I needed a laugh. Let me know when you publish your first novel; I’ll be pre-ordering it.

And make it abundantly clear to everyone that you’re not suicidal. Record videos with date stamps. Send date stamped letters by mail to friends, with instructions to retain the letters indefinitely, and perhaps which are clearly marked “to be opened in the event of my death”. The letters should say something along the lines of “I am not suicidal. I do not want to die. I am not going to kill myself under any circumstances. If I die, it was not by suicide. I want to live. I have ABC reasons to live. I have XYZ plans for the future.” Etc.

Keep multiple copies of the information in multiple locations, and make sure multiple people know where a copy is. Ideally, have a dead-man’s switch set up, or someone you trust to do it, to automatically send all the information to all the major news outlets if you do turn up dead, along with a statement akin to the letter outlined above to make it clear you were murdered.

Or maybe he knows he has nothing to lose, so figures he might as well try to call out inhumane conditions in an effort to improve the lot of his peers. Perhaps it is in an effort to attain some measure, however small, of atonement for his wrongdoing.

Or should he do nothing at all in response to an incompetent nurse giving people the wrong medications and mistreating her patients, the prison having poor fire safety, and the food being inedible?

Sure, people should be able to make their own decisions. But they’ll be able to make much better-informed decisions if you do your job and educate the populace about the life-saving benefits of vaccines. This guy should be stripped of his medical license.

It has everything to do with “mentally handicapped” people. The word “retarded”, used as an insult, derived from the term “mental retardation”, which was previously the actual clinical and legal term for a person with what we now refer to as “intellectual disability”. The use of “retarded” as a slur/insult is the whole reason why the clinical term was changed. It had come to be seen as derogatory and ableist even when used in a clinical context.

Source: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The term “mental retardation” was used through the fourth edition, which was last revised in the year 2000. It lasted until the 5th edition, which wasn’t published until 2013. Various organizations/agencies changed their terminology prior.

Fwiw, I’m a licensed clinician and I have diagnosed people with intellectual disabilities. I understand your perspective on the word, and I even shared a similar opinion until I learned how it has been used as a slur toward people who do have intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. Because of learning that, I now don’t use it as an insult. We do better when we know better.

Why are y’all downvoting this comment? This person is entirely correct.

They also want the ability to make you agree to a TOS with an arbitration clause so you can’t sue them when your wife dies because they screwed up her food.

express shipping them to heaven.

Do we have a c/brandnewsentences yet?

Yesterday, at a park, I saw some Patriot Front (a neonazi group) posters on two adjacent polls. One was something about the “American spirit” descending from “European blood”. The other said “America is for Americans”. Without a hint of irony.

As if Europeans didn’t immigrate but just popped out of the ground here, or something?

Racists aren’t known for their critical thinking skills.

I wonder how long it would take for federal privacy laws to change if CEOs could never get a moment of peace because they had suddenly become the de facto customer support call center.

In my area, there’s a chain of stores called ‘Play It Again Sports’ that sells used sports equipment, including bikes. You might have something similar nearby. I’ve also seen used bikes for sale at some bike shops.

Hear me out: Taken, with muppets. Liam Neeson reprises as the token human character.

I imagine you already know, but for those who may not: Scifi Channel did a Dresden Files series like … 20? Years ago. I don’t remember if it was any good, but it definitely wasn’t HBO style and didn’t cover all the books.

Individual experiences can vary significantly. With sleeping pattern, for example: when I was on Vyvanse, I actually slept better than when I wasn’t on medication; I fell asleep easier and felt more rested in the mornings. Strattera (a “non-stimulant”), on the other hand, had me waking hourly and having bizarre dreams.

[…] he made a gesture that drew online comparisons to a Nazi salute […]

Why is the popular media so scared to call a Nazi a Nazi? He did a Nazi salute. It wasn’t just a gesture that drew comparisons from the internet. It was a Nazi salute, clearly done with intent.

I’ve worked with a lot of people who have chronically abused opioids. None of them look like this guy. I suspect it’s chronic, heavy smoking plus a horrible, horrible diet. And maybe using some comedically nonsensical, quacky health ‘supplements’ of some kind.

Fwiw, Autism Speaks eventually shifted their official position and they now endorse vaccination, and no longer fund research trying to find/prove non-existent links between vaccines and autism.

Oof. I can kinda relate. Any way you could do the tech stuff part time, and be a cashier part time? I have seriously considered finding a part time role in my current line of work to just make enough money to live, and then doing something else part time that doesn’t eat my soul.

You’re not crazy. If you’re making enough to live on and you’re happy, then I’m not sure what else a person could ask for.

For my part, I have a decent job in healthcare, making a good salary by any measure, but it’s emotionally strenuous on the best of days and I dream of quitting to go start a flower farm. The bad days are utterly soul-sucking, so I absolutely cannot do this kind of work for another 18 years (when I’ll turn 54 too), so I fully intend to do similarly to you once I am financially secure enough. Definitely not retail for me though; I got enough of that in my college days. 😛

So, a combination of reducing his costs and reducing benefits for the consumer. Sounds like the only one winning is him.