PostmodernPythia

The Senate not being population-based is part of the problem too. As are gerrymandering and not having universal adult suffrage or federal holidays for voting days. But a Constitutional Convention would be state-based, too, so we’d end up with something even worse than we have now.

Yes, but none of that applies to a South African born in South Africa to South African parents.

As someone who has extensive personal experience with severe mental illness, I appreciate very much your desire to defend us (your instinct would usually be right), but psychopathy is a weird one. If the previous commenter had said “mental illness” instead of psychopathy specifically, I’d be pissed. But there is evidence that psychopaths advance in business management. I realize it’s not exactly JAMA, but here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniesarkis/2019/10/27/senior-executives-are-more-likely-to-be-psychopaths/?sh=24aa505d47c4

Both 9/11s were pretty freaking real, but you’re right on the US orchestrating the 1973 one.

Might have something to do with the slavery, imperialism, and genocide. Or the fact that French Canadians are primarily of French descent. It’s simply not comparable. Also, while people say French Canadian to describe an ethnicity and culture (again, one primarily made up of French immigrants), I’ve never heard someone call Quebec French Canada in seriousness.

Ok, then in certain circumstances your disgust response that directly contradicts the evidence may result in a lower chance of your survival. Your body, your call. I wholeheartedly support your right to refuse care. I, however, am rather fond of living and will use whatever medical intervention works best.

That’s valid.

It may be Francophone, but it’s as fucked up to call this “French Africa” as it would be to call India/Pakistan/Bangladesh “British India.”

In the US, non-authoritarian leftists use it pretty often to mock the weird obsession of our right wing with the specter of communism. Most of the country thinks there’s no such thing as non-authoritarian leftism, so frankly, outside Eastern European neighborhoods, it makes no difference at all.

Leeches are still used, and are very effective in some cases. It’s ok to be grossed out by medicine. That doesn’t mean it’s outdated or shouldn’t exist.

If they really want less of a rush to NATO, maybe they should stop invading their neighbors?

So we should be able to force Muslim and Jewish inmates to eat pork in prison simply because that was the cheapest thing the state could foist on them that week?

Quakers and Mennonites should be forced to sign up for the draft?

I don’t think as much actual policy is based on rationality, science, and evidence as you think it is. Even the non-religious exemption stuff.

Thank you. I’m sorry. There’s a vocal segment in spaces like this that goes beyond trying to make sure Americans don’t manifest destiny the internet (totally fair) and crosses the line into attacking anything about us (not just the many, many, justified parts). I may have overreacted, but yes, living in a country where calling a suicide hotline could result in being shot by a police officer heightens my emotional response here. Thank you for being understanding.

I meant in any given case. You’re absolutely right, it has. And I’m so sorry.

I’m trying to provide information to prevent people from getting killed, and you’re policing my not being Euro-inclusive enough? Srsly?

So, is there any reason there’s debate about this other than bitterness and misogyny? Sounds like no serious scientific body accepts this as a thing, and it has the potential to enable child abuse.

Well played.

If we have another pandemic, at least now we know the level of disaster to expect, yeah? Since people think masking is political virtue-signalling now. (I’m beginning to wonder if people call decency virtue signaling just because they don’t know what virtue looks like, based on how the term’s usually used.)

Rotating leadership in a military-ish context in deep space sounds like the material conditions for the creation of factions and potential mutiny. If getting rid of every hierarchy, even ones you freely volunteer for, is the only way a future counts as positive, there’s no point in writing sci fi. Ordinary citizens in the Federation aren’t in a military hierarchy, and it’s post-scarcity, so people aren’t facing economic coercion to join Starfleet. Not conforming perfectly to your personal idea of utopia isn’t a blind spot, though Trek has many of those, as well.

Who doesn’t?