a lot of people in this world are afraid of looking stupid and those people can be very mean when somebody else is okay with asking questions, because asking means you don't know, and not knowing means you're stupid, at least in their projection. if you're one of these people, i implore you to get comfortable with not knowing and being wrong. curiosity is not a crime. you can't know anything about everything without asking questions first.
it's very frustrating seeing otherwise well-structured posts about media literacy and critical thinking bookended with statements about "nowadays", "nobody has literacy anymore", "this generation is so anti-intellectual", and the like, unquestioningly falling into better past fallacies.
Do we really think the 80s and its Satanic Panic were better at critical thinking? what about the 40s? the Victorian era? societies have always had problems with critical thinking and literacy, because most societies have dealt with propaganda, corrupt leadership, difficulty providing education (due to poverty or discrimination or other issues), and/or people who resist critical thinking (due to privilege or circumstance or what have you). we can criticize media trends without pulling a "well back in the GOOD OLD DAYS" about it.
hey guys you know a work can have challenging & disturbing & weird themes without it actually being a kink that the writers have, right? I know we all like to use that āthe authorās barely disguised fetishā meme but i truly need yāall to understand that some things are just recurring themes & motifs in a body of work without it being sexual for the writers or anyone involved in the creation of art. Itās important to me that yāall know this.
hello mutuals! i know for many (especially for those still in school) it's getting to the summer - which allows a lot more free time. it's very easy to get sucked into the internet, and all of its vast tar-pit-of-evil sides - SO! i have devised a list of things to do instead of doomscroll! feel free to reblog with your own recommendations, save as a checklist or whatever!
open me!
boonscrolling
still enjoy the scroll? want it to be a bit less draining? here's what i would recommend! (term coined by petrapixel - detailed more here by her with general advice, these are more tumblr-specific):
find a way to block ads (only really applies to browser, i would recommend ublock origin (does not work on chrome)
block tags of things you aren't interested in
clean out your follow list
put limits on your time on certain websites/apps - i'd recommend screenzen (free) for android or leechblock (free) for browser
block out or don't read comments sections (this one is hard - but really helps)
when you see a post you like (especially art or fics) - yap in the reblogs about what you liked about it! this will guaranteed make an artist happy, and makes you happy as you appreciate it :D
start a sideblog to appreciate a certain character or piece of media you love
change your tumblr and phone theme to match
web exploration
these activities are for those who still enjoy the internet, or their device of choice, but don't want it to become all consuming!
neal.fun is a great website to spend a couple hours playing games
play old coolmathgames (i'm partial to the papa's games but it's up to you)
do some picrews!
make a picmix account and do some of those! (gif collaging) - you may want to block the AI content that is frequently on the site (limited to mainly desktop only)
explore the indie web through neocities or nekoweb (limited to mainly desktop only)
make a carrd, strawpage, or if you're feeling spicy enough to learn HTML and CSS - a website! :) (limited to mainly desktop only)
try a new mobile game! i play project sekai, but there are other cool ones you can try!
pudding.cool is a very interesting website with visual essays (limited to mainly desktop only)
play the wiki game, where you try to get from one wikipedia article to another through linked pages
start a pinterest board for a character you love, or better yet, your OCs
try a new browser... perhaps... waterfox?
read fanfiction from a fandom you're not in!
make a pronouns page!
learning is cool!
these are things that you can learn with free resources on the internet :D
watch crash course anything! these videos are great for understanding a new topic
learn all the countries in the world through a site like seterra (also has an app)
go on a wikipedia rabbithole
go read a free classic book on project gutenberg
learn about american history with the free textbook the american yawp
learn about native species in your area :)
get anki and try some flashcard decks (a bit of assembly required but this program is wonderful! i use it to learn languages mainly)
learn about history from heimler's history
learn HTML and CSS (ties to above making a website) from w3schools or petrapixel
artsy stuff
this is primarily geared towards visual artists - which not everyone is! all resources are free :D
practice figure drawing with a site like line of action
draw fanart of someone's OC (they'll love it)
do artfight this july!
do some drawing from photography off of pexels
learn about perspective with drawabox (not for the feint of heart, but good if you're up for it)
draw or make some OCs
try a new art style
try a new medium or art program (may i recommend... krita? (free, desktop only, sadly))
whimsy without limits
these activities are more focused on the real world than the digital zone - and may be a bit trickier to do for that reason
collect forgotten objects, or other things that you can easily find like rocks
explore your area - even if you live in the suburbs - map it out on paper :)
make an alphabet cipher
reorganize your room, or if that's too overwhelming, just a section of it
clean out your bag and reorganize it
make a list of things you are excited for
make a new baking recipe
learn card tricks and card games
volunteer somewhere - many local environmental groups or churches have ways you can help out, even if you aren't affiliated!
go on a walk or hike
get into running! (not for everybody but if you're new to it i recommend c25k - it's a program that helps to ramp you into running!)
do some chill yoga to wind down - i really like yoga with adrian
some assembly required
these tasks require materials less easily accesible, or some cash - so they are in a seperate section
learn how to (and make) friendship bracelets
learn how to (and make) kandi bracelets
learn how to (and) crochet
scrapbook with various pieces of paper and stickers you have on hand
make jewelry out of wire
do a puzzle
start a simple sewing project, like a pouch or small bag
try customizing old dolls
try origami
go to a convenience or grocery store you've never been to and try something new
make pins or stickers
try a new flavor of your drink of choice
or
just spend some time sitting and chilling out :)
i hope you found this helpful! remember that however you're doing or feeling this summer - a little alien in washington is rooting for you! :>
went through the effort of making this gif just to remind everyone of rocky scooting closer to grace on the beach
[ID: A gif from Project Hail Mary of Grace and Rocky sitting together on the biodome's shoreline. Rocky folds his limbs in to "sit" beside Grace, and after a few moments readjusts to tuck himself closer to Grace's side. End ID]
I was talking to my mom about John Green today and I mentioned that āheās still on tumblrā and she asked why that would be weird and I said that no one is on tumblr these days, āexcept him and I guess meā
So
I donāt know what all of you guys are doing here, because clearly this website is occupied only by me and John Green
itās funny bc I think I have a lot to learn, with blindspots that Iām still trying to fill in by reading more and talking to people etc, but when Iām hanging around certain family members I suddenly become The Wokest Person Alive just by merit of having made some attempt to not be shitty. and this isnāt level 3 discourse like āconflating submissiveness with a preference for bottoming is misogynisticā, itās basic shit like āno, health is not a state of mind, and sick people are sick for reasons beyond bad attitude,ā and āno, you should not loudly talk about how shocked you were that a Nigerian man was at grandmaās funeral,ā and āplease donāt say that about Jewish people,ā and so on.
and usually they are willing to listen when I talk about this stuff, so there is a benefit to me being there, but holy crap is it a tonal shift going from online to real life.
im a simple man i like when things are shaped like other things. stool shaped like a mushroom. pillows shaped like fruit. salt and pepper shaker shaped like two friends hugging. in my ideal world i will have a house stocked entirely with novelty objects shaped like other objects and it will be beautiful.
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