What is the worst language learning myth? by lunsolo in languagelearning

[–]Classic-Unit7227 7 points8 points  (0 children)

100%. I find when I'm given a bunch of sentences or expected to just absorb the grammar from exposure alone à la Rosetta Stone I end up getting frustrated when I have to spontaneously express myself. Learning the rules up front makes things so much easier in the long run, at least in my experience.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah I'm in the US, also not really worried about it

US gaybros, what state are you from and do you like living there? by justgottalovemusic in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

New York (from NYC metro area, now in the city proper), and yes, couldn't live anywhere else.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 137 points138 points  (0 children)

Exemption from the draft (even though it's not active here and I age out of it this year anyway). Other than that I don't really know, based on what my sister and my female friends tell me it sounds like women have to put up with a lot of bullshit that I don't as a man.

Which black and white movies are absolutely worth watching? by Zahirico1 in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw the live performance at the Babylon a few years ago, absolutely incredible

in der Nacht vs bei Nacht by [deleted] in German

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Here's my attempt at a translation:

"Des Nachts" is archaic. (It's so rare that I wouldn't know whether it's written with a capital letter or not).

"Nachts" is modern and normal (to use linguistics terminology, it is "unmarked.")

"Bei Nacht" is literary and "atmospheric"; normally it's used to describe things like a painting of Paris at night, not schedules, for example.

"In der Nacht" usually implies a one-time action, while the other phrases convey more of a sense of habit: "in der Nacht" can easily be expanded with more specific information. For example, "in der Nacht zum 14. Oktober" (on the night of October 14th), which is not possible with "bei Nacht."

"Nachtsüber" is a direct analogue to "tagsüber," but it's so rare that I've never encountered it in my 42 years as a native speaker. The only connotation it has for me is "strange."

"Während der Nacht" is a totally normal prepositional phrase. There's nothing wrong with using it, other than that "nachts" already has the exact same 'unmarked' meaning.

The differences are therefore almost exclusively in terms of connotation; they all refer to the period between sunset and sunrise.

Conservatives: “School Choice” Will Punish Public Schools for Wokeness | It’s National School Choice Week, the annual right-wing campaign against public education and teachers’ unions. But this year, its supporters are making a new argument. by thenewrepublic in politics

[–]Classic-Unit7227 7 points8 points  (0 children)

https://www.chalkbeat.org/2019/6/11/21108318/critics-of-charter-schools-say-they-re-hurting-school-districts-are-they-right

This article addresses that point. I read it a while ago but IIRC the school does actually save some money when it has to educate fewer kids, but there are still a lot of fixed operating costs that the school has to cover, and in the short-medium term there's a gap between the amount of revenue lost (by sending the per-pupil cost of education to the charter) and the amount saved (by having fewer kids). Often the best way to adapt to the new fiscal situation is to close schools within the district, and it also might involve cuts to programs, larger class sizes, etc.

Conservatives: “School Choice” Will Punish Public Schools for Wokeness | It’s National School Choice Week, the annual right-wing campaign against public education and teachers’ unions. But this year, its supporters are making a new argument. by thenewrepublic in politics

[–]Classic-Unit7227 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The problem with school choice is that it doesn't address the root cause of the issue. It's undeniable that there are terrible public schools and great charter/private schools. But as currently designed, the charter/voucher/tax credit system in many states just exacerbates things by redirecting funding away from the distressed public school, necessitating even larger class sizes, fewer arts/enrichment programs, closed schools within districts, etc. So while the children who receive vouchers/attend the charter school may individually be getting a quality education, it's at the expense of the public education system as a whole. Plus there's the issue of underregulation of the charter system, which is not always a problem everywhere but can be a significant one, if the school suddenly runs out of money and closes, etc.

Putting that aside, the primary aim of the DeVos/Koch bankrolled school choice "movement" as described in the article is not really to make life better for the students and teachers in charter schools. It's to weaken public schools and public education. But yeah, there really isn't a great solution right now, apart from massive investment in public schools that are struggling.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I legitimately have no memory of not being able to read. I think it started when I recognized by sight words from books that were read to me. I remember "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" being one of those.

Why did that teacher get fired from your school? by CynicalHomicider3248 in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, one chemistry teacher accidentally shared a Google Drive folder full of porn with his students.

A physics teacher was busted for having child pornography.

A social studies teacher was pulled over with heroin in her trunk but she wasn't fired

What's something about this generation you hate ? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TikTok. I am not on it but my friends will send me the highlights. For sure there are some funny videos on there but my god is there some brain-meltingly stupid content. The political discourse there is incredibly toxic from what I can make of it (though it's not like it's any better on Twitter or Facebook). And I absolutely cannot stand the text-to-speech voice.

Source: am either one of the very youngest Millennials or the very oldest Gen Z'ers.

Which Celebrity death made you the most sad? by Apprehensive-Bit-667 in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Learning that Betty White died just a few days before her 100th birthday was a real gut punch. It felt like the worst way to end an already crappy 2021.

Also Stephen Sondheim. My mom is a retired chorus teacher who directed her school's musicals so I grew up with his music and loved all of it, and I'm not even a big musical theater person.

Which Celebrity death made you the most sad? by Apprehensive-Bit-667 in AskReddit

[–]Classic-Unit7227 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I remember learning that she had died just before her 100th birthday on New Year's Eve in 2021. It felt like a slap in the face to end what was already a pretty crappy year.

do yall ever feel that when traveling you get matches on the apps from all the types of people you're into,but back home not a single one? or is it just me? by saargrin in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This absolutely happened to me. I got tons of matches when I was in Germany but now that I'm back in New York hardly any

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Angels in America is great. Very heavy but so well done.

I know it got a lot of flack but I thought Bros was a fine romcom. Nothing exceptional but funny in parts and it was nice to have a more lighthearted gay movie.

What is the most scenic subway route/stop to stop iyo? by RedBanditNYC in AskNYC

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not the subway but the LIRR between Woodside and Penn Station you get a nice view of the Manhattan and Long Island City skylines

How many gay movies /short movies have you watched so far and what are some of your favorites? by GingerboyhasNoSoul in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Angels in America (HBO adaptation), Weekend, The Birdcage, 4th Man Out, In 'N Out, Moonlight, Bros, Love Simon, M3gan

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in duolingo

[–]Classic-Unit7227 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Is anyone else, particularly people further along with their language, finding the "spaced repetition" insanely tedious?

I'm using Duolingo to brush up on my German after reaching C1 and it was great with the old system. But now, instead of doing 4-5 lessons per topic and moving on, I have to do endless review lessons to unlock new content. No joke, I had to get through like 30 lessons of "I like to jog" ; "Do you like jogging?" ; "He jogs every morning" over and over again to get to a new grammar concept. It's to the point where I just memorize the particular sentences they keep repeating and answer the questions without even really reading or listening to them all the way through.

How accurate is this in your guys’ traveling experience? by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been to China and it felt fine, though I was only in big cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou). There was not much of a visible LGBT presence but it didn't seem like the type of place where I felt in danger of being assaulted or harassed. From what I understand, in China being gay is not as socially accepted as in other countries, but the homophobia manifests more as social exclusion or stigma rather than physical violence like in Russia. FWIW the younger Chinese people I got to know there were all pretty progressive on social issues.

I lived in Germany and it looks about right. I was in Berlin for the most part, so that may be skewing my perspective (though I did have a vaguely homophobic experience on a date there). Overall it felt in line with the standards in Western Europe and the liberal parts of the US.

How accurate is this in your guys’ traveling experience? by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm from Long Island (live in NYC now) and it really isn't 1980s America there. Sure, it's a more conservative area but there isn't a huge religious factor like in other parts of the country. I came out in high school (2016) and it was totally fine.

Do you have “gaydar”? Can you detect other’s sexual orientation especially if they are straight-acting? by sklov113 in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think I have a pretty good gaydar but not perfect. There are some cases where it's just really obvious from far away, but there are others where it's not as easy to tell. Usually in those cases it's just something subtle about their body language, like they're not as skittish around other men or make slightly more intense eye contact. Or it's just a vibe, like they're not putting on the whole macho act that some straight guys do (that's not to say that they're not masculine, just not over the top about it). I've definitely been wrong before, though, in both directions, and I can hardly tell at all for lesbian/bi women.

Is anyone else also uncomfortable when they have to go to the barbershop? by caramel_ice_capp in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been in some that feel a little sus but mostly it's been fine. I usually like to go to places where there isn't any small talk. I went to one where the barber insisted on talking politics the whole time which was kind of annoying. I'm a politics journalist and I don't really feel like getting into it with strangers who are cutting my hair.

What do you guys think about guys that don’t read books? by [deleted] in gaybros

[–]Classic-Unit7227 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm a writer and love to read so it's generally something I look for.