"Arab colonialism" never occured in Palestine. Or Lebanon for that matter. Colonialism is a term that has meaning. Just like genocide does. You don't justify your reasoning for calling Arabization in Palestine 'colonialism'. However,

But there's every justification in the world for calling what's happening to Palestinians a genocide.

Now please do us all a favour, anon. And jump right onto a rusty pike. Head first.

The complete erasure of our cultural and academic institutions in Gaza in itself is an aspect of genocide. They've erased every form of intellectual and artistic expression of our humanity so that we have nothing to point to when people demand of us to prove our existence. You liberal zionists (because this is a liberal zionist argument) need to stop talking about things you don't understand and stop comparing death counts. Not only is it disrespectful to the victims of atrocities, it paves the way for people to excuse future genocides as they happen saying "its not enough people dead yet so we can't invoke the genocide convention." You know. The supposed system of authority that prevents genocide from happening?

And what are you doing it for? Just to defend Israel by saying "yeah they're mass killing and destroying Palestine with no end in sight, but at least they're not committing a genocide." Ok.

What I need for White Americans (ppl in general really, but I'm talking to the U.S.) to understand about Americans of Color is that You don't know Us, but We know YOU.

We've spent generations upon generations of our entire lives learning YOUR social norms, forced to assimilate to YOUR idea of society. We live and learn entirely separate cultures, but we also learn from birth what it means to have to cater to Whiteness in America. It's why I can name so many famous movies with white casts, but most white people didn't even know where "Bye Felicia" came from. It's why I was raised to professionally Code Switch from childhood, but grown white people struggle to even grasp the basics of the grammar of AAVE. It's why people who speak different languages think they have to give up their own mother tongue just to function in this country.

It's why you all are so uncomfortable with the idea of people of color questioning and rejecting what seems "normal" to you- and to be honest, I actually think older white generations are better at admitting this than younger ones. It's because what you know as normal is usually not "normal"- it's White. Whiteness is just as loud as any other presentation of race in this country, you just don't see it that way because everyone else has been forced to maintain your comfort. The entire system is built around it, and you don't even know it.

It's why it frustrates white Americans of some marginalization- queer, disabled, neurodivergent- because you do not have access to the "norm" as it is shown to you. But that frustration- literally everyone of color (who shares those identities btw) lives under that understanding.

Idk, I didn't really have a direction. I just think it's wild how so many conversations require this... Constant Verbal Leveling of the Playing Field simply because Whiteness blinds white people to what things ACTUALLY look like out here.

Yes, it's okay for white people to reblog. You are the target audience to consider these things.

Wheat fields are more mystical than fields of other crops. You are 7,000 times more likely to meet an old god or see a portent of doom in a wheat field than in a field of like… soybeans.

For your consideration: cornfields

Cornfields are less mystical than wheat fields but more mystical than soybean fields. Two-bit monsters congregate in corn fields to eat people, but their power is nothing compared to the things that manifest in wheat fields. 

Have been in both wheat and cornfields; can confirm. Cornfields host monsters who eat people. Wheat fields attract old gods. 

I have a theory that this is because the notions most of us have of “old gods” are pretty intrinsically European, and wheat was (and is) the staple crop of European life. It is quite literally tied to the ancestral rituals and beliefs of most white people. Odin, the Morrigan, and even Zeus are actually linked to a set of peoples who cultivated wheat.

Meanwhile, corn (maize) is a crop native to the Americas. It features in the white cultural imagination in a very different way. Corn is a motif seen not in our ancestral myths, but in a much newer genre: the American Gothic. With its focus on the tensions between man and nature and—perhaps more importantly—the United States’s history of genocide against its indigenous population and trade in enslaved Africans, the American Gothic is VERY preoccupied with agriculture. Our monsters come out of corn fields because corn is a symbol for not only what we did to the Native Americans (who were the first to grow the crop), but of what we are doing to the very land itself. Corn is a monument to our cultural sins.

Meanwhile, I suspect that corn features very differently in the imaginations of people of color. If you asked a Native American person or a Latinx person what sort of mysticism they associate with corn fields, I imagine their answer would be very different than ours.

TLDR: White people associate wheat with our ancestors’ gods because our ancestors grew wheat. We associate corn with terrible monsters because it is a literal sign of our own monstrosity.

Native American here, can confirm that small plots of corn feel safe and homey; ideally they should be interplanted with other crops. You find turkeys and possums and raccoons in the corn. It might tell you important knowledge.

However.

Giant monocultures of corn, where the corn grows unbroken for miles and miles, not near human habitation, devoid of local wildlife, just corn on corn in the soft wind? Corn mega monocultures? Those sound like screaming.

“monocultures attract people-eating monsters” is not the take I expected to see today but I’m glad I saw it

The anthropological analysis and discussion on folklore is spot on. 10/10

Corn lore

@spiritspodcast

if you want to actually start to end homelessness, you need to give homeless people unconditional homes, including when we use them to do drugs or sit around drinking. either housing is unconditional or it isn’t

someone sitting at home alone, an active alcoholic, squandering your charity, drinking all day is better situation than a street homeless alcoholic. someone using drugs in your charity house is better than them doing the same w no shelter

most of you would not like most street homeless people, I definitely don’t and didn’t when I was street homeless. for every one person who uses unconditional shelter to turn themselves around, someone else will do jack shit and very slowly, if ever, work through the issues that made them homeless, will maybe never be able to live independently. still better than street homelessness, still worth doing. ultimately either you believe that shelter should be universal or you don’t

homeless people actually can’t be rehabilitated if you want to end homelessness. we either affirm the right to shelter for the worst drunken, lying, filthy, cheating, self destructive homeless people that exist, genuinely irredeemable wankers, or we concede that shelter is not a right

This post is the distilled essence of everything I believe in.

For those who don't know, Rafah Crossing is closed. Meaning Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are technically not allowed to go into Egypt through Rafah Crossing (with exceptions, like holding a foreign passport) so in order to evacuate, Palestinians need to bribe Egyptian border security officials. The standard price used to be about $5000 - 7000 per person but some Palestinians have been told to pay $10,000 per person just to cross the border, forget other expenses like food and boarding.

For a group of people who are enduring genocide and the complete destruction of their homes that money is impossible to raise without the help of fundraising. That and the collapse of the UNRWA is the reason you're seeing so many Gofundmes nowadays. The entire aid system is gone with the exception of local aid organisations that have limited reach.

So if you see a credible fundraiser, please at the very least share it so it can reach more people. This list by @el-shab-hussein is a good place to start.

There are a few fundraisers for Sudanese families also! Don't forget to donate to Mohammed Qadas, the first fundraiser in the 'Other fundraisers' section. His case is super urgent!!

i feel like high school/middle school sitcoms set the unrealistic expectation of being able to have lunch time outside

ok because apparently i'm wrong about this, reblog with where you live and whether you got to eat lunch outside during school or not

This is a long article but I suggest you read the whole thing.

Rapists, and killers, too? Really? (Those on death-row?) The drug/prostitution problems are just a portion of USA criminals.

yes, all criminals. the moment you say “except X criminal” is the moment that people will try to convict their opponents as having committed X crime.

it’s the same thing as what’s going on right now with people equating drag to some sort of child exploitation. “but the children!!” they wail, and people listen because oh, if drag is harming children, then drag MUST be BAD, so we HAVE TO BAN DRAG.

do you understand what i’m saying? you can’t take away the rights of any category of criminal, because suddenly that category will be overflowing with people who totally 100% definitely committed that horrible crime.

Just to look at this from one step further back, let's accept the premise. Let's imagine that there is a type of crime that is 1) horrible evil irredeemable universally-agreed-upon bad, and 2) could somehow be prosecuted with 100% accuracy and 0% bias. Yes, even then, those criminals deserve a right to vote.

Do you they're going to like vote themselves out of jail? Vote to make murder legal? What exactly are you afraid of.

Realistically they'll just... vote just like anyone else. They'll help elect city councilmembers they think will better their hometowns, and presidents they think will best serve the country. They might even vote in their own interests! To reform prisons, fund rehabilitation programs, and outlaw predatory practices by telecoms. Are you saying you don't want any of those things?

And even if there were one of those super-duper-unambiguously-evil totally misanthropic death-row convicts, who's scheduled to be execute the very next day and just wants to sow chaos and watch the outside world burn however they can... what's the worst they could do, vote republican?

Taking people's rights away isn't bad because it might happen to someone you like, it's because taking people's rights away is bad.

[ID: A black and white, hand-drawn comic showing a boy sitting at a table with a pitcher and a couple glasses. There is a sign on the front of the table that reads: "criminals deserve the right to vote. change my mind." /End ID]

obsessed with mass market paperbacks. their pleasing rectangular proportions. how they fit badly in a hoodie pocket so you can drag them around everywhere with you like a temporary little buddy. the way they fit in your hand because they're MADE for human hands and not as bookshelf decoration. the way the pages feel when you riffle them gently with your thumb. How pristine and crisp they look when you get them and how creased and folded they look when you're done, even if you try to be nice to them. how that wear is okay, how that's correct actually, because they're made with the philosophy that books aren't meant to be PRETTY, they're meant to be read. that little ripple new ones get on the left side from where you hold them when you're reading, the way the ripple only goes as far as you've read, because u change stories by reading as they are changing you. how you can find thousands of these creased and folded and loved little dudes in every thrift store and used book shop and neighborhood library and you can instantly see the ones that someone carried around in a backpack for weeks or read to pieces or gave up on halfway through because they wear being read like fresh snow wears footprints. I love these poorly made, subpar little rectangles so much. truly the people's books.

a palestinian woman in canada lost her job due to zionists harassing her for her support of the resistance. she needs financial support to pay off bills/rent as well as other living costs. please donate and share!!

hi reminder to please donate to this if you can, even the tiniest amount helps a lot! it hasn't been moving in a while and we should be doing everything we can to help palestinians.

i really don't know how to stress how urgent this is. pls pls pls share and donate if you can, share the link on other platforms as well pls. if you have money to spare pls don't just reblog and move on, even $5 is better than nothing. a palestinian woman is struggling to pay her bills/rent, even food/medication.

"i don't understand why you're upset, you're not jewish or palestinian" SHUT UPPPP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!!!!!!! CARING ABOUT PEOPLE IS NOT SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND!!!!!!!!!!!

[plaintext: "i don't understand why you're upset, you're not jewish or palestinian" shut upppp shut up shut up shut up!!!!!!!!! Caring about people is not something you have to understand!!!!!!!!!!! /End plaintext.]

this morning the United Nations Human Rights Council voted on a resolution calling for a ban on arms sales to Israel and the resolution passed. two Israeli border points opened for aid routes (they were supposedly open? lmao), Biden is calling for an immediate ceasefire, last night was the first without air attacks on Gaza.. the killing of seven foreign aid workers shook the world apparently, but oh god how late. the journey to recognising genocide for some seems to avoid acknowledging the humanity of thousands of Palestinians who have been murdered

The UN Council, while it is trying to do something finally, is only effective as states listen and abide. The resolution is trying to pressure nations to not sell weapons, they cannot actually force a nation to not sell them. And while Biden calls for a ceasefire, he continues to try to see these weapons as recently as Monday (April 1st). He is playing in our faces to try to get back votes. Don't stop fighting.

the older i get and the closer i am to reaching 30, the more the people around me try to deny me my age. it’s a constant ‘oh you’re just turning 29 again teehee 🤭’ or ‘dont tell your SO that, he’ll leave you for a younger model 😉’ and i just???? hate it?????????

i spent my entire teenaged years fighting for my life. i crawled through the deepest pits of my depression to cling to the promise of a life beyond that pain. i was so convinced that i was going to die young, that i would never see the grace of my age starting with a 2, let alone 3.

so im going to turn 30, and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do to stop me from loving it.

this post was up for like five minutes and already im being told how wrong i am

fuck you, you can kiss my 30 year old ass

what if i decided i'm straight up not posting any new art publicly until that family's GFM in my pinned is at least Halfway to its goal

(even half my followers donating 5 bucks each would do that btw)

i am willing to make this go on forever, btw, but for obvious reasons, i'd rather not, not because i lack the conviction to do so, but because this is an urgently Time Sensitive Issue and why risk this family not being here a month from now! you never know! that's why i'm asking you guys to do this, i cannot do much, it feels scattered with so many causes, but this is just the one picked, at random, to aim people towards, focused effort style

additionally; while i am citing my followers on that math, it still helps, to boost this, you don't even have to boost this post specifically, i've pinned the original post for this gfm; i'm not asking i be plugged in any way, or to be followed by new people would share it with, but if you enjoy my work and want to see it return, and truly do want to help regardless but are also struggling (i know how it is, trust me) then you can still spread the gfm to others, link it to places and just ask like, your pals? coworkers? in your discords or mutual support chatrooms? suggest donation matching, however it might get this there quickly, for the family's sake

the impending threat of the borders closing altogether in a couple weeks makes this all the more pressing btw. i withhold the only thing i have to offer, because it would mean the world to me if you helped them before it is too late.

please.

you guys did it! the GFM is now halfway funded, that's 30k out of 60k, now, i do not want to see this immediately losing its momentum and going right back to hovering in limbo for weeks, okay? i will still be keeping up with this, i believe you guys can make it happen, you got it this far, let's get it all the way to the goal now, alright?

just for another update: another relative of the family, reached out and contacted me on twitter to thank us for the sudden increased of support they've received!

i had wanted to be as anonymous to them as i could be, because i obviously do not do this to be thanked or lauded, this is the least we as human beings can do in times like these for other, fellow human beings, and it's you guys kicking most of the ass, but i guess they figured it out and they reached out to me

i'd hate to see the surge of hope for this family peter out, so let's keep pushing, please don't leave them hanging after it's gotten so far! donate if you can and haven't yet, boost this/link the GFM anywhere you think a sympathetic person may see, be the change you wish to see in the world, love and peace on planet earth and all that

🕊️❤️🍉🕊️❤️🍉🕊️❤️🍉🕊️❤️🍉🕊️

"No More Hotels"

Graffiti seen around Aruba in the Caribbean, denouncing the overconstruction of hotels and the extreme land loss the Indigenous people of the Island are facing.

[ID: Five photographs of various walls and stairs with the text "no more hotels" tagged on in red spray paint and one photograph of a sign advertising real estate with the text "land back" tagged on in red spray paint. End ID]

the fact that "eco" and "ethical" are two separate concerns in the global north, and that "eco" is a much more popular concern, with many "eco" products being made in actual sweatshops, is a big part of why i am The Joker

if you think this is an exaggeration or splitting hairs where it doesn't matter:

i used to work at a Local Organic Produce store that's popular with the lefties in my city who are interested in food justice. i quit for a lot of reasons, mostly the boss, but something i will always remember is one of our suppliers coming in to drop off produce, being told her check wasn't ready, and her laughing and responding it didn't matter -- even a low bank account was more than enough to pay the migrants who picked her produce. i am not filling in any blanks here. she said this.

after quitting, this was a common story i told people about my time there. some then became annoyed at me, acting like i was a wokescold trying to undermine the store's "eco" mission with unrelated "ethical" concerns. but, like -- if food justice isn't for the people making food, who the fuck is it for?

like, don't get me wrong. my contention here is that the things go hand in hand, and that something which is unethical isn't actually eco. after all, humans are a part of the fucking ecosystem, and if a product can only be made by unsustainably exploiting humans, then it's unsustainable. doesn't matter which chemicals were used in making it, or whether or not animals were factory farmed.

they *cannot* be separated. a product cannot be either eco or ethical — it must be both. a product that is made through human suffering cannot be eco for the reasons you said; a product that causes human suffering by contributing to the destruction of the ecosystem cannot be ethical. it must be both and we must insist on both