Then of course we can say that if school is in whole or part to prepare kids for what adult life.... kids should probably get used to taking work home- as that is increasingly the “norm.”

There is also a very strong argument that in an increasingly competitive world- a world where more and more people are competing for shares of diminishing resources- where the kindergarten one gets in to or the district of their primary school can profoundly effect their future- a world where (as another common meme bemoans) entry level jobs often require years of relatable experience- those tasked with children’s futures owe it to kids to maximize their efforts.

Lol it took me awhile to realize it too. My partner is a “practical giver” actually- and I prefer to give and receive sentimental or “fun” presents. Things a person would never buy themselves most likely. But it’s a two way street. When my partner buys me some type of practical gift- I just remind myself that is how they show love.

* I don’t mean this to sound some type of way. It’s not that $250k is nothing- but it isn’t enough for me to be secure for the rest of my life either. You never realize just how much smaller an amount of money is than you thought it was- until you have it. If your partner is making $250k and they loose their job what happens? If you split up- what’s your alimony going to be? Say after 10,30 years? You’ll go back to work out of touch and behind in wok history- how much would you have been making had you were on the job all those years?

If gender identity is what we apply to self- and gender roles are what society applies to us- then gender is a collection of these things. And if gender roles are a system of classification to define our expectations of a person- having only two definitions to cover the vast “archetypes” we could say many men or women commonly fall into- is not an effective system at all.

Ideas like “toxic masculinity” or “boys can cry” “men shouldn’t have to pay for everything” and other more recent adjustments to what is considered acceptable behavior for a man or woman- these show the fluidity of gender. And in an age where men didn’t cry or complain- didn’t speak much, were strong etc.... what was a man that did otherwise? A “wimp” a “weak man”? Think of all the labels and classifications for men and women from “butch” to “metro sexual” “nerd” “geek” “sensitive” “bitch” “ass hole” “overbearing” “total bro” “meat head” “jock” etc etc.

Of course we know that we can’t assign or assume broad traits about a large group like a “race” etc and have those apply universally. And of course- generalizations serve an important function in our evolution and are used in decision making daily about everything from fashion to food- not just people. But taking observations about a generalization of a group and then creating a classification system members of that group are expected to adhere to- as opposed to altering the assumptions on a group or individual to match reality- defeats the useful purpose of generalization as a tool for understating our environment.

Which I guess just shows how complex and confusing the idea of gender is no? When equated to biological sex- it’s just a synonym. When used to refer to a social identity- usually based in a “gender role” as those things considered to be associated with a certain sex- it gets more confusing.

Well said by most. Now.... “Gender” and “sex” are tricky concepts- but not as tricky as most people make them. Gender and Gender identity seem perhaps confusing- but people don’t usually get sex and sexuality confused- you don’t see often a lesbian write “lesbian” on a form that asks “sex-“ or a binary gender identity supporter go mental where someone says: “my sexuality is Gay...” and then responding: “Gay isn’t a sexuality! You’re a man of a woman!” So while some people might disagree on what is or isn’t a “valid” sexuality- maybe they don’t believe in “bi-sexual..” or think “Pan sexual” or “asexual” don’t exist... but we all seem to more or less be able to keep sex (biological) and sexuality (attraction) from getting mixed up.

So how about instead you learn what they value, learn what it is that you have to give that they appreciate most- and learn the things that make your partner feel comfortable and appreciated. I do not like when friends or partners buy me “nice things” most of the time. Too many issues with it and potential problems. I prefer other ways to show love- and I appreciate small gestures that show a person understands or appreciates me and my time. You have to understand people value things differently. And of course- people love in different ways. Not everyone will love us the way we want or think love looks like- but that doesn’t mean they aren’t loving us the best and most they know how.

You’ve gotta be smarter than the piece of paper- the rules- in front of you. You take the lessons from school that you decide to learn. For some- that lesson is to do what you’re told without question. That usually leads to modest success or poor results. Some just like to FEEL smart by pointing out how dumb it all is. If you ARE smart- you’ll see that most things can be called dumb- but if the world is dumb and you can’t figure out how to get what you want from it.... how smart are you? Learn when to bend the rules- when to break them- and when to kiss the ring.

And welcome to being and adult. Basically no one has the answers- but the most successful people combine knowing the most with organization and being good at faking the rest. If your boss tells you they don’t want you investing in stocks for agricultural commodities- but you feel that industry is going to see gains... if you invest in corn and make 2% you’ll likely get yelled at. If you invest in tractors or an irrigation program... those aren’t agricultural commodities.

But ultimately- your teacher probably doesn’t have the time or energy to check everything you do. That’s both a compassionate reality of the life of teachers- they can’t or won’t spend 24/7 looking over your work... and a valuable life lesson- because they may not check over your work like a detective- but if you do something obviously dumb like cite a source they told you not to... they WILL notice that.

To issue 2: if you site Wikipedia... well... how do we know Wikipedia isn’t citing the exact same dead page that the person in the second panel of the meme cited? We don’t right? And say we actually WERE going to check.... well.... it’s one step harder isn’t it? Multiplied by how many papers a teacher must do?

So to issue 1: learning how to verify sources of information is an important critical thinking tool. Say that someday you’re in a decision making position where you rely on others for information... and one of your people gives YOU a 20 year old dead junk source? Will you “fall for it” like your teacher?

Theft is not the same thing as destruction of property. The questions we must ask are about motive/intent: Did this person INTEND to deprive of property? Did they TAKE the property from the person- or did they merely transform the property from the condition the owner had it and desired it in- to a different undesirable condition?

NOW- the original meme didn’t specify that you LEAVE the store- that is the point it becomes theft. in reality if you eat the item- poop in the store- and do not flush.... you did NOT return the item. You destroyed it. because even if you stayed long enough that all the particles of the item had evacuated your digestive tract- you still “kept” certain nutrients and other components and turned them into glucose and hormones and other things- just like the food item has now been turned into feces.

If you take a bottle of sports drink and drink it in the store- no crime has been committed, and unless the store has rules or policies against eating before paying- you’ve done no legal wrong (at least in the USA.) The theft only occurs if you leave the premises without paying for the item- just like you can wear a shirt around a store all day- but if you don’t pay for it before leaving or return the item in the same condition it was when you found it- you are stealing.

Sort of? If we wanted to argue it- the crime best fits conversion not theft. Theft is the unauthorized taking of property with intent to deprive. We could argue that 1. You didn’t intend deprivation; and 2. That you were authorized to handle the goods.