#im not even jewish and im scared so i can only imagine

[thelastharbinger]

so kanye west is using a swastika symbol mixed with a Star of David as his executive office candidacy campaign logo...an image that will proliferate across media because he’s using it on the biggest, most public wide-scale platform, a fucking run for presidency, something that will guarantee nation-wide coverage and i am just at a loss.

and if this is any indication or preview as to how that will be received by right-wingers or his supporters (at this point, they’re the same):

shit is looking chillingly grim. fuck.

[irkutskmmaniacs]

nikita and artyom pony headcanons because i am unemployed and my father beats me with a metal belt

im pasting half of this from a conversation with oomf Sorr y

theres no way artyom is a unicorn, artyom probably calls unicorns gay, he probably makes fun of different ponies than him like earth ponies (even tho nikitas one) ((nikita is his only exception)) (((kinda like irl cus nikita wasnt allowed in the skinhead group cus he was mixed Ossetian and artyom was a nazi but they were still besties))) ((((ALSO KINDA LIKE HOW ERIC WAS A NAZI AND DULAN WAS JEWISH))))

arttom Has wings but he cant like rly fly cus he doesnt see a use for them, nikita asks him to but artyom declines cus hes scared hes gonna mess it up. i think artyom flexes the fact that he has wings and nikita doesnt and nikita brings up the fact that he can barely rven use his wings and that shuts artyom up prettyy quick

But i think nikita finds his wings pretty coooool. i like to imagine artyom does stunts with them like flaps them open or make them seem bigger or something dumb like that — when they hug, artyom kinda like.. wraps his wings around him in a way? and nikita Thinks its SUPER cool

for tails, i think artyom even tho he has like kinda long hair i think he'd have a pretty short tail like he'd definitely want to show his masculinity in some way and he thinks thats the best way to do it :) but otherwise i think it'd be cute if he had a short choppy tail and i cant really imagine him with a long tail

and nikita he would NOT gaf his tail would be kinda long. i think he would only trim/comb it when he showers which is like.. never. i think artyom would kinda laugh at jow long nikitas tail is and how tangly it is, i can imagine him saying something like “your tail is long. heh . like a girl. heh you are a homosexual”

CUTIEMARKS NOW

I FEEL LIKE SINCE THEYRE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS THEYD GET THEIR CUTIEMARK AROUND EACH OTHER OR TELL EACH OTHER ASAP WHEN THEY GOT IT!!!! theyd both be super happy for the other like i think artyom would get his cutie mark first and nikita would be like "YOURE SK AWESOME" and artyom would be like "YAAAYY" and then nikita would get his and then artyom would be SUPPPPERR happy for him

so i think one of them would have a swastika cus theyre edgy and the other would have a hammer. idk abt the swastika fully tho, either that or they both have hammers or one of them would have some sort of musical instrument and the other would have a hammer.

also maybe since nikita rly liked art when he was a kid and won an art competition or wtv he might have an art cutiemark? but i doubt it honestly

i think most likely nikita’s cutie mark would be related to artyom in a way, like, again, maybe a hammer or something : )

THATS ALL!!! GIVE ME MORE THINGS TO MAKE HEADCANONS ON!!! DROP YOUR MY LITTLE PONY ACADEMY MANIACS HEADCANONS BELOW!!!!!

alsooo

the thing i was referring to when i was talking abt nikita and art : )

[effielovesapples]

can u elaborate on catholic benny cuz I can’t stop thinking abt it and I wanna hear more so bad

NOT EVERYONE AGREES WITH ME SO THIS IS VERY VERY EXCITING!! but anyway the thing i think is most exciting or kind of appealing to me for catholic benny is really just general tropes of the hypocritical catholic mafia man and GUILT. lots and lots of catholic guilt. im going to ramble so hard sorry do you mind.

i feel like the most obvious sort of thing people will want to point out is Maria, and our lady of guadalupe on the gun. A lot of people want to say he just steals catholic valor but i feel like its so much more interesting to overexplain and be insane.

I think the chairmen, the tops, even when they had been the Bootriders has a lot of signs pointing to it being sort of "mafia" run. Benny having killed Bingo to earn his spot feels very hierarchal, much like the mafia and the catholic church. And when he kills the unnamed chairmen through a psycho overdose as implied in the comic and its kept hush hush? Oh come on. But i want to say that the catholicism was likely something else that Mr. House would be essentially forcing the Bootriders, now Chairmen, to partake in to assume those pre-war ideals. Mr House was already uprooting them, changing them, essentially through force, and converting them to this "traditional" living. I know even just in my Sami culture, religious assimilation and colonization of the Sami was, in no short terms, traumatizing. (i actually wrote a very long research essay about this for one of my classes almost 18 pages long!) Similarly with most cultures assimilated to Christianity as there are COUNTLESS! call this a bit of projection or what have you.

but the more interesting stuff i find with benny actively identifying as a catholic is just the inherent hypocrisy of it. he sleeps around with men and women, he cheats, he gambles, he not only kills women HE MURDERS THEM. not just kills. murders. like pretty much everything a person who identifies with Catholicism "should not" be doing. thats because i think it was more important for the chairmen to identify CULTURALLY catholic than truly pious. I'm sure some are, but i think benny is very, very much culturally catholic. with him being so incredibly new to catholicism, i feel like he experiences that sort of guilt and fear that children sometime do.

the church is a field hospital for sinners. so could you imagine Benny having already uprooted from his life and what he knew before and essentially being told about the wrath of God and divine retribution. He may had started as someone who was very pious, scared into religion rather than welcomed by it. he got so sick to the stomach with the things he once did, he'd pray all night before bed. get finished, and still lay in bed awake. I think over that 7 year period, he became apathetic to it, which led him from being pious and a believer to maybe just culturally, outwardly catholic. thats what i think anyway. Is anybody even still reading this, i feel like i made no sense. WHATEVER.

i think the only other religious headcanon that is very appealing to me for benny would be him being jewish, as he is based off bugsy seigel. i think that is also fun and i want to look into that MORE!! Anybody have this headcanon i wanna hear about it

[myalgicpierrot]

[transcription: why would i need to bring a seam ripper to a concert? So that if you see someone with a crossed out swastika on their jacket, you can rip it off.

different speaker: TikTok is the only place that I've seen anyone saying that they don't want Anti-Swas on the scene. I have only seen this on TikTok. The majority of the people I see sharing the sentiment are young, or, they are people who are clearly not in the punk scene. Sorry! Gonna have to call you out a little bit, but you know what? Calling people out, especially posers, is a time-honored tradition in our community, so, get used to it!

I am a punk of Jewish heritage, I wear the symbols. The Anti-Swas. I have a shirt with a huge one on the front, I love wearing it. Patches, buttons, I love it. It makes me feel proud and happy. So let me tell you if you come at me and you rip a patch off of me, or a button off of me, with that symbology I am immediately going to assume that you are a white “mm” or a Neo “mm” and I'm gonna hand your butt to you. Very quickly, and as hard as possible. I am going to focus all of my rage on that entire subgroup onto your face. So im gonna have to break it to you to break it to you! And also if you do it with a seam ripper which is like, the fuck? A seam ripper? Don't come to a scene with a seam ripper, that is so bizarre, you can't even rip a patch off with your bare hands? And you bring a seam ripper- (laughing). But anyways, when I realize it's a seam ripper and not a small weapon, I'm going to mock you mercilessly as I beat you.

White "mm" and Neo "mm" would like nothing more than for us to get rid of that symbology. 'Cause then they blend in better and then they can say that they're welcome. Or they can argue that, and we don't like leaving room for them to argue– not in my scene. Also, getting rid of the Anti-Swas symbology is a little ableist, don't you think? A lot of white "mm" and Neo “mm" can't read. End transcription.]

[reply from zizzlefizzle1: When I first saw this on my fyp, my first though was how stupid it was and how dangerous it is. Imagine some young punk who's new to the scene and doesn't really understand what situation they're about to put themselves in by tearing off that patch (or trying too). Next thing you know some kid gets their ass beaten black and blue,All be some poser on TikTok thought it'd be a good idea. Smh]

[Tags by unabashed-unbothered: #nah bc i saw that kid the other day its so fucking stupid #i remember when i was first getting onto the punk scene i was scared to have anti swas patches because ppl online said it was bad #all it does is literally make it easier for neo nazis to infiltrate punk]

help tiktok kids want to try come at you with a seam ripper at shows for wearing an anti swastika patch.

i understand why people dont agree or feel comfortable with anti swastika patches, but i want to allow this jewish person to say their opinion on the matter. They personally like it and think its effective at keeping nazi fucks out of the scene and are very proud to wear it out

just the mental image of a small lil tiktok kid approaching a guy in the pit like uwu lemme seam rip off ur patch for u

[queerprayers]

Hello. This might be a bit of an unorthodox ask, or maybe not. I’m also fully aware no one can make this choice for me, but it’s also not a choice I want to make alone.

So I’m a Latine Catholic. My family was never all that religious. They never had a problem with my queerness or been all too bothered by what I actually believed. We are already somewhat out of the box- my father doesn’t believe in going to church and he doesn’t believe in an afterlife. My mother believes in reincarnation and an eventual, inevitable Heaven. I told my mom once that I was considering paganism and she was just interested in what I could tell her about the theology. So the problem is me. I have ocd and a deep fear of hell and of G*d’s judgement. I spiraled so badly into scrupulosity two years ago that I consider it a religious trauma. I relaxed, eventually, but not without having learned a lot about religion, including about Judaism. It shaped a lot of what I believe, and I deeply, deeply want to convert and be truly Jewish. I’m in love with the religion in a way I have only found pieces of in my own. But that’s the problem. I do love parts of my religion- the saints and Jesus and the mysticism. and deep down Im still terrified of a hell I don’t believe in. But no matter how many times I resolve to stay Catholic, the desire to be Jewish doesn’t leave, and I feel guilty for it. Terrified G*d will punish me for it. But do you think it’s possible to be called to follow another religious path? That, perhaps, I was born to make this choice?

Sorry if this is a lot. I’ve just been confused for like two years now so I thought I’d give asking someone else a shot. Hope you’re well

Hello beloved,

I'm finally answering this! I did not forget you, and have been thinking about your ask and praying for you in the past couple weeks. I've just been dealing with my own stuff—the delay was not because it was too unorthodox or too much, neither of which exist in my inbox :)

I wanted to start out by saying that I'm so proud of how far you've come and am so sorry you've had so much trouble. Your problems might be more internal than external, but I promise that doesn't make you a problem. You are not the problem—just thought I'd make sure you know that.

I just wanted to note that "I'm still terrified of a hell I don't believe in" is such a true and raw statement and I connect with it so deeply.

Trauma can change our lives in terrifying ways, and it's usually not what we had in mind for ourselves. The very existence of trauma implies a life-changing event(s), and so the fact that your life is changing is perfectly reasonable. Many others more knowledgeable and articulate than I have spoken about trauma, but just know that you're not alone in feeling confusion and pain.

Your relationship to faith sounds beautiful and meaningful as well as painful, and it makes me so happy that you've found beauty in religion even after experiencing trauma. There are many people for whom multiple religious traditions affect their theology—you're not alone and it's not weird.

I connect immensely to Judaism—check out my tag! Judaism is an absolutely beautiful, holy religion that any Christian with any knowledge of their history should support and affirm. We worship a traditionally Jewish god. I affirm that a Palestinian Jew brought us salvation.

Yes, I believe it's possible to be called to a religion. As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is the true Messiah, but I also believe everyone is called to serve God in different ways, and that I don't know everything. I wrote in this ask about whether only Christians would be saved, and how I look at other faiths.

I'm a Lutheran Christian not because I believe wholly in everything Christians preach, or because I don't feel connected to other traditions, but because for me, right now, this is the way I am closest to God and serve Them. Being a part of a faith community doesn't mean you agree with everything 100%, and converting doesn't mean you let go of everything you've believed in the past. You can stay connected to saints and Jesus and mysticism while pursuing a life in the Jewish tradition. Obviously different traditions look at things like this differently, but ultimately, don't let anyone take those connections you have away from you. Whether you're a Jew with connections to Catholicism or a Catholic with connections to Judaism—you'll end up kind of unorthodox either way, but you'll be you.

You were definitely born to do this. I don't know exactly what this is, mind you, but you're here and you're asking these questions for a reason, and I believe there is an existence out there for you full of peace and holiness.

Questions to ask yourself/things to think about:

In what faith space/tradition do you see yourself most able to serve God, your neighbor, and yourself?

Is the religious tradition you're in right now accepting of your connections to other faiths? Would the tradition you convert to be?

Imagine being a Catholic for your entire life. What emotions come up? Are you satisfied/fulfilled? Will you spend every moment wondering what your life would be like if you made a different choice?

Is the only reason you're still a Christian fear? Is that something you want to build your faith on? What could you build your faith on instead? What would that look like?

God will always be there. To come back to, to call by a different name, to pray to in a different language, to be angry at, to be scared of, to worship. No matter how far you think you're running or where you go, God is with you.

I wrote this ask about choosing a denomination, but some of it applies here too.

Let me know if there's anything I can do for you! Sending you so much love and keeping you in my prayers.

<3 Johanna

[the-gay-trashmouth]

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Underage drinking/smoking

Ship(s): Javid, background sprace and Newsbians

Notes: This is pure fluff. Im so sorry it took me this long, brain is a bitch but i really tried.

~~~~~~~~~

Davey Jacobs was, as they say, a good jewish boy. He didn’t drink, he didn’t smoke, and the only drugs he took were his antidepressants and anxiety stabilizers.

So, how the fuck did mister golden child end up at a party like this with friends like these?

Around him, the friends in question danced around Katherine’s living room as Billie Eilish filtered through the speakers. Half of them were drunk off the vodka Mush had somehow gotten hold of and the other half were high from the weed Davey knew Albert got from one of his older brothers, even though the red-head swears he has some top secret dealer.

The only sober one aside from himself was Spot, who didn’t drink and refused to get high with so many people around. Davey had really only ever seen him high once, and that was the night of Jack’s 17th birthday when the five of them, Crutchie, Jack, Race, Spot, and Davey himself, all went up to the roof to smoke.

Apparently, the King a’ Brooklyn was a giggly stoner.

Davey also found out that he was a philosophical stoner, but he’ll keep that to himself. He would actually be murdered if his mother ever found out what really happened at Jack’s 17th birthday party, and he quite enjoyed being alive at the moment.

Now, ever so tragically, the only other sober person there was currently making out with Race on the couch, and Davey had less than zero interest in going anywhere near that. So he stood against the wall, sipping his lemonade and laughing quietly to himself when his intoxicated friends made absolute drunken fools of themselves.

He heard a commotion from the other room, but before Davey even had time to wonder what it was, Jack somehow appeared from the void and draped an arm around Davey's shoulders. Though he had gotten much more used to the casual touches and surprise arms slung around his shoulders, Davey's brain still gave him a brief error message whenever it happened.

He shook it off and looked at Jack with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Hey Dave” he slurred in the taller boy's ear. David shook his head and tried his hand at a grin, though it looked more like a grimace when he scrunched up his nose up at the sent of the strawberry liquor.

“Hello Jack”

“Hey Dave?” This time it was a question instead of a greeting.

“Yes Jack?”

“Hey Daaave?” Jack either didn’t hear him or was too drunk to register that Davey had answered already. Davey just snorted softly and rolled his eyes.

“Whaaaat?”

Jack paused, looking up at him with the best puppy dog eyes his intoxicated brain could muster. Davey, for his part, was pretty okay, amused even, despite the fact that the smell of vodka on Jack’s breath was starting to make his head hurt.

“You should come play truth or dare with us,” he said, and immediately Davey ducked away, causing Jack to stumble forward without Davey to hold him up.

“No”

“But Daveyy!”

“But nothin’” davey crossed his arms and fixed Jack with his best motherly glare. Alas, it did not work and Jack just tried again.

“C'mon!” He tugged at Davey's arm and gave his best pleading look.

“Jack, buddy, pal, my platonic soulmate- there is no way I'm playing truth or dare with all of our intoxicated friends” he said decisively, “Jacky, I wouldn't play truth or dare with our friends sober. I love you all, I really do, but I don't trust any of you with my free will”

“Pretty pleease” Jack was now hanging fully off of David’s arm, begging like a child. David’s mouth quirked up into a smile for a brief second but returned to its usual motherly look.

“Not happenin’” Jack looked up at Davey with pleading eyes and the taller boy sighed. He really wasn’t getting out of this. Jack would just keep begging and begging until he gave in, there was literally no other option but to play.

“Alright alright, you win. I’ll play. But only for like two rounds!” he held up two fingers for emphasis and Jack grinned, grabbing his wrist to drag him towards the group already circling up.

There was a chorus of drunken whoops as he sat down in the circle. Spot raised an eyebrow at him as he begrudgingly joined them.

“Thought ya ain’t the type for these party games?” he asked, combing his hands through Race’s dirty blonde curls as the italian’s lips acted as chimneys, blowing curls of smoke in Spot’s face.

“Hey! I’m not some stick in the mud! I can have fun!” he replied indignantly. Spot just fixed him with an unimpressed look, though he wore it so often Davey thought that it may have just been his default expression.

Still, the taller boy sighed in defeat, “yeah, I’m not. But I suppose I am for tonight.”

Spot nodded, raising his capri sun at him in a toast as though it was a distinguished wine or manly beer, not a kids juice in a pouch. The sight made Davey chuckle softly to himself, The King a’ Brooklyn, scariest teen in New York, rumored to have connections to the mob, toasting his joining of truth or dare with a capri sun.

Really, why was the entire city so scared of this guy?

David jumped as Jack plopped down beside him, arm around his shoulder again. He blinked away the error message and sighed.

It started out innocently enough, weird as it was. Blink had to chug the rest of the voldka, Hotshot had to do a headstand for a full minute, and Race had to sit on Spot’s shoulders for the rest of the game. (He didn’t mind)

David also found out that JoJo once hooked up with an alter boy in church, Kathrine once blackmailed both of the Delancy brothers into doing her bidding for a full month, and Mush failed second grade and then skipped third.

“So, Spot, buddy, truth or dare?” Mush grinned drunkenly at him, draped over Blink’s lap.

“Truth”

Mush booed. “Boring~” he groaned, “fine, what's your real name?”

Race looked up at him anxiously, but Spot just nodded. “Ah, yes, funny story-” instead of finishing his sentence, he snatched the bottle of alcohol from Jack and took a swig.

“Oh, C’mon!” Spot just grinned, shuddering at the taste before passing it back to Jack.

“So, Jackie boy, truth or dare?”

Jack grinned, “Dare, I ain't no coward”

Spot raised an eyebrow, looking at Race for a beat before grinning like a shark. “A’ight, mista brave boy, I dare ya’ ta kiss the prettiest person in the room. Anyone’s up for the chopping block, except of course my Racer here,” David knew Spot was at least buzzed as he looked up to grin at Race as the other boy “aww”d and pressed a sloppy kiss to the corner of his mouth. Albert made a gagging noise as Race flipped him the bird.

David looked at Katherine with a raised eyebrow. Everyone remembered when she and Jack dated in their sophomore year. It ended badly, but they got to be friends again. Now, Sarah was passed out in her lap, arms wrapped loosely around her middle.

She was most certainly over him now, but he still assumed that she’d be who Jack choose.

So imagine his surprise when lips landed on his cheek.

He was too frozen in shock to really register the whoops and whistles coming from their mutual friends. He looked at jack, blue eyes wide as saucers, only to see the other boy with a lopsided grin.

Spot snorted, “that wasn’t even a real kiss! Thought you wasn’t a coward?”

“Hey! It’s rude to just go an’ kiss a fella!” he argued, “I ain’t kissin’ him ‘less he wants me too!”

“He does, trust me” Sarah grumbled from her spot in Katherine’s lap.

“Saz!”

“What? Ya’ do”

David sputtered, cheeks reddening be the second. His breath caught in his throat when Jack brought his hands up to cup his cheeks. He smiled before leaning in a bit. “Please tell me you’re okay wit’ this” he said almost breathlessly.

“I uh, yeah,” David cursed his stutter for probably the millionth time in his life, “Yeah, total-”

He was cut off with Jack’s lips on his. He dully registered the whoops and hollers from the teenagers around his but currently his senses were overtaken with just Jack Jack Jack Jack Jack Jack Jack.

When they pulled back, they were both breathless. David looked up at Jack, who hadn’t stopped grinning.

“That- I… You taste like vodka.”

[anarchistsuggestion]

hey, vaccinate your kids you jerks!!!

thanks for coming to my essay! now that i have your attention, i think we should stop talking about anti-vaxxers like theyre all backwards hyper-religious dumbasses. like, im frustrated too, and i agree that "personal/religious reasons" should not allow someone to keep their kids unvaccinated. furthermore, as an autistic person, i despise the myth that vaccines cause autism. i especially hate that it scares people into avoiding vaccines, because theres nothing wrong with me.

but ridiculing these people will only make the problem worse, and here's why: i think that a lot of anti-vaxxers and their communities are used to feeling like the most important aspects of their cultural identities are universally mocked or demonised (im not qualified to say whether these feelings reflect reality in every case, but either way im just talking about feelings, ie, what people think we believe about their culture). for instance, my only knowledge of amish people comes from jokes ive seen others make about them. yes, none of these jokes were very serious, and its easy for me to laugh at them because im not amish, but despite my low empathy i can understand that it just feels bad to hear a whole bunch of jokes about something important to you. i'll get back to this point in a moment.

anyway, i bring up the amish because in 2014, there were measles outbreaks in some amish communities in Ohio. and i think that a lot of the people who dont vaccinate their kids are used to being ridiculed for their "weird" or "new age" or "hyper-religious" or "unchristian" lifestyles, so they just see our concern as more of that mockery. we all sound the same to them, and cant you see why?

"ughh all these people ignoring science and being stubborn about vaccines because their church said--" you sound like one of those atheists. if you cant say anything productive, please stay out of the discussion. why do you act like ridiculing people will change their minds? we should be reaching out, instead.

we need to make the effort to approach anti-vaxxers in a way that distinguishes us from those who only converse with them to mock them.

i want more people to understand that the best way to change someone's mind when they're defensive is by listening. you need to be willing to accept whatever they might rant about, and respect that, even if their fears seem ridiculous, even if their fears are rooted in ableism, their fears still terrify them. thats why theyre called fears. you can validate someone's feelings of anxiety and confusion without validating their bigotry, and you must be willing to accept that this is work. this is difficult. it's much, much harder than yelling your opinions. it's exhausting, and sometimes it doesn't even pay off. sometimes you just can't convince somebody, and you have to be able to accept that.

if this seems too hard for you, i have good news: you do not have to do it. this kind of thing is not for everyone, and it's okay if you just don't want to. this doesn't have to be your responsibility.

i only ask that you stop making things worse by (performatively, in the case of yall who arent in danger of dying/losing a loved one to a preventable disease) mocking anti-vaxxers, because we are the ones who need something from them. we are asking them to face their fears (which were sometimes instilled in them very early in their childhood) for the good of humanity. i don't know about all of you, but i'd be hesitant at best to face even my third worst fear (spiders) for the sake of strangers who regularly mock my culture and heritage, and i know for a fact that most spiders cannot harm me!

this is natural. this is human. it is easy to dismiss things you dont understand, and it's even easier to dismiss them when all the scientific evidence agrees with you. however, your evidence does not make these people's experiences and fears less real for them. it does not lessen the effect their fear has on their choices. knowing that a tarantula won't hurt me if i follow certain guidelines will not stop me from shaking and having a breakdown if i think too hard about touching one. knowing that nothing bad would happen doesn't motivate me to go over to the science building at my college and ask to hold their fucking tarantula.

there are no shortcuts here. if we want anti-vaxxers to accept vaccines and stop putting so much effort towards keeping their children unvaccinated, we have to convince them that they don't need to be afraid of vaccines. we need to actually address their concerns. telling them their fears are ridiculous is just not convincing no matter how much scientific evidence you have. this discussion has become too performative. people just tell anti-vaxxers to vaccinate their kids, and they dont bother to address the fear that motivates their opponents. they don't care that they're asking people to trust a yelling internet stranger with their child's health.

it is inconsiderate to demand things from people without stopping to think about what you're asking for. please think about it from their point of view. if vaccines were dangerous, and they vaccinated their kids, then anything bad that happened to their kids due to the vaccines would be their responsibility. and remember, these people have not been given a convincing reason to believe vaccines are harmless. okay? they do not want to be at fault for their children getting hurt. yes, they are wrong. yes, they are frustrating. yes, they are endangering immunocompromised people like my dad, but there is a huge difference between being malicious and being misguided. please do not treat them like they set out to hurt you.

also? stop telling them to care about other people when you don't care enough about them to respect that they're doing their best with the resources they have. stop saying "i dont know how to explain to you that you should care about other people" when you really just want them to magically stop being scared. maybe you say it out of genuine frustration and bewilderment, but when everyone is saying it, it comes across like a smug 'gotcha!' phrase that excuses you from spending more energy on the debate. you can just say youre tired and stop.

i am trying to explain to you that you should care that these people have felt scammed/hurt by the medical industry enough times that they feel justified in risking the health of their whole family (assuming they even think vaccines work). you should care that theyve never been given a convincing reason to trust remedies promoted by rich strangers who make claims that sound too good to be true. the government has promoted harmful things to underprivileged people before, like milk (it took me a half hour to sift through unrelated stuff about soy milk to confirm this, so i'll go ahead and link my source). it is logical to mistrust an industry that operates for the profit of people youve never met. not everyone trusts the FDA to keep the pharmaceutical industry in check, and it's actually pretty smart to rely on direct accounts from people you know personally when you aren't sure how well something actually works, and you dont trust the ones selling it to you.

with that in mind, talking to people is probably the best way to tackle this issue, but many of you haven't bothered to compile introductory information about vaccines. you havent bothered to present these resources in a way that doesn't ridicule people who are scared. i am trying to explain to you that you shouldn't debate with people if you won't treat them like humans. i am trying to explain to you that "you dont actually care about others" is a hurtful and manipulative sentiment, and when you say it to people who are trying their best, you become part of the problem. you reinforce their mistrust. i am trying to explain to you that trusting doctors doesnt make you morally superior.

put yourself in their shoes for a moment. imagine that someone comes up to you and makes it clear that they think the choices you've made as a parent are ridiculous. they make claims about your child without offering proof, or the only proof they offer also mocks you and people like you (or they just tell you to "google it"). furthermore, they tell you that unless you give in, something bad will happen to their own children, and it will be your fault.

this is manipulative. even if you are correct, it is manipulative. demanding that someone treat their child in a way that they consider harmful is just ridiculous and i don't know why you expect people to listen to you. do you expect this to be easy? do you honestly believe that if someone isn't converted within minutes, they're just being stubborn? do you think these people know the truth, and only persist out of spite?

these questions are necessary, because many of you talk about anti-vaxxers as though the answer is 'yes.' there is a difference between being correct and treating people right. please be more aware of that line in the future, and do your best not to cross it.

oh, and by the way, if i see any of you using this year's measles outbreaks as an excuse to be hateful towards jewish people, i will block and report you. antivaxxers usually arent malicious, and if you perceive orthodox jewish antivaxxers as being worse than other antivaxxers, you need to rethink your beliefs. they arent rejecting vaccines just to hurt you. maybe theyre tired of being demonised and blamed for everything from climate change to unemployment to dead kids*, and theyre unwilling to trust random people with something as important as the health of their children when a lot of us have never bothered to listen to their struggles. (* ive seen a whole lot of people saying things that border on blood libel without quite involving blood during these discussions, so can we all agree to be careful not to do anything that resembles that shit now that ive provided a handy link about what it is? thanks)

lastly, all of this criticism of anti-anti-vaxxers is very easy for me to say because i have less of a personal stake in the issue. i know it must hurt in a way i can't currently understand to lose someone to a preventable disease. if i have made anyone feel dismissed or invalidated in this essay post, i'm sorry for doing so, and i want to make it clear that it is okay if you hate anti-vaxxers. i know their fear has hurt you, and i wouldn't ask you to pretend otherwise. i dont want to make any of you feel like you shouldn't talk about your experiences and fears. i'm just asking that, before you hit the post button, you read through your post and edit out anything manipulative or guilt-trippy. your contributions to this conversation are valuable, and i want the people youre trying to convince to be able to read them without feeling like they have to defend themselves instead of listening to you. the culture around this debate has become almost hostile, and while we dont all need to work directly with anti-vaxxers to make it better, we do all need to agree to stop making it worse.

[xenosaurus]

ty for reblogging that hetalia/snk post its disgusting that people still like those now that we should know better or ever did in the first place tbh but im always scared of getting attacked for it

You know, I’ve actually been thinking about this issue a lot lately, so thank you for bringing it up!

Hetalia and SnK are easy to group together because they’re both fascist propaganda, but they’re really different sorts of propaganda.  I was drawn into both of them at different times, and while that’s embarrassing to admit, I think it’s important to talk about because you CAN deprogram yourself from the way you’ve been affected by propaganda if you stop engaging and really force yourself to examine what the fuck you were doing.  So, here we go.

SnK takes itself seriously and I don’t really blame its young fans for not immediately spotting the fascist ideology– it comes across as a post-apocalyptic story about fighting eerily human giant monsters.  Of course, now that it’s revealed its true colors as blatant holocaust story where the jewish people are cannibal monsters, NOBODY should be supporting it in any way, but it really isn’t the same kind of propaganda as Hetalia.

The point of SnK is to make fascism seem necessary, and to paint its instigators as grim heroes who do what’s needed to protect their people.  Levi is SnK’s ideal of a “good” fascist leader– he’s heroic even when flawed or unlikable, horribly violent to child soldiers but only to “save” them, and torn up by the “necessary” losses of war.

Hetalia is far more blatant in being about fascism, but the whole point is to make you IGNORE fascism.

I couldn’t watch war movies in high school without crying because I was so torn up by how horrible war is, but I was into Hetalia.  How the fuck did THAT happen?  Well, Hetalia sterilizes the hell out of its subject matter.

Here’s how amazon describes Hetalia on the box set:

Forget everything you learned in history class, and imagine all the nations of the world as cute guys hanging out on a wildly inappropriate reality show. Now, toss in every stereotype ever and prepare to pledge allegiance to your favorite superpower in Hetalia Axis Powers!

Maybe you’ll surrender to Italy’s charms. He’s a sweetie who’s always got a noodle in his mouth and he’s bff with blue-eyed Germany and shy Japan. Sounds nice, right? Of course, their friendship sort of causes world war II, but is that really such a big deal? Not if it means those adorable allies France, America, and England will be stormin’ the beach! No matter who comes out on top, victory is yours! Now ditch your textbooks and try to keep up, because history happens fast in Hetalia Axis Powers!

Hetalia is here to convince you that fascism is a toothless puppy dog that pissed on the rug but it’s so cute you can’t stay mad!  Don’t you just LOVE how cute nazi germany and fascist italy are together?  Annexing countries by force is just like breaking into your neighbor’s house and refusing to leave!  Battles that killed thousands are a water gun fight on the beach!  England is so sad that all his colonies left, he’s an empty nest dad, not an imperialist power that violently colonized half the world.

It feels obvious when you’re really looking into it, but the target audience is teenagers, and it’s yaoi bait.  It’s not hard to find ADULTS who think anything that reads as gay has to be progressive, even if it’s a rape joke about colonization.  It’s supposed to be popcorn media, something goofy and simple that you don’t really think about because it’s a 2 minute short about silly cute anime boys.  Why would you read into it?

Well, because it’s training you to sympathize with nazi germany.  That’s why.

[dear-veronica-sawyer]

Wanna Bet? (Jared x Reader)

“Hello!! I have another request!! Could this be a Jared x reader agian but like, since Will Roland has confirmed that Jared is Jewish, what if the reader and Jared are forced to hang out during their freshmen year bc they're family friends and they both hate one another, flash forward ahead and the two are dating by senior year and it's just fluff. Sweet sugar fluff❤“

I’M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG BHDEHCQHBCCWHJB I AM A MESS also lmao can you tell im bad at naming things (im not sure if this is what you wanted but i got carried away)

@summerkid423

WC: 1,855

Warnings: cussing but you should expect that from me at this point, sweet fluff, also at the beginning reader highkey hates jared sorry, tried to keep it gender neutral but if i slipped up somewhere send me an ask!

Out of all the things you could be doing right now, you were doing the one thing you didn’t want to do. Let’s be honest here, you’re only doing this in the first place because your mom wants you to and there will be food.

What are you even doing that’s so horrendous, you might ask? Well, the answer to that is simple: You’re being forced to go to Jared Kleinman’s house.

This wouldn’t be a problem if Jared Kleinman wasn’t a massive dick. You couldn’t specifically pinpoint what it was about him that you hated. Honestly, it kind of seemed like you hated everything about him. It was always obvious that you and Jared could never cooperate. You truly didn’t understand why your parents would always try to get both of you to be friends. Just because his parents and your parents were friends didn’t mean you had to be friends, right?

So there you were, sitting with your arms crossed in your mother’s car. She had forced you to wear dressy clothes, which you were certainly not happy about. You played on your phone the whole time until you felt the car stop. You looked up to find yourself in the Kleinman’s driveway. You let out a groan but quickly stifled it as you met your mother’s stern gaze.

“(Y/N), you will be polite and respectful. I know you and Jared don’t get along, but I’m sure if you made an effort, you would find that you could be great friends!”

You scoffed. As if that were ever going to happen. You would never be friends with someone like him ever.

You dragged your feet behind your mother as she walked to the front door. Please don’t have Jared open the door, please don’t have Jared open the door, please... You thought tiredly.

You could barely stifle a groan when, against your wishes, Jared was the one who opened the front door. He had a smirk plastered on his face and it took all of your self-control not to punch him. Something about him just irked you, and you didn’t know what it was.

“Hey, Mrs. (Y/L/N)! Nice to see you!” Jared spared a glance towards you. “And you too, I guess.”

You scowled and stomped into the house as Jared held the door open with a yawn. You were so annoyed you didn’t notice him (not so subtly) checking you out with an awed expression. He had never seen you in anything that was remotely sophisticated or dressy, and damn, you pulled it off well in his opinion.

You sat down on the living room couch, while Jared’s parents sat across from you on a loveseat. You expected your mom to sit next to you on the couch, but she opted for a chair next to the couch instead. You felt instant betrayal. She looked at you with an “innocent” smile and you knew she did it on purpose so you would be forced to sit next to Jared and actually talk to him.

You crossed your arms as soon as he sat down and glared at the coffee table in front of you. God, you wanted this to be over. You weren’t even paying attention to the conversation the adults were having until you heard your name.

“(Y/N) is doing so well these days! Honestly, if I could give a kid a Best Child Award, it would be (Y/N).” Oh God, no.

Apparently, Jared had the same thought as you. “Aaaand now they’re going to compete on which one of us is better.” He looked at you with a disinterested expression. “They’re wasting their time, obviously I’m the better kid here.”

You scoffed. “Oh please, you wish.”

“Wanna bet?” He raised an eyebrow and you rolled your eyes. You wanted to say no, that you weren’t going to fall for this little game, and you were going to be mature. Unfortunately, your competitive side got the best of you.

“Fine. Whoever is the best kid the entire night wins.” You said.

“That’s not even a bet, that’s just a competition.” Jared pointed out. You turned to him.

“Look, if we were to place a bet on what our parents thought, then there would never be a winner. Both of our parents would obviously say that their respective kid is the best kid. That’s just common sense.”

“I guess you have a point.”

“Really? You couldn’t figure that out for yourself? I thought you were supposed to be smart.” You said with a smirk. His eyes seemed to dart to your lips, but that wouldn’t make any sense, right? That has to be your imagination.

“Shut up.” He looked disgruntled. “What do we get if we win?”

“Well, if I win, you have to be my servant for a day!” You said immediately. Just imagining Jared having to do your every command for an entire day, no matter how tedious, was something you didn’t want to pass up. He seemed to think for a moment before his face wore a devious smile.

“Fine. But if I win, which I will, you have to go on a date with me.”

You could feel your cheeks flare up as you looked everywhere but his eyes. Why would he want that? He hated you! And you hated him too!

You wanted to stop there and say no, but when you finally looked at his smug face, you realized exactly what he was doing. He was saying something he thought you would absolutely refuse to, so you would quit and he would win by forfeit. You weren’t losing that easily.

“Deal.” You stood up as soon as you saw your mom walk to Jared’s kitchen. “May the best kid win.”

It was only an hour in and you had never hated Jared Kleinman more than you do right now.

He was purposely sabotaging your efforts to be an amazing child, while making himself look better. Every time you tried to do something nice, Jared either did something nicer afterwards or he found a way to ruin your efforts. Needless to say, by the end of the night, it was clear who was winning. Hint: it wasn’t you.

Your mom was telling Jared’s mom goodbye when he walked up beside you and slung an arm around your shoulders.

“Well, I think it’s obvious who won here.” He said with a mischievous grin. You sighed in response. You weren’t looking forward to whatever terrible date he had in mind. Knowing him, he would stand you up and laugh at you while he relaxed at home.

“For the date, be at my house Saturday at 5. Don’t even try to get out of it, because I already told your mom.” He quirked an eyebrow at you. Sneaky bastard. “You’ll probably stand me up though, because you’re too scared.” He grinned again.

“Wanna bet?” You said before you sashayed out the door. You could already hear your mother gushing about your date behind you. This was going to be terrible.

Out of all the things you could be doing right now, you were doing one of your favorite things and you couldn’t be happier. What were you doing, you might ask? Well, you were sitting in the car next to your boyfriend, singing terrible songs at the top of your lungs.

It didn’t matter how many times you would have these after school dates, you still loved them. Then again, you loved doing anything with Jared.

You looked to the driver’s seat beside you and saw him dramatically dancing to the current song. You couldn’t help but smile. You faintly remember a time where you hated each other, but that time had long since past. You were seniors now, only a month away from graduation. You were more than ready to move in with Jared and live your life as an adult.

You couldn’t imagine life without him at this point. You did everything together and you were practically inseparable. Once you actually started to hang out with him freshman year, you realized that you had a lot in common.

Right now, you were driving to the amusement park. You had nothing else to do, so you both decided that a spontaneous after school date was a great way to pass the time. The moment you got to the amusement park, you immediately hopped out of the car and ran towards the ticket booth. You could hear Jared laugh a little behind you, but you didn’t care.

As soon as you both paid for your tickets, you bolted towards the first interesting ride you saw.

“I forgot how amusement parks make you so excited,” Jared took your hand in his. “It’s cute.”

You fake gasp. “Is the insanely cool Jared Kleinman being sincere for once? No sarcasm or jokes? Or memes?” He glared at you from the corner of his eye.

“I can be serious too!” He whined. You chuckled and pecked his cheek, which never failed to make him smile. He squeezed your hand as you led him to the line. Your hands had always fit in Jared’s hands perfectly, which only convinced you that you were meant to be even more.

After exciting rides full of laughter, the night was coming to an end. The sun had set, the stars were out, and you wanted to go on the Ferris wheel. Jared was hesitant, mainly because of the huge line, but you knew how to persuade him.

“But baaaabe!! I wanna go on the Ferris wheel! Please?” You gave him your best pout and watched him sigh.

“Fiiiiine, but I’m looking at memes on my phone the entire time.” You laughed and pulled him towards the giant line. It seemed like it had been an eternity when you finally got to the front of the line. You and Jared sat down in the gondola right next to each other, with his arm around your shoulders. You leaned into him and closed your eyes.

He started stroking your hair and you heard him mumble something under his breath.

“What did you say?” You furrowed your brows in confusion.

“Uh, ya like jazz?” He smiled awkwardly, quoting The Bee Movie. You push yourself away from him and look him in the eye. You could tell when he was lying and he definitely was.

“What did you really say?”

He took a deep breath and readied himself. “(Y/N)... After graduation, I want to marry you,” You tried to talk but he cut you off before you could. “It doesn’t have to be immediately after graduation, we can wait a long time if you want. I’d be okay with that, it’s just-”

You cut him off with a kiss to the lips. You put your arms around his neck as you both melted into the kiss. It was sweet and full of love, but mostly full of happiness. You wouldn’t trade this - or him - for the world.

You broke away and he had a genuine grin on his face. “So... Is that your way of saying yes?”

“You can bet on it.”

[scottstiles]

clarz

replied to your post

“hi divvy! i know you are MAD right now, so don't answer this until you...”

thanks so much for answering this! tbh i love the fact that you're religious and that you clearly love it so much. i went to a very catholic college, so that kind of thoughtful and deep connection with religion and tradition is important to me, and i love seeing it in other people. it's an important part of who you are! and part of the reason i asked is because you mentioned disliking the performance thing in your initial post, and i really connect with that. when i was growing up, the church i went to was pretty plain and traditional (despite very liberal politics and interpretations of scripture.) most of the other people i knew who went to church were evangelical and/or southern baptist, and i always disliked that their churches had like, full rock bands at services, and poppy contemporary melodies to "hymns." i understand that they're trying to make church fun, but it always made me suspicious and felt disingenuous.                  i don't think religious services should be a chore, certainly, but i also don't think that they should be "fun" in that way. that's not the purpose of religion. i don't think religion should become more like entertainment or performance, because it's supposed to be a space that's completely different from the rest of the world. it makes it feel less holy to me. so i definitely relate to how you feel there. also, how did you end up feeling about the service in the moment? (and i'd love to hear about the ma'apilim sometime)                                            

SORRY I DIDN’T ANSWER THESE BEFORE CUZ I REALLY WANTED TO BUT PROCRASTINATION IS MY MIDDLE NAME (jk it’s tzviya but try saying that ten times fast. or just one time. slow.)

HERE WE GO:

1- i love finding other people who feel close to their religion, no matter what it is. i remember in teacher’s college i just naturally gravitated to the only catholic girls in my classes i guess simply because i enjoyed talking to them? we weren’t there learning to teach religion, but i’m always fascinated by what other people feel about it. i’ve found myself thinking on more than one occasion that i feel more comfortable with people who have that side to themselves, like me, rather than people who don’t interact/think about/believe in any of that kinda stuff. (im being purposefully vague because it’s a huge generalization, but nonetheless true-ish for me, i often find myself sharing much more common ground with palestinian muslims, for example, than a french canadian montrealer). i guess especially because religion is not something i consider a defining trait of mine, and im just in constant evolution with respect to that. judaism is so much more than just a belief in god or a practice of the rituals and commandments.

2- how fascinating to find someone in my age bracket who feels the same way about music in prayer. my problem has always been that i LOVE music, and its so personal and emotional that i DO see it fitting seamlessly with prayer but... it’s the setting that has always bothered me. it just never felt right for me in a synagogue. like you said, it’s just a different space. i don’t know about church and ‘making it fun’ but i definitely can imagine plenty of religions use music to draw in otherwise disinterested people who find prayer “boring” or pointless. music is awesome! i just wish people could feel the music in their soul as a separate entity from external music, like from an instrument. idk i guess i just really love singing XD and i wish it wasn’t always a performance or a competition of voices, because i think prayer should be personal. even if it’s between a community, its still voices connecting to each other. i’m reminded of Hannah’s prayer, in the book of Samuel (the prophet- his mother), she’s at the temple on one of the annual pilgrimages with her family and she’s depressed because she doesn’t have any children and her husband’s other wife just keeps popping out babies left and right. so she goes to be alone somewhere in the temple, and she’s weeping and praying to god for a child. Eli, the high priest, comes in and sees her shaking and moving her lips real fast so he goes, “hey, you shouldn’t be drinking in here” and she’s like “im not drunk, i’m praying”. so that’s the first place we read about a person actually praying, and not out loud. this was like a huge revelation to the priest cuz clearly he’d never seen that before, and now the tradition has become to pray like hannah. (as an aside, if u ever see the propaganda videos made by the nazis, they use footage of synagogues to show how loony tunes those jews are with their muttering and their rocking back and forth). cuz like, prayer is supposed to be out loud? ahaha anyway i forgot where i was going with this but... oh ya, okay, so prayer didn’t really exist (as we know it, in judaism- and therefore christianity/islam/western monotheism) until that point- it was all about the sacrifices. and the temple ritual was replete with music and instruments like the shofar, timbrels, lutes, blabla other ancient instruments. but since then, we’ve been meant to use our voices alone. so says tradition, i guess.

3- so i did go to services on yom kippur (kol nidre) but not at my shul. i went with my sister to the chabad house near my parents, and it was....not great. but it was compounded by a lot of factors- i got a wicked cold the day or two before, so my nose was running a marathon and i was coughing like a 90yr old with emphysema. i got my period that morning so i was on an extra steep emotional rollercoaster that i just somehow could barely control. so we sat on the other side of the mechitzah (the separation barrier between men and women), the rabbi/cantor stood at the head in the middle so we could all see, and we all prayed out loud, no hush on the women’s side or anything (pretty typical from what i remember of camp/school prayer services). but of course the tunes were not quite what i’m used to, and there was a bit of annoying stuff that just irks me as a perfectionist (like they use a lot of yiddish pronunciation of the hebrew words, injecting a bunch of oy oy oys and ahoyhoyhoys in random places, in fact i leaned over to my sister at one point and was like ‘did ned flanders write this nigun (tune)?’), but altogether i guess it was better than watching an orchestra perform the prayer? idk it was pretty bad, on an emotional level, but not in hindsight. im very good at ruining things for myself through sheer stubbornness. i must have embarrassed my sister just by existing next to her, poor girl, she really wanted me to like it. i’m glad it’s over, and hopefully by next year ill be back in nyc or some other city so i wont have to worry about it.

4- MA’APILIM!!!!! okay so this was my absolute favoritest thing as a kid and i can’t wait to describe it to you. one night in camp, every summer, the counselors and cits would wake us up at like 3am by barging into our cabins chanting (screaming, really) “MA’APILIM, MA’APILIM BEH-MASSAD, BEH-MASSAD. MATCHIL HALAYLA MATCHIL HALAYLA BEH-MASSAD, BEH-MASSAD.” which translates to : “ma’apilim at massad (the name of my camp) starts tonight.” i’m singing it in my head as i type XD. so they’d be screaming and we’d be tumbling bleary eyed out of bed to grab our socks and sweatshirts and run over to the flagpole (keep in mind i was 8 when i first experienced this, and we’ve had kids as young as 6 at camp). once we had all gathered in line with our bunkmates, the counselors and cits put on a little “skit”.

basically they acted like they were nazis and jews, and did a little skit of some basic bad holocaust stuff (don’t ask me to remember the exact details we’re talkin at least 20 years since i last did this) to scare the pants off of us. kids would always cry already at this point from the shouting. we’d all kinda follow into this “play” (sorry idk what else to call it), and marched over to the gym where we watched a fake hanging on the stage. they literally. hanged someone. in front of us. a fake noose, of course, duh, i remember my counselor showing it to me, but traumatizing to say the least (i still remember the name of the counselor they “hanged”- not sure this ever happened more than once but ill never forget it).

then we’d all hustle down to the waterfront, again “playing” the role of holocaust victims/survivors after these little “skits” had sort of put us in the headspace, and we play along, imagining we’d just experienced these things and were now running from it. it was terrifying and exhilarating as a small child, and an even more unbelievably emotional thrill ride as i got older and became pseudo-obsessed with holocaust lit and facts in general in my life (it never did go away but everything changes with age). ANYWAYS so down at the waterfront we got a speech from another counselor playing a member of the haganah (the main jewish defense force in palestine leading up to independence, which ben gurion later turned into the IDF). sidebar for a little history: in the 40s the yishuv (jewish agency) and the haganah began a mission called aliyah bet, “the second immigration,” an illegal smuggling operation to bring refugees from the holocaust into palestine under the noses of the british, since almost all countries in the world had barred their doors to jewish immigration from europe (a high level member of the canadian government is famously recorded as having answered, when asked how many jews they should let in, that “none is too many”). volunteer seamen from the US and canada and other countries crossed the ocean on cargo ships hastily refurbished to fit hundreds of people, picking up thousands of refugees in europe to smuggle them onto the beaches of haifa and tel aviv. paul newman has a lovely half nekid scene of this in the movie Exodus when he jumps off the ship in the middle of the night and swims up onto the beach- one of my fave movies ever and pretty much the story of aliyah bet (albeit with tremendous hollywood embellishment and only mild accuracy). these refugees who became illegal immigrants (caught or not) were known as “ma’apilim”- the root of the word is to “climb” or to “rise up”, and is found in the bible referring to the israelites who were still eager to enter the land even after the negative report of the spies.

okay so basically this was the idea. we were “playing” these illegal immigrants who had just escaped the holocaust, and were now facing another threat in the form of the british who were doing their best to keep them out of palestine. k so we’re down at the waterfront. all the kids get divided into small groups of about 10 or so, with one or two counselors at the helm to be our “haganah operatives” and guides to the end. what end, you say? so the camp is spread out into 2 areas, the main camp where the younger kids cabins were, and the dining hall and the gym and the waterfront, etc. then there’s a road in the middle of the camp, and beyond it a hill leading up to the senior cabins and some sports fields at the top. the goal was for each group to make it through camp to the top of the hill without getting caught by the “british,” played by the cits who were roaming around camp.

idk if i have to describe camp further for people who don’t know the concept, but basically we’re all in the middle of the damn woods with nothing around us for miles except the lake and the camps on the other side of it or down the road. ill never forget my first ma’apilim (tbh most of my description is from then, which is why its so fuzzy cuz these memories are 20+ years old), i was so lucky to get the tripper as our group leader (the tripper is the “nature dude” in camp, the survivalist ;). he immediately led us underneath the gym (which of course was just insane to my small mind... UNDER the gym??) to plan our route and give us instructions. we organized a roll call and signals, we practiced walking in a single file line silently and dropping to the ground on his signal. we smeared dirt on our faces for camo in the woods. it was *mason voice* intense. k so then as you can guess, we snuck our way up the hill through the woods. sometimes we’d encounter other groups, once in awhile i remember getting caught by a cit, and they’d take all or some of us to the “jail” on the basketball court” where we’d have to wait for a jailbreak (idk how that worked but it did, i remember it happening but not in any detail). a famous prison break that DID happen was at acre prison in 1947 when the irgun (another paramilitary jewish group) blew up the prison and broke out 28 of their members and 214 arab prisoners. if im not mistaken they briefly refer to it in exodus by recreating a prison break. exciting times. ANYWAYS fuck im such a tangential bitch sorry XD, by the end of the night we’d all make it to the top- “jerusalem”- and we’d have hot chocolate and say morning prayers as the sun rose over the hill. 

i feel like my description is a little lacking, but hopefully u get the basic picture. ma’apilim wasn;t even the heaviest part of camp- that was tisha b’av- the fast day when we commemorate the destruction of the temple and every other traumatic destructive event the jewish people have gone thru. that night they’d prepare the camp with candles in sand filled paper bags lining all the paths. after dinner we’d walk with our bunks on the path and watch little skits in different parts of camp- scenes from these moments in jewish history, like the holocaust, pogroms in europe, the spanish inquisition, terror attacks in israel, etc. after walking the path we’d all convene back at the waterfront, where they’d set out a small reconstructed “temple” on a makeshift raft in the lake, and a banner on the beach that said “yizkor”- remember. then they’d light both on fire and we’d sit and watch them burn while singing appropriately somber songs like eli eli, by hannah senesz. after that we’d go back to the gym and lie on the floor in small groups huddled around candles. we’d listen as some people chanted the book of eicha (lamentations), and would slowly fall asleep (depending on our age, of course). anyone that was still up after that was over got to stay in the gym if they wanted to watch exodus- a 4 hour movie. the next day we’d fast all day (only those who wanted- 13 y/o +) and treated it basically like shabbat- no regular activities.

MAN did i get some wild shit imprinted on me from camp!! but i don’t regret one second. i only wish other people could have the experience i did, but i dont even know if they still do that there. they probably do, but this old lady has no excuses to step foot in a summer camp anymore :(

as a completely coincidental aside and not at all as a self promo, idk if u knew this but i’ve been working on a documentary for over a year now and this whole thing is a major part of the plot. i interviewed a lady who was a passenger on the exodus, and about 4 or 5 people who were volunteers from montreal/new york/new jersey/toronto that picked up and smuggled the refugees. the stories are incredible. i just hope the rest of the world will get to hear it from their mouths one day. all we need is 100k to finish the film XD

[merthurlin]

you know, even beyond the general concept that making nazi ideology a thing that stars in a lot of new comic shows and books and movies as not necessarily a black and white issue (im looking at you, “the ray”, nick spencer, that ‘dick grayson is a nazi’ thing), which is obviously a bad thing that i cannot believe is happening in the year two thousand and seventeen

as a jewish person, with four grandparents who have survived the holocaust, it’s just. so egregious. I’ve grown up with horror stories about the nazis. when i was six my grandpa showed me his foot, where his fingers froze and fell off when he ran away from germany to siberia. my other grandpa could never even talk about the guilt he felt over being the only survivor in his family, and in contrast, my grandma dedicated her life to remembering and writing the stories of the family she has lost. 

I’ve read holocaust books, I’ve watched holocaust movies. Every year I went with my grandma to the memorial service for her town, and every year i planted a tree for people i’ve never met, but felt like i’ve known my whole life. entire stories gone because of the nazis, re-imagined by a young jewish girl who was too scared to ask and see her grandma cry.

dick grayson, kara zor-el, barry allen, steve rogers - those are characters i love. hell, dick might be one of my most favorite characters ever, in all genres and mediums. those are characters who are sworn to do good, who prove over and over that they care and protect, that this young jewish girl can trust them. fuck, dick grayson even belongs to another community that was also harmed by nazis, and kara, barry and steve are all jewish heritage in one way or another. and here come edgy mcedgelord 1, 2 and 3, with their brilliant ideas of “what if those good, true characters were..... idk...... fascists? GROUNDBREAKING”

so, what? did they lie to me all this time? 50, 60, 70 years of lies and deception to make readers think they can trust them, only wait, not really? "haha, silly jewish girl thinking those characters are for her. ONLY NAZIS FOR YOU”.

the nightmare stories i’ve heard from my family are suddenly invading the comic books i love, and they are the good guys. the characters i love so much are the same monsters who killed most of my family. 

[latinalesbi]

Stefs hair is awesome I mean she looks so butch and it's so hot I love how they have styled it this half of the season

I love the style. I knew it was longer, so I feared it wouldn’t look good. But the stylist is on point, we don’t need to worry if Teri’s delayed in getting it trimmed. Stef is so hot, I just love looking at her.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Of Stef and Lena had been where they are now when the whole monte thing started do you think that kiss would have happened or if it had had happened Lena wouldn't have kept it from Stef?

No, not at all. I mean Lena liked the attention because Stef wasn’t giving it to her. One of the first things that happens when things start to change is that Stef cries on Lena’s shoulder. And she says, I just wanted to see you. I think one of the most important parts of being in a relationship is feeling needed. You have to feel like your partner will turn to you for support. It’s so important. In short, no Monte would not have been able to get that close.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I always think that Stef would top Lena. With her being more butch and that but seeing Lena top Stef in 0410 and in 0203 is hot stuff             

Yep, that’s why I don’t write it with one always on top. I think for them, it’s dynamic and depends on the circumstances.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Do you think Lena knew Stef was a cop right away?             

I imagine she knew fairly quickly. The position she was at school would sort of lend itself to that knowledge. So if she didn’t find out the first day, she found out fairly quickly.

Anonymous said:                                                                      The twins actually wouldn't have been in foster care long. We know their last Christmas was with their Mom when they were 5. Lena said they fost-adopted the twins when they were 5 and Brandon told Court that they adopted the twins when they were 6 and he was 7. Now, they've screwed with the timeline a lot but they seem to have settled on the twins being with them when they were 5. I don't think it was until the Christmas episode until we found out the twins with with Ana until they were 5 too.             

We don’t really know. We know they were with her for Christmas but do we really know they weren’t moved around before that? (And I could be wrong because I never really rewatch anything but Stef and Lena). I know they came right out of a foster home when Stef met them. I have heard nothing to believe that they left Stef and Lena’s home after they arrived.

My experience with foster care is that they don’t take them away permanently at first. So I would imagine that they had been taken away from Ana before and returned. We literally don’t know. Here’s what we do know, they weren’t being raised. They were neglected in god knows what ways before that. And we know Ana was excommunicated from her home before the twins arrived. So they were exposed to her family’s culture.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Callie hugged Stef two times this half season but not Lena :(

You can’t be surprised by this. The fandom as a whole prefers that relationship. I like it when they mix it up. I still think Callie needs Lena.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I don't know what it is but there's seems to be something so off when it comes to Sherri and Kamar. He gives off such a weird vibe to me. I saw them on OLTL so it's not Teri that's messing up their vibe for me & this is a thought completely unrelated to her.  Their relationship just feels platonic & not couply. & he gives off an extremely self-centered vibe. Not in a narcissistic way but he definitely thinks very highly of himself. Just my opinion though. What do you think?

I don’t know Kamar, so basically all I know of him comes from their social media and from press photos. When he’s posing pictures with her, he doesn’t come off as a very warm person. He seems to be more about himself and the publicity. I have only seen one clip of them from OLTL (really only to get a comparison for Sherri’s style of kissing). The social media stuff, he seems focused on the boys. However, they’ve been married a long time so they must be real close or they’re focused on their family. Hollywood makes for volatile relationships.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I'm worried that Robert getting custody of Callie will happen. Like I won't be surprised if they do it like that because they want Brandon and Callie to hook up again (yikes)          

Look, Callie and the moms are the angsty relationship of the show, will they, won’t they. Robert is an external threat being wielded again. I wish they wouldn’t. I fear a cliffhanger but I don’t have a single doubt that this show ends up with Callie as their daughter.  They have brought up Robert’s money and privilege, and I don’t see the writers letting that win. I don’t.

Anonymous said:                                                                      What Lena and Stef outfits are your favorite?

I made a whole post about this. Let me link you:

First Stef, then scroll for Lena

  Anonymous said:                                                                      Do you think Frankie's death was necessary to the plot of the show?

No, I never think death is necessary on a show. I know they didn’t want a baby on set all the time, so they did what they had to do. I still hate that Ana has a baby and Lena doesn’t. Life isn’t fucking fair.

Anonymous said:                                                                      what does ur url mean             

hell yeah adamfoster. When I started my blog, there was a hellyeahstefandlena account and I kinda copied them when the few active fans decided adamsfoster would be a good tag for the ship.

Here comes all the OT questions, I deleted a few: 

  Anonymous said:                                                                      How do we know that Brandon's ex Cortney is white though? Like the actress is mexican so her character could be a WoC, from what I know they never stated Cortney's ethnicity so we shouldn't just assume she's white.             

The actress has nothing to with character. The fosters is not shy about race and so we don’t have to guess, even about ethnicity. For instance, with one small comment we know Emma is Jewish. If they wanted us to think Cortney was Latina, we would know and same for the following question.

Anonymous said:                                                                      Mike is clearly a person of color, so why wouldnt his biological son be half of whatever Mike is?             

Whatever in the fuck? Mike is a white man. I know another fandom has had a meltdown over an Italian playing a Latina, so let me tell you, it’s not the same thing at all. Just because a man is dark doesn’t mean he’s a man of color. Anyway, just as the above, if the show wanted us to think that, they would tell us. One time, a witness who ID’ed Mike mentioned he looked Mexican or Italian. That’s where many have gotten that idea, but he’s not.

  Anonymous said:                                                                      what's with all this silly debate about B's ethnicity? he is entitled because of his upbringing, not because of his race. B has always been in a stable (barring mike's alcoholism) and loving household. cal and jude, however, have not, and were profoundly abused emotionally, physically, and sexually while in the system. cal and jude are white. all this white privilege "it's cause he's white" rhetoric makes the fandom sound racist.             

While true, both things influence Brandon. His white race has kept him from encountering the same problems as someone like AJ. There’s a difference. So he doesn’t know how nice he has it. He has had stability at home and in society.

Interesting that you bring up Callie and Jude. Jude has a more nuanced experience because he’s gay and a foster kid. He still has white privilege. Someone pointed out that in the premiere we see a cop wanting to make sure that Jesus is interviewed for assaulting Nick, yet two white boys are seen breaking and entering into a boat to smoke weed and make out and yet they get to run away laughing and giggling as if nothing happened. Do you think if Jude had been black he would have even been allowed near the boat? Do you think the cops would have been looking for him if he had gotten to the boat itself? I think the situation would have been very different.

Callie supposedly meets a version of herself, introduced to her through Stef. I think she’s played by a black girl, and it will be interesting if she sees someone who has had it worse than her and has a positive attitude. I am interested in the parallels. Callie’s problems are often her own doing and she loves throwing pity parties. And maybe she does it because she knows she has 2 moms that will fight for her and a rich white daddy who will come to her rescue.

And people can be prejudiced against white people but not racist. Racism requires institutional power which people of color do not have.

Anonymous said:                                                                      how do you feel about jude's relatiomship with noah? i think hes problematic but he makes him very happy so im condflicted

Don’t like Noah, don’t like Jude with Noah.

 Anonymous said:                                                                      i really like emma and jesus as a couple as noah playing jesus. i feel like she and jake didnt have as much onscreen chemistry

I am not in love with new Jesus. I liked it better when he was more latino (-Gabe) and played by a latino. By that token, I liked Lexi and OldJesus much better than anything I’ve seen on that front.

Anonymous said:                                                                      How do you feel about Ana and Isabella moving in with Mike?             

Train wreck. But you shippers feel safe, I am sure the writers think it’s cute. I think it’s creepy. He wanted to kill her and she framed him for murder. Yeah, people grow and all but I’d like for them to talk about that. Strike that, I don’t want them talking because I don’t want them taking up air time.

Anonymous said:                                                                      I really hope Callie tells someone about what happen with that guard. I prefer it to be one of the moms or AJ. I'm sure she wad scared but had to stay strong and calm at the moment.

Who knows? Police corruption is a theme this season. However, at this point, I will take this as a plot device for Callie to want to fight this all the way to trial. Much like that time they put in her in foster care for a night as a plot device to get her to look for her father.