I do try to be understanding of this shit, but I also just feel tired of it because it's like... never-ending. On top of the fact that I can't escape construction anywhere because it seems like the whole city is under construction everywhere I go.

And most of it isn't for, you know, a good reason! Like fixing infrastructure that is old and broken or making things accessible. It's for developers! And then most of it, if it's residential, gets snapped up by landlords (who use much of it for AirBnB).

@autonomousapps I have a lot of similar experiences. While I was doing an Environmental Management program, I had a lot of classmates who kept doing "we know better than everyone" attitude toward sustainability within varying communities (and many of my classmates were particularly hostile towards indigenous people).

And when I did my teaching program, listening to the ways in which so many people thought we should punish children (with people who wished corporal punishment was still allowed) was... It was a whole bizarre thing to someone who was like "I think we should talk with kids to help them understand the impact of their actions, and I think we should mediate between two kids who have more minor issues with each other and be there to help if they need us to guide their future interactions." And being told that kids simply can't do that made me... just confused (because I did it as a kid, the people around me were capable of it, and I saw kids doing it in the course of working with them).

All that to say, those memories also crop up for me as I watch people march toward fascism.

(Also, I'm with Irenes. It's not silly, even if it is idealistic. I also was silly when I entered my teaching program because I wanted to change it from the inside out, and I learned that was impossible. I just use that energy somewhere else now.)

@julieofthespirits I imagine it's much the narrative the allows enough of them to get sucked in (whether by choice or by being ill-informed) to narratives of how authoritarian countries are ~truly communist~ or are actually good because they provide a service that the US doesn't have free access to.

[Edit: Skimming replies, I'm remind that I want to kick people who think travelling outside their borders is a cure to any of this shit. People can live in one place forever, never travelling outside the borders they're told they belong to, and still be empathetic to the plights of people across the world. Meanwhile, I've met so many people who've done extensive travelling only to learn nothing and be so immersed in nothing but their own personal sphincters.]

@skinnylatte But it's for the ~health of the network~, so being an asshole is acceptable!

It really is just like... if you think someone, regardless of whether they're in a war zone or not (but especially if they are), hasn't done good enough alt text... Write it for them and tell them what it's for, you piece of shit. That's for the health of the network, not your weird gated community attitude.

Just because this keeps floating into my head (and also my timeline, meaning I should do some spring cleaning, I guess)... If you don't understand how things designed to control children can and will be used to control and abuse adults, I really need for you to stop and think about the ways in which abusive people try to control actions and access to information.

And it is not uncommon.

If you're scared of children running into material that is not appropriate for them, maybe fostering an environment where there is at least one whole trustworthy adult (preferably more, but at least one) who is open to discussing things is uh... more helpful.

You know, in the event they do meander into that thing you're afraid they'll see should you not be around.

But also so that you can discuss expectations, why you have those expectations (like actual reasons, not "because I said so"), and what to do if something they see is confusing to them or feels like it's not something they're comfortable seeing. Maybe being open about what you're worried they'll see and setting boundaries. And those boundaries should also be negotiated, especially if you're engaging with older children and teenagers.

I feel like a lot more things would be more meaningfully solved if people did this strange thing called communication and being available for it. Even if that availability takes place at a distance (voice notes and messages).