#also i will just disable the reblog option if necessary

[bandzboy]

i would like to make a psa that like posts about idols, me ranting about the industry and boycott and so on are okay to reblog but if it’s obviously a personal post that’s what i just don’t think it’s okay to rb

[calendae-creations]

I could really use some help signal boosting my shop right now. I'm a disabled artist with no other income, and I'm in a bit of a situation because I haven't had a sale in nearly a month. I'm almost completely out of money, my phone broke last week so I can't update my shop or share WIP pics until I replace it, and I'm running low on some necessary meds. I've had to ask my parents for help paying for my storage unit for the second month in a row. There are projects I really want to be working on and sharing with y'all -- like a tapestry loom I'm making but am still short a few small parts for store -- but I can't do so until I get some sales or commissions! Reblogging this, or any of my other sales posts, would really help me out

My current inventory -- which includes shawls, hats, doilies, jewelry, kippot, bookmarks, and more -- is all available in my ko-fi shop, as are several customizable options for commissions. I am also happy to take commissions and custom orders aside from those options though! Just message me if you're interested!

I currently only offer shipping within USA in the shop, but if you need something shipped elsewhere, feel free to message me and we can get that sorted out.

[aloeverawrites]

Disclaimer: I made this post a while ago, off the top of my head, in response to an animal rights group that was rightly accused of being ableist. I wanted to try and show that you could care about guide dogs without being dismissive of people who’s are visually impaired but I’m not sure if I did that well. It’s only meant to start a conversation that can be lead by someone more qualified. Instead of reblogging I’d recommend looking for other perspectives on it, (and then sending me the links because I’d like to know more.)

So I have ideas about guide dogs, but I'm sighted so it's not really my place to discuss them.

Like I do think there's a problem with training one organism to serve another for their whole life. I think that if they also teach the dogs how to talk using those soundboards then this will be much better because at least they've agreed to it. Also they might be able to communicate with their carers more effectively and help them more.

And on the other hand, we've put dogs in a situation where being kept in the house all day and then being taken for maybe 1-2 walks a day is their best case scenario. So maybe it's actually better to teach a dog how to function in human society and give them an option to participate in it. I know that working can help human mental health, maybe it's the same for dogs.

And there's the important point that guide dogs help blind people and people with low-vision. It helps them have their needs and rights respected in a world that doesn't look for them they way it should.

Idk, maybe I'm just saying that we should see guide dogs as workers and not tools. And we see animals as objects/tools in general so while we should be changing that thinking maybe we should be focusing on animals that aren't necessary unlike guide dogs.

So yeah I'm not really making a definite statement on this, more trying to start a conversation. Also I'm hoping that my fellow vegans can look at this and figure out how to balance animal rights with human rights because I think that sometimes we ignore the human rights aspect.

So what do you guys think? How do we make things better for guide dogs and their disabled guardians? I'd especially like to hear from people who are vision impaired because they're the most important voices in this.

[cwilb]

⬆️ i don't really have a dni outside of this however with that being said i am a minor so heavily nsfw blogs also dni (if you post suggestive stuff thats fine as long as its tagged) and poppytwt/proshippers/anything like that will be blocked. in general i block any1 who makes me feel uncomfy and i get scared off easily so eerm yea‼️‼️

pronoun.cc

header and pfp

boundaries (please read)

HIYA!! im tumblr user cwilb, fka as featherduo and strawbeeduo! (large selection of names to pick from on my pronoun.cc listed above if u want more options!)

im a dsmp and (occasionally) a bursona blogger, insane about cpumpkinduo and anything related to minecraft. i love contradicting labels and xenogenders 🔥🔥

stuff about my blog:

heavily dsmp focused (mainly cquackity) outside of bursonas and personal posts (i love to yap about anything and everything!!)

romantic cbeeduo, calliumduo, and queer platonic/romantic coded cquackcicle are posted about on here so if any of those make you uncomfortable for any reason here is your warning to block/ignore me /gen

i tag any stuff that needs a trigger/content warning as "cw [thing]" and/or "cw [thing] mention]", my suggestive tag is just 'suggestive' i dont reblog or post nsfw (for obvious reasons) but if a joke is funny im reblogging it even if it happens to be kinda freaky LOL. if im unsure how to tag something itll be tagged as "ask to tag". once again feel free to ask me to tag anything! :]

⬆️ also any discourse-y posts are tagged with "discourse" + if necessary cws for mentions of people if they really suck (ex; cw wilbur mention,)

i try and put alt IDs but a lot of the time im unsure how to word them + i am disabled so i dont always have the spoons to, however you can always ask me to add any!

my previous blog was @preyduo (moved to here since it got too much attention for my comfort LOL) and before that it was sootisite which i deactivated :b

stuff about me:

I <3 MY BEST FRIENDS!!! /p they r literally my family for realsies go follow my brother

i am an aromantic acespec xenogender bi lesboy (i love contradicting labels and collecting xenogenders!!)

i am physically disabled and neurodivergent (many diagnosises that id prefer not to get into but i am an amnesiac and have elhers danlos)

ive been in the mcyt fandom since i was a little guy (og mcyt save me.. save me og mcyt /silly /ref)

i use tone indicators somewhat heavily (they are very helpful for me but you dont need to use them when messaging me as long as ur niceys if i need to ask what tone ur using /gen

dsmp is my spinterest!! (fave characters are cquackity, cniki, cschlatt, ghostbur, cranboo and ctommy)

some of the games i like include minecraft, slime rancher, tunnel town, animal jam, club penguin, roblox, and the sims 4! for shows i mainly just watch the same stuff over and over like gravity falls, mlp, and south park ^_^

tagging system:

all of the main tags i use can be found under my blogs featured tags (my blog -> magnifying glass icon -> boom done), all are self explanatory

[direct-actions]

Liberate the Internet -- Levels of Control

I've been thinking a lot about the way the internet has shrunk to just a few major platforms that can boost or silence us at a moment's notice.

I wanted to make a post talking about different types of platforms and the ways that they control what we see or say.

(disclaimer: I'm not an expert on this and am trying to start a conversation, so if you have more information or corrections please reblog and add / put in the comments / message me)

I'm not saying everyone needs to become experts on self-hosting (I don't know too much about it myself). There are options for people at all levels. So let's take a look.

Algorithms and Rules

This is your TikToks and your Facebooks. Here, all it takes is the algorithm being tweaked to suppress keywords or accounts and suddenly your content isn't being seen.

The pros here of course is that when you're not actively being suppressed, you have a much higher chance at reaching new people vs other options.

Moderated Spaces

Today, these platforms are generally separated into individual communities (think, MightyNetworks/Circle, Discord, forums, etc.). Reach is limited and niche, and content moderation is generally done by human beings instead of algorithms (with some exceptions).

The pros in these spaces are that you have stronger connections to people who will see your content, but your reach is narrower. As a community you get to decide what happens inside your group, but with the platform itself still in control, they could easily shut down an entire community if they wanted to.

Website Builders / Hosting

This is your Wordpress blogs, Blogger, and even Neocities, etc. Here, the website is mostly yours. You get to decide what's on it. Your content isn't being directly moderated or censored. But you're still part of a larger platform that helps connect / promote your site to others.

Pros here are of course you have MUCH more leeway in what you can post / share. Cons are that there is a lot less chance compared to some others for your website content to reach people. Also, your blog / site can in theory be disabled by the host platform if they decided to.

There's also using something like GoDaddy or IONOS or some other website hosting thing. There's a lot of variety and crossover in this area but basically the website belongs to you more than say a Wordpress Blog would. In theory the web host could decide to drop you but I think that's pretty rare.

Self-Hosting

This is now territory I'm not very familiar with but you could in theory fully host your own stuff making it harder for anyone to shut you down. There's even creating your own internet networks but that's way beyond me. (Really cool tho, I'd love to learn.)

Email Lists

This one is very different but I think really important. Email lists / mailing lists are not just for businesses wanting to promote their latest sale or latest online course. This is one of the most DIRECT ways you can have access to your followers if they're interested in what you have to say. No matter what happens to any platform, if you have their emails you will likely retain the ability to contact them (unless email is somehow destroyed but at that point I think we'll be having very different conversations)

(This could even be physical addresses or an old-school mailing list)

---

I bring this up because I'm really interested in moving toward a more autonomous and networked internet, and I think it's going to be necessary in the years to come.

Look up digital gardens for an example.

And if you're hoping to create / share anything online, consider diversifying the kinds of platforms you use, and pushing followers to places where you have more control over what you can share, and getting their emails.

[leedongwook]

seeing the other anons on here, regarding the whole reblog vs. like debate on tumblr, is interesting to me. and i must say that i'm a bit amused by the fact that getting blocked apparently causes so much anxiety in people that they simply refuse to use tumblr as intended. i was anxious when i got my first anon hate or when i was first blocked by someone 10+ years ago when i was still a teenager myself, but i'm glad that i always understood that none of this was a me problem. haters be hating, trolls be trolling. there are millions of bored, dissatisfied people who come online just because they think it's funny to make other people angry. this is why getting blocked and blocking others is a daily occurrence for every normal blogger on here, just as it's normal to meet people in real life who simply do not and will never like you for reasons x, y, and z. it's par for the course, it's life, baby, but nothing you should take personally because, in the end, we're all strangers here and none of this determines your value as a human being!

also, blocking is one of the most important tools to curate (a) your dash, (b) the tags you frequent, and (c) the interactions others have with you. it's quite literally the most polite, respectful, no-drama way to ensure that you do not start unnecessary online fights that are nothing but a big waste of time. the most efficient way to ascertain that you do not expose yourself to people, blogs, and content that you know make you angry, sad, or anxious. blocking is not a hateful action (well, if can be, but i think we should appreciate silence and keeping a respectful distance to each other over open hostility, flaming, and cancel culture). blocking is the tool we use to prevent trolling, cyberbullying, arguing, and cognitive dissonance. and that goes both ways! if somebody blocked you, always assume they have a reason for it, even if it may an incredibly simple or vague one. there must be one. and that's okay, and probably good for both of you. if the other person knows that you two will not get along, then trust in that decision and move on with your life.

like, this is the internet, with millions of strangers (many of them very young, and many more of them simply stupid af) who have very strong opinions on the most banal things you could never dream of arguing about. the other anon said they received hate for reblogging things: welcome to the club! i do point to what i already said above and want to ask directly: did you know that you can block anons in your inbox? did you know that you can disable the anonymous option in your inbox or even disable the entire inbox if necessary? did you know that you can disable comments and reblogs on your posts and that you can curate who is allowed to hit you up via chat function? did you screenshot the anon hate and share it privately with a friend so you can make fun of it together, as god intended? i promise that handling hate and curating your user experience aproperly gets easier the more you use all the tools that tumblr offers you.

most importantly, did you eventually manage to externalize the problem (i.e., realize that the real problem is the person who sent you hate) instead of internalizing it (i.e., thinking that you are not allowed to reblog/post anything anymore because some stranger on the internet was being an immature baby in your inbox once)? the last bit is essential. you have to learn that your blog is your house, and you can decorate it however you want, as long as you follow common netiquette regarding tagging and such. other are allowed to block you if that helps them curate their dash, as much as you are allowed to block them if that helps you to curate your dash.

if those are the big reasons why so many users are only liking posts but never reblogging nowadays, then i'm honestly unsure if you (@ the other anon, but also everybody else who might potentially read this and relate) should be on tumblr of all places. being able to handle some cognitive dissonance while you are blogging, whether it's because of something you come across while scrolling through tumblr or something that is directed towards you specifically, is essential. this is not instagram or twitter or tiktok, where the algorithm allows you to consume passively (i.e. liking posts) while remaining in your comfortable echo chambers and still contributing meaningfully to creative work, communities, and fandoms (i.e. your likes actually affect the algorithm in favor of the content you liked, which equals more exposure, which can even be turned into real life money).

tumblr is a content-centric website that is about curating your person dashboard and filling your own personal blog while not relying on a like-based algorithm. ergo, reblogs are the only currency on tumblr that truly counts because they are the only action that actively leads to the circulation of other people's content and facilitates the discovery of new blogs and users that you can connect/interact with. yes, liking is a quick form of appreciation, and we all use the like button for a variety of reasons that are all important in their own right, but you do not contribute to the survival of fandoms, to the real validation of creatives' works in form of more exposure (because unlike insta, tiktok, and co., likes and exposure are not linked here), and to the circulation of content by only using the like button. that passivity is not an issue on algorithm-based social networking sites because they do have an algorithm, but it surely is a problem on tumblr.

just to be clear: liking is not forbidden or frowned-upon in a general sense. but on tumblr dot com, unlike many other social networking sites, it's meant to be a side hustle at most.

if anyone feels unprepared or anxious to handle the tumblr-specific environment that was created for blogging (i.e you are meant to contribute by actually filling your personal blog with content that you either made yourself or that you reblog from others), then idk why y'all are here, in all honesty. i must ask this: do you even know what a blog is? it certainly feels like a lot of people all came here with the expectation that this is twitter 2.0, but the reason we're here is specifically because this is the blogging website. the website specifically made for blogging. why do people come to the blogging website just to refuse to reblog or post their own content? if all you want to do is use the like button, why aren't you literally anywhere else except here? nobody forces you to be here if that's not the type of social media experience that you enjoy. if you do not want to use the main feature of tumblr, which is Having Your Own Blog, then simply use sites where you do not have your own blog and are not expected to use said blog. it's as simple as that! don't complain when bloggers point out that you're simply invading their blogging space with foreign ideas of how netiquette must look like – tumblr has never been like the more popular sites, and that is a deliberate choice and something we love and appreciate it for! do you all also create wordpress accounts and then complain about having to use wordpress like it's intended to be used? do you also go to the gym and then complain that you have to actually use the dumbbells yourself instead of letting somebody else do all the work for you? i highly doubt it.

it makes absolutely no sense that so many people come to a place that has a specific environment only to refuse to adapt to how it works, which is why i find this entire debate so silly. we have so many websites we can choose from, but people choose to stay on the blogging website to complain about blogs and reblogs to the bloggers who have been blogging for years and actually know what blogging means.

meanwhile, the solution is so very simple: you could, instead, move the any algorithm-driven websites and click on every like button in sight until you die of old age! only liking posts does simply not meet the rightful expectations of the bloggers on tumblr who share their hard work on here and ask for no other reward except exposure, which is the same thing that every creator online wants, be it on twitter or insta or tiktok! exposure which you can only grant them with reblogs, because Liking Does Not Do Anything On A Website Without An Algorithm.

this weird passivity shrinks exposure to laughable sizes (200 notes max on a gifset that took hours, and 80% of those notes are likes?!), destroys creatives' motivation to create and share their work in the future, and inevitably deteriorates entire online communities and fandoms. if everyone was unwilling to blog on tumblr, this website would be empty. zero posts. empty dash. then what? you wouldn't be pressing any like buttons at all if everybody brought this attitude to the blogging website that was created specifically for sharing content. google dictionary on "sharing": have a portion of (something) with another or others; use, occupy, or enjoy (something) jointly with another or others. you enjoying a meal alone in your room (liking posts and not reblogging) is not the same as putting the meal on the table (reblogging it to your blog) and enjoying it with others (followers seeing your reblogs on their dash).

it's stupid. imposing algorithm-rotted expectations on how tumblr is supposed to work even though (a) it is fundamentally different from other social media sites and (b) has no fucking algorithm is stupid.

tl;dr tumblr netiquette does not have to adapt to you; you are the ones who have to adapt to the tumblr netiquette. people who have been here for years are rightfully angry at you for not adhering to the easily understandable social contract between creators and consumers.

I’m just gonna leave this here ✌️

[agoraphobiclapine]

As a disabled service dog handler.....fuck the Oscar's for the emotional support donkey thing. Emotional support animals are a legitimate treatment option for many and CAN be utilized as intended but are FRQUENTLY are used by people that do not need them abusing the system and break many laws. Most importantly ESA's don't have public access rights and joking that "that's what you had to tell the airlines to get her on the plane" is just...NO. so I figured my blog needs a little SD info but I didn't want to reblog anyone onto this account because....well this is a kink blog and I don't want to disrespect anyone by including them here without their consent.

SPEAKING OF THIS POST IS TIED TO A KINK/FETISH ACCOUNT COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO THIS POST SO BE WARNED

Little run down since I know not everyone is familiar

Service animal

a dog or miniature horse* [yes, service minis are very real] specifically trained in tasks to help a disabled person mitigate their disability and navigate life. They have access to almost everywhere the public has access to (only limitations being places where it is genuinely unsafe for the dog or a sterile environment) and are HIGHLY trained to help their handler. Any breed of dog can be a service dog, yet the "big four" aka the most common breed are: Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retriers, Standard Poodles, and Collies. (This is often expanded to include German shepherds, yet MANY German shepherds "wash" (flunk)out of service dog training. Service animals MUST be potty trained and MUST be under control of their handler at all times.

The only legal questions a business or place can ask of a service dog and their handler are

• Is that a service animal required because of a disability?

•what work or task has the dog been trained to preform?

They are not allowed to ask for medical information/a diagnosis/anything related to your disability and are not allowed to require the dog to demonstrate a task.

Baiscally SERVICE DOGS assist ONE person in MANY non pet friendly environments through tasks.

Emotional support animal

a pet/companion animal that is deemed medically necessary for a mentally ill individual. They do not go through special training and do not have public access rights. They also do not have to be a specific type of animal. They have rights to accompany their owner in all forms of housing where animals would otherwise not be allowed and also are exempt from fees in situations like these.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS assist ONE person or household in ONE non pet friendly environment through there general companionship and are not trained to do so.

THERAPY DOG

a dog trained and certified to volunteer in hospitals/courthouses/schools/nursing homes to bring joy to and improve the general mood of people that need them.

THERAPY DOGS assist MANY people in MANY environments through their companionship and are trained to do so in a calm manner.

Here's part of why this is an issue

-my service dog and I have been attacked by an aggressive dog falsely labeled and misrepresented as a "service esa in training" [not a thing] because many people don't know the laws or care about disabled people and just want their pets with them

- there are no LEGAL registries for service animals in the US. Anyone can go online and get a doctors note and piece of paper saying their dog is an emotional support or service animal but that doesn't magically make them one.

-because of misuse, airlines rules have been changed to only allow service dogs. This excludes: legitimately task trained service horses, emotional support animals that are ACTUALLY NEEDED by people with REAL MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. And has also made the entire process of bringing your service animal on a flight more difficult....and yet still pet dogs end up causing problems on flights.

- service mini handlers often experience heightened discrimination because people aren't as aware of/educated about them. They have photos and videos taken of them without their consent at a higher rate than service dog teams (still not okay btw I know my service dog is FABULOUS but I don't want photos of me/him on your phone without permission)

*miniature horses as service animals

Why?:

because mini horses can live and work a lot longer than dogs ESPECIALLY for mobility tasks. A mini can work well into their 20s while giant breed dogs of a similar size rarely even LIVE into double digits and often only have around three woring years.

some people have dog allergies

some religions do not allow dogs in the house

Some people are more comfortable with horses/may be scared of dogs o have a household member scared of dogs.

What about their poop?

They are trained just like service dogs to go to the bathroom on command. Some are even litter box trained.

What about their size?

Mini horses can be a MAXIMUM of 34" tall and a majority of them are smaller, especially when carefully selected to work. The one service mini we met was 27" tall at the withers...my service dog is 28"tall at the withers. The horse mentioned in this is ~130 lbs.

What about their hooves?

With care from a farrier, they do not cause any issues to their environment and aren't as sensitive to cold/heat like a dogs paws would be. They can wear boots if there is a concern for the noise or flooring

Don't they stink?

Just like service dogs, they require FREQUENT grooming and are held to a higher standard of cleanliness than many people and especially most children.

[xeniden]

Suppose I should tell y'all what the flag means huh?

I realized I didn't make a post about the flag & my stance on xeniden flags as a whole.

First off, this flag is meant to cover all xenidens at once. Past, present, & future. This one flag in itself is friendly to any & all xeniden labels. It is the ultimate catch-all.

[Read more under the cut ..]

Second, this isn't really a flag template, and I'd strongly prefer if no one made a (public) template without my explicit permission.

Generally, I'd prefer xenidens to not have pride flags with them since they aren't an lgbt++ thing and I do not want them to get mistaken as genders/sexualities/etc since they are not, and I would love to encourage colour palettes and visual aesthetics/moodboards because they give more inspiration to the xeniden itself rather than the concept of "just having a flag for it." (If you look at seaiden, you will notice I created a colour palette in the middle circle, but not as a flag!)

Visual representations in the form of moodboards also lends way to tons of creative options for one to represent a term coined. This is about expression and self-perception!

And, as a reminder, xenidens are allo cishet nt+ friendly too. Everyone is welcome as long as they are using labels in good faith! Flags tend to be used for lgbt/disabled/nd/etc communities only (afaik, I may be wrong though lol)

If you still want to make a flag, you can, but for the foreseeable future, no flags will be considered "official," even if you made it along with a term you have coined. I will still reblog qualifying posts even if they do have flags though!

I'm not ANTI-flag, I just don't feel that they are necessary here. If you have an excellent argument for why you feel flags are necessary to include, or 100% should be considered official any time one is made, please let me know! Can't say my opinion will for sure change but you're free to argue with me lol (/g)

Alright, onto what the flag actually means:

Upside down rainbow similar to xenogender flag: Represents a loose parallel to lgbt & xenic communities but not exactly the same; just based around identity and self-expression.

Blue & pink: Representing traditional masculinity & femininity & how it ties into one facet of our traditional self-expression, as well as how a lot of things in our cultures are often tied to one or the other arbitrarily.

Yellow: Representing things outside of the binary of masc & fem, to do with individualistic expression without the direct influence of the former two categories.

Cyan & orange: An even further extension outside of the binary or trinary, representing expression free from anything traditional styles would like us. These also represent complete nonconformity and the ability to just do what you want. It doesn't mater what "colour" what you like is, all that matters is it's you!

Circle: Represents what "you" are, one whole who has many facets; of which xenidens can represent just one part of your whole without necessarily directly interfering with others. Can also represent a feeling of whole-ness that some have expressed after discovering xenidens; the full & complete freedom to just Vibe(tm) with your identity without gendered (or other) restrictions.

Lines within circle: Represents the different parts of self as mentioned above, how even if these parts may or may not be divided, similar or related, they all are part of you, and thus are within the boundaries of the circle. They are horizontal to match with the stripe pattern of the rest of the image. It also seems to form an "equals" sign, which represents how we are all welcome to xenidens, and all xenidens are treated as equals to one another in every circumstance. Can also represent how xeniden labels are just as valid as all other labels people use to describe themselves.

*.+

Xeniden Carrd in case you have no clue what I'm going on about

*.+

Please don't edit or re-vamp this flag without my permission!!!

[sophieinwonderland]

You've ignored my reblogs, so I'll just come to you directly: Peaceful Protest against Nazis is only possible by Nazis. At Rosenstrasse it was Aryan Nazis protesting that their Privilege was being infringed upon. During the protests to recover their husbands and wives, 10,000 other Jewish people went through the Jewish Administration Building at 2-4 Rosenstrasse. The only reason the machine guns didn't fire was because of all the blue eyed blondes in the crowd.

It also remains ridiculous to suppose that people who would be -targeted- by the Nazis should protest peacefully. Again, Rosenstrasse didn't turn into a bloodbath because the commander looked out on "Ubermensch" and didn't want to kill them. Meanwhile the White Rose were arrested, tried, convicted, and beheaded IN THE SAME DAY because they tried to share leaflets opposing Fascism. 11am, arrested. Dead before dinner. Had Rosenstrasse been Jewish people, the machine guns would've fired.

Oh. and the "Study" you linked while talking about the effectiveness of Nonviolent Protest to try and say that it would've worked? Notes that the preference for nonviolence has increased, but it's effectiveness has decreased. Which, again... yeah, not really an option. Trans people like me, "Mentally Ill" people like most of us, physically disabled people, LGBTQ+ in general, Jewish, Black. any of us at a peaceful protest in a Nazi Regime? Dead. En Masse.

I agree with most of your points. But I don't think it's anymore true of violent revolution, is it? If your goal is overthrowing the regime, it's almost impossible without majority support. I don't think a violent contingent of minority groups would have faired better against fascists than nonviolence.

I think that maybe the problem is that we might be focusing on different goals. My previous posts were focused on overthrowing the leadership or enacting change. That's not realistic without a majority support.

On the other hand, if your goals are self-defense or escape, and helping others get to safety, violence is absolutely going to be necessary.

I guess my position is this:

Violence is more often than not less effective for regime change and garnering support of potential allies.

Violent actions will be necessary in defense of yourself and others from the regime.

Would you disagree with this position?

Oh, and regarding the source, I'm not sure what part you're referencing. Here's the table showing the success rates of nonviolent campaigns vs violent ones:

It does show that effectiveness of nonviolent campaigns have decreased in past 10 years. But it also shows that it's still significantly more effective than violent campaigns, nearly 4 times as much, which have also been decreasing in effectiveness. (Albeit less so.)

(It also shows that violent campaigns were more effective in the 40s, specifically, so it's probably a mistake for me to try to apply modern standards to that time period.)

[sy5starplaty]

I’m not reblogging much on this URL anymore - especially regarding social issues - but I just want to get this out there in case any one of my 1k followers is wondering...

I’m pro-choice.

I believe abortion is a necessary procedure sometimes; and often that necessity isn’t just about physical health, but also mental wellbeing & financial security. 

Because of that, it’s up to the person immediately affected to be well informed of the risks (physical, mental & social) to decide if it’s the right course of action for them.

I’m not exactly pro-abortion, though. What I want is for the world to progress to a need for no abortions (just like I want it to progress to a need for no chemotherapy). But the world isn’t there yet, so we have to make do with the limited options that are available. 

First and foremost, I am PRO the LIFE of the person with the uterus (& related organs). Their needs come first.

I feel sad that anyone needs to make that decision for whatever reason. I feel sad that whatever birth control methods they or their partner were using didn’t prevent the pregnancy. 

I feel angry when that situation is forced upon them - through violence, coercion, and medical/government interference.

My faith is Christianity, but I was not brought up with the “abortion is murder” mindset (either at home or in my church). 

However, it was present at my Christian high school. There was a talk from a woman who had supposedly been an “aborted baby”. She said she had a disability because of that. She was there to tell the girls not to have an abortion should they get pregnant too young. 

I had no interest in sex so it wasn’t a factor to me & I wasn’t socially active so I couldn’t be a “rape target”... 

[Sorry, I was brought up with this mindset. I was told it wasn’t the girl’s fault if she was raped, whatever she’s wearing, but was also told not to go to certain places just in case it happened (like, it would be my fault for being there). Because there are sinful non-Christian people who do these horrible things. Also sinful Christian people, but I wasn’t to learn that for a few years.]

Anyway, point is I didn’t pay much attention to her warnings... But I did feel sick that the school thought it was important to have this woman around to talk to the girls at my school, and to basically imply that all abortions are bad. 

The truth is, all abortions are sad. 

And most are necessary (especially the ectopic ones, like WTF are people suggesting those can be saved?).

Some might not be necessary for any of the reasons I’ve given, but I don’t hate anyone for choosing it. I hate that their circumstance put them in that situation. 

There is not enough justice in this world. I feel like there used to be a lot more, but I also recognise that was my middle-class white Australian privilege making it seem that way. 

Not that my life was all that great, but I was definitely sheltered from most of the crap I’ve learned in the last 20 years. It’s been a learning curve to say the least, but one I’m grateful to be on. I just wish I could do more to improve society. 

[glittertimes]

It's not valentine's day anymore but I have some thoughts lol! Like I wish things didn't have to be so black & white sometimes? I feel like you can learn a lot from the ways aspec folks challenge amatonormativity and a lot of the ideas about love and care / being kinder that lot of lgbt folks are drawn to lately.

I don't think they have to cancel each other out, or that all discussions about love are inherently amatonormative. Also I think lgbt folks who aren't aspec deserve a place where they can talk about crushes and reblog silly things about love and other things.

I also don’t think making posts about being kind or about love being important is amatonormative. And I’m saying this as someone who’s identified as aspec since I was like 15 and wants acceptance and inclusion for aspec folks.

But I think fighting against the idea that human connection is necessary is kind of dangerous? Not because I want to preserve hetero/amatonormativity but because just like society pushes us to be in romantic relationships, it also pushes us to be sort of uncaring and value individuality over connection. 

And just like amatonormativity is a product of capitalism, so are the isolation and loneliness that make amatonormativity so prevalent! I don’t think we can really tackle amatonormativity without talking about isolation / loneliness and how that affects different groups of people!

I wrote an essay on amatonormativity for a class 2 years ago, and the whole concept of amatonormativity is built off the way it harms women, lgbt folks, people of color and disabled folks! These groups are already marginalized and isolated bc of societal stigma and bigotry. And I think connection / collaboration are key to fighting oppression! 

No one needs romance to have value or to live a good life, but we do need each other in some way. Isolation also makes it harder for aspec folks to collaborate with lgbt folks who aren’t aspec, so we end up coming up with really different ideas that are sometimes harmful or misguided. 

All I’m trying to say is that lgbt folks making uquizzes is not the same thing as romantic love being frequently commodified / sold to us and positioned as the only option. Also feeling excluded doesn’t justify being rude to others or invalidating their experiences as well. 

[lesbianologist]

HELP A HEALTHCARE WORKER [CLICK TO READ MORE]

quick tldr: need $482.92 to pay off remaining tuition (BA psych) so i can graduate in january and request transcript to apply for a master’s program (which also begins in january).

hi! i’m a working-class nonbinary lesbian, and i’m a healthcare worker. i’ve worked this entire pandemic providing care to adults with intellectual disabilities in a small options group home in canada (east coast). when the pandemic hit, we were unable to work at other jobs (they want to keep exposure to covid minimal). normally, i pick up shifts at multiple other homes. right now, unfortunately, i can’t which means i am finding money very tight as i am not receiving pandemic/hazard pay from my gov. i received a one-time payment of $1300 and i used that to pay off some necessary bills i owed, the rest was on my visa (which is now maxxed out). i am just about to graduate with my BA in psychology and i’m applying for another program at a different university but i need to pay off my current remaining tuition at this one ($922.82). i need to get that amount below $200. right now, i have $352.13 in my bank account. i can use $250 of that towards my remaining balance which leaves me with $672.82 remaining. as i said, i need to have it below $200. i’d love to have all of it funded (all $672.82) but i understand times are difficult. so all i’m asking for is at least $482.92 so i can get it down to $190 and request the official transcript and (hopefully!!!!!....) pay the rest myself.

NOTE: THE $425 IS HALF OF MY RENT FOR THE END OF THE MONTH, I CANNOT USE IT AT ALL!!!!!! THE $1028.20 IS WHAT I OWE ON MY VISA (IT IS MAXXED OUT; PAID FOR BILLS WITH IT). i do NOT have cashapp/venmo (i live in canada), but i do have a paypal. please help if you can, and if you can’t, please just reblog, share, like, etc.

thanks to anyone who can help.

proof:

[rannadylin]

So, since the option for @new-xkit-extension users to keep the old dash (with working Xkit extensions) appears to be gone now I’m just gonna start a list both for my own reference and for requests to tumblr staff of the extensions I am now finding it hardest to do without, more or less in order of how much I miss them. Feel free to add your own must-haves! (and the list at https://github.com/new-xkit/XKit/issues/1802 is handy for tracking which extensions in Xkit have already been updated for the new dash...)

[ETA a read more as my list got longer than I expected!]

Read Posts: oh my goodness when I’m catching up in the morning, or in the evenings after work once going back in to work will be a thing, it is so frustrating not to have that dimmed post tell me that I’m all caught up now! How many posts will I obliviously scroll through multiple times before realizing I saw that one the last time I read through my dash? The fact that many posts show up multiple times in reblogs makes it even harder to keep track of where you left off, so the disabling of this extension has thrown my tumblr routine into considerable confusion. I’m either gonna end up rereading everything from the last time I caught up or I’m gonna not catch up all the way because I’ll see a reblog that I know I saw in my previous catch-up session and it’ll actually be someone else’s reblog of the same post so I’ll miss whatever came before it.

No Recommended (or possibly it was Anti-Capitalism): it’s supposed to hide the recommended posts that come from your followed tags and then just show up on your dash as if you were following the OP. At least I think this is the extension that was removing those for me? It’s actually checked on the list linked above so maybe it was a different extension that had this covered. At any rate, the first I realized the “revert to old dashboard” option must have been eliminated was when I started seeing these again, sigh. Now I may just unfollow all my followed tags and see if that stops them from throwing up random blogs I didn’t ask to see.

Shorten Posts: Oh my goodness things are so LONG now. And is the font bigger? Less of each post, especially longer or photo posts, fits on the screen at a time and so it takes longer to get through it. Might have to unfollow blogs as well as my followed tags just to have the time to keep up with what I do follow.

Read More Now: UGH, “Keep reading” links open in a separate tab again. :-( It’s a hassle and RMN made it so much more streamlined.

ETA: When not on the dash but on the dash-style version of my own blog (so tumblr.com/blog/rannadylin that is), clicking the “Keep Reading” opens up like this extension used to? Hm i’ll need to check next time a read more comes up on my dash whether it’s been updated to work there too...

Quick Tags: Looks like if reblogging or making a post from your dash you can no longer use this extension to add tag bundles for quick & easy organization of posts. Oh my goodness. I’m already tired at the thought of typing them all out by hand. (Side note: The Activity page seems to still be untouched by the changes - extensions that apply to it are still working - so if you go to that page first then click the new post icon, you can use the tag bundles. No good for reblogging though, unless you are reblogging a post from your activity page somehow?)

Auto Tagger: Not quite as annoying as the loss of Quick Tags since this one I mostly just used for things like “queue” and “ranna reblogs” on non-original posts and “from the desk of ranna” on original posts, and that’s just one tag to add. But you can be sure I’ll forget to add them most of the time, so there goes that layer of organization (and the option of blocking those tags if you didn’t want to see that portion of content from my blog). 

Cancel that; it looks like this one is still working as I just attempted to reblog something and my auto tag for that showed up!

Er...maybe not, since it just used my original post tag on a reblog instead of the tag that should go on things I reblog.

Tag Tracking+: I mean, this one won’t be necessary if I have to unfollow my tracked tags to make tumblr stop putting posts from the tags on my dash from blogs I don’t follow, but also now it’s not as simple to find those followed tags...so that I can unfollow them...

Header Options: I used this to “Show my blogs on the header” so I had quick links to switch between this, my main blog, and sideblogs like @roleplayers-of-eternity and @pillarspromptsweekly. So that’s just a few extra clicks to do that switching but still it slows things down overall. Heeeey, this one just got updated and looks functional on the new dash now! Huzzah!

Blacklist: Well, the new tumblr has something of the sort built in but I haven’t blacklisted as many things there as I had in Xkit so I’m not entirely sure yet (until I start comparing blacklisted phrases on the posts that are being hidden by whatever) if this one’s still working or if it’s just tumblr’s blacklisting that’s working. I suppose as long as we have one functional version of this it’s fine. (On a third thought, it might be the separate-from-Xkit Tumblr Savior extension that’s working again now? While I had the Xkit “Revert to old dashboard” option switched on I don’t think TS worked with that but maybe it’s been updated for the new dash?)

OK after some cross checking I think it is Tumblr Savior that has the blacklist phrases I’m seeing with a “Content Warning” hiding the post. Not sure if Xkit’s Blacklist is also working but that is quite possible...we’ll see if I can find a post hidden that is only blacklisted there...

ETA: Annnnd I just saw a post blocked with a tag I only had blacklisted in the Xkit Blacklist! So, good, it looks like all versions of blacklist functions are working.

Now for one that wasn’t even an extension, I don’t think: you know how you can hit J to scroll down a post and K to scroll up a post? Well that still works; but previously you could then hit the right arrow key to go to the next page of posts if you don’t have endless scrolling on (or left arrow to go to the previous page if you need to) and it appears those no longer function that way. So farewell to mouse-free dash scrolling, I guess, gonna have to click that Next > button every time manually now.

Also, upon going to my Queue to see if there are extensions broken there that I will miss (e.g. Scroll to Bottom for when you need to quickly find the most recent thing you queued to adjust tags or something), it...isn’t actually showing any of my queued posts? What?

As noted earlier, the Activity page is not yet switched over to “new” tumblr, and it looks like the Inbox isn’t either, so the Outbox extension still works which is great for old folks like me prone to forgetting whether we already sent that ask we meant to send. *ahem* In other words, if the Inbox switches to the new engine or whatever and this extension goes away, UGH.

ETA: Oh and I just noticed as I added some indented bullet points to the list above...they’re all showing up at the first level of indentation, not outline-style like intended, when viewed on the actual dash. Sigh.

On the bright side of the changes, it definitely seems to load faster on the new dash! And as I’m going through my list of Xkit extensions there are several that I see are actually redundant now because their functionality is already a part of the new dash. If Tumblr can incorporate the usability features that we used to have to turn to 3rd party extensions to supply, that’ll be great!

[intersectionalenvironmentalism]

Accessible Plastic Swaps - Food Storage Part 3

Bottles

Plastic bottles are a common target in the environmentalism community, and for good reason (Note: this article is over 3 years old). So what can we do about it? As with many of my posts, I’m going to mention a few ways that I’ve seen environmentalists provide a solution for this problem, and discuss some alternatives for those who can’t participate in those solutions.

The most trendy products I’ve seen are no doubt good solutions (given you actually reuse them and don’t over-consume them either!). Metal and glass bottles come in fun colors and patterns, I myself have a metal bottle from my school and a metal coffee mug with a cat on it! I’ve also seen reusable cups with lids and straws here and there.

Now, what do you do if you don’t have the money or ability to use them?

Budget wise, I buy most of my stuff second-hand if I can, or at least at a discount store. If you’re in college, go to school events and you’re almost guaranteed to find a reusable bottle. There are also cheaper reusable bottles made from a more durable plastic. I’ve mentioned before that reusable plastic is still better than single-use (a note on plastic safety)! You can also bring mugs and cups from home, I do so whenever I get coffee from a shop! Also, if you can buy a drink--like soda for example--in a glass bottle or aluminum can, you can wash and recycle it after without having to purchase a whole reusable bottle (however, you could argue it’s better to buy a reusable bottle since the extra cost of the glass bottles could add up, but I digress).

For my followers with strength or motor control problems, reusing your favorite “single-use” plastic bottle until you need to throw it away is a great option too. At this blog post, which is more for fighting climate change as a disabled person in general, the author mentions how they reuse plastic bottles that work for them. See the aforementioned link for safety regarding reusing plastic!

It can be difficult, if not impossible, for some folks to use glass containers due to broken glass being a possibility, as can having memory issues that prevent you from being able to bring a reusable container in general, so remember to be kind to yourself and do what you can when you can. Environmentalism doesn’t start and end at reusable bottles, and you don’t need to do everything to do your part!

For more info about the plastic problem and why recycling isn't an end-all-be-all solution see this link. (Note: it mentions an ableist example of why single use plastic is bad, so just a reminder that wrapped/encased cut-up produce is necessary for people who are unable to cut produce themselves)

Plastic bottles, like all single use plastic, is an issue that we are still learning to deal with. There are many options out there to reduce your plastic bottle usage, but remember that not everyone can participate! Find what works for you, and do what you can!

If you have any other options to reduce your plastic bottle usage, reply or reblog with your ideas!

[keplercryptids]

Attention MaxFun fans!

As you may or may not know, despite having a huge audience base, MaxFun doesn’t currently provide transcripts for its shows.

Transcripts are necessary for many people. Without them, whole disabled populations don’t have access to entire genres of entertainment (in this case, most podcasts). 

That’s where you can help!

Contact Jesse Thorn and request that MaxFun start providing transcripts for their shows!

You can do that either by emailing Jesse at jesse@maximumfun.org or by filling out the contact form on maxfun’s site. (Just select “contact Jesse personally” as the category). You can either write your own message, or feel free to use the template below:

I’m contacting you today with some accessibility concerns. Across the board, there aren’t transcripts provided for MaxFun shows. Transcripts benefit deaf and hard of hearing people, as well as neurodivergent folks, people with audio processing disorders, people learning English as a second language, and the list goes on. Without transcripts, these folks are simply shut out from whole mediums, unfortunately including most podcasts.

Disabled people should not bear the responsibility of making the world accessible for them. That’s why it’s so important that accessibility is built into a creation from the start. It’s why we need able-bodied people to care about accessibility so that the burden is not put on disabled folks.

I really hope you will seriously reconsider this, look into cost-effective options and do everything you can to make your network an accessible place.

(and feel free to customize that however you want!)

He's also on tumblr, @jessethorn so you can reach out to him that way if you'd prefer!

Please also reblog this post so we can get the word out!

Thanks for being an awesome accessibility advocate, you rock and ily.

[cnrothtrek]

A quick and dirty guide to mental health professionals, for fanfic writers

Note: Specific qualification requirements might vary from state to state and country to country

There’s more to professional counseling than just being empathetic and giving good advice. It is a complex discipline that requires a lot of education, training, and practice. Beyond that, not all mental health practitioners are therapists. Here is a quick and dirty guide to mental health practitioners so that you can better represent this under-appreciated (and often mis-represented) professional field.

Important terms to know:

In this article, I use the terms “psychotherapy” and “mental health counseling” interchangeably. Basically, they both refer to a specific type of counseling that is used to treat mental disorders and other mental health concerns. I use these more specific terms to distinguish this type of counseling from other types of counseling that are not meant to treat mental disorders (such as pastoral or academic counseling).

“Supervised clinical experience” basically means practicing psychotherapy under the supervision of someone who is qualified to train specific mental health professionals. This is integral to learning how to practice psychotherapy, because counseling is a skill that must be honed through practice. It can’t be taught in school, magically absorbed into the brain with a spell, or programmed into an artificial intelligence. Only hard-won experience can really teach someone how to counsel.

Ethics/Licensing Boards: These are the people mental health professionals must answer to. Each profession has a different certifying entity with different rules and codes of ethics that professionals are required to follow, but in general they have the power to grant, suspend, or revoke licenses.

Treatment Team: This term refers to a group of qualified professionals from multiple different disciplines who work collaboratively to treat patients/clients. The composition of treatment teams can vary, but it often includes such professionals as a medical doctor/psychiatrist, nurse or nurse practitioner, nurse assistant, psychologist, mental health counselor, and social worker.

Types of professionals:

Psychiatrist: A medical doctor who has a doctoral degree (4+ years in graduate medical school) plus clinical training in medical and psychiatric practice (4+ years in residency). They must also pass a licensure exam, complete a set number of continuing education hours, and renew their license every 3 years. Many psychiatrists don’t perform psychotherapy, choosing to focus primarily on assessment and medical treatment of mental disorders, and/or on research. Some, however, do choose to have an integrated medical/psychotherapeutic practice.

Psychiatric Nurse: A Registered Nurse or Nurse Practitioner who has, in the past three years, clocked at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience in psychiatric mental health care, completed a set number of continuing education hours, and passed a board certification exam. They must renew their nursing license every 2 years and their certification every 5 years. Psychiatric nurses do not perform psychotherapy, but may use basic counseling skills to help patients in other ways.

NOTE: ONLY QUALIFIED MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS CAN PRESCRIBE, ADMINISTER, OR RECOMMEND SPECIFIC MEDICATIONS. If your character is a “counselor” or “therapist” who also does any of these things, they are probably a psychiatrist. Other mental health professionals may suggest medication (in general, not specific drugs) to a client as an option for treatment, but will refer the client to a qualified medical professional if the client is interested in learning more. It is unethical for a mental health professional without a medical degree to make specific medical recommendations or to administer medication.

Psychologist: A person with a doctoral degree (4+ years in graduate school) in psychology. Psychologists can be psychotherapists, but not all of them are; some focus only on research, while others work for companies and corporations. If they do practice psychotherapy, they must have clocked 3,000 hours (or about 2 years) of supervised clinical experience and pass a licensure exam. License will need to be renewed every 2 years and requires a set number of continuing education hours.

Mental Health Counselor: These are professionals who have a master’s degree (2+ years in grad school), have clocked 3,000 hours (or about 2 years) of supervised clinical experience, and have passed a licensure exam. Licensure must be renewed every 2 years and requires a set number of continuing education hours. Note that this is an umbrella term, under which I am including

Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC)

Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHC)

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)

Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)

Social Work: Social workers are difficult to summarize as they do a lot of different things and can work pretty much anywhere there are people, so here is a very abridged version of professionals in this field.

A caseworker or case manager is someone who manages individual clients in various settings, helps them access services, provides them with information, and advocates for their needs. They are required to have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a field related to health and human services (e.g. social work, psychology, nursing, etc). Their employers might encourage or require them to pass a case manager certification exam.

A Licensed Master of Social Work is required to have a master’s degree (2+ years) and pass a licensure exam. LMSW’s often rely on basic counseling skills, but do not perform psychotherapy. They might, however, lead various kinds of groups. They can also be caseworkers, provide psychoeducation, or do a variety of other tasks for their clients and/or communities.

Licensed Clinical Social Workers can do any of the above tasks, but they are also qualified to perform psychotherapy. They are required to clock 3,000 hours (or about 2 years) of supervised clinical experience and pass a licensure exam.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are other ways to be a mental health professional. One can be a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, for instance, and help individuals who struggle with substance use disorders.

Professionals who provide other types of counseling include lawyers, pastors, life coaches, caseworkers, school/academic counselors, chemical dependency counselors. I’m sure I’m missing a few, but you get the point. Not all counselors can do psychotherapy.

Most of this won’t be stuff you include in your fics. I write fiction, as well, and I know that this sort of information is rarely, if ever, necessary for the plot. It is, however, important for writers to keep in mind if they are writing characters who might use the services of these professionals (or who might be these professionals).

Representation matters, and it’s so important that mental health professionals are portrayed in ways that do not undercut their skills, training, or value to society and to the people they help. Sometimes, proper representation is hard and the terminology is confusing, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for poor representation. Mental disabilities are highly stigmatized, and people who have them are socially oppressed in many ways. But content creators can be on the frontlines of pushing for positive change by way of equal, accurate, and compassionate representation in media. That takes some extra work, but it is well worth the effort. It could literally save lives.

The take-homes here are these:

Mental health practitioners have to do a LOT of training to become qualified practitioners.

Not all counselors are psychotherapists.

Not all mental health professionals are psychotherapists.

It takes a LOT of work and skill to become a psychotherapist, much of which is based in hard-earned experience that cannot be simply learned from a textbook or database.

Please reblog to spread awareness. This isn’t something many people outside of the field know, but it’s so important. And please keep this in mind when you write about counseling and/or mental health treatment in your fics.

Also, if there’s anything you think should be added to this post, let me know in the comments and reblogs.

Thank you.