The argument that everyone having access to doctors would mean people would constantly go in for trivial things or waste time so waits are so much longer has always seemed so silly to me.

I cut on and salt-water-soaked my severely infected toe (badly ingrown nail) for two months before I saw a doctor for it. And I had insurance so it cost nothing. Just because I didn’t want to bother with going to a doctor.

People don’t go to the doctor for fun, and amongst all the people I’ve known with great insurance, there have been considerably more instances of not going to the doctor_when they should_ than going unnecessarily (approximately zero times, actually).

So that tells me they want some people to not have access to needed medical care so they have access whenever they want, with lower wait times. It’s like the people who hold the empty laundry carts while their clothes are in the wash.

It was so bad that Team America World Police had a song about how bad it was as their ballad.

I just bought a house with an attached 1-bedroom apartment (with its own address). My 11-year-old daughter has already laid claims to taking it when she graduates high school. So I don’t think she’s feeling stifled at all, lol.

Better be prepared to pay rent if she’s not in school come the fall after high school, though (I’ll give her the summer to get her plans worked out).

First time I bought a firearm in my life (after 40 years on this earth) was specifically protection from bears when I moved to Alaska.

I get that I’m part of that very small percentage, but it’s funny to be pointed out for it when where I am it is super common (also common to see people strapped on hiking trails with their kids and dogs).

I liked it a lot growing up in the US. I still have the mental image of them “fixing” a flat tire (by duct taping a new tire to the flat) and the good tire popping off and rolling away when they drove away.

If women can’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Hopefully COPS.

To be clear, that list (aro and “black-pilled”) was not all-inclusive. There are plenty of people who just don’t want to date, for whatever positive reason (e.g. too busy, focusing on other things, not feeling like making the effort) or even some with negative reasons (e.g. not feeling like they are in good working order mentally, just got out of a relationship and want to spend some time on their own, trauma) that aren’t aro or “black-pilled.” THIS LIST IS ALSO NOT ALL-INCLUSIVE.

Also:

You’re a bigot.

Just… don’t. Stop throwing the word around so spuriously, or it could lose its meaning. It’s an important word, and using it like that leads to the kind of linguistic drift that takes the meaning out of the language.

That is very obviously not what anyone is saying. Not dating because you are not interested in dating is different than not dating because you’re down on yourself and blame the world (and those of the gender you find attractive) for creating your situation.

I think you know the answer to that.

Butter croissant actually seems like a decent name for a guinea pig.

If we’re including drinking, coffee is a pretty good name, but not for such a light colored guinea pig.

I knew a couple guys who had been struck by lightning. They were terrified of storms after, so when there was any lightning in the distance, they would rush inside with their coats over their heads.

I do not want to be struck by lightning.

Yeah, that’s dumber than magic underwear. That might be the dumbest religious thing (with the exception of, you know, wars) that I’ve seen. Calling all of Manhattan your (and specifically your) domicile doesn’t stretch the meaning of domicile, it completely ignores it.

I’ve heard “what if there’s an emergency or fire,” and I feel like the answer is “take three seconds to put on pants.”

So funny enough, as an American, I have the majority of that while being in the military. We even currently have three months of maternity and paternity leave, which can be used as the member sees fit through the first year after birth.

All except the privacy laws and employee protection laws, though it can often be exceptionally difficult to fire people for reasons that don’t involve the politics of the people in charge. And even then, lawsuits usually get those people backpay.

I’d be advocating for the US Coast Guard with this right now, but the current administration is shifting our focus from being a life-saving/preserving service to another border control agency, so… not a great time to be joining if it’s for moral reasons. sigh

I like how it says “defensive and will bite if provoked,” and apparently, according to this thread, opening their cage is sufficient provocation.

I’m on Voyager. How do I do that?

What is this supposed to mean? Is the implication that for the past ten thousand years, everyone should have lived in constant misery, thinking of nothing but the suffering of innocents, without a moment to spare for joy or silliness?

Or are you trying to twist their words to suggest that the suffering of innocents now isn’t important because it’s been happening for 10k years? Because that was clearly not the message being made. The closest I could imagine is they may be pointing out that some treat pointing out innocents suffering as a fad, where people all of a sudden care and can’t believe that anyone else can do or care about anything else (and will burn out and stop caring once the fad is done, whether the issue has been resolved or not).

Either way, if you spend your whole time doomscrolling and never leave yourself a space for moth memes (or whatever), you will be no help to anyone and live in impotent misery.

Basically, moth memes are self care.

My method is “live in Alaska.”

I was going to say VHS Michael Jackson Thriller and Making Of Thriller.

Her and Olivia Rodrigo are my go-to for teaching my daughter “how not to be.”