I didn’t realize how utterly incompetent and unsuited for ruling Nicolas II and Alexandra were until I watched the Netflix series on them. They were just... bad. Almost comically if not for the results. You do have to feel bad for the kids, although you also wonder what they would have grown into had things been…

Just finished binging all available episodes yesterday, and I actually really like it. I especially like the way it deals with the fallout to the rest of the cast. Predators are often likable and popular—that’s how they find victims and stay protected. Seeing the dynamic between Carrell and Aniston and her reckoning…

It’s like female CEOs who refuse to institute paid family leave policies, or immigrants who oppose DACA: there will always be people who side with the oppressors, because they were oppressed. I don’t understand it at all; I am very much wanting to prevent other people living through my hardships. But it’s a pervasive…

I got into this debate on FB last night: the deficit is only an issue when Republicans want to cut social programs, but never when they want to lower taxes on the wealthy or launch a war. And Democrats have been branded as the fiscally irresponsible party, despite Democratic presidents lowering the deficit…

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, Midwest, and I agree. I am constantly being guilted for never going home, and I counter that I am always happy to see my parents. I just refuse to go home to do so. They are welcome to visit me or call anytime, but I’m not going to subject myself to a bunch of closeminded assholes…

In ND, our asshole senator Kevin Cramer is pushing to make aborting a fetus with Down’s Syndrome illegal. So yeah, no cares for the health of the fetus beyond it being alive. It’s really disgusting--firstly, how does one ascertain why anyone makes any decision? And secondly, there is no provision for funding to…

Which is why it’s extra disappointing when he says things like that. He knows better and should do better.

I feel like the people who support him identify as “liberal” but aren’t super engaged. Like, they loved Obama and Biden’s friendship with him was undeniably adorable, and they remember that. And he appeared on shows like Parks and Rec and Law and Order:SVU as himself, promoting women’s issues. If you haven’t thought…

I guess that we are coming at this from a different angle. I was thinking more of interpersonal, not work, relationships. It’s kind of funny that you mention a call center supervisor specifically, as I am one (and I would argue that a significant amount of emotional labor goes into that job). Yes, I can absolutely…

For me, it’s more like “Damn, that’s super shitty. I wish I was in a better headspace to help you, but I’m already in The Bad Place and can barely keep myself functioning. Can we talk when I have some energy and can really focus on you? I love you and am so sorry that everything sucks.”

This has been one of the hardest lessons I have learned: just because someone wants to be your friend, doesn’t mean you have to be their friend. And even if you choose to be friends, that doesn’t make you best friends and you don’t owe them the drop-everything treatment you give your chosen family. It took me 3…

In my mind, all relationships require some level of emotional work to maintain them. It only becomes “emotional labor” when there is an imbalance. If things are reasonably equitable, it’s not a big deal to support a friend/partner who is struggling. But when one person is consistently needier/unable to manage their…

Ah, I remember that plotline, but I hated the second one, so that tracks.

“The Worst Year Ever”, a podcast covering the 2020 election, did an episode on him that was quite telling. He has no real beliefs and his platform is basically “whatever polls well”. He’s a corporate candidate in the worst sense, and the fact that he is doing so well is incredibly upsetting when there is such a large…

Okay, Bridget Jones’s Diary is one of my comfort reads/movies, and I have no idea how this never caught me. Thanks for the clarification!

As for your third point, I had literally never heard that phrase until my grandmother used it last night (I have minimal contact with her for obvious reasons), and this article is making me wonder how widely used that phrase was 50 years ago. Also, what the fuck does it mean? I’m not curious enough to google, but I’m…

I once had to fire a guy for, among other things, unwanted touching. He asked me what I meant by that. I’m shocked that I didn’t spontaneously combust in response.

That was my biggest takeaway, too: okay, fine, you have given more money away than Warren ever will. That’s likely an objective fact. But you also have more money than she ever will, so even if you are giving more, it’s likely less in proportion to what she gives. Like, if I give $50 to an animal shelter and my…

I noticed the Deadspin logo on Last Week Tonight a week or two ago, which caught me off guard, then made perfect sense. I can imagine there being a significant crossover between the two.

I appreciate that the Discord exists, but struggle to keep up with the format.