#covid-19 self care

[feminist-space]

"“It’s not your fault,” I told 16-year-old Cara, whose mother died of a SARS-CoV-2 infection [Cara] gave her. To be clear, the doctor confirmed Cara (not her real name) had passed on the virus and Covid was entered on the death certificate as the cause of death.

Cara’s mother had not been outside their home in the weeks preceding her death.

When masks were dropped in the “Omicron’s mild” phase of the pandemic, Cara continued as the lone masker at school to protect her immunocompromised mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy. It was tolerable until a child psychotherapist said on the national airwaves that some girls would continue to mask anyway “to hide their acne”.

His words were used to bully her. Cara left, but without support from teachers she strugg­led. Her parents pleaded with the school to use the Hepa filter they bought. The school refused.

Cara eventually returned to school unmasked, caught Covid and infected her mam. It killed her. Cara self-harms because she blames herself. She hasn’t been to school since.

Research shows that more than 70pc of Sars-CoV-2 transmission in households started with a child.

The incidence was highest during unmitigat­ed in-person schooling. In a recent paper, Dr Pantea Javidan, of Stanford’s Centre for Human Rights, described the ways children’s rights to life, health and safety during the ongoing pandemic have been falsely rendered oppositional to education and development.

Methods used to manufacture consent to forcibly, repeatedly infect children, according to Dr Javidan, include minimising harms to children (“kids don’t get it or spread it”, “it’s mild”) and moral panic around mental health and educational attainment.

Regarding mental health, in August a study looking at paediatric psychiatric emergencies found school openings – not lockdowns – were associated with an increase in the number of emergency psychiatric visits.

In May, a study found that children with and without congenital heart defects showed increased risks for a variety of cardiovascular outcomes (including cardiac arrest, clots, palpitations) after Sars-CoV-2 infection.

In July, a study found that children and teenagers experienced cognitive impairment 12 months post-Covid infection, consistently correlated with poorer sleep and behavioural and emotional functioning.

Last month alone, several studies were published documenting Covid paediatric harms.

One found that children and adolescents experience prolonged symptoms post-Sars-CoV-2 infection in almost every organ system.

Study co-author Professor Lawrence C Kleinman said: “We have convincing evidence that Covid is not just a mild, benign illness for children. This is a new chronic illness in children. We need to be prepared to deal with it for a generation.”

Another study analysing paediatric and adult hospitalisations found teenagers were at greatest risk of severe disease among all children. Yet another study showed compelling connections between viral infection and subsequent autoimmune disease. Early in the pandemic, some children showed negligible Covid symptoms, only to later develop organ failure.

Researchers found the children’s immune systems had latched on to a part of the coronavirus that closely resembles a protein found in the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes and GI tract and launched a catastrophic attack on their own tissues. “Experts” who claimed asymptomatic paediatric Sars2 infections equals mild were catastrophically wrong.

Covid is consistently a leading cause of US child mortality. Paediatric mortality has increased markedly with each year of the pandemic in the US, UK and elsewhere. In 2022, over six times as many children died from Covid than from flu in the US."

[i-fucked-your-milkshake]

Listen up chucklefucks!

COVID is back and doing damage. You can be doing everything right—MASKS! VACCINE! AVOIDING CROWDS!—and that rat bastard of a bug could still get your ass. HAPPENS TO THE FUCKIN BEST OF US!

So what the fuck do you do when COVID lays your ass out?

You fucking rest.

Read that shit again. Here, I’ll say it again, louder in case you don’t feel like moving your eyes up:

You. Fucking. Rest.

That’s right you productive motherfucker. You need to engage in some radical self-canceling and take your whole ass out the goddamn equation for at least two weeks.

“But Tumblr User i-fucked-your-milkshake, the new guidelines say that—“

Fuck that shit.

You stay your ass the fuck in bed and you sleep when you feel tired for two weeks, at goddamn minimum. You know your ass why???

Lack of rest is a key indicator for the onset of long COVID.

It sure as shit ain’t the only indicator and I’m not saying it is. I’m not even saying that two-four weeks of abject, piss-God-off-and-make-Jesus-cry laziness is 100% gonna stop you from getting got like that, cuz you still might. But more and more, research is showing that lack of rest during the acute stages of COVID infection and the weeks that follow can and often fucking will cause the onset of long COVID.

Get that shit through your capitalism rattled brain right the fuck now.

You’re gonna feel the pressure from the insidious Monopoly Man who lives in your head. You’re gonna be like “I don’t feel that sick, maybe I can just do a little work.” You’re gonna have the guilt of a thousand teachers and million bosses telling you get back to 110%.

Fuck that shit.

Rest as much as you possibly can and then rest some fucking more. You gotta work? Half ass that shit and when you’re off go immediately the fuck home and rest. Straight kick it in your pajamas with your feet up and doze in your chair snoring like my grandpa watching a football game. Cut every needless activity out your goddamn life, and rest.

Future you will thank you.

[coralpenguincherryblossom]

covid and mental health

By Rachel Shannon

Everyone can relate to the fact that covid was a stressful period in our human existence. Some people struggled more than others but no hardship should be weighed or compared to one another's. It was both a tribulation and a learning experience. Before covid, we lived in a very rushed Society. The work day was 9-5 Monday through Friday, we never thought to challenge it. Now post covid, some people don't work on Mondays or have half a day on Fridays, or some people work completely remote which never used to be an option. We now take more time for our emotional health and embrace therapy which for decades previously was considered taboo.  To get to this point, Society had to face some tough adversities which include mental health decline in Victoria Australia, harsh discriminatory challenges for Asian Americans, and radical transitions for college students. These three scenarios are just a few examples of some of the many ways in which covid impacted our mental health. These situations brought awareness to the way we view and treat mental health.

Since covid, intentional self-harm rates skyrocketed in Victoria Australia due to lack of employment opportunities and social isolation. While young people are less susceptible to covid, the pandemic did disproportionately affect their psychosocial development, as social connectedness and social identity are important factors in youth. Suicide attempt hospitalization rates ranged from 77.4 to 97.9 events per 100,000 population between 2012-2013 and 2019-2020. Rates were higher outside of urban areas. It is estimated that the self-harm hospitalization rates in Greater Melbourne was 75.9 per 100,000 population compared to 112.0 per 100,000 population in the rest of Victoria. The Victorian mental health system was extensively evaluated by the Royal Commission on the advice of the Victorian government. The Royal Commission found  that the state's mental health system was unable to respond to the needs of the people suffering from mental illness or psychological distress, unsuitable to meet current and future demands, and an urgent need for reform. 

“Pre-existing individual factors, such as poorer physical health, a history of chronic illness, or pre-existing mental health problems, have been associated with higher rates of anxiety and depression during COVID-19. Other individual factors may be important too, for example introverted individuals are somewhat less likely to have high quality social support systems compared to extraverts. Consistent evidence shows that adults experiencing pre-existing socio-economic disadvantages face increased mental health problems related to COVID-19.” (Westrupp,”et al.”2023)

While Westrupp explains that pre-existing conditions occurred in parents and children in Victoria before covid, these conditions were made worse from government restrictions and shutdowns.

Since covid, the Asian-American population have faced intense racial discrimination which include verbal harassment and physical assault. This is mainly due to media outlets blaming China for the pandemic.  A recent Pew Research Center report found that approximately 31% of Asian American adults reported being the subject of slurs or jokes because of their race or ethnicity, and about 58% of Asian American adults shared that it is more common for people to express racist or racially insensitive views about Asians than it was before the covid-19 outbreak. The increase in racial discrimination against Asian Americans during the covid-19 pandemic has also contributed to covid-19 discrimination fear, which exacerbated mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. 

“Anti-Asian racism has always been present in the US society for over 150 years, though it has been encoded in different vocabulary and language in different periods of time.”(Adachi,2022).

Adachi explains that the “Yellow Peril” which is described as western fears of Asians, especially Chinese, would invade their land and disrupt western values, started as far back as the 1870s. Although these fears already existed, there has been an uptick in racial discriminatory acts since covid due to media outlets and politicians. 

Covid took a strain particularly on college students. College is already a stressful time for young adults then covid added the pressure of social distancing, working remotely and in extreme cases leaving their dorm and finding residence elsewhere. Many may argue that stress among college students is unrelated to covid and that it’s been an ongoing issue for some time. McLafferty writes that a survey was conducted of students who attended college in Northern Ireland in the fall of 2019, then again a year later found that high levels of mental health problems were already present among students commencing college. Although college students were already struggling before the pandemic, it’s important to understand that covid exacerbated pre-existing mental health conditions.

“Students assessed post pandemic reported significantly more symptoms of anxiety and depression than students assessed pre pandemic, and these two cohorts are reporting more symptoms in many areas than a cohort of students assessed 25 years earlier.”(Nails,2023). 

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic made the Victorian government aware of the urgent need for better mental health care for their people, brought to light the racial injustice of Asian-Americans, and showed the massive strain covid had on college students. These three situations highlight the severity in which covid affected our mental health. After the pandemic, it was realized that mental health care was at the bottom of the list of priorities. This awareness led to changes such as flexible working conditions and more need for therapy. Therapy also became more available remotely. Not only should we spread awareness on the issue of mental health but we should also take combative steps to help such as make therapy more affordable and hire more mental health providers. Unfortunately it took this catastrophic event to make us open our eyes. With this better awareness and understanding, we as a society can tackle mental health issues head on. 

Vacher, C., Ho, N., Skinner, A., Robinson, J., Freebairn, L., Lee, G. Y., Iorfino, F., Prodan, A., Song, Y. J. C., Jo-An Occhipinti, & Hickie, I. B. (2022). Optimizing Strategies for Improving Mental Health in Victoria, Australia during the COVID-19 Era: A System Dynamics Modelling Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6470. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116470

Westrupp, Bennett, Berkowitz, Youssef, Toumbourou, Tucker, Andrews, Evans, Teague, Karantzas, Melvin, Olsson, Macdonald, Greenwood, Mikocka-Walus, Hutchinson, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Stokes, Olive, Wood, Feb2023, child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: comparison to pre-pandemic data

Huang, C. J., & Huang, C. Y. (2023, December 21). The Moderating Role of Emotion Regulation Strategies on Asian American Parents’ Discrimination Experiences and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ort0000714

Adachi, Nobuko, 2022, Yellow Peril Redux: Vitalizing Pre-Existing Racial Conditions with a New Symbol

Nails, Julianna. “A Crisis in College Student Mental Health? Self-Ratings of Psychopathology Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 11 Nov. 2023, psycnet.apa.org/record/2023-78779-001

McLafferty, Ward, Walsh, O’Neill, Bjourson, McHugh, Brown, McBride, Brady, Murray, Nov 2023, College Student Mental Health and Wellbeing Prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

[e8-ri333-ra765hi09-54]

(via GIPHY)  KUSSES..ERIN  WOLFF MOMSEN 

[spookysalem13]

Nothing like feeling a wee bit better after having covid for nearly two weeks and getting to pamper yourself 💜

[samwisethewitch]

Homemaking, gardening, and self-sufficiency resources that won't radicalize you into a hate group

It seems like self-sufficiency and homemaking skills are blowing up right now. With the COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis, a lot of folks, especially young people, are looking to develop skills that will help them be a little bit less dependent on our consumerist economy. And I think that's generally a good thing. I think more of us should know how to cook a meal from scratch, grow our own vegetables, and mend our own clothes. Those are good skills to have.

Unfortunately, these "self-sufficiency" skills are often used as a recruiting tactic by white supremacists, TERFs, and other hate groups. They become a way to reconnect to or relive the "good old days," a romanticized (false) past before modern society and civil rights. And for a lot of people, these skills are inseparably connected to their politics and may even be used as a tool to indoctrinate new people.

In the spirit of building safe communities, here's a complete list of the safe resources I've found for learning homemaking, gardening, and related skills. Safe for me means queer- and trans-friendly, inclusive of different races and cultures, does not contain Christian preaching, and does not contain white supremacist or TERF dog whistles.

Homemaking/Housekeeping/Caring for your home:

Making It by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen [book] (The big crunchy household DIY book; includes every level of self-sufficiency from making your own toothpaste and laundry soap to setting up raised beds to butchering a chicken. Authors are explicitly left-leaning.)

Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust [book] (A guide to simple home repair tasks, written with rentals in mind; very compassionate and accessible language.)

How To Keep House While Drowning by KC Davis [book] (The book about cleaning and housework for people who get overwhelmed by cleaning and housework, based on the premise that messiness is not a moral failing; disability and neurodivergence friendly; genuinely changed how I approach cleaning tasks.)

Gardening

Rebel Gardening by Alessandro Vitale [book] (Really great introduction to urban gardening; explicitly discusses renter-friendly garden designs in small spaces; lots of DIY solutions using recycled materials; note that the author lives in England, so check if plants are invasive in your area before putting them in the ground.)

Country/Rural Living:

Woodsqueer by Gretchen Legler [book] (Memoir of a lesbian who lives and works on a rural farm in Maine with her wife; does a good job of showing what it's like to be queer in a rural space; CW for mentions of domestic violence, infidelity/cheating, and internalized homophobia)

"Debunking the Off-Grid Fantasy" by Maggie Mae Fish [video essay] (Deconstructs the off-grid lifestyle and the myth of self-reliance)

Sewing/Mending:

Annika Victoria [YouTube channel] (No longer active, but their videos are still a great resource for anyone learning to sew; check out the beginner project playlist to start. This is where I learned a lot of what I know about sewing.)

Make, Sew, and Mend by Bernadette Banner [book] (A very thorough written introduction to hand-sewing, written by a clothing historian; lots of fun garment history facts; explicitly inclusive of BIPOC, queer, and trans sewists.)

Sustainability/Land Stewardship

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer [book] (Most of you have probably already read this one or had it recommended to you, but it really is that good; excellent example of how traditional animist beliefs -- in this case, indigenous American beliefs -- can exist in healthy symbiosis with science; more philosophy than how-to, but a great foundational resource.)

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer [book] (This one is for my fellow witches; one of my favorite witchcraft books, and an excellent example of a place-based practice deeply rooted in the land.)

Avoiding the "Crunchy to Alt Right Pipeline"

Note: the "crunchy to alt-right pipeline" is a term used to describe how white supremacists and other far right groups use "crunchy" spaces (i.e., spaces dedicated to farming, homemaking, alternative medicine, simple living/slow living, etc.) to recruit and indoctrinate people into their movements. Knowing how this recruitment works can help you recognize it when you do encounter it and avoid being influenced by it.

"The Crunchy-to-Alt-Right Pipeline" by Kathleen Belew [magazine article] (Good, short introduction to this issue and its history.)

Sisters in Hate by Seyward Darby (I feel like I need to give a content warning: this book contains explicit descriptions of racism, white supremacy, and Neo Nazis, and it's a very difficult read, but it really is a great, in-depth breakdown of the role women play in the alt-right; also explicitly addresses the crunchy to alt-right pipeline.)

These are just the resources I've personally found helpful, so if anyone else has any they want to add, please, please do!

[thecpdiary]

Wellness Books

Covid-19 has left an indelible mark, not just on physical health but also on emotional and mental well-being. The loss of loved ones, isolation, financial hardships and disruption of daily life have left many scarred in ways that are still being uncovered. As we continue to navigate life in Covid, it is clear that we need to prioritise mental health more than ever.

Addressing Emotional Wounds

Addressing these emotional wounds isn't just about recovery, but about growth and resilience. We need to begin by acknowledging the collective trauma and loss, recognising that many are still carrying emotional scars. It is essential to open up conversations about mental health, and encourage ourselves to confront our feelings, rather than just bury or ignore them.

Mental Wellness Books

Mental wellness books, and other resources including therapy and support groups, can be powerful tools in helping individuals process their emotions and begin the healing process. These books provide insight, guidance and practical strategies for coping with stress, grief, anxiety and depression. They help people understand their emotions, develop resilience and cultivate a healthier, more balanced mindset.

My Books: A path to wellbeing

Discover the path to a healthier, happier you with my empowering collection of books on health, wellbeing, self-help and mental health. After 14 years, as a passionate mental wellness advocate and experienced author, I offer practical advice, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies to help you transform your life for the better.

Why choose my books?

Expert Insights

Benefit from my extensive knowledge and experience in the field of mental health and personal development.

Holistic Approach

Explore comprehensive guides that address both physical and mental aspects of wellbeing.

Empowering Tips

Learn practical techniques to manage stress, improve your mental health and achieve a balanced lifestyle.

Inspiring Stories

Find motivation and encouragement through some of my real-life stories and examples.

Accessible and Relatable

My books are written in an easy-to-understand and relatable style, these books are perfect for anyone looking to improve their overall wellbeing.

My books include:

Finding Inner Peace

Discover effective ways to manage anxiety, depression and stress through mindfulness and self-care practices.

The Journey to Self-Help: Empowering Your Mind and Body

Take control of your life with actionable steps through spiritual practices towards personal growth, improved self-esteem and better mental health.

What Readers Are Saying

“Ilana’s books are a beacon of hope and practical wisdom. They have truly transformed my approach to health and wellbeing.”

“A must-read for anyone seeking to improve their mental health and overall quality of life.”

Now is the time to focus on emotional healing, not just as individuals but as a society. By supporting one another and investing in our mental health, we can start to heal, grow stronger, and create a more compassionate future.

Get Your Copy Today

Take the first step towards a better you. You can purchase my books on my website https://www.thecpdiary/my-books and for more information and exclusive content.

For more relatable, inspirational and lifestyle blogs, please check out my site https://www.thecpdiary.com

[familythings]

Covid 19 Updates - Symptoms for 2024 version and Practical Tips

In recent weeks, many individuals have shared their experiences of encountering symptoms resembling those linked to earlier waves of COVID-19. Despite the changing global response and the reduced public focus and restrictions, it’s incredibly important to keep a sense of vigilance about our health and overall well-being. Grasping the Current Situation We are experiencing a resurgence of…

[evolvingbeautyandmess]

USUAL DISCLAIMER: if it's blog post like pretty much all posts in this blog are via speech to text on my phone and there's typically minimal editing and that's partially due to spoons but that's just the vibe of his of his blog. Also I still don't know why Google censors curse words.

So today I finished the first protest art piece / collage since the Nassau mask ban went through or was passed. To be clear I've been making several pieces, the one that was posted today was the 7th but this was the first one that was created and posted after the Nassau mask ban was passed in a near dystopian fashion. As I mentioned and I forget if I mentioned it here or other places on social media but it was it kind of felt like the hearing was almost performative and the outcome had already been decided. Those in favor of the ban we're given priority to talk first and they were allowed to talk much longer over the allotted testimony time. And when they were harassing the people who were against the mask ban they were allowed to do so with no consequence. And now in Nassau county and for those who don't know that is an area in Long Island which is kind of like a server a suburb off of New York City if you go out in a mask in public you can be arrested and be fine with up to $1,000 and up to when you're in jail because that's where we are f****** at in this world right now.

And so working on the latest art piece in protest felt different. It's not that I ever thought oh it's in the bag will definitely fight this and we will win. I knew that they might win and this would really f****** my life and Riley screw over no royally screw over marginalized people and the majority of New Yorkers. On a variety of levels on a multitude of levels. But I also felt like we can fight this. And we can fight this and we will fight this because there's no other option. And winning at least the statewide bill is possible. Also I believe there might be lawsuits happening and not Nassau county in Nassau county because these mask band apparently no b a n apparently violate at least one law if not more. But seeing the mask ban passed as it was makes it that much scarier. I really like my heart goes out to people in Nassau county right now who have to wear a mask or I'll just realize that a mask ban it's f****** absurd and dangerous especially that since we are seeing a surge in covid cases I mean just what the f*** you know. And now part of me is pretty terrified that the statewide bill will pass. Now it might not but it might. And that was always a reality but now that reality is feeling a bit more real.

Sometimes living in America these days and really the last probably I know maybe definitely the last 8 years has felt like you're watching one of those disaster films on a screen and you in the audience can see that they're headed for disaster and why the disaster is happening and what went wrong and what unraveled and led to them that place but the people in the movie at least most of them can't seem to see it. That's what it feels like and it's just it's a lot

I think one thing I'm really concerned about is the fact that a lot of people while perhaps they wouldn't be in favor of a mask ban, they might not get too concerned about it because a lot of people do not wear masks, a lot of people are pretending that covid is no longer a thing, a lot of people don't even f****** say the word oh I just have a weird flu they don't even say like the c word, and so to take action against a proposed mask ban is to acknowledge that covid is very much still a thing that it never went away and that these leaders who told them oh you're fine now it's all over you don't have to wear a mask lied and f***** up and then in the name of their own careers never admitted that they were wrong. And that's pretty f****** scary for a lot of people I really think that's why a lot of people tune out like that because it's like well wait a minute if you mean it is still a thing that we're not safe and there's no one keeping us safe and that's pretty scary so people kind of two now and go oh you know I just have this weird flu or you know people don't want to mask because it reminds them of the height of the pandemic where they had to mask. And so between this proposed Mass band no mask fan b a n you know being written in policy speak which is not the most accessible way to to what's the word to present something it's not easy to understand and people's feelings about masks and covid I am concerned that people might look away. They look away until they can't look away because covid will have gotten so bad that now they have no choice.

And I want to be wrong. I want to be wrong so f****** badly. But if this mask ban goes through that is looking very well happen. We are already in a surge in covid cases and they want to create further stigma and ban masks.

God it's so f****** stressful

So that's where things are at right now. I think it's really important to stop and hold space for your feelings and really what's with the way of saying it I think it's really important to State your anxiety. This is my anxiety right now and it doesn't make it all go away but it's like holding space for it and just kind of sitting with the feelings and so that's where things are at right now

[ashtrendingnews25]

Title: The Future Pandemic

Possibility: Navigating

Uncertainty with Preparedness and Resilience

[interiorergonomics]

Self-Isolation in Modern Workplaces

Self-isolation in a workplace is a proactive measure aimed at preventing the spread of contagious illnesses and safeguarding the health and well-being of individuals.

In response to public health concerns such as the COVID-19 pandemic, workplaces have implemented self-isolation protocols to address instances where individuals may have been exposed to infectious diseases or exhibit symptoms of illness. This practice involves isolating affected individuals in designated areas within the workplace, such as enclosed offices, meeting rooms, or designated self-isolation booths and pods, to minimize the risk of transmission to others.

In any way, isolating symptomatic or potentially contagious individuals, organizations effectively contain the spread of illness and protect the broader workforce from exposure.

However, self-isolation protocols actually involve measures such as remote work arrangements, increased sanitation procedures and clear communication for ensuring affected individuals receive necessary support while adhering to health guidelines.

Additionally, self-isolation in workplaces emphasizes the importance of prioritizing active occupants health and safety. in this case, fostering a culture of responsibility and resilience in challenging times.

Remember, before investing in either acoustic office booths or pods is better to take a feasibility study whether they're the best solution. Such feasibility analysis may cover their cost and ROI in order to benefit from them without negatively affecting the company's performance

[psychotrenny]

The thing with 9/11 is that no one cares that much about the death and destruction itself. Buildings fall down and people die all the time, including in the US. Like at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic you had entire 9/11s worth of USamericans dying on a regular basis. If all that damage was caused by an earthquake or faulty building practices or whatever, there wouldn't have been nearly as much fuss about it. It's not as if the insane response from US population was a matter of "two building fall down"

The reason why 9/11 was so upsetting to the US population was their widespread feelings of Imperialist Chauvinism and the subsequent outrage at seeing it so openly and violently defied. The US was at the height of its Imperialist power at the turn of the millennium, a hegemonic superpower that was dominant in some way over more or less the entire world. Whether they'd phrase it in such a way or not, most people in the US were very well aware of this; as far as they were concerned the US was truly the greatest country on the Earth. For some this was a point of pride, for others it was a simple fact of the world. This made them feel secure; bombings and mass killings might happen in those "shithole nations" of the earth but it couldn't happen over there. The US military could wipe entire cities off the map and like maybe that was good, maybe that was unfortunate and maybe it meant nothing at all. Either way that was normal; the violence flowed from the Core to the Periphery.

Until one day it didn't. One day a group of people from that Periphery, from some shithole group of nations, struck back. Now the sorts of destruction they'd seen on TV were happening right outside their window; the US got the smallest taste of the sort of brutality they had long inflicted on the rest of the world. And they did not like that taste at all. The US people as a whole went mad with grief and rage, not at the death of any people but the death of their sense of unquestionable safety and superiority. And the only hope of getting that feeling back was to inflict a revenge so terrible that no one would dare resist or retaliate again.

If bloodshed was how they'd built their empire, only more bloodshed could keep it safe. And this time they didn't even have to feel bad about it. It's not as if the US empire had ever given the world any peace, but now they had the perfect pretense to escalate it to levels not seen in decades. If they talked about this isolated and comparatively limited attack as though it was some great invasion, the US government and its supporters could take all the moral high ground of "self defence" even as they slaughtered impoverished peoples on the other side of the world. So it made sense to treat the 11 September attacks as though they were the greatest tragedy of all time. 9/11 didn't break the US psyche, it just made them express it in a more shameless way. It's not as though genocidal Imperialist violence was anything new to the USA. Afghans were just the new Apaches; the "Middle East" a new "Wild West"

[anarchypumpkincowboy]

not a single goddamn person in my family wears masks despite me having developed a few autoimmune issues/lots of other health issues, my little cousin who has cancer who they still visit, and my 94yr old grandmother who I live with who has an autoimmune disease and when I say anything about them maybe at least wearing a mask I get chewed out about how “masks are why everyone’s gone crazy” and “we as humans need to see other human faces”and “masks cause depression and violence” and “ masks cause you to have worse immune systems”

And yes they do watch Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson and believe Elon musk is a genius who’s going to save humanity

[mitigatedchaos]

Kontextmaschine is Dead

(~1,000 words, 5m)

Noted blogger @kontextmaschine is presumed dead, following the discovery that the sole resident at his most likely residence was found deceased during a wellness check initiated by concerned Redditors.

Prior to his last post on Aug 22, which indicated a serious health problem, he reported taking over twice the dose of creatine he had been taking at the beginning of his lengthy post-COVID health saga, in which he also reported becoming bisexual, having "zero" anxiety, gaining 3D vision after years of not having it, becoming incredibly convincing, and having to learn to walk and use his muscles properly again. At the time, he felt he was becoming trimmer and physically stronger, and reported engaging in a long project of yard work, although photos from the inside of his house generally looked somewhat messy.

A Tumblr user who met him briefly in person after the beginning of the health saga but before these most recent events reported that he was friendly, charismatic, hospitable, and clean, but "physically, a mess," with motor control issues on one side of his body.

Topics of discussion were similar to the content of kontextmaschine's blog, such as differences in east and west coast government in America, said to be "totally on brand," but it was said that the prolific poster seemed "less self-grandiose" in person.

Redditors theorize that the decline of kontextmaschine's health following his first self-report of COVID-19 infection may have been due to undiagnosed brain cancer, which could be more consistent with observed changes in behavior than the after-effects of a viral infection, given that most reports of "long covid" are about effects like fatigue, and not total loss of anxiety or alteration of sexual orientation.

Despite multiple suggestions, from both anonymous and pseudonymous users, kontextmaschine refused to seek professional medical care for his condition.

Regarding the mourning of public figures, in 2018, a period of increased Progressive sensitivity during the Trump Administration, kontextmaschine wrote,

through the years realized that through whatever blind groping the ‘90s-ass “edgelords” were desperately trying to save us from this, through proper gatekeeping and filtering at first I’d thought it was gratuitous and supported it being relaxed, maybe not shaming everyone who publicly mourned a suicide, mea culpa, mea culpa, I have debts to pay

In 2019, he added:

That was how we kept the internet culture from growing mawkish and cry-bullyish: basically, if you were so weak as to get weepy over corpsemeat you got cancelled, the shame would follow you forever and you’d never be allowed to forget it.

Given his writing, it is likely that kontextmaschine would not have supported excessive public mourning over his death, though in 2017, following the theft of his motorcycle, when the popular blogger @argumate jokingly criticized him by writing, "no references to pinball, no insight into historical Americana, this isn’t the kontext I signed up for," kontextmaschine wrote,

“when bad shit happens people mock me accurately” is the community I’ve been looking for my whole life so

Like argumate, perhaps the most famous of the rationalist-adjacent bloggers on Tumblr, screenshots of kontextmaschine's Tumblr posts would end up on outside websites.

Kontextmaschine was generally considered an interesting, if controversial writer. One Tumblr user characterized him as a member of the "obnoxious Tumblr right," though another user asked, "wait, how is kontextmaschine is right wing?" After another user claimed that the nuclear bombing of Oregon would be a net improvement in the world due to kontextmaschine's residence in Portland, tumblr user @random-thought-depository wrote a 2,400 word theory post arguing that kontextmaschine's philosophy was a means to coordinate to join a future political coalition favoring the formation of a more brutal and oppressive hierarchy in pursuit of his own advantage.

Though kontextmaschine's ideology advocates that humanity should adopt "r-selection," meaning more offspring with less investment in each (or youth, sex, and death), this blog dissented against the coalition theory, arguing that motorcycles, kung fu, women, Hollywood, and not having to report to HR are all traditionally cool, and the causality of the kontextmaschine ideology could easily run the other way.

Though he had a period of identifying as female in his youth, appropriately LGBTQ for a Tumblr user, his 2011 statement of principles, including "the lesser yields to the greater" and "suffering is the mark of a wrong person," and general body of work, could be described as a strain of right-wing thought, though not of the traditionalist Christian or rational technocratic varieties.

Prior to the post-covid health saga, kontextmaschine's health posting was primarily about his bipolar disorder, with both manic and depressive phases.

Kontextmaschine maintained generally friendly relations with other bloggers in his sphere of discourse, sometimes debating but rarely aggressive, except in response to anonymous hatemail. In response to one particular piece of hatemail, kontextmaschine stated that as a writer, of course his primary form of influence would be his posts.

In a post chain reblogged by dozens of Tumblr users, multiple Tumblr users wrote that they enjoyed his writing and are disappointed by his death, describing him as a unique thinker that will not be easily replaced. Several felt that there was not much they could have done, as after returning from his covid infection, he was not taking medical advice.

One Tumblr user wrote, "rip. Inspirational manic poster," while long-time and prolific poster argumate described him as, "one of the bloggers of all time."

Internet users speculate that Kontextmaschine is survived by his outdoor cat, Badger, about whom he posted frequently. He may also be survived by other members of his family, with whom he apparently did not live, and rarely spoke about.

It is recommended that enthusiasts of kontextmaschine's blog make backups of his writing for archival purposes.

[spookysalem13]

Just got home from the ER, went in because I was having difficulty breathing. My asthma inhaler wasn't working. I was coughing up a storm. I started sweating 😓 feeling very hot 🥵.

Dad took me to the hospital and we found out I have covid-19 🙃.

My Mamma, brother & his wife just got back from an Alaskan cruise. They came back feeling sick. So I told my Mamma that she went on a boat and brought back plague 😅.

I'm trying not to panic about it. But the doctor did put me on Paxlovid because I'm at high risk being immune compromised with my autoimmune diseases. She wants to try to prevent me from ending up in the hospital she said.

I swear germs love me too much, I'm starting to become a germaphobe. Being immune compromised I catch absolutely everything and it's getting extremely frustrating! 😕

[pandemic-info]

"Any chance we're wrong about Covid?"

It's a valid question many people earnestly think about — even the very cautious.

'it becomes important to ask: "what does the data actually say?"'

Quoting a few good answers from a thread:

"Covid left me disabled in 2020. I know with 100% certainty that I am not wrong about Covid. I live with the proof every minute of every day for the rest of my life."

"The insurance companies and government statisticians care, or rather they have taken an objective interest." > https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNU01074597 > https://insurancenewsnet.com/innarticle/insurance-industry-coalition-forms-non-profit-to-study-excess-mortality

"There are parallels between how governments are responding to COVID-19 and how they responded to tobacco back in the day. “it would be a mistake to assume governments would automatically protect people from a public health threat in the face of more immediate economic considerations…there would be resistance to change that might be costly until evidence to justify it was overwhelming.”" > https://johnsnowproject.org/insights/merchants-of-doubt/

"I suspect most of us entertain this thought from time to time, especially when it’s this absurdly difficult and lonely to maintain a Covid Conscious lifestyle. But it’s important to remember that history is littered with people making terrible choices en masse: with handling past pandemics, the holocaust, slavery, witch burnings, etc. Hell pretty much everyone used to smoke and putting lead in everything was A-ok. Just because a lot of people believe something doesn’t mean they’re right. So it becomes important to ask what does the data actually say? The research and the statistical data on this subject paint an ugly but fairly quantifiable picture by which we can gauge our understanding of the situation and our choices in response to it. Read the science. Look at the data on things like Long Covid. There are also many of us who have already had our health absolutely ravaged by this virus or lost loved ones to it etc., and everyone in that position has first hand evidence for how dangerous this virus is. It’s tremendously difficult to swim against the current like we are and self-doubt is natural in those conditions, but that’s when seeking out factual information on the subject is the best course of action."

"But what it all comes back to for me is - say we're wrong, and covid is a big nothingburger and lockdowns are the root of all evil. Ok, well, what I'm doing is acting on the best information available to me at this time to protect my family. I can't regret that. I will always be able to look my kids in the eye and say "I did my best with what I had."" ... So if we're wrong - well, we wore masks, changed our social habits, reduced our consumerism and our contribution to the destruction of our planet, and reduced how often we got sick. None of those things are bad. If they're wrong, they and their kids are screwed. I'd rather err on the side of caution.