Youngin' Learnin'

Since 1990

[catchymemes]

[sosuperawesome]

Needle Felted Miniatures

FourFStore on Etsy

[sosuperawesome]

Thanh Nhàn on Instagram

[hundondestiny]

i love libraries but i wish ppl would stop acting like they’re a utopia that exists outside the bounds of oppression except for when it helps tbh.

[hundondestiny]

i have only ever felt welcome in libraries where the staff looks like me, and that’s including when i WORKED at a library as a student volunteer at age 14/15 when one of my grown as fuck 40+ white colleagues refused to be alone in a room with me because i made her uncomfortable by virtue of being Black :) wouldn’t even sort magazines standing next to me, at that, because i was such a threat to her apparently. 

this whole “uwu librarians are just such sweet people! librarians become librarians because they love people! we exist to support the community!” shows me very clearly where people are coming from and it’s not my reality. libraries should be that but don’t pretend those are things that can be assumed lmao.

[hundondestiny]

it’s like a very specific brand of white women librarians who make these kinds of posts and it aggravates me because they are absolutely the ones who call the cops on people who fall asleep, on the adults with learning disabilities who want to participate in children’s storytime (because so many libraries pretend illiterate adults don’t exist to begin with, or just any adults who would like to be read to???), who make stupid rules about who can use the community meeting spaces and for what even tho ur district tells u it’s supposed to be for anyone fitting x y z standards some Sally or Jane always has “it’s just our preferences here at [branch]!” to say about it, who will tsktsktsk at the white boys who come in clearly high but tell you to “keep an eye on” the group of all brown kids because they look like trouble… who huff and puff and get annoyed when they have to explain something multiple times to a patron with a diff native language than English or taking a few extra steps to serve patrons w disabilities but has nooooo problem excitedly repeating information over and over for the abled english-speaking people, cuz you know, they DESERVE help! they’re not a nuisance!

like fucking… miss me w all this nonsense honestly it’s fucking infuriating the more i think about it. if you pretend we already live in a world where “if only libraries had funding, they’d be havens!” then no one is going to have the motivation or even knowledge to push for that as a reality. and the reality is libraries for many of us are just another site of surveillance and violence by the same group of people in a different outfit.

[blue-wisteria-and-freckled-skin]

I will never forget the time I had a man cry while I was serving him in the library where I’ll work.

He was a regular, but didn’t often do much other than sit around and enjoy being here. One day after coming back after my lunch break, he came to the helpdesk and since my other colleague was busy, I stopped shelving and went to help. I’ll be honest, he has learning difficulties and unfortuantely he isn’t very clear when speaking, but we eventually worked out that he wanted a book (through me guessing and him pointing at multiple people reading). After narrowing down what he wanted to read about, dogs, I stood up to go get some examples before he stopped me to say “I can’t read very well.” 

In that instance, I felt so sorry for him. It was clear from his expression that he was ashamed, and I have no doubt half of that shame comes from other people’s usual reactions, but I just nodded, told him to wait there and went to go find some books. Bringing back a handful of different books, from picture books to children’s non-fiction, to dyslexia friendly and giant print books, we had a look through them together while I asked him what books were good and what were bad, so I knew what I was looking for, and it became clear that what he really needed were essentially picture books with at most a sentence per page.

That was simple enough, so I took him to the children’s area and we looked through some books together, ignoring the Karen-mom clearly glaring from the sofa she was sat on. A little later he’d chosen a handful of picture books and was grinning from ear to ear. We went back to the desk and I issued them for him and he was ready to go, before he started crying, explaining he’d never been able to choose his own books before. He learnt pretty soon that I was, unfortunately, the only one of my colleagues who had the patience/human decency to serve him, so he’d usually come at that same time once a week to change his books, always immediately looking for me so I could help him.

This is just one example of one customer dealing with what is practically bullying from adults, who should know better. He just wanted to read and was belittled so much that he was embarrased to say so. Please, please bare in mind that if you serve customers in a shop or library or any customer service role- it shouldn’t even have to be a second thought to just.. not be a dick.  This is just one example. but c’mon, please just be decent to other people.

[ultrajubilee]

This made me so angry and sad. So many people need to take a long walk off a short pier. Thank you so much for being kind i.e a decent human being.

[theleakypen]

god this is so important and it’s one of the aspects of “vocational awe” that we don’t talk about nearly enough in professional library circles.

There’s a bunch of talk about how vocational awe means that library admin will argue that since it’s a calling, library staff should do more with less, resign themselves to being paid less for their labor than they ought, things like that.

There’s not NEARLY enough talk about how library staff will hide behind the “inherent goodness of library work” and ignore the ways in which they perpetuate systems of oppression.

Librarianship is EIGHTY PER CENT WHITE. That number goes up when we’re talking about library administration. And despite the fact that librarianship is overwhelmingly female, library leadership is overwhelmingly male. So we have a majority-white profession headed mostly by white men. Do the math yourself for what kind of service that results in.

Look at the Code of Conduct in a lot of libraries and you’ll see how damaging it is to homeless patrons, mentally ill patrons, patrons of color, patrons with trauma… I did a whole paper in library school on how public libraries can better serve patrons experiencing homelessness and let me tell you we are NOT THERE.

There’s a lot of work being done right now in libraries to try to undo some of these institutional issues. There’s work around divesting from police in libraries, work on not making POC on staff responsible for “cultural sensitivity” or “diversity” training, shit like that. It’s a long road and we’re definitely not there yet and it pisses me off so much when people pretend that libraries, by virtue of being what they are, are somehow exempt from all the bullshit. They’re not. We’re not.

[daemonologic-deactivated2024101]

[worklabournewsresearch]

Unifor’s Road Map for a Fair, Inclusive and Resilient Economic Recovery

“The current economic crisis will almost certainly prove to be the worst economic downturn in modern history. The response to this crisis must be equally unprecedented in order to stave off the worst effects a downturn can bring. The devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic had opened many eyes to the inequality and unfairness that is at the root of our current economic system. In the rebuilding process, there is also opportunity—opportunity to build a better world. A world with less inequality and more income security, a world with less precarious work and more high-quality jobs with stability, a world with fewer climate-related disasters and more smog-free views of the horizon. Research from past recoveries suggests strong government action and concerted effort to build programs and infrastructure can guide the economy back to health at a faster pace than would otherwise be the case—this must be the path Canada takes once again. Government must build a recovery that benefits all people.”

Unifor, June 24, 2020: “Unifor’s Road Map for a Fair, Inclusive and Resilient Economic Recovery” (58 pages, PDF) (Executive summary: 4 pages, PDF)

Unifor, June 23, 2020: “Unifor unveils economic recovery plan to #BuildBackBetter”

Build Back Better

[buenoslectores]

¡Amigos, hay nuevo vídeo en el canal! Aquí les platico de mis frases favoritas de algunos libros y la reflexión que pude encontrar en ellas. Espero les guste. 😊

[endangered-justice-seeker]

Cudjo Lewis, the last surviving captive of the last slave ship to bring Africans to the U.S. 

https://www.history.com/news/zora-neale-hurston-barracoon-slave-clotilda-survivor?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#link_time=1525373347

[revolutionarykoolaid]

It’s so significant too that this narrative was collected by Zora Neale Hurston, one of the greatest authors and anthropologists of her time. She was shunned by the “gatekeepers” of both of these professions, largely because of her Blackness, her womanhood, and her uncompromising commitment to honoring and showcasing both in her works. She died penniless and alone in a state-run institution in 1960. All of her works had gone out of publication by then. It took more than a decade before she was rediscovered. A young author by the name of Alice Walker had come across her work and was deeply inspired by it. “In 1973, after an exhaustive search, Walker came across Hurston’s unmarked grave in Ft. Pierce, Fla. She purchased a headstone for Hurston’s tomb and had it inscribed “A Genius of the South.“”

It is through Zora Neale Hurston’s pioneering sacrifice, and the acceptance of that inheritance by Alice Walker that we have found this missing piece of our history. Without the courageous and unfailing work of Black women, we wouldn’t have Cudjo Lewis’s story. We are slowly regaining a narrative that’s been hidden from us, one that continues to be lied about. Trust Black women to lead the way.

[darksilenceinsuburbia]

[lavenderwaterwitch]

What cuties 😍

[geekdawson]

one of the more valuable things I’ve learned in life as a survivor of a mentally unstable parent is that it is likely that no one has thought through it as much as you have. 

no, your friend probably has not noticed they cut you off four times in this conversation. 

no, your brother didn’t realize his music was that loud while you were studying. 

no, your bff or S.O. doesn’t remember that you’re on a tight deadline right now.

no, no one else is paying attention to the four power dynamics at play in your friend group right now.  

a habit of abused kids, especially kids with unstable parents, is the tendency to notice every little detail. We magnify small nuances into major things, largely because small nuances quickly became breaking points for parents. Managing moods, reading the room, perceiving danger in the order of words, the shift of body weight….it’s all a natural outgrowth of trying to manage unstable parents from a young age. 

Here’s the thing: most people don’t do that. I’m not saying everyone else is oblivious, I’m saying the over analysis of minor nuances is a habit of abuse. 

I have a rule: I do not respond to subtext. This includes guilt tripping, silent treatments, passive aggressive behavior, etc. I see it. I notice it. I even sometimes have to analyze it and take a deep breath and CHOOSE not to respond. Because whether it’s really there or just me over-reading things that actually don’t mean anything, the habit of lending credence to the part of me that sees danger in the wrong shift of body weight…that’s toxic for me. And dangerous to my relationships. 

The best thing I ever did for myself and my relationships was insist upon frank communication and a categorical denial of subtext. For some people this is a moral stance. For survivors of mentally unstable parents this is a requirement of recovery. 

[lysikan]

If it wasn’t stated outright - it wasn’t said.

[33v0]

what is it about capybaras that attracts groups of small animals to them? Its not just mammals either its like birds and turtles and frogs too

[33v0]

look at this shit

They radiate peace

[lizardsister]

capybaras are friend shaped

[gaylor-moon]

I love this post

[cantavier]

This is actually a cool thing I know about!

In the wild capybaras live in large groups so naturally a female capybara will take care of not only her own offspring, but all of the other offspring in the group. So capybaras are super great mothers who will adopt pretty much anything and take care of it.

Lots of places that rescue different animals will give a group of baby animals to a capybara to raise if they have one.

Like puppies

Ducks

Deer

Emus

They are just super calm animals so they’re naturally great at mothering or just existing in a group!

[screambirdscreaming]

mom shaped

[lunar-root]

[florencelovesyou-deactivated201]

DBT queens

[babyanimalgifs]

[valsdas]

this is the strawberry chihuahua of prosperity, reblog to have a bountiful and delicious 2018

[nosferadu-deactivated20181127]

a study.

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

How to Develop Resilience

1. Work on developing a positive self-image, and accepting and loving the person that is “you”.

2. Develop a network of friends whom you can trust – who’ll be there to support you, and give encouragement.

3. Work on developing a positive mind set. Be grateful, optimistic, and focus on success.

4. Believe that you can change things, and make a difference. You’re not a helpless victim; you can take some control.

5. However, don’t waste your energy on things you cannot change. Walk away from toxic people and hopeless situations.

6. Take a long term view of things, and try to maintain your perspective. We all encounter obstacles and challenges in life.

[sosuperawesome]

Ebenism on Instagram

If only

[onlinecounsellingcollege]

Steps to Letting go of Painful Memories

1. Before you can let go, you must face whatever happened and accept that it is part of your past experiences. Suppression doesn’t work as a long-term solution. It can only be a band aid that brings temporary relief. Talk to someone you trust, or write about it in your journal. You need to share what has happened, in order to move on.

2. Identify the lessons you have learned from what has happened. There’s always a lesson – so look for what you’ve learned. It doesn’t make it better – but it does lessen its power.

3. Write the lesson down on a piece of paper and repeat it to yourself when you’re hit by painful memories. For example, if you’ve been scarred by abuse, then you might write something like: “My experience of abuse does not determine who I am. I’m a stronger person now, and that is not my destiny. I’m choosing my own future, and the person I will be.”

4. Repeat this mantra often so it takes root in your mind. Allow it to be stronger than the bad experience. Say it often – till you mean it– then you’ll start to feel you’re freer. Persevere and keep on fighting when the old memories return.

5. Seek to be a person who’s a peace with themselves. When peace is your focus, old thoughts and memories have much less power over how you think and feel. However, seeking after peace must be a conscious, constant choice.

6. When the past tries to intrude focus firmly on the present. Ground yourself in what’s happening around you in the room, and try to breathe deeply - and deliberately relax. You are here in this moment; you’re not living in the past.

7. Forgive – for your own sake. Try to heal from what happened – then let resentments go. You don’t want them in your life for they’ll just tie you to the past. You may need some help with this – but it is worth the daily struggle. It is a powerful tool for moving forward, and being free.

[brigantias-isles]

Marigold

by William Morris (1880)