#because that is something the internet does not need to know

[velvetvexations]

Please correct me If I'm wrong, but didn't Playdough's whole beef with Bechdel trying to reframe her as a TERF start originally because escentially she wanted to prove that HOMESTUCK is somehow more deep and influencial and important queer media than DTWOF?? It was a poll thing and people where getting mad that homestuck was beating dtwof (this is the homestuck website like cmon) so Playdough started there the discourse of Bechdel being a terf to discredit her work

I have no idea if homestuck is actually that queer in it's content, but this incident made me realize something very common about pretentious cult-like groups like TRF and Tankies.

They want to find the way to parrot that their interests are somehow morally superior and more correct than other's; forcemem can not be just a kink it's actually a culturally significant political practice and forcemasc is just a transmisogynist bastard copy, transfem headcanons can not be just normal fandom shit for enjoyment they are the more correct and intelectual reading an analysis of any character that doesn't adhere to strict tradicional cis gender roles and transmascs headcanons are anti intelectual media illiterate misogyny, homestuck can't be just a popular old webcomic you still like despite It's flaws (like srly It has a shit ton of racism and ableism, it was created on the era of the internet 4chan was more culturally relevant than ever in memes mostly so of course) no It's not a pillar of queerness in fiction and media and the comics created by a literal feminists trans ally buch need to somehow be morally inferior because they're both compiting in a Tumblr poll

AHAHAHAHAHAHA SHE'S STILL DOING IT TOO

I'm sorry, but imagine having this much of a grudge over your fave losing a poll lmao lmao lmao lmao this is so funny oh my God.

But it's especially hilarious because all of what she wrote about June is complete nonsense that was never part of the text. Now let's look at what she had to say about transmasc headcanons:

Welcome to projection playground, ma'am! She's literally using the idea of "legitimate analysis" just to prop up her own headcanon. This is so gutbustingly hilarious. Does she even think it's possible transmascs could have headcanons based in 'legitimate analysis'? Considering the fact that she seems to vehemently insist literally every transmasc headcanon ever is actually transfem, probably not, right? Because she doesn't understand masculinity is revolutionary and transgressive for people who weren't assigned it? Because she's a self-centered moron?

But wait, there's more!

She's so consumer-brained and she doesn't even know it.

I love that her whole personality is structured around being the world's most obnoxious Homestuck fan who uses academic language to build a comfort blanket to soothe her insecurities and lash out at others because it's gender validating if she gets to lash out at trans men the way cis women are allowed to with cis men. Except I've never seen a cis woman do it this ineptly, or so blatantly the product of issues they desperately need to work out.

Anyway, back to Bechdel...

I know I've been ranting about this subject in a general, undirected way all morning, but I'm going to tell you that this is a problem with Plaidos, specifically, which she passes on to her audience:

They don't know what TERFs are.

A TERF has defined political views. There is a lot going on with them. You cannot take one belief or action in particular, such as Bechdel softly supporting some sex-segregated spaces, and call her a TERF when she's praxis in much bigger, material ways. It's not just about Homestuck with Plaidos, or TERFs in general. It's also about the fact that Bechdel ever did anything that had anything to do with the idea that some people are more wymynly than them, which they take personal offense to that overshadows, oh, I don't know, loud and consistent advocacy for children having access to HRT? Any real transfeminist would recognize that matters infinitely more. But with these people, that's not the issue. They don't care about anything but how badly it hurt them to hypothetically not be welcome to a shitty music festival, and Bechdel having went - even if she criticized it's policies - is basically the same as having flaunted her gender assignment to intentionally make them dysphoric.

But Bechdel supports minors getting HRT. She supports them being in women's bathrooms. A lot of TERFs have identical conversations about her.

So what makes her a TERF? Because she went to a party you weren't invited to?

Do you understand how pathetic this makes you look?

It's gross and TERF-y to say trans women as a category are jealous of people AFAB on some level but when you prioritize like this where being let into the club is the one big all-consuming deal over things like Bechdel repeatedly going to bat for minors having HRT, and they obsessively treat trans men the way they do...

Like, listen. TRFs. My friends. You're women. I promise you you're Trve Wymyn. Please get over not having been AFAB. Come to peace with it and accept that people who got what you want are on your side and are happy to support you in being recognized as a woman in spite of what was on your birth certificate. Get over it.

Just get over it.

And also get over your transfem headcanons not being any more textually supported than transmasc headcanons, losers. You're so obviously the ones addicted to seeing yourself reflected in every piece of media you consume if you have to write essays about how it's bad literary analysis to not believe in your strings-on-a-thumbtack-board shit and run down anyone else having headcanons related to their identity. You're not doing literary analysis, you're playing pretend with cartoons for children and getting upset when you see other people having their own fun without you.

One last thing:

EXTREMELY holy shit racist. Do you see what I mean? How TRFs care so much about slights to their Trve Wymynhood over all else that they say shit like this? Like yeah Michfest was basically the KKK, you're right, unimaginably stupid White woman. Remember when Lisa Vogel hung all those trans women to warn us not to vote?

[misfitwashere]

Twenty Lessons On Tyranny

From the Twentieth Century

TIMOTHY SNYDER

JAN 20

1. Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

2. Defend institutions. It is institutions that help us to preserve decency. They need our help as well. Do not speak of "our institutions" unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf. Institutions do not protect themselves. They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning. So choose an institution you care about -- a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union -- and take its side.

3. Beware the one-party state. The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start. They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents. So support the multiple-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections. Vote in local and state elections while you can. Consider running for office.

4. Take responsibility for the face of the world. The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow. Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate. Do not look away, and do not get used to them. Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.

5. Remember professional ethics. When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without lawyers, or to hold show trials without judges. Authoritarians need obedient civil servants, and concentration camp directors seek businessmen interested in cheap labor.

6. Be wary of paramilitaries. When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh. When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.

7. Be reflective if you must be armed. If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you. But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things. Be ready to say no.

8. Stand out. Someone has to. It is easy to follow along. It can feel strange to do or say something different. But without that unease, there is no freedom. Remember Rosa Parks. The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.

9. Be kind to our language. Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does. Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying. Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet. Read books.

10. Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so. If nothing is true, then all is spectacle. The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.

11. Investigate. Figure things out for yourself. Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media. Realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you. Learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns (some of which come from abroad). Take responsibility for what you communicate with others.

12. Make eye contact and small talk. This is not just polite. It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society. It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust. If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.

13. Practice corporeal politics. Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people. Make new friends and march with them.

14. Establish a private life. Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around. Scrub your computer of malware on a regular basis. Remember that email is skywriting. Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less. Have personal exchanges in person. For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble. Tyrants seek the hook on which to hang you. Try not to have hooks.

15. Contribute to good causes. Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life. Pick a charity or two and set up autopay. Then you will have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good.

16. Learn from peers in other countries. Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends in other countries. The present difficulties in the United States are an element of a larger trend. And no country is going to find a solution by itself. Make sure you and your family have passports.

17. Listen for dangerous words. Be alert to use of the words "extremism" and "terrorism." Be alive to the fatal notions of "emergency" and "exception." Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.

18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives. Modern tyranny is terror management. When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.

19. Be a patriot. Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.

20. Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.

[wielderofaquill]

🎉HAZZAH🎉 I GOT MY FIRST TROLL ANON! I’ve made it to the big leagues! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

All jokes aside, though…even though a part of me wants to be petty AF and light these mofos up because I am a smartass by nature and sarcasm is my native tongue lol…I’ve made the executive decision to NOT post that trash on my blog. That’s not why I am here.

No shade to anyone who does post and respond to the troll anons, I promise. To each their own, as it should be!

Freedom of speech is wonderful, is it not? Literally NO ONE will infringe upon my right to speak freely…here or anywhere. And I will not infringe upon yours, whether I agree with you or not. But on my posts, all I ask for is that we keep it fun, respectful, and healthy. Nothing harmful to anyone. Dare I even say, mindful and demure? 😝

Now, with all that being said, have I commented on some of these posts? Have I reblogged these posts because I agreed with another blogger’s response to a troll anon? Of course I have! I’m not “holier than thou,” if you will, and will never claim to be. Sometimes I get fired up and get a tad spicy because, like most of you here, I too am a passionate fan of our 2 lovebirds, and Bridgerton, and so on. I share my thoughts and opinions like everyone else, and I enjoy showing my support for bloggers whose posts align with my beliefs as well. I do not have hard facts like everyone else here because (unfortunately, lol), we do not know them personally, nor do we know their families/friends personally. We are fortunate to get what we do get from them, considering how chaotic this fandom can get at times.

Anyway…it is on MY posts that I choose not to give the trolls any undeserved attention. I cannot bring myself to indulge in that kind of negativity on my posts, because it’s a waste of my time. Do I win something if I do? No? Okay.

As I said in my first post, trolls need not waste their time here. Channel that energy into something more productive. You can enjoy your side of the fandom without shitting on mine. Besides, I’m not budging from where I sit on this lovely ship. 🛳️

Allow me to clarify a couple more things before I sign off—I DO NOT discourage anon messages, and I DO NOT discourage varying opinions. In fact, I look forward to receiving your messages and discussing things with anyone who wishes to do so! But if it is laced with hate, bullying, or any other form of vitriolic fuckery, I WILL NOT share it here.

I’ll leave you all with this, the #1 rule of the Internet:

DON’T FEED THE TROLLS.

Xx ✌🏻

[a-student-out-of-time]

More Real Talk

Hey everyone. Mod Bubbles here.

I'm not gonna beat around the bush here: you all know what's going on, you've all heard about it, you don't need me to tell you about it. You've heard about it and you're gonna hear about it a lot these next four years.

I don't want to talk about that. Instead, I wanna address something else that, on a personal level, I believe is a lot more serious but a lot easier to grapple with.

You wanna know what I believe is the biggest problem we're dealing with these days? You can point to a lot of things, but at the core, they all have the same root to them.

Hopelessness.

Yeah, a DR blog talking about hope, how crazy is that?

But in all seriousness, it's at the core of every argument, every political discussion, every post I see made about not just the near future, but the long term as well. It's always the same points about neo-fascism, climate change, wars, cyberpunk dystopias, and global extinction. Very few people today seem to have any faith that the world can be better.

And I can't say I blame them. I was there too once, when I was a teenager. I lived in constant fear of the future, worried about what it means for me, and I'd get trapped in doomscrolling cycles. I'd lay awake at night and cry my eyes out. Yet I'm still here, on the cusp of turning 30, and I'm at a better point in my life than I've ever been.

Fear and desperation are ultimately useful, but they can be self-destructive. They can prevent you from seeing the truth and make you ironically vulnerable to the ones you should be most afraid of.

Why do people join cults or militias or vote for bad politicians? Are they all just stupid or evil? Sure, some may be, but most are just desperate, afraid and don't understand how the world really works. They need a helping hand with deprogramming what they were told.

Here's the facts:

We've already beaten climate change's worst predictions and the changes we've made can be reversed.

Plastic pollution in the oceans is being cleaned up.

Conservation success stories just keep coming.

More people are living better lives nowadays, with lower rates of child morality, starvation, crime, preventable diseases, even bullying rates have declined.

The Green Energy Revolution is here and nothing is going to stop it.

New advancements in materials science are on the way and will revolutionize everything from construction to manufacturing to space exploration.

I say all this because the ultimate source of hope is knowledge. Yes, you can open yourself up to a lot of dark avenues when you start learning about the world, but you'll also learn how much good there is out there being done.

This isn't a distraction, it's how I help people understand that the world can always be better and that just one person being in power will not change that.

Now, I know what you may say to that. I've seen posts about how the internet is going to be censored, that propaganda spread everywhere, that there'll be concentration camps, the constitution will be ripped up, etc.

And to that, I have to be honest: I've already heard it all before.

The things you're worried about today? I was worried about them in 2009 during the Great Recession. People worried about them in 2005 when Bush was re-elected, and the concerns there also included terrorism. Do we even still talk about Al-Qaeda? Not really!

And misinformation in this age has always been a problem, especially on the big sites. These are old problems brought to the forefront, and it's always been important to learn the skills to spot them.

More importantly, all this assumes the administration would actually be able to implement any of their promises. Every administration does that and few of the truly big ones about change have happened, especially because said promises ran counter to reality within the system.

I'm not trying to downplay any concerns about the situation, I promise. It's okay to be sad, scared, and concerned about peoples' safety. It's okay to cry if you need to. What you should not do is give up just because of all this.

I'm going to sound very harsh for a moment, but I need to say it: by being doomerist and defeatist, you're part of the problem. You not only stop helping, you run the risk of discouraging other people from trying because you believe it's pointless. When you succumb to pessimistic nihilism, you create a self-fulfilling prophecy that only rewards those who benefit from your inaction or your death.

Don't do that to people. Don't do that to yourself.

The world gets better when you first believe it can be better. How do you do that?

Well, I can't speak for everyone, but here's some suggestions that I'm sticking to:

Live daily life. Get up, eat, stay hydrated, take your medication, bathe, dress comfortably, listen to music, watch a movie, clean your home, play a game, hang out with friends, just do things that make you happy. As you should always do.

Stop looking at doomer posts. It literally does not help with anything and they are not credible sources of information just because they're cynical.

Do not let go of your ambitions. Always have a dream or a goal in mind, no matter what it is, and always aim for it. It's never stupid, it's never too late, it's something you aspire to and that's really awesome.

Stop looking for enemies. There are more important things to devote your time to than arguing over inane bullshit on the internet. That's been true since the start.

Be kind to people. Let go of whatever anger and resentment you may have for people, try to make new friends, and recognize when you can help someone else in need. Sometimes it's as simple as letting them know you care.

Be kind to yourself. You are not a failure, you're not a burden, you're not a lost cause, you can always improve as long as you're alive.

Remove toxicity from your life. Cut out bad influences and replace them with better things. If you have to leave a toxic environment, you can work on doing so.

Always learn new things. It's really fun to end the day with a new piece of knowledge you didn't have the day before.

Let yourself feel. Are you angry? Sad? Scared? Worried? Let yourself feel it, and then you can move on. Don't bury an emotion or let it stagnate.

Learn to recognize bad faith posts/misinformation. This is a critical skill to possess and one you need to always pass on to others. Not everyone who posts it is evil, sometimes all they need is a simple correction on a matter and the situation will be resolved.

Clown on Evil. Whenever people want you to fear them or take them seriously, you mock them, make memes about them, treat them as a joke and defuse whatever power they try to have.

Be true to yourself. Above all, don't let the next 4 years turn you into something you're not.

I say all this as someone who's been around longer than a lot of people who follow me: your future is not empty. I wished I'd done years ago everything I'm doing now, but I've decided I'd rather do them than spend the rest of my life lamenting and wondering what might've been.

You can spend years convincing yourself there is no future, and then the future arrives and you have no idea what to do anymore.

Change- actual change- starts from below and works its way up. And no matter how much life beats you down, no matter what's on TV or what the future may hold, you can always choose to do something about it.

You can always choose to be kind to yourself and to others. You can always choose to believe. And that's where you can start.

[wawataka]

trying not to burst into tears because i’m turning 19 tomorrow and my aunt called me to ask and she went “i remember the first time i met you, you had just turned three” and slipping through my fingers just started playing in my head

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Ex-Evangelical CONVERT here. Can confirm. Granted, the churches I attended weren't extreme, but there was a vibe there. I mostly absorbed this stuff from televangelists. I also read about half of the fictional Left Behind series, which people took a realistic new future-depiction of what's coming! If you want to familiarize yourself with Left Behind but want an abridged version (because they really are horribly-written books), I got a blog for you: Slacktivist Example of one of his weekly Left Behind posts. He covers the first thee books on repeat because there is too much going on in his life to finish reviews. Blogger is a Progressive Christian Ex-Evangelical who started out making it his MISSION to tell the world how badly-written and theologically messed up these books are. His blog eventually morphed into American politics and occasional personal stories. The commentary community is delightful. (I am Shadsie there). Left Behind has a lot of fanfiction of the hate and fix-it variety. Like "Interesting concepts, horrible world, let's explore this" including stories of humans willingly going with the Luciferian faction at the end of the novels even though they know they will be doomed to Hell because they feel the need simply to fight and retain their fundamental humanity. Anyway, my point is that there is an entire generation of American Christians who grew up on watching eschatology preachers in the 1990s who created the "roadmap" these authors used and who read these books early on. They were some of the very few "approved thriller fiction" of the subculture. (Back when I was reading them, I liked them because they were violent - I could read something actiony and violent without the guilt I was supposed to feel for watching / reading similarly violent worldly things). I'm not trying to paint myself as a violent person here, I just enjoy action movies and action and horror manga. I've always needed a bit of an outlet, something exciting. American Evangelical / Baptist / Conservative churches don't allow "exciting" unless it is approved. I was trying to find a list by Progressive Christian blogger, Benjamin L. Corey where he made a checklist of how, Trump, ironically, ticks all of the classic boxes of being the Antichrist, but it seems to have disappeared from the Internet. (Said blogger does not believe in a literal Antichrist, he was just trying to make a point, but it still stands).

Hey so I still see people utterly baffled by how religious fundies (still a majority in America and moreso its senate) react on certain issues so uhhh is it actually not common knowledge what the antichrist is all about? You guys know his defining characteristic is ending war, right? That he’s foretold to unite the world under his leadership by preaching global peace and solving basically every single problem in the world? So you know when you try to talk to these people about equality and togetherness they literally believe that’s what makes you an agent of the devil right???

[itspileofgoodthings]

tags continued from prev post.

[mantisgodsdomain]

Slowly, yet painfully realizing that we're probably the exact type of person that random fandom guys would miscast as a father.

[uncle-fruity]

As a person who frequently posts in the transandrophobia tag about the issues trans men have to deal with, let me be explicitly clear:

I want you to do what is right for you.

I'm honestly not concerned about your transition, your detransition, or otherwise nuanced state of transness. I speak about the struggles trans men & mascs often experience, not to discourage anyone from transitioning, but rather to educate and arm you with knowledge. It is harder to stand up for yourself when you can't even recognize when you're being wronged. It's harder to stand up for yourself when you think your systemic troubles are actually just personal failings, or when you don't have the language to express what's happening to you. It's harder to stand up for yourself when no one else seems to be interested in standing up for you and you aren't sure if anyone else would even care that you're hurting. I speak about transandrophobia because I think the community as a whole needs more awareness and compassion for trans men & mascs & our issues. There is absolutely nothing I talk about that demands anyone change their identity or their transition plans. Fundamentally, I believe in bodily autonomy -- the right to do what you want with your own body. This is a core belief of transfeminism, and by extension, a core belief of transandrophobia theory.

We absolutely cannot allow the people who reject the theory outright define it. If you think the people who hurl insults and harassment at us to discourage us from speaking on our lived experiences are more reliable sources for what transandrophobia is about than the trans men & mascs who are literally experiencing it, then that is exactly part of the problem we're trying to address.

Stop taking these kinds of statements at face value. You have GOT to resist internalizing generalizations about whole groups of people. You should never accept any narrative without giving it some real critical thought, which does mean going out of your way to find direct sources and to analyze who is pushing what narrative and what reasons they would have to do so. In the case of transandrophobia, you need to look at the actual posts that define it, and you have to speak with trans men & mascs directly in good faith! When someone is critical of our theory, you need to ask why, and then you need to see if their criticisms hold any truth or if they are reactionary & unsupported or if they rely on biases being accepted as truth to hold up their argument.

And while I know that on the internet it isn't considered as funny or cool to be kind/neutral as it is to be mean, it is 100% possible to be critical of something without resorting to insults, dehumanization, ridicule, or harassment. That is not how you make an informed criticism. That is not how you win an argument. That is not how you call out people you (claim to) love.

So, yeah. Your personal decision to transition or not is none of my business and, in fact, is no one's business but your own. You do what's right for you! You make your own choices! That is the official position of transandrophobia theory.

Kind of mad abt the whole "Transandrophobia theory is made to make trans men wanna detransition" Idk, I wanted to detransition when I saw posts talking about how we as a group need to shut up and how we're worse off for being men BEFORE I saw other trans men talk about how this sucks. I don't think us talking about it is making us want to detransition I think you all telling us we're evil for transitioning does.

[toothlespoggers]

can someone on tumblr do the whole Twitter situation thingie but with like. This

I don’t want todo that cause I hate Twitter but I feel like someone should like. Make this viral to raise awareness, tell some sort of commentary YouTuber, or like. Start a Twitter rampage

not only is that video literally nazi content that got recommended to me but it is also literally characterised as “made for kids content” which in itself is incorrect as 1. It’s fucking nazi glorification. 2. It literally fucking says 13+ on it. And also can this be like. Brought up I want the internet for once to like stop talking about dreams asshole or whatever the fuck and like actually not bury important shit caus I know the internet only deals with problems that are like

oh no! Some famous person sneezed in public! Let’s make this news instead of talking about actual issues.

okay so just so we’re clear. We are to mass report this guy, raise awareness of shithead people like this. And whoever has the power todo something should probably bring YouTube’s attention to bullshit like this on Twitter. Because this is literally a blatant example of the corruption in their moderation.

best case scenario, we get the YouTuber banned, videos taken down and they get punished for their behaviour.

the scenario that’ll probably happen; if I’m lucky the internet will actually notice this post and people will try todo something about it.

but I’m like. Fully prepared for this to completely get ignored and buried like all my shit that isn’t undertale/deltarune content.

I love tumblr but it makes me so genuinely angry that people only give a fuck about my content when it’s a specific type.

also tags are fucking stupid because how tf do I tag 99% of shit that isn’t for a specific fandom? What am I supposed to tag this as? How the fuck will people see this? What the fuck am I supposed todo? Just type nazi in tags and pray????

[autisticlee]

how to make business plans: spend 2 weeks looking for a website to make a visual plan guide that you can collaborate with business partners, but you end up nowhere because all of them require paid subscriptions to do more than a few basic things. except you don't want to pay for these because you don't have a business yet and therefore no money!!!! but you need more than basic features (basically you can only put 50-100 items on your board with free account and i will definitely need more)

[illdothehotvoice]

I hope you all know that the King Papyrus ending literally lives rent free in my head I think about it a lot-

[alarajrogers]

What keeps getting me about the water argument...

Look, water is neither created nor destroyed on this planet, not unless someone's doing hydrolysis or burning a hydrogen fuel cell. Water-based cooling systems either reuse the exact same water, or the water evaporates into the air and comes back down as rain somewhere.

I will agree that if you are on the West Coast, in the Southwest where it's pretty desert-y, the chances that the evaporating water will come down somewhere useful to humans is low enough that you should be using closed water systems. (On the East Coast it doesn't fucking matter because we have more water than we know what to do with. There are never water shortages on the East Coast. Also there is no desert.) But pretty much anywhere else in the US, either there is already so much water that it doesn't matter, or the water has nowhere to go except to rain on the desert or the prairie. Water that evaporates from a data center in Colorado on the eastern side of the Rockies will not go west. If it does, it will rain on the Rockies, which will then drain back down to Colorado, or somewhere else along the Rockies.

You cannot use up all the water on a planet 3/4ths water. What you can do is allow too much of it to escape to the ocean, where it is not drinkable by humans. But in places where clouds sweep in from the ocean and rain on the land, as long as the amount of water lost to the ocean is less than the amount it comes from the ocean and rains on the land, you cannot use up the water. So are there places that need to carefully regulate their water management to avoid water going out to sea and never coming back? Yeah, the southwest side of the Rockies. I don't know the weather patterns in the Gulf, so, maybe Texas has this issue too? But landlocked states and states east of the Rockies, this is not an issue. The water will evaporate and travel as a cloud to somewhere else that is also land, and rain there.

If you're not talking about the US, then yeah, I recommend you don't run data centers in the Sahara Desert, but most places on this planet where humans live are places where it rains enough that realistically, you cannot use up enough water to be a problem. And this will never be a problem if you used closed water systems, particularly if you used closed water systems that employ salt water. (which, since salt water freezes at a lower temperature than regular water, might be good for a cooling system that has to deal with fucktons of heat!)

Look. AI and all other things the Internet does uses up energy, and if you're not getting it from green sources, then yes. It's finite and it leaves dirty residue that is harmful to humans. Bitch about that if you have to. The sooner the whole Internet is on green energy, the better. And AI and everything else the Internet does relies on highly poisonous and often very rare metals that are used in making computers, and that's an issue that's going to get more and more important over time because Earth has a finite supply of those metals.

But water? You are bitching about water? The stuff that we drink and then it circulates through our veins and then we piss it out and it goes to the ocean and then clouds bring it back and rain it on us? That stuff? Are you imagining that we are pouring the Hoover Dam over a data center and it is disintegrating the water molecules, rendering them down not into oxygen and hydrogen but total non-existence, like maybe some random quarks floating around? Did you think using water to cool computers poisoned the water, or something? Pro tip: Don't pour water directly over computer parts where it can touch the heavy metals, because if you do, your computer will stop working. And then the water might get contaminated. But first it will break your computer.

On Earth, almost nothing we do with water ever actually destroys it. If we live in a place where it rarely rains, conserving the water that we need to live is important. So it should be illegal to have water bottling plants anywhere near desert or prairie areas. You wanna bottle the Great Lakes, feel free, but do not ship Montana water out to me on the East Coast where I can walk outside my house practically once a week and see water falling from the sky, just so I can enjoy it being refrigerated for me. Shipping water from low-water regions to high-water regions ought to be illegal. But when we talk about water cooling systems... that's not what's happening. The water either evaporates locally, or it doesn't go anywhere at all, or it gets dumped in a body of water. All of which are usually pretty unproblematic fates for water.

I think almost all of the environmental case against AI is factually incorrect fear mongering, or "misinformation"

[brinnanza]

tumblr babes I wish every one of you finds someone who is just unspeakably charmed by the way tumblr poisons your speech I said magneto was a villain because he was sad and he was sad because he was gay and jewish (which is true in a way) and situationship 1. was delighted 2. asked me if that was actually canon or if that was just tumblr speak and I was like "i mean both???"

[flowersandbess]

Thinking of writing a fic between Tom and Greg to raise awareness of what’s happening with Reddit and their absolutely absurd treatment of third party apps

[sapphic-storm69]

POV: you’re staring at the person who made the saddest, most depressing movie you’ve ever seen, into a meme