Yes! But it’s because our situations are very different. I don’t have a child, but I was already a preteen when my mom was this age. I didn’t have a deadbeat, abusive, drug addicted, , money draining spouse. I’ve cut off people (family) that I saw take advantage of my mother growing up. I don’t have a sibling who is a manipulative, selfish, lazy, money grubbing piece of shit. Fuck, I don’t have a daughter (me) that I’ve had to help for years while she tried to get on her feet.

I also have a wonderful mother who did what she could to set me up for success, trying to correct the mistakes of her childhood. My great aunt left me some money that helped with school (I’m still in debt, but could have been way worse). I have a good friend that talks me out of reckless shit, not egging me on to take advtage.

I’m also less social, so I’m not going out to lunch or parties and what have you. I live alone with one cat.

TL;DR: Yes, but is because I have less responbilities than my mother had at this age, and it’s cheaper living a solitary lifestyle with one kitty cat.

Watching that made my stomach hurt. I’m so embarrassed. Not that I wasn’t before, but Jesus Christ. Every time he opens his mouth, every time I see a new article about the horrendous shit he’s doing, that rage from the election results comes back again. I feel like I have to watch it all, but this is so fucking painful.

Oh, I think I’ve heard this one before!

A main character who can do no wrong. They’re the best, prettiest, most important person. Rarely has flaws, or flaws that are actually “cool.” Like, the lead in many YA novels.

Or Batman, or Harry potter, or Tony Stark, or Kirito… There are so many! But those aren’t a problem for some reason. 🤔

Why is it gender stuff when it’s women but not men? Men and their gender is apart of their movies too, you just may not see it, like how a fish doesn’t see water. Take how a film is shot, how women and men are framed. You may not notice the camera assuming a het-male’s perspective by “eyeing” women a certain way because “that’s just house films are shot.” You may not go into a horror movie with the silent prayer that the male lead doesn’t get raped because that can just be thrown in there. You may not notice if every woman looks a certain way, and how no matter how old the actor gets, the female lead is still 25. Even in movies where it doesn’t even matter. You make not notice when a woman only gets to speak to and about men. You may not notice that one woman is usually tossed in to represent the entire female demographic because “they’re not the focus.”

But all those little details add up. Women have had men’s gender and their ideas and values soak into almost every part of society, even to how they value themselves. Men are not the default, and that means that they will have to go into some media knowing that they are not the main target and be okay with that.

Some people see themselves as the default, and any change is abnormal or pandering. Same thing happens in video games. Anything that brings attention to the idea that they aren’t the default audience is seen as a an offense. They assume these stories are an attack, an expensive way for people to say their way of doing things is wrong and therefore they are wrong, so they get defensive. In reality, it just someone else telling a story for another audience.

To them, the argument is, “why add more poc/genders if we’re all the same? Are you saying something is wrong with people like me so they have to be gotten rid of? How come it’s always me that’s getting removed? Why am I under attack!” They see the addition as the erasure of some, like, Schrodinger’s self-insert that would have been there if they didn’t have to force a" woke" choice.

You’ve gotta be kidding me. It’s like they’re actively going out of their way to be the worst ever. Jesus christ.

Yes! I learned at the YMCA as a kid.

I am 😔

Thank you for the answer 🙏🏾

Do you have a specific field of study? Do you work for a university? (just curious, please feel free to ignore)

I work in insurance, specifically auto insurance. I used to work as a bodily injury adjuster, but moved to subro. I’ve been doing this for longer than I realized. My mom told me with a smile that I’ll likely be in insurance the rest of my life. I went home and cried 🤣

Pays alright though. And I’m (currently) able to work from home which I know is a blessing. Just wasn’t what I was dreaming about as a little girl, you know?

I think it’s the added warmth. Like when you deep condition your hair but put an extra bag or what have you to trap the heat.

What are the purported benefits of incorporating heat? Increased effectiveness: Incorporating heat into your deep conditioning treatment can help to increase its effectiveness, allowing the conditioning ingredients to penetrate more deeply and provide greater benefits to the hair.

Improved hydration: The added heat can help to open up the hair cuticles, which can improve the overall hydration of the hair.

Better product absorption: The heat can also help to improve the absorption of the deep conditioning treatment, making it easier for the curls to retain the benefits of the treatment over time.

I think both sides are often looking for the top percent, but with men usually concerned with looks, since women aren’t typically raised to be the breadwinner. Just look at memes about men and their ideal women — it’s all about how attractive the cashier is, or the prettiest girl at school, etc. There aren’t that many stunning women in the world, and those who are, are aware that for, many men, their value is often based on their appearance — but that value is fleeting before they’re “too old.” Powerful men don’t usually end up with regular people, and it’s a common trope that once a man settles down, he’ll “upgrade.” When men have money and options, they can afford to be picky, often seeking out someone gorgeous, and if there’s a deeper connection, that’s just a bonus.

Of course, memes aren’t a scientific reflection of reality, but it’s interesting that you rarely see memes like “model vs. woman I vibe with” instead of "pretty woman VS woman I think is prettier.“It’s not that men shouldn’t have standards — there are definitely some wild women out there. But I don’t think it’s as simple as women just chasing the richest, most handsome men for no reason other than greed. For a long time, marriage was a woman’s only form of security — finding someone who could support her, possibly offer freedom, and ensure safety, all while staying within a timeline before she was seen as ‘bargain goods.’” I think that mind set still lingers with a lot of women because there are always worse things for a woman than being single. As women gain more financial and societal freedom, they start getting picky because now no one really needs a partner. Women are now free to choose on looks, charm, sexual prowess, like men have in the past, but some women still hold that standard of the man being the main backbone of the house. So now, men have the same standards they put on women, plus the burden they (culturally) have put on themselves by being the head of household and main provider.

I think both sides need a lot of work.

That’s true. But I think that idea kind of… Lingers over a lot of western countries. Like you said, a lot of women have it baked in that whoever they marry needs to be daddy 2.0, but I think some of that comes from the fear of “messing up.” Not that divorced dads are out there dodging 🐈‍⬛ on the daily, but women get a lot of “You picked the wrong guy, so you deserve it” so they panic about picking the “right” one.

Lord, you’re right. Thanks for the fact check.

The men are also very picky. Women outnumber men, (Wrong. Men outnumber women by, like, a lot. Don’t ask where I got that from) but they are also looking for a certain age, body type, and background. People are even buying/kidnapping little girls to raise as brides for their sons so they can mold them versus just finding a bride. Half of the time, they don’t want the women available. They’re too old, too fat, too ugly, divorced, have kids, outspoken, and all the other things that they’ve been conditioned to dislike. Also, a lot of women have rough married lives over there.

Women also belong to the groom’s family in a way. If you “only” have a daughter, you really have one shot (and a clicking clock) for both you and her to pick the “best” family. Society has made it to where a woman is expected to serve her household and handle whatever they throw at her, but then punish them for wanting to pick the cage they’re locking themselves into. Like, yeah, if it’s super hard to get divorced, let alone marry again, and the man/family I’m marrying has a lot of power over me, and I’ll be under the households thumb, I’m going to at least make sure I’m take care of. If their society was more equal, I think they’d be able to marry more for love/desire/want than security. But women over there don’t get a lot of agency so they take it where they can.

Bith sides are saying “fuck it.” Men don’t want to be wage slaves and women don’t want to be indentured bang maids.

This just in, Trump to cut programs to native American reservations due to discrimination against white Americans.

Japan’s #MeToo movement has been “building up slowly”, says Miura Mari of Sophia University in Tokyo. In 2017 Ito Shiori, a freelance journalist, accused a reporter and the biographer of then-prime minister Abe Shinzo, of rape. Her criminal case was dismissed, but she won damages in a civil lawsuit. “Black Box Diaries”, her film chronicling the episode, became the first Japanese documentary to be nominated for an Oscar last month (though there is no release date for it in Japan). Her case proved controversial and sparked nationwide conversations. According to surveys, only 5-10% of people report assaults to the police in Japan, compared with 23% in America. Demonstrations also started in 2019 after four rape acquittals were handed down by the courts in quick succession.

Surprised it took them so long to be honest. Women have been treated terribly in Japan for ages, even more so as the population decreased (because that’s women’s fault I guess).

I like that the crisis is “a bunch of powerful people that run the country/media are rapists. I mean, we knew that part, but now we have to do something. Who will host our TV shows!?”

The “pager attack” killed 42 people, including two children and two healthcare workers, while wounding another 2,800 people. The attacks targeted public areas, including cars, streets, and supermarkets, and many of the wounded suffered eye, hand, and brain injuries. Many survivors needed surgery, and some victims went blind or had to have their limbs amputated. One of the attacks killed an 11-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, along with a nurse. At a funeral for some victims, another electronic device attack was carried out by Israel, wounding more people. It’s unknown how many Hezbollah operatives the attack actually killed.

“That was a great operation,” Trump reportedly told Netanyahu, after being given the morbid gift.

I can not believe this man was voted in. I can not believe this time line is real.