<shrugs>

I’m sorry, but ICE’s activities are the status quo in many countries. This person is looking at countries like Japan and China. How strict do you think immigration enforcement might be in China? Do you figure that Japan tolerates a lot of inconsistency when filling out an immigration visa?

It doesn’t matter how things should be, only that this is how they are. Today. RIght now. Yes, the U.S. has a hard-liner in office. Yes, ICE will discriminate - the color of your skin and your country of origin matter. But that’s not so abnormal on a global scale.

So why mention prostitutes in particular? Why not fry cooks or line workers?

And “easy”?! There’s nothing “easy” about collecting data on sex workers by visiting different areas and polling them! It’s definitely SO much easier to just Google "Cost of living index"

If it’s not easy and it’s not specific to prostitutes, it means the statement is false. WHY ARE WE LAUGHING AT A LIE?!

Answer: *BECAUSE IT’S A JOKE. * It’s a joke about sex work. It’s a joke about how only a desperate person would sell their body for money, therefore offering customers a discount based on their location.

So, yeah, it’s a bit in bad taste. As are many jokes. In fact, I feel a bit depressed now. No worries, it’s nothing a night out on the town with a couple of teenage hookers won’t cure! :)

What strikes me about this:

Tubi is ad supported.

Sesame Street used to air on PBS, public broadcasting. The ads during my childhood were very wholesome - an announcement of a sponsor or donor. Never anything loud or crass, and many were public service announcements. Like Smokey the Bear from the National Parks, and other public interests.

Now Sesame Street will be filled with targeted advertising, blaring across the room.

I’m happy that people will be able to watch for free, but sad for what we’ve lost.

Piglet would like a word with you.

Also cats. Dogs. Lemurs. Rats.

Basically, any creature that has a pink nose probably has pink lips. We just don’t notice because they are mostly covered in fur and proportionately thinner than human lips.

Yeah!

<grabs popcorn>

Yeah…I forgot what the original statement was. But I just spent the last hour in an internet rabbit hole, reading about Carter’s administration. Was fun, love ya, thanks for coming to the show.

I’ll try to do better next time.

OR…and hear me out on this….

Trump escalates the war on the premise that the US should provide safe passage to those ships. He dumps a fleet or two of ships into the Gulf, along with a trillion dollars or so for a ground war and insurance for the tankers. The US and Israel promise to keep the Gulf secure in perpetuity.

we’ll be living in a very different world. The boot of the west will come off the neck of humanity, and the rest of the world will finally have a chance to breathe.

We’re already seeing this trend and have for years - but Rome doesn’t collapse in a day.

The entire point of the petrodollar is to perpetuate the US hegemony. The entire world, including our allies, know this. The average American knows this. It’s just that Americans aren’t in agreement as to whether the current arrangement with OPEC is a net good or a net bad.

Um, no. I expected that one of two things would happen:

A knowledge expert would come by and offer more detail and/or correction

Nobody would care

Apparently, I should have prepared myself to be publicly shamed for trying to add to the conversation. Perhaps you missed the part where I said “…but this seems about right”, and then offered my own analysis. As I offered my personal thought about the presidental administratin that I fucking lived through, of articles I read in real time from a newspaper that was dropped at my door every fucking morning. You want me to source the Kansas City Star from 1976 -1980? Or my civics class in high school?

To you, Carter is ancient history. To me, he is a vivid living memory. I lived through his administration; I remember his policies.

I agree, of course, that my assessment is simplified. There’s always a host of variables.

Until OPEC agrees to Iran’s demands to change to Yuan, they’ll still settle in USD. So at this point, it’s just background noise.

Yes, there are ripple effects. Yes, people will go hungry (hungrier?). Freight costs increase. Less travel. Everything that depends on that sweet, sweet crude will increase in cost.

Again, this doesn’t affect Trump and his cronies. They have money. They don’t care about the average American and they never did. They don’t care about any other citizen of the world unless that citizen is hideously wealthy AND willing to eat at the same table.

It’s outrageous, of course. But this situation didn’t just magically create itself. It’s been the norm since OPEC was formed. Our global economy depends on oil, which means every person’s well-being depends on it. The solution is energy independence, but it’s really difficult to get people excited about solar panels. They would much rather see bombs and bullets on TV.

If the relationship is worth salvaging, you can meet her halfway. It will take a LOT of work on your part. A lot of compromise. You’ll probably end up feeling suffocated and you’ll probably lie to her a lot, to make her feel better.

“Mom, I want to do better by you. I want you to be proud of me. I’m not saying I believe everything in the Bible, but I want to ask you some things. About sin and God. I’m not promising to change, but I promise to keep an open mind.”

Something like that. Then, for topic, ask her to describe a situation where she felt sinful, and exactly what she did to avoid it.

Basically, you are putting her in a position to be a mentor but ONLY if she shows vulnerability and shares with you her weaknesses. This changes the dynamic of your relationship, puts you on equal footing. Now she is a sinner too.

Most likely, if she takes the bait, she will tell you about a very small sin. “Oh, I wanted to slap that cashier, but I prayed and God took all the violence away from me.”

Start picking away, theologically speaking. “So…did you actually sin? Is just thinking about something a sin? Is that really the worst thought you’ve ever had? Have you ever actually sinned, like in real life?” Make it seem like you understand nothing about how sin really works. Encourage her to give personal examples.

Of course, the conversation might go a totally different direction. Just take it where it goes. Never escalate, always treat her with respect when talking about religion. At any point, when you’ve hit a brick wall, just stop.

Wait for her to finish talking. Look thoughtful. Meet her eyes. Open your mouth to speak and then close it. Pause again. Then say “I need to think about that. And maybe read…” Walk out of the room. Pop your head back in. Say “Thank you Mom, for taking me seriously.”

It’s worth noting that I moved out of my parents’ house as soon as I graduated high school to get away from bullshit like this. In the long run, I might have been happier to find a compromise and learn to live with my mom’s nut beliefs and self-righteousness. Best of luck!