#but the rights of women and poc and the lgbt community are not political

[oz-protection-squad]

Hey, so... I know this is a bit delayed. I've been grieving hardcore over the election results since 4 am. But I just wanted all of you to know:

I love you. I love you so, so much.

I know it's hard, but please don't give up the fight. We need you here, now more than ever. Giving up would mean letting the hatred win, so we must outlive it. Hang in there. This is not the end.

Keep moving forward.

[lisztomaniac-mp3]

make plans to get out of here (america) as quickly as possible in an emergency (read: get your passport and save money)

become as familiar as you can with everything that trump has said he will do, study that 900+ page plan and know who is involved

show as much support as possible for queer people and poc, especially trans and latinx people

support women's rights to their own body

specifically to Christian people: please, please, please show support for queer people and poc and please show your aversion to Christian nationalism

protest, disrupt the natural flow of things, don't be quiet don't stop talking about it

[buk0wskis]

with the results of the election, i beg you: please, please keep living. the greatest form of protest is to live. there are people who love you and want you to thrive; stay close to those people. your life is more important than those in power. existence is not a crime. you are beautiful, and the world is more beautiful with you in it. you are so incredibly strong, and we are proud of you for being here.

there are resources available for those who need them. below are just a few; there are so, so many more. please reach out to someone if you need any help. there are people that want and are willing to fight for you.

[16bruises]

don’t stop loving. don’t stop living. don’t stop being who you are. be proud, be strong, be brave.

the future looks dark, so be the light to guide not only yourself but all those whose light has dimmed.

i love so much and i will not allow fear to discourage me.

stay proud, stay strong, stay loving.

[octou-sin]

TO ALL MY GIRLYS LGBTQ POC AND THOSE WHO SEE A SAFE SPACE IN THE LEFTIST COMMUNITY

I WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE SIDE OF HUMANITY. I WANT TO BE A VOICE OF REASONING AND CHANGE.

things are hard right now, personally to me, very very hard. i don’t need all of us to be bed rotting, day drinking, chain smoking, and more. this is our time for community. i’m here for all of you rn.

i’ve always as an autistic queer hispanic woman have had a hard time keeping friends who don’t share my mentality. IM HERE FOR YOU. need help to start activism ? i’m here. need a support group? i’m here. need a shoulder to cry on? I AM MF HERE. sometimes it’s hard to make friends, sometimes it’s hard to find a voice of reasoning. my DMs are always open and i will be here to talk to each and everyone one of you. i don’t care if it’s one person reaching out, 100, 1000, or a 1000000. i will speak with everyone i possibly can in my lifetime.

tbh myself, i need a friend, i need a shoulder, i need a group where i feel safe, if you want to help me start a group for women for, anyone who needs it no matter the issue. i’ll be here.

DM me, talk to me, i will never blast your information, i will never put anyone in danger. let’s help eachother out.

love you guys, love my followers, love anyone who happens to pass by this message. stay safe, stay alive, stay happy through the pain.

[gimme-da-sword]

No, actually. That is not an enemy. That is (likely)a severely un/misinformed person. I severely doubt that many people who voted for trump came from a place of hate. They just don't understand. They do not truly get who they voted for and what that means, because if they did truly understand what trump and his campaign plan to do with America, they would not have voted for him. People that vote for trump are fed lies and fiction that lead them to believe that trump will make their lives better regardless of the casualties (aka minorities losing hard earned rights). I am by no means saying that you should keep in contact with people like the "friend" above, but they are not the enemy. They are the byproduct of propaganda that tells them their neighbors and friends will harm them unless Cheeto Voldemort swoops in and strips them of basic human rights. Do you hear me? They are not the enemy. Talking about fellow Americans like that is exactly what trump is doing. It is not your responsibility to explain to your brother's friend Jeff that Kamala Harris isn't going to show up at his door and chop his dick off, but dividing people and turning them against each other is exactly the type of shit that Nazis did. We had a whole ass civil war about that type shit. It is crucial to surround yourself with people who support you and make you feel safe, but calling people evil for being uniformed will only add fuel to the fire we are desperately trying to put out. Still, I am not saying to just quietly accept that someone has harmful beliefs. I would recommend saying something like, "Hey, your choice to support trump essentially says to me that you don't mind it if my rights are taken away. I don't feel comfortable spending time with someone who thinks like that. Goodbye." Something that says 'I don't want to hang out with you if you obviously don't give a fuck about my wellbeing' in a way that doesn't give them a reason to hate whatever minority you may be a part of. It is important that we grow as communities and stay strong, but giving people reasons to support the removal of your rights does anything but help. It lets people go back to their buddies and say 'bro these women are so emotional' or 'gay people are such babies.' I am also not saying you can control how people think and what they say, but if you give them reason to think of you as whichever part of your identity instead of the human being you are, be aware that they can and will take that shit and run. Of course, if the person in question is a parent or close family member, do what keeps you safe. You need to survive over all else. Proving a point isn't worth getting kicked out of your home, and I wouldn't recommend telling a parent off unless you have somewhere safe to go.

Be safe, I love you.

(btw if something I said was incorrect or severely misguided reblog with your own take, or my dms are open. Civilly, tho. I will not respond to childish finger pointing or death threats)

[khaire-traveler]

⚖️ Subtle Themis Worship ⚔️

Try veiling

When you have a big decision/judgement to make, blindfold yourself for a moment; be in a place where you're alone and can think quietly

Vote if you can

Get a candle that reminds you of her (no altar needed)

Keep a picture of her in your wallet

Wear jewelry that reminds you of her

Stay up to date on local politics

Join a local activism group; LGBT rights, POC rights, women's rights, etc.

Support humanitarian organizations or homeless shelters

Have a stuffed animal lion: have a stuffed animal of any creature you associate with justice, order, custom, prophecy, or judgement

Have imagery of the earth/sky, scales, blindfolds, swords, or lions around

Volunteer at a homeless shelter; volunteer at a soup kitchen

Spread the word about injustice, especially related to humanitarian causes

Speak your mind; be honest and direct with others; note that honest does not mean cruel

Get more comfortable with the idea of conflict; look into healthy conflict resolution skills

Join a debate team; spectate or participate in formal debates

Write letters you will never send to people who have done you wrong; burn them (SAFELY!!!)

Try to get involved with your local community; help run events, join groups/clubs, meet new people, etc.

Cook a warm meal for someone in need

Ask someone in need for the things they need most; buy/give them those things if you can

Practice restraint and grounding, especially when it comes to people who annoy you

Try to stay away from gossip; don't spread rumors about others, especially those that you're unsure the integrity of

Get curious about the world around you and the way things work; encourage yourself to question things

Trust yourself; listen to your gut

Work on setting boundaries with others and yourself

Let people know when they've done something that hurt you; ask them to change their behavior or wording

Feel free to give people chances to change, but if they continue not to make changes, don't put yourself through the extra work of keeping them around

Release things that no longer serve you

Work on accepting constructive criticism; try not to take criticism too personally

Get to know yourself better; feel confident in the fact that you know yourself better than others

Keep a self-growth journal; write down things relating to self improvement, how you're feeling, goals you're working towards, etc.

Learn any discreet form of divination; cartomancy, carromancy, pyromancy, tea leaves, etc.

Hold onto family heirlooms

Practice family traditions or create new ones c:

Learn self-defense; learn how to properly use weapons; pepper spray, pocket knife, etc.

Clean up after yourself; don't litter in the environment; pick up litter you come across

Try your best to take the advice you give to others (easier said than done, I know)

Practice patience and mindfulness; release control over the things that you can't control

Ground yourself if you're feeling anxious or stressed over an issue; learn about healthy coping skills for stress or anxiety if you don't know any

Take regular breaks from screens; walk around outside, and enjoy yourself; get some fresh air

Take a walk/hike outside; connect with nature

Drink a calming, soothing, or grounding tea

Take care of yourself after a hard day; be kind and gentle with yourself; engage in comforting activities

-

I'll likely add more going forward, but for the time being, this is my list of discreet ways to worship Themis. I hope others find this helpful! Take care, everyone. 🧡

Link to Subtle Worship Master list

[phan-meme-trash]

On political divides

I see a lot of people panicking about the election.

I see phannies claiming it’s impossible to be a dnp fan and conservative (bc conservative must equeal homophobe/bigot)

I see people worried about their rights being taken away.

I got a call from one of my very close lgbt friends who is voting for Harris. He and I disagree on a lot politically. he asked if I’m as stressed and scared about a potential Harris win as he is about a potential Trump win.

I said yeah probably. And we both talked about how nervous we are (for different reasons.)

Just a reminder that the people voting opposite to you are not your enemy. That friend is one of my best friends. We are voting for two different candidates. America is split almost 50/50. And 1 in 2 people in the US are simply not evil, mean spirited, bigoted, or crazy.

It often feels to me like people on the left hate me and my people. and that our physical safety and our rights will be at risk if the Democratic Party wins the election. That life as we know it will end. That the world will descend into chaos.

I know that many minority groups like women and members of the lgbt+ community feel the same way about the potential of the Republican Party winning.

just a reminder that most liberals I know in real life don’t actually want me dead and most conservatives I know (including myself) don’t want to take rights away from members of the lgbt+ community/poc/women (I’m 2/3 of these categories actually so I’m pretty strongly anti removing anyone’s rights please and thank you) .

most people want a safe country. A prosperous country. And a country where everyone is treated with respect and humanity. I know I want equality, a better economy, a peaceful end to the current wars (and deterrence against any new ones).

The set of policies that help us get there is where we differ. Ultimately, things can get worse in different ways over the next 4 years. But it will likely not be the end of the world. Or life as you know it. scare tactics work. They get you out to vote and you should vote. but most of what you’re being told in the media and even by people you know is exaggerated and often completely distorted or untrue.

I do worry about worst case scenarios if the candidate I vote for loses. But I think ultimately no matter who wins we will make it through the next 4 years and be okay. if you need someone to talk to feel free to message me.

(I am voting republican but democrat voters are welcome. I’m here for you too. This is a stressful time for all)

[diveyne]

non americans really pissing me off. the lack of empathy is insane. we are watching our democracy crumble and our rights being stripped away with a FULL REPUBLICAN CONGRESS TOO. remember when trump said we would never have to vote again? i knew exactly what it meant the moment he said it. people also not understanding that this country, UNFORTUNATELY, is a massive BIPARTISANSHIP. and every dumb tiktoker who sat and said “oh gen z will turn the tide” yeah because gen z white men are all neonazis lmao. and white women in this country will actively vote against their own rights if it means a black woman wont be in office. fuck off.

and the disingenuous, performative, bad faith guilt trips and attempts to shame people like “oh you voted for kamala? so you want palestinians to die?” imagine what’s going to happen now with trump. like??? he literally said he’s going to bomb the shit out of iran next. with kamala we could have a CHANCE at having her hear us out and doing something about israel.

AMERICAN IS A BIPARTISANSHIP. people who have zero understanding of politics genuinely are showing their asses. and i don’t blame everyone because the education system has failed us. not everyone has a civics class or good teachers.

but what that means is third party candidates will NEVER have a chance at winning a presidential election. a vote for third party was a vote for trump. voting third party might help your conscience but it does nothing for the country. but the biggest people to blame are the radicalized white men. the fucking boomers. all these maga cult bitches who hate the idea of a woman, a black woman, in office so bad and have brains so rotted with nonsense rhetoric. it’s a lack of education, genuinely. i will never forgive bush for his no child left behind policy because EVERYONE damn well got left behind, especially in rural counties.

it’s not fair. but moreover i need non americans to shut the fuck up. there are those who do, and equally as many who don’t, understand that america’s president affects their country too. so quit with the shaming as if voter suppression doesn’t exist. that gerrymandering doesn’t exist. that elon musk wasn’t out there incentivizing people with money to vote for trump. that black and brown americans were literally blocked from voting. that a convicted felon was even ALLOWED to run again. so many blue counties trying their best in overwhelmingly red states because there are poc and lgbt communities trying so fucking hard to matter. i’m sick. i’m fucking sick.

do not dare look at me and shame me for voting for kamala and say “wow so you’re not anti war? you don’t want to free palestine?” because i didn’t waste my vote on jill stein. how can i do anything to help anyone else if I AS AN ASIAN QUEER WOMAN DONT HAVE ANY RIGHTS. fuck lmao

like trump is 100% going to pass legislation that allows him to be in office until he dies. how is america going to help anyone now???? like. fuck bro LIKE.

[uncloseted]

Do you think Taylor Swifts political activism is genuine?

,I mean, does Taylor Swift really engage in "political activism" at all? The most we've seen from her are PR-team written statements that aim to be as uncontroversial as possible while publicly aligning her with the political views of the majority of her fanbase (78% of whom identify as Democrats or independents, and 56% of which are Millennials or Gen Z). And even that was something she didn't really start doing until around 2018. For example, she didn't endorse a candidate for president in 2016 (saying that, "I don’t talk about politics because it might influence other people"), and there was a period of time in the early to mid 2010s where the alt-right was hailing her as an "Aryan goddess" and she straight up didn't say anything about it for fear of being controversial or alienating her audience. She has said as much herself; in 2018, she wrote that, "In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country." But even her newfound "feeling very differently about [voicing her political opinions] now" has been tepid. She's made three political endorsements (Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper in 2018, Joe Biden in 2020), and posted in support of LGBT rights, BLM, the Women's March, March for Our Lives, and gun control, which is all great. But it's not like she's attending protests or meeting with politicians or taking actions to use her influence to change policy. It's not really activism so much as it is acknowledgement that a problem exists.

That's not to say that I think the times she does comment on politics are self-serving or fake. I think she does probably believe in feminism and support rights for POC and the LGBT community and think increased gun control would be a good idea. I don't think she's like, a covert Nazi or a closet conservative. But I do think her political comments have historically been a carefully considered business decision, and that she would never say or do anything that her team perceives as damaging her brand.

However, the Matty Healy of it all has changed this calculus in kind of an interesting way, because (from what I've seen online) he seems to be terrible for her brand. It will be interesting to see if she's now in an era of caring less about the ramifications of her actions, or if it's limited to the person that she's dating.

ETA: I think this Guardian article from 2019 is the more forthcoming I've seen her be about her views on politics and her own role in the political space. It's worth a read if you're curious about this.

[iminsomanyfandomsitscrazy]

But also, with country music today, if it’s “political” it’s far-right. Not only do you get songs about how you love trucks more than anything, but also how patriotic you are - and not because the US is a melting pot and it’s (kinda) becoming more progressive for women, POC, and the LGBT community, but because it has a long history of b*gotry.

And that shift happened after 9/11, which is part of why the Chicks got essentially kicked out of country music and didn’t chart on country music charts ever again - because they publicly were against the war in Iraq.

When looking at country music today, you have people like Morgan Wallen who was doing ok, but then it was made public that he’s sexist and racist and then his music blew up. It had done pretty well, but then one of his songs skyrocketed to the top of the fucking Billboard 100 for weeks, and his album skyrocketed to the top of the Billboard 200 for weeks and sold like more than 400,000 copies in the first week (making it the fourth or fifth album to do so last year) solely because he was sexist and racist.

The kids on TikTok think that just because he was a classic country singer, Johnny Cash was conservative??? My babies he covered a Nine Inch Nails song in his seventies.

Classic country singers (the majority of which came from poor roots) were always talking about how much The Man sucked because they were taking money from poor rural folk. You’re gonna tell me that’s conservative?? Get outta here.

[mediapoliticsandcitizenship]

BLOG POST 2: TAYLOR SWIFT

This particular post was an Instagram story posted by Taylor Swift on her account a while back. It depicts the wording as so; “Are you registered to vote?” I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my US shows recently. I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year! Register to vote in less than 2 minutes at “VOTE.ORG/NVRD”.

The particular stance I want to make of this post is rather more on the cynical end, with some critical deliberation of why I feel like this is an interesting incorporation of politics by a well-known celebrity.

Celebrities in the media are having a rather more prevalent influence than ever before i must say. In one article posted by Newport Academy, they state “A survey found that 80 percent of teen girls compare themselves to images they see of celebrities. Almost half of those reported that celebrity images make them feel dissatisfied with the way they look.” In regards to mega superstar Taylor Swift, a lot of her audience consists of young teenage girls or rather more feminine-presenting people who resonate with her music and art as a whole. If we look at the plenty of imagery that makes up Taylor Swift’s discography, it mostly consists of seemingly harmless lyrics and content, mostly consisting of music and songs detailing heartbreak, relationships, and womanhood. All seemingly harmless stuff right? Yet this isn’t a critique of Taylor Swift’s discography, but rather the extent of the power over her “fandom” she has, and to what length.

Taylor Swift has been one of several celebrities who has been lumped in several “purple-washing” controversies; a term that has been tossed around in the media as meaning a type of “woke neo-liberal propaganda” used by the liberals to promote “feminism” - or something along the lines that your average Republican or Conservative politician would say. The term “purple-washing” can be defined in this article by Ishika Aggarwal as “colour washing the ‘not so feminist stuff’ by sugar coating things with feminist values. It is basic to hide one’s inherent anti-feminist and anti-women opinions with some other feminist values (because society likes inclusion and they want society’s support) (Aggarwal, 2023).” At times, many of Taylor Swift’s music comes off as a back-handed perspective and narrow minded view of a universal experience of womanhood and femininity as a whole piece; it seems her music is more so catered to “white feminists'' who mostly feel empowered by content that speaks to a rather dissonant image of their experiences. So it seems somewhat backhanded at times that she would want to venture into the world of politics as a whole. 

In terms of the voting process, was Miss Swift aware of such disadvantages to openly voting the party you want due to other factors? Gentrification? Gerrymandering, perhaps? Gerrymandering is a political tactic that is created due to something in the US political system known as “redistricting”; this can be seen as problematic for a number of reasons. The whole process can only be described as a way for a specific political party to gain more votes by using the redistribution of smaller districts towards their own registered areas, thus making it oftentimes impossible for a normal individual living in the United States to vote for the party they want. This is even harder for those in gentrified areas, where predominantly POC or minorities reside; in an article published by Brennan Center for Justice, it can only be defined as “rather than voters choosing their representatives, gerrymandering empowers politicians to choose their voters.  But of course, Miss Swift would probably not be aware of that, would she?

However, I will not want to leave the critique on a purely cynical route; Taylor Swift, I must admit, has been known for advocacy for women and the queer LGBT community. She also has been known for speaking against homophobia and sexism within and outside her fandom, which she should address as an artist. She, as a mega superstar, is at least using her voice to speak on issues that she feels attached towards, which many celebrities in the public refuse to do at times due to their own inclinations to stay out of political discussion without having their own opinions used against them. Here, Taylor Swift is obviously more on the liberal side of the discussion, with her extensive resume and record of donating towards notable charities and organizations. Her outspokenness on issues she is passionate about is at least something to be commended.

I would like to go back to the point I had made on Taylor Swift entering the political realm; in an article posted in Cosmopolitan, they had reinstated that “A 2021 survey from Pipslay, found that 63% of Americans said they believed celebrities made good politicians, with 58% saying they would support Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Matthew McConaughey if either actor decided to run for president (Hall, 2023).” This phenomenon of celebrities entering the political realm is reserved with the term, “celebrity politics.” Many notable celebrities such as Kanye West or Caitlynn Jenner have been known to have ventured into politics while having had the status of celebrity beforehand, although both the latter have had the notoriety for being openly Republican and Conservative in their opinions. On one hand it seems at times Taylor Swift’s oftentimes “tone-deaf liberalism” comes off as a barrier in recognizing her actual stance in this example of political product placement. On the contrary it is rather a good mechanism for her to be able to gain more respect from her fanbase, while also being able to introduce the process of voting to her younger generation of fans. In doing so creating a way for “most” of them to gain access; emphasis on those who can even have access to these resources.

[diveyne]

sorry not to keep screaming but i am just so fucking mad i can't even think straight i'm so angry i'm so fucking angry and i can't spew this on twitter with the stupid character limit and i need to say this lmfao

yes, there are a lot of white americans in marginalized communities, such as being lgbt or female or veterans etc etc., but we cannot forget the immense privilege they have for simply being white. the fact that SO many white men and women voted for trump is crazy. white queers who voted for trump and posting about it PROUDLY and brazenly on social media are insane. white women posting about it like it's something cute is crazy.

i'm so tired of people trying to talk about politics and not meaning it with their whole chest or just saying shit to gain favor with poc or virtue signaling to save their own white fragility and garner brownie points with their friends of color like i really do not care, becky, if you're choosing to abstain from going to mcdonalds and starbucks like good for fucking you. you are not going to get special treatment from me just because you read the "how to not be racist" wikihow I DON'T CARE. WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME? i'm not giving people passes for unlearning racist behaviors. i don't care if your meemaw or peepaw voted blue this election but voted red in the past. it's cool that they learned and did the right thing this time, but like quit virtue signaling to my face and DO something with your white privilege instead of telling me about it. like thanks for doing the right thing but why are you telling the world like we're supposed to fucking applaud you? as if it means something? as if it means anything to us that some racist old white person is FINALLY learning maybe they shouldn't be racist? BECAUSE I DO NOT CARE. I DON'T CARE FOR YOUR FAKE RAGE I DON'T CARE FOR YOUR PERFORMATIVE ACTIVISM.

i get there's only so much you, as the average citizen, can do about things in the broad scope of things, but you're not special. like good for you, you're doing the bare fucking minimum to not be a shit person when i and so many other people of color have to live with shit every day in our own communities, our own families, people who are supposed to be our friends. i don't mind when white folk express their rage because some people are genuinely empathetic and GENUINELY mean it, but it's the way some people share these sentiments in such a manner that seems as though they expect praise that infuriates me.

i'm so SICK like it's so fucking performative. like i don't know who's worse, quite frankly, the white liberals or the white conservatives. like it's the white folk who swear up and down they're not racist or they're "not against the gays" but then will vote for trump and harmful legislation that wants to repeal same-sex marriage and repeal INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE

because these people are not ready to talk about the age-old discussion of racism, and i'm tired of listening to white queers say "oh i can't be racist, i'm gay" like ?? are you dense? are you fucking stupid? the fact that white women voted against their own interests and beliefs because they'd rather die than see a BLACK woman be in office is beyond me. that a well-educated black woman being in the highest office in the world is a bigger threat to you than having your reproductive rights be thrown out the window, that the threat of being victim to potential DV and SA and having to bear that child as according to law is less terrifying to you than electing a black woman into office says so much of your character.

i do not prefer kamala. i do not like her stance on palestine and her support for israel. but equating voting for kamala to being a zionist is genuinely insane and the performative activism and fake rage needs to fucking stop because genuinely, how are we, as american citizens, going to do anything to help the other countries of the world and fight for their freedom and right to live when we are losing all of that for ourselves? especially if trump gets his way and enacts the dictatorship. you think it can't happen, that it's a farfetched fantasy, but how have other dictatorships started? to think that america is still a democracy instead of being the fascist state that it is is to be willfully ignorant. being upset at people for voting for kamala instead of the people who voted for trump is fucking crazy btw. he is worse. HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN WORSE. trump said IN HIS OWN WORDS that he's going to "finish the job" in israel. kamala wanted a ceasefire. she had the potential to at least LISTEN TO US. trump is not going to listen.

MAGA is a fucking CULT. IT'S A CULT. IT'S A GOD DAMN CULT and he is not going to do a damn thing except ruin the country and condemn the rest of the world to genocide.

i am so over white people's performative rage and performative activism while making excuses for their problematic white faves but god forbid americans want to vote for kamala over jill stein, who, by the way, wasn't as for a free palestine as people think. it's a wasted vote. third parties will never stand a chance. i am TERRIFIED that trump is going to get his way and that we won't see a 2028 presidential election. republicans were sending robocalls to registered democrat voters to get them to vote for jill stein. jill stein was not responsible for those. and YES it's less about third party voters and more about all the people who voted for trump but when you look at places like wisconsin that are narrowly toeing the line between a difference of ~20k votes, which is amount of third party votes there btw, it DOES matter. EVERY VOTE COUNTS.

being upset at third party voters does nothing. but being upset at people who voted for kamala ESPECIALLY does nothing because THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES WILL NEVER WIN. EVER. EVEREVEREVEREVER.

i would love to live in a world where i had the PRIVILEGE and the LUXURY of voting for my morals to make my conscience feel better. which, again, i remind people, jill stein "doesn't want to see israel up in flames" so like PLEASE stop with the moral smugness because that's not the hill you should want to die on considering she's about the same as kamala. also jill stein's running mate? butch ware? RAGING TRANSPHOBE. "i don't think biological males [said with laughter btw] should play in female sports. it gives an unfair competitive advantage." PRO LIFE. when asked if he thinks there should be limits on abortion, he, more or less in fewer words, SAID YES. the fact that he had the gall to get on twitter and said he's not pro life OR transphobe despite both those comments is FUCKING CRAZY. "i have never - in public or private - taken a position against a woman's right to choose." BUT YOU DID. YOU DID. THAT IS WHY I DIDN'T VOTE FOR HER. jill stein's campaign was based on performative activism and was not even a LITTLE bit genuine and you could tell by the way she spoke and her running mate is a fucking fraud. green party my ass. long-time activist and yet failing where it matters.

every single fucking election cycle for the past 12 years, jill stein has gotten on her soap box and shat on the democratic candidate and said they are WORSE than the republican candidate. she said it about hillary. she said hillary would get us into more wars. like, verbatim, "Hillary has the potential to do a whole lot more damage, get us into more wars, faster to pass her fracking disastrous climate program, much more easily than Donald Trump would do his." and you're telling me that she's running in good faith and that she would have been better than kamala like tell me you didn't fucking research anyone without telling me like how dare people sit there and try to make people feel bad for voting for kamala WHEN THERE IS NO OTHER FEASIBLE OPTION WHEN TRUMP IS THE OTHER CHOICE?????

trying to come for people voting for kamala when jill stein AND butch ware are about the same, if not worse, is fucking crazy. trying to guilt people over this supposed moral high horse, WHEN THERE CLEARLY ISN'T ONE, is fucking crazy. you are not better than someone who voted for harris walz if you voted stein ware bc they are ALSO HORRIBLE PEOPLE. on paper stein's policies look good and she stands for a lot of good things, and i do credit her for having been outspoken about israel and palestine and for actually acknowledging that there IS an ongoing genocide going on, BUT AGAIN. i would love to have the liberty to vote for my morals. but i do not have the LUXURY to vote just to fucking make myself feel better when so many people's lives and rights are on the fucking line. it's selfish. it's bigger than me. it's bigger than you. the green party, or any other third party, will NEVER win under the current political framework in america, and now we are at risk of submerging beneath a rising dictatorship.

we allowed a convicted felon and rapist to be elected into office for a SECOND TIME because white americans would rather excuse his crimes than see a black woman run the country. if we do not get a recount of votes, if we do not find the 15 million missing votes, we will have lost our chance at negotiating with our leader for a ceasefire in palestine. for all kamala's flaws as a politician, she at least would have the decency to listen. trump would NEVER. he just wants to "bomb the hell" out of the middle east and north africa. he wants to continue to stoke the flames of hatred and division in this country and allow white supremacy to run free.

america's president does not impact america alone. the american president is the most powerful leader in the world. america has so much say-so in the world. our politics affects other countries' politics. our political and social climate influences that of other countries. seeing the resurgence of conservatism in other nations is a direct reflection of american influence because if america does it, why can't they? we enable this hatred.

i'm so fucking angry. i say all this and i still don't even know where to start with unpacking the anger.

i live in north carolina and we elected democrats ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. our governor won by a fucking landslide. every elected office that was just up, blue. but north carolina turned out to be red for the presidential ballot. this state wants to be blue, has been blue at its core in metropolitan areas, and yet, because of uneducated rural communities, we lose. and education is only going to get worse because they want to dismantle the department of education when it's already on a decline and north carolina is ranked like #28 on the education ranking. literacy across the nation is at an all-time low. middle schoolers barely know how to read because it's not enforced in elementary.

my mom is an assistant manager at an elementary school cafeteria, and kids don't even know their own last names. they can't even SPELL their first names. every school year, she has to ask their names and record them and all this other stuff, but the kids don't know. they can't tell her because they don't know. they are not learning their names. they are not learning how to read and write. some of these kids are in the 4th and 5th grade and they don't know their own last names or addresses or how to spell them. when i was in the 2nd or 3rd grade, i'd long since known how to spell my name and write it. when i used to live in maryland, i'd moved schools and addresses like 3 different times, and then moved to north carolina in 2005 when i was starting 2nd grade, but i could write my name and address. i was at a college-level reading level by the time i was in 5th grade. reading and writing is not enforced like it used to be. kids don't even learn cursive anymore.

a lot of y'all know i work as a bartender. every credit card transaction, i need people to sign their receipts. so many young people in their 20s can barely sign their fucking names. forget about younger gen z, because they're worse than elder gen z: they can't sign in cursive at all. my cursive isn't the best anymore bc i'm 10+ years out of practice but i can at least sign my name. when i look at some of my receipts, it's printed names, or a half-assed attempt at both and i feel so fucking awful seeing it because it's like not their fault. they know they need to sign in cursive, but they don't know how, because they weren't taught. not every school district is the same. i was lucky i went to an okay school. for all the complaints about my school, it wasn't so bad, but even within the district, not all are made equal. how there's less funding in the poorer parts of town and how school districts are divided in a way where you're not allowed to attend a preferred school if you live outside of the school district, even if it's the same county, like it's so fucked up.

anyways, and then here's another thing. these white bitches on booktok are pissing me off now because "booktok is not a political space, don't tell people to unfollow you if they voted for trump" as if READING IS NOT INHERENTLY POLITICAL. IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN. THIS IS WHY THERE ARE BOOK BAN LISTS, THAT MORE BOOKS ARE BEING BANNED EVERY FUCKING YEAR. WHY READING PROGRAMS ARE BEING DEMOLISHED. WHY THEY WANT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DISMANTLED. WHY THEY WANT TO PAY TEACHERS LESS. WHY THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS OR ENFORCING SAFETY AND GETTING THESE KIDS TO LEARN HOW TO READ AND BE SAFE. conservatives bank on people being uneducated. they bank on their illiteracy. they bank on people being uneducated. to be blunt, they bank on the average american citizen being STUPID. why do you think when MAGA supporters get interviewed, they say the dumbest shit? they don't even question it, but if you try to correct them, they tell you "oh that's fake news." like? conservatives have BRAINWASHED these people and now you can't even undo it.

and then roaches like joe rogan and andrew tate and all those dirty fucking crusty men on tiktok and their soapbox podcasts are preaching to incel men and radicalizing them into racist misogynists. like MAGA conservatism does not end when the boomers and the boomers' parents or the boomers' kids die. they are breeding and nurturing more radicalized racists.

it's crazy to me how counties home to flint, michigan and uvalde, texas were both red (uvalde still is, overwhelmingly. 66% of uvalde's people voted for trump in spite of the robb elementary massacre. genesee county is current a won-blue county). how so many minorities were willing to vote for trump. for what? he's not going to help us. because you want lower gas prices? my mom the other day went "gas prices are always higher with democrats" but i remember the less than $2 gas prices under obama. claiming otherwise is misinformation and so fucking disingenuous. when you look up graphs, it's going to give you a national average. but where i live in NC, i remember the flux between ~$1.70-$2-some (give or take some cents) under obama. not just after bush left office, but before trump. but gas prices should be a fucking nothingburger when you compare it to HUMAN FUCKING RIGHTS. like are we serious??? and then we got the dumbasses in the back "trump is going to cut taxes and democrats are going to raise them" YEAH. TRUMP IS CUTTING THEM FOR THE TOP 1% AND DEMOCRATS WANT TO INCREASE TAXES FOR CORPORATIONS. TRUMP'S TAX CUTS ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO RAISE TAXES FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS BASED ON ANNUAL AVERAGE SALARY FROM ANYWHERE BETWEEN LIKE $800-$3000 DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH YOU MAKE A YEAR.

like these people hear one thing and regurgitate it in a way that suits their narrative and it is not at all factual and i've fought and argued with my ASIAN fucking parents (altho my dad is half white which i don't even understand how he feels the way he does and i won't get into it but iykyk and i am NOT discussing this with ppl outside my inner circle) but "that's fake news and you're just listening to the democrats" THE REPUBLICANS ARE WRONG THOUGH???? democrats are not good people either like let's fucking get that straight but it's a hell of a lot better than people who STAGE A COUP.

last night i told my mom about elon musk DOING MONEY GIVEAWAYS TO INCENTIVIZE PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR TRUMP and she goes "okay but why not? he has money, so what? these people are not sure, so why not help them decide" BITCH THAT IS FUCKING ILLEGAL. THAT IS ILLEGAL. IT'S ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND THAT IS ILLEGAL BUT WHEN A CONSERVATIVE DOES THIS SHIT IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, NOTHING HAPPENS? NO REPERCUSSIONS DESPITE IT BEING HEAVILY AGAINST THE LAW? but yes we're protecting a fucking democracy right.

WHY DO LAWS MATTER WHEN IT'S CROOKED HILLARY OR SLEEPY JOE BUT SUDDENLY THEY DON'T WHEN IT'S GRAND DRAGON TRUMP? WHY DO WE PICK AND CHOOSE WHEN TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO LITERAL FEDERAL CRIMES? EVEN CIVIL CRIMES LIKE SEXUAL ASSAULT. SUDDENLY THE ILLEGAL ACTIVITY SUITS YOUR NARRATIVE SO YOU'RE NOT IN AN UPROAR?

LIKE how trump was claiming pennsylvania was rigged until he fucking won the state like THE FACT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO IGNORE THIS AND IGNORE DEMOCRACY AND IGNORE THE LAW BECAUSE SUDDENLY THEIR KLU KLUX SAVIOR IS IN THE HOT SEAT IS CRAZY and one day when we're long dead maybe they'll study this.

i'm so angry. i am so exhausted. there is so much i want to yell and scream and cry about but i can't even think straight anymore and i haven't gotten anything done today when i have so much due on the 10th but i am just so filled with rage.

god bless white america. god bless white america and its racism and desire to see that man in office and potentially putting a dictatorship in place and destroying the democracy this country was fraudulently built on btw (LOOK at what they've fucking done to indigenous peoples and their land) because they'd much rather die or sign the death warrants of countless other americans so long as it feeds into white america, right?

the minorities and white queers voting for trump pissed me off even more than anyone else, i think. we knew the fascist conservatives would, but that you would turn your back on your own communities in spite of everything trump has said and already done is insane.

i'm so exhausted. i'm sooooo exhausted. north carolina may have a blue government but other states don't have that safety net and i am terrified for everyone else, especially all the poc and gay and trans folk in places like florida and texas. the fact that we live in a nation where we can elect a convicted felon into the highest office in the world when the average felon can't even get a fucking job at mcdonalds is insane.

[mysharona1987]

[naturalcrwn]

Some photos from the Women's March in Miami 2018

[oatmealaddiction]

Ok, I understand you're coming at this from a place of concern about children being radicalized by creeps online, and you feel like the Left is unwelcoming to those small boys, and I understand that. I really worry about it as well. The way fascists target children is really upsetting to me too which is why I wish racists and fascists were being de-platformed because that's what's going to put a stop to the Pewdipie to Nazi pipeline. Where I disagree is this idea that The Left isn't making space for boys or isn't being nice enough to them, because to me that's not an argument based in reality. First of all, the left is continuing to try to bring identity politics and critical race theory into schools only to be shut down by conservatives. We advocate for trans children constantly and that is going to help break down gendered roles in schools and help cis children just as much as trans children. We talk a lot about toxic masculinity and the ways it hurts men mentally. Outside of that, when we talk about prominent leftists, they're majority white and male. Leftist white men make up most of the democratic party. Leftist white men have written a lot of our books. When we move into internet spaces, yes there are Terfs who like to scream "kill all men" (though it should be noted they're really talking about trans women) but I've found tons of love and empathy for white men on our platforms, way more than women of color get. Yes, there are people here on the left who use their politics to justify harassing children, because we have a problem in our community of harassing everyone and justifying it with politics. We've harassed just as many trans kids off the internet for having different pronouns as we have twelve year old boys for using racial slurs. If being bullied by twitter leftists turned you into a Nazi, then all of the LGBT community would be fascists at this point. ((That's a larger conversation about online harassment in general.)) The reason fascists are making gains with white boys is because they're telling them that they're the most important person in the room. They're smarter and more special than any other group and when they abuse others, they're right too. The best analogy I can make is Pleasure Island from "Pinocchio". If you promise kids candy and no bed time and the ability to run around smashing whatever they like with no consequences, they're going to come flocking no matter how nice and understanding their families are. That's why bad actors need to be de-platformed, and this isn't an issue of the Left not being nice enough. The people I've seen pushing this point, like Vaush, are arguing that the way to bring boys (and by boys he's talking about the grown men who watch his channel) over to the Left and make them feel welcome in our community is The Pleasure Island approach. It's to ignore it when they make racist and sexist comments. It's to tell homophobic jokes that they'll laugh at. It's to not mention the ways they benefit off of white and male privilege because that's alienating. It's to turn a blind eye to slurs. It's to pretend that they're smarter than all the other people in the room because their politics are guided by logic and not silly emotions. It's the exact same argument conservatives are making right now about not allowing CRT in schools because it's going to make white kids "feel bad about themselves." But those conversations are super necessary to maintaining our community. We have to tell white boys that it's wrong to use racial slurs, and to harass women, even if that makes them feel bad, in the same way we need kids to eat their vegetables and go to bed on time.

But that's what the people who are making this argument want, they want women and poc and queer and trans people to shut up about harassment so we're not hurting straight cis white men's feelings. That's because in reality, their goal with this "think of the children" argument is to recenter the Left on cis straight white men, and allow them to dominate the conversation without push back. They're not worried about children, they're worried that they're no longer the most special boy in the room. Obviously, do not harass children no matter what they're saying. That should be a given. But the solution to radicalization is not to stop talking about bigotry and how white men continue to use bigotry as a tool to maintain power, it's to de-platform Nazi's and to fight back against conservatives who don't want trans acceptance and rape culture and anti-racism taught in schools. That's what's going to make the difference.

"you shouldnt expect a woman to tolerate being patient with misogynists" doesnt really apply if said misogynists are like 11 ans 12 year old boys are you guys fucking insane. those are children. you cant fucking treat children like theyre destined to grow into monsters thats not how combatting bigotry fucking works