#Identified | Middle Class

[xtruss]

Steady 54% of Americans Identify As Middle Class! More Republicans, Fewer Democrats Identify As Working Class And Lower Class

— By Megan Brenan | News.Gallup.Com | May 23, 2024

Washington, D.C. — Fifty-four percent of Americans identify as part of the middle class, including 39% who say they are “middle class” and 15% “upper-middle class.” Another 31% consider themselves “working class” and 12% “lower class.” Just 2% of U.S. adults characterize themselves as “upper class.”

These readings are generally in line with those since the Great Recession. Before then, Americans were typically more likely to self-identify as members of the middle or upper-middle class and less likely to say they belonged to the working or lower class.

The latest findings are from Gallup’s annual Economy and Personal Finance poll, conducted April 1-22. This is the 11th reading on this measure from the annual survey since 2002.

From 2002 through 2006, an average of 61% of Americans considered themselves middle or upper-middle class; however, that dropped to 56% in 2008, at the start of the Great Recession -- and since then, the figure has averaged 53%. Meanwhile, the combined percentage of U.S. adults identifying as working or lower class has increased from an average of 37% pre-recession to 45% since.

Social class identification has generally been stable since 2019, even as Americans' ratings of the U.S. economy have grown significantly worse.

Education and Income Influence Social Class Identification

Historically, Americans’ self-identified social class has been largely influenced by their income and education levels. U.S. adults with higher annual household incomes and those with college and postgraduate degrees are most likely to say they belong to the upper or upper-middle class. Americans with lower incomes and those with only a high school education are most likely to identify as working or lower class.

Older Americans, White adults and Democrats are also more likely than their counterparts to identify as members of the middle class.

Although Americans’ social class identification has been consistently related to their education and income levels, the relationship with other characteristics, particularly party, has changed over time.

Partisans’ Class Identification Has Shifted in Recent Years

Until 2022, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to identify as upper-middle or middle class and less likely to identify as working or lower class. However, in the past two readings, the trend has been reversed, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to identify as upper-middle or middle class. Meanwhile, Republicans now lead in combined identification as working or lower class.

Still, a slim majority of Republicans (53%) consider themselves upper-middle or middle class and 46% as working or lower class.

Bottom Line

The Great Recession appears to have caused Americans to reevaluate their social class. Still, despite persistently high inflation and weak economic confidence over the past few years, a slim majority of Americans continue to identify as members of the middle class. Educational attainment and income level have consistently been closely linked to U.S. adults’ social class identification. In recent years, Republicans have become more likely to identify as working and lower class, while Democrats have shifted to characterize themselves more as upper-middle and middle class.

— View Complete Question Responses and Trends:

[entropyvoid]

Golden Hour (+ lineart below cut)

I took a picture of the lines for once and did some basic crappy photo editing on my phone, so you could probably print this out and use it as a coloring page or something if you so wish lol. Do with it what you will.

[aeolianblues]

I am not sure I like the conversations where we westernise every single thing, see every societal phenomenon from the lens of developed countries, and especially see everything through the perspective of Britain and America. Like when we talk about the concept of class divide. Yes it exists everywhere, but the needs, demands and challenges of every section of society differs across countries.

For example, I’ve often though about how the comparison of working classes across countries doesn’t make sense— does it make sense to compare the working class of a country impoverished by colonisation, one with all safety nets removed because of centuries of wealth, labour and brain drain? The idea of a social safety net has been a 70-year exercise in India following 250 years of colonisation. Anything that could be done to protect the working classes (using British definitions) is a victory that defies the logistics, budgets and circumstances of the country. The ‘dole’ is not a thing in this country. Never has been. The closest I can think of a scheme that temporarily helps educated people who have been laid off. It’s simply not a comparison that can be made to developed countries, for how much money the country itself has, and for population and the accompanying logistical/admin that it would take. Herculean task.

There’s also a social and cultural aspect to it. Society doesn’t fall into easy, neat separations of ‘poor, working class’ and ‘rich, upper class’. Caste is a terrible muddying factor in Indian society, something that is still an ongoing fight for rights and equal treatment. All the money in the world could mean nothing if you’re from a ‘lower’ caste. You’d have to read up on it to know about it, there’s no real equivalent for it that I could use to explain it in western terms.

And that’s talking about the working class alone… who are the middle class? The Indian middle class are certainly not the British middle class. The British middle class would only rival the top 5% of India— the ‘crorepatis’. What you’d call millionaires in your mathematical system. The Indian equivalent of the British middle/upper middle class? Those are Indians that have second and third homes outside of India :) no one that lives and works here. Possibly long-time celebrities, who also don’t really live here. Like I said, different systems. Essentially, the Indian equivalent of the British middle class is… the British middle class. That’ll be middle class British Indians for you. So middle class Brits.

The upper class… I don’t even know enough about the lives of the proper rich beyond their charitable PR ventures. There are a number of billionaires and such here too. It is true here as well that their numbers have grown while the workers of the country have languished. The pandemic made it more precarious for everyone, and that hasn’t quite shown signs of recovering. The rich have got richer and everyone else is hung out to dry. Surprisingly, the only economic class that may have a true equivalent around the world is the rich that fuck us all over. Should’ve seen that coming?

[nonbinary-androids]

I think it would have been fun if there had been more cancer symbolism tied to Constantine and his rebirth as Call. IDK how they should have done this but I know Callum "Call wants to live" Hunt would have listened to Master Rufus talking about how cancer cells have their self-destruct signal turned off or how cancer can metastasize and felt sick

[magnoliamyrrh]

by this point when i see balkan ppl who think the solution to things is as ethnically pure as possible ethnostates whichever way this is spun i just want to hit them square in the head with a pan. the most effective way to deal with this? yea probably not. is this what i want to do? yes.

[mangled-by-disuse]

Tried to put this in the replies, but it got long and is relevant to the OP, so:

Less so than the average British/South African white guy of his time, which is to say: yes, but not notably so.

He did also speak very bluntly in his response to the Nazi requests to translate his work, claiming he would have been proud to be a genuine Aryan [that is, from the Indian subcontinent] but unfortunately he's just German and English. Some of that is "Oxford fellow thinks he's being very smart" rhetorical devices, but he also does seem to have been pretty vocally of the belief that different cultures and ethnicities held value, and while he left South Africa very young and considered himself English, he did also remark on the brutality and inhumanity of the apartheid regime there. He also criticised C.S. Lewis' assertion (in The Last Battle) that some people couldn't get into heaven on the basis of race and culture, but "have a theological argument with C.S. Lewis" does seem to have been one of his primary hobbies at the time so idk if that was purely anti-racist.

At the same time: this was at a time when the N-word was in common parlance (including in children's nursery rhymes and even in leftist discourse), when Britain had an empire and Tolkien had been raised in one of its colonies, and when the school system emphasised "the white man's burden" and the savagery and primitivism of "lesser" cultures. And Tolkien was not a radical, and not sufficiently concerned with race as a topic to break fully from that social conditioning. So it's not like he wasn't a racist, but he wasn't a racist by the standards of his time, background, and immediate environment. (Bearing in mind that his immediate environment was the same one that saw the rise of Oswald Mosley and Winston Churchill.)

What Tolkien WAS was a genuine, old-school British conservative, which I think is what right-wingers pick up on in his work. He had an engrained belief in hierarchy and traditionalism, and his arguments against capitalism come from Catholic semi-feudalism, not socialism. "The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate/God made them high and lowly and each to his estate" is very much an underpinning of a lot of Tolkien's work, which emphasises the importance of working to, and being satisfied with, your status in life - Sam's strength is his humility and desire to be a simple gardener, but, while humility remains valuable throughout, Aragorn's strength is that he knows that he is born to be King. Ruling is all he can ever ethically do (noticeably, whether or not his people consent to be ruled - note that the first Man of Gondor he comes into contact with is Boromir, whose response of "ok mate where the fuck have you been when we were fighting and dying for the past forty years?", and that is cast as a mistake on Boromir's part, and he is told to sit down and respect the rightful king by Literal Voice Of The Gods Gandalf), and it would be wrong and evil for him to try to do anything else, just as it would be a moral wrong for Sam to try to be a king.

Lord of the Rings in particular is very concerned with noblesse oblige and the burdens of power - while, yes, the core story is "minor gentry [Sam is the only actual working-class character] rises above his presumed station and, through being literally and metaphorically one of the little people of the world, slips under the radar and completes a heroic quest", almost all the surrounding stories are about the difficult duty of managing power. And, unfortunately, this lends itself very readily to a "white man's burden" kind of reading - these people, you see, are simply of superior race (literally, in the case of the Elves, and in the case of Aragorn, Boromir, and the ruling class of Gondor being measured by their proximity to Númenorean bloodlines), and so it is their unfortunate duty to command and to cleanse the lesser (Orcish, and by extension Easterling and Haradrim) races from their nice, functional societies.

To be clear: I do not think this is how Tolkien intended it. I think, in his own traditionalist, cloistered-academic, Catholic way, he was pretty egalitarian. He doesn't treat the ruling class as actually better than the working class - Sam is no less a hero than Frodo, Merry, and Pippin, all of whom are gentry or nobility, and none of them are lesser as people than Aragorn or Elrond or even Gandalf or Galadriel - even if he does view class distinctions as fundamental and immutable differences. He values friendship, peace, and the laying down of grudges (against all the problems caused by revenge, note that Éomer's first and most noble act of kingship is "accepting the Dunlendings' surrender, treating them kindly, and making peace with them", and they are so impressed by this that they too put aside a centuries-long war and help rebuild the country they helped to destroy). While he often forgets that women exist (I will die on the hill that "three out of 22 rulers of Númenor were women, despite equal inheritance being explicit" is evidence that Tolkien just did not think of women as being half the population), he is quick to defend their value in both masculine and feminine pursuits, and to express them as people outside of marriage and childbearing - and his own life, in which he married a much older divorcée from a different religious background against all voices from their families, reflects that same sense of valuing women on human terms. He is a humanist, not in the religious sense but in the sense that he values humanity above all things in his writing; he writes consistently against power for its own sake, against war as glory, and against bigotry and condemnation.

BUT

he was also a traditional, dyed-in-the-wool Tory, Catholic-restorationist, pro-feudal Oxford don who was raised in a much more conservative time, place, and social class than most of us, and he brings that to his writing too. From a conservative perspective, reading with an eye for right-wing ideas:

Éowyn ultimately turns from the aberration of being a warrior and becomes a wife and mother, embracing "feminine" traits of healing and caring as part of her own healing.

Class is reified through Sam's heroism being that of a servant, and Aragorn's that of a king, and the return of the king is the source of great rejoicing.

Some races, and some classes, are simply better at things. Dwarves are better craftsmen. Men are better warriors. Elves are better at everything because they're special. they are also tall and fair and European

The idyllic Shire is a cottagecore dream of traditional British rural life, in which people know their place, women are real women, and everyone has good manners.

Most of the "good" societies are coded with European or Classical trappings (the exception is actually Gondor, which is pretty easily read as Byzantine), and opposed against a literal rampaging horde from the East. Some of the horde from the East are literally inhuman, while others are elephant-riding brutes who hold oblique historical grudges and strange religious customs. Compassion against these foreign invaders is looked upon favourably by the narrative, but only after you've killed them.

With the previous point, and the films, in mind, it is easy to conclude that regardless of species diversity, the Fellowship is a cadre of brave white men fighting to protect their society from a monstrous foreign threat - one in which a cunning trickster from within the main setting has puppeted the less evolved races into destroying Western civilisation.

While the story is anti-war, it is anti-war in a way that allows for cool battle scenes and noble deaths, and there are several points at which Dying For A Cause is lionised and seen as redemptive in a way that slots nicely into a lot of more militaristic ideologies (including fascism).

again, I cannot underline enough, I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS A FAIR READING OF THE NARRATIVE. I think it's an ideologically-motivated reading that ignores both Tolkien's personal views and large chunks of the text. But the thing is: the people who read it in the way I've described would probably say the same thing of your description.

The thing about Tolkien's much-discussed distaste for intentional allegory is: Lord of the Rings is not 1984. It is not an explicit political polemic. It is one man unpacking his Great War trauma and political anxieties, his expertise in Anglo-Saxon literature, his special interests in folklore and etymology, his love of the English countryside and his dislike of modernity, his Catholicism and his conservatism and his egalitarianism and his loneliness and his loves. It is not absolute in its politics, because it isn't trying to give you a political solution: it's trying to give you morals, yes, but they're as much personal ones as societal ones.

It is not a shock that right-wingers latch onto Tolkien's work, or see parts of their beliefs reflected there. It's still a fucking insult to the work, but it's not a shock.

Seeing conservatives and bigots being fans of Tolkien works is a special type of jumpscare bcs what are you doing here man? In the franchise about folks from different backgrounds and races come together in brotherhood to vanquish the villain? Where kindness and compassion and sinple happiness were seen as the best ways to keep evil at bay? Where war is not glorified and seen as a grim necessity to the point where the son of the author gor criticised the movies for glorifying the war too much? Where men openly engaged in feminine activities and were open about emotions other than anger? Where multiple characters gender presentation varied from those we normally associate with their gender? Where women were empowered in multiple different ways? Where greed was presented as turning one into a literal monster?Where the villains are all thinly veiled depictions of capitalism? Where care for the enviornment is seen as a given?

[pulquedeguayaba]

Today was the day of sitting in the bus next to very fucking weird guys who start singing aloud whatever the fuck they want without them listening to music. (Usually buses here the driver puts music they like and the rest of us roll with it or use headphones). At least the second one fell asleep, unlike the first thst was ugly and annoying and pretty sure dudes an incel.

[storms-and-sourdough]

When someone calls me sir >>>>> or gentleman >>>>>>>>>

[funnygirlthatbelle]

i suspect that a huge factor in the defense of students using gen ai (and academic dishonesty in general tbh) comes from the fundamental misunderstanding of how school works.

to simplify thousands of educator's theories into the simplest terms, there are two types of stuff you're learning in school: content and skills. content is what we often think of as the material in school- spelling, times tables, names, dates, facts, etc.- whereas skills are usually more subtle. think phonics, mental math, reading comprehension, comparing and contrasting; though students do those things often, the how usually isn't deemed as important as the what.

this leads to a disconnect that's most obvious when students ask the infamous "when will we use this in the real world?" they have- often correctly- identified content that the content is niche, outdated, or not optimized but haven't considered the skills that this class/lesson/assignment will teach.

i can think of two shining examples from when i was a kid. one was in middle school when they announced that we were now gonna be studying latin, and we all wondered why on earth they would choose latin as our foreign language. every adult promised us it'd be helpful if we went into medicine, law, or religion (ignoring that most of us didn't want to go into medicine, law, or religion), but we didn't buy that and never took it seriously. the truth was that our new principal knew that learning languages gets harder as you get older, and so building the skills of learning a language while it was easy for us was more important than which language we learned, and that's an answer twelve year old me would've actually respected.

similarly, my geometry class all hated proofs. we couldn't think of a single situation where you'd have to convince someone a triangle was a triangle and "look at it, of course it's a triangle" wouldn't be an acceptable answer. it was actually the band director who pointed out that it wasn't literally about triangles; it was about being able to prove or disprove something, anything using facts.

and so, so, so many assignments that are annoying as hell in school make more sense when you think about the skills as well as the content. "why do i have to present information about something the teacher obviously already knows about?" because research, verifying sources, summarizing, and public speaking are all really important skills. "why does this have to be a group project?" because you will have to work with other people in your life, and learning how to be a team player (and deal with people who aren't) is an essential skill. "why do we have to read these scientific articles and learn about graphs?" because if you can understand them, people can't lie to you about them.

now, of course, there's a lot we could do better- especially we as in the american school system. the reason i have an education minor but am not teaching is because of those issues. there are plenty of assignments that are busywork and teachers that are assholes and ways that the system is failing us.

but that doesn't mean you should cut off your nose to spite your face!

the ability to learn and grow and think critically is one of our most powerful tools as people. our brains are capable of incredible things! however, the same way you can't lift a car unless you consistently lift and build up to that, your brain needs to train in order to do its best.

so yeah, maybe chatgpt can write a five paragraph essay for you on the differences between thomas jefferson and alexander hamilton's governing philosophies. and maybe it won't even fuck it up! congratulations, you got away with it. but by outright refusing to use your brain and practice these skills, who have you helped? you haven't learned anything. worse, you haven't even learned how to learn.

[sukunasweetheart]

Sukuna, a middle aged man jaded by the harsh realities of his life. He steps outside for a smoke nearby a convenience store, completely bored out of his mind.

A lady is handing out flyers nearby, although nobody is bothering to look her way, including sukuna himself.

You approach the man who's getting irritated by the lighter that refuses to work in his hand.

"Hello there, sir. Would you be interested in taking up classes for arts and craft?" You offer the cute flyer up.

Sukuna scoffs. Is she serious?

"No thanks."

"Are you sure? You look like you could use a bit more colour in your life."

He's too exhausted at this point to get angry at a random woman on the street.

"...You're not too far off, i suppose," sukuna mutters, still trying to get the spark to stay on his lighter. "Even so, I'm not interested in the likes of arts and craft. Do i look like a child to you?"

You withdraw your offer of your flyer, and inspect him for a moment.

"Arts and craft can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of age. But moving past that... you seem a bit down. If you'd like to confide in a stranger for a night, I'm happy to listen."

What a strange, persistent woman. Sukuna gives up on his lighter, and takes out the unlit cigarette in his mouth to think back for a moment. One thing does come to mind.

"I'm not feeling down. But i remembered something, now that i think about it..." he confesses, feeling weirdly compelled to tell you about it.

"Today is supposed to be my birthday."

Birthdays have never been special to him. Nobody celebrated his birth as a child, and in turn, he's never paid attention to the birthdays of others.

"Oh, happy birthday. Are you doing anything special for yourself today?"

"No. I've never cared for birthdays. And I'm getting too old for that anyway."

"Well, that won't do... Hold on for a second."

Puzzled, sukuna looks back at you but you've already gone inside the convenience store. Whatever you're up to now, couldn't possibly be more enticing than getting in a proper smoke right now. Sukuna begins to zone out.

He only snaps out of it when something mildly cold grazes past his cheek, leaving a ticklish and moist sensation on his skin as it disappears upon impact.

Bubbles. Bubbles are flying past him, and floating away into the sky.

For a moment, he gets mesmerised by the swirl of colours that are harboured in each one. Even just from the light of this dingy street, they fly up while holding a multitude of different colours inside them. Time seems to slow for a split second, and he doesn't understand why.

His gaze follows the trail to identify it's source. And unsurprisingly, it's you, standing behind him. You blow a couple more out, and then grin at him childishly. He finally looks at your face properly for the first time.

"Birthday bubbles. For the birthday man," you chuckle sheepishly, knowing that you probably look a bit silly right now. You put the bubble wand back into the small bottle of the soapy mixture, and screw it tightly.

"Here, you can have it. Next time you're feeling a bit antsy, why don't you try blowing some yourself? They're pretty, aren't they?"

You also hand him a different small item.

"And i also threw in a little something else, while i was at it."

He looks down, and sees that it's a new lighter. He slowly pulls his hand out of his pocket to take both of them from your hands.

"I hope you get to do something more special next year. Birthdays are supposed to be joyful, after all," you comment.

"Thanks for putting up with my nosiness. Farewell."

And then you leave him after a quick wave.

Sukuna stares wordlessly as you walk off, wondering what to name this ticklish feeling rising in the pit of his stomach.

The small bottle in his palm reminds him of a moment in his childhood. Kids in the park bragging about their bubble wands that were gifted to them. the laughs that resounded as they all ran off to catch the fragile spheres as they blew away in the wind. The tiny feelings of envy in his heart.

The item he tucks away into his pocket is the lighter. And when nobody is watching, he blows a couple more bubbles into the night sky.

-

Every time he passes by that convenience store, the thought of you comes to his mind. A flashback of your smile in the back of his mind. Every so often, he comes to this particular store. Despite having closer options, he comes to this specific one.

At times, sukuna regrets not taking one of the flyers that you were handing out. He wouldn't have had to mope around a convenience store in hopes of running into you again.

Today is a rainy day, and this calls for a hot piping cup of instant ramen. He doesn't usually enjoy convenience store food, but he wants a reason to stay around inside for a bit longer.

He needs to wait five minutes for the noodles to soften. In this time, he stares out the glass frame of the store, and watches the various rows of people walking past with their umbrellas opened.

There appears to be one anomaly in the crowd, however. Running without shelter from the rain, clutching her bag as if it contains something important in there. Sukuna realises that it's you.

Forgetting about his instant ramen, sukuna grabs his umbrella and dashes out the door.

You're mildly panicking about being stuck behind the red light at the zebra crossing without anything to save you from the rain, but the sensation of the droplets hitting your body come to a stop all too suddenly.

You look up, and there's a black umbrella sheltering you, big and strong looking. You spin around and recognise the stranger with pink hair and sharp eyes. Seemingly out of breath.

He signals to the light that has now turned green behind you, and ushers you forward to cross the road before you can say anything to him.

Now safely on the other side of the road, you begin to converse with him.

"It's you! Hello. Thank you for sheltering me. How have you been?"

"... So-so. Nothing's changed since the last time we met."

"I see. You look better than last time, though." You get the feeling that his eyes have a little more light in them.

Sukuna doesn't really get what you mean, but he moves on.

"What’s in your bag that's so important for you to be protecting it like that?" He asks, effectively changing the topic.

"Oh, this? I literally just bought some brand new origami paper... i can't risk getting them wet and unusable. The children would be disappointed."

"Origami, huh? How original."

"Hey! That's not all... there's a lot of options i offer them. They voted on origami this time."

"You got a lot of people signed up?"

"Not really... but I'm sure it'll start picking up soon. Slowly, one at a time."

You smile up at him hopefully.

"...is the offer still open?"

You cock your head to the side slightly, confused. Sukuna grits his teeth, feeling a little bashful about having to ask more specifically.

"You know. Lessons for grown adults."

"Oh! Of course, anytime! Would you like to come sign up today?"

"Do you offer one-on-one sessions too?"

"Yes, I do."

"Alright. Let’s go."

Sukuna can't fathom the words that are coming out of his own mouth. But fuck it, what's the worst that could happen? You've somehow intriged him, and he can't think of a better way to approach you.

You chatter his ears off along the way, and he nods along while his shoulder gets wet from the way he leans his umbrella closer to your side.

[saraa-lancee]

ngl it's funny that you're willing to demonise all autistic people just to make sure a label is only applied to hyperspecific situations. being autistic is not an excuse to be weird towards women or cross boundaries - can it help explain it? yes. but autistic incels exist and implying they don't and normalising that sort of behaviour as an autistic trait 1) is ableist, and implies that autistic people have no control over their own behaviour, and 2) invalidates victims and survivors of sexual violence at the hands of men who happen to be autistic. its also dangerous.

just saying. mentality like that meant that, as an autistic teenager, I allowed close friends to take advantage of me because the line was blurred and it was much easier to rationalise and excuse. and it's scary to me to see that culture normalised because it stems from the patriarchal definition and understanding of autism. autistic people know right from wrong and do not hurt people by default.

I'm not attacking you, but rather hoping to just offer an alternative perspective. I hope you are having a nice day.

Lmao hello Anon.

I'm going to provide an "alternate" for you-- I didn't demonize autistic people. I am an autistic person who has struggled with understanding boundaries in the past. I am defending autistic people by pointing out that Weird and Incel are Aboslutely Not The Same, which, if you y'know, read, is the entire point of the whole fucking post! But please, tell me you enjoy conflating Wierd Characters with violent rapists. I'm here all day-- I can't wait to read this.

I also, literally in that post, pretty much said exactly what you said. No where did I say all autistic people intentionally hurt people. In fact, I believe I even stated that when Autistic people *do cross* boundaries, it's not always intentionally. But let's also not pretend that autistic people never hurt others. I'm sorry that happened to you anon, I really am. Lots of autistic people also have stories like that, and it's disgusting people are so ready to take advantage of us. I'm also sorry that you think I don't know this perspective already as an autistic Afab person-- nice assumption about me and my life. But I think you're the one who might need the new perspective here if you don't seem to realize that yeah, autistic people absolutely can be the perpetrators in a blurred line situation. Unfortunately, lots and lots of people also have stories were the were hurt *by* an autistic person. "Hurt" as in physically or psychologically (not just sexually), because as a 5 foot nothing woman having a tall man (autistic or not) forcefully grab you in public or start screaming at you can be fucking terrifying.

Autistic people aren't just victims, anon. Acting like we can only be victims is kinda like... infantilizing or something. Sorry, but in an uncertain consent situation, an autistic person can also Assault someone because they didn't understand enthusiastic consent (ie, don't understand the nuances of YES! Vs Well, okay... or how consent can become questionable in situations where substances are involved). This all assumes innocence as well-- believe it or not, some autistic people are like, bad people (they also still deserve to be viewed like full adults but also viewed fairly rather than ostracizated unfairly).

My bad, im just rambling. Once again, reading comprehension. You're just intentionally ignoring my origional point, which is that you absolutely cannot just call a character who you deem weird an Incel. Which is the entire fucking point of the post but once again, fantastic selective reading Choice. When I said we shouldn't view Weird Character as a violent proponent of Rape and violence against women, I was 100% definitely demonizing Autistic people. (I remember literally saying "this doesn't apply just to autistic people" with the specific stipulation that he is autistic coded to me, but being autistic isn't the only factor here, proving that you literally chose not to read/to assign language I didn't use and a viewpoint I don't have to me. As an autistic person, this is black and white, and that's *not what I fucking said*. Try again anon).

Again. The entire point was defending "weirdos". Since, y'know. Most Weirdos (affectionately, as a weirdo myself) are demonized (being labeled as an Incel is definitely a demonization, btw. Which again. Was the POINT OF THE FUCKIN POST).

Idk why I'm writing this, you people will read whatever you want from it and not what I'm actually saying, so whatever. Autistic people are unfairly victimized by society-- including this whole Incel business. You were victimized, and I am sincerely sorry for that. But if we view autistic people as, y'know, dynamic people, we have to accept it goes both ways and come to the understanding that all this isn't even about all that. It's about refusing to assign extreme malcontent to someone based on Wierd.

Anyway, long live the weirdos demonized in popular culture. Long live everyone who's been shunned and judged for "acting wierd" and long live everyone who's exclusion erased their chance for a "normal" "adjusted" life.

Have a good day, *anon*.

[yvilonion]

gym rats

sylus brings zayne to a smash burger place with him and he notices a poster of a challenge where u gotta eat a 5kg sized burger + fries for a free meal. "I'm bulking." he says. "I need to look huge when receiving my degree." and he proceeds to inhale everything in half an hour. "man he's a mess." zayne thought. zayne himself wasn't the type to attend gym. he focused more on his studies and spending his free time on hobbies like uhhhhh totally not eating a whole bag of m&ms in one go. daily walks were enough for him.

After a few months of bulking, final's week came and sy got too busy to go to the gym, so a belly pooch started growing. it's most obvious when he's on his laptop, doing his assignments in his dorm, shirtless bc math makes him sweat and slouching. He made a robotic mirror that identifies you by facial recognition, and being able to notice changes in your features, whether you look worn out or gained/lost a few pounds. which was exactly what happened to sy. "you know, bulking isn't just eating" it says, making sylus regret his own creation. "i think you look great" zayne being the sweetheart he is tries to confront his roommate. he lifts up his shirt and pats on his own belly "we're pooch buddies :)" wasrhjshsksbej sylus had to fight the urge to eat him then and there. real

sem break is finally here and without a second wasted, he gets back into gym. this time, dragging zayne along with him. "pooch buddies gotta be gym buddies as well." zayne just let himself be pulled into it thinking what's the worse thing that could happen?holyyyyyyyyyyyy fuck his muscles were BURNING is this what death feels like?? sy helped him through all the sets, making sure his form was correct, and zayne was sweating major balls he could actually pass out. after an intense work out, they ate dinner and zayne fell dead asleep on the carpet. galen slept on top of him and sy didnt have the heart to move him so he just took a bunch of pillows and let him sleep on the floor, laying beside them as well.

"where are their nipples?" i ate them.

slowly but surely, zayne started becoming a regular gym user. his body grew accustomed to it and it was less painful, more enjoyable. zayne isnt chubby per say but he is unfit. you cant really tell when he's wearing sweaters and hoodies. while he wasn't bulking like sylus, he did focus on getting more toned. i mean he's gonna be a doctor one day and he won't have the time to take care of his body like he does now. and after being consistent BAM hot nerd gets a glow up and becomes even hotter (maybe downgrade to some ppl but its zayne he can never downgrade) and unknowingly, he made a reputation for himself. we'll get back to that.

obv his over indulgence in sweets never went away, but he deserves all the sweets now as his reward. sometimes his mom (and dad too but mostly his mom) gets emotional bc fluffy zaynie is all grown up. he was a fat kid, got a little slimmer during middle school but still has the chubs... and now he has six packs...

(old art. this is the only child zayne ive drawn so far hes not that fat here but u get it)

AU list

snowcrow uni au intoduction

nerd sy

singing class

sleepy boys

the loo

[vroomvroomcircuit]

Your lipstick stain is a work of art

Summary: Lando wants to do something nice for his girlfriend on international women's day. He just can't figure out the correct lipstick shade.

Warnings: very vague sexual reference at the very end, otherwise very fluffy. Lando being the best bf

Wordcount: 1k

🏎Masterlist🏎 _____________________ It’s international women’s day. Today Lando planned to do something small and nice for all the women close to him. His mom got the biggest bouquet of flowers one can barely hold with both hands. His sisters a basket of sweets from spots all over the world. The women in his managing team got a little spa coupon, because everyone knows you sometimes need a break and get pampered when you work closely with him.

For his girlfriend, Lando prides himself, he wants to get something she talked about in passing. (Y/N) told him a few days ago that she is running low on her favorite lipstick. Unfortunately, her taste in makeup is expensive. Growing up in lower middle class, (Y/N) is money conscious.

A lipstick like that one? That’s something the young woman only gets for herself as a treat. Or one of those purchases you need to stay happy in a capitalistic system. It’s something that warrants a good reason to be bought with her hard earned money.

And Lando? He listened to her mentioning it. Made a mental note. Get that lipstick for (Y/N). Make her happy. Show her you are unlike other red-flag-boyfriends. You listen to your love.

The problem? The Brit stands in front of the seemingly endlessly long shelf, the range of shades so large and in their individualistic colors so similar, he actually doesn’t know which one to get.

How can a company get away with selling the same product marketed as something slightly different so many times? He should organize a protest about this, maybe this is a better grant gesture than the lipstick itself?

With his head hung low, Lando returns to their shared apartment, cursing, because he has no way to get his hands on the original lipstick. (Y/N) carries that one everywhere with her to be able to touch up on her makeup on the go.

Lando walks into the kitchen, wanting to at least tidy up from today’s breakfast they had together before sulking some more and thinking about an alternative. As he works filling the dishwasher, he spots the mug (Y/N) used for her coffee this morning. “Perfect!” He mutters, finding a nearly perfect imprint of his girlfriend’s lips on the rim of the otherwise pristine white cup. Pristine except for the leftover coffee marks, of course.

Quickly, Lando takes the cup as well as his other things and leaves the house again, making his way back to the boutique that sells the so desired lipstick. He doesn’t even feel embarrassed to see that the store workers recognize him from his early, failed quest. After all, Lando got back his hope.

Like he did approximately an hour earlier, Lando stands in front of the lipstick shelf, looking between the cup and the different shades. Unfortunately, he still is as lost as before too. To him, all the shades look the same. He lost his hope all over again.

In his desperation, Lando sneaks through the isles of the shop, looking for some staff that could help him. In a timid voice, he asks another young woman if she can identify the shade on the cup for him, pointing at the discolored rim to highlight his struggle.

She smiles at him, assuring the Brit that they will find the correct shade together. Easily. That this is what she has been trained for after all. The female is sure they can work out what kind of product his girlfriend favors. Lando isn’t the last man that has come to her with a request like this, nor will he be the last one.

Turns out that finding the desired lipstick between seemingly 1273 different shades of the same color takes longer than someone, especially a trained store worker, who knows their products in and out.

Over 20 minutes later, Lando had applied six different kinds of lipstick onto his own lips and pressed them to the cup. With the help of the employee, they can determine with a 99.98 % certainty that they found the exact shade (Y/N) used. The once white mug is now littered with several perfect prints of his set of lips, all in the same color, but very little variety regarding the shade.

A little bit later Lando finally leaves the store with a nicely packaged bag, that not only has the lipstick he searched for, but also with a bunch of goodies and other small products as an apology for his red lips, abused by taking off the different products several times.

But his tingly lips are worth the light in (Y/N)’s eyes as she opens the bag when she comes home from work. To see that giving Lando her heart and her trust was the right decision. That he is the kind of boyfriend her girl friends are jealous over. He is the green-flag-guy that listens to his girlfriend and remembers the little things she tells him, committing it to his memory.

As Lando retells the tale of finding the exact shade (Y/N) is using, she opens the tube of the new lipstick, admiring its perfection. While he waves his arms around, still talking animatedly, she reaches for her little cosmetic mirror. Slowly, nearly sensually, she applies the product to her lips. Making sure it’s even and filling her lips perfectly.

Lando stops his story mid-sentence, mesmerized by her precision. Seeing (Y/N) swipe the stick softly over her lips. He just watches her work. The unhurried movements, something so opposite of their usual everyday life, does something to Lando.

Her sensual movements, peeking at him through her lashes. And that color, that godforsaken shade of her lips, is the only thing Lando can concentrate on. He wants to drown in it, knowing it’s her color.

He gets his wish. Because not even an hour later, perfect lipstick stains cover his body like a work art.

[arrowthrewme]

Wow, people really like platonic yandere families, huh? Well, good thing I am here to deliver! P.S. I will be trying to start leaning more towards being actually masc reader (i.e., masc compliments "good boy", masc titles "son", "father", "boyfriend", and ect.) WARNING: Infantilisation (towards reader), MASC READER, yandere behaviour

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Yan Family, who never thought they would adopt. They already have four wonderful kids! Yan Family, who after meeting you wandering the town's local park, forgot all about not adopting. You were just the cutest! Yan Family, who adopted you much sooner than they should have been able to. Oh well! Yan Family, who welcomed you with open arms. Taking you shopping so you could decorate your new room and fill your closet with the softest of clothing! Yan Family, who made sure you never went hungry, cold or unloved ever again. You are their little prince. Yan Family, who does everything for you. Your mama cuts up your food, Papa drives you everywhere and your sisters and brothers fight over who will get to hold your hand while walking. Yan Family, who view you as a vulnerable child in need of possessive isolation loving protection. Yan Family, who makes sure you never find out who your bio parents and family are. They are your family. Not those randos.

Wynn (Older brother) Yan Bro, who plays you his latest songs on his guitar Yan Bro, who lets you play with his hair. It doesn't matter how well you actually did; everything you do is perfect Yan Bro, who "accidentally" puts his band shirts in your clean laundry pile ("What are you talking about, little bear? I didn't do a thing!") Yan Bro, who makes sure you get front row seats during his shows Yan Bro, who begs for a hug after his shows (What do you mean he's too sweaty?? Your big brother wants a hug!) Yan Bro, who, when you first arrived, got you a winnie the pooh plush since the family calls him Winnie Yan Bro, who bawled his eyes out when he had to leave for college. Yes, he would miss his childhood home, but he won't get to see you every day! Yeah, his college is a 30 min bus ride from here, but still! Yan Bro, who cries when you interact with someone outside the family. He's your big brother! He's supposed to hang out with you...please, little brother? Yan Bro, who treats your opinion as fact. Especially when it's about someone he's dating. If you don't like them for whatever reason, he's dumping them. If his little brother doesn't like them, then they aren't worth it

Maeve (Older sister) Yan Sis, who has never really connected to her family. She was the middle child. Overshadowed by Wynn and the twins. But when she met you, it was like she was pulled out of the shadows Yan Sis, who became your shadow. Following you around, sitting next to you at dinner (when she can) and pulling you to her room Yan Sis, who scares your bullies off. She is not only a high schooler, but known for her threatening looks Yan Sis, who loves doing goth make-up on you ("Come on, firefly! Stay still! I'm trying not to poke your eye out!") Yan Sis, who likes spending time in your room not really doing anything. Just being there, surrounded by you. It's calming Yan Sis, who collects pressed flowers Yan Sis, who gifts you small plushies that she makes (She doesn't care how old you are. You are her little brother and little brothers need handmade plushies!) Yan Sis, who goes quiet and becomes withdrawn when you interact with other people. She's supposed to be the one you talk to...not that dumbass classmate. Yan Sis, who shares goth songs that remind her of you.

Ebony & Bowen (the twins) Yan Twins, who get to hang out with you the most, seeing as you go to the same school and class Yan Twins, who lean into the creepily similar trope of twins. It's so funny seeing people struggle trying to identify who's who! Yan Twins, who most times gets to sit either side of you during dinner (much to the annoyance of Maeve and Wynn) Yan Twins, who call you their third half Yan Twins, who you become Irish triplets with for a few months Yan Twins, who buy three of any item they get so you can all match Yan Twins, who get pissy when you partner up with someone else in class. ("We're your other half! Not Them!") Yan Twins, who get possessive when you sit closer to someone else that isn't them (family or not, but it's slightly less if it's family) Yan Twins, who beg their parents to move you to their room

Augustin (Father) Yan Dad, who ruffles your hair before leaving for work Yan Dad, who hugs you first when he comes back from work. If you don't, he'll at first ask where his hug is, and if you still don't hug him, he starts to sulk Yan Dad, who always makes time for your competitions/shows/after school stuff Yan Dad, who cries when you win anything. Wiping his tears like he's at a funeral and whispering to whatever poor person is sitting next to him that you're his boy Yan Dad, who makes sure that if anyone is bullying you, they won't be coming anywhere near you in the future Yan Dad, who, though, isn't the most well-versed in handiwork, makes you a sign with your name on it so you could hang it on your door! Yan Dad, who immediately fell in love with you when he first saw you in the park. You were so sweet and kind and just ahhh-! Yan Dad, who tries not to show his anger when you do something he sees as wrong. He doesn't want to yell or punish his little boy, but you can't keep doing that! Yan Dad, whose punishments are very weak and aren't followed through. Tells you to go sit in a corner for 20 minutes but ends up getting you not even 10 minutes later. Same goes for grounding. You stay up there for about 20 minutes before the family can't take it anymore and lifts the punishment.

Tammy (Mother) Yan Mum, who takes lots of pictures of you. They have so many of your siblings! She doesn't want you to feel left out. Yan Mum, who teaches you her culture's traditional foods Yan Mum, who guilttrips you when you do something that upsets her (like talking to a stranger or mentioning your bio mother). Is she not enough for you? She's doing her best... Yan Mum, who learns as much as she can about your culture (if it's not the same as hers). As much as she wants to fully make you feel like you are her child, she doesn't want you to forget something as important as your culture. Yan Mum, who gushes about you at work. Showing picture after picture. She doesn't care if her coworkers are bored! This is her favourite boy! Yan Mum, who kisses your cheek and leaves a kiss mark on it. Says it's an accident every time ("I must have forgotten that I have lipstick on! Hehe, your mama is so forgetful, aren't I, bee?") Yan Mum, who has the most backbone. She loves you to death, but if you disobey, she will make a punishment. It's not something unrealistic like your papa does. She makes you sit in a corner for 13 minutes, not the unrealistic 20. Yan Mum, who loves getting matching shirts with you. It's all cheesy lines like "Bee" for her and "Honey" for you. Yan Mum, who films your every accomplishment. She never wants to forget you. Not her little boy.

[ryukisgod]

I asked my mother this (she likes to yell at low level customer service workers), and she genuinely believes that the customer service worker will pass on the complaint to their boss, and the complaint will reach someone with the authority to change company policy.

She also believes that most customer service workers are stupid (she identifies as middle class), and that it’s ok to be mean to “stupid” people.

why do customers think the person working the cash register has any real authority over how the store is run? i'm not venting, i'm honestly curious if there's some culture or psychology thing or convoluted line of logic that feeds into it.

Posted by admin Rodney.

[alittlebitofloveliness]

Things I think the fandom needs to remember sometimes

-Ponyboy is not a loner or unpopular. He admits to having a lot of friends at school, and a few of them even visit him when he gets out of the hospital, though he notes it makes him uncomfortable that his middle class friends get to see where he lives. Which brings me to my next point;

-The gang does not spend all their time together, or even most of it. Yes they’re all friends, very CLOSE friends- yes, even Steve and Ponyboy- but they have lives outside of the gang. Pony has school friends, Darry has work or old school friends he skis with, Soda and Steve are inseparable to a degree that their outside lives overlap and their identities within the gang are also interwoven, but they all very much have lives outside the gang. Two bit has his mom and little sister and a revolving door of girls. Dallas only shows up when he feels like it and  he lives at bucks and jockeys in the races. Johnny couch surfs at the curtis’ and Two’s place, but he also regularly camps out in the lot and presumably crashes at Dally’s place sometimes too. Yeah, he’s Ponyboy’s best friend, but they’re not inseparable the way Steve and Soda are. It’s a different dynamic. The whole group has lives outside of the gang and I think it’s important to remember this. 

-The term ‘greaser’ is a derogatory term and originated in the 1800s as a slur against Mexican immigrants. It coloquial meaning changed when readopted by the greaser subculture in the 1950s and 60s (according to wikipedia), to primarily refer to lower working class individuals of mexican or italian ancestry, and becoming more ethnically ambiguous, but it still wasn’t widely used outside the subculture itself. Ponyboy is white, but he probably has some Italian ancestry which is characteristic of the greaser subculture, and he identifies with the word- but it’s still a more loaded term than the fandom sometimes pretends, and it still has racial undertones, regardless of how it’s portrayed in the novel and how it moved away from it's historically primarily racialised usage when adopted by the greaser subculture. Ponyboy makes a point of saying in the book that it’s okay for himself and the gang and others of their social group to use it, but when people outside the group call him it it ‘doesn’t make him feel so hot’. I think this helps illustrate that yeah, it’s an offensive term. ‘Greaser’ carries weight and I think it’s important for the fandom to recognise that.

-Darry is trying, but he isn’t a good guardian, and if he was then his character would not be redeemable after The Slap. The reason Darry Curtis as a character is so sympathetic is because he is twenty years old and trying his best, and his best is never good enough. If Darry was a well equipped guardian who was able to parent Pony AND Soda AND the gang (to an extent) the way his parents did, then him slapping Ponyboy would be unforgivable. It would be the action of a brute instead of the action of an overwhelmed older brother forgetting his new role as guardian. The reason Darry is forgivable and so beloved is because he is not perfect, or even good, at his role but he keeps trying and choosing to be present for his brothers over and over. (Remember, he had to fight very hard for custody, probably harder than Ponyboy realizes.)

-The portrayal of every female character is biased by Ponyboy’s narration- and Ponyboy has a lot of internalized misogyny and classism. It makes sense that he holds these ideas, considering the time period and the male dominated environment he grew up in where (presumably) the only woman he ever had any sort of close relationship with was his mother, but it doesn’t make it any less true. However, the women themselves are few and far between but incredibly important characters. I’ve spoken about it before but I think Sandy’s character and her unplanned teenage pregnancy sheds a small amount of light on how poverty affects women as opposed to men, something the book largely lacks due to the only main(ish) female character being upper class;  whereas Sylvia serves as a foil to Dally, and is essentially written to be the offscreen ‘female version’ of him, basically a representation of the ‘worst’ sort of greaser girl while Dally is the ‘worst’ kind of greaser. The only reason these women receive so much hate is because of misogyny- don’t pretend it’s just about the cheating, because it’s not- and if you want to hear further takes on them you can read my thoughts on the misogyny in the fandom here, and my thoughts on Sandy here.  Even Cherry, whom Ponyboy views positively, is viewed that way because of Ponyboy's biased ideas of what makes a girl 'good' and worthy of respect.

-Ponyboy has a fairly negative view of alcohol and alcoholism, but has a very addictive personality. Ponyboy has tried alcohol but didn’t like the way it made him feel. However, his view of Two-bit, while positive, seems to find him less brave than the rest of the gang as he drinks before the rumble, and Ponyboy ‘would hate to see the day he had to get his nerve from a can’. Soda’s reluctance to drink or smoke also adds to Ponyboy’s worship of him, despite the fact that Ponyboy is addicted to nicotine and caffeine respectively and it has the potential to be his undoing more than anything else in the east side.

-The entire story is built on grief. Johnny and Dally are doomed from the start, and Ponyboy mentions his parents' deaths from the first few pages. But loss of a loved one is not the sole type of grief the novel covers. Darry mourns the life he could have had, Soda mourns his imagined future with Sandy, and by the end of the novel Ponyboy is mourning his childhood and loss of innocence. I could go on, but I think the effect of grief is sometimes missing from analysis or canon compliant fanworks, when it is quite literally the driving force behind the story.