aoneko - Network

CCTV and Uyghur genocideSo my local train station got CCTV...:(It's run by HikVision, known for being mostly owned by the PRC government...

CCTV and Uyghur genocide

So my local train station got CCTV...
:(
It's run by HikVision, known for being mostly owned by the PRC government and being closely involved in the Uyghur genocide.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Great to see local governments following the Dutch parliament's decision to declare the situation in East-Turkestan as a genocide... /s

Who the fuck gave Milton Friedman a Nobel prize?!I finally got to reading some of his stuff and, like, privatizing the Grand...

Who the fuck gave Milton Friedman a Nobel prize?!
I finally got to reading some of his stuff and, like, privatizing the Grand Canyon?
Privatizing highways? (Look, I'm all for making car use more miserable, but please don't do it that way.)

Overall, his arguments are just full of holes and he just leaves out things that make his arguments less convincing.
But, I can recommend reading some of his stuff. It's great for hate-reading.

On the one hand I'm hopeful a collapse of the Russian Federation can lead to Russia becoming a better place.At same time I know very...

On the one hand I'm hopeful a collapse of the Russian Federation can lead to Russia becoming a better place.
At same time I know very well that things like this will often just end in complete and utter chaos that might never be resolved.
Russia fixing itself through elections is a ship that has sadly long sailed. Now let's hope that it's collapse will be as peaceful as such a thing can be...

nationalism, 13/13By this I mean that I ask anyone that is part of one such movement to consider what their true feelings are. For example:...

nationalism, 13/13

By this I mean that I ask anyone that is part of one such movement to consider what their true feelings are. For example: are you a Palestinian who fights against Israel, or are you someone who cares about human rights and does not want to see their friends, family, and others be oppressed by an invasive regime that keeps violating human rights. Is the end goal Palestine for the sake of Palestine, or is the end goal defending human rights and is Palestine a vehicle that aids to be able to do so? This is an important question to ask because any form of nationalism can easily devolve into an us versus them conflict, making in really important to remember you original goal. Of course, I am not stating that this is out of proportion with the violations of the rights of Palestinians, far from it, but for both a peaceful future and the support of the rest of the world it is necessary to answer such a question in any movement with nationalist tendencies.

nationalism, 12/13We will need alternative means of connection, and these means can be, and are being build, upon other grounds than...

nationalism, 12/13

We will need alternative means of connection, and these means can be, and are being build, upon other grounds than nationality. Many of us are part of the LGBTQ+ community, that is an alternative. But one can also care about climate change, and that is part of your identity. Same for being opposed to capitalism, racism, sexism, and many more issues you might care about. Less serious matters can also be used to unite people, if you like making art you are an artist, for example. I ask you to reconsider who you see yourself closest to. Who do you really identity with? Now, of course, this is Todon, and I am pretty sure there are few nationalists on a site where nationalism is mostly banned, so most of you have already done that. This can also be used to free oneself of the inherent risks of using nationalism as a tool to gain freedom from a repressive regime, as even this form of nationalism has an inherent risk of devolving into feelings of superiority.

nationalism, 11/13As humanity, we can achieve a lot without nationhood holding us back. The needless petty competition between nation-states...

nationalism, 11/13

As humanity, we can achieve a lot without nationhood holding us back. The needless petty competition between nation-states can be replaced with a realization that we share this entire planet with each other, rather than one piece of land with our fellow nationals. Should we encounter extraterrestrial life we should also acknowledge that we share the universe with them in the same way that we share the earth with ourselves. This realization will allow us to make choices that are good for all of us, and the national selfishness can be left behind in order to build a better world. The picture I just sketched is one of a utopian future however, and to be able to survive until that future there are problems we must solve first, such as climate change. Climate change is a textbook definition of a problem caused by nationalism. Environmental disasters in a nation caused by factors within that nation are quickly prevented, but greenhouse gasses don’t have passports. They don’t go through customs. A British factory in the 1800’s is partially responsible for draughts in India today. We need to promote a nationless identity so that more people care about the rest of humanity, and so that the transition to a nationless world will become easier.

nationalism, 10/13The problem is that, in order to cease the use of the concept of nationhood, a different system is needed to allow the...

nationalism, 10/13

The problem is that, in order to cease the use of the concept of nationhood, a different system is needed to allow the world to function. Indeed, an example of the problem is that we call our current system “International Relations”, which implies that these relations are between nations. People have nationality, and we organize most international affairs through some body connected to the United Nations. We should rid ourselves of the concept of nationhood, but in order to do this we need a way to keep functioning in the “international” system. The solution that I propose is for non-nation communities is to act as if they are a nation in the “international”. A worldwide simultaneous switch to a new system is effectively impossible, and those eschewing nationhood need a way to not be outcast from geopolitics so that they can continue to function, and at the same time be an example for the rest of the world. Once nationhood becomes a rarity different systems of global cooperation can be set up, but as this is likely far into the future the design of those systems should be left up to the people of the future.

nationalism, Holocaust, 9/13The atrocities in the Second World War were almost all motivated by nationalism. With the goal unifying all...

nationalism, Holocaust, 9/13

The atrocities in the Second World War were almost all motivated by nationalism. With the goal unifying all “Germans”, whatever that meant, the Nazis set out on a conquest of Europe. Anyone deemed not German enough was suppressed at best, systematically murdered at worst. The lands of those deemed not German enough were then supposed to be used as living space for the “Germans”. In 5 years the Nazi regime systematically murdered 13 million people in the name of nationalism. The other axis powers is the war, Mussolini's Italy and the Empire of Japan were also largely inspired by nationalism. Japan might have held up a veil of aiding in decolonization, but as the war progressed their true intentions became more and more apparent and war crimes too horrible to mention here became the norm rather than an abnormality. All these war crimes were inspired by the that the arbitrary shape on a map someone is from defines how good they are.

nationalism, colonialism, 8/13But what exactly is the harm in all this? Sure, we live within arbitrary borders and there might not be a...

nationalism, colonialism, 8/13

But what exactly is the harm in all this? Sure, we live within arbitrary borders and there might not be a decent justification for them, but who cares? The problem becomes apparent when “playful” nationalism devolves into aggressive nationalism. I already mentioned the conflict in the Palestine and the absolute horror of the collapse of Yugoslavia, but two other outgrowths of nationalism lead to the worst crimes ever seen in the history of mankind. I am talking about colonialism and the Second World War. Both were moments when this type difference between nations was used not only as a justification of war, but as a justification of crimes against humanity. The jingoism that was paired with colonialism lead to European empires mindlessly slaughtering native populations in the name of prosperity for the own nation. Even in the late 1940’s the Netherlands refused to give up Indonesia and fought a bloody war in an attempt to keep it.

nationalism, 7/13Nationalism is a way to keep people occupied, and ensure that there will be competition between them so that they will keep...

nationalism, 7/13

Nationalism is a way to keep people occupied, and ensure that there will be competition between them so that they will keep rallying behind your regime whenever you want. That football match between Germany and Brazil does nothing more than accentuate the differences between us. And while friendly competition in sport is completely fine, the sense of competition overflows. It is no longer the national football team of Germany versus the national football team of Brazil. It becomes “Germany versus Brazil”. All the while people dress up in their national flags to remind themselves and the outside world within which arbitrary shape on a map they live. Even these small seemingly innocent forms of nationalism are dangerous in the sense that they enforce the lie that there are an “us” and a “them”. A German will usually care more about other Germans that about Brazilians and vice-versa. Not because they are geographically closer, but because they are German. In principle there is no mental difference between a stranger who lives 100km and a stranger who lives 1000km away. But we live in the lie that there is a difference between them.

nationalism, 6/13Any nation can be seen as historically justified, as you will always be able to find some kind of historic precedent as to...

nationalism, 6/13

Any nation can be seen as historically justified, as you will always be able to find some kind of historic precedent as to why something should be a nation. You can use this in an independence movement to gain freedom from an oppressive regime, but it can also be abused by repressive regimes in order to argue that some piece of land belongs to them. Russia might argue that Ukraine belongs to them, because history, but at the same time Ukraine can, through the Kievan Rus’, argue that Russia belongs to them (which would be an improvement, considering the current situation, but please don’t). One can easily find any excuse as to why something should be a nation to the point that all these arguments become useless.

nationalism, 5/13But culture is also often simple made up to pretend that there is a nation. An example of this is Thailand. Thailand...

nationalism, 5/13

But culture is also often simple made up to pretend that there is a nation. An example of this is Thailand. Thailand managed to rebrand from Siam to Thailand, and even the “typically Thai” dish Pad Thai is an invention in order to pretend that Thailand was a thing. Now, the transformation from Siam to Thailand was an improvement overall, Siam/Thailand went from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. Not ideal, but an improvement.
Another example of nations being a mere illusion is The Netherlands. The Netherlands were originally a simple organisatory arrangement used by the Habsburg dynasty, and at some point the seven of the northern Dutch provinces fought a war of independence in order to gain religious freedoms. These seven merely stuck together because it was convenient. The seven provinces (+3 other territories) became one state when they were occupied by France when decided that the federal republic had to become a kingdom. Germany was merely “invented” out of convenience and to give the Prussian king an empire.
Such examples can be found in basically every “nation”, and most nations are merely formed to fit into an international system that expects nations.

nationalism, 4/13Nationalism is being used to destroy cultures in the name of national unity. Languages are being erased so that “the...

nationalism, 4/13

Nationalism is being used to destroy cultures in the name of national unity. Languages are being erased so that “the nation” can have one common language. Yes, languages die out on their own, and as we move to an ever more interconnected world people will start using their own language less. However, that is a gradual change and part of the natural process of culture changing. The UK nearly murdered Irish. The Native American languages are nearly gone. The PRC is in the process of murdering anything that is not Beijing Mandarin. And then, having a common language is being used to propagate nationalism. “We speak the same language because we are one nation. We are one nation because we speak the same language.” Nazi Germany took Austria and Sudetenland because it contained German speakers. (Of course, Nazi Germany had more completely bonkers motivations.)

nationalism, genocide, 3/13The first three examples are also examples of the positive effects also show us how nationalism can go wrong. The...

nationalism, genocide, 3/13

The first three examples are also examples of the positive effects also show us how nationalism can go wrong. The French revolution quickly descended into a paranoid era where any supposed “enemy of the state” was swiftly executed, and attacks on areas outside of France were launched in order to force the revolution’s values upon them. The Palestinian nationalism might lead to a sense of unity, but it is also being used to prop up antisemitism and it enables the oppressive Iranian regime to use Hamas to operate a puppet state in the Gaza Strip. And lest we forget that it is also nationalism that is behind the attacks on the Palestinians. The case of Yugoslavia can be considered one of the worst failures of nationalism. It lead to genocide and ethnic conflict, the effects of which can be seen to this day.

nationalism, 2/13I want to start with a few situations where nationalism can be useful. The first is to get an oppressed group to rally...

nationalism, 2/13

I want to start with a few situations where nationalism can be useful. The first is to get an oppressed group to rally around a flag in order to be able to liberate themselves from an occupier, or to defend themselves against an attacker. A form of nationalism was used in France in order to overthrow the monarchy, and it is a sense of nationalism that keeps the Palestinians together so that they can defend themselves against the countless attacks launched against them. Nationalism aided the peoples of Yugoslavia to gain freedom from their regime. Nationalism unites the people of Hong Kong against the oppressive PRC regime. Even as a staunch opponent of nationalism and the concept of nationhood, I must admit that nationalism can sometimes help to bring about good things. However, just because something can bring about good things it is not necessarily good.

nationalism, 1/13Nationalism is a dangerous double-edged sword. On the one hand it has been an important tool for people around the world to...

nationalism, 1/13

Nationalism is a dangerous double-edged sword. On the one hand it has been an important tool for people around the world to be able to gain freedom from their colonial oppressors and/or authoritarian dictators. But it was also nationalism that was the motivation for those colonial oppressors to expand their empire. It was also nationalism that motivated the worst crimes of humanity that have ever occurred. Almost each and every war was fought in the name of nationalism in one way or another. Both world wars were nationalism at its worst.
I want to talk about the way I see nationalism being used, both for good and (mostly) bad, and how nationalism is propped up through ostensibly harmless means. I will also explain how I see the disease of nationhood eventually disappearing from the world stage, and what we can do in the mean time to start building alternative identities.

I decided to write down my thoughts on #nationalism. What follows is a thread of over 2000 words spread over 13 posts. This is the first...

I decided to write down my thoughts on #nationalism. What follows is a thread of over 2000 words spread over 13 posts. This is the first time I am publishing such a thing, and I hope to learn from the others here and develop my viewpoints further.
This entire thread will deal with nationalism being really bad sometimes, and I will do my best to properly CW all of those. I won't go into graphic details, so unless you are already sensitive to those topics you will be fine.

Well, it's not the best profile picture I've ever had, but considering I'm not that great at drawing and this only took a few...

Well, it's not the best profile picture I've ever had, but considering I'm not that great at drawing and this only took a few minutes it's a great initial version. (Proceeds to not update the picture for 5 years.)

Description of picture: a very crudely drawn head of a blue cat.

neoliberalism and mental healthDear neoliberals,You gave us a system where we continuously have to fear for our own future.You gave us a...

neoliberalism and mental health

Dear neoliberals,

You gave us a system where we continuously have to fear for our own future.
You gave us a system where we will never know if we will be able to find housing because affordable housing is not profitable enough.
You gave us a system where we are expected to compete with one-another, and falling behind in that rat-race will cost us our future.

But you cut the funding of the services necessary to help those who cannot cope with this hell of your making on their own.
In the Netherlands decades of neoliberal policy not only gave us devastating stress and insecurity, it has also increased waiting lists for mental health professionals to over an entire year of waiting.
There was a time in my life where I needed help, but I knew the wait was too long. I got through it, but those ~8 months were the worst time of my life, and it still comes back sometimes.

What's the solution? Mental healthcare is only considered necessary when you can no longer function in your job/studies. "Feeling miserable? That doesn't matter as long as you still contribute to the economy. Don't want to be on the waiting list? Just find an expensive private provider or some shady "coach" to substitute for a professional!"

Fuck off.

At least aid in reducing the harm you caused.

Okay, time for an #Introduction I am Aoneko 青猫, or Blue Cat. You can translate it in your own language.One day Windows Update failed and...

Okay, time for an #Introduction
I am Aoneko 青猫, or Blue Cat. You can translate it in your own language.
One day Windows Update failed and I switched to Linux, and that dominos meme happened. One of those political compass sites labeled me as an anarcho-communist, and I felt like that label fitted.
I believe that humans are fundamentally good, but that we live in a broken system forcing us to compete with one-another. That system must go before we switch to any anarchist or communist system, because otherwise someone will still feel like abusing the chaos that is inherent in that switch. This will require a midpoint, and we must be very careful that that does not regress into dictatorship.

I have quite a few texts I wrote, but never published or even finished, over time I'll polish them and cut them up into threads to be put here.

I am here because I want a place where I can post political stuff under a pseudonym. Even if it's just screaming into the void, I wanna say them. As much as I dislike the capitalist system I still need a job to survive, so I want to keep my full name out of it.
I'm bisexual (or pansexual), and I would describe my gender identity as "mostly male", but honestly I don't really care about my own gender.

Profile picture and banner will come eventually.