I don’t usually soap-box, but I’m going to for a hot sec since this has been on my mind:
Cults are getting better branding, prettier leaders, hipper-sounding cosmologies, and wider reaches due to social media. They’re not all deity-focused. Thoughtful, intelligent people can get sucked into them. Just…stay safe out there, guys. Do your research, look at all your options, and trust your gut, not your guru.
I’m glad this is resonating with people.
I do want to emphasize, again, that cults (and toxic groups with cult-like attributes, I’m using this term pretty loosely) don’t usually look like what you’d expect. A lot of toxic and dangerous religious movements are tiny and you won’t find much about them via Google. Cultish non-religious movements are the same way.
Start-ups, multi-level marketing companies, activist groups, fan groups, political groups, and internet gurus who run retreats can all be cult-like and dangerous. Tune your BS detector, ask family, friends, and experts for advice.
Here are some warning signs:
Pressure – pressure to make quick decisions, to give (or pledge) considerable amounts of money, to move in with a group, to abandon family or cut off friends. Elevated Leaders – anyone claiming special insight, special powers, or that they aren’t human. Demanding special treatment (compared to other followers). Misuse of funds or money collecting at the top. physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse. Lack of accountability or oversight. Isolation – encouraging (or requiring) members to cut off family relationships, friendships with those outside of the group, leaving jobs, moving to isolated areas, taking away communication methods. Strong “us-vs-them” mentality. Vilification of ex-members. Love-bombing. Altered states of consciousness – long work hours, sleep deprivation, lack of access to adequate food or water. Otherwise unproblematic activities like meditation/prayer/chanting, but done for hours. Discouraging doubt – discouraging or punishing doubt and critical thinking.
If these send up red flags for you or loved ones, here are some collected resources: one, two.
-a lot of people in the cult have been told “this isn’t a cult”, and they are used to it, so when they invite other people to functions they don’t even fully realize how deep it is
controversial opinion but u shouldnt have to pay for stuff that would kill u if u didnt have it??? like not to be that commie bitch but everyone should have access to clean water and food and health care cause without it people literally die. like. actual human lives!
Hey to the people who don’t think they should have to pay for basic services: let me tell you some truths. You already are. But right now you’re paying for the disasters that result from lack of access to basic services. And the worst part about it? Even if you don’t believe in giving out ‘handouts’? Even from the most heartless, purely pecuniary perspective?? We’re currently spending more money putting out the social fires caused by the lack of support services than it would cost to actually provide support services. So, like, even if you want to be a disgusting, selfish, heartless dickhead, it’s still in your best interest to feed the hungry, house the homeless, and give people access to healthcare before they get sick.
hospitals pass the expense of homeless people using the emergency room on to you. do you like the police? do you hate the police? crime goes up when people have to steal to eat, and that expense is passed on to you. then you factor in plagues, riots, revolts… even if you are flat-out the most selfish motherfucker in the world, social services are still a more efficient use of your money than everything yoy have to pay for when society breaks down.
no one wants to hear it but love is earned after the initial infatuation. commitment is something u both mutually agree to and then from there it’s work. it’s not work like it’s a chore it’s jus work like it takes effort. to get good at these things takes practice. it takes practice to learn to communicate better and it takes practice to learn to love each other in the ways u need to be loved.
I know I’m not photosensitive but it really pisses me off that epilepsy warnings aren’t REQUIRED, full stop. We require food allergens to be printed, but never in my life have I seen a company release an epilepsy warning. The only ones I’ve ever seen were in YouTube gaming videos from Jacksepticeye and Markiplier. Even UNIVERSAL Studios didn’t inform their guests which HHN houses included strobe effects. Hell, we weren’t told, either! Their own damn employees weren’t told which houses had strobe effects! A coworker had a seizure working the event because of it. I had a meltdown on Hollywood Blvd because of strobe effect. My parents had to practically carry me out of the park.
And now Disney, one of the biggest companies on the face of this earth, have released a highly anticipated movie that features intense strobe effect with no warning? That people have to be lucky enough to find a warning online? THAT YOUNG KIDS WITH PHOTOSENSITIVITY EPILEPSY ARE GOING TO SEE??
Why is this such an inconvenient thing for you all? Is spending an extra thirty seconds to announce or display an epilepsy warning really worth more to you than your guests and audience?
“Thank you for the quote, I’ll keep it in mind and get back to you sometime when I’m able to commission you!”
“That’s a little out of my budget for the time being, but thank you for your time. I’ll contact you again if/when I am able to pay!”
“I appreciate the quote, but i’ve decided to wait on the commission, thank you!”
“I understand your prices and that they are fair, but I am unable to afford this for the time being! Good luck on the rest of your commissions.”
What NOT to say when an artist quotes your commission higher than you expected:
“WAHHHHHHHHHHH”
“@-@ Holy crap that’s expensive!!”
“Could you maybe give me a tumblr follower discount? :3”
“Your prices are too high!!!!”
“Really?? Just for a sketch? I could draw it for half that!!”
Treat artists like human beings. We gotta eat too. Commissioning an artist is not different from any other contract work. You’re not going to ask your dentist for a discounted root canal or tell your contractor his cabinets are too expensive, don’t ask artists to change their prices because you perceive them as too high. More than likely, an artist taking commissions from the internet are drastically under charging themselves already. Please be respectful and understanding that art is a skill and not a favour.
See, in many modern animes, you’d probably get the protagonist to say something like, “Wha-WHAAAT? Uh, b-but we’re both girls! Shouldn’t you be giving this to a boy or something?”
I really like how Usagi handles it. She’s not undermining the girl’s feelings and she’s taking her seriously. And while she doesn’t reciprocate, she offers her friendship instead of just brushing the girl off and going “ew, gay weirdo!” Sailor Moon really did empower women and sexuality, and this is one of the many scenes that showcases that.
What this trite imagery misses out on is the fact that kintsukuroi requires a lot of work to repair a piece like that. It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort, a great deal of investment. Sometimes parts of the original are damaged beyond repair, and you have to instead painstakingly create entirely new ones.
It’s still not the same. Maybe it’s something more beautiful. But it’s not the fact that it broke that makes it beautiful. It’s the work put into it. It’s the fact that people made the effort to salvage it, because it was worth salvaging, because it was important enough to salvage. It’s the care that makes the beauty.
An apology can’t always fix what has been broken. That doesn’t mean it’s not irreparable, sometimes you can go on to rebuild and repair. But it won’t ever be the same as it was again.
I really appreciate this addition because I’ve always hated the “more beautiful for having been broken” thing. Being broken sucks and I hate all those tragic romantic sensitivities that try to make it what it’s not. These pieces are beautiful because they’re repaired with effort put in to making them shine.
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