#The Balance Articles | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

elisabethbabarci · 2 months

Text

UNITY CONSCIOUSNESS

We come together as a powerful community.

No matter the colour of your skin, your religion, your age, shape or size, what position you are in society or what gender you identify as, always know within your heart that we are all one, accepted, whole, respected and loved.

Through our collective experience universally it is love that unites us and our trust in one another.

We all have different traditions, backgrounds, beliefs, core values, heritages from many life times as we have evolved.

Understand this, love knows no boundaries. Consider for a minute if you could mute out what has been taught through society or family or friends or even strangers. What if you could start fresh to build new stronger foundations that evoke trust, love, and unity?

We are not divided, we all understand that we are part of a greater community that is evolving but we need to respect one another as we are more powerful together than we can ever be apart.

Embrace you and what makes you unique and stay true to who you are while always respecting others and embracing their life experiences to build a stronger future. Learn from others, see from their perspective, and listen to their lessons as they will do the same for you.

You are the future , no matter what age you are. You do not need to look to the new generation as you are still here and it is your responsibility to always be the light for others along their path.

Start with speaking to a stranger, dropping all anger, sadness, negative emotions that have been embedded into your foundation. Start new to carve out a more united healthy approach to life.

We are all different, we are all magnificent beings in our own ways. Learn to see past the veils and see each individual as a part of you beyond what we have been told that makes us different.

We all bring wonderful elements to life. Learn that we are always one , stronger than ever, and fear does not exist where love is. Love uplifts, embrace that part of you to see beyond and to see the good instead of the bad.

The change begins and remains in your hands. We can not change the past but we can improve the future to be more inclusive, healthier, and without boundaries that divide us.

How to build community?

What does it mean to be a community?

How does internal change impact external change?

As a united community whether it be globally or nationally we all come together to stand united. No matter what our race, colour, gender, we are all important and full of unlimited potential.

As we grow as a society we will experience many different setbacks that will make us feel like we have lost our path when really it leads us to new destinations.

Enhanced empowerment for yourself and loved ones is vital during these times.

Always listen to your inner instinct for what is for the highest and best for yourself and those you care about.

As we get bombarded with the noise of our daily lives, you must take the time to reset.

We as a society deserve peace, happiness, and above all the right to freely express who we are and to be accepted for who we are.

Embrace who you are and what makes you different and unique.

During this period of time allow your creative faculties to flow with ideas and new methods that might seem abstract to you.

Center yourself, align yourself, be one with nature and explore different parts of your communities to see other aspects from a new perspective.

We only learn through experience.

Allow yourself the time to be who you truly are and to experience life.

You have one life, one body, and unlimited opportunities to turn any situation around.

Believe in yourself and the power of change.

Ask yourself, what is it at your core that you want to change?

Remove any element that makes you feel like you cannot freely express who you truly are. As I mentioned in many of my posts, any relationship that is healthy will allow you to be the best version of yourself and will allow you to be free and creative to reach your goals.

You are a pioneer of change and an essence of creative expression.

Do not allow limiting beliefs make you feel otherwise. Remember, those that impose these limiting beliefs do not believe in themselves and deserve our compassion and forgiveness as they are learning as well.

Your potential is unlimited and your ability to be the change that is needed.

Transmute the fear, guilt, sadness and grief, and any limiting belief that is preventing you from being the best version of who you can be. End the patterns that are causing you to doubt yourself.

Do not seek change externally for what you can change internally within yourself. Only you can change your habits, beliefs, and know what is not for your highest good.

Empower yourself everyday to get healthier , stronger, and to see life in many multifaceted ways. Never narrow your perspective. See things for yourself. Never give your power away, always stand strong and believe in yourself and your abilities to create, invent and contribute to society. You are a vital part to this earth. You were born for greatness.

3 notes · View notes

coochiequeens · 2 months

Text

Gay men and the wealthy are no longer content to exploit one woman now exploiting two at the same is becoming trendy

Why have one baby when you can have 2? People are paying $500,000 to hire 2 surrogates at once and have 'twiblings'

By Kelsey Vlamis Jul 16, 2024, 3:04 PM EDT

Some people are hiring two surrogates at the same time to carry their babies.

Concurrent surrogacy can be complicated and costly, with prices reaching up to $500,000 or more.

Many people who do it are in their 40s and trying to build out their family quickly.

Bill Houghton still vividly remembers the moment he met his son.

He was sitting in the hospital waiting room, right outside the birthing room, when a nurse appeared carrying a little green bundle.

"I just held him in my arms and just started crying. It was so overwhelming. My husband was like, 'Oh my God, I can't believe that this is it. We're a family,'" Houghton told Business Insider. "This is my son."

Just one week later, Houghton and his husband would have the same experience all over again when their second child, another son, was delivered.

"And it has been like that ever since," he said. "To this day, I still look at them and I think, 'Oh my God, these are my sons.' My father had sons. I never thought that I would have a son."

Houghton and his husband opted to become parents via concurrent surrogacy — a process in which two surrogates are hired to carry two babies at the same, or overlapping, time.

The resulting children can be born anywhere from one week apart, like Houghton's, to nine months apart, and have been referred to by some people in the industry as "tandem siblings" or "twiblings."

Surrogacy agencies told BI that concurrent surrogacy journeys are not uncommon, with some saying it's a rising trend in a growing industry that was valued at $14 billion in 2022 by Global Market Insights and has attracted the investments of private equity firms.

All kinds of people — couples or singles, straight or gay, young or old — have opted to build out their family two at a time via concurrent surrogacy. But there is one thing that most parents of twiblings have in common: the ability to afford them.

While Houghton hired surrogates abroad, couples who choose to go through US-based agencies can easily spend $300,000 to half a million dollars or more on concurrent surrogates, according to five surrogacy agencies that spoke to BI.

"It is a luxury, absolutely," Brooke Kimbrough, cofounder and CEO of Roots Surrogacy, told BI. "Most American families don't have $200,000 in cash to go through surrogacy generally, and then $400,000-plus in cash to be able to go through that twice at the same time."

Still, the use of concurrent surrogates could grow as surrogacy generally grows in the US, in part because celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen have started opening up about using surrogates, as well as depictions in film and TV that have made the practice more mainstream. Teigen was even pregnant at the same time as her surrogate.

Surrogacy is also becoming increasingly relevant as more and more people are opting to have kids and start building their families later in life.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have opened up about using a surrogate. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

Concurrent surrogacy can help build a family quickly

Concurrent journeys typically look like regular surrogacy journeys, just times two. Gestational surrogacy, when IVF is used to place a fertilized embryo into a surrogate, is the most common form of surrogacy in the US today. Parents can use their own egg and sperm or that of donors.

Like many gay couples, Houghton and his husband each used their sperm for one of the babies, as well as the same egg donor, so their sons are technically half brothers.

While there has been increased awareness around what some call "social surrogacy" — using a surrogate when it's not medically or biologically necessary — the majority of people who conceive via surrogacy do so because they have to.

"Typically, when people come to us, they've been through a lot. This is not their plan A, it's often not plan B, maybe it's plan C," Kim Bergman, a psychologist and senior partner at Growing Generations, told BI. "They've had a lot of disappointment, and they've had a lot of trials and tribulations."

Many hopeful parents are in their 40s and are simply eager to build their families, the agencies said. A surrogacy journey can easily take one and a half to two years, so for intended parents who know they want multiple kids, concurrent surrogates can be appealing.

Certainly, some people who opt for concurrent surrogates do not fit the definition of medically necessary, at least according to the standards laid out by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Some people have mental health reasons or a fear of giving birth. Others are actors or brain surgeons who spend 12 hours a day on their feet and who can't get pregnant and continue to do their jobs. All the surrogacy agencies BI spoke with said it's essentially never the case that someone opts for surrogacy simply for vanity reasons.

David Sher, founder and CEO of Elite IVF, told BI they've helped coordinate surrogates for celebrities, politicians, and people in demanding careers like finance or tech. He said he currently has a client who serves on the cabinet of a Western country and is trying to have a baby via surrogate in part due to her demanding schedule.

Sher said he thinks concurrent surrogacy has long been an option for intended parents but that there does seem to be an uptick in people who are opting to do it.

Part of the reason for that could be because fewer and fewer agencies are willing to do double embryo transfers, which were previously more common and could result in a twin pregnancy. The ASRM recommends against them, as twin pregnancies come with heightened risks for both the surrogate and the babies. So concurrent surrogacy is a safer option for intended parents who want to have two kids at the same time or in close succession.

Costly and complicated

Though it's viewed as a safer option, concurrent surrogacy is controversial. The ASRM guidelines actually recommend against concurrent surrogacy, as well as against social, or not medically necessary, surrogacy. But all five surrogacy agencies that BI spoke to will facilitate concurrent surrogacies.

The agencies said they've seen many concurrent surrogacy journeys be successful and that a lot of care and prior planning goes into making them happen.

"It's not taken lightly," Bergman said, adding that concurrent journeys are rarely chosen by 30-year-olds who have plenty of time to build their families, though that does occasionally happen.

Surrogacy, in general, is expensive — commonly ranging from $150,000 to $250,000 for one child. The costs go toward surrogate compensation, agency fees, legal fees for contracts, and clinical bills.

The agencies BI spoke with said a concurrent surrogacy journey would essentially cost twice that. Meaning there's no two-for-one special.

But cost isn't the only factor to consider. Perhaps the primary drawback to pursuing concurrent surrogacy (that is, besides the high price tag) is the logistics of it.

All the agencies emphasized that concurrent surrogacy should only be pursued with full transparency and the fully informed consent of every person involved. That means matching intended parents to surrogates who are fully aware and OK with the fact that they will not be the only surrogate.

Gestational surrogacy, in which a fertilized embryo is implanted in a surrogate, is most common in the US. Jay L. Clendenin/for The Washington Post/Getty Images

There's also tons of planning and talking through hypotheticals. Are the surrogates based in the same area? Can the parents attend both births? Are we staggering expected delivery times enough? What's the plan if one surrogate gets pregnant on the first try but the other doesn't?

There's also a psychological aspect. Will both surrogates feel fully supported? How will one feel if she doesn't get pregnant right away and the other does?

"All of these conversations are front-loaded. Anytime in the conversation, the surrogate can say, 'I'm not comfortable doing this,'" Bergman said, adding that sometimes, after thinking through the logistics, some parents will change their minds and plan to space the deliveries out further than they initially wanted, like to six or nine months.

Most agencies recommended staggering the planned deliveries by at least three months. But at the end of the day, parents need to be ready for the timeline to not go exactly as planned.

Houghton and his husband had actually planned to have their babies six weeks apart, but when one of the babies was born five weeks premature, they ended up with birthdays one week apart.

Concurrent surrogacy may not be for everyone — even if you can afford it

Although the cost of concurrent surrogacy makes it prohibitive for most people, that could change in the future as more and more companies expand their fertility benefits.

There are also more nonprofits popping up that will provide grants or partial funds to people who want to build their families via surrogacy but may not have the means to.

Jarret Zafran, founder and executive director at Brownstone Surrogacy, told BI that it's not necessarily only the ultrawealthy who pursue concurrent surrogacy. He said he currently has clients who are lifelong educators on the older side who are getting ready to start the surrogacy process. They recently asked about what it would look like for them to do a concurrent journey.

"I guess it is still a luxury in the sense that most Americans would not even be in a financial position to afford it the first time," Zafran, who also had a child with his husband through surrogacy, said. "But for them, this is not a frivolous decision, and they're scraping together every single little penny that they have, all of their savings, their retirement funds, and I get it."

By using surrogates abroad over a decade ago, Houghton and his husband, who are based in Spain, spent much less on their concurrent surrogates than they would have in the US. But he's still not totally sure why they chose to do concurrent journeys rather than space the children out a bit more.

"We just liked the idea of having two kids that were about the same age that would sort of grow up together," he said, adding, "I didn't realize at the time the challenges that would come with having two kids."

In reality, he said having the two boys grow up so close together in age, not twins but in the same class in school, ended up leading to a lot of conflict and constant competition as they were growing up. He said it has gotten better now that the boys are facing their teen years and developing their own identities.

Still, if he could do it over again, he thinks he would stagger them more.

"They're unbelievable young men, and I'm so proud of everything about them," he said. "But having the two together has been a challenge."

Have a news tip or a story to share about concurrent surrogacy? Contact this reporter at [email protected].

If a brain surgeon or politician can't do their job while pregnant have they thought about how kids in general will impact their job? What if their kid wakes them up the night before surgery because they got of had a nightmare? Are they counting on a reliable spouse or a nanny to take care to the unpleasant parts of parenting.

Finally at the very end of the article they address how being born so close together impacts kids. We're they really surprised that there was a lot of competition? And they article just touched on how one of the twins was born 5 weeks premature. That means at one week old the dudes in charge of its care were focused on its twibling. Considering that surrogacy pregnancies are more likely to have complications do the parents consider how they will care for one baby while another baby is in the hospital longer than expected?

#anti surrogacy #Twibling #Surrogacy exploits women #Twibling Surrogacy exploits two women at the same time #Babies are not commodities #If people want to build their families quickly why can't they just have one then adopt one?#Half a million dollars spent on having bio offspring when so many kids are up for adoption #concurrent surrogacy #tandem siblings #Surrogacy is an industry that was valued at $14 billion in 2022 by Global Market insights #The dude in this article choose foreign surrogates both times #Using foreign surrogates leads to the human trafficking of infants #Being in a same sex relationship is not infertility #Waiting too long to have kids is not infertility #social surrogacy" — using a surrogate when it's not medically or biologically necessary #Surrogacy is never necessary it just means the reproductive purchasers never considered adoption #American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)#If people have jobs too demanding to go through pregnancy how they hell are they going to raise the kid?#fewer and fewer agencies are willing to do double embryo transfers which were previously more common and could result in twin pregnancy #All the questions about feelings were about how will the reproductive purchasers balance two pregnancies at the same time #Not about how being born so close together will impact two half siblings #Brownstone Surrogacy #Elite IVF #Roots Surrogacy #Growing Generations

4 notes · View notes

the-jam-to-the-unicorn · 9 months

Note

Here are the issues I have with the book. Since it's a lot, I'll try to keep it as short as possible and only mention my biggest problems with it. So this list is not complete and I could write pages about it.

Let me start by saying that a good autobiography (or any book that highlights a real life person) should be balanced. It should not glorify that person or pretend that person is a god and without mistakes. I also have no problem with critizing Ze, because, let's face it, yes he made mistakes and fucked things up in the past and not every war decision or speech or whatever was good or perfect. The point is: the critique should be fair and balanced (this obviously doesn't apply to bad people in general and the books about them; but since Ze isn't a bad person...you get what I want to say). The portrayal of Ze in the book is anything but fair or balanced. Or true, for that matter (unless literally every person in Ze's life and who knows him better, including the Kvartal fam, Olena, Andriy or people like them, have been lying to everyone for decades).

Throughout the whole book Shuster does say that Ze is Ukrainian (and Jewish) but also always tries to paint him as an "Ukrainian Russian" - so Ze is actually Russian despite being a "Ukrainian" (basically using one of Russia's Propaganda lies). Ze is basically a stubborn "Ukrainian" who kind of deserves all the hate and arrogance he gets from "real Russians" during KVN times (and later) because Ze is an insufferable asshole during his KVN times. And that Russian treated Ukrainian (or from other former Soviet Union countries) teams badly (including racist remarks, looking down on them, treating them like slaves, insulting them, not giving them a fair chance,...) teams awfully is, in Ze's case, deserved. Because Ze was oh so focused on always winning - no matter what and the cost.

Speaking of KVN: According to Shuster, Ze was terrible as a person during his first years of stardom. A maniac who only lived for applause and needs it to survive and was willing to do absolutely everything to win and beat other teams. Because, you know, he's so obsessed with winning. To a point were even he gives a flying fuck about the Kvartal team and their members (Shuster basically hints that they all disliked Ze and he was some kind of group dictator who only wanted to work and win all the time and was reckless and took to many risks and almost destroyed everyones lifes). When Shuster finds something positive to write about, he quotes people from Kvartal but what he quotes are just general statements or people saying what KVN was like during the 1990s and early 2000s. The moment Shuster writes about Ze and was he (allegedly) like during this time it's almost only "team members" and "people who knem him" and "classmates" and all that stuff - so anon sources. Or it's just Shuster telling stuff without saying what his source is or him just have feelings and thoughts and drawing conclusions. If people get named they - surprise, surprise - have a lot of times bad things to say about Ze or are people who we never ever have heard of as being part of Ze's life. Btw, it's not very hard to guess who the "team member", who talked the KVN years and adds a lot of negative talk about Ze, is... . Denys (yes, THAT Denys) contributed to the book with pictures, so chances are high he also talked to Shuster. If you ever wondered if the asshole would ever get over the fact that he fucked up and Ze kicked his ass out of the group - well, the answer is no. He now just tries to cash in on Ze. And since we are talking about Denys' obvious contribution to the book - he, once again, gave out private photos. How much we all wanna bet that he, once again, didn't ask for consent?!

Shuster also tries to paint Ze's family in a bad light. The father a tyrann who sacrified his wife's (Mama Ze) health for his job and money. Also rarely being at home and giving a fuck about his son and family. Mama Ze spoiling her child and making him entitled. Both to unloving and hard and more or less making Ze's life a living hell. Also that Ze's family was suddenly rich. Not to mention indirectly questioning the trauma his family had to go through (and Ze talked about in the past) under Stalin and the Nazis and family members that are suddenly alive (despite Ze stating in the past that they were dead). Also, Shuster sees in the childhood and family of Ze a part of the explanation why Ze is such a horrible person today, to stubborn to just give up and end the fight (and all that nonsense) and won't win this war. Because the parents put Ze in all kind of activities without him finishing any of it but letting him believe he can do everything and always demanding excellent perfomance in every aspect of his life (to keep it short). So of cooourse Ze had to grow up into a maniac who can't loose and always continues despite what people may tell him and who needs the constant validation and love from others.

There are also a ton of negative remarks about Ze as father and husband in regard of his own family. Not to mentiont hat a ton of informations are factually not correct. Things like birth dates or dates in general, how and where Ze's family lived (missing important context several times), Ze basically being as awful as his father, Ze not giving a fuck about his families safety during the war (Olena was the voice of reason who protects the poor, poor children because their father just wants them back for egoistic reasons and doesn't care about their safety) or not seeing anything concerning about his sons military obsession and instead fueling it (again, it's the poor poor wife who has to protect the son from the awful father), Ze giving zero fucks about his relationship with Olena right from the start and that poor, poor, poor woman always staying behind and having to go through hell and hate because of Ze's maniac ambitions and facing an unsave future in the early 2000s because Ze was so full of himself and had the biggest ego,... . (reading several parts you would think that this "poor, poor woman" is trapped in some abuse situation or Ze somehow tied her to himself and the whole marriage is fake and there is no love) (also Olena simultaniously romantizing things and her life and Ukraine but also being the only who who sees the truth about Ze or several parts of their lives but, of course, can't tell her terrible husband because bad, bad Ze) Also Shuster indirectly claiming that Ze and Olena lied about their relationship and they didn't date for eight years but for a shorter period of time. Because suddenly Olena also was a part of KVN long before Ze (???) and was essentially just his work buddy and friend for a while and somehow and for whatever reason they ended up in a relationship one day. (Also prepare yourself to read about a new version of the "Basic Instinct" story we never have heard before...and Ze and Olena never said.)

Btw, the way Ze is portrayed during his KVN years is essentially with little variation how he's portrayed in later stages of his life. Including his presidency and the war (I'm not going to write several more paragraphes because I think you get the picture Shuster tries to paint of Ze).

Only one thing about Ze's war portrayal: Shuster swings back and forth between Ze as wanna be dictator who will turn Ukraine into something bad as soon as the war is over (and is already starting with that) and who already makes his own rules and gives zero fucks about people and is only interested in his own fame and people applauding him and all that stuff. And Ze being the worst President ever because the war and the current state of Ukraine (which is, of course, very bad and they are about to collapse and loose and big Russia and winning and blablabla) are somehow also his fault. Yes, Shuster really manages to make Ze (and with that Ukraine) partly guilty.

Throughout the whole book he also, sometimes more obvious sometimes hidden, Shuster portrays Ukraine in the worst way possible. He does mention how "bad" Russia is but somehow justifying it several times or leaving out important facts and, once again, context. Also the portrayal of Putin, especially in comparsion with how he writes about Ze, is a joke.

Oh, and, the "inside look in the bunker" life Shuster used for his marketing campaign and that the claim of the book - yeah, bullshit. It's nothing now and anon and all that stuff. Also, once again, portraying Ze in a bad light. Like, yeah, the first weeks of war affected him but to such a worrying point (according to Shuster) that Ze was actually unfit to rule any longer as President but continued (because, you know, he loves power sooo much...). And now he's the mini dictator of Bankova who is always grumpy and changed into a (an even more) awful person and... .

What can I say at the end?! As mentioned earlier, the book has a ton of fake news and wrong facts. It's incredibly poorly researched - if sources exist at all. A lot of times it's Shuster just sharing his feelings or thougths or conclusions or interpretations or whatever. Or just saying things without context. Or writing stuff without giving sources. And to be honest, in some parts it also feels like that Shuster just made stuff up.

If you have no idea about Ze and his life or know very little - that's not the book to get informed. If you know a bit more about Ze, you will surprisingly often feel that certain parts of "exclusive interviews" or "when I talked with XYZ" are strangely familiar...with interviews we all know from Ze's (and several other people) past...because it is these interviews. Just a lot of times missing context, shortening what was said, adding stuff or giving it a new meaning.

Speaking of using old stuff: Shuster also really used his old articles to include them in the book...to a point where it's basically almost word for word.

Overall, the book is in large parts poorly written (so poorly that you wonder how he became a TIME journalist in the first place).

In the end, you probably haven't learned anything new or interesting about Ze, his life, the war or Ukraine. When we talk about Ze, I may have read one, maybe two new things I haven't read before (but questioning both of them and will do research if they are true or just made up by Shuster). It's over 300 sites of wasted paper and ink. I know articles who did a better job than this "book". It's a waste of time and money. And in the end it's a Pro-Russia Propaganda book, trying to undermine the support for Ukraine and hurt Ze and his image (as well as Ukraine's). Shuster tries to be subtle at his try to do this but he isn't not. He tries to come off as critical thinker who wants to portray a balanced picture of Ze and also writes about the sides no one dares to talk about. But nothing about this is balanced. It's just 300+ sites of trashing Ze and backstabbing him and using every possible way. Same applies to Ukraine.

#thanks anon!!!#HOLY FUCKING SHIT #😱😨😰#im actually so shocked right now #if this is really the book than this is basically shuster trying to destruct ze and ukraine #ze and olena as well as his kvartal fam probably have better things to do right now but if this book has that many false informations...#...i hope someone at some point starts a law suit #im so shocked about what i just read #i didnt expect much from the book since shuster changed so many things about it #and my expectations were almost zero after his latest articles #but thats...something...#denys being part of that?! i probably should be shocked but after the le monde (?) thing im not really...#also read online that people think people close to poroshenko or other political opponents of ze as well as ares-asshole and people like...#...that are shusters sources #i agree with anon that a “balanced” look at a person is always good in suck a book #but also agree with anon that there is nothing balancing if that is zes portrayal #also agree with anon if this is zes portrayal than something really doesnt match up with what his friends family olena and people close...#...to him of from his life said about him since forever #i think its also highly suspicious that before all that (or presidency if you want to go further back) no one could say a bad word about hi #quite the contrary actually #but suddenly everyone thinks badly about him and hates him and ze is such an awful person and all that stuff #and using already existing interviews and his articles and pretend its exlucive and said it to him and its something new???? thats very wil

13 notes · View notes

intermezzobysallyrooney · 25 days

Text

i miss caring about sports in a fun way :( now i get more enjoyment listening to a podcast explaining the sinner doping case and widespread doping in tennis than i do watching tennis :( the denis and felix and bianca scores...depressing. the bianca/jasmine gigglefest at the net was SOOOO cute....but it's all so...pointless to me but not in a fun way. and i know not relating to posts on tumblr.com is not an actual problem in any sense but there is no community or fandom or whatever anymore. like my ao3 is so separate from here and the pairings/characters i am interested in are sooooo not popular at ALL and most of the comments are people asking for more or whatever and it's just! ah!

#women's hockey is so much more complicated now #why can i not enjoy soccer like a normal person #every f1 post makes me want to kms #like why are you babying every single one of these men to the level of andrey rublev #elena fans are so exhausting on twitter #and men are so weird about her #sloane....did that #everything about madi gets related back to her loser coach husband (SORRY!)#the lesbians in media are genuinely vile people it's so heartbreaking #like i think it is a good thing that athletes are trying or whatever to get life laugh love work life balance #but i also think it makes sports so uninteresting to me sorry #and the fact that tennis is pushing NICK KYRGIOS so much #makes me sick to my stomach #i think my actual sports issue rn is that article about the bad hoover movie #and tyreek hill and brad pitt #and it's just like. oh this is not fun #and not having photoshop so not making gifs is like well #do i actually care? no

4 notes · View notes

pop-punklouis · 10 months

Note

About Taylor I honestly so agree with you. Since she reappeared for this tour basically she annoys me (the die hard fans too tbh) so much! Like everytime she says something i’m like « it can’t be that bad » and then it’s worst then I expected! Like how difficult is it to just think about things for two minutes? And that’s without talking about the private jet, the prices of concert tickets (when there is literally no reason for them to be so expensive) and the undeserved praise from left and right (i like her music, i like some of her lyrics no she is not the best singer of all time what??). Anyway sorry for the rant haha it’s just frustrating seeing people worshiping the ground she walks on for basically no reason and defending her for anything and everything😅

yeah like. she's become a mammoth presence in our pop culture. and for years, there has been an image cultivated by her and her team that advertises her as a blank canvas. she doesn't have any firm views. she doesn't speak out unless something is also affecting her, personally. she has no strong, public opinions about quite literally. anything. regardless of how significant or miniscule it is. she is whatever people want to project on her to be which is part of the reason she is so wildly successful and is why i believe there is such a frenzy when it comes to her fans. they aren't made up of one group of people. they are made up of wildly different groups of people who see her through their own lens and then defend her/praise her based on that.

that is why it is so difficult for anyone to really critique her, her music, and her career. pop music and pop stars used to be a lot easier to criticize and discuss. now, it's as if you have to be prepared to have an opinion other than the majority or else you'll be attacked by a fanbase or become exhausted with trying to explain yourself over and over to people who see their pop icon as a personal friend and if you say one less than positive thing about them, it is personal attack on the fan as well.

most people don't have the energy to try and have colorful discussions about pop stars anymore due to that. that's why you see such positive reviews and commentary and videos and think-pieces about pop music and pop stars now that overshadow anything else. it is overly-saturating the market instead of there being a healthy balance between praise and critique.

no one is perfect. no matter the platform. and if we continue to strip away the critiques and pointing out flaws when needed, we're going to be left with a very boring and bland pop culture landscape. it's okay to talk about things you don't like. it's okay to be a fan and call your favorite celeb out or critique something they're doing. it's okay to have discussions over these things. it's okay to not be a lover 100% of the time. that's not how life works. and that's not how pop culture should work either. people shouldn't feel anxious for sharing their true thoughts about something or someone.

#the time article caused a lot more people to vocalize their true thoughts and i thought it was fascinating to see after a full year of just #constant stream of positivity and frenzied love #and im not saying there's anything wrong with being positive and loving an artist with all your being #im just saying there has to be a balance too #grey

12 notes · View notes