technically we’re ALL, always LARPing, because the Self is only a construct,
I want a new character
Then make one.
Everyone talking about posts that changed their brain chemistry seem to be leaving out this classic, which probably propelled me into activism and more self confidence in a way that I cannot put into words.
“gooner” is straight up just a weird conservative dogwhistle at this point
the worst of this phenomenon is on tiktok. everything is “gooner”. having crushes on fictional characters is “gooner”. a female character having boobs is “gooner”. a character showing a slight amount of skin is “gooner”. media being in any way suggestive is “gooner”. go fuck yourself actually
it’s okay to be horny actually. even if the media had graphic sex and huge boobs and cum everywhere that would be fine. who the fuck cares. Boo! Sex!!!!!! 👻👻👻
autism is not a horrible disease that ruins lives and tears apart families. elon musk, who is autistic and an evil billionaire who doesn’t pay taxes, has ruined thousands of lives, and whose family hates him, is a statistical outlier adn should not have been counted
the day people stop thinking all trans men are skinny white twinks with 0 body hair and flat chests/top surgery is the day we will be free I swear to God
even the trans men I met who had medical surgery/hormones or bind had body hair, or were fat, were black n brown, disabled, etc
i get tired seeing transmasc positivity art and it’s just the same fucking body type over n over again. like sorry some of us have huge boobs (we may like them) or shaped in a way that unfortunately isn’t Twinkish or uwu anime boy.
Mundane America. Broken pole with rope and an American Flag. Cincinnati, Ohio.
Wait. Wait.
Wait.
I know that telephone pole.
I know that telephone pole intimately because I’m the one who broke it.
Thats the pole next to Sycamore Jr. High, in between the jr high school and Pipkins, where I had my second car accident. A woman t-boned my car and drove me into that pole in 2008 and it took them years to actually take it down.
That black metal pole you see just beyond the broken phone pole is a “Now Leaving/Welcome To Blue Ash, Ohio” sign, visible at 5520 Cooper Road on google maps.
(the flag is there, btw, because its the starting point for the Blue Ash/Montgomery July 4th parade.)
The internet is so staggeringly immense that I can’t help but be disproportionately delighted when things like this happen.
A tiktok by @elizamclamb. She is lying on her bed replying to a comment that says “bestie its pretty homophobic to suggest gay men r preying on women :/”
Transcript:
Bestie, when I said “MLMs prey on women and spiral them into debt…” MLM means multi-level marketing, like LulaRoe. I’m not saying gay men, like, snatch women off the street… [laughing] put them in debt… [more laughter]
sometimes i go on reddit to check out what the guy who has my tumblr username as his reddit username is up to . the other notahorseindisguise is very vocal about not dating people with personality disorders! unfortunate that im associated with him
“you don’t get it, the usa is a fascist country full of government propaganda, and our rights as women and queer people are constantly attacked!! you have no idea what that’s like!!” i’m hungarian 👍
the brave oppressed american says under a post literally written by people from other countries. you don’t have access to it? you don’t have access to the information by the foreigners you’re currently whining about because they’re being too mean to you? on the world wide web?
you’re not going to get put on a list and disappeared for the crime of knowing mexico has cities. like get some fucking perspective.
So like. Fun fact.
Most countries actually focus on their own history and culture in the school curriculum. unless they’re directly affected by other countries in their history. For example, I’m not french, but I still had to learn about Napoleon. That guy was everywhere.
The US stands out because it’s a very new country (not even 250 years) and doesn’t have much history beyond that, because they were pretty insistent on genociding those who did have history in these lands. On that note, the US doesn’t really teach about inside the US either, but that doesn’t make you shut up about it, does it?
I’m almost tempted to read the above as satire because. You don’t watch foreign films?? Did you think Squid Game being about Koreans was a DEI measure? No foreign books? I mean even putting aside the semantic arguments of most “classics” being british and the bible technically being the bestselling book of all time while decidedly not originating from America, I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you’ve never met anyone who read manga. You’re not exposed to foreign cultures??? Motherfucker you literally called your country a melting pot. (Or a salad bowl, depending on your cultural philosophy) Over 15% of people residing in the US are immigrants by the most strict definition of Not Being Born In The Country. This doesn’t even account for any second, third, or subsequent generation immigrants. (Bonus fun fact: Descendants of the original Colonizers would be up to 12th generation immigrants but the definition of a generation is flighty)
Do I look like I want to know all sorts of shit about the US? okay so im actually an american studies major so im an outlier adn shouldnt be counted but for the sake of argument, pretend that im not.
No!! But that shit happens to be relevant because we live in a globalized world. So i went ahead, looked it up, and fucking educated myself. I’m literally writing this in a language that’s foreign to me and I had to learn first.
And yeah, that’s not always easy. And yeah, it’s a bit scarier now. You’re going through some shit politically that’s very concerning. But so are other countries. There’s been a pretty much global shift to the right in recent years. Every country has some group hellbent on attacking civil rights. Yours just loves being in the global spotlight and has the geopolitical power to make it so. You have an insanely strong propaganda machine, but guess what!! Whining about the propaganda machine keeping you from learning about other cultures is literally the propaganda machine at work!! You’re just gonna sit on your ass and stay culturally isolated because the big guys said there’s nothing you can do about it??
Do better. Watch a K-Drama or something. Read something on wikipedia. Try figuring out why OP mentions being hungarian. Might be a bit of an eye opener.
“you don’t get it, the usa is a fascist country full of government propaganda, and our rights as women and queer people are constantly attacked!! you have no idea what that’s like!!” i’m hungarian 👍
the brave oppressed american says under a post literally written by people from other countries. you don’t have access to it? you don’t have access to the information by the foreigners you’re currently whining about because they’re being too mean to you? on the world wide web?
you’re not going to get put on a list and disappeared for the crime of knowing mexico has cities. like get some fucking perspective.
Getting informed or staying informed is a conscious choice, and I don’t think many people in North America (including mainly Canada in this since I live there) understand that.
In school we were spoon fed specific, curated information to make us think a certain way, and to venture outside of that narrow government approved box can be scary and weird, but rewarding. And then you’ll stop making stupid excuses for not knowing shit about the rest of the world around you.
“The United States Educational System is a propaganda machine first and a childhood trauma factory second, with learning useful information being a distant third if it comes up at all” and “For each thing ‘everyone knows’ by the time they are adults, every day there are, on average, ten thousand people in the US hearing about it for the first time” can both be true at the same time.
Signed, an American who knows that the schools and news channels are lying through their teeth via omission and manipulation as well as outright falsehood, but is too busy trying to STAY ALIVE to go on Wikipedia to double check literally every single topic that comes up in conversation.
what i want you to understand is that this is true of most other countries’ education systems too. we do not have the mythical good education system that teaches only the objective facts and imparts knowledge. again, i’m hungarian; our education system is chronically underfunded and loves propaganda. literally all news channels here are state-controlled propaganda, and i am not exaggerating. there are no opposition news on the tv, we have to get it online.
my problem is not really with the ignorance, i’m aware that no one is born with this knowledge. what i want is for americans to stop excusing their ignorance with justifications about these exclusively american problems that we can’t possibly understand. because we do, and it’s just more annoying american exceptionalism.
So I’m American and I have some thoughts (and if this is ignorant bullshit please tell me I’m always open to criticism). First off you’re right. We are absolutely ignorant and often think the world revolves around us. The idea of American exceptionalism is so deeply rooted in the way we think that we do say dumb shit as if no one else has the same problems as us. We often weaponize our ignorance or use it to justify shit.
I can think of a thousand reasons I can say right now that could be reasons for why we are like this. Whether that be the US being basically a continent or the lack of education in languages or the fact that we are living paycheck to paycheck. None of those really matter or really even count because, as you’ve said, none of these are an exclusively American thing.
Really it comes down to this idea that we are fed about American exceptionalism. The idea that America is the only one with freedom, the one that controls the rest of the world, the only country that innovates, has the best colleges, etc etc etc.
I think what you’re seeing rn with people going “oh my god our rights are being taken away there’s censorship! You don’t understand!” is because we are fed this idea of what America should be and and for the people with privilege (white, middle class, etc etc) they are being disillusioned. Our world view is collapsing. But because we have this idea of American exceptionalism and we’ve never taken the time to look outside of our country we think that we are the only ones this is happening to. That leads to the whining to people from other countries and saying they don’t understand.
And again. To be clear. This is in no way an excuse. People need to open up their fucking eyes and go seek out information. Learn a language. Read a foreign book. Literally anything. I think that if Americans did that and recognized the American exceptionalism and the fact that there’s an entire world of people that are experiencing the exact same thing that they do there could be community and commiseration with what’s happening to us as a whole.
“you don’t get it, the usa is a fascist country full of government propaganda, and our rights as women and queer people are constantly attacked!! you have no idea what that’s like!!” i’m hungarian 👍
the brave oppressed american says under a post literally written by people from other countries. you don’t have access to it? you don’t have access to the information by the foreigners you’re currently whining about because they’re being too mean to you? on the world wide web?
you’re not going to get put on a list and disappeared for the crime of knowing mexico has cities. like get some fucking perspective.
There are dozens of Americans in OP’s notes confessing to things you couldn’t waterboard out of me and expecting everyone to agree they are the most censored and repressed people on earth for it. I am losing my mind
“you don’t get it, the usa is a fascist country full of government propaganda, and our rights as women and queer people are constantly attacked!! you have no idea what that’s like!!” i’m hungarian 👍
the brave oppressed american says under a post literally written by people from other countries. you don’t have access to it? you don’t have access to the information by the foreigners you’re currently whining about because they’re being too mean to you? on the world wide web?
you’re not going to get put on a list and disappeared for the crime of knowing mexico has cities. like get some fucking perspective.
“you don’t get it, the usa is a fascist country full of government propaganda, and our rights as women and queer people are constantly attacked!! you have no idea what that’s like!!” i’m hungarian 👍
the brave oppressed american says under a post literally written by people from other countries. you don’t have access to it? you don’t have access to the information by the foreigners you’re currently whining about because they’re being too mean to you? on the world wide web?
you’re not going to get put on a list and disappeared for the crime of knowing mexico has cities. like get some fucking perspective.
I’m sorry did that person like. Not attend US public school?? We literally learn world history babe. It’s impossible to learn even US history without learning about at least one other country!
I LITERALLY had to take 2 years of a foreign language in high school. It was a graduation requirement. I took French. When I got to college, for fun I took Japanese. In my art history class we learned about cultures from all over the world through art. In a class called The Anthropology of Food, I learned about all kinds of world cultures through the food they ate. Hell, one time I took a whole course just about Ancient Rome from the POV of Roman women and children.
None of this was illegal.
Methinks someone just didn’t pay attention in school if they think none of this is taught.
Also, our news is full of international stories. There’s whole columns and pages for it. It’s very easy to access and legal to do so. I can easily turn on the TV or go watch a movie (even American made ones) that feature other countries. I can go to the library and read books about other countries.
Does this person perhaps not actually live in our universe?
If we’re being honest, there is a real possibility that the person from the tags didn’t understand that just because something is explained to them in English doesn’t mean it’s US American centric. This person could have had assignments based around Pride and Prejudice or William Shakespeare or any other non-USA based topics and legitimately not have realized that because the book/lesson was translated into a form of English familiar to them. That book/lesson won’t be “foreign” to them because with the US-centric approach, “everything in English must be ours.”
Somehow, people have the same US-centric view with these mandatory foreign language classes too. Whether it’s English, math, history, or an elective class, “Why do I have to learn this?” or “What am I going to use this for?” are common questions and they are both asked every time a new topic is introduced. In almost every class, there will at least be one student that refuses to pay attention to lessons and won’t do the classwork or homework because they can’t see past their own narrow view points. You could have the teacher explain why this topic is important every class but the same people will still insist that they don’t know anything.
Another big reason for the “I wasn’t taught this” narrative is that a lot of people are willing to say “I wasn’t taught this” but won’t go a step further to say “I can learn this now.” It’s like learned helplessness and victim mentality decided to have a baby but they’re both rabbits so they breed like crazy. Also, notice how it’s not “I don’t know this.” The phrasing “I wasn’t taught this” continues to push the blame towards some other group as if they don’t have better access to education now.
Just a reminder-You don’t and won’t ever know everything, but way too many people are uncomfortable with admitting to not knowing something and choosing to be equally as comfortable continuing to not know. I’m not saying you need to be an expert on every country, but not being able to understand that there is a world outside of the bubble we live in is being willfully blind to reality.
And, yes I know that all US schools aren’t equal and education standards can change by state/city/county/district/etc. And no, every student that struggles in school isn’t a “bad” student. You can struggle to learn something, never retain the knowledge, and still be putting in the effort. But you can tell which students are serious about learning and applying those lessons to life.
“you don’t get it, the usa is a fascist country full of government propaganda, and our rights as women and queer people are constantly attacked!! you have no idea what that’s like!!” i’m hungarian 👍
the brave oppressed american says under a post literally written by people from other countries. you don’t have access to it? you don’t have access to the information by the foreigners you’re currently whining about because they’re being too mean to you? on the world wide web?
you’re not going to get put on a list and disappeared for the crime of knowing mexico has cities. like get some fucking perspective.
You can still go to a library and pick up a shitload of books. Get a life and drop the dramatics.
Newsflash: if you can read this, you have access to Tumblr reblogs from good ol’ Germany. Unglaublich, I know.
In my Irl Au, digital hallucinations still persist even after escaping the digital circus, and unfortunately [Pomni] experiences them the most intensely…
[gripping the sink] perfectionism does not help me avoid embarrassment or shame. perfectionism is in itself a form of shame. when i struggle with perfectionism i struggle with shame. when i struggle with perfectionism i struggle with shame. when i struggle with perfectionism i struggle with shame
“does this character eat pussy” poll and it’s your full name first middle and last under an unflattering candid picture of you having a bad experience at the grocery store
im not sure if americans realize this but “not knowing anything about other countries and their politics” is very much a USamerican privilege and not actually a sign of like. how oppressed you are
Food history has been so sanitized by the demonization of carbs. “Our ancestors only had fruits and veggies they didn’t have all these refined carbs” our ancestors drank beer 25/8 because the water was bad. Our ancestors drizzled honey on shit ever since we knew it existed. We’ve been making bread for our entire recorded history. It’s true that bleached sugars specifically are a new thing but high glycemic carbs are not new at all, we’ve been consuming them for thousands of years
Quick correction bc I see this myth everywhere.
People drank beer & fruit wine 25/8 because it was high in calories and also tasty and pretty cheap/easy to make in bulk.
IT WAS NOT USED TO REPLACE OR SANITIZE WATER! THEIR WATER WAS NOT BAD!
The alcohol content in beer/wine back then was too low to actually sanitize anything effectively, and beer/wine only lasts for 6 months (usually less) even while still sealed in a cask, due to oxidization. Oxidation turns fermented liquids into vinegar. Wine and beer wasn’t meant for long-term storage.
This is great, because vinegar is the great preserver! VINEGAR is what people used to store their foods long-term, along with SALT and DRYING and SMOKING.
“Pickling” can be done with pure vinegar if you don’t have any expensive salt around, and vinegar can be made by fermenting any fruit or grain with wild yeast! If you’re lucky, you can also get wine/beer treats out of it on the way.
Circling back around: beer/wine was NEVER a replacement for water. Humans have been drinking from ground springs, wells, rainwater, and clear running water since our ape ancestors got the instinct to avoid stagnant pools.
If you didn’t have immediate access to a source of clean water, you didn’t fucking build a town there!
That’s a big reason why, WORLDWIDE, settlements are ALL historically clustered around sources of water like springs, wells, and rivers. (Or utilized rainwater catchment & storage) And why “the town well is poisoned/dried up!” Is a huge and terrible thing that comes up in a ton of old stories. Losing your source of freshwater means everyone has to move somewhere else, or die.
Even in huge cities, you’d be surprised at how sophisticated freshwater delivery systems were in the middle-ages. London had the “great conduit.” - a man-made, underground channel that moved water directly from a freshwater spring to fill a water tank in the Cheapside marketplace, accessible to the public. This conduit was built in 1245.
Mesopotamians in the BRONZE AGE built clay pipes for sewage removal, and other pipes for rain water collection, and wells. In 4,000 BC.
Building Aqueducts to move spring water into towns was first attributed to the Minoans, who lived in 2,000 BC.
Sanskrit texts from 2,000 BC also detail how to purify water you’re not sure about: expose it to Sunlight, filter it through Charcoal, dip a piece of copper in it at least 7 times, and filter it again. (UV treatment kills bacteria, Charcoal catches many poisons and heavy metal, copper is also antibacterial) <- even if they didn’t know what germs were, prehistoric humans were great at recognizing patterns, and noticing when people DIDNT die.
Persians in 700 BC used ‘qanat’, or tunnels dug into hillsides to let gravity move (CLEAN!) groundwater to nearby towns + for agriculture irrigation. Qanats were still the main water supply for the entire Iranian capitol city until about 1933.
The Roman Empire (312 BC) also built aqueducts to move spring and groundwater across miles and miles.
The Incas (1450) built wondrous examples of hydraulic engineering. Their “stairway of fountains” supplied the entire city of Machu Picchu with fresh spring water from a pair of rain-fed springs atop the mountain. The fountain canals could carry about 80 gallons a minute.
Getting clean drinking water was just not an issue for normal people in MOST long-term settlements. They may not understand germ theory, but they knew clean water was important and would kick up a BIG fuss if those water sources were sabotaged.
In conclusion: people absolutely drank beer and wine with breakfast. They also drank water. It was not a replacement.
In many cultures, there were weak beers. They had names like small beer — they were specifically beers that had low alcohol because people knew that beer got you drunk and if you watered it down or re-brewed using previously used hops or barley or whatever, then you would get a beer that wouldn’t get you drunk.
Same with wines: there was get you drunk wine, and there was wind that you could drink a lot of. They were also cordial made by concentrating fruit juice, or historical drinks like Posca.
As far back is the Babylonian Empire they were making pastries out of dates and pistachios and flour.
Previous to that they probably were as well, but we don’t have any written records of it.
Literally as soon as somebody figured out that you could smash some high fat, high carb, high sugar stuffed together and bake it into something resembling cookies, they absolutely did.
So you should go and eat a cookie, because all of your ancestors spent a lot of time arranging the situation of civilisation to make sure that cookies were available. And if you don’t eat one then they’re going to be very sad
ALT
ALT
