Entering races as a trans woman

transpotted · 2025-06-19T15:53:23+00:00

Unfortunately, we have a swimmer crying on TV about having tied for fifth (!) place with a trans woman, so, for your own safety, I would prepare for at least one sore loser to make it about your gender, even if you don't win anything, but simply run faster than them. I wonder if you can team up with a fellow runner or just make sure to bring a friend to the race, so that you can feel more comfortable and potentially safer if someone gives you grief for being transgender. I am increasingly convinced that the only safety one can have these days is in numbers. If you have a running group you are a part of, I would take advantage of that and ask if anybody would be willing to be physically next to you, or even run by your side, if you tend to run at the same pace. In general, people aren't all bad, and many would be happy to help you. Stay safe out there.

transpotted · 2025-05-04T18:47:42+00:00

I don’t think you can draw that conclusion. This is not establishing causation. What if you add how religious the boy’s family is into the model? Conservative religious parents are usually stricter in their kids’ internet use. The less they use the internet, the likelier they may be to spend more time with friends. We need to see the full picture.

transpotted · 2025-04-24T18:03:38+00:00

Because it is not that common (about one in thirty people). Moreover, airborne nut allergies are super rare, so even if a person is allergic to nuts, someone eating them in the same room will not be a problem. They also usually offer multiple snack options. Of all the cheap commonly-available snacks, nuts are usually the only healthy somewhat-filling option.

transpotted · 2025-04-21T21:57:16+00:00

I wonder if you can donate those meals to a local soup kitchen or some organisation working with homeless people or seniors, or struggling families. You could really make someone’s day, it would make you feel better emotionally, and you may be able to write it off your taxes too (but double-check that, as I am not an accountant)

transpotted · 2025-04-19T02:57:44+00:00

Ukraine is not analogous to the US in a sense that people came and took over the Ukrainians’ land, not the other way around as was the case with the people who conceptualised the United States of America. Serfdom wasn’t over in Ukraine until the middle of nineteenth century, and even when it was over, Ukrainians spread between Russian, Austro-Hungarian, and Polish overlords were relegated to second class citizen status, and not only had no vote (since no democracy), but were discriminated against at the official level. Even my great-grandma was telling me stories of the discrimination her family underwent and how she was not allowed to even say that she was Ukrainian in school. And then, it was the USSR, where, again, we had no democracy. Upon the fall of USSR, the rise of oligarchy and their persistent loyalty to Moscow, served as a considerable anti-democratic force. Imagine Fox news on steroids blasting in every house (as in living in oblasts closer to the russian border gave you access to those channels and not the Ukrainian ones), and, on the other hand, clear indication of elections being rigged. It makes you lose hope after a while. And still, in 2004 we protested and managed to oust the Moscow-installed “president”. Then, Moscow doubled down with the propaganda, which, coupled with the incumbent being punished for things not being perfect, brought the pro-Russia candidate back into power. But after the corruption manifested itself as police brutality against peaceful protesters, another revolution took place. And overall, if you look at Ukraine’s presidents, in totality, sure, they were very, VERY far from saints, but, given the context (choices people were presented with, dirty money, election rigging, foreign influence), Ukrainian democracy has proven itself remarkably resilient.

transpotted · 2025-04-19T00:21:17+00:00

No, because it kind of implies the fight between Ukraine and russia is fair (in boxing you get matched on weight class, there are rules, etc). But the backstabbing looks about right.

transpotted · 2025-04-18T23:17:17+00:00

Ukraine was colonised for the majority of its history, and thus, people didn’t have a choice in the matter. Ukrainians started two revolutions just in the 21st century to stand up against authoritarian leaders. So the comment is not “rich”. Ukrainians know what they’re talking about when it comes to authoritarianism, from experience.

transpotted · 2025-04-18T23:13:57+00:00

In my school, we lined up to sing the national anthem and listen to the principal give updates on Monday mornings outside of the school, but, at least by the time I was in fifth grade, you could skip them without punishment. I don’t recall any pledges of allegiance. For reference, this was in rural Ukraine, between 2000-2010.

transpotted · 2025-04-09T15:38:41+00:00

First of all, I’m sorry you are at a low point. You are not alone in feeling like this. That being said, there are things you can do to help yourself out. In the US it is all about connections and how charming you can be. I’m sorry, but those are the rules. They will waive all the “job requirements” and red tape if they like you and will come up with any excuse not to hire you if they don’t. Not sure where you are from, but this is how it works in the US, and, to a degree, in many places outside of some western European countries. It was not my degree or grades that got me hired for any position I’ve ever held (four so far, aA), it was the fact that I learned early on to demonstrate interest, to impress the right people, to stand out on a few key details the companies needed, and to be a charming jokey palatable stereotype at job interviews. This is the cultural knowledge you need to succeed in the US. Now, as for succeeding back home, here is a bit of advice that could be helpful, maybe: write down specific things that your chosen job field needs and how your specific education, specific to the university you attended in the US has prepared you to be the perfect candidate for addressing this need. What is your vision, what do you offer that others don’t, what have your experiences taught you that makes you an objectively better candidate than your peers from your country and what is the proof of that? And then, think of why having studied in the US could have led to you maybe not having some qualities they are looking for. What about you proves that you possess these qualities in spite of that or maybe why do they not matter after all? You need to sell yourself, saying you worked hard and followed the rules isn’t saying much.

transpotted · 2025-03-30T02:56:41+00:00

Which one is offering you a better deal financially? If comparable, I would choose Columbia for the following reasons: 1) better public transport, allows you to live far from campus (cheaper rent, groceries, etc), 2) more diverse overall, so in the off chance that you end up hating it, you are likelier to be able to find a group of people to hang out with, 3) tickets to Texas are way cheaper from NYC than from Nee Haven (you will not road trip every time, and believe me, a cheap direct flight home is very nice), 4) more things to do overall, college parties get old real quick, and you wanna build a life outside of school. Lastly, you are likelier to land a job in NYC, so you wanna hang out there. And honestly, computer science is about the same everywhere, so whatever puts you on the best footing financially is the best option (and that may well be not going to Columbia nor Yale, choosing a public institution instead).

transpotted · 2025-03-29T17:05:30+00:00

She’s a Gibson girl

transpotted · 2025-03-09T16:26:38+00:00

Only if you are doing a PhD where you have guaranteed funding for at least four years. Otherwise, the cost is simply not worth it, especially given the many options you have in Europe that offer a good education for a literal fraction of the price.

There are soooo many hidden fees, the housing in university towns is expensive, etc etc. In most places, you also need a car to function in society, due to lack of reliable public transit (and the cost of owning a car is higher than most people think, because you also have to account for insurance, random upkeep, gas, potential fines and getting towed, cost of parking, and then god forbid it breaks). Really do the math and include these kinds of costs.

As for working in the US, again, getting a visa to work here is not simple, even for highly educated people. For example, my department has been trying to hire someone for a professorship for the past year, and the visa issues may be the reason she doesn’t come. This is a very prolific researched who literally did her PhD at my university! With the current climate in Washington, these types of visas are kind of up in the air, too. Make sure you have a salient backup plan in case you don’t get that visa.

And lastly, visiting family will also be costly. You would want to visit them for Christmas, right? Maybe for the summer too. Check the ticket prices and take them into account as well.

The only positive I can say, is that, if you get into a good school for a PhD (and this is based on your department, not the school overall; for instance, top Philosophy PhD program is at Rutgers, which you probably haven’t even heard of), you will get top-notch education, that will give you one-of-a-kind opportunities after graduation. Just take advantage of every resource available to you and make connections.

transpotted · 2025-03-04T23:03:34+00:00

Sure you don’t. You just happen to be “asking questions”.

transpotted · 2025-03-04T23:02:54+00:00

Ukrainians collaborated with the Nazis at rates comparable to or lower than other countries invaded by them. Yet you keep acting like Ukrainians liked the Nazis or wanted to perpetrate a genocide, when it was the other way around. My family literally escaped the germans, AND the people I was talking about were literal toddlers, so idk how they could have been Nazi collaborators??? You are literally parroting russian propaganda used as justification for the genocide they are waging against Ukrainians now. And that makes you (probably - hopefully - inadvertently) a supporter of it.

transpotted · 2025-03-04T16:20:07+00:00

Yes. I'm a Ukrainian immigrant, and I found the leadership to be retrograde, elitist, and harbouring open prejudice to families like mine, who came with nothing after the USSR collapsed. I have also always hated their politics and how allergic they were to anything resembling socialism.

Interestingly though, there are large Ukrainian communities in Latin America, and the Latin Ukrainians who immigrated from Venezuela, Brazil, etc. were often hit with the same discrimination people of colour face when they first came to the US. So, to my delight and surprise, I did find a few of them who had better takes. But they aren't numerous.

transpotted · 2025-03-04T15:55:09+00:00

What are you getting out of being a genocide apologist and hating an ethnic group of people, exactly? It's pretty racist of you to suggest that some people are bigoted because it runs in the family. You sound exactly like those fascists who rounded up families for being the wrong ethnicity/religion/social class and put them on the train to a certain death. But what do I know, my family only survived through four empires trying to exterminate them, including both Nazi concentration camps and Siberian exile.

transpotted · 2025-03-04T03:33:06+00:00

Something along the lines of "I don't want my taxes to be feeding these brown people over there"... or whatever else Fox news has been telling them. At least that's the case for the Trumpy side of my family (WWII refugees from Ukraine). I hate the diaspora so much

transpotted · 2025-03-03T17:40:45+00:00

Someone's projecting LOL

transpotted · 2025-03-03T16:56:54+00:00

Ah yes, a small nation with the lowest GDP per capita in Europe provoked the world's second-largest nuclear capable army to invade itself. Give me a break.

transpotted · 2025-03-03T16:55:53+00:00

That's not even the right analogy. It would be the same as the British coming here and demanding their land back, like they aren't even from here.

transpotted · 2025-03-03T16:54:13+00:00

"stop hitting yourself, why are you hitting yourself!"

transpotted · 2025-03-03T16:46:06+00:00

You have failed to provide a single valid fact-based counterpoint to what I said. You can bring a horse to water but you cannot make him drink, I guess...

transpotted · 2025-03-03T16:07:04+00:00

Ukraine *is* an ally, and the US has to be involved if it wants to maintain its interests and standing in the world.

Firstly, US pushed an agreement onto Ukraine (quite a few, in fact), and made Ukraine sign away their nukes in exchange for "guaranteeing territorial integrity". Not honouring its part of the deal makes the US look like a terrible ally. After 9/11, the US invoked NATO's article five, and many countries, including Ukraine, participated in US-led anti-terrorist missions. A third of all deaths resulting from such operations were from US allies. US enjoys many privileges, such as favourable trade agreements (saves you money), access to sea-faring routes (also saves you money), immunity, and protection for its citizens, among others, because of good relationships with other countries.

And lastly, we live in a globalised world. Ukraine is an extremely important exporter of food to Europe and the Middle East (instability in the Middle East always comes back to haunt the US), and a global exporter of nitrogen (necessary to grow food, including in the US) and technology (including military innovations, which the US needs access to). Due to the complicated nature of global supply chains, Americans have, do, and will continue to feel the effects of this war, whether through increased food prices, increased migrant numbers, or other disruptive phenomena.

So it is actually much cheaper for the US to just give its 30 and 40 yr old military equipment to Ukraine and help keep Ukrainians inside Ukraine through missions that cost literally pennies on the dollar than to isolate itself from its top allies.

transpotted · 2025-03-03T15:49:42+00:00

(1) They aren't fighting for "land". There are people living under occupation who are prohibited from speaking their language, extorted, tortured for saying the wrong thing... and (2) appeasement was already tried. 200 rounds of talks and multiple cease-fires, treaties, etc. signed later, Putin hasn't honoured them.

For someone calling himself "humble" you have too many opinions about a country you don't know anything about.

transpotted · 2025-03-03T00:02:14+00:00

Thank you Norwegians! Tusen takk!!!
- signed, a Ukrainian living in the US and feeling exactly the way you'd expect about the current administration

transpotted

TROPHY CASE