People are male or female. However, that is not what we are talking about in this challenge. We are talking about Gender identity which is defined as follows:

Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt, internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth.

I think this is an important distinction to make. Regardless of how you feel about it, there is only Male and Female. Just because this is a fact, it doesn't negate your feelings about it, and I think that's also an important distinction to make.

Our feelings are highly subjective to our hormonal state, whatever that is. We each have testosterone and estrogen flowing in our bodies and the levels of each have a tremendous effect on how we feel about ourselves and those around us.

If you ask someone who is attracted to the same sex, they will tell you that it feels normal to them. They will also tell you that they didn't choose to be attracted to the same sex, they just are. There is some physiological reason for it. If you feel like you are a boy trapped in a girl's body, there is some physiological reason for it. If you feel like you are a girl trapped in a boy's body, there is some physiological reason for it. The right approach should be to identify the physiological reason for it and correct it, not to change physical genders. Changing physical genders would be like treating a symptom, it doesn't correct the problem.

I know what you are going to say, but it FEELS normal to me. I know it does but if we correct the physiological issue, it will change what feels normal to you. I know what you are going to say next, but I don't want to change who I am and to that I say, YES YOU DO! Your feelings don't match your body and you want that corrected. So, correct it the right way, not the way that is just going treat the symptom and not really fix the problem.

My own experience with gender is pretty unremarkable. I have always been a boy. However, I did not feel the desire to act like a stereotypical boy. The reason is because I have low testosterone levels which indicate there may be a medical issue I need to correct. That doesn't mean I acted like a stereotypical girl though, I still acted like a boy, just less stereotypical. It also means that women were not attracted to me all that much which is a biology thing. Studies show that women are attracted to men who have more testosterone. But I guess that's a different topic.

In this daily mail piece, The EU is accusing the United States of profiting from the Ukraine/Russian conflict, and they are not happy about it.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11471383/EU-accuses-PROFITEERING-Ukraine-war-selling-higher-price-gas-weapons.html

Here is an expert from the article

'The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the U.S. because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons,' the official said.

So, what the war is doing is causing Europe to shun energy from Russia and buy it instead from the US. Here in the US the public has been conditioned to support the war for "the freedom of the Ukrainian people" from the onslaught of evil Russian forces. Many people have called for negotiations for peace to end the conflict. But why would the US want to do that when we are making so much money off of it?

The truth is that the US doesn't want peace in the Ukraine. The US will sacrifice Ukraine down to the last man in order to secure their profits. This is nothing more than an attempt by the United States to steal the European energy market from Russia and if we have to sacrifice every Ukrainian to do it, so be it.

Now, there have been people who have called for negotiations to end the war but according to this article by Foreign Policy, that's a horrible bad idea and they proceed to tell you why.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/11/22/russia-ukraine-war-negotiation-diplomacy-settlement-peace-ceasefire-armistice-putin/

You may have heard that the NordStream1 gas pipeline which takes gas from Russia and supplies Germany was intentionally blown up. The West accuses Russia of blowing up their own property which is worth Billions while the Russian's claim it was NATO. Of course, if you ask the question, who really benefits from this act of aggression the answer is the United States. So why would Russia commit an act that benefits the United States? It wouldn't make any sense.

https://eurasiantimes.com/did-russian-uuv-slam-into-nord-stream-pipeline-or-poland/

So just in case anyone missed it, The United States DOES NOT want this war to end because as long as this war continues the United States benefits at the expense of both Russia and the EU.

NBC news reports that United States President Joe Biden claims that the reason you are paying higher prices at the gas pump is because of Russia and the conflict with the Ukraine. Joe Biden says it's not his fault.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/biden-blames-ukraine-war-rising-oil-prices-credits-democrats-improving-rcna19695

So, all of you people who struggle from paycheck to paycheck, you should be happy to pay a few more dollars for a gallon of gas. Your sacrifice is allowing us to sacrifice every last Ukrainian for profits that benefit the people that are holding you down and causing you to live paycheck to paycheck. You should be happy to do it, after all, it's your patriotic duty!

Several years ago, I set out to understand gender relations. I didn't understand why women acted the way they do. I know it's probably obvious to most people but I'm not most people. So, I did what most people would do when they want to learn something, I watched YouTube videos.

One of the things about YouTube videos is it's easy to fall into an echo chamber. You watch one video about something, and YouTube says "Here's a bunch of other videos with the same opinion! You should watch them!". However, I watched video's that presented a lot of different views.

So, without making this post thousands of words long, this is what I learned...

Sexual Attraction has nothing to do with personality. You can like hanging out with someone without having any desire to rip their clothes off. You can also want to rip someone's clothes off without having any desire to hang out with them.

So just because a woman likes you, it doesn't mean she wants to have sex with you and just because a man wants to have sex with you it doesn't mean he likes you.

Women are picky because they have to be. I know with some women it doesn't look like they are picky but if you look closely, the type of men they hook up with are all the same type. Women have to be picky because they have the responsibility of making sure the human race survives into the next generation with the best genetic pool possible. They also have to be picky because when they do decide to birth a child that is a tremendous strain on time and resources.

All men have to do is provide sperm.

Back in the good old days, men did have to provide security and while most women may still want a man to provide that, it's not a requirement anymore.

When women go out in public, guys stare at them all the time. Women do stare at men but the average guy isn't being stared out nearly as much as the average woman and the reason is biological. Men are wired to be visually stimulated in a way that women are not. This is something I don't think most women are concious of which is why it matters what a woman wears out in public.

So, I have a new appreciation with what women have to go through. I'm also okay with being invisible to women.

I wrote a post once where I thought equality is where you only share time. Just like you would do if you were hanging out with a friend. No one is going to get a girlfriend doing that but if equality is the goal, I think that's the way you achieve it.

We think we want something (like being rich for an example) that we don't have because we think that thing will take care of the things we feel are lacking in our present reality, but the truth is that while it may solve our current dilemma it brings a new set of problems with it that we will have to deal with.

Men need respect, Women need love.

So, the question is, can I find a woman that will show me respect. I am not sure if I will.

We sat in the doctor's office. The doctor looked at us with a straight face and said,

"You have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis."

"What?!" I said not knowing what the **** he was talking about.

"You have pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis." The doctor repeated.

"Is it serious?" I asked.

"It's incurable, you are going to die." the doctor continued obviously not knowing

what the term "Bedside manner" means.

"What!?" I said again.

"There's no cure. We will try to make you comfortable in the time you have remaining?" The doctor went on.

"What!?" I repeated completely in shock.

"You should probably get your affairs in order." the doctor said finally.

"How long do I have?" I begged.

"It's hard to say, maybe a decade or 2, Maybe less" The doctor answered.

"What!?" I responded.

If I love you

Could you love me back?

Do I have a chance

Or does my hope fall through the cracks?

If I need you

Would you understand?

When I walk alone

I should be holding someone's hand

If I trust you

Would you let me down?

Could you walk away?

while you let somebody drown

When you want someone

it's just a girl or boy

and life is just a game

and everyone's a toy

The democratic message in these mid-term elections wasn't about how they were planning on bringing down food prices, it wasn't about lowing the price of gas, it wasn't about making health care more affordable, it wasn't about creating more jobs, it was about saving democracy and the only way to save it was to vote Democrat.

If you vote for someone who thought that the 2020 election was stolen by Joe Biden, you were voting to kill democracy and who wants to have that kind of thing on their conscience. Who wants to be to one to blame when totalitarian dictators take over the country because you failed to save democracy.

Saving democracy is worth not helping the homeless in the richest country on Earth. Saving democracy is worth it when people have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to keep food on the table and gas in their cars and judging by the early results, you all came through when you needed to. You rose to the challenge and didn't let those who threaten our very way of life win.

I hate to break this kind of news, but the democrats lied to you. All of you who thought democracy was in trouble and fought valiantly with your vote did it all for nothing. The reason is because we don't live in a democracy, we never have. Everyone who told you we did was lying to you either on purpose or because they didn't know any better. We live in a representative republic. What that means is that we vote for people who go to Washington, participate in government and represent us, the people, and our interests. That's not democracy and it never has been, but I have more bad news, the republic died over a century ago.

This is what really happens, we elect people to go to Washington to represent us. Those people go to Washington and instead of representing us, they represent themselves by making themselves rich. If you doubt me on this, just check the wealth of members of congress before they enter politics with the wealth they have now and see if the difference is their congressional salary. The dirty little secret (which isn't really a secret) is that it doesn't really matter who you vote for because the people who really run things aren't going anywhere.

There are already people who are insisting that these midterms have been stolen and there are those who are already insisting the next presidential election has already been stolen but does that really matter when the people running the government don't really represent us, ordinary people. Does it really matter if you exchange one task master for another.

The powers that be like to keep us divided by inciting race and gender inequalities. Do you know what you don't hear? You don't hear how the working class is being used to generate wealth and that wealth is being stolen from them. The corporate media isn't interested in that discussion.

There was a group that got a militant black group and a white nationalist group together and started a dialogue between them. The funny thing is when this group started talking about class issues, the black militant group and the white nationalist group was in complete agreement. When you talk about class issues, you unite the working class regardless of race or gender and that's why those discussions are considered a threat to national security. You will never hear FOX or MSNBC or CNN talk about class issues in any meaningful way.

So, for those of you who saved democracy but are still living paycheck to paycheck, you heeded the call and saved democracy, good job, unless of course you really didn't and this was just another manufactured election like all the ones that proceeded it, but then that would be denying a completely legitimate election process and that kind of thing is what kills democracy in the first place.

If I could

I would turn back time

If I could

I would make you mine

If I could

I would turn back time

If I could

To all my yesterdays

And they make me

And they make me lose

And they make me

And I don't get to choose

And they make me

And they make me lose again

If I could

I would move up time

If I could

then you could my mine

If I could

I would move up time

If I could

I would find all my tomorrows

And they make me

And they make me gain

And they make me

But I still feel the pain

And they make me

And they make me gain it back

If I could

I would turn back time

If I could

I would make you mine

If I could

I would turn back time

If I could

To all my yesterdays

And they make me

And they make me lose

And they make me

And I don't get to choose

And they make me

And they make me lose again

Do not cry for me, I am invisible to women

attraction failing on the simplist of levels

It's just the biological fate of ordinary men

It is my misfortunate to be able to look and not touch

but that's just the way it is

Do not cry for me, I am invisible to women

Should I mimic the sterotypes of a generation?

Should I rage against an unmovable machine?

It's just the biological fate of ordinary men

Shall you implore me to improve myself?

As if it is possible to improve uncontrollable stats

Do not cry for me, I am invisible to women

I do not feel sorry for myself and nor should you

reproach me for my social failures but

Do not cry for me, I am invisible to women

It's just the biological fate of ordinary men

I walked up to the vending machine and dip into my pocket for the required change and inserted it in the machine. Moments later a 3 musketeers bar falls to the bottom of the receptacle, and I easily remove it. Tearing open the wrapper the smooth chocolate and nougat passes through my lips and melts in my mouth.

I’d hate to be a girl

I’d hate to be a girl

cause I’d have to sit down

every time I’d go to the bathroom

I’d hate to be a girl

I’d hate to be a girl

cause I’d have to sit down

every time I‘d go to the bathroom

I want to stand tall

when I pee

I want to stand tall

when I pee

I want to stand tall

when I pee

I want to stand so tall

I’d hate to be a girl

I’d hate to be a girl

cause I’d have to sit down

every time I’d go to the bathroom

I’d hate to be a girl

I’d hate to be a girl

cause I’d have to sit down

every time I’d go to the bathroom

This doesn’t mean that I hate girls

I just don’t want to be one

This doesn’t mean that I hate girls

They have a heavy burden to bear

This doesn’t mean that I hate girls

or that I can’t sympathize

This doesn’t mean that I hate girls

I just opened up my eyes

I want to stand tall

when I pee

I want to stand tall

when I pee

I want to stand tall

when I pee

I want to stand so tall

I’d hate to be a girl

I’d hate to be a girl

cause I’d have to sit down

every time I’d go to the bathroom