Be Our Voice

On my Taurus season break.

In all my rants about why social media has complicated/ruined political discourse, there is something I tend to brush past, yet is absolutely crucial: some people simply cannot speak for themselves. Some people will never have a platform due to the nature of their work, their sociopolitical status, or simply the circumstances of their birth. Incarcerated folks cannot start a blog. Political prisoners cannot make TikTok videos. Trans people who are stealth or who are currently detransitioned for safety reasons cannot become public trans figures. Our homeless neighbors generally do not have the means to start a YouTube channel about their experiences. This inherently narrows the scope of what is “acceptable” public discourse: as conservatives pretend to be “silenced” and white, conventionally attractive leftists complain about being shadowbanned by the algorithm, we need to recognize those who are actually silenced.

More crucially to this post, though, are non-citizens: those with visas or green cards have always been de-incentivized from taking part in political speech for a variety of reasons. They fear deportation from this country if they ever get in trouble with the law. They fear banishment from their home country if they say something that doesn’t align with the regime currently in power there. This has been true for years, but it’s been etched into stone now that international scholars are having their visas revoked en masse.

To be most accurate, some of these students seem to have been targeted for their political speech, while others have been targeted for legal infractions from years ago (think parking tickets and DUIs) and others have had no history of protest or legal trouble whatsoever. All three of these cases are horrifying: we a) are supposed to have freedom of speech in this country, b) are supposed to have due process and not double jeopardy, and c) should not be deporting people for literally no reason (other than, seemingly, not being white). This all becomes even worse now that Kilmar Abrego Garcia (who is legally protected from being sent to El Salvador) was deported there anyway, ICE is using AI to determine who to deport based on social media posts, and public officials are calling for a hyper-efficient deportation system akin to “[Amazon] Prime but for human beings”.

To anyone who still believes we live in a free country: what else do you need to see?

I’m honestly not even sure I should be posting this. Despite being a citizen, I’m vulnerable myself. Once they start deporting/imprisoning citizens, which feels like an “any day now” kind of thing, trans people will be first to go. I often feel like my continued existence is dependent on the far right not knowing I exist. I’ve recently set all my social media accounts to Private and I’m considering making this newsletter an entirely paid experience. There are a lot of questions I’ve been asking myself lately, many of which I can’t share here.

There are two things I know: 1) Safe people must be our voice now. 2) I need a fucking break.

If you are a low-risk individual—e.g., citizen and cisgender and white and male and straight—you must, MUST use your voice right now. Get loud and say what the rest of us cannot say publicly. I have a guide on helping trans people on my website, which is still up for now.

Also, I’ve made it a tradition of sorts on this newsletter to take a break during Taurus season. As a Taurus it’s very healing for me, plus it aligns with the end of the Spring semester when I get most busy with end-of-year events and grading. It will also give me time to rethink the public-ness of this whole project. So, as a programming note for this newsletter, expect some recycled content between April 20th and May 20th; I’ll be reposting some Anna Marie bangers from long before I got to 1,000 subscribers that I think deserve some love.

When I return, I’ll be posting a reflection on turning 30 years old. It’s been a stressful semester, so this break will guarantee that I can make it there at all. Thank you for understanding!

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Currently Reading

• A succinct list of nine tips for how to live from now on.

Watch History

• “Snooze Quest”, the new short film from animator vewn, is an incredible look into the absurdity of mental health treatment in the 21st century.

• A necessary look at the world of fake podcast clips.

Bops, Vibes, & Jams

• I’ve actually been obsessed with Joey Valence & Brae’s “NO HANDS” this past week. It’s style of high-energy, punk-inspired, sample-based hip-hop harkens back to an era of rap that I’m glad is still alive. Fav tracks: the title track, “WHERE U FROM”, “OK”, “WHAT U NEED”, and the remix of “THE BADDEST” featuring Ayesha Erotica.

And now, your weekly Koko.

Koko the cat, laying on a bed with a stuffed unicorn in the background.

That’s all for now! See you next week with more sweet, sweet content.

In solidarity,

-Anna