pump up the jam

And he raised his eyebrow at me. We'd been discussing addictive medications a few minutes before, like the Tramadol I finally got from the pain specialist to take once a week or so to give me a break from my chronic pain, so I reassured him that methylpenidate (Ritalin/Concerta) is not addictive (at least not in people with ADHD).

His response? To raise his eyebrow even harder and say "Well it sure SOUNDS like it's addictive!"

And I had to explain to this man - who works in a healthcare related job by the way - that just because medication makes you feel good and helps you, just because you look forward to taking it, that doesn't make it addictive or dangerous. And he wasn't convinced.

The simple fact that I was excited to take a daily pill that has literally changed my life, after decades of fighting to get that medication, made him think I shouldn't be taking it so often. That it must inherently be dangerous.

I'm not even in America, but I'm pretty sure this attitude began there and then spread over here to Europe. This Puritan idea of "if something feels good, you must beware of it. Pleasure is dangerous, it is sinful, it is addiction, it is evil."

I know too many people who subconsciously believe that pleasure = addictive = dangerous = bad. Joy is a slippery slope to hell.

So here is your reminder for today that you don't need to be afraid of feeling good. If something improves your life, use it. Even if it is addictive - learn what that addiction means, whether the addiction is inherently dangerous or not, and whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks and risks.

My ADHD meds are, in fact, not addictive. But I will take them every day because they make my life orders of magnitude easier. I will enjoy them every time I take them.

My tramadol is addictive. I will still take it. I will keep it on a schedule to avoid becoming addicted, primarily because addiction in this case would mean reduced effectiveness. But I am not afraid of my painkillers. They are life changing.

Meanwhile you can find men saying the most disgusting things about women and girls and not a single man stands up to them to say the tiniest "maybe that's too far" to them.

And the difference, of course, between women saying mean things about men, and men saying what they do about women is that women are only venting. Yes, even those who say they aren't. We know this because it's not thousands of men being murdered by their female intimate partners every year, and many more hospitalized. It's not male babies being murdered just for being male. It's not men in any country of the world, now or ever, being locked in their homes, unallowed to speak to one another or even look out the windows. It's not female police coercing male rape victims to say they lied and then blasting them all over the news as false accusers. It's not an entire industry built on primarily men and boy's sexual exploitation for the pleasure of women.

Then of course there are the things women couldn't do to men even if we wanted to, but men certainly do it to us: forcible impregnation, and forcing women to bring unwanted pregnancies to term, even if it kills her.

That won't cringe or meta self-depricate in the dialogue.

I'm thinking of things like: The Goonies, Parent trap, Saving Willy, E.T., Hokus Pokus (first), Adams family, Willy Wonka, Spiderwick, Casper the friendly ghost, Matilda, Lassie, etc.

Ridiculous stories with lots of heart and well-meaning intentions. Where are they??

Everything is trying to be the next Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Where's my one-shot good old heartfelt movies about kids getting into trouble and saving the day? 🥺

thats why 'kids movies' used to be so good and why we can visibly see a decline in quality and enjoyment.

kids movies nowadays are censored to high heavens and given potty humor. they are made with toddlers as the main and sole target audience.