#political minimalism

[jetleparti]

I made some poems about America; this one, recorded, is called Ramble.

[wherestoriescomefrom]

rian johnson took all that time, put in all that effort to make glass onion a fantastic period piece to the first four months of pandemic, a prescient narrative that anticipates the stupidity of rich billionaires, and then pulled the rug from under us because the world of benoit blanc just straight up doesn't have the mona lisa anymore

[t00thpasteface]

honestly i think a lot of us should consider getting involved in local republican primaries and conventions and stuff to get less cartoonishly evil people into the party. i mean if we're stuck with a two-party system anyway, i feel like it'd be in our best interest to try and defang the worse party, instead of only pushing the vote-blue-no-matter-who angle that's been giving us so many pro-war candidates (or just plain incompetent ones). i mean like pushing from the inside to take face-eating leopard stuff off the platforms... we could potentially fumigate the republican party from the inside out if we really dug into it i think.

my extended family has a statistically above-average gay & trans proportion, and what i've gathered from talking to older/more conservative-leaning relatives is that there seems to be a strong and widespread desire to just see some politicians who will decrease/reprioritize the collection and spending of tax money and reeeeally don't like the way the republican party as an organization always tries to bundle that with attacking queer freedom... the same way i (and many of you i hope) hate the way the democratic party seems to have been bundling promises of various minority protections with drone strikes on the middle east. it would probably be worthwhile to find local politicians and movements that want to get the anti-queer stuff off of the local/county republican platforms before it can spread out to the state or national levels. i really believe the true frothing hatred of the biggest names is a vocal minority... like, in my experience, people in real life really are just like "how's it going man" more often than not. i think there's an untapped potential for a powerful bipartisan de-zealotification.

of course we should be doing the same for the left too, but i really don't think the solution for a two-party system is to just make it a one-party system instead by only showing up every two or four years to vote blue down the ballot and then stop thinking about it the rest of the time. no i don't have all the solutions or the perfect battleplan; this push would look different for every household in every city in america, because this country is so diverse and so are its issues... i just think we should be taking the shaka zulu approach of tackling the system from both sides instead of just throwing ourselves against the left flank only.

[idiotsonlyevent]

it's interesting that episode 3 shows turbo granny is kind of a hypocrite? she says she hates cheaters, but immediately cheats (by human standards) in the game of tag. it's speculated that she consoled the spirits of assaulted and murdered girls, but she herself assaults okarun and calls seiko and momo "hag," "bitch," and "skank" constantly. i think it's really indicative(?) that one of the last things she says before she fuses with the bound spirit is this:

but ultimately, momo is able to outsmart her using a combination of her grandmother's - also an elder - wisdom and modern technology.

still working on how to interpret this and fit it into what dandadan is saying. the easiest/most obvious would be something like 'you don't have to respect your elders if they disrespect you,' which is a sentiment that is applicable to future arcs as well i feel, but i do think there's more to it than that.

[emberfaye]

I can't take "Kim is rude to wait staff" "Kim treats the bodyguards like shit" "Kim is awful to strangers and has to learn basic manners"

Because it's fucking canon that in the middle of a fight for chays life, a fight he already knows is going to cause some damage, a fight he's outnumbered for and no one even knows he's there, he still keeps yok from losing an entire shelf and mirrors and alcohol. He knows she is a small business probably knows her entire Financials what with him being Mr. Mcsnoopy face.

[taliabhattwrites]

Thoughts on post-civ anarchism? It isn't primitivism nor a rejection of technology, if you wanna learn about it, here! ^-^ https://polcompballanarchy.miraheze.org/wiki/Post-Civilizationism

So I stopped having opinions on the various genres of leftism ever since I speedran Wittig's disillusionment with leftists, given their neglect of women's issues.

Despite the increasing proletarianization of women the world over, I've seen far too much rhetoric on how women don't have "real jobs" or worthy of organizing with, and the pervasive issues of misogyny and sexual abuse in nearly all organizing spaces irrespective of the specific ideology is particularly telling.

I saw a leaflet that one of the communist parties in Kerala had to print once, chiding men for preventing their wives from attending org meetings and also for treating those meetings like a place to find women to marry, instead of treating women like comrades.

Which is really cutting to the heart of the issues for me: No matter how much an ML tells an anarchist to read Engels, a lot of leftist men have a worse analysis of women's plight than an English factory-owner had in the 19th century. They don't see women as comrades, as fellow proletarians waging a common struggle with them, and they by and large still value the patriarchal benefits of naturalizing the labor women do and want to preserve that.

When they invent a tendency where that isn't the common attitude amongst leftist men, I'll take a look.

[milkbreadtoast]

another jesse/yeseo comp... 🥹💛🤎 (made this w the iphone photo gallery thumbnails lmao)

[democratthatlovesguns]

SAVE YOUR MONEY!

This holiday season, there is no excuse for impulsive buys.

There is no valid reason that you'll need cheaply made five dollar Christmas lights from Wal-Mart more than you'll need health insurance next year.

There is no valid reason you need anything from Amazon, more than you'll need milk and eggs next year.

SAVE YOUR MONEY!

What bitch boy Elon means by "hurt a little" is that you will be completely fucked; the government will not assist you in paying for anything as prices skyrocket.

Pundits on Faux News will try to convince you really hard that everything will be okay, don't be stupid enough to fall for it. Remember that a lot of them have massive investments in Wal-Mart, Amazon, Home Depot, etc. and have a HUGE incentive to motivate everyone to spend before the shit storm they know is coming.

[gravedangerahead]

Reducing a goddamn genocide to a line in a fucking checklist then calling people "privileged" for caring too much about it is disgusting, btw

It's morally depraved, you should be embarrassed and ashamed

What the actual fuck is wrong with you people??? Just completely lacking in human decency and the least bit of compassion

Try and find your fucking soul somewhere

[jimin-nothing-stronger]

american friends who live in solidly blue or solidly red states — please, please go vote today, even if it feels a little pointless.

i grew up in a swing state — in a very purple county of a large swing state, even — and so i got to come of age with this deep sense that my vote would someday Really Matter. i know that’s far from true for everyone. these days, it’s certainly no longer true for me — i’ve moved for work and now live in a very blue state. in some substantive and infuriating ways, my voice means less, now.

at the same time, this morning i got to vote on several ballot questions that will help shape my state’s education policy, support unions, and make it easier for the state to regulate and understand controlled substances without criminalizing their users. i got to vote for state and local officials. i got a cool sticker. today, in red and blue states across the country, folks are voting for the state and municipal actors who shape the character of local politics and the reality of most people’s day-to-day lives.

moreover, while my vote for Harris won’t really “count” all that much in the electoral college points allocation, it’s still a vote. it’s still momentum. it’s still a step closer to a decisive popular vote victory, which — at least in the eyes of the world, history, and my peers — still counts for something.

so, if you live in a swing state — please vote! our fate lies in your hands. the rest of us need you to turn out and carry us.

but if you don’t — please vote, too, and keep voting all the way down your ballot. you still get to shape your political reality, despite this super silly electoral system that we’re stuck with.

and besides — regardless of where you are, you get a sticker.**

(**unless you vote by mail, in which case — have a virtual sticker & my undying gratitude for your civic involvement: ��️)

[tamiisnthere]

You know what, I'm done reblogging political stuff, even though I keep saying it. I continued it because I didn't want to feel like an ignorant. It made me mentally sick that a grey hair appeared.

Don't worry, I'll still reblog the Palestine donation campaigns, because this is not politics, but people in need. <3

In fact, I live in a state where totalitarianism has reigned since last year and our government is now destroying our health care, culture, economy and more. I don't like talking about what's going on in my state because it's so chaotic that I can't handle it and I'm trying to get away from it as far as possible.

I'm sick of how the US election turned out, because it reminded me of our election a year ago and I was hoping it wouldn't repeat in the US, but I was wrong. And it was because of uneducated people who ignore anything what that party did in the past and easily fall for their propaganda and lies.

I hope you are not mad at me for my decision.

Just please stay safe and don't give up. 💗

[stellewriites]

really fucking grinds my gears how my dad knows just how to make me feel fucking guilty for putting up boundaries and saying no

[dokutah-exe]

honestly i thought surtr was like some sort of hidden arknights boss or an ex-villain or something but she's just a passive mall goth lounging around and eating all my damn ice cream

[rxttenfish]

while aaravi remains firmly within "yeah miranda has a difficult personality and isn't very easy to get along with + has many rough edges which are slowly being worked on but still going to be an issue" after having been very much so within the camp that miranda is a Vexing Bitch upon first contact/getting to know her, she DOES go from "miranda is unpredictable and dangerous as a merfolk and large macropredator and her emotions are inscrutable and random" to "merfolk aren't very hard to understand or predict and it's very easy to stay on the safe side if you keep basic rules in mind and don't freak out the second something unexpected happens"

[dg-outlaw]

"Holy Childhood Trauma, Batman!"

Okay, let's get into it. *spoilers ahead*

X-Men '97: Episode 5 - Remember It

So without boring everyone with yet another recap as every nerd fandom outlet has that covered, I want to highlight all the things that really impacted me with this episode.

The animation team, storyboard artists, and directing for this episode.

I love how this series has captured the essence and style of the original 90s series, but has amped up the actions sequences to an 11, 12, 13, or 20! It's been a hot minute since I saw the original series, but I just don't recall many truly badass anime-esque action sequences from the OG series. And while X-Men has always been more of a socio-political and interpersonal drama, it's always cool to see your favorite characters use their powers in unique ways and this was Gambit's episode. I also love the addition of tears in many of the faces of characters during key moments. It's a minor thing, but emphasizing them just shows the gravity of the emotions the characters are facing. Also, special mention to episode 1 as well with Cyclops' intro and the ending battle in the sentinel graveyard. This series is what we all wanted back in the 90s and honestly, I'd be fine if comic book adaptations were more in animation form than live-action. CGI and VFX can be cool, but having characters do insane, gravity defying things like in this episode without looking janky is so awesome.

The usage and variation of the X-Men theme.

In both these scenes (above) the X-Men theme is played, but in vary different ways and I love when a score or soundtrack can enhance the mood of a scene or just help tell a story or convey a mood/emotion. In the first, we see Gambit and Rogue heading into battle and the score is slowed down and just has this serious tone to it. We're not having fun. This is war and we've got our game faces on. The second is the traditional theme and fits the tone as Gambit is just showing off and being a badass. IDK. I'm not a student of music, but I still love this stuff and how even the same music can be varied to convey different moods.

The impact and stakes.

Without getting too political (even though X-Men is all about politics and social issues), it was hard to not feel an extra impact by this episode's destruction of Genosha given the events taking place overseas in Palestine (as well as so many other countries that don't get as much news coverage). Again, trying to keep this to X-Men, but seeing the mass loss of innocent life (even in a cartoon) in such a quick and brutal way just sent my mind there and it was hard to not tear up thinking about the real loss of innocent life in our world (but without superheroes to intervene). Not to mention, I was already prepared for the loss of Gambit thanks to being on the internet and not watching new content the second it drops.

Honestly, this episode felt like an epic finale given the gut punch of emotions, the action, and the destruction. I know there are many theories that this could/will be reversed or altered via time travel, especially with the presence of the Watcher and Cable's attempt to warn his mother, Madelyne Pryor, but narratively I hope we sit with the weight of what happened in this episode. Selfishly, I want it fixed yesterday but I know that if that were to happen it would minimize the stakes and take away from the emotional weight of this episode. Also, the X-women are going through it this season. First, Storm, then Jean, and now Rogue.

The Ending and Saying Goodbye

So, as mentioned above I had Gambit's death spoiled and while I hate that I still wasn't prepared. As I said, I was already dealing with emotions at seeing the destruction of Genosha, but when it came for Gambit's end I was falling down onto the ground even more. Add in the rest of the X-Men at home, only able to watch from TV, devasted and powerless, and then Rogue's emotional (Death of Superman-style) goodbye as the episode faded to black... I still can't watch this scene or think about it without getting emotional all over again.

That said, to all the kids who thought I was lame for picking to play as Gambit on the playground instead of then fan-favorite Wolverine like everyone else, this episode and his epic goodbye was just amazing. I think anyone wanting to do Gambit justice in a film or solo movie/series should watch this episode and take notes. While most of us hope to die peacefully in our sleep at a ripe old age, I think going out like a total badass hero is a close second and Gambit achieved that. I'm sure it'll get fixed eventually, but I think Genosha (when they rebuild) should have the Magneto and Xavier statues back up, but also have a giant one of Gambit as well.

And speaking of Magneto, having him have flashes of his childhood and embracing the Morlocks (especially Leech) at the end was just more piled on emotional damage... and apparently this is just the tip of the iceberg for this season according to the writer/showrunner. I guess the writers know their audience is probably mostly 80s and 90s kids who grew up with Bambi, Land Before Time, NeverEnding Story, Gremlins, and all the other emotionally damaging "kid" content we were exposed to back in the day. Do I need this level of trauma or PTSD as an adult? No. But I'll keep watching.

[tinyluminaryzombie]

I feel sick and scared. But I’m hoping that with each day I wake up the shock and despair will dissipate and dilute into anger, passion, and focus.

There’s no sugar coating these election results; everything is not okay.

But the only way forward is to take care of ourselves and most crucially, each other. I’m going to try to stand back up and keep fighting for better.