#merit

Merit’s Wig

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1425-1353 B.C. From the Tomb of Kha and Merit (TT8), Deir el-Medina. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy. Suppl. 8499

▫ Merit was the wife of the foreman Kha, and the couple both resided in the Worker’s Village of Deir el-Medina (Set Ma’at) and were buried together in the local necropolis within Theban Tomb 8 (TT8). Made of human hair that has been curled and/or tousled into a thick headdress of dark brown to black hair with lighter hair at the parting, the wig is held together by sewing the hair into a mesh which would rest upon the wearers scalp, the mesh is still visible through the middle part of the wig’s hairstyle.

The tresses of curls come to a tightly twisted or curled end around the sides and looser curls upon the back, this could be due to the passage of time untwining the curls and/or plaits, or simply the intended style. Also, still intact are a set of larger plaits or braids falling down the back of the wig. While being worn, one could assume the hair would have been slightly past shoulder-length, caressing the bust.

The wig could have been worn in daily life, or special events and religious rituals. The wig could also have been adorned with decorations such as real floral garlands, diadems of varied materials, individual hair jewels, and a perfume cone atop of the head, which is thought to have caused a delicious scent upon the wig. It is not documented if the piece is scented or not, but tests showed that the tips of the hair are coated in plant oil/balsam.

Don't settle for conflicting feelings. We all deserve clarity, not confusion... Self-respect is more important than feelings.🚫!

We obligate others through social pressure, through appeals to rights, and through the application of laws. While we are also obligated in the same way, we see the trade-off as worthwhile, since we generally have no problem with treating others well. After all, the obligation is not usually binding. We see others as similar to ourselves, so we automatically treat them well out of compassion and not because of any obligation.

But a problem arises when we encounter someone for whom we do not feel compassion. Now we are obligated to act in way that goes again our intuitive sense of right and wrong. We are forced to treat this person well when we do not believe they deserve it. Having to do this repeatedly can lead to resentment.

Mike Luckovich

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Secretary of WAWR! Whiskey Pete Hegseth illegally removed two women and two black men from the Army flag officer promotion list.

The promotion list is about Army 40 officers, a majority of white men, and by law the Secretary must either approve or reject the list in its entirety to prevent any appearance of discrimination. Instead, Hegseth himself removed the black and female officers individually while approving the rest of the list. Illegally.

And yes, it's blatant racism and yes it's blatant sexism. It is.

And this isn't the first time.

A year ago, Hegseth's Chief of Staff, Ricky Buria, ordered Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to reassign Major General Antoinette Grant, a black female officer who had been selected to command the Military District of Washington DC. Hegseth's Chief of Staff told Driscoll Trump "wouldn't want to stand next to a black female officer at military events."

Right out in the open. There it is. They aren't even trying to hide it or pretend it's anything else.

Despite Buria's protest, Grant's promotion was confirmed and she took command of the district last summer.

And that's the thing, right there.

MAGA ideology hates the concept of "woke," i.e. Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. Claiming the very idea itself is racist and prejudicial against mediocre white men. For the last year, the Trump administration has set about eliminating DEI initiatives in government, the military, business, education, medicine, and anywhere else sad white men feel downtrodden and oppressed.

DEI must be replaced by "merit," says Trump, says, Hegseth, says MAGA.

And EVERY action by these sad white men demonstrates their utter contempt for any merit that is not straight, white, and male.

These officers earned their rank, earned their promotion, earned their assignments in one of the most demanding and competitive arenas there is. They've spent decades learning their craft, expanding their education, demonstrating their leadership, gaining the experience necessary to command.

And none of that matters.

None of it matters, because their merit isn't determined by empirical test applied equally and impartially to all candidates, but entirely at the capricious whim of one man -- a man who when in uniform himself was judged unfit for service, leadership, or the trust of a nation.

Trump, Hegseth, MAGA prove every single day, by every sexist word, every racist action, every mediocre judgement, why DEI is so absolutely necessary at every level of our society.

It's not these officers who lack merit, it's MAGA.

If Elon Musk were to dedicate $195 billion for a single year to End Extreme Poverty, $70 billion for Global Health Security, $25 billion Education Funding Gap $100 billion: Total Annual Cost of $195 billion, he would still have a personal net worth of over $300 billion.