Avocadogreta

These two stories coming about at the same time is extremely interesting. I've appreciated Stefan's attention to these stories and MSM hypocrisy when highlighting each issue. I am friends with people from all walks of life on Twitter. Each time I've spoken up about either case, the main comments I receive are 1) I'm insensitive/don't 'get it' because I am not a person of color. my 'privilege' blinds me from the 'real issues' and because of this privilege, I should not be able to speak about it. 2) I simply don't understand the cultural/regional thinking on 'discipline' I've unfollowed each account that has condoned child abuse, in any form. I am still wanting to have conversations with people but I just don't have the emotional fortitude to engage everyone. One of the more shocking things I came across are people who are upset that these guys are suspended/fired because it actually hurts their families even MORE. And the general attitude is, 'the person's profession should not be affected for what type of person they are when they leave work.' And these comments are coming from people who have professed to be feminists and/or child advocates! I've even seen some people excuse the severity of child abuse, 'ok switching a child might be wrong, but slapping a child for doing X is permissible.' And the newest to come out is that Adrian Peterson abuses his children because he believes the bible gives him permission. I wonder if people's responses will change now that he's enlisting God as his co-abuser. I tell you, both of these stories and people's responses are just making me ill.

Good luck to you in finding some peaceful families to hang out with. I'm sure there are many other families who are wanting to connect with like-minded families to grow with as well.

Hi cherapple- I am glad you found me, don't know why I'm just getting a notification now always happy to connect w people on twitter!

These are wonderful, Melesina- may I share some on twitter?

Hi! There are a lot of other options, I suppose it's all about where you live though. In WA state there's a group called the Mountaineers https://www.mountaineers.org/ - a friend of mine participated for years - I was always jealous of her skills when we'd camp together. There are other types of outdoor 'schools' like another local one called Wilderness Awareness http://wildernessawareness.org/ which we've considered sending our LO to for a day or more a week. Surely, there is something like these in your area?

Hi Alex! I'm also new and feel at the beginning of self-knowledge, philosophy, etc. and have been a member here since last month. Welcome! My sister is visiting South America right now (she's currently visiting Ecuador) and sees herself relocating to SA after living in Argentina for a year. Nice to meet you!

It looks like we're in!

It sure can be difficult to make and create intimacy in online friendships. I deactivated in November of last year after using FB almost entirely as a way to disseminate information. Like Fractional Slacker said, I also found it fascinating that my friends sharing their meals or complaining about their job or partner would get much more attention than research about nutrition, child development, local opportunities to volunteer, Fukushima, or the nearby Hanford nuclear plant leaking. In fact, I realized I would share personal anecdotes or pictures just to seem more relatable. I grew tired of posting an article about the harms of circumcision (I wouldn't share more than one a week, though I wanted to share a circ article every day) and receiving comments like, 'smegma is gross,' from old HS friends. I have found that local meetups are a good way to find like-minded or interesting friends. Twitter is also an easy, good tool for meeting other local people who have similar interests - that's how I have connected with many local activists. Another, slower, way to make new friends online is by starting a blog - people who are interested in what you have to say will gravitate toward you - likewise, finding local bloggers who are speaking about issues you're interested in. There always seems to be pockets of local groups with similar interests, sometimes you just need to reach out and ask who is near you. Again, twitter is great for that. Good luck!

This is a very interesting conversation - my pregnant friend and I were just discussing this! She was complaining about how much she needs to eat, how exhausted she is all the time, and all the nutrient that the 'parasite,' (yes, she called her child a 'parasite') is taking away from her. She went on to say that even her husband was upset at her using that term to describe their unborn child. The growing child truly does take all of those things away from the mother (or, 'host'), I can see why people would call a fetus a parasite - it fits the definition of the word. However, I think how a person views life (in this case, the life of an unborn child - whether intended or not) will likely determine whether or not they will call the life a 'parasite.'

I was hoping there was already a thread on here about this. My twitter timeline (which I keep paring down) is full of feminists and every single one of them are quoting the founder of A Voice for Men as a supporter of rape. Here's just one thread: https://twitter.com/BhasChat/status/474299616864010241/photo/1 Since the Elliot Rodger situation, I have deleted half of the hard-core feminists I used to follow because they attack, mock, and place all blame on men without offering any possible solutions to the never-ending list of troubles they share. My suggestion that these tweets are sexist got me blocked, RTd, and mocked. Even a 'writer,' Lindy West published a Jezebel article (http://jezebel.com/finally-a-foolproof-step-by-step-guide-to-dealing-with-1577628407) the same day this was occurring. She specifically called me out as a troll and sent her minions after me all saying things like 'goo goo ga ga' along with 'wiping crap off bottom' stuff. Because I am a woman and defend (as equally as I can) males and females, I am put in a precarious position. My (former) birth/breastfeeding/child-advocate 'friends' have turned against me. But when I see posts from Paul Elam (like the one included above), I can see why many of these women get feisty. Though, I do not support their ways of going about it. I cannot tell you how many tweets I've seen today that call MRA (A Voice for Men) a hate group, tell the Doubletree that their female employees are not safe with this conference being held there, saying that MRAs will rape anyone who disagrees with them. etc. I really don't have time to read through thread after thread in their (AVFM) forums. I do not understand where feminists that take it to twitter (and elsewhere) are getting their information, and there is little room for discussion. It's a 'you're either with us or against us' mentality and apparently they've decided I'm against them. Can someone please share with me a little more about this situation so I have a better understanding of what is going on. I honestly feel like I need a handbook to understand the greater context of this situation. Are there any links I can read to educate myself on this? Thank you in advance

Hi! Welcome to you too then Yes, it's very satisfying to have a partner who wants to grow together. Thank you!

Hi there! I am an unschooling mama to a bright, creative, and ENERGETIC (almost) four year-old. So... that's how I spend most of my time. But in my 'downtime' (like when I'm nursing her to sleep) I listen to a lot of podcasts, watch Youtube videos, and am always learning something new. I am an intactivist, breastfeeding, birth, and children's advocate, as well as being very outspoken about our corrupt school system. We are very health-conscious, love riding our bikes, hiking, enjoying the sun and water, and exploring together. Even though I have lived in/around Seattle for most of my life, I am very affected by the rain, clouds, and general dreariness. Stefan Molyneux didn't show up on my radar until I watched a video of his on circumcision which I shared around on facebook (when I was on there) and then later shared one on spanking. Some of my husband's coworkers listen to the show and recommended them to me. So for the last month I have been listening as much as I can. My husband and I (and his coworkers) have been sharing episodes back and forth. (And a few times my husband and I have been able to listen to the show together.) The shows offer a lot of challenging information that I am happy to soak up... and process. The topics brought up in the shows have springboarded us into a lot of new conversations, or have revisited old ones. While I am interested in anarchy (just listened to one of Stefan's books), general philosophy, and other political issues, it's the parenting, feminist, and personal development issues that have really resonated with me. For example, my husband and I became pregnant out of wedlock (stupid, I know!) and decided to move in together, get married quickly, and figure out how to make it all work. We did not have enough money to live on with just his income so I took a part-time job where I figured I could leave my little girl with my friends (no family available nearby) and go to work at six weeks post-partum. What I hadn't planned on was the needs of my child. She's extremely 'spirited' (high needs), would not take pumped milk, nor was she comforted by anyone but me. So I started taking her to work with me - which was only a little less miserable, but at least we were together. I totally agree with Stefan when he says that you can make it work for one parent to be with the child/ren - it does take a lot of sacrifices, but it is possible. Anyway, the job only lasted one year and by that time my husband (began to take his career more seriously and) received a raise almost equal to what I was contributing with my job. And to make a long story short, he would not be where he is today in his career if we had both been working full-time jobs. Even though we were home-birthing and everything, we didn't know about 'attachment parenting,' 'peaceful parenting,' or anything like that until after she was born. I am just so thankful we did come across these ideas so we could become sensitive and respond appropriately to our little one's needs. Something that struck me last year was that even within the intactivist movement - where we'd shout about how awful genital mutilation is all day long - there seemed to be a split whenever anyone spoke out about other harmful acts against children like spanking, cry-it-out, or the school system. So as I have been listening, I am impressed with is Stefan's consistency. OK I don't want to go overboard sharing, but wanted to share enough for you all to get an idea of who I am and if we have something in common or you'd like to share new information with me, that'd be awesome Also, go easy on me, like I said, I am a new listener, eager to learn more, and feel like I'm doing a lot of catching-up with ideas, philosophies, and terms you all use frequently.