On Wednesday night, six women went public with allegations of sexual misconduct by Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump. Two of the alleged victims brought their stories to the New York Times after hearing Trump lie about his history of assulat in the second presidential debate. These accusations prompted Trump to threaten a lawsuit against the paper and for his supporters to bash his accusers on Twitter using #NextFakeTrumpVictim.
Because every time you've flown the flight attendants invite cheap ticket holders to fill up empty 1st class seats ? pic.twitter.com/jDnNiUk8Vn— ?? (@ChatByCC) October 13, 2016
The hashtag started on 4Chan in an attempt to “change the narrative.”
The Trump campaign is saying his accusers have gone public in a coordinated effort by the Clinton campaign to smear him in the weeks leading up to the election. The hashtag serves to discredit his accusers, essentially creating the conditions that keep sexual assault victims silent in the first place. Most of these women probably remained silent for years in order to avoid being sued or publicly shamed by a rich, powerful and remorseless man. To support women who’ve come out against Trump, a rival hashtag has emerged #WhyWomenDontReport.
#WhyWomenDontReport: Because we face a justice system that doesn’t protect us and a culture that doesn't believe us.— Caroline Orr Bueno, Ph.D (@RVAwonk) October 13, 2016
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.
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.
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.
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.
