Take It From Someone Who Has Done Progressive Activism In Real, Not-just-online Ways And Also Knows A

Take it from someone who has done progressive activism in real, not-just-online ways and also knows a ton of people for whom that's like, their job, and has also lived in red, purple and blue states (Texas, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts): activism is much, much harder to do in places where the law and the politicians are actively hostile to your politics. As such, it is not a replacement for voting. You have to vote. You shouldn't just vote, but you should vote and do the other things. This is why everyone who is actually serious about activism that actually does stuff is telling you to vote.

I get really frustrated by the argument on Tumblr of "voting is just one step, it's not the only thing you can do!" because I can never tell if that person is saying "your activist credentials aren't hurt by voting, you can still do all those other things!" - which is true! and good! and some people need to hear it! - or "it's just one of many types of activism that you can do, it's one option" - BAD. It is not. It is the foundational step. You can't really do all that other stuff, or can't do it as well and as effectively, if you don't have the infrastructure in place that you create by voting in the right people and voting out the wrong ones.

This is especially weird given that the Republican Party is increasingly flirting with the idea of violent retaliation against peaceful protesters - and that our history is replete with examples of that happening when they did it in places with hostile politicians, e.g. the civil rights movement in Southern states. Yeah, that imagery ultimately helped them, but it's not the 1960s anymore, we don't have three TV channels everyone watches, you can't guarantee that the people who most need to see it will, or without it being filtered through a bunch of bullshit demonizing the protesters. And a lot of people died or were otherwise hurt in the process, and their lives should matter to you. And a lot of how we ultimately defeated that was because the federal law forced Southern states to comply with all that. Because the people in the federal government making these decisions (like LBJ) were open to the cause of civil rights - which was one of the reasons that civil rights activists made voter registration so key to their efforts in 1964! It wasn't a thing that the activists in those states were able to force on racist, hostile politicians in places like Alabama without help from other people they voted for in the federal government.

There are lots of dedicated activists in Texas who want to help women there get abortions in every way they can; they still could only do so much once it was totally banned there, once Roe fell, and now their work is largely focused on helping Texas women travel out of state. The nationally-celebrated abortion clinic where I lived in Austin had to close and move to New Mexico after the Dobbs decision. Who is in power matters. The laws they pass matter. The way you do something about that? You fucking vote.

Likewise, a lot of this website and the broader left-wing Internet seems to acknowledge that trans rights are way worse in red states like Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, etc. than in blue states like on the West Coast or in New England/the Mid-Atlantic, or even in purple states with Dems in power (e.g. Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Pennsylvania). Same with reproductive rights. Okay, why do you think that is? Do you think the activists in Michigan or Massachusetts just care more than the ones in Montana? Or do you think it perhaps has something to do with who's passing laws? And why do you think this pattern holds so consistently in terms of whether that state is run by Democrats or Republicans??? In Michigan and Arizona in particular, they got where they are specifically because voters rejected extreme Republican policies en masse.

Voting comes before everything else. It is not just "one of many options." That's like saying that, say, showering is optional as long as you moisturize or something. Or brushing your teeth is optional. No, those are foundational things for cleanliness; the other stuff is on top of that. You need voting to make your activism work.

sorry gamers, tumblrinas own video games now

Have you played CURSEBORNE ?

By Onyx Path Publishing

Curseborne is a game about being unapologetic monsters in a world where being monstrous is the least of your worries. In Curseborne, you play as Accursed, descendants of monstrous lineages lurking in a modern world that closely resembles our own. You rebel against the ancient feuds between these entwined families, as well as against the web of curses that bind you, while fending off inhuman antagonists seeking to claim — or reclaim — your power.

The world of Curseborne is full of intrigue, magic, and things that go bump in the night. It’s just like our world, except the reason that things don’t go your way or that bad things happen is that the people are literally living in a world of curses. Some people are cursed more than others, and these are our Accursed characters. They have a particularly large curse that hangs over their heads and makes them more prone to bad things happening to them and around them. The nature of this curse also makes them magical in nature. They have a sense of the thing holding them back, and they can manipulate it in ways that normal people cannot.

Everyone is Cursed, The curse doesn't care if you're a CEO of a big corporation or a beggar on the street. It affects everyone with the same judicious hand. Everything is Connected, This isn't just a world full of random bad things happening to random people. It's a web of curses, and everything is connected. Curses weave an intricate tapestry over everyone. Family Drama, Some family is chosen, others you're born into, but all family has expectations for you. You have strands of obligations to each other, and sometimes fulfilling those obligations is harder than you want it to be. For good or for ill, your family is a big part of your life.

A new urban fantasy horror game by the same team behind Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition, Vampire: The Requiem, Changeling: The Lost Second Edition, Chicago By Night Fifth Edition and the other World of Darkness 20th Anniversary & Chronicles of Darkness games.

On Kickstarter

Fresh memes here, get 'em while they're hot

"Take this! Power of Lesbians!"