My grandparents left their home country as children when they heard the whispering of antisemitism starting in their home town. They got out and fled to America so I and future generations could be safe from persecution and mass murder. Only 2 generations ago.
And now America is becoming that country that they probably would have fled.
If you are not resisting, you are part of the problem.
And yes, I want non-Jews to reblog
Except I’m sorry but it’s not is it? A couple thousand white dudes babbling about jew conspiracies is not equal to Hitler and the holocaust no matter what. A couple thousand vs a few million? Your country isn’t fucking dumb. They FOUGHT to SAVE your kind and lost tens of thousands of men in the process. How about, fucking stop making it sound like the majority is Nazi and actually do some research. Jesus fucking christ.
Funny, since the Russians freed more prison camps than the US, including Auschwitz. The US didn’t care about the camps, they cared about fighting the ally of their declared enemy, Japan. And the US almost sided with the Nazis and had a large Nazi party in our boarders all the way up until (and even a little after) we entered the war.
Also do you know how large the Nazi party was at it’s peak? Just 7% of the German population. Smaller numbers don’t mean shit when they have people that aid and abet them by saying shit like “oh don’t worry they are too few to do harm.”
“My kind” have centuries of actual oppression running through our history, we can sense when something has changed and when it’s coming (back, again), it’s in our blood. Our grandparents and great-grandparents always told us to always have a bag packed, because they were afraid this would happen. “My kind” always know they will come for us again.
Offense but why does literally every dude that says stuff like “oh they’re not actually Real Nazis” “oh so you call everyone you disagree w/ a Nazi” like why are you all so hilariously uneducated and unable to see things as they are? Literally none of them have ever known what they’re even fucking talking about lmao
Most comments that call Trump Hitler are referring to 1933 Hitler, when he first ran for office and later seized power, who drew an enormous euphoric fan following based on hating a particular religious group and a political slogan that roughly translates to Make Germany Great Again. His solution to Jewish people started with encouraging them to emigrate, identification tags, then moving them to the Jewish Ghettos “to be monitored” and eventually to more secure concentration camps. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE was mentioned by Trump or his closest allies as a solution for the “problem” of Muslims in America during his campaign. It took Hitler until January 1940 to authorize the Final Solution, which started the death camps as an official government policy. How much do you think Trump could do to Muslims in about 7 years if given the chance, all before any organized killings begin.
Similarly, the Nazi Party in the early 1930’s was just thought of as a joke, a few angry people due to the bad economy (to the level which would make the Great Recession we just experienced look like a cloudy day) and the need to place the blame for that on a particular group of people. The Nazis gradually grew their support base until they had about 30% support while those in the middle were divided, actually giving them 50% support and allowing them to do whatever they wanted. Germany rapidly went from probably the most liberal place in the world in the 1920’s to becoming the most hateful and murderous place a decade later.
THIS^^^^^^^
When non-Jewish people try to speak over Jewish people I throw up in my mouth a little and hope they get mono
Also, sorry (but actually not at all) to add to the pile on, but until you’ve experienced antisemitism, until you’ve stood there hearing people scream “kill the Jews” one state away from your hometown, until you’ve spent even an ounce of time looking into the many ways in which Jewish people are threatened in the West, sit down and shut up.
And while you’re sitting, take a moment to think over the ways we’re afraid of you. Think of how terrifying it is for us when people brush off the term Nazi and call it overused. Think of how we all grew up knowing that we have always been hated by some, that we will always be hated. Think about how those few Nazis destroyed our culture, so much so that the global Jewish population may never recover. Think about how they murdered us for no reason, and then, for one instant, one single second, try to understand why we are terrified.
“The Nazis gradually grew their support base until they had about 30% support while those in the middle were divided, actually giving them 50% support and allowing them to do whatever they wanted.”
IS THIS NOT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE US NOW???
Look at every single one of Trump’s approval ratings. He’s at about 35%. About 1 in every 3 human beings is a fucking monster.
The only thing stopping history from repeating itself is us.
(And to my Jewish followers: if it comes to it, I will hide you.)
There are many valid critiques of Israel, the way Israel was founded, and Zionism itself. But “Jews are European colonizers who are really from Poland and Russia,” isn’t one of them, for four reasons:
– Roughly half of Israeli Jews aren’t even European, at all. They’re Levantine, Persian, Iraqi, Indian, North African, Ethiopian, etc.
– You can’t be a colonizer if your “colony” doesn’t have a mother country.
– Ashkenazim did spend 1000 years in Eastern/Central Europe, but we were never really considered European. In fact, we consistently faced discrimination and violence *because* we were seen as foreigners from the Middle East. By saying we’re “really European” you are foisting on us the identity of our oppressors.
– Ethnic Ashkenazim are not genetically Eastern/Central European. Roughly half of our DNA is from the Levant (the area where Israel and Palestine are) and the other half is from Southern Europe (like, Northern Italy). We have next to no Eastern/Central European admixture.
You can’t assign us an ethnicity just because you don’t like us. You can’t rewrite history or ignore science just because you don’t like us.
One unfortunate side effect of the “your first draft is shit” rhetoric (which is mostly meant to encourage the understanding that you will need to edit and that having problems in your first draft doesn’t mean you can’t write) is that people tend to feel like they shouldn’t like their writing. They should only be critical of it, only see the flaws of it, and so be unhappy with their writing.
Being critical is good, but keep in mind that you’re not only allowed but encouraged to like what you’ve written. You should like it because that means it’s something people enjoy reading (because you are a person), but also because you will write better if you enjoy what you’re writing. Reread your old writing and smile at the lines that you love. Enjoy your fun scenes, laugh at your own jokes, cry at the tragedies you’ve written particularly poignantly. It’ll make you feel better. I promise.
I think it would have been cute, but I don’t know that it would make a difference.
It’s not like Thor doesn’t already have scenes that are meant to show Loki being mocked or in Thor’s shadow (admittedly some of the best examples were cut, but I know people who believe Loki’s got no legit problems who’ve seen those scenes). People will write anything off to fit their idea of what a character’s about.
Some hate for Loki comes as a reaction to people who don’t acknowledge his faults. It puts a lot of thoughtful people in the middle of a big fight over the character. We expect him to be held accountable, so we hate him, and we ask people to recognize the motivations for his crimes as something more then “he’s just evil”, so we’re stanning for him or woobifying him.
Part of why so many people have decided Loki’s a shallow, lazy, power hungry narcissist is Thor: Ragnarok being deemed the best Thor movie (I know this because I’ve followed the same people, and I know that pre-Ragnarok’s release they saw Loki’s character slightly more sympathetically). I take issue with this because it’s the third Thor movie, and it completely reboots both Loki and Thor’s character arcs. The characterization just doesn’t flow well with the other movie in the MCU. People will continue to hold it up as the pinnacle of Thor and Loki, and retroactively apply the character traits they present in Ragnarok to the other movies, despite that not being how time and story structure works.
What I’m saying is that people who overlook Loki’s motivations aren’t concerned about logic or canon. They may say they are, but they’re really not. They just want a simple heroes and villains narrative, and that’s not what Thor is. It’s not even what Ragnarok is, truth be told, but somehow the movie successfully convinced people that a mean Thor was a hero (maybe because he keeps saying he is–people seem to believe everything that comes out of Thor’s mouth even when he’s demonstrably wrong and/or overreacting because he’s upset).
Look, here’s the deal with tumblr: it moves fast. A lot of people follow enough blogs that scrolling through one’s entire dash is impossible. I remember the days when I could wake up in the morning and scroll back to the last post I saw before bed. Sweet, summer child.
Here’s the other deal with tumblr: I see so much anxiety about reblogging one’s own stuff, be it art; analysis; fanfiction; hell, personal posts and replies. I have (and continue to feel deeply) that anxiety. Every time, my inner critic and I go through the same song and dance.
Critic: You look like you’re begging for notes/replies/reblogs. People will think you’re needy/full of yourself/have to be the center of attention. You already have a few notes, why do you need more? Other people have it worst than you. Ugh, you’re just clogging the dashes of your followers. If they wanted to read it, they’d have read it already.
Me: *ball of anxiety* You’re right. Wait, no you’re not. Wait, maybe you are. Wait, no—
I’d say it’s 50/50, even now, that I’ll reblog myself.
And you know what? Fuck that.
Not everyone can get through their dash in a sitting.
Timezones are a thing.
Work hours are a thing, also affected by timezones.
Life away from tumblr is a thing (what??? I know).
There are so many reasons a person might not see your fic/art/stuff the first time. Reblog it the next day. Reblog it a week from now. Hell, set up a schedule or a queue and have it reblog itself three months from now. Go back through old fics and reblog the ones you really liked; I guarantee you have followers who are new enough to have never seen it or who would like to reread it.
Be proud of the work you do.
Oh yeah, I felt that resistance from here.
Say it again. Out loud. Write it on a post-it note and stick it where you’ll see it.
Be proud of the work you do.
You wrote/made it for a reason. And yeah, part of that reason was probably to share it with other fans. Otherwise, why post at all? I know. Man, I get it. I’m cringing even writing that. The fucked-up “don’t show off” mentality runs deep, right?
Fuck that, too.
If you have followers who unfollow you because you’re reposting your stuff (and this is hard to prove, remember; maybe they quit tumblr, maybe their interests diverged from yours, whatever), who cares? Let them go. For everyone who leaves you, many will stay. And many will be happy to see that thing they missed because of work, life, sleeping. Especially if you follow a few points of tumblr/dash etiquette:
Use cuts/read mores for anything longer than a few hundred words (I tend to cut at about 400-500 words, though if something’s under about 700 I might leave it).
Reblog at reasonable intervals (day/evening, next day reblog, etc. Hourly might be a bit much ;D).
Use tags so people can filter appropriately.
Be proud of the work you do.
(Write it down. Yes, you. <3)
Sharing because I know people who feel this way. I don’t. I appreciate every person who hits that follow button on my blog, but end of the day… it’s my blog. I post what I want, and I reblog my stuff (gifs and fics) all the time. Sometimes I go on reblogging sprees, pulling up my “I made this” tag and just reblogging til I’m tired of doing it.
I took the time to make it, I’m going to share it… and share it…. and share it… etc.
Big thanks to those who stick around and enjoy the work. 🙂
art takes hours to produce and seconds to consume so dont act suprised when artists get upset when their posts only get likes and no reblogs
similarly a piece of writing that takes a few minutes to read could have weeks of work behind it… dont take creativity for granted when ur getting it for free
I’ve seen five different authors take down, or prepare to take down, their posted works on Ao3 this week. At the same time, I’ve seen several people wishing there was more new content to read. I’ve also seen countless posts by authors begging for people to leave comments and kudos.
People tell me I am a big name fan in my chosen fandom. I don’t quite get that but for the purposes of this post, let’s roll with it. On my latest one shot, less than 18% of the people who read it bothered to hit the kudos button. Sure, okay, maybe that one sort of sucked. Let’s look at the one shot posted before that – less than 16% left kudos. Before that – 10%, and then 16%. I’m not even going to get into the comments. Let’s just say the numbers drop a lot. I’m just looking at one shots here so we don’t have to worry about multiple hits from multiple chapters, people reading previous chapters over, etc. And if I am a BNF, that means other people are getting significantly less kudos and comments.
Fandom is withering away because it feels like people don’t care about the works that are posted. Why should I go to the trouble of posting my stories if no one reads them, and of the people who do read them, less than a fifth like them? Even if you are not a huge fan of the story, if it kept your attention long enough for you to get to the bottom, go ahead and mash that kudos button. It’s a drop of encouragement in a big desert.
TL;DR: Passively devouring content is killing fandom.
^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^
Fandom is kept alive by readers, watchers, lookers, commenters, and supporters. And the FiKi fandom has some MAGNIFICENT ones…but a lot more who click, consume, and say nothing.
Otherwise, artists and writers are throwing into a vacuum. And it’s the artists and writers who get blamed when there’s not new content?
This applies to so many fandoms. It makes me so sad to see that even on LJ comms, there are far more people reading things than there are commenting on and liking them. I co-mod one of the oldest sites in a particular fandom, and I know it’s still active because of the sign-ups for our challenges, but it’s so disheartening when people post and nobody says anything. How does that encourage new writers, if the first thing they post gets no response? I cheerlead our comm on Twitter, where a lot of the members hang out, and still nothing. It makes me feel like people are eventually going to just stop, and then I shall be sad, because if nobody’s posting and nobody’s reading, there’s little point in my writing and drawing either. I don’t know why fandom is getting so heavily skewed towards passive consumption, but I wish I could do something – anything – to fix it. I miss the kind of comment threads that used to lead directly to more fic and art.
And there’s the answer, random fan demanding more fic but not actually doing anything to encourage it. If you want us to create stuff, let us know we’re not shouting into the void. Engage with us. Discuss plot points with us. We create for ourselves – but we post for you.
Creators love kudos, comments, and feedback. Take a few moments and give it to them. It means so much.
I think people dl’ding fic to their kindles (which, yay!) is a part of this, too. They enjoy it,they re-read it, but they don’t go back to AO3 to leave a kudos or comment.
Perhaps folks could make a point that after they’ve read X number of stories, they pull out their Kindles/eReaders and go back to the AO3 and leave something for the fics they enjoyed? (Note: this is what I do about once a month.)
I get my AMVs from http://www.animemusicvideos.org/. And they do something interesting that I never really understood before I started posting on AO3. Every X number of videos you download, the site stops you and won’t let you download or view any more until you’ve left some ratings for the ones you’ve already downloaded. It might not be more than a star rating, and a few words, but it forces you to stop and go, oh, these people worked for hours, for DAYS on this 3 minutes of video footage. Least I can do is add a few words, and click a star rating.
And just some numbers from my side.
I have a one shot that has 173K hits, and 4.6K kudos. That’s about 2.4% For every hundred people that read that fic, less than three bothered to click the kudos button on the way out. Even assuming that we’ve got some major rereads in there, that’s a depressing statistic. Most days I just ignore the hit and kudos count, because if I look at it, I’ll lose my marbles, but I can’t imagine being a new author, being a kid who’s trying hard to be brave and write a thing, only to not know if those other 97 out of a 100 just noped out, or hated it, or what.
Especially if they only have a few works. Especially if they’re new. Especially if they’re trying to break into a new fandom. Especially if they seem to be struggling. Take a moment and write them a few kind words. Give them a reason to believe the effort was worthwhile.
You’ll be rewarded for it. 8)
Found these tips on my computer.
For the readers that don’t know what to write. Last added thing gives you some ideas.
“incoherent screaming” is easy to type, and is ALWAYS well-received.
Let’s say you have a blog here. You’re proud of your blog. You’ve put a lot of work into it, every day. More than an hour finding good content, tweaking your layout, crafting witty commentary.
You never get any notes.
How does that make you feel?
Do you feel like maybe this blog isn’t worth the effort? Maybe you should be spending your time doing something else. Sure, it’s just a hobby, but does it feel hollow and fruitless when no one cares?
Writing (and art of all kinds) takes a lot of work. It is HARD to find a story idea, work out the details, put the words together in a way that is pleasing to read and conveys the right emotions.
Yes, for many of us, writing is a hobby. It’s something we do because we love it. But it is a PERFORMATIVE hobby. It begs an audience. Like blogging, it quickly becomes depressing and painful to work on when no one wants to interact.
There are many perfomative hobbies that suffer without an audience. Every amateur on YouTube, blogging, cooking, acting- would you tell a community theater actor not to complain that no one came to their play?
Now, I write. And I knit. I don’t knit for other people to see or comment on- I knit because it’s relaxing and fun and I get mittens at the end of it. I write because I have a story *to share.* I write and post these stories publicly because I want other people to experience them. If I don’t know anyone is doing that, then what’s the point? Why spend hours and hours and hours finding the right way to convey emotions, plot, and pacing if no one is going to see it? Might as well keep it in my head.
Some people write like knitting, just for themselves. Anyone who *posts* their work? It’s by definition performative. It needs an audience. That’s *why* we post it.
Now look, if someone decides to stop whatever they’re doing- that’s THEIR decision and you are not, ultimately, responsible for it. But you should understand why writers often quit from lack of feedback. It’s just not worth the effort for a perfomative hobby to be ignored. It hurts.
And, I dunno, at the end of the day, the readers are getting a lot of great content for free. Really doesn’t seem that hard to me to send a (anonymous, even!) “I liked this!”
So, there’s this trend that happens in liberal/activist spaces, where the second gentiles find out you’re Jewish, they no longer trust you unless you immediately, completely denounce every aspect of Israel down to its very existence.
I have experienced this interrogation and distrust personally, in activist spaces at UCSC. At one point I even made a Facebook post about it because I was curious if it was just me and discovered that every other Jewish person I know at UCSC had also experienced something similar. Leftists do not welcome or trust Jews who have any qualms about disavowing Israel.
To be clear: I’m NOT talking about acknowledging that the Israeli government is committing human rights violations against Palestinians. That should be obvious, and isn’t inherently antisemitic. What IS antisemitic is this trend that has been going on for years in liberal activist spaces, where the second a Jewish person is involved in literally anything, ie Existing While Jewish, gentiles HAVE to bring up Israel, and quiz us on it until they’re satisfied that we have completely denounced it, including its right to exist. And if we don’t denounce every aspect of it to their satisfaction, then obviously we must support the genocide of Palestinians and are cast out of activist spaces.
That’s what’s going on with Gal Godot. The plot of Wonder Woman had NOTHING to do with Israel or Palestine but because she is Israeli, because she served in the Israeli Army (which by the way, is mandatory, and also she served as a goddamn fitness instructor) gentiles are pouring out of the woodwork to deem her “problematic.” And I’m fucking pissed.
Gentiles are encouraged to reblog this, because I am TIRED of seeing this shit in supposedly liberal spaces. We Jews can’t be the only ones calling this out. That’s a catch-22, because our opinions of Israel and antisemitism are ‘’’untrustworthy’’’. 🙂
I just want to add on to this that, if anyone is saying Gal Gadot advocates killing babies (and yes, I have seen that on Tumblr reblogs), that is explicitly blood libel (yes, even if it comes from someone on the left), and I would really like to see goyim calling that out.
Guys, PLEASE pay attention to this. I’m seeing Jewish people report this more and more, and it is frightening.
I think it’s even worse because, unlike earlier waves of anti-Semitism, which was common in highly insular conservative circles. it’s happening within the supposedly “diverse” multicultural left. When people who’ve established their image as open-minded to other races, POVs, cultures and religions start treading the well worn path of anti-Semitism, it starts slipping under the radar.
It’s also harder to see when it’s being done by other oppressed groups. Not a lot of outrage in the gay community about the Jewish group tossed out of the Chicago Dyke March because the organizers thought the Star of David on their banner might offend people.
A pretty good amount of anti-Semitism shows up in Islamic groups, and it gets praised by leftist groups because they believe it shows support for Palestine. It’s either/or thinking, instead of both/and.
The idea that Jewish people are untrustworthy because of some sort of inborn divided loyalty, interrogating Jewish people about their loyalties, dividing them into “good” (those that readily denounce everything they’re told to in order to fit in) and “bad” (those that don’t denounce, or refuse to play ideological litmus tests), and penalizing the “bad” Jews…
This is how shit started almost 100 years ago, people. EXACTLY how it started. The “good Jew” was the one who assimilated perfectly into society, whose identity was subsumed, the “bad Jew” was the one who wanted to retain their Jewish identity and insisted their they could be both Jewish and a patriotic citizen of their country.
Giving “bad” Jews penalties, and encouraging the “good” Jews to lambast and guilt their brethren are what is starting to happen.
And for those that have gone ahead and made sure to denounce the “evils” of Israel in order to fit in, you should look at history and realize that the step after this is to remove the idea of the “good” Jew entirely, that all Jewish people are “irredeemable” in the ideological context in question, all are untrustworthy, and, thus, all should bear penalties.
We all know how that one plays out. And for those of us Gentiles playing at home, you might want to take note that this mentality ALWAYS spreads. Jewish people walk point – they get hit first, and if we don’t come out and defend them, stop the advance right in its tracks, it’ll keep going.
Forget sending around the “punch a Nazi” shit. Speak up when you see this anti-Semitic shit pop up, call it what it is, and stop it dead. NO ONE deserves this. Ever.
Do You believe,” the disciple asked the rabbi, “that God created everything for a purpose?
“I do,” replied the rabbi.
“Well,” asked the disciple, “why did God create atheists?”
The rabbi paused before giving an answer, and when he spoke his voice was soft and intense. “Sometimes we who believe, believe too much. We see the cruelty, the suffering, the injustice in the world and we say: ‘This is the will of God.’ We accept what we should not accept. That is when God sends us atheists to remind us that what passes for religion is not always religion. Sometimes what we accept in the name of God is what we should be fighting against in the name of God.“
Chief Rabbi Emeritus [of the United Synagogues of the British Commonwealth] Jonathan Sacks
Loki is the Philosopher King 