Kulturkampf

[Ethan]

SOE NOIRE is a Nigerian multidisciplinary artist, community organizer, and filmmaker based in Western Massachusetts. Noire’s work aims to capture and celebrate femme nostalgia and Afromysticism based on his lived experiences. Noire began community organizing in 2023, creating the First Black Queer magazine/arts initiative in Massachusetts, Frizz Media, created to celebrate Black Queer whimsy, joy, and creativity. With drag events [as his drag persona, Miss Alaynia] held in cyberspace through Frizz Drag Nite, and Covid-Cautious performance art shows like Fros and Faes, Noire is passionate in creating radical third spaces that celebrate Black Queerness and Joy.
“The present themes in my work are a mixture of romance, grief, Afromysticism, and coming into my own personhood. Creating Black artwork has been an absolute necessity for my own healing and spiritual journey. Art and music is a form of therapy for me, and also a form of worldbuilding. The mission of my work is to liberate myself and others, and to encourage people in my community to appreciate the beauty in our culture and practices.” 

I reach Noire, who identifies as a gender-expansive lesbian and uses he/him pronouns, by Zoom a few days later. I ask whether he has any sympathy for those running Last Ditch, given the profound financial strain they are under. “No,” he replies. (Noire asked to be referred to by his stage name because he says he has been stalked and fears for his safety.) “I’m not going to give grace” when someone is “spreading rhetoric that can and will get people hurt,” he says, referring to the fact that the bar’s account had “liked” a few comments supporting the relaxed rule.

I guess that's a good strategy. Make people so confused that they really can't tell if you pass or not because they don't know what you're supposed to be.

By the way, here's an unmasked Taylor 3 days ago standing less than 2 feet in front of a guy while there's a full on pandemic going on.



She was praising X, the everything app, which is better than ever according to her pathologically contrarian self.

[Alpacx]

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[HaughtyFrank]

Just love whenever one of the lunatics reaches their own personal breaking point.

Also wokies need to learn to tell people to fuck off.

Matellian tells the group her credit score is trashed. For six months, she lived in her truck because she was pouring money into the bar. She is working four different jobs. She is responsible for paying off the $50,000 loan the three took out to launch the business.

The online critics are unmoved. “[Y]ou chose to use your time to spill tears and center your feelings,” Noire posts in the chat. “This is incredibly racist and deflecting behavior.”

Eventually, after 3½ hours of discussion, the meeting wraps up. Noire has more to say, but when someone suggests he come to the next community meeting, he refuses. “There’s a lot of emotional and physical labor that goes into this, so for you as a white person that asks for me to stay for another meeting for free,” he says, is “incredibly disingenuous and racist. I’m not doing that.”
“Then I think, unfortunately, this meeting has failed you,” replies a facilitator, “and I’m sorry.”

Just tell this guy to get fucked. End of story. They have all the anger in the world for police etc. but when someone practically spits in their face they say "I'm sorry"

[Ethan]

Is there a single example of one of these extremely niche identity-based businesses succeeding? We always hear about the local anarchist cafe shutting down, never about the ones thriving, so it's hard to know.
But it seems they're just constantly reducing the size of the pool of potential patrons to the point that in the end it's just the owners and their friends (until they turn on each-others).

Let's see:
Greenfield, population: 17,700
Lesbians (1.4%) + 1/2 bisexuals (2.6%) = 708
People obsessed with COVID in 2026 (5%?) = 35.4
People obsessed with COVID who leave the house (33%?) = 11.68
Good luck paying the rent with that! Of course, you can blame capitalism. Under glorious socialism, everyone would be a masking lesbian/transbian.

[HaughtyFrank]

Images

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[RetiredSkunk]

New emote plz

[Chumbawumbafan69]

The bar sounds like someone turned era into a real place.

[TylenolJones]

Just love whenever one of the lunatics reaches their own personal breaking point.

Also wokies need to learn to tell people to fuck off.

Matellian tells the group her credit score is trashed. For six months, she lived in her truck because she was pouring money into the bar. She is working four different jobs. She is responsible for paying off the $50,000 loan the three took out to launch the business.

The online critics are unmoved. “[Y]ou chose to use your time to spill tears and center your feelings,” Noire posts in the chat. “This is incredibly racist and deflecting behavior.”

Eventually, after 3½ hours of discussion, the meeting wraps up. Noire has more to say, but when someone suggests he come to the next community meeting, he refuses. “There’s a lot of emotional and physical labor that goes into this, so for you as a white person that asks for me to stay for another meeting for free,” he says, is “incredibly disingenuous and racist. I’m not doing that.”
“Then I think, unfortunately, this meeting has failed you,” replies a facilitator, “and I’m sorry.”

Just tell this guy to get fucked. End of story. They have all the anger in the world for police etc. but when someone practically spits in their face they say "I'm sorry"

That’s just not how you should treat a loyal customer. 

Noire, who lives about 50 minutes south of Greenfield, estimates he has visited the bar seven or eight times. But he won’t return unless there is new leadership. “You can’t repair a house that’s on fire,” he says.

[DavidCroquet]

In a weird way, I almost find myself siding with the patrons. 

The fact that anyone could open a masked bar in 2025 boggles my mind. 

You literally opened a Masking Bar in a time where everyone sane and a most of the insane have gotten with the program...the only people ever going to your haven for the unhinged were going to be exactly these people, and they were going to react exactly this way the second they heard you whisper the word "optional".

[Polident]

Maybe it is a little racist, but seeing Japanese people wear masks doesn’t feel weird at all. Seeing Caucasians wearing masks is like…it’s 2026. A difference is they’re rolling with the four strap serious business masks so stuck to their face the fat is pinched around it.

[filler]

mask in america 


mask in japan 

[HaughtyFrank]

In a weird way, I almost find myself siding with the patrons. 

The fact that anyone could open a masked bar in 2025 boggles my mind. 

You literally opened a Masking Bar in a time where everyone sane and a most of the insane have gotten with the program...the only people ever going to your haven for the unhinged were going to be exactly these people, and they were going to react exactly this way the second they heard you whisper the word "optional".

Going by the article masking seems to be actually not unusual in that area

Quaint, crunchy Greenfield (population 17,700) isn’t a bad place for a COVID-cautious lesbian bar in 2026, all things considered. Rainbow flags deck store windows downtown. On a recent weekend, a community theater was advertising a workshop for masked performers, down the street from a bookstore with a “medical masks required” sign in the window. Men in ponytails and N-95s were ordering hibiscus tea from the coffee shop off the main square.
Greenfield is close, both physically and spiritually, to Northampton, sometimes referred to as “Lesbianville, U.S.A.” In the Pioneer Valley, “every bar is a lesbian bar,” a friend who lives there told me.

[DavidCroquet]

Build the wall (around Greenfield).

[benji]

https://x.com/jaketropolis/status/2102739494050922649
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New emote plz

[benji]

[benji]

[Alpacx]

[benji]

[Rendle]

Can't wait for Spotlight 2

[Chumbawumbafan69]

https://x.com/jaketropolis/status/2102739494050922649
Images

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

New emote plz

[benji]

One of our era's greatest minds.