#internalized speciesism

[inbarfink]

Okay, so, for the longest time the Tallests’ behavior toward Zim in ‘Battle of the Planets’ has always struck me as… odd.

 I mean, of course the idea that they mock him publicly behind his back makes sense in general. That is a very Tallests Thing to Do. But the specific ways they mock him…

I dunno...maybe the intention is supposed to be like 'haha you're saying 'unstoppable death machine like it's a good thing but it's not!!' or something but... with the delivery and the general characterization of the Irken army it comes off as more of 'haha! it's funny because he's NOT an unstoppable death machine hahaha" and...

Like, yes. Zim is correct. He is, in fact, an ‘unstoppable death machine’. That is absolutely an accurate statement to be taken seriously. The only problem was that he’s an unstoppable death machine that’s too uncontrollable to prevent him from Death Machining his own people as well. That’s literally why you banished him, remember?

But then I took a moment to think about that.... It does actually makes sense that the Tallests, despite getting literal first-class seats to his rampage of destruction - might still have a problem with actually internalizing why Zim is so Bad.

Because Zim is basically the Irkenest Irken to ever Irk. He might be considered ‘Defective’, yes, but all of his defects manifest as the logical extremes of Irken ideology. He has, on paper, all of the skills and personality traits and ideals that the Irken Empire value - just exaggerated and twisted in a way that makes him the biggest milestone around the Empire's neck.

Zim is a pretty good fighter, infiltrator, pilot and scientist. Remember, he’s a Fast-Food Drone Play-Acting Alien Invasion to get him out of the Armada’s antennas now, but he was a legitimate actual Invader back during ‘Impending Doom 1’. And that’s with all the social barriers and prejudice that a short Irken like him is going to face. I’m guessing a lot of the selection process for Invaders is done by automated systems or extremely-detached Control Brains. And only looking at, like, Zim’s practice or test results - he should be an exceptional Invader on-par with Skoodge.

But we all know the truth is more complicated then that. Zim’s talents and training are hampered by his own massive ego, absolute inability to accurately assess threats and his impulsive desires for destruction and death. He’s unable to judge when he’s punching above his weight or tackling an endeavor beyond his abilities. He cannot admit when he has made an error, even just to fix or improve an invention/plan. And he always allocates his resources in the dumbest way possible. 

And that’s all, like, emergent from Irken Ideology - or at least from Zim’s logical extreme of it. Confidence and selfishness are rewarded on Irk - Zim is mostly unusual in terms of sheer volume (or maybe he’s too Short to be allowed to have such a high opinion of himself.) 

His inability to proportionally handle threats is emergent from the Empire’s ideals of Irken Supremacy. Zim is supposed to see all other species in the universe as stupid and inferior and worthy only of servitude and so logically they can’t be a serious threat to him, an Elite Irken Soldier. But he also needs to internally justify why all of these Clearly Inferior Beings are even a problem to the Irken Empire in general and for him in specific. Especially when he fails to conquer them as easily as a ‘Superior Being’ is supposed to. And so his ego and his insistence on Irkens being Superior has to elevate them into fearsome enemies. 

That Speciesism is also why his disguise is so bad! We directly see it in the first episode. He had the option of picking a more realistic human disguises but he just found it too gross. And that actually seems to be a trend, considering every Actual Invader we see on the show has a disguise that is just as bad if not worse.

And Zim’s tendency towards delusions is also born, at least partially, from his devotion to Irken Ideology. Not just from the obvious insistence of the superiority of himself and his Empire despite his constant failures. But also… how do you balance out the Irken values of selfishness with the also-Irken values of loyalty and absolute obedience to the Empire and the Tallests? For Zim, the obvious answer seems to be ‘delude himself into believing whatever selfish personal whim he has is actually for the good of the Empire and the true will of the Tallest’. That’s how he can break All of the Rules All of the Time and still act like he’s just another obedient and loyal vessel of the Tallest. 

And then there’s the value of destruction and cruelty. This is absolutely not a Zim-only thing - that is a value he got from Irken society in general. After all, it’s pretty clear they don’t even have, like, a token excuse for their universe-conquering aspirations. They’re just doing this shit because destroying and subjecting the universe seems Fun and Cool. I mean, ‘Battle of the Planets’ demonstrates that better than anything. 

The Tallests have no idea of what to do with the planets they conquer. They don’t need them for anything. They decided Blorch's new purpose as a spur-of-the-moment decision and it was a Parking Structure Planet. Most of Irk’s single-use planets are pretty silly but this one especially so. Parking Structures only have value based on them being near a Place People Want to Go To, so a whole planet of them really defeats the whole idea. The Tallests only conquered Blorch and wiped out the Rat People because they want to conquer planets and wipe out sapient species.

And that is… exactly the same sort of meaningless cruelty Zim demonstrates. I mean… What Zim did with Prisoner 777 is literally just a smaller-scale recreation of what the whole Irken Empire did to the Vortians. And honestly, Zim actually has a slightly-better track record of actually getting ‘his’ Vortian to do what he wants. While the Irken Empire in general has basically shot themselves in the foot and assured all of their best technology is going to come with some sort of Stupid Hidden Flaw and all because they wanted to be the Conquerors rather than ‘just’ allies. 

The difference is really just that Zim values destruction so much he has problem processing that directing the destruction at his own people is still a very bad thing in the eyes of the empire.

And that’s… kind of the ideological blind spot the Tallests fall into during ‘Battle of the Planets’, I think. They should know that Zim is very much an Unstoppable Death Machine, just one that they can’t control and thus should be kept as far away from the Empire and Operation Impending Doom 2 as possible. But in their little Irken-Ideology-Poisoned minds - being an “Unstoppable Death Machine” is a Good Thing and Zim is obviously Bad - so, obviously logically he cannot be an Unstoppable Death Machine. 

And throughout this entire episode, the Tallest mock the idea that Zim is even capable of… not just achieving his and the Empire’s goals (obviously, yeah, he is incapable of doing that), but that he's even capable of properly causing destruction? Which they should know he is very capable of. And this is probably the closest he ever came in the show to legitimately destroying the human race. Only being foiled due to a huge stroke of luck on Dib’s part that nobody saw coming. And yet the Tallests were so certain that Zim, of all the Irkens in the galaxy, is somehow incapable of destroying a planet???

And at the end, Zim does prove himself as an Unstoppable Death Machine by, once again, managing to kill a fuckload of his own people while the Tallests laugh about how inaccurate that descriptor is for him. 

This is extra ironic with the Tallests throwing that one guy out of the airlock at the start of the episode

They punish others just for not remembering Zim’s rampage, but they clearly have not internalized what it Means themselves.

The fact that a guy like that even managed to reach the most prestigious not-height-based position in the Irken military in the first place should be a cause of some serious introspection of how Irken Military training and evaluation is handled. Especially when you consider much more competent would-be-Invaders like Tak got dismissed and punished for things totally outside of their control.

But… It seems like the only lesson anyone in the Irken Empire learned was just “Zim is awful”. Which is true, but isn’t really getting to the root of the matter. 

You can see another example of that mindset from the Tallests in ‘Hobo 13’. Because those two were so sure Zim was going to lose, and lose painfully. Because he is Incompetent, obviously that means he can’t do it. Totally forgetting that Zim actually totally has the athletic, combat and - most importantly, technological skills and out-of-the-box thinking that allowed him to survive and thrive. 

I mean, yeah, that means he cheated and threw his entire squad to the dogs for his own personal gain and petty sadistic amusement but… that is absolutely not something the Irken Empire frowns upon. The Tallests especially love to torment and even kill off their subordinates for the pettiest of reasons. Skoodge, featured in both of these episodes, is a great example.

And like, ‘being bad leaders and tormenting their own underlings’ is basically what the Tallests spend the entirety of that episode doing.

That Sergeant had ideological problems with Zim being such a horrible and callous leader, but that’s clearly not a representation of the Irken Empire’s stance. Quite the opposite really. Zim might be a disgrace to Hobo 13, but he was an exemplary Irken. The only reason why him winning was a problem is because he’s Zim and they all hate him.

And speaking of the Tallests’ own behavior reflecting Zim’s… let’s talk a bit about ‘Enter the Florpus’.

Because the downfall of the Irken Armada in that story is not just Zim’s fault. I mean, it is partly Zim’s fault. Without him there wouldn’t be a Florpus in the first place. But the narrative makes it constantly very very clear that this is Not Actually a Threat for the Armada… if not for the Tallests adamantly and childishly refusing to change course. 

The Tallests hate Zim, and they make it clear at every possible opportunity. And they hate him because he’s so damn incompetent and such a threat to the Empire’s safety. And yet they constantly demonstrate they possess the exact same core personality issues as Zim - they’re just slightly better having, like, a veneer of reasonability and being able to perceive reality (and also they are tall, which helps them get away with more.) And nowhere is it more obvious than ‘Enter the Florpus’...

Where the Tallests prove that they can be just as childish and single-minded -

And just as destruction-hungry - 

And just as quick to deny reality -

And just as disrespectful of their underlings. 

This recurring bit with the navigator is especially striking to me, because more than anything it makes me remember… Operation Impending Doom 1.

Two times the Irken Empire has been brought to the brink of collapse. And both of these times it is because a powerful high-ranking Irken (one time an Invader, the other time the Tallests themselves), refused to listen to the warnings and concerns of a lower-ranking expert Navigator - continuing with a course of destruction for their own people. 

You could say the Irken Empire was doomed from the start because of their own philosophy of cruelty and selfishness. Eventually, it was bound to create someone like Zim - who takes the Irken Ideology to its logical extreme in the most destructive way possible. Or you can say the Irken Empire was doomed from the start because of their asinine height-based class system. Which basically inevitably assures that at some point the reigns of the Empire will be at the hands of someone buffoonish and incompetent enough to drag the whole Empire down with them. And both of these viewpoints are true in their own way but also…

The Irken Empire was also doomed from the start cause, whatever this is a result of a culture that highly values obedience to your superiors over common sense, or because punishments for disobedience are just so terribly severe - these two Navigators continued to push those knobs and drive that ship even as they knew their commanders were mad and their actions were just driving their own Empire towards oblivion. 

Perhaps the Irken Military could use some sort of protocol of what to do when your superior is being clearly unreasonable and endangering not only the mission but literally the fate of your entire civilization? No, of course not. Yet another lesson not learned from Zim’s actions in ‘Impending Doom 1’. The only important lesson Irk needed to learn from that was just ‘Fuck This One Guy in Particular’.

Zim’s whole existence is like a twisted parody of the Irken Empire and all of its values. It’s really no wonder that the Tallest never got the joke. 

[incongruence-osaf]

EXCITING NEWS, SECRETS SHARED

Hello!! It is time for me to officially post the first two chapters of my first ever multi-chapter fanfiction story, The Incongruence of Stars and Flowers!!!

So far the word count has reached over 8,000 words, roughly 21 pages at 1.15 spacing (including the current WIP of Chapter Three). This was a huge challenge for me that I am so glad to have started. I'd been keeping this (mostly) a secret for many months during a collaborative creative process.

It started when I saw an application for Sonic Big Bang 2024 zine on Tumblr. Around 300 participants of fellow writers, artists and readers were sorted into secret groups of 2-4ish for developing writing and artwork surrounding story submissions! I had the pleasure of being paired with wonderful artists who made beautiful sketches, concept art, and illustrations based on my writing, linked here: @major-wren (ART) (ART) and @pastelspindash (ART)

Go check out their awesome art (and writing) as well as all the other amazing creatives featured in the zine on the official blog page @sthbigbang! My awesome and very helpful beta readers were/are @starredfishing (Tumblr) and @zaffretension (Instagram) who gave me excellent advice about dialogue, pacing, and plot. THANK YOU!!!

And also a big THANK YOU to the moderators of this expansive event for keeping it running so smoothly, for organizing everything, and for encouraging all of us in one of the most supportive and energizing creative environments I've ever been apart of!!! I have talked to many cool and talented people and I love the community that we have all been growing as a massive group.

I am excited to continue the adventure of learning, reading, and writing to see where this adventure goes with familiar characters. If you are too, I hope you enjoy <3

Without further ado, below is the summary for The Incongruence of Stars and Flowers.

This alternate universe combines the vibrant world and history of Sonic the Hedgehog with our very own, resulting in a version of Planet Mobius that’s both familiar and distant. Yet, this altered reality is neither idealized nor greater than the sum of its parts. 

Anthropomorphic beings, humans, and animals of Mobius are struggling to rebuild their cityscapes, ecosystems, communities, and personal lives in the wake of the cumulative devastation of the Perfect Chaos Flood and the Black Arms Invasion. Shadow the Hedgehog takes a leave of absence from G.U.N. to temporarily settle down in Station Square, laying low after the world-shattering encounter with his alien DNA donor Black Doom. While the cityfolk around him undergo the growing pains of instability, nonconformity, sociological upheaval, and corruption, so too does the alien hybrid. With the support of unyielding friendship in aloof activist Sonic the Hedgehog and cultured confidante Rouge the Bat, Shadow coasts in this new life chapter while feeling profound pulls to unravel memories surrounding his loving creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik and solve mysteries within his environment, mind, and body.

Past and present perspectives interweave to show slices of unordinary lives, drawing from early-to-mid 2000s culture shifts/natural disasters/political tensions, U.S. and European history, and various fields of science as inspiration for this multi-chapter science-fiction drama mystery.

PROMINENT CHARACTERS: 

Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, Professor Gerald Robotnik, Maria Robotnik, Black Doom(?), Commander Abraham Tower, Helen (from Sonic X)?, and new original character(s)

Body dysmorphia and dysphoria, racism/speciesism, internalized xenophobia, mentions and possible depictions of police violence, generational trauma, trauma and imagery from medicalized settings, processing grief

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

CHAPTER ONE HERE

[badthingshappenbingo]

Prompt Masterlist: Part 2

Part 2 of our prompt list ("Facial Horror" - "Lured into a Trap") is below the cut:

Facial Horror

Facing Their Phobia

Fainting

Fake Kill Scare

False Friend

False Sense of Security

Falling from a Great Height

Falling Through the Ice

Fantastic Racism (Speciesism)

Faux-Affectionate Villain

Feud/Rivalry

Fevers

Fighting from the Inside

Financial Trouble

Find the Cure

Finger in the Mail

Fingore

First-Aid Kit

Flashbacks

Flooding

Food Poisoning

Foot Torture

Force Feeding

Forced Out of the Closet

Forced Prize Fight

Forced to Beg

Forced to Hurt Someone

Forced to Kneel/Bow

Forced to Watch

Forcibly Stripped

Forgetting to Eat

Framed

Friendly Fire

Friendship Falling Out

Frostbite

Funeral/Memorial

Gangrene

Garrote

Gaslighting

Gave Up Too Soon

Get It Over With

“Get Well Soon” Gift

Gilded Cage

Go Through Me

Going into Hiding

Going into Shock

Good Intentions, Bad Results

Grabbed by the Chin

Grabbed by the Hair

Grief/Mourning

Guilty Conscience

Gunshot Wound

Hair Matted with Blood

Hallucinations

Hand Gagging

Hand Stomp

Handcuffed/Manacled

Hanging

Harassment

Harmful Healing

Hate Plague

Haunted Location

Hazing

Headache/Migraine

Healing Machine Malfunction

Heart Attack

Heatstroke

Held at Gunpoint

Hidden Scar

Hiding an Illness

Hiding an Injury

Hijacked Vehicle

Hives

Hogtied

Home Invasion

Homesickness

Hope Is Scary

Hostage Situation

Hostage Video

A House Divided

Human Shield

Human Weapon

Humiliation

Hurt Caretaker

Hurts to Breathe

Hyperventilating

Hypothermia

Hypnosis

Hysterical Strength

I Ain’t Got Time to Bleed

I Deserve This

I Have You Now, My Pretty

I Have Your Loved One

I Just Want to Have Friends

“I Know You’re In There Somewhere” Fight

I Should Have Been Better

I Will Only Slow You Down

I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure

Ice Pack

If I Can’t Have You

“I’m Fine”

Impaled Chest

Impaled Palm

Improvised Weapon

Incapable of Disobeying

Infected Wound

Innocent Bystander

Insecurity

Insomnia

Internal Bleeding

Internalized Prejudice

Interrogation

Intubation

Isolation

It Amused Me

It’s All My Fault

It’s Quiet… Too Quiet

Jaw Wired Shut

Jealousy/Envy

Journal/Diary Entry

Kick Them While They Are Down

Kidnapping

Killing in Self-Defense

Kind Restraints

Kneecapping

Knife to the Throat

Knocked Out

Lacerations

Laid on a Stretcher

Lassoed

Leave Me Alone

Left for Dead

Leonine Contract

Lifted by the Neck

Locked in a Cage

Locked in a Freezer

Locked in a Trunk

Locked Up and Left Behind

Losing a Bet

Losing a Job

Losing Their Temper

Loss of a Pet

Loss of Hearing

Loss of Sight

Lost Their Voice from Screaming

Lotus-Eater Machine

Love Potion/Love Spell

Lured into a Trap

[post-leffert]

Anarchist Zines and Pamphlets Published in July 2023

Welcome to our mostly monthly round-up of new zines published in the anarchist space. We aim to highlight a broad range of anarchist thought. Inclusion here doesn't imply endorsement.

You can view past round-ups if you want more reading material. If you have something you want us to include next month, contact us. For a curated collection of zines, view our catalog.

Beyond what you can find here, we also recommend you support anarchist print media. Two recently released print projects include Plastic in Utero: a journal of anti-civ anarchy reborn from the compost of wasteland modernity #1 and Rupture Mag #1

The image accompanying this post is memorial mural in Lyon, France for Carlo Giuliani, a 23 year-old anarchist who was shot dead by police on July 20, 2001 during the anti-G8 protests in Genoa, Italy (source)

Against Capitalist Wars, Against Capitalist Peace

"In Ukraine, the Czech Republic, the UK, Italy, Syria, France etc… All over the world there is a voice against capitalist wars and also against capitalist peace. Only class war can end this terror and that is what we mean when we say No War but the Class War!

The new pamphlet contains 14 texts by various groups and individuals. The aim is to explain and affirm the meaning of antimilitarism, internationalism and revolutionary defeatism."

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Animal Bodies, Colonial Subjects: (Re)Locating Animality in Decolonial Thought

"Similar to the ways in which Indigenous peoples can undergo a violent process through which we rid our colonial mentalities, I argue that animals can be liberated from their colonized subjecthood through an aided 'process of desubjectification'. That is, thinking through animality as an infrastructure of decolonization re-positions animal bodies as agents of anti-colonial resurgence.They can consequently engender 'forms of energy that are capable of engaging the forces that keep [Indigenous people and animals] tied to [a] colonial mentality and reality'. Settler colonialism has therefore required the normalization of speciesism within Indigenous communities to obfuscate the radicality of Indigenous-animal relations. In that sense, recalling the representation of animals in Indigenous cosmologies/oral traditions and unsettling speciesism as a 'colonial mentality' must be prioritized in decolonial thought..."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Black Flag Vol. 3, No. 2

This issue features a lenghty essay titled "Anarchy in the USA: The International Working People's Association (IWPA)". The IWPA is famous for its association with the Haymarket anarchists. Alongside this, there are several writings published by members including Albert Parsons and Lizzie Swank. It also includes a selection of writings by Marie Goldsmith, Rudolf Rocker, and Max Baginski. Most of the material here covers the historical anarchist space, with the exception of a review of a more recent book.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Breaking Ranks: Subverting the Hierarchy and Manipulation Behind Earth Uprisings

This zine contains three critiques from anti-authoritarians in France critical of the Tiqqunists and their actions in post-ZAD struggles. These texts focus on manipulative and vanguardist practices, the spectacularization of the struggle, and the use of radicals as shock-troops. The goal of these texts, and our translation effort, is to increase familiarity with these deceptive practices and strategies, an essential first step towards sabotaging the influence and control of any similar attempts in our own neck of the woods.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Dissent From Within: The Hidden Story of the Anti-Whaling Members of the Makah Tribe

This zine was put together not only to honor the memory of Mahak whale protector Alberta Nora Thomspson, but also to commemorate the story of resistance surrounding the Makah anti-whaling warriors whose very existence has been (intentionally) hidden from the world. Their dissenting voices silenced by the powers of intimidation, patriarchy, and a capitalist pursuit disguised as "traditional hunting". For many outside of the situation, the narrative most widely accepted is one that reduces the situation to mere identity politics; White animal rights activists vs Indigenous people. Indigenous writer Linda Hogan and Seattle writer Brenda Peterson journeyed to Neah Bay to interview Makah elders who were breaking the silence about this narrative and speaking out against their tribe’s return to whaling.

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

How to Set Up a Burner Phone

This zine is a step-by-step guide to setting up a burner phone, from purchasing the phone to installing recommended apps -- all without a Google account! If you are interested in using a temporary phone to avoid surveillance or hinder a police investigation, this zine will give you some best practices to consider.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

Kaimangatanga: Māori Perspectives on Veganism and Plant-based Kai

"To adopt a form of veganism -- a plant-based lifestyle and ethics -- that acknowledges, is based upon, and celebrates Te Ao Maori, is a break from the dominant and from the status quo and but also an act of decolonialism. It is a way to reclaim sovereignty and exercise individual choice.

And finally, it is a means by which collective power and community may be built; this is evident in the existence of online forums and comment threads on Maori-based vegan and plant- based social media accounts."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Living in an Earthquake: The Fight Against Cop City Confronts Unprecedented Repression

"In the following account and analysis, participants in the movement in Atlanta trace its trajectory from the fifth Week of Action that began on March 4, 2023 through the City Council vote of June 5.

At first, it appeared to be an ordinary forest defense campaign aimed at discouraging Atlanta city government from pouring money into an unpopular police training facility. But over the past two years, the fight against Cop City has escalated into one of the fiercest struggles of the Biden era, pitting a wide range of courageous people against a united front of politicians, prosecutors, and police.

In setting out to stop the militarization of police, activists have discovered that they are challenging the state on a point that all of its representatives consider non-negotiable. Police and prosecutors have pressed trumped-up domestic terrorism charges against almost every defendant arrested since last December; they have killed one forest defender; they have charged those engaged in legal support for the arrestees."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Of Diets and Morality: A Vegan Egoist Perspective

The title summarizes this well. It's a vegan egoist text that argues for seeing animals as having inherent value. A quote:

"Animals can offer me many things that other "humans" can not; new ways of communicating, of perceiving the world around me; the unique, aesthetic pleasure of their appearance, especially the details that one only notices with familiarity, and the mystery, intrigue and exciting unexpectedness of beings so morphologically and genetically different from myself! Just as a plate with greater variety is far more delicious, relationships with a greater diversity of beings is far more delectable for me and I will not limit myself to consuming only relations with Man!"

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Security Culture: Building Relationships of Trust and Care

These zine provides an accessible introduction to security culture and its place in social movements. Beyond the basics, it explores how security culture can be informed by kinship, an Indigenous value system based on responsibility, vulnerability, trust, and reciprocity. The zine also offers tips and examples on how to apply critical thinking, relationship building, communication, and feedback to security culture. It uses elephants as a motif (complete with illustrations) to reinforce the concepts presented.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

The People and the Library

"An oral history of the coalition that united Philadelphia to challenge the logic of austerity, protect public goods and save eleven branch libraries, as well as a series of reflections on the importance of the commons, the enduring legacy of movement victories and the ongoing struggles to protect and expand access to non-commercialized public space, accompanied by a series of freely reproducible cut paper graphics by Erik Ruin.

Download PDF: [ Imposed | Screen ]

The War in Front of Us: An anonymous, afro-pessimist militant’s challenge to the Stop Cop City movement

"There is a tension stewing right now, not simply between differing tactics but with the outright acceptance of the position we are currently in, that of a social war. The third day-long descent on the Atlanta City Council has again hammered home that legalistic attacks and appeals to the political machine are going to keep failing. Despite that being so overwhelmingly evident, the more progressive-inclined elements of the struggle continue to insist upon a peaceful endurance, one that refuses escalation and actual conflict for their safe, faux-rad- ical abolitionism. We have been locked in this social war since the rebellion and the terrain needs to be read as such."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Veganism and Mi'kmaw Legends

"This text proposes a postcolonial ecofeminist reading of Mi'kmaw legends as the basis for a vegan diet rooted in Indigenous culture. I refer primarily to veganism throughout this work because unlike vegetarianism, it is not only a diet but a lifestyle that, for ethical reasons, eschews the use of animal products. Constructing an Indigenous veganism faces two significant barriers--the first being the association of veganism with whiteness... ...A second barrier to Indigenous veganism is the portrayal of veganism as a product of class privilege."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

Veganism as Anti-Colonial-Praxis: A Collection of Indigenous Vegan Perspectives

"Despite the absorption of veganism by the capitalist market ��� a process that admittingly reinforces pre-existing divisions across class and racial lines -- a vegan lifestyle taken to its logical conclusion is fundamentally anti-capitalist and anti-colonial. By (re)acknowledging sentience and personalities within the bodies of colonized (animal) subjects, a vegan lifestyle rejects authoritarian relationships based on disrespect for the bodily autonomy of those whose lives have been re-purposed for human supremacist consumption."

Download PDF: [ Imposed ]

[herschelkrustofsky]

so i just finished season 2 of DS9 for the first time and i have so many thoughts about quark and his relationships with the crew; specifically ben, kira, jadzia, and odo. throughout the season, we see quark either trying to connect to these four — albeit in his own grating way — or proving his worth to them after a major fuck-up. (this is the case for jadzia specifically; he inadvertently put her on danger in invasive procedures [2x03] risked his own life trying to save her. we see them hanging out in playing god [2x17], so we know they’re cool and that jadzia forgave him. this should go without mentioning jadzia sticking up for the ferengi more than once throughout the season, specifically to kira, and insisting there’s more to them than their money grubbing ways.)

with ben, quark attempts to connection with him over a drink in second sight [2x09], only for ben to turn him down — presumably because he has too much on his mind and quark is quark, but the way the camera lingers on our favourite bartender, we can see how the rejection ate at him. the rejection sensitivity is dialled up even further in shadowplay [2x16] when quark attempts to get playful with kira, only to be told she utterly despises him for collaborating with the cardassians during the occupation — forcing him to realize that their snark isn’t a game and that she legitimately doesn’t like him, to the point where he says (verbatim) that he wishes he hadn’t brought it up. this comes up again in the jem’hadar [2x26] when he mentions to odo that kira specifically doesn’t like him, showing how much he internalized that conversation and ruminates over it even with the passage of time — and that’s still not all!

in the collaborator [2x24], there’s a specific exchange between odo, kira, and quark that’s very relevant to the theme of quark feeling rejected and isolated by the crew. transcribing it doesn’t quite do it justice, so i’ll just link the scene itself:

TL;DR: these two show up and quark immediately gets defensive and nervous. given his interactions with odo on a regular basis + kira’s recent (and completely understandable) anger, he figures them confronting him together probably spells out trouble for him. and unfortunately, in typical odo fashion, he doesn’t exactly make him feel any better:

quark: you want something from me, don’t you?

kira: how’d you guess?

odo: it’s simple. we’ve been here more than a minute, and we haven’t insulted him, threatened him, or arrested him.

quark: exactly. so what is it?

quark values odo’s opinion a lot. and while i’m sure odo was just playing around and being sarcastic, this is the last thing quark needed to hear in that moment and solidifies in his mind that he’s only of any value to the others when he’s useful, which ultimately culminates in this confrontation with ben after they’ve been captured by the jem’hadar:

i’ve seen this clip before, but it was only last night, after having seen season 2 to completion, that i finally had the full context for it — specifically, for quark’s emotions, and why he went on his little tirade. he isn’t angry at ben specifically; he’s angry at the entire DS9 crew for (in his mind) treating him like an annoyance that’s only worth speaking to when he gives them something in return. i believe he brings up his species as a whole rather than Just Himself for two reasons: 1, it gives him a roundabout way to express his outrage without getting too vulnerable, and 2, he is attempting to rationalize why he’s faced with the indifference and the animosity that he is. chalking it down to speciesism helps him rationalize why this is happening, but the alternative is also pretty devastating: that they just don’t like him as an individual.

but here’s the kicker: they DO like quark! ben lets him come along on the camping trip despite his wishes to spend time with jake and only jake. he engages in conversation with him, feeds him, and is pretty damn amiable towards him despite quark’s incessant complaining. he defends quark to eris when she expresses annoyance over him. meanwhile, odo specifically joins the rescue mission to make sure quark gets home safe (in his own words!!!) and even tells kira she’d miss quark if anything were to happen to him — they ALL would — and she agrees!

the tragedy is that all of these things are discussed when quark is out of earshot (no pun intended) or just not paying enough attention. but despite his growing disillusionment with them, quark is willing to resort to violence (something he’d really rather avoid) to protect his friends; first demonstrated in invasive procedures and then coming full circle when he lethally shoots a jem’hadar trying to hurt ben, who returns the favour by making sure quark isn’t left behind despite eris’ insistence. and this time, quark IS around to hear that someone cares about him; not just anyone, but the station’s commander, which certainly gives him the validation he’s been craving all season long.

while i can’t find the clip, i think quark’s little monologue to the gloomy morn at the beginning of the episode describes it best; he isn’t just their bartender, he’s their confidant and their friend — or desperately wants to be. unfortunately, his learned / cultural behaviours, impulsivity, and selfish tendencies (as demonstrated when he abandons morn to scurry after his boytoy, aka odo) drive a wedge between him and the people he’s come to want the approval of so badly… and despite his glaring flaws and their often flippant treatment of him, they manage to like him anyway. big ears just needs to listen better, it seems — or maybe his friends need to make their affections a little more obvious.

i just. man. it’s such a subtle arc, one you probably don’t notice unless you’ve been watching a bunch of episodes consecutively like i have (not to mention my, ahem, keen eye on a certain ferengi…), but it’s so satisfying. they didn’t have to do all that for him and they did. this show and its attention to character detail is incredible and i can’t wait to see what else it has in store for me. 🖤

[marvel-jesus1]

X-Men Animated Series Rewatch Review:

Season 1: Episode 3: Enter Magneto

This was a good episode, kicking off a good showing of the distrust in Mutants and the racism (speciesism?) in the law system. I think that, given how I’ve seen it before and how it’s displayed in ‘97 and Evolution, I do really think that the early superiority complex and fear of humans towards the mutants is better shown in ‘97, but this episode stretched it out and builds on it better.

I would rate the episode as an 8/10, as it’s overall interesting, but it’s very slow-feeling and dragged out. Sabertooth was also an interesting addition to the episode’s baggage and Logan’s overall internalized teenage angst that he refuses to get rid of.

Star of the episode is Storm, as she’s amazing and was willing to sacrifice herself to stop those missiles from hurting anyone.

Second star is Wolverine, of course, since he’s their in-house emotional dropping point and has no self-esteem but also all of it.

Third star is Magneto, simply for showing up and causing Charles to relive his obvious gay or lost friend panic, whichever you should so choose, and making Hank look stupid.

I really enjoyed the episode, honestly, but it was a point less than the last.

[hibari-draws]

Sorry in advance, but I don’t have a therapist and I need to let this out somewhere.

tw fantasy racism

Please don’t come at me for this take, my intention isn’t to attack anyone. I know that media, fandom, and fanworks are not real life, etc. but serve as a microcosm of irl… My opinions don’t represent those of all poc.

I feel slightly uncomfortable with fantasy racism/speciesism allegories that try and emulate real-world discrimination but always fall flat bc it’s ordinary white ppl being mean to white ppl with vampire fangs or mermaid tails or green hair or ridiculous superpowers, all the while human poc are nonexistent, caricatures, OR exist in the story but the shit they go through is vastly glossed over by the writers as well as readers (they’ll literally be enslaved or be forced out of their home and the fan base will not give af about them!!). Some of these portrayals and fanworks will try to dig deeper and address topics such as micro/macroaggressions, which I appreciate, but it either feels hamfisted (making up racial slurs) or sacrifices nuance (I like the complexity of model minority and internalized racism because it hits closer to home, yk?). I think SOME ppl like to engage with such stories to play at progressivism without examining their own real-world biases against marginalized groups. Since this is to be expected with the demographics of fandom, I don’t take it too personally 🙃

I still believe that fantasy racism can be executed in a way that doesn’t sideline poc characters btw- I’m not totally against it.

There’s also something to be said about comparing groups with vast intrinsic differences (different species, magical powers) to actual minorities or immigrants, but I’m not awake enough to express why that feels off to me.

oh and the idea of there being obligate evil races (e.g. orcs) bothers me so so much 🥲

Again, I apologize if this makes anyone feel defensive and thanks for reading orz

[arenjix]

Ásgarðrian Galdr

by Valerie_Vancollie

Complete

Summary:

What if Loki was able to warn his past self, so he did not lose control during his regency and was able to act as he normally would? What if he had been able to remain calm and in control of himself, and the situation?

"How?" Loki demanded.

"Betrayal," his future self stated simply, rage clear in every syllable. "But you must control your reaction and come to see me, or you will repeat my mistakes and we will miss an opportunity to take control and alter things in our favor."

It would have changed everything.

(Tags and stats below the line)

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), Norse Religion & Lore, Marvel

Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja & Loki (Marvel), Loki & Odin, Loki & Warriors Three (Marvel), Heimdall & Loki (Marvel), Loki/Sigyn (Marvel), Asgardians & Loki (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja & Thor (Marvel), Thor & Warriors Three (Marvel)

Characters: Loki (Marvel), Loki (Norse Religion & Lore), Thor (Marvel), Frigga | Freyja (Marvel), Odin (Marvel), Sif (Marvel), Heimdall (Marvel), Tyr (Marvel), Laufey (Marvel), Laufey (Norse Religion & Lore), Eir (Marvel)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence - Thor (2011), Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, POV Loki (Marvel), BAMF Loki (Marvel), Good Loki (Marvel), Hurt Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Intersex Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Feels, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Protective Frigga (Marvel), Parent Frigga (Marvel), Odin's A+ Parenting (Marvel), Odin's Bad Parenting (Marvel), Asgard (Marvel), Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, Intersex Jotunn (Marvel), Jotunn | Frost Giant, Jotunn Biology (Marvel), Parent-Child Relationship, Brothers, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherhood, Brother Feels, Brotherly Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Heavy Angst, Angst and Feels, Suspense, Family Drama, Psychological Drama, Angst and Drama, Courtroom Drama, Powerful Loki, Punishment, Bigotry & Prejudice, Internalized racism, Canon-Typical Violence, Betrayal, Speciesism, Original Character(s), Yggdrasil - Freeform, Child Abandonment, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Time Travel, Wordcount: Over 100.000, Body Dysphoria, Political Alliances

Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Song of the Yggdrasill

Published: 2021-01-30 Completed: 2022-10-22 Words: 479,713 Chapters: 93/93

[yellowocaballero]

HEY!! Your trigun swap au is so very good!! I've always loved roleswap aus as a concept, and yours is the perfect example of why. it's all about the balancing act of twisting the (swapped) character's background/mentalities for maximum domino effect while not actually *destroying* the character ya know? you still gotta recognize them, it's half of the fun. just some little nudges here... and there... with the delightful result of a changed plot/world that you can discover anew

Also I surprisingly vibe with Dr Knives. a lot. what can I say I guess it's the fucked up superiority-inferiority/guilt complex with a dash of imposter syndrome. also the transgenderism. he's just like me fr fr (minus the speciesism and bloodlust) 1/3

SPEAKING OF! I'm literally a week late for that but chapter 4 may be my favorite so far. it's got it all: Ww's bloodlust coming through and being given a GUN, M&M being #JustNormalGunsmokeKidsThings about it, Knives being incredibly tired and enthusiastically murderous in turns, TRANS PEOPLE!! Funky morally dubious trans men ! Intersex nonbinary Knives (in humans terms) !! small internal rants about ecosystems!

I particularly like that one bc I too found myself twitching whenever I see (in fics or fandom at large) Gunsmoke being shown as a ~hostile, barren~ planet when, like.... *waves agitedly at the Tomases* *waves frantically at the WORMS, in all their INCREDIBLY DIVERSIFIED sizes and shapes* tell me there isn't an entire ecosystem supporting and including these bad boys. And god do I wanna know about it. Terraforming this terraforming that. Enough. I want bio-worldbuilding fics that are just as weird and unhinged as the rest of trigun (2/3)

To go back to Nicholas : I loved his discussion with Knives about fate and predestination and stuff (esp since -I may be reading too much into it, but it’s interesting that Knives says he doesn’t believe in predestination anymore, and just a bit later goes about how his personality is Like That bc he’s Biologically Programmed for it), and his last words in it are especially ominous. WHAT were you gonna say about Vash. How does it concern Nicholas. This is gonna bite them in the ass later isn’t it.

Also ur last asks/answers REALLY doesn’t reassure me about woowoo’s fate. Is he gonna die. Is he gonna end up going thru the same things than his canon counterpart (concentrate of medical-and-general unethicality). Idk what those flags are for but boy They Are There.

Aallll that to say I absolutely love that fic and can't wait to see what you do next with it, thank you so much !! (3/3)

This is so nice thank you so much :D :D :D To comment in order:

Roleswaps are no fun if you can't recognize the character. You're absolutely right - the funnest part is to make the smallest changes possible, and see how they cause the biggest differences. That's true of every AU, honestly - you guys know those 600k shonen manga aus where something major is different but every story beat is identical to canon? Or they're identical to every other au? They're addictive but without substance. Also sounds boring to write.

It's so funny that you (and others) vibe with Dr. Knives! From my end, he has my own very wry deadpan and self-esteem problems. Characters who have both a ridiculously inflated ego for comedy purposes and some real self-esteem problems for drama purposes work great.

I was surprised that so many people enjoyed the trans thing so much! I didn't expect it to make people so happy. Of course it's a nice surprise. I don't remember why I made the BDN decision (funny, probably) or the 'Knives invented gender reassignment surgery' thing (funny definitely), but a very active decision and something that made Knives above every other character fun to write is that he is not a human being and does not think of himself as such. The way his body experiences emotion is different, his body itself is different in a way that probably includes genitalia, and there's no reason for him to experience gender the same way. As I'm about to talk about in the upcoming chapter, he casually refers to himself as a thing and with it/its and it doesn't affect his superiority complex whatsoever.

I...would not have said that this is trans by myself, if that makes sense, because I wouldn't have wanted to say "in order to really hammer in how this character is INHUMAN then I'm gonna make him not male or female and prefer neopronouns!". It's just the shape of the character, to me. BUT LIKE IF Y'ALL LIKE IT! NO PROBLEM! I was just worried I might be saying the wrong thing, so I didn't want to say it, if that makes sense. Y'all can say it though.

Trigun worldbuilding is nonsensical and hideously vague and as a writer if you stop and think too hard about silly questions like "where does the wood come from" or "why is Vash eating salmon sandwiches" then you go insane. But...yeah, Gunsmoke's like any other ecosystem, and its worms and thomases seem to be doing great! It's not Gunsmoke's fault it is almost completely uninhabitable to humans. It sucks for us, but...does Knives care about that??? Lmfao???

There is a shitton to say about Knives' relationship with predestination and inevitability, because it's why he made the worst decision of his life. I think of it as...reasonable, in a lot of ways. If all you knew about humanity was what you read in history textbooks, and human history ended with the destruction of Earth and themselves, how would you feel? Everything humans have done, they do again. And if they dissected your sister, in an act of cruelty that they had done to even themselves...of course you'd worry. Of course. If you're young and scared and you can hear the screams of the dead in your ears, of course you feel like it's going to be you or them. And if you're.........Millions Knives.......and reverse!Vash.....then eliminating the threat is just good business sense.

And you aren't reading too much into it - Trigun in so many ways is about choices, and the impact of your choices. Your decisions are you own, and you must take responsibility for them. Decisions have weight in Trigun. I think what ppl miss sometimes about Vash is that he also wants to fuckin' murder people sometimes. He wants to be violent, he wants to hurt. He just chooses not to. Sometimes choosing pacifism is a hard fucking choice, and I think wiping that away does a disservice to the character. So if Knives would say, "Well, it's just who I am, I had no choice, I had no control, I just go nuts and murder it's not on me..." - what does that mean, in Trigun? It's??? Like??? A pussy thing to say???

But, the way I thought about it - what Knives is fighting is his internal sense that he is predestined for cruelty. He knows "who he really is" and any attempt at goodness is futile, because he's secretly bad and will always be bad. And he fucks up sometimes and starts exploding worms. But Knives chooses goodness, and I don't think he's really cottoned on that his choice to do good is more important than his internal desires to do bad and his history of badness. Because he hates himself.

I think what Knives knows now as an adult is that our lives have paved a path for us to tread. Sometimes that path is innocent, and sometimes your life paves a very nasty path. But it's our choice if we walk it or not. Knives knows what his path is, and it gives him extreme shame - but he chose which one he walked, and that's what I judge him on. Still funny how much he loves murder though.

[sk1fanfiction]

dae think about how house elves are a very obvious metaphor for chattel slavery oops not even a metaphor they are literally enslaved and then because all of them but Dobby have learned helplessness (Tippy) or internalized racism + speciesism (Kreacher) people in fanon will be all 'well the house elves like being slaves to wizards' and write fics where house elf slavery is presented as a good or neutral feature of magical society and Hermione trying to liberate them is played for even more laughs than it is in the original books? or is it just me?

[unsoundedcomic]

This may be me misremembering or reading too closely into the dialogue, but I noticed that Prakhuta never says the word "inak," he only says "lizards" and "two-toes." Is that a little bit of internalized speciesism there, especially considering he studied to become Delicieu for so many years?

I think that is certainly so. He's always suffered from internalized hatred, it's part of what drove him to Delicieu in the first place. Everything that happened there and happened afterwards when he tried to go home again reinforced it; deepened it to a sociopathic extreme. Look at what he's doing to his people now, and the contempt that oozes off him during their interactions. If he ever met Ruffles he'd slice her ruffles off and feed them to Anadyne.

[ikatako38]

TPWCH Fun Facts Day 14

Moving away from meta facts and back into canon facts!

You might be wondering: if Inkling seems to have as many “dialects” we have in the world today, is there really only one Octoling language?

The short answer is yes. But it needs some explanation.

Before the Great Turf War, there was no “Inkling language” and “Octoling language.” They lived together, and everyone, whether Inkling or Octoling, spoke the native language of the region. For example, all Inkling and Octolings from Spaint spoke Spaintish, with no noticeable distinction in language or even accent between species.

Near beginning of the Great Turf War and DJ Octavio’s rule when interspeciesal tensions were running high, DJ Octavio worked with some linguists to construct an international Octoling language, designated Standard Octoling back in the day but now just called “Octoling” by the time we get to the events of Splatoon. It started as a military code language, but, seeing an opportunity to foster speciesal nationalism, he decreed Standard Octoling the national language and required its teaching in schools. All other languages (now designated “Inkling languages”) were banned in schools and discouraged for everyday use. While some older Octolings still remember their native Inkling languages, they are quickly dying out. Many Octoling kids are now two generations removed from their native language. Certain Octoling girls who come from families adamant about preserving culture may have been taught some of their family’s native “Inkling” language. (Remember that Octoling boys are immediately taken as wards of the state and thus wouldn’t be able to learn a language from their parents.) However, these “culturally-persistent” Octolings are extremely rare and, if found out, are labeled traitors.

Standard Octoling Sign Language (SOSL) was also a constructed language commissioned by DJ Octavio. It’s based on Standard Octoling grammar, but signers were given some freedom to adapt the morphology to fit the needs of a signed language.

[incongruence-osaf]

WELCOME to The Incongruence of Stars and Flowers

SUMMARY:

"This alternate universe combines the vibrant world and history of Sonic the Hedgehog with our very own, resulting in a version of Planet Mobius that’s both familiar and distant. Yet, this altered reality is neither idealized nor greater than the sum of its parts.

Anthropomorphic beings, humans, and animals of Mobius are struggling to rebuild their cityscapes, ecosystems, communities, and personal lives in the wake of the cumulative devastation of the Perfect Chaos Flood and the Black Arms Invasion. Shadow the Hedgehog takes a leave of absence from G.U.N. to temporarily settle down in Station Square, laying low after the world-shattering encounter with his alien DNA donor Black Doom. While the cityfolk around him undergo the growing pains of instability, nonconformity, sociological upheaval, and corruption, so too does the alien hybrid. With the support of unyielding friendship in aloof activist Sonic the Hedgehog and cultured confidante Rouge the Bat, Shadow coasts in this new life chapter while feeling profound pulls to unravel memories surrounding his loving creator, Professor Gerald Robotnik and solve mysteries within his environment, mind, and body.

Past and present perspectives interweave to show slices of unordinary lives, drawing from early-to-mid 2000s culture shifts/natural disasters/political tensions, U.S. and European history, and various fields of science as inspiration for this multi-chapter science-fiction drama mystery."

PROMINENT CHARACTERS:

Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, Professor Gerald Robotnik, Maria Robotnik, Black Doom, Commander Abraham Tower, Helen (from Sonic X), and new original character(s)

RATED PG to PG-13 (might change as story progresses) for swearing, discussion of uncomfortable topics, visceral/intense imagery, mild mentions of blood/violence

POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNINGS (might change as story progresses): body dysmorphia and dysphoria, racism/speciesism, internalized xenophobia, mentions and possible depictions of police violence, generational trauma, trauma & imagery from medical settings, processing grief, suicidal thoughts, depictions and/or descriptions mentioning blood

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

[brookston]

Holidays 6.5

Holidays

Apple II Day

Arbor Day (New Zealand)

Atlantis Day

Barricade Day

Blackberry Prophecy Day (If it rains today, it means the blackberries will be small and full of seeds)

Breonna Taylor Day

Elderberry Day (French Republic)

Family Yahtzee Day

Father's Day (Denmark)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Day

Festival of Popular Delusions

Flag Day (Turkey)

Global Jewish Unity Day

Grundlovsdag (Constitution Day; Denmark, Faroe Islands)

HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day

Hot Air Balloon Day

Indian Arrival Day (Suriname)

International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

Khordad Movement Day (Iran)

The King’s Birthday (New Zealand, Niue)

Liberation Day (Seychelles)

National Attitude Day

National Cancer Survivors Day

National Coworking Day (UK)

National Janet Day

National Jenny Day

National Joyce Day

National Lincoln Loud Day

National Report Stark Violations Day

National Shut Up Day

National Unity Day (Hungary)

National Women Chiropractors Day

One Plastic Free Day

Pansexual Day

President’s Day (Equatorial Guinea)

Reclamation Day (Azerbaijan)

605 Day

Walt Powell Memorial Day

Wiltshire Day (UK)

World Campaign for the Biosphere Day

World Day Against Speciesism

World Environment Day (UN)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Gingerbread Day

National Gingerbread Cookie Day

National Ketchup Day

National Love Island Day (UK) [1st Monday]

National Veggie Burger Day

Sausage Roll Day

1st Monday in June

Crop Over begins (Barbados) [1st Monday Until 1st Monday in August]

Jefferson Davis Day [1st Monday] (Alabama)

Meitheamh begins (Ireland) [1st Monday]

National Thank God It’s Monday Day [1st Monday; also 1st Monday in January]

Western Australia Day [1st Monday]

World Orthoptic Day [1st Monday]

Independence Days

Constitution Day (Denmark)

Feast Days

André Lhote (Artology)

The Bicycle and Helmet (Muppetism)

Boniface (Roman Catholic Church; Saint) [brewers, German brewers, innkeepers] *

St. Boniface (Positivist; Saint)

Dorotheus the Theban (Christian; Saint)

Dorotheus of Tyre (Christian; Saint)

Doughnut Day (Pastafarian)

Festival for Hercules Custos (Ancient Rome)

Genesius, Count of Clermont (Christian; Saint)

Illidius, Bishop of Auvergne (Christian; Saint)

Media Ver V (Pagan)

Meinwerk (Christian; Blessed)

Nones of June (Ancient Rome)

Whit Monday [50 days after Orthodox Easter] (Orthodox Christian) a.k.a. ... 

Doua Zi de Rusalii (România)

Holy Spirit Monday

Kataklysmos (Cyprus)

Monday of the Holy Spirit

Pentecost Monday

Valeria (Christian; Saint)

Wild Man Fletcher Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Lucky Day (Philippines) [33 of 71]

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Unfortunate Day (Pagan) [31 of 57]

Premieres

Arctic Antics (Disney Cartoon; 1930)

Away We Go (Film; 2009)

Be-Bop-a-Lula, by Gene Vincent (Song; 1956)

The Comeback (TV Series; 2005)

Come Blow Your Horn (Film; 1963)

For the Birds (Pixar Cartoon; 2000)

The Hangover (Film; 2009)

Harry and the Hendersons (Film; 1987)

Little Boy Boo (WB LT Cartoon; 1954)

Lovestoned, by Justin Timberlake (Song; 2007)

Lush Life, by Zara Larsson (Song; 2015)

Memory Almost Full, by Paul McCartney (Album; 2007)

Mulan (Animated Disney Film; 1998)

Patriot Games (Film; 1992)

Peter Grimes, by Benjamin Britten (Opera; 1945)

Pleading Guilty, by Scott Turow (Novel; 1993)

Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too (Black Mirror TV Episode; 2019)

Rififi (Film; 1956)

Rock of Ages (Film; 2012)

The Sea Wolves (Film; 1981)

Sixkill, by Robert B. Parker (Novel; 2011)

Spy (Film; 2015)

The Truman Show (film; 1998)

Uncle Tom’s Bungalow (WB MM Cartoon; 1937)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Novel; 1852)

The Untouchables (Film; 1987)

What's New Pussycat?, by Tom Jones (Song; 1965)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (Film; 1942)

You’ve Got a Friend, by James Taylor (Song; 1971)

Today’s Name Days

Erika, Winfried (Austria)

Bonifacije, Bono, Darinka, Valerija (Croatia)

Dobroslav (Czech Republic)

Bonifacius (Denmark)

Vilimo, Viljar, Viljer, Viljo, Vilju (Estonia)

Sulevi (Finland)

Igor (France)

Bonifatius, Erika, Winifried (Germany)

Apollon, Dorotheos, Kinthia, Nikandros, Ploutarhos, Selene (Greece)

Fatime (Hungary)

Bonifacio, Ferdinando, Igor, Irene (Italy)

Igors, Ingvars, Margods, Margots (Latvia)

Kantautas, Kantvydė, Marcė (Lithuania)

Torben, Torbjørg, Torbjørn (Norway)

Bończa, Bonifacy, Dobrociech, Dobromir, Dobrymir, Nikanor, Waleria, Walter (Poland)

Dorotei (România)

Laura (Slovakia)

Bonifacio (Spain)

Bo (Sweden)

Dora, Dorothea, Dorothy, Ihor (Ukraine)

Boniface, Sancho, Santino, Santos (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 156 of 2024; 209 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 1 of week 23 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Huath (Hawthorn) [Day 22 of 28]

Chinese: Month 4 (Ding-Si), Day 18 (Jia-Wu)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 16 Sivan 5783

Islamic: 16 Dhu al-Qada 1444

J Cal: 6 Sol; Sixday [6 of 30]

Julian: 23 May 2023

Moon: 97%: Waning Gibbous

Positivist: 16 St. Paul (6th Month) [St. Boniface]

Runic Half Month: Odal (Home, Possession) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 77 of 90)

Zodiac: Gemini (Day 15 of 32)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 8.31

Holidays

African Traditional Medicine Day

Anniversary of the Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier (Afghanistan)

Baloch-Pakhtun Unity Day (Balochistan, Pakistan)

Cow Chip Tossing Day

Crop Dusting Day

Day of Solidarity and Freedom (Poland)

831 Day

Festal Day (Order of the Eastern Star)

Flag Day (India)

Franchise Appreciation Day

Hari Kebangsaan (Malaysia)

International Blog Day (a.k.a. International Day of Blogs and Bloggers)

International Day for People of African Descent (UN)

International Day of Obstetrics & Pregnancy

International Lawn Day

International Overdose Awareness Day

Jack the Ripper Day [Killed 1st Victim: Mary Ann Nichols; 1888]

Limba Noastra (Day of Our Language; Moldova)

Long-Haul Truck Driver (Russia)

Love Litigating Lawyers Day

Memorial Day for the Victims of Repression (Uzbekistan)

Merdeka Day (Malaysia)

National Asiatic Cheetah Day (Iran)

National Box Car Day

National Cinema Day (UK)

National Cowgirl Day

National Dan Day

National Day (Vietnam)

National Diatomaceous Earth Day

National HalfCut Day (Australia)

National Language Day (Moldova)

National Leslie Day

National Matchmaker Day

National South Carolina Day

National Zoo Awareness Day (UK)

Nature Day (Finland)

North Borneo Self-Government Day

Opioid Misuse Prevention Day

Overdose Awareness Day

Princess Diana Memorial Day

Rabbit Rabbit Day [Last Day of Every Month]

Romanian Language Day (Romania)

Sărbătoarea (a.k.a. Limba noastră; Language Day; Moldova)

Take a Seat Day

Tank Day (Lešany, Czech Republic)

Teacher’s Day (Singapore)

Walnut Day (French Republic)

We Love Memoirs Day

White Rose Day (Australia)

Withdrawal of the Last American Soldier Anniversary Day (Afghanistan)

World Distance Learning Day

World Sanskrit Day

World Solidarity Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Eat Outside Day

Grape Blessing Day (Armenia)

International Bacon Day [also 12.30]

Invent A New Sandwich Day

National Chourico Day

National Trail Mix Day

Vegetable Day (Japan)

Independence & Related Days

Befshire (Declared; 2016) [unrecognized]

Kyrgyzstan (from USSR, 1991)

Malaysia (from UK, 1957)

North Borneo (Self-Government Day; Sabah, Malaysia)

Surigao City Charter Day (Philippines)

Trinidad and Tobago (from UK, 1962)

5th & Last Saturday in August

International Bacon Day [Saturday before 1st Monday in September]

International Bat Night [Last Saturday]

International Cosplay Day [Last Saturday]

International Play Music on the Porch [Last Saturday]

Iroquois Indian Festival (Albany, NY) [Begins on Last Saturday]

Pony Express Day [Last Saturday]

Sandwich Saturday [Every Saturday]

Schemitzun begins (Green Corn Pow Wow; Mashantucket Pequot, Connecticut) [Last Saturday]

Six For Saturday [Every Saturday]

Spaghetti Saturday [Every Saturday]

Speak Kind Words Saturday [Saturday of Be Kind to Humankind Week]

World Day for the End of Speciesism [Last Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 31 (4th Full Week of August)

National Buffalo Chicken Wings Days (Buffalo, New York) [thru 9.1]

Festivals Beginning August 31, 2024

Amish Country Cheese Festival (Arthur, Illinois) [thru 9.3]

Apple Harvest Celebration (Willcox, Arizona) [thru 9.8]

BBQ & Craft Beer Festival (Monmouth Park, Oceanport, New Jersey) [thru 9.2]

Bloemencorso Eelde (Eelde, Netherlands) [thru 9.1]

Boothbay Harbor Tuna Challenge (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)

Bremerton Blackberry Festival (Bremerton, Washington) [thru 9.2]

Bumbershoot (Seattle, Washington) [thru 9.1]

Canadian International Air Show (Toronto, Canada) [thru 9.2]

Caribbean Food And Wine Festival (West Friendship, Maryland)

Connecticut Renaissance Faire (Lebanon, Connecticut) [thru 10.14]

Corn Maze (Middlefield, Connecticut) [thru 11.3]

Eastport Salmon and Seafood Festival (Eastport, Maine) [thru 9.1]

Food Truck Festival (Waterloo, Iowa)

Garlic Town U.S.A. (Bennington, Vermont)

Girdwood Fungus Fair (Girdwood, Alaska) [thru 9.1]

Harvest Wine Fest (Albuquerque & Las Cruces, New Mexico) [thru 9.2]

Hatch Chile Festival (Hatch, New Mexico) [thru 9.1]

John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival (High Point, North Carolina) [thru 9.1]

Kansas City Renaissance Festival (Bonner Springs, Kansas) [thru 10.14]

Keystone’s Oktoberfest (Keystone, Colorado)

King Richard’s Faire (Carver, Massachusetts) [thru 10.20]

Milan Melon Festival (Milan, Ohio) [thru 9.2]

National Buffalo Wing Festival (Buffalo, New York) [thru 9.1]

Ohio Renaissance Festival (Harveysburg, Ohio) [thru 10.27]

Okinawan Festival (Waikiki, Hawaii) [thru 9.1]

Renaissance Faire at Sleepy Hollow (Des Moines, Iowa) [thru 9.15]

Richmond County Fair (Staten Island, New York) [thru 9.2]

Romeo Peach Festival (Romeo, Michigan) [thru 9.2]

Seafood Festival & Craft Show (Westport, Washington)

Taste of Hamburg-er Festival (Hamburg, Pennsylvania)

Taste of Madison (Madison, Wisconsin) [thru 9.1]

Taylor Sweet Corn Festival (Taylor, Arizona)

West Cape May Tomato Festival (West Cape May, New Jersey)

West Jefferson Annual Ox Roast (West Jefferson, Ohio) [thru 9.2]

Wild Rice Day (McGregor, Minnesota)

World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off (Brady, Texas)

Feast Days

Aidan of Lindisfarne (Christian; Saint)

Alter Ego Day (Pastafarian)

Aristides of Athens (Christian; Saint)

Bryan Organ (Artology)

Cuthburh (Christian; Saint)

Dominguito del Val (Christian; Saint)

DuBose Heyward (Writerism)

Feast of Grapes (Ancient Minoa; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Fourth Onam (Rice Harvest Festival, Day 4; Kerala, India)

Frey’s Blot (Pagan)

Gai Jatra (Cow Festival, in remembrance of people who died the previous year; Kathmandu Valley, Nepal)

G. Willow Wilson (Writerism)

Henry (Muppetism)

Isabel (Christian; Saint)

Joseph of Arimathea (Christian; Saint)

Jouffroy (Positivist; Saint)

Mária Balážová (Artology)

Nicodemus (Christian; Saint)

Paulinus of Trier (Christian; Saint)

Paul Reubens Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Raymond Nonnatus (Christian; Saint)

The Ritual Walk of the Eyos (Lagos; Everyday Wicca)

Roger Dean (Artology)

Wala of Corbie (Christian; Saint)

Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria (Christian; Saint)

William Saroyan (Writerism)

Yumiko Ōshima (Artology)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [48 of 71]

Premieres

All Or Nothing At All, recorded by Frank Sinatra (Song; 1939)

American Idiot, by Green Day (Song; 2004)

Andor (TV Series; 2022)

Bad, by Michael Jackson (Album; 1987)

The Big Sleep (Film; 1946)

Bolero (Film; 1984)

Bugsy and Mugsy (WB LT Cartoon; 1957)

The Commuter, by Philip K. Dick (Short Story; 1953)

The Constant Gardener (Film; 2005)

Document, by R.E.M. (Album; 1987)

Fly, by Dixie Chicks (Album; 1999)

Foundation and Earth, by Isaac Asimov (Novel; 1986) [Foundation #5]

Get Rich Quick (Disney Cartoon; 1951)

Goat’s Head Soup, by The Rolling Stones (Album; 1973)

The Great Gildersleeve (Radio Series; 1941)

Jack Ryan (TV Series; 2018)

Only Murders in the Building (TV Series; 2021)

Orient Express, by Graham Greene (a.k.a. Stamboul Train; Novel; 1932)

Pluto’s Judgement Day (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

The Psychology of Intelligence, by Jean Piaget (Science Book; 1947)

Radetzky March, by Johann Strauss (March; 1848)

Raising Demons, by Shirley Jackson (Memoir; 1957)

Solid Serenade (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1946)

Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver (Memoir & Essays; 1968)

The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht (Play with Music; 1928)

Wildest Dreams, by Taylor Swift (Song; 2015)

The World According to Garp, by John Irving (Novel; 1978)

You Gotta Be a Football Hero (Fleischer Popeye Cartoon; 1935)

Today’s Name Days

Paulinus, Raimubd (Austria)

Josip, Nikodem, Optat, Paulina (Croatia)

Pavlína (Czech Republic)

Bertha (Denmark)

Arved, Arvi, Arvid (Estonia)

Arvi (Finland)

Aristide (France)

Aidan, Anja, Paulinus, Raimund (Germany)

Bella, Erika (Hungary)

Aristide (Italy)

Aigars, Aira, Labite, Vilma (Latvia)

Raimunda, Raimundas, Vilmantas, Vilmantė (Lithuania)

Berta, Berte (Norway)

Bohdan, Paulina, Rajmund, Rajmunda, Świętosław (Poland)

Nora (Slovakia)

Ramón (Spain)

Arvid, Vidar (Sweden)

Aden, Aidan, Aiden, Ayden, Edan, Edana, Eden, Edina, Egan, Egon (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 244 of 2024; 122 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of Week 35 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Muin (Vine) [Day 1 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 28 (Ding-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 27 Av 5784

Islamic: 25 Safar 1446

J Cal: 4 Gold; Foursday [4 of 30]

Julian: 18 August 2024

Moon: 5%: Waning Crescent

Positivist: 20 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Thilorier]

Runic Half Month: Rad (Motion) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 73 of 94)

Week: 1st Full Week of September

Zodiac: Virgo (Day 10 of 32)

Calendar Changes

Muin (Vine) [Celtic Tree Calendar; Month 9 of 13]

[drrogerjou]

CASY Cultural Autism Studies at Yale (the ethnography project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes) is delighted to welcome Drs. David Varela-Trejo and Berenice Vargas-García on Friday, August 30, 7-8 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT, 6 p.m. CDT, 5 p.m. Mexico City). Come join their session entitled, “Multispecies Justice, Environmental Crisis, and Affectivity.” Drs. Varela-Trejo and Vargas-García are anthropology professors from Mexico and this meeting will be aided with the help of a Spanish language interpreter.

There is no cost to attend, and international participants are invited to join. RSVP online though our borderless Meetup group https://tinyurl.com/msyabtpm

DESCRIPTION: Multispecies Justice, Environmental Crisis, and Affectivity. Paraphrasing Ralph James Savarese, “Why should we pay attention, even fiercely, to the things of this world that neurotypicals often overlook with ease?” The forces of the Capitalocene, like a destructive machine, sweep away all lives in their path: animals, minerals, plants, humans. They create hostile environments where, to survive, we must hold and support each other. Who can sense these absences? What some call “hyperempathy” (and which is part of the autistic community), we see as a call for multispecies justice.

DESCRIPCIÓN: Justicia Multiespecie, Crisis Ambiental y Afectividad. Parafraseando a Ralph James Savarese: ¿Por qué no deberíamos prestar atención, incluso con fiereza, a las cosas de este mundo que los neurotípicos a menudo pasan alegremente por alto? Las fuerzas del Capitaloceno, como una máquina aniquilante, arrasan con todas las vidas a su paso: animales, minerales, vegetales, humanas. Fabrican ambientes hostiles donde, para sobrevivir, debemos sostenernos y apoyarnos mutuamente. ¿Quienes pueden sentir esas ausencias? Lo que algunos llaman “hiperempatía” (y que hace parte de la comunidad autista), nosotras lo pensamos con un reclamo por la justicia multiespecie.

BIOGRAPHIES

David Varela-Trejo holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and is a professor at the National School of Anthropology and History. He is a researcher at the Center for Research and Training in Transdisciplinary Critical Studies and is about to start a postdoctoral research project at the Institute of Geography-National Autonomous University of Mexico. He focuses on critical animal and multispecies studies.

Berenice Vargas-García holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and is a professor at the National School of Anthropology and History and at the Metropolitan Autonomous University-Iztapalapa. She is a member of Afroindoamérica. Red Global Antirracista and the Critical Disability Studies Working Group of CLACSO. Her research focuses on embodied affectivity, autistic anthropology, and the analysis of the interconnection of oppressions.

Drs. Varela-Trejo and Vargas-García are co-authors of articles such as "Multispecies Futures: A Manifesto from the South in the Face of the Capitalist Anthropocene" (2024) and "Silent Speciesism and Affectivity: Images of the Carnism Happiness Project" (2022). They have an academic-activist-memepolitical project called "Symbionts Without Humans" ("Simbiontes Sinhumanes").

About CASY Cultural Autism Studies (The Ethnography Project led by Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes): An 'ethnography' is an exploration of how a group of people express themselves in a cultural way. Autistic people have a growing kind of culture, and each autistic experience is a vital part of it. Dr. Dawn Prince-Hughes is an anthropologist, ethnographer, primatologist, and author who is autistic. Join her for an exploration of the importance of autistic self-expression and the culture that grows from it. Those who wish to share their content are free to do so on our private Facebook group (see below), organically contributing to a growing autistic culture.

Links to online events will also be shared on these private Facebook groups: SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY FOR AUTISM (http://tinyurl.com/mrxnxmnc) or CASY Cultural Autism Studies... The Ethnography Project (http://tinyurl.com/4ckbyut7).

CREDITS: The preparation of this material was financed under an agreement with the Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities (CTCDD). CASY Sparks membership, activities and events are free. CASY Sparks is sponsored in part by The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation Adult Autism Research Fund, and a generous gift from the Rosen family, and the research of Dr. Roger Jou, including Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK) Clinical Site Network - Yale University (https://www.SPARKforAutism.org/Yale).