[Kratom Review] - Jaya Kratom: West Borneo Red (30 grams)

I'm still a devoted Kratom user, y'all.  I apologize for the lack of updates and reviews on that front; I've just frankly been so underwhelmed with the kratom market since about mid-2017 I haven't bought anything new.  That's the last time I stocked up on a large supply from a previously primo Indo vendor, and it was bunk as could be.  Stateside stuff has been no better since the big popularity boom in 2016 following the DEA's announcement that the leaf would possibly be banned.  So yeah, after some of my fave vendors (VLNT, Canopy, Smiley Time) went to shit or quit taking reasonable payment methods, I got pretty butthurt.  Quality was the biggest issue by far, falling off dramatically after 2016-17.  

The rising demand drove new people into the Kratom farming business & forced them to start planting new Kratom trees and plucking the young leaves to keep up with demand.  Hence the shit-tier quality we see today.  (Most Indo farmers aren't Kratom users themselves, so it's not intentional in most cases.  The leaves on young plants look the same as old leaves on giant trees so there's no reason to suspect decreased quality).  Still, it sucks to spend big and get what might as well be Southeast Asian dirt.  I covered this in more detail here. 

Out of boredom and annoyance recently, I decided to search out some "old tree" Kratom vendors to see if such a thing even exists.  

Man scaling a Jaya Kratom tree 🍃

Enter Jaya Kratom, an Oregon-based company that claims to sell leaf harvested from old--sometimes REALLY old--trees.  I'm talking 50-75 years old.  I ordered the West Borneo Red leaf powder, which allegedly comes from 15+ year old trees and contains 1.98% total alkaloids.  The alkaloids tested for include:  mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine, paynantheine, speciogynine, mitraphylline, speciociliantine & isorhynchophylline.  The website claims that the West Borneo Red is harvested no more often than every four months from a "secret grove" of elderly wild trees in West Borneo, which sounds legit.  As long as it doesn't have any weird shit added to it I'll be stoked.  I do see some glowing reviews, though the most recent is from 3 years ago.  Still better than 2017!

Jaya doesn't have a lot of exciting or exotic strains, but they DO offer 3rd party test results and alkaloid content percentages for each strain, which I'd prefer over a bunch of sketchy strain names that serve as nothing more than a marketing ploy.  Quality > variety every time, though I do wish they had more than 1 red strain for sale as I have no use for the other colors.  Since I already blew my "fun" budget on THCa this month, I went for the smallest option--30g.  If it's any good I'll grab more.  My goal is to get something that comes remotely close to the "golden era" of 2015-2017 when vendors like Canopy, Motark, Tan Welton, Krabot, Okie Kratom, DG & Benni's Botanicals were all the rage.  Honestly, I've reduced my kratom use by more than half since then, yet nothing has hit me even half as hard as the kratom from back then.  Sometimes I question whether it affects me at all or is entirely placebo effect.  😔🍃

My pack, exactly as I received it

I ordered Jaya 30g West Borneo Red on a Saturday evening (the 5th) and received it on a Monday morning (the 14th).  So not super fast shipping.  Only paid $12, which is totally fair and reasonable since there was no added shipping cost.  Packaging was discreet and, while there were no freebies, the little informational cards were a nice touch (see pics above and below). 

The smell is delightful--that typical Play Doh-like scent that a good red strain has.  I stirred an unknown amount into water and sipped periodically throughout the day like I usually do, beginning to feel the effects almost immediately.  The taste is mild and inoffensive and the effects are on point for a red:  smooth, mellow and warm with lots of opioid-esque pain relief and mood lift.  I might even be feeling a touch of the spins.  (That's a GOOD thing, as the leaf I've had has been so weak I haven't felt that in at least a year... maybe more).  

My air conditioner is currently busted and it's still in the high 90s-100s here, so nothing feels TOO stellar right now, but I definitely notice a measurable change in my mood and thinking since taking just a few swigs of this brew.  It's good to know some companies out there are still focused on quality, even if the price is a bit higher.  While lab tests are easily faked, I still appreciate the effort and attention to detail.  It's more than a lot of vendors are doing these days.  

Another Jaya infocard

Would I order from Jaya Kratom again?  If I didn't need the order in a hurry, yes.  The slow shipping is a drawback.  But if you don't need it immediately, this is a solid supplier of high-quality "old" Kratom from aged trees instead of those useless houseplants other vendors be selling.  My only complaint aside from the shipping speed would be the lack of strain choices for red-vein lovers (IDK why, but whites and greens are far too speedy for me in a nasty adrenergic way so I mostly avoid anything but red).  But as stated, if I had to choose between a few quality strains and a plethora of sketchy strains with suspect names like "Light Yellow Elephant" and "Pink Pucuk Maeng Da," I'll DEFINITELY choose the former.  

Effects:  4.8 of 5 stars

Shipping:  4.2 of 5 stars

Price:  4.6 of 5 stars

Packaging:  4.8 of 5 stars

Overall:  4.7 of 5 stars

🌼🍄🏈🎪🥘

 

September 15th donations now accepted!  Drop them at one of the links below.  Completely anonymous and 100% appreciated.  Cashapp also available upon request.  See you again on the 1st of October!  


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Blame-Shifting: An American Pastime

It never fails:  any time a health or safety issue linked to corporate greed, political short-sightedness or scientific illiteracy occurs, some idiot in the comment section pipes up and puts the responsibility on the consumer instead of where it belongs.  Their comments always grossly oversimplify the issue, offering "solutions" that are either not feasible or plain nonsensical, only serving to prove THEIR scientific (and actual) illiteracy.  A couple of recent examples:

😐

The cyclospora and salmonella outbreaks, which are caused by factory farming and negligent, greedy, inhumane practices in which labor is outsourced to undocumented immigrants and farm workers in other countries like Mexico where bathrooms aren't available during work hours, leading to the frequent fecal-oral disease outbreaks in our food supply.  Rather than take meaningful legislative action, the retard public tells people to "grow your own vegetables".  Sure thing, Dandeighlion Soulstyce-Peacepipe, because everyone owns fertile farmland and has the skill/expertise and most importantly, TIME, to grow literally enough food to feed themselves and their entire family consistently.  🙄

Unless you have a huge South-facing window & endless time/patience (or thousands to spend on hydroponic setups) this just isn't feasible for city-and-apartment-dwellers whose outdoor soil is often contaminated by lead, PCBs and other toxic crap in inner cities. That's to say nothing of the fact that most people simply lack the time to invest in such a huge undertaking.  And it totally lets the offenders who are getting filthy rich selling these unsafe products off the hook.

Another disturbing example is LED lights, which have recently been shown to cause serious mitochondrial dysfunction and fuel chronic disease.  An excerpt:

"A growing body of experimental research suggests red and near-infrared light can influence mitochondrial activity.

In one human study, just 15 minutes of exposure to deep red light before a glucose test reduced the subsequent rise in blood sugar by roughly 28%.

Another experiment replaced some LED lighting in a windowless workplace with incandescent bulbs, which emit far more infrared.

After two weeks, workers exposed to the additional wavelengths showed significant improvements in color-contrast vision."

Scary, right? The thought that the light bulbs we were forced to switch to from CFLs (which we were forced to switch to when incandescent bulbs were phased out) could affect blood sugar and vision to that degree is horrifying, but that may be only the tip of the iceberg. These lights are everywhere, from our homes to our workplaces, schools, shopping centers and other shared public spaces. And what do brilliant cancer-curers in the comment section suggest? Go outside. I wish I was shitting you, but alas...

Go outside. That's it. That's the advice.

Uhhh, did you see the part about only 15 minutes of exposure causing measurable, dramatic changes in mitochondrial function?  Unless you plan on living outside 24/7, that's not going to do any good.  Besides, sunlight comes with  its own serious health risks in excess.  People work, go to school & are otherwise forced to be indoors all day with these toxic-ass lights, and the solution isn't "just never be inside then". 




So What IS the Solution?

Do you make this much at a cushy non-manual labor job?  Plus benefits?

How about we push for meaningful legislative action instead of just taking it up the tailpipe?  So sick of this passive, smug, victim-blaming attitude.  Every American is entitled to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which surely includes not being poisoned to death in our own homes.  If our so-called "representatives" are going to represent big business instead of voters and consumers, they can lose their next election & go get a real job like everybody tf else.  It's the job of the FDA, EPA, USDA, OSHA, FAA & others to ensure the safety & effectiveness of products & services, not to help industry leaders cut corners and enrich themselves at the public's expense.  

Stop viewing voting as the be-all, end-all of political participation.   This means not treating election night like the end; rather, treat it like the beginning.  Whether "your guy" wins or loses, the person in office is now "your guy," and they must answer to you.  Politicians are public servants paid with taxpayer dollars.  They receive top-of-the-line socialized medicine and $100,000+ salaries plus other benefits.  They're not subjected to the same indignities (drug tests, cognitive testing) us plebs are.  It's literally their job to listen to our concerns and represent us with their votes and other actions.  So check for open comment periods online when a big bill or law is about to pass.  Write or call your state representative, sign or start a petition, attend a townhall meeting or do any combination of these things to exercise your full voice and power as an American citizen.  Lead by example and maybe you'll persuade others to follow in your footsteps.  Because all the preaching and yelling isn't working. 

Individual responsibility and self-sufficiency have their place, but they won't get you very far when you're walking on a tightrope with no safety net and a 60 mph wind caused by climate change.  When our core institutions fail over and over in ever more spectacular ways and the response from the weary Peanut Gallery is basically "meh," you know we're in deep doo-doo.  

Misdirected Anger Vol. 1 Million: The Pink Scandal

Pop stars, actors & athletes aren't paid to represent you.  That's a politicians' job (hence the term "representative").  It's fine to unfollow & stop supporting a celeb financially if they do something you disagree with, but don't mistake that for protest or political action.  Your anger and action should be directed at politicians--especially the ones you voted for who went back on their campaign promises.  Instead, most people make excuses for "their guy" when he fails to deliver or does the exact opposite of what he or she promised on the campaign trail!  I can't wrap my head around that mindset other than to say it must be the 2-party cult brainwashing, but that's another topic for another day.

Being shocked when a wealthy, out-of-touch celebrity sides with an oppressor just tells us how out of touch Americans are in general.  These parasocial relationships are so out of control it's ridiculous, having people thinking they actually know complete strangers who live in mansions and walk the red carpet for a living.  It borders on delusional and is highly toxic in most cases, with "stans" and "armies" bullying detractors online and stalkers hunting down the object of their obsession in real life.  We're not just talking about teen fangirls here but grown-ass adults with fully-formed brains, careers and life experience, permanently infantilizing themselves with bizarre delusional fandoms and LARPing and fanfics and other cringeworthy shit.   

Clinton's 2024 comments defending Israel's war on Gaza

The latest example of this misplaced anger is pop singer Pink, who stupidly spoke out against pop rapper Macklemore for saying "Free Palestine".  The internet is now tearing down her whole career, digging up incidents dating back to the year 2000 and dragging her for filth.  Where was this energy when your so-called "liberal" politicians up to and including presidents Obama, Clinton and Biden sent billions in weapons to Israel for the last 3 decades or bombed various Middle Eastern countries for no damned reason?

Biden famously said he was "not a Jew but a proud Zionist" while Obama, who won a Nobel Peace Prize immediately upon entering office and proceeded to spent his entire presidency drone-bombing Yemen, did nothing to break the tradition of unwarranted American support for the genocidal nation.  Kamala Harris was prepared to do the same.  (Ironically, they're accusing Pink of being a "culture vulture" early in her career when Macklemore is a whole white rapper with a blaccent in the current year of our lord, but that doesn't fit the narrative so whatever).  🐸☕

Macklemore circa 2014

I'm not saying I agree with Pink, Boy George, Debra Messing or any other idiot celebrity who opens their idiot mouth to voice support for the baddies.  What I am saying is dogpiling them online does absolutely nothing and looks foolish when you let the politicians in charge of the situation off the hook repeatedly.  A celebrity gets one vote just like you and me.  Their opinion is worth the same as any other layman on the street (i.e nothing), even if they have a much wider reach.  And even the ones who voice support for the underdogs may well have a slimy/selfish reason for doing so.  Everything the rich do is about stroking their own ego.  Their stated views don't make them all good or all bad, and it doesn't mean they represent or care about you.  They're all vapid and self-obsessed, and they don't care about anything outside of their tiny little bubbles, just like most of us. 

Politicians have actual power to make and change laws, cast votes in Washington, meet with world leaders & a whole lot more.  In fact it's their job to listen to their constituents and consider their viewpoints before doing these things.  People seem to have it backwards, believing that the people who dribble the basketball and sing into the Autotuned microphone have all the power while politicians exist to be coddled and admired.  Seeing celebs through a pixelated screen and reading the incoherent thoughts they spew out doesn't mean you know them either.  It's all an illusion.  There's a reason they say "Never meet your heroes" and it's because the majority are assholes in real life.  Put that energy into nurturing the real relationships you have with genuine people who care about you and treat you well, even if they aren't rich or powerful.  ESPECIALLY if they aren't rich or powerful.  As you get older you'll come to realize that those are often the most insufferable, cutthroat types of all.

Bone Thugs Drama: The Writing's on the Wall

 So, the latest Bone Thugs-n-Harmony drama is the same as every other Bone drama in the history of this very dramatic group in many ways:  a concert or tour is underway and certain members are not present.  Bizzy, because he's Bizzy and has to be difficult.  And one other member is also absent, it's [checks notes] LAYZIE?!  Hol' up.  Resident spokesman and peacemaker who has always been seen as the "face" of the group and held things together when times were tough?  THAT Layzie?  The one who has done side projects with both Bizzy (as Bone Brothers) and Krayzie (as, uhhh, Bone Brothers 4 Lyfe) as well as a 3-man Bone album with Bizzy and Flesh entitled The Art of War:  WWIII and co-founded the legendary Mo' Thugs with Krayzie Bone... THAT Layzie?  The guy who even played go-between at the disastrous Verzuz after Bizzy threw a water bottle at rival group Three 6 Mafia and they began calling him crazy and a sissy?  

T H A T   L A Y Z I E ?

Excuse my confusion but this is just a *tad* out of character.  Granted, this group has had its fair share of trauma and tragedy over the years:  Flesh-n-Bone served 8 years on a 12-year sentence due to violent crimes fueled by PCP abuse; Bizzy Bone went on a drug-and-alcohol fueled downward spiral in the early 2000s after losing his close friend and label-mate Capo Confucius to murder as well as nearly every other rapper on his label 7th Sign Records; Krayzie Bone had a serious health scare in 2023 when his sarcoidosis caused extensive bleeding in the lungs, leading to a 9-day hospitalization and medically-induced coma.  Layzie and Wish are the only members who HAVEN'T had any major news-making health or legal issues, which is why this is so puzzling.  




Hard Times

Even good guys go through bad times

But it's not entirely unbelievable if you've been paying attention.  In 2022, Layzie's mother "Mama P" who served as a mother figure for the entire group back in the day passed away, taking a major toll on Layzie and his brother Stanley Howse (Flesh-n-Bone).  Earlier today, Krayzie Bone released a video alleging that the reason Layzie isn't on tour has something to do with needing to go to rehab, which is troubling if true... but also understandable. 

In the past, he's alleged that the reason Mo' Thug Records dissolved years ago had to do with Layzie's excessive drinking and "partying".  (To be fair, Krayzie is a Jehovah's Witness who has renounced his own marijuana use, so he may not be the most reliable source on this).  But everyone including Kray has a history of getting wasted in their youth so I tend to believe him on this.  I could definitely see Layzie over-indulging to deal with the pain of losing his mom and all the responsibilities of being in the spotlight.  Holding a chaotic, often-childish (looking at you, Bizzy) group together can't be easy.  Having a felon for a brother takes its toll.  Just being alive in a post-2020 world is not easy for anybody.

And you can't win with the fans.  If you're one of the two, three or four members who shows up to concerts, people complain that it's not a good show because they "paid to see all 5 members".  If you don't show up, people complain and flood your inbox because you weren't there.  If you look at it from a purely rational perspective, nobody skips out when it's time to promote a solo album, side project or their own record label; there's only issues when it's a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony show, album or tour.  That really says it all.  Like Krayzie said, if you wanted to be there, nothing could stop you from being there. 

Layzie calling out Bizzy's BS in 2010

The writing is on the wall:  Bone Thugs as we knew them in the '90s and 2000s is no more.  They haven't been a cohesive group for a long time--maybe even longer than people realize.  We know Bizzy started deliberately skipping videos by the time of Art of War if he "didn't agree" with the choice of single, but go back and watch the video for "1st of tha Month":  was he also not physically present in that video with the other guys?  It appears he was spliced in later if you watch closely.  He has a whole damn verse to himself while the other guys share theirs with each other, riding in the car together and stuff.  Even if he was physically present with the other members, he clearly wasn't very democratic about the video itself.  🙄

This shit started EARLY.

So I say to fans:  It's over, pack it up, let it go.  Bone had a great run and gave us tons of music that we'll have forever.  I hope they get the rights to their masters soon and can retire rich and leave something to their (many) kids.  I hope Krayzie's health remains solid into old age and he gives us more solo music and ditto Bizzy's mental health/sobriety and solo career.  I hope Flesh stays out of legal trouble and Wish finally gives us at least one solo album, even if it's just an EP.  And I hope for his sake that Layzie gets the help he needs for his drinking and/or drug problems if he indeed has them.  His rage at the comment on his Instagram toward the person who brought up alcoholism was out of character for the same guy who screamed at Bizzy Bone in the 2010 documentary that "You got a fucked up problem!" (see video above).  

Bizzy has always denied that he did any drugs harder than weed and alcohol, but we know for a fact he did ecstasy, and that "demonic" (read: severely manic) radio interview from 2005 suggests he may have done even more than that.  Still, he acts like it's a point of pride that he "only" drank and smoked weed, as if it's shameful to have a problem with other substances.  The way the guys in this group talk about addiction is not only wrong but offensive.  Addiction doesn't make you weak or a "fiend".  It's not shameful or an insult.  It's a bad coping skill, period.  It has both genetic and trauma-based roots, and getting help for it just means putting yourself in the shop for a minute to learn some new coping skills.  Failure to do so will lead to deteriorating health and relationships and eventually, death. 

We saw this with Gangsta Boo, who appeared healthy and feisty onstage at the Verzuz event and was dead a few months later from an accidental fentanyl overdose (despite not being an opioid user).  And ODB, who is notably absent from the stage at the Bone/Wu-Tang tour.  And Coolio.  And Shock G.  And DMX, Mac Miller, Lil' Peep, DJ Screw, Pimp C and countless others.  It's all fun and games and partying until it's not.  

Legendary band; legendary tour.  $19.50 concert ticket.  

Perspective

One of BTnH's many achievements

The very fact that all 5 members of this group are still alive and healthy enough to perform is a blessing, and they should be grateful to still have a fanbase who loves them enough to pay these INSANE ticket price to see them.  (Seriously, y'all are getting RAPED by Ticketmaster and other middleman companies!  There was a time when you could pay $19 to see Nirvana at the height of their fame in '91. IDGAF if they brought 2Pac out of hiding in Cuba to perform (lol jokes), I ain't paying $800 or $1200 for ANY concert!) 

Instead, the Bone boys remain stuck in a childish cycle of bickering, flakiness and petty drama.  So I say again, the writing is on the wall, fans.  If you continue paying an entire month's rent to support this mess, that's on you.  Sometimes you have to love people from afar.  As our borderline IQ president George Bush Jr. once said:  "Fool me once, shame on... shame on me.  Fool me--you can't get fooled again."   

Just for fun, here's what I'd like to see each member put their creative energy into going forward:   

Krayzie - Solo work + collabs with other legends like DJ Paul, Big Boi, Fatlip & artists with a fast flow like Do or Die/Busta Rhymes, who sound great on tracks with Bone.  Urgent:  Undergo an autologous blood donation at local hospitals in case of another bleeding incident since he doesn't "believe" in receiving blood transfusions from others.  Since he has a chronic disease and has already experienced a near-death bleeding event, this should be a top priority as it could mean the difference between life and death.

Wish - That solo joint(!) + collabs with Krayzie and Mo' Thugs.  We don't care if it's an EP or if half the album is Bone or Mo Thug features, just do it!  

Flesh - Mo' Thug appearances & performing solo/Bone material at oddball events like Sturgis.  Doing community outreach in Cleveland & speaking events at high schools about his time in prison.  Staying out of legal hot water.  Finishing his education (he was always said to be the brainiest member). 

Layzie - Shift his energy from being the face of Bone to Mo' Thugs, doing full-time development/promotion of talented acts like Havik, Thin-C, Cat Cody & whoever else is a current member (it's damn near impossible to find this info online which is a problem).  There were a LOT of highly talented acts on that label and I feel like they dropped the ball big time with them.  Make performers feel confident that they'll be treated well in the Mo' Thug family and you won't have to do much in the way of looking for talent.  Do guest appearances on the occasional track if you feel like it, but focus on emulating Eazy at Ruthless and securing Bone's masters.  And if the rumors are true, get your ass in inpatient rehab because we want you here with us for the long run.  

Bizzy - Focus on solo work, JamTV and Bloodline Harmony, but make them more cohesive and focused with all members contributing equally or else they need to break up and let the ones with true interest in music do their solo thing.  And work on getting us that full Heaven'z Movie album like he promised.  Stop with the "solo album every September 12th"--just give us an album when it's truly inspired.  I liked the idea of working toward getting Bone the rights to their masters as that's a smart business move, but it'll likely require all members to be on the same page, and we KNOW that's like trying to nail jelly to a tree.  🥴

🖤

The Fate of Violent Criminals Who Escape Justice in America

Even though we have a two-tiered justice system that is both objectively classist & racist, I do take great pleasure in the fact that many of those who triumphantly slip through its cracks end up destitute, isolated & fucked up on the fringes of society.  Our media has blood on its hands as well for too many reasons to list here, but there's one instance where I feel their coverage helps bring its own form of "justice" when the legal system fails:  in cases like those of Casey Anthony, George Zimmerman, Ethan Couch, Kyle Rittenhouse & Brock Turner.  These incredibly lucky assholes got away with everything from rαpe with instrumentation to quadruple murdεr without spending any meaningful time behind bars thanks to biased/corrupt judges, expensive legal counsel & their pasty white skin. 

But the communities in which they reside as well as social media haven't been nearly as forgiving.

No justice for the victims of this fαt rαpist fvck.

The most recent example of this is serial rαpist Jesse Mack Butler, who strαngled one girl so badly she nearly died.  Originally he was facing 78 years in prison for 11 felony counts of rαpe and domestic violence involving strαngulation.  But because his dad was a former official at local Oklahoma State University and the judge is a corrupt rαpe enabling cow, he walks free today.  His "sentence" included attending some fucking classes and he's no longer even under court supervision, free to return to the community in which he committed the brutal crimes... to the mansion in which his enabling parents created this monster & the alternate reality in which he had a promising career in pro baseball... or some bullshit.  That's right, criminals.  Rαpe and strαngulation are practically decriminalized in Oklahoma!*

*If you're rich, male, white & have a powerful donor daddy to bail you out of your bullshit.  

Brock Turner's post-crime reality

I'm hoping Jesseboy's actual life turns out like a mix of George Zimmerman (broke & homeless with PTSD) with a splash of Brock Turner (a washed-up registered s3x offender who's afraid to go out in public due to his notorious status as cowardly rαpist of an unconscious girl) and a hint of Ethan Couch, a 1st class BUM who was captured fleeing the law in Mexico and did some minimal time in jail (along with his enabling mom) followed by several years of probation. 

I just hope Butler doesn't hurt or kill anyone on his way to the bottom, but that blood will be on the hands of the Payne County courts, not me.  Please keep ALL of these pathetic violent criminals' names and faces fresh in your memory and don't let them fade; let them know they're not welcome in your business, on your private property or in your community as a whole.  Because they ARE a threat to you and your loved ones, especially after being emboldened by the legal system previously.  Each of them has one or more victims whose faces I won't share here because they've been through enough.  Some of their victims aren't even alive now because of these bottom-feeding bums. 

You have a right to keep your community free of known threats to your health and safety, be they in the form of violent individuals, polluting corporations or what have you.  If police and the courts aren't going to do their jobs, it's on you to step up and protect your kids and yourselves, not through acts of illegal violence but by plastering their ugly mugs all over the internet and public posters to inform your neighbors of their presence, and by refusing them service in your businesses, which you have a right to do.  Make them feel like the criminal outcasts and exiles they are, just make sure not to break the law yourself in doing so.

(You have no idea how enraged it makes me that I have to add special characters and censor the crimes of these rabid animals in order to avoid having the whole article placed behind a wall of unreachability by this evil corp.  Different issue deserving of its own article).  

Ally vs. Friend & Why the Distinction Matters

The ruling class has no problem forming unlikely alliances

Americans don't seem to know the difference between a political ally and a friend, and this can have dire consequences both at the local level and when it comes to electing a president, whom they often choose for entirely the wrong reasons.  Let me break it down:  

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆
☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Ally:  Someone who stands together with you to accomplish a specific goal based on a shared interest.  They need not agree with you about anything else or be someone you'd want to sit down and have a beer with--the only qualification is having a shared political or social goal.  You may love, like or hate them on a personal level, but that's irrelevant.  The relationship is a practical alliance, not (necessarily) a deep or lasting connection.  

Friend:  Someone you'd want to sit down and have a beer with.  Usually shares more than one position or viewpoint with you.  Someone you vibe with; a person whose company you enjoy.  (You should NOT choose a president you would in theory like to "have a beer with," as this is both irrelevant to their ability to do the job and not gonna fucking happen). 

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Class war often requires uncomfortable ally-ship.  

When people try to equate "TERFs" (aka women with the gall to say "no") with the conservative Christian types who also oppose gender identity nonsense, I have to remind them of this.  Yes, we stand together on this one issue.  No, we don't share views on literally anything else.  We're not friends in real life.  We don't even agree on the trans stuff for the same reasons, but that's beside the point.  Women know we can't afford to engage in ideological puritanism because we'll get nowhere.  If we let people get us distracted by our differences, nothing but infighting will happen.  The mantra with any political movement must be:  Stay focused, get the job done, shake hands and go your separate ways when it's over.  This becomes even more important when your allies have such opposite beliefs from you.

This is a lesson the Left and, as a whole, the entire U.S. could really stand to learn.  I recall during the SAG/AFTRA strikes of 2023, there was an attempt to divert attention by bringing up the issue of Israel/Palestine, claiming that people like Fran Drescher weren't doing enough to take a stance on the matter.  Kathy Griffin recently was accosted with similar allegations.  This is patently ridiculous considering A.)  They're both actors/comedians, and B.)  They're both beloved human rights' activists who lean heavily to the Left, meaning they're ON YOUR SIDE.  Also:  this has nothing whatsoever to do with the reasons they were striking.  It's a totally separate issue worthy of attention, but not when they're already in the midst of another fight.  This raises the question:  who's really behind these nitpicky ideological purity tests that always seem to be dividing the Left into 50 warring, ineffective factions? 

It's not the job of entertainers to take a stand against ANY social issue--that's on our elected representatives who are literally paid to make laws, create budgets and do other political tasks.  If performers choose to take a public stance, great.  But you can't "force" them to.  And if they lend their name, image, time and effort to a movement or social cause that has civil rights implications, be grateful and stand with them.  Even if you disagree with their personal lives or other political views.  Stay focused on the goal at hand and don't let informants and disinformation agents stir up shit.  The Powers That Be know that our strength is in numbers, thus they'll always try to cause division and break up large movements like Occupy Wall Street, the No DAPL movement, the Black Power Movement, Anti-Nuclear Movement & Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS).  Any time a social movement gets increased funding or visibility, it's a good thing.  But that also means it's now a prime target for those who wish to sew dissent & discord among its supporters, hence the need to stay focused & remember what differentiates a friend from an ally.