about "compromising on values to grow a movement"
One of the most frequent bits of advice I hear towards radical activist groups, is that they shouldn't be so demanding of people, and they should compromise on their values to have a broader reach.
Let's talk about why that strategy doesn't really make sense, when you think about it.
Now, let's start with the goal of such a movement: it's, usually, to 'shift the frame' in public debate, to change what is considered morally acceptable by a general public. For that, you only usually need a relatively small group of people to start with (think hundreds or thousands).
The unspoken assumption in the advice is that if you don't compromise, then there will simply not be enough people who agree with you, to create that change. But that assumption is not actually true!
So if you have the choice between "sticking with your values and reaching like-minded people", and "compromising on values and reaching people who don't really agree", the former makes a lot more sense.
This then sets into motion a gradual shift of the public opinion, which will slowly grow the group of like-minded people - and with it, the group of people interested in getting involved. All without any compromise on values!
In short: we don't actually *need* to compromise on our values, to reach our goal. That would only be helpful to instantaneously have broad reach while getting little done - but that is the goal of marketing companies, not of activists.
"But it's important to get criticism from people who think differently, or it'll be an echo chamber!"
First off, "echo chambers" in that sense do not exist - they are right-wing rhetoric, not some sort of social-scientific concept. Really. Go look for the origins.
Secondly, the values we're talking about here are values like equality and basic human rights like agency. We generally don't really care about the opinions of people who do not share those values, like transphobes or racists.
"But you might miss out on valuable criticism that way!"
This hides another unspoken assumption - that racists, transphobes, etc. are somehow uniquely qualified to provide criticisms that *nobody else* who isn't a transphobe, racist etc. would come up with.
I would invite you to sit for a bit and think about what you're implying with that, and what that means for your own worldview.
We are pleased to announce that we'll be conducting basic fit testing at our upcoming panels at @lasvegasfurcon and #GSFC2024! Come wearing your favorite mask, and we'll see if we can detect any leaks - right at the panel!
We'll be using a simplified version of a real quantitative fit test procedure where we test whether you can taste a bitter or sweet solution through your mask.
If you'd like to get a fit test but can't make the panel time, reach out and we can find an alternative time!
new blog post! "A Brief Survey of Alternative Search Engines"
Have any other transfems noticed their startle reflex increasing since starting HRT? I feel like I used to never startle from anything, but now I'll jump at something like the doorbell ringing. /gen
#AskTransgender
about that "trans people are welcome and safe with you" post
(Also, I can assure you that the trans folks around you are very carefully watching the way that people act towards them - you won't need to signpost that you're being supportive, it will be noticed in the same way as when you're not)
about that "trans people are welcome and safe with you" post
I've been seeing that picture going around again that tells you to "repost this if trans people are welcome and safe with you", so I guess it's time to bring this up again:
I understand the intention, but it's really not as helpful as you might think. Like most marginalized groups, trans folks often have to deal with being told that they are 'welcome' somewhere, only to discover that there are hidden conditions attached - don't act too queer, don't act too outspoken, don't be too weird, don't be too sexual, and so on.
The result is that "trans people are welcome with me" is a meaningless statement - we have no idea whether that is actually true, or whether you just *believe* that that is the case, but have never engaged with the subject enough to understand what that really entails.
Intention alone is just not sufficient to provide safety; you also need to do the work of actually understanding what is needed and providing those things.
So again, I understand the intention, but this doesn't really help. The best way to show trans folks that they are safe with you, and that you are *capable* of creating that safety, is to *act* as such, rather than just *saying* it.
Proactively speak out against abuse that trans people receive, extend an open offer of help in whatever way is needed to the trans folks in your social circles, and so on.
I can't speak for everyone of course, and it's possible that there are trans folks for whom such posts *are* helpful. But I don't think I've ever talked to any trans folks who felt that way, at least that I know of.
database and programming (language) opinions
(This implies it being compartmentalized or composable in some way, such that the library or function also does not need to care about trampling something else's data)
Trump
Truth Social is just an old version of Masto that they ripped off, right?
And there's been a bunch of serious bugs that have been patched since they started up, right?
And *now* millions of dollars are going into Trump's wallet at a crucial time for him because Truth Social just went public
Wouldn't it be terrible timing for Trump if someone weaponized some of those probably-unpatched bugs on Truth Social right now and its stock price crashed
It would sure be a shame if someone did that
Looking through Linkedin and all the bad managers I've had seem to be cast from the same mould:
- Into "AI", but gesture towards doomerim to look reasonable
- Believes "AI" coders will replace programmers
- Pretending they weren't into "blockchain" a few months ago
- Uses trendy PKM du jour (Aboard is replacing Notion among the MBA types)
- Uses passive voice to gloss over the mistakes they've made in the past
- Older ones talk about Web 2.0 as if it wasn't a bullshit marketing term at the time
Trying to gauge something, please boost this so that I can get a bigger sample size!
Think of some kind of activist cause - it doesn't really matter what it is about specifically, just whatever thing in society or politics bothers you, and you would want to see changed.
Are you currently actively involved in activism around it? And if not, but you had the certainty that other people felt the same way, and they'd want to work together with you, so you're not standing alone... would you be open to *getting* involved with it?
(Please answer honestly; there are no wrong answers here.)
But however fucked up the world gets it's very reassuring to remember we are fundamentally a species who will offer a sodden stranger a bed for the night and a hot meal in the right circumstances. And maybe we should be directing more of our efforts to ensuring more of us find ourselves in circumstances that allow us to act on this best part of our nature.
7/7
And it all goes wrong when it becomes too abstract, when it's some impersonal number of refugees rather than one bedraggled young man, when we're taught we're all in competition with one another and any time we spend helping others is time we can't spend helping ourselves, when the other person looks or behaves too differently so we don't recognise them as someone in need.
6/n
Does anyone have a link to a good explainer article/blog post about what happens when cotton fabric, that is sometimes very soft, get really hard and stiff after being washed and dried?
Context: I'm autistic and trying to learn about my clothes related sensory issues / challenges / comforts.
#Fabric #Cotton #SkinnyJeansIsAbleistic #ThisIsNotAboutDenim #SomeOfTheseHashtagsHaveHumorousIntent #ActuallyAutistic
Technical debt collector and general hype-hater. Early 30s, non-binary, ND, poly, relationship anarchist, generally queer.
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- Flirting welcome, but be explicit if you want something out of it!
- The devil doesn't need an advocate; no combative arguing in my mentions.
Sometimes horny on main (behind CW), very much into kink (bondage, freeuse, CNC, and other stuff), and believe it or not, very much a submissive bottom :p
My spoons are limited, so I may not always have the energy to respond to messages.
Strong views about abolishing oppression, hierarchy, agency, and self-governance - but I also trust people by default and give them room to grow, unless they give me reason not to. That all also applies to technology and how it's built.