Spotify Reconsidered + No Kings 2.0

I said last week that I wasn't strong enough to give up Spotify despite my misgivings about some of its behavior, but it crossed my red line when it started running ICE recruitment ads. These ads, which claim that "millions of dangerous illegals are rampaging the streets," sound like dystopian propaganda written by a first-grader, which means the pathologically stupid, fearful, and racist people who brought this regime to power in the first place must love them. The Department of Homeland Security claims that they've already led to 175,000 applications and 18,000 tentative job offers. I'm very skeptical of that. Everyone in the United States is very aware of ICE, and I highly doubt that hearing an ad for it would be the determining factor for someone to become a Gestapo cosplayer, even if they are offering bonuses. Regardless, I canceled my Premium subscription yesterday. I'm going to die someday, and how much I stand up for my principles during my limited time is more important than how much convenient music consumption I get. I'll keep using Premium for the rest of the month that I've already paid for, and then I'm not sure what I'll do. See if I can get an adblocker for the free version, possibly.

I went to a No Kings protest yesterday, of course. I think I'm going to gouge my eyes out if one more braindead MAGAt says, "If we didn't have a king, you wouldn't be allowed to protest." First of all, that's not even true. Second, the orange taint is trying very hard to stop people from protesting. Third, yes, we know he isn't a king, but he clearly doesn't. Anyway, this protest at the Salt Lake Capitol was at least as big as the last one, and I think it was bigger. I'm not sure because this time I showed up early and stood on the steps, and I couldn't see the entire lawn. I was concerned that fewer people would show up because of the accidental shooting last time, but logically, since shootings happen all over this country every week, that wasn't a good reason to be scared of protesting. The march after the rally was canceled because the organizers didn't have enough safety volunteers for the size of the crowd, but a few hundred people decided to march anyway, and instead of arresting or shooting them, the police diverted traffic for them. (I say "them" because I wasn't initially part of that group, but I joined it when I came across it.) That gave me a lot of hope, since we'll almost certainly reach a point where asking the government nicely to give our rights back won't be enough. (And no, I don't care that we inconvenienced drivers. A permitted march would have inconvenienced them too, and protests are supposed to be inconvenient and disruptive.)

I didn't take any pictures this time. Some people don't feel safe being photographed at protests. Myself, I don't care. I want everyone in this regime to know the depths of my contempt for them and everything they stand for. I would tell the orange taint to his face exactly what I think of him, after I spat in it. I'm grateful for the opportunity to participate in the largest protest in American history. I was born for this moment. I've never believed that anyone from my parents to the president was entitled to my deference merely by virtue of their position, and my parents' attempts to beat my "attitude" out of me only magnified it. My dad tried to invalidate my worldview as an adult by mentioning for the first time ever that I was diagnosed with "oppositional defiant disorder" as a kid, which I'm positive is a bullshit disorder, but I'll wear it as a badge of honor if it gives me the ability to stand up to fascism instead of voting for it like he does. Anyway, good job, patriots! Keep it up!

Oh, I forgot there is a picture of me after it ended.