ngl few things caused me quite as much shame as when I said something in a group chat about tuberculosis, something about it being an ancient victorian disease, absolutely sure it’s like polio or measles or something in that it’s a mostly eliminated and largely irrelevant to modern life, only for someone else in the group chat to be like ‘its very much a thing where I live’ and then I went on wikipedia and saw its like, millions of reported cases every year, truly felt like an ignorant privileged bougie child right then and there.
If you are going to append a million disclaimers and exceptions to reblogging a post about wishing more spaces were safe for Jewish people, then you are part of the reason why so many spaces are not safe for Jewish people.
when I was in middle school in history class we learned about the history of christianity but it was also like the first time I actually had someone actually fully properly explain the basics of christianity and it’s beliefs to me. and I think this must have been true for many of my classmates because when our teacher said “so Jesus was also like ‘this wine is my blood and this bread is my body’” we were all very baffled and confused and really stuck on that and the teacher also really struggled to explain to us how it’s metaphorical but also kinda literal but not really. and now as an adult even though y'know I understand the concept of symbols and rituals in theory, y'know it’s not rocket science, I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around it, but mostly it just baffles me how much like…. I mean it’s revealing isn’t it that they accused us (who have extremely strict dietary restrictions, in which consuming any kind of blood is strictly forbidden) of eating christian children and drinking their blood. and like. you guys literally do that every week. in fact you guys eat THE christian child, the first, the og christian child!!!!
My cute yuri visual novel, The Demon Queen’s Dire Dilemma, will be released on Steam on the 26th of February! It’s a silly, light-hearted story about a demon queen who’s trying (and failing) to get her ditzy human maid to fear her.
Lady Asmodeus is determined to make Lisette, the former princess of Mielle, cower at her feet… but Lisette must be some kind of weirdo, because she loves being bossed around. What gives?!
You can wishlist the visual novel on Steam here (and if you want to read it right now, you can donate $15 to my Patreon, since I’ve been giving out early access Steam keys for anybody who wants them hehe)
Daniel, good morning beloved, do not mind the texts from the Bank of America for I have purposefully made the online purchase of 42 different hot sauces from the popular internet YouTube channel First We Feast. They host a delightful little show called Hot Ones and I wish to recreate it with you. Of course, I already know every detail of your fascinating life, so I will permit you to interview me at long last. No, one drop of hot sauce will not ‘kill me like a Victorian child’, Daniel. Victorian children frequently consumed arsenic with their meals, and I am older than prepared arsenic and just a few hundred years shy of the arrival of peppers in Europe. Now come, beloved. I requested same day shipping and I must know how many bottles of hot sauce it will take to make your blood spicy.
Thanks for asking! That alone puts you ahead of a lot of people who’ve gone quiet or gotten weird.
Small things:
Check in on your Jewish friends. Not to make it about you, not to ask them to explain things. Just a thinking of you or you crossed my mind and I hope you’re hanging in.
If you’re in progressive spaces, watch for the silencing. Are Jews being interrupted, sidelined, or interrogated more than others? Are Jewish speakers only invited when something antisemitic happens? Are they being required to perform the right sort of Jewishness or the right position on Israel’s right to exist? Slap that shit down
Learn the basics of Jewish history outside of crisis. Jewishness is more than trauma. It’s culture, language, ritual, music, food, texts. You can’t be an ally if all you see is a wound.
Medium things:
Push back when antisemitism shows up in your circles, even when it’s subtle, coded, or disguised with cause-language. You don’t have to give a lecture. “Hey, that’s not okay” or “That framing feels off” is much more than we’re used to seeing. Ask if they’d say the same thing if a different tribal identity was involved. Underline the hypocrisy.
Don’t use Jewish pain as a rhetorical prop. If you’re quoting statistics about Jew hatred, make sure you’re also listening to actual Jews.
Get comfortable holding space for complexity. If you care about human rights, you can care about Palestinians and Israelis without erasing either one.
Big things:
Make space for Jewish voices even when it’s not convenient, appreciated, or applauded. Invite Jews into coalitions, panels, projects, not just as the antisemitism rep, and not just Jews who are willing to be tokens and condemn Israel’s right to exist.
Show up when no one else is looking. That means speaking out before things get uglier. That means backing Jewish colleagues and classmates even when it’s awkward and uncomfortable.
Let go of the idea that being a good ally means being perfect. A good ally is present, accountable, and willing to grow. (Seems like you’re at least most of the way there, Anon.)
You don’t need to do everything.
You just need to start somewhere and keep showing up.
Again, thanks for asking. I hope others will share their answers, too.
Anonymous
