Be a shame for something this epic not to become a real event in history.
PS Hey, go big or go home right? I just used Fox News to help me know which celebrities to message. And of course, it’s not a party until you invite the Jedi Master and HRH the Dutchess of Cambridge. ❤
There is a current history of knitting and activism – check out Knitting Nannas, who protest against fracking and coal seam gas in Australia. They are a peaceful protest organisation, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get arrested for doing things like chaining themselves to fences. I don’t see why knitters in the US couldn’t use the same approach to protest ICE. Basically it’s using what’s perceived as a genteel, unthreatening hobby to be subversive and get attention. It never looks great for authority when they’re dragging grandmas in cardigans into police cars, and they know this.
The Burnum Burnum Declaration England, 26th January, 1988
I, Burnum Burnum, being a nobleman of ancient Australia do hereby take posession of England on behalf of the Aboriginal people. In claiming this colonial outpost, we wish no harm to you natives, but assure you that we are here to bring you good manners, refinement and an opportunity to make a Koompartoo – ‘a fresh start’. Henceforth, an Aboriginal face shall appear on your coins and stamps to signify our sovreignty over this domain. For the more advanced, bring the complex language of the Pitjantjajara; we will teach you how to have a spiritual relationship with the Earth and show you how to get bush tucker.
We do not intend to souvenir, pickle and preserve the heads of your 2000 of your people, nor to publicly display the skeletal remains of your Royal Highness, as was done to our Queen Truganninni for 80 years. Neither do we intend to poison your water holes, lace your flour with strychnine or introduce you to highly toxic drugs. Based on our 50,000 year heritage, we acknowledge the need to preserve the Caucasian race as of interest to antiquity, although we may be inclined to conduct experiments by measuring the size of your skulls for levels of intelligence. We pledge not to sterilise your women, nor to separate your children from their families. We give an absolute undertaking that you shall not be placed onto the mentality of government handouts for the next five generations but you will enjoy the full benefits of Aboriginal equality. At the end of two hundred years, we will make a treaty to validate occupation by peaceful means and not by conquest.
Finally, we solemnly promise not to make a quarry of England and export your valuable minerals back to the old country Australia, and we vow never to destroy three-quarters of your trees, but to encourage Earth Repair Action to unite people, communities, religions and nations in a common, productive, peaceful purpose.
Me: reading a meme supporting minorities
Me: I bet they forget disabled people, so many forget disabled people.
Meme: the handicapped
Me: …
Me: wow. That was worse.
It can be difficult when you’re disabled to consciously prioritise yourself.
To admit that you’re having a bad day and that you need to step away from everything that isn’t essential to your day-to-day survival.
Often, your subconscious can handle rationalising why you’re pushing off tasks.
The world won’t end if you live off Pot Noodle for a few days or the kitchen isn’t clean or you don’t shower over the weekend.
But right this second, in this political climate, it’s very easy to feel as if the world might end if you’re not marching or phoning people or engaging with incredibly heavy subject-matter constantly.
And everyone always tacks on “if you’re able”.
“Everyone should be doing this! But, like, I mean those who are able. Don’t feel bad if you can’t. But also, here’s a list of ways to engage with it anyway if it’s difficult for you. No pressure, but this person did it and they hate phone calls!”
But what about those of us who are nebulously able?
Who could maybe push ourselves, but at the expense of the essential day-to-day stuff, like our jobs or studies or basic self-care?
So here’s a reminder to everyone who is nebulously able: doing shit like this is for good days.
And it’s not even the first thing to do on a good day because you have to put the hoarding for bad days first.
Wait for a good day.
Make sure you’ve caught up on basics like shopping and cleaning and all of those things that shouldn’t have gotten so far down your list.
Make sure that engaging with these kinds of topics isn’t going to drain you of spoons that you need for the near future.
A comic about looking after yourself, your loved ones and your mental health during the tough times ahead. I started this last November, when people were hurting so hard it was difficult to function – I’m sorry it took me so long to finish it.
This is really important for those of us with chronic illness, mental illness, and disabilities, for whom marching is a dream, for whom calling politicians is an impossibility. I am queer, mentally ill and developmentally disabled. Any of these alone makes me marginalised in a society that lauds the healthy, the efficient, the successful, the conventional. Just by existing, just by refusing to pretend I’m anything but what I am, I am fighting. And by stimming in public, by wearing clothing that is both comfortable and reflective of my political beliefs, by holding hands with my partner, I am being the change I want in the world. I am carving a niche for myself and taking the space people would deny me. I am fighting for those who cannot do as much as I can.
knitting in the dark 