#it’s a european issue and it has to be tackled

[probablyasocialecologist]

Climate anxiety means different things to different income groups. At the bottom, it means fear of heat and floods. At the top, it means fear of increasingly desperate people. Billionaires often live in protective bubbles maintained at a considerable cost in dollars and emissions. Some are preparing for “the event”, with plans for doomsday bunkers in New Zealand, Nevada and other remote areas. Others blast off the planet in private rockets and talk of colonising space. Instead of making every effort to reduce emissions, the rich increase their carbon footprint by putting more distance between themselves and the masses. The Oxfam report reveals that the decision-making classes who will dominate at Cop28 – senior politicians including US senators, British ministers and European commissioners – are also in the top 1% of income earners. Corporate CEOs, whose lobbyists also flock to Cop summits, are often wealthier and more heavily invested in carbon assets. Boardroom share options and bonus structures have created an incentive for oil company executives to resist climate action. Instead, they have successfully pushed for expansion of fossil fuel production. Dario Kenner, the author of Carbon Inequality, has identified what he calls a “polluter elite”: anyone with a net worth over $1m who reinforces the use of fossil fuel technologies through their high carbon consumption, investments in polluting companies and, most importantly, political influence. “The polluter elite have blocked an alternative history where the destruction of extreme weather events and air pollution could have been reduced,” he told the Guardian. The international climate negotiating process has failed to keep pace with the growing power of the super-rich. Thirty-one years ago, when the world first came together to tackle climate and biodiversity problems at the Rio de Janeiro Earth summit, there was optimism for a solution on behalf of billions of humans and the countless other forms of life on Earth. Since then, the opposite has happened. Governments remain deeply divided, 60% more emissions are being pumped into the atmosphere and more money, carbon and power is being concentrated in ever fewer hands. The solution to all this is complex but also very simple. Many believe that the key lies in politicians wresting back control of the climate issue with strong legislation and policy. Oxfam is calling for a wealth tax, and a windfall tax on corporations based on the “polluter pays” principle, placing the highest burden on those most responsible and most able to pay. “We need a political discourse that is class conscious, that recognises that the rich and capitalism are the major drivers of the climate crisis,” said Jason Hickel, an economic anthropologist at the London School of Economics and the author of The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions. “This is about bringing production – and provisioning systems and energy systems – under democratic control.”

#climate change #inequality #billionaires #jason hickel #compost the rich #emphasis added

[umseb]

(extremely long interview that i fed through google translate under the cut)

Life at the limit was yesterday, after retiring Sebastian Vettel got to know each other again. But Seb is back in competitive mode. It's just not about the World Cup now. But around the world.

When he retired at the end of last season, everyone was suddenly good friends again with Sebastian Vettel, the racer that so many colleagues had lost their teeth over for years; who had become world champion four times with Red Bull Racing, then moved on to Ferrari and finally Aston Martin and after 299 F1 starts, 53 wins and 122 podiums, it was good. "Love you, man," said Lewis Hamilton at the end, Mick Schumacher and Lando Norris described him as an "inspiration", Checo Pérez, Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Rosberg in unison as a "legend".

Other things had become important in his life, and in some cases he let us take part in them as an active participant: when he rode his bike to the paddock or drove a historic 1992 Williams with synthetically produced, climate-neutral fuel, it was clear what one of the most intelligent pilots of the present.

Yes, Sebastian Vettel is committed to the environment. And yes, he enjoys driving fast – still. We'll soon be able to see him in action again: at Red Bull Formula Nürburgring on the legendary Nordschleife. He will tackle the 73 corners at the wheel of his no less legendary RB7 - dubbed "Kinky Kylie" - and will do so in a climate-neutral manner thanks to e-fuels. "It's important to me to show that racing cars can drive just as well and quickly with CO²-neutral fuel." Seb sets an example of how to do without a little, be happier and do your part to not burden the world more than necessary.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: The first few months passed quickly and it was nice to be able to enjoy the freedom to organize my time. Many factors went into my decision to resign. I didn't stop because I didn't like the sport anymore, was too slow or really wanted to do something else. Resignations are very individual. For me, time was one of the determining factors: the many races; knowing how much effort it takes to do the job properly, in my opinion. At the same time I have small children at home. That time will not come again. To answer the question: I enjoyed the driving, the competition, right up to the end. When you only have one shot left in qualifying and it has to hit the mark. racing duels. These are the moments I miss the most.

But? I no longer wanted to make certain compromises. Plus: My children have a right to me being there for them more. I must have outgrown a bit of a world that I used to think was great. Things that I once saw as pure white had been given a certain tint.

In what way? In the context of our time. This is related to interests outside of motorsport that I have developed. Anyone who does not close their eyes perceives social developments. Although F1 has taken up a large part of my life, it is not central to the people of the world. If you think outside the box, you can see the signs.

How are the environment and climate changing? Environment is the issue of our generation. We are in the decisive decade for the climate, and everyone is needed. We have to pull together. I'll take a look at my own nose first. This attitude comes from sports.

What did you do specifically? A few years ago I started measuring my carbon footprint. Car kilometers written down, every flight, every overnight stay. Seeing that number compared to that of the average Joe blew my mind! After that I took action to get the value down.

Do you want to name these numbers? I started with 400 tons - only in connection with the F1. In the end I was down to 60 tons. (Note: The average in Germany in 2021 was about 8 tons.)

How did you do that? Most of the reduction was the elimination of flights. With the exception of Silverstone and Budapest, I drove to all of the European races last season. I don't want to dictate to anyone or portray myself as an angel, but that's how I started with myself. This step didn't feel like giving up anything, but completely logical - like all the other smaller ones that I had taken in parallel. I felt very satisfied.

Because you experienced travel again as being on the road and not as a purposeful movement from A to B? Absolutely! As a teenager, your driver's license was your ticket to freedom. In motorsport, I used to drive a lot at first and soon got tired of driving long distances on the road. That's how the plane came into play, and later the private plane, because the time savings were extreme. But the step back felt good. Plan things better, take things into your own hands. Sure, I couldn't have sailed to Australia, otherwise I would have missed the race, or at least the one that followed. But whenever I could, I enjoyed being back on land and seeing things I would have missed on a plane. I noticed that the supposed loss of time is not actually a loss. Okay, cars are more environmentally friendly than planes, but there's a wide range when it comes to four wheels. What cars do you drive? Porsche Taycan, i.e. electric, and a VW bus with a combustion engine. The bus has the advantage that everything fits in, from bicycles to children. But I think that a decisive factor in the – very exciting – current mobility discussion is missing. Many ask themselves: What am I not allowed to do anymore? The more important question is: How could things look better in the future? When I look ahead, I see more livable cities than today. When I imagine that public transport will be denser and more fluid if the alternative rail is better than it is today, the question of car or plane may no longer arise. As soon as the offer is right, the majority will go along with it. Many lack the vision of improvement. That it will be good. Change scares them at first. It takes imagination how things will be better in the future than they are today.

As an example of improvement that was unthinkable for years: Working from home means fewer commuters, means less CO² and cleaner cities… Like that? Exactly. Change should be perceived as something positive. The change started a long time ago. It's not a question of if, just a question of when. There is no longer any doubt. The majority understands that too. Now it's time to design and make. It might be a bit more difficult, but it takes courage to try something. Like work at home.

How do you determine this change? In my generation, significantly more young people got their driver's license than today because the car is no longer such a central topic. In the fathers' generation, it was still completely clear that you get a driver's license and own your own car. change happens. There were already skeptics when switching from horse-drawn carriages to cars.

What new technologies will help us shape the future the most? In the big picture: artificial intelligence. In mobility, the change to e-mobility is the first step - due to the currently unbeatable efficiency. Hydrogen is super exciting. In general, I don't believe in a single solution, but in a combination of many building blocks. As far as I know, the transition to electric in the aviation industry is not as imminent as in the case of cars. Therefore, a different way of thinking is needed here. Without wanting to restrict freedom: Do you have to fly to New York for three days? Yes, there are actually people for whom this is necessary. But just for fun? I'm the last person who wants to ban anyone from anything. But if you are aware of the bigger picture and know how many people are already suffering from climate change, you probably no longer have to ask yourself this question.

Do you sometimes drive around the area just for fun? Yes, sometimes with my old bikes. That still gives me a lot of pleasure. On the other hand, I understand people who see the climate catastrophe as an existential threat to themselves. I personally work very hard on this balancing act of not letting myself be guided by fear and being able to enjoy the moment. Again: I think it's important not to talk about bans and waivers, but to emphasize the alternatives, and they often already exist. Motorcycles can be operated with synthetic fuels. They still produce pollutants, but only as many as were previously bound. I'm not a fan of biofuels. Land is used here to grow fodder to produce fuel - not so great. We can do better. Cars and motorcycles are cultural assets. A lot of good has come of it. We should not abolish them, but keep them alive. In any case, there is no need to explain to motorsport fans how great it feels when a V8 is fired up. You can feel something there. We just have to make it better.

Okay: The 20 F1 cars will be CO²-neutral from 2026. However, the large production of pollutants happens through the arrival of the spectators. In this respect, motorsport is no different from other major events such as football games or concerts. Aren't 20 CO²-neutral racing cars just greenwashing? F1 has always been at the forefront of technology. The current question is how relevant the highly complex and exciting current drive technology is for series production. More could be done here. But electric drive will not be suitable for F1 in the foreseeable future. The races are too long for that and the required power output is too high. Weight always plays a major role in F1, which is another reason why electric drive is not practical. Synthetic e-fuels are therefore indispensable in the short term. It’s good that this will happen from 2026 – now would be better. But yes, it is even more important to get the emissions under control: How do the teams get to the track? Of course it would be great if everyone came by bike. But it would take far more to put the calendar in order. Flying all over the world and flying to Europe for a few days in between makes no sense and is no fun either. How do the fans get to the track? What is consumed there, which ideals are lived? Water, in my opinion, should be something that is available to everyone at all times. Are these plastic cups needed everywhere? I think organizers of major events have an obligation to ask themselves these questions. You start with the big things and end up with the small ones.

What do you think of the theory that you F1 drivers are like kids who got too much chocolate and ate your fill? Cue Nico Rosberg, who was at Fridays for Future, or Lewis Hamilton, who cleared beaches of plastic. I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are very privileged as representatives of a global sport. We experience a lot, see a lot, earn a lot. For a long time, the belief in our society was: the more, the better. Our role model culture also aims to do this. Perhaps the chocolate comparison is correct insofar as the equation itself is often incorrect. More of everything doesn't mean more happiness. Even role models often have major challenges in everyday life, even the seemingly ultra-successful ones. Many of them are not happy, on the contrary. Nevertheless, a large part of society is chasing a goal that does not result in satisfaction: more, faster, nicer, further, richer. My experience in F1 certainly helps me to put things in perspective. Still, I think you can understand them even if you don't have a full bank account.

You mean because you've seen a lot... … I realized that things are going well for us in Central Europe. I have experienced parts of the world where it was completely different. Families who live in cardboard huts and also run a hairdressing business there. Uniform palm plantations where last year there was still a jungle. Seeing all of this not just on TV but with your own eyes triggers something, at least for me. I see it as a responsibility to share these impressions and question our role model culture. I find constant optimization dangerous. Much and many remain on the track. Nobody looks like they do on social media. There are photos of me where I look really good. But I know exactly what I really look like when I get up in the morning.

How do you measure happiness? I can walk up the stairs and don't have to take the elevator. For people after accidents, such trifles are a long way off. There will always be people who are better off - and many more who are worse off. An important thought: to classify how you are doing.

Would today's Sebastian still advise his 16-year-old alter ego to become a Formula 1 driver? I don't want to miss anything in my time. What would I do differently, better? I would have liked to have become more aware earlier. The themes that are dominant today were already there back then, but not as present. Second: I would use my voice more for the positive. I wasn't too aware of the power involved at first, and I felt a little uncomfortable raising my voice. In terms of sport, it was a mega time. The up shaped me as much as the down. Both were important.

Where do you find your fun after your F1 career is over? This question has occupied me for a long time. I was very well prepared when I made this decision. But one unpredictable factor remains. I like doing sports outside. As of today, there is nothing that pushes me to the limit like F1. That's what I miss the most. I have to put the brakes on myself here, because that's exactly what I wanted to get to know about myself: What happens when I'm not in competition mode? At some point, this adrenaline rush of a career at the top of the world will come to an end, whether freely chosen or forced - for example due to injuries. Then it's all about moving on, taking the thrill and tension into the next section. I'm not saying it's easy or saying I've done it. I'm searching, and this process itself is exciting.

Do you want to make the world better? The primary goal is to be there for my family. The dynamic at home is different because I'm present. This is new for me and also for the rest of the family. In general, I look ahead. This comes from my time in sport: How can we improve? I'm way too small to go and save the world, and the world is way too big for that. But I find tasks that excite me. Hopefully I can take other people a little bit with me.

Are you still interested in F1? Very! The first race was a bit weird, but now I really enjoy watching it. I know the sport inside out, I still love it. Maybe I see things differently, but I don't feel sad when I look at ex-colleagues, not at all.

Not even when the green car is performing so well? The first reaction of many people was: The fact that the Aston Martin is so fast this season must frustrate you? Okay, maybe it would be easier if the car was total garbage, in the sense of: I'm not missing anything anyway. No, I'm primarily happy for the team. And I'm happy for Fernando Alonso. For many years he had no car in which he could show his driving skills. Now he can and is up there. Red Bull Racing dominates, and I still have a lot of friends and acquaintances there. I'm really happy when they win.

#sebastian vettel #f1 #formula 1 #fic ref #fic ref 2023 #not a race #2023 not a race #between belgium and netherlands 2023 #summer break #summer break 2023 #retirement #sewis

[mariacallous]

Climate law experts are already calling it one of the most impactful rulings on human rights and climate change ever made. Today’s judgment, from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), was read out in front of an eclectic gathering of concerned plaintiffs from around the continent.

A group of older women from Switzerland, young people from Portugal, and a former French mayor—all had brought cases to the court alleging that their governments were not doing enough to battle the climate crisis now regularly ravaging Europe with heat waves, droughts, and other extreme weather.

While the ECHR, based in Strasbourg, France, chose not to admit two of the cases in question, it ruled that the Swiss women were right—their government had failed to do enough to meet the country’s responsibilities over climate change. What’s more, the women plaintiffs had also been denied their right to a fair trial in their country, the court found.

“It’s really a landmark judgement that was issued today, and it’s going to shape how all future climate change judgements are decided,” says human rights law researcher Corina Heri from the University of Zurich, who was present to hear the court’s decision for herself. “I was really relieved and very happy,” she adds, describing the moment when she heard the results of the judges’ deliberations.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg, who also attended the ruling, told reporters afterward that the world could expect more climate-change-related litigation.

The ECHR judges ruled 16 to 1 that the Swiss women—known as the KlimaSeniorinnen, or Senior Women for Climate Protection—had been subject to a violation of their human rights under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights. The women had argued, for instance, that they were particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat waves.

Essentially, the ECHR has said it deems the Swiss government’s efforts on climate change mitigation to be insufficient. In the immediate aftermath of the ruling, Swiss president Viola Amherd told reporters that she would have to read the court’s judgement before commenting in detail.

“What Switzerland failed to do in the eyes of the court is, firstly, they don’t have a sufficient regulatory framework [for tackling climate change],” says Catherine Higham at the London School of Economics, who coordinates the Climate Change Laws of the World project. “They also felt there was evidence that Switzerland had inadequate 2020 targets and it failed to comply with those.” By 2020, the country had aimed to cut emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels—however, emissions fell by only 14 percent.

The case brought by a former French mayor who said his town was at risk from rising sea levels was not admitted by the court because the man no longer lives in France. And the case by six Portuguese young people, penned in response to devastating wildfires in 2017, was also not admitted—partly because the plaintiffs did not bring their case in their own country before approaching the ECHR.

Despite this, the positive ruling for the KlimaSeniorinnen is being touted as hugely significant by legal experts. In this case, the court did not accept complaints from individuals within the group, but it did accept complaints made by the group itself as an organization—a distinction that could influence how people collectivize and approach European courts with similar cases in the future, says Heri.

She adds that there was a possibility the court could have ruled that the European Convention on Human Rights doesn’t actually require climate action. Had that happened, it could have undermined existing rulings made in European domestic courts that have demanded tougher climate policies from governments. For example, the Brussels Court of Appeal ruled last year that Belgium must cut its emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030.

Today’s judgement comes following years of climate-change-related litigation gathering pace in courts around the world. In the US in 2023, for example, a judge ruled that the state of Montana was violating the right of 16 young people to a “clean and healthful environment.”

Higham says the ECHR’s ruling is “likely to have ramifications around the world.” She notes that, globally, there are around 100 similar cases in progress at various courts, also challenging governments over their climate change mitigation efforts. Heri agrees, noting that the ECHR is viewed globally as a highly influential international court.

Jorge Viñuales at the University of Cambridge, who specializes in law and environmental policy, says it is notable that Switzerland has been found to have fallen foul of human rights legislation, despite the fact that the country has relatively good climate policies. He criticizes the ECHR’s decision not to admit the case brought by the Portuguese young people, however. Part of the court’s reasoning was that their case was targeted not just at Portugal but every EU member state and five other countries. “The court seems to misunderstand that the climate system is everywhere and that effective control over the source of harm is what should count,” says Viñuales.

A big question around climate-change-related legal cases is over their impact—do they actually have enough clout to steer countries and large corporations toward reducing emissions faster than planned? Higham says there is evidence that this is already happening. In the Netherlands, the country’s Supreme Court ordered the government to slash emissions by 15 megatonnes in 2020, and a sharp drop in emissions followed. “We do see policy changes in the Netherlands that seem to be influenced by that judgement,” says Higham.

The ECHR ruling could also reignite cases that have struggled in some nations under the ECHR’s jurisdiction, such as the UK. This is “immensely significant,” says Tim Crosland, director of Plan B, a legal group that challenged the UK government over its climate policies but ultimately lost the case in 2021. “The High Court said, ‘Your fundamental problem is there is no precedent from Strasbourg to support your position that fundamental rights have been violated,’” says Crosland. “Well, now there is.”

Defendants in future cases may feel that their country’s own emissions are only a fraction of those responsible for climate change, and that therefore it is unfair to single one state out over many others. However, the ECHR ruling does not exaggerate nations’ individual duties, says Crosland. Each state has a share of the world’s carbon budget for keeping global warming to, for example, less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

“Obviously, Switzerland isn’t responsible for emissions from the US or from China, but it’s responsible for its own emissions—and that’s what the judgement says,” he explains.

[tinyreviews]

Finnish cinema

Finnish cinema, while less globally recognized than its Scandinavian counterparts from Sweden and Denmark, has a rich history and a distinctive style that reflects the culture, values, and history of Finland.

History: Finnish cinema dates back to 1907 with the creation of the first Finnish film production company, Suomi-Filmi. It produced many silent films and early talkies, establishing the beginnings of a national cinema.

Themes: Finnish films often explore themes of national identity, history, and the tension between traditional rural life and modern urban living. There's also a distinctive engagement with nature, fitting for a country known for its forests and lakes.

Social Realism: Like much of Nordic cinema, Finnish films are known for their social realism. They often tackle societal issues with a focus on the everyday experiences of ordinary people. This has led to a cinematic tradition that’s both grounded and poignant.

Humor: Finnish cinema has a unique sense of humor. "Finnish deadpan" is a style of comedy characterized by minimalist, matter-of-fact delivery and absurd situations, often combined with a melancholic tone. Notable directors in this vein include Aki Kaurismäki, whose films are internationally acclaimed.

Notable Films and Directors: In addition to Aki Kaurismäki, notable Finnish directors include his brother Mika Kaurismäki, Renny Harlin (known for Hollywood action films), and Jalmari Helander (known for his action and fantasy films). Some internationally acclaimed Finnish films are "The Man Without a Past", "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale", and "Tom of Finland".

International Recognition: Finnish films have received international recognition and won awards at prestigious festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival. However, they are not as widely exported or recognized as films from some other European countries.

Modern Finnish Cinema: Modern Finnish cinema is diverse, with films ranging from historical dramas to dark comedies, action films, and introspective character studies. The industry also produces high-quality documentaries.

In summary, Finnish cinema is characterized by its blend of social realism, distinctive humor, engagement with national themes, and a commitment to telling stories about ordinary people and their lives.

#finland #finnish #finnish cinema

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Are There Evil Animals?

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/are-there-evil-animals/

There’s a great discussion over on BlueSky about animal species unfairly seen as villains. Folks are posting pictures of species that we feel get a bad rap (I chose to highlight the gray wolf and snakes.) Ironically, I also had a note in my calendar, placed there months ago, to write about whether there are good or bad animals. So–today’s theme is whether there really are “evil animals”, and what makes them separate from “good animals”.

Please keep in mind that I am coming from a western perspective as an American of European heritage, and cultural views of various animals vary from species to species and culture to culture. And, of course, individual people within a community may disagree. But let’s stick with general trends in western viewpoints. Also, I am not going to wade into the issue of invasive species and whether they are “good” or “bad” from a moral sense, though I did get into clarifying what makes a species invasive a while back.)

There are certain animals that seem to draw the ire of people more than others. Spiders and snakes are two groups that are frequently relegated to the undesirable group of “creepy crawlies”, are the subject of many people’s phobias, and are all too often killed simply for existing. I’ve seen people post pictures of their pet snakes and spiders, only to have others reply “If I saw that thing anywhere near me I’d kill it”–something I bet they’d never say about someone’s beloved pet dog or cat. Slugs are seen as gross and slimy, bats will supposedly fly into your hair, and even pet domesticated rats will get looks of revulsion.

While all large predatory animals have seen their numbers plummet in the past couple of centuries due to overhunting, gray wolves and coyotes face extra-venomous persecution. Barry Holstun Lopez’ classic work Of Wolves and Men, and Hope Ryden’s God’s Dog: A Celebration of the North American Coyote, both explore in detail how these canids are not just controlled, but gleefully slaughtered by those who proudly display “smoke a pack [of wolves] a day” on their trucks and hang rotting carcasses of coyotes they’ve shot on fences alongside roads. The reintroduction of wolves in particular has been hindered by the protests of those convinced their livestock will all be killed and their children carried off. And Ryden’s work tried to counter the sentiment of all too many people that “the only good coyote is a dead coyote.”

Lopez in particular tackled the idea that wolves were specifically evil because they had supposedly been sent by Satan himself to plague good God-fearing people. And while many wolf-haters today probably don’t recognize the roots of their hatred, they still pursue the extermination of the species with religious fervor. Snakes, similarly, were maligned not just because a few of them are venomous, but because of the Serpent in the Garden of Eden. The bible is full of parables and metaphors involving animals that place them in either the “good animals” category (like sheep) or the “evil animals” category (like goats.) And while western society is becoming increasingly less Christian, the cultural influences of centuries of Christianity can still be felt.

Thankfully, advances in science have offered a much more nuanced view of animals, and nature in general. We know for sure that the Earth is much, much, MUCH older than 6000 years, and that the many species that have come and gone over the eons came to be through natural selection. At their core, every species of animal (and plant, and fungus, etc.) is a living system whose most primitive purpose is to make sure its genetic material is successfully replicated. Far from making life into a strictly mechanistic process, I feel that this just makes the many adaptations species have evolved over time that much more fascinating.

Take the gray wolf, for example. Long legs help them to run swiftly, but they have solid endurance as well and can trail prey for many miles. Broad feet keep them from sinking into snow, like snowshoes, and keen hearing, sight, and smell help them to locate prey. They can dispatch said prey with sharp teeth which also allow them to shear off pieces of meat which is then broken down by an efficient digestive system. Far from being solo predators lurking in the shadows, wolves have complex social lives, and a pack is generally composed of a primary pair with their young from various years. They work together to raise each year’s pups and find food, and they spend quite a bit of time playing with each other or sleeping off a good meal. All of these adaptations work together to make an organism that has successfully passed its DNA down through many generations. It’s pretty impressive, thinking about the complexity of all of the tissues and organs and systems that go into making one single wolf, and how DNA holds the key to its own preservation and replication in increasingly complex packages.

But these genes and adaptations do not make the wolf “evil”, any more than herbivory (other than the occasional nest of baby birds) makes a deer “good”. And that’s the thing: at its heart, nature is amoral. Not IMMORAL, mind you; amorality means being not at all concerned with right or wrong, good or evil. Wolves and deer prey on their respective foods, and deer and plants have defenses they use to try to keep from being eaten. That doesn’t make them inherently bad, and they aren’t rubbing their paws (or hooves) gleefully together like some cartoonish villain as they think about killing their next meal. It’s just the way of things, ever since the first eukaryotes evolved two billion years ago and began eating other living beings.

So why, then, do we persist in seeing wolves as evil animals and deer as good ones? Well, we’re judging them by human standards, and specifically western, Christianity-influenced standards. We’re pretty biased, because we think that any species that does things we want them to is good, but those that inconvenience us are bad. We like hunting deer and we only really get annoyed with them if they eat our crops (which can also be solved by eating them.) But while wolves may eat our livestock (and the deer we want to hunt), we can’t really eat them, and so their value to us isn’t enough to keep them in the “good” category. Although wolves gave us dogs, the wolves that remain will not bow to our demands, so dogs become the only nice and respectable wolves we will accept in our lives because they directly benefit us, whether as working animals, companions, or both.

We can see this pattern among other species, too. Those that we find beautiful or useful, and which do not significantly impact our lives in any negative way, get to be good. Any that cause us problems end up being bad. Sadly, “I saw it and it scared me” is often enough to relegate a species to being a problem. Even though spiders do a great job of keeping our homes and other environments free of flies, ants, and other insects that might, say, spoil our food, we persecute spiders because we see them as scary. In the vast majority of human-spider encounters there is no way the spider could possibly get close enough to bite, and would only do so in self-defense–yet in many of these encounters the spider loses its life just for being there.

We don’t even think twice about squashing a spider or other “bug” that made the mistake of being visible. Demonizing animals as evil means that we don’t have to feel any responsibility toward their preservation. And, in fact, you can extend that whole idea of “evilness” to nature in general. Nature, until recently, was mainly seen in the west as something to be tamed and tied down, turned to agriculture, industry, and other good human-benefiting pursuits. Preserving wild ecosystems is seen as wasteful by the sort of person who only sees dollar signs. Why should we reintroduce wolves if they get in the way of our raising livestock? Why should we protect old growth forests instead of cutting them down for profit? Why should we restrict fishing to help fish populations recover from generations of overfishing, when it might mean a drop in seafood revenue?

In the end, the whole good/evil dichotomy as applied to animals is just a symptom of our selfishness. Those of us who understand the complexity of ecology also grok the concept of existence value, which I just wrote about in my last article. This concept allows us to get out of our self-centered viewpoints, showing how a species (or ecosystem) is important simply for existing, regardless of whether we can use it for something or not. I also think it’s important to drop that idea that a species can be inherently good or evil, and instead take Henry Beston’s view that they are “other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth.” Like them, we humans are also the product of billions of years of adaptations and evolution, no more or less amazing than any other species. We’ve spent too long trying to make the whole world dance to our tune alone; we need to give the other beings space for their music, too, and appreciate its beauty as much as our own.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

#nature #wildlife #animals #ecology #environment #conservation #science #scicomm #wolves #coyotes #spiders #snakes #cw snakes #animal behavior #animal welfare #endangered species #morality #religion #Christianity #good and evil

[quillify-tries-to-talk]

On Art

I just remembered I had this thought but forgot to write about it so making a note here before I forget again.

Okay, so this was prompted by my brain remembering, out of nowhere, V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and that led me down a rabbit hole of more thinking. My main point can be summarized as this:

In the 21st century, any form of art is seen as disconnected from the larger world around it.

I picked Addie LaRue because obviously, a book about art and books and literature with supposedly philosophical underpinnings would talk about the inherent connection of art to humanity. There is a tendency, I believe, in today's world to see art as an entirely separate realm: pure, beautiful, untouched by the messy realities of politics and war and humans being cruel and callous etc. It is a beautiful thing, it is a lovely thing, it is a redeeming thing. Creativity is a gift to be given for consumerism, to remind people that they are good no matter how rigged the systems are in the favour of the top 1%.

This is all true. Creativity is a gift.

But I think we forget that it depends upon the creator to utilize or manipulate it according to his own wishes. Addie LaRue presents art as this beautiful, humane thing entirely disconnected from the realities of war or politics. Actual history. The events that the main protagonist lived through are left out in favour of presenting this fairytale ideal, so wholesome that it connects all humans.

(Yes, I know I sound cynical)

Except, this fairytale-esque, profound connection was not the reality for several thousand groups for years. Yes, of course, there was joy. Everyone was creating art and writing books, all our cultures are replete with thousands of years' worth of beauty and knowledge. And of course, the book does not touch it. It is unabashedly Eurocentric, right down to its ideals of artistry and literature.

Because guess what sort of art the Europeans were also making c. 1700s-early 2000s :) You think those heroic portraits of Britannia or Germania were created for funsies :) just a cutesy little project for a cutesy little artist totally disconnected from what was happening in the larger world :)

Addie LaRue, as a protagonist, has the kind of features that allow her to move through the world with a certain level of comfort and anonymity. Had she been any other person in the world, the book would be called The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Several other books take the same course even as they promise to tackle these prevalent issues in sff or historical fiction or any genre, really. A few familiar names pop into my mind. Even those in different genres, such as romance, seem detached from anything real, even if it's cultural joy or pride. They exist. They move towards the culmination of their arc or their love interests, quite anonymously like Addie LaRue. Their view of the world, and their art is entirely sanitized: hollowed out of any and all substance only to be pretty for an aesthetic, fit for consumption by everyone. There is this idea of appealing to an anonymous, universal gaze that is mostly white American (and quite obtrusive, because any reminders of actual history are panned and demonized, or simply brushed aside as happening in tHe OrIeNT). If you really think about it, this is how the world seems divided even today.

As Edward Said said in Culture and Imperialism (in context of the classics):

"Critics have often, I believe, relegated these writers' ideas about colonial expansion, inferior races... to a very different department from that of culture. Culture being the elevated area of activity in which they 'truly' belong and in which they did their 'really' important work."

Incredible how this is applicable to criticism in any way, shape or form today. In addition:

"Culture conceived in this way can become a protective enclosure: check your politics at the door before you enter it."

I think this idea has become extremely predominant in modern culture too. Art is equated to a disconnected aesthetic with no bearing on reality. And while I acknowledge that this approach is useful in reviewing a work without personal biases or based purely on our own enjoyment, completely stripping a text of its socio-political realities does not serve any purpose. The goal, to borrow Said's words again is to admire works for the pleasure and profit they give us while simultaneously observing "the imperial process of which they were manifestly and unconcealedly a part; rather than condemning or ignoring their participation in what was an unquestioned reality in their societies..."

To sum up, our constant struggle to achieve a pure and untouched aesthetic is ultimately fruitless because art is not created in a vacuum. It never will be. Art is born of human hands. You cannot run from its history any more than you can run from your own reality.

#culture #books #literature #this was sitting in my head for a long time #props to mr. said for putting into words what i've always felt #its like yeah you can't escape it #but also dont talk about it ever or you'll ruin the vibe #or if you do #make it snappy. 240 characters or 30 seconds long #i wonder if this counts as anti intellectualism #anti booktok #also plss read his works incredibly enlightening stuff

[superman-the-secret-third-thing]

Superman Tackles War Profiteering? Not Clickbait? Gone Right? (1938)

Action Comics #2 by Jerome Siegel and Joe Schuster

TL; DR: Superman terrifies a war profiteer into pacifism

We begin where the last one leaves off- with a corrupt lobbyist under the most well-sculpted armpit in DC canon, a continuity error, a frightening reminder of the absolute power of gravity - and the fact that it has no effect on Superman's immense thighs.

A governor is being bribed to support a war in [Unspecified European Country] and Superman's clever and suave interrogation tactics are put to the test when he threatens a man with violence. Big Blue discovers that the Man behind The Slaughter is a munitions manufacturer who wants the US to join the war to make a profit. The poor victim of this issue, by the name of Emil tries the fresh and sexy tactic of shooting superman in the face, only to get the usual and typical result. Ricochet and assault with a handsome man!

He's told firmly to get on a boat to [Unspecified European Country].

Clark and Lois are sent to report on the war, too. btw. Mysterious hot woman is involved, doing mysterious hot woman things (espionage).

Superman is assaulted by a buncha goons in round 2, who take a novel approach of just...pushing him into the water. This is seemingly effective as the goons laugh and clap each otha on da back for a job well-done- not noticing a piercing glare from the water.

Emil's intelligence is put to the test- should he pay a bunch of murderers for the job he hired them to do? DC 15. Nat 1. They attempt to open up a few new pockets to check his blood for cash, only for Round Three to occur with their asses in the water.

Emil Scringe, tormented by the Ghost of War Future, decides to enlist in the army to escape the demon... only to turn to 90 degrees to his left and understand that there is no escape from the Technicolor Samson.

Superman's power of raw, unadulterated harassment carries onto the battlefield, where he continually attempts to teach poor Emil the true meaning of Christmas.

Oh yeah, and Lois gets framed for espionage and sentenced to death by state-sponsored, rapid, non-consensual colanderization. God forbid women do anything.

Superman discovers this and rescues her from the beige brigade.

He locates a torturer on his way out, gives him the old dicky twister and kindly sends him to hell.

Superman fistfights an airplane for the first time of many- and continually interferes with international politics, in a fun way that is easily digestible for children (I am twenty three years old)

Emil finally surrenders, shitting his pants in fear of the be-nippled Crusader. He swears never to make weapons again, and instead manufacture the number one cause of burns in children.

Superman realizes that his harassment technique worked flawlessly kidnaps the leaders of both armies to fistfight each other if they want war so badly.

They realize the true meaning of Christmas- Exploitation by the ruling class and decide to shake hands and make out a little bit, sloppy style.

You'll notice a pattern of using comics to criticize current societal issues. This will continue.

Next Time On The Third, Secret Thing- Superman Enforces The Will of OSHA aka Action Comics #3 (1938)

#superman #clark kent #lois lane #dc comics #dcu #dc universe #1930s #comics

[euphorial-docx]

i will say as much as i agree w free palestine there are many many ppl who just use it to be antisemitic. jewish areas in britain like all over the country r being filled w antisemitic messaged accompanied by pro-palestine messages and it makes pro-palestine people like myself look bad

i am truly not trying to sound like a bitch, but i will be very very firm about this and my stances:

people who use this as a way to be antisemitic were always going to be antisemitic. about anything. about everything.

those assholes are nowhere near a big enough voice of the free palestine movement, or an actual power inside the movement at all, to be getting as much attention as they are. the antisemitic takes are being amplified for the sole purpose of discrediting any pro-palestine action. it’s another easy scapegoat to avoid any form of accountability or reflection.

additionally, what you’re saying is only anecdotal, and you’re very much inflating how popular pro-palestine stances really are. whether we realize or not, israel has a lot more power not only between governments of countries, but over every day people.

not to mention the general attitudes towards the middle east from western and european countries are already disgusting, and in modern times that almost certainly has to do with a post 9/11 america. this is feeding into those long-standing attitudes. it is soft ground for israel to bury into. but that is a much larger issue to tackle that i am too tired to break down right now.

back to the point!

in my opinion, what you’re saying is not a viable argument because of how disproportionate they are in this context. these “sides” are not mirrors of each other. they are not equal. amping up the antisemitic voices and tying them to pro-palestine stances is cut and dry propaganda, and you are fueling it by doing a variant of the “i agree but” argument.

as much as the media wants to try and complicate it, this is all actually very simple: palestine is being colonized, and has been for decades. we are witnessing ethnic cleansing and genocide. that’s what this is, and while we shouldn’t let go of empathy, we should not lose sight of the injustice palestinians are facing.

it is no coincidence that other movements such as black lives matter and land back are supporting palestine loudly; their experiences are, unfortunately and eerily, similar.

lastly, you should not be concerned about “looking bad.” supporting palestine automatically makes you look bad to many people, and the misinformation takes most of the blame for the negative perception of the free palestine movement. it is not a walk in the park to defend palestine right now. you need to push back against so much, but despite the outside forces, supporting palestine should be an easy choice— and an unwavering one at that— because what has been happening to palestine for generations is appalling.

sparknotes version: stop throwing up propaganda as talking points. you sound like you should be on fox news.

#free palestine

[mattydemise]

Are we getting desensitized towards sex, when thots and bots are all around us? Is OF really a choice in this capitalist hellworld?

This is such a profoundly complicated series of issues to tackle. Although it isn't up for debate that, at least here in Australia, that collectively we're desensitised towards sex. We're both desensitised towards sex and yet we've oversexualised everything (likely as a result of that desensitisation towards sex).

Contrast our attitudes towards sex vs. the attitudes held in a lot of European countries. Sex isn't as taboo in Germany or France as it is here in Australia and I believe that because they're more open about sexuality in general it in turn creates less of a need for people to hypersexualise themselves for attention.

Rather than preach about the morality of sex work and OF I'll simply say that it isn't the fault of everyday people, people like you and I, that women are turning towards online sex work to make ends meet but rather is a result of an ultra oppressive capitalistic society that pressures people into commodifying themselves in order to keep a roof over their head and food in their belly. If anyone's to blame for what has happened to the West, it's our governments that serve no real purpose anyone, governments that thrive on misery, much like dealers thrive on the misery of their struggling, addicted clientele.

What we need is to take a root and stem approach to these systems of endless oppression. Tyranny must be burnt out so that our liberty can grow from the ashes.

#mattydemise #anons #asks #answer #reply

[nervousloveheart]

So I recently binged the Twilight movies with my sibling because we were both sick and wanted something to watch that wouldn't tax our brains to much, and we wanted to understand the pop culture surrounding it. (For reference, the day I am writing this is on the twentieth of the fourth month 2023.) I want to rewrite the whole thing as less problematic, and the first thing I wanna tackle is the misrepresentation of the Quileute Tribe.

I am not a native American, nor do I have a native American friend, so if anyone who reads this who is a native American and has issues with my idea's or criticisms please let me know.

I wouldn't include the indigenous people from a place of wanting to fetishize native Americans or any other group of people not of European descent, or for the kick that modern producers seem to get when labeling themselves as woke. It's purely because they were in the original Twilight books and I think there is something valuable in that.

The first solution I had was to completely scrape the ethnicity of the werewolves and just have it be random people like vampires are just random people. They could all just live on a settlement or something like that. But that idea just didn't sit right with me, for the reason listed above.

The second solution I had was to just make up tribe, but that just seemed insulting and I immediately dropped the idea and kicked myself in the face for even considering it.

The third idea that I had was to have Jacob and his family be indigenous and the rest of the pack just be a bunch of randos, and the whole werewolf thing having nothing to do with the Quileute Tribe. He and his family would just be native americans, not strings attached.

Twilight fandom, if you're still alive on tumblr, please let me know what you think.

#Twillight #quileute tribe #native rights #native american #indegenous #jacob black #werewolves #vampires #problematicness #bella cullen #bella swan #edward cullen

[transmutationisms]

re: the ask you received on body fascism reading recommendations, i read 'the expressiveness of the body and the divergence of greek and chinese medicine' by shigehisa kuriyama and i found it so... underwhelming. my biggest issue was that kuriyama was more invested in paying lip service to the frameworks discussed than engaging in genuine investigation. i also found it a bit myopic in that kuriyama never fully explored opposing/differing ideas. the fact that most of the recommendations had similar issues for you is regrettable seeing as the field is so rich. tbh, the best book i've probably read on it is foucault's 'discipline and punish' which is obviously not excellent, but... as you said, hopefully, one day someone will tackle the subject in a more enlightening manner.

hm i disagree about both texts. to me the major issue of the kuriyama is that it's a comparative history clearly more interested in using chinese medicine to understand greek medicine than vice versa. so, this is not a text i'd recommend to anyone whose primary interest is chinese medicine. but, for the questions kuriyama sets out to answer (eg, why was bloodletting so central to greek and later european medicine for so long? what assumptions about the body, the senses, and the environment invisibly shaped anatomical knowledge in the greek canon? why were greek anatomical models so muscular, and was this something that was self-evidently written on the body itself or that viewers perceived because of how they were trained to look at and see the body?) —for such questions, the comparison is extremely useful because kuriyama is using the contrasts between greek and chinese medicine to explain these characteristics of greek medicine that we still often take for granted, but which are, in fact, historically specific and just as 'anomalous' or 'weird' as the characteristics of other medical epistemologies may appear to be for those who are trained into greek-descended or 'western' medicine. i rarely recommend a comparative history because there are methodological issues, and like i said, this is not a good text for studying chinese medicine in itself. but i find it extremely useful for historians of ancient greek medicine, the bloodletting chapter in particular. in regards to this idea of body fascism, i was mostly thinking of chapters 3 and 6, which discuss the muscular ideal and the idea of the body as a discrete entity whose strength and health are constantly at risk of being encroached upon by external environmental factors. to me this is useful historical context for understanding the long history that pre-figured overtly fascist ideals of the muscular male body as a signifier of autonomous will and selfhood, as well as context on conceptions of the body as being a 'pure', untainted site of 'health' that can be cultivated, shown off, and defended via practices like removing 'unnecessary' blood that has the potential to 'corrupt' the body through excess.

in regards to foucault, 'discipline and punish' is not the text i would recommend because for foucault, this disciplinary paradigm prefigures the biopolitical one on which i think an understanding of body fascism ought to rest (foucault's case studies here are primarily, respectively, 17th–18th century france, and then 19th-century france). i did consider including a few of the essays on biopolitics on that list (specifically some pulled from the 1975–6 series, and the 78–9 series) but ultimately decided against it because foucault's historical methodology is so consistently bad/absent, his formulation of biopolitics was never really completed or organised (they're lectures), and he was primarily interested in biopolitics as a technology of governance, whereas scholars of fascism, exercise, and fat studies have done (i think) admirable work in expanding these ideas to examine ramifications of the state's biological methods of population management for individuals' bodies and psyches. foucault is admittedly conceptually a huge foundation for my thinking on this topic but i don't think it's always necessary to read him directly (he's in literally 75% of footnotes and historiographies on this topic anyway) and i would not recommend d&p on this because again, even by foucault's own telling the purely disciplinary society prefigures modern biopolitical technologies of power; in particular, with regards to body fascism, i think it is absolutely necessary to understand the role of public health and social hygiene in governance, and this is something that in foucault's framing is part of the shift to biopolitics (the state's massifying right to 'make' live and 'let' die) rather than discipline (the sovereign's individualising right to 'take' life or 'let' live).

#kuriyama #foucault #also i do have crits of the rest of the body fascism list but kuriyama is the only comparative history so the only one w that specific issu

[djuvlipen]

Yet another Romani man murdered by the police in Europe

Brussels, 17 August 2023: The mother and the sister of a Romani man who was beaten to death by police in Arad, Romania have filed a criminal complaint against two local police officers who were involved. The complaint was filed on 7th August 2023 and requests that the officers be held criminally liable as co-perpetrators. Legal support is being provided by RomaJust and the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC).  

The 33-year-old Romani man, named Muszunye Mircea Vișan (known as Vișinel), died in a police station in Arad on the night of Friday 14th July, 2023 after police officers beat him until he went into cardiac-arrest. He was buried on the morning of 18th July in Lipova at a service attended by his family and friends. The family claims that the local police officers exceeded their duties, behaved abusively towards the man, and physically assaulted him until his death.

Two police officers, Florea Ciprian Nicolae and Liber Florin Nicolae, from the Public Order Bureau of the Arad Local Police Department arrested the Romani man for an alleged disturbance of the peace on Friday 14th July. They brought him by police car to the headquarters on Victoriei Street. The police claim that Vișinel was homeless with a history of drug abuse. Those who knew him say he was a quiet man who lived in the town of Lipova, on Mărășești Street. 

At the police headquarters, the officers claim Vișinel attacked them, threw a bottle at them, and sprayed them with beer. In response, the officers physically assaulted him in an alleged attempt to pacify him. Their interventions continued until Vișinel foamed at the mouth and went into cardio-respiratory arrest. Paramedics were called and he was taken to Arad County Clinical Hospital where, despite the interventions of medical staff, he was declared dead on Saturday morning.

The autopsy lists the cause of death as “psychoactive substance intoxication” without any reference to the violence done to him by the officers at the police headquarters. The ERRC is aware of surveillance camera footage from inside the building which recorded the interventions of the officers against the Romani man. According to a statement issued by the police, a criminal file has been opened into the incident. The two arresting officers also attended the emergency ward of the hospital on Friday evening. One of them claimed to have been assaulted by the deceased man (sprayed with beer and hit with a bottle). Both officers did not go to work the following day due to "shock suffered".

“We provide legal support to this family because we refuse to let Vișinel become just another statistic” said the ERRC’s President, Đorđe Jovanović. “Police beat, torture, and kill Roma throughout Europe almost every week, and Romania’s police have already been labelled as institutionally racist by the European Court of Human Rights. The need is critical for the EU to take action to tackle systemic racism in law enforcement. It should be obvious by now that all the best practices, workshops, and police trainings in the world make little to no difference in addressing racist policing. Romani communities hardly benefit from policing at all, and for years now it has been clear to us that police forces will not improve on their own. We need EU legislation to hold member states to account for the actions of their law enforcement.”

The ERRC and RomaJust  will pursue all legal options available, including via the European Court of Human rights if Romanian legal remedies are unable to provide justice for the family of Vișinel.

This press release is also available in Romanian.

#Roma #anti romani police brutality #Romania

[mariacallous]

The war raging between Israel and Hamas is horrifying much of the world, but European left-wing leaders have an extra reason to wish for the bloodshed to come to an end as soon as possible: The conflict is proving a political hot potato that’s exacerbating internal rifts, jeopardizing already fragile alliances, and threatening to exact a heavy price in the next elections.

With the progressive electorate torn between shock at the slaughter of 1,400 people by Hamas militants inside Israel in early October—the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust—and outrage at the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians by Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, in countries like France, Britain, and Spain, left-wing parties find themselves mired in damaging rows over how to qualify Hamas’s actions and how forceful Israel is entitled to be in its military response.

The conflict “is highlighting the differences between the radical left and the social democrats,” said Luc Rouban, a political scientist from Sciences Po university in Paris. “It’s blowing up the left,” he said.

Nowhere are progressives as divided over the issue as in France. There, the far-left France Unbowed, which last year formed an uneasy coalition with more moderate (and much smaller) parties such as the Socialists and the Greens, infuriated its allies when it qualified Hamas’s attack as an “armed offensive,” talking about “war crimes” committed by the militants but refusing to describe the Islamist group as a terror organization. Then, as the death toll in Gaza continued to mount, France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon sparked more backlash by using what many saw as subtly antisemitic language—in a country that since the beginning of the conflict has experienced an explosion of antisemitic acts, with over a thousand offenses and hundreds of arrests. Mélenchon strongly rejected the accusations, but as a result of these rows the left-wing alliance has been put on hold, with few believing it can be revived.

Mélenchon is seeking to reinforce his image as the standard bearer for the oppressed, with an eye on France’s large, and often poor, Muslim population, Rouban said. But in reality, France Unbowed “is cornering itself into the periphery of the political field, [coming across as] a radicalized group that doesn’t hesitate to engage in all sorts of provocations,” he said. Polls suggest Mélenchon’s popularity is in free fall. “I don’t see how he can still hope to win a presidential election after this,” Rouban said.

France is hardly the only place where the left is in trouble. In Britain, Labour leader Keir Starmer ruffled feathers within his own party when he said that Israel had the right to withhold electricity and water from Gaza as part of its response to Hamas’s assault. One month into Israel’s relentless bombing campaign, Starmer is calling for temporary humanitarian pauses, but he’s still not backing a long-term cease-fire, arguing that it would “embolden” Hamas. Senior Labour figures have openly challenged Starmer over what they see as an excessively pro-Israel position, with dozens of Labour city councilors resigning over the issue.

Starmer’s stance partly has to do with the scars left by the antisemitism scandals that plagued Labour a few years ago. Starmer has long presented himself as an unequivocal friend of Israel and sought to underscore a difference between himself and his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, who was widely accused of not doing enough to tackle antisemitism in the party. Now, he needs to remain coherent with that image, said Richard Johnson, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London.

But with Muslims living in Britain being 14 times as numerous as Jews, Starmer’s defense of Israel also brings “a certain amount of electoral peril for Labour,” Johnson said. In recent weeks, Britain has seen some of the largest pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets again on Saturday to demand an end to the bombardment of Gaza.

In Spain, meanwhile, socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had to leap into damage control after one of his ministers, the leader of the far-left Podemos party, Ione Belarra, said Israel’s military campaign amounted to “genocide”; its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, should be prosecuted for war crimes; and Spain should cut diplomatic ties with the country and impose economic sanctions. The remarks sparked a furious reaction by the Israeli Embassy in Madrid, forcing the Spanish Foreign Ministry to clarify that Belarra does not express the government’s official views on foreign policy and that Spain recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself within the limits of international law.

The row came at a delicate moment for Sánchez, who is struggling to put together a coalition large enough to continue to govern following inconclusive elections in July. “I don’t think you can find any members of government in other EU countries who say what Podemos is saying about Israel,” said José Ignacio Torreblanca, the head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Madrid bureau. “It’s a very uncomfortable position for Sánchez,” he said.

And it’s not just Europe. U.S. President Joe Biden, who has expressed strong support for Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas, is also walking a tightrope, with liberal members of his own Democratic Party and Muslim Democratic voters demanding a cease-fire and polls showing his popularity among Arab Americans already dwindling. The administration’s stance has also stoked unease and sharp dissent from the diplomatic corps. In recent days, Biden started calling for brief humanitarian pauses in Israel’s military operation, but Netanyahu has so far resisted the pressure.

To be sure, the war between Israel and Hamas isn’t fracturing the left everywhere. In Germany, Die Linke, which belongs to the same group as France Unbowed in the European Parliament, unequivocally condemned “Hamas’s awful terror attacks,” largely aligning itself with both the center-left coalition in power and the conservative opposition in Berlin.

Even where rifts are running deep, they may be a lesser problem than they seem. In Britain, with the exception of more than a dozen Muslim-heavy constituencies, “the calculation of the Labour leader’s office is that this is not going to be a major issue in the next election,” Johnson said.

In Spain, Podemos has long sparred with Sánchez over foreign-policy issues, such as the supply of military aid to Ukraine, but so far it has been loath to trigger a government crisis over those disagreements. “They bark a lot, but I don’t think they bite,” Torreblanca said.

But the war isn’t only dividing the left; it’s also emboldening the right. Nationalist leaders across Europe are referring to Hamas’s brutality to back up their hard-line views on Islam and immigration at home, while playing up their opponents’ ambiguities and boosting their own credentials as government material.

Spanish far-right leader Santiago Abascal is keen to paint the image of a government besieged by leftist radicals, while at a rally for “Western values and Israel’s existence” held in Milan over the weekend, Matteo Salvini, the deputy of Italy’s post-fascist prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, lashed out at “confused” left-wingers who “defend the terrorists.” In France, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally has been quick to express support for Israel’s military campaign, using the crisis to further distance itself from its own antisemitic past—embodied by founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine’s father, who famously claimed that the gas chambers were a “detail” of history.

While left-wing firebrand Mélenchon is trapped in his role of maverick, National Rally has taken another major step toward “normalization,” according to Rouban. “There used to be two populisms in France. Now there’s only one, and it’s on the left,” he said.

[lilareviewsbooks]

Some Desperate Glory - 5/5: Awful Main Characters Are Good, Actually

5/5 stars

438 pages

Contains: a very sweet alien; an awful main character (but you already knew that!); a redemption arc!

I’ve been waiting for Some Desperate Glory before it was even announced. That’s because I’ve been obsessed with Emily Tesh’s Greenhollow Duology since I first read it, quite a while ago. Ever since, I’ve been waiting for the announcement of her debut novel, and wondering about how lush, queer and beautifully mythological it was going to be.

Some Desperate Glory definitely defied my expectations. The Greenhollow Duology is a series of two novellas that explores two middle-aged men who fall in love, and deal with the ancient forces of the forest where they live. I was expecting something more or less along the same vein. Instead, I got a sci-fi following a teenager, Valkyrie, or Kyr. There were no lush forests with European mythological figures and two middle-aged men. There were aliens, and space-ships and something called “shadow-space”.  

It was amazing, nonetheless. 

All I knew about Some Desperate Glory when I picked it up, was that it was a. by Emily Tesh; and b. described as a space opera. Those two things took me somewhere else completely from Ms. Tesh’s actual planned course, which left me feeling like I was drifting out in space, with no direction. But that’s hardly a bad way to experience this book. It unfolds as a sort of weird choose-your-own-adventure, as you can clearly see that each character’s choices lead us somewhere different. Reading it blindly leaves you guessing at which choice will be the crucial one, and will open up the universe that is this story.

I say “universe” because Some Desperate Glory tackles many things at once. As always, whenever a story tries to do that, I don’t think every single point is addressed masterfully, or anything of the sort. But I do think this work manages to justify the things it doesn’t explore too deeply, by placing the reader’s undivided attention on the topic at hand for a split second. That allows the universe of the book to expand beyond the actual words on the page. A reader can go back, reread past chapters and examine how that issue was treated, how characters reacted to it, and judge it for themselves.

I think this is where Some Desperate Glory gets misunderstood. Our point of view is Kyr’s, an unreliable protagonist, whose ideas are questioned throughout the novel. Her character arc is remarkable, and feels natural, as she more-or-less deprograms herself from a cult-like ideology. This is beautifully woven into a story that is action packed, and full of vivid characters, whose dialogue jumps off the page. 

However, not everyone seems to get this. I saw a GoodReads comment on a review that read, more or less, “I DNF’ed because of the main character’s transphobic and homophobic views”. This, of course, misses the point of the novel, which follows Kyr’s journey as she stops being transphobic and homophobic. It also, frankly, – and not to be rude about it – shows an unbelievable lack of reading comprehension, as the book clearly starts with a warning on how there will be disturbing content. It includes a list describing said content, numbering transphobia and homophobia alongside other trigger warnings. It’s obvious by the first page that the book doesn’t condone any of this, and simply has a main character that sucks – a concept that seems strange to some people, as if main characters can’t be awful people without the author and their project being awful as well.

My experience is quite the opposite: I think writing morally grey or downright despicable protagonists or side characters takes a talented artist working very hard to get them to be awful but still likable, or compelling. And I think Ms. Tesh hit the nail on the head when she wrote Kyr, by making her someone clearly awful, and yet interesting from the start. Even before Kyr begins her transformation, she’s a compelling protagonist - she’s so fucked up you can’t help but look at her. 

And that, I think, alongside its stellar supporting cast, is the reason why Some Desperate Glory succeeds. It’s not afraid of the ugly, of the bad, and yet manages to deliver a hopeful message. Some Desperate Glory is surprising in its direction, compelling in its themes and riveting in its many twists and turns. It shines with its protagonist’s hate-ability, and her compelling arc, not to mention any dialogue that appears on page. And it ends with a tearful sequence, which drives its point of hope home. 

I’d recommend this to everyone, especially queer SFF fans who like being slightly confused and don’t mind discussions of queerphobia. Unless, of course, you’re going to get bothered by the fact that the characters kinda suck. Then I think you should pick a different book.

If you’d like more gay people that suck, you should definitely check out my “Books With Morally Grey Gay People” post! :) Have a nice day! 

#some desperate glory #emily tesh #queer sff #queer books #lgbtq books #sff books #queer sff books #book review #Book Recommendations #currently reading #books books books #scifi books

[manuscripts-dontburn]

Fangs

Author: Sarah Andersen

First published: 2020

Rating:  ★★☆☆☆

I feel like I missed something since this book has such a high rating... I thought the idea was excellent and I liked the drawing style... but this is really just a collection of really lukewarm jokes.

The Fires of Lust: Sex in the Middle Ages

Author: Katherine Harvey

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★★☆

After reading this book I was yet again amused at how little the ideas about sex have changed throughout the centuries. Perhaps because it worked the exact same way as it works now. In any case, this is a quite comprehensive study, that tackles its subject with much tact, a smile where one is due, and respect as well as sensitivity when discussing serious issues.

The Little Stranger

Author: Sarah Waters

First published: 2009

Rating: ★★★★☆

Reading Sarah Waters feels like gliding softly through a gentle stream of thoughts and feelings and even though her style is slow and thus her chapters are really lengthy, the book goes by surprisingly quickly. At first, I was a little disappointed because the "ghostly" aspect which had first attracted me to the story seemed to be just background noise to a family drama (though an intriguing one), but the second half of the book more than made up for that. in fact, there were moments when I had to opt for reading only during the day (but I am a scaredy cat so if you are a horror-lover, you might not feel the same).

Braiding Sweetgrass

Author: Robin Wall Kimmerer

First published: 2013

Rating: ★★★★☆

This is, in fact, an extremely sad book, because it shows us just a sliver of all the wisdom that has been lost as the Native Americans were driven from their land and systematically killed by European settlers. It points out our tragic and willful blindness to nature and the fact the exploitation of it will soon tip toward a complete catastrophe (if it has not already). But it is also a book that offers comfort, takes you into the woods and to the marshes, and shows you wild and wonderous things that are worth protecting. There were several instances where the beauty of the language and the message delivered drew tears into my eyes. I would not recommend reading the whole book all at once, but rather take it chapter by chapter when you need to relax and think.

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

Author: Claudia Gray

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

If Agatha Christie decided to write Jane Austen fanfiction.... it would be so much better than this book. Easy to plow through, but frankly dull.

Pamela

Author: Samuel Richardson

First published: 1740

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

I only managed to read this because I actually listened to it as an audiobook and I only managed to listen to it because Everand has cut me off from every single other book to listen to (if you know, you know). The story of the book is much more interesting than the book itself. The main character is a lowly maid who has made her virginity her entire personality as well as recording every single praise that is paid her, the main male is an entitled would-be-rapist and actual kidnapper who is not above hiding in closets and cross-dressing to get under Pamela´s petticoats. Had the book been taken more as a comedy and shorter by at least 300 pages, it might have fared better in my view. This is one classic you can skip and be happy about it.

Love, A Curious History

Author: Edward Brooke-Hitching

First published: 2023

Rating: ★★★★★

Of all the Brooke-Hitching´s books I have read so far, this one is absolutely my favourite. I just wished the text was larger.

The Arctic Fury

Author: Greer Macallister

First published: 2020

Rating: ★★★☆☆

This could have been so good. I mean: an all-female Arctic expedition? Female friendships and character arcs? The howling wilderness and nature shaping the human character? I was pretty hyped for all that. Unfortunately, all of the above is not explored as much as it could have been - and instead, the time and effort are given to a completely unnecessary trial. Reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing in that sense. Generous three stars (for now).

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Author: Maya Angelou

First published: 2011

Rating: ★★★★★

A portrait of a black childhood in the 30s and 40s south of the US, that is both engaging and educational. This is one of those books you fall into and distinctly feel are in it for the whole ride.

You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty

Author: Akwaeke Emezi

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Interesting premise, but more soul-searching and relationship exploration over explicit and numerous sex scenes would have been more to my personal taste in what I like to read.

Terrible Tsarinas: Five Russian Women in Power

Author: Henri Troyat

First published: 1998

Rating: ★★★★☆

Easy and quick to read, even though the particular bit of history involved was truly messy, this is a book I would recommend as a bridge between the biographies of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great by R.K. Massie.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts

Author: Katherine Arden

First published: 2024

Rating: ★★★★☆

Katherine Arden has a unique gift of weaving together reality and myth (or in this case the supernatural) in a way that is very believable as well as lyrical. As if there was no question whether or not ghosts and apparitions were an indisputable part of our world. But the readers should be aware that The Warm Hands of Ghosts is, above all other things, a study and portrait of the terror of war, of what it does to those thrust into it, and poses a question if it is possible to ever go back. In this, it is far from being the only one or overtly original, but I appreciate the fact that many who would shy away from All Quiet on the Western Front or similar books might easily be attracted by it and learn something. I think the book may have been slightly more impactful had it been strictly divided into a Part 1 dedicated solely to Laura, up until the point of somebody significant coming to her in the hospital and only then introducing Part 2, in which we would learn about Freddie and his experiences, only then mingling the two. I read it in a mere 2 days, which also speaks to how much I felt entrenched in the story. I am giving it 4 stars right now, because of all the analyzing, but there is a great chance I will bump up the rating later in the year if the book proves to be one of those I keep thinking about despite their imperfections.

#wrap up #booklr #February 2024

[scarlet--wiccan]

For what it’s worth McGuire does identify as “half Roma”. That’s not a label I’d give someone without their say-so but it seems like a reasonable self descriptor if your dad is Roma and your mom isn’t

(I agree about the nuances of Romani identity. Like I think the ideal person to write Wanda and pietro would be someone who is roma and lives/lived in Eastern Europe at minimum. I don’t think specific country/region of origin is always super important in Oen Voices contexts but for their background it kind of is)

I get where you're coming from. The diaspora is very diverse, and should not be treated as interchangeable. I talk about this a lot in regards to casting, especially fancasts, because people are always coming up with Western European and British actors who are from completely different communities than the ones Wanda and Pietro might feasibly belong to, and that's really frustrating!

That said, I don't necessarily believe that a writer should need to perfectly match the character to be considered an authentic voice. Wanda and Pietro's story is definitely rooted in a specific time and place, so it would be amazing to find someone who can speak to that directly, but there are a lot of Romani writers and scholars out there who are more than capable of engaging with that subject matter with care and honesty, because they've already put in the work.

My issue with writers like McGuire or Howard is that I don't get the sense that they have done that work, or that tackling Romani representation has been a major priority for them. That's okay-- you know, people in minority communities don't need to always feel responsible for that, but it becomes a problem when you front a certain identity and then you totally drop the ball when you're actually writing Romani characters. And again, that's a judgement that I am mostly directing towards Howard.

So, for the Maximoffs, I think think it's really important for a writer to have a very direct relationship with traditional Romani culture, be familiar with Balkan/Central European Romani history, and have a working knowledge of Romani peoples' relationship to witchcraft and folk magic. It is possible to have that knowledge without necessarily being all of those things.

#robintext