#shut up about ‘you need to vote for Biden’ my god

[nibeul]

libs are so damn annoying, if you have to choose one guy to “protect democracy”, your democracy is fucking dead. “If there is an election where you are forced to pick between two evils, then it’s your duty to pick the lesser evil” if there’s an election where you are forced to pick between two evils, then it’s your duty to rid of the system that’s producing them in the first place

[compacflt]

Hi, big fan of your fics. I've just found your Tumblr and binged everything Icemav-related. When reading about Icemav's political beliefs, I've gotten curious. Does Bradley share the same political beliefs as Ice (and Mav)? Does being raised by them or them pulling his papers influence how he votes? Or there are other factors in the play (e.g. generations, social media)? How about Jake and the other Daggers? How does this young generation of the Navy perceive politics (elections, gender, etc.)? My apologies for bombarding you with questions. But as a non-American, American politics have always been something we must pay attention to. I've seen many interesting interpretations on Tumblr but it feels more or less wistful than realistic, but I might be wrong (again not an American) so I would love to see your perspective on this. Thank you.

a good politics roundup post before i leave this blog

icemav & their conservatism: here, here, here

ice’s NECESSARY conservatism as commander of the pacific fleet (i.e. officers who are most likely to get promoted to the highest ranks do NOT break the service line when it comes to domestic politics, so by necessity ice would’ve had to keep his mouth shut, he Cannot be both a four-star and a revolutionary, like he just can’t; and being a revolutionary is otherwise antithetical to his character anyway): here, here.

and the original “ice & mav politics post” which is being updated here: here

I’ve gone back and forth on everyones politics over the last year of me being involved with these characters, but let me just tell you where I’ve ended up headcanoning them politically, if ur interested

ice: reagan democrat. “educated moderate” who was more right-leaning pre-9/11. now just a regular ol liberal (did you SEE those gay little round glasses in tgm? no way this guy isn’t a straight-up lib) with absolutely no strong feelings about most domestic politics besides “fascism bad”. Has some foreign policy opinions that areeeee questionable at best, like all members of the military elite (hangman voice: DO NOT ASK ICEMAN ABOUT CHINA. WORST MISTAKE OF MY LIFE). foreign policy neoliberal favoring the dovish side of the spectrum. A force conservator (“let’s save our military assets [read: my boyfriend maverick 🥺] for when we really need them, not for any old conflict. the deterring specter of the American war machine should outweigh the risk of underperforming”). He’s in favor of marriage equality of course, but treats it like a privilege and not a right. would be sad/upset if it got repealed but wouldn’t necessarily fight for it. “well at least my marriage will always be legal in california so i just won’t leave, problem solved.” Normie median Biden voter.

mav: political wildcard tbh. original 1986 mav is DEFINITELY right-leaning (i think i’ve written elsewhere, “he fully believes bill clinton is an affront to god”). i get young republican vibes from him. Full on patriotic (but dispassionate) 1980s reaganite anti-commie neoconservative. but after the 2010s i am very confused tbh. Tom cruise’s political aura is an insanely confusing one. idk. No matter what, Mav has some Hot Takes that a.) can immediately be shot down by ice using Facts and Logic at any time and b.) are not strictly partisan. He’s registered democrat just to support marriage equality (his marriage is his top priority but he doesn’t care about Other gays’ marriages, only his own), doesn’t care about any of the party’s other lines. Votes however ice tells him to. I get real “kind clueless libertarian” vibes from 2022 maverick tbh. Especially with the “isolating himself in a hangar in the middle of the mojave desert.” that has a political connotation to it for sure. bro just does whatever he wants out there

also, ice & mav live in San Diego, which… while in blue/democrat leaning California…is famously a bastion of right-wingers & has a hitler particle level off the charts… (sorry its not my favorite place in the world). That’s why they’re both continually so disgusted by San Francisco (a metonym for effete liberal homosexuality). Theyre from San Diego, hatred of SF & liberal SF politics is kinda par for the course down there.

Bradley: as u will see in the extras i definitely hc Bradley as an activist, but because he’s… in the navy and also like in his 30s… It’s not college campus activism, it’s just “things all of us in the left wing can agree upon” activism. so, like, BLM or pride, etc. He’s an “in this house we believe” yard sign liberal. He is 38 years old. hes a solid millennial so not politically hip with the kids (me)

Bradley & ice/mav disagree on the VISIBILITY of politics. Ice & mav, who did live through the vietnam era draft/near-dissolution of American society in the 60s and 70s, are not in favor of possibly losing their job/honor they have fought and killed for, for the sake of a political statement. And they believe their relationship IS a political statement, whereas Bradley would rather encourage them to treat their relationship like, I don’t know, a relationship that has a right to exist independent of politics!

Jake and the other daggers: idk. i don’t really give a shit about the daggers sorry. They r blank slates 2 me. jake especially is canonically frat-boy sexist in a way that gives me the heebs, much like original 1986 maverick and ice. But the navy tends to be the most left-wing (or thought of as left wing in common thought) service of the military, if that helps. But it is also the most traditional service of the military, and by traditional I mean BRITISH!!!! 🇬🇧💂there’s so much pomp and circumstance and hoity-toitiness that comes from the navy’s origins in the Royal Navy. A lot of sticking to outdated tradition in the very fabric of the navy itself, while the navy’s enlisted demographics shift younger and more left-wing/“revolutionary…” some interesting conflicts there. Like that one sailor who got blasted by multiple congressmen on social media for (with permission!) reading a poem about their queer identity on the USS Gerald ford’s intercom a few months back, if I remember correctly. Hoo boy the Takes that day were wild. Younger Americans tend to be more liberal but YMMV with officers, who are by nature trying to uphold outdated traditions of the navy for the sake of keeping the navy a unified service

i am of course writing carole as a christian republican who has gay friends and a gay kid not by choice but by the Grace of God

[mallowmaenad]

my new political ideaology is that I get a device called the dipshit detector that removes self-important white people’s ability to use cellphones for 1 month and I don’t fucking care if this is a fascist dictatorshit i actually would turn joe biden into joe woke and donald trump into pronoun trump if i see one more loud mouthed straighty act like their opinion fucking matters im introducing their shy 9 year old son to my little pony i cant fucking take this shit yes fuck it throw republicans in concentration camps they’re practically begging for it they wont shut the fuck up about how theyre gonna be hunted down and killed wish granted bitch blam blam its wabbit season bitch im sick of liberals im sick of voting im sick of norway if youre even slightly uncomfortable around gay people you should be set on fire black power asian power jewish power latino power and i fucking mean it im not just buying the stupid 30$ tshirt on fckhate.com the worst thing to ever happen in american history is abraham lincoln not publicly executing every confederate general and outlawing slavery full stop we literally live in starship troopers we are trapped in a shitty gmod half life dark rp server yeah I do think you’re basically a terrorist if you go to disney land and i also think that if the first words out of your mouth when the rustbelt gets set on fire is “those dirty rednecks deserve it” ill show you a fucking redneck you fucking yank prick you fucking racist i wish hilary clinton would explode on live tv charitys are fucking fake theyre as fake as those cardboard towns in north korea oppenheimer was a limpdick pussy and fallout is becoming a game franchise that fetishizes the mass genocide of asians and i want todd howard pinned under a large rock for it spec ops the line wasn’t ugly enough there is a conspiracy started by the cosmetics, nutrition and fashion industry in collaboration with the upper class descendants of fucking typhoid “moneybags” marys to fool the masses that fat people aren’t hot as fuck. My body and mind and soul degrade with the week because of yhe shit ass menial labor yhey made me do and the fucking lead in gasoline and world war 1 started a chain reaction of fathers beating their kids and wives because it’s cheaper to buy a gun than go to therapy because we’re fucking warhammer orks without any of the endearing mental stupidity we live in mordor. we live in fucking mordor. it literally does not matter who is president our two political parties are Nazis and Neo-Nazis bernie sanders was the closest thing to a centrist this country has ever seen. capitalism grinds up joy into a paste to divvy out on 500$ gucci toothpicks public urination should be legal rent is theft corporations are agents of satan who is jesus christ who is not jesus of nazareth jesus christ is the poster boy of white supremacy i fucking hate Hamilton white people should listen to MORE rap i want to get my dick sucked at a death grips concert. Laundromats and burger joints where you can get a meal for 5$ are far more important than police stations and walmart. pop anarchists want to personally confiscate your wheelchair uou fuckers treat yhis like a game fuckin e girls with hammers and sickles in their icons arguing about what form of communism or socialism or whateverism is right when bitch that is a pipe dream you are going to die in captivity arguing about which dragon ball z character is the strongest (girl broly) at least go punch a hole in your wall and fuck it to prove you’re human you facebook fetishist jesus christ every other day i want a biblical death just so my fucked up thouhhts mean something i need a fuckingjason vorhees bitch wheres the yandere tea party this is all so fucked up its not fucking real the christian god hates you whoever says otherwise is trying to make you a fucking slave. Mormonism and scientology should be wiped off the map any religion formed after the invention of the gun is a fucking pyramid scheme i wish i was a 9 foot toll shark lady with hugebrealssta so i could fucking knock over thechrystler building

DO 9/11 AGAIN

[glorbo-from-your-evil-show]

People on this website for some god forsaken reason want a politician that perfectly fits their ideals. Except there isn’t one. The ONLY way for a politician to share your exact ideals is for YOU to be one. This is ESPECIALLY the case for presidency.

Sometimes, you’re going to have to compromise a bit and realise that getting them to do what you want them to do? Probably not going to happen in their 4 year term. Sometimes, you’re going to have to recognise that - they’re going to do some things you won’t like much. But you’re gonna have to either protest or shut up about it, because your other option is someone who would deport a person with even the slightest hint of foreign descent.

Your other option is someone that literally makes up random ‘facts’ as he talks IN A POLITICAL DEBATE. It’s not lying about a policy (the normal politician thing) he is just straight up being full-blown racist live on air. He has gone on document saying he’ll ban abortion, he’ll make sure only he can ever be president, he tried to act like he was a self made billionaire.

The only reason Biden actually dropped out of the race was because - Trump would have won!!!! Which is insane to me!!! Trump and his team managed to so thoroughly ingrain the idea of ‘sleepy joe’ into people’s minds that a lot of you genuinely think the man has dementia and can’t speak properly. When there are plenty of videos of him, speaking properly and impassioned! You were not immune to propaganda and you still aren’t. You’re still seeing literal bots (this has been proven!!!) made to get the left to stop voting and thinking they’re right!!! You’re seeing bots say ‘voting means you support a genocide’ and thinking that’s correct?!?!? I don’t understand. I really, really don’t. It confounds me.

And i feel like you may not understand yet.

If you vote for Trump? There are no queer rights. There are no women’s rights. There are no equality acts. There is nothing except more empowerment of white cis men. Right now? Is probably the best it’s been for queer people for a WHILE, if not ever. And you want to undo that?

“Biden didn’t do anything during his presidency!” Yes he did.

Do some research. Right now. Look at the bills he has passed. Look at the bills he has blocked. He has done much, much more than you think.

Does he support israel? Yes, and it’s awful. But your country right now? It’s in deep shit. You cannot help other people politically right now. It’s like oxygen masks on an airplane. Help yourself, then others. It sounds selfish, i’m aware, but voting trump would be like taking all the oxygen masks for yourself. It is only selfish. You really think the man willing to build a wall between America and Mexico isn’t willing to fund the hell out of a genocide? Against predominantly muslim people, the religion he has had MANY racist, vitriolic rants about? The religion he had had actual bills passed about? To stop them from coming to the country, even if they had US citizenship?

Right now you need to accept that your best option isn’t the best option for other countries suffering via US interference. That is just how it is. Change is not instant. It wasn’t yesterday, it wasn’t today and it won’t be tomorrow. What change is, is continuous and gradual. You’re looking for the equivalent of a dopamine hit. A quick fix that won’t actually fix anything in the long run since you’re putting as little effort as possible in to commit to that change.

Vote for kamala, my god. It is so easy.

I'm sorry, but I'm just too fucking old to pretend that the presidential ticket of "Person who performed some of the first gay marriages in her state while it was still federally illegal" and "governor who created a trans refuge state while other states were making it illegal to transition" is somehow 'jUsT aS bAd foR QuEer pEopLe' as the ticket promising to reverse marriage equality and make trans healthcare next to impossible.

That is such a monumentally stupid opinion that I'm going to have a hard time believing that you're actually that stupid, and I'll probably just assume you're malicious.

[thewingedwolf]

sorry i keep saying this but my god voting discourse is making me insane.

“anyone who tells you not to vote is a psyop” i’m not a russian shill or a cia plant you fucking idiot i live 20 minutes out of chicago and i’m active in local politics, im telling you my vote doesn’t fucking matter and i can protest vote or leave the president slot empty because chicago will always go for the dem. that’s not being a psyop that’s a fact of how this shitty system works!!

"you're not a real activist you're just complaining" i'm not doxxing myself to score points on tumblr thanks!! you don't have to believe me when i say that i'm involved in local politics, that people i know are involved in grassroots campaigns against corrupt officials and regularly call out, protest, riot, whatever against specific politicians and police officers while risking their Literal Safety bc the mayor loves to use the cops to harass people or that i got pushed out of my job in part because of my political views but that's what fucking happened, you can go back through my text post tag and see me crying about it in real time!!! i know it's crazy but some of us actually DO care about this stuff outside of "trump bad" unlike so many of you vote blue no matter who losers.

"the revolution is going to kill thousands" citation fucking needed thanks

"what's the point you're trying to make with letting trump win" i'm sorry beyond the fact that i think this framing is so disingenuous because centrists and libs will insist that they don't need leftists for the vote so we should all just shut the fuck up but when voting time comes around they always blame US because THEY ran a shitty candidate, people hating biden isn't THE LEFTISTS fault it's BIDEN'S FAULT, but also IT'S NOT LEFTISTS WHO ARE HANDING TRUMP THE WIN. every single fucking vote shows that a) young people find it extremely difficult to vote because of how shitty our voting works while seniors who are disproportionately conservatives have literally all goddamn day to vote and b) leftists come out in DROVES to vote!!! the people not voting are largely low info voters who don't think about politics In This Context, watch their one (1) lil news show with the anchor or journalist they like, and base who they're voting for off of how their life is Right Here Right Now. not only that, but it is heinous and obnoxious to put the blame squarely on the voter when biden is just objectively running a shitty ass campaign.

"this is just like the gore/bush/nader vote" this is how i know all the people on here bitching about voting are not serious people and not serious leftists. just like hilary, there were a LOT of factors that led to this and blaming solely nader just like blaming bernie is insane cope. gore ran a shit ass campaign and gave up way too soon. hilary ran a shit ass campaign and blamed everyone but herself. biden is running a shit ass campaign too. the dems never fucking learn that the vp pick is important, campaigning in important, optics are important (they've been part of our elections since fucking JFK AND NIXON!!), and having a memorable and appealling platform is important. you can't just run on "but the other guy sucks" IT DOESN'T WORK IT'S NEVER WORKED.

"vote-" DEMS HAVE WON THE POPULAR VOTE EVERY SINGLE VOTE SINCE CLINTON. WE DID OUR PART!!!!! WE SHOWED UP AND VOTED. IT'S THE SYSTEM THAT FUCKS US OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND YOU'RE BLAMING SOME RANDOM 23.5 YEAR OLD WITH A SICKLE IN THEIR USER???? ARE YOU STUPID. ARE YOU SILLY???

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

No Absolutes—No Boundaries

“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Matthew 5:13NLT

Who is the salt of the earth? Supposedly all Believers are the salt of the earth. Before election day I kept my mouth shut too much— DONE!

So we go to mainstream churches; don’t display emotions in church; supernatural has passed away with the Acts; watch out for the songs you sing; they don’t preach the blood and the cross; a social gospel without sin and hell.

Are we aware that Jesus told the Laodicean church “I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other! So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!” Revelation 3:15BSB. He said heaven wouldn’t be their home— He’d puke out every one of them.

Matthew 22:8-9NIV “…The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find” This verse says no one who thought they were guaranteed heaven would be let in. Preachers today state we are safe no matter what, after we accepted Christ— guaranteed heaven. Revelation 3:15 agrees. God looks for sold out hearts obedient to jump at His call.

Apathetic laziness in the church keeps us from voting; running for office; uncaring. Ohio voted in an abortion law into the constitution allowing murder up to the date of birth. Isn’t it totally disgusting that someone has to be murdered another to have sexual pleasure? This Ohio law is so loosely written that it takes parental rights away regarding child mutilation in selection of sex. We, the church, could’ve stopped this law.

Has every Christian gotten the attitude of — ‘Oh well, we can’t stop anything anyway. Elections are rigged nowadays, no use fighting?’ Ohio now has one of the most liberal marijuana laws. People can use it as they drive. Police can’t stop them for driving while high. I almost lost my son in a miscarriage because of a high driver.

The church has lost an entire fifty years. Members’ children don’t even darken the doors of the church. No one’s teaching the children about hell; or to fear God.

Muslims severely teach their children with punishments, demanding strict adherence to their religion even into terrorism. They’re the fastest growing religion in the world. Meanwhile the namby pamby church are acting like a bunch of Bidens with no absolutes, no boundaries, and nothing to fear. God forgive us for being lukewarm.

Where is God’s remnant? His intercessors and prayer warriors. Do you need fire to burn away everything that isn’t of God? We must seriously repent and beg God’s forgiveness. Begging is better than being thrown out as worthless. Ask for the refiner’s fire. God’s asking for absolutes and boundaries. It’s your choice. You choose.

LET’S PRAY: LORD God, please don’t puke us up Lord. Please don’t throw us out, we pray. Lord revive us again for these end times. We need You to save this country and restore reverential fear. Awaking us will cost a tremendously high price, but awaken us for our good and the good of Your kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2023 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional, as author. Thank you.

[the-breloominati]

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[qqueenofhades]

Trump's SCOTUS pick scares the ever loving shit out of me. I'm trying not to have a full blown panic attack actually.

Sigh. I know.

I’m not going to say that picking someone literally, un-exaggeratedly out of The Handmaid’s Tale for SCOTUS, especially to replace someone like RBG, isn’t mother fucking terrifying. It is.  Especially since Mitch McConnell is trying to set her final confirmation vote for October 29, literally five days before the election. Yes indeed, that would be a third Supreme Court seat filled by an impeached president who lost the popular vote by three million votes, (possibly) confirmed by Republican enablers (some of whom are absolutely going to lose their seats in this election) who represent a sizeably smaller fraction of the US population than their Democratic counterparts, in a display of outright, staggering, truly breathtaking hypocrisy about the protocol of election-year vacancies on SCOTUS, which they themselves shouted about to no end with Merrick Garland in 2016. This is how tyranny by minority rule works, and... yeah. It’s bad. It’s awful. When is this going to end.

That said, however: we do not yet exist in this theoretical grimdark future where some dystopian 6-3 (or even 7-2) conservative SCOTUS strips us of our rights at every turn, with no recourse except for us to sit passively and take it, and there are a lot of things that we ourselves can do between now and then to make sure that it never happens. First off, House Democrats have proposed a bill to introduce 18-year term limits for SCOTUS justices, rather than it being an automatic lifetime appointment. This would also give every president the ability to appoint two justices per four-year term. Because SCOTUS has become such an instrument of partisan warfare, and because the obvious implications of having a partisan head of state pick the senior federal judges for a lifetime is part of what has fucked us up now, this would be a GREAT improvement. House Dems can’t make it into law right now, because Democrats do not hold a majority in both chambers of Congress and they do not hold the presidency. You know how this COULD be passed? If Joe Biden was elected with a blue House and Senate. That way, even if God forbid the GOP horror show snuck Coney Barrett onto the bench just before the election, this could be fixed.

Here’s another way to think about it. I myself have a HUGE problem with catastrophizing: a bad thing happens, and then it seems like an inevitable chain of nonstop bad things until everything gets irredeemably, unfixably even worse. This year, obviously, has not done much to help that, because yes, the bad things keep coming. But they’re still individual events and have not yet crystallized into some unbreakable, unavoidable future. History is made up of thousands of millions of choices, accidents, unforeseen developments, total random bullshit, and much more, as much or more as it is made up by the macro-scale actions of oligarchs. Obviously, globalization and capitalism have made us all more connected to each other, and thus changes to the system can ripple more broadly, but they are not the only people who make history. If there’s one thing I can tell you as a historian, it’s this: the future is just history that hasn’t been made yet, and it is subject to the exact same unpredictable bullshit that has constituted history throughout, well, history. Nothing is unavoidable and we have never existed in a world where we can’t do anything at all. Also, authoritarian regimes (especially those imposed without the consent of the people -- willing subjection to authoritarianism is one thing, but the other, yeah) have a relatively short shelf life, historically speaking. That won’t help all of us who could be hurt right now (though we can STILL fight back and speak up and help our neighbors), but it’s the truth. Authoritarian rule (especially when it’s not balanced by economic security, which sure as hell isn’t happening right now) can last for a while, sure. But it is always its own worst enemy, and it will always be ended. How that ends is a choice we can make.

This isn’t the “get out on the streets and Start The Glorious Revolution!!!” nonsense that the armchair internet leftists, none of whom are actually starting a glorious revolution or doing anything except bitching on Twitter about how Biden and Trump are alike, are fond of. This is an active choice to realize that there are always things you can do, that there are things you can do right now, and one of them, most obviously, is voting. This mess was all completely goddamn avoidable if people had voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016. But well, they didn’t, and we get one last shot to fix this by democratic process. Trump is already openly setting up to contest the election results/try to invalidate them/throw out ballots. This is all old-school fascism. This is what is happening. He is counting on another razor-thin margin of votes that he can then contest in his hand-picked SCOTUS; he wants another Bush v. Gore very, very badly. The only way to blow away any legitimacy for anything like this is to vote in such overwhelming numbers that there’s no question of Biden’s victory, no need to wait for mail-in ballots (another reason the GOP has been trying so hard to destroy the post office) or anything else. At heart, Trump is a coward. He’s also an egomaniac. If it comes to stepping aside peacefully or being dragged out of the White House by the FBI for everyone to laugh at for the rest of time, hmm, I doubt he’s going to go for that. (And if he does, well, I will also savor the sight of him in handcuffs for all eternity.) However, that doesn’t mean the GOP machine won’t TRY, because Trump is not just Trump, but is his entire miserable cabal of enablers. I have written my fingers raw about how badly people need to vote. This is literally your last chance to do it.

I’ve seen a lot of the-sky-is-falling, we’re-doomed, they-have-the-votes-so-don’t-even-bother handwringing in the last few days. To some degree, yes. We all feel doomed. We have all been asked to find strength to deal with massive and unending waves of terrifying bullshit past anyone’s normal capacity, and we’re tired. We want it to end. But it’s SO CLOSE to ending, if we can all just get out and vote for Joe Biden in massive numbers on November 3 (or if your state has early voting, sooner; BANK YOUR VOTE). That’s such an easy thing to do. Nothing is set in stone. We can still fix things and make it so, you know, we’re not living in a fascist state ruled by Gilead. (And besides, all this Chicken Little rhetoric is super easy for the Russian troll farms to exploit. Don’t listen to it. Shut it down. Reject it.)

They want you to think you’re powerless. You’re not.

They want you to think this will never end. It will. We decide how.

They want you to think this is a foregone conclusion and you should just go back home and let it happen. You don’t have to.

They want you to think your vote doesn’t matter. It does.

They want you to think your rights are gone. They’re not.

They want you to think this future is inevitable.

IT’S NOT.

Hang in there.

Lots of hugs.

[steveharrington]

like oh my god you can encourage people to vote for the “lesser of two evils” without completely silencing and shaming people for speaking out on the damage biden and harris have done! anyone old enough to vote can use their critical thinking skills to acknowledge okay this candidate has done x, however i still choose to elect them because the other candidate has done y. informing people about the horrible things kamala harris has done doesn’t mean everyone who was going to vote for biden is suddenly going to change their mind, it means hey, if we elect these people we need to acknowledge their history and hold them accountable in the future. if i see one more post meeting criticism with just “shut up they’re better than trump and your criticism is going to single handedly get him elected” i will scream

[democraticsenator]

I will literally never give into that tHiS CoUnTrY IS FucKEDDD!!! talk because hope is all we have and I’m willing to do what it takes to change the status quo and the minute you lose hope is the minute you stop CARING

Yes, the problems in America are systemic and YES it will take decades to overcome them. And that’s FINE. It’s not my favorite scenario, but it’s realistic and it’s been proven in history that lasting change (more often than not) doesn’t happen from one-off events.

Revolutions don’t happen overnight nor are they frequent??? Sustainable change needs to be attacked from all sides. Yes, we need protests and sit-ins and public demonstrations but we also need leftist elected officials and legislation and Supreme Court justices and other things government!!!

So when I see someone posting on tumblr about bIDEN iS BAd!!! I’m GoD fOr nOT VOting!! you aren’t helping the cause sis so shut up. Use that energy to make protest signs because the rest of us out here want to create sustainable change in ways we know how. We are working toward a common goal so stop bringing people down. When we get there, we all gon eat good.

But if you have NO actionable items about stopping a trump presidency or you don’t want to vote because the stick up your ass is preventing you from voting Biden, you are IN THE WAY. Stop blocking my road to change.

[gracereadstoomanybooks]

answering questions I’ve been asked on TikTok✨

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QUESTION: how did you get into reading?

So, when I was in middle school (many moons ago) we had this thing called AR Testing. Basically, you read a book and take a test on it—the questions were things that happened in the book, it was really simple. If you got a good grade, you got points. The more points you earned, the more eligible you were for the reading party at the end of each semester. Me, being the nerd I am, got top of my class because I went through 8th grade level books like it was nothing. The librarian at my school brought me books from the high school to read since everything was easy for me, and alas, my addiction began. And now that I have adult money, it’s a true addiction. Also, telling my father “I’m bored” and his response being, “go read a book or something” so thanks dad.

QUESTION: what’s one book you ALWAYS recommend to people?

This one is tough because I’ve read THOUSANDS of books, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be Confess by Colleen Hoover. I fell in love with her work in high school when I first read Ugly Love, but Confess is the type of book that pulls at your heart strings, y’all. It has everything people love: humor, sexual tension, drama, love. GO BUY THE DAMN BOOK. Or honestly any book by Colleen Hoover—she’s a fucking amazing author.

QUESTION: outside of making TikToks, what do you do for a living?

I currently work at a restaurant and hate every second of it. If anyone tells you to become a server, DONT. It’s not worth the hassle, I promise you. Sure, you can make decent money but the amount of rude customers and shitty tips you receive each shift is very disheartening. If you really need a job, do anything BUT work in the food industry.

QUESTION: what’s your wattpad story about?

First question: which one? I have about 30 drafts sitting there waiting to be posted. But, I’m going to assume you’re talking about the Harry Styles fan fiction I’ve been working on for the past 4 years and haven’t had the courage to post. I’ll tell you a little about it: Elaine Aldridge is forced into a betrothal to a man she’s never met & loathes. She goes to his court and realizes things aren’t what they truly seem. And the guard her future husband sticks on her??? None other than Mr. Harry Styles. Add in some magic & deaths and you’ve got my story— The First Prince. (Honestly, that’s an extremely shitty description so if you wanna check it out go to my wattpad account)

QUESTION: how old are you?

Ahem. . . twenty-one.

QUESTION: what is your dream career?

Being a published author and having people rave about my books. That’s all. Or, an editor for a publishing company. Imagine reading all day and being paid for it🤩

QUESTION: what was your least favorite read of 2020?

I already KNOW I’m gonna get shit for this but....... the wicked king. YALL I LITERALLY COULDNT GET THROUGH IT IM SO SORRY, I STILL HAVENT FINISHED IT

QUESTION: current favorite author?

Sarah. J. Maas. I don’t know what it is about her writing style, but it’s addicting. Throne of Glass is hands down the best series I’ve ever read. A Court of Thorns and Roses is the first book I’ve EVER reread. Her stories truly suck you in and hold onto you—you get lost so easily in her writing and it’s like once you’re done with a series, nothing will compare. Or, at least that’s how I felt after finishing Kingdom of Ash. Honorable mentions: Jennifer L. Armentrout, Penelope Douglas, L.J Shen, Elle Kennedy and Kennedy Fox.

QUESTION: any recommendations/tips to give to a new reader?

I’ve always given this advice to people who want to get into reading: find what you like and start with that. If you like romance, I’ve got a list for you to choose from. Mystery? Another list. Sci-fi? I GOT YOU. Fantasy? Yes! Sports fiction? It might take me a second but I’ll find you a book. Nonfiction? I’m zero help in that category, honestly. The point of the matter is that you’re never going to enjoy a book if you aren’t interested in the underlying topics.

QUESTION: do you ever find yourself comparing your life to fictional life?

Yes. All the time. I daydream about being apart of the Inner Circle and living in Terrasen with Aelin and Rowan. I think about what it would be like to have real powers and a mate. It drives my boyfriend crazy—but he loves me anyway.

QUESTION: what are your most anticipated books of 2021?

Here’s a list:

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Gods and Monsters by Shelby Mahurin

Crescent City 2 (Untitled) by Sarah J. Maas

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer (I just ordered this one & it arrives tomorrow)

Blessed Monsters by Emily A. Duncan

QUESTION: why did you start a Tumblr?

Honestly, I used to love tumblr when I was in grade school (way too young to be on here then but what else is new). I like having an extra space to get my questions and comments out without having to compress it into a 60 second video for TikTok to see. Tumblr is a good place to blog & post things like this.

QUESTION: what’s your favorite song right now?

I’ve listened to Carry You by Novo Amor every day for the past two months and I cry each time.

QUESTION: why write Harry Styles fan fiction?

Simple: I love Harry Styles. I’ve been a fan of him and One Direction since they were on X FACTOR. Read that again. X. Factor. I used to watch their performances on YouTube before WMYB even came out. Of course, I love all of the 1D boys but I was always a Harry gal. And I look up to him in a way—I’ve read things about people wishing they knew him personally and honestly? I would never want to meet him. I like the version of him I’ve cooked up in my brain over the past 10 years. I like the symbiotic relationship I have with his music. Fine Line is a ✨masterpiece✨. HS1 is a ✨work of art✨.

now, some topics I’ve been asked way too many times and want to finally get to:

QUESTION: political views?

the saying “anyone but trump” has been in my brain for the past four years. No, I’m not a republican. No, I’m not a democrat. I like to think of myself as a progressive (ahem, liberal) Did I vote for a democratic candidate? Yes, and I’d do it again and again until the US isn’t one of the worst countries—I’m sorry, businesses— to be apart of. I wanted Bernie but got Biden, and I’m alright with that. And my girl Kamala🥳

QUESTION: how did you feel about the BLM protests?

I went to multiple BLM protests and donated a lot of funds to BLM & other organizations. It’s 2021, people... stop being fucking RACIST. And don’t be afraid to call racist people out! Black Lives Matter, even if no one is posting about it anymore.

QUESTION: thoughts on abortion?

your body your choice, queen! not my uterus, not my problem.

QUESTION: there was a comment on an old video of yours talking about r*pe, why did you delete the comment?

I made a video when I first started my account on TikTok about reading in public and feeling “turned on” by it. Go watch it if you don’t know what I’m talking about. BUT, some ignorant male decided to comment and say “this is how girls get r*ped”. Whew. So. I deleted the comment because ....

I am a victim of sexual assault. Along with a lot of other women. 1 in 5 women have been victims of sexual assault. Talking about being r*ped isn’t funny.

No one else needed to see his comment. I reported it immediately and his account was shut down.

I never got justice for what happened to me, and the fact that some random male—who had never even met me or seen me before my video showed up on his FYP—had the nerve to comment that? Unacceptable.

this question isn’t as controversial but

QUESTION: what’s the best way to get out of a toxic relationship?

okay, let me just start off by saying that the people around you who love and support you are going to be your backbone. Leaving a toxic situation is hard, and every situation is different, but my best piece of advice to offer you is don’t be afraid to ask for help. Your loved ones are going to be there for you when you need them, even if you don’t believe they will. If you explain what’s happening, someone you know and love will drop whatever it is their doing to make sure you get out safely. good luck my babes.

now, back to our regularly scheduled program:

QUESTION: any tips on making tiktoks?

Literally none. I post what I think is funny and relatable and if anyone agrees, I’m satisfied. Even if it’s one view, it’s good enough for me. So I guess my one tip is to not base your life off of an app and followers.

QUESTION: favorite Harry Styles fanfic?

DONT MAKE ME CHOOSE. Duplicity is up there, along with Stall 1&2, and Kiwi. After? Absolutely not.

QUESTION: favorite WEBTOON?

y’all already KNOW. LORE OLYMPUS BY USEDBANDAID. Rachel is a genius and I have reread the series a million times. Hades is my soulmate and Apollo can rot in the fiery pits of the Underworld. also, if we’re talking about other webcomics, reading Walk on Water on mangadex...🤫

QUESTION: favorite movie?

Howls Moving Castle. I will be getting my “a heart is a heavy burden” tattoo very very soon.

QUESTION: I read your Elain theory on tumblr, can you explain a little more?

I thought I was pretty straightforward but I’ll say it again: she is always the “good” one and it’s too suspicious. SJM has already given one Archeron sister a happy ending, Nesta’s is obviously inevitable, but Elain? She has too many options for a happy ending. Lucien, who is her “mate”. Azriel, who is intrigued by her slightly. Her human guy—I don’t remember his name—who is disgusted that she’s not human anymore. Or, alone, planting flowers all day. BUT! My point is that she’s not truly happy. She was forced into the Cauldron just like Nesta. She was ripped away from the life she loved so dearly and didn’t want to give up. The man she was going to marry now hates her guts because she’s a High Fae. She has the perfect set up for a villain plot line and I’m all here for it.

well, that’s all I feel like doing tonight. hope you enjoyed my little q&a! be kind, and talk to you later! byeeee!

[hamliet]

did ya watch the debate

You mean the cranky grandpa trying to reason with a toddler having a tantrum?

I couldn’t handle watching it. I watched clips and read along, but I’m at the point where Orange Menace’s voice gives me a panic attack.

It’s pretty disheartening when the far classier candidate is the one who say “would you just shut up, man” and “you are the worst president we ever had.” I don’t think Biden did a great job, but I also think there was no way for him to do a good job. You can’t argue with a pigeon who says whatever the hell he wants without regard for truth or human decency. It’s not possible. So, sigh.

My favorite moment I saw was when Biden stated he was proud of his son who has wrestled with addiction. That Drumpf even brought it up is horrific, beyond the pale (and also didn’t seem to realize that Biden had another son who recently died and has lost two children total?). It was a classy response and as someone with many loved ones who have battled and are battling and have lost their battles with addiction, I appreciated it. And by favorite I mean that’s one of the few moments that didn’t make me feel physically ill. The bar’s low: do you seem like a human being? Yes? Okay good.

My most horrified moment went to the Orange Menace threatening the country by telling white supremacists to “stand by.” I don’t (in theory) believe in good/bad people, but theory and practice are hard to integrate. Idealism vs. reality is a constant tension. In practice, he does evil things to so many that I despise him and his followers and am very tempted to go complete no contact with anyone in my family who votes for him this time. He is one of the most depraved, empty, lost people I’ve ever seen, if not the very most. I understand he acts like this because he’s lonely and terrified 24/7 (that’s how narcissism works actually) but he’s hurt so many and threatens so many others that I just can’t stomach anything related to him. He’s toxic and he’s poisoning so many people.

He needs to be out of power. But everyone on the news saying he’s lashing out because he believes he will lose, expressing fake shock that he says he won’t accept the election results, is an idiot and forgetting what happened in 2016: THE EXACT SAME THING. And look what we ended up with. I know the polls show him behind. I trust the polls not a bloody cent after 2016.

For the love of God if you’re an American vote, please. It’s the only hope we have.

And even that’s not much. I realize I am sounding very cynical right now, but please understand I am dealing with a health scare and a nightmarish work situation, on top of like, the pandemic and other things.

See, I get that people are always saying America has good ideals that are worth fighting for. In theory, yes; in practice, it’s always been hypocritical as hell (“all men are created equal” while you have slaves? That’s a hell of a disconnect). While free speech is something I am very much in favor of (not in the right-wing sense; in the sense that I can legally say this without fear of reprisal) I’ve never known a country worth respecting. All I’ve known is war and debt and crushed spirits and shot-up schools (my first news event memory is Columbine) and apathy towards the value of anyone who isn’t a wealthy white man. Expecting me to feel an ounce of patriotism is a joke considering I have sacrificed/paid more to keep this country going than the damn president who, emboldened by his stooges in Congress, is doing everything he can to crush me and my loved ones. And somehow again, despite the fact that I, as a tax-payer, have given more to this country than a cheating businessman, the cheating businessman gets way more say in my healthcare, work, living situation, and wants to have more say about my body than I do. This is freedom? Don’t make me laugh.

It’s so disheartening.

[thebrokenblackman]

KRS-One - “Ah Yeah!”  Critical Analysis by Hakeem Ture

“If hip hop has the power to corrupt young minds, it also has the ability to uplift them.” - KRS-One 

The musician is a natural master of vibration and emotion. Many musicians have been able to make us dance. Many have been able to draw on relatability because nobody is the only person like them in the world. Perhaps some have even made us cry or provided soundtracks for intimate moments. Only few musicians have taken on the task of socially and historically educating their listeners through their music. 

Even fewer have been able to combine the mastery of teaching with mastery of rhythm. Those who do this become legends like; Nate King Cole, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, Chaka Khan and Fela Kuti’ and their influence lives throughout generations. In 1995 Krs-One released a self-titled album that came in the sunset of his reign. His career would mirror the sepia filter of the album cover. 

This album had dominant auras of militancy and rebellion that Krs-One fans had not heard since Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded. Krs-One was able to both appease his day one fans and gain the younger generation of Hip Hoppers who were listening to artists such as: Nas, Redman,Das Efx, Tupac, and A Tribe Called Quest. The message and timing of this album may have been divine. Let us look at the historical events of the year(s) Krs-One was creating this album in. In 1994, the United States congress had successfully completed the first step of becoming fascist by Voting to Censure Dr. Khalid Muhammad, National Advisor of the Nation of Islam. Bill Clinton and Joe Biden led Democrats to pass the The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and effectively fueled the prison industrial complex. South Africa held it first election since intergrating with the apartheid government and Invisble Man author Ralph Ellison had passed. Hip Hop was the soul vehicle of expression to protest the genocide that had been going on and KRS One was one of its leaders. The youth looked toward this leader to deliver an album reflective of their mindstate and he delivered. 

Imperative of a classic work of musical art, this album is composed of multiple great songs, but in my opinion the cornerstone song of the album is undeniably “Ah Yeah”. In this song he masterfully uses three 16 bar verses to empower and mobilize his listener much in the same way Dr. Khalid Muhammad did. This track starts with the establishment of an a capella warcry. He writes in response to western power’s having done such an incredible job destroying the rebel instinct that Afrikan people possess by publicly shaming our leaders and traditions. These lyrics are him trying to raise the psyche of a fallen warrior class and put revolt back in its holy place as opposed to the negative connotation that has been applied by the white power structure.  He essentially made a chant-like hook with an underlying message of “This is your enemy, This is how to handle him, and THIS is okay”. The aim focuses on  redirecting the accumulated anger of a traduced peoples that is often mistargeted toward self so that we may be collectively progresssive. 

He bellows:

“Ah yeah, that's whatcha say when you see a devil down

Ah yeah, that's whatcha say when you take the devil's crown

Ah yeah, stay alive all things will change around

Ah yeah, what? Ah yeah!”

Then comes the establishment of an eerie bass line. This song structure is familiar to fans of his earlier work. It was what they were longing for. For a few albums he took the perspective of being in the classroom or office as opposed to in the battlefield with his men. He had returned to fight with us like Haile Selassie. Immediately he establishes a dual level of respect. One with his men and one with his deterrent.  

“So here I go kickin' science in ninety-five

I be illin', parental discretion is advised still

Don't call me nigga, this MC goes for his

Call me God, cause that's what the black man is

Roamin' through the forest as the hardest lyrical artist

Black women you are not a bitch you're a Goddess

Let it be known, you can lean on KRS-One

Like a wall cause I'm hard, I represent God”

In the first 2 bars of the preceding excerption he lets us know he intends to drop some knowledge, but it will not be filtered for political correctness or comfortability. The following 2 bars he establishes both a tone of encounterment and identity. Then he goes on to explain from which direction he came much like Saint Maurice's appearance upon the plagued people of Europe to let them know he has navigated and he is no spook. He goes on to talk to his listener and the most important of them, the women.

In 1994, fresh off a press tour on which she gained popularity from criticizing Bill Clinton, Sister Souljah published her first book that was heralded by black scholars and youth alike entitled No Disrespect. Her Influence was cemented in the minds of black youth and played a huge role in raising generational consciousness by dealing with topics like “how the black woman is viewed by black men” and “the black woman’s role in repairing the black family structure”. She had solely been awarded leadership duties by a disregarded demographic in a scapegoated culture and was handling it with the grace of Misty Copeland.  Her and the women she raised to consciousness needed the camaraderie of Krs One. He goes on to sell to himself:

 “Wack MC's have one style: gun buck

But when you say, "Let's buck for revolution"

They shut the fuck up, can't get with it

Down to start a riot in a minute

You'll hear so many Bowe-Bowe-Bowe, you think I'm Riddick

While other MC's are talkin' bout up with hope down with dope

I'll have a devil in my infrared scope,”

In the first five bars he addresses the enemies of the oppressed people within the oppressed people. These “Wack MC’s” are the Uncle Toms’ and Judas of the rebellious, afro-centric movement that is Hip-Hop. He says they lack discipline and do not have the self awareness to rescue themselves. In comparison with himself who uses that energy toward an ultimate goal, Independence through revolution. In the succeeding excerption KRS briefly displays the cognitive processing and coping mechanism of a warrior:

“WOY

That's for calling my father a boy and, klak, klak, klak

That's for putting scars on my mother's back, BO

That's for calling my sister a ho, and for you

Buck, buck, buck  cause I don't give a motherfuck

Remember the whip, remember the chant

Remember the rope and

You black people still thinkin' about voting?

Every President we ever had lied!

You know, I'm kinda glad Nixon died.”

Throughout the preceding excerption KRS skillfully uses onomatopoeias to create a setting for his listener. There is a battle going on. Shells casings are falling to the ground and bullets are flying from high caliber weapons. He is in the thick of it and then an enemy approaches him. He musters the courage to engage with his assailant by remembering the suffrage the morals of his enemies’ elected nation-state has caused his ancestors. Then he rejoices in the death of one of their leaders, Richard Nixon.

In the second verse Krs-One addresses an age-old topic of discussion for spiritual people that was brought forth to the Afrikans of today by Noble Drew Ali, “The Prophetic Soul”. This belief dates back to ancient Buddhism in the caves of Asia taught to us by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima in his book “African Presence in Early Asia”. This belief entails that all the prophets of the world including but not limted to; Adam, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and himself were the same soul being reborn until its mission is completed.” Krs-One puts himself and a couple others in this divine line of being. 

“This is not the first time I came to the planet

 concern every time I come, only a few could understand it

I came as Isis, my words they tried to ban it

I came as Moses, they couldn't follow my Commandments

I came as Solomon, to a people that was lost

I came as Jesus, but they nailed me to a cross

I came as Harriet Tubman, I put the truth to Sojourner

Other times, I had to come as Nat Turner

They tried to burn me, lynch me and starve me

So I had to come back as Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley

They tried to harm me, I used to be Malcolm X

Now I'm on the planet as the one called KRS

Kickin' the metaphysical, spiritual, tryin' to like

Get with you, showin' you, you are invincible

The Black Panther is the black answer for real

In my spiritual form, I turn into Bobby Seale

On the wheels of steel, my spirit flies away

And enters into Kwame Ture”

In the beginning of the third verse he briefly continues the theme of possessing The Prophetic Soul but now, he does not speak from a perspective of being the people who had the soul. He speaks from the perspective of the soul. This soul is traveling and looking for a host. In the first two bars he speaks of how he was able to travel without detection from the government’s surveillance. Then, he goes on to finally choose a host that is relevant to the demographic of people it intends to reach. This host is stylish and his image is relatable, so the people will be receptive of his message through familiarity. 

“In the streets there is no EQ, no di-do-di-do-di-do

So I grab the air and speak through the code

The devil cannot see through as I unload

Into another cerebellum

Then I can tell em, because my vibes go through denim

And leather whatever, however, I'm still rockin”

After the prophetic soul latches on to the host, KRS-One, it manifests purpose with grassroot organization and motivational speaking. Being KRS-One founded the Stop the Violence Movement in 1988 and was solely responsible for mobilizing many of the most influential Hip Hoppers against Gang Violence and Culture he had plenty of knowledge to give on the topic.

“We used to pick cotton, now we pick up cotton when we shoppin'

Have you forgotten why we buildin' in a cypher

Yo hear me kid, government is building in a pyramid

The son of God is brighter than the son of man

The spirit is, check your dollar bill G, here it is

We got no time for fancy mathematics

Your mental frequency frequently pickin' up static

Makin' you a naked body, addict and it's democratic

They press auto, and you kill it with an automatic”

Too often credit for the creation and establishment of a culture or society is given to one person as opposed to being evenly distributed amongst the support structure. How many times have you been taught the legacy of all the men that signed the declaration of independence? It is likely that you’ve only been taught about Thomos Jefferson. Just like there would be no Fidel Castro without the parallel influences of Che Guevara and Camilo Ceinfuegos there would be no Hip-Hop without KRS ONE. Perhaps without his tenacity, passion, and will it would have been infiltrated and exploited before it reached its full maturity. If that would have happened America would not have its current number one export. In his prime most consumers who listened to his message and gazed upon his image said “OH NO!”  from fear of what they could not understand. Today, we look at his legacy of art and effort and cant help ,but smile and yell “AH YEAH!”.

“If hip hop has the power to corrupt young minds, it also has the ability to uplift them.” - KRS-One 

The musician is a natural master of vibration and emotion. Many musicians have been able to make us dance. Many have been able to draw on relatability because nobody is the only person like them in the world. Perhaps some have even made us cry or provided soundtracks for intimate moments. Only few musicians have taken on the task of socially and historically educating their listeners through their music. 

Even fewer have been able to combine the mastery of teaching with mastery of rhythm. Those who do this become legends like; Nate King Cole, B.B. King, Nina Simone, Bob Marley, Chaka Khan and Fela Kuti’ and their influence lives throughout generations. In 1995 Krs-One released a self-titled album that came in the sunset of his reign. His career would mirror the sepia filter of the album cover. 

This album had dominant auras of militancy and rebellion that Krs-One fans had not heard since Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded. Krs-One was able to both appease his day one fans and gain the younger generation of Hip Hoppers who were listening to artists such as: Nas, Redman,Das Efx, Tupac, and A Tribe Called Quest. The message and timing of this album may have been divine. Let us look at the historical events of the year(s) Krs-One was creating this album in. In 1994, the United States congress had successfully completed the first step of becoming fascist by Voting to Censure Dr. Khalid Muhammad, National Advisor of the Nation of Islam. Bill Clinton and Joe Biden led Democrats to pass the The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act and effectively fueled the prison industrial complex. South Africa held it first election since intergrating with the apartheid government and Invisble Man author Ralph Ellison had passed. Hip Hop was the soul vehicle of expression to protest the genocide that had been going on and KRS One was one of its leaders. The youth looked toward this leader to deliver an album reflective of their mindstate and he delivered. 

Imperative of a classic work of musical art, this album is composed of multiple great songs, but in my opinion the cornerstone song of the album is undeniably “Ah Yeah”. In this song he masterfully uses three 16 bar verses to empower and mobilize his listener much in the same way Dr. Khalid Muhammad did. This track starts with the establishment of an a capella warcry. He writes in response to western power’s having done such an incredible job destroying the rebel instinct that Afrikan people possess by publicly shaming our leaders and traditions. These lyrics are him trying to raise the psyche of a fallen warrior class and put revolt back in its holy place as opposed to the negative connotation that has been applied by the white power structure.  He essentially made a chant-like hook with an underlying message of “This is your enemy, This is how to handle him, and THIS is okay”. The aim focuses on  redirecting the accumulated anger of a traduced peoples that is often mistargeted toward self so that we may be collectively progresssive. 

He bellows:

“Ah yeah, that's whatcha say when you see a devil down

Ah yeah, that's whatcha say when you take the devil's crown

Ah yeah, stay alive all things will change around

Ah yeah, what? Ah yeah!”

Then comes the establishment of an eerie bass line. This song structure is familiar to fans of his earlier work. It was what they were longing for. For a few albums he took the perspective of being in the classroom or office as opposed to in the battlefield with his men. He had returned to fight with us like Haile Selassie. Immediately he establishes a dual level of respect. One with his men and one with his deterrent.  

“So here I go kickin' science in ninety-five

I be illin', parental discretion is advised still

Don't call me nigga, this MC goes for his

Call me God, cause that's what the black man is

Roamin' through the forest as the hardest lyrical artist

Black women you are not a bitch you're a Goddess

Let it be known, you can lean on KRS-One

Like a wall cause I'm hard, I represent God”

In the first 2 bars of the preceding excerption he lets us know he intends to drop some knowledge, but it will not be filtered for political correctness or comfortability. The following 2 bars he establishes both a tone of encounterment and identity. Then he goes on to explain from which direction he came much like Saint Maurice's appearance upon the plagued people of Europe to let them know he has navigated and he is no spook. He goes on to talk to his listener and the most important of them, the women.

In 1994, fresh off a press tour on which she gained popularity from criticizing Bill Clinton, Sister Souljah published her first book that was heralded by black scholars and youth alike entitled No Disrespect. Her Influence was cemented in the minds of black youth and played a huge role in raising generational consciousness by dealing with topics like “how the black woman is viewed by black men” and “the black woman’s role in repairing the black family structure”. She had solely been awarded leadership duties by a disregarded demographic in a scapegoated culture and was handling it with the grace of Misty Copeland.  Her and the women she raised to consciousness needed the camaraderie of Krs One. He goes on to sell to himself:

 “Wack MC's have one style: gun buck

But when you say, "Let's buck for revolution"

They shut the fuck up, can't get with it

Down to start a riot in a minute

You'll hear so many Bowe-Bowe-Bowe, you think I'm Riddick

While other MC's are talkin' bout up with hope down with dope

I'll have a devil in my infrared scope,”

In the first five bars he addresses the enemies of the oppressed people within the oppressed people. These “Wack MC’s” are the Uncle Toms’ and Judas of the rebellious, afro-centric movement that is Hip-Hop. He says they lack discipline and do not have the self awareness to rescue themselves. In comparison with himself who uses that energy toward an ultimate goal, Independence through revolution. In the succeeding excerption KRS briefly displays the cognitive processing and coping mechanism of a warrior:

“WOY

That's for calling my father a boy and, klak, klak, klak

That's for putting scars on my mother's back, BO

That's for calling my sister a ho, and for you

Buck, buck, buck  cause I don't give a motherfuck

Remember the whip, remember the chant

Remember the rope and

You black people still thinkin' about voting?

Every President we ever had lied!

You know, I'm kinda glad Nixon died.”

Throughout the preceding excerption KRS skillfully uses onomatopoeias to create a setting for his listener. There is a battle going on. Shells casings are falling to the ground and bullets are flying from high caliber weapons. He is in the thick of it and then an enemy approaches him. He musters the courage to engage with his assailant by remembering the suffrage the morals of his enemies’ elected nation-state has caused his ancestors. Then he rejoices in the death of one of their leaders, Richard Nixon.

In the second verse Krs-One addresses an age-old topic of discussion for spiritual people that was brought forth to the Afrikans of today by Noble Drew Ali, “The Prophetic Soul”. This belief dates back to ancient Buddhism in the caves of Asia taught to us by Dr. Ivan Van Sertima in his book “African Presence in Early Asia”. This belief entails that all the prophets of the world including but not limted to; Adam, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, and himself were the same soul being reborn until its mission is completed.” Krs-One puts himself and a couple others in this divine line of being. 

“This is not the first time I came to the planet

 concern every time I come, only a few could understand it

I came as Isis, my words they tried to ban it

I came as Moses, they couldn't follow my Commandments

I came as Solomon, to a people that was lost

I came as Jesus, but they nailed me to a cross

I came as Harriet Tubman, I put the truth to Sojourner

Other times, I had to come as Nat Turner

They tried to burn me, lynch me and starve me

So I had to come back as Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley

They tried to harm me, I used to be Malcolm X

Now I'm on the planet as the one called KRS

Kickin' the metaphysical, spiritual, tryin' to like

Get with you, showin' you, you are invincible

The Black Panther is the black answer for real

In my spiritual form, I turn into Bobby Seale

On the wheels of steel, my spirit flies away

And enters into Kwame Ture”

In the beginning of the third verse he briefly continues the theme of possessing The Prophetic Soul but now, he does not speak from a perspective of being the people who had the soul. He speaks from the perspective of the soul. This soul is traveling and looking for a host. In the first two bars he speaks of how he was able to travel without detection from the government’s surveillance. Then, he goes on to finally choose a host that is relevant to the demographic of people it intends to reach. This host is stylish and his image is relatable, so the people will be receptive of his message through familiarity. 

“In the streets there is no EQ, no di-do-di-do-di-do

So I grab the air and speak through the code

The devil cannot see through as I unload

Into another cerebellum

Then I can tell em, because my vibes go through denim

And leather whatever, however, I'm still rockin”

After the prophetic soul latches on to the host, KRS-One, it manifests purpose with grassroot organization and motivational speaking. Being KRS-One founded the Stop the Violence Movement in 1988 and was solely responsible for mobilizing many of the most influential Hip Hoppers against Gang Violence and Culture he had plenty of knowledge to give on the topic.

“We used to pick cotton, now we pick up cotton when we shoppin'

Have you forgotten why we buildin' in a cypher

Yo hear me kid, government is building in a pyramid

The son of God is brighter than the son of man

The spirit is, check your dollar bill G, here it is

We got no time for fancy mathematics

Your mental frequency frequently pickin' up static

Makin' you a naked body, addict and it's democratic

They press auto, and you kill it with an automatic”

Too often credit for the creation and establishment of a culture or society is given to one person as opposed to being evenly distributed amongst the support structure. How many times have you been taught the legacy of all the men that signed the declaration of independence? It is likely that you’ve only been taught about Thomos Jefferson. Just like there would be no Fidel Castro without the parallel influences of Che Guevara and Camilo Ceinfuegos there would be no Hip-Hop without KRS ONE. Perhaps without his tenacity, passion, and will it would have been infiltrated and exploited before it reached its full maturity. If that would have happened America would not have its current number one export. In his prime most consumers who listened to his message and gazed upon his image said “OH NO!”  from fear of what they could not understand. Today, we look at his legacy of art and effort and cant help ,but smile and yell “AH YEAH!”.

[ticklish-m]

hey how do you like gas prices? do you work? does it bother you people crossing the borders get free healthcare and aren't tested for Corona while tax payers get stuck paying for them all? how about the lie saying stimulus money won't raise out taxes. but it's raising them. how about that stimulus money was taxpayer money that we've already been taxes on....now they are taxing again??? glad you are happy with the new president

you and your political views are as lame as the language you use in those political opinions of yours!!! when you move outta mommy and daddy's house maybe you'll have different views!! but for now shut your fucking mouth unless you know what you are talking about!!!!

You fucked with the wrong bitch today.

Let’s break this down question by question:

How do I like gas prices? Well yeah I think they’re pretty high right now. But it doesn’t help that there were idiots who decided to hoard a shit ton of gas just like they did toilet paper at the beginning of this pandemic. The less supply we have of something, the more expensive it’s going to be. It’s simple supply and demand, ya know the shit we learned in elementary school?? And if you think I’m going to blame Biden for this, you’re sadly mistaken. See, the president doesn’t control gas prices, he never has. If you would like to read about why gas prices are rising and why is definitely not ANY presidents fault, here: https://www.politifact.com/article/2021/mar/02/are-gas-prices-going-and-it-joe-bidens-fault/

Do I work?? Yes, I do work. I have to drive an hour to and from my job that only pays $9 and hour. Keep that in mind for later questions.

Does it bother me people crossing the borders get free healthcare and aren't tested for Corona while tax payers get stuck paying for them all? No it doesn’t bother me. I believe that universal health care is a right for ALL people. As President Biden has said, “I think that anyone who is in a situation where they are in need of health care regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented, we have an obligation to see to that they're cared for.” (Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/5485242002) What kind of person looks at an undocumented immigrant who is ill and thinks they don’t deserve to have health insurance? That’s right, an asshole one. As ass for the corona virus comment, Biden has actually not stopped COVID-19 testing at the border. (Source: https://www.factcheck.org/2021/02/biden-hasnt-reduced-covid-19-testing-at-the-border/) The claim that was made said that Biden was releasing detained immigrants without COVID-19 testing, is in fact false. So maybe double check google first before spreading lies?

[Does it bother me] how about the lie saying stimulus money won't raise out taxes. but it's raising them. I’m assuming you’re talking about Biden’s $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan?? Please correct me if I assumed wrong. Let’s see, it’s going to raise corporate tax rates (so companies, ok), and individual tax rates for high earners (I wonder what he considers a high earner?). The corporate tax rate will probably increase from 21% to 28%. While the individual income tax rate will increase for people earning more than $400,000 per year, and raising the capital gains tax for people earning more that $1 million per year. (Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/03/15/biden-gears-up-for-new-tax-hikes-to-pay-for-more-stimulus-heres-what-we-know/amp/) So this sounds like people who earn more, get taxes more. While people who earn less, get taxed less. So if you fall into one of these categories, which I feel is highly unlikely, then you have enough money to pay for the raise in tax. If you don’t fall into any of these categories, shut the fuck up and quit complaining.

[Does it bother me] how about that stimulus money was taxpayer money that we've already been taxes on....now they are taxing again??? Wow if you google “is the stimulus taxable” guess what pops up first? This: ““None of the stimulus payments are taxable." The IRS already has records of the stimulus checks in its system, so taxpayers who are certain that they received the stimulus payments they were due don't have to take any additional action” (Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/04/13/how-stimulus-checks-will-affect-your-2020-taxes.html) In fact, this says that people are making the mistake as putting the stimulus check AS INCOME which then makes it taxable. The IRS could eventually issue a refund for your mistake but there is no guarantee the IRS will catch this mistake. So do your homework before coming at me.

Now I am not completely happy with Biden. Joe Biden is a human being, he makes mistakes. Some of which he needs to be held accountable for. It is my duty as an American who voted for him, to watch him under a microscope and make sure that no one tries to treat him as some God.

However, he is actually supporting a lot of movements which makes him look good. He spoke against police brutality, and supports the Black Lives Matter movement. Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.usatoday.com/amp/4876710001 However, there have been allegations against him in the Me Too movement. There hasn’t been any investigation into this allegation so I am still very wary about President Biden. If there was an investigation and he did end up doing that to her, he should be prosecuted, just like Trump should be. But if he didn’t, then I believe there should be an investigation into the woman who accused him and why she would lie.

“when you move outta mommy and daddy's house maybe you'll have different views!!” First of all, you don’t know me. You don’t know who I am, where I live, who I live with, anything. You know nothing. But here, let me tell you a bit about myself even though you don’t deserve it. My mother and father split when I was 5 years old. Since then my father had barely anything to do with me. In fact, he passed away this year because of Stage 4 lung cancer and having strokes every week. Did he want me in his life when he found out he was dying? No. Did i get notified when he died? Also no, i found out through my brother. So technically, I never lived under my dads home nor used his dirty money. As for my mom. She is a strong, independent woman. But because of COVID, she lost her job. So she has been using the money that her sister left her when she died, to pay for food and bills. So the stimulus checks definitely help us, along with many other people. And I also help with food and bills where I can with my $9 an hour paycheck that I get once a month. So even when I do move out, my views are not going to change.

“but for now shut your fucking mouth unless you know what you are talking about!!!!” How about you suck my fucking dildo you piece of shit. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve done the research throughout the years. I’ve seen the world and been involved in protests. I’ve stood in front of people of color during these protests because I know the privilege I have. So how about you shut your fucking mouth, because you definitely don’t know what you’re talking about and who the hell you’re talking to. If you want to start more shit, my DMs are always open.

And if you want to know the color of the dildo you’ll be sucking, it’s purple, bitch.

-M 🖕🏼🤣

[omfgtrump]

“What a long, Strange Trip It’s Been”

The Don’s banishment to Mar-a-Lago and on Twitter has created a welcomed silence. Yes, he is going to do everything he can to stay relevant and make as much noise as possible. His battle with Mitch McConnell for the soul of the Republican Party will ramp up. Let me stop there. How can two people without souls fight over the soul of anything?

What I am trying to say here, is that this is the time for me to hit the exit ramp. This will the last piece of OMFG.

Is that a wince I hear? A collective sigh? A Thank God, as finally, the guy has found a way to separate from demon Don?

To my readers, I implore you: Please don’t do anything drastic, as I don’t want to have to carry another burden.

For many, The Don’s loss of the election and banishment has been sort of an exorcism. (if you at some point you spewed green bile, don’t worry, as it was a natural biological process that helped cleanse you of all the poison you absorbed).

As you can tell from my writings, I have had my own obsession with The Don. During these past 4 years, he has inhabited my daily life like an aching tooth. I watched way too much news. I raved and ranted. I used the phrases “Is this outrageous, or what?” and “Can you believe this shit” as often as “Hey, how are you?”.

My co-workers saw me coming and walked the other way. My wife told me if I didn’t shut up about The Don she would leave me. (Well, that’s not exactly true, but I’m sure it crossed her mind!)

Thank God for this blog. I don’t know how I would have survived without it.

As the Grateful Dead sing in ‘Truckin’: What a long, strange trip it’s been.

Two impeachments, a Russia investigation, an insurrection-yes, an insurrection cause by the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen and that Joe Biden was not a legitimate president, “shit hole” countries, “good people on both sides,” separation of children from their families, a Muslim ban, attacks on the LGBT community, violations of the Emoluments Clause, endless lies, levels of corruption unseen in the history of the presidency, embracing of White Supremacists, deregulating of environmental policy, fake news, the press as the enemy, the promulgation of conspiracy theories- the emergence of QAnon, dismantling of government agencies, using the Department of Justice for his own means, a level of sociopathy and malignant narcissism never seen in the White House and a wannabe demagogue who did everything he could to dismantle our democracy. Did I leave anything out?

His handling and politicizing of the pandemic, which has caused an unfathomable 500,000 deaths to date, was the result of a genocide of neglect that has caused inconceivable suffering. In a fair and just world, he should be prosecuted for his heinous inaction and promotion of false narratives and complicity in the unnecessary death of tens of thousands.  

Witnessing the competence and transparency of the Biden administration has created hope in me. A world in which the pandemic is under control, the economy rebounds, issues of social justice are faced head on and policy that reflects the need to genuinely address inequality and institutional racism seems possible. A humane plan and path to citizenship for Dreamers and other immigrants seems more reachable.

Climate change, the defining and existential issue of our time and the world’s future, is finally front and center.

How we confront the increasing polarization and rise of domestic terrorism is a daunting challenge. How we ensure voting rights are protected in the face of egregious attempts to thwart them is a battle over whether we remain a country that is represented “by the people and for the people.”

So much work needs to be done. We can not rest. We must resist the temptation toward complacency. We need truth, honesty and kindness to be our guiding forces.

It feels so strange to be writing these last words. During the 4 years of this blog, I wrote 244 pieces and people from over 100 countries visited it. (Even from Russia and China!) I so much appreciate the time you spent reading. I hope I was able to make you laugh (or cry) about the absurdities of what we all endured and lived through. I hope my perspective created new insights and ways of thinking about The Don and his psychology.

Some may be wondering what I look like so I will pull up the curtain and reveal myself.

Others may be wondering what new project awaits me. Frankly, who the hell knows, but writers must write, so I’ll wait for it to reveal itself.

I want to give a special shout out to the unsung superstar of the blog, Jinnifer Douglass, who was responsible for the design and creating all the amazing photos. She is a wizard. There was nothing I asked her to concoct that she could not create. When I would receive her email stating “All set,” I would click on the site and break out into a smile or outright laughter, marveling at the photos. And for those of you who skipped the writing and just reveled in the photos I forgive you. As they say, sometimes a picture is worth a 1,000 words.

Also, thanks for your comments and acknowledgements along the way. Anyone out there that wants to write me a goodbye note (a love letter?) I welcome it. Be well and fight the power.

Thanks for joining me on this crazy journey as “What a strange trip it’s been.”

And one more thing: The Supreme Court voted 9-0 to allow his taxes to be released. So Don, maybe they’ll take some of the tax money you owe to build a wall on the golf course and turn it into a prison!

And now for one of my favorite photos:

Note from Jinnifer: It has been an insane past 4 years. Working on this project with Jerry was equal parts horrifying and hilarious; every week it was something new (and then some). Putting together these pieces of Photoshop satire brought me an absurd kind of joy. I am sad that this blog has come to its end, but I am glad that the mechanism which portended it was our very own democratic process at work. Jerry usually wrote roughly about 1 article a week, and each article had around 4 custom pieces in it- meaning I have created over 800 works of factual farce in our time working together. Some days it feels like we just started this blog yesterday, and other times it feels like 20 years ago. Truly a bittersweet undertaking, but one I am proud to have been able to contribute to. I know Jerry’s next creative venture, whatever it may be, will be pointed and, no doubt, funny to boot. Here are some of my favorite photos, 1 for each year of his, well, whatever you want to call it!

2017

2018

2019

2020

At the time we started this project, web developing was my main profession, but in the years that have since passed I have decided to focus more on my (decidedly more serious, haha) photography work. If you’re interested in checking it out, I’d be grateful if you’d stop by http://www.jinyc-photo.com

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[punkcryptids]

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DEBATE

while it was a complete shitshow, I think we can all agree that Biden won (or at least... 63~% according to CNN). I've seen a lot of people also upset with Biden about the jabs he took, and I'm gonna be real...

HE WAS KINDA JUSTIFIED

Biden's tactic was to sit and let Trump make a fool of himself, but he didn't let himself get trampled over. He stood his ground when he absolutely needed to, and he mainly kept his side nonhostile; refreshing, when you don't hear trump shut the fuck up once.

This debate was really fucking unbearable, and for this being the first debate I have watched, it is abundantly clear how unprofessional Trump is. He agreed to let Biden talk, and he just constantly interrupted. His sabotage was a laughable attempt, but Biden managed to talk about plans and policies while Trump belittled and lied.

It was irritating when both of them bickered while Wallace kept trying to get them to move on. I don't necessarily think Biden was strong here, I understand it was a response to Trump's interruptions, but it just devolved even more into madness. Respect to Biden for, mainly, stopping his side of the bickering and agreeing to move on while Trump jabbered on.

Biden's message was one to the people, while Trump's was an example of gesturing towards his non-existent achievements. For the love of God, I hope the next one will be easier because I will lose my shit.

edit to say; TRUMP LITERALLY COULDNT DENOUNCE WHITE SUPREMACY IDK HOW I FORGOT THAT BUT ITS ASTONISHING

full fucking proof if you vote for that clown YOU ARE RACIST