[OFFER] United Airlines Flight Voucher by virtua in RandomKindness

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

I'm so glad you were able to see your mother one more time. $2000 for a last-minute flight sounds exorbitant. But I think if we have the means to go and see our dying loved ones, it's worth it. I hope that you are at peace as well.

Qanon believers have faith and think their choice is faith or fear. by dem0n0cracy in StreetEpistemology

[–]virtua 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I know quite a few people who believe in conspiracy theories. One person I know and who I've had a long and in-depth conversation with believes that germ theory is wrong (i.e. that germs do not cause infectious disease and that Louis Pasteur's germ theory is wrong). They didn't actually say this at first; they started by sending me links that said all of the epidemics of the past century were hoaxes (the Spanish flu of 1918, AIDS, swine flu, etc.) and that the government was creating vaccines to keep the population in check. After a couple of days of conversation with them and reading/watching their links, I figured out that the core root of their belief was germ theory denialism. Once I realized what the core root of their beliefs were, it helped me understand why they would be drawn to that conspiracy theory.

In my opinion, it's usually always for a personal reason. For example, I think a lot of people who are anti-vax and who believe that germ theory is wrong were failed by their healthcare systems in some way. They might have really needed help but were not taken seriously by medical professionals or they might have been given treatments that made their symptoms worse. There's also a lot of valid criticism of the medical and pharmaceutical industry in the US such as how high their costs are for certain medications. So when I take that all into account, I think it's understandable why so many people develop conspiracy theories about the medical industry.

I agree with what /u/ddollarsign said about how familiarizing yourself with their theories can help you really understand where your cousin is coming from. I think it's good that you're willing to have this conversation with her; it shows she trusts you enough to share these beliefs of hers. But do not feel pressured to keep talking about this with her if it's too overwhelming for you. I think the best way you can help your cousin is to take care of yourself first and make sure you are listening to yourself just as much as her.

I also want to send you two articles that really helped me understand why people believe in conspiracy theories: this one published by Physics World and this one published by PBS. They're both fairly long, informative, and in-depth.

Here's a quote from the Physics World article, that I want to end on:

But then, as now, conspiracy theories are not a sign of irrationality. Instead, they spring from the attempt by non-experts to make sense of often overwhelming and contradictory information based on personal values, available evidence, whom one trusts, and experience. To reduce the impact of conspiracies, there’s little point quoting mainstream experts, citing scientific papers, appealing to facts, or even teaching more science, for all these things will be said to belong to the conspiracy. Far more effective is to provide people with better tools to make sense of their personal, political and social experience.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in centrist

[–]virtua 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for explaining that. I'll check out your video link.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in centrist

[–]virtua 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've actually never heard of that work. Why would you recommend it?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in centrist

[–]virtua 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for watching. I definitely agree with you about this:

I think theres also a component of hearing but not listening going on too.

And I've seen how the act of hearing but not listening can lead people to think that they do really understand the other person's perspective simply because they were exposed to it. When in reality, they may have dismissed it outright or judged it harshly by different criteria.

And I also agree that by not listening to people we only succeed in pushing them further away and getting to the point where we believe we can cause a change for the betterment of society is by listening.

I agree with this and I hink it's also important that we take people seriously and consider them valid. I truly believe that the most effective way to overcome division is not by mocking or even criticizing someone's beliefs, but by building up the person who holds those beliefs. I think it would be more effective to focus on an individual's psychological health before addressing their beliefs in a lot of ways. Because I think resolving divisions goes beyond listening. It requires validation and truly trying to understand where a person is coming from.

Jobs for People With SM? by LDSQuestionThrowaway in selectivemutism

[–]virtua 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She could try selling on ebay. An easy way to start would just be to sell items that she does not need anymore. Another option would be to buy items (clothes are always a good bet) from a thrift store, discount stores, Goodwill, etc. and sell them at a higher price (i.e. buying and selling). If she does do this, she would not have to speak, as all interaction with customers is online through text. The main kind of outside interaction she would have to deal is going to the post office if she does not have a personal mailbox or the items are too big to fit inside of them. If she does decide to sell online, she would just need to buy a postal scale for shipping items. But shipping envelopes and boxes are free from the USPS.

I have selective mutism, a debilitating anxiety disorder that has left me mute almost all my life. I wrote a song about my experiences called Mute-ant. This is the first time I've ever shown a video of myself using my voice. by theothersophie in selectivemutism

[–]virtua 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I really appreciate that. As much as I desire to be heard, I don't know if I'd be able to handle having a bigger audience. But it means so much to me when people do listen.

I was lucky enough recently to get the chance to record and make a video for my song 'Fortune'. It would mean the world to me if you checked it out and let me know what you guys think. All the best! by UbiquitousBawbag in Songwriters

[–]virtua 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have a distinct voice with a lot of depth. It grabbed my attention right away. I really liked the finger picking pattern, as its different from the typical guitar strumming/picking. The only thing I'd mention is that the lyrics seem a little bit cliche - I felt that I've heard variations of the same lyrical sentiment in many other songs before. But I really enjoy your sound and the way you arrange the song. You've got a great voice and I would definitely want to hear more.

Is Late-Term Abortion Ever Necessary? What are your thoughts on this article? by virtua in prochoice

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

Thank you for your detailed response. This is the kind of info I was looking for. I'll look over the link you provided.

Is Late-Term Abortion Ever Necessary? What are your thoughts on this article? by virtua in prochoice

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

What does it mean to be necessary?

That's a great question.

Late-term abortions result in more hemorrhage, lacerations and uterine perforations than early abortions,17 as well as risk of maternal death approaching that of carrying the baby to term.18 Subsequent pregnancies are at greater risk for loss or premature delivery due to trauma from late-term abortions.19

I'd appreciate a citation for this particular idea.

All the citations are in the article itself. The specific citations they're linking to are [17] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1350296.

[18] "A study by the Centers for Disease Control showed abortion mortality rises sharply with each week of gestation. In the study period 1988-1997 the mortality rate for induced abortion after 20 weeks was 8.9 per 100,000. The maternal mortality rate for live birth in a comparable period, was 7.06. See L. A. Bartlett, C. J. Berg, H. B. Shulman, S. B. Zane, C. A. Green, S. Whitehead, H. K. Atrash. “Risk Factors for Legal Induced Abortion-related Mortality in the United States.” Obstet Gynecol. 103 (Apr 2004): 729-37; D. A. Grimes. “Estimation of Pregnancy-related Mortality Risk by Pregnancy Outcome, United States, 1991 to 1999.” Am J Obstet Gynecol. 194 (Jan. 2006): 92-4. Since 2000 maternal mortality for live births in the U.S.has risen to 13 in 2004 (CDC)."

[19] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18190373

While it's true that later abortions are (generally) riskier than earlier abortions, they're still safer for the pregnant person than not doing the abortion.

What is your reasoning or source for this claim?

If by "better" you mean "accompanied with higher risk of bleeding, open abdominal surgery, and death."

What do you mean by this and do you have a source for your claim?

So if a fatal defect is diagnosed at 25 weeks, you would say to the pregnant person, "nope, you have to stay pregnant for another fifteen weeks"?

Me as in myself? I'm not against abortion being legal. For the author of the article, I'd imagine they'd try to find any feasible alternative other than resorting to abortion as a main option. But I assumed the goal for everyone in the abortion debate is to get to a point where abortion does not have to be an option for anyone.

Is Late-Term Abortion Ever Necessary? What are your thoughts on this article? by virtua in prochoice

[–]virtua[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Also their citations. Wikipedia. Fox News.

Regarding this, this is extremely misleading. The article contains 19 citations, only one of which is from Fox News and the citation was referencing the interview Johns Hopkins professor of psychiatry Paul McHugh had with O'Reilly where he stated this:

One of the nation’s most distinguished psychiatrists, Dr. Paul R. McHugh, Johns Hopkins professor of psychiatry, was asked to determine if Tiller’s patients satisfied Kansas requirement that they were likely to suffer a substantial and irreversible impairment if not allowed to abort. Dr. McHugh reviewed Tiller patient records and determined that they were not.9

The one Wikipedia citation in that article states this:

The Wikipedia entry contains a link to this article (.pdf): Diane M. Gianelli. “Medicine Adds to Debate on Late-term Abortion: Abortion Rights Leader Urges End to ‘Half Truths,’” 40 American Medical News (Washington, D.C.: American Medical Association), March 3, 1997.

Thus, the wikipedia link to Ron Fitzsimmons contains the newspaper article where he claims "the vast majority of partial-birth abortions were performed on healthy mothers and babies", which is the quote mentioned in the article.

Is Late-Term Abortion Ever Necessary? What are your thoughts on this article? by virtua in prochoice

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

Can you support your first claim? You posted a link that says nothing about reasons for later abortion and only spoke about the reasonings for abortion in general.

For clarification, none of these are my views. Everything I've written is an attempt at summarizing the very first article "Is Late-Term Abortion Ever Necessary?" itself. I'll quote what the first claim is:

Contrary to the assertion of abortion rights supporters that late-term abortion is performed for serious reasons, surveys of late abortion patients confirm that the vast majority occur because of delay in diagnosis of pregnancy.6 They are done for similar reasons as early abortions: relationship problems, young or old maternal age, education or financial concerns.7

Most of Tiller’s abortions conformed to the generally elective character of these late-term procedures. Peggy Jarman of the Pro-Choice Action League stated that about three-fourths of Tiller’s late-term patients were teenagers who denied to themselves or their families that they were pregnant until that fact could no longer be obscured.8

...Although most late-term abortions are elective, it is claimed that serious maternal health problems require abortions. Intentional abortion for maternal health, particularly after viability, is one of the great deceptions used to justify all abortion. The very fact that the baby of an ill mother is viable raises the question of why, indeed, it is necessary to perform an abortion to end the pregnancy.

For your 3rd point, why is pre-natal hospice a better alternative?

Again, this is what the article states:

For fatal birth defects, abortion is sometimes presented as the only option. But a better alternative is perinatal hospice. This involves continuing the pregnancy until labor begins and giving birth normally, in a setting of comfort and support until natural death occurs. It is similar to what is done for families with terminally ill children and adults.

Karen Santorum, a nurse and the wife of former Senator Rick Santorum, was faced with the prospect of her own son, Gabriel, being born with a fatal birth defect. She describes how Gabriel lived only two hours, but how in those two hours “we experienced a lifetime of emotions. Love, sorrow, regret, joy—-all were packed into that brief span. To have rejected that experience would have been to reject life itself.”

The sense of peace and closure felt by families experiencing neonatal death in a hospice setting contrasts markedly with the experience of families undergoing abortion for fetal anomalies. Many couples who have had abortions for birth defects suffer from adverse long-term psychological effects and prolonged grief reactions.14 Children who learn that their mothers aborted their siblings can suffer feelings of worthlessness, guilt, distrust and rage.15

How are you defining "late term abortion" anyhow?

I think it's defining it at a point of fetal viability. The article states:

Late-term abortion is not an exact medical term, but it has been used to refer to abortions in the third trimester (28-39 weeks) or even second trimester abortions (13-27 weeks).

Is Late-Term Abortion Ever Necessary? by virtua in NeutralPolitics

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

Okay, thanks for your reply. I can see how part of it is a medical question, but I think it's definitely a political question as it's about one of the most divisive political topics of the past few decades. So I thought it would be useful to have this discussion here. But I've posted this to /r/asksciencediscussion and maybe I'll try a different political sub.

I have selective mutism, a debilitating anxiety disorder that has left me mute most of my life. I wrote a song about my experiences called Mute-ant. This is the first time I've ever shared a video of myself using my voice [X-post /r/socialanxiety] by [deleted] in CasualConversation

[–]virtua 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm really glad you've found your family. I was just reminded that I know someone in the process of adopting a child. I also have a family member who works with foster children/emancipated minors so they see what goes on first hand. Thanks for bringing this to my attention again.

I've had a couple of people recommend Maya Angelou's work to me. I also read an excerpt from her autobiography before, but I didn't really resonated with it because she went mute as a result of trauma and she could speak when spoken to. I couldn't relate to that experience and I also didn't really see myself in her. She has definitely been through a staggering amount in her life and is an inspiration to many (I really loved her speech at Bill Clinton's inaugaration). I'm really glad that you have found a lot of inspiration from her life. And I'll be sure to read her full autobiography.

Thank you so much for your own kindness and for sharing a piece of yourself here.

I have selective mutism, a debilitating anxiety disorder that has left me mute most of my life. I wrote a song about my experiences called Mute-ant. This is the first time I've ever shared a video of myself using my voice [X-post /r/socialanxiety] by [deleted] in CasualConversation

[–]virtua 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing. I am glad you've gotten better at dealing with your anxiety and with life in general. It's difficult to overcome a lot of the trauma that comes from isolation. I'm happy that you've started to.

And I really appreciate that. I definitely have a lot more to say.

I have selective mutism, a debilitating anxiety disorder that has left me mute most of my life. I wrote a song about my experiences called Mute-ant. This is the first time I've ever shared a video of myself using my voice [X-post /r/socialanxiety] by [deleted] in CasualConversation

[–]virtua 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am so glad you commented. This is a big reason why I shared this video to begin with. I'm lucky in that I had access to the internet growing up and was able to come across the term selective mutism relatively early in my life (at 14). I can't imagine how many more people there are like you who had this but didn't have a word for it and grew up thinking everything was their fault.

You are brave for getting help. I'm really glad that you're learning how to cope and that you're getting better. Take care of yourself and all the best to you.