cottonmouth's recent activity

  1. Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro

  2. Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro

    cottonmouth
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    as someone in the conservation/ecology/environmental science field: yep, this is scary. we are all in different stages of grieving the fact that basically we won't be able to avoid significant...

    as someone in the conservation/ecology/environmental science field:
    yep, this is scary. we are all in different stages of grieving the fact that basically we won't be able to avoid significant changes at this point.

    however, we are working to mitigate/adapt/plan for these changes and still have they potential to prevent even more extreme outcomes. if u can do any one thing, fight the apathy. doomerism is contagious and slows progress in a crucial moment where every second counts. all we can do is keep trying. i see ppl talking about future generations having the tools for crazy planet size problem fixing - i need yall to realize that you have tools NOW. decades in a customer service job, means you're able to communicate and problem solve for a community with diverse needs. your marketing and writing skills can be used to get the word out. business experience can negotiate/advocate multi-agency/org/community solutions. can u watch someone's kids, provide money or snacks, etc etc. we desperately need more than just climate and frog nerds who tend to be burnt out/overburdened and reach a much smaller audience.

    we spend so much time researching and applying the science, but isolated from the communities that need to understand and sustain it. so communication/education/outreach/adaptive planning is becoming much more centered and documented to achieve sustainable/long term outcomes.

    what barriers are there in ur community to change? who is already working on it, how can u help?

    random list of issues which limit our success/impact climate

    • poverty
    • education
    • inequitable access to nature (incredibly urban societies where generations are growing up with extremely limited exposure to nature, even as simple as a park. you generally don't fight to protect what u never had)
    • transportation
    • hyperconsumerism
    • severe lack of regulation/consequences for top polluters and waste creators
    • racism, classism, sexism

    i'm sorry if this post is not the most well written, i'm making it in a bit of a rush. can elaborate on anything or re-iterate whatever if anyone wants. we care, we need u, stay strong and look for the helpers and i should definitely get a tattoo of a truffula tree....

    9 votes

  3. Comment on ‘Hopeless and broken’: why the world’s top climate scientists are in despair in ~enviro

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    Maximize impact and efficiency. Pick a group working on an issue and add your support; for instance I volunteer for orgs performing habitat restoration/community outreach and education which...

    Maximize impact and efficiency. Pick a group working on an issue and add your support; for instance I volunteer for orgs performing habitat restoration/community outreach and education which should have long lasting effects. There are people doing the analysis (what's more effective - cloth nappies or advocating for local businesses to reduce excess waste?), and groups taking this info and acting. It's good to do things on an individual basis but rarely has the same reach.

    Even just committing to educating yourself & kids/order friends and family can have a cascading effect. Pick an issue and focus on it and see how it feels 💖

    Generally in group settings you will end up meeting people who have been working on said problem for decades & have much wisdom and advice to pass on. We can't do this alone y'all and our governments seem to not fit the bill at the moment

    3 votes

  4. Comment on Detransition is gender liberation, too - Here's to never being satisfied and forever changing in ~lgbt

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    ~~ hello fellow agender enby friend. it's so interesting how different experiences can be even within a certain subsection of gender: i definitely experience feelings of dysphoria and euphoria...

    ~~ hello fellow agender enby friend. it's so interesting how different experiences can be even within a certain subsection of gender: i definitely experience feelings of dysphoria and euphoria (honestly i would say "contentment" instead of euphoria tbh) as a person who has prominent gender associated body traits. while i dont really have a sense of gender, i like to lean into femme presentation (as well as masc or androgyny) but for a while felt like being femme as an afab agender person was kind of a self-betrayal. but it's not my fault that people look at me and assume things based on external perceptions. and it's not my responsibility to constantly present in an obviously queer way just so people believe i exist. im also bi/pan so im kind of used to "not existing" lmaoo

    i think that our perspectives are important, and freeing to others. thank you for sharing.

    8 votes

  5. Comment on Detransition is gender liberation, too - Here's to never being satisfied and forever changing in ~lgbt

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    as someone with their own gender goals, i find that it helps a lot to seek out environments where you can be playful with your presentation. intentionally queer spaces pretty much dont respond to...

    as someone with their own gender goals, i find that it helps a lot to seek out environments where you can be playful with your presentation. intentionally queer spaces pretty much dont respond to people exploring gender presentation however they want, besides saying "where u get that" or "u look cool/cute". this can include online communities!!! experiencing what it feels like when that is the norm is really helpful in finding the confidence to do it in "regular" settings. im so glad you have been able to reconnect with this part of yourself <3

    2 votes

  6. Comment on Swedish company Scout Park has launched a mobile app where you can tip off wrongly parked cars to traffic wardens to earn money in ~transport

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    i don't have an issue with ticketing for parking that is a safety risk or causes other real harm; i don't know what they're dealing with in sweden but i think the situation in new york is such a...

    i don't have an issue with ticketing for parking that is a safety risk or causes other real harm; i don't know what they're dealing with in sweden but i think the situation in new york is such a unique combination of factors that it doesn't make sense to me to compare them. in my experience (portland, houston, dallas) the much more common violation is just not paying/meter running out, parking during the wrong hours, or parking in someone else's space. like i care much less about someone parking without paying than someone parking next to a fire hydrant or in a handicap space.

    3 votes

  7. Comment on Burden of stroke attributable to nonoptimal temperature in 204 countries and territories in ~health

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    globally there is a decrease in heatstroke. however areas with high sociodemographic index (essentially, with the most burdens across multiple variables) are showing an increasing trend, which is...

    globally there is a decrease in heatstroke. however areas with high sociodemographic index (essentially, with the most burdens across multiple variables) are showing an increasing trend, which is happening at a more drastic rate than average/low sdi areas. more vulnerable/stressed communities are more impacted by temperature increases caused by climate change. there is a disparity in the amount of burden these communities are experiencing compared to others & increase in negative health outcomes

    4 votes

  8. Comment on Swedish company Scout Park has launched a mobile app where you can tip off wrongly parked cars to traffic wardens to earn money in ~transport

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    yeah, this just seems like a way to bring in revenue rather than improve public safety. reduce labor/time spent looking for infractions, increase volume of fines. while parking violations are...

    yeah, this just seems like a way to bring in revenue rather than improve public safety. reduce labor/time spent looking for infractions, increase volume of fines. while parking violations are irritating to other members of a community, most people aren't doing it in fire lanes where it poses an actual threat.

    i can't imagine what this would be like in the us. we already have people who call the cops for every possible thing, and SWATing. i wonder what their plan is to prevent false reports and spam

    6 votes

  9. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    lmaoooooooo. i like to think you were imagining a very specific person when you wrote that last line. wonderful break after wading through everyone's heartfelt ponderings.

    lmaoooooooo. i like to think you were imagining a very specific person when you wrote that last line. wonderful break after wading through everyone's heartfelt ponderings.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    yes, I was wondering if that was the case. if things don't seem to improve, it might be good to see if there are forums where people in your country discuss navigating the mental healthcare...

    yes, I was wondering if that was the case. if things don't seem to improve, it might be good to see if there are forums where people in your country discuss navigating the mental healthcare system; there are bound to be mismatches between provider and client, and i'm optimistic there is some kind of mechanism to deal with those situations!

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    it's ok to be afraid. i'm sorry that you are feeling alone, but i think it's pretty cool that you're reaching out here! that's a small step into the discomfort, and will feel easier over time....

    it's ok to be afraid. i'm sorry that you are feeling alone, but i think it's pretty cool that you're reaching out here! that's a small step into the discomfort, and will feel easier over time. while it must feel overwhelming to have two health concerns at the same time, it's also a good sign that you're looking after both. i don't know about you, but when things were difficult for me i spent a long time not looking after my health, so now i have a pile of stuff to attend to. it definitely helps to have supports, and it sounds like you're working on lowering those barriers. you're doing a great job 💖

    4 votes

  12. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    if it's an option, don't be afraid to fire your therapist (i know sometimes it can be difficult to change providers depending on the rules of your healthcare system/availability). therapists can...

    if it's an option, don't be afraid to fire your therapist (i know sometimes it can be difficult to change providers depending on the rules of your healthcare system/availability). therapists can be bad at their jobs unfortunately, or at least just not a good fit. this is a situation where I would take a hardline: "I don't feel safe exploring this. I am setting a firm boundary and want to focus on day to day management so I can have a strong foundation for trauma work in the future."
    if they respond poorly, I would personally be pretty hesitant to continue working with them. one of the hardest things to do is self advocate when you're struggling like this, but it's vital and ultimately kind of healing tbh - now that we are grown up, we can listen to our intuition and have much more control over what happens to us.

    if you ever need to talk, i've been working through a lot of similar stuff; feel free to dm me anytime

    4 votes

  13. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    thank you, it's been a long ass journey lmao

    thank you, it's been a long ass journey lmao

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    thank you, and a warm, comforting and well managed fire back at you 😌

    thank you, and a warm, comforting and well managed fire back at you 😌

    3 votes

  15. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    this is lovely. i'm tempted to steal it for depression/burnout, but as "tend the fire" or "keep the fire going"

    this is lovely. i'm tempted to steal it for depression/burnout, but as "tend the fire" or "keep the fire going"

    3 votes

  16. Comment on Hey, monthly mystery commenters, what's up with the hit-and-runs? in ~tildes

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    it will be an honor to witness ur craft 🙏

    it will be an honor to witness ur craft 🙏

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (April 2024) in ~health.mental

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    so, learning to manage mental health is not a formula. yes it's good to have exercises but if the current approach is resulting in increased SH, tell your care team and tell them u need something...

    so, learning to manage mental health is not a formula. yes it's good to have exercises but if the current approach is resulting in increased SH, tell your care team and tell them u need something different. at the same time, if you are beginning trauma work, all sorts of shit is going to come up and like... i don't know how you're supposed to have a fighting chance if you're still working on the "basics" (getting stable enough with coping skills that you can combat your SH urges). it might be that the excercises/tools they gave you work, but that they were established for a pre-deep-diving into trauma smoontjes. a bandaid will work to protect a scratch while it heals, but if something makes it bigger or it gets infected, you need a different bandage, maybe daily cleaning, and antibiotics. does that make sense??
    there is a lot going on, so i'm just going to focus on this specific part of your post. however, i would like to mention that many, many, many people get "late starts" in life: i am one of them! and many people who have met all the "milestones" have to play catchup with things they neglected to get to those milestones.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Hey, monthly mystery commenters, what's up with the hit-and-runs? in ~tildes

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    yoooo but everyone here saying they're afraid they're not good enough or smart enough, makes me want to comment more and lower the bar i feel like most tildeans? tildefolk? tildessii? are here...

    yoooo but everyone here saying they're afraid they're not good enough or smart enough, makes me want to comment more and lower the bar 🫡 i feel like most tildeans? tildefolk? tildessii? are here partially bc we understand that we are humans with different shit to offer and it's ok for the person who speaks 3 languages or has dyslexia or gets really sweaty when they try to discuss things to have a voice in conversations and often super important to have those voices. as a member of the YOLO generation, yol on my good people. let's get comfy. let the comments wash over u

    6 votes

  19. Comment on Hey, monthly mystery commenters, what's up with the hit-and-runs? in ~tildes

    cottonmouth
    Link
    i want to engage meaningfully but i'm also burnt out so it's hit or miss and it would be weird to respond a week later like i do with friends and texting 😅

    i want to engage meaningfully but i'm also burnt out so it's hit or miss and it would be weird to respond a week later like i do with friends and texting 😅

    6 votes

  20. Comment on Research samples collected over decades at Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet were destroyed when a freezer malfunctioned during the Christmas holidays in ~science

    cottonmouth
    Link Parent
    i assume the failure is most likely to be human related (improperly set up, problems with other infrastructure, lack of maintenance or poor quality maintenance, etc). it doesn't matter how fancy...

    i assume the failure is most likely to be human related (improperly set up, problems with other infrastructure, lack of maintenance or poor quality maintenance, etc). it doesn't matter how fancy something is if they don't utilize it (surely there should be someone remotely monitoring every system like this, checking in like once a day for key info?? feels like there would have definitely been a huge change in temp even if some sort of other alert system failed)

    7 votes