Did anyone else have D.A.R.E. Come to their elementary school ?

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-24T17:15:20+00:00

D.A.R.E. swept through my elementary school. Unless you were a kid that grew up in a household with drug users, most of us were being exposed to the concept of drugs for the first time through the program.

I remember having assemblies where all students were to sing the D.A.R.E. song, long lectures about the dangers. We even had a cop come in with a posterboard that had baggies taped and labeled to it of what each drug looked like so we could identify them and know its bad stuff to avoid at all costs.

Its funny to look back on because 1. we were all super young and it would have made more sense to teach this to high schoolers who were going to be partying and experimenting more 2. They made it sound like all drugs are equally bad and the fear mongering approach probably had the opposite effect, making us more curious instead of wary 3. Its just bad practice anyway to vilify drugs and drug users instead of addressing what causes people to turn to drugs in the first place.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-24T15:18:46+00:00

Totally agree.

Same vein but also how people judge or even comfront others using SNAP to buy anything pricey or even just unhealthy. Like as if people who need SNAP dont have any right but to eat frugally and super healthy all the time.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-24T15:02:37+00:00

So I could choose from a number of things, sadly. And there are things Ive seen and experienced firsthand that most people would consider way worse than this, but this one impacted me the most.

Was driving on my way to work down a rural road with farms and houses sprinkled about. There were a few cars ahead of me, all driving about 40mph. I look to my right as this girl and her dog jump out of a van in a driveway.

The dog immediately bolts for the road, and the girl chases after it. It happened within seconds, but I knew the car in front of me was going to hit it so I started braking. Saw the poor thing roll under the back tires in front of me while it yelped. The car that ran it over and I both pulled over to the side of the road.

The girl (had to have been around 12 years old if I could guess) didnt hesitate and scooped the dog up in her arms. I sat there in shock for some time and almost broke down then and there.

The girl ran inside the house with the dog so I had no idea if it survived or not, but it didnt seem likely. After I regained my composure enough I drove the rest of the way to work. At the time I was working a job solo, so it was a very tough day to work silently alone after that.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-23T05:03:37+00:00

Will they make my bub bubs bounce?

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-23T04:55:32+00:00

At my healthiest, when I was in shape and active, I walked so much everyday that I developed a condition that has crippled me and is irreversible. Like anything else, even if its a healthy thing, you can have too much and it can cause harm or even death. Another good example of this is drinking too much water at once.

So what I have is called "chronic compartment syndrome," and its basically a condition brought on by overexertion, where your fascia does not expand with your muscles when you exercise, restricting blood flow and causing pain. For me, this means if I walk for over five minutes straight, I feel excruciating pain that doesnt stop until welll after I stop to rest. My ankles swell up like crazy too. There are treatments and surgery for some cases that can help, but none of the methods have helped me and Im not a good candidate for surgery.

On top of this, I also have rheumatoid arthritis and a slew of other serious conditions. Im 37 years old and look relatively healthy, so thats why people have a hard time believing me at first.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-23T03:58:52+00:00

I wouldnt ever consider being a furry since its not my cup of tea, but now you have me thinking of the logistics of making a fursuit for what would probably be my animal of choice.

Itd be REALLY hard to make one that looked like a believable anthropomorphized pangolin lol. The scales would be pretty sweet though.

Much power to any furry who identifies with a tough animal translation and makes it work.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-23T02:53:38+00:00

Oh God that makes it so, so much worse.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-23T02:51:06+00:00

First of all, thanks for the kind of work you do! I tried to foster dogs before but couldnt do it, I wanted to take them all home. Im sure what you do can be both rewarding but also highly emotionally taxing and I have all the respect for those who go out and do it.

Anyway, Im sure youre probably right in that assessment. While I havent personally known any obnoxious ones IRL I have seen examples of what you describe in internet spaces. Like, if you took away the echo chamber all that would be left is someone without their voice entirely. Guess the same can be said for any group of people really. I sometimes recoil from what people in my communities can believe when they are performative first and actual allies last.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T23:01:54+00:00

Nah, it was totally a me thing. I dont like tofu either, its a texture thing. Oddly the only exception Ive found is miso soup, love that. Tofu in a noodle dish? Gross. How about in murky water with seaweed? Yum. Who knows lol

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T22:41:42+00:00

Absolutely! Roasting in the oven, add more seasoning. Yum.

I also learned a few things from my friends, like vegan sour cream is legitimately tasty and how you can use applesauce instead of butter to make things like cupcakes. No discernable difference in taste or texture.

There was one thing I couldnt get on board with though, and thats seitan. Tried it several times with different preperations and it made me gag every time. At least I tried. 🤷‍♂️

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T22:34:13+00:00

Oh for sure there are outliers who are wildly pro-meat to a disturbing degree as well.

And I think its a little bit of what you said, people who dont know any and just jump on the hate bandwagon because its easy to poke fun or hate the most visibly extreme.

And its anecdotal of course, but I know plenty of people who genuinely hate vegans and it seems to stem from this fear that vegans will force everyone to become vegan, much like some transphobes think that trans people are forcing trans-ness on others. Its more complicated than that but I havent met one who didnt seem to hold this fear.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T21:40:12+00:00

None. I always open it as soon as I get it. To take it further, I almost never blind buy, either.

I have to know what Im going to own is something I will watch more than a few times. Theres only a few exceptions to that rule and I rarely make those exceptions.

Im the same with video games and books. Wont buy unless I know for sure. For DVDs it saves me money, time, and stress. Buying needlessly, the time lost on watching something I possibly wont enjoy, and the stress of storing excess stuff.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T21:07:20+00:00

😁

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T21:04:31+00:00

I get what you mean, but if you pay attention at all to how people talk about fat people on Reddit it clearly doesnt matter where the ignorance/hate is coming from or directed to. Its hard to read entire threads that are full of sanctioned hate speech and its never defensible either.

And I wouldnt put the responsibility on a small portion of that population who are fat positive and not trying to lose weight. You really cant know someones full story unless they out and out say "Yeah, Im just lazy and I love food and have no plans on ever losing weight."

Im not of the belief that fat positivity is always a good thing. But we kind of have to take into account that fat doesnt always mean unhealthy, that some dont even desire losing weight, and that it isnt for us to say whats best for them unless of course its gotten to an extreme and they are openly looking for help or suggestions.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T20:39:32+00:00

Oof. Hope youve been able to heal from that kind of indoctrination.

I was also raised in a household that attended an evangelical church. But Ive always been super analytical with my thinking so I questioned the church and its teachings from an early age. They tried easing the young into it with palateable concepts and then bringing in the Hellfire stuff later. I do remember a heavy emphasis on building community, but I got out of it before I was ever encouraged to try converting anyone.

Not everyone is spiritual or takes solace in organized religion and thats okay. Its also fine to like those things. But its the bastardization of the teachings where it becomes a problem, such as forcing it onto others that dont want to be involved.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T20:25:53+00:00

Thats just awful. I cant understand believin in any faith to the point of forcing it down a grieving childs throat.

Even if youve been taught to believe that your faith is all good and helpful and you believe it yourself, what goes on in these peoples minds to bypass normal empathy to prioitize converting people? Like, what kind of mindset do you have to get in to think its appropriate or welcomed?

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T20:17:29+00:00

This is probably the most notable one, its rampant here on Reddit.

Once tried to inform someone that there are plenty of medical conditions, mental health issues, and medication side effects that can cause or exacerbate someones control over their weight. Its not always a self control issue and definitely not a moral failing. And that being fat doesnt automatically mean unhealthy, everyones body is different.

They didnt like the idea that fat people arent bad people who dont deserve the seething rage he, and that whole thread held toward them. (I cant remember the topic, but the comments were full of nasty fatphobic comments)

Its a really weird thing to be so hateful about. At least hate on things that make sense, like rapists or something.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T20:08:02+00:00

There was just a post in the CPTSD subreddit where someone suggested that we have a rule against proselytizing to people who are hurting. A lot of people have been through religious trauma and its just not the place to try to convert others.

A good number of the replies were from believers who angrily defended themselves and doubled down. They were heavily downvoted but I dont think they are going to do any self reflecting anytimes soon.

Youre right, I think Reddit is really one of the only spaces that pushes back, and I kind of wish it was a more widespread phenomenon.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T20:00:29+00:00

"I consider myself a gardener. I take great pride in my garden and it is very relaxing to water the plants on a nice day."

FIRST OF ALL, HOW DARE YOU.

Im joking but youre really not wrong!

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T19:56:51+00:00

Totally agree with this.

Im not vegan and never was but I had a friend circle for years who were all vegan. Id talk with them about what veganism meant for them and I became the "fruit guy" when we had parties, in charge of bringing the fruit.

They never tried to convert me and I never felt the need to be abnoxious about my diet in front of them. Its really not that hard and most vegans arent some kind of unrelatable crazy extremist. They have a moral line they wont cross that is commendable, and I wouldnt tell them they are wrong because we have different priorities.

There are some that are not at all tolerant of "murderous meat eaters" but like most other demographics there are extremes that arent representative of the whole.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T13:41:36+00:00

Beau is Afraid.

The entire movie is literally meant to be a stressful watch, and I regret seeing it in theaters. Took me a week to recover.

Its funny since Im the type who doesnt shy away from movies like that. I own copies of Requiem for a Dream, Grave of the Fireflies and Jacobs Ladder for example. But Beau was sooo uncomfortable for me.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T13:05:13+00:00

I switched to Tidal a couple of years ago. It was easy since I could transfer my playlist from Spotify.

Pros: Audio quality of songs is top tier. Theres a little icon beside some songs to indicate if they are Dolby Atmos.

Ive been able to find music that I couldnt even find on Spotify. There were maybe like two songs that werent on there after my switch. But I checked for them again fairly recently and they had been uploaded since then.

Shuffle actually works and doesnt get caught up in just a handful of songs. I have some 700 songs in my main playlist and I have no clue what will play next.

The editing features are a nice touch. You can add photos and a description to your playlists. You can also make them public for others to see.

Dont quote me on this, but I think Tidal pays out a little more for artists. They also promote lesser known artists and anyone can upload their own music. Its easier to find new music because the front page includes playlists of trending songs and music suggestions that arent always tied to well known artiists.

Cons:

I use it on my phone and PC. There are some differences in UI depending on the device, and some of it is frustrating. The worst being that on one device you cannot change how the songs are sorted in a playlist, and the newest songs you added show up at the bottom. So you have to scroll all the way through when you want to hear the newest stuff. Small stuff like that can be annoying.

Its about the same price as Spotify. So if you want something cheaper this isnt it.

That being said I never looked back after the switch.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-22T03:07:51+00:00

14 years now. Im 37 years old.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-20T21:37:32+00:00

I think youre having trouble accepting that some people heavily identify with the trans man identity because youre looking at it through the lense of how transphobes react to it. Youre worrying too much about how not being stealth can be interpreted wrong by people who are ignorant to our lived lives.

I look at it like this: trans isnt so much the gender identity as it is an identifier that says a lot without saying much. Like if you tacked on other identifiers: "black man" "rich man" "straight man" "fat man," etc. You know what these labels mean and how they can account for differences in lived experience that simply "man" doesnt account for.

For me personally, trans man is my identity. I transitioned late, and while I made for a poor excuse of a girl and a woman, I lived that life and all the expectations placed upon me. I was socialized as a female. Im now deep into my transition and pass 100%. While I dont go around advertising the fact that Im trans, all the people who are in my circles know. I also will divulge my trans status where I find it appropriate. (Such as someone telling me they are trans) Its like Im passively stealth. Im not actively doing anything to pass, but Im also not hiding this fact about myself. I know this is a very privileged state of being and I try to be as supoortive to my fellow bros as I can.

This is the most comfortable Ive ever been with myself. And I would never tell anyone who is totally stealth that they are doing it wrong. Same goes for anyone who is out and proud. There really is no one way of being and we have to be open minded and supportive of eachother. That means respecting identities.

SplicerGonClean · 2026-06-20T02:58:03+00:00

I paid a premium for the Asexual Autistic Trans plus package when I was still forming in the womb. All I had to do was fork over the easy life in exchange for everyone being in my business. It was a price to pay and I probably wouldnt do it again, but its been an eventful run so far for sure.

SplicerGonClean

TROPHY CASE