Does Arcy even claim to be Christian?

^^she frequently espouses her Catholic faith and lectures and judges others.

If I were her, I'd claim not to be. If she claims to be Christian she knows that there is eventually,allegedly, a reckoning and after her years of cruelty, when she arrives and the book is opened, St. Peter is going to tell her 'So sorry, it looks like Someone cancelled your reservation'.

He was one year younger than my son, so I consider that relatively young.

I read he was on the spectrum and that he didn't speak until he was around 11, and couldn't read until he was around 18? If so, his accomplishments are highly impressive. I do think many people don't understand how differently abled/ neurodivergent people move through the world. I see it at work with staff who do not have the training unintentionally escalating the distress and emotional outbursts of kids with such issues.

I don't know, but always thought arcy = RC = roman catholic.

That reminded me of this:

Flatter not thyself in thy faith in God if thou hast not charity for thy neighbor....Francis Quarles

"She is, and should probably show her confessor some of her posts. I seriously doubt this sort of bigotry and racism is what he is preaching on Sunday morning"

Although Arcy's comment is pretty cruel and to the point...it does not show bigotry and racism.

" Although Arcy's comment is pretty cruel and to the point...it does not show bigotry and racism. "

The entire bullying incident shows bigotry and racism, so support of the incident also shows bigotry and racism.

“If you actually want to talk about real bigotry and racism-look at DEI”

Please spell out DEI for Elmer. Donald, Eric and Ivanka?

Now that made me laugh, FOAS (foodonastump)

So, the whole brood could be BIDET. Barron, Ivanka, Don, Eric, Tiffany.

You guys just made my day!!! Thanks!!

I think there’s a good chance Barron will be your Supreme Leader one day! Well, maybe not yours-but your offspring’s. Although I do find it weirdly surprising how many people here have no offspring.

Ollie, I find that an unusual thing to say. Why do you find it weirdly surprising?

I don’t think that I know how many here have children. What does it matter?

ETA No, I don’t just think it, I know that I don’t know.

Interesting about espousing Catholicism.

I find that people who claim to be Christian, yet act like that, are a small part of the reason I'm atheist.

”In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule

I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black

And I held my tongue as she told me,

"Son, fear is the heart of love."

So I never went back”🎶

"I do find it weirdly surprising how many people here have no offspring."

Do share how you know how many people here have no offspring.

I've never said it, ever, how many children I have, or don't have.

So please explain how you know who does and doesn't have children.

Because that's a really ridiculous, outlandish statement to make with zero facts to support it.

Yeah some people just keep some aspects of their personal lives more quiet than others. Someone here recently made a comment about her son. In all the years of ”knowing” her here, I had no idea.

Similar with religion. While many have at least hinted at theirs, I’d have no clue about most.

And the insinuations about childless people, what’s that all about? I mean, literally, what’s that all about. I know plenty of people who are childless, by choice or otherwise, whose morality and decency could run circles around most.

So you're looking forward to a hereditary dictatorship, Ollie Jane?

" Wow! That’s some impressive circular reasoning! You’re claiming the entire situation was bigoted and racist-so therefore, anyone who doesn’t condemn it must also be bigoted and racist."

Nope, that's not what I said at all. I said anyone who supports it is supporting a bigoted and racist action (which is being bigoted and racist).

" Arcy’s comment criticized a specific person’s documented lies and his choice of suicide "

Also nope. You really should improve your reading comprehension. Arcy left out documenting the relenting and international bullying campaign - leaving out that part of the story is not documenting his choice of suicide.

" It explicitly judges and treats people differently based on race and skin color-and identity groups! "

Nope again. There's nothing about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that treats people differently based on race. Maybe you're thinking about a quota system. Not the same thing.

" The guy left a wife and two kids to fend for themselves. "

Yes - as I said, the situation is tragic.

"Although I do find it weirdly surprising how many people here have no offspring. "

An odd assumption, for sure, since a lot of people show photos with their grandkids and talk about their children and grandchildren.

Back to the topic for a moment-

The findings of investigators/reviewers seem unambiguous and consistent. It's clear the guy had a pattern of intentional misrepresentation/misstatement/making false claims/using the work of others and calling it his own. And responding with comments of equivocation and deflection. He dug his own hole and kept digging.

Cambridge made a mistake in hiring him. It went into damage control mode rather than fess up to mounting evidence of problems. Its posture of baseless denials sullies its own reputation, in hindsight.

Academic fraud is a too common occurrence. A recent book How To Rule The World, tells the tale of how a Stanford undergrad learned of a previously unrecognized pattern of repeated apparent data manipulation in the research work of the university's President. A guy originally hired onto the faculty because of what was thought to be a long record of pioneering research findings. Many of which turned out to be fraudulent.

The Stanford board ultimately forced him out, which is where the book ends. The guy was so highly regarded in the biotech world, he more than landed on his feet and found many lucrative positions to become very wealthy.

The book itself is a bit of a slog, written by a cocky Stanford kid who was overly proud of himself. But it tells a tale of a similar situation - an educational institution's stonewalling approach to try to avoid having to face evidence of it making a big mistake. Both schools ultimately broke down to acknowledge and act to remedy the problems.

I should have stated...regarding the surprising number of people on here with no offspring, that it includes both the KT and HD Conversations. I mainly frequent those two forums-and to me they seem to have a lot of the same posters, although some are different. I only know this because they say so, and I just have found for all these years-the number surprising that quite a few women of a certain age on here (and HD Coversations) have no children. I literally have no friends my age who have no children. It's just an observation is all. Of course there are many who have children and grandchildren also-so no argument from me at all about that.

@OllieJane - I owe you an apology. I jumped to conclusions about your “no offspring” comment and in retrospect I was completely unjustified. I think I was simultaneously puking and diarrheaing from your Baron comment when I misread that final part. 😉

FOAS, I can see how something like that could happen. :)

My feeling is that it is kind of creepy to make statements like that. Who cares who has children and who does not? Does that make a difference here?

"I literally have no friends my age who have no children. "

Is there a reason for that? Maybe you need more friends? A more diverse group of friends? I have friends with and without children, with and without grandchildren. Also with and without pets.

If one is anti DEI, that means one is *for* uniformity, inequity and exclusion. Everyone always leaves off the A for accessibility, so they'd be for inaccessibility too.

We spent many decades living in an inequitable, inaccessible and exclusive society. Many of the laws and policies made to ensure equal access and respect are now being rolled back, from voting rights, to removing historical panels with the stories of enslaved peoples, to dropping the plan to put Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill, to blocking 4 high-ranking black individuals from promotions: Testifying before Congress, the Secretary of the Army stated he was ordered to remove the names. Reports later revealed that Hegseth's aides explicitly told military officials that "[] ...would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events"(Source: AI)

""I literally have no friends my age who have no children. "

For fairness, among almost all of our friends and the people we know more than casually, either individually or as a couple, I can think of only one who has intentionally chosen to remain single and childless. Not because they were unsuccessful finding a partner, but because they simply didn't want one. My wife has a number of friends she met through her own separate activities. A fair number of them are single (mostly because of divorce) but with what she mentions to me, all have kids.

As parents, you meet other couples who have children at the same schools, sports, and other activities and develop friendships among them during child rearing years. Our child rearing years extended over more than 20 years, supporting them and keeping them busy and involved came as a first priority for how our time needed to be spent. So, that's where we encountered new faces to become friends with - other parents, people we had something in common with. Not by choice, just inadvertently.

Then others, longtime friends, neighbors and work colleagues here and there, a handful who live abroad we're still close with. All with kids as I think of it.

Edit to add:

There are people who are childless by choice. Others who are childless for medical or other reasons. None of it is anyone else's business. Having or not having children is intensely personal - reasons underlying the reality are private and the privacy should ALWAYS be respected.

Seems like these days, claiming opposition to DEI has become a dogwhistle for racism, since opponents focus only on race and never even mention disability...🤔

" "I literally have no friends my age who have no children. "

Is there a reason for that? Maybe you need more friends? A more diverse group of friends?"

I really think it's not uncommon, depending on someone's age, because a lot of parents meet their friends at child-related events: school events, sports events, kids' parties, etc. Parents generally surround themselves with other parents, inadvertently, by doing kid-friendly stuff with their kids.

Once at the age where most people's children are older teens and young adults, they're more likely to be doing things/going places where they'll meet people that might not have children. Or they might, but who would know?

Looks like you attended all the required cult workshops.

Cognitive surrender.

“Many of us prefer a world where people are judged by their merits not by the color of their skin or their gender or whatever!!!”

That’s a lovely, feel-good thing to say, but ”many” is not necessarily anywhere close to enough, and ”us” includes many who think/say/pretend they are welcoming to all, but really aren’t.

I stopped reading the ”new grammar rules” thread a while after two posts went unchallenged, posts with blatant dog whistles against two different protected classes. I’ll give some benefit doubt that there was no ill intent, either by the poster or those who hit the like button, but it’s these subconscious judgments that are exactly the reason some form of DEI is needed.

Like many other things, DEI may have run amock here and there. But this is not reason to discredit the need for it, or pretend bias doesn’t exist. Saying you want everyone treated fairly doesn’t mean you treat everyone fairly.

I didn’t know about Arday story until recently. Interesting thread.

“If one is anti DEI, that means one is *for* uniformity, inequity and exclusion”

That would be a false binary. Someone can oppose a particular DEI program while strongly supporting equal treatment, accessibility, and nondiscrimination.

“DEI that says we are all the same same.”

Not true because the program recognizes that people differ in background and experience, but advocates that they should have equitable opportunity. And that shouldn’t have anything in to do with communism.

About military earned rank/responsibility and demographic characteristics - Military organizations necessarily use hierarchy and standards; that doesn't by itself establish that every particular military policy is or isn't compatible with DEI.

A CEO who is close to me once confided that DEI sometimes made it difficult for them to hire a qualified person at the pay scale for the position. They also said that some Black employees would see them as Black first rather than as teammates, which could cause others to feel like they were tiptoeing around them and create a tense working environment.

IMO, DEI is not perfect, but it is a necessary program because racial discrimination is still alive and well.

And having good role models for black children. I thought the Obama family was stellar. They are well spoken, a close family unit, and have good morals.

And the Obamas are well educated. Not something that is available to all children, black children especially. If our children are not well educated, what is to become of this world and our country especially?

^Not just educated, but Obama kids had the benefit of a father in the home.

Believe me, I am not an Obama fan. I believe he ran on something totally different from what he became-which was very divisive. But I do think they had a good family, which we all should aspire to model.

OJ, I don't disagree with your wanting all kids to have two parents, but that is not the reality and not something that can be regulated, nor should it be. For me, the goal should be to make education free for everyone, making it a more level playing field for those that want to take advantage of it.

I agree, murraysmom. Education is key.

"Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple."

Unfortunately, we’re not all born on third base socially or economically.

At least education would give them a good start.

There’s nothing wrong with being born on third base, though.

" it starts with restoring a culture of fathers being present in the home ""

Do you think the US has a culture that doesn't want fathers being present in the home? That's what it sounds like to me, but maybe I'm misinterpreting it.

I believe the US should continue its plans and goals of continuing to decrease teen pregnancy rates (something it's been quite successful at), but I don't think that's the plan anymore, sadly.

In terms of a ”culture” of family, Democrats have in recent history passed more pro-family legislation than Republicans have (FMLA, childcare and child heathcare, child tax credits, etc) and the key one was the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act that required fathers (and mothers) to be financially responsible for their children. No matter how much Christian conservatives try, the government cannot force traditional family values on its citizens. Those are personal choices by individuals. But the Dems at least have promoted economic incentives for families, and especially those underserved.

Unfortunately, future families are going to continue to be impacted by the poor leadership we currently have, not the least of which will be historic national debt. $40 trillion today.

I used to be a bootstraps kind of guy, pointing to one demographic that pulled themselves up in order to point at another to say they should be able to as well. But in time I realized that’s an oversimplified outlook, often promoted by those content with the status quo.

I’m no bleeding heart liberal and I’m not prone to suffering from white guilt, but when I look at how some minorities have been systematically held back for decades and centuries, we can’t just say ok you’re equal now, no more excuses. Especially when these biases still linger.

At its best, DEI doesn’t promote underqualified candidates, it ensures that there’s diverse representation from the pool of qualified candidates.

Does that give some people an edge over the cis white male when searching for a job or whatever? Sure, and I’m fine that. Giving some people a glimmer of hope seems much more productive than kicking the can by saying, ”Sorry, better luck to the next generation, hope they keep their daddies.” And don’t even get me started on reproductive health, which has helped bring teen birth rates to historic lows despite some people’s best efforts.

I will take compassion and offering help any day of the week. I have had so many opportunities that others did not. I'm not rich but I am very satisfied with my life. I wish that for everyone.

OJ, the level of fraud committed by the current administration is unprecedented. The conflicts of interest alone far surpass any previous administration. I understand you’re unable to view this objectively due to your semmingly blind allegiance, but facts are facts. Your kids and their kids will be paying for the corruption you voted for.

I listen to a couple of independent journalists. Mainstream media - Fox for one, isn't reporting this corruption. CNN briefly touches on it, as do others. The administration is trying to shut down independent journalists because they are reporting what is going on. If people are only listening to mainstream media, they aren't hearing what is happening. More and more people are turning to independent journalists so that's why T's approval rating is in the 30's. Thankfully more and more people are turning away from mainstream media and learning about the corruption and market manipulation, among other things.

Just thinking about this: It's impossible to literally pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Did it reference something else when it was first used to mean helping yourself to rise higher? Because when you're standing in boots, you pulling on those boot straps will do nothing.

Let's be real here.

One party didn't cause our socio/economic problems. Another party doesn't stand ready to fix them.

Any conversation that resorts to a them and us attack is DOA (food, that means dead on arrival) as far as I'm concerned.

In our system, problems are resolved by working together, finding common ground and with compromises. Our government was intentionally set up to prevent tyranical, self-interest acting governments by limiting the power of each branch and requiring approval of disparate views.

That's what the REAL problem is these days, those in these positions (and people on both sides who support them) have attitudes and conduct that are unproductive and perhaps even not smart enough to get things done in the manner required. I'm not optimistic things will change any time soon.

Petalique, love this: cognitive surrender.

palisades: “If one is anti DEI, that means one is *for* uniformity, inequity and exclusion”

"That would be a false binary. Someone can oppose a particular DEI program while strongly supporting equal treatment, accessibility, and nondiscrimination."

If you are against a particular DEI program, that is not being against DEI, only disagreeing on how to achieve it. But that's not what we're talking about here. People who are anti-DEI are doing things like removing slavery references in national parks and accusing the Smithsonian of focusing on the negative side of slavery and wanting them to remove it. Or scrubbing Arlington Cemetery's educational resources of guides on women's military service, Black soldiers, and civil rights walking tours and removing thousands of digital pages and images celebrating the contributions of minority and female service members from the Pentagon's historical archives. Heck, they even eliminated references to the Enola Gay as it was too gay?!? (Talk about cancel culture!) Defunding research programs addressing disparities in health and social outcomes. (You can't fix what you don't know is happening.)

OllieJane: "...so that children begin school with a father in their lives and an intact home. DEI is holding this essential value back."

How is DEI keeping fathers out of the lives of children?

" How is DEI keeping fathers out of the lives of children? "

Maybe by getting them fired for no work-related (or legal) reason?

Getting fired cant keep a father from being there for his children

So I just saw this:

American academic behind Jason Arday plagiarism allegations is suspended

“They will almost certainly fire me,” Nathan Cofnas wrote on his X account after he was suspended by Belgium’s Ghent University.

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/united-kingdom/professor-jason-arday-death-academic-plagiarism-allegations-suspended-rcna593691