#socioeconomic displacement

[opencommunion]

"Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah activity in the locations it bombs, without providing evidence, while conducting an indiscriminate bombing campaign that has seen a large number of civilians lose their homes, livelihoods and entire neighbourhoods.

Lebanese urban researchers labelled Israel’s actions as urbicide, or the deliberate wrecking or killing of a city.

'The extent of the damage is large and spread in ways that also destroy the socioeconomic life, the social infrastructure, the economic infrastructure, civilian facilities, markets, gardens, parks, whatever makes up the fabric of that city,' [Mona] Harb said."

[humanrightsupdates]

(Nairobi) – Kenyan authorities have not responded adequately to flash floods resulting from heavy rains, Human Rights Watch said today. The floods have left at least 170 people dead; displaced more than 200,000; destroyed property, infrastructure, and livelihoods across the country; and exacerbated socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

Kenya’s government has a human rights obligation to prevent foreseeable harm from climate change and extreme weather events and to protect people when a disaster strikes. Extreme weather events such as flooding are particularly threatening for marginalized and at-risk populations, including older people, people with disabilities, people in poverty, and rural populations.

“The unfolding devastation highlights the government’s obligation to prepare for and promptly respond to the foreseeable impacts of climate change and natural disasters,” said Nyagoah Tut Pur, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Kenyan authorities should urgently ensure support to affected communities and protect populations facing high risk.”

Kenya and most of the East Africa region has been lashed by relentless and devastating downpours in recent weeks, as an El Niño weather pattern exacerbates the seasonal rainfall. Recent studies suggest that climate change could be a contributing factor. The government has acknowledged that the extreme weather events were predictable.

Over the last few days, social media videos and mainstream media reports indicate that the affected people were receiving little to no support from the government to reach safety and to access essential services such as shelter, health care, and food assistance. Media reported that police and rescue teams’ help lines were unresponsive in some locations. (Human Rights Watch )

[liminalweirdo]

#1 – Denial – Pretending a problem does not exist to provide artificial relief from anxiety. Examples:

“During COVID” or “During the pandemic” (past tense)

“The pandemic is over”

“Covid is mild”

“It’s gotten milder”

“Covid is now like a cold or the flu”

“Masks don’t work anyway”

“Covid is NOT airborne”

“Pandemic of the unvaccinated”

“Schools are safe”

“Children don’t transmit COVID”

“Covid is mild in young people”

“Summer flu”

“I’m sick but it’s not Covid”

Taking a rapid test only once

Using self-reported case estimates (25x underestimate) rather than wastewater-derived case estimation

Using hospitalization capacity estimates to enact public health precautions (lagging indicator)

Citing mortality estimates rather than excess mortality estimates. Citing excess mortality without adjusting for survivorship bias.

#2 – Projection – When someone takes what they are feeling and attempts to put it on someone else to artificially reduce their own anxiety. Examples:

“Stop living in fear.” (the attacker is living in fear)

“You can take your mask off.” (they are insecure about being unmasked themselves)

“When are you going to stop masking?”

“You can’t live in fear forever.”

#3 – Displacement – When someone takes their pandemic anxiety and redirects their discomfort toward someone or something else. Examples:

Angry, seemingly inexplicable outbursts by co-workers, strangers, or family

White affluent people caring less about the pandemic after learning that it disproportionately affects lower-socioeconomic status people of color

Scapegoating based on vaccination status, masking behavior, etc.

“Pandemic of the unvaccinated”

Vax and relax

“How many of them were vaccinated?” (troll comment on Covid deaths or long Covid)

Redirecting anxiety about mitigating a highly-contagious airborne virus by encouraging people to do simple ineffective mitigation like handwashing

“You do you” (complainers are the problem, not Covid)

Telling people to get vaccinated or take other precautions against the flu or RSV but not mentioning Covid

Parents artificially reducing their own anxiety by placing children in poorly mitigated environments

Clinicians artificially reducing their own anxiety by placing patients in poorly mitigated environments

Housework to distract from stress

Peer pressure not to mask

#4 – Compartmentalization – Holding two conflicting ideas or behaviors, such as caution and incaution, rather than dealing with the anxiety evoked by considering the incautious behaviors more deeply (hypocrisy)

Examples:

Hospitals and clinicians claim to value health/safety but then don’t require universal precautions

Public health officials claim to value evidence but then give non-evidence based advice (handwashing over masking), obscure or use low-value data over high-quality data (self-reported case counts over wastewater), etc.

Getting a flu vaccine but not a Covid vaccine

Interviewing long Covid experts who recommend masking in indoor public spaces but then going to Applebee’s

Masking in one potentially risky setting (grocery store) but not masking in another similar or more-risky setting (classroom)

Infectious disease conference where people are unmasked

Long Covid and other patient-advocacy meetings where only half the people mask

In-person only EDI events

Not testing because it’s just family

Mask breaks

#5 – Reaction formation – expressing artificial positive feelings when actually experiencing anxiety

Examples:

“It’s good I got my infection out of the way before the holidays”

“I had Covid but it was mild”

Anything quoted in Dr. Jonathan Howard’s book, “We Want Them Infected: How the Failed Quest for Herd Immunity Led Doctors to Embrace Anti-Vaccine Movement”

Herd immunity (infections help)

Hybrid immunity (infections help)

“It’s okay because I was recently vaccinated”

“Omicron is milder”

“Textbook virus”

“Building immunity”

#6 – Rationalization – Artificially reducing Covid anxiety through a weak justification. Examples:

“I didn’t mask but I used nasal spray”

“I don’t need to mask because I was recently vaccinated”

“It finally got me.”

“You’re going to get Covid again and again and again over your life.”

“It’s not Covid because I don’t have a sore throat.”

“It’s not Covid because I took a rapid test 3 days ago.”

“It’s not Covid because I’m vaccinated.”

“Airplanes have excellent ventilation.”

“I’ve had Covid three times. It’s mild.”

“Verily was cheaper.”

“Nobody else is masking.”

“Nobody else is testing.”

“My roommates don’t take any precautions, so there’s no point in me either.”

“I have a large family, so there’s no point in taking precautions.”

Surgical masks (they are actual “procedure masks,” by the way)

Various pseudo-scientific treatments used by the left and right

Handwashing as the primary Covid public health recommendation

Droplet transmission as a thing

Public health guidance that begins with “data shows” (sic)

Risk maps that never turn deep red

5 expired rapid tests

“Masks recommended” instead of universal precautions

“Seasonal”

#7 – Intellectualization – using extensive cognitive arguments to artificially circumvent Covid anxiety Examples:

Unending threads to justify indoor dining

Data-rich public health dashboards that use low-quality metrics and/or don’t change public health recommendations as risk increases

The entire justification for “off-ramps”

Oster, Wen, Prasad

Schools denying air cleaners because it “could make children anxious”

Schools not rapid testing this surge because it “could make children anxious”

The mental gymnastics underlying the rationales for who can get vaccinated, how frequently, or with what brand

Service workers told not to mask because it could make clients uncomfortable

“What comorbidities did they have?”

“The vulnerable will fall by the wayside”

Musicians and others holding large indoor events

5-day isolation periods

Here's a link to the full book, a newer edition than what I own. The information on defense mechanisms begins on textbook page 100. Please let me know if there's a more accessible alt-text solution that you would prefer so I can do better next time."

- Mike Hoerger, PhD MSCR M

source

If you actually got to the end of this and don't remember what you're reading because the cognitive dissonance surrounding covid being "over" is so extreme, it's a list of the ways people downplay covid without any science-backed evidence. How many things on this list do you say, do, or believe?

[scribblestatic]

Inko and Izuku actually get paychecks from different scientists for allowing them to study him. They never go to Dr. Tsubasa though he insists on studying Izuku, but there was always something about him that made Izuku's feathers puff up defensively.

Though, he heard a comment from a doctor once that has stuck with him for a long time.

"His body and quirk are so displaced from humanity, at this point, it's a wonder if he's even human at all."

It didn't help that some kids would bully him and say he should be in the cage with the pet chickens.

He worries about his humanity big-time.

He avoids getting on public transport because of that, because people would always have their phones out and record him.

There was actually a case he was involved in where a lawyer tried to argue that Izuku should be able to fly from place to place because his quirk has so changed his body, most common human technology isn't actually built for him.

Unfortunately, the case lost and he was basically ruled into having to adjust to normal human life. Though, after several years and new evidence (like the handwashing problem, the trouble using basic amenities, etc.) the case was reopened instead as a disability case rather than a quirk case.

He cries when he wins the case. Just him nuzzling his head into his mom's stomach like he did as a lil baby, crying and fluffing his feathers out.

Schools had been discriminating against him for basic stuff, but since his quirk is now counted as a disability, they cannot do so without breaking both quirk and disability assistance laws. His case opened up a lot of funding for the Quirk Homomorphic Accessibility Organization in Japan. He basically became its poster child.

QHAO (pronounced as "kwao" in English) started initially in South Africa and spread in popularity among other countries. Japan and the US didn't really pick it up, but Japan started to after Izuku's case became a foundation for their spread in Japan. It's already started to lower crime rates because QHAO focuses on the accommodation of people with body morph quirks for socioeconomic, medical, and judicial equity.

("Kwao" means "to them" in Swahili, a South African language, so ye, I like how that just kinda fell into place there.)

(QHAO's motto: Kwao huenda haki. Kwao huenda amani. Sisi ni QHAO.)

("To them goes justice. To them goes peace. We are QHAO.")

But yeah, poster child. Izuku gets money to be on TV for the Japanese chapter of QHAO and to go to interviews.

Since his court case opened up a lot of good opportunities for the organization to help others, QHAO wants to promote more preventative measures to help lessen the poverty and discrimination that people with body morphs like his experience. Though honestly, Izuku's body morph is one of the most outlandish because his body only barely resembles a human one.

Even so, the QHAO executives and lawyers didn't even bat an eye at his appearance.

Izuku becomes very well-spoken because of his time being studied and his experiences with QHAO though. He does still mumble, but he doesn't stutter even when faced with antagonistic people.

[mercurialbadger]

When we are talking about charity, there must exist a level of certain precaution to not let your emotional turmoil result in subpar actions. If empathy is a natural response to seeing people in pain, then it makes sense to liken it to a kneejerk response, much different from a graceful strike of a soccer player.

Very often, personal face-to-face ingroup charity is used to displace the actual efforts at improving people's conditions, and if your organization lacks political oversight or a certain analytical capacity, you might have serving the community replaced with individual help which eventually accumulates every bias and/or ends up being co-opted by some cult.

I am seeing especially egregorious horrific examples of that on Twitter right now, so I will use them to illistrate a point that is otherwise too global and deep-rooted.

In order to understand how this approach does its harm, you need to understand cause and effect, past and future.

THE CAUSE

We are talking about a clique that talks about investing in trans community by helping homeless and/or unemployed trans women by "paying their bills" for some months before they "get up on their own legs". Thankfully, it's a US based clique, so a lot of sociological studies exist to demonstrate the current situation with trans rights.

Let's investigate the causes of queer people being unemployed and/or homeless. The obvious systemic cause is trans-/homophobia, which results in people losing their capabilities immediately after leaving their parents/coming out to them (see e.g. https://doi.org/gq37kh), or otherwise follows the patterns of stigmatization, exclusion and victimization. If we address more widespread political economy of this vulnerability in the USA, topics of mental health, such as PTSD burnout, substance abuse and sexual abuse - including significantly from within queer community - emerge as vulnerability categories (https://doi.org/ggsjt6). As for how inventive abuse from within "community" is, one might refer themselves to the concepts of "hot allostatic load" and "identity abuse" (https://doi.org/ggmdcd).

Failures of t4t ethos and "community short-circuit" also have been described as sources of chronic homelessness among queer youth (https://doi.org/mpx8).

One must be especially mindful of the fact that level of education is an important - if not the most important - predictive factor of queer homelessness, effects were described in depth by Rachel M. Schmitz in the dissertation work "ON THE STREET AND ON CAMPUS".

While the effects identified the author ascribes to better socioeconomical standing of college students majorly, author both identified " experiences of homelessness" as "uniting people through a shared sense of struggle and conflict", and notably gives credit to educational endeavor of academia as vastly superior to "street experience", and studies in countries with accessible education still identify low education level with risks of anxiety and depression. (https://doi.org/mpx3) (https://doi.org/mpx4)

As Negura notes, "Ultimately, the three concepts—‘social support’, ‘social capital’ and ‘social bonds’ — are complementary. These terms are used here to understand the same reality of mutual help amongst people, from different social perspectives."

CONSEQUENCES

The most recognized effect of homelessness is anxiety and depression. Recent works identify that both of these health effects are significantly resolved through providing housing, however meta-analysis of the works being done is very complicated by poor methodology of studies: short follow-up, making it impossible to judge the homelessness outcomes, and high group heterogeneity. (https://doi.org/mpxx)

Among the outcomes of homelessness specifically in queer people, "utopian thinking" is seen, in accordance with England, 2022, "an inevitable part of community responses: to improve the present it, it is necessary to look beyond the present and to an alternative in which queerness does not only survive, but is valued, celebrated and encouraged".

To a materialist that would mean death of the community as a utopianism-free endeavor, but it is not, however, it should be noted that imperfect solutions to the crisis provide fertile soil to these cognitive failures.

Actual observations of the long-lasting effects of experienced homelessness are, indeed, lacking, but so far there's no data that homelessness and unemployment actually have significant lasting damage in the queer population, nonetheless remaining the risk factor in their duration.

One, however, important effect of escaping and avoiding homelessness is resiliency. As Cronley, 2017 notes, "Rather than understanding how youth are surviving in extremely adverse environments, research applies socially normative models of behavior to their actions such that conclusions of deviancy and marginalization are inevitable" and "youth rely on informal social networks to survive on the street and that spirituality, mental health, and creativity are associated with improved coping". Once again we are drawn to connections to education systems within this approach.

And therefore we must remember establishment of education systems during historical cases.

PAST

Expansion of educational processes has long been demonstrated to be a driver of establishing new or maintaining old hegemony.

One might remember Huguenots, who existed both in France and in Netherlands. Often, for example in Van der Lem's "Eighty Years War", Erasmus of Rotherdam is remembered to be as a reason for catholics' loss in the region - humanism, moderateness and church reforms were indeed the ideas of his. It's not easy for me to believe, considering how Netherlands were absolute leaders in amount of exterminated heretics during the 1520-1540, therefore you cannot imagine the humanism and spirit of mercantile freedom helping very much.

But comparing the historical evidence between French Huguenot fighting and Netherlands' Huguenot fighting, one stark difference is seen immediately without even examining the evidence - it's the material amount of Evidence piled up.

Netherlands of XVI century was ultimately a literature-centric country: rational argument, presented with necessary charisma and efficiency, put into the easy epistolary style allowing for open discussion - all that erased the differences between catholics and protestants.

And using this positional leveling, protestants spent 10-20 years before, well, protesting with continuous work of printing press, while catholics of Netherlands continued, thinking themselves safe, sat complacent, only satisfying the demands of the already intellectual public.

Indeed, you can not let a worldly peasant work with biology, err, theology, lest they will be mistaken and fall into the tenets of sin themselves. A good example of this "Don't give the North Korean kids iGEM distribution" was dutch translation of La Bouclier de la Foy by Nicole Grenier, which the translator prefaced with an easy explanation that you should never actually argue with heretics, the priestly class knows best.

In France, enjoying the closeness of Rome, literacy was synonymous with military industry, err, Raytheon, wait, wrong, Catholic Church.

Of course it was literacy ultimately sympathetic to the plight of the layman, and easily putting itself into their shoes - «Les disputes de Guillot le porcher et de la Bergère de S. Denis en France contre Jehan Calvin prédicant de Genesve» is exactly about the lower classes destroying Kalvin himself with facts and logic.

And, like this, simply by virtue of being able to work with higher reasoning in lower genres, you can win the Hegemony.

The ultimate victory of feminism in 1917 also answers a lot about where did soviet feminists come from - from the intermediate spaces where people of higher class can interact as equals with people of lower class, without financial or institutional power relationship between them. An example is, of course Pavlov teaching women's courses and creating a whole host of women physiologists, actual hymnasia and schools, such as in Sonya Yanovskaya case.

Masonic secret societies, where jews could freely talk to christians and nobles mingles with commoner bourgeois were this driver in bourgeois revolutions, universities drove February and October revolution, and even in the USA the connectedness to high-socioeconomic status, what is called "bridging social capital" remains a primary predictor of success of people from oppressed groups. (https://doi.org/gqmpxx)

FUTURE

As such, I cannot see a way for personal charity - bonding social capital, excising queer people from support networks and from solidarity with marginalized, destructive to both people outside of it and to attempts to build a queer community — to be excused in modern conditions.

Build new platforms to, instead of elevating select voices, sing together.

[theygotlost]

the. watch. episode. four.

the watch are ambushed by goblins in drag, aka "drag goblins", which are apparently "the worst kind".

jocasta wiggs, the female assassin from the opening scene of night watch, is a pertinent character and a cunty old woman. theyre literally just scavenging the discworld series for names to use for their original characters. she was in love with some woman named perpetua. in their youth jocasta and perpetua had a mystical talking sword called gawain, or wayne for short (voiced by matt berry from wwdits) whose voice you can only hear if you are "a lover". their lesbian love was so strong than all the other characters can hear wayne's voice by proxy.

vimes explains his boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness to sybil and she callously mocks him for it. later she chugs an entire bottle of bearhuggers in front of him to.... idk emasculate him or something

buggy swires (the gnome) is a tall elderly human man in a nursing home.

death asks carrot to go out for a drink with him and then gets shy.

a fight in the nursing home causes a "displacement spell" to activate, lowering a disco ball from the ceiling and forcing vimes and carcer, as well as sybil and girlboss wonse, to engage in an involuntary homoerotic ballroom dance to "wake me up before you go-go". this was so genuinely so bad that it was good. im kind of obsessed.

[familyabolisher]

we went to a gallery today which pays a significant amount of lipservice to the socioeconomic legacy of colonialism/dispossession/displacement in the UK and was exhibiting (among others) a palestinian artist's work then like five minutes later i found a different exhibit which was sourced from yad vashem and i Screamed

[words-after-midnight]

[FRANKENSTEIN x BREAKING BAD]

SUPERNOVA

What if you held the key to the Earth's salvation... and its potential destruction?

An eccentric Montreal chemistry professor is rumored to have isolated a dangerous theoretical compound with powerful implications for the energy sector. Despite her many warnings, her new PhD students, seeing strong potential for a solution to the advanced climate crisis threatening life on Earth within a few decades at most, decide to investigate the claims. By doing so, they ignite the spark to an unstoppable chain reaction of passion and pride, power and corruption, and unintended consequences they never could have anticipated.

Themes:

Climate crisis

Governance and corruption

Ethical dilemma

Scientific responsibility

Socioeconomic inequalities

Obsession

Power

Current stage in production: Outlining/zero-drafting

WIP links:

Supernova tag

Inspiration/reblogs

Inspo playlist

Content warnings: I do not have a full list of CWs yet because the story is not drafted, but depictions of various effects of the climate crisis (eg. natural disasters, exacerbated inequalities, displacement) are included, death/grief are addressed at points, and there's some violence, including institutional violence.

[66664]

Title: The Essentiality of Environmental Rights: Safeguarding Our Planet and Our Future In the light of rising ecological calamities and the unavoidable depletion of our planet's resources, the call for environmental rights has never been more urgent. Environmental rights cover the essential privileges and obligations that maintain the integrity of our natural world, ensuring its preservation for present and future generations. In this blog, we'll look at the functions, benefits, and serious implications of ignoring environmental rights. Functions of Environmental Rights:

Legal Protection: Environmental rights establish a legal framework for protecting ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources. They empower individuals and communities to hold governments and companies accountable for environmental damage.

Public Participation: These rights allow residents to engage in environmental decision-making processes, ensuring that their voices are heard on issues that directly affect their communities. This participation encourages transparency, accountability, and democratic governance.

Access to Information: Environmental rights provide access to information on environmental policy, initiatives, and potential hazards. This transparency encourages educated decision-making and gives communities the ability to advocate for environmentally sustainable practices.

Environmental justice seeks to overcome differences in environmental protection and pollutant exposure. They want to make sure that everyone, regardless of color, ethnicity, or socioeconomic level, has equal access to a clean, healthy environment. Benefits of Environmental Rights for People: 1. Environmental rights protect human health by limiting exposure to pollutants and toxins. Clean air, water, and soil promote physical and mental well-being by reducing the number of respiratory diseases, waterborne illnesses, and other health risks. 2. Economic Prosperity: Long-term economic growth requires a healthy environment. Environmental rights encourage the conservation of natural resources, the preservation of biodiversity, and the development of eco-friendly companies that generate jobs and support economic growth. 3. Cultural Preservation: Indigenous and underprivileged populations frequently have strong cultural ties to their land and environment. Environmental rights contribute to the preservation of traditional knowledge, cultural legacy, and sacred sites, hence promoting diversity and resilience. 4. Climate resistance: Environmental rights play an important role in reducing climate change and raising awareness of its effects. These rights help to create a more resilient and sustainable future for everyone by encouraging clean energy, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation strategies. Damage Caused by Neglecting Environmental Rights: 1. Ecological Degradation: Failure to protect environmental rights causes widespread ecological degradation, such as deforestation, habitat loss, species extinction, and ecosystem collapse. This degradation disturbs nature's delicate balance, harming biodiversity and risking the planet's ability to support life. 2. Public Health Concerns: Environmental neglect causes air and water pollution, chemical contamination, and the spread of infectious diseases. These environmental health concerns disproportionately affect those with limited resources, compounding health inequities and endangering human welfare. 3. Resource Scarcity: Ignoring environmental rights depletes scarce resources like clean water, agricultural land, and fossil fuels, resulting in scarcity, competitiveness, and conflict. Resource depletion worsens poverty, food shortages, and social unrest, endangering global peace and security. 4. Climate Catastrophes: Disregard for environmental rights promotes climate change, resulting in harsh weather, rising sea levels, and ecological disruptions. These climatic calamities have a severe impact on vulnerable areas, displacing people, worsening poverty, and increasing humanitarian crises. At last, environmental rights are essential for safeguarding the health, well-being, and prosperity of current and future generations. By defending these rights, we can conserve our planet's ecosystems, promote social fairness, and lessen the terrible effects of environmental destruction. For the benefit of our world and all its inhabitants, governments, corporations, and individuals must continue to honor their duties to respect, defend, and fulfill environmental rights.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil at a Crossroads: The Environment or Oil and Gas

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration brought high hopes of reversing devastating environmental destruction. Will a new fossil fuel boom undermine promises for change?

With record-setting fires in the Amazon dominating headlines in recent years, the global environmental imaginary of Brazil often brings up scenes of deforestation, threats of tremendous biodiversity loss, and violent displacement driven by the cattle, forestry, and agribusiness industries. Now, on the heels of a wave of oil industry privatizations, pressure has mounted around the question of oil extraction in the Amazon. While deforestation often tops the national and international agenda, less present is the question of air pollution from the country’s oil, gas, and coal industries.

Care for the environment, however, seems to be part of Brazil’s social fabric, or what brings a lot of people together. In January 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to power on a platform of socioeconomic change and environmental protection. His appointments of Marina Silva to head the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Sônia Guajajara to lead the new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples were especially promising.

But a strong governmental commitment to environmental issues has been lacking. Lula has faced strong criticism for his lack of firm opposition to congressional moves that diluted the powers of both ministries, stripping them of tools to protect water resources, prevent land grabbing, and slow deforestation.

Brazil’s oil production increased in 2022 to 3 million barrels per day, mostly from its deep-water offshore pre-salt oil fields. The energy minister recently announced a projected goal of producing 5.4 million barrels per day by 2029, which would elevate Brazil to being the fourth largest oil producer in the world and lock the country into a carbon-intensive energy model. Giant corporations like Total, Equinor, and Petronas are already reaping the profits. On December 13, the day after the COP28 climate summit ended, the Brazilian National Petroleum Agency (ANP) auctioned drilling rights to 602 exploration areas, several in buffer zones of protected areas in the Amazon that would impact Indigenous and quilombola territories. The state oil company Petrobras—despite being discredited in a sweeping corruption scandal that played out between about 2014 and 2018—is now suddenly positioned to become a major corporate player regionally and globally.

Environmental protection often takes a back seat to the alleged economic benefits of extracting oil, gas, and coal, and national and international news reports rarely mention pressing environmental issues tied to these resources’ climate-heating and public health impacts. As Brazil’s fossil fuel industry eyes expansion, closer scrutiny of the consequences of air pollution from oil, gas, and coal, especially on communities living near oil and gas facilities, is urgently needed.

Continue reading.

[stevensaus]

Whether AI Can Write A Story Is The Wrong Question.

There is a qualitative difference in the output between a writer who knows story structure and a writer who understands how story structure works. I am certain that current AI technology can do the former. I am very skeptical of the latter. But that really isn't the right question -- or questions -- to ask. The first relevant question is: "Will people pay more for the difference?" The second relevant question is: "Who will profit?" The first question is one we've faced before. This is the same question that we've wrestled with the displacement of craftsmanship by mechanization, industrialization, and mass production. Compare a chest of drawers that is made from actual wood with one which was made from particleboard. The first has hand-wrought dovetailed joins where they are simply staple-gunned in the latter. The first has been hand-polished, the second is essentially covered in varnished contact paper with a wood grain print. And the first is horrendously expensive and difficult to come by, compared to the second. I know the "The Sam Vimes "Boots" theory of socioeconomic unfairness;" wait for it. Mechanization and automation are great at repetitive tasks. There's no arguing that, say, modern farming methods (for all of its flaws, which are many) dramatically reduced worldwide famine rates after the transformation of agriculture in the 1960's. But there, too, there is a qualitative difference. "Not dying of famine" is hugely different from "well-nourished," or "sustainably nourished," or "healthily nourished," or any of a host of other criteria. There is a market for hand-made things (and hand-grown or hand-prepared food), because of the qualitative difference I mentioned before... although it is a pricey one. Theoretically, this would be taken care of by the free market, right? People won't choose lower-quality goods (or entertainment) if there is a better alternative. There is, after all, a reason why "dollar store" is used as a pejorative adjective. That brings us to the second question. All this automation -- including computers and software -- represents an increase in productivity. So why are we still working as hard -- or as much -- as people ten, twenty, forty, sixty and more years ago? The answer is pretty simple. The benefits of productivity increases were not -- and are not -- accessible to the population at large. Those benefits have been hoarded by executives and shareholders. For example, how a certain box store has reduced its workforce expenses by nearly eliminating everything except for self-checkout lanes and utilizing brutal employee sick policies. While customers are complaining. Perhaps you'd think that greater efficiency and lower costs would allow the company to lower its prices. Except that box store is also beating quarterly expectations for revenue and earnings, despite current inflation and lower sales. It's not just that box store, though. According to the Economic Policy Institute, workers haven't gained anything from the growth in productivity pretty much for my entire lifetime. That's the disconnect. In a functional free-market society, this would all balance out, at least in theory. {1} The benefits of that increased productivity would be passed on to the rest of society in one way or another. Instead, those benefits are being hoarded by an investor class {2}, which means that the hand-made goods -- the quality goods -- are even further out of reach for everyone else. And now we are seeing it be applied to story and art as well. Like it or not, art and entertainment cost. They cost money, which a lot of us are feeling pretty tightly right now (while the aforementioned investor class is doing just fine). But there's a second cost: The cost in free time. Currently just one streaming service would have to run constantly for four years to view it all. Oh, yes, a huge chunk of it -- and many other streaming services -- consist of formulaic and poor-quality offerings. {3} This applies to other forms of entertainment as well, where available quantity is the primary selling point (eBooks, audiobooks, artwork, you name it). But if that's what you are able to afford financially, and you're strapped for time because despite all this technological improvement you're still working forty hours a week plus commuting time, well, you get what you can. This is what happened with the last writer's strike and the rise of reality television. Reality television was (and is) comparatively inexpensive to make, and, because of how distribution of media works, brought in equivalent ratings -- and therefore, equivalent advertising dollars. Now, reality TV has become as much of a staple as the self-checkout station... and in the same way, only the investor class is better off for it. For corporations and investors, it is -- practically by definition -- only the profit margin that matters. The particulars about what is created and how literally Do Not Matter. {4} Given all this, it is no accident that the current writer's strike is deeply concerned about AI. It isn't difficult to imagine these same investors -- the ones who control enough resources to get books in bookstores, to get films distributed to theaters and to major streaming services, to get a series greenlit -- will be far more interested in turning out formulaic hack plots. You can already see a similar effect in brick-and-mortar chain bookstores, particularly in the sci-fi and fantasy sections, where it's become increasingly difficult to find anything but the "safest" titles, usually with "now a major motion picture" or "now a streaming series" splashed across the cover. There is a simple answer to these issues: to distribute the benefits of our society's increased productivity through mechanization, automation, algorithms, machine learning, and AI to society at large both in terms of financial and time resources. Where our tools augment our abilities individually and as a species, for the betterment of both the individual and society at large. Instead, we have a society where it is not enough to make a profit -- you must maximize that profit. Instead, we have a world where half of the wealth is held by 1.1% of the population, and 55% of all humans hold only 1.3% of global wealth. Regardless of the outcome of the writer's strike, or outrage over publishers using AI art for book covers, the voracious drive of the investor class to increase profits will almost certainly lead to a race to the bottom that favors the "cheapest" methods to create art and music and publishing and media as our ability -- both financially and in terms of time -- is squeezed tighter and tighter. At least, that's how I'm afraid it will go as long as all the rest of us are bullied into submission. Good luck. {1} A free-market society also allows for the free movement of labor, which... well, look at the discussion we're having about the US-Mexico border, and you can see that is not what's happening there. {2} Yes, I know. At least I'm not calling them the "bourgeoisie," although that's mostly because I need spellcheck to get that word right. {3} Look, I'm not knocking your taste here. I've enjoyed some reality television and other forms of "light entertainment" -- like Taskmaster and Dimension 20 -- myself. At the same time, that isn't all I want to have available. {4} Fun related fact: Subway, the largest fast-food chain in the US, was founded by a physicist who had never seen a "sub" sandwich and a family friend. Check out The Food That Built America episode! Featured Image by 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay Read the full article

[luxuriant-starlight]

It boggles my fucking mind when people insinuate that slavery was ever not a choice or that slavery was something that wasn’t controversial prior to the Civil War. The controversy over slavery was so extreme at the time of the founding fathers that this country almost came to not exist at all because of conflicts regarding how it ought to have been handled in the Constitution and whether it should’ve been mentioned in the declaration (which is part of why it’s life, liberty, and “the pursuit of happiness” instead of life, liberty, and “property” like what John Locke had originally said). 

The reason for the great compromise, for the 3/5ths compromise, for a lot of the tensions that resulted in the creation of the first party system all had to do with slavery. Abolitionists and abolitionist groups have existed in this country for centuries- and since long before even the Revolution. All slavery was was a way to expand colonization and get out of paying people even the lowest and most minimum of minimum wages, and it came with the added bonus of brutality, a race-based socioeconomic caste system, the involuntary displacement of millions of people from their homes,  and societal ramifications that we are still dealing with. It was always a choice, and always a very deliberate one. 

The failure of so many people to get that right is the reason why I go out of my way to ensure that all of my history students understand that that is the truth- even though the government of my state of Florida ardently opposes me for that.

[elliotsands]

Building Residential Housing on Church Land

Faith organizations continue to play a vital role in community development, with initiatives like Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY) emerging from efforts such as the Winter Faith Collaborative. This movement saw worship centers providing shelter for the unhoused and repurposing church parking lots for overnight use.

YIGBY focused on socioeconomic transformation through the use of surplus land to build houses and lift people out of poverty. It is unfortunate, however, that such worthy causes regularly face obstacles created by city bureaucracy. In response, San Jose and state officials explored ways to circumvent these barriers and permit housing on public/quasi public (PQP) land.

PQP zoning applies to places of worship and schools, as they are venues for public assembly. However, the September 2020 San Jose Citywide Residential Anti-Displacement Strategy introduced zoning changes that allowed for residential construction on PQP-zoned properties, backed by budgetary funding to facilitate these developments.

The Cathedral of Faith, San Jose, had negotiated with the city and Mayor Sam Liccardo to build 200 housing units for low-income residents on their unused land. The church went on to receive significant support from the Sand Hill Property Foundation. The nonprofit provides funding to others interested in building housing and alleviating poverty. The Cathedral of Faith’s land development project served as a pilot model for other churches. However, this promising initiative also raised critical questions.

Key considerations included the affordability ratio of low-income units to market-rate units and who would manage these properties post-construction. Besides, many churches are in low-density areas, and a concern is if high-density housing belongs in low-density communities. Churches themselves must choose whether to aim for short-term financial gain at the expense of long-term assets if they find developers willing to buy their properties.

San Jose’s community outreach aimed to build support and consensus for YIGBY-like projects, recognizing the complexity of the issues involved and the need to balance various interests.

[cwfilmreviews]

Parasite Film Review

Bong Joon-Ho's 2019 film Parasite is a bold exploration of poverty, classism, and the human condition, deftly blending dark comedy, thriller, and social commentary. The film is an intricate portrayal of two families on opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum: the wealthy Parks and the impoverished Kim's. What begins as a sly infiltration by the Kim family into the Parks’ home quickly spirals into a tale of deception, exploitation, and tragedy.  

At its core, Parasite examines class inequality through layered metaphors and sharp storytelling. The Kim's’ ascent into the Park household is a calculated performance of wit and trickery. By presenting themselves as unrelated, highly qualified professionals, they gradually displace the Parks’ existing staff. Their initial triumph highlights their resourcefulness but also the lengths they must go to simply survive in a society that systematically excludes them.  

 The film takes a chilling turn when the Kim's discover they are not the only ones exploiting the Parks. The former housekeeper, Moon-gwang, has been secretly sheltering her husband, Geun-se, in the Parks’ basement for years. This shocking revelation intensifies the narrative, exposing the desperate and dehumanizing measures poverty forces upon people. The Parks remain blissfully unaware of the chaos brewing beneath their lavish home, an ironic testament to their detachment from the struggles of the less fortunate.  

Classism is vividly portrayed through small yet significant details, particularly the theme of smell. Park Dong-Ik, the patriarch of the wealthy family, frequently comments on the unpleasant odor of Mr. Kim, the Kim family’s father. This recurring observation is not just about personal hygiene but a symbolic manifestation of the invisible divide between the classes. In one scene, Yeon-Kyo, Mrs. Park, lounges in the backseat of the car driven by Mr. Kim, casually lifting her feet and covering her nose—a subtle yet cutting display of disregard and superiority.  

The motif of smell becomes pivotal during the film’s climax. Amid a chaotic sequence at a party, Geun-se emerges from the basement to wreak havoc, stabbing Ki-Jung, the Kim daughter, and attacking Ki-Woo, the son. In the ensuing chaos, Park Dong-Ik demands his car keys from Mr. Kim. However, his reaction to Geun-se’s odor—a reflexive expression of disgust—becomes the breaking point for Mr. Kim. The moment encapsulates years of pent-up resentment and humiliation, culminating in Mr. Kim fatally stabbing Park Dong-Ik.  

By the end, the Kim's quest for a better life ends in devastation. Ki-Jung is dead, Ki-Woo is left brain-damaged, and Mr. Kim is forced into hiding in the same basement that once imprisoned Geun-se. This cyclical irony underscores the futility of their efforts and the entrenched nature of societal hierarchies.   

Parasite is a poignant reminder of the systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality. Bong Joon-Ho crafts a narrative that is both deeply specific to Korean society and universally resonant. I think the film also illustrates how a lot of people in low-income situations don’t look at the big picture, not because they’re dumb but rather lack the financial understanding to want more out of life than the big house. In the case of the Kim family, they use deceit and trickery to get their way but didn’t think about the long term, only short-term satisfaction.  

[ayonj29]

"Job Displacement among Single Mothers: Effects on Children’s Outcomes in Young Adulthood"

In this research project, the authors seek to find out how children are impacted by their single mothers losing a job at some point in their childhood. They realize that children of single mothers usually fare worse than their counterparts with two parents, likely because of the increased rate of experiencing economic instability or relying on public social welfare programs as a child. Furthermore, “Parental socioeconomic shocks and downward mobility can also dampen children’s confidence in the value of education and work.” (Brand and Thomas 2014), and this is demonstrated by the results of the study. In this study they look at the effects job displacement of their mom has on the educational and social-psychological well-being in their early adulthood. 

Brand and Thomas use the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) as well as the National Longitudinal Survey’s Child-Mother File (NLSCM) to collect data for their study. NLSY is a sample of 12686 people who were initially interviewed in 1979, and were interviewed annually up until 1994. NLSCM was created in 1986 to interview the children of the women who participated in NLSY; they were interviewed every two years. They assessed the data they collected by applying certain conditions to look at, which include if they received their high school diploma by 19, if they began college by 21, if they graduated from university by 25, and if they showed depressive symptoms at the ages 20-24 and 25-29. 

The results of the study show that children whose moms faced job displacement were 41% less likely to complete college, 9% less likely to even attend college, and 0.02-0.03% more likely to experience depressive symptoms from 20-24 and 25-29 respectively. Additionally, we learn that job displacement of a single mother during middle childhood has greater effects than if it happened when they were younger, and this is seen in the rate/appearance of depressive symptoms in their 20s. And in many cases, teenagers have to sacrifice their education to start working and supporting the family income. 

Unfortunately, poverty can often become generational, children whose mother lost their jobs will also face the likely probability of job displacement at some point in their careers. As a child watching your mother lose her job is taxing on all. It is clear to see that they are struggling with it mentally and financially, and there is not much you can do. More research is needed to examine how job displacement of a single mother affects their kids at the moment, but also their relationship with each other; do the kids see themselves as a burden? To what extent do these mothers feel guilt and what is the impact of it? Does it affect their mother-child relationship?

Brand, Jennie E., Juli Simon Thomas. 2014. “Job Displacement among Single Mothers: Effects on Children’s Outcomes in Young Adulthood” American Journal of Sociology 119(4): 955-1001

[javier-cabanes-111]

Patriarchy: A System of Inequality and the Matriarchal Balance

The Sins of Patriarchy and Its Global Impact

Patriarchy, a social system that centers male dominance and privilege, has had far-reaching and often devastating consequences throughout history. One of its most insidious manifestations is colonialism, a system of domination and exploitation that has shaped the global landscape.

Colonialism: A Product of Patriarchy

Colonialism, often fueled by patriarchal ideologies, involved the exploitation of resources, the subjugation of indigenous peoples, and the imposition of Western cultural norms. European powers, driven by a sense of superiority and entitlement, colonized vast territories across the globe. This exploitation often involved the displacement of indigenous populations, the destruction of their cultures, and the extraction of wealth.

The Patriarchy's Impact on Women and Minorities

Beyond colonialism, patriarchy has had a profound impact on women and marginalized groups worldwide. Women have been relegated to subordinate roles, denied access to education and economic opportunities, and subjected to violence and discrimination. This has led to systemic inequality and limited social mobility.

Other marginalized groups, such as LGBTQ+ individuals and racial minorities, have also been subjected to discrimination and oppression under patriarchal systems. These systems often reinforce harmful stereotypes, perpetuate violence, and limit access to resources and opportunities.

The Need for Change

To address the enduring legacy of patriarchy, it is essential to challenge traditional gender roles, promote gender equality, and empower marginalized groups. This requires a systemic shift in attitudes, behaviors, and institutions. By dismantling patriarchal structures and embracing diversity and inclusivity, we can create a more just and equitable world for all.

Shifting Power Dynamics: A Move Towards Equality

Shifting from a patriarchal to a more balanced, equitable system could potentially lead to significant positive changes. Historically, patriarchal societies have often prioritized masculine qualities like aggression, competition, and hierarchical structures. A shift towards a more matriarchal or egalitarian system could bring about a greater emphasis on:

Empathy and Compassion: Women are often stereotyped as more empathetic and nurturing, which could lead to more compassionate decision-making.

Cooperation and Collaboration: A matriarchal system might foster a more collaborative and cooperative approach to problem-solving.

Community and Social Well-being: A focus on community and social welfare could lead to policies that prioritize the needs of the many over the few.

Environmental Sustainability: A more holistic approach to resource management and environmental protection.

However, it's important to note that a rigid, one-sided matriarchy could also lead to its own set of problems. The goal should be a balanced system that values both masculine and feminine qualities. A truly equitable society would empower individuals regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status.

Ultimately, the most effective approach is to challenge traditional gender roles and power structures, promoting equality and inclusivity. By embracing diversity and valuing different perspectives, we can create a more just and harmonious world.