#Sometimes people just assume the worst about you

[exaltior-a]

Personally the amount of people who are either "Jake is a stupid himbo" or "Jake is actively malicious" blow my mind. No, Jake isn't stupid, and he's not evil. He's a sixteen year old who is implied to have a mental disability and/or brain damage (it's not exactly clear, Caliborn claims they have the same developmental disorder and Dirk iirc worries that Jake hit his head too much, I guess you can take either with a grain of salt but I digress), and has not had meaningful real life interactions with other human beings in years. He is in the wrong for his actions, but it feels. Purposefully ignorant to claim he's just stupid or just evil for them.

He's socially stunted. He wants to emulate heroes in movies but lacks self esteem and experience. If the alpha kids had enough time to be more fleshed out (and let's be real, if Hussie cared about Jake) this might have been explored more thoroughly. He'd never had the opportunity to learn how to cope with a relationship, how to communicate his needs, or understand that he can't control how other people perceive him like he can through a computer screen.

He doesn't know healthy boundaries because he's never had to use them, and this goes both ways (allowing his friends to sexualise him and treat him like an object, as well as constantly complaining about his relationship with Dirk to Jane) Like yeah he does run away instead of communicating with Dirk and yeah he does dump all his problems on Jane. I love Jane, but one of her problems is her bottling up her feelings and people pleasing until everything blows up. She should have told him off much sooner, and while he was being a dick, it was partly because she allowed him to feel like it was okay to do, since she never told him it wasn't after the first few times or when she was starting to get aggravated.

His problems with Dirk are a little more complicated because we're never actually shown their relationship or how it broke down, but from what we can gather, Jake felt overwhelmed by Dirk's intensity and decided to ignore him rather than tell him try and avoid confrontation but leading to Dirk being frustrated and breaking up with him. Dirk claims he feels like he bullied Jake into a relationship, and though I personally think that's him making it seem worse than it was, it does mean that Dirk probably was trying to go too fast. I've best heard it is Jake being an introvert pretending to be an extrovert.

This is not to say I don't think people can't dislike or even hate Jake, but it's like. Idk. Misinterpreting a character and disliking that version of them is a little redundant to me.

#homestuck #dirkjake #jake english #dirk strider #jane crocker #character meta #homestuck meta #this is kind of in response to those people in the “worst homestuck character” tourney lol #the notes on those posts are atrocious especially the ones about the alpha kids. especially roxy #god if you think roxy is a perfect sngel i assume you haven't read the comic #btw im not mad at the person running the polls or whatever for that they seem fairly chill #its just that homestuck fans are sometimes stupid #and lack reading comprehension and critical analysis #long post #ummm jake dislikers ur fine but please. be correct about him if you're going to not like him #ok bye lol

[kiwikiwiandkiwi]

.

#at some point you make peace with the fact that that's harry’s image #he is a womanizer #but god why do these stunts always have to be with the worst people ever???? #i know next to nothing about her but i’ve seen the news about her and her latest dates #so it’s easy to assume she is not good news #but i really try to understand what’s their goal (and by their i mean harry himself and his team) #honestly after the mess that it was dwd and also holivia #and the way his comment about gay sex backlashed like so badly #and also after his grammy speech not being well received #i’d assume the best thing right now would be to keep things low and quiet #like he’s only touring right now nothing to promote nothing to be relevant about #so why not keep it this way #i just would think sometimes that would be for the best??? at least just for a little while #i guess i can answer my own question by saying they’re trying to keep his name relevant and keep people talking about him #just keeping his name in the news #so people don’t forget about him or whatever #maybe i’m being naive but not all press is good press #that’s more than clear now after how much hate he’s gotten in the last 7/8 months #so why do they always go back to the same route?? #we are all tired - not just his fans - but every single person that’s perceiving harry is tired #people start to resent anyone who is in the media for too long #specially if said person keeps giving you reason to maybe not like them #i’m not even angry or feeling anything really - by now i’m used to it #but you can’t tell me that the same M.O. over and over and over and over again is good #this formula has already proven (many times!!!) to not always being the right answer #like seriously what's their goal?? because harry being a womanizer is more than well established by now #i don't think we need 'proof' of it for people to say 'oh it's just an excuse for the storyline of the next album' #we actually don't need any kind of proof anymore for the rumors to exist lmao #i guess all of this is me saying that i really wish i could have the answers i'll never actually have #anyway rant over i said nothing new goodnight

[ftmtftm]

Hey I like your posts. I hope people aren’t uncomfortably parasocial in your ask box anymore. Have a good one

Thank you - I appreciate the sentiment.

Honestly? I'm probably just gonna publish the ask I've been working on answering tomorrow and then take a break for a few days. That ask is triggering something in me and I need to take time sort out that feeling.

#frankly - i don't want to talk to whoever that anon was because i'm deeply soured on them #but in the future? my dms are open #you can just talk to me directly if you don't understand the context of something i've said #you can just ask #like. i'm guarded because - well - this is the internet #and also i'm. deeply autistic. and i'm very open about that. #and sometimes? i do fail to communicate ideas in the ways i intend #and if that happens you can just ask - i am still a person behind the persona i attempt to uphold on this blog #i curate an idea of myself out of necessity #and i think most people on here do that too #but yeah. we're all people underneath that. #but also i'm not going to extend that kind of vulnerability publicly to strangers online #especially not ones who are assuming the worst in me #asks #anon

[freeforaugust]

Communicate like an adult and get results :)

#one the best things I've learned to do in the last five years is advocate for myself #new people took over the kennel I contract at and they haven't been giving me any of the boarding nail trims #I've been a little miffed about it but didn't say anything bc I assumed it was a money thing - if I do the nail trim I get commission #but if a kennel tech does it they don't get commission #today I caught them with a special baby of mine tho and they had just gotten started so I said #I'm supposed to be the only one who does her nails #and the tech was thrilled bc she doesn't like doing nail trims anyway #so after that I pulled myself together and said something to the manager about how the old owner had me do basically all of the nail trims #and he goes #great! #we all hate doing nail trims #and I ended up with 3 today and 2 tomorrow which is an extra $25 in my pocket so that's awesome #i really have found just talking about things like an adult (calmly and rationally) can get you the things you want most of the time #ig bc I grew up with a parent who would sometimes snap at me just for speaking I always expect the worst reactions from people #but so far I've found I almost always get the best #and even when I don't get what I want #nobody has yelled at me for asking

[rouge-the-bat]

i wish "you should think about why you do [x thing]" wouldnt be seen- or used- to mean "you shouldnt do [x thing]" because like. introspection is good! seeing if you have any unknown biases or whatever thats influencing a decision/action that needs to be deconstructed is a useful thing to do. and then if you want you can continue doing the thing once you understand your interest for it better and have it disconnected from any potential iffy shit if there were any there. so youre not unconsciously perpetuating a deepseated stereotype or whatnot.

and being forceful about "you need to think about why you do [x thing]" and insinuating theyre actually bad for it does nothing to encourage them to actually think on it. theyre just going to get defensive, and then maybe overlook some potentially unsavory stuff they havent unpacked. or they get nervous and drop the thing, thinking it was bad but not really being given the chance to think on it and truly understand why, even if the reasons they were doing the thing were actually not influenced by anything iffy.

but it also shouldnt be assumed that someone hasnt done any introspection on the situation, or doesnt have some personal reason for it. "you cant hc this character as [identity], its stereotyping" is just stupid because sometimes Real People just happen to have mannerisms/interests/etc that are stereotyped. "actually im of that identity and i relate to this character, thats why i hc them this way" is EXTREMELY common, and people do not have to out themselves about it to some stranger whos trying to police how they can engage with fiction. you are not entitled to any personal details about strangers.

#i hope i worded all this well im kinda sleepy rn lol #saw a post that was more specific about a certain topic n had a lot of good points n im just like #man i wish more ppl could just be chill about this whole thing for all topics #we need to give people the space to introspect without intense anxiety and pressure... #bc sometimes introspection should be done. should be encouraged. but not forced. yunno #and it shouldnt be assumed that everyone is doing things in the worst way you can imagine #etc etc. im getting tired i may nap

[snekdood]

I mean. I do think its weird that some ppl are so eager and willing to switch their old make up out with "cruelty free" make up but then. Not consider doing that with food in any capacity. And its hard not to feel like some ppl have been convicned vegan food is cringe and that since vegans are cringe all around that everything we do and eat is also cringe. Like yall reaaaallly want to divorce animal rights from veganism and thats an impossible task. Vegans will always be part of animal welfare one way or another. Who do you think fights for cruelty free make up in the first place? Ig if you divorce them in your mind you get to pretend the two movements are entirely seperate and you're not like those Loud Cringe Vegans or whatever lmao. Like. Okay cassandra. I kinda have a feeling a good majority of the people involved in pushing cruelty free make up are vegan. Idk why substituting your meat every now and then is so fuckin hard (if you can do it) if not for how ppl react to vegan food as if its cringe. And taste to me isnt a good enough excuse bc theres a lot of vegan food that tastes good. It feels like you just like the taste of something familiar.

#i promise its a lot better than you think it is #is it exactly like meat? no. but meat doesnt have to be the main protien in every fuckin thing #sometimes a nicely crafter veggie patty os enough #crafted* #anyways theres a bunch of vegans in my motes now bc of an old post of mine #so thats why i was thinkin abt this #🙄 and no i dont think theres some way to sus out who can and cant eat meat. i think people know when they can or cant and just wanna lie #to themselves when they can so they can keep eating the tasty tasty meat. #like. you know who you are. i dont need to make you vegan bc clearly you already feel guilty enough to lie to urself 🥴 #i dont believe in Legislating Some Way To Detect Who Is And Isnt Vegan Possibly By Evaluating Their Medical History or some crap. #but ik yall gotta assume the worst from vegans so. #like why would i legislate anything. ppl who eat meat and can eat other things tend to feel guilt regardless. i dont have to do shit lol. #its all on you and whether or not you wanna keep feeling that way or if you wanna be an edgy diseffected douchebag whos just. so above #doing anything or caring about the world in any capacity bc no ethical consumption so it doesnt matter what you do or at least #you dont care so you toss your cigarette butss in the woods. #thats always gonna be my go to bc if you ever get to that point then ik that you're just a nihilist tool and i dont want to be around you. #to detect who can and cant be vegan* is a better way to phrase that #like god dude you're so cool and subversive with your combat boots that every other queer leftist has and cigarette butts you dont #care about flicking in every which way. like. ur just so coold dude. so so cool. fer sure #didnt mean cold but you're also cold hearted so thats applicable. #the fact this is a stereotype in the queer community to me should tell you enough about how subversive you think you are. #cant emphasize enough that this isnt about people who cant be vegan bc they biologically need to eat meat or theyre poor #this is about ppl who can go vegan. have the funds. have no health condjtions. knows internally that they can. but chooses not to #in spite of trying to consume ethically in other forms. like some of yall will buy cruelty free make up. buy ethically sourced clothes. #but for some reason when it comes to food you act SO fucking weird about it. its truly hard not to feel like its not bc of the narrative #around vegans. and no! i cant tell who can actually go vegan and is lying and who cant! i dont care about investing that much energy into #controlling other people!! they know when they can and they know when theyre lying to themselves and others! i dont gotta do shit! #idgaf!!! #imma let the guilt about their actions do the work my dude #and to the person reading this going 'i dont feel guilty' im sure the fuck you dont! you edgy totally different person from the rest!!!

[katya-goncharov]

thinking about how annoying it is the amount of times i've failed to take the initiative to do something just because it genuinely didn't occur to me, and some neurotypical person who apparently decided i was supposed to know to do it will be like, oh, at your age you really should know better! it always just makes me feel so shitty like, who the fuck are you to decide i'm not thinking the way someone my age is supposed to?!

#it just makes me feel so rubbish about myself because i can't help thinking the way i do! #and it doesn't make me immature or less smart than other people my age #and neither does it mean i'm failing to live up to what someone my age is meant to be capable of #it just means that you could maybe have actually explained what you expected of me and not just assumed i'd magically know #and that not everyone's brain works the same way and not everyone hits the same landmarks at the same time #but yeah... the worst thing is people having expectations of me that i didn't even know they had because apparently they expected me to #have some sort of psychic knowledge. and no matter how hard i try i just can't possibly live up to them. and that doesn't make me selfish #or lazy or immature actually!! #but it just makes me feel sometimes like my age is this... target which i can't possibly live up to. which i'm not even worthy of #and that is so not true and a horrible way to feel

[casyawn]

i feel like we forget that a fandom lens is just one way to engage with media and while it can be fun and rewarding, it can also be somewhat limiting, and it's really out of touch with how most people interact with stories. this is why when i'm deep in a fandom i like to watch random youtubers (especially ones with small/unknown channels who are maybe not super media-savvy) react and review the material. after endless tumblr arguments about whether or not a show 'romanticizes abuse' or 'promotes incest', hearing Jake from Youtube's extremely normal opinions about blorbo is like pushing a reset button for my brain

#fandom people sometimes act like they're the only ones with any media comprehension tbh #i don't think they realise they're doing it but it often feels like what a lot of the discourse boils down to #'we have to point the problematic things because mainstream audiences are too stupid to tell right from wrong and are easily tricked' #to be clear when you watch random people react to shows sometimes they are extremely dumb about them #but it's mostly in small ways OR in ways that are clearly informed by the opinions they already have #to be clear i'm not against talking about the implications of art it's in fact very important to me #but it's often taken WAY too far and assumes the absolute worst of people and it just bums me out #anyway this actually isn't about a specific fandom believe it or not #just stuff i've been thinking about #anyway don't @ me with discourse make your own post if you disagree etc etc #peace

[leatherbookmark]

i swear to god, jgy being bitchy/prickly as a proof that he's finally opened up to someone is possibly my most disliked fandom treatment of him, because with obvious jgy haters at least I know we have exactly nothing to talk about! aaaaand block! but then people who claim to love him just make him into a total opposite of who he was in the novel and it's just like. sigh

#practically every time i bitch about it i bring up the fact that Yes the perspective of being able to be your worst self with no fear that #the person who sees that will hate you and book it is seductive and heady #but its never about that. or rather: when you read the novel you get the feel that jgy is wearing a smiling mask almost #constantly and it would be nice for him to not have to do that. but often fanworks lack that element and jgy is just a bitch #i mean yes sometimes you get a vague mention of difficult work! or some vague idea of a backstory that hints at jgy being a bitch #because he got hurt in the past and its his armor. and thats nice but its not jin guangyao. whose whole thing in canon was that he was #ALWAYS polite. i guess most fans picture a smile that you can See is fake and murderous but its not the case in the novel at all #and even if there really IS a setting where jgy can let himself be a bitch in front of his partner... it's just. so annoying #like jgy isn't a person but a little chihuahua throwing a little fit hihihi! how funny! have we mentioned he's so short? #I haven't found a fic where jgy genuinely can complain about his work/family/whatever troubles him and the other person reacts in a way #that would be a satisfying and appropriate emotional reaction for him (idk how to put it but for example when i need to vent i also need #the person im venting to to agree that yeah this is shitty/bullshit! which is why i dont really vent to people anymore lol) #it always has this comical undertone and it feels so wrong 4 me #on top of that this bitchy little a-yao is so popular that people dont even think twice about it. just like nmj who's so warm and loving #not to mention endlessly queer and supportive that people forget the original flavour (to borrow the sv term lol) #and again i do understand! one of my past otps was very Quirky and over the top (thats anime 4 u) and i soaked up the rare moments when #they were just people with complex feelings like a fucking sponge. then my fic was all about the complex feelings without any of the #quirkiness because i was tired of its abundance in canon. but in a way because of this they were a complete 180 from their canon selves #so like. i guess i understand. but what i dont understand is that this assumes thay jgy's smiles and kindness are ALL a front and that the #bitch (or gremlin! he and wwx are ~gremlin friends~ uh huh) is the True Self. and i mean. w h a t #people got So hooked up on short bitchy customer service employee forced to hide his oceans of snark behind a smile so fake its cracking at #the edges thay they forgot about the man who would do everything for people he loved + enjoyed making them happy and comfortable #and was kind to his subordinates. there's nothing of that dude in popular fics and im not even sure if authors know he existed #the closest we have is him trying to be the favourite uncle/satisfy his in-laws first/show off which just seems so shallow lmao #and its like Oh God #i know 'these are all fictional characters eli' but ashfhfkflsahfjsgod #shut up shrimp

[slippery-minghus]

secretly wishing and hoping that during her one on one with the manager tomorrow, Toxic Coworker(TM) realizes maybe this is not the job for her.

that, or she has a freakout about it and calls out for the next several days, leading to her getting let go due to too many absences

#she should go back to making her income off of all of her ~internet fans~ since she's so holier than thou and famous and everything #not like she even needs this job with how much her partner makes #i'm just so over how disrespectful she is #always assumes the worst intent from everyone and then is rude to you for it #i was trying my hardest to ignore her today so i wasn't really keeping track #but i think she was on her phone for a good 75% of our omshift overlap #and a significant portion of when she wasn't on her phone was spent literally cry-typing her massive list of grievances to bring to her 1:1 #the one clear glance i stole just to see what the fuck she was typing and crying so aggressively about was the header for a whole section #about Behavior in the office................... #i'm really struggling with being sympathetic towards her when i know everyone else is acting with the best intentions #when anyone (but her) gets uppity about something it's bc patient care was impacted. which is a GOOD REASON. #i learned that early on and really respect how intensely my team cares about doing their job as best they can #meanwhile this girl gets mad when you even remotely consider that maybe this is the kind of job where it's good to do more than the bare #minimum? this is a real job with real impacting tasks that need to be done. the work needs to happen! #i'm not saying you have to break your limits or work a minute more than 40hrs/week. but you can't just show up and dick around for 8hrs #this isn't fucking mcdonalds #and sometimes! we have to do tasks! that we don't really enjoy! do i like sending faxes? no! it's tedious as hell! but do i do it anyway? #yes! because if i don't someone's literally not going to get their medication!!! #i'm anticapitalist and antiwork as hell but that doesn't mean no jobs should exist. it doesn't mean people in the medical field should stop #caring about their patients and doing the most they sustainably can for those patients #if you want a job where you don't have to care go somewhere else #it's unfair to literally everyone—yourself included—but most importantly to the patients who have trusted you with their care #personal #i don't want to leave this job yet but i'm honestly going fucking insane

[jack-owo-valentine]

.

#solitude and anxiety is the worst and best combo ever #its just constant misake after hiccup after misssed/misunderstood social cur #cue* #but also they love eachother enough 2 both improve and i love that #anxiety stops trying 2 read people and assuming as much #and solitude attempts 2 people a little more and even maybe start a convo #and anxiety gets real happy when theyre both cuddling #and they both adore parallel play #plus they both enjoy direct contact #and communication #and sometimes anxietys voice raises a little #and then #sometimes #solitude thinks theyre mad #and anxiety gets all nervous like #no!! i promise im not!! im just slightly annoyed!! and mostly confused!! #and soltiudes like i apologize i love you im trying 2 work on it #and anxiety is sitting there like 🥺 its ok i love u 2 ur doing great #and then solitude is like #talking about like #oh yes we do cuddle and sometimes thats awkward and painful #and anxiety is like im so so sorry we can just hold hands if youd like? or would you perfer maybe holding pinkies? #or we could parallel play #and solitude is just #its alright i didnt say i wanted to stop #just that it can be difficult i love cuddling you #i loveee those 2

[cannibalisticskittles]

i really, really, really wish haus of gloi's ghost puffs presented as more than just marshmallow on me because buttered popcorn + marshmallow goo is a simple but very intriguing combination

but i cannot smell the popcorn at all, it's just marshmallow all the way down

#shifting into fall mode so wanting fall scents #ghost puffs........ i want your ideal form........ #like don't get me wrong. it's not bad. #but it's just. sweet. no butter. no popcorn. #and it could just be me and my broken olfactory senses!!! #i often cannot detect a note that others can smell #one time i sprayed a grapefruit perfume and it didn't smell like Anything but everyone i asked to do a shiff test said they got strong #grapefruit from it #which is a weird and unfortunate thing to realize about yourself. that sometimes you just. cannot perceive things correctly #and then on the other hand if there's an artificial chocolate scent i can pick it out every time #artificial chocolate is the WORST it always smells like.... some kind of chemical i guess?? #sometimes other people can pick it out but I've noticed I seem to hone in on it more strongly than other people #they can catch it when its real bad but sometimes i can smell it and they can't so i assume it's just less strong #literally never found a good or non-nauseating chocolate scent unless it's literal chocolate #what's up with that huh. why can't i consistently smell popcorn and grapefruit but i always smell fake chocolate??? #bad trade-off

[yesokayiknow]

they try, honestly they do, but the doctor isn't a stationary creature and never has been, especially not when they know there's something they could help with. which is to say, it takes a week of soft quiet life before he starts begging kate for a job. kate in turn withstands three weeks of the doctor's incessant begging and big puppy dog eyes while donna noble stands right behind him and mouths don't you fucking dare before she makes a counteroffer: he can work in a lab (the 'very far away from active duty' is implied) as long as he meets with unit's therapist.

and he refuses, of course, loudly and profusely, right up until donna very gently but very firmly tells him that it really could help, actually.

so. therapy. the doctor assumes it won't do anything. the unit therapist is no nonsense and unflinching and very very bright, and twenty minutes later the doctor sits outside the room hyperventilating while kate finishes paperwork and kindly doesn't mention the way he's all but curled into her.

the second session ends much like the first, and the third, and then the fourth he walks out with dry eyes and a tremulous smile. the fifth, kate calls donna and she takes him home and they drink hot chocolate and he doesn't start talking again until the next day. it takes him seven sessions to be able to stay in the room for the full hour; kate pats him on the back and then finally allows him to build a shield for her office as a reward. she sits outside the therapist's office every time he has a session, even though she has to have better things to do. they don't talk about it.

unit only has files on things the doctor's done on earth, and even then, only sometimes, which means that when the doctor talks about some things he just. edits, a little. talks about two weeks in a confession dial and a month in prison, because maybe then he doesn't have to think about the enormity of it all. and every single time he does this, the therapist looks at him and very kindly calls bullshit. it's weird, being known. it's different with donna. he is donna and donna is him, in ways they will probably never talk about. but he sits in that cluttered little office for an hour a week (sometimes two or three times, if he's doing particularly badly) and he feels seen.

after four months, there are memories he can touch without flinching, and people he can talk about without crying. he starts spending a couple of hours just sitting in the vortex, not because he's hiding or running but just because he likes the way it feels against his skin. he cooks dinner every other night and washes up when he doesn't. he takes out the bin every week even though it's rose's job, because he loves her. and he can say that now, and he doesn't think about her short lifespan or about all the other people they've loved and lost. he can say that and just mean it.

part of his contract is an agreement to never offer a trip to a member of unit unless it's actual life or death (the small chemical leak in the lab doesn't count; he takes shirley to new mars anyway) but he finds himself toying with the idea of asking for a session in the tardis. just once, just to see. the therapist looks at him and sees him and it is monstrous and they keep looking anyway and now the doctor can sit through a family dinner without wanting to tear his skin off and he doesn't know any other way to say thank you.

it's funny, almost, how quickly he grows attached to this person who picks through his hurts and rifles through his traumas and holds direct eye contact while doing so. the doctor talks about their deaths and their crimes and their cowardice and the therapist nods and asks him how he feels and it's. it's terrifying. it's beautiful. it's the worst thing he's ever ever been through, and the best. he feels ripped apart and put back together in a way that few people have ever been able to— huh.

after his sixty eighth session (he's unable to not keep count) the doctor walks outside to where kate is annotating a schematic and says, thoughtfully, they're the master in disguise, aren't they. and kate says oh 100% and please don't let them know that you know because they will definitely go to the second stage of whatever long con they've been hatching and they're too good at this for us to let them go

#doctor who #doctor who spoilers #does this count as fic. i mean it's long enough ain't it #the doctor #fourteen #you can decide which one it is exactly tbh #my fanfic

[alithetiredartist]

Everyone I know who has a naturally sarcastic voice/attitude always complains about how annoying it can be but tbh it’s kinda nice being able to play off something you definitely intended as sarcasm (if it’s too mean) as a true statement and just say it’s your natural voice

#there are some perks #it is kinda weird how people will be super mad that you said something thinking it was sarcasm #but then they find out you were serious and they’re like :D #idk people are weird sometimes #plus i’m never serious about anything so people always assume the worst #they’re usually right #idk if this makes any sense at all #i’m just rambling #tell me if i sound insane

[butchtoads]

If there's one thing I can't stand its people going off on others who ask questions genuinely and without ill intent. There have been so many times where I just needed clarification and people take it as a personal insult assuming I didn't "read carefully enough" or am "questioning their authority". I need specificity. Sometimes people won't have the same experiences you do and something seemingly obvious to you won't have come up for someone else. Just because someone asks a question it doesn't mean they mean harm or to be rude. They might just not understand.

#grays matters #if you have followers who are minors you need to understand they wont know the same things as you. ESPECIALLY pertaining to subjects such #as business bills taxes etc. things minors dont typically need to worry about yet. #plus as someone who is very likely autistic i need things to be straight forward. im not always good at reading between the lines. ill do #research for myself where i can but that isnt always applicable #ive left communities before that i thought i was safe in because they revealed themelves to be hostile to me needing clarification or just #not communicating the same way they do #all im asking is for people to not assume the worst of people when they have questions based on your own personal past experiences #i understand theres frustration. anger even. but theres no proof sometimes that the people asking questions are the same. and its harsh to #assume it to be so. #anyway i just had a bad customer service experience that aggravated old feelings. how are you doing. #i just want to get a part replaced before im out of warranty and im new to warranty claims

[trainsinanime]

I wonder: Do Americans know about american school buses? Not their existence in general, but how they're seen overseas.

Over here, they're one of the symbols of America, on par with the Statue of Liberty, the flag, the Eagle, and well ahead of any chain restaurant you can name. People won't know any US states, but they will know these vehicles.

The thing is, here in Germany, we don't have dedicated school buses. The general idea is that kids go to school on their own. When that's not practical, they're expected to use (and given free tickets for) public transit. Public transit is designed around this requirement; there are many places where there is a bus, and anyone can get on it, but the route and timetable really only makes sense for school children. In case a dedicated school bus is really needed, that's generally subcontracted out, and the lines either use something like a Sprinter Van for smaller routes, or a normal city or interurban bus (often a used one that's a bit older). School trips are normal public transit, or a rented bus, typically a coach or regional bus.

It's not a perfect system, in the past couple of years there's been an epidemic of people bringing their kids to school in their cars instead of letting them walk, which is less than ideal. It is what it is. But building a dedicated network of public transit lines only for students, and building dedicated vehicles only for that, has never occurred to anyone here.

Of course we know about these buses, from movies and such, but they're as foreign here as cacti or pick-up trucks (actually we're seeing more and more of these here) or yellow cabs (all europeans will assume all cabs in the US are yellow until they actually visit).

You do see these buses here at times, because people still generally like the idea of the US, even if they have a lot of issues with a lot of details, and so folks bring them over, along with stretch limos and stuff (also not really a thing here). And of course, if someone goes to all that trouble, they don't do it to haul school kids, they rent it out for city tours or as a party bus or whatever.

So you see these yellow things as a symbol of faraway places, scenic vistas, some vague undefined idea of freedom that doesn't necessarily hold up to any contact with reality, and it's just a huge part of the whole US aesthetic.

And then you go to a student exchange with the US, and you finally get the chance: You yourself get to ride in one of these iconic chrome yellow buses! It looks just like in the movies! You get in, you drive in them a little…

…and you realise they're shit. Just the worst buses in the western world. Terrible suspension. Uncomfortable seats with weirdly high backs (so they don't have to put seatbelts in, they just restrict how far kids can fly in an accident). Everything made out of the cheapest materials. Turns out the reason why the US uses school buses like that instead of normal modern city buses, which the US has, is to save money and because they just hate kids.

And then it hits you why US Americans say "as American as apple pie", a dish that is made and enjoyed literally anywhere in the world, instead of "as American as yellow school buses". Of course the Americans already knew all this. They got tortured by these things forever. It would never occur to them to see this as a symbol of America, it's just a normal part of life for them. It's a symbol of school and school life and sometimes normalcy, and tells us that these actors getting out of it are supposed to be teenagers, nothing more.

But most people in Europe have, of course, never ridden on these buses. So when they see them in movies and TV, that's a giant big yellow signifier that we're not in Hessen or Wallonia or wherever anymore. A symbol of a different world, one that may be at most a once-in-a-lifetime-experience for most people, just like a picture of a tropical beach, Incan Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, or Hildesheim (there's no reason to go there twice). And I think Americans don't know that, and that's fascinating.

#bus #buses #school bus