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I think we're all really scared right now. If you live in a high risk area, and if you can, make sure you have all your important documents where you can easily access them, get a passport, etc. Make preparations if you potentially have to get out.

especially when it comes to women having facial hair there are a surprising amount of "feminists" who are just offended by the proposition that some women don't see their facial hair as tragic. Their feelings do not matter because every woman with facial hair should just wish it didn't exist and "automatically" separate themselves from whatever insults they use. You literally do not have a feminist argument to stand on with this. It is still body shaming and it is still bad.

Mmm no, I hate takes like this. It comes from people who think they're so above it all and think of themselves as magnanimous heros coming to save us poor unfortunate souls from our dire fates. It's most common among self-righteous centrist liberals, but leftists are not immune to that thinking either.

Do all of my political positions come from a place of self-interest? Absolutely not, no. I will fight for someone who is not me any day and everyday. Fighting for someone because they are human and deserve basic human rights and dignity (and to not be hunted/targeted by the state of bigots) is what everyone should do.

But I'm a transgender bisexual Jewish woman with medical conditions that require consistent medical attention. I have a lot of causes that, well, affect me personally and deeply. Am I not allowed to care about trans rights or women's rights of antisemitism just because they affect me and I have self-interest in one outcome?

Fighting for universal healthcare because you think everyone should have quality healthcare even if it means you'll pay more is good. Fighting for universal and because you need qualify healthcare and can't afford it is also good. They're both fighting

I'm going to be honest, "Republicans are bad because they work in self-interest" OR "self-interest is bad because Republicans do it" are worse takes than, "I want my comfort show to keep making episodes, so I'll writers striking because they deserve proper compensation."

Deciding someone's support for a cause is actually bad because they're reason isn't "pure" enough is absolutely worse.

Happy Jewish American heritage month! Superhero fans- your favorite stories wouldn't exist without the hard work and persistence of Jewish creators. American Jews were the founders of the modern comic book industry and I really want to see a change in how fandom treats Jewish characters and fans. So take some time this month to listen to Jewish voices in (and out) of the communities you frequent.

“why does that character have to be queer?”

why not?

“why does that character have to be trans?”

why not?

“why does that character have to be a poc?”

why not?

Hi- er, this is my first-ever writer's strike, how does one not cross a picket line in this context? I know how not to do it with things like Amazon and IRL strikes, but how does it apply to media/streaming?

Hi, this is a great question, because it allows me to write about the difference between honoring a picket line and a boycott. (This is reminding me of the labor history podcast project that's lain fallow in my drafts folder for some time now...) In its simplest formulation, the difference between a picket line and a boycott is that a picket line targets an employer at the point of production (which involves us as workers), whereas a boycott targets an employer at the point of consumption (which involves us as consumers).

So in the case of the WGA strike, this means that at any company that is being struck by the WGA - I've seen Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery, NBC, Paramount, and Sony mentioned, but there may be more (check the WGA website and social media for a comprehensive list) - you do not cross a picket line, whether physical or virtual. This means you do not take a meeting with them, even if its a pre-existing project, you do not take phone calls or texts or emails or Slacks from their executives, you do not pitch them on a spec script you've written, and most of all you do not answer any job application.

Because if this strike is like any strike since the dawn of time, you will see the employers put out ads for short-term contracts that will be very lucrative, generally above union scale - because what they're paying for in addition to your labor is you breaking the picket and damaging the strike - to anyone willing to scab against their fellow workers. GIven that one of the main issues of the WGA are the proliferation of short-term "mini rooms" whereby employers are hiring teams of writers to work overtime for a very short period, to the point where they can only really do the basics (a series outline, some "broken stories," and some scripts) and then have the showrunner redo everything on their lonesome, while not paying writers long-term pay and benefits, I would imagine we're going to see a lot of scab contracts being offered for these mini rooms.

But for most of us, unless we're actively working as writers in Hollywood, most that isn't going to be particularly relevant to our day-to-day working lives. If you're not a professional or aspiring Hollywood writer, the important thing to remember honoring the picket line doesn't mean the same thing as a boycott. WGA West hasn't called on anyone to stop going to the movies or watching tv/steeaming or to cancel their streaming subscriptions or anything like that. If and when that happens, WGA will go to some lengths to publicize that ask - and you should absolutely honor it if you can - so there will be little in the way of ambiguity as to what's going on.

That being said, one of the things that has happened in the past in other strikes is that well-intentioned people get it into their heads to essentially declare wildcat (i.e, unofficial and unsanctioned) boycotts. This kind of stuff comes from a good place, someone wanting to do more to support the case and wanting to avoid morally contaminating themselves by associating with a struck company, but it can have negative effects on the workers and their unions. Wildcat boycotts can harm workers by reducing back-end pay and benefits they get from shows if that stuff is tied to the show's performance, and wildcat boycotts can hurt unions by damaging negotiations with employers that may or may not be going on.

The important thing to remember with all of this is that the strike is about them, not us. Part of being a good ally is remembering to let the workers' voices be heard first and prioritizing being a good listener and following their lead, rather than prioritizing our feelings.

You may think it cruel but when a white witch pisses me off I go through her etsy listings for native bird feathers and forward it to fish and wildlife services

Y'know, maybe I'm biased as a shark girl but. DAMN do people need to diversify their jokes about sharks. It's ALWAYS either "Haha shark smooth" or "Shark has two dicks? 😳"

It's all I ever see. My sanity demands people be a little more creative.