Latest Posts by ace-with-anxiety - Page 5
Holy fuck isn’t this basically what Brave New World was about?? Making different social classes based on intelligence??
Appalachian History Lesson - The Eugenics Movement
“Idiots shouldn’t be allowed to breed.”
How many times have you heard that? Or maybe even said it? It’s a common statement upon encountering someone that embodies an ideology that we don’t agree with, or someone whose life choices are less than admirable. But did you know that in our own American history, we liked that idea so much that we actually tried to make it happen? It’s true. It happened under the Eugenics Movement, the brainchild of Francis Galton (cousin to Charles Darwin who took his cousin’s discoveries and spiraled a bit out of control). If you’ve never heard of this movement (and the great likelihood is that you haven’t, since we tend to like to keep it hush hush), it would do you a great deal of good to research it.
In Appalachia, this movement was detrimental. The basic idea was that, since genes are inherited from parent to child, traits could also be inherited. In that case, humans could be bred for certain traits. We could encourage those with positive traits (intelligence, primarily) to breed with like, thus creating a super race of humans. This was called positive Eugenics. The other side of this was that we could prevent people with negative traits from breeding at all, and thus exterminate “undesirables.” This was negative Eugenics.
The masses were breeding at high rates, and with poverty gripping a great percentage of the population, more and more children were likely to fall to the same fates as their parents. Poverty was a “trait” that could be “inherited,” which only made sense considering poor parents begat poor children. Poverty came with overpopulation. Some of the family studies completed by eugenicists reported an average of 4.2 children per mother in certain Appalachian areas. After the immigrant boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the eugenicists were ready to take necessary measures. The first target was the population with mental deficiencies – those unfortunate enough to be deemed “feebleminded” - the paupers, criminals, mentally insane, homosexuals, promiscuous women, and the mentally retarded. The method? Sterilization. This became well known and popular after the Virginia (and Supreme Court) case Buck v Bell (1927), in which it was determined that because Carrie Buck was “feeble-minded” due to her lack of education and her mother’s feeble-mindedness, she should be sterilized. Carrie had been raped and had a child of this rape that, though only an infant, was determined feeble-minded by appearance. Thus Carrie was sterilized against her will, unable to ever have children again.
This law legitimized use of sterilization when a person was deemed a “genetic threat.” As you may believe, due to the lack of education and material wealth in Appalachia, we were a target. Appalachians were viewed as “poor white trash” and the “tainted white” and were discriminated against heavily throughout the rest of America (these ideas remain with those who group all Appalachians into the categories of hillbilly, redneck, or even white trash). Women were often sterilized against their will in hopes that the Appalachian population would die off without being able to reproduce, and could then be replaced by a more civilized and intelligent group of Americans.
The movement finally started to die when none other than Adolf Hitler grasped the idea and started using it to exterminate the Jews. I believe that was America’s wake up call, and by the 60s most of the sterilization laws were completely revoked. Hitler’s use of Eugenic policies has made America ashamed of its trying to eliminate its poor and uneducated, and trying to eliminate Appalachia. Yet here we remain — as strong and stoic as the mountains that protect us.
PHOTOS OF HISTORICAL ICONIC FIGURES LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE
Elvis Presley- his interest in music started early
Angelina Jolie as a little girl with her mother
Charlie Chaplin without the iconic hat sitting with a dog
Arnold Schwarzenegger flexing for some elderly ladies.
Just a worker in a Van Nuys, California, factory in 1944 who will soon start to call herself Marilyn Monroe
Robin Williams hilariously dressed up as a cheerleader
Ernest Hemingway’s passport photo
Katherine Hepburn sitting in a bathtub after the great storm of 1938
Albert Einstein in fuzzy slippers. He’s awesome
Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris
Behind the scenes of a photo shoot with Marilyn Monroe working out in a terry cloth bikini
Brigitte Bardot and Pablo Picasso
Charlie Chaplin without make up
A 19 year old Cher
Frank Sinatra getting Lou Gerhig’s autograph
Al Pacino and Diane Keaton on the set of The Godfather
In 1252 the king of England was given a polar bear from Haakon IV of Norway. The polar bear lived in the Tower of London but didn’t like to be kept in such a confined area so he would have a rope tied to him and be allowed to swim and catch fish in the Thames.
my parents didn’t raise me to order something expensive when someone else is paying
Why "doing something relaxing” does not help your anxiety
A lot of the time when people give advice intended to relieve anxiety, they suggest doing “relaxing” things like drawing, painting, knitting, taking a bubble bath, coloring in one of those zen coloring books, or watching glitter settle to the bottom of a jar.
This advice is always well-intentioned, and I’m not here to diss people who either give it or who benefit from it. But it has never, ever done shit for me, and this is because it goes about resolving anxiety in the completely wrong way.
THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO when suffering from anxiety is to do a “relaxing” thing that just enables your mind to dwell and obsess more on the thing that’s bothering you. You need to ESCAPE from the dwelling and the obsession in order to experience relief.
You can drive to a quiet farm, drive to the beach, drive to a park, or anywhere else, but as someone who has tried it all many, many times, trust me–it’s a waste of gas. You will just end up still sad and stressed, only with sand on your butt. You can’t physically escape your sadness. Your sadness is inside of you. To escape, you need to give your brain something to play with for a while until you can approach the issue with a healthier frame of mind.
People who have anxiety do not need more time to contemplate, because we will use it to contemplate how much we suck.
In fact, you could say that’s what anxiety is–hyper-contemplating. When we let our minds run free, they run straight into the thorn bushes. Our minds are already running, and they need to be controlled. They need to be given something to do, or they’ll destroy everything, just like an overactive husky dog ripping up all the furniture.
Therefore, I present to you:
THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO WHEN ANXIOUS
–Go on a walk
–Watch a sunset, watch fish in an aquarium, watch glitter, etc.
–Go anywhere where the main activity is sitting and watching
–Draw, color, do anything that occupies the hands and not the mind
–Do yoga, jog, go fishing, or anything that lets you mentally drift
–Do literally ANYTHING that gives you great amounts of mental space to obsess and dwell on things.
THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHEN ANXIOUS:
–Do a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, or any other mind teaser game. Crosswords are the best.
–Write something. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. Write the Top 10 Best Restaurants in My City. Rank celebrities according to Best Smile. Write some dumb Legolas fanfiction and rip it up when you’re done. It’s not for publication, it’s a relief exercise that only you will see.
–Read something, watch TV, or watch a movie–as long as it’s engrossing. Don’t watch anything which you can run as background noise (like, off the top of my head, Say Yes to The Dress.) As weird as it seems, American Horror Story actually helps me a lot, because it sucks me in.
–Masturbate. Yes, I’m serious. Your mind has to concentrate on the mini-movie it’s running. It can’t run Sexy Titillating Things and All The Things That are Bothering Me at the same time. (…I hope. If it can, then…ignore this one.)
–Do math problems—literally, google “algebra problems worksheet” and solve them. If you haven’t done math since 7th grade this will really help you. I don’t mean with math, I mean with the anxiety.
–Play a game or a sport with someone that requires great mental concentration. Working with 5 people to get a ball over a net is a challenge which will require your brain to turn off the Sadness Channel.
–Play a video game, as long as it’s not something like candy crush or Tetris that’s mindless.
THINGS YOU SHOULD DO DURING PANIC ATTACKS ESPECIALLY:
–List the capitals of all the U.S. states
–List the capitals of all the European countries
–List all the shapes you can see. Or all the colors.
–List all the blonde celebrities you can think of.
–Pull up a random block of text and count all the As in it, or Es or whatever.
Now obviously, I am not a doctor. I am just an anxious person who has tried almost everything to help myself. I’ve finally realized that the stuff people recommend never works because this is a disorder that thrives on free time and free mental space. When I do the stuff I listed above, I can breathe again. And I hope it helps someone here too.
(Now this shouldn’t have to be said but if the “do nots” work for you then by all means do them. They’ve just never worked for me.)
The worst trick a childhood anxiety disorder pulls is, you spend your early years being applauded for being so much more mature than your peers, because you aren’t disruptive, you don’t want any kind of attention, you don’t express yourself, you keep yourself to yourself - this makes you a pleasure to have in class, etc etc - and you start to believe it’s virtue. But you’re actually way behind your peers in normal social development, and who knows if you can ever catch up.
When I was in high school, I was in the GSA club and I was taught that the A in LGBTQIA was for ally. So I was like “I guess I must be an ally” because I was drawn to the community but didn’t relate to any of the other identities. I have crushes on boys all the time but I finally realized my crushes are a bit different than most people’s. I’m like “aw, wow he’s so cute , I just want to make him smile because his smile is aesthetically pleasing and hang out with him, and maybe we could hold hands.” I never knew people actually really had sexual thoughts about other people. I heard it in songs and all sorts of media but assumed it was all exaggerations. I somehow stumbled across the term asexual and was super confused because I never thought about sexual attraction. Like, what is that?? Apparently a thing most people feel, so as I continued reading on about the ace spectrum, I was astonished there was a word for how I felt. It took me a while to use the label for myself because I never heard of the term before and I didn’t want people to think I was making it up for attention. I knew I didn’t like girls the way I liked boys, so I thought I must be straight. I tried some sexual stuff and I was semi grossed out , semi bored. That’s when I started putting everything together and I was like “there’s no way I’m not ace.”
THIS IS WHY THIS WEEK IS SO IMPORTANT. If I was aware asexuality was a real and valid sexual orientation, I wouldn’t have had to try and be heterosexual. If other people were aware of asexuality, they wouldn’t have to invalidate me when I come out to them by saying things like “You’re not a plant”, “You haven’t met the right person yet,” “You’re still so young,” etc. If I haven’t met the right person yet, that probably makes me demi sexual , first of all, because I’m 19 and have never felt sexual attraction. Second of all, isn’t it funny that you’re never too young to identify as straight?? Anyways, I no longer consider myself straight because I’m aware of my differences and I’m aware that there’s nothing wrong with that.
an incomplete list of unsettling short stories I read in textbooks
the scarlet ibis
marigolds
the diamond necklace
the monkey’s paw
the open boat
the lady and the tiger
the minister’s black veil
an occurrence at owl creek bridge
a rose for emily
(I found that one by googling “short story corpse in the house,” first result)
the cask of amontillado
the yellow wallpaper
the most dangerous game
a good man is hard to find
some are well-known, some obscure, some I enjoy as an adult, all made me uncomfortable between the ages of 11-15
add your own weird shit, I wanna be literary and disturbed
Why is no one mentioning Ryan Reynolds told us A FUCKING YEAR AGO he’d go for Cablepool with all he’s got??
Anti anxiety.
Alright friends, if you want a Facebook page with cute aro, ace, and enby positivity (and seems to be inclusionists only!) This is the page for you.
I stumbled upon it and it’s filled with cute puns, pictures, and positivity (they also share Tumblr posts and art they like)
I say we should support them!
Olympus has changed.
The balance of power has shifted.
Zeus still reigns as king, yes, but now no more than a figurehead.
Gone are the days of mortals quaking in fear at every thunderstorm, every drought, every flood. They have grown beyond that, evolved. They have figured ways around his wrath; levees, crops that grow in the desert, iron and steel and cables.
Zeus is no more than a figurehead on Olympus.
Gone are the days of his council, of Demeter and Poseidon and Hera.
The crops are managed by the mortals now, the seas pose little threat when they can see Poseidon’s wrath coming, plot course around it, or dive below the waves. Hera’s base is crumbling- what she protected, her narrow idea of marriage, is changing and broadening to include so much more. Aphrodite is inching in on her power, love taking place where obligation once stood.
Instead, Olympus is ruled by a parliament.
In a world that runs on fossil fuels and crude oils mined from beneath the earth, Hades’ power grows. His kingdom expands with every life lost in pursuit of his materials. The mortals are learning, their eyes are opening at the futility of this effort. They are beginning to turn to other methods- to Apollo and Zephyros and Persephone, but there will always be death. Hades wins either way.
The machines that guzzle the fuel? They belong to Hephaestus. The machines that take lives? They are his realm as well. Anything with a gear, and engine, a circuit board, or a blade belongs to the God of Fire. His crooked throne grows ever higher.
The old ways of thinking are dying. Those in power who have wielded it over the oppressed are falling from their perches, called to justice by the women they wronged. Peoples of all genders are coming out of the woodwork, less and less afraid to be who they are everyday. The social norms that separate the mortals based on a binary are crumbling. Athena waits, and smiles. Her time has come once more.
But above all, one God’s power has risen exponentially. Roads cross-cross the world like the scars on a whipped man’s back. Currency flows like water, more and more essential by the day. Hephaestus’ machines and Hades’ fuels only further his power. Places of commerce spring up like weeds among enclaves of mortals- they will travel miles to go to one market and miles to another with nary a thought. The internet connects them all- relating messages, parcels, commerce, gambling… all his realm.
Zeus may be king of Olympus, but Hermes holds the power.
The establishment of heaven has fallen. The Patriarch is powerless.
The Outcast, the Disabled, the Feminist, and the Clever Criminal have risen up and seized the throne, if not in name, then in deed.
It won’t be long before the mortals do the same.
We don’t even need a disney remake of Mulan. Look at this.
I would totally watch more Disney reboots if children from the actual ethnicities were cast in those movies.
INFJ in a Nutshell #12
“That’s a thing?”
Chill or ticked: there is no in-between
“Lets go around the room and introduce ourselves!” *internal screaming *
Probably has a drawer full of interesting knick-knacks
Sometimes picture-shy
*phone rings * “My clock is making weird noises again…”
Knows a lot, can’t put their knowledge into words very well
Knows more people in books than in real life
“I’ve lost all faith in humanity.”
I'd probably think I was a bitch lol
I still can’t get over Link in trousers omg I’m sure Ghiri thinks the same ohoho
Ganondorf probably doesn’t appreciate Ghirahim’s lack of eyebrows
this was stupid and fun to draw omfg
INFJ- 100
I took a test on like where you are on the ‘nonverbal intimacy scale’ and the average female score is 102 and male is 93.8 and I got 56 lolololol
here it is if ya want (reblog/reply w/ what you get!!)
Hey :D can you do the crush thing on INFJ please?
Generally speaking, INFJs do not handle crushes very gracefully. The combination of Ni-Fe-Ti will often make them overthink things and inferior Se makes them blind to the realities of the situation. Mature INFJs who are more in touch with Fe/Se will trust their intuitions and, as a result, be more bold to pursue crushes even if they feel some anxiety about the outcome; they will feel confident in their own ability to deal with whatever happens. Less mature INFJs who are more aligned with Ni/Ti would probably have low self-esteem and a much stronger fear of getting hurt/rejected. They could get stuck endlessly analyzing or obsessing about the “truth” of the situation, never reaching any conclusion because there are simply too many unknowns. This can leave them paralyzed and torn between the fear of missing out and the lack of confidence to take action. They might unconsciously fill the void of knowledge by idealizing the crush, only to end up incredibly disappointed when the person/situation does not match their expectations. INFJs value privacy and can tend towards secrecy because Ni has a natural inclination towards self-protection and managing consequences. Compared to other inexpressive/introverted types, INFJs generally possess a greater capacity for masking emotional turmoil, so their “poker face” is often impenetrable; Fe prevents them from disturbing the status quo and they can utilize Ti to harden or detach themselves. This makes it easy for them to hide their true feelings and suffer alone in silence. As a result, it is not unusual for INFJs to miss the opportunity to start a new relationship because, by the time they feel prepared enough to take action, the other person is already beyond reach.
From the other person’s perspective: Mature INFJs will send out more obvious signals, but less mature ones can be extremely subtle because they need to proceed as slowly as possible in order to manage any anxiety. They will find opportunities to be near you or chat with you. The more anxious ones will investigate you from a distance or through mutual friends. They will want to know all about you, your family, your past, your future goals, your inner most thoughts, etc. They will try and take advantage of every chance to know you more deeply without being too obvious. However, it is important to note that people often feel drawn to INFJs because they are generally helpful people and very good listeners who can carry on quite lengthy conversations without ever sharing anything about themselves. Thus, it would be important to make sure that their interest in you is for personal reasons and not motivated by a selfless desire to help you out with some problem/issue. Generally speaking, INFJs are not so outgoing as to want to know everything about everyone, so if they take a keen interest in you for reasons that are not entirely obvious, it is usually a good sign. Mature INFJs generally appreciate honesty and the courage to be vulnerable, so you should probably just be direct with them if you are unsure about how they feel. No matter how they feel, they will likely discuss and process all your feelings with you until both parties feel a sense of closure. However, less mature INFJs can be defensive, oversensitive, and easily overwhelmed, so proceed with caution where they are concerned because there is a possibility that you could get door-slammed. It is probably a good idea to form a close friendship with an INFJ (by getting to know them better) before pursuing anything romantic because many of them take a serious and long term view of relationships. They want a lasting and deep connection which requires some time to build up trust and understanding, so it is usually not a good idea to try and push or rush an INFJ into anything.
INFJs and Relationships
INFJs: Some of the most interesting people, but few know this IRL because we are rarely given a chance to shine.
While we do have feelings for you, we experience great difficulty expressing it.
Subtlety is a double-edged sword. We’re usually too subtle, but when we get the amount of subtlety just right, you’d better watch out.
Yes, us INFJ guys do want to kick the living crap out of that jock that hit on you as if you were in the business of negotiable affection. But do we? No, because we’re afraid of making a scene and potentially coming off weird to you if you don’t know us yet.
We look for depth. Diving into a shallow pool never ends well, does it?
A little reciprocation would be lovely. We’re already hard on ourselves and we need to be reminded that we’re good enough. Maybe a few random acts of kindness?
Maybe we should actually introduce ourselves to you.
Lots of daydreams.
If we get a picture together, you bet we’ll look at it every day when we feel sad to help cheer us up.
“Umm… This may sound strange, but I like you.” debates adding “a lot” to the end of the sentence, but waits too long trying to figure out if that’d sound TOO weird / oh god i’m gonna die someone please help
We care about you. A lot. So much, in fact, that when you’re sad all we want to do is cuddle you until you feel better.
We have been known to buy you puppies, just because.
The most hilarious thing about the fact Buckbeak had a trial and lost is that later on JKR resolves the issue by having Hagrid take him in again and renaming him Witherwings. That’s literally all it took. What if in POA, Hagrid simply said, “Sorry, Buckbeak flew away.”
“There’s a hippogriff right there, Hagrid.”
“A different hipprogriff.”
“I’m… pretty sure that’s the same hipprogriff.”
“Prove it.”
My blog posts relatable quote pictures! Follow for more.
Mr. Shark
“Peter is a child.” Tony hisses into the phone. He’s keeping one eye on the kid from where he is standing, not hiding just standing, around the corner.
“He’s normally a child Tony, what’s your point?” Rhodey asks, Tony can hear him yawning over the line.
“Yes, he’s normally like 14 though not 4.” Tony is definitely not screeching in distress. “Normally he is my height, not this tiny thing.”
“What?” Rhodey asks, and he sounds more awake now.
“I don’t know, Friday says it’s Peter, but he’s like 2.” Tony peeks out to see Peter trying to pull himself onto the couch, he gets a wave and a gap-toothed grin.
“I thought he was 4.” Rhodey points out, and it sounds like he’s laughing at Tony.
“I don’t know what age he is, he’s small Rhodey. I need help, please come help me with the spider kid.” He pleads, waving back at Peter. Peter starts to toddle towards him.
“I’ll be there tomorrow morning.” Rhodey grumbles, and the dial tone sounds in his ear. Tony’s eyes are wide with fear when Peter bumps into his leg.
“Tomorrow morning?” His voice is little more than a squeak.
“That is what he said boss.” Friday replies, she sounds smug.
“Okay, hi Peter.” Tony greets crouching down next to the kid. “I’m Tony Stark.” He holds out his hand to the little guy.
“Hi!” Peter shouts, grabbing onto his hands. “I like your bobots.” He holds out his arms in the normal kid gesture for pick me up, and Tony does, hefting the kid onto his hip.
“Really, which of my robots is your favorite?” He asks, bouncing a little. Peter squeals excitedly.
“I like the nice wall lady, and the dumb rolly robot, but my favorite is suit lady.” He informs Tony, nodding excitedly. “She’s nice.” Tony laughs.
“She is, isn’t she? You know I think you are her favorite human too.” He pokes Peter’s nose for emphasis. Peter giggles, grabbing onto his glasses with one hand, and yanking them off his face. “Ow.” Tony winces, and the glasses snap in half, apparently the little spider still has some super strength.
“Oh no.” His eye’s go wide and glossy and he looks up at Tony. “Please no mad. I didn’t mean to Mr. Shark.” Tony is trying very hard not to look like he wants to cry. “Please don’t leave.” Peter sniffles.
“I’m not leaving Peter, I’m right here. The glasses are dumb anyways.” He takes what’s left of them from Peter and drops them in the garbage. “See all gone.”
“No gone. I broke the boat and you were gone, no leaving now.” Peter insists, clutching at Tony’s shirt. Tony drops onto the couch, he needs to look put together for the kid, but his heart feels like it’s breaking in his chest. He gave Peter abandonment issues. He was trying to break the cycle, and he failed. Gesturing with his left arm for Dum-E to come over, he tries to soothe the kid.
“I’m so sorry Peter. I shouldn’t have left you then, and I won’t leave you now. I promise.” He pats Peter’s pack in an attempt to be comforting. Dum-E rolls over, blanket clutched in his claw.
“Pinky promise?” Peter asks, holding up his pinky.
“Pinky promise.” Tony links his pinky with Peter’s just as Dum-E drops a blanket onto both of their heads. “Thanks Dum-E.” Tony grumbles, it makes Peter giggle so Tony will consider it a success.
“You’re not mad?” Peter asks.
“Nah those glasses were dumb anyways. I’m much prettier without them.” Tony informs him. Peter reaches out, grubby fingers poking at Tony’s cheeks.
“Your eye is dark under. Aunt May says it’s a bag but that doesn’t make any sense.” Peter informs him. “You put things in bags.” He informs Tony.
“I do not have bags under my eyes.” Tony insists. Peter looks as unconvinced as a four-year-old can. “I get a healthy amount of sleep.”
“Mr. Shark, you don’t sleep, ever.” Peter points out, and Tony doesn’t really have an argument, and he doesn’t really want to correct Peter’s pronunciation of Stark, so it’s time to change the topic.
“Friday, how long until Rhodey gets here?” He asks.
“Based on his flight plan, he should arrive at the building in approximately 10 hours.” Friday replies. Tony tries not to look absolutely horrified.
“I’m going to die.” He whispers, Peter pats his cheek comfortingly.
“Don’t worry Mr. Shark, I protect you.” Peter assures him, it’s the cutest thing Tony has ever seen and he’s going to wrap this kid in bubble wrap and never let him outside into the dangerous world ever again.
Dad!Tony putting a heater in his spider son’s suit is just aslfajakjdla
Like he seriously brainstormed every possible situation and put something in the spidey suit to counter it.
“Never know when we’ll have a mission in sub-zero temperatures, gotta make sure my son stays warm.”
“Never know when he might have the urge to jump off a plane (like a problematic super solider i know) better make sure he has a parachute.”
*Thinks up every single problematic thing that may occur* “Oop, gotta make sure he has a web for this, and a web for that, and a web that can do this, I’m pretty sure real webs don’t actually do this, but he might need it anyways…”
*Over 500 combinations later*
“Do you think that’s enough Fri? Actually don’t answer that, my spider-son can never have too much.”
so apparently it was pepperony week and no one told me??? i did these silly doodles right after seeing homecoming, inspired by the film’s ending + a goofy convo with a friend :’)))
Peter you cannot do stuff like that, your “father” has a heart problem, you could kill him.