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RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist

@yesthataunt.bsky.social

210 followers 480 following 2K posts

Technology. Policy. Social Justice. Menopause. Dark Humor & Tales from the Liminal Hedges. Raised by and among Monsters. Yet I Remain. Follow the Money. Follow the Metadata. 100% Organic Spherical Thinking. Opinions mine

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RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · Dec 6

Opinionated and/or Personal Post Is Opinionated and/or Personal.

OR

Things That Happened Since Last Time I Checked.

👇

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

P.S.

Yes.

Bert & Ernie are x 2.5.

One has less odious ideas but voted 3rd party, while knowing how bad a 2nd term would probably be.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

In a sense, this is my litmus test wrt which groups walk the walk vs. those who just talk / launder their daddy's money.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

Thus, my unpopular opinion is:

If anything having to do with animal companion services ratios human ones--or start appearing first, your org / ad hoc human network has a compassion / empathy problem.

You're willing to feed && house Spot / Tiger, but fuck the humans who have no place to go.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

Perhaps in shared spaces / community organizing, they have volumes of low-cost vets, in home vet services, pet palliative care, adoption centers, and/or feed + vet co-ops...

But fuck those "lazy" "freeloaders", who need a little help to get to a safe(r) / more stable situation.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

Bert & Ernie might donate $$$$ to animal charities, and $$$$$$ to keep their animal companion with them, for as long as possible.

But don't necessarily bat an eye over sweeps or the (sub)urban blight caused by out of control housing costs / stagnant wages.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

So, the type who might ask you to say a prayer or attend a sermon in a faith you don't practice just to get a box of mixed goods you're gonna have to Budget Iron Chef to feed yourself && family for as long as possible.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

So, plenty of talk about "bootstraps", "only to the deserving", and absolutely means tested.

For humans.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

Bert & Ernie, as adorable + charming as they are, believe that charity should be a result of effort, care should only be provided to the penitent, && poverty is proof of individual moral depravity / character "weakness" vs. a matter of policy + systemic.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

Given the type of work both Bert & Ernie have chosen to do, you'd think some of that compassion or desire to help / preserve life would also be evident in other arenas.

Personality quirks aside, this is mixed at best.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

It took some doing but Bert finally convinces Ernie to do the right thing after ~8 months regular vet visits && a veritable pharmacy of pet meds.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

The dog was small.
The dog was at the upper limit of age.
The dog's quality of life was suffering.

And Ernie didn't want to let the dog cross over in peace to the tune of high five/low six figures.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 15h

ANYWHOZIT...

Not too long ago it was time for one of theirs to cross the rainbow bridge.

I mean, the beauty of little dogs is they tend to live longer than their larger cousins.

But big or small, losing any animal companion is heart breaking.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 16h

Neither wanted kids for a host of none of our business.

But they do have Fur Babies, whom they spoil.

You should see their socials. Absolutely adorable and a place I frequent to get a break from Existential Dread / Doomscrolling.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 16h

NOW...

Bert & Ernie are two Pretty Cool kids.
One is a nurse by day && a horror writer at night.
One works in our justice system by day && likes to see + be seen around town.

They do alright, even in this shit-ass economy.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 16h

(Some names / places have been changed to protect the innocent && the guilty.

DONC DONC!)

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 16h

An Unpopular Opinion Story Time!

OR

A Little Ditty About Getting Ratio'ed

a spiral is shown on a black background with the words light processes below it .

ALT: a spiral is shown on a black background with the words light processes below it .

media.tenor.com

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 18h

Should you try this experiment, I'm interested in what you discovered along the way.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 18h

So that's my personal bias in terms of how I do + this experiment.

That and technically, I have a dual degree in comp sci & communications. My university calls it something completely different.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 18h

Your Truly remembers those "tune the content to be top three in search" years.

AND

"How do we do the same in [Notorious Asian Market]?"

I will note that in these conversations, no one really stopped to consider cultural context and/or how any assumptions led to the wrong conclusions.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 19h

P.S. Try this experiment for funsies:

Take however you use this here internet && do one thing different for a week.

Like, use a different browser, search engine, or turn off any ai-assist.

Take some notes about what you see / feel.

Then go back, if you want to.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 19h

But oh boy howdy, do we like to rubber neck or watch train wrecks.

And now we get served up ever-smaller && solipsistic reality bubbles, at an ever-increasing rate.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 19h

The Dirty Dozen DGAF && cults always seem to end up in sex scandals, human trafficking, and something to do with outer space. (c.f. "star seeds", comets / significant astronomical events, "Mars or Bust", Roko's basilisk, etc.)

Anything taken to the extreme, the end results are usually harmful.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 19h

Yes, we kinda got here due to a combination of things like Moore's Law, statistics, human behavior, boom/bust cycles, immigration waves && who has consistently been in the room vs. who has not during the development of these platforms.

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 19h

(See also: That thread I did about how humans are actually more efficient in terms of processing power && BTUs last week. >:))

RJ • Interdisciplinary Digital Strategist @yesthataunt.bsky.social · 19h

The solution isn't necessarily some version of Content Notes (b/c those can quickly dissolve into a flame war.

Given these platforms have washed their hands of any moderation / accountability + bots, these just end up increasing network usage / data storage / energy costs.)