The ‘cultural appropriation’ debate too often fetishizes cultures and reifies socially-constructed boundaries. This is so unproductive in a world that is already too discriminatory and divided.

But who is arbiter? Why is ok to tell another person what parts of their ancestry they can and cannot identify with?

It’s so awkward when a man you know personally breaks out the transition lenses. It’s like, is he just oblivious? Or HAS HE BEEN A SECRET PEDOPHILE THIS WHOLE TIME?

Anyone who hasn’t long since realized Maher is a shit person is probably a lost cause... I’d be skeptical of people who are only offended now because he said a specific word they can recognize as racist, but haven’t been offended by his vile, dangerous bullshit in the past.

Seems he saw the news that Willem-Alexandre next door has been secretly piloting commercial jets and decided to just really lean in to being the region’s Uncool King.

School superlatives are the worst (and yes, I recognize the irony in that sentence, but I’m sticking with it).

So, as someone who owns zero children, I don’t have a huge collection of kids’ books lying around (and still can enjoy the luxury of disliking clutter). Any suggestions for prop-free toothbrushing distractions? Like, specific mental exercises maybe?

Also, if it makes you more sympathetic, it sounds like only one of the girls was Muslim.

They DID go to the police. They gave their witness statements. I’ve heard nothing to suggest it was an abandoned train — presumably, the dying men were already being tended to by adults.

You should feel upset about this.

It’s such a shame they don’t have you around to let them know!!!!

The Baby on Board badges work really, really well here in London. I literally cannot recall seeing a woman wearing one who wasn’t offered a seat within say, three minutes of getting on the train. Seems like a win-win: makes it more likely for pregnant ladies — regardless of how much they’re showing — to get a seat,…

Glad I read to the end, as I was planning to make a similar Heart and Soul joke. Yet I was struggling because the suggestion that Trump might have the second-grade levels of skill, patience, and teamwork necessary to play either side of the song was so implausible.

It may not be directly physically harmful, but these kinds of rules are the support beams of brutal, misogynistic social dynamics that in turn produce all kinds of harm. That’s the problem with so much of what religions demand -- in one way or another, it’s usually predicated on oppression and prejudice.

Fair enough. Sounds like he’s a lot more than 17% more New Jersey than Morrison, so getting him for just $5,000 extra is arguably a steal.

Just to be clear, what I’m hearing is that Mr. Steven van Zandt will be paid FIVE thousand more than Toni Morrison. For speaking engagements at a major university, the math is Stevie > Snooki > Toni Morrison... Sounds about right.

I’m legitimately interested in learning about great underwear, but I’m distracted by the fact that my RSS feed shows Gizmodo and Lifehacker only asking about the best men’s underwear, while this one about lady underwear only appears on Jezebel.

I’m legitimately interested in learning about great underwear, but I’m distracted by the fact that my RSS feed shows…

I don’t think anyone is talking about throwing cis males (or cis females, for that matter) into the mix here... it sounds like these dorms will be exclusively for trans and gender non-conforming. I went to Exeter, and I imagine what they’re talking about is a dedicated ‘house’ — a small dorm that can accommodate like…

FGM is not remotely ‘routine’ in the Arab world — on the contrary, the practice is viewed as horror and butchery in most Arab (and Muslim) cultures. For what it’s worth, Islam actually emphasises the importance of mutual sexual pleasure for married couples.

It’s such a disingenuous question. Nobody asks other groups, because nobody asking actually cares about your putative ethnic origins. They simply want to remind you of your other-ness, and force you to delegitimize your own identity.