Nobody in my immediate life is affected in any way by abortion bans. We don’t have the equipment for pregnancy or it doesn’t work – not a functional uterus in sight. And yet somehow reading about the “kill the doctors and the patients” anti-abortion bill from Texas was the final straw for me being able to follow news. I just can’t handle it anymore. The most cogent response I have to that is bargling death threats.
“What can men do against such reckless hate?” asked King Theo in nerdwad movie. To the people capable of engaging with these fights, I say “Long live the fighters” (from different nerdwad movie). Good job, people. You’ll always have my votes and other support as possible. Right now, I can’t handle reading about that or anything else wrong with the world. It’s gotten too stressful again.
I don’t follow political tumblrs though I catch dribs and drabs of politics on there. On FtB there’s always a blog on top of the newest fuckshit, and as long as I have a sidebar of “Recent Articles on FtB” I’m going to compulsively read all of them until blood shoots out of my ears. I blocked that element in my browser, and I likewise I left the FtB discord for the same reason.
That also means I’m missing any non-stressful news or cheeky posts. If anyone sees anything fun elsewhere on FtB don’t link me to it, but give me the short version in the comments here, if you’ve got a moment. I don’t want to look directly at the articles and see the titles of the “Previous” and “Next” ones. And thanks.
As for my own posts, I’ll continue the little random things I’ve been doing, though without news input, it will be less topical. Also less despairing and angry! So that’s something to look forward to.
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Great American Satan says
If I’m ever far enough above the cost of living to do this, I may tithe 10% of my income to Planned Parenthood. Time to get rich and famous lol.
billseymour says
I don’t get any RSS feeds, so I don’t have it shoved down my throat. There are a couple of handfuls of FtBlogs that I check out regularly (including yours); and I look at Mano Singham, Oceanoxia and Pharyngula at least daily. I usually read the authors’ original posts, but I quit reading the comments once they hit 20 or so, or when known trolls show up.
Pierce R. Butler says
Try Digby’s “Friday Night Soother.
Jazzlet says
I stop with the news when I’m fragile, it’s necessary to protect myself from depression,other times I” just read the headlines, and if I’m really good I will read articles, but not all of them, it just gets too much.
Great American Satan says
bill – it was pharyngula what got to me. and as i explained, i have a compulsion here to contend with. i see the content is there and i want to read it.
pierce – the soother still has the “previous” and “next” problem i mentioned, but thanks for the suggestion.
jazzlet – no more headlines for me at the moment, heh.
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beholder says
With FTB and most other blog/news sites, I can switch to reader view and it takes away the sidebar, the comments, “Previous”, “Next”, etc.; everything except for the main post.
The Firefox key combo is Ctrl+Alt+R — most likely other modern browsers have the same functionality, but I haven’t tried those.
Great American Satan says
Thx for the info, beholder.
Marcus Ranum says
I feel trapped, too. Not that that’s any consolation.
Great American Satan says
camaraderie in Tha Pitt, sure. since you are especially plugged into the military side of current events and their connection to history, i can see how that would be worse than my own intentionally blinkered perspective.