#also remember to keep boycotting mcdonalds

[soggy-fishsticks]

[goemon-fan]

How to Help Palestine

This post is intended to guide those who have no idea on how to help Palestine. I am making this as quick as possible, so please inform me if there is another source you would like me to add, or if any of these sources are inaccurate.

According to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, what we, the average person, can do to help Palestine is:

Educate ourselves (reading and learning Palestine's history)

Advocate for change (writing to representatives, voting, protesting, and petitions)

Staying informed and engaged (reading reputable news sources, don't stop talking about Palestine!)

Supporting Palestinian businesses (and boycotting those businesses which do not support Palestine)

Donating to reputable organizations (the PCRF is a great one, however there is also gazaesims.com, Doctors without Borders, UNWRA, and these)

Notice how many of these are free and easily available.

Education

Decolonizepalestine.com, and more specifically its reading list, is a great start. I highly recommend this Palestine Masterlist Google Doc, it provides free resources and just about everything you need to be informed and educated. This Carrd is also informative and easy to understand. Pluto Books is having a sale on books about Palestine, and Verso Books even provides ebooks for free. Words without Borders provides free stories from Palestinian writers. This website also links to free resources. It is also worth checking out your local library to see if they have any available books about Palestine.

Advocate for Change

Email script; send the message as often as you can, and keep track of possible responses from your representatives. If they're advocating for Is---l (such as my representative is, however I do not want to doxx myself; however, they are Republican) vote them out.

Ceasefiretoday.com provides a master list of advocacy resources.

Staying Informed and Engaged

Aljazeera.com is a great resource for current news regarding Gaza, the U.S. government, and the victims of this violence.

As for staying engaged, don't stop talking about Palestine! Talk with your friends, family, anyone about what is happening, and use your newfound education to educate others! Make a stand and cut Z---ists out of your life!

Support Palestinian Businesses

This is a good beginning list, but feel free to branch out to other Palestinian brands.

However, make sure to boycott these companies, and remember to check any produce you buy (especially dates for Ramadan) to see if it is produced by Is---l.

Donating to Reputable Organizations

Here is this charity list again. Make sure that your charity of choice:

Is going to Gaza/Palestine and

Advocates for a ceasefire

Be on the lookout for scams, and if you want to help Palestinians directly without running the risk of a scam, eSims for Gaza is a great source; and, you're making history! You get to tell your ancestors how you fought for Palestinians!

What Now?

As a final note, every little bit counts. Please do not remain silent even if you run a fan account or have a particular "aesthetic," please do not allow your fandom to remain silent, please do not fall for the fallacy that there's no way you can fight against an entire government. There is strength in numbers, and every little action you make contributes, whether for better or worse. Please do not support Z-----t actors or media, please do not drink Starbucks or buy McDonalds because that is what is convenient for you, please do not choose ignorance and silence to what is happening. I am not asking you to sacrifice or put your life on hold, but you do need to care. Thank you.

[blessedarethebinarybreakers]

Do you have any advice for talking to people who aren't well-informed about what is going on in Gaza? One of my really close friends for over 10 years now has really conservative parents and she just :// she just kind of believes a lot of the conservative stuff they say and she hears others around her say. After the attacks of Oct. 7th, I think I remember her saying that the Bible says we should always stand with Israel which is just so :((

I want to inform her but I'm unsure of how to, and if it would even work. I'm scared of her response because I really love her and we've been so close for so long but I don't feel comfortable with her being so uninformed and I'm scared of her response. Do you have any advice and even pray for me to be given wisdom on how to handle this with care and love? Thank you ^^

Hey there! Thank you for your courage in even wanting to start a hard conversation with a friend about this vital topic. I'm going to offer some ideas, but ultimately you know this friend better than I could, so if something I say doesn't seem like it'll work with your situation, adapt or discard it.

I also invite others to add on ideas or encouragement. If you know of resources that are helpful for talking about Palestine with folks who are steeped in pro-Israel propaganda, please share!

___

Before delving into this topic with her, start by asking yourself what you're hoping she'll unlearn and relearn. What's a reasonable goal to move her towards?

Chances are, she's not going to move from unquestioning support of Israel to "Decolonize Palestine" in a day!

Moving her towards a simple agreement that at least some of the things Israel does cannot be supported is a good first step, and even that may take time and patience.

Prepare yourself to be happy about even the smallest baby steps in opening her perspective. "Ceasefire now!" may be the bare minimum in what is ultimately needed for true justice for Palestine, but it is an important step. If you can make progress towards her agreeing with a simple ceasefire, that's worth celebrating.

You'll also want to think in advance about where you're hoping her changed perspective will take her. Do you see her on the front lines of protests and marches? Or will you be satisfied if she makes some changes in where she spends her money (boycotting Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.), doesn't shut down pro-Palestine comments, etc.?

Again, being realistic and celebrating even small changes is helpful to keep from frustrating yourself or her!

So...how do you start a conversation that leads to that?

Wait for a time when you both are fairly relaxed, and have enough time that conversation won't be rushed.

Prepare yourself to hear some resistance and possibly even some really crappy things regurgitated when you first broach the subject. Do your best to remain calm, and not to jump straight into correcting every little thing she says — I know how hard that can be, but if you have hope that she'll be open to changing perspective, you want to establish yourself as a space where she feels safe enough to unpack the bullshit without being shut down at every turn.

For instance, in the scenario where she said "the Bible says we should always stand with Israel," responding immediately with "no it doesn't!!" would shut down conversation.

Instead, you might start with open-ended questions the two of you can explore together: "I wonder what the Bible means when it talks about Israel. Would the biblical authors recognize today's Israel as being the Israel they were talking about? / Is the Israel of today the same as the Israel of the Bible?" "What does it mean to you to 'stand with Israel'?" "Does that have to require sending them extreme military weapons?"

As you ask questions together, focus on finding common ground with her:

Does your friend agree that innocent people should be kept as safe as possible in military conflicts?

Does she agree that people of different faiths and cultures should be able to coexist?

I appreciate this post's advice on utilizing instead of challenging someone's deeply held values to guide them out from their rightwing radicalized views.

If your friend seems unwilling to talk about this...

It's okay to table the conversation if things start to get heated or she's shutting down. Let he know this topic is deeply meaningful to you and that's why you want to talk about it with her, as a friend who means a lot to you as well.

If there have been times in the past where she's realized what her family says about a topic has been anywhere from somewhat misinformed to utter bullshit, you might be able to remind her of that past time.

Do your best to make it clear that you are not judging her for what she currently believes — we can't help what we're raised in! You're just hopeful that, like in those past situations with other topics, the two of you can talk things out.

Did realizing that she didn't have all the information on a topic help in the past? Maybe remind her of that too, and invite her to team up together in finding the missing information on this topic as well — which leads me to...

Come with resources.

For exploring those open-ending questions I brought up before, it'll help for you to be pretty well informed in advance both about current events and recent history, and about how Christian theology's been used to advance Israel's agenda.

...Or, if you think your friend would prefer to learn along the way with you, it'll be good for you to at least know of resources the two of you can look at together!

You don't have to have all the answers; you can tell her, "I don't know enough either yet. I'd love to learn together with you." Framing it as something mutual, rather than you lecturing her or assigning her homework or judging her current ignorance, might cultivate that space for mutual growth that will benefit you both!

So here are some resources I recommend:

For questions about theology, including disconnecting biblical Israel from modern Israel, I highly recommend Decolonizing Palestine: The Land, the People, the Bible (2023) by Christian Palestinian theologian Mitri Raheb. If you don't have time for a whole book, I summarized the thing in an article that takes about 30 minutes to read. .

Another, less academic / more storytelling-formatted book that pulls in perspectives from Jews and Muslims, Palestinians and non-Palestinians, queer folk and more, that I find super valuable in summing up a lot of the fraught history and unpacking propaganda around Israel that so many of us have been taught to take as given, is A Land with a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism. .

Then there's keeping up with news using media outlets that don't sugarcoat Israel's violence. My personal favorite to listen to daily is Democracy Now!, which you can read/watch online or listen to as a podcast. A whole hour of news every day may be more than your friend can keep up with, however, so... .

...a briefer news option is @ So.informed on Instagram. Their posts sum up the big sweeping picture of what's going on, and help put it in context with accessible language. If your friend has Instagram, this could be a great source for her to start getting another perspective on what's going on. .

Similarly, @ letstalkpalestine is another Instagram account that explores history and current events in a succinct, accessible way.

One last thought: be ready to offer comfort.

It's hard to realize you've been misinformed about something important — especially when it's people close to you who've taught you what you thought was right. It takes a ton of courage and humility to realize where you need to change.

Your friend might become emotional about all this; that might look like grief, or rage, or even dissociating, feeling numb. Be ready to offer comfort, to remind her that what she thought was not her fault — that we're all steeped in things we have to work to unlearn, and you're proud of her for being open to learning.

And again I'll mention that if things start getting intense, it's okay to take a break! You don't want either of you burning out halfway through. You can take this process one small step per day, or even per week.

This struggle for liberation and justice is a long one — it's been decades unfolding, and it'll take a long while more. It's urgent, yes, but at the same time, rushing your friend won't aid the effort. Patience is much more likely to bear fruit that lasts.

___

I hope this helps somewhat! I'll be holding you and your friend in my prayers.

May the Spirit of Justice guide your words and actions; may She guard you from frustration; may she open your friend to hearing you out and entering into conversation with you. <3

[alanbates]

Please read this

As a McDonald's employee do NOT go to McDonald's. Yesterday thousands of restaurants all over Italy have been invaded by thousands of people for a fucking 3€ coupon which caused endless traffic and forced most employees to work overtime. Most restaurants locked the doors and forced us to work amidst asphyxia in order to keep people out. We won't get our extra work paid in its entirety. The Winterdays coupons are going to end on Christmas Day, which means that we are going to experience 24 more days like this. Remember that most people who work at McDonald's are FORCED to work there to pay uni, medical assistance and so on. This to remind you all that fast food employees are people, not robots.

Also please keep boycotting McDonald's (I'm going to quit this shit ass company btw).

[strawberryqueen00]

Sorry but I’m gonna support the Disney wish movie.

I’m rooting for everyone black.

More Wish, less Frozen 3 & 4

So I want to make it clear that despite the tone of my post, you do not have to not Boycott this film if you want to support original content and black representation. This is an important cause for people and it doesn’t make you suddenly anti-Palestinian or Pro-Genocide to see a single motion picture. You are the only one who knows your own morals. I don’t want it to seem as if I was condemning black people from supporting a film they are experiencing representation in/placing an balance-scale style comparison between the struggles of POC in the world and Palestinians. I fight against the notion some have online that the matter of seeing Wish is just someone “succumbing to capitalism” or “being weak.” It has been seen before how the lack of monetary achievements for minority lead films discredits that representation further. Why do we think it has taken this long for another mainline black Princess after Princess and the Frog? It’s not rocket science here.

It is not my place as a non-Palestinian to say if you are allowed to see this movie. That is a choice you can make after looking at the information. But it should also not be my place to shame people into supporting the movement either. Especially because of the complicated nature of this specific issue. I tried to rewrite this to be more clear in my initial post but for the sake of brevity I didn’t make this point more clear and that’s my fault. I’m going to go in more depth about why I am personally choosing to be so Anti-Disney with my Boycott but I want to make things crystal clear before the cut,

Disney is not an official Boycott target by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement(BDS). Disney is a Pressure Target technically not Boycotted but is complicit in Israel's apartheid behavior.

The targets they are listing consumers to Boycott monetarily are:

Siemen

PUMA

Carrefour

AXA

Hewlett Packard Inc (HP Inc)

SodaStream

Ahava

RE/MAX

Israeli produce in your supermarkets

Now, more details about all of that.

So there are two Boycotts currently being implemented against Disney on different fronts.

A joint one with Starbucks, McDonalds, and Disney that seems to have started independently of the. I anecdotally remember there being posts around the week after the first October 7th event. This seemed to be driven mostly by the three companies being

large companies which will notice the impact on their stock going down as an impact of the Pro-Palestine public.

They in some way have publicly Pro-Israel in their support with little acknowledgement for Palestine. And I’m using ‘little’ generously here.

Starbucks Sources for this:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/281313

Above is a fantastic article that looks critically at these claims. And below is one that shows the trend of Starbucks over the years to keep the support their CEO has for the Apartheid hidden.

McDonald Sources

Giving food and support to Israel and nothing to Palestine.

An article detailing the action Starbucks had against its union for posting Pro-Palestine statements, the Meals already discussed, and how McDonalds is trying to just throw humanitarian money at the issue to save face.

But now the main stay of the post.

Initially Disney was joined for this independent three way Boycott because it was a larger media company. More recently they gave 2 million in Humanitarian Aid to Israel.

I don’t want disinformation to spread this is humanitarian aid, yes, but it is only for Israel. Not Palestine. Not the people of Gaza that are being subjected to war crimes. Supporting just the apartheid state and not Palestine is the problem here. Disney is still showing their cards of what they’re supporting.

Now, what about the BDS?

The BDS is responsible for the second Disney Boycott. What is the BDS? The majority of this next section is going to come directly from the BDS website which I recommend people check out for future Boycotts.

BDS stands for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions and is one of the largest Palestinian-led movements for organizing for spreading awareness. They weaponize these main three types of non-violent pressure to discourage the support corporations have under capitalism for Israel.

Now, how is the BDS treatment of Disney different than the three way McDonalds, Starbucks, Disney Boycott?

Firstly, they in support for the monetary boycott of just McDonalds. Starbucks is not listed on their updated list and specifically with McDonalds they had this to say,

Further with regard to Disney it sees it as a Pressure-Target and not a monetary one.

What’s a Pressure-Target Boycott?

Boycotts cannot target everyone all the time, which is why sometimes Boycotts split up their targets into groups to not make the process seem to daunting.

The BDS points out a Pressure-Target as,

This pressure could come through social media, emails sent to the company, or petitions.

Under this cut I am going to be posting such links to some petitions I think are productive here.

Why is Disney being targeted as Pressure-Target?

This is Sabra, an Israeli hero from the 1981 who has an extensive plot involving her as an Israeli and the Palestine suppress-oops I meant ‘War’(tell that to anyone believing this started only a few years ago).

Quoting this CNN article of what her first comic was,

The classic 1981 Marvel comic page shows the giant green Hulk, tears streaming down his face as he yells at Sabra, an Israeli superhero and agent of the country's Mossad spy agency. The corpse of a young Palestinian boy, killed in an explosion by apparently Arab "terrorists" at his feet.

"Boy died because boy's people and yours both want to own land! Boy died because you wouldn't share!" the Hulk says.

A few panels later, the woman in the white and blue costume with a Star of David on her chest kneels next to the boy. “

It has taken the Hulk to make her see this dead Arab boy as a human being," the comic says. "It has taken a monster to awaken her own sense of humanity."

It is not my right to speak if this is tone-deaf or not. There are quotes in the article that support this notion but it’s not my place.

Now, why is she important?

Disney is looking to reuse this character for the upcoming Captain America film. This is why it’s considered a Pressure-Target. The BDS lists the problems with this representation down below. They are calling not for Boycotts of films but for online pressure to have this Israeli propaganda dismantled.

Something not brought up here is that releasing a character with the name of Sabra after the more than a thousand Palestinian and Lebanese Shiite people were massacred. Especially with a planned release date of a week after the incident is in poor taste, even if the name had other contexts surrounding it.

So, do I see Wish?

This is not an easy answer I can give you. This is something you need to come to terms with and also understand, this is no ‘correct’ way to Boycott a business. In my post I strategically underplayed this point to keep the message brief. But as we just saw here, there are two different valid methods of Boycotts against Disney.

If you are choosing to not monetarily give Disney money that is valid with a Boycott.

If you are seeing the movie but giving pressure by @ing Disney’s social media, signing letters, and petitions you are valid with a Boycott.

Both people I presented here are Boycotting against Israel's apartheid. There isn’t a correct form of activism and it was my fault to imply that so extremely before. I am choosing not to see Wish because of looking around at all the Western propaganda around this. Walking through the walls of what I considered a liberal school to saw Israel flags supporting the apartheid state.

But that is my choice.

It doesn’t have to be your non-violent protest journey. Do what you think is right with the information you have. Stay educated, don’t let disinformation spread.

And have a good day/afternoon/night everyone.

[ak1w1i]

boycotting tips!

I cannot guarantee if these are 100% correct or valid but it's what works for me!

Using the "no thanks" app allows you to scan QR codes of items to see if they're on the boycott list and submit items for boycott. From my knowledge, this app only accounts for boycotts regarding Palestine.

Keep a list of companies, celebrities, movies, shows, books, etc, you need to boycott.

Shop from independent/local grocers. They typically stock locally/domestically sourced items, so typically they are not on the boycott list.

Opt for local goods from independent businesses (eg, Australian made goods being sold by a small business Australia). Typically, they are not on the boycott list; not always, but the chances of them needing to be boycotted are much lower (eg, independent/local/small business chips vs mega corp chips).

Avoid mega corps where possible. Mega corps (Starbucks, McDonalds, Disney, etc) tend to be on the boycott list; not all mega corps are on it, however there is a good chance a lot of mega corps are.

At least in my opinion, boycotting is important as it pressures companies to make better decisions using the only thing they care about; money. It also allows for positive change to be made completely cost-free and it allows people to make informed moral decisions with their money.

Remember, it's never too late to start boycotting. The 10 dollars you stopped spending at Starbucks MAKES A DIFFERENCE. You're actively making a difference. You are a good person.

KEEP BOYCOTTING

KEEP DONATING

KEEP STRIKING

KEEP PROTESTING

KEEP POSTING

FREE PALESTINE

FREE CONGO

FREE SUDAN

FREE HAITI

FREE TIGRAY

FREE UKRAINE

[dear-indies]

i wanna help palestine, however i don't have much money to send for help. besides reposting links, and trying to spread the truth, what else can be done? i don't want my lack of funds to be a reason innocence suffers.

https://arab.org/click-to-help/palestine/ - click daily for free and the proceeds will go to charity.

Save media (videos and images) - social media has taken down so many pages over the years (Eye on Palestine is now up on Instagram but they were down for a few days and unsure if they'd be back) so for those with a solid external harddrive, do your thing!

I know you said this but keep sharing posts! The same as above, many websites want to censor Palestinian content. Share as much as you can to combat the propaganda news outlets are spreading. FOLLOW AS MANY PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS AS YOU CAN!

Protests - attend a protest if you can! Remember to mask up (for virus and personal security purposes) and hide any identifiable markings like tattoos. There are many how-to-protest guides out there with important information on what to bring so please read up on those before attending!

Contact your reps - Link for Europeans. Link for Americans. Google Doc with scripts for different countries!

Involved money but I'm adding it for the folks with funds!

bdsmovement - The South African boycott was fundamental so I don't want to hear anyone saying boycotting doesn't work. From my knowledge the bdsmovement is the main boycotting list, it systematically boycotts companies to give the biggest impact but I've also been avoiding Mcdonald's, Burger King, Starbucks, Disney (is generally a bullshit company otherwise), and Apple (is also a bullshit company otherwise too) for the what they've been doing in Israel too and many others have too because their sales have fallen.

Support Palestinian Businesses - seen posts around that loads of people are ordering and preordering from kufiya.org/ which are the last remaining Kufiya makers.

I'll update this with more information/links when found!

I hope this makes sense I just woke up but I needed to answer this.

[starlight-starbright-council]

I got into an argument with my mother today about the ongoing boycott. It made me very angry, and it felt nearly impossible to calm down. For my friends who care about Palestine, Sudan, the Congo, or any other social issues, this may feel familiar or like your worst fear. And that's the end of that sentence.

Just remember to keep fighting, keep boycotting, and keep speaking up. The boycott for this week includes the 25th and ends after that. However, I wouldn't be a good protestor if I didn't remind you that this is only the official end of the WEEK-LONG TOTAL BOYCOTT. There's also one running from the 21 to the 28 instead of the 18 to the 25, so I encourage you to keep going for the extra three days. After that? Keep boycotting McDonald's, Disney, and Starbucks, especially hard. I also recommend a boycott on anyone else who supports the occupations if possible, but I understand that this is not always possible.

By the way, while I have you here, I never want to see, "Think of the children!" come out of the mouths of anyone who isn't pro-Palestine ever again. You don't care about children if you're okay with this. Furthermore, KOSA is still a thing, and that's clearly not about protecting kids either, considering the government's involvement with Isreal in the "conflict" (genocide).

And finally, before this gets too long, remember that Jewish people are not Isreal; be careful about the symbols you use when protesting the Israeli government. Jewish people are likely going to unnecessarily take the blame for the Palestine genocide when all is said and done, so make extra double sure that you're not already setting racist people up to hurt Palestinians and then throw Jewish people under the bus. Okay, thank you, bye!

[manstrans]

you reblogged a post the other day that said like "You’re either going to take a genocide happening right in front of you seriously or you’re going to let an entire country of innocent people be killed" which i thought was interesting since i of course agree, that we shouldnt be silently letting this happen, but also it feels a little hopeless, like realistically what can we do? like yeah i can post about online but those who care already know and those who dont will just scroll past, im not in a position where i could donate without putting myself at risk, i go to protests but they dont seem to make a difference, it just doesnt really seem like theres much that can help from the outside you know? no matter how much we speak up about it, it just seems like we dont have enough influence for the governments involved to care, like with biden bypassing protocol to fund the genocide anyway, it seems theres nothing we can do to help

i guess theres not really a point to this since obviously those posts are in good faith, but i wish there was more we could do to help other than all advice online being to just keep posting about it, and for that to be like the moral decider as to whether were 'helping' or not, because realistically posting on tumblr isnt helping anybody?

I think what talking about it does is keep the awareness about it and help put pressure on political figures. there's also boycotting, which has put a lot of pressure on companies like mcdonalds. it's easy to feel hopeless but I think what you just gotta remember is that you're doing what you can to help the people who are bringing them food and water, even if it's not much it's still what you can do. like holding a flashlight for someone trying to fix a car engine

[lemonfairyd]

Ok guys keep boycotting Starbucks but also Dublin people keep in mind they are calling it/selling it at Vista Coffee to pull sales back up. Keep up the good work and everybody remember the more useful boycotts stateside (bc Israeli produce and public backing of Israeli army) are going to be McDonalds and Dominos.

hit 'em where it hurts!

🍉🍉

[intoxicatedfae]

the world is burning… and so are we

this may feel very weak and stupid to say at a time like this, when genocide is happening. but i feel like i’m biting my tongue and not saying much? i can’t fully identify the reason why i am holding back. why can’t i fight for freedom? i don’t want to look back and feel guilty because i was silent and complaisant. i can’t sit on my feelings anymore but i also feel that i’m not educated or informed enough to say all the things i want to say. and i think that is what has been holding me back.

what i do know is that there are 3 major genocide’s happening right now. the genocide of Palestinians, at the hands of the American and Israeli governments.as well as the genocides happening in the Congo and Sudan (which I know less about and wish to seek more information about these situations). many governments have anti-trans/ anti-lgbtq laws in place. some areas that don’t have laws that restrict the freedoms of queer and trans people are looking to implement them. in america affirmative action was overturned, i believe ICWA was also overturned this year. and reproductive rights have been violated. also, cop city, a militarized police training facility being built in atlanta to train police all over the world in the best ways to “police” their citizens. i put the word police in parentheses because their main goal is no longer to maintain the law and serve and protect citizens from danger. no, they think they are above the law and they want to control us through fear.

all politicians and their governments are corrupt. one of their main goals is to isolate citizens from each other, drain us of our energy, and make us turn on each other. if we’re lonely and tired and angry at our fellow man, how could we ever fight our oppressors? there is power in numbers, so they have chosen to separate us and create a divide. we should be choosing community, unity, and solidarity. you may be afraid to speak out in support of Palestine because you think you don’t know enough about the situation, or nobody else you know is speaking out, or because you think you’ll get hate for antisemitism. however, if you’re staying silent you’re choosing to stand by the decisions your political leaders are making. if you don’t know about the situation research and find out enough to form a solid stance. if nobody else’s you know is speaking out, why not be the first one? maybe everyone in your community needs that push. and remember being pro-Palestine was never and will never be anti-semitic. this is something that is said to scare people into not speaking out but just because you’re against Apartheid, and wrongful colonial occupation does not mean you hate Jewish people at all, rather it means you’re just against corrupt governments trying to get away with sick and twisted actions in the dark.

as an american i believe the american people need to rally together and put an end to this. how can the us treasurer say there is plenty in the budget for at least 2 wars but the country is trillions of dollars in debt? we can’t keep letting the white supremacist that run our country use our tax paying dollars to fund a genocide that largely nobody is in support of. boycott all companies that in support of Israel not just McDonalds and Starbucks and Disney. if you can try honestly i would recommend just not buying anything that isn’t a necessity at all period. if we stop funneling money into the economy 1) there will be no money to fund Israel’s endeavors, and 2) the economy will eventually collapse. if the economy collapsed a new economic structure would have to be built to replace capitalism. this is hella extreme but i think an eventual radical response that we should get prepared for. the government does not care about you so why should you spend your hard earned barely livable wage dollars on anything at all? aside from just boycotting, i’m still trying to find a solution for taxes? if anyone knows how americans can prevent their taxes going towards this plz share.

overall not sure if i said everything i wanted to say here, but i will definitely be writing more of my thoughts so i can further go into detail. for now i can sat do what you can to help Palestine. contact your representatives, donate, protest, share the posts of the surviving citizens remaining in Gaza as they document these ongoing terrors. keep your eyes on Gaza, stay alert, and stay safe.

(also i would like to state i’m just expressing my thoughts not trying to spread information, ((if anything i’m asking to be informed)), but trying to speak about what’s on my mind and in my heart). (also sorry for spelling and grammar errors, not focused on format focused on message)

[kimtaegis]

i'm terrible with words, so i'm gonna quote some things that made me reflect and that i honestly agree

"You often see fans and celebrity-obsessed users fall into the same patterns for global movements as they do for stan wars - strategies to get your favs trending online or on the charts, tabloid tactics to disparage a celeb's competition with old receipts, and other engagement strategies are all fair game to fight for the oppressed. But I think we have to remember the goal here. Is it real change or to clock who is on the "right side?"

"Why are we reducing palestine sufferings to boycotts and competitions among celebs when real people are dead? Why are we pressuring K-pop artists? It's true that they have big platforms for the better reach and donation but are they actually gonna change anything when they didnt have actual control? People who actually needs to be pressured and addressed are local leaders and world leaders WHO CAN ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGE AND SAVE LIVES. Some people use this moment as "at least my favs speak up" "if my favs can speak up why cant your favs" so they can feed their egoistic self, flaunting your favs are "good people" so you can wave your moral flags. You just want to feel "save" stanning them. The goal isnt for celebs to speak up, boycotting and donations, while they can actually help, the ACTUAL goal is CEASEFIRE- for politicians and leaders to stop israel, stop supporting israel and stop funding them."

and also... all these years as their fans, we know that they support a cause like this, bc it's what a good person would do, and they are good people. we don't need to have "proof", this isn't about them, they are singers who love what they do and they save many many lives and help so many people doing their jobs. i keep thinking about namjoon's lyrics in RPWP. that was also a message for us, you know?

and i think that sometimes we forget that twitter is a bubble. i would have no idea about the boycott for McDonald's (and other brands) if i wasn't online there every day, always knowing what's going on. this never even showed up in the news on TV in my country, not even once. and the members aren't chronically online, they've never been like that, ever since 2013. people around me don't talk about that. so yeah.. He probably doesn't know, even if it feels absurd for some

sorry if this got long... since you're open to it, it's just my opinion and i'm not trying to change yours T-T if you don't want to answers asks about this anymore, you can also ignore this

well definitely thank you for being polite and not using a weirdly mean and aggressive tone when talking about your opinion, I appreciate it!

I totally agree with the first statement, it feels so freaking pointless to even argue about this lol, it’ll literally change nothing and that energy can for sure be used for better, more helpful things.

the second one is a little trickier because while I agree that the whole ego-trip thing is being a huuuuge issue in music fandoms for ages, and now more than ever when it’s about actual human lives and threats, I do think that big artists speaking up does indeed make a difference. and it would be amazing for them to do that precisely because politicians don’t do shit to help. raising and donating money would totally increase if they encouraged it which would save so many lives. hell I’m also not a politician but I still try to do everything I’m capable of to help, as little as it may be in the big picture.

what makes you a good person, though? just saying you are? no, you have to actually do good things. that’s my opinion. I also don’t think that having knowledge about what’s been going on only happens when you scroll through twitter. My expectations might be too high here but I’d hope people go and educate themselves because they wanna do the right thing. also, I hate to say it, but of course the news won’t tell you about boycotts etc, literally every countries’ leader is kissing isreal’s ass (the reports about gaza here are unwatchable wow) 🙃 just because people don’t talk about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. I simply won’t believe they haven’t heard anything about it. we’re nearing a whole year of this, and so many years before that.

if they’re not speaking up so be it – everyone, them included, has to follow their own moral compass and decide if what they’re doing is enough for their consciousness to be at ease. it certainly won’t change what I try to contribute

[ferretfreedomfighters]

⁣JUSTICE FOR SITKA - A Marshall Ferret Story

❌⁣ ❌⁣ Marshall Ferrets is the leading ferret mill in North America. They supply most of the pet stores in the USA with ferrets and pet stores across all of North America with ferret supplies. Marshall Ferrets is first and foremost a ferret mill. Ferret mills force female ferrets to breed out of season by injecting them with hormones, take their babies away from them when they are far too young, and over breed their females in order to meet the supply and demand needs put forth by their customers. Along with this, Marshall Ferret’s products are absolutely awful for ferrets: their malt paste and treats contains harmful sugars and carcinogens, their ferret kibble is essentially McDonalds for ferrets, and their toys are easily destroyed which creates choking and blockage hazards.

But, capitalism persists. This company rakes in millions of dollars every year, and they won’t stop until the money stops coming in. Please consider boycotting Marshalls and not purchasing any ferrets from pet stores, or buying any products that come from this terrible and unethical company. ❌⁣ ❌⁣

Here is Sitka’s story:

“This story is not easy for me to tell, I will.

For Sitka.

I bought Sitka from Petco on March 2nd, 2019. I knew nothing of Marshall Farms and their unethical and inhumane handling and breeding of ferrets. All I knew was that I had spent two years dreaming of owning a ferret and was finally ready to bring one into my heart and home. As soon as I saw Sitka, I knew he was the one. But looking back now, Sitka was way too young to have been in that display case, open for just anyone to purchase. He should have still been with his mother and siblings for at least four more weeks. Sadly, this is the case for all ferrets sold by Marshall Farms. While they claim the kits leave their farm at 8-9 weeks of age, I, along with many others, believe this is not the case and that most of the kits are ripped away from their mothers earlier than claimed.

Once I got Sitka home, I immediately noticed that he was scratching vigorously at his hears. During his first vet visit, the veterinarian confirmed that he had an ear mite infestation and an infection in one of his ears. Again this is the case for many ferrets purchased from Marshall Farms due to the poor and unhygienic living spaces. 

Although I wasn’t the perfect ferret owner while I had Sitka, I feel like I could do a lot right now. I never fed any of the pastes, supplements, or treats made by Marshalls. I switched him to a much better kibble than Marshall’s and used a water bowl instead of a bottle. I only used oatmeal to bathe him and gave him 24/7 free roam in my room. Sitka and I were inseparable. Wherever I was, he was. There were even more mornings that I woke up and found him sleeping in the bed with my pillow.

It saddens me knowing that Sitka never had another ferret to play with and while I know humans can never replace ferret companionship, I made sure that Sitka was stimulated every day and had hours of playtime with me. And trust me, we played hard.

Flash forward 6 months lager, we had just moved into a new apartment, and I started to notice that Sitka was sleeping longer and longer. At first, I thought it was because he was stressed from the move, but then I noticed that his hind legs began to wobble and move with difficulty. I scheduled a vet appointment and took him as soon as I could the vet found that he was running a high fever and was dehydrated. She gave him some fluids subcutaneously and prescribed me with Metronidazole which is an antibiotic used to treat many infections.

I gave Sitka the Metronidozole every 12 hours for a week, but I saw no improvement. Instead, Sitka’s condition got even worse. he was extremely lethargic and his hind legs had given out almost completely. The only time he would move was to go potty, but he would only make it a couple of inches before he’d give up and relieve himself where he was. During this entire week, I was also syringe feeding and watering him since he would not eat or drink on his own. I took him to the vet again. He had lost some weight despite my efforts to keep him fed. His fever was still present, and now his head tilted to one side permanently. This time we had blood work, x-rays, and an IV done. While palpating his stomach, the vet also felt a mass in his midsection. Since there were no overnight veterinary hospitals in my city, I had to take Sitka home with me. Every hour or two for days, I would inject fluids into Sitka’s IV. I was exhausted and drained from the worry of losing him and lack of sleep. I prayed that any call I would get from the vet would tell me that it was something I could fix. But, this was not the case. The vet called and told me that the x-rays showed that his spleen, liver, and kidneys were enlarged. The blood work also showed that his organs were beginning to fail. I held Sitka close and told him over and over again how much I loved him. I didn’t want him to be alone for a second.

The following day I took Sitka back to the vet. while in the exam room, the vet explained to me what she believe was his diagnosis. Ferret Systematic Coronavirus. FRSC is simple to the dry form of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), and like FIP, there is no cure. A more common coronavirus seen in ferrets is ferret enteric coronavirus which causes epizootic catarrhal enteritis (ECE), but more and more cases of FRSC have been reported from the United States. Like ECE, FRSC is extremely contagious and transferred from fecal matter. The only way to prevent FRSC is by avoiding exposure from ferrets that are infected, and to keep cages clean and disinfected.

To be sure this was what Sitka had, we did an ultrasound. I can’t remember exactly what the vet saw, but it did confirm our fears. She further explained to me what the results of the blood work meant, but I was not in the right mind to listen or learn. All I was thinking about was that I was about to make the hardest decision in my life. There was a choice to potentially treat his symptoms, the vet explained that it was clear he had suffered from central nervous system damage since he had hind limb paralysis and had a head tilt. I made the decision to end his suffering and humanly euthanize him. I stayed there with him and thanked him for being my companion for the short time I had him, and told him over and over again how much he was loved and how he’d be missed. The vet announced that he no longer had a heartbeat and I held and kissed him for the last time.

After talking with my vet and one of the animal science professors, we have concluded that Sitka must have been infected by his mother. Like FIP, his virus must have started off asymptomatic and then later mutated and infected and spread throughout his body. Marshall Farms does not keep clean and disinfect cages. They do not test their ferrets for diseases like these and they do not care how genetically healthy their breeder ferrets are. They only care about producing cute and exotic colored kits no matter the issues that come along with them. I wouldn’t wish any ferret owner to experience what I did, but knowing that Marshall Farms will continue to mass-produce and inbred ferrets in unclean conditions, it is bound to happen again. Sitka was only 8 months old when he left me. He and all the others like him deserve justice. Please boycott Marshall Farms and all their products.”

Sitka is not the first, and certainly wont be the last, Marshall ferret to leave his owners much too young. Unhealthy breeding practices are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems with Marshall Ferrets. Do your part to stop the breeding of ferrets at ferret hell (aka MF). Do not buy ferrets from pet stores. Do not purchase any Marshall products (this includes toys, cage accessories, food, treats, and shampoos). We have the power to make a difference for ferrets across North America.

If you have a story about a mill bred ferret that you would like to share, please send it to our submit box so we can use it to help educate.

[marsdemo]

"Many of the prohibitively long lists going viral on social media do the exact opposite of this strategic and impactful approach. They include hundreds of companies, many without credible evidence of their connection to Israel’s regime of oppression against Palestinians, making them ineffective." "Remember, all Israeli banks and virtually all Israeli companies are complicit to some degree in Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid, and hundreds of international corporations and banks are also deeply complicit. We focus our boycotts on a small number of companies and products for maximum impact."

the image & text above is pulled directly from the bds network's most recent article (november 5, 2023) which details exactly which companies are top-priority and being targeted right now.

on the consumer side, siemens, puma, carrefour, axa, hp, sodastream, ahava, and isreali produce are listed as companies to avoid.

for corporations and institutions, the targets include elbit systems, hd hyundai, volvo, cat and jcb, google, amazon, airbnb/booking/expedia, re/max, caf, chevron, hikvision, and thk security.

grassroots targets, which were not officially initiated by the network, include corps like mcdonalds, burger king, papa john's, pizza hut, wix, and etc. these boycotts are indeed supported — "all peaceful popular efforts, including boycott and divestment, to hold all genuinely complicit corporations (and institutions) accountable for supporting Israel’s grave violations of Palestinian rights are justified and called for".

please follow the targeted lists from the bds network instead of trying and failing to keep up with a nebulous & unsustainable boycott. click the link above for reasons why each listed corporation is being boycotted, as well as further resources to learn more and contribute.

McDonald's is giving out free fries.

Disney is giving out Disney100 cards.

Starbucks is giving out buy one get one frees.

Why? Because their stock prices are falling.

They are losing money because of the boycotts because we are not giving them more money to fund and support the genocide of Palestine.

They're scared.

So they're gonna do whatever they can to get that money.

Keep it up.

Make them cry.

We may not be able to get them all, but the ones we get oh they are gonna suffer.

[fanfic-obsessed]

To be fair, I do consider "not giving terfs and bigots money" to be the absolute bare minimum. Like their are many, many ways to be an ally to an oppressed group but the first step is to, whenever possible, not actively support the oppressor. It's like a movie meeting the Bechdel test, it's good to see, doesn't happen nearly enough, and really shouldn't be that difficult.

From a larger standpoint, as a capitalist society we measure success, by money generated. A movie that is a box office hit means that it made more money it took to make and a flop can make millions of dollars, but it took more to make it than was taken in. And movies that are flops don't get more movies made. By the same token we have created an environment where people can be lose influence really easily if they do not keep pace with whatever the newest thing is.

There is a metric for paying for a license for a brand name (which, at this point is how Rolling will stay relevant). Thus if a product with that brand does poorly enough, a company is less likely to pay for the license. If no one is buying the license for the brand, less will talk about her and her influence decreases. Think about it, other than for the release of some new HP branded something, how often is she mentioned any more, even on sites like twitter. Perhaps her influence does not decrease by much, as I said it really is the lowest possible action, but it does decrease.

And it is not just about Rowling, because you're right she could donate obscene amounts of money to every bigoted organization on the planet and still live lavishly for the rest of her life. It is also, in part, about the companies who buy the licensing, because telling them through their profit margin that associating with brands like HP will lose them money is the only language they will listen to. It is to tell Chik-fil-A that giving money to the organizations they do is losing them a customer base, and maybe they don't care right now because their current customer base is large enough, but that customer base shrinks enough ( and probably less than most would think) and all kinds of companies will change their policies.

I am reminded of a story I read, it was years ago so I apologize if I am remembering the story wrong. A McDonalds, somewhere in the mid west United State I think, replaced most of their staff (I think something like 75%-80%) with automated tellers, firing them. The local community was so incensed by this that they boycotted the McDonalds in question. Within weeks there was such a hit to projected profits to not just that McDonalds but McDonalds as a company that the automated teller was removed and every one of the fired employees was offered their job back at $15 an hour.

I will get off my soapbox now.

i'm so tired of critical takes about jkr that still take the time to reassure fans that their nostalgia for the series is still valid or whatever. i'd think your complicated feelings about a children's fantasy franchise would be an unspeakably minor priority compared to that threat of actual genocide that trans and jewish people are facing, but sure yeah it's fine that you still like butter beer and fantasize about playing quiddich