boonskicks - Tumblr blog

boonskicks · 5 days

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Of the Americans who fought in Korea or Vietnam, none were "innocent" by virtue of having been drafted. The moral choice there was to either dodge the draft, defect to the other side, or frag the guy giving orders. Anyone who chose otherwise was a criminal and a murderer. And once the draft was over and the army became volunteer-only, all the excuses vanished. Yes, there are people who were in Iraq or Afghanistan or Syria who regretted it, but regretting your crime doesn't undo it. That's just the minimum requirement for being a decent human being in the aftermath.

To everyone who says "you leftists can't go around hating on the troops, don't you want them to join the revolution?" I say "why would they join us if they couldn't handle being told the truth about the genocidal terrorist organization they volunteered for?" If their reaction upon hearing people call the US military murderers and terrorists is to deny or equivocate or rationalize their participation, then they're not yet fit to be a revolutionary. If we're trying to dismantle the imperialist warmongering empire that continues to use its might and influence to murder millions around the world that is the United States, what good is a person who balks at the notion that the troops who volunteer to pledge their lives and their loyalty in service of this empire might be complicit in its crimes?

An American soldier or veteran who is not ready to admit they were wrong will not be any more ready to join us if we lie to them and say they made no mistake in joining the US military. We only weaken our own messaging and our own position if we refuse to condemn not just the US military as an organization but all those who continue to participate in and defend its actions. The troops are not innocent.

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boonskicks · 5 days

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HAPPENING NOW: texas state troopers are menacing a pro palestine protest on ut austin's campus. AN ENCAMPMENT HASNT EVEN BEEN ESTABLISHED YET

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boonskicks · 5 days

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Imagine calling Palestinians documenting their own genocide on their iPhones powered by a MacGyvered car battery "misinformation" because it hasn't been backed up and approved of by 40 peer-reviewed data analysts from the West that you personally approve of. I can't imagine being that ghoulish and heartless

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boonskicks · 5 days

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this is going to sound simplistic + i promise you it's not: stop following people whose entire schtick is being cruel or fighting with others online. even if the ppl deserve it! even if it's not a ~problematic~ cruelty! even if you agree with all of that blog's opinions!

it's one thing if someone snaps back when provoked or posts the occasional "get a load of this guy". nobody needs to play up respectability for people who haven't given them respect in return. but if someone's online identity centers around being needlessly mean for laughs + they're constantly seeking out socially acceptable, easy targets for petty cruelty, that's a red flag. there's a huge difference between not taking shit/cracking a joke + mocking others as your several-hours-a-day hobby.

especially if, when they are inevitably in the wrong + mocking someone mercilessly to their 50k followers over something petty goes south (shocking!), they become extremely defensive or block everyone or play the victim or dismiss it as "well, how was i supposed to know they were autistic? i'm autistic + i don't meow in public" or whatever.

this isn't a "well i knew all along" post bcuz nobody should be shamed for being in the dark about something like this but many of the popular bloggers who have later been exposed for serious harassment or abuse should not have shocked us. if someone's blog is 90% shit like "you should light yourself on fire because you watch x anime" or "look at this so-called lesbian bitch + her ugly fucking boyfriend at a kink convention- it's giving drowned rats", should it really shock you that they are also being cruel or abusive in less internet-acceptable ways? if they've already shown you that they get a such a thrill out of being vicious that they do it daily + are regularly rewarded with thousands of followers?

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boonskicks · 8 days

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Please help if you can! Onika is a black trans woman who needs support with survival and HIV meds after being assaulted in a transphobic attack!

CA: $onikathepretty123

VM: faithisme36

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boonskicks · 10 days

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I've seen several sites mention this, it's real.

Do not make the MISTAKE of thinking you need to put your side forward. The Guardian is transphobic as fuck, and will twist your words. DO NOT ENGAGE.

By the way, this is in the aftermath of the Cass Report, and the goal will be to make Trans DIY something that needs to be regulated or stamped out. DO NOT ENGAGE.

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boonskicks · 15 days

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when people say “i can’t believe america‘s backing israel still after everything” it’s like america’s whole goal since the abolishing of slavery has been to colonize the middle east. they have started wars, directly and indirectly, with most of the countries in that region. they have supplied weapons under the table to many countries and then turned people who were once brothers and sisters against each other. they want there to be absolutely nothing left except israel since israel is their only successful colony there. just a bunch of genocidal monsters leading another bunch of genocidal monsters.

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boonskicks · 21 days

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can't believe we're all adults being forced into the club penguin level of censorship in 2024

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boonskicks · 25 days

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Scammer pretending to be a Palestinian v3

Now running their scam for about 2 months straight, this scammer is known to take their posts from real GoFundMe’s (Examples of used content) and reuse them as their own even going as far as impersonating the real Palestinian who created the original fundraiser. One of the common tactics is that you’ll get their asks if you regularly share Palestine content on your blog. Please check to see how old the pinned post is and see if you find its contents elsewhere if you search part of the post in a preferred search engine. Be aware that the scam accounts listed here are not the owners of any GoFundMe’s and will usually claim they have one pending. Their pfps are almost always images stolen off the fundraisers too.

As of 4/4/2024, here is the current list of scam accounts pretending they are someone in Palestine needing mutual aid:

cleversharkwerewolf | bluepiratecycle | freedefendorearthquake

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And here is a growing list of names the scammer has used. These may often be reused for different scams later on so keep an eye out for them when you get asks from relatively new accounts:

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How to report scam accounts: Report -> Something Else -> Illegal uses or Content -> Phishing

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Please keep in mind this post isn’t to say all Palestine mutual aid blogs are scams! Rather, this post is meant to explain that there is a scammer pretending to be one and stealing posts from real ones. They will always reblog only a few Palestine posts and then reblog nothing else aside from answering asks.

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If you happen to find a new one, please let me know! This is a new version of the previous one.

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boonskicks · 1 month

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Having trauma associated with a name is actually such a pain in the ass like sorry you’re super cool I want to be friends but every time I hear someone say your name I go into fight or flight mode

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boonskicks · 1 month

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boonskicks · 1 month

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boonskicks · 1 month

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Israel has killed more children in Gaza since October than in four years of worldwide conflict

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boonskicks · 1 month

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The thing with news sources and deciding what's trustworthy and what's not is that when you see criticism of Aljazeera (which to be clear is not a great news source about anything other than Palestine) is that they completely neglect to mention that each regional section of Al-Jazeera has different people in charge of it, different contributors, different sources.

By all means, analyze your sources and understand what information you're getting but to say outright that ALL of what AlJazeera reports EVER is wrong is inherently meant to discredit Palestinian journalists in a way that no other journalist who is not Palestinian and NOT directly experiencing the war in Gaza has been discredited. Surprisingly (not really but), a lot of Palestinians in Gaza are employed by AlJazeera because it's difficult for them to find employment elsewhere.

And again, I do not love AlJazeera. I think they do plenty of faulty journalism and reporting and I actively avoid them for most news sources. But RIGHT NOW with everything going on in Gaza, they're probably one of the most trustworthy ones because of their first hand accounts and willingness to publish Palestinian voices, which many, MANY news stations refuse to do. I especially encourage the Arabic version of AlJazeera!

Like Haartz has like... 4 Palestinians on their editorial team max, and they have EVEN LESS people on the ground in Gaza whereas we have dozens of reporters from Gaza on Al-Jazeera, many of which have died. The way to fact check your news is you find how many times they link factual evidence (like videos of experiences, primary accounts, primary quotes) and compare it with circumstance of publishing.

Here are some ways to fact check and questions to ask, even when looking at Al Jazeera:

Is this a first hand account? If not, does it name a person who experienced this first hand?

If they cite/name a person who experienced it first hand, are they a trustworthy person? What are their ties to the situation? Why would they report this, have they reported situations like this in the past?

What would the person reporting gain from reporting this? A Palestinian with an Instagram post about their life in Gaza has much less to gain than an Israeli soldier publishing their experience in Gaza, for example.

In the first hand account, are there actions or evidence that is corroborated? IE: There was a video of an Israeli soldier abducting a blonde Palestinian, and there was a Human Rights Org that reported child abductions from evidence gather by an on the ground reporter. There is less of a chance that this is false, therefore.

If you don't see other news sources reporting this (ie, you don't see CNN/NYT/BBC/Fox/any other western-led media outlet) then ask: Why would they not report it? Does that mean it's false? Maybe not. Many Euro-american sources spend MONTHS before they talk about an issue (think: Washington post article "questioning" the evidence of Hamas in Al-Shifaa hospital more than a month after the raid happened)

Defining "Trustworthy":

What is their history on reporting events? Are they someone who is well known in whatever community they represent?

Think: Ghassan Abu-Sitta, a world renowned doctor. When he reports something with his name attached, he is putting his entire reputation on the line. Therefore, it is more likely he is telling the truth.

Are they someone who has any real, structural power over the situation? Maha Hussaini, for example, cannot change her circumstances because a ceasefire relies on other people separate from her, a journalist. Therefore, she has less of a reason to lie about things happening to her.

For the news source: what are their ties to the situation? CNN, for example, has stated they have their content reviewed by the IDF. Wael Al-Dahdouh, before he was evacuated, was providing first hand accounts of situation, meaning its difficult for him to fake anything or misrepresent.

What else has this person/news source reported? What are their political leanings — not just left/right, but what are their general stances on a variety of issues?

How many people who are part of the community impacted are part of reporting on this (IE: How many Palestinian POVs are shared, how many Israeli POVs are shared, what are the POVs of the people shared in general?).

Can someone I personally trust vouch for this person? If not, can I ask someone I trust to look over this person/agency and tell me their opinion?

There's for sure more I'm forgetting but these are some ways I personally check my facts and information as a quick rundown. And I see this issue of not knowing how to fact check happen ALL OVER the place, on both sides. So I really, highly encourage everyone to engage with sources more honestly!

You'll make mistakes, everyone does! I do as well! But try to be vigilant about these things so we can ensure that we're spreading accurate information and try to correct information when possible! There's no 100% unbiased source so I encourage you to compare/contrast information and your understandings of the world to fully comprehend the situation!

Please use these questions when checking ANY news source, even Al-Jazeera!

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boonskicks · 1 month

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People are so weird about people in wheelchairs and for what? That's just a person sitting down... I bet YOU also sit down sometimes.

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boonskicks · 1 month

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“Acab includes fandom police” is so funny like y’all are writing fanfiction of a world where you are actually slammed on the ground, searched, and detained for liking the wrong ship, had your rights stripped away and held in solitary confinement solely for fanart. It’s an interesting make believe world some of y’all live in

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boonskicks · 1 month

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government is trying to ban tiktok meanwhile millions of poor and disabled americans are about to completely lose their internet access at the end of april because congress wont renew funding for the affordable connectivity program

hell fucking world

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