The dulcet tones of Matt Simmons

abuse in caregiving professions (like teaching or nursing) is not solely a result of power dynamics. it's also because people who go into those professions often have a idea of themselves as Good People, and are consequently incapable of recognising or acknowledging when they've hurt someone else. instead, they mentally put 'people who have inconvenienced me' into the Bad People box so they can freely abuse them while maintaining their moral high ground.

i read ross greene a lot when i was working with "difficult" or "behaviourally challenged" children. his refrain is "kids do well if they can" - meaning, in short, that most kids act out only when the demands of a situation exceed their capabilities. punishing them for this is not only cruel but also completely pointless, because they also don't want to be doing what they are doing.

I am, for the first time, struck by the contrast between "children will do well if they have the resources'' and a world where our 'caring professionals ' seem to act out a lot lot lot of the time. because Good Person, Bad Person is really a child view of reality, yes? or is it not that adults haven't outgrown it, but that children have to be acculurated into it?

Also. teenagers will absolutely be cruel on purpose because some of the empathy circuits need to catch up to the social awareness, it seems like. They will absolutely be cruel to adults they don't see as people, and the tendency to dehumanize certain authority figures that remind us of parents does seem to persist.

Joseph Mazzello Instagram Update about Sam Neill's passing 7/13/26

https://ew.com/carrie-tv-series-first-look-mike-flanagan-modern-twist-exclusive-12015053

Like..........

She's not even naked or bleeding, the fuck are these girls even recording???

Just make an original story and gooooooooooo. Carrie snaps after years of bullying, because as a kid she started preaching the gospel at the lunch room and they laughed at her. She was ALREADY a long standing target when the story opens. And also, her main bully was at home, but suddenly the iconically unhinged Mrs White is. Not abusive?

"But for now, cheer up."

See you around, Sam.

🕯

Probably my favorite actor. Jurassic Park remains my favorite movie of all time, and he is the reason for it. Growing up, he reminded me of my dad. And it may sound awful, but I think now I will ultimately miss Sam more..

..He's an actor without equal. I can listen to him talk/read dialogue all day. He can be dashing, charming, funny, heartwarming, but also terrifying, truly nightmarish even..

Pretty much all this year I've been using gifs/images of his character from In the Mouth of Madness in posts, because I've sadly come to identify with his doomed pessimist performance as John Trent. I will of course continue to do so.

He was a phenomenal actor, and also a phenomenal person. A real advocate for environmentalism and the rights of Indigenous peoples. An advocate for the arts as a whole. Granted knighthood, but he never really cared for it, he just wanted the arts to flourish. They have, thanks to him. His social media feed of him interacting with his many farm animals was a real joy and comfort during covid lockdown. He's just been a comfort in general. Jurassic Park, Event Horizon, In the Mouth of Madness, Red October, singing and snorting with his pigs, Sam can do it all. He never misses. Never.

There's still so many movies and shows of his that I have yet to see, and that's kind of nice. So much of his work out there waiting to be experienced.

A one-of-a-kind artist, and one who's enriched my life (and even haunted it) in so many ways. I'mma call it right now, my favorite actor: Sam Neill

A little tribute for one of the bests actors ever existed and had become part of everyone childhood 🥺❤️‍🩹🦕🦖