PatchesOnHand

This election was a rebuke of fascism, but the fight must not stop.

Labor's policy platform does not reject new coal mining propositions. Their housing crisis remedy is a joke. They have made no commitments to improving Medicare or the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. They have ignored the needs of people receiving the Disability Support Pension or NDIS supports.

We have to acknowledge that the fight for equality and equity is not over. Albo cosied up to Trump's dictatorship, citing historical alliances. He has not spoken out against the genocides currently ongoing in the world. He threw trans and other LGBTQ+ people under the bus.

Once the dust settles on this new government, we need to collect and reflect. Such a strong Labor majority was not the best result we could hope for. Progressive, socially-minded voices will be less influential in the House of Representatives.

Hey ABC, can we resurrect this amazing show, in honour of a certain someone's new job? 🍆☀️

Refugees sent to death camps
Citizens deported
Judges arrested

The genocide has begun. Any national leader who refuses to speak out against the desperate situation in the USA is a failure. International intervention is necessary. Human rights—and lives—are being terminated

If you're interested in taking shelter from the hatred that is fueling so much of the world, feel free to join me on Discord discord.gg/vvzqsZ2TYW

C. Creating and maintaining space where targeted minorities can find shelter, in meatspace or online
D. Speaking out against people even "on your own side" adopting propaganda tactics, instead of invoking justice and intellectual honesty
E. Surviving, to spite them

Any of these is enough.
2/2

What are you doing against the dominance of fascism?

A. Calling out bigotry, because of the pipeline of dehumanisation
B. Voting, advocating, protesting, and signing petitions that counter extremist and nationalist policies
C. Spreading and supporting education, especially in arts and science
1/2

I really wish people would stop deadnaming and misgendering Robert Galbraith. He chose his name for a reason, and it's rude and hypocritical of the Left to not respect his pronouns

Legislation, executive orders, and court rulings cannot invalidate the biological fact which is your individual sex, whether you are cis, trans, or intersex.

Trans women are women. Trans men are men. No one should care where other people poop, unless it's in drinking water or food.

YouTube video by Forrest Valkai Sex and Sensibility

You want to talk biological sex?

Because biology—the science, not just kindergarten-level anatomy—confirms that trans people are real, valid, and expected. Gender is a social construct; the human species has bimodal sexes. Both are spectra. No debate.

youtu.be/nVQplt7Chos Educate yourselves

Make your vote count. It's the only voice you have in deciding your government. Submit a valid, countable vote. Draw a dick on it too if you like; it will be ignored by Australian Electoral Commission employees counting the vote

In a democracy that has inevitably pushed itself to right-wing exteemism, make an informed decision in the ballot box, and number every box on the House of Representatives paper. Number at least six above the line in the Senate, or every box if you choose to

Every federal election in Australia I urge voters to learn about their candidates. Now, more than ever, I urge you to learn about the party platforms your candidates align with. See which ones are more bigoted or fascist. See which ones are more inclusive and socially-minded

Politics suffers the same problem. Conservative politicians increasingly align with extremist, ideologies, as that's what keeps them in the news, and gets them more money. Progressive opponents also push to win moderate and conservative voters, instead of sticking to socially-driven principles

Turns out those are hot social engagement topics. More clicks, more comments, more likes. And as they work their way closer to mainstream gestalt, they get amplified, as detractors are increasingly seen as "trouble-makers", while conspiracy theorists feel validated

These are all deliberate changes to media delivery algorithms. Big companies have seen the success of the more chaotic Tiktok system, and are replicating it, because it drives engagement and makes them more ad revenue

It's not unrelated to the rise of anti-science, bigotry, and fascism

Facebook showing less of friends' and groups' posts, more "you might like this thing from a page you've never interacted with before"

YouTube recommending "mixes" based on videos you watched 10 years ago, over new videos from your subscribed channels

Google pushing ads/Reddit before search results

YouTube video by PatchesOnHand A message for you: Keep On Keeping On

If you're overwhelmed by what's happening in the news, I made a video for you
youtu.be/TlRSiVrxURM

Join my refuge from the outside world over on Discord: discord.gg/vvzqsZ2TYW

PatchesOnHand

So I don't know what my BlueSky presence is going to look like. I never really used Twitter even before the Melon Husk.

But if you want to catch my livestreams, I'm over on YouTube youtube.com/@patcheshonh...