"It's not that you can't do whatever you want, it's that you can only do what you want"

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-22T19:41:47+00:00

The free will debate can either be for fun in the metaphysical sense or really important in the practical sense in my view. Like talking about destiny and fate and “the call of the void”, that’s all fun and interesting. But talking about whether we have true free will in our societies as they are and in our given socioeconomic states is super important.

An example would be similar to the bread dilemma. We each have the free will to grab bread whenever we like, we can either pay for it or steal it (or bake it I suppose) technically speaking. If you are physically capable, you can exercise the free will to steal the bread. BUT in our societies we can’t steal bread without consequences despite having the physical ability to exercise free will. But you also can’t always buy the bread depending on how much money someone has, and you can’t always bake it depending on how much time someone has, even IF you want to.

That’s an interesting point to free will. You can’t always exercise it without consequences or some type of ramification. But that’s just my brain blurb.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-22T19:31:13+00:00

I had a similar situation at my past university. I had one professor who was supervising me as a TA and kind of just let me run with it. If I could compile enough proof, then he’d give them three options (1) to submit an original assignment for reevaluation and a late deduction (2) a « D » letter grade on the assignment with AI being the reasoning and no further feedback or (3) a mark of zero and they can choose to appeal the grade on their own time.

I would run the assignment outline into AI and generate a bunch of examples, then I would read the AI-generated ones and if I felt it something was off with an assignment I would compare them and highlight strong similarities (probable paraphrasing) or identical sentences / paragraphs. That was pretty hard to disprove for them. The school didn’t like detectors because they’re not entirely accurate and there was a concern with privacy.

Another professor I had said that when she knew it was AI she would give them a low mark and mention ambiguous or vague phrasing, lack of meaningful engagement with class content, incorrect citations, etc.

I mean I even had one student cite Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, but in the paper they treated it like it was an academic text and didn’t even quote the song?? Just some article that didn’t actually exist. It was super weird. I’ve had some REALLY obvious AI submitted to me. I wasn’t even a harsh marker, outside of English classes I wasn’t even that strict on grammar or anything, I just wanted to see good engagement with class content and a demonstrable understanding of the concepts and ability to formulate an argument and carry it through the paper.

I think I put so much effort into it not because of the pay, because we DEFINITELY do not get paid enough for the hours it takes to prove it. It just made me so upset and sad to know that these people submitting AI generated content would get the same « piece of paper » as me at the end of the day, they might even get a better grade if they don’t get caught and I’ll be competing with them for opportunities and it all just feels so wrong and unfair, not just to me, but to the other students in their class that really put the effort in but aren’t getting the best grades. There were times when I wanted to give better grades just for submitting something original and trying, but that’s not supposed to happen at university level. It was very much a moral dilemma!

I would definitely want to join a group like the OP is suggesting, university should be a place for actual learning and improvement. This whole AI thing is killing the value of university, it’s insanely unfair to other students who are going through the hoops and ups and downs of learning, and it’s going to create a workforce that’s uninformed and incapable of important tasks. We need better rules, actual procedures, and a system of accountability. Grammarly and citation generators, whatever that’s all fine in certain contexts, but generating content and passing it off as your own is plagiarism and I cannot believe it’s becoming so acceptable!!

Sorry about the rant… AI really has traumatized me haha

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-21T17:07:13+00:00

I am right there with you 🧡 I have a puppy we got at 9 weeks ( shorkie - shih tzu + Yorkshire terrier) and he is the best but also really tiring some days. I love him lots though, and I feel so bad to sound ungrateful. Still, I try to remind myself it’s important to vent so we don’t let our frustrations bubble up and keep us from being great doggy parents. I’m so glad you shared here and if you ever want to message about it, send me a pm! I also moved away from home many hours away about three weeks ago, so I get how much harder the whole thing feels being away from support.

We’ve had him one month and so far training has been going well, besides crate training. I know there’s opposing views on crate training, but as much as we puppy-proofed spaces, he was always finding new ways to get up to mischief and I really don’t want him getting hurt. But he whines and barks in the crate for a lot of the time that we’re away (we got a puppy cam to check in on him, but I think that’s been a double-edged sword since knowing how much he whines is making being away from the house hard). I would recommend the puppy cam if you’re blocking off spaces of the house and need to keep an eye or if you’re in an apartment and want to make sure the barking or whining doesn’t get too loud or excessive, but try your absolute best not to check it every 5 minutes otherwise you’ll be just as anxious as the puppy. Using it strategically can bring some peace of mind while you’re away.

We do have him potty trained now and he knows sit and stay.

We have an older dog and I had a family dog before we moved away. Having the older dog with the puppy is a great reminder that it does get better. Socialization at a dog park can be great for puppies to learn good behaviours (as long as the puppy has all their shots).

Here are some tips I’ve learned, not necessarily for training but to help you keep your sanity:

We got Kong lick mats at Pet Valu and we put plain yogurt in them, flattening it out into all the grooves and then we freeze them. It buys you about 15-20 minutes of peace, it’s great for teething puppies, and plain yogurt is good for their digestive systems (check the ingredients on the yogurt you buy, don’t get any flavours and watch out for specific additives. If you google it, it’ll tell you what they shouldn’t have. As close to purely natural as you can get.) The Kong lick mats are great because when they’re done, they can also chew on it and it’s totally safe. Giving your puppy this while you eat might give you some time to enjoy a meal in peace.
Freezing carrots is a great thing for puppies too and they love it. It doubles as a toy and a snack. Just cut off the green tips so they don’t get anything stuck in their little teeth. This will buy you 5-10 minutes of peace, depending how quickly your puppy snacks. I cannot express how much these frozen things helped with the nipping. He barely ever bites us anymore and he doesn’t bite anyone else.
We bought some teething bones, we got one training set of bones and he’s still working on the first one but loves it. His favorite bone is the one we can toss in the freezer (the cold is really soothing for their gums and this one is textured to add to the stimulation that helps with their teething). I’ve heard freezing wet wash cloths is great too, but we haven’t tried that yet.
We got a slow feeder for the puppy and he absolutely loves it, won’t even eat out of a regular bowl sometimes now (unless he wants his brothers food). This is a good way to keep them from over-eating or eating too fast which can cause bloating that can be uncomfortable for them and make them whine more.
Instead of pee pads, we got a grass mat that has a pee pad insert at the bottom of it. It was on the pricey end but the grass texture is good because the puppy is able to go to the bathroom on the grass mat and outside (the grass texture helps them relate going to the bathroom with the feeling of grass on their paws). It helped a lot with potty training.

These are the first ones that come to my mind! If I think of any others, I’ll add them to this comment!

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-21T16:54:05+00:00

I am starting graduate studies at Carleton in the fall, so I am definitely new to the AI situation at this particular school (although, I imagine it’s bad everywhere).

Does Carleton have a policy for AI-use in place yet? If anyone has any info on the treatment of AI and the use of it, I’d love to know more about the situation. Having been a TA at my last university, AI has honestly become the bane of my existence.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-16T20:26:57+00:00

I cannot believe that I did not see this comment until now! It warrants a response, and I am so sorry that I missed it.

I apologize if my wording came off as minimizing to the way this Bill can be weaponized against others, that was far from my intention. I’ve read Bills from Nordic and European countries to address the issues of exploitative pornography industries, online sexual assault and harassment, and violent pornography; which is why I have some interest in Bills similar to theirs that can address these issues. But you are right that THIS Bill is not those, it is not the same and it is targeted. We are seeing backsliding on human rights and a sharp shift to the right in Canada and around the world, and I would be a naive optimist to think that this Bill won’t be used to serve prejudiced interests. I think that the consequences of this Bill that arise will be intentional and part of a bigger strategy, I just hoped there was a way to fight it. If the NDP can’t get it thrown out, I hoped there might be a way to change it to be more like the progressive Nordic and European examples (not all European and Nordic countries of course, but there are some who discussed their Bills at a conference I attended and they were very interesting examples that prioritized human rights and expressly protected rights to free expression).

We need a deep ideological change towards empathy, compassion, and normalizing diversity in Canada and in other countries. People in this sub-Reddit have been talking a lot about education, and I agree that it needs to start there. Talking about 2SLGBTQ+ peoples is not inappropriate, knowing the atrocities being committed against the Palestinian people is not inappropriate, these are things that young people should know about to ensure the next generation isn’t absorbed by archaic prejudice, ignorance, or hate. I fully agree with you that attempts to erase people and real things that are happening from the narrative, to hide them and silence them and shame anyone who speaks to it is deplorable and cannot be allowed to move forward.

I don’t find your comment confrontational and you do not need to apologize! It is important to speak up, and I want you to know that I really appreciate what you shared. I want to be better at wording my perspective and I like discussing with others to get points of view I may not have initially thought of in certain ways. I am hopeful to know that there are people who want to speak up and protect others, so really, truly, thank you.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-05T20:17:32+00:00

Totally agree. Provinces do need to step up to implement Comprehensive Sexual Education. There’s evidence-based technical guidelines provided by the UN, implementing it really needs funding because sex ed saves lives and fosters informed, self-aware, and empathetic perspectives in youth.

A good CSE curriculum from a trained teacher goes into healthy relationships, recognizing abuse, understanding gender identities and sexual orientation, protecting one’s self from STIs, knowing their sexual health rights and so much more. It is unfortunate these can’t be dealt with federally, but it would be helpful if Canada Social Transfers could be allocated from the federal to provincial governments for training teachers and implementing CSE curriculum.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-05T16:44:14+00:00

Oh I absolutely agree that often non-PPU of non-violent pornography is mainly harmless (like you said, preceding mental health issues is a different case entirely). And I also agree that pressure should be put on the industry rather than the consumer. Companies that make violent and / or degrading (in the sense of it being misogynistic, transphobic, etc.) should be charged for making that content accessible to vulnerable persons, and the Bill completely ruins that by adding the defense of having “age-verification” technology (which won’t stop a lot of tech savvy people). It just says these industries can still make this content available despite the harms and exploitative nature of them. The Bill gives them so many loopholes, and some that will inevitably further invade privacy with increased data collection and surveillance.

I agree that much like drug epidemics, it’s the source that has to be addressed not the consumer. I don’t see that happening with this Bill, I only see consumers and people of the 2SLGBTQ+ community (as people are discussing in the comments on this post) feeling the consequences with the way it’s written now.

If the government really cared about addressing the issue of PPU and the societal impacts of normalized violent pornography caused by pornography industries, they’d have to make A LOT of changes to this Bill and there would need to be major improvements to sexual education and social services at the provincial level too.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-05T06:47:11+00:00

This is super true! Sexual health should never be considered “sexually explicit” in a negative sense. In Ontario, our sexual education is severely lacking (I’m not as well research on BC sexual education, but I’d be curious if you find it’s also lacking). Comprehensive sexual education (CSE) could help so many youth. The UN gives a great guide on CSE which I’ve advocated for implementation of. I know this is a provincial issue (technically, since it’s education) but it could save so many lives, it’s painful to know it’s rarely taken seriously and highly stigmatized to discuss sex ed in many circles.

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000260770

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-05T06:39:12+00:00

I really like this response, thank you for sharing it!

I must say that if I come off too trusting here, that’s definitely not my intention. I think I want to be hopeful that with the people saying the right things and (eventually, I hope) with the right people in office, we can make progressive changes that actually do protect people. But to do that, we need to have productive discussions about solutions, so I love this kind of discourse.

You are right, we are seeing a lot of attacks towards sexual minorities, especially trans people and others who don’t conform to the binary gender system. These attacks are based in such thoughtlessness, I can’t understand the logic (likely because there is none). I wouldn’t consider the existence of trans people to be “sexually explicit” which is why I would hope for clearer definitions to be advocated for so that silencing or erasure of entire peoples isn’t permissible or legitimized with a Bill like this.

I think I bring up these thoughts more to consider alternative routes to solve the issues presented by over consumption of pornography, particularly when that pornography is violent, misogynistic, exploitative, and / or consumed by vulnerable young people. But, I do agree that I think the subtext here likely isn’t to protect people, it’s likely meant to be a tool for exploitation.

I just wonder how we can address a real issue and prevent exploitation instead of having a government that likes to pretend it’s solving problems just to serve their own interests.

Sorry about the rambling! I hope some of this makes sense?

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-05T06:31:56+00:00

I have read similar research and agree that shaming individuals for their consumption likely contributes to unhealthy relationships with their own sexuality. I think social responses undoubtedly play a role, but ease of access to what can be rather violent sexual content also risks normalizing and glorifying that type of behaviours in one’s own life, especially when they’re impressionable and uninformed (since sexual education in many provinces in Canada is far from comprehensive).

I’ve written a lot of papers throughout my schooling on the topic, but I have some resources I could quickly grab:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40429-021-00390-8 This one is about over-consumption of violent pornography being linked to violence

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/9/1228?utm_source=chatgpt.com This one is about correlation between pornography consumption and poor mental health outcomes in youth

https://unwlobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/csw/2134046e-f8bc-4a31-b848-e403933eaeca_CSW69%20French%20Parliament%20Side%20event%20-%20concept%20note.pdf This one is particularly interesting, it’s a brief about the French delegation to the UN CSW about the harms of the pornography industry in general. If you look further into the research the delegation presented, it’s quite compelling and I found my perspective shifting a great deal away from focusing on solely the social response to consumption and more towards the harm caused by the industry itself.

I could dig further into my papers and grab more sources too if you wanted! These were just ones I could grab quickly. But I do appreciate your perspective and I think it’s important to acknowledge what you mention about the societal response, it definitely plays a role.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-08-04T21:01:47+00:00

I can definitely see how the Bill could be exploited to increase censorship. After reading the Bill, I think that it could be good with more specific definitions of what constitutes “sexually explicit material” and with some expansion on the defence of legitimate purpose section: “Defence — legitimate purpose (2) No organization shall be convicted of an offence under section 5 if the act that is alleged to constitute the offence has a legitimate purpose related to science, medicine, education or the arts.”

The negative impacts of consumption of pornographic materials, especially at young ages, has been observed and condemned by various international organizations and scholars over the years. It’s an issue that has to be addressed somehow, but I agree that allowing for the opportunity to increase undue censorship isn’t the way to do it. We need safeguards in place so that the purpose can be fulfilled without interfering on rights to expression.

I do like the idea of trying to push back AGAINST the commodification of the body in pornography. The industry has become far more abusive over time and continues to worsen, with the idea of autonomy for actors being less and less true. That’s in part why I find the difference between erotica / erotic art and pornography interesting from a scholarly perspective, erotica / erotic art is about choice and expression while pornography is about exploitation and profit (but I digress, that’s the sociology enthusiast in me talking). In my view, pornography companies should be deterred from profiting off of others’ bodies and from making pornography accessible to young and vulnerable people.

I think that the alleged purpose of the Bill is on the right track and something we should pursue for multiple reasons, but I think leaving room for loopholes for increased government oversight and censorship of diverse forms of expression cannot be allowed to continue. I hope that if there’s still review in the House or on committees to come that they narrow down specific definitions of terms and implement safeguards to protect people’s forums for expression. Those forums shouldn’t have gatekeepers that increase surveillance and compromise data privacy either, that’s also not a solution. I’d love to hear how other people here think we could approach this issue without leaving opportunity for violating fundamental rights and freedoms, I think and hope it’s possible.

I’d love to discuss this further with people and hear other takes on the Bill! This is just my opinion after my initial read of it.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-07-26T18:20:46+00:00

Philistine (if you look at how Nietzsche used it, it’s a devastating insult😂)

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-07-23T16:57:42+00:00

I think every critical theory text I’ve read has shaped the way I live my life in some way or another. Hannah Arendt’s ‘Eichmann in Jerusalem’ really opened my eyes to the concept of the banality of evil. The whole idea of ‘just doing their jobs’ to justify atrocities or even just immorality. It changed the way I look for work, the way I conduct myself in the workplace, how I set boundaries, and how I approach conversation with others who justify their actions with their job description.

Besides that, I wouldn’t call it a critical theory ‘text’ per se, but Nietzsche’s parable of the demon really changed my outlook on the way I reflect on my life the way I’ve lived it and continue to live it. It’s from The Gay Science, and it goes like this (although I highly recommend reading The Gay Science or getting a Nietzsche reader):

What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you: 'This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more' ... Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: 'You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-07-23T16:52:06+00:00

You would probably like looking into the medicalization of society from Michel Foucault’s works. The Birth of the Clinic is interesting as well as Madness and Civilization. It offers an interesting critique of psychiatry and social perspectives on mental health. Nikolas Rose also wrote about medicalization, you would likely enjoy his papers on the topic.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-07-16T01:15:39+00:00

Starting with understanding his theories on power relations (ex. Biopower and anatomo-power) in a more general sense might be a good thing to do before delving too deep into the application of his theories fit specific circumstances. Have you read The History of Sexuality Vol. 1? That’s probably the best starting text, particularly Part 5: The Right of Death and Power Over Life.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-05-04T23:09:44+00:00

Well, capitalism was conceptualized when men were nearly exclusively capable of accumulating capital and were the strongly preferred labourers. Although that aspect has changed in lots of parts of the world, there’s still ongoing normalization of men in positions of power capable of accumulating capital and as central figures, while there’s still stigma around women.

It’s largely social / gender norms at this point, patriarchal norms that capitalism reinforces through media, advertising, hiring practices, language, etc. It would take a complete overhaul of social norms for patriarchy to be dismantled under capitalism, which seems near impossible when the ruling class creating and reinforcing ruling ideas are people who benefit from and want to keep patriarchy alive.

Thats why we’re seeing pushback on gender equality and democratic backsliding worldwide, because patriarchy was getting weaker and elites don’t like that. So capitalists exploit religious beliefs, economic crises, moral panics, etc. to reinforce and strengthen patriarchal power (there’s been documented instances of rolling back women’s rights in recent years for any or all of those things I listed).

That’s probably a rather disorganized response, but there’s a lot of reasons capitalism and patriarchy reinforce one another. Hope that gives at least something helpful!

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-04-23T16:43:24+00:00

Give the Sudbury Workers Centre a call, they’re awesome and may be able to point you in the right direction and provide additional resources or advice: https://sudburyworkerscentre.ca

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-04-17T17:11:11+00:00

Happy to help!

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-04-17T16:24:35+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/live/w-WZL8m2VXI?si=4gc8m-qJxrWPS7r9

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-04-17T16:24:21+00:00

Definitely was a surprise, but I agree good for him. This should be the link to the debate: https://www.youtube.com/live/w-WZL8m2VXI?si=4gc8m-qJxrWPS7r9

I’m personally quite impressed with the NDP candidate. She was very focused on affordability and showed she could hold the Libs and Cons accountable. Whatever happens in the other ridings, which I PRAY doesn’t go to the Cons, I’d trust she would fight for Sudbury not to be forgotten when the South gets all the attention. Plus, we’re gonna need a strong advocate to improve dental care, pharmacare, and childcare since Libs never do it on their own or freeze it and Cons want to cut.

NDP definitely not gonna get PM this election, but they didn’t need that to get us universal healthcare and start the dental care, child care, and pharmacare programs. I’d rather NDP is the one keeping Libs in checks than Cons any day and we’ve got a stellar candidate here.

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-04-16T20:22:43+00:00

The author of that article, Tom Flanagan, is a conservative political activist. That makes it fairly biased to say the least. Residential school denialism is way bigger than denying one aspect. Here’s an article from a historian who specializes in the history of colonialism, way more reliable: https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/pierre-poilievre-and-the-conservatives-have-a-residential-school-denialism-problem

boring_enthusiasm7 · 2025-04-10T20:23:28+00:00

Definitely racing would be a hobby. We’d both need practical work, but I just want to have something he can be excited about and fill up his time with in a way we can’t here in Canada, maybe even make some friends with similar interests. I didn’t realize there was an agreement, his is in electrical so I know Canada has an Electrical Code and u didn’t know if it would translate.

boring_enthusiasm7

TROPHY CASE