New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller
New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/making-our-way-in-the-world/
Making Our Way In The World
The woman seated opposite me in the coffee shop was more than a decade younger than I was. Long have I admired her talent and leadership in the artistic community. Naturally, I was stunned when she swallowed as if a peanut had lodged in her throat and said, “I’m going blind.” A momentary silence fell between us. Should I be the first to break it or allow her to make the decision? My concern got the upper hand. “Tell me what’s happened,” I prompted. The invitation seemed to be one my companion wished to hear. After that, my obligation was to listen Twenty-somethings have yet to learn of the courage needed to grow old. The embarrassment seniors can feel is beyond their imagination– the loss of confidence in one’s body and the gnawing fear of growing dependent. Two New York cover models have grappled with the transition and triumphed. Carmen Dell’Orefice (91) and Beverly Johnson (69) shared the cover of New You, recently. Dell’Orefice explained her success. “I stood up for age. I owned the territory.” Beauty being her trade, she admits she treats her body with respect. She gives the same advice to others. “That is what we should do with ourselves: nurture ourselves, love ourselves, and give that kind of energy to ourselves.” Johnson faced unique obstacles as a model because she is black. She winced recalling one incident early in her career. Finishing a swimsuit layout at an upscale hotel, she recalled that the manager had the pool drained the moment she emerged from the water. Johnson soon discovered that to succeed in her profession she’d have to find cracks in doors that otherwise would be slammed in her face. By sheer dint of will, she rose to the top of her profession, overcoming the obstacle of being black and now being a senior. The struggle exacted its price, of course. It robbed her of self-confidence, leaving her sometimes to suppose her achievement was the result of tokenism. Below the surface of the beauty industry, she once mused, is “an ugly systemic racism…” The prejudice she faced in her career sits upon a myth. Race does not exist. The variances people see aren’t genetic but those created by “historical, contemporary, social, economic, educational, and political circumstances.” Nonetheless, the illusion is so real for some, they would bar people with certain characteristics from fully participating in our society. Any community that pits one group against another plays a fool’s game. It shatters the basic tenet of cohesiveness and shackles the economy, creating an underclass designed to be a burden rather than an asset. Crime is the consequence of neglect. Even so, people exist who, for the sake of preserving an imagined superiority, would prefer to provide the underdog a jail cell rather than a job. Meanwhile, says one social observer, the rich are busy supporting each other at the expense of the rest. (“The Social Network,” by Chloe Malle, Town&Country, Nov. 2022, pg. 48.) Life is fraught with cruelties and complications, even for twenty-somethings. To persevere takes courage. What’s more, the longer a person lives, the greater the challenge. Ageism is a cruel blindspot among us, a prejudice we allow to exist, and a reason why the old feel vulnerable. Prejudice should be easy to conquer as it’s human-made. Imagine the world we could create If we took Dell’Orefice’s advice to a grand scale. Suppose we nurtured our society the way we desire to be nurtured. Freed from notions that foster hate, we might discover we have more room for compassion. The emotion is one we need in abundance, not only to help others but to receive kindness when fate thrusts upon us afflictions not of our making, like blindness and old age. (Special note: If my blog readers have yet to connect with my YouTube book interviews on “Just Read It,” please drop by to watch a delightful interview with the best-selling author of thrillers, Phillip Margolin.)
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It’s a real shame that goth has become nothing but mere aesthetic now when there is so much more than aesthetic. Which I am not judging anyone on how they fell in love with the subculture, if the aesthetic is what drew you in, that’s absolutely ok, people’s experience is different and hey times have changed over the years and people probably didn’t have any goth people in their corner to show them the ropes.
But it’s a fucking shame how corporate it’s become almost.
Goth is a music based subculture and this is coming from someone who claims to be a Mall Goth and Vampire Goth.
The goth subculture developed from the creation of gothic rock, an offshoot of the Post-Punk music genre.
What is Post-Punk?
Post-punk is very similar to Punk in regards to ideologies and mentality, but they differ in their musical influences.
Punk is mostly influences by elements of Rock, whereas Post-punk is all about breaking away from Rock cliches and experimenting with different musical styles.
Anarchism: The belief in the dismantling of all forms of authority, unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, i.e. capitalism.
• Non-Conformity: Not conforming or adhering to generally accepted standards or customs.
• Anti-Corporatism: A movement targeted against major international and global corporations, particularly those believed to be using unethical or unsustainable methods to create their products.
• Individual Freedom: The belief in the rights and autonomy of individuals to make decisions Without undue interference from external forces.
Goth is so much more than killstar hauls and thirst traps and makeup. Which don’t get me wrong if you do those things, I ain’t stopping you and it’s fine to do them every once in awhile, but please just keep that in mind.
But yeah.
Like I said there really isn’t any rules to being goth.
Just be you.
Be authentic.
That’s all.
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I’m just going to start piling my Ta!au quotes into one post instead of spamming everyone's timeline with it.
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(after a missions, Ash had a nightmare and can’t sleep and neither could Rowan)
Ash: That’s a terrible story.
Rowan: not all of us fight Gods and win, my boy. so take what I have.
Ash:.... tell me how you survived the Dragalge again?
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(later in the Alola timeline-think before Kukui announces the first league)
Ash: You're an asshole, you know that?
Lillie: Mankey see, Mankey do.
Ash: *flashbacks to all the times he’s used the exact phrase* *deep sigh* fair enough.
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(on a simple date after a long stake out mission)
Ash:*tired AF* Are you going to keep looking at me like that or are you actually going to kiss me?
Raihan: Can’t I enjoy looking at my meal before digging into it?
Ash... *tired, flustered and now angry because he’s flustered*
Raihan: *too pleased, the smug bastard* that’s what I thought.
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(after noticing Meowth working at the new malasada truck outside of school, completely ignoring James and Jessie who ignore him in return)
Ash: hey-not here to pick a fight, put your claw’s away-do you know Lillie’s brother?
Meowth: *suspicious but interested* the emo kid?
Ash: yeah.
Meowth:... why?
Ash: would it be insulting to you if I call him a ragged wet Meowth?
Meowth: *instantly relaxing* if you don’t call him that I will.
Ash: *grabbing the malasada's James hands him without making him pay* let’s tag team him then.
Meowth: sounds perfect to me, now get going. you’re holding up the line Twerp.
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(meeting and conversing with Goh and Chloe for the first time)
Goh: my mission is to catch Mew and then go on my first Pokémon journey!
Ash: *bites tongue and thank the legendries he’s where sunglasses to hide his uncontrollable flash of anger*
Chloe: Don’t listen to him-
Goh: Hey!
Chloe: -he’s the dumb one
Ash: *silently already picking favorites* I see.
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(after a prank war)
Gary: does my life truly mean so little to you?
Ash: *w/ neon green hair and permanent marker on his face* YES!
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(on a random Tuesday in Alola)
Ash:*swinging in a hammock with sunglasses and his hat* Are you here to kill me? *slurps annoyingly loud at his drink*
Mewtwo:... no but I’m thinking about it now.
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(after loosing the kids in the forest for a while)
Ash: where have you been!?
Lana: *sopping wet*
Mallow: *beginning of a rash on her lips*
Kiawe:*looks like he got into a fight with something and lost*
Sophocles: *also looks like he got into a fight with something and lost*
Lillie: *covered in flowers with a few Cutiefly buzzing around her*
Lana: I think you already know.
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(Champion meeting in Kalos-Lance is sick and Ash is his second by Orange Isles proxy)
Diantha: You're late. As usual.
Ash: *not high as a kite but not sober either* be happy that I’m even here in the first place.
Rose: it’s really innapro-
Ash&Diantha: not a word out of you.
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(Kiawe and Lillie hanging out with Ash even though he’s cleaning all his knives)
Ash: Put that down! You're like a child.
Kiawe: *pouting and placing down a sheathed knife* I’m a teenager, not a child.
Ash: uh-huh.
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(Ash begrudgingly letting Lana indulge the rain before class one day)
Ash: Well, don't stand there in the rain all day. Come on.
Lana: but I like the rain.
Ash: okay-let me rephrase then so you understand. Don’t make me give you detention-
Lana: *darts on past*
Ash: *smirking and start to trail behind* that’s what I thought.
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(after being trailed by some mercenaries from a Gala)
Rowan: we’re safe now, aren’t we boy?
Ash: *checks around corner of the alleyway they ducked into to loose their trackers* Yeah... yeah I think so old-
Goons: *appearing on the other side of the alleyway* there they are!
Ash&Rowan: *in unison* fuckshitfuckingtitballs-
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(in Hisui)
Ash: I swear it wasn't me.
Cyllene: *annoyed but in a motherly way* now why don’t I believe that?
Ash:.... because I’m your favorite survey member? *Growlith eyes and slight cheeky smile*
Cyllene: get out of my sight.
Ash: *squeaks* yes, Captain!
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(after an intense debrief after a mission going tits-up as Ash was unknowingly stalked by another mercenary)
Gary: Who did you piss off this time?
Ash: *slumping down in a chair next to Gary and the large as computer screens* it’s more like who I haven’t pissed off.
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(after first trimester of finals)
Kukui: *walks into the classroom, see’s Ash blank face and staring at the other doorway where Kukui originally left though*
Ash:
Kukui:
Ash:
Kukui: you gonna keep staring or what?
Ash: *broken out of the strongest dissociation spell in a long time**jumping out of his seat and making a fool of himself while falling down onto the floor* cheese and crackers on balls, you motherfucker-
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The fetishization of Goth people/women
I saw a post about this and I have to speak up.
I am so fucking over the fetishization of goth people especially goth women.
Like don’t get me wrong, I’m all for sexual liberation and for looking sexy and yes I tend to be a simp when it comes to goth men and goth women, but this whole “I want a goth girl to crush me,” is getting ridiculous. I get it’s a joke but still, it’s old and annoying. It’s one thing to have a crush on a goth person, but the whole sexualizing thing is old and annoying.
Goth is more than just “looking hot,”
That’s why miss the early 2000s.
I miss when goth people were considered the “weirdos,”
I miss when goths were feared in a way.
I feel like back then people didn’t try so hard back then too.
Say what you want about mall goths/emo/scene people but I feel like back then they didn’t try so hard. They just did what they wanted and I freaking miss that.
Nowadays everything is a competition.
Everything is sexualized and fetishized and I am so sick of it.
Again, nothing wrong with wanting to look sexy, but the sexualizing and fetishizing of goth people especially goth women is so tiring and old and it needs to die especially the whole “big tiddie goth gf,” thing.
Just stop.
Let’s got back to the gritty weird grimy side of goth because that’s what I wanna see.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk.🖤🥀🦇
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