DefinitelyNotAFae's recent activity
-
Comment on US closely monitoring case of lab worker who ‘possibly’ died of plague in Siberia, says Marco Rubio in ~health
-
Comment on Men arrested on suspicion of explosives offences near US air base in Britain following "major incident" in ~news
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentCorrect for British English, throw a Z in for politicization in American English Appreciate your knowledge a ton!politicisation (sp?)
Correct for British English, throw a Z in for politicization in American English
Appreciate your knowledge a ton!
-
Comment on US closely monitoring case of lab worker who ‘possibly’ died of plague in Siberia, says Marco Rubio in ~health
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentYeah it's deadly, it's also a bacterium not a virus, and has a known effective treatment. It's caused like 3 pandemics, and the last one didn't technically end until like 1960... But again, we...Yeah it's deadly, it's also a bacterium not a virus, and has a known effective treatment. It's caused like 3 pandemics, and the last one didn't technically end until like 1960... But again, we have much better pest control and antibiotics now.
Lots of things are more deadly than COVID, i wish we had half this energy around measles and vaccinated maybe we rebrand measles as "spotty plague" and get people back on board.
But again I understand why people are anxious about a pandemic, and distrustful of the current administration's ability to handle one. Which does not make countering the COVID skeptics/antivaxxers easy.
-
Comment on US closely monitoring case of lab worker who ‘possibly’ died of plague in Siberia, says Marco Rubio in ~health
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentThankfully I'm pretty disconnected from most media, and the medical people I follow on places like Tiktok are actual professionals and not fear mongers. But "plague" is a scary word, and a lot of...Thankfully I'm pretty disconnected from most media, and the medical people I follow on places like Tiktok are actual professionals and not fear mongers.
But "plague" is a scary word, and a lot of folks have trauma after COVID. Even without more perverse incentives I'm not surprised anxiety is high.
-
Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentWell I just bought my first lawn mower in over a decade, so... Yeah.Well I just bought my first lawn mower in over a decade, so... Yeah.
-
Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentI try to have a singular to-do list/parking lot and then try to set reminders about those things. It's not perfect but it keeps me from staring at cleaning off the table and ending with an entire...I try to have a singular to-do list/parking lot and then try to set reminders about those things. It's not perfect but it keeps me from staring at cleaning off the table and ending with an entire bookshelf dismantled on the floor with the contents stacked everywhere (and then I've run out of "do stuff" because I'm overwhelmed)
-
Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentI have ooh shiny responses but the mind fixated on something else and I'm 2-7 side tracks down the rail line before coming back to the main conversation is much more common. Especially in adulthoodI have ooh shiny responses but the mind fixated on something else and I'm 2-7 side tracks down the rail line before coming back to the main conversation is much more common. Especially in adulthood
-
Comment on Anyone else have Inattentive ADHD? in ~health.mental
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentBecause that isn't how the diagnosis is presented to a lot of folks, especially to children and boys, and the lack of hyperactivity resulted in many people going undiagnosed for quite a while....Because that isn't how the diagnosis is presented to a lot of folks, especially to children and boys, and the lack of hyperactivity resulted in many people going undiagnosed for quite a while. Plus "squirrel" is often presented as part of hyperactivity, not just inattentiveness.
This feels really unnecessary as a response to someone who said reading these symptoms made them want to cry and who seems to be looking for support and connection. Even if it was simply their own experience and perception.
-
Comment on What single episode of a show would you recommend as a standalone? in ~tv
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentIt is a very good Sanctuary Moon!It is a very good Sanctuary Moon!
-
Comment on US closely monitoring case of lab worker who ‘possibly’ died of plague in Siberia, says Marco Rubio in ~health
DefinitelyNotAFae (edited )LinkPneumonic plague (R0 of 1.3) does not spread as well as COVID currently (R0 of 3) (Omicron had an R0 of 9.5, so on average 1 infected person infects 9.5 people) or the measles (R0 of12-18) . It's...Pneumonic plague (R0 of 1.3) does not spread as well as COVID currently (R0 of 3) (Omicron had an R0 of 9.5, so on average 1 infected person infects 9.5 people) or the measles (R0 of12-18) . It's symptomatic and antibiotics treat it. It will likely kill if people don't get treatment, but there have been no reported secondary infections from this case so far and the quarantine seems effective. We had a pneumonic plague death in the US last year and y pestis has been around for long enough since The Black Death if it was going to become another pandemic it probably would have.
It's serious but it is within our ability to treat and control. Just wanted to pass along info for fellow anxious folks
-
Comment on "What do we do with Jacob Geller?" (Self admitted sexual assault, removed from Nebula streaming) in ~tech
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentWhat I'm saying is that I have absolutely no problem seeing an unnamed victim as a human being without even considering any of those specifics. I can say that he hurt a person whose voice matters....- Exemplary
I can acknowledge them as a person, and can say that a person would have feelings about being assaulted like the feelings I've had, but none of that is talking about the specific person Jacob Geller assaulted. It's talking about who she might be and might have been, and filling in all of the details from our own experiences and traumas. That person is going to be different in every person's head.
What I'm saying is that I have absolutely no problem seeing an unnamed victim as a human being without even considering any of those specifics. I can say that he hurt a person whose voice matters. We don't get to hear that voice typically, because there's only more harm for her in speaking, which is society's fault too.
You asked how we humanize a victim - she was a person whose bodily autonomy was violated, who may have had any number of physical and mental support needs after the fact and who may be coping with that in any number of ways, especially with it being brought back up again. I can imagine more, or specifics, but I don't need a specific person's name or therapeutic history to know a person was hurt. Like, can we not empathize with that?
So when people have a representation of the traumas of the world on one side, and a person on the other, is it surprising that the named person someone can see is more recognized in the conversation than the idea of a victim?
Yes. It is.* Because she's not an idea, she's a person. He didn't sexually assault an idea of a person. He sexually assaulted a person. That is what is meant by minimizing victims. This is the same narrative as "but these promising young men shouldn't have their lives ruined over one mistake" even when they ruined their victim's life. Jane Doe at Cornell is a prime example of what happens to women who are assaulted, even when they report they aren't taken seriously, to feel safe they have to leave school and get screwed over financially, when they try to speak they're doxxed, harassed, judged a "bad victim" and told to kill themselves.
Unless folks are close personal friends or work colleagues with Geller, they probably don't really know him either. They know a public image of him. I'm not sure why knowing that public image makes him more of a person vs the "idea" of a person to you or others. Of course that public image now includes sexual assault. Telling people not to consider that, or focusing on his situation and history while omitting the person he harmed is likely not going to win over people who feel that visceral response. And it really seems to want to erase the sexual assault part as if you can weigh it on a scale, good vs bad and discard the bad. And maybe it's because we have very different weights we place on sexual assault that the math isn't mathing.
And to be clear, he is also a human, I'm sure he's going through a lot of things right now. But he's not the victim of this situation, he's experiencing delayed consequences for his past actions. I can even empathize with him, because again he's a human.
For folks who want to have a discussion about accountability and what rehabilitation, restoration or justice means today, that is all valid. But it's still not something that can occur without consideration of the victim, of the campus community that was impacted, the friends and colleagues who feel betrayed now, etc. because not acknowledging the harm done, including the current harm that is just delayed consequences, is just perpetuating the focus on the "promising young man" narrative. Without taking into account the harm done, and thus the victim, you can't meaningfully talk about him, at all. So yeah, omitting her from the narrative seems ridiculous.
*It's not actually surprising that it's happening here, but I'm quite cynical on how male dominated spaces talk about sexual assault. I'm hard to surprise. It should be surprising when we dehumanize and minimize victims. And since the narrative is the same whether we know a victim's name, or story, or statement, or nothing at all, my answer is yeah, it's surprising that people cannot humanize a literal real person just because they don't see her on YouTube.
-
Comment on "What do we do with Jacob Geller?" (Self admitted sexual assault, removed from Nebula streaming) in ~tech
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentI don't know how to answer that, because I've never had a problem humanizing people. The idea that we can't humanize or would struggle to humanize somebody because we don't know anything for sure...I don't know how to answer that, because I've never had a problem humanizing people. The idea that we can't humanize or would struggle to humanize somebody because we don't know anything for sure about them is a foreign concept to me.
And that is without putting myself into their shoes and imagining how I would feel in that situation
-
Comment on "What do we do with Jacob Geller?" (Self admitted sexual assault, removed from Nebula streaming) in ~tech
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentI want to add that there's also an issue of time here. The visceral reaction is fresh, because the revelation of his past actions is new. The frame put on by comments (many from men, but not...I want to add that there's also an issue of time here. The visceral reaction is fresh, because the revelation of his past actions is new. The frame put on by comments (many from men, but not solely) that focus on what he's done since then is "look how long ago this was." We're experiencing different time streams.
For folks who might process their visceral reaction and be willing to consider re-engaging with him in the future, that will take some unknown amount of time, and cannot be rushed or persuaded into rushing that processing. And as you described, that may still never happen.
I think it really does come down to whether the victim is humanized or even exists in one's narrative or whether the only person humanized is the accused.
-
Comment on Blue-collar effective altruism in ~society
DefinitelyNotAFae LinkWhat do you care about? And what is in your community. There's no perfect donation. Animal shelters need help. Programs that help queer kids need help. Programs that help people coming out of...What do you care about? And what is in your community.
There's no perfect donation. Animal shelters need help. Programs that help queer kids need help. Programs that help people coming out of prison need help. Programs that help families of cancer patients need help.
There's all sorts of areas. If we all help where we care, we can spread the money. Plus if you donate locally, you can see the work they're doing and get to know the people doing it. -
Comment on "What do we do with Jacob Geller?" (Self admitted sexual assault, removed from Nebula streaming) in ~tech
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentConvicted sex offenders - which means it isn't the exact scenario. I wouldn't want laws like Megan's law to be broader, likely, but we have a broken system. And we have a societal issue with...Convicted sex offenders - which means it isn't the exact scenario. I wouldn't want laws like Megan's law to be broader, likely, but we have a broken system. And we have a societal issue with rehabilitation and no standard for it. And , and, and.
Idk.
-
Comment on Keeping (longer) hair in place without it being stiff? in ~life.men
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentThe nice thing though is even if you do kind of troll doll you should be able to comb or brush through it again and the hold will still work decentlyThe nice thing though is even if you do kind of troll doll you should be able to comb or brush through it again and the hold will still work decently
-
Comment on Keeping (longer) hair in place without it being stiff? in ~life.men
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentFwiw the "stiffness" is absolutely part of the hold of hairspray and gel. Brushing through it is the main solution IME but expect a less perfect hold Also conditioning your hair can add weight and...Fwiw the "stiffness" is absolutely part of the hold of hairspray and gel. Brushing through it is the main solution IME but expect a less perfect hold
Also conditioning your hair can add weight and reduce flyaways before you get to the styling stage. Should make styling easier
As for scent, check both the men's and women's sections and look at the scents some. I think there tends to be a wider range on the women's side (but I don't buy a lot of mens holding gel so I'm less familiar with that category specifically) and less "musk" smelling stuff.
Also you can look at the type of hold, light or medium might work better.
-
Comment on A reckoning in Springfield, Ohio: The truck driver who struck and killed Pierre Damas Bel in ~society
DefinitelyNotAFae Link ParentThis has all been such a tragedy. I don't even feel like I can mourn it properlyThis has all been such a tragedy. I don't even feel like I can mourn it properly
-
Comment on A reckoning in Springfield, Ohio: The truck driver who struck and killed Pierre Damas Bel in ~society
DefinitelyNotAFae LinkHe was 20, and had arrived legally in the United States in March 2024 and been granted something called Temporary Protective Status, or TPS, due to dangerous conditions in Haiti. He had joined his family in Springfield, where roughly 15,000 Haitians had settled in recent years. He had just graduated from high school, where he’d been a standout student, soccer player, and member of the Junior ROTC program. He’d enrolled at Wright State University, half an hour from Springfield, and wanted to study neuroscience.
Yesterday, Ronal Bel sat in the front row at St. John Missionary Baptist Church for his son’s funeral. He asked a family friend to read his recollections of his first-born son, who had grown up in the port city of Aux Cayes, along the southern coast of Haiti. “I feel like I have lost everything,” the friend read. “I just cannot sleep” and “When someone opens the front door, I have the sense that it is him, coming home.”
He’d been in the right lane, he said, when he’d noticed a car rolling to a stop on the right shoulder. As he flipped on his left turn signal to move out of the way, he’d seen a man getting out of the car, who was then walking toward his trunk, who was then continuing on against traffic, then running—then diving out in front of him.
“Right here,” Jack said as he drove over black tire marks curving left across all three lanes. “See, I locked it down right here. You can see where I swerved. See? I started to signal and—it just happened so fast.”
He had tried to imagine how Pierre had felt walking around with it on, attempting to play soccer, and he had learned something else about the ICE monitor that really bothered him, which was that Pierre had to keep it charged himself.
“And if he let it go dead, he gets in trouble. I mean, it’s a joke,” Jack said. “I mean, come on, you got a decorated kid, a full-time student, playing soccer, and they’re going to do that shit to him? I think he just probably felt defeated. He put all that effort in, and he wasn’t getting anywhere. And being from a Third World country too? We don’t know what those people walk in day-to-day.”
He started going over it all again. The morning that began so normally. The cornfields and wildflowers. A young Haitian man named Pierre Damas Bel whose troubles had become his own.
He kept imagining Pierre looking him dead in the eyes.
“He was hurting,” Jack said.
He recalled the moment right after that.
“If I had just swerved a little sooner,” he said. “I wish I could’ve done more to keep that truck off him.”
And the moment right after that.
-
A reckoning in Springfield, Ohio: The truck driver who struck and killed Pierre Damas Bel
4 votes
Not a doctor or epidemiologist or anything but, to my knowledge it's a bit more complicated, the R0 is in theory slightly higher than pneumonic plague (more akin to bubonic actually) but in certain outbreaks the actual R0 of ebola is much higher. You have to be symptomatic to spread it, and then you have to have contact with the infected person's bodily fluids to catch it.
These days it has a lot to do with how much contact people have with bodily fluids day to day - hand washing the soiled laundry of someone with diarrhea will cause a much greater exposure than someone who has access to a washing machine and Clorox spray. Cultural expectations on preparation of the dead and home care for the ill drive it, and the lack of money and distrust of doctors compounds it.
Pneumonic plague can kill within 24 hours of symptoms, that's incredibly fast. It's also the only version that spreads person to person. Unfortunately bubonic or septicemic plague can turn into pneumonic given the right conditions. (And that's really why the Black Death was such a thing.) Bubonic plague is only about 30% fatal untreated, ebola is between 25-90% usually around 50% even with treatment (though confounded by access to treatment), and pneumonic (and septicemic) plague is considered fatal if not treated in that first 24 hours.
But ebola is a virus, y. pestis is a bacteria, and we have a treatment, a quarantine protocol, contact tracing, etc. It doesn't spread as easily as ebola, even if this variety kills very quickly if untreated.
So yeah it's complicated. Both are much more likely to spread in places without access to healthcare. But different types of plague kill at different rates.