"Can I get you a ladder to get off my back?"

Kat. Texas. 26. Two rabbits, two cats, a gecko, and some fish. (Unless you’re my landlord, then I only have one cat)

[agentoffangirling]

As the Supreme Court is now hearing arguments on the TikTok ban, I feel like this is an excellent time to remind everyone that getting rid of TikTok is NOT a good thing

And the reason I bring it up specifically on here is bc I have seen far too many people claim that the ban is for the better, that they're so glad it's gone, that people spend way too much time on it (side note, that's social media in general, it's not just TikTok babes. You're spending 15 hours on Tumblr alone, I'll bet). Even if you don't use TikTok and you absolutely hate its guts, trust me when I say you'll want it to stay

Firstly, there's been very little evidence that TikTok's Chinese owner, Bytedance, has been data mining Americans on order of China. Majority of the evidence has not been released to the public and the stuff that has has been censored. Of course the risk that it could exists-- but you cannot simply assume it's doing this all the time, 24/7, when no current evidence has been presented

TikTok has been taking massive steps to insure that American data is protected, primarily with Project Texas. All American data is stored in the United States and controlled by Americans. Again, American data is with AMERICANS

It is also one of the very few apps that is not dominated by American companies. Does no one find it odd that the only foreign-owned application is being singled out, when companies like Meta and Google have arguably done worse damage? Is no one pointing that out?

Due to this, it allows for less mainstream news to flourish on the app. Palestinians have been able to raise their voices and call to attention what is happening in the region, and activists have pushed the crises of Congo and Sudan to the forefront. No other major social media app and news organization has done this, in fact, Meta censored pro-Palestinian content and immediately toggled on a feature for all users that limited political content

And TikTok is just the start. If it gets banned, do you really think everything else is safe? You think you're safe here on Tumblr? On Ao3? On Instagram? NO

At some point they are going to start going after other apps. They'll celebrate and pat themselves on the back that they "protected democracy" but really they limited free speech. They limited alternative voices. It is not an "if" but "when" they begin going after apps that do not conform to their every single standard

If TikTok goes down, they all do

[copper-marigolds]

So, like, maybe I’ll come back here now that the TikTok ban is happening? Idk man. I wouldn’t wanna make a new account but I don’t know how much I love people being able to see the shit I was reblogging in high school.

[copper-marigolds]

Weird how you can feel sad, wistful, and wistful for the sort of sadness you used to feel, all at the same time.

[collapsedsquid]

[argumate]

it’s kind of established that there is no “get out of a beatdown” role you can take other than being a cop yourself, right? media, medics, lawyers, all fair game.

[quasi-normalcy]

Turns out that cops are just dudes who really like beating the shit out of defenceless people. There’s really no other qualification.

[sonneillonv-deactivated20220218]

For those who hate lawyers I do want to point out that legal observers are sent by the National Lawyer’s Guild, which is the primary organization providing pro-bono legal defense to protesters and black community leaders who have been jailed to try to derail the movement.  So, these are not the lawyers you hate.

[lesbiansandpuns]

Just to reiterate: the entire point of NLG legal observers is to deter unlawful or improper behavior on the part of the police / law enforcement personnel–and to document such behavior, if they aren’t successful in deterring it. In the U.S., they have to be trained and certified. Their job is to help you protest to the full extent of your constitutional rights and with minimal interaction with the criminal justice system. I cannot stress the extent to which they are on your side.

[bemusedlybespectacled]

The National Lawyer’s Guild’s motto is “human rights over property interests” and was created as a direct fuck you to conservative and exclusionary bar associations. Their dues are way cheaper than other bar associations and you can join even as a jailhouse lawyer (a prisoner who teaches themselves the law to advocate for others). 

And just because this is literally my job: your negative perception of lawyers is literally propaganda. The portrayal of defense attorneys as evil for defending criminals, the idea that suing people is something only rich or very greedy people do, the complete erasure of legal aid as a thing that exists, are all designed to make you afraid to advocate for your legal rights.

[misscherrylikesthediscourse]

I feel like in a way “serial killers are geniuses” is just part of police propaganda because it sounds way better than “we are fucking lazy and a lot of serial killers know that and target people who we don’t care about because of racism and classism”. 

[misscherrylikesthediscourse]

More often than not, the killers’ “genius” is far far FAR outweighed by police incompetence and indifference.

[chemicalheart-deactivated202009]

I always think of the green River killer who targeted sex workers cos he knew no one would care and he was basically correct. “I thought I could kill as many as I want and no one would notice” and they didn’t care til he started targeting non sex workers. That’s not genius that’s just society hating SWs yet again

[cultural-antifascism-deactivate]

I can not stress this enough, former representative Dave Richert made his political career on “catching the Green River Killer” but he actually obstructed the investigation for 20 years because he refused to investigate the white killer and instead went after innocent Black men.

[piratetitties-deactivated202208]

The zodiac killer escaped because they put an APB out for a black man after one of his crimes. Two cops came across someone who matched the ACTUAL description, but since they were looking for a black guy, let him go

[ruinedrainbowpooka]

there’s a podcast helpfully called Serial Killers and so fucking often the cops are just “eh, it’s the people we don’t care about” or “the police didn’t want to work together” or some other cop-centric bullshit for why they get away with shit for so long. I’m honestly tempted to start at the beginning again and just keep a tally of “times the cops could have stopped this”

[whitepeopletwitter]

[feedmerightmeow]

When he gets in the tub, sometimes he purrs so loud that the shampoo bottles fall over.

[antlersout]

True power

[cipheramnesia]

I remember a more innocent time, when two bros would chill in a hot tub, six feet apart, not because of a global pandemic, but merely because they were not gay.

[transparensies]

𝖋𝖎𝖘𝖍 𝖎

[nyakotaku]

Puffer fish feels very wronged. 🐡: (spit bubbles)

[sbmranger]

[copper-marigolds]

I can’t post thinly-veiled cries for help on Facebook because people might ACTUALLY try to help me and I don’t really want that, so here we are.

[neckkiss]

[neckkiss]

via weheartit

[catasters]

[doujinshi]

[hey-man-thatsnotcool]

Big boi

[noctumsolis]

I can pet?

[kingcheddarxvii]

“Not all men” I say, “there is but one who is purely good.” But which man am I referring to? In Iceland, deep in the woods and the snow, there lives a lad raised by wolves who feasts upon sunbeams and loves all of nature, unburdened by man’s sins. Tenderly, he strokes a hungry squirrel, sharing with her the last acorns of the autumn harvest. A tear rolls down his cheek. Who is he