Petril's recent activity

  1. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    Petril
    Link Parent
    I have one million questions. Are you keeping the farm primarily to eat the worms? Are you going to sell/use the worms or fertilizer? What gave you the idea to keep the farm? What gave you the...

    I have one million questions.

    1. Are you keeping the farm primarily to eat the worms?
    2. Are you going to sell/use the worms or fertilizer?
    3. What gave you the idea to keep the farm?
    4. What gave you the idea to eat them?
    5. Have you eaten them before?
    6. Why quiche?
    7. Do you live in the US?

    I'm fascinated by this.

    1 vote
  2. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    Petril
    Link
    I'm going to sign a lease on a new house! I'm so excited, because currently, I'm laying in bed, listening to heavy equipment putting in infrastructure for a brand new development right behind my...

    I'm going to sign a lease on a new house! I'm so excited, because currently, I'm laying in bed, listening to heavy equipment putting in infrastructure for a brand new development right behind my house, and it's driving me crazy.

    Plus, this new place won't be right by the airport, so no more terrible plane noise!!

    1 vote
  3. Comment on Where are you from? in ~talk

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Lack of punctuation convinces me. Welcome, fellow human!

    Lack of punctuation convinces me. Welcome, fellow human!

    2 votes
  4. Comment on Release of '13 Reasons Why' associated with increase in youth suicide rates in ~tv

    Petril
    Link
    I remember a Tildes topic regarding this several months back, but I can't find it now. I'm saddened, but not surprised to read of this apparent link. A reddit commenter provided this link about...

    I remember a Tildes topic regarding this several months back, but I can't find it now. I'm saddened, but not surprised to read of this apparent link.

    The Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" was associated with a 28.9% increase in suicide rates among U.S. youth ages 10-17 in the month (April 2017) following the shows release, after accounting for ongoing trends in suicide rates, according to a study published today in Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The findings highlight the necessity of using best practices when portraying suicide in popular entertainment and in the media.

    A reddit commenter provided this link about considerations for journalists reporting on suicides. From the article:

    Problem one: The contagion effect can be real.
    Response: Don't oversimplify why somebody took his or her own life.

    Problem two: Glamorizing suicide makes it appear to be a viable option for somebody who wants fame or attention.
    Response: Help your readers/viewers/listeners understand that suicide is a painful, victimizing action. The American Association of Suicideology recommends that journalists:

    • Use objective, non-sensationalistic language to describe the suicide death.
    • Exclude details about method, location, notes or photos from the scene.
    • Focus on life of the person rather than the death and method.

    Problem three: Correlation and causation are not the same.
    Response: Covering suicide requires journalists to seek context

    Problem four: We falsely assume that suicide is a decision that comes after some contemplation.
    Response: Explore stories about how/whether health insurance covers mental health

    Problem five: When high-profile suicides involve guns, there is an inevitable call for gun control or other one-and-done solutions. But there is no single reason for suicides and no single solution either.
    Response: Avoid offering simple solutions to complex problems

    Problem six: Journalists avoid covering suicides except in celebrity or high-profile deaths.
    Response: Cover suicide as a public health issue.

    Perhaps this topic would be better in news or somewhere else, so I won't be offended if it gets moved.

    I think there's a lot to talk about regarding portrayal of suicide in media, and whether it is safe or ethical to do it at all.

    14 votes
  5. Comment on Where are you from? in ~talk

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Oh, probably not! There are a lot of people who don't respond to my silly survey! Welcome, though! And it looks like there's another Egypt on the list!

    Oh, probably not! There are a lot of people who don't respond to my silly survey! Welcome, though!

    And it looks like there's another Egypt on the list!

    1 vote
  6. Comment on Where are you from? in ~talk

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Hmm... Methinks the life-form doth protest too much.

    Hmm... Methinks the life-form doth protest too much.

  7. Comment on Where are you from? in ~talk

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Oh, that's so sweet! Thank you! I'm glad I updated it last week, cause it had been a long time!

    Oh, that's so sweet! Thank you!

    I'm glad I updated it last week, cause it had been a long time!

    1 vote
  8. Comment on Let's talk about titles in ~tildes

    Petril
    Link Parent
    I've never liked being forced to use the title of an article I thought was interesting, because sometimes interesting articles have really crappy titles. Sometimes the actual title of the article...

    I've never liked being forced to use the title of an article I thought was interesting, because sometimes interesting articles have really crappy titles. Sometimes the actual title of the article misrepresents what is in the body text more than a person who just wants to de-clickbait an article.

    Also, I think that's what the trust-based moderation system is for. If we have a group of people willing to put in the time to make sure that content is being represented in a mostly fair, hate-free environment (AND all users have the option to report something that those users didn't see), then I worry less that people will be running around putting wildly misleading titles on things.

    7 votes
  9. Comment on What is your favourite audiobook? in ~books

    Petril
    Link
    This is so hard, because I love audiobooks! Anything by Neil Gaiman is amazing, especially because he reads them himself; I think my favorite is The Graveyard Book. I also absolutely love "The...

    This is so hard, because I love audiobooks! Anything by Neil Gaiman is amazing, especially because he reads them himself; I think my favorite is The Graveyard Book.

    I also absolutely love "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern- Jim Dale's reading of it is a masterpiece for me. Another favorite is "The Thirtheenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield and read by Bianca Amato

    2 votes
  10. Comment on Movie Monday Free Talk in ~movies

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Ooh, yes! I will watch when I'm not at work. Thanks!

    Ooh, yes! I will watch when I'm not at work. Thanks!

    1 vote
  11. Comment on Movie Monday Free Talk in ~movies

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Good quote! Thanks! Though, the creator of Hereditary came out to say that it was not an allegory for mental illness, and I'm pretty sure he's wrong, too... so... /s My SO and I have had some...

    Good quote! Thanks!

    Though, the creator of Hereditary came out to say that it was not an allegory for mental illness, and I'm pretty sure he's wrong, too... so... /s

    My SO and I have had some interesting conversations about how the meaning of art pieces isn't necessarily dictated by their creators because they are so subjective. And here, I think he may have just proved his first point again, since it is such an apt metaphor, even if unintentional.

    1 vote
  12. Comment on What are you an "expert" on? in ~talk

    Petril
    Link
    I guess occupational safety for general industry in the United States? Not very exciting!

    I guess occupational safety for general industry in the United States? Not very exciting!

    3 votes
  13. Comment on Movie Monday Free Talk in ~movies

    Petril
    Link Parent
    That's why it's an allegory, in my opinion, not a direct comparison. But I love what you said about the escalator, and I do also think that it could be applied not just to low socio-economic...

    the main family are all black,

    That's why it's an allegory, in my opinion, not a direct comparison. But I love what you said about the escalator, and I do also think that it could be applied not just to low socio-economic classes, but to people of color.

    For example, I have a dark-skinned Latina friend who is married to a black man. She's a teacher and he's a vice principal, so they are not in any way lower-class, but they still get followed around in stores, and a couple of months ago, they bought something at a store, got home and found that the box was empty except for the packaging; they brought it back to the store and got loudly accused of taking the item out and trying to get another one for free. They then got confronted by the security guards, even though it was the customer service person who was yelling, not my friends. That would have never happened to me!

    3 votes
  14. Comment on Movie Monday Free Talk in ~movies

    Petril
    (edited )
    Link
    We just watched "Us"! I loved it. I don't know what Jordan Peele's actual intention was behind it, but it has a very interesting theme of nature vs nurture. Doesn't leave much space for wondering...

    We just watched "Us"! I loved it. I don't know what Jordan Peele's actual intention was behind it, but it has a very interesting theme of nature vs nurture. Doesn't leave much space for wondering what Jordan's take on it is!

    It also seems like it could be a very apt allegory for White Privilege, or at least socio-economic privilege. We all deserve care and respect, and there are whole swathes of people who get less of it than others (while things are getting better on the surface as the decades go on... well... the more things change, the more they stay the same).

    POTENTIAL SPOILER

    If we, as a society, were to create a population (say, by cloning or, you know, bringing them over as slaves), treat them as less-than when we realize that they don't know the same things as us (if you don't know our language and customs, you must be a stupid animal!), "set them free" by abandoning them with no means of escape (Hey! We could create laws and norms to make it almost impossible for you to leave the "ghetto"), give them no help and support to get education, physical and mental health treatment (did you know black women are more likely to die in childbirth?? Spoiler alert: It's not because of their genetics!) can we truly, in good conscience, blame them for rising up? (or potential wealth, learning, or employment gaps?)

    *Edit: for anyone looking for a source about black women being more likely to die in childbirth, here it is

    2 votes
  15. Comment on Tickling in ~life

    Petril
    Link Parent
    Well, I don't have children, so I don't often think about child development and how I, even as just a peripheral figure in their lives, can affect them. Just like, trying not to joke about lying...

    Well, I don't have children, so I don't often think about child development and how I, even as just a peripheral figure in their lives, can affect them.

    Just like, trying not to joke about lying to their parents, since they might not understand it's a joke. Or offering the option not to hug me, because I remember being a kid and hating to hug some people. Or even tickling! My whole life, I've hated being tickled! And a lot of people didn't seem to understand how helpless it makes me feel. So I guess just thinking about the kids in my life and remembering that, not only will they grow to be people, they already are people.

    1 vote
  16. Comment on Tickling in ~life

    Petril
    Link Parent
    I kind of group it in with never saying "Don't tell your mom and dad, but I brought you some candy!" I used to do that all the time to my cousins/nieces/nephews, but then my SO told me the story...

    I kind of group it in with never saying "Don't tell your mom and dad, but I brought you some candy!" I used to do that all the time to my cousins/nieces/nephews, but then my SO told me the story of the old man in their apartment complex who brought him in to look at his model cars.

    The old man was always hanging around near the courtyard when the kids were playing, and when he asked, my SO (somewhere between 7 and 12, I don't remember his exact age) didn't really want to go, but figured he should be polite to this old man and go look at his stuff. The old man asked my SO if he wanted to be his "special friend" or something, and SO said "sure, I guess" and the guy kind of breezes past that. Later on, he mentions that they can have secrets, as long as he promised not to tell his parents. Because sometimes friends have secrets... that sort of thing.

    SO had been feeling awkward about the whole thing, but when the guy said "don't tell your parents" SO said "umm, I don't think so!" and walked out. He credits his parents for being open and telling him that it's never ok for an adult to ask you to keep a secret from your parents, because parents are there to help you and keep you safe. The old man's apartment ended up getting raided by the police a few years later and my MIL watched them escort him into a police vehicle. I'm not sure what happened to him after that.

    I think it's about instilling habits in your kids. And it's made me, as an adult, absolutely think twice about the kids around me.

    3 votes
  17. Comment on Tickling in ~life

    Petril
    Link
    Yes! My SIL and BIL don't force my 1 year-old niece to give hugs; even to family. They go around and say "Do you want to give XXXXX a hug?" And she will either move toward them for a hug or she...

    Yes! My SIL and BIL don't force my 1 year-old niece to give hugs; even to family. They go around and say "Do you want to give XXXXX a hug?" And she will either move toward them for a hug or she will not move/turn away. If she doesn't feel like giving a hug, we will do high fives or waves or maybe she's just tired and wants to go home.

    I love that this gives her autonomy over her own body. Aunt Gerta doesn't neeeeeeeed a hug more than my niece needs to learn that she has the right to say no.

    4 votes
  18. Comment on <deleted topic> in ~talk

    Petril
    Link
    Since I finished listening to "The Dream," an absolutely fascinating podcast about Multilevel Marketing, I'm going to be trying to find more MLM stuff to binge. I've already watched "Betting on...

    Since I finished listening to "The Dream," an absolutely fascinating podcast about Multilevel Marketing, I'm going to be trying to find more MLM stuff to binge. I've already watched "Betting on Zero" on Netflix. I'm giving the podcast "Sounds Like MLM but OK" a shot, but not quite sold yet.

    I cannot believe the crime and even politics surrounding MLMs (network marketing, pyramid schemes, whatever). This podcast was truly eye-opening!

    2 votes
  19. Comment on What (if anything) do you support through Patreon? in ~talk

    Petril
    Link
    Pop Culture Detective Agency! Jonathan McIntosh makes such great videos about the intersection of masculinity, pop culture, and equality. Some of them are hard to watch (especially the ones that...

    Pop Culture Detective Agency! Jonathan McIntosh makes such great videos about the intersection of masculinity, pop culture, and equality. Some of them are hard to watch (especially the ones that point out the misandry/misogyny in very popular media), but they are all so well-researched and well-made.

    They're not all doom-and-gloom, either. He makes video essays about really cool depictions of masculinity, as well!

    2 votes