smoontjes's recent activity
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Comment on What are some things you do "the old fashioned way," which might come with unexpected benefits over the modern, "improved" way of doing things? in ~talk
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Comment on Tourist destinations that are more than just a nice view? in ~travel
smoontjes LinkWell I can only recommend my only country of Denmark! And not just out of bias, but because I think it may actually fit what you're looking for. The country is remarkably flat and dare I say does...Learning about the history, the cultural importance, and the general experience of going there really made me want to go.
With that in mind, I'm looking for places to go to add to my bucket list of places that have a lot of cultural value (while hopefully still being accessible to a clueless American) or perhaps has more sensual elements like interesting regional cuisine or visiting a famous historical bathhouse. I know there's tons of places that fit that description, but surely some of you have some favorites you'd like to recommend.
Well I can only recommend my only country of Denmark! And not just out of bias, but because I think it may actually fit what you're looking for. The country is remarkably flat and dare I say does not offer very good views - and our nature is largely boring, aside from the occasional nice beach maybe a national park or two.
We have many centuries of history to see in the cities though. Walk through parts of Copenhagen and you will see 17th and 18th century houses and blocks everywhere. Not to mention the castles, many of which are nearly untouched from when they were built. In another comment you also mention being gay and Copenhagen also has great things to offer on that front too, for example the world's oldest still standing gay bar.
Obligatory are all the viking age things as well, although I don't think anything is still actually standing except for runestones, burial mounds dotting the landscape, and a couple of strongholds.
I don't think we have any famous bathhouses or things like that, but there are many famous historical buildings. Too many in fact - they are currently talking about tearing down a church from the 13th century since it's not unique and no longer being used
All of this should be accessible to an American since everybody speaks English, and most things worth seeing as a tourist also has signs and descriptions in English
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Comment on Tourist destinations that are more than just a nice view? in ~travel
smoontjes Link ParentI'm also queer and would stay way from Turkey. It used to be that Istanbul was sort of okay but look up recent pride parades there... I don't think you can even get away with holding hands...I'm also queer and would stay way from Turkey. It used to be that Istanbul was sort of okay but look up recent pride parades there... I don't think you can even get away with holding hands anymore.
Click around on this map: https://rainbow-europe.org/#8664/0/0
Or this one: https://www.equaldex.com/region/turkey
Or this: https://www.allgaylong.com/lgbtq-worldwide-travel-map/
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Comment on Trans identity and the gender binary in ~lgbt
smoontjes Link ParentThank you for explaining and clarifying! I definitely do understand the nuance and what you're both saying is still more or less what I originally tried to say 😅 Although I didn't mean to say that...Thank you for explaining and clarifying! I definitely do understand the nuance and what you're both saying is still more or less what I originally tried to say 😅 Although I didn't mean to say that one group wants everything - just that there is a difference between those that need medical help (be it one thing or many things, like I mention for myself hrt, laser, voice, surgeries) and those that do not need it at all. They are just very different lived experiences.
I know many who only need hrt, others who need hrt + top surgery, yet others who need as much as they can possibly get. I am also stopping short of some procedures myself because yeah, it's not worth it and/or a pain in the ass and/or I don't have the strength to do them - full gcs for example. Maybe in the future though
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Comment on Reddit is removing ability to opt out of ad personalization based on your activity on the platform in ~tech
smoontjes Link ParentI would have thought it was way more than 4% - it truly is old now I guess. As am I lolI would have thought it was way more than 4% - it truly is old now I guess. As am I lol
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Comment on Reddit is removing ability to opt out of ad personalization based on your activity on the platform in ~tech
smoontjes Link ParentThey've already done a few things like that though. If somebody makes a post consisting of an image and text, old.reddit users sometimes won't see any of the text at all - I've seen tons of...They've already done a few things like that though. If somebody makes a post consisting of an image and text, old.reddit users sometimes won't see any of the text at all - I've seen tons of threads where I (and many others) have been super confused about what everyone is talking about. But then I go to new.reddit and the text is right there.
So it seems to me that they are already hostile to it, and have been for a while.
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Comment on Trans identity and the gender binary in ~lgbt
smoontjes Link ParentEnglish is my second language so I apologize for not understand because it seems like what I said is more or less exactly what you are saying too? But you also seem to disagree somewhat?English is my second language so I apologize for not understand because it seems like what I said is more or less exactly what you are saying too? But you also seem to disagree somewhat?
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Comment on Trans identity and the gender binary in ~lgbt
smoontjes Link ParentEvery single trans experience is certainly valid, no doubt about that. And I also agree that the dysphoria/no dysphoria grouping is kind of detrimental to the overall goals of the queer community....Every single trans experience is certainly valid, no doubt about that. And I also agree that the dysphoria/no dysphoria grouping is kind of detrimental to the overall goals of the queer community.
A grouping that I do feel makes sense though is "I need medical intervention" and "I'm fine without it" because that's where our experiences will really begin to differ a lot. Like, I would be lost without surgeries that I have been through/hope to get access to, not to mention laser, voice training - and probably most importantly hormones, without which I think I would die. That experience means that I have a hard time relating to someone who is okay without any kind of medical transition - and even less relatable would be someone who didn't socially transition either.
That's not to say I want to gatekeep anybody from living their life as their truest self. Nobody is lesser than anybody else of course - and no trans person is any more "real" than any other trans person, and I hope nobody lets those parts of the internet tell them otherwise. There are just differences, and I think it's fine to point them out and say "hey I'm more like X", because even inside our very small group of humans, we are still just as different as all other humans in all other groups, more or less arbitrary as they can sometimes get.
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Comment on Trans identity and the gender binary in ~lgbt
smoontjes LinkI have read some of the comments already posted, although not all of them - so apologies if I am writing things that repeat other commenters. But I'll try to answer your questions! Let's take an...I have read some of the comments already posted, although not all of them - so apologies if I am writing things that repeat other commenters. But I'll try to answer your questions!
Let's take an example of a cisgender heterosexual woman who wants to have babies and be a stay at home mom while her husband provides. She probably isn't a feminist - but she could be. She could want to fulfill traditional societal gender roles while simultaneously wanting to smash the patriarchy. Two things can be true at the same time.
Transgender people can derive euphoria and happiness from transitioning and fulfilling traditional societal gender roles while simultaneously wanting to dismantle gender as a social construct.
But to be honest, some your questions are things that most trans people have asked themselves, tried to answer, but came up short.
Is trans identity more than a product of societal gender roles? I don't understand where the root of the dysphoria could be other than not fitting into the stereotypes of your assigned gender.
Yes, but I don't entirely know why. I do know though that my trans identity has also brought with it a sense of belonging with the queer community, especially with other trans people. None of whom fit into stereotypes of their gender - some are getting all the surgeries to go the whole way, others are getting a few of them, and yet others aren't getting any at all. All of those I know that are trans are on hormones though, and definitely do in one way or another try to mitigate an upbringing of their assigned gender.
Perhaps it would be beneficial to read about identity as a concept, and not limit it to trans identity? Because identity in and of itself is complicated enough as it is before bringing transness into it.
How could someone come to understand that their body feels "wrong" to them without learning that from something outside of their internal experience (i.e. perceiving gender roles and feeling like oneself is more aligned to the opposite pole than the one they're assigned to?)
It is not a satisfying answer but all I can say is that it just does. The wrong things just feel wrong and the right things just feel right. It's not more complicated than that but I wouldn't even know where to begin to explain it anymore than you could explain what kind of food you feel like cooking for dinner today, or which shirt you feel like wearing tomorrow, or why you want to cut your hair and beard a certain way. It just feels right, you know? It's just you - and that other haircut just isn't.
What is the benefit in choosing to identify as transgender (which reinforces gender roles through buying into them)
With this I am assuming you mean choosing to transition, because it is not a choice to be transgender. Choosing to transition is, anyway, simply the best solution to the psychological distress of dysphoria and everything else that the trans experience brings with it. But that is the singular benefit - to lessen mental anguish. Other than that, there are no real benefits - at best there are either attempts at correcting our lives to what a default human experience (being cisgender) should be like, or trying to make up for lost time, for example having had a wrongly gendered upbringing. Everything else about choosing to transition is disadvantageous and detrimental to most trans people - you risk being shunned, risk losing friends, family, risk losing your job, you risk being uprooted and maybe even need to start a new life somewhere else. Not to mention all the other ways in which you get discriminated against, marginalized, and potentially even become the victim of hate crime.
But all of that is worth it because as I said, the benefit is lessening the psychological pain of dysphoria.
versus choosing to eschew the gender binary entirely and identifying with / presenting as genderfluid or non-binary?
This is what I did for years before finally coming out, but it was not feasible in the long run.
I hid in the closet for 6-7 years while questioning my gender, at one point even coming to the conclusion that I was genderfluid and could simply continue to live in the closet. I could be a man outwardly but have my own feminine side and be fine with exploring that at home. But it was not meant to be, because my situation worsened as time went on. I just couldn't endure it any longer. So I came to realise that the pain of not living my truth was worse than the potential pain of losing everything and having to start over.
And like I said to begin with, two things can be true at the same time. I can paint my nails, take care of my hair, get into fashion... all while simultaneously wishing for the dismantling and smashing of social constructs. But those social constructs are nonetheless what has shaped my identity throughout my upbringing and culture - and are what therefore ultimately decide some (not all) of the reasons I feel dysphoria and euphoria, whether I want it to be that way or not.
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Comment on The man who thinks he can live forever in ~health
smoontjes Link ParentI'm definitely not going to read this entire article but I scrolled through and just looked at the pictures (yes I am 8 years old) and if you didn't tell me otherwise, I would not think this was a...joyless, soulless, automatic, and inhuman.
I'm definitely not going to read this entire article but I scrolled through and just looked at the pictures (yes I am 8 years old) and if you didn't tell me otherwise, I would not think this was a live human. He has such dead eyes in every picture, even the one where he's working out. Super creepy and very weird person
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Comment on Who blew up Nord Stream? in ~misc
smoontjes Link ParentI still don't think that means it warrants megathreads anymore. Most weeks is still single digit comments. Minor news are one thing and are unlikely to get much, if any, votes anyway. As /u/updawg...I still don't think that means it warrants megathreads anymore. Most weeks is still single digit comments.
Minor news are one thing and are unlikely to get much, if any, votes anyway. As /u/updawg says, big news get their own threads too - and those threads see a lot more traffic than whatever corresponding weekly thread does.
Idk, I just don't think Tildes is big enough to warrant megathreads. Even if it got 50 or 100 comments, that still isn't really "mega" in any way, in my opinion
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Comment on Your favorite band that no one has heard of? in ~music
smoontjes LinkNelson Can was a great rock band of three women from Copenhagen. They had some local success but they never really broke through internationally. They put out some great songs when they were still...Nelson Can was a great rock band of three women from Copenhagen. They had some local success but they never really broke through internationally.
They put out some great songs when they were still making music:
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Comment on Who blew up Nord Stream? in ~misc
smoontjes Link ParentDo label this off-topic but it seems like a weekly "megathread" about Ukraine isn't really needed anymore. 4 comments were made in the thread you linked to - nothing is really "mega" about that...Do label this off-topic but it seems like a weekly "megathread" about Ukraine isn't really needed anymore. 4 comments were made in the thread you linked to - nothing is really "mega" about that lol
Not surprising your post didn't get seen when those threads are that low on traffic
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Comment on With Novo Nordisk, Denmark wants to avoid the Nokia trap in ~finance
smoontjes Link ParentIt does get kind of addressed though: Seems like the plan is to do nothingIt does get kind of addressed though:
Economy Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen denied that Denmark’s situation is comparable to that of Finland and Nokia. Many of the Novo Nordisk’s factories are located abroad, so any severe setback for the company wouldn’t have a drastic effect on domestic employment, he said.
Seems like the plan is to do nothing
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
smoontjes LinkI have recently been getting into Age of Empires IV. I put in hundred of hours in the year (or so) at release and thereafter, only recently really getting back into it. And it even has an...I have recently been getting into Age of Empires IV. I put in hundred of hours in the year (or so) at release and thereafter, only recently really getting back into it. And it even has an expansion coming soon!
I can only recommend it to those that used to play RTS games because for me, no AoE or AoM game has ever been as good as this one. I played AoE II so much as a kid, mostly just messing around with howdoiturnthison though none of that this time! Since I last played IV, they added three more difficulties which is my current obsession to try to master. Tons of fun!
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Comment on US military will review 2,000 ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ discharges in ~lgbt
smoontjes LinkI read not too long ago that it was considered progressive back when it came into effect. Still blows my mind that this policy has become so vilified now in less than 30 years - and yet it's not...I read not too long ago that it was considered progressive back when it came into effect. Still blows my mind that this policy has become so vilified now in less than 30 years - and yet it's not even as old as I am
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Comment on China climate envoy says phasing out fossil fuels 'unrealistic' in ~enviro
smoontjes Link ParentExactly! I get so mad when politicians talk about "inventing" our way out of the climate crisis - because it's not just China saying this. Several countries are recently saying that they aren't...The issue is that this tech doesn't even exist yet, It's a pipe dream.
Exactly! I get so mad when politicians talk about "inventing" our way out of the climate crisis - because it's not just China saying this. Several countries are recently saying that they aren't going to live up to the Paris goals, including mine, Denmark. Instead we have politicians from the major parties just being like "uhm we'll fix it eventually, trust me bro!"
Ugh.
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Comment on Fun fact: Taiwan claims exclusive sovereignty over mainland China and Mongolia as well as parts of Russia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Japan in ~humanities.history
smoontjes Link ParentI saw their comment, yes! That's actually exactly what triggered my curiosity about this! The Asian Games are happening right now (started yesterday) and seeing that name and the odd olympic flag...I saw their comment, yes!
Taiwan can't even compete in the Olympics under Taiwan, only ever under "Chinese Taipei".
That's actually exactly what triggered my curiosity about this! The Asian Games are happening right now (started yesterday) and seeing that name and the odd olympic flag they are using peaked my interest.
I wish I could fast forward and see what's next because the progress has indeed been remarkable. Might compare it in a way to South Korea since they were also under military dictatorship for decades on end, both countries only starting the democratic process around 30-40 years ago
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Comment on Fun fact: Taiwan claims exclusive sovereignty over mainland China and Mongolia as well as parts of Russia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Japan in ~humanities.history
smoontjes Link ParentDefinitely an argument to be made about this, and I would assume it highly unlikely that more than a small minority of the original Taiwanese were ever supportive of the nationalists/occupiers...It is arguable if the ROC territorial claims ever reflected actual will of Taiwanese people - perhaps of the minority of mainland refugees (and occupiers) that have come to Taiwan when the ROC lost the civil war.
Definitely an argument to be made about this, and I would assume it highly unlikely that more than a small minority of the original Taiwanese were ever supportive of the nationalists/occupiers considering the many crimes against humanity committed in the middle of the century (emphasis mine):
As a result of Taiwan's anti-government uprising in 1947, known as the February 28 incident, the KMT-led political repression resulted in the death or the disappearance of up to 30,000 Taiwanese intellectuals, activists, and people suspected of opposition to the KMT.
The first decades after the Nationalists had moved the seat of government to the province of Taiwan are associated with the organized effort to resist Communism, which was known as the "White Terror"; about 140,000 Taiwanese were imprisoned for their real or perceived opposition to the Kuomintang.
Chiang had the personal power to review the rulings of all military tribunals, which during the martial law period tried civilians as well. In 1950, Lin Pang-chun and two other men were arrested on charges of financial crimes and sentenced to 3–10 years in prison. Chiang reviewed the sentences of all three and ordered them executed instead. In 1954, the Changhua monk Kao Chih-te and two others were sentenced to 12 years in prison for providing aid to accused communists. Chiang sentenced them to death after he had reviewed the case. That control over the decision of military tribunals violated the ROC constitution.
(KMT in the above stands for Kuomintang, the nationalist party of the Generalissimo that held absolute power in Taiwan until 1991)
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Comment on Fun fact: Taiwan claims exclusive sovereignty over mainland China and Mongolia as well as parts of Russia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Japan in ~humanities.history
smoontjes (edited )Link ParentThat would make a lot of sense, because it's certainly never talked about nor do you ever hear about it in media whenever Taiwan/China issues come up. It is indeed all about independence or the...I do think that this is a more outdated point of view nowadays, a lot of younger Taiwanese people that I know are more for either independence or status quo.
That would make a lot of sense, because it's certainly never talked about nor do you ever hear about it in media whenever Taiwan/China issues come up. It is indeed all about independence or the right to self determination. However I also found it interesting that they are not a UN member state:
Due to the ROC's insecurity and intolerance in the 1970s and 1980s after it was expelled by the UN as well as American influence, the ROC gradually democratized and adopted universal suffrage, ending under the one-party leadership of President Chiang Ching-kuo by lifting 38 years of martial law on the Communist rebellion on Mainland China and establishing the new self-identity of Republic of China (system) on Taiwan in the international community, enacting Two Chinas states in the world
Owning a desktop computer.
The only other people I know who still have this kind of setup are super into video games. Those that don't use it to play games either have a laptop at or at best a tablet, and by far most people simply use their phones for everything. And it makes sense, right? It's kind a big setup to have - a desk, chair, the computer, screen, keyboard, mouse, speakers, maybe more. So it's not all that surprising that it's a thing of the past for the average person