just snails and shrimp

The cosmic horror and the social commentary of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre fold together like two clasped hands. Much of the sense of cosmic horror and social commentary were probably accidental byproducts, but not wholly unintentional because there is no way to detach from either and there are some clear touchstones for both. And the extrapolation of these into more complex ideas is 100% attributing a degree of artistic intent which we know on record could not have existed. Too much of the movie was improvised in the moment due to low budget. Too much exists because everyone was physically and psychologically exhausted due to the miserable working conditions.

But it's such a good read on the final product. Everything from the seemingly undead grandpa to the blood symbol on the van to the sunspots for opening credits to the proto industrial score from Tobe Hooper fits so nicely into that theme, the rest of it falls into place. The heat, the nightime sequence, madness as the conclusion. It's wonderful, and when you understand the incomprehensibly vast monster is the USA itself, I think it's a way of making it understandable to a non-horror fan like it never has been before.

I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.

The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.

Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or don’t pass too well.

A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:

Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.

Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.

Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns

Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.

I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.

It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:

This confirms that there is a civilization older than the Sumerians that we have yet to find

Some people get existential dread from this

Source (non Aboriginal)

And a quote I picked out from a longer interview with an Aboriginal local elder about the area where he touched on the history