Hi, my name is Marti Abernathey and I’m an American that’s settled in the UK. I’m happy here, but lately British politics and the thinking around it from the general public is gas-lighting me. From Davie Moo’s TikTok:
Reading
23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism
Ha-Joon Chang
- Inspecting within; seeing inwardly; capable of, or exercising, inspection; self-conscious.
Similar: self-conscious - Involving the act or results of conscious …
- Inspecting within; seeing inwardly; capable of, or exercising, inspection; self-conscious.
Similar: self-conscious - Involving the act or results of conscious knowledge of …
- an exhibition of optical effects and illusions
- a: a constantly shifting complex succession of things seen or imagined
b: a scene that constantly changes - a bizarre or fantastic …
The Rise of Far-Right Leaders in Western Democracies: British Politics is Driving me Crazy Edition
*color me amused*
Democratic Party
Mastodon
Mastodon Reports
I’m quite amused at the moderation of my Mastodon instance. I’ve been reported by exactly two different factions: Zionists, and Democrats. That just about tracks. Silencing, for having opinions contrary to the narratives of both factions, …
Who Owns Bluesky and Why it Matters
My initial reservations about Bluesky were that it is algorithm-based, it is a closed platform (you can’t run your own Bluesky server), and it was first created by Twitter’s founder Jack Dorsey.
Reading Cory Doctorow’s Bluesky and …
The Labour Party's Unseen Influence on Trump's Win
I haven’t seen too many people talk about one angle of the Donald Trump win. They did awfully after getting advice from the Labour Party. You can never tell how much advice they actually listened to Labour advisors like Jonathan Ashworth, but the …
What Trump’s Election Tells Us About Global Politics
I’m an American living in the UK, and my wife is Brazilian. in both the UK and in Brazil, I’m seeing people say they can’t believe that Trump won the election. This is an extremely myopic view.
Fourteen million voters picked the …
The Rise of the 4B Movement Post-USA Election and How it’s Transphobic
Since the election of Donald Trump in the USA, there’s been a resurgence of the 4B movement online. From Wikipedia:
4B (or “Four Nos”) is a gender critical, radical feminist movement. It first emerged during the South Korean …
politics
Uncategorized
Democratic Party
elections
The Future of American Politics: Moving Beyond Party Lines
I woke up yesterday morning in my bed in Southeast England. I realized the country of my birth has elected Donald Trump again. I wrote this post in 2016 talking about the many reasons the Democrats lost to Donald Trump. Over the four years after the …
The Future of American Politics: Moving Beyond Party Lines
I woke up yesterday morning in my bed in Southeast England. I realized the country of my birth has elected Donald Trump again. I wrote this post in 2016 talking about the many reasons the Democrats lost to Donald Trump. Over the four years after the …
ponderings
life lessons
emotionally reactive
introspection
living an examined life
mental-health
mindfulness
reflection
self-awareness
Understanding Introspective vs. Emotionally Reactive People
I've experienced two kinds of people in my life:
introspective
adjective
Understanding Introspective vs. Emotionally Reactive People
I’ve experienced two kinds of people in my life:
introspective
adjective
activism
sex work
blog
debate
sex-workers
Debating Sex Work: Centering Real Experiences
I see countless videos on TikTok and YouTube saying things like “is sex work, work” or “is sex work empowering?” without platforming sex workers themselves. If sex workers respond in comment sections, content creators often block them. If they make …
Debating Sex Work: Centering Real Experiences
I see countless videos on TikTok and YouTube saying things like “is sex work, work” or “is sex work empowering?” without platforming sex workers themselves. If sex workers respond in comment sections, content creators often block them. If they make …
Understanding Peace Amidst Political Violence
This is a great post above speaks to where we are politically at this moment in time. There’s only one paragraph I have issue with:
The only way forward is peace – and that means negotiations with the people …
Democratic Phantasmagoria
phantasmagoria
noun
phan· tas· ma· go· ria (ˌ)fan-ˌtaz-mə-ˈgȯr-ē-ə
sex work
marginalised communities
SWERFin' and TERFin'
When it comes to the sex work industry commentary on social media, it seems like the critics are big on speaking about the dangers of trafficking (many times conflating trafficking and sex work) but very quiet when it comes to the underlying causes …
My So Called Life
transgender
life rolling along
remembering
Trans Auld Lang Syne
As I listened to Vermont Movement News’ podcast about a transgender woman, Aunt Jenny, that was a trans mother to many people around Philly (and on the internet via IRC), it reminded me of all the people that time had forgotten. Many people around …
writing
abortion
sex work
transgender
assisted suicide
bodily autonomy
TERFs
Reactionaries, TERFs, and Bodily Autonomy
A couple of things have been stewing in my brain for a while, and I can't stop thinking about them.
First off is a term that describes people who don't believe in the right of individuals to make decisions about their own lives and bodies. Radical …
childhood
poetry
music
capitalism
music lyrics
Rock Music and Hedonistic Capitalism
When I was younger, I hung around musicians. I wanted to be one. Music was the one place I could escape to that gave me a sense of peace. I tried every rock-based instrument, including singing. But I knew early on that wasn't my thing. I was good at …
politics
Labour Party
Democratic Party
DNC
biden
uk
usa
The Dilemma at the Center of the UK Labour and USA's Democratic Party
I'm an American living in the UK for the last six years. When I lived in the United States, I was involved with Democratic politics on a state and national level. Reflecting on that experience has made me conclude that the Labour Party and the …
Christianity
Conservativism
Fundamentalism
80s
Conservatives
art
drag
Drag isn't a Gender Identity, it's a Performance
When I was a small child, the local morning television children's shows often had events where they would read children's stories or sign autographs.
In 2019 when I started writing this post (it's pretty much sat in my drafts since then), there …
American Exceptionalism
podcast
what I listen to
The Deprogram: S1 E2
I just started listening to a podcast called The Deprogram. You can find them on Twitter too. This episode of the podcast is about American Exceptionalism.
American Exceptionalism
Many Americans have never travelled outside of the United States …
book review
Examining 'Twilight of Democracy': A Critical Review
Twilight of Democracy: The Failure of Politics and the Parting of Friends by Anne Applebaum
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I can appreciate this Applebaum's perspective, but a few things bother me. She centres herself as the unchangeable middle who is free …
Social media
Elon Musk
Fanbase
TikTok
Twitter is a Choice, Don't Opt Out
I see a lot of people I follow say they are going to leave Twitter, and I think that's a bad idea.
Something I realised listening to Chelsea Manning on the It Could Happen Here podcast, that the "pay to play" internet has been in the works for a …
racism
atheism
Sam Harris
Seth Andrews
Thomas Smith
Bayard Rustin's Vision is Why Bigots Use Dog Whistles
Bayard Rustin was an American civil rights icon. He was the main organiser of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He also influenced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to use non-violence as a tactic in the fight for civil rights. He said:
" Our …
announcement
Reflections on Blogging: Lessons Learned Since 2008
This blog is back to where it was around 2008. I actually lost the domain because I forgot about it and someone snatched it up and basically wouldn't let get until the SEO rankings dropped.
Needless to say, a lot has changed since I owned this …