we are in a media literacy crisis

friendly reminder that characters don't need to be saints to be entertaining. and telling a story does not mean endorsement. art does not need to be all about morally good people.

IDK if this was meant as hyperbole but it's literally true:

Adult literacy is low.

Child literacy is low.

Information literacy has shifted dramatically in the last decade, but reputable information sources like research journals and factual news reporting have been unable to keep pace.

We are genuinely in a crisis of media literacy, with ever fewer genuinely factual resources available in the style and language used by contemporary audiences.

It may sound condescending, but we genuinely need to remind people, or worse, explain to them for the first time that art is not evidence of real world behaviour.

So, thank you, for this reminder. Genuinely.

You're correct:

Art does not need to feature exclusively morally pure characters. Art is not proof of the creator's secret, violent desires.

i hope all mutuals who i never talk to are having a good day

at least there’s fucking friends. at least there’s people who love you in this godforsaken world

autism is living by vampire rules. light sensitivity. eating the wrong food makes you want to die. need to be explicitly invited places. weird sleep schedule. eating the same thing every time. specific rituals and routines. burst into flames at the sight of a crucifix. etc.

i had enough of dating apps and the boring hey what’s up hi nothing wbu messages why don’t you just stab me instead then leave me on your kitchen floor and walk away knowing that your stab was surgical because u wanted me to live

ANTI-CAPITALIST AFFIRMATIONS

• i am allowed to spend my time creating things, even if they are not beautiful.
• there is no such thing as a "real job." all forms of work are real and valid.
• there is nothing that i need to accomplish to be worthy. i am already worthy.
• doing nothing is good for my soul.
• i am not defined by what i produce.
• my worth cannot be measured by my paycheck, my job title, or a list of professional or academic achievements.
• i do not need to monetize my hobbies, it is enough to spend time doing something i love.
• i will not let society decide what success looks like. i can define what successful life looks like for me.

i think people need to stop glorifying sassiness and bitterness and start promoting the idea of actually being fucking nice and civil to people who did nothing to you.

“they’re an asshole but they have a heart of gold” can fucking miss me, give me that “they’re kind with a heart of gold” every goddamn time. It doesn’t matter that he’s nice to his fucking dog if he makes the waitress cry, fuck that dude

gender to me is like a car i dont really want one and society would be much better if it was not structured around it. but i got one because it helps me get around and sometimes its fun to make it go fast

and people tell you to move to one of a handful of cities if you want to avoid having one, but when you get there the majority of people have one anyway and jobs expect you to as well

Car dependence has ruined the physical and social infrastructure of this country. If we want any revolution we need Walkable safe human scaled cities

amtrak I love you and you're so right but this post is about gender so

gender has ruined the physical and social infrastructure of this country. if we want any revolution we need gender-optional safe queer friendly cities

What's a gender?

I don't know; I kind of think that our culture is based around systematic denial of human limitations. I mean, there's the eight-hour work day (which is about 4 hours longer than most people are consistently able to remain productive); buffing your qualifications on job applications (which everyone needs to do to some extent, because everyone else is doing it); the expectation of multitasking, even though it's not really possible; academics are running around with impostor syndrome, ultimately because there's only so many books that an individual is capable of reading, while a bunch of liars and grifters pretend that they're experts at *everything* and are held up as thought leaders. Billionaires are held up as if they're just incredibly hard workers, photoshopped movie stars held up as if they're just incredibly beautiful. We feel guilty for not being something that never has and can never exist.

Barbie (2023)

girl dinner. fattest fucking plate of pasta you've ever seen in your life

another important thing to remember is 1) u can pick up any hobby at any point in ur life and get outstandingly good at it & 2) the project u've been working on & aren't pleased w the current outcome so far will not be your last. u will draw/crochet/paint/sculpt/write another piece, and another, and you will have many chances to be fully content w your craft. so you should cherish the joy of making art instead of worrying ab the results & think ab how lovely it is that we're all vessels for artistry and we can share the divine act of creation!!!!!

gentle reminder that this is ur sign to pick up the hobby you quit bec you thought you weren't good enough at it. making mediocre art is the point of being alive <3

This seems like a good place to leave Kurt Vonnegut’s letter

sorry for being cringe i was trying to have a human experience

Charles Bukowski, "cancer," from Come On In!

alternate narrative: it’s actually fine if someone found me a little weird or even off-putting. i am a little weird and it’s no big deal

supporting questions: how many genuinely delightful people who you like spending time with are, themselves, a little weird? perhaps even capable of being interpreted as off-putting? would you characterize those peoples’ weirdness as inherently bad, or something that makes you not want to be around them? or do enjoy their weirdness because that’s part of who they are? if someone came up to you and was like, “ew, that friend of yours is so weird, what’s their problem” how would you react?