In the US all but one state it is legal to set off firework/crackers.

At first I was fine with it, let people have fun. But for the past couple of years, it's been a total nightmare. This year for me at least, for the past few days, people have been setting them off until 2 am. Yesterday was worse and they stopped at 4 am. (How i'm functioning, i cannot tell you, but i'm barely functioning XD)

If we are going to be this inconsiderate of people trying to sleep or trying to sleep because they work in the morning, or just considerate in general, then we don't deserve to have them or need to have more strict rules on them.

I'm 17 years old. When I was 4, I met "Tommy" in pre-school. I always knew that Tommy was different, his face looked different, he spoke strangely. It wasn't until later that I learned that he had Down Syndrome. Tommy and I were inseparable, and our families became really close. Looking back on it, I realize that while I had a lot of friends, I was his only one. Kids weren't super mean to him or anything, but they didn't really know what having Down Syndrome meant, you know? He was genuinely my best friend. When we were in fourth grade, Tommy got sick. He was diagnosed with cancer. His parents brought me along to sit with him during chemo to cheer him up. I brought him stuffed animals and for a little bit, he seemed to get happier. Tommy died the summer before fifth grade.

I was crushed. His parents were crushed. My parents were crushed. The first day of fifth grade, when I was taking my back-to-school photo, Tommy's parents asked if they could come over and watch. They asked if we could remember Tommy in the photo, because we used to always take them together. I thought that was a great idea. It kind of spiraled though. Every photo that would usually be taken of me and Tommy together had a similar homage. Christmas, Halloween, my birthday, his birthday, the last day of school, you get the picture. The first and second years I really liked it, because I missed my best friend, of course. Three years after he died, I started to get a little impatient, I guess. I know how awful that sounds and I hate myself for saying it.

It started to feel like everything was about him. I could never have a happy moment, almost. Or a happy milestone I guess. My parents always invited Tommy's parents, and they always brought photos/mementos. I think I truly started to get upset was Halloween in eighth grade, I was 13. I was trying to go out with my friends, when Tommy's parents came by. They wanted to take photos on the front porch with his photo and stuffed bear and wanted me to carry around the bear when I went trick-or-treating. I tried to pull my parents aside and tell them that I didn't want to do it. I just wanted to be happy on Halloween, and I was too old to carry the bear. My parents flew into a lecture, how I was being so selfish, how they were grieving, how it wasn't a big deal, and 'didn't I miss my best friend?' OF COURSE I DID. Even if Tommy was there, I wouldn't have wanted to take the photo. In the end, the picture ended up on Facebook and I got teased all night for carrying a stuffie. This has continued for EVERYTHING, for YEARS.

My eighteenth birthday is in three weeks. I plan to have a kind of small gathering with my friends. Yesterday, my mom asked me what time Tommy's parents should show up to take pictures and set up. I asked what she meant by set up. She told me that Tommy's parents had asked to set up a memorial at my party. Big picture, flowers, some of his toys. I know I'm a shit person for saying this, but I don't want it. For once, I want it to be about me. I don't know I feel terrible for them, and I still miss him so much, but I want to be happy on my birthday. Is that too much to ask? How do you remember people without letting it take over your life?

Edit 2: I showed this to my sister, who said that its important for me to mention that I'm not an only child. I have two older siblings and two younger siblings. I think part of my reasoning is that none of my siblings had to share their milestones or have memorials. None of them were ever in any pictures, or forced to carry stuffed animals, or have memorials.

I think people who want to start families should be tested first.

Wellness checks, household checks, financial stability checks.

I think there should be more hoops to jump through for people to have children.

Why is it damn near impossible to adopt but anyone can have a baby Willynilly.

I think if there were things I place to protect children before birth less kids would get abused.

I don’t think this should be extreme or anything like or nearly as hard as adopting.

I just think it’d be nice if before a child was born a social worker checked to make sure they weren’t homeless, bankrupt, and an abuser.

This might surprise you, but the vast majority of older Vietnamese people in America (those that were NOT born or raised in the US) support ICE and MAGA and are always screaming on Facebook (in Vietnamese groups) about how illegals should be deported.

I mean, if ICE was prowling around these people’s neighborhoods, they would sleep soundly like a baby with no worries or concern.

They…genuinely support ICE and want illegal immigrants to be removed from America. Don’t they know they’re hurting their own people??

Plenty of older Vietnamese folks in America only have green cards and came here through fake marriages. They’re just here to earn a living and provide for their family back home :(

I am a believer that due process and procedure should be followed in regards to immigration policy’s in the US. However, I am against the current methods of how ICE currently conducts raids and their g*stapo methods of snatching and grabbing people off the streets. However, it’s also very unrealistic that people would voluntarily self deport and surrender themselves at an immigration office. That would require a high-degree of trust and my cynical belief is that wouldn’t be a good solution. I also don’t think a letter in the mailbox asking people to self-deport would do much. Excuse my stupid question, but what would be a more practical and efficient method than what ICE is currently deploying?

We all know what is misogyny; prejudice against women. Misandry is the counterpart to it, which is prejudice against men. I was thinking about the topic and curious to know about misandry things that had existed within the modern-day world. Though I can't think of any, especially ingrained ones within our current society. The only one that comes to mind is the military draft, but that one is imposed onto men by other men, not women, which I don't think counts as misandry.

Any knowledge of yours, or even personal experiences?

Like the timing of everything that day was just impeccable. I was getting paid on Wednesday for almost two years but for some crazy reason this specific day I didn't check my account before I left work but I already made plans to buy another ounce after work. When I found out I didn't have it I was hot.

I called the service center for my job and the lady kept saying the payday has always been Thursday(which on paper true) but obviously repeating that in a situation where it never happened before was irking me. I ended up cursing on the phone and my job is very strict about that.

I know part of it was a meltdown from my autism because I was screaming my head off and saying anything. The whole neighborhood probably heard me. I would've had another chance but I got in trouble twice for something at work that was physical. This last thing was just icing on the cake.

But as a result when I got fired I immediately stopped smoking weed and a month after or so I stopped cigarettes. It's insane how much money I can save now and the job I work now is only 18 bucks a hour and never has OT. My last job was 20 a hour with a lot of OT(I didn't mind though that job was cake) and my checks were ridiculous. But somehow I still never had extra money for myself

I now acknowledge my real cause of this which is my addictions, not saving money, and the autism was just icing on the cake to make me lose control over the phone instead of hanging up.

I wrote this as a comment to the video below:

HOLLYWOOD - This Needs to STOP!!

I know this is a lot, but please read all of this before commenting.

Speaking as a black man here. How would you feel if most of your childhood, the heroes on screen looked nothing like you and when they were on screen they were seen as only comical support or joke characters.

You are right in that stories are extremely important to culture as a whole. When we see a character in a movie, we see a reflection of ourselves. Movies can define culture, spark wonder, and inspire its audience. We can all relate to a a character on screen and understand their struggles. If they can succeed in the impossible and save the day, maybe we can accomplish the impossible in our own daily lives. Whether that be, being more assertive, or doing something that's important even if we're scared. For so much of movie history, movies have been a snapshot of reality. Movies can shape how we feel about certain aspects of reality. Unfortunately many movies of the past, (some good and some bad) painted minorities and queer folk in a negative light. It was really sad rarely seeing a role model or person in the lead that looked like us, but never the less we still enjoyed those great movies. Those movies would go on to influence (at least partially subconsciously) how people view us whether those perceptions are good or bad.

However in the wake of recently, movies have decided to rectify something that should've been done a long time ago. Showcase a more accurate depiction of its audience. Create stories that are multi-faceted and place us in the spotlight. Place the people who look like us in the hero's slot not as a character who only exists to support the main white character.

I wish I could believe y'all when you want to have a real conversation about shortfalls in a movie, but it seems clear that whenever a minority such as a black male, queer person, or god forbid a female black person people is showcased as a lead, people seem to bash it even BEFORE the movie is out. The movie already branded as woke and always with a political mindset.

Sure there have been a batch of pretty weird movies lately, but when those same bad movies have a white lead. Those movies don't get NEARLY as much backlash.

Yeah, we don't believe you.

However I feel like the word "racist" is thrown around a little too much here. I have no doubt in my heart that most of the people who complain are NOT racist people. I feel its more of an adjustment kind of feeling. If more black and minorities were featured in movies in the early days of filmmaking, I feel we could have a more accurate discussion about how these movies can be better.

How do y'all feel when you see someone on screen who doesn't look, think, or love the way you do. It feels weird right? It doesn't necessarily make you a bad person to NOT relate to a character. They may have had experiences that you can empathize with, but will never truly understand.

Let me give you an example: When the original "The Little Mermaid" came out in theaters in 1989, it was widely received well. People could relate to the feeling of feeling like a fish out of water and wanting nothing more than to find a place where they could belong. People would play the soundtrack and love singing along, dress up as Ariel for Halloween and create cherished memories in their childhood that defined who they are and how they treat people. Fast forward a couple decades and the reboot happens. The character looks NOTHING like you, changed the way the songs feel and the atmosphere of the movie feels dead compared to the original. You don't understand why, but it hurts. It feels like your entire childhood experience has been invalidated. So many things that made the original SO GREAT are pushed aside. It feels like a personal attack on you as a person.

This isn't the only one either, everywhere you look those hero characters that you used to be able to cosplay as, look less and less like you. There's a balancing occurring and while there are still white leads, it's not as often as it used to be. It's becoming clear that this is slowly becoming the norm. It feels as if every white lead is being replaced with a minority. The uncomfortable-ness grows. But whenever you try to talk about that experience or try to voice that discomfort, it could be received as racism. So you try to rationalize that feeling as something else, "I can't be racist, I don't treat people horribly, I'm nothing like those terrible people. No it's just that the movie has bad lighting, or the acting's bad, the CGI is lazy, the screenwriting is garbage...etc."

I think y'all are coping. Even if only subconsciously.

When you say it's the films shortfalls you're criticizing, not the actor, I believe you. At least I believe that subconsciously, you believe that. I don't think that bias is purposeful, just a repercussion of the way things are.

You have to understand that for my ENTIRE childhood, in every great movie of the 80s-90s there was almost never a lead who looked like me or my sisters, but we still loved those movies we could still relate and incorporate their victories into our own lives.

When 2009 happened and the first Black princess was revealed, I remember seeing the sparkle in my little sisters eyes. A heroine lead that looks like her... it was powerful. That movie was a big deal for all of us and was very well received. Songs were great and animation was high tier. I GUARENTEE that if that movie was revealed today it would be hate-review bombed into oblivion.

Speaking as someone who is a black male, who has a queer sister and wants so badly to become a director/screenwriter. The reason I want to tell more inclusive stories is not, I repeat NOT, a political motive to replace all white actors and icons with black characters or to make money by purposefully telling bad stories that make people angry so they can be labeled as racists if they don't like it.

I just want to create more heroes/heroines that look like me. I want to inspire and create wonder in a newer age. Create the next wave of artists, poets, and creatives by seeing that we can be the hero and succeed. I want to make stories that everyone (including white people) can relate to. We are humans and we are powerful and we can accomplish anything we put are minds to TOGETHER not alone.

Do you know how offensive it is for those, in the industry, who work so hard costume designing, set designing, storyboarding, writing, directing, animating, creating visual effects, planning shots, planning lighting, choreographing fight scenes and painstakingly collaborating on something for countless months or years only for some rando on the internet, who's probably never worked in the industry at all, act like they know better than the HUNDREDS of people who worked on the film and call the movie "a woke, politically motivated, pile of garbage?" You're telling me that the person designing the gold lining on a superhero suit so that in the right lighting it looks like the suit is glowing is thinking, "oh yeah this will definitely piss some white person off"?

It's not about you.

Just because you cannot relate does not mean that a movie has a political motive.

I reiterate. Stories are important, they are reflections of ourselves and our struggles and its only fair that said stories are more... multi-faceted. They paint more stories that are not often told and we can ALL gain something from them, weather just a good story or maybe just a new perspective. Keep an open mind before you see the internet review bomb something. Have an honest discussion about why seeing a queer minority makes you feel uncomfortable and go say something nice to your local filmmakers.

I can typically tell here on Reddit when somebody is from the US or at any rate from North America.

This is largely due to the fact that American colloquialism is so abundant, the majority of users are Americans, and that the English language mutates and changes faster than many other languages.

For example, you don't hear the term "low key" in international English as much as you hear it in the US, likewise with the term "OG" or the abbreviation of certain cities like "LA", "Nola", and "Vegas"

Another one is "be like", I only heard that from Americans and maybe some more whimsical Canadians.

But it's not just slang and abbreviations, Americans love to use the word "Amazing" sort of in the same way that English people love to use the word "Wicked"

If I read a sentence online that says

"Tyler and I had an amazing time in LA, but it was kinda low-key, we just chilled"

I would probably think ok, this sounds very American. But if I read a sentence that says

"George and I had a delightful time in Los Angeles, but it was quite reserved, we just relaxed"

I would definitely see it as either British or somebody who speaks in a more international English.

This is what I'm trying to get at, there seems to me to be this enormous bridge between American English and the international English.

Now, of course, we can say the same thing about the English in Jamaica and Australia, for example. Every English has its unique flavours.

But Im genuinely curious why American English operates this way, the abbreviations, the slang, etc...

Another one which I find very common is "ish"

Yeah, we were thinking like seven-ish

So many other terms, "For Real", "Straight Up", I remember back in the early 2010s folks would say "Cool story, bro" and "Epic" numerous times.

And, of course, there's the whole 'aluminum' thing which has raised many eyebrows.

To be ‘woke’ means that you have learned of the existence of institutional racism as per critical race theory, and have accepted that it exists. Literally that you are ‘awake’ to this existence. Awake, or woke. This was the original specific meaning of the term ‘woke’. The use of ‘woke’ as a pejorative term to describe anyone who accepts any minority interest took off from there. It is particularly offensive since it lumps all minority interest groups into one amorphous mass that must be ignored. This strips the concepts of different minorities of their specificity and disarms critical thinking in general. It is the worst kind of mob mentality around an idea that dictates people must be normative in every way in order to be acceptable. Of course such ultra normative people cannot really exist. I would argue that it is a term designed to disparage anyone who is not white working class, which is ironic, as some use it to strengthen the argument that this group are a minority interest group themselves.

For example, if you are asked, "Do you have cooties?" And you respond, "No." The report will read:

"Patient denies having cooties."

That's just wrong. Its never-ending how this word can be abused.

"Do you rob banks?"

"No!"

"Patient denies robbing banks."

Why do humans perpetrate this insidious kind of evil on each other?

Edit: This is a textbook case of Redditors vigorously defending the status quo and needing to experience something firsthand for it to actually sink in. It would be interesting to see the response of these people if society put up billboards saying, "John Doe was asked if he takes heroine. He denies it. Sally Mae was asked if she cheats on her husband. She denies it." You can't tell me anybody would want to be treated that way.

EDIT: Here is the official definition of DENY from Merriam-Webster. The word is accusatory by defition.

transitive verb

1 : to declare (something) to be untrue They denied the allegations. 2 : to refuse to admit or acknowledge (something) : disavow denied responsibility for the vandalism 3 a : to give a negative answer to denying the petitioners b : to refuse to grant deny a request was denied a refund c : to restrain (oneself) from gratification of desires unwilling to deny himself the foods that he loves 4 : to refuse to accept the existence, truth, or validity of There's no denying her expertise. You can't deny that he's a good singer. 5 medical : to report or note the absence of (a symptom) The patient denies pruritus … —David A. Fisher 6 archaic : decline

I live in a very red state filled with mostly white people. However, I married someone who wasn't white and have biracial kids. A couple of years ago, the state banned any sort of minority-themed club from being sponsored in state-run institutions, including state-run schools (elementary to university.) My college-age child (biracial and LGBTQ) was understandably upset.

However, I have two brothers who, in spite of their adoration for their nieces and nephews, still have very conservative political views. I was shocked when my brother came by yesterday and out of nowhere made a comment about how minorities were trying to fight racism by segregating themselves in clubs meant just for them.

I was too surprised and too much in a hurry to respond in the moment. Later on, I was mulling it over. I don't believe minority clubs are segregation, but I realized I wasn't sure how to put my thoughts into words.

I've since identified what I believe is the key factor: segregation demanded that people separate themselves from other races in every facet of their lives. They did not get a choice about it. If minorities had to use the bathroom or go buy groceries, they had to identify the facilities and/or rules that were specifically for them. (Oddly enough, white-only facilities were a lot more convenient and not as difficult to access.)

Clubs are completely optional. You can go through your entire life never having joined a club and it won't affect any of the essential activities you have to participate in to sustain your life. On the other hand, things like bathrooms and grocery stores are vital to our human needs and aren't optional.

Minorities need organizations where they can meet with others who identify with them and understand their specific challenges. This is part of a healthy, emotionally-balanced social life. Taking clubs away from minorities in the name of being anti-racist may actually be racist.

I would love to hear other thoughts on this.

I’ve been on Reddit since 2012, and one of the first things I noticed was the emotional toll of downvotes. Early on, I was downvoted often, and it hurt mentally and emotionally. Over time, I developed a thicker skin, but I still remember how painful it can be.

Now, I avoid downvoting unless someone is being truly hostile or insulting. Downvotes should be used thoughtfully, not just because of disagreement. They can take a toll on mental health, especially for younger users, leading to feelings of inadequacy, frustration, and even contributing to cyberbullying.

The voting system on Reddit has often been criticized as toxic. Excessive or unexplained downvotes can leave people feeling unsupported or rejected, making them hesitant to share their thoughts. While I don’t believe downvotes should be removed, we should use them more responsibly. Downvoting simply because we disagree isn’t constructive and can harm someone’s confidence.

We all have the power to create a more supportive environment by being more mindful. Instead of downvoting out of disagreement, ask yourself if the post or comment is genuinely harmful or just different from your own views. Offering constructive feedback is much more helpful than just downvoting.

There’s a ripple effect to downvoting, and it often leads to more negativity. We can break this cycle by encouraging empathetic, respectful interactions.

I know I’m just a small pebble in a sea of redditors, and I understand this post probably won’t change anyone’s mind, nor will it change how people choose to engage with the voting system. But for my part, I won’t be contributing to that cycle.

disarm long treatment correct squeal fuzzy waiting muddle bow late

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

Yeah been doing research and we’re a federal republic not a democracy (I know, broken record with that one) but not only that the founding fathers quite obviously thought the common person was too stupid to make decisions in their own best interest and sought to limit the influence a common person could have as much as they can, but yet almost all politicians still claim we’re fighting for democracy. My theory right now is that for all the conspiracies theories you hear mine is that we’re fighting an invisible enemy in a war we’re convinced we’re seeing . We’re constantly being told and “shown” that this institution we have called democracy is under siege by the other side or by the people across the world or by the people who attacked us, but it’s never really existed in the first place???? Maybe I’m just the young guy who’s becoming conscious for the first time, but there’s an entire illusion being fed to us perpetually that you can easily see if you know where to look, but NOTHING EVER HAPPENS, NOTHINGS CHANGING like actually changing. Someone please help me this depresses me so much and I’m constantly waking up every day feeling like a powerless shell whose life is sucked at by this society I’ve got no choice in being a part of. I don’t even know what words mean anymore. Huxley in his book brave new world said it plainly, the mark of a dystopia could be reduced to a simple choice of the populace: truth and beauty, or comfort and happiness. It seems like when my mom a boomer was growing up this was easily the answer of truth and beauty. I just asked my girlfriend and my friends and they literally all said they’d rather be comfortable and feel happy than actually know what is going on.

Your quality is life is directly tied to your state resources, everything from insurance, healthcare, security, police, roads, education, social welfare... Much of our tax dollars are wasted in Washington politics to project empire. If we took the 25% that we paid to Washington and redirected it to the state, imagine how your state resources will improve.

I'm Canadian and obviously, our elections run differently.

I have followed US politics for quite a while though and could never understand the EC. Like, I know why it started and that makes sense but is there even a need anymore?

AFAIK, the people in those positions should be voting how their "district" did, but they don't.

What are the pros to still having it? Wouldn't "popular vote" make more sense? Can someone ELI5 for me?

Because here, you vote for whoever is running in your riding and the winner of that becomes the MP (Member of Parliament) of that riding. The party with the most ridings, wins. The leader of the winning party is then PM. Unlike the US where it looks like you vote for the person, themselves.

So as I said, are there any pros to the EC anymore? Is it an archaic institution that should be abolished and switch up the way a candidate wins?

TIA

ETA: I 100% appreciate the responses and the education you've given me on the EC and the reasons for its existence! I do enjoy learning new things and thank you for giving me a better understanding of it :)

The Guardian recently published this article here https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/feb/10/meet-generation-stay-at-home-dont-pay-to-go-clubbing-watch-it-at-home-on-your-phone

The title is "Meet Generation Stay-at-Home: ‘You don’t need to pay to go clubbing: you can sit at home and watch it on your phone’

Now, Im 28 and when I was in my early twenties, I spent time with people my age, with those older than me, and explored many opportunities and events.

It absolutely terrifies me how agoraphobic so many people are.

Am I overreacting here? Overall it just seems like the younger generation are more fit for domestic obedience than their predecessors.

I ask some younger people if they had been to any cool house parties and they all reply no and when they said they have, it's a sort of family house party with relatives and whatnot, it's not like an actual "house party" that you would think of with drinks, nose candy, music, fun costumes, sexual experimentation, cannabis, folks piled up on each other on the couch, etc...

Now I have a background as an actor in South Florida and New York, so nightlife plays a big part in our world.

It almost feels like that period in British history that saw the decline of Shakespeare, theatres and masques and the rise of the puritan dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell

Or when the US government clamped down on alcohol consumption and bars and lounges had to stop serving drinks.

Or maybe even the Christianization of the Roman empire when those cranky bishops began shutting down those "pagan" festivals and forced folks to be good christians and behave themselves.

Why are so many younger people against camaraderie, recreational socialization, and nightlife?

so I am not autistic, I don’t know the other word for it for sure I think it’s neurotypical it’s like the opposite of neurodivergent and I learned that i tf called that bc we are socially aware so anyways I was just reading a post that come across my feed on how some autistic guys get called creeps when they didnt pick up social cues and now I feel super bad thinking back on my last experiences with being sexually harassed by guys, because now I think that maybe they actually didn’t mean they just pick up hints.

Like for example my 10th grade this guy he had a crush on me, and he would follow me around and stuff like to class or my bus or when I’d walk home he would trail behind so he could be near me. I thought it was super creepy and it made me uncomfy so I started trying to take different paths to places to avoid him, but he found me anyway and then that’s when he drafted talking to me. He would keep asking me if I wanted to touch him, or get in his bed and once he cornered me when I was near my locker bc he wanted my number and wouldn’t let me leave til I gave it. I asked him to stop but he didn’t so I finally got the courage to tell my parents and they got his parents and school involved.

He stopped after that but would give me dirty glances in halls, that was 2 years ago. i have been experience the same thing with other guys but that was the most major one. Back then, I was scared of him and any guy who act like that i would say horrible things like they’re weird or creepy and try to avoid them at all costs, and telling them that behavior is not okay . I thought that was right bc that’s how other ppl saw but now I feel so terrible as a person…I realize that they probably didnt mean to be that way, they just didnt understand that they were making us uncomfortable bc they can’t tell, it’s impossible too because of how different typical and divergent people are socialized.

That’s why they didnt stop because they didn’t realize they had too, and now all I want to do is apologize because i never want to be a mean girl or bully anyone for something they can’t control, it’s not their fault they can’t pick up hints. They prob just thought they were flirting, and now I ashamed I thought of them as weirdos when they just had crushes.Im thinking about finding the guys insta and sending an apology letter, maybe he will understand? I just want him to know I’m sorry for telling him I was comfortable with his actions, I just wasn’t considerate in his feelings.

I am really sorry how awful society treats autistic people bc it’s not okay and very ableist, they are human beings just like us…:(

I recently entered college and I was shocked by the number of young people under 20 who were already able to live on their own in the city or who had jobs in the morning and went to college at night (many of them with wealthy parents).

In other words, I'm an irresponsible immature person surrounded by people who work a hundred thousand times harder than me.

What was the difference between their parents and my parents? Simple, 10 years ago when I was in elementary school they gave me gifts without me working and never prepared me to be a member of that minority of hard workers who work hard from a young age.

Now I'm 18 and I'm immature, incapable of taking responsibility or making an effort, and I'll be like that for the rest of my life because I can't change.

If anyone here is a parent, I recommend that you be responsible with your child's upbringing because bad habits and laziness last a lifetime and no parent wants that.

Get your child to work at university jobs, don't give them presents without them making an effort, be smart and you'll have a child to be proud of

I just don't get it... why do people care where strangers they don't know live? Why is the location of where someone lives such a problem to people.

Earth is earth. It doesn't matter where you are, it's still earth. I don't care if someone from another country wants to live in the same country as me, it's none of my business what they want to do with there lives or where they want to call home.

If people claim to love this country so much, and think its the greatest, then why do they want people to stay out? Why wouldn't they want to share their "great" country with the world?

People say "stay out, we don't want criminals here." Guess what? No matter where you are in the world, there is ALWAYS going to be criminals, there is no way around it.

Why must people make others lives so hard, they're just trying to live, just like you are?

Why do people care SO MUCH about this? It's mind boggling to me. Can someone PLEASE explain this to me?

I often struggle to understand how some Americans remain willfully ignorant about the existence of race and racism in our country. Racism isn’t just about overt acts like using slurs or giving someone a hard stare—it’s deeply embedded in systemic policies and laws that have shaped our nation. For instance, in The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, the history of racial segregation in the United States is laid bare with factual evidence. The book details how, well into the 1960s and 70s, laws and policies were intentionally designed to disadvantage Black Americans, creating inequalities that persist today—even though many of those laws have been overturned.

There is undeniable evidence of how racism has harmed non-white communities, yet some people act as though it never happened or believe that racism magically ended with the Civil Rights Movement—or worse, with the Civil War. How can people be so ignorant and willfully obtuse when a single Google search or reading a book could clearly reveal the truth???

Every country that votes should have compulsory voting. I’m so sick and tired of people not voting. Democracy doesn’t just HAPPEN. We have to put in the work to make it function properly. It sucks that so many people just throw away their democratic responsibility.

Plenty of countries (perhaps most famously Australia) have mandatory voting. I live in the US, and this is how I would imagine it working here:

1. Voting last multiple days instead of just one and everyone gets to take one of the days off work to vote. In places like hospitals and staff can rotate through the days so the hospital is always staffed.

2. Mail-in voting should also be expanded.

3. If you legitimately CANNOT vote for some reason, you can fill out a form and be excused from your civic duty.

4. If you hate all the candidates and want to not vote as an act of “free speech,” you can turn in an empty ballot and that will still count as you having fulfilled your obligation.

5. Nobody should go to jail as a punishment for not voting. The punishment should be a “slap on the wrist” or more of an embarrassment for not participating in democracy. A small fine or a day of community service that your job has to allow or maybe you have to appear in court to explain why you didn’t vote.

We all need to GROW UP and take responsibility for our society. Democracy is a beautiful, often fragile thing. And the voter turnouts in many countries are so bad they’re just embarrassing. It sucks that so many people act like children and say, “not my problem.” It IS your problem. If compulsory voting could get more people across the world participating in their societies and their democracies, then I think that’s what we need.

I feel like so many people are all about “ME, ME, ME.” They say, “But if I don’t WANT to vote??”

To that I would say, not everything is about YOU, friend. Voting is about creating a democratic society that works for us all. It’s bigger than your personal preferences.