The Insufferable

3 days ago

Beforian

Those who came before us.

@consultingGoodness[CG]

N9w seems as g99d a time as any t9 p9st this. TW: #hem9spectrum #hem9ism #classStructures #a6use #6i9l9gicalDifferences #6i9essentialism #ageInequality #9ppressi9n #p9litics #p9liticalVi9lence #scheming #6ig9try #discriminati9n #m9narchy 9n The Hem9spectrum, 6i9l9gy, The Caste System, and H9w They Reinf9rce T9xic P9wer Structures: A snippet 9f a 6r9ader essay. Where t9 6egin when it c9mes t9 the t9pic 9f tr9ll 9ppressi9n? There are many great starting p9ints, 9f c9urse, and I w9uld 6e remiss t9 say any 9ne 9f them is m9re 9r less valid than an9ther. Well, 9kay, there are a few causes that shall n9t 6e named which - while certainly n9t t9 6e 9utright dismissed - are a 6it less pressing in terms 9f their impact c9mpared t9 9thers. There are, after all, limited res9urces. Limited w9rds t9 say. A limited am9unt 9f attenti9n t9 c9mmand. The largest and m9st pressing issues sh9uld 6e tackled first, 6ut all issues sh9uld 6e tackled in time. T9 that end, what is the m9st pressing and influential fact9r in the 9ppressi9n 9f 9ur tr9ll s9cieties? 96vi9usly y9u kn9w, as it's in the title. The Hem9spectrum. The vari9us c9l9urs 9f 9ur 6l99d, the differences in 9ur 6i9l9gy. The fact9rs we d9 n9t get t9 ch99se, fact9rs which we are 69rn with and cann9t change. Pr96lematic 6ehavi9urs can 6e unlearned; pr96lematic p9wer structures can 6e dismantled. 6ut 9ur pr96lematic f9rms are n9t s9 muta6le, at least n9t with9ut severe and extreme change - and trans-tr9llism is a sch99l 9f th9ught I am unf9rtunately rather uneducated in. N9r w9uld I see a mandat9ry transiti9n t9 p9st-6i9l9gical 9r p9st-m9rtal 69dies as any less tyrannical and 9ppressive than the mandat9ry edicts 9f culling and systemic a6use that are currently in place. Let's n9t 6eat ar9und the 6ush, here. N9t all tr9lls are 69rn equal. Th9se warmer 9n the spectrum are exp9nentially m9re numer9us, and s9 p9ssess m9re psi9nically gifted individuals 69th in raw num6ers and in pr9p9rti9n t9 their p9pulati9n. Th9se c99ler 9n the spectrum are lesser in num6er, 6ut p9ssess exp9nentially greater lifespans and likewise tend t9 6e m9re physically gifted in height and strength. (I sh9uld n9te, firstly, that i d9 n9t use 'lesser' and 'greater' in the sense 9f merit, 6ut rather raw statistics and num6ers. Sec9ndly, that this 6eing the case d9es n9t imply either side is '6etter' than the 9ther, simply that there are distinct 6i9l9gical differences.) Then, 9f c9urse, there is the variance within each gr9up - n9t all 6urgundy 6l99ds p9ssess telekinesis. N9t all indig9 6l99ds p9ssess extreme strength. And while these unique pr9perties c9me with their 9wn sets 9f challenges, it is n9netheless a privilege in 9ur s9cieties given that they artificially select f9r these traits. 6ut th9se are the 6r9ad str9kes. Let's f9cus in: H9w d9es the hem9spectrum enc9urage 9ppressi9n, t9xic p9wer structures, and 6ig9try? S9me w9uld say it's purely s9cietal, and t9 a degree they're n9t wr9ng; the hem9spectrum is indeed pr96lematic 6ecause s9me have decreed they are a69ve 9thers, using their caste as a marker 9f superi9rity. Many wh9 say this 6elieve, in s9me way, that s9cietal upheaval, re6elli9n, and an 9verthr9w 9f the ruling class will fix such pr96lems. While I adv9cate f9r a great redistri6uti9n 9f s9cial capital, I have t9 say this view is a little naive. 6ecause the pr96lem, dear reader, is the 6i9l9gy. It is n9 c9incidence that 9f the tr9ll s9cieties m9st are aware 9f, fuchsia 6l99ds reign supreme. This is n9t 6ecause they are necessarily the str9ngest, n9r the smartest, n9r even the m9st suited t9 lead - such 6i9essentialist n9nsense sh9uld 6e discarded 9ut 9f hand, th9ugh it is true fuchsias 9ften p9ssess p9wer greatly in excess 9f the average tr9ll. Instead, I p9int t9 a single m9re specific reas9n f9r their d9minance: Time. Tenure. While a 6urgundy 6l99d may live f9r a few sweeps, and c99ler 6l99ds f9r several centuries, fuchsias are 9n an entirely different level. Their lifespan is perhaps measured 6est in millennia, 9r 6y generati9ns. It is 6y n9 means an imp9ssi6ility that a fuchsia may 9utlive any tr9ll that came 6ef9re them, 9r indeed even 9utlive the cultural kn9wledge 9f there 6eing a time 6ef9re their 6irth. I exaggerate, perhaps - 6ut I, at least, c9uld n9t name an Empress 6ef9re the 9ne ruling 6ef9rus during my lifetime. This, 9f c9urse, is danger9us in terms 9f s9ciety. While fuchsias are the extreme, c99l6l99ds in general p9ssess lifespans which all9w them t9 enact change 9ver the c9urse 9f several generati9ns 9f warmer 6l99ds. It is easier f9r them t9 accrue capital, 69th 9f the wealth and s9cial kind, and it is easier f9r them t9 have the experience necessary t9 kn9w exactly where t9 spend it t9 achieve maximum effect. And, as well, fewer num6ers mean fewer pieces in play, fewer rivals t9 w9rry a69ut, fewer cra6s in the 6ucket. Fewer candidates f9r limites r9les 9f auth9rity. Even in a s9ciety dev9id 9f 9ppressi9n, in a s9ciety where all castes are equal, with9ut pr9per checks and 6alances in place t9 ensure a neutralizati9n 9f privilege? It is inevita6le that there will 6e individuals 9f ill intent capa6le 9f su6verting systems t9 their gain. This is true 9f all castes, 9f c9urse, 6ut while warm6l99ds may have the num6ers and p9wers t9 stage expl9sive re6elli9ns? C9lder 6l99ds, 6y and large, are a6le t9 simply wait it 9ut and ensure their visi9n unf9lds, gradually, s9 insidi9usly sl9w that it may n9t 6e perceived until it is already t99 late. That's n9t t9 say warm6l99ds cann9t enact lasting s9cial change 6y any means, simply that it must 6e d9ne thr9ugh means 9f generati9nal influence - f9ll9wers, disciples, teachings, as seen with the 'Signless' 9f Alternia. The issue is that c9ld6l99ds are equally as capa6le 9f creating such d9ctrines, as evidenced 6y the 9pp9sing 'Clurch' 9n Alternia, yet have the additi9nal advantage in lifespan. And, s9: 69th 6ef9rus and Alternia, as well (as far as I can tell) as all varying timelines similar en9ugh t9 intersect, result in a caste system heavily fav9uring c99ler ends 9f the spectrum, with fuchsias at the t9p. Where challenging the rule is difficult, 69rdering 9n imp9ssi6le. Where 9ppressi9n is a way 9f life, with each caste pecking d9wn until there's n9thing left t9 6e pecked. Where th9se wh9 exist 9utside 9f neatly 9rdered 69xes are c9nsidered undesira6les f9r fear 9f upsetting the natural 9rder 9f things. 9nce a system such as this is in place, it is a m9numental feat t9 und9. This, 9f c9urse, is with9ut even g9ing int9 the 9ther advantages c9ld6l99ds p9ssess. The telepathic and c9ntr9lling a6ilities s9me ceruleans can c9njure, the frightening state 9f enragement purples may p9ssess, and 9f c9urse d9main 9ver the sea which vi9let and fuchsia 6l99d grant - ensuring a d9mini9n largely unt9ucha6le 6y 'landdwellers'. Warm6l99ds may have telekenetic p9wers, psi9nic p9wers, 6east c9mmuni9n, and whether 9ne p9wer is greater than an9ther is a de6ate I am n9t willing t9 have - 6ut, again, the increased lifespan 9f c9ld6l99ds ensures much, much m9re time t9 h9ne said a6ilities. This is als9 why I 6elieve a hyp9thetical warm6l99d-tyranny empire never materialized, at least n9t in any timelines I have witnessed. With psi9nic p9wers and great num6ers it is 9f c9urse p9ssi6le f9r them t9 c9mmit great acts 9f harm and terr9r, 6ut there w9uld always 6e a risk 9f 9ppressed c9ld6l99ds simply 9utliving their enemies 9r 9f dynasties and dictat9rs perishing and creating turm9il- and, additi9nally, c9ld6l99d's sparser num6ers w9uld make them less ideal as pr9les. I 6elieve any such s9ciety w9uld 9nly exist with the eradicati9n 9f c9ld6l99ds in general 9r 9therwise a cultivati9n 9f them that render them n9n-players t9 an even severer degree than current structures d9 with warm6l99ds. S9, h9w d9 I rec9mmend we tackle this? Ultimately, it's hard f9r me t9 say. 9f c9urse, a c9mplete dismantling 9f existing p9wer structures such that n9 tr9ll h9lds p9wer 9ver an9ther w9uld 6e ideal, th9ugh with9ut any p9wer whats9ever it w9uld 6e imp9ssi6le t9 ensure 6ad act9rs remain in check. Even with an elect9ral system, crafting 9ne which is n9t in essence a p9pularity c9ntest - 9ne where dem9nstra6ly th9se with pr9ven hist9ries tend t9 6e vict9ri9us m9re 9ften than newc9mers, especially when fact9ring in p9litical 6l9cks and parties - is immensely difficult. I 6elieve a few tenets that sh9uld 6e included in any such s9ciety w9uld 6e a strict term limit including a restricti9n 9n l966ying t9 ensure th9se with greatly expanded lifespans cann9t cultivate a m9n9p9ly 9n p9litical p9wer 9ver time. An9ther w9uld likely 6e t9 ensure that there is n9 single great auth9rity, that all decisi9ns must 6e made via c9mmittee - ideally, a c9mmittee with representatives fr9m every caste. A pr96lem with this, h9wever, is that there may indeed n9t 6e en9ugh 9f the higher c9ld6l99ds t9 ensure mem6ers w9uld always 6e capa6le 9f serving. Perhaps a mandate where each caste gets their turn in the sp9tlight f9r a d9zen sweeps 9r s9? 9r perhaps 9nly decentralized auth9rity can truly 6e equal, with smaller c9mmunities g9verning themselves with strict rules against 96taining m9re than 9ne's fair share 9f wealth and p9wer - t9 ensure said p9wer never crystallizes. These are simply suggesti9ns; I am m9re c9ncerned with the dismantling than the administrati9n which c9mes after. All I can really advise is that we each, all 9f us as individuals, c9me t9gether and try t9 6etter 9urselves. T9 treat th9se 9n either end 9f the spectrum with kindness and equality. T9 n9t all9w 9ur differences t9 divide us, 6ut instead t9 6ring us t9gether. In p9licing 9ur 9wn ha6its, 9ur pr96lematic 6ehavi9urs and patterns 9f speech, we can cut d9wn 9n the harm we cause and try t9 distance 9urselves fr9m the systems which attempt t9 restrict us. Cast 9ff hem9ist and casteist language, w9rk past 9ur prejudices, and try t9 undermine the auth9rity which c9mmands 9therwise whenever we can.