earthlords reblogged
earthlords reblogged
So, there's a lot of USians around who are very clearly fucking fed up with their political choices this election cycle, and planning to sit it out.
And I get it! What's the point of voting if there's no one to vote for?
The thing is, I'm Australian. In Australia, voting is compulsory. We don't get to sit out our elections, and I'll be real honest with you - we don't exactly get better choices than you lot. So how do you vote if there's no one to vote for? You find someone to vote against. And there's always someone to vote against.
Now, we have the pleasure of preferential voting in Australia - We get to rank every candidate from 1 to X, and I'll tell you, there's something so cathartic about putting the biggest bastard of the lot at the very bottom of your preferences. I understand that USians don't get that option - you get to mark one person, and that's it.
That means that you get one shot, so aim it at the biggest bastard of the lot. The candidate you most utterly detest. Put your vote in the worst possible place for them. Don't even think about who that vote's going towards, that's not the point. Remember, every vote is a vote against someone. Make sure you fuck up that someone's election day!
earthlords reblogged
Changing my belief system from "this is the hill I'll die on" to "this is the hill I'll kill you on" has done absolute wonders for me 10/10 do recommend
"you really gonna die on that hill?"
"someone is."
earthlords reblogged
Tree roots following the pattern of concrete footpaths
earthlords reblogged
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - 7x04 Take Me Out to the Holo-Suite
earthlords reblogged
earthlords reblogged
So do people realize that we aren't building new train tracks when we expand the amteak network, I have multiple times seen people say that we shouldn't expand the network because it would destroy protected lands, which would be a fair criticism but Amtrak doesn't build new tracks, we use existing tracks. We are not destroying protected lands, we are using land that has already been clear for a century
Also the alternative is more highways which destroy significantly more land for less capacity than railways. So the question is do you want to keep complaining about something that isn't happening and let the environment get damaged as a result or do you want to actually learn how things work
So, wait... Were the tracks not in use at all? Or was it like *only* commercial transport on those tracks? Either way, its good that amtrak will be able to use them again, but one would be much more frustrating
Almost all rail tracks in the US are either abandoned or only used for freight rail at the moment
These are all the railroads used for freight in the US
And these are all the prices of inactive railroad already constructed but put out of use
...and this is roughly all the railroad the United States allows for passenger trains to use
earthlords reblogged
i love you walkable cities i love you pedestrian-centered infrastructure i love you bikeshares i love you free public transit i love you separated bike lanes i love you mixed-use urbanism i love you car-free streets
earthlords reblogged
it's sunday night, please don't let nostalgia win
earthlords reblogged
Fascism sells a synthetic nostalgia.
As good a time as any to remind folks of the 14 properties of "ur-fascism" (described by Umberto Eco, who grew up in Italy under Mussolini, in his 1995 essay Ur-Fascism). Not all need be present for single regime to be fascist, but a Venn diagram of all fascist regimes will cover them all.
- CULT OF TRADITION. The old ways are best. The New is not worthwhile.
- REJECT MODERNISM The development of Western philosophy post-Enlightenment is seen as a descent into depravity. See also : Reject post-modernism, which is seen as an even greater descent into irrationality.
- ACTION FOR ACTION'S SAKE. Action is to be taken without reflection or introspection - that's for weaklings and degenerates. Often seen in a derision of "intellectual elites".
- DISAGREEMENT IS TREASON. Analytical criticism cannot be allowed. A pantomime of discourse may be allowed, but only within the accepted framework and only if reaching the foregone conclusion.
- FEAR OF DIFFERENCE. Outsiders are your enemy. Those who are different are evil and want to corrupt you and destroy all you hold dear.
- APPEAL TO A FRUSTRATED MIDDLE CLASS Capitalising on genuine frustrations by pointing them toward convenient scapegoats. Real concerns used a recruiting tools.
- OBSESSION WITH A PLOT. There is a conspiracy run by THEM. You are besieged by THEM. THEY are behind all your ills. THEY are working in the shadows to enslave and destroy you.
- THE ENEMY IS BOTH STRONG AND WEAK. When rhetorically convenient, THEY are all-powerful. When rhetorically convenient, THEY are feeble, stupid, weak. The rhetorical focus shifts regardless of self-contradiction, because all that matters is positioning the enemy where the speaker's goal requires them to be at any given moment.
- PACIFISM IS THE ENEMY. LIFE IS ETERNAL WAR. There must always be an enemy to fight. When that enemy is defeated, another must be found. When they cannot be found, they must be created, even from within. There is always the promise of a Final Solution bringing Ultimate Triumph, but it can never be achieved.
- CONTEMPT FOR THE WEAK. Elitism disguised as populism. Everyone of US is superior to THEM, cockroaches and drains on society that they are. But people are sheep who require strong leaders, who are by their nature superior to others.
- EVERYONE IS TAUGHT TO BE THE HERO. A CULT OF DEATH. Where in myth the hero is exceptional, in fascism everyone must be the hero. They crave heroic death, the reward for heroic life. In seeking it, they send others to die. (See also: Militarism).
- MACHISMO. Disdain for women and femininity. Intolerance of non-standard sexuality and gender expression.
- SELECTIVE POPULISM. The People are viewed as a monolith with a single will, as interpreted (in reality, determined) by the leaders. Democratic institutions are viewed as illegitimate because they run counter to the narrative of the existence of a single Voice Of The People.
- NEWSPEAK. Vocabulary cannot expand. If anything, it must shrink. Variation and nuance in dialogue means variation and nuance in thought. This cannot be allowed. Therefore categories must be binary. Definitions are simple and limited. If it cannot be boiled down into snappy catchphrase it does not exist.
earthlords reblogged
happy mother’s day to that mom who sold y/n to one direction
earthlords reblogged
The ultimate BFFs, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart lock lips at Mr. Holmes premiere, proving they’re #realtionshipgoals, #squadgoals and plain old #goals.
inplutowetrust
That’s magneto and professor x?
epeiric-c
Gal pals
earthlords reblogged
hedonism is good actually rich people just suck at it
i think not only do we have a moral obligation to preserve human life but also a moral obligation to maximize the pleasure of others and ourselves (provided it doesn’t hurt anyone)
people don’t just deserve to eat food, they deserve to eat good food that tastes good without worrying about nutritional content
people don’t just deserve clothes, they deserve nice clothes that are well made and fit their personal style
people don’t just deserve the bare minimum, they don’t just deserve to be alive, they deserve to live and have nice things for no other reason than making that particular person happy
earthlords reblogged
The L in LGBT is short for Lady who... erm, how shall I put this... prefers the company of women
The B in LGBT is short for "bonus 10% damage against everyone"
the T stands for "That's against community guidelines"
the Q stands for "Question the government always"
Does that mean A is anarchy??
earthlords reblogged
On this Mother's Day, examine your complicity in enabling a regime that is taking everything away from mothers in Gaza.
A regime that is forcing mothers to bury their children.
A regime that is taking mothers away from their children without a proper goodbye.
Remember that 37 children lose their mothers in Gaza every day because two mothers are killed in Gaza every hour of every single day for the past 218 days.
How many images of mothers crouched over their dead babies bodies are going to be enough? How many children kissing their dead mother's hands from under the rubble should there be for a line to be drawn?
Happy Mother's Day? Not when 70% of Israel's victims in Gaza are women and children.
earthlords reblogged
Secret to getting to know other fans on tumblr is reblogging. This sounds like a trap to get you guys to reblog art and fics and gifs which yes that’s an added benefit but also the way you get a feel of followers or mutuals is the little comments in the tags of a post like subtle little whispers and you start to recognise names like oh that’s the one who’s always nice to artists or that’s the funny one or maybe they have a funny queue pun tag or maybe there can be a little prev tags interaction like that’s how you start creating your own little likeminded souls club here. Also you get to put pretty art and fics and gifs on your blog
earthlords reblogged
Make that make sense. People have to quit blaming the poor for being poor.