Just A Random Nerd

[lithiumseven]

Jeeves and Wooster as incorrect quotes

Screen caps by @bluebassy

[girlactionfigure]

When Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (Nachmanides / the Ramban) arrived in Jerusalem in 1267, he found ruins — desolation after centuries of foreign conquest.

Instead of despair, he saw something extraordinary. The Land had refused to accept any other people since the Jews were exiled.

He wrote:

“Many are Israel’s forsaken places, and great is the desecration. The more sacred the place, the greater the devastation it has suffered. Jerusalem is the most desolate place of all.”

And then the profound truth:

“Our Land will not accept our enemies ... Since the time that we left it, [the Land] has not accepted any nation or people, and they all try to settle it ... This is a great proof and assurance to us.”

At age 72, after fleeing Christian persecution in Spain, Nachmanides immediately began rebuilding Jewish life. He established the Ramban Synagogue and a yeshiva that drew students once again.

That small but determined effort helped rekindle nearly 700 years of continuous Jewish presence in Jerusalem — until the Jordanians destroyed the Jewish Quarter and ethnically cleansed its Jewish residents in 1948. 

After the liberation of the Old City in 1967, the Ramban Synagogue was rebuilt on the site of the ruins.

Even in exile and ruin, one of Judaism’s greatest minds understood the eternal reality: 

The Land knows its children.

@CptAllenHistory

[destiel-news-channel]

because someone decided to drop the word 'ethostate' in the comments of a post about israel again, i thought we could play around with some numbers.

According to a 2023 statistic Jews make up about 73 % of Israel's population. Let's compare that with some other countries. (While ethnostate actually refers to racial or ethnic groups and Judaism isn't 'just a religion', I will also give examples for the demographics of religions in countries)

Let's start with the EU: According to statistics from 2019 about 64% of the EU's population were Christian, a decline from 72% in 2012. So what? In 2012 the EU was actually a Christian ethnostate? Or at least consisted of ethnostates? I mean if we think about it, we have to follow the Christian calendar, Christian holidays are mandated by the state while other religious groups have to fight every year to be able to observe their most sacred days. Hell, where I live (in Germany) one of the currently ruling parties is called the Christian Democratic Union and our Grundgesetz (basic law) is built upon Christian roots. They even invoke God in the preamble!

Here some further statistics about Religion in Europe.

As you can see even just looking at individual Christian denominations, there are about 6 countries for which the religious majority makes up more than 3/4th of the population. IN THESE COUNTRIES ONE DENOMINATION OF CHRISTIANITY HAS A HIGHER POPULATION PERCENTAGE THAN JEWS IN ISRAEL. So I hope this shows that 'Israel is an ethnostate cause there is just one religion determining everything' is utter bullshit not just because Judaism is not just a religion but also because I can name 6 countries in Europe alone for which there is a higher percentage of people of a certain religion.

So now to actually look at specific countries. Ireland especially seems to have an antisemitism problem, so how about we focus on them.

As of 2022 the amount of Catholics in Ireland has decreased so that they actually make up 69.1% of the population as opposed to the over 75% from 2019. But the definition of ethnostates actually specifically looks at ethnic or racial groups. Let's see. As of 2022 the largest ethnic group in were White Irish, making up a whole 76.5% of the Irish population. Including other white people in this, this number increases to 87.4% of the population. That is 14% more than the 73% that Jews make up of the Israeli population. The next largest group in Ireland are Asians with 3.7% (or depending on how you'd like to spin it, the 6.16% who did not state their ethnicity. This still doesn't make Ireland an ethnostate though.

And some more examples:

China: 91.11% Han Chinese (2020)

Russia: 71.73% ethnic Russians (2021)

Saudi Arabia: 90% Arabs, 10% Afro-Arabs (2021)

USA: 57.84% White (2020)

Canada: 69.8% White (2022)

Germany: 71.3% Germans (2022)

Democratic Republic of Congo: no dominant ethnic group

South Africa: 81.4% Black

Just so it is completely clear: It is not my intention to call any of the countries listed here an ethnostate, rather I want to detail the absurdity of calling Israel an ethnostate, when you can look at demographics and see many other countries with similar or higher percentages of ethnic (or racial or religious) majorities.

[shofarsogood]

Poland's ethnic makeup today: 99% white, with 98% being ethnic Poles

Poland in 1931, before the Holocaust: Polish, 69% of the population, Ukrainian, 15%, Jews 8.5%, Belarusian, 4.70%, German, 2.2%, Russian 0.25%, Lithuanian, 0.25%, Czech 0.09%

Please explain to me why Poland isn't blamed for their massive ethnic cleansing and the fact that their country is nearly homogenous.

That's an ethnostate to me!

[anxietyproblem]

[zero-two-ten]

this site has one setting

[jenroses]

I’m laughing, but there’s a super useful corollary, which my husband calls “the Red Balloon.” He was a defense lawyer and had a fair number of drug addicts come through, and there is a thing where if you’re like, on your first offense, they’ll do a thing where you can go to treatment and if you complete it they’ll take the conviction off your record.  And he would tell his clients, “Look, everyone’s going to tell you not to do drugs. They’re going to say it over and over again. And it’s like, if people tell you not to think of a white elephant, you’re going to think of a white elephant. But the trick to not thinking about a white elephant is to think of a red balloon. So you need to find your red balloon. For some people it’s yoga. For others it’s woodworking. For some people it’s scrapbooking or gardening or any of a long list of things to do. They focus on that, it’s a lot easier to succeed in ignoring the white elephant.” So yeah, “watch yourself” is one thing… but the better idea is to watch something else. (Even if it’s fanfic about werewolves fucking.)

It’s a form of productive dissociation, and is super, super helpful. It’s easy for me to get bogged down in how much pain I’m in… but some of the most painful periods of my life have also been the most productive, writing-wise, because writing is one of my red balloons. 

[kittydorkling]

There is a phrase I use A LOT in my parenting and my son gets very sick of it, but it’s true:

The thing you practise is the thing you get good at.

You may not intentionally be practicing “being grumpy” but if you don’t put effort into practicing “not being grumpy” then I’m afraid that’s what you’re doing. It’s hard! It’s really hard! Sometimes, for some things, it’s pretty much impossible and that sucks!

But being carefully aware that you are going to get good at the things you do most of is a good way to be more careful of what those things are. If that makes sense.

[bogleech]

You gotta appreciate sometimes how tumblr works in such a way that everyone who wants to reblog this interesting or useful psychological advice is also forced to reblog the thing about werewolf fucking

[bigmouthlass]

I can always write about that, which means one– the itch gets indirectly scratched, and two– I’m practicing writing, which means I get good at writing. And writing’s a skill that has so many applications outside of imaginary werewolf fucking.

[slothful-rabbit]

I laughed so fucking hard at this

[paint-lady]

[aledethanlast]

If you ever think history impressive or grand, here’s a story for you:

Right after ww2, Jews were freed, but basically had no citizenship to speak of, and the allied forces weren’t that!helpful. So a group called the TTG was formed to help emigrate (read: smuggle) Jews from Central Europe, to Mediterranean ports, where they would take boats to Israel.

The TTG did this by piling the Jewish refugees into trucks bearing British insignia, their operatives dressing up as British soldiers, and just openly driving to port cities.

If they were ever stopped by actual military forces, they would say they were a part of a covert supply missing, under special orders from Major Tuches. They would stress that the contents of the trucks was super secret and to not be disturbed under any circumstances. They saved over 300,000 Jews like this.

If that sounds reasonable to you, here’s the thing: TTG stands for Tilhas Teezee Gesheften, and the operatives named one Major Tuches as their commanding officer whenever they needed to.

Or, to translate that into English, the event that saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees was called Operation Kiss My Ass led by Major Asshole.

[just-the-salt]

Didn't think that I'd have to post this exact comparison again, didn't even think I'd have to post it once, and yet I stand disappointed again.

On the left: a sign in German on a street in Bavaria, reading: "Jews are unwanted here." Photo taken by an American in 1937.

On the right: a message from a hotel in Bavaria, Zum Hirschen, sent to Israelis who tried to book a stay, reading: "Sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel." June 2026.

Again, the incident has been "handled": Booking.com took the hotel off its platform and the hotel itself was contacted by the Israeli consulate in Munich. The hotel at first denied sending the message, but later stated that it was indeed one of its employees that sent it. It is yet unclear if the case will lead to formal proceedings.

Let me point out that one small detail. They didn't said Israelis weren't allowed, they didn't say Zionists weren't allowed. They said Jews. Now Bavarians aren't new at the scene of antisemitism, in fact they are very experienced, but nowadays, we don't say Jews when we're being discriminatory, no, we say something else. You're not supposed to say the quiet part out loud! (For those in my comments who don't understand sarcasm, that was it.)

This joins many concerning cases across Europe and the UK (not to mention the US!) that reenact the nostalgic scenes of the 1930s and 1940s. (Again, sarcasm). I haven't yet made a post about the spa in Spain that refused a Jewish woman on entry on account of her Magen David necklace. And here Europe strikes again, in the very place the Nazi party rose to power. All those woke westerners that are so proud to chant about punching Nazis, and where are you now? Aren't you ashamed? Wouldn't even recognize one if it was saluting in your face.

[imyourbadjew]

does anyone else really hate the term "global south" or is it just me

[imyourbadjew]

Like, it’s vague to the point of uselessness, lumps together countries with radically different societies, economies and histories, and has the stink of that white leftist essentialist ideal of “brown people” which implies that those places are “just like that” and can’t or shouldn’t improve in any way

[snulbug]

all u catholics think u have the premium on sexy religious ritual but is there anything sexier than tefillin? no

[snulbug]

like oh just gonna bind the word of g-d to my arm with leather straps nbd

[disfiguredgrace]

being Jewish and worshipping Gd has elements that are inherently erotic, and we have too much going on existentially to be dealing in sexual shame most of the time

[finnglas]

when i was a tiny baby queer (aka a 24-year-old), i went to my first pride festival probably three months after i kicked ex-gay therapy to the curb and came out to my parents. being the people they are, my parents came with me. they weren’t really sure about this whole gay thing, but they loved me and wanted me to be safe and happy and wanted to be involved in what was important to me, so they came along. (i also think my mother still might have thought i might get drugged or murdered or beaten by a protester of which there were plenty.)

anyway i wanted a memento of my first pride, you know, and this one vendor was selling keyrings, and i liked it, so i bought one. do you remember those italian charm bracelets that were all the rage like 10-15 years ago? it was a keychain like that, and it had a rainbow rooster, a rainbow cat, and then just a rainbow, and so I bought it.

i run into my mom a couple of vendors over and she goes oh you bought something? what’d you get? so i showed her, and i was like, “I’m not sure why it’s a rooster and a cat. Seems kind of random. But I liked the rainbows.”

and my mom, who was some form of minister’s wife for most of my childhood and teenagerhood, stares at me like she thinks i’m joking.

“What?” i say.

“…it’s a cock and a pussy, Jules,” she says flatly, and that is the story of how i died at the age of 24 while attending my first pride festival.

[finnglas]

I love how every June this one gets dug up and passed around again, lmao.

[finnglas]

oh no is this what we’re doing now

[finnglas]

…relic…

*crumbles and blows away on the wind*

[inthesensethat]

[hexthelex-deactivated20250420]

This is true btw

[letmeliedown]

the podcast If Books Could Kill has a really great episode on the original book and its legacy! just a bunch of misogynist evangelical bullshit really

[cherishedproperty]

I want to clarify something kind of important because this kinda used to be my field. The concept that people express and feel love in different ways, and that this might lead to misunderstandings, IS something with scientific merit. The idea that there are just five and we know what they are is NOT. The idea that people have a primary love language is NOT.

In science, we have a saying. All models are wrong, but some are useful. That’s how I see the love languages framework. It is inherently flawed, but some of its concepts are useful. Communicate with your partner what makes you feel loved and understand what makes them feel loved. Understand how your partner shows love. There is immense value in that. But don’t over-index on which one of the five you are. That part doesn’t matter.

[thesunflowersqueen]

#love languages#really reblogging for that last comment though#“all models are wrong but some are useful”#the concept is sound but the specifics are uhhhh not (via @mad-madam-m)

[sizzlingsandwichperfection-blog]

there's literally nothing more radical in 2026 than believing that humanity can become good news for each other and the only world we'll ever share.

[liminalbeauty]

Saving the tags.

[returnsandreturns]

i HAVE to stop looking at shelter cats until i'm moved but BUNNY

[returnsandreturns]

bunny is still there and apparently hasn't been adopted because she's very skittish and shy but so AM I

i assume they don't put cats on layaway but i might go this weekend to see if i can say hi, at least. and then bring her home on, like, june 5th when i'm all moved and settled if she's still there.

[returnsandreturns]

bunny 1.5 years and a few pounds later

[returnsandreturns]

i would have been more specific if i knew this would blow up but i went to see bunny that weekend and she immediately reached her head out for me to pet her even though she never let strangers touch her and i ended up rushing to petsmart to buy a carrier and immediately take her back to my parents' house until i moved

she now waits in the shadows to run and jump into my lap every single time i sit down and says thank you for all your kind words in the tags

here are some more pictures just from the last month of her being the most cute

[unsolicited-opinions]

Are the flotilla people and their friends right thast the blockade is illegal?

I went into detail on the blockade by Israel and Egypt about a year ago, around the same time I explained how full of shit Greta's flotilla was.

The claim that the blockade is a violation of international law completely ignores how the laws of war actually work.

Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, every country has an inherent right to self-defense. In an ongoing armed conflict, a blockade is a standard, legally recognized tool used to cut off an enemy's supply lines and stop them from importing weapons.

International law regulates blockades. According to the San Remo Manual, a blockade is perfectly legal as long as it is officially declared, actually enforced, and doesn't have the sole purpose of starving civilians.

Because this maritime blockade is specifically designed to stop military contraband (like rockets and dual-use materials) while allowing inspected humanitarian aid through, it ticks every legal box.

The United Nations itself thoroughly investigated this and published the Palmer Report.

The UN panel explicitly concluded that the naval blockade of Gaza is both legal and a legitimate security measure to prevent weapons smuggling.

I'd argue it isn't as effective as it should be - but it's legal.

When you add the land borders to the mix, the argument collapses entirely. Egypt is a sovereign nation. Under international law, a sovereign state has an absolute right to control its own borders. Egypt has no legal obligation to keep its frontier open to a territory run by an armed group it considers a national security threat.

Neither Israel nor Egypt is legally required to maintain open, uninspected trade routes with a hostile entity - and Hamas has been relentlessly hostile to both Israeli and Egyptian civilians.

[teaboot]

I’m not Christian, I don’t go to church anymore, and my pastor died, but when he was alive I’d sometimes go to his sermons and I remember one time he said “it feels good to hate, but we know that it isn’t allowed, so when we’re told that we’re allowed to hate someone we get so excited that we forget we’re supposed to love”, and if my humble atheist ass might borrow some church talk I’d like to perhaps submit that

[teaboot]

Anyhow sometimes on the day to day I feel disgust or revulsion and I have to ask myself “is this a danger to anyone at all or am I just looking for something I’m allowed to hate” and a solid 98/100 times it’s the latter so once again thank you pastor D

[infiniteglitterfall]

[ancestralsurvival]

To OP’s point, Indigenous Bridges put this statement on Instagram in late 2003:

[melkingsbush]

mel king + textposts :)