#certain occupations

[gingerswagfreckles]

It's become extremely obvious over the past 15 months that the only reason much of the Western world ever basically agreed that the Holocaust was bad and was willing to teach about it is because for a brief period of time, Jews and gentiles in most of Europe + America had a common enemy in the Nazis. But this acknowledgement of Nazi antisemitism was only ever the same kind of acknowledgement of antisemitism that we get right now, where people are only willing to acknowledge the antisemitism of the people they already had a completely separate reason to dislike or fear. Antisemitism in this worldview is just a tool, a secondary accusation one can lodge at someone who is already for different reasons an enemy. It is never acknowledged as a form of bigotry in and of itself, that exists on its own and not as a follow up to another "more serious" form of oppression or bigotry against gentiles.

Obviously any Holocaust education we do get in Europe and the US has very much been the result efforts by Jews and our allies in a practical sense, but it is undeniable that there was a brief 70 or so year period where the white Western consciousness found it valuable (or at least politically convenient) to recognize antisemitism as wrong and the Holocaust as horrific. As true, original-brand Nazism fades, though, we see opposition to antisemitism and the Holocaust becoming less and less valuable to the white Western identity, as actual threat of Nazi occupation fades to historical memory. Newer, rebranded neo-Nazis and leftist Hamas supporters pose little to no threat to white Western gentiles. And thus, we see now not only a growing acceptance of antisemitism, but also a growing hostility towards the idea that we should study or condemn the Holocaust as anything particularly terrible. The Holocaust no longer represents a way for gentiles to additionally condemn an ideology that also threatened them, that also killed their families, that also resulted in their own countries and communities being occupied or destroyed by foreign fascist governments. It no longer represents to them an ideology that is in any way a threat to their own safety or way of life.

This is why we see such a massive rise in Holocaust denial among Gen Z, and, even more broadly than overt Holocaust denial, the rejection of the idea that the Holocaust should be particularly studied or condemned. More and more, we see people "questioning" the "propaganda" of The Jews Crying Victim All The Time, we see young people wondering why they are so cruelly forced to acknowledge on very rare occasion the suffering that the Jewish people went through in their own homes and towns. Often this is framed not only as intellectual bravery but moral bravery, as if this new generation rejecting Holocaust education is somehow fighting back against the unfair valuing of Jewish tragedy above gentile tragedy. What they don't understand, of course, and what many Jews up until now didn't understand either, is that no one ever valued the Holocaust because it WAS a uniquely horrific event in history, because it WAS the first and only industrialized genocide that gassed millions to death on a scale we can only pray the world will never see again, because it WAS only 70 years ago and is still a living part of the history of many Western countries. No. The Holocaust was only ever given the acknowledgement it was because it represented, at one time, an ideological threat that also included gentiles, though less overtly than it targeted Jews.

That ideological threat against Jews has not gone anywhere, and is in fact is seeing a new glory day dawning with the rise of fascism worldwide and the normalization/glorification of antisemitism on the left. But this new form of antisemitic hatred, be it neo-Nazism or support for Hamas, does not represent a threat to white Western gentiles, their way of life, or the integrity of their governments. And so we as we see the decoupling of the Holocaust from something that also incidentally threatens gentiles, we see standing against the Holocaust and antisemitism as a symbol of white Western identity disappearing as fast as it came.

[fairuzfan]

For Liefer to pull up a Camus quote like this is quite laughable because of how the dynamics mirror each other. In the modern day, we have a status quo where Palestinians continue to be imprisoned and murdered and raped and segregated, denied basic medical care for years on end, all on their own land — while Jewish Israelis (to make distinction from Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, as many liberal zionists love to point out) suffer no consequences for anything, even if they play a direct role in the continued erasure and genocide of Palestinians. So if given a choice between suffering no consequences while benefiting from the status quo (that will not change unless the oppressed take it upon themselves to change their circumstance) and suffering consequences in the form of direct personal loss (with the strategy of forcing things to change by ennacting the same type of violence that the occupied experience on a daily basis onto the occupiers), of course someone who stands to lose nothing from the continuation of the status quo would rather the status quo continue if he has something to lose otherwise. Camus, when he said this quote, was not being righteous or overly sensitive. If anything, it shows how little he understood at the time of saying this quote. Because he didn't understand that an Algerian will suffer in both scenarios even if he (Camus) is safe, and for him to say something like this when people lived generations worth of violence for his and his family's (social) benefit is annoying and just plain offensive. Who is he, as a Frenchman born in occupied Algeria, to say what is worth justice when he only stands to lose anything in one scenario but not the other? He did not experience life as an Algerian native in French occupation. He might have observed it, growing up poor, yes, but he never LIVED it. Liefer might have observed the horror of settler colonialism, but that's nothing like experiencing it firsthand. To be the object of hatred to people who have higher status and more rights than you. It's just not his place as a person with nothing to lose if the status quo continues to comment on anything like this. What's the underlying meaning of this quote? "I'd rather others continue to suffer than myself experiencing suffering once."

I'm not saying Liefer doesn't have a right to mourn whoever. Im not even saying he has a duty to accept the consequences he experiences. But to say something so heartless as "I prefer the safety of my own rather than justice" within the larger, nearly century worth of context, is just insensitive and really belies his true opinions of the liberation of Palestine if he's so comfortable saying this outloud with moral authority in the middle of what is an outright bloodbath of Palestinians across Palestine. It's the timing of saying something like this because to say it now of all times when the entire world ignores or even encourages the violence in Gaza but mourns the death of Israelis? An Algerian born Frenchman and Israeli are going to be mourned on an international scale... but Palestinian and Algerian natives? Their deaths are regarded as facts of life by the rest of the world.

This makes it seem like I hate Camus, but I honestly don't, but I think the way Leifer is holding this quote up at face value and as the height of reason really is annoying. People like to mention Camus' "if" in this case as proof that he's actually saying "this is not real justice so therefore I do not have to accept it," but who is he to say what is or is not justice? The point I'm getting at is the people who benefit from occupation, in this case, Camus and Liefer have no right to determine what is or is not justice, despite their personal beliefs. The occupier has no right to tell the occupied what they should do to get freed. That alone is an arrogance in assertion that is so offending — the assertion that the occupier knows how to free the occupied in what *he* considers justice and the occupied just need to do whatever the occupier tells them to do. Because whether they both like it or not, they still benefit from and are part of the occupying force, and therefore have no real reason to fight the occupation at their own expense — the occupation is a violence that they are alright with inflicting if it means they cannot lose anything or anyone.

Also the idea that liefer indirectly compares himself to Camus is a little funny to me.

[akkivee]

i was too keyed up yesterday from peak content so i slept like garbage and am a little too tired to stream today lol

but i offer you a transliteration of hitoya’s solo preview lol

[girl-bateman]

For anyone who is trying to do research and understand what's going on in Palestine and Israel, I really implore you to apply the most basic media criticism and literacy, even with what is considered reputable sources.

I just read the headline "no more fuel left in Gaza powerplant" which is extremely misleading when you read the actual article stating that "Israel has cut the electricity supply". It's not the most sinister example of misleading headlines and carefully selected wording, but it felt personally unsettling as it came from what used to be a fairly trusted news source for me. So this is a reminder for myself and everyone else:

-read the entire article

-do not solely rely on one news source

-be generally critical

-consider who is the active/passive agent in a text

-consider how the wording infers value (common example is the use of the phrase "are dead" versus "have been killed")

[roxyteal]

This started as a funny silly musings shitpost, then stopped. Oops

---

Gonzalo does his best to remember the cultural norms of every country he travels to. But sometimes, he forgets or his instincts kick in.

After a only few weeks of knowing Bob, he accidentally greets him with one of his patented bearhugs, kissing both his cheeks with a laugh like all is well. Bob is frozen in place.

Then Teresa comes barrelling out of the house, and punches Gonzalo so hard he is sent spinning vertically until faceplanting into the pavement.

"Dear, you can't punch someone just because they… Well, did that." Bob manages, once he composes himself.

"They learn faster that way." Is her only response, dark green eyes coldly observing her target.

"But he's my client, he's probably going to cancel on me now-" Bob cuts off when Gonzalo finally reacts. Instead of outrage, as would've been expected, he's. Laughing. Like someone just told the best joke in the world.

"By God! That was amazing! I think she fractured something! How did she do that?!" He's also making a ton of noise.

"Mixed martial arts. Started in first year of secondary school."

Meanwhile, from inside, Billy tearfully dials the Shy household's number, voice and body shaking as he blubbers to John, "Mother attacked the Spanish man!!!" He meant to say "Spaniard", but he can be forgiven.

Luckily, for a while, things settled down.

---

Months into building the submarine, Bob is able to tell Gonzalo about how terrible the occupation of his country is.

He takes the well-made builder gingerly by the hands and says, sounding genuine, "You should run away with me to Spain!"

And gets punched clear out into the tide, Teresa's brunette hair flowing behind her.

"Dear, he wasn't serious!" Bob pauses, unsure. "I don't think… Or perhaps he meant all of us…" Trying to be charitable.

He's laughing again. That amused, almost prideful laugh of his.

"Mother, why do you hate Mr. Gonzalo?!" Billy tries not to cry, while John sits there, jaw slack at what they just witnessed. Moments ago, the two children had been attempting to sculpt something in the sand.

"Little Bilis," She coolly says, "He thinks he can say whatever he pleases. He isn't above consequences."

"At least visit sometime! Like a vacation! ¡Trae a la familia! It'll be fun!" Gonzalo's words are difficult to parse through his mirth, but it clarified enough.

"See? He's only trying to be kind…" Teresa sighs at her husband.

"You won't really move away to Spain, will you?" John is unnerved by the idea.

"And lose you? Never!" Billy immediately says, then looks at his parents again, for assurance. "Right…?"

Bob tries to answer, but Teresa beats him to it. Her voice is much softer now, as she approaches them and pats their heads with tenderness. "It is unthinkable. Do not fret."

---

"So!" Gonzalo brings up suddenly, while he and Bob are having drinks, alone. "Mrs. Lė…"

"Oh, no, not 'Mrs. Lė'. She prefers 'Mrs. Teresa'."

"Why is that? I don't know what else to call her! She never told me her maiden name…"

"We don't speak of them."

"What?!" It sounds incredulous to Gonzalo. "How come?!"

"It's not my story to tell," Bob is muffled by his shot glass, "All I will say on the matter is this: She didn't add mine to hers - as is tradition - because her family would find out. Then, they'd beg for everything I earn. Not quite like leeches, but she opposed regardless." He meets eyes with him, then adds, as if to bury the topic, "Į sveikatą. You're up next."

He downs it. Afterwards, the glass is put down.

Gonzalo is surprisingly quiet, frowning as the gears turn in his mind. However, he does follow Bob's lead, but doesn't return the phrase. "What about your familia?"

Bob had said too much. He wasn't going to be let off the hook that easily. He sighs. "Never would've approved of anything I did - our marriage, our livelihoods, our child. Especially since he has… Special needs." He grimaces, hating the way it sounds.

"Frankly, we do too, but only up here," He continues, pointing to his cranium briefly. "Young Billy's case is more obvious, more physical. They would've hated him. Why, I'm convinced that when I was his age, they despised me too. 'Difficult' was their favorite complaint."

This time, Gonzalo has to process the information for a short while. He cannot fathom coming from a homelife so wretched and unloving. What's even the point of having kids and parenting them if they're going to be so heartless about it? But for once, he doesn't say these things aloud. Despite the alcohol he's consumed in the past two hours, he calculates his next response more sensitively.

"Lo lamento," A pause. "I'm sorry, Robertas. I had no idea."

"Don't pity us."

"No!" A small glare forms on his face at the thought. "It's not pity! It takes great strength to blaze your own path! Much will! Lots of patience! To endure!" He jumps from his seat, grabbing Bob's shoulders. "You were all built from nothing, with no one! And here you stand, resilient and defiant against the hand you were dealt! This is not pity, this is empathy! Do you hear me?"

Bob doesn't know how to reply. Gonzalo's grip hurts, but it doesn't deter him or make him want to flee. Accompanied by his words, the stinging instead makes him feel… Alive.

Still, all he can think to do is nod. Gonzalo notices what he's doing, and releases, sitting back down. "Sorry, again. But my point is: All of you are very courageous. I hope that one day, you won't need to be anymore."

As the moment passes, the remnants of the pain sets in, and Bob is unable to suppress the urge to nurse one of his slightly harmed shoulders. "Then, in that case, thank you."

Meanwhile, he is pouring another round of shots. Mirroring what Bob did earlier, he proclaims, "Don't mention it! Now, as you say… Į sveikatą!" His pronunciation is off, but he's only heard it a few times, so it's a decent try.

But Bob appreciates that earnest attempt. He manages a grin, and follows suit. He's starting to finally understand Gonzalo, he thinks.

[blood-orange-juice]

Am I the only person who headcanons Lyney to be slightly older than Childe?

[bueris]

okay maybe I should seriously reconsider my path in life and sell my soul to marketing or journalism instead

[news4dzhozhar]

The heated discussion surrounding director Jonathan Glazer’s speech at the Oscars last night is mostly missing the point. His main message was simple and yet vital: empathy is not a zero-sum game.

Glazer did not "deny his Jewishness", as some seemingly purposely misunderstood. He took an unequivocal stance against the cynical utilization of Judaism and the Holocaust in the name of justifying the occupation. These "misunderstandings" sadly aren't new.

It’s possible to oppose the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza and still care for the safety of Israeli hostages. One can worry about Israelis who were evacuated from their homes after October 7th and still be horrified by the conditions in which so many are currently living in Gaza.

We refuse to let this harsh reality make us less human, and that we refuse to accept the ease with which the blood and lives of civilians is used as a justification for political ideologies, or as a bargaining chip.

- Breaking The Silence

[convoloutedinjoke]

[zahroreadsthings]

In the tavern...

Check notes for previous instalments

You settle down with a plate of meat and potatoes at a small table that wobbles at the smallest nudge. There’s another person at the table who might be willing to speak to you.

You say, ‘You know, the meat and potatoes of this meal is the meat and potatoes.’ The joke doesn’t land.

‘Why are you talking to me?’

You explain that you wanted to apprentice yourself to one of the witches, but you’re not sure where to start.

‘Oh, there’s a good five or so of those witches up here. Depends on what you can stomach.’ They shrug. ‘Old bitch up by the coast makes sure boats don’t crash into the cliffs and that roads one keeps the main roads around here in good condition. Not that she’s been doing much of that lately - you would’ve seen the state of them on the way in.’

‘I’ll probably be feeling it for a while too.’ You give your name and hold out your hand to shake. ‘Name?’

‘Lex.’

You both eat in silence for a while. Then they say, ‘Look, if you want to find out more about those witches, head over to the town hall. And pick up a new jacket before you freeze to death.’ They get up to leave.

[payphoneangel]

OH HOH HO Hello!! Happy Friday indeed! I am taking a sceenshot of this ask so I can answer it on my spn blog lmao

🤔🤔🤔 what a fun question to consider!! I'm not one who is well versed in different types of weaponry, but I will do my best to answer anyway! What does Cas normally fight with?

A tri-bladed dagger, or angel blade. What's interesting to me about angel blades is that, while they are used essentially by all angels, they don't seem to be that versatile of a weapon. They're short range, so they only work best for close combat-- well, unless hurled at more distant enemies, as is so often the case on the show (which is very fun and sexy of them imo). Given the tri-blade design, it also appears that they are most frequently used for piercing rather than slashing. It's a neat design, but I have to imagine its use is rather limited to only a few types of combat.

Castiel is a soldier. One would expect him to have a weapon capable of serving him well under a wide variety of circumstances, and do more damage per attack than a single stab wound (to be fair to the angel blade, the triangle design would make suturing wounds incredibly difficult, so, I certainly wouldn't want to be stabbed with it)

I think a Halberd might be a good option!

Halberds are a 5-6 ft long pike with an axe blade and hook. Slashing, piercing, yanking enemies off mounts; this bad boy is very versatile for all kinds of ranged combat! They were used by the Swiss soldiers in the 15th and 16th centuries, who would often have a Schweizerdolch (a type of Swiss dagger) for close range combat. So angel blade can stay lol

I also just think it would be really fun to see him twirl that thang around like quiznos sign.

[griffonposting]

what is the funniest case you've ever been involved in

Um. My job is something I take very seriously, I don’t believe I have been in a case I found. “Funny”? Exactly? The closest things I can imagine are the people who were framed for objectively silly crimes.

[lord-squiggletits]

you've perhaps read this (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500161) and its sequel, but I thought you might like them. Very AU (fair warning), and a very different sort of Tarnma...

I'm not into sparklings, and I'm not sure I'm willing to be patient enough with the story to get to the Tarnma and get through to Pharma's heel-face turn (if it happens?), but I'll post here in case someone is interested. Thank you for the care though.

[were-my-demons-hide]

Today one of my clients died after two hours of cpr. I never thought this human was going to die in our hospital. It caught me off guard and now I am feeling everything and nothing at all. I am sad and empty but also dedicated to do what makes me happy. Because life can be over in just a blink of the eye.

[powerfulkicks]

*in a half fugue state* a discord server as an ever changing house

[gayspock]

actually silly poll time.... do u know what the prev poster's occupation is. if theyre a student maybe just their area of study

sorryi kind of love seeing all the polls and knowing what people are doing in their lives