AnarchaAmor

Anarchy Is Freedom| Love is Anarchy| she/they| soon-to-be 30| transfemme| sapphic| consider my blackness a rainbow| anarcho-pacifist| disabled

[imsobadatnicknames2]

U.S. conservatives always talk about creating jobs but get SO MAD whenever anyone mentions banning prison labor like imagine the insane ammout of jobs that would be created literally overnight if companies in your country had to actually employ people instead of using slave labor from people that got caught with weed 10 years ago.

[arabian-knight]

Daily reminder that the US, who love to scaremonger about "communist labour camps," have legal slave labour if you're in prison

[shu-of-the-wind]

okay so as much as this post punches above weight on its own i need people to know exactly how many industries in the us are using prison labor, because it is many more than you think:

about 2/3s of prisoners in the united states work and most of those people make nothing for their work. if they make any money it's averaging 52 cents (that's $0.52) per hour and most of the money gets withheld for "room and board, taxes, and court cost" by the prison. some states, including alabama, arkansas, florida, georgia, mississippi, south carolina, and texas, pay nothing. here is a 150 page ACLU report on this that was published in 2022. if you refuse to work you might be sent to solitary or have your parole chances destroyed. there are no labor protections. people get killed. incarcerated people produce billions of dollars a year and almost never get paid.

there are basically three forms of prison labor. the first is labor inside of prisons to keep the prisons running. which means that if they let people out? their admin goes down. which is a reason to not let people out. the second is work release, providing inmate labor to private companies at offsite locations, like poultry plants, cattle and dairy farms, and other agricultural services. (this includes firefighting. incarcerated people are saving your fucking lives for less than five bucks a day.) the third is production of goods for external sale, including farm work, manufacturing, call center, distribution services, and others. and yes, before you ask, this includes immigration detention, which may i remind everyone is made up of civil detainees; immigration violations are not crimes but civil violations and people are trapped and exploited in private prisons and then utilized for profit.

this is legal because of the thirteenth amendment to to the US constitution, which states (and this is a direct quote), that "neither "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the united states[.]"

colorado banned prison labor five years ago but prisoners say it's still going on as of november 2023. there are other state initiatives trying to get prison labor banned, but when the government literally relies on incarcerated people to keep running, it's an uphill fuckin road.

companies which use prison labor or sell products made by prison labor include:

walmart

kroeger

target

aldi

whole foods

mcdonald's

wendy's

starbucks

sprint

verizon

victoria's secret

the dairy farmers of america

dickinson frozen foods

badlands quilting

pizza hut

hickman's egg ranch

fidelity investments

jc penny

american airlines

avis rental cars

the oregon department of motor vehicles

3M

allstate insurance

american apparel

american express

costco

enterprize

fedex

frito lay

hertz

HP

little caesars

kfc

office max

sara lee

xerox

and so many others.

[runninghands]

The problem and practice is so pervasive it is honestly really difficult to boycott and divest from products produced by prison labor. Sometimes we can search and find out if a company uses prison labor, sometimes it just feels unknowable. Sometimes those companies are your only option for internet service.

[queerautism]

Companies also love to market a product as "made in America" without clarifying it was made by prison labor. If something says it was made in America but gives zero further details, be very wary of it. Shit that is marketed towards a conservative audience absolutely loves to do this especially.

[anarchistmemedistro]

burn down the american plantation

[anarquistaantifascista]

[thoughtportal]

The US Military in Hawaii

[our-queer-experience]

we DO grow old and happy. btw.

[imconfusedallthetimehelp]

And you find love and it stays with you.

[irisbleufic]

Older women are so, so beautiful, and older trans women are no exception. Celebrate the beauty of our elders! Celebrate trans beauty!

[our-queer-experience]

^^^

[stayingmachine]

I wanted to share some more of these, specifically trans women of color. The images I'm posting are from a project called To Survive On This Shore and it's an interview project. I am only posting a handful so it's so worth checking out!

This is Linda, 60

Alexis, 64

Helena, 63

Kendrah, 72 (!!)

Tasha, 65

It was deeply healing to me to discover this project. The site has selected photos and attached interviews and it's definitely worth your time. I didn't include any because the focus of this post imo is transfems but there are a lot of beautiful interviews with transmasc people too if you're interested! But that'll have to be another post 💖

[seth-sieben]

May I add for our trans brothers the glorious beard of DaddySpencer who turned 61 not long ago. I think he's the first old, happy trans man I've ever seen.

[fashion-runways]

ALICE + OLIVIA Spring/Summer RTW 2025 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways

[gigizetz]

omg I'm doing some research of Tiresias' myths and all versions of how he became blind are the funniest things I've ever read

my favorite is the one where Hera and Zeus were arguing about which gender had more pleasure during sex (as you do), Hera being fully convinced that men was the answer. They asked Tiresias and he said women had the most pleasure, and Hera (in an act of pettiness I think?) made him blind

[anarcheamor]

It's a bit more complicated than that. Tiresias was a woman at the time and Hera's priestess. This is actually a bigger deal than you think cuz gods being humble enough to seek any form of council from a mortal is rare let alone both the reigning king and queen. It showcases how much of a liminal and wise figure Tiresias was. Anywho, by agreeing with Zeus, Hera took it as an act of impiety but not because she was petty but because several things were being said basically all at once by Tiresias. Firstly, this shows that women aren't traditionally supposed to enjoy sex during that period but they seem to and Tiresias was indeed one of them possibly during her tenure as Hera's priestess (quite scandalous already). Second, Zeus is low-key indicating that he has sought out to provide pleasure to women during his... Umm... Escapades and that only adds to the level of offense that his actions have done to Hera and her reputation. Speaking of which, this basically outs Hera as not having much pleasure from her sexy time with Zeus and opens up the question on whether it's by choice or that he doesn't give her the pleasure he provides his other lovers which ain't a good look no matter how you slice it. So, Hera being the quick on the draw Titaness that she is sees what Tiresias put down and basically "oh, you cheeky bitch" and made her blind. Zeus then comes afterwards and blesses her with a new gift of foresight and extended lifespan as recompense (again, big deal). She would become a man later after doing a repeat of the snake thing.

However, the supposed real reason why she was blind was because of Athena. Tiresias was born a girl and she would trick Apollo into giving her music lessons who then retaliated by turning her into a boy. In her days as a boy, she caught Athena bathing in a pond, scaring Athena who splashed water on her, causing her to be blind. Tiresias' mother, a nymph (ah, there goes the connection to the divine), begged Athena to undo the blinding but she couldn't so she repaid the child by washing her ears allowing her to predict the future from listening to bird calls, which would be the start of her career and legacy as an Oracle.

[jimmyjampots]

[radicalgraff]

Anti-militarist posters seen in Sydney in the lead-up to ANZAC day.

ANZAC day is a annual militarist holiday in Australia and New Zealand used to glorify past imperialist wars and to drum up nationalism and support for future military campaigns.

[weareatgreg]

reblog if you’re a lesbian who supports bi girls, a bi girl who supports lesbians, or if you want all wlw to have a nice day

[everythingfox]

Coming for you

[octobermire]

The Red Sponge: Spongebob’s Role in Enforcing an Oppressive, Capitalistic Society

Every millennial who grew up watching “Spongebob Squarepants” has come to the same horrifying conclusion: you have turned into Squidward. No matter how buoyant, how cheerful, how optimistic you were as a child, there comes a point where you begin to identify with Squidward more than any other character in the show.

You could explain this phenomenon with the disillusionment and cynicism of growing up, or the burdens of being a teenager in a post-John Hughes society. There is, however, an even simpler answer. Spongebob is an allegory for Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto. The show revolves around Spongebob, the hardworking proletariat, accepting a low-level fry cook job and enduring Mr. Krabs’ exploitation with a grin on his face.

The face of compliance

It’s not hard to draw the parallels between Mr. Krabs and the bourgeoisie. He’s a cheapskate who underpays and overworks his employees for his own personal gain. Mr. Krabs famously ripped off his own arms (claws?) to retrieve a dime that fell down the drain. He took his workers on a boating trip to retrieve his millionth dollar from the jaws of a giant clam. He has zero regard for his employees’ safety and almost routinely puts them in danger for his own benefit.  Mr. Krabs’ daughter, Pearl is an extension of the bourgeoisie archetype. She’s vain, self-centered, and largely unaware of others’ misfortune. She lives in a bubble, obsessed with clothes, makeup, and celebrities — because she has the leisure for such frivolities.

Remember when Pearl gentrified The Krusty Krab

Speaking of living in a bubble, Sandy is not exempt from analysis. Sandy is quite literally shielded away from the rest of the world. She represents the intellectual elite, using her privilege and higher education to jeopardize working class jobs and further the industrial revolution. Her endeavors into space mirror the Cold War-era “Space Race,” capitalism versus communism. Her voyage ends on the moon, just like the U.S.’s did. On top of her scientific record, Sandy is independent and self-sufficient, exemplifying capitalistic ideals of individualism.

If Sandy is the intellectual elite, then Patrick Star is just the opposite. Patrick represents the bourgeois caricature of the working class that capitalists want you to buy into. He is ignorant, undereducated, and lazy. He lives under a rock, likely because he can’t afford anything else — although he doesn’t seem to mind. Patrick appears to deserve his poverty because he does nothing but sleep, yet he also seems at peace with his lot. This idea of the happy, unproductive bum simultaneously vilifies and justifies the proletariat. “See, they’re poor because they just don’t work hard enough! In fact, they like being poor!” Patrick Star is arguably one of the most offensive cartoon depictions of this generation.

Blatant vilification of blue-collar workers

Spongebob, on the other hand, represents the ideal proletariat. Spongebob is hardworking, humble, and endlessly optimistic. He’s a lot like us before we realized the inherent evils of a capitalistic society. Day in and day out, Spongebob gleefully works a minimum-wage job flipping burgers with no hope of promotion. He’s a cog in Mr. Krabs’ greasy machine, but he doesn’t even realize it. He just continues to skip to work every day, chanting “I’m ready!”. Ready for what, Spongebob? Ready for the bourgeoisie Kool-aid he’s been absorbing through his poriferous sponge body.

Spongebob is the ideal worker, and as children, we aspired to be just like him. The very first episode of Spongebob showed him getting his first job as fry cook. According to the show, the very best achievement you could receive is being gainfully employed. Not only employed, but tirelessly productive and efficient to maximize your manager’s profits. Spongebob famously served busloads of anchovies at a never-before-seen pace. It wasn’t enough that Spongebob could perform his job well; he had to go above and beyond his duty in order to seem valuable. These are the principles we instilled in the youth of today. What went wrong?

Back, finally, to Squidward. Squidward isn’t like Spongebob or Patrick. He isn’t satisfied in his low-level employment. What Squidward seeks is artistic satisfaction and world renown. He covets the success of his employer without achieving the work ethic necessary for someone of his class to ascend. Squidward has realized that the cards have been stacked against him at every turn, and resigns himself bitterly to the clutches of capitalism. If Squidward were less jaded, he could be the catalyst to prompt full-scale class warfare, perhaps ending in a communist utopia. Unfortunately, Squidward’s defeatist personality and egoism prevents him from implementing social change.

Mfw I realized I will never dismantle oppressive power structures that infiltrate our economic landscape

That is why we are all Squidward. We’ve uncovered the limits of capitalism and realized that hard work may not always pay off. We’ve begun to notice the oppressive economic and social structure that infiltrates our everyday life. We yearn for something higher, but feel that change is out of our reach. We become bitter, combative, self-deprecative, and cynical. There’s a reason Squidward is the unhappiest character on “Spongebob.” Not only for faults of his own, but for his own rotten luck. The show subliminally punishes Squidward for his views, hoping to prod viewers back towards Spongebob’s blithe, unfounded optimism.

Their efforts were to no avail. Millions of millennials are finding themselves disillusioned, realizing all along that Squidward was the reasonable one. He had a right to protest Mr. Krabs’ vile working conditions, and his sarcasm was merely a coping mechanism for the injustices placed against him. Squidward is the dissatisfied proletariat, and we identify with him more than ever. The difference is, we have the energy and collective power to succeed where he could not. Together, we can rise up and defeat the bourgeoisie, establishing an egalitarian society that does not prey on the lower classes. In the words of Spongebob, “I’m ready.” Are you?

[weirdoslam-deactivated20181215]

someone add the pic of squidward saying “the workers will not be oppressed” with the hammer and sickle watermarked over

[lesbianviktor-deactivated201703]

[sonbunny]

[sonbunny]

[anarcheamor]

SCP 5263

"It cannot be helped"

[radicalgraff]

"End the Occupation"

Seen in Shadwell, London, UK

[azulcrescent]

Page 344 - Miracle Medicine?

its been difficult to draw comic since the power goes out for 8 hours everyday ahhhh

[androgynealienfemme]

"I was born thirty eight years ago and raised to be a nice Chinese girl. But nice Chinese girls don't grow up to be dykes and rebels. And I turned out to be both.

I grew up on silence. Though I was part of a large extended family, we ate in silence. There was no conversation or laughter, just the sound of soup spoons and chopsticks against rice bowls. I was not encouraged to talk, express emotions, or ask questions. I grew up with a heritage of silence.

I was a girl child, the first born in a traditional Chinese family, raised to be seen but not heard, raised to excel in school but not be curious, raised to be someone's wife but not to be a person of my own. When I was growing up in England, Hong Kong, and San Francisco, I read everything I could get my hands on, but none of the books spoke of my own experience. I started writing when I was eleven years old to fill the silence and to turn the years of rejection into affirmation.

You're probably wondering what the hell any of this h as to do with sex. The answer is- plenty. What I write is shaped by my history and experience as both a Chinese woman and as a lesbian.

Chinese is my first language. But I was fluent only in the words my parents deemed it necessary for me to know. I was certainly not taught the words for breast, cunt, ass, or orgasm. There were no words for sex; therefore, sex did not exist.

I came out as a lesbian when I was twenty-one, but I didn't start writing about sex until almost a decade later. Sure, I wrote love poems, but I never wrote about sex. I was, after all, a nice Chinese girl and we didn't''t talk about things like that. --

I have always loved women passionately. I love the way a femme moves across a dance floor, knowing all eyes are focused on her. I love the hard eye-to-eye look from another butch as she sizes me up as competition- or her next conquest. I love the fluid seduction in a femmes eyes. I love the long line of her neck, her delicate earlobes and soft lips, painted some shade of red or unpainted but deeply flushed from having been kissed long and hard. Many times. I love the curve of her breast, the hardness of her nipples, the softness of her stomach, the fullness of her ass, her legs with a faint covering of hair or long and sleek in black silk stockings. I love the strength of her in her thighs, the firmness of her biceps, the feel of her forearms as she takes me. I love the smell of her heat and the place of pleasure between her legs. I love her ankles and her delicate toes and her soft instep where I run my tongue until my teeth are gripping her Achilles tendon. I love the smell of her, the taste of her, the feel of her, the sight of her. I love women passionately.

--

Some women do not attend my theater or literary events for fear of supporting my sexual politics. I have been accused of recruiting. Never mind that I have a long history of writing, community organizing, and activism. Now I am judged solely for my leather sexuality. It's never been easy being different, but I have always survived. I will continue to speak out, write truths, and make waves. My countryman Mao Zedong wrote, "Dare to struggle, dare to win." I say, dare to write. Dare to be different. And who says nice Chinese girls don't talk about sex?"

"Who Says we Don't Talk About Sex?" Kitty Tsui, The Persistent Desire, (Edited by Joan Nestle) (1992)

[handweavers]

whenever i rb a post making fun of people who think misandry or "transmisandry" exists as an axis of oppression i lose a handful of followers & it always makes me laugh bc i was here in the mines 7-8 yrs ago calling the first "transmisandry" types on here transmisogynist assholes and trying to explain to them in detail why their arguments don't make sense when we were all like 18-19 and freshly out and they were doing the exact same shit back then except now we're all in our late 20s and they haven't changed or learned anything or addressed the rampant racism and misogyny in the community and they've gotten a new gen of transmascs in on their bullshit too. the sad thing is 7 yrs ago it was a lot more of a fringe thing and transfem bloggers and a few nonwhite transmascs on here tried to sound the alarm about these people (i repeat, the racism among these kinds of people has been and still is really egregious) and nothing really happened and so this culture has been allowed to flourish under the radar and now it's like playing whackamole every time i get a new transmasc follower i have to check if they've been convinced by instagram and tumblr posts that trans men as a class are oppressed specifically for being men

[anarcheamor]

So, counter argument: Misandry exists for marginalized men but how it is seen, functions, and propagated is highly misunderstood by mascs and non- mascs alike.

Men of racial and GSR minority suffer from their own particular forms of misandry due to their distance from what's considered the masculine "norm". And while the dude bros of the manosphere can tell them all kinds of shit, the truth will forever be that the misandry they experience comes from men who themselves are invested in upholding toxic masculine norms and standards. Like I don't even need to say too much to make this case, I can just throw a mention of men of color being hyper- or hyposexualized and fetishized by society in accordance to how said society perceives their masculinity and how they should be desired according to such perceptions.

The shtick here is that transmisandry exists for those reasons. Tranmascs, much like their marginalized cis counterparts, experience gendered oppression along masculine lines that transphobia and misogyny can only account so much for. They are men, whatever they experience from the moment they decide to live out their lives as men must be described with their gender in mind. They are not women that they experience misogyny the way that we do. Whatever experience of misogyny they have must be seen with the lens that they are men experiencing it and thus it is indeed a form of oppression against them as men- misandry. To do otherwise is basically saying that they are still somehow women and I won't discredit their experiences and identity by homogenizing it with that of my own or other women's especially when doing so brings up their status as AFAB. It's the equivalent of saying that transfemmes have "male privilege" and I dare somebody to say that to me and not expect to be read for trash heaps. I will not tolerate any analysis of oppression that doesn't take into account that trans people are fundamentally ourselves, there was no point where I was a boy and there is no point where my trans brothers were girls- we were living our lives out in bodies that were placed in society differently than how we viewed ourselves, engaging in behaviors that didn't fit who we were as people, and slowly going through the horror of seeing our physical being stray further away from our truth. To be a woman denied her womanhood is to live under misogyny more than it is to live under transphobia and it is the truth that to be a man denied his manhood is to live under misandry.

I hope I've made a case that misandry exists for transmen and more broadly marginalized men in general cuz to deny oppressed men their own oppression, unique to them, is to basically hand them over to their oppressors. It is important we keep in mind that in intersectional thinking, men are an intersection and they suffer violence that results from that. It is especially important that we do so for transmen as it is very easy for manosphere thinking to slither into masculine minds and they can fall into the same incel-creating traps that cismen often fall for. I want my brothers to feel seen, heard, understood, and (most importantly) empathized with so that they can continue finding solidarity with their sisters and siblings especially now where it is vital that we stick together. I don't want to lose transmen to podcast bros

[zegalba]

Kingyobu, ("goldfish club") repurposes old phone booths into public fish tanks in Osaka, Japan (2011)