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mehran, 24, neem-rooni, Great Lakes/Chihuahuan Desert

[sizhens-deactivated20250415]

[sizhens-deactivated20250415]

the first time i posted this a lot of people were like "fucking in parks was out of left field but I agree with everything else" despite this being the "gay people website" and like. i just wanted to be like "do you know literally anything about your gay history? what do you think comes from criminalizing the act of having sex in public, like in a park? do you think those policies might unduly target particular vulnerable demographics? do you think that these policies might be used maliciously and selectively to sweep the streets of 'undesireables'? doe you understand that this is violently reactionary?" but these suburbanites turn their ears off and start shouting about Consent.

[sizhens-deactivated20250415]

like im sorry but you are not being raped by seeing someone in public have consensual sex and you are not being raped by being exposed to weed smoke at a concert and you are not being raped by "having" to see a homeless person on the train talking to themselves or rolling a blunt or whatever. a violently parochial people who are used to living in castle-fortresses indeed.

[sizhens-deactivated20250415]

also this shouldn't have to be said but like. you have so much more in common with the homeless person shooting up on the train than you do with the overlords who have determined that she is not a human being. and you have an infinitely higher chance of becoming her than you do have of becoming one of the overlords who define the policies that seek to eradicate her. and many, many people refuse to acknowledge that the reason they find seeing people like her so repulsive is because it is a displaced and repressed understanding of the reality that they could become her at any moment. what separates you from the homeless woman who hasn't been given access to a shower in several weeks? is it something spiritual and intrinsic to you, which makes you a better person than her, someone more pure and chosen by God, a kind of mode of existence which justifies her state because she must have done something to deserve this? or is it something far more frightening: that you have just been lucky enough to not have been forced to become her? That you have been afforded protective privileges by the powers that be, which stop you from suffering her fate? These privileges can be rescinded in a moment. The homeless woman is the same kind of human being as you, simply unluckier. It is seriously critical to understand that all of the people around you are human beings just like you are.

[skaldish]

Still bothered by the US cultural idea that men can only be non-romantically intimate with one another in war-like or competitive circumstances.

[skaldish]

I’m pretty quiet about the fact I’m a transman usually, but holy shit I need to tell you about the culture shock I’m going through because it’s blindsiding me.

There’s a huge sense of social isolation that comes with being perceived as male, because now people are subconsciously treating me as a potential predator. All strangers, no matter their gender, keep their guard up around me.

It made me realize that there is no inherent camaraderie in male socialization as there is in female socialization—unless, of course, it’s in very specific environments. And the fact I don’t amnbiently experience this mutual kinship in basic exchanges anymore is an insanely lonely feeling.

You know how badly this would have fucked my mind up if I had grown up with this?

[skaldish]

It is 4:30am and I’m mourning the loss of a privilege I didn’t even know I had.

[skaldish]

Anyway, I’m going to figure out how to navigate this. Don’t know how yet, but I’m gonna.

[skaldish]

Absolutely, because it’s an extremely sticky issue.

Frankly, this is something I would’ve never understood without living the experience.

It’s now blatantly clear to me that most cis men probably experience chronic emotional malnutrition. They’re deprived of social connection just enough for it to seriously fuck with their psyches, but not enough for them to realize that it’s happening and what’s causing it.

It’s like they’re starving, but don’t know this because they’ve always been served 3 meals…except those meals have never been big enough.

This deprivation comes from all sides of aisle, by the way.

In the case of women: When I’m out in public and interact with women, all of them come off as incredibly aloof, cold, and mirthless. I have never experienced this before even though I know exactly what this composure is—the armor that keeps away creepy-ass men.

As someone who used to wear it myself, I know this armor is 100% impersonal. Nobody likes wearing it, and I can say with absolute certainty that women would dump the armor in favor of unconditional companionship with men if doing this didn’t run the risk of actual assault. (Trust me when I say women aren’t just being needlessly guarded.)

But I only have a complete understanding of this context because I’ve experienced female socialization. If I hadn’t, I would’ve thought this coldness was a conspiracy against me devised by roughly half of the human population. Even now, with all that I know about navigating the world as a woman, I’m failing to convince my monkey-brain that this armor isn’t social rejection.

And as for male socialization? Again, it seems taboo for a man to be platonically intimate with men for reasons I have yet to fully understand, but I think it boils down to a) the fact society teaches boys that it’s not okay to be soft with each other, and b) garden-variety homophobia. Our media only shows men being intimate with one another when they’re teamed up against a dire situation, and I’d bet real money it’s a huge reason why men gravitate toward activities that simulate being teamed up against an opposing force.

But men are not machines of war. Yes, testosterone absolutely gives you Dumb Bastard Brain, but that just makes you want to skateboard a wagon down a hill or duct-tape your friend to the wall, not kill someone.

The human species looks so much colder standing from this side.

I can see how men might convince themselves that their feelings of emotional desperation is personal weakness as opposed to a symptom they’re all experiencing from White Imperialism. Because this human connection, this frith, is as essential for our wellbeing as water is.

So sick. How sick. I want to destroy this garbage.

[crane-among-celandines]

I am reminded of a moment which blew my mind a few years ago.

I was talking to my mum about how difficult it was to make new friends, and how isolated I sometimes felt. And her suggestion was:

“Well, you go swimming, don’t you? Why don’t you try and strike up a conversation with someone at the swimming pool?”

And I was just. Stunned, by this incredibly vivid example of how differently she expected the world to engage with her.

I’m non-binary, but anyone looking at me in a swimming pool is going to see me as a young man. And if I tried to strike up a conversation with a random stranger in a swimming pool, while we’re both mostly nude they would find it creepy and unsettling. If they were a woman, they would certainly think I was trying to hit on them, and possibly feel threatened by it. If they were a man, they would probably think I was trying to hit on them, and possibly threaten me because they felt threatened by it.

And when my mum suggested this, I was struck by a powerful sense of how different the world must look when it’s okay for you to just start a conversation with a stranger in a swimming pool.

[trenchcoatfullofcats]

My husband and I are extremely clucky (we’ve been friends since forever and so married young) and every time I see a little toddler or baby in public I’ll smile at them are give a little wave. Now sometimes they’ll just blatantly stare at my hubby (he’s quite tall and has a big smile). And as someone who has worked in childcare, I know that positive interactions with adults are really important for little kids so I nudge my husband and say look they’re staring at you. And his response is always heartbreaking, “I know, but I can’t look at kids in public spaces, their parents will think I’m being a creep.”

We were in IKEA the other day, and as it sometimes happens you keep bumping into the same people who are moving through at the same pace. And this 2-3 year old kid is in his parent’s trolley and just obsessively staring at my hubby. And after the third time I pointed it out, hubby got really annoyed and huffed about how he can’t just interact with this child etc etc. Skip to like a half hour later we’re in the line to pay and hubby leans over with this soft smile and says that he saw the kid again a few minutes ago and finally smiled and waved back and the kid (now waddling next to his parents) got excited and ran to his dad and pointed out hubby and the guy just smiled back.

I had to bite my tongue so hard not to say hey see, it wasn’t a big deal. Because I know how hard that perceived fear is, no amount of logic or convincing can make that feeling go away. It’s really heartbreaking.

[mediocrerenaissancememe]

And as much as there a bunch of terrible men ruining the dialogue, this is what most mean when they talk about men’s issues. Not only can we not start a conversation with a stranger, or talk about emotions without social backlash - most of us cant even talk about not being able to talk, because people jump to the conclusion we’re being misogynists or stealing the air from women’s issues or want to be able to approach others only in a predatory way. But really, we just want to speak without being seen as a threat.

Don’t get me wrong, women and queer folk CERTAINLY have it much worse institutionally, systemically, and financially… But being a man is extremely difficult socially. And it’s the kind of social difficulty you can’t address as a man %99 of the time. It’s extremely lonely. And even though it’s not at all justified, this social isolation and constant perception as a threat, is a big part of what drives so many men to commit terrible atrocities

[virovac]

I didn’t have anything to contribute first time I reblogged, but just remembered seeing that from seeingstuff by neo-nazis and ex-neonazis: and it seemed very obvious to me that preying on this type of loneliness is a huge part of how they indoctrinate people and raise their numbers.

[weaver-z]

I’ve decided that all bats fall somewhere on this horrid little graph I’ve devised. Here are some prime examples of the various Creature Varieties found in nature.

[geehoneybee]

@zeelzebub

[spirulin4]

a quick “why is my life so bad” checklist

how’s your sleep schedule

have you eaten or drank anything besides sugar and caffeine

how long have you been sitting in one spot

have you gone out in public recently

have you taken a shower/brushed your teeth/groomed yourself properly

have you spent time doing an activity that doesn’t involve a screen

etc

[sister-in-samsara]

HEY I DO ALL THIS REGULARLY IM JUST DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS OKAY

[spirulin4]

get it together

[youjustdontunderstandmymusic]

borrowing the tiger’s power

yuzu katou

[lilyblisslys]

the most annoying thing abt adhd is getting up to take your meds, sitting down, and then having no fucking idea if you actually took your meds

[30to50feralcatgirls]

my morning/evening daily pill box is what saves me here, at least with this I can go and see that saturday morning is empty so I must have had my meds

[lilyblisslys]

I’m too bad at remembering to refill them each week :(

[30to50feralcatgirls]

yeah I worry that’s what’s gonna do me in eventually, i’ll forget one sunday evening to do it and just the whole house of cards will fall apart

[lilyblisslys]

that’s exactly what happened to me lol

[cutiepyre]

If you're struggling with that, you could try a timer cap! I just found out about them recently and they seem amazing. It's a cap you can put on most pill bottles that tells you when you last opened it, so if you're worried you haven't taken them yet you can just look and check without needing to refill a pill counter every week. You can get them from the manufacturer here for pretty cheap ($15-$25 for most of them)

Never forget if you did not take your medication. Its automatic stopwatch, allows users to easily detect the exact time your medication was

[bruntalism]

[sapphling]

ever since my gf and i moved in together a couple years ago i've been semi-regularly executing something i call a "prank night." this is something you want to do frequently enough that it's not a special occasion, but spontaneously enough to make it a prank. the set-up for a prank night is simple

listen to your partner and take note of a couple things she's putting off doing, as well as a couple things she's been wanting

wait for a day when your partner is out of the house for work or errands

tell them that you'll be playing videogames/hanging out with the guys/doing very little all day. this way her guard will be down

now you can execute the four core aspects of the prank night

act of service. complete a chore or task that you know she's been dreading. doing the dishes/cleaning the living room/making an appointment/doing the groceries, etc.

lil gift. flowers, chocolate, anything that you know she wants but hasn't felt justified in getting for herself

sustenance. a charcuterie board, a homecooked meal, her favorite snack, or a fancy cocktail can all work

fourth, final, most important, when she gets home you sit her down and eat her out like she's your last meal on death row

The Look On The Girlfriend's Face Will Be Awesome!

[herpsandbirds]

Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus), male, and Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis), male, family Cardinalidae, order Passeriformes, Texas, USA

Photograph by Jeff Clow

[aplpaca]

Bruh,,,,

[aplpaca]

These guys!!!!!

[luxmundi-i]

[catchymemes]

[finalgirlabigailhobbs]

“she should be at the club” well i should be in the green house party paintings by salman toor

[sadhoc]

i remember a while back people on here used to really tokenize disabled protesters, like show images of protesters in wheelchairs and say shit like "see there's no excuse not to show up" or what have you. and i'm really glad we've moved past that, because in my experience with higher risk protests, even before my disabilities got to the point they are now. people would stop to help me. it would sometimes take two or more strangers to physically help me move away from a dangerous situation. i'd wind up requiring assistance at serious times, and derail other people's activities. none of this was safe. none of this was helpful. none of this did anything for the causes i care about.

and that isn't to say that disabled people have no place on the front lines! i have organized with a lot of wonderful disabled activists who are able and willing to put their bodies on the line for the movement. and yet, what i guess i'm trying to say is know your bodymind. know your disabilities. know what could happen to you and anyone who steps in to help you. there are other, more productive ways to contribute, and for some of us, that is more sustainable long term.

and for fuck's sake stop taking pictures of disabled protesters and putting them online. you'll get them sent to jail for the sake of your shitty inspiration porn.

[khaleesiofalicante]

"So, take notes, Butcher Biden: The ancestors of the Ireland that you claim to be from disown you. Keep our country out of your mouth. And as for von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), and genocidal Germany with your words and deeds supporting Israel in the ICJ: Not in our name! The people of Europe stand with Palestine and with South Africa."

Clare Daly - Irish Politician and Member of the European Parliament - 16/01/2024

[stil-lindigo]

Bisan is calling for another global strike!

I saw some posts just outlining Jan 21st, and wanted to clarify that Bisan has called for a full seven days of action.

What a global strike would look like is:

calling in sick to work

purchasing bare essentials ahead of the week so you can observe the general boycott of goods / buying as little as you genuinely can

putting in a concerted effort to elevate Palestinian voices and make it clear that this strike is in support of a permanent ceasefire!

For those who will have to purchase necessary goods during this time, please observe the brands that the BDS movement is asking us to boycott!

♢♢♢

Right now is also a good time to mention some better uses for your money during this week.

Available e-sims in Gaza are running low!!

Mirna El Helbawi and her team are working round the clock to continue to connect Palestinians as Israel does its best to cut them off from the rest of the world.

You can learn how to purchase and send e-sims here, and below you’ll find a list of what is currently needed (the areas in brackets indicate what region you should select to buy e-sims in).

--

CareforGaza is an organisation that does verifiably good work, distributing supplies directly to Palestinian families.

They have a Gofundme set up at the moment, but because of Gofundme’s poor track record regarding refusing to transfer funds to Palestinians, I’d recommend continuing to donate directly to their PayPal here.

Good luck to all of you. Don't turn away from Palestine!

[milf-adjacent]

[scratchy-archive]

“How long ago was this poste..oh.”

[wanderingnelipot]

Also worth the read...

The US is starting 2024 in its second-largest COVID surge ever, experts say

A COVID wave is hitting the US in 2024, and it could be the the 2nd largest ever. COVID-19 mask mandates are returning. Know the symptoms, a