#but prevents movement

[naughtyhawg]

i don’t even know what kind of art i make anymore

#ive kind of stopped creating so tangibly and so starkly that the thing i imagine making in my head have stopped coming #or they dont stay #just visit for awhile then leave #i feel an ambiguousness to my life right now where things dont feel put together but kind of bound in a way that keeps it all #but prevents movement #i want to organize mylife better but it always feels like a feat #that im not capable of on my own #its usually outside motivators that get things to change for me without my realizing #when i look at myself #i dont know what i do #i dont know where i want to be #i dont know why i create anymore and im having trouble getting back in touch with who i am #to make things #i keep repeating the same recycled phrases because i dont want to disappoint people #but i feel like my mind is making me the same person #i cant keep the change ive had in my head so it goes back to default #too long don look heehee #>.<

[germiyahu]

Like the situation is not black and white. I saw people gang up on a self-avowed non Zionist pro Palestinian Jew for having boundaries when it comes to supporting Palestine. They ganged up on them for saying antisemitism should still be called out and is not necessary to support Palestine.

But when I saw with my own two eyes Palestinians on twitter begging Westerners to retweet and spread shit straight from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf, as if that would help free Palestine... I mean no Linda, this is not an example of "not speaking over oppressed people," not when those oppressed people know that certain tropes and canards can be used to target Jews around the world and they know that Westerners are receptive to them.

They are trying to use you and your naivete to collectively punish all Jews in the world. They know they're not powerful enough to kill the Jews of Israel so they want you, their loyal allies, to be radicalized into trying to hurt Jews in the Diaspora. That's the only way a lot of people in the Arab/Muslim world can think of to punish Jews. They do not see a difference between Israeli and Diaspora Jews. This is not spreading awareness, this is not #freeingPalestine, this is not "they're just trying to do whatever they can think of to get the bombs to stop falling on their children," this is just petty spiteful sadism, and they know you'll go along with it, because both of you are antisemitic at heart.

So you do have to be skeptical. You can't uncritically spread things. That goes both ways of course. But since you already interrogate every claim of antisemitism, and preemptively dismiss it as crocodile tears, Hasbara, or thinly veiled calls for Islamophobic violence... that side of the aisle is not an issue for you, clearly. But if you can't even go to the other side of the aisle and clean up house even a little bit, you're not a serious activist.

#that's why Jews are critical for the Palestinian liberation movement #and it's why Palestinians/Muslims are critical in the fight against antisemitism #we need people who have been harmed in the name of a different group of people to be present and prevent that from happening again #and it's going to piss you off sometimes because they're going to challenge your preconceived notions or be the wet blanket #but if you shut them out your movement becomes a breeding ground for unchecked bigotry against them

[semiotomatics]

😭😭 literally sobbing rn you guys, my ankle braces arrived n ive been wearing them for a couple hours now and they!! feel!! amazing!!! i can't wait to wear them outside (fingers crossed i can wear shoes w them lol) so i can see how much of a difference they make. also gonna sleep w them tonight (or whenever i manage to sleep :/) to see if that helps w my pain at night/when i wake up!!

#personal spewage #i freaking love braces yall #i wish i could brace every part of my body #ive already got wrist braces that i've had forever #unfortunately theyre--idk what youd call them. restrictive? they actually prevent movement rather than just limiting it #so they dont rly work for like. everyday wear #next up: back brace #also possibly knee braces #do they make shoulder braces??? god i would love shoulder braces #tempted by the finger ones but idk #my fingers arent super hypermobile #would be curious to try them tho

[phoenixyfriend]

Those Economics/Architecture Videos I've Been Bingeing

But eating less bandwidth than the previous version of this post.

This post has 100 links, because that's how many tumblr lets me add before it refuses to save the post anymore. (Legacy editor allows up to 250, but then I would have the colors.)

A lot of these are about NYC, because that's my personal main focus, but there are a few others. Also, I have absolutely no training in this field and only started watching these a few days ago but Ya Girl Is Bingeing and Really Loves Edutainment. All the descriptions are my own, btw. I'm not looking to gain clicks or references, I want you guys to know what you're getting into.

I was not involved in creating any of these videos, but it did take me over a week to watch them all and decide which ones to include, how to organize, and how to describe the contents.

I cannot speak to a lot of the deeper issues touched on, and do not agree with all the political or economic points brought up in these videos (as this is a wide range of people and topics), but they are by and large a good look at much of an industry that most people, myself included, don't know enough about, considering how crucial it is to our lives.

I'm open to channel/video recs but there are a few I ran into that seem well-done but have an audio quality I can't work with, so that's... unfortunate.

Stewart Hicks - Chicago-based, professor of architecture at the University of Illinois

Why Skyscrapers Are Losing Their Tops - Stewart Hicks - The general history of architectural styles for skyscrapers from the 1930s to the near future.

Why Do Architects Insist on Using Flat Roofs? - Stewart Hicks - Compares and contrasts the strengths and weaknesses of flat vs gabled roofs.

How Buildings Changed After the Eiffel Tower - Stewart Hicks - Thirteen minutes of history on structural engineering in bridges and skyscrapers.

The Bewildering Architecture of Indoor Cities - Stewart Hicks - Goes into the planned and unplanned variants of this phenomenon, which ranges from giant buildings intended to act as an entire community, to the unplanned network of underground tunnels or overstreet enclosed walkways that let people cross blocks upon blocks of a city without having to step outside.

How This Tower Barely Touches the Ground - Stewart Hicks - Addresses the engineering behind 150 N. Riverside in Chicago, and the zoning laws that caused its rather unique Y-shaped base in the first place, along with the requirements causing things like custom giant I-beams and necessitating a barge to host the crane since they had nowhere to anchor one on the ground.

How Chicago is Being Unbuilt: Back to Nature - Stewart Hicks - Explores the ways in which Chicago is undoing prior urbanization, and implementing some new eco-friendly infrastructure and various projects.

Why We Should Live in Our Office Buildings - Stewart Hicks - More and more office buildings are standing empty. With movements towards more mixed zoning and the return to walkable city models, some of those office buildings are getting retrofitted to be livable spaces and mixed-use locations.

How Architects Design for Less Lonely Living - Stewart Hicks - In a lot of places, like the US, the way we interact or avoid other people is impacted heavily by the organization of the buildings we live in.

House Sizes Are Getting Absurd - Stewart Hicks - Just a fun romp comparing the range of sizes (from the bare minimum of capsule hotels to the absurd mass of some modern estates) for various dwellings. Lots of very deliberate visualization.

Shopping Malls are Getting Desperate - Stewart Hicks - Discusses the decline of shopping malls, and the 'tricks' they employ to try to keep people happy and coming by.

The Architecture of Curb Appeal - Stewart Hicks - There's a lot that goes into making a house look good in a way that gets it sold. A lot of people hate it.

The Controversy Over Accessory Dwelling Units - Stewart Hicks - In many places, it's illegal to build a smaller livable space in your backyard. You know, places you put an adult child who wants their own space, or your mother-in-law, or just rent out to college students for the next ten months. But, at least in a few places, it's not going to be illegal much longer.

Toilets Need to Change - Stewart Hicks - Plumbing is such an important part of our daily lives, and it's still evolving!

The Hidden Meaning and Logistics of Fountains - Stewart Hicks - This one is just fun. 😊

The Genius of 2x4 Framing - Stewart Hicks - So apparently the US is a bit odd in how much of our architectural/construction industry uses light wood framing as a standard.

The B1M - Hosted by Fred Mills (British), more generally about construction, rather than just architecture

Why America Is Tearing Down Its Highways - The B1M - Explores the history of the interstate highway system, and how much of it was used for redlining and general segregation, along with the challenges faced by the plans to tear those highways down.

The $1.2 Trillion Plan to Rebuild America - The B1M - NGL I'm like. Ludicrously excited about this one. There's a lot going on! I hope it works out!

Why a Billionaire Tried to Stop This Bridge - The B1M - There's a new bridge being built between Detroit, MI and Windsor, ON. This bridge is going to help with the ongoing trade between the US and Canada; these two cities are already a major hub for one of the largest trading partnerships in the world (the largest where one side is not the European Union), so building another bridge is a reasonable undertaking. However, the new bridge will be just a few miles down from an existing bridge that is currently owned by a billionaire who makes a killing over his control of a major portion of this bottleneck of the trade route. (Also, more engineering challenges!)

The Statue of Liberty: Building an Icon - The B1M - Someone actually asked me about this recently and anyway you should all go learn about how the Statue of Liberty happened, she's a gem.

Why New York’s Billionaires’ Row Is Half Empty - The B1M- The usage of NYC luxury housing as a semi-liquid asset used as investment by the megarich, along with the rights acquisitions that led to their building in the first place, the gentrification they contribute to, and the tax write-offs they get for it.

Why Our Cities Are So Expensive - The B1M - How infrastructure investment by governments can and does frequently lead to gentrification. Focuses on London's Battersea Power Station revitalization plan.

Why New York's Skyscrapers Keep Changing Shape - The B1M - This is actually an exploration of more than just New York, covering much of the same topics as the above 'history of skyscraper design' video, with a great focus on the Chrysler building.

Why No One Wants This New York Skyscraper - The B1M - Investigates the ways in which the development of Two World Trade Center has been delayed over the past decade and change, along with a handful of other projects in the area.

The Wild Story of New York’s Abandoned Skyscraper - The B1M - There's a half-finished skyscraper on the western shore of Manhattan, and due to the errors in laying the foundation, there's an 8cm tilt in it. The parties involved in construction are duking it out in court about who's at fault, and until they're done, that thing is just... sitting there.

New York's Latest $3BN Skyscraper Explained - The B1M - Another stupidly tall skyscraper for midtown. You know. Because we need another one.

The $7BN Plan to Save New York's Most Hated Train Station - The B1M - Explores the history, current state, and planned upgrades to Penn Station of NYC.

New York's Most Hated Highway is Falling Apart - The B1M - The issues hitting the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and the difficulties in repairing it.

The Secret Subway That Could Save New York - The B1M - Hey do you want to hear about how we might finally be getting that Queens-Brooklyn line that doesn't need to pass through Manhattan first?

The Tunnel That's Failing New York City - The B1M - The tunnel that handles a massive amount of the human traffic between NJ and NYC is starting to break down due to age. This one included a line that actually gave me feelings: "Look, it's a 110-year-old system, you know, it's done its job. Like, we really can't ask any more of it." It did its best! For a long time! Thank you!

The US Government Wants to Destroy These Towers - The B1M - The federal government just wants to demolish some Historic Skyscrapers in Chicago, no biggie.

The Secret $4BN Tunnel Network Under Chicago - The B1M - Since the 1970s, Chicago has been building an absolutely massive set of tunnels hundreds of feet under the surface to handle regular flooding from storms and the climate crisis.

The Fight to Fix the Tilting Millennium Tower - The B1M - There's this skyscraper in San Francisco that's leaning a few centimeters to the side, which doesn't sound like a lot, until you learn that just a few more will mean the plumbing and elevators stop working.

The £100BN Railway Dividing a Nation - The B1M - Goes over the political, economic, and environmental arguments and concerns behind the highspeed rail intended to connect London to the North of England.

Inside London's £19BN New Railway (and its Nightmare Station) - The B1M - Genuinely fascinated at the number of Train Problems that England seems to be having.

Why Europe Doesn't Build Skyscrapers - The B1M - Explains the historical and modern reasons that limit the addition of supertall buildings across most of Europe.

The Insane Scale of Europe's New Mega-Tunnel - The B1M - Explores the engineering and environmental challenges of the Fehmarntunnel, a passage from Germany to Denmark of terrifying size.

Why Europe is Building a 57KM Tunnel Through a Mountain - The B1M - No, a different one. This one is between Italy and France.

We Went Inside the Largest Nuclear Fusion Reactor - The B1M - It's in France, there are over 35 countries involved, and it's just a Lot.

Inside The Lab That Tests Elevator Free-Falls - The B1M - There's this active mine in Finland where they test elevators for safety and it's pretty cool.

Finland Might Have Solved Nuclear Power’s Biggest Problem - The B1M - Finland has a new way of storing nuclear waste.

Nord Stream 2: The $11BN Megaproject That's Dividing - The B1M - It's an oil pipeline and it is causing problems for Everyone.

Why Russia is Building an Arctic Silk Road - The B1M - Russia is taking advantage of the melting ice caps to set up a new trade route through the arctic so shipping can go up through the north instead of down around South Asia and through the Suez Canal.

The $10BN Railway in the Jungle - The B1M - Mexico is building a new, very long high-speed rail line, and it's incredibly controversial.

Hong Kong's $11BN Underwater Railway Explained - The B1M - Hong Kong is putting in a new underwater tunnel (as part of a larger network expansion) for its subway system, and it's. Difficult.

China's Skyscraper Boom is Officially Over - The B1M - Just learned that China is outlawing most skyscrapers. There are a few cases where you can still maybe make one happen, if you can convince the government it's needed, but in most cases... nah. They're cutting you off.

The Unstoppable Growth of China's High-Speed Rail Network - The B1M - [insert gif screaming about trains here]

The Insane Engineering of Tokyo's First Supertall Skyscraper - The B1M - While the focus is ostensibly Main Tower, the video covers a lot of ground regarding earthquakes and the necessary engineering to resist the incredibly frequent occurrence. (Warning: Came out shortly after the Feb. 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake, and contains references to the event, urging people contribute what they could to help. The video was already almost finished when the Turkey-Syria earthquake happened, and rather than delay it for fear of it being in bad taste, they decided to use it to encourage people to help the victims.)

Japan’s $64BN Gamble on Levitating Bullet Trains Explained - The B1M - Let's talk about maglev, pros and cons.

Is This Asia's Next Financial Capital? - The B1M - Malaysia is building a lot, and it might herald a new financial superpower for the continent and the world.

Why India Doesn’t Build Skyscrapers - The B1M - The short answer is 'zoning laws that didn't achieve what the legislators hoped,' but it's changing.

The $4BN Railway Reshaping Delhi - The B1M - What it says on the tin.

The World's Most Extreme Construction Site - The B1M - Antarctica!!!

Egypt Built a Supertall Skyscraper in the Desert - The B1M - Egypt is straight up building an entire city in the middle of nowhere, primarily as a new seat of government, because Cairo is overcrowded... and a frequent site of protests.

Top 10 Projects Completing in 2023 - The B1M - Some impressive, expensive, and possibly unnecessary projects that are happening.

Tomorrow's Build is a second channel under The B1M, also hosted by Fred Mills. It's more focused on hypothetical, future projects than ongoing ones.

Barcelona’s Car-Free Superblocks Explained - Tomorrow's Build - Barcelona is planning to block off entire parts of the city from most car usage, excepting local delivery, mass transit, and emergency services.

The Hidden Crisis With Renewable Energy - Tomorrow's Build - Storage of energy from renewable sources that are not consistently available (e.g. solar is only available when the sun is out) is difficult, so here are a few options.

This Nuclear Plant is Built in 3 Months - Tomorrow's Build - Mail-order nuclear power is going to be a thing.

Greece is Turning its Olympic Ruins into a Casino - Tomorrow's Build - [good for them dot gif]

This Could Stop Construction Everywhere - Tomorrow's Build - So it turns out we're running out of sand. Which is important, because we need sand for concrete, and the easiest stuff to get (desert sand), doesn't work for that, which is why Dubai has to import sand for construction. So uh. Kind of a crisis. Sand pirates are a whole thing.

Architectural Digest - channel for the architectural magazine that dates back to 1920

Architect Breaks Down 5 of the Most Common New York Apartments - Architectural Digest - Just what it says on the tin! An architect explains brownstones, classics, railroad apartments, and loft/studio apartments. Lots of history, specifically that of the late 19th century tenement buildings and the art community and subsequent gentrification of SoHo.

Architect Breaks Down 6 Luxury Apartments from Billions, Gossip Girl & More - Architectural Digest - On the other end of NYC housing, we got the Rich People Places.

Architect Breaks Down Secret Details Of The Chrysler Building - Architectural Digest - An exploration of the external details of the Chrysler, with commentary on the historical context of art deco and related art movements.

Architect Breaks Down 3 Demolished New York Landmarks - Architectural Digest - Goes over the original Penn Station, Madison Square Garden,and the New York Herald building.

Architect Breaks Down The Evolving Skyscrapers Of New - Architectural Digest - I'm... not going to pretend I'm less than obsessed with NYC videos. Sorry! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Covers setback/wedding cake tiered, glass curtain wall, plaza towers, expressed structures, and the (hated) supertall.

Architect Breaks Down NYC Subway Stations (Oldest & Newest) - Architectural Digest - And we continue on NYC infrastructure history because I am insatiable.

Architect Explores New York City's Greenwich Village | Walking Tour - Architectural Digest - What a beautiful and inconvenient neighborhood, full of so many dead bodies.

Top Luxury - Despite the name, is about construction in general, including critique of megearich projects, so don't go in expecting it to be About The Luxury

World's Most Useless Megaprojects - Top Luxury - Did you know there are entire cities lying around empty? I already knew that, but there are just. So many giant projects that never got finished, ate up a lot of money, and are just kind of sitting around now.

5 Skyscrapers that Never Existed - Top Luxury - Some of these never got past the concept stage, and some ran out of funding, and at least one got turned into a fish farm by locals after it was abandoned.

Biggest Megaprojects in the World - Top Luxury - Exactly what it says on the tin! Guys, there are so many giant projects happening, and so many of them are controversial As Heck.

Why these Megacities are Still Empty - Top Luxury - Not entirely empty, but yeah, there are some megacities designed for one purpose or another that are more Ghost Town than Bustling Metropolis. Other than Naypyidaw, though, most of them are expected to gain larger populations soon, particularly Nusantara (which is being built specifically due to the sinking of Jakarta).

The Most Terrifying Bridges in the World - Top Luxury - Like half of these are in a specific region of China that just has. So many mountains.

Most Expensive Construction Mistakes in the World (Part 3) - Top Luxury - Have you ever fucked up so incredibly that it cost six billion USD to fix?

Not Just Bikes - Canadian living in Europe; city planning with focus on N. American car-centric zoning

Why City Design is Important (and Why I Hate Houston) - Not Just Bikes - Do you want more ammo to show people when they try to argue with you about walkable cities?

America Always Gets This Wrong (when building transit) - Not Just Bikes - How zoning and city planning needs to adjust in order for mass transit to actually work for people.

Suburbs that don't Suck - Streetcar Suburbs (Riverdale, Toronto) - Not Just Bikes - So there actually are good suburbs in the US and Canada, we just can't build them anymore because zoning laws make it impossible.

Stroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) - Not Just Bikes - So there's this really popular and horrible form of street/road in the US and Canada that is bad at its job.

Would You Fall for It? - Not Just Bikes - 1950s pro-highway propaganda (which is referenced in many other videos from this channel), and the ways in which it was misleading and effective.

These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us - Not Just Bikes - This video actually did numbers on tumblr a few months ago. You know those stupidly big SUVs and Pick-ups? Yeah! They suck!

Cities Aren't Loud: Cars Are Loud - Not Just Bikes - With a few small changes, you too could live in a city that doesn't make you want to wear noise-cancelling headphones every moment of the day.

IT'S HISTORY - Various historic places... mostly NYC

Why can't you visit the Statue of Liberty's Torch? - IT'S HISTORY - Has some confusing image choices (photos from the early 20th century while talking about events from the 18th), but delivers on a fun history of the Statue of Liberty (and includes some facts that the other Lady Liberty video didn't get around to).

What's Left of New York's Lost Reservoir? - IT'S HISTORY - Apparently it turned into Bryant Park.

When Chicago built the Tallest Building in the World | The story of Sears Tower - IT'S HISTORY - Just what it says on the tin.. Big building, big history!

The Secret Tunnels Beneath New York - IT'S HISTORY - NYC has lost so many tunnels? Lost track of, forgotten, rediscovered... it's ridiculous. Half of these are for TRAINS. Those are HUGE. Led to me making this post (which contains a meme or two, but also a very important trigger warning).

Other

The lost neighborhood under New York's Central Park - Vox - Explains the history of Seneca Village: a primarily-black community of newly wealthy, often first-generation-freed peoples that was destroyed to make way for Central Park.

The Rise and Fall of American Malls - Bloomberg Originals - Covers the factors that led to malls becoming so common, and the many things that are contributing to the move away from them.

Megastructures: Building the Burj Al Arab | Dubai Engineering - Reel Truth Science Documentaries - This is fifty minutes of engineering and architecture, and really well done/presented. Mostly steers clear of the larger political controversy in favor of focusing on the math, though it can't entirely avoid the political and economic conflicts due to direct influence on the design by a the Crown Prince.

Why Venice is Europe’s Worst Placed City - Real Life Lore - We all know Venice is sinking, but this explains why and how (it's not just global climate change).

Why Wyoming is VASTLY Emptier Than Colorado - Real Life Lore - More of a general history lesson than architecture, but still fun.

Why Engineers Can't Control Rivers - Practical Engineering - I've had a few classes touch on this topic, but it was mostly back in high school. This video has some really good visualization on the main elements, and addresses that there are some places working on actual fixes!

Why Construction Projects Always Go Over Budget - Practical Engineering - Goes over the process by which costs are estimated, the limitations of those processes, and the risks that inevitably force the budget higher.

Czechia's Incredible 1960s Supervillain-Lair Hotel (And Why Its Architect Got Banned By The Regime) - The Tim Traveller - There's this really cool hotel that recently got refurbished.

Why Egypt Is Building a New Capital City - neo - Another video on the new city in Egypt, but with more in-depth exploration of the specific planning choices (where certain buildings are, especially).

The Forgotten Story of Modulex: LEGO's Lost Cousin - Peter Dibble - LEGO had a brand called Modulex that was used for architecture and city planning for a few decades. These days they mostly do signage.

Why Airplanes Are Still Worth Millions After They Stop Flying - CNBC - The various ways planes are broken down, sold for parts, and otherwise recycled.

#architecture #construction #phoenix recs #phoenix liveblogs #industry #green movement #technology #current events #I'm allowing tips because this is a recommendation list that took me several days to complete rather than derivative/transformative/repost #Kind of like a blogger getting paid to do rec lists for local restaurants or something #that said I've gotten tumblr tips MAYBE twice so these tags are only a preventative measure for 'why are they allowed' #as I don't actually expect any money out of this #product reviews #kinda

[shirkers2018dirsanditan]

this article starts by talking about how the Black Brute is a way of manufacturing consent for racial apartheid in the american south. rape, especially mass rapes or lurid claims about particularly gruesome rape, are mainstays of atrocity propaganda used to manufacture consent for indiscriminate violence, invasion, and most importantly, ongoing brutality as apart of an oppressive regime. tuskegee institute investigations on lynching say that around 25% of lynchings were said to be done as punishment for rape or attempted rape. but we have strong reason to believe that number is falsely inflated. for atrocity propaganda, there need be no victim. it is largely fueled by second and third hand accounts or outright, conscious lies.

but then, the article conflates exceptional incidents - like white people making up black perpetrators to cover up their own commission of a crime - with endemic racial propaganda used to manufacture consent for racist regimes, putting the cart before the horse. it gives three examples: charles stuart, a man who claims a black man ambushed he and his pregnant wife, shot his wife in the head and raped her, and then attacked charles (but left him alive); susan smith, a young mother who claimed a black man carjacked her and in the process kidnapped her two sons; and mabel hallam, a white woman who in 1908 claimed a black man had raped her, to cover up an extramarital affair. charles stuart had actually shot his wife for insurance money and susan smith later admitted to drowning her own sons. in all three of these cases, the accusation of black criminality resulted in consequences for individual innocent black people and the black community at large. they also negatively affected the way individual white people responded to and treated individual black people in their community. but these are deviant behaviors. focus on what are extraordinary situations do a disservice to our understanding of how racial violence, or sexual violence, operates in the overall scheme of oppression.

the article compares these cases to the use of willie horton, a man who committed violent crimes while on furlough during his life sentence (without the possibility of parole) for murder, in george h.w. bush's campaign for president. bush used willie horton in campaign ads to smear his opponent as "soft on crime," yes. but more importantly, bush (and the republican party) invoked the idea of a black predator to manufacture consent for destructive "tough on crime" policies that eroded the rights of the accused and the incarcerated, including many that resulted in the dehumanization of people behind bars for years to come and that would contribute to the crisis of deaths in county jails we experience today. that is not an individual act of deviancy, that's an example of the kind of propaganda endemic to a racial capitalist carceral state, that propaganda which informs the decision of people like stuart, smith, and hallam to do what they did. not the other way around.

that is also why atrocity propaganda, whether during wartime, under apartheid, under colonialism, or racial authoritarianism, also trafficks in extremes. see this description of such propaganda used by both sides during the first world war:

while white people who do create imaginary black predators to evade punishment for a crime or wrongdoing they've committed deserve condemnation, someone who murders their pregnant wife or their young children is already going to be condemned. in 1908, even a woman who has committed infidelity will be punished for her actions. but racism - nor sexism, nor colonialism, nor apartheid, nor the war machine - is not defined by the particularly exceptional acts of a minority of people. what defines these is the mundane, what evades our attention because it is woven into the fabric of society. racial narratives, like those about women or gay people or other oppressed groups, are created from the top down. they do not have grassroots origins. for propaganda to be effective it has to prey on real, and realistic, fears. it will not abandon the realm of reality; it often is concerned with that those things that do happen. men, regardless of race, rape women. in war, civilians are often killed and children are not spared. people do rob other people, often while armed, and robberies can become violent to the point of murder. there have been a number of carjackings in which children have been in the vehicle (one just happened in houston a few weeks ago!). but propaganda distorts reality for the purpose of dehumanization of the enemy (black people, hamas, the german empire, imperial japan, saddam hussein's iraq, etc); the point is for you, the target, to endorse - implicitly or explicitly - violence you otherwise would not. many white southerners thought lynching was brutal, but necessary. the invasion of iraq was brutal, but necessary. dropping the bomb on hiroshima and nagasaki was brutal, but necessary. and so on. it is far more insidious than an individual using racist stereotypes to cover up a crime.

*i also want to say that rape accusations for the purpose of lynching should not be treated as though they are rape accusations like we understand them. it is true that women's rights have been used to manufacture consent in modern contexts, but that's not what they were doing. rape accusations were about the maintenance of "racial purity." rape, though an everyday part of life under the regime of male supremacy for white and black women alike (and all women under patriarchy) was often characterized as a uniquely savage behavior (operating under the cheney rule, of course: "we aren't savages, so if we do it, it's not rape"), especially when done to respectable women. so, white, married with children, virginal, middle or upper class, etc. the racial patriarchal regime in the american south also heavily policed white women's sexuality, as they were seen as the preservers of racial purity (this was also given as justification for the denial of white women's bodily autonomy, and still is!) (this is also not exclusive to white people). while white men were allowed so-called dalliances (often, actually, rape) with black women and to father mixed race children, white women were not allowed to even speak casually to black men outside of a rigid social script and in limited situations. surely, some lynchings involved the false claim of a specific white woman, but we have more reason to believe that the majority of claims of rape used to justify lynchings were entirely fabricated or regarded scenarios that could not reasonably be described as rape or attempted rape (including those involving consensual relationships in which both parties denied rape was taking place). some claims could also be retroactively associated with rape after particularly brutal lynchings and in the wake of anti-lynching backlash, which was happening all this time.

#imo the policing of black men's interactions with white women and vice versa is primarily to prevent solidarity and organizing #seeing as how - to this day! - white women are more involved in radical and progressive movements than white men #but also just due to the radical potential in black men and white women's collective consciousness #specifically #also.............sorry this is so long.................................... #i've been writing this post over the course of several hours.......... #the sheer amount of run on sentences.........i'm sorry afkjdaskl

[meat-loving-meat]

I want to write a Vanyel/Stefen modern-with-magic AU soooo bad but I don’t know Valdemar lore like at all. There are six books standing between me and feeling comfortable enough in the lore to imagine what Valdemar might look like with the internet and planes

#anyway I have unhinged ideas about what modern Valdemar #like. I’m imagining Valdemar as a prosperous #happy country with a high level of social development and technology #public transit everywhere. universal basic income/free high quality healthcare/etc #like. not utopian. not by a long shot. #but overall doing well (at least in comparison to some of the other countries on Velgarth) #HOWEVER they are having this really divisive cultural moment about Heralds and the King #bc they’re basically appointed by a completely unaccountable higher power? and they have so much direct influence and control over #the life of an average person??? why should that be allowed? #so there’s a movement for direct democracy which is very successful at a local level #and is slowly making its way into higher levels of the government #and there’s suddenly intense scrutiny on the heralds. so when Vanyel gets caught up in a series of scandals it does a LOT of damage to #the institution of the heralds. but Vanyel is very very important to the security of the world #bc he successfully prevented the detonation of a nuclear weapon a few years earlier so he’s sort of the only thing standing between #the world and nuclear war #anyway I think that setting is way too dramatic for a weird gay fanfiction. so I’m workshopping it #vanyel ashkevron #last herald mage #gay herald in a squirrel suit

[liimonadas]

steam sale means decisions have been made. on a totally unrelated note check out my scavenger oc design i doodled up while on a break

#rain world #scavenger #fanart #oc #art #oughhh been looking forward to getting rainworld for ages #the first couple hours sucked ASS it was harder than i expected and the movement really threw me off esp on keyboard #but im getting into the groove now #its very fun i met the scavengers and decided it was my lifes goal to befriend them so now were besties #i bring them gifts and they use collision to get stuck and prevent me from getting into other rooms

[shmorp-mcdurgen]

Having the dumb thought of alt Adam cracking his neck and just going limp

Whoops, somebody accidentally severed their spine

HGFEGDHGH

Get snapped bozo

#asks are neat #alt Adam #though that makes me think. he probably has EXTREMELY flexible and stretchy spinal disks to prevent something like that #like to allow a lot of movement without severing something #or even like. extra material in between each vertebra #mayhaps I think too much about the biology of a creature not meant to have logical biology-

[uptownthots]

the loud and proud resentment MRA types have towards women for having the "privilege" of feminism. Like ignoring the fact that being a group of people so oppressed you have to develop a political movement dedicated to your liberation is not a privilege, I think a lot of MRAs misattribute (and grossly misrepresent) feminist work to [patriarchal, misogynistic] society (e.g "society only cares about women!" "society only believes victims if they're women!") because if they acknowledged that whatever supposed privileges women have are a result of decades of years of political work and resistance, rather than just Society™️ giving us preferential treatment, they'd have to subsequently acknowledge that the reason men (supposedly, according to MRAs) don't have these privileges is because the don't care to do the work, and not because "society" is like. oppressing them.

#like so many “mens issues” even ones I consider legitimate are social issues rather than legal/legislative #if men as a class don't believe other male victims whose fault is that? #If men as a class feel lonely because they are unwilling to befriend and connect with each other whose fault is that? #there are no laws or regulations in place to prevent these things from happening and they definitely arent Womens Fault lmao #and like 'society discourages men from doing xyz' isnt really an explaination #because society has both socially and legally discouraged women from pursuing feminism! didnt stop us! #same goes for all movements related to the rights of oppressed groups lol #< not saying men are oppressed but like. lmao #feminism.

[isekyaaa]

Sometimes I think that people make up a male and female character having a "sibling relationship" because deep down they have something against het ships. Like a male and female character can simply exist as friends, but because people really cannot comprehend the fact that friends exist, they immediately tag friends of the same gender as gay and male/female friends being siblings. It's this odd level of insecurity and forcing romance into everything that I just do not understand.

#rambles #thinking abt march 7th and dan heng #idk about other people but they are nothing alike any siblings i know #they are friends #but at the same time i cannot deny that their dynamic would be cute as a ship #but bc people are weird they cannot exist as either friends or as a ship #they are siblings #i think bc of the gay rights movement het romance has really been seen as a bad thing that people are like.... #insecure when it comes to relationships between men and women #in people's eyes 'friends' is just way too close to 'romantic partners' because friends have the potential to become lovers #so to prevent from even coming close to that they're like #'THEY ARE SIBLINGS. PAIRING THEM TOGETHER IS GROSS' #like the the thought of admitting that friends a cute dynamic is admitting that its romance #when friends can literally just... have cute and funny interactions #if it's not clear my beef is this #1. why do people have to view everything under a romantic lens? #2. why are people so afraid of non-canon het ships? #saying male/female friends are 'siblings' really just... dumb-ifies the complexity of friendships

[mortimer]

highly considering going out and getting one of those giant foam egg pen grips to see if i can get used to working with one bc im tired of wearing compression gloves for repetitive stress in my hands

#m #i . may have early onset arthritis because it does run in the family #but either way i literally dont have any hobbies that dont require fine dexterous hand movements so. #should probably get even more serious about carpal tunnel prevention than just stretches and wrist brace #(my mom is a programmer and so she has a full ergonomic work desk setup for her arthritis. its crazy stuff out there) #and ive just noticed that my hands feel better when im using my mouse vs anything smaller so i think the foam egg may feel better in my gri

[marshmellowtea]

not to get too heavy with the discourse this fine morning but i think an uncomfortable corollary to “a lot more people than you think have been sexually assaulted and a lot of them don’t even realize it” is that “there are also a lot of people who have sexually assaulted people, some of them without even realizing that’s what they’ve done, some of them survivors themselves”, which is part of the reason i really think we need to get rid of this rape is a special kind of evil, kill all rapists mindset that we as a society tend to have. i’m not saying we should tolerate that kind of action or that i think it’s okay but i think it’ll be a lot more helpful for survivors of sexual assault to focus our efforts on creating better support systems for survivors (including spaces where they can talk openly and honestly about their experiences), dismantling systems that allow rapists to have power over their victims, and increased awareness over what sexual assault actually is and can look like. i don’t think that’s going to stop it completely—i know there’ll always be people who’ll want to hurt other people and rape is one such way to do that—but i think it’s a lot more likely to cause tangible help for people if we focus on recovery and prevention than just vindictively trying to punish every rapist, which historically has not really done much to prevent rape or facilitate healing, even for the people whose rapists do end up punished in some way for it.

#the stigma around this sort of thing prevents survivors from getting better but it also impedes people who have committed sa from #acknowledging what they did in the first place which makes it easier for them to go on and do it again #that’s not even bringing up the fact that accusing people of sex crimes is a real convenient way of turning people against people you don’t #like specifically #both as a part of sweeping political movements and on personal social levels #it’s real easy to ruin people’s lives with these kinds of accusations even if they aren’t true #and honestly i don’t think that’s okay #rape tw #discourse #marshy speaks

[lightnersdream]

#sketches #it wont let me fucking post this for anything. #craeutre. binding on its snout prevents full movement and its perpretually starving

[natandacat]

Just filled a form asking where my father was born and the only option was "Islamic Republic of Iran" and like. Hm. He. Was not born in the Islamic Republic of Iran because it did not exist back then. I don't know why it's bugging me so much (I know why) but it really is

#time to have more revolution grief #people were so proud of what they had worked on #and then everything went to shit #i really wish western leftism left more space to talk about the post revolution #how to prevent opportunists from coopting our movements #how to fight the appeal of authoritarianism when the fight gets desperate #but western leftists have no idea what a revolution entails #or they have a distorted version of what their families went through if they come from diaspora #idk. i wish i could talk freely about my fears without being called anti revolution lol #and i also dont want white leftists to co opt what im saying to work against any real change to the status quo

[otter-byte]

Hooo I just had a fantastic idea for a D&D boss(ish) enemy that summons a bunch of monsters in a square room but each monster is secretly operating on the rules of a specific chess piece, and checkmating the king will win the encounter instantly. However I don't tell players any of this and just wait for them to figure it out.

#also all the pieces have immunity to opportunity attacks to make movement more chesslike #They're all styled so the chess rules sorta make sense. like pawns have biggass shields that prevent them from attacking forward and such #lmao shut up haz