#homogeneity of identity thought or experiences

[genderqueerdykes]

in honor of aromantic spectrum awareness week, i thought i'd take the time to talk about how much my personal life and feelings improved after coming to terms with the fact that i'm aromantic. before i accepted this, i found myself in several romantic relationships where i was deeply unhappy, uncomfortable, and made to feel like i wasn't a good enough partner because i just couldn't do or feel certain things.

i've never enjoyed kissing, and cuddling gets uncomfortable for me within the first few minutes of doing so. even hugs are deeply uncomfortable to me unless i really know and care about someone, and even then, hugs only come when that person asks for them. it never occurs to me to touch people this way, the most you'll get out of me is a pat on the shoulder, back or knee.

i ended up dating several people who were very much romantics, and heavily focused on that aspect of our relationship. it kind of felt like torture to me, i felt like i was being forced to live every day like it was Valentine's Day- every day had to be filled with hours of cuddling, kissing, and telling the other person how much i loved them. while not all romantic partners are like this, it wore on my psyche quickly to be paired with folks like this, because i understood how important it was to them, but i just couldn't keep up the performance.

i thought something was "wrong" with me for years and that i just wasn't in touch with my emotions, or that i was somehow embracing some toxic aspects of my masculinity without realizing. it took me ages to remember that i came out as aromantic when i was much younger, but after criticism from my friends, including a friend who was asexual, i stopped identifying with the label, because i was told that aromanticism wasn't real, and that that just made me an asshole.

nearly a decade and several uncomfortable romantic relationships later, it finally clicked that there wasn't something wrong with me, but there was something wrong with the situations i was getting myself into. sure, i love being partnered- i have a queerplatonic partner that i've known for a decade and have only gotten closer to over time. but we've never been romantic. we don't exchange romantic platitudes, and i realized; i've never been happier with someone else than i am with this person.

why is that?

oh. because they don't expect romance from me. they are also on the aspectrum and don't have a romantic partner, either.

this relationship has brought me more joy than any romantic partnership i've ever attempted to pursue. that doesn't mean there's something wrong with me- i was just looking for happiness in the wrong places. i was miserable not because i'm aromantic, but because i was getting into romantic relationships.

romance can be a source of misery. romance does not inherently make everyone happy. we are not all looking for romance as a species. in fact, chasing it makes many people miserable. too many people spend their lives looking for "the one" that they can kiss, cuddle, hold and say all of those mushy things to when they may not even want that to begin with.

i've never been more at peace with myself since finally, fully accepting that i'm aromantic. i love who i am, and i love how i love. i am not loveless, i experience platonic, queerplatonic and other forms of love. but loveless aromantics aren't miserable, either. we are all embracing ourselves in a way that's true to us. we are refusing to warp ourselves to a society that tells us that we all must have homogeneous feelings.

i am aromantic. i am here. my aromanticism is queer in a society that expects and demands romance of me, and this is true of all aromantics, cis, trans, gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, and otherwise. we are here, we are not going away any time soon, and we will not be silent because our identities make some people uncomfortable. we are happiest being who we are.

happy aro week, this goes out to every last arospectrum person out there, appreciate yourselves this week. you deserve it.

#aromantic #aro #lgbtqia #lgbt #queer #lgbta #aromantic spectrum #arospec #arospectrum #aroace #aromantic asexual #aro awareness week #aspectrum #aspec #our writing #about us

[ceasarslegion]

god that other reblog is in the same vein as something ive been thinking about lately, and it's that you can't revoke people's marginalized identities just because they're shitty people or you don't like them or they have bad politics or whatever. Like no I don't like Pete Buttigieg either but he's still gay, you can't change that. His military industrial complex simpage does not revoke his gay card or whatever, someone can be gay and have positive experiences that influence their politics in an area that the majority of others in their group don't. I think Ben Carson is an idiot but he's still Black, you can't change that. Being a republican does not change the colour of his skin, someone can have positive experiences in a political party that influences their worldview that the majority of their group has been historically oppressed by. Sorry I guess, but being a marginalized person does not make you better, or immune to bad things, it just makes you that marginalized identity.

There are three things this mentality creates, I think. The first is that you are creating a bar to entry that demands that someone meet an unrelated checklist of requirements to ride. And whose standards are you setting here, exactly? Because it all seems very USAmerican to me. The second is that it kind of thought-stops you from critically engaging in what other people say based on their identity alone. They're gay, they're Black, they're xyz, so they can't possibly hold problematic worldviews or ideologies, REAL marginalized people never do that! The third is that it makes you see individuals as nothing but a homogeneous group that they belong to, rather than the individuals they are, which is not only dehumanizing, but can make you both dangerously elevate said group onto a pedestal of inherent worthiness above all others, or it can make you marginalize the group even further based on the people you personally know from them.

And btw, you can do this to yourself, too. There are too many times I have seen posts that essentially boil down to "im always right about everything because i have this many marginalized identities. If you're going to disagree with me you're anti-xyz, and if you disagree with me while being the same identity as me, you MUST have internalized bigotry." Cool, so, um, the call is coming from inside the house.

#some thoughts

[hochulia]

Offtop from art posting

Yesterday I was reading my fav channel about lesbian and queer relationships (it’s be awesome blogger Sasha Kazantseva, google her). And there was a really good post about how to communicate and understand a person with unusual trans identity. Very educational. But in the comments terfs showed up and somehow find a reason to rage.

One of them posted this familiar long rant, how “gender ideology” is the reason why women oppressed and also “why the f we have to respect anyone’s pronouns/genders!!!” And I noticed how f-ing ridiculous this shit is and the fact they justify it by women’s rights is appalling.

I remember in 2016 I was still empathetic person, though that the most important thing is be your true self and was shocked when read the article about trans women in russia and how they have to survive. I f-ing didn’t know that the “gender ideology” was the root of all evil in the world until I found a very charismatic terf who lured people in her circle with based takes about feminism. Claiming she’s a radical feminist, she wrote really good things and added transphobia, racism and justification of child abuse here and there (yes she said it’s ok for women to beat and torture kids, because women is oppressed class). And I even wasn’t agree with most of her fash crap, but she helped me in awful times in my life, so I was willing to turn a blind eye. And yeah, was introduced to a new target for my rage, scary maniacs in womens clothes, whose only goal is to rape every child and woman in the toilets or locker rooms 🤡

So. Saying gender ideology is the reason of women’s oppression is so fucking funny, like read history books idk?? And if anything women’s rights are more protected in countries where trans rights are recognized. She also added, that trans persons reproduce stereotypes about women and women are hated for being feminine and if women weren’t feminine there would be no reason to hate. There’s a lot to unpack here, but this is so misogynistic. I loved being a girl since childhood, I always thought girls are cooler, and I consider myself a very feminine person even if I look super neutral or even masculine on the surface. 😮‍💨

And. The whining about people wanting to their identities/boundaries etc be respected, putting your “opinion” over people’s well-being is so immature and also fascist. Are you f-ing don’t know about basic human decency and politeness?? Try to learn how to live in civilized society maybe?? No one f-ing ask your shitty opinion about anyone’s body/face/gender/name/health etc, your shitty opinion have no value on this subjects, keep it to yourself.

And how they reduce even cis women’s for their flat definitions of women or sexuality. I of course share the experience of oppression with many cis women, there’s a lot of common things, and they influenced my life and personality. Yet I am unique human being, I have my own femininity, my own sexuality, my own mind. Seeing how she writes about women as a homogeneous mass and sexuality as a simple matter is so f-ing funny. Sis, I’m a living proof you’re wrong, so is any other person, there’s a whole world outside of your head of you didn’t knew.

Tl;dr I guess. To any gender critical feminist who fights scary gender ideology and trans people everyday, solution to your problems is to close your socials, put down your phone and go outside. Or play MH Stories 2, or stardew valley. Or meet your friends. And see a therapist. When you remember how to live a life you will save yourself from monsters in your head, amazing right? 😸

#trans rights #gender critical #terfs #antifascism #antiterf

[new-employeeamillion]

Someone might ask me about this for next year’s QnA, but what the heck.

My immediate thoughts regarding the tentative Warner/Paramount merger.

I’m no business expert, but I’m educated enough to know that merging two already huge media companies will be a bad thing for workers. Remember what happened when Disney bought Fox 5 years ago? Content from both companies has become more homogeneous since then.

Just thinking about the idea that Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon could share the same parent company has me worried. They’ve already been dealing with identity crises since the streaming bubble took people’s attention away from cable, and if they both have the same executives controlling them, that’ll just make the situation worse. Think about how low their viewership has gotten in the past decade. If they’re both under the control of the same company, one or both of them will have the plug pulled. And with Cartoon Network Studios shutting down recently, I bet it’s going to be them.

I’m spitballing here, getting paranoid over a hypothetical outcome that only exists in my head right now, but if Cartoon Network is no longer a studio, channel or active brand identity by 2025 or 2026, that’ll make me really sad. Sure I don’t follow their new stuff as much as I review their old stuff, but I focus on their old stuff for a reason. It’s a symbol of the animation renaissance of the late 80s, 90s and early 2000s. The medium was in crisis before then, but an impassioned new wave of animators brought it back, with the help of a business tycoon and his channel that actually saw value in the art form. I can’t see that happening again when there’s less companies and less job opportunities for animators. Time isn’t always cyclical. This could very well be the end what we currently consider the Modern Era of Animation.

And the possibility of Warner Bros. owning SpongeBob has me even more concerned about its future. They could do one of two things:

-Cancel everything in the franchise as a tax write-off (can you blame anyone for thinking they’ll do that?)

-Dip even harder into movies and spin-offs, making Nickelodeon’s current strategy seem quaint

Here’s the thing. I wouldn’t be so apprehensive about movies (beyond the first two) and spin-offs if the main show was over already. I’m not saying Season 13 and 14 are bad and shouldn’t exist, just that Nickelodeon should only be doing one or the other, the main show or subsequent media. At this point, I’ve come to terms that SpongeBob is like Mickey Mouse and Looney Tunes, this animated mascot that’s outlived the creator and so will always be a symbol of the corporation it came from. But notice how with Mickey Mouse and Looney Tunes, their original serieses ended decades and decades ago. We’ve been getting spin-offs, film appearances and complete reimaginings for far longer than their original theatrical shorts were in production.

I’m fine with SpongeBob still being around as a mascot in 50 years like them, but not if the show is going to be in its 44th season and a virtually different production with different people behind it. There is the likelihood that Warner Bros. Discovery Paramount will look at the ratings it’s getting on Nick and put it to rest, leaving behind spin-offs and reimaginings. As harsh as it is to say, that’s the safest possible outcome, but I don’t think that’ll be what they do. They’ll either do even more to oversaturate the brand, or throw it all away like it’s worthless. Sorry if this spiel has been pretty cynical, but I have no reason to be optimistic if this goes through.

The only thing people are excited about with all this is all the crossover possibilities if all the NickToons and Cartoon Network Originals were owned by the same people. And while they seem tantalising, those old franchises were only so good because the creators were encouraged to compete, encouraged to experiment, encouraged to make what they wanted to watch, and encouraged to leave a lasting impact. If the merger goes through, that might not be the case. Crossovers are literally the only positive people seem to be gleaming from this, so fair enough. Have those happy thoughts, because you’re really gonna need them. A SpongeBob/Looney Tunes crossover will break everyone’s brains though, and I mean that in bad and good ways.

#warner bros #paramount #nickelodeon #cartoon network #spongebob

[chloeinletters]

hello! I love your work & your writing--as someone who is doing exactly the kind of thing I want to do (balancing substack + tumblr + internet identity/irl work) I was wondering if you could tell me a lil bit about how you came to the decision to link the two, and if there's anything you changed abt your tumblr use in doing so? tysm for your time!!

Hi!!

This is a really interesting question and I will try and be concise though I am not always good at that. Largely I was someone who was always sharing their writing online and during the pandemic I felt the desire to really take it more seriously as publications began closing and my options felt more limited. I was also like, I've essentially finished all my creative writing classes so why should I hold off from being a "writer."

A part of that did involve, in some ways, changing and reworking. I feel my motives in regard to social media is always how can I make this the easiest possible thing for me. I always want it to be easy and fun to do especially since I work full-time outside of writing for all my stuff. I didn't want it to feel precisely like a second job and I wanted it to be accessible to me on the go.

I changed my presence online in a kind of way. When I thought about what would be easy the easiest thing was like how can I be myself? Which I think is what makes So I had the handle chloe in letters reserved across most if not all platforms and I slowly began to establish myself on each. Instagram was probably the hardest and took the longest to figure out as far as the presentation. I began to experiment in early 2021 and I switched to a more casual personal approach so that it was easier and more me rather than a kind of steril homogenous vibe I had before which didn't really lend itself to, what I think is important in writing, which was feeling connected. It was also difficult to maintain.

Then one day I was on my way home from work and I wrote something in google docs and took a screenshot and I was like yes this is it. That was like in early 2022 so it took me a good year to get there! and then it was like wow its so easy to just....take a screenshot of my work wherever its posted and share it across all platforms. Most platforms support this kind of sharing of words really seamlessly. So in establishing myself one place, it was also easier to establish myself elsewhere. I wanted to take each social one step at a time so I could learn to juggle them all with practice rather than going all out on each. Substack first, then tik tok, then Instagram, then tumblr, then twitter. Since I had experience in most of these from my personal use of them it was pretty seamless to figuring out what to post.

All in all its a long process of linking. I mean I struggled with algorithms with readability, with length etc etc but there's a real learning curve and I think its one of those learn through doing. I don't think anyone has to join the internet in a fully formed way to begin with the process of finding your footing in its large capacity. The bulk of my following came from the period in which I was working out how I wanted to be ~online~

I wouldn't say I changed anything in terms of compromising myself either. I think if anything this has been a really thorough look at how can I really be myself. What feels good for me, what feels like me so that when people do find me it's consistent because it's always just who I am as a person. I don't wish to sound arrogant in saying that I think a big part of what is likeable about my work is the authentic (as much as social media can be) presentation of myself. Maybe yes I am more tender on twitter and funnier on Instagram or what have you, but its not a widely different shift because I have really gotten to the heart of myself and my desire. Which is honestly hard with social media and the idea of aesthetics.

I also think a big thing in linking everything was again this idea of who is going to say I'm a writer if not me? I really began this with a sense of the world is falling apart and I thought someone was going to pluck me from a sea of candidates and coronate me into the vast net of people who write for the internet. The fact was I wanted to be a writer so I decided to be one. And every day since has been a question of what kind of writer do I wish to be. ALl of that changes, it all changes all the time, but I feel more capable of it because I spent so much time trying to find a way to present myself that felt true and real so I know how to identify when some things don't serve me anymore or are old stories I am still telling myself about who I am.

I hope this answers your question! I feel like I kept rereading your ask and confusing myself on what you were asking so it was not concise at all. I also hope it doesn't sound bleak I think the technical stuff on algorithms and such was a big part of my life at the beginning but really again it's boiled down to how can I make this easy since everything else is so hard. It's become less of a science and more of a joy. Even if it sounds like it's all very complex it's only because I am a work in progress as always!

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Exotic water ice contributes to understanding of magnetic anomalies on Neptune and Uranus Ordinary everyday ice, like the ice produced by a fridge, is known to scientists as hexagonal ice (ice Ih), and is not the only crystalline phase of water. More than 20 different phases are possible. One of them, called “superionic ice” or “ice XVIII”, is of particular interest, among other reasons, because it is thought to make up a large part of Neptune and Uranus, planets frequently referred to as “ice giants”. In the superionic crystalline phase, water loses its molecular identity (H2O): negative oxygen ions (O2-) crystallize into an extensive lattice, and protons in the form of positive hydrogen ions (H+) form a liquid that floats around freely within the oxygen lattice. “The situation can be compared to a metal conductor such as copper, with the big difference that positive ions form the crystal lattice in the metal, and electrons bearing a negative charge are free to wander around the lattice,” said Maurice de Koning, a professor at the State University of Campinas’s Gleb Wataghin Physics Institute (IFGW-UNICAMP) in São Paulo state, Brazil. De Koning led the study that resulted in an article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) and featured on the cover of its November 8, 2022 issue. Superionic ice forms at extremely high temperatures in the range of 5,000 kelvins (4,700 °C) and pressure of around 340 gigapascals, or over 3.3 million times Earth’s standard atmospheric pressure, he explained. It is therefore impossible for stable superionic ice to exist on our planet. It can exist on Neptune and Uranus, however. In fact, scientists are confident that large amounts of ice XVIII lurk deep in their mantles, thanks to the pressure resulting from these giants’ huge gravitational fields, as confirmed by seismographic readings. “The electricity conducted by the protons through the oxygen lattice relates closely to the question of why the axis of the magnetic field doesn’t coincide with the rotation axis in these planets. They’re significantly misaligned, in fact,” De Koning said. Measurements made by the space probe Voyager 2, which flew by these distant planets on its journey to the edge of the Solar System and beyond, show that the axes of Neptune’s and Uranus’s magnetic fields form angles of 47 degrees and 59 degrees with their respective rotation axes. Experiments and simulations On Earth, an experiment reported in Nature in 2019 succeeded in producing a tiny amount of ice XVIII for 1 nanosecond (a billionth of a second), after which the material disintegrated. The researchers used laser-driven shock waves to compress and heat liquid water. According to the paper in Nature, six high-power laser beams were fired in a temporally tailored sequence to compress a thin water layer encapsulated between two diamond surfaces. The shock waves reverberated between the two stiff diamonds to achieve a homogeneous compression of the water layer resulting in the superionic crystalline phase for an extremely short time. “In this latest study, we didn’t perform a real physical experiment but used computer simulations to investigate the mechanical properties of ice XVIII and find out how its deformations influence the phenomena seen to occur on Neptune and Uranus,” De Koning said. A key aspect of the study was the deployment of density functional theory (DFT), a method derived from quantum mechanics and used in solid-state physics to resolve complex crystalline structures. “First of all, we investigated the mechanical behavior of a flawless phase, which doesn’t exist in the real world. We then added defects to see what kinds of macroscopic deformations resulted,” he explained. Crystal defects are typically point defects characterized by ion vacancies or intrusion of ions from other materials into the crystal lattice. Not so in this case. De Koning was referring to linear defects known as “dislocations”, which are due to angular differences between adjacent layers resulting in puckering somewhat like a rumpled rug. “In crystal physics, dislocation was postulated in 1934 but first observed experimentally in 1956. It’s a type of defect that explains a great many phenomena. We say dislocation is to metallurgy what DNA is to genetics,” De Koning said. In the case of superionic ice, the sum of dislocations produces shear, a macroscopic deformation familiar to mineralogists, metallurgists and engineers. “In our study, we calculated, among other things, how much it’s necessary to force the crystal for it to break up owing to shear,” De Konig said. To this end, the researchers had to consider a relatively large cell of the material with about 80,000 molecules. The calculations entailed extremely heavy and sophisticated computational techniques, including neural networks, machine learning, and the composition of various configurations based on DFT. “This was a most interesting aspect of the study, integrating knowledge in metallurgy, planetology, quantum mechanics and high-performance computing,” he said.

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #news #uranus #Neptune

[rouninren]

i'm really tired of american view on the world, art, humanity, society, etc being default online. and arguably beyond that too, considering that things people internalize online are getting spread elsewhere irl. i have seen enough of that, when people who don't even speak english possess this, idk what to call it, vibe? perspective on the world? even literal feelings and thoughts?

and like

honestly it's not even interesting to read about things anymore. you see person providing their analysis that seems to be well thought (and in most cases, it is!) but all i can think of while reading this is:

like... it's boring. it's just plain boring at this point. it's kind of funny too, that in an era when we're told how much identity matters, we're actually the most homogenized, the most cookie-cutter made generation ever. we're sold the most shallow definition of identity, while constantly pressed to be extremely conforming at our cores

like holy shit if we want to talk about cringe behavior, then that would be listening to an american or americanized web dweller/"influencer" talk about stuff that was introduced to you from a largely different perspective as some sort of [insert a bunch of labels and buzzwords] you didn't even know existed. and the more i live, the less it seems to be a refreshing perspective, more like... pure arrogance and projection, and demand to conform in ways that cannot make sense to anyone who isn't this oddly specific mildly privileged demographic from united states of america and maybe canada* that exists only in realities of their cities'/region's bubbles. or, that seems to be likely quite often, in an online bubble. because we're kind of way too deep in social media brainrot for it to affect millions of people around the globe

*it's hard to even call it "west" anymore, it's north america specifically holding cultural monopoly

being a human seems to be... fandomified, for lack of better word. or, you know, maybe it is the best word to describe it all: it's like we're all treated as fictional tropes rather than humans. markers of our reality, aka everything that makes our identity, stopped being complex lived experiences, they're all narrative tropes

#ronin.txt

[homosexuhauls]

i can't remember who pointed it out, but liberal and radical feminists (or womanists/socialist/lesbian/intersectional/anarchist/eco/queer/Marxist/postmodern/whatever kind of feminists) used to vehemently disagree with one another, but they could still exist in a room together without constant vitriol. they could still recognise their points of commonality. it was understood that feminism is not a monolith (because women are not a monolith) and so it's only natural that there are divisions and disagreements over what problems women face, what sources those problems have and how to tackle those problems (and their root causes) most effectively.

now it's like...there's only one kind of feminism allowed, and it's branded as inclusive and intersectional and anti-capitalist, but it penalises and alienates (and even actively silences) huge swathes of women who don't share an identical set of pre-approved opinions. and if you don't agree with any of these opinions, your right to simply engage is just revoked.

i won't pretend that feminism used to be a friendly slumber party where minds met and women were fundamentally changed by the magical experience of sisterhood. but i also think there was far less of an expectation of homogeneity - partly because people actually had to get together in person and discuss things. and when you do that, it becomes clear that sometimes you're never going to agree with every woman on every issue, and that's okay. because you've spoken to them; you know them. they're not some shadowy internet 2D caricature. they're women you like and love and dislike and loathe and work alongside and organise with. even if you can't rationalise for yourself how they could possibly come to their views, you have to see them at the lesbian monthly meet-up, or the feminist crochet group, and like it or not you have to get along, so you learn to empathise.

it's easier to judge when to take people's thoughts and views in good faith when you understand where they're coming from and you've witnessed how they treat people (including those they disagree with). but if your only image of someone is either an anonymous avatar or a carefully cultivated microcosm of performativity, it's easy to feel like you're not interacting with a person. it's like video game npc's - they don't matter, only the feelings (of anger, righteousness, agreement, satisfaction, irritation etc) they inspire in you. you forget that your own interaction with/perception of any random on the internet is only a tiny fraction of the total sum of their life.

obviously this isn't solely a feminist issue, but i think the cost is greater for women. the consciousness-raising sessions of the second-wave wouldn't happen today, nor would the 'votes for women' marches of the first wave. the priorities have changed from achieving collective goals (despite ideological/strategic differences) to propagating collective beliefs.

#clearing out my drafts #radfem safe #radical feminism #ooh i think a lot of this still holds up

[zedazone]

I left a comment on a YouTube video by Jessie Gender and nothing I ever say on YT gets looked at by anybody, BUT I think I made some great points about Christianity and white supremacists and stuff, so I’m importing that shit over here: Jessie’s extremely thoughtful and personal video essay Part 1 for context [watch Part 2 as well]

Just a small thought to add RE your incredibly valuable discussion of race at about the 23 minute mark- I think that a lot of what white people might be yearning for when they go grasping desperately for the  threads of their own 'cultural heritage' [and grab onto the scaly tail of white supremacy instead] is stuff that was largely lost due to the spread of Christianity and how it sought to culturally homogenize the 'white' experience? So-called 'pagan' traditions and cultural values were deliberately snuffed out and replaced with Christianity in a way that profoundly separates any modern English or Irish or Polish or Swedish person from any cultural heritage that is not just a part of  monolithic Christian 'whiteness.' These days we're seeing a lot of alt-right bros fetishizing ancient Scandinavian and Nordic clothing and magical staves [I hate every day what they've done to the Ægishjálmur], but those dudes are often neither Scandinavian by heritage nor sincere practitioners of these ancient religions [mostly by dint of said religions being lost to time - most of the artifacts out there have significance that can only be guessed at due to deliberate destructive measures taken by Christians who believed that they were snuffing out satan’s influence]. They don't ever seem to recognize that the colonialist spread of Christianity is to be blamed for both their alienation from their own heritage and their envy and resentment of BIPOC peoples’ frequently much closer connection to their own, and that it's also responsible for permanently obfuscating their native cultural roots. What's worse, they see Christianity as a vital PART of their roots, melding their own romanticized notions about what ancient Nordic culture and tradition may have looked like with the bigoted, monotheistic Christian sentiment that theirs is the sole ordained righteous way of being and living - the same sentiment that crushed their cultural roots to BEGIN with. It's not JUST that immigration to America  socially requires names to be anglicized and capitalism to be the thing by which their entire identity should be defined - it’s that the United States was founded by puritans, and that Christian dogma shaped the unspoken 'rules' of what American culture ‘looks’ like- white anglicized homogenization, Under God. So frequently, these men slide deep into violent, racist ideologies with the full certainty that their violence is morally justified and divinely ordained - it's frustrating and tragic, and I don't know how we're supposed to teach  modern white people how to have a healthy relationship with religion and race in this current sociopolitical environment, but I DESPERATELY hope that we can find a way.

#zeda babbling #topic: religion and myth and stuff #topic: sociopolitical commentary that is almost certainly an infuriating bummer to read

[sapphosewrites]

you do realize that not every jew is religious, right? i couldn’t care less about jesus, but me celebrating christmas as the end of the year because i’ve lived all my life in a place where it’s a regular occurrence doesn’t make me less jewish. i understand your point but i’d argue that my experience isn’t any less valuable than that of a jew refusing to celebrate or just not caring for it at all. why wouldn’t i write about my own experience? i can be bitter about the daunting prevalence of “casual” christianity and i can enjoy culturally significant holidays simultaneously, those are not mutually exclusive, and people’s experiences and feelings about those things have multiple layers to them… and any jew choosing to find joy in any meaningful or completely meaningless celebration is in their own right to tell about it. what i’m saying is i’m not less of a jew for not practicing judaism or for giving presents to my friends on december 31st

Hello, anon. I have gone back and forth about whether or not to respond to this. My sister advised me not to, because it is just going to start discourse on the blog. But I get the sense you are a real person who is really hurting. It sounds like you feel insecure about other people not viewing you as a "True Jew", and that's a deeply painful thing to experience. Believe me, I know where you are coming from. I'm a Jew who didn't get a Bat Mitzvah, and I often feel embarrassed or defensive or insecure about how others see that. I'm sorry that others have made you feel that way.

I said at the start of the post in question it was hostile. That wasn't humorous or ironic. It was a clear declaration that I was not going to be thoughtful or kind. I was angry. I will be angry when I read fics about Jewish characters celebrating Christmas, just as you will be angry when you read my complaints about it. Neither of us is wrong for feeling what we feel, and both of our emotional experiences are valid. Unfortunately, we have conflicting access needs, and sometimes that's part of living in a society. What one person requires will be triggering for another, and we still have to respect each other and muddle through as best we can.

We always read and perceive things through the lens of our own experiences. That's being human. However, sometimes that means we bring things to the text that are not there. I did not write a post about "real Jews don't celebrate Christmas." In fact, my post was not about how I feel about the holiday practices of contemporary Jews at all. I wrote a post specifically about how frustrated I feel when Star Trek fanfiction writers portray a homogeneous future based on their own experiences in a cultural majority rather than taking the opportunity to learn about and celebrate religious diversity. I am not an authority on what makes someone Jewish or not, nor am I in any way trying to be.

You will continue to create and consume the media that you want and need to create and consume, as will I, and both of us have the right to do so. I empathize with your frustration and experiences, and if you would ever like to talk to another Jew I'm happy to have a longer conversation with you off anon about how we are both navigating complex religious and national identities. My ask box and my direct messages are open. However, if you are just looking for some random stranger with a blog to be a convenient personified strawman, I am not available for that.

[thevagabondexpress]

since it's pride month, i've been having some thoughts about my own experience with gender, since for me it's a continuous discovery and thus a big part of my identity.

it took me a long time to realize i wasn't a girl. longer than most. simply because a lot of the common signs weren't there.

i'm okay with my physical shape a good 90% of the time. while they're not my preference, i don't balk at 'she' pronouns. i didn't have those obvious indicators that my gender, or lack thereof, didn't match what most people assumed.

it was (and is) being in groups of women, and girls. that feeling of not being quite . . . homogenous. when they turn to certain female-experience-specific conversation topics and i sit there, awkward, thinking, "i shouldn't be a part of this conversation. it isn't my place."

it's made figuring out what i am harder: i didn't (still don't) have a concrete knowledge of what i am, or wish to be, the same way i do of what i am not.

i guess this is another "i'm writing my memoirs, oh no" sort of post. i don't have a place i'm really going with this. i just felt like, however unwisely, sharing some of my own story. sharing another identity that exists out there in the world.

#pride month #gender thoughts #i'm writing my memoirs oh no

[woman-loving]

"Single Women" as a WLW-Inclusive Political Category in India

As I was reading about sexuality in India, I came across the political category of "single women," which some women-loving women opted to use in the 80s and 90s. I'm posting two quotes that touch on the topic. I don't know what the status of that category is today (one of the authors I quote here denounces this strategy in retrospect), but I thought it was interesting to see what kinds of coalitions and identities women-loving women have attempted to pursue.

[Selection from “Rescaling Transnational “Queerdom”: Lesbian and “Lesbian” Identitary-Positionalities in Delhi in the 1980s,” by  Paola Bacchetta, in Antipode Special Issue, “Queer Patriarchies, Queer Racisms, International”, Vol. 34, No. 5, November 2002.]

Abha positions herself politically as a single woman. In the 1980s, she had been living with a woman for over ten years. She has been an IWM [Indian Women's Movement] activist since the inception of this wave. She was briefly in the Delhi Group, but her main work has been with IWM single women across classes and religions.

According to Abha (personal communication, 13 February 1998), during the 1980s events outlined above, in the context of IWM organizing:

“[W]e were raising the issue of women’s status outside the heterosexual institution of marriage and family. As we went along, we were not only able to form strong collectives of single women but also explore a whole range of erotic, sexual, affectionate interaction between women. I have, along with basti (urban slum settlement) women, resisted the definitions and prescriptions that homogenize women’s sexual expressions and experiences. Naming a group of people or the issue is a political act.”

The term “single woman” was formulated in the context of building broad alliances across classes, religions, castes, regions, and now sexualities and asexualities. It was designed to be inclusive of all women who have ruptured with the heterosexual matrix: “lesbians”; celibates; ascetics; unmarried women; divorced women; widows. For Abha, single women disrupt patriarchal genealogies while establishing lineage with women within and outside their families who may or may not have been “lesbian": “an unmarried aunt; unmarried activists in movements; ascetics or nuns” (Interview with Abha). This autonomous, non-sanguinal female connection disempowers male sanguinal kin who might otherwise expect to exercise control over no-longer married or unmarried women kin, including through corporal/ erotic policing.

Abha feels that the term lesbian, while enabling in the West, is not politically useful to her struggles. Most of the women she works with have little access to English and have never heard the word “lesbian.” For Abha, what constitutes woman-to-woman relations and the notion of visibility itself signify disjointedly in “Western” and Indian contexts. She feels the “gender segregation” that is normative in India paradoxically has historically both concealed same-sex love and provided a space for its expression in multiple forms. Announcing woman-to-woman sexuality (as lesbian or in other terms) would isolate sexuality from its wider erotic/affective continuum, thereby reducing it while constituting a threat to the space of its expression. For Abha, giving up that female-only space would be counterproductive. Further, introducing the English term “lesbian" would unnecessarily impose diversionary debates about Westernization. It would mean grappling with the national/alien binary–with lesbophobic exile–instead of getting on with the work of construction of autonomous female collectivity.

The term “single woman” inadvertently interrogates the place reserved for “lesbians” in the hetero/homo binary: as part of a separate, bounded category; forcibly assigned what Martin (1993) terms a “totalizing identification”; as condemned to be a numerical minority. The term “single woman" positions “lesbians” elsewhere: beyond a totalizeable sexual identity, within an autonomous female potential majority that could destabilize the binary‘s dominant term by shrinking it (even heterosexually married women can divorce or become widows). Under the rubric of “single women,” lesbianism is not isolatable; the “lesbian” potential in all women‘s relations can be recognized.

In her praxis, Abha links the classed, gendered, and sexuated spatiopolitics of the basti to single women’s struggles for total autonomy. As an urban territory spontaneously squatted, often by subaltern rural exodussed subjects, a basti is vulnerable to landowner and state invasions and evictions; it is an unhomeable home in the world. Basti based IWM women have self-organized for a very long time. They have collectively demanded state-supplied water and electricity, unionized trades such as sweeping, spread health information, and supported the decisions of  battered women to divorce. The construction of single-woman collectivities radicalizes women‘s struggles against male dependency across scale.

In their organizing praxis, single women from Delhi and elsewhere have agitated openly against lesbophobia and homophobia across scales, within India and beyond. They propelled IWM prolesbian stances on the suicides and marriages cited above. They organized the first workshop (called “Single Women”) in which “lesbian” relations were discussed at an annual national IWM conference, in 1990 in Calicut. They led the first passage of a national IWM resolution stating that all women have the right to sexual choice (1994, Tirupathi). They confronted the state in agitations against IPC 377. And they inserted their politics transnationally in a public statement against “the assumption of heterosexuality and the marginalization of lesbians” at the Indian preparatory assembly for the1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing (Abha, personal communication, 13 February 1998). Single women insist on autonomy from gay men but demonstrate solidarity with them. For example, during a 1993 ABVA/Sakhi seminar, single women critiqued ABVA sexism and demanded a womanonly space therein (Jagori 1992 – 1993). But in 1994, when Vimla Farooqi, a leader of the Communist Party‘s National Federation of Indian Women, asked the Prime Minister to ban a gay men‘s conference in Mumbai, single women organized a nationwide IWM protest (Jagori 1994-1995). Finally, single women contributed to IWM support for lesbian rights when these rights were publicly attacked in 1998 by Hindu nationalists in the controversy over Deepa Mehta’s lesbian film, Fire.

[Selection from Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Unprivileged India, by Maya Sharma, 2015.]

In contrast to the mass-based women's groups, the autonomous women's groups have had a somewhat different response to the issue of lesbian rights. Between 1989–-91, a new articulation had been shaped: 'single woman' was beginning to be recognised as a valid, self-chosen identity. Lesbians were seen as belonging to this category. At the Autonomous Women's Movement Conference held in Calicut in 1990 an informal session on single women was held, and perhaps for the first time the word 'lesbian' was used. A middle-class woman identified herself as a lesbian in that meeting. After the Calicut conference, the woman's group Jagori began research on single women, but did not openly address lesbian issues within these parameters. It mentions lesbians as one of the categories of single women but it did not openly address lesbian issues within these parameters. Nor did the category 'single women' accommodate more complex positions, such as those of married lesbians with or without children. The Northern Regional Conference of the Women's Movement held in Kanpur in 1993 had a session on sexuality, but women standing outside the room predicted dismissively that such a session would contain 'nothing more than lesbianism'. Anticipating such comments, we who were organising the workshop on behalf of Jagori had committed to a strategy: to avoid a predominant focus on lesbian issues, and in order not to detract/distract from more general issues, we ordained that women who were not 'out' but did self-identify as lesbians would keep a low profile during the discussions. Also, in the interest of ensuring that this strategy was not interrogated, we excluded an out lesbian who we felt would not comply with our plan. Ironically, during the session someone asked about women who did not marry, 'What about their sexual desire?' We had created a space where such issues could be interrogated, yet lesbian issues could not. Today in retrospect we are aghast that we thought of raising the issue of lesbian sexuality in the session on single women, and we acknowledge the extent of internal and external homophobia that compelled us to strategise in this questionable manner.

#india #lgbtq history #lesbian history #single women #already posted one of these as part of a longer selection but i wanted to put them together

[indigenouswomenandqueerness]

Colonial Language in Indigenous Queer Spaces

Experience, perspective, and culture contribute greatly to the formation of language. Why it is "flower" in English and "wâpikwaniy" in Northern Cree dialect can be explained by geographic, cultural, and grammatical formation differences. Knowing this, let's discuss the erasure of Indigenous language in "queer" (a colonial term) spaces and how the linguistic aspect of gendercide continues to harm Indigenous peoples.

Waziyatawin Angela Wilson writes “Language is linked to systems of thought, which are linked to history and to identity. Every description of the world depends on language, every ceremony conducted depends on language, every teaching about the past depends on language; Language conveys the meaning of life. Because of this connection, history cannot be discussed without consideration of the state of [language] and where they intersect and apply to one another” (Wilson, 2005). Language is shaped by and acquired through lived experiences on the land and with Her creations; Language also shapes how the world is perceived and explained. If/when language is translated, or if words and terms are removed, the intended meaning or message may very well be lost. The impacts of colonialism on language alter and destroy original meanings and connections, while fracturing the relationship between the people and their traditional culture, knowledges, and practices and contribute to the Pan-Indigenization (or forced homogenization) of Indigenous knowledges. In relation to queerness, preserved language shows that queer Indigenous identities predate colonial language and understood identities yet due to harmful stereotypes of both Indigenous peoples and queerness, both identities are not seen as intersectional with one another in many spaces, including both queer spaces and Indigenous spaces.

Indigenous queerness suffers from forced repression and erasure of knowledge and loss in translation. Picq and Tikuna explain that "The meanings of gender roles and sexual practices are cultural constructions that inevitably get lost when they are de-contextualized in cultural (and linguistic) translation. The spectrum of Indigenous sexualities does not fit the confined [colonial] registries of gender binaries, heterosexuality, or LGBT codification...It is not these idioms that are untranslatable, but rather the cultural and political fabric they represent"(Picq & Tikuna, 2019). Even in attempting to define known traditional Indigenous identities in other languages fails to truly encapsulate all aspects of a specific identity, nor can they be reduced to fit into settler-colonial queer identities (including the term "queer", which I do not like to use due to inaccuracy and erasure, but further solidifies the importance of language and the issues with translation) such as transgender, genderfluid, nonbinary, bisexual, homosexual, etc.

Often silenced in conversations of queerness, both in Indigenous and settler spaces, are the experiences of colonially-described AFAB (assigned female at birth) queer Indigenous individuals. Even in conversations within marginalized communities, those that benefit more from Euro-colonially implemented structures are ascribed slightly more privileges than those with multiple intersecting identities. For example, white-settler cisgender gay men are ascribed more privileges and given more attention when speaking out than a non-white or Indigenous, non-cisgender nor heterosexual individual is, and this is rampant in all queer spaces whether recognized or not. Historically, very few queer Indigenous women and third and/or other gender-identifying individuals are translated and shared, if not flat-out erased or heavily altered for colonial tastes. Bíawacheeitchish was a well-respected member of the Council of Chiefs, a warrior and chief of the Apsáalooke peoples of southern Montana; She was also married to four wives and "permanently assumed" traditional male roles, yet her story was heavily altered to fit colonially-accepted ideas and definitions of femininity and women. Not only was her queer identity erased through language, but it was also censored and heavily fetishized in accounts written by James Beckwourth (DeVoto, 1931).

English, French, and Spanish are languages that employ gendered terms. As language evolves, non-gendered terms and words make a resurgence or are created to properly address queer individuals in settler societies. In many Indigenous languages, however, gendered terms and language did not exist. For example, pre-colonial Zapotec language was not gendered, yet was rather categorized as people, animals, and inanimate objects (Picq & Tikuna, 2019). Upon the arrival of colonizers came the implementation of colonial masculine and feminine gendered language and identities, silencing traditional queer Indigenous individuals and their identities on pages and in mouths.

References:

Wilson, Waziyatawin Angela. Remember This!: Dakota Decolonization and the Eli Taylor Narratives. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska Press;c2005: 51.

Picq , M. L., & Tikuna, J. (2019, August 20). Indigenous sexualities: Resisting conquest and translation. E-International Relations. https://www.e-ir.info/2019/08/20/indigenous-sexualities-resisting-conquest-and-translation/

Bernard DeVoto in the introduction to Thomas D. Bonner (ed.): The Life and Adventures of James P. Beckwourth. Edited, with an Introduction by Bernard DeVoto, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1931 (reprint of the edition by Harper and Brothers, New York, 1856), p. xxiii

[liberatingallselves]

The “I” Thought.

Most of us have no memories of the first two to two and a half years of our lives. Medical doctors would say it is due to our brains not being completely developed. Non-dualists suggest that it is due to consciousness being homogenous and non-localized. Meaning that there is no experience of a separate self or separate objects located in space, so there is nothing to form memories.

Non-dualists go on to say that early in life consciousness contracts, likely in response to its growing identification with the body that naturally contracts in response to sound, hunger, hot and cold or other sensations. In contracting, consciousness pulls away from itself or polarizes. At one end of the pole are objects seen as separate things. At the other end is the subject to all objects that is experienced as separate from objects. This polarization is the birth of Subject/Object Consciousness.

When subject/object consciousness arises, the mind starts to name all it sees, much as Adam did in the Bible when God set all creatures before him. What’s generally not recognized is that the mind also seeks to name the subject to all objects and give it an identity. The subject, however, is nothing like an object. Objects can be seen with the eyes, heard with the ears, and sensed in other ways. The subject, on the other hand, has no objective qualities. To the mind it is a complete mystery, a void. That is a problem for a mind that is made to solve mysteries by naming and identifying things.

To resolve this mystery the mind leaps to the erroneous conclusion that the subject is an object like any other object. It furthers this error by identifying the subject with the body and emotions. Over time this identity becomes quite elaborate as family and cultural beliefs are added. Underlying all of this me and mine stuff, however, is the one original thought: the “I” thought.

The I thought is just that, a thought. Whereas most thoughts point to something, like the word apple points to a specific objective experience, the I thought doesn’t point to anything. You may argue that it points to the opposite of all things but if you take that apart you’ll quickly realize that the opposite of everything is nothing. A nothing that the mind calls I.

Let’s approach that again. Your original face before you were born, as phrased in Zen Buddhism, is non-localized consciousness. When it contracts an altered state of consciousness is created in which objects are seen to arise in opposition to a subject that has no objective qualities and so appears as a void.  The mind, being unable to comprehend this void, identifies it as me or I. But a name is nothing more than a thought. In this case, a thought that points to nothing. There is no you. Sit with that. Let it sink in.

#buddhism #consciousness #non-duality #no self

[maddicsldthoughts]

Week 7 - Racial and Ethnic Identity Development

This week I had a lot of thoughts while reading “The Enlightenment Narrative: White Student Leaders’ Preoccupation with Racial Innocence.” On one hand, it was relatable. I totally agree that whiteness allows white people to ignore systemic white supremacy. I have said before that I have thought about race more in one semester at NYU than I ever considered it in 24 years. I mentioned last week that I thought that I was “enlightened” when I lived in Texas because I posted a bunch of Black Lives Matter resources on my Instagram story when really there is so much more to it than that. When I read this article, I thought it was interesting how many opportunities the students surveyed had to discuss matters of race, even saying they had “routine conversations about racial diversity” (p.5). Some of the students called conversations about race a “hallmark of student involvement” (p.6), which I find weird, because I was heavily involved as an undergraduate student. I worked several jobs, was in a sorority, sang in choirs, lived in the dorms for a year, and was a member of clubs, and I never talked about race. That said, I attended a predominantly white institution (PWI) and for the most part was surrounded by other white people. Baylor currently reports that 35% of the Fall 2022 freshman class identify as belonging to a racial minority population. I am curious if the experiences that the students mention in their studies are specifically related to their school or their activities, or if I am lacking in this experience because of the school I went to or the people in my community. The study mentions that it was done at a PWI with people who grew up in racially homogenous communities, which is similar to Baylor, so I’m not sure. I think further research should be done at different schools with different organizations.

I thought the students in the study had a weird attitude. There was a lot of othering in the quotes. “Students [who aren’t involved] ‘do not really like, get a lot of this stuff that we do,’” (p.7) is one of them, but throughout the article I noticed similar sentiments. To me, it came off as morally superior. I am left wondering how white students can grasp race issues if their only opportunities are through high-impact practices and involvement, and some students never get involved.

Then, reading “Home Away From Home: Native American Students’ Sense of Belonging During Their First Year in College,” I was sad because Native Americans and other racial minority groups must feel really out of place on campus, which I am obviously aware of, but the writing made me really feel it. At Baylor, I usually always fit in, but during my first few weeks at NYU, I remember feeling like everything that I said was wrong. I wasn’t used to some of the lingo that is used here and I would go home and replay whatever I said in class over and over trying to figure out what others would think of me. I was so sad and anxious for weeks and dreaded going to class, and I imagine that this is the same feeling that racial minorities may feel at a PWI. I hate that students feel this way just because they are in a predominantly white environment, and I hate that they have to face microaggressions at the hands of white people to make white people feel comfortable. The worst part is that many white people are probably completely unaware of these problems! I think many people think the solution to this in college is to expose white people to these problems, which seems to have worked with the enlightened people from the earlier article, but like they mentioned, not everyone gets involved and is able to have these conversations. In my Impact of College on Student Success class, we talked about how high-impact practices can help solve these issues, but again, I’m not sure that every student gets involved in a high-impact practice throughout college, especially if they attend a community college or an institution that has less opportunities for involvement.

[veryphilosopheranchor]

The Impact of History Gifts on Our Lives

In a world dominated by the latest gadgets and trends, the significance of history gifts often takes a back seat in our lives. However, beneath the shiny surface of modernity lies a treasure trove of wisdom, culture, and stories waiting to be unraveled. This article explores the profound impact of history gifts on our lives, with a special focus on the growing trend of letter subscriptions for adults and the allure of historical gifts.

Unveiling the Past through Historical Gifts:

History gifts serve as portals to times long gone, providing us with a tangible connection to our roots. Whether it's an ancient artifact, a replica of a medieval manuscript, or a carefully crafted historical map, these gifts have the power to transport us to different eras, fostering a sense of appreciation for the rich tapestry of human history. Beyond mere material objects, historical gifts encapsulate the stories and struggles of our ancestors, acting as educational tools that transcend generations.

The Rise of Letter Subscriptions for Adults:

In an age dominated by digital communication, the art of letter writing has not been lost; it has evolved. Enter the realm of letter subscriptions for adults, a growing trend that combines the nostalgia of handwritten letters with the excitement of discovering historical narratives. Subscribers receive curated letters that delve into specific periods, events, or personalities, allowing them to embark on a journey through time without leaving the comfort of their homes.

These history letter subscriptions serve as a gateway to forgotten tales, presenting history in a personalized and engaging format. The anticipation of receiving a carefully crafted letter, complete with historical artifacts and anecdotes, adds a tactile and emotional dimension to the learning experience. It's a reminder that history is not confined to textbooks but is a living, breathing entity that continues to shape our present.

The Educational Value of Historical Gifts:

Beyond their aesthetic appeal, historical gifts carry immense educational value. Whether it's a replica of an ancient coin, a historically accurate costume, or a meticulously researched book, these gifts provide opportunities for hands-on learning. Tactile experiences enhance our understanding of historical concepts, making the past more tangible and relatable.

Moreover, historical gifts spark curiosity and encourage further exploration. A carefully chosen historical gift can ignite a passion for learning about specific time periods or cultures, fostering a lifelong interest in history. In a world where instant gratification often takes precedence, these gifts encourage a slower, more thoughtful approach to understanding the complexities of our shared past.

Preserving Cultural Heritage:

History gifts play a crucial role in preserving cultural heritage. By celebrating and sharing the artifacts and stories of diverse civilizations, these gifts contribute to the collective memory of humanity. In an era of globalization, where cultures risk homogenization, historical gifts act as guardians of uniqueness, promoting a sense of pride and identity.

Conclusion:

As we navigate the fast-paced currents of the present, history gifts stand as anchors, grounding us in the timeless wisdom of the past. From the allure of historical artifacts to the personalized narratives delivered through letter subscriptions for adults, these gifts weave a tapestry of connection between generations. By embracing and gifting the stories of our ancestors, we not only enrich our own lives but also contribute to the preservation and appreciation of our shared human heritage. History gifts, in their diverse forms, serve as reminders that our journey is part of a larger narrative—one that continues to unfold with each passing day.

#history gifts #letter subscriptions for adults #historical gifts #History letter subscription