#do people change their political views during college?

[contemplatingoutlander]

Young Americans are more pro-Palestinian than their elders. Why?

Originally posted 12/23/23; updated 12/24/23

This is a thought provoking article about how different U.S. generations perceive the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. To encourage people to read the entire article, this is a gift 🎁link so that anyone can read the article, even if they do not subscribe to The Washington Post.

Although I am from an older U.S. generation, I condemn the Netanyahu administration's decision to pursue Hamas at the unconscionable expense of tens of thousands Palestinian civilians, including many children.

However, reading this article helped me to also understand why, being born in the decade after the Holocaust, I don't absolve Hamas of their terrifying behavior on Oct. 7th--unlike many younger people seem to have done. Although I strongly oppose the apartheid Israel has imposed on the Palestinians (and I do believe that Palestine should have been a free separate state long ago), I still don't think there is any justification for such a terrorist act against Israeli civilians.

I encourage you to read the entire article, but here are a few excerpts:

Across more than two months of war between Israel and Hamas, public opinion on the conflict has continuously shifted. But there has been a constant: a divide between the views of older and younger Americans that has shown up both during the war and in the years leading up to it. [...] Each age group has a different “generational memory” of Israel, Dov Waxman,director of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, said. Beliefs about the world tend to form in our late teens and early 20s and often don’t change, he said. Older generations, with a more visceral sense of the Holocaust, tend to see Israel as a vital refuge for the Jews, he said, and see its story as one of a people returning to safety in their homeland after living for 2,000 years as a scattered diaspora facing persistent persecution. In the decades after its founding, Israel was a relatively lower-income and vulnerable country. [...] But by the time millennials began forming their understanding of global events, the violence of the second Intifada had concluded in the mid-2000s with enhanced walls and barriers constructed between Israel and the West Bank, and then Gaza. This generation formed its idea of Israel from reports of Palestinians denied access to water, freedom of movement and fair trials, under the military control of what was by then a relatively rich, nuclear-armed power. “When I was in college it was the Oslo peace process, and I still remember that Israel — pursuing peace with the Palestinians and the hopes that came along with that,” Waxman said, of the ’90s. “Younger Americans have no memory of that.”

[See more excerpts from the article under the cut. Those excerpts are worth reading because they are quite thought provoking.]

A racial justice lens Joey Ayoub, a Palestinian-Lebanese writer, podcaster and academic, says young Americans are more likely to conceptualize the Palestinian cause as a sister issue to U.S. efforts for racial justice. There is a “visual parallel,” he said: of an armed soldier or police officer dominating a space inhabited by a populace with limited power, whether in a town in the occupied West Bank or a majority-Black neighborhood in the United States. [...] Eitan Hersh, a political science professor at Tufts University, said conflict between Israel and Palestinians seems to be seen by the young left, especially on college campuses, as “a people of color — that is, the Palestinians — rising up against a white oppressor,” though a significant portion of Israel’s Jewish population is of a non-European background. (Some are the descendants of about 850,000 Jews who were expelled from Arab countries and Iran after Israel was founded.) “It’s a bit of a curiosity,” he said. “One could tell an oppressor-oppressed story where the Jews, and Israel, is a story of the oppressed: kicked out of all these countries, going back to their homeland, surrounded by a broad set of dominant countries in the region that wants to destroy it.” Shifting demographics One explanation for the generational divide, experts said, was that fewer Gen Zers and millennials identify as conservative or Christian — demographics more likely to sympathize with Israel — than older groups. [...] Another “major factor” in older generations’ feelings toward Israel is their greater religiosity, according to Waxman. More than three-quarters of Americans 60-64 are Christian — with increasingly higher numbers for older brackets — compared with about half of adults under 30. “It’s, I think, for many religious Christians, somehow a kind of atonement in supporting Israel and Zionism,” Waxman added. “Genuinely, a feeling of Israel as a consequence of this long history of Jewish persecution” by Christians. Some Christians, particularly among evangelicals who are especially likely to sympathize with Israel, believe that Israel was promised to the Jews by God, and that the return of the Jews to Israel fulfills a biblical prophecy of the events that will precede the second coming of Jesus Christ. But even outside of this belief, the idea of Israel as a sacred land for Judeo-Christians has an emotional resonance that is simply not present for the increasing number of secular young Americans. [...] Social vs traditional media Dana El Kurd, a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Institute, said different types of media consumption have probably played a role in how people have formed their views on the Middle East. Americans 45 and older are most likely to get their news from TV networks and their websites, and Americans younger than 45 are most likely to get their news through social media, according to 2022 YouGov polling. The regular use of TikTok in particular is correlated with criticism of Israel, a New York Times/Siena poll found this week. Ayoub, whose interview podcast “The Fire These Times” with Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jewish, and Armenian perspectives has mostly Gen Z and millennial listeners, said that new forms of media facilitated access between content creators and consumers without “having a gatekeeper.” This has downsides, including “a huge uptick in misinformation” online, he said, but also positives, including allowing traditionally underrepresented groups to reach an audience. [...] “I’ll give an anecdote,” El Kurd said. “My students, when the war broke out, said that they had gone onto TikTok and toggled between the different locations,” to see what kind of videos were popular in Israel compared with Gaza, the West Bank and other places. “It had never occurred to me before to do that.”

I encourage people to read the entire article.

I am strongly opposed to the apartheid that Israel imposed on the Palestinian population. But being from an older generation, I am also less likely to wholly embrace some of the (in my opinion) more simplistic generalizations that younger generations claim regarding Israel.

For instance, many younger people assume most Israelis are predominantly of white European ancestry, but there is evidence that about half the Israeli population is not of white European descent, including those who always lived in the region, those from Ethiopia and Northern Africa, and the descendants of the 20th century expulsion of 850,000 Jews from other nations in the Middle East.

There are also some estimates that only 20% of the general gene pool in Israel is white European. This in turn leads to questions about the assumption of many younger people that white European Jews engaged in a "settler colonialism" of Israel. Still, some form of colonization DID happen, even if it might not fit a strict definition of "settler colonialism."

But it is important to remember that most of the Jewish colonizers around the time of Israel's founding were refugees who had survived the Holocaust, or were running from Eastern European pogroms/oppression, or who were expelled from Iran and Arab nations. What is tragic is that many of these Jewish victims of persecution and oppression and/or their descendants ended up implementing or supporting oppressive practices towards the Palestinians in their attempts to create a Jewish state where they could finally feel safe.

In many ways, all the nations of the world who oppressed and persecuted Jews for centuries have some responsibility for this mess. But that does not absolve the Israeli leaders from their oppressive choices towards Palestinians (especially their current choices that have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians)--just as Israeli oppressive behavior does not absolve Hamas leaders for their decisions to employ terrorist tactics against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7th.

Although I still support a two-state solution, I believe there are no easy fixes to this situation. The conflict, for both Israelis and Palestinians is an emotional powder keg fueled by thousands of years of transgenerational trauma (both within the region, and outside it in the case of the Jewish diaspora). This in turn affects the perceptions and responses of both Israelis and Palestinians. Sadly the current conflict has only added a new layer to the transgenerational trauma of both groups.

Anyway, after reading the above article, I realize that coming from an older generation, my perspective on the Israeli-Hamas conflict is different than the perspectives of some younger people. However, I still think there should be an immediate cease fire, and that the Biden administration should STOP supporting Israel, unless Israelis agree to end the fighting, fully support a rapid international humanitarian aid effort for the Palestinians in Gaza, come to the table to negotiate peace, and finally allow the creation of a free Palestinian state.

Originally posted 12/23/23; updated 12/24/23

[snickerdoodlles]

Hi hello me!!! I would like a headcanon please!! 🤲🥰

❤️❤️.

Chay does not like Khun or Kinn when he first meets them. it takes special circumstances for him to shake his first assessments of them to even give them a chance.

Khun’s the easy one—he and Chay match well in personality (the mutual sass when they introduce themselves my beloved!! 🥰) and while they don’t share the same interests, they have enough overlap they have a lot of fun hanging out together. But after their introduction, the parts of Khun that Chay sees are him trying to cope with the chaos Korn’s stirring and Khun’s coping mechanisms, dissociation, and distancing from the stress and triggers come off as very dismissive and even cruel. Chay doesn’t understand it, he doesn’t know Khun well enough to, and he doesn’t try to (why would he? this mafia family ruined his life)

In my mind, the changing point for their relationship comes after the finale gunfight—Porsche begs Chay to stay with Khun because they’re stretched thin and Khun’s spaces are the safest place for him right now. Chay hates it, but accepts it for Porsche, figuring he’ll just hide in a corner or something and ignore everyone.

But, at some vague point during all this, an alarm goes off. Turns out to be a false alarm, but before they figure that out, Chay watches Khun lock down his room, locate his brothers and Porsche, hunt down the problem, etc—basically Khun goes full protective mother bear in every way he can, and a few things start clicking for Chay. because he too is extremely protective of his loved ones but limited in what he can do, and it completely reframes his view of Khun and who he is.

Kinn and Chay’s relationship takes a lot more work.

The first problem is that they have a fundamental personality clash—Chay’s whole thing is that he draws a circle around the people he cares about and guards them jealously. He wants to share their burdens and make sure they’re happy. Chay would burn the world for the people in his circle, consequences be damned. And for a very, very long time, Porsche is the only person in that circle. Kim is the second. Chay hasn’t even considered adding anyone else yet.

Kinn also cares a lot about his people, but his whole thing is taking on all his people’s burdens. He gave up his dream to become the heir for Khun. Kim never would’ve been able to go to college and stay mostly out of mafia business the way he does without Khun and Kinn supporting him completely. Kinn plays his cards to protect other people (Porsche) more than himself and he’ll put himself in the line of fire to protect any of his guards. Kinn’s circle is huge, and quick to expand. Chay doesn’t get Kinn.

Plus, Chay’s upset and kinda jealous Kinn’s so important to Porsche. He hasn’t gotten the chance to deal with the fact that Porsche abandoned him for weeks to go take care of other people—he knows Porsche was coerced and he’s pissed about that too, but Porsche chose to lie—and now Porsche is confiding in Kinn the way he never did with him. Chay’s still pissed about everything in general. He wasn’t happy when Porsche asked if he could take care of him and Kinn, his face just screamed ‘he’s rich and has a whole building of guards, why do you have to take care of him’, but this was also the first time Porsche has ever asked him for anything and Chay will always compromise for the people in his drawn circle, so of course Chay said yes. But the mafia still ruined their lives, is continuing to ruin their lives, and Kinn is the face of said mafia. Entirely fair? No. He’s mostly pissed at Korn, and Kinn’s getting some of that anger just because he’s available whereas Chay doesn’t interact with Korn. But these sorts of feelings aren’t rational, and Chay’s too trapped in it all right now to get a chance to even safely think through and process how he really feels. So for now, Chay’s just scared and trapped and angry and hiding all of it under overt politeness and courtesy and running away from him as soon as he can make an excuse.

Now, I do actually think Kinn and Chay will become really good in-laws one day, I can see them getting on together spectacularly.

But not without getting rid of Korn first. Or at least some extenuating circumstances that give them a break from Korn’s shadow where they have a chance to have a good heart-to-heart. It’s actually one of my favorite scenarios to throw at them in fics in general, Chay’s straightforward approach to life plus Kinn’s caution and determination make for a wonderful combination in Getting Shit Done 🥰

anyways the tl;dr of this is the only Theerapanyakul Chay instantly gets on with is Kim, the others have a mountain to climb first

Send an ask, get a headcanon

[mylight-png]

How do I explain to a very close friend that what is happening hurts me, an American Jew? That seeing people deny Jews as having a homeland in the area that is Israel reinforces antisemitic stereotypes and that stating there is an imbalance of power where the Jews/Israel have more power is inherently antisemitic. One of the things that hurt me the most was her inability to say that Jews had a right to live in Israel; she couldn't say what a solution would be, even when I have explained the idea of a two state solution, even when I would have been fine with some kind of generalized "I believe in a world without borders and everyone is equal". She played the "antizionism is not antisemitism" card. She kept stating "all the research I have done shows me x" but wouldn't say where that research was done. I care about this person deeply and in all other regards in politics she seems completely able to grasp the nuances and complexities of situations. What are some resources and ideas of how to start a conversation?

First and foremost, stay very up to date on what's happening. It is so so so important to understand that, a lot of the time, these awful views come from ignorance. These people are only seeing one side, the side Hamas wants them to see. Being informed, both on what they're seeing and what makes those things untrue, is central to battling misinformation.

Ask your friend if they would define the hatred for any other minority. Would they tell a Black person what anti-Black racism looks like? Would they explain to a queer person what is or isn't homophobic? Would they say that it's important to see the ableist's perspective to a disabled person? It's important to recognize and point out those double standards.

Also, what happened and is happening in Israel affects all of us around the world physically, mentally, and emotionally. I don't know whether you have any blood relatives in Israel, but I know you have family there. About seven million. We are all still in shock and mourning over what happened, and that is completely valid. But also, there has been a drastic spike in antisemitism globally. I know that as a Jewish college student living on campus, I am not safe. It's not just that I don't feel safe, I'm not safe. None of us can be safe or feel safe while Hamas propaganda is so rampant in our society. The fact that what is happening in Israel affects you as an American Jew is not just your opinion or perception or point of view. It's a fact. Anyone who denies it is ignorant and/or antisemitic.

The inability to recognize the indigenous heritage of Jews in relation to Israel has been so so so harmful in this issue. I highly recommend Rootsmetals on Instagram for learning more about these things, she makes very comprehensive informative posts.

Antizionism is antisemitism, because Zionism is a foundational Jewish value, and to deny it is to deny Jewish heritage and history. In the Torah we are referred to as one of two things. "B'nei Yisrael" and "Am Yisrael", children and nation of Israel, respectively. Every year after pesach we say "next year in Jerusalem" and this isn't new. This is an ancient tradition recognizing our roots there. During the Amidah prayer we turn to face Israel, yet again highlighting our connection to the land. The letters written on our Hanukkah dreidels vary depending on whether they were made in Israel or not. Heck, Hanukkah itself is a holiday about us reclaiming our homeland from Greek imperialism.

Also explain that Hamas's foundational goal is the genocide of Jews. Their charter is available on the internet, if your friend doesn't believe you she can read it herself. This isn't a war of land. This is a war of survival, and it is a war Israel did not start.

I'll be honest with you. All of the facts and rationality in the world will not be enough to change some people's minds. If that is, G-d forbid, the case with your friend, then it'll be up to you how you deal with that. There is no pressure to cut her out of your life if that doesn't seem like the right option to you, but you also shouldn't feel like you have to stay friends with her for any reason if that makes you uncomfortable.

Frankly, there are two questions that pose the ultimate test. How does she feel about the October 7th massacre, and can she confidently say that Hamas is a violent terrorist organization.

Failure to condemn both or even one of those is despicable and inherently antisemitic due to the goals of Hamas.

I'm sorry if this wasn't much help, but it's all I have to offer.

Am Yisrael chai, stay strong.

[hoyatype]

hello! I’m not trying to argue or anything, I genuinely want to understand your point of view: do you think not voting for Biden would make things better? I am not American, but USA politics determine how the entire world works, so I’ve been following, plus we have a similar situation in my country, so I relate to the frustration. I agree with you Biden hasn’t been a good president, but how could reelecting Trump make things better? sadly, I think neither of them would do anything to stop the genocide. do you think there’s another way? what are your thoughts on this?

i meant to reply to this ages ago, even wrote out some paragraphs on my phone, and then the tumblr app crashed and i never got around to it! please know that ignoring it wasn't intentional, i was just throwing a fit about technological unreliability and how it often eviscerates my enthusiasm for POLITICAL DISCOURSE with a glitch

this ask was in response to a post i made 2 months ago where i said

the us really is a genocidal gerontocracy…and yet the democrats are blowing up my phone nonstop begging me to vote for biden…

and so to address your ask very specifically, here's what i'd say

being totally exhausted and disillusioned by how the democratic party is marketing joe biden to me is not the same as not voting for biden

if i were in a district where my vote might have a meaningful impact on who became president, i would absolutely vote for biden (feeling extremely unhappy the entire time)

however, due to how american politics works, that is not the case. my vote for president is completely irrelevant and of purely symbolic value. and thus i will not be voting for biden

you may or may not be familiar with the american electoral college system—i will briefly explain if not—basically the president is not decided by popular vote, but by an indirect system that originates from an elitist, slave plantation owner era that works like this:

every state gets some number of individuals known as electors, who each have 1 electoral vote. how many electors? it is semi-arbitrary and not directly correlated with current population numbers, which means some states have MANY more electors than voters, proportionally speaking, and some have fewer.

during an election, the popular vote for each state is added up. then whoever wins the popular vote for each state gets ALL the electors for the state (with 2 exceptions, maine and nebraska, who assign electors proportionally. note that those 2 states, per the 2020 american census, represent just under 1% of the american population).

someone becomes president if they get a majority of the ELECTORAL votes, not the popular votes. also, in theory the electors can change their vote; in practice i don't believe anyone has done so, the convention is that you follow the popular vote. but you can see how this system, with its 2 layers of indirection btwn the popular vote and the actual electoral vote that determines who becomes president, gives people very limited say—in some cases basically no say—in who becomes president. and by "people" i mean american citizens who have not been stripped of the right to vote. in many jurisdictions, felons are not capable of voting—this is a good paper ('to be young, black, and powerless: disenfranchisement in the new jim crow era') that discusses how this disproportionately strips black americans from voting due to racially biased policing, sentencing, etc etc etc)…

but basically, this system means that i, as someone who lives in an extremely democratic state, don't really "need" to vote for biden. whether he wins my state by 51% or 70% or 90% doesn't really matter.

but now that i've established that, i want to elaborate on the sentiment expressed in my original comment, which is that i am SO COMPLETELY SICK OF BEING A YOUNG LEFTIST CONSTANTLY BERATED BY THE LIBERAL MEDIA AND PRESS INTO VOTING FOR CANDIDATES THAT HAVE DONE ALMOST NOTHING MEANINGFUL FOR THE CAUSES I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT, AND HAVE THE TEMERITY TO DEMAND UNFAILING LOYALTY FROM ME WHILE DOING NOTHING WITH IT!!!!!!!!!!

there seems to be this idea that it's the overly ideologically rigid leftists who will be the cause of biden's downfall. this narrative is repeatedly issued forth from liberal writers and thinkers. it's a narrative that i—as someone who could vote for obama, and did so, and saw how disappointing he was in many ways…as someone who was then harangued about voting for hillary clinton over bernie sanders bc of the spectre of misogynist "bernie bros" (as if the most important political issue of my existence is the gender of my country's political leader and not the policies of said political leader)…as someone who saw her favourite candidate for office, maybe the only political candidate in america i have a real admiration for (i am speaking obviously of sanders) get TOTALLY shut out by the democratic machine, while being pressured repeatedly to vote for biden, a boring and banal and institutionally sanctioned and completely toothless presidential candidate…

—it's just a narrative i am exhausted by. this is the 3rd election i have been told that not voting against trump means voting for DEATH TO WOMEN, DEATH TO MINORITIES, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION. and it has become clear to me that the democratic party will keep this grift going as long as possible in order to pull as many genuinely ideologically principled voters as possible into alignment, and shame them for expecting better out of their politicians than status quo american exceptionalism and warmongering.

there's a labor journalist (by which i mean: american journalist writing about labor issues from a leftist perspective, not a journalist writing about uk labour party politics) i quite like, hamilton nolan, who just put up a really good piece on his substack about this: "the left is not joe biden's problem. joe biden is"

Biden’s policies are better than Trump’s and if Biden loses and Trump wins politics would get worse. Do progressive activists, who are as a group deeply engaged in the issues, need thousands of words to understand this? To put a finer point on it: Who is this for?…where exactly is this enormous group of left wing activists who are unable to understand that Trump is worse than Biden? For one thing, I am on the left and I know a lot of people on the left who go out in the streets and protest Israel, and in November, most of those people who are politically engaged will vote for Biden, because he is not as bad as Trump. Some portion of them will refuse to vote for Biden out of sheer disgust at the direct role he has played in the murder of thousands of civilians…[and] any electoral damage is 100% the fault of the Biden administration itself. Look in the mirror. …What Biden needs to worry about is not highly engaged activists making some considered calculation not to vote for him, but instead millions of regular ass people who will not vote for him because they don’t feel excited about him…Obama excited people. So they turned out to vote. In 2020, people hated Trump so much that they were excited to turn out to vote. Now, Biden is the incumbent and he owns what the government is doing and he has achieved the nifty trick of actively supporting a crime against humanity and isolating himself on the world stage and thereby causing deep moral revulsion within the left wing of his party at the exact same time that he needs them to rally to support him during election season. This is not a problem of miscalculation of leverage; it is a problem of doing something horrible and turning off his political allies right when he is supposed to be pulling them into his coalition.

i find biden's politics absolutely repellant and i also find the 10 texts/day from the democratic party urging me to vote for the man anyway, otherwise democracy lies in ruins, to be profoundly annoying. the truth is that the democratic party made 2 enormous tactical errors…first with with clinton's candidacy and how the party treated sanders (who had the rare and remarkable ability to energise millions of young voters into greater political engagement and interest—something the democratic party absolutely needs in the future but seems to have no interest in cultivating seriously as a skill, if cultivating the skill requires sacrificing the party's existing operating strategy)…

…and second with biden, who—as the quoted passage above argues (and i agree with) is hampered by being fundamentally unexciting to the avg voter, who is not the impassioned young leftist on a college campus advocating for palestinians and gazans. i do think that young leftist will vote for biden if it "matters". but also, that young leftist is learning an important lesson atm about how power works in this country, which is that the energy that the 2-party system puts into electoral politics is a shell game and in many ways often a distraction from the real work of pushing politics in the direction you want it to go. if the goal is to stop american involvement in genocide, doing anything to really help biden, beyond placing a swing state vote (where your state might reasonably go either way in the election), is a waste of energy.

and i basically think it is useful for the democratic party establishment to be scared. to not feel like they can depend on the votes of the young and of racial minorities as if they don't need to do anything to deserve those votes.

Movements exist before and after and beyond elections.…In the case of almost every familiar movement— civil rights, labor rights, gender equality, gay rights, anti-war movements, and on and on—the left was on the morally correct but politically unpopular side. How did they win anything, then? By forming national and international social and political movements made up of thousands and millions of people engaged in protest and direct action and education and community building and labor organizing and other actions outside of electoral politics that, over time, change society of itself and thereby cause politicians to follow that change. To focus only on the politicians and the elections is to miss the underlying fact that those officials ultimately do not cause change themselves—they are the end products of change… The useful thing about this vision is that it allows you, a person who cares about things, to focus on just working to accomplish the things you care about, rather than trying to game everything out secondhand through the blurry and unreliable lens of elections…What all of those outraged activists on the left who inspire so much political nail-biting are engaged in is the act of trying to get Biden to change his actions in order to save human lives.

[kideyor]

i’m really angry at everything and anything lately. it’s just all political stuff, and self stuff ig

i had a friend, who isn’t my friend anymore since i unfriend her. for political views and such.

first of all, for some contexts:

a couple of years ago, 2019, i think? i came out as pansexual on twitter and also to my close friends only, and my sister. today, idk if i define myself as pansexual anymore, im more like, hey i’m queer.

i’m, today, questioning a lot of things. i wonder if i could be asexual, but also, i’m questioning my gender identity.

that friend i had, i knew her for 5 years. met in college and all. we had the same views politically, and just on everything tbh. i can’t be friends with people who don’t share the same political views, especially if it’s about human rights and all. so yeah, i did came out to her, at the time about me being pansexual. she was very supportive. in her discourse through the years, she even was a trans ally.

but, more than a month ago we met and she basically told me she was transphobic (she didn’t use that term tho) and that she is a gender critical.

i was very shocked by her sayings, and she said that she wanted to tell me because she knew that subject was important to me. i’m not gonna lie, i wanted to cry in front of her at some point, bc hearing her just hurt.

after 2 hours of honest debate, she said that we should keep on with our day bc we aren’t agreeing but that she wanted me to know. i told her that i was shocked and that it was very transphobic.

i came back home, thinking about that conversation for a month. and, i guess i was very naive. i thought that if she change her mind maybe i can debate more and she could actually understand, yk?

so, i made some research to debunk every shitty and fake things my "friend" said, and i linked her everything and blabla, it took me like a week of full reading on the subject and all. i was mentally very tired tbh. i sent my message, and we didn’t even debate since she didn’t want to lol.

to make it "short", she didn’t want to debate bc she won’t change her mind. and that she felt sorry if she hurt me with her words when we met. but that she still want to be friends and that she thinks we could actually stay friends.

it’s funny, because years ago i went to a shop to buy a book about trans identity and gender identity, when i was with her. she didn’t question it, and i didn’t say anything. i just felt like i could buy these stuff without explaining or whatever because it WAS a safe place to me. because i thought she was safe.

so, during my confrontation with her, i told her about me questioning my gender identity, about how i trusted her. about how could i be friend with her when she is against trans people, isn’t an ally, and also how can she be friend with me if one day i do a coming out.

it really hurt to read her saying that, she kinda knew i was questioning my gender identy, because at that moment, reading all her bullshit, i knew she just wouldn’t see me for who i am if i ever came out as non binary or anything actually.

so yeah, i am not sad about unfriending her actually, but i’m just really, really fucking mad since then and i can’t get away of that feeling. and now, while questioning my gender identity, i keep hearing her voice saying shitty things, and it hurts, it’s very hard.

[cardcaptorsakura96]

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes-Chapter 24

Fandom: Supergirl

Characters: Kara Danvers, Clark Kent, Samantha Arias, Lena Luthor, Lillian Luthor, Ruby Arias, Oliver Queen, John Stewart, Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne, Barry Allen, J'onn J'onnz, Alfred Pennyworth, Lois Lane, Cat Grant, Lucy Lane, Damian Wayne, Felicity Smoak, Streaky the Supercat, Martha Kent, Selina Kyle, Talia Al Ghul, Lucius Fox, Maggie Sawyer, Alex Danvers, Jason Todd, Otis Graves, Lex Luthor

Summary: What if superheroes had to pay a property damage tax every time they had a fight in the city?

Lillian sighed as she watched the clock at Noonan’s gradually tick away the time. She felt a sudden squeeze of her hand. She looked to the seat next to her at the restaurant to see Martha smiling back at her. 

“Everything is going to be okay. The worst that can happen is that Amanda won’t tell us anything and send us on our way.”

Lillian gave her a soft smile. She reached down and kissed Martha’s hand and said, “I’m more concerned that she will rat us out to Lex more so anything else.”

Martha raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that why you suggested meeting at Noonan’s instead of the office?”

Lillian sighed and said, “Lex is lax with watching over me, but you can never be too careful. Both Amanda and I frequent this restaurant enough that it wouldn’t be unusual for us to bump into each other and have a few words.”

Martha looked at Lillian baffled and asked, “Wait? You guys see each other here often?”

Lillian leaned back in her chair and said, “Yes. Amanda and I are usually around here late morning or early afternoon. However, we tend to avoid each other.” Lillian shook her head and sighed. She continued, “Amanda and I used to be best friends in college. We came up with the idea of Cadmus during our senior year as a capstone project. We thought that there should not only be an organization that studies the extraterrestrial lifeforms that were already on Earth but also learn how to coexist with each other. I focused more on the business side of things whereas Amanda worked towards networking and getting funding. Everything went well until Zod came into the picture several years ago.”

Martha winced and said, “I hate that name with a passion.”

“You are not alone in that sentiment. It reshaped Amanda’s perception of aliens as a whole. She viewed every one of them as a threat and that they needed to be removed from Earth. Lex provided her with options to achieve that and in return, she provided him funding to support his research efforts on the subject. I objected to all of this, but she still pushed me out. Fortunately, enough people from Cadmus didn’t like Amanda’s new direction and decided to come with me as I formed my own company.”

“If you think she has so much hatred against aliens, why do you think she would talk to us.”

Lillian leaned her head back and stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully. 

“There have been rumors of Leviathan changing direction for a while now. They have always been anti-alien, but their choices in political candidates have been interesting to say to least.”

Martha looked at her quizzically and asked, “How so?”

“Well, the candidates they have supported so far are pro-alien rights and making reforms to help aliens become citizens. It is a complete 180. Lex wasn’t willing to cooperate with their changes so he was cut off. Amanda has used funding from Leviathan in the past. I am curious to see if she followed the road Lex took in regards to them, or if she fell in line to their new policy. If she did, we may be able to get something out of her.”

Martha nodded and said, “I like that particular theory. Hopefully, it doesn’t take that long to get information out of her. I have so much to do to prepare for tonight.” 

Lillian smirked and asked, “Worried about meeting the children I see?”

Martha pouted which caused Lillian to smile. She loved teasing Martha just a tiny bit. 

Lillian caressed Martha’s face and said, “You don’t have to worry. Sam, Lena, and Ruby will adore you as much as I do.”

Martha looked down while twiddling her thumbs and said, “Well, Lena has kind of avoided me with everything with Clark. I just worried that she might…”

Lillian kissed Martha’s hand which caused her to blush.

“Lena is more than okay with everything. All three girls are happy that I have put myself back out there.”

Martha smiled and said, “Still, I want to make a good impression and make sure that everything goes smoothly.”

Lillian smiled and said, “It will darling. I am just as eager to meet Kara. I have never seen Lena this happy before. It is like she is floating on cloud nine everyday.”

Martha chuckled and said, “I am not surprised. Kara is a bundle of sunshine that will brighten anyone’s day. I just wished that some of that would rub off on Clark. He used to be so optimistic, but now….”

Lillian squeezed Martha’s hand and said, “Hopefully this stuff with Lex will give us insight into Clark. I don’t have any proof, but I am willing to bet money that Lex has something to do with Clark’s behavioral changes.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he did,” said a woman’s voice. 

Lillian and Martha nearly jumped out of their seats. They turned to see a black woman of medium build and short black hair staring at them. She had on a blue business suit. Lillian quickly change her expression to surprise to passive. 

The woman smirked and said, “You are losing your touch Lillian. It is nice to see that I can still take you by surprise.” 

The woman pulled up a chair and sat down with them. 

Lillian sighed and said, “It is nice to see you too, Amanda.”

Amanda smirked while she turned towards Martha and said, “I am assuming that since you brought Superman’s mother that you are wondering about if Lex had anything in store for him.”

Martha looked at her startled and asked, “How….”

Amanda chuckled and said, “Lex wasn’t very subtle about his infatuation with your son.”

Martha glared at the woman while gripping the table until her knuckles went white. 

Martha growled, “Yet you help a mad man hurt my son over and over again.”

Amanda sighed  while leaning back in her chair and said, “Would you believe me if I told you it was never my attention that he got hurt?”

Martha scoffed and said, “Don’t insult my intelligence.”

Amanda chuckled and said, “Well, I did want your son neutralized after the events with Zod.”

Martha winced at that statement. 

Amanda sighed and said, “And before you say anything, I realized that your son was being controlled by Zod. However, that fight between them caused over 200 people to die. Most had the nuance of separating Superman from that. He was drugged after all. However, your son isn’t normal. What if he is drugged or mind controlled again? Who is there to stop him. The Justice League was barely able to contain him the last time. We need measures in place for if that were to occur.”

Read the rest on AO3

[starlitangels]

Shouldn’t Have Come Back

T.A.H.A. (Thinking About Huxley Again) I wrote this for me but you can read it if you want. 1.7k words

—

“Hey, girl, heeeyyy!” I exclaimed, running up to Emily. The bride whirled and her face broke out into a beaming smile.

“You made it!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t see you guys during the ceremony so I thought maybe—”

“I know. I know you assigned us pretty close to the front but my boyfriend is really tall and didn’t want to block anyone’s view so we sat on the back row,” I said. I turned and waved Huxley over from where he was talking to some of my high school friends. “Hux! Come meet the bride!”

He politely excused himself from the others and came over. Emily looked up at him. “You’re tall,” she said, almost as though she couldn’t help it.

Huxley chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Heh-heh. Yeah...” he said awkwardly. “I get that a lot.”

“Em, this is my boyfriend Huxley. Hux, this is Emily. We grew up together,” I introduced.

Huxley smiled wide. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

“You too. Hugs?” Emily asked.

Huxley laughed and stooped to hug Emily. She was about 5′5″ and absolutely petite compared to Huxley. I bit my lip and looked around. “Hey, uh, Em? My parents are here, aren’t they?”

She glanced around the reception dismissively. “Yeah. I think they were talking to my mom over by the drink table.”

I peered through the throngs of people while she asked Huxley how we met and where he was from. Her mom was still standing by the drinks table, but my parents weren’t. I swallowed thickly as anxiety settled over me. If they or I started any sort of drama—

Someone said my name from behind me.

I whirled.

And there were my parents.

“We didn’t think you’d be here,” Dad said. His voice was casual but his face was cold.

“Like I was going to miss my childhood best friend’s wedding,” I said.

“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with this place anymore.”

I balled my fist at my side and quickly released it. “Nothing that happened three years ago is Emily’s fault. As far as she’s aware, I transferred to a college in California to finish my degree,” I said. “She invited me, and like hell was I going to miss it.” I kept my head high. “I didn’t come here to start anything with either of you. I came to the wedding because Emily is still my friend and she wanted me here. And I don’t care if either of you say another word to me for the entire reception. You’ve made your stance on what I am very clear, and I’m not stupid enough to assume I could change that. Unfortunately, I’m not hopeful enough either. Since I left home and went to the academy in Dahlia, I... I’ve faced a lot of discrimination for being what I am. Most of the students there have families who share their... gifts. They look down on people like me for being behind on their culture with no way to catch up.

“But I found a lot of happiness, in California, too. I’ve made some friends. I, uh, I actually brought my boyfriend today.” I gestured over my shoulder to where Huxley was still laughing and talking with Emily. My parents’ eyes both widened a bit. “He’s kinda like me. His talents lie somewhere more specific than mine but he’s on our school sports team and he’s probably the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

At that moment, I felt Huxley’s warm, callused hand slide between my fingers. “Hey, babe,” he said.

“Hi,” I replied.

“These must be your parents.” He was smiling, but his eyes were hard as stone.

I nodded. “Yup. Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend Huxley. Hux, these are my parents.” I gave him their names. Huxley extended a hand and shook my dad’s hand, though I noticed my dad’s hesitation. He offered to shake my mom’s hand too but she didn’t move, so he let his hand drop to his side.

“Anyway,” Huxley said amiably. His hand tightened on mine. “We should let your parents go talk to their friends. We don’t want to keep them.”

I nodded and moved to turn away.

“Have you been together long?” my mom asked, voice a bit squeaky.

I blinked. “Um... about a year-and-a-half,” I replied nonchalantly.

“How... how did you meet?”

“We had a class together my first semester.”

“But we actually really met out in the Quad on campus,” Huxley said.

I nodded. “He noticed I was stressed and came to chill with me until I felt better.”

Mom blinked. “So, when you said his talents were more specific than yours... you meant that he’s like you.”

I raised a brow in a slight challenge. “In that sense, yes. But he’s much stronger than me. In every sense of the word.”

Even without being intimately aware of the rules and laws of covert, my parents were too ashamed of what I was to say the words magic or powers out loud around their friends. Which served me just fine.

“Meaning what?” my dad asked. Mom nudged him in warning.

I shrugged. “Best not to talk about it here,” I replied. “Suffice to say, it wouldn’t be hard for him to level a city.”

Huxley chuckled. “No it wouldn’t,” he agreed quietly.

My parents’ complexions went a bit ashen as the blood ran out of their faces. I couldn’t stop the fierce sense of satisfaction that rose in my chest, making my Core burn a little hotter.

Mom met Huxley’s eyes. “Are... are your parents... similar?”

He shrugged with one arm. “I mean... neither of my moms are as strong as I am,” he said. “But that’s never been a problem.”

“Both of his moms are delightful,” I put in.

“O-oh. You’ve met them.”

“Yeah. This past winter break we went back to his hometown together for the holidays.” I smiled a fake smile. “His moms and I have a group chat, actually.” The fake smile turned real as I thought about it. “Mostly silly stuff. They send me pictures of when Hux was a kid, I send them pictures of him sprawled out on the couch after practice, fast asleep. That kind of thing.

“But—I’m also super close to convincing one of his moms to share her special apple-and-maple pie recipe with me. It’s Huxley’s favorite dessert and only his mom knows the whole thing. There’s a secret ingredient in it she won’t tell anyone. But I want to bake it for him on special occasions so I’m trying to convince her to tell me what the secret ingredient is.” I started to laugh. Huxley did too, wrapping an arm around my waist.

“Babe, she’ll never tell you,” he said. “She’s guarded that secret since before I was born.”

I made a face. “I know. But she might give it up to her baby’s partner if said partner really wants to spoil her baby.” I laughed and tilted up onto my tiptoes. Huxley bent down and kissed me. I noticed a sheen of sweat on his forehead. “Anyway. We’re gonna pop inside for a little bit. Cool off,” I said to my parents. “Thanks for the chat.”

As we moved to leave, I heard my mom say, “You’re a freak and you shouldn’t have come back.”

Huxley’s hand nearly broke mine with how hard he tightened his grip. The ground beneath us shook. Hard. Everyone at the wedding started exclaiming and shouting in surprise. Emily’s mom screamed from somewhere.

I grabbed Huxley’s wrist with my other hand. “Baby, stop,” I ordered.

“They can’t say things like that to you,” he grumbled.

“It doesn’t matter. Huxley, covert.”

The shaking stopped. I looked around. No one but my parents and I seemed to notice that the epicenter of the quake was Huxley.

I tugged him away from my parents. “C’mon, big guy. Let’s go inside.”

Reluctantly, he followed me.

—

“How dare they?!” Huxley demanded the second the doors closed behind us and we were alone inside.

“Hux,” I said soothingly. “They’ve said a lot worse to me before. In private.”

“You’re their child! Shouldn’t they treat you with love and kindness?”

“They should, sure. But they’re unempowered. They didn’t know anything about magic until I finally confessed there was something up with me. That I had powers I couldn’t explain. I’ve told you they didn’t take it well.”

“Yeah—but I thought they’d love you enough not to say something like that in public.”

I shrugged.

Huxley calmed down and gathered me to his chest in a hug. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to be the one comforting me. I just... I can’t imagine parents not supporting their kid.”

“I can,” I muttered into his green necktie.

He squeezed me tighter. “So... what now?”

“Now, we say a quick goodbye to Emily and we get on a plane for Dahlia and go home.”

“You sure? Our original flight’s s’posed to leave in two days. I thought you wanted to take me to that restaurant you used to love for dinner tomorrow.”

“I’m sure. I love you, and I’d love to show it to you, but I’d rather go home. Get out of this place and go back to my new family. The one that actually loves and supports me. With you.” I kissed his tie since his grip was too tight for me to try and shift up onto my tiptoes to kiss anywhere else.

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay. We’ll go home. Whatever makes you happy.”

“You make me happy, Hux. No matter what.” I buried my face in his chest and inhaled that earthy scent that clung to him. “Even when my parents are... awful.”

“I’ll always be here for you, babe.”

“Thank you Huxley. I love you.”

“Love you too. Let’s go say bye to your friend and get back to the hotel.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

—

Tag list: @thegoldenlittlerose

[fizzingwizard]

why is a t-shirt more expensive if it doesn't have sleeves?? lol

buying my dad a birthday present and having my annual "I don't have a family anymore" breakdown :)

I actually think it would have been easier if my parents had separated when I was a kid. As an adult I have no footing to figure out how to be their kid anymore. It feels like we lived together under one roof for decades and are now complete strangers.

First my brother. dealing with his legitimate issues, pushed us all away, and now he only talks to my mom.

My mom separated from my dad also for legitimate reasons and is now living with her boyfriend.

My dad's pushed everyone who loves him away, which he thinks is because they can't handle his political views, but actually it's because he called them all stupid and idiotic to their faces. Multiple times.

Mental illness abounds. My dad won't see a therapist, he'll only see a family friend who believes some pretty hokey stuff about the mind and 'vibrations' etc. But I look at it as at least he's talking to someone. I may not understand her beliefs, but I do know her as a kind person, and if my dad feels comfortable confiding in her then the rest isn't my business. My dad has told me he thinks he has ADHD, depression, he blames it all on his own family life growing up, he recognizes his mistakes - but also he can't stop himself calling people stupid. He really tries when he talks to me though. I do think it's dementia or undiagnosed mental illness because at this point he spouts angry politics like a tic, anything triggers it, any alternative point of view or simple fact check is an attack, and he has to work really hard to rein himself in. But again, he does try with me.

My mom seems really happy and her boyfriend seems nice. I don't dislike him at all. But I feel like I understand the step kid reservations about the "replacement dad." I never did growing up. I just chalked it up to "feeling sad" but it's more than that, it's a future you thought you'd have with one person, instead of disappearing when that person does, continuing with an entirely different person. It's not bad of course. It's mostly good. But it's beyond sad at the same time. Someone was supposed to be there who isn't, even though they're still alive. Someone else is there instead.

Brother seems to be doing much better too. I'm not sure of the details but it sounds like he either officially has some sort of autism diagnosis, or has gathered enough evidence to self-diagnose. It sounds like he's made some supportive friends at his new job and is figuring things out, so that's great.

My dad is the hardest because I don't hear much good news from hi. I don't hear bad news either. I want to hear that he isn't alone all of the time. But realistically I think he's got to have trouble making new friends and being part of a community. He never had trouble doing that before, but his habit of complaining and talking politics constantly gets in the way now. When we talk he usually seems okay, right until he starts talking about our family and how things used to be, and then he starts to cry. So I really struggle through calls with him. Gotta do one today or tomorrow because it's his birthday and I'm so upset just thinking about it.

It's now been four years since my parents separated so you'd think stuff like that would be getting easier. I don't think it is for my dad. And for me, I just keep feeling like my mom's off living her life, my brother's off living his somewhere else, and my dad's living his in another somewhere else, and there's no longer any reason for all of us to be together again. I barely know them anymore.

Ironically I was the one who left first. Not that my staying would have changed anything, though. I just avoided home during what college breaks I could because of my brother's outbursts. I tried to get away. I was lucky that I was following my dreams. Since things started falling apart, I went to college, moved to Japan, got a job, met my boyfriend, and have just been living mostly happily. Idk why all the trouble happened around me instead of to me. I am grateful for it, but it also makes me feel like even more of an outsider.

Even when I was a kid, I didn't have the complaints that my brother did about our family or school or whatever. That doesn't mean his complaints aren't valid. It's a bit complicated but there's plenty of stuff that was messed up. Some of it affected only him. But what did affect me I guess just didn't bother me in the same way. I always felt like anything I didn't like would go away some day so I didn't worry about it. That's why I describe myself as an optimist even though I don't think that's people's impression of me when they meet me haha. But I have a weird optimism that just assumes any bad situation is going to work out. Right now my big fears are mostly about my dad being alone in his old age. I'm still thinking about what I should do. I don't have any money and I don't have a house. Even my apartment is a shoe box. I also live in a different country which my dad wouldn't like (just because he's very much a creature of habit and has never enjoyed things being different - food especially). I'm not in a situation where it's easy, or even possible, to just say come live with me. I'd probably have to leave Japan and go home. Which is something I always knew was possible when my parents got old. But I figured if that happened, I would have both parents living with me, not just one.

It could be good though. I just don't know how I'd do it. If I had to move home, I have no idea what that would mean for my boyfriend, who has never expressed an interest in even visiting the US, let alone living there. Having ties in different places feels like being made to decide who you love more.

[ashereadsstuff]

'Ander & Santi Were Here' By: Jonny Garza Villa

I received an ARC from Wednesday Books through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

Rating out of 5:⭐⭐⭐.5

Release Date: April 25, 2023

Content Warnings: Racism, Deportation, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Sexual Content, Violence, Trafficking

——————————————————————————

SYNOPSIS:

Finding home. Falling in love. Fighting to belong.

The Santos Vista neighborhood of San Antonio, Texas, is all Ander Lopez has ever known. The smell of pan dulce. The mixture of Spanish and English filling the streets. And, especially their job at their family's taquería. It's the place that has inspired Ander as a muralist, and, as they get ready to leave for art school, it's all of these things that give them hesitancy. That give them the thought, are they ready to leave it all behind?

To keep Ander from becoming complacent during their gap year, their family "fires" them so they can transition from restaurant life to focusing on their murals and prepare for college. That is, until they meet Santiago Garcia, the hot new waiter. Falling for each other becomes as natural as breathing. Through Santi's eyes, Ander starts to understand who they are and want to be as an artist, and Ander becomes Santi's first steps toward making Santos Vista and the United States feel like home.

Until ICE agents come for Santi, and Ander realizes how fragile that sense of home is. How love can only hold on so long when the whole world is against them. And when, eventually, the world starts to win.

——————————————————————————

MY REVIEW:

I received an electronic ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

This book was...Something

Even though the book was a little slow for my taste and I have a short attention span (take that as you will), I did like the book, and the amount of diversity was fucking great and made every character fun and interesting to read about. But there were times where the dialogue annoyed me or sounded like something a person wouldn’t say in real life; it was sometimes written like how an alien thinks 20-ish-year-old humans talk. There were also many pop culture references that were amusing at first but quickly became annoying and cringey. I thought that the Spanish incorporated into the book was nice, but there is no translation for the Spanish. It would be nice to include the translations in footnotes or in parentheses. As someone who is bilingual, I understand that sometimes English can not really emphasize the urgency of some words and phrases, and being a minority is very important for the characters and the plot, but people still need to understand what the characters are saying. Given the subject matter of this book, some of the conflicts seemed to be resolved far too quickly. And this book definitely didn’t feel like a YA book considering how many times it references sex and that the main characters are literally adults as well.

At first, I thought everyone should read this book because of the political and cultural topics that are being discussed and challenged, but my view changed dramatically after chapter 40. It’s incredibly slow. I somehow finished the book, but it took me a long time to get there because I had to take breaks. To give you an idea of how long it took, I started this book on January 25th, and this book is only 336 pages. Normally I finish books like that within 1-2 weeks, depending on my personal life. But I do like the ending; I saw it as very fitting considering the trajectory of the book.

I would not read this book again, and I would only recommend it to people who like cheesy, romantic movies. I don’t even know if I like the book.

[lucere-aeresta]

Some historical details in SHCO:

1. There are no street numbers in Cordona. You have to find a place by locating the streets by name and their relative positioning to find the quest location.

This is a gameplay mechanic but kind of makes sense in the historical background. Before the mid-19th century, not all streets in London had names and none of them had numbers, so all the addresses were descriptive, like "go to X street and turn right at the intersection with Y street, and find the church, then go behind it...etc." Gradually they had street names and numbers but since a lot of streets shared the same name, they had to rename them and reorganize them to make things less confusing. It took a while to have the numbered street address system established.

By the 1880s, London had had modern addresses, but it would make sense in more remote areas, especially colonial islands such as Cordona would be less developed, so the system was not established yet. Also, the island is so tiny that it doesn't need street numbers. So it makes sense that people there use street names together with some descriptions of positioning to address houses and buildings.

2. Mycroft sent child Sherlock (and Jon) to steal a document for him.

It sounds like a very bad thing to do. And for Victorian middle and upper class people, it probably was. But in fact, it is very common for working class people, especially the very poor ones to do regular petty theft and shoplifting, etc, to get food and small household goods. The working class parents would send their children to steal things, such as a couple of eggs, some milk, random small items, etc. As long as they didn't get caught there was no moral burden.

Middle class people had enough income for food and stuff so they didn't have to steal and they probably had more moral judgment against this kind of behavior than the working class, but I suspect they were not immune to this kind of "just steal what you need" way of thinking. When it came to valuables and important things, they could easily come up with the idea of stealing them.

So Mycroft, just like those working class parents, sent his kid brother to steal something important to him. Normal practice of the time XD.

3. Sherlock went to Cambridge University.

Historically, "Oxford and Cambridge were the ancient universities, and had three requirements to attend: You had to be male, be unmarried, and be a member of the Church of England."

Therefore Sherlock must have been a member of the Church of England. To be honest this should not come as a surprise. Although by the 1880s the religious limitation in politics was much loosened, members of Church of England were still the mainstream in political circles and likely to have the upper hand.

As for Mycroft in the game, he is the kind of man who doesn't care about religion itself but will use it as a political resource. So it is just natural for him to join the church and have his brother join (or default to be a member and stay that way). And Sherlock probably doesn't care about religion either. So he possibly goes along with his brother to avoid adding more conflict to their relationship, or he just wants to go to Cambridge.

BTW, I am curious about Sherlock's religious view, which is not mentioned much in the game or canon, leaving out much space for theorization and speculation.

Edit: There were some rapid changes during the mid to late 19th century on religious limitations for all social aspects. So it was very likely that by the time Sherlock went to the university, being a member of Church of England was no longer a requirement.

It is also the case that during the early Victoria era, in the medical field, surgeons and apothecaries, the lower ranks of doctors were not required to have any medical degree from college. They just learned the trade from apprenticeship. Only physicians, the higher rank "gentlemen doctors", graduated from prestigious universities with a degree. But during the time Watson became a surgeon, he acquired a medical degree at the University of London, which in fact already started to provide medical degrees for women at the time.

4. Sherlock in his school age.

Homeschooling was not rare in Victorian England, especially for the families that had the means and dedication to children's education. Schools were usually very harsh and a lot of physical punishment was involved in education. Given Sherlock's personality and the possible difficulties caused by his mental health issue, he could have been homeschooled, at least before his parents passed--before they moved to Cordona, he didn't realize Jon was not real. That fact alone could have caused big trouble for him in school.

Since Sherlock has that undisciplined and nonconformist personality as well as being very isolated, I tend to think he was homeschooled as a boy, both in the game and canon. And his mental health issue in the game makes homeschooling more plausible.

[stories-me]

Potential Character for Mrs. Kelsey and Tumblr 1/24/2024:

Tom Haverford, Passionate Entrepreneur:

What he’s from: “Parks and Recreation”.

Stuff about him:

Thomas Montgomery Haverford is an Indian American, who changed his name from “Darwish Sabir Ismael Ghani” to be more appealing in politics. He is often assumed to be an immigrant by much of the Parks and Recreation staff (Leslie often assuming him to be Libyan), though, as he frequently reminds them, he hails from South Carolina, as does Ansari (the guy who plays him). He initially shared an office with Leslie Knope and worked as her immediate subordinate at the Pawnee parks and recreation department, often serving as her right-hand man.

Tom displays an extremely sarcastic, mischievous and cocky attitude, and frequently attempts to secure favors from local contractors. Tom has demonstrated his talent and passion for entrepreneurship in many occasions, including Entertainment 720, Rent-A-Swag, and Tom’s Bistro.

In “Go Big or Go Home,” Tom also boasted about ladies’ sneakers he bought from his workplace during Pawnee’s government shutdown. Though it is not explicitly said, it’s assumed Tom worked at Lady Foot Locker, where his best friend Jean-Ralphio Saperstein has a job too (“Woman of the Year”). He later opens up his own luxurious clothing-rental store for growing teens, Rent-A-Swag, and employs Jean-Ralphio’s sister Mona Lisa Saperstein. Tom married his Canadian-born college friend Wendy to secure her U.S. citizenship (a green card marriage). Despite the marriage, Tom aggressively flirts with other women, which has prompted confusion from people unfamiliar with his arrangement with Wendy. He is constantly pursuing women even during his marriage, as far as going to strip clubs, hitting on Ann Perkins, distributing copies of his house keys to beautiful women, and judging at the Miss Pawnee pageant.

Tom’s heroes include Tiger Woods, Vin Diesel, Michael Bolton, Flo Rida, Patrick Jane, Paul Walker, and Jamie Foxx. He has a very high image of himself and brags that people view him as a “Brown Superman with a Beard” and has also asked to be introduced as “The Brown Gosling”. He is very appreciative of pop culture and the idea of “swag”, very often expressed in his vernacular (e.g. saying “‘Serts” instead of “desserts” in the episode “Soulmates”). Tom often teams with April Ludgate and sometimes Donna Meagle to prank and harass Gerry Gergich. He also finds Ben Wyatt an easy target of tease.

How he’s like me:

We both are hyper-focused on our interests (like my fan fictions and his businesses), and talk about them often.

How he is NOT like me:

I can sometimes listen and be part of a conversation on other peoples’ interests. He is really bad at this and often tunes out conversations that don’t interest him. Sometimes, I do this, but not as often as I used to.

Kelsey Notes:

Being diagnosed with autism comes with “impairments in social interaction”- this means it is difficult for you to balance a hyper fixation on your interests

It isn’t always easy for you to turn off your interests and tune into other things people like to talk about

Sometimes it can be difficult for others to understand that you are still in the process of turning off your fan fiction interest while engaging in conversations with others

          This takes time because, in addition to resisting the urge to talk about fan fictions, you are still training your brain to not tune out the things other people talk about. 

Taking baby steps means that with practice, over time you will work on contributing more to conversations as you progress with turning off your fan fiction interest

As Tom continues to work in the Parks Department, he develops more of an interest in the business aspects that go on

He starts to learn that his current job will bring him connections and skills that are necessary to maintain a successful business he hopes to have in the future

          i.e. I want to embrace where I currently am if I want to get to where I would like to be

Tom gets overly excited because he is an idea man, so his brain is always coming up with ideas

He does take initiative to make them happen, as ridiculous as some of them may be EXAMPLE: fluoride water

His skills come in handy when the Parks department needs creative advertising and out of the box ideas.  Once this side of him is embraced more, he starts to take the job more seriously

He does try to hide his emotions at times (he liked Wendy and was jealous when she wanted to date Ron and was sad about their divorce)

[prabhatjairam]

Free Speech on College Campuses

Many college students would prefer to share their views on challenging topics. They feel uncomfortable publicly disagreeing with a lecturer about a disputed matter or expressing opinions on a controversial topic. While some scholars are okay with silencing ideas they do not agree with, some are not.

However, college students need to express their thoughts and ideas. Freedom of speech acts as one of the core pillars that protect learners from improper treatment based on their beliefs and expressions. It enables them to explore, learn, and challenge ideas while sharing and building their opinions. Besides, free speech gives students the right to speak out, affirms their dignity, and allows them to realize their full potential.

The right to free speech is a vital part of civic education. Many universities and public colleges give students the freedom to say whatever they want. They allow youngsters to use campus resources to entertain guests and cheer the audience. Moreover, freedom of speech on campus is a great opportunity for each learner to form a unique position. This article gives information related to free speech on college campuses.

What does free speech on campus mean?

Freedom of speech for students means they have the right to speak out, wear expressive clothing, and hand out flyers and petitions. The idea of free speech allows students to expose new and challenging ideas. It encourages civil debates that understand and respect different viewpoints.

The main purpose of free speech on campus is to protect the statements of those with unpopular viewpoints or those with mindsets disliked by people in power. In addition, freedom of expression allows learners to show their own social, political, and cultural views. It makes youngsters feel free and safe to express themselves.

Apart from that, freedom of speech is crucial for democracy, artistic expression, scientific progress, and social justice. To express and share your ideas with teachers, you can visit a  “study24hr.com” website that enables educational institutes to promote themselves and get leads from students. The portal aims to solve complex issues for learners by providing an effective collaborative environment between educators and students.

The role of free speech in a student’s life

Every student has the right to share their thoughts and speak their mind. This right is always essential in higher learning. Without freedom of education, the whole concept of college education would just be a contradiction. During higher studies, students need to speak freely to be successful individuals. Free speech develops the minds of learners and gives them the chance to bring better ideas into consideration. Though college students require free speech to voice their opinions on specific topics or dilemmas around them, it allows them to get involved and voice their opinions about matters revolving around the campus. As a result, they can write petitions or disagree with the college's new agenda if they please. Remember, students who express their ideas and thoughts are important decision-makers.

The Importance of Free Speech

Freedom of speech plays a vital role in a student’s life. It is a fundamental right that entitles humans to develop and progress. Free speech is essential, as it is used to fight for change. It’s not only about the ability to speak but also the ability to listen to others. Let’s review the following points to find out why free speech is important.

It is the creation of a marketplace of ideas in which the best, most valid ideas can triumph.

Free speech allows students to state their opinions, ideas, and expressions without fear of persecution.

It enables children to express any idea that can be challenged academically.

Speech is not free if it leads to the limitation, oppression, and confinement of individuals. It can be free when all speakers are equal.

It allows the sharing of a popular or non-popular belief without legal interference.

Pros and Cons of Free Speech on Campus

Free speech has become a controversial issue on college campuses as learners and faculty debate whether universities should restrict things like guest speakers, course material, and protests. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of free speech.

Pros

Provide learners with an opportunity to explore new disputes that boost their existing beliefs.

Allows students to get heterogeneous information related to any matter.

Promotes diversity in retaliation.

The similarity of views on specific issues allows scholars to build social ties, which is beneficial for adulthood.

By entering into a dispute, students can learn how to defend and express their perspectives.

To get the daily booster, you can visit: Daily Booster Article| study24hr.com

Cons

Give children the false impression that solving issues in the real world requires free and open discussion.

Usually, youngsters are not able to restrain their reactions, which leads to the over-expression of quarrels, emotions, and sometimes even fights.

It spreads the illusion that what others say is true.

Affects the future lives of those who cannot critically evaluate different ideas and push them in the wrong direction.

The speakers, whose views are truly incorrect, negatively disturb students.

The Final Review

Viewpoint is something that is often left out of the conversation. Instead of engaging in thoughtful dialogue, a lot of students think twice before speaking. They feel scared about expressing their thoughts in front of their professors or educators. Sometimes, it demotivates students because they are not confident enough in conveying their ideas and perceptions.

To reduce these kinds of fears and misconceptions, teachers should encourage students to express their viewpoints. Otherwise, it becomes very difficult for those who disagree to speak out. Because the college campus is the foundation where students learn to fight for their perspectives, it is the only place where individuals can exchange their ideas and openly discuss and challenge each other.

So, if you're a student, try to interact with people who disagree with you. This can not only help you grow and expand your ideas but also develop your confidence and beliefs.

[olifiasarifah]

Article: Success from the point of view of Denny Ja: peeling a lucky story

In a world full of struggles and challenges, there are people who have achieved success through hard work, dedication, and a little touch of luck. One of the figures that has shown this is Denny JA, known as a leading academic, writer, and thinker in Indonesia. The story of Denny JA’s luck has inspired many people, and in this article we will further explore his life journey to success.    Denny JA was born on February 9, 1950 in Pati City, Central Java. Since childhood, he has shown deep interest in the world of knowledge and culture. He often reads various essay poems, magazines and newspapers, which help him broaden insight and knowledge about the world around him. Denny Ja also has a high curiosity, which encourages him to continue learning and find answers to questions that always arise in his mind.    After completing his secondary education, Denny Ja continued his studies at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, where he majored in political science. During his college period, Denny Ja was active in various student organizations and often participated in discussions and seminars. This helps him to expand the network, deepen political understanding, and develop leadership skills that are important capital in his life journey.    After graduating from college, Denny Ja began his career as a lecturer at the University of Indonesia. There, he taught various courses related to politics and social. In addition, Denny Ja also actively wrote various articles and essay poetry that focused on political and government issues. His work gets high appreciation from academics and the general public, and makes it one of the figures who are respected in the Indonesian intellectual world.    However, Denny Ja’s luck does not only come from his success as academics and writers. He also managed to take advantage of opportunities that emerged in politics. In 1998, when Indonesia was experiencing a big political change, Denny Ja was involved in the reform movement that opposed the authoritarian regime who was in power at that time. His active role in advocating democracy and freedom of expression to bring him to become an important figure in Indonesian political change.    Denny Ja’s political career is growing when he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives (DPR) in 2004. As a member of the DPR, he continued to fight for the interests of the people and fight for political reform. In this position, Denny Ja succeeded in influencing public policy and votes for those who do not have representatives in parliament.    In addition to his political career, Denny Ja is also famous as a consultant. He has a consulting company that focuses on research and strategy development. Denny Ja often cooperates with companies and organizations in various research and research projects. His expertise in analyzing data and providing a strategic view has helped many people and organizations achieve their goals.    The story of Denny Ja’s luck not only includes his success in the academic world, politics, and consultation, but also in his personal life. He has a harmonious and supportive family, as well as many friends and colleagues who appreciate it.

Check more: Success from the point of view of Denny Ja: peeling a lucky story

[designstudioasa]

Changes Happened in Offices Post-COVID | Studio AsA

The outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic has resulted in the most severe loss of humanity in modern history. A major change in how the world processes, particularly in the business world, has been brought about by the vast amount of restrictions imposed during the pandemic, such as lockdowns and social isolation.

Several industries were compelled to suspend production as a result of the lockdown and, in other circumstances, to do far worse, to shut down completely. Younger generations, generally college students and recent grads, are extremely confused about the future of employment following the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this article, we’ll talk about how work trends changed after covid-19, how the new generation can adjust to the changes, and what courses or skills they should take.

Workplace Trends After COVID-19:

The pandemic has expedited a few significant habits in work that weren’t common previously, including:

●    Hybrid Working Model

Before the lockdown, running a company while working remotely efficiently appeared to be hard. Because it was believed that if they did, the workers would become complacent and unproductive. However, the corporation had to rely on its staff to work remotely from home during the lockdown because offices were closed and the rest of the globe was at a stop.

And the outcomes were quite different. It turns out that the work-from-home model increases productivity since it gives employees greater freedom over how they do their business. They can decide when, where, and how to work to combine their personal and professional lives in the best way possible.

The hybrid approach requires workers to spend 2-3 days at the office and the other days at home for rest. The majority of businesses have already adopted this paradigm, and Gen-Z employees will view it as the new norm.

●    Technology-Driven Workplaces

Before the pandemic breakout, when workers were required to work from offices, managers, and bosses would frequently rove around the cabin to complete the task at hand or evaluate the workers’ performances. The hybrid model, however, does not make it possible after lockdown.

Several firms have been updating and employing technologies for their organisational functions to advance. Innovative features have been used in organisations, such as using a Virtual Attendance System based on input throughout the day rather than solely using biometrics while entering the workplace as the attendance criteria.

The installation of several SAAS programs allows for the storage of data and the evaluation of employee performance. The partnership of human capital with artificial intelligence will be a part of the future workplace. Organisations have greatly emphasised automation to reduce worker costs and increase productivity drastically.

Artificial intelligence will make employing many people for various small activities unnecessary, and only highly competent individuals will be permitted to work for large organisations.

●    Output-Oriented Work

A few years ago, how much time an employee spent at his desk in front of the management was used to judge his value in a corporate work routine. However, this parameter is no longer necessary due to the outbreak. Productivity indicators have changed from input to output, or final products, in the work environment post-COVID-19.

Employers and managers no longer need to keep an eye on what their employees are doing because they can instead focus on their output or value to the business. As their value is determined by their skill set rather than their capacity to dazzle their supervisors with words or office politics, employees have also benefited from this transition.

Redesigning Office Spaces: Developing Environments That Are Productive and Collaborative

We now work and interact with our workplace spaces very differently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering and redesigning office environments is essential as businesses return to in-person work to prioritise productivity, health, and safety. When rebuilding workplace premises after a pandemic with commercial architect designers, keep the following three factors in mind:

●    Use of Personal Workstations and Partition Screens

Using personal workstations and partition screens becomes crucial for maintaining physical separation and stopping the spread of germs. These screens serve as partitions between workers, establishing a secure and private work environment. Employers may protect their staff’s well-being while encouraging engagement and collaboration by using this strategy.

●    Establishing Collaborative Places to Promote Cooperation

As important as individual workstations are, it’s also critical to have areas that promote teamwork and communication. Designing collaborative spaces, including conference rooms, breakout sections, or open lounge areas, can promote idea generation, idea sharing, and efficient communication. These spaces can be created with adaptable furniture layouts to accommodate various group sizes and foster a sense of community among employees.

●    Technology Integration For Smooth Connectivity

The epidemic has sped up the adoption of digital communication and remote work solutions. In order to maintain constant contact and collaboration as we return to the office, incorporating technology becomes essential. It entails utilising cloud-based collaboration tools, video conferencing hardware, and interactive whiteboards.

Employees may easily connect with clients and remote team members in this way, which promotes productivity and effective communication. The well-being and productivity of an organisation’s workforce can be enhanced by prioritising these factors in designing a flexible, dynamic workspace with the best corporate interior designers.

How Can The Next Generation Improve Their Skills For The Future?

A person’s willingness to contribute a little “Extra” separates them from being ordinary from being remarkable, as the saying goes. You must be willing to invest additional time in acquiring new skills, accumulating information, gaining experience, and being exposed to other sectors and skill sets if you want to achieve outstanding success in your work.

While in college, one has a lot of free time, which can make the difference between someone who uses it to watch web series, go out to clubs, and waste money and someone who uses it to learn new things and improve themselves to get greater possibilities in the future and have a successful career.

And continuing to learn and improve your skills should never cease just because you have a job. To improve employment chances, develop a backup plan in case of an emergency, or generate an additional source of income for independence and financial security, one must work to develop a side hustle.

The Bottom Line

With new work trends, including hybrid models, technological advancements, and the introduction of automation into the workplace, the future of work after COVID-19 has undergone significant change. To succeed in one’s job, one must constantly look towards the future while putting a lot of effort into the here and now.

[like-wuatafauq]

Hey! Hope u are having a wonderful day!

ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

For me valentine is just another day, I never have somebody to celebrate with. So just another boring day.

Some ask to pass the time!

1. do you like being the center of attention or do you prefer to go unnoticed?

2. are you a talkative person?

3. what do you consider red flags in a relationship?

Hello! Thank you ahhh I like the cat cuz funny enough I actually just had my cats outside in the balcony area so that was nice for all of us:) got some sun in! And I would say "sorry to hear that" but some people are not into romance so I'm not gonna assume you want a partner or like romance so maybe it's nice for you🤔

1. I like it if it has to do with performing. I took an acting class for college and I really liked it and since the little bit of theatre I did in highschool I've gotten more confidence and had fun doing performances. So I like performing but I don't have to be like the complete center I could be part of a group and enjoy it just as much.

2. Yes if it's something I'm interested in

3. Oooof 🚩🚩🚩

talking to exes or anybody they were interested in

not communicating

trying to win an argument rather than stating your side and working it out

not putting the same care or effort

making you feel dramatic for just showing emotions

keeping secrets or big lies

lying about past sexual encounters or any previous stds

judging your partner for their interests,culture or sexual preference in bed, judging or pressuring partner for sex or during sex

making fun of appearances (teasing isn't included I'm talking about like backhanded comments about weight or things they can't or wouldn't want to change)

Being rude towards my or their pets, not caring about my things (for example ive had someone kick to the side one of my art[small might i add] boxes with my materials like I'm always very careful when i touch other ppls things cuz idk what it could mean to them)

not giving reassurance or guilt tripping for reassurance

immediately wanting to break up when obstacles appear

yelling and throwing things at partner there's a difference in for example: if I ever upset my partner and they need to yell it out [because anger is an emotion that usually needs to be physically let out] I would probably take them somewhere where it's just me and them and let them scream out what they need to scream which is completely different than automatically yelling and blaming,throwing things at me,and abusing me

wanting the relationship to look a certain way to please people there's a big big difference in having a private relationship and completely changing the relationship dynamic just to please someone like family,friends, coworkers especially if your partner is not ok with it

not getting to know your partner or not continuing to take them out on dates!!!

Having different political views Ik this seems like a "oh that's not so bad" but I'm talking about when it's fucking drastic like the political views they have could hinder their partners life

trying to change your partner or hinder their growth

giving them ultimatums about their passions and career like I feel there should be an agreement where it meets in the middle

purposefully trying to hurt them mentally, physically or emotionally etc (kinks don't count lol it has to be consensual of course)

if you were talking to someone else during the talking phase and then got into a relationship with me I'd be like??? Wtf if you wanna keep your options open that's a you thing but I wouldn't want to have someone be like okay ama settle here especially without the partner knowing they were talking to someone else

doing romantic gestures for someone who isn't your partner you may think it's no big deal to give your friend flowers etc. But if your partner states it makes them uncomfortable or they see it as cheating then listen to them, this goes hand in hand with not communicating or following through with what your partner would see as cheating

Trying to completely dismiss a past argument that wasn't talked about (there's a difference in clinging onto the past to guilt trip someone and bring back up a disagreement that your partner didn't feel they had closure in and need closure in order to move forward)

addictions especially if they cause you to harm your partner

outing your partner about something embarrassing if its an accident and you were just teasing its one thing but if they told you not to mention it and you do it again and again that's fucked up (this one kinda goes with the next one)

not owning up to toxic behaviors sometimes you may not know you were coming off a certain way but if they bring it up to you don't just be like "how was I manipulative etc" and completely dismiss how it made them feel

completely switching things up on a partner about future plans for example if you're unsure about kids don't stay with someone for a long time telling them you want kids then switch it up just be honest (so basically be honest about future plans so you can work through it)

[Sorry that was a lot but just be honest, and clear about the things you want and are comfortable with and don't try to make your partner feel bad ik you could eventually hurt your partners feelings cuz what may not affect you could affect them but like don't go seeking it especially if they let you know]

[mariacallous]

Students of Chinese elite politics have long been intrigued by the close ties between education and politics — between the destinations of students studying overseas and China’s changing political orientation and foreign relations. Two key aspects of this connection have often been analyzed. First, how can differences in the educational backgrounds of political leaders be attributed to internal tensions? For example, in the Mao era, and especially during the Cultural Revolution, violent social conflict and elite power struggles at least partially stemmed from the sharp contrasts in the educational attainment of China’s leaders.

And second, personal overseas educational experiences have had an enduring influence on many prominent future leaders. In contemporary China, the country’s political orientation has often been influenced by governing elites’ educational and political experiences abroad. As some scholars have observed, the early Nationalist government was “pro-Japanese,” largely because its ruling class was composed of many returnees from Japan. The foreign policy of the Nationalist government later shifted when  some returnees from the West, especially the United States, rose rapidly into leadership positions. As a result, the government became increasingly pro-American.

In present-day China, given that virtually all political and military leaders are college educated, potential internal tensions and external policy disputes among Chinese Party-state leaders may have more to do with differences in educational areas of study, professional backgrounds, whether they were educated at home or abroad, and the countries in which they studied. Differences within ruling elites are, of course, not necessarily a problem. They can contribute to the diversity of views and policies in decision making.

One interesting new phenomenon is that while China’s corps of civilian leaders has included a disproportionate number of Western-educated, and especially U.S.-educated, returnees (as shown in several previous articles in this series), an increasingly large number of military officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have been trained in Russia. 

The impact of Russia-educated Chinese leaders: An historical perspective

The history of contemporary China is also the history of the multifaceted exchanges between Chinese people and the outside world. Foreign-educated returnees have often played a crucial role in the political change, socioeconomic life, dissemination of foreign culture and ideology, and development of science and technology in China. Political leaders like Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Duxiu, Li Dazhao, Hu Shi, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Chiang Ching-kuo, Jiang Zemin, and Li Peng all studied and worked abroad early in their careers. They have played outsized roles in shaping the trajectory of contemporary China.

The early years of the Republican era (1912-1928) sent many students to study at St. Petersburg University and Artillery School in Russia. But most Chinese nationals who participated in the work-study program in France and the political study program in the Soviet Union during the first half of the last century were more engaged in political and ideological activities than in academic or military studies.

During their short existence, Sun Yat-sen University and the Communist University for Toilers of the East, both located in Moscow, trained some 800 Chinese “revolutionary comrades,” who later became the backbone of both Leninist parties in China (the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party). In fact, the multitude of Chinese nationals who studied in France and the Soviet Union during the early twentieth century facilitated the emergence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chinese Communist leaders Liu Shaoqi, Ren Bishi, Ye Jianying, Deng Xiaoping, Dong Biwu, Lin Boqu, Nie Rongzhen, and Ye Ting studied in the Soviet Union during that period.

Understandably, after the 1949 Communist Revolution in China, the Soviet Union became the main destination for Chinese students pursuing education abroad. Between 1949 and 1960, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sent 8,163 students to the Soviet Union, accounting for 88 percent of the total number of students sent abroad during that period. From 1950 to 1965, only about 250 (2 percent) of the total number of Chinese nationals who studied abroad went to nonsocialist countries, where they mainly studied foreign languages.

Most students studying in the Soviet countries majored in engineering and the natural sciences. Technocrats who had studied in the Soviet Union or Eastern European socialist countries in the 1950s dominated the “third generation” of PRC leaders in the reform era. Among their ranks were Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Luo Gan, Li Lanqing, and Wei Jianxing, all of whom later served on the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Large-scale educational exchanges between China and the Soviet Union ultimately ended in the early 1960s because of political and ideological disputes between the two countries. 

The distribution of foreign study by country among PRC students and 19th CC members

An overwhelming majority of participants in the Reform-era study abroad movement, initiated by Deng Xiaoping in 1979, went to Japan, Singapore, and especially the United States and other Western countries. Chart 1, based on a single year of statistics from 2014, shows the distribution of PRC students and scholars by destination country. The United States was home to the largest percentage (30 percent) of PRC citizens studying abroad, followed by the United Kingdom (21 percent), Australia (13 percent), and Canada (10 percent). These four English-speaking Western countries have hosted almost three-quarters of the total number of Chinese students and scholars pursuing foreign studies. Those who studied in Russia account for less than one percent and thus are included in the category of “others” (a total of 3 percent).

In the wake of growing tensions between China and U.S.-led allies in recent years, the Chinese government has made a concerted effort to send more students and scholars to destinations outside of the United States and NATO countries. In 2017, a total of 66,100 Chinese nationals studied in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, including Russia, which saw a 16 percent increase in Chinese students over the prior year. As the previous article in this series showed, the number of Chinese students studying in Russia has grown significantly over the past decade. It is expected that the number of students returning to China from Russia will increase in the near future.

Correspondently, Chart 2 presents the foreign countries and regions in which members of the 19th Central Committee (CC) studied. The United States ranks at the top (42.9 percent), followed the United Kingdom (8.3 percent) and Germany (8.3 percent), reaffirming the dominance of Western-educated returnees in the Party leadership. There are, however, six CC members (7.1 percent) who studied in Russia (most of whom are military officers). 

The growing number of PLA officers trained in Russia over the past decade

Compared with civilian universities and research institutions, China’s military academies and PLA forces were latecomers when it came to foreign education and training. According to an official Chinese source, the Central Military Commission (CMC) began sending officers for overseas training in the mid-1990s. Between 1996 and 2017, China sent more than 1,600 military students to more than 70 universities, miliary academies, and research institutions in 29 countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The first batch of 42 PLA officers attended nine Russian military academies in 1996. An article in the PLA Daily stated that “due to historical, political, geographical, and other reasons, Russia accounted for the majority of PLA officers trained abroad.”

PLA officers who study in Russia usually participate in one of three types of military training. The first is practical training for weapon and equipment operation. Over the years, China has imported a significant amount of battle equipment from Russia, including S-300 air defense missiles, Sukhoi Su-27 and Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, “Kilo-class” submarines, and Hyundai guided missile destroyers. PLA officers were sent to Russia for operational training on these vehicles and military equipment.

The second type is the intermediate training program, which is carried out by various military institutions such as the Russian Army Synthetic Military Academy, the Gagarin Air Force Academy, and the Russian Military Academy of Logistical Support. This intermediate program would include one group of 40-50 PLA participants each year, with the program lasting 2-3 years. Regiment-level officers (tuanji) are the targeted participants for this program.

The third type is an advanced training program, which is run by the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This one-year program included 12-20 spots each year in the late 1990s. After 2000, the program was shortened to five months, with two groups of 5-7 participants each year. Chinese participants in this program are all division-level (shiji) officers in their late 30s (around 38-40 years old). They mainly take courses on military strategy and operations. Some other PLA officers have also attended advanced programs at other academies such as the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, Russian Naval Academy of Radio-Electronics, Kuznetsov Naval Academy, and Frunze Military Academy.

Hao Zhihui, a PLA colonel and researcher at the National Security Strategy Research Office, published a book in 2018 entitled “My Studies at the Frunze Military Academy,” documenting his three-year (1996-1999) study experience in Russia along with 11 fellow Chinese officers. This popular book provides substantial discussion of the military tradition, sociopolitical transformation, strategic thinking, and national character of the Russians, or what Hao characterizes as the mysterious “fighting nation” (zhandou minzu), as well as Chinese-Russian relations.

The Chinese authorities have claimed that among the PLA officers who have completed their foreign studies and returned to China, more than 1,000 have been promoted. Among them, more than 50 have taken up leadership positions above the army-level (junji), and more than 400 have taken up leadership positions above the division-level. The source did not specify the country where most of these officers who were later promoted had studied, but one can reasonably assume that many attended the aforementioned programs in Russia. 

High-ranking Russian-educated PLA leaders to watch 

Table 1 includes 15 Russian-educated PLA senior officers on the eve of the 20th Party Congress. Most of these officers (13 of 15) studied in Russia for two years and most attended degree programs at top military academies in the country. The other two officers studied in Russia for one year and three years, respectively.

Four of these PLA officers hold the military rank of general, six are lieutenant generals or vice admirals, and the other five are major generals or rear admirals. Five of them currently serve on the 19th CC, including two full members, Commissar of National Defense University Zheng He (1958) and Secretary General of the National Defense Mobilization Committee Sheng Bin (1958); and three alternate members, Air Force Commander Chang Dingqiu (1967), Commander of the Armed Police Force Wang Chunning (1963), and Director of the National Defense Mobilization Department Liu Faqing (1964). Four of these high-ranking officers –– Zheng, Chang, Wang, and Liu –– will most likely serve as full members of the 20th CC this October while Sheng is expected to retire.

Commander of Eastern Theater Operations Lin Xiangyang (1964) and Air Force Chief of Staff Yu Qingjiang (1963) are two rising stars in the Chinese military leadership. They will both likely enter the 20th CC as first-timers (Lin as a full member and Yu as an alternate member). Yu Qingjiang, for example, is a pilot by training who graduated from an Air Force flight academy and then studied at the PLA Air Force Political Academy, the Russian Air Force Military Academy, and the PLA Air Force Engineering University. He served as commander of the 30th Division of the Air Force of the Shenyang Military Region. In 2007, he was promoted to serve as commander of the Air Force Dalian Command. Two years later, he was transferred to serve as deputy chief of staff of the Jinan Military Region Air Force. In 2013, he was promoted to be chief of staff of the Jinan Military Region Air Force. In 2015, he was appointed as president of the Air Force Command College. In 2017, he was promoted to be Air Force chief of staff. Noticeably, two key officers in PLA Air Force operations, Commander Chang Dingqiu and Chief of Staff Yu Qingjiang, both studied in Russia.

Several officers listed in Table 1 may not be able to enter the 20th CC. Some will retire because of their age in the coming years while some others will still have a chance at further promotion. For the latter, Western Theater Operations Deputy Commander Qiao Xiangji (1963), Armed Police Force Deputy Commander Zheng Jiagai (1962), Naval Northern Theater Operations Deputy Commander Bai Yaoping (1962), and CMC Training Management Department Deputy Director Li Hanjun (1965) can play important roles in the near future.

Naval Aviation Southern Theater Deputy Commander Dai Mingmeng (1971) is another rising star in the PLA leadership. He joined the PLA in 1990 and is trained as a navy pilot. In 2003, Dai was chosen to be among the first cohort of pilots to study carrier-based aircraft flying in Russia. Dai has also been known as the first person to both land on and take off from the Liaoning aircraft carrier with the J-15. Dai served as commander of the PLA Navy’s carrier-based aviation unit and commander of the Carrier-based Aircraft Comprehensive Test and Training Base before assuming his current position. Dai is a delegate to the 20th Party Congress, representing his 7G PLA cohort.

It should be noted that the number of high-ranking Russian-educated PLA officers listed in Table 1 is by no means complete. A review of the official bios of China’s senior military elites shows that many of them do not provide their educational background. One can reasonably assume that some have undertaken training overseas, including studies in Russia. In 2002, then Russia Defense Minister Sergey B. Ivanov told the Chinese media that over the previous decade (1991-2002), Russia had trained over 2,000 Chinese officers, and about 200 Chinese officers were studying at the Russian military academies at the time.

According to a Chinese official source, in the decade prior to 2017, more than 2,000 military officers studied in foreign countries. Even more astonishingly, one Chinese official source reported in 2007 that 10 percent of army-level officers in PLA combat troops had studied abroad. It is difficult to verify the accuracy of these sources. Even if true, certainly not all these officers studied in Russia.

In 2008, it was reported that some PLA officers attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the most prestigious military academy in the United Kingdom. Navy Rear Admiral Zhang Zheng (1969), the first captain of China’s first aircraft carrier Liaoning and now commander of PLA Navy Unit 91910, which oversees China’s first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier, Shandong, was educated in the UK. From July 2001 to August 2003, Zhang studied at the Defense Academy of the United Kingdom and the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

Nevertheless, at a time when the relationship between China and U.S.-led NATO countries has rapidly deteriorated, one can expect that China-Russia military ties will likely become even stronger. Chinese participation in “Vostok 2018,” the military exercises in Russia’s Far East, and more recently in “Vostok 2022,”, reflects this trend. This development makes the examination of the status of Russian-educated military elites –– as well as civilian leaders –– in the Chinese leadership critically important.