#politics and prose

[tea-tuesday]

currently doing peachtober for the first time in my hobonichi 5-year🍑 !! i've never been much of an artist but this is my best attempt.. i haven't done today's entry yet but yesterday, i went into the city to trim my bangs and explore union market 📚☕️

[hard-yearned-wisdom]

Not a Holiday Movie, but an amazing experience to see Angela Merkel in conversation with Barack Obama at the Anthem last night.

[baby-girl-aaron-dessner]

A poem written by Marcellus Williams about Palestine.

Despite DNA evidence proving his innocence, he was executed on September 24, 2024.

[milf--adjacent]

I hate how the single guardian interviewed for this segment lays out both the real problem and the solution, and yet Top Cop Kamala Harris insists that threatening poor parents with legal prosecution is the real solution.

Kids aren't truant because their parents don't care or are bad, they're truant because they literally can't get to school on time because of an utter lack of public transportation. Kamala Harris would run this country the same way she "served" California, by blaming individuals for systemic issues while making other systemic issues worse.

[wutheringvibe]

i hope the women know that they can be angry and optimistic both. i hope they know that joy is militant and political too. please keep your spirits up and cheer up one another. they view us as one dimensional but we are not. we will hurt, cry, scream but also smile and laugh. we should remember that. today i saw girls younger than me hurting and hopeless and it broke my heart. they should not be able to snatch our faith. we should remember that the anger rooted in revenge dissipates over time and it'll be another one time story. we need joy we need faith we need perseverance. as this is not a revenge fight it's a moral and ideological battle that has to last generations. we might not see the end of it but hopefully the girls in the future will.

[shisasan]

Summer, 1966 The Diary of Anais Nin 1966-1974 [volume 7]

[nathaniacolver]

i feel like tumblr NEEDS to know about Dr. Ally Louks, and the term "Olfactory Ethics"

(long post incoming)

storytime/timeline:

on november 27, 2024, an excited English Literature PhD recipient posted a picture of herself with her thesis, titled:

"Olfactory Ethics: The Politics of Smell in Modern and Contemporary Prose"

as you can see (on the bottom row, above), the tweet has been viewed over 119 MILLION times, and has received over 250k likes. unfortunately, within days (most of the replies dating december 1st), she had garnered what seems like every possible insecure man with a twitter account to post their vitriol and rage concerning the fact that a woman is clearly more well-researched than them. regardless, she tanked it ALL with kindness and with a smile:

AND I MEAN VITRIOL (queen of making boundaries clear):

(inserting reading break for the timeline's space's sake):

here's her abstract:

and in case the abstract wasn't clear, she has since (date: december 16th) taken the time to re-summarize her thesis for the layman (yes that is a link! click it! 3min read!)

she has repeatedly shown just the perfect amount of kindness and understanding for those who are simply Not Comprehending (mostly december 1st):

(the chatGPT hate in the next one is my favorite:)

has upheld an incredibly high moral standard of how she interacts with the situation (december 2nd):

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS: regardless of this crap, she made it clear that as a professor, her FIRST priority at the end of the semester would be taking care of them (december 3rd)

(CAN SHE GET MORE BASEDDDDDDDDDD)

she stays both 1) educating the masses, and 2) engaging with pop culture as much as a normal person would (december 9th-17th):

she also supports a free palestine (WHO IS SURPRISED. NOT ME.) ((december 15th))

here's the BEST FREAKING THING ABOUT THIS. since this all has happened, RANDOM TWITTER USERS, UNKNOWINGLY, have REPEATEDLY proven her thesis to be true,

again,

and again,

AND AGAIN.

EVEN CARDI B DO YOU HEAR MEEEEEEEE

COMBATING MISOGYNOIR WITH HER OWN BARE HANDSSSSS

oh she knows she's mother

here's some more she never saw/commented on (INCLUDING SOME FROM TODAY. IT IS STILL GOING ON. EVERY SINGLE DAY LIKE CLOCKWORK SOMEONE POSTS SOMETHING THAT PROVES HER POINTS ABOUT OLFACTORY ETHICS):

THE WICKED MOVIE REFERENCE HELLO

apparently, OTHER academics are mad at her for being so famous and influential, but she stays unbothered (december 16th, and TODAY, december 19th):

and she's partially getting her post-doc on how people's sense of smell has been altered (december 1st):

and the best part is!

all of these screenshots i've collected are only a SAMPLE, illustrating dr. louks' indomitably kind and ethical character.

anyway. i want ALL of y'all to start saying, out loud, "olfactory ethics", or even better, "dr. louks was RIGHT" (something something women's names are erased something) every time you see something that plays into her thesis. never let her influence die. THINK THROUGH what you're REALLY saying when you comment on the smell of something, or how your perception has been shaped by society. USE THIS PHOTO IF YOU HAVE TO:

follow her on twitter (@DrAllyLouks) or bluesky (idk her handle, if someone tells me i'll edit it in)

AND SAY HER NAME!! DR. ALLY LOUKS

[sanddollarpoems]

The truth is, I started in a very different place than I am now. Perhaps I am the evidence of evolution, that a person can go from one side to the other in a matter of years. I have family and friends who still think the same way. They echo the same hurtful words. They babble the same disrespectful slogans.

Last week, while feeling scared, disappointed, and emotionally bruised, I had to explain why people like me felt like I did. I had to be the adult, take the slander, and share about why people like me who didn't agree, people who feared for their rights as a human, were angry and sad and upset.

To be fair, I grew up on the other side. I grew up listening to my dad rage against the "flaming liberals" and the "fema-nat-zees," listening to Rush Limbaugh, and conservative talk radio. And as I grew up, the information I was fed was consistent. I was surrounded by people of like minds, and it was very easy to agree. No one challenged me. No one asked me WHY I thought what I did. No one pointed out my racism, my hurtful words, or my prejudice.

I got married young to a man who enjoyed telling me how to think and what to believe. And perhaps that's when I started feeling the cracks in my belief system. I started having my own thoughts, secretly, of course. I started struggling with the things that didn't add up.

It's so easy to pick someone's motives if you don't know that person. It's so easy to "other" them if they don't fit into your tiny understanding of the world. But God has a sense of humor. He gave me a double dose of empathy and compassion. I started meeting people, and they didn't fit into my categories. I started meeting people who I couldn't make sense of. I started meeting people who I had been taught to hate. But I didn't hate them. They were just people who hoped, and loved, and lived just like me. In fact, I started seeing they were all just like me.

And then, I became the "other." With my divorce, 90% of the people I had called friends, left me. My church, who had been like a family to me, left me. I was the sinner. I was the outcast. And because I was a victim of abuse, I had been talked out of asking for child support, even though he made over three times what I did. Now, I was also the woman standing in line at the grocery store, using my EBT "food stamps." I was a "leech on society," as my dad would say.

Remember how I said God has a great sense of humor? Well, guess who were the ones to come around me and support me and love me and lift me up? That's right. It was the people who I used to "other." It was the single mom's, the LGBTQ, the "flaming liberals," the atheists, the women of color...

For the first time in my life, there was no judgment, just kindness. There were no impossible standards, no mistreatment for being different, no more expectations to conform. There was freedom.

I have since come to a place where all those things my dad used to insult people with are now true of me. And this past week, as my friend was talking about the "woke morons," I gently told her that I'm one of those.

The truth is, we're all just people. We all want safety and well-being for ourselves and our families. A lot of us want that for our communities, and some even want it for the world. Most of the people I've met on both sides are generally good-hearted people. We all have been taught to say hurtful things, to believe hurtful things, and sometimes to even do hurtful things to "others." But I believe that for most people, these are learned behaviors.

My dad used to quote the Bible and say, "believing that there's good in people is a lie. Everyone is evil if they're not a Christian." These days, I believe God made humans in his own image. And having kindness and love are the traits that everyone has inherited from him. These are the things I have seen in others. And so I continue to believe that everyone has the ability for great kindness, and if we all exercised that kindness more readily, this world will not be such a scary place for any of us. Even if we don't all agree on the politics.

[fumifooms]

"It was something I could fix" Sevika Jinx brotp sooo real i need this i need them I need the "I’m gonna exterminate the family i have left" to include Sevika because of an accident during battle I want the girl Sevika always called a jinx to jinx her and for her to not even be mad, just tough as nails with even tougher love even in her dying breath.

[boothillglazer]

Dear Supporter,

I hope this message finds you and your family in good health. My name is Eman Zaqout from Gaza. I am reaching you out to seek your urgent help in spreading the word about our fundraiser. I lost both my home and my job due to the ongoing genocide in Gaza and we are facing catastrophic living conditions. 💔

I kindly ask you to visit my campaign. Your support, whether through donating or sharing, will help us reach more people who can make a difference. Thank you for your continued support for the Palestinian cause. Your dedication brings us closer to freedom. 🙏🕊

Note: Verified by several people as 90-ghost and aces-and-angels. ☑

Boost

[thepersonalwords]

Noble leaders choose: wisdom over wealth, knowledge over fame, understanding over honor, virtue over titles, and people over power.

Matshona Dhliwayo

[abeerelnajar1]

🙏Please don't skip me

I am a mother of seven children. To you, they may just be names: three are married, and then there’s Alaa, Mahmoud, Mohammed, and little Toleen. But to me, they are my entire life, the light of my eyes. I have dedicated every part of myself to raise them, to teach them, so they would grow up to be educated, kind, and contributing members of our community here in Gaza.

But now, the dreams I held for them—dreams built with so much hope and sacrifice—are fading before my eyes. The war has stripped them of every opportunity, leaving them without work, without hope, and most importantly, without stability or safety.

My life’s work and all my efforts lie in ruins. Now, we live in a small tent no larger than five meters, where eight of us are crowded together, clinging to one another in the hope of finding safety.

My husband, Ahmed, who suffers from a heart condition and back pain, needs a comfortable bed, but war does not distinguish between the weak and the sick. Every night, he struggles to find relief on the hard ground.

How you can help?

Donate any amount you can; every dollar makes a difference.

Share this campaign with your friends and family on social media.

Spread the word about our story.

Together, we can make a difference.

Thank you❤️

@90-ghost @heritageposts @gazavetters @neechees @butchniqabi @fluoresensitivearchived @khanger @autisticmudkip @xinakwans @batekush @appsa @nerdyqueerr @butchsunsetshimmer @biconicfinn @stopmotionguy @willgrahamscock @strangeauthors13 @bryoria @shesnakedunderthere @legallybrunettedotcom @lautakwah @sovietunion @evillesbianvillainarchive @antibioware @akajustmerry @dizzymoonlight @ree-duh @neptunerings @explosionshark @vague-humanoid @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @sar-soor @northgazaupdates2 @feluka-blog-blog @dirhwangdaseul @jdon @ibtisams @sawasawako @memingursa @schoolhater98 @toesuckingoctober @waskvhai @turtletoria @imjustheretotrytohelp

[realidadposts]

[sstargrllll]

You my love,

are immortal in my heart.

[mai-family]

Can you donate for my kids 🙏🙏

With great pain and sadness, I write these words that reflect a harsh reality that no father or mother can bear. Today is the birthday of my twin children, who are completing nine years of life, but in these years they have lived what adults cannot bear. Nine years have passed full of suffering and war, in which their school was destroyed and their dreams were assassinated, their grandfather, uncle and family were killed, and our house was razed to the ground.

We now live in a tent, without security or a roof to protect their little dreams, which no longer exceed the most basic rights: a book, a pen, and a smile without fear. Despite all of this, they dream of a better future, and I hope that this dream will not be killed as our loved ones were killed.

Today, I do not ask for anything for myself, but for my children who smile despite the wounds. I ask every merciful heart to contribute even a little to restore a part of their stolen childhood. Your donation could mean the warmth of our tent in the winter, the education they missed, or even a simple moment of joy on their birthday.

Don't let my children's dreams wither in this cruel storm. You are their only hope.

[clearancecreedwatersurvival]

I’m sorry your probably still up, I’m sorry you’re probably suffering and scared right now, but thank you for posting. Thank you for not giving into doom. Thank you for putting a little more love and hope and reminders to hold onto your community and survive into the world right now. I really appreciate it as someone who can’t sleep tonight. I hope you rest well and survive, even if it is mother fucking impossible thrive in these conditions. Sending you a guttural field to scream in together rn.

This is a very sweet message, thank you for sending it. And I hope you’re also able to find some peace tonight. Admittedly, I think I’m doing significantly better than many people right now, and to some extent I’m only as calm as I am right now because I very intentionally stayed out of the mire for most of the day. Instead, I read some stories that made me smile, and doodled some of the remaining fall colors, and later took a walk while the first snow of the season was falling, beautiful massive flakes coating the trees. I’m looking forward to drinking some warm beverages tomorrow while the snow keeps falling and getting to talk to my therapist. A blue jay came to my bird feeder this morning for the first time in a while, and perhaps tomorrow they will come again.

A couple hours ago I got the chance to video call a beloved friend who I haven’t talked to in a while, and it was really grounding to just catch up with someone I care about in the midst of all this. No better time to phone a friend and share the burden than the middle of a sleepless night.

I’ve spent a lot of time recently appreciating the resilience of my local riparian ecosystem. I live in the suburbs, but even in the middle of this heavily human altered environment, life still flourishes. Just this year I’ve seen owls and muskrats and turtles and cranes and raccoons and hawks and a very adorable juvenile skunk. I think when the storm is gone I will once again go out to pick up trash around the creek and do my part to help this little ecosystem thrive.

I think for anyone who is struggling right now or tomorrow or any of the days after, the best thing to do always, is to find someone to help. Yesterday (or the day before yesterday at this point I suppose), I helped one of my neighbors get through the aftermath of a domestic violence incident and find somewhere safe for her and her kid to go. Being able to provide support for someone who needed it in such a tangible way was really nice, and I know I can always look forward to finding more opportunities to help the people around me.

That’s what’s most important right now, I think. Helping your neighbors whenever you can, holding space with your loved ones to cry and laugh together, and doing something practical and tangible like cleaning up the trash by a creek.