Alternatively how much more of a Freak or Geek *are* you if you’ve never seen Freaks and Geeks? Like what if your parents were so strict with the television limits that you weren’t allowed during your dorky youth to see it, but you totally want to watch it now as it looks pretty good? *Asking for a friend

I don’t know her either but already I like her and want to see her work. Does the <I don’t know her gif> also work for these situations or is strictly for rejection scenarios?

Surely that bandana is the equivalent of 45's floppy, sloppy tie...

I can see it being a problem but it seems like the Gileads have just so many other problems on their hands affecting the genetic health of the next generations... My best guess is that they are a society that has rejected science for extreme Christian patriarchy​ explanations of natural phenomena e.g. we hear Aunt…

Presumably one of the challenges in adapting the 1985 book to a 2017 miniseries is that technology has changed so much. Paternity testing, ultrasound technology, in utero genetic screening. So far the series seems to be implying that the Gileadeans use these technologies sparingly, so perhaps it’s a society that has…

Bat bites are surprisingly tiny and often mistaken for insect/arthropod bites. I.e. They are easy to​ miss!

The ruling class gets Handmaids if their wives are believed to be infertile; otherwise their wives are expected to breed. The Econowives of the lower castes may or may not be fertile, as others have pointed out. Moreover the book implies that Gilead is a society with food shortages and other resource issues so it’s…

Just curious, but why would inbreeding would be a concern when the population is, while in decline, still diverse enough that literal strangers are being assigned as Handmaids? Granted there is the fertility problem but that is not the same as a population bottleneck event... In the book the Gileadeans destroy…

The book gives us several reasons for why there aren’t many teenagers around. As a militaristic society it’s implied that most young men are conscripted into service. Young women are either married off or sent to labour camps when disobedient but in either case have their movements and appearance controlled by…

Wtf is there s guy’s issue, you ask? Women. His issue is women.

Lately I’ve been reading about the social science of helping self-haters get out of the Sunken Place. Difficult work but possible, so there’s hope. http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/healing-from-interalized-oppression/main

This, this, so much this. It’s staggering to me how many supposedly eco-conscious people are more worried about domesticated honeybees than natives. Good for Beth for writing about the latter in her original article.

Even in a sting operation I’m sure Cheerios would have just told her to mind her own beeswax. They seem to care more about the buzz than the honey-st truth.

Parent (read: mother) keeps child in stroller on public transport for safety reasons: labeled inconsiderate. Parent takes extra time to remove child, fold unwieldy stroller, and situate (likely squirmy) child on lap: same. Child on lap is injured in an accident: parent to blame for not making safety number priority.…

Well, first you say that you aren’t talking about children (or their parents) with disabilities, then you admit that you know you can’t tell just by looking at a person if they are disabled, so....???? Which is it? How do you know the people with unfolded strollers aren’t using them for Reasons?

My point, however, is that you don’t know if a person has a disability or physical limitations just be looking at them. In the US and Canada a disproportionate number of disabled people use public transport vs a personal vehicle so the number is likely to be skewed in that direction.

I was a baby carrying mom when my children were that young and never did the stroller thing myself, but there are good reasons why parents rely on them beyond convenience. Chief among them, children with special needs or a parent with a disability (often a hidden disability) who rely on a stroller as an assistive…

In the US, flight crew and passengers alike harbour a special prejudice against child passengers, in my experience. My children are unusually well behaved while travelling but they still get the stink eye just for existing. Intentional airlines I’ve traveled are much kinder and willing to help.

I used to swear by Southwest for travel in that region of the US but my last couple of flights with them we’re just goddamned awful. Rude flight attendant who insisted my toddler was a lap child (he was not). I was calm and courteous and immediately showed her the receipts for our paid tickets.

Even today authentic Panama hats are pricey! They’re handwoven from tiny plant fibers so it’s a time-consuming process. But, a good hat generally outlasts a well-made dress, lasting several years and not necessarily going out of fashion as quickly, so there’s that. (How I know this: so I like hats, okay.)