And we all know, there’s no reason a news photographer would like us to think someone else is spidey…

Especially one who can take getting pepper sprayed and needs financial support.

It’s beast-iality, definitely, but he’s an intelligent adult and can clearly communicate his desires, so it’s closer to xenophilia (meaning actual extraterrestrials, not just humans from other cultures)

Theoretically, sure, but that’s pretty fucked up to do to shaggy

It doesn’t become less effective for me, as much as I don’t need it anymore as my language ability progresses, then rely on it again if my ability regresses. I’m a nonnative German teacher in Germany and while I don’t have to jog my memory for standard conjugations, if I learn a new verb that has a short i in present tense and a long a in preterite, I’ll still chant “singe, sang, gesungen” in my head. It’s just different learning styles.

I do best under very traditional methods, to the point that I probably repeat “amo, amas, amat” or “soy, eres, es, somos, sois, son” to myself a couple of times a year, as my primary method of remembering conjugations, but this is just a reference for every possible conjugation of any verb that you can use to make flash cards or whatever other method works.

For a few more, try konjugator.reverso.net. It’s only conjugation though.

Oh, 100%. I’m not in favor of the US/Canada taking over either- they’re not going to manage anything better, nor will they be less exploitative. That’s what I meant by a grossly pro-US perspective, because it’s obvious that the first source wouldn’t care at all if it weren’t for the profit potential. It’s just also bad when China exploits them.

I don’t know whether there is a solution that doesn’t involve some exploitation, but that’s why I distrust governments- they’re generally exploitative. My instinct would be that a local coalition of nations à la the EU would allow countries like the DRC to stand up to superpowers, but that would require their neighbors to prefer to ally with them over other nations, which is not the case.

AKA: the left liberates and the right oppresses

No, it’s not super clear from those sources, you’re right. I was commenting with someone earlier in the thread who didn’t want mainstream media, but if that works for you, this one’s written from a grossly pro-US perspective and this one’s more neutral.

If we’re walking towards each other going opposite directions on the sidewalk or he’s sitting next to my path, he can say “good evening” (I live in a small city in Germany where this is common), ask me for something (I’m picturing panhandlers or smokers asking for a light), or tell me my shoelaces are untied, but I will definitely get a jolt of fear if a man follows or obviously goes out of his way to approach me at night when I’m alone.

If it’s multiple men, it can be more or less scary, depending on whether they seem sober. More men obviously have an even better chance of overpowering me, but I don’t actually distrust men as a whole, so the more there are in the group, the less likely it is that they’re all down to harm a woman. Of course, once we get up to 8+ men, peer pressure might make it difficult for some to speak up.

If a handsome, seemingly rich man approached me alone at night (for non shoelace/lighter reasons), I would be more concerned, like the other commenters. A) that feels like bait; B) I’m married and uninterested anyway, so it’s not effective bait; C) he’s still capable of overpowering me; and D) he’s less likely to be accepting of a no than a panhandler

If that man was driving, there are no circumstances where it wouldn’t scare me if he approached. Sometimes people are lost and they’ve got no phone battery or atlas, and I can imagine an innocent situation in which someone in a car might seek me out alone at night to ask for directions.

I might even give them, if I could ensure that there was a physical barrier between me and the car so I couldn’t be snatched. It would still definitely give me a shock though.

Honestly, this could be a good metaphor for people who have internalized harmful coping mechanisms as “part of who they are” learning to heal.

Though it’s basically impossible not to, but things like property damage are still lesser crimes than prison break in most countries

Oof, even better. My parents (undiagnosed autistic and ADHD) way overcorrected as a coping mechanism and tried to create the same reaction in their kids. My siblings and I had to do a lot of unlearning, and some parts of it still feel inseparable from who we are.

Well, first make sure you’re constantly masking because people won’t like you if you’re not sociable and polite, even if it means that you’re so overstimulated that you have zero patience with your loved ones. Then, worry about everything all the time so that you don’t forget important things. Lastly, if there’s a way to sacrifice your own needs to better fit with society, make sure you always do it- I avoided being late to my short-contract job less than 80km away by leaving three to four hours early, even though it fucked my sleep up.

(Psst, that’s North Dakota, Helena is the capital of Montana)

It’s not demeaning or dehumanizing them, I’m describing their actions. They are acting in service of a class to which they do not belong at the cost of others in their class.

Understanding what’s driving these things, and working to fix them that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t criticize the hell out of people who sign up to hurt others.

People who do evil things don't get to use the excuse they were just following orders, because they still did those things. But most people end up signing on because they need stability and an income. It's a lot harder to whip up a genocidal army in a country with no poverty.

Fully agree with this, but I’d like to add that signing up (without plans to sabotage) is already inexcusable (though I’m not arguing that it’s irredeemable- if we were to have a really effective denazification program, I don’t think every ICE officer is beyond rehabilitation), even if it’s understandable.

I don’t know if the word “hate” is fair, but I feel about ICE the way I’ve always felt about the US military- fuck ‘em, they’re class traitors. At least with the military, most people join at or just before age 18 and they’re shown a very utopian image of the military beforehand. People joining ICE don’t have those excuses.

Yes, they’re desperate and acting out of desperation and yes, the cause for this is both systemic and heavily supported by the bourgeoisie, who are the ultimate problem. If I don’t excuse an 18 year old for signing up to terrorize brown people in order to get healthcare and access to education, I’m not going to excuse a 35 year old for signing up for the same in order to get $50k.

I specifically said they were not irredeemable, their actions were understandable, and that I wasn’t sure about the word hate. You said that ICE couldn’t use their desperation as an excuse for committing specific acts first, I just broadened the scope of inexcusable acts, so I’m really not sure why you responded like this.

Yes, people would rather hurt others than let their kids starve. No, that’s not an excuse for hurting others, nor for, in my opinion, signing up to hurt others. Apparently you disagree and think that I’m dehumanizing them by holding them responsible.

If you ask me, we’ve only had a few really stupid presidents. The real problem is that they’ve all been too comfortable doing evil things (yes, even Carter).

This article about mining agreements in the former Katanga province talks about the fact that 90% of the mineral wealth in the region goes to China, the extortionate debt repayment terms, and the allegations of child labor, but the latter is sourced better here.