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Musings of an Ist

@greenchestnuts / greenchestnuts.tumblr.com

I'm Aydan. I primarily blog at http://greenchestnuts.blogspot.com/ about the environment, feminism, Christianity, and asexuality. My ask box is here.
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greenchestnuts
writingfromfactorx
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inevitablerecursion
Q: Do I have to kill the snake? A: University guidelines state that you have to “defeat” the snake. There are many ways to accomplish this. Lots of students choose to wrestle the snake. Some construct decoys and elaborate traps to confuse and then ensnare the snake. One student brought a flute and played a song to lull the snake to sleep. Then he threw the snake out a window. Q: Does everyone fight the same snake? A: No. You will fight one of the many snakes that are kept on campus by the facilities department. Q: Are the snakes big? A: We have lots of different snakes. The quality of your work determines which snake you will fight. The better your thesis is, the smaller the snake will be. Q: Does my thesis adviser pick the snake? A: No. Your adviser just tells the guy who picks the snakes how good your thesis was. Q: What does it mean if I get a small snake that is also very strong? A: Snake-picking is not an exact science. The size of the snake is the main factor. The snake may be very strong, or it may be very weak. It may be of Asian, African, or South American origin. It may constrict its victims and then swallow them whole, or it may use venom to blind and/or paralyze its prey. You shouldn’t read too much into these other characteristics. Although if you get a poisonous snake, it often means that there was a problem with the formatting of your bibliography. Q: When and where do I fight the snake? Does the school have some kind of pit or arena for snake fights? A: You fight the snake in the room you have reserved for your defense. The fight generally starts after you have finished answering questions about your thesis. However, the snake will be lurking in the room the whole time and it can strike at any point. If the snake attacks prematurely it’s obviously better to defeat it and get back to the rest of your defense as quickly as possible. Q: Would someone who wrote a bad thesis and defeated a large snake get the same grade as someone who wrote a good thesis and defeated a small snake? A: Yes. Q: So then couldn’t you just fight a snake in lieu of actually writing a thesis? A: Technically, yes. But in that case the snake would be very big. Very big, indeed. Q: Could the snake kill me? A: That almost never happens. But if you’re worried, just make sure that you write a good thesis. Q: Why do I have to do this? A: Snake fighting is one of the great traditions of higher education. It may seem somewhat antiquated and silly, like the robes we wear at graduation, but fighting a snake is an important part of the history and culture of every reputable university. Almost everyone with an advanced degree has gone through this process. Notable figures such as John Foster Dulles, Philip Roth, and Doris Kearns Goodwin (to name but a few) have all had to defeat at least one snake in single combat. Q: This whole snake thing is just a metaphor, right? A: I assure you, the snakes are very real.

"The Snake Fight Portion of Your Thesis Defense" by Luke Burns (via inevitablerecursion)

#can anyone who’s been to grad school confirm this?#poetry

I had to capture and immobilize a wildebeest, but I only have a Masters degree. The process is probably different for a doctorate.

(via anthean)

Fortunately I only had to capture a teeny little whiptail lizard for my preliminary exams, but my proposal defense is approaching alarmingly quickly and I am brushing up my capturing skills. :D 

(via writingfromfactorx)

Aaaaaaaagh.

#grad school
greenchestnuts
bessibel
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mahalshairyballs
In a study of children aged 2-5, parents interrupted their daughters more than their sons, and fathers were more likely to talk simultaneously with their children than mothers were. Jennifer Coates says: “It seems that fathers try to control conversation more than mothers… and both parents try to control conversation more with daughters than with sons. The implicit message to girls is that they are more interruptible and that their right to speak is less than that of boys.” Girls and boys’ differing understanding of when to talk, when to be quiet, what is polite and so on, has a visible impact on the dynamics of the classroom. Just as men dominate the floor in business meetings, academic conferences and so on, so little boys dominate in the classroom - and little girls let them.

X  (via albinwonderland)

Working with children for over a decade, this is something I’ve noticed, actually. And for the majority, the little girls in my class and my co-worker’s classes all sit quietly and listen MUCH better than the boys do. Most boys don’t care to be quiet and sit still. And I don’t think this is an attribute of boys being “rowdier” or more “hyper” - believe me, the girls are JUST as off the wall as the boys if you aren’t telling them not to. It must be a learned behavior, and it must be enforced more with the girls so they know they can’t get away with it. You have no idea how many times in my career I’ve heard “boys will be boys,” and smiling parents as they tell me with a laugh, sorry, their son is “wild” and a “handful” as they introduce him to the class.

(via voicelikehelvetica)

And that’s how you do sexism.  That’s how it’s so effectively trained into every single citizen and indoctrinated as normal and right.

(via waltzy)

greenchestnuts
enigma731

Jeremy Renner revealed that there are “rumblings” about Hawkeye having a supporting role in the next Captain America. YES, please and thank you.

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greenchestnuts

Why not a supporting role in the next Black Widow? Hint, hint, Kevin Feige.

greenchestnuts

Now all I can picture is attractive people in fedoras.

Aldis Hodge? In a fedora! Scarlett Johansson? In a fedora! Nicole Beharie? In a fedora! Jeremy Renner? Mark Ruffalo? In fedoras! Parker and Eliot? Fedoras! Sam Wilson? Fedora! Wendy Watson in a fedora! The Middleman in a fedora!

THIS HAS BACKFIRED IN A BIG WAY

greenchestnuts
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Green must diversify or die
grist.org
Roughly 50 environmentalists of various racial backgrounds — African American, Native American, Latina, and Caribbean — gathered at the National Press Club yesterday with a message for mainstream green institutions: If you are serious about diversity, then put your money where your mouth is or suffer the consequences later.
The newly launched Diverse Environmental Leaders National Speakers Bureau, or “DEL,” convened yesterday on the 98th birthday of the National Park Service to convey chiefly two things: That environmentalists of color are plentiful and available as employees and leaders, and that environmental groups and government agencies have no legitimate excuses for having predominantly white workforces.
#brentin mock#environmentalism#environmentalists#racism#diverse environmental leaders national speakers bureau
greenchestnuts
vaginismusandsexuality
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vaginismusandsexuality
"Corrective Therapy" for Asexuals from Medical Professionals
greenchestnuts.tumblr.com

If anyone has followed me or seen my posts you will know I have gone through some form of ‘corrective therapy’ for being a sex adverse asexual. My counselor told me to have sex until I like it and to have various medical tests to see what was…

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vaginismusandsexuality

I felt like I had to preface with that because someone would be like “yo the gay conversion therapy was like a million times worse shut up.” I really wish I didn’t have to say it, but we know the larger LBGTQIA community is still hostile towards asexuals.

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greenchestnuts

Yeah, I figured that was the motivation. And like I said, I don't want to pressure anyone into doing something that will get them harassed. I just wanted to point out that the pressure to include the disclaimer you did-- not the fact that you included it, or anything you did-- is messed up.

greenchestnuts
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For Weary Friends
austinchanning.com
I know you thought America couldn't disappoint you anymore. You've been followed in stores too many times. You've had to show your ID to prove who you are too many times. You've been stopped and frisked too many times. Told you look like a "suspect" too many times. You've received enough backwards compliments to fill every pocket you own. You've watched criminalization ravage your community for decades. You read too many "apologies" from actors, politicians, musicians, and friends. Since you were six, you've been navigating the space between "I am somebody" and "all men are created equal". And then came Ferguson.
How could we not be immune? Though we are not at all surprised and can claim no sense of shock, we still feel horrified- dishonored and disrespected as distorted images of ourselves unfold on screens. This is a disease America has refused to treat, and we feel the shivers run down our backs. Numbness overtakes us in between feelings of great sorrow, great anger, great frustration. We find ourselves trying to cry it out, shout it out, read it out, write it out, march it out, and yet it remains. Our feelings. Our emotions. Our desire to be fully human demands our emotions. Try as we might to divorce ourselves, to just not care… Our humanity refuses to let us go. Our feelings must be felt. Even when we wish we couldn't feel a thing.

Austin Channing Brown is an eloquent writer who talks about things that matter. I recommend reading her, especially if you read about church things. 

(P.S. Fellow white people. Please don't see the opening of this and think "Oh, Ms. Brown isn't talking to me." No, this post is not addressed to us. But it is about a problem we have caused, and we should not try to weasel out of facing and addressing that.)

#ferguson#austin channing brown
greenchestnuts
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Bi The Way: 7 Tips to be Inclusive of Bisexuals in Christianity (by Eliel Cruz)
rachelheldevans.com

tw biphobia

“Are you full blown gay yet?”
My friend, who I hadn’t seen in years, asked me this question no less than five minutes into our lunch date. I was looking forward to catching up, but the question was like a punch in the gut. No longer was I excited to see her.  During our transition from teen years to young adults, she apparently hadn’t changed her misconceptions on bisexuality. Like her misconceptions, my identity hadn’t changed either. 
Bisexuality is misunderstood by both the gay and straight community—and is even less understood in the Christian community where sexuality is often limited to binary straight/gay and male/female. 
#rachel held evans#christianity#christians#eliel cruz#bisexuality
greenchestnuts
writingfromfactorx
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vaginismusandsexuality

"Corrective Therapy" for Asexuals from Medical Professionals

If anyone has followed me or seen my posts you will know I have gone through some form of ‘corrective therapy’ for being a sex adverse asexual. My counselor told me to have sex until I like it and to have various medical tests to see what was wrong with me; my doctor prescribed me 3 different medications, two of which has been clinically proven to have no significant effect on ciswomen (Viagra and Cialis, the third was a testosterone supplement). I should not have to discuss the emotional turmoil it has put me through and what it has done to me.

Of course these forms of therapy is not as bad as corrective therapy for homosexuality, that is a whole other can of worms. Just because something is not as bad as another thing does not make it harmless and unworthy of discussion.

I am wondering if other asexuals have experienced actual ‘corrective therapy’ from their medical professionals strictly for being asexual. While these events are horrible and traumatizing, I think we need to discuss these things. We need to discuss ways to counter medical professionals who doubt asexuality exists/thinks it is a medical condition so no one in the future has to go through this.

I think first we need to discuss people who have had treatment recommended to them:

  • What treatment was suggested?
  • What was the medical professionals goals with the treatment?
  • Did they expect you to be cured or was it suggested as ongoing treatment?
  • How did the medical professional explain the treatment to you?
  • Did you mention asexuality to them? How did they respond?
  • Did they bring up asexuality to you? What was their explanation of asexuality?
  • After completing treatment and, surprise, still asexual how did the medical professional respond? Did they suggest further treatment or refer you elsewhere?
  • Were you seeing the medical professional for another related/unrelated issue when the issue of your orientation came up?
  • Were you coerced in any way by family/friends/others into seeing that medical professional who recommended ‘Corrective Therapy’?

 You can either reblog a response or submit one on my page - if you want to remain anonymous just say so. If I get any feedback I want to make a post with everyones responses and will simply leave out your name if you request. Don’t feel obligated to answer all the questions, just the ones that you feel effect you. 

Also if you have other questions you think are good to ask don’t be scared to send a quick note and I’ll add them.

Thanks in advance for any feedback. =)

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writingfromfactorx

This is a pretty important initiative, guys. Let’s pass it around?

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greenchestnuts

Boost.

And-- anyone is free to do whatever they need to do to avoid getting harassment. But… nobody talking about their own corrective therapy should feel required to play the self-effacing reverse oppression olympics that requires any discussion of asexual problems to be prefaced with "of course other groups have it worse."

greenchestnuts
shallanelprin
Depression is humiliating. It turns intelligent, kind people into zombies who can’t wash a dish or change their socks. It affects the ability to think clearly, to feel anything, to ascribe value to your children, your lifelong passions, your relative good fortune. It scoops out your normal healthy ability to cope with bad days and bad news, and replaces it with an unrecognizable sludge that finds no pleasure, no delight, no point in anything outside of bed. You alienate your friends because you can’t comport yourself socially, you risk your job because you can’t concentrate, you live in moderate squalor because you have no energy to stand up, let alone take out the garbage. You become pathetic and you know it. And you have no capacity to stop the downward plunge. You have no perspective, no emotional reserves, no faith that it will get better. So you feel guilty and ashamed of your inability to deal with life like a regular human, which exacerbates the depression and the isolation.Depression is humiliating.If you’ve never been depressed, thank your lucky stars and back off the folks who take a pill so they can make eye contact with the grocery store cashier. No one on earth would choose the nightmare of depression over an averagely turbulent normal life.It’s not an incapacity to cope with day to day living in the modern world. It’s an incapacity to function. At all. If you and your loved ones have been spared, every blessing to you. If depression has taken root in you or your loved ones, every blessing to you, too.Depression is humiliating.No one chooses it. No one deserves it. It runs in families, it ruins families. You cannot imagine what it takes to feign normalcy, to show up to work, to make a dentist appointment, to pay bills, to walk your dog, to return library books on time, to keep enough toilet paper on hand, when you are exerting most of your capacity on trying not to kill yourself. Depression is real. Just because you’ve never had it doesn’t make it imaginary. Compassion is also real. And a depressed person may cling desperately to it until they are out of the woods and they may remember your compassion for the rest of their lives as a force greater than their depression. Have a heart. Judge not lest ye be judged.

Pearl (via psych-facts)

This is seriously the most accurate description of depression. Wow.

(via fake-that-smile-babe)

But sometimes you do get up and you fake it. You feign normalcy. You manage. For a day or a week or a month or a year, you manage to pretend you’re doing okay. Sometimes you even convince yourself. No one can pretend forever, though. So when you fall, people are surprised. “You were doing so well!” they say. “You seemed like you were getting on just fine!” I don’t mean that it’s permanent, that people who suffer from depression but aren’t crippled by it are just waiting for the next episode, the next relapse. But depression IS humiliating. And sometimes you try to hide that you are from the world. That takes a toll, too. And it can’t last forever. But not all people who have depression are actually incapable of functioning. They probably shouldn’t be functioning. They probably aren’t doing it well. But it’s just as possible that someone you know is faking it every day and gets home and falls apart as it is that someone never left the house at all.

(via nebulia13)

I don't agree with all of the original post; I'm not sure how to express my feelings that depression doesn't make you pathetic, because I think I know what the author meant. But I think this post is something people should see.

#depression
greenchestnuts
sugarfey
kevin feige: believe me, i'd like for black panther and captain marvel to get movies, really i would
kevin feige: but what can i do
kevin feige: i'm just the marvel studios president of production