I'm here somewhat reluctantly. Like women that believe in equality calling themselves feminists, I'm afraid there are going to men here that do not believe in equality and think they are MRAs.

I don't like these generalizations. They break down when talking about real people. No matter what group anyone says they follow they change their minds when you confront them with what the group is supposed to believe.

There is always someone awake somewhere.

I've always thought the gender swapping thing would be great if a way could be found to do it where it looked like news to the lazy but was obviously generated for the attention it needs to people who care enough to look into it.

@Mush Today I am glad I don't live in the Chicago suburbs anymore.

It seems to me the republicans that claim to agree with you are also the same ones preventing us from having equal rights.

ERA failed to pass in VA recently because republicans supposedly blocked it over concern it would make abortions legal.

Equal Rights Amendment. Makes the law blind to gender.

Imho it is a big deal. I don't see how it would lead to abortions being legal. I do see how, if abortion is illegal, it could cause both partners to be equally responsible for the outcome.

Hi @Avistew

@Avistew I thought the IPA spelling would be cool.

Webster says there is another optional schwa before the "l". I spelled it so it is like "swirl" but with the "qu" sound.

If men can be circumcised at birth women can too?

That bit about abortion funding doesn't actually say it would make abortions legal. Just that if it were it might be paid by taxpayers.

I still don't think it makes sense to have taxpayers pay it. Make both parents responsible for the cost of the abortion.

But then you have to pay for other people's negligence. Pay for the prevention, not the stupidity. Donate money to buying them birth control.

They are still only viable if a woman is carrying them. Nothing has changed.

We could take this argument much further. Suppose you could take the baby out and grow it in an artificial womb.

I don't know why anyone would want to pay to support hordes of babies born in a lab.

Because the artificial womb has taken all the complications out of having a baby and both parents can choose not to raise it in a world where the sexes have equal rights.

I would predict the worst crime wave in American history 20 years after the artificial womb.

Maybe both parents are required to pay child support regardless of weather either one raises it. Problem solved.

This is true. And having no parents around still results in having supporting adults if they are paying your way through adulthood.

Lack of male BC is a result of market forces and politics that have more to do with the drug industry than equality though.

Actually not that frequently. I read a chart about how long and how hot to sterilize for X days/months. I think the data was gathered in India.

There is a leaf the Malaysian government was studying for male BC. It is available now as an "herbal suppliment".

Next time I am in Malaysia I'll procure seeds. 😇

I trust good science more than the FDA. The government is swayed by politics. Science is science.

I do not think the government jumps on anything because it is good. They do it because the politicians decided it is in their personal best interest.

Otherwise, explain to me why it is illegal to cut hair without a license in some states.

https://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_life/2015/01/is-it-legal-to-charge-friends-for-haircuts.html

There are raids. People get arrested. It benefits no one but the industry that lobbied for it. It saves no one.

Doing it for free doesn't make it any safer. Being safer is the premise for requiring a license.

That is like saying you can own a nucnear bomb as long as you built it yourself.

Also the industry protecting itself at her expense.

At least there are clever ways around it sometimes. I like that Uber has killed the taxi monopoly.

We just need better tools to cut our own hair.

I tried that once. The result was not pretty.

I had long hair. I wanted to cut it myself real bad.

I will surely try again sometime. Preferably on a weekend so I can still save myself before Monday morning.

My long hair had to be sacrificed. Its fine when living on a boat and working remotely. Not that great for job interviews in the city.

@Tiggy I don't know. It seemed like a bad time to find out.

Redraw the poster with the sexes reversed.

Is there any way to measure the impact of the Gillette commercial? I don't work in marketing but there must be some standards used to measure reactions to advertising material.

The marketingweek numbers are weird. More than showing Gillette is down it looks like it shows that viewers reactions don't vary much on any commercial.

Use feline pine. Absorbs most of the smell and relatively safe if you flush a few pellets when you get rid of solid waste. I keep the box next to the toilet.

I would love to see that occur in an experimental setting. Maybe they could start their own country.

Actually that would make a great movie. Watch women "man up" to take traditional roles of men, men divide sharply into alphas and betas, women become more feminine to compete when they have a 3 to 1 ratio with men.

Society will still divide into masculine and feminine segments abut it won't be divided by sex anymore.

I suppose that is one way of achieving equality?

@Bobby_Hill Because we dgaf? I call myself fat all the time. Self depreciating humor is fine.

@Bobby_Hill That doesn't sound like a very objective statement. Who will see them as beautiful? They could see themselves as beautiful. That has nothing to do with us and can't be sexist. Will others see them as beautiful? People attracted to women might. That is sexist but I don't think we consider that discrimination.

Reading articles like that make me wonder if I should become a lawyer. If I did, idk if it would help anyone or just make me feel like I was.

If the law is the problem then more lawyers won't help. If following the law is a problem then maybe they would.

He should start a buisiness using his name because naming your business after yourself is protected. Then he can give his car a wrap with his business logo.

Fornication with bald eagles.

What is the appropriate counter to women focused meetings at work?

They have meetings for women in tech (not the real name of the meeting) but invite everyone.

I don't know. I've never gone. I'm guessing other men don't go either.

Maybe my counter is to go to the meeting.

With coworkers. To see what they have to say.

Or memes where what they think is true and absurd consequences result. No vaccines, huge reduction in autism! Mostly because autistic people don't survive in disease-ridden post apocolyptic world.

Or astronauts arrive on Mars to find it is flat

Men escape child support by hiding on underside of Earth.

Found more dragons after falling off Earth.

Close your mouth.

@InsaneCaterpilla I read a reddit post from someone that taped their mouth shut before bed. Said they got the best sleep they have ever had.

I agree. I'd be scared. You can get straps that hold your mouth shut though.

Hey.. what happened to all the channels on this server?

Wat. I didn't have to prove myself before. What changed?

I don't know. Why did this happen? I don't want to be part of some exclusive club. If participation is something that is going to be waived over everyone's heads I'd rather fine a more open forum to discuss.

What I mean is that I would rather not join a community that isn't inclusive. If you are going to give everyone a hard time about being included then I'm going to conclude this community is not inclusive and leave.

You have rules. You enforce them. If they aren't enforcable, change the rules. Why is this difficult?

lol at Rule #4. Is there a competition to have the best MRA server?

I'm giving up. My instict is telling me to leave. This server doesn't seem to be inviting anymore. I've never left a server because it seemed hostile but I guess in my mind I held this one to a higher standard. 🤷