kookysnell

[kookysnell]

every mediocre white man has a "theory."

one decided fleeing slavery was a mental illness.

another that women's anger was madness.

another that trans women's love was a fetish.

[kookysnell]

me: hey, me/cfs. can we… suspend the usual punishment for one day?

me/cfs: for what.

me: mental breakdown. one. nothing else. just… one.

me/cfs: lol. no.

me: you couldn't at least pretend to consider it?

me/cfs: no... and congratulations, you just earned extra for asking.

[kookysnell]

I was having a conversation with someone about the limitations of empathy... by which I mean the instinctive feeling of what others feel. empathy alone doesn't guarantee anything, and we don't actually need it to do the right thing.

this isn't to say empathy has no value. but a lot of people rely on it to always tell them what is right and wrong. it can be conditional and misleading / guided by our feelings for certain people rather than our principles.

yet it's still treated as the moral gold standard.

in some cases, the most consistent ethics come from people who follow a moral framework that exists outside of, or isn't driven by, that kind of empathy.

since such a framework isn't overcome by fleeting emotions or personal attachments, it makes it easier to make choices that aren't just reactions to what you feel in the moment.

I found that really interesting.

[kookysnell]

female hysteria may no longer be a medical diagnosis, but the idea still lives on in the system... that's for sure.

it's fucked up.

[kookysnell]

I feel a kinship with the HIV/AIDS activists. I wish people would really start to take ME/CFS seriously as well.

so many people have it... people you probably know.

the question is: do they know they have it? I didn't.

[kookysnell]

I keep seeing it, and I genuinely just can't relate to people who say things "shouldn't be political" because I feel like it goes against the definition of the word political.

I'm wondering if this mindset regarding the ability for something to be apolitical exists around the world? it def feels like a very white thing to do.

I'm sure it's not exclusive to whiteness, but how common is it outside of the U.S., and what does it look like culturally?

[kookysnell]

one of my pet peeves is when people act like a fictional character's quote is automatically the author's personal opinion. that's not how writing works.

[kookysnell]

I feel like people who trash on online use don't realize:

1. for many people, that is the only/primary form of socialization they can get.

2. for people with disabilities, chronic illness, or mental health challenges, online spaces can genuinely be lifelines.

3. communities online can provide identity affirmation, accessibility, and belonging that isn't available offline.

another thing that bothers me is when people say talking online doesn't do anything.

you know where wars begin? they start with information. stories. propaganda. normalization.

the Internet isn't separate from that... it is the battlefield now. and it lets people see through lies faster.

but people act like they're so above it. that doesn't make you look cool or better than people who are more online than you.

*yes, this remains a privileged discussion because access to the Internet is a luxury. this post is really about people who dismiss online life as meaningless, failing to see that for some, it may be the only way to be seen at all.

[kookysnell]

the most insidious propaganda comes from what someone chooses to show you and what they choose to omit.

it doesn't need to wrestle openly with the truth or even distort it in the obvious sense. it works by carefully curating fragments and stripping context until only a convenient outline remains.

what you're left with isn't a lie exactly, but a hollow frame that tells the story they wanted you to believe.

and it's not only omission I'm talking about... it's also what is emphasized. in any argument, someone can spotlight their own side's injuries while magnifying your faults, all while skimming past the parts of their position that could actually be challenged.

the imbalance itself becomes the source of persuasion. this allows them to tilt the scales without ever admitting they're being touched.

I feel like this about much of my education.

[kookysnell]

yeah, chronic illnesses are so trendy these days. it couldn't have anything to do with the ongoing mass-disabling pandemic that everyone is so keen to ignore, right?

[kookysnell]

I'm gonna be one of those oracles that just throws out the most cryptic lines.

I'll wear a really cool-looking cloak and say some shit like "the horizon is an agreement between the sky and the Earth" to draw u into my mysterious allure.

[kookysnell]

I found out some time ago that Tetris can help you process trauma in a therapeutic way.

just imagine if we rebranded it based on that.

like:

"why's Dennis playing Tetris?"

"oh, he's going through some shit."

[kookysnell]

I think it's morally repugnant the way snake oil salespeople prey on chronically ill people who are vulnerable and desperate.

but it also shows how much we've been abandoned by the medical system.

as a consequence, we don't trust it and look for answers elsewhere (fairly so).

[kookysnell]

I wonder if the snail is jealous of the tortoise for its literary reputation, which has made it the known "slow and steady" creature.

the closest the snail has gotten to that kind of fame is Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snail and the Rosebush," and it's a fucking pretentious philosopher in that.

or Gary from SpongeBob, but he moves at whatever speed the joke requires.

Turbo the Racing Snail doesn't count for obvious reasons.

[kookysnell]

I tried to meow back at my cat because I've been practicing, and she told me my accent was shit.

I can't do anything right.

[kookysnell]

it's too late for me to get into bug heaven by never squishing a bug.

I want a do-over.

[kookysnell]

it's really annoying how people will condescend to you and tell you all these things you should do until you tell them that you've done it all or can't, and it becomes clear that the system is the problem. then their "help" disappears because it's no longer convenient.

your words are for you, not me.