I don’t actually think that contacting your representatives (or protesting, or any other political strategy) is guaranteed to always be useless, and I think that that’s just as ideological (i.e., not materialist) a view as believing that any these things automatically possess some spectral power or something.
However I wish that people recommending contacting reps or protesting would give some indication of what their desired strategy with these things is.
Many people have taken on a liberal view of politics wherein everything takes place in the realm of the theatrical, the representational, the symbolic, the realm of imagery and vibes or of emotional catharsis, or the realm of speech / discourse.
A protest is an expression of an opinion. A “demand” is an expression of a desire. To “demand” something is to shew that you want it; to “protest” something is to shew that you do not want it.
The mechanism by which these expressions of popular desire are supposed to work on the realm of politics is unclear. Why should capital, or the military, or the police, or the state, care what the people want? Are we to believe that an expression of popular desire can have some overwhelming, supernatural, tidal power of its own? Are we supposed to believe that politicians and capitalists will be overcome with sympathy for the plight of the people and decide to change their minds? History tells us that this will not happen.
In fact an expression of desire is only the first part of a sound political strategy. The desire needs to be 1. specific, actionable, and delivered to bodies with the power to act on it; and 2. accompanied by a threat. Here is what we want; here is what we will do if we do not get what we want. The point of a protest (a “demonstration” of popular will) is to give an indication of how many people are willing to actively, physically intervene in the mechanisms of capital if they don’t get what they want.
Take a strike for instance. There is an expression of desire (for pay raises, vacation time, improvement of safety standards, &c.), and there is a threat (if you don’t give these things to us, we will stop work and shut down your operation). The threat is likely to be effective because it stops the capitalist from getting what they want if carried out.
Take a boycott (say, Puma). There is an expression of desire (we want you to stop sponsoring Israel’s football team) and there is a threat (if you don’t, we will not buy your products and will take other actions to prevent other people from buying your products). This is why BDS works—boycotts are undertaken not as an organic expression of moral outrage (though they can certainly start with moral outrage), but precisely because and to the precise degree that they work. They work by threatening to deny the capitalist what they want, and by having the necessary infrastructure to follow through (e.g. alternate transportation during the Montgomery Bus Boycotts; strike funds that allow striking workers to, you know, strike).
Now think of contacting representatives. This can only work if there’s an expression of desire, and a threat. The threat could be, I will not vote for you in x election unless you vote this way in this bill. The threat could be, we will flood all of your lines to such an extent that usual business cannot be carried out. The threat could be, we will demonstrate outside of your offices, at your appearances and speeches, outside your home, and wherever we see you in public such that your life as usual cannot be carried out.
Take a protest. The expression of desire (the people in the streets, the signs, the chants) is part of it. The threat, the demonstration of popular power, should be another. If you don’t give us what we want, we will shut down transportation, we will shut down shopping, we will render business as usual impossible. Think of the phrase “a protest without disruption is a parade.”
We do these things not because they feel good or cathartic, not because self-expression is an end in itself, not because we are good people if we do them, or for any other symbolic reason. We should do things to the degree that they are effective in achieving the outcome we want. An expression or representation of desire is exactly nothing. You have to take actions that are in some way geared towards forcing people to accede to your desires.
(Also even the demand-threat model of changing institutions’ behaviours is only one strategy among many that are necessary. I’m not saying that this is sufficient to institute full communism or anything—just that this is the bare minimum necessary for these particular strategies to be, well, strategic, in the slightest)
I don’t actually think that contacting your representatives (or protesting, or any other political strategy) is guaranteed to always be useless, and I think that that’s just as ideological (i.e., not materialist) a view as believing that any these things automatically possess some spectral power or something.
However I wish that people recommending contacting reps or protesting would give some indication of what their desired strategy with these things is.
Many people have taken on a liberal view of politics wherein everything takes place in the realm of the theatrical, the representational, the symbolic, the realm of imagery and vibes or of emotional catharsis, or the realm of speech / discourse.
A protest is an expression of an opinion. A “demand” is an expression of a desire. To “demand” something is to shew that you want it; to “protest” something is to shew that you do not want it.
The mechanism by which these expressions of popular desire are supposed to work on the realm of politics is unclear. Why should capital, or the military, or the police, or the state, care what the people want? Are we to believe that an expression of popular desire can have some overwhelming, supernatural, tidal power of its own? Are we supposed to believe that politicians and capitalists will be overcome with sympathy for the plight of the people and decide to change their minds? History tells us that this will not happen.
In fact an expression of desire is only the first part of a sound political strategy. The desire needs to be 1. specific, actionable, and delivered to bodies with the power to act on it; and 2. accompanied by a threat. Here is what we want; here is what we will do if we do not get what we want. The point of a protest (a “demonstration” of popular will) is to give an indication of how many people are willing to actively, physically intervene in the mechanisms of capital if they don’t get what they want.
Take a strike for instance. There is an expression of desire (for pay raises, vacation time, improvement of safety standards, &c.), and there is a threat (if you don’t give these things to us, we will stop work and shut down your operation). The threat is likely to be effective because it stops the capitalist from getting what they want if carried out.
Take a boycott (say, Puma). There is an expression of desire (we want you to stop sponsoring Israel’s football team) and there is a threat (if you don’t, we will not buy your products and will take other actions to prevent other people from buying your products). This is why BDS works—boycotts are undertaken not as an organic expression of moral outrage (though they can certainly start with moral outrage), but precisely because and to the precise degree that they work. They work by threatening to deny the capitalist what they want, and by having the necessary infrastructure to follow through (e.g. alternate transportation during the Montgomery Bus Boycotts; strike funds that allow striking workers to, you know, strike).
Now think of contacting representatives. This can only work if there’s an expression of desire, and a threat. The threat could be, I will not vote for you in x election unless you vote this way in this bill. The threat could be, we will flood all of your lines to such an extent that usual business cannot be carried out. The threat could be, we will demonstrate outside of your offices, at your appearances and speeches, outside your home, and wherever we see you in public such that your life as usual cannot be carried out.
Take a protest. The expression of desire (the people in the streets, the signs, the chants) is part of it. The threat, the demonstration of popular power, should be another. If you don’t give us what we want, we will shut down transportation, we will shut down shopping, we will render business as usual impossible. Think of the phrase “a protest without disruption is a parade.”
We do these things not because they feel good or cathartic, not because self-expression is an end in itself, not because we are good people if we do them, or for any other symbolic reason. We should do things to the degree that they are effective in achieving the outcome we want. An expression or representation of desire is exactly nothing. You have to take actions that are in some way geared towards forcing people to accede to your desires.
(Also even the demand-threat model of changing institutions’ behaviours is only one strategy among many that are necessary. I’m not saying that this is sufficient to institute full communism or anything—just that this is the bare minimum necessary for these particular strategies to be, well, strategic, in the slightest)
Yeah - and so will Trump. Like, if you don’t vote for Biden, Trump will win, and he will continue to send aid to Israel - in fact, he will likely send MORE aid to Israel. That’s the reality of the world we live in.
And, to be honest, any US president will support Israel. Because the USA is Israel’s ally. That’s how foreign policy works.
So who do you prefer?
Biden, who has helped lgbtq rights, reproductive rights, infrastructure, the environment, lowered medication costs, supported unions, and done MANY good, progressive things,
Or Trump, who we already know is awful. Who we already know will destroy any human rights Biden managed to gain. Who will not help the environment. Who will not help trans people, or immigrants, or women.
Because those are your two choices. And if you think they’re the same, you are dangerous to all marginalized people.
There has never been a point in any of our lifetimes where the US wasn’t contributing to some atrocity or war crime or SOMETHING somewhere in the world. There just hasn’t been.
The president isn’t a king, and can’t unilaterally impose his will on the country. There is not - and will never be - a candidate who can just wave their hand and only make the Good and Morally Pure Things you want to happen happen. That is not the system we have.
But things can get better, and things can get so much worse.
There is no scenario where refusing to vote and letting Trump win causes FEWER marginalized people to die.
i really don’t wanna hear shit about “palestinians oppress the christians living there” because not only is your islamophobia inherently irrational but y'all act as if the israeli zionist settlers treat the christians better. here’s a video of a settler spitting on and harassing a christian clergyman, since y'all wanna act like israel actually gives a fuck about people practicing their religion openly and safely.
don’t take this opportunity to be antisemitic in my notes either. just because the settler is jewish does not mean all jewish people act like this, so if you’re here to be antisemitic, you can fuck right off my blog.
i’m posting about this because i want to show people what zionism does to you. believing and supporting an ethnostate where anyone different than you is treated “less than” is horrific. zionism makes white settlers believe they are better and higher than those who are unlike them. zionism is a disease that only brings hatred into people’s hearts.
palestine is the birthplace of both christianity and judaism. christians have every right to be on that land as much as jews and muslims do, since it is the birthplace of jesus. palestinian christians are constantly erased from palestinian representation because israel constantly churns out propaganda about palestinians, implying that we are all muslims, and therefore inherently oppressive to anyone unlike us, when it most definitely is the opposite. zionism is an inherently oppressive ideology that thrives on apartheid, oppression, and genocide. zionism abuses the beautiful religion of judaism and uses it as an excuse to commit crimes against humanity. is that not antisemitic in itself? to twist judaism and jewish culture to create excuses in order to act more superior than those who are not like you? it’s all horrible. zionism is an awful and horrific disease.
I hate when youtubers go tehee I’m having chocolate cravings lets make homemade chocolate because they are like here are these fancy cacao beans I have imported I am now fermenting them and going through the process of drying/processing when if you have a chocolate craving at home with no chocolate all you gotta do it’s mix butter, sugar, and coco powder together, I know damn well most of yall are like me and not in the tex bracket to be importing freaking cocoa beans lmao
How Dezi makes chocolate at home to combat chocolate cravings
1 whole stick of butter (this is your base)
Powdered sugar or normal sugar. Powdered sugar will give a smoother consistency and you can use less.
You if you just mix those two ingredients above and add a bit of vanilla congrats you have just made vanilla buttercream icing lol
Now adding the coco powder really thickens it up and like the sugar you can play with how much you want to add. Adding a lot will give a more dark chocolate flavor
Now notice beyond the butter I gave no measurements lol that’s because I just eyeball it 🤣 because the ingredients even if you mess it up will still taste good and enjoyable
If you want it to firm up and possibly put it into a candy mold I suggest adding a bit of coconut oil and sticking it in the fridge for as long as you can stand.
Things to keep in mind-
You gotta mix mix mix, I just use a fork or spoon but make sure you mix everything together, mixing less or more will change the consistency so pay attention to what your looking for. It you want something less fluffy mix less if more fluffy mix more.
It won’t taste like hersheys they actually add an acid to the chocolate that gives it that sour milk flavor, but it’s still tasty chocolate.
It will easily melt so you should keep it in the fridge when you arent eating it
Have fun, the ingredients to make it are easy to find and can be quite cheap, using cheap butter isn’t going to ruin it.
If you want to make something you can add to a drink or pour over ice cream (not put into molds) instead of butter you can use a can of sweetened condensed milk instead
Hope you enjoyed this crash course into curing your chocolate cravings in the middle of the night
Some people seemed dubious that this will make chocolate. Here are my ugly strawberry shaped chocolates. I never used this mold for anything before so I wasn’t sure how they would turn out but they are tasty. I could have mixed it longer but I was impatient.
Like these are chocolates, they are solid, and they melt when exposed to heat. They taste like chocolate, look like chocolate, it’s chocolate 🍫
I keep talking about how gay I am but I don’t have any statistics to back it up, I’m just hoping that if I keep talking about how gay I am eventually something will happen, I’ve been manifesting falling in love for the past 5 years
kp tlkng bt hw g m bt dn’t hv n sttstcs t bck t p, ’m jst hpng thr f kp tlkng bt hw g m vntll smthng wll hppn, ’ve bn mnfstng fllng n lv fr th pst 5 yrs
I’m laying here crying on the floor and you take away my vowels too
“We keep making our service worse, cancelling shows before their time, hiking up the prices, and generally ruining what once was a decent product–piracy keeps wining somehow. 🤷”
Every time i purchase a moderately expensive item the Karl Marx on my shoulder is like “For shame… you purchase yet another pair of jeans when you have 5 already at home, you despicable commodity fetishist? In my time, a man with five outfits would consider himself blessed beyond measure, and yet you want for more, while there are children starving in the world??” to which the second Karl Marx on my other shoulder says “Objection! Those 5 pairs of jeans all wildly uncomfortable or have holes in the ass, due to the decline of clothing quality driven by the fast fashion industry, unfortunately making this purchase a necessity… Plus, by purchasing a slightly more expensive pair of jeans from an independent brand, seeking quality over ‘brand recognition’, they are deliberately trying to avoid engaging in conspicuous consumption!” to which the third Karl Marx clinging to my back like that beetle from Doctor Who says “Remember, my friend; the less you eat, drink, buy books, go to the theatre or to balls, or to the pub, and the less you think, love, theorize, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you will be able to save and the greater will become your treasure which neither moth nor rust will corrupt — your capital. Buy the jeans,” to which I say “I don’t know if any of you have actually read Karl Marx”
I dont know if you remember in 2016? But he put kids in cages IMMEDIATELY. Like…these are not theoretical. We know its not because this is what he did the last time he was president. He’s serious because he did it LAST TIME IMMEDIATELY
I dont know if you remember in 2016? But he put kids in cages IMMEDIATELY. Like…these are not theoretical. We know its not because this is what he did the last time he was president. He’s serious because he did it LAST TIME IMMEDIATELY
I dont know if you remember in 2016? But he put kids in cages IMMEDIATELY. Like…these are not theoretical. We know its not because this is what he did the last time he was president. He’s serious because he did it LAST TIME IMMEDIATELY
fun fact, the reason otherkin are called “otherkin” is because originally there were online communities, waaayy back in the 90′s, of people who identified as elves. when people emerged who identified as other things the elfkin called them “otherkin” bc they weren’t elves
THE ELF SUPERIORITY COMPLEX REMAINS A VITAL MORAL OF THE SPECIES DESPITE UNIVERSE I SEE
too many of you make fun of men under 5’7 when it would be just as easy (if not easier) to defend them from passing hawks. have you no heart
I know this is just a joke, and im not trying to target OP, but I love how everyone is like “Body shaming is wrong! Don’t even make jokes because it reinforces harmful stereotypes!” But then the target of the body shaming is male and now suddenly anything goes. Height, weight, hair (usually lack thereof), penis size, etc. And people will be like “no, I’m not ACTUALLY saying he has a small dick, I’m just saying he has small dick ENERGY, so it’s okay”. Like, what are we doing here?
Day 18 of extinct birds - the Carolina parakeet or Carolina conure
The Carolina parakeet was one of only three species of parrot native to the US. They were very social birds, found in large flocks, and multiple females will lay eggs in a single nest. Interestingly, they were known to eat a lot of cocklebur seeds which are toxic (at least to mammals). Another interesting thing is that the last captive parakeet died in the same cage that the last passenger pigeon died, 4 years after.
all demographics and time periods and geography taken fully into consideration, some people were just born to lose
was thinking of this guy when i made this post. invented the two most environmentally damaging chemicals in history and then got polio and immediately killed himself with a contraption
“one-man environmental disaster”
they called that man an organism
as bad as your worst day has ever been, do you have a wikipedia article saying you “possess an instinct for the regrettable that is almost uncanny”
DO NOT REBLOG FROM OP THEY LOCKED ME IN A CONCRETE CELL LET ME OUT LET ME OUT I KNOW YOU CAN STILL HEAR ME.IM SORRY I THOUGHT ABOUT FUCKING THE LEAFEON
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