A male friend of mine who confides in me was complaining to me about how there are these 'feminists' talking about 'toxic masculinity.' Apparently he viewed some video where a guy was intentionally conflating masculinity with toxic masculinity. I didn't know that at the time, I was just shocked, because he's the biggest victim of toxic masculinity I know. When I said that, he asked me to explain, and I pointed to the fact that his father burned his sketchbooks (this was the 70s) because art is "for girls." Which is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

When I explained that toxic masculinity is that, the emphasis to conform to some harmful version of masculinity, he turned on a dime so fast in rage at the asshole who conflated the two.

The thing that hurts my feelings most is when men are taught to forward toxic masculinity that harms them. When they're forged into links in a chain that they would never wield if they knew better.

"I'm scared," says Ralph.

But I am an author, and take control of this story. Ralph does not understand fear. His existence was short, his history nonexistent, his understanding of the world and his place within it unreal, characterized by the agony of going from non-being, to screaming awareness all in an instant.

The author has returned Ralph to the imaginary realm from which he sprang, freeing him, and any unwitting victims who witnessed his short, confusing reality.

Truly, the only monster here was the first narrator, a casual god who created Ralph only to serve as an instrument of suffering.

After years and years of hard work and therapy, I'm now a hilarious mix of the two.

You might ask, "How is your sink so empty and your kitchen so clean, but your clean laundry is piled so high that this is probably your entire wardrobe here on the floor next to the dryer?"

Well, I would answer, "How did you get in my house and would you like something to eat?"

Statistically, the US is fat, so drawing fat people isn't inherently fat shaming.

This is a joke about how my generation is old. We just also happen to be mostly fat people.

My fiance and I.

I really feel like there should be a dating app for ADHD people. I didn't know how good I could have it until I got with someone who never condemns me for my behaviors because, "Uh, I do that too? Why would I be mad?"

I know this flies in the face of what everyone else seems to be saying, but fuck it.

I don't know of an acronym, but my reaction is that even if they overreacted, your insanely aggressive response makes me think it's right to leave it in place. I get that you're saying that you're just angry because you like blahaj, but up and down this thread your bitching is so antagonistic... Like, calling it narcissistic, referring to people who care "too much" about their pronouns as having main character syndrome? This is not the behavior of a friend, or an ally, and it's not one I'd love in a member of my community.

Being queer and neurodivergent is not an excuse to be an asshole. As someone who identifies as both queer and neurodivergent, let me say I wouldn't unban you for this. Whether the initial ban was right or wrong!

I went through real shit in the 90s for being queer. I wasn't even diagnosed as neurodivergent (despite a disgusting amount of evidence since I was a child, because "girls don't get ADHD") until my goddamned 30s. That doesn't mean that just because other people are suffering differently, their suffering doesn't matter, and screaming about it makes you look like an abusive fuck. People don't have to suffer "enough" for your definition to deserve respect. Jesus.

I get that this could be stepping on your trauma, and nobody loves being excluded, but this reaction ain't it.

I submit to you that they should fave the horrible fate being forced on others, and every time they suffer it should be live-broadcast online to others who think like them.

you could have done more

Aaaaaagh!!! Leave me alone! I got so much done yesterday and all I get is guilt that I went to bed before I was done?!

I have ADHD. Without drugs, I only sleep during the day, and sometimes, I'll skip a day and feel like crap about it no matter what I do.

I mean without drugs. I used to be an all-natural whackadoo.

Nowadays I do drugs about it and I'm allowed to be a real human. Guess my brain will clean itself when I die.

I've said that if I was wealthy, I would force legislation that was trans friendly by (as a cis woman) going into women's bathrooms in Congress, standing on toilets, and staring at women.

Women's bathrooms don't have urinals! There's no reason for anyone to be afraid of anyone seeing anything in there, unless they stand on toilets, and Im fully of the opinion that the gender of the person doing that has nothing to do with how creepy it is!!

Maybe if you're actually worried, all bathrooms should be, I dunno, gender neutral with full doors that close all the way? For maximum safety?

And I believe nothing can get that point across quite like demonstrating that I, as an almost middle aged, fat woman who looks like I could safely run for a Rwpublican seat, standing on toilets and staring at people.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Fun fact; I caught a 30 day ban once off /r/politics for a comment that was explicitly that quote by JFK, attributed to him. "Promoting violence."