#what part of life is this person doing differently from a liberal engaged in some other counterculture

[room429]

marxists: anarchism is an unserious ideology

anarchists: shows how much you know, it's not a political ideology at all it's a LIFESTYLE (all political ideologies are equally bad so we don't have one)

#i dont Want To Be Sectarian but. #how is this even different from a liberal who shoplifts and does graffiti #what part of life is this person doing differently from a liberal engaged in some other counterculture #this is like if the FBI could custom order a belief system to poison organizing efforts

[intynidad]

Yes sir ma’am sir

Yandere otome au: the DLC

Tw: yandere stuff, suggestive in some parts tell me if I miss anything please

Tag: @pollypocketblog03u thanks for ur request love! <3

As time went on, you noticed something peculiar: despite the approaching "final day" of the game, the heroine had not yet locked a route. It struck you as quite unusual, but you dismissed the notion that it had anything to do with you. Perhaps the game mechanics were different in this "real life" version. Through some trial and error, you managed to discover a sort of "pause menu." However, it didn't prove particularly helpful. It wasn't like you could literally pause time, but it provided you with information about the characters, which you were determined to use to your advantage. Strangely enough, when you examined the character sheets, you found that some of them were either blank or marked with a ??? symbol.

Then, it dawned on you that the final day wouldn't be triggered until the heroine had met all the love interests. Recalling the main cast, you were certain there were only three: the childhood friend, the family friend, and the loner (excluding yourself as the rival and the heroine).

Nevertheless, you were positive that the heroine had interacted with all of them, as you had observed her engaging in (not so friendly) conversations with each.

That’s until you remembered…you had installed the “more love” dlc!

Okay... This is actually pretty perfect, to be honest.

If you manage to meet all the new love interests and make them your friends, or even prevent the heroine from meeting them at all, the "final day" won't trigger, and the heroine won't take revenge on you! This is perfect. What could go wrong?

You honestly had no idea who the new love interest would be and the whole “praying for your life” thing made you exhausted, you needed a way out.

So there were you moving through the game map to a new location exclusive of the dlc, “the obsidian stardust”

The bass reverberates through every fiber of your being, as bodies move in sync with the hypnotic melodies. The dance floor is a mosaic of swaying figures, their movements fluid and uninhibited. The atmosphere is alive with an aura of liberation, a temporary escape from the mundane.

It was just what you needed

With your newfound knowledge of the current route and the realization that the "final day" was yet to come, a sense of relief washed over you, and you felt a wave of relaxation. Tonight, you were determined to forget about everything and simply enjoy yourself on the dance floor, immersing yourself in the music and letting loose.

Lost in your own little world, you accidentally bumped into someone. "Ah, sorry, my ba..." you began to apologize, but before you could finish, the stranger took hold of your hand and pulled you into a dance.

Well, this wasn't exactly what you had envisioned, but it was a club after all, and people often bumped into each other. Perhaps this person simply assumed you wanted to dance, and you decided to go with the flow, embracing the unexpected twist of the evening.

Both of you danced and danced until it was time to go home.

You were outside the club either debating to call one of your friends or just pick up a taxi when you felt a tab on your shoulder.

“You really know how to move, ain’t ya’” this stranger looked at you with half lidded eyes

“Let me tell you something” he got a step closer “my place is a couple of streets away, so what do you say”

“No thanks”

“Perfect, let me just grab my car and we ca-wait what?”

“I said no thanks” you repeated yourself a little bit louder

The stranger was frozen in place while you walked your merry way into a taxi and left

Did?- did he just got rejected??

THE PLAYBOY

This dude is a player, he loves to sleep around and break hearts. He knows he is handsome and is willing to use it in his favor to get what he wants.

Used to sleeping around and breaking Hearts but totally not used to being rejected, so when you do it is like if somebody dropped a bucket full of ice water on top of him.

But when he recovers from the initial shock he sees this as a test, a challenge to test his charm and ability to woo people.

So he tracks you down and starts to shamelessly flirt with you and being very vocal on wanting to sleep with you.

And you just??? Say No? To him??? Who does that!!?

So he tries and tries again, his friends telling him to give it up and to just move to another pray, that any other boy or girl would be in line to get on their knees for him.

But no, he doesn’t want anybody. He.wants.you.

This becomes something personal,he needs to make you his.

This starts to slowly spiral into an obsession but he is delusional, you are just crazy about him! You are just playing hard to get!

He ends up convincing himself that you are completely in love with him and that you are just or too shy or too bratty to accept his- i mean your feelings

Is not until he is fucking another person that he realizes that it doesn’t make him feel good anymore,at least not the way it was before.

His worst fear had materialized before his very eyes: he had succumbed to the allure of love.

The echoes of his past deeds reverberated through his being, fueling a resolute determination to never subject himself to the heartbreak he had once inflicted on his victims.

You will be his,and that’s final

The delinquent

With your newfound understanding of the city's layout, you found yourself strolling through its vibrant streets more frequently (purely coincidental, of course, and certainly not a clever tactic to evade the relentless presence of the heroine and the rest of the love interests). On one eventful day, as you ventured downtown, a disturbing scene unfolded before your eyes. A group of individuals, driven by an inexplicable rage, were beating the absolute crap of some random unfortunate soul.

you and what you assume was the leader made eye contact and you did what was the most logic course of action.

Averting your eyes, your pace quickened, silently signaling your intent to distance yourself from the impending chaos.

What?.you weren’t gonna risk yourself like that!

It was best to mind your own affairs and leave the role of the valiant hero to others.

You thought that that would be the end of the interaction, that until you were in a local bookstore,mostly to pass the time, that’s until you were passing through the cooking section that your eyes meet with the same guy was beating the random person the other day!

He looked well, cleaner?(with less blood you mean) and you could swear that they took out some of their piercings.

The eyes of the ringleader flashed with recognized and panic, and started to speed walk and corner you into an mostly empty part of the bookstore

Long story short, you were threatened with staying quiet with the leader’s apparently-secret-hobby of baking

After that you started to bump into him more often.

He even one day gave you some muffins on the (totally not excuse) of needing a taste tester.

After that you two started to hang out around, his menacing aura was enough to make people move off the way.

He even started to give you more of your favorite pastries (even though you don’t remember telling them about your preferences)

What you didn't know is that the delinquent grew really attached to you because you didn't judge him about his “secret hobby”.

He might or might not started to mix the pastries with…some special ingredients

A thirst was just a little bit of his saliva, just to pretend you guys shared an indirect kiss, then it moved to…other stuff.

Watching you stuff your mouth with something he made, made his mind wander on what that mouth of yours could do.

When some underling of his made the comment of him going soft for somebody, he crushed his skull with a metal bar until probably not even their family would be able to recognize them.

#male yandere #yandere oc #yandere story #yandere oc x reader #yandere scenarios #yanderecore #soft yandere #yandere x reader #yandere boy #yandere darling #yandere #yandere imagines #yandere x y/n #yandere x you #yandere otome au #yandere otome

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Wahhaab— The Giver of gifts, The Most Liberal Bestower— three times in the Quran. He is the All-Giver who bestows gifts, favors, and blessings upon the whole creation. Al-Wahhaab gives gifts constantly, generously, endlessly, and without expecting anything in return!

The Great Giver, the One who constantly bestows

Wahhaab comes from the root waw-haa-baa, which points to three main meanings. The first meaning is to give for no compensation, to offer as a present, or to bestow and the second is to grant or endow. The third main meaning is to cause something to be.

This root appears 25 times in the Quran in two derived forms. Examples of these forms are:  hab (“grant”) and yahabu (“he grants”).

Linguistically, wahhaab has the structure of intensification and is the intense form of Al-Wahib, the giver. The word hiba means gift. Al-Wahhaab is the source of all gifts, bestowing favors with the most detailed wisdom. His gifts come in the form of moments you experience, scenes you see, things you hear, and as material blessings.

Al-Wahhaab Himself says: Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord, the Exalted in Might, the Bestower? [Quran, 38:9] He said, My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower. [Quran, 38:35]

How can you recognize a gift?

Rizq (provision) is something that’s written for you, but you have to work for it; it depends in part on your efforts. A gift (hiba) isn’t something directly related to your efforts. A person you missed suddenly calling you or getting something just at the right moment are gifts. Sometimes you give gifts to someone you love and sometimes you give gifts to draw someone closer to you. What does it mean when Al-Wahhaab gives you a gift? It might mean that He gives you a gift so that you can come closer to Him, even though you were going astray.

How Can You Live by This Name?

1. Remember Al-Wahhaab.
When someone gives you a gift, you thank him or her. So what about the Giver of all gifts? The difference between a believer and disbeliever is that the latter lives with the gifts of Allah ‘azza wajal but doesn’t remember Him, while a true believer knows the giver through the gifts. Always be thankful to your maker for everything you get. If you contemplate the universe you get to know Allah; if you realize His gifts, your heart will melt out of love for Him.

2. Be a true giver.
Al-Ghazali said: Whoever bestows gifts with an eye to some interest to be realized by it sooner or later, either appreciation, affection or release from blame, or acquiring distinction of mention— he is neither a giver nor generous, but rather engaged in transaction and recompense . . . But the one who sacrifices all he owns, even his life, for the sake of Allah alone— such a one is worthy of being named giver and generous. Make your way of giving an act of ‘ibaadah (worship). How? Give gifts or favors for the sake of Allah ‘azza wa jall and not to get something in return.

3. Use the gifts of Al-Wahhaab in the right way.
Thank Al-Wahhaab by using His gifts to please Him. An example is the mobile phone; Al-Wahhaab gave you this technology, so use it for sharing knowledge and not for wasting time. If He gives you a nice afternoon with friends, don’t use it for backbiting or spending time in places of immoral behaviour.

4. Learn from the love of the companions.
Ja’far’s right hand, may Allah be pleased with him, was chopped off in battle, so he held the Islamic flag with his left hand. Another blow chopped off his left hand, so he held the flag up with his upper arms and held it there until he died. What love could drive him to sacrifice his life? Read about and learn from this and other great role models and sacrifice for Al-Wahhaab out of deep love.

5. Ask al-Wahhaab.
Amazingly, using this ism (name), there are more than one Quranic invocations; you will find the prophets, peace upon them, asking Al-Wahhaab for mercy, offspring, etcetera, ending with innaka anta al-Wahhaab– verily You are Al-Wahhaab. Look for these ayaat, memorize them, and use them in your daily life.

5. Don’t praise yourself.
Sometimes we say, I got married, worked hard, and got a beautiful house. Or we say, I gave my child a good upbringing, that’s why he is so good-mannered— I made my son like that! Don’t forget it was Al-Wahhaab who bestowed these favors on you. Your child is given to you as a gift from Al-Wahhaab. And We granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, each of whom did We guide; and before him, We did guide Noah, and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the good-doers. [Quran, 6:84]

6. Ponder what Al-Wahhaab has given you.
First of all, He gave you your existence. Then think of the greatest gift Al-Wahhaab gave you: guidance. Think about water, which is scentless and colourless. Imagine if water were sticky— how could you wash yourself? Look at your memory and how Allah gave foods a nice smell. All of these are gifts of Al-Wahhaab; ponder them.

7. Give gifts to others.
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, Give gifts, for this will increase your mutual love [Muslim]. No human being gives anything for nothing, even if it’s that we give to gain the reward of Allah ‘azza wa jall by it. The only One Who gives asking for nothing in return is Al-Wahhaab. If a human being gives you a gift, It is Al-Wahhaab who inspired him to give you what he has given you! So first thank Allah ‘azza wa jall for inspiring people to help you, and then be grateful to the people by doing a favor for them, or, if you can’t, by saying jazakAllahu khayran or barakAllahu feek(i).

O Allah, Al-Wahhaab, we know You are the Giver of all gifts. Make us of those who are grateful for Your gifts and use them to please You, and adorn us with love for You. Make us ponder Your gifts, inspire us to give gifts to others, and give us from Your mercy that overwhelms us in this present world and the world to come. Verily, You are the best giver of gifts, ameen!

#allah #islam #revert help team #asma al husna #revert help #muslim #ayat #daily #allah’s name #dua #pray #prayer #salah #muslimah #hijab #religion #reminder #mohammed #new muslim #new revert #new convert #how to convert islam #convert help #convert islam #become a muslim #welcome to islam #daily ayat #prophet #god #revert

[dreadfutures]

there's something here ok

my mom used to be a bigot. she was abusive and alcoholic and had self esteem issues that she self medicated and took out on the world. she hated homeless people, hippies, liberals, anti gun activists, didn't believe in climate change.

in 15 years she has changed a lot. She carries a bag around full of food and blankets and water to give to the unhoused. She always has cash in her wallet to give to people on the street. She believes in climate change and votes green. She changed her mind about guns.

I can talk to her without worrying I'm going to be judged just for being antiwar. Her biggest priority isn't whether or not I'm going to church but whether I'm helping people and being kind.

I feel like I can tell her about (some) things about my childhood, and my relationships, and I'll be heard and respected. That is more than before, where I felt like I had to lie about every aspect of my life to avoid a berating and harassment.

She apologized to me once three years ago for my childhood and I don't care. It means more to me that she was at a place personally where she could apologize, than anything else.

Nothing makes up for how I was made to feel growing up. But I never needed her to be a part of my healing. It happened, and I deal with it in my own way, divorced from her. I don't need anything from her except the answer to my ONE WISH growing up: I wished she'd grow up, and be kinder, and be more secure. Even then, when I hated her, I knew that what would be good for ME would be to get away and become the person I wanted to be; what would be good for her, my family, the world, would be for her to BE BETTER. I was so angry because to me, I KNEW she could just BE BETTER, KINDER, than this, but it felt like she refused to do the work. It made me SO ANGRY. And so hopeless.

It took almost two decades. It was not a pleasant 15 years for her I'm sure. But she did it.

She is a different person than the one who hurt me; the person who hurt me is the same person who always had the potential to be better.

There's something here.

My old therapist and I talked about compartmentalization and how it's boxing things up and shoving them under the bed. We discussed how that's not what I'm doing with this approach. When I say the person my mom is now deserves to be treated independently of the person she was. I think it's the only way to have a community. We have to meet people where they're at, and if they want to and are able to engage with community the way the community engages, then. we should.

I had cut off my family almost completely when I moved away for college. They just continued to prove that they weren't going to engage with me in a healthy way, and they weren't people I wanted in my personal community. I told them why I didn't want to be around them.

And I was fine; I found my community, identified my needs and found ways to meet them with the resources and people I wanted in my life. There are unique pains in that, too, but they're just different pains than the agony of dealing with family like that. Fixing them wasn't my responsibility; getting out of a situation where I was suffering, was something in my power.

If my mom hadn't genuinely changed, I wouldn't engage the way I am now. But she could, and she did. The rest of my family is also better but for reasons I still hold them at a distance. There's something to that, too. and all of it just. really validates an important part of my world view that needed strengthening. Hope without evidence of possibility feels like a vain exercise. But this one example solidified something in me. There's something there.

#if my mom ever finds this let's pretend you didn't #also we have other problems 😂 #it would be funny though #personal #i was helping a hungry man on the street this morning and thought of my mom and got really emotional #like maybe the world really can be a better place one person at a time #from the grass roots up #and stuff #except for the political system and our economy lmao those need giant systemic overhauls #excuse the venting I'm just a little overwhelmed and very grateful to be where i am rn

[qqueenofhades]

What exactly is a "leftist" and why are they the only ones saying that making food for your neighbours is ableist?

The kind of "online leftists" I am critiquing are the often-young/Gen Z people who are very active on social media and at first glance, hold very leftist/liberal positions on things such as climate justice, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, income inequality, etc. Except on further inspection, a) a lot of their beliefs about these things rest on weird puritan-esque logic little different from conservative fundamental Christianity (see the anti belief that if you read Bad Fanfiction on AO3, you will become a Bad Person in real life) and b) they're so obsessed with nitpicking and judging everyone else’s language and behavior that they never do anything at all to contribute to the better world they supposedly want. The "Making Food For Your Neighbors is Ableist" discourse iceberg that ghosted past yesterday is a prime example of this. Brainrotted Twitter users can write a whole nonsense thread on Why This Is Ableist (A Bad Thing!) And Thus You, Moral Exemplar, Should Not Do It. While the act of making or bringing food for your neighbors has functioned throughout human history as one of the most basic examples of friendship, outreach, and community-building. These "Leftists" talk endlessly about the Big Revolution that will magically fix everything, and then do literally less than jacksquat to engage with the people they would need beside them, in the real world, if anything about their social movement was to succeed. Let alone a revolution, which has, uh, never worked before as an instrument of long-term and more equitable social change. Never.

These people are often likewise some of the biggest promoters of anti-voting rhetoric, for similar reasons: on paper, no flawed human candidate can possibly live up to their impossible standards, so it's actually better not to participate at all, lest you unduly morally sully yourself. (Since evidently, their personal purity is more important than the welfare of society-- as I said, conservative evangelicalism, which isn't a surprise since this movement is primarily American and English-speaking). They make arguments completely unmoored from any historical, social, or political context, they're aggressively anti-intellectual but they sure can spout those buzzwords, and come up with endless pretentious claims about why actually helping your neighbors is bad, or come up with straw men as to why that's actually disrespectful on your part! (What about say, food allergies or dietary restrictions? Well then, you would have to talk to your neighbors in real life, not in echo-chamber social media, and find out what they like and can eat! Horrifying!)

I know many of these people are young and want to fit in and have time to learn and grow and do better; we are all idiots at a certain age. But because their rhetoric has been egged on and actively encouraged by large-scale bad actors (as in, end global democracy bad) and taken on a life of its own, it has become outrageously harmful and needs to be called out and confronted wherever it appears. So yes.

#anonymous #ask #politics for ts

[yallcantread]

Can you explain the RedScare podcast and the beliefs of the hosts?

Sure! I’ve gotten a lot of requests for this one so I took a lot of time to consume the content. And before answering this question, I of course, put all the information in. I’ll also provide my opinion. I was going to try to add a section for my thoughts separate from the other stuff. But my opinions won’t have a hyperlink under them, I’ll also make my opinions a different color from black or I’ll change the font. I haven’t decided but once I start you’ll see. I’ll pick 3 random podcast episodes and will talk about the topics that were discussed. If you want me to do more episodes i can.

1. “What is the red scare?”

The RedScare is a podcast hosted by Dasha Nekrasova and Anna Khachiyan. Both Russian, they have expressed skepticism towards concepts such as feminism, neoliberalism, identity politics, political correctness, and cancel culture. The hosts have been known to use controversial language and engage in provocative discussions, pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable discourse in the public sphere.

Some words like neoliberalism, political correctness, identity politics and etc. may be new to some people, so I’ll try my best to explain through the thread each category the hosts seem to be skeptical of. Keep in mind that views can evolve over time and may not be static.

2. “What’s the format of the red scare?”

Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova often express their views through satire. Their podcast, “Red Scare,” is known for its irreverent and satirical approach to discussing cultural and political topics. Satire allows them to provide commentary and critique in a humorous and often exaggerated manner, challenging mainstream narratives and conventions. Their use of satire can be seen as a way to provoke thought, generate discussion, and offer a different perspective on issues. I don’t personally listen to their podcast but I am very aware of the content.

3. “What’s the appeal of red scare and should I listen to it?”

The appeal of Red Scare lies in its ability to resonate with those who feel disillusioned by or disconnected from mainstream feminist narratives. It offers an alternative perspective that rejects the constraints and expectations imposed by capitalist-feminist ideals, providing a sense of liberation and a space for unfiltered expression.

Some listeners find solace and validation in Red Scare because it provides an alternative space where they can engage in left-wing politics and work towards a better world without feeling obligated to participate in online outrage culture. One listener expressed that listening to the podcast reassured them that they are not alone in their concerns and interests regarding left politics. They appreciate that Red Scare offers a platform for discussing political issues and advocating for change without resorting to performative online activism.

Elizabeth Bruenig, an opinion columnist at the Washington Post believes the show is “really funny.” A pro-life leftist, Bruenig debated abortion on a bonus episode for Patreon subscribers; part of the reason that she did it, she says, is that even she knew they wouldn’t consider her “the worst person they had ever talked to or a complete idiot or malicious” for holding the view she does. “Red Scare doesn’t care to be outraged,” she explained. “That’s not the emotional response they choose to present, and in political theater that makes a world of difference.” In place of a firehose of outrage, “there’s this almost decadent, Baudelarian, reclining-on-a-divan-drinking-heavily-from-a-carafe-of-brandy vibe to the show.”

3. “What’s their views? What do they say?”

It will be very hard for me to list every single thing they’ve said as I’m not a frequent listener of the podcast. I’ve listened to 3 of their podcasts to provide you with more insight instead of copying and pasting bits of what articles have said. (I’ll name the podcast episodes of each stance I’ll list).

1. Bruenig Derangement Syndrome (podcast episode 241)

In the opening of this episode, the hosts acknowledge the prevailing sense of bleakness in current affairs. They specifically highlight the resurgence of the highly debated Israel and Palestine conflict as an example. They then delve into the stance of Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate known for his varying views. It is mentioned that Yang expressed support for Israel. Which led to an activist confronting him on this stance. Yang responded by acknowledging the complexity of the issue and offered an apology to the individual and community.

Anna: “We're literally back to Israel-Palestine and gas prices spiking.”

Dasha: “We're stuck in a feedback loop.”

Anna: “a Fisherian feedback loop.”

Dasha (sarcastically): “But well, at least this time it's being sort of like amplified through social media activism.”

Anna: “yeah.”

Dasha: “And there's tons of infographics to look at. And people are really speaking out about it much more than they have in the past.”

Anna: “The digital intifada.”

Dasha: “exactly.”

Anna: “Yeah. I mean, I think like, I don't know if this is, that's gonna change anything for the better, probably not?”

Dasha: “Well, Andrew Yang made a statement in support of Israel and then he was confronted by some activists. And then he said that actually, you know, it's complicated and both sides are... *laughter*. He said something totally meaningless instead and apologized.

Anna: “Yeah.”

Dasha: “Yeah. I've had some impact, you know, on forcing Yang into taking a totally like lukewarm, pointless position.”

Anna: “Yeah. I mean, he followed up one like boiler plate stock position with another one. And I like Glenn's article today about AOC kind of condemning chastising Andrew Yang, who's relatively powerless in all of this while not pushing back against the powerful Democrats that actually have some influence over the...”

Dasha: “And who are vocal supporters of Israel”

Anna: “of Israel. Yeah”

Dasha: “Pelosi, Biden, all of them.”

Anna: “Yeah. So that I really recommend that article. It's on his sub-stack, obviously. (sarcastically)I don't know, I'm both an anti-Semite and an Islamophobe, so I figured I'd split the difference.”

Dasha: “A no state solution.”

Anna:”yeah a no state solution”

Dasha: “Yeah. I mean, instinctively, I'm pro-Palestine.”

Anna: “yeah I think it’s-“

Dasha cutting off Anna: “obviously. but I have no, like, I personally don't care if Israel exists because I'm not Jewish.. so I really... Obviously, I, you know, it's not complicated for me to be pro-Palestine, but if I really cared about Israel, then my position would be different. “

Anna: “Yeah, that's a fair position to have.”

Dasha: “but for where I'm sitting, it does seem like an apartheid state.

Anna: “well yeah i mean”

Dasha cutting off Anna (continuing previous statement): “Completely doing ethnic cleansing, and they totally shouldn't be over there because Palestine was there first.

Anna: “But I feel like this conflict, as someone said recently, has already been settled and, like, not in favor of the Palestinians, you know, unfortunately. Like, Israel is so powerful and so mighty and so bloated with American taxpayer money.”

Dasha: “Well, that's why when Israelis like Gal Gadot make, like, weepy, weird text posts about how they just want, like, peace and for the conflict to stop, it's like, what they want is for there to not be any Palestinians like that *laughter*”

Anna: “Yeah, they want it to be out of sight, out of mind.”

Dasha: “They would love to exterminate Palestine so that there could be peace. You know, it's not like they're really advocating for both sides at all.”

Anna: “Yeah, so they take a sip of their latte and engage in some good old fashioned both sideism.”

Dasha: *agreeing*

Anna: “no yeah it’s really despicable. I mean, and the Palestinians are going to continue to be backed into a corner, stopping short of outright genocide because that's bad for optics. But it is kind of like, you know, effectively, like, functionally, a genocidal policy. And to me, and the issue with this, I said, I wasn't going to say anything, but okay, the issue, the issue for me, the biggest issue is that Israel continues to pretend it's the victim when it's really the aggressor like that to me-“

Dasha: “That's exactly what I said earlier today. They’re the ultimate aggressor masquerading as victims.”

Anna: “Yeah. How Jewish of them. Just kidding. But like, it would be honestly, it wouldn't make it any better, but it would be much more honorable and honest if they just came out with it and we're just like, we hate these people. We don't think that they have a claim to this land and let alone should exist and we're going to pulverize them into oblivion. If they just like, stop doing this, like, (Anna starts to imitate Israel sounding self victimizing and weepy) “but they're throwing rocks.”

Dasha joins in making fun of Israel: “they’re attacking us!” *laughter*

Anna: “Yeah. I don't like that. I just find it dishonest and gross. Like every mainstream news network and every kind of establishment politician being like, well, we have to broker like a two sided piece because, you know, Israel, innocent civilians, they're the victim too.”

Dasha and Anna engage in a discussion highlighting the influence of media and American politicians in shaping a narrative that portrays Israel as the victim. They express frustration with the lack of sincere efforts to address the root causes of the conflict. Their conversation is laced with sarcasm and humor, which serve as outlets for their frustration and allow them to articulate their views. They emphasize the power imbalance and the tendency to prioritize Israel's perspective while disregarding the rights of Palestinians. Ultimately, they share a common viewpoint that leans towards supporting Palestine and offering criticism towards Israel and its supporters.

On the same episode the hosts discussed various topics related to body size, language, social issues, and potential future trends. The speakers during the beginning of this topic touch upon the challenges faced by overweight and obese individuals in terms of health outcomes. They also acknowledge that there’s a bias in the medical field.

Anna: “So these fat activists basically claim there's a bias among medical providers against overweight and obese people, which is true. And they claim that it kind of skews the data on obesity and COVID, which may be true. But I think like the spin I would put on that is that the bias is not really, again, it's not a moral one. It's an economic one because these medical providers are part of the medical, the healthcare industry, and they're just avoiding liability. They're minimizing liability. Like they don't want to be sued.”

Dasha: Right.”

Anna: “And they don't want to have kind of like a preventable death on their hand. So they would rather just like not treat fat people instead of like, you know, treat them and have them die on the table.”

Dasha: “Well, so the article ends with this quote from this woman who the biologist read it. “She put off being vaccinated because she was terrified of leaving the apartment. She has not taken public transportation more than a year. Righteous services are too expensive. She does not drive. No matter what she has gone to the doctor for, she said her physician would prescribe the same thing weight loss. She fears being diagnosed with COVID-19 and having to go to a hospital. “Are they going to give me the same treatment as a skinny person or even a white person?”Cruz asks, well, “will they have things that accommodate me a larger robe, seats without arms?””Will the bed be comfortable? These are the things we have to think about as larger people” (At this point Dasha ends the quote.) The things she said that felt like quote, “a punishment” for being fat. And that's incredibly sad. And like she clearly has developed some kind of like agoraphobia also due to being obese.”

Anna: “Yeah. Well, as a fat person, you're punished twice.”

Dasha: “It's kind of like the line. I mean, it's not a punishment. It's just, it's like when you deviate from the norm, you are punished by it, by like the circumstances of life, you know, but also, I mean, to the doctors who continually prescribe her weight loss, even when they, you know, maybe they could be treating her for other things. I do think that they are doing their like due diligence as doctors and giving her sound medical advice.”

Anna: “Yeah. I mean, unlike COVID or COVID vaccines or even birth control, I feel like there's plenty of evidence, well documented evidence that being overweight does cause that, you know, bodily inflammation and system failure. I'm sure that there are outliers of like overweight people who are healthy.”

Dasha: “Yeah. Well, that's what the fat acceptance movement is sort of advocating for, is that you can be healthy at any size.”

Anna: “but you can’t. you can’t.”

Dasha: “But I don't think that's a great rule of thumb. Yeah. It's a to organize. I don't think that's a good principle to be organizing around personally.”

Anna: “And I think, yeah, the bigger issue is that like, you know, I'm really like not interested in like fat shaming in terms of like frown, you know, looking down upon people for their personal choices. But of course, this is, you know, an epidemic of like late, like imperial decadence. It really is. It's not good to have kind of a captive population of overweight people who are medical perma clients.”

Dasha: *sighs* “well yeah”

Anna: “And I think like the COVID thing is especially-“

Dasha cutting her off: “ it's also inter-sectional. Because people in like poor communities don't often just don't have access to food.”

Anna: “or healthcare.”

Dasha: “yeah or healthcare exactly.”

Then Dasha sarcastically starts talking about how she lost weight and Anna retorts saying she would’ve lost weight if she hadn’t gotten pregnant.

Anna: “And it's like, I think the American kind of BMI tables are a little skewed in the caloric table.”

Dasha: “They're skewed all over the place too.”

Anna: “But no, I feel, I feel for obese people. I feel for all people, believe it or not, including Palestinians (joke) because it is an awful situation and it's probably very frightening and anxiety inducing situation to like not be able to move around no pun intended because you might be at a higher risk for complications from COVID. But, you know, as far as I'm concerned, this is- “

Dasha: “And people treat you with contempt because people do.”

Anna: “Yeah. I think, I think people do. I think people really do hate fat people, not as much as fat people hate themselves, by the way, but they do. (sarcastically)

Dasha: “I will maintain- I don't for the record.”

Anna: “Yeah. I mean, I don't hate anybody. It takes too much energy and I don't really have those calories to expend. But the, I think that like the healthcare industry, again, it's really not about personal animus or personal hatred. It's about, you know, again, minimizing liability, maximizing profit.”

Dasha: “A doctor has to tell you to lose weight. That’s his job.”

Anna: “Yeah. It's like, you know, it's, it's like when you go to the doctor, yeah, there's like a protocol of things that they do that”

Dasha: “That's how they tell you to quit smoking”

Anna: “Yeah, always.”

Dasha: “Even though they know it's really cool and I only do it sometimes.”

Anna: “like get the flu vaccine. There's like, you know, certain talking points that they have to hit with you.”

Further in the conversation regarding the same topic, they began to speak about the usage of language to describe fat people. I’m not going to post a transcript but I’ll list the things they basically said.

They believe that the issue of overweight and obesity is a healthcare crisis, not just a matter of personal preference or body positivity.

They criticize the focus on personal feelings and experiences of fat phobia rather than the material realities and health implications of being overweight or obese.

They question the use of euphemistic or politically correct language, such as “person of size,” and argue that the term “fat” is neutral and descriptive. They find the adaptation and assimilation of certain language patterns to be pathological and highlight the potential absurdity of new linguistic norms.

They express concern that current trends in lawnguage and social issues, which may initially seem confined to certain platforms (Twitter) or groups, could eventually spill over and create divisions within society.

They suggest that the acceptance movement surrounding body size issues is feminized and not necessarily led by fat men.

They predict that if polled, most people, including fat individuals who are not active on social media, would find terms like “person of size” laughable and prefer more straightforward descriptors.

I don’t perceive this discussion as ‘fatphobic.’ The hosts acknowledge the challenges faced by individuals who are overweight and recognize the biased treatment they may experience within the medical field. They also acknowledge the limitations of society in accommodating every individual’s needs. The term ‘fat’ itself is neutral; it is an adjective that describes a physical characteristic. While it has acquired negative connotations as an insult, I believe it is possible to reclaim the word and use it as a descriptive term without intending offense. It is important to acknowledge that obesity can have health consequences, and this is a widely accepted fact, even among individuals who are overweight. The participants in the conversation express empathy towards fat people and do not engage in bashing or criticizing them. They highlight the practical challenges faced by individuals of larger size, such as fitting comfortably in airplane seats. They also point out that even seats designed for average-sized individuals can be uncomfortable. Considering the practical limitations of modifying existing infrastructure, such as airplane seats, it may be unrealistic to expect airlines to make significant changes solely based on weight considerations. Instead of focusing solely on modifying physical spaces, it is important to foster an environment of empathy and understanding.

2. CNN Clown Hall

The hosts are discussing the incident involving Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny in the context of New York City. They express mixed views on the situation, touching on various topics such as race, empathy, the criminal justice system, drug addiction, and homelessness. Some of their viewpoints include:

1. They express frustration with the racialization of the incident and the cynical framing of it as a racial crime.

2. They question the narrative that three strangers would randomly band together to harm Neely on the train, suggesting that he may have posed a threat.

3. They mention the criminal history of Neely and his ongoing drug addiction, highlighting the complexities surrounding his life.

4. They criticize the left-leaning politicians and activists who condemned Penny, arguing that they create situations of lawlessness and then punish ordinary citizens for taking action.

5. They touch on the empathy and fear that women may experience in such situations and suggest that some people secretly desire individuals like Neely to be removed from sight or even dead.

6. They also mention the role of K2 (synthetic marijuana) in Neely’s behavior and its potential influence on the incident.

7. They express frustration with the prevailing leftist response, attributing it to a perceived identification and relatability between leftists and vagrants.

8. They believe that Jordan Neely didn’t deserve to die.

3. People that listen to the podcasts

Some of the views the hosts have seem to vary.

It’s worth mentioning that the beliefs of the hosts do not necessarily reflect the views of all listeners or supporters of the podcast. The Red Scare podcast has a diverse audience, and people engage with it for various reasons, including entertainment, thought-provoking discussions, or even to engage critically with the hosts’ viewpoints. Elizabeth Olsen, for an example has admitted to being a fan of the podcast (2:30 mark) Jonah Hill also listens, Sydney Sweeney listened to help prepare for her character in the white lotus.

In the case of Red Scare, as a satirical podcast, it is generally advisable to approach their content with an understanding of their satirical style and the intention behind it. Recognizing the satirical nature can help in interpreting their messages appropriately and appreciating the underlying commentary they may be aiming to convey.

In my personal perspective, I find it difficult to regard their viewpoints seriously. I don’t believe they offer genuine opinions rooted in thoughtful critical thinking. It often feels as though they express themselves merely to conform to certain expectations, rather than sharing authentic thoughts. While I do acknowledge that some of their statements may reflect their true beliefs, it remains challenging to ascertain the sincerity of their convictions. It’s unclear to what extent they genuinely believe in their own words, as opposed to seeking unnecessary controversy or simply being contrarian.

The people that listen to them frequently enough to be subscribed to their Reddit page seem to also agree with that take. Here’s a Reddit comment one made in regards to the host. Just in case it gets deleted I’ll quote it. The user “WhiteTrashJane” posted “On the other side of that, it’s weird that “the girls” are flirting with traditionalism but still have such depraved takes. They seem unable to commit to anything and try on ideologies like personalities. I don’t take their views seriously”

They say r*tarded and f*ggot a lot. However, the offensiveness of these words, particularly the first one, can be subjective and dependent on individual perspectives. It’s worth noting that some individuals within certain communities have reclaimed the second word, although I’m not aware of their specific sexual orientation. It’s been mentioned that they have dated men in the past.

Some of the things they say make me laugh here and there, it is humorous. But it seems like none of their fans even take them seriously. Overall, they don’t give off vibes as conservatives. They are more contrarian edge lords than anything else.

#matty healy #taylor swift #the 1975 #red scare #dasha nekrasova

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Richard Hanania

Published: May 14, 2023

The topic of black crime has taken over Twitter. It all started when Elon Musk responded sympathetically to a Tweet that presented data showing black-on-white crime is the most common form of interracial violence. The original tweet was completely correct, and you can see Noah Carl for some of the sophistry that has been used to try to deny or obfuscate on the underlying facts.

I personally don’t have the patience for taking part in these kinds of arguments, at least in the way that Noah is engaging here. It’s like the people who spend all their time arguing with trans and feminists by pointing to *scientific studies* showing that boys have penises and girls have vaginas. Men have more grip strength. Scientists just proved it! I guess someone has to do it, and I’ve run into some actual human beings (on the internet anyway) who tell me that they accepted the blank slate view of sex until they looked at the data. This makes me sad. But since the data does convince some people, I guess I’m glad someone is providing it.

Race and crime is similar. The numbers are there if you need them. I suppose foreigners might. But I grew up just outside of Chicago, and data on black criminality is to me just as unnecessary as sex comparisons of grip strength. Chicago is about a third black. Like many midwestern cities, it is extremely violent, with nearly all of the crime concentrated in black neighborhoods. When crime does spill over into the nicer areas, it’s committed by the people from those neighborhoods.

I knew many family friends who were Middle Eastern immigrants and store owners in the city. Every now and then, some distant relation or acquaintance would get their store looted or, in at least one instance I remember, shot and killed. Michael Jordan’s greatness was much appreciated and respected but its consequences used to fill the community with fear, because another championship tended to create another possibility that stores would go up in flames. The Arabs would speak in shorthand. “What happened to Walid’s store?” “You know, the blacks…” “Ah.” Actually, they would say “the slaves,” if you want to really know how Arabs talk.

Here’s the thing: while only immigrants and white proles explicitly discuss this aspect of their reality, every single person within the orbit of the city behaves as if they know the truth. No matter who you are, unless you’re one of the residents of those communities, your life is organized around avoiding the pathologies of the inner city. If you’re a desperate immigrant, you might open up a store, put up a “We Take EBT” sign, and take the risk of being shot. White Americans are less inclined to do this, so they instead just flee black neighborhoods and do what they can to get their kids out of black schools. They’ll make any commute or pay whatever tuition is necessary. No one is confused about this — liberals are correct that entire swaths of a major city don’t end up with zero white people by accident. They just attribute this to “racism” rather than the desire not to be sexually assaulted or physically harmed.

I’ve been talking about Chicago, but the same things are true for Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, Baltimore, and countless other major cities. It’s also true for the cities where American elites and policymakers live like Washington, DC, which is why I’m always amused by theories that say they are actually acting in their own interests by coddling criminals. Other than blacks themselves, no group would benefit more from solving our crime problem than wealthy urban whites.

We can therefore ignore those who deny the reality of black crime. They’re either too stupid or dishonest to engage with. Among others on the left, there has been an acceptance of reality combined with pleas to simply frame the issue differently.

When liberals talk about perspective here, what they usually mean is that the likelihood of a white person being victimized by a black person is small in an absolute sense, so why worry about it? It would be a fine argument, except that we are constantly told to obsess over the harms done by police shootings, white supremacist violence, and vigilantes falsely accusing innocent black men of crimes.

I thought about showing you NYT and CNN headlines implying that blacks have to live in constant fear due to racism. But you’ve probably seen them, and instead I’ll share this clip showing how the topic was addressed a few years ago on a major network TV show.

As a digression, I would recommend checking out a few episodes of A Million Little Things if you want to see the horror that is the PC therapeutic slop that normies are being fed these days, but that’s a discussion for a different time.

So the crime debate has been going something like this.

Conservatives: Look at all the black-on-white crime.

Liberals: Get some perspective man. It’s nothing compared to the chances of being murdered by your own race. Not to mention heart attacks or covid. These are very small numbers.

Conservatives: You guys are the ones telling us blacks are living in constant fear. Stop doing that.

Now, when having these debates, what’s frustrating is that people are usually talking past one another. There’s not like one guy named “conservatives” and one guy named “liberals.” The liberals who are telling you to have some perspective on black crime often aren’t the same ones pushing the narrative that blacks should live in fear of whites. It’s easy to “own” the other side by putting together views of different people and finding contradictions.

That being said, the myth of substantial white-on-black violence is so deeply embedded in the culture that it’s a storyline in network TV shows. I think it’s fair to ask people to take a position on it. If you dislike racists on Twitter focusing too much on black-on-white crime, know that they are closer to the truth than the race obsessives on the other side, and have a lot less power.

One odd thing about these calls for perspective is that when liberals say that intra-racial crime is more common than crime that crosses group boundaries, what they are essentially saying is don’t worry about black crime, because the victims are overwhelmingly black people. But wait! Since when are liberals uninterested in problems that disproportionately affect blacks? These are the people who write serious NYT think pieces about how national parks are too white. They now turn around and say, let’s not talk too much about murder, because blacks are the victims? It’s a very odd thing, and it’s hard for me to even steelman their lack of interest in solving this issue as they obsess over every other black grievance, real or imagined.

Some years ago I noticed that fact checkers started providing “perspective” on claims rather than simply saying whether they were true or false. Of course, what perspective to take on facts is a huge part of what political discourse is about. Do blacks commit a lot of violence against whites? Compared to the number of cancer deaths, no. But in the context of a comparison to white-on-black violence, absolutely. One can conduct a similar analysis of issues like covid, terrorism, and school shootings.

For me, I like cost-benefit analysis as the way to understand what problems are worth worrying about and what we should be doing about them.

Black-on-white violence is not the biggest issue in the world, but it is useful to talk about in order to challenge narratives that pose much more serious problems. Arguments about supposed racism committed by whites against blacks are why we can’t effectively fight crime in this country and why we can’t have freedom of association or meritocratic criteria in hiring. The belief in white racism as a major factor in American life is the force that distorts all of policymaking and culture. Any arguments that are effective at discrediting that narrative are worth making.

And no, I don’t consider acting on statistical realities to be a kind of racism society should solve. Once you remove reactions that are based on group behavior, and private preferences that are none of the government’s business in a free society, the remaining “racism” in the United States against blacks is negligible, and more than balanced out by the ways in which they are advantaged.

The truth of the matter is we have a disgraceful amount of crime in the US, and the costs are not simply a matter of the number of people robbed, raped, and killed. It’s also a tragedy that what could be some of the most valuable urban real estate in the country is basically uninhabitable. In fact, part of the reason that black-on-white violence is rare in this country is because whites have overwhelmingly fled places where blacks live due to the threat of violence.

Other pathologies of American life, like NIMBYism, which drives up the cost of housing, are also downstream of the crime issue. If you’re a resident of Tokyo, you don’t need to worry about greater density leading to a decline in public safety, the way that Americans have to.

There’s no “perspective” one can take from which a reasonable observer won’t find that inner city crime is a major problem, and something we should do our best to solve. The chart below shows the ten American cities of at least 100,000 people that have the highest murder rates, and how they compare to the most violent countries in the world. The murder rates for cities come from CBS, while the country data comes from the World Bank.

[ How the ten most violent US cities with a population over 100,000 compare to the most violent countries in the world. Red is US cities, blue is countries. ]

You might be saying that it’s unfair to compare cities to entire countries, since urban areas might have concentrated violence. Yet the most violent countries in the world tend to be small. For example, St Louis, which is number one in murder in the chart above, has 293,000 people. That’s a larger population than St Lucia (180,000) and St Vincent (104,000), which are shown on the graph. Detroit has 632,000 people, making it more than 50% larger than either the Bahamas (407,000) or Belize (400,000). New Orleans (384,000) and Cleveland (373,000) are close behind. So this isn’t a matter of cherry-picking areas with minuscule populations and making them look bad. These cities are the size of small countries, which means we are pretty much comparing apples-to-apples in many of these cases. And if you want to make a real apples-to-apples comparisons, try contrasting American cities to those in other first world countries, like London.

As I argue in my articles on El Salvador, any polity that has a high enough murder rate needs to make solving crime its number one priority. This was true for that nation before Bukele came along, as it is for major American cities today. It’s not a big mystery how to do this, it’s just politically difficult, because literally everything that works is considered racist. You need more cops, more prisons, and more use of DNA databases and facial recognition technology. You can’t have concerns about disparate impact in a world where crime is so overwhelmingly committed by one group. And yes, liberals are right about one thing, which is that gun laws matter too.

But the left is so out of its mind on everything touching on race that even though they’re right that gun laws matter, when it comes to actually enforcing them, they tend to shy away from doing so for the obvious reason.

While I support policies that can make incremental improvements, actually solving our crime problem to any serious extent would take a revolution in our culture or system of government. Whether you want to focus on guns or the criminals themselves, it would involve heavily policing, surveilling, and incarcerating more black people. If any part of you is uncomfortable with policies that have an extreme disparate impact, you don’t have the stomach for what it would take. And, unlike some, I’m not naive enough to think that non-criminal blacks would end up grateful towards those who took the steps necessary to make their communities safer.

Dealing with the crime issue is complicated for reasons that go deep to the heart of the American psyche, which means there’s little hope that things will change any time soon. Until they do, we should continue to at the very least push back on the most malicious lies being told about race in America.

#Richard Hanania #interracial violence #interracial violent crime #violent crime #black violence #religion is a mental illness #Youtube

[colorisbyshe]

So, my anti-Jeremy Renner post blew up and as sometimes happens when posts blow up, a bunch of TERFs got in my notes. I do a fairly systemic purge whenever this happens. I go onto each one I can find in the notes of that post and go through their blogs, blocking any other TERF I can find on their blog and going through the blogs of any URL I see multiple times so I can block all of the TERFs on their blogs. Literally blocked over 500 people, from big name blogs, to just some frequent rebloggers. ANd many, many pathetic randoms who can’t get a single note on their posts but desperately try anyways.

I have been a bit vague and flippant about this because bitching about them only ever fuels their victim complexes and often fuels their desire to engage and get attention. Me saying I don’t want TERFs engaging with that post made multiple TERFS ignore my boundaries and lack of consent, engage, and laugh about it. I know there’s no “winning” with them, so I don’t like arguing with them. It is identical to arguing with MAGA freaks--the level of delusion is impenetrable and it often only ends up traumatizing the people most hurt by them, by making them witness hatred and ignorance.

I instead try to be a positive force and just speak out in support of trans women to make where I stand clear.

But apparently I haven’t been clear enough because through this systemic weeding of my notes I have discovered multiple TERF followers, some because of the anti-Jeremy Renner post but some have been here a while. They weren’t obvious via URL or bio but going on their blogs made things clear quite quickly.

So, I just want to say it here.

I am a nonbinary woman. I am AFAB. I was born with a puss puss and I naturally grew tits with puberty. I am by every TERF’s definition “a woman” and it is with that clarified I will say--Trans women specifically have been more foundational to my understanding of gender, myself, and the world at large and my LOVE of my gender, myself, and the world at large than most other groups of people.

Trans women have done more good for me specifically and the world at large than any trans exclusive radical feminist ever has.

Reading the words and experiences of trans women has actually brought me more in harmony with the “woman” part of “nonbianry woman” and it has done so more than any fucking uterus-obsessed, menstrual blood-smeared, trauma-based one-dimensional nonsense TERFs have shat out and have forced the rest of us to witness.

Understanding transness on the whole has made me better appreciate the diversity of human experience and the boundless ways we can love each other and ourselves. It has made me dig deeper on how my life and society has shaped me and made me willing to stand up against societal expectations. I am the one who gets to define who I am. Not what I was born with. I am not a human seeking out the perfectly shaped hole to crush myself and lose myself inside. I am a million different things in vessel waiting to expand outwards and inwards at the same time, bound by fucking nothing.

Transness is beautiful. It is nuanced. It allows each person to get closer to the infinite.

Hatred of trans people in general but trans women specifically has no fucking place in my life, on my blog. I seek out liberation against all oppression and leave no woman behind in that.

I’m not going to give in to what any shit tier human being wants and wish violence upon y’all like you want. I’m not going to feed your martyrdom. I am just going to say I wish you a broader understanding of the world and deeper wells of empathy and love.

I don’t know if it’s simply a power trip y’all are on, eager to finally have a group you can punch down on, or if something truly went wrong in your lives where you have to have a fear response to someone more vulnerable than yourself. But get the fuck over it, grow up, and do better. You deserve harsher words but I will not give in and give them to you so you can lay yourselves upon the cross and weep about it.

Womanhood doesn’t benefit from this shit. Society doesn’t benefit from this shit. And frankly we’ve had enough fucking suffering without self righteous bigots making it fucking worse while pretending it’s progress.

Trans women are women. And trans women belong in “woman only” spaces more than trans-exclusive bigots ever will.

#trying to speak carefully so none of this can be weaponized against trans women #because i know some of y'all are desperate to do so

[trans-axolotl]

What do you do if you're highly recommended HLOC for eating disorders but for reasons both financial and personal you can't do that? I also don't have consistent access to therapy or regular healthcare either, despite having state insurance and a therapist. It's getting really scary for me but HLOC is just not something I'm capable of doing.

Hi, anon <3

That's a really hard situation to be in, and I know how overwhelming it can be to try to navigate eating disorder care and HLOC, especially when these resources aren't accessible or financially feasible. I can completely understand how scary eating disorders can get, and how challenging it can be to even get the energy to reach out for support.So definitely kudos to you for still trying to figure all this out despite all the difficulties. You deserve support and care in whatever ways make sense for you and your life right now, and I hope that you have the room to process any feelings you might be having.

Something that has been helpful for me to hold onto during my eating disorder recovery journey has been harm reduction values and frameworks. I know for me, the thought of recovery was incredibly scary, and rigid treatment frameworks didn't feel sustainable or accessible at all. Trying to make goals around doing any positive change, reminding myself that I didn't have to wake up and change everything in one day, accessing practical harm reduction tips for how to keep myself medically stable even if I wasn't ready to stop using behaviors, and setting more realistic goals around reducing frequency or severity of behaviors rather than trying to confront everything at once helped. Nalgona Positivity and Pride is an organization that has some really cool resources around eating disorders and harm reduction, and also hosts a monthly support group for POC with eating disorders. Engaging with fat liberation politics and values was also something that was super helpful for me to start undoing some of the really tangled up core beliefs and functions of my eating disorder. (I know that body image is not a relevant part of everyone's eating disorder experience, and I also can share some more specific resources for ARFID or PICA if that's a need.)

I want to really validate that it's completely okay if you don't want to go into HLOC. So often in the eating disorder treatment world, we hear a lot of really rigid statements that try to convince us that HLOC is the only option for healing. I know I felt a lot of shame in eating disorder treatment spaces for not being a "perfect" or "compliant" patient, and dealing with all the coercion when people tried to convince me to go to HLOC was so hard. So just know that it is completely understandable and justifiable that you would have reasons that you're not interested in HLOC, and your autonomy should be respected. I really do believe that there are lots of different ways healing can look like for us, and that all of us are going to be the expert on what would be the most helpful for our own situations. I know I did also feel a lot of grief that there weren't more alternative or easily accessible options, and felt a lot of anger on how alone and panicked I felt when I knew that I couldn't cope with my eating disorder anymore, but didn't want to be institutionalized either. So just really sending love and solidarity your way for whatever you're feeling and going through right now.

One resource that might be helpful is Project Heal, who provides scholarships when insurance isn't enough to cover eating disorder treatment. I don't know if you would be interested in IOP or PHP if that was made financially accessible, but Project Heal might be able to help make that happen if you do want to go down that route. I don't know if you're at all interested in virtual treatment, but I do know a couple people who have successfully just gotten scholarships from Equip eating disorder treatment when they explained their financial need. Quite a few eating disorder treatment centers will have scholarships programs that aren't advertised, and it's sometimes worth calling treatment programs and asking to see what can be done.

If any formal treatment is not an option, it might be helpful to try to make a really intentional plan about how you might want to approach this within your individual support network. Understanding why your providers are recommending a HLOC, whether it's because they think you need medical stabilization, weight restoration, being in a secure environment for behavior interruption, access to meal support five times a day, or something else, might help to focus on priorities and goals. Whether or not you agree with their interpretation of your situation, it might be helpful to sort of figure out what your more urgent priorities are right now so that you can make a plan for what your next couple weeks/months look like. I'm not sure if that's something that your therapist could help with or not, but making a plan with them or someone else from your support network might help to provide a bit of a way forward.

I know some people who have really tried to do a "treatment at home model" where with support from their friends/family/partner, they've set up a more intentional environment where they've made some specific goals, asked friends/family to provide meal support at specific times throughout the day, and done therapy/journaling/art/healing work at times throughout the day. I know that a lot of this stuff depends on what supports you do have in your life currently, and whether you can take time off work/school, or how other disabilities can play into whether things like meal prep and cooking are even accessible at all. But I know some people who've found it really helpful to try to really just set aside time to focus solely on eating disorder coping, even doing some things like copying schedules from treatment programs and doing that in their house. That might be too overwhelming or not a viable option, which is totally valid. But if you want to try to brainstorm what a plan like this might look like, definitely feel free to send another ask with some more specifics and I'm happy to try to help with some of that brainstorming.

When I was really struggling with my eating disorder before I ended up in a HLOC, what I tried to do was have some sort of eating disorder support every day of the week. I think it's so hard to heal in isolation, and a really important step can just be trying to start to create some way of accessing community. What that looked like for me was going to like four different eating disorder support groups a week through different organizations, and accessing support from a recovery coach. Recovery coaches are usually people who have gone through the process of eating disorder recovery, and a lot of people might be in school for their license as counselors or dietitians. They can provide meal support several times a week, do things like go grocery shopping with you or do challenging food exposures. It's more informal than therapy, but can provide some more of that material support. If you're interested in that, I know several providers who provide sliding-scale services and are really willing to make things accessible. I can't share their names publicly for privacy reasons, but if you send in an ask off anon or dm me I'm happy to send you their information.

I also went to support groups through FEDUP, the Eating Disorder Foundation, and ANAD. There are several different groups that happen at different times virtually throughout the week, and some are identity specific while some are open to anyone. Those can be an awesome source of peer support and people can provide really helpful feedback and advice or help you talk through specific challenges you're having.

Overall, I just want to affirm that whatever steps you are able to take to take care of yourself and engage with your eating disorder recovery are worth celebrating. This stuff can be so difficult, and even small steps you can take to try to stabilize, reach out for support, making a small goal, are all amazing accomplishments. Sending love and solidarity during this difficult time, and please feel free to reach out again with any more specific questions or even just to vent. Truly wishing you the best of luck <3

Any followers who have relevant knowledge of other resources or helpful tips, please feel free to add on.

#asks #eating disorder tw #eating disorder treatment #peer support #ti didn't want this to get too long but i started rambling a bit asfkjh

[asktheheirofslytherin]

That blazed post is giving me serious anxiety and I even cried. Am I really so horrible for liking HP? It helped me in the worst of times and I can't let it go. It'd be like letting go of my childhood friend. Idk why she who must not be named had to ruin it for us. Why couldn't she just stay quiet? I hope this shit is just on Tumblr and not irl .

OOC:

Short answer - You're not horrible. At all.

Long answer - It's nuanced. I know plenty of queer/marginalized/ liberal minded people who are still engaged in the fandom on their own terms. We are out there. We are inclusive and supportive.

Keep in mind a lot of these antis are extremely hurt. Many used to be hp fans and feel betrayed by the creator. They deal with that in different ways. I stopped buying anything that would support her financially, for example. Other people actively try to discourage anyone from engaging. And while I cannot dismiss anyone's individual choices or pain, I can be critical of people who try to control what other people like and how they process things.

Sometimes people compare the creator to Lovecraft, and while there are similarities, this isn't entirely the same issue. Lovecraft has been dead for a long time and you can become aquainted with Lovecraftian horror with the disclaimer at the beginning of the journey. There have been decades of processing and evolution. Many (most) hp fans were lured in and then a bomb was dropped. The creator is still on Twitter. It's harder to ignore. Former fans lash out.

I like Lord Voldemort. The character and fic were a key part of getting through some serious mental health shit in my teens. Also hp was my first real exposure to large scale world building, which impacted me greatly as a writer. So while I've lost connection with much of hp, I'm not letting go of this Volde-centric corner of fandom. And I don't feel bad about it in the slightest.

I think many (mostly younger) people today are (rightfully) horrified by the world and some of the people in it, and are therefore holding each other up to higher (and in many times impossible) standards. Some of these revelations are good. Others - such as fandom purity culture and "your fav is problematic" - is excessive. It's a trauma response, yes, but truly - I am much more worried about people's stances on say - the state of bodily autonomy in the US or the human rights violations in Iran than I am what their favorite fictional character is.

No one should be put on a pedestal. No one. Not your favorite author or celebrity, not your parents or other irl role models, not your partner, not even Mr Rogers. They will let you down. I've let people down in the past. I'll do it again - not intentionally, but that's not the point.

You can't live your life trying to justify your choices to as many people as possible. You can just live your life being the best person you can be according to your ideals. Be kind, open minded and accepting. Set boundaries with people you can't agree with and whose behavior is truly unacceptable. Allow yourself to change over time. Allow others to do the same. And for farts sakes, like whatever piece of fandom you want. Liking a book is not a moral judgement. Being a dick to others about what they like is.

#long post #fandom critical #fandom criticism #purity culture #Harry Potter #please dont let people get to you #you are lovely and valid #and your interests are lovely and valid #jkr mention #she who must not be named #death of the author #etc #ooc

[thyandrawrites]

You mentioned being Italian, how did you learn to speak or at least write English so well? Your Japanese translations are also pretty good too! I want learn Italian so what would you recommend that would help learn to read and write another language?

Thank you!

The genuine answer? Fandoms. Really. I've been studying languages for most of my life (english since elementary school, french in middle and high school, german since hs and japanese since college) but so far I've only gotten truly fluent in the only language I didn't just approach from a textbook learning angle. My fluency probably also comes from speaking english the longest, but what really improved my proficiency was consuming and engaging with my passions in my target language. Something that I struggle a lot with is staying motivated in the long run. I tend to run out of steam after a while, and I lose all the progress I made. But fandoms feed on my passions, so engaging with them helps me find the motivation to keep going, while also making it less like a chore that needs to be taken care of.

I was a B1 until I graduated high school, but then I started reading copius amounts of fanfic and meta in english, and began writing my own. Reading taught me a lot of common new words I had never encountered before in my textbooks, as well as several idioms, and the longer I kept at it, the more stuff I assimilated into my vocabulary. I spent a couple of years just reading ff, not thinking I had it in me to truly begin writing in my second language, but then it sort of... Just happened. I got a fic idea late at night and wrote a 6k oneshot in one sitting during an all nighter. The fact that I was tired and inspired probably lowered my remaining inhibitions and temporarily muted that part of my brain that was self-conscious. But suddenly, english didn't seem so scary anymore. When I reread what I wrote the next day, after getting some sleep, it wasn't as agrammatical and terrible as I had feared, and that motivated me to keep doing it. I find that a lot of the time what stops us from improving is the fear of making a fool of ourselves. I also didn't comment on fanfic for years in fear of outing myself, and on the rare occasions I did, I always prefaced my comments with an apology for my english. But when you finally get in the mindframe that people don't really care about any mistakes you might make, it was really liberating. Honestly, just have fun! Who cares! Native speakers make tons of mistakes too! I can see that so clearly now.

This was around the time I got into Tokyo Ghoul meta and timidly approached my first analyses. Meta is fairly different from creative writing, but it also helped me improve because it taught me essay writing better than my english teacher marking my mistakes in angry red. When you're trying to explain a concept so that others understand it, rather than just to get a passing grade, you will attempt to break it down into easier concepts and pace it better, instead of just paying attention to SPaG. This also had the side effect of teaching me how to better sort my thoughts and get them across clearly, which has always been a struggle for me in spoken conversations. My thoughts tend to be messy, and I trip over my words a lot (in my native language too), but thinking about going from point a to point b like I'm writing an essay helps me a lot, personally.

The last step was joining a discord server in 2019. I can't stress enough how language is constantly evolving, and how slang and everyday language isn't something you can passively learn from textbooks or online courses. Those are only good as the foundation of your skills. They teach you the grammar and the basic vocabulary, but then you have to engage with real people, you know? I've always struggled to hold a conversation because I'm socially awkward, but discord is useful to me because it is a group chat, so there is less pressure on my end to keep a conversation going. Interacting with people from all over the world taught me to be less self-conscious about my skills, and meeting people of different age ranges taught me a variety of slang expressions to pass for a not-boomer myself, at least at first glance :'D

Moral of the story, do follow courses and use textbooks (those are important!), but also keep in mind those are not the be-all end-all of language proficiency, like school and academia tries so hard to teach you. If you find yourself hitting a wall and not getting any better anymore, take it as a sign your grammar is good enough to take the next step in your journey. So then, try to think of something you have fun doing. A hobby of yours. And then think of ways you can engage with it in your target language.

I had different phases in my life where I explored various things thay way. I got obsessed with a band in middle school and started watching and rewatching the videos they posted online, trying to understand everything they said. This improved my listening skills considerably. Years later I got really into WoW and I learned vocab by playing it and by looking for tutorials online. If you read a lot, consider looking for titles in that language you want to learn. Stuff like this. Listening to music, watching movies or tv series with subtitles (esp if the subtitles are in your target language too). All this stuff helps a lot! And the added plus is that for however challenging it might be at first, you'll stay motivated because it relates to something you already enjoy

#Fun fact I'm trying to apply my own advice to my german skills #And reading fanfic in german #It's been an interesting experience so far #And I can confirm it is helpful bc my vocab is much wider than it was two months ago #Tho depending on your skill level when you start out reading might be fairly challenging #So maybe try the other things first #Or reread something you've already read in your native language #Ali replies #Languages #Sorry if I got really rambley. I'm just a bit of a nerd about languages and I got excited

[rimouskis]

it’s so crazy to me that people get married at 22 like. if you went to college you’ve basically just finished, if you didn’t you’ve been working as in adult for maybe three, four years and like. have you lived in your own long enough to really know how to take care of yourself???? have you lived w your partner long enough to know your relationship is compatible in that way??? granted i feel like most people who marry young are p religious which would prob nix the living together but still. you’ve barely been adults living w/out parents long enough to figure out who you are as an adult!!!!! idk getting married before like 25 seems SO crazy to me!!

I know, I feel the same. and like, again, huge caveat that I don't know everyone's life stories and if finding love young worked for you and led to your happily ever after I'm SO pleased for you and grateful you got to spend some formative years with the love of your life, etc. etc.

but like, based on my own personal experience: at 22 I didn't have any friends who were engaged. none, zilch, zero. I had some that were INTENDING to marry the person they were with, but they were waiting (for age, for jobs, for more financial stability) before popping the question.

at 25, I only had ONE friend who was engaged. still! and I think my numbers are maybe a bit skewed because the vast majority of my friend group is gay and I think we work on a slightly different time schedule than many straight couples, but it was like...

idk! I'm now older than my parents were when they got married! I've never had anything approaching a marriage-considerable relationship, even.

I think part of that has to do with where we are culturally right now (I'm speaking from an American perspective), and I think women's continued liberation and understanding that there exists more for us than just marriage and children means we're taking longer to explore life without those things!

like, if you're raised religious and you decide that yes, what you want in life is to marry and have children, that is what you want to pursue: then you have a very clear goal and objective in mind, lol. you can pursue that as soon as you're legally able! but if you are waffling on that decision, or if you're like me and decided you don't want it, you just have to explore and figure out what you do want, and to someone who's exploring, it feels really drastic to legally/financially commit yourself to another person when you're only relatively recently freed of the set-life-path of k-12 schooling.

I'm suuuuch a big proponent of living some of your life by yourself, too. just trying it out! I give my dad grief for never having lived alone ever lol. he lived with his family, then roommates, and then my mom, and I'm like: ok pal lol talk to me when you can run a household SOLO ahahaha.

[flockofdoves]

spent like 2 hours on this fb comment reccing black sails to a friend asking for tv show recs so i might as well post it here to save it for the future lol:

you should watch black sails!!!

to describe it.. its easy to start off by pitching it as a show about gay pirates as a way to appeal to a lot of people ive tried to get to watch it, but also, even if theres 4 main explicitly lesbian/gay/bi characters (plus side characters and one main character whos implied to be and written by the creators as deeply closeted) i think that can be reductive and doesn't do justice for what its really about. its a show about a lot of different people who've been marginalized to the outskirts of society, whether that be by class, race, gender, or sexuality. its about their different choices between trying to find a space they can survive within capitalism & colonialism though compromise and being collaborators with empire, and fighting for a better world, and the personal conflict of trying to to figure out how much domesticity one is willing to sacrifice when there is an immediate need for revolution.

it's also technically a prequel to treasure island, but that's not really something you have to worry about too much (if you've read treasure island before don't think about it too hard, and if you haven't, honestly that's how i went in and i think watching the whole show and only after i really got into it reading treasure island was a great way to engage with it, but you don't even need to do that). not to sound obnoxious but its like... a deconstruction of the idea of a prequel. and that ties into some of the other big themes of the show of narratives. the violence of how marginalized people are erased from history, how empire uses stories to demonize revolutionary violence while making invisible the violence needed to perpetuate capitalism and colonialism, and how different people use their personal narratives to justify benefiting themselves at the expense of others or to understand the necessity of building solidarity with people with other life experiences with oppression, and how ones personal history when combined with how one internalizes cultural hegemony will inform people's decisions even if they refuse to consciously look back on and narrativize their life.

my few caveats are that i wish that they did a more sensitive job with a plot line where one of the main characters, a black woman, is sexually assaulted (fortunately this plot line is over within the first part of the first season and there is no other sexual violence in the show), that i wish it had more writers and directors of color involved with it, esp black and indigenous creators, and that while it did go a lot farther with its engagement with colonialism and imperialism than i had initially expected, it could have been even greater if it had had a season 3.5 to flesh out some of its ideas and characters it was able to introduce at that point in the story.

but beyond that i really think its one of my favorite shows i've ever watched and theres just so so much to dissect within it. it was planned out from the beginning and always knew exactly where it was going to end, and there's so much care put into its dialogue and themes. it does require a bit of trust though, while on rewatch the amount of care put into everything even in early seasons is very clear, if you're wary from past experiences with shows with superficial similiarities, it might seem on the surface as if it is doing something more typical and is uncritically propogating imperialist/individualist/liberal reformist ideology. but even with that caution i had watching for the first time with no one giving me disclaimers like this i still had so much fun watching early seasons!!! and it only gets better from there!!!

sorry to write so much lol. i just really love it. would love to hear from anyone reading this if you decide to watch it!

#cpost #black sails #bs blogging #ok to rb

[asma-al-husna]

Allah calls Himself Al-Wahhaab— The Giver of gifts, The Most Liberal Bestower— three times in the Quran. He is the All-Giver who bestows gifts, favors, and blessings upon the whole creation. Al-Wahhaab gives gifts constantly, generously, endlessly, and without expecting anything in return!

The Great Giver, the One who constantly bestows

Wahhaab comes from the root waw-haa-baa, which points to three main meanings. The first meaning is to give for no compensation, to offer as a present, or to bestow and the second is to grant or endow. The third main meaning is to cause something to be.

This root appears 25 times in the Quran in two derived forms. Examples of these forms are:  hab (“grant”) and yahabu (“he grants”).

Linguistically, wahhaab has the structure of intensification and is the intense form of Al-Wahib, the giver. The word hiba means gift. Al-Wahhaab is the source of all gifts, bestowing favors with the most detailed wisdom. His gifts come in the form of moments you experience, scenes you see, things you hear, and as material blessings.

Al-Wahhaab Himself says: Or do they have the depositories of the mercy of your Lord, the Exalted in Might, the Bestower? [Quran, 38:9] He said, My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower. [Quran, 38:35]

How can you recognize a gift?

Rizq (provision) is something that’s written for you, but you have to work for it; it depends in part on your efforts. A gift (hiba) isn’t something directly related to your efforts. A person you missed suddenly calling you or getting something just at the right moment are gifts. Sometimes you give gifts to someone you love and sometimes you give gifts to draw someone closer to you. What does it mean when Al-Wahhaab gives you a gift? It might mean that He gives you a gift so that you can come closer to Him, even though you were going astray.

How Can You Live by This Name?

1. Remember Al-Wahhaab.
When someone gives you a gift, you thank him or her. So what about the Giver of all gifts? The difference between a believer and disbeliever is that the latter lives with the gifts of Allah ‘azza wajal but doesn’t remember Him, while a true believer knows the giver through the gifts. Always be thankful to your maker for everything you get. If you contemplate the universe you get to know Allah; if you realize His gifts, your heart will melt out of love for Him.

2. Be a true giver.
Al-Ghazali said: Whoever bestows gifts with an eye to some interest to be realized by it sooner or later, either appreciation, affection or release from blame, or acquiring distinction of mention— he is neither a giver nor generous, but rather engaged in transaction and recompense . . . But the one who sacrifices all he owns, even his life, for the sake of Allah alone— such a one is worthy of being named giver and generous. Make your way of giving an act of ‘ibaadah (worship). How? Give gifts or favors for the sake of Allah ‘azza wa jall and not to get something in return.

3. Use the gifts of Al-Wahhaab in the right way.
Thank Al-Wahhaab by using His gifts to please Him. An example is the mobile phone; Al-Wahhaab gave you this technology, so use it for sharing knowledge and not for wasting time. If He gives you a nice afternoon with friends, don’t use it for backbiting or spending time in places of immoral behaviour.

4. Learn from the love of the companions.
Ja’far’s right hand, may Allah be pleased with him, was chopped off in battle, so he held the Islamic flag with his left hand. Another blow chopped off his left hand, so he held the flag up with his upper arms and held it there until he died. What love could drive him to sacrifice his life? Read about and learn from this and other great role models and sacrifice for Al-Wahhaab out of deep love.

5. Ask al-Wahhaab.
Amazingly, using this ism (name), there are more than one Quranic invocations; you will find the prophets, peace upon them, asking Al-Wahhaab for mercy, offspring, etcetera, ending with innaka anta al-Wahhaab– verily You are Al-Wahhaab. Look for these ayaat, memorize them, and use them in your daily life.

5. Don’t praise yourself.
Sometimes we say, I got married, worked hard, and got a beautiful house. Or we say, I gave my child a good upbringing, that’s why he is so good-mannered— I made my son like that! Don’t forget it was Al-Wahhaab who bestowed these favors on you. Your child is given to you as a gift from Al-Wahhaab. And We granted him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob, each of whom did We guide; and before him, We did guide Noah, and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the good-doers. [Quran, 6:84]

6. Ponder what Al-Wahhaab has given you.
First of all, He gave you your existence. Then think of the greatest gift Al-Wahhaab gave you: guidance. Think about water, which is scentless and colourless. Imagine if water were sticky— how could you wash yourself? Look at your memory and how Allah gave foods a nice smell. All of these are gifts of Al-Wahhaab; ponder them.

7. Give gifts to others.
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, Give gifts, for this will increase your mutual love [Muslim]. No human being gives anything for nothing, even if it’s that we give to gain the reward of Allah ‘azza wa jall by it. The only One Who gives asking for nothing in return is Al-Wahhaab. If a human being gives you a gift, It is Al-Wahhaab who inspired him to give you what he has given you! So first thank Allah ‘azza wa jall for inspiring people to help you, and then be grateful to the people by doing a favor for them, or, if you can’t, by saying jazakAllahu khayran or barakAllahu feek(i).

O Allah, Al-Wahhaab, we know You are the Giver of all gifts. Make us of those who are grateful for Your gifts and use them to please You, and adorn us with love for You. Make us ponder Your gifts, inspire us to give gifts to others, and give us from Your mercy that overwhelms us in this present world and the world to come. Verily, You are the best giver of gifts, ameen!

#allah #islam #revert help team #asma al husna #revert help #muslim #ayat #daily #allah’s name #dua #pray #prayer #salah #muslimah #hijab #religion #reminder #mohammed #new muslim #new revert #new convert #how to convert islam #converthelp #convert islam #become a muslim #welcome to islam #daily ayat #god #revert

[wof-reworked]

Hey, as you are part of the lgbtq+ community, what would you have to say about cis gender and straight people? (I'm that :>) I kinda feel common and boring, even though this is who I am. What should I do??

(heads up I tend to use queer pretty liberally bc I like it but y’know. ymmv)

I think,,, people are genuinely sometimes too harsh in their condemnation of cishet people, not that cishet ppl aren't perpetrators of homophobia/transphobia but acting like cishet people can never be friends of queer people or have shared experiences of queer people just hurts us as much as it hurts you and other cishet people. And I’m saying this from the perspective of the fact those jokes made me feel significantly more trapped in my own queerness bc it felt like if I questioned myself and found myself “lacking” I would lose my queer friends and support system entirely. And that sucks !!! It stopped me from considering hormones because it felt too permanent if I did turn out to be cis, it stopped me from being as proud of being bi because it felt like if I was wrong it’d be a mark against my character that I, a “straight” person, thought I could understand bisexuality, just shit like that which began to really add up.

Cishet people definitely need to respect queer peoples boundaries, and this especially includes respecting when queer people in your life tell you they don’t want to spend time educating you or don’t want to engage with you. This isn’t an excuse to push your way into queer peoples lives unfairly and queer people have every right to prioritize their relationships with other queer ppl over yours. But I think when queer people decide to declare all cishet people their enemies by nature of being cishet it ends up keeping you in a perpetual persecution complex. It feels unhealthy in the long term imo.

With all that said: You're not boring, you're not common, you're a fully incredible and unique person with your own intricacies and relationship to sexuality and gender. Your experiences are different than mine, but different is all it really is, once you strip away the social prioritization of cishet monogamous relationships. Love is Love and all that.

On a less fluffy note though: I think there is a matter of perspective and privilege here. I think with the wave of more LGBT content and awareness it’s easy to get sort of lost in it, especially if you’re cis, because people who have been the majority tend to view subconsciously any deviation from that majority as bigger in scale than it actually is. You, as a cishet person, have literal hundreds of years of priority in romance, relationships, expressions of sexuality, gender, basically *everything*. We don’t have stuff like “cishet history” in the way we have “queer history” but that’s because we just call it history, full stop. I don’t say this to be judgemental or to cast blame, but as a practical sense of scale. I think it might honestly be a good idea to extricate yourself from queer spaces/the online sphere in general and get some perspective on where you stand in society and what you do have. Genuinely check in with yourself, without judgement, that’s the best thing I can say to do.

I really appreciate this question, I’m sorry it took me so long to write, life and my phone being broken meant I needed to rewrite this a few times ^^;;. Happy pride month !!

#sunny answers #I reserve the right to not answer stuff like this but I also genuinely enjoy it #I have a lot of thoughts abt this stuff so if u see me revisiting this post u know why #lgbt rights #gay rights #queer rights

[kattahj]

My Agatha Christie re-reading project, #28: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Occasionally, I read an Agatha Christie novel and go, "Hm, this isn't quite it, but it would make a nice film!"

This is one of those novels. There's an intriguing puzzle at the basis of it, with a lot of pieces – the culprit is pretty hard to get, even though there are certain Christie-typical tropes that serve as clues to a reader accustomed to her work. (There are, on the other hand, also several Christie-typical tropes that are red herrings!)

The trouble is that while the puzzle is interesting, the puzzle pieces are not. The characters are very thinly sketched, and it's hard to get engaged in what happens to them. That's where a good solid cast could make a difference.

The description of Poirot's time at the dentist's, however, is very well done, and I grinned reading it, grateful to live in a time where fluoride toothpaste and better dentistry means I don't have to feel that kind of terror. (Maybe I will, later in life!)

The main source of interest in this novel is that it's explicitly set in the war time, and political ideals play an important part. However, the way this is concluded is very different in the Swedish edition I read, and the English ones I can find online! I can find no reason for Christie or her editor to make these changes (unlike some other edits to her novels), so I will have to conclude that the Swedish translator has cheekily inserted some of his own opinions. (It is a rather liberal translation – it has also removed all reference to the titular nursery rhyme, apart from the title itself, which is Skospännet = “the shoe buckle”.)

Spoilers below!

Among the cast of characters, we have Howard Raikes, the hotheaded leftist, Frank Carter, the unsuitable young man who is also a fascist, and Alistair Blunt, the cautious conservative.

Agatha Christie doesn't make any secret of where both she and Poirot stands. Raikes has no manners and his ideas are untenable. Carter is an unpleasant figure in every way. Blunt is a force of stability that prevents Britain from falling into chaos.

And yet Blunt is the killer, and when Hercule Poirot discovers this, he absolutely refuses to cover it up and let Carter take the fall.

"You have said that Mabelle Sainsbury Seale was a foolish human being and Amberiotis an evil one, and Frank Carter a wastrel—and Morley—Morley was only a dentist and there are other dentists. That is where you and I, M. Blunt, do not see alike. For to me the lives of those four people are just as important as your life.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “No, I am not wrong. You are a man of great natural honesty and rectitude. You took one step aside—and outwardly it has not affected you. Publicly you have continued the same, upright, trustworthy, honest. But within you the love of power grew to over-whelming heights. So you sacrificed four human lives and thought them of no account.”

  “Don’t you realize, Poirot, that the safety and happiness of the whole nation depends on me?”

  “I am not concerned with nations, Monsieur. I am concerned with the lives of private individuals who have the right not to have their lives taken from them.”

He got up.

  “So that’s your answer,” said Alistair Blunt.

  Hercule Poirot said in a tired voice:

  “Yes—that is my answer….”

  He went to the door and opened it. Two men came in.

In the next scene, Poirot encounters Howard Raikes and Jane Olivera, the young lovers, and gives them his implicit blessing:

“The world is yours. The New Heaven and the New Earth. In your new world, my children, let there be freedom and let there be pity … That is all I ask.”

In other words, every person’s life matters, and if changes to society need to be made, they should be made gently.

Now, as for the Swedish edition, Poirot's and Blunt's conversation ends with a much more explicit rallying cry:

  “Don’t you realize, Poirot, that the safety and happiness of our whole people depends on me – maybe the entire future of democracy itself?"

"What is it England is fighting for?" asked Hercule Poirot. "England fights against that whole spirit which considers it justified to commit murder, torture, persecution – if it's beneficial to the nation. And that is your argument too. That the individual doesn't matter! But we say, we who believe in democracy and freedom, that the individual matters, that the individual's life mustn't be taken away from him, that every man's, woman's, and child's life is as important as the life of the entire nation."

He stood up.

"You may be a great financier, monsieur, and an honest patriot, but you are a murderer. And I intend to let you suffer the punishment of a murderer!"

He went to the door and opened it. Outside waited armed policemen...

And I'm left sitting here, like, okay, you're not wrong, but was it really your place to insert that? Also, compared to the original, it's pretty unsubtle, down to the detail that where Christie says "two men", the translation says "armed policemen".

Anyway. Possibly I should make page-by-page comparisons every time I'm reading a Christie in translation, but who has time for that? :-)

Verdict: 3/5

#agatha christie #my agatha christie rereading project #my agatha christie re-reading project #one two buckle my shoe