sophieakatz

[sophieakatz]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Narkie, who loves The Wakaboomee Program - a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), wellness, and entrepreneurship education to children. Find out why by tuning in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

We are actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Reply to this post, reblog and tag a passionate friend, or use the podcast guest submission form linked in the bio.

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[Image description: 4-panel comic. December 9, 2017. Panel 1: Sometimes I worry that nobody wants to read the things I want to write. Panel 2: But I want to read them. Panel 3: And I am a real person even if I don’t always feel like it. Panel 4: So I’ll keep writing.]

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Today I wrote something so unbelievably silly that I had to consult the groupchat to ask if it was too silly, even for me (consensus was no)

[sophieakatz]

I'm about to do something I've NEVER done before... be part of a YouTube livestream!

The fabulous Lynn Saga is hosting me and Patrick Bex for an event celebrating aspec poetry, in honor of the release of Patrick's new book, Limitless!

Tune in on February 18, 7:30pm Eastern/6:30pm Central.

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Reblog if you're aroace. 💚🖤🤍💜

[sophieakatz]

This week on I Love This Thing So Fricking Much, we spoke with Marie Bernadette, a cosplayer who loves making costumes based on characters from Star Wars: The High Republic. Find out why by tuning in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

We are actively looking for more guests to tell ys about the things you love! Reply here, tag a passionate friend, or use the podcast guest submission form linked in the bio.

[sophieakatz]

The Eternal Refrain of Tyrants

On the way to work this morning, I tuned into the latest episode of the IKAR Podcast - "Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God." As Rabbi Morris Panitz took his congregation beat by beat through the well-known introductory chapters of the book of Exodus - a new Pharaoh rises to power and enslaves the Israelites, G-d remembers the Israelites and sends Moses back to Egypt, Moses asks Pharaoh to let his people go - I realized two things.

First - Rabbi Panitz points out the strangeness of Exodus 1:8, which says that the new Pharaoh "did not know Joseph." How could Pharaoh not know about the man who had advised the previous Pharaoh, who had saved Egypt from famine, who had helped ensure the economic prosperity of this kingdom for an entire generation? Rabbi Panitz suggests that this is a purposeful not-knowing, an intentional forgetting. Pharaoh chose to forget that Joseph and the Israelites were good, normal, helpful members of society, because it became useful for him to use them as a source of fear. He turned the Egyptians against their Jewish neighbors and exploited the Jews as a source of forced labor.

This intentional forgetting might seem strange to us today - but less so for our ancestors. Wasn't that the repeated experience of Jews in the Old World? They would become citizens of a new nation. They would take on essential economic jobs like bankers and merchants (because it was commonly illegal for Jews to own land, and considered immoral for Christians to charge interest). They would help the nation prosper as good, normal, helpful members of society... and then, out of nowhere, the leaders of that nation would "forget" the Jews, rile up the people against them, seize their possessions, and kick them out or kill them.

Our ancestors, writing the story of Moses and Pharaoh into the Torah for the first time, told it through the lens of their current experiences. Mythology is often incredibly useful as an illustration of the present-day world, full of lessons for the future. This ancient story tells us to be cautious - no matter how "useful" we make ourselves, no matter how much we assimilate or try to prove that we're just like everyone else - when a nation's leader needs a scapegoat, they will not remember that we were good, normal, and helpful. They will "forget" us.

Our ancestors knew, and we must remember - we need to see the malice behind such "forgetting," and we cannot allow ourselves to go along with our leaders as they "forget" someone else. We must think for ourselves, remember for ourselves, and speak up for ourselves.

Second - when Pharaoh first came into power, he "did not know Joseph." When Moses first asked Pharaoh to let his people go so that they may worship their god, Pharaoh said, "I do not know this god." 

Whenever someone confronts Donald Trump about the awful acts of his administration, what does he say? "I don't know anything about that."

It's troubling, and yet somehow reassuring, that tyrants have always been the same. They have always seized as much power as they could. They have always shaken off responsibility for their crimes with feeble excuses. And, though it may take a long and difficult road to achieve it, they have always fallen in the face of resistance. Fascism and tyranny are old, tired playbooks. We will outlast them.

[sophieakatz]

A Thought for the Day:

Don’t let them overwhelm you.

That’s what I keep thinking, and what I’ve been saying to everyone around me, since the inauguration: They’re trying to overwhelm us. Don’t let them overwhelm you.

We can’t possibly handle, react to, or even comprehend the sheer number of terrible things that this administration is attempting and promising to attempt. That’s why they’re attempting so much. That’s why they’re being so loud about it all, so quickly. They’re protecting themselves with a shield made of their own audacity. They’re expecting us to burn out, to collapse, to give up.

We can’t think about everything. We can’t solve everything. We can’t give everything our all, all the time.

So don’t try to.

Pick one issue to care about, and do so wholeheartedly. Do your research - find out what the risks are, what the precedent for this issue is, what those who came before us did to fight it and to help those impacted by it. Take the time to thoroughly understand it, and seek out others who are invested in combating the same specific thing. Take pride in it, and do what you can.

True change comes not from trying to do everything at once, but from doing one thing well, with research and focus and care.

And that one thing can be anything you choose. People will try to tell you that their one thing is the only one thing worth caring about. They'll try to get you to give up on your thing and focus on theirs instead. Those people are wrong; they have put on blinders in their panic. The world is big, and there are so many things worth caring about, and there are SO MANY OF US to care about them all, collectively, if we each choose for ourselves what to focus on.

Be flexible - there will be times where you will need to set aside one issue to help with another. There will be days where one problem in particular is especially, immediately desperate, and we’ll need all hands on deck to address it. But not every day is an “all hands on deck” day. Not every day is the end of the world.

And it really is not the end of the world. Yes, it’s bad, but it’s not the end of the world, even if it feels like it. When your body and mind tell you that it’s the end of the world, that’s evolution talking - the ancient primate that panicked and ran away when things got overwhelming is the primate that escaped the roaring tigers and lived to breed.

But we are not ancient primates. Our overwhelming circumstance is not a pack of tigers. We can stay, we can focus, we can learn, and we can fight, each in our own way.

So let’s get on it.

[sophieakatz]

Writeblr Engagement Posts!

For the past year or so, I posted weekly "share an excerpt" prompts that encouraged people to share writing (ex: "Share an excerpt where a character makes a bad decision!") I stopped when my queue ran out because my life went off the rails, but engagement had dipped anyway.

I'd like to start something again because this type of thing is fun (and it's also my not-so-secret way of creating a weekly list of writing to read.) I wrote some options below - let me know which you think you'd enjoy!

If you're not sure what the "share an excerpt" prompts looked like, you can find the tag here: Share an Excerpt Tag. (Also, these posts weren't time-specific! You're always welcome to reblog them!)

(If it's not clear, option 1 would be going back to the posts the way they were before.)

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I've submitted an essay to this upcoming anthology about the experiences of Jewish asexual people! Backing this Kickstarter will not only help you get a copy, but will help ensure me and the rest of the writers get compensated for our contributions (a rare enough thing with independent publications like this, and very important!), and make future editions of this unique publication possible. Check it out!

THE JEWISH ASEXUALITY ANTHOLOGY KICKSTARTER IS LIVE!

After a rough climate and time for everyone involved in the community and anthology, we still perservere and this publication of this anthology is still a top priority. And now you! can help make it happen! Thank you all for your patience and love ♡

"The Kickstarter for the Jewish Ace Anthology is officially live!! We have until March 17 2025 to make at least $375 in backing, but hopefully this campaign will far exceed that.

The link is below. Send to your friends! Post to your Tumblr! Get your skywriter buddy to write it across the NYC skyline! Let's make this happen :)" - Daphna

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/daphnasilver/the-jewish-asexuality-anthology

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This week, we spoke with Belinda, a writer and educator who loves researching multi-level marketing schemes and pyramid schemes, with a particular passion for giving their high school students the knowledge they need to avoid getting caught by these scams.

We are actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Reply to this post, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

[sophieakatz]

This week, we spoke with Kevin, a themed entertainment professional, writer, and former Jungle Cruise skipper who loves the Disney Parks attraction, Jungle Cruise! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We are actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Reply to this post, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

[sophieakatz]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Henry Fitzhugh, who loves exercise and meeting new people - two interests which have had a lot of overlap in his life. Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

We are actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Reply to this post, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

[sophieakatz]

This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with V. Arrow, who loves fandom history so much, she even has her own podcast about it! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link below, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find V here on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory or @aimmyarrowshigh.

Guess what - we’re actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend in a reblog or reply, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

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This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Jocelyn, who loves table-top role-playing games, or TTRPGs! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Guess what - we’re actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

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This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Ginger, a cookier who loves creating edible art through sugar cookie decorating! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link above, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also find Ginger at her website, ⁠gingerdeesweets.com⁠.

Guess what - we’re actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.

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This week on "I Love This Thing So Fricking Much," we spoke with Kayla, who loves libraries! Find out why on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the link below, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Guess what - we're actively looking for more guests to tell us about the things you love! Send us a message, tag a passionate friend, or use the guest submission form linked in the bio.