#Because I didn't have any compulsory class

[yumesei]

I'm stressed out, I never wanna go to uni again and I miss my (fictional) boyfriend more than anything in the world....... I feel like an edgy teen 🤧

[blushcoloreddreams]

Feminism is bad for you

You might identify with it because of their beautiful ideals, or because it says it takes care of your pains in a different way, but you can know a tree by it’s fruits

Observe what feminism do to women… they get uglier, they tend to fight more with their father, mother, relatives, friends and husband, they can’t have a normal conversation without it becoming a fight…

they become the worst version of themselves without realizing that the ideal of feminism is not the wellbeing of women, it’s political control

I know you will say that feminism is necessary to fight for equality, that I can only make this post because of feminism, that I can only vote, study or work because of feminism

And I know you will say that feminism is necessary to fight for equality, That I can only make this post today because of feminism, That I can only vote and study because of feminism... But... what if this is all a big lie they told you?

If you study other sources that are not feminist - because yes, believe me - there are other sources... you will see that the story is not exactly what the films portray...

When feminists asked Celina Guimarães, the first woman to vote in Brazil, how she had achieved something so important and representative, she said: "I didn't do anything! I'm grateful and I owe all of this exclusively to my late husband, who was excited about women's participation in Brazilian politics”

You constantly see celebrities telling some lies like that - that women couldn't study and everything, but no one asks exactly why...

The truth is that ancient schools aimed to prepare men for military service, which is why boys were degraded and beaten, often deprived of food to prepare them for war, while girls were educated by their mothers at home or by the Catholic church in order to spare them from rigid male training.

Another lie is that women gained the right to work... but women have always worked, working has always been a question of survival... Traditionally women always were midwives, healers, weavers and overall helped their families with agriculture, trading and crafting. Not needing to work has ALWAYS been a privilege exclusive to upper class women contrary to what feminists tell you. But when men went to war they were forced to work outside, not as a matter of choice, but because it was work or die.

In truth, for most of history the majority of men were illiterate and didn’t have access to education either. In England, for example, education only became compulsory in 1880. Voting and politics also weren’t rights given freely to all men. In Ancient Athens democracy only a small amount of people (only free men whose parents were both Athenian could vote - all that expecting military participation in exchange). In post independence United States only white landowners could vote, in Brazil only after 1985 adults who were illiterate won the right to vote. The main point is, it’s easy to say that women throughout history were abused and discriminated soon if you always compare them to the top 1% instead of the average male when in reality they have been mostly dealing with the same issues and treatment

By believing things like taking care of children and educating them, preparing food and taking care of the house is not work you are just conforming to the paradox of seeing these tasks as lesser things while agreeing to pay thousands to outsource these tasks.

There have always been abusive relationships at any time - but they are not the majority. This image you have that women all suffered at the hands of men is an image distorted by history books after the Communist revolution and promoted by the media to influence and dominate the minds of the masses. When you believe this you will slowly make choices that destroy your life and make you an irresponsible victim dependent on the State. You don't need to believe me, look around you - a tree is known by its fruit

[naomimcoffeecard]

"Best friends, or more?"

Part 1.

An Akaashi Keiji fanfiction(Haikyuu).

"Hey, are you okay? Hello?"

A voice called out to me. My eyes fluttered open as I looked up to see a guy with bright blue eyes looking down at me with a concerned look on his face.

"Huh? What?" I say, in a delirious manner.

"Uhm, are you alright?"

I blinked slowly, realising I fell asleep in the middle of a park. For hours.

"Yes, I'm-" I laugh at the ridiculous situation. "Yeah I'm alright. Thank you for waking me!"

"You really shouldn't fall asleep outside like this."

"Yes, I was just looking at the new neighborhood and taking a walk around the area when I swear I sat down for just a second! Then I fell asleep." I rambled, trying not to appear crazy.

"Oh well, okay, I'm gonna go." The guy said and walked away leaving me feeling very embarrassed.

'Well, atleast I'm never gonna have to see him again.' I think.

"Sweetheart, don't forget your lunch!" My mother says as I stuff a piece of bread in my mouth and rush out the door. Can't believe I'm late for my first day for school. As if moving to a new school wasn't dreadful enough, I can't also be late.

"Yes mum! Bye!"

I run to the bus stop to see the bus leaving right as another guy wearing the same uniform as me gets on the bus.

"No! Wait!" I yell at the bus to no avail.

Huffing and puffing, I reach the classroom, all sweaty and disheveled and very late.

Seeing the last available seat on the first desk near the window, I reluctantly sit there.

"Akaashi? Akaashi Keiji?" The teacher called as she entered the classroom.

"Yes ma'am." A reply came from the bench behind me.

"You are the student with the best grades so you will be the class monitor this year." The teacher smiled at the guy named 'Akaashi'.

"Okay ma'am."

I turned around to see his face having no indication of any emotion. A true disciplined student I guess.

That's when I noticed his piercing blue eyes. And the same wavy messy dark hair from yesterday.

I immediately flipped forward, not giving him time to glance at me and remember our disastrous meeting.

Great, now I have to avoid him all year.

"Oh, it's you. From the park."

The first thing I hear when I am outside the gymnasium is this.

I glance up to see the same guy.

I laugh awkwardly. "Yeah, it's me!"

"Hello, I'm Akaashi, nice to see you again." He said warmly. Something I didn't expect.

"Haha, I'm Y/n. Y/n l/n. And nice to see you too. Thanks for saving me yesterday."

He chuckled, a dimple forming in his right cheek, "I hardly think I 'saved' you but do be careful."

I nod in response.

"Did you just join the school?"

"Yes I did and I moved here recently so Fukurodani was a good school choice." I ramble on again.

"Are you here to apply for the manager position?" He said, finally opening the gym doors to walk us to the coach and the other managers.

"Yeah. I heard joining a club was compulsory. And this was the only spot available."

"The reason we need a third manager is because the team is way too rowdy."

"Oh, really-" I say as I get interrupted by an incredibly loud guy.

"AGAASHI WHO IS THAT GIRL?? YOUR GIRLFRIEND??"

I don't know why but I felt a little flutter in my heart hearing this.

'Why does this spiky white haired dude sound lowkey jealous?' I think to myself.

"No, Bokuto, she's here to apply for the manager position."

He turned to me as Bokuto nodded and leapt away, spiking volleyballs before practice even began.

"And that's our captain."

My eyes widened. I turned to him in disbelief, "Really?"

"I know, l/n, I know." He sighed.

Training to be a manager was pretty easy. Filling up water bottles, bringing fresh towels and keeping track of scores. That's it.

"BUT L/N HE'S THE ONE WHO THREW A BALL AT MY HEAD!" Konoha said, fuming in anger.

Oh god.

"I DID NOT. HE'S LYING L/N I SWEAR."

Bokuto says as he chases after Konoha who makes his escape.

Okay maybe this is not that easy. But it's fun.

After practice ended, I ran towards Akaashi. We recently found out we live right next to each other so we have been walking to and from school. He's been helping me leave on time in the morning.

"Hey Akaashi, all done?" I ask him, a giddy feeling spreading over me. I really looked forward to these times that we could just talk and stroll casually.

He put the last of his uniform into his bag.

"Yes, l/n I'm done." He said, a soft smile spreading over his face.

We walk in a comfortable silence when Akaashi says, "It's great that we got partnered together on that project. I was afraid it'd be someone I didn't usually talk to."

I smiled at that, happy to have found a friend like him.

I say something I thought I'd never say, "Do you wanna come over later to work on it?"

This caught him off guard. We have become a lot closer the past few weeks but I wondered if it was too early to ask him to come over.

"Actually l/n, I'd love that. But you should come over to my house instead. My mom was asking to meet my 'new friend' I was talking about."

He was talking about me? To his mother? I wonder why.

"Okay, yeah, let's do that!"

[randomnameless]

I did Crimson Flower first in my Three Houses run and... honestly, Edelgard wasn't even remotely as convincing to me to join her as the fact I'd get to fuck Jeritza.

Beresu I've chosen for the job grew up in Ardesian Empire and I've definitely leaned into Ashen Demon idea as much as possible, so what I've got was a merciless butcher, not a revolutionary firebrand. I expected Edelgard to be this scary red emperor with the grand ideas that justify the means, I expected the vibe of Nine Inch Nails' Survivalism, but instead she's an absolute dork and Hubert does everything morally dubious for her. It reminded me of Corrin in Fates on Nohr path and it definitely did not endear me to her.

Generally speaking the only interesting bits were Jeritza (love this man, best girl) and... maybe Hubert. Honestly speaking, with the way Hubert acts I expected him to be a Flame Emperor after seeing Edelgard. I just genuinely don't get how Crimson Flower Edelgard can be even remotely convincing - she's scary in White Clouds at times, but then it's nothing but dork, dork, dork, Beresu I hate rats, Beresu my path is stained in blood despite the fact I can barely reach any enemy in my automatic promotes and Hubert, Jeritza and you kill most of the enemies instead.

She's idealistic, but it's never really shown how much she's willing to mow down people for her ideals - we don't see destruction, we don't see any particular drama. The only bits closest to it were me deliberately not recruiting any non-BE students aside from Mercedes, Anette, Marianne and Lorenz. Killing these students felt like something, but it isn't really enough and it's entirely optional.

she's scary in White Clouds at times, but then it's nothing but dork, dork, dork, Beresu I hate rats, Beresu my path is stained in blood despite the fact I can barely reach any enemy in my automatic promotes and Hubert, Jeritza and you kill most of the enemies instead

LOL

I don't remember having the same movement issues with Hector when he was promoted, but damn if Supreme Leader's prf class was a nightmare, she was behind people and didn't have enough def to act as a suitable tank - she's supposed to be a player phase unit, but she doesn't have the mov stat to do so...

Granted, it was my first run too, so I missed on the heron festival event and didn't get a dancer :( but I played it before Emile was patched in, and, in a way, I thought it was on purpose - Supreme Leader says she'll explain everything to Billy later on, when they see Emile fighting with them when the BESF attacks the Monastery, and nothing is ever explained post TS - much like how the war was supposed to get rid of Rhea because she has scales, but come the post TS and we're not embarking on the MAGA ride, to conquer Fodlan!

Corn at least, in Conquest, spent more time angsting at the casualties and blood shed - to the point some players found it uncomfortable - Corn notable tried to save people or reacts strongly when Scarlet is Hans'd (just like Sakura's army? I don't remember that well).

It's less artificial than Supreme Leader who only says this in some support lines, or when she's alone with you - her lines feels more like a compulsory thing to say, a box to tick, than a regular reaction. There's nothing similar to Corn's distress or at least gambit to try to spare the defeated soldiers, instead, we have a round of hypocrisy because Rhea BaD when she doesn't let people evacuate the city before turning it in a giant bbq - when we have Emile on our side and when other routes reveal the battle of the Monastery happens so fast after her declaration of war that the CoS doesn't have time to evacuate all of its residents (+Emile saying the grounds around the monastery are battlefields too) in the other routes.

Hubert is still the best part of CF, even if I sort of grew somehow interested at the students insulting Billy when they chop them off - sure my interest later died, but Judith's JP VA lit screaming and crying when Ignatz and Leonie died, Inoue!Rhea's lines delivery, everything bar the BESF itself managed to make the "we must kille people we knew sad uwus" hit closer to the mark than the onion scene, aka the one where Supreme Leader cries after beheading a defeated, and on his knees, Dimitri.

But I agree, it's almost if all the pathos that was supposed to be triggered by the "kill your students :'(" from the game went to the CF enemies, rather than to the other routes casualties.

"We killed Ferdie professor :("

Watch as I gave a fig, Ferdie dies in a map where he is fielded with a Demonic Beast iirc, aka a Feral One. If Ferdie doesn't see anything wrong fighting side by side with a Feral One and doesn't have the same circumstances Lorenz does (granted, even those circumstances are mushy) - especially since it's possible for Ferdie to defect since that's what he does in SS - I legit feel less figs that when we had to kill a retreating Judith, or an Ignatz or Leonie who were defending their homes - hell, even Hilda who, against all of her words and previous behaviour - finally puts her life on the line to protect someone.

[chanbinlee]

22/OCT/2024

WEEK 11 - COMPULSORY QUESTION 1

For an artist, a manifesto expresses their beliefs, goals, and unique style, helping them connect with their audience. It clarifies their artistic direction and can also convey social messages, using art to inspire change. My group’s manifesto captures the free and creative vibe we were aiming for. The mix of colours, organic lines, and uneven layout help us express our individuality and originality without being confined to any rules. The combination of handwritten text and drawings gives it a casual feel, while the different styles and sizes of text create a visual rhythm that naturally catches the eye.

My manifesto is "STORYTELLING, NOT SELLING." This idea was inspired by a training article from NASP (National Association of Sales Professionals). I’ve always prioritised results over process when it comes to design, but after reading their article, I realised that storytelling sparks curiosity and attracts attention. I’ve often been someone who focuses on the outcome rather than the process, but through this manifesto, I now believe that by focusing on a solid process, I can create designs that will naturally succeed and sell themselves.

Even if a movie has a sad ending, if the process is good, the audience will still like it.

My second manifesto is "Curiosity didn’t kill the designers". If I look into the famous saying "Curiosity killed the cat," I realise that it actually originated from something quite different. It was originally "Care killed the cat," where "care" meant "worry". I approach this saying from a different perspective: curiosity is, in fact, care. As a designer, I often worry that I might end up creating generic designs. However, as long as I have curiosity and interest, finding my unique style becomes much easier. When I attend studios, workshops, or digital, I don’t engage with subjects I’m not interested in. Of course, I’ll complete the assignments, but those areas don’t spark much interest in me. This way, I can easily identify what I’m genuinely passionate about. In my recent digital class, I learned app design and video design. I had to use Premiere Pro for video design, which didn’t excite me as much, but I enjoyed app design because it involved using Figma, a tool I love. In this way, curiosity leads to interest, and that helps me grow as a designer.

Through CTS-B, my perspective on other classes and assignments has changed. While I was feeling lost, I found motivation through the manifesto, which encouraged me to approach my work with more detailed research and interest. I was thinking about how to create my zine, and then I decided to focus on the project that I had spent the most time on recently—my work about the Korean military. The project came together very quickly. I guess people really do need to work on what they love.

468 words

References:

[pinnacle-pixel]

So here is the scientific advancement which might be shown in Ikemen villain and some bit of history

I may have gone overboard because it was fun, so enjoy.

Also if you all think this is a nerd talking you are thinking correct

FIRST AND FOREMOST DINOSAURS SO IT WILLIAM REX THE W - REX, More and more fossils were discovered in 19th century and it was the year of 1842 the term Dinosaur was coined

Charles Darwin the father of evolution published his one of the renowned book 'The Origin Of Species' in 1859. (As a microbiologist this was epic)

Also, In 1866 Gregor Mendel discovered laws of hereditary but it wasn't until 1900 his work accepted

Now again as a microbiology student this makes me very happy, during the years between 1822 - 1895 Louis Pasteur published the Germ theory which proved Germs were the cause of the disease ( Well there were many diseases in victorian era because they believed bathing actually causes more sickness)

Here medicine and surgery made the great advances, and it was also proved Cholera was transmitted by water but they didn't know how. (But it wasn't until 1928 the first antibiotic was discovered)

In 1831 Faradey invented Dynamo.

In the year of 1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented Telephone (It means there would be a scene where MC will call her wink wink)

Safety pins were invented in 1849. And in 1882 Henry Seely invented the very first electric iron

Gas lights were becoming common at houses of well-of people in the 1840s, but by late 1870s working class people had Gaslight at least downstairs they still had to use oil lamps

Gas cookers became common in the 1890s and Joseph swan also invented the Electric light bulb in the year of 1878

Aesthetics were coming to use in surgery first by an American dentist Henry H Morgan in 1849 by using ether. But James Simpson a professor started using chloroform in operations in 1847 (wtf man but cool).

Also another fact, People thought women shouldn't use chloroform during childbirth because childbirth is supposed to be painful but our awesome Queen Victoria said 'Hell nah' in 1853 and who would criticize the queen hence chloroform became a use in childbirth (Men will be men)

Again as biology student this makes me greatly happy, In 1865 Joseph Lister discovered antiseptic surgery.

Cash Register was invented in 1879 and first electric fan was invented in 1886.

19th century was also the time where bicycling was fun. And it was also the time photography became a hobby (hoping a scene in the game where the male leads has MC's photo in his wallet)

In the 19th century many people experimented with machine guns. Hiram Maxim in 1884 invented machine guns and the British army adopted machine guns in 1889

Some Notable historical moments

The matchgirl strike movement took place in 1888 which was lead by Sarah Chapman which was the start to gender equality

In year 1836 slavery was abolished from British Empire but the former slaves were bound as apprentices and they were worked without any pay from their 'owners'.

In 1845 Irish Potato famine began because a disease called potato blight a fungal disease destroyed the crops.

In July of 1848 Public health act was passed, after Cholera outbreak.

1 May 1848 THE GREAT EXHIBITION OPENED FOR THE FIRST TIME. A series of world fair an international exhibition showcasing the achievement of each nation.

In March of 1848 Crimean War began a conflict between Russian Empire and an alliance of French Britain and Ottoman Empire AKA currently Turkish Empire and Sardinian Troops the war came to an end in February 1856 with Treaty of Paris wait part surrender of Russia. Both sides faced a massive death toll as 1.5 millions of soldiers fought and 367,000 soldiers died.

17 November 1869 The opening of the infamous Suez Canal.

2 August 1880 law regarding every child under the age of 10 should have a compulsory education which lead to decrease of child labour and child death.

25 JULY 1889 FOUNDING OF THE WOMEN'S FRANCHISE LEAGUE. Feminism babyyy, Emmeline Pankhrust a women right activist founded this league a political organization that campaigned women should be allowed to vote and which later gave a rise to women suffragatte movements

[fallowhearth]

Every so often the old humanities vs stem education discourse comes around again, sometimes with new flavours like compulsory humanities classes would stop weapons manufacturers, or only stem grads can get jobs, or whatever the new thing is. And as someone who has studied in both fields, the whole argument is so overegged and pointless. They're not that different!

I started with a Biology degree, transferred to a double Arts Sciences program, completed most of Science, but didn't like the day-to-day work of careers in Bio so I completed only the Arts (History) degree. I then did postgraduate study in History, but again did not like the day-to-day work. During this time I did however get a related parttime job with work I liked very much, which led me circuitously to my current career in tech (which I also like very much). As you can see I had difficulties committing to a path. But I'm happy where I ended up.

The thing is - ok, the domain knowledge is different, but they both teach broadly equivalent soft skills. Your career post graduation is unlikely to use the domain knowledge but will use the soft skills. Also, it's been the norm for ages that students are expected to take classes outside of their main subject area. Stem students take humanities classes all the time. Once they've understood the different requirements for writing style etc, they can and do succeed in those classes. And the reverse is also true. Undergraduate classes are just not that harrowing.

Stem students taking humanities classes do not, however, magically acquire Good Politics (whatever that means to the discourser). Unfortunately neither do humanities students! I heard (and participated in and led) a lot of deeply stupid class discussions! Arts is also, like, not a hard degree to get into in most places. You have a broad range of aptitudes and preparednesses and then a broad range of outcomes in terms of how much benefit the student got from the material (and the former and latter aren't straightforwardly connected). Ps get degrees!

It's also awful when people imply that any kind of university education is necessary for someone to be a good person, or an interesting person, or whatever else. I enjoyed it, am glad I did it, but there are plenty of other people who spent their time on other worthwhile things. They're not deficient in some way because they prioritised other things, or were forced by circumstance to make other choices. Also, both the soft skills and domain knowledge can be acquired in other ways. People can and do self-teach. Or learn on the job. Or any number of other means of acquiring the same stuff I got via higher ed. You'd also be amazed at how many people graduate without having learned any of that. Many students functionally major in doing drugs and hanging out (somewhat guilty myself).

I just wish people would stop trying to turn stem and humanities into oppositional categories. They broadly overlap in practice.

[ashenhartkrie]

12 and 17 for the book ask?

12: did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

So in years 11 and 12 in my high school I did extension English (idk what it translate to in non-Australian high school but its basically just. extra english classes) where we studied Gothic Fiction and Sci Fi. Extension English is the ONLY time I have ever enjoyed high school readings because we did stuff like The Picture of Dorian Grey and The Left Hand of Darkness. Also useful in uni since I ended up doing a science fiction unit for my degree so whodathunk.

17: top 5 children’s books?

Shamelessly plugging the Two Tales series published by Christmas Press which is a bunch of folklore retellings for children (I didn't write them but I am making activity packs for them for the publisher).

Otherwise uh... my concept of childrens books is nebulous at best (mum read me clan of the cave bear and valley of wild horses so......) so here's the top five series/books I read as a child.

Tamora Pierce. I'm putting all her books here because yes.

Deltora Quest - I feel like this was very Australian?

The Hobbit (ssshhh its technically a children's book)

Inkheart

The Key to Rondo (again, I feel like this was very Australian)

editing to add the Starthorn Tree by Kate Forsyth and the Dragonkeeper series by Carol Wilkinson

[dollfaceksj]

bestie, I'm in my final year of university, so if you need any advice, I'm always a dm away. Anyways, here's what I learnt in my 4 years in university (this can go for everyone too:

- Do not feel bad if you fail one assignment, or if you think that it'll kill your GPA - it literally just depends on the scaled weighings for that assessment piece. There are also ways you can resubmit or reassess. You're in univeristy to learn, and that comes with failure, not sucess.

- Talking of GPA, I'm not sure how it works in other countries, but here, in Australia - your GPA doesn't go on your graduate certificate - so even if you just scraped by - p's get degrees. (Passes). Don't live by this though, aim high! The only way people are going to find out your GPA here is if you tell them.

- You don't always need to do every reading or watch every lecture - rest assured. I think like out of my four years (this is my last year), I did only half of this, but I still know what to do, when to do it, etc. Majority of your learnings come from class time, and assessment pieces, etc. Readings aren't compulsory (unless otherwise advised.) Majority of them are there to support you not to teach you, that's what your tutors, lecturers, professors, etc., are there for.

- Group assignments will SUCK. I mean it here. They're so bullshit with the grades and this (I'm a big advocate for individual markings in group pieces). The amount of times I'd have to haul ass on the assignment cause some sick shit head decided to go partying instead of study as bullshit. I'd personally do this thing where I would snitch on you if you don't pull your load of the coursework in a group assignment. I'm not a dog, guys, promise, I am nice. Just - respect goes both ways, and it would be obvious that some group members are there for a joyride, to ride off your academics - it's not cool!

- You're not really there to make friends. But if you find some great people, with great personalities along the way - go for it! I met one of my best friends in my first year of university and we've been friends since!

- Your mental/physical health matters most. Fuck your assignments and your classes if you're having a bad day. I guarantee you won't fail for missing a week - sure you'll be behind and that can be stressful - but YOU matter most. Not your assignments. At the end of the day, you can always fill in for an assignment extension - look after yourself FIRST! Good teachers will understand this and emphatise well. Mental health matters!

- Don't leave your assignments to the last minute - or do it's up to you. Last year I partially lived by the good old saying, "if it's not the DUE date, it's not the DO date." This really stressed me the fuck out, but thats procrastination for you (and partically cause I have ADHD lmfao)

- Enjoy your time. Easier said than done. It's really not easy - university/college. What they don't say at open days is the level of mental breakdowns you will have on ONE assignment, because the marking feedback is BRIEF or the teachers didn't explain it properly. Best thing you can do, look to the course outlines in your selected courses - they are LIFESAVERSSSS. I cannot emphasise this enough. They explain better than some of the professors I have had, trust me, they're godsends.

That's about it from me. but if you really want more - DM me, love you clo! I'm super happy foor you! I can't wait to hear more about it!

thank you for the tips bestie 🫡🫡🫡 i’ll think about you

[senadimell]

Re: the death post, is it wrong to ask why you see it as a bad ideal for society to aspire to? I agree that coming to peace with death is healthy for individuals but I don’t think we should have that attitude as a society. The ideal of immortality, of being physically ~26 forever, seems a noble one to aspire to. Our deaths should ideally be under our control. That they aren’t is probably not changing in the near future (hence the need to come to peace with it as individuals) but it doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy imo. Plus as an ideal it doesn’t seem that impossible in comparison to others, we have real life examples of immortal organisms, we have no indication that it goes against the laws of physics (unlike, say, teleportation).

Sorry for the long delay in answering @urupotter. It's not wrong to ask, but the answer is complicated because it's deeply personal and touches on my moral convictions, so it's emotionally taxing to discuss. Also, my religious upbringing likely plays a part in how I see things and I don't expect that to be universal.

The short of it is this: I cannot imagine a society that seeks immortality that is not deeply, deeply ableist.

I live in a country that used to be renowned for its eugenics and those attitudes didn't go away after the second world war, we just focused it on health and beauty and perfect babies and anti-miscegenation.

Literally, there's a supreme court ruling still on the books that upholds state-decided compulsory sterilization. Legally, it's just fine for the state to decide who's allowed to reproduce because "three generations of imbeciles is enough."

I already live in an ableist society, and I live in a society that's terrified of and ignorant towards death. We are phobic towards aging and disease. We bury and hide those things. Parents go to live in nursing homes when they're sick and unless someone dies in hospice in your home or you were in an accident or the military or work in hospice or mortuaries etc., most people have literally not seen an unembalmed corpse. You also don't see fragile, elderly people in public, and multigenerational households are rare.

I don't know if I'm communicating this well, but for us to pursue immortality, I have a really hard time believing we could do that without denigrating mortality, aging, and disability.

So if we have a system where those things are looked down on, then we think about who has access to life-extending treatment, and that's where class comes in. Even if we could technically come up with something that makes you immortal, I highly doubt that everyone would have equal access to it. So you end up with an amplified version of the society we live in now, where youth and beauty is praised and age is feared or disparaged, and even more than now, access to beauty and immortality is tied to wealth and power. (ageism in hiring is already a huge problem!)

Do I think it's a good use of societal resources? Not really, no. Even if we put aside all of the problems for the policymakers, I think there's other things I'd rather medical researchers be focusing on.

Now, there are definitely age-related things that I think are great to focus on fixing. Coming up for some ways to get rid of arthritis = great! would make lots of people's lives easier! Getting rid of Alzheimer's and other kinds of dementia? Absolutely! While we're at it, let's cure Parkinson's.

It might seem contradictory that I'm totally find with finding cures for degenerative diseases but am not okay with treating death, perhaps the ultimate degenerative disease. But I guess that's the thing, I don't see death as a disease, and I don't see disability as inherently bad (some kinds of disability are just bad—there is nothing redeeming about migraines. Or Alzheimer's). I'm not sure how to describe why those two goals feel different, but it just seems like hubris to pursue eternal youth, whereas stopping specific kinds of suffering seems noble.

Here's where I get into the fuzzy philosophical side of things. I think aging and death have a whole lot to teach us as a society. I think we learn compassion through caregiving. I think we learn humility and patience. I think there's tremendous wisdom to be found in aging and dealing with aging and death. I don't think we should go around inflicting it, obviously, but I do think that we have so much to learn.

This is the part where I'm speaking purely personally, and don't expect others to have to agree with me, but I don't think in a perfect world we would have control over our deaths. This has to do with what I understand the purpose of life to be.

(I'd rather not get into a public discussion on assisted suicide; the short of it is that I'm not blanket opposed to it but I think it's a very very delicate issue and I lack the life experience to know if it's something I would ever pursue, so I'm not the one who should be setting policy)

And maybe this is silly or morbid or crass, but tbh it does give me a sense of relief to know that we all die because there are some sucky people in the world with a lot of power and money and I don't think it would be a better world if they were immortal.

So in conclusion, I think it's actually worse for a society as a whole to be pursuing immortality (as opposed to individuals) because of all the attitudes that go around with it. Also, there's enough preventable deaths to go round and I think we should focus on that.

[werewolfetone]

book asks - 4 and 12!

What sections of a bookstore do you browse?

Nonfiction, philosophy, poetry, horror, & classics + religion if they have them. I sometimes look in the general fiction section if there's something specific I'm after but it's usually kind of overwhelming so I tend to gravitate towards more specific sections first

Did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

The various Shakespeare and what little we read of Toni Morrison was good. finding this a little difficult to answer because I was always That Guy who had read all of the books we read already outside of class & therefore I didn't really consider most of it compulsory reading but in terms of things that I read for the first time in school those were good

[bookwyrminspiration]

10, 12, and 19 for the book asks!

10. do you have a guilty fav?

twilight...I know it's bad and cringe but it's captivated me because it's bad and cringe. it's like watching a car crash you can't look away. every year I try to make sure the first book I read is a twilight book. i'm enchanted by these ridiculous characters. emmett and alice cullen are my favorite <33--but edward's melodramatic bemoaning is wildly entertaining as well

12. did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

I did! We didn't read it in my class, but Dracula is a common high school reading and I love Dracula! yes that is influenced by Dracula Daily, but its still true. I also had a lot of fun with Beowulf. Others I liked were Canterbury Tales, Brave New World, Beloved, The Stranger, Crime and Punishment, 1984, Night--these weren't like over the top incredible I couldn't get enough of them, but they were thought provoking and interesting to read through.

19. most disliked popular books?

Aside from saying I dislike the stereotypical booktok books (like colleen hoover) that are all broken down into tropes and marketability with canva covers and nothing human about them? I don't know if I have a good answer for this, I tend to not read I books I don't like. The best I can do is like...there's some popular books that aren't bad but just aren't what I'd typically go for? Like One Last Stop isn't a bad book and I had a pleasant time reading it, I just don't think it's the kind of book I'd have picked out for myself, for one example. And I'm sure Heartstopper is wonderful, it just also doesn't really grab my attention or have what I look for so I've felt no draw to read or watch it.

Does Alice in Wonderland count? That's a very well known book that I just couldn't get into when I read it. It just. ugh. I know it's meant to be all jumbled and nonsensical because that's what Wonderland is like, it's just not for me. Oh! Does the Little Prince count as a popular book? Because I can't stand it--I wish I could, but in 4th grade my teacher had us working on it for seven months (we counted) and ever since I can't stand the sight of it. I know it's supposed to be really good and touching but I have a visceral repulsion at the site of it from almost a decade ago because of those seven months.

[alliluyevas]

ask meme 12 and 16?

12: did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

I actually enjoyed most of my high school readings! I loved English class. It would be easier to count the ones I didn't enjoy! My favorites were The Sound and the Fury and Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon.

16: how many books have you read this year?

27 so far! (including rereading my Felicity American Girl box set which probably shouldn't count because they're written for literal eight-year-olds. So 21 if you don't count those, lol.)

[leafmealoooone]

imo the way we talk about internalized sexism and nlogs is not for the best

(and like internalized prejudice in general but these are my case studies)

don't quote me on this, but i suspect the 'internalized -ism' terminology arose to facilitate conversations we were struggling to have. which makes it all the more frustrating that it seems we frequently now use the term 'internalized sexism' to dismiss people and the things they express. I just feel like it's more productive/just to actually investigate these things than to dismiss them. To try to understand why people feel the way they do and respect them in doing so.

because i remember being, like eight years old and seeing the prescribed version of what it meant to be a girl and thinking 'i'm not that, i don't want to be that, i cant even begin to pretend to be that' but guess what normative gender roles didn't care what i thought and tried to force themselves down my throat so i came to resent what they seemed to want to make me be. that's why little-girl me sneered at barbies. yes, we can understand this through the language 'internalized sexism', but you need to go deeper than that, you need to understand that it's not that i learned to hate who and what i was it was that i learned to hate what i felt i was being forced into, that this internalized sexism was a response to a rigid/sexist prescribed/compulsory definition of 'girl'. we learn more when we actually engage with little-kid me's experience than just saying i had the Bad Thoughts (tm).

and then there was the thing were i was autistic and no matter how hard i tried i could never manage to navigate the unwritten social rules of the adolescent world. i tried my best to fit in so i could, you know, have friends, not stand out, <insert whatever it is that motivates 14 year olds to homogeny>. but i couldn't be like them. and you know what, it was easier to turn that back into something i could hold on to. my nlog years were moreso motivated by a misguided attempt to reclaim my auistic-in-an-unwelcoming-world loneliness than any resentment i learned about my own gender from the patriarchy.

last story: i took a high-level queer studies class once in college - much rigor and free thought, yummy. except when we covered this empress (i forget her name, sorry) and read about some of her policies that looked pretty sexist we pretty much just said 'she has a case of internalized sexism'. like, she was the most powerful woman of her era and was enforcing things that were sexist/oppressive to women. imo, that deserved a bit more discussion and investigation. but instead we just said 'internalized sexism' and moved on.

[saints-who-never-existed]

1, 12, and 19 for the book related asks

Thank you for these, my lovely pal! You always come through with thought-provoking asks and I appreciate it so much! <3

1. Book you’ve reread the most times?

If we're talking rereading cover-to-cover, one that springs to mind is Angela Carter's The Magic Toyshop. It's a coming-of-age story, albeit a strange, surreal, sexually-charged one, and I think I happened to read it at just the right time in my life for it to really resonate/intrigue.

12. Did you enjoy any compulsory high school readings?

In my day and my part of the world, there wasn't really any compulsory high school reading in a traditional/US sense, and the majority of books that we did read in class were ones I'd already read myself independently, precocious little shit that I was/am!

One thing I always really enjoyed in high school was reading Shakespeare. Through a quirk of fate/poor lesson planning, I ended up studying Othello three years in a row so that's always held a special place in my heart.

19. Most disliked popular books?

There are very few books that I actively dislike, full stop. I think many that did fail to strike a chord with me did so mainly because they didn't come to me at the right time (and I'm sure if I tried them now/revisited them I'd have a different opinion).

I like the works of Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters well enough, for example, but I read many of them at a very young age, too young to really understand them fully or have them light my world on fire.

On the other hand, I was just slightly too old to be caught up in that glut of YA literature in the 00's/10's - things like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Twilight. But again, I can't in good conscience say I dislike them when I haven't actually read them! :P

[caitlin666]

Ways Going To A Private School Was (sorta?) Like The School For Good: Part One. From A Former Private Schooler.

The school has a head boy and head girl, similar to class captain

-The school has every Valentines Day "Rose Day" where you anonymously could send a friend or someone you were romantically interested in a rose. I got three roses but I never found out if they were from friends or people crushing on me, lol

-Competitive events. Except instead of Trial By Tale it was Athletics but you get the picture

-Lots of spoiled rich kids. Some of the richest student's parent's own multiple companies, two yachts, two beach houses (as well as their "regular" mansion), super flash cars, a helicopter, a ton of designer clothes, you get the picture

-Uniforms (obviously). Also about half the girls also wore ribbons in their hair. All girls wore skirts.

-Lots of unnecessary gender roles, mainly guys and girls separate in houses (Similar to Harry Potter) and guys and girls had PE in separate classes. Girls also had to attend a compulsory "Personal Branding" workshop about various things like making good impressions at job interviews and professional phone calls (stand up straight, and never make "hey" the start of your automated voicemail recording), how to dress appropriately (don't post on social media bikini photos or photos of you in a short skirt, apparently) and defining core traits of your personality (the only good part of the workshop, the whole workshop lasted two months). The workshop seemed fun in theory but actually going to it I realised how stuffy and old-fashioned it seemed. Which brings me to my next point.

-Very old fashioned, whenever I went to that school it felt like I was going back into the 1960s, and not in a cool fun way, either

-A ton of students (around 70%), boys and girls, looked like supermodels. Girls had long glossy hair and flawless skin and skinny bodies. Boys had muscles and toned abs and shiny smooth hair. Both have shimmering eyes. The rest of the students (including me) just looked like regular teens lol.

-If you were even remotely alternative (rocker, grunge, emo, etc) you got made fun of or told of by a teacher. I got told off for wearing docs with my uniform instead of loafers (Even though it's not against school rules), made fun of by students for liking rock music and horror movies (even though guys could like it and were considered cool), and was called "edgelord" and "emo" lol.

-Everyone seemed to be OBSESSED with the opposite gender, and you if didn't have a significant other or a crush (of the opposite gender) you were called weird and people didn't understand why.

-Everyone seemed to also be OBSESSED with the School Ball, and guys typically asked girls to it. If no one asked you you lost a ton of popularity. Luckily there was no ball that year because of COVID (I only went for my final year of high school)

-If you are a "legacy student" (your parent or relative who went to the same school, now owns a massive company or is a government official or even is a celebrity) you get in instant ticket to popularity.

-The school mainly consisted of jocks, preps, and nerds. There were very few artsy kids.

-So yeah, aside from the magic that school was like a non-fun version of the School For Good.

-If you have any questions about let me know