You've already done things that are statistically unlikely. It sounds like there has always been a part of yourself speaking up and negotiating something better. Listen to that part now, and good luck.

You're worried about money? Don't you think maybe the small business owner who you're stealing from, a person you claim to respect, has ever worried about money? You're stealing from her because it's easy and because the consequences are probably less severe than if you were caught stealing out of a store. You're not stealing because your family was dysfunctional. You're stealing because you want money and you think you're entitled to more of it.

I'm not surprised that younger women find "feminist" issues less relevant. I grew up being told (by both parents and the world at large) that I could do anything and was expected to go to college and pursue a career. It wasn't until my late twenties that I started to feel "marked" as a woman in a variety of contexts. Not that it's not possible, but it's a tricky act to go after a high-powered career with children. Or even a not so high-powered career. Some of my friends in graduate school, single mothers and otherwise, have been marginalized for having children. This isn't always deliberate--sometimes it's simply a matter of not being able to attend events that occur after school hours. Informal and outright social events are not unimportant factors in advancing one's career.

As for affirmative action for women, it depends on the career path. Mine is majority female, and so I get no favors there. I admit to having once been on the receiving end of affirmative action. I was 10 and the only girl to make my school's riflery team. I was a pretty good shot, but not as good as one of my classmates who came up to me after the team was posted, demanding to compare try-out scores. He had done better, and he was pissed. He had a right to be. Knowing this soured my enjoyment of it and I didn't stay long.

I have to agree with a previous post, I don't think cunt and n*gger are equivalent insults. And by continuing to counter every "look what they said about HER!" with "what if they said that about HIM?" (and vice versa), it effectively keeps this race about this vs. that.

You insult cockroaches with your comparison.

I have similar WTF feelings about faith but take comfort in the cyclical, depressing sameness of history. Things might get bad for a while...and then they'll probably get better.

Yeah, nothing about Obama's career so far suggests widespread appeal among men and women, blacks and whites. Look, there are people who will never vote for Obama, just as there are people who will never vote for Clinton. I bet these groups largely overlap. I bet these groups do not entirely overlap. I bet the anti-Clinton group is larger. It's going to be ugly either way, but that shouldn't obscure the fact that either could win.

Lonewolfy said (days ago, I am late to this debate):

"IF the mother chooses to keep the baby, then the man is required to share the burden of expenses, etc. in raising the child - even though he had no say in the matter."

But of course he had a say in the matter. He could have said, "Hey, I don't want children right now, so I must insist on wearing a condom."

Sure, "condoms break." Not as often as people seem to think, given how often this argument is used, but they break. In that case, I am more sympathetic to men who don't want to be drafted into fatherhood. Not sure how you'd legislate this loophole without it devolving into a debate where both parties could be motivated to lie, though.

Yeah, I do that. I assume that most people don't notice, and the ones that do think either a) she's too lazy to hem her pants with a needle and thread or b) she doesn't know how to hem her pants with a needle and thread. And they're both right.

I don't think death is always a tragedy, and I don't think suicide is always the wrong choice. But I think it is the wrong choice for you. I think you know that, or you wouldn't be writing Cary. Your despair is a sign that you haven't given up. In addition to whatever good advice you'll get here, I also suggest something very simple. Rent Michael Apted's "Up" series--you know, 7 Up, 7+7, 14 Up, etc. What they show is that life gets better. Even when it's bad--and it can get bad--it's worth living. Try it.

I wonder if people who are freaked out by dolls just didn't enjoy playing with them when they were young and therefore can't see their appeal without some intellectual anxiety. I can only speak for myself with any confidence, but I liked playing with dolls in a very uncomplicated way that I am fairly certain had no bearing on my ideas about womanly perfection. Pretending a doll is your friend or your baby is just something some kids like. I have long grown out of this for myself, although I still like to sit down with my nieces and have a go at Barbie's wardrobe.

If AG dolls had been around when I was young, I would have been CRAZY for them. I'm crazy for them now! When I go in to get things for my nieces, I want to buy everything in the store (I definitely don't). I am not excessively consumerish, so this attraction is saying something.

People who have had dolls long enough for them to age might also have something to say about their supposed "perfection." Dolls get grimy, nicked, and busted even when they're not intentionally destroyed. Plastic beauty fades, baby.