collaborative and community blog to leave our mark around the love of care and the fight against eugenics

https://masksarecommunity.substack.com/about

about this blog:
hello, my name is demian, i have been thinking for a few months about starting a collaborative blog, i have my own blogs where i upload my reflections, but i think it would be interesting to have a common space where i could publish and have the freedom to publish with or without a name and have it all in one blog, one of hope, love and radicalism.
the struggle against eugenics, like other radical struggles, feels very lonely. especially when the state and the system have put so much money in individualistic propaganda both before the pandemic and especially after the beginning of the pandemic.
having compassionate common spaces of love for the care of the masks and the fight against eugenics is key to be able to continue the fight. that is what this blog is for. if you would like to participate and/or help with the management of this blog, you can communicate through:
mvione@proton.me
https://t.me/demianmasks
signal: demian.67

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

Condenados a muerte por Covid | Katie Tastrom

El Estado utiliza las enfermedades contagiosas como parte informal del castigo del encarcelamiento.
Katie Tastrom es una activista anticapacitista que ha trabajado como abogada, trabajadora social y trabajadora sexual. Su trabajo ha sido publicado en las antologías Burn It Down: Feminist Manifestos for the Revolution y Nourishing Resistance: Stories of Food, Protest, and Mutual Aid, así como en numerosos medios de comunicación, entre ellos Truthout, Rewire y Rooted in Rights. El siguiente es un extracto de su primer libro, A People's Guide to Abolition and Disability Justice, publicado en mayo de 2024 por PM Press.

https://autodefesasanitaria.substack.com/p/condenados-a-muerte-por-covid-katie

El 10 de abril de 2024 se cumplirá un año desde que el presidente Joe Biden firmó una resolución del Congreso que pone fin oficialmente a la "emergencia de salud pública" del COVID-19. La semana anterior a esta decisión, más de mil personas habían muerto a causa del virus en Estados Unidos.
Declaraciones como la de Joe Biden no solo son retóricamente falsas, sino que tienen efectos negativos concretos. El fin oficial de la "emergencia de salud pública" ha llevado al fin de muchas medidas sanitarias implementadas para proteger a la población del COVID. Por ejemplo, Medicare, un seguro de salud público que tienen muchas personas con discapacidades, ha dejado de cubrir las pruebas caseras gratuitas y las pruebas PCR. Si bien algunos planes de seguro de salud aún cubren las pruebas, muchas personas sin seguro ya no tendrán acceso a pruebas gratuitas.
Hay tantas medidas, grandes y pequeñas, que podrían haberse implementado antes y después del comienzo de COVID para que la pandemia sea menos mortal. El gobierno podría haber mejorado la comunicación y la educación en materia de salud, haber priorizado las medidas para proteger a los vulnerables, proporcionar ingresos para que pudieran quedarse en casa y haber evitado la aplicación de las patentes farmacéuticas.

No llegamos a donde estamos por casualidad. El COVID no estaba destinado a convertirse en endémico, y decisiones como esta, que tienen como objetivo poner fin a la emergencia sanitaria, tendrán el efecto de aumentar la enfermedad y la mortalidad de los más vulnerables. Una de las principales razones por las que el COVID se ha vuelto tan mortal se debe a las decisiones políticas que ven a las personas marginadas con discapacidad como sacrificios aceptables para el capitalismo. Esta perspectiva se refleja -y se amplifica- en el sistema penitenciario estadounidense.

El COVID y las prisiones
La discapacidad y el encarcelamiento están estrechamente vinculados, y a lo largo del libro, discuto cómo el sistema penitenciario utiliza la discapacidad como pretexto para tomar el control de las vidas no solo de las personas con discapacidades, sino también de las personas indígenas, negras, morenas, queer, transgénero y pobres, siendo siempre las multimarginadas las más atacadas. Una de las razones por las que la pandemia ha sido particularmente devastadora en las prisiones es que la mayoría de las personas encarceladas son discapacitadas, lo que las pone en mayor riesgo de morir o sufrir una enfermedad permanente por COVID si la contraen.
La respuesta del gobierno de Estados Unidos al COVID-19 fue predecible y demencial. La pandemia ha dejado al descubierto cómo las políticas sanitarias afectan a todo lo demás, y las muertes por COVID no se han sentido por igual en todas las comunidades. Después de ajustar por edad, las comunidades indígenas, latinas, de las islas del Pacífico y negras experimentaron tasas de mortalidad por COVID significativamente más altas que las comunidades blancas y asiáticas. Tampoco es coincidencia que las poblaciones con mayor riesgo de encarcelamiento sean las mismas que tienen más probabilidades de morir de COVID: las personas con discapacidades de color. Es el resultado de decisiones y políticas que simultáneamente abandonan y vigilan a las personas con discapacidad.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

When COVID Eugenics Killed My Grandmother
Honoring the martyrs of this eugenics means not allowing ourselves to forget.
https://camaradademian.substack.com/p/when-covid-eugenics-killed-my-grandmother

June is one of the months when I think most about my grandmother, along with March, when the state of emergency was declared. In general, any COVID-related anniversary brings her to mind.

My grandmother had psychiatric issues since at least her thirties. Poverty and raising five daughters in a patriarchal world pushed her into madness. Her daughters were afraid of her. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She also had epileptic seizures that left her unresponsive. Around 2010, she had breast cancer. She was a mother whose work for her daughters was hardly ever appreciated (and this isn’t about her personally—domestic and care work, in general, is undervalued and taken for granted).

My mother always tells me an anecdote from when she was about 20. One of her sisters said their mother didn’t clean the cutlery properly. “Mom is exhausted,” was how my mother defended her.

Domestic work and the prison of motherhood also consumed my mother. Slowly, she’s managed to begin freeing herself from that, but not many women manage to.

At the end of June, it’s my grandmother’s birthday. For several years she had been living with my aunt in a rented apartment in southern Italy. They barely went outside because my grandmother didn’t want to, and my aunt didn’t want to pressure her. My aunt received no recognition or gratitude for all the care work she did for my grandmother; instead, the men in the family labeled her as crazy too. A madness that, like all madness, is social and tied to context. The criticisms of my aunt’s “madness” always came from men who weren’t even family—just the partners of family members.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

"Just because I wear a mask doesn't mean I'm locked in my house" is an ableist argument
let's not fall into ableism

https://camaradademian.substack.com/p/just-because-i-wear-a-mask-doesnt

From time to time, there are trends on social media from people who call themselves COVID-conscious. A few months ago, one of the trends was showing everything you could do while wearing a mask. This, in principle, isn't a bad thing, but the problem is that the narrative and the phrases being used were that y"ou don't live in a cave when you wear a mask".

These kinds of phrases and trends erase those of us disabled who are forced to stay home, either because we are too disabled to go out, because we know we can't afford infections, or in general because of the inaccessibility of not wearing masks in public spaces.

In all communities and all movements, there are revolutionary and reactionary lines. There are people who call themselves COVID-conscious but have lack an anti-capitalist analysis of eugenics. And coincidentally, they are often the same people who don't focus on disability justice (they often simply name it but don't practice it). It could also be that a person simply made a mistake and fell into liberalism. Just as we know we're not immune to COVID, we're not immune to propaganda in general.

I have Crohn's disease, and since the beginning of the pandemic, I could do many things in my life. In 2023, I started to consider setting limits because I was seeing that so many people were not wearing masks anymore and I was trying to find the words to really figure out what I wanted to do. In May 2024, I had a symptomatic COVID infection that caused me to develop dysautonomia and that really disables me (even more).

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

"llevar mascarilla no significa que no salga de mi casa" no es el buen argumento que se cree que es
no caigamos en capacitismo

https://camaradademian.substack.com/p/llevar-mascarilla-no-significa-que

de vez en cuando hay tendencias en redes sociales de personas que se autodenominan conscientes del COVID (Covid conscious en inglés), hace unos meses una de las tendencias era enseñar todo lo que se podía hacer mientras se llevaba mascarilla. esto en principio no tiene nada de malo pero la problemática es que la narrativa y las frases que se ponían era que no vives en una cueva cuando usas mascarilla.

esta clase de frases y de tendencias lo que hacen es borrar a los discapacitados que nos vemos obligados a no salir de nuestras casas ya sea porque somos demasiado discapacitados para poder salir, porque sabemos que no nos podemos permitir infecciones o en general por la inaccesibilidad de que no se utilicen mascarillas en espacios públicos.

en todas las comunidades y en todos los movimientos hay líneas revolucionarias y reaccionarias, hay personas que se autodenominan consciente del covid pero que tienen una falta de análisis anticapitalista sobre la normalización, y casualmente suelen ser las mismas personas que no centran en la justicia discapacitada (porque muchas veces simplemente la nombran pero no la practican). también puede pasar que simplemente una persona cometió un error y cae en el liberalismo, igual que sabemos que no somos inmunes al covid tampoco lo somos a la propaganda en general.

tengo Crohn y desde el comienzo de la pandemia he podido hacer vida dentro de lo posible. en 2023 empecé a plantearme poner límites porque estaba viendo que hay muchísimas personas dejaban utilizar mascarilla y estaba intentando encontrar las palabras y los análisis para poder ver realmente qué quería hacer.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

Dear activists, who are you willing to lose?

The protester

The protester developed Long CVD after an infection at her favorite restaurant. Now she has ME/CFS which comes with debilitating fatigue. Her symptoms worsen significantly after physical, mental, and emotional activity. She can no longer attend protests.

The community organizer

The community organizer developed Long CVD after an infection from a dance party.

They have dealt with mental health struggles their entire life. But LC has worsened their depression symptoms and they no longer organize events or actions. They were one of the few people in town doing this.

The zine maker

The zine maker developed Long CVD after an infection at a medical appointment. Their LC triggered inflammatory arthritis in their hands and now they cannot hold their art supplies without causing pain. They've had to stop making zines.

Possible lasting effects from a COVID infection

Extreme tiredness

Problems with memory

Being lightheaded or dizzy

Problems with taste or smell

Sleep problems

Shortness of breath

Cough

Headache

Fast or irregular heartbeat

Digestion problems

Migraines

Lung disease

Autoimmune disease

Chronic kidney disease

Heart disease

Mood disorders

Anxiety

Stroke or blood clots

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)

Myalgic

encephalomyelitis-

chronic fatigue syndrome (ME-CFS)

Mast cell activation

syndrome

Fibromyalgia

Diabetes

Hyperlipidemia

From "Long COVID: Lasting effects of COVID-19" via the Mayo Clinic Aug 2024

Wear a mask, clean the air, follow disabled creators, advocate for LC research, and support your local mask bloc!

• Remember: covid is not over, 50% of infections are asymptomatic, minimum 10% of infections end up in long COVID, re-infections wreck us, COVID spreads and moves like cigarette smoke.
• There is no way to “train” the immune system
#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking #DisabledLiberation #DisabilityJustice

what you really want is to have the same privileges as rich non-disabled people (that is, you do not intend to truly free disabled people from oppression).

It reminds me of Kollontai's famous quote about privileged feminists (that can be applied to any oppressed group):

“What is the aim of the feminists? Their aim is to achieve the same advantages, the same power, the same rights within capitalist society as those possessed now by their husbands, fathers and brothers. What is the aim of the women workers? Their aim is to abolish all privileges deriving from birth or wealth. For the woman worker it is a matter of indifference who is the 'master' a man or a woman. Together with the whole of her class, she can ease her position as a worker.”

With this reflection, I don't intend to create a hierarchy of people on the internet. For me, it's extremely clear who is an influencer and who is an activist about Long Covid. With this reflection, I intend for us to ask ourselves if anyone with Long Covid is truly a representative of the community. Privilege means that, both in algorithms and in general, more importance is given to privileged people. Eliana could have used her privilege to amplify the voices of the oppressed, but her class position, and above all, her ideological position, has placed her in a different place. That's the key, not just the privileged position you have, but the political decision you make regarding how you act.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

Ableism repeatedly pushes suicidal thoughts into disabled people.

Not wearing a mask also pushes us closer to that direction. Not wearing a mask means not defending disabled lives and not stopping mass infection.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

el capacitismo empuja una y otra vez los pensamientos suicidas en las personas discapacitadas, empujándonos como si no hubiese otra salida

no usar mascarilla también nos hace estar más cerca de esa dirección. no usar mascarilla significa no defender las vidas discapacitadas y no parar la infección en masa.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

hace un tiempo mi tía me dijo que somos las personas frágiles las que tenemos que seguir utilizando mascarilla. las personas utilizan varios términos que para mí son completamente eugenésicos cuanto menos e insultos disfrazados de eufemismos. el término que más repite la gente es vulnerable, pero cuando mi tía ha utilizado la palabra frágil lo primero que me ha venido a la cabeza ha sido literalmente un bebé. un niño. y realmente me pregunto en qué momento existe una anti solidaridad enorme con las personas que somos la prueba evidente de que necesitamos la interdependencia y el cuidado.

me pregunto si mi tía también se atrevería a decir que un bebé es frágil y que lo utilizaría como una excusa para no cuidarlo.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

A while ago, my aunt told me that "we fragile people" are the ones who have to keep wearing masks. People use various terms that, to me, are completely eugenic, to say the least, and insults disguised as euphemisms. The term people repeat most is vulnerable, but when my aunt used the word fragile, the first thing that came to mind was literally a baby. A child. And I really wonder at what point there is such a huge lack of solidarity with people who are living proof that we need interdependence and care.

I wonder if my aunt would also dare to say that a baby is fragile and use it as an excuse not to take care of it.
#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

"masking ruins my outfit" ok so aesthetic or not killing you community what do you think it's more important babe

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

The vast majority of the population hasn't asked themselves whether it was really safe to stop wearing a mask because the state hasn't provided the right to have that conversation. When there are no viable options, it seems like we can't create a new topic to talk about, but we are capable of doing so.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

la gran mayoría de la población no se ha hecho la pregunta de si era realmente seguro dejar de utilizar mascarilla porque el estado no ha dado cobijo a poder tener esa conversación. cuando no se dan opciones posibles parece que uno no puede crear un nuevo tema del que hablar pero sí que somos capaces de poder hacerlo.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

Having Long COVID means experiencing two isolations: one for being disabled and the other for being clear evidence of the state's negligence in the pandemic we continue to experience.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

Imagine talking about privilege and supremacy and literally looking the other way with coronavirus eugenics and how it's disabling and killing the most oppressed communities.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

imagínate estar hablando de privilegios y de supremacía y literalmente mirar hacia el otro lado con la eugenesia del coronavirus y como está discapacitando y matando a las comunidades más oprimidas.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

A while ago, my mother told me I wasn't living a life, and I told her I hadn't even asked myself what a life was exactly. I don't want a life where I hang out with people who wouldn't be willing to take care of me. I don't want a life where I'm with people who wouldn't visit me in a hospital or call me. I don't want a life of not caring I'm doing enormous harm to our communities.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking

hace un tiempo mi madre me dijo que no estaba viviendo una vida y yo le dije que ni siquiera me había preguntado que era exactamente una vida para mí. yo no quiero una vida en la que salgo con personas que no estarían dispuestas a cuidarme. yo no quiero una vida en la que estoy con personas que no me visitarían en un hospital y tampoco me llamarían. yo no quiero una vida de pretender que nos está haciendo un enorme daño a las comunidades.

#CovidPersistente #LlevaMascarilla #RealistaCovid #AutoDefensaSanitaria #CovidSonAerosoles #birdflu #gripeaviar

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid

Seeing the negligence surrounding infections and the enormous frequency with which I'll have to be hospitalized, I'm literally making my will just in case anything happens.

I'll try to be as clear as possible because there are a lot of things to do if I die.

#MaskUp #WearAMask #CovidRealist #CovidIsAirbone #LongCovid #YallMasking