i dont actually draw for deeper soul seeking purposes i draw because if my hands are not occupied i start destroying things like ripping shit apart. many working animals are like this. god also maybe

TOP SURGERY GFM

Hi all, I have a GFM for the expected out of pocket costs of my top surgery- what insurance won't cover and hospital stay. As many of you know I am disabled and can't work and well, governmental aid isn't looking too likely in this climate. If you have the ability to, or know someone who does and would like to make a difference in someone's life, I would appreciate passing it along!

Thank you!

It would be so nice if every few years queer tumblr didn’t do a, “this queer identity is more privileged than the rest of us and shouldn’t talk about their issues/shouldn’t even be in the community,” about another identity.

Since I’ve been here it’s been: nonbinary people, bisexual people, asexual and aromantic people, polyamorous people, pansexual people, people who only use the word queer for their identity, trans men/mascs, and intersex people. At least. I might’ve missed something.

We’re stronger together. We all need space to discuss our experiences and all deserve not to be spoken over.

it’s sooo funny when rude customers encounter employees who can deny them service for the first time.

i was working at a little cafe where I could deny service over bad behavior, harassment etc. & mask mandates had just ended a week before & already people were being weird about me still wearing mine—an N95, the kind shaped kinda like a duckbill.

so this man walked in, looked at me sooo scathingly, laughed at me, and said “damn. never known a woman to choose…practicality over looks.”

And I just said, “oh. you can go, you’re not getting a drink.” And he said, “what???”

I said, “sir, you just walked in at 6 am & called women impractical and me ugly in one sentence.”

And he was so astonished he didn’t even argue he just turned around and left 💀🙏🏻 it was like he suddenly became self aware

One summer I was running ferry rides across a lake so people could see the waterfalls without walking 6 miles when a guy snapped my bra strap as he was boarding the boat. So i immediately threw him off, he started yelling for my manager, my boss cheerfully informed him that, yeah, she’s the captain of the boat and she can kick off anyone she wants. He goes to storm off, looks expectantly at his girlfriend, and she just goes, “Well, I’M not walking six miles, Michael! I’ll meet you back at the car!” and sits right back down!!!!

The expression on his face when he was told that he couldn’t get on the boat, then immediately told that his girlfriend was ditching him? PRICELESS. he just blinked at her and then stormed off like a child. I gave her a free hat and was like maybe rethink this relationship…….

i once had this fucker come up to order a beer. while i pour it he shows me the wanky fucking chemical structure tattoo on his arm and he’s like “hey. you know what this is” i was like “nah sorry” (never cared abt chemistry in school, plus having to look at a some rando’s pretentious tattoo gives me the douche chills). he decides to respond with “heh. you must not read many books”

i immediately stop pouring his beer. i reply: “heh. you must not want this beer.” thirsty boy immediately starts groveling like a worm “please please no i do want the beer im sorry im sorry” believe me when i say it was one of the most pathetic things ive ever witnessed

gotta love people immediately backpedaling when they realise that there are Consequences To Being Mean

When I was sixteen and new to the whole job scene, I was working at a cash register in a hardware store. There was a bit of a lineup and one man turned around to a gender-nonconforming person behind him and told them they should be ashamed to be wearing a dress.

I told him to leave the store. I was shaking like a leaf, I was never very good at confrontation, but I was a little trans kid and I wasn’t letting that shit fly. He protested and I told him that I wasn’t helping him and he should leave.

I was terrified I’d get in trouble but I checked with my manager later and she said I was a-ok to throw people out who were harassing other customers. So that was my customer service success story. Got that man out of my store!!

Reminder that even if a trans guy passes 100% and is still treated exactly like a cis man in every aspect of his life, the fact that said privilege can and will be revoked once he's found out to be trans doesn't make him privileged.

Something given conditionally that can be revoked at moments notice isn't truly yours in the first place.

I don't know how people came to think that "the banality of evil" means "evil people are people too".

That's also true but it's not what the banality of evil means.

The term was coined by Hannah Arendt in her report on the trial of Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the "final solution" in the Holocaust.

It describes the way in which the Nazis at large and Eichmann in particular have turned the horrendous act of mass murder into just another job, disconnecting themselves morally and emotionally from their actions.

Before the death camps and gas chambers, Nazi soldiers simply shot Jews into mass graves by the hundreds of thousands. It was a lot cheaper and faster, but it caused great psychological distress for the murderers who pulled the trigger.

The leadership's solution was a massively upscaled version of the "gas vans" they used to mass murder hundreds of thousands of Germans with disabilities and mental health issues.

Shooting bound civilians in point blank range over and over is something you can't just pretend you're not doing or is no big deal. But if you're just the guy who sorts people into groups. Or just the guy that funnels them into a room. Or just the guy who opens a cannister on the roof. It's much easier to distance yourself from what you know is happening.

The same principle applies to much lesser evils, like soldiers operating drones from a distance, or insurance workers denying coverage for life-saving treatment.

#the problem is turning unthinkable horrors into unthinking mundanities

@briwhosaysni well put!

And you're absolutely right that the Trump Regime wanting deportations to be "Amazon Prime for human beings" is a horrifying current example of this.

Most important: Spend the money you have on a motel. Churches probably will not actually help and shelters can be dangerous or turn you away. At a motel you have free breakfast, access to running water, and a lockable place to sleep. Do not waste money on a gym membership like the popular version of this post says to do, YMCA memberships are like $40.

2. Contact family and friends. Now is not the time to worry about being a burden. Your survival and safety comes first and that is all that matters, anyone worth having in your life will agree.

3. Start a gofundme. Even if someone can’t offer you a place to stay, they might be willing to toss out $5 so you can eat today.

4. Libraries have free wifi. Apply to any and all jobs you can think of if you aren’t already working.

5. Any home is a good home. Even if it’s a dingy apartment in a bad neighborhood. If its cheap and you can afford it, snatch it up. 

6. Pancake mix and peanut butter are filling, cheap, and last a long time.

PLEASE SHARE THE FUCK OUT OF THIS

Hello I was homeless for years in many situations and I think this is niche and misleading advice. The post above is applicable only to short term situations where you are certain you can ask around and find a place to crash or have money to start a new lease after being abruptly kicked out. It would I think, better be title as avoiding becoming homeless long term (if there are personal resources available to you).

Motels are expensive, more per day than the cost even the best monthly gym membership ($120 per day versus $99 for the rich people gym in my area). My cheap $20 gym membership was the only way I was able to shower for years and also gave me a safe place to be several hours a day. The library is a great place to hang out and utilized public services but they don’t have showers and are often closed on holidays and Sundays.

I really want y'all to understand, it’s very common to be homeless for 6+ months. Trying to stay in a motel until you have no cash is usually a very very bad idea to recommend as a blanket solution. For me, it was almost five years. The amount of cash and time spent with relatives for long situations like that is untenable. Motel rooms are best saved for avoiding weather emergencies after you have exhausted shelter options, if you have cash.

In regards to shelters, the post above is so brief and unhelpful. The thing I want you to understand from reading this is anyone can be homeless. Part of being homeless is realizing that homeless people are ordinary people!! I do not think describing shelters just as “dangerous” does anything but further stigma against homeless people.
Shelters can have downsides, and yes can be dangerous especially wet shelters (shelters where people using alcohol and drugs are allowed, the majority are dry shelters tho) but realistically are often safer than being outside alone. They are often the only option when money runs out (which will happen very quickly if you try to stay in a motel with no game plan!!!). Some shelters are overcrowded and chaotic and have high theft rates. Others, usually more “long term” shelters, are generally safe places that have some annoying rules, generally that you have to leave every day at 6 or 7 AM.
The other people in shelters can be very kind and supportive. I am good friends with people from shelters I stayed in years later.

The part that shelters can turn you away is, unfortunately true an frequent. Most shelters run at max capacity constantly and only have beds available when someone leaves. Many shelters have esoteric rules about how and when you need to call, some can only accept applications from case managers.
Which is another thing, if you are dealing with complete lack of funds, are homeless, becoming homeless, or experiencing domestic violence get a case manager ASAP. They can help you navigate shit and apply for things, including long term shelters. They might also be annoying and waste your time YMMV, make sure to follow up and verify you are on housing lists they say you are on and ask other homeless people what they know about your case manager

The last bit I want to address is the pancake mix and peanut butter. I’m very ??? its more general being poor and housed advice. Even in long term shelters I had one chance to cook per week. Motels usually don’t have kitchenettes either. Homeless people generally don’t have access to kitchens and rely on premade food, one of many reasons why being homeless is expensive. I recommend finding protein bars you like/tolerate and buying a box to keep in your backpack. Peanut butter is filling but messy and makes no sense to carry around in a back and is banned in many shelters, churches and community centers since its a deadly allergen. Try and get food assitance/SNAP and remember it can be used towards grocery store hot bar meals (in the USA).

And I want to state something else. If you are couch surfing you are homeless. You can still apply for housing and get services!!!! And you should! Get food assistance benefits, get referrals!

Overall if you find yourself without a home, check your local community centers/service centers, ask for help! You deserve help!

Final parting message, if you go by someone on the street and they ask you for money, give them money or look at them directly and tell them “I’m sorry I don’t have any cash I can give you” like you are talking to a person!!!!! GIVE HOMELESS PEOPLE MONEY ALL HOUSING SHOULD BE FREE

the youth of today not sharing your experiences of youth is not depressing it means you are part of the wonderful cycle of life. you are getting to witness the future growing before your eyes. "ohhhh im getting old im out of touch" you WILL be if you always react to young people with hostility whenever they trigger your nostalgia-angst. i can't wait to hear people reminiscing about their childhood favorite beebo and tungus because it means life continues on. not everything is about you and that's a reason for joy

To reduce my screen time, I have weaponised my overactive and entirely impractical levels of empathy for inanimate objects. Wym you’re picking it up again? While it was sleeping? You complete and utter monster, let it rest!!

And it works. It works like a CHARM. Silly problems require silly solutions!

[ID: a phone tucked in very cozy in a perfectly fitting wooden doll-size canopy bed with floral motifs. it has a little dishtowel as a blanket /End ID]

How do you work out your story's themes?