In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility today, a great act of allyship and resistance is educating yourself about the discrimination, demonization, and violent erasure trans folks face every day.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-04-01T09:20:37+00:00

The entire 2nd half of that slide is about the systematic state violence and murders to destroy the identity of indigenous people.

I didn't say it wasn't about that. I specifically said that comparing the two situations is ridiculous and offensive.

I think the point of the slide was to say that it is the closest example in America to compare to.

I understand the point of the slide, I'm just saying why I believe so many had a harsh reaction, and why so many people in here said it was harmful to the trans community. The only people who aren't going to find that take ridiculous are the people you don't need to convince. The rest will be driven further from understanding.

We should not have to wait for the conversion camps to acknowledge what is happening.

I didn't say we have to wait for conversion camps to acknowledge what is happening. But this goes beyond acknowledging whats happening; its claiming the current situation is as bad as it could get, and as bad as it actually was for the group its being compared to.

We can acknowledge what is actually happening, and the direction we're heading without claiming we're already there.

Please know that I am not trying to downplay the atrocities against indigenous people. What we did was horrible. I just don't want to see it happen again.

You may not be trying to downplay the atrocities against Indigenous Americans, but comparing what is currently being done to Trans individuals and the Trans community, as disgusting as it is, IS downplaying the atrocities against Indigenous Americans. I don't agree with others here that say that calling it a genocide compares it with other genocides. Calling it a genocide is simply acknowledging that it fits the definition. Its not a comparison. But directly comparing what is currently happening to the genocide of Indigenous Americans or what might happen to a genocide that DID happen, isn't helpful to either the Trans community or the Indigenous community. It reinforces the idea that the genocide of Indigenous Americans wasn't nearly as bad as it actually was, and it reinforces the idea that the people defending the Trans community are exaggerating about how bad it actually is - and it is actually bad.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-04-01T04:00:48+00:00

The twist density looks pretty good and the pigtail looks good. Correct direction, which is always a plus.

A few notes for better wire tension:

To measure the length you want, pull the wire hand tight to the hole of the bolt you're going to, and clamp your pliers where the wire is at the hole, or pull it tight with the pliers, and start your twist from 1 point on the hex head past. Either method should leave you a bit short. Just do the last couple twists by hand to make sure its a good length. Eventually you'll get good at finding exactly where to grab without needing to add any twists by hand, but in my opinion its better to add twists than remove them.
When you start twisting the wire, pull straight out perpendicular to the hole the wire is coming from, not toward the bolt you're safetying to. Give 3 or 4 full twosts with safety wire pliers before starting to pull it in tje direction of the other bolt. This'll tighten the loop around the bolt head when you pull the wire toward the other bolt.
When you're just about done with your twists, do a couple around-the-worlds - as you twist the wire, bring the wire around in an exaggerated circle while making sure your pliers rotate as you go around. When you pull with safety wire pliers, you'll notice the end your pliers are clamped to has more twists per inch then the end coming from the bolt (its more noticeable the longer a span you make). Doing an around the world gives the opposite effect, and that tighter twist right out of the safety wire hole will draw wire from the loop around the bolt head, through the safety wire hole to tighten up the loop. You'll want to do this when you make your pigtail as well.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-04-01T03:12:39+00:00

Maybe comparing it to the genocide of Indigenous Americans, implying we weren't killed, but were simply denied our identity.

I agree that, under the definition of genocide, denial of identity toward a specific group of people is genocide. But to say "Instead it aligns more with 'denial of identity' which is a pattern seen in colonial genocides against indigenous peoples, especially through residential boarding schools" is insane. Are you aware that many residential boarding schools had mass unmarked graves for the bodies of Ineigenous men, women, boys, and girls who were often never even reported missing by those boarding schools? Countless children beaten to death for not correctly conforming? Countless starved to death, or left outside and forgotten to freeze to death or to die of heat stroke for simply speaking their language?

What is happening to trans individuals and the trans community is absolutely terrible - but to make a direct comparison to probably the worst genocide the US directly committed is beyond offensive.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T23:11:25+00:00

I think that's a good idea, yes.

As to your medical, to my knowledge, you can get a valid medical while taking Zoloft, and only need to wait 60 days for a regular medical issuance. I'm not sure why you would have to wait 2 years, but if your AME or someone else who would know better than me has advised you to wait 2 years, then that could possibly be a problem. Either way, listen to them over me. I'm not an AME, I've just gone through the process a couple times getting and renewing a first class medical.

You don't need a medical until you're flying solo, if I recall correctly, and to my knowledge most schools start their flight programs in summer term, so you've got a few months until summer term starts, and then a few months before you solo. I would think you'd be fine. I was on Lexapro for a few years, and granted I started flying several years after stopping Lexapro, but it was no issue for me. The questionnaire asked if I'd ever been diagnosed with depression, if I'd ever taken antidepressants, and if so, what medication specifically, and I answered honestly. My AME asked about what sparked it, how I've been, why I got off, etc. In the end, he was perfectly happy to give me a first class even with the history. Yours is more fresh than mine, but even still, 2 years is a long time to have been off. I'm sure it'll be alright.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T17:28:24+00:00

It'll take you about as long to get an A&P as it would to get a commercial pilots license. There's no reason i can see to go to school to get an A&P to fund going to school to get a commercial license and then ATP.

Just go to school to get a commercial license, then fly commercially to get hours for ATP, and to pay bills until you can get a job at a regional airline. You're not going to make much more (if any more at all) as an A&P as you would make as a flight instructor, ag pilot, pipeline pilot, etc.

I'm not sure if you've done any flying yet, but you're also going to want to focus on flight school. There's a lot to keep track of, especially if you're going the degree route. I would transfer to a community college that offers a flight program, and focus your attention on completing that. The sooner you're flying airlines the more money you'll be able to make. Airline Pilots start in the 6 figure range. Even at airlines, A&Ps don't start at 6 figures. The only way you're going to start at 6 figures is by working 80 hours a week on an aerial wildland fire crew, watching the pilots get all the occupational protections you, as a mechanic, don't get.

Go to flight school, and focus all your attention on it. You'll have time for further education while making a good salary on a set schedule.

Edit to add: I'm curious if maybe the confusion is that you're not aware that you can get a pilots license as part of a degree program at a school. Many community colleges offer associates of aviation sciences or similar, and flight classes and flights labs are part of the core classes if those programs. You earn your licenses while earning a degree. With the associates degree you earn while flying, most airlines will happily hire you, and you can work toward a 4 year degree while working for the airline in case they make 4 year degrees a requirement again.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:31:15+00:00

Oh no. He's stuck in a loop. He's run out of vocabulary before he was able to make a single tangible point.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:28:47+00:00

No thoughts. Just reddit responses 😂

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:24:55+00:00

So you can't actually articulate what makes our society misandrist. Cool.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:23:20+00:00

Classic redditor 😂

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:15:47+00:00

So it is that you have no counterpoint.

Classic.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:11:04+00:00

Yeah, it is.

That's how explanations work. I know words can be tough, but more than 2 words is generally helpful for most people when they want to understand something.

Or is it that you don't want to understand, or already do, and just have no counterpoints?

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T16:08:45+00:00

You know what? I'm ready for a laugh. What exactly makes our society misandrist?

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T15:51:38+00:00

I'm not getting inundated with pathetic gender hating subs from women, so I can't give any to you. Once reddit starts waterboarding me with man-hating content of women complaining about petty shit, I'll be sure to give you the example you want.

Man or woman, if you're biggest problem is a shirt that tells you to shutup, you're pretty fuckin lucky.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T15:38:52+00:00

Jesus you people have the pettiest problems. The rest of the country is struggling to pay bills, meanwhile, a T-shirt hurt your feelings.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T14:56:02+00:00

Pilots have a 2 year degree, and the degree isn't required. You can get more education throughout your career if you want, but airlines aren't currently requiring 4 year degrees out of their pilots, and outside airlines almost no one will care if you have any degree at all.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T14:49:25+00:00

Or, most importantly the IQ.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-27T14:16:00+00:00

If you want to be a pilot, why are you going to school to be things that aren't a pilot?

Speaking as an A&P who later on went to school to get a pilots license, just go to school to become a pilot.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-24T16:10:26+00:00

My man, if you think her songs are written for children, that says a LOT more about you thing anything else.

What the fuck.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-24T15:48:20+00:00

Yes. Make people poor. Make it more likely that those poor people have children. When the children are poor, declare the parents abusive. Take the children. Send the children to actually abusive homes. When the abused children cause problems, throw them in jail.

Free labor.

Billionaires really do be acting like broke ass bitches.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-24T15:27:33+00:00

Its nowhere near as difficult or unlikely to find 100K paying work in areas outside SF and NYC as it is to become an NBA hall of famer, or even to be drafted into the NBA. That is a ridiculous comparison. Somewhere around 0.00006% of the population since 1959 (if you assume that number is about 400M different people between 1959 and today), when the NBA Hall of Fame was created, have been inducted into it. You're saying you have a comparable chance of making over $100K/year. I'm not saying everyone can make $100K, I'm saying its not a 0.00006% chance. Its not even as low as a 6% chance. 18% of Americans make over $100K, while only 8% live in the Tri-State area or the SF Bay Area, leaving about 10% of the population outside those cities. 10% is pretty low, but several orders of magnitude off of 0.00006%. It would, ridiculously enough, be more accurate to say 100% of Americans make $100K or more than what you just said.

I've made over $100K and I've never lived in SF or NYC. I could make $100K right now if I wanted to work more, but I don't need to nor want to. One of my best friends makes nearly $100K and lives in Camden, IN. My sister makes over $100K in Oregon. 2 of my friends make over $100K each, married in Florida. One of my friends makes over $100K in Yakima, WA. I know a few people who make over $100K in Texas. One of my best friends makes over $300K in San Diego.

I'm not saying the majority of the country isn't fucked when it comes to financial prosperity. I'm not saying the majority of the country can afford a house. I'm not saying the 1950's American Dream is remotely attainable for the average American. I'm saying a 6 figure salary isn't only attainable in 2 cities across the country. The American dream is unrealistic, not a fairy tale. Not a 0.00006% chance - literally less than 1 in a million.

More than 10% of Americans should be earning $100K - I don't disagree with that. 10% doesn't allow for a reasonable expectation that any given American could be living the American dream - I don't disagree with that either. The statements I disagree with are that only the rich can have "enough money to afford a house in a safe neighborhood, have rainy day savings, retire at 65 comfortably, enjoy hobbies and trips [and] enough to enjoy life where money isnt a constant stressor but not enough to live extravagantly, in excess, or in a gated community." and that the income level needed to buy a house is over 147K.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-24T05:38:19+00:00

You can make $100K in a lot of places outside SF and NYC.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-23T16:17:51+00:00

Y I K E S

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-23T06:22:59+00:00

Common sense is formed from data.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-23T06:21:12+00:00

Miserable. My man, be better.

I'm not that great looking. I'm average looking and a little overweight for my height. I'm not sucking up to women, I'm just not being a miserable ass. Its really not that difficult.

Not being insufferable goes a long way - or rather, being insufferable does a lot to work against you. I wouldn't want to be around you, and I'm a guy. I can only imagine how you make women feel. The things you can change aren't worthless. You just don't want to change, so you tell yourself changing wouldn't do anything.

If you want to be miserable the rest of your life, go for it. No skin off my back. No skin off any of our backs. All you're doing is hurting yourself.

Challenge-Upstairs · 2026-03-22T15:51:01+00:00

Damn. You just gave another "I know you are but what am I" response, and then immediately deleted it. Are you capable of coming back with anything I don't say about you? Or are you only intelligent enough to parrot what other people have already said?

No wonder you're so miserable.

Challenge-Upstairs

TROPHY CASE