Notices by Sara Joy :happy_pepper: (sarajw@front-end.social)

I should go to bed.

Good night Mastofriends and thank you for being such thoughtful people to discuss stuff with 💜

What I keep thinking is that a lot of these things where I totally agree "we shouldn't have to do X or Y" aren't driven by someone at the top asking for them - or weren't, to begin with.

These actions became expected (cover letters, both parents in a family working) because that's how people got ahead, and if you don't also do that, you fall behind, maybe you can't otherwise get the job or afford everything that your family needs in today's society.

Somehow we have to all agree just to stop.

A thought I keep having...

Yes, capitalism causes a lot of awful.

Say we all magically agreed that humans need more time and headspace, and we all kicked back a bit, in a worldwide mutual understanding of how life is so much better this way. It would be lovely for a while.

But... Someone, somewhere, would put in a little more time, more effort to get ahead. Grab some influence. Get paid a little more.

Someone else would be like, hey I could work a little harder and have a bit more money...

I feel like it really wouldn't take long before we'd be back where we started, competing amongst ourselves.

This thought comes from someone saying job applicants shouldn't have to tailor resumes and write cover letters.

Ideally not. Say we did away with that. Thank goodness.

But, of course people *would* keep tailoring their CVs to have a better chance. Maybe formal cover letters would be gone, but these applicants would write a nice email to go with their applications.

Let's look a modern conveniences - of course it made housework much easier, which means one member of a couple or family no longer needed to do constant housekeeping.

Hey, why doesn't that person start doing some kind of job, get a little extra cash in for the family, maybe we can afford some nicer vacations.

Up and up we go. Would a different social system to capitalism stop humanity from always reaching to get ahead?

It would be nice if some could get ahead without others being left behind.

@aral it's part relationship building as well as running user tests in situ with our support colleagues, were building the in-company app for them.

Yeah, you can do it remotely but it's not quite as good, and I guess I'm going to enjoy the jolly. But yeah the flight safety doesn't feel super great.

@aral I'm due over for a work week next week 😣

In case any one wonders:

I am a largely neurotypical cis woman, in a happy monogamous hetero marriage, I use she/her pronouns - and I also really love bright colours and rainbows and human rights and dignity for everyone.

I can come across as LGBTQ+ and while that's totally fine with me, I'm just one of the vast majority of cishet normos who deeply dislike any hate on our fellow humans, for just being who they are.

#TransRightsAreHumanRights

Thought I'd lost my British passport today. Panic stations. Searched up and down the house.

Finally found it in exactly the place it was supposed to be, and where I had first looked.

Why didn't I find it? It's bloody blacky-blue in colour! I was looking for the burgundy red!

...grumble grumble wrong colour very very very dark blue guess I'm glad it's not lost....

Do I know anyone who knows anyone who works for GOV.UK Visas and Immigration?

The online version of form MN1 has an outdated warning. I need to know if I can get on and use it. Thank you!

It says:

"Do not use this service if you are applying for British citizenship from outside the UK

An issue with this service is affecting all British citizenship applications from outside the UK. The problem should be fixed by Tuesday 4 February. Do not use the service until then."

It's now Sunday 9th Feb.

@ironchamber no you're not.

I don't know I guess the US system just assumes everyone will be reasonable and leaves the opposition completely powerless in the face of someone who isn't?

I mean I dunno, they're not being "let in" to the Treasury - who by? Armed guards? Whose?

Yeah it's... At least they're gathering in person and getting shouty but - what can they do? I'd like to see them just storm in but ... Yeah it's just all very wrong

An anti-DOGE rally is happening outside the treasury: https://www.youtube.com/live/mvocYI0zdy4

"Nobody Elected Elon"

@xandra hooowwwww did I only just come across this?! Yessss

Just to reiterate - I can't keep up with the egregious stuff coming out of the US "administration" right now - you're all safe with me.

I feel for you and how I wish this wasn't happening.

The quoted post is about LGBT+/trans people but I also display a disability pride flag despite not (yet) considering myself disabled.

I also stand with all non-white people, those who are native or others trafficked by slavery and colonialism, and everyone else who is marginalised.

https://front-end.social/@sarajw/109392435958351144

I just.. can't even. I'm so sorry. I'm also here.

I'm cis, white, hetero, non-disabled and living outside the US - so I'm at the very edge of the circle - you can dump out your stress and frustration in my direction.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_theory_(psychology)

Amazing point I just read in German on LinkedIn:

Paraphrased translation:

There is zero evidence that people who are AfD sympathisers will at some point have the feeling: "Ah, now there are enough restrictions [on asylum seekers' rights]. I can stop voting for AfD."

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/seebohm_ausz%C3%BCge-asypolitik-2015-2025-ugcPost-7290380417898086400-qBBe

...yes, I guess the Overton window moves over because the center/center-right thinks at some point their concessions will satisfy these people, and choke out the far right parties. Nope.

@skinnylatte I've learned to go to the places that have the least westernized menus.

I know if I see lots of characters I don't understand and then a really short nondescript translation into English, I'm about to have a good time.

"Crispy fish" and "spicy anything" always winners

"We do not do these things because they are easy, we do them because we thought they would be easy and now we care too much about them to stop."

- @hankgreen

Lol, Mastodon has the "reply guy" reputation, but posting here about blood glucose and low carb has only been met with interest and support - while on Bluesky, along with the interest and support I'm also getting:

- people telling me I'll hurt myself,
- that it's a fad diet (uh, that [pre]diabetics are advised to go on by medical research?),
- that I should just stop eating high fructose corn syrup and
- get some exercise.

Judgemental much?

Or mark it as a taboo violation and thus produce outrage, which the other side then takes pleasure in and gets excited about. You can complain about that, but you have to expect that a significant part of humanity now sees scandalizing the Hitler salute as nothing more than virtue signaling.

7/n