From Occupy Frankfurt. The German police took off their helmets and marched with the protest clearing the way for them.

rusty_blumpkin · 2012-05-24T04:03:03.103033+00:00

I really think this movement will Really Take Off when European protesters come with their own country's flags and join the Americans at their next big march in D.C. I think once Americans see how fed up the rest of the world is becoming with Wall Street, American attitudes toward this movement will improve.

melomela · 1 day

I think your response it normal. I'm in a similar situation myself. At my age, I should be at a different level, accomplishing different things. I look at other women my age and they seem so much more successful and at a place in life I'd like to be in (but have a long way to go).

The reason I feel so behind (or, rather, the reason I am so behind) is because I wasn't diagnosed with bipolar disorder until I was 40 ... so I floundered in my 20s and 30s and am only now picking up where I left off. This means I'm way behind most other women my age in terms of career and relationships, etc.

Nothing annoys me more than the whole "You Go Girl!" mantra that people sometimes dish out to make me feel better (as if I were a teenager with self-esteem issues).

I don't mean to use this as an opportunity to turn the conversation to me, but just wanted to say that your feelings are normal and probably hard for a lot of people to understand because they're not exactly walking in your shoes.

If it makes you feel any better, at least you're only 31. You made some bad choices in your 20s (as many of us do), and are turning it around. Some people don't do that until after menopause. It sounds crappy, but if you compare yourself to people who really screwed up in life for an even longer period, it can put things in perspective.

Ajulutsikael · 3 days

It's good to see you have such a positive, can-do attitude about this and are choosing to be informed and looking at all the options. But as it always stressed here, medication is key. Best of luck! Looks like you're going to be handling this very well.

nightfan · 4 days

How do you mean?

ChiquitaBonita · 5 days

I don't think your fiance is that stupid and tactless. If this phenomena is happening this frequently, he's trying to push buttons and get a reaction. That's just my feeling.

I casually dated a couple guys who used to do this all the time. And the more I would NOT react, the more extreme their stories would become. Of course, if I confronted them about it, I'd get some bullshit line about how in this day and age we're supposed to be beyond this and how being such good friends should allow us to talk this way, etc.

Basically, they were the ones who were so insecure that they had to ignite jealousy in me in order to feel wanted and desirable. It's called mind-fucking and maybe you can tactfully confront him about it before saying your vows.

EDIT: I see your fiance is from another culture. So don't be surprised if he says, "Well, where I'm from ..." and justifies it that way. That's also mind-fucking.

EDIT: I re-read your post. Your boyfriend is definitely insecure and there is a double standard that he is insisting upon that is giving the game away.

nightfan · 5 days

As we watch our own planet being destroyed irreparably and are coming to the grim conclusion that our current lifestyle is unsustainable, the fantasy that there might be another planet out there that is just as beautiful/pristine as Earth once was has undeniable, universal appeal. Moreover, the human-like characters are relatable -- yet morally superior to our species -- and this is also oddly comforting. So we instinctively root for them and feel tremendous satisfaction when they are able to repel the invading military-industrial human forces of Earth.

When you think of it that way, the storyline is genius. OF course it would be a smash in any modern industrialized nation -- which it was. The fact that it was "unoriginal" (Dances with Wolves Meets The Matrix) hardly matters. It hits a real nerve in terms of matters of the heart.

EDIT: Also, I think the plot (with it's clear, uncompromising delineation of right/wrong and good/bad) and universal themes made it easy to market abroad. Big budget movies have to be major box office gold in countries like China, Japan, Europe, Russia, India and Australia.

qiba · 5 days

A lot of teens/tweens have this kind of ageist/misogynistic attitude and talk like this. That doesn't make this article right, but as someone already observed, the writer is probably only catering to the magazine's demographic.

Still ... what magazine is this? We should send them hate mail.

manicrysis · 6 days

I don't tell anyone. Once you tell anyone, they can dismiss things you say with the convenient rationalization of, "Well, she's bipolar so take it with a grain of salt." The stigma isn't going away anytime soon and I'm not going to waste time and energy hoping that it will. I just want to be treated like a normal person and it's really nobody's fucking business anyway.

If you stick around here long enough, you'll hear all kinds of headache stories of people coming out at work about their condition and eventually regretting it.

Drug addicts get more respect.

Losingitfast · 6 days

I would tend to agree with stringles. It sounds like you have very intense anger management issues triggered by competitive situations. But you haven't really mentioned anything else that rings of bipolar disorder. But like everyone else here is saying, still check it out thoroughly. Read up and take questionnaires, etc. Therapy and medication may still be the way to go.

AerithFaremis · 8 days

I've always noticed that the kind of intrusive people that make comments like "When are you going to get married" or "When are you going to have kids" are the kind of people who are less-than-happy in their marriages or feel ambivalent about parenting. They basically want you to be miserable too. Misery loves company and all that.

bowa · 8 days

There's more in the repertoire of female behavior than just SEXY v. CUTE.

label_free · 8 days

Yes, but the majority of psychiatrists are male and that is why many feminists have a problem with this diagnosis and find it suspicious that so many women are diagnosed with this. If you were to walk into a room for a borderline personality support group, you most likely would find a room of almost all or all women.

bowa · 8 days

Instead of acting "cute," have you thought about acting "adult"? Or just being yourself?

label_free · 8 days

What does "gaslight" mean? Provoked? Undermined?

Also, Borderline Personality Disorder is a real disorder, but can be over-diagnosed. Unfortunately, it's become a dumping ground that male psychiatrists use toward female patients when they're too lazy to do a proper diagnosis.

label_free · 8 days

What does "gaslight" mean? Provoked? Undermined?

bowa · 8 days

I used to to be fat and homely (coke-bottle glasses, etc). Then in college I lost the weight and got contacts. Styled my hair better, etc. Look much better now. Went from a 3 to a 6.5 (7 if i try extra hard). I'll say one thing: being attractive is waaaaay better than being overweight/homely. People are just a lot nicer to you.

But no, I don't know what it's like to be a 9 or a 10. There have been threads here that very convincingly talk about how hard it is to be an extremely good-looking woman. I believe them. But it's not like these women couldn't downplay their looks, get (non-prescription) glasses, and tie their hair up in a ponytail if that is such an issue. That's what plenty of career women do and it helps make people take them more seriously.

In the end, the whole "Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful" line just makes me roll my eyes.

Downvote away...

LadyGriggs · 10 days

It's called "the hive mind." The majority doesn't necessarily know what it's talking about. This a phenomena in all the subreddits, to some extent or another.

LadyGriggs · 10 days

Unfortunately, it is human nature to downvote people when they do an especially good job at arguing a point they don't want to acknowledge. If anything, take it as a backwards compliment.

Walawalawow · 10 days

I haven't seen my mother since 1997 and I let that be that. One of the few wise decisions I made in my early thirties. But no regrets whatsoever.

ABC_D · 11 days

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking "only losers without social skills have to meet people online." But I think that stigma is disappearing rapidly. The Internet isn't just for nerds anymore (and there's nothing wrong with nerds anyway). We don't live in a society where it's easy to connect with people, so there's nothing to be ashamed of for using OKCupid or Meetup.com. Those sites took off for a reason.

jumpingtheship · 11 days

Funny, I've always envied women who were mixed race because they were so unique and non-generic in their beauty.

jumpingtheship · 11 days

I think what helped me a lot is that white and black American guys hit on me now and then and most of the men who approach me on dating sites are non-Asian ... which must have sent the message to my subconscious that being Asian is not an aesthetic issue. My experience as an American is that having Asian looks is not a deal-breaker by any means.

ABC_D · 11 days

Volunteering might be a good idea. Sure. Or how about using OKCupid to make friends -- you don't have to only be looking for a boyfriend or a date. I've heard people also use it to make friends. Like if they've just moved into a new city and don't know anybody yet.

quincy1998

TROPHY CASE

quincy1998

TROPHY CASE

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