I'll Tumbl 4 Ya

Writer, performer. Currently writing & performing “#UnsafeSpaces” on FB. More at EverythingRonDoes.com.

[ronehmke]

[softwaring]

by tucker

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[quotefeeling]

“At the end of the day, you can either focus on what’s tearing you apart or what’s holding you together.”

— Unknown

[silly-signs]

This is environmental story telling but it feels so much more sinister for some reason

[ominous-signs]

[thoughtkick]

“Talk with people who make you see the world differently.”

— Unknown

[scientia-rex]

I enjoy your account and writing, and the evidence that you regularly provide us with (FREE OF CHARGE, no less!) about weight science and all things medical that you answer, and I am fully aware that weight loss is, at best, a dangerous endeavour in human beings. I only say this so I can be clear about my intentions and to say that I am not participating in whataboutism or trying to pull a "gotcha!"

I am in no doubt whatsoever that exercise (movement, fitness, a rose by any other name) has tons of benefits even when weight loss is out of the equation, but I find that the conversation tends to stop there, even with medical providers, and takes on a sort of "just do it" attitude without really engaging in complexities to that advice a patient may be experiencing.

What would you suggest, in general, to a patient whose size limited their mobility or made movement difficult and possibly painful, especially if the only real goals they want to set are increasing strength (and thus ability) and independence? I realise this may be hard to answer without a more specific idea of someone's cardiometabolic state, but I'm throwing this out as a general ask. What can people in those circumstances do? Especially if they have no way to access PT or "the gym," so to speak. Are there resources for people who might have these limitations, or even just be overwhelmed with the idea of starting movement?

Babe, do I have good news for you! Sit and Be Fit exists. Useful for people with all kinds of mobility limitations. I'm also a huge fan of Tai Chi, and you can find streaming channels to move along with. Short walks are also incredibly beneficial compared to no walks--even just a brief loop around the block a couple of times a week decreases cardiac risk.

[canadianwheatpirates]

I think that additionally, programs that explicitly show easier variations of bodyweight exercises are really good. Did you know that doing a push-up is equivalent to bench pressing 75% of your body weight? That makes a really significant difference when you have a higher weight!

I know that often people can't get to the gym etc, but for higher weight people who want to start working out it may legitimately be easier to use free weights or machines than to do bodyweight exercises. Hell, even just an adjustable dumbbell kit at home can open up a lot of options.

Off the top of my head, I think the Hybrid Calisthenics guy does a great job of showing easier variations on common exercises. I've also heard good things about Couch To Barbell, which uses a decent amount of around-the-house items to build up the base strength needed to do barbell training.

[artdetrump]

[artdetrump]

[bowlby4]

[bowlby4]

[porterdavis]

Quote of the Day

If Trump wants his picture on money he should bring back the penny with his portrait. It's orange, practically useless, and costs more than it's worth.

Jerry Cobb

[liberalsarecool]

The fascist quid pro quo looting has engulfed #transactional MAGA saboteurs.

Charles Blow accurately nails the "corruption in exchange for grift" that runs Republican politics.

[w0nderland42]

i get that americans love their cultural imperialism, but it really does piss me off that june is “international” pride month just because something happened in the united states.

in aotearoa, june isn’t our pride, it’s theirs. marsha p johnson and sylvia rivera are their historical figures, not ours. the phrase that “you owe your rights to Black trans women” is true there, but here we owe our rights to (mostly) Māori historical figures. i have the freedoms i do because of the legacy of an entirely different set of people operating in an entirely different context at entirely different times.

But because of american cultural imperialism, most queer people in Aotearoa don’t even know our own queer history. Carmen Rupe, Ngahuia Te Awekotuku, the Dorian Society, Gillian Laundon, Georgina Beyer, and the Wolfenden Association are some of our queer history. We should know their names! we should know what they did for us! but because of the power of the american imperial machine, we don’t.

our national pride month should be july, the month that the Homosexual Law Reform Act passed in 1986. our two largest cities hold their pride festivals in february and march, respectively. american queer history has very little (or nothing, depending on who you ask) to do with our queer history. anecdotally, from my own queries, queer youth in aotearoa know more about american queer history than our own.

anyway, happy pride, americans. i’m truly sorry that most of you don’t see the negative impact your nation’s culture has on the rest of the world. and to the rest of the world reading this, try searching for your own country and culture’s queer history, don’t accept the american narratives as your own. we deserve our own histories divorced from the cultural hegemony of the USA.

[footnoteinhistory]

"Co-executive producer Larroquette decided to feature Pynchon in a script and sent the work-in-progress to Pynchon's agent for approval. 'We made up a novel that he hasn't written—and he gave us permission to say that he had written Pandemonium of the Sun,' Larroquette said.

The mysterious, never-photographed Pynchon refused, however, to let an extra, in a plaid shirt, be videotaped from the rear and represented as Pynchon. 'He asked us not to pretend he was in the environment at all.'

The script says Pynchon was wearing a T-shirt with the picture of a certain, obscure musician. 'Pynchon, through his agent, wrote back and said, 'Would you please make it a picture of Roky Erickson on the T-shirt?' Larroquette said. 'I sent him a copy of the script and signed it, 'Thanks for not being here.'" (x) THE JOHN LARROQUETTE SHOW 1.11 "Newcomer"

[gregorygalloway]

Walker Percy (28 May 1916 – 10 May 1990)