Shits&Giggles

My personal little stash of rubbish. You won’t like it. I have a weird taste. Also, i tend to post a lot of critique on the Loki show. I try to stay rational, but there is a lot to say.

[alwida10]

Masterpost

Results of the Loki survey

Other people’s masterposts on the show: The Loki show sucks (Nikkoliferus) Masterpost about what’s wrong with the Loki series (the superiorLokiseries) Everything bad with the show (crazyaboutloki) Open letter to marvel

Masterpost (house-of-atreides)

My criticism on the show:

The "representation" of genderfluidity (autogynephilia + narcissism) is one of the worst stereotypes of trans women.

The Loki series is biased against men

Loki’s “adoption” resembles the treatment of indigenous children in Canada who were forcefully removed from their homes and often killed in the residential schools

Sylvie’s character lack’s complexity and fits a Mary Sue definition

Storytelling problems in the Loki series

Sylvie’s badass level is higher than than Loki’s

I don’t dislike Sylvie for what she had done but for her narrative function (being superior to Loki).

Distinguishing quality and preference on the Loki show

Posts pointing out flaws in the Loki show: The show was specifically marketed towards people who love Loki

Bickering vs belittling: the relationship in the show

The humor in the show was mainly achieved by ridiculing and bullying loki

Differences between OG Loki and TVA “loki”

The show high-Speed repeats Loki’s character development from tdw to IW but fails to address the underlying reasoning for his actions (worstloki, lucianalight)

The show erased Loki’s trauma from the movies before (worstloki)

The show made the “glorious purpose” a ridiculous catchphrase to show how stupid Loki is.

The show is anti-feminist since it treats women only as flawless, perfect beings when they exceed in masculine traits but humiliates a men who shows feminine traits.

Especially him never dealing with his abduction trauma is a massive problem for people who relate to that

Loki’s arc in the series only works when you ignore his former trauma and don’t need to see him heal.

The singular Problems (Tom getting styled badly, sylvie taking the spotlight, etc.) are all symptoms of the underlying initial problem that the creators had no real interest in loki and simply wanted to harvest his publicity for their selfish ambitions

Loki never was accountable for frigga‘s death

Loki comes back from certain death = betrayal

The Loki series frames slavery and fascism in a good light

The evilness of the TVA wasn’t sufficiently shown.

Torturing Loki is framed as something good in the show

Mobius is torturing/abusing Loki.

Loki’s arc in the series leads to the same end like in the films but instead of learning from experience he falls in love (worstloki)

Loki wants to rule because higher up in the food chain he doesn’t get hacked so much (rabentochter)

Loki wanted to take away freedom and it’s bad, but when kang does it it’s ok. (Wnndarklord)

Loki doesn’t side with the TVA in the finale but wanted to find a third option (lucianalight)

Loki’s ‚therapy‘ in episode 1 was toxic and can do mental harm in real people. (Pennypaperbrain)

Mobius characterization does not fit his morality. He could have been an awesome villain!

Sylvie is a mashup from three different characters (stellopia)

Sylvie is a Mary Sue (Stellopia)

Kate Harron calls ep.1 a therapy

There was no therapy in episode 1

Kate Harron doesn’t understand Loki’s character at all (iamnbr3)

The Loki show intentionally made Loki look bad (iamnbr3)

Canon evidence loki was tortured

Loki is loyal to Asgard, and values people who trust him The variants in the void should have been pruned for good actions Was the loki show a success? (RaifenIf) Reviews for the Loki show on IMBD show signs of manipulation (raifenIf)

Loki is a victim of hero vs villain coding (mostlybuckysometimesloki, blindtaleteller)

Forced perspective and the Milgram experiment

Loki was different in the show

The the more the creators try to rescue the genderfluid representation they sound like terfs

The show characterizes Loki as power hungry and backstabbing

A healthy relationship might include bickering, but without the love-aspect it is just bullying. That's why loki's relationship with Sylvie looks abusive.

How not to write a villain

Loki didn’t lead the Kursed to Frigga

MCU loki meta

Loki is not a villain

Fanfic recs: Stellopia’s list

Loki whump fics recommended by Worstloki

Newer and less known fics (worstloki)

Good fics (superiorlokiseries)

Loki centric fics

Writing resources:

Emotion thesaurus and other thesauruses

Cheat sheets for writing body language The reverse dictionary Pacing and show don’t tell The causal chain How to write deaf characters

How to write protagonists that don’t want anything Star Wars has a unique way to introduce characters that makes flashbacks obsolete Concept art of Thor TDW with links to concept art from other parts of the Thor franchise

Narrative distance

My plan to write Other things

How to filter ao3 Secret second dashboard People can experience Racism, sexism etc without being a part of the respective group Untreated trauma leads to violence. The message in villains with a tragic backstory is that society failed not that they are evil.

Search engine for text heavy sites

A list of online libraries

How to find tagged posts

Older posts on Loki Loki series positive meta

Collection of evidence for Loki being coerced in the Avengers including hints from the series

Bushs-worlds series meta

The fight where loki meets a dog toy frames him as a protagonist and includes hints for spinal trauma Loki wanted a throne because it is a sign of validation for him

Both perspectives (liking and disliking) on the Loki show

Comic loki meta

Loki’s broken crown in AoA

[spanishsongs]

The thing that people don't understand is this: it's pretty obvious when your concern about something comes from a genuine place, versus it being clearly virtue signaling.

For example: I have a Palestinian friend who is always posting about Israel, but.... She unequivocally thinks October 7th was a crime, stands with Israeli women who faced sexual violence, always mentions if something is antisemitic and never "adds context to it", and supports the unconditional return of the hostages.

She's genuinely a kind person, so I know that when she criticizes Israel, it's something I should always listen to, even if I don't agree with it. And, if more criticism came from people like her, it would be a lot more effective. But because you're not kind people, and your criticism is so over the top and absurd, it actually has the reverse effect, and will get the people who genuinely need to hear it to tune out.

So great work guys, your showing you're a "good person" on the outside with a very rotten inside.

[stephreynaart]

100%

I have stolen so much from Watterson

[alwida10]

I’ve been daydreaming about a gen fic for a while now, where Thor’s characterization would be vital to the plot.

I wanted Post TDW-Loki go to earth to book a place for Odin in shady acres (the retirement home) when Thor attacks him, and they end up breaking some magical artifact that erases Thor’s memory from the last ~300 years, making thor reclaim his courting-war- personality. Then the avengers turn up, but Thor doesn’t remember them, and is blood thirsty as on Jotunheim. But since Loki doesn’t want him to slaughter mortals to the dozens (and also doesn’t want to alert Heimdal by casing a major uproar), he tries to convince Thor to go with the Avengers who are his friends and will care for him. Thor is suspicious but eventually agrees. But he naturally assumes that this means Loki would be part of the group as well, because -of course- Loki would always follow where Thor went, right?

And so the Avengers and Loki are kinda stuck pretending Loki would be part of the group, until Thor’s memories return, so he doesn’t go feral and starts murdering innocents.

Shenanigans ensue, plus a good portion of learning on the Avengers side. 😁

[alwida10]

Ugh, the years are racing past me and they don’t stop coming. I don’t know how but I forgot I once posted here whenever I updated the fic.🥲 I am sorry. But yeah, chapter 12 is online now. If you are (understandably) tired of the slow writing or your life turned to other shores - please just tell me and I’ll remove you from the tag list. ❤️

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

@perplexedandpossessed @roruna @evilkitten3 @latent-thoughts @inglorious-purpose @woulddieforloki @l-astre @youlackconviction @mischief2sarawr @platypusisnotonfire

[gingerswagfreckles]

Wait so was no one gonna tell me heritageposts abandoned their blog immediately after the election and confirmation that Donald Trump would be president?

You mean one of the most popular violently antisemitic pro Hamas pro Russia pro North Korea pro Iran blogs that did nothing but spam insanely hateful propaganda all day and call anyone who voted a genocide supporter....was a plant?

😮 !!!!!!

[sprinkledsalt]

Why Does the Media Ignore Hamas' Crimes Against Palestinians?

The sad truth is, when Israelis aren't involved, no one is interested in advocating for the Palestinian rights they claim to care about so d

"Since the start of the current war between Israel and Hamas, Hamas has committed countless atrocities against its own people in Gaza. This was true even before the war. Yet somehow, despite the fact that Hamas has effectively kidnapped the Gaza strip and all its inhabitants and routinely terrorizes them, these crimes are never reported by Arabic media or western media, nor by global human rights organizations, all of which tend to portray Hamas as a legitimate resistance group who are trying to "liberate" the Palestinians.

This absence of Hamas's crimes against Palestinians in the media is not for want of evidence. Many Gazans have raised concerns about the brutality of this regime, which they have witnessed first hand. And not just witnessed; there have been many videos posted on social media platforms showing Gazans criticizing Hamas and blaming Hamas for the current disastrous situation in Gaza.

Without a doubt, many civilians have been killed by IDF airstrikes. Yet each time that happens, those incidents make headlines across media channels. But somehow, when it comes to Hamas' crimes against innocent Israelis and innocent Gazans, the entire media establishment turns a blind eye, trying to present a misleading black and white narrative about this conflict.

Why?

If their heart bleeds for Gaza, why are they not outraged at all of the violence that Gazans face—including the violence of Hamas?

The sad truth is, when Israelis aren't involved, no one is interested in advocating for the Palestinian rights they claim to care about so deeply.

We Gazans attempted several times to remove Hamas from power. In 2019 and in 2023, the people of Gaza held peaceful marches against Hamas; for this crime, we were brutally assaulted by Hamas militants. Hamas imprisoned over 1,300 protestors at each protest.

I was one of them. I was personally imprisoned by Hamas and tortured twice, because I participated in these protests.

So I know firsthand that when ordinary Gazans like myself protested against Hamas, there was no media attention. No human rights organizations demanded the release of prisoners held for months in Hamas prisons, not to mention those who were tortured by Hamas, and even killed by Hamas—like Issam Al-Saaffein, who was killed under torture in Hamas's jails.

This trend has continued during the present war. Since October 7, hundreds of Gazans have been killed by Hamas' failing rockets. Hamas has confiscated the food, fuel, and medicine sent to Gaza, and they did not stop here.

13-year-old Ahmad Breka was shot in the head by Hamas in Rafah while attempting to collect humanitarian aid. Others were fortunate because they were merely shot in the legs by Hamas while attempting to grab humanitarian goods that Hamas stole and kept in their facilities.

These inhumane acts, along with the agony that Gazans have undergone since October, prompted many to demonstrate anew during this war. They demonstrated in Khan-Younis in front of Yahya Sinwar's house; others protested in the north, asking that Hamas free the captives and cease the war. They received the same response from Hamas that I did: They were fired upon.

And once again, the global media largely overlooked these crimes.

Daring to take some food in the midst of a war or protesting Hamas isn't the only activity Hamas has persecuted us Gazans for; attempting to play any part of delivering this aid to those in need, or even considering playing any role the day after the war, is enough to get anybody the death penalty from Hamas.

That's what happened to the Abu-Amro tribe leader, along with two members of his tribe who were killed by Hamas militants a few days ago.

A couple of months ago, they beheaded the head of a clan leader in the north of Gaza and issued a statement on social media: 'We murdered him, and we will do so to anyone who stands against us and cooperates with Israel.'

Others who publicly criticized Hamas during the war were reported missing.

In addition to this, many of Fatah members were placed under house arrest by Hamas 'for security reasons,' and anyone who left his home was kidnapped. That's what happened with the Gazan Yossef Shahein—yet the global and Arab media never spoke about these crimes.

Al Jazeera, which employs hundreds of journalists in Gaza and has several offices there, never reports on these murders.

This systematic terrorism perpetrated by Hamas against the major tribes in Gaza and against dissidents is intended to undermine the plan for Gaza when the war ends, which will necessarily involve empowering civil society to run civil affairs in Gaza in the future. Hamas plans to copy the Taliban model in Gaza after the war, going underground and trying to fight from the shadows. They hope that will keep them in power so they can continue terrorizing both Israelis and Palestinians.

Where is the outrage?

This biased journalism has horrific repercussions. It was the reason for Hamas' success in silencing opposition in Gaza, and it is inflaming global mobs who swallow Hamas' propaganda and go to the streets raising the Hamas flag, wearing masks and chanting for terrorists, deceptively depicting all Gazans as Hamas members who wish to continue living under its authoritarian rule.

It's a horrific abandonment of Gaza's innocent civilians. It's clear their suffering only matters when it can be blamed on Jews."

[freegazafromhamas]

IDF releases footage of a captured Hamas terrorist describing how Hamas uses Gaza hospitals for command, distribution of arms and safety

IDF releases footage of a captured Hamas terrorist describing how Hamas uses Gaza hospitals for command, distribution of arms and safety

IDF releases footage of a captured Hamas terrorist describing how the terror groups launched attacks from the hospital in Gaza believing it

[questions-about-loki]

Do you fully believe the theory about Loki being brainwashed (Straight up BRAINWASHED, not just influenced. Not referring to the torture Loki faced at the hands of Thanos, that’s canon/HEAVILY implied, and is not a theory.) by Thanos in The Avengers?

Do you take Loki being brainwashed by Thanos as canon?

Yes, without a doubt. There’s no way it isn’t canon.

Conflicted/Only certain aspects.

Absolutely not. It’s entirely misinformation and lacks substantial evidence.

Voting ended onDec 21, 2024

[gloriousburden]

Woah the results so far are pretty surprising I thought you guys were with me 😞

[lokijiro]

I realise this is a very unpopular opinion around here, but absolutely not. And I disagree that Loki being tortured is canon. I think that Loki was navigating a very delicate, dangerous situation, and the sceptre made him somewhat more aggressive and foolish than he otherwise would have been.

I really hate the "Loki was brainwashed" theory. I consider Loki in The Avengers 2012 to be an interesting character because his heart is in conflict with itself (as Coulson says). Take that away and he's boring.

[latent-thoughts]

I do think he was indoctrinated to a certain extent, but not to a point where he became Thanos' drone. I think he influenced Thanos in turn to let him hunt for the Tesseract, so that he'd at least get out of his clutches. It was enough to get him the back-up of the Chitauri army too.

The ones truly brainwashed were the Black Order, I think. Loki was hanging somewhere in a similar situation as Nebula and Gamora, minus daddy issues w.r.t Thanos (other daddy issues still in place tho).

[alwida10]

look, not to be the annoying academic, but before discussing the “if” it’s always good to agree on definitions. Otherwise you might realize you’re technically not agreeing with someone who happens to use the same word and agreeing with someone using a different one. first one is easy, assuming the rl definition is valid for the MCU, too.

The second one is more problematic, since most people understand “mind control” in the MCU as a magical process. The rl definition however includes brainwashing.

And then the MCU official website used “influenced” regarding Loki and not for Selvic or Hawkeye. Also, we see a totally different way to “mind control” people in the MCU with Bucky. Bucky used his bodily abilities (including speech to understand his handlers) to fulfill his orders. Compared to Selvic and Hawkeye he was much more a puppet. He did not have access to most of his memories and (as far as I know) did not apply former knowledge to help his handlers to reach their goals. Both Hawkeye and Selvic used former knowledge and creativity to reach Loki’s goals. They were not mindless puppets on strings. For me the movie looked like the scepter was more or less making them join Loki’s cause but not much more. So, where is the difference? Loki’s eyes were not in the same hue of blue. But his real eyes aren’t visible, either, right? They would be red. So haven’t they been blue because he wasn’t under the same control? Or because Loki’s glamor was overwriting the hue?

Obviously I don’t have an answer (and i kinda prefer media to leave things up to interpretation instead of making it 100% clear it was this or that. Sometimes the grey zones are exactly what makes stuff more compelling. I’m exploring exactly this point in my latest fic and wouldn’t want to miss it. The only thing which i personally do not enjoy is him entirely voluntarily and in an informed way joining Thanos. Imo Loki is too intelligent not to notice the plan was crap and not going to work.)

Regarding this poll, I’d say it would probably be more clear to rate “how much of his own free will did Loki still have” and “how much torture (meaning physical or psychological pain) did Thanos apply to make Loki comply” on a scale from 1 to 10, respectively.

[aqlstar]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- we will not have peace until there is a genuine pro-Palestinian movement.

We have a movement geared towards destroying Israel, no matter the number of Arabs denied citizenship, oppressed, or killed in the process.

We need a movement geared towards materially improving the situation of the Arabs displaced before and during the 1948 Arab Israeli war- whether they live in Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza, or the West Bank/Judea and Samaria.

This is not to say there are not Palestinians that want peace and a better life for their children; it is to say that they are shunned by the broader international movement, which views Palestinian lives as deeply important allegorically- as quintessential representatives of all oppressed people everywhere- but of trivial value per se.

@gingerswagfreckles if you have anything to add

[vladolak]

Heard about the georgia protests and how the cops were using rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas and more

Then a dude (who I call Firework Man) pulled up with a firework minigun and it brought to mind some metal gear music

[iamnmbr3]

#ABSOLUTE MADLAD!!!!!!#Georgia#europol#most based thing I've seen all week

Go Georgia! Stand up for your freedom!

[alwida10]

I mean, yes. But looking through the notes makes me realize that many tumblr users absolutely need to watch the documentary on the maidan revolution in 2014. It’s free on youtube and has subtitles. What’s going on in Georgia is NOT independent from those acts. The guy in the video is not fighting the police. He’s fighting Russia with nothing but fireworks. This might look badass but it’s a tragedy and a catastrophe coming up. And don’t think you’re safe of this kind of fight. It’s deep into Europe already with Russia controlling politicians in many countries, including France, UK and Germany. The US just voted it onto their home soil. This can be you in a few years.

[lokihiddleston]

"Proud" - This word, he remembers. This link between his mother and him with that word before and today.

[katbelleinthedark]

#hey remember when they cut the scene from the thor movie #where Loki didn’t TAKE the throne but was literally entrusted the throne #by the council and by his mother #I mean he didn’t handle it very well #but so many people assume that he just claimed it #and IT’S NOT TRUEEEEE

[lokihiddleston]

^ YES! THANK YOU.

[jewishgirlrevolt]

Except he still technically did, since he set certain events into motion which resulted in the council having no other option as to give it to him, since Thor was conveniently in Midgard and Odin was asleep. 

Loki doesn’t need to do things himself. He manipulated people and circumstance into what he needs it to be.

So while Loki didn’t go in and literally TAKE the position. He made sure Frost Giants got into Asgard, he made sure, Thor would go to their home world, his manipulation, however subtle, of his dimwitted and headstrong brother guaranteed Odin’s banishment, only to Loki’s delight. He knew that his father was delaying the Odinsleep. So he made sure that Thor was out of the way. 

[loki-god-of-menace]

[I do not wish to cause any arguments, but I must disagree. Loki did not take or ‘just claim’ the throne. Even if he manipulated Thor, as you say, to ensure he was banished, that would have in no way guaranteed him kingship unless Odin either abdicated to him due to Thor’s unfitness or was out of the question for ruling. There was in indication in the narrative that Odin had the intention of giving Loki the throne, even with Thor banished on Earth (in fact, he sent Mjolnir after Thor to provide him with a means of returning/redemption instead of keeping it as a kingly weapon and passing it to Loki to use to rule. If he had wanted Loki to rule while Thor was unavailable, it seems more logical to keep Mjolnir to pass to his second son) or that Loki knew his father was weakened.

Whether Loki let the Frost Giants into Asgard initially is actually up for debate. He admits it to Laufey, but in that moment it cannot be forgotten that he is speaking to the current, prime enemy of Asgard and lying to him, as is proven later on in the film when it is learned that Loki led Laufey in so he could eliminate him, not to let him kill Odin. In a conversation where he is already lying to the enemy, is his admission of guilt really entirely credible? Only a mere few words before that Laufey told his guards/giants to kill Loki. Loki would have had to have some way to win their interest/trust.

In addition, Odin’s timing for stopping Thor’s coronation is almost unbelievably impeccable. We are told throughout the films that the All-Father is powerful, but there is no indication that he as any manner of all-sight like Heimdall except when he is in the Odinsleep. In Thor 2, Odin didn’t see Kurse/Malekith in Frigga’s room in time enough to stop her death, nor did he see the Dark Elves approaching. Thus he either has an entirely unexplained connection just to the Weapon’s Vault, or that sequence looks very well timed. Thus, how did he manage to know the that the Frost Giants were in the vault and had just taken the Casket? How did he manage to stop one word before crowning Thor king and in perfect time to summon the Destroyer and stop the fleeing giants?

During the argument between Thor and Odin in the Weapon’s Vault, Odin is both entirely calm and seemingly unconcerned, and he even smiles slightly when he tells Thor that he is “not king! Not yet.”

That seems an awful lot like a test for Thor, orchestrated by Odin, to me. Thank you to mosellegreen for the that meta idea.

There is also never once in the narrative that Loki is delighted or gleeful about Thor’s banishment. The only time he seems to be glad about it is when he is speaking to Laufey and lying to him, as I previously mentioned. There is no joy on his face when Thor is banished.

And there is absolutely no indication later that he takes any joy in it when he is speaking to Sif and the Warriors 3. He makes entirely valid points about Thor’s behaviour and even says, “I did not know that father would banish him for what he did.”

Whether Loki ‘manipulated’ Thor into going to Jotunheim is up for debate, and the point still stands that Thor is a grown person and Loki was not twisting his arm. Seeing that he tried to stop them from reaching Jotunehim twice (told the guard to tell Odin so they would never reach there, and attempted to stall them at the Bifrost with Heimdall) and tried to ensure that they left Jotunheim without injury (accepting Laufey’s offer, trying to reason with Thor), it seems highly unlikely that he had any desire for them to go to Jotunheim. Or, if he did, he exerted a lot of effort to thwart his own desire.

He might have very well wished for Thor to go and argue with Odin further, though that is only a likely idea and not canon, to further cement the fact that Thor’s behaviour was not kingly, but it seems very doubtful he wanted Thor to march them all off to go to Jotunheim and their deaths.

As a final point, in the deleted scene where Loki is given the throne, he is surprised by it. There is also no mention whatsoever of a council in Asgard that appointments the monarch, but that is a sidenote.

By every appearance and indication he was not expecting Frigga to grant him the throne. ]

[spacelazarwolf]

“i don’t understand why you guys keep bitching about leftist antisemitism. i’m a leftist jew and i NEVER experience antisemitism!! all i had to do was reject all religious aspects of judaism that couldn’t be weaponized for ActivismTM, not wear any religious garb unless it’s to make a point, be white or white passing, lie about my family who lives in israel or talk loudly and frequently about how i hope they all die, allow my gentile comrades to make holocaust jokes and comparisons, and harass other jews who haven’t put their identity up for auction like i have. it’s literally that easy so if you’re complaining about it it’s probably because your a baby killer pedophile subhuman zionist scumbag, just like my friend stalinworshipper42069 said.”

[kaminando-kon-buenos]

This seems like a good opportunity to share one of my experiences from last year. For background, I am a dark skinned brown Jew who most people usually mistake for Arab or Muslim even when I wear a kipah. My fiance is white passing and always recognized as Jewish because he always wears a kipah and tzitzit. When we first moved to the city we currently live in, we sought out progressive spaces to help us navigate his transition and find progressive friends in our new home. Someone pointed us to a book club so we decided to go

We got there a bit early to make friends and noticed right away that I was the only brown person in the room, everyone else was white, and people seemed extremely excited to have me there. On another hand, I noticed right away that people treated Fiance differently when they saw the way he was dressed. They asked if he was in the right place, and one person approached him to ‘let him know’ that Zionists weren’t allowed in the book club. He was understandably upset and pulled me aside to tell me he wanted to go home, but I was really upset so I talked to that person myself. I told her that what she said to Fiance was antisemitic, and she said that I ‘of all people’ should understand. I asked her what she meant by ‘of all people’, and she told me that it was ‘dangerous for people of color’ to have ‘Zionists and Israelis’ in their safe space. I said ‘I was born in Israel. Am I not welcome here simply because of where I was born?’ I noticed the change in her demeanor immediately, and she called someone else over because she said she couldn’t bare to talk to me. She told the other person I was being ‘aggressive’ and had ‘admitted’ that I was a Zionist, but all I told her was that I was born in Israel

At that point, things got worse very quickly. She cried and accused me of ‘making false accusations of antisemitism’, said I was ‘intimidating’ her, and that she didn’t feel safe with me in the room. The person she brought over (I don’t know their pronouns) told me I had to leave. I was really angry and did end up shouting. I told them it wasn’t fair that she had ethnically profiled both me and my fiance. I was accused again of being ‘aggressive’, and when I told them I felt like they were being very racist, they called the police so my fiancé and I had to leave

Fiance and I have mostly stuck to Jewish spaces since then. I am used to experiencing that kind of racism, but Fiance has only recently started wearing a kipah and tzitzit after he began his transition so he is having a difficult time adjusting to the higher levels of profiling. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t told them I was Israeli, or if I hadn’t shouted, but the truth is even the accusation of antisemitism put them on defense. I fail to see how pulling my observant Jewish fiance aside and accusing him of being a Zionist before even asking his name is any different from TSA pulling me aside every time I go through security because they assume someone who looks like me could be a terrorist. In my experience, progressive spaces are always very excited to have me there when I am a faceless brown person who still has the potential to bolster their opinions, but when I reveal that I am a Jew born in Israel they are just as racist as everyone else

[shofarsogood]

> "I'm doing this to protect people of color uwu"

> calls a person of color aggressive for calling out antisemitism

> white woman tears

[starlightomatic]

The racism jumped out real fast. "Aggressive," "intimidating," "I don't feel safe," calling the fucking police.

[weemietime]

https://www.tumblr.com/weemietime/767670429687152640?source=share

I suppose it was easy for me to fall into the Hamasnik trap due to my habit of black and white thinking, which I wish I could blame on my autism, my ocd, or my horrible mental state, but I’m just incredibly stupid lol. But yeah, I was very much a hamasnik myself.

For some reason my mind refused to accept or recognise the nuance of a history that I wasn't even well versed on in the first place. I also think that the constant reductionism presented to me played a part. There’s a lot of reductionism that goes on within the Hamasnik circles, and it goes hand in hand with anti intellectualism. Statements like “this isn’t complex! How can you see these videos of these Palestinian children (videos that I later found out were actually from Syria, but I couldn’t tell, I just ate it up) and think that Israel/Palestine is complex!”

The whole thing of blocking everyone who has a different opinion or ideology (the ideology in question being Zionism, or at least what hamasniks consider to be Zionism) from you and refusing to follow certain news channels because they’ve shown sympathy for those who have a different ideology from you, refusing to read certain books from authors who have expressed empathy for those same people, all of this together effectively creates an echo chamber of the same opinions and views being regurgitated over and over and over again constantly.

Then sprinkle in constant videos of people dying and blood everywhere, videos that you don’t even know where the people are from, whether they be from Gaza, from Syria, Lebanon, or Yemen, but it doesn’t matter because they speak Arabic so it MUST be about the Gazans specifically according to the Hamasnik group you’re apart of, all of these videos you’re being told to constantly watch over and over again because according to the Hamasnik cult you’re in, “if you look away from the violence even ONCE, you’re complicit in genocide! You’re personally responsible for genocide if you look away! The people in Gaza never get a mental health break or comfort so why should you?”

That very same rhetoric is the reason why a lot of you Jewish people can’t find yourself able to escape on fandom spaces and shit like that, the antisemitism you encounter in spaces you thought you were safe in? Yeah it’s because these people are being told that they have to constantly talk about what’s going on in every single space they’re in and that they can’t look away because if they do, they’re considered complicit in the killing of Gazans so they have to let everyone else know the same.

There are a lot of people who are purposefully antisemitic, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t me excusing anyone. I’m just saying that a number of these people genuinely believe that they’re doing something for the greater good by constantly being antisemitic. They don’t consider themselves antisemitic because the echo chamber they’re in has convinced them that Jewish people aren’t experiencing anything, that Jewish people are fine. That it’s the “big bad” that they’re hurting, not the Jews. It’s the “big and scary Zionists!” At least that’s what happened in my case. Constantly told that if I took a break even once, the blood of the Gazans, the blood of every. single. person in Gaza, would be on my own two hands.

You might not believe me, but when you’ve trapped a person in an echo chamber like that, it’s very easy to convince them that an entire country is evil, that every single Israeli is wicked and corrupt and should die and that anyone who expresses an ounce of empathy for them is a “Zionist” and should die as well.

You could’ve told me anything a few months ago. Absolutely anything bad about Israelis and I would’ve believed you. Because I’d scroll social media and see videos of children dying, people being beaten, buildings being destroyed, everything. Then I’d scroll some more and see videos of Israelis doing everyday things, videos of people having fun, videos of people eating, etc, and I found it so unfair that they (according to hamasnik rhetoric) were living in absolute peace while Palestinians are dying right next to them. Then I’d scroll some more and see videos of the IDF (I actually don’t even know if the videos were even of the IDF or not, but as I said, you could’ve told me anything and I’d have believed you. I genuinely believed that it was the IDF) shooting people, beating people, etc. And I was told to look at these videos everyday, every hour, every minute, every second. A lot of the Hamasnik mouthpieces take advantage of the average westerner’s inability to understand Arabic or Hebrew, so there’s a lot of mistranslated videos of Israelis saying they want every Arab dead, a lot of mistranslated Al Jazeera videos of people in Amsterdam for example, saying “يهودي قذر" (dirty Jew) with the wrong captions on and then us non Arabic speaking cult trapped people are none the wiser to what that means because we refuse to engage with any sources that won’t fit our narrative, because we’re complicit in death if we step outside the narrative.

I don’t believe that Zionists should die, but I did. I don’t believe that the hostages should suffer, but I did. I truly believed the worst of things, and perpetuated horrible antisemitism, because I genuinely believed that I was doing good. I found myself justifying unspeakable acts, and saying unspeakable things, things that I would have whole heartedly condemned prior, because I genuinely thought I was doing something right. For example, prior to me falling into that cultish trap, I would’ve wholeheartedly condemned saying a slur coined by David fucking Duke. But after? As I said, I was doing and saying unspeakable things.

I would watch videos from Hamasniks everyday, perpetuate antisemitism everyday, go to sleep and dream about that stuff, and wake up and do it all again, first thing in the morning. A vicious cycle.

And unknowingly somewhere else around the world, some Jewish or Israeli person would wake up, witness antisemitism everyday, witness people wishing the worst upon the hostages, the Jews, the Israelis, the Zionists, everyday, go to sleep terrified for what’s happening to their people, and wake up and see it all again first thing in the morning. Another vicious cycle.

I wish I had a better answer for you, I do. An answer that’s more digestible and less disturbing. I wish I could undo everything that I’ve said and done to the people I’ve hurt whether that be in real life or online. I truly am sorry, and I wish that an apology would fix everything, but it won’t. I wish that all the pain I inflicted on all the Jewish people and Israeli people could be taken away and that I would feel that pain tenfold.

If it’s any consolation or solace, I hate myself more than any of you combined. There is nobody who hates me more than me at this current moment in time and I absolutely do deserve every ounce of pain inflicted upon me, whether it be mental or physical. If you wish death upon me, just know that I do agree with you, but unfortunately previous attempts have failed.

I deleted all of my old posts from that period of time to avoid people getting hurt by them anymore, but I think I’ve done too much damage for me to be a good ally, so I just say nothing now, but I truly do wish the best for all of you and I wish that all of this would stop and that the hostages will be found, hopefully alive.

My apologies for writing a whole Bible in your asks, I truly didn’t mean to.

TLDR - reductionism and anti-intellectualism combined with trapping yourself in an echo chamber of regurgitated rhetoric and constantly regurgitating said rhetoric is a quick way to find yourself dabbling in extremism.

To avoid falling into a trap such as this, avoid generalisations of races, ethnic groups, and the like, look for nuance, try hear people out even when you don’t understand them, instead of blocking them (this is in reference to me blocking every single person who opposed my hamasnik ideology at the time. You should probably block hamasniks, they tend to harass Jewish people a lot), and remember that if someone tells you that a whole war isn’t complex, they’re lying. It absolutely is.

I hope you've been able to see the other responses your other ask has gotten as well! Truly, you aren't someone who I hate. Personally, I do forgive you. Other people may not, and that's their right. But I know first-hand what it's like to be radicalized and to not only commit to extreme rhetoric but also extreme actions. I've learned to have compassion for myself, and I hope that with time you will undergo a similar process.

Someone else said it, "you can't hate yourself into being a better person." All of us, as beings, grow with love and kindness. War is hard it's horrific, and hellish. You're constantly exposed to this violent imagery, this extreme rhetoric, and your whole friend groups are getting in on it. I understand exactly how it happens, and I do have sympathy for it.

To me, the most important part of your story isn't the worst shit you've ever done. It's this part. The part where you learn how to be better, and so you do better, and reach out across the divides and bridge those gaps that have formed. That is a very human story.

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last Week - 29 April 2024

1. Net neutrality rules restored by US agency

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 on Thursday to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules and reassume regulatory oversight of broadband internet rescinded under former President Donald Trump.

2. Airlines required to refund passengers for canceled, delayed flights

DOT will also require airlines to give cash refunds if your bags are lost and not delivered within 12 hours.

The refunds must be issued within seven days, according to the new DOT rules, and must be in cash unless the passenger chooses another form of compensation. Airlines can no longer issue refunds in forms of vouchers or credits when consumers are entitled to receive cash.

3. How new mosquito nets averted 13 million malaria cases

Compared to standard nets, the introduction of 56 million state-of-the-art mosquito nets in 17 countries across sub-Saharan Africa averted an estimated 13 million malaria cases and 24,600 deaths. The New Nets Project, an initiative funded by Unitaid and the Global Fund and led by the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), piloted the use of dual-insecticide nets in malaria-endemic countries between 2019 and 2022 to address the growing threat of insecticide resistance.

4. Germany has installed over 400,000 ‘solar balconies’

This new wave of solar producers aren’t just getting cheap electricity, they’re also participating in the energy transition.

More than 400,000 plug-in solar systems have been installed in Germany, most of them taking up a seamless spot on people’s balconies.

5. Voyager-1 sends readable data again from deep space

The US space agency says its Voyager-1 probe is once again sending usable information back to Earth after months of spouting gibberish.

The 46-year-old Nasa spacecraft is humanity's most distant object.

6. Missing cat found after 5 years makes 2,000-km journey home

Five years after it ran out the door, a lost cat was returned to a couple in Nevada after it was found thousands of kilometres away. The couple are praising the cat’s microchip for helping reunite them.

7. Restoring sight is possible now with optogenetics

Max Hodak's startup, Science, is developing gene therapy solutions to restore vision for individuals with macular degeneration and similar conditions. The Science Eye utilizes optogenetics, injecting opsins into the eye to enhance light sensitivity in retinal cells.

Clinical trials and advancements in optogenetics are showing promising results, with the potential to significantly improve vision for those affected by retinal diseases.

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That's it for this week :)

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Buy me a coffee ❤️

Also don’t forget to reblog this post with your friends.

[tiktoksthataregood-ish]

[friendraichu]

[snake-and-mouse]

JEANS

[alwida10]

Cool. Now show us the positive examples.

[e-the-village-cryptid]

my first reading in my African history class this year is about why using “tribe” to refer to ethnic groups stems from a racist desire to make African conflicts sound primitive or stemming from a desire to pretend that these are just ancient conflicts that have always existed. great article and I also feel like I’m vicariously experiencing the bullshittery that this author has been subjected to from people they’ve tried to talk to about this. like the article remains extremely professional but you can just hear in the tone that they’re talking through gritted teeth, you can practically see the customer service smile

[ID: a screenshot from a section of the article titled “But why not use ‘tribe’? Answers to common arguments.” Under the bullet point for the argument “Africans talk about themselves in terms of tribes” is written, “Commonly when Africans learn English they are taught that tribe is the term that English-speakers will recognize. But what underlying meaning in their own languages are Africans translating when they say tribe? Take the word isizwe in Zulu. In English, writers often refer to the Zulu tribe, whereas in Zulu the word for the Zulu as a group would be isizwe. Often Zulu-speakers will use the English word tribe because that’s what they think English speakers expect, or what they were taught in school. Yet Zulu linguists say that a better translation of isizwe is nation or people.” /end ID] 

translation: “ ‘Oh ho ho but some Africans themselves say tribe!’ You dipshit. You fucking donkey. When someone has a word that means “nation” or “people” in their own language but then when they learn English YOU TELL THEM IT TRANSLATES TO “TRIBE” then THAT WILL BE THE WORD THEY USE. Maybe if you LISTENED TO THE LINGUISTS OF THAT GROUP you’d have more accurate information. Asshole.”

each point is repeated over and over with like five different examples because you just know there are dipshits out there who will keep arguing.

to the anonymous author of this article for the Africa Policy Information Center I hope you have a good day every day and experience fewer people being assholes about this, your patience is actually legendary

[e-the-village-cryptid]

[ID: The author’s response to the argument “Avoiding the term tribe is just political correctness.” It reads “No, it isn’t. Avoiding the term tribe is saying that ideas matter. If the term tribe accurately conveyed and clarified truths better than other words, even if they were hard and unpleasant truths, we should use it. But the term tribe is vague, contradictory and confusing, not clarifying. For the most part it does not convey truths but myths, stereotypes and prejudices. When it does express truths, there are other words which express the same truths more clearly, without the additional distortions. Given a choice between words that express truths clearly and precisely, and words which convey partial truths murkily and distortedly, we should choose the former over the latter. That means choosing nation, people, community, chiefdom, kingroup, village or another appropriate word over tribe, when writing or talking about Africa. The question is not political correctness but empirical accuracy and intellectual honesty.” /end ID]

[e-the-village-cryptid]

quick note my bad the authors are not actually anonymous they were just listed in the fine print at the end of the article rather than under the title: “The main text of this paper was drafted by Chris Lowe (Boston University). The final version also reflects contributions from Tunde Brimah (University of Denver), Pearl Alice Marsh (APIC), William Minter (APIC), and Monde Muyangwa (National Summit on Africa).”

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Given a choice between words that express truths clearly and precisely, and words which convey partial truths murkily and distortedly, we should choose the former over the latter.

Preach!

[tiktoks-for-dead-pope]

[amyygdalaaa]

omg you do not understand how rare it is to see queer desi weddings this is beautiful

[wbrightn]

Thor: