Andrew, just Andrew @andrew-justandrew - Tumblr Blog

yodaprod

Windows Start Menu appreciation

Windows 95 (1995)

Windows NT Workstation (1996)

Windows 98 (1998)

Windows 2000 (2000)

Windows Me (2000)

Windows XP (2001)

Windows Vista (2007)

Windows 7 (2009)

andrew-justandrew

The nostalgia. XP still has a special place in my heart.

warningsine

andrew-justandrew

It’s funny because it’s accurate.

soberscientistlife

This isn't about you.

thegaymertrainer

leviathan-supersystem

90% of arguments about media could just be solved by saying “different people like different things in their stories” and leaving it at that

fakeosphere

this person probably humanizes cops/racists, rape, child abuse, incest etc as long as its fictional lol

judygemstone

this is a good and normal leap in logic to make from this post!

wetwareproblem

I certainly hope they do, and not just when it’s fictional. Humanizing them is an important step in stopping the actual real-world harm.

If you recognize that they’re human, then you can understand it’s an issue of rationale and perspective, not Inherent Evil - and you can learn to think like an adversary. This is the first step in developing a good security mindset. That mindset, in turn, is the first tool you need to build functional safety measures and protections for your community.

There’s an added bonus, too - if you recognize that they’re people, you’ll notice that not many people are villains in their own narratives. They aren’t choosing to be evil, they’re rationalizing their harmful choices. And you start asking questions.

If you recognize that cops are people, you learn to ask yourself “Am I being reactionary, authoritarian, and needlessly violent?”

If you recognize that racists are people, you learn to recognize and unpack the racist lessons you were taught.

If you learn that rapists are people, you learn to actively verify consent.

By recognizing that terrible people are not Inherently Bad, but choosing to do terrible things for reasons they think justify them, you get better at protecting yourself from them - and protecting everyone around you from your worst tendencies. It’s a difficult and ongoing process, but it’ll protect you far better than any list of specific Bad Things to watch out for.

wetwareproblem

There’s a flipside to this, of course, and it’s important:

Anyone who tells you that your enemies are inhuman monsters is using you.

Either they’re trying to convince you that they couldn’t possibly be an Enemy because they’re a normal person… or they’re trying to keep you from noticing the little rationalizations. To convince you that atrocity is okay when you do it.

Don’t fall for either lie.

andrew-justandrew

Even if you don’t sympathize, you can empathize.

I don’t feel sympathy for people who do things I consider morally objectionable. I can’t understand their perspective, and I don’t want to understand even if I could. But I can still feel empathy. I can recognize that from their perspective their reaction seems appropriate. I can see the humanity underneath.

I feel absolutely zero sympathy for a homophobe, for example. Homophobia is wrong, period. But if I can stop and put myself in their shoes for just a moment, I start to wonder why they’re homophobic. Are they afraid of their own sexuality? Did they grow up in an abusive environment where deviation from strict heteronormative values meant being beaten by a parent?

None of that justifies homophobia in the present. You can’t justify homophobia. But now I can at least recognize them as another human, dealing with their own shit. They honestly believe that their homophobic behavior is an appropriate response. And if there’s any hope to deprogram that person from homophobia, understanding—and eventually overcoming—those deep-seeded reasons is crucial.

mtndewbajablast

not gonna say it again

khadij-al-kubra

this was ghost written by a disgruntled vampire

theconcealedweapon

"Children shouldn't be transitioning. They're too young to make decisions that can cause permanent damage to their bodies that they'll regret."

- parents who allow or sometimes even force their children to play football

andrew-justandrew

- parents who circumcise AMAB babies

- parents who decide the gender of their intersex baby based on which option is surgically easier

- parents who make decisions about their teenage children’s birth control

- government officials who refuse to recognize the human right to healthcare

-…or food and water

-…or shelter

keepcalmandcarriefischer

Did you guys know that the most recent version of sharks have fins that are kinda leg like and they like to walk up onto land?

bobdylanslesbianlover

no way i must have missed an update!

keepcalmandcarriefischer

The Epaulette shark is only about 9 million years old as a species, making it the most recent branch in the shark family. And it is slowly but surely evolving into a land animal

theeclectickoalastudent

LAND SHARK!

WHATCHA GONNA DO WHEN HE COMES FOR YOU?!?!

darkwingduck

I will give him a kiss on the top of his little head

plaguedocboi

In ten million years these will evolve into little shark salamanders that live in coastal forests

andrew-justandrew

Seems unlikely that this planet will support life in ten million years but I’m not opposed.

afloweroutofstone

This captures everything I love about being online

guerrillatech

owochimuwu

You bad bad boy. Where are mommy's nuclear launch codes

lesbx

afterword

idk who needs to hear this rn but suffering is not noble. take the tylenol

wahoo-shem

One time when I was younger I was refusing to take headache medicine and my mom said “the person who invented that medicine is probably so sad you won’t let them help you” and now every time I find myself denying medicine I just imagine the saddest scientist making those big wet eyes like “why won’t you let me help” and whoop then I take the medicine