Tag: yep
i will literally never forget the senior year of my american politics degree. our professor did a show of hands for who was going to vote in the election and i was one of 4 people in a 60 person class that raised mine. “both candidate were bad” and it didn’t matter because we were in a blue state anyway, right? the day after the election, the little brother of a friend got called a racial epithet and beat up at school. it was the first incident of that kind in that school in years–the first of many since. my friend didn’t vote in that election. both candidates were bad, after all.
i think what she didn’t get, what most people don’t get is that voting isn’t about you. it isn’t. it’s about the society we’re trying to have here, the society you are a part of no matter how nihilistic you think you are. you’re never too good for kindness. this is the most basic test of that.
so i’m begging you: vote for people that don’t have a vote because they got illegally purged from voter rolls. vote for the environment. vote for kids that are going to have to deal with this stuff for the next 80 years. vote for the lgbt community. vote because it’s better than nothing. vote because if you don’t and then you turn around and complain about anything wrong with this country, you’ve given up your best shot at doing a goddamn thing about it. if nothing else, vote for spite. vote to scare them. here’s a post that has every piece of information you need to vote tomorrow. please do it. it’s not about you or about your single vote making a difference. it’s about caring enough for the weak and underrepresented in this society enough to do your best by them.
you have to at least try.
I know I’ve been pounding this drum nonstop for months now. And guess what? I’m tired of it too! But I’m frankly terrified and I have been for two years, so here I go again: bang bang bang, please help fix this nightmare!
What I will never understand when people say ‘my vote doesn’t matter’ is how they don’t see that no one single vote matters by itself. It’s the cumulative vote that matters–and the cumulative vote only gets that way when every single person votes. You’re not out there doing a solo project; you’re a part of something big. An important part.
No, you may not be Mulan–you may not be the ‘single grain of rice that tips the scales’ or the ‘one man’ who stands between victory and defeat. But your vote is still adding to the cumulative numbers we need. Your vote matters.
Please, please. Vote.
Yes, I’m gonna be on this all day.
Yes your vote matters. Also if you don’t vote you can’t bitch about how the election went
Abusers don’t come with warning labels.
Abusers don’t hit you on the first date. They don’t write “I will humiliate and belittle you” on their Tinder profiles. They don’t wear “I break things to intimidate my partner” t-shirts. People don’t get trapped in damaging relationships because they saw an abuser coming from 20 yards away and decided “I’m going to date that person anyway”. That’s not how any of this works.
In the beginning, abusers can be some of the most thoughtful, attentive people you’ll ever meet. They’re obsessed with you; that’s what makes them so toxic and deadly as time goes on. Abusers buy you flowers. They remember your birthday. They remember to text you “good morning” and “good night”. They listen to your problems, confide in you and share silly inside jokes. They can keep that “loving, doting partner and best friend” mask in place for months or years if they have to.
So the first time they scream at you or hit you, you don’t see an abuser. You see your best friend, your confidante, the person who brought you soup when you were sick and always laughs at your stories about your nutty coworker. You tell yourself they just had a bad day. Maybe they were tired, sick, hungry, or under a lot of stress. You know them. You’ve made a life with them. And they’re so sorry and so ashamed of what they did. This isn’t who they are.
And so things go back to back to normal for a while. Wonderful, even. This is still one of the best relationships you’ve ever been in, even counting that one incident. You go back to date nights, cozy nights in and 5-hour-long conversations that feel effortless.
And then it happens again.
And you still don’t see an abuser. You see the person who means the most to you in the whole world. You decide that maybe they’re just struggling. Maybe they have mental health issues. They’ve told you every horrible thing that’s ever happened to them as a child, and maybe it has something to do with that. But either way, they’re not an abuser. Not yet. They’re just a person who needs you more than ever.
Then things are good for a while. Then something bad happens. Then it’s good again. Then it’s bad. Good. Bad. Good. Bad. And every time it happens, it gets a little harder to get out. The time you’ve invested in the relationship goes up, and your self-esteem goes down. By the time you realize that, yes, the person you thought you knew is an Abuser with a capital A, you’re in deep. You’re a frog that stood in a pot of water so long it turned you into soup before you even noticed it was getting a little warm. But you didn’t ask for this. And you certainly didn’t know it was coming.
We have this image in our heads of what abusers must look like. We picture brawny men with low foreheads and stained white tank tops, screaming at their wives while they drink beer in front of the TV. We think they’re like wildlife, as if we could spot them with the help of a guidebook and know to stay far away from them. But they’re not. Abusers can be anyone. They can be female. They can be accomplished. They can be well-groomed. Queer. Politically far-left. Politically far-right. Artists. Athletic. Charitable. Intelligent. They can come from any walk of life, any spot on the gender spectrum, any religion, any background. It’s not the abused person’s fault for not spotting them – they can’t always be spotted. It’s the abuser’s fault for abusing.
God my mum needs to read this shit so bad
I needed this in my life when I was younger
Also the abuse often isn’t even physical. Emotional abuse works the same way. Nobody will try to isolate you from every member of your support system immediately – it’s a process so slow that you almost don’t notice it happening.
And you feel like you’re the one person that will help save them and you’re being strong by staying and supporting them
Singh doesn’t see the relevance of the monarchy
Jagmeet Singh is right.
I’ve long argued on this blog that the Monarchy is a colonial, archaic, expensive system, which has little relevance to Canadians in their day to day life. It should have no place in the 21st century, anywhere in the world.
Liberals are losing their minds on twitter for Jagmeet Singh merely stating the truth of this colonial institution. As one twitter account said, suddenly all Liberals have became Monarchists overnight.
People who sin are still Muslim. I’m not just talking minor sins. I’m talking people who commit zina regularly, people who drink and smoke and party, hell even people who commit crimes. Girls who don’t wear hijab or who don’t wear it correctly, people who listen to music. You can’t invalidate someone’s Islam or identity as a Muslim because they commit sins. They may or may not be working toward leaving those sins but it’s honestly none of your business. A man who murdered 100 people went to jannah because of his repentance. A woman who was a prostitute went to jannah because of her kindness towards a cat. It’s so so easy to fall into the trap of being a harsh, unforgiving and judgmental person as you become more practising. Constantly check yourself for these traits. And this is a reminder to myself too.
I think this is a good explanation of the socio-political concept of Privilege.
It doesn’t mean you or I have done anything wrong by being something. It simply means that, in most situations, being that thing doesn’t make our problems even worse.
Another good way I’ve seen it explained was that Privilege is something you don’t even notice, and never have to think about. You only recognize it when you DON’T have it.
As a white person, there are a lot of things I’ve never HAD to think about that my non-white friends do.
As a woman, there are many things I have had to think about or deal with, that my brother has never had to worry about.
Because I’m cis, there are so many things I take for granted. I never realized that I did, until I had transgender friends.
As a queer person, there’s issues I face that my straight friends never have.
Privilege isn’t a judgment on you as a person or a claim that you don’t have problems. We all have problems.
It’s simply about examining how social structures create specific problems for SOME people. Privilege is something that can change, depending on the situation or environment.
One of the easiest ways to narrow down my voting choices
Is weeding out the ableist, conservative and classist candidates.
If their answer to dealing with Crime is ONLY more cops, and not examining the root causes of social inequality (i.e. poverty, Mental Health, etc). I’m not interested.
If they’re not pointing out that poverty and housing is one of the major issues, they’re probably rich and entitled.
If they’re suggesting that harm reduction strategies that save lives is the cause of crime, they’re trash.
If they’re suggesting we need to make cuts to social services to balance a budget? Trash.
If they’re suggesting that we need to cut regulations and subsidize corporations to bring in business. Trash.
I’ve cut my potential list at least in half by doing this.
I Am A Gun Owner, And Here Are 8 Things I Have To Say About Gun Control
“I’m a gun owner. I have two pistols, a rifle, a shotgun…and a (now-expired) concealed carry permit. I’ve been shooting since I was a kid.
I also support every single gun control measure out there.
Why? Well, because of a number of logical reasons:1. I go to gun shows, and I’ve witnessed more illegal cash sales than I can count. People bring guns to sell to dealers at the show and end up selling them to buyers in the parking lot who are willing to pay cash. No background check, no bill of sale, no formal transfer of ownership. Yes, this is happening, people! It is a regular occurrence and illegal in many states.
2. Every time I go to the gun range, I witness someone doing something extremely dangerous with a gun.
I’ve been swept more than 20 times — this means someone has unintentionally pointed a gun at me. I’ve seen the wrong ammo used (ask my husband about the time he almost lost an eye). I’ve watched people shooting guns that they lack experience with or ones that they can’t handle (take, for example, a child or a smaller adult shooting a Desert Eagle semiautomatic handgun), causing kickback that can injure them and cause them to flail their loaded gun in all directions. I’ve seen guns jam, and people continue to fire them to “clear the jam.” I’ve seen people continue to fire when the range is “cold.” All of these people consider themselves “responsible” gun owners. Nope. And these aren’t exceptions to the rule — every single time I go to the range, I see someone doing something reckless and potentially deadly.3. I’ve seen people handle guns when they are drunk, tired, hungover, or angry. I would never think of doing these things. It is irresponsible, and again, potentially deadly.
4. A friend of my college boyfriend pointed a loaded gun in my face because he wanted to show me how cool his new toy was. I dropped to the ground. He forgot it was loaded. He’s a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy.
5. The class you take to get a concealed carry permit in North Carolina is easy to pass. You sit through a two-day class, take a simple written test, get a background check and fingerprints through the sheriff’s office, and basically just have to prove that you can hit the broad side of a barn. That’s it.
6. The “hero mentality” is misguided and dangerous. Unless you have combat training, the “good guy/gal with a gun” is more likely to kill another civilian or get mistaken by cops as the shooter. I’m a decent shot with a pistol. I’m a great shot with my rifle. But in a life or death situation, where people are literally being murdered in front of me, it’s completely unrealistic to think that, even with all my training, I could do anything but add to the chaos.
7. The NRA is a terrorist organization. Yup, I said it. I used to be a member because they gave discounts on shooting-range time. I quit after one year because I couldn’t stomach the thought that my money was funding them. Their magazine and mailers are filled with propaganda about people coming to take my guns when there is absolutely zero evidence at all to suggest that is ever going to happen. Their recent ads make me sick and ashamed that I ever supported them.
8. The home protection argument makes sense to me on some level. I had a friend who was killed during a home invasion, so I get it. But an AK-47 (and other assault weapons) is not an ideal weapon for personal defense, and it serves no purpose for “home protection.” It was designed for military use. A a 12-gauge shotgun is a better, more realistic choice for home defense. I’ve never seen any peer-reviewed study/expert/article anywhere that can refute this. Bottom line: Assault-style weapons should never be in the hands of civilians. Period. And going back to point No. 7, in a home-protection or self-defense situation, you’re still more likely to injure yourself or have your own gun used against you.
These are my thoughts on the subject as an experienced, licensed, and trained gun owner. I’m already a member of the Brady Campaign, Everytown for Gun Safety, and will be joining Moms Demand Action. I find it impossible to understand why other gun owners like myself don’t support these groups. They aren’t trying to take away my guns; they are trying to inject some freaking common sense into the equation — something we desperately need and that every gun owner should support.“~ Addison Ashe, for Scary Mommy.
if you cannot argue these points you cant oppose gun control
the number one beef i have with people who flip out about gun control laws is they immediately say ‘responsible law abiding gun owners like me’ as being unjustly held accountable- well then you should have no trouble with laws you are already complying with, either you are responsible or not
its like if i as a parent am upset with new laws that require me to feed my children, bathe them, and not beat them- and then justify my anger in that ‘im a good parent’ well if i was a good parent i wouldnt be upset with a law saying they will check i feed my damned kids just like gun laws that just check you are competent enough to be trusted with the insta-death boomstick so many drunk hillbillies wave around like a little girl waving a plastic fairy wand
This, so perfectly this. The gun control laws we want are ones that just reinforce the ones that already exist. We want to ban guns whose only use is to cut human beings in half with multiple bullets, and nothing that is actually used for personal defense, small-arms military use, and hunting. NO ONE SANE needs a a submachine gun to goddamn HUNT. If you disagree with that–if you truly, completely, to the deepest parts of your being, believe that the only way you can bag that eight-point buck is with an AK-47…then you are a BAD HUNTER and you are PART OF THE PROBLEM.
I Am A Gun Owner, And Here Are 8 Things I Have To Say About Gun Control
cops: you have a right to remain silent
suspect who is innocent: *remains silent*
cops to judge: anyway the suspect was unhelpful the whole time, they didnt say anything, I’m pretty sure theyre guilty based on that.
Don’t say shit. Get a lawyer.
the cops will try shit like “Oh if you aren’t guilty why do you need a lawyer? only guilty people need lawyers.”
Its not true. Get a fuckin lawyer
Guys, guys, both the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer HAVE TO BE INVOKED. Sitting silently is not considered an unambiguous invocation of the right since Berghius v. Thompkins in 2010 (while under arrest) and Salinas v Texas in 2013 (when not under arrest). There’s no magic words, but be clear, be explicit. Say something to the effect of “I am exercising my right to remain silent and I want to speak to an attorney” and then DON’T SAY ANYTHING ELSE (speaking up again, even to ask for a fsking drink, may indicate you are waiving the right until you once again invoke).
http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-rights/invoking-the-right-to-remain-silent.html
https://sfcriminallawspecialist.com/blog/invoking-your-right-to-remain-silent/
https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/what-do-if-youre-stopped-police-immigration-agents-or-fbi
Say that and get a lawyer EVEN IF you know you broke the law and intend to plead guilty in court. Police make mistakes, police try to charge you with more than you actually did, and whether they’re fucking up honestly or deliberately being nefarious you need a professional on your side when dealing with them.
Stressed, Depressed, and Story Obsessed 