CuriousByNature

I just assume I won't be answered, and if I am, I get that nice surprise 🤣

Quite the shillelagh too

I consider Middle Aged to be anywhere between the Fall of Rome and the Renaissance

I doubt you are turning any stomachs, being 57 and attracting conversations with attractive 31-year-olds. His loss, right?

You're a courageous man and a generous soul - thank you for sharing. May your confidence only continue to grow and be a blessing to others.

I completely agree. It is a sad comment on human nature that people have an inborn tendency to fear, reject or alienate those who are different in any way.

I'm not sure it is fair to include those harmed in this way as a victimhood cult. Real pain and suffering have been experienced by people as a result of the bigotry displayed by those who have used religious reasons for denouncing identity - though in a twisted way those bigots may honestly think they are 'helping' non-straight people by being so harsh, mistakenly thinking a person can change how they were born. In any case this is much more serious in terms of consequences (self-harm, suicide, self-hate, etc) than other examples of modern victimhood, such as having to work a full shift, not being able to buy that pair of pants you want, or not receiving a participation trophy. Those things might be considered part of a cult of victimhood perhaps, but becoming isolated and disowned by those closest to you because they believe your lifestyle is an abomination is true victimhood by my estimation. Ultimately this is all subjective because what victimizes one person may not victimize another, but on the balance, many of the sexually other have suffered greatly due to the opinions, words and actions of others. And not only the sexually other, but those who are wrongly assumed to be sexually other. While things have generally improved, in parts of the USA and Canada the struggles of the sexually other are little different than they were decades ago. Perhaps we need to put ourselves in others' shoes to understand things better.

People will use anything convenient to mask or justify their fears about people who are different than themselves - whether that is religion or any other cultural/social characteristic. And a person can spin almost anything to make it seem like their views are supported - ultimately, I think it is insecurity in their own opinions that causes a person to do that. People are targeted if they are different than the majority, and it has always been that way. But it doesn't have to be, and I think it is possible to counter this by simply putting others first and truly loving our neighbours as ourselves - even in instances where they might seem to be our 'enemies'. Not an easy thing to do, but very worthwhile.

Perhaps an ignorant question, but why are they called 'poppers'?

I did not know much about Pat Robertson. But it seems clear that he was ignorant or willfully blind to the progressive nature of understanding sexuality and gender expression/identity. Like all people with a degree of celebrity, there is the potential to use that power for building people up or tearing them down. Yes, his views were extremely troubling, and without drifting into politics and religion, I would argue they bore little resemblance to the faith he purported to represent. Nobody will ever know the extent of the harm his words and actions have had - the same as for others who enjoy the pedestal of fame. What is even more disturbing to me is that millions of people kept him in a position where he could express ignorant and dangerous views about those whose identity he disagreed with. He was just one man, but his reach was far because many people sadly still agree with his archaic opinions. That is much more chilling than Pat Robertson himself.

What an awful experience! I'm sorry this happened to you, and I am glad you got away safely. Like some others who have responded, I think a bit more information would be helpful if you are able to share it. Without that, it is sort of like saying "Someone you might meet will try to harm you, but I can't/won't tell you who that is." That doesn't work to prevent this from happening to someone else, assuming that was the intention of the original post. But if revealing more info could put you at risk, then definitely protect yourself.

Hopefully his legacy of ignorance and hate has died with him... but sadly, his opinions about sexuality and identity are shared by too many still.

I can't bring myself to celebrate someone's death, and I find it very sad that someone could hold such hateful and ignorant beliefs for almost a century of life. I can only imagine the damage he has done to so many people over the years. If he is now standing before his maker I think he is realizing the horrible errors of his ways. At least I would hope so, for his sake.

Still no breakfast bar?

Exactly. Our healthcare in Canada is better than many places, but nowhere near as efficient and progressive as Northern Europe and Japan.

It is universal in that we don't have to pay to go to the hospital or see a doctor, but the system is pretty broken too. And there is great reluctance to have two-tiered system where those who can afford it would pay privately, which would reduce wait times and unclog the system. Many Canadians view universal healthcare the way many Americans view gun ownership - an almost sacred right that must never be touched or modified.

hahaha - yes, Victoria is way more sedate. The joke in my family used to be that if you live in Vancouver and have difficulties falling asleep, just move to Victoria. While the setting is quite beautiful in Vancouver and much of BC, there are many beautiful cities around the world. And Vancouver is itself boring compared to the likes of London, Paris, or even Toronto. Living there for several years was pretty benign - nothing to get excited over, like a lukewarm bath. I was happy to move away from Vancouver and keep it as a place to visit periodically.

When I lived there the rain would get me blue for about 6 months of the year, but I remember a few summers that were incredibly dry. I don't recall ever smelling the smoke from wildfires when I lived there, but my relatives that still live around Vancouver tell me that every summer for the past few years there are periods of smoky and hazy weather caused by the fires in the interior of the province. And yes, despite the advantages of universal healthcare and not going bankrupt to get treatment, the healthcare situation is pretty dismal across the country from what I have seen. People dying as they wait more than an hour for an ambulance, very long wait lists for treatments and specialists, and hardly a family doctor to be found that is taking new patients.

But they knew that in Vancouver they would have had a much dimmer spotlight, as it would be anywhere in Canada or the Commonwealth. They need to be in the US, and the US needs them there. It is a co-dependent relationship - many Americans look at 'royals' as something familiar, yet foreign. Like a stuffed dodo bird you keep under a glass dome on your mantle. It attracts a lot of attention. And the 'royals' need the cult of celebrity that doesn't exist to the same degree north of the border. They could have blended in quite well here in Canada over time, IF that had really been what they wanted. But their actions have shown that was never likely part of their plan. They annoy me, but I do hope they find happiness and satisfaction in the life they have chosen - not everyone gets to choose what their life will be like, and theirs remains far more privileged than 99% of the population. But deep down I expect there is a lot of regret and too much pride to admit it.

Perhaps they are Canadian and giving their measurements in centimetres rather than inches?

Found an original face pic before it was Facetuned...

I didn't know Roseanne had a penis, let alone a buried one... 😆

I don't even like to be there myself when defecating, let alone have somebody else there too.

This is something I never needed to know... lol

And he must have flown in via biplane...