Refuse Dystopia

damselpunk as a term focuses on the strength of a person who is affected by mysogyny. this obviously isnt limited to women, but naturally theres a reference to being a princess who needs to be saved or obtained; hence "damsel".

but for the opposite forme of opression, the one bestowed usually upon men, im not sure what stereotype would apply. something that references the fact that men (and more) are forced to become leaders, macho bravo, strong soldiers, units of force— im not even sure this has a name, maybe toxic masculinity, but its the way of which patriarchy affects men. turns them into emotionless machines made for earning money and being tough.

i think i'm gonna try to coin the male version of damselpunk myself. namely for me, because my masculinity is punk in the sense is is passive and soft and chill, instead of the expected "domineering and strong" masculinity in societal standards. but first, i think stablishing a name is important.

CAVALIER and KNIGHT are the first words that come to mind, in direct parallel to damselpunk. since damselBLADE is the symbol for the other term, i thought this term's symbol should be a SHIELD instead of any weapon— signifying not how "a real man is expected to protec", but the protection of the self within cavalierpunk/knightpunk.

please share thoughts 👀 i am very interested in making more than just this term for genderpunk modalities

Everyone has their own story

you aren't going to let it end like this.

even if you have to bite, crawl, scratch, and scream, your way into a kinder better tomorrow.

you aren't going to let it end like this.

grit your teeth. spit out the blood. take the next step.

transage questionnaire

hello all transage peeps, beings, and creatures! I have created a little google form to collect more information about transage people and the transage experience! I would greatly appreciate if you filled it out! I hope it’s not too long! :D

Google Docs

Transage questionnaire

Fully anonymous 👍 to help gain more info on transage people and experiences ^_^

I am transage myself! anyone who is transage can do this survey because it is literally specifically for the purpose of collecting info.

IF YOU ARE HUNGRY, I WILL OFFER FOOD.

IF YOU ARE THIRSTY, I WILL OFFER WATER.

IF YOU ARE COLD, I WILL OFFER WARMTH.

IF YOU ARE IN NEED, ASK AND I WILL GIVE.

IF YOU ARE IN TROUBLE, ASK AND I WILL HELP.

I DO NOT DO THESE THINGS WITH THE HOPE OF BEING REWARDED.

I DO NOT DO THESE THINGS OUT OF FEAR OF PUNISHMENT.

I DO THESE THINGS BECAUSE I KNOW THEM TO BE RIGHT.

I SET MY OWN STANDARDS AND I ALONE ENFORCE THEM.

I AM AN ANARCHIST.

Tbh I think the fast fashion conversation should involve poor ppl but not in any way in the form of shaming but more like: “you are being taken advantage of by large corporations that have women and children enslaved to make crappy clothes in excessive amounts that have literal lead that will damage ur body in serious ways that ur pressured to buy via influencers that form a parasocial relationship with you and don’t care about you to overconsume them in large amounts that won’t last and have to be thrown away at some point and all that ends up fucking the environment. Plus, the cycle of consumerism is damaging to ur finances to keep u in poverty and mental health of always wanting more but never satisfied.”

I am saying right now you don’t need to throw out fast fashion items you currently own, if they fall apart, they can be repurposed. I am also saying I’ve been guilty of shopping fast fashion but am also making a commitment to eliminate fast fashion purchases and mindset in my life. The root cause of these fast fashion corpos to keep doing what they do is purely based on you buying from them and you, the consumer in this capitalist world, have the power to change that. Obviously there’s little you can do to avoid big oil or buying things made with prison labor without serious direct action but the fashion industry is one that is by design meant to be maintained by mindless consumerism and overconsumption.

If you are poor, please do whatever within ur means to avoid fast fashion, whether it’s buying from thrift stores other than goodwill and just buying less clothes and focusing on more important things in ur life. A better tomorrow is still possible if you allow it.

It’s not your job to solve the climate crisis. It’s not my job to solve the climate crisis. It’s the corporations who are responsible for 80% of the world’s carbon emissions job to solve the climate crisis.

Over half of global industrial emissions since 1988 can be traced to just 25 corporate and state producers.

You are doing fine. Don’t let corporations make you feel bad for “not doing enough.” The fact of the matter is we can’t do it all. Nobody can.

Speaking out against these corporations and forcing them to take action is going to go way father than switching to a reusable water bottle. If you can, absolutely do both. But recognize that unless corporations take accountability, our swaps won’t make that big of a difference.

Very valid concerns! We do have an alternate flag that differs a lot from theirs if that's of any interest! /info

so i was browsing for a bit and found these

two radqueer ideologies that seem similar at face value due to their aesthetics but are actually starkly contrasted, quidditsm and consistent progressivism i think both of these provide an interesting and cohesive look at how radqueer liberation might be achieved so i made this chart to compare and contrast them

just to clarify i'm not taking a side on either of them, i just wanted to analyze them alongside each other

what are your thoughts on these?

if you feel like you're always getting talked over, or if you feel like you're always accidentally interrupting people, you should consider looking into some of the linguistics research about conversation style and turn-taking. lingthusiasm podcast has a great episode called "how to rebalance a lopsided conversation" that goes over some of this research in a really accessible way; Deborah Tannen's book You just don't understand is an early book¹ that's aimed at general audiences on the same topic.

the thing is, when there's conflict in how a conversation flows, often what's going on is a mismatch in norms or expectations -- not that one person is necessarily acting "wrong" and the other person is "right." the mismatches in norms/expectations can and do align with existing power structures in society, but being more aware of them can really help you as an individual trying to navigate them.

you can train your brain for more linguistic awareness! start listening for pauses, intakes of breath, or back-channeling that's meant to support, not interrupt. try it out!

¹ I am linking to the wikipedia page for the book rather than a link to buy the book because it's kind of outdated and the criticism section on the wiki page is pretty reasonable. If you do read this book, be prepared for uhhhh period-typical gender essentialism that, to my knowledge, Tannen has not particularly updated her views on in the intervening time. But it is an influential and important book, just read it skeptically imo

radical queerness is everywhere. there are people who have confusing feelings about their race, age, abilities, WHATEVER else, and don't have a word for it. They will find it. there are paraphiles who are familiar with their attractions but don't know where to go, or what to do about it. They will know. they probably feel like freaks right now, though. as more and more people discover what radqueer is and what it means, the antis will fade out. you cannot stifle the expressions, the realness and the happiness of so many people. 🌈🍓