esoanem

[esoanem]

Excuse you, I'm still a millennial and I'm only 30. By most definitions there are some millennials who are still 29 (with the oldest being 44, because the definition was set back when we still pretended generations were generations and had them be 25 years long rather than the new nonsense of making them only last 15 years)

millenials' whole shtick works WAY better now that theyre old. an attitude unflattering on a 20-something can be very charming on a 30-something

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oh no! the black metal band i googled has a "controversy" section of their wikipedia page! oh no!

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time sensitive question how flirt boy

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my most old man yells at cloud opinion is that the old pride flag was fine

in fact it was better than fine, it was a globally recognized symbol that could be drawn by a small child, and extended in all sorts of ways, one of the most successful graphic designs in history

the whole argument about what the different stripes symbolize is the graphical equivalent of a backronym, the colors of the rainbow don't mean anything individually, other than being colors of the rainbow

I could make this into a wider point about how this is symbolic of the problem where progressive movements became gradually more focused on internal purity politics and symbolism than effective communication, but honestly i'm mostly just annoyed on graphic design terms

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just wanted to let you know i do possess a brain. btw.

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The master's touch...

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So I am currently knitting the Magical Flying Husband a tube scarf. I like tube scarves, they are thick and warm and soft and flexible. And this one's coming out fairly prettily, too! But I have never made one before, and I am thinking, well, I made this one pretty wide--a solid eight inches across, because I want him to be able to wrap it across his head if necessary and those four-inch-wide trendy tube scarves can't even cover your ears right. So I think, I will Ask the Internet what their opinion is on the perfect length for a tube scarf, and I will make any necessary adjustments from there in light of the width.

And the first result is a useful forum post, and the second result is a useful-ish Reddit post, and the third response is a little spreadsheet, and the fourth response...

the fourth response is this

I would argue that this is not a scarf

Also I am concerned by the possibility that the smiling human head is there to entice actual mammals closer to the Tube

[esoanem]

A story about disability discrimination

In November, me and @cassolotl made a train journey, as we often do. We were both using wheelchairs, so we booked passenger assistance in advance (as is recommended). We were told the wheelchair spaces on our trains had been reserved for us.

One of our changes was at Reading. We went to the platform ready to board the 12:15 that we were booked on. The train and station staff had an exchange, and then came to tell us that we couldn't get on the train, because there were people already in the wheelchair spaces.

We explained that legally, we had a right to use those spaces, and anyone else in them should be removed to let us on. Staff insisted it was impossible because the people in the spaces had been reserved on an earlier service that they couldn't take. They didn't let us on the train.

An hour later, we went to the platform ready to board the next service at 13:15. The staff started to put the ramp down for us, then various staff members talked to each other, and then the ramp was taken away. They came to tell us that we couldn't get on the train, because the spaces were full.

We explained that we had already been refused access to our booked train, and the spaces should be cleared for us. Staff insisted it was impossible because the people in the spaces had been reserved on that particular service, and we hadn't. They didn't let us on the train.

Both times, we went to the platform ready to get on the train and then watched the staff negotiate whether and how to break the law publicly in front of us. We watched other passengers freely being allowed onto the train while staff physically prevented us from boarding.

The staff made two opposing excuses for refusing us access to the two trains. First because other passengers had been reserved on an earlier service and we were booked on this one, and then because we had been reserved on an earlier service and other passengers were booked on this one.

They made clearly arbitrary justifications for refusing us access. Travel is exhausting for both of us, delays and disruption even moreso because we are both autistic. The open discrimination and public humiliation was the icing on the cake.

Eventually we were allowed to board the 14:15 (that's a two hour delay which non-disabled people didn't have to suffer). The standard class wheelchair spaces were full and the train manager made sure we knew that we were being allowed in the first class spaces "as an exception".

To be clear for anyone who's not intimately familiar with the UK's Equality Act 2010: the way we were treated was illegal disability discrimination. We were subjected to a disadvantage (delay and humiliation), as a result of our wheelchair use, due to disability.

And also for anyone who doesn't know: there is no central or government body which enforces the Equality Act. The ONLY legal recourse available is for individual victims of discrimination to take their discriminators to court and demand financial compensation.

We contacted CrossCountry (who ran both trains and Reading station), to say we intended to take them to court. After a few months of negotiation, they agreed to compensate us £2,000 each to drop the case, while insisting they did not admit liability. They didn't ask for an NDA though. :)

I wasn't really sure whether to post about this publicly. But I've thought about it a bit, and I've decided there are two things I'd like people to learn by reading this.

1. For non-disabled people:

This kind of stuff happens ALL the time. It is constant and relentless and neverending. It happens to every single disabled person, in subtle and obvious ways. For the handful of times you've ever noticed discrimination, it has happened to that person countless more.

Most of the time it happens behind a friendly customer service smile, and we have to thank them for the scraps of access they're offering us, because if we pointed out every time someone broke the law we would never have any friends and never be able to do anything else.

2. For disabled people (in the UK):

It really IS illegal. I know it feels like nothing can be done, because it is so frequent and widespread it seems inescapable. But the law does exist, and it does apply to you.

Unfortunately, the only way to enforce that law is to take (or threaten) legal action yourself. That's hard work, but it's less scary and risky than it might seem. I recommend this resource as a place to start if you're thinking about it.

[esoanem]

it’s a lovely day in season one and you are a horrible john silver

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Giacomo Balla

Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash

1912

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The following picture of Oscar Isaac as Dr. Frankenstein in Guillermo del Toro's upcoming Frankenstein adaptation was released this morning.

You're welcome.

(Source: Film Crave on Bluesky.)

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this man living in 4019

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"the capitalist empire with the largest military in the world can no longer effectively do rnd because their entire military production line is basically a money laundering scheme" is like a solid c tier worldbuilding concept, kinda wild that its also reality

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medieval monks categorically present what i would describe as the great dilemma facing the modern fujo: inherently charged with tragic repressed homoeroticism, yet universally burdened with the worlds funniest and least sexy haircut