There's a pretty great Tumblr post about this:

Their problem was never group think or presuming consensus. It's the far more consumerist impulse of identifying with the things you like, annexing them into your sense of self. It's the logical extension of fanaticism and a natural outgrowth of capitalist culture. But monoculture BS doesn't help...

I’ve lost dairy, all fruit - every single fruit - every single spice/herb except peppers - most seeds, coconut, sunflower, potatoes, oats, peas, vanilla, onions, garlic - on and on.

For a while, I adapted. Can’t eat cheese? Make vegan cheese! But in the last few months, those subs have evaporated.

The psychological damage of living entirely on bland, home-made, nearly flavorless food is bad - really bad - but now, with the loss of my main protein source, I’m starting to head toward malnourishment. This is getting scary.

But it’s even more complicated, because these are long covid issues.

These aren’t normal allergies. Likely mast-cell related, but they don’t show up on tests - expensive, out of pocket tests. As I wait months between specialist visits, more foods disappear every week. I have to get an endoscopy. First available? End of February. Will I be eating at all by then?

There are some immune-suppressing medications for mast cell disease, but they costs thousands out of pocket and you can’t get them without a diagnosis. And as the disease is notorious for not showing up on tests, I may not get a diagnosis at all. I genuinely may run out of food first.

I can’t tell you how bleak it is to not take a break with a cup of coffee. Or tea. Or cocoa. Or soy cocoa. Have you ever had a plate of spaghetti without garlic in the sauce? Or a cold refreshing plain seltzer with rice wine vinegar in it because it’s the closest thing to lemon?

I’m living a ghost of a life. I may never eat normally again. And it makes it so hard to watch people expose themselves to Covid over and over knowing that THIS could be not even the outcome, but some kind of midpoint.

Please do not get this disease, and please do not give it to anyone else.

The people who arranged the event are not to blame. This seems (in my opinion) to be the university‘s extreme attempt to comply with HB 261 (Utah). To be clear, I would’ve been speaking as a private individual, not for the university.

As a Mothership Month 24 participant, focusing these events on monetization + producing content for publishers' games instead of prioritizing play, with promo for newer creators who happen to crowdfund at the time, is not good for their long-term health. But BackerKit won't give up their FOMO engine

And Zine Month sprouted up kinda quickly to avoid centralizing the event on KS to make it more accessible to new creators. I think a broader diffusion of content, from more new and different voices, is more beneficial than an annual shotgun of slick content mostly from increasingly known creators.