Link doesn’t work for me, but I’ll look it up

https://usafacts.org/topics/education/

I was surprised to find out how much the U.S. actually does spend on education, given how shitty it is. Idk where the money is going, but it’s definitely funded

I don’t have any updated data, but reading this from the article you posted:

“Indeed, vaccinated people now make up the majority of the population – 79% of adults have completed at least the primary series – and the latest CDC data show that vaccinated people also now represent the majority of COVID-19 deaths. There are many more vaccinated people than there are unvaccinated people, and vaccinated and boosted people are, on average, older and more likely to have underlying health conditions that put them at risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes”

Seems to make sense. My guess is that most of the unvaxxed people that were gonna die from Covid have already died. Some people have become immuno-compromised after 2020, and so they are still dying, but most of them might already have an immunity built up through having caught it and survived. So it’s likely those older, already vaxxed (but immuno-compromised) folks that are now being taken out by the newer mutations of the virus

(Again, i’m guessing, but it seems to make sense)

Sure, but before things can become commonplace we need voices advocating for the direction of that change. That’s my goal. To be a voice.

Also, irrelevant to you, but: I might need a new Lemmy account. Connect isn’t working for me and I can’t find which e-mail I used to sign up for Lemmy. Super annoying, because I keep needing to search for the posts that I commented on, and then find the comments themselves in order to reply. My inbox just gives me errors about not finding the posts… but they’re obviously still here

Yeah, that’s gotta suck and I’m 100% not against people talking about who they are if they WANT to. What irritates me is the labels people are forced carry.

Like “wow a woman was finally able to achieve what men can achieve” or “wow this gay man was finally able to acheive what straight men can achieve” and that’s the part that annoys me

Eta: I think it’s meant well, but it implies that there’s something “special” about these people that allows them to climb the ranks previously reserved for a select group of people

So to truly be inclusive, things like “race” and gender and sexuality should be looked at as variations of normal, the same way hair color or height is looked at

2nd edit: Ok, sorry, but just to clarify I’m not harping on straight, white, males here. Swinging the pendulum the exact opposite way doesn’t help, either. I’m seeing this more as a societal thing that I’d liked to see changed

My guess is that it’s to avoid something like finding records of a past leader who is gay, and them then being the first

My issue with this is: why does their sexuality even matter? It’s their GD business

Eta: I also hate this with race and gender. “First woman to…” why? Why are we so focused on the color of people’s skin, their religion, what’s between their legs, or who they love?

I want to live in a world where a mixed-heritage lesbian woman is elected and no-one bats an eye, or mentions anything about it unless it comes up organically by the person elected. Otherwise the only legit question should be: is this person the best candidate for the job?

Ok Ill get off my soap box now

Um. In the U.S. I could still go for a walk outside, or out to the grocery store, or grab some fast-food at the drive-through. In China people were being boarded up in their homes… as in, literally boarded up with hammer and nails.

The only way this works is if each candidate has 1 minute to answer and is then MUTED at the 1 minute cut off, AND for the duration of the next person’s turn. Further, each should be seated in a sound-proof box, with a light that is turned off so that no-one can hear them or read their lips unless the microphone and light are on

My husband (one of the most trustworthy and responsible people I know- flaws and all) has been talking about getting a concealed-carry permit.

My argument against it, is that if there is an active shooter and he also pulls out his gun to take them out, the cops or other permit-owners might not realize that he’s the “good guy” and he (or I, if I’m nearby) could get shot instead.

He went silent, and seemed to spend a lot of time thinking about it after I’d shared my thoughts. Thus far he hasn’t tried to obtain one

I wish Lemmy had a way to high-five people.

I haven’t read this, but yeah… War is brutal by nature, so to call it anything else is a flat out lie

Just wanna say I have mad respect for you for acknowledging that you were wrong, but leaving the post up. I wish more people were as brave as you are

I like this one:

https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/#/layer/slr/0/-11581024.663779823/5095888.569004184/4/satellite/none/0.8/2050/interHigh/midAccretion

As an American, my opinion is: the less I see about the orange idiot the better

The problem is that younger people often don’t vote. So chasing their votes is a losing strat. Younger citizens need to actually get out there and make sure that they are casting votes, otherwise they will continue to not be taken seriously

I see what you’re saying, yeah

I’m usually all about treating everyone as equally as possible, but I think if you’re talking about something specific to the “race” (say now, how black women’s hair has to be styled differently due to physical differences) then it’s acceptable to mention “race”

If you’re looking at some kind of demographic, it’s also all right to mention it. Idk if it’s true that conservative white dudes like gay/trans porn more than anyone else, but I think it’s ok to mention that. Especially since the consumption of gay/trans porn on it’s own isn’t necessarily a negative (unless there’s anything non-consential going on ir someone is underage). It’s more the hypocracy of it all that gets peeps riled up

(I hate the term “race” which is why I shoved it in between quotation marks)

I just need to comment how annoying this paragraph is:

“Unlike California, Texas, and Arizona — which have also been used as a testing ground for driverless cars — have passed laws holding companies who operate autonomous vehicles responsible for any driving infractions.”

Should be written: Texas and Arizona, unlike California, have passed laws holding companies who operate autonomous vehicles responsible for any driving infractions. All three states have been used as testing grounds for driverless cars."

Right? It’s one of the better parts of growing older

I appreciate that. I’ve been trying to do the same thing with my comments as well (with a few exceptions). I think it’s the right way to go about things, so digital-high-five