Good enough for what? Obedient to whom? Deviating from what? What the fuck are you talking about?

My favorite moment from the old Batman animated show was when the rogues were sitting around telling their stories about how they almost got Batman. Actually, I wouldn’t do it justice, just watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UUr7bM1A6s

Of course there’s a twist at the end that changes the moment a bit, but it was still hilarious.

Batman is the world’s greatest detective. His villains need to compete on an intellectual level, and in fiction a doctorate is short-hand for “smart” and “an expert in the field.”

“Legal” is also a bit fuzzy. Some countries frown upon copying an artist’s work, but that’s going to be a question for the manufacturer. Owning a reproduction is not illegal as long as you don’t try to commit fraud with it (i.e. hanging it in a gallery or selling it).

She’s almost an adult. Almost.

I understand your discomfort, but also she’s going to be making decisions for herself for the rest of her life. Offer supportive guidance. Ask clarifying questions without judgement.

Is she simply dating multiple people, or is she in multiple committed relationships? Do the guys know that she is seeing both, and do either of them expect her to pick one (or neither) eventually? Are they sexually active? As a parent, that last question can be extremely uncomfortable, but it’s a big clue to the nature of the situation.

I would advise that these relationships are dicey. It’s an unbalanced equation. What are they sharing? Her time? Her affection? Her body? Who decides how she is divided up? Does she have the power in the relationship or is she a thing they are passing around? Why are they OK with having half a relationship? Jealousy is a sneaky demon, and the things people say often don’t match the things people feel.

Polyamory can work in adult relationships if everyone is honest about what they want. Teens in relationships can sometimes struggle to advocate for themselves and might tolerate a lot more abuse before they speak up. If she feels like you are judging her for her choices, she may go even further to hide or suppress her feelings from you.

Make sure she understands that you are in her corner, and no topic is off limits. It might be equally uncomfortable for her to discuss it with you, but this is a situation worth monitoring closely. Her relationships should make her feel good about herself, and learning to be in a relationship is learning to balance your needs with the needs of another person. Is she being selfish or callous towards their feelings? Is she creating drama or seeking attention? Does the tension stoke her ego? Those would all be perfectly normal childish traits, and unhealthy attitudes to carry into adulthood.

This can be an important life lesson for her, but check in to make sure she’s learning something that will help her in the long run.

Conservativism, in all forms, is not a real ideology. It’s narcissism. A conservative will redefine conservative values based on their own identity.

So the “socially liberal, fiscally conservative” idiot is lying to themselves about who they are. They want fiscal policies that benefit themselves, and they don’t want to be labelled a bigot, but they are fine with bigots in office as long as they get the fiscal policies that benefit themselves.

Ask them what they mean by “fiscal conservative,” and they will probably vaguely gesture and say “lower taxes.” What they mean is “lower taxes for me.” Fiscal conservatives still want to spend government money on programs they like. They want boondoggles in their backyard, earmarks and pork barrel projects, and social safety nets as long as they are the recipient (Medicare, Social Security, Veteran benefits, etc.)

They want to frame it as responsible restraint. Pull funding from programs they don’t understand, like scientific research, or don’t like, like foreign aid (except of course if strong ties to their home country).

And when they say lower taxes, when pressed, they will describe how their property tax or income tax or capital gains tax or death tax is really bad “for the economy.” They want good schools and roads and infrastructure, but they want someone else to pay for it.

Calling themselves conservative gives them license to be as selfish as they want to be without having to admit that they don’t actually have any values.

That works if you live and work in an environment where you control who is in your space. That’s not really an option for most people.

Bridge collapse

Every crisis is an opportunity.

If you murder a murderer, you don’t reduce the total number of murderers. You have to murder more than one, but then you’re a serial killer, which is arguably worse. If you’re a serial killer who only kills serial killers, then you are starting to maximize the offset. But once you fuck up and get close to being caught, so your serial killer girlfriend blows up Doakes to keep your secret safe and you pin all your murders on him, you’ve gone too far.

He’s featured in an episode of What If…? and he makes a cameo in the GotG3. It could make for a great holiday special.

Are you using superglue to close cuts on your fingertips? Or are you trying to create a thick pad of glue to act as a protective layer? Do you already have a blister or cut? Or are you trying to prevent one?

To close a cut or cover a blister, superglue works in a pinch.

As padding to avoid blisters or cuts, it doesn’t really work. If you’re playing enough to cause a new blister, it just cracks and flakes off anyway. It might get you through a song if you’re desperate. Long term, you’re better off getting your fingers calliused and learning to play with different fingerings to take the pressure off an injury.

Pros have to go on stage and play. If you’re playing for yourself, for fun, you can take a few days off and let your fingertips heal.

First, you can always decline. It’s your time, and they aren’t paying you to work at a bowling alley, so you don’t have to be there.

Second, remote team meetups are a really good time to bond with your coworkers without a business agenda. I would recommend to anyone to try to make an appearance, even if you don’t stay out as late as everyone else. Plus, if everyone is hung over the next day at work, and you show up bright eyed and bushy tailed, you look like the smart one, although your coworkers might give you the side eye if you rub it in. Being compassionate goes a long way towards that bonding bit.

It’s also easier to communicate when you have personal relationships with your remote coworkers. When you write a curt slack message, or a status update email, people will read it in your voice. That might also work against you if you tend to be sarcastic or belligerent. If they don’t know you, they will read it in their own voice, and that can go sideways.

You don’t have to bowl. You don’t need to claim an old injury. Just say you don’t enjoy it (because that’s true).

All that said, it doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong. It doesn’t sound like your coworkers did anything wrong, either, and you were definitely “invited” anytime there is an announcement like that.

Wow, I stand corrected. TIL thanks.

EDIT today I learned that the reports of witnesses and their inaction was grossly exaggerated by an unscrupulous journalist. So the following statement is almost entirely fabricated. My apologies. Comment left intact for transparency.

38 people in her neighborhood admitted to hearing her and choosing not to intervene. They all gave different reasons for not helping.

There was the horrifying story of Kitty Genovese in New York in 1968. Edit 1964

American wokers will never back a general strike. We are far too fractured and too far removed from the actual problems we face that nobody thinks they are part of the problem.

Up for it means you’re enthusiastic about making an effort. Down for it means you are fully committed to a course of action. It’s a slight nuance, but there is poetry in precision.

I think his television appearances always make me wonder if there’s spit in my food.

I also think his attempt to fix school lunches was well intentioned but tragically naive, and ended up doing more harm than good by making reform attempts look pathetic.

Da, all in good fun.