Haha well, when I became adult with knowledge of "meritocracy" in this country, things certainly got more complicated! And over the past few years so much has changed. At this point, there are so many people falling into poverty...you can get a degree in Arabic from Yale and end up working at Chipotle (true story,…

Yep. It's really hard to be brainwashed even though you know you're being brainwashed. There's cognitive dissonance.

When I was in high school and underdeveloped and weird and unpopular, my mother used to console me. She told me about the prettiest girl in her high school—basically a less-mean Regina George (this was, after all, the 70s...kids have definitely gotten meaner). And then she told me about years later, when my parents…

Because there is virtually no way to find out without doing it.

Well, that made me laugh out loud...like literally aloud, not "lol."

Duct Tape?
HAHAHA
I guess it doesn't take too much to make me laugh.

No problem! When I learned, I was somehow surprised and not at the same time, and I figure we should spread the news if it could potentially have mass effects.

I'm with you. There's something that doesn't sit right about seeing it. It doesn't matter that I know it happens and that everyone is present is consenting adults. We all have a right to feel however we feel.

And as for the trafficking...
I don't think the typical Hollywood porn involves trafficked people. But I do…

I agree. It's less "let's give guys some pretty girls" and more "let's homogenize our output so that women feel social pressure to look the same." Then again, I'm probably paranoid/oversensitive, but when you're an average brunette and you see the shit they publish in Playboy, it makes you feel differently about…

Holy crap. Candleflame3, you are probably the only other person I've ever met who believes the same things as me! I was thinking about finding a cabin in the middle of Canada for when the shit hits the fan, but it'll probably be too cold... maybe South America somewhere...hopefully not underwater...

What's nuts is…

You're absolutely right. And what makes it so mind-boggling to me is that humans and other apes are SOCIAL CREATURES. We have LANGUAGE—this crazy, amazing, bizarre thing that's meant for communication and therefore interaction with another—half-programmed into us at birth!

God, I'm 22 and none of my friends can go…

THIS! Great analogy—absolutely accurate.

I stopped going to the movies. It really seems that almost anything that comes out is either a remake of another film or just absolutely terrible (obviously, with a few exceptions). I basically go see Liam Neeson movies (some, absolutely terrible, but I like him enough that…

I don't know, Dodai, there are many times I feel the same way. Ignorance is bliss. We all know that. The burden of genius is not solely reserved to actual geniuses. How many times have I overthought something, looked to much into the details, and gotten myself worked up and anxious about something? I can't even…

Oh my god, as this was loading, I had no idea what to expect. BUT THANK YOU HAHAHA IT'S SO APPROPRIATE!!

Isn't it amazing how Angelina Jolie has changed? She went from absolute sex symbol, someone who allegedly carried a vial of her husband's blood around her neck, celebrity headline-maker to a diplomatic, professional woman who has used her fame to better the world. Not that many celebrities are able to do so much for…

Completely agreed. My brother got me a necklace with hipster glasses and mustache on it and I had to feign excitement. Made/makes me feel bad :-/

Yeah, that's stupid. Nosy. Disrespectful. And just WHY? The fact that there are people who claim we live in a post-racial society make me want to cry.

I've heard so many people say they've had that said to them, and I can't begin to imagine how it must feel. "What are you?" gives me this terrible feeling—that "you" is like some sort of creature. By using the word "what," "you" becomes inhuman. Otherwise the question would be "Who are you?" At least that's the…

I've seen "Biracial" as a choice recently, and while it doesn't cover ALL the bases, its better than "White", Latino", Black", "Asian." I think I may have even seen "Multiracial" on some forms. Perhaps geographical location has something to do with it?

You nailed everything I feel. If this is a girl (I say girl because of her behavior, because there are surely females her age who act like women) who wants to send a message, then I would understand. But there is no message. Is the message that there is no message? I don't care. Sexual expression is great! What…

I wish every woman could have the chance to do this. We can watch 1000 before/after photoshop pics, but it doesn't seem to be doing very much in changing how women see themselves (probably because, as you said, most of the women being photoshopped are actresses/models and are already very attractive). But if…