This week in feminism...

[DCHawk1]

It is, indeed, amazing. Sadly, there are still so many obstacles, thanks mostly to our dear friend Social Fucking Media.

My daughter's friend just got back from a 40-day trip in recovery. Her biggest obstacle is her mother, an ultra-religious, Ukranian immigrant who believes her "daughter" is "mentally unstable." She sadly turned to Xanax and alcohol to cope. Just like a lot of kids these days.

That sucks. Poor kid.

When my daughter was in 5th grade, she told my wife she wanted to transition -- to a dragon.

[chiknbut]

I'm on the LSC at my daughter's high school and the principal's son has recently transitioned. Such an impressive young man. Recently spoke on the same stage as Lori Lightfoot and J.B. Pritzker - and blew both of them away.

Still, I can't imagine how difficult life was at times for this young man. He's very fortunate he has a pretty amazing Mom and Dad.

[DCHawk1]

That's always what I imagined would be the hardest thing as a parent, coming to grips with the amount of suffering your kid will go through, IN ADDITION to all the suffering he/she has already been through.

[twocoach]

Word of the year:

They

lulz

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-a ... f-the-year

Was having a discussion with my soon-to-be 18-year-old daughter about this very thing a few days ago. She has a very good friend who prefers the personal pronoun "them." Born a woman, she wants to identify as a male but, as of now, does not wish to transition.

Needless to say it makes for a very difficult conversation.

My soon-to-be 18-year-old daughter has had "non-conforming" friends since at least middle school. One of her best friends, Tom, started Middle School as Mary (not his real name(s))), and has been referred to as "he/him" for five years now. She has two friends who identify as "non-binary," and use they/them. She has another friend who has a twin brother and thinks that she too would prefer to be male. And the list goes on.

I think a big part of it is that being an adolescent/teen-ager/young adult is fucking hard and you grab onto anything you think will provide some stability. I imagine most of my daughter's friends will figure their stuff out and will conclude that they're girls/women, but it doesn't matter. It's kind of amazing how kids today just roll with it.

Another big part of it is that their constant phone usage now means that 99% of the information and advice they receive is from fellow teenagers who are also trying to figure out WTF is going on.

Parents used to be the primary voices heard by kids. Now, that is nearly impossible.

[chiknbut]

That's always what I imagined would be the hardest thing as a parent, coming to grips with the amount of suffering your kid will go through, IN ADDITION to all the suffering he/she has already been through.

We've all suffered, especially during the awkward teen years. Suffering is certainly different as an adult, but I don't envy anyone going through that teenage shit again, especially a young woman.

But it's comforting to hear my daughters talk to each other and mention how so-and-so is gay or transitioning as if they are talking about someone's hair color. There's hope for this world.

Or not.

[twocoach]

That's always what I imagined would be the hardest thing as a parent, coming to grips with the amount of suffering your kid will go through, IN ADDITION to all the suffering he/she has already been through.

We've all suffered, especially during the awkward teen years. Suffering is certainly different as an adult, but I don't envy anyone going through that teenage shit again, especially a young woman.

But it's comforting to hear my daughters talk to each other and mention how so-and-so is gay or transitioning as if they are talking about someone's hair color. There's hope for this world.

Or not.

Our community is similar. My 16 year old and her friends talk about these things like anything else and all support one another.

But she leaves this little insulated fish tank community in less than 2 years and get dropped into the ocean where she will see and hear a lot of different points of view. It will be interesting.

[jhawks99]

Most of my youngest daughter's identify as LBGT or Q. Two that come to mind are both kids of strict fundamentalist families. One set of parents essentially locked the kid up and refused to let them see any friends or leave their small appartment. This kid is not in school and has had problems with drugs and alcohol.

The other family initially reacted the same way. They eventually realized that is just the way their kid is and no one can change that. He is male in every way except plumbing and due to graduate college soon with honors.

The kids, at least the ones I know, are accepting and this isn't even a big deal. I can only imagine the pain of someone like this in the homophobic, all male. Catholic high school I attended.

[Shirley]

Most of my youngest daughter's identify as LBGT or Q. Two that come to mind are both kids of strict fundamentalist families. One set of parents essentially locked the kid up and refused to let them see any friends or leave their small appartment. This kid is not in school and has had problems with drugs and alcohol.

The other family initially reacted the same way. They eventually realized that is just the way their kid is and no one can change that. He is male in every way except plumbing and due to graduate college soon with honors.

The kids, at least the ones I know, are accepting and this isn't even a big deal. I can only imagine the pain of someone like this in the homophobic, all male. Catholic high school I attended.

You seem so, (relatively), normal, to be catholic.

[Shirley]

[DCHawk1]

Shit.

So...he's a vile person and a sexist pig?

No way he wins in 2016 now.

[HouseDivided]

Shit.

So...he's a vile person and a sexist pig?

No way he wins in 2016 now.

Or 2020.

[Deleted User 104]

Shit.

So...he's a vile person and a sexist pig?

No way he wins in 2016 now.

This is probably one of the easiest elections for the left to win, yet they are blowing it by focusing on this stupid impeachment rubbish rather than focusing their attention on a better alternative to Trump.

[seahawk]

So, we should just take the Russian candidate, Tulsi Gabbard?

[ousdahl]

Just in case this thread wasn’t already headed for the hall...

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/16/78854951 ... of-the-way

"If you look at the world and look at the problems, it's usually old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way," Obama said, according to a BBC report about the event.

"They cling to power, they are insecure, they have outdated ideas and the energy and fresh vision and new approaches are squashed," he added, Today reports.

"Now women, I just want you to know, you are not perfect, but what I can say pretty indisputably is that you're better than us [men]," Obama said, according to the BBC.

...

"Part of the challenge we have as humans is that when things get complicated and confusing we tend to want to block it out and look for simple answers," Obama was quoted as saying by the Straits Times. "So we are, oftentimes, getting a leadership that reflects our own insecurities and problems."

...

[DCHawk1]

Kiss ass.


But seriously. Why didn't he let Hillary win in 2008?

[ousdahl]

ummm

ummmmmmm....



...cuz she didn’t build that?

[defixione]

Kiss ass.


But seriously. Why didn't he let Hillary win in 2008?

Didn't Comey have a little bigger hand in her defeat?

[DCHawk1]

Kiss ass.


But seriously. Why didn't he let Hillary win in 2008?

Didn't Comey have a little bigger hand in her defeat?

Not in 2008

[ousdahl]

Oh yeah...WTF was Comey thinking?

[Shirley]

The Lawfare Podcast: Danielle Citron on Feminism and National Security

Live from the #NatSecGirlSquad Conference in Washington, DC, on December 12, 2019, Benjamin Wittes sat down with Danielle Citron, professor of law at Boston University, VP of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, and MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow. Ben and Danielle talked about technology, sexual privacy, sextortion, and the previously unexplored intersections of feminism and cybersecurity...