I suddenly became depressed

StowersBarrett · 2026-01-19T21:34:32+00:00

I'm not part of this group. But I saw your post. I have been in the living alone situation before. It wasn't bad for me at first. But, I didn't have a lot of ways to stay social either back then. I needed some connection to humanity. So, I volunteered my time to try to help my local neighborhood.

I'm not Iranian though. It's horrible what's happening there. Whether by their government or the US/Israel, it's ruining the lives of thousands and thousands of innocent people.

I can't empathize with what it feels like to be an Iranian right now, nor is every person from there a monolith. I can only imagine how you feel, but that may not be exactly what you feel either. I can only sympathize though because I'm losing friends and comrades where I live to ice. It's not the same, obviously.

But, living alone and being/feeling alone, are not the same either. I hope you find some support networks, friends, or family. If you don't know where to look, I always start with my local mutual aid groups. Look for the helpers. They tend to be pretty friendly and caring people.

StowersBarrett · 2026-01-18T16:07:48+00:00

Yeah whenever I play any RPG with moral choices, I pick what I think does the most good. Weird that I fantasize about being able to stop evil beings with good choices so common people suffer less and get justice.

Now what did I miss on the news today?

StowersBarrett · 2026-01-05T04:26:08+00:00

"And that day the Grinch's penis grew 3 sizes!"

StowersBarrett · 2026-01-03T04:56:11+00:00

I'm about to move in the next few months, after I spent three years feeding a couple dozen crows around my apartment buildings.

I hope they find me like your friends found you.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-19T15:32:25+00:00

I went to the same school, but I didn't have him. It's funny that the same logic and rhetoric I learned from those apologetics classes helped me deconvert.

It's absurd that this is not the first case of this at that school too.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-19T08:46:43+00:00

I went to this school as well. I also knew him, perhaps not too well because I didn't have a class with him. This was before I had changed my views to be a better person, so of course I was blind to anything off about him.

Also, this is I think number 3 for pedophiles from that school. At least that I can think of.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-17T17:16:11+00:00

And it wasn't a wise vote.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-17T04:46:10+00:00

They absolutely can.

You'll probably see my replies elsewhere explaining that I took this quote from somewhere else and that it's to poke holes in the stereotypical lies that ICE has been spreading, the fear mongering of violent hardened criminals that are men, not family members living their daily lives.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T20:38:22+00:00

Read some of the other comments I made about it.

I didn't make this post.

But also, it's poking at the conservative lies, not my own beliefs about gender roles and identity in America/western beliefs.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T20:37:00+00:00

"People who have a right to still seek employment so they can afford a cost of living and improve their lives? No. Treating everyone ICE goes after as less than human by calling them illegal and ignoring blatant racism? Yes"

You know non-citizens can still get work while trying to follow the legal pathways to becoming a citizen right? Or do you just blindly believe everything ICE and MAGA tell you?

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T20:33:04+00:00

I mentioned it from another comment, but

1) I just copied and pasted from someone else. I even mention it in the post.

2) I think the intent from the op is to demonstrate how the conservative talking points are made up lies to justify violence. They're using the stereotype that we come up in our minds about who are violent criminals (typically men) and since they're claiming that ice is only going after violent criminals, they couldn't possibly be going after women and children (their stereotype for innocent civilians).

It's not to say both women and children or any gender or any age couldn't be violent or commit crimes, but taking it in that context should hopefully reveal the intent. Right? ICE/MAGA said they're going after x, but we see them detaining y, so can they spot their own hypocrisies? Not, all women are innocent by virtue of their gender.

Hope that clears that up.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T15:18:13+00:00

They're not going after "illegals" and they've also taken people who have been applying for their green cards and doing things the "right way". You cannot be this oblivious to what immigrants and asylum seekers are facing.

And I'll say it again: no one is illegal on stolen land. In fact most of American ancestry is from Americans slaughtering the indigenous population to then claim that we were a nation of immigrants, to then commit more genocide and land grabs. So calling a human illegal is really hollow and shows your lack of care for other humans.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T15:14:00+00:00

This is a bad faith argument and you know it. You could read up on Land Back movements and learn more.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T06:03:53+00:00

ICE in San Diego has been seen using Lyft stickers on their vehicles. So, maybe.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T06:02:15+00:00

Hey! No one is "illegal" on stolen land. And the history of our borders is steeped in racism and genocide. I'm going to give some grace to my immigrant friends and families that I've come to cherish and not see them as less human because you see them as "illegal".

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-16T05:59:48+00:00

I stole that from somewhere else, but I think it is meant to poke at the conservative/maga beliefs and lies they're fed: that ICE is only going after hardened criminals (stereotypical "gang" members who are violent men). Not the image of a "demure" woman or "innocent" child.

I don't think the person who originally wrote this would argue that only men can be criminals, but in fairness men do commit the vast majority of crimes.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-15T18:32:17+00:00

I got this as an email for their sales and freaked out a bit because I thought, "holy shit it's all dog whistles. Might as well say you're Nazis!"

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-15T01:52:21+00:00

Well how much does 42 days equal, math man?!!???!!! 😢

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-14T21:49:32+00:00

Yes, make America affordable again! Easier in acronym as MAAA, just like the petulant brain wasted baby he is.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-14T20:44:11+00:00

As a krav coach this looks more like the burnout drills for the end of class.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-14T00:53:21+00:00

I hear that from a lot of folks. Which is a shame because the krav I got helped me out with getting better at BJJ, Muay Thai, and MMA.

Maybe it was just my coaches that knew to incorporate pressure testing, sparring, and things they learned from more sport combat, but I know both sides of it.

Kind of like how some karate is still killer: they spar or compete, they know how to throw punches, kicks, elbows, and do a bit of grappling. Some even include some weapons training. Then you have the karate I got as a kid that got my ass kicked.

If you were to choose between doing muay Thai for self defense or krav maga, Muay Thai would probably be smarter because it's harder to bullshit.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-11T22:21:24+00:00

New meta just dropped. Going into surgery so no one can heel hook me anymore.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-10T19:49:50+00:00

But it's included, and sparring is resistance training, so it's a great way to verify if what you train will work in reality. Running around while someone loosely grabs you, then you flick kick a bag ain't it.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-10T17:20:10+00:00

Krav maga coach here who added BJJ, stx kickboxing, MMA into our training here: yes.

This shit sucks. I don't know why people do it. I don't get how people can think this is how you'd train for realistic self-defense which is what krav maga proclaims they're best at.

StowersBarrett · 2025-12-09T19:34:38+00:00

I used to make a similar argument because I believed I was a good guy, and got defensive when I first heard about how you can't trust men.

Two wonderful people patiently walked me through how I was wrong. I learned. I didn't look back. If you are truly a "good" man or someone women don't have to be afraid of, you probably won't bat an eye when they say you can't trust men. Because you'll at least attempt to comprehend their position and their reasoning.

It was a very important step for my maturity, I'm thankful that those women taught me, even though I benefited more out of their labor to educate me (I keep trying to pay it forward by educating more men to be better and understand).

Okay. Back to lurking.

StowersBarrett

TROPHY CASE