SpaceDogs

I honestly never really heard much about it except it being mentioned in my PoliSci class very briefly and people on Twitter debating about a speech Ilhan Omar made. I’ve seen comrade on Twitter saying Somaliland is Somalia, and I’m not about to argue, I’m just confused about this whole thing. Somaliland was an Italian colony or something like that, right? What the hell is going on?

Something wicked this way comes…

Okay, that’s a bit dramatic but I like to embellish a little bit. Something odd is happening at my school, though.

Yesterday I got an email from my history professor inviting all of his Genocide students to an event hosted at our school for a Ukrainian historian. Now I wouldn’t really have an issue with this in normal times, but we are not living in them right now. There is also the fact that Canada is the Ukrainian Nazi capital of the world so this whole thing makes me nervous right off the bat. I looked further into the invitation for more details and saw that the first half of the event would be for selling this historian’s book, and the second half would be dedicated to her talk.

Her book is about her brother who was in the Ukrainian Armed Forces who died on the frontlines. I was curious about this and did some digging. Turns out her brother joined the military voluntarily in 2015 and died in 2017 in the Donbas! I wonder what he was doing there? This just made me suspicious. She was writing this book before the war with Russia, but after it began she added in information about it. I have not read this book and I don’t know if I want to. If I can find it for free then maybe I will, if that happens I’ll share what I discovered. But for now it’s a no go.

I know some of you are curious about what she is going to say at this event, honestly I am too, but I cannot attend due to it being held so late in the evening. I have no idea how long her talk will last so by the time I try to make it back home the buses might not even be running and I don’t want to be left stranded. There might be a recording of it posted at some point so if that happens I’ll view it and let you know what happens.

So why does this situation bother me so much? Because it feels like propaganda. Canadian schools seem to have a track record with this kind of stuff and with questions being raised about the war this looks like a last ditch effort to keep drumming up support and outrage; I can’t imagine she’s being invited to talk about opposing the war and wanting peace talks. Canada will probably be one of the last countries to admit defeat, then again maybe they never will considering Chrystia Freeland’s position. I wonder if she’ll push for sending Canadian soldiers to fight on the frontlines. I know last time there was a draft in Canada the citizens went insane, mainly between the English (supported the draft) and French (opposed the draft), so I wonder how people would react now.

I guess this post is about me being emotionally frustrated with this whole situation. In class my history professor didn’t bring it up at all, so I wonder if he will during the next class…

That’s the end of my little conundrum.

I tend to write here a lot, don’t I? Anyway I’m going to try to not post as frequently so I don’t clog up the timeline.

So a bit of context: I am taking a genocide history course and I will have to write a research paper for it. The paper is the biggest part of the grade and we can choose any topic as long as the professor approves of it. We have to book a “consultation” with him where we present our research topic and question, if he thinks it’s good enough we can go ahead and begin research and writing. The topic I want to write about is what was/is happening in the Donbas. I know many of us have referred to it as a genocide and I figured it’d be a good topic to write about since no one really talks about it. I could choose other issues but I’m almost certain other students will write about them, the Donbas situation is just never brought up enough for my liking.

My real question is: how do I present this to my professor?

I know I want to look into the how and why it happened, and how it’s being talked about now. If that’s makes sense. Yes it’s messy and not elegant enough, I’ll work on it, but I feel very passionate about this, especially with an event that is being hosted at my school today, it’s lit a fire in me. One that’s been there for a while but it’s just gotten hotter, it that makes sense.

I don’t want my professor to think my paper is going to be a weird defence of Putin or whatever, he seems quite set in stone on his position of the war so I’m trying to tread lightly without sacrificing my principles. All I’m asking is help in my wording as I don’t know how to say this without potentially screwing myself over. I think I low-key have to convince him that it was/is a genocide.

If you’ve been reading my posts about my time at university you may be familiar that I am to present a very short seminar for my Political Science class. We were all assigned an article from a book by my professor and the article I got was by John J. Mearsheimer. What I have to do for the seminar is talk about what ideology the author of thee article has (Mearsheimer is a realist) and summarize the article (which I have done), then I have to do a critical assessment discussing the strengths and weaknesses of his argument. As of now I’m a little stuck on the assessment part, I know some of what he says is accurate when comparing it to actions taken recently by nations he mentions, but others I’m not so sure. I wont share the full article but I can give you my summarization of it (this will be the script I use when presenting, though it will be edited further):

China’s Unpeaceful Rise

John J. Mearsheimer

The author of this article is John J. Mearsheimer, and he is a Realist. He starts off the piece answering his own question “will China rise peacefully?” Absolutely not. He claims his theory of international politics is the best way to explain why that is — “the mightiest states attempt to establish hegemony in their region of the world while making sure that no rival great power dominates another region.” The main antagonist to China will be the United States.

The Contest for Power

The international system has three characteristics: all states operate in anarchy, all the great powers must have destructive military capabilities, and finally you cannot trust one another because you never know what their true intentions are (current and future). Under a system like this states are constantly uncertain of each other and thus fearful which leads to the conclusion that the best way to survive under these conditions is to become as powerful as possible, hopefully the MOST powerful. Establish a hegemony. Like how the United States has a regional hegemony in the western hemisphere. When one state dominates a region they will seek to prevent others from duplicating their results in another.

The American Hegemon

Over the next 115 years since its independence, American policy makers would work incredibly hard to make it a regional hegemon. “Manifest Destiny” and many wars were fought to make this a reality. He quotes Senator Henry Cabot Lodge who says the United States had a “record of conquest, colonization, and territorial expansion unequalled by a people in the nineteenth century.” So much so that by 1898 they had effectively pushed out the European powers. By becoming a regional hegemon that meant they would have to prevent other nations from doing the same on another continent. Other “formidable foes” cropped up in which the United States worked very hard to dismantle: Imperial Germany, Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union. After their defeat in WWII American policy prevented Germany and Japan from having strong militaries, and the Cold War proved the US would never tolerate competition. With how the United States behaved towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War, this will most likely be repeated towards China in the near future. With all these talks about Cold War 2 and Taiwan I have little doubt that this isn’t the case.

Predicting China’s Future

He believes that China will attempt to establish its own hegemony unchallenged like the United States has done in the Western hemisphere, mainly going head to head with Russia and Japan. Unlike the US, China most likely will not use military power to do this, though it’s not an impossible scenario. He believes that the only way China will get Taiwan back is through regional hegemony. China will push the US out of Asia, making reference to when the US pushed Europe way back when. So China will probably come up with their own “Monroe Doctrine” like Japan did in the 30s. Like how the US appreciates a militarily weak Canada and Mexico, China will want the same for Russia and Japan. No self respecting superpower would ever allow others in its vicinity. American policy makers are enraged when foreign militaries are sent into the western hemisphere, why would China afford the US with any amount of grace? They wont, US military presence in Asia will not be tolerated. In the end China will just imitate the US.

Trouble Ahead

Based on America’s track record it is obvious what the reaction will be towards China if it tries to establish a hegemony in Asia, no “peer competitors” will be tolerated. The only hegemony that is allowed to exist is the United States, and therefore China must be contained and weakened. As said before, China will be treated as the Soviet Union was. Neighbouring nations will also join the US in preventing China’s regional rise, this includes: India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam. Taiwan will be used as a pawn to better control China and gain the upper hand, which will cause further security issues between Beijing and Washington. He ends his article with this: “The picture I have painted of what is likely to happen if China continues its rise is not a pretty one. I actually find it categorically depressing and wish that I could tell a more optimistic story about the future. But the fact is that international politics is a nasty and dangerous business, and no amount of goodwill can ameliorate the intense security competition that sets in when an aspiring hege-mon appears in Eurasia. That is the tragedy of great power politics.”

I will compile this information into PowerPoint slides, obviously trimmed down, and speak for around 10 minutes. Half dedicated to summary hike the last bit has to be critical assessment: strengths and weaknesses. So far I know with rising tensions in Taiwan with the US and Canada sending ships over as provocation that fits in as a strength, the Cold War references are also a strength as many have been talking about it (are there any actions that reflect the past? As in, is what the US is doing now with China also similar to actions taken against the Soviet Union?). I have to tread lightly here, as even though I can be comfortable expressing myself to my professor I cannot do the same in front of my classmates, they are a lot more hostile and I don’t want to be yelled at or ridiculed (I’m not strong enough yet lol). One criticism I feel I could make against his article is how China will behave, he says China will be the same as the US but I’m not so sure about that. Theres also the reference to how other Asian countries will follow the US in muzzling China but I don’t believe Russia is completely interested in that considering how their trading and cooperation is going right now. Is there anything about Chinese foreign policy I could make reference to? Any little bit helps, hopefully my summary is good enough but if you need more information I can go back to the article and write some more!

So my first DnD campaign is on hiatus so another player has started their own for us to play in the meantime. My DM for this new campaign is explaining the world and it’s a bit… hmmm. I guess you could say I’m uncomfortable with a setting based on the Soviet Union by someone who doesn’t know anything about the USSR. He explains it as small states forced to be in absorbed into the empire, there’s one rich area and as you get farther away the poorer it gets, the worst area is described as Ukraine. I guess in that area you can be working the land and then some guy forces you to give him money. Our Soviet Union is very repressive and we’re at war with a democratic nation. Every child is given a magical stamp, if you go against the empire or do “thought crimes” you get changed markings. You can get good markings back via “social credit.” I feel so uneasy and I feel bad. I don’t want to be a Debby downer or an ass.

He mentioned Marxism but it seems to be evil in this universe (“with regards to Marxism make sure you don’t get the worst mark on your head”). Also he’s encouraging us to play evil/neutral. I don’t know what to do. I want to make the best of it but damn, I literally play as a Marxist dog in the hiatus playthrough (the current DM is a fellow player on that campaign) so I’m surprised this is happening. Do you have advice on how to make the best of this? Maybe combat misinformation subtly in character? I’m freaking out!

Edit: the currency in this “state” is not gold or typical money, it’s food rations. So when I said if you live in a poorer region and a guy comes demanding money I mean some state official haggles you for taxes which is paid in rations. This haggling seems to only take place in the poorest “Ukraine” areas…

Does anyone else get a feeling of dread around this time of year? Because I do. I’m at a Christmas party hosted by one side of the family and on Christmas Eve I’ll be celebrating with the other side, and for both of these events I feel uncomfortable and nervous. My family, both immediate, extended, and step, have… “issues.” I think many can imagine what issues I am alluding to: racism, homophobia, transphobia, general ignorance, you name it. Not all of them are bad, of course, and I know things aren’t black and white but damn does the bad sometimes outweigh the good in some people.

My mom has been feeling immense anxiety as she’s hosting Christmas Eve this year and she called me about how she’s feeling; she’s so worried someone (or multiple people) will say something stupid, and knowing me she called to warn me and beg me not to say anything. While she’s very supportive of me and understands where I’m coming from when I try to educate others and why I engage in these polarizing conversations, she doesn’t want me to do anything as it will cause a huge argument leading to me being the bad guy (as always) which will cause her to defend me and it’ll just be a whole mess. She doesn’t want the stress and I get that, I’ve been thinking about that exact scenario too and my remedy is to just leave the situation and cool off, maybe take her dog for a walk (he is a little pom) and if I must, cry. I'm going to use a similar strategy at this party but instead of going for a walk (not familiar with the neighbourhood) I'll just stick my headphones in and play my switch.

For me, it’s not just ignorance that bothers me, I understand not knowing things and I’m happy to help. The problem is that my family members are stubborn and confidently wrong. If you try to correct them, even gently as I do every time, there is angry pushback; they cannot handle being wrong ever. Once, years ago, I tried to tell my aunt not to use a slur (I said it nicely as I was 14 at the time) and I ended up getting yelled at by both her and her daughter, it was awful. So that gives you an idea of what I’m working with. Because of my family on all sides the holidays just feel like a chore rather than a warm celebration.

Does this resonate with anyone? I don’t mean to be a downer, I do have good people in my life (my mom, dad, and younger cousins) so it’s not all terrible but it’s still tough. I’m also an introvert and like to be on my own so parties make me uncomfortable and overstimulated.

The two against and one abstention is very telling…

Proud landlordphobe 😤

“What are the positives and negatives of using ChatGPT (and other AI) in post-secondary?”

This is a question I need to answer for an essay competition thing, and while I do have ideas myself and from my professor when I asked for his opinions, I was hoping if anyone here had some insights to add.

Is it ethical that I ask for your aid? I don’t want to overstep. I would not use anyone’s name/usernames at all in this essay, at most I will cite sources on the matter.

While I think my current ideas about the pros and cons are good (more cons than pros in my opinion) but I want to know if I missed anything.

If needed, I will add what ideas I’ve come up with so far but for now I’ll leave that out.

Edit: I was tempted to post this in the “Ask Lemmygrad” community but I think thats a more educational community about communism specifically so I’ll stick to asking here.

Maybe this isn’t significant to some but it means everything to me.

As someone with severe anxiety, and maybe some other mental illnesses, I have a hard time leaving my house. It’s already hard enough going to school and grocery shopping so being at such a confrontational public event. Last time I was at something even close to a protest was a pride parade many years ago and I wasn’t even in the parade self, just watching from the sidelines.

If you’re from Canada, living here, or just aware of current politics then you’ll know that a national protest called “1 Million March 4 Children” was being held today, September 20th, to protest “SOGI” and the “mutilation of children.” If it obvious this was a nationwide far-right protest to attack the 2SLGBTQ+ community, peddling the same conspiracy bullshit. Of course when these protest plans were made public many counter protests were set up. I, of course, battled with myself on whether I would go to the one in my area. The protest was going to be quite early and I was nervous about missing my first period class, but I forced myself to get a grip and just go.

I set up many alarms which didn’t even matter anyway since I barely got a wink of sleep last night, I was that anxious. Thankfully I didn’t feel tired in the morning but that could’ve been from lingering nerves. I made sure to make my lunch for the day and eat a decent breakfast before heading out to the meeting point. It was quite cold and damp but the shakes kept me warm-ish. I was worried about a lot but one was whether I’d be able to find the spot or would I be left wandering. Thankfully, it was easy to find, I just had to look out for pride flags, and guess what I saw there? Marxists! They were with us with signs and handing out pamphlets. I did not get one as I was to nervous to approach, which I know is silly but I was already freaked out enough going to a protest by myself let alone actually talking to people. Anyway we were all gathering and few infiltrators made themselves aware ad it was sort of cool how they were dealt with. One guy with a camera was pointed out, shamed, and we were all told to turn away so he wouldn’t get out faces. Another guy was handing out rainbow pamphlets, which I considered grabbing since I had nothing rainbow on me but another guy was tailing him shouting that he was from the other side, and what do you know the seemingly pride pamphlets he was naming out were actually inscribed with a bunch of religious and anti-queer crap. That guy also got into a screaming match and there was a small altercation that was dealt with but surprise surprise the cops did absolutely nothing. We had to handle it ourselves.

I was very shaken up from that ordeal but it went away pretty quickly when I saw how our side rallied together. Even though I was there on my own I didn’t feel alone. I knew that if I needed anything at all everyone there had my back. When the chants started it took me a while to find my voice but I got there eventually! It was invigorating to say the least. Even though it was cold and wet I felt warm and content. It felt amazing to be on the frontlines, essentially. I had to leave a little early because I didn’t want to miss my history class, but Im so glad I stayed for the amount of time I did.

I cry just going over these events, it was just a lot. A lot of big feelings, and a lot on the line. I’m sitting here writing this post while I wait for my next class to start and I’m just quietly sobbing, having to use sticky notes as tissues since I forgot to pack some from home.

In conclusion I am definitely going to be participating in more protests, schedule permitting.

Important edit: the transphobes brought so many of their young kids and had them hold such hateful signs. Most of the children were pushed to the frontlines to the point where they were spilling onto the road. In my area we were, unfortunately, outnumbered but I think it’s because we didn’t pull our kids out of school for this, also people had work and school. That planned this very deliberately. My heart aches that we still have to do this and fascism is on the rise. It’s terrifying to look hate directly in the face.