#you can't blame people for not being taught everything. just teach them

[astroreoreoreoreoreoreoreo]

maybe i have lame opinions but I just wanna say- people who say "just don't interact with the community" don't get it. I wanna be able to interact with people who love [insert media here] as much as I do without getting crazy hate from the outside world because some people don't know how to act. i wanna say "people in fandoms should hold each other accountable for their behavior" but that's also not a good solution because at some point it just turns into policing for the sake of appearing normal and there's no fun in that. so I guess instead I'll point to this meme.

there is no "perfect community", there will always be odd people, and being odd isn't a death sentence. Fandom is fandom just "le sigh. we cringe on" and keep moving

i guess my girlfriend would want me to say "kill the part of you that cringes, not the part that is cringe"

"I hate (insert media here) because of the fando-"

[notmorbid]

playground.

dialogue prompts from playground: a novel by richard powers.

how can people live in this?

i'm trying to remember why i'm alive.

i am alive for the sole purpose of enjoying you.

you are a sordid piece of shit.

i love you. you'll believe anything.

i cannot wait to be free of you.

i've never told anyone but you.

it's okay. you're awake.

the gods are bothering me, for some reason.

i could learn something from you.

whose kid are you?

everyone needs to eat, but few people are aware of who sets the table.

you can't forget what you never knew.

people and their emotions puzzle me.

ready or not, here comes everything.

it's a fine morning, all things considered.

you're going to save us.

was there something you wanted to talk about?

they make electric cars now, you know.

i failed you.

i made a promise that i can't keep.

your perfection embarrasses me.

it's only emergency adultery.

what i really want is to talk.

power is an isolating thing.

power is a thing more given than taken.

i'm done with denial. i'm working my way through resentment.

i've rolled enough dice in my life to know how chance works.

i've always been a coward about the unknown.

all you need to do is breathe.

the water belongs to nobody. it's no man's land.

you're the only one of us who has a chance of making it in this world.

the smart ones want to be anywhere but here.

everyone talks a lot of trash about you, you know.

nobody really knows you. only i know the real you.

what is the most important quality a person can possess?

don't worry. i love you no matter what.

a person who never felt sad would be a monster.

i've had enough paternal stupidity for one lifetime.

i knew of you before i knew your name.

you deserve the best that ______ has to offer.

any excuse to go home as late as possible.

this is america. it's hardly a fair fight.

see you next week, asshole.

_____ is the closest thing to my religion.

you can ask. doesn't mean i have to answer.

who taught you to be so sneaky?

i can't even bluff at cards.

disguise yourself and do what you need to.

do you have a life philosophy? words you live by?

you couldn't have called ahead?

you seem like you can handle other people's opinions.

i won't be gone for long.

this isn't going to work, is it?

i'm not going to be able to leave you, am i?

life is never good at obeying human logic.

i wouldn't mind laying down a while. maybe just a month or two.

we make things that we hope will be bigger than us, then we're desolate when that's what they become.

you're truly crazy, but crazy memorable.

i could complain, but i won't.

i tend to think that the world is my fault. maybe that's ego or something.

you don't even know how free you are. it's just like breathing to you.

hold on. small steps.

i always thought a person had to choose between safety and freedom.

you could teach me a thing or two.

new game. i'm making the rules.

every human heart imagines god a different way.

stop being such a self-protecting little coward.

if it makes you feel good to think so, then think so.

i'm so simple. you only need to know a few things about me.

i don't believe in your world, and you'll never understand mine.

being safety will always get you killed.

they got what they wanted, but now they want the old me back.

this place isn't fit for human habitation.

find the moves the rules forgot to outlaw.

you know what the flight attendants say: put your own mask on before assisting others.

i was there. i know that song.

no vote is a vote, too.

what we two had was very beautiful for a while.

do not blame your fear of life on me.

i'll be fine. back in ten minutes.

don't let them make you as crazy as they are.

there has to be a way to spin this mountain of shit into gold.

i never did like poker. too much psychology.

when have i ever not helped you?

hope and truth cannot be reconciled.

don't i get a hug before the interrogation? a 'nice to see you'?

have you been sleeping alright? your eyes look baggy.

i've gotten what i needed from this life.

why are you still so tall?

you only ever loved me for my car.

call me. same old number.

what are you? who are you? why are you here?

what did you do to ____?

careful. remember your training.

consciousness is not all it's cracked up to be.

[thunder-opossum]

Hey so I kinda went on a rant abt religion (how I was taught it in not good ways/religious trama) so um be warned.

I've never fainted b4. I've been knocked out for surgery and stuff

But like years ago I was forced to go to church for my youngest sisters first communion. My plan to avoid it was to sleep in, which didn't work and just meant i didn't have time to eat anything for breakfast.

So when I was in the church, the hellish combo of terrible period cramps, low blood sugar, anxiety, and kneeling made me start to feel faint. Like my vision actually started swirling and darkening. I would have passed out seconds later if my dad didn't realize I was breathing real funky (i was too shy to say that i literally couldn't brethe). He made me stop kneeling and took me outside, driving me home and then went back to church. Anyways love religious trama.

Going to church (we didn't go often) and like weekend religion classes was not good for me. So much anxiety and stress and I couldn't sit still. I would be nearly breaking down. It was just such a terrible environment for me. We literally did tests and you bet your ass i guessed all the answers bc I never payed attention or did the homework like wtf. What elementary schooler/middle schooler wants to do that.

We got to do fun crafts sometimes, religious themed ofc but I just did whatever I want, purposefully excluding religion. It was so old school that there were green chalboa4ds and old tvs that were rolled in to play vhs.

I hated it so bad. Being forced to pay attention under such scrutiny. Foreced to interact with people. Forced to learn something I didn't want to.

I remember crying a few times from being overwhelmed both at church and in the classes. It sucked and I know people had it worse but it just clashed with my mindset and behavior. It messed with my hime life. I hatted all of it, not to mention having to wear dresses. Did I forget i

To mention i have terrible sensory issues that were another big part of why it was terrible??? Loud noise, crowded space, literally the feeling of my own skin. Guhh i wanna cry.

You can teach your kids religion! But for the love of everything don't make them sit through things kids can't handle. Read them stories, put on educational shows (i was a veggie tales kid) put them in fun groups focused on activities rather than sitting and listening.

Woah 3 rants in a day. ..

To be clear, I am not hating on the Christian religion. I'm expressing my feelings about how it was presented to me. I don't blame my parents, I kinda do, but not fully, they were just trying to get us involved in religion, yes, there were many fun and interesting programs that involved themes of religion that I mostly enjoyed and still think of fondly, but those were so much different from the ones I'm talking about here.

[sophieinwonderland]

In the beginning, I think I was more empathetic towards sysmeds because I thought I understood where their skepticism came from.

Because when I learned about tulpas, I was skeptical too.

That first day, looking at the tulpa community, I knew there was no way I could possibly be sentient. That there was no way imaginary friends could be sentient. It seemed crazy to me. In fact, I called the tulpa community crazy to my host.

It went against everything society ever taught us about how the brain worked.

But I kept reading. I listened more. I experimented with things for myself.

What I realized quickly was that my initial belief was based on ignorance. I was so certain things were one way, but I was able to look more with an open mind.

And I initially thought that these anti-endos were the same as me. They're not bad people. They're just ignorant like I was. They didn't know any better.

If I compile enough evidence, enough proof, I can enlighten them the way I was enlightened. I can teach them, inform them. That's what I thought for so long.

The problem is that I was projecting onto them. Maybe there are a few who were like I was back then, who just don't know better. And those, maybe you can reach by just sharing the right sources. But for so many, their bigotry isn't based on ignorance. Their ignorance is based on bigotry.

They actively refuse to learn no matter what sources you provide or how strong the evidence is because it was never actually a matter of ignorance to them.

In theory, the better you understand somebody, the more you should sympathize or empathize with them. But I find the opposite happens with me where the more I understand sysmeds and how they think, the more I despise them.

Back when I thought sysmeds were acting out of ignorance, I didn't blame them because you can't really be held responsible for spreading misinformation if you just... don't know any better. It's not their fault for being misinformed.

Now I know better...

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

I greatly appreciate our brainrot time because otherwise I think I would go bonkers and I don't think my IRL friends can handle this level of brainrot. If any of them find my Ao3 or Tumblr by some miracle, I would perish on the spot. They don't need to know.

Anyway, I am obsessed with Legend's little brother vibes. He's like the older middle child. Can be responsible when he needs/wants to, but otherwise prefers being a thorn in the oldest's side. He's a stupid little goofball and I love that for him. I need him to team up with Time for a dumb prank because who would expect The Hero of Legend and The Hero of Time to do something like that??

Slightly related to that, I love it when he's a twin in modern AUs. LOVE IT. But what I want is for him to be Warriors' twin and Hyrule to be Wind's twin (or something close to that). I think it would be a good combination, especially if it's something like a mixed family dynamic where Legend and Warriors end up being brothers with Hyrule and Wind for some random reason so it goes from your regular older brother and younger brother dynamic to the younger brother suddenly dealing with his own younger brothers pestering him. Less accidental baby acquisition, more accidental younger brother acquisition.

(I will end up writing this because I'm crazy, we all know it, there's no point in denying it at this point.)

I also keep thinking about the War of Eras stuff and like... it's always a time paradox. It's always a time paradox. I can't get the idea of the guys teaching each other things, it's too sweet. Like, don't you have to wonder if Warriors teaches Wind how to do first aid because Tune taught him first? It's probably more likely he learned from someone else, but it's a thought. I'm slowly dying on the inside thinking about how much Tune would do for the captain because he wants to return the favor and ldjkgdfgjdirjgdlgrijgdlirjfdrijtelkjfd--

I genuinely appreciate the daily brainrots so much too 😭 like i come home at the end of a long day and i get excited to see it come in my inbox aslkgkjhg. i got a few people irl who know im bat shit on tumblr and on ao3, my fuckin fiancee literally follows this blog and i know they don’t check it often but i do live in the fear of the day i get a text or call about some super specific odd ass shit post i made🧍‍♂️and then one of my best friends reads Fierce Hero 9, which is honestly fucking hilarious to me because she knew NOTHING about LU when she started reading it (i only recently convinced her to join the dark side /j), she just heavily fucks with big hero 6, and yknow what i respect that. but if my COLLEGE friends ever found this blog?? killing myself immediately. killing myself, deleting the blog, and moving to the other side of the planet actually. and my family knows I write fanfiction but if they ever read or found it?? theres not a group of people on this earth who would be able to find me, my ass would be GONE.

I LOVE LEGEND AND HIS STUPID LITTLE BROTHER ENERGY IT’S SO EVERYTHING TO ME. he’s a little shit and we need to all talk about that more 😔 LEGEND AND TIME WORKING TOGETHER ON A PRANK?? OH MY GOD. IT’D BE FUCKING OVER FOR EVERYONE ELSE. THEY’D GET AWAY WITH IT AND POOR HYRULE, WILD, OR WIND WOULD END UP GETTING BLAMED 😭

oh my god i never not once even thought of Legend and Wars being twins. I guess part of it is cos i headcanon they got like a literal decade between em, and i never thought about making them that close in age, let alone the SAME age. Even in my modern au’s, Wars is 2-3 years older. Them as twins would be SO fucking funny though oh my GOD. ACCIDENTAL BROTHER ACQUISITION, IM GONNA BE FUCKIN USING THAT OH MY GOD AKNSKJSNKJSN

(write it and my life is yours /ref)

oh my god i love war of eras trio time paradoxes so fucking much. SOOOO fucking much. Just the idea of Wars teaching Wind some little thing and then Tune having that knowledge to help Captain Link?? EATING IT UP. Or Wind being the world’s biggest shit to Time and him absolutely RUTHLESSLY clapping back, just for Tune to pull the EXACT same soul destroying comeback seemingly out of his ass to hit Mask with when Mask decides to be a snarky little shit. Who started it? We’ll never know

[sleeplessdreamer123]

Fanfic Idea! (Lucemond, Modern, college boys, tutoring days)

"Again, qybor."

Aemond was close to strangling his nephew, but stops himself, opting to strangling the papers right in front of him instead. He can't allow Lucerys to lose his voice, not today at least, and definitely not in this way. He'd prefer he loses it screaming his name.

"Qybor?"

People were used to seeing Aemond tutoring someone, from philosophy, to fencing, to history. This was the first time in his life Aemond had to be tutored by someone rather than tutoring himself.

He opted to take Valyrian Languages, confident that it would be just another easy grade, showing yet again that he was the perfect Valyrian descent, a perfect Targaryen, unlike his brother in every way. He never realized just how difficult it was to learn.

So there he was, struggling to use High Valyrian, the language of the lords and learned people of Old Valyria, only to catch Lucerys, his (bedmate? fuck buddy? unlabeled lover?) nephew laughing, infuriating him further. He challenged him to say a perfect High Valyrian sentence, trying to get Lucerys to fail just as he does, to make himself feel a bit better, only for Lucerys to not only say a sentence, but translate a line from the so-called prophecy of Fire and Ice. Perfect pronunciation, perfect pacing, perfect translation.

All of a sudden he was ten years old again, being laughed at by Aegon and his younger nephews. He didn't say anything, simply ignoring Lucerys' presence and focusing on the language on the page.

"I can teach you, if you want?" Lucerys offered. Aemond saw the offer as a challenge, throwing himself into more work, forcing his common tongue to speak those foreign words.

It took Aemond a whole week before he showed up in Lucerys' dorm, pride swallowed as he asked for his younger nephew's help. To his credit, Lucerys actually did help him formulate proper sentences, it was the pronunciation he couldn't get right. His mouth just couldn't form the words right. It wasn't like Lucerys', who sounded like he was from Old Valyria. He learned that Lucerys' family taught all of them perfect High Valyrian, forcing Aemond to swallow back his jealousy. His mother hated his father's family, despised everything about them really, and cut off her children from them. From culture, to history, even the damn language, his mother stopped them from learning anything, calling them queer traditions. Instead she reinforced them to learn about the ways of the Faith of the Seven, punishing them if they ever go "astray from the path of truth". She would then blame everything she considered bad about them to their Targaryen heritage. Aegon becoming a drunken whore? It was because the Targaryens were savages. Helaena acting strange? The Targaryens were infected with some strange disease and poor Helaena was infected.

He loved his mother, truly, he did, but what she did damaged everything that was meant to be his. His birthright. And now he was stuck having to learn the language he could have been easily taught at a young age by his nephew/fuck buddy. Speaking of which...

"Qybor, if you're tired, we could stop."

Aemond hums, unclenching his fist from the paper that held High Valyrian words.

"You improved qybor, better than last time!" Lucerys said encouragingly. If anyone else had said that, Aemond would have thought they were condescending. He knew Lucerys meant it, however. He didn't have a mean spirited bone in his body when it came to people who was actually trying to improve themselves.

"We'll continue this tomorrow, same time. If we keep this up, it'll be just in time for your oral exam. By then, you might even be able to make your own poems." He added jokingly. Aemond rolled his eyes, buy agreed to the tutoring time.

Same time tomorrow. He'll get better tomorrow.

[creature-wizard]

I’ve had an interest in the law of assumption for a couple of years now, but I really enjoy your posts on them because you put my doubts about it into comprehensible sentences 😭! I’ve been looking through your blog for a little bit now, and I love your stuff. 10/10 blog 💪💪💪

Also, the anons are surprising. I thought they would have a little bit more decorum since being proper and nice is what most LOA blogs preach 😬

Personally I think it's kinda to be expected; the Law of Assumption was (intentionally or unintentionally) designed to appeal to the extremely selfish, vain, and lazy. It shows in the way the community tends to aspire to a lot of toxic ideals pushed by capitalism and patriarchy. (A bunch of these "it girl" affirmation lists might as well just say "I am a Stepford wife" or "I'm the trophy wife of a rich Republican" over and over.)

People are taught that all they have to do to get everything they want is just have faith in Neville Goddard's teachings that all you have to do to get everything you want is believe you already have it. It does nothing to help people cultivate compassion or kindness, nor does it teach any healthy skills for dealing with frustration and disappointment. Instead it just tells you to convince yourself that bothersome events never happened, which is just a form of emotional avoidance/repression. Did your shitty boyfriend yell at you? Just tell yourself that he was a perfect gentlemen and took you out to your favorite restaurant before you go to sleep tonight. He'll have to conform to your beliefs, because Neville Goddard said so. If you can't fix him, why, it's really all your fault.

These people are basically stuck in a profoundly unhealthy worldview that encourages their worst selves while emotionally alienating them from themselves and from other people, teaching them to aspire to toxic standards and superficial lifestyles, giving them skills it claims can fix everything but are simply inadequate for dealing with most of life's problems, and then putting the blame on them when shit doesn't work out. It's not really surprising that they'd be this way.

[eta--piscium]

✨️This is an appreciation post for my one and only love @schattensaenger ✨️

The year is about to end and we're still together and going stronger than ever. Yes, we may fight as if we're Tom & Jerry, but at the end of the day, we still make up and love each other even more. We can't even stay mad at each other and ignore each other for more than 20mins. Lol. Even if we're both still kinda grumpy, we still stay on a call together and just casually look at the other and then a few mins later, we start sending kisses to each other and we're okay again. Hahaha. You, my love, is something else.

You are the person that I never knew I needed in my life. *yes I know, it sound cliche but it's true* I have made friends with lots of people but nobody can ever compare to you. The way you love me is so different from everyone else. You don't just love me because I'm your girlfriend, you don't just love me because I'm ur person, ur duo, ur potato, ur annoying potato, ur very sassy and loves to tease u so much gf, you love me for me. You told me and showed me that you love me for who I am. You made me comfortable with myself. You made me feel secure. You made me feel so loved. You love me unconditionally.

Honestly, I once thought to myself back then that the person for me would never come. That maybe I'll just be another person. Maybe I'll just serve as a chapter in someone else's story. But, you came. You proved me wrong. You have taught me many many things in life. You taught me all the ways that I could love and be loved. You taught me that it's okay to be vulnerable, that it's okay to cry, that it's perfectly fine and normal to let myself feel things and just let my emotions out. Not keep them in a jar and store it somewhere until they overflow and explode. You taught me how to be patient. To be more understanding. I thought I was open minded enough but you showed me things that I was keeping a blind eye to. You opened up my mind even more. You made me into a better person. You are the only person that came in my life that made me wanna better myself. You made me wanna be the best version of myself.

I'm sorry if I always push your buttons. It's fun to tease u all the time. heh 😏

Okay but seriously now. I'm sorry for all of the things I have done to you. I'm sorry for making you cry. I'm sorry for being so stupid at times that I just can't understand what I should do. I'm sorry for all of the times that I accidentally make u doubt my love for you. I'm sorry for being a huge pain in the ass for you. You still love me tho heh😏 u like me in ur butt. NOT IN A SEXUAL WAY! HAHAHA

I just want to say that you are loved by me and not just by me but by many other people including our friends too.

I also want to say that I am very very thankful that you exist and that you came into my life. Thank you for existing. Thank you for staying. I love you so so so much.

Thank you for all the help you've ever given me. Thank you for helping me learn many things. Thank you for always being very patient with me. Especially when it comes to coding and math. What can I do, the moment I see numbers and formulas my brain immediately goes to sleep. Hahahah I'm sowwy But seriously, thank you for always finding time to teach my bobo ass how to code and all. Thank you for helping with my homework and projects too!! Speaking of project, you have been the greatest help for this website project of mine. You have done waaaaay more than my groupmates. You basically did the whole entire thing on ur own and you're not even getting graded. I am. But you always want the best for me that's why I can't even stop you becaue you get poopy and be like "UR CLASSMATES WILL JUST RUIN EVERYTHING AND HALF-ASS EVERYTHING!!" Cutie u are. I can't blame you tho bec you really made it so pretty and the suggestions u hear from them are just potato. Lol. But really tho, thank you so much for everything. The fact that you are the one that wants to help me with my schoolwork and u get poopy whenever I don't tell u that I have an assignment or quizzes or whatever, I find that adorable. Because it's just you being you. You love to help people. You love to help me. I adore that. But also because I get to secretly stare at u while u do some of my coding stuff bec you look sooooo stunning and beautiful whenever you're too focused on smth. I love it whenever you're so serious and focused, with ur eyeglasses on and ur hair tied in a bun. Oooooofff my heartttttt.😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️

I hope our love never grows old, I hope that fifty years down the road you are still the face I see when I wake for the day on a cold monday morning. I hope you are the last person I see after one too many drinks and I hope your laugh is the soundtrack to all of my stories. I hope your body is always beside me and I hope my life is spent loving the only one that could ever find me. I hope that every day of the rest our lives are spent loving each other cause not a single thing in this world could ever convince me to love another, and I hope that the love growing between us two is nurtured by all of the days I will spend loving you.

Ps. I'm sorry this took so long for me to post. I really just have so many things I wanna say but felt like words are never enough. Writing this down on my notepad always makes me giddy and emotional. Lowkey crying rn but u can't see. Lol. Oh and I keep rewriting and adding stuff to it too. Hehehe

Pps. I LOVE YOU SO FREAKING MUCH!😘❤️

[bonkersbon]

Random rants because I couldn't sleep all night

Insomnia is a bitch

But here it goes (and yes I'm sober just prob crazy🤔)

Teenagers are not TEENS 13 and Adults are not grown adults at 18

It is wild to me that this world expects so much from literal CHILDREN! children

They question why they are trialing kids are adults as early as 12 years old

Because they're making adult decisions and expected to as early as 13

Thirteen is not a damn teen

They're children and no one is treating them so

I used to get offended at the reference “it all starts at home” Or blaming the parents

It isn't 100 on the parents, let's face it! This world and social media now play a massive role in our children's minds and all the medications they're on for this or that

But the problem is the parenting and then society

We're an oxymoron

If you are raising your kids right then, at 13, they're still playing with Barbies and board games and monster trucks and making slime and playing hide and seek

That is what children do

And people are raising their kids so messed up that 12 year old ARE OUT COMMITTING crimes, having the deed and doing things they can't comprehend

They're combative and fight and get abusive with the officers and society as they do at home because of how they're being taught

They're skipping school and not knowing how to make decisions and then end up homeless

The statistics are all there, and history after history, people are repeating the same shit messing up their kids, and now the issue with kids is technology and being overstimulated

Take that technology away and see how long they can sit still

How many kids mimic everything they see

Idolization and profound misconception of what is socially acceptable or morally right. See it on TV. They mimic it

Even hurting others

There are so many hidden agendas everywhere you go

With what people sell wear and advertise

Ten year olds wearing makeup and not believing they are pretty how do they even know to talk like that or be like that

Their innocence is robbed, but parents can play a huge role

They slip away from you and grow up no matter how much you try to shelter or protect them

It'll happen

But a teen is not a teen, and an 18 isn't an adult

Protect your damn kids from this world

Raise them teach them and damn educate them

Protect them, shelter them, and do whatever you must as a parent to raise your kid to be a good kid! And a morally good one, too! Who helps others not be damn delulu babies and filled with weird jealousy and malice — always trying to compete — for what? Your spot quicker to the ultimate destination?

So many parents fail their kids, and they fail them so early on

But what I'm mad at right now is society as a whole expecting kids to grow up too fast and know too much too fast. And then, on top of it, not raising them with proper discipline so when they're “adults,” they're out there tearing up this world. And then you all question why?! I wonder why so many kids out there doing petty crimes then acting out like four-year-olds in the judicial system and getting slaps on the wrist and sent back out for the parents to take no responsibility and blame it on the system

It starts at home

And anyone who believes differently is delusional and can fight me over it

They need to bring back old school butt whoppings and for the love of god ladies and gentleman stop kicking your kids out at 18! They ain't grown

They can't afford to live on their let alone make grown decisions. Let them live at home and push for them to get an education and or an excellent job

Push for kids to help parents more. We don't help elderly and that is because we haven't taught our kids to

We in America kick our kids out at 18 and put our family into nursing homes

Live at home take care of each other and help each other and learn right do right and be right

Be kind

The selfishness and malice and generational dysfunction will always make me mad

And trust me I'm not speaking from a glass house

How I grew up and how I've chose to parent hasnt been a walk in the park

But I communicate

My kids are KIDS, and they have hearts and souls, and feelings beyond what society even gives them time for, and raising good kids in this fucked up world isn't easy. But seeing it all come to shit sucks! Navigating thru it sucks and having to teach my kids about ignoring certain people in life is so sad

To teach them all the dangers and reality is already sad

Why would I want to push them on their own to face that already at only 18

It starts at home, with parenting

Love your kids! And they are kids! Children! Tiny innocent beings with huge imaginations that want love and to discover

We'd have many better people if parenting styles and dysfunction weren't so THERE! Like just why does it even have to be a thing anymore

When will we do better

Abuse or drugs or addiction or mental illness will never be a reason to be a shitty person or a shitty parent, and I fear for my children ever to feel unloved or get hurt by this world, but it'll happen, but why would I actively treat them like an adult or teen way beyond the appropriate time

I just don't understand it anymore and I don't want to

I'm just going to keep mentally fighting to stay strong thru the Bullshit

Cuz parenting with other parents is hard

Adulting with other adults is even harder

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

Normally, I let y'all choose my topics, but honestly, I'm a bit nervous that, if I keep posting things related to Fundies, I'll have people asking "Kay, are you alright," or "Kay, are you a spy for the Allred Group." Emphatic no to both /hj. But, today I'm going to combine my Hot Takes on Blood Atonement, Fundamentalism & Polygamy together

What Fundies get Wrong

Obviously, this is going to be a long list. The Fundamentalists are flawed on nearly every level, and prone to collapse like a house of cards. So, let's explore their flaws:

Blood Atonement- The idea that ones blood must be shed to repent denies the power of Christ's Atonement. There is an interesting thing to point out however. Everything Brigham said required it held a death sentence at the time. In teaching the Atonement today, we teach you must make restitution (including legal restitution, if you broke the law) to truly repent. The Grace of Christ helps you, but if you've truly repented, you'll want to make that restitution. So, Blood Atonement is actually the idea that you should be undaunted when it comes to making restitution, even if death is the punishment

Race- You can't really blame the Fundies for this, because our entire Branch has struggled with this until the late 70s (although McKay did try to fix it in the 50s). God doesn't treat races differently, full stop. I can mention 3 men of African Descent being given the Priesthood, or Orsen Pratt being threatened by the Curse of Cain, but do I need to. It's obvious that God doesn't discriminate

The Garden Cosmology (Adam-God)- If someone can explain this in a way that makes sense, I'll be glad to hear it. How can Jehovah be the Father, and Adam also the Father. Why, immediately after saying God was Adam, did he say that Elohim was God, Jehovah was Christ, and Adam was the Holy Ghost. And in the JoD, an Apostle mentions that he believes in Lilith, in an attempt to justify Polygamy. But, if Adam & his wives were Exalted, how could one of them become a demoness. How can the Virgin Mary be a virgin after having sex (and did she marry God, and Joseph. I mean, I believe Polygamy goes both ways, but Brigham didn't). How is Adam God and also the Son of God. And anyway, Kimball said Adam-God was false (and reiterating that it was specifically the interpretations Fundies put on it, leading to the thought that Adam was Divine, but not Heavenly Father). Also, the Idea that Spirits are born through sex makes no sense either

(Sorry about my rant on the Garden Cosmology. And that's only the beginning. It's truly a web of confusion, with no answers, only more questions)

Child Marriage- You know why the split between the AUB & FLDS happened. Because the leader of the Priesthood Council (the Fundies Leaders before the split) said Child Marriage, Forced Marriage, and Incest were wrong. The Short Creekers didn't want to change, and when Rulon Allred was made leader over a guy from Short Creek, they became the FLDS (with Allred's Priesthood Council becoming the AUB). This eventually morphed into the most disgusting practices we see with the FLDS today

This is not to say everything is wrong, only most things. This leads us to

Polygamy

Polygamy is a true Doctrine, kind of. In D&C 132, it mentions that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all Exalted. The thing is, I'd say only Abraham was a true polygamist. Isaac was a monogamist, and Jacob was tricked into Plural Marriage. The very inclusion of Isaac states that polygamy (regardless of what Pioneer-era Saints were taught) was not essential for Exaltation, and Jacob reinforces that.

Polygamy is right for some people, and wrong for others. My & my wife are perfectly happy, and I could never be a polygamist. But, people who are called to be Polygamists should be allowed. But there is a difference between being called to polygamy, and just wanting to sleep with multiple people

The 1886 Revelation was received by John Taylor, and it is in his handwriting. He never mentions Polygamy (in fact, it would sound right in a conference talk today), but at least three people say he told them to defend Plural Marriage after receiving it (although, one of them was Lorin Woolley, so grain of salt). One of them, John Woolley (who, unlike his son, was seen as trustworthy until the Second Manifesto) was set apart to plural marry people

In doing research for a Polygamy Essay, I became acquainted with Ogden Kraut. He states that Woolley and his successors had only one job: plural marriages. Anything beyond that is wrong, and I (unlike many things he said) agree with that. It makes sense that John Taylor would set apart a Sealer, but not that he'd fracture the Church he spent decades serving and building up

And another thing, Joseph thought Polygamy should go both ways. He offered to let Emma plural marry William Law

I also have a lot to say about Polygamy and Abuse, but it can be summed up with allowance of polygamy means abuse victims can step forward and get the help they need.

So, there you go. Fundamentalists are basing their entire theology on misinterpreted facts, and polygamy should be allowed for some people. How's that for Hot

(And I'm sorry for the issues. I didn't cite my sources, and I'm pretty sure I sound like a madman telling everyone the end is near, because Biden & Trump are reptilian lovers. Truth is, I'm on a trip to Colorado, and I do my best work at home. So, any clarification, questions, accusations, ECT can go into the comments, and I'll get to you as soon as I can. And next week, we'll have a cooler hot take)

[palominocorn]

Red and green are opposites! Just, in pigments rather than actual light colors, or dyes. This is a distinction that is rarely taught in the US! Most or us only have "art" classes until age 10, if ever, and most of them will only ever use crayons, fingerpaints, etc. All of which are pigment based, not dye. So US kids learn Red-Yellow-Blue (a color system almost unique to painting) instead of CMYK (the color system for dyes, light) or RGB (for limited light, popularly electronics).

This is also why US under-10s are so INSANELY destructive to markers; way moreso than kids overseas. Markers ARE dye based, so all the colors "come out wrong" and then the kid gets pissed. Which I can't wholly blame them for. They're a kid, and they were not just told but SHOWN that mixing RYB makes black, and yet now it's making Horrible Greenish Brown instead.

I hypothesize that this is also why US students at all ages are almost morally opposed to the existence of highlighter markers.

Anyway, it all comes back to a refusal to teach in US schools, at the end of the day.

The "destruction with markers" thing has started spreading, unfortunately, I've heard tell from my relatives back in Europe that kids have gotten more aggressive with their coloring stuff. Though whether this is a factor of worsening color education or worsening treatment of kids, I am not sure.

I have seen some older texts talking about the red-yellow-blue color system where the colors very much look like CMY, which I thought was absolutely FASCINATING. Did the colors fade? Or did the definitions of the colors change?

[long rant about Anglophone definitions of "blue" being indigo omitted because it's too rainy outside for me to be a grumpy Eastern European on main]

Most people I know, both here in the States and back there in Europe, haven't had much art education past the age of ten or eleven (elementary school, where I grew up). My high school has two semesters of art as a graduation requirement, but it was a joke. The smart kids took AP art history, which from what I've heard had less actual history and more rote memorization of five hundred paintings. All the other classes were basically "goof off" ones.

So the "lies to children" form of art education basically becomes the It Is Known of adult art knowledge, and capitalism means that only people who want to Do Art For Money have any motivation/time to do any actual art and learn about it.

(Seriously, almost every time I mention that I do art of any form, people ask if I have like an Etsy store. No?!?! I don't?!?! I have a full time job, and I do art to RELAX and NOT THINK ABOUT the fact that our gas chromatography machine broke AGAIN, who the fuck keeps leaving the lamp in that thing on, we have SIGNS and everything - can you tell I'm posting this while not paying attention to work?)

[gxlden-angels]

Shiny Happy People Thoughts: Episode 2

TW: The Duggar Family

- This episode begins on Josh's crimes and abuse as well as his family's attempts to cover it up

- I thought the documentary would focus more on them, but it's actually going more into how these environments foster so much abuse, which is honestly great but also a lot harder to watch

- Like it's one thing to point at them and say "This is where it could lead" but it's another to say "This is the environmental set-up. It was widespread and you may have grown up with it. Here are some of those factors you may know"

- It's weird to watch a family like the Duggars and go "oh most people think this is weird" like I was never homeschooled but I didn't need to be. We were actively taught that public school would teach you these specific worldly things so ignore those and listen to us instead

- We "had church" at home during birthday parties and holiday dinners or whatever where they sat all us kids down and insisted on teaching us these things

- Older women in the family would tell testimony after testimony about how happy they were being under their husband's protection even if that meant having sex when they were exhausted, not in the mood, and sick

- Men complained about abuse being exposed on the news because they felt like an abused wife should handle it privately at home

- I honestly can't imagine where I'd be if I was homeschooled on top of everything

- I do agree that the insistence on homeschooling only is more of a white evangelical thing. After such a fight to even have the right to get into and finish public school, I think in black evangelical communities it was seen more as a blessing to be able to go to public schools, especially if you convinced your friends to go to church with you

- The 2nd to last church we went to even bribed us into it. They gave us a dollar if we brought our own paper bibles and we had a sticker chart or something if you brought friends we'd eventually get a celebration

- There was also this fear that if you didn't assimilate into white evangelical culture in the South, then you'd end up on the streets doing illegal shit and going to jail or whatever. It's very victim blaming. There was a mix of understanding systemic racism in the U.S while also saying Black people are at fault for not just staying married and spanking their children to prevent them from being "fast"

- Like sure my own parents are older than the Voting Rights Act, but somehow "welfare queens" are the issue. Black communities are very quickly assimilating into the individualist white evangelical mindset of be good and god will bless you individually

- Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won't Save Black America goes into that a lot. People have mixed feelings about it but I related a lot to it

- Black kids in these spheres were seen more as a risk if not raised this way essentially. Don't hang out with so and so's kids they don't go to church, spank their kids or insist on parentifying their older kids and that's how you end up smoking crack or something

- I honestly had to pause during the section about hair. That's a major trigger for me.

- It was such a confusing balance because I was told I need my hair done well because it needed to glorify god and honor my father, but it also couldn't be too beautiful because then I was being vain/causing lust but also my grandfather would tell me he liked me better when my hair was a certain way but also I should focus on what god wanted, not what he wanted but also

- And it was even more difficult with my coils and curls. I relaxed my hair from ages 5 to 15 and it legitimately took years for my hair to recover from it. It was a difficult transition because my grandfather insisted that I was much prettier and more godly to him when my hair was long and relaxed and he even talked about how unattractive my grandmother is between hair styles when her natural hair is out to convince me to start relaxing and stop cutting my hair again

- The insistence on framing your face correctly was wild. I had this unhealthy bob for years because it "framed my face well" like no my hair was one bad summer day from being fried to death and falling out (and sometimes it really did fall out)

- "Instead of learning math, you're leaning slut shaming"

"Don't think about your sisters' boobs. What are you gonna do? Think about your sisters' boobs."

- Unrelated but Bill Gothard looks like a deepfake in every video of him

- They've come back to the effects of parentification. My dad got the worst of it as the oldest of 6. I was parentified but not as much as he was

- "I had to break his will" another hard trigger

- I was told at 11/12ish that I was allowed to spank my younger stepcousins when I was babysitting them. I hate to admit that I did once when the youngest slid down the stair railing she was told not to slide down and I felt so guilty I never did it again. I shouldn't have been told to spank her and I also shouldn't have been put in this situation that young. That was around the time I first developed intrusive thoughts about my family dying so at the time I legitimately thought it was the only way to keep her safe from falling to her death

- "You were spanked until you stopped crying, which could be hours" for me it was "now stop all that crying before I really give you something to cry about" which all seems counterintuitive

- Took another break because of To Train Up Child. Did not have the book growing up, but definitely recognize a lot of the ideas from it. I've talked about it before on this blog

- Its difficult to get through but I also feel such a weight off my shoulders. Like it's one thing to have a therapist say "you're not a bad kid, you were raised in bad circumstances" but it's another to have a docuseries say it. It's another thing to see others have this same uncomfortable bodily reaction. Nervous laughter, moving around, fidgeting, etc.

- "You know, a little psychological terror is sometimes more effective than the pain" I was much more terrified of the threat of being spanked than actually being spanked. I hated the feeling of "I disappointed you enough that you have to plan to hit me later"

- My dad says he remembered spanking me a couple times when I was like 2 and never again. He felt like positive reinforcement and explaining why doing something bad was wrong was more efficient for me cause I liked being helpful, I was just super independent and easily overwhelmed. There's a reason he's the only family member I honestly care to keep contact with

- "Michael and Debi Pearl are some motherfuckers" SAY IT AGAIN LOUDER

- Amy Duggar crying about the "rod of encouragement" made me also tear up. I'm working on the guilt of not being able to change the rest of my family's mind and save my younger family members.

- This episode is harder than the first but it's honestly what I needed right now. I needed a third party to say "you survived the best you could. you're still trying. you can't save everyone, especially if you aren't fully free yourself yet"

- There's stuff I didn't even think of as traumatizing that I realize still controls so much of my actions. This is so good and I highly recommend it so far if you think you can handle it.

- I wasn't blanket trained. My biological parents loved my independence. They loved how much I liked being helpful independently and they never wanted to break that spirit.

- My dad even raised me to focus on education and be able to support myself before I ever got married. I never had a conversation with him about relationships since he felt awkward about it he much preferred I learned from women in the family/church. They taught me purity culture.

- "If a man says he wants you, then he's god's man for you and you have to learn how to adjust your feelings and thoughts around that." This is how my grandparents and uncles saw things. They insisted this was romantic and good. I did a survey of my high school to see if anyone else thought that way and only like 3 out of the 50-60 people I asked did. When I pointed that out to my uncle he said it's because my school was full of sheltered nerds.

- My dad was horrified by all of it. I honestly think watching this documentary could make him deconstruct more than he already has. He's still a christian, but a progressive one. He's still growing each day

- Had a lot of feelings about this one. I think this one hit the hardest cause it essentially explains how these circles groom people, especially young girls.

[captain-kit-adventuress]

Hey.

Hey, look at me.

Look at me full-on in the face when I say this:

It didn't start during COVID, at least, not in America. It started with the passage and enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was implemented starting in 2001. It started by teaching multiple choice tests instead of critical thinking, which had been a pretty big staple up until that time. It taught dumbed-down versions of just about everything, because those test scores were everything, because it was how the Federal government determined funding allocations for schools across America, and guess who was most disproportionately affected? That's right, districts where taxpayers didn't have a lot of money to support schools, or time to fight for their districts.

This kind of shit has been going on for over two decades, and some of you, maybe the majority of you, are too young to remember what it was like before, or perhaps never had a world without No Child Left Behind. No one is being taught to think, and it shows. Because some superficial test score matters than actual learning, and actual learning is much harder to quantify, and it was a quick way to further disadvantage the already-disadvantaged. Because you're being taught that results matter more than engaging with material, except that engaging with material, thinking about it, being wrong about it, that's how you learn. You don't learn by being right all the time, or filling in a little circle on a test where you've got a 1 in 4 chance of simply guessing the answer correctly.

No Child Left Behind was supposed to be about students, but what it really affected was curricula, because the Federal government didn't want schools teaching people how to think. They wanted them to get that teaching crap out of the way in the name of compulsory education so people were just smart enough to work. That's how you take away the silver bullet without looking like you're taking it away.

Yeah, it's a lot easier to read something fun and you know what? I can't even blame people for that, because the world isn't a very fun place and the way we teach literature (and pretty much everything else) sucks so hard and everybody needs an escape from the daily ghastlies of existence. The world's gotten so much harder and cheaper and greyer since 2000, and that's not fair to any of you, but it doesn't make the responsibility of learning any less. It doesn't make learning how to evaluate information in a useful way (which is what critical thinking really is) any less important.

And the fun stuff is important, too, no doubt about it. We need the fun stuff. But we need the not-fun stuff, too, or Congress wouldn't have tried so hard to force teachers to quit teaching it properly. You should be asking them, "Why don't we know this stuff? Why aren't we being taught? What's in there that you're afraid of us seeing?"

And then, the most important bit of all, you've got to, got to, got to pay attention. Even when it's boring, especially when it's boring. Plenty of useful stuff lives there. You will use algebra in your lives, I promise. You will use literature. You will use that random bio class with the weird teacher or the history lecture with the professor who always turned up just before the end of the ten-minute grace and then you're allowed to leave. (And if you have a prof who does that, COMPLAIN on the evaluation. You're being shortchanged on your time and money and learning.)

But before that, make sure the first thing you do, if you're allowed, is to vote for candidates who have enough power to change this. Because that's how these districts got shortchanged in the first place, because every single election, no matter how small, matters. Down ballot races matter. The president is not the major political player when it comes to passing laws, it's Congress and state legislatures and local government, and too many Americans don't pay attention to Congress or state legislatures or local government. SCOTUS and other courts are not supposed to be taking cases like they're a new addition to the Legislative Branch, because enacting laws is not the purview of the courts, which you should be learning in government classes but you're not.

If you feel like your school has failed you, then your only choice is to vote for Kamala Harris. Vote for a Democratic governor, and vote for the Democrats in your state legislature, your local governments, and most of all, for your school boards. Vote for the people who believe in education, because I guarantee you, it's not the other guys. They're the ones who took it away in the first place.

"it's concerning if university students are genuinely struggling to read full adult-level books for class" and "don't overstate the reporting of a single news article" and "if this shift is genuinely real, it's reflective of broad curriculum changes in lower education levels, probably at least in part due to remote schooling during COVID, and doesn't mean the new generation is being willfully Stupid and Vapid" and "when reading for personal pleasure people should read whatever they like without shame" and "reading from a broad variety of genres, styles, and authorial backgrounds will improve your understanding of both literature and the real world" and "actively mocking people for their tastes in books does not encourage them to become more adventurous you're just being mean" and also "but seriously adult books are not just boringly pretentious nothingburgers padded with pointless sex scenes, and claiming they are just shows how little you've read" all can and should co-exist.

[nowheretobebut]

Hours of Dating Coach Videos on YouTube Taught Me

You Can't Mess the Right One Up Once a man’s interested, there’s nothing you can do (especially in the early stages of dating) to make him uninterested, and vice versa. It’s ice-clear if he’s into you. If you’re confused, he’s uninterested—period. Stop blaming yourself for doing this, wearing that, texting this, or kissing him like that. It’s probably something bigger—something foundational—like incompatibility in lifestyle, interests, or values, or even looks. Maybe you’re looking for different things, or you simply see the world too differently. Think about it: A man of science and a woman who’s a paster will process life in fundamentally opposite ways. He might see a series of causes and effects, while she attributes everything to divine will. Or picture an immigrant and a conservative—if they enjoy debates, their conversations might start as fun and stimulating but soon veer into frustrating arguments. That’s not to say everyone needs deep intellectual connections. Some people just want someone to share experiences with, and that’s fine. But if you find yourself repeatedly hitting brick walls when you ask for advice or seek understanding, you might not be in the right pairing. In the early stages, let him go if he wants to. Under no circumstances should you waste your energy on a man who isn’t head over heels for you. Now, this doesn’t mean he should chase you so obsessively that you wonder how he filled his time before meeting you. But seriously, why settle for someone who disappears for days? Do you really need that level of uncertainty in your life when you could be with someone who respects your time, takes you on thoughtful dates, confirms plans in advance, cares about what you have to say, and doesn’t ghost you after a minor misunderstanding? I’m all for a man with his own life—someone who doesn’t cling to you or become codependent. A partner like that encourages you to step up your game and be your best self. But if he’s always eyeing the next best option, quick to drop you at the first sign of trouble, or too emotionally unavailable to invest in you, then let him go for good. You were never meant to be together anyway. Trust me, if your life is rich and full, you won’t even notice his absence. And if it’s not, it’s time to go find a hobby. By stepping back and letting him pursue you—not chase you because he has a life and other options and will stop coming after you if you show clear signs of disinterest—you can gauge his true interest. Don’t waste your time on someone who treats you like a placeholder instead of the woman of his dreams.

Think About Your Standards and Never Back Down You won’t die single, but you will lose yourself in the wrong relationship. Whether it’s about drugs, height, occupation, education, looks, personality, upbringing, political views, or music taste, stick to your standards. Stay single until you meet someone who aligns with what matters to you. But here’s the thing: don’t just wait around. Be the kind of person your ideal partner would want to be with. Don’t change yourself for a man, but also understand that you can’t expect someone with a PhD to settle for someone with a middle school education. Growth is part of the process. The journey of staying single—or looking for a partner—should be as fulfilling as being in a relationship. If you make the process too hard, you’ll rush into the wrong relationship out of fear and end up stuck. Use dating as a way to discover yourself, refine your values, and thrive in independence.

Set Boundaries and Trust Your Gut Never force yourself to stay with someone you don’t respect, who disgusts you, who doesn’t value your time, thoughts, or feelings, who's incapable of communication, etc. The moment you compromise your boundaries is when you teach them it’s okay to treat you worse. Be ready to walk away from anything that doesn’t serve you—they’d do the same, so why shouldn’t you? Trust your instincts when it comes to red flags. You don’t need to consult a dozen friends to validate something you already know deep down. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Dating is a learning process, and every misstep is an opportunity to grow.

[foldingpaperflowers]

it is definitely the generation, i'm 22 and the day i turned 18 several of my teenager friends told me i had to stop talking to them or i'd be a pedophile lol

Okaay I have so many feelings about this so apologies for the long ramble.

So I don't really blame younger people for being that way it's just kinda sad in my opinion. So for context, I've had like 15 sibs/step sibs, so I've seen a lot of what some kids "first social media" experience was like.

My one step sib is 21, they joined Instagram at age 10 or 11. When they joined their was a big push for acceptance in a lot of online spaces. Yeah the internet was still hella toxic, but the mainstream push was for more acceptance.

From what I saw, my younger sibs were never really allowed to say dumb shit on the internet, cringe culture was huuuge when they joined Instagram, and like every social media my step sib had was connected to their actual full legal name, their were pictures of their actual face at TEN YEARS OLD. Idk about you but at 10 I was still on webkinz and club penguin.

My younger sibs were immediately taught about me too, which is fantastic! But like from what I saw with my sibs, they took away the message "always believe whoever tells a story"

And obvs I'm not saying don't believe people about sexual assault, I support these movements, but I think that that mixed with cancle culture, mixed with your real name and face is plastered on the internet made it so kids HAD to take hard stances on everything without really learning nuance. They were taught that someone is a horrible person because they made a shitty comment when they were 13.

But at the same time like y'all didn't really have spaces that were properly moderated for kids. Rolblox has a lot of problems with pedophilia, so does fortnight. The types of stories my youngest sib has told me about rolblox and the creeps they've spoken to are infinitely worse than what I dealt with on club penguin.

And it's just one of those things that sucks. I try to teach my sibs nuances in situations, but I mean tiktok really didn't prime kids for actually checking facts.

Like I can't say I blame teens for thinking this. Their personal experiences have lead them to believe that anyone over 18 talking to teenagers are creeps. I can't even blame the parents, like social media was new and the parents of people that age had either grown up woth no internet, or had gotten so used to the Facebook way of "everything's connected to your name" that it didn't seem like a problem.

This whole thing is just sad. The only way we can fix it is by changing it for the next crop of kids :/

[starset-mnqn]

I get pretty worked up about people who will dunk on literal children for being "dumb" when usually... it's not the child's fault for not knowing something.

As much as Americans would like to have a well-educated society, BEING well educated is a privilege that many take for granted.

Yes, we have public education. Is it good, though? Teachers get paid garbage and hardly have enough time in the day to teach the curriculum that is given. There is very little time to step back and review concepts that students aren't getting. Teachers are forced to keep on trucking forward, which leaves many students behind at an alarming rate. Because knowledge builds on past knowledge!!!

And even thinking about the students themselves... some have disabilities that impact their ability to learn. Some have terrible home lives that impact their ability to focus at school (if they can even make it to school!!). Some students just don't learn the way that is taught, and nobody helps to teach it to them in a way that makes sense to them.

There's also a phenomenon that I've noticed since starting work in education: more and more students qualify for an IEP each year. That's right. More students keep needing more assistance than is provided in a generalized classroom. And do schools even have enough resources to help them? In my district, the answer is NO.

Besides that, school is just the beginning of learning. It also has to he reinforced at home. But what happens when you don't have people at home to do that? What about students who don't have a home to return to? What about students whose parents work and can't help with their education? What about students who basically have to be a parent to their younger siblings?

There's so many factors that impact learning beyond that, which I won't even get into.

I work with students in special education. These students are brilliant and have so many bright ideas. But there is so much failing them. They are kids from broken families, kids who barely have food to eat, kids who don't get the care they need. The system is not made for kids like them. And as the middle class diminishes, the number of students like them will only grow.

It's not just an issue with the education system itself. It goes far beyond that. The entire damn country is failing these kids. Poverty, gun violence, lack of medical care, lack of clothes, homes, food.... how are students supposed to actually succeed and thrive in these conditions? There are students who HAVE to drop out of school to help provide for their family, and there's people who think only the education system is to blame? The downfall of proper education is an accumulation of many wrongdoings of this country. The kids themselves can try their hardest and still not make it.

And the thing is. I don't know how to even fix this issue. I do my part. I do everything I can to give that support in education that students need when I'm teaching. But this is such a large-scale issue that all my work can only do so much for these kids. I'll keep working hard, but it'll never be enough for what these kids need. They need so much more, and very few people will do anything for them.