squinch
squ-nch.bsky.social
squinch
@squ-nch.bsky.social
zoë allen
they/them/theirs
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queer
autistic
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https://mastersquinch.github.io
glad you liked it!
December 4, 2025 at 1:20 AM
maybe the fact that people are resisting their natural impulses and engaging on much larger scopes and scales *is* a good thing *regardless* of whether it is a "natural" impulse or not-- and furthermore, its difficult to determine what is "natural" vs a product of our sociopolitical context
November 21, 2025 at 4:12 AM
3.) while it _seems to be true_ that humans naturally limit their moral considerations to those closer to them, it's odd to then imply that it is a good thing any more than it is "good" that some insects lay their eggs in the eyes of children or millions die to disasters (it is *natural*, after all)
November 21, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Not sure if the author actually sees these or just the publisher, but (character limit allowing) I'd love to hear a response/clarification on these points. I did not read your objections to animal rights, though I doubt I'd really find them compelling. Which actually reminds me of a third objection:
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 AM
2.) I feel you are making a few significant assumptions by regarding the position as "A is better than C" when the position can just as easily be described as "mitigating suffering for millions of lives who WILL exist. Less about the hypotheticals one billion from now than the last ones, dig?
November 21, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Two immediate objections:

1.) "A non-human animal living “in the wild” cannot really be said to be free..." I object to your assumption that "real" freedom involves the "possession" of "civil liberties", and would also say that that idea is as muc ha quirk of modern westerners as "longtermism" /2
November 21, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Literally all we have to do is empower people. Learn, organize. They DO NOT expect this, they CAN NOT handle it. Things would probably-- definitely-- get bad. But the masses move history, not individuals, and certainly not these fucking nerd ghouls.

You and I cant do anything. WE can, and must.
November 20, 2025 at 10:17 PM
They just level countries for dollars now, they have autonomous weapons systems and are currently throwing tech at the wall and seeing what sticks to parse the data from the panopticon. Everyones so afraid of losing their job at dennys they cant imagine *not having to slave at the fucking dennys*.
November 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM
They watched the 70's from the sidelines. And tech has accelerated so much that to them it probably feels like ancient history. On the same token, the masses are effectively alienated, indoctrinated, and have had any real collective resistance or imagination beaten and starved out of them. Just $$$.
November 20, 2025 at 10:14 PM
2.) they are kind of just stupid and short sighted. This is the result of like three generations of complete power and unfathomable wealth-- they don't actually have to *know* anything. They can just sit with their repulsive ideologies and money and empire build. They haven't dealt with unrest.
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 PM
The difference here is, I think, twofold. 1.) the fact that they have (or feel they have) the power to just enforce it in a fascist autocracy. Automation. They are attempting to cut out the part of the system that requires they have political legitimacy to avoid their heads ending up on spikes
November 20, 2025 at 10:11 PM
I'm really struggling with the char limit here, but if we continue business as usual, the function of the old GOP was to capture that crisis, redirect it, further consolidate. But their hatred and warmongering and brazen theft also immiserates-- so the ds function to capture w "hope and change"
November 20, 2025 at 10:09 PM
100% agree. It's capital in crisis. Queer rights, black lives, me too, etc.. Dems almost had to CHANGE something. This is capital doubling down. And the Fetterman's/Schumers will back it every time. The fatal flaw in the dem strat is that symbolic democratic concessions are a bandaid on necrosis.
November 20, 2025 at 10:07 PM
( to specify, the dems rely on stability, they are polite and high minded about blowing people up, imprisoning people, and stealing your shit, they want you, the peons, to work WITH them. They DIFFUSE struggle. The GOP just brazenly does all of that and REDIRECTS working boots to brown/queer necks)
November 20, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Adding your voice matters, actually, but only if you do something offline to back it up (or dedicate enough time to deliberately and strategically having presence and engaging in dialogue where it counts). This conversation wont matter much unless it inspires someone to go act, or read, or organize.
November 20, 2025 at 10:02 PM
In fact, if we all speak like Borderlands characters and sip $12 organic coffee, and never talk about anything important on its own terms ever, and go VOTE for the controlled opposition every once in a while, things will just fix themselves! It'll be like san fran (the gentrified parts) nationwide!
November 20, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Keyboard warriors spread messaging and propaganda and normalize ideas and contribute to psychological and information warfare and, if you were paying attention, were a critical part of this administration

God forbid anyone be earnest about anything. We should all just be ironically detached cynics!
November 20, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Why the condescension?

I felt it was pretty fuckin obvious I meant log off and do it in real life. Hence "neighborhood".

And if you think social media isn't useful, look at the fucking white house. GO back and research how exactly they got here. Maybe look up what memetics and memes actually are.
November 20, 2025 at 9:55 PM
In general.

And the latter is true *as an individual*. YOU can't do shit, and neither can I. But WE can do a hell of a lot.

Which, again, I'm sure you agree with.
November 20, 2025 at 9:53 PM
i asked someone about the bell, and they didn't know the response, so i waxed poetic about Earnest Hemingway and John Donne as cover, and I felt so fucking pretentious lmao. I think it worked, cause I got invited to Bratva.
November 19, 2025 at 3:31 PM
If you want change- REAL change-- fight the system that led us here. Don't fight to return to it.

If your "fight" is something HE allows you to do every four years under a rulebook, you aren't doing shit.

Start organizing your neighborhood.

Be willing to clash with police and get into trouble.
November 19, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Trump is a symptom, not the cause. We weren't exactly democratic before trump. Ask black people, prisoners, latin americans, southeast asian, communists, socialists, anarchists, queer people indigenous folk, muslims, the poor etc etc
etc..

Trump is what happens when we get too rowdy. Get rowdier.
November 19, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Because hes supported by capital. Thats it, there's your answer. Everything he is doing is further consolidating power into the hands of the ruling class. He's just doing it with an opposing strategy to the corporatist democrats. He's an oligarch and a kleptocrat. That's the "interparty" conflict.
November 19, 2025 at 3:20 PM
And the controlled opposition will ensure they don't actually have to do anything that might upset the status quo on which they are structurally dependent

They never want to be ahead by more than a couple points. Enough to make you feel you need to support them, not so much they have to do anything
November 19, 2025 at 3:18 PM