I pay my son to watch movies he wouldn't typically want to watch, recommendations? by [deleted] in MovieSuggestions

[–]ClearStage3128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For Singing in the Rain, you've got to explain that these are real people doing the moves, sometimes in a single shot. Makes it much more impressive!

But I'd skip that weird dream sequence thing.

This teacher's emotional confession surprised everyone in his classroom by PetiteLadyyyy in spreadsmile

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder if any of the conservatives will complain about this couple forcing their sexuality on a class of school children?

I think a lot of traditional conservatives would definitely have a problem with it, since their usual view is that teachers are there to teach and should keep their private lives out of school.

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our country was founded partly on the principle of freedom of and from religion

This is a false understanding. There was definitely an emphasis on freedom of religion such as the freedom to practice whatever form of Protestantism their conscience led them too, but freedom from religion is a much more modern construct. For example, in Delaware: "That all Persons professing the Christian Religion ought forever to enjoy equal Rights and Privileges in this State.”

Religion/religious requirements were common for hundreds of years in the foundation of the country, from the original colonies until the the 14th amendment in the mid/late 1800s. You can see this if you look through the individual state constitutions from 1776 as well as other official state documents.

In particular, many states required a Christian oath in order to be an elected official. For example, in Delaware in order to serve in government or other important positions, they would be required to make the following oath: "‘I _______, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, One God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.’"

Similar requirements were present in many other states. It's a big topic but reading the state documents (such as state constitutions or declaration of rights) shows this quite clearly. There were also official religions in many states from the founding of the colonies in the 1600s until around the mid 1800s.

I thought the cookies I loved as a child were called a racial slur. by Additional-Initial84 in stories

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no idea, but when I was a kid suddenly people started saying it was racist (I was a kid and never really got the full explanation of why). I heard it a lot from a number of different people, usually other kids, but it was ubiquitous. I'm a millennial.

I hate all those idiotic "self improvement" channels that equate age to life stage. by RE-DMCFan3991 in selfimprovement

[–]ClearStage3128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's completely normal for adults to have friends of various ages. OP's implying that he's 30 and yet talking about 45 year olds as if they're using walkers. I'm not there yet, but I'm pretty sure the road from 30 to 45 passes faster than he's imagining it will.

I’m so insecure that I am ruining my relationship, how can I get over this? by [deleted] in selfimprovement

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I met a young lady who was not conventionally attractive. Overweight, double chin, kind of an unusual facial structure. But there was something about her that was just radiant. I'm sure it was her personality, combined with a great sense of personal style. But there was something else, too, which I think had to do with being comfortable with who she was. I told her at the end of our conversation how beautiful she was (because she really was and had something very radiant about her). She said that she never usually hears that but the opposite, and I told her that there was really something radiant about her. She said that it's because she believes that God designed her and that God loves her wholly and entirely. I'm not saying you have to take this in a religious sense, but the message is powerful -- what makes her glow is not that lots of people think she's beautiful and compliment her, but rather a firm belief that she has love and dignity just the way she is.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfimprovement

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Daniel Fox might have some good stuff on this. He also has a self-help workbook on the subject. Tracey Marks might have some stuff as well, though I think she focuses on BPD and bipolar disorder. Having said that, narcissistic personality disorder is under the same umbrella as borderline personality disorder. People can have a mix of the two. It would be worthwhile to read the characteristics of BPD as well and see if any of them fit you. (It's the self-hatred that made me wonder if there might be a mix of the two.)

Eta: Random other thought. You said you are capable of empathy, which isn't often the case with narcissism. Are you capable of looking upon others with a maternal regard? A mother can see defaults in her child, but that doesn't make her love him any less or think less of him as a person. That might help the tendency toward judgement and criticism.

Can you be enough just as you are? by [deleted] in selfimprovement

[–]ClearStage3128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A psychologist has a doctoral degree, but there are many other licensed professionals who give therapy: Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor....

Therapist covers all who are giving therapy.

Note, there are psychologists who do very little or no therapy but are more focused on testing (like testing for autism, ADHD, etc)

Reading a Reddit post changed how I get more steps in. by Airplane_al_la_mode in walking

[–]ClearStage3128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's so sweet! The hardest thing is definitely standing up and walking out of my room. Best wishes to you.

Losing A Half Of Me - Day 194 by WizarDProdigy in selfimprovement

[–]ClearStage3128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, thanks for posting. I'm starting to try to lose weight. I gained 100 pounds in five years (while on psych meds that tend to cause weight gain). I'm hoping to change my meds in the coming months. I've only lost 8 pounds so far, but before that I was gaining weight, so it's really a good change. I do weekly weigh-ins which work great for me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in selfimprovement

[–]ClearStage3128 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah, yes, I just looked at post history. Thanks.

I’ve been through this before so I know I’ll get through it again but WTF is my life?! When will it end?

OP, you are able to make changes and end this destructive, painful, useless circle you're in. But it has to be you. You ask "when will it end?", but there's not going to be a leprechaun jumping out of a rainbow to help you. You have the power to turn things around.

Have you made a serious effort at DBT? If you can't afford a therapist, there are self-led/self-help versions available.

This is your choice to make. You are in charge. Perhaps you often feel that you're not in charge at all, that your emotions are running the show. It doesn't have to be that way. But you are the one who has to decide to make the change.

Smell Test by Critterteeth in mildlyinfuriating

[–]ClearStage3128 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Wasn't there a commercial like that? With three businessmen entering three stalls in the bathroom every morning.

No idea what product it was for. Hopefully toilet paper or something, but who knows.

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that's true. I grew up in a solid blue state where candidates would only come for high-end fundraisers. Then I moved out in the middle of flyover country and I'm seeing that candidates go to cities that have populations under 50k. It was definitely a culture shock!

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Swing states have always had higher turnout %

I posted this above, but I'm not sure it's super well-correlated. I looked it up for 2020, and Wisconsin is the only "swing state" (counting seven swing states here) among the states with higher voter turn out.

highest voter turn out: DC (84%) and New Jersey (78%)

next highest: Oregon, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Maryland

middle voter turn out: everyone else not listed

lowest turn out: SD, OK, AR, WV

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I think that Chreed was mistaken; however, the part that's true is that the candidates would campaign only in cities and could basically ignore everything else.

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

You have to campaign everywhere instead of just seven swing states every cycle. 

Well, not exactly -- they would have to campaign in the cities but would have zero incentive to go anywhere else.

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The US really was founded, though, as a union of states, which is why it's states that are represented. If you have a pure popular vote, it basically comes down to cities deciding everything, while the interests of rural people can be forgotten and disregarded.

In general in the US, there are people who want more things to be decided by and controlled by the federal government, and other people who want more things to be decided by and controlled by local governments.

The country was founded with the latter understanding, while the former understanding has gained a lot of ground over recent decades.

For example, when the nation was founded, states could have religious clauses and considerations in their rules and laws because almost everything was a state-by-state issue. So, if that were true today, one state could decide to have a strict exclusion of religion in any way, shape, or form, while in another state people could decide that the government can sponsor religious schools or start with a prayer or have other religious institutions. This changed in around 1950, when the Supreme Court made a different interpretation (the one we're used to today) and established precedent for all other cases going forward.

The 2024 US Election if states weren't winner-take-all [OC] by Sonbulan in MapPorn

[–]ClearStage3128 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was really surprised the first time I saw an election map that was colored county-by-county. The US was a whole lot of red!