#american issues

[lary-the-lizard]

“Americans are so self centered, they don’t know much about Europe.” “They just assume that everyone knows things about America.” “Their education system is awful and they only speak English.”

The United States is made up of 50 states, most of which are each the size of the average European country. The only countries connected to the US are 2 other countries which are also fucking huge compared the average European country. It takes 35 hours to drive from 1 side of the country to the other. The US has more that 344 million people while Russia, a country much larger than the US has 144 million and Spain has roughly 48 million and France 68 million. On top of that, our country is fucking powerful.

None of this is justification for being an asshole nationalist but does justify how very US centric our whole lives are. We love foreign cultures and learning about how the world outside of the US works but with how big the country is, we are constantly surrounded by ourselves. We made a lot our own ways of doing things because before the internet we were even more isolated from the world.

And let’s not forget how much the colonization and expansion of the US changed the whole world. We are not the best country by a long shot but we are a huge one in regards to everything. The sheer size and population makes what is easy for European countries much more complicated. We should have universal healthcare and much tighter gun regulations and we definitely can do that but it’s much more difficult to organize and reinforce.

The reasons that the US is this way goes beyond pride and corruption. The average US citizen is poor and overworked. We don’t have time to be well educated on things that don’t directly influence us

[mammameesh]

@carolrain

Nine Series! @jamilas-pen

[paperw0rmz]

One advice I’d give to non continental United sates people who come here is to FUCKING CHECK YOUR CHANGE IF YOU EVER GET MONEY BACK. You will get a Canada coin and unless you’re from “Canada” you will not be able to use it fucking ANYWHERE and it will haunt you in your bag for years.

[pricklypear1997]

I Criticize the black (American) community for ignoring its problems with domestic abuse, and men who have a consistent problem with cat calling and harassing women on the streets. It really is a problem. I live in a city that’s 48% black, and every time I go out, I have to deal with black men giving me unwanted sexual advances. I make this valid criticism, and what do I get? A white MALE telling me that I’m making up stereotypical assessments of people, despite the reality. He doesn’t care. He clearly only cares to silence women (especially if they’re white) despite the sexual harassment people like I who rely on public transportation, and who also live in the ghetto, have to deal with every day for the sake of his stupid politics. I can’t imagine what black women and especially mothers go through, considering that a huge majority of the men supposedly in their lives do not take initiative nor responsibility and would rather go out and harass women half their age on the streets. It’s not a stereotype. It’s an epidemic, and I have every right to criticize the community for this. Just like black people are allowed to criticize whites or any other group, we all have that right. To deny it, and to deny women their safety and neglect the issues isn’t t going to solve issues. It only makes me sadder that it’s a WHITE MALE from the same city as me, no less using his insecurities and white fragility to try to silence me. There is obviously rampant sexism, domestic violence and violence against women within the black community. That’s a really serious issue to the point that it even effects people like me, who aren’t part of said community, but have to deal with the repercussions because no one wants to take accountability, and men, regardless of race don’t want to step up and do something to protect women, when they clearly could and have the power to do so. These are the kind of people that would rather ignore it because of their weak political beliefs. There is no such thing as racial Justice if you’re going to dismiss the problems of another group of people, and not give a shit about their safety. There clearly is something wrong here and I have every right to criticize it. I’m so fucking pissed and angry. I’m tired of fearing for my safety, and I’m tired of feeling disgusted because I know what these men are thinking. I know what they want. It’s humiliating and dehumanizing. No one, regardless of race or gender should have to go through something like this. So all you white folks with white fragility, who don’t care about the real issues and would rather continue let men abuse and harass women for the sake of their shitty politics, can sincerely fuck off.

[totalyomamaisland]

THISSSS

my official stance is a pregnancy is whatever the pregnant person wants it to be. if it’s a 4 week old clump of cells and they want to call it a baby it’s a baby. if they're 20 weeks and they want to call it a parasite it’s a parasite. if they're 39 weeks and call it a fetus it’s a fetus. “why are you so sad about miscarrying at 6 weeks it was literally just an embryo” because that was their baby. “how can you get an abortion at three months” because that wasn’t a baby. hope that helps.

[bakerstreet-and-beyond]

There seems to be a general malaise on most of Tumblr about TikTok getting banned in the United States.

I understand the problems, "brain rot", whatever but- A government banning a social media app that opened the world for many people is legitimately scary and upsetting. Say what you want but, there are MANY global and local issues that would not have gotten the same traction, recognition, and outreach without TikTok.

And then add to this that Meta/Facebook was one the largest lobbyists working to get TikTok banned... Like- I think folks should be more concerned about the implications of what this means, especially since the ban goes into effect the day before inauguration.

[enetarch-crafts]

Talk about American Issues!

Unless and Until we can list, identify, talk about, and provide real solutions to real American problems, we will continue to talk about what ever he (or the party in power) wants us to talk about.

The reason Mr MaGoo won is not because he got more votes. It's because people wouldn't stop talking about him before the election. The media had a choice, talk about issues that affect American households or talk about him and his issues. We choose the later, and amplified his persona.

Unless and Until we can list, identify, talk about, and provide real solutions to real American problems, we will continue to talk about what ever he (or the party in power) wants us to talk about.

[han-solo-cant-dance]

Losing my health insurance in 2 days and totally NOT freaking out

[reasonsforhope]

"The Yurok will be the first Tribal nation to co-manage land with the National Park Service under a historic memorandum of understanding signed on Tuesday [March 19, 2024] by the tribe, Redwood national and state parks, and the non-profit Save the Redwoods League, according to news reports.

The Yurok tribe has seen a wave of successes in recent years, successfully campaigning for the removal of a series of dams on the Klamath River, where salmon once ran up to their territory, and with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding, the Yurok are set to reclaim more of what was theirs.

Save the Redwoods League bought a property containing these remarkable trees in 2013, and began working with the tribe to restore it, planting 50,000 native plants in the process. The location was within lands the Yurok once owned but were taken during the Gold Rush period.

Centuries passed, and by the time it was purchased it had been used as a lumber operation for 50 years, and the nearby Prairie Creek where the Yurok once harvested salmon had been buried.

Currently located on the fringe of Redwoods National and State Parks which receive over 1 million visitors every year and is a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site, the property has been renamed ‘O Rew, a Yurok word for the area.

“Today we acknowledge and celebrate the opportunity to return Indigenous guardianship to ‘O Rew and reimagine how millions of visitors from around the world experience the redwoods,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League.

Having restored Prarie Creek and filled it with chinook and coho salmon, red-legged frogs, northwestern salamanders, waterfowl, and other species, the tribe has said they will build a traditional village site to showcase their culture, including redwood-plank huts, a sweat house, and a museum to contain many of the tribal artifacts they’ve recovered from museum collections.

Believing the giant trees sacred, they only use fallen trees to build their lodges.

“As the original stewards of this land, we look forward to working together with the Redwood national and state parks to manage it,” said Rosie Clayburn, the tribe’s cultural resources director.

It will add an additional mile of trails to the park system, and connect them with popular redwood groves as well as new interactive exhibits.

“This is a first-of-its-kind arrangement, where Tribal land is co-stewarded with a national park as its gateway to millions of visitors. This action will deepen the relationship between Tribes and the National Park Service,” said Redwoods National Park Superintendent Steve Mietz, adding that it would “heal the land while healing the relationships among all the people who inhabit this magnificent forest.”"

-via Good News Network, March 25, 2024

[gureiify]

Tagging in here with thoughts as a queer person who was lucky/able to leave FL to go to the PNW.

People out here really have no idea what life is like in the south. In WA my ballot is mailed to my house, without asking, along with a 50pg booklet of every candidate and detailed info on them. And thats just standard. I can fill that ballot at home and mail it back, OR drop it of in one of 10 dropboxes around the town which are clearly marked and easily accessible.

Contrast to FL where polling places are in person only between the hours of 9am and 4pm, where you must have ID, and are always in some church more then a 20 minute drive from city center. Most of the candidates don't have a website or even a wiki page. Information is sometimes impossible to find even for an internet savvy person.

Everyday in FL was a game of 'how visibly queer can I be before it becomes an Issue' where the answer was... not very. Where as in WA, i feel seen and celebrated when I'm Out and Proud. (I live in a major city in West WA). I have queer friends and we don't have to speak in code.

Thats not even to touch on the lightyears of differences in healthcare.

The 'just move if you don't like it' is reductive and hurtful and unrealistic. It's the mantra of racists and bigots and we can do better then to turn that ish on our own people.

white trans ppl from liberal suburbia in blue states will go on and on about how scary it is to be a trans person right now but the second they encounter a trans person from a red state they’ll be like “ummmmm why would you live in such an uncivilized place lmao maybe you shouldn’t have voted for republicans like if you don’t like how conservative it is then just leave” as if these states aren’t populated by black and brown people who face intense voter suppression and poor people who can’t just up and leave. not to mention the fact that all those articles y’all are sharing about the state of trans safety? those are in our states and we will be the ones who go down first. so instead of laughing at us dumb hicks from your liberal safe haven, consider instead shutting the fuck up and actually doing something to help us. because they’re coming for you next.

[xiaq]

Watching this debate is like watching a toddler argue with a lawyer except the moderators have to try and keep a straight face and treat the toddler's tantrums with equal gravity and sincerity to the lawyer's comprehensive, empirical, statements.

[dilfcontent]

JASON KELCE (and Eagles) naked for ESPN Body Issue (2019).

[naturalhairhow101]

The Tignon laws of the 18th century were laws that banned black women from exposing their natural hair in public.

Their hairdos was obscuring the status of the white women and this threatened the social stability. The law would control colored women “who dressed too elegantly..”

Resembling today’s West African Gele, a tignon is a type of head-covering. It is a large piece of material wrapped or tied around the head to form a kind of turban concealing the hair.

Tignons were worn by free and slave Creole women of African descent in Louisiana from 1786. Historically, their prevalence was as a result of sumptuary laws passed in 1786 under Governor Esteban Rodriguez Miró.

These prescribed and enforced appropriate public dress styles for women of color in a white-dominated society. Hence, they were made as a way of regulating the appearance of black women in the U.S.

During the period, when black enslavement in America was at its peak, and places like New Orleans was unique in its high population of gens de couleur libres (free people of color), black women’s beauty and features often attracted white men who approached them as suitors.

This enraged white women who perceived them as competitors. Evidently, African women competed openly with white women through elegant dressing, including adorning their textured hair with gems, beads, and other accents that made them stand out from white women and possessing great beauty.

To take care of this perceived menace, series of sumptuary laws birthing the Tignon Law were put in place in order to stop white men from pursuing and engaging in affairs with women of colour, “while also being a class signifier,”

[gutsondisplay]

Here's what we know about the deportations.

What to look out for, what to know, and what to do

When I say ICE, I also mean anyone else who could possibly be working with them

Know

- if you are poc at all or even poc presenting, they will come after you as well. It's not only immigrants they are targeting

- they are starting this targeting schools and churches

- Sanctuary states are stepping in to protect their citizens, states that aren't (like Texas) is purposely turning a blind eye and will not help you, please check if you're in a safe state

- teachers are actively stepping in to protect their students

- classrooms and houses count as dwellings, people cannot come in dwellings by force (unless they have a warrant)

- if people mention "winter boots" they mean agents.

Look out

- ICE is in van's, those vans are unmarked and will not be obviously ICE workers

- if you go to school, ICE is (trying) to use social workers and CPS to take away kids, if they come in, watch who they are looking for. (For right now, CPS and social workers are refusing to work with ICE, but I would still be cautious)

- if you have a noticeable poc population wherever you go and live, watch it. Watch if people suddenly go missing or for whatever reason isn't seen for a day or 2

- Look on any form of media for reports of agents

These are the warrants you should be looking for

To do

- Do NOT open the door if ICE or those suspected of working for them come to a dwelling, they will force their way in once you do that. Keep the door closed.

- Do NOT run if you think you see them, running will make them think you are guilty and they will go after you.

- Treat them like cops, because they are. Like cops, you have to be extremely calm and collected with them because cops will use whatever reason they see fit to harm you. Do not yell, touch, raise your voice, and be extremely clear when you talk to them.

- ICE does not have you or anyone's best interest in heart, do NOT try to actually befriend them

- Walk in groups if you or someone you know is poc or an immigrant, it is harder to seclude and take someone if they aren't alone

- Get in touch with your community, it is harder to protect or be protected if you do not know who to be with

- you can legally and SHOULD record and take pictures of agents, once you do that, send those videos and pictures to anyone you know. If you post it to social media (which you should) put down the location they were seen.

It is INSANELY important that if you have any other tips or information that you put them down here.

Protect your fellow person, regardless of if you know or like them.

[welcometogrouchland]

♫ I do what I want/Crying in the bleachers and I said it was fun/I don't need anything from anyone ♫

(ID in Alt) you guys ever think about your own posts and get upset?? Anyway Damian Wayne I love you I'm so sorry your life is like that

[troythecatfish]