A city farm is a tiny farm in city environs, basically for the education of urban children and an opportunity for people who live in inner-city areas to pet living things and learn how to grow stuff. Also: free.
The sheep ... just followed us around and stared a lot (I'd post a picture but they're on Tumblr and I am so fucking pissed off with people on Tumblr at the moment - even though it's actually just one person - I've blocked the website for a while).
I don't think history books would work - I mean, this is someone who was originally a friend who thinks I'm not allowed to bring up experiences of abuse by women because I "obviously don't understand hyperbole". I'm sorry I didn't have the good sense to only be abused by men. It's a terrible failing of mine.
So yeah, the one about the female Nazis would probably not make a dent. And I'm kind of afraid of what they'd say about the boy I went to kindergarten with who was shot by his own mom. (He survived, as did one of his sisters.)
It's kind of irritating because I also use that website for self-soothing searches like orange blossoms and pictures of different minerals and interior design and stuff. I suppose I could always resurrect my Pinterest account.
... I think they'd be horrified by that but they'd also belittle its significance, and that particular attitude of "well your experience doesn't count in the wider scheme of things" is one of those hurtful things I've been faced with a lot in my life ("well, yeah, but that's JUST YOU" etc)... I'm deeply not a fan of anyone using it for any reason. It'd be an awful thing to have to find out, never tell them about it.
So experiences that aren't the default don't count in their eyes? Let me guess, they're very big on SJ stuff and claiming to defend the interests of people who don't fit society's default, and don't see any conflict between those positions?
(There was a Cracked article by a man who was raped by a woman and I completely see why they didn't block comments. Partially because MRA trolls, but also because he was saying perfectly reasonable stuff about how he understood that it was more common for women to be raped by men, but he really didn't need people bringing that up in order to discount what happened to him when he was talking about his specific experience.)
Exactly that. "Lived experience" is the holy grail of tumblr discussion until it contradicts the narrative.
I really can't fathom, at a basic personal human interaction level, why you would address someone who was telling you about a highly traumatic experience in their life, and respond TO THEIR FACE with "your experience doesn't real", essentially. If your politics take precedence over treating people like human beings - if your politics are in CONFLICT with treating people like human beings - your politics are FUCKING. WANK.
I think way too many people pick abstract principles over fellow human beings, because they decide their ideas are Right and then shut their brain off. Probably something to do with tribalism and in-group loyalty. Someone starts off with principles of opposing violence against women because they recognize that it's wrong to brutalize another human being, and gets lazier and more tribal about it until they're all "Men, stop messing up my narrative!" rather than feel empathy for another human being who's been brutalized.
And this is why I distrust anyone who tries to invoke some kind of group loyalty clause with me. I may be trans and queer but I still think Andy Blake is a fucking nutbar who needs to be kept away from vulnerable people. I may be British but god knows most of the people in my country are an embarrassment & if they're caught doing a wrong thing in another country (GARY GLITTER COUGH) I'm not about to support them against the courts, y'know?
rather than feel empathy for another human being who's been brutalized
I think they know this and I think that's why anything that's intended to foster a sense of unity across boundaries is regarded with such suspicion.
That explains why so much Tumblr intersectionality stuff is "Why you're allowed to yell at people who aren't in your group for Not Getting It", as opposed to something deeper or more unifying. (I went through a phase of reading a lot of autobiographies by writers. They were all women, mostly queer, mostly working class backgrounds, some diversity in terms of race, income, disabilities and mental health situations, and it made a really interesting picture of areas of overlap and separation and how identity categories interacted with individual circumstances and it was a whole different picture from the online SJ stuff.)
Tumblr made me think I hated Bell Hooks for so long, then I actually read some of the stuff of hers they WEREN'T quoting and she sounded like so much less of an asshole when given her proper context!
What actually is a city farm? And what's a post-traumatic sheep? (Aside from a phrase that's probably a band name.)
That "women can do no wrong" crap always makes me want to start flinging history books at people.
Reply
The sheep ... just followed us around and stared a lot (I'd post a picture but they're on Tumblr and I am so fucking pissed off with people on Tumblr at the moment - even though it's actually just one person - I've blocked the website for a while).
I don't think history books would work - I mean, this is someone who was originally a friend who thinks I'm not allowed to bring up experiences of abuse by women because I "obviously don't understand hyperbole". I'm sorry I didn't have the good sense to only be abused by men. It's a terrible failing of mine.
Reply
I completely get that about Tumblr.
So yeah, the one about the female Nazis would probably not make a dent. And I'm kind of afraid of what they'd say about the boy I went to kindergarten with who was shot by his own mom. (He survived, as did one of his sisters.)
Reply
... I think they'd be horrified by that but they'd also belittle its significance, and that particular attitude of "well your experience doesn't count in the wider scheme of things" is one of those hurtful things I've been faced with a lot in my life ("well, yeah, but that's JUST YOU" etc)... I'm deeply not a fan of anyone using it for any reason. It'd be an awful thing to have to find out, never tell them about it.
Reply
(There was a Cracked article by a man who was raped by a woman and I completely see why they didn't block comments. Partially because MRA trolls, but also because he was saying perfectly reasonable stuff about how he understood that it was more common for women to be raped by men, but he really didn't need people bringing that up in order to discount what happened to him when he was talking about his specific experience.)
Reply
I really can't fathom, at a basic personal human interaction level, why you would address someone who was telling you about a highly traumatic experience in their life, and respond TO THEIR FACE with "your experience doesn't real", essentially. If your politics take precedence over treating people like human beings - if your politics are in CONFLICT with treating people like human beings - your politics are FUCKING. WANK.
Reply
Reply
rather than feel empathy for another human being who's been brutalized
I think they know this and I think that's why anything that's intended to foster a sense of unity across boundaries is regarded with such suspicion.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment