ThePrettiestOne

when you need to listen to music or white noise or to wear noise canceling headphones to stay intact in social situations and you feel bad because you know people think you aren’t paying attention

impuretale:

quietreaderchick:

If you don’t think this is the cutest thing in the world. You’re wrong

I now want to write a children’s book about a teddy bear and an orphaned bat. 

autonomous-geordie:

The reality of capitalism and a right-wing government hellbent on destroying welfare, a deadly mix.

Many clothing brands seem to be designed with specific body types in mind. For a more flattering look, it’s best to wear brands that fit you best. Fitbay’s infographic highlights popular brands to fit your body type.

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Your lips are dry, so you apply a little something soothing from a tube or a tiny jar or one of those weird golf ball things. Aah, relief. But as soon as it wears off, you need more. The cycle repeats all winter. Are you practicing responsible skin care, or have you become addicted?

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milwaukeebelow:

spoonie-living:

disabilityhealth:

You have to like every post that you reblog just to make sure that you don’t accidentally post it twice. In the same day. Because your memory is truly that awful.

This is actually pretty solid brain fog advice! Go forth and Tumbl without fear, friends!

My personal brain fog (and also just me fog) trick is to leave my car keys on top of whatever thing I need to remember to bring with my that day (a packed lunch, etc.).

Didn’t realize other people did this, too. 

This is exactly how I use likes.

crybabypsychotic:

it occasionally occurs to me that pretty much all sj issues can be summed up as “don’t hurt people” with a sidenote of “you can hurt people on accident, but they’re still hurt so apologize and learn from it”

basically at the core of it, it’s similar to “if you bump into a stranger, apologize and try not to do it again”. And people not only debate it, but some go out of their way to bump into strangers and scream “Awww are you hurt?! are you crying!! did I upset you!!” as a weird hobby

majestic-albatross:

did-you-kno:

You can be ‘TheDress That Broke the Internet’ for Halloween. Source

#why be a racist stereotype when u can be THIS

ejlandsman:

I don’t feel like this is done but I’m posting it anyway, SO THERE. This text is by tumblr user huggablekaiju, big thanks to them for letting me use it here!

We have created an abusive society. We have normalized, regularized, and routinized abuse. We are abused at work, by the very rules, norms, and expectations of our jobs, at which we are merely “human resources”, to be utilized, allocated, depleted. We are abused at play, by industries that seek to prey on our innocence and literally “target” our human weaknessses. And now we are abused at arm’s length, through the lightwaves, by people we will never meet, for things we have barely even said. We live in a society where school shootings are the rule, not the exception, where more people will have taken antidepressants than not…and now one where nearly everyone will have been abused on the web…for a random, off-hand, throwaway comment, an idle thought, something trivial, unremarkable, meaningless.

This is an age of stagnation. Of broken dreams and thwarted expectations. What is stagnating is not just “the economy” — but us. Our possibilities and potential, the lives that we should be living. That is what is creating a great cycle of violence. Stagnation is abuse. And we are its victims. We have been cheated not just of our savings, retirements, jobs, social contracts — but of what all those free us to be: ourselves.

laughing because you’re anxious or sad and getting “this isn’t funny!”

When you’re trying to “read scrolls and chill.” (via moosecaca)

vixyish:

thisiswhitehistory:

Day 18 of White History Month: Brownface and Romani Persecution (by moonandthewitch)

In contemporary media, the image of the Gypsy is a staple archetype.  From Disney movies to popular fantasy novels the romanticized version of a real ethnic group, the Romani people, can be found. The archetype of the free spirited Gypsy is so popular that it is often replicated through costume, from casual Halloween interpretations to Renaissance faire actors.  The act of “playing Gypsy” has an incredibly dark history, and can be dated back to Renaissance court theatre.

During the 16th century, Western European courts became increasingly obsessed with the exotic.  Around the same time, the Romani people, an ethnic group originally from India, started migrating west from Eastern Europe to escape enslavement.  Due to the supposed “exotic” looks of the Roma people, many courtiers and actors donned brown face paint and blackened hair, mimicking the ethnic group.  The English in particular were intrigued by the foreign language and looks of the Romani, and called them “Gypsies” believing they came from Egypt.  Faux Gypsydom became incredibly popular during masquerades and theatrical performances, and many early modern English plays focused on the subject of the Gypsy, often portraying the ethnic groups as deceptive and mysterious, easily praying on the gullible white Englishman or Spaniard.  The fetishization of Romani people, perpetuated by Renaissance brown-face mimicking the illusive Gypsy, caused a rise in oversexualization of Romani women. Many Romani were coerced to entertain in court for white nobility, who further sexualized and fetishized the ethnic group. 

Because of English xenophobia and the stereotypes of the Gypsy thief, England’s love affair with the fetishization of Romani people took a dark turn, and England instated their Gypsy laws in 1554, which made it illegal to be a Roma in England, and was punishable by death.  Many other European Countries instated similar laws, causing Romani to adopt a nomadic lifestyle in search for safe havens.  This law also made it illegal to be a “counterfeit gypsy,” or one who donned brown-face, as it made it difficult to tell who was white and who was Roma. Fears of swindling Gypsies and with the need for white supremacy in a budding colonial empire, England often transported Roma people to the American colonies as slaves and indentured servants.  Many other countries, such as Portugal and Spain, did the same, using Roma people as forced labor in Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas.

Though England and many other European countries made the existence of Romani people illegal, fetishization of Romani people continued to be popular in theatrical performances, such as Ben Jonson’s The Gypsies Metomorphosis and Bizet’s Carmen, down to allusions of Cleopatra’s Gypsy nature in Shakespeare’s play.  Many of these performances employed the use of brown face to mimic the exotic and perceived “ugly” physical attributes of Roma people.

White people’s fascination with the figure of the Gypsy continues to this day, with Renaissance faires employing Gypsy troops and media productions and works of fiction carrying the torch of the exotic stereotype, whether it be the Gypsy trickster, The Gitana prostitute, or the Cigany sorcerer, baring little to no difference of Renaissance fetishization of Roma people.  

This is why “gypsy” is a racial slur. It doesn’t matter how you mean it. The violent history attached to the word doesn’t get erased just because you want to ignore it.

micdotcom:

This woman just nailed the reason to never ask when someone is having kids 

Even though it’s 2015, the question of “So when are ya havin’ babies?” is still the No. 1 most annoying conversation starter. This Facebook post and the 41K people who shared it understand why this really isn’t an appropriate question. It may actually be hurtful.

Lights flickered; doors opened by themselves; creaks (like footsteps) were heard on the attic and basement stairs; cold drafts were felt in every room. The owners of the house screamed, cried, called in people to help them, but eventually fled. The house shrugged. “Clearly clueless,” it said, watching them run to their cars and peel out of the driveway, “like the last bunch.” The house consulted its expansive list and proceeded to test the top floor light switches and flushed all of the toilets. “This place is over 100 years old,” it said to itself (heard as more of a moan on the upstairs landing), “and held together with spit and duct tape.” The house turned the gas stove on and off a couple of times, sliding a window open a crack to let out the fumes. “If it’s ever going to get on HGTV as a renovation, an in-depth inspection is mandatory.” It frowned at floor vents partially blocked by cheap furniture and the amount of clutter the idiots had left behind.

ithurts-to-become:

deactivate-my-face:

followthebluebell:

Pre-T, I could mimic my cats’ meows perfectly.

Post-T, my voice dropped approximately a fuck-ton (metric) and I can no longer do that. Lil'y has responded by making her own meows as gravely as possible, so I can meow at her again.

So if there are any other guys or non-binaries out there who are worried that their pets won’t recognize them after they start hormone-therapy or something similar, don’t worry. Your pets will love you. They already know who you are.

I am dead of the cute

IM DEAD THIS IS SO CUTE

Plymouth, Michigan-based artist Jay Fosgitt has created a Star Wars-themed illustration for his friend Heather Antos that imagines what a day at the Dark Side Day Care might look like. The children of numerous well-known Star Wars characters appear in the illustration like Lando Calrissian, Jango Fett, Darth Vader, and more.

ICYMI: Check out the AMAZING #StarWars commission I got from the talented @JayPFosgitt! pic.twitter.com/kR2SOh7WML

— Heather Antos (@HeatherAntos) September 28, 2015

image via jayfosgitt

via Geek Art Gallery, Neatorama

4gifs:

Cats make their own rules. [video]

lilylilymine:

dream project, doing a whole comic prequel about Morticia Addams as a teen.

Yearbook voted her most likely to make you fall in love with her, break your heart, put a curse on you, and make you beg for more.

She wants to try out for cheerleading. 

no one can ever tell when Teen Morticia is joking or serious.

cheer captain thinks Morticia hates her but Morticia low key put a hex on the cheer captains mean ex who was gonna spread bad rumors about her.

Teen Morticia Addams brought all the dissected frogs back to life cause it seemed mean to leave them dead. teacher is horrified.

If it actually says this, it’s hilarious.

Okay, I’ve thought about this question for most of a day, because the obvious answer is “….why would I?”, but it’s clearly not obvious to you.

Now, I know exactly what you’re thinking. They’re a doctor. They’re a professional you’ve gone to for help. And pain and fatigue are, like, medical things, right? Going to a doctor about medical stuff and then saying “LOL NOPE” to what the doctor says is like hiring a plumber and then arguing about how to fix your sink, right? If you’re so smart, why’d you call the plumber over?

Okay.

But now imagine your basement is flooding and you call the plumber. While on the phone, the plumber asks you what the problem is and you say that there’s a pipe in your basement that’s burst and it’s now flooded.

And the plumber—still on the phone—says “LOL NOPE.”

And you say, “Excuse me?”

The plumber says, “Look, a flooded basement is a really severe problem, okay? Usually, these calls, they’re a clogged toilet or a leaky u-bend under the sink. Trust me, this is better. Those are a lot cheaper to fix.”

And you say, “I’m sure they are, but I’m telling you, my basement is flooded. I’m looking down the stairs and I can see the water.”

“I’m just saying, there are other things it could be. It won’t hurt anything to eliminate them first,” the plumber says.

And you say, “But I need my basement fixed! Look, I can’t go down in my basement and do laundry right now, and I have important keepsakes down there in boxes… some of them are already ruined, but maybe I can salvage some if we can just fix the problem.”

“Well, then it will be in your interest for me to check your toilets and your u-bends,” the plumber says.

“The problem is not in my toilets or my sinks,” you say. “I am looking at the problem. I called you because my basement is flooded, and I need you to help me fix that.”

And then… now, I’m not assuming you’re female, but I just want to emphasize that this is a starkly though not exclusively gendered phenomenon, so if you’re not female then imagine you are.

“MA’AM,” the plumber says, in a way you recognize. It’s the voice of putting you in your place, the voice of unearned authority, and with this voice, this word, ma’am, is not a title of respect, it’s a reminder and a command. “MA’AM, if you’ll just calm down. I’m sure what you’re experiencing seems terrible to you, but the truth is, it’s probably not as bad as it looks from where you’re standing. And that’s a good thing! Trust me, have been a plumber for 27 years. Now, when can I come over to check your u-bends?”

“It’s not my u-bends!” you say.

“Ma’am, if you don’t want to be helped, I’ll start to think you’re calling for attention.”

You see?

(Now for bonus points, imagine the plumber refuses to help you until you lose a statistically improbable amount of weight just to rule out that this might be flooding your basement, or is acting on the subconscious but deeply entrenched idea that people with your skin color are less susceptible to flooding and in less need of help, or believes that as a feeeemale you’re more likely to be suffering from emotional distress than a physical problem and suggests the preferable course of action would be for you to take a nap every time the supposed flooding in your basement bothers you.)

As I said in that post, pain and fatigue — like dysphoria — are qualitative experiences. This means they happen in your head and they cannot be directly observed or measured by anyone else (which would make them quantitative phenomena). 

The doctor talking to you about dysphoria —or pain or fatigue — is not a plumber in your house, they are a plumber on the phone. The only input they receive about the problem is your account of it. 

And if they’re not willing to listen to what you say and aren’t willing to take you at your word, then all the expertise and experience in the world doesn’t matter. You can have the most powerful calculator in the world but if you type the wrong numbers into it it will still give the wrong answers. Someone can be the best doctor in the world but if they’re ignoring the information they’re not going to give you the right answer.

illyanapryde:

IM SCREAMING

darkersolstice:

letsplaysocialjustice:

when will ppl realise that i’m not a computer expert i just know how to click on things until i find the problem

No, but seriously, this is one of the greatest skills Millennials have. I have gotten heaps of praise from my boss for being able to go to my desk, google for five minutes, and come back to fix her computer issue. A lot of it is that the vocabulary is something natural to us. We grew up with these systems from when we were kids–checking that the monitor’s plugged in, that we have the right drivers, that there’s a connection is something we learned young, an internal checklist that’s as natural as the one we use when starting a car–moreso, even. Lots of us have laptops, but no car.

Troubleshooting basic software and hardware issues is something that you can put on your resume. So is rapid skill acquisition, for clicking around in a new program until you know how to use it. These are what we’re good at, Millennials. Don’t feel ashamed of it.

@howtogrowthefuckup, @resumespeak, do either of you have comments to add?

Opponents of government aid to the poor often argue that the poor are not really poor. The evidence they are fond of is often an inappropriate comparison, usually with people in other countries: “Thus we can say that by global standards there are no poor people in the US at all: the entire country is at least middle class or better” (Tim Worstall in Forbes).  Sometimes the comparison is with earlier times, as in this quote from Heritage’s Robert Rector: “‘Poor’ Americans today are better housed, better fed, and own more property than did the average US citizen throughout much of the 20th Century.”

I parodied this approach in a post a few years ago by using the ridiculous argument that poor people in the US are not really poor and are in fact “better off than Louis XIV because the Sun King didn’t have indoor plumbing.” I mean, I thought the toilet argument was ridiculous. But sure enough, Richard Rahn of the Cato Institute used it in an article last year in the Washington Times, complete with a 17th century portrait of the king:

Common Folk Live Better Now than Royalty Did in Earlier Times

Louis XIV lived in constant fear of dying from smallpox and many other diseases that are now cured quickly by antibiotics. His palace at Versailles had 700 rooms but no bathrooms…

Barry Ritholtz at Bloomberg has an ingenious way of showing how meaningless this line of thinking his. He compares today not with centuries past but with centuries to come. Consider our hedge-fund billionaires, with private jets whisking them to their several mansions in different states and countries. Are they well off?  Not at all.  They are worse off than the poor of 2215.

Think about what the poor will enjoy a few centuries from now that even the 0.01 percent lack today. … “Imagine, they died of cancer and heart disease, had to birth their own babies, and even drove their own cars. How primitive can you get!”

Comparisons with times past or future tell us about progress. They can’t tell us who’s poor today. What makes people rich or poor is what they can buy compared with other people in their own society. To extrapolate a line from Mel Brooks’s Louis XVI, “It’s good to be the king . . . even if flush toilets haven’t been invented yet.”

And you needn’t sweep your gaze to distant centuries to find inappropriate comparisons. When Marty McFly in “Back to the Future” goes from the ’80s to the ’50s, he feels pretty cool, even though the only great advances he has over kids there seem to be skateboards, Stratocasters, and designer underpants. How would he have felt if in 1985 he could have looked forward thirty years to see the Internet, laptops, and smartphones?

People below the poverty line today do not feel well off  just because they have indoor plumbing or color TVs or Internet connections. In the same way,  our 1% do not feel poor even though they lack consumer goods that people a few decades from now will take for granted.

Originally posted at Montclair SocioBlog. Re-posted at Pacific Standard.

(View original at http://thesocietypages.org/socimages)