve.” He’s glad he doesn’t stutter this time, his voice coming out smooth and clear, regaining some of his Indiana charm.

“Steve, then,” the stranger’s smile widens.

“And you are?” Steve prompts.

“And I… was just about to ask you to dance,”the stranger says, holding out his hand.

Steve is… completely charmed. Sure, he doesn’t know this man’s name, but he’s beautiful and charismatic and Steve only has a few friends his age here in Genovia, so he takes the stranger’s hand and let’s himself be led out on to the dance floor. The stranger must be in the high ranks of Genovian society to have even scored an invite to tonight’s ball and Steve racks his brain to remember if there were any sons of Parliament members he hadn’t met yet. He doesn’t think so.

Once they’re on the dance floor, Steve’s breath catches as a strong hand circles his waist, another entwining their fingers together. Steve feels himself being twirled around the dance floor and it’s dizzying for more reasons than one. The stranger is captivating, his gaze magnetic.

“Okay,” Steve says after a few minutes of dancing. “You have to tell me your name, man.”

The stranger smiles again. “You can call me Eddie.” The song they’ve been dancing to comes to an end. Eddie raises Steve’s hand to his lips, brushing his mouth across Steve’s knuckles. “I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, Steve.” And then he turns and disappears into the crowd, leaving Steve dizzy and blushing on the dance floor.

#here have this thing!!! #steddie #steddie fic #steddie fanfiction #steddie fanfic #steddie au #steddie princess diaries 2 au #steve harrington #eddie munson #royal!steddie #like please this dynamic is so perfect #sorry if it's shit please don't hate me lololol

[contemplatingoutlander]

Worried by Florida’s history standards? Check out its new dictionary!

As always, Alexandra Petri is spot on in satirizing the right-wing censorship and educational nonsense happening in Florida. This is a gift 🎁 link, so you can read the entire column, even if you don't subscribe to The Washington Post.

Below are some excerpts 😂:

Well, it’s a week with a Thursday in it, and Florida is, once again, revising its educational standards in alarming ways. Not content with removing books from shelves, or demanding that the College Board water down its AP African American studies curriculum, the state’s newest history standards include lessons suggesting that enslaved people “developed skills” for “personal benefit.” This trend appears likely to continue. What follows is a preview of the latest edition of the dictionary to be approved in Florida. Aah: (exclamation) Normal thing to say when you enter the water at the beach, which is over 100 degrees. Abolitionists: (noun) Some people in the 19th century who were inexplicably upset about a wonderful free surprise job training program. Today they want to end prisons for equally unclear reasons. Abortion: (noun) Something that male state legislators (the foremost experts on this subject) believe no one ever wants under any circumstances, probably; decision that people beg the state to make for them and about which doctors beg for as little involvement as possible. American history: (noun) A branch of learning that concerns a ceaseless parade of triumphs and contains nothing to feel bad about. Barbie: (noun) Feminist demon enemy of the state. Biden, Joe: (figure) Illegitimate president. Black history: (entry not found) Blacksmith: (noun) A great job and one that enslaved people might have had. Example sentence from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R): “They’re probably going to show that some of the folks that eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.” Book ban: (noun) Effective way of making sure people never have certain sorts of ideas. Censorship: (noun) When other people get mad about something you’ve said. Not to be confused with when you remove books from libraries or the state tells colleges what can and can’t be said in classrooms (both fine). Child: (noun) Useful laborer with tiny hands; alternatively, someone whose reading cannot be censored enough. [...]

[See more select "definitions" below the cut]

Classified: (adjective) The government’s way of saying a paper is especially interesting and you ought to have it in your house. Climate change: (noun) Conspiracy by scientists to change all the thermometers, fill the air with smoke and then blame us. [...] Constitution: (noun) A document that can be interpreted only by Trump-appointed and/or Federalist Society judges. If the Constitution appears to prohibit something that you want to do, take the judge on a boat and try again. [...] DeSantis, Ron: (figure) Governor who represents the ideal human being. Pronunciation varies. Disney: (noun) A corporation, but not the good kind. [...] Election: (noun) Binding if Republicans win; otherwise, needs help from election officials who will figure out where the fraud was that prevented the election from reflecting the will of the people (that Republicans win). [...] Emancipation Proclamation: (noun) Classic example of government overreach. Firearm: (noun) Wonderful, beautiful object that every person ought to have six of, except Hunter Biden. [...] FOX: News. Free speech: (noun) When you shut up and I talk. Gun violence: (noun) Simple, unalterable fact of life, like death but unlike taxes. [...]

Jan. 6: (noun) A day when some beautiful, beloved people took a nice, uneventful tour of the U.S. Capitol. King Jr., Martin Luther: (figure) A man who, as far as we can discern, uttered only one famous quotation ever and it was about how actually anytime you tried to suggest that people were being treated differently based on skin color you were the real racist. Sample sentence: “Dr. King would be enraged at the existence of Black History Month.” Liberty: (noun) My freedom to choose what you can read (see Moms for Liberty). Moms for Liberty: (noun) Censors, but the good kind. [...] Pregnant (adjective): The state of being a vessel containing a Future Citizen; do not say “pregnant person”; no one who is a real person can get pregnant. Queer: (entry not found) Refugee: (noun) Someone who should have stayed put and waited for help to come. Slavery: (noun) We didn’t invent it, or it wasn’t that bad, or it was a free job training program. Supreme Court: (noun) Wonderful group of mostly men without whom no journey by private plane or yacht is complete. Trans: (entry not found) United States: (noun) Perfect place, no notes. [emphasis added to defined words]

#florida #ron desantis #black history #educational standards #alexandra petri #satire #the washington post #gift link

[hero-israel]

What’s the situation like, with the protests? I’ve seen images of streets filled with protestors.

I don't live in Israel, but the situation got pretty extreme yesterday. After the Defense Minister said the judicial reform plan should be halted, Netanyahu fired him. It was already the middle of the night and yet people streamed into the streets and redoubled the already huge protests. The next morning the Histadrut - Israel's largest and most important union - called a general strike, the first in decades and by far the largest in the country's history. Pretty much EVERYTHING SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY. Schools, universities, businesses, embassies, Ben-Gurion airport (the only previous time I had ever heard of it closing was after a Hamas lucky shot in 2014, and this was seen as a death-level shock), the hotel and tourism industry (UNTHINKABLE, they kept Eurovision running even during a big blow-up with Gaza). Netanyahu backed down somewhat, said the plan would be postponed until summer and Lapid/Gantz/Herzog said it was time for real negotiation, the general strike ended and everything reopened and by my understanding the protests have calmed and shrunken. Now, maybe Netanyahu thought he could do a pretend postponement, wait for everyone's attention to lapse and energy to fade, then ram the same thing through anyway in the summer, but the threat of a general strike has really changed the equation. If he repeats, they'll repeat.

Here is a good article summarizing how things got here and what the political impact has been.

To give simpler background, as best I can as a long-term observer:

The Israeli Supreme Court acts without the checks and balances that most Westerners (and certainly Americans) would recognize. There is no input from voters or legislators. No Presidential nominees, no Congressional hearings. Israeli lawyers and judges appoint new judges, that's that. Because Israel has no Constitution, there's no real boundary on what the ISC can do. They can intervene on pretty much any issue as long as they say they are being "reasonable." Now it just so happens that the ISC has been a reliable protector of minority rights, women's rights, Arab rights, LGBT rights, etc. So it's "doing the right thing, the wrong way," because it could decide tomorrow to strip away minority rights just because, and nobody could say boo. It is not inherently unreasonable for people to want judicial reform, to want there to be some level of election-related involvement in who sits on the court. But that cause is now discredited because a gang of indicted criminals and terrorist sympathizers tried to ram it through while also ending all investigations into their own crimes, stealing the power for the Knesset to overturn court decisions, limiting the Law of Return, etc.

This began because Netanyahu has compulsively betrayed and backstabbed so many of his natural allies in right-wing parties (Gantz, Liberman, Sa'ar, Bennett, etc.) that he literally cannot form a governing coalition with people who know how to govern. His only chance to get a majority was to elevate a Halloween parade of ultra-ultra-fringe lunatics (Ben-Gvir, Smotrich, Maoz), and that's who is in charge now. It's ironic because the whole point of Benjamin Netanyahu - the "value proposition" as it were - is that he was good at preventing major change while also growing the economy and diplomatic partnerships. And he has now shit on all that. If a new election were held today, Lapid or Gantz would be PM tomorrow. Inshallah.

There is A LOT in Israel that is clunky and unfair. The rabbinate, the marriage laws, school system, Temple Mount status quo, Haredi draft, ISC jurisdiction, and that's just in Israel, not even getting to the Palestinian Territories. In all such cases, it is better for people to try to cope with a clumsy work-around than to charge right at the gate with a big fast change. People have been fighting over literally every grain of sand there for 2,000 years and they are lucky it works even as well as it does.

#israel #jumblr

[theculturedmarxist]

Over 500 children have been killed in Gaza in the last week and over 2,000 maimed, many with life changing injuries. Nobody can claim they do not know what is already happening or what is about to unfold. The cutting off of food and water to Gaza is a major international crime, which the western proponents of the “rules based order” universally refuse to condemn.

In both the UK and the US there can be no more stark illustration of the lack of any kind of meaningful democracy, than the fact that there is no major political party that opposes the genocide – despite massive public opposition.

The bought and paid for media and political class in the west are extremely nervous, throughout the western world. Now they have come to the final genocide for which zionism has always aimed, they face a good deal of popular resistance.

Throughout Europe there is a massive gap between the zionist unanimity of the politicians and the much greater understanding of the Palestinian situation among the general public. Tellingly the response by the zionist political class has been a wave of outright fascist suppression.

In France, Macron has made all pro-Palestinian demonstrations illegal, but as so often the French people are not standing for that kind of authoritarianism.

In the UK, the police have adopted the cowardly tactic of arresting a couple of individuals, one in Brighton and one in Manchester, for pro-Palestinian demonstration. Under Tony Blair’s notorious draconian “anti-terror” legislation, they could face up to 14 years in prison.

The young man in Manchester was arrested on the precise site of the famous “Peterloo massacre”, which generations of British people were taught at school was a terrible crime in breach of the rights to freedom of speech and assembly. Let the irony of that set in.

You can go out in the streets of the UK with an Israeli flag and yell that you want every Palestinian to be cleansed from Gaza. That is not illegal. If you say the Palestinians have a right to resist their genocide, that is illegal.

That appears to be a genuine analysis of the law in the UK, France and many other western countries.

That is intended to terrify all of us. It will not work.

The European Commission has been ferociously zionist and gung-ho for this Palestinian genocide. It displayed the Israeli flag on its Berlaymont headquarters. It has taken a side in the most ferocious way.

It is therefore deeply sinister that the European Commission is actively working to shut down pro-Palestinian information and comment on social media. The European Commission has written to all major social media organisations and is able to threaten them with massive fines if they do not remove information of which the European Union disapproves.

The notion is plainly nonsense that through the fog of war the European Commission – which is 100% parti pris – is qualified to say what information is true and what information is false, and what comment is legitimate.

Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner in charge of this operation, is a former chief executive of electronic companies – and defence contractors – Atos and Thomson. He has no genuine interest in freedom of speech, and is engaged in a process of silencing dissent for military aims, which is quite simply fascist.

We are witnessing almost all western governments deliberately facilitating massacre, ethnic cleansing and genocide. We are witnessing almost all western governments turning on their own people to crush dissent at that complicity in genocide.

This feels not so much like the week that western democracy died, as the week it was impossible any longer to deny that western democracy died some time ago.

#propaganda #internet censorship #european commission #craig murray #israel palestine conflict #zionism #fascism #free speech

[dairy-farmer]

i'm sorry if this causes any misunderstanding, however are you a supporter of p0rnhub? it's known that it tracks children and such if i am not wrong. and that there are teens being abused by that platform.

answered out of order:

don't worry i think i understand the question!!

your statement is loaded and complex because of the depth of the issue and theres no way i can really touch on everything with the nuance it requires- shortly, i personally don't really watch 'porn media with actual people' and stuff because it's just generally uninteresting to me. there's not a single video or actor out there who can outdo or cater to my personal interests better than my imagination so it's just pretty much a waste of my time to even bother with it. so in general i'd say no, i'm not a supporter of something i don't even consume

as for the rest of your statement that's a pretty big claim and i absolutely believe it, i don't doubt there is a fair but if truth to it but the problem is not solely the porn sites.

recent legislation in the usa has been insisting that banning "pornography" is the only way to "save the children" which is a gross oversimplification of the issue and is mostly about being able to censor media and mine personal data under the guise of "protecting children and teens" because the usa does not give a shit about children and does not care about trafficking or teens getting abused on porn sites. but that sentence is also loaded and filled with a pretty big oversimplification of cause and effect 'porn hub traffics kids, so we should shut down porn hub' because that statement isn't fully true and shutting it or other porn sites down doesn't actually FIX or address the issue of children being abused.

so just to put things in perspective of generally how these things go: in 2011 reddit (a site not solely dedicated to pornography) got into hot water when CNN did a story on one of their most controversial subs called r/jailbait which was a subreddit filled entirely with pictures of exposed and naked underage girls/girls who LOOKED underage (but many were definitly underaged) reddit didn't see that and decide to shut it down themselves, no. they only did it AFTER pressure from the public and negative media attention.

why?

because websites/organizations/basically any institution you can think of from charities to universities and governments can be corrupt and prioritize money over doing the right thing and p0rnhub is not different.

they particularly have a history of corruption, it like all other porn sites, allowed revenge porn, and people's filmed sexual assaults to be posted and allowed to remain up, refusing to take both down because it was making them money despite victims pleading them to. its not until courts and legislation FORCED them into action that many changes were made to websites.

so yeah "support" for p0rnhub is not something i'd expect from anyone because of it's past actions and general lack of initiative to creating a platform where people who do consume porn are able to view it ethically. but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a place in the sex industry because for many sex workers it's how they make their money, how they make a living, which they DO have a right to do because it is legitimate work and they earn their pay as much as anyone. but the problem the online sex industry has are many.

(the sex industry in general is like a colander and things that shouldn't happen or be allowed to occur DO.)

filmed porn existed before the internet. actors and crews filmed elaborate adult films to be made into vhs tapes and dvds and i'm not saying exploitation didn't occur there as well. but the introduction of the internet meant there were no longer the safeguards in place for that work like age verification, consent forms, documentation, etc. but doing that with the internet is harder because if you enforce digital ID verification that kind of thing can FOLLOW sex workers and cause them problems like if they ever want to travel (there are plenty of accounts of sex workers being detained by very conservative countries and border agents when traveling). that plus the data issues of that personal data being collected and stored and what will happen to people if that data gets leaked or breached?

with the internet anyone anywhere can upload videos and that opens a lot of doors for things to happen and people to be hurt.

websites have a responsibility to ensure trafficking and abuse material is reported to authorities and removed from platforms so the victims can't be further victimized by people seeing them like that.

p0rnhub and porn sites have their problems but never forget that it is ultimately the fault of the people making those abuse videos and materials (them and all the contributing social factors that allow for people to be trafficked and exploited in the first place) . the people conducting the abuse are the source of the issue along with the people who form the demand for that material. pornhub or pornography sites are a method of distributing it whether voluntary on their part or not (and if pornhub makes money from those videos the process to be sued by victims should be significantly easier)

p0rnhub is the world's largest pornography website so they have much more of an obligation to addressing the issues faced within adult material and the internet than others and until they're willing to take that responsibility and do the right thing because its the right thing and not because it will make them money then i don't see much reason for why anyone can or should "support" them. (and since i've never seen a company fail to place profits over people i don't see that happening. just like reddit in 2011 they will drag their feet on everything until their arm is bent backwards and they're FORCED to make those changes)

even if they do improve they're not truly entitled to business or profit because of their failures in the past. if you are a frequent watcher there are other sites who have more of a dedication to being fully transparent and ethical like websites seen here.

#answered asks #asks #anonymous

[blaxcunicorn]

Diaboli's angelus

Chapter: 4

Length: 5k words

Content: fem!reader, NSFW warning

Authors note: Heeey, here is chapter 4 it´s kinda like a filler episode. Sorry that it took long, I´m still studying for my exams. However, I´m a free woman after June 2nd and will be able to pump out chapters after that. Hope yall enjoy this chapter! Also not hesitate to send me suggestions or constructive feedback! Lastly, but most importantly thank you all for the love and support! I was very nervous about posting Diaboli´s angelus but the support I have received made me overcome it. So, again thank you! 

Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3

Tag: @okaystopwhore

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You wake up to a sleeping Eren, he looks beautiful and not like a devil at all you think to yourself. You stroke his cheek and he wakes up, you kiss him gently as a good morning. “Mmmh good morning, love. How are you feeling?” Eren whispers “I feel great” you smile. “I want you to take time getting to know the palace and just relax for the day” He strokes your back. “What are your plans for the day?” you almost mumble, melting to his strokes. “I got some paperwork to get done and a meeting regarding the northern part of Eldia.” You raise your head “Do you wish for me to attend the meeting?” Eren shakes his head “Don´t you worry about legislative and executive meetings for now, just relax for now.” Eren doesn´t want you to overburden yourself by jumping straight into the issues of Eldia as you have just moved away from everything you know and need time to adjust to your new life as Queen of Eldia. “Mkay” You mutter and he apologises by kissing your cheek. Eren gets up and picks up the dress he left on the floor last night. “Thank you” you say putting on the dress, you then lie on the bed waiting for him to get dressed. So far is marriage life great, the conversations between us flow and he is quite affectionate you think to yourself.

 “Love, come. I want to show you the garden." He tells you and you got up, following him to your balcony. He nearly hears your breath hitch as you get a glimpse of the garden and he turns to you with a beaming smile."It is beautiful is it not?" 

"Breathtaking." You reply as you nod your head, eyes roaming over the different flowers and plants that contrasted each other beautifully. Both of you came to a stop, and Eren turns to you, one hand reaching up to cup your cheek."But not as beautiful as the woman who stands before me." He insists, grinning as you chuckle softly and hit him playfully on the arm. “The garden is called the Queen´s garden, it previously belonged to my mother but now it´s yours.” You feel honoured “I-I´ll take care of it, I promise.” He responds with a smile, you both turn around to the noise of knocking “Come in” you say as the two of you walk back to the bed. “You Majesty, we need to get you ready for breakfast,” Hitch says before her eyes widen in shock at Eren´s presence. She didn´t expect him to stay the night as Mikasa told her that he never stays. The rest of the ladies-in-waiting rush to curtsy, you can´t help but notice the eye contact between Eren and Mikasa. She breaks it by looking down almost sad, are they close? you think to yourself. “I´ll see you for breakfast then” he kisses your cheeks before walking towards his own chamber. Historia and Sasha prepare your bath, while Darcy helps you out of your dress. “How was last night?” Hitch asks curiously while changing your bedsheets. “Hitch, you are not supposed to ask a Lady about her business with her husband, especially a Queen,” Historia shouts from the bathroom. “You are no fun Historia, how are you an item with Lady Ymir” Hitch rolls her eyes. Historia and Lady Ymir? “Oh shut up Hitch” Historia shouts. “But how was it?” Darcy asks, seeming almost a bit concerned. “It was amazing, I have never experienced anything like that” You explain briefly and carefully about what happened between the two of you without revealing too much. Hitch seems like a woman with a lot of experience as she gave you the terminology of the activities you and Eren did. “Mikasa? Are you and Eren close?” You ask the black-haired girl. She was preparing your outfit for the day but froze at the question. “Y-you could say that, we are childhood friends him, Armin and I,” She says, “Aww, that´s adorable. How was Eren as a child?” You are curious, she has known your husband his whole life and witnessed him evolve into the man he is now. “H-he was kind and brave, but he had anger issues.” She smiles at the thought of young Eren sleeping under the tree. Anger issues? He seems so calm and collected but then you remembered Eren little tantrum you can call it when his brother came uninvited drunk to the dinner. “That´s cute” You smile at Miksasa who looks a bit nervous. They give you a bath and get you dressed in a burgundy dress. 

The ladies curtsy before opening the door for you, Mikasa and you walk towards the dining hall. A guard opens the door for the two of you and you see Eren seated with the food covered waiting. You walk towards the other end of the table and  “You look gorgeous” he says loud which makes you laugh. Sitting across each other is royal protocol, however, it wasn´t your cup of tea. You want to sit next to your husband to feel more close and intimate, so you grab your cup, and your plate and balance your cutlery on it and walk up to sit right next to him. Mikasa is stunned by your actions “Y-you majesty” she almost whispers. You sit down next you a smirking Eren “Couldn´t be away from me, love” You take his hand “S-shut up” you say feeling your face burn up. “I´ll be cleaning your chamber in the meantime. I´m just a call away.” Mikasa whispers in your ears curtsy on her way to your chamber she can feel a tear running down her left cheek. 

This is a perfect opportunity to talk about what he said last night. “Eren?” you say looking down, your heart is beating and you shake a bit. You don´t want him to get a tantrum or anything since he seemed quite strict when he told you not to leave the castle. “Yes?” He smiles, which makes you optimistic “Can we take a trip around the Kingdom one day?” His smile disappeared in a blink of an eye “Absolutely not.” He says short taking a bite of his croissant. “Why not Eren? I just want to see Eldia.” He swallows the bite and clenches his fist “Because I said no.” You look at him in disbelief “But why?” He slams his hands on the table causing your heart to jump “B-but why? I-” You feel your heart race. Eren calms down “It´s dangerous, that´s why.” Dangerous? How come? You knew better than to continue this conversation, however, you couldn´t help but to feel disappointed. You really want to explore your new Kingdom. “However, we can walk through the garden” he says holding your hand to lighten the mood. “Yes” you say in defeat, Eren was about to say something before the door was opened. 

Walking in are Armin and a tall blonde man “Your Majesties” they both bow. Armin is the first to speak “Apologise for interrupting your breakfast. Queen Y/n I´ll be your guide around the palace for the day with Reiner who has been appointed as your knight” You look over at the handsome blonde “I´m honoured, I´ll protect you with my life.” His bold statement made your cheeks burn, you both are lucky that your husband didn´t pay attention to that. “Thank you Armin and Reiner. I´m ready whenever you are” you say standing up from your chair. “You have barely eaten love” Eren is concerned that his little outburst had thrown you off and that´s the reason why you don´t want to eat with him. “I´m not that hungry” you respond short. “Well, then. Before I forget there is a letter for you.” He says, handing you over a letter that says For Queen Y/n Jeager of Eldia. “The letter arrived this morning,” Eren says. You open the letter and see that it is from Princess Catherine of Cruthia. She married Felix three weeks after the ball you heard. 

Dear Queen Y/n,

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. On behalf of myself, Princess Catherine of Cruthia, and our dear friend Princess Ciara of Okosian, I wanted to apologize for our absence at your wedding. We were very disappointed to miss the opportunity to celebrate your special day with you.

Nevertheless, we were thrilled to hear about your marriage to King Eren and we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to you both. We know that you will make an excellent queen and we look forward to seeing all the great things that you will achieve as a leader and a wife.

In other news, I am delighted to share that I have recently married Prince Felix of Cruthia. It was a beautiful ceremony and we were all very happy to celebrate our new found love. As for Ciara, she remains as stubborn as ever in her resolve not to marry, but we continue to hope that she will find happiness in her own way.

We miss your company very much and we would love to catch up with you like old times. Perhaps we could arrange a visit soon, or you could come and visit us in Cruthia. We have a lot to catch up on and we would love to hear about your life as a queen.

Once again, please accept our apologies for missing your wedding. We wish you all the best in your new life with King Edward and we hope to hear from you soon.

With warm regards,

Princess Catherine of Cruthia and Princess Ciara of Okosian.

A smile is painted on your face “I´ll join the two of you in a bit, I just have to answer this” You start jogging to your chamber, Eren chuckles at your silliness and the girlish smile you worse beautifully. You on the other hand can´t believe that they sent you a letter. The three of you haven´t hung out for months (if you don´t count your short meeting during the ball). You fling the door open forgetting your status and the guards look confused. You sit down at your desk and write in excitement, while a confused Mikasa was staring. “Is everything alright, Your Majesty?” You look up meeting the Ackerman woman´s concerned face “Oh, yes I´m just answering a letter I got form my friends. Sorry for being too loud.” You felt bad, you didn´t want to disturb the flow of the palace. You are still an intruder settling in the palace

Dear Princess Catherine and Princess Ciara,

It was so lovely to receive your letter and to hear from you both. I am delighted to hear that you have found happiness with Prince Felix, and while I understand Ciara's decision not to marry, I do hope that she finds fulfillment and happiness in her own way.

I am also grateful for your warm congratulations on my marriage to King Edward. We are both very happy and look forward to the challenges and joys of our new life together.

As for your invitation to catch up like old times, I would be delighted to have you both over for afternoon tea this coming Saturday. I know that we will have much to discuss and I am eager to hear about your lives and adventures.

Please let me know if this time works for you, and if there are any dietary restrictions or preferences that I should be aware of. I look forward to seeing you soon.

With warm regards,

Queen Y/n of Eldia.

You take your letter and return to Armin who were waiting outside the dining room with Reiner. “I presume that you wish to for me to send the letter on your behalf, Your Majesty?” Armin smiles “Yes, please” You look down a bit embarrassed of the way you ran out of the dining hall. “I´ve heard rumours that you love books” You light up “I do!” How did he know? Eren must have told him, which means that he remembered what you told him on the ball balcony. It causes you to smile as you hand over the envelope “Do you wish to see the library the King prepared for you?” Your eyes widen in shock, Eren has prepared a whole library for you? You want to pinch yourself as you don´t know if you are awake or not. “Yes” You say excitedly, Armin puts the envelope in his pocket before leading the way. 

The king's advisor led the Queen down a long, winding hallway lined with tall shelves filled with dusty, forgotten tomes. As you walked, you couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building within you. You had always loved books, and the idea of having your own personal library was something you have dreamed of since you were a little girl.

Finally, you arrive at a large wooden door, intricately carved with vines and flowers. The advisor pushes it open with a soft creak, and your eyes widen in wonder as you step inside.

The room is massive, with high ceilings and grand, floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light. The walls are lined with shelves upon shelves of books, some leather-bound and ornately decorated, others simple and unassuming. There are comfortable chairs and sofas scattered throughout the room, inviting you to sit down and get lost in a good book.

The advisor cleared his throat, bringing your attention back to him. "Your Majesty, this is your personal library," he said with a small bow. "It has not been used since the passing of Queen Carla, and so it has been upgraded and refurbished for your use." Queen Carla? You remember the name Carla Jeager written in the two books Eren gifted you. He gave you one of his mother´s collections? You felt honoured. 

You could hardly believe it. This incredible space was all yours to explore, to fill with your favourite books and tomes, and to escape into worlds of adventure and intrigue whenever you pleased. You feel a surge of gratitude towards your new husband, the King, for this incredible gift.

"Thank you," you say softly, your eyes still scanning the room. "It's...it's more beautiful than I ever could have imagined."

The advisor smiled kindly at you. "I am glad you like it, Your Majesty. I will leave you now to explore on your own."

As he made his way out of the room, you take a deep breath and close your eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of responsibility and joy that came with this incredible new addition to your life. You knew that you would spend many happy hours here, lost in the pages of the books that filled this magnificent library.

As you continue to explore the library, you notice a beautiful spiral staircase leading up to a second level. You couldn't resist the temptation to see what lay upstairs, so you ascend the stairs. At the top, you find yourself in a small reading nook with a comfortable armchair, a small table, and a lamp. You could feel the sun shining through the stained glass windows, casting beautiful colours across the walls and floor.

You walk around the second level, running your fingers across the spines of the books. You are amazed by the variety of topics and genres represented in the library, from history to science to fiction.

Your heart is swelled with joy as you realize the potential of the library. You could use it to educate yourself and the people of the kingdom. Figure out ideas on how you can contribute to helping the less fortunate in the kingdom. 

After spending some time in the library, you exit the room and are met by Advisor Armin and Knight Reiner, who are waiting for you outside. They smile warmly at you, and Armin suggests that you take a stroll through the “Queen's Garden”.

As you walk through the garden, your eyes widened in amazement. The garden is much larger than you initially thought, and it was brimming with a variety of beautiful flowers and plants. The camellia flowers were in full bloom, their vibrant pink and red petals catching the sunlight and casting a warm glow over the garden.

You are especially drawn to a patch of delicate white lilies, their pure petals seeming to glow in the light. You lean in to take a closer look and are struck by the sweet fragrance emanating from the flowers.

As you continue to walk, Reiner pointed out various plants and flowers, sharing their names and unique characteristics with you. You listen intently, taking in all the information and admiring the sheer beauty of the garden.

The garden has a youthful energy to it as if it was rejuvenated by the new life you bring with you. The leaves are a vibrant green, the flowers seem to dance in the breeze, and the air is filled with the sounds of buzzing bees and chirping birds.

You couldn't help but smile, feeling grateful for this beautiful space to call her own. 

You could see the hard work and dedication that had gone into creating such a beautiful space. The garden is a reflection of the people who tended to it, and you are grateful for the effort put into maintaining it.

As you walk through the garden, you feel a sense of calm and peace wash over you. The garden was a sanctuary, a place where she could escape from the pressures of her duties and simply be. You feel youthful and alive, surrounded by the beauty and serenity of nature.

You then turn to Armin and Reiner, with a smile on your face. "Thank you both for showing me this beautiful garden. It's truly a treasure," you say, your eyes sparkling with joy. Armin and Reiner both bow respectfully, pleased to have shown their queen something that brought her so much happiness. They knew that you would enjoy and cherish the garden for years to come.

As you made your way back to the castle, you couldn't shake the feeling of contentment and joy that the garden had brought you. You know that this beautiful space would be a source of inspiration and solace for you in the days to come.

Saturday afternoon arrives, and you are eagerly awaiting the arrival of your dear friends Princess Catherine of Cruthia and Princess Ciara of Okosian. You have spent hours preparing for their visit, ensuring that everything is perfect for the occasion. The table is set with fine china and delicate pastries, and you are dressed in an elegant but simple gown that accentuated your natural beauty.

As the princesses arrive, they are greeted by you with warm hugs and excited chatter. “Welcome! I'm so glad to see you both again” you say with a smile from ear to ear. “Thank you for inviting us, Y/n. You look stunning as always.” Catherine says giving you a small playful twirl. “Yes, you do. I'm almost jealous.” Ciara smirks. You giggle “Oh, stop it. Please, come in and make yourselves comfortable.” The three of you settle in your chamber where the tea set has been laid out. "We're so happy to be here," Catherine says smiling warmly. "We've missed you terribly."

"And we can't wait to hear all about your life as a married woman," Ciara adds, her eyes sparkling with mischief. You feel your cheek burn, feeling a sudden pang of nervousness. "Oh, there's really not much to tell," you say, trying to sound casual. "I must say, Eldia looks beautiful." Catherine smiles. Ciara nods in agreement. "And you look radiant.  How have you been?" "I've been well, thank you," you reply. "But enough about me, tell me about what you've been up to lately." Ciara leans forward eagerly. "I have been appointed as the new ambassador to Marley," she says, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "It's a great honour, but also a great responsibility. I hope to represent our kingdom well." You are impressed. "That's amazing, Ciara. I have no doubt that you'll do well in your new role." Catherine smiles and sips her tea. "And I have been adjusting to married life with Felix," she says, referring to her recent marriage to the prince of Cruthia. "It's been a bit of an adjustment, but I am very happy." You smile warmly at Catherine. "I am so happy for you both. Felix is a lucky man to have you as his wife."

Catherine blushes at the compliment, and the three of you settle into a comfortable conversation, discussing everything from politics to fashion. You are grateful to have such wonderful friends and are enjoying their company immensely. But as the tea flowed and the cakes disappeared, Ciara couldn't resist her curiosity any longer. "So, Y/n," she says, leaning forward with a sly grin. "Tell us, how was your wedding night? Was Eren as good a lover as we all imagined?"

You almost choke on the tea you swallow, and for a moment you are at a loss for words. But then you take a deep breath and decide to be honest with your friends. "It was... amazing," you say, barely above a whisper. "I had no idea that it could feel so wonderful, so... intense." Catherine smiles knowingly. "I know exactly what you mean," she says. "In fact, I've learned a lot about pleasing my husband from my ladies-in-waiting. They're much freer than we are, you know." You are intrigued. "What do you mean?" you ask. "Well, they're not bound by the same rules and expectations that we are," Catherine explains. "They can experiment with different positions and techniques, with different lovers. And they're always eager to share their knowledge with us, if we're willing to listen." Your mind was reeling with possibilities, and you couldn't help but feel a little envious of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting. But then she remembered Hitch's words and made a mental note to have a conversation with her later.

The conversation then shifts to more lighthearted topics, with the princesses teasing you about your old crush on a young lord at Caprian court when you were 12  and sharing stories of their own romantic failures. You talk for hours, enjoying each other's company and the feeling of being together again. After tea, the three of you take a walk in the garden, admiring the beauty of the blooming Camellia flowers and other exotic plants.

 As the sun began to set, the princesses bid their goodbyes to you, promising to visit again soon. You watch them depart with a smile, grateful for the precious time you have spent together and already looking forward to their next visit.

Your ladies-in-waiting enter your chamber to prepare you for the night. They carefully remove the dress you wore for the tea party and began to wrap your hair in a bonnet. As the ladies work, your mind wanders to your conversation with your friends earlier that day. You couldn't help but feel nervous about what you had learned and excited at the idea of pleasing your husband.

Once your hair is wrapped, the ladies-in-waiting help you into a silk nightgown and slippers. They then move on to the next step of the nightly skincare ritual.

As they massage shea butter into your skin, you took a deep breath and turn to Hitch. "Can I ask you something?" you say, your voice low and hesitant.Hitch looks up at you, surprised by the sudden question. "Of course, Your Highness. What do you need?" You take another deep breath before speaking. "How can I please my husband... intimately?"

Hitch's eyes widen in shock, but she quickly composes herself and began to explain what she knew. Hitch's smile widens slightly. "Ah, I see. Well, Your Majesty, it's all about being confident and getting to know what your husband likes. On the other hand some men like a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it." She speaks slowly and detailed, using her hands to demonstrate certain movements and techniques.

You listen carefully, as your heart races with each word. You have always been shy about these matters, but Hitch's gentle guidance made you feel safe and secure.

Once the lesson was over, the ladies-in-waiting finish their preparations for your night and leave the chamber, leaving you alone with your thoughts. As you settle into bed, you couldn't help but feel a newfound confidence and excitement for what lay ahead. You hear a knock and you get up knowing that it´s your husband waiting to see you. 

As you got ready for bed, you feel a flutter of excitement in your stomach, knowing that the Eren would soon be joining you. As the King knocks and enters the Queen's chambers, you turn towards him with a smile. "Hello, my love," you greet him warmly.

Eren returns your smile and walks towards you, embracing you in a passionate kiss. "I missed you today," he whispers.

You wrap your arms around him and deepen the kiss, feeling a new confidence inside of you from what Hitch had taught you earlier. He zips down your dress and exposes your naked body. Eren proceeds with kissing your neck while drawing circles on your clit. “Eren��� you moan as ​​you feel your clit becoming more and more needy as his fingertips swirl around it. “Eren, I-” as you reach your high you feel his lips meet yours as you moan in his mouth. As you parted, you look up at him with a mischievous glint in your eyes. "I have a surprise for you tonight," you say coyly.

The King raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? What kind of surprise?" You smirk and begin to lead him towards the bed, gently pushing him to sit on it. "Let me show you," you whisper seductively in his ears. You open his belt and unbutton his pants as he rips off his shirt. He lifts his ass, allowing you to wiggle them down enough to free his aching cock. You place yourself on top of him, Eren´s eyes widen in awe, never in a million years would he believe that his “shy” wife would be the one to make love to him. Just looking at how beautiful you look makes him impatient.  He ran the head through your soaking folds before lining up with your entrance. The burn as you sank down on him was pleasurable and not too painful. Eren groaned, already losing himself in the feeling of your cunt. His large hands gripped your ass, helping you lower until he was fully seated inside. You hissed at the stretch. You kissed him passionately as you slowly started to roll your hips. You made love slowly, your hands keeping purchase on his chest. Eren´s eyes were screwed shut, his grip on you never loosened. He whispered in your ear in between guttural moans. “F-fuck Y/n”, you smile to yourself as you are loving the view of your husband losing himself beneath you. You mentally wrote a note to remember to thank Hitch after this. You clench your walls as you both are reaching your highs. The noises the two of you made were raw, and animalistic as you chased your highs. You slam yourself down onto him, shattering the wall and holding back your orgasms. He lifts up his upper body to hug your sweating body. Your legs are burning and your lungs are burning as you are catching your breath. You lie your head on his chest and you can hear his heart pounding fast, he must be as tired as you are you think to yourself. “Where did you learn that?” he asks picking up your bonnet that slid of during your session with one hand, while the other one is still wrapped around you. “T-think of it as a thank you for the library” you mutter half asleep, which causes Eren to giggle. The King couldn't help but be captivated by your beauty. His eyes trace the curves of your face, taking in every detail that made you so alluring.

He admired the fullness of your plump lips, which seemed to hold endless possibilities for kisses and whispers of affection. The way they curved into a gentle smile when you looked at him warmed his heart, and he longs to taste their sweetness every second. Your round nose, delicate and perfectly proportioned, added a touch of charm to your face. It was a feature that he found endearing, making you seem approachable and down-to-earth despite your regal position.

But it was your natural curls that truly mesmerized him. Your hair, free from any constraints, cascaded around you like a crown of untamed beauty. The way the curls framed your face emphasized your radiant presence, making your beauty go beyond all the goddesses of mythology. But it was your deep, mesmerizing brown eyes that truly captured his attention. They held a depth that seemed to delve into the very core of his being, stirring a myriad of emotions within him. Your eyes sparkle with intelligence, kindness, and a hint of mischief, drawing him in and making him feel as if he could lose himself in their depths. Your physical features were merely a reflection of the captivating soul that resides within you. It was the way you carried yourself with grace and dignity, the way your eyes radiate warmth and understanding, and the way your laughter could brighten the darkest of days.

Eren is grateful to have such a remarkable woman in his life. Your beauty went far beyond what could be seen with the eyes; it was a beauty that resonated from within, radiating love, strength, and compassion.

As he admires your features, he couldn't help but feel a deepening affection and admiration for you. In your presence, he found solace and comfort, and he knew that he was truly blessed to call you his queen.

#eren x reader #eren smut #eren x you #eren yeager x reader #eren jeager x y/n #eren jeager x reader #eren yeager smut #eren yeager angst #eren yeager x you #eren yeager fluff #eren jeager x you #eren jeager smut #eren jeager angst #eren jeager fluff #eren yeager x y/n #eren yeager x black reader #eren jeager x black reader #eren x black reader #eren x black fem!reader

[princesssarcastia]

listen to me. are you listening? tiktok is not uniquely anything when it comes to the internet. it is a tool and a platform like any other, used by all kinds of people—by nearly every kind of person or entity to whom it is available, in fact! and while what the u.s. government is doing right now to force the ownership of the company to change hands is bad and happening for the wrong reasons, to put it mildly—

claiming that the u.s. establishment is interested in shutting down tiktok because its been sooooo good and revolutionary for progressive/left-wing organizing is uhh. horse shit. that's not true. everyone uses tiktok. you, statistically, probably use tiktok. so do some of the congresspeople endorsing legislation that might end in tiktok being banned. so do right-wing influencers and terfs and trad-wives. just like everyone uses every other social media site.

don't fall into that trap of thinking that just because you and the people in your circle use this tool for good, that this tool is only used for good. it is actually just a tool for everyone!

here's an excerpt from a book called, The Wires of War, by Jacob Helberg which, if you're interested in why the u.s. congress is actually pulling this shit with tiktok, is a great read. this excerpt follows a section where Helberg described the role social media played in the Arab Spring in 2011. emphasis mine.

It would be several years before the 2016 election awakened the West to the ways in which the Internet could exploit the vulnerabilities of their societies. But for the autocrats in Bejing, Moscow, and Tehran, the Arab Spring was a technological awakening of their own. Seeing other repressive governments around the world crumble, illiberal regimes in Russia and China accelerated their treatment of the information space as a domain of war. "Tech-illiterate bureaucrats were replaced by a new generation of enforcers who understood the internet almost as well as the protesters," write Singer and Brooking in their book, LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media. "In truth, democratic activists had no special claim to the internet. They'd simply gotten there first. "

#tiktok ban #social media #idk man #maybe im too invested in personal privacy to have the same #visceral reaction #to the tiktok stuff that a lot of other people are having #do i think the current tiktok ban (for lack of a more concise phrase) is good? #no. lol #but frankly there's a lot of regulation of social media i'd like to see written and passed #that would probably write tiktok and most every other social media site #out of existence #starting with banning infinite scroll and other addictive user interface details #and ending with banning content suggestion algorithms altogether #or at least making them entirely fucking public #which would amount to the same thing for all these tech companies

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Matt Davies

* * * *

The immigration bill hangs in the balance.

What’s happening.

The core group of Senators negotiating the immigration bill continues to work on the text of a final bill—cheered on by President Biden in speeches over the weekend. Senator Chris Murphy said the following:

We do have a bipartisan deal. We’re finishing the text right now. We are sort of finalizing the last pieces of text right now. This bill could be ready to be on the floor of the United States Senate next week. But it won’t be if Republicans decide that they want to keep this issue unsettled for political purposes. I was glad to hear the president come out and speak forcefully in favor of this bill. I’m hopeful that we will still have enough Republicans in the Senate who want to fix the problem at the border rather than just to do Donald Trump’s bidding, but we will see over the next 24 to 48 hours whether that’s true.

As many Republicans publicly announced their opposition to a bill that has yet to be released, at least one Republican Senator criticized his party for sacrificing the nation’s immigration policy to Trump's re-election bid. See Washington Post, Lankford defends bipartisan border security bill after attacks by Trump, GOP.

GOP Senator Lankford told an interviewer on Sunday that Republicans demanded immigration reform as a condition of funding Ukraine and Israel. Having extracted that quid-pro-quo from Democrats, Republicans said, “Just kidding.” In Lankford’s words:

So we actually locked arms together and said we’re not going to give you money for this. We want a change in law. When we’re finally going to the end, they’re like, ‘Oh, just kidding. I actually don’t want a change in law because it’s a presidential election year.’

We all have an oath to the Constitution and we have a commitment to say we’re going to do whatever we can to be able to secure the border.

Republicans have viciously attacked Lankford (a member of their party) for having the audacity to perform his constitutional function against the wishes of defendant Trump. The Oklahoma Republican Party has “censured” Senator Lankford for “playing fast and loose with Democrats”—which is apparently how MAGA extremists view bipartisan negotiations. See The Hill, Oklahoma GOP votes to censure Lankford over Senate border talks.

What President Biden is doing.

Meanwhile, President Biden is leaning into the proposed bill in a big way. A proposed provision would allow the President to “shut down the border” if illegal crossings exceed 5,000 per day. In a written and video statement released on social media last Friday, President Biden said he was prepared to “close the border” immediately if Congress passed the proposed legislation.

And . . . just like that, progressive media outlets that had been repeating the GOP’s false narrative that Biden has allowed an “open border” began suggesting that Biden was “going too far” by saying he would close the border. (I am looking at you, Alex Wagner of MSNBC).

We need to support the President.

We cannot criticize Biden for everything he does. For months, Democrats and major media outlets have suggested that Biden might lose in 2024 because of the border. He has now called the GOP’s bluff by saying, “If you pass it, I will sign it and enforce it.”

We cannot turn on a dime and immediately criticize Biden for addressing the “border crisis” in a manner that is proportional to the perceived crisis created by MAGA extremists and a complicit press. If we do that, we are telling him he cannot defend himself—and America’s vital interests—over an issue that is critical to his re-election.

So, let’s support President Biden as he navigates through this difficult issue. He has plenty of people spotting issues and second-guessing every word he writes or utters on the subject. We need to support him in a full-throated manner for his consistent commitment to immigration reform.

Extra credit.

Here is a fun fact to pull out of your pocket next time someone says that Joe Biden is in favor of “open borders”: Guess what bill President Biden sent to Congress on the first day of his presidency? A bill to strengthen our border security and modernize our immigration system. Joe Biden has been trying to solve the border and immigration crisis since his first day in office. Let’s not let the press and our friends pretend otherwise. Instead, let’s support Biden and amplify his tremendous efforts to date.

Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter

#Robert B. Hubbell #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #the Border #Immigration Reform #Putin Republicans

[bloobluebloo]

i mean the shiekah tech was clearly shut down, ad stated in botw’s secret ending the the skyview towers, so like it still exists. Plus the purah pad is an updated shiekah slate, so it’s clear the tech got repurposed. It just seems nintendo is either dismissive.

Still I’d love to see if we get like a more technological hyrule in the future, which still had its traditions, but they have zonai-shiekah tanks, planes, turrets, boats, and trains. Like I don’t see a “modern” hyrule changing that much aside from in terms of transportation and weaponry. It would just be britian.

Yeah, I mean my personal view is that the Sheikah technology got repurposed because, as you mention anon, there is evidence that it is being repurposed. However, I feel like in a way, if Nintendo were to acknowledge that Shiekah technology was being repurposed then they would also have to answer as to what happened to all the shrines and the Divine Beasts which would be more...difficult to justify. Given the answer given to us by Fujibayashi in interviews, I feel like they did just want people to ignore anything Sheikah related, and that anything you see in TotK is supposed to be a pleasant coincidence.

I am amused that you mention Britain because if Hyrule were like Britain, then the monarchy would just be figureheads that are used for the sake of tourism and mooch off people's taxes while parliament takes care of actual legislation. It'd be interesting if that were the way Ganondorf took control of Hyrule, by becoming Prime Minister and having actual power in government :P

#bloothots

[cerebraldischarge]

They say, you have to leave in order to return.

But I have been both at home this whole time and far away from home. My body is a lumbering RV rolling through this ambiguous vacation. I see every new landscape through a window, without being a part of the scene. I have accepted that as my role, for the most part. Maybe that’s why the destructive whispers of most humans barely reach my ears anymore, let alone my heart. Or maybe I just got used to the fact that, by virtue of not being human like them, I will always attract suspicion with my unusual nature. The vitriol itself abated, too - perhaps they figured out that I meant no harm, and classified me as a non-threat simply because I’m just an observer. And yet, I still hope that keeping this travel diary can sort of count as participation. After all, I may be the only one who notices a certain thing on the road.

There’s one observation that I keep spotting out there, attracting my attention like an odd-shaped cactus in the dry orange sea.

This is it: What the hell happened to the queer community?!

Willem Arondeus, before being executed for resistance activities by everyone’s favorite German villains, made the statement: “homosexuals are not cowards”.

Amelio Robles Ávila, a trans man born in 1889, would shoot anyone who taunted him by calling him a woman.

Aileen Wuornos made the world a slightly safer place for women by taking out seven male creepers, then went to her death with the knowledge that she did nothing wrong.

But are we still not cowards? Are we still ready to fight in a revolution? Are we still willing to protect ourselves?

I won’t get into the statistics here, because they can be just as easily used to prove one thing as its opposite, but there seems to be a theme within the bulk of the queer community (and the allies) which puts a strong emphasis on peacefulness, warm and fuzzy feels, community-orientedness, and projecting a generally “cute and harmless” public image. That on its own is not really a problem, but the balance seems to have been shifted. In the content the community leaders share, there seems to be a lot of talk about how we are supposed to be afraid, targeted by the baddies, experiencing dread and hopelessness, being essentially a helpless victim and expecting to be validated by legislation and flashy, organized gestures of acceptance. Is this really necessary?

I don’t mean we should “be fine with” discrimination and actual rights being taken away, but do you think the people who legitimately want you dead (whether they admit it in daylight or not) will suddenly change and start giving a damn if you show them how miserable they are making you the hundredth time? And do you really think any politician actually cares? I don’t know who said this, but it appears to be truer than ever: people who think politicians truly represent their interests are the same people who think the stripper at the bar really likes them.

As for my personal reason why this bugs me so much: while projecting the image of “we love everyone”, nonviolence, peace-light-and-harmony, these same community leaders shut down any sort of disagreement or criticism with the help of technology, money, and clout. It’s as if some people (I’m not naming names because 1. It’s not important, 2. I don’t remember half of the names of the people I had this experience with) have a poor ability to distinguish between bigots and real enemies on one hand, and potential allies with a different perspective on the other. Let’s not mince words here: I have been banned, deleted, harassed, and made out to be the bad guy multiple times by my fellow queers because I dare to advocate for self-defense - both on a personal and on an organizational level. I try to educate and infect the community with my love for the Second Amendment and the ideas that often come associated with it, such as personal responsibility and economic sensibility, as well as restricted government power and mostly unrestricted discussion of ideas. (Am I the only one who expected this stuff to be part of the default American attitude package in the first place, by the way?) Occasionally I get a positive response, but most often I get called out for “bigotry”, “ignorance”, and “disrespectful” behavior.

I get it, y’all. You probably only heard stuff like this (especially the Second Amendment part) from actual bigots who 1. hate you without even knowing why, and 2. have less than zero idea about what being a sexual or gender minority even means and think that gays have been invented in the 1980s. That’s who gets on TV, that’s who gets to be heard - because perturbed emotions equal higher ratings, and you can’t sell a media product without covering some kind of conflict. The more exaggerated, the better. People - all people - have a ghoulish side to them: they want to “spill the tea”, “own the libs”, see someone fly high and fall down. We are drawn to gawking at tragedy, even if we hate it - at least it’s not boring, after all!

(one of my favorite songs seems relevant here: TOOL - Vicarious)

So, it’s natural to associate the words in my mouth with the rotten people who try to weaponize them against us. (Mostly the “religious freedom for me, but not for thee” crowd, who often have the audacity to display patriotic imagery while spouting their nonsense. I forgot the name again, but years ago I’ve seen a white-haired man preach the wrath of his god on anyone who isn’t 100% cis and straight - and he did this with the Preamble as his graphic backdrop. I remember that part, because it made me livid. You would never say that stuff if you have read the damn thing!)

But stop and think. As the popular slogan goes, “we don’t want to make your kids queer, we want your queer kids to survive” - if that’s really the case, what are we actually doing towards that goal? Could we be more effective? Have the years of dragging out statistics proving our victimhood changed anything? Yes, some minds can be changed through discourse, as the growth of the secular/atheist community has demonstrated. But some minds will not be changed and will not respond to anything gentle. In fact, I myself have been embarrassed to be associated with people who, frankly, appear to be weak and vulnerable. Yes, some of us are genuinely vulnerable, gentle souls who could never hurt a fly - even if said fly actively works for the KKK or something. But that’s not all we are.

Perhaps I’m painting too bleak a picture here - after all, Erin Palette and Gina Roberts, with their wonderful organizations, are already doing the work I’m trying to urge y’all to start doing. But there is still, in many places, this self-destructive resistance towards the idea of putting on some big girl pants and protecting our own community, and it’s just sad to see.

The government is not there to feed and save you. Not even if you sacrifice everything to it and let it micromanage all your choices and lives. If you let it control you in exchange for bribes and comforting feelings, you risk it turning against you on a whim - all it takes is an election, or one corrupt person, or an unforeseen situation in your life that the algorithm cannot handle. (There was a British series in the 1970s called Space: 1999, in which the main computer brain, when faced with a particularly difficult problem, ethical dilemma, or outlandish occurrence, displayed the words “Human Decision Required” on its screen. I’m sure you can think of situations from your life where, inevitably, human decision was required. Or even a moment when the option applicable to you was not present on a standardized questionnaire you had to fill out. I mean… do I really need to explain this to you, of all people?)

[anxietywriter]

Gilded Cage

Hehehehe corruption prompts. Like actual corruption, get your head out the gutter. Of course this is based off the idea of someone saying knowledge is power only to be countered with, "no. Power is power" because it makes brain go brr.

Gotta love the classic political corruption that happens in the fantasy worlds. Love the tyrant kings and their circle of knights that funnel power and resources to both themselves and the elite, forcing the general population to live with next to nothing and hopefully eventually revolt teehee. Or perhaps one of the elites rise up and stage a coup against the king? Gahhh can you tell I love this?

The rigged elections in a dystopian world and maybe there is some suspicion or theories about votes being rigged, but actual information about it somehow gets leaked to the general public and it spreads like wildfire. Cue the manhunt for the person that leaked the information and the damage control and the forming rebellions.

Using political corruption and loopholes to keep a community in poverty/near poverty. Like the denizens try to get legislation passed that will improve the community but it never gets passed. Probably because it wasn't profitable or because it would hurt a big company/power. Then them trying to just do stuff like garden or make little community cabinets and always getting shut down. It's nothing super sinister it's just that no matter what they do and how hard they try, nothing ever actually changes.

The press/media skewing stories. Preferably about the protagonist(s). Perhaps any small mistake gets blown out of proportion while their good deeds go ignored. Things to make it so the public perceives them poorly. Accidentally breaking something for example gets skewed into being a careless act that shows no respect for locals and is completely tactless.

That bribe money folks. Just the entire system being based on who is the highest bidder gets the policies that benefits them the most. And everyone else can rot, because who cares if they're not the ones lining the elites' pockets. Or alternatively... Those who accept bribes doing a complete U-turn because it was never about morality to them. Whether they turn from being good to evil or evil to good, it doesn't matter to them as long as that particular side pays up. Kind of like a mercenary.

Using animals as spies! Kind of a cool concept and would work in theory if said animal had proper training and maybe a tracker on them. And given that said animal doesn't run into any deadly obstacles or isn't caught. Anyways, using them to either expose corruption or used by corrupt companies to steal their rival's secrets.

#prompt list #writing prompts #story prompts #I made this list bc me and my Uber driver a while back were talking about cars and corruption #You know just casual conversation at 2am #My Uber driver was pretty cool it was a fun conversation

[mybookof-you]

"The reality is that while there are problems with all forms of capitalism, there are different kinds of capitalist problems, and some forms of capitalism are less harmful to working people and more capable of enacting and enforcing sound policy than others.

Enshittification is what happens when the constraints on the worst impulses of companies and their investors and managers are removed. When a company doesn’t have competitors, when it can capture its regulators to trample our rights with impunity, when it can enlist those regulators to shut down would-be competitors who might free us from its “walled garden,” and when it can fire any worker who refuses to enact harm upon the users they serve, then that company will enshittify...

A company can be made to treat you well, even if it is run by a wicked person who sees you as a mark to be fleeced – that mustache twirler just has to be constrained – by competition, regulation, self-help and labor. He may still hate you and wish you harm, but he won’t be able to act on it.

As MLK said:

It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, religion and education will have to do that, but it can restrain him from lynching me. And I think that’s pretty important also. And so that while legislation may not change the hearts of men, it does change the habits of men. And we see this every day."

Cory Doctorow, "How America's Oligarch's Lull Us With the Be-Your-Own-Boss Fairytale"

[waterheaterrentals]

Lack of Integrity and Substantial Harm to the Greenbelt & Ontario in General Under Doug Ford's Leadership

Nauseated by the Auditor's Report today. Don't know how naive it is to not expect this level of corruption in Canada. 

So many issues. Where do we begin? & the fact that Premier Ford doubles down on what they did after promising that he wouldn't touch the Greenbelt?

*Most headlines misreport the amount that his developer buddies are set to gain. The 8.3 billion figure is completely off. If you check the report, you'll see it's based on lower assessment values from Jan 1st, 2016. Bonnie Lysyk clearly mentions that such greenbelt lands are actually selling for about 4x that amount, ie. 33 billion dollars ++.

*What even happened to the Greenbelt Council? Reports show members were muzzled and essentially forced to resign. Then when the chair eventually resigned too, nearly 102 year old frail & ailing Hazel McCallion aka "queen of sprawl" was appointed. On January 18th this year, the day Bonnie Lysyk announced her audit, Hazel also released an open letter in support of Ford's move & died a week and a half later. More than half the council remains vacant to date. The Greenbelt Council was essentially shut down.

*Political staff who were in charge of making changes to the greenbelt literally COPIED, PASTED & FORWARDED what the developers' lobbyists sent them to Deputy Ministers to include as legislative packages. THAT's how legislation works in Ontario? -- No surprise why the Ministry of Public & Business Service Delivery is currently working to legislate new home purchase agreements' price increases as well as cancellations (to then hike prices up). More C&P from builders? -- Political staff used personal emails, regularly deleted them and didn't keep proper descriptions of their meetings with developers' lobbyists and other external parties.

*At a BILD dinner last Sept 14th, the Housing Minister Chief of Staff supposedly received 2 packages from 2 developers. 1 of them, Rice Group, closed on a 80M dollar land deal the very next day. The other, TACC (aka Aspen Ridge, Opus, Arista Homes, etc) owns the majority of DRAP (Duffins Rouge Agricultural Preserve) and received a whopping 58% of the lands Doug Ford removed from the Greenland. Fieldgate Homes received 24% and Rice Group, 9%. 

*Ford has hung out with the DeGasperis (TACC) family since at least 2018 when he was seen in their luxury box at the BB&T Centre in Miami. Notably, back in 2006, Silvio DeGasperis told the Toronto Star "McGuinty has already hurt me, I'm going to hurt him." At the time, he pushed to stop Greenbelt plans, tried to develop their Pickering lands anyway and eventually took Ontario to court but lost. Now, the family is set to make the most out of the $33 billion dollar greenbelt gifts from Ford.

*Bonnie Lysyk pointed out that Ford & co did not consider the potential financial gain or how the province could share in the 33 -not 8 - billion dollar gain. Curious to know what angle a conservative MPP or Ford supporter could justify this and not backtracking on it. Deflect and blame past Liberals or whoever till our ears fall off/eyes bleed, sure, but how does anyone support or justify these actions? This isn't bipartisan, it's a partial-to-the DeGasperis' & a handful of other developers issue. These greenbelt changes must be reversed, for the province to share in these substantial profits, if nothing else.

Watched Doug Ford respond live today as he struggled to form the prompted sentences. Apparently didn't know what to say. Later Steve Clark adorably quipped in to cover Qs directed to our, or rather the DeGasperis' premier.

#Doug ford #premier ford #ford nation #ontario #greenbelt #degasperis #silvio degasperis #greenbelt scandal #greenbelt council #Steve clark #canada #8.3 billion #pickering #duffins creek #rouge park #bonnie lysyk #ontario auditor

[troublednuclei]

i feel like something that like 60 year old people don’t understand about young adults is not only the mental trauma of experiencing a world where such horrific things are being allowed are happening, but they also don’t understand the exhaustion. the exhaustion of conversations where they ask you to explain your side and you are so fucking tired of it. they, as human people, should understand why these things that are happening are fucked up. there is such a high mental toll that is taken when you are around your friends or family and they say something offensive or supportive of these laws that are passing, and your brain just shuts down because if you have one more conversation about this, you will lose it. your brain understands just how much it exhausts you, and keeps you away from it. its not worth the emotional, mental, and physical trauma of these lines of communication because at the end of the day it feels like not only are things not changing - they are getting worse. so no, i dont want to talk about it. these people are not listening. i want things to change so so so so desperately. but i am not responsible for making a change in other people. i am not a therapist, i am not a legislator. fucking grow up and stop forcing laws on me that youre not even gonna experience cause youre gonna fucking die. UGH. thank you for coming to my ted talk.

#dude #its. i just. you know #you know you get it #we all get it #buzz

[earaercircular]

H&M's answer about the dumped clothes’ article: Hard to read

H&M promises that the clothes must be taken care of in an environmentally friendly and responsible way. Yet three of the garments in the review are shipped to third world countries with major and known problems.

Now H&M is breaking the silence about the clothes that are dumped[1] in poor countries.The fashion giant states that Aftonbladet's review has been "tough reading" - and that the information is followed up in several ways.[2] “This highlights one of the absolute biggest challenges for the textile industry. We don't have circular systems today”, says Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten, head of resource use and circularity.

In the past week, Aftonbladet has repeatedly asked H&M for an interview about why the fashion chain sends used clothes to countries where they risk being dumped or burned uncontrolled.

The clothing giant initially chose to leave only a brief written comment[3]. But on Tuesday they changed their minds. “This is a very important issue for us and we take the information in your review very seriously”, says Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten, head of resource use and circularity, whom we meet at the fashio[4]n giant's headquarters in the middle of Stockholm.

How well do you know what happens to the clothes after they leave your stores?

“It is very important for us to secure our entire value chain. We have clear agreements and zero tolerance for clothes ending up in landfills.”

On your website it stated until last week that the clothes are taken care of by the sustainability initiative I:Collect.[5] Only after our questions was the site shut down.

“It was our previous partner for the clothing collection, at the beginning of 2023 we changed partners to Remondis[6]. We definitely should have updated the website much earlier, so it's a mistake.”

In Aftonbladet's review, H&M's clothes have been sent to countries where they risk to be dumped or burned uncontrolled. According to Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten, H&M has no policy on which countries the clothes can be sent to. The agreement with Remondis instead stipulates that the textiles must be sorted according to the best area of use. “ In the first instance, they must be reused. And if you can't do that, they should be recycled,” says Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten.

But is it okay for clothes to be sold to a country like Ghana?

“In our agreement, it is very important that the clothes have a demand in the countries they are sold to.”

So it's okay?

“Yes, but it is very important that they are then reused. And that their (Remondi's) partners in turn have an eye on what happens to the clothes when they end up there”, says Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten.

Do you feel that they have it?

“It is a question that we are investigating now.”

The final buyers of your clothes, the thousands of sellers in the market in Accra, buy clothes in bales that have been packed in Europe. They testify that all bales, from all suppliers, contain things that must be thrown away. This is something even organizations on the ground and local authorities can testify to. There are no bales without waste.

“We need clearer legislation and stronger rules so that you cannot send waste to countries where there is no recycling system.”

What you communicate on your website is that you will lead the transition. Why isn’t H&M ahead?

“We do make demands. Only what is reusable can be sold for reuse.”

Ghana is a country that receives up to 15 million second-hand garments a week. Even whole clothes are thrown away, because there is no demand. They appeal to the outside world to send less. How do you see it?

“It highlights one of the absolute biggest challenges for the textile industry. We do not have circular systems today, neither here nor in Africa. And that's why we have to work super hard to strengthen legislation so that you can't ship useless things to Africa.”

H&M is one of the most common garments dumped in Ghana. One way to get ahead is for you to pay your share of the soup handling on site.

“We are for producer responsibility[7].”

But why don't you go ahead?

“Yes, but it is absolutely part of the solution to do so. It is of course one of the possibilities that we are looking at.”

Your founder Stefan Persson, the world's 110th richest man, today has a fortune of 163 billion. At the same time, the fishermen in Ghana have lost their livelihood because of your and others' garments. Is it reasonable?

“No, and I completely agree. It's a huge problem.”

Have you been to Ghana yourself?

“ I have not been to Ghana.”

Has anyone else in H&M management been there?

“ I do not know.[8] But we are on site in India, for example, where we also have production offices and where we work.”

One of your garments comes to India in our survey. It ended up in a town where around thousands of women and children cut clothes by hand to make thread from which simple blankets are woven. Is that sustainable?

“No, it is not sustainable. If you follow our agreements, it is reusable products that will end up in India. They should not be cut.”

100 billion garments are manufactured a year in the world. More and more researchers believe that this figure is neither reasonable nor sustainable. How do you see it?

“ I believe that circularity is an important part of the solution for how we can become more resource efficient and reduce our resource dependence.”

But does it work to produce 100 billion garments a year?

“ In a circular economy, you don't just manufacture new garments, you can also circulate used garments through second hand and renting and repairing. And if we have it on a larger scale, we don't need to produce new things to the same extent”, says Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten.

At the same time, you yourselves are talking about doubling your volume by 2030.

“We are talking about turnover and not volumes. We must do this in a sustainable way, while reducing our climate emissions and our use of resources.”

The ten garments we bought travelled one and a half laps around the world together. Is it reasonable?

“We have the textile collection in many markets and we work with a partner who sorts out in Germany. After all, the market for used textiles is global.”

How have you yourself reacted to the information in the review?

“It has been tough to read, but I also think it gives a clear picture of the major challenges the industry is facing.”

What will happen now?

“We are of course working to follow up on this information and there are many "actions" that we will take. Both linked to follow-up, traceability, transparency and influencing legislation.”

Finally, Cecilia Strömblad Brännsten asks to address Aftonbladet's readers and the fashion chain's customers directly: “I want to say that you should be able to continue to feel safe that you can hand in clothes to H&M in the future as well. We have clear requirements and agreements that the clothes must be reused and recycled in the best way.”

Source

Staffan Lindberg, H&M:s svar om dumpade kläderna: Tufft att läsa, in Aftonbladet, 14-06-2023, https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/onPgOV/h-m-s-svar-efter-kritiken-tufft-att-lasa

[1] The H&M clothes you "recycle" are dumped here. So the clothes we buy are creating an environmental disaster on the other side of the world. https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/O8PAyb/har-dumpas-h-m-kladerna-du-atervinner

[2] Here is fast fashion's "ground zero". Used clothes have created an unprecedented environmental disaster in Ghana - and H&M is one of the most common garments. https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/bgW3ld/har-ar-snabbmodets-ground-zero

[3] H&M responds: "Are there challenges linked to collection and recycling". https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/dwzGm1/h-m-svarar-finns-utmaningar-kopplade-till-insamling-och-atervinning

[4] Aftonbladet's disclosure about H&M's recycling in 9 points. https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/JQGbrm/aftonbladets-avslojande-om-h-m-s-atervinning-i-9-punkter

[5] https://www.icollectclothes.co.uk/

[6] Remondis is German multinational company for recycling, water resource management and industrial and communal services with headquarters in Lünen close to Dortmund. Globally, it ranks among the biggest recycling firms. Remondis operates in over 800 locations in more than 30 countries with more than 30,000 employees and an estimated revenue of 6.4 billion Euro in 2018. It is part of the Rethmann Group. Read also: https://www.tumblr.com/earaercircular/719945857132331008/waste-disposal-giant-remondis-is-growing-strongly?source=share

[7] EU proposal that manufacturers should pay the waste cost

[8] H&M's press service will later state that the supplier Remondis has been to Ghana

#greenwashing #dumped clothes #fast fashion