In order to get the answers you’re looking for, put out the question “what exactly does this statement mean?” instead of “sounds like this means ___” and waiting for a confirmation/rejection of your assumption.

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I have (almost) all their plushes & a bunch of their hoodies, too.

Search “Big Shirt” and you’ll find it.

I mean, yeah, that’s how I deal with it.

But even some non-church-going folks with drop off their kids at “youth group” essentially for free childcare and debatable “moral development.”

Exploiting people: making them feel that they have no choice under the threat of poverty if they don’t comply, often resulting in accepting less than favorable pay/them paying more to get something they need.

Monetizing people: “We already play video games for fun, so why don’t we turn it into a thing where we get paid to play video games by streaming it and possibly doing ads or accepting audience donations?”

Basically, exploitation is taking advantage of people’s possible desperation. Monetization is just taking something people might want and changing/making money off of it.

Monetization can lead to exploitation, but they are not intrinsically the same at its base.

P×dophiles are flocking to churches because they’re unregulated by the government. They’re becoming a safe haven for these sick fucks because they often attempt to handle conflict and scandals within their own walls. Also, due to a high need for childcare, often no background check is needed!

A “scandal” is bad for business attendance numbers, so they like to keep it quiet, if they can.

My family has gone to so many churches throughout the years, and at least 5 or 6 have had the sexual abuse of a child come to light within church leadership.

I am dead serious about this: KEEP YOUR KIDS OUT OF CHURCHES!!!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that most clergy are not bound by laws that would make them mandated reporters for child abuse.

Thank you. Maybe one day.

Because when I do what I want, I get called a “retard” or asked “what the fuck are you doing?” by the people around me. I make a point to try to do things quietly (stopping to observe a cool bug, making chalk drawings on the sidewalk, saying “wheee!” on the swings, etc.), but it really doesn’t matter.

I’ve caught glimpses of people filming me before, so I now only do what I want in privacy.

Also doesn’t help that I’ve been accused of “doing it for attention.” Nah, my dude, pretty sure I’m just fckin’ autistic.

I only want people to leave me alone now. I don’t like having to justify my actions when I’m just trying to enjoy myself.

I sew. Specifically, I love sewing stuffed animals.

As a kid, I always wanted those giant stuffed animals, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Now I can make pretty much whatever I want!

I love the colors, the feel of the fabrics… but my favorite part is seeing my 2D drawings get turning into a tangible 3D object! Plus, it makes kids go “WHOOOOAAA” or smile or laugh when they see what I make. That really can’t be beat!

I went to hospital ER once after being literally unable to walk (unknown spinal issue). After 4 hours, they took Xrays, gave me a steroid shot and some extra-strength Tylenol, told me I have mild scoliosis, and then discharged me. I was bedridden for nearly 2 months after that. I then received a bill for 4000$.

This oversized shirt! It’s soooo comfy and cozy and roomy. It’s been my favorite wardrobe staple for months now! Plus it’s got a cool fish on the pocket.

Endless content can definitely lead to a more addictive platform. Because it’s trying to encourage more users to generate their own content, there’s certainly less of it, bit definitely less garbage to wade through.

That said, I feel that I’m learning more, sharing more, and interacting with others more.

It’s also much nicer than R×ddit, because I’ve seen so much less: ragebait, fake stories, sensationalism, intentional factual inaccuracies/disinformation, shilling, shitty bots, etc.

We broke up eventually and haven’t talked in years, unfortunately. So… maybe!

I think I ramble too much to be mistaken for a bot.

ADHD gang.

How would someone go about sniffing out chatbots, though? Legit question.

Having an interest in sharing something with you without making you feel stupid about it.

Went to about art museum with a guy, and he was super excited to tell me about certain pieces and artists and their history. He was very kind when I asked questions about things that were probably very obvious to a more studious person.

Was on his arm by the end of the date. Absolutely smitten!

I have the same thought sometimes, but you can’t help someone who refuses help. They’re essentially hurting you in that way, and that’s not something that love can ever fix.

It’s not selfish to think about your own well-being in a relationship. It’s like a drowning person continually holding onto you because they’re afraid of dying alone: you both end up drowning.

You can’t keep hurting yourself for someone who keeps stepping into danger. Eventually, they need to learn to take another route. If they refuse or show that they really just can’t, that’s not a failing on you. You should not feel guilty for that. You’re important, too.

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck, of course. But it’s not your fault. You tried. You loved them. It’s okay. It’s not your fault.

He had a lot of mental health issues that he just wouldn’t get help with.

He ended up being upset a lot because I didn’t “react the way [he] wanted me to”. In the end, I really did care about him a lot, but his clinginess and codependency on me was far too much for me to handle. He made it clear that he was unhappy, but also depended on me to make him happy. I tried very hard, but it was never good enough. Did my best to encourage and support him, but he just couldn’t do right for himself.

He really was such a beautiful person, but loving someone is often not enough.

I really do hope that he is doing well now, wherever he is.

Nah. This dude literally had a “mysterious heart attack” during the pandemic and never connected the dots. He survived. Literally blamed it on people who were “vaccine shedding”.

Him and his wife also lamented on how many friends of theirs had died during covid, but always found an excuse to blame literally anything else but the pandemic.

Guy went so far as to make fun of a man who came into the shop wearing a mask. The man’s wife was battling cancer at home.

Don’t you dare use that kind of disgusting language here!

“Rules for thee, but not for me!”

I finally made a vague comment pushing back against my boss’s fucking unhinged conspiracy theories and shitty beliefs after being forced to hear him spout it for nearly a year.

“Wow, Wayne. I thought you were against the government regulating what people should do with their bodies. Huh… but okay.”

He turned purple, didn’t talk to me for the rest of the day, and never put me on the schedule after that.

Their entire business closed down a few months ago. I feel bad for were the ladies working there & my one co-worker. They were all part of the same church/religion, and they all basically cowered before Wayne. Wayne was an asshole who treated them all terribly. He was just mad that I didn’t let him treat me the same way.

They also didn’t want to give me more than 18 hours per week or raise my pay up from 12$ an hour for the highly specialized job I was doing.

Good riddance, Wayne.