r/Discussion

Trump gives Iran 48 hours to open Strait of Hormuz or else all hell will reign down on them. But didn’t Trump say Iran’s Air Force and Navy has been decimated? Why keep issuing such warnings? And extend deadlines!

Context: I am not transgender (not that it matters). I do have a BA in biological anthropology.

Gender and sex have separate definitions. Words matter here.

Biological sex (male, female, intersex) is determined by what combination of X and Y chromosomes you are born with. Full stop. This cannot be changed. If you have XX chromosomes you are female. If you have XY chromosomes you are male. Intersex is obviously more complicated but nonetheless based in science. What gender one identifies as cannot change their chromosomes. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact.

Gender however (man, woman, nonbinary, etc) is a form of expression. This is a societal construct that varies between cultures. There is no scientific basis to determine gender, only theory. In general, western culture associates gender with traits that lie on a spectrum. These are not measurable traits and there is no fixed definition of what constitutes being a man, woman, nonbinary, etc.

In western culture, gender is most commonly associated with sex though there is no scientific basis on which sex determines gender. Because of this, there is no scientific rule that constitutes who is or isn’t allowed to identify as any particular gender.

Anyone is allowed to theorize about what determines gender. However, a theory remains a theory until it can be proven by the scientific method.

In conclusion, you are allowed to have an opinion on what constitutes a certain gender but you cannot invoke the name of science to do so and therefore it is my belief that it’s unethical to advocate for actions/laws that prevent a person from expressing their gender as they wish.

(This post is not intended to address the fairness of men’s vs women’s sports, that is its own discussion)

Thank you for coming to my TED talk 😊

I (24f) have been working for about two months and a half now in the same place. My mentor (40m) treats me kindly and everyone is aware that he treats me in a kinder way because he is usually really tough with others.

So, I will mention a couple of situations that happened. One of them was that he told me that I am smart and hardworking, but then he had to clarify that he doesn't mean this as a compliment because it can be misunderstood between opposite genders, he also mentioned work ethics and that it is an objective observation that he sees that i am trying to work hard on myself.

One other thing and this is what confuses me the most, he opened up twice about family situation and another time about his past. In these two times, he wouldn't give me the chance to reply back. It would be not very brief but also, without giving me the chance to interact or share anything. He is this type of person who would really lead the conversation.

Last thing that I can think of, is that whenever he would make a joke, he would look at me specifically to see how I am reacting to it. This happened a lot of times.

Am I delusional and overthinking that there might be a chance that he likes me back? Please let me know

Hi everyone, I need some honest opinions because I'm overthinking this situation a lot.

There's a senior girl (she's ahead of me in college/coaching — not sure how much older) in my class/study place. Recently, there was an empty seat near me and she came and sat there. I was initially facing her, but then I turned my chair to face the opposite direction.

About 20 seconds later, she reached from behind and pulled the headrest (the top part where you rest your head) of my chair. When I immediately turned around to look, she was just doing her work like nothing happened — no eye contact, no smile, nothing.

A few days/weeks earlier, I had sent her a friend request on [Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp — whatever it was] when my profile had no DP (no display picture). She didn't accept it, so I removed the request myself.

Now I'm confused — does the chair thing sound like she was trying to get my attention in a shy/playful way, or was it just a random reaction because I turned my chair away (maybe she wanted space or felt it was awkward)? Or was it nothing at all?

Few week earlier than this I send her req on insta but at that time I had no dp and she had private account but she accepted one ugly dude request but left me on hanging .I'm pretty sure she knew my name

I don’t say much because everyone seems to believe and feel so bad for her but now it’s starting to feel like delusional?

She claims she has been hacked for 10 years.

She is a 54 year old middle class woman. Married, no kids. Neither have a lot of money or an important job.

She said they have gotten into her computers, ring camera, iPhones. One phone was hacked and she got another one and that was hacked. She said she can see different emails and IP addresses in her email. People emailing in her name. People going into her calendar and changing appointments. People downloading from her ICloud. Taking pictures with her Iphone.

Recently she said her home phone was hacked because she called her husband and it went to voicemail and it said you “have reached Lisa and Michael’s VM” and it sounded like her husbands voice. But he said he never changed it and it was always a generic VM. Then it changed back to the generic. So she uses a burner phone. She has been working with private investigators for a year now and nobody has any information for her. Only that 10% of it is coming from South Korea. Recently we had tickets to a concert and the day of she canceled saying her email was hacked and she couldn’t get the ticket.

She said a psychic told her husband that his family are witches and she feels the gifts she gets from them have made her physically sick like they put a spell on them. (She does say she knows it’s sounds crazy).

She says the neighbor is always staring at her and now someone tried to break into their house. She also said she has seen some ghosts or figures.

Her husband owns a large retail store and she says she doesn’t go there because there is too much negative energy.

Friends and family just feel like she is having a lot of bad luck and feel so bad for her. Now I am wondering if part of it is a delusion. One person said maybe her husband is gaslighting her but she has spent a lot of money on private investigators. I don’t think he would do that and be ok with her spending money.

On the list of “most important things” almost no one says “what’s in a stranger’s pants”

And yet we are all being held hostage by a wedge issue because both sides have made this a zero sum game on purpose.

You are either pro- or anti-trans.

Don’t care if trans women participate in sports? You’re a pervert and don’t know the difference between men and women.

Fear for your daughter’s ability to compete and feel like you’re not getting honest answers? You’re a bigot and evil.

These positions solve nothing and only help us feel morally superior in our tribe. You’re not a good ally for telling a conservative they’re a transphobe, and you’re not a paragon of morality just for blanket calling everyone who struggles with gender dysmorphia any negative thing you can think of instead of considering them a person doing their best.

Meanwhile half of the world is on fire and our current administration is one of the most interventionist in recent history when it comes to fighting renewable energy, all while we are facing an imminent tech fueled energy crisis and oil prices are skyrocketing, and our national debt is becoming even more farcical while we are one Taiwan blockade away from a massive economic recession.

But yeah, cool, I’m glad I know your opinion about some people you don’t know from Adam.

At least there’s that.

Sometimes we push ourselves so hard that our own mind feels like a ticking bomb. Deadlines, shoots, life it never seems to pause.

But our mind needs a break, right?

Not tomorrow, Not later, Now.

Some days, all it takes is talking to a friend, sitting with family, or playing our favorite song. Other days, it’s a little bigger a vacation, a new hobby, dancing like nobody’s watching or even just doing something completely random that makes you smile.

The point is to recharge ourselves so we can live it better.

When you feel that burn, don’t ignore it. Listen to your mind.

Treat it like a friend who needs care, not a machine that must keep running.

Our brain is human. Respect that💪🏻

Hi guys, give me suggestion to find investors. i can be any discussion platform, forums or anything.

GOP want Democrats to shut down the government, which they are guaranteed to do, so that TSA does not get paid, government workers do not get paid, Medicare does not get funded, etc..

I'm a Lithuanian (one of the Baltic states on the eastern side of Europe) , so there are things about the US stance on "America first" that do worry me.

1. Trumps opinion of NATO. He threatened to leave multiple times and is (at least from what limited knowledge I have) is saying that he wouldn't defend Europe should Russia attack, which is very worrying for our small nation (only 3 million people) since without NATO and US help high chance is that we will be next should Russia be successful in taking Ukraine, due to our geographical position being sandwiched between Kaliningrad (a Russian controlled territory on the Baltic coast) and Belarus.

2. The counter point to this is Trump saying that he will support countries that have high defense spending percentages proportional to their GDP (this year ours is 5.38% of total GDP).

So I guess this discussion is just a guy looking for views of Americans on how will their country react in the future

I constantly see posts asking "what's the best ai chatbot for roleplaying" truth to be told THERE IS NONE, They are all the same "give us your money or no roleplay" even if you build your own rp bot local its crap. just ask a normal user to rp with you. if it doesn't meet your "standards" surley there is a community deticated for it....

This might be a weird thought but what if humans once lived on Mars and when climate change started killing it we migrated planets. Idk why this is so unsettling but fascinating to me. 😂 but like this has sent me down a rabbit hole on Google for the last 3 hours

I get over five spam calls a day, today it’s been four. They always say goodbye or hello which I assumed was the automated system. Then my mom started getting somewhat similar calls but hers were creepy. Someone saying goodbye in a creepy voice or breathing. I don’t know who would play a prank on my mom and it’s her work phone. No one would have it but her coworkers.

Zionism should be condemned because its real-world outcome has been the dispossession of Palestinians and the violent expansion of control over their land. What began as a political project for a Jewish state was carried out through mass displacement, land seizure, settlement expansion, forced eviction, and the denial of Palestinian freedom and security. Today, that same project is tied not only to occupation, but to mass suffering in Gaza and growing displacement in the West Bank. International law has not endorsed this reality: the ICJ said Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful, the UN Security Council says the settlements have no legal validity, and UN bodies have warned that Israel’s conduct in Gaza is consistent with genocide and tied to an expansionist agenda. That is why critics argue Zionism must be judged not by its slogans, but by what it has produced: dispossession, domination, and immense Palestinian suffering. https://www.icj-cij.org/node/204176

此は但単に休暇中だからなのか？

其れとも番組内発言が直ちに危険を伴っとみなされた、言い換えれば内容には添えない危険な内容の番組だとみなされたからなのか？

因みに海外から参加の上院議員はいたが海外であろうと宣誓供述の拘束は解けない事を明記しておこう。

A common talking point when we’re talking about kids shows is that “it’s just a kids show”. But the real question is “in what way”. The closest concrete reason for a show to be considered a “kid show” is because it’s airing on a channel targeting a younger audience and the creators fully intended it to be aimed towards a younger demographic. But outside of that, it’s basically a free for all on what kids can or can’t handle on the shows themselves. Which begs a question, “when can a kids show be taken seriously? Can they deal with mature themes? Should they ever? Is it ok, when they’re trying to be kid-friendly?” Questions like these have been compounded on the Internet for years now, and now I want to give my 2 cents on it through the only way I know how, a long reddit post that only like 2 or 3 people will read and everyone else will complain how long this post is. So here’s my opinion on if stuff made for a younger audience can be taken seriously by an older demographic.

First, I want to clear up some things. For one, anyone can enjoy anything no matter how old they are. Like, an adult can still enjoy a round of Super Mario, while a 12-year old can enjoy a round of Call of Duty. Hell, I still watch some stuff from my childhood and can still have a good time, and I’m in my 20’s. I’m also not going to discuss stuff made for very little kids (Paw Patrol, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Wonder Pets, etc.), since that’s intended for very little kids. Otherwise, let's begin.

Let’s start with a well-known series, Scooby-Doo. This franchise has seen some changes throughout its lifetime. But the key change is from Zombie Island, where the gang finally deals with a supernatural threat. However, it’s a lot deeper than that. While the Zombies being real is a massive change to the series itself, it also led to a couple of moments that completely changed the series. Like having the monsters actually trying to help the gang and the real villains being the humans (though, they do turn into warecats later in the movie). The point is that after this movie, stuff like the live-action movie and Mystery Incorporated followed suit and had real supernatural threats. However, it still maintains the wacky antics from Scooby & Shaggy, so it didn’t throw away the cartoony aspect of the series. So is it possible to take it seriously? If Mystery Incorporated showed us anything, in spite of the silly shenanigans, telling a compelling story with well-handled plot twists, having chemistry with the gang, and showing off some dark moments, is what made it one of the best entries in the franchise. However, we then have What’s New Scooby-Doo, which isn’t bad by any means, but is more because it’s trying to be as wacky as the original, which is hard to take seriously at face value. But otherwise, the franchise, in spite of having a talking dog, still has moments where it gets serious and when it’s a little silly.

Another well-known series that had a shift from silly to serious is the Transformers series. Pointless Hub put it better than I could “It was like 2 kids duking it out on a playground”. Ya, that perfectly sums it up. Not that it makes it a bad thing, as it makes it really entertaining. But like Scooby-Doo, the movie changed the series in a massive way. Except here, it introduced death to the series, for better & worse. It gave the franchise stakes and made the death of an Autobot/Decepticon more impactful. This was used very well in Transformers Prime & Transformers One, while also having the latter deal with deeper themes like Classism & radicalization. However, it also leads to many in the audience to be desensitized by the robot violence (for example: me), making death feel trivial. This is something that the Bayformer movies were very guilty of. So while this is a series made to sell toys, it still has moments that are a lot deeper 

Speaking of toy commercials, TMNT has a couple of shows & movies that flip flop from being silly adventures (the 80’s show, 2012 show, & Mutant Mayhem) to being serious stories (the 2003 show & the 2007 movie). One minute they’re fighting aliens with robot bodies, next thing they know, the turtles deal with some family issues. The 2003 show is known for Leo’s depression arc in S4, where he must confront the trauma of his final battle with the Shredder, which negatively impacted his relationship with his brothers & sensei. There’s more dark moments in that show, like the constant torture of Baxter Stockman, Cassie’s home being burned down, the amount of body horror of the show, and so on. However, we then get stuff like Fast Forward & Back to the Sewer, that completely tone down the tone of the series. 2012 and even Rise did have some dark moments at times, but mainly remained silly most of the time. 

So we talked about shows that started off silly, but progressively became more serious. But what about vice versa? In this case, both Batman & Spider-Man had shows that started off serious, but became more child-friendly. 

In Batman’s case, All 3 shows remain decent for different reasons (I haven’t seen Beware the Batman or Caped Crusader, so I won’t talk about those). In Batman The Animated Series (and by extension The New Batman Adventures), it had a deco noir aesthetic that also translated to the tone of the show. Most of the villains in the show had tragic backstories that made them sympathetic, had mobsters & corporate tycoons that are more evil in a realistic sense, the series deals with serious issues, and the Batfamily are given struggles that feel relatable. However, since it started on Fox Kids, it had to fall under some pretty strict rules (No alcohol, blood, sexual content, or broken glass). The only rule they were able to get away with, were showing real firearms, due to being era appropriate, but that didn’t hinder the quality of the show. The Batman 2004 dials the serious tone down and focuses more on action. While it does have some serious moments, they mostly felt ankle deep & doesn't have much intrigue. And then we have Batman the Brave and the Bold, where the Dark Knight & other super heroes go on wacky adventures and explore the silliness of the DC universe. However, the silliness is handled well through well-written jokes & fun banter between characters. So these 3 shows perfectly highlight the kind of range Batman has. 

But what about Spider-Man? While I can't speak for Unlimited, the New Animated Series from 2003, Marvel’s Spider-Man (2017), or the 2 recent ones on Disney+, the 90’s show, Spectacular, & Ultimate perfectly illustrates the kind of tone each era was striving for. The 90’s show had a level of corniness due to both the era it was released in & the amount of restrictions placed upon it by Fox Kids (similar to BTAS, but to a more strict extent). In spite of that, it still had quite some depth to it with the amount of drama it puts Peter into. From dealing with relationship issues with his loved ones, to the amount of hardships he has to face from being Spider-Man, It still has some mature moments that adds a level of suspense. It just needed to work around the restrictions they were dealing with. In Spectaclar’s case, most of the maturity comes from well-written storytelling. Setting up minor details & paying it off later on, character arcs that feel well paced, and the villains feeling like legit threats in both physical & psychological sense. It still had to work with the typical restrictions of children’s television, but the writing was so good that it’s barely noticeable. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for Ultimate Spider-Man. Unlike the previous 2 shows, it plays it very safe and doesn’t allow itself to have any form of depth in both the story and in its characters. While it was similar to Brave & the Bold in its approach, the execution is lacking due to the weak writing. So both superheroes have shows that can be serious or silly, with various outcomes

So I talked about shows that handle different tones pending on their adaptations. But about shows that balance a serious & silly tone in a single series. Something that Avatar the Last Airbender perfectly does. The series remains consistent with its serious tone, with the war torn world our main characters are in and the amount serious topics the show touch upon (genocide, trauma, lose, and even abuse). But the show also has some silly moments at appropriate times to help lighten the mood.

At this point, you can see that shows made for children in mind can be taken seriously with how much they trust their audience to handle the kind of topics they’re dealing with. They can also be lighthearted in certain moments to allow for levity and add a balance of tone. Both of these can work really well if executed properly. However, what if that isn’t the case? Because sometimes being too “mature” or too silly can be damning.

In the case of the former, both Scooby-Doo and the majority of DC has suffered from being overly edgy. In the case of Scooby-Doo, while I haven’t seen the show in its entirety, seeing clips and many negative posts about Velma is proof of how being too “mature” ends up making it appear to be the opposite. From making Velma an unlikable teen with trauma played for laughs to the rest of the gang (Shaggy, Daphne, & Fred) being unlikeable characters of themselves with traits come off as juvenile, and we have one of the worst entries in the franchise. As for DC, this is a hit or miss as they can masterfully handle mature themes tastefully, as shown in the DCAU. However the DCAMU on the other hand, went overboard on the amount of vulgarity in those straight-to-dvd movies. Both of these examples are what Teenagers expect Adult content to be like, but circles but to being immature.

Finally there’s once serious shows becoming obnoxiously silly, to the point of parody. While I did list some good examples of serious shows balancing silly moments, there are times when it might risk degrading in quality. And in the worst case scenario, might end up like Teen Titans Go. A lack for a better word, divisive show. Comparing this with the original Teen Titans from 2004, it’s very clear that they completely threw any sense of seriousness from the show. Does that mean that I’m upset that we never got a Season 6? No, because the series ended on a decent note with Titans Together, and I always view Things Change as an optional epilogue. However, the point is that, comparing TTG, a show that goes way over parody and just becomes Family Guy level of nonsense, to the 2004 series, a show that had character arcs & tackled some deep themes, it’s clear to see how things have changed. Whether you like TTG or not is up to you, I’m stating how the tone completely shifted and how that might lead to some favoring the other show. 

Otherwise, here’s my conclusion. No matter how silly something is, it can still be taken seriously if the content of the show trusts the audience with what it’s presenting. However, sometimes something can be too silly that it’s hard to take it at face value, or overly used the “adult content” to where it circles back to being immature. I talked about anime, because it’s easier to tell what age demographic it’s aiming towards (that, and I don’t want an army of weebs throwing a pussy fit). 

Did I save the Internet with my opinion on cartoons? Definitely not, I just want to share my opinion. I’m also sure I’ve missed a boat load of other cartoons, but feel free to add to my point. Otherwise, I’ll leave it off her and stop tormenting you with my wall of text.