Artemis (Cynthia Jeub) 3: The Grift Goes On

[Coconut Flan]

Continued from here:

 

[Jana814]

Great thread name! 

[Marmion]

From what I have just read , from here latest blog post ,dated to about a month ago , they do seem to realize just how self defeating their frame of mind is .  We can only hope that they'll reach an epiphany about just how flawed their attitude is towards their lifestyle as well .  

 

Spoiler

My trauma has worn deep grooves in my brain, setting up expectations that nothing good happens when I persevere against obstacles. Learning takes a bit of stubbornness and a lot of dedication. While it’s true that I left behind many of the beliefs I was raised with, there are so many things I’m still unlearning.  https://artemisstardust.com/2024/02/15/letter-of-self-compassion-learning-to-learn/

 

[Kolache]

On Artemis's public page, they recently posted a meme about Christian belief and "Biblical marriage". A commentor attempted to engage with them about their perspective in a pretty reasonable way and Art's responses speak volumes to their ability to think with critical nuance. Instead of answering questions, they just regurgitate the same simplistic response. There are strong, thoughtful and convincing ways to make the point they're trying to make. It's frustrating to read. 

[Willowfer]

14 hours ago, Marmion said:

From what I have just read , from here latest blog post ,dated to about a month ago , they do seem to realize just how self defeating their frame of mind is .

That's promising! They also tweeted a few days ago that they've recently realized they were wrong in thinking "personal outrage was equivalent to action." That's a hard lesson to learn when there's nothing encouraging you to develop that perspective (speaking with experience as someone who has dabbled in Twitter and Tumblr since 2013).

[formerhsfundie]

Today's requested handout: they need $6 to do a load of laundry

 

[keepercjr]

On 3/15/2024 at 2:19 PM, formerhsfundie said:

Today's requested handout: they need $6 to do a load of laundry

 

I still just can't imagine living that close to the brink that you don't have $6. 

[Giraffe]

1 minute ago, keepercjr said:

I still just can't imagine living that close to the brink that you don't have $6. 

I can because I've been there. What I can't imagine is begging for laundry money. Handwashing things in the tub or sink royally sucks and never feels like I get it clean clean but I've done it (without proper laundry soap even. Gasp!). It sucks but if I'd asked for so much already there's no way I'd also ask for help with laundry. To each their own but wow. 

[Maggie Mae]

On one hand, it's very sad and scary that someone is choosing to live this way, and we need a more robust social program to help disabled individuals meet the base needs of being a human. 

On the other hand, I can't stand watching this. There are so many things they can do to make their lives better and they are choosing the hardest way possible. 

Minimum wage is more than $6 in Seattle. There are so many under the table jobs or above board day jobs. They could do gig work on fivvr or a similar site. Babysit, petsit, work as a hostess part time, sign up for task rabbit and get cash when they need it. 

I really hope they find a more sustainable way of life soon. 

Reading through more of the blog and what art has been through also makes me concerned about the current relationship. I hope it's all happy and healthy, but I suspect it might be a different version of codependency. 

[keepercjr]

8 hours ago, Maggie Mae said:

Reading through more of the blog and what art has been through also makes me concerned about the current relationship. I hope it's all happy and healthy, but I suspect it might be a different version of codependency. 

This part worries me.  The only 2 people Art seems to have had an adult relationship were disabled and needed Art to do everything for them.  I am NOT saying being in a relationship with a disabled person is a problem (hell, I am disabled!) but Art has never had a relationship that didn't leave them poor and on the brink, if not actually homeless.  It honestly seems that the long term plan is to live together with SSI forever.  If nothing changes, they will ALWAYS be this poor and relying on other people to help them meet their basic needs.  This isn't sustainable and it is depressing.  There is no plan to improve their situations.  No plan to gain skills that could help them get some sort of side income. 

[Giraffe]

2 minutes ago, keepercjr said:

This part worries me.  The only 2 people Art seems to have had an adult relationship were disabled and needed Art to do everything for them.  I am NOT saying being in a relationship with a disabled person is a problem (hell, I am disabled!) but Art has never had a relationship that didn't leave them poor and on the brink, if not actually homeless.  It honestly seems that the long term plan is to live together with SSI forever.  If nothing changes, they will ALWAYS be this poor and relying on other people to help them meet their basic needs.  This isn't sustainable and it is depressing.  There is no plan to improve their situations.  No plan to gain skills that could help them get some sort of side income. 

There's a difference between being in a relationship with someone who is disabled vs being in a relationship with someone because they're disabled. Without getting outside help I suspect Art will always find people whose sole identity is "I need you to fix me because I'm disabled" rather than finding whole people who happen to be disabled or have disabilities. 

[treehugger]

I think it is less about the disability and more about the fact that neither of them have any gumption to do anything with their lives, and that Art seems to only be in relationships with people who have very little interest in self-improvement or little interest in wanting to improve their lives.  

I don't love how they use their disability as an excuse to not do anything.  That is, in itself a very problematic form of ablism.  When I was in home care, I had several disabled clients.  One client used to work in construction but had an accident that rendered him quadriplegic.  I had to literally do everything for him because he was paralyzed.  And yet he still got up every morning and was as present as he could be for his very young children.   And there was a totally fabulous couple who both had Downs Syndrome.  They were some of my favourite clients.  Both older, both on disability, but totally independent and competent. I had to come and make sure the husband took his meds and help him shower, but they cooked and cleaned and shopped and went to their jobs at the grocery store and did everything else on their own.  Of course all my clients had their good days and their bad days, just like every human on the planet, and I would never use them as inspirational material, they were just people, doing their best with the hand life gave them.  But the idea that people with disabilities can't work, or improve their lives or have fulfilling, satisfying lives grates on me, because it just isn't true.  

[LilMissMetaphor]

"I have not made any sales on my shopify store, and I may need to close the shop shortly after opening it due to fees."

It's stuff like this that is proof that Art is not only not intelligent but has a complete inability to think things through.  Did it really not occur to them that paying for a service that wasn't guaranteed to bring in money would be...dumb? Like sign up for something that takes a percentage of your profit AFTER you make the sale, not regardless of whether or not you do.  I feel like they'd do better trying to survive by selling lemonade on the side of the road at this point.

And they don't NEED paper towels and they don't NEED laundry machine money either.  Use an old t-shirt torn up for rags and handwash in the shower or sink.

[formerhsfundie]

On 3/19/2024 at 4:26 PM, LilMissMetaphor said:

"I have not made any sales on my shopify store, and I may need to close the shop shortly after opening it due to fees."

It's stuff like this that is proof that Art is not only not intelligent but has a complete inability to think things through.  Did it really not occur to them that paying for a service that wasn't guaranteed to bring in money would be...dumb? Like sign up for something that takes a percentage of your profit AFTER you make the sale, not regardless of whether or not you do.  I feel like they'd do better trying to survive by selling lemonade on the side of the road at this point.

And they don't NEED paper towels and they don't NEED laundry machine money either.  Use an old t-shirt torn up for rags and handwash in the shower or sink.

Always someone else's fault/problem why they fail. And looking for that quick, magical fix. There are ways to sell things online without paying a monthly fee for your website, but of course they reached for the online version of a $50 cheesecake.  Shopify is not an entry-level online store platform. I don't know how one could get through their sign-up process without realizing you need a good-selling product and a plan to pay their monthly fees.

I feel like this kind of planned failure is to placate those of us who are on team "do something." Now they can go back to victim mode for a while.

[Maggie Mae]

On 3/19/2024 at 3:26 PM, LilMissMetaphor said:

  I feel like they'd do better trying to survive by selling lemonade on the side of the road at this point.

I honestly would have more respect for them if they would go out and panhandle outside of Walgreens. Like at least that is doing something, other than sitting in bed (where I would like to be) while the rest of us are working at our evil capitalist jobs.

I would LOVE to be at home right now, laying in bed with my cat. It was hard to leave. I sometimes wake up and have to be ready for 4 am meetings (stupid washington wanting to meet at 8 am their time), and I feel honored to be in those meetings. I enjoy them. I hate getting up so stupid early. I feel very privileged to be able to get up, shower, and meet online at my house instead of having to drive to an office at that time of day like we did pre-covid. I also love running around and managing my second income source and being busy enough to have answers when people ask "what have you been up to?" But at my base, I just want to cuddle with my bougie (former) street cat, read the internet, watch movies, and eat junk food. Unfortunately, my cat and I need shelter and non-junk food, which isn't free. I also do have a pension for nice things, which is OK. I like dressing up and going out to eat. I like travel. I like meeting interesting people and seeing new things. Which is why I have to get out of bed and stay busy. 

I just feel like they are so wrapped up in the "woe is me" narrative, and radicalized by the "anti-work" stuff that they lost perspective.

[Giraffe]

31 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

I just feel like they are so wrapped up in the "woe is me" narrative, and radicalized by the "anti-work" stuff that they lost perspective.

I agree. This is very much how it feels.  Hopefully in time they'll have a change of heart with all the push back. 

Edited March 21 by Giraffe

[formerhsfundie]

Yesterday they posted about how their needs were met for rent, bills, and household items like paper towels and laundry. Yay! Right?

Well it's a new 24 hour cycle, so a new ask it is. Today they posted that they bought cheap masks and the strings keep breaking so could someone help out? 🤨 The masks were so cheap, you see. So expensive ones are needed. And Artemis was trying to save money by buying things cheaply, probably to show the world how much they are scrimping and saving.

Anyways. I see a lot of fear of long Covid influencing their decision to stay at home based off of their frequent posting about it. No idea what to say about that... The fear seems real enough. So relying on internet strangers for sustenance and clean laundry is the plan. 

[LilMissMetaphor]

I was just thinking again today that I (like, I'm sure, many of us here) have a lot on my plate.  I've said before I have a form of indolent blood cancer, which I don't share about to gain sympathy, but because it irks me to no end that Artemis keeps claiming tiredness, pain and trauma as an excuse not to work.  I have a demanding full time job.  I am taking part-time courses online.  I have a home to maintain, two kids to parent and a currently unemployed husband to keep afloat.  I have chronic headaches.  For these and a variety of other reasons (I have an ACE score of 5), life is neither easy nor fun.  The difference is, I don't expect someone else to do the work for me.      

[Maggie Mae]

1 hour ago, formerhsfundie said:

Anyways. I see a lot of fear of long Covid influencing their decision to stay at home based off of their frequent posting about it. No idea what to say about that... The fear seems real enough. So relying on internet strangers for sustenance and clean laundry is the plan. 

Long covid is scary, and people have a right to be concerned. I wish that masks weren't politicized and they were available for free, like covid tests. I also wish we had at home tests for influenza and other common illnesses. 

However, a mask is a mask and you can make it work.  Just because the strings are "cheap" doesn't mean you can't tie it on.  

[formerhsfundie]

Today Artemis is going off on one of their social media channels about how blaming poor people for their poverty and the general lack of compassion for the poor is astounding, wealthy people are greedy, and poverty is entirely preventable and not a moral failure on the poor themselves. "The poor don't deserve to be punished with misery" (direct quote from their public page). And then the usual rant about poor people deserve luxuries or "small joys" to distract them from their poor lot in life.

Absolutely no personal responsibility will be taken, it's all society's fault they are poor, after all. 

 

[Giraffe]

3 hours ago, formerhsfundie said:

"The poor don't deserve to be punished with misery" (direct quote from their public page). 

I'm sorry, please explain to me how wiping your ass with the same tp the rest of us commoners use is "misery"?

[quiversR4hunting]

4 hours ago, formerhsfundie said:

Today Artemis is going off on one of their social media channels about how blaming poor people for their poverty and the general lack of compassion for the poor is astounding, wealthy people are greedy, and poverty is entirely preventable and not a moral failure on the poor themselves. "The poor don't deserve to be punished with misery" (direct quote from their public page). And then the usual rant about poor people deserve luxuries or "small joys" to distract them from their poor lot in life.

Absolutely no personal responsibility will be taken, it's all society's fault they are poor, after all. 

Wow. I blame people for not having money when it is by their own bad money decisions and that happens at all income levels. As we all know with people on the margins it can quickly spiral downward. The thing with Art and partner is they aren't taking help or steps to improve their lives. They aren't taking suggestions, they aren't getting stable part-time work, aren't looking for employment that may help with housing (like work for a leasing company and get a discount on an apartment or trailer home), etc.

As you said zero personal responsibility is being taken by these people. 

Can't help people that won't help themselves. 😕

[Ozlsn]

So we know Ryann has a post-viral syndrome, has there been any information from Artemis as to whether they have the same?  If both have flares and limited energy I can see why they may not be able to make regular work hours work. Things like editing or proof-reading might be feasible as casual work though and would stop the need to constantly beg for the next money gap to be covered.

7 hours ago, formerhsfundie said:

the general lack of compassion for the poor is astounding, wealthy people are greedy, and poverty is entirely preventable and not a moral failure on the poor themselves.

In general I agree with this, and would prefer a much better safety net across the board. I still hope that Art has goals beyond getting SSI - whether that involves more creativity or a fuller life or what. 

[Maggie Mae]

Spoiler

It's weird, because I do know what it's like to be literally broke. It left me with an eating disorder and a tendency to hold on to items that I don't even care about or use anymore, even when I know, logically, that I can afford to replace things and I'm happier with fewer items. I have stories. 

No one here believes the poor need to be punished or that it's a moral failure. What is a failure is the inability to see the following: how many people have helped over the years, many with out a thank you; how weird it must be for people who helped you to be talked about on a blog in disparaging ways; and constantly asking for money from people who work, while mocking the entire concept of effort, work, jobs from your bed.  

I strongly believe that the inability to find "small joys" has more to do with the pessimistic, woe is me, personality that Art seems to possess than the poverty they are experiencing. Maybe it's untreated depression. Small joys are small. They don't have to involve purchasing new items. Thrift stores exist. 

 

 

[Mrs Ms]

When I was flat out broke, the ONLY thing I had that Art doesn’t is better physical health. No qualifications, marketable skills, online presence, urban public transport, drivers license, internet, agencies/charities/groups that are a thing in big cities or the right visas to actually fucking work (my application wasn’t even looked at for 3 months as it was harvest time and the agency was only processing seasonal workers) I didn’t qualify for any social services or benefits.

It took many months of trying to find a solution, but I kept on because the status quo was absolutely awful. I was in my late teens, had spent the last few years clawing myself out of major depression and was not going to burn bridges with people who tried to help me by couch surfing indefinitely. My pride thought using my friends was worse than minimum wage jobs.