Artemis (Cynthia Jeub) 2: Still Grifting

[Ozlsn]

I think even here which has less stringent requirements she would be unable to go on a disability pension but would be on JobSeeker benefits instead, which are firstly unliveable (they are so far below the cost of living it's appalling, even the Australian Business Council has lobbied for it to be increased) and also require you to actively seek work and show that you are doing so. 

I honestly don't know where I sit with this, although the "working for large corporations" part made me laugh - work for a small business then?

[QuittersTry]

I have to say that I worked hard on retrieving their old blog entries from the Wayback Machine. It was a fun project and I re-read all the entries as I went along. Most content was not re-posted. The voice was very powerful, they describe a writing process that was effortless. I suspect most of that material was produced during frenetic, high paced periods before any trauma was processed. I think some of rhetoric tools that were used (which lead to such great short format stories) are similar to speech and debate. 

What has been published outside of the blog is not so great. Kind of "word vomit" like they hate the topic and just want it out of their body ASAP. I remember Art saying there were lots of rewrites and the material is kind of worked to death, IMHO.

Art has said they remember very little from childhood and I wouldn't doubt if there was a lot of dissociation going on... which may have lots of life-long impacts.

The struggle over "right" and "wrong" is evidenced in a lot of the questionable "needs". Are bamboo products really "right" if you need to beg for them? Is bamboo better for the environment, yes! Are you a better person b/c you buy them...? Similar struggles over fad topics in economics, colonialism,  environmentalism, social expectations of the disability community...

Anyway, my two cents... 

[Maggie Mae]

13 hours ago, QuittersTry said:

I have to say that I worked hard on retrieving their old blog entries from the Wayback Machine.

Would this be the blog that was "lost" before the current blog at https://artemisstardust.com/? 

13 hours ago, QuittersTry said:

Similar struggles over fad topics in economics, colonialism,  environmentalism, social expectations of the disability community...

There are conversations to be had here, for sure. Art is intelligent, and I think that's why they struggle so much. They are also very similar to their father, unfortunately. Unfortunately, I find it really difficult to engage or offer encouragement to people who always have an excuse as to why they can't do something or why something won't work for them. 

I also think that a person who wants to go public with their story opens themselves up to all sorts of criticism, questions, and not all of it is fair. However, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting details regarding steps taken, though, before offering to support another human. Not because we want medical information or are just nosy, but because people want to know they aren't being scammed.  People offer advice because they care and want to help. And sometimes that advice is to think about working, or at least disclosing the disability so that people are more interested in supporting a person who can not work vs supporting a person who chooses not to work. 

There are so many jobs in their area right now. Dog walking/cat sitting/front desk/call center/entry level office work. Tons of temporary grassroots stuff. They are able to walk, so they could be paid to hand out flyers, which is at least an income. And it's pretty flexible hours. There's always selling plasma/signing up for drug trials. There's virtual assisting and copywriting work. Non-profits and giant companies. 

Here's a link to their comments a few months ago on a reddit AMA they set up. I don't hate them. I also don't think it's ableist to question why they are asking for money all the time and encourage them to try different types of jobs. Having a steady income leads to a higher quality of life - for planning, for being able to budget, to be able to feel secure for more than a few days at a time. And jobs do come with benefits. 

 

 

[Jackie3]

It's true that rich people exist, but being mad about them will not pay the rent. And say what you will about Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, but both of those men worked  tirelessly for decades till they achieved their success. Worked harder than I'd ever want to work. Gave up many things, in order to build their businesses. I'm not saying billionaires are all good people (far from it), but most of them have worked very hard in their lives (Prince William excepted).

Art says call center work is not a possibility, but what about the thousands of people who do work those jobs? They are not all 100% in perfect health. I'm sure many have chronic health conditions and disabilities. But they have chosen to do the work they can do. Most people would rather work any job rather than ask the internet for help.

I know women in their eighties who work. I know people who have built their own homes with their own labor. I've read a book about a man in an iron lung who supported his family after he contracted polio. I just finished a book about a quadriplegic who led a very successful life. For the most part, these people want to work because it feels good to earn your own way.

[LilMissMetaphor]

Now Art wants just a handful of people to give a lot of money rather than a lot of people giving a little.  Good luck with that strategy I guess.  "Hi, I'm running out of people who support me.  But if the people who DO support me could just give me a big chunk of money upfront, I wouldn't have to spend so much time fundraising!"

Um...hello? Is anyone in there? Is this thing on?

[Coconut Flan]

Crunch time is coming.  Reality is going to be a brick wall for them.

[Mrs Ms]

I get the depression (mine was luckily without ptsd).

I get the disability (mine was luckily only a few years)

 I get the struggle of finding a job that fits the physical limitations and needs to be able to be reached by public transport and probably won’t pay great.

I don’t get how ANY job deadline is more stressful than hoping that your begging tugs enough heartstrings to MAYBE cover your most basic costs! Having a set amount guaranteed to come in regularly and being able to budget the basics doesn’t mean they can’t still do online begging for luxuries. Especially if it is a boring job, creative writing would be a wonderful outlet.

[Maggie Mae]

Am I the only person that considers basic errands like grocery shopping to be productive? Like a productive day for me is getting up, working out, doing my hair & makeup, going to work, doing my job, going to the store, starting laundry, cooking dinner/lunch, and maybe participating in a hobby. To me, that's productive. It's taking care of my self, my house, and my finances. 

As an adult on the west coast I don't understand the purpose of buying milk. What would two adults without kids do with milk? I don't think we've bought it since last Thanksgiving when we mashed some potatoes. How much is it, anyway? Eggs are absurdly expensive in my area, and last year at this time the stores were rationing purchases. 

I don't know, this feels weird to me, it's almost like showing off how impoverished they are? 

And what even is "food for regular people?" Pretty sure I'm a regular person and I eat a ton of rice and produce. 

 

 

[raayx01]

. And I'm honesty getting really annoyed. She wants to not work , free rent, free medical, free furniture/non essential stuff and now free food. Does she really want a society where everything is given by the government, Because if thats the case she will have to live with the quickly spoiled milk, because thats all they'll be giving. If everyone got free food, she wouldn't be getting then luxury organic vegan Whole Foods stuff, she gets the stuff that is donated to the food bank. Also yes groceries are expensive right now, but ramen and some frozen veggies can get you far along. there some people who are poor and have to buy specialty milk or other foods for medical reasons (my neighbors baby had to have a very hard to find and expensive milk because she was allergic to everything else.) Artemis should start thinking about some of the things she has in life. She manages to have a place to live and a tiny platform because of her family to make a little money. The homeless population is so big right now and she acts like she's worst off. She needs a reality check

[Ozlsn]

3 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

Am I the only person that considers basic errands like grocery shopping to be productive?

No. Productive for me is getting the stuff I need to get done done, and that includes cleaning, groceries, cooking, work things, child stuff, bills paid etc. Unproductive is when I get blocked from this, whether by random stuff (e.g. power blackout) or other things beyond my control. It's also productive if I manage to finish my library book, or chill for an hour or get out for a walk. Most of my "productivity" is unpaid, unsurprisingly.

8 hours ago, Mrs Ms said:

I don’t get how ANY job deadline is more stressful than hoping that your begging tugs enough heartstrings to MAYBE cover your most basic costs!

For me also. Even being on JobSeeker here would be more stressful than working a basic job for me - I admit I have a lot of advantages here in that I can say that and for me it's an option I can avoid at the moment. But I've been on it previously and the logistics of having to meet the requirements for the pittance it paid means it's a last resort for me.

3 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

And what even is "food for regular people?" Pretty sure I'm a regular person and I eat a ton of rice and produce. 

Well speaking as a member of the superwealthy (globally speaking) I only subsist on the premium options of risottos and minestrone. /s

[Maggie Mae]

8 hours ago, raayx01 said:

She wants to not work , free rent, free medical, free furniture/non essential stuff and now free food. Does she really want a society where everything is given by the government.

Even if our base needs (shelter, food, water, safety) were handed out by a large central government, people would still be working. Food doesn't just magically appear. In order for me to go to Safeway and buy a $6 apple, certain things had to happen. Someone in Washington state had to plant an orchard, years ago. Someone else had to pick those apples. Someone across the country designed the case that keeps them from bruising. Those cases were manufactured and shipped to the apple processing center, where people put the hand picked apples in the plastic cases and then those are shipped to my location. In order to ship them, they are put in boxes, and on a pallet, and wrapped, and put on a truck. By a person. Then the driver drives the truck to the port or airport, where people move the pallets into shipping containers and a person drives the boat/barge or flies the plane. Then it's unloaded by people (either by hand or using machinery) and loaded on another truck to a distribution center where more people sort and move it to the grocery store. Where people place it on the shelf. 

And that's without the people who maintain inventory, the scientists who designed honeycrisp, the refrigeration techs who create and maintain the cold chain, the marketers, and the construction workers and engineers who created the infrastructure. 

There is no scenario where the world changes overnight and no one has to work. Someone always has to work, because we have 8.1 billion people who need shelter, food, and water. There will always be a need for people to maintain the water maintenance plants. For people to work in food distribution. For construction workers to build and maintain buildings. 

And while there will always be people who can't work outside of the home - disability, child/elder care, addiction - most people want to be able to help others or bring joy to others or contribute in some sense. 

If we did switch to a system where the working class seized and owned the means of production, we'd be in a world where someone in government would be telling us what our job was. Is that lack of freedom really what they want? The government is not going to assign them "creative writer." 

Sorry for the previous eyeroll inducing post. 

 

7 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Well speaking as a member of the superwealthy (globally speaking) I only subsist on the premium options of risottos and minestrone. /s

I've had risotto like once in my life. I thought it was pasta!

[Hane]

7 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

Well speaking as a member of the superwealthy (globally speaking) I only subsist on the premium options of risottos and minestrone. /s

Shades of my ultra-frugal grandma! Even after she and her family survived losing everything in the Depression and became quite well-to-do in the ‘40s and later, she made the world’s most sublime minestrone out of whatever was in season and cheap. She used to get the tough green cabbage and lettuce outer leaves from the supermarket produce guy (“Don’t throw those out—can I have them for my rabbits?”) and put them in her minestrone and frittatas. And her savory rice torta was to die for.

[GreenBeans]

36 minutes ago, Hane said:

Shades of my ultra-frugal grandma!

Mine as well. The pension she receives is ridiculously small to even live on. Yet somehow she manages to keep saving up money. I don’t know how she does it, but she’s really good at cooking from scratch whatever is in season, so that probably helps.

1 hour ago, Maggie Mae said:

Even if our base needs (shelter, food, water, safety) were handed out by a large central government, people would still be working.

There have actually been discussions here (Europe) whether it would make sense to pay everyone a minimum base salary with no strings attached, enough to have base needs met and possibly a bit more, and how that could change society.

There are discussions whether many/most people would still work (at least part time), for example because their work is fulfilling or because they may want more money to live more comfortably, or whether many people would choose to work more/less depending on the phase in life they are in etc…

It’s interesting to think about really.

[MayMay1123]

When I worked, I wished I could stay home. Now I'm disabled and receive a disability check each month, and it's a pittance, just over $700 after taxes. Thank God I have my husband and other family living with me and helping a lot with expenses, that they earn from working. I'd give a lot to be able to work again, I really miss it... not something I thought I'd ever say. 

[PopRox]

14 hours ago, raayx01 said:

Also yes groceries are expensive right now, but ramen and some frozen veggies can get you far along.

When we were supersuper broke I would stock up on Ramen and a $2 big bag of frozen veggies from Aldi. I ate that for dinner every single night! At least it took the guesswork out of "what to make for dinner?"

Thankfully my husband is now doing really well at work, because i stopped working when my health took a nasty turn in early '22.. I genuinely miss teaching dance  (I'm trying to learn a trade that can be done remotely, so I can still contribute something)! 😭

I feel for Art, because I would be destitute right now if not for my husband. I truly hope they find their way.

[Ozlsn]

4 hours ago, GreenBeans said:

There have actually been discussions here (Europe) whether it would make sense to pay everyone a minimum base salary with no strings attached, enough to have base needs met and possibly a bit more, and how that could change society.

There are discussions whether many/most people would still work (at least part time), for example because their work is fulfilling or because they may want more money to live more comfortably, or whether many people would choose to work more/less depending on the phase in life they are in etc…

It’s interesting to think about really.

I'm in favour of a universal basic income, providing it is a liveable income. There will always be some people who are happy to live on that and don't want to work (or who want to work on things that don't usually pay, like writing) and some who are unable to work - more people though enjoy working for many reasons, and are motivated by different things (learning, socialisation, additional income). More to the point for me though is that while our society relies on a certain level of unemployment to function we are or should be obliged to actually assist people for whom there are no jobs, or no jobs they can do, and not make them jump through hoops to underline that there are no jobs while shaming them.

5 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

I've had risotto like once in my life. I thought it was pasta!

A comedy show here memorably described it as "hot wet rice" which has cracked me up ever since. I like it but it's a pain to make!

[Maggie Mae]

3 hours ago, GreenBeans said:

There have actually been discussions here (Europe) whether it would make sense to pay everyone a minimum base salary with no strings attached, enough to have base needs met and possibly a bit more, and how that could change society.

Both the US and Canada have done experiments with UBI. Here's an article from a reputable source regarding the Stockton experiment.

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/04/973653719/california-program-giving-500-no-strings-attached-stipends-pays-off-study-finds

I'd rather we did something like that - minimum payments to all citizens, regardless of felony status, ability to work, etc. I believe Finland also experimented with it. 

I do think most people would benefit from some sort of UBI. There will always be people who choose not to work for whatever reason, and there will always be people who take advantage of the system. However, it's not a panacea and there are things to consider - would it replace existing welfare plans? I'd also like to see expansion of SNAP, and offer benefits to everyone under a certain income which should be based on the living wage, no resource limit, no hoops to jump through, no work requirement. 

Then I'd like to see universal education/college. 

 

[Ozlsn]

10 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

The government is not going to assign them "creative writer." 

Just wanted to add in that that was an assigned job in the USSR, so not impossible. Probably not without some stepping stones, good connections, and a pretty solid Party membership in that system though!

[neuroticcat]

On 9/19/2023 at 5:58 PM, Queen Of Hearts said:

Okay, but surely there is a Walmart?  

There are some Walmarts in greater Seattle area. 

We do have discount grocery stores. Fred Meyer is a local chain somewhere between Walmart and Target. 

There are also many food pantries. 

Seattle is also a really expensive place to live. 

[Maggie Mae]

41 minutes ago, neuroticcat said:

There are some Walmarts in greater Seattle area. 

They are downtown and don't drive. They don't even have a license. 

41 minutes ago, neuroticcat said:

We do have discount grocery stores. Fred Meyer is a local chain somewhere between Walmart and Target. 

Fred Meyer (for the people outside of the pnw) is Kroger. It's exactly the same store as Fry's amd Smiths. It's honestly kind of weird to be able to see the exact same store all over the US, with the same layout, branding (just different words) and products. 

[formerhsfundie]

On 9/24/2023 at 9:53 PM, QuittersTry said:

I have to say that I worked hard on retrieving their old blog entries from the Wayback Machine. It was a fun project and I re-read all the entries as I went along. Most content was not re-posted. The voice was very powerful, they describe a writing process that was effortless. I suspect most of that material was produced during frenetic, high paced periods before any trauma was processed. I think some of rhetoric tools that were used (which lead to such great short format stories) are similar to speech and debate. 

What has been published outside of the blog is not so great. Kind of "word vomit" like they hate the topic and just want it out of their body ASAP. I remember Art saying there were lots of rewrites and the material is kind of worked to death, IMHO.

Art has said they remember very little from childhood and I wouldn't doubt if there was a lot of dissociation going on... which may have lots of life-long impacts.

That's too bad. I wonder if the early material could be sorted and edited into a book? Is there enough content there? 

It's really hard to write a tell-all. But, if that's your sole purpose and you plan to make a living that way, then go day-by-day. Get creative. Keep going until it's done. I can't believe Art has both given up writing it while also expecting to garner income from unrelated written content. It's taken me until now to realize that is the "plan."

I mean, it's total fail mode. She could even document her journey re-establishing herself in the real world. But that would take some effort and self-reflection, and I don't see that happening with high school catch up classes off the table and no entry level job in sight. 

[meep]

Hi all! It's been a while, good to be back and see some familiar "faces!"

Unfortunately the first thing I see is this tragic thread! I had no idea this was going on with Art. (How I've missed keeping up with this stuff!).

Ugh. I do consider this "tragic." I think because if Art would ask for money in order to make actual improvements - a more robust mental health support system, schooling, personal finance classes, etc. there would be a lot of people donating and cheering them on. They are actually in a very privileged space to be able to do that if they wanted. But instead they are asking money for doordash meals and fancy toilet cleaners. Okay. 

There needs to be some level of pushing yourself for your own sake, because no one else is gonna swoop in and save you. 

My dad grew up in abject poverty in what is arguably called a "developing country." He was pulled out of school in 2nd grade. Not to be homeschooled or anything. Just to be another ranch hand for the family "business" at the age of 8, and he never attended school again. He was forced against his will to come to the USA at age 18 without knowing the language. Somehow he has worked his entire life and built a life here, despite a 2nd grade education level and having done physical labor every day as a child (and there are no weekends off on a ranch) AND the language barrier AND coming from a religious abusive family (he is one of 13). He achieved most of this in the era before the internet (and he still doesn't know how to use it and uses a flip phone). He is now in his 60s and works full-time in a physical outdoor job.

[Ozlsn]

5 hours ago, formerhsfundie said:

I can't believe Art has both given up writing it while also expecting to garner income from unrelated written content. It's taken me until now to realize that is the "plan."

I mean, it's total fail mode. She could even document her journey re-establishing herself in the real world. But that would take some effort and self-reflection, and I don't see that happening with high school catch up classes off the table and no entry level job in sight

I can understand not wanting to keep going over the experience, especially with PTSD. The difficulty with then making a living from writing is you need to either be saying something that people are interested in or creative enough to reach a wider audience, and even then you're probably not going to make a living off it for quite a while, if ever.

[formerhsfundie]

16 hours ago, Ozlsn said:

I can understand not wanting to keep going over the experience, especially with PTSD. The difficulty with then making a living from writing is you need to either be saying something that people are interested in or creative enough to reach a wider audience, and even then you're probably not going to make a living off it for quite a while, if ever.

I totally get that. I keep saying that. She is starting almost completely fresh with a new topic and audience, and I applaud that. But we live in the real world. Real life=real expenses. You have to engage with reality if you want to make it as a writer, and she has put all of her eggs in that writer basket.

Whoever said reality will be a brick wall is right. Some of us are very concerned about where this is headed because we care about Art and she is courting disaster. The obvious thing to do is start working some lame job, to ensure continued safe shelter, and keep building up the writing biz on the side. 

 

[LilMissMetaphor]

They are going to keep begging because they keep, somehow, getting their "needs met".  Another $64 magically showed up.  Art fully admits that in a few days their entire paycheck is going to rent.  So now comes the food and kitty litter beg for the entire month of October.