Oh, boy. The European Parliament has circulated a pamphlet banning the use of gendered language by MPs. The list of verboten words includes Mrs, Miss (and their equivalents in other languages), fireman, statesman, sportsman, man-made, headmaster, policeman, male nurse (kind of hilarious, admit it), and others. Midwife is on the OK list, though. So is waitress, because they couldn’t come up with a suitable replacement for it.Such silliness! What year is it, 1993? Better yet, 1960? Both stand out as key moments in the fight for gender-neutral language. The former was at the height of that lame 1990s-era political correctness, around the time we figured out that the name game wasn’t maybe the best tool to move a feminist agenda forward. (It was also a big year for me personally-it’s when I developed a passionate distaste for “lady,” a word I’ve since come to love, like every other chick I know.) The latter is around when this fight began in the first place. A fight that actually mattered at the time. But this kind of no-results, in-theory-only gender warring in 2009? Smoke and mirrors, I say.As far as I’m concerned, you can call me whatever you want, just make sure my friends and I are being paid as well as male colleagues with the same job (an effort that just got another boost, by the way), that we get equal consideration for jobs we’re qualified for, and that we aren’t being lied to about our reproductive rights by people who pretend to be doctors.Meanwhile, the Europeans clearly have the better PR person, because our own Congresswoman Representative Nancy Pelosi introduced to Congress a similar, but less strict, regulation in January, to zero fanfare.What do you think? Is it just, as one pundit put it, “an artificial imposition to make people inarticulate”? (Ha!) Or does calling someone miss or madam reinforce sexist stereotypes that set women back? Image via
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Man’s dog suddenly becomes protective of his wife, Internet clocks the reason right away
The online community came through in a big way.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Otis knew before they did. Canva Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
This article originally appeared last year.
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14 images of badass women who destroyed stereotypes and inspired future generations
These trailblazers redefined what a woman could be.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
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Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories
Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.
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