NipLuvr212

Have had wonderful communication with this guy, and have enjoyed his 'X' page and hoping to meet him very soon - anyone else with experience(s) - good, bad, or otherwise? https://rent.men/AlexJamesRed

In Thailand, it is illegal to step on the paper currency because the baht features an image of the King and stepping on it is considered disrespectful and a violation of the lese-majeste laws which protect the monarchy from insult -- violations can even include imprisonment.

actually in a culture full of over-the-top superlatives, i found this understatement a bit refreshing - if nothing else made me want to check him out and judge for myself!

You speak the truth (and I'm trying to bring this wonderful discussion back around to the original topic in some way without devaluing what we are talking about here...) The only thing I would add (and this additional is essential to my own mental health during these taxing times) is that there is always a strain of thought that seeks to unleash energies that are liberatory - in opposition to the mainstream - and therein we can find kernels of hope that change remains something we can fight for and, at the very least, hope for and envision. Maybe we call these energies "radical"? Well, being called a "radical", an "outsider", "marginal", hell, even "deviant" suits me just fine these days!

Can I just say that you are a lucky, lucky person - a wonderful city in a wonderful country!

@KensingtonHomo raises a hugely important point - the idea of "fetishization". A scholar (now sadly gone) named Edward Said wrote a lot about the tangled relationship between the "East" and the "West", and to risk oversimplifying his life's work, let me say that often the so-called "Orient: is loved on the basis of the West's idea of the Orient (whether or not the Orient matches that idea) and the West warps the Orient to match Western tastes and perceptions. This kind of "festishized love" is a love which is based on what the other is pereceived to be able to do for me. What does this look like in our quotidian lives? More than one Asian man has been called upon to fit a Westerner's expectations of what is an appropriate behavior is his eyes, regardless of how the Asian guy determines his own life. And there's the rub.

I stopped at "Alpha", haha - and I"m really sorry you had to endure all this - there are clearly bad apples out there who take advantage of our community - and he is the most rotten of this ilk it would seem Short sighted does not say it all

Not exactly - but kinda - and not to get too creepily academic here in this space, but the dominance of a ruling class's ideas and values (the "mainstream", the "dominant") over the rest of society is achieved not through force but through the subtle influence of culture ... it's the process where the worldview of the powerful becomes the accepted and normalized perspective for everyone, shaping beliefs, values, and behaviors.

First, thank you for speaking truth to power here. It is always peculiar to me when people who (despite their protestations to the contrary) buy into the narratives of the mainstream criticize others for living in an "echo chamber" when we from time to time seek comfort from voices who reflect our own values. We are confronted 24/7/365 by voices controlled by those who seek to replicate dominant narratives, so if i spend some time surrounded by those from whom I derive some comfort and reassurance, i plead happily guilty. Added to all that, I am indeed an activist who seeks to reduce human suffering on oou endangered planet. Hard to believe that provokes adversarial responses. So my echo chamber is not only a source of comfort, but it also a source of strength for me and my like-minded friends. Make good choices, be kind, be good, fight against those who seek to bully and intimidate.

That is inexcusable, and YES - you should!!

wow brings back memories - kind of - haha: i met them like 5 years ago and i know i had a good-ish time with them, but somehow i cannot remember any of the details (and yes i was 100% sober at the time.....) i remember they were nice looking and worked together well but not sure just how much fun was in the fun.

OR... We have deeply felt value systems which transcend the every day chatter of the news - we are secure in our beliefs, seek like minded people, and treasure the people who share the fact that there are people out there simply working to reduce human suffering and make this world a better place Sure I carefully curate my sources of information - not because I fear opposing views, but rather because I can distinguish between what is helpful in my life and what is not Make good choices.

go to the top of THIS screen, click on your name, a drop down menu appears - click on IGNORED MEMBERS, it will take you to another page where you can search the members' name(s) and allow you to "ignore" (block) them

it's an option i have learned to use judiciously - there are some members here who truly do trigger a ptsd response in me - make good choices, as they say!

i love new england! Yea... thanks for this!