@ new users remember to set your dash to chronological. I think old users will forget to tell you this because tumblr never randomly resets it like twitter does, so afaik literally everybody switched over to chrono as soon as they tried to introduce non-chrono, and then promptly forgot tumblr even has a non-chrono view. on tumblr we really dont do the “all mighty algorithm” thing.

INSTRUCTIONS

Account -> General Settings -> Dashboard Preferences -> Turn "best stuff first" toggle OFF

(And maybe mess with some other settings according to your preferences—I personally nixed "stuff in my orbit" and "based on my likes" because I only want to see bullshit from the people I follow, not the rest of the site's bullshit.)

And if you're on desktop, go download Xkit Rewritten too. It adds (and fixes) some site functionalities, a ton of us rely on it.

I was literally thinking about this earlier today. This is why tumblr is the only social media platform I’ve really used. Because it’s possible to 100% curate your feed by following people whose posts you want to see, and then literally everything on your dash is hand selected by actual people. No algorithm, no bullshit trying to show you things that will get your attention without regard to its actual impact.

i think a lot of the socio-political and historical analysis of why people might compare zionists to the nazis, whether in terms of authoritarianism and far-right regimes and in the relevant context of history, as well as the accusation that it is inappropriate or antisemitic, both miss a significant aspect of the comparison in and of itself

when arabs or palestinians compare zionists to nazis, gaza to the holocaust, it's also because they're aware that israelis and the western world at least grasp the horrors of the holocaust. they're aware that this was universally understood as an atrocity, and so they are trying to make this appeal because they think this is one of the few comparisons that the western mind can comprehend in the first place.

in arabic i have heard zionists compared to the mongols and tatars, to the crusaders, to the colonial british, to the american settlers and later to the americans in iraq. does any of that mean anything to the western perspective? they've never acknowledged the full depth of these atrocities in the first place. the nazis are one of many comparisons that have been drawn in the arab world, usually used for irony. but people are aware that the rest mean nothing to the ones responsible for arming and empowering israel.

instead there is a sense (however true or untrue—and it is mostly untrue) that the west understood the visceral horror of the holocaust and a sense that those responsible for it were held accountable in ways few others have due to that. and so this comparison, on a human level, is often made just to communicate in the first place. it's basically saying "i'm trying to speak your language, you are the monster to me that this monster was to you, do you understand me now?"

Something we do in Palestinian circles especially is compare the current nakba with the '48 one and '67 one. But even when we try to make this comparison now, in English and with people who do not understand the gravity of the nakba on generations of family, no one bats an eye. In fact, people go as to deny the nakba in whatever way they think makes sense.

If we were to compare in standard media, the current nakba with the others, then no one would care. Weve accepted that mainstream opinion is that no one cares about Palestinians. I'm talking mainstream political and professional media.

When Palestinians especially point out that the euro-american backed Israel is perpetuating the same violence it swore to never perpetuate again, it's a pleading to save their lives. They are not doing it out of malice or anything. They are literally trying to find any way possible to get people to do something so that the slaughter of their friends and family stops. Perhaps people should be more willing to understand that this is a population who has been consistently disenfranchised, blamed for their occupation, and repeatedly kicked out of their homes and made refugees which ruined lives. And no one has done anything about it. So they're trying to appeal to your (a westerner) sense of morality that they know you teach in your history books.

Perhaps don't be so quick to judge Palestinians for trying to find ways to make you help them?

imagine you are texting with a friend and suddenly they tell you that a house near them was just hit with a bomb. in the middle of your conversation. to be more specific, think of the last friend you texted, open up your messages even and look, and think about how you would feel if that happened. how would they feel?

this just happened while i was talking with @nesmaah. she and her family are in constant danger and their only chance of escaping it right now is to get enough money to leave gaza. i'm leaving their fundraiser below. please share and donate if you can. these are real people who are in danger right now, who are suffering, who are trying to live despite the circumstances. do not forget that every single person asking for help is a person just like you and your loved ones.

unfortunately, this is a paypal account but i don't want to self-judge the integrity of this so here is a separate link if you do wish to donate.

this is not a paypal account, this is a verified gofundme. el-shab-hussein has a post where he verified it, and you can also look at nesma's instagram which has a lot of additional pictures documenting her time during the genocide as well as pictures what her life was like before october 8th.

Watching my toddler figure out how to language is fascinating. Yesterday we were stumped when he kept insisting there was a “Lego winner” behind his bookshelf - it turned out to be a little Lego trophy cup. Not knowing the word for “trophy”, he’d extrapolated a word for “thing you can win”. And then, just now, he held up his empty milk container and said, “Mummy? It’s not rubbish. It’s allowed to be a bottle.” - meaning, effectively, “I want this. Don’t throw it away.” But to an adult ear, there’s something quite lovely about “it’s allowed to be a bottle,” as if we’re acknowledging that the object is entitled to keep its title even in the absence of the original function.

Ever since I wrote this post, barely a week has passed where I haven’t seen new notifications for it, as more and more people add their own stories about kids and language - and that’s delightful. But when I check my activity tab, because I never gave this post a proper title, my notifications show me instead a fragment of the opening line - Watching my toddler figure out how to language… - and it always makes me laugh, because time has passed, and he’s not a toddler anymore. When I originally wrote this post - on my phone, in the car, on December 20th, 2016 - my son was 3, talking about a plastic bottle of chocolate milk we’d bought him at a service station stop on a drive to stay with family; lo these seven years later, on March 5th, 2024, he’s 11, playing Roblox with his friends while listening to music from Hollow Knight on his laptop. Yet this snapshot of his toddlerhood remains, unchanged, as though he’d never aged all - and while there’s something lovely about that, as dates on tumblr are so often opaque, I thought I should also offer an update :)

I'm not catholic—of course I don't feel guilty for experiencing pleasure! << is protestant and feels guilty for experiencing rest

black bear paw cup

2023

cone 1 red earthenware, underglaze, clear glaze

part of a project here in KCMO I took part in, this cup is now part of a collection for the Charlotte Street Foundation! More info.

photos by @/tmaxwellwagner on IG

[image description: three photos of a ceramic cup resembling a bear paw. end description.]

We've apparently invented an artificial stone that, when cut, functions as a kind of Super Asbestos.

So, you know, watch out for that.

Nononono silica dust is a known and common hazard in construction and manufacturing. This is deliberate and horrifying neglect on the part of these employers. They could have properly implemented engineering controls, they could have required respirators on the shop floor. What you call "super asbestos" (silica dust) has been killing people for centuries, as long as people have been stonemasons really. OSHA has strict standards regarding the PEL for silica dust, but there is a dangerous lack of awareness and enforcement of safety protocols. This is not some new horror of the culture of capitalism, this is ordinary and awful and age old neglect.

rediscovering ray troll's art in my fish era is such a delight. that guy makes art that sounds like his name. he was so right about fish worship

I worked as an Assistant Fish Technician at my university when I was getting my bachelor's. For 4 years I walked past this white board in the lab that was protected by a sheet of plastic hand drilled over it. I didn't realize until now that Ray Troll himself visited the campus occasionally and further visited our laboratories.

Anyway, I contacted my past boss to ask him about it and he confirmed that it was indeed Ray Troll and sent me a picture. Absolute legend.

the reply above isnt appearing in the comments for some reason, so im highlighting it

the image in the previous reblog is a whiteboard doodle by Ray Troll depicting a salmon viewed from the side, with the one visible eye looking toward the viewer. below the salmon he wrote "it's not wrong!" in all caps, with the word "not" bolded and underlined for emphasis.

This is the fundraiser I've been donating to. Salma is a thirteen year old diabetic girl who, as per last update in February, is stuck in Rafah with her family with no reliable access to insulin. I'm a bit worried since there haven't been any updates since February, but also a bit relieved because that might mean they're all still alive with no need for an update.

Anyway, just thought I'd share this. I found it via one of the verified Google Doc lists, and it's donation protected (meaning that if something is off, your donation will be refunded), so it's legit. Salma and her family need, by last update, the equivalent of sixty thousand Swiss francs (I think the person who runs the fundraiser for them is from Switzerland, but like I said this fundraiser was on the vetted donations list) to get to Egypt and insulin, and they only have a little over twenty-eight thousand CHF.

This doesn't compare with what Salma and everyone else in Gaza is feeling, but it is infuriating to scan huge lists of verified fundraisers for people in need and try and justify who deserves to get the measly thirty dollars in pocket change I can afford, knowing that everyone who bought a ticket to the met gala could have spent the exact same amount and paid the fundraiser to someone in full, but they didn't.

Why is it falling on the lower classes to help these people who are suffering? Why do I have to cry that I can't afford to donate to everyone I want to on my pittance of an SSI check? Why do UNICEF or the UNHCR or Doctors Without Borders call me constantly guilt me out of money I already explained to them I can't spare instead of hitting up elon musk? Why is it only us who have a conscience and not the people who have the infinite resources actually help another goddamn human being?

I'm not going to stop donating. I don't care how thin my budget is stressed, the people of Gaza need all the help we can barely give. Because the rich certainly will never help.

Anyway, donate to Salma

to succeed in adult friendship you must remember the key tenets of child friendship:

successful examples from my travels:

of course these can be mixed and matched. most activities are enhanced by Snack Time if your friend targets enjoy breaking bread together.

and one begets the other. if you Play Pretend with someone for long enough they may eventually tell you about Toys they have and if you want to play too they'll probably let you. if they're nice.

life can be lonely when we live in separate boxes and worry about money all the time. this is what makes friendships hard, not growing older. but the antidote to isolation is connection, and the oldest wisdom we ever learn: share your toys. share your games. share your snacks.

František Kupka - Bather (1907)

[id: painting of a naked woman in a rocky pool, the ripples from her movements and the reflections of the greenery around the pool making complex patterns and plays of light]/end id.

[ID: A very round sheep lays in some grass.]

brought scolipede to a party with me because i need to bring him with me when i get anxious and i thought people might think it was weird but no they think hes cool as fuck

something ive learned is when you become an adult most of your peers dont give a shit about your more peculiar traits and sometimes they actually like these traits. like yeah i was bullied as a kid for bringing a plushie to school but in my 20s everyone thinks its fine in fact people love my epic scolipede

[ID: Two views of the Scolipede plushie. On the left it's sticking out of a small backpack, and on the right it's held up to the camera. End ID]