random shit

Translation: Parents aren’t making the conscious effort to help their children develop necessary skills and letting iPads raise them.

"Errrrrm, it's actually super progressive for the time and is totally valid to some transfem identities. You really need to grow a spine and get more educated. And besides, it's not even a trans woman. It's more an allusion to the cultural concept of [slur][slur][slur] so it can't really be considered transphobic"

TMEs when there's a genuinely grounded, empathetic and universally loved transfem character:

As the Trump administration continues to debilitate the United States’ path to green power, other parts of the world are all-in on renewable energy.

In fact, some countries have ramped up green energy generation so much that prices are dropping precipitously — and venture capitalists are unhappy as their margins take a big hit.

As Bloomberg reports, investors, utilities, and banks have invested over $80 billion in renewable energy in Spain. As a result, a major surplus in electricity has caused the value of solar parks to plummet, with investors looking to jump ship.

Spain even experienced negative energy prices last summer, an unusual but increasingly common phenomenon that turns the economics of green energy on their head. This year is no different, with the country already exceeding its annual record for the time producers end up paying customers to take on all that excess energy in the first six months.

While most Americans can only dream of that kind of scenario, California notwithstanding, negative energy prices can have ripple effects, slowing down the adoption of renewable energy — a regrettable misalignment between financial pressure and the shared goal of addressing a growing climate crisis.

“The economics have deteriorated so sharply that investors are trying to exit at steep discounts,” Spanish utility L’Energètica head Daniel Pérez told Bloomberg.

At least four solar parks have been put up for sale in the country, with owners getting lowball offers from potential buyers. Meanwhile, short sellers are looking to bet on their demise, adding to the industry’s woes.

One persistent problem is the lack of energy storage for all of that renewable power, with solar energy utilities making steep investments in battery facilities that can stockpile electricity during the day when there’s an excess of solar generation, saving it for nighttime or when the skies are cloudy.

Another pain point is the national grid, which has to quickly adapt to fluctuating rates of solar power generation, according to Bloomberg. The government is now scrambling to keep investors happy by promising grid upgrades and financial support for battery storage.

In short, on the surface, a glut of renewable energy sounds like an excellent problem to have. Residents in Spain enjoy some of the cheapest electricity rates in Europe. Yet a venture capitalist system hellbent on squeezing as much profit out of clean electricity as possible isn’t looking like a viable solution in the long term.

ID: A screenshot from the Reddit post linked, with text reading:

"So I'm going to refute some of the more popular myths about trans women's vaginas by directly describing my own fully healed experience. (I had surgery several years ago using a fairly standard penile inversion technique that used some spare internal mucosa to supplement the vaginal lining. Recovery sucked, but it wasn't that bad.)

Yes, all the normal parts of vaginal anatomy are present. I have a vulva with clitoris and labia, a vagina, I can pee normally, etc etc etc.

No, I don't have visible scars. Some of us do, but they're usually not prominent, especially after a few years. Internally, thing must look quite normal too, since I've passed as cis during a pelvic exam with a speculum.

No, it's not an open wound and it won't heal shut if I don't dilate. It's not a piercing, it's a vagina. I don't dilate at all, and not only do I not lose depth, but I can take a fist if I want

No, I don't have to wash my vagina out. It has its own flora, so douching would generally be a great way to get an infection; luckily, it cleans itself. Yes, it smells and tastes normal.

Yes, I have totally normal sensation in my vagina, clitoris, g spot, etc. Yes, I can orgasm. Yes, I can self-lubricate. Yes, I have totally normal vaginal muscles (the vaginal canal transects the pelvic floor muscles, that's why you can grip and do kegels, though my pelvic floor is stronger than most through a lifetime of kegels).

No, I'm neither immune nor unusually prone to STIs, BV, yeast infections, or UTIs.

Yes, I can cis pass while having sex. No, I don't pre-disclose before casual sex, though I also tend to meet partners in trans-positive environments.

Yes, everything feels like it "should"; nothing feels out of place or misaligned, unlike before surgery, and really the only surprise was how unsurprising everything feels.

i. the monster's body is a cultural body

ii. the monster always escapes

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire

these are all direct quotes from jeffrey jerome cohen's "monster culture (seven theses)" (full pdf linked) i highly encourage you to read it yourself!

that said, while i think cohen's writing is evocative, it can be a little dense, so while i'm here, here's my capsule summary (you can also hear me talk about this in the first episode of my podcast) (listen to @ghostswerepeopletoo)

i. the monster's body is a cultural body - The monster is a work of fiction to be analyzed through tools of literary and sociological theory.

ii. the monster always escapes - As long as the cultural fear from which the monster stems persists, the monster will reappear in retellings, reimaginings, and sequels.

iii. the monster is the harbinger of category crisis - Monsters defy binaries and challenge easy comprehension or categorization.

iv. the monster dwells at the gates of difference - The monster represents the Other.

v. the monster polices the borders of the possible - Tales of the monster exist to discourage unacceptable or taboo behaviors.

vi. fear of the monster is really a kind of desire - Subjects can vicariously participate in the disruption of the social order through the monster.

no, this stuff is serious. we can't afford to be pretty pretty when we fight for revolution. you can't try to make all the online leftists happy. you don't fight to look pretty, you fight to win, to crush your enemy. that requires centralization, secrecy, and yes even violence.

this isn't some mistake certain groups are making which deprives them of their pure character, it's not something that disconnects them from the working class and makes them elitist. on the contrary, it's the only way to actually get the working class out of this mess, it's the logical conclusion of the current conditions, it's forced on to us by our opponents. treating this as war, as engaging with enemy forces, is how revolution happens. and im getting very tired of watching people sit back and criticize others for being too militant like it's not simply another form of liberal pacifism. either get out and join the political struggle against opposing forces, or support the people who are doing so.