Bonus photo because it’s such a nice one…
A fifth group, the bissu, are seen as equally embodying the roles of the four other groups while also standing outside them all. As with many two-spirit figures among First Nations peoples, the bissu’s specific place within society leads them to be seen as spiritual leaders of the people.”
— Here Be Monsters: How to Fight Capitalism Instead of Each Other by Rhyd Wildermuth a.co/4h410gN
… the calalai are women who dress and act in masculine ways, while the calabai are men who dress and act in feminine ways. Their roles in society are a bit akin to many of the Western stereotypes of gay men and lesbian women: calabai are the hairdressers and wedding planners, while the calalai craft tools and do other “masculine” work.
— Here Be Monsters: How to Fight Capitalism Instead of Each Other by Rhyd Wildermuth a.co/4h410gN
… the most intriguing of these non-capitalist forms is that of the Bugis people in Indonesia, who have five genders. While attempts have been made to map modern formulations of gender onto their society, no easy correspondences can be truly made. The two primary groupings are analogous to (cis) men and women, but the second set of groupings, the calalai and the calabai, are biological men or women who take on specific artisan roles that Westerners might associate with the other sex.
— Here Be Monsters: How to Fight Capitalism Instead of Each Other by Rhyd Wildermuth a.co/4h410gN
The only possible positive result of the Death of Information is that more people will focus on their core values, not some list of alleged facts. People (and society) will benefit if they stop arguing about media outlets and their red hot teams, and instead nurture and pressure test the principles which guide their lives.
I’ve written at length about reciprocal violence in the past—which I consistently oppose in all situations (including my own life). So I am not persuaded by any argument that killing innocent people is justified if other innocent people were killed in the past. Evil actions do not legitimize other evil actions. I condemn the murder of innocent people in ALL instances. –Ted Gioia
… this week there is little news time devoted to Donald Trump… i am sad about the cause of that… i would trade having to listen to Trump if it meant the attack hadn’t happened… but i can’t help noticing how good his absence feels…
Naomi Klein: “I’m Trying to Have a Little Compassion for Myself” | AnOther
[For example, the situation in Israel and Palestine] was an absolutely impossible way to try to make reparations for the Holocaust, right? I mean, this idea that after the near annihilation of the Jews in Europe, it’s any kind of solution to push Palestinians off their land … It’s a project that has been violent from the beginning, and it didn’t address the underlying causes of the genocide in Europe. It just displaced them.
The thought of Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House terrifies me.
“We Cannot Cross Until We Carry Each Other”
On the left, I hope we do not mistake the inevitability of the violence for an inescapable limit on our work or the quality of our thought. Even if our dreams for better have failed, they must accompany us through this moment to the other side.
I found this essay a very moving and balanced take on the Paletinian/Israeli tragedy unfolding.
What do you think about AI? #ai
In Confessions of a Viral AI Writer, Vauhini Vara writes about the experience of having an essay written with the assistance of AI go viral. She talks about her ambivalence about having sought assistance from AI to write an essay about the death of her sister at a young age. She tells us that she has decided not to use AI for anything more than research going forward.