just-so-you-know

My train was late. AGAIN.

I talked about how conservative authoritarians define "pedophilia" as "youth autonomy," but even among less overtly authoritarian communities, the spectre of The Pedophile is, at best, a distraction from the reality of CSA.

"Pedophiles" are a distinct, discrete type of person. They're Not Like Us, but also, they Could Be Anywhere. They're hiding in plain sight among us, lurking and sabotaging. Anyone could secretly one of them. They're queer, they're Jewish, they're vaguely foreign. They conspire. They're a cabal. They have secret signals. They're rich and powerful and secretly control governments, but they're also poor and dirty and hide in alleyways. They're sexually deviant. They're everywhere and nowhere, and you should constantly be on guard against anyone who might be one.

Child sexual abuse, on the other hand, is abuse. It's an action, not a type of person. Anyone can commit it, because it's an abuse of power, and all adults and many other children have power over all children. Any adult has the ability to sexually abuse a child, because every adult has the ability to wield power over any child. Child sexual abuse is part of the continuum of child abuse, which in turn is part of the continuum of abuse, which can be committed by anyone who has the power to commit it.

The Epstein clients are the most prosaic phenomenon in the world. Rich, powerful people trafficked powerless people to force the powerless people to serve them. Rich, powerful people got away with breaking laws. Rich, powerful people uses people as objects -- in this case, as sex objects, but by the same structural mechanisms by which they use people to clean their houses, pick their crops, and assemble widgets in their factories.

In 2012 I painted the top image: Rise

My alien moth OC Cailean (they/he) 💕🌠

A Plea for Help from Gaza: A Family Seeking Safety

Trapped Family in Gaza Appeals for Help to Survive

We live in the midst of the ongoing hellish war in Gaza, trapped between walls of fear and despair.

My name is Suhaila, a mother of five children. We are fleeing death. Our home has been completely destroyed, and my husband, Shadi, has been badly injured in the war. We are now living on the street with no shelter, no tent, and no food.

Today, we have nothing to eat. We are starving.

The army has declared our area a danger zone and ordered everyone to evacuate. We had no choice but to flee with only the clothes on our backs.

We urgently need:

A sack of flour, which now costs $850

Milk for my baby

Medicine for my injured husband

A tent or any form of shelter, which costs around $1,000

We are in immediate danger, and every moment is a fight for survival.

Please, if you can help with $850, $1,000, or whatever you can, it could save our lives.

Your help is our only hope.

This campaign is verified on Gazavetters (49) by 90-ghost and J Mi3 @el-shab-hussein.

Please share and support. We are truly desperate.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

We urgently appeal for your moral and financial assistance to cover the necessary costs for escaping to a safe environment, where we can build a better future for our children and ensure our family's safety.

We are in desperate need of your support. Any donation, no matter how small, can help save our lives. Thank you for your attention and support during these harsh times.

Donation link