This.
One of the best ways to confront a bigot is by pretending to be completely naive of their intentions, and getting them to dig their own hole by repeatedly asking them to explain what they mean.
I know it's easier said than done, because I couldn't do it, but I also didn't have a reminder (or even the words to describe it at the point), so maybe this will be helpful to you: try your best not to mask. If you can't help it, try your best to point out to them that that is what is going on.
Being in a stressful situation, and around new people, can make it especially hard to avoid, it's a defence mechanism, as is fawning - trying to impress and come off as best as we can, which also means leaving out things that upset or embarrass us. But it's important for them to see under these defences, or at least hear what is under them from you, so maybe think ahead of time of examples of struggles you have that you might find it hard to talk about, so that you are at least a little prepared.
Also, while your father might have important insight and information to contribute, if you are more comfortable opening up without him there, it's perfectly acceptable to ask for him to wait outside for some of the meeting.
Good luck!
‘I think this asks quite searching questions about quite how they are making their profits.'
King Charles and Prince William are secretly raking in millions of pounds from cash-strapped government departments, schools, the armed forces and even the NHS, a new investigation claims.
The latest Channel 4 Dispatches inquiry asserts that while the monarch and heir to the throne’s respective private estates – the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, which generate £50 million a year – are not funded by the taxpayer, each receives ‘extensive’ amounts of money from public services.
Documents made public for the first time allegedly show how the Duchy of Lancaster is banking £11.4 million as part of a deal with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust to house its new fleet of electric ambulances.
It also claims the Duchy of Cornwall has signed a £37 million deal to lease the currently inactive Dartmoor Prison to the Ministry of Justice, charged the navy more than £1 million to build and use jetties and moor warships, and stands to earn nearly £600,000 from rental agreements with state schools over the lifetime of six different leases.
The Duchy of Lancaster is a portfolio of land, property and assets across England and Wales held in trust for the Sovereign, including key urban developments, historic buildings, high-quality farm land and areas of great natural beauty, dating back to the 14th century.
The Duchy of Cornwall is a similar portfolio valued at more than £1 billion which provides an income for the heir to the throne.
Both estates are exempt from paying Corporation Tax or Capital Gains Tax.
Author and royal land expert Guy Shrubsole tells the documentary: ‘[It] strikes me as very odd, that ultimately, we, the taxpayer, are paying for the NHS to have a lease or a warehouse or whatever from the Duchy of Lancaster.
‘I think this asks quite searching questions about quite how they are making their profits. Why are there not peppercorn rents or social rents being charged for the NHS, for example?’
The King, The Prince & Their Secret Millions: Dispatches airs tonight at 8.10pm on Channel 4.
King and Prince of Wales ‘take money from charities they champion’
The investigation accuses the King and his heir of making money from the good causes they promote.
It alleges the Duchy of Cornwall has pocketed at least £22 million since 2005 from a share of the rents paid on Camelford House, which sits on the banks of the Thames.
The building is nicknamed ‘charity towers’ due to the number it houses.
But two cancer charities boasting the King as a long-term patron – Marie Curie and Macmillan – have both recently downsized, with the latter saying it wanted to free up funds.
Charles became patron of St John’s Ambulance last year, which the doc claims previously paid the Duchy of Cornwall almost £60,000 for use of its land.
The King is also patron of the RNLI and William and Kate are supporters – but the Duchy of Cornwall still charges it small amounts to use slipways in various corners of the South West.
Baroness Margaret Hodge, a former Labour MP and chair of the public accounts committee, told the programme: ‘In the court of public opinion, you always have to be cleaner than clean.
‘And if there is a question mark over a charity that has a royal patronage and therefore gains extra income, then that income is then used pay rent back to the royals, it just doesn’t feel quite right.’
Royal environment ‘hypocrites’
Both the King and Prince William have warned about our responsibility to protect the environment.
Charles has said: ‘Unless we rapidly repair and restore nature’s unique economy based on harmony and balance, which is our ultimate sustainer, our own economy and survivability will be imperilled.’
And William has added: ‘The shared goals for our generation are clear, together we must protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste free world and fix our climate.’
But Dispatches says it has unearthed investments by their estates which threaten the same natural world they insist we desperately need to protect.
Collectively, the Duchies own thousands of mineral rights – and have cashed in by striking deals with controversial mining companies for sites across the country.
In Hingston Down, an area of outstanding natural beauty, the Duchy of Cornwall leases land to one of the biggest polluters in Europe.
Royals’ tenants ‘left shivering in cold and mouldy homes’
Working with the Mirror newspaper, the programme found that scores of properties being rented out by both Duchies failed to comply with minimum energy efficient requirements for landlords – leaving some tenants shivering in homes blighted by black mould and struggling with fuel poverty.
It found 14% of homes leased by the Duchy of Cornwall and 13% by the Duchy of Lancaster have an energy performance rating of F or G.
Since 2020, it has been against the law for landlords to rent out properties that are rated below an E under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations.
Many failing properties emit huge amounts of carbon, which again impacts the environment.
One tenant said: ‘It gets miserably cold in winter. I can only heat two rooms in my home. The Duchy does not understand.’
A second added: ‘The house is cold, and it is a struggle but there is nowhere else to live here. They are not good landlords. When the wind blows the curtains start swinging. There’s no heating upstairs at all.’
‘Time for change’
Mr Shrubsole said: ‘I think the light you’re shedding on the goings on within the Duchies of Cornwall or Lancaster is crucial to generating more public debate.
‘I think it’s past time for the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster to ultimately be dissolved and folded into the Crown Estate. They have to give their profits to the Exchequer. And then some of that comes back to us, the taxpayer.
‘This isn’t about whether you think there should be a monarch or not. It’s simply about good management.’
Baroness Hodge said: ‘This would be a brilliant time for the monarch to say, I’m going to be open, and I want to be treated as fairly as anybody.
‘It’s public money, it’s taxpayer’s money – your money, it’s my money, it’s the viewers’ money.’
Charles’s annual income from the Duchy of Lancaster rose by 5% to £27.4 million in 2023/24, according to accounts published by the estate in July.
William received an annual private income of more than £23.6 million from the Duchy of Cornwall last year, accounts showed.
The income from both the duchies is separate from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant which pays for the monarch’s official duties.
Neither the King nor the Prince of Wales are legally obliged to pay income tax but both have offered to do so.
A spokesperson for the Duchy of Lancaster said: ‘The Duchy of Lancaster operates as a commercial company, managing a broad range of land and property assets across England and Wales.
‘It complies with all relevant UK legislation and regulatory standards applicable to its range of business activities.
‘The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible to the Sovereign for the administration of the Duchy. However, he/she delegates certain functions, particularly those regarding asset management, to the Duchy Council.
‘While His Majesty The King takes a close interest in the work of the Duchy, the day-to-day management of the portfolio is the responsibility of the Council and executive team.
‘The Duchy has made a number of key environmental improvements in recent years, delivering a significant increase in the number of A+, A and B EPC ratings awarded to our properties as a result of refurbishment or restoration works.
‘Currently, over 87% of all Duchy let properties are rated E or above. The remainder are either awaiting scheduled improvement works or are exempted under UK legislation.
‘The financial and environmental performance of the Duchy is disclosed each year in our published Report and Accounts which are independently audited and freely available on the Duchy of Lancaster website.
‘His Majesty The King voluntarily pays tax on all income received from the Duchy, as did the late Queen Elizabeth II.’
A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said: ‘The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities.
‘Prince William became Duke of Cornwall in September 2022 and since then has committed to an expansive transformation of the Duchy.
‘This includes a significant investment to make the estate net zero by the end of 2032, as well as establishing targeted mental health support for our tenants and working with local partners to help tackle homelessness in Cornwall.’
The spokesperson added: ‘The Duchy is engaging with the critical minerals industry in Cornwall to respond to the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy.
‘We have granted a number of three-year exploration licences, and all licensees must ensure that their activities are in strict accordance with statutory requirements and meet high environmental standards.’
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Dispatches reveals the details of some of the wealth the royals have tried to keep secret
If you didn't watch it just now, do.
If you're outside the UK, either use a VPN or wait a few days, I'm sure it'll get uploaded to dailymotion or even youtube.
Or at least give this a read:
https://metro.co.uk/2024/11/02/king-williams-estates-raking-millions-public-services-21916391/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/02/king-and-prince-william-estates-millions-charities-public-services-nhs-leasing-land
Ok, so you're not a fuck cars asshole, you're just a run of the mill, wilfully ignorant, deliberately, proud, ableist, asshole. Glad to have wasted my time clearing that up, I'm done here.
Don't worry about it, you're doing great. 😊
E: and hey, thanks to this post, I discovered another disability related community, and I'm sure others have too, so thanks!
We don't know what we don't know, not to worry, but now you do, and your edit is appreciated. :)
E: bonus, before the edit the link only led to the photo for some reason, but now it leads to the actual article! (which also makes it more obvious that you didn't choose the title)
Is the solution fantastic? Absolutely!
Is the phrasing poor? Sadly, also yes.
https://thenoraproject.ngo/nora-notes-blog/the-harmful-reality-of-disability-euphemisms
#SayTheWord
E: in future, try "additional needs"
“I won capitalism”
Or we could think outside of the system we've been indoctrinated to believe is the only one that can "work" (by the very few people it does actually work for), and eliminate capitalism altogether so that there is no incentive to extract and hoard wealth in the first place, because those don't serve society in any way shape or form.
That still maintains an incentive to extract and hoard wealth. There should be none.
Gotta read the articles 👍
No, you..
As well as looking at the abilities of a single monkey, the study also did a series of calculations based on the current global population of chimpanzees, which is roughly 200,000.
(E: never mind that, as has already been suggested to you, the theoretical thought experiment in question specifies not only infinite monkeys, but infinite time too, so they've not stuck to either parameter)
Yeah, no, using a finite number to try and disprove a theory that is all specifically about infinite numbers isn't poking holes in anything..
The funniest thing is that the NCD mod suggested in one of the replies in that dumpster fire of a post that it's the Blahaj mods that are the ones who deserve to be posted there. The lack of self awareness genuinely is staggering..
You in particular need not worry about ever hitting that max GBU_28
But that's just it - they genuinely are worried about exactly that, because they've been convinced by the people exploiting their labour for profit that they too can become a billionaire one day if they just work hard enough and make sure to never remove their tongue from the boot standing on their neck!
This is a live demonstration of propaganda at work.
Don't forget:
Those politicians who are in a position to pass laws with regards to my taxes, income level, and other means of hoarding power? Oh, they're owned by me thanks to legal bribery.
And those other politicians who want to introduce a maximum wage, higher taxes, or anything remotely socialist? Oh, the media outlet/s I own, along with the politicians I've already paid off can easily smear them out of contention.
Both possible because the system is what it does and is designed to encourage these kinds of disparity and inequality, not combat it.
No, the /s tag is an important accessibility feature, and the only way to properly convey tone and intention in writing (the vote ratio on your original comment tells me I'm far from the only person who didn't get it).
Yes, I am being honest, because I've seen fuck cars people say pretty much identical bullshit, so I honestly don't know if you're one of them and are serious, or if you're taking the piss.
If I was being sarcastic, I would have used an /s tag, like you should have, if you were.
ID: Sammy Nickalls @sammynickalls tweets:
ladies: the day after Halloween, don't forget to buy all the discounted blood capsules to keep in your mouth when men tell you to smile
ID:
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An adult duck wearing a t shirt with a carved pumpkin on it, and their offspring wearing a batman costume, are at a party. The child says: "dad, look! that little boy's wearing a princess costume!", the dad replies "seriously?"
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Dad duck raises an eyebrow: "somebody ought to say something to that kid's parents!"
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Dad duck speaking to a blue duck: "hey, is that your son in the dress and heels?" blue duck replies: "yup."
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The ducks smile and high five. Dad duck says: "nice parenting! your kid rocks!" and blue duck replies: "thanks! isn't he awesome?!"
Credit: Brian Gordon
ID: drawing of a skull saying "I live inside your face"
ID: top: a person lying face down on the floor "a depression"
bottom: a person lying face down on the floor, but now they have on a pointy hat and pointy shoes, and next to them is a broom and pumpkin candy bucket "a seasonal depression"
credit: Gemma Correll
ID: a group of illustrations in black, white, and orange, titled "Monstrously good self care tips"
A vampire holds a bleeding victim "Stay hydrated"
A person has transformed in to a werewolf and is bursting out of their human clothes "Focus on your growth"
A group of witches and little black demons hold hands in a circle "Spend quality time with friends"
Bigfoot "Believe in your self"
3 demons, one lifting weights, one doing sit-ups, the third hula-hooping "exercise Your demons"
A ghost leaving its dead body "Let go of what's holding you back"
A zombie about to eat the brain out of a decapitated head "Practice mindful eating"
A vampire asleep in a coffin "Get your beauty sleep"
A mummy with its bandages slightly unravelled "Take time tο unwind"
A determined looking sea creature swimming "Chase after the things you want"
A freshly carved pumpkin holding a knife "Carve out time for yourself"
A skull "Unclench your jaw"
Credit: Gemma Correll
ID: black and white poster with text: "For every fighter there are 10+ supports, find your place today!"
There is a line illustration of a gun, and bellow it illustrations of items representing different tasks: a list for "logistics", a poster for "propagandist", a rolled up bandage for "medic", a can of soup for "supplier", a phone for "opsec", a bullet for "smuggler", a key for "safe houses", a map for "planner", binoculars for "spy", and an envelope for "messenger"
ID: a couple in a bed, both awake, their backs turned to each other, he is looking ahead, she is looking over her shoulder at him, the title says "He's probably thinking about arming and organizing the working class". She has turned over and is now hugging him as big spoon as they both sleep.
ID: what is intersex?
The term "intersex" is used to describe an individual whose chromosomes, hormones, or sexual organs are not in line with the perceived male/female sex binary.
SEX is not binary.
SEX is a spectrum.
Sex is determined by a doctor upon birth using the following guidelines: (according to the infant's genitals):
Bellow is a graphic of a ruler, labelled "Phall-O-Meter", from left to right:
The first, slim section is pink and marked with a female symbol, to the left it says: "it's a girl! (under 3/8 inch)"
The second section, 3 times larger than the first, is purple and marked with an X, underneath it says: "unacceptable! Babies with "ambiguous genitals" often undergo inhumane, dangerous, and un- necessary surgeries to "normalize" their genitals, many times without parental consent!"
The final and largest section is 6 times larger than the first, is blue and marked with a male symbol, to the right it says: "it's a boy! (over 1 inch)"
Under the graphic the text continues:
INTERSEX PEOPLE...
>> are about as common as redheads!
>> can have any sexual orientation or gender identity.
>> should never be called "hermaphrodites."
>> should have their privacy respected.
>> should not have to be ashamed of their bodies.
>> deserve to be treated like anybody else.
Bellow is a row of 5 stick figures ranging from blue to pink and from wearing trousers to skirt, to represent the gender spectrum.
INTERSEX AWARENESS DAY // October 26
sources: isna.org, actuallyintersex.tumblr.com, sexandgender.net, apcdaily.wordpress.com
ID: 3 panel comic titled "snowflakes"
Green says to purple "the youth of today think they are all special & unique"
Yellow, pink, and orange all look at "relatable meme" and say "this is so me", "and me", "me too" respectively
More gather around "relatable meme" as green and purple look on, green says "oh no"
credit: https://webcomicname.com/
ID: 4 panel comic
A ghost approaches a screen printing shop, there is a carved pumpkin by the entrance.
The ghost hands some cash to a person wearing a paint stained apron
The ghost is now a flat sheet between the two parts of the screen painting device, their eyes visible to the side. The person is applying paint
The ghost now back in form, has fancy floral patterns down their side, and look excited. The person who did the printing is smiling and giving two thumbs up.
--------------------------- Artist: Nick Maskell
ID: screenshot from Sky: Children of the Light of a Sky kid looking at a glowing Child of Light standing at the base of a rainbow surrounded by its light, with the text "POV: your friend finally realizes they're not cis/straight"
ID: A Sophie Labelle 4 panel comic featuring Stephie in different poses, saying:
Landlords do not provide housing.
They buy and Hold more space than they need for themselves.
Then, they create a false scarcity and profit off of it.
What they're doing is literally the opposite of providing housing.
ID: Things Pride Month and Halloween have in common:
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Christian cultists think it's satanic
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Demons are a prevalent theme
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The Gays get really excited about it Costumes are common
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People fearmonger about The Children™ featuring elaborate scenarios they made up
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It's best when celebrated all year long
ID: tis the season to remember that activated charcoal can render oral birth control ineffective
ID: a large ghost by a person's bed goes "WOOOOOOOOO". The person tentatively asks "you've come to haunt.. me?" their eyes widen. The ghost replies "FOR EVER AND EVER" as the person places something pink on the ghost's wrist. The ghost looks down and sees it says BFF on it, the person now wearing a matching bracelet is looking at the ghost all excited.
In general I'm really liking Jamali style, though I do think that at times he makes the people he's interviewing feel a little too comfortable. I understand that they need to be, so that they open up (and don't turn on him), but also there's a level of comfort and chumminess that Nazis and the likes don't deserve, and I feel like he crossed that line a couple of times (not accusing him of supporting or agreeing with them or anything, to be clear, but I'd much rather he didn't have to do that).
Either way, they're definitely worth watching.
ID: photos of pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng superimposed on a hungry hungry hippo board
ID: woman yelling at cat "you said you would stop singing Wonderwall!" . Cat replies "I said maybe"