#i should get the right to shout at the entirety of america. as a treat.

[atlantis-just-drowned]

It's getting really fucking hard to have sympathy for Americans.

I do have a few American friends who are deeply upset with what's happening in their own country, and I'm really trying to keep supporting them and bring them comfort.

But it's hard to have any sort of kindness to spare for a country that doomed itself and made sure to bring down the entire world along with it.

The majority of America voted for a man that is very obviously a rotten prick, to the point where he was considered more of a fucking clown than a politician. And he wasn't even trying to hide it!! They just all chose to stay blind and ignore the very fucking big problem displayed right in front of their eyes!!

Because America is cultivating the most disgusting kind of mock of a culture, based on ignorance, denial and stupidity, the whole thing sealed with a good lethal dose of decomplexed colonialism.

If only the impact of their own dumb decisions stopped at their frontier, the rest of the world wouldn't be holding its breath waiting to be fucked over and bent backwards, but of course, America had to make itself the most influent and dominating power by spending years manipulating, repressing, taxing, claiming ressources, and spreading lies in every single other country, while proving itself to be incapable of being trusted with impactful decisions.

And when said countries tried to warn your stupid American asses that it was going to end up badly, for all of us? No one even fucking listened!! You all kept looking at your own feet while running straight into a fucking wall that everyone warned you was there.

All of motherfucking Europe currently has to watch your dumbass country repeat our history that you were supposed to learn about and not repeat, and we all know, you included, that you're going to fall to your own doom. But somehow you also had to make it our problem by being an absolute asshole of a capitalistic machine.

And we're supposed to stay open-minded! To think about the oppressed people in your country and how to set them free without making them abandon their country, like it's our business, like we're not all convinced that your country is an absolute disgrace to mankind and that anyone with common sense would rather throw up than set a foot in there!

So yeah, I'm angry, and this is unfair, but what about the countless nazi parties, terrorists and general troublemakers that your country has financed all over the world to disrupt peace in hope of claiming more territories and control and power? Yeah, this is not fair either. So I think I deserve to throw a tantrum, for once, instead of crying for your helpless scatterbrained idiotic asses in silence.

Everything about the USA is wrong on so many levels that I'll give myself a headache before I can name every single thing I hate about this country.

All I will say is that I'm trying - we're all trying - to be nice, and empathetic, and patient, and understanding. But it isn't easy. It keeps getting harder, in fact, because no matter how indulgent and gentle we are with your mistakes and fuck ups, you somehow seem to always find a way to do worse the next time, and we're starting to lose hope on the fact that you'll one day wake up and stop this madness.

[americangirlstar]

Now that both Courtney books are out and I’ve read and processed them both, I do want to say that I think they’re the least well-written of any of the AG books, but not through any fault of their own- let me explain.

(Note that for this discussion I’m ignoring the Doylist criticisms- Courtney and 3/4 of her friend group being white again, the lack of gay discussion in-text in regards to the HIV crisis, etc. These are valid complaints and concerns, but not what we’re talking about right now.)

The Problem with the Current Book Length

I think the main problem with Courtney stems from the fact her books are so short. American Girl has literally been doing the stupidest things in regards to their books lately, almost as if they’re trying to sabotage them on purpose. First they remove illustrations in 2015- when their target audience is about nine years old. I don’t know about you, but when I was six and getting into American Girl, the illustrations were the highlight for me. Not because I had no attention span and loved pretty pictures, but because it showed me firstly what the girl’s life was like, whether it be 1760s wilderness or 2001 Chicago. It was like stepping into their world, really helping you get into their heads, which was basically what the dolls were supposed to do, to let you know that girls like you exist throughout time and space.

As well as that, the illustrations were free advertisement. I can’t tell you how excited me and my sisters were as children to go to the American Girl place and look at the doll displays, shouting that that’s the dress Felicity wears to the ball! or look, Josefina’s goat looks exactly like the book! AG cut that from 2015 to 2020, as if they were trying to appeal to an older audience- while at the same time changing all the doll outfits, accessories and marketing to appeal to a younger demographic.

Now, this isn’t about the illustrations, as Courtney got those- it’s about what they did to the historical characters after the Illustration Outrage™ happened. See, they’d condensed the historical six-book format into two books- not necessarily a bad idea, parents would be more likely to buy two books for their kid than consider buying six. However, they then claimed that if they put illustrations back, they would have to abridge the books- literally my nightmare.

First of all, American Girl, we know for a fact you can fit all six books plus illustrations into ONE VOLUME, let alone two. You’re just being cowards here and trying to nerf your own stories for... some reason.

So that meant a lot of important things got cut- Rebecca’s Chanukah story, Melody’s cousin’s house search, Maryellen’s Christmas adventure... all things important to the girls’ histories and character.

The Problem with Courtney’s Writing

Now, Courtney was the first doll to be released after the abridging began, meaning her books were released, in their entirety, just as short as the abridged stories. So it basically means she gets four books while the others get six- and unlike the others, Courtney doesn’t even have mysteries or short stories to pad out. (And honestly, looking at her book’s amount of content, I’d even argue that she basically got two while everyone else got six, but I digress.)

The problem with her books isn’t that they have an author writing them poorly (I really feel like her author was doing the best with what limited time she had), but in how cramped American Girl made them. Because, well, Courtney has to deal with a lot in such a short amount of words.

Let’s compare her to Julie, for instance- Julie pretty much has a new 70s thing every book. In order: feminism, rising divorce rates, San Francisco’s Chinese culture, environmentalism, the country’s bicentennial, anti-bullying and deaf acceptance. And adding to this, we also have her own personal journies through her parents’ divorce and move, her basketball team, her friendship with Ivy (and later Joy), overcoming her fear of horses, student council, detention... It’s a lot, and yet her books don’t feel rushed or forced at all. It’s just a year in the life of a girl going through a lot of new and sudden events, and how she grows and changes throughout them. She may not be as deep a character as Addy or Kirsten, but not every girl goes through the trials and tribulations they do, and it’s a good series overall.

Courtney, meanwhile, does feel rushed and forced, because of the short timespan. Instead of fitting everything into a six-book format- or even at two-book format that is the same length and content as the six-book- everything has to be fit into two short books.   Everything Courtney has to cover includes the topics of divorce and stepfamilies, feminist and technological advancement, the Challenger explosion, the HIV crisis, Hands Across America, and the founding of Pleasant Company. And in Courtney’s own journey, she has to cover her learning to stand up for herself, her relationship with her stepsister and Tina’s own character development, her mother running for mayor and how that affects her, how much she misses her Dad after he moves, her friendship with Sarah (note on that later), her basically getting hate-crimed after standing up for her friend... that’s a LOT of stuff, and I didn’t even include the non-AG 80s product placement they shove into her collection.

But without the longer format, everything is pushed together to its detriment. Tina’s development and Maureen’s mayoral candidacy are two plotlines that are literally dropped and almost completely ignored in the second book. The Challenger and HIV issues were handled decently, but the Challenger only lasted a few short chapters, and the HIV topic was not as informative as it could be, leaving out several things like Reagan’s refusal to treat it for so long, and its effect on the gay community. Honestly, the HIV scare was more shifted to focus on the mob mentality of a new and scary disease- which, while needed right now, also ignores many of the bigotry-related reasons it became an epidemic. Pleasant Company’s inclusion feels forced in, and I think was the only resolution she had to her Dad plotline?

And don’t get me started on the Sarah plotline- every Girl of the Year since Kanani- sans Isabelle and Luci- has had the story of “oh no I’ve been ignoring my friend and now they’re mad at me :(” and it’s SO old. Seriously, I counted the contemporary dolls that have had that storyline, and it’s thirteen*. Thirteen times we’ve covered this issue- almost all of it in quick succession- and now we have to deal with it in a historical character book while much more important things are going on! Yes, it sucks when a friend ditches you while you’re being attacked and bullied for something you’re standing up for, but once again, with how much is happening in such a short book, it just feels like a forced-in plotline that we’ve seen a billion times, and with their falling-out happening mainly due to the attention Courtney was given Isaac, it serves to make Sarah seem closed-minded at best and bigoted at worst- it’s clarified that she’s not, she’s just scared and upset with Courtney, but when you put those events so close together, it leads the reader to lump them together and get the impression that, you know, Sarah is a worse person than she is.

*Full count: Nicki (book 2), Chrissa (book 2), Kanani (2), McKenna (1 iirc?), Saige (both books), Grace (2), Lea (3), Gabriela (1 and 3), Tenney (2), Z (1), Blaire (1), Joss (1) and Kira (1).

It’s a bit weird, too, that Courtney’s... what’s the word? Vibe? with her how her story is written and marketed Is closer to the Contemporaries than the Historicals. Am I the only one feeling this? My best explanation for it is that the author, Kellen Hertz, had only written contemporary books for American Girl before- the third Lea Clark book and all four Tenney Grant books, both of which contained the Friendship Issues™ plot. I’m not at all saying she’s a bad author- I honestly love the way the Tenney books are written- and I’m not saying she couldn’t write a historical book, but it’s clear American Girl didn’t ask her to change up her style or content from what she’d done for them before, as well as giving her way too much to cover in such short books.

Conclusion

Honestly, this conclusion should be obvious- American Girl needs to expand their books again. Whether they simply allow the books to be unabridged, or go back to the six-book format, Courtney's books are too cramped to tell an effective story, let alone the poor abridged girls.

The other girls were given six-book length, so if they went back to that length or format, Courtney would have to be rewritten, at least a little- and that’s okay! There’s a lot of things that could use expansion or connection, such as her Summer trip with her Dad that was given basically one sentence in the text. Her growth with her stepfamily could be acknowledged- and honestly? I think that if these books were expanded, her mother’s mayoral arc should either continue through the books, or Maureen should become mayor before the book 2 arc. I’ve mentioned this before, but having Maureen as mayor (or even still a candidate) would put a lot of pressure on Courtney to be perfect so that nobody can say “look at how awful this woman is for doing politics instead of raising her family right”- which means that when the Isaac stuff happens, it has even more stakes for Courtney and her family. Does her Mom still support her with her own reputation on the line, and what does that say about Maureen’s character, how does it affect Courtney and the D’Amicos... that’s all fascinating stuff that was completely missed out on.

And if she was turned into a six-book format- honestly, here’s how I’d do it, just off the top of my head. It would involve a bit of event shuffling, but honestly I think it would work!

Meet Courtney - pretty much the setup for everything happening, her starting to get her Crystal Starshooter plans and her mom’s campaign beginning.

Courtney Learns a Lesson - her relationship to Tina, culminating in the Challenger incident.

Courtney’s Surprise - we move the founding of Pleasant Company over here, since Molly’s basically her Christmas Present. We’ll probably need an additional plotline- maybe similar to Julie, she can have a story on spending the holidays in different places.

Happy Birthday Courtney - end of summer, aka meeting Isaac and her trip with her Dad.

Courtney Saves the Day - Beginning of the HIV arc, ending at her presentation to her class.

Changes for Courtney - Continuation of the HIV arc as things get worse for her and Isaac, ending where Friendship Superhero ends.

Is that a perfect sorting? Probably not, I came up with it in ten minutes. But would it give Courtney space to breathe and more time to explore everything happening to her? Probably!

The tl;dr of this is honestly that American Girl are absolute cowards right now, and need to expand their books back. Their abridging is only harming their stories- which, as Courtney herself points out, are the reason girls got into their company in the first place.

[harryimaginestuff]

All These Years

a/n: just a lil something I wrote when I got bored today

Inspired by Camila Cabello’s ‘All These Years’

Word count: 1967 

Genre: Angst

UNEDITED 

The one where your love for Harry never went away.

    Prior to Harry’s success in One Direction, there were three constants in his life; his mum, his sister, and you.

    Seeing as both of your parents were close friends, you and Harry had the luxury of growing up together side by side, essentially from straight out of the womb until when the two of you were 16 and Harry auditioned for the X Factor.

    Over time your friendship with Harry became strained, him becoming busy with his steady rise to fame and you with your continuing studies. Although, you never fully drifted apart, seeing as you were a shoulder for him to cry on backstage when he thought he didn’t make it solo, only to find out he made it as a group, and you were there to celebrate when his band came third place.

    You struggled to recall a time where you weren’t there for him in all his milestones in his life. After all, how could you not be there at his every beck and call since you had been in love with him for forever, a fact that was obviously unknown to him.

    You honestly could not remember when something inside of you switched, when you no longer saw Harry as your dorky best friend, but instead as a boy that you saw yourself spending your life with.

    Perhaps it was when he had let you ride his bike when you had accidently popped the tire of yours, or maybe even when he had cried into your shoulder after his long time crush had turned down his date and you realised that he deserved so much better. Perhaps even you had been completely overrun with jealousy when he had taken another girl to your school prom, despite promising that it was you he would be taking.

    Either way you knew for certain that you were in love with him the first time his lips touched yours.

//

    “Harry!” you had shouted happily, running up to your best friend and throwing yourself into his awaiting arms.

     It had been over three months since you had last seen him and to say you had missed him with an understatement. He was bust touring the world on his first ever world tour to which you were immensely proud of. After being in America for almost three months, he had very little time to talk to you during that time, only having a few skype calls every so often and the occasional text message here and there.

     You were worried that after three months of barely talking to each other there would be a riff in your friendship, but as soon as you had swung open your front door to an ecstatic Harry, your uncertainties had completely escaped your mind.

    “There’s m’Y/N!” he had said swinging you around in his arms, before placing you back on the ground, however never loosened his grip around your waist.

     “Look what I bought,” you had smiled, dragging him by the hand into the kitchen, showing him the bottle of alcohol you had bought for the two of you in the morning, “Since you’re not legal in America, I thought we could celebrate the end of a successful tour tonight.”

    “Knew there was a reason why I kept you ‘round.”

    Almost two hours later you found yourself lying in bed besides Harry pissed beyond belief, the empty bottle of alcohol discarded and forgotten on the floor as you reminisced with your best friend.

    “Remember when Sarah rejected me?” Harry laughed, “I was so embarrassed, I bought her roses and I made you help me pick out some jewellery from Claire’s, remember?”

    “Course I do, remember everything.” You said cuddling further into his side.

     A moment of silence passed as Harry rested his head on top of yours, “You’ve always been there for me.”

    “And I always will be, that’s what best friends are for.” You mumbled, meaning every word sans thebest friend bit.

     “Am I always there for you though?” He asked, causing you to turn to him with a frown.

    “What are you on about Harry?” It was probably the alcohol that messing with his mind as he tilted your head up with the hand that wasn’t tucked around your body.

    “Dunno, m’just feel like I’m not always there when I should be. I’ve been busy for basically the last year and we barely got to speak, s’just I’m worried I’ve been a bad friend.” Harry’s drunken confession stumbled past his lips and marched into your heart.

    “You’re stupid.” You replied bluntly as Harry looked at you with an offended expression. “Not in that way, just because you’re stupid to not see that you’re the most amazing person in my life I’m constantly blown away by you and your achievements and everything. I completely understand that you were busy, I mean sure I would have really liked it if you were able to talk with me more, but what can we do now? What’s done is done and I don’t love you any less.”

    As soon as you closed your mouth Harry’s lips chased yours causing you to go still in shock at his actions. His lips moving softly against yours almost begging for you to react until you finally did, hesitantly kissing him back.

    The taste of the alcohol from his tongue reminded you of his intoxicated state, but perhaps his actions was a reflection of his feelings rather than an impulsive decision at the hands of an alcoholic beverage and god did you hope that it was not the latter.

Just as things began to get heated, Harry pulled away a small giggle leaving his lips, “Whoops don’t know why I did that, y/n. We’re so fucked, we’re definitely gonna forget that tomorrow.”

     Although it was clear that the kiss was swiped from his memory the morning after, seeing as he had not issue in treating you the exact same, the memory of his lips against yours still clung to your mind, even seven years later.

    Sadly, the week following your kiss was one of the last times that you would both see and hear from him in a while with you being unable to deal with your unrequited love and growing school work, and him busy with his upcoming music career which skyrocketed soon after, the two of you ‘too busy’ to spend time with the other.

//

    Looking back on your history with Harry, you knew bumping into him would be inevitable, however you never thought it would be like this.

    Standing across the other side of the shop was Harry, the same Harry who you had practically spent the entirety of your childhood with.

    He looked different now, obviously older, seeing as it was practically seven years since the last time you had seen him in person.

    His hair was slightly longer than it was about a month ago, something you knew from keeping tabs on him, obsessively searching his name into any search bar and scrolling through the millions of images that came up.

    His arms looked stronger now, bigger than before, you weren’t surprised seeing as he did make quite the scrawny teen. However, you were sure that they would feel the exact same if they were to wrap around your body and hold you tight. They would still have the same effect on you, still make your heart beat a little faster and still make you weak at the knees.

     His eyes never changed, they still squinted slightly as he smiled, and they still made you stomach do flips, even if his gaze wasn’t trained on you.

    How could he still have such a huge effect on you even now, seven years later?

    You continued to stare at him as you watched as he smiled softly at the person in front of you causing an overwhelming amount of jealous and sadness to consume your body.

    That was the same smile he used to use on you, only this time it was softer and gentle as he laughed breathily at what the girl said in front of him.

    Although you struggled to recall her name, you knew exactly who she was, how could you not when every time you looked up his name an article about his new rumoured girlfriend popped up to accompany the images you went through.

    From what you had read he had met the girl over two years ago through his mates in America, she was some kind of model and was essentially everything that you were not. There were even rumours swirling around that multiple songs on his upcoming album were inspired by her.

    You were happy for him obviously, from your occasional catch-ups with his mother, Anne, you knew he was having trouble with his love life since it was always so out in the open for the public eye to rip apart. Then if had brought her to the UK, to his hometown, she must have meant something special to him, why would he have brought her here other than to meet his family.

    You couldn’t help but think that that could’ve been you, that could’ve been you who he was teasing, that could have been your shoulder he was swinging his arm around. You could’ve been that girl for him. ‘I should’ve told you’ you thought, godwhy didn’t you tell him.

    You watched as the both of turned around facing the exit which just so happened to be in your direction. Scrambling away, you quickly busied yourself with fiddling with the hanging clothes in front of you feigning interest in a shitty attempt at blending in to avoid Harry’s gaze.

     “Y/N?” a voice sounded beside you causing you to freeze suddenly as you turned your head only to be met with the image of Harry standing in front of you, his mouth hanging open in shock, “I knew it was you!”

    “Harry!” you feigned surprise, “I didn’t even see you there.” You lied as you shot him a smile.

    “I can’t believe it,” he said shock still clear on his face as his eyes raked over your figure.

“Me either, it’s been way too long.”

     You were about to open your mouth to agree, however was quickly cut off as the girl from before approached Harry’s side.

    “Harry, babe. C’mon we’re late already.” She said before turning to you and smiling sweetly without a trace of malicious intent.

    “Okay, one second.” He said before turning to you and enveloping you into a tight hug, “You’ve changed your number haven’t you? I tried calling you one time, but you never replied, but my number is the same so call me, okay?”

    He smiled brightly at you holding you at arm’s length right before bringing you into another hug, “God, I missed you so much y/n.”

    You brought him closer to your chest, inhaling the scent that you had missed so much, “Missed you too, H.”

    You smiled sadly as you watched him walk away until his figure reached beyond your eyesight.

    He never got to know how you felt about him that day, or even all those years before. That day everything that you had thought you got over came rushing back full force, however he could never know that he was the one you had been after for years. After all you had never seen him so happy as a week after you unexpectedly bumped into him you found out that he got engaged to the girl from the shop the same day you saw him, and who were you to stand in between his happiness.

    You never told him how you felt, but you probably should have the moment he kissed you all those years ago. Who knows where you would be now?

//

a/n: There won't be a part 2!!!!!!

That’ll teach you to just go for it ;).

Anyways hope you enjoyed it. It was just a little short one since I was obsessed with Camila’s song for like a day so I had to get that out of my head. 

[jamr0ck83]

Kick Rocks With That Centrist Nonsense

This post in response to an NPR article discussing the dangers of a divided America during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally, the words below were just supposed to be a reply to a comment regarding said article, but...words tend to get away from me. And they all felt important enough that I should post them in their entirety.

I can agree that the media does seem to portray a larger divide than what might actually exist. Cuz really, 100 people on a sidewalk isn’t a sizable movement; it’s a few people shouting inane mantras and holding up ridiculous (and often insulting) signs who don’t need to be receiving a national platform to broadcast their nonsense. And it troubles me that the mainstream media is more willing to cover a relatively insignificant gathering of armed white people on some state’s capitol steps than report on the vast amounts of incidences of injustice and racist vitriol that people of color are dealing with right now. To me, I know which story seems more concerning. But we keep seeing these protesters on the news in between cuts of Trump babbling incoherently about shining light into the body to kill a virus. I know the media is super concerned about ratings, but what happened to their responsibility to the public to provide us with factual information that we absolutely need to know?

That being said, I respectfully disagree that the crux of our national divide is built upon extremism on both sides and that the proper approach is a more centrist view. Our nation has been divided since before its inception. I think Americans have this notion that we need to “get back” to unity and mutual respect, but it seems to me that this idealized era never happened to begin with if it took so very little for people’s incredibly harmful biases and prejudices to become center stage as they now have. We were never united, and we were never in harmony. Any period of time you might point to as one of evidence that we used to see eye-to-eye on things, I will show you at least one group of people who, at that same time, were facing severe injustices and oppression. America has never been good for everyone; that’s a myth that needs to die, because it prevents us from moving forward in any meaningful way if we’re constantly looking back to a romanticized past.

If you want to blame someone for our intense divide, blame this current presidential administration and the larger Republican Party who refuse to do anything but stand idly by as our democracy implodes. At no point, has Trump tried to unify the country. Why would he? He loves division; he thrives on it! Division is how he was able to get elected to an office he has no business holding. He will never be presidential, he will never be the voice of reason, and he will never consider the needs of the country ahead of his own. He genuinely doesn’t care about any of us, not even his supporters. If it made him more money or got him more power, he would sign off on the literal destruction of any one of us in a heartbeat.

That brings me to my third point, which is that this idea that it’s the extremists on both sides that have made life in America unbearable is patently false. I’m an independent, and I lean pretty left. And the reason I do that is because to not lean left is to align myself with people who are clinging to archaic and bigoted ideas about who deserves to be treated like people and who is unworthy. I say this as someone who used to consider themselves fairly conservative; there is nothing that the right is doing right now that speaks of respect or concern for anyone who doesn’t look or sound like them. When you have a side that has couched themselves in both covert and overt rhetoric that is sexist, racist, and homophobic, you don’t get to claim “to each his own”. When your political and social views demand or dictate that I be stripped of my rights and/or my life, I don’t have any need to consider your position as equally valid as mine. And I don’t owe you compassion or respect if you are actively fighting for my destruction. That’s not hyperbole; that’s exactly what is happening. Black people are being attacked and murdered by police and vigilante citizens at alarming regularity. Kids whose parents are just trying to relocate to a place with opportunity and a chance to survive are locked in cages. The LGBTQ+ community is constantly on the receiving end of violence, are being denied the same rights as other citizens, and are being told that they can’t live a peaceful life that would allow them to be themselves because that makes some people who don’t even know them feel uncomfortable. Women are degraded and minimized to a degree that is appalling, and despite everyone being fully aware that the wage gap exists, people are actually (still) debating whether that’s problematic. And then you have the other side that believes all of these aforementioned things are patently abhorrent and need to be fixed. What middle ground exists within that dynamic? Give black people the right to live but let’s hold back on letting LGBTQ+ people exist with any sense of being full citizens? Let’s keep migrant kids in open pens instead of cages, and don’t give women equal pay but maybe just a slight increase so that they’re now being paid 85¢ for every male dollar as opposed to 81¢? None of that is just nor a fair compromise, because you can’t compromise when you’re fighting for someone’s humanity to be acknowledged. Either it is or it isn’t.

I’ve heard harsh words originating from each side, and that does, indeed, reflect a lack of respect. But I’ve approached many a conservative with the mindset of having a thoughtful exchange of ideas in hopes that we might both understand each other more aptly. And as a result of that, I’ve been insulted, diminished, and literally told to shut up the minute I’ve made a point someone either can’t figure out how to reasonably address or I have indicated that I believe myself to be a knowledgeable human being not looking for their permission to exist. Frankly, I’m done being nice, and I’m done showing compassion in hopes that the other person might be swayed, because they never are. That has often left myself open for verbal abuse for absolutely no reason, and I can’t do that anymore; I shouldn’t be expected to. Sometimes, I HAVE said mean things, and I meant every word of it. I will not ever allow someone to degrade me in the futile hope that I can appeal to their humanity. Because the second you began to treat me as “less-than”, you forfeited your right to see my good nature, and I don’t owe you anything. Especially not when the argument you are making is in support of me not being able to enjoy the liberties and freedoms that are due me.

I often cringe when people make the argument for political centrality, because it honestly feels like a cop-out. A person is willing to forego taking a stance, because they can afford to, usually because their lives don’t depend on it. That’s not a privilege I have. Decisions are being made today that affect me deeply, and I cannot sit back “objectively” to find the middle ground. Either you believe in science or you don’t. Either you think it’s wrong that, in NYC, cops were beating black and brown people in the Bronx and putting them in jail for “failure to social distance” while they politely handed out masks to the white people in Central Park, or you don’t. And if you have to stop for an extensive period of time in order to figure out where you land, it’s already clear that you have not chosen the side that respects all humanity.

This country is an absolute mess, but it’s been a mess in the making for hundreds of years. Every citizen needs to decide what it is they stand for and what kind of country they want to live in. Now. And there can be nothing gradual about whatever shift we need to make. People are suffering. Now. They don’t deserve to be sacrificed just so others who don’t like change don’t feel too inconvenienced. “With all deliberate speed” was a bullshit strategy in the 1950s, and it’s a bullshit strategy now. Cuz we waited 60-plus years, and what has really been accomplished in all of that time? We got schools all over this country never even been integrated. But yet we pat ourselves on the back and call ourselves a post-racial society.

No, fam. Just no.

If you like what you just read, please follow me on Instagram. @TheRandomThoughtsofmyBrain

[xtruss]

A Trump supporter asked, “Why do liberals hate America?”

This response from a 10-year US Marines veteran is GOLD!

— By Occupy Democrat | April 29, 2020

“Let me ask a better question: Why do you hate the United States?

I’m serious.

Current polling data shows that more than 6 in 10 Americans do not approve of the job Donald Trump is doing and that about 57 percent actively disapprove. They dislike him so much that they make fun of him and say things like, “He’s not my president.”

Presidential Approval Ratings — Donald Trump

And you hate that.

But it’s America.

You want a wall built across the entirety of the southern border of the United States, no matter how much it costs, no matter how many times you’ve been shown it’s not a cost-effective solution to border security, you’d rather deride any other solution as “open borders” even though it’s not. Yet current polls show that 56 percent of Americans don’t want the wall.

Poll: Majorities oppose Trump’s wall funding demand, call for compromise

You want that wall so much. So you hate that.

But it’s America.

In America, people express themselves different ways, especially when they’re trying to get a point across. They even do things that make you really angry, like kneeling during the National Anthem, to make a point about the way young black men are treated during interactions with police. Sometimes it’s football players on your favorite football team, and it makes you so mad you can’t even enjoy football anymore.

Man, you hate that.

But even your favorite news network tells you that most Americans support their right to do so. Meaning it’s America. And you hate it.

Most Americans support NFL players’ right to kneel: Poll

You hate that people want to do things that don’t directly benefit you with the money you have to give the government out of your paycheck.

You hate that every day the meaning of the word equality seems to include more and more people, making you feel less and less in sole possession of the American Dream.

You hate that you have so few people anymore that it’s okay for you to feel superior to.

But it’s America.

I’ve been examining this odd idea that comes from the right that they have some kind of monopoly on patriotism for some time. The more I examine it, the more I see how little water it holds.

Liberals don’t hate America. Liberals love what America is and can be.

Conservatives wearing red hats with white writing love some strange perception they have of what it was at some point in the past.

In general, though, conservatives do love America. This is true.

But liberals do as well. The thing is, though, it’s a different kind of love.

Conservatives show their love of country with a sort of reverent respect, submission to ultimate authority, in a way that is best expressed by the phrase, “Love it or leave it” In other words, take her as she is, don’t try to change her.

As one loves a parent.

As one who loves their parents unconditionally, through their faults. As an aging parent, but one who you can still see as the titan they were when you were a child. You wish you could see them in all that glory again.

Liberals love America a different way, and in my opinion, a more brutally honest way. Liberals love America as one loves a child. Something to be nurtured, grown, developed. Something that is not perfect, and needs a lot of work to be improved upon. And they are willing to do that work.

When you see liberals out in droves carrying signs, shouting and chanting, you look at them derisively and ask, “Why do they hate America?”

That isn’t hate, my man. It is the greatest expression they can make of how much they love this country. In my opinion, it’s a much stronger expression of love for country to get out and act to work on righting wrongs, improving conditions, standing up against injustice than to blindly wish things were like they were back in the ‘50s before the dirty hippies messed everything up. (I hope that’s as far back as you want to go.)

Maybe you should start to show her a little more love.”

- Chris O’Leary, 10 years in the US Marine Corps.

[republicstandard]

An Alt-Right Appreciation of Diversity

I'm no stranger to travelling to non-white countries. I've always been drawn to lush tropical places with balmy breezes and the feeling of sand pushing between my toes or the sticky heat blanket that hovers in a rainforest thick with the smell of fruit and flora underpinned with a slight whiff of the dank odor of decay of the forest floor. I've hiked hot stone forts exploring the grooves from where cannons used to fire, and posed for photos in dungeons in which pirates were kept. I have night-kayaked through an overhung bayou to a bay full of bio-lumescent plankton. I've shopped in traditional markets where I had to haggle over the price of goods in a language I don't speak using money I barely understand while running my fingers over hand dyed and woven fabrics and the clinking hand crafted jewelry as the weight of it was placed upon me by hands darker than my own. I've eaten foods I wouldn't dream of ordering at home and I've laughed with and mourned with people who look nothing like me. I'd change none of it, and I'll seek more of it should the opportunity arise.

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The beauty of humanity is in our true diversity. The range of races of Mankind, able to pursue their destinies in peace. You may say that I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

I am aware of the differences between the majority and mean of my people and the majority and mean of other groups of people; how it impacts my daily life and the economic impact it has on myself, community, state and country. I could drown you in federal crime statistics by race and per capita that illustrate that the crime rates exponentially increase everywhere homogeneity is reduced in favor of multiculturalism.

This phenomena is most prevalent in White western nations as there isn't a lot of immigration to places with less luxury, convenience, and peace. As countries like Israel, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Norway, Poland and much of Africa do have homogeneity the crime statistics data by comparison is also available. From the maps below, I think it is pretty fair to say that ethnic diversity leads to death; whether you're ready to allocate blame or responsibility is unimportant.

Notice anything?

I don't hate entire ethnicities and nations of people because they look or behave differently than I do. I have no resentment for people in other countries, when I visit their countries I go with a respect and reverence for their unique history, culture and customs. I research acceptable attire and easily misinterpreted gestures, and I adhere to their cultural norms as best as I can.

I have never been to Chad, in Africa. I know enough of their culture that were I to visit there and became thirsty were someone to ask me if I would like some water I am supposed to decline, even if I am very thirsty, because in Chad the person asking may not have water to give me; they are being polite and recognizing my suffering. You shouldn't accept a verbal offer of water, unless they place that water in your hand and tell you to drink it. I understand it is very rude otherwise; you have put someone in a position to give that which they may not have to spare. There are nuances in social graces and laws everywhere you can go, and those people hold them with reverence; it's their way of life, as much as the idiosyncrasies of your culture are sacred to you. It is who we are.

There's a saying that goes “You can take a girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl." it's a very popular saying everywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Rockies. This is not the orginal saying either- it has roots in the European homelands from which White America descends. It rings as true for a southern, Wranglers-wearing American as it does for a Somalian or Pakistani or Swede. We are all products of our cultures, in a biologically deterministic manner.

"For the unbroken life of the English nation over a thousand years and more is a phenomenon unique in history, the product of a specific set of circumstances like those which in biology are supposed to start by chance a new line of evolution. Institutions which elsewhere are recent and artificial creations appear in England almost as works of nature, spontaneous and unquestioned." ~ Enoch Powell, 1961

It's true that I seek a total moratorium on immigration from 2nd and 3rd world nations and a limited immigration from other 1st world nations. It's true that I ultimately seek a homogeneous nation; but would accept the option for homogeneous neighborhoods. New York, Toronto, and most other North American cities once naturally formed such a state of being. Chinatown, the Italian Quarter, and so on. In am more comfortable with people who look and act like me, that share my values, share the effort and ethics to achieve similar goals and who respect as I respect, gesture as I gesture, and understand as I understand. This is the life of ease; which everyone seeks, in their own way.

Except, that is, for the pro-immigrant left and weak, so-called "conservatives" of the centrist persuasion. They have the audacity to claim that everyone is equal, without evidence to support and so much in the contrary. Such is their audacity that they will seek to ruin your life, take your job and your family, and, in the case of the untimely demise of Andrew Dodson, your very life, should you dare to argue or refuse to kowtow to this obvious lie. The multiculturalists have the expectation that everyone can be equal and under that assumption anyone can be picked up from any other place in the world, plopped into an American or European suburb and thrive there without the faintest idea of our laws and customs, without the desire to integrate, and without the proper preparation, and, in some cases, inoculation. The left insists the difference between people is economic opportunity and money. What a cruel way to treat another human being for the luxury of interesting cuisine and the ability to say “I love diversity, multiculturalism is great.”

In Pakistan they have a naming ceremony Where the grandfather is asked to name a newborn. Following Islamic tradition, once a name has been given, the child’s head is shaved and the weight of the hair is used to determine an equal weight in gold or silver which is then given as a charitable contribution.

In Pakistan, so stringent are the laws regarding women and men that adult single men have taken to courting young males for companionship and sex, often between the ages of 5-10 years old. Sometimes giving them gifts or money, sometimes not. The boy then becomes a man, and should a marriage not be arranged the man will commonly resort to recycling the practice that was practiced upon him. This is a rape culture. In the West, there are no such laws preventing men from socializing with women and girls. So what happens when you import thousands of nominally heterosexual cultural rape victims and their older rapists who were also rape victims who are possessed of a deeply held faith that inherently disrespects people that are not of that faith? Rotherham. You get Rotherham.

Gang-rape is the result confluence of a Western society that has few laws structuring social interactions between genders, and a group of people that require strict social codes. Yet, it's the Western people, you and I, who have bothered to learn these intricacies that are shouted down as racists because we'd prefer to not have this in our homes, and near our children. And while it is the irresponsible and ignorant masses that allow for these injustices to occur, those on the self-described right side of history advocate for it with fervor; and are lauded as tolerant and progressive, who ego-stroke their good deeds as they slurp bastardized curry dishes from within colorfully curtained restaurants nestled within their predominantly white demographic neighborhoods. They don't even feign horror when a beautiful, lively White girl is found to have been raped, chopped up and served as a meal to unsuspecting kebab shop patrons. Diversity is our strength. Freedom is slavery.

It's no secret that the Middle East has been wracked by near-continuous conflict for the entirety of our lives -and the West did not help by pouring gasoline on an oil fire. Yet, we are called racist for urging our Western countries to deny entry to individuals and families from those regions. Can a person who learned to shoot other people from the age of 5 who has become a seasoned fighter in an endless religious and regional resource war can suddenly move to White suburbia and unlearn conflict, resentment, violence, animosity and struggle just because there's electricity, an internet connection and a corner grocer? If anything the culture shock of realizing everyone around you is only passively aware of your multi-generational strife, and is patently unaware of how many acts of torture you've witnessed, relatives you've lost, heads you've seen roll, surely breeds more resentment at the ignorant Westerners and their trinkets. Of course, hashtag Not All.

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Acknowledging the differences between white and black or other PoC isn't inherently bigoted, it's just acknowledgement of biological and cultural reality. Forcing proximity, affirmative action, and other elements of social engineering upon people under threat of social ostracization and job loss creates an environment of resentment.

In this circumstance, racism from all parties is not just likely, but inevitable.

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[dominavontana]

Birth Control and Dungeons in Japan - Spoiler alert they got neither

Feeling really emotional today - and by emotional I moved. Moved by this entire experience that is setting in, I’m really here, this is not a dream. Also hormones. Goddess bless the tiny particles of my humanity that make me fully woman. And take me on a trip every trip. But that’s better than the alternative right now which would be pregnancy. Had a minor mishap a few weeks ago with a friend who shall remain nameless. That’s why I discovered exactly how backwards this country can be when it comes to its treatment of women, specifically their healthcare. There are exactly 4 types of birth control available in this country - two types of pills and two IUDs. THAT’S. IT. And even then if your doctor thinks what you should really be doing is staying home and having babies, they can deny you. And if you bring in more than one pack of birth control pills with you? Better have that customs paperwork ready.

Oh and the condoms are tiny. Tiiinyyy. A lesson I learned the hard way. Wonder how many packs of condoms I can bring in without having to declare my slutty intentions?

You know what else is not helping? This damn music! All they play in this country are American tunes I associate with my recent transition because it’s all the current-ish stuff and so I’m sitting here attempting not to miss my babies back home too much when what I should be doing is getting my shit together.

And oh that’s another thing...think I can ‘clean up’ in this country as a Pro Femdom like everyone thought and felt the need to tell me before I left? Well let me just say good thing THAT was not my plan. I picked the perfect city for a professional sabbatical because it’s nearly impossible for international pros to work in this country. And why is that you ask? Because domination services of the pay for play type are JUST legal enough that if you don’t have the proper status (permanent resident or Japanese national) you cannot do that kind of work.

Also, no dungeons in this country. Like none. All the “Dungeons” with Mistresses for hire are actually dispatch services. The love hotel phenom is real in this country and that is were the girls do all their work. But hey I’m not gonna knock it because I fucking love a hotel session. I mean granted I do have a hotel fetish, but it was more than that. One of my favorite memoreis is when I walked into a client’s hotel room with nothing but a medium size black purse. When I dropped it on the bed he looked at me incredulously standing there in my little black dress and stilettos and asked, “What are you going to do with that?” the anticipatory dissatisfaction spreading across his face. I grinned my evil grin at him and through narrowed eyes said, “Give me an hour and I’ll show you.” Trust within 60 minutes I had blown this man’s damn mind and he was eating his words. So yes, hotel sessions can be incredibly awarding, precisely because they push the creativity and imagination of the professional.

But I digress, so yes - even if I could find a place to advertise and slipped passed the international prohibitions there would not be a dungeon available and as I stated that wouldn’t necessarily hamper my style but from what I’ve seen many would be subs outside of Japan get all up in their feelings once they realize you’re not sinking all your earnings into a massively expensive space and spending your days sitting around the cross in full dress just waiting for their call. Sorry guys, I started this ish right when the world went online and so unfortunately for both of us that has meant that for the entirety of my career the pain in the ass effort of maintaining a studio was only worth it if you did porn (or illegal activities for which you could charge more). But needless to say - Japan and I get it and I wish I could play here because I would love to meet some more people but alas that will have to wait until I find another access point...maybe I could apply for an artist visa? Lmao

But I do miss it. Mistress cannot tell a lie. There’s one little Japanese boy down the way with a car and plenty of time to burn apparently. He has politely and consistently hit me up since I arrived (and updated my location on Fetlife) so I’m going to see him for lunch this week and see what I think. The point to this sabbatical is I have zero time for thirsty bitches. A beautiful woman puts “Dominant” on her profile and suddenly the whole world treats her like a water fountain and they just keep coming. That is a line that never ends. So yeah...sigh. But at the same time I could use a pair of boots on the ground to help me with a few local projects, answer my questions, and accompany me to mixed events.

Speaking of, I just want to give a shout out to the Kanto Area Kink Group that hosted the May picnic I attended yesterday. You all were absolutely worth the 3 hour trek by train to get there, a feat I didn’t think possible just moments before arriving, lol. If  yesterday’s event is any indicator Mistress is going to be very, VERY pleased with the caliber of fellow native English speaking players in my new home. Turns out if you cross the world, you find other folks like yourself who are educated, brave, open, curious, emotionally intelligent and capable and enthusiatic enough to take on the challenge of living and succeeding in a foreign land. It was also my first picnic in this country, a huge cultural tradition and a memory I will always cherish for both reasons. And the weather was perfect. Thank you KAK for helping this perverted gaijin along and for finally answering my question “Why are there no damn paper towels in the bathrooms?!!!”. Answer - the japanese hand towel tradition. These people bring their own small towels every where they go for just this type of situation. Think of the waste that saves! OMG And also, suddenly, the little red hankie in my bag that I carry with me everywhere? His day got a little brighter. In America my friends used to make fun of me for always carrying a hanky. I told them it was part of my culture (country girl) and to stop making fun of it. Well, seems I found another culture that shares and appreciates my little custom. Go us.

Ok, now that I’ve written all this mental clutter from my mind - time to get back to the real work I need to do. Love you guys. Kisses from Tokyo.  

[schrodingers-most-anoyingsubject]

he always say good the stuff i can't say, thanks for talking for us

It's getting really fucking hard to have sympathy for Americans.

I do have a few American friends who are deeply upset with what's happening in their own country, and I'm really trying to keep supporting them and bring them comfort.

But it's hard to have any sort of kindness to spare for a country that doomed itself and made sure to bring down the entire world along with it.

The majority of America voted for a man that is very obviously a rotten prick, to the point where he was considered more of a fucking clown than a politician. And he wasn't even trying to hide it!! They just all chose to stay blind and ignore the very fucking big problem displayed right in front of their eyes!!

Because America is cultivating the most disgusting kind of mock of a culture, based on ignorance, denial and stupidity, the whole thing sealed with a good lethal dose of decomplexed colonialism.

If only the impact of their own dumb decisions stopped at their frontier, the rest of the world wouldn't be holding its breath waiting to be fucked over and bent backwards, but of course, America had to make itself the most influent and dominating power by spending years manipulating, repressing, taxing, claiming ressources, and spreading lies in every single other country, while proving itself to be incapable of being trusted with impactful decisions.

And when said countries tried to warn your stupid American asses that it was going to end up badly, for all of us? No one even fucking listened!! You all kept looking at your own feet while running straight into a fucking wall that everyone warned you was there.

All of motherfucking Europe currently has to watch your dumbass country repeat our history that you were supposed to learn about and not repeat, and we all know, you included, that you're going to fall to your own doom. But somehow you also had to make it our problem by being an absolute asshole of a capitalistic machine.

And we're supposed to stay open-minded! To think about the oppressed people in your country and how to set them free without making them abandon their country, like it's our business, like we're not all convinced that your country is an absolute disgrace to mankind and that anyone with common sense would rather throw up than set a foot in there!

So yeah, I'm angry, and this is unfair, but what about the countless nazi parties, terrorists and general troublemakers that your country has financed all over the world to disrupt peace in hope of claiming more territories and control and power? Yeah, this is not fair either. So I think I deserve to throw a tantrum, for once, instead of crying for your helpless scatterbrained idiotic asses in silence.

Everything about the USA is wrong on so many levels that I'll give myself a headache before I can name every single thing I hate about this country.

All I will say is that I'm trying - we're all trying - to be nice, and empathetic, and patient, and understanding. But it isn't easy. It keeps getting harder, in fact, because no matter how indulgent and gentle we are with your mistakes and fuck ups, you somehow seem to always find a way to do worse the next time, and we're starting to lose hope on the fact that you'll one day wake up and stop this madness.