I WAS THE SNOWFLAKE QUEEN

content warning for ableist language!

levelgrind:

explicious:

Nothing is True.: no, seriously

tuchanka:

[ content warning: ableist language ]

I am really, really fucking unimpressed with this “Derpy Hooves” shit. I’m not going to engage an argument on whether or not derp is offensive, because I’m sick of seeing people who are normally willing to listen to things like that dismissing…

what? Derp isn’t another word for the mentally challenged. It’s just anything or anyone making an unflattering face.

You can’t tell me you honestly think the origin of what ‘derp’ (and hurr durr) implies isn’t something or someone being “retarded.”

I mean really.

I understand feeling the meaning of word has warped to mean something ‘silly,’ like, “you are such a derp,” but there’s a big difference between that and using it to describe someone who is mentally handicapped played to a comical degree.

The unflattering photos you’re talking about are usually ‘unflattering’ because they are reminiscent of the stereotypical view of a mentally handicapped person, by the way, so your argument is invalid.

(Source: beermuda)

78 notes

Today on tumblr: yet another dipshit twisting sj rhetoric to justify the most outrageous fuckery, or why I usually avoid debates and stick to Eisenspam

susitar:

peregrinusexpectavi:

{tw: zoophilia, mention of rape}

susitar:

Americans being upset because I don’t feel oppressed for being queer.

They also think I’m comparing zoophilia to homosexuality in the bad sense, as conservatives do with their “slippery slope” arguments?

Go figure.

Why hello there. I am not American.  I have no particular fondness for America, least of all for the american flavour of social justice acivism. And yet I am not simply upset, but downright outraged at the bullshit you pull. And I’m going to tell you  why.

One could probably write a thesis paper on how wrong and offensive and hurtful you are. I’m going to  try and keep this relatively short in the vain hope that I’m not actually talking to a wall.

You don’t feel oppressed for being queer? So much the better for you. That is not the problem at hand.

-The problem is that you you use your very precious individual experience to dismiss everyone else’s very real oppression.

Queer people being denied equality, jobs, parenthood, marriage? Being bullied, tortured, murdered, executed? Who cares as long as none of it happens to you?

People think you’re funny for actually believeing you have the soul of a wolf? STOP THE PRESSES THIS IS SOME SERIOUS SHIT

Do you not see how callous and mind-numbingly egoistical this is?

Maany people have given you examples of oppression that endures to this very day in every part of the world, and you brush this aside because nothing matters unless it affects you personally.

-The problem is that people argue with examples of systemic opression ,and that you reply constantly with “but my life is like this”,  “but my experience says that”  and your own precious sheltered little self is not what matters in a context of systematic oppression

-The problem is that noncontent with  constantly dsimissing opression, you are also defending opressors. “Sexism is over, we shouldn’t discriminate men”? No, sexism kills and men are responsible for it.

“Certain countries have deigned give queer people certain rights, and now being a homophobe is worse than being queer”? No, homophobia is very much alive and permeates every society, and homphobes actively bully, repress and kill queer people, every day, everywhere.

-The problem is that you are y saying that otherkin, who at the very worst face ridicule, have it harder than queer people who as a whole face institutionalised inequity, harassment and terrible violence.

 

-The problem is that you whine, of all things, about the poor put-upon zoophiles who have it oh-so-much worse than those overpriviliged queers. Well fucking guess what? Zoophilia is not in any way comparable to legitimate sexual orientations, especially marginalised ones, because it is not consensual. There is no “right sense” to compare zoophilia and homosexuality: the two are simply not comparable.. Zoophilia is nothing more than rape, and rape is not a kink nor a sexual orientation.

This is not ‘murrikans being snowflakes. The problem here is you.

(i am making this its own post for maximum visibility)

So, if my experiences as a bisexual woman doesn’t match other’s experiences on how it is to be a bisexual woman, I should … shut up? Because someone else has it worse than me? I never claimed to talk about systematic oppression. Where do people get these ideas? How many times do I have to acknowledge that there are people who are being harassed for being queer, before I can say: I’ve never been harassed for it?

I’m not denying that homophobia or misogyny exists. I’m just saying: I haven’t personally faced it. And if that makes me worthy of all this hate, then I wonder if I have to go and get myself beaten up in order to be respected. People seem to respect martyrs a lot more than success stories.

And really, zoophilia is an orientation. A zoophile doesn’t have to have sex with animals. Just like you can be homosexual or heterosexual or whatever, even when you haven’t had sex with anyone yet. Orientation or preference is in the mind, not in the actions of a person. And really, animals can consent. Just not verbally, with human language. But neither can mutes? We have a thing called body language, use it! And if you think that people touching animal genitalia is wrong, news flash:

1. Vets do it. Sometimes to extract sperm to be used in artificial insemination. If it was animal abuse, they wouldn’t.

2. Humans are animals. Nothing else, nothing special.

And in before people accuse me of being a “dog fucker”. No, I don’t have sex with animals. But do find wolves and dogs attractive. And there shouldn’t be anything wrong with feeling like that. Gosh, my therapist really advised me to just accept myself and not get into internet arguments. Did you know, that I first got into therapy because people hating on zoophiles is really triggering for me? But oh, I forgot. People gladly wish that people like I would kill themselves over their sexual fantasies. Never mind.

Really, I’m happy that I can rejoice in my bisexuality. I can date girls if I want to, I can walk in the Pride parade, there’s gay clubs, I’m out in almost every context (school, internet, family etc). I’m sorry that others don’t have the same freedom, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be happy for my own sake. I also wish that I could have that freedom for other parts of my identity. Is that a bigoted thing to say? That I wish I could talk just as openly about identifying as a wolf as I can talk about dating other women?

This is quickly turning into a similar argument as “Children in Africa”. Like, if a person said something like “The school cafeteria serves such disgusting food”, people would be jumping on that person because some people starve? Talk about overreacting.

Nobody is fucking oppressing you as a bisexual in this discussion, or invalidating you, or anything bad okay. What they are saying — really clearly and bluntly, too, so I don’t know how you don’t see it!! — is that you are enormously privileged in this discussion, so your comments in the face of people TELLING YOU HOW QUEER OPPRESSION WORKS is completely, totally horrible. Okay? Here let me give you a demonstration:

Other People: This is how the previous post hurts me. This is how the world treats me and people like me. This is how my life is.

You: Well, that’s weird. See, life doesn’t treat me badly at all! I feel pretty good so I’m basically just going to ignore everything you’re saying and keep ignoring it even when like it’s been shown that what I’m saying isn’t even true in my own country, it is only true for me. I’m also going to dominate this discussion with my own completely awesome experiences because my total lack of oppression should dominate this discussion about oppression, yes!

Stop it. Just stop it.

And speaking as one, I can tell you that white bisexual women get off pretty easily in America, too, compared to other LGBT, JFYI. Your country isn’t special.

26 notes

Anonymous asked: does queer mean you’re gay? are you a lesbian?

boringalien:

onlytowardschaos:

tuchanka:

majesticlegay:

I’ve answered this before, so I copied and pasted it.

So I guess the answer to your question is maybe, for some people? Queer means something different for everyone. I guess one way to define it could be that queer is someone whose sexuality and/or gender is non-normative. I think to be honest queer shouldn’t be defined. The beauty (in theory) is that it cannot, will not be pinned down or contained by definition. Except that people are always trying to define it. It means something really different for everyone. Some people who are queer only like one gender (this can manifest in countless different ways) while others like folks of multiple genders. I think we really like to be able to contain and define identities but queer is an identity that isn’t so easily defined. Anyone can be queer, as far as I’m concerned, and whoever says someone can’t has a major superiority complex.

I’m going to have to respectively disagree that anyone who has an issue with a person identifying as queer for any reason has a “major superiority complex”.   Queer is a slur that has been and is still used by straight people against LGBT folk, and for that reason I am pretty bothered by straight people identifying as queer.   I know it’s become more of a… nebulous concept, but I really don’t think it has much to do with a “major superiority complex” when people are uncomfortable or unhappy with the same group of people who use/used a slur against them now demanding a claim on it.

Bolded the part that really explains why I had a nosewrinkle reaction to the original post.

Some questions -

1) Is queer something that shouldn’t be defined? Or is its strength that each person who describes themselves as queer, can define it themselves, rather than being defined by others?

2) How does Judith Butlers assertion that…

“My understanding of queer is a term that desires that you don’t have to present an identity card before entering a meeting. Heterosexuals can join the queer movement. Bisexuals can join the queer movement. Queer is not being lesbian. Queer is not being gay. It is an argument against lesbian specificity: that if I am a lesbian I have to desire in a certain way. Or if I am a gay I have to desire in a certain way. Queer is an argument against certain normativity, what a proper lesbian or gay identity is.”

fit into the idea that people that are generally heterosexual shouldn’t define themselves as queer?

3) Is the group of people who used ‘queer’ as an insult the same group of heterosexual people who now use ‘queer’ to define themselves?

1) Tuchanka already answered that.

2) Judith Butler was wrong and I could probably find a philosopher making the opposite point; who cares.

3) Completely irrelevant! They still benefit from straight privilege (and they benefit a lot) and if they’re going around calling themselves queer they’re almost definitely completely ignorant about the history of LGBT oppression and how they personally benefit from it, so they can fuck right off.

(Source: mmmajestic)

17 notes

shit that no one should care about: misuse of literally, the oxford comma, ain’t, dangling participles, misuse of the word nonplussed, ATM Machine, ending sentences with prepositions, split infinitives

reason-says:

pluckypalaeontologist:

reason-says:

robokittens:

pluckypalaeontologist:

nova-bright:

rookhugs:

vvarinn:

blazelust:

how to language step one: communicate yr idea in a way that people around you understand

step two:

YR DONE

complaining about this kind of shit is literally the dumbest kind of intellectual onanism because its basically just “well, i read an article about the REAL DEFINITIONS OF WORDS ONCE.,.„„”

Language prescriptivism is grody as shit and rooted in all kinds of classism/racism/xenophobia and is pretty much the worst.

DIALECTS ARE BEAUTIFUL.

I like the oxford comma in my own writing. I don’t require it in anyone else’s. No one talks exactly like one another. We are the verbal products of our culture. Just the same with writing. 

SERIOUSLY

SERIOUSLY

unless you are specifically enlisted/employed to correct someone’s grammar/spelling

or you are authentically unsure as to what they’re saying

just

fucking

don’t

dragging other people down does not lift you up

NOPE. SORRY. YOU ALL MAKE POINTS I CANNOT ARGUE WITH BUT FUCK THAT, GONNA BE ANGRY ABOUT “ATM MACHINE” UNTIL THE END OF TIME. NEVER OK >:(

The thing is, I am frequently authentically unsure as to what people are saying. This led me down the dark path of prescriptivism when I was a teenager, because it was the only way I could be 100% certain that I was getting the intended meaning out of what was being said. But even that was wrong, because prescriptivism as a means of understanding doesn’t work unless everyone is a prescriptivist, and that would be a really crappy world!

So, although I do care about words being used to mean the things they mean rather than the opposite (literally means literally, I do care about that, and I don’t understand why you wouldn’t), I am also aware that the rules of grammar are largely arbitrary and, more to the point, have been invented by those in power to make themselves sound fancier than those to whom they believe themselves to be superior. (I write sentences like that automatically, but don’t care if other people don’t. Some habits are hard to break.)

I do happen to care about the Oxford comma, though only in regards to my own writing, and I think the arguments about it are hilarious because there’s no hard-and-fast reason to use it or to avoid doing so. It’s all “But AP style!” and “But a sequence of nouns!” and it doesn’t get anywhere, and it’s wonderful to watch.

i would rather burn it all to the ground

than see even one more instance of someone being shat on for what at the end of the day are completely inane mistakes

it’s generally pretty easy to tell who’s being authentic about it since they don’t imply you’re an idiot while asking you to clarify what you said

i mean i do in fact ask people to clarify pretty often and don’t generally have too many problems with it, so

and also sometimes meaning is unclear no matter how technically correct

i mean

it’s not that i don’t care, exactly?

my burning and largely irrational hatred of ‘orientate’ and ‘orientated’ is an example of that, and ‘atm machine’ for that matter.

but language is a living thing, shit changes all the time

44 notes

townhugs:

heronqueenblues:

townhugs:

heronqueenblues:

when to correct someone’s grammar:

• when you are their english teacher
• when their improper grammar might cause confusion or it misrepresents their intent

when not to correct someone’s grammar:

• when you just finished your AP Lit course and suddenly feel like you are the sole protector of the noble english language from these marauding savages who drop apostrophes from compound words

Hey, guess what are still things. OCD and OCPD. Those are still things. Not everyone is attempting to offend you personally and it is a little rude to demonize them.

You took this post in a way that is unexpected and irrelevant, because whoa believe it or not I said nothing about people with OCD or OCPD and the only people I was “demonizing” (more accurately, poking light fun at) are people who correct other people’s grammar for smug, self-satisfied reasons

notice that neither “list” in the above post is to be considered complete or accurate, and that people with OCD and OCPD do not consider themselves “the sole protector(s) of the noble english language from these marauding savages who drop apostrophes from compound words”, to quote myself, so therefore are not being made fun of even in passing

additionally, I never said that anyone was “offending me personally” with their grammar corrections, I was just poking fun at pedants who use correcting people’s grammar as an excuse to show off their own knowledge/superiority.

you’re making issues out of this post that are simply not there.

if I offended you I apologize, but you are possibly projecting problems you have with OTHER people’s posts about grammar sticklers onto my post, when it contains none of the anti-OCD or OCPD sentiments you have manufactured against it.

if you disagree, I’d be happy to hear why so long as you actually can support your points with evidence from this specific post (or my entire blog, for that matter) that I was espousing such an attitude. if not, please do not project purposes and motivations onto my posts when there is no evidence for doing so.

It is entirely possible I am projecting a little bit, but the post did leave an either/or impression, even if that was not the intent. I am glad that this interpretation was incorrect.

I feel more as if you have only realized after the fact that this was even a possibility, but oh well. The fact that you said nothing against them hardly means anything, as it was the lack of knowledge that I was speaking of in the first place. I also do not think that the intention behind someone’s grammar correction can usually be immediately realized, and that while this kind of oversimplification is much more rhetorically pretty than an in-depth look, in essence it encourages the kind of view that makes correcting grammar be compared to actual war crimes. Your post is certainly not the most egregious example, but I had been wanting to mention this for a while. I am not attempting to play any kind of card here, as I feel slightly accused of, merely trying to negate an all-too-common generalization of the motives of people who correct others. I am sorry if I came off as combative.

The thing is, pedantically correcting people’s grammar can be sort of oppressive — it can be classist, racist, ablist, hurtful to people who learned English as a second language or who didn’t have a shot at a high school or college education, et cetera. I have OCD too so I can understand the pressure to give into compulsions, but if our compulsions are telling us to insult people I’m not sure we have the right to follow through, you know? 

1,361 notes

serenadedhourly:

heronqueenblues:

when to correct someone’s grammar:

• when you are their english teacher
• when their improper grammar might cause confusion or it misrepresents their intent

when not to correct someone’s grammar:

• when you just finished your AP Lit course and suddenly feel like you are the sole protector of the noble english language from these marauding savages who drop apostrophes from compound words

You don’t correct someone’s grammar ever, imo. You ask them to clarify what they’re saying. It’s rude and tacky. If they’ve asked you for help, sure! If not, don’t be a dick.

1,361 notes