#basic decency and consideration for other people is actually needed in a society

[robertlyman]

With the recent passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I couldn’t help but find myself thinking, “Yeah, it fits.”

Please don’t misunderstand, I mean no disrespect. I as much as anyone else am devastated by her death. Her life made an incredible difference. Hers was a life of service to help bring about positive change in the lives of others. It was a life any one of us would be proud to have lived.

But it fits because it’s another event amongst the many this year that seem to be following a script. A script where we’re confronted with an incredible challenge and the response that follows is far less than what one would hope for. I for one believe humanity is capable of so much more.First, came the challenge to our beliefs about our health and our healthcare system, as we face the Covid-19 pandemic, which when looked at with a discerning eye makes it very apparent that our overall health is only as secure as the lowest common denominator in society. In other words, it is in the poorest regions of the world where people live without the basic necessities for life; good food, clean water, and adequate healthcare, that diseases are going to be born. So, until we begin to tackle healthcare and quality of life on a global scale, future challenges such as Covid-19 are likely to become our new normal.

The response to the virus itself was for leadership to engage in political posturing and debate over the merits of masks or no masks while people began dying by the thousands. States were pitted against states to compete against each other for the precious commodities of PPE, beds, and respirators, as opposed to responding as the “united” states that we are.The front-line healthcare heroes did step up and take the lead risking and sacrificing their own lives to save the lives of others. The response from many in the general public was a slap in their face. People began socializing and spreading the virus even more rapidly with total disregard to the pleas from medical personnel to wear masks and social distance. Personal needs and desires outweighed the need to be considerate of others.

Next, we’ve been challenged on our beliefs about discrimination and equality. I for one blindly believed that as a society we had made significant progress towards a greater understanding and appreciation for the rights of all peoples, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexuality orientation, or gender identity. 

That apparently is not the case. We witnessed a summer of senseless murdering of people of color by those that we’ve entrusted to serve and protect us. The response has been more of the same.

There are people who are actually anxious to take advantage of Ruth’s passing to shift the tables of power in the Supreme Court away from the values RBG had dedicated her life to; decency, fairness, justice, and equality for all citizens. That’s what they feel an urgency to shift away from? Really? I feel there is a different urgency. I personally sense that we are coming to a very critical point in our existence. Our survival not only as a nation, but as a species lay in the balance of our decisions moving forward. I believe our fate will be determined by the answer to one question.

“What do you stand for?”

To answer that, you first must believe in the importance of standing for something. To stand for something is far different than to believe in something. To believe can be personal and private, to stand for something implies action.

Standing is silent but visible. It is not forcing another to stand, but nor is it sitting down, views unknown, controversy avoided.It feels good, to think that we could stand for something. Not just exist, or search for your own happiness or identity, but decide what you actually STAND for. What significance can you have, beyond your own life, because you stand for something more than yourself?

To stand for something is to acknowledge the significance and importance of the power of one among many, to believe in the power of grassroots movements, to know that each of us must try our best to be part of what is right and that the difference we make in doing so is far from insignificant. It might be far from enough, too, but that magnifies rather than negates its importance.

What do I stand for?

I stand for living my life with purpose and doing as much as I can each day to be in service to others and live the best life I can, causing as little harm to the environment and others in the process.I stand for love, compassion, kindness, and for doing good for goodness’ sake, not because I fear being judged later for what I do, but because I want to do what is right within my heart.

I stand for ending racism, bullying, and abuse.I stand for living in gratitude, and for restoring hope in the hopeless.

I stand for nonviolence, education, and good citizenship.I stand for the respect of all living things.

It makes me feel good to know what I stand for. As I said, I think we are living in a time that knowing what you stand for is vitally important. But I also think the question is incomplete. I think the real question is:

What do you stand for, and what are you going to do about it?

A great place to start is, VOTE.

[dreamworksconvict]

She-Ra: Racism Problem Pt. 3

Alright, time for part 3! This time we’ll be talking about Hordak.

Again, I’’ll be referring a lot to the same article from Pt. 2.I also will be referring to this 2-hour video by Lily Orchard. Trigger warnings for that video (and this article) as it has some white supremacist/neo-nazi imagery. The part I’ll mainly be referring to starts at 1:38:52. I’ll also refer to this article about “space racists.”

So last time we talked about Adora and the white savior trope. I want to jump right into discussing Hordak and the Not-So-Bad Colonizers trend in animation.

2. Hordak

Season 3 of She-Ra revealed that Hordak, literal commander of the Horde whose goal is to take over Etheria and wipe out the Princesses (aka, committing genocide), actually isn’t so bad of a guy! Sure he wants to murder people, but he really just has an inferiority complex to his older brother/original clone Horde Prime and has a deteriorating body akin to a disability (oof, like really... Noelle that’s so yikes, but that’s for a separate part), so that’s why he’s so mean! :( But it’s ok! Entrapta can change him through the Power of Friendship! uwu

...hey thanks, I hate it!

There is a strange yet somewhat predictable trend in popular kid’s animation right now where Space Colonizers are set up as the villains, committing unforgivable crimes, and then are somehow redeemed anyways. Well, let’s consider the article from Teen Vogue about white saviors again: “To this day, some people still latently believe what imperialists such as Rudyard Kipling said, that colonialism was important for everyone: the conqueror and, most importantly, the conquered. That without the colonizers, the colonized had no hope of survival.”

Now does every white person wake up and think this each morning before having cereal? No, not necessarily. Is every white person still responsible for perpetuating this norm? Yeah, pretty much! 

As I noted before, white people have been raised in a society where they have white privilege. Without even being cognizant of it, white people benefit from the labor and persecution of others. America, where the three shows I’ll discuss were primarily produced (VLD, Steven Universe, and of course She-Ra), came into being by taking land and resources and lives from Native Americans, and enslaving black people. White people in America have, since the beginning of this country’s inception, been taught that they are owed privileges. Rarely do American history classes take the gravitas of the country’s colonial legacy into consideration. When confronted with that reality, many white people will claim that they are different from the rest, or that they’re really not as bad as others who openly state their fervent desire to continue spreading an “American agenda” to the rest of the world. Yet oftentimes, these people do not challenge the very ideology that colonialism rests upon. 

Ok, so what does America’s colonial history have to do with cartoons?

Well, consider this: She-Ra, Voltron, and Steven Universe all have plots that center an Evil Colonial Entity from Space. They also feature victimized characters apologizing to those associated with the Evil Colonial Entity. Take Season 2 of Voltron, where Keith is revealed to be part-Galra and Allura, a black woman, apologizes to HIM for feeling unsettled by the revelation. Remember the situation with Glimmer apologizing to Adora in Season 1 Ep. 2? It’s the same thing. This article summarizes the situation with Allura, but I want to focus on this quote: 

“When I see characters like Bill and Allura being branded as “racist” for actions their white counterparts are never chastised for, it feels like these creators are laughing at us—like they’re sneering at me and every other black person out there who so desperately want to see ourselves reflected in our favourite shows and characters, saying “See, you’d be racist, too, if given the chance.””

VLD takes it even further by making the main villain secretly Honerva, an Altean, and then making her “motive” that she just wants to go back to the good ol’ days, and THEN talking her out of her evil ways at the end and THEN sacrificing her and Allura to fix everything....... The “victims of genocide were secretly the bad guys” plot twist is EXTREMELY antisemitic. (I hate it. I hate it sooooo much.)

Steven Universe does a similar thing, where the Diamonds, who had been established as the Evil Colonizers from Space (literally, they wanted to colonize and destroy life on Earth), get talked out of being Evil by Steven; it turns out they all just had a complicated family relationship, and that’s why they were colonizers...? Yeah don’t worry about the whole Cluster situation--you know the superweapon made up of the bodies of shattered gems? Or the whole shooting a superweapon at Earth to kill all the rebels. Or the fact that they’ve colonized other planets. Or the fact that Steven’s mom had a LITERAL HUMAN ZOO. (REBECCA!!!! WHAT!) 

There is a very good video essay critiquing Steven Universe on a variety of points, (the person who made it also has the same name as me so HECK YEAH) but I want to pull out a specific quote from it: 

“The deliberate scrubbing of the elements of fascism that make it so vile and horrible in the first place is done so people don’t have to think about things that make them uncomfortable.... There are very rare instances where these issues are openly presented... Steven Universe [and Voltron, and She-Ra are] one of those rare instances.... [yet] Sugar [and Lauren Montgomery, and Noelle Stevenson] spends the latter half of the series woobifying space fascists to a disturbing degree... To so thoroughly depict a fascist regime with a disturbing amount of accuracy, only to then turn and insist that they’re just misunderstood babs that need a hug...  war, abuse, genocide, these things cannot and should not be forgiven.”

On top of this being just deplorable on a basic human decency level, the fact of the matter is that these white creators simply do not understand, or perhaps are unwilling to understand, that colonialism, fascism, and genocide are all tied to white supremacy and antisemitism. To suddenly forgive regimes where this has been the norm is to say that systemic violence against people of color is ok, and that people who support or create this systemic violence are also ok. To claim that everyone can be just as bad as a fascist is disturbing and also ignores the fact that fascism targets people of color. To say that Allura’s distrust of Keith is somehow just as bad as the Galra’s imperialism is to ignore thousands of years of history. 

Hordak is the same: his character has been established as a ruthless leader (ie punishing Catra with death and/or banishment for not doing well enough), who wants to destroy life on Etheria (including the Princesses, their allies, and the land they live in, which is a common colonialist tactic--think about the NODAPL movement, where white people continue to destroy Native Americans’ land and resources). He demands respect, and keeps his plans to himself. He does not care how many soldiers he has to sacrifice, or the amount of people he needs to destroy, to get what he wants, which is to get MORE soldiers to Etheria to more effectively take over. He is, by all accounts, a fascist leader. To claim that Hordak just needs a friend and can be forgiven for his rampant colonialism and abuse IS RACIST. 

Fantasy stories may be fictitious, but they are still shaped by real-world ideologies. No one writes in a vacuum. White showrunners’ white guilt is incredibly palpable in these narratives. They are unwilling to acknowledge their place in the legacy of white supremacy.

On another note, it’s also harmful to assume that forgiveness is the right strategy for LGBTQIA+ audiences, too. The Steven Universe narrative claims that Steven considers the Diamonds family--well, sometimes family can be awful and abusive, or, in the case of Steven Universe, they can be evil dictators who want to destroy you and the rest of your family. Does that mean that you should put yourself at risk and “forgive” them? No! The same goes for VLD and She-Ra. 

I could write about this for days, but I’ll leave it at that. I want to end with a cartoon quote that actually makes fun of woobified villains: Avatar the Last Airbender (see the video on SU at 1:50:34). 

Aang: Maybe we can make some big pots of glue and then I can use gluebending to stick his [Firelord Ozai’s] arms and legs together so he can’t bend anymore!

Zuko: Yeah, then you can show him his baby pictures and all those happy memories will make him good again.

Aang: You really think that would work?

Zuko: NO!

[bigskydreaming]

I'm gonna be honest, your posts and my own perception of dc comics + fandom + its treatment of my most favorite fictional character makes me want to write a spite fic, but I have OCs in my head who are not leaving anytime soon AND I wanna write a good old fashioned romance with Dick but I have never written romance ever I don't even understand it... And I write scenes rather than a whole story. So I'm genuinely afraid I'll start something and it will neither be cohesive nor finished. Regrets..

Honestly? I say just fucking go for it anyway. Put it out there. If you’re worried about leaving readers high and dry or whatever, just be transparent about that in your author’s notes....just say up front hey, I’m not sure what my updating schedule will be like or if and when this will be finished, but here’s what I have, hopefully some people will enjoy it for what it is.

Like, that thing people keep saying to me in arguments about Ao3 and creative responsibility, about how “well fans aren’t getting paid for what they create so they don’t owe anyone anything?” I’ll say til the end of time that’s effing crap when it comes to things pertaining to social criticism, stuff like racism, homophobia, pedophilia in their works. No, they’re not getting paid but they’re still presenting things to society for their consideration, and they still owe the bare basics of what everyone in society owes each other....ie things like not being racist, homophobic, predatory to children, etc. 

I bring that up here because the place where I ACTUALLY think “well fans aren’t getting paid to create their fanworks” is relevant....is stuff like you’re saying. Being worried about not finishing something and upsetting people.

THAT’S where I feel you don’t owe people, because devoting your free time and energy where and when you have it, to creating fanworks that you then offer up to the rest of fandom to hopefully enjoy, is not an obligation or a commitment to continuing to devote your free time and energy in order to continue to do so, if things change in your life or hell, if you just don’t want to anymore. Its your free time and your energy. That other people have benefited from it in the past, or reaped the rewards of your work in the form of entertainment they enjoy, is not an invitation for any of them to ever regard themselves as your boss and prioritize them as someone you need to please, more than you need to take care of yourself and what’s best for you.

There is a vast difference between ‘responsibility’ and ‘entitlement’ and so many of the issues I have with fandoms in general is the weird way in which so many people treat the two as flip-flopped and feel entitled to things they have no right to and meanwhile feel no responsibility to prioritize the basic decency everybody should have a right to enjoy.

In an ideal world, we’d never be without the endings to fics we invest a lot of time and energy into reading and enjoying, but other peoples’ enjoyment is not a responsibility we take on when we share things for free. This is one of those times when people need to be accountable for themselves. If they know they really hate not reading the ends of stories they really enjoy, and never getting the end to a story they’ve really been a fan of will upset them, that’s a them problem. That’s on them to factor this into their fandom experience and how they go about interacting with fanworks. 

There’s an easy solution to never being left hanging by an unfinished fic.....wait until a fic is finished before beginning to read it. Does that mean they might not get to read or enjoy the early chapters of something a lot of other people are reading and talking about? Yup. But if they’re gonna be bothered anyway after reading those and ultimately the fic goes unfinished, then there was never a scenario there that ended ideally. If you want the enjoyment of at least having sampled every creative idea in the fandom, you have to accept the possibility that some of those ideas will go without conclusion. If you want the surety of never being left bothered by an unfinished fic, you have to accept that there are some stories and ideas you’ll miss out on entirely.  *Shrugs* Its just how it is. 

Doesn’t mean that its still not frustrating to reach the end of a WIP and not know if there’ll ever be more, or flat out told there won’t be....but being frustrated is not the end of the world. Its a thing they can vent about on their blog, and a thing that can result in posts that make you feel targeted by and stress you out about not having updated lately, but that’s just because of how widespread the ‘really loved a WIP and now it’ll probably never be finished’ phenomenon is throughout every fandom, and has been pretty much from the start. And yet, fandom is still here, and none the worse off for the vast multitude of unfinished fics. 

Yeah, it sucks, but ultimately, its not a thing that actually hurts people, and its not a thing that you ever need to beat yourself up over. I mean, I’ve been there on both sides of the equation.....feeling super stressed and guilty over not updating a fic, and feeling frustrated by realizing a WIP I really loved is probably never going to be updated again. Neither is ideal, but it just is what it is. 

For what its worth, the thing I’ve received the most positive feedback on in literally any fandom I’ve been in over the past sixteen years, is Chapter 3 of my YJ fic, Born Under A Bad Sign. Only three chapters of that fic ever got around to being posted so far, with Chapter 3 posted like two years ago, I think.....and yet that one chapter alone has generated me more comments, private messages and emails than anything else I’ve ever written. It was a really personal chapter that allowed me to really unpack a lot of my own issues, like, Dinah basically acted as a proxy for all the things I wished someone had said to me at various points in my life...and even though I really hate that I’ve been too sidetracked by real life drama to return to that fic, I am so, so glad that I posted that chapter as soon as I wrote it anyway. I’ve been told by a lot of people that it really helped them as well, just to read it, because they felt like it said a lot of things they wish they’d heard before now too. And even just hearing it in a fic, said to a character they relate to....*Shrugs* It can help. You never know what can help someone, or what will really speak to someone, or what can have an impact. 

So I say if you cared enough to write it, someone’s bound to care enough to read it and be glad they did, even if you never write a single word more of it. If your biggest concern is leaving someone without more of something they enjoyed and came to love, just take comfort in the fact that you gave them something to love and some measure of enjoyment in the first place.

[snapedefender]

someone in another fandom was really mean and insulting and inconsiderate to me for daring to ask rather nicely if maybe they could not use an acronym 'ss' for some thing present in the fandom so liberally cause it has very bad conotations in my country (im polish, varsovian at that, so very present in my society collective conciousness) and i remember what amazing, sweet and considerate person you are, so.. thank you for being so lovely

yikes!!! when i started this blog i wanted a snape-focused name but a lot of the ones i tried were taken so i ended up doing ssdefense just to have something...... i’m american and i’m not jewish, so i had no real idea of ‘ss’ as a concept. i’m not sure how many americans are really like... casually aware of nazi signals and watchwords outside of their main sigil tbh, which is concerning. but god, the moment someone was nice enough to tell me what i was inadvertently advertising, i changed it immediately. i’m actually disappointed you cant like... retroactively change your username on blog posts too bc sometimes posts i made with that username crop up in my feed and i full-body cringe.

like!! the very idea of being even loosely connected with nazi ideology makes me almost physically uncomfortable. i can’t imagine how anyone would hear ‘hey this phrase/word/sigil is used consistently by nazis and has a connection to white supremacists who committed genocide not too long ago’ and think ‘nah it’s fine if i keep using it.’ like, setting aside the basic decency of not making other people more uncomfortable than we have to (which has somehow been branded as political correctness censorship???) doesn’t that make YOU yourself uncomfortable?? even if you aren’t interested in being nice to others who make a simple request, don’t YOU want to keep your internet space nazi-free even by the remotest connection??????? that kind of reaction is literally WILD to me.

that sucks dude. here’s to hoping they recognize the error of their ways sooner rather than later. and thank you for the compliment, but tbh i don’t really think it needs to be complimented. human decency should be expected even (and maybe even especially) on the internet. 

[catalogado]

David Graeber

Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You!

Chances are you have already heard something about who anarchists are and what they are supposed to believe. Chances are almost everything you have heard is nonsense. Many people seem to think that anarchists are proponents of violence, chaos, and destruction, that they are against all forms of order and organization, or that they are crazed nihilists who just want to blow everything up. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Anarchists are simply people who believe human beings are capable of behaving in a reasonable fashion without having to be forced to. It is really a very simple notion. But it’s one that the rich and powerful have always found extremely dangerous.

At their very simplest, anarchist beliefs turn on to two elementary assumptions. The first is that human beings are, under ordinary circumstances, about as reasonable and decent as they are allowed to be, and can organize themselves and their communities without needing to be told how. The second is that power corrupts. Most of all, anarchism is just a matter of having the courage to take the simple principles of common decency that we all live by, and to follow them through to their logical conclusions. Odd though this may seem, in most important ways you are probably already an anarchist — you just don’t realize it.

Let’s start by taking a few examples from everyday life.

If there’s a line to get on a crowded bus, do you wait your turn and refrain from elbowing your way past others even in the absence of police?

If you answered “yes”, then you are used to acting like an anarchist! The most basic anarchist principle is self-organization: the assumption that human beings do not need to be threatened with prosecution in order to be able to come to reasonable understandings with each other, or to treat each other with dignity and respect.

Everyone believes they are capable of behaving reasonably themselves. If they think laws and police are necessary, it is only because they don’t believe that other people are. But if you think about it, don’t those people all feel exactly the same way about you? Anarchists argue that almost all the anti-social behavior which makes us think it’s necessary to have armies, police, prisons, and governments to control our lives, is actually caused by the systematic inequalities and injustice those armies, police, prisons and governments make possible. It’s all a vicious circle. If people are used to being treated like their opinions do not matter, they are likely to become angry and cynical, even violent — which of course makes it easy for those in power to say that their opinions do not matter. Once they understand that their opinions really do matter just as much as anyone else’s, they tend to become remarkably understanding. To cut a long story short: anarchists believe that for the most part it is power itself, and the effects of power, that make people stupid and irresponsible.

Are you a member of a club or sports team or any other voluntary organization where decisions are not imposed by one leader but made on the basis of general consent?

If you answered “yes”, then you belong to an organization which works on anarchist principles! Another basic anarchist principle is voluntary association. This is simply a matter of applying democratic principles to ordinary life. The only difference is that anarchists believe it should be possible to have a society in which everything could be organized along these lines, all groups based on the free consent of their members, and therefore, that all top-down, military styles of organization like armies or bureaucracies or large corporations, based on chains of command, would no longer be necessary. Perhaps you don’t believe that would be possible. Perhaps you do. But every time you reach an agreement by consensus, rather than threats, every time you make a voluntary arrangement with another person, come to an understanding, or reach a compromise by taking due consideration of the other person’s particular situation or needs, you are being an anarchist — even if you don’t realize it.

Anarchism is just the way people act when they are free to do as they choose, and when they deal with others who are equally free — and therefore aware of the responsibility to others that entails. This leads to another crucial point: that while people can be reasonable and considerate when they are dealing with equals, human nature is such that they cannot be trusted to do so when given power over others. Give someone such power, they will almost invariably abuse it in some way or another.

Do you believe that most politicians are selfish, egotistical swine who don’t really care about the public interest? Do you think we live in an economic system which is stupid and unfair?

If you answered “yes”, then you subscribe to the anarchist critique of today’s society — at least, in its broadest outlines. Anarchists believe that power corrupts and those who spend their entire lives seeking power are the very last people who should have it. Anarchists believe that our present economic system is more likely to reward people for selfish and unscrupulous behavior than for being decent, caring human beings. Most people feel that way. The only difference is that most people don’t think there’s anything that can be done about it, or anyway — and this is what the faithful servants of the powerful are always most likely to insist — anything that won’t end up making things even worse.

But what if that weren’t true?

And is there really any reason to believe this? When you can actually test them, most of the usual predictions about what would happen without states or capitalism turn out to be entirely untrue. For thousands of years people lived without governments. In many parts of the world people live outside of the control of governments today. They do not all kill each other. Mostly they just get on about their lives the same as anyone else would. Of course, in a complex, urban, technological society all this would be more complicated: but technology can also make all these problems a lot easier to solve. In fact, we have not even begun to think about what our lives could be like if technology were really marshaled to fit human needs. How many hours would we really need to work in order to maintain a functional society — that is, if we got rid of all the useless or destructive occupations like telemarketers, lawyers, prison guards, financial analysts, public relations experts, bureaucrats and politicians, and turn our best scientific minds away from working on space weaponry or stock market systems to mechanizing away dangerous or annoying tasks like coal mining or cleaning the bathroom, and distribute the remaining work among everyone equally? Five hours a day? Four? Three? Two? Nobody knows because no one is even asking this kind of question. Anarchists think these are the very questions we should be asking.

Do you really believe those things you tell your children (or that your parents told you)?

“It doesn’t matter who started it.” “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” “Clean up your own mess.” “Do unto others...” “Don’t be mean to people just because they’re different.” Perhaps we should decide whether we’re lying to our children when we tell them about right and wrong, or whether we’re willing to take our own injunctions seriously. Because if you take these moral principles to their logical conclusions, you arrive at anarchism.

Take the principle that two wrongs don’t make a right. If you really took it seriously, that alone would knock away almost the entire basis for war and the criminal justice system. The same goes for sharing: we’re always telling children that they have to learn to share, to be considerate of each other’s needs, to help each other; then we go off into the real world where we assume that everyone is naturally selfish and competitive. But an anarchist would point out: in fact, what we say to our children is right. Pretty much every great worthwhile achievement in human history, every discovery or accomplishment that’s improved our lives, has been based on cooperation and mutual aid; even now, most of us spend more of our money on our friends and families than on ourselves; while likely as not there will always be competitive people in the world, there’s no reason why society has to be based on encouraging such behavior, let alone making people compete over the basic necessities of life. That only serves the interests of people in power, who want us to live in fear of one another. That’s why anarchists call for a society based not only on free association but mutual aid. The fact is that most children grow up believing in anarchist morality, and then gradually have to realize that the adult world doesn’t really work that way. That’s why so many become rebellious, or alienated, even suicidal as adolescents, and finally, resigned and bitter as adults; their only solace, often, being the ability to raise children of their own and pretend to them that the world is fair. But what if we really could start to build a world which really was at least founded on principles of justice? Wouldn’t that be the greatest gift to one’s children one could possibly give?

Do you believe that human beings are fundamentally corrupt and evil, or that certain sorts of people (women, people of color, ordinary folk who are not rich or highly educated) are inferior specimens, destined to be ruled by their betters?

If you answered “yes”, then, well, it looks like you aren’t an anarchist after all. But if you answered “no”, then chances are you already subscribe to 90% of anarchist principles, and, likely as not, are living your life largely in accord with them. Every time you treat another human with consideration and respect, you are being an anarchist. Every time you work out your differences with others by coming to reasonable compromise, listening to what everyone has to say rather than letting one person decide for everyone else, you are being an anarchist. Every time you have the opportunity to force someone to do something, but decide to appeal to their sense of reason or justice instead, you are being an anarchist. The same goes for every time you share something with a friend, or decide who is going to do the dishes, or do anything at all with an eye to fairness.

Now, you might object that all this is well and good as a way for small groups of people to get on with each other, but managing a city, or a country, is an entirely different matter. And of course there is something to this. Even if you decentralize society and put as much power as possible in the hands of small communities, there will still be plenty of things that need to be coordinated, from running railroads to deciding on directions for medical research. But just because something is complicated does not mean there is no way to do it democratically. It would just be complicated. In fact, anarchists have all sorts of different ideas and visions about how a complex society might manage itself. To explain them though would go far beyond the scope of a little introductory text like this. Suffice it to say, first of all, that a lot of people have spent a lot of time coming up with models for how a really democratic, healthy society might work; but second, and just as importantly, no anarchist claims to have a perfect blueprint. The last thing we want is to impose prefab models on society anyway. The truth is we probably can’t even imagine half the problems that will come up when we try to create a democratic society; still, we’re confident that, human ingenuity being what it is, such problems can always be solved, so long as it is in the spirit of our basic principles — which are, in the final analysis, simply the principles of fundamental human decency.

[hongkongartman-mlee]

Selfish Behaviours Can Burn Down Hong Kong Image As A ‘Cultural Hub’: Its All About Trying A Little Kindness In Public Places 

“Try a Little Kindness” is a very popular song first recorded by country music singer Glen Campbell in 1969. The song was about being considerate of the needs and feelings of others. It was a super hit in the world. When I was a kid, TV in Hong Kong showed the music video almost twice a day. Campbell died aged 81 in 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Glen Campbell sang, “If you see your brother standing by the road with a heavy load from the seeds he sowed. And if you see your sister falling by the way, just stop and say, ‘You’re going the wrong way’…”

Hong Kong was planned to be developed as an art and cultural exchange hub between China and the rest of the world. Yet, the commonly found rude behaviours in the city have to be discouraged by way of family and school education.

In any society, there are bound to be more selfish people than the considerate ones; and this is true in Hong Kong as people here tend to be more and more individualistic. A selfish person is the one who puts his own wants first. He concerns with himself and does only those things that satisfy his own desires. The problem arises when you do things in a public place for your own interests and ignore the needs of those around you. You do not care if others will be jeopardized or not by your behaviour. Someone said, “I am thankful for the selfish people around. They have shown me exactly who I don’t want to be.” Do you?

Having gone through a long period of social issues and conflicts in Hong Kong, quite a large number of people, particularly the young, become anti-social. They, like the Joker character in the film The Dark Knight, embody and express a desire to upset social discipline, decency and order through breaking the rules told or imposed on them. This is a worrying trend. The discomfort of those affected amuse these selfish ones greatly, perhaps on par with being a kind of sadistic pleasure.

People swear, use ‘potty talk’ or use hurtful or socially unacceptable dirty words in public places. There may be a number of reasons why a person uses inappropriate language but basically, selfishness is the mentality.

Some talk on speakerphone, some talk loudly on the phone, some watch phone videos without headphones and some listen to music on their phones with the phone speakers on subway train and other public transports. It is a pity that in Hong Kong, there are tons of people who were not brought up to be quiet when they are in public spaces.

Many do not clean up dog urine or pick up dog poo when taking their dog for a walk outside. I wish one day, such selfish people would step on the poo of their own animals.

In a lift, many do not say ‘thank you’ to the one who holds the ‘door open’ button for them. They refuse to stand in the back or let others exit comfortably. They do not realize that with just one push of a button, they can help the elderly or disabled a lot in an elevator.

Priority seats are offered on public transport to people with special need such as elderly people, the disabled and pregnant women. It is a shame that some young people argued such a preferential treatment was against the concept of equality! Some refuse to yield their seats.

Hong Kong is a crowded city and passageways in supermarkets, shops, restaurants and toilets are narrow. Quite a number of people obstruct passageways, streets, sidewalks, hallways, aisles, exits and entrances to which others need access. I heard a man even defended in his quarrel, “For the enjoyment of public space, it should be on a first-come-first-serve basis!”

Why do people zigzag when walking or crossing a street? Some cross in front of you, from left to right and back again, without any realization that they may bump into others and put both in danger. More cities are discussing if they should make it illegal to mobile text while crossing the street?

Research showed that many rude individuals are deeply insecure, with low self-confidence and a lack of understanding about human behaviour. The bedrock of the problem is that rude people are often frustrated or fail; and they might be going through a lot and want to show it on others. One funny excuse, as I am aware of, is that he was too shy to be kind to others as most people were unkind.

Disrespect and selfishness are bad for the atmosphere around a city. The brand for a city is like a reputation for a person too. Hong Kong people must learn that when they earn reputation for Hong Kong, we are actually earning a fine reputation for us too. A rising tide lifts all boats!

MLee

Chinese Version 中文版: https://www.patreon.com/posts/xiang-gang-ding-56500678?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copy_to_clipboard&utm_campaign=postshare

Gambler Song  Acknowledgment-lifeisgood181  https://youtu.be/x2RzkFcuy_U

80s Long Hair Jade: When will I see you again  Acknowledgement-sheksang  https://youtu.be/DV9V7yX2BfU 

Try a Little Kindness  Acknowledgement-Fre14goz  https://youtu.be/bNerk3_hdlE

 TV Calling for Courtesy Advertisement  Acknowledgement-何鴻德  https://youtu.be/GGORuM9omYg

Transport Department Courtesy Video  Acknowledgement-Damon  https://youtu.be/sXwlKmrk654

Government Video: Spitting and Littering  Acknowledgement-何鴻德  https://youtu.be/Ra_4ujjpJuU

Shame Shame Shame  Acknowledgment-Brygnar  Skitbella  https://youtu.be/CkjKgh-G6vg

[isaiah-lee]

⠀⠀⠀ 𝐌𝐌𝐗𝐈𝐗 : ⠀⠀⠀ January, The InterContinental ⠀⠀⠀ Jakarta. The Lee & Enrille ⠀⠀⠀ Family Dinner.

ISAIAH: The collaboration between The Lee Entertainment and Lavigné had nearly ten years. Alicia, the founder of Lavigné, had a great influence on the growth of Lee Entertainment; her strategic approach and effective problem solving have left Isaiah mesmerized. As her business partner, he acknowledged her ability to convert those into their day-to-day activities. Vice versa, the models of Lee Entertainment have been the regular client of Lavigné. The company helped Lavigné to elevate its sales from time to time as well. Everyone does know ever since Isaiah running the company, The Lee Entertainment's models' image morphed into a phenomenon. They have influenced society's perceptions of beauty ideals in Indonesia, and every major fashion designer and publication keeps an eye on them. Lavigné, with ease, gains those benefits. They had the privileges to access their models over the years.

"This is the longest meeting ever, Isa."

"I know, right."

"And I haven't picked any dress for tonight."

"You will look good with anything."

"Oh, no wonder you are the Lee."

Alicia never had enough bragging about him being a Lee, and not everybody can tease him with his family, but for Alicia, he let it slides. People might be thinking they had a sort of special relationship, but they are not. It comes out because Graham showers her with compliments; just like him, Isaiah does the same. Only by nature does he do that without hidden agenda behind it, and Alicia does know that too.

"So, your family doesn't mind with the dinner."

"Mhm, it's our tenth year working together. Let's consider this as a celebration."

"Actually, I didn't even remember that. How can I take it into consideration? But that was a good one. It's just... It has been a while we didn't have dinner between the families."

"I don't even remember when the last time we had dinner. You did the right thing by taking the initiative about dinner." Isaiah gives a light nod in agreement. "Then, I'll see you at night," Alicia added while stood up.

"Sure, see you."

────────────────

Isaiah escorted The Enrille to enter the private dining room he had booked in The Intercontinental. When they had passed the door, the two families soon enjoyed the easy, and the conversation began free-flowing between the two.

"I hope you don't mind, and my granddaughter will join the dinner too. She has been staying in Vienna for months. Please don't mind this old lady for missing her granddaughter so much until she couldn't wait for even a second." Laughter filled the room.

"Please, we'd like to know more about the Lee other than Isaiah here." A smile tugging in his lips to the jests given by Alicia, The Enrille barely in touch with anyone in the Lee other than him yet. Valentine will be coming in minutes, and it has been a while for him not to met her either.

VALENTINE: She just landed a while ago from Vienna, she thought she has gotten used to the hours and hours of flight but she’s pretty mistaken. She still got the worst headaches and half of the reason behind it is from the exhaustion from work. She just wrapped up her last grand recital in Wiener Staatsoper. She has performed in numerous well known recitals for the whole year, she barely give herself a rest for thisㅡ but she thought this is nothing than her school year back in Julliard. After graduating, she has only participated in classic concerts and recitals that is held abroad. Vienna, New York, Polandㅡ give it a list, she has done a lot in a year but none of them in Indonesia. She’s been avoiding every requests from her Grand mother, Adine Lee to hold a solo recital in Jakarta. She thought, people will see her as Valentine Leeㅡ the privileged princess from The Lee family that is so lucky to have her solo concert already by the age of 24. Her last prejudice is that people will look at her with envy, for how easy her paved road of life is. Instead of eyes of admiration for how she play the piano.

She’s so used to that stereotyping and prejudice, for God sake she has live with that. But her pride, passion and the love for classical music is bigger than ever. She didn’t want to stain the last thing she’s been doing with sincerity, to ended up being a public stunt for her family’s reputation. She has succeed to avoid one, but she’s not that powerful to decline a dinner invitation. Her pitch black Mercedes Benz S-Class is taking her to some place, she let out a sigh knowing that she can’t sleep right away. She fixed some of her make up, hair and her outfit. She could’ve worn something more comfortable for flights but to know that she need to go to this dinner straight from the airport, she’s now wearing a black shirt with Chanel’s tweed jacket with a matching skirt.

“Nona Valentine, sudah sampai. Tuan Graham dan yang lainnya juga sudah sampai tadi. “

Her chauffeur said by the moment she finished glittering herself. She looked at her cushion’s mirror for one last time, She believes that girl inside it is ready for any battle she need to be present at, the whole universe is kind enough to give her almost everything. Her face feature for the first example, her red cherry lips, her round big eyes. Even when she’s pretty tired and exhausted right now, she’s pretty satisfied with how she looks.

“Terima kasih, Pak. Val turun dulu. “

The second example should be manner, she has themㅡ it is gifted and taught by her mother. No matter how tired or grumpy she is, she still think manner is the most basic human decency to keep. More over ever since Nadia that keeps brainwashing her that her public image is everything that matters. Her heels is making a sound as she walk down through the hotel lobby, a lot of people is eyeing her presence. The waitress is opening the huge door when she about to enter the room, she is familiar with all thisㅡ fine dinings, and all the luxury that it might sound.

She smile in blooms when she enter the room, there is a few people already inside. Her grandparents is sitting in the main seat of the dining table per usual, as a sign that he is the oldest and they are the host of tonight’s dinner. Next to him there’s Adine Lee, her grand mother with her fine silk dress. Next to her is her cousin, Isaiah Leeㅡ and she was informed that there will be a guest, it looks like there’s a complete family of five. There’s a man and woman around her parent’s age, and this beautiful lady sitting in front of Ko Isa. And then this guy with a black suit, and next to himㅡ how surprised she is to see Moreno, her friends back in Senior High School to sit there. She remembered she once met him in one family event but she never find out more about his household because she left to New York by then.

Moreno looks as surprised as she is, he even gasp that makes everyone shift their focus from Valentine to him. Still she keep smiling after. She can see Ko Isa is smiling upon her arrival as well, out of everyone that is present todayㅡ she probably feel the most comfortable with him.

She walked closer to Adine, her grandmother got up from her seat while spreading out her arms to her. She knew what it means, a hug. She has always been close to her grand mother, though not that close close but she’s more familiar with her than with Graham.

“My Valentine, Grandma miss you. “ ㅤ “I miss you so much more, grandma.”

Everyone on the room is looking at the two right now, some smiled to see their interaction. After the hug, her grandmother sit back to her place and she continue her walk to her seat. But theres a pair of eyes which have been following her movement ever since she was present in the room and now shes sitting in front of him, their eyes finally meet. His hazel brown eyes is enough to capture all the light from the chandelier hanging above them.

ISAIAH: A minute smile crossed against Isaiah's lips, feeling warm at the sight he witnessing. Valentine and his grandmother, Adine. After getting her position to sits, his attention shifted to his grandfather, who was in a corner in a close range from Valentine.

"It's an honour for us, The Lee, to eventually have this dinner after so long we are always tied to work. You must have been very occupied but still managed to spend your time to dinner with us. You have my thanks." Graham opened the conversation at the dinner. "Not many from outside earn the opportunity to collaborate with Lee Entertainment. But for Lavigné, Isaiah had always spoken highly to the brand. As always, you are fascinating as ever, after all, Alicia."

The corner of his eyes glanced briefly at the woman who had her head lowered lightly to hides her cheeks redden at the praise given. He believes she deserves it all because of her outstanding performance. However, if only Isaiah, the one who had said the credit, Alicia would have returned the gratitude in denial. But this time, Isaiah could see Alicia working on being polite as possible at Graham. "Thank you." She replied in a gentle tone.

"No, it is you who I should be thanking."

"It is such unfortunate that my father couldn't attend today. He would really love to talk with you." Said the man who happens to be a father of Alicia. "José is my friend, he is just like me when it comes to working, we never tire. Don't worry, I invited you here as a family, and when it comes to family, be at ease. So, loosen up a little." Graham said, along with laughter.

"I hope that this relationship will always be beneficial in the future as well. As you can see, I trusted Isaiah with all my heart. He is made positive and constant improvements to Lee Entertainment. I am confident, in the future, he will remain the same and even better." Isaiah shows a faint smile to those compliments. Even though the words are never meant to motivate him but avail the situation so his company could gain more. It was indeed a great shot.

Noticing that Isaiah was another victim to get compliments from Graham, Alicia responds while her eyes look at him. "I know Isaiah better than any woman he ever met. I have witnessed his impressive record, and Lavigné wouldn't worry about holding on to this partnership. Thank you, Isaiah Lee." The tone of her voice purposely sounded sarcastic.

"It was nothing. No need to thank me all at once or anything." Isaiah, who never fond of losing over Alicia, then have the same playful, sarcastic response in return too.

VALENTINE: Valentine, who is now sitting next to her cousin, Isaiahㅡ can’t help to smile along hearing their conversation, it’s been a minute since they start the dinner but for it to a compliment party.

Valentine is too familiar with all this, this is all she knew, this is all she raised forㅡ she has heard for million times the elderly around her throwing compliments like it’s just a free biscuit, perhaps they did it out of respect, out of formalities, or heaven wonder tooㅡ the real intention behind all that.

Valentine knew that excessive compliments is not Isaiah’s cup of tea as well, though it’s only been a while and they’re not very close with each otherㅡ but she knew Isaiah is someone who worship realism, compliments brings him nowhere. But manner is the necessity of The Lee, he can’t just dodge every compliment he receive. That is primarily the reason why Valentine can’t help to smile, because she knew Isaiah has to deal with all that while swallowing all his dinner for tonight.

On each dinner like this, usually is about business talk or some similar matter. Valentine never really paid a lot of attention for any conversation done before in every dinner because it is mainly on the elder side, it is only a dinner for her.

But it seems that there’s a special case for anything, she seemed to beㅡ alert, and present. Her mind didn’t wander or wish to be anywhere like per usual, she even have to hold the pace of her breathing. Because apparently, she is very well aware that there’s this pair of eyes which have been following her movement ever since she was present in the room. Though he didn’t make it obviousㅡ or it’s just the way he observe his surroundings, he sit right next to Aliciaㅡ the woman Graham has been praising for almost the whole night. Just by looking on how she dress herself, how she sit, how she gracefully receive and speak for herself. Valentine herself can admit, the woman sitting in front of her is remarkably gorgeous and outstanding.

Valentine knew that there will be a guest for today’s dinner, she’s been informed before hand, Ko Isa said that they have been a good friend of our familyㅡ and Valentine knew about the brand Lavigné, she heard it often being mentioned ever since she first signed the contract with The Lee Entertainment. And Alicia is the CEO of the brand.

Out of everyone in this room, beside Moreno that she already knew from St. Gallois. She never heard, nor she knew anything about this guyㅡ he is sitting in between Alicia and Moreno. Each of his movement is either very calm, or very asserting. Moreno whisper to him sometimes in between Graham’s conversation, but she haven’t heard a word from him. Oh how she wish his grandfather, or Ko Isa could start talking to him.

If he’s being honest, this occasion is not his cup of teaㅡ even though he attended numerous business dinner, bouquet, and many other formal event, he still felt a dinner should only be a quick meal back in his office.

So that he can continue what ever work he’s been dealing with, but he’s not someone that is negligent to just bail a dinner invitation. His family worship manners and etiquette after all. More over after he heard his father speak highly of this Lee family, he sure will take the part as a decent son from a family of such great wealth.

Dane Lohr Enrille, is the second born of The Enrille family. The younger brother of Alicia, an older brother to Moreno, the 28 years old heir of The Caspian Enterprises. Speaking of a bloodline, if the tradition said the oldest should take the throneㅡ it should’ve been Alicia that will sit on the throne as the next CEO.

But Alicia made it pretty clear that she’s not interested with the business, instead she has successfully build her own kingdom. That is why her father is satisfied enough with the current plot, it is Dane.

Before this, Alicia assured him that it is only a dinnerㅡ the worst case is that everything will be about her brand new project and her, as the spotlight. She said Dane just need to be present there, and answering a few question if there is.

Never knew he would encounter a figure that amuses him this much only just by looking at her face, he wouldn’t address this for something like seeing his ideal type of a woman since he believe he’s extremely meticulous about this matter.

But he can’t help but look, her gesture, her fair skin, the way her lips curved into a smile. The way she listened to her surroundings. He got the same euphoria like he’s doing and feeling some sort of thing for the first time in his life.

How come he has never seen her before,

how come he didn’t know nor heard about her.

He too, can’t believe that he feels this way. This foreign feeling. As much as he’s suddenly curious about who she is, but since he didn’t have any plan to play with the fire, he distract himself by sipping the cold water to take his sense back.

He’ll probably forget about her after tonight, her sister was right about this, It’s been 30 minutes but the conversation is still all about her, Lavigné and Isaiah. He might have to restrain his curiosity about this Valentine. Perhaps he needs to be satisfied only by the sight of her.

Alicia, who noticed something is going on just by looking on how her younger brother is looking at someone he just met. She never saw him with those eyes. She knew him better than anyone else, there is no way he will start any conversationㅡ so often times, she will.

“So, Valentine is it? Isaiah told me you just got back from Vienna, for recitals?”

“Yes, I’ve performed for a few symphonies and orchestras. “

She was quite taken aback then Alicia suddenly switch the conversation to her, everyone in the table is looking at the two. So did Adine with a loving eyes towards Valentine, Adine is someone who is very fond of classic artsㅡ she contributed to many events related to it, funding or even holding a gallery and recitals in the name of The Lee Foundation, the one Valentine avoided for years. She looks quite excited when Alicia start bringing up about it, on the other hand Graham is now focused with her meal.

“Valentine my dear, I heard you joined a theater production for Broadway? You didn’t inform me much about this one dear. “

Oh great, she thought. At this point Adine will list out every projects Valentine have done, she saw this coming though. Isaiah smiled looking at Valentine who got a little bit flustered for being the center of the attention, perhaps because he knew that sometimes his grandmother want to brag a little bit about how well educated her grand children are when it comes to art.

“I am, Grandma. The Shubert Organization is collaborating with The Julliard School this year, I, am lucky enough to receive the invitation to join the team. “

Adine smiled brightly upon hearing Valentine’s answer, perhaps it satisfy her enough to prove that The Lee Family has it’s own achievement even abroad. Across the room, while she’s still talking with Alicia about her recital and modeling careerㅡ his eyes never left hers ever since she started talking, perhaps it is a normal habit for making eye contacts to whoever is speaking. But at this rate, those looks could kills. Valentine has been someone who is confident with herself, either with public speaking, or just as a self. She can still handle this one,

“Lavigné is launching a new skincare line, we’re still looking for the perfect fit for the Brand Ambassador. Who knows if the spot is yours, Valentine. “

“Oh I love that idea, I’ve often heard Ko Isa speak so highly of Lavigné’s success. “

ISAIAH: Isaiah doesn't like bringing things up that shouldn't be brought up. He was honest about Lavigné's extraordinary performance, and their immeasurable extension deserves praise.

"How about to give a shot for Valentine to fill the spot in Lavigné?" His grandfather said abruptly in the middle of a conversation. It silenced everyone, and also Isaiah. His eyes were shifted towards Alicia, given a sign in which his eyes speak. Their relationship is that closes, to the point he doesn't bother to convey it through words. The signal given is about her opinion of his grandfather's remarks. However, Alicia seemed confused about the situation.

He understands that Graham's decree is too early to determine. Lavigné should consider numerous elements. Besides, this is their first time meeting with Valentine. On another side, Alicia and her family were not familiar with the sudden involvement of Graham in the situation given. Even though, in fact, he always imposes his will on the company. Only Hiram and Isaiah perceive this matter. Breaking the ice, Isaiah began to deliver his thought to his grandfather. "I have to talk with Valentine, first, about the terms and conditions before we jump into the decision." His grandfather seems dissatisfied with the response the man gives, thus Isaiah continued. "We also have to look at the qualities that Lavigné needs, whether it suits Valentine or not."

Again, the answer might displease him. However, whatever Isaiah address turns out to be the right thing to do. He wanted to lessen the unpredictable predicament caused by this. Giving the spot everyone trying to fill to Valentine is comes as easiest to Isaiah. But, the damage that would surface might be requiring prominent exertion.

Actually, even though Valentine followed all the processes, she would make it an ambassador of Lavigné despite being a Lee. Isaiah has been working in this field all his life. Therefore, he had the capability to distinguish whether someone will thrive or not. Valentine is an untapped talented person with several exceptional qualities. He believes she will prosper. Moreover, Alicia has shown her compatibility with Valentine. She earns another point for her winning to the spot.

[uk-news-talking-politics]

Punished through their parents: The war on migrant children

By Cameron Boyle

Humane societies ensure that all children are provided for, but that's not a fair description of the UK right now. Destitution, homelessness and desperation are rife. The hopeless situations they find themselves in are unjust and undeserved. They stem from the immigration status of their parents.

The causes of poverty in the migrant community are numerous and complex, but the most prominent is quite simple:the lack of an adequate safety net. There is a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition applied to all migrants who are subject to immigration control and this results in their exclusion from mainstream benefits.

As it stands, the only avenue of support comes via Section 17 of the 1989 Children Act, whereby local authorities are responsible for providing subsistence and housing to all destitute children under their jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, this supposed lifeline is riddled with inadequacies. Not only do migrants face considerable obstacles when applying for support, but the assistance provided is not fit for purpose. Young people report feelings of shame, fear and sadness because of the circumstances they are trapped in, yet their views are given no consideration in decision-making.

The Section 17 assessment process is focused on attacking the parents' credibility rather than prioritising the welfare of the child. A report by Project 17 found that 60% of families were unlawfully refused support when they first approached their local authority. Hostile gatekeeping methods are deployed to prevent migrant families from accessing the help they need. These include attacks on credibility, misinformation, and threats to take the child into care.

Some local authorities have been found to embed immigration officers into their assessment teams, leading to applicants feeling distressed and victimised. In addition, the presence of Home Office officials discourages those in need from applying due to fears of detention or deportation. A report from the Children's Society found that assessments become centred upon the parent'  immigration status rather than the needs of the child.

One mother described feeling "worthless and humiliated" after seeking Section 17 support from Lewisham Council, stating "they don’t know how to talk to people". The difficulties involved not only perpetuate destitution, but cause immense emotional distress. Some families were told that their children would be taken into care, something that can only legally occur if there are genuine safeguarding concerns, of which there were not. This constitutes misinformation on the part of the local authority with the intention of scaring parents into now proceeding with their case. To make matters worse, several of these conversations occurred in the presence of the child, causing considerable anxiety and panic.

Section 17 financial support cements poverty rather than alleviates it. A lack of statutory guidance means that the amount of money provided to a family will often fluctuate. The seemingly arbitrary nature of payments is discussed by a Children's Society practitioner, who states that "they just give you whatever money they've got on the day". Project 17 found that in some cases subsistence rates were below the asylum support rate of £36.50 per person per week - the legal bare minimum. Compas found that some local authorities provide financial support for the children but not the parents, something that leads to the overall family unit suffering and remaining destitute.

Eighty-two per cent of the children interviewed by Project 17 stated that they did not have enough money and worried about affording essentials such as food, clothes and medicine. The Children's Society found that some children had a budget of £2 per day. It's simply not enough to live on.

In the words of a local authority employee: "I actually think our service maintains poverty". Government spending cuts have led to councils cutting costs wherever possible, but this should never be at the expense of child welfare. Migrant children are living in indescribably desperate situations. One young person told Project 17 that they feel as though life is "no longer worth it".

The housing provided to migrant families under Section 17 leads to children experiencing illness, misery and insecurity. Young people have reported issues such as cockroach infestations and anti-social behaviour from other residents. Research has found that 64% of properties provided to these families in London are not appropriate for the needs of children.

The emotional impact of living in substandard accommodation with children is devastating. One child described "crying inside" due to feeling unsafe at home. Even more harrowingly, the hideous conditions result in children suffering both physical and mental health problems, with one child telling Project 17 of their whole body aching after sleeping on a floor.

A study by Shelter examined the impact of poor-quality housing on the lives of young people, finding that health and academic attainment are negatively affected. This is corroborated by Project 17, which found many children raised concerns about not having enough space to do homework. Not only this, but Section 17 housing provision often results in a family being placed in accommodation that is a considerable distance from children's school.

The long journey often necessitates the use of public transport, but due to a lack of subsistence this is unaffordable. They therefore have to make a very early start, but this leads to complete exhaustion, which impairs a child’s ability to function through the school day.

It is wrong that children are stuck in hopeless situations because of the immigration status of their parents. Many children hold British citizenship, but are unable to access support due to their parents having the NRPF condition.

Local authority assessments need to adopt a child-centred approach. The provision of subsistence and housing must be regulated to ensure the wellbeing of all children. The system fails the most basic standards of compassion and decency a society should expect.

[kyloknightofhux]

sometimes i see ppl on here that are rlly hardcore supportive of the dark side, like as a life philosophy, and they go into a lot of interesting detail on morality and psychology based around dark side ideals and the way the Star Wars universe treats them

and like....some points are good. many are! and then i see people that IMO go way too far with it, kind of acting like the subjectivity of morality and the way our society views Bad People is some sort of...idk excuse??? to like....negatively judge people  who think that goodness and self-control are traits to strive for?? I mean, shit, im certainly no purist and i even consider myself far closer to morally grey than most people but i mean--

Like, if everyone acted the way some of these irl dark-sider advocates are saying society should act, im like 95% sure most of them would be immensely put off by the rhetoric as soon as it became a massive obstacle to them in their personal life. But sure, i’ll be really bluntly honest, taking the dark side code into ones life really literally does seem like a good way to live for a lot of people, especially people afraid to express themselves, or who have been raised into harmful emotional/judgmental environments, like, say fundamentalist christianity (which...is where i came from and its a literal miracle i got out lol).

Inability to express oneself is indeed unhealthy, no one can argue that.

We shouldn’t be afraid of anger or other harsh emotions. We should let ourselves feel those things and be passionate etc. BUT appropriately containing oneself in order to appear ‘good’ is not ‘lying to yourself’ (yes i saw a post basically that said this...). Masking parts of yourself in order to remain ‘decent’ when interacting with humanity around you (EVEN WHEN BY MANY PPLS STANDARDS YOU SEEM/FEEL INHUMAN, I DO KNOW THIS FEEL VERY WELL) is not self-deception it’s what a functioning society fucken has to maintain for survival precisely because humans are actually a goddamn mess too.

It really boils down to unless you’re a straight up anarchist (which would need a whole other post to break down the moral intricacies of etc etc), the handful of extremists i see of the dark-sider community on here are often approaching the whole topic completely irresponsibly IMO, cherry-picking the parts that mean liberation and personal acceptance, without much true consideration for how the real world would be if suddenly everyone subscribed to their theories about how people should or should not act or channel/regulate their emotions. AKA once it’s not just you and a handful of bloggers being dark/edgy/controversial in our little corner here on tumblr and you’re no longer the self-proclaimed odd-one-out indignant at the pressures our society puts on ‘human’ behavioral standards, the novelty and freedom of such philosophies really easily takes a rlly bad turn.

Look I love Kylo a lot ok, u all know that. I love lots of villains precisely bc i enjoy their villainy, or because i see so much of myself in there, or because i enjoy mulling over the psychology of all this. And, there really are cases where I truly don’t think a villain is as terrible as everyone else thinks. But there are VERY VERY few times i look at them and consider it ‘unfair’ that their actions are indeed treated as BAD when it’s completely deserved. Origins and upbringing and background can be a reason for someone to be Bad™. But blaming/shit-talking everyone around those characters (on screen and irl) for actually condemning bad behavior and wanting them to pay for it is just shitty.

And this is coming from me, a chaotic neutral type of personality! The thing is though, right along with that comes (for many ‘neutral’ types esp with personalities like mine) an immediate sense of extreme disgust for unfairness or inequality. It’s a misconception that a ‘legit’ chaotic neutral should not care about that, IMO. On the contrary i MUST care about it because it ensures that individual people, myself included of course...are not cheated out of anything that they should have. Therefore, people being inconsiderate/shitty/whatever in general bc they’re pissed they can’t act however they want is especially disgusting because how dare anyone think they have the right to be like that esp when 99.5% of them despise being on the receiving end of the same behavioral philosophies? And being morally uptight/stringent is JUST AS DISGUSTING to me bc how dare anyone think they have the right to be like that esp when 99.5% of them despise being on the receiving end of the same behavioral philosophies?

I’m not into just ‘being good for the sake of being good’ tbqh, im into acting right and trying to be nice and chill bc the more people do that, the better we could all frikkin live our lives. Yet this is something that unfortunately will not ever lead to some utopia on planet Earth bc so many ppl are too greedy and mean and selfish for that shit by nature -_-

Anyways...excuse the tangent. But I don’t see many ppl complaining irl about how you can never consider someone a truly terrible person because its too subjective. 90% of the population outside of childhood knows bad or unhealthy shit when they see it and once again It is not unfairness or a lie or a self deception to want to put that shit under control both in yourself and others. Maintaining common decency by societal standards is not some vast injustice to one’s personal inner struggles that needs to be overcome or ignored for the sake of personal gratification.

TLDR; holy shit yeah Jedi Code is fucked up but that doesn’t mean go the other extreme, this is like the whole underlying point that someone should reach when they watch Star Wars jfc ~

[theliterateape]

I Wish Liberals Would Stop Ceding The Argument So God Damn Much

by Peter Kremidas

We progressives are historically bad at messaging. It’s because we think that facts and appeals to human decency are persuasive to everybody. They aren’t. Take for example what is currently happening at the border. When confronted with this cruelty, the two most common responses I have seen from republicans online have been 1.) “Obama did it.”, and 2.) “Well, they shouldn’t have broken the law.”

The most common responses to those two non-points are, respectively, 1.) “No he didn’t, as if that fucking matters.” Which pretty much covers it. And 2.) “But many of these people are asylum seekers.”

And on 2., and this isn’t the only instance where liberals and democrats do this, we implicitly sealed their point that IF they were breaking the law, well then obviously do what you must. There is a parallel in the typical democratic response to accusations of being reckless spenders. The democrats respond in the same frame that assumes tax increases are basically oppressive and that they must apologize for every new spending plan. The same defense came up for the Iraq War. Democrats and liberals insisted that “I support the troops but am against the war”, as if such ridiculous bad faith accusations that democrats did not care about soldiers were worthy of consideration instead of being called out as the dishonest propaganda is was.

I have watched my friends online, again and again, get pulled into meaningless distractions on this debate and falling for every bad argument put right in front of them like catnip.

The bottom line, period, is that they need to answer for this. Them. We don’t need to provide an alternative, we don’t need to justify or talk about Barack Obama’s immigration policy, the discussion is about whether what is happening to these children is okay. Republicans, it is your job to justify this policy. Tell me what greater good comes of this. Tell me why the torture of children (and if you think that’s an overstatement, please tell me what you would call it) is worth it. Why is this okay to you? 

“Why is this okay?” That is the only question that needs to be asked and answered when discussing this with republicans. I have yet to receive an answer from any of them.

Because they know. They just don’t care. But that’s a whole other essay.

And when they say some form of “The law is the law”, don’t fall into their trap where you point out that many, if not most, are fleeing desperate situations. Because 1.) They don’t care and 2.) it skirts the point. Which is the so called “crime” itself. Republicans need to then answer, if the torture of children is the penalty for illegal entering a country, what should the penalty then be for speeding? Speeding is clearly more dangerous, by the way, than the mere presence in a foreigners. It’s worth noting that, statistically, immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than native born citizens, if they try that one and are one of the ones that actual believe facts.

So, cross a border without the proper permits, we kidnap your kid and put them in a system where children are starving, sick, sleeping on concrete with lights on 24/7, getting molested, and dying. Meanwhile we put you in jail. So, okay, then what should the penalty be for, say, stealing a candy bar?

And stick to that. Make them answer for their fucked up worldview. Make them explain, and think out loud, themselves, what kind of society they are describing when they say those kids deserve what they’re getting. Simply ask them to come to their own logical conclusions.

The answer is, of course, racism. But they’ll never admit to that. Just make them explain themselves till they squirm. They know they’re wrong, put it in their face plain as day until they can’t take it anymore or quit. It is them upon whom it is incumbent to explain themselves. 

It’s not your job to explain to them why it is so obviously wrong, it is their job to explain how it could possibly be right.

You don’t have to economically justify climate change. It’s the god damn literal end of human life as we know it. You don’t have to answer for the job losses of abolishing private insurance, it’s an industry built upon screwing customers by its very design. Put the onus on them.

Stop. Playing. Defense.

Because we don’t live in a country with a left and a right. We live in a country with left and insane. Think about it. Think about your most obnoxious extreme and unreasonable liberal. That person is a commenter on the internet. On the other hand, the most extreme and unreasonable republicans are elected to congress and president of the united states. Stop pretending that the national debate involves two adults.

You are the reasonable one in the room. Act like it.

[gregorya926202-blog]

Hop on Board

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[kyilliki]

What do you think some of the taboos of vampire society are? Vampires come from such disparate cultures and such different times and places, even within the same country (hi Edward and Bella!), I can't imagine one *coven* agreeing on something as minor as appropriate table manners, never mind the whole of society agreeing on something as major as say, appropriate level of contact between the sexes and when and why.

This is a tough one. In canon, there are very few things which seem to horrify vampires on a society-wide level. The few taboos that exist took a considerable amount of straight-up coercion from the Volturi to establish. Most covens embrace an individual, isolationist mentality, meaning that they’re aren’t in the position-- both physical and relational-- to pass judgment on other vampires. 

With all of that said, I imagine there are a few species-wide taboos that arise out of a combination of basic ethics and convenience:

Don’t transform the unwilling. Vampires play fast-and-loose with this principle. “Unwilling” is a person explicitly telling you that they don’t want to be a vampire/want to die a normal, human death. Sure, there’s a bit of respect for bodily autonomy mixed into this belief, but it’s mostly about handling the resulting newborn. You make a reluctant vampire, and they might kill you. Or wipe out a village. Or purposely irritate the Volturi. There’s too much potential for disaster there. (Rosalie’s origin story would actually be a hotly-contested issue because of this taboo. On the one hand, she clearly wanted to remain human. On the other, she didn’t seek revenge against her creator. It’s complicated, in the eyes of the undead.)

Explain the rules to other vampires. Keeping other vampires in the dark as to the limitations of the species and the laws they have to follow is a big no-no. For undead society as a whole, a person acquires inherent worth when they become immortal. Not being open with them about the basics of their new existence is... well, it’s treating them like humans. Which, in vampire terms, is about as poorly as you could treat someone. 

Be nice to your coven. Let’s be real: vampires don’t much care how you treat other vampires. But there’s an understanding that a coven is comprised of people you love/need/choose to be with, and that matters, on some level. Individual vamps will have varying opinions on what an ‘appropriate’ standard of decency is, but Corin/Jasper messing around with brain chemistry or Amun trapping Benjamin in a collapsed temple or... everything Victoria and Maria ever said would get the serious side-eye from the undead community. 

When it comes to day-to-day behaviour, most covens set their own rules and taboos, simply because there’s so little cross-coven interaction. Ultimately, it comes down to this: who cares more, and who has more social capital within the coven?

To use the Cullens as an example, it seems like Edward is the only one who cares about sexual mores. Emmett and Rosalie are smashing houses, and even the relatively reserved Carlisle-and-Esme and Jasper-and-Alice are having sex that can only be described as exhibitionistic. (Or, like, extremely audible to everyone else.) Because there’s only one Edward and 3 other couples, their preferences win. 

Likewise, the Cullens’ lifestyle is closely connected to Carlisle’s vision. Because he’s the coven leader, vegetarianism + he gets to be a doctor + everyone else pretends to be human are basically carved-in-stone rules. I imagine that’s true across the board. The coven founder/most forceful personality determines the internal boundaries of the group.