Ah, well, if you can’t imagine it, then all those people with visual impairments who haven’t been able to read the content previously simply must not exist! 🙄🤦‍♀️

Oh wow, finally!

I also really appreciate the article talking about the bullshit myth that trans athletes have some kind of advantage in sports. I don’t usually see that.

Sadly that really is note worthy.

bUt ciViLitY!!1123

A lot of replies here ignoring the obvious - patriarchy, religion, and capitalism.

I’ll be honest, if you don’t have an understanding of how deeply these (along with white supremacy, cis heteronormativity, ablesim, classism) impact not only society at large, but our individual choices (or lack thereof), and it sounds like you don’t (E: among other reasons - the existence of feminism doesn’t negate the impacts of the aforementioned systems, if anything, it exists because those systems are still completely pervasive and need fighting against), I can’t really help at this point, there’s just too much to unpack and it’s not work I’m interested in doing for you.

As for your ulterior motives - the first is easy to resolve by opening a search engine and looking it up, the second absolutely makes you sound like a creep, and also provides a perfect demonstration of the kind of external pressure we face that more often than not compels us to cover up - we feel you “appreciating” our “pups” (aka your “male gaze” or simply you objectifying us. And no, trying to pull an “all genders sexualise” doesn’t change the fact that cis men are who predominantly harm women and others afab). And it’s fucking gross.

Maybe you should read my first reply again, this time try and actually listen to the experience of a person explaining to you the pressures they and others like them face from society that you never have, instead of dismissing it because it makes you uncomfortable to confront, and then invest some of your own time actually researching the topic, not of why people wear bras, but of how fundamentally social constructs impact society and all the individuals in it, and maybe you’ll start to get an idea of what the actual answer to your question is.

But I have a feeling you’re not interested in doing any of that, so I’ll just leave you with this - boobs don’t exist for you.

A lot of replies here ignoring the obvious - patriarchy, religion, and capitalism.

There are plenty of examples of societies past and present, for the vast majority of the time humans existed probably, where breasts are free to exist as they are. The people those breasts are attached to do all manner of work and activities without hinderance, or chafed nipples. Just like those with flat chests do.

The reason that in (especially our western) modern world we are expected to wear bras has to do with puritanism, shame, control, and profiteering from all of the above.

Comfort is categorically not a priority of the billion dollar bra industry, the trillion dollar advertising industry, nor those who demand we wear them to be “respectable”, lest we “excite” their, or their son’s, urges or “distract” them from their important manly duties (and if we don’t, and they attack us, it’d be our fault for not being “modest” enough and “asking for it”).

When we have all been socialised with these demands and expectations for centuries, they become so deeply ingrained, it’s really hard to separate from our own free will, and yet ask any group of people who wear bras what the best part of the day is, and they’ll tell you it’s taking it off.

And to be clear - this isn’t a judgment of anyone who wears a bra, I wear an underwire once in a blue moon which I hate, but am usually in a sports bra because I feel more comfortable with everything held in place (and also have nosy neighbours I’m not that friendly with), it’s about questioning why I feel more comfortable that way, and how much of that is natural vs manufactured by a society that demands I keep everything held in place, hidden (unless they’re “required” to sell something or entertain the mens), and forever impossibly youthful and perky.

Anyway, I’m stoned too and I tend to ramble, so I think I 'll leave it at that for now lol

Yes. It is literally licking the boot stomping on their necks, the man has spent years actively acting against the community and contributing to a hostile environment that costs lives.

Pretending like being civil to a literal nazi is reasonable is bootlicking too.

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/romeo-kokriatski-respectability-politics-or-you-gotta-be-nice-to-monsters

the right starts to assume it’s okay that you’re next

But they already do, so I second queermunist - why lick the boot already stomping on your neck?

At no point did I hold that individual responsible for the system (I literally hold landlords responsible at one point, but this story isn’t about landlords, is it??), but they ARE responsible for their own actions within said system, and for directly causing harm to this family (and I guarantee, many others) with the little power they yield (and before you even try - yes, landlords and those in power cause an altogether different level of harm, but until you’ve been faced with this kind of attitude and discrimination from the bootlicking gatekeepers who just love having a drop of power over the lives of others less fortunate than them, you don’t have a fucking clue the kind of deep and long lasting impact it has, not only mentally, but materially).

Their own circumstances, which MANY share yet magically aren’t cruel arseholes, are not a fucking excuse nor justification for that kind of bigoted bullshit. I have no sympathy for those who have no sympathy for others, and who take their frustration with our world out by punching down instead of up.

So you please keep in mind that excusing or brushing off this kind of attitude and behaviour tells people like me just how little value our lives and well being hold in your opinion.

E: honestly, your comment is the perfect demonstration of why class reductionism isn’t just counter productive, but actively harmful, and why intersectionality is absolutely imperative if you hope to ever better society for everyone (because even if you improve the material conditions of this civil servant, it won’t magically make them no longer ableist or misogynist, only, maybe, less classist).

This makes my blood boil.

It’d be bad enough if it was just any random person, but being disabled myself, I know far too well how difficult, to practically impossible, it can be to find a place that isn’t only suitable to live in, but where the landlords will even consider you in the first place instead of instantly putting your application in the reject pile because you or someone in your household is disabled (both of which result in a high rate of homelessness among disabled people).

There are so many different and equally distressing levels of heinous to this bullshit, from misogyny to ableism, to classism, to just plain old wilful ignorance and cruelty.

People like this civil servant should spend their time being eternally grateful to not be in such a position as this mother is, since they wouldn’t survive a fucking hour in her shoes.

FUCK

One of my all time favourite gifs lol along with this one

Fair…

Mmmmm, forbidden grapes…

Like I said, I don’t criticise anyone for using the service, and the more affordable it is, the better, but trust that they are definitely not working at a loss, in the same way supermarkets, that would probably still charge less for the same items, do - by making you believe they’re selling to you at just about what it costs them to get by, when they are selling it to you for significantly more.

Except they’re selling you the kit at waaaay over cost in the first place, so they’re still making money off of you. I promise you they are aware of the “glitch”, and are not ignoring it out of the kindness of their hearts.

(not criticising you for using the service, if it works for you go for it and get those discounts, but don’t let them manipulate you in to thinking you’ve got one over on them, they 100% account for this kind of thing and are still making money)

Good start.

The rich (and those licking their boots, even in these comments) would be well served to remember where the phrase “eat the rich” originates, and what the French (as should we all) do to those in power when they refuse to give up that power voluntarily.

So what you’re advocating is figuratively sucking the candidates dick no matter what terrible thing he does (aka blind worship), like republicans do?

And that would make you different than them, how exactly?

Dem voters aren’t there yet…but right now this shit won’t work on Dem voters.

Lol, it’s working perfectly well already, in case you haven’t been paying attention, those still blindly loyal to Biden, as well as the “blue no matter who” crowd are proving you wrong every day.

The thing is, republicans have been conditioned to accept

Until people like you confront the fact that we have ALL been conditioned to accept this farce, and that those on both teams serve the same people (billionaires) and use the same tactics (empty promises, flat out lies, gaslighting, manipulating, even love bombing) they just appeal to different sensibilities so your bias tells you the one that appeals to you isn’t that bad actually, we will never break free from this circus.

Biden is reacting to all of this in exactly the same way anyone else in his shoes would.

He’s starting to react exactly the same way trump and many others on the right do, and is gaslighting his voters the same way, too (like by dismissing the perfectly valid concerns as “drama”)…

That is to say it may very well be down to age, but it’s also just the textbook behaviour of politicians who are there to serve themselves, the filthy rich establishment, and the status quo they all need to survive.

Yeah, yeah, “not all”, only enough to make sure there isn’t even a hint of socialist influence left in the party. Also, he doesn’t have to personally have removed someone from the party, for his actions and the actions of those who would fall in line with his establishment backed agenda to affect members of the party being sabotaged out of the party or leaving because they were made to feel unwelcome. The few that are left are relegated to the back benches and left with no real power to speak of.

In this thread there is already evidence of his dirty, unethical, and down right bigoted tactics, you not being comfortable enough to confront it doesn’t change the reality - Labour under Starmer is a neoliberal party that is serving capitalists and the establishment, and doesn’t have a hint of socialism nor solidarity or concern for the working class left in it (because when it does prop up as enough of a threat to the status quo, the threat is removed by whatever means necessary, it’s not like he has to go far when he’s deliberately stacked the party with other bootlickers who easily tighten ranks against anyone they no longer want around).