Every day, in every way, I feel like I’m back in the USSR.
October 23, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Every day, in every way, I feel like I’m back in the USSR.
Exactly. My family was in Belarus and Ukraine. 95% of my then living family was shot en masse by men displaying that precise symbol. I’m only a little older than this guy, and grew up wrecked by the psychological aftermath of those atrocities. Fuck him and fuck the bros waving this shit away.
October 22, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Exactly. My family was in Belarus and Ukraine. 95% of my then living family was shot en masse by men displaying that precise symbol. I’m only a little older than this guy, and grew up wrecked by the psychological aftermath of those atrocities. Fuck him and fuck the bros waving this shit away.
My husband cut ties with a former friend who in his late 40’s married a 17 year old he met in Brazil (he first “dated” her mother). The rest of their group readily accepted the marriage because he was “finally happy.” Unfortunately it’s not just the ultra rich with this pathology.
October 21, 2025 at 6:20 PM
My husband cut ties with a former friend who in his late 40’s married a 17 year old he met in Brazil (he first “dated” her mother). The rest of their group readily accepted the marriage because he was “finally happy.” Unfortunately it’s not just the ultra rich with this pathology.
I’d say it’s also capitalism as the driving engine of the regime. The primacy of capitalist excess and abuse to the governmental project is what distinguishes fascism from totalitarianism, definitionally.
September 24, 2025 at 9:55 PM
I’d say it’s also capitalism as the driving engine of the regime. The primacy of capitalist excess and abuse to the governmental project is what distinguishes fascism from totalitarianism, definitionally.
I wonder if people would be so surprised by the brazenness of the Epstein bday book if they remembered that tabloid media didn’t view teen girls as children but as “vamps,” “Lolitas” and “jailbait.” The Brooke Shields documentary really clarified how noxious that particular tabloid narrative was.
September 10, 2025 at 9:05 PM
I wonder if people would be so surprised by the brazenness of the Epstein bday book if they remembered that tabloid media didn’t view teen girls as children but as “vamps,” “Lolitas” and “jailbait.” The Brooke Shields documentary really clarified how noxious that particular tabloid narrative was.
Yes. Child sex abuse is both endemic and widely tolerated, across all racial, class, and cultural lines. Sometimes people wink and move on, sometimes they shake their head and move on, but they almost always just move on. Doing nothing to stop it is the norm, not the exception.
September 9, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Yes. Child sex abuse is both endemic and widely tolerated, across all racial, class, and cultural lines. Sometimes people wink and move on, sometimes they shake their head and move on, but they almost always just move on. Doing nothing to stop it is the norm, not the exception.
I’ve read thousands of criminal case files. Two things jump out. (1) Child sex abuse is endemic and crosses all racial/cultural/class lines. (2) It’s broadly tolerated and always has been, also across every line of race and class. People knowing and doing nothing is the norm, not the exception.
September 9, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I’ve read thousands of criminal case files. Two things jump out. (1) Child sex abuse is endemic and crosses all racial/cultural/class lines. (2) It’s broadly tolerated and always has been, also across every line of race and class. People knowing and doing nothing is the norm, not the exception.
It’s very rare even now that I get what I consider an appropriate response when I tell people my father was a child survivor of the Siege. Not to mention how many people lately claim “even the Nazis” didn’t intentionally starve civilians.
August 19, 2025 at 10:08 PM
It’s very rare even now that I get what I consider an appropriate response when I tell people my father was a child survivor of the Siege. Not to mention how many people lately claim “even the Nazis” didn’t intentionally starve civilians.
My experience for decades (as an ex-Soviet Jewish immigrant to the US) was that Americans, even American Jews, had no knowledge whatsoever of what happened in Soviet lands. Most Americans had never even heard of the Siege of Leningrad or Babi Yar, let alone the thousands of smaller killing actions.
August 19, 2025 at 10:01 PM
My experience for decades (as an ex-Soviet Jewish immigrant to the US) was that Americans, even American Jews, had no knowledge whatsoever of what happened in Soviet lands. Most Americans had never even heard of the Siege of Leningrad or Babi Yar, let alone the thousands of smaller killing actions.
After a catastrophic head injury in my early 40’s, I somehow was able to keep surfing despite nearly constant migraine. Was shocked my body could perform under those conditions and eventually realized 20 years of fitness had built up a bank of strength that I could now call on. Saved my life!
August 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
After a catastrophic head injury in my early 40’s, I somehow was able to keep surfing despite nearly constant migraine. Was shocked my body could perform under those conditions and eventually realized 20 years of fitness had built up a bank of strength that I could now call on. Saved my life!
The only people in my life who I can talk to honestly without creating a false silver lining to keep them from crashing out are (1) fellow immigrants from totalitarian/theocratic regimes; and (2) people with lifelong clinical depression.
August 4, 2025 at 6:14 PM
The only people in my life who I can talk to honestly without creating a false silver lining to keep them from crashing out are (1) fellow immigrants from totalitarian/theocratic regimes; and (2) people with lifelong clinical depression.
I graduated college in three years because of AP credits. Saved a year of tuition and spent what would have been my senior year hanging out, working at a restaurant and partying, so it did work out for some of us.
August 3, 2025 at 11:47 PM
I graduated college in three years because of AP credits. Saved a year of tuition and spent what would have been my senior year hanging out, working at a restaurant and partying, so it did work out for some of us.
Years ago, someone studied the physical reaction of sports fans to a win by their team versus a loss by their rival. People felt significantly happier at seeing the other team lose than seeing their own team win. That’s what MAGA is too. Seeing us cry is their primary motivation for everything.
July 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Years ago, someone studied the physical reaction of sports fans to a win by their team versus a loss by their rival. People felt significantly happier at seeing the other team lose than seeing their own team win. That’s what MAGA is too. Seeing us cry is their primary motivation for everything.
Israeli propaganda, packaged as Jewish education, taught generations of American Jews that we are victims, always, and exclusively, and most crucially, that victims can never be perpetrators. It’s classic cult indoctrination and that’s why the institutions behave like cults (denying the obvious).
July 26, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Israeli propaganda, packaged as Jewish education, taught generations of American Jews that we are victims, always, and exclusively, and most crucially, that victims can never be perpetrators. It’s classic cult indoctrination and that’s why the institutions behave like cults (denying the obvious).
I’m also disabled, and don’t feel “forgotten.” It’s not reasonable to demand every conversation by anyone, about anything, specifically reference you, and your unique needs. Valid criticism of these apps is not invalidated by the existence of disabled people or our greater need for support.
July 25, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I’m also disabled, and don’t feel “forgotten.” It’s not reasonable to demand every conversation by anyone, about anything, specifically reference you, and your unique needs. Valid criticism of these apps is not invalidated by the existence of disabled people or our greater need for support.
It can also be a perverse form of narcissism. They immerse themselves in the suffering of others, slowly cannibalizing it until now THEY are also suffering, and eventually, THEIR suffering takes over. *I* can bear it no longer, they say, and now the “witness” is the center of the story.
July 15, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It can also be a perverse form of narcissism. They immerse themselves in the suffering of others, slowly cannibalizing it until now THEY are also suffering, and eventually, THEIR suffering takes over. *I* can bear it no longer, they say, and now the “witness” is the center of the story.
I suffered from chronic migraine (25+ days a month) for many years and I found the only people who understood my reality were fellow chronic migraine sufferers. Please know you’re not alone, and more importantly, there is hope. It got better for me. I hope it gets better for you too.
June 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I suffered from chronic migraine (25+ days a month) for many years and I found the only people who understood my reality were fellow chronic migraine sufferers. Please know you’re not alone, and more importantly, there is hope. It got better for me. I hope it gets better for you too.
I loved the series. It’s clear the creators had the same emotional attachment to the original movie as me and my friends, who watched it dozens of times as children in the 80’s (it was on cable constantly). We laugh a lot about being 8 years old and ritually watching a movie about mid life crises.
May 15, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I loved the series. It’s clear the creators had the same emotional attachment to the original movie as me and my friends, who watched it dozens of times as children in the 80’s (it was on cable constantly). We laugh a lot about being 8 years old and ritually watching a movie about mid life crises.
It’s hard to process the absence of something you never had, even as an adult. And for some of us, our brains were formed around neglect in our first years of life, so we have to quite literally rewire our brains to learn how to love and be loved. What’s miraculous is that it really can be done.
May 8, 2025 at 9:50 PM
It’s hard to process the absence of something you never had, even as an adult. And for some of us, our brains were formed around neglect in our first years of life, so we have to quite literally rewire our brains to learn how to love and be loved. What’s miraculous is that it really can be done.
Professionally, I spend all day everyday confronting the consequences of childhood trauma. What people are particularly not ready to hear is just how much harm is caused by “just” emotional neglect. The wounds are deep and lasting but so many people aren’t even aware they’re affected.
May 8, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Professionally, I spend all day everyday confronting the consequences of childhood trauma. What people are particularly not ready to hear is just how much harm is caused by “just” emotional neglect. The wounds are deep and lasting but so many people aren’t even aware they’re affected.
As my father used to say, “everyone’s stupid, except for us.”
April 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
As my father used to say, “everyone’s stupid, except for us.”