andros_rex

You don’t even have to be in a stable situation to be a Big Brother/Sister at your local Boys and Girls club or a court advocate/CASA for a child. Volunteer at a school district. Children recognize how fucked everything is, and on the whole they are suffering. We need kind and loving adults to show up for them - to teach them art and read them stories to show them the parts of living that can hopefully make it worth it.

Talked to a social worker - kids in DHS care sleep in homeless shelters, hospitals, DHS offices. Teen group homes are inherently damaging to them; I’ve never seen a good one.

Foster teens. Short term commitment. They will have severe trauma and can be hard to deal with, but you would be amazed at how they respond if you can genuinely provide love. Love and Logic is fucking magic.

If you can’t foster, you can be a child advocate. Many states have CASA programs. Visit the kid once a month, let them know someone cares, and tell the court what you think is best for them. Even just something like a phone call “hey, kid left something behind at the group home - any way we could get that moved?”

Or even just someone to protect them from the group home. A dozen seriously traumatized kids, with staff paid less than $15/hr on a week of training. A place that provides opportunities for people to be around children, who are already isolated and have limited access to supportive adults… and financial incentives to cover anything up.

I don’t think there’s much hope for the future, but we can focus on the now and helping the children who are already here.

I’m a stealth trans man and use a stall. No one gives a shit. I’ve had “I have a medical condition and need a stall” prepped for years, but never has anyone even gave me a passing glance. It’s annoying to wait when I’m about to piss myself and someone is camping in the lone stall, but the only real rule of the men’s bathroom is “don’t acknowledge anyone’s presence.”

The problem is, you aren’t correct.

Have you read a sutra? Can you distinguish Chan Buddhism from Zen Buddhism? Can you identify any of the Buddhist hells?

I’d recommend some of my books from grad school, but this video is a good short overview of the topic.

Budai/Hotai is worshipped though. He’s not treated as an “icon to contemplate” - in some traditions he’s even considered a messianic figure (the Maitreya Buddha) himself. That’s why there are statues and shrines.

You are reading a lot of western understandings of religion into practices that are not western. The Alan Watts style of Buddhism is not the style of Buddhism that is practiced by the majority of Buddhists.

The picture is not of the Buddha. That’s a picture of Budai, who was a Buddhist monk and has a variety of religious traditions and worship associated with him. Fat Buddha =|= the Buddha.

Some varieties of Buddhism are nontheistic, but not all varieties. There’s the “little wheel” versus the “big wheel.” Some varieties of Buddhism have hundreds of gods.

Edit:

I do see someone that looks like “the Buddha” in the background - that is, Siddhartha Gautama.

But the idea that Buddhism is some rational atheist philosophy is very much a western gloss. Friend did a study abroad in Myanmar - the Buddha is so revered that having tattoos/casual iconography is sacrilegious and dangerous. A very popular form of Buddhism is “Pure Land” Buddhism, where the goal is to not necessarily reach nirvana, but to be good enough to get to chill in a nice place with the gods in your next life. Buddhist traditions tend to recognize their gods as trapped in samsara just as much as we are, but again, lay practice is going to treat various Buddhas as Demi-gods.

What do you think happens to AFABs who are “re-educated?” Lesbians and trans men have experienced correct rape for centuries. There’s an entire porn subreddit dedicated to “dyke breaking.”

I was raped last night. I can’t even think. It’s really clear that the world doesn’t want people like me to exist. Apparently they’re sending text messages to LGBT people about reeducation camps now, like they were sending messages about slavery to black folks a week ago.

It’s very odd how little Harding and Coolidge’s corruption immediately leading up the the Great Depression is almost never discussed at all.

You also aren’t entitled to a platform. A website not letting you post something isn’t about “freedom of speech.”

Honestly, give me a stable 9-5 office job with a living wage and I’d be happy. “The grind” doesn’t sound so bad if I can have the money for a bed and food.