Latest Posts by thepretentiousacademic - Page 2

‘And how should we behave during this Apocalypse? We should be unusually kind to one another, certainly. But we should also stop being so serious. Jokes help a lot. And get a dog, if you don’t already have one.’

Kurt Vonnegut - The Idea Killers, 1984.

Source: Ravenous Butterflies

for Odysseus’ name to become synonymous with journey; Odyssey- he has lost his humanity; even after he dies and his body burnt to ashes on a pyre he won’t enter Hades. he will be damned to a thousand more journeys, a thousand more trials and a thousand more deaths. his spirit floats through the plays that recite his journey, echoes through the songs sung about him, his pain seeks through every epithet. Sacker of cities. Great glory of the Achaeans. Mastermind of war. Master mariner. Man of pain.

he will be damned time and time again to suffer and reach home for it to be torn out of his grasp each time. he will reach where the river styx fades into Hades and see the descent and before he can feel relief he is back where he started. He is in Troy. He is in a boat in an unfamiliar land, but it has his name. He is in Troy again, but not the same one he raided and burnt. he is floating through the aether. he is not a man anymore. nor is he monster. he is a Thing, an Ideal; akin more to Thanatos or Hypnos or Eris in he is no longer Odysseus he is the personification of journey.

If there truly are three deaths; one of the mind, one of the heart, and one of the memory. then Odysseus has become immortal and yet he begs for death. he no longer knows whether he begs for the peace of Hades or to truly be forgotten, to truly cease to be

Seconded.

Debbie Harry & Peter Murphy

the funny thing is that i don't think younger people - and i mean those under the age of 40 - really have a grasp on how many of today's issues can be tied back to a disastrous reagan policy:

war on drugs: reagan's aggressive escalation of the war on drugs was a catastrophic policy, primarily targeting minority communities and fueling mass incarceration. the crusade against drugs was more about controlling the Black, Latino and Native communities than addressing the actual problems of drug abuse, leading to a legacy of broken families and systemic racism within the criminal justice system.

deregulation and economic policies: reaganomics was an absolute disaster for the working class. reagan's policies of aggressive tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, and slashing social programs were nothing less than class warfare, deepening income inequality and entrenching corporate greed. these types of policies were a clear message that reagan's america was only for the wealthy elite and a loud "fuck you" to working americans.

environmental policies: despite his reputation being whitewashed thanks to the recovery of the ozone layer, reagan's environmental record was an unmitigated disaster. his administration gutted critical environmental protections and institutions like the EPA, turning a blind eye to pollution and corporate exploitation of natural resources. this blatant disregard for the planet was a clear sign of prioritizing short-term corporate profits over the future of the environment.

AIDS crisis: reagan's gross neglect of the aids crisis was nothing short of criminal and this doesn't even begin to touch on his wife's involvement. his administration's indifference to the plight of the lgbtq+ community during this devastating epidemic revealed a deep-seated bigotry and a complete failure of moral leadership.

mental health: reagan's dismantling of mental health institutions under the guise of 'reform' led directly to a surge in homelessness and a lack of support for those with mental health issues. his policies were cruel and inhumane and showed a personality-defining callous disregard for the most vulnerable in society.

labor and unions: reagan's attack on labor unions, exemplified by his handling of the patco strike, was a blatant assault on workers' rights. his actions emboldened corporations to suppress union activities, leading to a significant erosion of workers' power and rights in the workplace. he was colloquially known as "Ronnie the Union Buster Reagan"

foreign policy and military interventions: reagan's foreign policy, particularly in latin america, was imperialist and ruthless. his administration's support for dictatorships and right-wing death squads under the guise of fighting "communism" showed a complete disregard for human rights and self-determination of other nations.

public health: yes, reagan's agricultural policies actually facilitated the rise of high fructose corn syrup, once again prioritizing corporate profits over public health. this shift in the food industry has had lasting negative impacts on health, contributing to the obesity epidemic and other health issues.

privatization: reagan's push for privatization was a systematic dismantling of public services, transferring wealth and power to private corporations and further eroding the public's access to essential services.

education policies: his approach to education was more of an attack on public education than anything else, gutting funding and promoting policies that undermined equal access to quality education. this was, again, part of a broader agenda to maintain a status quo where the privileged remain in power.

this is just what i could come up with in a relatively short time and i did not even live under this man's presidency. the level at which ronald reagan has broken the united states truly can't be overstated.

i am a big believer in letting music (and other media) come to you when you're ready for it. you may only know vaguely of an acclaimed beloved artist and suspect that you'd be into them but just... not ever get around to it. and then in 15 years one of their songs just hits you the right way and what a gift to suddenly have all of their works to explore! there is no hurry; what is good is always good.

THIS 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

pinterest and tumblr are the girls’ version of the dark web

I got to hold a 500,000 year old hand axe at the museum today.

It's right-handed

I am right-handed

There are grooves for the thumb and knuckle to grip that fit my hand perfectly

I have calluses there from holding my stylus and pencils and the gardening tools.

There are sharper and blunter parts of the edge, for different types of cutting, as well as a point for piercing.

I know exactly how to use this to butcher a carcass.

A homo erectus made it

Some ancestor of mine, three species ago, made a tool that fits my hand perfectly, and that I still know how to use.

Who were you

A man? A woman? Did you even use those words?

Did you craft alone or were you with friends? Did you sing while you worked?

Did you find this stone yourself, or did you trade for it? Was it a gift?

Did you make it for yourself, or someone else, or does the distinction of personal property not really apply here?

Who were you?

What would you think today, seeing your descendant hold your tool and sob because it fits her hands as well?

What about your other descendant, the docent and caretaker of your tool, holding her hands under it the way you hold your hands under your baby's head when a stranger holds them.

Is it bizarre to you, that your most utilitarian object is now revered as holy?

Or has it always been divine?

Or is the divine in how I am watching videos on how to knap stone made by your other descendants, learning by example the way you did?

Tomorrow morning I am going to the local riverbed in search of the appropriate stones, and I will follow your example.

The first blood spilled on it will almost certainly be my own, as I learn the textures and rhythm of how it's done.

Did you have cuss words back then? Gods to blaspheme when the rock slips and you almost take your thumbnail off instead? Or did you just scream?

I'm not religious.

But if spilling my own blood to connect with a stranger who shared it isn't partaking in the divine

I don't know what is.

If you didnt pander to trans/gays you'd have zero fans because your writing sucks.

I'm sure you're right. But that means there must be tens of millions of trans and gay people reading my books and comics. And I'm good with that.

“you should be at the club” i should be by the sea. i should be in the mountains. i should be awestruck and rendered speechless by the majesty of the natural world. if you even care

"Gentle Giant of Wizard Island" 12x12", Ink and watercolor, 2023. By Emily Poole.

Today's aesthetic is cassette futurism

bathtub in château laurens, france

Norway

© R. Söthje

Ariadne by Herbert James Draper (1905)

kevin hense

Billionaires are a disease, not a success.

Robber barons of yore built hospitals and libraries, established public parks and museums. They felt bad for stealing.

Note: Andrew Carnegie built 1700 libraries across America.

Today's unethical and ruthless mega-rich do nothing.

situationships and talking stages are OUT passionate obsessive all-consuming soul ties and love affairs are IN

Utterly obsessed with these Shakespeare playbook covers from the late 1960s by Paul Hogarth

Touchscreens do not belong in cars

Pulled out my Kate Spade agenda recently and I'm kind of in love with it right now.

A combination of barrier mesh animation and anamorphic projection on elegant porcelain.

have you yet had the cognitive dissonance that comes with learning that Jon Pertwee was an actual spy in WWII or have you not yet had that pleasure

i HAVE and it's so funny - imagine being a real life British spy and, posthumously, your most recognized achievement is playing a gay science magician on children's television

it's what he would have wanted