#class inequality

[mingus-archives]

I'm watching the documentary series "Dirty Money" and god is it a reminder that most people in the US don't know or understand truly rich people. I went to an ivy league university and I saw true wealth. Students with family mansions in the hamptons, with jobs set up at major banks the minute they graduated. Students whose families bought them houses to live in, who posted IG photos of them in different luxurious lodgings in every country of the world. I follow someone from uni on IG who regularly gets helicopters from her manhattan apt to the JFK airport. I had a friend whose date (an undergrad student) picked her up in a porsche. It is so damn frustrating to discuss wealth inequity now that I'm out of that world because most people from my hometown and where I currently live think doctors, lawyers, and small business owners (even slightly larger businesses) are upper class. This is not to say those professionals aren't financially privileged and middle class but they still work for the most part for their wealth; real rich people DO NOT DO THAT-they have properties, investments, and businesses that work for them. Real rich people buy thousands of dollars of luxury items with full intent of never wearing them. They have dinners with politicians and their children catered by the university. They have last names you'd recognize vaguely from CNN. This little rambling has no point except to remind everyone that it is likely an average person will never ever interact with the type of person that should be one of the rich we tax or eat, depending on your preference lol

[queer-here-and-in-fear]

current popular leftism has exactly two groups they find acceptable to discriminate against: the old and the rural. hint: this is just an excuse so they can actually get all their hatred for the disabled and the poor out of the way without seeming like a bigot.

leftisms problem with the old is that their incompetent, stupid, and take up public resources!! we should all just lock them up in psychiatric wards retirement homes!! their too stupid to choose things themselves.. maybe we should just kill them all haha idk.... (i have heard people say this before)

leftisms problem with the rural is that their stupid, bigoted, and their just all dumb hicks who have bad teeth and need to pull themselves up by their boot straps vote in their own interests!! really, they choose to be homeless live under fascism!! (google voter suppression you cunts)

both of these talking points are just excuses to be bigots. especially the way a lot of yall talk about old people violently reminds me of how nazi germany talked about the disabled. a lot of yalls hatred of the rural is not good either. get your shit together.

[green-sky-garden]

[correllian]

[heterorealism]

[azaleayoung-blog]

What is dark academia and what does it have to do with social media?

A deep dive into the genre and why it has become so popular.

Dark academia has recently been seeing a growth in popularity across social media, with its aesthetic being displayed in movies, television shows, and primarily novels. 

The year 2020 marked some significant changes in our media landscape. That may seem like a bit of a nonpoint, but the rise of TikTok coupled with the number of people inside due to pandemic restrictions saw an irreversible change within popular trends and aesthetics.

In the literature community, one such trend was the rise of dark academia. Though the subculture primarily exists online, the term is slowly creeping into the mainstream.  In 2022, it was defined by Collins Dictionary as “a social media aesthetic and subculture concerned with higher education, writing and poetry, the arts, and classic Greek and Gothic architecture,” which is somewhat of a broad interpretation. To uncover what makes dark academia such an appealing genre today, one needs to trace back its history; starting with, perhaps most famously, The Secret History by Donna Tartt. 

Published in 1992, the novel is what some point to as the first dark academic novel. A pioneer of its time, it is still quite relevant today — it can almost always be counted on to be present on #BookTok recommends tables at bookstores. Set at a fictional college in New England, the novel follows a group of students studying ancient Greek. The narrator, a student who joined the group after its initial formation, unveils how one of them was murdered by the group’s original members. As far as dark academia goes, it’s got it all — murder, Greek aesthetics, a fancy, secluded college. Unsurprisingly, many elements of Tartt’s magnum opus can be found in other books within the genre.

One of the first notable pillars of the genre is right in the name — academia. These novels typically take place in an academic setting; whether this is at a private boarding school or around a college campus. Still, dark academia wouldn’t exactly be academia without some form of academics. Typically, these characters are often studying Ancient Greek, Shakespearean theatre, or English literature — fields that are, for lack of a better word, pretentious. These topics are absolutely for everyone but are not necessarily accessible things to learn about and interact with, or make a living out of. This does not necessarily mean that if a character is studying one of these topics the novel they are in is a dark academic novel, but a character’s field of study, such as these examples, will often add to the atmosphere of dark academia. 

A significant number of these stories see characters marked by tragedy, mystery, or both at the same time. Whether that involves crime (see If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio) or a mystery to solve (see Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson), the characters are typically caught up in a problem larger than themselves, like solving a murder (or, in the case of The Secret History, getting away with one). 

Some authors have utilized the genre and its traits to call out and criticize these academic settings which have been historically open only to white and rich individuals, see Babel by R.F. Kuang. 

The novel is set in 1828 in Britain and follows Chinese-born Robin who is forced to give his help to an institution that will only use his work to further their goals of colonization. At school, he and members of his friend group continuously face racism as students of colour. Although Robin is a member of this school community, it is clear that many do not want him there, and he, like many of the other students of colour, are viewed as disposable.

As Lenore Sell puts it in her article Beyond the Aesthetics: An Introduction to Dark Academia, “Some of the novels blame elitist structures at educational institutions for the ensuing destruction, or even a dysfunctional academic landscape as a whole, although this connection is not always the object of overt criticism or satire.” 

For example, in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the characters are not directly opposed to their wealth, but Wilde uses them and their lifestyles to highlight the inherent lack of morality present in these structures. This novel is an interesting case as it holds elements of magical realism and gothic literature as well as dark academia, but its traits allow it to somewhat fit into both genres.

As more dark academic books continue to be published, their popularity seems to grow. However, sometimes what its readers are chasing is more of a feeling or an aesthetic than quality literature. 

Dark academia is directly linked to an old-fashioned kind of style, with modern technology rarely, if ever, appearing in many of its most famous works. The fashion choices of the characters—such as blazers, woolen sweaters, tweed patterns, and just generally darker colour palettes—all contribute to the finely curated aesthetic of dark rooms, classic novels, candles, and typewriters. Sure, these things are all technically dark academia-inspired, but they do nothing more than just scratch the surface of what the genre purports to actually be about: learning, higher education, and literature. 

A genre based purely on its aesthetics and vibes might at first seem to be only superficial and provide no substance. It can, however, encompass an idea or way of life that some crave. Sell writes in her article, “The rise of dark academia can be an expression of the longing of younger generations for a lifestyle temporarily or permanently inaccessible to them.”

This longing could especially be felt by those who are unable to afford post-secondary education, or those typically excluded from higher academic circles. Attending a post-secondary institution comes with a sense of community, particularly for those who live on campus and broaden their experiences by participating in new activities and meeting new friends. These institutions, while being flawed, are incredibly important because of this, as they provide something that many of us want. Following this logic, it’s possible then, that the boom in dark academia’s popularity was a result of people longing for these institutions that were closed during the pandemic or are unavailable to so many people. 

Racism and class inequality contribute to the lack of diversity seen in higher academic settings, particularly because of how expensive post-secondary education can be. It’s why turning to social media to fulfill these dreams is easier for many.

Katie Xu (@katiexsocials), a TikToker who posts about building your personal brand and learning how to market yourself, posted a video on TikTok’s ability to foster human connections, stating, “People on TikTok are connecting to people. When I see someone on my For You page, I listen to what they have to say … I’m listening to them as a person, and I’m trying to understand them as a person.”

While she does not make any reference to dark academia, her idea has merit because of the way platforms like TikTok are designed to make sure you interact with people who share the same interests as you. Social media itself is perhaps the largest and most influential community there is, so for individuals to turn to that at times of uncertainty and find solace in a niche like dark academia is reflective of the weight the genre held then and still holds today.  

Currently, TikTok has over four hundred thousand posts under its dark academia tag, based on videos about the aesthetic and the books that fall into its category. While the majority of the hype (at least in my opinion) has died down a bit, it is still a genre that is very much relevant outside of social media. For example, outside of the literature community, other mediums have used the dark academic aesthetic to tell stories, such as podcasts like The Alexandria Archives or The Magnus Archives. The aesthetic is also present in TV shows like Wednesday or A Series of Unfortunate Events. It can even branch out into music with a more recent example being Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. 

But to bring it back to literature, one of the most recent books on the scene is Curious Tides, by French-Canadian author Pascale Lacelle. 

The novel has all the most familiar trappings of a dark academic book, but with a magical twist in line with stories in the fantasy genre. Set at a fictional college, the protagonist has to investigate the secret society that seems to be connected to her classmates’ mysterious deaths. Only, these deaths of which she is the only survivor have left her with heightened powers. Similar to Babel, this blend of a different genre with dark academia prolongs the genre’s lifespan and takes it to places it has not traditionally been. 

Like all other trends, the dark academia one will most likely not have wide-ranging impacts outside of its small niches, but I’m talking purely about its aesthetic sense. In the literary market, it looks like there are still plenty more stories to tell that can deviate from the traditional dark academia novel while still using its most popular elements.

[eonityluna]

Welp. There we go, the repercussions are starting to roll in.

[aidentitycrysis]

Imagine calling a working class person a bootlicker, Jesus. More likely a simple failure of empathy that can be corrected if approached with compassion. Example:

Train drivers in my country have been striking for better pay. I'm anarcho-socialist so I'm generally in support of striking workers. Then I heard that the existing salary is over £60K. I'm like, what the hell??? That's a very good wage here, so I'm like, that sounds fuckin greedy ngl. THEN, my friend tells me that when trains hit people, the drivers are responsible for cleaning up the mess so the train can continue on its way. Imagine that- you get a sweet chill job driving the choo-choo, and then one day someone throws themselves in front of your train and you have to hose their brains off the window so you can get everybody to the next stop. That's wild. Apparently every train driver hits someone eventually, and because of this there's actually a huge suicide problem amongst train drivers because they are all fucking traumatised. Now I understand, like yeah £60k is not enough to take that on.

So yeah, this guy probably doesn't understand the context of dock workers' pay dispute. This doesn't make him a fucking bootlicker, he's just a working class dude who would probably give his left nut to make $40 an hour. Calling him a bootlicker makes you look like a soft handed trust fund agitator. Offer solidarity to the working class or offer your fuckin respectful silence, please.

that’s a long way of saying “I’m a bootlicker who is being exploited”

[politijohn]

Source

“Rent prices have exceeded income gains by 325 percent”

[jtwb768-babbles]

Understanding the Divide: Pro-Life, Pro-Birth, and Pro-Choice in the United States

The Language of Life and Choice Abortion debates in the United States have been shaped as much by language as by law. In political campaigns, media broadcasts, courtrooms, and community forums, labels like pro-life, pro-birth, and pro-choice have come to represent not just positions on abortion but broader moral, political, and social ideologies. Yet these terms are often used imprecisely or…

[thegreenlizard]

This is a hot take, but I think one of the basic ideas of capitalism—that people are motivated to work harder if they can be rewarded more for it—is false.

Most of those folks never climb more than a step or two up the ladder. And so what? Let them climb. I’m not saying we need to abolish income differences altogether… but I am saying we should actually put a cap on individual wealth. No single person needs a billion dollars.

The billionaires don’t actually make contributions that are proportional to those fortunes. Yes, one person can make inventions with seemingly disproportionate returns—but only if you look at only the last invention in a very long line of human inventions. Science just doesn’t actually advance by leaps, but by hundreds and thousands of little steps contributed by hundreds and thousands of people.

If people are given universal incomes, they don’t stop working. They don’t stop inventing and creating. Which person do you think is more innovative: the one who’s working 60-hour weeks to pay off a huge student debt, or the one who has a guaranteed income and leisure time? I think that in aggregate, the latter group would beat the first group by miles. And the aggregate is who make technological advancements, not single geniuses.

I grew up on a diet of this lie. But the more I learn about humans and the world, the more false the entire premise sounds to me.

I need y’all to understand that every time that somebody who makes $10,000 a year thinks that somebody who makes $30,000 a year thinks that somebody who makes $50,000 a year thinks that somebody who makes $100,000 a year thinks that YES EVEN somebody who makes $150,000 a year is the real enemy

…a billionaire wins and we all lose.

And every time that somebody who makes $150,000 a year thinks that they’re better than somebody else who makes $100,000 a year thinks that they’re better than somebody else who makes $50,000 a year thinks that they’re better than somebody else who makes $30,000 a year thinks that they’re better than somebody else who makes $10,000 a year

…a billionaire wins and we all lose.

Privilege and comfort rises with income, obvi. It’s not all “the same.” But please zoom the fuck out and look at the whole picture. The WHOLE picture.

[politics-not-my-thing]

I don't think it's talked about enough how time is a commodity the rich can afford to buy

[political-us]

[flowersandspacestuff]

I am beginning to read a book by Paul Chappell called "The Art of Waging Peace"

Already it is incredibly potent.

I found his work through this beautiful and poignant document about Peace Literacy, Public Philosophy, and Activism

This work shines a light on the door through the human psyche, beyond the myths of war, and towards the knowledge for developing the skills for peace.

The pdf is is 11 pages, but if you read only a paragraph of it, that is worth clicking the link for.

[adragonsfriend]

I'm gonna expand on this because it really keeps getting notes (read: fucking up the little notes graph)

So @fangeek-girl makes an excellent point:

#I don't even think she committed fraud#but she definitely introduced them to tax returns they didn't think they benefitted from#Padmé#my queen

and @unhelpfulfemme makes another excellent point:

#she sees the tax situation on tatooine#knows how much of it goes towards stupid bullshit that doesn't help the populace#thinks THIS IS DAYLIGHT ROBBERY#and proceeds to cook their papers much more profesionally

We're going to keep ignoring that if Tatooine has any version of taxes it probably involves less paperwork and more Hutt enforcers bashing down your door to mildly rob you every few months--

And talk instead about the fact that Padme's family is pretty rich (they have like multiple country estates and houses in the capital city and they're routinely involved in politics). So being realistic, the Naberrie family knows and uses all the rich people tricks for paying as little in taxes as possible. It's not just Padme's government work that's informing her ability to commit tax fraud. There's a whole "financial literacy" (class heirarchy) thing going on here.

Now to be clear, it's canon information that the Naberries in general make their share of donations and are involved in plenty of charity work, and I think Padme keeps that up and expands it…though to be honest considering that her parents and sister are alive and it's family wealth, I doubt she actually manages it herself (certainly she wouldn't've had access to her own financial assets as Queen). Maybe she provides advice on where the most effective places to donate to are or something. Anyway my point is I think the Naberries generally do their best to be good philanthropist rich people, but they're not bankrupting themselves about it either.

Padme has her expensive things and she likes them (which is not a crime but is one of the less openly malicious vehicles of maintaining class separation). Some of those things are probably necessary for her job--being a politician involves keeping up appearances and attending fashion shows i mean senate galas--but it's pretty clear she enjoys having them as well. Being a fashion icon is expensive.

So Padme, being a chaos person who believes deeply in government but also in a spot of domestic terrorism when she thinks it would help someone, would totally pay all her taxes when she thinks they're being well used, and when she thinks the outcome of what they're being used for is the will of a democratic system.

If she disagrees with how the government is using her taxes…

I think she lets her family know it's a tax evasion year, and then they use all their rich people tactics and instead of paying a reasonable amount of taxes that year, they do extra donations instead. Maybe they have a network of rich people who all get the unofficial Naberrie Philanthropist News Letter which recommends whether they should pay taxes or do extra donations every year, and gives info on the most effective charities.

Padme is also however, fairly isolated within her own financial class a lot of the time, so I picture her as being a little naive about her own access to financial knowledge and therefore having to go on a journey of discovery to figure out that poor people really don't have access to the knowledge about any of that kind of strategic money use. Doing the Lars' taxes can be a step on that journey for her, and down the road in a fix it AU, one of Padme's things can be teaching financial literacy eg. gaming the system or something. Like…idk…the people on tiktock who tell you what a Roth IRA is, but in space.

That's kind of a depressing note for this to end on���uh… I know:

She makes a second news letter called the Naberrie Normal Bitches News Letter, and that one has advice for normal bitches who aren't rich enough to be philanthropists (I will accept suggestions for better names).

Whilst I adore the idea that in the maybe 24 total hours Anakin was present on the Lars' farm, he fixed literally everything mechanical there because of *angst*, I think an infinitely funnier idea is that Padme did their taxes. She doesn't like sitting around doing nothing any more than Anakin, and she was there for several extra hours, there's no way she didn't ask for something to do, and I think that thing should be their taxes.

Cliegg and Owen weren't actually expecting to actually be able to use a coreworlder's work, but as it turns out, Padme totally helped them commit tax fraud even better than they already were without even being asked.

Bonus points if she was doing it at the same time Anakin was out committing bloody murder.