Hi folks! I reckon most of you who might look at this post at least have seen my handle around, probably complaining bitterly at someone who is being a dicknostril, especially about trans issues. The plan here is to show off mostly the not so angry sides of my personality – which I would like to think is most of it, but hey, who knows.
I’m grateful to the existing Beloved Ruling Class here on FtB for accepting my application. I’ve been here for a long time – I’ve read Natalie Reed, Zinnia Jones, Crommunist, and Ed Brayton here; I’ve seen the dark moments when a bloggers were expelled for racism or plagiarism; I was here for Ophelia Benson’s grand final flounce and the sad passing of Caine – and have a lot of respect for the bloggers here. I’m honored they’re willing to take a chance on including me among them.
I will of course comment from time to time on current affairs. This may be a little difficult, since most of FtB is American and I am Canadian, which means I am slightly insulated from happenings south of the 49th and sometimes it is hard to have an opinion of them other than INTERMINABLE SHRIEKING… but I’ll try! Right now the deepest thought I have in that direction was what I posted on Twitter:
You know, if I were writing about a milquetoast centrist politician running to be the first gay President, I would consider the name ‘Pete Buttigieg’ to be WAY too on-the-nose.
There is a touch of the Cuttle about me too, so I will leave you with this limerick (complaining about transphobes, ’cause I still gotta be me):
Some ‘feminists’ (only in name)
Who love to fan trans hatred’s flame
Get all of their cash
From men who are fash
Which proves that they’re all just the same.
Hello, it’s nice to see a Canadian blogging here again! It’ll be nice to be able to talk about non-Hamberdler politics, like how Trudeau is trash but Scheer is worse.
While Trudeau has his weak points, I think the majority of Americans who know who he is are glad he at least showed leadership in mocking Trump at that NATO party.
As for Buttigieg, it is ironic how corporate he is, when contrasted with the writings of progressive thought that his late father famously translated.
Glad to see you with a blog of your own!
Wonderful! I’m glad you have a blog now, I look forward to reading it!
Thanks for the welcome, folks!
@2 Bruce
Trudeau reminds me of Buttigieg more than a little. They’re both pretty neo-liberal white men, with the sort of ‘progressive’ platform that largely blocks real progress in favor of the status quo but with a mild inclination to improve civil rights. They don’t change much, at least they usually don’t ruin anything either.
I don’t care for Trudeau, not least because his main political cachet came from being Pierre’s son and I find the notion of political dynasties in (theoretically) democratic countries repugnant. I find I wind up defending him a lot, though, because the Canadian flavor of MAGAt like to tell warped stories about him that are not in touch with reality, and sometimes even the leftists lose perspective to the point of not being able to differentiate between him and Scheer and Bernier, which is just… nonsensical.
It’s exhausting dealing with people with a warped worldview; how do you even get through that they’re living in a myth?
Welcome aboard.
Welcome.
It’s good to have another Canadian around the place.
I’m super glad you’ve got a blog here now. I’ve been spotting you in the comment sections here for years, and always appreciated your contributions.
Tabby Lavalamp @1:
Heyheyhey, just because I don’t watch hockey, drink beer, or eat… bacon…
Am I LousyCanuck‘s ghost?! :O
@1 Tabby Lavalamp
Thank you! But, there’s voyager at Affinity (which is fascinatingly international, now I come to think of it – HOW many countries are represented by the collective there), and… Isn’t Crip Dyke Canadian? I might be utterly brainfarting on that but for some reason I have a bit set that says she’s in Ontario?
@6, @7
Thank you!
@8
Thank you as well. Also I didn’t know you were Canadian. I used to follow you at… the independent blog you used to share with MA Melby, the name of which has slipped my mind at the moment.
Come to think of it, I followed her on Twitter ages ago but haven’t seen anything in a long time, is she okay?
Didn’t get in with the first round, but let me add my belated gift basket of electrons. I’m glad to have you here and blogging.
abbeycadabra @9:
Alas, even when I was a co-blogger at Sinmantyx we never talked much. Back when I was on Facebook, I’d see posts from her in my feed talking about her busy career. I think she’s just been side-tracked by real life, but it’s been at least a year since I had an update, so circumstances could easily have changed.
Hey!
I’m late to the party and all that, but just realized you now have an official blog.
Congrats!
I’m more of a lurker/passive, but looking forward to see what you post outside of the comment threads.
@ ^ lochaber : Not as late as me FWIW. Just found out about this too.
***
Glad to see you have a blog now & have liked and found interesting a lot of of your comments on other blogs too, abbeycadabra. Looking forward to reading and when itcomes to your artwork, seeing more. 🙂
Also like your rhyme at the end – spot on.
FWIW, there’s quite likely already been a gay or at least bisexual and non-heteronormative POTUS or two or three .. James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln and even JFK have been suggested – see among other places:
https://www.cheatsheet.com/culture/presidents-who-might-have-been-gay-or-bisexual.html/
Esp. given the secrecy common in the past when it came to people’s sexualities. Buttigieg himself has apparebntly said this too. Not sure if that helps or hinders.
Welcome, abbeycadabra!
I valued your comments on my blog and look forward to reading your posts!
Hi abbeycadabra! Somehow I missed seeing via Twitter that you’d been added onto the roster at FtB, so I’m glad PZ posted about the new bloggers – and looking forward to reading more from you!
Question and suggestion here – Have you considered doing an open thread like on Affinity and fromerly Pharyngula’ tnderdome /Lunge /TZT etc?
Admitted self-interest here, I’d really like that, please.
@17 StevoR
I hadn’t, simply because I thought that purpose was well filled elsewhere by your examples. I’m not against the idea though, can you (or anyone else who is interested) elaborate a little on why that might be useful? I figured I didn’t have enoughof a readership to make that sort of thing worthwile, but it DOES appear to have expanded more rapidly than I would have predicted…
Congrats – well deserved! 🙂
As for expanding on the open thread, well, I think it’s a good place for discussion and sharing links and knowledge and information between commenters and bloggers. I suggest looking at those threads like this one :
https://proxy.freethought.online/affinity/2019/12/12/tnet-36-narwhal-the-puppy/
and then seeing and deciding whether you think that sort of thread would work here too.
Apologies for my typos in #17 too – meant ‘Thunderdome’ and ‘Lounge’ of course. Afraid I suck at typing at the best of times and especially when tired or in a rush.