Boys and Girls Together

I see a lot of people online who seem absolutely convinced that thousands of men are so desperate to spy on girls in locker rooms and restrooms that they will disrupt their entire lives, undergo cosmetic surgery, possibly even have their reproductive organs removed, take potentially dangerous hormones, lose all hope of ever having a "normal" dating life or marriage, subject themselves to being mocked and ostracized -- all for the fleeting gratification of peeking at females.

It's certainly true that some men enjoy the opportunity to get a glimpse of women in revealing circumstances. For example, the former owner of the Miss Teen USA pageant admitted to deliberately barging into the dressing room while the contestants were undressed. But even that guy probably wouldn't have gone so far as to undergo a sex change, just for the dubious thrill of hanging out with ladies in locker rooms.

We live in a world where almost anything is possible, so it is possible that there has been, or might be, a man or two who would go to such extremes for such a minor payoff. In any case, this isn't something that is happening everywhere all the time, as the alarmists would have us believe.

But the fear that this is a widespread phenomenon has caused problems for some girls, especially girls who compete in sports. Girls who are perceived as being not pretty enough, girls who are much taller than average or who have very low body fat and well-developed muscles are often accused of being men in disguise. These girls may have a natural ability to excel at sports, but find themselves denounced and vilified, forced to live under a cloud of suspicion simply because an ignorant mob doesn't like their looks.

 

More Fake News

As it turns out, J.D. Vance did not include a story about humping a couch in his book. I think there are several reasons this rumor was not quickly debunked and forgotten.

▶️ The person who started the rumor included page numbers, which made it seem authentic.
▶️ Even though the page numbers would make the story easy to fact check, most people haven't read the book and don't have a copy nearby.
▶️ J.D Vance is so unpleasant and unpopular, people were eager to believe that (a) he would hump a couch and (b) he'd be foolish enough to admit it in a book.
▶️ It's a funny story that invites a lot of jokes and memes.

 

I Took a Bullet For You

The former game show host could have handled the situation with dignity and honesty. He could have said, "Fortunately, I was not seriously hurt, but just received a small cut from flying debris. The real tragedy is that innocent bystanders were hurt, and one was killed." If he wanted to thank God in that context, he still could do so. If he wanted to brag (he always wants to brag about something), he could brag about going right out there and making more speeches despite the attempt on his life.

He didn't need to boast that he "took a bullet," something he obviously did not do. He would still have had just as many slavishly devoted cult members worshipping the famous photo, still would have gotten the same collection of retirees and unemployed carnies to attend his rallies.

But trump couldn't resist trying to make himself into a martyr, couldn't resist trying to make the story even bigger than it already was. He lies when he doesn't have to. He needs everything to be all about him all the time, and even when something is mostly about him, he has to make sure he crowds everyone else out, has to squeeze out every last drop.

Supposedly, this was going to make him a "changed man," but there is no change. The ego, the lies, the crazy stories, the ego, the ego, the ego -- it's all exactly the same. Supposedly, this was leading to a call for unity, but that never happened. The speeches are still full of the same us-vs-them mentality, the same old blame, insults, and ego, ego, ego.

 

The Latest Poll Shows Something Weird

Opinion polls are often designed to get the answers the pollster wants, by inserting bias into the questions. Similar questions can be asked in different ways. For example:

· Should Sally get a haircut?
OR
· Should Sally change her outdated hairstyle?

People responding to the poll may not even notice that it has been designed to reinforce the pollster's opinion. This pollster may have an agenda to make people think of Sally as old fashioned and unattractive.

· Should Sally wear more age-appropriate clothes?
OR
· Should Sally change her wardrobe?
OR
· Should Sally stop wearing dresses that look like potato sacks?

Even a person who likes Sally's look may find it hard to answer a simple yes or no to the biased questions. We see questions like this all the time in fake polls connected to politicians' fundraising efforts.

· Should schools avoid political bias in their lessons?
OR
· Should schools stop promoting the other party's extremist propaganda?

These polls never give you the chance to comment, "These are stupid questions."