Are you a middle age straight man?

I’m doing my part!

Agreed, there are lots of instances, and that may be one thing that allows Lemmy to actually have space for different political leanings. As I understand, conservative circles are not very large here, but that can change, and smaller communities generally are healthier. Check those out and recruit your pals- be the change you want to see in the world!

I remember the way I felt when the railroad strike first ended- it was a smack in the face to the railroad union. He sided against the protesters and ended the protest without giving them what they wanted- sick time off. I thought “dang, Biden is just another in a long line of anti-labor presidents”.

That was big news posted loud and everywhere.

And then only a few months later, and with little fanfare, The Biden administration pressured rail companies to give that sick leave.

Biden (actually Pete Buttigeig) prioritized preventing an immediate logistics crisis over workering conditions, but he didn’t just let it slide off his table. Now we don’t have a logistics crisis and the railroad union has more sick leave. Absolute win.

And if I were guilty, I would not trust him because he was my partner who turned me in and got away before he was identified. He’s smiling because he knows I know what he’d do to my parents if I snitched, and he’s getting away with my half of the fortune. I also know he’s most likely going to marry my girlfriend because the love triangle was so plain as day.

If it hadn’t been for Willem Dafoe, I’d be married a long time ago. Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from Willem Dafoe?

“I think my human is broken”

My god was it dirt water! Couldn’t down more than 3 cups of it

Very fair! Also I’m learning it’s fine to stomp on the eggshells and send a text saying “so hey, here’s what I mean when I say K” or something like that so the people you chat with are on the same page. It seems awkward, but also could be a way to avoid even more awkward situations later.

Haha I mean a line of people might help the situation but I dunno! Thanks for the correction

Oh yeah I’ve had that conversation over and over. I’m well aware of the reality of a profession in music, but I also have realized in the 10 years I spent in corporate America that I can’t live that life.

Someone said “don’t get a career in the arts until you’ve exhausted all other options”. It was annoying to have to constantly convince my mom that I was deeply unhappy in those roles, but she’s come around a bit more especially because I’m actually finding success following my passion.

It’s a rough road for sure, but I’ve found avoiding unhappiness is not the road to happiness.

While I had a lot of things that made me angry at my mom in my early 20s, I realized she did this with me with my music. Sometimes she still would suggest I go into sales and get a big boy job and get down on me for my choices, but I also know on her good days she was super supportive. The last panel is word for word what she would say.

I agree with so many folks on this thread- your friend is pushing one set of social queues that they abide by, but that isn’t everyone.

I think this has more to do with communication over text, as there are NO physical cues to help gauge tone. I’m not autistic, however when texting I’ve learned to practice mirroring for each person I chat with. If I notice they end their sentences without punctuation, I’ll adopt that. If I notice more emojis, I’ll have fun with that, or hold off if it seems that they don’t use them.

A big one for me is using “!”. I usually will use “!” to signal excitement/ friendly tone, however I’ve learned some people see it as an angry tone and thought I was freaking out about what they said.

When I talked to my therapist, he noted with his clients that 90% of disputes start over social media/ texting. I almost lost a friend when they sent me a lecture from a professor talking about the Israeli/ Palestine conflict. A few days later I saw a funny music composition video titled “old MacDonald had a lobotomy”. I thought I was just sending a funny video, but she thought it was in response to her video, and I got a stern text that I had to clear up.

This reminds me of when I was in college and was undiagnosed Bipolar disorder, and my roommate was undiagnosed OCD. I was up and bopping at 3 am and decided to help my OCD roommate with the dishes since he was up and bopping but for very different reasons. I was drying a dish when our third, neurotypical, roommate came out to ask us to stop since we were being loud.

I looked at the dish I was washing and shushed it and told it to be nicer to my roommate.

Ofc! Have fun, be safe, and don’t actually eat people!

I would take a step back: why are fetishes a thing? It’s a difficult thing to research, especially since western society is reluctant to talk openly (or even privately to researchers) about their sex life. In this thread people talked about how childhood trauma could be a factor in kink, and that would make sense.

I can tell you from my experience, types of fetishes are not a biological response so much as social response. For me, I know many of my fetishes are simply based on the fact that it’s a social taboo. If people walked around in gimp suits and nipple clips all the time in public, I would find that kink far less interesting.

My guess is good as any, but I think if being kinky with a partner has an evolutionary advantage, it would be about social cohesion. When you show someone this dark side of you that you would never show other people, you strengthen a bond with your partner (assuming they are into it as well).

In the case of vore fetish, my partner doesn’t actually want to be eaten, rather she likes this version of submission where she is seen as “delicious”. Once sex is over and we return to our senses, we maintain our sense of self preservation.

Personally I would never eat someone else, but playing this role is fun for me since I can get into a Dom role and do something society would frown upon if it was real.

With that said, I find in any kink play, aftercare is SUPER important. We say fucked up things while having sex all the time, but afterwards we make sure to assure eachother it was just an act. Communication during and then afterwards is so important to reinforcing the relationship when enjoying kink play.

My partner chooses the bear bc she has a vore fetish and gets turned on at the thought of being eaten.

He also would masturbate in the middle of the market, and when confronted said “if only hunger could be satisfied by rubbing your belly”

He also lived in a bathtub.

That’s a very real experience, and I have experienced that too. As a male teacher, I have often been seen with suspicion. As just a tall guy who has some self awareness, I can sense that I can be seen as a potential threat. It’s exhausting.

But remember, it’s not women’s fault. It’s the fault of asshole guys that bought into a shit idea of what masculinity is and taught women to be on guard.

The fact is the boys are not alright. They are being outperformed in school, and in all demographics except the elite, there is a drop in real wealth among men when women are climbing. This is especially true for men of color. If there is a failure of progressive change in the 2000s, it’s not giving the boys a path forward beyond “no means no”.

I’m a dude and I would love a world where women feel safe to be open with their boundaries. This comic nails it in that the problem isn’t women, it’s other men.

Patriarchal society doesn’t just hurt women, it hurts men too.

Any guys reading this- we don’t have to be the problem, in fact we are part of the solution. We are not useless, we are not supposed to just shut up and listen, we are supposed to be role models for the next generation. We have work to do, and when everyone benefits, we will benefit too. This isn’t a zero sum game.

I’m an educator, and I try to teach the girls that men don’t need to be feared, and teach the boys not to be men to be afraid of. It’s my job to show the boys that there is an alternative masculinity to what Andrew Tate prescribes.

If anyone wants a good YouTube male role model, I suggest John Green. I want more men who can recite Emily Dickinson and be open with their emotions in healthy ways.

I hate it even more