compostgoblin

That was an excellent and well-thought out response, thank you for sharing it! It’s a thorny question for sure, and I appreciate your nuanced view

The solutions look a lot different for the real loneliness epidemic than a “male loneliness epidemic”. You fix the first by creating more walkable cities, more third places you can be without needing to spend money, and giving people the time and money they need to go out, do things, and socialize.

The proposed solutions for the “male loneliness epidemic” seem to be a lot more like shitty men saying “women need to lower their standards and be okay with being my therapist/mom/girlfriend, while I change nothing about myself”

Littering, especially cigarette butts. Nothing sends me into a blind rage faster than seeing someone flick a cigarette butt out their car window. Not littering is SO easy, the bar is on the floor, and yet so many people just don’t care at all.

I am a trans woman who was raised Catholic, so I feel similarly. I’ve had to do so much work in therapy just to get to a place where I can accept myself for who I am. A lot of those old beliefs were baked in deeper than I realized.

I carry a lot of resentment towards my (very devout) parents for raising me in the church, but I also recognize my experience is not emblematic of every person’s experience being raised in a religious household.

Gang stalking is not real. I recommend reaching out to a therapist as a first step. If there are other resources you need, they’ll be able to help you get them too.

Gilchrist? No, he’s the current lieutenant governor.

Mayor Duggan running as an independent is going to make things interesting - I have a feeling he’s going to drag down whoever the Democrat is more than he will the Republican, unless/until he drops out. Barring anything there, I think the Republicans being in charge nationally is going to be a boon for state-level Dems - the backlash to Trump 1.0 was a big part of the blue wave in 2018 when Whitmer was elected the first time around.

Right now, nothing, really. There’s a lot of confusion and volatility at the moment, so I’m trying to keep a cool head rather than react blindly. I’m going to keep my head down at work, keep contributing to my 401k like normal, not make major unexpected purchases, and maybe re-up on some bulk staples. If shit keeps getting worse, I’ll adapt from there

Pass. Anyone the Dems field will be better than him. I’d be perfectly happy with Gilchrist or Benson

Ah shit, is there a ban on politics questions? Sorry. I’m almost always on mobile, so I miss stuff in sidebars a lot

When I started my most recent job, I insisted on getting a separate work cell phone. I don’t have any work stuff on my personal cell, and I don’t bring my work phone or laptop home unless I think there’s a snow storm and I’ll need to work from home. Otherwise, it all stays sitting on my desk. If there’s an emergency or I’m out sick, my boss has my personal cell number, but I otherwise keep a pretty rigid wall in between work and home - it helps a lot

I’m glad that’s worked well for you! For the overwhelming majority, keeping their money in the 401k and continuing to make regular contributions, regardless of market volatility, is the wisest course of action.