Digital Diary of the Departed

So there has been a bit of “what if humans were the weird ones?” going around tumblr at the moment and Earth Day got me thinking. Earth is a wonky place, the axis tilts, the orbit wobbles, and the ground spews molten rock for goodness sakes. What if what makes humans weird is just our capacity to survive? What if all the other life bearing planets are these mild, Mediterranean climates with no seasons, no tectonic plates, and no intense weather? 

Human: “Honestly we can tolerate anywhere from -40 to 50 Celcius, but we prefer the 0 to 30 range.”

Alien: “……. I’m sorry, did you just list temperatures below freezing?”

Human: “Yeah, but most of us prefer to throw on scarves or jackets at those temperatures it can be a bit nippy.” 

Other human: “Nah mate, I knew this guy in college who refused to wear anything past his knees and elbows until it was -20 at least.”

Human: “Heh. Yeah everybody knows someone like that.”

Alien: “……. And did you also say 50 Celcius? As in, half way to boiling?”

Human: “Eugh. Yes. It sucks, we sweat everywhere, and god help you if you touch a seatbelt buckle, but yes.” 

“Yup, with blizzards you cant see through every other day just about.”

“Amazing! when did you manage to send drones that could survive such temperatures?”

“… well, actually…”

“… what?”

“…we kinda……. sent……….. people…..”

“…”

“…”

“…what?”

“we sent-”

“no yeah I heard you I just- what? You sent… HUMANS… to a place one hundred degrees below freezing?”

“y-yeah”

“and they didn’t… die?”

“Well the first few did”

“PEOPLE DIED OF THE COLD AND YOUR SOLUTION WAS TO SEND MORE PEOPLE?”

aka The History of Russia

aka Arctic Exploration

1. Learning to recognize all forms of animal tracks in the wild so you can avoid bears and moose and search out rabbits and other small animals to eat.

2. Extensive swimming and climbing on glacial pieces with competitions to see who could last the longest, followed by a group sit in the sauna so we wouldn’t get hypothermia (no, not kidding, I really did this many times as a kid!)

3. How to navigate using the stars to get back to civilization.

4. How to select the right type of moss from the trees to start a fire with damp wood (because, y’know, you’re in a field of snow. Nothing is dry.)

It’s not okay to have your child be scared of you. That isn’t respect. That’s control. 

It’s not okay to have your child obey you at all times in order for you to love them. That isn’t high standards. That’s manipulation.

It’s not okay to force your child become what you wanted to become. That isn’t wanting the best for them. That’s living vicariously through them.

It’s not okay to take away your child’s basic needs as a punishment. That isn’t teaching them. That’s hindering them. 

It’s not okay to dictate your child’s sexuality or gender. That isn’t normalizing them. That’s repressing them.

It’s not okay to berate your child’s appearance or intelligence for being what you think is sub-par. That isn’t toughening them. That’s bullying them.

It’s not okay to take out your stress on your child. That isn’t parenting. That is abusing.

“HEL-LO”

“Shiiiiiiit!” *leaps back around the corner*

“ARE YOU STILL THERE~?”

When 7-year-old Chloe Bridgewater wrote the ‘Google boss’ asking for a job, he sent her a personalized reply. Though it was only the second letter she’d ever written, it worked- CEO Sundar Pichai replied within days telling her to follow her dreams, learn about technology, and send him an application when she’s done with school. It gave her a big confidence boost, and she’s now 'even more eager to do well at school and work for Google.’ Source Source 2

I’m not anti-La La Land at all. I have nothing against it, it’s a cute movie and all. I just feel like movies like Moonlight are more deserving of all of the awards that La La Land has been sweeping up this awards season.

The reason why I want Moonlight to win so bad is because of its story. To have a movie about an African-American boy struggling with his sexuality while growing up is something I thought would never happen. It’s touching and relatable because it’s something that I went through growing up and to see someone that looks like me going through what I went through during my whole childhood really strikes a chord with me. Growing up African-American and gay is difficult because the stigma of showing yourself as weak or feminine is something still looked down upon in the African-American community if you’re a boy. You have to act as masculine as you can to prove yourselves to others or else you would get teased or picked on. Barry Jenkins telling of Chiron’s story through Moonlight paints a story of millions of African American males childhoods. Not only African American males but also other males of color as well.

When you compare that to a musical about a white woman wanting to be an actress and a white man wanting to save jazz, a genre deeply rooted in African-American culture and from slavery…she just doesn’t have the range compared to Moonlight, I’m sorry.

But none of this really matters anyway because we all know that La La Land is going to sweep at the Oscars just like it did with all the other major award shows this season so