#fighting for a better world

[alpaca-clouds]

Leftist Defeatism

Something that really, really annoys me about the left is... the defeatism. And not just in the sense of "we have no chance to win this" kind of way, but also in the "so what use is it having plans, if we won" kind of way.

I think nothing shows this more than the reaction to Solarpunk as a genre (not the aesthetic) being: "This is not punk! Because the characters are not punk." And no matter how much you explain the idea of the Solarpunk world, they will remain on the outlook that punk is indeed "being against the system", rather than "being for certain things". So, to them, a world where the characters align with their surroundings, cannot have punk storytelling.

But... this kinda outlook is in a lot of leftist thought. With the left defining themselves around "fighting the current system" rather than "building a new one". Once again: Don't get me wrong. Yes, we do need to first fight the current system, because capitalism needs to end and all that. But... We should also have a plan for what we do when we have won.

And yes, I am a hopeful individual. I think that we will win. Back in the very old days Abigail from Philosophy Tube put it very nice: Other than right wing politics, the left can win. Because while right wing politics always build towards having others to exclude - until nobody is left to exclude (you know, first they came for the communists and so on)... So they cannot go on forever. Meanwhile left wing politics build towards making people equal and there being a very definite endgame of "everyone is equal and now all is good".

I also need to have faith in this, because the current alternative is: "We will all die." We will not save the world from climate change under capitalism. Because the incentives of capitalism and climate protection do not align.

And that is why I think about what would need to happen afterwards. After we win.

One example of where this defeatism and contrarianism shows is with the entire economy thing. A lot of leftist folks are "against capitalism", but not really for an alternative system, because they still think that communism is bad.

Another example, though, is also this thing about "We don't talk to Nazis, we punch Nazis", that often misses the point of where this originally came from. (The point originally was, that we do not want to give Nazis a plattform - but that does not mean that you as a person cannot talk to them.) Because... So, there is just the problem that we have in most western countries about 8-12% who in some regards align with a lot of nazi believes, and often a further 10-20% absolutely willing to vote for far-right parties. And... I am very much not for the "let's put'em all against the wall and shoot" solution, and not for the "put'em all in prison" solution. So... talking to them is kinda necessary at some point. Doubly so, because ideally we should strive to not end up with the revolution after another nazi takeover, you know? So, ideally we should try and convince people before that happens. And... yeah, well, to convince someone you gotta talk to them.

And there is just a lot of this going around. Just this idea that the entire purpose of the left is just to fight everyone else and the system, rather than also thinking about what we should build towards. How the world could look if we won.

Again: Yes, you absolutely should fight. In fact, you should fight probably more than you, dear reader, currently do. But... we also should work towards a future - not only against the system.

[crudelise]

how are we living in this broken world? how is it I am still not getting equal pay? how is it I am condemned for fighting, condemned for being a feminist but also condemned for giving up? how is it we are still deforesting and destroying god's creation with the excuse of living a good life? of being happy? how is it everyone is still trying desperatly to fill that hole, finding a destiny, being happy? how is it I am still not able / supposed to go places alone? how is it I can desperatly try to fix my relationships but honestly they would need therapy too? how is it I am delusional for fighting for a better world and depressed for giving up? what AM I supposed to do?

~it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah~

[matcheadz]

A better future is possible if we have the courage to pave the roads to it. Also libraries are punk as fuck, pass it on.

[frootertooter]

We do not choose our parents, or the circumstance into which we are born -> late night Hollow Knight sibling sketches

[ankahikoibaat]

Star Wars was and has always been meant to be hopepunk and good vs evil at its base, not grimdark and 'morally grey' and 'subversive', and this is a hill i will die on

[futuristichedge]

The most well adjusted apocalypse survivor

[turtleblogatlast]

I love Raph and haven’t said that enough so to be more specific I love that Raph is a soft boy who loves bear plushies, a gross boy who eats an assortment of things that are definitely better left alone, a smart boy who is more than capable of taking down villains through planning and fortitude alike, a strong boy who is dedicated to training his muscles and fighting prowess, a teenage boy who loves his brothers but is more than happy to tease and roughhouse with them, an angry boy who sometimes lets his anger take a hold of him to cover the fear, a gentle boy who is generous with hugs and affirmations to those he loves, a capable boy who takes on more than should ever be expected of a teenager, a good boy who just wants to be a hero and slowly comes to realize the cost of that duty, a good boy who has no reservations about putting himself in the way of harm coming to his family, a good boy who’s a great brother and son and person and deserves only the best the world has to offer.

[cubbihue]

so pixies regularly try to take over fairyworld is timmy on the pixie side?

At first, Timmy was adamantly against the Pixies. He'd tell Jorgen every time he got a notice of their plans to take over Fairyworld, and work to stop it! But it gets a bit harder to resist against your own court the longer you hang out with them.

In the present time, Timmy schedules to be out of FairyWorld during their takeovers. He doesn't try to stop them, but also refuses to be anywhere near when it happens.

He... doesn't like how he's slowly starting to cheer for them. Or how their arguments are becoming more convincing. Or how he's struggling to recall why he was so against them to begin with.

There will come a point where he becomes an active participant. Timmy worries that it's coming sooner than he'd like.

Bitties Series: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

[nessteadart]

so i played some rainworld today

[slymanner]

God dude these two scenes and how roxie moves hurt my heart so so bad 🥹

it's like a mix of anger, feral, emotional breakdown, and complete sadness that just fucks me up soooo fucking bad.

it's like she's a pet who got abandoned by their owner but they see them again after years of sadness and depression of them being gone and leaving them like that and all that anger and sadness just manifest's into one bundle of emotion's towards them they cannot control.

roxie baby ur gonna be okay u deserve better :[

[puppetmaster13u]

Prompt 174

Despite what people complain and snark about, Bruce does in fact have contingency plans for pretty much everything. And while he doesn’t have an exact contingency for Jason apparently accidentally kidnapping the apparently prince of the Realms- some infinite space where the dead resided according to Zatanna and Constantine, he’ll have an existential crisis about it later thanks- he did have one for his kids accidentally kidnapping someone. 

He just doesn’t think that exact plan will work in this case, seeing as that plan had to do with civilians and not very large kings that could obliterate the entire world with a hand wave, nevermind the fact that they have so many armies. Not to mention what is apparently both the king’s second-in-command and brother. 

Well, if none of his usual contingencies won’t work and Constantine’s attempts at making a deal isn’t working, nor is the other’s attempts to talk the two down, then it’s plan Z time. Seduction it is. 

[ofswordsandpens]

Riordan: And the grand lesson that Percy needed to learn over the course of hoo, the culmination of his character arc of this series, the moment where the fate of the world hangs in the balance because of a single decision he has to make... is realizing when he needs to take a step back :)

Me:

[emblazons]

"that's what heroes do. they save people."

Cloud Strife & Tifa Lockheart in Final Fantasy VII (Remake)

[halorvic]

The danger is clear and present: COVID isn’t merely a respiratory illness; it’s a multi-dimensional threat impacting brain function, attacking almost all of the body’s organs, producing elevated risks of all kinds, and weakening our ability to fight off other diseases. Reinfections are thought to produce cumulative risks, and Long COVID is on the rise. Unfortunately, Long COVID is now being considered a long-term chronic illness — something many people will never fully recover from. Dr. Phillip Alvelda, a former program manager in DARPA’s Biological Technologies Office that pioneered the synthetic biology industry and the development of mRNA vaccine technology, is the founder of Medio Labs, a COVID diagnostic testing company. He has stepped forward as a strong critic of government COVID management, accusing health agencies of inadequacy and even deception. Alvelda is pushing for accountability and immediate action to tackle Long COVID and fend off future pandemics with stronger public health strategies. Contrary to public belief, he warns, COVID is not like the flu. New variants evolve much faster, making annual shots inadequate. He believes that if things continue as they are, with new COVID variants emerging and reinfections happening rapidly, the majority of Americans may eventually grapple with some form of Long COVID. Let’s repeat that: At the current rate of infection, most Americans may get Long COVID.

[...]

LP: A recent JAMA study found that US adults with Long COVID are more prone to depression and anxiety – and they’re struggling to afford treatment. Given the virus’s impact on the brain, I guess the link to mental health issues isn’t surprising. PA: There are all kinds of weird things going on that could be related to COVID’s cognitive effects. I’ll give you an example. We’ve noticed since the start of the pandemic that accidents are increasing. A report published by TRIP, a transportation research nonprofit, found that traffic fatalities in California increased by 22% from 2019 to 2022. They also found the likelihood of being killed in a traffic crash increased by 28% over that period. Other data, like studies from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, came to similar conclusions, reporting that traffic fatalities hit a 16-year high across the country in 2021. The TRIP report also looked at traffic fatalities on a national level and found that traffic fatalities increased by 19%. LP: What role might COVID play? PA: Research points to the various ways COVID attacks the brain. Some people who have been infected have suffered motor control damage, and that could be a factor in car crashes. News is beginning to emerge about other ways COVID impacts driving. For example, in Ireland, a driver’s COVID-related brain fog was linked to a crash that killed an elderly couple. Damage from COVID could be affecting people who are flying our planes, too. We’ve had pilots that had to quit because they couldn’t control the airplanes anymore. We know that medical events among U.S. military pilots were shown to have risen over 1,700% from 2019 to 2022, which the Pentagon attributes to the virus.

[...]

LP: You’ve criticized the track record of the CDC and the WHO – particularly their stubborn denial that COVID is airborne. PA: They knew the dangers of airborne transmission but refused to admit it for too long. They were warned repeatedly by scientists who studied aerosols. They instituted protections for themselves and for their kids against airborne transmission, but they didn’t tell the rest of us to do that.

[...]

LP: How would you grade Biden on how he’s handled the pandemic? PA: I’d give him an F. In some ways, he fails worse than Trump because more people have actually died from COVID on his watch than on Trump’s, though blame has to be shared with Republican governors and legislators who picked ideological fights opposing things like responsible masking, testing, vaccination, and ventilation improvements for partisan reasons. Biden’s administration has continued to promote the false idea that the vaccine is all that is needed, perpetuating the notion that the pandemic is over and you don’t need to do anything about it. Biden stopped the funding for surveillance and he stopped the funding for renewing vaccine advancement research. Trump allowed 400,000 people to die unnecessarily. The Biden administration policies have allowed more than 800,000 to 900,000 and counting.

[...]

LP: The situation with bird flu is certainly getting more concerning with the CDC confirming that a third person in the U.S. has tested positive after being exposed to infected cows. PA: Unfortunately, we’re repeating many of the same mistakes because we now know that the bird flu has made the jump to several species. The most important one now, of course, is the dairy cows. The dairy farmers have been refusing to let the government come in and inspect and test the cows. A team from Ohio State tested milk from a supermarket and found that 50% of the milk they tested was positive for bird flu viral particles.

[...]

PA: There’s a serious risk now in allowing the virus to freely evolve within the cow population. Each cow acts as a breeding ground for countless genetic mutations, potentially leading to strains capable of jumping to other species. If any of those countless genetic experiments within each cow prove successful in developing a strain transmissible to humans, we could face another pandemic – only this one could have a 58% death rate. Did you see the movie “Contagion?” It was remarkably accurate in its apocalyptic nature. And that virus only had a 20% death rate. If the bird flu makes the jump to human-to-human transition with even half of its current lethality, that would be disastrous.

[duncanor]

Million Knives is for the marginalized who felt like the whole world was against them and their only option for survival was to march on and bite back.

Which sound based until you realize you're biting everyone, including friends, family and yourself. It's not even survival anymore, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom.

You're not even an ally to your own nor to yourself, just a sick and lonely creature.

[eloquentsisyphianturmoil]

on a scale of one to spontaneous combustion, how pissed off would you be if your rightful property was

Stolen

Stolen

Claimed by another

Stolen

Stolen

Passed down as an heirloom

Wilfully kept from you

Passed down as an heirloom

Wilfully kept from you

Actively removed from your vicinity

Used as collateral in an underrepresented diplomatic negotiation

Sent to space.