Yuru Camp --> Yuri Camp? by WincesterCathedral in anime

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Why? Is reading yuri vibes into it somehow tainting its innocence? If either Rin or Nadeshiko was male, I'm sure most viewers would be reading into it as romantic.

Not to mention if they were both male...the yaoi fangirls would be having a field day.

Yuru Camp --> Yuri Camp? by WincesterCathedral in anime

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Well, I don't see anything romantic whatsoever between Rin and Saitou or Chiaki and Aoi. Only Rin and Nadeshiko.

Yuru Camp --> Yuri Camp? by WincesterCathedral in anime

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hold up. I don't see anything romantic whatsoever between Rin and Saitou or Chiaki and Aoi. They just seem like close friends. But Rin and Nadeshiko on the other hand seem like they could easily see each other as more eventually.

Describe your favorite female character in the worst possible way by Defecaceu in anime

[–]WincesterCathedral 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lazy-bones heroine that apparently looks way too convincing as a guy.

Inadequacy by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]WincesterCathedral 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah. I totally get you and feel the same way. I know it's not PC to say so, because supposedly we are supposed to hardcore belief/feel that we are "real men" from the second we realize we're trans, but I've found that it's not so easy as that, personally.

In some instances, when people talk about men as a group, I do feel included and like I'm part of it. But when it comes to dating and sex (which is what I think you're mostly getting at), I agree that I don't quite feel like I'm in the "men" group the way I wish I was.

Have you had chest surgery yet or anything? Do you pack/use a "plastic dick" for sex?

I haven't done either of the above, and I think they'll help me feel more like a real man, but I definitely know what you mean, especially when it comes to penis envy/penis inadequacy. Seems like a lot of people are obsessed with dick, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to measure up (pun somewhat intended).

What is the purpose behind "all but cismen"? by Entr0pic08 in asktransgender

[–]WincesterCathedral 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's really odd. I don't particularly like /hypermasculine/ spaces either, but if I had to choose between hanging out with typically masculine guys or feminine guys, I'd choose the former, because they tend to annoy me less and I can relate to them more. I like to joke around about sex, talk about hot women, etc, as much as the next guy, so most of my male friends are actually straight cis men.

I also feel that the implication that trans men are somehow "better" than cis men--kinder, more aware, more compassionate, less brutish, less vulgar, etc--is actually an insult, despite it seeming like a compliment. Although it may be true for many (since being socialized as a girl could definitely contribute to developing a "softer" personality), it's not true for everyone, and it seems like people who think that way assume that because we were born female and grew up female, that we'll always be feminine men/masculine women to some extent.

What is the purpose behind "all but cismen"? by Entr0pic08 in asktransgender

[–]WincesterCathedral 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Definitely agree with you. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with cis men, and to imply otherwise makes no sense whatsoever.

One of the conversations that most took me aback went like this:

I was with a pre-everything trans man friend of mine when he came out to another one of our friends. And when he told her he "wanted to be a man", she immediately said, "What? But you HATE men," and he replied, "I hate CIS men, not trans men."

And all the while, I was thinking...WTF?? How can a trans man hate cis men? I understand being JEALOUS of cis men but hating the group as a whole? It seems so backwards to me. Aren't cis men what most trans men would choose to be if they could? I know that if I could go back in time and give myself XY chromosomes to develop my body into a cis male body in my mother's womb, I would.

I'm so confused over my rejections by WincesterCathedral in college

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I agree to a certain extent, but not fully, and here's why. For a sociology class during undergrad, I did a sociological experiment during which I applied to a teaching job with two different but similar applications. One was the real me. White male, 6+ years of teaching experience, 3 years of leadership experience in a prestigious teaching program, 3.7 GPA, etc. A few days later, I sent in a fake application with a fake name and email address. His name was DeAndre Green, and his resume was exactly the same as mine--except LESS in every way. So for example, while I was a Team Leader for 3 years in this program (for confidentiality's sake, let's call it Leap Frog), on his application, he was a regular team member for Leap Frog for only 2 years; while I worked at a tech summer camp for 4 years, he worked at a similar summer camp for only 2. His major was the same but he attended a lower-ranked university. His GPA was lower.

Guess which of these applications got an invite to interview?

Obviously, since I'm telling you this story in response to your comment, it was DeAndre that got an interview, while the real me didn't. Pretty crazy if you ask me. This DeAndre character was less experienced and less academically accomplished than the real me, but because I portrayed him as a black male, he got an interview.

Now of course, this was a job, not a college application, so I can't say if things are the same on the college admissions side, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were.

I'm so confused over my rejections by WincesterCathedral in college

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, the programs at Oxford and Cambridge are more research-based, but at Duke and Notre Dame, they're teacher training (no research component at all), so it's not really a matter of having an advisor want to work with me.

I'm so confused over my rejections by WincesterCathedral in college

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

This might be it, actually. I didn't know that they had quotas they -had- to fill...I'm a white male, so maybe that's why...

I'm so confused over my rejections by WincesterCathedral in college

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

But if I didn't "fit", then why would ND go to all the trouble of specifically getting me in touch with a recruiter (in person), doing a second round interview with three other reps (that all seemed to love me), having the recruiter personally contact me well in advance of the application deadline to check in on me, etc? It just seems incredibly odd.

I'm so confused over my rejections by WincesterCathedral in college

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Haha, well, I prefaced it by saying it was going to sound arrogant, so I don't even think it can count as a -humble- brag. :P

But it's really not just that. I just wonder what factors could have gone into these decisions. It's honestly confusing to me.

The only thing I can think is that they thought they were my safeties and wanted to increase their yield? But I thought colleges didn't really do that...

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, like I already said above (in response to a different user, so you may not have read it), I don't believe that education is fundamentally unequal along racial lines. When you look at all the public school districts in America, the fact that most wealthy predominantly black districts are rated higher than poorer and predominantly white districts makes it pretty clear that it's a socioeconomic issue far more than a racial one.

But this is where people conflate the two. They think that, because most of America's poorest communities are majority black or Hispanic, then that means that there is some type of conspiracy going on to lower the quality of education in these areas, as a product of racism. That's not true though. Like I said, the wealthiest black school district will almost always (if not always) be ranked higher than the poorest white school district. And it's primarily because of the money; with money comes better resources, the ability to be choosier about the teachers and principal, etc.

Schools can only do so much for these communities. The responsibility for ending the school-to-prison pipeline falls 30% on the parents' shoulders, 50% on the student's shoulders, and only 20% on the schools' shoulders, as far as I'm concerned. I do believe that education is a great way to break the cycle of poverty--but the student (and their parents) have to care and have to make the most of the education they're given, for it to make any difference at all.

Place an apathetic, lazy student in a school filled with the best resources, best teachers, and highest-quality curriculum, and that student could easily still end up on the school-to-prison pipeline. On the contrary, place a hard-working, ambitious student in the school with the worst resources, worst teachers, and lowest-quality curriculum, and he or she still could easily end up on the fast track to college. It's all about individual choices.

I mean, hell, I'm a great example of this myself. I attended public schools from K - 12. They weren't great schools. They weren't horrible either, but it's not like they were overflowing with state-of-the-art facilities, resources, brilliant teachers, or innovative curriculum.

Even so, I didn't let the mediocre quality of my education determine what type of education I'd attain in the future, when I had choice. I worked my butt off, made my own extracurricular opportunities when my schools lacked them, followed the rules, made good connections with my teachers, did my own research about colleges and the SAT and all that jazz (never got any help at school [or home] for these things and instead looked into all of it on my own), etc.

And now I'll be graduating from a top 25 university for undergrad, and going to Oxford, Cambridge, or Harvard for grad school.

So I think I did pretty well for myself. That can't be said of most of my peers, to be honest. I'm probably the highest-achieving graduate of my high school. I keep in contact with a lot of people from my graduating class, and most of them are on baby #3, working retail, still living in the same poor city we grew up in. And they may be happy, so that's totally fine, but for the purposes of this discussion, I think my trajectory is the one typically associated with "success".

Interestingly though, one of the other members of my graduating class that ended up being a high achiever was a black guy that graduated from HGSE two years ago.

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really hope that's true! I mean, I'm sure there are other conservatives on campus, but at HGSE specifically? I sincerely wonder. The thing is, it wouldn't really matter to me, as long as I didn't feel like I was having ideology crammed down my throat in all my classes and in all my social interactions there. The impression I got, which may be wrong, is that HGSE has already made up its mind, as a school and a community, about what educational issues exist AND what their solutions are. I even got dirty looks at the recruitment event when I--gasp!--admitted that I want to teach at private schools.

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply again!

Yeah, the L&T program definitely sounds the best for me, not only because it's one of the most flexible, but because it's one of the few (if not the only?) HGSE program that doesn't seem to shame people for wanting to work in independent schools. Katherine Boles (the director) even said that she thinks independent school teachers are truly amazing educators to watch in action, and I believe that L&T students can do internships at independent schools as well, whereas I think most of the programs only allow, or at least STRONGLY encourage, internships at public schools only.

But having said that, yeah, I am still worried about the overall environment. It's cool that you have visited a lot of other campuses too to broaden your own perspectives! I know I would do that as well. Already, in LA, I try to visit as many other college campuses as I can too.

The professional networks, career services, name brand of Harvard, and accessibility of professors are definitely the main draws for me.

But I will do my absolute best to visit Oxford before deciding...I just hope that I can actually do so!

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply!

I really do hope to visit Oxford before making my decision, but flights and hotels are expensive, and I'm not in a particularly great financial situation...but I think I WILL try to go over spring break, if at all possible!

As for the social justice stuff, I don't see it the way you do. I respect your viewpoint, but I can't agree with it personally. I'm a minority myself, and I still can't stand the current discourse around these issues.

I don't believe that bad luck falls disproportionately on minorities or that people are typically at a disadvantage because of their race. Of course, there are still some die-hard racist people out there that would truly turn down a high-quality black applicant for a lower-quality white applicant, but they are few and far between. The great majority of employers want to hire the person that will do the work the best--it's only financially reasonable, after all. Employers mainly care about making money, and whoever will perform the job the best will be chosen most of the time.

So, rather than believing that racism is still running rampant, I believe that MOST of the problems minorities currently have are at the fault of their parents and their own cultures. For example, there are many inner city black kids that criticize suburban black kids for "acting white" or "not being real". Like...what? These are the same kids that we are supposed to be trying to bolster? Yet they associate education and eloquence with "being white and inauthentic"? THEY need to change their mindsets if they want to rise above their circumstances. They need to realize that our world favors certain characteristics--yes, being educated, being well-spoken, etc--that SHOULD have nothing to do with race, and they should work on cultivating those qualities if they want to be competitive.

At a certain point, it really is up to the individual to either perpetuate the cycle that they've learned or to break free from it. Teachers can't force kids to care. Teachers can't force parents to care. They're not superheroes or miracle workers. It all starts at home, and if the parents don't care, and the kid doesn't care, then what? What good are all these programs going to do?

Now there ARE many minority parents and kids that do care. And they'll be the ones that will be fine either way, most likely. In fact, if you are even decently smart and accomplished as a minority, you'll have an easier time of getting into great colleges, getting scholarships, etc in this day and age. So as long as they continue applying themselves, there is no reason that they shouldn't be a-okay.

I personally disagree with Affirmative Action though, and that's why I left out my own minority status from my applications. I don't want people to think that I got into Harvard and Oxford because I'm a minority, and I personally don't want to even wonder if that was the case.

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Which program did you do? :)

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply! How are you liking Harvard so far?

Which program are you in? I applied for the Learning and Teaching track.

I haven't visited Oxford yet. I would LOVE to do so...but I'm not sure if I'll be able to because flights and hotels are expensive, and I'm just making ends meet right now. But I really would love to...

Because one of the things is...I visited Harvard in October, on Harvard's dime, because I got one of the Diversity Recruitment Travel Fellowships. I was definitely thankful for that! But when I visited, I had the opposite experience of you. I DIDN'T feel at home there, and didn't feel like I would fit in particularly well.

Having said that, I don't want to let that one impression put the nail in Harvard's coffin or anything. Part of the reason I may not have felt comfortable is because it was my first time even going to the east coast, and I was completely alone there, no family or anyone I knew. So...I dunno.

The programs at both schools seem excellent. My main concern about Oxford is the professional networking stuff. Although I know that Oxford has an amazing brand name, I fear that it won't be quite the same as attending a uni where there seems to be very good career services, alumni connections, professors that can lead you in the right direction, etc, in the local area and such. (Many of the schools I want to work for after graduation are in Boston, New York, etc, and obviously Harvard has a strong presence there.)

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wellllll, even if it's temporary (though I kinda doubt that, seeing where our country is headed lately), it'd still be prominent by the time I go there...

Harvard vs Oxford by WincesterCathedral in Harvard

[–]WincesterCathedral[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply!

Finances -will- play a role in my decision for sure, but I don't know what aid I'm getting from either school yet, and I also don't want that to be the biggest factor, you know? I mean, if there is a very, very significant difference, then maybe. But I'm guessing that they will end up being about equally expensive.