It's been a long time since I last used Reddit, but this has been on my mind lately and I wanted to know what other people think about this since It's a really sensitive topic for me and I just can't stop thinking about it.
I (16M) have my best friend (19F) who broke up with her boyfriend (17M) some months ago, I'll call her Lucy, and her ex, Jack.
A lot of things happened for them to break up, I'll try to keep it short.
First of all, Jack and I met when I was 12 through an Instagram group since we both liked art and that stuff. Lucy was already my friend by some months by that time, and we both hated Jack. He was extremely racist, homophobic, transphobic, everything. There was not a single good thing about this man. He used to sexualize me for being a trans guy, commenting gross things on my posts whenever it had my face, and much more.
And for some reason, Lucy and him ended up dating. I don't know how. But I accepted it since she was my best friend and thought "well if she's happy then I'll just keep up with it".
At the same time, I was in a relationship with a guy (16M), through the internet. I'll keep it short, he sexually abused me, deteriorated my mental health, cheated on me 3 times, and this is just the beginning.
Lucy and Jack knew about this, but Lucy couldn't help me because I was 12, whenever she would've talked to me about his toxic behavior I'd just brush it off because I "loved him" and he was just confused or whatever excuse I'd find to keep him as the good guy.
And including Jack wouldn't let me and Lucy talk a lot since he would get "jealous" saying that he "wanted to be my best friend" and not her. He would check her chats and see our conversation and TEXT THROUGH THEM to try and talk to me when I wouldn't answer him.
Time passed by and I got off that relationship when I was 14, met someone else at that time and started dating them. But it was kind of toxic too, we broke up once because I couldn't communicate properly, then he came back and asked me to try again, he broke up again with me because "distance wasn't his thing". So I let him go.
He made a lot of gross comments about my at the time boyfriend, and kept sexualizing me and trying to make my boyfriend leave me just because "he was there first."
I had it and blocked him, I spent months having to deal with his non stopping messages about how sorry he was through Lucy, since she was kinda by his side.
Well, some months ago he broke up with her because, in his words, he couldn't handle being with her because he still missed me a lot and the fact she was my best friend made him feel miserable.
Oh well.
Time passed by and some weeks ago Lucy told me she found something I might wanna see, when I checked her messages she had sent me screenshots of her ex talking shit about me in a DISCORD SERVER. I guess he was having another conversation when he said this because things before don't make sense, so I'll quote exactly what he said to like a hundred of people in that server about me:
" Oh yeah, I had a friend who fell in love with a 17 year old chilean guy when she was 14. I mean, 14 when she started dating him. But I guess they actually started having something when she was 13."
The others changed topics, and he kept on talking, but now about my newest ex.
" Because she was a dumbass blinded by love and she forgave him 3 times. She doesn't knows how to live without someone's love. "
Again changed topics, and he talked again.
" And she had the audacity to stop talking to me just because of her boyfriend. Just because he was from the USA and German. Just because she's a gold digger, to get a better future and blah blah blah."
" But then I'm the bad guy, he breaks up with her because he got bored and when I do something slightly bad I'm blocked from fucking everywhere, and the fucking stupid bitch forgives him and not me."
"So she's just a bitch with no self-love."
First of all, I wasn't 14, I was 13 when that guy was 17, and started "dating" when I was 12.
Second of all, he changed the whole story to keep as the "cool nice guy" in front of his friends. And not only that, he used female pronouns on me knowing I've been a trans guy since I was 9. There's no excuse to call me "she" when he knew from the moment he met me.
It's humiliating to know he told everyone about it, and I got an Instagram notification about him taking screenshots of old NSFW drawings I did of me and my groomer when I was 13, and showed to him because I didn't know who else to tell since Lucy wouldn't talk to me because of him.
I feel gross and I honestly don't know what to do. He texted all those things on December 2023, and it's been months since then but I don't know if I should do something. I feel like letting go is the best option but I can't stop thinking about how he's just spreading the SA I went through to everyone and I'm just here, suffering the consequences of it. Since when I was 14 I went through the same at school because of my cousin who looked through my phone and found erotic pictures of me and conversations I used to have with my groomer and told everyone the next day. I was harassed for months.
Anything that I could do? I'm confused and at the same time so mad, but sad.
Thanks for reading. Sorry if it was long, I needed to get a lot of things out.

So I just finished another book by S.E. Harmon and like always I'm simply in love with the way she handles the main couple. Just a simple love and devotion, a mature relationship without the need of exaggerated and cringe quotes is what I'm looking for in this request, with additionally two tropes:

1. Exes getting back together after breaking-up for valid reasons. With one Mc working hard to get a happy ending but remaining respectful and not forcing the relationship (ex. "P.S I spook you by S.H. Harmon" or "Pretty Poison Aimee Nicole Walker")
2. One Mc being in love with the other for a long time but keeping distance out of respect/thinking the other hates him/any other reason (ex. "Lovely Allergen by Zhichu" or "The First and Last Adventure of Kit Sawyer by S.E. Harmon")

BIG PLUS if there's some action, dangelive/die situations. Pls, I really need some action.

TL - DR : walk me thru obtaining the best value term life insurance
blessed to be healthy, and wife is even healthier, no health issues or concerns. We had term life pre-Covid with Nationwide, but life got crazy and we lost it when the renewal process slipped thru the cracks this past year. life lesson learned
Trying to get it going again, but we have to start all over. My Nationwide "contact"(agent maybe?) is quoting me as such: (monthly)
$99 - $750K/20yr - me $51 - $750K/30yr - her
I see online that TERMS4SALE and Policygenius show me much cheaper quotes, for ex. a $71 quote thru Pacific Life based on quick searches.
Well known and highly rated company, so seems like Pacific is a no brainer, right?
So what am I missing? Are these prices actual, or is it the "hook n bait" tactic? Otherwise, why would I pay $30 more a month for a lesser known and lower reviewed company?

I was with my first love for 3 and a bit years, we met in late 2010 before we broke up 10 years ago in early 2014. We were young and in our early 20s back then, things just fizzled out.
I've always thought about her but eventually we went our separate ways, she got in to a relationship with another guy after me for a few years but eventually he ended up cheating on her, this was around 2017.
After her breakup in 2017 I confessed my feelings for her but we didn't go anywhere with it as she was still healing so I told her I need to cut her off at the point because I told her I was struggling to be just friends with her, to which she said that she was heartbroken that's it come to us parting ways. But we wished each other well and went our separate ways. I was really at my lowest at that point but have come a really long way since in terms of having a successful career and have improved a lot financially and mentally.
At the start of 2019, she did add me on social media but she didn't say anything to me so a few days later I ended up deleting her because I realised I still wasn't over her, I regretted deleting her afterwards.
At the end of 2019 I heard that she was engaged, she ended up getting married but then I heard she got divorced around a year and a half ago. A few monthds ago I found out that the reason for her divorce was because her husband cheated on her and was abusive towards her. They got divorced around early 2022.
As for me I did get in to another relationship with someone else but I was also cheated on so I have been single for a few years now, I have been evolving in my career and proud of how far I've come and have recently started a new chapter in my career. I considered getting in touch with her a few months ago but I noticed that she had cut off a lot of people from her social media so I wasnt too sure how she'd react to me adding her, I thought she'd reject me seen as she's cutting off a lot of people.
So around 3 months ago I took the plunge seen as I had nothing to lose and sent her a request on instagram, and she has accepted and also followed me back. She's been viewing my stories and a month ago I posted a life quote on my story which she liked, I haven't spoke to her yet. I posted a few pictures of myself which she hasn't liked but A few weeks ago I posted a quote on my story that said 'be the reason for someone's pain to turn into a smile', she liked that quote and also another one that I posted last week. It was my birthday a few days ago and she liked a birthday story that I posted on instagram. I'm limiting the amount of posts that I like of hers because I don't want to seem too forward.
I'm assuming she is single but not entirely sure. I added her 3 months ago but she deleted me, I was confused because she only liked one of my stories few days prior. I would have liked to see if there was future for us but don't think she's interested now, i have messaged her saying 'Hi, hope your well. I probably should have said something a long time ago but I didn't, my fault. I've been praying for you, today I realise I've been deleted anyways I hope your keeping happy and healthy'. She replied saying 'Hey I'm good thanks hope you are too, that is kind of you, I didn't expect this kind of message'.
I didn't really know what to say back to her, I still don't understand why she deleted me even though days before she was showing an interest in my stories before and now she's deleted me. I have just replied saying 'that's good. Sorry for catching you off guard with it, I wanted to reach out to you earlier. I'm glad your doing well though' and now she has replied back saying 'can I ask why?' I replied back saying 'It's been on my mind for a while to get back in touch with you, I didn't add you for no reason. But we don't need to if it's not something your comfortable with'. She has now sent a long message as follows: 'You don’t make me feel uncomfortable. I have thought about you over the years and wished you well.
I removed you because you have my ex and his family on your instagram and I removed everyone who has any contact with them. You will have heard that I was married there for a short period of time but it was hell and now I’m out of it I don’t want them knowing anything about my life, so I removed everyone who has any link with them. I didn’t realise till that day that you did. It was nothing to do with you personally.' .
Im not actually friends with her ex husband as he is just someone that lives nearby to me and we have never spoken so I have now replied with this: 'I'm sorry that you had to go through that, I hope your okay and I pray god brings you ease. I wouldn't exactly say I have anything to do with them personally though, only thing I know about them is that they're from my area too. It makes sense now and it's understandable why you did that.'
She has replied back again saying 'I'm great, God is the best of planners and it was the best thing for me. Even so, I removed everyone who had us both so sorry about that' and to which I have replied 'That's fair enough, I'm glad to hear your doing well though and that your at peace now. That's what matters most'. She had now asked 'how have you been, what's new with you?' I have just replied saying 'I'm not too bad thanks, life's changed a lot since we last spoke so there's quite a lot that's new lol'. That was few nights ago, and after that we were speaking generally about the holiday that I'm currently on and what to do as she has been here before too and she also asked how long I'm there for, it was in general a short and civilised conversation.
She ended the conversation 6 nights ago by liking my last message, I don't know if she plans to message me again as she did take a few hours to reply between each message, What are the chances that she'll message me even if we don't follow each other on instagram anymore. I am slightly anxious that she won't message me after this due to her deleting me because her ex is on my Instagram. Was thinking of just giving her space for a few more days, then deleting her ex and requesting her back in around a weeks time.

Right now I live with my ex. Literally just signed the lease. We broke up two, going into three weeks ago because essentially he drinks and it's a big part of his life, I don't drink and I have ptsd around it. He never drank around me the first 4months of our relationship. By the last 6months we didn't go out on dates, just whatever boring parties (no offense to anyone who likes that I just don't <3 ). Recently I was like, hey I've come really far with this but I'll get better and then you keep wanting more and more from me. (He wanted me to go to an adult themed bar and I'm like seriously). 8 months in on New Years he brought up maybe wanting to possibly be poly and have an open relationship which I immediately shut down and said, figure yourself out I'm not doing that and if you need that, I'm not for you. He never got back to me about any of it.
Digressing. We broke up because I was tired of him just not knowing what he wanted. He also hasn't had a job for 10months. I'm renting a room in the apartment he's in, so it's thankfully separated finances. Made that mistake ex before him.
I just? Feel really upset? I knew something was up before I moved in and he said he "didn't want to upset me" so waited until after I moved in to figure out if he, quote "still wanted to be with me, and figure that out" which after a week I said, essentially, no this is over. How long did he want me to wait? He didn't know.
Anyways. I live with him now. It's still safe. But I'm so emotional. I'm doing ACOA, going to church, did OT at work weekends till they said no more of that right now. I'm joining some rescue/animal organizations to help but that's just weekends cause thier all 2hours round trip.
I guess I needed to vent. But any advice is helpful? I have to keep setting boundaries. First three days after the break up He kept hugging me which I told him to stop, unless he asks first. And he was originally all, you can come cuddle with me to which I laughed in his face and said no. He can't stand people being upset but 80% of why I'm upset is literally because I live there and feel trapped about it.
TLDR: Advice for living with ex when they have zero boundaries and seem fine.

Edit: If you are going to comment on the length of this post, please don't. This is not a simple snark but rather an actual critical think piece about feminism and Taylor Swift.

Introduction

Pertaining to Taylor Swift, "Female Rage" has deviated from its intended meaning after Swift debuted a new performance of The Tortured Poets Department during the Eras Tour. Now, according to Swift's use of the phrase, female rage is interpreted as public backlash against Swift's dating choices rather than as a response to the broader injustices against women and women's rights. This post examines Taylor Swift's flawed feminism, philanthropy, branding, and the controversial trademark petition for the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical". Swift's background as an entertainer, indeterminate politics, and alignment with capitalism over feminism pervades her legacy, again threatening her public tolerance as not just an individual but as a brand.

Once Upon a Female Rage...

If you were cognizant in the early 2010's, you've heard countless jabs at Taylor Swift in the media. Magazines, radio, or online. Music critics did not take her seriously as a songwriter; parents put a woman on an unrealistic pedestal as the ideal role model for their children; she dated too much and used men as lyrical fodder. No matter the story, it inevitably spread, conjoined with everyone's respective opinions, and you'd be left to wonder, "Why does everyone hate this girl so much?"
Taylor's target demographic has always been young or adolescent girls, more so when Swift herself was one. She made music that spoke to the awkward misfit, cultivating a para-social relationship with fans on MySpace, then later twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, where Taylor posted relatable vlogs showcasing the life of a homegrown American girl. Taylor had a delayed public "growing up" and, compared to her female pop contemporaries, Swift never "gratuitously sexualized her image and seems pathologically averse to controversy" (and, apparently, never even had a sip of alcohol until she turned 21). She was more than happy to spin this narrative to allude to an inherent moral superiority above other women in the industry (Better Than Revenge, heard of it?), engaging in the very slut-shaming that she herself endured (the Madonna and Whore archetypes). The victim complex arose with the need to prove Taylor as a different type of pop girl. Based upon her holy and clean image, Swift had been dubbed "a feminist's nightmare", and that "[To Swift] other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability." Feminism and Tennessee-Christian country values don't exactly mix, it seems.
Years later, Swift befriended Lena Dunham and thus experienced white feminism osmosis, where Dunham taught Swift that real feminists defend rapists, makes insensitive jokes about rape and abortion, and prioritize all-white casts. Swift then declared herself a feminist in 2014, saying,

"Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so."

I suppose the male-centric songwriting subject that permeates Swift's discography contained covert feminism and that we just didn't see that. Perhaps, the "Bad Blood" song and music video were written only in jest and not about poor Katy Perry, for Swift, as a feminist, would "never make it a girl fight" or tear other women down (though all Katy did was date your terrible ex-boyfriend and allegedly steal three backup dancers from your tour). In 2013, Swift said, in response to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's joke towards her serial dating, "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women."
There was that time in 2015 Taylor said that Nicki Minaj was "invited to any stage [she is] on" (as if Taylor expects to have access to every stage, award, and platform that Nicki might not otherwise have as a black female artist...yikes!) in response to Nicki's criticism of the white + thin VMA nominations. Later, Nicki responded with confusion, as Swift continued, "It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot..". Of course, this 'beef' was 'squashed' when Nicki performed with Taylor at the VMAs, with Nicki quite literally only having 38 seconds of stage time without Taylor. Maybe all that parading around with a legion of famous white women - similar to the way Taylor might've done with her numerous 1989-era handbags - was in fact a stance against gender inequality, and that this display of "girl power" should be enough to constitute Swift as a feminist icon.
Even while Swift says that Dunham informed her feminist outlook, she dances around the exact contents of those beliefs: "what she believes, what she says, what she stands for" is not exactly insightful towards what beliefs Swift might have inherited. Taylor never broaches women's rights topics such femicide, FGM, forced pregnancy & marriage, sex trafficking, women in slavery, women's financial and political oppression, women's educational rights, women's health, or women's autonomy, so we can assume she only gives a fuck about "girls supporting girls" (whatever that fucking means).
Despite some questionable (and sometimes vindictive) behavior, Taylor as a young woman did not deserve every media lashing that she received. We cannot deny that most headlines and criticisms perpetuated a misogynistic rhetoric which has plagued Swift for a majority of her career. Acknowledging events such as the development of her ED, her sexual assault trial, "Famous" lyric and MV depiction of Taylor, and the explicit Twitter deepfakes, for example, as both disgusting and unfortunate things that happened to a young woman in Hollywood does not negate the fact that Taylor is mostly a performative feminist.

Get Your Fucking Ass Up and Be a Philanthropist, It Seems Like Nobody Wants to Be a Philanthropist These Days

In 2013, Taylor Swift cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. The donation amount - $4 million - was the largest individual artist gift ever donated to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which is, of course, mentioned on Swift's website. The two-story facility features three classrooms, an instrument room, and an interactive children's exhibit gallery. Swift also performed at "All for the Hall" charity shows and has donated numerous artifacts from her career (such as notable guitars, tour costumes, etc) to the museum.
This was over 11 years ago, and it is still the only notable philanthropic contribution Taylor Swift has made.
For a woman of her net worth and stature, and a woman who recognizes the difficulties for women in film and music, you would think that Taylor Swift might establish a scholarship program for women to study the arts or something. Perhaps Swift might even consider becoming a member of organizations that support female artists, or one that supports LGBTQ+ causes (since she is now proudly an ally), yet she remains superficial with her graces. Broader philanthropy, such as donating relief aid to Palestinian women or women impacted by violence and discrimination will probably never receive any financial support from Miss Swift because then she'd be using her money towards philanthropies involving anyone but white entertainers.
She even says herself in Miss Americana, "My entire moral code as a kid and now is a need to be thought of as 'good'." Well, she's certainly thought of as good, though her actions say otherwise. She's more than happy to do a vaguely altruistic song and dance for a clip-worthy interview quote and mass appeasement, then fuck off to one of her mansions on a 20 minute private jet flight, rather than actually contribute to anything pertaining to the causes she has endorsed. Yet, far too many people continue to give a woman such as her their money, time, and energy, and she hoards these resources to herself.

I Like Some of the Taylor's Songs, But What the Fuck Does She Know About Feminism?

Swift continued with her self-proclaimed feminist campaign, positioning herself as a political activist and LGBTQ+ ally in the Miss Americana documentary. The primary focus of the documentary consists of the sexual assault trial, Andrea Swift's cancer diagnosis, Taylor's ED and body dysmorphia, media scrutiny, and, largely, finally speaking up about her politics publicly, mostly her opposition to the 2018 Tennessee Republican senate candidate, Marsha Blackburn, and Blackburn's beliefs. Swift says, following a scene discussing her experience during the trial,

"I just couldn't really stop thinking about it. And I just thought to myself, next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you had better know what you stand for and what you want to say."

We must ask ourselves, though: when has Swift ever spoken up to change anything? Okay, pulling her entire catalogue from Spotify because they didn't pay their artists enough and similarly pulling her catalogue from Apple Music are changes that she leveraged due to her revenue potential and power, but they are not pertinent to the average woman's rights. Moreover, these are issues that directly impacted Taylor's income, which was enough reason for her to protest in the first place. Swift has sold the most units for a female artist in first week sales, is the first female artist with 100k monthly Spotify listeners, is the first female artist to win the Album of the Year Grammy 4 times, and is the first female artist to do X, Y, and Z, all while being inoffensive and family-friendly to boot. The actual Taylor Swift seems unwilling to compromise the brand of Taylor Swift by contributing in meaningful ways to feminist causes, especially if it is for women outside of America and Hollywood.
The reason political anthems such as "The Man" and "Only the Young" of the Lover era feel disingenuous and corporate is because, well, it is. Taylor has taken every opportunity to advance her career or public image at the expense of other women. What is truly genuine to Taylor's outlook on other women is vying for male attention, taking down female competition, and vocalizing feminist injustices only if they directly impact her and her money. Some will argue that it's satisfactory for a woman with such a huge platform to even TALK about feminism, but that just isn't enough. It's even less impressive when you candidly look at the scope of her feminist lens: "If I was the man, then I'd be THE MAN", or "I really resent the ‘Be careful, buddy, she’s going to write a song about you’ angle, because it trivialises what I do", and, of course, "We all got crowns". Feminism, but only when it happens to me. It gets worse when you look at Taylor's track record of copying other famous women and removing other female artists as potential threats to her pop prowess.
It's good for PR to align yourself with certain blanket feminist and political beliefs, therefore good for branding, therefore good for ticketing and merchandise sales, therefore good for business. And Taylor Swift is a business.
She's not a feminist. Taylor Swift is a capitalist.

I Can't Pay Those Sweatshop Workers a Livable Wage or Benefits! How Else Would I Make My Billions?

Recently, Taylor's team filed to trademark the phrase "Female Rage: The Musical" after Taylor said during Paris N1 of the Eras Tour,

"So you were the first ones to see The Tortured Poets at the Eras Tour...or as I like to call it, 'Female Rage: The Musical'."

This trademark petition was filed last week on Saturday, and news comes about just as numerous unofficial fan-made merch designs have cropped up with this phrase plastered on Fruit of the Loom basics. I'm of the opinion Swift's team motioned for a trademark so that they can send out cease & desists to all those that make knockoff merch, which disrupts potential sales for Bravado, UMG's choice merchandising company; however, since it was filed earlier, perhaps Swift has bigger plans with the bizarre use of the gendered phrase. One Swiftie referred to the phrase "female rage" as "a funny Eras Tour joke". Could it be a possible fourth version of the Eras Tour Movie? Whatever the reason, the motion to capitalize off of such a concept is disgusting, but not unsurprising, for a woman that profits on her vain feminism.
Swift, through her company, TAS Rights Managements, has also trademarked over 200 phrases, including "1989", where she owns the property rights to this calendar year on keychains, phone cases, sunglasses, stationary, bags, beverage ware, clothing, entertainment services, your subconscious, and, of course, Christmas ornaments.
The vapid consumerism in Swiftie culture is, frankly, disgusting. Bravado's sustainability statement is non-existent, the quality control is abysmal, and the materials they use are horrible. The materials, such as acrylic and polyester, are made from petrochemicals. This means they are non-renewable, shed microplastics, and are quite toxic in production. The manufacturing process to make all of those lazy-rushed Eras Tour logo graphic tees is a huge blow to environmental well-being. Apparently, though, Swifties don't give a fuck. They sell out products in seconds and either have to face the manufactured scarcity or buy from a scalper that resells for 200% of the already ridiculous retail price. This doesn't include the environmental impact of vinyl records, CD, and cassette production, of which Taylor produces many variants that sell unsustainable amounts.
If we're talking about women's rights violations, why is no one acknowledging the women that work in the inhumane sweatshop conditions that have to pump out fugly t-shirts and hats? The millions of plastic microfiber dander they are inhaling, or the toxic dyes that touch their bare skin? Are they being compensated fairly for their skilled labour and are they in safe working environments? Do these women have minimal bargaining power, and do they have authority over their worker's rights? Is Taylor Swift female raging at their injustices? Does Taylor Swift ever feels bad that her wealth was built on the backs of women of color, disadvantaged by the demands of the global economy and garment industry? Do you think she ever says a little white feminist prayer for them before she goes to sleep at night?
What's even crazier is not that Taylor herself doesn't care, it's that Swifties don't care. There CANNOT BE ethical billionaires. You only make a billion dollars if you are exploiting other human beings for capital gain. Based on public perception of the possible "Female Rage: The Musical" trademark, it seems like Swifties are already asking for merch with this phrase. "If Taylor made it, I'd buy it." Oh, cool. So not only do you champion Miss Swift's avarice and billionaire status, but you also are unashamed to admit to your blind consumption of her music and merchandise, no matter where they might originate in production or sincerity. Just as Swift takes and takes and takes, Swifties' consumerism of Taylor Swift cannot be quelled.
The tortured artist's most vulnerable and sincere poetry...available now in 21 different versions!

I Am Tortured Poet, Hear Me Whinge

Look - even if Taylor's intention is to characterize TTPD as more "tortured" and "angry", the main thread of the album is "I was ghosted by my decade-long situationship with a controversial indie boy and my fucking stupid fans wrote a 'Speak Up Now' open letter prompting me to drop him" anger, which is adequately expressed in the lyrics and performances. The extent of Taylor's "female rage" on TTPD is on tracks such as "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?", which contends with relentless media scrutiny; "But Daddy I Love Him", where Swift firmly states she'll date whoever she likes no matter how "Sarahs and Hannahs" may react; and "The Albatross", a track mythologizing her reputation and the consequences of dating her. Of course, these coincide with deep psychological wounds that formed during Swift's early years in the media, and so, from her feminist perspective, these subjects tackle the misogyny and double standards that she faced.
Yet Taylor Swift still has no grounds to be claiming that TTPD best exemplifies female rage and therefore she, in the context of this album, is female rage incarnate. As the daughter of a stock broker and mutual fund marketing executive, Taylor was born into wealth and allowed privileges like trips and subsequent relocation to Nashville all so that she might get a record deal. Her father even invested at least $120,000 into the then-fledgling label, Big Machine Records, which ensured Taylor's place with Borchetta after leaving her dead-end development deal with Sony. The fact that her parents were able to buy her a fucking brand new guitar for Christmas and pay for music lessons says so much about the financial security and safety of her childhood.
Money is privilege and protection, and despite Swift's experiences with misogyny and loser boyfriends, she does not know what female rage is.
Her rage is derived from her frustrations with her obsessive fans pulling the moral superiority card on Taylor in response to her rebound with Matty Healy. That's literally it. She's just pissed that the monster she created is no longer obediant, it's become a feral, sovereign entity that depletes the world of its natural resources and thinks it is more intelligent than it actually is because it's mommy has started to talk to it with big words. Apparently, 'illicit', 'elegy', 'nonchalant', and 'precocious' are considerably big words for the oafish monster, and I find it strange that this level of literacy is present in a group of fans that allegedly have GPAs of 3.5 or higher, but I digress.
Taylor Swift has never been one paycheck away from destitution. Taylor Swift has never experienced racial discrimination. She may have instances of gender discrimination, but she possesses the ideal white, blonde American beauty standard and therefore reaps the benefits of being a conventionally attractive woman. Taylor Swift has sufficient social capital. Taylor Swift is a billionaire woman prolonging her victimhood though she, as a woman, has mostly had control over her image and music (unlike her contemporaries). Taylor Swift is NOT entitled to be championed for her "female rage", nor should she be. Taylor Swift has never even been the struggling artist, for fuck's sake. I don't give a fuck if she's trying to fill the empty lunch tables of her past. Taylor Swift purporting herself, her unpolished album, and her lukewarm feminism as a musical bleeding with female rage is asinine.

Sigh Try and Come For My Job, Poors

Out there in the world right now is a 23-year-old woman, a recent college grad, who works as a barista. She has to wake up and get ready to go into a minimum wage job because she cannot get a job in her field. She doesn't have healthcare benefits or sick time, so she has to go into work no matter how she's feeling. All day long she is berated by vicious customers and creepy men, and, exhausted from being on her feet, she knows she has to go home to her shitty roommate that never does the dishes and her roommate's shitty dog. To comfort herself, she considers getting a treat, but thinks against it when she remembers that matcha lattes cost $15 and they taste like milky dirt. She knows that she needs to buy groceries this week, and so the woman resolves to go home, but notices that her gas tank is low. She goes to put gas in the car, but the pump stops at $27.86 because that's all that she has in her checking account. The woman, bereft and reeling, sinks into the driver's seat. "Well," she thinks, her head in her hands, "at least I don't have Taylor Swift's job. I just couldn't imagine."
Fame is somewhat of a choice. If at any moment Taylor feels that she is misunderstood, misconstrued, or overwhelmed by public opinion, she can LEAVE the public eye - Lord knows she has the retirement fund and residuals to do so. In "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart", the TTPD song about meeting the demands of your career-zenith mega-tour while in the relationship trenches, Taylor ends the song by rambling,

"You know you're good when you can even do it with a broken heart...you know you're good...and I'm good, cause I'm miserable, and no one even knows!...try and come for my job."

Yeah, obviously we wouldn't know, you recently passed the billionaire threshold and are the most famous and in-demand performer in the world right now. Taylor Swift makes an estimated $10 to $13 million dollars A NIGHT on the Eras Tour. Furthermore, the Eras Tour movie grossed $261.6 million globally, (which, as the producer, Taylor takes home 57% of the ticket sales) not counting the streaming revenue from Amazon Prime Video and the estimated $75 million deal that Disney paid to have it on Disney+. We're not even considering the income from cheap plastic popcorn buckets and drink cups plastered with colored squares in her Era-specific likeness.
It's funny. Taylor Swift often said that being famous wasn't hard, that she "isn't complaining". I'm sure it is difficult to always have to present in a good mood, else you'll end up misrepresented in the media, and I'm sure it's invasive to virtually have no privacy or semblance of anonymity. Still, Taylor Swift shows up each night of tour and performs. For a majority of her career, she has penned her sad songs while on the road. Most of "Red", her breakup album, was written in the thick of the Speak Now World tour. Now, some Swifties say they almost "feel bad" for attending the Eras Tour with Swift's revelations in this song, that they have had a 'dimmed experience' upon hearing Taylor's misery whilst performing. Despite the fact that Taylor said that "this was the happiest she's ever been" at Gilette Stadium in May, the lyrics "boohoo, woe is me, smile for the cameras and make the fans happy!!!" are jarring for Eras attendees.
While Taylor Swift was making double-digit millions a night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and feeling miserable, Ana Clara Benevides Machado passed away due to heat exposure. The concert promoters, Time For Fun, are now the subject of a criminal investigation due to their lack of adequate hydration and safety. Taylor Swift cancelled the Sunday show that was to follow and offered VIP tent tickets to Benevides Marchado's family, which was a kind gesture, but perhaps incongruous to the incident of which they were offered as consolation. Everyone grieves differently, of course, but I'm not sure attending the very show at the very same venue that my daughter or sister passed away in two days prior, where the singer CONTINUED the show despite her death, would be healthy for closure.
There was no female rage at the show as Swift never saw Benevides Machado pass out. There was no female rage towards the disregard for fans as humans while Swift elected to proceed with her Brazil tour dates despite the country being in historic heatwaves (at risk of overheatting herself). If Taylor Swift was so shaken by touring with a broken heart or a fan's passing, she wouldn't have added an additional North American leg of Eras just two months after the Matty breakup. She's brokenhearted but willing to mend the cracks with your money and move onward with her worldwide female rage induced pillaging.
No matter what happens, even if you die at a Taylor Swift concert, Taylor collects a big fat check and flies away. She doesn't know you as anything other than a conversion rate or earning potential despite what her nearly 20-year long parasocial relationship with fans might otherwise indicate. She knows that, while some Swifties are without disposable income, they feel obligated to spend on a "48 Hours Only!" exclusive vinyl variant instead of necessities because they are so entrenched in Taylor Swift's intoxicating celebrity, they'll prioritize materialistic fandom before their needs. This is good enough for her because this means she can expand her real estate portfolio and finance her cat's lavish lifestyles. They're worth an estimated $100 million dollars. Her three cats could pool their net worth and solve world hunger.
While you and I might be denied bereavement leave and barely surviving the current political and economic climate, Taylor Swift has to, instead of gets to, perform for stadiums at full attendance for three nights in a row across the globe. You and I might be replaced by AI at our longtime jobs, but Taylor Swift is threatened with losing more and more money each time you listen to a "Stolen Version" of her songs. If we don't buy every variant of all of her albums, then who is going to pay for the fucking cats?
It is tone deaf to spend as she spends and lives as she lives in this economy, but this is her reality. She was able to donate $100,000 to all of her tour truck drivers, and that's wonderful, but it leads me to wonder about the ethos of the 2020s where one woman can hoard such life-changing amounts of money. Remember in 2014 when she gave a fan $90 ($120 in today's money) to get Chipotle because she had no fucking clue how much it cost? This is a 34-year-old woman who is increasingly out of touch with the reality for working class people and women in general. Normal everyday adults must wake up and go to their thankless jobs, and yet Taylor Swift, despite all her riches, incessantly references the lows of her life and career as a public figure and entertainer to farm sympathy and drive sales. And still, the corporate women have latched onto "I cry a lot, but I am so productive! It's an art!" as their cubicle battle cry.
Do you think that, from up in her private jet, Taylor Swift gazes at the world through her poetic, tortured eyes, and thinks, "All the little people, in their cars, walking, going about their lives...all those girls that don't support girls...do they know that I've made an album about female rage?"

Conclusion/TLDR

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your critical insights towards this entire ordeal: TTPD, the trademark, the implications of it all.
TLDR: Taylor Swift is a bad feminist and is delusional to think that the TTPD eras set exemplifies female rage at women's injustice.

Been together six years, two kids. Lots of ups and downs in the relationship but I’ve always thought things were fixable. I’ve been feeling “not loved” since July – I reached out to a long-distance ex in December telling her that things weren’t good here, that I missed feeling loved, that I was sorry for how I treated her ten years ago and my general struggles. Spouse found out on my phone, I told her I had no interest in leaving her, that I loved her. Stopped all communication with the ex. Acknowledged it was an emotional affair.
In February my spouse started a romantic affair with a previous partner (his affair from 9 years ago that was left unfinished) which turned sexual when she was flying to another city to visit a girlfriend. I found out three weeks ago while snooping her phone – while trying by best to repair things at home. I felt absolutely betrayed. She booked him a flight and expensive hotels beyond our means for them to have a four-day seaside retreat / bang fest together coming up in June. She denied it – said he didn’t have a credit card and gave her cash to book a flight, but when I told her I saw everything and reached out to him and said “Hey, we live together, we’re raising kids together and she’s not single” she began packing to move to her sisters.
For three weeks since D-Day I’ve been doing everything against Chump Lady’s advice – I’ve begged, proposed, wrote letters that I can forgive her because I wasn’t very good in December (although the scale is very different). I’ve offered to do anything to fix things – but she’s beyond checked out and still communicating with him. She fully moved out last week and I have a lawyer drafting a separation proposal. I’ve told her that I can forgive the past – but I can’t forgive her going on the trip with him in three weeks. I’ve offered money for the hotels ($600/night) – take the kids, I’ll stay home etc.
I have been going to counselling since January – I’ve gone four times in the past month. Going again tomorrow. A quote that my counsellor told me “She’s showed you that she is the kind if person who can betray her partner without remorse. Think about this - Is she really the kind of person you should WANT to stay in a relationship with”. The logic brain says – no, but my heart does. I love her, our kids, her family. I know we can fix things. I have been trying so hard in communicating since January, trying to rebuild trust, thinking about the relationship – but if they go on their affair week adventure I don’t know if I can ever forgive and move forward with her. She seems fully intent on moving forward with her adventures.

John 1:1 - was the Word God?
John 1:1 is hardly a Trinitarian proof text.
Various translation have the c part as “and the Word was a god.” Other translations have “and the Word was divine.”
A Contemporary English Translation of the Coptic Text. The Gospel of John, Chapter One (From 2nd/3rd century):

1In the beginning the Word existed. The Word existed in the presence of God, and the Word was a divine being. 2This one existed in the beginning with God.

Diaglot NT, 1865:

“In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word.”

Harwood, 1768:

"and was himself a divine person"

Newcome, 1808:

"and the word was a god"

Thompson, 1829:

"the Logos was a god”

Robert Harvey, D.D., 1931:

"and the Logos was divine (a divine being)”

Greek Orthodox /Arabic translation, 1983:

"the word was with Allah [God] and the word was a god"

John J. McKenzie, S.J., in his Dictionary of the Bible, says: “John 1:1 should rigorously be translated ‘the word was with the God [= the Father], and the word was a divine being.’”—(Brackets are his.) New York, 1965), p. 317
“In John 1:1c, the Word is not the one-and-only God, but is a god, or divine being.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament, pages 115, 122, and 123.
Joseph Henry Thayer, a Unitarian scholar who worked on the American Standard Version says of John 1:1: “The Logos [or, Word] was divine, not the divine Being himself.”
Even Vine in his dictionary admits 'the literal translation is, 'a god was the Word'.
The Word, was in the presence of God. The Word was alongside of God, near to, in front of. John tells us, this divine being, came to the earth, this divine being, became flesh, for prior to this he was a spirit being. The Word, is a title, given to a specific being, and not God's speech or expressions… Jesus, the Word, the Logos, is not God.
However, even without arguing grammar, we can read from the same letter and see the frame of mind John had Jesus, the Word, in.
Notably John 1:18 says that “no man has seen God at any time.” This occurs many times and isn’t a one off idea. (Ex 33:20; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12)
If we read previously at John 1:14, we see that the Word became flesh. Jesus was clearly seen by many thousands of people. That easily concludes that Jesus is not God.
John 1:23, “I am a voice of someone crying out in the wilderness.” Jesus is quoting Isaiah 40:3. This isn’t a new idea, Malachi 3:1:

1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith [YHWH] of hosts.

There is the temple again, not Jesus physical body. But! Lord, whom ye seek. We see this distinction between God and Lord at 1 Cor 8:5-6:

5 For even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords,” 6 there is actually to us one God, the Father, from whom all things are and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through him. (KJV says the same)

So, John had the same mindset that Paul wrote about here. The Word was certainly not God, because we have seen Jesus. Jesus claims to be the messenger, the answerer of the ones crying out in the wilderness. John, nor Paul, thought Jesus was Almighty God, YHWH.

Hi everyone,
I have known this person since I was 12 yo, she always have been controling and childish like being upset at me for having others friends and not hangout with her as much, so we fought a lot and with time I got feed up with her behavior and I started to cut her of, but everytime we stop talking for months she cames back again everytime, even if I caused a big problem that's unforgivable she will always come back to my life with one way or other. In the first year of high school I cut off all my friends including her cuz I was dealing with depression, so we didn't talk for the all high school period, and she didn't try to comeback cuz I treated her very bad just to make sure that she won't comeback in my life again, but soon after graduating she forgot everything and be friended me again and at the time I was feeling guilty about the way I treated her so I allowed it, and I thought that things maybe changed and she wouldn't use me again or be upset about anything I do or I say.
We were alright, but I noticed that she only talk or come visit me when she needs something and she never attempt to ask about me or how I am without having a reason that benefits her, even if she knew that I'm dealing with something she never asks except if she needed something or someone to talk to about her problems.
A week ago, she visited me and start talking about one of her exs, they broke up two years ago, but she told me that she missed him, and asked me to message him just to know if there is someone in his life, and because I don't know him personally I refused hardly and I tried to convince her to not think about him anymore cuz it's not healthy for her, but she got upset at me and said that I'm not a good friend and if I asked to do so she will do it without question (note: I have never asked anything from her ever, accept forgiveness for the way I treated her back at the time, cuz to this day I still feel guilty about it), she went home upset and I didn't think much about it cuz that's the right things to do.
Until yesterday, her mom called me asking to visit her urgently, I went and her mom was crying and told me her daughter lost her vision, she blind now. I went to her room and she was in a terrible situation, she was looking at one direction in the room with tears in her eyes, I started talking to her and comforting her, even if it was hard for me cuz I was sad seeing her in that situation. Then her mom taked me a side and told me that the doctor told her that she have a mental problem cuz her eyes is fine so she figured that her ex is the cause of that, cuz the night before she was thinking about him and telling her mom about how he is the perfect one for her and no one's like him and she wish she can have him back, but the mother think other wise so that got her really angry and maybe that what causes her losing her sight.
So her mom asked me to talk to him and tell him what happened to her and see how he gonna react to it, if he reacted poorly then she will know that he is bad for her and she will stop think highly of him. First, I was hesitant but she convinced me, and I did (big mistake I know), that ex is their neighbor, so he knows me but not in a personal level I never talk or even looked at him, so when I called him, I said that I'm his ex's friend and I heard that she is blind and if he knows what happened to her exactly cuz I lost contact with her, the poor guy was shocked just as me when I first saw her in room, but he said that he knows nothing and he can't contact her, cuz she blocked him from everything and she acts like she doesn't know him every time they meet eye to eye (note: he only know that I'm her friend but he doesn't know which friend) at the end he told me if he heard something he will tell me and I should do so too, cuz he is worried about her. Hearing that she was happy and she told me that I should tell her everything cuz he will definitely message me .
I went home feeling terrible about her situation and what I have done, at night he messaged me asking if there is any news and I told him that I talked to her mother and what the doctor said to her, he said he have no way to talk to her but he will be praying for her. After she called me at 1am asking if he called or anything and I told her what he said and she was upset saying that I should have convinced him to visit her instead she said and I quote " I did all of this just to make him talk to me and you didn't try to convince him to do so" even if I tried by saying that it's alright to talk to her mom cuz they are neighbors.
I didn't slept all night thinking about the situation and I may have been played by her and her mom, or maybe her mom is played by her too cuz she is the only child so her mom can't say NO. Maybe she is fooling everyone just to get her ex's attention, and I feel super bad for myself, her mom and the ex, but I'm afraid that she may be really blind and I'm overthinking it, but in the other hand if I woke up blind my only concern will be my health not other people and I won't ask anyone to do something like this ever, that what make me feel like she is lying at us and we all being manipulated by her.
While writing this she called me, she still didn't get her vision back and she asked me not to talk to him until she asks me to, and to not delete my conversation with him.
I know I'm a bad person for doing what I have done, I feel terrible about the situation, and I wish to find a way to cut her from my life, cuz she traumatized me everytime, and I have tried everything in my power but she always come back, but what if she lost her sight for real and by doing so I will be more bad, cuz I won't be happy if my friends left me if I had health problem. I don't know what to do anymore.

SABOTAGE?! And it all started out as such a nice idea… A cliche as tall as my ex-roommate’s erection live-blending Kelly Bundy Mike Kelley and Ted Bundy parafernalia wearing blondes to the sound of gekko’s mating in the Amazon. Cut the bullshit! There’s no such thing as a nice idea getting detourné by some smart art postpostsituationist pranker or right-wing gaswhitey flexfrat, no, my dear well-meaning peace dove friends, if an idea can gets turned into its opposite during its execution, it probably was flawed from the start! Sometimes people use Woodstock 99 - the limp dickshit rape and pillage slash and burn disaster edition - as an example of how a great, positive, wonderful, hell, holy idea can turn into the worst kind of evil in the hands of the wrong people. Well, dear naivopino’s, let me inform you: bull-shit! The whole idea of Woodstock, be it ’99, ’94, ’69 or 2219, is just batshit dumbwhat asking for the baddest kind of trouble right from the bat. Or, what? Do you honest-to-dogly think that during the original (I retrovulsely puke into my stomach even using that wretched word) edition of 1969 nothing was burned, stolen, no women were raped? What, just because there were no sperm dna tests, nigh to none options for women to speak up against sexual violence let alone the fact that speaking up against rape during that whole shitshebang of a weak acid trip’s campfire get-together was near to blasphemy in the hippie community means that no women were raped? Because men all of a sudden turned into meek little dickies lambs for three years from 1968 to ’71? Fuck that shit. Please. I don’t even want to spend a single move of a single digit of my old hands having to make anything about that largest circle jerk-off in history clear to you. Read your books. Do your homework. Anyway, that’s what I was thinking about when a friend told me recently about another of those so-called great ideas gone hilariously wrong in a little map smudge of a town in of all fucking places Belgium for chrissakes. Let me admit to you, right here and now, no smirk no smile on my face: I laughed so hard when I heard it I shat my new Calvins. Framed them afterwards, too, in a nice little Nielsen A2 birch. It’s sitting there, stinking the fuck out of my storage, waiting for a good stock market crash to come. Never underestimate the potential of the future art market gold rushes. My shit, my gold, bruv. So, these two clowns of artists in Belgium (are there any other there? don’t get me started on rené ma bite or marcel bread arse here!) had the ammazing idea to get themselves funded by the local government in this hamlet of three houses called Watou which apparently would be part of - ok, stop me here. Not in the history of mankind has ever ended a sentence well which tried to explain any aspect of Belgian politics, topography or whatever the call the thing there where a man rides a horse stark naked and bites the neck of living goose hanging from a tree? (See, that sentence didn’t end well either, did it, what’d I tell you? Cursed stuff!) Let’s try that again: two artists in the Belgian town of Watou had the splendid idea to organize a festive event, in the middle of summer, whereby all the people of this little village (if you’re thinking of blue skinned vikings charging Roman legionnaires in a berry-induced bad trip frenzy, well, so am I) for one day left their houses, dropped the key of their house in a transparant bowl on the town square and all went to the field adjacent to their village to well be (as in: not fornicate) together and thereby, if I had a press release I’d quote this from it: practiced a performative experiment in hospitality and neighborship where no fixed rules are applied. I’m guessing if you’re sensitive like I am to the finer things a life, you might as well start looking for your nearest Nielsen frame too by now, but hey: we haven’t even gotten to the joke yet! This was all the serious stuff. Let me summarise it even more briefly for you, just to get it out of my haemorrhoidical system: Imagine a village. Everyone leaves their house at the same time. Leaves their front door open. Drops the key to said door in a large bowl. Drifts into a field somewhere off to do fripp knows what (no rules applied, but probably: no fornication whatsoever.) Got the mental image? Good. Now get the fuck out of that dream and imagine any sad little teardrop of a town you know. Imagine who lives there. Imagine all the people you know who live in a town, or rather, fuck that, imagine all the people you know. Now imagine that some dogoodydoodydoobywah wants to “bring the people together again” and “mend the social bonds which had been broken by” yaddah yaddah yaddah. Okay? Now imagine the fucking assholes - they might even be you - who get they absolute mostest pleasure out of ruining the naive, well-intentioned ideas of others? You see what I see? The doodygoodoo is a bit all alone on his white ivory hilltowertop, right? All the others apparently prefer to start mayhem, to jinx other people’s efforts, to laugh - loud! - at their friends tripping over their own feet. No? You think in your ‘reality’ people are ‘decent’ and ‘rough diamonds’ or ‘deeper than you’d think they are’? Well, my dear, that paradisiacal odor you’re smelling all around you is the smell of your own shit cause you got your head up your ass! Listen and suffer! Because what happened in our not-just-proverbial Belgian village on that sunny morning in July… a couple of the townspeople - we’ll never know how many but I’m guessing almost everyone except for the government-funded, from-the-city hippie artists was in on the joke - had invited some acquaintances from the town next door to quietly enter the village while everyone was not-fornicating on the idyllic field, to take all the keys from the bowl, lay them on the train tracks which run along the town, flattening them to perfectly unusable little steel flabs and placing them back in the bowl. So when our supposedly resocialised townspeople entered their village that afternoon, ready to get their key, run to their house and close their door for at least the next 364 days, the immediately realised they couldn’t close their doors anymore. Total mayhem ensued. Men started chasing women, people pillaged their neighbours houses, children and adults alike pooped on all toothbrushes they could find, underwear was thrown into compost heaps, compost heaps were thrown into unlawful indoor spas, hundred thousands of untaxed euro piles were find inside old televisions and grandmas paintings. There was no stopping them. Housewifes hung themselves after their portrait, tits out and all, was found hanging above at least three beds in different houses. It was bad. Real bad. By the time news of this feast of anarchy and murder had spread to the nearest villages and the police arrived, the artists had of course long disappeared, no doubt to narrativise their failure into a story of experiment and learning and cash in a couple of fat pay checks.
And you know what the name was the artists had given their beautiful day of harmony and collective connecting: Open Doors Day. They sure got it, their open doors day, they sure got it. Serves them right. Serves them damn right.
peace - out!

John 1:1 is hardly a Trinitarian proof text.
Various translation have the c part as “and the Word was a god.” Other translations have “and the Word was divine.”
A Contemporary English Translation of the Coptic Text. The Gospel of John, Chapter One (From 2nd/3rd century):

1In the beginning the Word existed. The Word existed in the presence of God, and the Word was a divine being. 2This one existed in the beginning with God.

Diaglot NT, 1865:

“In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word.”

Harwood, 1768:

"and was himself a divine person"

Newcome, 1808:

"and the word was a god"

Thompson, 1829:

"the Logos was a god”

Robert Harvey, D.D., 1931:

"and the Logos was divine (a divine being)”

Greek Orthodox /Arabic translation, 1983:

"the word was with Allah [God] and the word was a god"

John J. McKenzie, S.J., in his Dictionary of the Bible, says: “John 1:1 should rigorously be translated ‘the word was with the God [= the Father], and the word was a divine being.’”—(Brackets are his.) New York, 1965), p. 317
“In John 1:1c, the Word is not the one-and-only God, but is a god, or divine being.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament, pages 115, 122, and 123.
Joseph Henry Thayer, a Unitarian scholar who worked on the American Standard Version says of John 1:1: “The Logos [or, Word] was divine, not the divine Being himself.”
Even Vine in his dictionary admits 'the literal translation is, 'a god was the Word'.
The Word, was in the presence of God. The Word was alongside of God, near to, in front of. John tells us, this divine being, came to the earth, this divine being, became flesh, for prior to this he was a spirit being. The Word, is a title, given to a specific being, and not God's speech or expressions… Jesus, the Word, the Logos, is not God.
However, even without arguing grammar, we can read from the same letter and see the frame of mind John had Jesus, the Word, in.
Notably John 1:18 says that “no man has seen God at any time.” This occurs many times and isn’t a one off idea. (Ex 33:20; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12)
If we read previously at John 1:14, we see that the Word became flesh. Jesus was clearly seen by many thousands of people. That easily concludes that Jesus is not God.
John 1:23, “I am a voice of someone crying out in the wilderness.” Jesus is quoting Isaiah 40:3. This isn’t a new idea, Malachi 3:1:

1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith [YHWH] of hosts.

There is the temple again, not Jesus physical body. But! Lord, whom ye seek. We see this distinction between God and Lord at 1 Cor 8:5-6:

5 For even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords,” 6 there is actually to us one God, the Father, from whom all things are and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through him. (KJV says the same)

So, John had the same mindset that Paul wrote about here. The Word was certainly not God, because we have seen Jesus. Jesus claims to be the messenger, the answerer of the ones crying out in the wilderness. John, nor Paul, thought Jesus was Almighty God, YHWH.

{This is an accumulation of various comments and other’s hard work as well. Thank you all for your continued hard work and faith in Our God the Father}
John 1:1 is hardly a Trinitarian proof text.
Various translation have the c part as “and the Word was a god.” Other translations have “and the Word was divine.”
A Contemporary English Translation of the Coptic Text. The Gospel of John, Chapter One (From 2nd/3rd century):

1In the beginning the Word existed. The Word existed in the presence of God, and the Word was a divine being. 2This one existed in the beginning with God.

Diaglot NT, 1865:

“In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word.”

Harwood, 1768:

"and was himself a divine person"

Newcome, 1808:

"and the word was a god"

Thompson, 1829:

"the Logos was a god”

Robert Harvey, D.D., 1931:

"and the Logos was divine (a divine being)”

Greek Orthodox /Arabic translation, 1983:

"the word was with Allah [God] and the word was a god"

John J. McKenzie, S.J., in his Dictionary of the Bible, says: “John 1:1 should rigorously be translated ‘the word was with the God [= the Father], and the word was a divine being.’”—(Brackets are his.) New York, 1965), p. 317
“In John 1:1c, the Word is not the one-and-only God, but is a god, or divine being.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament, pages 115, 122, and 123.
Joseph Henry Thayer, a Unitarian scholar who worked on the American Standard Version says of John 1:1: “The Logos [or, Word] was divine, not the divine Being himself.”
Even Vine in his dictionary admits 'the literal translation is, 'a god was the Word'.
The Word, was in the presence of God. The Word was alongside of God, near to, in front of. John tells us, this divine being, came to the earth, this divine being, became flesh, for prior to this he was a spirit being. The Word, is a title, given to a specific being, and not God's speech or expressions… Jesus, the Word, the Logos, is not God.
However, even without arguing grammar, we can read from the same letter and see the frame of mind John had Jesus, the Word, in.
Notably John 1:18 says that “no man has seen God at any time.” This occurs many times and isn’t a one off idea. (Ex 33:20; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12)
If we read previously at John 1:14, we see that the Word became flesh. Jesus was clearly seen by many thousands of people. That easily concludes that Jesus is not God.
John 1:23, “I am a voice of someone crying out in the wilderness.” Jesus is quoting Isaiah 40:3. This isn’t a new idea, Malachi 3:1:

1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith [YHWH] of hosts.

There is the temple again, not Jesus physical body. But! Lord, whom ye seek. We see this distinction between God and Lord at 1 Cor 8:5-6:

5 For even though there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords,” 6 there is actually to us one God, the Father, from whom all things are and we for him; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things are and we through him. (KJV says the same)

So, John had the same mindset that Paul wrote about here. The Word was certainly not God, because we have seen Jesus. Jesus claims to be the messenger, the answerer of the ones crying out in the wilderness. John, nor Paul, thought Jesus was Almighty God, YHWH.

Haven't been active on this subreddit in quite a while, and not sure if boards still sell on Reddit the way they used to back in the day Always knew this day would come and, at this point in my life, the board deserves a better home like the unused toys in Toy Story 3.
My relationship with this board was similar to what I imagine most people have with their first car, and I tried my best to treat it the same way Cameron's dad did his Ferrari in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This board was my horse throughout college, taking me between the campuses of Rutgers New Brunswick so I could avoid the lengthy & crowded trips of the buses. It's never failed me.
WTS Boosted Board V2 Dual+ XR, $449 or best offer.
Description: One and only owner. ~500 miles. All electronics OEM. Original wheels, trucks, deck, etc. XR battery. Grip tape needed to be replaced at some point and, being a purist, I reached out to Boosted to see what grip tape they used for the front and back. I bought the same types they gripped the Dual+ with and did my best to use the original grip tape as a stencil for the branding. Pride myself on taking extremely good care of my stuff. Would personally label as Good/Very Good condition. Still charges & operates like the first day I got it. Has never needed to be serviced or has had any RLOD related incidents.
Accessories: 3D Printed truck risers and/or tail/nose bumpers (independently printed, not Flatland 3D) but will include the original ones. Original Charger, Controller, Mini USB Cable, truck risers, & sticker. Extra pulleys. Original hardware. Boosted Skate Tool. Boosted Backpack for carrying board & accessories. Kane's Thumbwheel that can be swapped with the original one on the controller for better use with gloves.
Just specific things I want to point out to be completely transparent about the condition. Will do my best to include specific close-up pictures of all things mentioned below:

1. Grip tape job is not perfect. Obviously pretty easy to re-grip a board with a single new piece of tape but, having tried to replicate the OEM job, it is certainly not perfect.
2. Slight chafing on nose and tail.
3. Back wheels are slightly chewed from use.
4. Seems to be a staple or something lodged very deeply in the back-right wheel. Honestly, super hard to get a picture of. It seems like it's lodged so deeply in there that it is now actually integral to the wheel. I imagine if I (or you) ever tried to dislodge it, it would take a significant chunk out of the wheel. I honestly don't think it's anything to worry about. Been there for most of the board's life & has never caused issues. Always thought it was more trouble than it was worth to try and extract.

Shipping / Pick-Up: I am located in South Jersey. Willing to travel / meet for local pick-up or test drive. Willing to ship but price of shipping would probably need to hammered out down the road. So far, FedEx seems to quote me somewhere between $15-$50 for shipping depending on where the recipient is located.
Thanks for taking the time to look/read! Please PM me if you have any questions or other photo requests that are not captured here: https://imgur.com/a/TGLMMXE

Review exchange for one shots, drabbles, and short (completed) multichapter fics!
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OK never done this so please no judgement on here. Talks of little DV from my past and tiggers. So here it goes..
I 30f and my partner 32m have been dating almost 5 years and we have kids together. Both have 2 kids together 1 kid each from another relationship but we class that they are all ours. My eldest is from a dv relationship and me and her have gone through well alot of trauma that we've had therapy for which I finished mine about 11 months ago. And in therapy we had to figure out my tiggers to try and prevent or prepare me having to appear but try and avoid if i can. And yes my partner knows them.
So to the event.
On Sunday before starting dinner we was talking about bathing the kids. And I said about bathing the kids after he's washed the veg and filled up the pans and he said do it before. But I said no, cos we need dinner at normal time as our oldest (his stepdaughter) has school tomorrow as all kids need to be in bed at reasonable normal time. 7/7:30 latest. You said oh yeah ok that makes sense.
Now the kids are in the living room playing nicely partner preparing dinner I thought oo I can read whilst I'm waiting to bath the kids as I haven't picked up a book in 4 days so I thought perfect opportunity kids happy playing, partner doing Sunday dinner I'll sit in the kitchen with him whilst he does dinner and listens to his podcast I can read a book whilst listening out for the kids. And just so we are clear he cooks on Sundays and I wash up as we go.
Half way through him washing and preparing the veg I'm dulled into a book he mentions that I need to go wash the kids I look at him like did we not just have that conversation so granted I shouldn't of ignored and gone back to my book but I did and got straight into it pretty quickly. He then tossed as he put it a raw chopped carrot at my face and yes it hit me. No it didn't hurt but it was a shock because I didn't expect it and it did feel like a little force behind it. But whom knows maybe he didn't chuck which felt like force. I blew up at him and said that it's not it and you do not chuck anything at me regardless of what it is. He told me it was a joke and to fuck off. I didn't want to argue but it did bring up images of my ex chucking things at me before he beat me black and blue. And yes he knows how my previous relationship went as it was hard for me to trust anyone with me and my eldest.
So I left the room for about 20 mins to let the situation calm down and went and played with the kids. After about 20 mins I went back to the kitchen and asked if he was OK and if we could make up and he went I dunno you gonna start shouting at me again I said I dunno you gonna chuck something at me again he said it was a joke I said OK but you hit me in the face he said yeah cos I aimed for it because you ignored me and I said because we already agreed to go it after washing the all the veg etc he then went and made a comment that I basically belittle him all the time and I said give me one example because all I ever do is have to on a high peddle stall which maybe clearly I shouldn't. He told me to fuck off and leave him alone if I'm gonna start so I left again cos I didn't want to argue. So as dinner was being dished up kids have been washed and I go into the kitchen to start washing up so I don't have a alot to do after dinner.
I asked if he was OK and he said he's fine just a little pissed off still I said OK.. again I don't like to argue I alway try and keep peace because of my past I really don't like arguments or any disagreements. Anyway so I'm washing up quietly and he turns around and says so and so ruined this morning (my eldest commented on me at breakfast about how much I'm going to eating and I'm not fat just so we are clear, but she talks like that because of her dad and grandma anither long story from my past regardingthe DV) anyway then he said now I've ruined dinner. I said how did I ruin dinner I tried giving you an olive branch twice and you made snide comments which when asked you couldn't tell me what I've done and said. Then our middle child came in dad told her to get out .. she came in second time and he yelled at her to get out so she started to cry and I blew up again and said no you can be pissed at me all you like but the kids he cuts me off the say something but I cut him shouting no end of. And I walk out to go to our middle child. In that time he slammed and broke the tongs and took his dinner sat at the table started scoffing his dinner down.
Kids notice he's eating dinner without them as that's not normal I say daddy's tired need to go bed as not feeling well.
I get everything on the dinner table get kids up and tell them to start eating I get my plate and as I sit down he finished his dinner left his plate and went upstairs, ran a bath went to bed.
I dealt with the kids and tidied. Yes I am petty I've left his plate from Sunday on the table still and didn't wash up he his work cup but I thought the audacity of this man and his behaviour no sir no sir.
Yesterday he doesn't speak to me all day and tells me to fuck off and leave him alone he needs space. And all i wanted to was telling him my reasoning in how I reacted and the tigger it caused and that I'm sorry.
Today I brought ice-cream his fav sent to him and also, said quote I quoted what he texted me I'm still very pissed at you then explained the tigger but I did think of you when I saw this.
Well it blew up again he accused me comparing him to my daughters dad and how much of a massive warning this is for him, I'm lazy and whatever cos I didn't bath them when he said i should of socit didnt go into our sunday eve ( lets make clear my kids all 3 of them were in bed by 7:15pm that night like anyother night). even though i did once he finished the veg. And so we are clear I have never ever once have I ever compared them or thought he was like it. After that I said im done speaking etc .. He's mentioned about us breaking up and obviously I've got 180 and said i'm sorry I don't want this end etc etc he's told me to basically leave him be or he will take it so I'm giving him space again and now I feel like I'm the arse and I was in the wrong so.. the question is am I?
P.s no he's not violent. And I would never put me or my child or children through that ever.

Hey all, I'm planning on buying my first car and this is the quote that I got from my nearest dealership with BH registration. I want to know from the veterans on this forum if this is good or not, or if I should look to get more discounts/better deal. The car is Model Year 2024 and the dealership has assured us that they will be able to arrange it within 15-20 days of us booking the vehicle.
Below is the quote:

Component	Price
Ex-Showroom	17,53,400.00
Corporate Discount	28449
Net Ex-Showroom Price after Discount	17,24,951.00
TCS	17,250.00
Insurance	44,000.00
Essential Accessory Kit	8,799.00
RTO (BH Registration)	25,000.00
Net On-Road Price (including SMP, excluding extended warranty)	17,95,000.00

For this month, they are giving the Service Maintenance Package free which is worth INR 32,999.00. Also, the insurance added here is the Drive Assure Elite package which has most of the major things included like Zero Depreciation, Return to Invoice, Personal Accident Coverage, etc included.
I asked the dealership about the extended warranty and they said I'll have to buy it separately for 5th and 6th year which will cost me about 20k.
Please review this once. Thank you!

Ive been dating her for about 6 months.
Gotta straight out say it, I'm the grade A douchebag in this situation, so let's get this out of the way. We met on hinge, I wasn't attracted to her in the slightest, let's be real, appearance wise I'm way above her league. but I've been on hinge for two years without even a second date at the time, I just want a gf so bad so I went out with her.
After 2 months or so she ask me to go exclusive with her, during that entire two months Ive gotten zero matches, like I sent out all the likes everyday and zero matches. I didn't know what to say so I was like, ok you are my exclusive gf now. She dreamed about me taking her to her favorite park, bought her her favorite dessert, and asking her to be her official boyfriend, and wouldn't' let the dream go. Well, I feel bad for her so I did exactly just that, the way she smiled almost made me convinced that I actually like her. But umm I still have hinge on my tablet (hidden at home) rn, but can't cheat when there's no matches. You can bad name me in the comments or whatever. But this is the context.
So, obviously she deserves someone who's actually attracted to her and can make her happy for the rest of her life. I'm not that guy, my preferences aside, I don't want children like ever they are disgusting, but she wants children and gets baby fever all the time. She's religious, I think religion is just crazy people preaching about a fictional character and it makes no sense. She wants to get married before 30, I don't feel like marrying anytime soon. She wants to move to the other side of the country, I want stay here. She's a cat person, I like dogs. My asian parents would never accept me dating a black girl so I've been hiding her from them and social media. And my friends keep teasing me nonstop about dating an ugly girl. This is a dead end relationship, I don't do short term relationships so I cannot remain in a relationship that I know is not gonna work long term.
But, she's super into me, and is extremely dependent on me. She's working two jobs and studying, and is nearly broke, can hardly make ends meet. She cry herself to bed like every week, and always vent to me about how she feel so inadequate, other girls look so pretty in their summer dresses with nice skin and skinny body makes her so jealous, her parents abusing her and bodyshame her (tbh her parents kinda have a point), not having a single friend, both her ex cheated on her and SAed her, she's so worried that she will fail out of school, working both jobs is so physically and mentally draining, and all that. She attempted suicide 5 months before meeting me, so there's that too.
On top of that, she told me over and over, that meeting me is the absolute best thing that has ever happened to her in her entire life. That I'm 100% her type, I'm the k-drama male lead in the k-drama that is her life, end quote. That since I agree to be her bf, she's been feeling motivated in life for the first time. That I'm the only person in her life that she can talk to, because she has no friends and her parents despite her. That I am 100% the man of her dreams, and everyday she feel so blessed having me in her life. If I don't text her every hour she gets anxious and starts to panic, she can only sleep when I do a video call and put the camera towards me the entire night so she knows that I'm "beside" her as she sleep.
Well, when being told all that, I can't exactly just break up with her. I just....feel so bad? I've been brainstorming nonstop for the past month on how exactly I can break up with her while keeping the devastation to her at a minimum. I would feel guilty for life if she just offed herself after I break up with her. She has no friends, and her parents despite her, so I can't text anyone to take care of her after I break up with her. We go to the same school too and she knows my workplace, so I'll 100% bump into her multiple times post break up.
Bro someone plz help me out, im trapped.

Recently, a post by a woman is getting shared everywhere on Indian platforms. It's about a woman who is married, and can't conceive anymore due to use of i pills, cuz her ex used to refuse wearing condoms. For 6 years. This was the only guy she has been before getting married.
And now she feels guilty abt not telling her husband abt her past. And she feels guilty abt not being able to conceive anymore. And reproaches her ex for ruining her life.
And while I believe she is wrong abt never mentioning her past before marriage, as I beleive there should be some level of transparency....it genuinely frustrates me how on almost every platform, men have been calling her the w and r words (?). Some even said it's her fault to never strongly insist on condoms ...yeah as if manipulative guys don't guilt u into having their way. There was noone reproaching her awful ex...infact scolding her for talking poorly abt her ex. And a lot of ppl happily talk abt how they would never marry a used woman. 😑
These same men also look for casuals or complain when their gfs don't wish to get intimate before marriage or atleast a fixed time. Why does this hypocrisy exist? Lol. Am I overthinking this.
Edit: on further consideration, i pills don't exactly lead to ovarian cysts; as far as I know. So there is that.
Edit 2: I don't want to unknowingly spread mis information. I was quoting the post. But if we talk abt medical info, i pill DOES NOT cause ovarian cysts...or infertility. It does not.

Well I guess that I have to start somewhere, so why not the end! I’ve been disowned for the umpteenth time by my parents (or rather by my mum because over the years, Dad has just learned to go along with whatever she says out of duress!) This has all been as a result of my having visited them in Hay ( a 700 kilometre round trip might I add) because my Dad’s brother passed away this week and it was Mother’s Day. I thought that I’d go to show my condolences and to wish my mother and sister who also lives there a happy Mother’s Day and bring them all some hand made gifts, I’m a bit sentimental like that.
I have taken to the craft of making pebble art. The gift that I made for my mother was of an image depicting my family with my parents, my sister and I and my brother who’s passed away, as he is handing my mum a bunch of flowers. I made one for my dad depicting he and my Nan (his mother) fishing at their favourite fishing spot; my Nan passed away just last month as well and I thought it’d be a nice gesture, then I gave my sister one as well with a quote about sisters being joined by the heart.
The first day, Friday, that my husband, daughter and I came there was okay. It always is especially when I’ve not seen them for six months or more! We catch up, mum talks about her very many health conditions, she then complains a little bit about everything and everyone but it’s not over the top at this point because she and my dad are kept busy opening gifts and seemingly happy to see us! But we had decided before coming that we were going to stay in separate accommodation for the weekend with the knowledge that things with my mother usually go sour very quickly! And if we’re not having to stay at their home when it does then we can at least retain some mental stability throughout our trip! This would normally be a point in which I’d let out a bit of a chuckle or if I’m texting or writing a social media post, that I’d add the LOL at the end of that statement, simply due to the stupid realisation that unfortunately it is so very true that it’s almost comical, remembering in my mind the very many times that her very predictable unstable behaviour kicks in at around the 24 hour mark and doesn’t often dissipate until well after we’ve left if not months later! I have no clue as to why I’m still surprised by this occurrence?! Perhaps it’s because it is so unbelievably erratic and shocking to anyone that witnesses it that still even now it’s hard not only to watch unfold but to believe!
But sadly as a result of these personally flips, she lashes out in anger, she can become nasty and callous, her comments are cold and uncaring, she can become physically aggressive, and the damage done during these times can be hard to ever overcome, especially if she aims any comment or remark at you! It is during these times that you know in your soul that she has not a single care for you, not an ounce, and that the only attention or compassion shown towards you as her child or friend is one of obligation out of her need to keep up appearances with those who are still weaved in her web of “social media” deception! She wouldn’t dare lift a finger for anyone in person! But just the fact that we pre decided to obtain alternative accommodation was possibly one of the triggers I was already prepared would set her off, as we would usually choose to stay with her and dad in their spare room over crowded with belongings of the past and present, not unlike the rest of their home.
With this alone, one would see that she has an overwhelming need to retain old memories, be them bad or good. She still literally keeps every ounce of clothing I’ve ever passed on to her since well before I had children which was 27 years ago! Looking in her wardrobe, there are outfits there I remember her wearing when I was a teenager! Her bathroom still retains the $2 gifts (still in their packaging) that us kids bought for her from school Mother’s Day stalls, and the Mary Kay makeup I used to steal when I was attending high school!
Her kitchen still holds the Amway cookware she purchased for hundreds of dollars before I can remember! And to make matters worse, even some of the food in her pantry is from supermarkets no longer operating! Over the years, her hoarding has been a bit of a thorn in dad’s side, having lived a life of drifting from house to house, town to town, moving around as often as they have, having to cart it all along with them and something us kids (myself, my brother and sister) have always found funny to pick on her about, but in writing this, it is easy to see that her need to keep the past fresh in her mind and under her nose is a sickness all In itself.
Whilst we were visiting, we visited my sister in her little unit. It’s like walking back into the 70s and equally as much as a step back in time like my mother’s house! My sister has been diagnosed with schizophrenia which when first diagnosed was apparently drug induced, however; going from the lifestyle we were forced to live as the children to my parents and their lifestyle choices plus my brother and I having been diagnosed with conditions and disorders of our own, putting the puzzle pieces together as to how we’ve all accumulated mental health diagnoses isn’t that difficult taking into consideration that neither one of my parents exerted any kind of maternal instincts at all! And not even as us kids have grown and struggled through our lives, we had always been told by them that once we turned 18 we’d no longer be their “problem” anymore!
My sister’s name is Julie. She moved in with my mum and dad after one of her countless admissions to the psychiatric hospital in Bendigo, having absconded from their independent living facility which is meant to be a monitored introduction back into society after a mental health admission, but she always left before she gave the chance for them to find her accommodation that wasn’t with her abusive ex husband and 4 children.
Sitting down with her in her home, hearing all about the time she’s lived in Hay both with and near my parents, how our mum would bail her up sometimes (which had happened recently) even physically, how she’s thrown dishes at her and how she abuses her denying her food for being overweight on a daily basis… how she calls her fat and crazy… there’s literally a Myriad of abuse in all its forms being dished out to Julie, and yet, because she has nowhere else to go, like the situation my brother was in living with them on and off before he passed away (under questionable circumstances in my opinion) she has no choice but to endure it… and it saddens me to hear about it all let alone see it going on right before my eyes! Especially when the exact same denigrating comments about being useless, overweight, a waste of a life and criticism about the way she’s living her life, the choices she’s making and what she chooses to eat etc etc was also drilled into my brother by my parents and whispered to all that they spoke too for many many years before by brother lost his life.
I know through my own experience having lived with her that her poisonous mouth can lead a person to questioning your mere existence, your reason for living and remove all self esteem in a single spat with her! In 2013 I took an overdose due to a gross level of mental health issues and past trauma which I couldn’t deal with. My parents were living with us at the time and my youngest daughter exhibited some challenging behaviours… my mum found it difficult to cope with her however she made no attempt at patience or compassion and so in a fleeting moment she’s said to my daughter “if I was your mother I would’ve killed myself a long time ago!”
Wow! Just WOW! The above mentioned examples of how toxic my mother is… after only explaining to you the very tip of the iceberg in these few paragraphs, even I am second guessing writing this at all, and I’m finding it hard to fathom how I can rehash the past and get into more detail about the really bad situations! Not to mention, go into my life right from childhood until now with her and my father which is yet to come!
Writing this down, whether I share it here or not is going to be a huge journey for me that’ll take a lot of courage and open some really raw emotions… bring back old memories that I’ve suppressed and disassociated myself from… there will undoubtedly be many trigger points that I will go into which some people might become affected by, including me, but mine is a life that was, is and continues to be a challenge day in and day out… it’s something I’ve had to survive, a life and reality that I still struggle so much with but least attempt to cope with and in some way, I hope that my story will be able to shine a light on just how the importance of love, attention, affection and nurturing in our childhood really do mould the person we eventually become…