vlacas12

[vlacas12]

a magical sword can only be pulled from its anvil by a maiden of purest heart. a young knight visits the anvil daily to make the attempt, crushed each time he cannot do the deed, yearning for a sign from the universe that he *is* in truth what he yearns to be. for the world to plop the gift of identity into outstretched arms. but of course, it never does. until one day, he has a chance encounter with a nymph of the lake who was once an ordinary squire, and he learns from her that maidenhood will not be given to him, that he must be brave and choose it for himself. and so the knight changes her name and reintroduces herself to the world and employs the greatest miracles of modern science to become the maiden she had always dreamed of being, and this time, when she revists the sword, she only can't pull it because she's kind of an asshole.

[vlacas12]

This is a fantastic linguistics paper – the researcher observed the artificiality and social pressure imposed on kids when they're asked to produce language on the spot, so instead had them talk to a rabbit in a room with a tape recorder. He found that when talking organically, without an adult authority figure around, their speech was exponentially more sophisticated, socially fluid, and creative.

As someone in the twitter thread points out, this has obvious implications for situations in which cued language production is used in diagnosis e.g. for autism. I'd add that (while this particular paper's remit is limited to children) it should also make us think about situations where adults are pressured to speak by authority figures: court hearings, police encounters, benefit assessments, asylum interviews, etc. If the presence of power hampers your ability to advocate for yourself, these are all rigged propositions.

Anyway, you can read the whole piece here (taken from a talk on his research, so it's very readable):

e: sorry, I should add the context that this is a language study situated in Hawaii in 1970 so there are also some very significant racial socio-linguistic politics discussed here that might be distressing to read about. I don't want to discount that aspect of the power dynamic studied here either.

[vlacas12]

lesbians love and support our trans sisters 💖💖

[vlacas12]

Something, something, metaphor for leaving your deadname and agab behind and living your best trans (un)life, while people act like your "true" self died.

truly some people have no genre savviness whatsoever. A girl came back from the dead the other day and fresh out of the grave she laughed and laughed and lay down on the grass nearby to watch the sky, dirt still under her nails. I asked her if she’s sad about anything and she asked me why she should be. I asked her if she’s perhaps worried she’s a shadow of who she used to be and she said that if she is a shadow she is a joyous one, and anyway whoever she was she is her, now, and that’s enough. I inquired about revenge, about unfinished business, about what had filled her with the incessant need to claw her way out from beneath but she just said she’s here to live. I told her about ghosts, about zombies, tried to explain to her how her options lie between horror and tragedy but she just said if those are the stories meant for her then she’ll make another one. I said “isn’t it terribly lonely how in your triumph over death nobody was here to greet you?” and she just looked at me funny and said “what do you mean? The whole world was here, waiting”. Some people, I tell you.

[vlacas12]

GIRL! GIRL! GIRL! GIRL! GIRL!

Hell yeah!

[vlacas12]

joined lgbt groups on tumblr and now getting a lot followers but all I post is rats

avast ye gay rats

[vlacas12]

Ah, yes…Estrogen. Well, you’ve come to the right place, Tumblr is home to Estrogen ministration, you need only unravel its secrets. But where’s an outsider like yourself to begin? Easy, with a bit of Estrogen of your own. Whatever happens, you may think it all a mere bad dream…

[vlacas12]

What Does Being Autistic Feel Like?

Neurodivergent Lou

[vlacas12]

The Blues Brothers (1980)

[vlacas12]

Hey uh

(̣̹̱͇̤̀̌̎̆̍̋͌��̶̧̼̤̼͇̖͙͓ͩͬ̑̾͊̂͊̚̚͟͝͡)̛ͨx̸̵̩͚̗͙͔̣͙̜͙͙͕ͣ̉̀ͨ̆̇ͮ̃ͥ͊̋ͦͣ̀ͭ̑̽͜͞͝_͇ͩ_̭̜͉̪ͧ͊ͩ̃͡x̴̨̛̮̬͕̤͙̽̍ͨͤ̇́̌ͮͨ̓̇͑̒̔̓ͣͬ̈́̽̚̚͟͜_x̸̛̤̝̗̱̺̲͓ͯ̉ͫ̌̆̕͞x̷̢̢̳͈̘̮̣̝̖̞̭̫̜͑̈́̅ͯ̾̇̾̂̊ͪ̀͋̌́͟x̸̴̧̛̘̙̙̘̻͉̫͔̼̼̓̄͑͊͛̎̈̌͋ͤͥ͛̅͘͘͢͞[̠͚͉͒ͅ_̹̯̬̗͎ͭͨͮͨ̾͑̈̄[̵̡͚͇͎͙̣͎̫̖̣ͣ̍́̔͑̏̓̒͐̊ͫ{̵̷̡̯̫̭͉ͦ͑̈̃̐͊̀͆̌ͧ̑͝:̷͕̪̠̪̭̲̮̫̌͂̓ͫ̌͗ͭ̀͟:̷̷̨̡͙̼͉͔̝͊̊ͩ̓͗̀ͨ̽̓́ͪ͐̈ͦ̋̉ͥ̌ͬͦ͘̚͟͝͡͞:̵̨̮̩̝̦̻͎̮̀̈́ͤ͋͗̓́̓ͭ̃̏͟:̸̴̴̴̼̘̬͎̟̠̘̄̋̐̑ͣͤ͒̆:̶̢̻̳̝:̸͇̓ͦ̄ͮͣ:͔ͫ_̸̨̧̻̞̰͖͖̜̼̜̫̞̜̮̘͈ͫ̌ͥ̔ͥ͂ͪ̏̐̈ͯ̌̂̿̑̅̇͛̚̚͜͞͞͝͝:̵̩̪̥̟̦̗͋͒̈̀̒͆̎͂̆ͅ:̵̗̳̰̝̲͓̺̫͔̪̝̯͚͇̙̲͍̦̯͇͎ͥͯ̿͂ͯ̆̔̍̾̽ͭͩ̏ͯ͆̅͒̽̇̒̅͊͘͢͡:̸̴̷̢̧̧̨̛̺̙̰̙̰͍̙͎̯̼͕̺̞̱̼̼̝̑̀ͮ̒̐͊̔͌̾̈́͌ͮ̕͟͜͝͠͞:̶̸̧̧̳̫̻͙͈̳͉͇̼͈̥̙̐͆̀͗̆̆̓̅̀͛͋ͦ̓͂ͨ̐̿̍͘͟͞ͅ:̸̵̧̬̻͇̬̳̖̻̖̯̦̅͂ͨ͒͋͐̀:̴̸̴̹̫͓̮̲͇͓͔̺̟̥͍͚̃̑ͪ͗̈́ͩ͂̀ͭͩͪ̆̍̽ͧ̚͡͡ͅ:̧̡̖̺͎͎̱̦̙̪̬̘̻̺̖̜͚̏͂ͣ̃̎͆ͫ̈̓̏͐ͪ̃ͬ̋̚̚͘͢͠͡͡:̩̞ͤͩͪ̓͗͟͞:̡̡̜̖̮̺̬͈̟̠͇̻͍͇̙́ͣ̈̓͐ͦ̉̒̆́̉̎̄͊ͫ̐̓͑͆͐̍͟͟͜͝͠͠:̸̡̢̤͗̐̅̆̔̉̊̿̀ͧ͜:̷̦̬̞̞̪̟ͨ̈ͦ͛ͮ͢͜͝:̥̲͈͔͈̖̇̀̌͑͌̃:͖̗̱̹͒̎́̆̈́ͩ̀͐̂͟_̛͖̱͌̓̈ͨ͊͡:̷̶̺̼̠̖͚̦͇̩̯̮͓͒̊̉ͧͤ̓͗͆̇̔ͨ͂͡͝_̶̸̼̎͌ͬ_̬̀̎͐͌ͪ̓ͅ:̷̶̤͖͓̹̺͉̦̙͇̫̱̙͗͂̀͒̆͗ͧ̿̀̍ͦ̽̊ͨ̆́̍ͭ̇͋ͧ̓̚͟ͅ:̣̺͍̖̏ͦ͛ͦ͗̀̎̎͟͢͟͝͡͝:̵̷̧̺͖̞̝̳̽̍ͥ̓͐̊̑̃̐ͪ̿̄͌̐͘͘_:̬ͧ̅̀͜͜͞:̶͉̥̬͚͌͋́͋̓:̡̧̨̧̭̲̦͉̤̣͙̻̠̻̖̘̪̹ͣͣ́ͮͧ̃̂ͬͤͥ͆́̄̾̅ͥ͂ͥ̔̕͢͡͞ͅ:̵̸̡̡̛̝͖̮̭̯̻͎͒̃͛͑̈̊ͫ̆̄̐ͨͥͬ́ͯ̅ͮ͘̚:ͫ:̶̸̴̦̙͚͙͚̼̟̗͉̅͐̉͛ͪ̀̉͒̓ͨ̕͠ͅ:̷̙͓̰̻͉̘̲͚̟̜̱͋ͭ̅͒͛̂̈́:̧̰͚͇̭̮̒͆ͨ̓̌ͭ̍̕:̲̲̺͊̀͐̔ͨ͞ͅ:̥̘̣̱͓͇͈̤͆̅͠:̸̸̛͈͈͒̓͊ͧ̒̊ͩ̐̂ͩͭ̌͘͠͠͡:̵̯͉̑͢:̨̥͔̙̺ͬ̆̍̾̇̀͝��̴̧̤̟̳͈͙̿ͬ͂̐͒̿̉͌͝͝͞:̫͉̱̮͖͛ͩͮ̀͂͗͌͢:̵̡̩̲͔̬̣̪̖̹͍̗̟̬̳͐̊͗ͬ̂ͤ͛̉ͫ̓>̰̘͚̩̜͇̞̤̗̻͖̯̃̇ͩͨͥ̑ͨ̋̓̍̍͛̄ͦͬ͑͌͢͡

:)

string identified: i don't know :(

closest match: that's scary :(

[vlacas12]

Well, no better time to start reading Terry Pratchett with this book (or movie) than now right before Hogswatch/Christmas.

Do you also detect trans girls?

yes of course, tgirls get the green check for being girls

[vlacas12]

Good. Now, @girl-detector , I have two questions for you:

1. Am I a girl?

AND SECOND, DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE HOGFATHER? ANSWER!

Do you also detect trans girls?

yes of course, tgirls get the green check for being girls

[vlacas12]

Autism & Asking for Help

Lil Penguin Studios/Autism Happy Place

[vlacas12]

the three linguistics papers to read about singular they (morphosyntax)

Bjorkman, B. M. (2017). Singular they and the syntactic representation of gender in English. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 2(1). Open access link

Konnelly, L., & Cowper, E. (2020). Gender diversity and morphosyntax: An account of singular they. Glossa: a journal of general linguistics, 5(1). open access link

Conrod, K. (2022). Abolishing gender on D. Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique, 67(3), 216-241. Open access link

in chronological order because these papers are all basically responding to each other; this papers focus on the (morpho)syntax and semantics of english singular 'they' referring to specific people (like they/them pronoun-users).

if you like posts like this, let me know! i'll give "three linguistics papers to read about (topic)" every once in a while based on interest

[vlacas12]

it's healthy for academics to have professional feuds. enrichment activity

[vlacas12]

Punk Mandalorian Armour, but it's just your standard Beskar'gam with a few more trophies from rich people and cops.

Epa Alore! (Eat the Rich! But not figuratively.)

I wanna see more cultural punk outfits. I wanna see more punks adding their culture to their outfit. I think it would be a neat concept. Embracing your culture and who you are and saying that no one can take that away from you. Fuck racism and fuck anyone who thinks they can take away your culture. Put spikes on your hijab. Wear a black leather jacket with patches of African patterns on it. Punkify that Kilt. Embrace your culture and don’t let anyone take that away from you. Be punk and embrace who you are because you’re amazing.

[vlacas12]

"But most police officers are good."

No they're not.

In the general population, there are good people and there are bad people. And every police officer is a member of the general population who decided to become a police officer. The police are not a demographic. Every single police officer chose to be a police officer.

Therefore, if most police officers are good, then that means the police force is designed in such a way that good people are drawn to it while bad people are pushed away from it.

And that's been proven to be false many times.

The police are only as good as the laws they enforce and the standards they're held to.

As long as there are laws against victimless actions, people who only want to protect society from dangerous monsters while defending everyone's freedom are pushed away from the police force, and people who get a sick pleasure from ruining people's lives in order to boost their own egos are drawn to the police force.

As long as the police are able to abuse people and get away with it, people who believe in using as little force as necessary are pushed away from the police force, and people who were bullies in high school and want to be even bigger bullies while being seen as the good guys are drawn to the police force.

As long as capitalists who destroy other people in order to increase profits are considered smart businesspeople while poor people who steal food in order to survive are considered criminals, people who wish to improve society are pushed away from the police force, and people who wish to further traumatize those who are already suffering are drawn to the police force.

If you think most police officers are good, what is being done to draw in good people, and what is being done to push away bad people? If you're so sure that the police are good, then you'd have to have an answer to that. But for some reason, you never do.