I’m stuck on the convincing people it exists step—too much of an asshole to be an ambassador I guess. Fight for public schools, and access to healthcare, and the arts. No better tools than health, knowledge, and a shared language of empathy. Embrace every opportunity to put self-sufficiency back in the hands normal people instead of further consolidating under the control of rich white fucks. Even if it costs you something, or if you won’t see the benefits right now. Buy local. Try and keep those profiting from your labor within metaphorical punching distance, should they ever need a metaphorical pop. Show up for local elections, run in local elections if you have a soul. If you care and are willing to learn you will be a godsend to some of your local boards.

The more the ruling elite have, the more they rig the system for themselves, the more the way to squeak up or cling to a rung on the ladder of prosperity is to emulate them, the more a narrative of superiority calcifies, the more stratified and shit people become. Trump tells them that’s fine, the truth is what feels the most comfortable. Not to think critically about how we got here because for his ilk the system is lining the pockets intended. Tells them to stop doing the painful work of looking within and pulling up any pernicious roots they might have grown out of; that it is okay to close their eyes to any consequences and causation if it makes them uneasy. Rural places more vulnerable to Trump’s rhetoric are more than capital poor. There’s nothing there to shake up these narratives before they harden and he’s telling them that’s not a tragedy, but cause for celebration.

Vast inequality in a society built upon a white supremacist/patriarchal power structure.

So. Bone to pick. Gender is a made up society thing. 100%. It’s a performance, and gender change happens all the time. When people ‘pass’ you’ll never know. Do not confuse this with sex.

Sex is biological. And biology is messy. Do you have problems when innersexed children are ‘corrected’ to fit in a binary?

On the human rights. Now cut the shit. Cognitive empathy is a learned skill one can practice. Try.

No Such Thing as a Fish - It’s light and comedic, each presenter explains a little known bizarre or extraordinary fact and the others riff off from it. There’s no specific discipline of study it follows, and it doesn’t do any deep dives, but it’s fun to listen to while doing the dishes.

…We also sometimes eat other people when shit hits the fan. 🙁.

Yeah, was listening to BBC this morning -Tim Franks interviewing Israeli intelligence about allowing fuel through to get water pumps going again. It was very clear the answer was no, but they refused to say so directly. The interviewee became hostile and kept going on about how hamas uses these people as human shields. … Is the west supposed to think dying of thirst the more humanitarian option? Is that what they’re going for? jfc

arg?

Crash Landing on You (2019) has like every single romantic comedy trope and it was still fun. Kingdom (2019) was also good. It was a fresh take on zombies and suspenseful, but season 2 left on a cliffhanger and season 3 is in limbo.

edit: I forgot Mad for Each Other (2021)! Another mostly romantic comedy about a guy with anger issues and woman with paranoid delusions as neighbors. It’s quirky and quick paced. (tho TW for past domestic abuse.)

I’d also recommend a recentish book about him and Lincoln called The Zealot and the Emancipator in case anyone wants some light reading. The politics around Bleeding Kansas feels relevant to the US today.

John Brown did nothing wrong. (except maybe a bit tactically at the end.)

Equality v equity.

Do you want every to be given the exact same resources at the start? Or do you want everyone to be able to reach the same outcome?

The state legislated racism - kneecapped a swathe of the population’s ability to access education and prosper. So how could the state possibly provide restitution for this without addressing the population it did this to?