Artemis

I'm a bisexual anti-capitalist, artist, & aspiring propagandist. We're not free until we're *all* free.

Guillermo del Toro fan account. Anarchist pep-talks are provided free of charge. Solidarity forever!

Profile pic & banner are images of GI Robot from Creature Commandos

#nobot

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Last Notes

2026-05-11 17:09:32 UTC

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I suppose it probably goes both ways.
I think perhaps we were both in search of mirrors, both trying to find ourselves revealed in the eyes of someone else.
I however developed the tendency to try to reflect others. At first I did so in hopes of feeling accepted at all even by losing myself, but later I developed the expectation & belief that the other person was supposed to see & respond to me, as happened in my best & happiest friendships.

2026-05-11 17:05:58 UTC

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No wonder I have been so stuck on her & unable to move on. I took parts of her—unhealthy, unhappy parts—into myself. I've never known how to untangle myself from her.
In my unconscious, unknowing imitation of her, I became so fearful, because SHE was afraid.
The anxiety to be loved & the desperate attempt to find love by offering myself up as a mirror were me. The fear of the judgment of others? The pathological fear of failing to conform? Not me. Not inherently.

2026-05-07 13:22:29 UTC

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I *almost* want to read the full Washington Post story, so I can look at what isn't said & what questionable things are implied, but I don't want it enough to create an account for the Bezos shit paper.
This shit is cover-up too. This is still minimizing the damage to US military capabilities. It's just doing so with a little lip-service to reality.

2026-05-05 14:32:51 UTC

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What matters is what's happening & what these people are doing.
They fucking lie constantly. They say ridiculous things because they are a) out of touch, b) very ignorant, c) trying to distract & d) not actually good liars.
Dissecting their lies is a fucking distraction.
Again, I don't think it's something we shouldn't talk about—I just made a Lucille Bluth joke about Todd Blanche—but I'm sick of the pretense that laughing at their nonsense is journalism.

2026-05-05 14:28:28 UTC

So...I don't think there is any problem with you & I talking about the absurdities of the Trump admin & the ridiculous things they say & do.
However, it's starting to bother me more than ever watching all the supposed "journalists" focused on "debunking" obviously false claims or theorizing what Trump meant by some remark he made to project strength or manipulate the market or just because he had to say SOMETHING.

2026-05-05 14:12:12 UTC

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Anyway, I'm going to hit up the clearance section at Half Price Books to see what I can find for books with pictures of birds, flowers, & other natural things. They often have those big books full of photographs for 2 or 3 bucks a piece.

2026-05-05 14:12:12 UTC

It really sucks that it's very hard to just find reference images online anymore.
I want to look at peacock feathers, & I just don't know if I can trust that any given image is real. Even if it seems to be from a legit site... how do I know they weren't duped?
It's so fucking shitty.
One can't help but think that making real information difficult to find is the purpose of generative AI.

2026-05-05 14:02:46 UTC

My brain doesn't really believe in "time". I think this is largely an ADHD thing, & it can be a real problem. If I could do something now, I could also do it a minute from now, or an hour from now, or tomorrow, so what difference does it make?
I say as I delay all productive work indefinitely.

2026-05-01 11:40:59 UTC

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But yeah, in my experience many douchey men actively work hard for years to give their wives reason to leave. They aren't just passively shitty. They are trying to use their shitty behavior to change what their wife does.
The thing is, it works so well that the change their wife makes is to stop being their wife.
These men are surprised that the women they tormented get up & leave once they realize the torment isn't going to stop. I don't know how that could be a surprise, but it is.

2026-05-01 11:35:50 UTC

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As someone who experienced much of the shitty behavior these women described with my first husband, yeah, it's kind of funny to me the way lazy, cruel husbands think their wives are going to stay & tolerate that shit.
Like... these guys think they have it MADE! They got married & now they think they get to do whatever they want.
Nah. Women want to be happy. She'll leave.

2026-05-01 11:33:08 UTC

I was watching a video compilation of women explaining how their marriages died through the "small" but continuous disrespect their husbands showed them, & a couple of them described behaviors that are exactly the kind of advice I've seen men give other men for maintaining power over their wife.
The ones that stuck out to me are ways of deflecting & ignoring & turning things back around on someone when they try to talk to you about something as well as ways of showing deliberate disrespect.

2026-05-01 11:33:08 UTC

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The horrifying thing about all of it is that all this shit probably did "work" to get your wife to just shut up, leave you alone, & do all the housework & childcare by herself back when marriage was a permanent life sentence for a woman.
It is still kind of amusing to see men teaching each other how to make their wives leave, because in a world where women have OPTIONS, that's exactly what they are doing.

2026-04-29 15:29:25 UTC

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It's hard to believe that I was excited for that, knowing now what that show was, but...
I do resent Fey for that.
There is PLENTY of fucking humor to find in the subject of that show, but it would take empathy & making the effort to listen to other people to find that humor.
Pointing & laughing at people you think are freaks is a lot fucking easier, isn't it?

2026-04-29 15:26:09 UTC

Before Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt came out, I was actually excited for it. At the time, I liked Tina Fey. It's hard to remember now, but I did.
I thought, oh cool! A comedy about survivors of a religious cult trying to adjust to living in the world! It may be a sensitive topic, but it's filled with opportunity for dark comedy.
Turned out the show was about pointing & laughing at the experience of religious abuse.

2026-04-29 12:36:21 UTC

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Genocide & eugenics are essential parts of the political project of "liberalism", which was born out of the Enlightenment.
That's right: liberalism is a political philosophy invented by colonizers as they enjoyed the benefits of imperialism. It emphasizes a greater degree of equality...for the people who count as people. And the unsavory shit happens quietly out of sight.

2026-04-29 12:36:21 UTC

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This "polite murder through bureaucracy" IS what political liberalism IS, fyi.
This is NOT what I assume when a person says they are "liberal".
I usually assume it means that they would like tax dollars used to improve people's lives, which is a sign of having empathy for others. In general I find that admirable, even though sometimes it can be more well-intentioned than actually good.
That's the general, popular use of the term, but I'm talking about liberalism as political philosophy.

2026-04-29 12:36:20 UTC

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Any time you see a "merciful" "liberal" policy, look around to see how they mean to use it to harm some group of "undesirable" people. They are quite clever with it, & it's frequently built into how they structure their "mercy" project.
This is the twisted fucking bind we are in.

2026-04-28 22:04:19 UTC

You gotta love how quickly Medical Assistance in Dying goes from merciful relief for people who are dying painfully to "are you disabled? We'd like to rid society of the burden of having you in it. Instead of offering you support or care, we're generously offering to kill you."
It's almost like some people really do want to exterminate disabled folks.

2026-04-28 19:20:58 UTC

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It sucks to feel so unwell that you want to hold your head & howl from the absolutely unbearable overstimulation while trying to behave as though everything is perfectly fine because otherwise you'll be "ruining" everyone's fun.
Yeah...this definitely started in childhood. It is unacceptable, I seem to feel, to have mental, emotional, & sensory needs that might limit or cut short another person's enjoyment of something.

2026-04-28 19:14:58 UTC

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We were there with his dad, & we had to leave early because I couldn't take it anymore, & it sucked. I felt like garbage for having sensory needs.
It's not that anyone *told* me to feel horrible about myself. They didn't have to. I sometimes can't do things that other people can, specifically things that it is generally believed *everyone* can do. Even when people are kind & accommodating, it still feels like shame & failure to end the outing early "just" because I'm suffering.

2026-04-28 19:10:26 UTC

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Me trying to explain this to my spouse at the State Fair last year after I got overheated & overstimulated: "no, I know it's much quieter & cooler in this building, but I'm still listening to a whole lot of people constantly talking. It doesn't matter that the volume is lower: the voices are never going to stop. I cannot recover in this environment."

2026-04-28 13:30:29 UTC

I just rewatched the Pride & Prejudice miniseries with Colin Firth & Jennifer Ehle, & I still love it (really, the psycho-sexual politics of the whole thing are just crazy) BUT it does hit different when I think about the fact that all the wealth comes from the British Empire plundering the wealth of other nations & enslaving people.
All that wealth was not generated in England.

2026-04-27 14:21:18 UTC

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I already knew this form of "AI" is bullshit & not intelligent in the least, but now I fear it less than I used to.
The AI companies want you to believe breakthrough after breakthrough is coming, that they will continually innovate but...
...that's actually pretty unlikely. That's not really how shit works. Throwing money at a project doesn't make it possible for that project to perpetually improve. There may be a limit.

2026-04-27 14:18:50 UTC

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This happens with lots of new technologies. Eventually, you will have gotten just about as far as you can with a particular one.
Without something else new (which does sometimes happen, but sometimes not), the thing simply is what it is & is only capable of whatever tasks its design allows for.
You can't extrapolate infinite progress from past progress, *especially* not expecting the same rate of growth as when the technology was first being created.

2026-04-27 14:15:26 UTC

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That is my layperson's understanding of the current chatbot AI situation anyway.
The outputs seem surprisingly plausible in most instances, but the makers of these things have just about hit the limits of what this technology can do (at least without someone coming up with a genuinely new breakthrough).
It seems that these companies are now just fiddling with prompts (or having the bots do it themselves) & calling it "development".

2026-04-27 14:11:13 UTC

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This is barely a simulacrum of "intelligence". And most importantly, it doesn't seem like there is a lot of obvious possibility for genuine progress on these things, as it is no longer a matter of innovation but of adding prompts inside prompts inside prompts.
Performance in specific circumstances can be "improved" for the user experience, but it's not actually that the thing is "smarter" but that the flowchart of steps before the output is given to the user has been made more complex.

2026-04-23 19:44:11 UTC

It's amazing that we keep getting "TACO Tuesdays" because Trump always gives 2 weeks. If he'd make it 10 days just ONCE, it wouldn't be TACO Tuesday anymore. Yet he persists.

2026-04-23 16:25:49 UTC

High quality Iranian propaganda will contain at minimum 1 diss directed at Israel & usually more. If you're watching a video that is like "hello, fellow kids. Look at bad Republicans. America is a once proud nation" & doesn't ONCE reference Israel, Mossad, or Netanyahu, you know you're not watching the real thing.
Stay sharp out there. 🫡

2026-04-22 18:29:42 UTC

This is just speculation, but here's one theory for US politics 2026-2028.
In November this year, Dems sweep national elections, getting a majority in both houses of Congress.
Democrats do nothing that helps anyone.
At some point Trump dies & JD Vance serves a partial term.
Both parties hold presidential primaries with "reformers"/"populists" facing off against the representatives of moneyed interests.

2026-04-22 16:38:59 UTC

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You can't step into the same river twice, & you can't live in 2015. You can try to live as though events that have happened didn't happen, but other people are not participating in that "reality".
Actions have consequences. Events have outcomes.

2026-04-22 16:35:44 UTC

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Sometimes the answer to "what changed this time?" is just "you did the same thing for the 100th time. You reached the tolerable limit. SOMETHING had to give."

2026-04-22 16:31:17 UTC

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I think sometimes when we see something happen over & over again we think "ok, but nothing's changing there. It's the same as it ever was."
But it is not. Every time that thing happens, a counter goes up. That's one more time it happened...effects are cumulative.
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over & over & expecting the same result"? Sometimes I think it's really ridiculous to do the same thing over & over & believe the repetition could never lead to a new result.

2026-04-22 16:31:17 UTC

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Change is a universal constant.
Everything changes. Some things change faster than others, but *everything* changes.
Octavia Butler talks about "shaping change", because here's the deal:
You cannot freeze time & keep everything the same forever, but if you understand that change WILL happen, you can be an active participant in what direction that change takes.
So it's good to poke our heads up & look around every now again & ask "what's different? What's changing?"

2026-04-22 16:17:57 UTC

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Maybe I'm really off-base here. Maybe I'm overselling the significance of these events.
I still don't see why the assumption is that the way things worked YESTERDAY are the way they will work today & every other day after until the end of time.
It really feels like in the US both media & politicians are stuck in 2015, the moment it all "diverged", unable to process the realities of the world NOW, relying instead on what they thought it to be then.

2026-04-22 16:12:35 UTC

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It's weird to me because here I am in my 30s wondering why people in their 70s haven't yet fucking figured out that sometimes CHANGE HAPPENS or that living as though nothing will ever change is denial.
You'd think living a long time would teach you something, but if you live a long time while ALSO getting progressively more isolated from consequences & from other people, maybe you really don't learn that just because things are a certain way NOW doesn't mean they'll be that way forever.

2026-04-22 16:08:23 UTC

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I suspect some of this is what happens when the top political "leadership" gets old after many comfortable decades in power.
Chuck Schumer doesn't think his world can or will ever change. It's not a thing he seriously considers.
Truly that's what was so surreal about the Biden presidency. It's like everyone was pretending we were living in a different world.

2026-04-22 16:05:28 UTC

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Even if the US comes out of this in better shape than I predict, change is still going to happen. The state of affairs now will not be the same until the end of time.
Realignments happen. Powers rise & fall.
But it doesn't seem to me like the people "in charge" are aware of that. They focus on their domestic squabbles over power & never for a second consider whether everything is going to stay as it is & whether that power will always be available to them.

2026-04-22 14:07:41 UTC

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When JD Vance walked into those talks, did he expect it to go well for him? Or did he know when he got there that he was showing up to just flop around like a dying fish for a bit?

2026-04-22 14:05:41 UTC

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I can't help it.
I can't help wondering if they even UNDERSTAND what it looks like to send JD "yes, Daddy" Vance to "negotiate" without *any* authority to make *any* decisions whatsoever.
Was it the only thing they could think of to do, was it a distraction/buying time, or did they *actually* think it would work out for them? And if they did think that...WHY did they think that?
That's what boggles my mind about these people sometimes: why did they think x was a good idea when they did it?

2026-04-22 13:59:59 UTC

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My spouse is surprised by my newfound interest in geopolitics but it's another area where I can just be absolutely mystified by the choices made by the Trump administration. I just can't seem to avoid asking "WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY EVEN THINK THEY ARE DOING?"

2026-04-22 13:55:13 UTC

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The US's attempts at "negotiations" have been laughable. I don't know if they are actually trying to make an effort & failing terribly or if they are just doing a bad job at pretending to care.
Very unclear.
Either way...talks are unlikely to even start as long as JD is the person the US tries to send. They know he's just a messenger for Trump & Netanyahu (*reportedly* at least one of JD's several phone calls while "negotiating" was to Bibi).

2026-04-22 13:17:32 UTC

I assume instead of consulting experts on Iranian issues, the Trump admin is just asking ChatGPT to explain Iran to them.

2026-04-22 12:31:39 UTC

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Like...if I'm wrong about this, it would be nice to know too.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the IRGC didn't effectively fuck up the US's military infrastructure in the region.
But the only way I could *know* that is if someone would actually look into it.
I can't tell you what the situation is...it just doesn't seem like good news for the US that they aren't talking about it.
We know Iranian missiles hit US facilities across the region. What was the result?

2026-04-22 12:27:53 UTC

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This is what media capture looks like.
It's not all glowing praise of the regime:
It's questions that aren't being asked.

2026-04-22 12:23:25 UTC

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They won't fucking talk about what's actually going on. I do not believe some of the maximalist claims coming from the IRGC ("we completely obliterated xyz" type things), but I strongly suspect that US military infrastructure in the Gulf region is *badly* fucked up.
It's hard to get any information on that however.
If only some people whose jobs are to acquire & disseminate accurate & relevant information would do me a favor....

2026-04-21 21:26:52 UTC

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@nprofile…vumf
Democrats Remember Things That Happened more than 20 Years Ago Challenge. (Difficulty level: impossible)

2026-04-21 21:02:28 UTC

Talking with my spouse about how Democrats and "left leaning" (whatever that means) media don't seem to understand that the Trump administration's credibility crisis is actually a geopolitical credibility crisis for the United States as a whole.
Getting a "sane" "normal" Democrat into office doesn't change the fact that you can never, ever trust that the US will longterm honor its agreements or that the "checks & balances" within the system will rein in a rogue president. There is no reset.

2026-04-21 19:09:43 UTC

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It's not like this only happens to me with allistic people. It happens with autistic folks too, but I still have the impression it happens *to* some autistic people fairly frequently.
There is a lot of stuff that isn't necessarily easy just because it's happening in communication between autistic people. It's usually much easier, but it's not magical. Points of miscommunication or hurt feelings happen.

2026-04-21 19:05:37 UTC

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It blindsides me, because it will happen when I do not AT ALL think I am parroting someone. In these situations I think that I am participating by adding on & expanding &/or refining & making clearer.
Although I guess another part of this is that someone might feel challenged or upstaged if your response to their statement is to add to it. I tend to just think of that as showing interest in & appreciation for what someone is saying, but it seems sometimes that is not how it is experienced.

2026-04-21 19:01:04 UTC

Ohhhhhh.
Okay, something which I think happens to autistic folks a lot is that sometimes when we respond to something somebody said, the person will then say "that's what I just said. Why are you repeating it back to me?" (exactly how common I don't know, but I do at least know I'm not alone in this experience)
I think there are quite a few factors at play here but I did just realize that tendencies towards precision of language may result in that confusion.

2026-04-21 19:01:04 UTC

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E.g., someone states something. Then I formulate a response to it that I think is adding additional information, but which does resemble the thing just said. From my perspective, I've said something to expand it out because they mentioned x & I mentioned y which are similar but not identical concepts & I took it to a slightly different conclusion.
But it's possible that someone who doesn't necessarily speak highly precisely could view that as "saying the same thing".
And maybe it is... 🤷‍♀️

2026-04-21 14:50:30 UTC

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I know that "choices have consequences" is a phrase that has never made much sense to Trump & cronies, but Trump's second admin is shaping up to be the time when consequences are finally catching up with them in a lot of areas.
Not as much as one might wish, as one might picture Trump being thrown into the sea with a millstone tied to his neck biblical-style, but...yes, actions taken in the past are now making his present turn out differently than hoped.

2026-04-21 14:47:03 UTC

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So Trump's impulsive decision to attack Iran this year is going so poorly for him in part because of his impulsive decision to attack them last year.

2026-04-21 14:00:37 UTC

Reportedly, negotiators for the Islamic Republic were shocked & confused when JD Vance suggested giving the US a cut of the fees for ships transiting the Strait.
They're like..."we've talked about cutting Oman in because they are literally the other side of the Strait but why tf would you guys be involved?"

2026-04-21 13:45:38 UTC

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When you realize that someone is only saying "eat the rich" because they personally got cut off from the spoils of colonialism that they are accustomed to enjoying.

2026-04-21 12:58:10 UTC

Whenever I see someone talk about Mark Carney like he's a good guy & a solid leader, I know they are not a serious person.
Mark Carney is the human incarnation of banks running the world.

2026-04-20 19:48:22 UTC

The Trump admin seems to be pretending that there are plans for further negotiations with the Islamic Republic in Islamabad this week, & I almost don't know what to make of that.
The more they lie, the less likely the IR is to seriously attempt a negotiation, yet they appear to be lying about the negotiations themselves.
They seem to just want to be seen as doing *something* about the situation when in reality, they are doing nothing.

2026-04-20 18:03:56 UTC

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Centering the discussion of the Islamic Republic's oppression on religious issues allows one to sidestep a whole host of important questions about privilege, wealth, & class.
Convenient, ain't it?

2026-04-20 18:00:34 UTC

Another thing that is basically missing from Medea Benjamin's book on Iran is discussion of income inequality & economic marginalization of specific groups.
This is a *major* point of discussion in the 3 main texts I'm reading right now (Keddie, Ghamari, & Dabashi) despite the fact that they are all dealing with the subject of Iran's social & political situation from different perspectives & time periods. Yet Benjamin has very little to say on the subject.
#MedeaBenjamin

2026-04-20 18:00:34 UTC

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Medea Benjamin is as much a "leftist" as I am a martial artist.
She writes a book on "modern Iran" & can't be bothered* to seriously discuss rural/urban divides, wealth inequality, vectors of marginalization, & class dynamics?
Fuck all the way off.
*Note: "can't be bothered" might be more accurately stated as "deliberately avoids".

2026-04-20 16:11:02 UTC

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Now if only the fucking eBay seller would hurry up & ship my copy of the Shahnameh so I could get caught up on some mythology to really round out the cultural perspective, that'd be great.
I wanna read a Persian epic! Hurry it along already.

2026-04-20 16:00:41 UTC

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I would recommend this as a companion to Nikki Keddie's "Modern Iran".
Keddie's is a historical work, whereas Ghamari is writing political analysis, but the essays here pick up chronologically roughly where Keddie leaves off & help fill in the span of time that is missing to bring us up to the present day.

2026-04-20 16:00:41 UTC

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I get the sense that Ghamari & I have some significant ideological disagreements (though perhaps I am wrong), but his insight on the relation of US policy & Iranian politics seems really valuable.
I am becoming really interested in this topic & especially in what Iranian traditions of resistance & dissent could teach us—in addition to what we can learn about American imperialism & how it impacts the world.
No lie: the Islamic Republic sucks, but Iran is fucking cool & I want to know more.

2026-04-20 13:47:54 UTC

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I didn't actually know or understand this until this war started, so thanks to Trump for the education I guess, but once you think about it, it makes sense.
Logistically, it's really fucking difficult to resupply & refuel without access to local resources.
And while the US has some refueling jets, that's risk-prone, as evidenced by the fact that Iran was shooting them down.

2026-04-20 13:40:24 UTC

US military might depends heavily on having access to bases around the world.
If the US were limited to a military presence in its own territories it would face significant logistical difficulties in conducting wars far away from it.
That is: if other countries don't let US jets fuel & take off from their runways & resupply their ships in their ports, the US would have to stay close enough to home to refuel & resupply.

2026-04-20 12:57:09 UTC

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The US military is not equipped for long-term conflict, especially without the support of its allies.
Without the cooperation of allies, the US is significantly weaker than you have been led to believe.
The Trump admin definitely went the fuck around & find out route here. They didn't understand *why* liberals were so obsessed with allies. They saw maintaining friendly relations as weakness, when that's really been how the capitalist power of the US spreads throughout the globe.

2026-04-20 12:52:59 UTC

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It seems to me that matters of logistics & sustainability are simply not being discussed publicly.
It raises the question: are journalists unaware of these problems or are they unwilling to acknowledge them?
I've been saying since this conflict began that it turns out the US military has significant, exploitable weaknesses: primarily how costly & difficult to replace its equipment & munitions are & how fragile its supply lines are.

2026-04-20 12:52:59 UTC

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I gotta be honest with you: I think they aren't talking about it because they don't want to acknowledge what it *means*.
There is a bigger picture to this that is not just about war with Iran but about the US's capacity to wage war at all.
It's obvious that they rely on shock & awe & on things that can be quickly accomplished.
It's also becoming obvious that without the cooperation of other nations, the US would have no reach to accomplish its military aims half a world away.

2026-04-20 12:28:17 UTC

There should (imo) probably be more reporting on how—since the war with Iran began—the US Navy has been cut off from their main logistical supply hub in the region (Bahrain, INSIDE the Persian Gulf).
I think that's actually a significant problem for the US military right now, so why tf ain't the media talking about it?

2026-04-20 12:28:17 UTC

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The Islamic Republic is gearing up for a long, drawn-out conflict, while the US keeps trying to pressure them into a quick resolution that gives the US what they want.
Meanwhile, the US is woefully unprepared to actually sustain a conflict in that region of the world, as demonstrated by the sad remnants of food that sailors are being served.

2026-04-16 16:51:03 UTC

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Consume information critically, my friends. It's not always outright lies. Frequently there are significant truths included to give weight & plausibility to the narrative.
Narrative is one of the key things to keep an eye on. When you recognize a particular narrative ask who benefits from it & what things would support or disprove such a narrative. Then observe if the content you're interacting with actually engages with those things or simply glides along past any complications.

2026-04-16 16:41:50 UTC

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Hopefully this is helpful stuff I'm pointing out. I'm not reading it because I want to complain about how bad it is. Getting to complain about how bad it is is just a bonus.
I'm hoping that I can point out the sleight-of-hand, manipulation, & oversimplification that shows this is a work of propaganda & examines what it is doing & what it is hiding from you or asking you not to think about.
#RecognizingPropaganda

2026-04-16 16:36:17 UTC

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So, on page 2, Medea Benjamin introduces a definition of what it means to be Iranian that is both ethnically & religiously specific: Iranians are Persian & Muslim.
If I didn't believe that she got paid (or otherwise incentivized) to write this shit, I'd just think she was a very bad & small-minded analyst & communicator.

2026-04-16 16:31:15 UTC

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Later in the same paragraph she says "Yes, they are Muslims, & overwhelmingly Shia Muslims, but they celebrate ancient Zoroastrian holidays—to the dismay of conservative clerics."
This paragraph is describing "Iranians," & she says "they are Muslims" as though that can be said as a blanket statement. Not "x percent are Muslim", not "the majority are Muslim."
To get grammatical for a second, the antecedent of "they" here is "Iranians". She just said "Iranians are Muslims."
Hmm.

2026-04-16 16:31:15 UTC

Another weird thing about this section on ethnic minorities in Iran & the human rights abuses they face.
On page 2 of the book, in the introduction, Benjamin opens a paragraph: "Iranians, we learned, revere their Persian heritage & culture; they want you to know they are not Arabs."
I underlined this because I thought it was very curious to not mention ethnic minorities when "introducing" the Iranian people. Yes, the majority are Persian. Weird not to mention the existence of others though.

2026-04-16 15:47:36 UTC

I've mentioned that I believe this book to be propaganda for the Iranian regime both based on what I have read & looking up the author, Medea Benjamin.
But how could that be? She discusses the many human rights violations of the Islamic Republic! How could that be pro-regime propaganda?
Here's the thing: these "discussions" are actually set up to be thought-terminating. She explains a type of abuse, says human rights activists within the country are trying to improve the situation & moves on.
https://cdn.masto.host/dicecamp/media_attachments/files/116/415/165/613/046/494/original/e2a4a38611318bee.jpg

2026-04-15 13:18:42 UTC

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That version of Christianity—that thinky, dogmatic, demanding religion—is NOT what your average "Christian" Trump voter has, which is where I get confused. I see the exact form of religion I used to practice (minus the part where you're SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT PEOPLE) popping up in high level places, but it's not the driving engine. So as useful as my knowledge can be, it doesn't give me much insight at all into the ground-level support.

2026-04-15 13:18:42 UTC

I think the version of Christianity I grew up with is significantly over-represented in right wing policy circles given what a small percentage of the overall number right-wing Christians they actually are.
You've got your Heritage Foundations & your Pete Hegseth's & such, which is where you find the types of thinking which I am familiar with.

2026-04-14 19:51:14 UTC

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@nprofile…cj3j
The US having absolutely 0 credibility & constantly changing what they are demanding, sometimes moment-to-moment, is such a boon for the Islamic Republic with regard to how this is playing out on the world stage.
This isn't just about oil & missiles. This is about global standing & Trump is fucking up so bad right now.

2026-04-14 14:49:23 UTC

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It would be hard to find a home that is appropriate for their needs at this stage in their life that would ALSO easily accommodate 7 children.

2026-04-14 14:46:36 UTC

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Also, I sure would like it if my parents sorted through all the stuff they accumulated in 33 years living in the same big old house while they are still physically & mentally in shape to do that, so that we don't have to do it for them later on.
I'm going to offer to come visit for a few days & help with sorting & getting rid of stuff. It's so much easier to do that stuff when your parents are still able & active.

2026-04-14 14:43:14 UTC

Why does my older brother have an opinion on the size of the house our parents want to move into?
Apparently he thinks the house they are looking at buying is too small & that his kids will find it crowded when they are all there. To which I say "too bad."
Seems like a good idea for my parents—in their mid 60s—to go ahead & downsize. And I think my mom, who has now had a knee replacement, would like to live somewhere where everything she needs is on the ground floor.

2026-04-13 14:10:18 UTC

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I don't think THIS specific book is probably too dangerous for lefties, but there is another book I'm going to be looking at by Medea Benjamin, & I think I may be able to get into what the dangers are for those of us in leftist spaces who are targeted by foreign propaganda from countries like China & Iran.
Hating the US Empire is totally reasonable. That doesn't mean that you can trust everyone pushing anti-America narratives. I'd hope it would be obvious, but I think there is real danger here.

2026-04-13 14:01:31 UTC

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First tip for recognizing propaganda: before reading something that is supposedly factually informative about a topic you know little about—like a geopolitical situation you're not informed on—start by searching the person's name & see what else they've written & where they have worked.
If you're going to read a book on Iran by Daniel Kovalik & when you search him, you see he writes for RT & has defended Russia's invasion of Ukraine, you know you're in for some bullshit.
#RecognizingPropaganda

2026-04-13 13:53:05 UTC

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But I'm dipping my toe into the real shit. The shit where they DON'T want you to know what they are doing.
And this is scary nasty stuff.
So hopefully I will be able to share some insights & knowledge while I work through it.

2026-04-13 13:53:05 UTC

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I call what I do "propaganda" because I don't actually want to deceive anyone about what I am doing.
I *am* trying to appeal to you emotionally. I *am* trying to shape how you see the world. I *am* trying to encourage you to take action.
I don't fucking lie. I don't obfuscate the truth. But I will use every persuasive tool I can use *honestly* convince people to see what I see. No shame in it.

2026-04-13 13:48:58 UTC

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My bio describes me as an "aspiring propagandist" because I do consider some of what I do "propaganda". I try to provide compelling & persuasive narratives that convince people to think & act in certain ways. I am trying to reach people emotionally & use every tool I have to persuade them
I just happen to also be committed to not persuading anyone of anything I don't sincerely believe myself, & I try to continually educate myself & think carefully to be sure I'm not leading anyone astray.

2026-04-13 13:45:02 UTC

Apparently my new special interest is propaganda.
I am fascinated but also not enjoying the things I have *already* realized.
I think maybe I can do something useful here. I'm going to read some fucking propaganda & talk about how to recognize it & guard yourself from it (and I WILL get to those Lego videos. So much to unpack. I just need to do actual work like transcribing & making notes on the videos before in-depth analysis is possible).

2026-04-13 13:05:09 UTC

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I don't care enough about Noam Chomsky—especially now that he is too old & frail to do much of anything—to go through his career & learn exactly how much of a phony he is, but... it's pretty clear to me the dude is a fake & a sellout & most likely much worse.
There is no excuse for helping promote something like this. It's really bad, y'all. It's obvious what the rhetorical purpose of this book is & the intellectual dishonesty required to achieve that purpose is not even hidden.

2026-04-13 12:01:17 UTC

Supposedly the US will start their "blockade" of the Strait today. Let's see how it goes & how long it lasts.
Time for an enormous game of "chicken".
I'm so tired.

2026-04-12 17:17:43 UTC

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I mean, theoretically *anything* can happen (& supposedly there is a universe in which it does), but let's not assume that there is an automatic connection between Trump's words & anything.
The Trump administration is flailing harder than they ever have before. We keep hearing a hundred different contradictory & mostly nonsensical threats a day.

2026-04-12 17:01:19 UTC

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Not everything Donald Trump says he is going to do is a thing that he can actually make happen.

2026-04-12 17:00:22 UTC

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Donald Trump can't sink any merchant vessels. The US Navy can. But they won't be doing this.
It doesn't matter if he "won't think twice" about something he doesn't have the power to make happen.
Sure, he got the Navy to sink little fishing vessels that were supposedly carrying drugs (& now that they are at the bottom of the ocean, no one can prove that they weren't). Opening fire on a merchant vessel in front of the whole world because they paid Iran? Very different decision for all involved.

2026-04-12 15:51:07 UTC

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I don't know everything. I can't speak with absolute certainty. I definitely can't predict the future.
But I think we are failing to look critically at Trump's desperate flailing. We don't have to believe things just because he said them.
He's been making nonsense threats this whole time. You know why? Because he doesn't have any real options.

2026-04-12 15:47:34 UTC

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Really? They are going to “seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran"?
How? What's the plan, here Donny? Do you want the Navy to start firing on merchant vessels? Do you think you can order people to do that?
It's possible they may put some ships outside Hormuz for a bit to try to make this look like something, but this is bullshit. It's not a plan.
Maybe I'm wrong, but Donny's been making wild & wacky threats this whole time because words are cheap.

2026-04-12 12:27:40 UTC

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@nprofile…6c7x @nprofile…zech
I hope it is clear from my thread (see my replies to this post) that I am talking about the propaganda & how it aligns with the Islamic Republic's narratives about itself.
I'm working on more in depth analysis, but I think we need to talk about the propaganda, where it's coming from, & what it is supposed to do.

2026-04-12 01:04:10 UTC

The US has weakened its own military capacity to a degree it cannot easily recover from. A major power shift is happening in geopolitics.
Make America Great Again? We'll see if they can keep it standing. 😬
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Jwi4VCmr-7Q

2026-04-11 21:01:01 UTC

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I don't want to get too deep into it just yet. I'd like to spend a little longer doing research to be sure I'm not just spouting BS I don't understand.
Damn there is a lot going on under the surface here.

2026-04-11 20:47:50 UTC

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I've ordered some books: ancient Persian epic poem, modern(ish) Iranian novels, & some Iranian history, because it seems like it's time to get an understanding of both the current regime & the history & culture more generally.
I believe Iran is cashing in on long-term preparation. This isn't just a war. It's a rebrand (& also a lot more).
Conveniently for the current regime: with so much of the former government blown up, they can dodge accountability for previous acts of oppression.

2026-04-11 20:39:45 UTC

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"Who would have thought that Iran would declare themselves protectors of the innocent (like the children trafficked by Epstein)?"
Well, Iran for one. The propaganda aligns with the religious doctrine they espouse.
This isn't just "trolling Trump".
I believe Iran has been backing the push to release the Epstein files, & this has been part of their plan to come out on the world stage & say they are the holy liberators who are here to set the world free.