hello, hello, hello

art: @penbuin ig: @penbuin

[ineedagun2001]

end of january affirmations

im not doing anything wrong and no one is mad at me

there must be a place for me in this world because here i am

my art doesnt suck

instagram is nothing to me

[musashi]

posts about the alt-right pipeline being compassionate towards young men while radical leftists shun and shame them are not fucking saying "the men are becoming violent because feminists are too mean!" and if that is your takeaway you need to get off tumblr until you've better honed your critical thinking skills.

those posts are talking about how effective the language and approach you take in your activism can be. this is literally cult deprogramming 101. if someone is being taken in by a violent or dangerous group, that violent or dangerous group is usually offering them compassion and solace while working hard to convince them everyone else in the world is their enemy. you are under no obligation to coddle or act compassionate toward these men and their violent ideologies, but if you have the means to try, it is something that you can do to make a tangible difference.

radicalized people are often only one loving friend or family member or external voice away from being de-radicalized. of course that is not always the case, but it very often is. a lot of y'all rightfully understand that you do not carry the burden of being that voice, but a lot of y'all also have a lot of internalized ideas about morals and punitive justice and have simply written off these people as deserving of only the worst and not worth saving.

ten years ago, my grandmother was a fox news watching republican who voted red in every election and very well could have fallen down the qanon rabbit hole if not for me and her daughter challenging her compassionately, walking her through hypotheticals that validated her feelings & proving why they were false, & being patient with her despite our extreme division in political ideology. it was frustrating fucking work! but i decided i wanted to do it, because i could see the horizon and i could see me making a difference!

"misogynists have been saying feminists are too mean for years, get new material" that is not the fucking POINT. the point is that you, feminist, can be the compassionate voice that guides your brother, your father, your cousin, your grandfather away from fucking becoming or staying a nazi. you can show them compassion and companionship. you can be the woman they think of when their alt-right bros try to convince them that women are the enemy. and you can choose to crystallize that image of yourself so wholly in their mind's eye as worth protecting that they may very well choose to reject those harmful ideas.

it's not saying you HAVE to do it! it's saying you CAN do it! don't you 'firebomb a walmart' people all love taking change into your own hands? where the fuck is that energy right now, huh?

[musashi]

i saw this right after and OP turned off reblogs but LITERALLY!!! LITERALLY.

i know the punitive justice obsessed "kill all abusers" ass catholics on this fucking website don't want to hear shit like this but love is literally the answer. fix your heart or die

[pusheenthenerdcat]

I willn always think about how a couple years back i, in begrudgingly helping the obnoxious kids in my science class with their homework to just get the class back on schedule, ended up positioning myself as Nerd With The Right Answers. this ended interestingly because when we get to the section of bio where we go over intersex people and i say "lmk if you have any questions on the homework", *they actually trusted me enough to express their confusion and expect a real answer*. Now, did i actually get them to understand fully? No, they couldn't get past their "biology says there's only two genders" cult programming. But the seed is there and the progress was made and the next time this concept is introduced to them, maybe by someone who used to be in the alt-right and knows their talking points and can specifically refute it, they will be open to understanding.

being the Nerd With The Right Answers was interesting because i was definitely being used, i am pretty sure i was mocked behind my back by them and i only helped because my teacher was overworked and the curriculum was so boring i had nothing else to so except explain what an atom is to a whole grown 17 year old, but it put me in the position to do some good cult deprogramming. One time a kid asked me "why do you wear a mask if covid isn't real" and i was like "not even gonna talk about the covid thing but i personally wear a mask because im immunocompromised so if i get a cold i might end up in the er and that's really scary for me" which, didn't challenge what theyd been told about the existence of covid but I'll be damned if the next time they meet someone wearing a mask they hesitate before harassing them.

Deprogramming extremism is difficult, it requires repeated reinforcement, politeness to people who don't deserve it, and sometimes personal connections with bigots and you are totally valid to feel uncomfortable with these things. If you can at the bare minimum say stuff like "no i don't want to sit with you because you said you hate me and i am respecting your very obvious desire for space from me" instead of "no i don't want to sit with you because you're a homophobe" it leaves the protective barriers down for someone else who has the energy to field the nonsense questions

[roachemoji]

DEVIOUS PENIS PUMPKIN

[rozieramati]

[kermitlesbian]

if my kids were like “i cant draw. i’m just gonna make ai art” i would be like shut the fuck up and pick up the pencil u are gna draw some one eyed anime bitches with their hands behind their backs

[rederiswrites]

I am not unaware of the negatives of Biden's presidency, and I am not trying to elide or forgive them. I'm reblogging posts about the Biden administration because I think it's really important that potential voters in the US realize that there is, in fact, a very big difference between the two parties, and voting for Biden is not just damage control--it actually does good. It's okay, you can actually feel a little excited about making meaningful progress, and not just hold your nose.

He's been very unflashy. He's not a great leader, he's not charismatic and he knows it, but he's an adroit politician and administrator, and he's been getting things done. Letting Trump win at this point would be tantamount to throwing the entire country on the bonfire. It's not a choice between bad and bad, it's a choice between meaningful, if imperfect, progress and fucking doom.

[fresne999]

I keep doing it because I don't hear any buzz about the real progress that's happening, and that's frusterating.

I keep doing it because fear isn't actually all that effective to get people to do something. But I just want to be screaming "What the actual f*ck!" when folks act like the dude who sent unmarked vans to scoop up Black Lives Matter protesters and stans Andrew *Trail of Tears* Jackson is the equivalent of the dude lowering the price of prescriptions drugs and standing on the picket line with auto workers. Mainly by giving Biden somewhat more power than he actually has.

I keep doing it because I regularly volunteer with a marginalized group who are very aware of what's at stake.

[ardentdelirium]

Some things Biden and Congress have done:

Pardoned federal prisoners convicted of marijuana possession offenses

Signed into law a bipartisan infrastructure bill for road and bridge repair, public transportation, railway repair and improvements with part of that budget going to expanding high speed rail

Same bill covers improvements to clean water, maintain and improving power infrastructure, and broadband internet expansion.

Added 14 million jobs and lowered the unemployment rate

The American Rescue Plan ($ to stay home during the pandemic)

First major gun legislation in decades

Inflation Reduction Act, which includes $ for reducing of greenhouse emissions, $ for IRS so they aren't so overworked and understaffed or working with ancient equipment, a corporate tax increase, a lower cap for prescriptions for people on Medicare

Appointed more federal judges in his first year than any president since Reagan, 80% of whom are women and 53% of whom are people of color

Re-froze federal executions

Re-joined the Paris Accords

Nominated and appointed Kentaji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court

Significantly lowered gas prices

Ended the Muslim Ban

Incorporated undocumented immigrants in the census (which is sort of a mixed bag, I know)

Revoked the permit for Keystone XL pipeline

Banned discrimination based on sexual identity and orientation

[captainjonnitkessler]

Me: In November, either Trump or Biden will win. There is no third outcome, so we should vote accordingly for the option that will mitigate the most harm.

The people in my notes: Oh, so you think direct action is bad? You think voting is literally the only thing we can do? You hate activism? You love Biden and endorse everything he does and think nobody should criticize him ever? You think voting will just magically solve all our problems? You think protesting is wrong? You love the status quo and think everything is fine?

[kvothbloodless]

Im Still occasionally getting people tagging me in that post to get mad at me for agreeing with you, its so funny (depressing)

[sonneillonv]

I keep seeing people saying things like "Don't @ me with your weak-ass harm reduction argument/lesser of two evils argument" like bestie, literally, what is the alternative? You have a schedule for the glorious revolution I don't know about? Have you worked out how to have a glorious revolution that won't kill a bunch of people? 'Cause last time I checked..... (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

[traycakes]

I know living in Oregon and having vote by mail I'm pretty spoiled with how little time it takes me to vote. I know there are lots of areas that make it hard, particularly if you are working class and can't get the day off, but voting is only a few days a year at most the people who vote have plenty of time to do other stuff as well.

If you want to do a revolution against the current power structure you need to pay attention to how that power structure works, and what needs people have that it isn't fulfilling. So it's not like ignoring current politics saves you time to work on other stuff either. You're making the other work you are doing harder through willful ignorance and not using all the tools available to you.

[kirkwallhellmouth]

I have also seen people on other social media sites implying that the only people calling voting “harm reduction” are people who live in blue states or states that are currently leaning heavily blue (aka “people who have it ‘good’”)

My sibling in internet, I live in fucking Alabama and cannot name a currently elected Democrat anywhere in this state off the top of my head—I would have to Google for it—and I am seriously begging people to vote for Biden because another Trump term with Things As They Are is not something anyone in the world should be subjected to.

[planandexecution-deactivated202]

everyone take my 114 result ‘which character are you’ uquiz

[yasashiinaya]

Gonna cry. Vriska

[super-sootica]

With so many elections coming up worldwide it's probably a good time to remind everyone that tumblr once got infested with agents trying to convince everyone not to vote, or not to vote left because the candidates weren't morally pure enough.

Also a reminder that they were better at tumblr than most of us, comrade interloper was great at memeing. Like, the talent!

Anyway don't fall for it. There is no morally pure option.

[crafting-and-tea]

In 2000, 97,488 “morally pure” Floridians voted for the Green Party. When the Supreme Court stopped the recount, George W. Bush won the state, and thus the presidency, by 537 votes.

If Al Gore had won the 2000 election, the US would have started seriously fighting climate change TWENTY YEARS AGO, and we would not have invaded Iraq in 2003. Over one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians were killed during the course of the war. Also, the Supreme Court would have fewer conservatives, and we wouldn’t have dark money in politics, we would still have a national right to abortion, we would still have an intact Voting Rights Act, and we would be able to pass gun control laws without them getting overturned.

If a person’s quest to stay morally pure makes them stand aside when an imperfect movement trying to do good needs them, they are no longer morally pure. They are directly helping evil with their inaction.

[gay-jesus-probably]

As a general rule, if you're having food cravings, you should probably pay attention to that, because it's usually a sign that your body needs something. Like, if you've just finished a workout and are suddenly desperately craving fries? Maybe you're low on salt, you did just sweat a whole bunch. Period cravings for junk food? Your body's under some stress and working hard, you need energy, and foods with a lot of fat and/or sugar are an easy way to get that.

Back in the early 1900's when exploring Antarctica was all the rage, y'know what was a major part of everyones daily rations? Butter. Just butter. The men out on the sledging teams would have cravings to eat entire sticks of butter with nothing else, so that was included in their rations. And that happened because under those extreme circumstances, their bodies desperately needed as many calories as possible, so their diet consisted mainly of butter, chocolate, and animal fat. Eating entire sticks of butter was the healthiest possible diet for them.

That's an extreme example of course, but my point is, there's no such thing as inherently Good or Bad food. Anything that's edible can be healthy under the right circumstances, just like anything can be an unhealthy choice under the wrong circumstances. Your body knows what it needs. Listen to it. Unless you're actively going through a serious medical situation, you do not need a tightly restricted diet. Diet culture is a scam, body fat is natural and healthy, food is good for you, and calories are the fuel your body needs to power its continued survival.

[solreefs]

“oh I’m too old for stuffed animals” skill issue. sorry you can’t appreciate little creatures made to hang out with you, I on the other hand am full of joyous whimsy and therefore vastly superior.

[xueyangapologist]

time for an ancient tradition….. how many of these artists have you heard of? miraculously i’m at 42

[wuntrum]

pioneering something called "gritted teeth optimism" where everything is gonna turn out okay even if i have to bite and claw and gnash my way through it

[thecraftybear]

Everything's gonna be fine and it's not negotiable.

[liarsblade]

You gotta create replacement activities man. We can't just phase out all the church attendance and all the usamerican social holidays cold turkey in the middle of a loneliness epidemic bro like yeah fuck church fuck thanksgiving and FUCK the 4th of July but like what's the long-term plan. People need holidays and repetitive social rituals or they go crazy. Like are we inventing new ones or ....?

[jottingprosaist]

The entirety of human history is us inventing social groups and rituals over and over again. We need them. I'm not gonna try to give any advice on replacing a keystone community institution like church, but as for holiday rituals?? You gotta have those.

When I was younger, I was extremely bitter and burned out by the holiday rituals I grew up with. They either meant mandatory attendance with biological family I was trying to escape, alcohol-fuelled parties, lots of hollow capitalism, or religion I didn't have or want. But after two years of doing nothing significant to mark time in the year-- no Christmas, no Thanksgiving, no birthday even because I'd moved out and didn't know how to celebrate it as an adult-- I realized how much I missed having something.

A gathering. A celebration. An event. A significance.

So yeah, we're inventing new ones. Pick dates and events that matter to you and do something to mark the day, even if it's only to yourself. Have an annual "it's everybody's birthday" party. Make a full moon dinner every month and invite friends. Decorate your house every solstice and equinox (and clean while you're at it, because rituals also serve practical purposes). Light some candles and play music out loud on the first day of every month. Pick up a leaf when you hear the autumn's first goose and do it every day until they're gone, then burn all your leaves. Hang up a piece of art when the first snow falls and take it down when the first flowers bloom in spring.

Don't cherry pick from religions and cultures that aren't yours. Do be open to celebrating things from other cultures if you're invited. If there are aspects of your old holidays that you like-- dressing up or making food or singing songs-- then by all means keep those things, because guess what, that's all just Shit Humans Always Do. None of these rituals have to be religious or spiritual, but they do have to be significant to you. Fill your life with things you look forward to.

Invent yourself some rituals.

[tlirsgender]

Ok new game. What's the thing you're a fan of that you're the most pretentious about. NOT the most pretentious thing you're a fan of, I mean the thing that makes *you* act like one of those "oh yeah? Name five of their albums" people. There is a difference

[imwiremother]

me every day

[imwiremother]

[braintrash83]