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pandemic-info · 3 months
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Video of Long COVID researchers responding that yes, they still mask indoors, primarily because they don't want LC.
https://twitter.com/loscharlos/status/1736650867875409941
If the smartest minds studying this condition are “wearing a mask because they are concerned about developing #LongCovid” — don’t pretend you know better than them. Just acknowledge you’re OK rolling the dice.
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asherisawkward · 9 months
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What did you think of Season 3 and its episodes? Also, do you think fans who weren't satisfied with Belos, Caleb, or Wittewife being ungrateful? I saw on Twitter that people who are upset are because Philip, Caleb, and Wittewife got more compared to other characters. Also that we didn't need to see a flashback because we already know from the Hollow Mind portraits what happened. Finally, what do you think of the Wittewife interpretations? How do you interpret her?
Get ready, because you’re in for a doozy of a rant, because Season Three was full of mixed feelings for me.
Thanks To Them:
I loved TTT because it felt incredibly suspenseful and horrifying to watch Luz and Hunter search for Philip. The exploration of Hunter’s personality and interests are heartwarming, and I can completely relate to him about wolves. It’s also interesting to see the ways Hunter grows and reacts to his Grimwalker situation and the similarities between him and Caleb.
Masha was obviously amazing, and I loved their depiction of the Wittebane Brothers’ Tale. I did notice that the local legend supposedly took place about twenty years before Gravesfield was reported to have been founded on the sign. That may be a sign that their story was incorrect, but who knows.
What really interested me was the implications of the story. Philip was an orphan with very little connection to his parents due to losing them when he was very young. Clearly, he was heavily dependent upon Caleb for his sense of safety and security, as well as his stable point to interact with the world. With Caleb leaving with Evelyn, Philip must have been left traumatized and terrified.
And Caleb…If Evelyn truly wasn’t evil, then he abandoned his brother by choice. It doesn’t really matter if he thought he’d be better off. His brother needed him, and he left.
Evelyn shares less of the blame, in my opinion, because Caleb might not have mentioned that he was an older brother or spoken of Philip. I tend to imagine her as a kind but spirited person who likely made Caleb realize there was more to life than the strict rules of Puritan society. She would likely have been a friend before they became lovers.
With that analysis done, I’ll get back to TTT.
During the possession scene, I was pretty conflicted. The animation was beautiful, and the voice acting was amazing. But I feel like it was needlessly cruel to Hunter to possess him, scar him for life, kill his therapy animal, and re-grow his hair so that he looked like his Ortet when his whole arc was about becoming his own person and learning he is not Caleb. Additionally, I’m mildly bothered by the writers making him want to carve palismen like Caleb when he had already demonstrated interest in sewing.
For The Future:
Philip’s travels were so interesting. It was horrific to watch him slowly fall apart as he desperately searched for a new body, even possessing an unfinished grimwalker to try to do the job. Some story boards and behind the scenes content revealed that Caleb and the Golden Guard ghosts were, in fact, hallucinations.
This was extremely impactful to me because it indicates that Philip had some inkling that what he’s doing is wrong, but he has fallen into the sink cost fallacy: the idea that something can’t be wrong because you invested so much time, energy, and resources into it. To put it simply, his guilt is driving him mad, but he has to continue because he knows there is no redemption for him.
New Hexside was okay. It was mildly annoying due to the change in tone feeling forced and disrupting compared to the extremely serious tone of Philip’s section. It was cool to see the way society had turned out for those who survived. I adore that it was an absolute mess, because it’s incredibly accurate for something run by teenagers.
I disliked the bit with Kikimora because it felt like a retcon of her arc in Kings Tide. She had been so obsessed with pleasing and serving someone in the pursuit of approval and greater power that she forgot she was also in danger from her hero’s plans. To restate it a way I’ve heard, “she was so focused on the boot she had on others’ necks that she didn’t notice the one on her own.” It was very gratifying to see her get retribution against Philip and play a part in saving the Isles. So FTF felt like a backslide to her.
Boscha was an interesting parallel to Philip in feeling abandoned by someone she cared about. So she attempted to force that person to stay. However, she is able to move on and accept that things have changed. It’s what would have happened if Philip had been able to let go, and I like that.
Willow’s breakdown was understandable, but not handled the best, and I dislike that she was “saved” when she doesn’t really like that sort of thing. It would have been better if Hunter and Gus had talked to her and let her slowly unload her feelings instead of being “saved” by Hunter.
I also dislike where their arcs end with them holding pinkies. Don’t get me wrong, I think that Huntlow is adorable and has a lot of potential. I just think that should be dealt with after they are more emotionally stable.
King and the Collector’s story was the least interesting to me, though I think the “new” Collector is adorable. I loved the dynamic they had as a somewhat malicious and irreverent being that will poke and prod at anything for some amusement. It really made him feel like a threat, and I liked that.
The new interpretation revealed by the interactions with King was sweet but less compelling to follow. I would have found it much more interesting for King to help him slowly come to understand human/demon/witch morals and the way what they did was wrong.
Philip’s tricking of the Collector felt like a little bit of a stress, but potentially in character as someone who was desperate to regain the power he had likely lost due to Vee. King’s dialogue for that bit felt kind of forced, but I can excuse it.
Watching and Dreaming:
Oh crud, here’s the real doozy. Watching and Dreaming was the biggest let down for me. It was stunning visually, and the animation was fluid as a whole. It looked amazing, and I was thrilled with the episode the first time I watched it. But the more I thought on it, the more issues I’ve found.
I thought the nightmare sequence was going to be far more significant than it was. I was hoping for a deep analysis on the ways that Luz and Philip mimicked each other in their desire to be the hero, protect the people they care about, and escape the unsatisfactory reality that they had previously lived in.
I thought we would see Eda face and potentially live out some of her greatest fears. Maybe she would accidentally hurt King or Luz. It would have been interesting to see her grapple this during an intense battle that would decide the fate of the Isles! It was disappointing for that to be over in fewer than ten minutes without any of the depth. I don’t really have much to say for King’s nightmare sequence.
On a far more minor note, I disliked Philip’s design during this episode. Yeah, Kaiju Philip was interesting looking, but he doesn’t carry any of the same weight or fear that he used to. The lack of detail and speech from him felt off, because he is a character who puts so much weight into words and manipulation, and we never really get to see him.
I also dislike the way that his color scheme changed. I really liked the dark green and glowing blue thing he had going on. It felt like ooze and rot, like the decay and destruction of a person’s very soul until it’s so twisted it’s no longer human. The lighter green feels sickly, and it gives me the same feeling I get when I touch a grainy eraser. I shudder, and I don’t know why. However, that’s about all on Philip’s design, now to the more major concerns and thoughts.
Luz’s death would have been far more effective if she had died more slowly and if people had noticed she was dead. Without anyone else acknowledging it, I just felt kind of hollow for the whole thing.
I thought that Papa Titan was cool, but I really dislike what he did to the narrative. This fight was set up to be horrific and challenging, that it would take every ounce of the characters’ strength. And King’s parent just kind of took that away.
Additionally, she denied all the buildup that was put into Philip’s character. Philip was set up to be tragic and sympathetic. It implied that anyone could become an extremist and hurt others because they got in too deep, and I related to Philip a lot as a character, as well as Hunter. To see him called just plain evil was disrespectful to the rest of the work put in and everything Wittebro fans hoped to see.
Some people believe that the backstory we got was sufficient for Philip’s character. Respectfully, I disagree. The pictures that were in the background of Hollow Mind were exactly that—background. It implied a tragic character that went off the deep end when he lost the only person he loved.
It suggests that, in a better world, Philip could have moved past his biases and the manipulation he experienced the way Boscha and Caleb did. He could have had a happy ending and been the person that Luz thought he was. By saying he was just evil and ignoring his backstory, Papa Titan and Luz do the exact same thing that Philip does: dehumanize the enemy and say that the group/person should be killed without remorse. It also dehumanizes or hurts those that connect with him due to religious trauma or other reasons.
It feels wrong when only a scene ago, Luz was telling the Collector that things weren’t that simple. But now, they magically are.
Papa Titan also breaks all of the themes that were set up earlier: the idea that you have to choose yourself, that there is no divine being that is going to make you special, and that Luz got where she did because she was open minded and hard working. By making the Titan gift her the runes, it discredits all the hard work she did and supports Philip’s comment that the reason he couldn’t get glyphs easily was because the Titan was making it difficult (as opposed to him being a closed minded individual who couldn’t connect to the Isles).
Luz didn’t really have a choice, and it’s never really addressed the way that the found family theme is ignored as a result of her being chosen. It also implied that all the growth she did over the previous two seasons was pointless, because she was the chosen one.
After that, the tone is distinctly more action based and exciting as opposed to the horrific and stressful encounter I was expecting. It felt like the fight wasn’t being taken seriously by the characters or the writers, and it made it hard to stay invested or take the stakes seriously.
The fight could have been the whistle Hexsquad taking on Philip and supporting each other. Hunter could have helped get people out of the way when they were being attacked. Gus could have distracted Philip and help people escape or even left him open to attack. Willow and Amity could have grappled him and harmed him. Camila could have given it her all with the bat. It could have really pushed the theme of community and connection and the way they impact people.
Finally, I want to talk about one last thing: Philip’s death. I laughed at it the first time I saw it. It was amusing and more than a touch satisfying, but it’s not what Philip deserved.
Philip was a tragic, hurt character who sacrificed his health, his morals, and everything about himself in the pursuit of protecting humanity from witches. He was evil and irredeemable, and I do not want him to be redeemed.
I wanted him to learn that it was all for nothing and that his guilt was justified, that he was fed lies by the people he admired and told what he did was right when it wasn’t. I wanted to see him break down at the knowledge of his actions and their consequences, the sins he committed. Then, I wanted him to die.
In later watching, the scene where Raine, Eda, and King stomp him to death feels cruel. I agree that he needed to die, but Philip couldn’t fight back. It doesn’t feel like something that good guys would do. And Luz just watching them do that felt wrong.
Epilogue:
I liked the epilogue as a whole, except for a bit on Hunter. The thing with him and Willow was cute, but he didn’t cut his hair again, and he went on to carve palisman. I feel as if it violates everything previously set up about him choosing to be himself, and that makes me a bit sad.
In Conclusion:
I think that the people who weee unsatisfied with the Wittebane lore have every right to be. It was the most impactful series of events for the future of the Isles. It was built up for ages and never carried through. Obviously, my opinion would change if there was a series or movie on them.
Evelyn was “spring” to Caleb, as she introduced him the first life and light that allowed him to be who he wanted to be.
Season Three had amazing animation and visual depiction, but it fumbled on the themes it had previously established and some of the character development.
I am so sorry for rambling/ranting so much on this. I hope I haven’t scared or upset you. Have a great day!
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roboe1 · 23 days
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News and Headlines: 3/5/2024.
In The News Today: House GOP probes alleged DOJ retaliation against impeachment witness serving 14-year sentence who revealed then-VP Joe’s Moscow call House Republicans are probing whether the Department of Justice retaliated against one of their impeachment witnesses — a former business associate of Hunter Biden who revealed a 2014 conversation then-Vice President Biden had with his son and…
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malacalico · 1 year
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hello gamers
youtube
i redesigned noelle from hit game genshin impact and shared my process (voice over) on youtube
check it out if you're interested in that (+ some thoughts on the cost of making a product out of a creative project)
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MINIMUM wage is the lowest possible salary that is still legal. It is insufficient to live off of.
LIVING wage is the lowest possible salary that you can still live off of. It only provides enough money for necessities (food, housing, etc.).
THRIVING wage is double the living wage. It allows you to have enough money so that 50% of it goes to necessities, 30% goes to leisure spending, and 20% goes to savings.
We don’t need a living wage. We need a thriving wage. Because a living wage doesn’t allow you to live; it allows you to survive.
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prettypgemini · 1 year
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(Re-reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover currently, so I can read It Starts With Us)
*spoilers below* lol
Topic: RYLE 😑
Everything he does is CRINGE
Much like Lily, I missed all the red flags the first time
He was literally beating up a chair when she met him
Second time she sees him, he tells her he doesn’t ever want to see her again
THEN
He knocked on 29 apartment doors ?! TWENTY NINE DOORS 😂 BECAUSE HE WANTED TO FUCK HER 😂😂😂😂
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thee-rat-king · 11 months
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Watching the coronation with an Australian nine year old is bloody brilliant. Me and my brother are bantering and running commentary and I love it. So far, the main point of interest have been:
- the “anime sword”
- the long trains/cloaks
- the amount of gold and jewels everywhere
- a discussion of how much of the gold and jewels where stolen
- the fact that Charles and Camilla’s chairs look a lot like sofas. All plump and soft
- Charles KISSED THE BIBLE. That was a big deal. He was very interested in that. A lot of giggling ensued
- that horrendous mustard yellow carpet
- all the Latin. Mostly in the songs.
- we had a bit of a talk about how this is the first “Protestant thing” we’ve ever really seen. Our family’s mostly lapsed Catholics so this is new and unusual
And I’ve been making a deriding noise every time someone says “god save the king”. He’s started copying me.
I’m very proud.
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enigmatic-pers · 1 year
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I finished reading the manga for “welcome to demon school iruma kun “.
It’s so damm good but I especially came for the character expressions and how much the class has changed overtime- I’m so glad there’s a manga with a full class of OP people, I love asmod- I mean everyone here….
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livelymyrtle · 9 months
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Honestly atp I don’t know how to feel about Lin Manuel Miranda. I don’t want to be in that crowd of the “Hamilton and everything else he does sucks and it’s all awful” because it’s not really true… Hamilton was very good (mostly brought down from excellence by the second act), and I actually quite liked Encanto (aside from the fact that Abuela gets pretty much excused at the end + Disney forced him to do stuff like writing in Isabela). In The Heights I haven’t paid much attention to, but what I saw I remember being good, and I know he has plenty of other gems…
so why is it that I, like so many people, am just not feeling it? Netizens have recently been feeling more meh on him or even begun to hate him. So why this shift in perspective?
I think the sudden scrutiny against LMM has two main components:
1) Overexposure
After Disney has been putting him in everything, which was already after everyone was saturated with Hamilton and ITH stuff, I think people are just getting a bit sick of the man. It’s especially damning for Lin that he tends to make every main character himself, and that he has such a distinctive lyrical style(or rather, he is unwilling to diverge from that style - he wrote How Far I’ll Go for Moana and that was more off par for him). As a result, it just feels like you are watching the same thing over and over and over again with him - and at this point it’s just getting kind of exhausting to see him all the time doing what feels like the exact same thing.
It also probably doesn’t help that he has become associated with Disney just as Disney has begun losing popular favor. Nowadays, they mostly are doing mediocre movies with the exact same plot, characters, art style, aesthetic, and message(basically trying to be Studio Ghibli in plot except that they don’t have the slow pensiveness, nor the understanding of what consumers actually want, nor the desire to create art for art’s sake), and extremely awful live action remakes that literally nobody likes, so Disney’s new stuff has been bleeding popularity like a bullet wound. Now, people think of Lin in the same vein that think of their disappointment with Disney, which is probably not making him look better. I’ve even seen people blame Disney’s negative shift on him, which isn’t really fair, but… I can see why someone would draw that conclusion, you know?
2) More importantly, cultural shift in attitudes.
Post COVID and what I like to call the Reality Exodus, everyone went on their phones, got really depressed and pessimistic, and got really online. I think that this has directly lead to why people are no longer ok with some aspects of LMMs stuff. In 2015-16, we all loved Hamilton: it was an inclusive and fresh new take on US history, something that we were pretty starved of pride in. With the election of Trump, things seemed bleak: but people remained hopeful still that there could be pride in this country. The concept of Miranda only hiring actors of color was also just the right amount of groundbreaking but not too shocking for the culture - we were committed to diversity, but not so much to the point where we wanted truly diverse stories to be told, so the all-POC cast in a very white story was a good way to knock on the glass ceiling without breaking it. The added message of “we are all a part of America” was fitting for the widespread “we don’t see color, everyone is welcome, hakuna matata” brand of anti-racism that was the most widely accepted narrative at the time.
But as we got into COVID, we see In the Heights released. And all of a sudden, the Twitter mob has come out against LMM for… colorism in his casting, of all things??? Casting that was very diverse?? And that he wasn’t even in charge of anyway???
In hindsight the whole Twitter cancellation thing seems ridiculous, but I do think it’s an important example of how much more aware and critical we had gotten as a culture. And I think our new perspectives shifted our views on some of his earlier work, too: namely, Hamilton.
After COVID, a play written by a nonblack man about rapping slave masters (but they are all played by POC) didn’t really seem all that revolutionarily anti-racist. We as a culture had developed our understanding of racial theory to a different, more radical narrative: we should start uplifting the stories of real POC and make actual changes. All of a sudden, LMM’s rooting for diversity just didn’t seem genuine anymore the the culture at large. I think that has played one of the biggest parts in his loss of popular favor.
And that’s where we get to now: I just don’t know what to think. I mean, on the one hand, of course Lin Manuel Miranda does some great stuff artistically. But his art, his messaging, his image in general has become associated with an era of lenient attempts at equality that I just don’t really support. And no, before you think it, this isn’t going to devolve into the regular separation of art and artist stuff. But it is a question of separation: Can we separate the goodness of an art piece from its intent? Can we judge art or media as being good objectively? And how important of a part does messaging play in what makes something “good”?
My answer? I don’t know. I need a cup of tea and a nap. Peace.
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oswildin · 1 year
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The Pedro TikTok Craze…
Warnings: Mentions of sexualisation, parasocial relationships and 18+ themes
I just watched a video by Kuncan Dastner on YouTube called ‘I hate how fast we Objectify Celebrities’.
It discusses the recent flurry of fans of Pedro Pascal and how the media and TikTok/Twitter users have quickly objectified and overtly sexualised him.
As a newer Pedro stan, (TLOU was my Pedro awakening), it makes me uncomfortable seeing the vast amount of comments and edits online regarding the man. Don’t get me wrong, most edits I see are benign and more appropriate, however, there’s been a few I’ve come across using a certain scene of Pedro from Narcos that really makes me feel… Icky. As well as comment sections being filled with inappropriate words and almost verging on sexual harassment.
It’s one thing to find a celebrity attractive… It’s another to write out a detailed comment saying what you would do to them, or how you want them to do such and such to you. The ‘Daddy’ comment clearly started as a joke, but with the sexual connotation surrounding the word, it has quickly taken off into a whole new obscure direction. I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with calling a celebrity ‘daddy’, or ‘mommy’, if they haven’t stated they don’t like it, but using it in any other relation other than ‘they’re attractive and I love them’ personally makes me feel uneasy… So I often wonder how those celebrities must feel.
Another thing I’ve noticed is the VAST amount of smutty fanfics surrounding Pedro’s characters (or even him himself). Whilst I am not against smut, it is disheartening to go to certain tags and see that that is all that is taking them up. Maybe i’m just a prude. This isn’t me ‘coming for’ any writers who do specialise in smut writing (hats off to you, could never be me), or those who read the fics, that isn’t my point. It’s just crazy to me that the majority of fics out there regarding Pedro & his characters ARE smut.
I think the line between the celebrity and the fan has become so blurry that it’s hard to know what it means to love a celebrity. I go through multiple fixations (love that ND trait), of loving certain celebrities and characters that eventually chop and change. Hell, I’ve had/have crushes on Tom Hiddleston, Matt Smith, Benedict Cumberbatch, Oscar Isaac, Sacha Dhawan… Pedro Pascal… But I’ve never seen a craze quite like the one with Pedro recently.
Interviewers constantly asking Pedro the same questions (which unfortunately is just the media industry, they usually don’t do their research and tend to go in with questions given to them), about ‘how does it feel to be the internet daddy?’, ‘why do you think so many people love you?’, ‘what do you think about the tiktok edits?’ And so on… It must become tiresome and overwhelming. Whilst the recent clip of the interviewer asking Pedro to read thirst tweets didn’t come across as him being uncomfortable, he did deny reading them out. Maybe it was because it was a Disney premiere, or maybe it was something else. But I think that’s where the line should be drawn. Having interviewers show these human beings sexual comments strangers have been writing about them on the internet (unless they have specifically agreed or consented to reading them).
I don’t know, maybe I’m rambling and being too touchy. But I know if I was in Pedro’s shoes, I think I would start to become a little uncomfortable with the amount of attention my physical appearance was getting rather than my work. I’m not saying don’t appreciate his appearance, or have little fantasies to yourself, but I think there’s a point where it becomes too… real, when it’s publicly shared online. Let alone shown to him on a red carpet.
The man is a heartthrob, and he deserves every bit of attention he gets for his work and character, but can we please agree that boundaries exist and think ‘would I like someone to say or think this about me?’
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marry-me-o-gin · 2 years
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Kinda sick of seeing people being really possessive of fictional characters, claiming them as their husbands AND ONLY THEIRS, or harassing and putting others down for shipping canon characters with OCs, or making fun of people, or trying to cancel them all because of jealousy, or just constantly trying to prove that they or their OC are THE ONLY ONE for a canon character.
Listen ladies, as much as I have my own husbando, I don't try to lay claim to him as if I'm the only one allowed to love, ship, draw, write about him. There is no one who is more or less perfect for your husbando. And they're bloody fictional so there's plenty to go around. Your version of your husbando is your own and no one can take that away from you.
This behaviour is toxic and just makes fandom experience really not nice. I ship my husbando with my OC and also follow people who also ship him with their OCs. It's all good. Because they're nice people. But I won't follow or support you and your OC or self ship if you act like you're the only one allowed to be with the guy.
Come on now. Not cool.
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pandemic-info · 3 months
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https://twitter.com/coffeeteanxiety/status/1736750299551826127 I’ll stop masking when the world’s leading researchers on Long C0vid do. Prof. Akiko Iwasaki: "I'm still wearing my 😷 everywhere." Michael Peluso, MD: "I'm very strict, actually, about 😷." Ziyad Ai-Aly, MD: "Yes, primarily because of Long C0vid. I don't want Long C0vid."
+
https://twitter.com/sri_srikrishna/status/1736460422499459115 Full of DEEP INSIGHTS ABOUT LONG COVID. At 1:01:15, panelists were asked if they continue to be covid-cautious by wearing masks 😷(even though many at infectious disease conferences no longer do), all three nodded yes with a smile 😃 and they MASK TO AVOID LONG COVID
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ameteormoment-blog · 1 year
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roboe1 · 28 days
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News and Headlines: 2/29/2024.
In The News Today: Trump promises he’ll ‘take care’ of the border as he lands at ‘Ground Zero’ in Eagle Pass:  Donald Trump said the U.S. is at ‘war’ at the border because of ‘Joe Biden’s invasion’ and claimed military-aged men who look like ‘warriors’ are streaming across the Rio Grande from ‘jails in the Congo’ in a fiery speech in Texas on Thursday. The former president was shown concertina…
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vsxuce · 1 year
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Hot take of the day: the idea of “plus-sized” is actively harmful.
Let me explain.
Being overweight as the result of a medical condition is very real. And that’s fine.
Being overweight as the result of not caring about your health is also very real. And that’s not fine, and we shouldn’t pretend that it is.
I want to clarify: we shouldn’t shame overweight people. We should make things equally accessible for everyone, and we shouldn’t berate them for being overweight, because it’s not our place.
Having said that, it’s also not our place (or anyone’s) to ACTIVELY ENCOURAGE a detrimental lifestyle. It’s if someone was an alcoholic, and society said “being an alcoholic is their choice. If you disagree, your alcoholphobic.”
Again, discriminating against fat people is awful, and shouldn’t be allowed; additionally, there ARE cases of people being overweight because of a condition. But there is no reason for encouraging people to lead an unhealthy lifestyle.
I’m not trying to offend anyone. Also, I’m a fucking bread loaf on Tumblr; I might be wrong about some of this. It’s all just my opinion.
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