i have an idea:i’ll sell the bits of my brainthat contain all the unwritten wordsand let you sort them outit’ll save me the time of typingand realizing thatthe words on the pagedon’t shinequite so brightlyas the images in my head 11.26.24
Author: Clio
Trans Rights and One Way Empathy
Here is a belief that is not a fact: All people are born “biological male” or “biological female”. Here is a fact: In the US and most other countries, when an infant’s birth is registered with the appropriate authorities, they are assigned “male” or “female” based on their genitals. In some cases, where the genitals…
On Smells and Danger
This is about a stress event that happened last week at work. It’ll take a detour first, though. It is a half million years ago. Protohumans are actively evolving, living in small groups. The world is full of dangers: Toxins in the environment, cliffs and rocks that can break bones, predators that can eat us,…
Some Thoughts on AI
NaNoWriMo is under fire for suggesting that AI tools might be acceptable under certain circumstances. Here’s my position. It is unethical to use AI tools to create works that you then sell as your own product. That is plagiarism. It is unethical to use AI tools to create works if you have the financial resources…
The Paradox of Intolerance
It’s a common thing to say: We cannot tolerate intolerance. But, in reality, we not only can, but a healthy society must tolerate intolerant beliefs. In our quest to be pithy, we are missing an important distinction: We cannot tolerate intolerant actions. I am queer. There are people who, because of their personal beliefs, think…
convince me to breathe
i didn’t used to need you to convince me to breatheit used to come naturally:inhale, exhaleinhale, exhalebut then the weight of moments stacked upone on top of anotherand my lungs became afraidafraid they would seize up at just the wrong momentafraid they would disrupt the natural orderthe natural flowthe way things are supposed to bethe…
in the shopping mall
The man with the greasy hairwondersas he tries on the shoeif this is the way life issupposed to be. The woman with the overloaded bagsthinksas she looks at the Star(at Woolworth’s)that there were a few too manyUFOsto be so few. And the lights turn onand the gates are raisedand the gates are droppedand the lights…
Libraries
libraries sound like bookswhispering to each otherbeneath the rolling murmurof the air conditioning libraries are too brightfor the books to sleepand so they chatterrestlesslyof memories and futuresand worlds unseen dim the lights,turn off the fans,and let those poor booksrest 08.27.24
Update Your Language: Transgender Issues
The language concerning transgender issues has evolved in recent years, and you may well be using outdated language. Confusing this issue is that even some transgender people are using outdated or imprecise language, either out of habit or out of a desire to be understood. Language change is rarely instantaneous: Instead, it spreads around over…
Cedar Point
I’ll start at the end. The day after I chaperoned my school’s graduating seniors to Cedar Point, a junior asked me how it was. I shrugged. “It was fine,” I deadpanned. “Don’t you ever have any fun?” the student asked. And here’s the thing: I had had fun. It was fun. I just…. Okay, so….