#and was 100% willing to harm you to get what he wants? Bill is literally one of the most powerful beings in existance

[void-occupation]

Don't mind me, just gotta put a little theory about gravity falls out into the world now that it's been revived

WARNING: minor Book of Bill spoilers

So in the BoB and the 3rd journal, Ford mentions that he needs to destroy the journals, but turns back on it because of "the importance of his research". However, he could have just torn out the pages about summoning Bill and the portal and burned those, and the rest of his research would have been safe

So why didn't he?

You could argue that it was because he couldn't reason through his growing paranoia and admittedly delusional state, and that is valid considering everything Bill was putting him through at that point - but it also would have been one of the first things to cross his mind, right??? He'd already said that he was planning to dismantle the portal, but was putting it off for some reason - again, something that didn't make any sense considering how terrified he was that Bill would be able to start it up again.

In the BoB, it talks about how Bill tormented Ford to try to get him to open the portal again - physical, psychological, and emotional torture on top of very real threats and gaslighting. There was also a point where Bill showed Ford that he could take full control of Ford's brain, turning off memories (such as his own name) at will, and Ford would be completely unable to tell that the memories were gone until Bill brought it up

So, here's my theory: Bill knew that Ford was planning to burn the journals/the pages about the portal, which were his only chance to enter the third dimension. He couldn't let that happen, so he fucked around in Ford's head - planted a few ideas, erased a plan or two, and suddenly, Ford was much more concerned about his research surviving than he was a couple hours ago. Concerned to the point that he wanted to hide his journals rather than destroy them. Basically, Ford being so protective of his research was due to more of Bill's manipulations in his mind that he never found out about. It's the only reason I could think of about why he went from 100% ready to burn the journals to being willing to physically attack Stan for trying to do just that

Anyways, that's all, figured I should get my theory out in the world now that canon actually backs it up a bit more than before BoB came out

[madame-mimsy]

Theory Behind the Reward Tier Levels in Janus’ Corridor.

Has someone done this, already? Probably. But nothing says mental exhaustion like procrastinating on schoolwork by over analyzing the levels of tiers in Janus’ Corridor of Stored Rewards.

So with the release of the amazing art by James von Hollen (@ignoreitforever on Instagram) of each of the tiers (and the honestly delightfully terrifying images of Janus ripping through a wall like the Shining), I’ve had some thoughts on what the levels mean in relation to them because I am a Fander and we cannot leave well enough alone gdi.

See, at first I liked the idea going around that Janus was just giving tiers based on people he liked, as he’s stated that he prefers Remus over the others in livestreams. But the thing is, he obviously does NOT like Virgil, so that doesn’t quite fit to me. And the idea that it’s just giving preferential treatment to the Dark Sides made sense to me, until the new images came out and we had padlocks galore.

Instead, my theory is that each tier is based on how deep into the secrets he’s promised in his Corridor you go. The further along the more he WANTS to keep them secret, and thus the more money it takes, meta-wise, to pry those secrets loose, and why there is no Janus level tier. There’s no way he’d want to reveal everything he knows, no matter the amount. He (Janus) even got downright angry when people tried bugging him for spoilers in streams.

So instead he has the tiers listed by how willing he is to make that Side “public” or not. (Longwinded theory under the cut)

So first we have the Logan tier: the Federal Education Budget 

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“Ohhh, so you decided to share with us? Then, I suppose I can share with you.”

Honestly, this startled me because of the fact that it looks so arcane and mystical, which doesn’t match how I imagine Logan at all. My friend @onnastik​ pointed out that the creature on the right, surrounded by sigils, is the demon Baur, who among other things is said to “teach natural and moral philosophy, (and) logic...” which fits the bill pretty perfectly. 

Speaking of a bill, the name for the tier fits Logan perfectly, too, to me. The Federal Education Budget is not only the budget used in the American system to make sure kids have free education until the highschool level, but is also part of the college loan system. It signifies public education, and that’s why I feel that Logan is the lowest, and thus most accessible, tier. Janus considers him bland, safe for public consumption, and maybe even wants to put up a front of logical intelligence first and foremost, to make even the broadest view of Thomas seem as intelligent as possible. 

And look at how much the basic tier gives! That’s a huge amount for just the lowest tier, and gives you plenty to enjoy. That fits the ideal of something like a broad education system, and gives a very open feel. Logan’s tier is literally an “Open Book” of all sorts of delights.

And with that horrible pun, we move to Patton’s tier:  The Monthly Allowance.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“That not enough for you? Fine. I'll give you everything from that last tier, PLUS...”

For all that it is creepy as heck, the fact that Patton’s tier is also a pun is perfect. The candles heat must surely make this... heartwarming. And the addition of blooper reels in the rewards, and the commentary, feel more personal than Logan’s open tier. Which is why I don’t think Patton was the first tier.

Patton wears his heart on his sleeve too much for Janus’ tastes, I bet. All of those emotions just out there where anyone could see? Those bloopers that showcase how imperfect Thomas and the crew are? Yikes. That is definitely something a certain snek wouldn’t want to be the most public option, though, at the same time, Patton’s gentle qualities and general love of the fandom also mean he’s a good symbol to push closer to the front of the Corridor, and doesn’t need to be as hidden as some of the others.

Also the fact that Patton’s tier has a sticker as a reward is absolutely perfect and you can’t tell me otherwise. Can’t you just imagine him going “Thank you so much, kiddo! Let’s watch some bloopers and play with sticker books! I’ll get the cocoa”? He’s the good goofy dad and stickers are fun. Bloopers and being silly are fun. It’s perfect for the sweet lad.

Then we have the illustrious Roman’s tier: A Prince’s Ransom.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“You want more? Really?? … You can only half tell, but I’m blushing over the fact that we’re worth this much to you. How about, everything in that last tier AND...”

Hooo boi there’s suddenly a lot more to unpack here. This is in no way an insult to the lovely Crew as a whole, but doesn’t it feel like this tier has more bribery going on than the last two? More self-centered reasons to join? It’s not just your name in the credits like Patton offered: it’s your name as a writer. That T-shirt (which I 100% leaped at when I saw this because holy heck it’s so pretty), and of course the mysterious Writer’s Room.

This tier feels very creative as well: look at all the stuff about influencing the show, the art of the shirt, etc. This is all about being showy and creative like our wonderful prince. But it’s not the first tier, even though Thomas is very much a creator. Why? Why is the tier for the showiest, flashiest Side just randomly tucked in the middle, not even the highest for show?

Because Janus doesn’t want Roman to be the first thing everyone sees. Our sweet boy is definitely eye-catching, but he can also be vain to the point of pompous, even annoying. And his fragile ego isn’t something that Janus likely wants to show off. Janus’ statement about “blushing” and “being worth that much to you” even feels like it matches that pride and ego. 

And that fragility is in the crown’s design, too. At first glance it seems fine. Very fantastic, with Roman’s sun symbol in lovely display. But a longer look reveals cracks, broken sections and fissures. And a slight, odd green shine, too. Hmm.

No, Roman couldn’t be made the first tier because of his pride, but his is also the last tier to not have any outright locks on it...

The Strange Dark Son’s tier: OK, Now You’re Making Me Feel Guilty...

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“PLEASE, don’t give us any more money! I don’t know what we could possibly do with it! But alright… since I like you, you can have everything in the last tier, and I'LL THROW IN...”

“Now you’re making me feel guilty” is absolutely what I would expect Virgil to think about someone giving him money because they enjoyed Thomas’ content. He’d freak out, and want to make sure to do something equally nice in return, to say thank you. Hence the thank-you video. 

NGL I can also imagine him panicking and rushing around his room to pick up a random mug and just thrust it out at the gifter in return too, before hiding away in an anxious mess, but anyway. xD

The artwork for this seems to very much be in homage to the Annabelle Doll: a supposedly haunted ragdoll, kept locked in a case at an occult museum.

Something interesting about this doll’s story, though...

Wiki: “According to the Warrens, a student nurse was given the doll in 1970. They said that the doll behaved strangely, and that a psychic medium told the student that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased girl named "Annabelle". The student and her roommate tried to accept and nurture the spirit-possessed doll, but the doll reportedly exhibited malicious and frightening behavior.”

Huh. Who else do we know that when confronted with too much coddling responds by lashing out?

And this is the first tier with a lock. The glass is chipped (from inside or out?) but the lock is holding. The doll is inert and doesn’t seem likely to do anything unless disturbed, if it matches the original story. Which seems to fit Virgil relatively well. Sure, he’ll make you anxious (maybe those cracks are where the influence leeches free), but doesn’t seem intent on outright harm. Also the cracks and the creepy living doll cabinet as a whole made me think of spider webs and our boi’s Halloween decor, so I thought that was excellent, honestly.

This tier is hidden behind Roman’s shining pomp. It’s outright locked away, as if to keep it from seeing the light of day. The Dark Side tiers both seem this way: hidden from prying eyes by the splendor of the first few tiers.

And the most hidden one of all... Gross Profit.

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From the Snake’s Own Mouth:

“Oh you bougie rascal, you! Your generosity is seen and I truly thank you for it… but a few kind words from me aren't enough, I'm sure... so how about, you get everything from the last tier ALONG WITH...”

Firstly we have exclusive tier level gifts that Janus won’t even reveal. Meta-wise, this is likely more because the team has to decide what those gifts ARE, and how to safely ship them, but the way it sounds in the description not only feels super secretive, but also very much like Remus to me, as well. I’m pretty sure any and all gifts from him are a surprise in some way. Whether that is pleasant is debatable, but it’s still a surprise!

The highest tier also looks to have the highest security. Look at that sturdy, metal bound chest and huge padlock. Not only that but it also has chains wrapped around it to hold it shut, and even then, the contents are actively seeking to escape, like our delightful trashman would. Even the shuggoth-like appearance matches his presence as a shifting, terrifying and likely quite gloopy entity, capable of squeezing even where he’s not wanted.  Even the green fabric below looks stained with mud or blood or something equally as upsetting. The image does a great job of showing how hard it is to contain Intrusive Thoughts, as a whole, and is likely a main reason Janus drinks so much “juice” on his birthdays. 

Unlike the last image, this one is outright trying to break containment, and oddly, it almost seems like someone left a golden key in easy reach for just that purpose... A key which also looks rather oddly shaped, to me.

It’s hard to tell from the angle, but it doesn’t look like the eye is a simple circle, but that it has a point, like a heart almost. Or even the ornate letter D from the Corridor logo?

I can’t be sure of that, but what I can definitely be sure of is the sheer amount of lock, key, and chain symbolism our Snekky Fren has to his name.

While Janus has no tier, the entire SITE has his symbol, like a brand. 

Every post, the icon, the about page, it’s there. And the snake isn’t trapped by the lock, but guarding it. It looks to have a green highlight around where a chip is (hmm), but other than that, it looks quite solid, and well-guarded by watchful creatures that never blink.

The shape of the lock looks like it could be heart-shaped as well, like that golden key allowing the Remus tentacles to wriggle free.

They also do a heckin blep and honestly what could possibly be better? 

So yeah, that’s my way overly long ramble about the tier levels and what I think they mean. Maybe if I’m not too lazy I’ll do one on the pictures of Janus playing peekaboo with my nightmares on the about page. 

God but this art is amazing and y’all need to go preesh the artist holy heck. 

[sasha-clarke-apologist]

Eve Polastri - High Functioning Sociopath and Future Assassin?

A sociopath will think and act without regard for others including lying, cheating, and manipulating for personal gain. Their narcissism and lack of remorse allow them to believe and most of the time succeed at achieving their desires. On the surface, sociopaths may appear like anyone else. High functioning sociopaths usually hold jobs, are married, and have children. In fact, they can be successful in life. Their sociopathic traits often surface under stress or during life transitions like marriage, layoffs, or whenever social pressures challenge their view of self. Now in order to be classified as a high functioning sociopath the person must exhibit at least 3 of the following behaviors:

Disregarding social norms and lawful behaviors-repeatedly performing actions that are grounds for arrest

Repeated lying, conning, or deception for personal profit or gain.

Impulsiveness or failure to plan.

Irritable or aggressive behavior often marked by physical fights or assaults.

Reckless disregard for the safety of self or others.

Consistent irresponsibility-failing to maintain regular work or financial commitments.

Lacking remorse or rationalizing actions that hurt, mistreat, or take from others.

Eve has regularly demonstrated more than 3 of these behaviors, I’d go as far as to say shes demonstrated at least 6 out of the 7. She repeatedly performs actions that are not lawful. She lies all the time and deceives whoever as long as it gets her closer to her goal - Villanelle. She’s impulsive as fuck and never seems to have a plan, like when she just hopped a train to Paris to go trash V’s apartment and then a surprise stabbing. She is reckless and constantly disregards her own safety as well as the safety of her team and Niko. She’s also lacking in remorse and is always rationalizing her actions that hurt, mistreat, or take from others. She does whatever she needs to and doesn’t care who it affects or if anyone gets hurt.

Episode 5 really drives the point home that Eve is not “normal.” First in the interrogation, The Ghost asks Eve flat out if she wants to do what she does, and Eve laughs saying she doesn’t know if she has the stomach for it. But I think Eve does know. I think Eve just doesn’t want to admit it to herself, much like she doesn’t want to admit just yet how much she wants to bone Villanelle. The presentation Martin gives later in the episode further adds to this, “When you think about psychopaths you think of them as a regular person. Then you add certain negative traits, like your violence, your narcissism, your sadism. Thats a mistake. Don’t add, take away.” - isn’t this whats currently happening with Eve? We’re seeing her lose parts of herself, or at least letting her guard down and finally showing how narcissistic she is, how dishonest she is, and how shit her track record of lasting intimate relationships is. Granted her relationships aren’t completely missing from her life, which would make sense for a high functioning sociopath, we even see that The Ghost has a family and has children, but she always puts herself first. We see this with the way she treats literally everyone. Bill she willingly put in harms way even though she knew he had a family and a new baby, but hey he spoke German and she needed him, and after he’s brutally murdered what does Eve do? She continues to fawn over V and her kills. We’ve seen her continue to shit on Kenny, he’s clearly worried about her in this episode and how reckless she is being. He’s rightly worried about the fact that Eve hasn’t divulged to anyone on the team that she has stabbed Villanelle and by not doing that she is putting everyone in danger, BUT SHE DOESN’T CARE. Jess is pregnant and while they’re friendly at work, this episode we even see Eve rubbing her feet for her, she doesn’t have an issue putting her in danger. She wasn’t even concerned about her going to Amsterdam like she should have been seeing as how brutally V has murdered her colleagues before. Instead she was just jealous cause she wanted to go see V. Her relationship with Niko is awful, she doesn’t give a shit about whats going on with him. He’s kinda just there in the background, he’s never the focus of her attention and she doesn’t seem to care much about him.

After the presentation we get Martin in the library with Carolyn and she asks how Eve did, Martin’s response is “It depends on your criteria” - to me this is Martin saying, well if you wanna know if she’s on that psycho/sociopath scale thats a yes, if you wanna know if she’s “normal,” well balanced, and totally ready for a mission thats an absolute No. Carolyn is aware though, I’d say she knows exactly what Eve is, and Id probably go as far as saying Carolyn is also a high functioning sociopath. I think she recognized Eve as one right away by the way she was willing breaking the rules, and laws, to conduct her own illegal investigation. My theory now is that Carolyn is slowly turning Eve into an assassin. Nudging her further and further, slowly towards it. Especially since this episode made it a point to mention that Eve has no paper trail. She has no responsibility to make sure she is following proper legal procedures, there is zero red tape, and as Martin’s presentation told us, “RED TAPE IS THERE FOR YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY.” Carolyn has no problem allowing Eve to operate outside whats legal, and Eve has no problem with it either. And whats more is Eve doesn’t even question it? She doesn’t seem to care, she just thinks she’s special! Her since of self worth and self importance are off the charts. She just assumes she’s a superstar and Carolyn likes her, but any normal person would see this as being a massive RED FLAG and take it as a warning - GIRL YOU IN DANGER! But Eve likes it. She’s drawn to it. And she’s 100% down for it.

Then we have the train platform scene, Eve literally was gonna push a man in front of a train, just straight up murder a guy because he bumped into her. Like…WHAT?! That is huge. She didn’t do it, but I think her reaction afterwards to her behavior was just her realizing - Oh Shit, I think I might actually be capable of killing someone. We’re already aware she has no problem looking at V’s kills, or any kills for that matter, but V’s she looks at almost like works of art. She sees they are brutal but she looks at it like its artistry. She literally smiles and is happy? while looking at the picture of the boy that V snapped the neck of because there was an apple in the photo and that was for her. Villanelle did that for her. A normal person would be freaking the fuck out and horrified, but this bitch is loving it. The fact that she also has no problem recruiting V, a woman that the The Ghost refers to as the demon with no face, to help interrogate The Ghost is huge. Eve willingly unleashes a deadly assassin who is brutal as hell on a woman chained to a chair. Thats fucked up. Everyone thinks its fucked up. Eve thinks its brilliant. And when V turns to her and asks if she wants to watch I think Eve 10000% wanted to watch, but couldn’t admit it. Eve is very much on a slippery slope and I cant wait to see her continue her descent.

[bigskydreaming]

Biden does not have the nomination yet. It is not yet a matter of “a vote for Biden is a vote against Trump, anything else is a vote for Trump.”

And until it is, until either Sanders or Biden has all the delegates they need, peoples’ criticisms of Biden are absolutely relevant. And even should Biden GET the nomination, c’mon guys, there is STILL room to be aware of everything Biden IS and everything about him that needs OPPOSING, even WHILE still opposing Trump. This is not counter-intuitive....if you are against most of what Trump has done, because it is WRONG rather than it is just Trump who did it, and did it in obvious ways, then this is vital, I’d argue, because Biden isn’t going to address a lot of it once in the White House unless people DO keep in mind what is and isn’t likely to still be an issue in a Biden presidency.

This isn’t divisive, this is NECESSARY. If you can’t find a way to hold both truths in your mind: “Trump absolutely needs to be ousted, and opposed, and his works undone,” as well as “Biden has a long history of doing harm in his various seats, and he is the lesser of two evils ONLY in some respects and its important to know what those are because evil is still evil”....that’s something to WORK on, not just “Biden or bust.”

And to be clear, I’m not advocating for “Bernie or bust” either. I’m simply saying: This is all more complicated than accusing people of having brain worms for thinking “Guy who won’t expand health care as much” is the same as “Guy who is killing people.”

Let me be perfectly, 100% clear: If Biden gets the nomination, if it comes down to him or Trump, I am voting for Biden, hands down. But I will be doing so not thinking that Biden is in any way a more moral choice, but because I think the true danger of Trump is in him serving these past years as a rallying point for all the most vocal white supremacist and homophobic and misogynistic elements within our society, allowing them to feel emboldened and having no shame about expressing their hate openly. I think the true danger of Trump’s presidency is how little of it is actually Trump doing anything other than acting as a magnet that draws all focus and trains all eyes on him, even as his cabinet stocked to over-flowing with white-supremacists, antisemitic, homophobic and transphobic and eugenics-advocating assholes go about ACTIVELY advancing agendas of hate behind him while he serves as the catch-all for all opposition.

That absolutely needs to be opposed, and defeated, but fuck this self-defeating nonsense that this means the work will be OVER the second Trump is gone, whenever and however that happens. And I think for as much as people accuse some of us of doing the enemy’s work for them by sowing division and dividing our efforts and how this is doomed to be self-sabotaging and backfire on all of us, I think the same is true of saying things like the only real drawback to Biden is ‘doesn’t want to expand Health Care as much as Sanders whereas he’s otherwise not remotely comparable to Guy Who Is Killing People.”

Because BOTH ARE SELF-DEFEATING. Both set up only ONE THING as a goal or a focus that needs tackling and carries the implicit “and then we can rest” instead of holding up as a goal or focus that both need defeating or plenty of people are still going to die, as they’ve been dying all along.

If you’re going to go with the Devil You Know because he’s also the Lesser Evil of the two Devils You Know....

You still need to know who he is, and who he is is not just guy who won’t expand health care as much and claiming him to be such and nothing more is DANGEROUS.

Vote for Biden if it comes down to him and Trump, yes! But do so in a way that will let you get right back to work opposing all the shit HE prioritizes and stands for, every bit as much as you claim to oppose all the same with Trump!

Stop treating this as an impossible ask. It is not as simple as evil or not evil. It is as simple as making the choice that ensures most people survive....and then from there, actually ensuring that means that the most people survive. 

Which can only happen when you keep in mind how Biden will still be dangerous even once Trump is gone, and who will still need protection from him and his administration and policies, even once Trump’s are gone....and especially because there are a number of those policies that Biden, based on his own policies of the past, is not likely to prioritize or even be helpful in getting dismantled.

Any posts responding to this with anything remotely on the lines of “you’re encouraging people not to vote for Biden and thus helping Trump win” will be ignored the same way they ignore that THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS POST IS, OR SAYS, OR WANTS. I am not responsible for your inability to read what this post actually says, or your unwillingness to hold two not actually opposing viewpoints and priorities in your head at the same time. I am being as clear as I possibly can be on what I will be doing if Biden is the nominee, and why, and how none of that makes Biden’s worst flaws or history irrelevant or a distraction from Trump.

First off:

“Won’t expand healthcare that much” IS actively letting people die. GoFundMe’s biggest usage is trying to raise money for people whose health care isn’t keeping them alive and most of those goals are never actually met, and that’s literally killing people. 

Please be cognizant of what kind of people are most being killed this way. Ones who have the most trouble MEETING (often) impossible goals. The most marginalized members of society. 

If anyone is still framing the health care issue in their own heads as a matter of whether or not they can always pay for their own medical expenses, or will always be able to, please understand this disregards the many people who flat out can’t, and die every day as a result. Homeless people, people kicked out of their homes for being gay or trans or neurodivergent, not having access to quality health care for those reasons or turned away by the specialists they desperately need because the specialists’ only concerns are they can’t afford to pay. Ex-cons who are largely barred access to jobs with good medical benefits, and are largely barred access to the goodwill of random internet strangers willing to shell out some money of their own for their gofundme campaigns. And so on, and so on.

Absolutely the camps and detention facilities are a huge ongoing issue, but its a huge ongoing issue MOST being talked about throughout these entire past four years by a lot of the exact same leftists being accused of taking focus away from the very issues they are doing the most to highlight.

Now onto Biden specifically:

Are Biden’s positions on everything identical to Trump? No, but for starters, Biden wrote the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, responsible for building more prisons, increasing prison sentences, deploying more cops, and increasing and furthering the exploitation of prison labor, etc.

He’s long been a major proponent of capital punishment, directly leading to the creation of over 60 new capital offenses including murder of federal law enforcement officers. And oh yeah, Biden also voted against limiting appeals and rejecting racial statistics in death penalty appeals.....which would be great if the vast majority of the new death penalty offenses he had a hand in creating - like the murder of police - haven’t been massively disproportionate in who they end up targeting and who ends up charged with and convicted of them: 

Like carjackings, acts of terrorism (just hardly ever acts of domestic terrorism aka the mass shootings of white supremacists, antisemites and disgruntled white guys), and the many drug-related offenses that stem from him being known for decades as a ‘drug warrior’ behind many leading efforts in the war on drugs.

Such as how in the 80s he was the head of the Senate Committee responsible for passing most of the most punitive measures against drug users, during the crack epidemic that was largely created to target and make scapegoats of lower class drug users and PoC, whom were at the time denoted as statistically more likely to use crack cocaine than powder cocaine....

And given that Biden himself sponsored and co-wrote the Anti-Drug Abuse Act which specifically and deliberately laid out hugely harsher penalties for crack cocaine use than were received for being convicted of using power cocaine.....aka a particular favorite past-time of rich white guys (including politicians and political staffers)....all during and throughout the crack epidemic Biden and his cohorts happily whipped up public moral outrage about....

This directly makes him and his political career an inciting element in the huge disparities in prison populations, all stemming from this drug warrior’s leading role in a war on drugs he helped get underway and become what it eventually became in the first place. (Please keep in mind he was famously critical of REAGAN for not being strongly enough anti-drug, as well as George H. W. Bush.)

Granted, Biden admitted his role in crafting and enforcing legislation that led to such huge disparities, at least by the time he was asked about such things in the debates of the 2007 Democratic primaries.

But to my knowledge, to this day he has yet to ever similarly walk back his role in things like oh, the Comprehensive Forfeiture Act in 1983. Which directly empowered and has steadily more and more further increased the power of drug enforcement agencies to seize assets of even just those charged with anything from drug possession to intent to distribute. Which in turn, almost always directly affects the ability of defendants to pay for their own defense instead of being limited to the representation of overworked and underpaid public defenders. Not to mention limits their ability to repeatedly avail themselves to the unlimited appeals Biden nominally has always been in favor for. 

Or there’s the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Bill which was a bit of shady shitmanship that squeezed through thanks to being attached to an unvetted, unrelated and super fucking vague child protection bill that has often been criticized as overreaching in scope. And this IDAP Bill, despite its superficially stated intentions, has historically most often been used by DEA agents as an intimidation tactic wielded against drug-reform protestors at rallies and other such events.

Biden might never have openly had his support base chanting Build the Wall, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t vote for the Secure Fence Act of 2006, which partially funded the construction of 700 miles of fencing along the Mexican border. 

And his stance for over ten years about whether he’d allow sanctuary cities to ignore federal law has been a clear and concise NO, which y’know, given that’s kinda the whole point of sanctuary cities....and given that sanctuary cities have been absolutely CRUCIAL to even attempting to stave off the worst of Trump’s anti-immigration efforts, travel bans, etc.....this may not make him worse than Trump, but I fail to see that particular stance helping all that much even after Trump is gone. 

Because Biden might not have put the same efforts into motion as Trump has, had he been the one in office, but I do not for a second believe he will in ANY way make reversing or undoing some of them his priority. All of that is just as likely to be an uphill battle in a Biden presidency. His track record speaks to itself as to how much he’s likely to make anything like abolishing ICE or getting rid of the detention facilities his first order of business - or even second, third, or even tenth....UNLESS PEOPLE FORCE HIM TO MAKE IT THAT, INSTEAD OF JUST TRUSTING THAT HE WILL BECAUSE HE’S NOT TRUMP.

The caveat I have here is that Biden and his inner circle and support base are unlikely to ever be that visibly resistant to repealing Trump’s anti-immigration efforts, or that visibly in favor of what’s happened there, and he isn’t going to campaign on a platform of overt racism.....but that’s kinda the point. He’s never needed to, in order to still do a huge amount of damage to an untold number of lives over the decades, all while being able to claim to be nominally or superficially progressive and use that to advance his own career. 

Trump doesn’t care about hiding his racism....and Biden doesn’t try all that hard to either. But he’s always known he doesn’t really have to try all that hard....just to hide it just enough to claim it isn’t there and its nothing worth anyone worrying about or pushing back against. Plausible deniability - made all the easier and all the more plausible by having someone like Trump to point to and know just by doing so people will breathe a sigh of relief because whew, at least he’s not Trump. Not that this is likely a huge comfort to the people killed long before now, due to his prison policies, capital offense expansion, and war on drugs that happen to not be the right kind of drugs, or being snorted in the right form of those drugs, or snorted by the right people.

And putting a face and a claim to things that absolutely none of his actual efforts back up or are even aimed in the same direction as....this is something that extends to pretty much everything else about him. 

Yeah, he reversed his stance on voting for DADT and DOMA in years prior, when as Vice President he said he was totally fine with the idea of men marrying men and women marrying women and each enjoying all the same benefits and civil rights and liberties as anyone else. Course, that doesn’t actually reverse how he voted, nor did he actually have anything to do with striking down the results of his and others’ votes as unconstitutional.

And yeah, Biden drafted the Violence Against Women Act, which he’s famously called the most significant piece of legislation he’s crafted throughout his political career and the one he’s most proud of, citing it as the beginning of a ‘historic commitment to women and children victimized by domestic violence and sexual assault.’ Not that it helped Anita Hill that much, nor that he ever seemed all that interested in helping, believing or supporting her, despite whatever he may have claimed a couple years ago at the start of the #MeToo movement or around the Kavanaugh proceedings, when he stated he’d always believed Anita Hill and voted against Clarence Thomas.

(With Thomas of course still a member of the Supreme Court, alongside Kavanaugh now, thanks to Trump. And Thomas still being famously considered one of its most conservative justices. And still someone whose appointment to the Court might not ever have happened had not Biden - the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee overseeing Thomas’ nomination to the court -  made the choice to never call forward four female witnesses who’d been waiting in the wings the whole time to testify on Hill’s behalf and speak to her credibility. With this decision of Biden’s only ever being described as the result of a ‘private, compromise deal between Republicans and then-Judiciary Committee Chair Joe Biden,’ after which all four other women’s testimony was deemed irrelevant, and thus a waste of the court’s time.

And sure, Biden as of just last year supports repealing the Hyde Amendment, that he’s only supported since as far back as ‘76. The Hyde Amendment, of course, blocks federal funding from being used to pay for an abortion except in the specific provision of an abortion being needed to save the woman’s life, or when the pregnancy is the result of incest or rape. Of course, even through all those decades that Biden did support the Hyde Amendment, he pretty famously never felt it went far enough, and thought it shouldn’t include a provision allowing for federal funds to be used to pay for an abortion that stemmed from incest or rape. But that doesn’t speak to his personality or priorities either, obviously, since he took it back (while preparing to hopefully run against pussy-grabbing Trump).

And Biden’s not as interested in giving billionaires tax cuts as Trump is, for instance, since he was always against even George W. Bush’s tax cuts for Americans who made more than one million dollars a year. He was always of the belief that this money should then be put in a dedicated Homeland Security and Public Safety Trust Fund, to invest specifically in increased law enforcement. Joey does love him some cops.

And Biden’s not quite as likely to go to war compared to how often Trump seems to have us poised on the brink of it. Biden only favored sending American troops to Darfur, is a self-described Zionist who has defended various acts of aggression by the Israeli army against Palestinians, and was of the opinion that the biggest problem with our involvement in the Syrian Civil War was that Europe didn’t trust we had a plan there.  

Of course, much like with numerous other stances, its not like there’s not plenty to point to as proof Biden’s invested in keeping us out of any international conflicts. For instance, he’s been a longterm advocate for ‘hard-headed diplomacy’ against Iran that included pushing for coordinated international sanctions against them...except then he voted against a measure to declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization, said war with Iran wouldn’t just be a mistake, it’d be a disaster, and threatened to personally begin impeachment proceedings against George W. Bush if he attempted to start a war with Iran. This was in December of 2007. Course, then in September 2008, he said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was a terrorist organization and that the Bush administration already had the power and right to declare them as such, soooo......hmm.

And Biden did vote against the first Gulf War in 1990. Then supported the use of force against Iraq in 1998 and expressed a commitment to taking down Hussein, even if it meant being in it for the long haul....which as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2002, he ratified by voting to authorize war against Iraq, going on record as firmly believing that Hussein possessed chemical and biological weapons and was seeking nuclear weapons. 

Then again, in 2006, Biden did go on to say that the original authorization for going to war with Iraq had been a mistake that was due to Bush “using his congressional authority unwisely” (and that Biden had no role in unwisely helping him obtain), and that there were no stockpiled weapons in Iraq and likely never had been. 

Which Biden then followed up in 2008 by saying in his opinion the real mistake had been in labeling Iraq the focus of the War on Terror, instead of Afghanistan, which he believed was really the focus all along, and that we should leave Iraq....and shift our focus fully back there. Because see, the problem was the war in Iraq was a war of choice, whereas the war in Afghanistan was a war of necessity.

And he did have this to say in 2011 about getting involved in the conflict in Libya: "NATO got it right. In this case, America spent $2 billion and didn't lose a single life. This is more the prescription for how to deal with the world as we go forward than it has in the past."

Course, five years later in 2016, in an interview with Charlie Rose, Biden stated he was "strongly against going to Libya" due to the instability it would cause within the country. He said, "My question was, 'OK, tell me what happens.' He's gone. What happens? Doesn't the country disintegrate? What happens then? Doesn't it become a place where it becomes a petri dish for the growth of extremism? And it has."

And then there’s his stances on North Korea...and Russia...and Central America....and Cuba.....all of which can be summed up as “that’s Joe Biden’s hot take on this issue, tune back in next week where he plays devil’s advocate with himself and argues the exact opposite.”

So yeah, all of that and more is who Biden is and always has been. Do not buy into him being someone who has grown and changed, because he’s more recently said the right things - especially as opposed to Trump. Biden has ALWAYS said the right things for the time he’s saying them at.....and history has always shown him willing to say the exact opposite, as soon as its more to his advantage to change his tune to that instead.

He is not the lesser of two evils, IMO, he is just the less overt of two evils. But make no mistake.....I can not tell anyone what to do, nor am I trying to, ultimately, beyond just asking people to BE AWARE of things like this. I can only really tell you what I’m going to do, and if Biden gets the nomination, I AM going to vote for him, not just to get rid of Trump....but everyone Trump brought with him, and the way Trump’s spent four years assuring every hateful piece of shit in America that they are not alone in their hate, and they have presidential approval.

I am simply ALSO saying, at the same time, that I do believe that even a Biden presidency can help push back against this, by virtue of at least being the American people saying We Do Not Support Trump or Want Him Back in enough quantities as to shame at least some of the more hateful and cowardly elements of our society back into silence.....

But that even while doing so, it IMO will remain MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER to keep in mind.....none of those people or their hate simply sprang into being when Trump took office. They were here all along, and just because BEFORE Trump many of them weren’t brave enough to be seen out of the shadows, doesn’t mean that politicians like Joe Biden haven’t seen them and been fine with them and even agreeing with them and catering to them in various ways all along. Its just, unlike Trump, Biden cares too much about being seen as doing and saying the right things, the progressive things, to do any of those dealings openly, speak to any of those elements directly. But that’s never meant he’s above dealing with them, or profiting from their support.

So elect Biden if that’s what we have to do, even if only because his desire to be seen as progressive is at least a lever to ply between him and such elements of our society, where no such lever exists between Trump and them at all.

But it needs to be remembered that such a lever is only as effective as WE MAKE USE OF IT, AND FORCE HIM TO CATER MORE TO ACTUAL PROGRESSIVE PUBLIC OPINION RATHER THAN ALLOW HIM THE TIME AND ENERGY TO BE TWO-FACED THE MOMENTS OUR BACKS ARE TURNED.

And that if we do not keep this in mind, the latter is very much something Biden will do, just as he has done it countless times before.

AND ALSO PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:

HE STILL IS NOT THE NOMINEE YET, AND UNTIL HE IS STOP TAKING IT FOR GRANTED.

There is a marked difference between preparing for less than your preferred scenarios, and taking for granted that you might as well go ahead and settle for them already.

Too much of the latter has too much to do with the current state of our country, SO WHAT IF WE STOPPED DOING IT.

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: What do you think the 14 Symphonia would think of Amane Nishiki and Relius Clover? I know the guys would be embarrassed by Amane attempting to scout them sense Amane likes to recruit cute boys or handsome men (Emil, Lloyd, Genis, Zelos, Regal, Kratos, Richter and Decus all fit the bill). Of course, he would find the girls cute too. I do know that they would all despise Relius for only seeing people as objects (only souls mater to him). I think even Alice and Decus would hate Relius.

Lloyd likes to look for the best in people so while he might be embarrassed by Amane, I think he’d mostly just think he’s a “strange guy” without really judging too hard. Relius he might have a problem with because Relius values souls more than people and their lives and that’s similar to how Mithos valued an imagined ideal for equality over the actual quality of people’s lives. Genis would probably dislike both Relius and Amane because neither of them would really be seeing him the way he wants to be seen. Genis has a big complex about being short, to the point where growing 1/4 inch was enough for him to brag to Raine. Amane treating him like a cute new recruit would probably irk him because as much as he might enjoy being cute by dressing up as a Katz with Presea, he doesn’t want to be considered cute just for being young and short. So I’m sure he’d interpret Amane’s interest as him not taking Genis seriously. Relius of course would just see him as a new soul for experiments and Genis is already pretty resentful of getting that sort of stigma for being a half-elf, to the point where he really empathized with Mithos over their shared discrimination, which is why fighting Mithos was so difficult for him. Mithos is what Genis himself would have become without friends like Lloyd to show him that he could be valued as a person without having to LITERALLY change the fabric of reality the way Mithos wanted to. Colette, I think, would probably just consider Amane silly. Colette is the kind of person who, like Lloyd, sees the best in people, and befriends others easily. Even Richter, who attacked her, was considered “a nice person” even though she was willing to help Emil fight him in the end. So Amane would probably just be a quirky potential friend to her unless he did something actively and relentlessly malicious to prove himself an enemy. Relius fits the bill for actively malicious or at least actively misanthropic because everyone is reduced to a potential soul for him to experiment with, so I’m sure Colette would be willing to fight him. That said, Colette’s never actively hateful toward anyone, so while she might be angry at the way Relius thinks and acts, she probably would work with Lloyd and the others toward finding the least harmful way to stop him from hurting others. Raine would 100% be against Relius as a scientist and as someone who doesn’t value the lives of others, he deems test subjects. Like Genis, Raine is aware of what it’s like to be seen as just a guinea pig. So while she might respect his work ethic and dedication, she would 100% be against the inhumane things he does in the name of “science.” I’m not sure what Raine would think of Amane, but it’s possible she’d see him as an interesting case study and would be interested in learning more about him. Sheena might be put off by Amane at first since his flamboyant nature might remind her of Zelos, but since Amane seems more interested in beauty and especially male beauty she might be a little less put off? Sheena would absolutely be down to kick Relius’s ass. Unlike Lloyd and Colette, she would probably actively hate him and unlike Raine and Genis, it wouldn’t be for any personal reason. She and Zelos have a shared hatred for self-righteous people that think they can just do what they want and toy with the lives of others. Zelos would probably get along with Amane if Amane didn’t gush over him. XD Then again, Amane gushing over him might feed his ego. Depends on if Zelos is homophobic or not. I’m going to say no because I can’t recall Zelos ever being uncomfortable with anyone commenting on his looks, male or female, and I think if he’d be more likely to just be like “Glad you think I’m hot shit, but I’m just here for the hunnies~” Then again, since Amane is pretty effeminate, Zelos might accidentally hit on him. Again, not to beat a dead horse, but it would definitely be an exception if anyone DIDN’T hate Relius. So suffice to say that Zelos is not going to vibe with Relius treating people like cattle.  Presea is more of the same with Relius. Unlike people like Mithos or Richter, whose pain she could probably understand (despite being the least expressive, she seems to be one of the most empathetic characters in the Symphonia crew) Relius seems mostly to be doing what he does because he CAN. Mithos did what he did for his sister and for equality for half-elves. Richter did what he did for Aster and to try to save the world from what he thought was a real threat (Ratatosk DID threaten genocide.) Relius is willing to throw his own family away in pursuit of his ultimate goal: his research. So while Presea might feel pity or sympathy for another adversary, she would probably fight Relius with no hesitation. I think Presea, as a craftsman, would vibe on some level with Amane, though Presea seems single-minded in what she considers aesthetic: animal cuteness. So I’m sure they could have debates about art but Presea probably doesn’t have much interest or experience with dance and doesn’t have a particular interest in human beauty because people don’t have pawpads that she can squish. Regal, as a noble, and a bit of a renaissance man, could probably understand the pursuit of beauty, aesthetics, and performance that Amane is interested in. Regal might even be flattered at being scouted. But Regal is pretty modest, all things considered, so I feel like he would decline an invitation to be in Amane’s troupe because it doesn’t really work well with his ultimate desires to help his friends and make up for having to kill Alicia. Again, probably a no-brainer that Regal wouldn’t like Relius, though he would definitely have an extra layer there of Relius turning his wife and children into tools to fight with. Regal had to kill Alicia to spare her the fate of being a monster and spare others from being hurt by her and it’s painful for him. So for Regal, it would be unthinkable to actually HAVE THE CHANCE to be with someone who cares about you, to have children that love you, and then just throw that away for power. Regal literally GAVE UP one of his greatest strengths, his powerful punches, to avoid hurting anyone ever again and to repent for hurting Alicia. So Regal would probably be disgusted with valuing power over people. Kratos would probably pity Relius. Having followed Mithos for as long as he did and after being shown the light by Lloyd, he’d probably know better than anyone that a single-minded pursuit of any goal, even a noble goal, can lead to terrible outcomes. And for that goal to just be the furtherance of science rather than any good that science could do for humanity would be enough for Kratos to be against him. Kratos would probably think Amane is strange, but kind of in a grandpa kind of “kids these days” way like “Lloyd? Lloyd is it trendy for guys to dress and act like this now? First Zelos and now this guy? Times are changing faster and faster. Wow.” I don’t think he’d necessarily mind being “scouted” but he’d be confused. He probably doesn’t see himself as an exceptional example of beauty, and it doesn’t really mesh with any of his goals. Emil is very shy and reserved and self-deprecating so he would be flattered by being scouted but would 100% think he doesn’t deserve it and would fall over himself trying to explain that he’s not a performer and he doesn’t know how to dance. Same story, different character, Emil would probably hate Relius, mostly for his shamelessness in hurting so many people and feeling no remorse. Emil found out the other version of him, Ratatosk, killed ONE person and was willing to throw himself on the swords of his friends to try to make up for that, Emil can’t IMAGINE what would have to happen to make a person just willingly use and hurt so many people and just NOT be bothered by it. He HATED Lloyd for the longest time because he thought Lloyd was like that and caused the massacre at Palma Costa and then just DIDN’T CARE about it. Post-game Emil would probably be softer on Relius because his friends saw a path to redemption for Emil that didn’t involve a death gambit, and even Richter who he’d hurt most saw fit to give him a second chance. So while Emil would absolutely want to take Relius down, I think he’d be with Lloyd and Colette in the “reform Relius if possible” team and not the “Beat sense into him by any means necessary” team that, say, Sheena and Zelos might fall into. Marta would definitely gush with Amane over how cute Emil is but every time Amane wanted to talk about anyone else Marta would get mad and just be like “No, this is gush about Emil time, I don’t care about Zelos.” I think Marta would also love to incorporate the whole “beauty of dance and fighting as a type of dance” into her own fighting style. Dead horse whipping hours again: Marta would be with everyone else trying to stop Relius but would also probably be “team soft punishment” like Emil and Lloyd and Colette because killing Alice in self-defense (or in defense of Emil) hurt her enough and I think she’d want to avoid having to kill anyone again. Richter would fall probably more on the side of pity and disgust with Relius for disgracing science, but I’m unsure if he’d also hate Relius for representing the sorts of people at Sybak that saw him and his kind as disposable labor (like how Relius turned his wife into a machine to fight) or as test subjects. I’m leaning toward yes, he’d hate Relius and would kill him if necessary, but Emil and Aster both impressed a sense of forgiveness on him, so I’m not sure if he would follow through with it or regret it if he did kill Relius. I think Richter would be a bit of a tsundere if Amane tried to scout him because when Aster echoed Aqua’s assertion that he was handsome in the manga, he got flustered and yelled at Aster to shut up. It’s unclear whether he’d be more uncomfortable with the fact that the praise is coming from Amane or whether it’s because he’s receiving praise at all, since the few times Emil praised him he seemed to be flustered by it. Richter’s also not big on dance so I don’t think he’d be very interested in being in a troupe with Amane. Alice would vibe with Relius’s pursuit of power by any means but would probably be disgusted just from the fact that she’s kind of jealous. Part of the reason Alice is so power-hungry is that she sees the world as a dog-eat-dog world, where the strong subjugate the weak. She doesn’t ever want to feel powerless again, so while she would admire Relius seeing what he wants and taking it, it’d be sort of the way a jealous prince would admire a king. If Alice had the power to crush him, though, she absolutely would. Because under all the layers of “I have to be strong so no one can ever hurt me” I’m pretty sure a small part of her recognizes that Relius is abusing his power and is pretty vile. Alice I think would vibe with Amane with the whole “Fight well and look cute doing it” aesthetic but would be pretty neutral with him otherwise. Decus would be flattered by Amane scouting him and might even join up with him if Alice would come along (and she probably wouldn’t unless it was Amane joining THEM instead. She only worked with Richter because Richter promised her more power because he had a contract with demons.) If he can’t be with Alice he’d probably just say “Love the offer but my one true purpose is to devote myself to Alice. Don’t blame you though! I do my best to be as attractive as I can be for Alice!” Decus would be willing to kick Relius’s ass for Alice but ONLY for Alice. Though if we remove Alice from the picture, I can see Decus having an issue with him because as much as Alice claims to only want power for power’s sake, she protected him. So he knows there’s goodness and love in her. With Relius, he probably would have no reason to believe there’s any goodness in him.

[dolly-rose]

(2) and she just looked at me and asked me one simple question. How old are your parents? I answered her, not really getting where she was going. She then told me, simply "They're responsible for their own lives, and you're responsible for your own and only your own until the point where you decide you want to have a kid. Then you'll be responsible for the kid as well." I disagreed with her, telling her that my parents drag me into their issues even when I try to stay away and she rebutted me

(3) She just smiled and said something along the lines of “Live your own life. When they see you’re doing your own thing, being happy, living your own life, they’ll start changing as well.” I didn’t trust her, tbh. I felt like I’ve always been there for my parents so they were used to me being there to listen and comfort and whatnot. I had some deeper issues so it took me a while to get on my own two feet where I don’t just jump up to help them whenever they come whining. I just started doing it

(4) And let me tell you, in the beginning it’s so hard. So hard to not just fix their issues when you know you could. But I realised that they can actually ix them, too. I just made them too much used to me being the one to fix them so they got spoiled by me. I fucking managed to spoil my parents, ridiculous, eh? But the more I’ve become independent in the way where I just listen without reacting and letting them deal with it all while I deal with my shit, they actually started getting better.

(5) It took me so damn long, though. So long to finally sever the damn phantom umbilical cord. I know how overwhelmed you must feel with parents who look to you for help, I know you must feel responsible for them in so many ways, but I just want to let you know it’ll get better. You’ll get better. And I say that because, and this was the hardest lesson I had to learn, the only person you can truly change is you. Others change as a reaction to your change, like a tidal wave. Take care of yourself

(6) Love yourself because you’re so damn lovable. And don’t put your life on any kind of pause or slow it down for others, because it will only harm you in the long run. On the other hand, you living your best life at the pace that is comfortable to you will inspire others to do the same. It does sound cheesy, but it’s proven many times to be true. If you need someone to talk to or talk AT, just message me, whenever you feel like it, okay? Be good to yourself!

I thank you kindly for your thoughtful advice, and I hear you completely.  Although it looks like tumblr ate the first part of this ask, I’m pretty sure I got the gist of the situation.  I thank you for sharing, and hope you do not mind that I am responding to this publicly, but I feel the need to make my own response public to see if there is anyone out there with the knowledge and advice that might help me more specifically.  In response:

These are strategies I’ve tried to reassure myself with for years.  But there are logistics to consider that I frankly need help dealing with, and due to a personal lack of finances, I am unable to seek professional help to help me answer these questions.

On my dad’s end, he will eventually learn to stop bringing me into his personal life on this level.  In part he does still emotionally lean on me because I’ve always been the only person that knew how to understand my mother and calm her down.  He discusses this with me to vent and also seek my guidance because we have always needed to respond very carefully as to not escalate the situation.  (On the other hand, he also communicates these issues with me to warn me of what the situation is, because I am always the next person my mother will contact if she is in a foul mood.)  My mother still had a lot of financial control and could put a lot of things at risk intentionally if we did not respond in a desired way.  Consequently, her actions would then affect the entire family, regardless of my involvement.  Losing our home is not something we can afford to go through right now, and this greatest thing at stake from my father’s end, until the divorce is settled.

Now, we have my mother who suffers severely from Borderline Personality Disorder, and is in need of intensive care.  I agree with you, that this shouldn’t be my responsibility.  But here is the reality of the situation; my mother is 60 years old, jobless (she lost 5 jobs in just one year), she is unable to maintain a job due to both mental health issues and physical health issues. She is in thousands of dollars of debt from medical bills, and a couple thousand from credit cards.  Her boyfriend (who seems to have recently left her) was their only source of income, and since he’s only on disability himself, there was never much money around.  She will be filing for bankruptcy this year because there are no other available options.

My mother is still covered under my father’s health insurance because their divorce has not been legalized yet.  However, she only has until the end of March before that health insurance is canceled.  The insurance however is a complete joke because our family is very poor and we cannot afford a lower deductible, so until we spend out $3500 in medical fees (money we do not have), we don’t qualify for much benefits.  To just see a general family doctor, our co-pays are $100 and up.  My mother who has no income other than the money I (had) been supplying her with, cannot afford to go to the doctor.  For over a year now, she has stopped taking all of her anti-depressant medications, mood stabilizers, sleeping aids, etc.  Recently, she has not had the money to pay for her other on-going medications for both hypertension and Diabetes type II.  She’s become very physically ill and her IBS has been affecting her daily life to an extreme.  However, with all of these things in mind, be aware that her doctor denied her his recommendation for disability when we asked.

I did take her to a social worker and we have applied to get her food stamps, cash assistance, and a medical card.  We have not yet heard back to see if she has been accepted for any of these government aids, and because we live in the bankrupt state of Illinois, I am weary of both how long it will take for her receive a response, and what her chances are of qualifying at all since her divorce from my father is not final.  (The divorce which we literally do not have money to afford at the moment.  My dad already had to take out money against his 401k to pay 5 missing house payments so that the bank would not start foreclosure. Which in turn, my mother then stole the money that he intended to use to pay off those bills, and used it to buy crack cocaine for herself.  She’s become an ongoing addict.)

My mother is literally at the point of being evicted from her trailer by her own sister.  Her boyfriend has left her, and he was the one that paid for all the utilities.  Knowing what I know about the health care system, I don’t think she will be quickly approved (if at all) for permanent Social Security Disability because it is rarely passed for people with Mental Illness, and her physical ailments are deemed curable as long as she has the money to afford the medications.  My mother has no other family members but myself and my younger brother.  I’m not at this moment allowing myself to consider the idea of letting her become homeless or forcing her to live in a women’s shelter where her health can only further deteriorate.

I would love to walk away from all of this and reassure myself that my mother will learn to change and that she will eventually be able to take care of herself.  However, at this moment, I know that she is entirely mentally and financially incapable of doing any of those things.  She’s been extremely suicidal and it’s taken every ounce of energy that I have to convince her that these problems are still manageable and there is hope that things will be better.

I love my mother despite all these issues because I understand how severe the disorder is, as I am a victim of it myself.  In a few weeks she will have no other option but to move to another state to live with me, since I am the only family she has that will take her in.  Opening my home to her means opening her to my care, and taking her on as a full-time responsibility.  I still do not have the money to get her the therapy and medical help that she needs; I don’t even have the money to afford it for myself.

I have no idea what to do, but I just cannot with good conscience walk away knowing that she will be left either homeless or to commit suicide.  I do not want these responsibilities, and I do want to live my own life, but it seems like my only way to live is to find a way to accommodate her life first until she is actually capable of doing it herself.  Most unfortunately to all of this is that I have no assistance myself.  I need help finding solutions, but I have no one to ask, and I have no connections to help me get things active.  As I mentioned before, I also suffer from BPD and anxiety, and it’s been extremely difficult for me to find solutions to her problems when I don’t have anyone first helping me to solve my own. 

I am truly and devastatingly in need of help that results in active decision making that will produce tangible results.  I need to be productive and make sure these situations don’t escalate even further than they already have, but I just have absolutely no idea where to go or how to make those changes happen.  I am not just frustrated with the situation, but also with myself, and I am endlessly terrified, but I simply know that doing nothing and walking away for my own benefit will result in consequences that I am not ready to live with. 

If anyone has any advice for what to do in the state of these circumstances, I am willing to learn and find a way to take action ASAP.  

[caffeineandcateyes-blog]

Old Ass Bullies

So, considering that my social media accounts are being stalked but they dont know about this one, I will be venting here. If you can relate let me know. I would to chat about the abuse and be there for anybody who needs to vent like I'm doing here. It all started when I first got with him. 3 years ago. His mother picked me out and told him about me, he was a cousin of my best friend. I was told that i would be great for him. We were at first. Our personalities matched so perfectly, besides his anger. Our first fight was a month in all because I stated I was tired. He disagreed and scoffed at me for even saying so since I was unemployed at the time. Me being stubborn and not feeling validated continued to argue my point, just because I am unemployed doesn't mean that I am not allowed to be tired. Sounds reasonable right? I gave up and went to bed. The next morning while i was driving him to work he started the fight up again. He proceeded to call me nasty names and degrade me. He then got out of my car and spiked his rockstar while slamming the door behind him. I started to pull away fast because i was scared, never been around someone with that bad of a temper. He started yelling for me so i stopped, he walked up to my window and started saying he was sorry. I didn't know what to think. I went home trying to calm down and my sister went into my room to check on me. I told her everything that happened and she seemed scared for me. She told me that the way I was telling made it seem like her last relationship. Very controlling and manipulative. She told me to run away fast and that was exactly what I wanted to do. So. I texted him saying that I wanted to break up and that I will be dropping his stuff off at his sisters house. He was pissed off because he said that he was sorry and its bullshit I won't give him another chance. I then had my sister take his stuff over to his sisters house but she was not there. My sister then headed back to our house to tell me what happened. As she was walking up his sister showed up. I was in the back house and was unsure of the events that happened then but what I hear is they were unpleasant. The next day I get a facebook message from his sister going off on me saying I was an immature little girl and that if I were serious at all about any relationship then I would be willing to put the work in. (Sounding completely insane yet?!) My sister was with me when she messaged me this long ass message full of degrading comments and name calling. I asked my sister to take over because I was so distraught on what the fuck was happening. I called up my best friend and told her I needed a night out. She agreed and the next night we went out to a bar. He found out that we were hanging out that same night and was texting my best friend (because they are cousins) and asking if she would let him speak to me. She ignored him because we were getting tipsy and trying not to have any drama. Because of that night they started to go after not just me but my best friend. I got pissed and messaged him going off on him to leave my best friend alone. He proceeded to tell me that he did not do the things my best friend told me he was doing. Of course I rolled my eyes like what the fuck ever. That day I was told that I would need to move out the house I was staying in. I had no job and now no place to live. Well desperate times call for desperate measures.....so I took him back. Stupid right?! Well shortly after that I became sucked into their facade of the perfect family. They all played this game of acting loving and caring. Having such a tight knit family that communicated and took care of one another. My how that was way off. It took me a long time to realize how fucked up they really are and a lot of abuse to open my eyes. Once they were open I couldn't close them. That happened when we decided to move into his mother's house to help her with bills. Josh's stepdad passed away and his mother had no job. She asked us to move in after his youngest sister wasn't helping enough. We accepted her offer on one condition, that she didn't smoke inside the house. I was pregnant at the time and did not want to harm my baby because of her habit. So she agreed and we moved in. Shortly after that was the first time I saw her smoking inside the house. I pointed it out to Josh and motioned him to say something to avoid any further conflict with her. She waved it off like it was no big deal. Strike one on my totem pole. That should've been the day that my eyes were open, but it wasn't. The next instance was her complaining of me not cleaning the house even though I was pregnant and severely sick. She had dogs and one of those dogs had long hair that she'd, so naturally even if I swept and cleaned the floors were still covered in hair an hour later. That didn't matter to her. She even caused friction in mine and Josh's relationship because of her lies. That still didn't open my eyes. The night that my water broke she was supposed to be the one who drove me to the hospital. I had an infection with high chance that it would spread to my baby if my water were to break so I needed to be in the hospital immediately. When we told her my water broke she got up and did her hair and makeup and then was finally ready to take me to the hospital. Took her fucking time to take me.....my son was in the NICU for 5 fucking days because I didn't get to the hospital fast enough. Which by the way caught her smoking in the house a few times before this which she waved off as well. Once I had my baby we went home and I refused to break my back with cleaning after that. I literally just cleaned up after my own family and that's it. She left cigar ashes on the stove which means she clearly was smoking in the house even after we brought our son home from the fucking NICU I kept hearing rumors from his family saying that I wasnt doing enough for my family and baby and was just lazy pig. I let that get to me, so I started to try to be better. Go above and beyond what I was doing before and exhausted myself. A week after we brought zeke home from the hospital josh had a petty maul and dropped zeke. I went an picked zeke up trying to calm him, she ripped him out of my hands and took over....I stood there for a minute like what just happened and then went to josh to calm josh down....I was in so much shock and kept trying to get zeke back from her still being polite so that zeke stayed calm....she finally gave him to me and after that I started to lose respect for her. A few weeks after that I heard again that I didn't take him outside enough and all I do is stay in my room and keep him bottled up.....even though It was in the middle of summer with over 100 degree heat....I found out she was waking up in the middle of the night and instead of waking me up to take care of zeke she would do it. Another boundary crossed. The start of my end with her was one morning I walked out into the living room to wake up with my baby and when I sat down on the couch and I smelt smoke. I got up hoping I was wrong about where the smoke was coming from and low and behold I wasnt wrong. She was smoking again in the house. I sat down with josh pissed! Josh said hes done everything he can do but it is her house. The next day I got in a fight with his sister over something stupid on Facebook (she was mad that I didn't stick up for her on an argument she started with one of my friends). I didn't want to socialize because she came over shortly after that. I was still pissed. Josh kept coming in trying to get me to go out and socialize and I kept repeating to him that I needed time to calm down He persisted to bother me about it. They finally left and he expected me to go out and hang out with him and his mom and eat dinner. I was so upset over the constant bothering that I was pushed passed my hunger level. I told him I would eat later. He started to yell at me saying I was being disrespectful and that I need to go out and eat dinner happily since his mom made it for us. I repeated that I would eat later because I'm upset. He continued to say that I have had enough time to get over it so now I need to eat and go on with my day. I had enough, everything in me wanted to scream but instead I yelled at him leave me alone. That caught his mom's attention. She went into the doorway of our room and asked what's going on. At first josh said that it wasnt her business which I agreed. And then she persisted to ask, he told her and she said it did involve her because it was about her daughter. She then proceeded to tell me how immature and pathetic I am to have been upset in the first place. I had both of them yelling at me and calling me names at this point. I continued to tell them to leave alone because they are making a big deal out of something that really isn't a big deal. They clapped back with exactly why are you upset about it if it isn't a big deal. I got frustrated and started to pack my bags to leave. That pissed josh off even more and said "that's it, she's all yours mom." And then left to go out back to smoke. His mother continued and started to get in my face and yell and call me names. I had a panic attack and started rocking back and forth yelling leave me alone repeatedly. She kept saying if you think that's going to work on me it won't to cut it out. I finally stood up and said well if you refuse to leave me alone then I will leave. I grabbed my keys and left everything else As I was walking out of the door josh was yelling at me asking where I was going and when I told him I was leaving he said no your not and states heading towards me, I hurried out of the door ran to my car got in and quickly left afraid of what was going to happen next. If that wasnt crazy enough I still didn't open my eyes to the abuse. I went back that night never the same but stayed. My last straw with everything as far as his mom and sisters go was the day she told me that I can't potty train my son because she didn't do it at that time with her kids. I had told her that I purchase a potty for zeke so I can start introducing him to the potty to help potty train him easier in the future. She started to tell me all of the reasons why she thinks I shouldn't do that. I told her I understand your concern but I know what I'm doing. That pissed her off and said I have no clue and that she knows because she raised 3 children. She started yelling at me in front of my baby that I was feeding baby food at the time so loud that josh came in to see what was going on. She then started to say that I disrespected her because I wanted to potty train my son right then. I was at the point where I was over fighting and started to agree with her. I agreed with every name she called me. I agreed with all of the disrespect she was showing me in front of my child. Then I picked my baby up and made my way into my room ignoring her at this point. I started to pack my bags and made the decision enough was enough. I'd rather be homeless. To my surprise Josh went with me. After that we went back the next day to grab more stuff and we showed up to see his youngest sister there too (which is the same one who was trying to find us so she can beat our asses). We walked in I went right passed her no eye contact or words spoken and started to grab more stuff. Josh at this time already was fighting with her. I stayed out of it until she blocked us from leaving the room. I had my hands full and she threatened to dump all of our stuff in the trash, I asked her to clarify exactly what she was threatening, which then said including my son's stuff. Well my momma bear came out finally and I called her a fucking bitch (well deserved if you ask me!) And pushed past her to leave. She then grabbed my arm and pushed me down the hall. Her nails digged into my skin so deep I was bleeding. Josh then grabbed her before she could continue to hit me and told her to never touch me again. We left so grateful I didn't bring my son along for that trip. I continued to get threats from his sisters telling how big of a peice of shit I am and how I was a terrible partner to Joshua and a bad mother to my baby. All terrible words. When we finally went back to get all of our stuff I noticed my stuff was broken and vandalized. Then a few days later they were trying to take my makeup business down claiming lies about not receiving their makeup. I was flabbergasted at the abuse I had just went through. Never did I ever realize how terrible they all really were. Sadistic fucking human beings. That wasnt even the end of it unfortunately.....Josh started to abuse me mentally. He would tear me down and make me feel guilty for everything I did. I became his punching bag regardless of the unconditional love I showed him. I begged him to work on himself and told him that I couldn't make him happy only he could do that. He would roll his eyes at me. I stayed. I should have left then but I didn't. I held onto the hope he would eventually be happy with himself and me. That I would finally be a light in his life instead of a burden or property. I never would have thought that it would get worse, much worse......he lost his job. I had to start working and his insecurities became louder. I couldn't even see my sisters anymore without him saying something degrading about them or hearing a guilt trip from him. My mom was in town and she lives in Alabama so I took my baby and I with my sisters and my mom to watch a movie. He blew up my phone because i wasnt there to pick him up once he was done golfing. I wasnt allowed to have my own life. I had to live every moment for him. Even when I got home from work I didn't do enough around the house. I would watch zeke immediately as soon as I got home and he would then have all of his free time to do whatever he wanted. I got to the point that I didn't even want to go home after work. I didn't want to see him. I was afraid of him. My anxiety to see him was off the charts. We got in a fight in walmart and he embarrassed me to the point that I FINALLY opened my eyes. I started my plan. I had a plan previously of seeing my mom in Alabama and I told her what happened she told me I can come visit sooner. So I changed my plane ticket and told Josh that I was visiting my sister in tehachapi. Grabbed my son and the entire time he guilting me. He kept making comments about how he has to sleep by himself and threats that if I'm not back in the morning he will be pissed off. He even said he would drink all the liquor since he had nothing else to do. I left to my sisters in tehachapi and spent the night there. Early morning i was dropped off at the airport for my mini vacay so that i can be with my mommy. I texted him in Texas after he blew up my phone stating that I no longer could be with him. I clarified that I was not taking his son away and that I would be back just not sure when. I had his video chatting with him and kept him entirely in the loop. I let him know when we landed in Alabama and never hid anything from him. He surprised me with an emergency custody hearing that he knew was nearly impossible for me to make it back in time. And refused to give me any info on the matter. I spent way too much on an airplane ticket back and was there in time for the court hearing. I had a panic attack in the court house when I saw him not alone but with the two most violent people that I have come into contact with. And intimidation method I'm sure. And I was, oh boy was I. Never even been pulled over by an officer and now here I am standing in the court house waiting to be called into a court room. Shaking, sobbing and unable to think straight...I wanted to run far away, but my son was more important than my anxiety so I pushed through it. Froze up in court and agreed to everything he said (which were lies claiming he was the sole caretaker) .....the judge saw through that luckily and did a temp custody order of 50/50. As we were leaving the court room I was approached by josh verifying the court order (which was unneccessary because I was in there, more like his way of saying that he got his way). My sister told them as longer as there weren't any problems and then his sister, mother, and him started going off on us claiming they will video tape and make sure nothing will. So I told them to walk away because I was tired of the drama I was drained from the panic attack and I just wanted to go to hug my baby one more time and his mother kept telling me to shut up......ever since then it has been a complete nightmare one after another. When I went to give our son to him he seemed fine. A few more times and he texted me to call him once I was no longer with my aunt (I brought her because I was too scared to go alone) when I called him he told me not to bring my aunt around anymore. I stated I was scared and he tried reassure me I had nothing to be scared about which I didn't believe him. Few more times and his mother had josh present me with 2 written notes threatening to sue me for my car and my engagement ring.....I didn't know what to think besides....can she do that?!?! I pushed aside as a manipulation and intimidation technique. They were very good at that. I guess it makes them feel more in control?? Things started to die down after I let josh have a few things out of the stuff he wanted. Started to even out and I was thinking we could actually coparent. Until I asked him to watch our son while I went to my company convention. He refused to watch him because he was going to golf in San Diego for a day. When I asked if I could take our son with me he first said I couldn't afford it and after I told him it wasnt his business on how I can afford it and then said what about me I dont get to see him. I was stuck. I already had invested a lot of money and josh is refusing to work with me. So I had to find another way. At first I thought there was no other way. While I was figuring it out everything went back to happy go lucky because he thought I wasnt going. Until he found out I had a boyfriend. He claims it's because i was "talking shit" which was me talking about my feelings in poems. That was when i found out he had been stalking all of my social media through other people. Having his family member threaten my family members. His mother finally took me to small claims because I'm sure it pissed her off. His mother and him attacked my sister because I was in Orlando at the company convention and she was my babysitter for our son. They were yelling at her calling me a liar and saying I was going against court order while threatening to not give zeke over unless my sister signed their handwritten note. I started crying because he was hurting our son in this process hearing him cry broke my heart and I told jaimie to sign it because at least I know our son will be safe and away from that toxic environment.....when I returned back home I had an operation and told josh that i would be late because of my operation but will be there to pick our son up with my sister to drive. He asked how long and I said I'm unsure. He claimed he wanted to see a cousin in a coma right after and I offered for jaimie to pick him up without me and he said she will need to sign something so she was uncomfortable about it and I forgot to text him what I was going to do due to being in the operation room. He proceeded to blow my sisters phone up going off on her saying he was waiting for her and when we got there I was drugged up from the operation and he made me sign something about being late....after that I was able to show up each time and now he is all happy and friendly.....I have received texts from his oldest sister calling me names and telling me I'm a shitty person. His mother is lying in court paperwork and josh is letting me take the fall for a deal he made with his mother on the car.....what kind of man would let the mother of his child pay for something that he made the decision on?! Not only that but let his mother bully them?! I will never understand this family nor do I intend to do so. The day my son realizes how terrible they really are is the day I will get rid of their crazy asses. -to be continued. 🤦‍♀️😔💯

[lopezdorothy70-blog]

Top 7 Ways to Support Sustainable Fashion

30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health

This article is included in Dr. Mercola's All-Time Top 30 Health Tips series. Every day during the month of January, a new tip will be added that will help you take control of your health. Want to see the full list? Click here.

Shopping is often referred to as "retail therapy." Some suggest buying stuff, especially new clothes, can make you feel better - more relaxed, perhaps, or prettier or popular. While shopping for the latest trendy fashions may boost your mood temporarily, most people agree the positive vibes seldom last long.

Even if they did, there is more to modern fashion than meets the eye. Underneath all the glitz and glam portrayed in store windows are layers of what a new BBC documentary refers to as "fashion's dirty secrets."

If you think turning over your wardrobe frequently has little impact on world events, you may want to take an hour to watch the film. From start to finish, it will compel you to seriously consider how the fashion industry is actually wreaking havoc on the environment and endangering human health.

BBC Reporter Suggests Our Clothes Are Wrecking the Planet

In the featured 2018 documentary, BBC investigative reporter Stacey Dooley unearths some of the fashion industry's "dirty secrets."1 Her conclusion: Our clothes are wrecking the planet. At the onset of the film, Dooley is quick to admit she is a fan of fashion.

"It's retail therapy," she says. "For me, shopping is a way to unwind. I buy a treat, and I get home, try it on and take loads of photos wearing it." Like many, she puts the clothes on, poses in front of a full-length mirror and uses her smartphone to snap a bunch of photos. Later, she posts her favorite pictures on social media, which attracts a flurry of comments from friends and followers.

Dooley notes how easy it is to get pulled into a relatively new trend called "fast fashion," which alludes to how designers and retailers introduce new collections on a weekly basis to keep consumers hooked on clothing. Because clothing lines turn over rapidly, buyers often feel pressure to keep pace with the latest trends, even when they already have a closet full of perfectly useable clothing.

"Fast fashion lures us into buying more clothes than we need," asserts Lucy Siegle, a journalist and author specializing in environmental issues and one of Dooley's interviewees in the documentary. "It's a production system that brings us clothes at intense volume." The problem is our insatiable demand for cheap copies of catwalk fashion is having a devastating impact on the environment.

Like Dooley, you may be surprised to learn that fashion is second only to oil on the list of the top five most polluting industries in the world. That revelation took Dooley on a global adventure to further investigate the impact fashion has on vital aspects of living such as air quality, the economy, human health and water supplies.

Nonorganic Cotton Is One of the Worst Offenders of the Environment

Nonorganic cotton is one of the fibers Dooley reveals as doing the most harm to the environment, particularly as it relates to its devastating impact on fresh water supplies.

Finding out that cotton is one of the "bad guys" may surprise you, especially if you have been influenced by the U.S. industry group advertising that, for nearly 50 years, has promoted conventionally grown cotton as the "fabric of our lives."2 Dooley notes some of the "dirty secrets" associated with nonorganic cotton include the:

Pesticides used in cotton farming

Dyes and other chemicals used in manufacturing items made from cotton

Immense amounts of water needed to produce and process it

In the film, Dooley is told it can take upward of 15,000 liters (about 4,000 gallons) of water to grow the cotton necessary to make some brands of jeans. "I've never associated clothes production with pollution before," she said.

Vital Waterways Damaged by Cotton Production and Textile Manufacturing

In addition to being chemical-dependent, conventionally produced cotton also needs water - lots of water. Dooley discovered the amount of water needed in some cases is enough to nearly drain a sea in a few decades. On a visit to Kazakhstan, Dooley heard firsthand about how the water level of the Aral Sea began receding in the early 1970s.

The Aral Sea is situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan - the world's sixth-largest cotton producer among 90 cotton-growing countries.3 At the time cotton began making inroads, fish started dying from the chemical runoff from cotton fields. Now, in an area that used to be covered in turquoise blue water, you find a sparsely populated, barren wasteland.

The Amu Darya, one of the rivers that fed the Aral, was diverted into cotton-production farms in Uzbekistan and sucked dry before it could reach the sea. In Kazakhstan, what used to be a thriving seaport is now nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the water's edge. The country's fishing industry has been obliterated by its neighbor's cotton industry.

Sadly, the former Kazakhstani seabed is heavily contaminated with pesticides, which prevents plant growth. Locals say wind-driven toxic dust has led to high rates of cancer, tuberculosis and other illnesses among those eking out a living there. The negative impact of cotton is felt daily in the local economy, public health and weather.

"You don't understand the enormity of the situation until you're here," asserts Dooley, standing on the dry earth that was once the Aral seabed. Camels and horses roam in an area once teeming with fish and other sea life. "[D]id I know cotton was capable of this? Of course, I didn't. I had no idea."

Beyond cotton, textile manufacturers themselves also misuse water resources. Dooley visited Indonesia to get a firsthand look at the Citarum River, known as the world's most polluted river. The area around the Citarum is home to more than 400 factories thought to be releasing toxic chemicals into waterways across the region on a daily basis.

Touring the river by raft, Dooley observed several hues of colored dye being pumped into the water and well as bubbling, bad-smelling foam. Toxicology results indicated the river is heavily polluted by heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, which damages the health of local residents who depend on the river for drinking water as well as for bathing and washing clothes.

"To me, this feels like a complete catastrophe, and it's worth bearing in mind that Indonesia isn't even in the top five garment manufacturing countries globally," Dooley commented.

Sustainability: A Real Issue That Needs To Be Addressed in the Fashion Industry

In the U.S. alone, the impact of fashion has been outlined as follows. Every year:4

13.1 million tons of textile waste are created

11 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills

68 percent of the water used to create one pair of jeans revolves around fiber production alone

Because sustainability is such a huge issue for the textile industry, as part of her investigation, Dooley attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit - a gathering billed as "the world's leading business event on sustainability in fashion." Unfortunately, not many of the clothing brands participating in the event were willing to speak to Dooley on camera.

As such, she stated, "This summit is a sign that some in this industry are working to clean up fashion, but I have felt the brands' refusal to talk to me make it look like some of them have something to hide."

That said, Dooley was able to speak to Paul Dillinger, vice president of global product innovation for Levi Strauss & Co., the $5-billion American brand that produces denim jeans and jackets and other clothing. "We're working on a solution that takes old garments, chemically deconstructs them and turns them into a new fiber that feels and looks like cotton, but with zero water impact," he said.

Beyond that, Dillinger says, "In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to use less water in our finishing. We share information on how to reduce the water footprint of our cotton with everyone else." While all that sounds great, he and Dooley agreed the industry and consumers are not yet ready for large-scale change.

"This is a big industry. It's so broadly decentralized that affecting change is nearly impossible," Dillinger notes, "especially when the [consumer] appetite doesn't want change. For that reason, there will need to be a regulatory solution. It has to happen, because there just isn't enough water."

The only lasting solution it seems is for the fashion brands to invest themselves in environmentally friendly production methods. Those new methods, Dooley notes, must run in a parallel path alongside government oversight.

This would include laws and regulations designed to place limitations on water usage, while closely monitoring and responding to other negative environmental impacts brought about by textile companies.

Discarded Clothing Also Has Huge Environmental Impacts

While it may seem the number of textiles discarded are not important, as most fabric should be biodegradable, the reality is the large amount of clothing thrown away every day contains more than cotton. Procedures to treat clothing include using specialized chemicals, such as biocides, flame retardants and water repellents.5

More than 60 different chemical classes are used in the production of yarn, fabric pretreatments and finishing. When fabrics are manufactured, between 10 and 100 percent of the weight of the fabric is added in chemicals.6 Even fabrics made from 100 percent cotton are coated with 27 percent of its weight in chemicals.

Most fabrics are treated with liquid chemicals to ready them for the fashion industry, going through several treatments before being shipped to a manufacturer. A number of chemicals used on clothing are known to present human health and environmental issues.

Greenpeace International7 commissioned an investigation into the toxic chemicals used in clothing. They purchased 141 different pieces of clothing in 29 different countries. The items were manufactured in 18 countries. The chemicals found included high levels of phthalates and cancer-causing amines.

The investigators also found 89 garments with nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). Twenty percent of the garment reflected levels above 100 parts per million (ppm), whereas 12 of the samples contained levels above 1,000 ppm. Because any level of phthalates, amines or NPEs are considered to be hazardous, you do not want them coming into contact with your body through clothing.

While you may think the potential danger of these chemicals comes from wearing clothing containing them, that is just one step in the cycle of harm. When the material makes it to a landfill, these toxic chemicals can leach out into the groundwater. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been widely used in textile marketing and have been linked to a variety of health problems in humans.8

PFCs are so ubiquitous they've been found in the blood of polar bears9 and in tap water supplies used by 15 million Americans in 27 states.10 Fortunately, Greenpeace has listed PFCs as one of the hazardous chemicals used in clothing production targeted for elimination by 2020.11 So far, progress has been slow.

"It fills me with dread," says Dooley. "It's hard to think that the clothes I'm wearing could do so much damage, but I now see how the industry is such a threat to the planet."

The Care What You Wear Campaign

We simply have to start caring about what went into the clothes we wear, which is why I'm participating and donating proceeds from my Dirt Shirts to the Care What You Wear campaign. Marci explains the incentive behind the campaign thus:

"We want to empower consumers and businesses to care about what's behind the way it looks. It's not just about looking good in clothing. It's about feeling good and doing good in the world. When you think about caring about what you're wearing, it's about going deeper and saying, 'Where did this apparel come from? How is it being grown? Where is it being made? Who's making it?'

It's not that different from the Farm to Table Movement, where people are saying, 'Where is my food coming from? How is it being grown and produced?' It's the same thing.

We're waking up to our source inside. We're awakening to that desire to know what we're putting in and on our bodies as an extension of ourselves. It's not just what you eat. It's also what you wear that is a part of you. We need to be thinking about fiber no differently than we are about food."

Startups Are Changing the Industry From the Ground Up

Though not explicitly mentioned in the documentary, one of Levi Strauss' big moves in terms of sustainability involves its partnership with a Seattle-based textile startup called Evrnu.12 In 2016, the two created the world's first jeans made from the reclaimed fibers of five recycled cotton T-shirts. This renewable fiber uses substantially less water than the traditional cotton process.

Such a change is significant considering the Evrnu team notes it takes a staggering 20,000 liters (about 5,300 gallons) of water to produce the amount of cotton needed to make a single pair of jeans. After discovering it takes 700 gallons of fresh clean water to make a simple cotton shirt, Evrnu founder Stacy Flynn recognized the need for sustainability.

Determined to find a way to combat such waste, Flynn launched Evrnu as a startup. By 2014, Flynn and her team had created a new, sustainable alternative from recycled clothing.

Although the full impact of companies like Evrnu are yet to be seen, Flynn says, "It shows that even big players in the textile industry are open to change for the good of the environment, as well as willing to seek out and find the new eco-friendly solutions that are emerging."13

About the new product, Dillinger said, "This first prototype represents a major advancement in apparel innovation. We have the potential to reduce by 98 percent the water that would otherwise be needed to grow virgin cotton."14

7 Ways You Can Help Reduce the Negative Impact of Fashion

Given Dooley's passionate call to action, you may want to consider how you can help reduce the negative impact of fashion. For one, as a consumer, you can vote with your purchases - buying sustainable brands and avoiding companies and clothing items you know are damaging the environment. Beyond that, you can:

1. Choose fabrics made with organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool and bamboo; learn more by reading my article "Why Opting for Organic Cotton Matters"

2. Resist the pull of "fast fashion" and only buy clothes you can commit to wearing for a long time

3. Trade clothes among your family and friends, especially items that have been hanging in your closet unworn for more than six months

4. Select items colored with nontoxic, natural dyes

5. Avoid screen printed items because they typically contain phthalates

6. Be mindful of when and how you wash synthetic clothing so as to minimize the shedding of microfibers

7. Keep in mind that most donated clothing actually ends up in landfills

While in Indonesia, Dooley spoke with Ade Sudrajat, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), who said, "I feel ill. The situation I face makes me desperate." Without better regulation and oversight from government, Sudrajat says, "The planet is gone. Water is our life. Water is our future."

Though she has investigated environmental issues before, Dooley says she was marked by the enormity of the problems going on inside the fashion industry, which she claims have become "a tremendous threat to the planet."

"For me to tell you that I'm never going to shop again would be completely dishonest," she concludes. "But I do recognize how powerful I am as a consumer. This is a situation that needs addressing - and fast. There has to be a real sense of urgency now because to be totally honest with you, we're running out of time."

Tip #11Grow Your Own Food

[jerrytackettca]

Top 7 Ways to Support Sustainable Fashion

30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health

This article is included in Dr. Mercola's All-Time Top 30 Health Tips series. Every day during the month of January, a new tip will be added that will help you take control of your health. Want to see the full list? Click here.

Shopping is often referred to as "retail therapy." Some suggest buying stuff, especially new clothes, can make you feel better — more relaxed, perhaps, or prettier or popular. While shopping for the latest trendy fashions may boost your mood temporarily, most people agree the positive vibes seldom last long.

Even if they did, there is more to modern fashion than meets the eye. Underneath all the glitz and glam portrayed in store windows are layers of what a new BBC documentary refers to as "fashion's dirty secrets."

If you think turning over your wardrobe frequently has little impact on world events, you may want to take an hour to watch the film. From start to finish, it will compel you to seriously consider how the fashion industry is actually wreaking havoc on the environment and endangering human health.

BBC Reporter Suggests Our Clothes Are Wrecking the Planet

In the featured 2018 documentary, BBC investigative reporter Stacey Dooley unearths some of the fashion industry's "dirty secrets."1 Her conclusion: Our clothes are wrecking the planet. At the onset of the film, Dooley is quick to admit she is a fan of fashion.

"It's retail therapy," she says. "For me, shopping is a way to unwind. I buy a treat, and I get home, try it on and take loads of photos wearing it." Like many, she puts the clothes on, poses in front of a full-length mirror and uses her smartphone to snap a bunch of photos. Later, she posts her favorite pictures on social media, which attracts a flurry of comments from friends and followers.

Dooley notes how easy it is to get pulled into a relatively new trend called "fast fashion," which alludes to how designers and retailers introduce new collections on a weekly basis to keep consumers hooked on clothing. Because clothing lines turn over rapidly, buyers often feel pressure to keep pace with the latest trends, even when they already have a closet full of perfectly useable clothing.

"Fast fashion lures us into buying more clothes than we need," asserts Lucy Siegle, a journalist and author specializing in environmental issues and one of Dooley's interviewees in the documentary. "It's a production system that brings us clothes at intense volume." The problem is our insatiable demand for cheap copies of catwalk fashion is having a devastating impact on the environment.

Like Dooley, you may be surprised to learn that fashion is second only to oil on the list of the top five most polluting industries in the world. That revelation took Dooley on a global adventure to further investigate the impact fashion has on vital aspects of living such as air quality, the economy, human health and water supplies.

Nonorganic Cotton Is One of the Worst Offenders of the Environment

Nonorganic cotton is one of the fibers Dooley reveals as doing the most harm to the environment, particularly as it relates to its devastating impact on fresh water supplies.

Finding out that cotton is one of the "bad guys" may surprise you, especially if you have been influenced by the U.S. industry group advertising that, for nearly 50 years, has promoted conventionally grown cotton as the "fabric of our lives."2 Dooley notes some of the "dirty secrets" associated with nonorganic cotton include the:

Pesticides used in cotton farming

Dyes and other chemicals used in manufacturing items made from cotton

Immense amounts of water needed to produce and process it

In the film, Dooley is told it can take upward of 15,000 liters (about 4,000 gallons) of water to grow the cotton necessary to make some brands of jeans. "I've never associated clothes production with pollution before," she said.

Vital Waterways Damaged by Cotton Production and Textile Manufacturing

In addition to being chemical-dependent, conventionally produced cotton also needs water — lots of water. Dooley discovered the amount of water needed in some cases is enough to nearly drain a sea in a few decades. On a visit to Kazakhstan, Dooley heard firsthand about how the water level of the Aral Sea began receding in the early 1970s.

The Aral Sea is situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — the world's sixth-largest cotton producer among 90 cotton-growing countries.3 At the time cotton began making inroads, fish started dying from the chemical runoff from cotton fields. Now, in an area that used to be covered in turquoise blue water, you find a sparsely populated, barren wasteland.

The Amu Darya, one of the rivers that fed the Aral, was diverted into cotton-production farms in Uzbekistan and sucked dry before it could reach the sea. In Kazakhstan, what used to be a thriving seaport is now nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the water's edge. The country's fishing industry has been obliterated by its neighbor's cotton industry.

Sadly, the former Kazakhstani seabed is heavily contaminated with pesticides, which prevents plant growth. Locals say wind-driven toxic dust has led to high rates of cancer, tuberculosis and other illnesses among those eking out a living there. The negative impact of cotton is felt daily in the local economy, public health and weather.

"You don't understand the enormity of the situation until you're here," asserts Dooley, standing on the dry earth that was once the Aral seabed. Camels and horses roam in an area once teeming with fish and other sea life. "[D]id I know cotton was capable of this? Of course, I didn't. I had no idea."

Beyond cotton, textile manufacturers themselves also misuse water resources. Dooley visited Indonesia to get a firsthand look at the Citarum River, known as the world's most polluted river. The area around the Citarum is home to more than 400 factories thought to be releasing toxic chemicals into waterways across the region on a daily basis.

Touring the river by raft, Dooley observed several hues of colored dye being pumped into the water and well as bubbling, bad-smelling foam. Toxicology results indicated the river is heavily polluted by heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, which damages the health of local residents who depend on the river for drinking water as well as for bathing and washing clothes.

"To me, this feels like a complete catastrophe, and it's worth bearing in mind that Indonesia isn't even in the top five garment manufacturing countries globally," Dooley commented.

Sustainability: A Real Issue That Needs To Be Addressed in the Fashion Industry

In the U.S. alone, the impact of fashion has been outlined as follows. Every year:4

13.1 million tons of textile waste are created

11 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills

68 percent of the water used to create one pair of jeans revolves around fiber production alone

Because sustainability is such a huge issue for the textile industry, as part of her investigation, Dooley attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit — a gathering billed as "the world's leading business event on sustainability in fashion." Unfortunately, not many of the clothing brands participating in the event were willing to speak to Dooley on camera.

As such, she stated, "This summit is a sign that some in this industry are working to clean up fashion, but I have felt the brands' refusal to talk to me make it look like some of them have something to hide."

That said, Dooley was able to speak to Paul Dillinger, vice president of global product innovation for Levi Strauss & Co., the $5-billion American brand that produces denim jeans and jackets and other clothing. "We're working on a solution that takes old garments, chemically deconstructs them and turns them into a new fiber that feels and looks like cotton, but with zero water impact," he said.

Beyond that, Dillinger says, "In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to use less water in our finishing. We share information on how to reduce the water footprint of our cotton with everyone else." While all that sounds great, he and Dooley agreed the industry and consumers are not yet ready for large-scale change.

"This is a big industry. It's so broadly decentralized that affecting change is nearly impossible," Dillinger notes, "especially when the [consumer] appetite doesn't want change. For that reason, there will need to be a regulatory solution. It has to happen, because there just isn't enough water."

The only lasting solution it seems is for the fashion brands to invest themselves in environmentally friendly production methods. Those new methods, Dooley notes, must run in a parallel path alongside government oversight.

This would include laws and regulations designed to place limitations on water usage, while closely monitoring and responding to other negative environmental impacts brought about by textile companies.

Discarded Clothing Also Has Huge Environmental Impacts

While it may seem the number of textiles discarded are not important, as most fabric should be biodegradable, the reality is the large amount of clothing thrown away every day contains more than cotton. Procedures to treat clothing include using specialized chemicals, such as biocides, flame retardants and water repellents.5

More than 60 different chemical classes are used in the production of yarn, fabric pretreatments and finishing. When fabrics are manufactured, between 10 and 100 percent of the weight of the fabric is added in chemicals.6 Even fabrics made from 100 percent cotton are coated with 27 percent of its weight in chemicals.

Most fabrics are treated with liquid chemicals to ready them for the fashion industry, going through several treatments before being shipped to a manufacturer. A number of chemicals used on clothing are known to present human health and environmental issues.

Greenpeace International7 commissioned an investigation into the toxic chemicals used in clothing. They purchased 141 different pieces of clothing in 29 different countries. The items were manufactured in 18 countries. The chemicals found included high levels of phthalates and cancer-causing amines.

The investigators also found 89 garments with nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). Twenty percent of the garment reflected levels above 100 parts per million (ppm), whereas 12 of the samples contained levels above 1,000 ppm. Because any level of phthalates, amines or NPEs are considered to be hazardous, you do not want them coming into contact with your body through clothing.

While you may think the potential danger of these chemicals comes from wearing clothing containing them, that is just one step in the cycle of harm. When the material makes it to a landfill, these toxic chemicals can leach out into the groundwater. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been widely used in textile marketing and have been linked to a variety of health problems in humans.8

PFCs are so ubiquitous they've been found in the blood of polar bears9 and in tap water supplies used by 15 million Americans in 27 states.10 Fortunately, Greenpeace has listed PFCs as one of the hazardous chemicals used in clothing production targeted for elimination by 2020.11 So far, progress has been slow.

"It fills me with dread," says Dooley. "It's hard to think that the clothes I'm wearing could do so much damage, but I now see how the industry is such a threat to the planet."

The Care What You Wear Campaign

We simply have to start caring about what went into the clothes we wear, which is why I'm participating and donating proceeds from my Dirt Shirts to the Care What You Wear campaign. Marci explains the incentive behind the campaign thus:

"We want to empower consumers and businesses to care about what's behind the way it looks. It's not just about looking good in clothing. It's about feeling good and doing good in the world. When you think about caring about what you're wearing, it's about going deeper and saying, 'Where did this apparel come from? How is it being grown? Where is it being made? Who's making it?'

It's not that different from the Farm to Table Movement, where people are saying, 'Where is my food coming from? How is it being grown and produced?' It's the same thing.

We're waking up to our source inside. We're awakening to that desire to know what we're putting in and on our bodies as an extension of ourselves. It's not just what you eat. It's also what you wear that is a part of you. We need to be thinking about fiber no differently than we are about food."

Startups Are Changing the Industry From the Ground Up

Though not explicitly mentioned in the documentary, one of Levi Strauss' big moves in terms of sustainability involves its partnership with a Seattle-based textile startup called Evrnu.12 In 2016, the two created the world's first jeans made from the reclaimed fibers of five recycled cotton T-shirts. This renewable fiber uses substantially less water than the traditional cotton process.

Such a change is significant considering the Evrnu team notes it takes a staggering 20,000 liters (about 5,300 gallons) of water to produce the amount of cotton needed to make a single pair of jeans. After discovering it takes 700 gallons of fresh clean water to make a simple cotton shirt, Evrnu founder Stacy Flynn recognized the need for sustainability.

Determined to find a way to combat such waste, Flynn launched Evrnu as a startup. By 2014, Flynn and her team had created a new, sustainable alternative from recycled clothing.

Although the full impact of companies like Evrnu are yet to be seen, Flynn says, "It shows that even big players in the textile industry are open to change for the good of the environment, as well as willing to seek out and find the new eco-friendly solutions that are emerging."13

About the new product, Dillinger said, "This first prototype represents a major advancement in apparel innovation. We have the potential to reduce by 98 percent the water that would otherwise be needed to grow virgin cotton."14

7 Ways You Can Help Reduce the Negative Impact of Fashion

Given Dooley's passionate call to action, you may want to consider how you can help reduce the negative impact of fashion. For one, as a consumer, you can vote with your purchases — buying sustainable brands and avoiding companies and clothing items you know are damaging the environment. Beyond that, you can:

1. Choose fabrics made with organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool and bamboo; learn more by reading my article "Why Opting for Organic Cotton Matters"

2. Resist the pull of "fast fashion" and only buy clothes you can commit to wearing for a long time

3. Trade clothes among your family and friends, especially items that have been hanging in your closet unworn for more than six months

4. Select items colored with nontoxic, natural dyes

5. Avoid screen printed items because they typically contain phthalates

6. Be mindful of when and how you wash synthetic clothing so as to minimize the shedding of microfibers

7. Keep in mind that most donated clothing actually ends up in landfills

While in Indonesia, Dooley spoke with Ade Sudrajat, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), who said, "I feel ill. The situation I face makes me desperate." Without better regulation and oversight from government, Sudrajat says, "The planet is gone. Water is our life. Water is our future."

Though she has investigated environmental issues before, Dooley says she was marked by the enormity of the problems going on inside the fashion industry, which she claims have become "a tremendous threat to the planet."

"For me to tell you that I'm never going to shop again would be completely dishonest," she concludes. "But I do recognize how powerful I am as a consumer. This is a situation that needs addressing — and fast. There has to be a real sense of urgency now because to be totally honest with you, we're running out of time."

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/12/fashion-industry-pollution.aspx

source http://niapurenaturecom.weebly.com/blog/top-7-ways-to-support-sustainable-fashion

[jakehglover]

Top 7 Ways to Support Sustainable Fashion

30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health

This article is included in Dr. Mercola's All-Time Top 30 Health Tips series. Every day during the month of January, a new tip will be added that will help you take control of your health. Want to see the full list? Click here.

Shopping is often referred to as "retail therapy." Some suggest buying stuff, especially new clothes, can make you feel better — more relaxed, perhaps, or prettier or popular. While shopping for the latest trendy fashions may boost your mood temporarily, most people agree the positive vibes seldom last long.

Even if they did, there is more to modern fashion than meets the eye. Underneath all the glitz and glam portrayed in store windows are layers of what a new BBC documentary refers to as "fashion's dirty secrets."

If you think turning over your wardrobe frequently has little impact on world events, you may want to take an hour to watch the film. From start to finish, it will compel you to seriously consider how the fashion industry is actually wreaking havoc on the environment and endangering human health.

BBC Reporter Suggests Our Clothes Are Wrecking the Planet

In the featured 2018 documentary, BBC investigative reporter Stacey Dooley unearths some of the fashion industry's "dirty secrets."1 Her conclusion: Our clothes are wrecking the planet. At the onset of the film, Dooley is quick to admit she is a fan of fashion.

"It's retail therapy," she says. "For me, shopping is a way to unwind. I buy a treat, and I get home, try it on and take loads of photos wearing it." Like many, she puts the clothes on, poses in front of a full-length mirror and uses her smartphone to snap a bunch of photos. Later, she posts her favorite pictures on social media, which attracts a flurry of comments from friends and followers.

Dooley notes how easy it is to get pulled into a relatively new trend called "fast fashion," which alludes to how designers and retailers introduce new collections on a weekly basis to keep consumers hooked on clothing. Because clothing lines turn over rapidly, buyers often feel pressure to keep pace with the latest trends, even when they already have a closet full of perfectly useable clothing.

"Fast fashion lures us into buying more clothes than we need," asserts Lucy Siegle, a journalist and author specializing in environmental issues and one of Dooley's interviewees in the documentary. "It's a production system that brings us clothes at intense volume." The problem is our insatiable demand for cheap copies of catwalk fashion is having a devastating impact on the environment.

Like Dooley, you may be surprised to learn that fashion is second only to oil on the list of the top five most polluting industries in the world. That revelation took Dooley on a global adventure to further investigate the impact fashion has on vital aspects of living such as air quality, the economy, human health and water supplies.

Nonorganic Cotton Is One of the Worst Offenders of the Environment

Nonorganic cotton is one of the fibers Dooley reveals as doing the most harm to the environment, particularly as it relates to its devastating impact on fresh water supplies.

Finding out that cotton is one of the "bad guys" may surprise you, especially if you have been influenced by the U.S. industry group advertising that, for nearly 50 years, has promoted conventionally grown cotton as the "fabric of our lives."2 Dooley notes some of the "dirty secrets" associated with nonorganic cotton include the:

Pesticides used in cotton farming

Dyes and other chemicals used in manufacturing items made from cotton

Immense amounts of water needed to produce and process it

In the film, Dooley is told it can take upward of 15,000 liters (about 4,000 gallons) of water to grow the cotton necessary to make some brands of jeans. "I've never associated clothes production with pollution before," she said.

Vital Waterways Damaged by Cotton Production and Textile Manufacturing

In addition to being chemical-dependent, conventionally produced cotton also needs water — lots of water. Dooley discovered the amount of water needed in some cases is enough to nearly drain a sea in a few decades. On a visit to Kazakhstan, Dooley heard firsthand about how the water level of the Aral Sea began receding in the early 1970s.

The Aral Sea is situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — the world's sixth-largest cotton producer among 90 cotton-growing countries.3 At the time cotton began making inroads, fish started dying from the chemical runoff from cotton fields. Now, in an area that used to be covered in turquoise blue water, you find a sparsely populated, barren wasteland.

The Amu Darya, one of the rivers that fed the Aral, was diverted into cotton-production farms in Uzbekistan and sucked dry before it could reach the sea. In Kazakhstan, what used to be a thriving seaport is now nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the water's edge. The country's fishing industry has been obliterated by its neighbor's cotton industry.

Sadly, the former Kazakhstani seabed is heavily contaminated with pesticides, which prevents plant growth. Locals say wind-driven toxic dust has led to high rates of cancer, tuberculosis and other illnesses among those eking out a living there. The negative impact of cotton is felt daily in the local economy, public health and weather.

"You don't understand the enormity of the situation until you're here," asserts Dooley, standing on the dry earth that was once the Aral seabed. Camels and horses roam in an area once teeming with fish and other sea life. "[D]id I know cotton was capable of this? Of course, I didn't. I had no idea."

Beyond cotton, textile manufacturers themselves also misuse water resources. Dooley visited Indonesia to get a firsthand look at the Citarum River, known as the world's most polluted river. The area around the Citarum is home to more than 400 factories thought to be releasing toxic chemicals into waterways across the region on a daily basis.

Touring the river by raft, Dooley observed several hues of colored dye being pumped into the water and well as bubbling, bad-smelling foam. Toxicology results indicated the river is heavily polluted by heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, which damages the health of local residents who depend on the river for drinking water as well as for bathing and washing clothes.

"To me, this feels like a complete catastrophe, and it's worth bearing in mind that Indonesia isn't even in the top five garment manufacturing countries globally," Dooley commented.

Sustainability: A Real Issue That Needs To Be Addressed in the Fashion Industry

In the U.S. alone, the impact of fashion has been outlined as follows. Every year:4

13.1 million tons of textile waste are created

11 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills

68 percent of the water used to create one pair of jeans revolves around fiber production alone

Because sustainability is such a huge issue for the textile industry, as part of her investigation, Dooley attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit — a gathering billed as "the world's leading business event on sustainability in fashion." Unfortunately, not many of the clothing brands participating in the event were willing to speak to Dooley on camera.

As such, she stated, "This summit is a sign that some in this industry are working to clean up fashion, but I have felt the brands' refusal to talk to me make it look like some of them have something to hide."

That said, Dooley was able to speak to Paul Dillinger, vice president of global product innovation for Levi Strauss & Co., the $5-billion American brand that produces denim jeans and jackets and other clothing. "We're working on a solution that takes old garments, chemically deconstructs them and turns them into a new fiber that feels and looks like cotton, but with zero water impact," he said.

Beyond that, Dillinger says, "In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to use less water in our finishing. We share information on how to reduce the water footprint of our cotton with everyone else." While all that sounds great, he and Dooley agreed the industry and consumers are not yet ready for large-scale change.

"This is a big industry. It's so broadly decentralized that affecting change is nearly impossible," Dillinger notes, "especially when the [consumer] appetite doesn't want change. For that reason, there will need to be a regulatory solution. It has to happen, because there just isn't enough water."

The only lasting solution it seems is for the fashion brands to invest themselves in environmentally friendly production methods. Those new methods, Dooley notes, must run in a parallel path alongside government oversight.

This would include laws and regulations designed to place limitations on water usage, while closely monitoring and responding to other negative environmental impacts brought about by textile companies.

Discarded Clothing Also Has Huge Environmental Impacts

While it may seem the number of textiles discarded are not important, as most fabric should be biodegradable, the reality is the large amount of clothing thrown away every day contains more than cotton. Procedures to treat clothing include using specialized chemicals, such as biocides, flame retardants and water repellents.5

More than 60 different chemical classes are used in the production of yarn, fabric pretreatments and finishing. When fabrics are manufactured, between 10 and 100 percent of the weight of the fabric is added in chemicals.6 Even fabrics made from 100 percent cotton are coated with 27 percent of its weight in chemicals.

Most fabrics are treated with liquid chemicals to ready them for the fashion industry, going through several treatments before being shipped to a manufacturer. A number of chemicals used on clothing are known to present human health and environmental issues.

Greenpeace International7 commissioned an investigation into the toxic chemicals used in clothing. They purchased 141 different pieces of clothing in 29 different countries. The items were manufactured in 18 countries. The chemicals found included high levels of phthalates and cancer-causing amines.

The investigators also found 89 garments with nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). Twenty percent of the garment reflected levels above 100 parts per million (ppm), whereas 12 of the samples contained levels above 1,000 ppm. Because any level of phthalates, amines or NPEs are considered to be hazardous, you do not want them coming into contact with your body through clothing.

While you may think the potential danger of these chemicals comes from wearing clothing containing them, that is just one step in the cycle of harm. When the material makes it to a landfill, these toxic chemicals can leach out into the groundwater. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been widely used in textile marketing and have been linked to a variety of health problems in humans.8

PFCs are so ubiquitous they've been found in the blood of polar bears9 and in tap water supplies used by 15 million Americans in 27 states.10 Fortunately, Greenpeace has listed PFCs as one of the hazardous chemicals used in clothing production targeted for elimination by 2020.11 So far, progress has been slow.

"It fills me with dread," says Dooley. "It's hard to think that the clothes I'm wearing could do so much damage, but I now see how the industry is such a threat to the planet."

The Care What You Wear Campaign

We simply have to start caring about what went into the clothes we wear, which is why I'm participating and donating proceeds from my Dirt Shirts to the Care What You Wear campaign. Marci explains the incentive behind the campaign thus:

"We want to empower consumers and businesses to care about what's behind the way it looks. It's not just about looking good in clothing. It's about feeling good and doing good in the world. When you think about caring about what you're wearing, it's about going deeper and saying, 'Where did this apparel come from? How is it being grown? Where is it being made? Who's making it?'

It's not that different from the Farm to Table Movement, where people are saying, 'Where is my food coming from? How is it being grown and produced?' It's the same thing.

We're waking up to our source inside. We're awakening to that desire to know what we're putting in and on our bodies as an extension of ourselves. It's not just what you eat. It's also what you wear that is a part of you. We need to be thinking about fiber no differently than we are about food."

Startups Are Changing the Industry From the Ground Up

Though not explicitly mentioned in the documentary, one of Levi Strauss' big moves in terms of sustainability involves its partnership with a Seattle-based textile startup called Evrnu.12 In 2016, the two created the world's first jeans made from the reclaimed fibers of five recycled cotton T-shirts. This renewable fiber uses substantially less water than the traditional cotton process.

Such a change is significant considering the Evrnu team notes it takes a staggering 20,000 liters (about 5,300 gallons) of water to produce the amount of cotton needed to make a single pair of jeans. After discovering it takes 700 gallons of fresh clean water to make a simple cotton shirt, Evrnu founder Stacy Flynn recognized the need for sustainability.

Determined to find a way to combat such waste, Flynn launched Evrnu as a startup. By 2014, Flynn and her team had created a new, sustainable alternative from recycled clothing.

Although the full impact of companies like Evrnu are yet to be seen, Flynn says, "It shows that even big players in the textile industry are open to change for the good of the environment, as well as willing to seek out and find the new eco-friendly solutions that are emerging."13

About the new product, Dillinger said, "This first prototype represents a major advancement in apparel innovation. We have the potential to reduce by 98 percent the water that would otherwise be needed to grow virgin cotton."14

7 Ways You Can Help Reduce the Negative Impact of Fashion

Given Dooley's passionate call to action, you may want to consider how you can help reduce the negative impact of fashion. For one, as a consumer, you can vote with your purchases — buying sustainable brands and avoiding companies and clothing items you know are damaging the environment. Beyond that, you can:

1. Choose fabrics made with organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool and bamboo; learn more by reading my article "Why Opting for Organic Cotton Matters"

2. Resist the pull of "fast fashion" and only buy clothes you can commit to wearing for a long time

3. Trade clothes among your family and friends, especially items that have been hanging in your closet unworn for more than six months

4. Select items colored with nontoxic, natural dyes

5. Avoid screen printed items because they typically contain phthalates

6. Be mindful of when and how you wash synthetic clothing so as to minimize the shedding of microfibers

7. Keep in mind that most donated clothing actually ends up in landfills

While in Indonesia, Dooley spoke with Ade Sudrajat, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), who said, "I feel ill. The situation I face makes me desperate." Without better regulation and oversight from government, Sudrajat says, "The planet is gone. Water is our life. Water is our future."

Though she has investigated environmental issues before, Dooley says she was marked by the enormity of the problems going on inside the fashion industry, which she claims have become "a tremendous threat to the planet."

"For me to tell you that I'm never going to shop again would be completely dishonest," she concludes. "But I do recognize how powerful I am as a consumer. This is a situation that needs addressing — and fast. There has to be a real sense of urgency now because to be totally honest with you, we're running out of time."

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/12/fashion-industry-pollution.aspx

[paullassiterca]

Top 7 Ways to Support Sustainable Fashion

30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health

This article is included in Dr. Mercola’s All-Time Top 30 Health Tips series. Every day during the month of January, a new tip will be added that will help you take control of your health. Want to see the full list? Click here.

Shopping is often referred to as “retail therapy.” Some suggest buying stuff, especially new clothes, can make you feel better — more relaxed, perhaps, or prettier or popular. While shopping for the latest trendy fashions may boost your mood temporarily, most people agree the positive vibes seldom last long.

Even if they did, there is more to modern fashion than meets the eye. Underneath all the glitz and glam portrayed in store windows are layers of what a new BBC documentary refers to as “fashion’s dirty secrets.”

If you think turning over your wardrobe frequently has little impact on world events, you may want to take an hour to watch the film. From start to finish, it will compel you to seriously consider how the fashion industry is actually wreaking havoc on the environment and endangering human health.

BBC Reporter Suggests Our Clothes Are Wrecking the Planet

In the featured 2018 documentary, BBC investigative reporter Stacey Dooley unearths some of the fashion industry’s “dirty secrets.”1 Her conclusion: Our clothes are wrecking the planet. At the onset of the film, Dooley is quick to admit she is a fan of fashion.

“It’s retail therapy,” she says. “For me, shopping is a way to unwind. I buy a treat, and I get home, try it on and take loads of photos wearing it.” Like many, she puts the clothes on, poses in front of a full-length mirror and uses her smartphone to snap a bunch of photos. Later, she posts her favorite pictures on social media, which attracts a flurry of comments from friends and followers.

Dooley notes how easy it is to get pulled into a relatively new trend called “fast fashion,” which alludes to how designers and retailers introduce new collections on a weekly basis to keep consumers hooked on clothing. Because clothing lines turn over rapidly, buyers often feel pressure to keep pace with the latest trends, even when they already have a closet full of perfectly useable clothing.

“Fast fashion lures us into buying more clothes than we need,” asserts Lucy Siegle, a journalist and author specializing in environmental issues and one of Dooley’s interviewees in the documentary. “It’s a production system that brings us clothes at intense volume.” The problem is our insatiable demand for cheap copies of catwalk fashion is having a devastating impact on the environment.

Like Dooley, you may be surprised to learn that fashion is second only to oil on the list of the top five most polluting industries in the world. That revelation took Dooley on a global adventure to further investigate the impact fashion has on vital aspects of living such as air quality, the economy, human health and water supplies.

Nonorganic Cotton Is One of the Worst Offenders of the Environment

Nonorganic cotton is one of the fibers Dooley reveals as doing the most harm to the environment, particularly as it relates to its devastating impact on fresh water supplies.

Finding out that cotton is one of the “bad guys” may surprise you, especially if you have been influenced by the U.S. industry group advertising that, for nearly 50 years, has promoted conventionally grown cotton as the “fabric of our lives.”2 Dooley notes some of the “dirty secrets” associated with nonorganic cotton include the:

Pesticides used in cotton farming

Dyes and other chemicals used in manufacturing items made from cotton

Immense amounts of water needed to produce and process it

In the film, Dooley is told it can take upward of 15,000 liters (about 4,000 gallons) of water to grow the cotton necessary to make some brands of jeans. “I’ve never associated clothes production with pollution before,” she said.

Vital Waterways Damaged by Cotton Production and Textile Manufacturing

In addition to being chemical-dependent, conventionally produced cotton also needs water — lots of water. Dooley discovered the amount of water needed in some cases is enough to nearly drain a sea in a few decades. On a visit to Kazakhstan, Dooley heard firsthand about how the water level of the Aral Sea began receding in the early 1970s.

The Aral Sea is situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan — the world’s sixth-largest cotton producer among 90 cotton-growing countries.3 At the time cotton began making inroads, fish started dying from the chemical runoff from cotton fields. Now, in an area that used to be covered in turquoise blue water, you find a sparsely populated, barren wasteland.

The Amu Darya, one of the rivers that fed the Aral, was diverted into cotton-production farms in Uzbekistan and sucked dry before it could reach the sea. In Kazakhstan, what used to be a thriving seaport is now nearly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the water’s edge. The country’s fishing industry has been obliterated by its neighbor’s cotton industry.

Sadly, the former Kazakhstani seabed is heavily contaminated with pesticides, which prevents plant growth. Locals say wind-driven toxic dust has led to high rates of cancer, tuberculosis and other illnesses among those eking out a living there. The negative impact of cotton is felt daily in the local economy, public health and weather.

“You don’t understand the enormity of the situation until you’re here,” asserts Dooley, standing on the dry earth that was once the Aral seabed. Camels and horses roam in an area once teeming with fish and other sea life. “[D]id I know cotton was capable of this? Of course, I didn’t. I had no idea.”

Beyond cotton, textile manufacturers themselves also misuse water resources. Dooley visited Indonesia to get a firsthand look at the Citarum River, known as the world’s most polluted river. The area around the Citarum is home to more than 400 factories thought to be releasing toxic chemicals into waterways across the region on a daily basis.

Touring the river by raft, Dooley observed several hues of colored dye being pumped into the water and well as bubbling, bad-smelling foam. Toxicology results indicated the river is heavily polluted by heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, which damages the health of local residents who depend on the river for drinking water as well as for bathing and washing clothes.

“To me, this feels like a complete catastrophe, and it’s worth bearing in mind that Indonesia isn’t even in the top five garment manufacturing countries globally,” Dooley commented.

Sustainability: A Real Issue That Needs To Be Addressed in the Fashion Industry

In the U.S. alone, the impact of fashion has been outlined as follows. Every year:4

13.1 million tons of textile waste are created

11 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills

68 percent of the water used to create one pair of jeans revolves around fiber production alone

Because sustainability is such a huge issue for the textile industry, as part of her investigation, Dooley attended the Copenhagen Fashion Summit — a gathering billed as “the world’s leading business event on sustainability in fashion.” Unfortunately, not many of the clothing brands participating in the event were willing to speak to Dooley on camera.

As such, she stated, “This summit is a sign that some in this industry are working to clean up fashion, but I have felt the brands’ refusal to talk to me make it look like some of them have something to hide.”

That said, Dooley was able to speak to Paul Dillinger, vice president of global product innovation for Levi Strauss & Co., the $5-billion American brand that produces denim jeans and jackets and other clothing. “We’re working on a solution that takes old garments, chemically deconstructs them and turns them into a new fiber that feels and looks like cotton, but with zero water impact,” he said.

Beyond that, Dillinger says, “In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to use less water in our finishing. We share information on how to reduce the water footprint of our cotton with everyone else.” While all that sounds great, he and Dooley agreed the industry and consumers are not yet ready for large-scale change.

“This is a big industry. It’s so broadly decentralized that affecting change is nearly impossible,” Dillinger notes, “especially when the [consumer] appetite doesn’t want change. For that reason, there will need to be a regulatory solution. It has to happen, because there just isn’t enough water.”

The only lasting solution it seems is for the fashion brands to invest themselves in environmentally friendly production methods. Those new methods, Dooley notes, must run in a parallel path alongside government oversight.

This would include laws and regulations designed to place limitations on water usage, while closely monitoring and responding to other negative environmental impacts brought about by textile companies.

Discarded Clothing Also Has Huge Environmental Impacts

While it may seem the number of textiles discarded are not important, as most fabric should be biodegradable, the reality is the large amount of clothing thrown away every day contains more than cotton. Procedures to treat clothing include using specialized chemicals, such as biocides, flame retardants and water repellents.5

More than 60 different chemical classes are used in the production of yarn, fabric pretreatments and finishing. When fabrics are manufactured, between 10 and 100 percent of the weight of the fabric is added in chemicals.6 Even fabrics made from 100 percent cotton are coated with 27 percent of its weight in chemicals.

Most fabrics are treated with liquid chemicals to ready them for the fashion industry, going through several treatments before being shipped to a manufacturer. A number of chemicals used on clothing are known to present human health and environmental issues.

Greenpeace International7 commissioned an investigation into the toxic chemicals used in clothing. They purchased 141 different pieces of clothing in 29 different countries. The items were manufactured in 18 countries. The chemicals found included high levels of phthalates and cancer-causing amines.

The investigators also found 89 garments with nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). Twenty percent of the garment reflected levels above 100 parts per million (ppm), whereas 12 of the samples contained levels above 1,000 ppm. Because any level of phthalates, amines or NPEs are considered to be hazardous, you do not want them coming into contact with your body through clothing.

While you may think the potential danger of these chemicals comes from wearing clothing containing them, that is just one step in the cycle of harm. When the material makes it to a landfill, these toxic chemicals can leach out into the groundwater. Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) have been widely used in textile marketing and have been linked to a variety of health problems in humans.8

PFCs are so ubiquitous they’ve been found in the blood of polar bears9 and in tap water supplies used by 15 million Americans in 27 states.10 Fortunately, Greenpeace has listed PFCs as one of the hazardous chemicals used in clothing production targeted for elimination by 2020.11 So far, progress has been slow.

“It fills me with dread,” says Dooley. “It’s hard to think that the clothes I’m wearing could do so much damage, but I now see how the industry is such a threat to the planet.”

The Care What You Wear Campaign

We simply have to start caring about what went into the clothes we wear, which is why I’m participating and donating proceeds from my Dirt Shirts to the Care What You Wear campaign. Marci explains the incentive behind the campaign thus:

“We want to empower consumers and businesses to care about what’s behind the way it looks. It’s not just about looking good in clothing. It’s about feeling good and doing good in the world. When you think about caring about what you’re wearing, it’s about going deeper and saying, ‘Where did this apparel come from? How is it being grown? Where is it being made? Who’s making it?’

It’s not that different from the Farm to Table Movement, where people are saying, 'Where is my food coming from? How is it being grown and produced?’ It’s the same thing.

We’re waking up to our source inside. We’re awakening to that desire to know what we’re putting in and on our bodies as an extension of ourselves. It’s not just what you eat. It’s also what you wear that is a part of you. We need to be thinking about fiber no differently than we are about food.”

Startups Are Changing the Industry From the Ground Up

Though not explicitly mentioned in the documentary, one of Levi Strauss’ big moves in terms of sustainability involves its partnership with a Seattle-based textile startup called Evrnu.12 In 2016, the two created the world’s first jeans made from the reclaimed fibers of five recycled cotton T-shirts. This renewable fiber uses substantially less water than the traditional cotton process.

Such a change is significant considering the Evrnu team notes it takes a staggering 20,000 liters (about 5,300 gallons) of water to produce the amount of cotton needed to make a single pair of jeans. After discovering it takes 700 gallons of fresh clean water to make a simple cotton shirt, Evrnu founder Stacy Flynn recognized the need for sustainability.

Determined to find a way to combat such waste, Flynn launched Evrnu as a startup. By 2014, Flynn and her team had created a new, sustainable alternative from recycled clothing.

Although the full impact of companies like Evrnu are yet to be seen, Flynn says, “It shows that even big players in the textile industry are open to change for the good of the environment, as well as willing to seek out and find the new eco-friendly solutions that are emerging.”13

About the new product, Dillinger said, “This first prototype represents a major advancement in apparel innovation. We have the potential to reduce by 98 percent the water that would otherwise be needed to grow virgin cotton.”14

7 Ways You Can Help Reduce the Negative Impact of Fashion

Given Dooley’s passionate call to action, you may want to consider how you can help reduce the negative impact of fashion. For one, as a consumer, you can vote with your purchases — buying sustainable brands and avoiding companies and clothing items you know are damaging the environment. Beyond that, you can:

1. Choose fabrics made with organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool and bamboo; learn more by reading my article “Why Opting for Organic Cotton Matters”

2. Resist the pull of “fast fashion” and only buy clothes you can commit to wearing for a long time

3. Trade clothes among your family and friends, especially items that have been hanging in your closet unworn for more than six months

4. Select items colored with nontoxic, natural dyes

5. Avoid screen printed items because they typically contain phthalates

6. Be mindful of when and how you wash synthetic clothing so as to minimize the shedding of microfibers

7. Keep in mind that most donated clothing actually ends up in landfills

While in Indonesia, Dooley spoke with Ade Sudrajat, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), who said, “I feel ill. The situation I face makes me desperate.” Without better regulation and oversight from government, Sudrajat says, “The planet is gone. Water is our life. Water is our future.”

Though she has investigated environmental issues before, Dooley says she was marked by the enormity of the problems going on inside the fashion industry, which she claims have become “a tremendous threat to the planet.”

“For me to tell you that I’m never going to shop again would be completely dishonest,” she concludes. “But I do recognize how powerful I am as a consumer. This is a situation that needs addressing — and fast. There has to be a real sense of urgency now because to be totally honest with you, we’re running out of time.”

from Articles http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/12/fashion-industry-pollution.aspx source https://niapurenaturecom.tumblr.com/post/181943248281

[pauldeckerus]

Thunderball Clothing Shuttered Due to Outrage from Arch Enemy Photo Ban

Photographer J Salmeron of Metal Blast sparked a huge outpouring of support from other photographers and creatives last week after he shared how he was blacklisted by the band Arch Enemy while trying to protect his copyright. Now the clothing business at the center of the controversy has closed up shop in response to all the “hate and threats” it has received.

Salmeron originally shared how he discovered that Thunderball Clothing was using one of his photos without his permission to promote its products.

The (now deleted) re-post of my work by Thunderball Clothing.

The photographer offered to let Thunderball use the photo and keep the post up by retroactively licensing it through a €100 donation to the Dutch Cancer Foundation.

Instead of responding directly to Salmeron, Thunderball (i.e. fashion designer Marta Gabriel) decided to turn to Arch Enemy instead. After a little back and forth with the band, manager Angela Gossow (who was the previous lead singer) informed Salmeron that he has been blacklisted from all future performances.

“We have immediately removed the picture you took at FortaRock,” Gossow wrote. “By the way, we are sure you don’t mind that you are not welcome anymore to take pictures of Arch Enemy performances in the future, at festivals or solo performances.

“I have copied in the label reps and booking agent who will inform promoters – no band wants to have photographers on site who later send such threatening correspondence to monetise on their images.”

Unhappy about how the whole situation unfolded, Salmeron turned to the Web to share what happened. His post then went viral in not only the world of photography but in the music world as well.

Less than 48 hours later, current Arch Enemy lead sinder Alissa White-Gluz posted the following statement to her Facebook page defending both Thunderball’s actions and Arch Enemy’s right to ban Salmeron:

“The photographer of this particular photo was ALWAYS fully credited for the ENTIRE duration of his photo being on my Instagram and Marta’s,” White-Gluz wrote. “As soon as he expressed discontent the posts were immediately removed. There was never ANY attempt made by Thunderball or Arch Enemy to use that photo for commercial use, and certainly not without compensation. […]

“We reserve the right, however, to decide who is allowed to photograph our shows and after having corresponded with him we didn’t want any more issues like this in the future, especially when passes are limited and we know so many photographers who love having the opportunity to get a photo pass and have fun with us at shows.

“In conclusion, no one from Arch Enemy nor Thunderball ever denied paying the photographer in question for the commercial use of his photo: We simply did not use it.”

This response didn’t sit well with people, and White-Gluz’s has been flooded with angry comments and reactions.

The next day, Thunderball Clothing issued an apology:

View this post on Instagram

THUNDERBALL CLOTHING – STATEMENT / APOLOGY I would like to publicly apologise Mr J. Salmeron for reposting one of the photos he took, on my Instagram page, without having his permission. When few months ago I was reposting his photo from the Instagram page of the Arch Enemy singer Alissa White-Gluz, I was simply proud that such a great artist is wearing a clothing piece that I made, and wanted to share these news with my followers. As I did the repost with an app that included all original credits and watermarks, I thought that it's OK. I meant no harm, and it wasn't my intention to promote any product, however, I do agree that it might looked like that, and I understand that the author of the photography could feel upset about it. And I am sorry about it. After I received an email message from J. Salmeron, who introduced himself as a lawyer and author of the photography, I interpreted it as another spam or scam (well, all of us receive this kind of emails all the time). I saw the amount of 500 Euro and the name of Alissa White-Gluz, from whom I reposted mentioned photo, so without going deeper into that message, I did what I thought was most logic – I contacted her, forwarded the original message that I got, and asked her what to do. I was instructed to take down the photo (what I immediatelly did), and was informed that someone else will take care of it. That again seemed logic, as I was aware that I'm not at the position of taking any actions on behalf of Arch Enemy, nor their members. I had no other contact with J. Salmeron, I haven't heard from him since then, and to be honest, for the last 6 months I had no idea that something is wrong, especially as the photo was taken down. That being said, I would like to apologise J. Salmeron once again. Not only I'm willing to discuss with him how to compenaste him and fix the situation, but also how to make sure similar situation won't happen ever again. After all, we're all playing in the same team, and we all have one thing in common. We love music. Marta Gabriel, Thunderball Clothing

A post shared by Thunderball Clothing (@thunderballclothing) on Dec 28, 2018 at 5:45am PST

“I would like to publicly apologise Mr J. Salmeron for reposting one of the photos he took, on my Instagram page, without having his permission,” Gabriel wrote. “[…] As I did the repost with an app that included all original credits and watermarks, I thought that it’s OK. I meant no harm, and it wasn’t my intention to promote any product, however, I do agree that it might looked like that, and I understand that the author of the photography could feel upset about it. And I am sorry about it.”

Gabriel also states that she interpreted his original copyright infringement notice email as spam or a scam, so she decided to contact the band about it.

“Not only I’m willing to discuss with him how to compensate him and fix the situation, but also how to make sure similar situation won’t happen ever again,” Gabriel writes. “After all, we’re all playing in the same team, and we all have one thing in common. We love music.”

But the next day, Gabriel announced that she has shuttered Thunderball Clothing:

View this post on Instagram

STATEMENT 30/12/2018 – UPDATE / THE END OF THUNDERBALL CLOTHING * As many of you seems to follow this story, here's an update, and a final statement (you can see my previous statement and an apology from December 28 in my previous post). * The photographer, J. Salmeron, accepted my apology for reposting the photo he took, without having his permission, and as this was his request, I made a donation to the charity organization of his choice (the Dutch Cancer Society). I believe we can say this ends the dispute between us. * However, as I'm not able to handle the amount of hate and threats that I received and keep on receiving, I decided to do what I think is best in this situation. To end the being known as Thunderball Clothing (it's hard to use a word "company" here, as since day one it was just one person – me). I apologise for not being strong enough, and for not being next Internet hero that keep on saying "haters gonna hate". Within last 2 days I received literally hundreds of comments and messages that I'm a whore, a nazi, a communist, a worthless cunt, and that I either should quickly die, or that I should kill myself. There is no anger in me, and I apologise everyone that felt hurt or upset by this situation. Anyway, there is no Thunderball Clothing anymore. You won. * Marta Gabriel, Thunderball Clothing

A post shared by Thunderball Clothing (@thunderballclothing) on Dec 30, 2018 at 2:11am PST

“The photographer, J. Salmeron, accepted my apology for reposting the photo he took, without having his permission, and as this was his request, I made a donation to the charity organization of his choice (the Dutch Cancer Society),” Gabriel states. “I believe we can say this ends the dispute between us.”

But it’s the flood of “hate and threads” that she is unable to handle, the fashion designer says.

“Within last 2 days I received literally hundreds of comments and messages that I’m a whore, a nazi, a communist, a worthless cunt, and that I either should quickly die, or that I should kill myself,” she writes. “There is no anger in me, and I apologise everyone that felt hurt or upset by this situation. Anyway, there is no Thunderball Clothing anymore. You won.”

Here’s Salmeron’s response to the news of Thunderball’s closure:

“What Marta made was a mistake, a mistake that in no way justifies her losing her livelihood or seeing her life negatively impacted to this level,” Salmeron writes. “She deserves, like all the rest of us, the opportunity to move on from it and to continue her creative career.”

“[W]hile we sincerely appreciate the support that we have received from thousands of people from around the world, we categorically and absolutely reject any and all threats of any kind made against Marta, Alissa, Angela or, frankly, anybody else. Nobody deserves to be terrorized, or to fear for their safety, because of things like these.”

Salmeron notes that he too has received death threats — from supporters of the band — and that he will be passing the messages on to authorities.

Band manager Gossow also took to social media to weigh in after Thunderball’s announcement.

“I am reacting to the bully rally this photographer has set lose with his well crafted (he took 6 months to get it done and released), well timed mash up of different subjects at hand,” Gossow writes. “The details often get lost in the emotion of the narrative – and the narrative is often controlled by who presents the story first. Mr photographer threw a bunch of different things into one pot and highly emotionalized it.”

Gossow writes that (1) Arch Enemy didn’t infringe upon any copyright and wasn’t involved at all in that core aspect of the controversy, (2) Salmeron should have billed Gabriel directly and donated to charity himself, (3) she didn’t ask anyone outside her “circle of people” to blacklist Salmeron, and (4) Salmeron threatened Gossow with legal action over parts of her original public statement, which led her to edit the post.

“I took away the word sheep because those people who damaged Marta beyond repair, who are threatening Alissa and me in very serious ways are not sheep – they are much worse. They are bullies,” Gossow writes. “We wish to move on from this and wish Mr Photographer the best with the career.”

Gossow left the comments section open to promote discourse, but she’s still being slammed for her handling of the situation and blamed for the outcome.

“Because of the way you ‘handled’ this fiasco from the start, an actual good person, Marta Gabriel (who was the only one to apologize for the error) is now ending her clothing company,” writes a Matt Vicente in the most popular comment. “Nice job. And you STILL don’t get it.”

from Photography News https://petapixel.com/2018/12/31/thunderball-clothing-shuttered-due-to-outrage-from-arch-enemy-photo-ban/

[asagi-s-garden]

The concept of "Selling out" needs to change

Now before I start this little moment of saying what's on my mind, I need the necessary disclaimer of: Obviously, this does not apply to EVERY case, and there are ABSOLUTELY some ideals that should not be conformed to, if what you're doing is causing actual harm to another person, you can't jeopordize that, now that that's out of the way-

I've seen stuff coming up recently about people "selling out" and how terrible it is and how that makes them bad people or not as intellegent/concerned with the social-political state/whatever as "non-sell outs" and I really need to point something out to you guys:

If you are someone who is in a financially sound place, speaking to someone who is NOT in a financially sound place, about "selling out" their ideals for a situation wherein they can come into a financially sound place, you need to shut the hell up

I know everyone thinks about this concept of selling out as That Cool Indie Band Who Sold Out And Became Manufactured Garbage Because Of Money And Fame and yeah alot of times that's where the concept lies but there are also cases where the term "sell out" is applied to much more serious situations, when it becomes about someone who's anti-establishment working for The Man, or someone taking money from a political side they don't support, someone who's LGBTQ+ closeting themselves in order to get financial support from a homophobic family member, etc, and let me make two things absolutely clear:

1. The concept of "selling out" like your favorite band becoming Popular is just not the same thing as someone's actual health and safety being put at risk because they're so financially unstable

2. "Selling out" comes from a place of want before need and that isn't always a state people can live in

I know the idea is really romantic, about the indie bands and street artists and aspiring novelists who live in shitty apartments and homeless shelters until they Make It Big after turning down big contracts from Big Agencies who want to Change Them, and if you're someone who's capable of doing that, then that's SO great, good for you! But it isn't fair to condemn someone who DOES "sell out" to get a paycheck ... in order to live or support their families, not every artist is a Young Person living for themselves with no other obligations, there are people who HAVE to have financial support because they're the only source of income for their families, because they have medical needs and have to have insurance, because of.... whatever reason, condemning someone for wanting to be financially comfortable enough to afford basic necessities like a place to live, groceries, etc, is a pretty shitty thing to do as it is, but it gets worse when you're talking about Normal People making minimum wage to survive, not pop stars and famous authors

As important as it is to make your religious/social/political stance clear, there needs to be an understanding that some people are in a spot where they need to SURVIVE- or support their families, or both- and don't have a choice other than to bend to political veiws they don't agree with so that they can afford to EAT

I remember when The Great Chick-Fil-A Battle from a few years ago happened, how many employees were being RUTHLESSLY lashed out because of the homophobia of the company head and the fact that he donated to homophobic causes, I remember one girl who had a drink thrown on her at a drive-through, I remember how many people there came out saying how much they DIDN'T agree with those veiws..... but needed the job because it was all they had and they HAD to have insurance, had to take care of their sick family member, had CHILDREN to support, etc, some of these people were gay themselves, was it EVER ok that Chick-Fil-A big-wigs supported homophobia? FUCK no, but it's ALSO not ok to attack employees over it who have nothing to do with those decisions and who are just trying to afford some ramen and potato chips wile getting through college or single mothers desperately trying to keep their households afloat

I've heard many stories of LGBTQ+ folks who have to stay closeted because they need financial support from their families- at times because they have serious health issues and have no way to get insurance- or support from churches and whatnot

I've heard stories of women working for misogynistic bosses- sometimes bosses who harrass them on a daily basis- who can't quit their jobs because they have children to take care of and they know that if they quit, or if they report their boss and lose their job as consequence, their kids are going to be on the street, my mom- and this was over 20-30 years ago, LONG before any Me Too movement was around- CONSTANTLY had to make the choice of weather to stay under a boss who was harassing her, weather to quit, or weather to report him and run the risk of getting fired, and when I say "risk", I mean a 99% likelihood, sometimes she reported, sometimes she quit, sometimes she stayed until she got transferred or a new boss came along or she was able to leave, it often depended on a number of factors, like how much her rent was (IE: if she could survive on unemployment or not) or how bad the harassment was or how badly she needed her insurance at the time, she was lucky in that, most of the time, she WAS able to quit or report her boss... but that wasn't ALWAYS the case and she wasn't "selling out" by staying, she was making sure she kept her insurance because she had to have surgery or making sure she could afford her car payment so she wouldn't be stranded, because Uber was not a thing back then and she lived in a very small town where public transportation was hard to get ahold of

I've heard stories of people who were hippies back in the day and spent years doing pretty much nothing but protesting and activism .... and then they had a kid and had no choice but to stop, put on a suit, and get a Normal Job, not because they "sold out", but because they had a fucking CHILD who needed to EAT

If you're in a position where you can say "Here's a line I will not cross and no amount of money can make me do so" then that's GREAT, and you can use that position to make the world a better place! ... But condemning people who are NOT in that position- especially without knowing their situation, or even worse, KNOWING that there are literally people's lives on the line depending on a particular paycheck- is a terrible thing to do, and unless you have been in a position where your financial well-being is on life support, you cannot possibly know how important those paychecks might be

I'm a writer, I make almost zero money, and I have alot of standards that I'm not willing to bend to- but I'm also, CURRENTLY, in a position where I can AFFORD to make those judgements

I have ALSO spent many years of my childhood in a position where we were living on credit cards, could only barely make bill payments on time (and at times couldn't) and couldn't afford a $1 cheeseburger at McDonald's, so I ALSO know that sometimes sacrifices have to be made, my father has had to compromise on things that he wanted DESPERATELY to stick to because he knew if he didn't, we'd lose our house

I will never not respect people who do what they have to fucking do to keep their children from homelessness

The day may come- I hope it won't, but it may- where I'm NOT in a position to stick to some of my personal opinions about writing and may have to compromise some things, and if that day comes, it's going to hurt like a motherfucker, but if it's a choice between not writing for a traditional publisher or not eating? Guess wich of those is going to have to lose?

There are certain things I WOULD rather die than compromise on..... but I am also an only child, who is young and single and has no children of my own, with two healthy parents, and no one depending on me, and let me make one thing ABSOLUTELY clear:

If I DID have a child to take care of, there are VERY few things- if anything at all- I wouldn't sacrifice for that child

I find that alot of people who make comments about "selling out"- ESPECIALLY directed at people who were living on dimes before and sold themselves for a steady paycheck- are made people who really haven't had to experience financial instability, I'm not saying that they're necessarily rich, but just haven't really been through the "I literally can't afford a drink at Taco Bell" period, and don't seem to understand how hard it is to have zero money

Or don't care

Sometimes you have to take that job writing shitty commercial jingles for shampoo just to make rent, sometimes you have to grind your teeth and work for the boss who keeps winking at you and calling you "honey" in order to keep your insurance- wich, let me remind some people, is MANDATORY to have, and you'd have to pay a huge penalty if you lost it- and sometimes you have to put on a suit and work somewhere that doesn't align 100% with your political veiwpoints because you have a child or a family member who's LIFE depends on your income and you can't devote your life to activism anymore because of that

These people are not "sell outs", they're just part of the same bullshit society that drags on generation after generation making sure that the small people stay small and the Big Fish stay Big Fish and the political climate doesn't change too much too quickly (if at all)

So TL;DR: Stop calling people "Sell outs" for choosing basic financial security (and even THAT sometimes is on pretty thin ice) over things like homelessness, hunger, and losing their children