phantasmagoria
noun
phan· tas· ma· go· ria (ˌ)fan-ˌtaz-mə-ˈgȯr-ē-ə
- 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 …
Reading
23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism
Ha-Joon Chang
- thinks Sanders has a very narrow path to the nomination (almost impossible).
- will vote for Clinton if she's the nominee.
- thinks Democrats and the Clinton campaign are setting …
Democratic Phantasmagoria
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 …
politics
tiresome
Bernie Sanders
Hillary Clinton
Bernie Bros
DNC
Why I'm Angry
Who Is To Blame for Trump's Win?
I've seen many Facebook/Twitter friends post this story from Newsweek:
The implication is that if not for Sanders supporters, Hillary Clinton would be POTUS, not Trump. It wasn't Bernie Sanders supporters that sunk the Clinton campaign. It was …
politics
It's Foolish to Think of the Saving of Obamacare is a Victory
Many Democrats are celebrating the defeat of the Republican's attempt to "repeal and replace" Obamacare this morning. What the hell are Americans celebrating?
I'm an American ex-pat working for the National Health Service (NHS) in the United …
atheism
Understanding Privilege in Atheist Spaces
The genesis of this post is from a comment I left on The Thinking Atheist Podcast page. The host, Seth Andrews, invited various people on his podcast to talk about "Trigger Warnings and Safe Spaces." One of the guests was Bill Ligertwood, a …
politics
Bernie Sanders
Democratic Party
Hillary Clinton
Bernie or Meh, The Clinton Path to Defeat
I’ll say it up front, I’m a Bernie Sanders supporter that:
politics
LBC
LBC radio
Jeremy Corbyn
Labour Party
James O'Brien on Jeremy Corbyn:
Listening to the podcast of the Thursday edition of LBC's James O'Brien's radio show, I was surprised that he'd admit that he might be wrong about The Labour Party's leader, Jeremy Corbyn. Previously, he'd said that Corbyn supporters were akin to …
activism
transgender
surgery
No My Bits Aren't Your Business or Your Trans Advocacy
Recently I read the en(Gender) post,"Guest Author: Zoe Dolan, When Political Correctness Hits Below The Belt." Helen Boyd states in an introduction to the piece:
"Here’s a controversial piece from Zoe Dolan, lawyer, author, and friend, in a …
trangender
transgender
insert my thoughts here
cisgender
gender
visibly trans
Millionaire Was Misgendered, I Was Triggered (From Martine Rothblatt to Me)
This morning I decided to watch a Ted Talk that featured Martine Rothblatt. Martine’s life story is incredible. The Washington Post said of her:
Let’s be clear: Martine Rothblatt is just plain more of a lawyer than anybody else in this town. …
mob rule
Social media
WTF Comedy, Twitter Mobs, and the End to the Everlasting Podium
If you listened lately to people who have well established media outlets to speak from, pitchforks and torches are out of style. They would have you believe that the @ and # of Twitter are the new implements of mob justice.
Concerning the Twitter …
free speech
insert my thoughts here
libel
public trials
rape
reporting rape
Public Trials, Free Speech, and the Right to Name Your Rapist
Recently I was involved in a discussion with Twitter user @schnookiekins concerning people who publicly name people they say raped them. He supports Michael Nugent’s statement that:
“allegations of rape should be reported to the police, not to …
TERF
feminism
gender critical
logicfail
Please explain to me
radical feminism
TERF tokens
Trans Women Who Want To Destroy Gender
I have to admit, self identified trans women who want to have a “world without gender” really do confuse me. Below is one such transwoman:
If there is no gender, how can one identify themselves as trans anything? And if you do and you see …
My So Called Life
trangender
I Get Trans Regret
This morning I read an excellent post over at Crossdreamer's Tumblr blog about transition regret (also a great post by Brynn Tannehill). I'll say upfront that I don't regret transition, but I understand those who do. From the post:
"Some of the …
My So Called Life
activism
transgender
Suicide, Leelah Alcorn, and Living Openly Trans*
I’ve kept quiet much for the last few months because I’ve been mourning a loss, the equal I can only compare losing my father at age 11. I’m not going to share the particulars of this loss because it doesn’t really matter in …
markets
Money
stocks
Is Wall Street Disconnected from Main Street?
I’ve recently (since June) started putting back money for my retirement both in a 403b and a bit of money in some individual stocks. Seeing my portfolio see-saw back and forth, and at best maybe breaking even, I have to wonder who makes money …