Hey folks, welcome to the new whine/general topic thread. Feel free to use this thread to discuss anything that is on your mind. Caregiving- related stuff, life after a loved one's death, your own emotional wellbeing. Whatever..........anything on your mind.
I’m very glad that harassing gay men is off the police to-do list, and I hope that ‘look at me, I’m different’ disappears as well. I don’t need to hear any more about how transgenders suffer if they can’t go into women’s toilets, or how awful they feel if they can’t compete in women’s sports. And Burnt, I quite agree about getting back to a focus on the fundamentals of rights and oppression, affecting half the population – women. I wonder if pulpit orators realise that they too are saying 'your body, my choice'?
I think the "alphabet people" have been so over-emphasized that people here in the U.S. are exhausted of all the 'wokeness' aka nonsense over it. It's unfortunate that it's been shoved dwn everyone's throats so much that actual important issues get forgotten about and ignored by people.
Yes, American women and girls are losing the most basic, fundamental right guaranteed by the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The right to Privacy under the law. Also women are losing the most basic of human rights. The power to make decisions concerning our own bodies. Evidently, to the majority of the American people saving a nickel on a gallon of gas and not having unisex restrooms was worth sacrificing the most basic human rights of all American women and girls.
@Anxietynacy
An abandoned toilet paper factory is asking for a bunch of teens to light TP on fire and jump over it with skateboards. I'm 50 years old and this would tempt me.
It was up to the owners of the factory to secure the place and have some security on it so kids can't get up to lighting toilet paper fires on the premesis.
Remember the OLD tv show Dragnet? “Just the facts, ma’am.”
That kind of reporting is just a memory.
For this reason I’m not confident there would be consistent answers to Margaret’s question .
It’s difficult to decipher at times if changing beliefs are the cause of what is in the media or the other way around .
The whole chicken or the egg , which is first thing ,
It’s as if we’re being told to hate the colour of our neighbour’s house while ignoring that our own is on fire.
I’m trying to focus on your specific question as to whether the US media emphasis on, for lack of a better term, ‘LGBTQ+ rights’ is surging at this moment in time in the US as you perceive it to be in Australia.
From my limited perception, the answer is no. I believe the reason is that the ‘movement’ has been WAY over promoted in the media for the last few years, even in the opinion of some within that particular community.
That over promotion made public some very epic fails in business, sports and public policy in the US recently, and as a result I think the pendulum, for better or worse depending on one’s perspective, has reached its peak and is beginning to swing the other way, hopefully toward more balance.
It certainly disturbed me that Title VII, enacted in 2014, was reversed in 2017. That action was solely for the purpose of taking away rights for the trans community. I think about 1/4 of states offer zero protection against harassment and firing of LGBTQ+ employees, hence the need for federal laws.
Empathy seems in short supply. Imagine your life if, because you are a woman, or your employer believes you to be a woman, your rights are gone. Walking on eggshells every day at work. The economic uncertainty knowing you’re a no-fault fire. The first to go, in spite of your record, because you have no recourse. The insult of being considered less of a human.
So I protest at the erosion of women’s and LGTBQ+’s rights. Canada tends to follow US social trends to some degree. We are seeing more socially conservative rhetoric, when really, people should wise up to the ‘divide and conquer’ lies and fear-mongering, used to distract us from serious issues. (climbing down off my soapbox now)
While I support rights for everyone, I would prefer to think first about correcting the common gender oppression for the last few thousand years, rather than for small minorities who are recently making a lot of 'look at me' noise. On the site we still see a lot of female posters (not only from migrant backgrounds) who are still picking a lot of the worst responsibilities in aged care, because it's 'clearly' a job for women - wives, daughters and daughters-in-law.
What I would be interested to hear from my friends on the Forum is whether you too in the US have had this strong emphasis on very vocal ‘alphabet people’. A lot of people here are blaming it on our own media, perhaps with their own 'alphabet' component. People on the site ought to know. Any clues?
When I was diagnosed with cancer I paid out of network costs to see an oncologist I knew was ‘old-school’ and actually treated his patients as whole people. He retired early because the system would not allow him to provide primary care along with cancer care for his patients. He was the last of a dying breed.
This should probably be under a Whine!
Enjoy the plateau. Though the waiting for the next shoe to drop is hard. Hopefully the neuropsych appointment will be useful/enlightening.
For me the quote especially applies to family members. 🙄
Cardiology appointment was pretty worthless. This is a new doctor - DH’s previous cardiologist left the system so we needed to start all over again. Apparently there hasn’t been any change in his level of heart failure because follow-up is in one year. DH was taken off one blood thinner which I appreciate. The tech required to check his pacemaker/defibrillator canceled at the last minute so I have no idea if things are stable there. It is monitored, so I assume the company would contact me if there was a problem. Thank you for asking!
Onward to neuro-psyche next month. Things have plateaued around here, which is nice, but as always I’m waiting for the next shoe to drop.
"I don't have the energy to debate. I'm at at peace with being misunderstood."
Oh, boy, am I!!!!
Psue - how did the cardiology appointment go?
Neuro-psyche is next month.
I want to know what people believe because their beliefs make them who they are. But I can love who they are without believing the same things they do.
I’m not saying there weren’t rough patches and I have no doubt the string would have broken if we hadn’t been able to see beyond (not ignore) our political or religious beliefs. But we learned to give ourselves and each other grace. None of us would be who we are if hadn't learned to embrace each other as whole people rather than put each other in ideological boxes.
A person who shows their beliefs to you is just showing you a part of themself. A person who tries to force their beliefs onto you is not showing respect for who you are. You have to be able to distinguish the difference. The first is a friend; the second is just a person that is easy to walk, or scroll, away from.
And when it comes to political activity on FB, 2024 as a whole has been the most quiet I've been on there since early in college and for the few political posts I've shared on my page, I fixed it to where she was among those who didn't see any of them to avoid trouble. And I never once went after her for her beliefs.
Btw, she was involved with campus ministry up until a few years ago.
Pop ups and ads are for people who don't know how to block those things (although admittedly doing so on a phone is much more complicated than on a PC)
My "third place" would be anywhere in the condo buildings outside of our unit - in the elevator, getting the mail, walking in the parkade, doing the jigsaw in the second floor lounge. People are friendly but not intrusive. I don't need a lot of company.
Alva, sorry you took a tumble. Hope you heal soon.
How did I not know that?
My dH knew it.
News:
I sometimes rely on my friends to inform me of important news.
Otherwise, I am busy with ADL's.
N. loves news and is a true junky and to tell you the truth it simply is NOT making him happier in his dotage.
I'm a news junkie and I think I'm going to have to totally eliminate that from my life and live in wilful, blissful ignorance if I want to survive.
Oh I'm just coming back to add - things don't have to be overt and in your face to be toxic, just the constant repetition of gloom and doom negativity can be poisonous.