Pessimism-central - Just A Touch Of Pessimism

ways to support the blm movement

this google doc includes a list of petitions to sign, resources to help educate yourself and others, organizations to donate to, and contacts of law officials to get in touch with to express your support for the george floyd and black lives matter movements. this includes ways to help even if you don’t live in america. please read it and support the movement. 

use your voice. use every platform you have, no matter how big or how small. nothing will change if you just sit there and watch. if you think you’re the exception, you’re not. remaining indifferent will only support the oppressor. do something.

write to your legal representatives. express your support for legislation that would bring justice to the unarmed civilians who’ve been murdered by law enforcement officers. demand for justice. 

call 612-324-4499 ㅡ this is a hotline that will coach you on how to get connected with the people who can arrest the officers that murdered george floyd. 

create serious conversation. stop demeaning people who disagree with your philosophies on how to overcome. it is useless and no better than the practices of the oppressor to silence. we need to listen to each other with respect and really consider how we can combine our perspectives to create practical change. 

please feel free to add any links or resources or information that you think will be helpful and also reblog to spread awareness. the systems we are fighting against were literally created to oppress marginalized communities and therefore will not go down without a fight. we need to collectively stand up and do something about it. 

PSA: there is anti-Korean, historical revisionist dogwhistle in Ousama Ranking/Ranking of Kings that suggests that the author of the manga is a Japanese nationalist

I understand that this may fly over many people's heads, especially those who are not from Japan, but I'm from there and unfortunately I have spent enough time on the internet and around IRL nationalists to recognize their beliefs and talking points. I'll explain my reasoning below.

In episode 18 of Ousama Ranking/Ranking of Kings, we get introduced to the story of Houma and Gyakuza. Houma is depicted as a country full of good people - skilled wizards fighting against the tyrannical gods and helping the people of Gyakuza. Meanwhile, the people of Gyakuza are depicted as wholly negative - conniving, weak, and self-centered.

The show explains that the people of Gyakuza are like this because they have a long history of being ruled and exploited by others. They're depicted as "primitive" people who live in shacks, and they're poorer and dirtier than the people of Houma.

Houma comes to aid them and to teach them magic so that they may fight the gods together, but Gyakuza ends up betraying Houma in cold blood. History is then written in a way that depicts Houma as the aggressor and Gyakuza as the victim.

The part I want to talk about next is in the manga and hasn't been animated yet, but I'm sure you'll see it in the next episode.

When the gods come to Gyakuza, the Gyakuza people tell them of all the horrible things the Houma did to them - how exploited they were and how abused they were. One god takes a look at the state of Gyakuza and says "But if the Houma were so awful to you, and took everything from you like you claim, then why did they build hospitals and schools here? You guys look prosperous to me", to which the Gyakuza people can't find anything to say and they just stand there awkwardly.

So... does that remind you of anything? If your answer is no, well, that's okay. I called it a dogwhistle for a reason. But anyone familiar with the history of Japan and the arguments of Japanese right-wing nationalists will recognize that this is how they talk about Korean people and Japan's colonization of Korea.

According to the logic of Japanese right-wingers, the story of Houma and Gyakuza is an allegory about the history of Japan and Korea, in which

Gyakuza = a poor and primitive country full of deceitful people = Korea

The "outsiders" that kept Gyakuza under its rule for most of history = China

Houma = country full of good, upstanding people who only wanted to help the poor Gyakuza and fight a against gods = Japan

Gods = powerful western nations that were colonizing many parts of the world

They love to deny history by framing the colonization as a good thing - that we never exploited the Koreans, that we built schools and hospitals, that we "civilized" them. In the mind of a nationalist, Koreans are liars who are ungrateful to the Japanese, and Koreans play the victim when they in fact benefitted from the colonization. All of that is disgusting BS of course, but it's what they believe.

I hope I'm not coming across as someone who's reading too much into a story. I'm certainly not the only person who clocked the dogwhistle. Back when the manga chapters were being released, some Japanese readers immediately took notice. Just do a quick Twitter search and you'll encounter two types of people: people who recognize the anti-Korean message and condemn it, and people who recognize the anti-Korean message and agree with it. Either way, like I wrote, it's fairly obvious to anyone who's familiar with the beliefs of Japanese right-wingers.

Translation - I wasn't interested in Ousama Ranking at all but I heard that it got flamed so I read the problematic chapters, and it's awful. A lazy manga that makes up a fictional group of people just to use them as an analogue of Korean people that exist in the mind of a internet right-winger. It's very clear to see the ignorance of the author.

Translation - First Tweet: Saw episode 18 of Ousama Ranking. Gyakuza is literally the peninsula.

Second Tweet: I can't be the only person who thinks Gyakuza in Ousama Ranking is the mirror image of North Korea and South Korea. #OusamaRanking #Gyakuza #Korea

I totally understand why people like Ousama Ranking. It has well-written characters, the animation looks great, Bojj is precious, and I was a fan of it too right up to the moment I read the manga chapters about Houma and Gyakuza. I just wanted people to be aware of its message and the author's beliefs. It's really shameful how much history-revisionist right-wing ideas have permeated in the minds of Japanese people, and by extension, popular culture.

English isn't my first language but I hope I made this article clear enough. Feel free to send me asks if you need clarifications, and also I encourage you to reblog this and even cross-post it to other social medias!

PSA on Britney Spears and the #FreeBritney movement for anyone that needs or wants more information on what is going on with her. It’s a fucking rabbit hole, so buckle up.

A little backstory first. Britney was a child star starting at the age of 4 years old on Broadway, and then worked her way to the Mickey Mouse Club, and eventually the solo career we know today. Her career has been on autopilot her entire life. If you look back at her music, she’s been telling everyone for years she’s too controlled and treated as a product if you listen to the lyrics of most of her hits. Examples include: Lucky, Overprotected, My Perogative, Circus, Piece of Me and Gimme More. Her music videos, social media posts, tour props and photoshoots regularly show her in a cage or in chains. If anyone has ever seen videos of her when she was younger, you’d know her REAL singing voice is very similar to Christina Aguilera’s. Her record label didn’t like it, as they were both on the Mickey Mouse Club and about to release their debut albums at the same time. So they had her voice retrained to sing in the baby voice we all know today because they believed it to be more iconic and would create a brand and career for her instead of her real voice. It’s unhealthy, and it’s been destroying her voice over the years, thus why she is known for lip syncing. She wanted to make an acoustic type pop album in 2006 titled Original Doll and reinvent herself using her real voice. The album was shelved and cancelled once her label realized she would be singing in her real voice. She isn’t allowed to sing live because she will either fail terribly, or she’ll have to sing in her deep voice that she isn’t known for. Her entire career she has been treated like a product meant to sell.

Now, for the real tea.

Everyone remembers the 2007 meltdown. Everyone. Leading up the meltdown Britney was going thru a public divorce, had two children under the age of 2 at the time and was VERY much the focus of the public. We all saw her on every magazine cover. We all also saw the photo of her with one of her kids on her lap while driving. Go on YouTube once and look up ‘Britney Spears paparazzi’. You’ll watch her be chased and followed by hundreds of them, even trying to get into a public restroom to photograph her, videotaping her in tears asking them to leave her alone, and even filming her thru the windows of an ambulance while she was naked being taken away for her final mental health hold.

After the public meltdown, shaving her head, locking herself in her home with her children, speaking in a british accent on regular basis, wearing the imfamous pink wig everywhere, and shopping naked, she was hospitalized twice. After the hospitalization, her father petitioned the courts to be a TEMPORARY conservator to her until she was mentally stable and for only one years time. 2 months after her hospitalization she did a guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother. 6 months after her hospitalization, she drops the Womanizer video and starts to promote her new album Circus with its worldwide tour that grossed $131.8 million. If she’s so unwell, why did she start working right away?

Her father after one year petitioned the courts for the conservatorship to become permanent due to her ALLEGEDLY having EARLY ONSET DEMENTIA in her TWENTIES. It passed and has been that way ever since. For 12 years to be exact.

Now for everyone that doesn’t understand what that means let me break it down for you.

Britney Spears is a now 38 year old woman who is not allowed to do the following without her fathers permission or he can legally lock her up in a mental health facility:

• drive a car

• vote

• get married

• have children

• spend HER OWN MONEY

• see how her money is being spent

• see her children (she has 30% custody of both of her boys due to her dad assaulting one of her sons)

• leave her home

• hire her own lawyer

• have any control over her career

• speak about the conservatorship publicly

• do interviews that aren’t scripted and all final cuts are approved by her father as well

• use a cell phone without being monitored

• use social media unmonitored

• contact ANYONE without being monitored or having them extremely vetted. (Iggy Azalea allegedly had her house searched for drugs top to bottom when they collaborated on a song together)

• go shopping

• go for a walk

• get Starbucks

A conservatorship is meant for people with mental health issues or decaying health. Most likely grandparents or people with actual dementia etc. They are meant for people who literally cannot take care of themselves. If she is so unwell that she isn’t mentally capable of doing anything for herself, why is she still working? Since the conservatorship began 12 years ago she has:

• released 4 albums

• done 3 worldwide tours

• did a FOUR-year Vegas residency

• was a full time judge on X-Factor

• released multiple perfumes and a lingerie line

• made $138 MILLION DOLLARS or so A YEAR

In January of last year, Britney was placed in a mental health facility for 3 months after being seen driving her car to In-N-Out with her boyfriend without permission and for refusing to take the sedating medications her father has doctors prescribing her to keep her under control. She testified to a judge in documents that she was held there against her will by her father. After it was leaked to the press that she was there against her will, the Free Britney movement picked up speed causing a judge to open an investigation into the impact and legality her conservatorship has on her life. Britney’s mother Lynn was also liking and commenting on Free Britney posts saying she agrees that Britney is trapped by her father. Britney’s team had Twitter disable the Free Britney hashtag, and regularly threatens any celebrity that speaks out using the hashtag with a lawsuit if they don’t remove their support for the movement. She was seen shortly after leaving a hotel thru the front door (99% of celebrities park underground to avoid paparazzi unless they WANT to be photographed) stumbling while carrying her shoes, and out of it. Her team used that moment to justify to the public that she needs this conservatorship. She is not allowed to have any say in the hiring or firing of anyone on her team. Every year she pays $1.1 million dollars in fees for the conservatorship to continue, including paying her father a solid $100k+ salary and paying a lawyer she isn’t allowed to choose. She is allowed an allowance of around $1,500 a week for bills, shopping and essentials. Her net worth is $250 million.

So, when everyone sees her on Instagram walking up and down her hallways like it’s a fashion show. That’s all she is allowed to do. She has NEVER had control over her life. I don’t care if you personally like her or her music, NO ONE DESERVES THIS. All this woman wants is to see her children, make the music she wants to make, and go get a frappuccino in her car. She is a light of sunshine in this world, and we must protect her at all costs. So please, do not make fun of her, support the Free Britney movement, and send good vibes her way. She has a court date this month to review the conservatorship and decide if it is abusive or will continue to be in place. There are so many details to this that i left out that would make this post entirely much longer than it is, but a simple search will show you what else is out there. Spread this far and wide. ❤️ Free Britney

YOU hates terfs

Creative & DIY

me trying to plug in my phone blind and missing the jack like 500 times: you know i really should have known that bbc sherlock was bad way sooner

I was today years old when I learned that when you type “otp: true” in AO3 search results it filters out fics with additional ships, leaving only the fics where your otp is the main ship

stupid leftists and their belief in *checks notes* the intrinsic value of human life

1 REBLOG = 1 RAT becomes TRANSGENDER

psychic *reads my mind*

Me;