Nubisbully

I was reading through the responses on this thread, and I saw one thing that was brought up quite a bit:
 
"Not having to jail people for marijuana will save the government money."
 
In most states, this is true, and it's a great reason for decriminalization or legalization. Unfortunately, it's not true in states with for-profit prison systems--systems in which prisoners are forced to work full-time. These states have an incentive to fight any efforts to legalize marijuana, because that will take away their slaves. I have little to no sympathy for violent criminals forced into slavery by this system (although the exploitation is really messed up the way the system does things) but it's ridiculous to be sentenced to years of hard labor because you smoked a little pot.
 
So these states will not have the government save money if it's legalized. But shedding light on this gives another really good reason why it SHOULD be.

I have pretty bad anxiety and have been on so many different medications for it. Most of these medication would harm my liver if I continue to take them for the rest of my life. Then I was introduced to the love of my life, Mary Jane. She held my hand and said "We gon' get through this" and she is my best friend
 
--
 
Joking aside, I recognize that marijuana smoke contains tar and carbon monoxide, which is why I very rarely smoke. However I make treats containing THC on a bi-weekly basis and I have 2 a day. They do not contain enough THC to inhibit my work or driving.
 
I think everyone should have a little bit of THC every now and again.
 
My rules are
 
-no smoking or being high around children or guests
-do not get couch-melting high in case of an emergency
-only do it in my own home
 
I cannot stand when people smoke in public, it's a major pet peeve of mine
 
I went to Santa Monica Pier with my little brother not too long and someone was smoking weed right next to us while we were building a sand castle. No one should be forced to smell your habit.

People think this cannot be done but Australia did it. And it worked.
 
There hasn't been any major shooting sprees since.

"Women can't do this, gays can't do that, but touch my semi-automatic rifle and now you're restricting my rights."
 
 

 
 
Guns scare the living crap out of me and I don't think anyone needs them, gun control has been proven to work in other countries.
My little brother starts school for the first time in September, and I'm going to have to explain to him what to do in case of shooting, and I'm going to have to fear for his safety every day that he goes into those doors.

Good news everyone!
His inner eyelids are no longer up and his breathing sounds really clear. He has also stopped coughing and sneezing!

I completely agree with you AzuraBlue. I'm getting a little fed up and frustrated with the riots against one thing or another without looking at the big picture and trying to change the mentality of the masses which fosters and creates these disparities.
 
I think one of the bigger issues than the sexual abuse or misogyny is the role of gender and the areas of the country (world) which still hold onto these ridiculous notions of what is it to be a man or a woman.
 
I grew up in the south and loved (still love) so many aspects of the culture there as far as speaking respectfully, allowing someone to communicate why they disagree with you (without being belittled) and even chivalry. On the flip side, I am continuously disappointed and enraged when I hear stories about the south trying to hinder marriage equality, women's rights and even those about good old fashion racism. This mind frame is toxic all equality and devalues everyone.
 
Until I met my current boyfriend (and baby's daddy) about five years ago, I thought that many of the issues you all have brought up were normal.
 
I developed (physically) very early and was made aware of it from a young age, when girls in class would accuse me of "stuffing" and the torment only grew through my school years.
 
With my southern sense of "not bringing attention to dirty details" and to not be a burden to my family or friends, I endured years of abuse from many men and women I met. In high school, I felt that the things that happened to me were deserved, that I somehow encouraged or asked for it. I was treated like a sl*t because I had a huge chest on a small frame (i'm 5'4''.) I got in trouble with teachers for being "out of dress code" because shirts did not fit me well and anything I wore was "exposing too much." I went through middle school and much of high school in men's shirts and long sleeve shirts (in Florida.)
 
I went through college and my young adult life in a haze of aggressive/possessive/psychotic men, overly touchy "friends" and constant stares/glares/whispers.
 
I was always the girl telling the "less endowed" how lucky they were to escape such attention, mockery and fear. I was the girl who would sleep with anyone because my chest took up too much room in my shirt and made my stomach show a little (even though I was actually very prudish.)
 
The fact that I was abused never dawned on me until I met my boyfriend and we started talking about our pasts. He is also a victim of abuse (even though he's 6'4'' and has been on the taller side most of his life) and does not remember much of his childhood. This campaign annoys me if only for the fact that he is excluded. He has been treated like a piece of meat throughout his life (he was very athletic and girls tried to use him, assuming he was a pig like most all-star athletes) and doesn't deserve to be lumped into a "all guys do this." I wouldn't have known or considered how much my past weighed on me and how poorly I had been treated or protected if I hadn't had him to give me the courage to confront it.
 
No one deserves this and I'm not sure how to really address it without a massive overhaul in the way we talk to each other and what we value as a society.
 
It has taken me these five years to start to address some of my own prejudices and fears. I still get nervous when I'm alone around a group of guys just as I still pack-rat food (from years of going hungry but another discussion altogether.) I still get stares from old men, still get comments from cocky young latinos, and it's even worse since I had my baby (as my cup size has doubled.)
 
I fear this has become a disheveled rant and I'm not sure if it's even coherent but I tried. The whole thing is very triggery for me but I'm use to it and I definitely fall into the "other people have it worse, I can deal with what happens to me" but now I have a baby and it's not ok. It's not alright for anyone to have to endure and it is a huge goal for me to make my son respectful and aware of to treat others and how we impact those around us. He's going to be a beast (in size) and I will not have him become a monster.

I have to admit that this is the first time I have scrolled further down than the Neopets Categories in the TDN Forum Topics.
 
Wow.
 
I don't quite know where the line is drawn so far as language/images so I will try to be respectful of the TDN rules...but, it seems to me that this is a subject that is more important than rules (so long as decorum is upheld).
 
Let's start with the fact that I am a guy.
 
I am in my 40's...so, while not from a generation where most believe a woman is a second-class citizen...I am also not of the most recent generations who (imo) have advanced even further in embracing the fact that women are not just 'not second-class', they are EQUAL and deserving of every respect.
 
The newer generations really do amaze me (and give me faith in humanity).
 
I am a son, a brother (with a baby sister...heh who is 29), and a husband. I have 3 nieces. My best friend of over 20 years is a strong woman. I have aunts, female cousins, female co-workers, female neighbors, and female clients.
 
TO A ONE...I know they have each dealt with bigotry and prejudice and misogyny. Because they are female.
 
It makes my heart ache.
It makes me angry.
It makes me feel guilty...for, if being absolutely honest with myself and everyone else, I am sure that I have in my life shown bigotry, shown prejudice, been misogynistic...whether with intent or not.
 
We can all do better...and we should...and if the arc of time is evidence, we shall.
But it takes awareness.
And it takes action.
And it takes speaking out.
And it takes being willing to learn...and to teach.
 
I am probably rambling a bit at this point...but, I just want to say that I support the Yes All Women movement (if that is the correct word) and support any effort to see a safer more fair world for all women.
 
Now, this is all fresh in my mind because of an image I saw recently.
I thought of my mother. My sister. My wife. My nieces. My best friend. My co-workers. My neighbors. My clients. I thought of all the wonderful amazing women I know and just wanted to weep.
 
I am going to post it here.. It is not meant to offend or to trigger.
 
It was so jaw-droppingly direct...and sad...that I thought some of y'all might want to see it and/or share it with others.
 
IF IT IS AGAINST SITE RULES PLEASE REMOVE IT WITH MY APOLOGIES.
 

I hope you can guess who Princesa_Anabell is right now :) I'm trying to improve her customization (maybe letting go of the Black Eye Shadow and using the Dark Faerie Eye Shadow). Also, if anyone has a Dark Magic Dress and wishes to trade, please contact me! Looking for it like there's no tomorrow...
 
Anyways, I still feel something is off about her. Any tips? I was thinking of adding more green, but... what?
 

whoa i didn't know you could rank up on break day !!! I spent that day we had after the 1st bracket slacking and lounging around !!!!
 
 
are you a robot ?

i love seeing tattoos on anyone no matter the age...they are stories...memories...i hope to get the other side of my chest done soon.

The law has gaps. Sometimes. Even often in some countries. I've heard that women tend to get significantly less jail time and countries like the UK the can force sex on a man and not be considered a rapist. Sometimes men get away with rape, sometimes people get away with murder even.
There was a case in my city a few years ago where a gang of 5 people ambushed a man, who was escorting his wife home through a little forest, since she was working late. They tortured them both all night, the man died on the spot and the woman died on her way to the hospital. The whole forest was covered in blood, it was scary. The murderers? They got only 10 years. So yeah, its' scary. But I know so little about law and how it works so I just say to myself "If you trust the court to find someone guilty, you should trust it when it finds someone innocent".

It's also possible that he wasn't abandoned by a human. My first foster litter was about that age or a tad younger and had terrible respiratory issues. They were to be put down that night because they were sick and I got em' just in the nick of time. My most recent was two sisters who were found together at 7 days old and I nursed them back to health (luckily I was working at a vet's office at the time so my anxiety was cheap.) We had little guys come in all the time that were found and the area didn't have many outdoor cats and there were plenty of places to take them, so maybe he's from a feral colony? I just hate to think his situation was due to human negligence.
 
He is lucky to have you, and I'm sure he'll clean up wonderfully! Seems like you have a good vet as well, it would have cost double that here to have everything checked out!
 
Does he have long hair? It seems his ears are fuzzy but I can't be sure.

My advice: wait until there is at least one game that you just can't live without for the PS4 and buy the machine then. That will give Sony time to work out all the first, second and third production run bugs. You might even get lucky on a price reduction by that time. First run is notoriously buggy since they're trying to rush them out for a deadline. Second run will be better, but they're still playing catch-up on all the orders that they couldn't fill from the pre-orders. Third run and later is your best bet for a really good machine. That's when they really hit their stride and they start putting in more memory or extra features and such. I've been asking around and there's all sorts of problems with the current batch. You can't play your own music files, videos, etc. They hope to have it fixed soon, but soon is a relative term. Soon to us gamers is yesterday. Soon to Sony is maybe next year. *shrug*
 
Personally, I'm waiting until Fallout 4 is released and will buy both it and a PS4 at the same time. It will be time to call in a delivery service for all my groceries and lock the front door for six to eight months because I'll be away in the Commonwealth (formerly known as Boston), blasting whatever mutated sickos are in the nuclear wastelands. My NeoPets will see me once a month, just long enough to put them in the NeoLodge. The only thing that would be worse is Elder Scrolls 6. No one will see me for at least two years if it's anything like ES5: Skyrim. :laughingsmiley:
 
Last word: XBox One is a machine I will never be buying for one really big reason (beside it's being Microsoft, which I hate): trust issues. Just because they promised not to put in all of the horrible things that scared gamers away before the launch date, it doesn't mean that they won't do it all in a forced upgrade down the road. In short, I don't trust the *bleeeeeeeeep*. (Insert your own angry expletive.) This is the kind of thing Microsoft is famous for. So far, Sony's been pretty up front and honest. They really do listen to their customers and they don't try and stick us with stuff we don't want. (My only complaint is no backwards compatibility.) They even cut the price right out of the starting gate. That makes them the console war winners in my book. Microsoft will have to pretty much give me a free XBox one before I'll own it. :thumbsdown:
 
(Sorry for the long post.)

There have been many incidents in real life where a father and other family members have had to turn in a relative for their criminal behaviour. In many cases, it's a mother turning in her son for drug dealing, but there's been a few times when it's a father turning in a rapist son or a murderer. It's so extremely sad, but it happens. My heart breaks for the family, since they did everything that they could to raise this person right yet somehow, everything went pear-shaped with this child and they just turned out wrong.
 
 
You've been very lucky that you've not been in this situation. I have to admit that aside from the intensive bullying I experienced when I was young, I've never been in that situation either. (Online gaming is a completely different issue and I've been run off sites by aggressive males for years - as a result, I don't ever do online gaming except for NeoPets, and even there, I have no NeoFriends because I'm scared that it will happen again.) It doesn't mean, though, that we need to ignore it because it is all around us. I just saw a husband bullying his wife and daughter just yesterday. I was in a Wendy's restaurant and the little girl, maybe all of 2 years old, was acting out. He came within an inch of smacking her as well as his wife for not controlling the child better. His language was very abusive and it sounded like there was a distinct possibility of violence when they got home. There were three other people around who were on their cellphones to the police. I'd have made it four if I had one. (Phone plans are way too expensive in Canada.)
 
The world is far from a perfect place. It would be awesome if we could fix everyone in the world and get them all on the same peaceful and well-behaved page, but there's a problem with even a lovely thought like that: who determines what that standard is? Sure, I'd love to be the one, but I would take every abusive person on the planet that can't be "corrected" and drop them on Jupiter without an oxygen tank. They'd think I was the abuser, wouldn't they? They'd be right, too. My views are probably way too harsh for some and not nearly hard enough for others. So who would get to decide? The simple answer is no one person should ever weild that kind of power. Which is why civilized nations work together to try and oust dictators when possible. Not that we do a good job of putting in something better, but at least we make the effort to try and help the people who are being crushed under the ego of a single dictator.
 
Getting back to the main topic, though.... I truly believe that starting this newest generation of kids on the right path is the only lasting answer. If we can somehow get past the "me" generations to one that thinks of those around them, has been taught common courtesy and manners, a generation that understands that we all need to get along with one another and work co-operatively for a better place for all living things.... then there really will be hope for the future. What we have now is largely selfish and self-absorbed, can't grasp the simple concepts of politeness and kindness, and enjoys a consumer-based lifestyle where everything is immediate gratification. A world of built-in obsolescence with no quality of manufacture. This leads to people growing increasingly frustrated with their life because there's nothing to have any pride in anymore. Which then leads to people lashing out at those around them and a need to dominate something since they can't control the spiral of consumerism. This brings us full circle to the problem of people (usually women) being oppressed and those responsible for it.
 
Last words, I promise. I still come back to the principal that it's all a form a bullying. Women bashing, men bashing, gay bashing, race bashing..... all of it. Why do we do it? I hate to say it, but it's half instinctual as part of the survival mechanism. The other half is learned behaviour. We can't do much at all about instinct, but we can break the other half of the cycle if we really want to. This takes education and a force of will. We need to start with children and teach them not to hate. This is done almost entirely by example. They watch us. We have to act right or they learn the same old bad habits that we learned from our parents. WE have to break the cycle.

Just a quick word of concurrence with AzuraBlue and an example. Marissa Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in jail for firing a warning shot at her estranged husband who abused her for years. He trapped her in the house and she shot in his direction, harming no one. She got a retrial after it became known that the judge told the jury that she had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that her husband beat her. IF CONVICTED AGAIN: she could be faced with THREE 20 year sentences. She is a black woman.
 
Compare this to how the Treyvon Martin case was handled and it's outcome. Zimmerman (not white but viewed as such in the news and to the general public) was found not guilty. He was allowed to use the "stand your ground" defense while Alexander, was not.
 
Being from Florida I know that they are, for the most part, an exception rather than the rule but, it happens more often than is acceptable.
 
Casey Anthony is another example but of a white woman (whom I was an acquaintance in high school) getting the better of the court system despite the obvious fact that she was guilty. This one I would throw more to police incompetence, regrettably.

Hey everyone!
 
 
I have decided to shave my head to raise money for a charity that's doing some very important work. The charity is World Child Cancer, and they provide treatment and pain relief for children suffering with cancer in developing countries.
I really hope to raise over a thousands pounds, but for the moment the target is set at five hundred as I don't have a facebook and don't have any friends in the area that I've recently moved to - so you guys are my only hope!
 
I will be making a video next week to post here so you guys can see me, and I'll talk about the charity in a bit more detail as well. I'll also be videoing my hair being shaved off! This hair will then be donated to The Little Princess Trust who provide real-hair wigs for children that have lost their hair through cancer treatment and other illnesses.
 
This is the link to my donation page: http://www.justgiving.com/Shannon-Lambert (and yes my real name is Shannon :P)
**Even if you don't plan on donating, please click this page and share it with your facebook friends, it would really help a lot**
 
Every single penny goes to World Child Cancer.
 
Please check out their website: http://www.worldchildcancer.org/
And The Little Princess Trust: http://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/
 
These causes are so, so important, and I would be so grateful if you would help me to support them. Anything you can give would be amazing.
 
Thanks so much. Love you all x

With regards to the Not All Men thing--
 
When we bash "Not All Men", it's NOT when the "not all men" thing was used in response to grouping all men with murderers. If someone calls you a murderer just because you're a man, you're free to use the argument. But that's not how it's being used. It seems a woman cannot have a conversation about rape, or about anything without some man taking things personally.
 
Case in point:
Woman: I feel really uncomfortable when I'm walking to the bus stop and men catcall me.
Man: I'm sorry SOME MEN do that to you, but you have to understand that not all men do that. It hurts my feelings that you said all men say that.
 
Notice that in the example I mentioned above, it does not say it is all men. It just says that the woman doesn't like it when it happens.
 
This was a made-up example, but I remember a case where a guy had fired a woman because he said he couldn't control himself around her. One woman said "If a man cannot control himself around women, what's to stop him from raping his patients?" TWENTY MEN jumped down her throat for not specifying that she was talking about one man. She then got a bunch of rape threats for having said it--from the very men who claimed that not all men are rapists.
 
Not All Men derails conversations, period. Nobody thinks it's all men, so it's a pointless argument that takes the focus off of actual victims. To even HAVE the "not all men" conversation is demeaning to the intelligences of men and women alike.

Okay, I personally don't like to use the word "patriarchy." But this still bugs me. First of all, he assumes that voters have the power in this country. But what actually drives who wins elections in this country are endorsements and financial backing -- and it's much harder for a woman to get those than a man. In addition, most government officials are not voted in, actually -- they're appointed (it varies by state, of course). And I love how he disproves his own point: "Women are not ridiculed if they go into politics -- except for these two women I'm going to ridicule right now!" I've seen it countless times, and study after study has shown that men are attacked for their ideas, and women are attacked for their person (often their appearance, but also their intellect and personality -- I can think of at least one female-specific insult for lack of intelligence, but no equivalent that is only used for men). (Psst. The queen is not a political figure. And not everyone loves her.)
 
And I haven't even touched on the gender roles inherent in society that make it much less likely for a woman to go into politics. (Because in most places, it's really hard for someone not in a traditional marriage to get elected, and women still bear more of the household and child-rearing responsibilities in the majority of households.)
 
Even putting all the above aside, blaming women for not electing women is silly. In the vast majority (if not all) voting districts, women are only a slight majority of voters, and they're going to vote based on how familiar they are with a candidate, how likely they think that candidate is to win (most people would rather vote for one of the top 1-2 candidates rather than "throwing their vote away"), and candidates' positions on issues they care about. Candidates with more money, endorsements, and air time are almost always going to win.
 
tl;dr: There are a myriad of reasons why women are so vastly underrepresented in government, many of which have to do with how genders are perceived in society. To blame it on "women not wanting to run" is ridiculous.
 
Women control household spending because they do the majority of the household shopping -- because they do the majority of household chores, losing 500-750 hours a year, on average, compared to men. That's in modern society, across a wide socioeconomic spectrum.
 
I followed the link to the source on this one, and he really cherry-picked his statistics. The "source" was not so much a source of actual fact as a very biased twisting of facts to tell the story they wanted to tell. For several of their wealth and income statistics, they mentioned women controlling 40% and were like "see, that's nearly equal!" Except for the fact that if women have 40%, men have 60%, which is 50% more than the women have -- and they even point out that the reason women have more is because there are more women, especially older women (wealth accumulates with age) -- so that the average woman has an even smaller slice of the woman's pie than the average man has of the man's pie -- even though the woman's pie is much smaller to begin with. And for some of the other statistics, they were like "68% of woman have some or all of the responsibility for this -- they're in control!" -- except that they don't break it down by what percentage is shared, so that men could have just as much -- or even more -- responsibility. At any rate, 51.3% of the wealth being controlled by women means that the average man still has more wealth than the average woman (since women make up more than 51.3% of the adult population).
 
I can't remember whether I read it on this guy's site or one of the comments here, but someone made the argument that the pay disparity for men and women doing the same job is very small now -- only like 2% (which is still a pretty big difference -- especially as it multiplies over time; if you could save 2% of your income from when you first started working until you retired, you'd have a huge nest egg). More importantly, women don't get the same advancement opportunities as men, so the pay gap still exists. Not only is the glass ceiling still a very real thing, a recent study (I heard this on NPR, so I don't have a citation) determined that the high-risk management jobs (leading a company out of bankruptcy, or through a merger, or just through a tough time, which carry a much higher risk of being fired) went disproportionately to minority and women managers. While further research needs to be done, based on a number of factors in the study, the authors concluded that it's not that women and minorities want these higher risk jobs, it's that those are the only upper management jobs they can get -- and so they're willing to take that risk to break through the glass ceiling. But white men have other opportunities, so they don't have to take the risk -- and so they don't.
 
tl;dr: Women control household spending because they spend significantly more time doing household duties. The average woman has less wealth than the average man, and makes substantially less over her lifetime.
 
I'll concede his points on the legal system, custody cases, and education (though I think part of that is that men have more opportunities outside of higher education). But this topic was created to talk about one specific women's issue. It's not called "Yes All Men." I think it's better to talk about other issues in a separate topic.
 
Feminism is kind of like Christianity -- there are many different schools of thought, and so some of them are going to conflict with one another. Just as most Christians denounce that family's church in Kansas that protests at funerals (I don't want to increase their search engine hits by naming them), I find most feminists denounce various radical branches of feminism (the "man-haters," as you call them). But many feminists, like you, won't even call themselves that because they want to distance themselves from that group. I personally refuse to allow them to usurp the term. When I call myself a feminist, that doesn't mean I have to ascribe to every belief that a few vocal "feminists" have (and yes, I do believe that they're a small minority -- they're just a very vocal minority, and they get a lot more bandwidth than the mostly silent majority -- it's tiring to be asked to defend things you don't believe, or told that you're not actually a feminist because you don't believe that extreme thing).
 
I don't think that last "conflict" you mentioned is necessarily a conflict. A woman can be "strong" enough to live independently -- it's not like everyday living really requires brute strength -- and still be weaker than the average man. Even if she's stronger than most men, she'll still be weaker than some men. And anyone (of any gender) with a weapon changes that balance. I'm fairly strong; I'm totally independent. But I'm still cautious. Because some men try to harm women. Which is what this topic was supposed to be about.

There have been many times when I've found myself saying "all men are pigs" and so on. I've had to stop a second later and remind myself of the thousands of times that I've seen just as disgusting behaviour displayed by women. This is a universal problem. Not only that, but I've had to remember that I've personally known some truly chivalrous men who would literally jump into traffic if they needed to, not because they were showing off or it was their job, but because they were genuinely brave and willing to put themselves in harm's way to help someone who needed it. To help a man or women, it didn't matter which. They were simply raised right. It's such a shame that in all my 50 years, I can count the number of people like that on one hand and have fingers left over, yet there's not enough fingers and toes in my hometown to count the number of nasty, self-centered, and viciously narrow-minded people I've met within just the last decade. The problem just keeps getting worse and that's because no one's taking the time to be proper parents anymore and actually teach values to their children.
 
No, I don't mean religious values. I mean simple, plain ethics and common sense. It may have been attributed to the Bible, but what about "do unto others as you would have others do unto you"? Pretty simple and sensible. If you don't like being harassed and assaulted, why on Earth would you think that the person you're doing it to would enjoy it? The trick is to start teaching this to children when they're just starting out. Pre-schoolers and earlier if possible. As soon as they're starting to talk, start getting it into their heads that being nice is good and being mean is bad. Simple. Once you get that generation out into the world and thinking right, it should all start to fall into place. *crossing fingers* It begins with the very young because the older they are, the harder it is to teach them right from wrong. This generation is already pretty much shot, sad to say. (Thanks to the Yuppie generation, unfortunately.) They are all "me, me, me; gimme, gimme, gimme" and care little for anyone else.
 
Of course, there are exceptions and I'm not tarring everyone with the same brush. I'm also not trying to preach to anyone and tell them what to do. I'm merely sitting here and seeing a problem and offering a possible solution from my point of view. Teach the little ones that all colours are beautiful, that all people have value, and that it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl or someone who prefers the "company of their own gender" - ALL bullying and hate is wrong and needs to be stopped. Fat, thin, tall, short... none of that matters - there is beauty in being different. Find peaceful ways to resolve issues. Make friends, not enemies. Agree to disagree. Keep an open mind. For those who are in a religious frame of mind (not me, but I see where you're coming from): "those who are without sin: cast the first stone". Plain and simple logical ethics.
 
(Sorry again: Long winded. Preachy sounding. Meant no offense to anyone that might someone get the wrong idea. I never know when to shut up. *lol*)
 
Peace to all.

I completely agree with you AzuraBlue. I'm getting a little fed up and frustrated with the riots against one thing or another without looking at the big picture and trying to change the mentality of the masses which fosters and creates these disparities.
 
I think one of the bigger issues than the sexual abuse or misogyny is the role of gender and the areas of the country (world) which still hold onto these ridiculous notions of what is it to be a man or a woman.
 
I grew up in the south and loved (still love) so many aspects of the culture there as far as speaking respectfully, allowing someone to communicate why they disagree with you (without being belittled) and even chivalry. On the flip side, I am continuously disappointed and enraged when I hear stories about the south trying to hinder marriage equality, women's rights and even those about good old fashion racism. This mind frame is toxic all equality and devalues everyone.
 
Until I met my current boyfriend (and baby's daddy) about five years ago, I thought that many of the issues you all have brought up were normal.
 
I developed (physically) very early and was made aware of it from a young age, when girls in class would accuse me of "stuffing" and the torment only grew through my school years.
 
With my southern sense of "not bringing attention to dirty details" and to not be a burden to my family or friends, I endured years of abuse from many men and women I met. In high school, I felt that the things that happened to me were deserved, that I somehow encouraged or asked for it. I was treated like a sl*t because I had a huge chest on a small frame (i'm 5'4''.) I got in trouble with teachers for being "out of dress code" because shirts did not fit me well and anything I wore was "exposing too much." I went through middle school and much of high school in men's shirts and long sleeve shirts (in Florida.)
 
I went through college and my young adult life in a haze of aggressive/possessive/psychotic men, overly touchy "friends" and constant stares/glares/whispers.
 
I was always the girl telling the "less endowed" how lucky they were to escape such attention, mockery and fear. I was the girl who would sleep with anyone because my chest took up too much room in my shirt and made my stomach show a little (even though I was actually very prudish.)
 
The fact that I was abused never dawned on me until I met my boyfriend and we started talking about our pasts. He is also a victim of abuse (even though he's 6'4'' and has been on the taller side most of his life) and does not remember much of his childhood. This campaign annoys me if only for the fact that he is excluded. He has been treated like a piece of meat throughout his life (he was very athletic and girls tried to use him, assuming he was a pig like most all-star athletes) and doesn't deserve to be lumped into a "all guys do this." I wouldn't have known or considered how much my past weighed on me and how poorly I had been treated or protected if I hadn't had him to give me the courage to confront it.
 
No one deserves this and I'm not sure how to really address it without a massive overhaul in the way we talk to each other and what we value as a society.
 
It has taken me these five years to start to address some of my own prejudices and fears. I still get nervous when I'm alone around a group of guys just as I still pack-rat food (from years of going hungry but another discussion altogether.) I still get stares from old men, still get comments from cocky young latinos, and it's even worse since I had my baby (as my cup size has doubled.)
 
I fear this has become a disheveled rant and I'm not sure if it's even coherent but I tried. The whole thing is very triggery for me but I'm use to it and I definitely fall into the "other people have it worse, I can deal with what happens to me" but now I have a baby and it's not ok. It's not alright for anyone to have to endure and it is a huge goal for me to make my son respectful and aware of to treat others and how we impact those around us. He's going to be a beast (in size) and I will not have him become a monster.

I think you have quite a point. It does start alarmingly young and it is ingrained very young to turn on our own gender. How often do you hear about friendships spanning a decade or more, coming to a bitter end over a guy. It's ridiculous. Also, I know of many young boys who play this sort of "game" with "dating" girls and dumping them almost weekly. I'm completely against anyone dating that young, even in jest and am horrendously offended that these parents do not correct such behavior. As if girls were a toy to throw away and buy a new one when you get bored. It could definitely contribute to adults behaving in such a manner. Not that girls don't do the same mind you.

I think you have quite a point. It does start alarmingly young and it is ingrained very young to turn on our own gender. How often do you hear about friendships spanning a decade or more, coming to a bitter end over a guy. It's ridiculous. Also, I know of many young boys who play this sort of "game" with "dating" girls and dumping them almost weekly. I'm completely against anyone dating that young, even in jest and am horrendously offended that these parents do not correct such behavior. As if girls were a toy to throw away and buy a new one when you get bored. It could definitely contribute to adults behaving in such a manner. Not that girls don't do the same mind you.

On the main Altador Cup page on Neopets, where it shows your current matchup, your game counter stats, etc...you can click on your rank and it'll show you how many games you must play to get the next level. Or you can use the rank calculator on TDN's Altador Cup page.

Since we're all baring our souls here, I suppose that I might as well admit somethng I never really have before. I used to be envious of the attention that pretty girls get. I was never a part of the cliques, never one of the "in crowd", never one of the "pretty, popular girls". I was the picked on, bullied fat girl that no one liked... and I mean no one. I had all of one friend in school and we weren't close. I admit that I was very jealous of all the pretty girls and all the attention that they always got. I was never whistled at, never paid compliments by the boys.... (wow, this is hard to say).... and I was always left out of everything. So when I started hearing about harassment cases and such, I admit that I blew it off for the most part.
 
Now, remember that this was when I was young. I'm not anymore and I see it completely differently now, through far more mature eyes. It wasn't for a long time, however, before I saw sexual harassment for the curse that it is. It took seeing it as another form of what I had been going through my entire life. Years and years of bullying and so desperately wanting to be a part of something, yet always being rejected. This is no different. Every time someone smirks at you in the hallway or says something nasty behind your back... every time a post is made online that cuts someone mentally and emotionally.... it's all a part of the same thing. The sad part is that we're all guilty of it. No one is a saint. We've all seen someone somewhere and done something or said something nasty, without thinkiing about how that person really feels. It could have been when still a child and not knowing better.... or it could have been this morning while reading a post on a news site and commenting on some celebrity's dress.
 
The campaign we're here to discuss might be about the inequality of women in our society and how it needs to change, but it should be bigger than that. It should be a fight against bullying and hate in all its myriad forms. Some men grossly mistreat women. Some women do the same to other women. Why is it any less wrong when women cyberbully other women with nasty words and photos? The answer is that it isn't. It's ALL wrong. The problem is our society is geared towards a cult of the young and the beautiful and the wealthy. They are the only people of value and the rest of us are nothing more than trash that feeds their egos. This attitude is what needs to change. ALL people have value. Men need to see this. Women need to see this. Children need to see this. Stop ALL of it, not just the flavour of the month.
 
(Again.... more apologies: long winded post, sounding like I'm preaching, etc. etc.)

I dislike any plot or event where you're almost required to play excessively to get anything. I liked the Obelisk plot but again, there were people I talked to who gave me a bit of grief for only being at 100 fights when they had 2000+ (I was also trying to train my BD pet at this time so I wasn't as helpful.) I'm have A.D.D. issues anyway and without a super fast internet connection and top of the line computer/upgrades, it was a lot of hassle to get there.
 
Neopets as a whole bothers me with the amount of rampant cheating. In theory it seems like you could keep a handle on it (in the AC at least) if they just linked IP addresses to new accounts created during this time (or a few months prior) or just didn't allow new players to compete/go past a certain level... at least not without raising serious flags. I'm not sure how they have it set up and what they can actually monitor but being able to rely on greater support from the honest players seems like it would help.
 
If I were them, I'd probably just ban accounts with known activity on "cheating" sites. I'm not very democratic sometimes I guess.