Johann
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Posts posted by Johann
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I love it, even though I never go for seasonals.
Does anyone else find it weird and perplexing that they keep trying to show what a Duo Skill does instead of just writing it out?
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42 minutes ago, indigoasis said:
You would't mind sharing those videos when you post them, would you? I might be interested in watching them, if that's okay.
Sure, though they're going to be for a college course that uses a program that you won't have access to, so you might get a bit bored of them haha
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1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:
You know how sometimes, criminals will rob stores to get their money, right?
Well, criminals don't try to rob gun stores. And you already know why: Because good people have access to guns at gun stores. One criminal with a gun would get shot and die if he tried robbing a gun store. That's why criminals prey upon easier targets. Helpless, unarmed ones.
Gun stores get robbed too-- people steal guns from them, and then sell them. There are also a lot of different stores that sell guns but have lax security. Sporting good outlets, Walmarts, etc.
1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:Secondly, you know how criminals don't follow the laws, and that's what makes them criminals? All the anti-gun laws in the world couldn't stop them. But gun rights can arm their victims, and make predators think twice.
If you outlaw knives, only criminals will have and use knives. If you outlaw guns, only criminals have and use guns. In some crappy parts of the UK, police are confiscating kitchen knives from law-abiding citizens, but that won't do anything to stop the machete-swinging rape gangs over there.
This is fallacious thinking. All laws have an effect at deterring criminal behavior or inhibiting a person's capacity to carry out crimes. Gun laws wouldn't stop 100% of gun violence, but would make it harder to acquire guns, or bring them into places where they can hurt more people.
1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:Now, please don't take this as a personal attack against you or the anti-gun religion. It's never too late to realize whoever talked you into fearing/hating guns was just trying to use you.
Used in what way? Meanwhile, it's very clear why the gun lobby and NRA try to convince people that lax gun control is good, as they directly profit from it.
1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:You can't blame the tool for what people choose to do with it. And getting rid of a tool won't get rid of evil people who'll use anything to help them kill/rob/rape whoever they want. If people started killing other people with machetes or hammers or baseball bats or tire irons or shoes, would you lobby for them to be banned, too?
The problem with this thinking is that guns are designed primarily to inflict damage on people, property, etc, and they do so extremely well, often accidentally. Hammers, baseball bats, etc have primary purposes and using them for violence is not what they are made for. The difference in how much damage they can inflict is pretty stark too; pulling a trigger on a gun is easy enough for a child to do by accident and is regularly lethal, while it takes a degree of strength and intent to swing a bat or a hammer with lethal force.
1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:Plus, America is full of guns. Many of those guns have their serial numbers filed off and can't be traced. They're already distributed throughout the criminal underworld, so trying to get California to ban the legal sale and legal ownership of guns with more than eleven bullets and trying to get Idaho to ban guns guns with more than twenty won't save anyone. Making life harder on honest people won't affect or harm criminals, it'll just make their lives easier.
You have to remember that the police confiscate guns when they are used in crimes. Having stricter gun laws means reducing the number of guns out there even when they're not being used in crimes. In other words, it's preventative instead of responsive; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say.
1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:Besides, "gun control" laws blatantly don't work. Chicago has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country, yet the hellhole is still full of violence and gun crime and theft and so on. You're fighting a losing battle against an enemy you can't beat because you're not fighting it correctly. Gun Control laws don't hurt criminals, they help them by disarming their prey. Fight for harsher punishments for mass shooters, and fight for the right for mentally-sound people to own guns.
Chicago's gun laws are ineffectual because they don't apply to surrounding areas. People simply bring them in from other places. The problem is that the laws are not widespread enough to do anything.
1 hour ago, Jason-SilverStarApple said:Remember that time a mass shooter attacked some church in Texas, and was immediately stopped and shot by some old man with a big iron on his hip? A Sig Sauer, if I recall the Big Iron parody song sung about him correctly. Just one good man with a gun shot the criminal, saved a ton of lives, and saved the day.
Remember that time a gay nightclub called Pulse got shot up by a homophobe in Orlando, Florida? Omar Mateen. His name is remembered because he successfully killed people. And if one person in that club had a gun, that one person could have shot the criminal and saved the day.
--------------------------------------------[putting these together because they're related, hope that's ok]-----------------------------------------
Once upon a time, I was an asshole. I hated guns and I hated people who liked guns even more.
That all changed when I met a certain friend of mine.
He carries a gun.
And once, I asked him why.
He told me it's because if some criminal ever shows up and starts killing people, he's willing to put his life on the line to save innocents, even though he doesn't know them and even though he doesn't have any reason to care about them.
That changed my perspective on gun ownership, because up until then, my view of gun-owning people was shaped entirely by what the lefty facebook pages I followed chose to show to me. I saw idiots at the gun range injuring themselves, I saw bad people shooting each other, and I'd never seen a good person with a gun before.
But then I realized, I had seen a good person with a gun before. And it was that man.
A "good guy with a gun" is actually really, really bad for something like an active shooter situation. Police and other responders can't quickly and safely distinguish between the shooter and someone trying to help. Furthermore, most active shooters are packing more than a hand gun, so you'd likely be out-armed. There's also an issue of accuracy-- more likely that a "hero" would miss and hit someone else, assuming they get close enough to take a shot. Ultimately everything about it goes against the best practices for safely managing such an incident, which is to just get as many people out of there, safely and quickly, and not have more gunfire.
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10 minutes ago, Diovani Bressan said:
@Johann Glimmer is a pretty good option for Hawkeye, since his Axe makes the it a 1 Cooldown Special, so it will trigger in every counterattack. If the player has an adjacent ally with Infantry Breath, or Brave Lucina within 2 spaces, then I recommend Bonfire or Iceberg.
My Hawkeye has Ruptured Sky, which also becomes a 1 CD special with his Axe equipped.
Yeah, that's basically the whole conversation Ana and I had in a nutshell. I'd go with Glimmer over Ruptured Sky for AR since always going to be more damage in Hawkeye's case.
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6 minutes ago, Anacybele said:
I see. That does make some sense. Well, at least Glimmer isn't hard to get.
I guess what might help is to test it out on a few maps on your Friend List or whatever.
For what it's worth, Aether is great on Hawkeye in Arena and stuff. He's one of my highest scorers so I use him constantly.
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1 minute ago, Anacybele said:
But without enough offense, he can't kill them in one hit like you were saying before.
That's why you use Glimmer. Every extra bit of Atk, or reduced Def from an enemy, is getting an extra 50% boost from Glimmer. +6 from Atk Tactics is effectively +9. To make that up with Aether equipped means perhaps swapping a Drive Def or Res for Drive Atk. When most of your enemies are getting extra HP and already have low defenses, you want Glimmer's damage boost over Aether (or even Moonbow's) Def cut.
Aether's healing is usually too little too late for Hawkeye in AR. He can't afford to let units double him, especially when many have powerful specials. Aether works for a unit like Ike (Brave and Legendary) because he can consistently get a full charge every fight.
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Just now, Anacybele said:
I see. I guess it might be possible for him to survive a lot anyway with the right support.
Yeah, basically. It's not like with Brave Ike or your Frederick build where you're abusing the enemy's high Spd to get high charge specials, but rather just cutting through their defenses in one go. It also means you can shift his support to focus less on offense and more on defense.
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21 minutes ago, Anacybele said:
He can't heal himself up without Aether though. If he has to tank multiple enemies, he'll take a good bit of damage that he may only survive if he can heal up.
I hear that, but if he can kill them immediately, he's safer overall since they're not going to double him or get a WoM unit coming in. With his all around good defenses and high HP, he should already be able to withstand a group of enemies at once without needing much, if any, healing. Otherwise, it's a matter of giving him the right support from other units.
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3 minutes ago, Anacybele said:
I've got his unique refine, Reposition, Aether, DC, Null C-Disrupt, and I can't remember what C skill he has... Seal is Distant Def.
- Consider switching Aether out for Glimmer (or something like Iceberg if you're going to run him with Brave Lucina). He usually can't afford to wait for Aether to charge up, whereas the Lull Def effect ensures that Glimmer will do tons of damage on most foes and he'll just kill them with that one hit.
- Atk Smoke or Ploy are both good C skills if you're unsure about those, I'm preferential to Smoke since it's more available, higher potency, and usually hits more units.
- Distant Def is always great, Mirror Stance is also a good choice sometimes.
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19 hours ago, Anacybele said:
Jesus Christ. lol That IS ridiculous. I gave Brave Lucy an Astra blessing so she can be used with Hawkeye though. He needs the buffs more. I only have one Peony too. xP And I don't think I've ever pulled anyone that has Close Call.
Out of curiosity, what's your Hawkeye build usually?
19 hours ago, XRay said:Just saw this on YouTube on how ridiculous BH!Ike can be:
@Anacybele, it might be expensive to get BH!Lucina, 3 Peonys, Close Call, and Pulse Smoke, but the team looks really simple to use.
A true master Def map builder gets the AI to skip over Ike and hit everyone else! That said, yeah Brave Ike is definitely the most consistently effective unit that thwarts my setups. Probably the cheapest counter is some kind of Merric Pulse build with an AoE special.
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Kinda surprised nobody bothered to make a thread about this before, but anyway, I figure some of yall wanna talk about this stuff and maybe get some info. In particular, I'll link some info from the World Health Organization (WHO), and the US Center for Disease Control (CDC):
- WHO page on the virus, with a large variety of resources
- WHO Q&A overview of the disease
- WHO advice for the public
- WHO global situation reports (statistics of cases, etc)
- WHO Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases (pdf)-- why "Chinese Virus" is a horrible, racist, unhelpful name
- CDC info page on the virus
- CDC Q&A pdf
- CDC "What to do if you are sick" pdf
- CDC nationwide situation reports (statistics, etc)
- CDC-- Reducing Stigma
Feel free to share other resources, but make sure they are coming from legitimate sources (so like, not random Twitter rumors that simply spark panic). I have further resources on epidemiology if anyone's interested (my master's degree is in Emergency Management and I teach about Public Health issues). Remember that this is a serious disease that is affecting the whole world and taking lives, and so jokes about it would be in poor taste. Feel free to talk about what you're feeling and what your situation is like.
Note that there has been a serious increase in harassment and violence towards Chinese people (including people of Chinese descent). This is due to stigma caused by people misinterpreting the facts to claim that the disease was caused by China, when the only conclusive fact is that it was first identified there. Bear in mind that calling it the "Chinese Virus" is a racist act, which only furthers the stigma & stereotypes towards Chinese people, while distorting what we know about the virus/disease. While it is acceptable to ask questions and get clarification, bigotry and rumor peddling are not acceptable.
On 3/19/2020 at 2:36 PM, eclipse said:Anyway, this sucker's either "coronavirus" (or some non-mangled spelling of it) "COVID-19", or whatever else the Big Government Health Agencies call it. I'm going to use my discretion about warning "China virus", but it's probably gonna be a heavy one.
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As a college professor, I've personally shifted what elements of my class that aren't already online to the internet. I'm even making videos of my lectures to put on Youtube because I'm a crazy person who does way more than is necessary. Also, an upcoming musical I've been rehearsing in for months was gonna open on Thursday, but is postponed til the summer, so my friends are pretty bummed. I'm a total extrovert but I can handle this kind of isolation pretty well. What kind of experience are you having?
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Great week for me, but I don't ever really have bad weeks in AR. Legendary Chrom is an AR beast and shut down everybody on both offense and defense.
On 3/14/2020 at 9:11 PM, Diovani Bressan said:Well, there is nothing to be done about it.
You need to accept that players can build their team the way they want, the opponent liking it or not. IntSys will not change that.
Your team needs to be ready to deal with every type of defensive teams, including the ones with a unit trapped in the corner. They use this strategy because it work for them. It's not a cheat or an unfair strat. It's fair strat that is part of the game.
With the extra spare time available, I'm wondering if I should get back to working on that general AR Offense thread I had.
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On 3/13/2020 at 10:53 AM, Shoblongoo said:
The GOP had its ideologue vs. establishment moment with the Tea Party back during the Obama years.
And it resolved with the rise of Trump and the ideologues taking over the party + everyone getting in lock-step behind them.
But if you look back at Republican politics during the Clinton and the Bush and the early Obama years; you see basically the same thing you're seeing now on the Democratic side. Where you had this deep schism in the party between a moderate wing that was trying to reach across the aisle to the liberals on one side and the hardline conservatives on the other, and the party's overall ability to function hamstrung by the fact that the moderates and the hardliners were often too busy fighting eachother to present a unified front against the Democrats.
Democrats will get there. Its taking them an obnoxiously long time, but they'll do it.It'll definitely take longer than the Tea Party for sure, since they were astroturf'd. Very few people with excessive wealth want to fund a movement that'll ultimately tax the shit out of them, of course.
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3 hours ago, XRay said:
That is a shame. It seems like it could have been the best way to solidify Democrats and secure a good portion of the independents too.
The divide between far-left and moderate Dems isn't going to keep many from voting for whoever the candidate is, though. The feuding we've seen on the campaign trail is pretty standard stuff, we see this every 4 years, really.
Since Bernie's rise in 2016, the ideological split between these two factions has been highlighted, and in other countries, they would have been in separate parties. But we've got a two party system and splintering only one would give all the power to the GOP. Remember also that GOP people always fall in line, no matter what. Party loyalty is above all else to them, which is why Trump became and remains president.
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1 hour ago, XRay said:
I wonder if he will pick anyone further left to help solidify and unite Democrats. Can he pick former presidential candidates as Vice President? Can he pick Bernie right now even though they are competing still? I would not mind Warren either. If he picks Warren as VP right now, I wonder how much that would affect Bernie.
Or maybe it is better if he picks someone more moderate like Harris or Klobuchar to secure independent voters? Probably should stay away from Bloomberg though cause all that cash Bloomberg just spent simply does not look good in my opinion.
Bernie seems popular with independents too I think? So if he picks Bernie, Biden can secure both the left wing of the Democratic Party and independents in the middle too, which seems like the most logical choice.
If Bernie won the nomination though, I am not sure who he should pick.
Yes, he can pick other candidates for VP; he himself was one when Obama picked him. For VP, I could definitely see Harris, maybe Buttigieg or Klob, or someone who wasn't running. Stacy Abrams, for instance, was approached a while back, if I recall, but I don't think she was interested. I don't think he'll pick Bernie or Warren though, since both clash with him a lot-- here's a famous exchange between Biden and Warren over predatory lending and bankruptcy protection for consumers (Biden siding with lenders, Warren with consumers):
That aside, Warren will definitely stay in the Senate because she's amazing there, and she'll have zero issues holding her seat. I would LOVE the idea of Senate Majority Leader Warren.
The primary is basically over, it's a Biden candidacy, so I'm too lazy to think of who he'd pick for VP.
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2 hours ago, XRay said:
That is true, but at least he is reading from a script, so it is one minor improvement there. I am really tired of crapping on this orange sack of incompetence, so any tiny achievement/victory he accomplishes, I can add it to my handful of things I like about him. It is not often that I can confidently say "I approve of what Trump did in regard to X issue."
This isn't really an improvement though. He reads from scripts every now and then. You don't have to like anything about him, especially since his most negative qualities and actions also being his most pervasive and consequential.
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2 hours ago, Jotari said:
And the difference there is that the way I see it being transgendered is something that actually can be cured, or at least treated. That's my point. For being gay or bi there's no end goal, it's just merely to exist, but for being trans there is a specific thing to be obtained and it probably will require medical assistance.
But again I'm not trans or in anyway involved in this circle. It's just my passionless view if the thing as an outsider.
The confusion here is you're mistaking being trans with gender dysphoria. You don't "cure" being trans, it's just an identifier, like saying you're black or white or gay or straight or whatever. Gender dysphoria, which isn't something all trans people have, is the condition that gives people the emotional/psychological pain you seem to be thinking of. What's more, some people manage to overcome their dysphoria without any medical assistance.
It's good to admit you aren't well-versed in the terminology and don't understand all the issues, but it can be very helpful to trans people if you can take the time to learn about them.
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3 minutes ago, Jotari said:
I'm not saying basic human decency isn't a matter of consideration of course. Just that the scope here is larger and that shouldn't be ignored by grouping it with a different beast. Everything you've said could also in a way apply to the disabled community who no one would ever consider part of the LGBT because it doesn't involve genitalia.
Trans issues get grouped with queer issues for two reasons: one, there's overlap, as plenty of trans people may also be queer in some way, and two, both are demonized by the same people (such as the GOP) as they fight for basic human rights. Part of the prejudice against them stems from an absurd idea that some event or influence caused them to be queer and/or trans, that it's a choice or they're mentally ill, and that they can be cured or must be punished.
Being trans doesn't inherently involve genitalia either. A woman can have a penis and still be a woman.
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2 minutes ago, Zeo said:
So for all those Forma Soul pack buyers I'm going to say the best unit to grab from this HoF is definitely Finn. He costs grails, but if you +10 him he doesn't require any orbs, has no access to natures anyways and this is a prime opportunity to deck him out with premium skills. Of all the units in this group I think he's definitely the best choice.
Not to say I have any interest in spending money on this game, but does it say anywhere about hoarding the Forma Souls? Like, could a player save up a few and get multiple Formas if a particular event has multiple characters they want?
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11 minutes ago, Anacybele said:
Isn't Alfonse's Res kinda crappy for doing DC stuff though? I know the sword Ikes and Ryoma have crappy Res too, but the thing with them is they have better Spd so they won't be doubled much, and in RD Ike's case, he also has Warding Breath to help him.
Sorta, but it's AR, where he can get a good Res boost from buffs and blessings. He's also a bonus unit 25% of the time and ultimately the idea for his build would try to make the most of his Brazen Atk/Def effect on his sword. Figure if you ran him in Light season with Peony and Eir, and a Res refined Folkvanger, while he's a bonus unit, he'd have 68 HP / 55 Atk / 33 Spd / 36 Def / 35 Res before buffs. Slap Brazen Atk/Res seal on him and get at least the Peony buffs, and you'd be looking at 75 Atk / 39 Spd / 46 Def / 49 Res, which is not bad.
I personally wouldn't give him DC because it's too rare a skill for a unit I don't care that much about. I also think with that kind of Def/Res, he'd be better off with a different B skill than Vantage.
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14 hours ago, XRay said:
Yo! Trump actually sounds serious now. He might be reading from a scipt, so maybe that is why he did not go off topic a lot, which is good. Since he mentioned Europe and it will affect foreign travel and trade, I think this might be more appropriate here in the Global Politics thead.
I am not a fan of the travel restrictions, but I understand why and I can accept it. As for restricting cargo though? That is kind of stupid, so I hope he means it does not apply to cargo cause that is just dumb. I do not see how a person can get sick from touching a German car or drinking French wine.
Financial relief for working people and small businesses is nice too.
I wish he would talk more about cooperating with other countries on solving the issue. He mentioned putting Americans first a few times and that is nice, but depending on how we are putting ourselves first, that might backfire. For example, if we can manage to make a vaccine in time, we need to give that shit out instead of charging high prices for it or hoarding it. Hoarding vaccines is not that different from hoarding facemasks: if people have less access to healthcare, people will get sick easier, and with more sick people around, the hoarder is more likely to get sick too. I just hope he is not putting Americans first with that narrow hoarder mentality.
Anyways, I am happy he is taking this seriously finally. Does not excuse his other shit, but this seems good so far.
Not sure I'd be so fast to praise him for this call; his only interest is keeping reported numbers down, regardless of the actual numbers, so while banning travel from Europe does help, there's still the matter of providing testing, treatment, and sick leave support. I don't think this is a sign of him doing what he ought to be. He's barely even cooperating with medical professionals, sometimes contradicting them.
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On 3/11/2020 at 2:59 AM, mampfoid said:
For me the 5 CD was always the biggest point against miracle. Also the fact that you can use it only once if there is no way to get above 1 HP. The way you two describe how it works makes me want to try it out with Jeorge, but CC isn't exactly a cheap/common skill.
So far I've been using Vantage units with a damage special (which is a lottery to proc in the right moment, like you wrote), exception is L!Leif with his personal special. Other tanks like the armor Tikis use low CD healing specials to stay alive. In general I'm not using EP units much, also because of my lack of patience when it comes to AI prediction.
Considering how common ranged-only teams are, or at least positions you can place him where only ranged units attack him, I think he'd still be ok without CC, which is mostly for dealing with fliers. The 5 CD on Miracle isn't so bad when you remember that with a Vantage unit, most units are going to get killed anyway, and a damage special can often be overkill. If you're doing the math before making moves, you'd know who'd survive a Vantage hit and adjust your plan accordingly, perhaps having it charged by the time that enemy reaches you. For what it's worth, my Anima Def team includes Nanna with Restore, Vantage, and Miracle, and she's caused people to lose as she gets the last needed bit of Miracle charge from that Vantage hit.
Personally, I think the best AR units have mixed-phase use. Been using Legendary Chrom, and in most cases he can run in with buffs, shoot a potential threat like Ophelia, and then counter tank everything else on enemy phase. This is a basic strategy I've been doing for along time with units like Fjorm, Hrid, Robin, and others.
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On 3/11/2020 at 12:46 AM, eclipse said:
This wouldn't be too bad. If Biden does wind up with the nomination, I hope he picks a strong VP candidate.
Yeah, who he picks to bring with him, including cabinet members, will play a big role in how well his presidency goes. Governance that actually makes huge positive changes is largely hard to do (even when the issue isn't complex, like legalized gay marriage), but bad governance is so easy and happens constantly. I don't think there's a high ceiling for what he (or any other moderate candidate) would do, but there's no question that his lowest lows wouldn't be as bad as Trump's.
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On 3/10/2020 at 6:05 PM, Jotari said:
Thats not really getting at what I'm saying. We can overcome social stigma as a society, and for homosexuality that's all we need to do, but for transgenders there is an extra layer, almost larger than social stigma and that is the undeniable medical aspect. Transgender people won't all be happy and content if people respect and accept them (though obviously that is very much desired), there will still be the major problem of being right physically. In that regard it seems more similar to the disabled community, or even yes the mentally ill (which people say we shouldn't label transgendered people as due to stigma, but isn't saying exactly that stigmatising the mentally ill? There's nothing wrong with having a mental illness, it's an undesirable condition one must learn to treat in life).
Obviously it's good to work on respect and acceptance which is what the LGBT community strives to do, but that alone isn't enough. The T is very different in nature to the L, G and B. Gay pride makes sense, but if most transgendered people would rather not be transgendered than trans pride is a bit of a contradiction.
Of course I'm far from an expert as Eclipse notes. This is just the view of a layman with no strong emotional attachment to the whole thing.
Not all trans people experience gender dysphoria though. The social stigma plays the biggest part in the pain caused by dysphoria, along with gender norms/expectations. For many, transitioning and "passing" is mostly about getting people to treat you with the same dignity and basic respect as they would a cis person. Many would feel more comfortable with their bodies if there were no stigma, just as how many people would feel more comfortable with any other "imperfection" with their body if they felt like nobody ever thought anything of it.
"Pride" in the LGBT sense might sound like a bit of a misnomer, when it's really about self-esteem and respect. Gay pride was born as a counter culture to the overwhelming social stigma around being gay, which regularly told them they should be ashamed, they were bad people, and that they should either hide who they are, change, or die.
On 3/10/2020 at 6:30 PM, Rezzy said:Speaking of hoping to pass, this is me from a couple weeks ago.
Look at you, stylin' over here. For what it's worth, I don't give my impressions on whether a trans person passes or not, because I don't want them to feel like they need my validation. I'm just some random guy. You could look like Josh Brolin and it doesn't change that you're a woman and I'll see you as such.
COVID-19 Discussion & Resources
in Serious Discussion
Posted
It's basically like Three Houses but nothing dramatic happens and no personal connection to the students. Like I don't even learn most of their names. You do get a lot of total strangers going "hey professor" in the halls and stuff though.
For what it's worth, you might find online teaching more preferable. I prefer face-to-face interactions in any situation, but for introverts, it's easy enough online since communication works a lot like it does on a forum like this.