Not all girls feel that way. I'm more turned off by men of privilege than poorer guys, mostly because of attitude. I don't like being dependent on people--maybe some girls do, but not me. When it came to how me and my husband grew up, I was taught to be incredibly independent while his mother coddled and babied him. One big example of that was that I could change a tire, a car battery and given the chance/the right tools, after watching my dad do it, change my own oil, while it took my husband's car running into the ground for him to realize what Jiffy Lube was for. I've had to teach him, and don't mind doing it.
What's equally sad is that I get a flock of men running to my car if they see me popping the hood, when I know exactly what I'm doing. I see it as a mix of them being sweet and "c'mon guys, I know what I'm doing, even though I have tits."
But don't you find that underhanded? We're not living in some 80's romantic comedy where guys who do this weirdo crap are charming and funny; I promise you, if the girl found out you'd 'taken aim' in the way you had using a stupid app, she wouldn't go glossy-eyed-smiling and think, 'Wow, whatta prince!' unless she was intensely intoxicated at the bar you tracked her down at or has the IQ of a hatrack.
the company behind the app defended its creation: 'Since the app's launch till last Friday nobody ever raised a privacy concern because, again, it is clearly stated that Girls Around Me cannot show the user more data than [what Foursqure or Facebook] already does.'"
In most cases nowadays, in order to protect yourself from snooping bosses, stalker-ish weirdos and the like, most facebook profiles are protected/friended. You don't want random people to see it, or use it as a tool to get to you... that includes, especially, people who are in a club or somewhere on the block around you to access your information to get a 'heads up' on who you are and the specs they're looking for in a potential girlfriend. So freaking creepy, it burns. They don't seem to get that, which is sad.
I'm NOT giving up. Saying "there's no cure" doesn't mean I'm not working WITH the autism itself. My equated it to Down's isn't to say it's chromosomal, but a condition that cannot be changed or cured with pills, etc.
He IS developing, no matter his stumbling blocks. He's enrolled in a state-of-the-art, fantastic program at school, where his autism is treated through one half of the day, with the other half being integrated in the regular classroom, where he does really well. I mean... did you read the rest of the post after my description of how he acts? We meet him halfway. We understand there are things he can't change, but we work to acclimate him to the world around him best we can. I don't know how else to say it to you.
But what they wish most of all is that they could sit and have a regular discussion with him. This is when I tear up and love my son and nephew...
Right there with you. But I'll always tell my son, "wouldn't change you for nuffin, baby," because I know he understands everything I say. There's some comfort in that--they know.:)
First off, I'm sorry... I had a small giggle, imagining you feeding your child diaries. I know that's so not what you meant: dairy. Got it.
Anyway, I don't doubt that dairy was a big issue for your autistic child. But people interpret the effect of taking the food item out as a 'cure', when it isn't. I don't know your son, but as MY son's also autistic, I know that if he was intolerant of a food his behavior would go haywire, too. That's because as a non-verbal autist, they can't say "my tummy hurts, Mom." Instead, they react strongly to the overwhelming, inner pain and over-stimulation and can't control themselves because of the stimulation. It's pain, they hate it, there goes the bookshelf/my good arm/etc.
I was an absolute dork and not in the 'popular crowd', but no, that wasn't a factor (that I recall, at least). I was incredibly socially-awkward (or to be more accurate, socially-immature), but there were 2 or 3 girls that I'd play with on the playground that were as dorky as me, lol. If faced with bullying (which happened quite a bit), I'd end up getting really upset then do weird things, like picking the skin of my fingers and showing them, as if thinking "maybe they'll leave me alone if I show them this". I was easy to pick on, very sensitive and got taken advantage of by some of those 'friends', and when it came to recess and other "have fun" activities, I had a hard time containing myself. I'd put people off because I was loud, over-excitable, way-too-talkative, coming up with weird, imaginative scenarios that were all over the map, etc.... it happens NOW, as an adult. If I don't watch myself, I make people angry. What I do in those situations is take a cig break at work, escape to my car to relax, talk to myself and laugh at nothing if my emotions are overloading (I luckily work with people who accept me; I'm not that way every minute, but sometimes I really, really need to decompress and they get it, thank criminy).
The main testing came from my not being able to follow instruction/directions. My mom thought I was being defiant, when it really just felt like another language was being spoken when it came to certain lessons. I could read from the age of 4, but if you had a book on tape, I may as well be out of the room. That wasn't an attention thing, as I see it: I could sit for an entire day with a bunch of books, reading every one and being able to relay every detail--but one paragraph on a tape recorder and--"Huh? What?" I'm STILL this way.
I figured it all out once in college. Throughout my whole school history, I'd thought, "I'm bad at math and science." When I got to my first year in tech school and discovered I need not just Algebra I but II, I almost gave up. Then I was enrolled in a 'self taught' Algebra I course where I took the book home, studied each chap then went in to take tests in the computer lab. I didn't just pass, I aced it, while holding down two jobs at the same time. I went every night I could and accidentally fit BOTH I and II in one summer, as I'd thought we had to do the whole book when Alg. I was the first HALF of it. They let me finish the last month and a half with the second course--aced it. Two in one. I was half-elated that I'd discovered how I not only could do it, but find it ridiculously easy, half pissed-off that it hadn't been recognized earlier-on.
Wow, I'm Lil' Ms. McWordy, huh? Lol. By the way, I've seen your sig before and want to marry it. Where'd you get it? Can I haz one?
See... my issue is the term 'disease'. I can't do it. Even if I don't hold a doctorate in this, I don't SEE it as a disease. Disorder, yes--disease, absolutely not. So I automatically had trouble when both articles use the word. Maybe that's more feeling/opinion, but I don't feel 'diseased', nor does my son.
There could be environmental factors, but I think it's more genetic than junk food. I don't think the numbers have grown to the proportion people say it has when it comes to 'real time' and current environmental factors, because:
--Many of those 'new diagnoses' are people who were never diagnosed in childhood and are in their 40s-60s. The system's changed; as I said in my main comment here, we didn't explore autism as in-depth as we do now. Back when I was a kid, all the special-needs children were put into one group with no distinction.
--There IS, imho, an over-diagnosing going on.
At any rate, I'm not QUITE taking back my bullshit-vote. I need more conclusiveness. I put more stock into how we're made. But thanks for sharing and replying (and forgive me being glib/abrasive, I guess. I admit to being defensive on this issue.:P)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking "there is no cure, autists are hopeless and stuck right where they are". I'm going after the people like Jenny McCarthy (ugh) who think that taking wheat out of a kid's diet does it (a gluten-intolerant autist having their outbursts lessen once the seriously-overwhelming stimming of stomach pain being squashed out does not equal "my son was cuuuured!"), or there'll be a magic-wand surgery where they "remove the autism" somehow. My son's already acquired many skills we were worried about him being unable to do.:)
This might be a stupid thing to do, but at this very moment, do something for me: read this entire comment I'm making to you with deep thought. I'll try not to be preachy and over-wordy.
In some ways, you are absolutely right. In some cases, there's over-diagnosing, and some people use it as an excuse instead of working with the diagnosis. You'll have parents who get their child diagnosed with autism and think "well, nothing I can do", whine about it then expect everyone to understand why their kid just knocked down an end-cap full of cereal boxes.
But that doesn't mean that the child isn't autistic. I myself believe I'm an undiagnosed autist, or at the very least AS, so when my son was diagnosed as autistic, I already had a grasp on what that meant. My world wasn't over, my son wasn't dying and there was plenty I could do about it. He was diagnosed early, so he was able to be enrolled in special programs that popped up in our public school system (free services, with the quality of ones you'd pay thousands for--we're never moving from this town). I'm a parent of an autist who easily and readily recognizes what is an autistic-meltdown and my son just being obstinate. When he IS being ridiculous which is connected to his natural, "I'm a nine-year old who WANTS SOMETHING!" self, I get right down at his level and say, "You know exactly what I'm telling you to do. You're smart and you know better. Now come on," then lead him away. Does it work every time? No, because he's autistic, and his threshold level is MUCH lower. But when my mom's tried justifying something he's done in public as "well, he's autistic," I've sat her right down and said, "He's not stupid. He knows. If it was an 'autistic thing', I'd tell them myself it was, but don't say that when it's not warranted."
Any parent needs to figure it out and know what their child can and can't handle, depending on where they are in the spectrum. My son is almost nine now, and we have worked extremely hard on getting him acclimated, while meeting him halfway. He will never "fit in" or be "normal", and there are times when he can't control his autistic-impulses. Those times, yes, you have to excuse. It exists. No rods or paddles will do anything for my son, and those like him. In loads of cases, it's not an excuse; the sooner you see that, the better.
All right, let me elaborate through my editing your statement: Researchers have speculated for years that autism is heavily a question of chemical pollution in the environment, just like cancer, but it's never been demonstrated.
Perhaps I'm wrong. I'd be very willing, humbled and even eager to give a look-see to any valid, world-renown documents or studies that have demonstrated that what you're saying is true (especially if you're the one who'd come up with the results; I can't dispute that) without question. Seriously. I'll take back the 'bullshit' comment if you can, with promises.
My son is autistic, and I can't stand it when people involve the words 'disease' or 'cure' when speaking of it. Autism Speaks goes so far as to use the word 'eradication', so I don't bother with them whatsoever. They want a cure for something, in my own opinion, isn't curable. It's the way you're made. There are no cures for Down's out there right now, are there?
And when it comes to the "OMG SO MANY AUTISTIC KIDS!" issue--I'm sure everyone here remembers the days back in grade-high school, where the special-needs kids were all dumped into one room. From Down's to ADHD, they resided in the basement where none of us "normal" kids ran the risk of running into them and giving us complexes. There were many, many children that were autistic, but they'd only get the colorful, cute euphemisms, like 'retards' or 'speds'. They were ALWAYS used with great care and kindness, of course./sarcasm
Nowadays, more people are eager to look into each case specifically, instead of throwing a blanket over any kid that falls behind or shows some sign of disability. Therefore, we're all freaking out about how there are so many sudden cases of autism--to me, it's always been here. I myself am in the spectrum, but back when I was little, I was brought to 'retardation' tests to examine my issues (where they discovered that my IQ was actually strangely high). I consider myself an undiagnosed case until I learn otherwise. If you look around yourself, think back to all the kids you went to school with, the more you might realize that autism's always been there... we just haven't met it with the same speculation, sensitivity and care until now. Are there environmental factors? Perhaps. But I think that only delays our understanding of autism itself: we're looking for outside reasons, when it's inborn, 'just the way you are'.
My son is almost nine, doesn't use the toilet exclusively, speaks almost exclusively in echolalia (and in my exact tone and inflection, as I was his main caregiver growing up), has odd, brain-numbing routines (he'll sing the same three words of a song for an hour straight while hitting the floor over and over again in specific patterns)... but he is damned smart, scarily so. I work on meeting him halfway; he does, deep down, have great understanding, and as long as I accommodate the things he can't help, it works out. To be honest, he's one of the easiest kids I've ever had to deal with, and I was a preschool teacher for over ten years.
But if you're imagining the pedestrian tornadoes that we experience on Earth, think again.
My thoughts seeing this title: 'Monster Tornadoes are on the sun, OMFG we're gonna die.' I came down from the knee-jerk ridiculousness of course, but at no point did I think 'Hah, I survived the freak-o F3 that plowed through my area in June, this is nothing!'
I'm an atheist, so 'Christians attacking other Christians' doesn't apply here. Sorry if I come off strong, but I have no sympathy for a group that is abusive to its own members.
Agreed, they exist, and yes again, having a house that you're not killing yourself to pay for puts you a bit above. But it's a blanket-statement to equate something like a pool with "being rich". To some, it's simply a goal: "I don't make a lot of money, but I want a pool. Therefore, I'll make a good number of sacrifices over a period of time and save up to get one." That applies to putting expensive rims on cars, GETTING a classy sportscar, whatever else that elicits "man, they must makes millions, the bastards!" assumptions, when maybe, in SOME cases, it's something they simply worked hard for to have.
Besides the pools=richy-rich, yes, all the mentions above are biases. And all of those biases are religiously linked. Which ones aren't--the Fundamentalists, JWs or Paganism? Last I knew, those were religions. Amirite?
Because there are people in the world who have swimming pools, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some of those people AREN'T living in mansions, my co-worker included. To insist that pool-ownership is classist is to toss everyone in the pot when they don't belong in it.
Slashdot Mirror
Not all girls feel that way. I'm more turned off by men of privilege than poorer guys, mostly because of attitude. I don't like being dependent on people--maybe some girls do, but not me. When it came to how me and my husband grew up, I was taught to be incredibly independent while his mother coddled and babied him. One big example of that was that I could change a tire, a car battery and given the chance/the right tools, after watching my dad do it, change my own oil, while it took my husband's car running into the ground for him to realize what Jiffy Lube was for. I've had to teach him, and don't mind doing it.
What's equally sad is that I get a flock of men running to my car if they see me popping the hood, when I know exactly what I'm doing. I see it as a mix of them being sweet and "c'mon guys, I know what I'm doing, even though I have tits."
And fuck no, we are NOT always right.
But don't you find that underhanded? We're not living in some 80's romantic comedy where guys who do this weirdo crap are charming and funny; I promise you, if the girl found out you'd 'taken aim' in the way you had using a stupid app, she wouldn't go glossy-eyed-smiling and think, 'Wow, whatta prince!' unless she was intensely intoxicated at the bar you tracked her down at or has the IQ of a hatrack.
the company behind the app defended its creation: 'Since the app's launch till last Friday nobody ever raised a privacy concern because, again, it is clearly stated that Girls Around Me cannot show the user more data than [what Foursqure or Facebook] already does.'"
In most cases nowadays, in order to protect yourself from snooping bosses, stalker-ish weirdos and the like, most facebook profiles are protected/friended. You don't want random people to see it, or use it as a tool to get to you... that includes, especially, people who are in a club or somewhere on the block around you to access your information to get a 'heads up' on who you are and the specs they're looking for in a potential girlfriend. So freaking creepy, it burns. They don't seem to get that, which is sad.
I caught this the other night after taking my Ambien. Ohhh...
The good ol' days when someone just stole your wallet/pocketbook from your grocery cart... how I miss them.
I'm NOT giving up. Saying "there's no cure" doesn't mean I'm not working WITH the autism itself. My equated it to Down's isn't to say it's chromosomal, but a condition that cannot be changed or cured with pills, etc.
He IS developing, no matter his stumbling blocks. He's enrolled in a state-of-the-art, fantastic program at school, where his autism is treated through one half of the day, with the other half being integrated in the regular classroom, where he does really well. I mean... did you read the rest of the post after my description of how he acts? We meet him halfway. We understand there are things he can't change, but we work to acclimate him to the world around him best we can. I don't know how else to say it to you.
But what they wish most of all is that they could sit and have a regular discussion with him. This is when I tear up and love my son and nephew...
Right there with you. But I'll always tell my son, "wouldn't change you for nuffin, baby," because I know he understands everything I say. There's some comfort in that--they know. :)
First off, I'm sorry... I had a small giggle, imagining you feeding your child diaries. I know that's so not what you meant: dairy. Got it.
Anyway, I don't doubt that dairy was a big issue for your autistic child. But people interpret the effect of taking the food item out as a 'cure', when it isn't. I don't know your son, but as MY son's also autistic, I know that if he was intolerant of a food his behavior would go haywire, too. That's because as a non-verbal autist, they can't say "my tummy hurts, Mom." Instead, they react strongly to the overwhelming, inner pain and over-stimulation and can't control themselves because of the stimulation. It's pain, they hate it, there goes the bookshelf/my good arm/etc.
I was an absolute dork and not in the 'popular crowd', but no, that wasn't a factor (that I recall, at least). I was incredibly socially-awkward (or to be more accurate, socially-immature), but there were 2 or 3 girls that I'd play with on the playground that were as dorky as me, lol. If faced with bullying (which happened quite a bit), I'd end up getting really upset then do weird things, like picking the skin of my fingers and showing them, as if thinking "maybe they'll leave me alone if I show them this". I was easy to pick on, very sensitive and got taken advantage of by some of those 'friends', and when it came to recess and other "have fun" activities, I had a hard time containing myself. I'd put people off because I was loud, over-excitable, way-too-talkative, coming up with weird, imaginative scenarios that were all over the map, etc.... it happens NOW, as an adult. If I don't watch myself, I make people angry. What I do in those situations is take a cig break at work, escape to my car to relax, talk to myself and laugh at nothing if my emotions are overloading (I luckily work with people who accept me; I'm not that way every minute, but sometimes I really, really need to decompress and they get it, thank criminy).
The main testing came from my not being able to follow instruction/directions. My mom thought I was being defiant, when it really just felt like another language was being spoken when it came to certain lessons. I could read from the age of 4, but if you had a book on tape, I may as well be out of the room. That wasn't an attention thing, as I see it: I could sit for an entire day with a bunch of books, reading every one and being able to relay every detail--but one paragraph on a tape recorder and--"Huh? What?" I'm STILL this way.
I figured it all out once in college. Throughout my whole school history, I'd thought, "I'm bad at math and science." When I got to my first year in tech school and discovered I need not just Algebra I but II, I almost gave up. Then I was enrolled in a 'self taught' Algebra I course where I took the book home, studied each chap then went in to take tests in the computer lab. I didn't just pass, I aced it, while holding down two jobs at the same time. I went every night I could and accidentally fit BOTH I and II in one summer, as I'd thought we had to do the whole book when Alg. I was the first HALF of it. They let me finish the last month and a half with the second course--aced it. Two in one. I was half-elated that I'd discovered how I not only could do it, but find it ridiculously easy, half pissed-off that it hadn't been recognized earlier-on.
Wow, I'm Lil' Ms. McWordy, huh? Lol. By the way, I've seen your sig before and want to marry it. Where'd you get it? Can I haz one?
See... my issue is the term 'disease'. I can't do it. Even if I don't hold a doctorate in this, I don't SEE it as a disease. Disorder, yes--disease, absolutely not. So I automatically had trouble when both articles use the word. Maybe that's more feeling/opinion, but I don't feel 'diseased', nor does my son.
There could be environmental factors, but I think it's more genetic than junk food. I don't think the numbers have grown to the proportion people say it has when it comes to 'real time' and current environmental factors, because:
--Many of those 'new diagnoses' are people who were never diagnosed in childhood and are in their 40s-60s. The system's changed; as I said in my main comment here, we didn't explore autism as in-depth as we do now. Back when I was a kid, all the special-needs children were put into one group with no distinction.
--There IS, imho, an over-diagnosing going on.
At any rate, I'm not QUITE taking back my bullshit-vote. I need more conclusiveness. I put more stock into how we're made. But thanks for sharing and replying (and forgive me being glib/abrasive, I guess. I admit to being defensive on this issue. :P)
Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking "there is no cure, autists are hopeless and stuck right where they are". I'm going after the people like Jenny McCarthy (ugh) who think that taking wheat out of a kid's diet does it (a gluten-intolerant autist having their outbursts lessen once the seriously-overwhelming stimming of stomach pain being squashed out does not equal "my son was cuuuured!"), or there'll be a magic-wand surgery where they "remove the autism" somehow. My son's already acquired many skills we were worried about him being unable to do. :)
This might be a stupid thing to do, but at this very moment, do something for me: read this entire comment I'm making to you with deep thought. I'll try not to be preachy and over-wordy.
In some ways, you are absolutely right. In some cases, there's over-diagnosing, and some people use it as an excuse instead of working with the diagnosis. You'll have parents who get their child diagnosed with autism and think "well, nothing I can do", whine about it then expect everyone to understand why their kid just knocked down an end-cap full of cereal boxes.
But that doesn't mean that the child isn't autistic. I myself believe I'm an undiagnosed autist, or at the very least AS, so when my son was diagnosed as autistic, I already had a grasp on what that meant. My world wasn't over, my son wasn't dying and there was plenty I could do about it. He was diagnosed early, so he was able to be enrolled in special programs that popped up in our public school system (free services, with the quality of ones you'd pay thousands for--we're never moving from this town). I'm a parent of an autist who easily and readily recognizes what is an autistic-meltdown and my son just being obstinate. When he IS being ridiculous which is connected to his natural, "I'm a nine-year old who WANTS SOMETHING!" self, I get right down at his level and say, "You know exactly what I'm telling you to do. You're smart and you know better. Now come on," then lead him away. Does it work every time? No, because he's autistic, and his threshold level is MUCH lower. But when my mom's tried justifying something he's done in public as "well, he's autistic," I've sat her right down and said, "He's not stupid. He knows. If it was an 'autistic thing', I'd tell them myself it was, but don't say that when it's not warranted."
Any parent needs to figure it out and know what their child can and can't handle, depending on where they are in the spectrum. My son is almost nine now, and we have worked extremely hard on getting him acclimated, while meeting him halfway. He will never "fit in" or be "normal", and there are times when he can't control his autistic-impulses. Those times, yes, you have to excuse. It exists. No rods or paddles will do anything for my son, and those like him. In loads of cases, it's not an excuse; the sooner you see that, the better.
All right, let me elaborate through my editing your statement: Researchers have speculated for years that autism is heavily a question of chemical pollution in the environment, just like cancer, but it's never been demonstrated.
Perhaps I'm wrong. I'd be very willing, humbled and even eager to give a look-see to any valid, world-renown documents or studies that have demonstrated that what you're saying is true (especially if you're the one who'd come up with the results; I can't dispute that) without question. Seriously. I'll take back the 'bullshit' comment if you can, with promises.
None, seconded.
Calling bullshit, starting yesterday.
Whereas on slashdot the ratio is the prevelance is the far more alarming 1 in 2.
No, it's 1.000073629 in 2.
Divided by pi.
My son is autistic, and I can't stand it when people involve the words 'disease' or 'cure' when speaking of it. Autism Speaks goes so far as to use the word 'eradication', so I don't bother with them whatsoever. They want a cure for something, in my own opinion, isn't curable. It's the way you're made. There are no cures for Down's out there right now, are there?
And when it comes to the "OMG SO MANY AUTISTIC KIDS!" issue--I'm sure everyone here remembers the days back in grade-high school, where the special-needs kids were all dumped into one room. From Down's to ADHD, they resided in the basement where none of us "normal" kids ran the risk of running into them and giving us complexes. There were many, many children that were autistic, but they'd only get the colorful, cute euphemisms, like 'retards' or 'speds'. They were ALWAYS used with great care and kindness, of course. /sarcasm
Nowadays, more people are eager to look into each case specifically, instead of throwing a blanket over any kid that falls behind or shows some sign of disability. Therefore, we're all freaking out about how there are so many sudden cases of autism--to me, it's always been here. I myself am in the spectrum, but back when I was little, I was brought to 'retardation' tests to examine my issues (where they discovered that my IQ was actually strangely high). I consider myself an undiagnosed case until I learn otherwise. If you look around yourself, think back to all the kids you went to school with, the more you might realize that autism's always been there... we just haven't met it with the same speculation, sensitivity and care until now. Are there environmental factors? Perhaps. But I think that only delays our understanding of autism itself: we're looking for outside reasons, when it's inborn, 'just the way you are'.
My son is almost nine, doesn't use the toilet exclusively, speaks almost exclusively in echolalia (and in my exact tone and inflection, as I was his main caregiver growing up), has odd, brain-numbing routines (he'll sing the same three words of a song for an hour straight while hitting the floor over and over again in specific patterns)... but he is damned smart, scarily so. I work on meeting him halfway; he does, deep down, have great understanding, and as long as I accommodate the things he can't help, it works out. To be honest, he's one of the easiest kids I've ever had to deal with, and I was a preschool teacher for over ten years.
But if you're imagining the pedestrian tornadoes that we experience on Earth, think again.
My thoughts seeing this title: 'Monster Tornadoes are on the sun, OMFG we're gonna die.' I came down from the knee-jerk ridiculousness of course, but at no point did I think 'Hah, I survived the freak-o F3 that plowed through my area in June, this is nothing!'
I wish I had mod points left--anything that makes me lawl deserves a funny vote.
I'm an atheist, so 'Christians attacking other Christians' doesn't apply here. Sorry if I come off strong, but I have no sympathy for a group that is abusive to its own members.
Bicentennial baby, 1976. So 36. Though mentally around 16.
Agreed, they exist, and yes again, having a house that you're not killing yourself to pay for puts you a bit above. But it's a blanket-statement to equate something like a pool with "being rich". To some, it's simply a goal: "I don't make a lot of money, but I want a pool. Therefore, I'll make a good number of sacrifices over a period of time and save up to get one." That applies to putting expensive rims on cars, GETTING a classy sportscar, whatever else that elicits "man, they must makes millions, the bastards!" assumptions, when maybe, in SOME cases, it's something they simply worked hard for to have.
Not all cases follow those lines, of course.
Besides the pools=richy-rich, yes, all the mentions above are biases. And all of those biases are religiously linked. Which ones aren't--the Fundamentalists, JWs or Paganism? Last I knew, those were religions. Amirite?
Because there are people in the world who have swimming pools, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some of those people AREN'T living in mansions, my co-worker included. To insist that pool-ownership is classist is to toss everyone in the pot when they don't belong in it.
A small part of me says "dude, that's kind of an abuse of power, not sure I agree with that on an ethical level."
A large part of me says "FUCK ethics, give that teach a raise."