#pursuing education vs working to provide for his family

[denizenhardwick]

i'm writing explanations for their arcana assignments, too, because i felt the need to justify dogeon as the lovers and just decided to do that for all of them.

[sensitive-virgo]

Oral Assistant Work Hours Demystified: Find Out How Many Hours Dental Assistants Typically Work

Title: Dental⁤ Assistant Work Hours Demystified: Find Out How Many Hours Dental Assistants Typically Work

Meta⁣ Title: ⁢Unlocking⁣ the Mystery of Dental ⁢Assistant Work ⁤Hours – A Comprehensive Guide

Meta⁣ Description: Wondering how ⁣many hours dental assistants work? This article breaks down the ⁣typical ⁤work hours of​ dental⁤ assistants to help you gain a better understanding of their schedules.

Introduction: Dental assistants play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation ‍of ⁣a dental office. From assisting dentists during procedures⁣ to sterilizing equipment​ and interacting​ with patients, they perform a wide range ⁤of tasks. However, many people ⁢are curious about the work hours of dental assistants –⁢ how ⁤long do they typically work each day? In this article, we will⁤ delve into the work ‍hours of dental assistants and provide valuable insights into their schedules.

Understanding Dental Assistant Work Hours: Dental assistants typically work full-time, although part-time‍ positions are also⁣ common. The number of hours ⁤worked by dental assistants ‌can vary depending on the dental office’s operating hours⁣ and the specific needs of the practice.​ Below are ‌some key points to consider when it‌ comes to dental assistant‌ work hours:

1. Full-Time vs. Part-Time: ​ – Full-time dental assistants usually work around 35-40 ⁤hours per week, Monday to ⁣Friday. – Part-time dental assistants ‌may​ work anywhere from a ⁤few‍ hours a day​ to ‌a few days a week, depending on ‌the ⁤practice’s⁤ needs.

2. ⁢Shift Work: ‌ – Some ​dental offices may offer evening ‌or weekend hours to ‍accommodate patients’ schedules, which could require ⁢dental assistants to work non-traditional hours. – Shift work may also be necessary​ for emergency‍ dental ⁢services or ⁤extended operating hours.

3. Overtime⁣ and Flexibility: – Dental assistants may be required to work overtime during busy periods or⁣ to cover for colleagues who are unable to ‌work. ​ – Flexibility⁣ in ⁤scheduling is ‌essential for dental assistants, as they may need to adjust ​their ‍hours ‌to meet the demands of the practice.

Benefits and Practical ⁢Tips​ for Dental Assistants: Working as ⁤a dental assistant ⁣can be a rewarding career choice, ‌offering job stability,⁣ competitive salaries, and opportunities for⁢ advancement. ​Here ‍are some benefits and practical ⁤tips⁤ for ​dental assistants:

– Competitive⁤ Salaries:⁣ Dental assistants earn ​competitive salaries, with⁣ the potential for bonuses and other ⁣incentives. – Job Stability: The demand for dental assistants is projected to grow,‍ providing ‌job security in ⁢a stable industry. -⁣ Career Advancement: Dental assistants can pursue further education​ and​ training‌ to become dental hygienists or expand their skills in specialized areas. – Time Management:​ Efficient time management is key‍ for‌ dental assistants to‍ balance their responsibilities⁣ and provide quality care ⁤to patients.

Case Studies: Let’s take ⁤a look at two dental assistants, Sarah and John, to⁣ see how⁤ their work hours differ based on ‌their practice’s needs:

– Sarah works full-time at a‌ busy dental office, Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm. – John is a part-time dental assistant who works ‌three days a week, from​ 9 am to⁣ 3 pm, to balance his job with family commitments.

Conclusion: dental assistants play‍ a‌ vital role in the dental office, working full-time ​or part-time hours based on the practice’s⁣ needs. Understanding the typical work hours of dental assistants can help‌ both aspiring dental professionals and patients gain insight into the ‌profession.⁤ By exploring the different aspects ⁤of dental assistant work hours, we can appreciate the dedication and hard work that dental⁤ assistants bring‌ to‌ their roles every ⁣day.

https://dentalassistantclasses.net/oral-assistant-work-hours-demystified-find-out-how-many-hours-dental-assistants-typically-work/

[leoward]

𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐌𝐁𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀  . . .  📚😜

.  .  . dark summer grass. lightning bugs in their slow flashing. the night above you was more in you than your breath, the stars always shifting in your chest.

MUSINGS  .  .  .  VISAGE  . . .  HEADCANONS  . . .  SELF-PARAS  .  .  .  extended map.

LEONARDO “LEO” ALFRED WARD  ( cis male, he/him, kedar williams-stirling )  is 27 and a GRADUATE STUDENT from LONDON, ENGLAND. they are known as THE SCHOLAR because they are BRIGHT, but if things kick off, they can be a bit RESTLESS. they’re HETEROSEXUAL and describe their type as equally as intellectually curious and willing to wear their legs out… exploring the city ;) from their time in the villa, they’re hoping to find MONEY.  ( book bag weighed like seven bricks, thermos perpetually filled with earl grey, & an expensive desk in disarray )

+ bright, perceptive, energetic, friendly, charismatic. - restless, self-conscious, big-headed, fickle, competitive.

—  written by morgan, 23, she/her, pst .  .  .  cis bi korean woman.

prologue.

mother was an internationally popular supermodel and father was a fairly well-known television actor.

both were notoriously good-looking, though her mother more so esp due to her occupation and geographical range of fame.

relationship was highly publicized for a while until the start of their marriage when they put an iron-clad lock on their family’s privacy.

CHAPTER I.

eyes were on the family again when leo entered the picture, particularly when he didn’t shy away from social media when he went off to secondary school.

intelligent, high-achieving, boisterous, socially accommodating, good-looking, well-off, athletic, able to thrive off of inherited fame, and willing to feed curious viewers glimpses into his seemingly perfect life... he was a shoe-in for being a quasi-influencer.

he also had a habit of ghosting social media before making sudden comebacks, though this display of untouchability seemed to fuel people’s curiosity.

in reality, as much as he liked the attention, he wasn’t able to not tie his self-worth into every bit of it he got -- which wasn’t great since he knew the foundation for that attention was due to his parents’ work... leading him to become obsessive then repulsed at the attention. rinse and repeat.

to make up for it, although he was naturally curious enough to pursue all this endeavors, he tried much harder, going above and beyond to prove he was capable of being both extraordinary and self-made.

a futile attempt since he’ll never be able to change the circumstances of his birth. he knows this.

CHAPTER II.

went to cambridge and majored in literature and history.

rejected shallow monetary opportunities, feeling a little wounded that in the end, people would just see him as a to-be celebrity more than a well-accomplished individual beyond his parents’ legacy.

when approaching academia, was met with derision or passionate mentorship, depending on the professor/fellow student and their skepticism (and where that skepticism stemmed from).

nonetheless, academia provided a challenging solace.

however, he didn’t feel an acute sense of satisfaction until he overcame challenges in his master’s program too.

these challenges included the expected bigotry in academia, sussing out those who wanted to help because they believed in him vs. those who wanted to ride his coattails, and finally producing work only because he was dedicated to his work and not because of any sullying motivation to “prove” anything, whether that’s to anyone else or himself. even privatized his social media and paid little thought to it while he focused on his studies.

CHAPTER III.

however, his goals thwarted his parents’ expectations and hopes, which mainly included law school. by pursuing corporate law, he’d have a guaranteed path towards wealth so that he could continue living the life he’s used to.

he refused to give up his path towards a doctorate, leading to them cut off funding for his education.

though he does have grant-winning prowess, he unfortunately feels uneasy about adapting to a non-cushy life while embarking on an incredibly challenge that’ll take him nearly a decade to complete.

epilogue.

so, he signed up to be on love island.

even unprivated his instagram the month before airing and posted a few beach photos to earn a few brownie points from the public. just as he planned, he made some headlines.

the idea of defining his adult public image as a piece of arse makes him cringe a little. and truthfully, he’s afraid he might like the attention too much. it could really mess with his head.

but nonetheless, he’s got to pad up his finances if he wants to live his life the way he wants. he’s just got to meet everyone else’s expectations for a little longer, one last time.

[jayoctodot]

The Silent Patient vs The Maidens

I will start by saying that I understand the appeal of these novels as page-turners. They are easy to read and if you want a twisty reveal at the end, you will probably be entertained and satisfied. That being said, I am SO CONFUSED by the near-universal adoration of The Silent Patient and the reasonably positive reception of The Maidens. The weaknesses of the two are strikingly similar, as well, which doesn’t give me much hope of seeing improvement from this guy, though I am intrigued to see whether he keeps repeating the same (apparently successful!!) patterns. These books were at least super fun to hate.

(For context, I read The Maidens for a bookclub I'm in, because several of the members had read and loved The Silent Patient, and one of them gave me a copy of the latter to read on my own time. I loathed The Maidens and then read The SP for comparative purposes. And because I'm a masochist, apparently.)

SPOILER WARNING! Do not read on unless you've finished both books (or unless you care not for spoilers). Sorry if it gets a bit shouty.

Here are the similar weaknesses I noticed in both:

PSEUDO-PSYCHOLOGY

-> Weirdly similar “group therapy” scenes early on where a cartoonishly unstable patient arrives late, disrupts the meeting by throwing something into the middle of the circle, and is asked to join the group after the therapist(s) speechify on the importance of boundaries (HA! None of these therapists would know an appropriate boundary if it kicked them in the ass) and debate whether to “allow” the patient to join. Both scenes are so transparent in their design to establish the credibility/legitimacy of the narrators as therapists, but instead both Theo and Mariana come off as super patronizing. The protagonists are less and less believable as therapists at the stories progress (though at least Theo’s incompetence is explained away by the “twist” at the end; Mariana, on the other hand, is confronted in the opening pages of the novel by a patient who has self-harmed PRETTY extensively, and rather than ensure he get proper medical attention, she essentially throws him a first aid kit and tosses him out the door so she can pour herself a glass of wine and call her niece... and it devolves from there).

-> Ongoing insistence throughout the narrative that one’s childhood trauma entirely explains the warped/dysfunctional way a character behaves or views the world, which is why the books go out of their way to give EVERY potentially violent character a traumatic childhood; when Theo insists that no one ever became an abuser who hadn’t been abused themselves, I wanted to throw the book across the room. (That is a MYTH, SIR. GET OUT OF HERE WITH YOUR ARMCHAIR PSYCHOLOGY.)

-> Female murderers whose pathology boils down to “history of depression” and “traumatized by a male loved one/family member.” Because, as we all know, depression + abuse = murderer!

-> The “therapy” depicted in both books is laughable and so so unrealistic, mostly because neither narrators function as therapists so much as incompetent detectives, obsessively pursuing a case they have no place pursuing (or skill to pursue - both just happen across every clue mostly by way of clunky conversation with all the people who can provide precisely the snippet of info to send them along to the next person, and the next… until all is revealed in a tired, cliched “twist”). Their constant Psych 101 asides were so tiresome and weirdly dated (also, the constant harping on countertransference got so ridiculous that at one point during "therapy" Theo literally attributes his headache and a particular emotion he feels to Alicia, as though the contents of her head are being broadcast directly into his mind... and I'm PRETTY SURE that's not how it works???)

CHARACTERS

-> Psychotherapist narrators with abusive fathers and pretensions of being Sherlock Holmes, which results in both characters crossing ALL KINDS of ethical lines as they invade the personal lives of everyone even tangentially connected to their cases (and, in Theo's case, violate all kinds of patient confidentiality. Yeah, yeah, by the end, that's the least of his offenses, but before you get there, it's baffling that NO ONE is calling him out on this).

-> All female characters are either elderly with hilariously bad advice, monstrous hulking brutes, or beautiful bitches (except for ~MARIANA~, who is Bella Swan-esque in her unawareness of her own attractiveness, despite multiple men trying to get with her almost immediately after meeting her. I'm so tired of beautiful female characters being oblivious to their own hotness. Are we meant to believe all mirrors and male attention have escaped their notice? If it’s to make them “relatable,” this tactic really fails with me).

-> All characters of color are shallow, cartoonish side characters, and most of them are depicted as unsympathetic minor antagonists (the Sikh Chief Inspector in The Maidens continuously drinks tea from an ever-present thermos, and his only other notable characteristic is his instant dislike of Mariana, whom he VERY RIGHTLY warns to stay out of the investigation that she is VERY MUCH compromising… the Caribbean manager of the Grove is universally disliked by her staff for enforcing stricter safety regulations at the bafflingly poorly run mental institution, because HOW DARE SHE. There's a very clear vibe that we're supposed to dislike these characters and share the protagonists' indignation, but honestly Sangha/Stephanie were completely in the right for trying to shut down their wildly inappropriate investigations).

-> "Working class" characters (or basically anyone excluded from the comfortably upper-crust, educated main cadre of characters) are few and far between in both stories, but when they show up, he depicts them as such caricatures. We got Elsie the pathologically lying housekeeper in the Maidens, who is enticed to share her bullshit with cake, and then a TOOTHLESS LEPRECHAUN DEALING DRUGS UNDER A BRIDGE in the SP. I kid you not, a man described as having the body of a child, the face of Father Time, and no front teeth, emerges from beneath a bridge and offers to sell Theo some "grass." I was dyinggg.

-> There are no characters to root for. Anywhere. Partly because they’re all so thinly drawn — and because we’re clearly supposed to view almost ALL of them as potential suspects, so they’re ALL weird, creepy, or incompetent in some way.

-> The flimsiest of flimsy motives, both for the narrators and the murderers. Theo fully would have gotten away with his involvement in the murder if he hadn't gone out of his way to work at the Grove and "treat" Alicia and his justification for doing so is pretty weak; his rapid descent into stalking and murder fantasy and his random ass decision to "expose" Alicia's husband as a cheater with a spur-of-the-moment home invasion and staged attempted homicide is ONLY justified if the reader hand waves it away as WELP, HE'S CRAZY, I GUESS (after all, he DID have an abusive father and a history of mental illness, and in Michaelides novels, that's ALL YOU NEED to become a violent psycho). I guess we're lucky Mariana didn't also start dropping bodies (because the logic of his fictional universe says she should definitely be a murderer by now... maybe that'll be his Maidens sequel?). But she especially had NO reason to randomly turn detective - and she kept trying to justify it by saying she needed to re-enter the world or that Sebastian would want her to (??), even though she had no background in criminal psychology... or even a particular fondness for mysteries (really, I would've accepted ANYTHING to explain her dogged obsession with the case. WHY were Sebastian and Zoe so certain she would insert herself into the investigation just because one of Zoe's friends was the first victim? WHY?). As for Zoe and Alicia, their motives are mere suggestions: they were both abused and manipulated, and voila! Slippery slope to murder.

WRITING STYLE

-> Incessant allusions to Greek tragedy and myth, apparently to provide a sophisticated gloss over the bare-bones writing style, which opts more for telling than showing and frequently indulges in hilariously bizarre analogies. Credit where credit is due — the references to Greek myth are less clunky in the SP, and I liked learning about the Alcestis play/myth, which I hadn’t heard of before - but OMG the entire characterization of Fosca, who we are meant to believe is a professor of Greek tragedy at one of the most respected universities on the planet, is just absurd. His "lecture" on the liminal in Greek tragedy is essentially the Wikipedia page on the Eleusinian Mysteries capped off with some Hallmark-card carpe diem crap. The lecture hall responds with raucous applause, clearly never having heard such vague genius bullshit before.

-> Super clunky and amateurish narrative device of interludes written by another character; Sebastian’s letter reads like a mashup of Dexter monologues and Clarice’s memory of the screaming sheep, but by FAR the worse offender is Alicia’s diary, where we’re supposed to believe she painstakingly recorded ENTIRE CONVERSATIONS, BEAT-BY-BEAT DIALOGUE, even when she’s just been DRUGGED TO THE GILLS with morphine and has mere moments of consciousness left… and even before that, she literally takes the time to write “He's trying the windows and doors! ...Someone’s inside! Someone’s inside the house! ETC ETC” when she thinks her stalker has broken in downstairs. WHO DOES THAT?)

-> Speaking of dialogue, the dialogue is so bad. Based on his bio, Michaelides got a degree in screenwriting, which makes his terrible dialogue even more baffling.

-> HILARIOUSLY rendered voyeur scenes where the narrators spy on couples having sex. Such unintentionally awkward descriptions. First we had Kathy’s climax sounds through the trees and then the bowler hat carefully placed on a tombstone before the gatekeeper plows a student. Again, I died.

PLOT/"TWIST"

-> The CONSTANT red herrings make for such an exhausting read. Michaelides drops anvils with almost every character that are so obviously meant to designate them as suspects in our minds. There is absolutely no subtlety in his misdirections.

-> The “crossover” scene between the SP and The Maidens makes no sense - when in the timeline does Mariana’s story overlap with Theo’s? They confer just before Theo starts working at the Grove, obviously (though Mariana appears to be the one who alerts Theo to the job opening there? Whereas in the SP, Theo has been obsessively tracking Alicia since the murder and had already planned to apply to work there?), but then are we supposed to believe that while Theo has been psychotically pursuing his warped quest to “help” Alicia, he’s also been diligently treating Zoe, so invested in her case that he repeatedly reaches out to Mariana to get her to visit Zoe and even writes Mariana a lengthy letter to convince her to do so??? And then a couple days after The Maidens ends, Theo is arrested???

-> But the thing I really did hate the most is how Michaelides treats his female murderers (who are both also victims themselves) as mere means to deploy a “twist”; there’s no moment spared to encourage our sympathy for Zoe, who was groomed and manipulated by the only trusted father figure in her life, and even after spending a decent amount of time getting to know Alicia via her ridiculous diary, where it’s so apparent that she’s been demeaned, objectified, manipulated, gaslit, and/or used by EVERY man in her life, she’s sent packing to spend the rest of her days in a coma… HOW much more satisfying would it have been for her to succeed in exposing Theo and reclaiming her voice? But no, she basically rolls over when he comes to finish her off (SPEAKING OF — ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE THERE ARE NO SECURITY CAMERAS IN THIS INSTITUTE FOR THE CRIMINALLY INSANE????), writes one last diary entry, and drifts off forever. And then a couple pages of nothing later, the story is over. GOODNIGHT, ALICIA!

Both books kept me rolling throughout (by which I mean eye-rolling but also rotfl). Maybe I will check out his next effort — I’m morbidly curious what he’ll turn out. It does leave me wondering whether I should give up on thriller novels entirely, though. Are many of the weaknesses of these novels just characteristic of the genre? Maybe I'm just holding these books to unfair standards? I'm mostly only familiar with thriller films — many of which I think are amazing — but maybe you can get away with more in a film than you can in a novel.

...I really only intended to write a handful of bullet points, but more and more kept coming to mind as I wrote, to the point where subheadings became necessary. Whoopsie.

[socialclimber101]

TECHNOLOGY AND ITS SOCIAL IMPACT

Hi Everyone! Let me share with you my insight about the advantage and the disadvantages of technology in our society. I'll also be tackling how to address certain issues by telling true to life stories and understanding present situations of society and technology's impact on it.

TECH LEARNING NOT for Everybody

Fourteen-year-old Jenny Mae Santiago, a grade 11 student, struggles to acquire digital devices and stable internet connection for her modular online classes. Jenny Mae’s parents could not afford to buy her a new mobile phone since their budget is limited. To add to that, they only use old keypad phones as their primary means of communication. Jenny Mae has five (5) siblings and most of the time, she is the one who takes care of her younger siblings’ while her parents are away. Her mother works as a candle maker and her father is a construction worker. Their monthly income is just enough for their daily needs.

Fortunately, their neighbor borrowed an extra android phone for her to use for online classes. But she needs to buy her own sim card and its weekly credits/load. She sells, graham balls through online platforms to provide her weekly load. The promo load with internet costs about 100 pesos ($2) good for 7 days.

Jenny Mae is part of the 28 million Filipino students who have been greatly affected by school closures intended to minimize the spread of COVID-19 and to avoid putting the children at risk as they are one of the identified high-risk groups. Just like Jenny Mae, many students are experiencing inequality in treatment due to poverty; this eventually affected their education since they have no capacity to provide the necessary gadgets for their study.

The deployment of new technologies can exacerbate inequalities instead of reducing them, even in contexts of broad accessibility. Gaps in education can widen, for instance, if new technologies primarily benefit those pursuing tertiary education, or if they disproportionately improve the learning outcomes of children in wealthier households. (World Social Report, 2020)

Technology can be one of the finest tools for fostering sustainable development and new learnings. However, it can also be a hindrance to achieve every child’s dream. It may be cool for those who have more privilege, but for some… it may be the end of their chances of becoming educated.

So how does the world of technology help individuals who cannot afford to buy gadgets? How does it affect those who are the disadvantaged sectors? If technology is provided, do they have strong signal in their area and do they have enough funds to be able to keep subscribing to mobile data?

OPPORTUNITY in TECHNOLOGY

A Twenty-year old Jayson Bartolo, fresh graduate from a state university in Manila, received a phone call from a BPO company for an initial interview. Jayson took the opportunity to go to his first interview. One of the requirements of the company was to have knowledge in Computer Programming. Luckily, Jayson has all the skills and the education for it. He told to the interviewer that he had computer programming subjects during his college days and even flaunted that he has good grades on that subject. Considering that he was a BS Information Technology graduate, he is clearly very much familiar in computer programming and other IT related jobs. So… A week after his interview, he was informed that he got the job.

Nowadays, we know that technology has been found to be very useful; most especially in making personal jobs easy and keeping people productive. Automation helps us accomplish our jobs instantly and save time and energy for other things.

Digital innovation and artificial intelligence are opening up opportunities in sectors such as education, health and banking, with far-reaching implications for equality. The use of the Internet and mobile phones, for instance, is enabling more people in developing countries to access financial services. Open online courses can help democratize access to education. Mobile health applications make health-care delivery and monitoring systems available to underserved areas and populations. Improvements in data availability brought about by new technologies can enhance governance and facilitate participation, helping individuals and groups to voice their opinions and organize on behalf of common causes. (World Social Report, 2020)

Millennials most likely took advantage of the uses of technology in their everyday lives. They spend most of their time in checking their social media accounts, looking at their friends and families’ updates. But for the lucky ones, they were able to use this as a means of finding opportunities. Some use social media to build online businesses that include but are not limited to selling food, gadgets, and beauty products. Some are investing by making more inspiring and not-so inspiring videos to earn through monetary payouts in various social media sites like Facebook and Youtube.

OPPORTUNITY VS INEQUALITY

In the world of work, emphasis has focused largely on the potential implications of technological change for job destruction. Yet technologies usually replace specific tasks, rather than entire jobs. Often ignored is the fact that new technologies also generate new jobs and tasks, including those necessary to use, test, supervise and market new products and services. (World Social Report, 2020)

In reality, the individuals who are highly skilled in the field of technology has the most advantage in earning bigger than regular workers. It may affect those who are in the low-skilled and blue-collar jobs, and worst --- it may result to job reductions because of the change in demand for specific and technical positions. Mainly because, shifting to the use of technology in certain sectors can be a danger to the individuals who are working manually. It would probably lead into massive unemployment due to having so much qualifications in terms of tech skills.

Labour-saving technology such as automation can be a substitute for manual workers and can take over their jobs in an instant. This could be good news for other companies because of lowering their budget to just maintenance fees and increasing productivity in completing tasks. But this could also be the end of the career of many individuals because of the lesser need for manpower.

[a-woman-apart]

Separating the Boys from the Men

Yes, that title is click bait, and if you keep reading, you’ve been warned. I’ve got a lot to get off my chest, and it’s going to involve defending masculinity, femininity, and our right to BEHAVE LIKE CHILDREN FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES because in many ways, we already do. 

Let’s get straight to the point. As Millennials, regardless of our age, financial status, or level of “success” (air quotes 100% intentional) we have been accused of being lazy, entitled, and way too enthusiastic about avocado toast. At the same time, we have been described as having enough power to decimate the napkin industry, the diamond industry, and the concept of traditional marriage. We have been accused of a collective “Peter Pan” syndrome, because we “refuse” to cut off papa’s apron strings and get off the proverbial mama’s teats. 

Wonderful to know. 

Let’s unpack the “lazy” bit. Supposedly, this is tied to the fact that we have access to higher education, we [often, not always] have parents who financially support or house us well into adulthood. 

So now, my question is, Gen X (the entitled ones, ironically) and Salty Boomers, YOU DIDN’T? 

What do you call that “inheritance” you received? What do you call that education your parents paid for that was less than 1/3 what we have to pay? For Boomers, how do you explain the lavish weddings, cheap [and apparently nuke proof] home appliances, and “nights out on the town” that you were able to afford by working at whatever passed for a McDonald’s back in the day? Working on a farm, at a grocery store, or in retail used to ACTUALLY provide a livable wage; for us, those are a “side hustle” and we still have to get a “big boy job” that usually requires an education that can put us over $100,000 in debt by age 30. 

Hate to say it, but if you hadn’t made most of your income “during the War” or in  the absolute economic boom that followed it, you wouldn’t survive 24 hours in our shoes before having an emotional collapse.  

Despite the disastrous living conditions of the U.S. in the 21st Century, not much has changed in how men define their level of “manliness.” 

Financial gains (stocks, bonds, portfolio, bank account) 

Bro “gains” (a.k.a. “gym gains”, how “Gaston” they are, including whether they want to go for the Adonis, Apollo, or Brawny boi look, or just how far they can throw something or how “boyish” they look if strength isn’t an option and they suffer from femme-levels of body dysmorphia) 

Body count (since we’re in a time of peace and not literally war, this is LITERALLY a modern term describing how many people you’ve slept with, and I have never heard an adult man, regardless of sexual orientation, who isn’t a little concerned about putting those notches in the bed post, and if not that, VERY concerned about his bedroom performance: it’s quality vs. quantity) 

Kill death Ratio (I know this is a video game term now, but did you know that before video games, men in England used to regularly get on horseback, get a bunch of hounds together, and chase down tiny foxes and rabbits? FOR FUN?!?!? Did you know, that before modern sports ((including Esports)), men used to just fight to the death, regularly, even if an official war wasn’t going on? It was known as “dueling”, and in less socially developed societies, men still behave like this. So the next time you complain about “male rage” and how heartless it is to make live chickens fight, note that even though we’ve quelled male anger and hostility on some level, you will NEVER be able to take away man’s urge to destroy. Boys and men will always like knocking things over, building things from the rubble, and ruling shit. It’s what they do-- and we women can and do, too, but we have a LOT more risk-aversion and self-preservation, which is a blessing and a curse for our species-- but we just need to make sure humanity as a whole stays...chill)

So what, say ye, has changed about how WOMEN define themselves now vs. in the past. I would say that very little has changed, but the level of internalized misogyny, insecurity, and good-old fashioned denial has SKYROCKETED. 

Let’s look at some terms of how the majority of women value themselves. 

Financial Security (few women will admit to “wanting to be rich”, because that sounds kind of “Trump”, but plenty will talk about having minimum income requirements for their partner(s), wanting to retire at a young age so they can “travel the world”, wanting to eliminate their debts, etc. It’s different language but essentially it translates to: I want to work so hard or marry into so much wealth that I never want to worry about money after age 35. #Hustle) 

Looks (it doesn’t matter if you want a Kardashian butt, you’re in the body positivity movement, or you just want to “dress like a bawse” women are just as obsessed with clothes, image, and body weight/shape/size as they ever were, it is just that now that we’ve “slain the patriarchy” we have more fashion options than ever before, because “boy clothes” are just as “in” as femme ones)

Ability to attract a partner (some women, like me, “chase”, but thanks to biology, most women, regardless of sexual orientation, seem to enjoy being pursued more than being Artemis-style hunters. This is evidenced by the fact that when the feminist owner of Bumble changed the rules of the dating website to where women had to start conversations with men rather than vice versa ((a move that had ostensibly zero effect on lesbian matching)) 72% of women that she later surveyed stated that they liked it better when men were approaching them rather than the other way around. I am sure Bumble’s female CEO was shook ((as was I)), especially because she made the change to empower women, and apparently 72% of women didn’t want the power because it meant they now had the power to face rejection, and it made them uncomfortable. Big yikes. So much for #EndPatriarchy and #ChivalryisDead ?)

Playing house (this is probably going to get me some unfollows, but I’ll take my chances. Women, regardless of sexual orientation, often seem to be REALLY into having babies or just “playing house.” There’s also men like this, too, “Family men” as they’re aptly called, men in love with fatherhood ((or just being called “daddy”, and that will never not be weird)). So many women who never want to pop out a baby describe being taken by an OVERWHELMING urge to fuck during their “fertile window” ((or is that just me?)) and seeing every baby alive as the cutest human being ever once we pass the tender age of 25. The biological clock is REAL, and I learned the hard way that being bisexual and having immense fear of pregnancy and childbirth didn’t spare me from the awful truth of my biology. 

I really don’t want to keep making references to modern video games, but they seem to serve the dual purpose of being deeply satisfying and helping us to quell “problematic” urges, including that one to dominate and destroy the world. For a lot of women gamers, though, our choices ((on a broad scale, every #girlgamer is different)) deviate from men’s in some interesting ways. 

#1: We still love The Sims Franchise way more than guys do 

Not only do we love it, but while a lot of men (again, #notallmen) tend to build elaborate neighborhoods to extensively mod and destroy them in terrifying ways, I still see women gamers taking obscene amounts of time to design homes, raise happy little families, and cause TERRIFYING blood feuds by having Sims marry Sims from rival families ((I guess we’re more Shakespeare than we thought, eh ladies?))

#2: We make up most of mobile gaming

Most male gamers think mobile games “aren’t real” and I tend to agree, but a mobile game is invaluable for when I, a woman, have time to kill between the 3 jobs I hypothetically have and I and don’t want to whip out something like a Nintendo 2DS that is both unwieldly and attracts the eyes of every impoverished, thieving human being in a .5 mile radius. #RiskAversion. These games are often low-quality, mindless, and insanely easy, but that is WHY WE LIKE THEM. Our entire life is a job. #Hustle

#3 We also love farming sims and RPGs

While we-- and most male Millennials-- beg god to not have to birth calves, milk cows, or labor in the tomato fields under the hot sun, most of us have no objection to having our virtual avatars perform the same back-breaking tasks to the tune of cheerful chiptune music. Also, even though men definitely enjoy them, too, I have never met a woman gamer who didn’t enjoy a nice RPG; why do you think we’re such avid readers of fantasy/romance YA? 

We want to be transported to a different world, and if you won’t take us there, we’re happy to go there virtually ((because we probably can’t afford travel; we’re still millennials)). 

Ability to murder people who threaten our young or our partner(s) (Okay this one is a bit more complicated, but I’m just going to tell you a bit about female animals. DON’T MESS WITH THEIR BABIES IF YOU WANT TO LIVE. Human females, are, in that regard, just as savage, if not more so, than our male counterparts. 

I’ve never heard of any woman ((outside of prison, maybe)) who killed another woman for “looking at her weird” or saying “your mama” too many times. I’ve heard plenty of women threaten literal murder because another woman ((or man, we’re #progressive)) came too close to her romantic/sexual partner, or another human being threatened harm on our kids or our “squad.” 

I don’t know where the meme truly originated from, but “Don’t talk to me or my son ever again” is SUCH a Mom thing to say. So much misandry is wrapped up in the idea that men are predators, and that is true, but not in the excessively sexually deviant ways you think ((that’s only sometimes true)). They just like hunting things, including people, but if you give them a toy to play with ((I MEAN ACTUAL TOY OMG)) they seem alright. Let them go play with their cars, Xbox, [insert whatever] or something. They’re men, okay, they’re easily distracted/impressed/occupied. 

Women, on the other hand, have seemed to be having an EXTREME amount of trouble curbing that baby-making urge, or the Excessive Nurturing Urge, that one that makes you ask your grown husband if he’s remembered to pack lunch for work or if he remembered to pack money for his playdate with his bros, because he’s gonna need money at Six Flags and you aren’t going to bring it to him because he should’ve remembered, you reminded him 30093390 times. 

THAT’S NOT HIS FAULT. HE HAS MANAGED BY SOME MIRACLE TO STAY ALIVE FOR 33 YEARS. THAT’S YOU, SWEETIE. STOP BEING SUCH A MOM. GO BE A NURSE, DOCTOR, OR SOCIAL WORKER OR SOMETHING OMG. 

In summary...

What separates the “men from the boys” or the “women from the girls” isn’t the era that we were born in to, our economic status, or whether we’ve been able to “conquer” our biology. That’s definitely not possible yet, chiefly because transhumanism involves a lengthy, ethics-guided process, and even if we all turn into cyborgs, the goal is to become BETTER humans, not LESS humane. Societal advancements have done more in terms of making us healthier, less destructive citizens of planet earth than raw technology ever can and ever will. Rapid technological advancement, when not combined with respect for morality, ethical standards of living for humans and all other life forms, almost always leads to human slavery, widespread abuse of animals, sex trafficking, and environmental destruction, because the “rules of supply and demand”, when not governed by strong international trade laws, dictate that consumers should be supplied with whatever they demand, because the suppliers can profit, and their right to profit should be defended at any cost. 

So, in summary, I believe that “adulting” involves giving up on entitlement. What separates a truly childish human being-- regardless of their actual age-- from someone who is, in essence, “adulting” is experience, and how much those experiences serve to broaden that person’s perspective. It is an extremely childish, self-centered view, to think that you “deserve” anything for being “a good person” or, in the case of many a “woman child” or “man child” in media and in real life, just being “not so bad.” 

Grown-ups are able and willing to do something that is known as “delaying gratification” which is the simple ability to delay a temporary pleasure for a long-term gain. Grown-ups are also able to perform true “cost-benefit analyses” to determine if a course of action, business deal, or even relationship is worth their time and effort. Finally, grown-ups are able and willing and able to make an informed choice and stick to it; in essence, we don’t try to “have our cake and eat it too” we understand that once we’ve eaten that cake, the cake is gone, but we also realize that if we are willing to work hard and make sacrifices, we can earn the ingredients to make ourselves another cake to eat, even if we might need a lot of help from other adults in getting those ingredients (we call this teamwork and cooperation). 

Children, on the other hand (in literal and metaphorical terms), are very impatient. They get angry when things don’t go their way, and instead of taking the steps needed to improve their situation, they storm off and return home. It doesn’t matter if their home is with their parents, with their 3 roommates, or with their husband or wife, these people throw tantrums, refuse to communicate/cooperate, and stew in their displeasure until someone feels sorry for them and fixes their problem for them. They lack the ability to work through daily life problems and refuse to take any responsibility for how their actions or inaction contributed to their dilemma. 

There is one difference with an actual human child or teen, though, is that they have an excuse. Their brains are still developing, and they haven’t had the chance to live through these situations yet; these are new challenges to them. Even if they do have a “bad attitude”, with help from peers and patients, principled adult mentors and teachers, these cantankerous kids can grow into well-adjusted, able adults. The high levels of neuroplasticity in their brains actually make it so that it is easier for them to accept large amounts of sensory data and to learn from processing and practicing using it.

An “adult child” is someone who, more often than not, has been coddled instead of challenged. These people have often faced no significant hardships in life. There is a reason why, even after we have recognized the immense downsides of authoritarian parenting and have demonstrated psychological harms of corporal punishment for kids, we still call “bad kids” and “irresponsible adults” spoiled. 

Authoritarianism produces rigid, scared people who often struggle with critical thinking and self-esteem or end up being authoritarian parents themselves, but that last one is actually one of the less likely options. Children of authoritarian parents often develop Borderline Personality Disorder or become defiant against authority (shocker). Overly permissive or overly neglectful parenting, though, are parental styles most associated with producing narcissists, who often become authoritarian parents, because when their kids challenge them, they completely lack the patience or emotional capacity to deal with it and resort to “because I said so”, stonewalling and/or physical abuse as forms of “character-building.” 

The reason why overly permissive parents spoil their kids is because kids actually do need discipline and guidance, and so these kinds of parents produce kids who are outwardly capable and confident but completely lack any of the life skills to justify it, and when they ask their parents for advice they are just met with a bunch of hippie mumbo jumbo or told to just avoid the conflict rather than resolve it. These kids grow into adults who are still sad little kids inside, because they never grew up, but now they’re sad little kids who are articulate and well-spoken and now can-- and often have no choice-- but to con their way through adult life because they’ve maxed out Charisma and they have almost no points in Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Dexterity.

The only parenting style worse than Authoritarian and Neglectful/Permissive is Mixed, in which a child grows up in a COMPLETELY unpredictable environment where the rules of the game change from day to day, and parents either give their children no attention at all, or they practically lock them up and throw away the key. Being raised like this is associated with the worse outcomes for the child throughout life. 

So, why am I now talking about parenting styles? Because, for all that we love to trash Boomers and large swaths of Gen X on this page, we can’t forget where they came from, so we cannot allow them to forget WHO THEY MADE. It isn’t an accident that even though we live in the times of incredible economic hardship, WE are the generation (and Gen Z, to some extent) that got hooked on reality TV, video games, and social media in incredibly unhealthy ways. A lot of us 30+ millennials are growing out of it, and a lot of us have realized that it is an invaluable (and damn near unavoidable) way of marketing our products and talents. We’re often self-employed because that’s our only option in most cases. 

The issue with Gen Z (who, while we called “Zoomers” now just all themselves “Doomers” and I think we should be a bit concerned about that) is that unlike us, they have no memory of “Before the Internet.” We remember dial up, we remember before that when you played outside untl the sun went down. They don’t have the privilege of being linked to that history. 

Now, we have to be the Bigger Person. It’s our time to be Grown-Ups. Gen Z feels really fucking lost right now, and hearing us whine about our parents probably makes them pretty pissed off, when some of us older millennials are the parents, aunts/uncles, and older siblings to Gen Z kids. Even if we can’t be mentors, we have to lead by example, because we have a responsibility to these kids. A lot of them aren’t stupid, they see exactly what’s happening and they feel incredibly hopeless about it. Greta Thunberg is still 16 years old. She shouldn’t be out there doing that; I mean seriously, climate change is accelerating, but it isn’t even as bad as Al Gore said, it’s still reversible, but the fact that SHE FELT SHE HAD TO makes us shitty people. ALL OF US. 

So you know, we all need to stop being hypocrites. We need to stop being entitled. We need to stop thinking this is about us. It isn’t. Not even close. We’re not important, even if our videos go viral or if we’re swimming in cash next to hot models by a huge swimming pool. America’s fucked up. I hate to sound Republican, but it’s because of our values. We suck at valuing what’s important, and if we don’t change that soon, it’s really going to suck to live in America. 

It already does.  

[winters-natalie]

&&. rumor has it ( natalie winters ) has stepped into rosewood. ( she ) is a ( 22 ) year old ( sub ) currently residing at the manor as ( a student ). it’s been said that ( she ) resembles ( sabrina carpenter ) and is into ( bondage & impact play ) but not ( watersports & scat ). ( she ) has been said to be ( playful & sweet ) but also quite ( naive & insecure ). let’s hope the manor doesn’t devour them whole.

full name -- Natalie Rose Winters

nicknames -- Nat, Nat Cat, Natty Light, & baby girl.

d.o.b -- June 6th, 1998 | Gemini

place of birth -- Savannah, Georgia

occupation -- student

sexual orientation -- Bi-curious

sub mark -- Natalie’s sub mark starts at the nape of her neck and runs the length of her spine. A dainty, gold line curling and swirling to just above her waist.

cadence -- Hailing from the Southern United States, Natalie has a little bit of an accent. The twang in her voice is something she tries hard to hide but isn’t always succesful.

likes --   reading, cooking, exercise, animals, cuddling, singing, dressing up, makeup

dislikes --  thunderstorms, large crowds, loud noises, confrontation, dirtiness

kinks -- bondage, impact play, roleplay, sensation play, voyeurism, dirty talk, anal.

anti kinks -- scat, watersports, sounding, feet, blood play, knives, needles.

tw: homophobia.

A Georgia peach, but not the pick of the orchard. Natalia is the single submissive child of a dominant mother. Shrouded by seven dominant sisters. Rejected by her submissive father, as he blames her for how he was cast out of Mistress Winter’s grace. Intended for one, older Dom. A friend of her mother’s. A brutish and unkind man. Her first. Aggressive and demanding in his needs. No patience for her inexperience or meekness. Violent and forceful in every exchange and the catalyst for her leap across the pond.

A student of psychology at Cambridge. Interested most in the human condition. Curious but quiet in her contemplation of nature vs. nurture. She knew well the repercussions of asking too many questions about the status quo, and overtime Natalie learned to phrase them as scholastic inquiries. During her studies she met another sub who chose to pursue real world experience over that in books. After graduation Natalie would follow her to a place crowned Rosewood. A paradise of indulgence. The epicenter of all answers.

Upon entry into graduate school Natalie knew her thesis and from where she’d source all her content. A move into Rosewood manor appeased her distant mother. Sprouting hope her golden spined baby would find a good, male Dom to breed many, dominant grandchildren. No tolerance for Natalie’s interest in women or education, although neither are things she mentions when indulging in her mother’s monetary funds.

At Rosewood Natalie has taken to conducting interview like interactions. Curious of her new world and the insight it will provide, but careful not to attract too much attention. Least she’ll be saddled with a Dom who she’ll be obligated to serve. Her reservations of which centered around the negative experience with her former intended. Too delicate and tender for anyone without a gentle hand, but well trained enough to silently take what is given to her whether she likes it or not.

suggested connections:

interview subjects -- Natalie is a student working on her masters degree. Her thesis is centered around sex research. She is gathering information on both Doms and Subs. She’d be especially interested in those in positions of power and for hire subs, although she’d be happy to chat with anyone interested in sharing their experiences with her!!

friends -- Far away from home baby Nat needs all the friends she can get! She’s a lil sweetheart who never forgets a birthday and definitely makes a cake. Shoot me a message and we can definitely plot how they met and the mannerism of their relationship! I would love some friends for Natalie who are also new to Rosewood life, as well as some more seasoned folks who can guide my naive bean. :) 

dom (male) -- While Natalie is doing what she can to avoid being noticed (read: wanted) by a Dom from fear of another negative experience it is bound to happen. Especially as she wanders around asking people about their sex lives, tee-heee! So, this connection could be open to anyone who would be interested in her. While she may not be too keen on them she was raised to be a good girl and would certainly oblige.

dom (female) -- From a young age Natalie was most interested in women, but her mother insisted the role of a female sub was to be bred by a strong, male dom and produce dom children. Often, Natalie’s mother would shame her attraction and thus the little blonde struggles with a lot of guilt when it comes to her interest in females. I would love love LOVE for some lovely, dom ladies to help her overcome that! ;)

family “friend” -- Natalie’s mother is under the impression Natalie has come to Rosewood to find a Dom with whom she will bare Mistress Winters many grandchildren. While, in truth, Natalie is most interested in her education and exploring a relationship with women. This connection would “report” back to Natalie’s mother and essentially land her in trouble. Potentially (later on in the game) this could be a dom or sub paid to watch over Natalie by her mother.

[giftedsupport]

Hothousing and Tiger Parenting

Hothousing is a phrase to describe intense focus on an academic area. Your child exhibits a special talent in some field. You want to provide more exposure to that field so your child will get “smarter.” You also want your child to be challenged at school, especially in that special field of expertise.

Hothousing is related to another concept, “tiger parenting,” where the focus is on achievement and performance. You want your child to perform well in school get high grades, master every test, and be number one in every class. You can’t accept failure.

Note that these are your goals, not your child’s. This could be a sign of pushing too hard. These goals are adult-centered, not child-centered.

Hothousing and tiger parenting lead students to feel resistance and apathy, or high anxiety. Putting stress on your child to do better can lead to problems with self-esteem, restlessness and sleep problems. It can create a wider separation between you and your child.

Let your child provide the lead in what he or she wants to do. You should support that lead rather than create your own expectations. This is nurturing vs. pushing.

Acceleration can help or hurt

You want your school system to serve the educational needs of your gifted child. That might mean some form of acceleration – moving your child ahead of where he or she would be in the regular school curriculum. There are many forms of acceleration.

...All of these accelerations are designed to accommodate highly intelligent students, especially those who are gifted. However, they are not without potential problems. For some gifted students, acceleration can be a great. It gives them the subject exposure and the learning challenges they need.

On the other hand, those gifted students who are socially and emotionally immature, academic acceleration can create a heavy burden. It may save a child some time, but time is a valuable gift for child. Children need time to develop confidence and a healthy self-image. They need time to feel secure and to enjoy being young.

Educational toys can rob time

One of the first things parents of gifted children do is find educational toys, games and books to encourage their intellectual interest and development. This can be good or bad. Parents feel that it is never too early to help their infants get smarter. They buy wind-up toys, puppets, musical toys, lava lamps, and educational videos.

Research has shown that there is very little academic advantage to providing educational toys for children. They can actually work against children by keeping them from exercising their imaginations.

Toys and games which stimulate creativity, imagination, and open-thinking can be helpful. How often do we see children open brightly wrapped gifts only to see them play with the wrapping, ribbons or box itself? We can’t tell what’s going to interest them.

You can avoid too much pressure

What are some of the things you can do to make sure you are nurturing and not pushing too hard? How can you be sure you are monitoring your child rather than manipulating?

Make your children feel they are part of a family that loves them. Have regular family meals and family time together. This will increase your children’s self-esteem.

Recognize your children’s progress. Show them how their handwriting has improved or their drawings got better. Talk about how they have become so much better at playing their favorite instrument – compared with earlier trials.

Try not to embarrass your child by bragging to teachers, school administrators, friends and neighbors.  You should be an advocate of your child in particular and gifted children in general. Get involved with your child’s school, its teachers and programs. Make sure the school has the philosophy and capability to represent your child’s interests and unique skills.

Know your gifted child’s “Bill of Rights”– a list developed by the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). The list includes things like “know about your giftedness, feel good about your accomplishments, have friends and peer groups.”

Try to develop the whole child. Encourage interest in many things. Go outside the school curriculum. Pursue non-academic topics. Expect interests to change.

Acknowledge learning over awards. It’s about the process and hard work, not trophies or high scores.

Bring real-world experiences to your child and nurture their interests. If your child likes reading books about animals, take him or her to a zoo. If your children like to play an instrument, take them to a local concert.

If you allow your child to be a child first and just have fun as a child, you will be on the right track. If you follow his or her lead, you will be doing the right thing. If you recognize and celebrate the right kind of behavior rather than the results, you are being supportive, not pushy.

[sinesalvatorem]

My Best Explanation of My Father

I think I’ve finally, finally understood the basis of my father’s parenting style. Which is also why I can finally articulate its fatal flaw.

My dad recognised that there are certain virtues you need to know, feel, and reflexively practice. Things like thrift, honesty, reliability, hard work, perseverance, attention to detail, and not complaining instead of acting. So, he did the obviously logical thing and tried to instill them in me through explicit instruction.

The thing is, virtues generally can’t be taught. Knowing about them is only part of the problem. You have to be able to feel that they are true. And that can only happen when they’re harnessed in the service of doing what you actually value. Of bringing about the satisfaction of your own purpose, rather than anyone else’s. Of creating the world you want to live in.

Which meant I didn’t immediately get them. I would have to act in the world until noticing the patterns in my own actions made them click. The problem is, he was terrified of the ways I might hurt myself if I didn’t know these things. So he didn’t see giving me the opportunities to make mistakes until they stuck as being the most important things he could be doing if he wanted me to Get this.

And, well, I just didn’t live in a world in which this was true. My time wasn’t my own, so I couldn’t use it to pursue projects that might fulfill me. Instead I had to use it going to school or doing homework or working in the garden or on otherwise externally imposed tasks.

But the problem is, not a single one of those tasks inculcated a sense of meaning in me, because none of them affected my goals. They didn’t contribute toward anything. It was clear from primary school that I would do as well in school whether I showed up every day and did all the homework, as if I showed up once a week and never took notes. I was once bumped from grade 5 into grade 6 for two weeks and followed all the lessons perfectly, despite showing up in media res.

And yet so many hours of my day were directed toward this. I had to take notes in class. Would whether I took notes affect anything about my education? Empirically, no. Would doing homework affect anything? Empirically, no. Would studying for tests affect anything? Empirically, no. Would going to class affect anything? Empirically, no. I’d even do just as well on exams, despite all of this.

Every single time I tested whether something adults were forcing me to spend time on affected my education in any way, the answer was always no. Literally the only things in school which affected the progress of my learning were having conversations with teachers and getting new books. Everything else was a distraction, and I knew it was a distraction. And once you know that, it’s impossible to value the thing anymore.

So I always hated being in school, and in addition to this had to deal with the fact that all my peers had it out for me. But this combination of experiences - meaningless dead time loosely related to learning, and constant bullying - was allotted a huge amount of my time by forces external to me. And when it wasn’t that, it was something else my parents had decided I should be doing.

Furthermore, at the time, I didn’t have a very secure sense of property. Most of my things weren’t really “owned” by me, so much as they were treated as being on loan from my parents. My school treated it as axiomatic that any student’s belongings could be taken by teachers, and the other students took it that my belongings could be taken because I didn’t fight back at the time. (That’s another essay.)

I also didn’t have much persistence for anything I owned. We moved a lot, based on my parents’ plans, so pretty much at random (from my subjective perspective) I’d have to choose which things I’d have to abandon to move to a new place. And, of the things I carried, some of them were on loan from my parents, so who knew when I might stop having them? In my early years, I cried a lot any time the things I thought of as my possessions were taken from me. Over time, I just realised I had to stop caring about my things, because they weren’t really mine anyway.

My father is quite familiar with classical economics. He knew that in societies where people have an insecure sense of property, they also don’t value labour. He also knew that I wouldn’t have had a secure sense of property and I didn’t value labour. In retrospect, I’m kicking myself wondering how he didn’t put these two together. Or, if he did, why he didn’t make the obvious adjustment.

(Things started improving in this vein when I started getting a weekly allowance, but definitely the best thing they could have done would have been to give me more opportunities to earn more money, plus a belief that I’d get to keep things I paid for.)

So, I lived in a world where most of my time was taken by others, and nothing I made or acquired persisted. So I just gave up on the outside world. Turned off and dropped out as far as external circumstances were concerned. Why should I care about anything going on outside of me? It wasn’t like any choice I made would affect it.

So, instead, I exclusively paid attention to the inside world. I thought and studied and theorised. I followed whatever was interesting until I could find cool surprises. I solved problems only when the rewards of the action existed solely in my head. After all, if I solved a problem in the outside world, there was no reason to think that I would get to keep anything valuable that was produced.

But I could always keep knowledge and carry it around inside me. Knowledge was the only thing no one else could take away, so it was the only thing I cared about. My father always thought I was a wuss because I couldn’t take even minor pain. But the problem was, I couldn’t take minor pain for no reason. What, you want me to do this slightly painful work that will have exactly zero benefit to me? Of course I’m going to complain!

Meanwhile, at seven years old I was coming in covered in ant bites every day, because I couldn’t stop performing experiments on ant colonies to figure out how they worked. The collective agency of ant colonies was fascinating, and anything I learned about them was truly mine. That information belonged to me; earned by my own investigation. And if I really was gaining something from it, I could endure however much pain being covered in fire ants brought me. Just not the stubbed toe I might get from doing externally-imposed work.

But it’s really obvious why my dad’s lifestyle contributed meaning and virtue to him, but his attempt to propagate it didn’t contribute meaning to me. His family was actually living at the edge of their productivity. Any work he did was really work that would contribute to all of them. If he built furniture, he’d sit on that furniture. If he planted crops, he’d eat those crops. His actions improved his world, so he identified with them.

My actions didn’t improve my world. The chores I was assigned weren’t actually at the edge of our productive potential. Important things weren’t left to me until late in my teens, so in the meantime any work I did was work whose value I’d never see. It would never provide anything to me. Even working in the garden was completely meaningless, because I didn’t consume any of the plants we grew (other than sorrel, the one thing I liked being involved with).

Nietzsche’s idea of master morality vs slave morality is really just about this. Master morality is identification with your actions, because their consequences belong to you. You act because it will bring you benefit, so you want to act. Slave morality is alienation from your actions, because their consequences don’t belong to you. You act to avoid punishment for inaction, but action itself doesn’t bring you anything but the absence of punishment.

And as a child I had a huge amount of slave morality because I had the circumstances that foster the subjective experience of slavery. I’ll call this experience of the world ‘slave condition’. I gradually shook off this slave morality in various areas of my life, but it actually only started coming off at home by complete accident.

In my mid-teens, my dad started assigning me work in the garden any time he saw me walking around unoccupied. This pretty much destroyed my subjective quality of life. Until then, the only place I’d gotten meaning in life was being able to pace and think, and now I wasn’t able to because any time I tried to use for that would be stolen. So I just became suicidally depressed because continued life no longer contributed to any feeling of gain. During this time, I eventually gave up on complaining when forced to work, and instead just started internally fantasising about death any time I was working.

However, I think he misinterpreted this as me somehow having acquired the relevant virtues that correlate with not complaining, when what had actually happened was that I no longer valued my life enough to argue for it. But after a few months of this, he started trusting me to have more control over my life. And then, the moment I was exchanging this otherwise meaningless labour for control over my own life, I suddenly became way more enthusiastic about working.

Which of course was the point at which I started acquiring virtue, and my father started trusting me more, and I started acquiring more virtue. A virtuous cycle, if you will. However, what this means is that basically the entire course of my learning to be a real person happened between 15 and now. I’ve had 5 years to become a person, because for the first 15 years I was in the stasis of slave condition.

And you know what’s the most horrifying thing about this? It was an accident! The ideal way of raising a child, it’s now apparent to me, is to give them as much power to control their lives as possible - within moderate safeguards - while letting them keep or lose what they earn or squander. Basically, putting them in the master condition so they develop master morality. And then they’ll have all the virtue they need to succeed in the world.

Meanwhile, I was in the slave condition for the first 15 years, and so had slave morality. It’s only because my father accidentally pushed me over the edge from “low meaning in life” to “no meaning in life” and then mistook depressed nihilism for virtue once that I ever got placed in the master condition in the first place. And then I’ve spent the past 5 years trying to develop increasing levels of master morality.

But it is utterly horrifying that I could have just never made it due to this one simple mistake. The mistake of thinking that one must be a master to be allowed to be in the master condition, instead of realising that the master condition creates masters. I could totally be like one of my uncles right now if I’d either failed to get depressed or my father had been better at accurately judging emotions. I was saved by a coin toss. *internal screaming*

I mean, luckily enough, now I’ve got it. Now I’ve fully internalised that I can make my own world. Now I value working hard, because I get to keep what I work for. I love earning money so much - not even because of how much money I’ll have, but because I made that dollar. My life is on a clear upward trajectory, and it only took insights my father already knew, plus one that apparently he didn’t:

To truly value action, actions must bring value.

I expect this is still an ongoing problem, even now that I’ve emigrated. When I left, the only notable conflict between my parents seemed to be over division of labour. My father wanted my mother to do work she didn’t value, and thought she was lazy for not wanting to do it. But he doesn’t seem to notice that the things that bring value to him aren’t the same ones that bring value to other people. No one else in the family wants to work on the garden because the garden is effectively his hobby.

If you want people to be active and motivated, you have to let them do things that will actually improve their lives. You have to let them take actions that improve the quality of things they actually care about - not things you think they should care about. I hope my parents realise this in time for my younger brother to become a master on something other than a coin toss.

[uclavapae]

Emmanuel Galvez Machuca | Teaching Artist of April 2019

Hometown: Mexico City

Major: Fine Arts and Minor in Arts Education  

Q: How did you discover your interest in the arts and how did you know that it was something that you wanted to pursue professionally, as an artist or as a teaching artist?

A:  I started skateboarding in middle school and came to understand that to learn how to do a trick, I had to keep trying. That if I fell on the ground, I had to get up and try again. Eventually, I was able to land a trick. And, if I continued to work, I could perfect my style. When I began to draw cartoons, I naturally fell back on the lessons learned while skateboarding. My first drawings were clumsy, but eventually, through sheer determination and work, I became rather good at drawing cartoons. So, I learned that working on a skill, despite a failure, could lead to expertise.

I used this same process in art making. When I first start an art project I may not be successful, but if I spend time working, it improves. And the more I work, the better it gets. Generating new concepts also comes after much soul searching and mining memories. From 2010 to 2015 I have been involved in creating a series of paintings on the concept of “Pan Dulce.” The concept came to me as I thought of the days when I lived in Mexico City as a child and I walked with my Mom to the bakery where I could smell the fresh aromas of bread and see a beautiful spread of pan dulce. Those memories touched me so personally that I decided to set up a still life of these breads. As a result of these works, I now have gallery representation and have had two solo shows. Searching through my past experiences solidified what I wanted to do: to connect more closely with my childhood memories.

My success pushes me to work harder and make better art. I plan to become the first person in my family to receive a college degree. My motivation and hunger for knowledge inspires me to explore who I am as an artist, a teacher, and a student. I remember my mother’s words, “Echale ganas, mijo!” which means to [work hard, son!]. Her words allow me to push forward, to keep going, to perfect my greatest talent: art.

Q: Describe what the student artists in your VAPAE Afterschool or Arts Enrichment Program are working on and the process they’re using.

A:   Before I transferred to UCLA, I was working with two nonprofits. One of them was Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to K-12 underrepresented students interested in sports, music, and the arts. As the artist in residence at HOLA, I assisted in teaching art classes from teaching drawing, mix-medium and mentoring individual students. In 2010, Dan McCleary started Art Division, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and supporting underserved artistically inclined youth in the Rampart district where I have been an active participant since its inception. HOLA and Art Division have given me the tools and practice to give back to the community.

Because of my experience working with these nonprofits, I was offered the opportunity to work with one of the VAPAE Afterschool programs where I worked with another nonprofit. Latino Producers Action Network (LPAN) is a program that provides art workshops by Fabian Debora that brings youth from various communities together with their parents to collaborate in art projects. It was my pleasure working with the East Los Angeles community. In this VAPAE Program, I worked as a teaching artist assistant with Fabian Debora and I was able to learn several skills how to work with this is specific community intergenerational families. While in my participation at the program, I had the chance to assist every person and see them grow in their process and skills. I was really impressed with the mothers and daughters and how well they work with each other. I thought that the daughters would end up helping the mothers more but both of them created an equal balance.

Q: Why is an enrichment opportunity like this important for those participating? What do they gain?

A:  If I had not had Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) program when I was younger and Art Division as a young adult, I probably would not have followed my dream as an artist. Today, as a result of these opportunities, I have confidence in my art skills and in my capacity as a student of the arts.

Since I participated similar programs, I understand the value and the impact that it can provide to a student's lives. I think students can gain so much knowledge, critical thinking, and work collaboratively. Understanding these basic elements can help students discover the different possibilities of creating art pieces. Therefore, applying similar process outside of the arts into different environment allows students to navigate their own personal experiences. At a very personal level, art has always been there for me. The role of art can definitely play a huge role in students’ lives.

Q: Did you have an opportunity like this when you were a younger artist? If yes, how did it help shape your love of art? If no, in what ways could a program like this have helped you?

A: In middle school, I found my voice by drawing cartoons. I would often lose myself in my drawings, especially during English classes. “You’re going to be good, but without reading and writing you’re never going to be successful,” my English teacher would say. I knew I should have listened, but I chose not to. Instead, I continued with the pattern of doodling and daydreaming and kept wishing of one day being an artist. The possibility of becoming an artist became more real when at 14 years old I found Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). HOLA had tutors, classes, and other support systems to help usher us to college. Through college prep programming I discovered the possibility of the arts as a potential career with social benefits.   

Q: What do you personally gain as a teaching artist, arts facilitator?

A:  Even though I already have some experience teaching, I don't have words to describe the amount of knowledge that I gained from completing the Arts Education Teaching Sequence in VAPAE. It has reinforced my teaching philosophy and enriched my practice as artist. Personally, I have gained more structure of how to create lesson plans. And also I had the opportunity to work with a public school. When I came to this country I went to public school. Having this opportunity to teach at a public school, it was very rich experience. Many of the students whom I taught were their first time having art lessons. Another reason why I want to continue to teaching because I understand that not every community has access to the arts. Therefore, I do see myself working with marginalized communities. The VAPAE minor would reinforce my practice as an educator and artist. I hope my discipline in the arts and my educational pursuits serve as a model and that we can all continue to make our community a better place.

Q: What are the benefits to you as a student/graduate in the UCLA VAPAE program? Was this program a good choice for you? If so, why?

A: Even though I already have some experience teaching, I don't have words to describe the amount of knowledge that I gained from working with Fabian Debora through the VAPAE Program. I know for sure that everything that I learned will be reinforced and enrich my practice as both an educator and artist. When I started teaching I never took a formal class about art education. Through my previous history of volunteering for the arts as a teacher assistant, I was able to learn a lot of knowledge from both the classroom and the teacher. When I was offered a position of teaching art, of course, I said yes. Even though I did not have the proper training I still wanted to do it. It was not easy from the beginning. The more I communicated with other teachers and also with my supervisor, I was able to understand and get little more training about art education.

Once I transferred to UCLA, I was interested in taking classes in art education, and also became interested in completing the Visual and Performing Arts Education program. When I came to this country, I was part of the after school program, HOLA. I learned a lot from their academic education, especially when taking their art classes. Art has its own language, and not having been able to speak English, the arts allowed me to express and share my ideas with my classmates without language interfering. From my personal experience I want to complete the VAPAE program because I do see myself teaching art to kids and adults while still being able to continue with practice in the studio.

Q: Are there any anecdotes from your time as a VAPAE Teaching Artist at an Afterschool or Arts Enrichment Programs that stand out to you? Perhaps you had a breakthrough with a student or saw some particularly noticeable growth in that student through this program, collaboration etc. Maybe something surprised you or made you think about art or teaching in a new way.

A: Since I already have some experience working with nonprofits, I was able to adopt Fabian's style of teaching. Basically, he would give me instructions of what would the class be working before the class would start. For the most part, a lot of his lessons are very straightforward. Having my own artistic practice definitely helps me to follow him with his approach of having a responsive style of teaching that feels really community-based instead of a student vs. teacher approach. Within the two classes that I have taken at UCLA through art education, the way we approach art is so different than Fabian’s style of teaching. It was really interesting to see both styles of teaching. But as a teaching assistant, I have to recognize that one is working with the community and the other one it focuses on the education system. And also with various philosophies of teaching. As educators, we have to recognize the circumstances of this community such as understanding and learning how we help these communities. During my sessions, I was just starting to understand the difference between these teaching styles working both with Fabian and the community.

Q: What are your short-term and long‐term career goals?

A: One of my short-term goal is completing the Visual and Performing Art Education program. I would love to continue teaching with VAPAE after school programs. Another long-term goal is getting ready to apply graduate school. My dream would to one day go back to Mexico City and teach arts in communities that do not have access to the arts.

[anxietytherapists]

Why should I seek Christian Counselors?

Licensure: Christian counselors do not need to be licensed by the state. They report to the church. The church encourages prayer and asking God for help. A Christian counselor can help you find a solution to your problem. Because each Christian counselor is overseen by their church, they can keep a greater eye on them than the state.

As mentioned above, being a counselor licensed in your state can be very oppressive. The state doesn't want any religion to be promoted by secular counselors. Secular counselors cannot pray, read their bible, mention God or suggest a church for their clients to attend, or use religious morals as a guide to therapy.

- Now, let's quickly recap: The state forces secular counselors to give up God in everything they do. Christian counselors must make God an integral part therapy and foster a relationship with God.

Education: Secular counselors are educated at secular colleges. Perhaps you are wondering what the big deal really is. A majority of people attend secular colleges. This can be extremely detrimental in the case of counseling. I know because I graduated from a secular college. My Bachelor's degree in psychology was not in counseling but it was close. I am currently pursuing a Masters in counseling. While you are completing your degree, there is a strong emphasis on the nonexistence and absurdity of creationism. Evolution is the greatest thing since sliced bread christian counseling near me.

Secular schools offer a counseling style that is void of morals. We won't go into too many details, but suffice to say that the father and founder of psychology, Sigmund Freud, was a cocaine addict. The majority of secular psychology today is based on his work. His theories are almost worshiped as a religion and he is often referred to as the psychology God. It is impossible to imagine a counselor trained under secular principles being qualified to practice Christian counseling. It will be easier to seek Christian help than not.

Let's summarize: Christian counselors go to Christian schools that provide a moralized education. Secular counselors attend schools that offer a Demoralized education.

How to find a good Christian counselor. Two of the most well-known associations for Christian Counselors are the International Board of Christian Counselors and the National Christian Counselors Association.

Types of Secular Counselors vs. Types Christian - Secular Counselors : Licensed Professional Counselors Licenses Marriage and Family Therapist, licensed Mental Health Counselor – Christian Counselors : Licensed Pastoral counselors, Licensed Clinical Pastoral counselors, certified Christian Counselors

Finally, you are almost there. Make sure the counselor you choose is not secular or Christian. You can go to a counselor to interview for your entrance interview, and then decide the counselor doesn't fit with you. There are so many counselor types, including hard, emotional, strick and warm. You need to find one you like. If the counselor isn't a good match for you, it would be unprofessional. Do not allow counselors to convince you to join them. This is a red flag.

Make sure you and your therapist agree on the time frame that you want to receive assistance. Some people will have to limit the time that their insurance company will pay. These restrictions should be respected by the therapist you choose. You should also double-check with your insurance company to ensure that they will cover Christian counseling. Many companies have restrictions regarding this type of counseling.

[expatimes]

Ecuador to vote amid economic crisis and widespread discontent

Ecuador to vote amid economic crisis and widespread discontent

Quito, Ecuador – Ecuadorians will head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president amid widespread discontent over the country’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, an economic crisis worsened by COVID-19, and several corruption scandals.

Sixteen presidential candidates will be on the ballot, though most have polled under two percent support and are not expected to be major contenders on voting day.

The race is shaping up to be a fight between ex-banker and longtime presidential hopeful Guillermo Lasso, and Andres Arauz, an economist and former head of the central bank, who are leading in most recent polls with around 25 to 30 percent support.

Lasso, with the right-wing Creating Opportunities (CREO) party, has pledged to create jobs through more international investments and oil extraction projects, while Arauz of the Democratic Center party has promised to return to the socialist policies of former President Rafael Correa.

Third in recent polls, at about 10 to 15 percentage points behind the pair, is Yaku Perez of Pachakutik, the party of the country’s Indigenous movement, who is known for his opposition to mining and support for greater environmental protections.

Experts say it is unlikely that anyone will get the 40 percent support and at least a 10-point lead over their opponents that is needed to win the presidency, which means a runoff will be held on April 11 between the top two candidates.

The elections will be monitored by more than 2,500 local and 225 international observers, including the Organization of American States, the European Union, and the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations.

Voters will also elect lawmakers to fill 137 seats in the National Assembly.

Whoever wins will need to address several pressing challenges, including widespread public discontent; more than 89 percent of Ecuadorians say the country is on the wrong track, according to a December poll by the Cedatos firm.

“Corruption has been permanent, and scandals have consistently appeared in the media,” said Decio Machado, a political analyst based in Quito, the capital. “People have a lot of distrust in politics today.”

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Yaku Perez rides his bike during his closing campaign rally in Cuenca, Ecuador, on February 4

‘Mixed feelings’

Current President Lenin Moreno, who is not up for re-election, will end his single term in office drastically unpopular. His approval rating has long been hovering around seven percent, down from 77 percent in his first months in office.

Moreno was elected in 2017 as the successor to Correa, who increased public spending, cut ties with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, and endorsed regional integration with other socialist countries in Latin America.

But shortly after he was elected, Moreno changed course and pursued more business-friendly policies, such as cutting taxes for international mining investors and securing loans from the IMF and World Bank to fund the country’s foreign debt and fiscal deficit.

Ecuador’s former president Rafael Correa is a polarising figure today

His popularity plummeted in October of 2019 after he tried to pass IMF austerity measures that included cutting public funding and eliminating fuel subsidies that many families depend on. His effort sparked 11 days of violent protests across the country.

Dayana Leon, a political communications consultant based in Quito, said those protests polarised Ecuador, as a large part of the population did not support those demonstrating.

Leon told Al Jazeera the protests, coupled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent corruption scandals and high unemployment, mean many Ecuadorians will “have mixed feelings when voting” – unsure of whether to vote for their preferred candidate or to vote strategically to prevent an undesired outcome.

COVID-19, economic woes

The country has been badly hit by the coronavirus, with hospitals at maximum capacity in Quito and the coastal city of Guayaquil, where healthcare and mortuary services collapsed in April.

Ecuador has reported more than 10,000 coronavirus-related deaths, according to government figures, but experts warn the actual number is likely much higher due to Ecuador’s low rates of testing for COVID-19. It has also recorded more than 251,000 infections.

Corruption scandals have also erupted during the pandemic, as at least nine public hospitals are being investigated for embezzlement.

A healthcare worker receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the military hospital FFAA, in Quito

A network of public officials was recently found selling disability cards – which provide benefits to people with physical disabilities – for inflated prices or using them to import goods with tax exemptions, while Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos is also under scrutiny for giving one of Ecuador’s few COVID-19 vaccine doses to his mother.

Meanwhile, unemployment hit 6.6 percent in September, almost double what it was in December 2019, while poverty levels have increased from 43 to 48.5 percent, according to UNICEF Ecuador. The group also estimates that six out of every 10 households with children are now in extreme poverty without access to education, healthcare, food, jobs or social security.

“With the impact of the pandemic, the situation has worsened notably,” said the analyst, Machado. “The political debate is centred around the economy.”

‘Correismo vs anti-Correismo’

The top presidential candidates have vowed to tackle the economic crisis facing many families.

Arauz, 35, who was director of Ecuador’s central bank under Correa, has promised to bring back economic stability by reimplementing the former president’s socialist policies.

But Correa is a polarising figure in Ecuador.

His supporters remember him for decreasing poverty and increasing spending in public infrastructure during a commodities boom, but his administration was accused of corruption – and Correa himself was charged with violating campaign finance laws, which he continues to fight from his home in Belgium.

“The main electoral debate is between Correismo and anti-Correismo,” said Machado.

Both have strong support across the country, but the current government has been “the best validator of Correa’s politics”, he said. “Many people have this feeling that the past was better; there were more jobs, better purchasing power, the economic crisis was managed in a better way.”

Political platforms

Arauz’s proposals include increasing taxes on transnational companies, reinstating public spending, strengthening the Central Bank, and refusing to comply with IMF austerity measures. He also promised to give $1,000 to one million Ecuadorian families who have suffered during the pandemic to stimulate the local economy.

For his part, Lasso, 65, has promised to crack down on corruption – a nod to Correa and the current Moreno government – and proposed an international anti-corruption commission. This is his third time running for president, including in 2017 when he lost by a narrow margin to Moreno.

Lasso has tried to position himself as distinct from the last two governments, blaming the country’s current economic crisis on the last 14 years of bad governance, said Machado.

Presidential candidate Guillermo Lasso rides on a pick-up truck during a campaign caravan, in Guayaquil, Ecuador

In his current campaign, Lasso has promised to cut taxes and create one million jobs by attracting international investment, particularly in oil and mining. He also said he supports flexible work contracts, where wages and hours can be negotiated, to allow employers to hire more workers.

Perez, 51, of Pachakutik, positions himself as part of the “Ecological Left” and is a firm critic of both established right-wing politicians and Correismo. He is also a strong advocate of transitioning into a post-extractive economy and renegotiating the country’s external debt with China and the IMF.

Critics say it is unclear how he will create jobs or a stable national economy without the extractive sector, which accounts for almost nine percent of Ecuador’s GDP.

Carlos Mazabanda, Ecuador field coordinator for environmental group Amazon Watch, said Perez’s anti-mining activism has “played an important role” in defending the environment, but there is concern about whether he could maintain that stance in office in the face of a powerful mining lobby.

But Perez is supported by the many in the Indigenous community, which numbers some 1.1 million people, and environmentalists as he is the only candidate to speak at length about environmental issues and the need to address climate change.

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Andres Arauz gestures to supporters during his closing campaign rally in Quito on February 4

Voting mandatory

Beyond that, Leon said climate change and human rights were “completely absent” from debates leading up to the vote, with some candidates even showing “total ignorance of international human rights agreements”.

Most candidates said women’s rights were important, but a discussion on reproductive rights – which have come under increasing attention after Argentina legalised abortion in December – was also noticeably missing from the campaign.

A plan to address regional migration, as hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have sought refuge in Ecuador, also remains unclear, as most presidential candidates only spoke about the issue through a public security lens.

The Cotopaxi volcano is seen near Quito, the capital of Ecuador

Still, more than 13 million people are registered to vote – and voting is mandatory in Ecuador, with anyone who does not turn in a ballot facing a fine of 10 percent of the minimum monthly wage ($40).

People must vote in person, following public health guidelines such as wearing a mask, to prevent the potential spread of the coronavirus.

During the 2017 elections, the abstention rate reached 17 percent and Machado said if voting was not mandatory, the abstention rate this year would be “extremely high” this time around, as well. “There is a lot of disbelief felt towards the proposals of politicians in general,” he said.

Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=17749&feed_id=32301

[gravitascivics]

NOT PSYCHOLOGISTS, BUT …

[Note:  From time to time, this blog issues a set of postings that summarize what the blog has been emphasizing in its previous postings.  Of late, the blog has been looking at various obstacles civics educators face in teaching their subject.  It’s time to post a series of such summary accounts.  The advantage of such summaries is to introduce new readers to the blog and to provide a different context by which to review the blog’s various claims and arguments.  This and upcoming summary postings will be preceded by this message.]

 To carry on with a look at Hegel’s views on people maturing described in the last posting, that philosopher is known more for his historical-dialectic model (and noted for its effect on Karl Marx).  His maturing model, like his historical one, emphasizes contradictions and conflicts and warns that there is no smooth road to adulthood.

         And such tensions naturally have their problematic consequences on the social arrangements within which they occur.  If one keeps in mind how social arrangements of just about any sort depend on people actually getting along and behaving in ways that bolster cooperation and collaboration, one can readily see that maturing issues can be important.  They are of such importance that one can easily find cultural expressions that look at situations in which these tensions become intense – see movies like West Side Story[1]or Rebel Without a Cause.[2]

         In addition, these tensions feed and are fed by dysfunctional political movements.  Currently, that would be the level of tribalism in which issues are defined – not necessarily openly – by “identity” perceptions which, in turn, cater to the natural “Us vs. Them” biases people are apt to express. And what this points out is that professional educators, to address this shortcoming as it affects good citizenship, need a well-founded understanding of what is happening with these young people.

No, they don’t need to be psychologists, but to be effective they do have to have a good sense of what these tensions are and how they work themselves into how young people see reality and strive to satisfy what they perceive they want. Unfortunately, the evidence seems to indicate – given the general levels of narcissism – that they are not doing a very good job of addressing this challenge.[3]  Leading fellow educators toward better results could naturally be civics educators and beyond them, social studies educators in general.

Those educators could start by reviewing those concepts and values that highly relate to the underlying issues involved, and no issues are more involved than those relating to freedom.  And here, a distinction is helpful although in the public media one never hears that this distinction even exists.  That would be about how people define freedom.  

As the previous posting pointed out, the young person coming to terms with how they seek their freedom from authority figures (parents, school personnel, and other authorities), are heavily influenced by prevailing views of freedom or liberty.  And as this blog has pointed out numerous times, that would be the natural rights view and its promotion of natural liberty.[4]  

But in the history of humankind, there have been various views of freedom and that can be said for the US.  And in the US, the main division relates to the distinction between what prevails today, natural liberty, and what prevailed in the years before World War II, federal liberty.  The former bolsters the general sense of doing one’s own thing and the latter incorporates a sense of doing what one should do without legal or other constraints.

And this other view introduces, beyond market values, the values of some moral construct, namely a federated morality.[5]  That morality highlights as a requisite the responsibilities of being cooperative, collaborative, and communal.  It encourages one to develop a respect for equality, not just in relation to the law, but in the conditions under which people live.  Further, those conditions should meet some reasonable levels.  And, in line with these concerns, one should respect people being able to act from their own volition to do what is right.

Hegelian notions lead to a two-pronged approach by those who want to affect this maturing process.  On one plane, they need to deal with the reality of what exists, the conditions they observe.  On a second plane, they are taking into account the historical context in which they live – and today, what prevails is the current global economic world that, despite possible policies to the contrary, exists.  And this affects their consciousness which, in turn, relies on mental visions or biases such as advanced organizers in people’s cognitive makeups.  

All of this is not at the conscious level, there are also subconscious forces at work.  That’s right; it’s a bit complicated indeed.  And it’s hard for a given person to become a responsible citizen.  The easier path is just to react to events.  Yet the responsible path, the one that bolsters the probabilities to a more productive, happier future, is to reflect on what is at stake with a given challenge, what is a moral reaction, and what leads to a better result for all involved.  

Why?  Because beyond being moral, it leads to positive reciprocal interactions, positive sentiments towards others, positive access to the communal assets and good wishes, and to positive self-fulfillment of who one truly is.  And this revelation in general terms is not so complicated or mysterious.  

It turns out that adopting this view as an overall understanding and as a plan increases the chances of success in most interactions.  Upon such successes, one falls into the habit of taking into account the interests of those involved.  That is, it pays in a variety of ways for people to be more reflective instead of being merely reflexive.[6]

[1] Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins (directors), West Side Story, United Artists, 1961.

[2] Nicholas Ray (director), Rebel Without a Cause, Warner Brothers, 1955.

[3] Jean M. Twenge, and W. Keith Campbell.  The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.  New York, NY: Free Press, 2009.  This writer believes that this shortcoming is more a product of systemic factors rather than professional malpractice by educators.

[4] That would be the view that everyone has the right to determine their values and goals and the right to pursue those values and goals short of interfering with others to do likewise.

[5] A review of this moral code can be found in Toward a Federated Nation.  See Robert Gutierrez, Toward a Federated Nation: Implementing National Civics Standards (Tallahassee, FL:  Gravitas/Civics Books, 2020).

[6] One can be reflective and immoral as morality is defined in the prevailing social arrangement. In dramatic form, as an example, one can see the behaviors of the “godfather” in the movie, The Godfather.  There, the Don, Vito Corleone, constructed his morality based on family loyalty.  Here, the tragedy lies in this character not accepting a social environment in which the level of “Us” goes beyond not only the family or the region in which he lives but incorporates a nation-state.  Surely, his was not a federal morality even within the family.  There, there was a hierarchical arrangement with the Don at the top instead of an arrangement in which its members were federated among themselves. Within his moral purview, though, he did act in a reflected fashion.  See Francis Ford Coppola (director), The Godfather (the film), Paramount Pictures, 1972.

[jeffreyfgua849-blog]

Loan Modification Facts & Myths

Loan modification is a modification in terms of a loan which leads to alterations in interest rate, the principal amount or even the type of loan program you are on.

Typically, basic refinance is more typical as compared to loan adjustment. The necessity for altering the conditions or regards to the loan is basically due to the problem the borrower may be dealing with in paying back the loan according to the originally agreed regards to the loan. Property owners that default in payments have really hard decisions to take as a consequence to the default. A few of the choices offered are a) foreclosure; b) brief sale or c) Loan modification. Of these there options it is just under loan adjustment that the property owner can maintain possession of your home. In such a case, if the debtor is able to show that they can make great the payment under modified terms, in a consistent and prompt manner, will the bank think new fidelity funding bbb about allowing a loan modification. The modification in terms might be increasing the amortization period (40 or 50 years), principal balance decrease, forbearance clause, short-term or irreversible rate of interest reductions or including an interests only choice. (please describe the Glossary for a much better understanding of the italicized words).

The standard objective of loan adjustment is to enable the homeowner the opportunity of making the particular quantum of payment that he/she can fairly pay after thinking about all month-to-month costs. The bank would consider all aspects of the borrower's expenses like phone payments, credit card liabilities, electrical power, gas and water charges and the like. The bank would not require the customer to spend all his month-to-month income on funding the home loan as this is almost not practical and reasonable. Hence, the loss mitigation department of the bank will think about all affordable costs for keeping a normal lifestyle while computing a sensible monthly mortgage payment requirement.

Loan modification is a settlement process in between the customer (you, the property http://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=https://www.quickenloans.com/mortgage-education/refinance-guide owner) and your lender (the bank). Sometimes you might have a modification company handle the count on your behalf. The process includes submission of a proposal along with an Income Vs. Expenditures Statement which you will see in the worksheet at the end of this book. This declaration provides to the lender the amount total of your family income post taxes. Likewise, there is an estimate of your regular monthly expenditures which include hard along with soft expenditures. Softy expenditures are not so easy to determine and document. If the soft expenses are overstated, you will be able to approximate the cash. The Income Vs. Expenditure Statement provides your regular monthly income which you can then compare to the costs omitting the home mortgage payments. The distinction in between the total earnings and the expenses is equivalent to the revised month-to-month home mortgage, with the understanding that you would have left some surplus for incidentals in your cost side while preparing the loan adjustment proposition. Leaving absolutely nothing for incidentals is not useful.

Settlement with the loan provider is the action that follows discussion of the loan adjustment proposal consisting of the Income Vs Costs worksheet. Negotiations will be handled later on in this book.

Principle balance decrease having 1st and second Home Loan

When you have very first and trust deed holders, pursuing and getting principal balance reductions end up being easier, mostly because the second trust deed holder will get hardly anything in the case of foreclosure. When a foreclosure occurs, the first deed holder is settled and just any residual amount earns money to the 2nd holder. In a lot of cases, the 2nd holder is confronted with huge losses and recovers very little, of any. That's why the second holder favors permitting some decrease. As the bank wants to get at least 10-20% they would definitely not like a situation where you lose your house and they make losses, due to which they would like to avoid such an occurrence by any means.

When you have 2 home mortgages holders you can have 2 conditions:

a) Where both notes are held by one bank and b) where the 2 notes are owned individually by 2 various banks. The first scenario is best for a primary balance decrease. They would rather securitize the first because the second is primarily of no worth to the loan provider. The second could be lowered as low at one-tenth (10%) of what is presently impressive provided they are persuaded that you can pay off in time and regularly. Rarely would a bank lower both the first and the second when payments are in jeopardy.

Reductions can be different if both home loans are held by separate banks. A bank that owns simply the second would look at the single note to ascertain losses. If a bank holds both notes, it would be reasonable to anticipate that the bank would forgive up to 90% of the 2nd to prevent bigger losses. However second trust deed holders recognize that on foreclosure they would lose all, so they would allow principal balance reduction, although it may not be simple. This realization frequently triggers the second holder to promote a settlement and prevent foreclosure.

If you want a favorable settlement you have to convince both banks to reduce the balance as this could work out well not just for you by spreading the losses but likewise for the banks.

If you wish to handle an adjustment business, take care that you do not get cheated to include to all your debt problems.