Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/.
Here are some links that might of interest or value:
- my recent posts on my political blog:
- news posts on “politics & democracy, and international affairs” [CW], “the war in West Asia” [CW], “human rights” [CW], “the climate crisis, environmental issues, and nuclear threats” [CW], and “society generally, and broader issues”;
- “A draft activism email”; “From this week’s coming news on politics & democracy, and international affairs”; “An argument for ratifying international agreements by Acts of Parliament rather than executive action”; “To whoever is programming Microsoft's lock screen choices algorithm”; “The announced retirement of Senator Dodson”; “Cynics are contemptible”; “on worker privacy / the lack thereof”; “someone who wont be missed”; “an alleged breach of sovereignty, and possibly a weakening of democracy”; “Indigenous matters: ALL Australian businesses need to learn best practice from Indigenous businesses, and a heart breaking analysis of the Referendum”; on better Magnitsky sanctions; “improving transparency & accountability to improve democracy”;
- from YouTube:
- on neurodivergence:
- “How Do You Know You're Autistic? (Autism & Adults)” https://youtu.be/Jer3qeGcJuU?si=tXJZsxBnzKmLZT9Z Apart from the staggeringly incompetent parenting (“don’t do anything to embarrass me”) and medical interactions, this person’s story includes being lied about and set up several times - including a group of bullies she confronted then turning the tables and blaming her as the instigator, and teachers being too incompetent to pick up on that. This was quite triggering, as I have had other kids threaten to do the same to me when I was at school, and always thought the usual advice of “oh just ignore them” to be beyond ignorant (of the very real dangers of allegations of theft), naive and incompetent to the point of farcical to being utterly outright dangerous - it infers that children using force and threats is acceptable, and they are going to have to counter that with whatever they can, which, in the absence of anything constructive from the nominally adult, accepts counter threats
- “Being Autistic Self Diagnosed” https://youtu.be/g9j46Wox0cQ?si=FBLhpeOfwfcB5bPQ by a channel I respect and like: Purple Ella https://www.youtube.com/@PurpleElla I relate to the woman being interviewed (Cathie) in many ways (except I’m not dyslexic) - such as the problems of being diagnosed through masks, being wary about who I tell, etc.
- Also from the same channel: “Having Autism & ADHD (The Paradox)” https://youtu.be/irqcnMk4flE?si=nZrQSIFFyWmkKXaF and
- “The Autism Iceberg(s)” https://youtu.be/2UeyynOAx8I?si=1Fx_y28ZpVQF6MeD “The unseen bulk of the autism advocacy iceberg is in all those of us who DON'T make videos or podcasts, don t write autism blogs or even post about autism on social media. It's the mums chatting outside the school gates when they share good, accurate information about their autistic kids. It's ... the bosses who've recognised good ideas and hard work from autistic employees. ... Every time ... an autistic character appears in a book, movie or TV show and their BEING autistic isn't a major plot point, we nudge someone else closer to understanding that living and working together successfully takes no more than a little bit of mutual consideration. They may be few in number, but thanks to all those unrecognised, grass-roots efforts, some people are getting the message and treating us with the respect and kindness we deserve” and
- a series on face blindness: https://www.autistamatic.com/post/autistic-face-blindness-prosopagnosia (I have occasionally said something along the lines of having trouble with faces, but find it embarrassing to do so: I personally prefer to use the term “face blindness” - and the context issue i also important), https://www.autistamatic.com/post/autistic-recognition-face-blindness-2 (the comments about non-visual clues were mind blowing for me - partly as they explained a few incidents), & https://www.autistamatic.com/post/autistic-face-blindness-recognition-q-a - videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3R_uyUBjsuCONyLyfH7yMpy9FsuOdb8S
- “Autism & Society Explained: You've Been Conned (The Great Neurotypical Swindle)” https://youtu.be/0UB_iiLAZLk?si=fw6s8S09pGC-QPZN
- “Living in Fear (Why Autistic Life Can be Terrifying)... Autism Life” https://youtu.be/xumPgktA_Gg?si=kjryjJx1cmGTkpL4 from a channel I now quite like: Autistamatic https://www.youtube.com/@Autistamatic
- Also from the same channel: “Autism Self Diagnosis & Gatekeeping...” https://youtu.be/wOAPmkPF048?si=0KRZwPNUNsPrslqZ Interesting comments about the history of the online community - and excellent comments in favour of “self identified”, rather than “self diagnosed” - “What The Longest-Running Study on Happiness Reveals” https://youtu.be/vSQjk9jKarg?si=ZUZlRf0IP_3i3egX (relationships are a key factor)
- from Medium and similar:
- “Why are we obsessed with the multiverse?”; “Seeking Independence From A World Of Conformity Breaking Free From The Norm”; “No matter how hard you try, your job will never love you”;
- “Social Media is Stupid!…. Wait! Hold That Thought!” https://medium.com/@StevenLaine1977/social-media-is-stupid-wait-hold-that-thought-e84f5314b663 “While many see social media as a downfall of society, for me, it is a tool. Also, for someone in my situation, it can be challenging to get out due to the demands of my life and my children; therefore, social media is an excellent way to connect with others. It comes with responsibility, and it can be used as a source. The choice is yours, but don’t discourage others who see the positive aspects of it and use it in a way that benefits them”;
- “It Is Okay To Not Be Okay: Why Negativity Is Reality” https://medium.com/@StevenLaine1977/it-is-okay-to-not-be-okay-why-negativity-is-reality-2e0aee5c5d05
- “Witchcraft IS Freedom! | John Beckett” https://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2023/11/witchcraft-is-freedom.html “That ____ writes this just as fundamentalist Christians attempted to disrupt a major witchcraft conference in London is disturbing. That he discusses counter-witchcraft practices in Africa without even mentioning the people murdered there because they’re thought to be witches is journalistic malpractice (blogging isn’t necessarily journalism – and this piece certainly isn’t – but telling the whole truth is still important)”
- the problem of “spontaneous trait transference”: “Here's Why You Get Punished for Trying to Protect Everyone You Care About” https://www.okdoomer.io/shooting-the-doomer/ “It's linking, not thinking” and “The Way You Describe Others Is the Way People See You” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/why-bad-looks-good/201805/the-way-you-describe-others-is-the-way-people-see-you “How you acquire the traits you ascribe to others—for better or for worse” and “Limiting the spread of spontaneous trait transference” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103106000710 and “Spontaneous Trait Transference - The Reason Why Gossip Often Backfires” https://www.roliedema.com/spontaneous-trait-transference.html and “Spontaneous trait inference” https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spontaneous_trait_inference&oldid=1146022192 I have occasionally thought of doing something like this as a deliberate strategy, knowing that the traits someone is complaining about are NOT necessarily held by those complaining (that is usually bigotry, amathia, and vindictiveness / jealousy / etc), and I had no idea some people did genuinely “thinking” that was the case. Knowing that, I am even less inclined to try this (I haven’t so far - but the thought did at least get me past the irrits stage and on to more ethical responses)
- “French police arrest yoga guru, 40 others over suspected sexual exploitation of followers” https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20231129-french-police-arrest-yoga-guru-accused-of-sexual-exploitation “French authorities arrested the leader of a multinational tantric yoga organization Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrinating female followers for sexual exploitation” I don’t know any specifics about this particular case, but I am aware such abuses can happen, and are those abuses are WRONG
- this week’s “afterlife report” by the Zammits (see here for zoom meeting opportunities): https://www.victorzammit.com/December1st2023/
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Remember: we generally need to be more human being rather than human doing, to mind our Mӕgan, and to acknowledge that all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.
