Imagine thinking that it's absolutely outrageous that for every £50k I get paid, I have to pay 20% (or whatever) to the government in income tax, and yet not thinking it's outrageous that for every £250k in value that I produce for the company I work for, I have to pay £200k to them just so I'm allowed to work there.

Couldn't be me.

Can't remember if I posted this previously, so apologies if I'm repeating myself. I blame my age.

One of the things I find very enjoyable when cooking is comparing different ways of making the same dish.

Quite often, I'll start with an "anglicised" version, and then once I've got an understanding of it, I'll move to a more "authentic version"

In this case, guajillo sauce.

As an introduction to chillies that I'd never used before, Rick Bayless's version was good; now that I'm more comfortable with the ingredients and techniques, I've found that Bricia Lopez's version is much better, and I find it more consistent (and easier to make, honestly)

I made enough from the recipe link to fill the jar, but I used some before taking the photo

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hcTn0lEFzF6JkvohwImcchG2rRDy1apJXU_jOgS6arE/edit?tab=t.0

@CorvidCrone it definitely all lends itself to a twirl around the kitchen!

And then maybe a little sit down afterwards, of course

@CorvidCrone The whole scene was when I was 13 to 17 or so, and went from young "headbanger" to "actually, dancing in a club is quite cool too"

Off the top of my head:

The Charlatans
Happy Mondays/Stone Roses as per previous post
Inspiral Carpets
808 State
James

Later, Black Grape, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on5TLUz-ag4&ab_channel=BlackGrapeVEVO

(they'll be more, I just can't recall)

all had similar-ish (more or less dancy) if you fancy a twirl around the kitchen

@CorvidCrone Oh, now you've got me started.

Very late 80s/early 90s (after The Smiths), Manchester produced a whole bunch of music which was dance-able to.

House music, acid house, so on, but also some indie guitar-based stuff. The most famous were the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, but a bunch of others too. Stuff that you could dance to in a club, anyway.

Primal Scream's "Loaded" was probably the best example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3ixEzKA4k0&list=PL5XLGrK0i7mUV7O25x2JUbIRxRZB3j0Js&index=7&ab_channel=PrimalScreamVEVO

(I reserve my right to change my mind over the next 50 minutes as I remember other songs at my grand old age and think "ahhhh, the Soup Dragons 'I'm Free" was a fucking banger!, actually!")

@CorvidCrone I appreciate that.

I dunno if related, but we've been vaguely watching Reacher and Tracker in my house. I've an idea that they play into the same thing of "competent white tough men who aren't utter arses"

I enjoy it on a certain level, it's easy watching. Sort of comfort stuff.

@CorvidCrone I can't either, but I felt very unqualified to push back, on a private chat; I'm English, white, male, I straight-present, I'm middle-aged and so on; I've not gone through anything like she has, so quite possibly the State and Police were helpful to her.

(a hard one, and I'm definitely feeling squiffy about still)

@CorvidCrone Right, so side note:

I've had a bass guitar for 30-ish years. I learned how to play "warrior bass" (think Megadeth or whatever) when I was 15 or so, and then swiftly realised I liked to...dance...rather than headbang. I got quite into acid and other house, plus the whole Manchester thing.

I dunno if I still can*, but I certainly used to be able to play most of the Stone Roses.

*by which I mean no.

@CorvidCrone ahhh, yeah, that makes sense, yeah.

When I think less of "you lot, my literal friends on here" and more of "things I read in articles and books", that does skew more male, I'd say.

Not 100% (in case I get brigaded by the "not all anarchist men" crowd), but the skew is there, I reckon.

@CorvidCrone There's always that " Well, how can anarchism teach me or my children how to play the flute, huh? No answer? Checkmate, anarkiddie!"

Like, I've no idea whatsoever?

I can barely play a bass guitar myself. I've also no idea how to build a bridge or a road. I teach your 6 year old how to make an omelette and a little bit more, and I'm good with maths, sort of local economics and I'm not horrible with DIY and cars.

But "where does my kid learn flute?" (extrapolate to a whole bunch of other stuff I know nothing about) yeah, that ain't me. I need to defer to people more knowledgeable than me.

Which is the entire point, soz.

@CorvidCrone There was a bit of "anarchism doesn't look after the vulnerable, which is why you don't see many female anarchists", which hit me.

Like - again, I'm not going to count it all up, but I'm willing to guess that I get a more than decent amount of engagement from "female anarchists", and whilst I'm not sure of my follower/following count, I dont *think* it's disproportionately cis-het white men lol.

(And, I would also say, very strongly, when I've been at most "vulnerable" over the past few years, I would not discredit the community on here - my followers - with giving me reasons to stay hopeful. I cannot stress that enough)

@CorvidCrone I was very hesitant to say that - she has very much gone through some shit that I cannot, with the best effort in the world, honestly say I can possibly understand, so I sort of get it (as best I can)

I suppose I wish she'd come across the sort of people that I know on here, when she needed it.

("She" is important, vs my "he", here, I think)

A day or so ago, I had a chat with a online friend - a very liberal (in a very good way) friend. I've largely kept my political leanings to myself, as it wasn't appropriate, but we somehow got into anarchism, and their response was along the lines of "yes, well, that's all well and good but anarchism doesn't look after the vulnerable or marginalised, you need a decent government to do that."

And, like...I think of the various people on here, my followers or the people I follow.

I wouldn't want to, and I'm not going to attempt to, put a percentage on it, but...jeez.

They've had a hard life, and I wasn't about to start quoting numbers or anything - that would have been prickish of me - but when I watch the same 20 people passing round the same $100 dollars every time we need something (and this includes me needing stuff), I very much wonder what people think "anarchism" means in the US.

@AnthonyJK Of course. Wish I could do something more material 🤝

My friends:

Can we help out my mate Anthony?

Rent+bills+I can only imagine food and other expenses necessary to living due very urgently indeed

Link below, but please follow thread for updates:

https://kolektiva.social/@AnthonyJK@mastodon.redgarterclub.com/114544463752969075

@AnthonyJK

@AnarchoNinaWrites *Somewhat* similarly, I wanted nothing more than to be wrong about wearing a mask for the last five years.

A different thing, of course, and a VERY different level of engagement, but similar in terms of "I'm not doing this for shits and giggles, folks, and I'd love nothing more than to have been wrong and feel a little bit silly, actually!" and for people to say "lol, that NeonSnake, he was a silly chap, for that, wasn't he?"

But I ain't wrong, so far as I can tell. So I carry on.

For the people who tell me I'm wrong to scream about encroaching fascism? Yeah, I'd love to be "lol at silly NeonSnake and his overreaction"

But I ain't wrong, so far as I can tell. So I carry on.

The temptation to whack this on NextDoor with a suitably vague title like "WATCH OUT: LOCAL SCAM: nearly fooled me!!one!11!"?

Increasing by the glass.