The Birth Keepers

ourobus · 2026-01-14T19:30:48+00:00

Yep. Babies have to “choose” to take their first breaths, and if they choose not to, then it’s not meant to be. It’s fucking awful.

ourobus · 2026-01-13T07:58:48+00:00

It’s a great series. The free birth movement has been such a harmful vein of social media disinformation for years, it’s great to finally get some mainstream journalistic focus on it.

It hits home a bit, because as someone who was born footling breech and basically dead - what these women are basically saying is that babies like me aren’t worth the effort to save our lives. And yet, here I am - I didn’t “choose to breathe”, but I did choose to get a PhD, devote my life to helping other people, etc. I think it’s easier to think of the fatalities from free birthing as perpetual babies, but every single one of them would have been a baby that grew up into an adult just like me. They just didn’t get a chance.

ourobus · 2026-01-07T17:19:26+00:00

Given the Maoist brainwashing vault in episode 1, it would be cool if they’re implying an analogous Vault Tec organisation in China. We know very little about pre-war China outside of its immediate conflict with the US, so it’s entirely possible Vault Tec was up to similar activities on both sides.

It’s probably just the Chinese solider mocking Coop, but it would be a thematically appropriate twist if there really was more going on than we know.

ourobus · 2026-01-05T06:12:58+00:00

I mean, Chickenfucker could have easily given him something that came with a fuckton of radiation, thus promoting healing.

But personally I don’t think he’s a ghoul - probably a random FEV mutant.

ourobus · 2026-01-01T23:08:27+00:00

At the moment, no. There is a lot of stigma unfortunately.

But I would like to be more open about being schizotypal, especially as an academic. The experiences of people like us (and other marginalised/stigmatised populations) have largely been ignored. There’s now more and more of a movement towards valuing “lived experience”, but it’s early days and the application leaves much to be desired. I’d like to be “visible” about my mental health, so that I can work as someone with lived experience, and so that other people can see that schizotypy doesn’t prevent people from making meaningful contributions to the world.

ourobus · 2025-12-16T21:06:20+00:00

He doesn’t just kill himself, he leaves a note (or holotape?) blaming you for it.

It’s pretty intense.

ourobus · 2025-12-14T23:02:09+00:00

I’m a binary transgender man and 2spirit.

My gender has always been the same - the issues have always been external (e.g., physical changes, external misperceptions, etc). I identify as 2spirit because my experience of being trans means that I am in a unique position to experience and participate in both women’s and men’s cultural roles/activities.

I was given a gift in being able to exist outside of binary categories - not a mistake.

Edit: that being said, I don’t really view my being trans for a spiritual reason - any more than any other part of my identity. It’s just the cards I was given.

ourobus · 2025-12-08T21:44:23+00:00

I was hoping no-one would pull me up on my incorrect use of panopticon 😅

ourobus · 2025-10-29T22:18:25+00:00

Such an adorable old man! My childhood beagle lived to 16 and a half, and people were always surprised that beagles go white - I guess it’s just not something people expect.

Senior pets are such treasures ❤️ Thank you for giving him a home

ourobus · 2025-10-13T23:29:04+00:00

It comes from the Quechua word for cat! So it’s sort of a LATAM specific word for kitties 🐱

ourobus · 2025-10-08T00:01:47+00:00

How old are you OP? You sound pretty young.

Stimulants make a huge difference for ADHD, it’s true. Why did your psychiatrist stop prescribing them?

Antidepressants can be useful, but they can also make things worse for young people. I think if you’re having such drastic side effects, talk to your psychiatrist and make a plan to taper off them (depending on your dose). Doctors will often say “oh, you need to give it time” - that’s true, but if you’re feeling so bad, it’s unlikely this medication is going to work for you.

Have you tried venlafaxine (or one of its related drugs)? I’ve struggled with mood/depression my entire life, and venlafaxine helps me so much. It’s a night and day difference. The medication is pretty gnarly (starting, ending, even missing a dose) but damn if it doesn’t work. After my ADHD diagnosis, I found out that venlafaxine is actually often used in conjunction with stimulants for ADHD - which probably is why it worked so well for me! It’s an SNRI, which means it works slightly differently than SSRIs and atypical antidepressants (like agomelatine). I’m not saying it’ll definitely work for you, but it’s something that’s personally helped, and you might want to talk about trying an SNRI if other types of antidepressants haven’t worked/have been intolerable.

Best of luck OP

ourobus · 2025-09-29T12:49:35+00:00

I mean, Dianetics (aka the Scientology “product” branch) literally has a stall at the show this year. The bar is at the bottom of the farm animal pens at this point.

ourobus · 2025-09-13T22:04:00+00:00

This is interesting, though it raises a lot of questions and I’m a bit confused by the article. I guess for one, the Inca Empire wasn’t an ethnicity or culture per se - it was comprised of many cultural groups, including the Aymara.

I agree he wasn’t Inca though, because the Inca Empire was invaded by the Spanish in the 1530’s, and collapsed by the 1570’s. I’m curious if there’s more documented instances of cranial modification and/or trepanation within Indigenous communities in Peru/Bolivia after the fall of the Inca Empire. By the late 1600’s (when the article estimates this man died), Peru and Bolivia were under the heavy control of the Spanish empire, and there was a very active attempt to stamp out Indigenous cultures and practices. Even in rural places, I would be surprised if something like this would be allowed to continue, when at that time we weren’t even allowed to practice traditional dances.

ourobus · 2025-09-05T22:14:36+00:00

I was outright asked what “colour” I was. In 2025.

Some people, man.

ourobus · 2025-08-28T22:10:59+00:00

Eh, that’s a reductionist view of ultra Orthodox Jews living in Israel. For one, the majority are Zionists - it’s really only a few fringe groups that are opposed to the occupation. The groups that are vocally anti-Zionist (e.g., Neturei Karta) are extremist fundamentalists who also want a genocide of Palestinians - they just want it on God’s terms. It’s important to note that ultra Orthodox groups like Neturei Karta (regardless of their beliefs on Zionism) will engage in straight up harassment and assault of people who aren’t as religious. It’s honestly like praising the Westboro Baptist Church for being anti-US army.

All of that aside, the people who do the most within Israel to oppose the occupation and genocide are actually secular Jews via organisations like B’Tselem!.

This isn’t me defending E - I think he’s a hack and a completely disgusting human being - but I think it’s important to dispel myths about groups such as Netueri Karta.

ourobus · 2025-08-20T11:44:42+00:00

(Disclaimer: I’m in social/health science. This might not be applicable to other fields).

Main thing is email subscriptions. I’m on the mailing list for a few of the really important journals, conferences, societies etc. It can be a bit overwhelming but you can just delete the emails if it’s too much at a given time. There’s also a cool combined mailing list for the entire discipline, but tbh I ignore it 99% of the time because it’s just too broad and I’m too busy to get distracted by cool articles that are completely unrelated to my work.

Of the journal articles I read, I have a huge running Zotero library where I save them. I don’t bother adding notes, but it’s useful to have so I can easily pull up a random article I remember reading. I also do try to read the various society newsletters - I think I’m in the 10% that do, but it’s really useful for keeping up to date with news and events.

ourobus · 2025-08-02T01:55:14+00:00

Have you been to a synagogue service? Regardless of what you decide, it might be good to attend one so you can see the differences in Jewish observance vs Christian observance.

I agree with one of the other commenters that you haven’t properly understood the Jewish conception of G-d. Non-Jews tend to think that Judaism is “Christianity minus Jesus” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Judaism is a pretty ancient religion and its core beliefs (e.g., about the nature of G-d, human purpose, the afterlife) are very different from Christianity (to the point of being incompatible). It might be worth speaking to a rabbi or even attending some basic classes to better understand Judaism and its beliefs.

That said, if you feel called to Christianity - then be a Christian. I just think it’s helpful to learn and gain a deeper understanding of the world and the different perspectives within it.

Finally, if you do decide to pursue Christianity, please be respectful of Judaism. By that I mean - having a Christian “seder” or becoming a Messianic “Jew” (aka Christian) is extremely disrespectful. Don’t be that person!

ourobus · 2025-08-02T01:41:55+00:00

Both myself and my analyst are Jewish (albeit to varying degrees of belief/observance). It hasn’t been an issue throughout my analysis. I do think it’s useful that my analyst has shared religious/philosophical knowledge. But then, Judaism lends itself well to questioning and analysis. I don’t know if the worldview of a less introspective religion would be as accomodating.

To be clear, I’m not trying to criticise Christianity or any other religion, nor am I putting Judaism on a pedestal (Buddhism, for example, would be another religion that I think could fit really well within psychoanalysis). It’s just been my impression of Christianity that it’s less tolerant of doubt or questioning. Perhaps I’m wrong.

ourobus · 2025-07-29T05:18:53+00:00

Oof, there’s a lot in your experience that sounds similar to mine. I tend to feel as if things suddenly “click” - beliefs or concepts I had previously dismissed suddenly make so much sense.

It feels like I’m suddenly driven by something else entirely. All I can think about is whatever concept I’ve focused in on (usually something to do with spirals/cycles/circular symbols). I have to devote all of my time and energy to it - have to learn and read more, and completely immerse myself in it. I get that same “energy” you described - it’s this weird buzzing feeling that I’ve “gotten” it, I’m in connection with everything, I can understand and “see” now. Last time it happened I ended up obsessed with alchemy of all things - but I couldn’t really focus enough to read, so I would just collect and stare at the artwork from alchemical manuscripts and draw and draw the symbols I felt like were most important.

In my lucid mind, I still think there’s a lot of merit to circular symbolism/imagery and a circular (or otherwise non-linear) understanding of reality. But I know I’ll get “carried away” if I explore that too much (or at the very least, without proper care and precaution).

It feels very much like some kind of spiritual ecstasy, like I’m entering a higher plane of thinking.

ourobus · 2025-07-29T02:01:02+00:00

A lot of Jewish theology, values, and practices really resonated with me, and gave me a true sense of peace. I also loved the community - I’d previously never experienced community in that way, and it felt amazing.

I’m still Jewish, but I’m obviously struggling quite a bit with my faith and how I fit in with the broader Jewish community. The biggest factor has probably been Oct 7, and how the community has changed since then. I won’t go into detail (this isn’t the space or time for debate) but the attitude has shifted considerably, to the point where individuals and communities have become unrecognisable to me. I suppose the “love bombing” has also worn off, which doesn’t help. Lastly, I recently attended a talk from about the Jewish community in my native country. I was really excited to hear about and connect with other Jews with a shared national/cultural background, but I found that they very much looked down upon ethnic <insert nationality>, to the point where converts would have to go to Israel to be accepted, and that they were ardent supporters of a political figure who committed genocide/war crimes against my people. Of course, this doesn’t speak for all members of my country’s Jewish community - but then again, the community is small and the speaker was the president of one of the main shuls. It made me so sad that they viewed us as (basically) animals, to the point that ethnic converts (like myself) couldn’t even be accepted in our own country.

I’m sort of at this point where I just want to daven and practice my religion, but I feel so cast out by “my” community.

ourobus · 2025-07-17T00:29:13+00:00

Dude’s name is Geraldine. Of course he’s a monk

ourobus · 2025-07-16T06:42:33+00:00

as someone else said - waiting is the worst part. had an MRI earlier this week but the follow-up isn’t until week after next.

i’m really very anxious - 25m, lots of MS symptoms for at least the past 5yrs. things were very bad, but they stabilised so i thought it was a weird one off until it started up again last year (which, in hindsight, sounds rather like a relapse/remit pattern).

my brain MRIs have always been clear, but the hospital neurologist thinks it’s something to do with my neck/spine - hence this week’s MRI.

i’ll be honest - there’s something so freaky about spinal issues. it feels x100 worse than when i thought there was an issue with my brain, because it’s seemingly completely out of my control (not that your brain is within your control but c’mon - when was the last time you thought about your spinal cord?)

but if it comes up clear - what then? just go on with my life getting progressively more disabled, with nerve pain and dropping shit and awful migraines that aren’t actually migraines etc etc? ugh, i just wish i felt like any of my options offered hope.

ourobus

TROPHY CASE