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Reposted by Stew Smith

💀 Crypt Jones 💀 @cjones47.bsky.social · 14h

I've always thought that imagery that contrasts state power/violence against innocence/silliness/courage is infinitely more powerful than revolutionary cosplay.

This is an iconic historical photograph, widely known as **"Flower Power,"** taken by photographer Bernie Boston.

The image captures a tense yet poignant moment during an anti-Vietnam War protest at the Pentagon on October 21, 1967.

In the frame, a young protester with short dark hair is seen on the right, extending her hands toward a line of soldiers. She is gently placing a single carnation into the barrel of a rifle held by one of the soldiers.

Facing her is a formidable line of military police or National Guardsmen in full uniform, equipped with steel helmets and holding rifles with fixed bayonets, forming a human barricade. The soldiers appear very young and have stoic, serious expressions.

The photograph is renowned for its powerful symbolism and stark visual contrast:

* **Peace vs. War:** The soft, fragile flower against the hard, menacing steel of the rifle.
* **Non-violence vs. Force:** The gentle, peaceful gesture of the protester in the face of armed authority.
* **Humanity vs. Institution:** The individual's act of connection towards the uniformed, anonymous line of soldiers.

The image has become a defining symbol of the 1960s counterculture movement and the philosophy of non-violent resistance, powerfully encapsulating the clash between the peace movement and military force.

This is the world-famous and iconic photograph known as **"Tank Man"** or **"The Unknown Protester."**

The image was taken on June 5, 1989, in Beijing, China. It captures a pivotal moment of defiance during the Tiananmen Square protests, the morning after the Chinese government's violent military crackdown on the demonstrators.

The photograph depicts a lone, unidentified man standing in the middle of the wide Avenue of Eternal Peace, directly in the path of a column of advancing Type 59 military tanks. The man, dressed in a simple white shirt and dark trousers and carrying what appear to be two shopping bags, single-handedly brings the armored column to a halt.

The lead tank is stopped just feet away from him, creating an incredibly tense and powerful standoff between the unarmed individual and the immense power of the state's military.

The image, taken from a distance and slightly grainy, has become one of the most recognizable photographs of the 20th century. It is an enduring international symbol of:

* **Individual Courage:** The bravery of one person standing up to an oppressive regime.
* **Defiance:** A non-violent act of resistance against overwhelming military force.
* **The Struggle for Freedom:** The universal human desire for liberty and democracy.

The identity and ultimate fate of the "Tank Man" have never been confirmed, adding to the profound mystery and legendary status of the photograph. It is widely considered one of the most powerful images of dissent ever captured.

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

"You don't understand, it's *all* writing," he explains. It's the most accurate thing I've seen when it comes to the ways that writers often do everything BUT actually write in order to crystalize the ideas in their head. Using the plagiarism robot would remove that particular joy entirely. /FIN

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

I wish I could find a clip of it but there's a bit from You're The Worst where Gretchen visits Jimmy at the bar where he writes during the day and she's confused/angry at the fact that he's been there all day and hasn't written anything and has, instead, drank a bunch, played pool and darts, etc. /7

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

and the endorphins from the thrill of creative victory are suddenly, maniacally coursing through your brain. No prompt machine could ever deliver it. /6

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

I have spent *days* trying to think of just the right way I wanted to phrase something and there is *nothing* more satisfying than finally having that AH-HA moment when you finally know exactly what you want... /5

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

Having some fabrication robot that regurgitates (or outright lies) other stuff isn't going to make you a better writer, it's going to make you a lazy and complacent one. /4

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

And yes, writers will use other things as inspiration, be it someone else's writing or a painting or a song or just looking out the window. But that's part and parcel of expanding your own tastes and worldview and experience. /3

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

If you're not hitting mental/creative roadblocks, if you're not spending an hour (if not exponentially longer than that) thinking of exactly the right phrase or transition or even just the right word, then you're almost certainly not pushing yourself to be better or to get things *just right*. /2

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 17h

What so many AI boosters don't seem to understand is that for writers especially, the struggle is *vital* to the process. /1

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Reposted by Stew Smith

Brad Reed @bwreed.bsky.social · 18h

This is something all too rare: A Republican asking himself, 'How would I feel if a Democrat did to me what Trump is doing to Democrats?'

Larry Ferlazzo @larryferlazzo.bsky.social · 19h

Oklahoma’s Republican governor criticizes guard deployment. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, a Republican and the chairman of the National Governors Association, on Thursday criticized the deployment of Texas National Guard troops to Illinois as a violation of his beliefs in federalism and “states’ rights.”

His comments, in an interview with The New York Times, marked the first time a Republican governor has questioned the interstate deployment of National Guard troops over a governor’s objections. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and other Democratic elected officials have been strongly critical of the move and have implored Republican governors to join the opposition.

Mr. Stitt on Thursday said, “We believe in the federalist system — that’s states’ rights,” adding, “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

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John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 19h

ME: Now Mom, just remember, there's a lot of disinformation and AI in your social feed and your friends' Facebook.
MOM: I know! My friend sent me this crazy post where someone used AI to make an image of a giant frog fighting Army troops!
ME: ... okay, no, that one's ... goddamit, Portland.

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 19h

Feels like we really need @sharkey.bsky.social to write the foreword to this so the air can finally be cleared as to who actually came up with the term MetroidVania.

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Mike X. Nichols @mikexnichols.bsky.social · 22h

That’s right.

Locked in meme with a frame of the river of hills sequence from One Battle After Another.

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 22h

A decade? Pfffft. Amateurs.

I've got friendships that started online from, like, 2002.

✨🥀Persephone Evil🥀✨ @bipolarpisces35.blacksky.app · 1d

God damn, some of yall been following each other online for a decade?!!

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poop @dude3000.bsky.social · 22h

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 23h

Guaranteed that if a town had the Christian flag or the "An Appeal To Heaven" flag in their crosswalks Abbott would be outright praising them.

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elia ayoub 🌱 @ayoub.bsky.social · 1d

The IDF took 3D animations from the Scottish Maritime Museum, a cyberpunk project and other places to make shit up about Gaza, Lebanon and Iran and these were reproduced in international outlets for the past 2 years.

Thread

Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites

The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war

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Danny K @dannykpolitics.bsky.social · 4d

WATCH: ‘Portland Frog’ pepper balled by ICE agents

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Guillermo del Toro @realgdt.bsky.social · 1d

Was completely on purpose

Ghoulian Singleton 🎃 @juliansingleton.bsky.social · 1d

Threw on the new Criterion of NIGHTMARE ALLEY 2021 and forgot that the reappearance of Richard Jenkins and Mary Steenburgen makes this the Catalina Wine Mixer of Guillermo Del Toro's oeuvre.

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 1d

I see what you did there

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Ghostly Bree @mostlybree.kitrocha.com · 1d

this feels like the corollary to we need Mamdani in NYC and an oyster fisherman in Maine and a midwestern dad in Minnesota.

we're supposed to be the party that embraces the fact that we're a diverse and chaotic nation, stop test-polling yourself to generic national oatmeal!!!

Constant Scream @ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 1d

It's interesting seeing the different ways resistance has formed in different cities. Los Angeles Organized, Chicago Radicalized, and Portland Got Weird as Fuck. All 3 have had success unifying their respective cities.

I guess my point is there are multiple paths to ungovernability.

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J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 1d

"We took the freedom of speech away"

Jack Nicholson meltdown from the conclusion of "A Few Good Men"

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Stew Smith @stewbiedoo.bsky.social · 1d

May 20, 1981
Movie: Bustin' Loose (dir. Oz Scott & Michael Schultz)

Song:

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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 1d

The Speaker of the House has firm views that Bad Bunny is a terrible pick for singing at the Super Bowl, but hasn't had time to watch the President's speech to our military leadership or form an opinion whether furloughed federal workers should be paid or Illinois' governor should be thrown in jail.

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 1d

This might be the worst ICE video yet, because it’s literally random dudes hanging around, and then a bunch of heavily armed thugs running them down completely out of nowhere, because they’re brown. It’s a nightmare that would have seemed excessive in Jim Crow. Everyone in America should see this.

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 1d

ICE is not only chasing down every random brown person in Chicago, they have a cameraman following them to film this for social media. Cruelty and inhumanity as content.

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