#It is so freeing

[symbio-ratio]

I've told this story in my tags many times before but I once had an art teacher drag me to hell and back for refusing to stand for the pledge in highschool. I can't remember why I originally stopped, but she was the reason I continued to do so. She called me ungrateful for not honoring the sacrifices made by others, and she would not get off my ass about it the whole class period. She looked so disappointed in me, and then she started trying to guilt trip and bargain with me. Over a fucking flag on the smart board. I think she said something about wheelchairs too? You can stand while people in wheelchairs can't? Wild shit. Regardless I refused to stand, because I'd been taught in Kindergarten that some people are exempt from the required standing for the pledge, and her insistence made me want to stay seated even more. Religion, culture, differing beliefs; It stuck in my mind, because everyone else always acted like you were the scum of the Earth if you didn't stand and look at the screen.

That teacher ended up apologizing the next day. I guess someone snitched on her or another student told her off. I didn't care myself, and I continued to refuse standing for the rest of my highschool years. I see that moment as the beginning of the downfall of my trust in that woman, because she only got worse from there. Ironically, she spiralled hard when Trump got elected about a year or two later. I don't think I've ever seen a person unravel so thouroughly before. And every time she took time out of our period to go on worse and worse rants about that man, I'd wonder if she remembered the way she looked down at me that day for refusing to stand for this country.

You don't HAVE to stand for the pledge. It is ENTIRELY OPTIONAL. They cannot legally force you to stand for the pledge. It is a purely social consequence thing, and I don't think your peers these days are gonna fault you for not standing.

If a teacher hitches a fit over you not standing for the pledge? Be suspicious as fuck at this point. Sorry not sorry but shit is getting wild these days. If you're getting that pissy about a still image of a flag on a smart board and a crackly ass song going through your shitty school speakers, then my trust in your goes down a couple points and they are not coming back up again.

dear usamerican high schoolers looking for a way to resist fascism: sit through the pledge of allegiance.

no getting up. no looking at the flag.

everyone will be looking at you. you'll be sweating like a fucking hippopotamus. your teacher will sternly tell you to get up. you'll feel stupid and that maybe its not worth it because you're just a kid in a classroom. but I'm here to remind you that there are no real life consequences to detention. there are however real life consequences to resisting a thoughtless performance of nationalism.

[astronnova]

yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[yourmajestybee]

EVERYONE NEEDS TO LOOK AT HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON UNTRAINABLE THE STAGE PLAY RN

[daftpatience]

this messed up vintage cat sewing pattern has tormented me since i saw it & like some other folks have done in that post - i tried my hand at tweaking the pattern to resemble the illustration (and my personal tastes) a little more. i've ended up with this. i bestow it upon you nice folks now 👐

(update 2, added instructions & it's also on my Kofi!)

go forth and make weird little beanbag kittens! pls show me if you do!

[modmad]

hey! there's zero esims left for the connecting gaza campaign as of today. i remember you promoting them earlier. could you give them a much needed boost?

oh dang! unfamiliar with that particular campaign, as I always donate via crips for e-sims because it's super easy to do, but regardless let's go people!

[asteroidtroglodyte]

[swan2swan]

Whoever conceived and animated this moment, I hope they're doing well and thriving. This is S-rank romance stuff here.

[ryouichiii]

Brazilian Miku twitter trend but this time she's Palestinian 🍉

[flango87]

FUCK YEAH COLUMBIA UNI STUDENTS!!!!!!

[slfcare]

ten years ago you were so scared of such different things, but you survived them anyway. the same goes for five years ago and two years ago. everything that has ever felt like a hurdle, you’ve passed through. so be afraid, identify your fears, and then allow yourself to remember that in just a little while, this will be another thing that you have overcome.

[nothazellevesque]

a man self immolated in front of the israeli embassy in washington dc yesterday. not just any man. an active member of the us air force. he live streamed his death, and said that he refused to be complicit in a genocide any longer. he said that compared to what palestinians were facing every day, setting himself alight was nothing.

let me reiterate. an active duty air force member burned himself alive because he was so disgusted by what the us government was openly supporting. he live-streamed his own suicide, so the whole world could bear witness as a man in his military uniform set himself on fire to protest his government’s complicity in the horrors that we have all been forced to watch happen in real time. he became a new horror. footage of the immolation blurs him out the moment the fire catches, but you can hear him. it is over in seconds, really, but you can hear him screaming. he shouts “free palestine” until his body physically cannot make any sounds other than guttural screams of agony. and then he falls silent. a police officer arrives and points a gun at his still burning body, shouting at him to get down on the ground. and it is over.

his name was Aaron Bushnell. he was twenty five years old. and he isn’t here anymore because the political ruling class has decided that genocide is perfectly fine as long as it preserves imperialism. in the coming days, people will try to discredit him. to say that he was mentally unstable. they will try to bury his actions to save face and defend israel’s propaganda. do not let them. aaron knew what he was doing. he knew what he was doing when he put on his military uniform, set up his twitch stream, and made his final walk up to the embassy. he knew what would happen to him when he flicked that lighter. do not let them forget. aaron’s blood is on the hands of the political ruling class.