Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

[icon_uk]

In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like. Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

As we approach the fourteenth week of Junuary in this Year of our Deliveroo Driver 2020 1/2, I find that time is starting to lose cohesion again, and we'll shortly be at the Summer Solstice. Wasn't Christmasween just a month or so back? Weird.

The UK Government has caused yet more chaos by shifting Protugal back onto it's Amber list of places to visit (requiring self-isolation on return) at very short notice, AFTER previously putting it on the Green list (with no isolation required). So everyone who dashed over there at the first opportunity for a holiday was now dashing back to beat the dealdine or facing another two weeks of self-isolation. This has been greeted about as well as one might expect.

The US has approved it's first new drug for treating Alzheimer's in 20 years, though the efficacy of the drug, which targets the underlying cause of Alzheimers rather than the symptoms, is still hotly debated. Still, hopefully a step in the right direction.

In a frankly impressive sting operation, the FBI and Australian intelligence agency created a private messaging app called "ANOM", which was then more or less marketed to criminals as a totally secure means of sending details about any number of illicit activities, all the while monitoring everything that happened on it. Over 800 arrests have ensued.

Also, a recent ransomware attack backfired when the FBI managed to steal the ransom BACK by getting hold of the encryption key for the Bitcoin wallet involved. Though they are being very coy about HOW they did it.

"I am impressed by both of the above" and "I am worried about the obvious implications for general privacy and security" are statements that can co-exist.

"The Bad Batch" is a series I'm still finding it a little hard to get into. I can see the aim, it's sort of interesting to see the Empire getting itself established, and Dee Bradley Baker is doing terrific work as the entire Bunch (apart from Omega, but even then I felt it wise to check the credits, just in case) but I'm still finding it a little tough to.. well, care about them much.

It was fun to here Rhea Perlman get what looks to be a recurring role as their agent though! And since I'm also still wondering what Omega's skillset is going to turn out to be, I suppose if they've got me watching another episode to find out they're doing what they set out to do.

Jensen Ackles has had photos released of him as Soldier Boy for the next season of "The Boys". It's a good look, but since I'm not a fan of the series, I'll just appreciate the aesthetics.

Random question of the week: What IS your bitcoin wallet key... No? Oh well, worth a try! :)

ACTUAl Random question of the week - Your favourite takeaway food.

Comments

[deh_tommy]

The cinemas are open again! My family says I should wait a few days until things calm down a bit, but I can’t wait to finally see all the movies I was looking forward to on the big screen, even if they’re not that good.

This is a very loaded question and I don’t want to offend anyone, but if I may ask: what exactly is there to be proud about with being LGBT? I don’t mean that as in “you should be ashamed of being LGBT”, I mean more that isn’t being LGBT just an intrinsic part of who you are, like which hand you write with? What’s there to necessarily be proud of? Or is that moreso pride in the cultural/patriotic sense?

[torberg]

As I understand it, the "pride" comes from a counter to the shame that society has enforced on the involved identities for a hell of a long time. I'll leave further comment to those with actual lived experience.

[leahandillyana]

I understand pride as antonym of the shame that keeps people deep in a closet, paranoid that somebody may learn their dark secret, constantly double guessing themselves whether they appear gay. A big "I am what I am, fuck you" to the society. You cannot just be LGBT when people want to hurt you for being LGBT.

[icon_uk]

Just to note that that is very much a loaded question and one you need to be careful asking. We understand your meaning, but those who don't know you might see it as dismissive, even if that is not the intent.

It's because for decades we have been told that being queer (be it gay, trans, ace, aro, etc) IS something to be ashamed of, something sinful to be denied, ignored and never spoken of, to be brushed under the carpet at every turn.

The choice of the word "Pride" is in taking back ownership of yes, the part that is intrinsic in ourselves, but which so many were forced to hide and never acknowledge.

[zachbeacon]

What does anyone have to be proud of?

A lot of people take pride or inspiration in the accomplishments of people like them.

Unfortunately LGBT+ people have been systematically erased from history books even though they've always been there.

[tinygaylaura]

Being LGBT is awesome. Everything about the experience is something to be proud of and I thank god that I was born queer instead of straight

Also

The vast majority of the great actors, artists, poets, writers and thinkers of human history have been part of our community. It was the genius of a gay man that helped beat the filthy cancer upon the human race that was the nazis during World War II. Thousands of the great thinkers, fighters, lovers and dreamers of this world have been LGBT.

Pride is us remembering that no matter what the bigots and morons of this world try to tell us, we are not less than them. We are MORE. We are BETTER.

[icon_uk]

Ahem, I definitely wouldn't say we're "better", we're human and fallible, just like everyone else. But we ARE equal in every respect.

[tinygaylaura]

We're better than those who hate us is what I meant.

We are better than bigoted morons who think that being LGBT is "Sinful" or "Wrong" or "Immoral" or other such made up bullshit

[deh_tommy]

Eh, I still hesitate to say one person is intrinsically better than another regardless of their personal beliefs. You’re not necessarily better or worse, you just... are, no? LGBT folks can be jerks and meanies, too. Just look at me DOHOHOHOHO

[janegray]

Dude, no. Normal innocent folks are absolutely inherently better than those who go out of their way to harm others over the circumstances of their birth.

And we are definitely talking about harm here. Pride started as a riot because cops would beat and arrest random queer people who were just minding their own business.

Seriously, "beliefs" is in no way shape or form an acceptable excuse for that sort of bigotry. Pulling out the "but some queer people are assholes" is the equivalent of going "not all men."

[deh_tommy]

Sorry, I meant moreso regular people myself rather than those who deliberately go out of their way to cause harm. I wasn’t aware Pride started as a riot (would this be the Stonewall Riots by any chance or something else?). I’ll admit, I was largely projecting because I don’t like the idea that I’m better than anyone for any reason, least of all for something out of my control like sexuality or gender.

[janegray]

Yeah, it's Stonewalls.

[deh_tommy]

Alright, I think I have a better understanding on LGBT pride, but now I don’t necessarily get why you’d be thankful for being born queer instead of not being born queer or vice versa. How different would you really be if you happened to like boys instead of girls (or even neither)? Though I suppose that’s a matter of nature versus nurture. That’s hard to imagine what one would be like without certain factors that shape the person we are in this moment, whether they be psychological, physiological, societal and whatnot.

[tinygaylaura]

If I was a straight woman I wouldn't be getting tied up, ballgagged and having my brains fucked out for hours on end by hot lesbian dominatrixes in latex in a sex dungeon

So that's one thing that would be different and far less fun and interesting about my life if I was straight because I have no interest in a vanilla sex life with nothing but men. Can't think of anything less interesting honestly

And I like boys as well as girls actually.

Though if I was a straight woman I'd probably have a harder time finding the number of men into pegging that I do now so even my sex with men would be different and less interesting and fun for me

[deh_tommy]

Why not? Straight people can be kinky, too. Why do you think your kinkiness determined by your sexual orientation? Why would you have to have “a vanilla sex life”?

Sorry for assuming your sexuality, I just kind of figured based on your username.

[tinygaylaura]

Um

Okay now I'm confused did you misread the part where I specifically said having kinky sex with WOMEN in my reply

Straight women definitely do not fuck women. That's literally the definition of being heterosexual, someone who doesn't fuck the same gender

If a woman is having sex with women she's not straight.

[deh_tommy]

No, my question is why do you think you’d be any less kinky if you were straight? Whenever you bring up sex with men that’s always some variation of boring domestic bliss or a safe and vanilla sex life.