#zeitgeist Press

[the-horizontal-poet]

Sunday night, Feb, 25, 6-8 PM Eastern time in person, plus livestreaming to the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1070491060892140/

Singer/Songwriter Robin Renée will play a few songs for you, and Dennis Slade will be your MC. I'll read a couple stories from my new book Ghosts and Oceans (Zeitgeist Press, 2023). Refreshments will be served!

[il3x]

True Facts (TM): Breakthrough is possibly the best fictional squad ever to put into a random incorrect quotes generator.

[inkdrinkerworld]

hi! maybe logan getting worried/protective over u after u get injured during a mission? 🥺🩷

Canon level (based on the comic books mostly) wounds and violence (it’s nothing too gory besides the wound description)

“Move out of my fucking way Scott,” you hear him before you see him which isn’t really a good sign.

You’d gone on a mission the same time he was out on one too, and though it had just been a simple recon mission, things got heated quick.

Zeitgeist was a bitch like usual, and you weren’t as fast as you might’ve been had there not been a falling child to save.

So now, your entire right side is rippled under the acid of his spit and you can’t deny the agony you’re in.

“She’s fine,” Scott says but you know your boyfriend.

He pushes past him and is at your side almost instantly. Your eyes take a moment to adjust to him being so close but when they settle on his face, the clear panic and worry is clear to see.

“I’m fine, Lo.” You say, teeth gritted through each word as Charles asses the wound.

You’re no longer in your suit, just in a pair of pants and a sports bra, your hair is drenched and Logan can only guess they just hosed you down to get rid of the majority of the acid.

It still burns like a bitch and you can’t hide that from the man who knows you so well.

“Bullshit,” he grumbles, hands brushing back the hair from your face. “Can’t you all do something instead of just fucking staring at it?”

The question is packed with worry that none of them are accustomed to seeing on Logan, but you swear you see Ororo smirk.

She’d been the only one to notice his soft underbelly- well beside you.

“We’re waiting for Hank to bring the antidote Logan,” you say gently, stroking his tense forearm. “I’m fine baby.”

It’s the ‘baby’ that softens him, that gets him to take a deep breath and press his forehead into yours.

“Fucking scared me,” he murmurs and the others all find themselves busy- besides Scott, he wants something to tease the man about as per the rules of their friendship. “Don’t do that shit again.” His hands are on your neck, thumbs under your chin so you can’t look away.

“I didn’t really have a choice, I had to save the kid.” He nods, pressing his lips to your temple. Hank saves him from blowing up again when you wince and the green acid bubbles a little more.

“Fucking finally, what took you so long?” He grunts, Hank only shaking his head as he pours the blue liquid over your wound.

“Fuck,” you cry out, hand itching to press against your side or slap Hank’s hands away but Logan stops you.

“Fucking say something next time, yeah big guy?” He growls but then you hiss again and he’s all focused on you again.

“You’re good, you’re okay bub.” It’s whispered straight into your hairline and if you were a little more cognizant you’d notice that Logan can’t stop glaring at the wound.

“We caught it in time, the antidote won’t reverse the burn completely, but it will be soothing it and fixing the majority of it.” Hank pulls on gloves, the snap of it on his wrist filling the room. “There’s a salve you need to put on it for the healing process.”

“Thanks Hank,” you whisper, much too tired for much else. “Can I go now?” Logan notices then how utterly exhausted you look and sets aside his anger and worry for a moment to dote on you.

“Yes, but Logan monitor the wound and how it heals over the next few weeks. The skin should be back to normal when the salve is done.” The professor says and Logan nods dutifully before picking you up off the med and taking the salve from Hank.

“C’mon, pretty girl.” He takes you back to your room and is smearing the salve on your side. “You’re not doing that shit again, I swear to whatever there is.”

You give him a small smile, “Getting hurt is part of it Logan, I can’t avoid that completely.”

He frowns and then presses a kiss right above your wounded side. “You don’t get how scary it is to hear, ‘she’s in the infirmary, an acid wound’, I nearly ripped Bobby in half.”

You stretch a hand to bury in his hair. “I know baby, but this was just a one time thing. Zeitgeist isn’t exactly unscathed either.”

Logan smiles, his lips pressing into your unblemished skin again. “Fire burns Logan, what can I say.”

“You’re fucking perfect, you know that?” You giggle a little, more so when he holds your cheeks and stamps a kiss to your lips. “Get some shut eye, m’gonna get one of the kids to make you soup.”

[sitp-recs]

hiii liv!! any soft eighth year recs??

I read nice things and I’m just craving some soft drarry :)

thank you hope youre doing well

Hi anon! Ahh I adore Nice Things, such a healing fic and a perfect read for the holiday season ❤️ here are some soft 8th year fics for you:

Thermodynamic Equilibrium by @dorthyanndrarry (T, 5k)

Harry's far too hot. Draco's always cold. And somehow against all odds, together they create a perfect equilibrium.

What Country, Friends, Is This? by khalulu (M, 8k)

When Harry and Draco are paired up for a nebulous “capstone project” in 8th year, Draco suggests they use it as an opportunity to take a free Grand Tour of Europe.

warmest part of the winter by warmfoothills (T, 11k)

It’s not even a balcony, it’s just a window with a bit of a ledge, and Draco’s read Shakespeare anyway, he knows how this one ends.

Said and Unsaid (or, The Value of Knowing When to Stop Talking) by bryoneybrynn (T, 15k)

When the Interrogator asked if he had anything to say on his own behalf, Draco shook his head, his lips pressed tight in a thin line. There was nothing to say that wouldn’t sound like an excuse.

On Our Way by evils (E, 30k)

Draco is trying to spend the summer keeping his head down, but a repair project and a certain snowy owl have other plans for him.

All Things Go by @sorrybutblog (E, 33k)

Draco’s back at Hogwarts by court order. Harry’s back for no particular reason at all. Some things change, some stay the same.

Like Lightning at Your Fingertips by potterwatch (T, 43k)

The problem with living with another insomniac is, eventually, they find out you’re one, too.

The July Tree by @oknowkiss (E, 51k)

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail… nor well-meaning friends, nor questionable communication skills, nor seven years of hating each other’s guts can keep Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy from falling in love.

The Promise of Summer by Omi_Ohmy (M, 66k)

How was Harry supposed to know that coming back for eighth year would be so confusing? Everything is the same, and yet not the same. And nowhere is this more obvious than with Draco Malfoy.

Azoth by @lol-zeitgeistic (E, 88k)

Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

Helix by Saras_Girl (E, 92k)

Seven months after the end of the war, Harry is feeling lost. Fortunately, he is about to be offered an unexpected and sparkling chance to find himself again.

Far From The Tree by aideomai (E, 112k)

The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.

Written on the Heart by who_la_hoop (E, 113k)

Unnerved by the attention he’s attracting from everyone – the Slytherins are the least of it, to be fair – and struggling with a raft of changes to Hogwarts itself, Harry wishes he could be happy that one constant remains: Draco Malfoy really fucking hates him.

where all the veins meet by @saxamophone (E, 146k)

It's the summer of 1998. The battle is over, and Voldemort is dead, but Harry still has more questions than answers. Who is he without a piece of Voldemort's soul in his head? What is he supposed to do now?

Bonus: a smutty Christmas treat 🎅🏼

The Romantic Prawn Who Loved Christmas by bixgirl1 (E, 39k)

When Draco, forced into sharing a room with Potter for the year, finds out that Potter has a sleepwalking problem, he expects the odd conversations and the weird games of chess.

[odinsblog]

“Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone magazine, has now found himself in hotdog water after an interview with New York Times writer David Marchese, where he revealed that the reason he did not include Black or female artists in his book is because they were not in his ‘zeitgeist,’ and he did not feel that female artists were ‘articulate enough on this intellectual level.’”

Jann Wenner is extremely inarticulate himself, but has been the gatekeeper of such things as who is or is not articulate enough for quoting or admiring for their contributions to Rock & Roll — a genre of music CREATED by Black people. And since he failed to mention any, lest we forget, people can be both Black and women simultaneously. (TERFs dni)

And just for clarity: Wenner exhibited the racism, sexism and tokenism that has probably held back many talented people throughout his very long career of picking winners and losers, and deciding who gets rewarded and who doesn’t in the music industry.

And one last thing: while I give the audio interviewer partial credit — not full credit — for pressing Wenner on his sexism and racism, I am imploring white people to unambiguously name and call things for what they really and truly are, in the moment.

PLEASE STOP CODDLING RACISTS AND MISOGYNISTS.

Coddling white fragility is not helpful, it’s harmful.

Unambiguously calling out racism is helpful, not harmful.

SN: Obviously the same goes for all the other isms too (Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. etc.)

Don’t let members of the oppressor class trick you into thinking that call-out culture (aka, accountability) is a bad thing. It’s not.

Racist gatekeepers need to be embarrassed and called out. On a regular basis. When they’re young, people want to excuse their racism because of their youth. And then when they are old, people excuse their racism because, “Well that’s just the way they grew up,” and before you know it, some racist misogynistic asshole has lived their entire life without anyone ever seriously telling them that they’re racist. AND THEN we wonder why nothing is changing!

Instead of being concerned with hurting the feelings of a racist, maybe try being more concerned with the people who their racism will inevitably harm. Let’s try more of that please.

👉🏿 https://thehub.news/old-white-guy-hates-black-music-that-made-him-rich/

[deramin2]

Happy Anita Bryant Get Fucked Day to all who celebrate

[ID: Close up of Anita Bryant sitting at a conference table. She is a conservative mid-1970s 37-year old white woman with poofy neck length auburn hair and big earrings. A man's arm shoves a pale fruit pie in her face and she reacts with shock, turning and covering her face. End ID.]

On October 14, 1977, Anita Bryant was giving a press conference as the founder of Save Our Children, an anti-gay hate group who campaigned for discriminatory laws.

This particular night, gay activist Thom Higgins walked up and shoved a pie in her face to make a mockery of her and her bigotry. She's visibly shaken, and tries to lead a prayer of forgiveness for him (which comes across as pretty insincere).

It was such a PR nightmare for her that it effectively ended her career and successfully deplatformed her.

Thom Higgins remains an iconic a queer legend long after his death in 1994.

More about Anita Bryant's power and place in the cultural zeitgeist of 1977 and how even an intently silly protest has true power to influence public perception of bigots. (Including news footage of the incident.)

And here's the longer NBC archival footage.

[thefugitivesaint]

Fastway - Trick or Treat (1986) One of the songs from the metal-oriented 80s movie soundtrack made by the Quiet Riot like hair metal band Fastway fronted by Dave King who went on to sing for the Celtic punk band Flogging Molly. I'm sharing this solely for the title of the song one day before Halloween. Hair metal was never my kind of metal but I remember digging 'Trick or Treat'. in spite of its soundtrack and its depiction of "heavy metal." I was 12 at the time so it's neigh impossible to absorb this kind of film critically. 12 is not the age for critical movie watching. You just let movies wash over you, allowing them to take you for a ride. Looking back, it's funny to think that anyone would have found a band like the one featured in this movie threatening or dangerous. Sure, "Satanic Panic" was a thing, "backwards masking" was an evangelical Christian bugaboo, and the PMRC was one year into its existence. The cultural atmosphere of the time gave mediocre bands an aura of menace that they did not deserve. It was also a perfect moment for a movie about a malevolent musician who comes back from the dead after a test pressing of his last album is played backwards by a superfan, reviving his demonic spirit. That's a concept that really seizes the zeitgeist (another example would be 'The Gate' from 1987 whose plot had a "metal band dabbles in the occult" flavor) 'Trick or Treat' was fun. Stupid fun but still fun. (I can't endorse the following because I haven't watched any of it but there's a Bruce Campbell show called 'Hysteria' that's all about "Satanic Panic" and metal bands.) Oh, the director was Charles Martin Smith and his most famous work would probably be 1997's 'Air Bud'.

Addendum: for more "mediocre bands" with an undeserved "aura of menace" see 1988's 'Black Roses'. I would also suggest George R. R. Martin's 1983 novel 'The Armageddon Rag'.

[easternmind]

- Lessons in Japanese Game Design #3 -

Aside from what is easily one of the most stylish presentations in a videogame from the 1990s, one of Front Mission 3′s truly remarkable features consists of an in-game internet browser running within a simulated operating system. Expanding on the concept first rehearsed by Squaresoft in the second entry of the series, this massive component of the game can be accessed during breaks between missions, offering the player access to a number of pages for government entities, enterprises or other institutions. Access to additional websites is permitted as the game progresses.

This inventive solution offers unparalleled insight into the fictional universe of the game, in that it paints a very granular image of a futuristic society, its economy, geopolitical environment and zeitgeist. The information contained in these pages comes in the form of of bulletin boards, institutional updates, press releases, top secret data volumes, or the occasionally amusing curiosity. The user interface itself permits some degree of customisation, such as the option to disable the startup animation - itself a gorgeous visual relic that one hardly tires of watching - or changing the wallpaper pattern. Certain websites will also provide the option to download content, including images which can be set as said wallpaper. Other resources require secure access via the insertion of a password. Moreover, the player will have access to an email inbox to both read and send messages as may be relevant to advance onto the next stage.

Make-believe computer front-ends in video games were no novelty by the year 1999. Several sci-fi adventure, role-playing or action games allowed access to often very believable GUIs for the purpose of, for instance, retrieving precious clues or, say, disabling security locks. Aside from Front Mission 2, Final Fantasy VIII fans will likely remember the exciting Balamb Garden Network terminal. Kowloon's Gate's unforgettable Kownloonet terminals gave access to an email inbox, an all-important database and various other quotidian curiosities that helped fleshing out its mystic sci-fi narrative. The Japanese were privileged to have a complete version of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere with access to an in-game encyclopedia the player could browse, as well as additional story elements told through email exchanges between the characters. 

That same year, the western Tactical RPG sensation from the West, Jagged Alliance 2, dabbled in this idea. Only three short years later, CyberConnect2′s singular .hack series was designed around the idea of a MMORPG that plays offline, allowing for countless interactions with non-playable characters which simulate messaging formats of the era. Other notable examples include the 2chan boards in Steins;Gate or, inescapably, the passionate love letter to web 1.0 that is Hypnospace Outlaw.

Generally, all of the aforementioned titles are either entirely dedicated on a similar concept, or merely resorted to it as a secondary, amusing distraction. Front Mission 3 pioneered the use of this device as a storytelling technique. No other game of the time, at least to my knowledge, had dedicated so much of its resources to producing a credible replica of design and functionality of the internet as it once existed.

[bridenore]

HP longer fics recs : more than 200k words

Here are a few longer fics recs. Posted in alphabetical, order as always.

Black, in the Smothering Dark by @lol-zeitgeistic [101k]

Harry Potter is rescued from the Dursleys and spends the summer with his god…father? This is the prequel to The Hush of War. Beta’d by giesha_kitten/laureen.

The Hush of War by @lol-zeitgeistic [351k]

Voldemort has made a bargain with Harry to stop killing muggles and muggle-borns (when at all possible, of course) in exchange for Harry’s cooperation. While Harry thinks he’s using the time to find a way to defeat the Dark Lord, he will realize that Voldemort is always one step ahead, and so long as he isn’t killing anyone…what’s the big deal? He has bigger things to worry about now, anyway. Includes dementors, pureblood culture, the prophecy, what exactly happened with Lily’s sacrifice, magical breakthroughs, children Death Eaters, and portraits of family. Final pairing: H/D. Sequel to Black, in the Smothering Dark.

Can’t Get You Out of My Head by @femmequixotic [14k]

After he sees Harry Potter naked in the Auror showers once, Draco can’t stop thinking about him.

Lost In Your Arms by @femmequixotic [257k]

Three months after their brief encounter, Draco has almost forgotten about Potter–or so he tells himself. Then a Dark wizard shows up on the Auror radar and all hell breaks loose. Draco will have to choose between everything he holds dear–everything he’s worked so hard for–and a few stolen moments of passion with a certain green-eyed Inspector, once his sworn enemy and now something rather different entirely. He’ll make the right choice, won’t he?

Who is he kidding? He’ll ruin everything, as per usual. Bad choices and the name Malfoy go hand in hand.

These Secrets In Me by @femmequixotic [357k]

Auror Special Branch team seven-four-alpha–Sergeant Draco Malfoy, Constable Pansy Parkinson, and Constable Blaise Zabini led by their SIO, Inspector Harry Potter–must handle personal and political fallout from the implication of Ministry employees and Aurors in the scandal around escaped Death Eaters and a Dementor uprising at Azkaban. On top of that, their original target, Antonin Dolohov, is in the wind.

With all the ruckus, it’s a good thing they have help from Unspeakable Hermione Granger, American Unspeakable, Legilimens, and Harry’s recent ex, Jake Durant, Blaise’s legendary necromancer grandfather, Barachiel Dee, and his potions expert mother, Olivia Zabini. What could possibly go wrong with an army of best friends, ex-lovers, and family? Especially when you add the strong-willed Parkinson clan to the mix.

Meanwhile, troubling new leads arise, taking Our Team in a surprising direction.

And Draco, still hiding his relationship with his SIO from the upper echelons of the Auror force, is definitely not falling in love with Harry Potter along the way. Not at all. Don’t be ridiculous.

Dare To Think by @femmequixotic [388k]

After recent events in New York, Seven-Four-Alpha are set to return back to London. They’ve captured their primary target, but by no means settled their case. They’ve still got rogue Dementors at Azkaban, prying investigators from Luxembourg, and a far larger Death Eater threat to manage, not to mention pressure from their own higher ups. Draco is reeling from his loss, and Harry is trying to be the best boyfriend he can, which may mean not being Draco’s guv any longer. Harry’s uncertain what his team’ll find as they press deeper in the investigation, but he knows they will all be tested, perhaps more than they can bear.

But they haven’t a choice, have they? It’s the bloody Death Eaters, after all, and the political integrity of Wizarding Britain and their magical allies hangs in the balance.

Set Me Free by @femmequixotic [196k] *Incomplete

Seven-Four-Alpha are back in London with available resources of the Ministry tracking their every move. Draco Malfoy remains lost, last seen in Thibodaux, Louisiana, as MACUSA was closing in. Harry is raging, barely in control of his magic, and the rest of the team are battered and unsure. Their recent failure haunts them, as does the spectre of a MACUSA-Ministry alliance under the control of the Quahog administration and its shadow puppetmaster, Aldric Yaxley. The Dementor crisis with Luxembourg is brewing in the background, as is a conflict with Rodolphus Lestrange. And that’s not even mentioning the bargain Blaise struck with Death to return his cup. The team have very little energy or resources for one fight, much less several of this magnitude simultaneously.

Should they fail, though, political tyranny will grip both sides of the Atlantic and evils recently banished may return. Each of them is fighting for something they hold dear, but no victory comes without a price. Still, desperate situations call for desperate measures, and desperation appears to be all they have.

Changing of the Guard by Lomonaaeren [210k]

Need a perfect stranger? Ask Metamorphosis. Harry Potter runs the business secretly and becomes whoever’s needed for each occasion. He’s not sure whether he should be more surprised, worried, or amused when Draco Malfoy comes to Metamorphosis and requests an actor who can play his boyfriend so that his parents will disown him. Yet Harry has even more dangerous choices after he creates Brian, Draco’s “perfect” boyfriend. Draco doesn’t know who Brian is, but he’s trying to find out—and now so is Harry.

Double Edged Sword by @romaine2424  [554k]

Harry thinks his life has been planned out, but the night he comes of age changes everything.  Now there are decisions to be made and a path to be chosen, and the choices before him will change the lives of everyone he knows.  But when destiny calls, Harry finds himself ready to listen.

This is an epic story of the love between Harry and Draco.  Join them as they journey through their life together, through the good times and the bad, facing obstacles both external and internal, and see how they come to be who they were meant to be.

Eclipse by Mijan [287k]

“You’re dead, Potter… I’m going to make you pay…”

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius’s imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It’s the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco’s world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

Left My Heart by @emmagrant01 [85k]

Auror Draco Malfoy has disappeared, and Harry Potter has been sent to San Francisco to find him. (Post-Hogwarts, set in February, 2004. Written before Half-Blood Prince was released.)

Surrender the Grey by @emmagrant01 [151k]

Draco Malfoy returns to London after five years of self-imposed exile to start a new life with Harry. But will the secrets of the past destroy everything they’ve worked for?  Sequel to “Left My Heart”.

Men Who Love Dragons Too Much by @fencer-x [479k]

[Extensive  re-telling of Deathly Hallows] As in Half-blood Prince, Draco is charged by Voldemort with killing Dumbledore—only instead of trying to  do his best with the challenge, he realizes he’s been set a futile task  and focuses on finding a way to save both himself and his parents. He  eventually decides to spend his sixth year studying Animagecraft,  convinced it’s his best shot at escaping the impossible situation he’s  found himself in. But just his luck, his Animagus form turns out to be a  dragon, and a rather randy juvenile at that, intent on finding its  mate: one Harry James Potter.

Objects of Desire by Azrael Geffen [400k+]

The dream team sign a magical contract promising to lose their virginities within the year, they soon fix on the objects of their desires, but will the bitterness left in the wake of the war prove too hurtful for love to exist?

Per Solum Lacuna: By Words Alone by Azhure [560k]

A set of enchanted journals bring solace to two very unlikely lost   souls. Whoever said the art of penmanship was lost? This is a wizarding twist on the old fashioned art of correspondence (or the modern art of Internet chatting). What will happen when the mystery writers finally   discover the identity of their counterpart? Join this star crossed pair as they obliviously chat to each other; along the way learning about   life and love. Find out what will happen when their own voyages of self discovery lead them to the most unlikely of places. This is eventual   HP/DM, but other pairings for the protagonists along their journey.

Reparations by Saras_Girl [87k]

Harry is about to discover that the steepest learning curve comes after Healer training, and that second chances can be found in unexpected places.

Foundations by Saras_Girl [236k]

When one door closes, another one opens – with a bit of a push. Life, love and complications. [sequel to Reparations]

Turn by Saras_Girl [306k]

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 / @i-didnt-wanna-do-it​   [302k]

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.

Underwater Light by Maya [200k+]

Featuring  an extremely depressed Harry, in a war-torn wizarding world, about to get the shock of his life when he discovers that Draco Malfoy is slightly more important to him than he would have ever guessed.  Including a very odd friendship, lots of angst, suspicions, conflicted  loyalties, clueless Ron, on-the-warpath Hermione and two very messed-up  boys.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[the-horizontal-poet]

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Bernard Lane

Published: Mar 25, 2024

The dramatic growth of gender medicine clinics around the world would have been unthinkable without the promise of puberty blockers. Children born in the wrong body could simply pause the wrong puberty. And if their self-declared transgender identity proved wrong, it was a simple matter of unpausing natural development. Or so we were told. But now, England’s National Health Service (NHS) has announced an end to puberty blockers as a routine treatment for young people who are distressed about their gender, arguing that the balance between the benefits and harms of this medical intervention cannot be known because the evidence base for blockers is too weak and uncertain.

The impact of England’s decision has been reflected in recent editorials in The New York Post and The Times of London. The Post calls puberty blockers “deadly junk science,” while The Times has declared them “a medical scandal of the first order, a reckless exercise in 21st-century quackery,” explaining:

The case for puberty blockers was that they allowed troubled children to pause while coming to terms with their gender identity. These hormone inhibitors were characterised as an on-off switch that could be flicked with impunity. This was a startling example of medical arrogance.

Gender clinics from Stockholm to San Francisco, from Florence to Melbourne, have been running an uncontrolled experiment on children, while cloaked in the mantle of human rights and denouncing any critics as hateful bigots. It will take time to understand the implications of this experiment. Even those gender clinicians who sold blockers as safe have generally acknowledged one dangerous side-effect: low bone density. Hormone-suppressed teenagers are unlikely to get full benefit of the surge in bone mass that comes with puberty; as a result, they may be prematurely exposed to the brittle bones and fractures normally seen in the elderly. And there is another lesser known but potentially more profound risk: the effects of blockers on the brain.

The NHS decision to ban blockers rested heavily on a 2022 interim report by paediatrician Hilary Cass, who has led an independent review of gender dysphoria care. In her report, she writes,

It is known that adolescence is a period of significant changes in brain structure, function and connectivity. Animal research suggests that this development is partially driven by the [natural] pubertal sex hormones, but it is unclear whether the same is true in humans. If pubertal sex hormones are essential to these brain maturation processes, this raises a secondary question of whether there is a critical time window for the processes to take place, or whether catch up is possible when [cross-sex] oestrogen or testosterone is introduced later.

This question is not new. In 2006, Dutch clinicians, who had pioneered the off-label use of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria—these drugs had previously been used for other, distinct conditions—stated that, “It is not clear yet how pubertal suppression will influence brain development."  

There was talk of a study to elucidate this, but it was never carried out. Despite this, by 2016, a key Dutch clinician was claiming that puberty blockers were “completely reversible.”  

And this was the slogan picked up by gender clinics around the world as they adopted the puberty blocker-driven “Dutch protocol” for paediatric gender transition. A crucial unknown had been memory-holed.

Puberty blockers came to be seen as a low risk, no regrets option in the popular press, too.  In 2015, men’s fashion magazine GQ ran a transgender zeitgeist article, featuring former Olympic athlete Bruce-turned-Caitlyn Jenner, “a beautiful, stylish lady.” The article cites Jenner’s fellow ex-Olympian, the gymnast-turned-doctor Michelle Telfer, who explains to readers that the onset of puberty intensifies the distress of gender dysphoria:

At that point we can start someone on puberty blockers. They don’t stop growth generally, or your brain from maturing emotionally and cognitively, they just stop the sexual characteristics from developing.

Dr Telfer is an adolescent medicine physician. In 2012, she took charge of the gender clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne (RCH) which, under her direction, went from 18 new referrals in her first year to 821 in 2021. What were young patients at her clinic told about blockers and the brain? It is unclear. Neither the hospital nor Dr Telfer, who is now chief of medicine at RCH, have responded to my emails asking them to clarify this.

In 2022, however, the hospital did acknowledge that the effects of pubertal suppression on the brain are unknown, though it did so not in a public statement correcting the record, but in a gender clinic newsletter, which it sent out to patients and families alerting them to future recruitment of subjects for a new study of the effects of blockers on the brain. The newsletter states:

During adolescence, the brain changes considerably. However, it is unclear whether the hormonal changes of puberty help to promote these changes or if this development occurs independent of our hormones. Related to this, we do not know whether using puberty blockers affects development of the brain.

It is unclear, however, whether this new study will be robust or whether it will be yet another “gender-affirming” study whose weak design makes it impossible to deduce any clear findings. It is also unclear whether the consent information the clinic provides to its patients and their parents today provides a candid acknowledgement of the cognitive unknowns associated with blockers.  

The clinic’s gender dysphoria treatment guidelines were initially issued in 2018 by Dr Telfer and her RCH gender clinic colleagues. The Lancet lauded them as the first such guidelines specifically for children and adolescents. They include the claim that puberty suppression allows the young patient “time to develop emotionally and cognitively prior to making decisions on gender-affirming hormone use which [has] some irreversible effects.” That reassuring statement remains in the current iteration (version 1.4) of the RCH guidelines.

(The statement is also found in the hospital’s 2019 guide to fertility preservation for cancer and gender patients, accompanied by jarringly activist language that defies the normal understanding of biology. For example, the hospital advises “men”—meaning, females who identify as male—“to use contraception if they have a male partner” and states that “According to [government] Medicare data, >60 men give birth per year in Australia.”)

More relevant is the fact that administration of early puberty blockers followed by cross-sex hormones is likely to lead to sterilisation, sexual dysfunction, and lifelong status as a medical patient with symptoms that may puzzle mainstream doctors. Yet our popular culture has been bombarded with the largely unchallenged story that puberty blockers may save lives and that, if not, they have the virtue of being reversible. By uncritically repeating this and other contentious claims, Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC, has served as an unpaid publicist for the gender clinics. For example, the popular ABC programme Australian Story recently featured an emotive profile of Dr Telfer, in which she repeats a claim she made on another high-profile ABC platform, Four Corners:

Puberty blockers are reversible. The only risk is that it can affect your bone density.

Such a claim would surprise anyone familiar with the state of the evidence base. 

Few researchers know the scientific literature better than Mikael Landén, a psychiatrist affiliated with Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and the University of Gothenburg. Earlier this month, the journal Acta Paediatrica published his signed editorial under the title “Puberty suppression of children with gender dysphoria: Urgent call for research.” In it, Landén makes the point that,

Unfortunately, the discourse surrounding the use of puberty blockers in gender dysphoria is often framed as a political human rights issue rather than as a medical issue. There is a prevailing assertion that puberty blockers are lifesaving, fully reversible, and always safe. Even though that would place gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists [GnRHa or puberty blockers] in a unique and unlikely category—there are no other known drugs that simultaneously meet these criteria—any effort to shed light on the balance between the benefits and risks of [this] treatment is misconstrued as an attack on the LGBTQ+ community.

The same journal issue also features a paper by neuropsychologist Sallie Baxendale on the scientific literature dealing with hormone suppression and the brain.

Baxendale’s paper had previously been rejected by three other journals—not because of any fault with the science, but because anonymous reviewers were uncomfortable with its findings, which suggest that there is little evidence to support the benefits of puberty blockers. Baxendale, who holds a chair in neuropsychology at University College London, elsewhere relates her surprise at the politicised reactions her paper provoked:

the most astonishing response I received was from a reviewer who was concerned that I appeared to be approaching the topic from a ‘bias’ of heavy caution. This reviewer argued that lots of things needed to be sorted out before a clear case for the ‘riskiness’ of puberty blockers could be made, even circumstantially. Indeed, they appeared to be advocating for a default position of assuming medical treatments are safe, until proven otherwise.

Professor Baxendale was also unsettled by the paucity of convincing scientific literature on the benefits of puberty blockers:

I was surprised at just how little, and how low quality, the evidence was in this field. I was also concerned that clinicians working in gender medicine continue to describe the impacts of puberty blockers as ‘completely physically reversible’, when it is clear that we just don’t know whether this is the case, at least with respect to the cognitive impact.

These are observations that should give any serious gender clinic pause.

Professor Baxendale is particularly concerned that not enough is known about the neurological effects of puberty blockers for children and their parents to make an informed decision about their pros and cons. She writes:

Vague hints from poor quality studies are insufficient to allow people considering these [hormone suppression] treatments to make an informed decision regarding the possible impact on their neuropsychological function. Critical questions remain unanswered regarding the nature, extent and permanence of any arrested development of cognitive function that may be associated with pharmacological blocking of puberty. If cognitive development ‘catches up’ following the discontinuation of puberty suppression, how long does this take and is the recovery complete? While there is some evidence that indicates pubertal suppression may impact cognitive function, there is no evidence to date to support the oft-cited assertion that the effects of puberty blockers are fully reversible. Indeed, the only study to date that has addressed this in sheep suggests that this is not the case.

These concerns are shared by Professor Landén, who was the corresponding author for the paper describing Sweden’s systematic review of the evidence for the benefits of hormonal treatment for gender dysphoria. In that paper, Landén writes:

Against the background of almost non-existent longterm data, we conclude that GnRHa [or puberty blocker] treatment in children with gender dysphoria should be considered experimental treatment rather than standard procedure. This is to say that treatment should only be administered in the context of a clinical trial under informed consent.

As Landén has pointed out, it cannot be considered “anti-trans” to scrutinise the evidence base for puberty blockers. Far from a risk-free way to pause an unwanted puberty, these drugs are a potentially hazardous treatment promoted by politicised medical societies and ideologically driven lobby groups. We should heed his warning:   

Insisting that [puberty blocker] treatment should not be evaluated using the same rigorous criteria as other medical treatments will ultimately harm patients with gender dysphoria. The view that conducting a thorough assessment of the impacts and potential side effects of [puberty blocker] treatment is offensive, obstructs individuals with gender dysphoria from accessing treatment supported by the level of evidence expected for any other patient group. Instead, the ethical imperative to safeguard our youth demands nothing less than a concerted effort to shed light on potential cognitive and other side effects of [puberty blockers]. The outcome of such research might demonstrate significant benefits with negligible risks, or conversely, that the risks outweigh the benefits. These are empirical questions that require careful investigation. Regardless of the outcome of such investigations, it is essential to ensure that the treatment of children with gender dysphoria maintains the same standard of evidence as any other medical treatment for children. Settling for anything less would amount to discrimination based on ideology.

[hereandnowhere-onboards]

Thank you for the tag @thissying! I genuinely don't remember the last time I did one of these – it must be almost a decade.

Last song I listened to: 'Sit Down You're Rockin' The Boat' from the Guys & Dolls 1992 revival press reel.

Favourite colour: purple.

Currently watching: Guys & Dolls 1992 revival press reel, in order to try to dopamine-spike myself into being able to clean up the kitchen. (It's not really working.)

Currently reading: I read and re-read constantly. In AO3 terms: I revisited unsafe release by @lagerloutfic (galex) so I could read the just-released final chapter in context. Humiliation is not usually my jam but it really worked for me here. I'm EXTREMELY picky about certain aspects of what I read, particularly related to craft, but once I trust a writer I'll follow them almost anywhere, which means the main WIPs I'm reading at the moment are all unusual pairings or subject matter for me. (@powerful-owl's Happy Death Race, @disarmd's Monaco LN Bodyworks, @officialmood's this is not a dream.) I've almost finished a Dead Heat reread where I leave a new comment on every chapter. In non-AO3 terms: I'm about a third of the way through Inside Mercedes F1. I recently finished Cupid Calling by Viano Oniomoh – there were aspects I liked a lot but structurally it didn't really come together for me, alas. I will probably try another of her books at some point.

Last movie I watched: [sigh] Hot Frosty, because my husband wanted to watch it for Film Twitter Bluesky zeitgeist purposes. Before that, Well Groomed, a documentary about competitive creative dog grooming.

Sweet/savoury/spicy: Massive sweet tooth. Savoury has its place and I like the big flavours of spicy foods. I used to be able to handle a decent amount of chilli but since I had kids I've reverted to super-basic–white-person heat tolerance.

Last thing I googled: 'frinkiac john deere' – I needed to send a very specific Simpsons reaction image to my husband about the Cadillac livery.

Current obsession: F1 and dog training (upskilling re my puppy), as it's been all this year.

I'm tagging ... anyone who wants to do this ... if you feel like it.

[herohimbowhore]

The One Direction to F1 Pipeline and Fan Culture

In contemporary fan spaces, we could make hundreds of connections between being a fan of X and becoming a fan of Y.

One Direction to Marvel (could also be 1D to MCU to F1)

Harry Potter to Game of Thrones

Disney to HBO

Gossip Girl to Marvel

The possibilities of making connections are endless.

However, to understand fan culture in spaces like Twitter (it will actually pain me to write X so it's Twitter) as we progress beyond just sports culture, we just need to look at the One Direction to F1 pipeline.

One Direction, despite only being a band for like five years and going on "hiatus" in January 2016, changed fandom forever and was a formative experience for so many current F1 fans under 30. Being a fan of One Direction has ingrained a fan culture within our zeitgeist.

While One Direction may not have a presence in fan spaces anymore, the behaviors that we learned from that period are still very much present.

So what behaviors of 1D fan culture are present in F1 fan culture?

Hacking security cameras and knowing things we probably shouldn't:

Now, am I in support of this? Not at all. I don't think you should be hacking and essentially stalking drivers or any celebrities, but that's a discussion for a different time.

But if anyone was even slightly aware of One Direction at their prime in the early 2010s, then you know that there was little that Directioners were not able to hack. (cough birth certificates and hospital records cough).

We can see that same behavior, especially when it comes to Charles Leclerc. Footage of him purchasing a suitcase was leaked. His address was leaked and fans showed up at his doorstep.

Which just reminds me of a story Louis once told where he tweeted about not having milk and some fan dropped off milk at his doorstep.

You can't have a favorite/You can't hate someone:

In hindsight, I think we can all agree that this idea was mostly promoted due to purchasing power.

There were five dolls for the five members. If you were a Harry girlie, you'd buy the Harry doll. If you were a Zayn girlie, you'd buy the Zayn doll and so on. However, the issue with this was that the Harry and Zayn dolls were flying off the shelf, you'd be hard-pressed to find them. The Niall and Louis girlies, while less than the Harry and Zayn girlies, were dedicated to Niall and Louis. Leaving the Liam dolls all alone on the shelves...

So, the you can't hate one member and be a true Directioner narrative was created.

And if you've spent even a few moments on f1twt, you'll be able to see a similar narrative in F1.

If you hate a driver or criticize them, then there's a high chance that at least a few people will call you a fake fan. Or you can't be a Ferrari fan if you like Charles and hate Carlos (or vice versa). Or how are you going to the paddock when you criticized one driver the previous year when they weren't on the team (iykyk).

But, I find this a bit disingenuous. Unlike One Direction, which was a band, F1 is a sport. You can have a favorite and dislike someone else. Criticism is actually a good thing (as long as you're not being hateful for no reason).

Fan Projects and Involvement/Analysis:

One Direction fans were known for the projects they had and for getting involved.

Wearing orange when they performed in the Netherlands during the Take Me Home tour

The "We Are 1D Family" signs from the 2014 San Siro concert

Lighting up the stadium with different colored lights

The No Control project

With F1, especially this year, there were the friendship bracelets. While popularized this year by Taylor Swift, is like the fan projects that we would see in the One Direction era.

Other aspects of this include looking at the driver onboards and making sure that information is shared online with others and analyzed.

Commentary and race direction don't focus on every single driver's race and often times things are missed or ignored. Fans looking through the data, videos, and everything else help shed light on how individual races went and correct public narratives. It's double checking if there was damage, impeding, driver error, car problems, etc.

Daniel's onboards and data from Austin and Brazil come to mind. Without that information, those wouldn't be considered great races for him. He was finishing behind his teammate. But onboards from Austin revealed that he had debris stuck in his front wing, which hadn't been mentioned by race commentators. In Brazil, while a lap down, he spent most of the race right behind Yuki playing the team game. If you didn't see the data, then you wouldn't know that's where he was on track or that he was 3rd fastest.

I would relate this to the fan projects centered around Louis, Niall, and Liam. Those were always about correctly attributing credit and giving attention to them when the media was focused on Harry and Zayn.

Making It Your Own:

There's no question that if you're a fan, you're going to want merch to support your favorites.

However, it's usually not so great.

One Direction fans were creating their own shirts and other items because not everyone wanted to walk around wearing a "Mrs. Styles" t-shirt or one with the album cover. Fan-created merch was filled with cool designs for clothing, custom shot glasses, posters, etc.

In F1, not only is most of the team merch filled with sponsors, but it's also insanely expensive. (I might love it, but I'm not spending $200 for a cardigan.)

Fans create a diverse and creative range of merch that is affordable. Fun t-shirts, stickers, jackets, posters, etc.

At the core essence of being a fan, is taking something and making it your own. Especially when it comes to bad, expensive merch (what was that 10 in a row shirt for Max???? or just about any team shirt with the hundred sponsors they have) and good, expensive merch (Daniel needs to stop putting out enchante collections. I am a grad student, I cannot keep affording them.)

[sitp-recs]

Hey hey, I just found your blog so I'm sorry if you already recommended these fics (or don't do fic recs).

Do you know any drarry fics were there is some type of makeover like a house makeover, finding a new job, getting new clothes for Harry, ... Or Draco is just really stylish and sure of himself? I'm thinking something like Turn, House Proud, Heal Thyself or Let him lead me to the banquet.

If you know any fics like these which aren't drarry that would also be really nice.

Wishing you a lovely october :)

Hello, Happy October! I adore those fics you’ve mentioned, they’re all incredible. I do feel like astolat captures this proud, confident Draco perfectly - it’s one my fave characterizations! I think you might enjoy these fics if you haven’t read them yet, they’re a mix of makeover trope and fashionista/confident Draco:

Burning Down the House by @peachpety (M, 4k)

Harry is happy as editor-in-chief of The Quibbler. From planning to printing, design to deadlines, he enjoys being in the hot seat. And after vanquishing Voldemort, managing fires is an easy part of the job. Until his scorching crush on his impeccably dressed fashion editor flares out of control, and he's forced to face actual fires.

Sex on Legs in Six-Inch Heels by @tessacrowley (E, 9k)

Draco Malfoy is a brilliant freelance cursebreaker and the only one who can help the Department of Magical Law Enforcement with a very dangerous case, but more importantly, he's wearing six-inch heels, and Harry cannot handle it, he really just can't.

Haute Allure by @lol-zeitgeistic (E, 12k)

Harry is famous for his menswear now. Malfoy is the inside leg that he loves running his tape measure up.

Party of Two by fireflavored (E, 13k)

Drinking, sex, and a total misreading of the concept of fuck buddies.

A Saviour’s Guide to Manners and Decorum by @wolfpants (E, 13k)

Honorary Minister Harry Potter (yes, he's fully aware his job title is meaningless, and he quite likes it that way) is a disaster at public events. After seven years of dealing with his boorish behaviour, cringey table manners, and clumsy dancing, the Ministry's press team take matters into their own hands and hire Wixen Britain's leading Etiquette and Deportment Expert, Draco Malfoy, to take on the challenge of cleaning up Harry's image before the Ministry's 300th Anniversary Celebration Gala.

Queer Eye (For the Wizarding Guy) by Magnolia822 (E, 23k)

Harry’s life is fine. He might be a little disorganised, and maybe he needs a bit of a haircut, but he’s fine. Really. He doesn’t need a lifestyle intervention, especially when the one giving it is Draco sodding Malfoy and his team of queer fashion and design experts. Of course Harry’s friends disagree, and now he is stuck with Malfoy for a week. One of them might not survive.

Slithering by astolat (E, 27k)

Draco found the nest down in the Manor’s cellars, while he was clearing them out.

'Tis a Far Better Thing by @the-sinking-ship (E, 37k)

'Tis a far, far better thing doing stuff for other people — or however the Muggle saying goes — because Potter is in need of professional help, and Draco is just the man to give it to him.

Shine, Even in the Darkness by raitala (E, 41k)

Harry hasn’t seen Draco for over fifteen years, but now he’s showing up everywhere and Harry is sort of weirdly attracted to him, but that can’t be right?

Nights With You by @the-sinking-ship (E, 58k)

Draco is mortified when moments prior to departing for the most anticipated destination wedding of the year, he is cruelly dumped. But when he learns that Harry Potter has, at long last, split with his horrible boyfriend, Draco is certain his luck has changed. Never a man to squander an opportunity for revenge (and what would probably be a spectacular shag), Draco vows to make Potter his for the weekend. Now all Draco has to do is convince him.

Home Truths by @skeptiquewrites (E, 67k)

In the off-season Harry decided to fix up Grimmauld Place and found that Draco Malfoy was the only person who could help him. A demanding career and unrelenting press scrutiny were enough to deal with before Harry added a house with a mind of its own, family history, and a tense, flirty, complicated relationship with his childhood nemesis to the mix.

Life Lessons by @bixgirl1 (E, 68k)

On the cusp of a promotion, Harry needs a little help with his image. Enter Draco Malfoy — who doesn't really do that, Potter — to whip him into shape… and make him feel things he hasn't for a very long time.

Criminal by @the-sinking-ship (E, 83k)

Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less. Now, Draco is stuck in England under Auror Potter’s guard with no friends, no distractions, and no escape. How the hell will he pass the time? And since when did Potter get so bloody fit?

Bonus: art!

Dropped Dead Gorgeous by dustmouth (T)

Draco Malfoy is hired to organise a funeral party on the anniversary of Harry Potter's first death. This of course has everything to do with how he is a true artiste with lace, fripperies, and dead bodies, and absolutely nothing to do with why Harry Potter keeps inviting him out to dinner.

[emblazons]

a bunch of people think st does a very poor job at acknowledging the characters' trauma and all the things they went through. what do you think of this?

anon here with the tough questions! lmao

Honestly—and this is just an opinion (though I have evidence for why I think these things, as always)—I would say that the criticism of not addressing trauma (or even queerness) openly is probably one of the most valid criticisms of Stranger Things I've seen leveled at the show....though I personally don't think it's because The Duffers are incapable or "don't want to." Let me see if I can explain.

cut because a text wall about networks, capitalism & america

From the get, the Duffers had to contend with the fact that they wanted to do a number of things many networks wouldn't let them—Netflix was like, network 15+ they pitched to, and while Netflix allowed them to retain some element of creative control (writing and directing their own story), there are obviously still points of contention that come up between network and creator that show a difference in desired intent / storytelling and network sensibility. One I remember clearly was the criticism they got for showing people smoking, and how the show after S1 completely removed the cigarettes from any and all character narratives (think back to Joyce talking about needing "a pack of camel's," along with Hopper and even Steve smoking in S1...only for that to never come up again).

Now...the cigarette thing is a bit minor, but still shows that there is a LOT of weight Netflix still holds over The Duffers and their creative sensibilities—and when I think about how this show has moved SO readily out of the "Duffer's intended audience" space and into "Netflix cash cow / cultural zeitgeist" space, it becomes clear why Netflix's love of money and their need to "keep the show palatable to as many audiences as possible" (😒) would mean they would keep The Duffers from pressing deeply into topics that would mean talking about and showing beloved 12-18 year old characters having explicit conversations about/reactions to their trauma, whether that be tied to abuse, psychological torture, kidnapping, CSA, racism or even queerness.

—I do think The Duffers have tried to accommodate this "stifling" of their creative vision with an wide array of very creative and sometimes absolutely hysterical subtext, but...as we've seen many a time in fandom, a lot of people are either not satisfied with subtextual reasoning or just miss it entirely, which leads to people saying things like "you should have made it clearer because the average person won't see that" (should sound familiar)...which is kind of the point. If you can build plausible deniability into the things you're doing, you can get away with them in front of audiences that aren't trained to pick up on them...and considering all of the stories that influenced M&R / their interviews, I think they're relying on subtext to shove their less delicate sensibilities into the "Netflix version" of their tale.

Basically: what you see is The Duffers vision filtered through the sensibilities of Netflix's desire to get as many people as possible to watch the show—and given that this includes both bigots and children...we're stuck in many ways with a "sanitized" version of the story The Duffers had to tell. The fact that they're cagey as hell about their slightly "freer" ending AND are finishing ST with Netflix and then moving all of their darker shows to their own production company makes me believe this even more, too—especially given that wanted to make this show on HBO...and we all know the sensibility difference between HBO and Netflix. That says enough about the "content filtering" aspect for me to believe its at least partially true.

All that being said: I do think they could have done a LOT more to show their positions on things like racism in Lucas and Erica's storylines, and do hold a lot of frustration about the fact that Netflix is asking them relegate queer character development to subtext—though anyone who saw the sociological changes in America and media after what we went through in 2016-2022 especially KNOWS why you would do something like that. It's been a deeply troubling and brutal time in the country Stranger Things is both set and created in...and given that capitalism still wants money from bigots, this is where we're a little bit stuck.

So, to finally answer your question, I guess: Yes. I agree they should have done more to make trauma clearer across the board in this show, and wish they would have in many ways, because it would have made the story stronger. That said...I understand almost entirely why they couldn't/didn't, and don't want to say Stranger Things having more subtext in several areas over explicitly stated makes the story less exciting to explore.

I do hope their caginess moving into the shows ending means we're gonna get the "darker stuff" explored more clearly though—and that, once we're done with the story, Matt and Ross get a chance to elaborate more on what they wanted without the filtering that network popularity placed on them.

Thanks for the ask!

[valtharr]

There's no real immediate reason for this post, I just need to vent about something that's been bothering me for a while.

The fucking laziness of boomers when it comes to learning technology.

I recently stopped working for McDonald's after two and a half years. Something that kept happening was older guests refusing to use the touchscreen order stations in the restaurant. Even when they agreed to let me explain the process, they usually ended with "oh, this is all so complicated, can't we just order at the register?" Seriously, sometimes, I wanted to just start the whole process over again, asking them after single step if that's what was to complicated, just so they might realize how fucking stupid/lazy they sound.

"To start your order, you press the button that says 'Order Now'. Was that too complicated?"

"If you want to eat here at a table, you press the button with a picture of a table that says 'Eat Here'. Was that too complicated?"

"You want a Cheeseburger? Well, a cheeseburger is a burger, so you press the button that says 'Burgers'. Was that too complicated?"

"Now you press the button with a picture of a cheeseburger that has 'Cheeseburger' written beneath it. Was that too complicated?"

And so on.

Or how often I had to listen to people how "complicated" using coupons in the app was. You press the coupon you want to use, click "scan code" and then tell me the four numbers/letters you see on screen. Yep. So complicated.

And you know, that's a small, personal experience. But this kind of shit can have more dire consequences. A few years back, a small town here in Germany made headlines, because the local council - mostly filled with moderate, mainstream parties - elected the only member of the far-right NPD to be their chairman. A guy literally on a government watchlist. When asked about why this happened, a council member literally said it was because that guy was the only one of them who knew how to write emails.

This was in 2019.

I want to show you how ridiculous this whole thing is, using math:

Right now, as I'm writing this, the year is 2024. The first iPhone was released in 2007. That wasn't even really the first smartphone, but it was the one to put smartphones in the cultural zeitgeist.

So, I googled how long it takes to become a heart surgeon here in Germany. To become one, you need to get a medical degree and then do a specialized course for heart surgery. Both take six years each. So, twelve years total. Also, in order to even be allowed to attend university to get that medical degree, you need to finish twelve years of school.

So. Someone getting their degree as a heart surgeon this year - assuming they went straight from school to university, and straight from university to doing that specialized course, never slacking off and finishing it all on time - started their studies in 2012. Meaning they also finished school in 2012. Meaning in 2007, when the first iPhone came out, they were in 7th grade.

So, dear boomers: You've had as much time to learn how smartphones work as a seventh grader had to become a fucking heart surgeon. Just to put that into perspective. As for emails? That was the 90s. That's almost twice as long.

Lazy fucks.