#post grad courses

[mearcatsreturns]

I have a bookstagram, and I recently followed someone because they posted about the overconsumption issue that most bookish social media seems to have. Today, though, they posted another controversial "opinion": that listening to audiobooks isn't reading, and people who claim to have read a bunch of books that they listened to as audiobooks are lying and/or deluded. Listening to audiobooks, she said, is just consuming books.

I disagreed in a fairly politely worded reply, and I intend to unfollow/block, because I find it unlikely this person will change their mind, especially since I'm far from the only person to point out that this is exclusionary and ableist. But this is tumblr/my house, and now I'm going to be as blunt as I want to be.

I'm a librarian and archivist. So much of the work I and others in my field do focuses on making books and reading more accessible and less exclusionary. It is, in fact, incredibly ableist to negate how important audiobooks are for people who have certain disabilities or challenges, and I would in no universe say they aren’t reading. For that matter, a busy person who only has time for audiobooks and for people who just prefer them--it still counts, as far as I'm concerned.

See, there's a difference between an audiobook and a podcast or long song or radio program. An audiobook is still a book--it was written with a particular narrative structure, and the author plays a defined but limited role (once the book is written, it's written; the author isn't tuning in next episode with comments and corrections based on what listeners said). An audiobook is a book, ergo, listening to one is reading. Using braille is reading, and listening to audiobooks is reading.

The part that has me in full Captain Raymond Holt "apparently that is a trigger for me" mode is that this bookstagrammer called listening to audiobooks consumption. In the context of her other posts about overconsumption as an issue in the bookish community (again, agree, but also...mind your own business), this seems particularly insidious to me. Conflating influencer-driven (and capitalist hellscape) consumption with listening to an audiobook (again, a massive boon for the visually impaired and those with disabilities like ADHD, dyslexia, etc.) is rude at best and dangerously exclusionary at worst. Stop letting comparison be the thief of joy; mind your own business and stop looking at the pages that bother you. Focus on the kindness of leaning towards inclusion, meeting people where they are, and leaving judgment behind.*

*This person also said "feel free to comment if you disagree but please don't be mean or judgmental," as if they hadn't just posted the most ableist and judgmental sludge I've seen today.

tl;dr: don’t be a gatekeeping shithead, mind your own business, and

(gif by matalyn on tenor, couldn't find on tumblr)

[lemongogo]

college … wasted on the youth (me)

[beauzos]

it's always hard when you're just waiting for the time to leave for something... going to a sort of belated Halloween Party tonight so i'm just sitting here dressed like a cowboy. watching the minutes very slowly tick by till i can leave.

[enlitment]

who would have thought that going to grad school would mean having less time to be on Tumblr

[varietysky]

It's funny how Ghosts s1 + s2 are fused in my mind as one thing, and same with s4 + s5 together. Then there's s3 in my head that's its own separate lil thing.

[vamptoll]

You know I don't think the transmisogyny in Butler's work is Unrelated to the (Misinterpretation) of their work as saying "Drag is a post-modern art form that destroys gender".

Because both comes from the same root ya know. The inability to see the MTF figure as a subject, only forever the object to be interpreted by the masculine subject (And yes, the masculine subject does include AFAB academics, like duh. Most every transfem who engages In Academic Feminism knows this we just aren't allowed to say it without them kicking us out).

So Butler makes their argument (and it's a good argument! Despite the transmisogyny!), and it becomes twisted up in a veneration of Drag instead, and I can't help but think it's because the way the argument goes slots perfectly INTO that same inability.

The masculine artist making a feminine model into an artistic statement! It doesn't truly matter that the feminine model and masculine artist are in the same, because that's still the easiest way to reform Butler's words while still upholding the logic of the heterosexual Matrix! (And their words must be reformed, Gender Trouble is so heavily assigned that it must become assimilated into the gendered logic of college kids, and that's where it's gonna go)

So it becomes this "Drag Queens reveal the artificial nature of gender" when like, No, no they don't. Maybe a couple have, maybe? The vast majority don't engage the question at all, however, and a sizable minority base their entire schtick AROUND the immutable nature of Gender and Sex!

(sorry Tumblr threw one too many posts about Drag my way today, enjoy this post over a decade out of date)

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[mrgaretcarter]

i want to write or make gifs again but lack of inspiration terrible attention span and adult responsibilities

[good-beans]

Good-beans, one of my dearest mutuals on this site ever! Hello hello!!! It has been...way too long...!!! Ahhh, I sincerely hope you've been doing well. ;.; I don't know if you even remember me at this point since it's been SO LONG since I've really been on here much but I've been thinking of you so much lately and I needed to crash into your inbox to tell you why: I finally watched Mob Psycho 100.

And I see, so, so much, why you love and adore it and seem to continue to love and adore it based on your header (which I saw and excitedly snapped my fingers and said "THERE'S THE GOOD-BEANS I STILL REMEMBER!" XD ♥ I kept thinking of you the entire time I was watching the series because you are the one I associate so much with MP100 because of how often you talked about it and posted media from it and whatnot and I just cannot thank you enough for cementing the show in my brain as a potential thing to watch because it has become one of my hall of fame series now that, many years later, I finally sat and watched it. I am still crying over what happened in season three and I just. WOW!!! Anyway, I just had to come pay homage to the one who all those years ago got the series in my brain and who I kept thinking of as I watched it. ♥ Plus it's just been long overdue that I stopped by, said hi and reminded you of how awesome you are!!! ♥ (And if you don't remember me then well, consider this just a reminder in general that you're awesome and cool and to let nobody tell you otherwise!!! ♥) Sending you all my best wishes and I hope you're taking care! ♥ Yours sincerely, Moon

Moon!!! Moon my beloved, omg hello!!!

Of course I remember :D I try not to get too sad when mutuals disappear for a while because most of the time it just means they're touching grass unlike me asdfsdfd -- but still, I've thought of you and wondered if you were doing well. You have such a memorable energy and positivity, I definitely could never forget! Your messages always brought a smile to my face, they really inspired me! I hope life has been, and currently is treating you kindly <3

And WAAUUGGHHH excuse me while I go and sob and rocket into the sun??? I'm so excited that you watched it! It really is such a beautiful and fun story -- even if I'm into other media, it has permanently altered my brain chemistry and I'll never get over how much I love it. Though I don't expect everyone to be as insane about it LOL, it's so great to hear you enjoyed it!!!!

And also??? I'm thinking of that line in Glass Onion about knowing you've made it in life when you're "remembered in the same sentence as the Mona Lisa" or something, and YOU KNOW this is the same to me 😭 I couldn't ask for a higher honor than being That Mob Psycho Guy you thought of while watching 😭😭😭 I warn you this knowledge will go straight to my ego...

This message made like my whole year asdfvgh thank you 🥺❤️ Whether you're just popping in or tumblr has dragged you back in, it was really nice to hear from you!! You have a wonderful rest of your day/night ✨️

[tamayokny]

i think i may be started all three classes tomorrow instead of two and if so i'm gonna kms.

[coolcarabiner]

if u think i didn’t scream u would be wrong

[asinglesock]

I am actually feeling more optimistic about school than I have in several weeks. I'm thankful for that.

[andromeda3116]

looking at job prospects in science writing (depressing), and one of them is offering $80k/year. i look at it out of curiosity. it requires a phd.

for $80,000 per year. a phd. you want someone who has a fucking phd in a life science for $80,000 per year

jesus christ we are living in the worst timeline

[mirastudiesphysics]

I hate how the discussion in our department about the qualifying exams has turned into

"oh we won't kick you out if you fail all four attempts"

"but if you won't kick us out, why have these tests that remove time from our research?"

"the tests make you study physics :)"