Just to be perfectly fucking crystal clear –

IF DEMOCRATS WIN CONTROL OF THE SENATE, MITCH McCONNELL CANNOT DO THE SAME EGREGIOUSLY EVIL BULLSHIT HE’S BEEN PULLING SINCE FOREVER.

If Democrats win control of the Senate, they can finally push forward a better healthcare plan, among other important pieces of legislation that will guide the United States to a more progressive and equitable future. The GOP is so partisan that they would rather see us lose our healthcare altogether during a global pandemic than allow a Democratic healthcare plan to pass. They proved that in this past year.

Democrats just need 2 more seats to hold the majority with VP Kamala Harris as the tiebreaker. There are 2 seats up for grabs in the run-off election.

You do the math.

Listen, the presidential race would not have been this close if more young voters had voted. If every young person in America had voted, Biden would have likely swept the election. We HAVE that power, Millennials and Gen Z together. But we didn’t use it. Now Georgia is giving some of us a second chance.

Please do not get complacent, even though it looks as though Biden is going to win. The GOP is still that same party full of sycophantic and opportunistic narcissists who old white republicans put in power, even without Trump to bow and kowtow to. They will pull the same shit they always have. So…

VOTE.

Because, as a wise man once said, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

EDIT: The image above is a screenshot of a tweet from Cheryl Strayed, November 6th, 2020 at 12:41 AM ET. It reads: “Dear 17-year-olds who live in Georgia: if you’ll turn 18 by January 5, 2021, you’re eligible to vote in the run-off election that will be held on that date. You have until December 7 to register to vote. #FlipTheSenate”

Vote Early: Trump is pushing for the idea that mail on ballots cant be trusted for a reason. Mail in ballots are counted AFTER the rest. Statistically, people voting in person are more likely to think Covid is fake. Aka, Trumplicans. Mail-ins are more likely to be for Biden. Trump will very likely claim himself the winner on election night if the first round has him in the lead, then will declare all votes afterwards to be fraudulent. If you can, mail it in early. Find out how to mail in early. If you cant, still vote anyway in any way that you can.

Vote for fucking Biden. Ginsberg is gone. Voting for Biden was already the quick emergency move to stop a wound bleeding. That wound is now gushing. Before any of your grand revolutions we need a goddamn tourniquet NOW.

I'm sick of being nice about it. Yes I'll guilt you. Yes ill yell. Trump is setting up how to fully steal this election and is floating the idea of him "deserving" a third term. The time for "that can't happen bc he cant do that!" is long fucking past.

Your revolution will cost far more lives than Biden will. You think the USA is already fascist? Fine. You've also only seen a start. This is mild compared to what Trump wants and what the Republicans will give to him so they can secure power.

Get the tourniquet on. Vote Biden.

People need to fully understand what RGB’s death means. It’s not just a vacancy on the supreme court that could be potentially filled by a conservative Justice - that’s an awful thought, but that’s not the main problem. 

The problem, is that this is EXACTLY the opportunity Republicans have been looking for for decades. If a conservative nominee is pushed through before the election, and I’m hoping it won’t but if it does, that will lead to a Republican majority in the Supreme Court. And you can bet your life, literally, that they will work to roll back every progressive law they can. 

The concept of a separation of church and state is already a joke in this country, but it will get so much worse. 

But more than that? Even if a nominee isn’t pushed through… 

The vacancy RGB left behind will motivate Republicans to come out to vote in droves. 

THAT is what everyone needs to understand. This is a once in a life time opportunity for the Republicans. You think you don’t want to vote for Biden because he’s not exactly who you want? Because he’s not progressive enough or liberal enough? 

What about all the Republicans who may not support Trump, but want a Republican majority on the Supreme Court? The ones who may not like him, but would be willing to deal with him for four more years if it means controlling the Supreme Court for the next 40?

It’s awful and unfortunate that RGB died so close to the election. Throughout her life she worked tirelessly to fight for equality. Don’t let her life be in vain. 

Now more than ever, it’s important to vote. Everyone. Down the entire ballot. 

I’m lucky enough to live in California, a historically Blue state. But those of my followers who live in Red states, you especially need to call your representatives in the Senate and tell them to postpone any nomination. Cite Mitch McConnell’s own actions in 2016. Anything you can do to add pressure. Remind them who they really work for: you, their constituents. 

We cannot give up the fight. We can’t. Your vote matters. If it didn’t, why would the GOP be trying so hard to take it away? Make sure you’re registered. If you want to mail in your ballot then drop it off at designated polling stations instead of the post office to ensure it’s counted in time. 

I don’t have many followers so I don’t know who will see this, but please, reblog this. Spread the information. RBG’s death will galvanize Republicans out to vote en masse. We can’t afford to be apathetic or disenfranchised. We can make a difference, but not if we don’t bother to try. 

@one-time-i-dreamt @thebibliosphere

Either people with ADHD need to stop being so relatable or I need to go to the doctor

It’s all about the 4Ds with psychological disorders.

Deviance - how different are you from “normal” people? IE - is everyone else capable of sitting still? Is it normal to fear fresh water? Does everyone else find emailing extremely difficult?

Dysfunction - is it preventing you from doing things that you want to do? Need to do? Preventing you from being healthy? IE - not eating, not drinking water, unable to get out of bed.

Distress - is the symptom distressing to you? Does it affect your personal experience of your quality of life? - IE are you stressed that you can’t do the thing, do you want to be different and feel distressed by the symptom? Are you unhappy because of the thing?

Danger - are you a threat to yourself or others?

All of this is a range and depending how you fall on the range dictates the severity of your symptoms and your clinical diagnosis.

For my anxiety disorder and OCD, it’s mild (low on deviance) but I find it distressing (moderate on distress) and it, with my ADHD, greatly affects my functioning in my daily life though this is not severe (mild to moderate on dysfunction) but I’m not a threat to myself or others. Still, I have a clinical diagnosis. I have many. It works like that. You find that you have one, and usually you have more than one. 

For women, ADHD is extremely comorbid with anxiety and depression. I don’t have depression but I have a family history of dysthimia (chronic low affect, most can still function but they just feel meh all the time). On the other side, I have a family history of anxiety disorders and OCD. 

Our understanding, especially the common understanding of ADHD, is actually terrible. But that’s a different soapbox. 

ALSO on getting a diagnosis.

If you have a decent doctor, they will look at family history and give you a few surveys on symptoms if you’re an adult. If you are a minor, they are likely to give you a full test battery that includes an IQ test. This won’t be done by a psychiatrist (they have an MD), but often a psychologist (PhD or PsyD, latter has greater focus on clinical work while former focuses on research) or licensed clinical social worker. The results of the test are then given to a psychiatrist, who then provides a diagnosis. 

If your mental health clinician (in my ideal world, a psychiatrist but many clinical psychologists are good) is any good, they will get a family history. If they don’t ask for a family mental health history, they’re a shit doctor. Period. 

If you are considering medication, in my opinion (as someone whose been in therapy, on meds, for over a decade and studied psych) this should only be provided, at least initially by a psychiatrist. Do not get psychoactive medication from a general practioner, especially for the first time. A GP specializes in the body and are likey less familiar with psychoactive meds than a psychiatrist. 

It’s like how a GP can do a pap smear but doesn’t specialize in that stuff like a gynocologist. They can do mental health, but they don’t specialize in that. Find a specialist if at all possible, especially at the beginning of your mental health journey.

But that’s a privilege to see a psychiatrist. My bottom line is don’t trust a doctor who doesn’t demand a family mental health history before diagnosis or prescriptions. You can find information on local mental health providers on psychologytoday.com and you can sort by your insurance provider so you don’t pay out of pocket. 

I emphasize a doctor that seeks family history because I watched my roommate get a poor diagnosis and treatment because she incorrectly gave her family history (your doctor doesn’t want to hear about the issues of your stepparent if you neglect the biological parent, for many disorders, the familial component is important).

Please. I'm begging you. REGISTER TO VOTE AND VOTE FOE BIDEN!

No, I don't like him. No, I don't like his VP, Kamala Harris. But unfortunately, this is a 'lesser of two evils' situation.

Biden has been working with Bernie Sanders, and is in favor of multiple policies that are in the direction we want to go in. He vowed to nominate the first female black judge to the Supreme Court, and we can trust him to nominate people who actually know what the fuck they're doing. Even if you don't agree with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, they're still so much better than Donald Trump and Mike Pence, and voting for a third party candidate out of spite or just not voting at all isn't helping anyone. If Trump gets re-elected, things are only going to continue in a downward spiral. People's LIVES are going to be in danger if he gets four more years in office. With Biden, we at least have a chance to stop the spiral.

I don't think this is the election any of us wanted, but it's the one we have, and we need to be willing to work with that in order to work towards a more progressive future that benefits us all.

So yeah. Vote Biden/Harris in the upcoming presidential election.

Saw this on the Twitter and thought I would like to share.

I am constantly shocked by people’s inability to reconcile a politician’s past with their current platform. Have both Biden and Kamala done things in their pasts that harmed different communities and that I don’t agree with? Yes. Have their platforms changed so that they likely won’t be enacting similar laws in the White House? Also yes. Look, I know it’s better to have a candidate who has a spotless past and has kept the same progressive platform forever. But when candidates now are more progressive than they were in the past, that is a good thing. It shows that our society, or at least the Democratic party, is becoming more progressive and more in favor of helping communties that traditonally have been overlooked or hurt. In the end, it’s less about the people you’re electing and more about the policies they will promote and enact.

I’m gonna be voting Biden/Harris

They’re not perfect but they’re leagues and leagues better than Trump/Pence. Personally, I feel like I will literally die (from disease, war, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, anything) if we get 4 more years of that orange man and mr. conversion therapy

Hey. Hello.

I am monumentally tired of fighting. But I’m going to continue to do so for as long as I can.

Right now I am seeing long-time followers attack Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for picking her as a running mate. I know a lot of people look at this duo and see “more of the same.” I’ve seen so many intelligent people saying they are not going to vote.

It is absolutely critical that you vote the Biden/Harris ticket. I want you to remember that while you are pointing out the flaws, and here is why.

The current president is literally a fascist. He’s slow-burning, meaning he’s slowly moving the goalpost farther right. The only reason he’s slow-moving is because the Republican party still has the barest semblance of a conscience. Think of what would have happened if #45 said “we should delay the election!” and McConnell said “yeah okay that sounds cool.”

Do you know how terrifying that is? Because if he got congress to delay the election somehow, there would be no reason to ever have a federal election again. He could just keep delaying it forever.

“But CK,” you say. “The constitution says we can’t delay a presidential election!”

Checks and balances say a lot of things. Checks and balances say that bills are supposed to be voted on and go to the president for signing or veto. Currently McConnell has found a loophole and just has 400 bills sitting on his desk, ignored.

I want you to keep this in mind: Under fascism, the constitution does not matter. They will find a way around it. They’re trying to find ways around amendments, too, poking and prodding at free speech until they can find a way to shut it down.

And if #45 decides he doesn’t want to play anymore, he’s got a whole fucking army, and he’s just proven that the secret police he has in his employ will do whatever the fuck he says. I need you to recognized that this throwing people in Portland into vans thing wasn’t the ultimate violation of freedom. It was only one step in a massive authoritarian takeover. You cannot trust the secret police to do the right thing and say no. #45 has just proven they’ll listen to him like trained dogs.

He has already started talking about more terms. If he discards the constitution, there will be nothing stopping him from taking them. He’s currently, blatantly trying to rig a free and fair election. This has happened in other countries across the globe, and the same people who are posting “NEVER VOTE FOR BIDEN” are the same ones who post things like “JUSTICE FOR _______” when a despot steals an election.

If the incumbent president wins another term, this will be the last election we have. This will be it. This is how fascism works. This isn’t slippery-slope talk. This isn’t “potential worst case scenario.” We are in the middle of the worst case scenario now.

Please. For the sake of the millions of people who will die under #45. For the sake of people who cannot survive another 4+ years. Think of Biden/Harris as a road block. A barricade. Right in the middle of the road. It stops traffic and doesn’t do anything to get people where they’re going, but at least it stops them from careening off a bridge.

If you never want to have to make this choice again, you have to fight to abolish the US’s First-Past-The-Post voting system, but it is TOO LATE to do that now. No third party candidate can win. Study the election results from the last 40 years and you’ll see.

Please. Wise up. This is our last chance.

As someone who is in local leftist circles, I’m seeing a lot of people mocking “vote blue no matter who”. Lately, even comparing those people with the Back The Blue movement which sides with the police against protesters. They’re saying that if you insist people vote Democrat, you’re basically a boot licker. I’ve been hearing, “time to burn it all down”.

Mmkay. When?

When is your glorious revolution going to start? Please explain your plan to me. Explain how it will topple the current government. Explain how you will install something better in its place. Explain how the new government will legitimize itself and stay in power. Now, Explain how you will do this without killing millions of poor, disabled, and marginalized people.

Oh. You don’t have one of those plans? Then you have to deal with the government we actually have, not a fantasy version of it. You have to look at what you can realistically accomplish within the two party system that we have, not the fantasy multi-party system you want. You have to look at the REAL, ACTUAL candidates and say, “which one starts closer to my eventual goal, and which one can be moved by a sustained concerted effort?” And you have to say, “which one will kill the fewest people while we’re trying to fix the problems that gave us this system we hate in the first place?”

Because you cannot campaign for a ranked voting system in the eleventh hour. It’s too fucking late. That choice isn’t on the table for you anymore. Don’t whine and kick your feet and refuse to take the first step towards fixing things because that step isn’t big enough for you. There are hundreds of notches on the needle between Biden/Harris and all the things we want: racial Justice, indigenous land reparations, universal basic income, socialized medicine. Hundreds of notches. But if we cannot even agree to pull the needle ONE NOTCH FURTHER LEFT in unison, how the fuck are we supposed to get there? How do we ever reach a destination when half of us turn our noses up at a first step?

The Right got us here because they pull in unison. They’ve been doing it for decades and every election, the whole country slides. There are more of us but we refuse to work together. We refuse to just decide on a first step and take it. We refuse so hard we’d rather say “burn it down” than comprise our political purity. But I am here to tell you that no amount of philosophy is worth an ounce of praxis and your purity will not absolve you from the moral laziness of deciding your neighbors are acceptable sacrifices in the name of a brave new world.

Change requires realistic goals and sustained effort. It requires responsibility and involvement. It is measured in increments. It isn’t glorious.

“Burn it all down” only requires you to stand back and watch. So. I see y'all.

I thought this tweet was worth sharing.

More Life Updates

I started graduate school! 

I broke up with my boyfriend (upon telling my therapist this she said she was going to say that she did not want me to develop a co-dependent relationship).

There’s a cute guy in one of my classes that seems sort of interested? Only problem - he only has one social media profile and its LinkedIn. I don’t even know what to do with that.

Also, given that I have been uninterested in kpop for over a year, I’m debating passing the mantle. Let me know your thoughts.