Rachelhazideas @ Rachelhazideas @lemmy.world

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2 yr. ago

There's a lot to unpack out of this reddit moment.

If we want people to take us seriously about advocating for reform in this housing crisis, this ain't it. Stripping nuance out of the conversation isn't helping the cause, it just makes us look uninformed.

Yes, the vast majority of landlords charge too much and do to little. But claiming that no work is required to be landlord does two things:

1. It absolves the landlord of the responsibility to maintain the property
2. It diminishes the scope of the work required to provide people with affordable housing and doesn't set clear goals to accomplish

There is a rule of thumb called the unrecoverable costs to owning which is typically 5% of the property's value. This goes towards plumbing, electrical work, landscaping, HVAC repairs, roof work, pest control, interior upkeep, and much more. The reality is that a property doesn't take care of it self and someone has to.

Yes, the system is broken, rent is unaffordable, and home owner is neigh impossible these days. What we need is regulation on the housing market, getting rid of speculators, reform zoning laws for high density housing, public transit and good urban planning, more subsidized and public housing, etc.

Even when you have all of that you will still need landlords, just not the kind that we have today. Because for housing to exist there is an inherent risk that somebody has to carry to guarantee the mortgage is paid for and that it will not go up in flames.

Have you been to both schools that have a uniform and schools that do not? I feel that a lot of people in this thread are speaking from one side of their experiences without regard for the other and then claiming it is some kind of propaganda. I don't know what you want me and others to say other than that we're not paid by Big Uniform to say anything.

I've unfortunately been to more schools than I'd like to, and there is a stark behavioral contrast in ones that do have a uniform, especially for public schools. The only 'individuality' that students are stripped of is the frequency of bullying, knife fights, truancy, and other behavioral problems. People in uniforms are just less of a jerk and more of a member of the school community. I'm not sure what phenomenon in behavioral science this is, but people are easier to discipline in uniform and it shows.

I'm giving school uniforms the appropriate amount of credit based on my own experiences with it. Like I said, not every school I went to required one, so I didn't have to change uniforms every time. For the schools that did, I often bought mine discounted or second hand, and still I've yet to be bullied about my clothing compared to when I only had my dilapidated wardrobe that made me stick out like a sore thumb in schools without uniforms.

You say you 'totally understand' in one breath, and then tell me in another how you've only seen it once which means that uniforms cleaely don't matter. Have you ever been a school that wears uniforms before? I feel that we live in two different worlds here and I'm not so sure that you see the big picture.

I've been the new student more times than I've wanted to, and there were a myriad of things to be bullied about each time. I've been consistently bullied less often in schools that have a uniform, regardless of the topic. This is particularly true among American schools, which often did not have a uniform. The one that did (a public charter school), had far fewer bullies. You could argue that this is correlation and not causation, but that's hard to believe when I've been repeated bullied for my clothing. The only additional 'individuality' I've seen in these people is the unearned confidence to say what ever they'd like about other people with no qualms about their feelings.

For the vast majority of the world, uniforms are the norm and even mandatory in many countries. Ironically, most school systems allowed me to choose my own backpack and only US public schools require specifically transparent backpacks due to mass shootings. It's just wild the things this country would sacrifice in the name of individual freedom.

Uniforms aren't the infringement on individuality people think they are. If it were true, most people in the world would have no individuality because they have uniforms. There is a reason why schools, hospitals, soldiers, and prisons have uniforms and it's not just to look good, it's to legitimize an institution and instill discipline. Schools with poor discipline is where rampant behaviorial issues develop. When schools are already understaffed and underfunded, the lack of a uniform makes it even harder to keep students in line. When students wear uniforms, their individuality stops being just about how they look and starts being about how they want to be perceived by others through their actions.

I think you are making a blanket statement about uniform systems and attributing all the bad things from a few to all of them. Uniform systems come in many varieties including gendered/ungendered, seasonal, school supplied/outsourced/local distributors, half uniforms (assigned shirt with unassigned but color coded pants), optional outerwear, regulations on haircut/makeup/accessories, and more.

Bullying absolutely happens to people who are not as well dressed, particularly people who have to wear the same days several days in a row in the absence of a uniform code. It may not have happened to you, but that doesn't mean it hasn't for others. I would know because I spent a good 5 years living on just two suitcases drifting from home to home, and my limited and undersized wardrobe was often a point of ridicule.

Saying "there will always be something to bully" as a counterpoint to how bullies will always find something to bully is pretty dismissive to how much it hurts to be bullied for one's appearances. If you think that what you wear makes no difference to bullies, try wearing a clownsuit to school everyday. It's like you're saying "bullies will bully you anyway, so why not give them one more thing to bully you about?"

I get that being bullied for your clothes may not look a big deal to you because you're a grown adult. But that's not how many teenage minds work. Small things like that can be detrimental to their self esteem.

Uniforms are not exactly a conservative idea. You could argue that it is a return to tradition, but uniforms are functionally more progressive if anything.

I have been to, no joke, over a dozen schools in several countries, some with uniforms and some without, and I find uniforms to be a far better option. Yes, uniforms aren't cheap and you don't get to pick what to wear, but I here are some reasons why it is still very worth it:

1. There is no pressure to dress well compared to peers, especially if they can't afford to
2. Kids are less likely to be bullied for what they wear
3. Kids don't have expend mental energy in the morning figuring out what to wear
4. Uniforms are generally less restrive and more comfortable than what is currently in style
5. It's optionally a form of gender expression for young trans folks (in open minded schools)
6. Wardrobe malfunctions can be resolved at school sometimes
7. Kids can reuse hand-me-downs from siblings going to the same schools
8. A sense of community among peers, especially when they recognize each other outside of school
9. Helps with body image because uniforms generally obscures people's silhouettes to the same degree, so there is less pressure to look a certain way

Yeah, I suspected it's the kind of work place environment that normalizes this kind of shit. It sucks that these jerks aren't held accountable.

It's probably a bot. Nothing they say makes any sense.

That's awful. Coughing on someone especially those at high risk for covid is literally assault and a fireable offense.

Unspoken curses of each item:

Magic blanket - you will never get to taste a cold drink or feel a cool breeze again

Good dream pillow - you will be asleep every hour of sundown to sunrise

Cuddly bear - you will always feel empty when you are not hugging it

Endless candle - you will never feel stressed enough to feel the need to be productive again

Favorite mug - you will never get your hot drinks back

Treasure stone - you will progressively devolve into a narcissist the more you touch it

Dismissal of pain and drug seeking accusations are two sides of the same coin.

No one is 'turning' anything into an identity issue. You don't get to say 'I don't see color' and then pretend that systemic discrimination doesn't exist.

Your lack of understanding of a real world problem doesn't make it any less real for the rest of us. Please think about the relevance of your own experiences before invalidating others'.

Please don't pull an 'all lives matter' here. Women and minorities are systemically discriminated by the medical system as a whole. Patient outcomes are statistically better if you fit the correct demographic.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/racism-in-healthcare

https://www.healthline.com/health/gender-bias-healthcare

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4194634/

Unless you are either female, a minority, young, or have chronic pain in which case any mention of pain you have, no matter how extreme, is considered a drug seeking attempt.

The ER will diagnose people based on their race, sex, gender, and age before they'll diagnose you based on your symptoms. It doesn't matter how much you are suffering, how much pain you are in, or how close you are to killing yourself because you can't take it anymore. ER doctors have no empathy unless you fit a certain demographic.

No. It's not a selling point and you don't want it. I have a condition that puts every part of my body in pain continuously. It's been 4 years and I've forgotten the sensation of painlessness. Many people with my condition kill themselves, not only because the pain alone is intolerable, but because every step of the way somebody will tell them they are being lazy or faking it.

Yeah but women with PCOS are fat all over

Nope, think again. In addition to being fat all over women with PCOS also develop higher proportions of belly fat due to fluctuating testosterone levels. This is not unlike beer bellies that men develop.

This, combined with bloating can lead to a distended belly similar to the woman in the picture. I know because I have PCOS and yes, it can get that bad. I had people personally come up to me and shamelessly ask if I was pregnant.

There is no universal 'look' to PCOS. You cannot diagnose or undiagnose someone based on how they look, especially if they suffer from lean PCOS. Look up pictures of 'PCOS belly' and you'll see a wide range of stomach, many to the point of appearing pregnant.

The replies in this post is precisely why we need better sex ed.

There's an astounding number of people who aren't aware about PCOS or IBS and think that the woman in the ad is actually stupid for taking a pregnancy test.

I have both, and my doctor had to give me an hGC test to rule out pregnancy because my abdomen was as bloated as the woman in the picture.

Neither of these conditions are rare, and either one can cause bloating and swelling, often chronically, to this degree.

Yes. PCOS causes hormonal imbalances in that lead to bloating, abnormal amounts of abdominal fat, cramps. The cherry on top is having IBS at the same time.

Everything combined stretches my stomach to the point where my skin hurts. When I consulted my doctor about it, she had to do an hCG test to be sure that I wasn't pregnant.

So many people here who don't know about PCOS or PCOS belly and actually think the woman in the picture is stupid.

Try going door to door convincing people or something or just stop fucking complaining all the time holy shit.

Are you the one guy who tries to walk up to corporate front desks with a resume and firm handshake, loudly asks for a job, only to realize how out of touch you are 3 after the receptionist tells you applications are all online now?

This is part of the problem of our current political climate. I don't know how you can constitute 'not bullying' as 'accepting them', but the complete lack of nuance in every conversation is what drives radicalization.

You can't 'bully' transphobes into being an ally. That's not how people work.

I get it. Transphobes are pieces of shit with the most punchable faces. But when you find yourself staring down into one, you need to ask yourself if you are going say what feels good and right to you, or what will make them just a little less transphobic to the next trans person they meet.

Deradicalization doesn't happen overnight. It may take transphobes a hundred, ten, or even just one trans person to show them undeserved kindness before they realize they were wrong.

I'm not saying it's anyone's job to do this. I'm saying that sometimes, maybe a trans person or an ally may be having a good day and find it in themselves to deal with transphobic bullshit just to show transphobes that they are the better person. If they do, I'm saying that we shouldn't ruin all the progress and emotional labor they've invested in by bullying the transphobe.

my first birthday

MAR 14 2007

Anyone else's back hurt while reading this?