#disclaimer: under no circumstances should you seek out the blog. their entire life is dedicated to their own hatred...

[uncanny-tranny]

The filter is for clarification and accessibility's sake - I know it can be hard to distinguish screenshots from post text.

I'm not platforming the blog who wrote this as their entire platform is dedicated solely to trans people... but seeing as I have seen others say this type of thing, I find it useful to address with the assumption that people who wonder this are actually doing so in good faith.

The thing about testing and medication is this: we don't (typically, there can be exceptions) test for potential, we test for the reality.

When my testosterone levels are tested, it is because the reality of my endocrine system is that it is testosterone-dominant. Yes, my endocrine system can (and has!) changed, but why would you test for a thing that isn't currently reality? What would that accomplish? You wouldn't be treating me as a patient, but your ideal of what my body ought to be. In the example, I highlighted that my hemoglobin changed by two grams or so, and that is literally because my endocrine system has changed - it is reality for my body that it has "male levels" because, again, my endocrine system has changed.

If you want a different way to see how this logic is flawed: why should I pay taxes when, without a job, I wouldn't have money, and therefore wouldn't pay taxes anyway? I have the potential not to have money, therefore, regardless of if I have money or not, I should be treated like I have none because of the potential to not have any.

That isn't a perfect comparison, mind you, but the point is to illustrate why it doesn't work. You don't treat people within your ideals. Your ideal might be that I don't take testosterone, but that isn't the case, and hasn't been for years - I haven't missed taking my medication in nearly three years, thank gd.

Again, I wanted to take this chance to actually push back against this because I've seen otherwise non-transphobic people do this, and it's odd to me. I can't emphasize how important it is to actually treat people with the reality they are living with and in.

The interesting thing about medically transitioning is how you might just be treated with the wrong framework.

When I get my hormone levels checked, for instance, they check it against the wrong type of person, so everything is flagged. Did you know that testosterone encourages hemoglobin production? Well, my hemoglobin is perfectly in line with male levels, but my levels are checked for the wrong endocrine system. Before I realized this, I was really confused as to why my hemoglobin was two grams over the range given, and was confused as to why that happened, and worried about if I should be worried about that. But it was a normal consequence of my testosterone levels, which are also flagged though they are well-within the range that is typical for my age and health categories.

The way we treat and measure for trans people and trans patients will affect the treatment and education they receive. There are ways in which hormones especially can influence how one's body operates, and with that in mind, you also have to change the way you interact with a trans person. With my testosterone levels, if you were to measure them against the incorrect endocrine system, you would fail to treat me in reality - that being the way my body has changed and maintained homeostasis since being on T.

[blastingxff]

themasterassassin replied to your post: Tagged by: @pallet-proud​ Tagging: I still don’t...

She is Cleary an aries

((I don’t think so personally. I totally see where you’re coming from, but I don’t think she’s an Aries, simply because her Aries “behavior” isn’t coming from her personality, but from her circumstances.

I love astrology more than healthy. And I really don’t think she’s an Aries. Aries are too confident in themselves. They’re too outgoing. Though, I will say her Moon sign is an Aries. She does seem like a Virgo sun sign and an Aries moon sign. It is quite an interesting combination that I think matches well.

Put under a read more because I love this sorta stuff and so it got long. But disclaimer: These are my thoughts. If you want to write an Aries Jessie, go ahead. Though I feel it would be a little more shallow of a portrayal (which isn’t bad! I just don’t care for that type of writing myself)

Jessie is a victim of circumstances, but if we look at how she is when she doesn’t have to fight, we can see that she really isn’t as domineering or even as outgoing as she puts on. 

I actually did some pretty in depth research into this, as I find astrology fascinating and really interesting. From reading multiple blogs and pages about it, to reading those silly lists and seeing which I believe Jessie would do and what sign it was associated with. But that can get lengthy. I’m going to highlight the passages though I read that turned me off of Aries for her and onto Virgo. Keep in mind, both signs are incredibly independent. But both get hung up in different ways. 

Here is a passage where I see you would think Jessie is an Aries: “If confronted, Aries can turn to be quite childish, they will fight back with their agressive nature and are known to have temper tantrums should they not get their way. “

However. I do not think her childishness is part of her personality. As a child she was shown to be quite easy going, she was able to go with the flow, and was quite mature. She throws temper tantrums now because (as I have written in some other headcanons) things not going her way throws her into a panic. In a sense, her tantrums are a way of her dealing with her panic attacks because she wasn’t allowed the release of having someone there for her. For Virgo this says:

“Some people might find them cold or emotionally detached because they live in their minds, not in their emotions and feelings. It might be hard to pin down how a Virgo friend is feeling because they easily live in denial.”

I think this is much more Jessie. Even in the episode Forest Grumps when they’re all separated, and she’s with Ash and Brock, she’s viewed as much more pensive and lost in thought. In the episode Ignorance is Blissy, when we see her at the nursing school, she ignored the idea that she couldn’t be a nurse because she wasn’t a pokemon, her emotions were reserved and quiet. I think that Jessie is actually a very quiet person when she’s allowed to be on her own in a situation where she is truly comfortable and not acting. She’s an expert at hiding her true emotions, something Aries signs are not known for.

Another passage for Aries, from the same site. 

“Aries are more then willing to take a gamble and follow their dreams and goals. However, if success is not immediate, they tend to lose interest and give up easily. Aries are notorious for not finishing what they have begun.”

Jessie only takes gambles when she has to. Her entire life has been unstable, but she desires that stability- which is why I think after so long trying everything else she ended up in Team Rocket. Because Team Rocket wasn’t a gamble anymore, there was nothing unknown about Team Rocket- her mother was in Team Rocket- Team Rocket was her home. Jessie went home. And Jessie doesn’t quit easily either. 

However, Virgos:

“They also have the ability to probe into a person's emotions and they can often see into people and detect what their motives are. This makes them great policemen or interrogators. Virgos are very good at problem solving, this is what they do best.”

They might get continuously shat on throughout the entire series, but if there’s one thing that Team Rocket are it’s resourceful problem solvers. A lot of their plans are actually brilliant, and the TRio were very, very good at their jobs once upon a time. A job that requires dedication and patience- and it seems, at least before the twerp- they all loved their jobs.

I can see where you could put up the Aries temperament as an argument: 

“Independence is key to Aries astrology, they do not like to take orders from others and enjoy getting their way. They can get childish or moody should they be given orders that they do not like. Aries easily take offense to comments made. Aries are self-involved and can be self-centered, if they do not pay attention to the feelings of others, Aries can easily become spoiled and resented by others. In order to get their way, Aries will tell a lie if it seems advantageous to do so. They are however, not very good liars and other people can usually see through them.”

And some of these do fit, Jessie does take offense to comments- but not all comments, but not really comments that aren’t meant to offend. She will tell a lie because it is her job to do so, and as a young woman living on the streets lying was a defense mechanism that could literally save her life. She is naturally good at lying, which is why she is good at performing. She is self-involved and self-centered because there was literally no one else who cared. If she were so self-centered and egotistical despite having a loving surrounding, then yes, she would be more Aries, however that is not the case. If you are living on your own, you can only afford to think about yourself. 

For a Virgo it says:

“Virgo needs to get in touch with their feelings, this is why they usually seem cold or detached. They are very prone of living in denial. They will say the feel okay or everything is alright even when it's not. This is an easy way out, the one thing that Virgo does not like to analyze is their feelings so pretending everything is okay is a good defense mechanism for not having to take a closer look at their feelings. Virgo has an unpredictable and sometimes unstable temperament.”

Jessie has this habit of viewing being sad as a waste of time. So she refuses to allow herself to feel that way- she does pretend often that everything is great. But it’s not. Nothing in her life has been even remotely acceptable for a human to have to go through, and yet she ignores it. She makes cold comments, she has a bite to her, and I think her quiet moments are more telling of her nature than her PTSD freakouts. 

This is getting way long, so I’ll just post some various quotes from some Virgo pages that I felt matched:

“This is a sign often misunderstood, not because they lack the ability to express, but because they won’t accept their feelings as valid, true, or even relevant when opposed to reason.”

Jessie does not believe her own emotions on this level are worth sharing. Complaining is for those who have time and money to complain, she has neither.

“These individuals have an organized life, and even when they let go to chaos, their goals and dreams still have strictly defined borders in their mind. Constantly worried that they missed a detail that will be impossible to fix, they can get stuck in details, becoming overly critical and concerned about matters that nobody else seems to care much about.”

Jessie has an end goal in mind when she sets out. And that is her goal, there is little one can do to convince her to change her mind. Details are essential, especially for their riskier missions, and even for her performances- Jessie pays attention to the smallest detail.

“Many Virgos may choose to pursue a career as writers, journalists, and typists, but their need to serve others makes them feel good as caregivers, on a clear mission to help.”

Friendly reminder that Jessie first wanted to be a pokemon nurse and she went to great lengths to attempt reaching it. She’s also said she wanted to be a teacher and a doctor before life shot her down. Not only that but when she, James, and Meowth were on their first test mission thing together, she split her bread with them both. 

“Seeking goodness in humankind is the story of Virgo, and disappointment seems to be inevitable from their point of view.”

Jessie started out as a hopeful, optimistic child. 

“The first time they came from their cloud and jumped onto planet Earth, it felt like their mission is to use their existence for good, discovering ways of justice and purity in other people. Once they fail to find it too many times, Virgos will pull away, get lost, turn to substance abuse, or simply separate from other people to sit on the bench, criticize and judge.”

This is basically Jessie’s story. 

“Compatibility of Virgo with other zodiac signs is mostly based on the ability of their partner to give them all the love they need to start feeling safe and open up enough to show their soft, vulnerable heart. “

“They will care for people they build a solid relationship with, treasuring them for years and nurturing them in every possible way.“

“Private and defensive, this is someone who needs her defense mechanisms respected but still broken by the right partner.“

“Virgos are sensitive to their surroundings, and they tend to embarrass easily. They are generally reticent when faced with anything or anyone new. However, once they feel comfortable, they can talk up a storm.”

“In fact, Virgo is an intensely curious sign. Still, there is a strong desire to remain pure on some level, despite all of Virgo’s curiosity and drive to know things. Those Virgos that find a true interest or “calling” easily become connoisseurs–their attention to details and enormous observation powers give them the ability to learn all of the ins and outs of any subject. These people love to do research, in addition to analytic or detail work. They’ll happily pick apart practically anything, although they are less adept at putting things back together, and often have trouble grasping the big picture.“

“When they’re not feeling well, they can be overly critical and nervous. They fuss around, have a whole slew of assorted little complaints, and throw small tantrums.“

“Solar Virgos are perfectionists–there’s simply no escaping it. They dream of mastery; they long to do something really well. Some Virgos are so scared of their own perfectionist qualities that they tell themselves they don’t care.“

“Despite an overall lack of confidence, Virgos can be mighty proud–even arrogant–when it comes to their work, routines, or hobbies. Secretly, they think their methods of doing things are the best.“

Just to point out, I do headcanon Jessie to actually not have a lot of confidence in herself. She really sees no reason to. She fakes it, oh, she fakes it well, but really- she’s the one often calling herself a loser in canon.

“The surprising part is that Virgo, although knowledgeable, doesn’t always get its hands dirty.“

How often does she get the guys to do the digging and building for her?))    

[feamproffitt]

The Under 35’s in Limbo Between Renting and Buying

The housing crisis could be putting individuals between a rock and a hard place. Arguably, one of the biggest concerns is that both renting and buying come with a set of significant problems, leaving individuals lost between two potentially below-average options.

For buyers, the average price of a property reached a record high of £300,000 last week. For renters, the market is bleak enough to warrant entire blogs being dedicated to its horrors. The government’s recent white paper, which promised more security to renters, admitted that the housing market is “broken.” (1)

How bad is the problem?

As the graph below shows, historically, the number of individuals who are home owners has decreased substantially. Younger generations, in particular, have a lower chance of calling themselves homeowners; research shows that an average 30-year-old is 30% less likely to own a home than a 30-year-old 15 years ago. (2)

The graph below highlights the dramatic drop in home-ownership, which could allow us to assume a consequential rise in renting.

(Source: 3 and 2)

The London-based think-tank, Resolution Foundation, warned that within the next ten years, under-35’s will face the risk of becoming life-time renters. 9 out of 10 under 35’s in the UK earning an average income won’t be able to buy their own home within the decade. (4)

It’s likely that the difficulty of owning your own home has led to a high demand and low supply of good, affordable rental units. And so, renters find themselves in a limbo between spending a lump sum of their income on 6-12 month rental contracts, (5) but unable to escape the cycle because they can’t save up for a deposit. Take for example Emma Percy, who, according to the BBC, has moved with her husband and three children 10 times in the past 12 years, “because of short contracts, rent increases and bad conditions of the rental properties.” (6)

However, there doesn’t seem to be much hope for individuals in her circumstance to escape the cycle of renting. Research shows that house prices have soared by 151% since 1996, though earnings have only risen by a quarter as much. As a result, it would now take 22 years for a modest income household to save up for a house deposit now, compared the 3 years of the mid-1990’s.

(Source: 2 and 7)

A distant dream

For many, the prospect of buying or renting a safe, secure place of your own is “a distant dream.” (8) The root cause, according to Sajid Javid, is that for too long, Britain simply hasn’t built enough homes. In 1980, the number of homes built was 251,820, and in 2014, it was 152,440 (3). That equates to a 39% decrease, which, when paired with a population increase of 13.8% between 1980 and 2013, explains the correlation between supply and demand. (9)

(Source: 3)

What will change look like?

It’s likely that this limbo will create a generation of nomads. Individuals will constantly worry about where to go next due to short contracts, but be unable to escape the cycle of renting due to house prices.

The capital in particular, is not only pricing out young adults, but families, too. London house prices rose by 203% between January 2002 and January 2017, compelling individuals to move to cheaper, slightly less connected parts of the country. (10)

Millennials have developed a reputation of transience; of not really owning anything. But the data highlights the fact that this isn’t particularly a behaviour of choice, and, with the state of the rental market, it’s not a particularly happy solution either.

Written by Jenna Kamal

Sources

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/590463/Fixing_our_broken_housing_market_-_accessible_version.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/13/under-35s-in-the-uk-face-becoming-permanent-renters-warns-thinktank

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/uk-perspectives-2016-housing-and-home-ownership-in-the-uk/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/young-poor-35-permanent-renters-a6872031.html

http://www.which.co.uk/money/investing/how-investing-works/guides/asset-classes-explained/commercial-property-investment-explained

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37921976

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/20/britains-housing-crisis-must-be-tackled-now

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/housing-white-paper-statement

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk–england-and-wales–scotland-and-northern-ireland/2013/sty-population-changes.html

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/feb/12/rootless-ruled-by-landlord-class-future-young-adults-cities-home-ownership

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