It’s still VERY ABLEIST if you say, “AI Art is bad because I’m Disabled/my friend is Disabled/my cousin’s brother is Disabled/I saw a video of a Disabled person and all of these folks were able to learn to do adapted art without AI, so you should to because in my view AI art is theft.”
No. Nuh-uh. GTFO with that ableist trash take.
Here’s why.
All Disabled people are different. Some Disabled people can indeed learn to do art through alternative means, like by using different tools to support them or by painting with their mouths. That’s amazing! 🤩 So cool that the human spirit is so determined and that people are so creative. This type of thing needs to be encouraged and supported in every single way imaginable!
HOWEVER!!!!!!!!!
There are many, many Disabilities that simply do not allow people to physically make art. For example, my own Disability is a severe neuromuscular disease where my muscles fatigue so quickly that I could not possibly paint with my mouth. It’s not physically possible. Because of the nature of my disease and nerve issues, I also can’t create digital art. There are tons of people with similar barriers – folks with other neuromuscular diseases like ALS (think people like Stephen Hawking), or folks whose paralysis is too complete to hold any implements anywhere on their body or use any devices to physically make art. There are Disabled people who are completely blind but had vision once and wish to bring something to life for others as a visual image, or people who have suffered intense burns and can’t touch much of anything. There are people with severe coordination problems from severe cases of cerebral palsy, or really bad side effects from medication. The list goes on and on and on.
Ultimately, we don’t have to defend ourselves to able-bodied anti-AI gatekeepers. We also shouldn’t have to explain to other Disabled people that those people don’t speak for the entire Disabled community when they say, “Well, since *I* am Disabled and can make art, no Disabled people should use AI.”
Disability is a massive and wildly diverse spectrum of disease, syndromes, symptoms, curability, function, severity, ability, and need for accommodation. Disabled people are unique individuals and no one can say what another Disabled person can do, deserves as an accommodation, or should be allowed to have or forbidden from having, especially based on statements like, “Well, since *I* can do this, you should, too.” That is cruel ableism. That’s like saying if you’re a Disabled person who manages with a cane, then why do I need a power wheelchair?! Shouldn’t I get up and walk?! Why am I less mobile than you? Just walk! You can walk with a cane; why can’t I?! You’re Disabled, so I should be able to walk with a cane, too. Right?!
AI is Disabled liberation. Is it art in it’s pure form? No. No one is pretending it is. What it is is ACCESS to a hobby and a pastime that has been denied to millions upon millions of Disabled people until now because our specific Disabilities kept us from creating any visual works whatsoever.
As a writer, I can now use AI to illustrate my own fanfics, create some fun fandom pieces, some silly things about cats… It’s fun. And it’s something that had been denied to me because of my specific Disability.
AI is Disabled liberation.
Anti-AI is Ableism.
Some of my recent little happy things that I’ve made just for fun… made possible for this very Disabled person by AI.
Disability shouldn’t even get into it. These tools now exist, they’re convenient and widely available. If you want to use them (especially for fan fiction, which is non-commercial), you should be able to, without anyone clutching their pearls.
And, again, most artists who deplore using these tools all have websites built on Squarespace. You know, that cheap and convenient solution that allows you to build a website yourself, rather than hiring a developer who spent years honing their craft, and who also are passionate about buying groceries and paying rent.
My favorite thing about this post is how artist Lauren Walsh chose to build their site on Squarespace, instead of hiring a programmer to build one for them. But I guess studying programming for 20 years is less of an effort than studying illustration, so it’s okay to take advantage of computer tools that replace humans when it’s convenient for you, isn’t it?
So, basically, I have a pinned post on this blog to aid in “aesthetic” and “vibes.”
For the majority of its life, since I posted it about a year ago, it’s said “Welcome to Netscape X” in reference to the Netscape Navigator 10.0 release that never was since the browser was discontinued shortly after 9.0’s release.
But given… recent events from a certain cringelord, I’m not sure if “Netscape X” has the best vibes, anymore. So help me out and give me some opinions/feedback.
I’m completely subject to ignore this poll and change my opinion on the phrase, but for now I’m in a weird place and just want to hear other people’s opinions on the matter.
Ok but like. What the fuck is there to do on the internet anymore?
Idk when I was younger, you could just go and go and find exciting new websites full of whatever cool things you wanted to explore. An overabundance of ways to occupy your time online.
Now, it’s just… Social media. That’s it. Social media and news sites. And I’m tired of social media and I’m tired of the news.
Am I just like completely inept at finding new things or has the internet just fallen apart that much with the problems of SEO and web 3.0 turning everything into a same-site prison?
ALSO you should consider browsing Virtual Pet List and seeing if there are any pet sites you might be interested in playing. There is a whole genre of browser games right under your nose
Another one that I just found recently is this, which is a whole collection of blogs, organized by topic!
Look guys the real internet IS STILL THERE I’m going to cry
Getting off of twitter and onto neocities has really healed me and I am so glad to see it is healing other people too ;u; let’s retreat into the self-made digital woods and away from corporate bs pls, I am so tired
hey all, i’m working on something that will (hopefully!) be done and publicly available in several months and i need your help. if you have 5 minutes, please fill in the form linked above. answers are anonymous and you can be as detailed or as short as you want in telling me about your rec. i will actually try to watch as many of them as possible (hence the several months)
i’m looking for movies made outside usa/hollywood. usamericans, i love you, but the point of this is going beyond hollywood productions. if you can share the post though, it’s much appreciated.
To start off, I’m gonna recommend Amintiri din Epoca de Aur (Memories from the Golden Age), a 2009 Romanian comedy, about urban legends from the Communist period.
Next off, the French Taxi series (1998, 2000, 2003, and some shitty ones), a comedy series about a taxi driver and a cop, in Marseille. Great if you like fast cars and/or Marion Cotillard.
Then, the German comedy Soul Kitchen (2009), about a Turk whose restaurant and fortunes go through some changes.
Also, 1999’s Absolute Giganten, another German comedy about friendship, good-byes and when it’s appropriate to bet your brand-new Audi on a foosball game.
Finally, the Swedish comedy/drama Fucking Åmål or Show Me Love (1998), about the trials and tribulations of coming out when it’s the early 1990s, you live in a small Swedish town and you just fell in love with the most popular girl in school.
Edit: Forgot the Mexican comedy Chiles Xalapeños (2008) about corruption, sex and a really fucking ugly sculpture.
