Fallacies to avoid when discussing racism and police brutality
Artist: noelle.cress (Instagram)
Misplaced Lens Cap

@theartofmadeline
Sweet Seals For You, Always

★
NASA
Jules of Nature
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year

❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
No title available
Stranger Things
Show & Tell
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her
Keni
will byers stan first human second
taylor price
art blog(derogatory)
trying on a metaphor

pixel skylines
Cosmic Funnies
No title available
seen from Malaysia

seen from United Kingdom
seen from Pakistan
seen from Russia

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United Kingdom

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from Türkiye
seen from United States

seen from United States
@asexuallytied
Fallacies to avoid when discussing racism and police brutality
Artist: noelle.cress (Instagram)
People horrifically fucking up facts about evolution and genetics too support their stupid beliefs or to seem smart and “rational” is probably one of my big pet peeves
Yeah. An enormous number of racists, misogynists, homophobes and transphobes I’ve met eventually whip out something about evolutionary biology and they never, ever, ever, ever have the slightest shadow of even a half-right idea what any of it means or ever cite a claim ever actually made by a scientific study.
Here’s a quick handy reference list or anyone who isn’t sure:
Homosexuality does exist in almost all social species.
“Alpha males” are not a real phenomenon and in fact the most aggressive males tend to be the least reproductively successful.
“Survival of the fittest” simply means that the success of a species hinges on how well it “fits” its environment. It does not mean that stronger or smarter individuals are supposed to succeed. Those things can even be a detriment in nature by wasting too many resources.
“Race” is not a biological concept. Someone who looks different from you has the same human genes, just a different grab-bag of dominant traits.
Evolution is not a march towards higher complexity, more intelligence or even more adaptability. It’s just a fluctuation of characteristics dictated by environmental pressures and mutation. A slime mold isn’t “less evolved” than a hawk, just adapted for success under different parameters.
People didn’t evolve “from apes.” It’s more complicated than that. We are a category of ape, sharing a common ancestor with the other apes.
No human on Earth is “closer” to an evolutionary ancestor than any other. We all descended from the same one.
Neanderthals were also a “sibling” species of ours. We didn’t evolve from them.
Some of us did, however, cross-breed with Neandethal man. It is exclusively non-African races, such as white people, who still carry hybrid human/Neanderthal genes. Whoops, sorry “white purity” skinheads, you’re actually mixed with a whole other species.
Some more stuff!
Humans are actually more genetically homogeneous than most people suspect. This is possibly due to a population bottleneck at some point in our evolutionary past. Two chimpanzees from different sides of a jungle are likely more genetically different to each other than any two human beings in the world.
Our big brains may help us use tools, but what was really principal in their development was the need for empathy, communication, and cooperation.
Humans. Are. Social. So social it drove an incredibly energetically costly increase in our brain size. Don’t believe anyone who says its our nature to fight “every man for themself.” We’re humans, not bears. We fight for each other.
And we always have. Fossil remains are found of ancient humans who bore signs of crucial mobility impairments that lived to notable ages. Some even have sticks or other mobility aids – community care and support is our way. We don’t cast off those with impairments, we stand by them.
Human sexual dimorphism is on a decreasing trend. Our ancestors had greater difference in canine size and overall size. Our dimorphism gap has gotten smaller.
Occam’s razor is the principal that whatever is the simplest explanation is probably the most likely one. Don’t believe someone who says the reason we evolved bipedalism is so that males could carry gifts to females to woo them. Yes, this is a real ‘theory’ on how bipedalism evolved.
Skin tone is an adaptation of UV levels vs vitamin D levels. Both come from the sun. UV is harmful, so where sun is plentiful populations develop a darker skin tone for more protection. The skin needs sun to create vitamin D, so where sun is scarce, the skin tone lightens to allow more sun in. This is literally all it is.
Final thing: No one’s mind is really equipped to fully understand how long a billion years is, or a million, or even tens of thousands of years. Evolution takes place over a loooong time. Its very, very, slow, slower than we can really comprehend. We can’t “stand in the way” of natural selection by caring for our ill. We don’t need to “help” evolution in any way. It inevitably happens, but not on any sort of timescale we could possibly affect, so don’t fall for anyone that tells you not to “stand in the way” of natural selection. That’s fascism, and its utterly pseudo-scientific.
Not to mention natural selection doesn’t have a “will” that you can stand in the way of. Its not an entity with wants, its a millions-year long process. And its impossible for our decisions to “stand in its way.” Our decisions to care for one another are what brought our species where it is, plain and simple.
7 Childhood Issues that Affect our Later Relationships
1. Threats and fear of abandonment. These can lead to jealousy and feelings of insecurity.
2. Lack of emotional nurturing. This can lead to feelings of emotional deprivation – which can feel like a bottomless pit to fill.
3. Growing up with feelings of entitlement. This can lead to feeling as if you don’t have to live by the same rules as others – as you are special, and a bit superior.
4. Being told that you’re inferior or inadequate. This causes you feel like you’re never good enough.
5. The demand to be perfect, and to always get things right. This can leading to being driven – and incredibly high standards.
6. Being betrayed by those you trusted – so you won’t trust now, and you can’t get close to others, or let them get close to you.
7. Being raised is a way that your needs were denied, not allowed, disregarded, trivialised or ignored. This can lead to a doormat type of personality where other people matter – and your needs never count.
cool its may. that’s cool. it SHOULD be february but that’s cool.
guess what month it is? june. that’s not right, but it’s cool.
This is a map of Asia. North Americans, you may notice this map is not solely comprised of Japan, Korea, China and Thailand. People in the UK, you may notice India is not a continent. That is, if those of you who generalize entire continents can even pinpoint India on a map. Indians are Asian, gasp! And not all brown skinned people are Indian, also, gasp! There are an alarming amount of people, of all ages, from all backgrounds, who seem to be unable to process this.
I’m ethnically Asian. Since Asia is an extremely large continent, I could be from any number of countries. I am neither from India, China, Korea, Japan or Pakistan, yet not so surprisingly, I am still Asian.
Yes, there are commonalities across regions, through the conflation of cultures, colonialism, globalization, transnationalism and movement of diasporas. Sometimes these are all the same thing. Rickshaws, rice and curry can be found across the continent. But let’s not overgeneralize. You can also find Buddhists, Catholics, Muslims and Hindus across Asia. Cantonese Speaking Chinese Muslims! English Speaking Indian Jews!
No, we are not all the same. Orientalism? (Please look up Edward Said for basic concepts) No thank you.
Geography, people. It’s important.
This pops up on my dash every so often. I reblog it again, not just because I wrote it, but because nothing has changed since I first posted this.
What’s cool about Iran is that it falls in 3 different regions of Asia so depending on what part of Iran you’re in, you can kind of get culture shocked a bit. The central and western part of the country is West Asia, the north east is Central Asia, and the southeast is in South Asia.
To the folks wondering about Russia being included, I want to mention that the cultural debates and angst about that has been going on for CENTURIES. While France has been pretty fetishized all the way back from Peter the Great, there is no question that we are not Europe, even with that influence showing really obviously in historical seats of power like St. Petersburg. Nonetheless, the whole country was under control of the Mongols (The Golden Horde) from roughly 1242 to 1480, and that left an enormous Mongolian and Tatar heritage that remains to this day. The ancient Scythians are huge in the cultural imagination as well. And besides… look at the Russians who are outside the standard “Kievan Rus” phenotype (which most folks assume is how all Russians look.)
Here are three of the 30 distinct ethnic groups in Siberia alone:
Buryat grandfather, photo by Alexander Newby
Evenk children, photo by Evgenia Arbugaeva
Young Yakut couple, photographer unknown
boom
AS SOMEONE WITH NORTHERN IRANIAN (AZERBAIJANI)/RUSSIAN/ HAZARA-PERSIAN/ UYGHUR-CHINESE ANCESTRY THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL POST
And that’s why sometimes you’ll see a person with curly black hair, pale skin, and hazel-green eyes (my grand-father’s sister) who turn out to be Chinese. Mad recessive genes game at play, I swear. Mongols, they really got around.
why the fuck would i check my email, thats where the fucking emails are
Tips for Getting What you Want out of Life
1. You need to begin by thinking about what you want your life to look like. It’s important to be concrete and specific here – not general and vague. Then, use that information to set clear goals for yourself.
2. Be confident and believe in yourself. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have what other people have, or shouldn’t be that person you’d really like to be. If you’re willing to work hard, and to pay the price required.
3. Keep your focus on your goal – don’t get sidetracked from your dream. You’ll have to keep on going and to push through trying times. Remember, it is worth it. You’ll be glad you persevered.
4. Don’t give into temptation to go for lesser goals, or to do something attractive that won’t lead anywhere. Don’t pretend that you’ll be happy if you give up on your dream. You’ll wish that you’d been stronger and looked at the long-term.
5. If you slip up – just get over it – and move on with your plan. It doesn’t mean it’s over. Get back on track again. The goal is too important to waste time on regrets. Your focus is the future, and what will take you there.
6. Recognise your weaknesses – then plan to manage them. That way you’ll have some strategies to deal with obstacles.
7. Finish what you start, and don’t leave loose ends untied. You have to be committed, and thorough, to achieve. Being lazy or half-hearted will hamper your success.
thank you to all the authors who wrote about beautiful women as liars, femme fatales, wicked witches and cruel, jealous goddesses for providing me with so many excellent role models to look up to and long for
author: this woman is a MONSTER because she prioritizes her OWN DESIRES above other people’s and SCORNS MEN and is HAPPY and she REJECTED ME
me: good for her is she single
Letting go of someone who’s not good for you
Sometimes we need to moe on from a relationship, even though it’s hard or we really love the person. Here are some tips to help you with this.
1. Write down all the reasons why you think it’s bad for you to keep on being a part of this relationship.
2. Try to call to mind the pain and hurtful memories, and all the times you’ve wished that your heart was free again.
3. Identify and list all the different ways you’ve changed, and become less of your self, with this person’s in your life.
4. Remind yourself of how you’ve tried to try to keep the love alive – and how it hasn’t worked, so you still feel unhappy.
5. Think about and celebrate the ways you think you’ll change if you can end things now, and fall in love with someone else.
6. Imagine being strong enough to make a lasting break, and doing what is best for the “you” you want to be.
7. Think of things you’ll do to fill the void it leaves behind – so you aren’t just pulled back when you find you’re feeling lonely.
8. Remember what was good – for not everything was bad. Be thankful for the lessons, and the memories you have.
When working on your goals …
1. Stop fantasizing: Those with too rosy a picture of the future tend to put less effort into reaching their goals. Instead, it’s better to be open to some things going wrong. It will help you see the obstacles - and think through beating them.
2. Visualise process NOT outcome: If you can think through all the steps you will forge a better plan … and it will also help to reduce anxiety.
3. Beware of the “what-the-hell effect”: Too many just give up when they stumble or fall down. It’s better to get up – and to see it as a journey.
4. Attack procrastination: It’s easy to procrastinate when things start getting tough. Make a start, keep your head down, and set yourself deadlines. Once you start you’ll feel much better, and the road won’t seem so hard.
5. Switch out of robot mode: A lot of behaviour is robotic and habitual. We copy other people, or we do the same old things. Take stock, and change those patterns, if they don’t lead to your goals.
6. Know when enough is enough: Sometimes we need to know when there’s no point in going on. We’re flogging a dead horse; things are never going to change. Perhaps it’s time to stop, and to work on something else.
Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart.
William C. Hannan (via onlinecounsellingcollege)
Sexuality is fluid and it changes. Maybe in the future I will feel different and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean it was just a phase. It doesn’t mean those feelings were invalid. It just means those feelings changed. That’s life.
And that's that on that.
Apparently I wasn't done 🤔
From @aoshima_cat: “みんなでエサ場へ行こう!😆 Let’s go to the food field together!😆” #catsofinstagram
[source: https://instagr.am/p/B_qBkWHnat9/ ]
How To Make Yourself Do What You Don’t Want to Do
1. Rather than listening to the voice in your head that is screaming “I hate this; I don’t want to do this” think about why it is a GOOD thing to do.
2. Instead of trying to pretend that you don’t feel this way, accept that you are feeling very blah and negative.
3. Don’t think about results and how well you think you’ll do, as this could raise your feelings of anxiety and fear, just think about “right now” and the first thing you can do.
4. Accept that life is tough, and is full of things that suck – but recognise that doing hard stuff is better in the end. You’ll likely have more choices and freedom, if you do.
5. Just do a little bit for now – then give yourself a proper break – then go back and do some more – and soon you’ll find you’re in the flow.
6. Don’t allow your mind to wander and think of other things. Stay focused for that short time – and then stop, and have fun.
From left to right: Porsche Lacey (food service assistant), Keke Lafayette (food service assistant), Shannon Wiggins (food service assistant), Yolanda Fisher (cafeteria manager), Pamela Harrington (food service assistant), and Katrina Parker (food service assistant)
Elite: fuck…. everyone’s realizing that society depends on bottom-rung workers to survive.
Elite: I wonder if we can pay them in something other than money.
TIME: what if we got everyone to call them “heroes” and paid them in valor and the satisfaction of a job well done?
Elites: my god you’re a genius.
Elites: fuck…. we restricted access to medical care, gave them stress and environmentally-related chronic medical conditions that put them more at risk, and are refusing to dip into our bonuses and stock buy backs for adequate protection for them while they fulfill essential jobs, and now people are realizing that we rigged the game and they’re dying for it.
TIME: What if we put words in their mouth that implied that Black and Brown people are happy to lay down their lives for you?