I am a Seeker of Weblandia; I explore the less-traveled corners of Webtopolis, where the cool kids and adventurers like to stash rare and fantastic loot, and secret but extremely valuable information. These fringe corners and outskirts of Webtopolis are the last vestige of

Two years ago next week my whole world crumbled & I’m feeling so many things about it. Mostly, I’m just grateful I’m still alive & I’m doing things I love. But I’m also grieving & I want to share this because I know I’m not alone in going through scary stuff & there is hope.

I experienced some of the most traumatic events of my life in Feb 2019, when leadership of the church I was a part of decided after nearly a year they were not ok with my decision to speak up about abuse I had suffered during my time there.

The leader who assaulted & abused me was no longer there, & up until this point I had believed platitudes that the rest of the team cared about what had happened. But I never saw any actual reform or self-reflection about the fact that this happened to an 18 year old intern.

The trauma from being assaulted was obvious & expected. But the trauma that came from the institutional betrayal was the deepest cut. Leaders who had prayed with me sat in front of me & laughed as I cried over words they had said about me behind my back. I was devastated.

Most of my friendships existed within that institution, & when this betrayal happened those friendships went silent. Overnight, I lost my entire support system, over lies said about me that I wouldn’t have access to read until I got a lawyer & they had to turn them over.

The notion that only western Caucasians can be racist is, in itself, racist, since it implies that white folk are somehow morally superior and should know better - and judging 'superiority' and 'inferiority' are the basis of racism. /2

2. There are many examples of non-white people's racism, often to sub-groups of their own race: the Hindu caste system; the treatment of Chinese Uighurs; even racism amongst light and dark-skinned American blacks.

So why are whites always targeted as 'racists'? /3

3. Why is racism often found where clearly none/little exists? As a specific example: a bearded, long-haired and hirsute man being called an ape by a 13yo girl and booed by crowds, but 86 other Indigenous players not being subjected to 'racist' comments and actions similarly. /4

4. Why is it that the Left is so preoccupied with race and racism? Is it simply to be morally superior? Is it to be the guardians of society? Is it to control a narrative? Is it to be the arbiters of good and evil?

Or is it about their own prejudices and insecurities? /5

5. Those who see racism everywhere are those who look for it. The Offence and Outrage Industry thrives on it, if only to put them in the beatific limelight to signal their virtue loudly and clearly.

Does racism exist? Of course. Does it exist to the degree the Left suggests? /6

@GMB @piersmorgan A bunch of people will hear "gay roles for gay actors" and say it's stupid or hypocrisy. But there are a few areas to consider:
(1) Do gay actors get roles?
(2) Can straight actors accurately portray gay people?
(3) Can gay actors accurately portray straight people?

@piersmorgan The first one is I think pretty clear - while it has become considerably easier for gay actors to get ahead in Hollywood, they still don't generally have access to the most common or most popular roles and it can be an impediment to their careers.

@piersmorgan The same is true in the UK. It is often the case that actors who are out and well-known as gay simply don't get given straight roles in movies or TV. They're considered 'not believable'. Whereas when a straight actor plays an LGBT role, they're (now) considered 'brave'

@piersmorgan To me that's a clear ethical argument right there - there aren't very many LGBT roles on TV or film. Until out LGBT actors are more able to act in straight roles (and lets be clear, there are a number who do so who are not out) then at least they should be able to play gay roles

@piersmorgan The second question is whether or not straight actors are able to 'play gay'. The truth is in theory absolutely yes, but in practice often no. Even in the 21st Century gay and lesbian kids still grow up feeling different, they have particular experiences with their families...

1/ I’ve been letting my kids watch some of the news since the event they inadvertently witnessed on tv two weeks ago. I want them to see some parts, so that they always remember. Comments are welcome here. I have no idea what the magic potion is for parenting.

2/ I pool my students every year. Ask them to tell me what they remember about the 9/11 attacks. It’s been sad and informative for me personally - the differences in time zones, regions, country location, nationalities, ethnicities, races, religions, & especially age perspective.

3/ I’m grateful to start each semester that way. To hear the personal experiences of my students. Because it provides a foundation for how I try to teach that particular course. I’m old, but at least I am smart enough to know that I don’t know much, and I’m always learning.

4/ and if my students are too young to remember 9/11, then I ask them if it has affected them personally - their families and their loved ones. What I’ve observed about that tragic event, through the eyes of my students, is that the attack has rippled through generations.

5/ Like that horrible day, the only thing I am grateful for is that I have witnessed the events with my own eyes. So that I can remember, and try to explain it to others. And so that my kids will remember, and talk to me about it. But I am so heartsick with what I’ve seen.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights!
Read this Thread please carefully!
ALL governments that are in lockdown violates their own UN rights! Look at this and read carefully.

The full article can be found here

Art 1:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood

1/3
Art.2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property,

2/3
birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing

3/3
..or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

I asked the Taoiseach to ensure that the coroner carries out its duty in respect to the mass infant and child deaths in mother and baby homes👇.

It is the duty of a coroner to hold an inquest when a body is found in their district. See here: ℹ️ https://t.co/jQmq6ex1GK

The Government Action Plan👇published in response to the report makes no mention of inquests or accountability and simply does not reflect the magnitude of the crimes committed. In fact, it seems like a blatant attempt to avoid these very issues.

ℹ️

We need to make sure survivors get justice.

If you agree, I am asking you to email your TDs, the Taoiseach & the Min for Children to tell them there needs to be an inquest into the deaths, as well as redress, access to data, a commission for the disappeared and further research.

If you need some help getting started, you'll find a draft email template here: 📧https://t.co/h5v4LY3mkr

I recommend reading the joint statement from Adoption Rights Alliance, Justice for Magdalene laundries and the Clann Project: ℹ️

I have also put together a brief Q+A below on what has happened and will happen next in terms of the Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes👇👇👇.

Q. Where can I read a copy of the report for myself?

A. Right here:

1/A LOT of critically important charts in this week's #DirtyDozen.

I cover growing trend fragility, a monthly sell signal, discuss why this *isn't* a major top buy why we should expect a 1-2 month correction to begin w/in the next few weeks, plus more.

https://t.co/qd6Old7Ehi

2/ High euphoria = high trend fragility

-Record net 19% FMS investors raking greater risk

-FMS cash level at 3.9% triggering a 'sell signal'

-Global Risk-Love in 97th %-tile going back to 1987

-Asia/EM Risk-Love signaling "euphoria" for 1st time since 2015

3/ “Two-month flows into DM and EM equity funds the highest since [Oct 2000]. November alone saw the highest monthly inflow into global equity funds on record. Also over a three-month horizon, we’ve now seen the highest inflows into equity funds on record” via BofA $EEM

4/ Asia ex-Japan Risk-Love indicator’s Euphoria / Bearish Signal implies weak 6-month forward returns in Asia/EM.

5/ $IYT triggered a sell signal in Jan.

Dec's Doji (yellow) gave us a sell setup. Jan's Outside Bear Bar closed on its lows & gave us a sell signal. But, the strong bullish thrust of the preceding 8 bars means this pullback will likely be bought after a 1-2m pullback.

[Thread: Fandoms]
I was called by a long lost friend's parents today. A bit of history, she was involved with the fandom(?) of a popular sports team for the past year or so. The involvement grew so intense that she was engaged with the fandom-things for better part of the day ->

She administered multiple social media "fan-accounts" for the team and the players, had a huge "friends-group" within the fandom itself etc.

In the last few weeks, she almost stopped speaking to her parents, and lost all the contact with her friends in the lockdown. ->

3 weeks ago, somehow a (alleged) rumor spread within their fandom circle's social media that she is a "mole for the opposite team" (or something like that) and she faced everything from abuses to rape threats (was reported to authorities. More on that later) ->

From what the description sounded like, the harassment was really worse than what political social media has (in my experience of hot takes in the past year)

Anyway, 2 days after this rumor, their "fandom team lost to opposite fandom team" on some online contest thing. ->

She was blamed by the "friends" in the fandom "for conspiring" and this person went into a literal shock.

Couldn't speak, couldn't eat, lay in bed all day, didn't even get up to visit the restroom and was deaf to everything. FOR 48 HOURS. Had to be taken to a doctor. ->

@LordBryant454 @TheJimMajors @smutterbutter41 @FaithlessPheas1 @GoblinQChesh @MorganHanne @retep57 @amca1975 @EboiLeon1 @ardenking55 This grew out of control but here it is...

I grew up with a fundamental Christian mother and a "Catholic" father who didn't practice. We rarely went to church except for a couple of years when I was 10-14. During that time I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior (11) at a
/1

@TheJimMajors @smutterbutter41 @FaithlessPheas1 @GoblinQChesh @MorganHanne @retep57 @amca1975 @EboiLeon1 @ardenking55 Baptist Church. For a couple years I was a "good" christian and read my Bible and went to Sunday school. Then when I was 15ish we didn't go much anymore and I was what is known as a "luke warm" Christian until I got to College experimented with alcohol, drugs and girls a lot.
/2

@TheJimMajors @smutterbutter41 @FaithlessPheas1 @GoblinQChesh @MorganHanne @retep57 @amca1975 @EboiLeon1 @ardenking55 I college I learned a lot of science including evolution. After a couple of years of that I found a nice girl and started to practice my own fundamental Christian beliefs separate from any organization. This was when I was the most emersed in my faith. I didn't listen to
/3

@TheJimMajors @smutterbutter41 @FaithlessPheas1 @GoblinQChesh @MorganHanne @retep57 @amca1975 @EboiLeon1 @ardenking55 secular music. I read my Bible with some help of fundamental websites to get through the tough parts but never gave up my scientific knowledge. After a divorce and a career change to pharmacy school, a new wife and job my faith faded again.
/4

@TheJimMajors @smutterbutter41 @FaithlessPheas1 @GoblinQChesh @MorganHanne @retep57 @amca1975 @EboiLeon1 @ardenking55 One day at work (emergency department). We had a 3 month old come in, cardiac arrest. We did everything we could for an hour but there was no getting them back. It wasn't the first or last time I've had a child die at work but this was different for me.
/5

You know how occasionally you get glimpses of just how casually racist the world we grew up in really was & you get like a vertiginous lurch in your stomach? Heads up, this thread does need a content warning.

Background, I worship The Kinks & rate Ray Davies as one of THE great songwriters, but they're ruined for me by one song - 'Apeman' - a cod calypso in a comedy Caribbean accent with the chorus "wanna live like an apeman" & I thought it was about the most racist pop hit ever >

Well last night I happened upon a 1971 song by Harry Nilsson, a white man from New York, called 'Coconut,' which is another cod calypso etc in an even more offensive comedy accent ("put me lime in de coconut" etc.) I was appalled enough by it, but then >

I looked it up on Youtube & there's an old promo performance video of him doing the song. And it's just him and a guitarist and they are wearing actual monkey suits. I'm not going to paste the vid here because it is genuinely horrible.

But the moral of the story is, people my age (54) & older, we grew up SWIMMING in this stuff. Surrounded by it. People talk about the horrors of the Black & White Minstrel show as if it was in isolation. The truth is our culture, from films & TV, drama to sitcom >

When Leah talked before a grand jury in 2012 many of her immediate friends leaped to her defense. Thankfully it was rather easy to box largely apolitical kids only passing through the punk scene out of anarchism forever. I worry the coming wave of repression will be far messier.

Today many folks see social media spaces like twitter *as* the movement or scene. And many folks less committed AFK can be louder on here, which means the housemates and buds of a snitch might create giant flamewars online, also making it harder for onlookers to discern norms.

Further, the next wave of state repression is probably going to look more like the 00s Green Scare than the 2012 Grand Jury, that is to say, *many* trials simultaneously. And *a fuck ton* of people snitched in the Green Scare.

I chalk the mass snitching in the Green Scare up to 1) many of the targets and their circles being only loosely ideological / firmly in the scene, and 2) the sheer scale of the repression, which sometimes let snitches bond together.

In contrast situations where Grand Juries failed usually involved highly ideological, highly committed people, with intense binds to the anarchist AFK scene. Folks for whom "I guess we're just going underground / serving time" was not a surprise development.

1. Another batch of submissions to the @Commonswomequ GRA inquiry have been published, including our own. We will link to some of the most interesting in this thread.

https://t.co/w0TAYjMCOn
"We recommend the removal of the term ‘gender’ when they actually mean ‘sex’...

2. from all official documents, and a public information campaign to do the same across the whole of the UK."

"We recommend anyone issued with a GRC is told very clearly that their sex has not changed, and they are not entitled to the rights of the opposite sex."

3. From a @MerchedCymru woman:
"I know of one school in Cardiff where the School, despite complaints to the School and Governors, have deliberately replaced single-sex provision with mixed-sex provision........done in the name of

4. Very interesting from Judge Paula Gray, the President of the GenderRecognition Panel:
"Panel induction training included talks by trans people, and we were addressed on the background to the...Act through an academic approach by Prof. Steven Whittle.

5. From @AnnMSinnott at the AEA:

"The law is clear but the same cannot be said for guidance on EA2010 from the EHRC nor from the GEO."
(Ms Sinnott is seeking judicial review of this guidance, see her profile for

REAL TALK ALERT:
I’ve recently finished my 1st round of CBT (therapy) & waiting for my 2nd more in-depth CBT (god bless the NHS). My diagnosis & cause, which I don’t need to speak of here, are linked to my lower socio-economic upbringing, which is linked to a lot of past trauma

Which in turn affects my anxiety levels, my worth, my body image, my confidence & of course very low moods.
I tweet this not for any sympathy but
I want to normalise the idea that we can talk and reach out to people or in fact the services that are available

It’s insanely important and necessary for all. So please reach out. It is incredibly hard to have mental health issues in normal circumstances, but under a pandemic. Like literally fuck off, that’s something else. And I salute and feel all of you going through that.

But also here is a call to men. Some of you may well know this. But you need to talk and ask for help. It’s not a weakness. No one thinks less of you. You can’t ignore it and it’ll go away. Asking for help, talking about your feelings, seeking guidance doesn’t make you lesser

Lots of people may well look at me and think he’s doing ok in theatre, he’s got his shit together, he’s a big guy. But any success doesn’t make you feel any better if your mind is determined to belittle it, I may be 6ft1 but that doesn’t stop me feeling about an inch tall