Quitting As Self-Care and Captions as Community-Care
Courage to quit, Captions vs Subtitles, and VHS Vibes
IN THE MARGINS
The Courage To Quit
When an addict quits and is on their road of recovery, we praise their courage for quitting. When someone facing hardship and adversity persists through it all, we praise their bravery for not quitting.
The context in which someone “gives up” changes how people react to it. In the U.S., oftentimes quitting is seen as a weakness - whether that’s in toxic hustle culture or professional sports. Even at the expense of the person’s mental health or well-being, there is a tinge of “you couldn’t cut it”.
To me, quitting can be self-care, such as leaving racist ass academia. And it can be brave as fuck to say “you know what, this thing isn’t for me anymore” - regardless of how long you dreamed of achieving it or how many years you’ve already spent pursuing it. I really think it takes courage to give up on a dream. To admit that it’s not working. Maybe you “give up” temporarily by postponing. You take another full time job so that you can save money to then go freelance again. Maybe you acknowledge that your health won’t allow you to do something specific so you might have to do it in another way that wasn’t your ideal. Like if you can’t biologically have kids and have to accept adoption or surrogate. Or maybe it’s not by choice, yet you have to still accept giving it up. Like if you’re the oldest child and have to sacrifice parts of your personal life so you can take care of your younger siblings. I think it’s brave, and incredibly hard, to go through that process: to sort out if you are just tired and pessimistic or if you’re being realistic by pivoting to what will actually be better for you.
It’s hard to face “failed” dreams - trust me, I’ve had my fair share. But maybe it’s not a failure because a better or unexpected dream is on the way. And maybe you won’t achieve the dream in the way that you imagined, but you can still achieve it, in a different way. Surely that has to count for something, right? Maybe you didn’t finish university in the standard 4 years but you finished in 7 while raising a family or working full-time as well. You got to the finish line. That’s what counts, right? Or maybe it really is the journey and not the destination. What did you learn along the way? How did you change? Would you be the same person if it went the way you imagined?
Anyway, when you’re thinking of quitting something or giving up, ask yourself: what am I saying no to now so that allows me to say yes to something else later on?
ACCESSIBILITY
Captions vs Subtitles
Making your content accessible can happen in a variety of ways. As someone that’s Hard of Hearing, audible accessibility is my jam. If you’re a content creator or business owner, having your content be accessible speaks to your character and, to me, is a form of community care. Can it be frustrating and time-consuming to first learn how to do that? Of course, but imagine how it is for those without access. A little effort goes a long way!
But before you start the tech side of the journey to making accessible content, a little info on terminology can help. Captions and subtitles are words used interchangeably in the mainstream but there actually is a difference in what they mean and do. I don’t fuss over it because right now the goal is to get people to take some kind of action and then we can get into nuance. But if you want to be in the know, here’s a 101 breakdown!
Subtitles
On-screen text that translates dialogue. Subtitles are designed for viewers who can hear but do not understand the language in the video. For example, a Japanese anime with English subtitles.
Captions
On-screen text that transcribes dialogue and audio (descriptions of non-speech sounds like background noises and also indicating speaker changes). Captions are designed for viewers who cannot hear the audio in the video.
Nerding out and want some more?
Transcriptions: The word-for-word text version of audio content or what is spoken in video content.
Open Captions: The user can not turn on/off captioning. These are said to be “burned” onto the video and are always visible.
Closed Captions: The user can turn on/off captioning.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
Type Design Scholarship Opportunity
Women have long played an important role in the world of type design and continue to make great contributions to the type field. Yet a lack of cultural, ethnic, and gender diversity still exists in the industry, which if reversed could unearth new innovations and unanticipated opportunities.
The Malee Scholarship was established and is funded by Sharp Type, a US-based type-design firm. This sponsorship aims to promote a more inclusive environment by empowering young women of color who wish to expand their skills and pursue their ambitions in the world of type design.
The scholarship grants $6,000 USD annually to one woman of color over 16 years of age. It includes an optional four-week mentorship program with Sharp Type staff, who will provide professional guidance toward the production of the recipient's typeface. Deadline is March 14.
ART & DESIGN
VHS Visuals
Keeping the retro vibes of arcade art from the last edition going with some VHS vibes → Visuals of VHS Tapes
❓ QUESTION: Who remembers covering the tabs of cassettes with clear tape so you could record over it? Or making the original playlists via mixtapes from the radio and hoping the DJ didn’t speak over a song or cut it off? Ah, how far we’ve come.
Signing off from the Starship SBLTN,
Laneen
Pronouns: they/them/theirs, she/her/hers
🎧 Listening - "Classic Man (Remix)" by Jidenna ft Kendrick Lamar
💬 Quote - "I ain't even said a word, but my suit bespoke" - Jidenna ("Chief Don't Run", song)
📖 Reading - Good News by Good Good Good (@GoodGoodGoodCo)
✔️ Random Fact - Helical scan is a method of recording high-frequency signals on magnetic tape (ex: VHS tapes)