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ysabetwordsmithThe June half-price sale in Polychrome Heroics made its $400 goal, so this is the perk for that.
Warning: This entry includes some touchy topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features sexual harassment, vulgar language, flashbacks to sexual abuse, reflexive use of a superpower at catastrophic level, death by freezing, extreme collateral damage to property, injuries (but not fatalities) among innocent bystanders, mass plant and animal death, travel disruption, cultural issues, ethical debates, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"Rapid City Gets Cold Shoulder"
Sunday, August 24, 2014
by Jessica Kane
A Rapid City man has died after sexually harassing a supervillain. Witnesses report that Willie Wasson first said, "Suck my dick, sweetheart," and after her refusal, "Oh yeah? Well, I'll warm you up, you frigid bitch!" After the second verbal assault, Cold Shoulder turned around and iced him where he stood. Regarding the subsequent blizzard on Friday, August 22, Cold Shoulder said, "Like many people, I find it harder to control my superpower under stress. I was sexually abused as a teen. Catcalls on the street often give me flashbacks. I thought he was my stepfather, so ... yeah. That happened."
Wasson worked as a salesman at Yoohoo Used Cars, quite successfully according to his boss. He is survived by his two ex-wives and three ex-children. While everyone else declined to respond, his second ex-wife commented, "I always said that mouth of his would be the death of him someday." Despite Wasson's death by instantaneous freezing, no one else was directly injured by that blast.
The blizzard wreaked havoc throughout the area. Fully leafed in late August, the trees caught so much snow that they could not sustain the weight. Many citizens suffered financial losses as branches collapsed onto cars, houses, and other property.
Downtown Rapid City has been paralyzed by a combination of snow and debris. Citizen responders are assisting emergency workers in clearing the streets. As of Saturday evening, main roads have been cleared but many side roads remain blocked. Pickup for yard waste will commence when enough streets have been cleared to allow access to parks and residential neighborhoods.
Heavy snow closed roads in and around Rapid City, causing several pileups. No fatalities have been reported from collisions, but dozens of people have required medical attention. Ambulances report difficulty in reaching accident victims. Area paramedics have resorted to traveling on snowmobiles.
Rapid City Regional Airport also closed due to the blizzard, grounding 59 flights and stranding hundreds of travelers. Airport staff hope to reopen by Monday morning. Citizens are requested to postpone elective travel plans and leave the first flights out for those trapped by the blizzard. If you want to help, the Muslim Students' Association at the School of Mines has established a donation fund for distressed travelers impacted by this storm.
Rapid City ranchers lost thousands of cows, frozen in the unseasonable cold. Notice that the grass visible alongside the road is still green. In late summer, the animals were still grazing vigorously. They had not yet put on enough fat, nor had their winter coats grown in, to protect them from the storm.
Meanwhile, the buffalo were playing in the snow. American buffalo are native throughout the Great Plains and well adapted to local conditions. Even in warm weather, they have thick coats and considerable fat, which help insulate them from violent storms.
Paul Pearson, owner of the Sitting Bull Buffalo Ranch, had this to say about the incident: "If you are going to live in a certain place, then you need to understand its own gifts and risks. This land will give you plenty of meat, but also a lot of cold weather. That is just life in South Dakota. Now a good man knows not to speak crudely to any woman, but only a fool speaks crudely to a medicine woman. The spirits do not like that sort of talk, so if she calls for help, they will answer in a big way. It is sad that so many others have gotten hurt because of his foolishness. If any ranchers would like to try running buffalo, I have had a very good year and have several breeding trios for sale at a discounted price for anyone who just lost cattle."
City officials have already declared their intent to press charges against Cold Shoulder ranging from murder to environmental destruction. As she is currently in Iceland, a country known for refusing U.S. extradition requests despite having a treaty, this may prove little more than a thought exercise. However, numerous area lawyers have commented on the incident, including the following samples:
Harold Bottum: "This incident has cost Rapid City over $7,500,000 in lost cattle, $500,000 for emergency snow removal, and $354,000 in canceled flights. That's before any estimates come in for smashed cars, buildings, and other property damage. Total damage is likely to exceed 1 tanner in costs. The supervillain known as Cold Shoulder is a menace, and the city should certainly pursue charges for the above damages and the murder of Mr. Willie Wasson. Wasson's behavior, while regrettable, was not grounds for lethal force, not to mention damage to innocent bystanders. This is why Rapid City must maintain a strong stance against the misuse of such dangerous abilities."
Alice Abourezk: "While Rapid City has suffered considerable damage from unseasonable weather, it is very difficult to convict individuals -- even those with extraordinary abilities -- for environmental disasters. Similarly the charge of murder stretches the circumstances. A charge of manslaughter has a much better chance of success. I further urge city officials to consider reckless endangerment, which is quite easy to prove under the circumstances."
Tomi Wolff: "Witnesses clearly indicate that Mr. Willie Wasson made unwelcome and aggressive sexual advances toward Cold Shoulder. She first refused him verbally, but this did not dissuade him. A man who does not take no for an answer once, and persists with repeated assaults, must be considered a credible threat. This is all the more so for a survivor of sexual violence, as Cold Shoulder has identified herself. Therefore, her actions constitute self-defense and no charge of murder may reasonably be laid. The extensive environmental damage is regrettable, but the blame falls on Wasson as the instigator of the conflict. Since it was unintentional, however, we may hope that Cold Shoulder's conscience will move her to offer some restitution to innocent bystanders harmed in the incident. It is essential for people of all genders and ability levels to coexist in peace."
Recovery efforts are underway throughout Rapid City and the surrounding area. Volunteers are still needed for snow removal, debris cleanup, first aid, and other projects. If you want to help, call your local or organizational volunteer manager. If you have experienced or perpetrated sexual harassment, or you worry about superpower issues, visit your nearest mental health clinic. Public Health is already working on a set of workshops and other presentations on these topics, so watch for further updates. Stay warm, Rapid City!
* * *
Notes:
Cold Shoulder (Amael Maas) -- She has tawny-fair skin, brown eyes, and long wavy brown hair. She is tall and slender. Amael went into foster care as a tween, and she has PDSD from sexual abuse during her teen years. This makes her adept at identifying sexual predators and other dangers. After a harsh winter brought out her abilities, Cold Shoulder became a supervillain, working on teams to rob banks and other facilities. She uses her superpowers for everything from freezing water inside a lock to shatter it, to creating ice slicks to deter pursuit. This makes her popular despite her tendency to have flashbacks from PDSD. Cold Shoulder enjoys hanging out with other supervillains after hours, and is quite a party girl -- although she won't have sex with anyone who isn't already tied up when she starts. She is fiercely independent and adept at taking care of herself. She sees money as a means to these ends.
Origin: After aging out of the foster care, Amael became homeless. One winter, she froze solid while sleeping under a bridge. When her body thawed out in the morgue, though, she woke up. Her hysterical banging on the door terrified the staff, but someone eventually opened the door to let her out. The inside was sheathed in ice, revealing that she had developed Cold Powers.
Uniform: She always wears a top with shoulder cutouts, usually over snug pants, occasionally a skirt.
Qualities: Good (+2) Danger Sense, Good (+2) Party Girl, Good (+2) Safecracker, Good (+2) Tall, Good (+2) Taking Care of Herself
Poor (-2) Sexual Abuse Survivor
Powers: Master (+6) Cold Powers
Motivation: To be independent.
Willie Wasson -- He had fair skin, brown eyes, and short black hair. He was married and divorced twice, and all three of his children also disowned him. On August 24, 2014, Willie died after sexually harassing the supervillain Cold Shoulder, who froze him solid and also released a blizzard on Rabid City.
Qualities: Good (+2) Alcohol Tolerance, Good (+2) Persuasion, Good (+2) Sports Fan, Good (+2) Used Car Salesman
Poor (-2) Judgment
Paul Pearson -- He has pinkish-fair skin that tans easily, brown eyes, and short white hair that used to be black. His heritage includes Britannian, French, and Yankton Sioux. He speaks English, Plains Indian Sign, and Yankton-Yanktonai. Paul runs the Sitting Bull Buffalo Ranch just outside of Rabid City, South Dakota. A successful rancher, he shares his wealth with friends, family, and neighbors. Although still strong, he is starting to lose his hearing. Fortunately he knows the hand-talk already, and is making sure that his relatives do too. Paul's ranch survived a blizzard caused by Cold Shoulder with no losses, and he offered to sell breeding stock at a discount to neighboring ranchers who lost their cattle.
Qualities: Master (+6) Buffalo Rancher, Expert (+4) Big Happy Family, Expert (+4) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Generosity, Good (+2) Strength, Good (+2) Yankton Lore
Poor (-2) Hearing Loss
Explore the genealogy of the Yankton Sioux.
* * *
"Rapid City Gets Cold Shoulder" involves a soup-caused blizzard hitting the city. There was one direct fatality, for 2 tanners of casualties. Dozens more people were injured in traffic accidents and other indirect events, which probably adds up to another 3-4 tanners of casualties. Property damage from frozen cattle, fallen trees, smashed buildings and cars, closed businesses and an airport, etc. probably exceeds 1 tanner. That's a total of 6-7 tanners for one incident.
South Dakota actually has four times as many cows as people. Cow prices run about $1,500 so 5,000 cows x $1,500/cow = $7,500,000.
Blizzard cleanup costs for emergency snow removal seem to average around $500,000.
Airlines cancel flights during fierce blizzards or other winter storms, costing everyone involved. It costs an airline about $6,000 to cancel a flight. However, stranded passengers must also spend additional money to wrangle their disrupted travel plans. The Rapid City Regional Airport averages 118 aircraft operations per day, half of which were affected by the blizzard, so 59 flights x $6,000 = $354,000.
$10 million equals 1 tanner worth of property damage.
1 tanner of casualties = 2 hospitalizations and a maximum of 10 lesser injuries that may require medical attention but not an overnight hospital stay
1 decitanner of casualties = 1 minor injury requiring outpatient attention
1 centitanner of casualties = 1 trivial injury treatable with an ordinary first aid kit
The mall incident included 2 significant casualties (R. Andrew Tanner himself and his victim Cold Cash), one case of frostnip which was treated and released, and assorted scrapes and bruises sustained by customers fleeing the mall.
Analysis of similar incidents indicates that 1 serious, 2 moderate, and 10 minor injuries are typical numbers.
A fatality is therefore suggested as 2 tanners worth of casualties.
Local-Rapid City has the seventh-highest rate of rape in American cities. Sexual assault and other crimes are rising, which police attribute to drug abuse instead of rape culture and the city's rampant disdain for human beings across many measures. The risk of rape for Native American women is twice that of other groups.
Child abuse, especially sexual abuse, tends to create suspicious and insecure people. These are often accurate feelings in the original context, but abuse tends to impair judgement so the survivors can't adapt quickly or easily to new circumstances where those feelings no longer apply. There are ways to check whether your suspicions are valid. Cognitive Behavior Therapy excels at identifying and debugging inaccurate thought patterns through tools such as thought records. It also helps to process triggers in a more analytical way.
Triggers include many things, depending on a person's past experiences. They activate flashbacks, which are traumatic memories that intrude on everyday life. Know how to cope with flashbacks or help someone through them. Among the most useful techniques is anchoring, which allows you to create positive anchors and remove negative anchors. All of this takes work, but if you know what you're doing, you can reprogram your wetware with these techniques -- which is very useful if someone has shoved it full of malware.
Zakat is a type of charity, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Travelers in distress count among the authorized recipients of zakat.
Lakota lore includes the story of White Buffalo Calf Woman, in which a sexual harasser winds up as a steaming pile of bones on the ground.
Volunteering has many benefits. It's also a vital part of civic engagement. In local-America, volunteerism is declining for various reasons. I have observed leading reasons to include lack of time/energy due to overwork, lack/expense of transportation, eroding social ties due to family fragmentation and moving around, disaffection due to society mistreating people, increased barriers such as background checks, and negative experiences as a volunteer or recipient. Meanwhile, over in Terramagne, volunteerism is thriving due to programs such as intentional neighboring and digital social credits or other incentives. Many neighborhoods and almost all towns have some kind of local volunteer program; so do most churches, many businesses, and other organizations; plus nonprofits organized around a specific theme. Volunteers can do all kinds of things. Idealist.org offers a search engine for volunteer opportunities. Learn how to volunteer.
Sexual harassment has a variety of unpleasant causes and effects. People can take steps to prevent harassment in public and at work. Know how to deal with someone who is harassing you. L-America offers little in the way of effective treatment for harassers who want to stop mistreating people, but I managed to find a description of one excellent program. A problem I often see is that the advice is topically relevant but harsh to the point of off-putting, and also socially tone-deaf. What's worse, urging everyone to stop touching each other just feeds into touch starvation, which undermines health and may increase the risk of victimization by making people desperate for any contact, even if it's bad. Better advice teaches how to respect boundaries.
Warning: This entry includes some touchy topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It features sexual harassment, vulgar language, flashbacks to sexual abuse, reflexive use of a superpower at catastrophic level, death by freezing, extreme collateral damage to property, injuries (but not fatalities) among innocent bystanders, mass plant and animal death, travel disruption, cultural issues, ethical debates, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.
"Rapid City Gets Cold Shoulder"
Sunday, August 24, 2014
by Jessica Kane
A Rapid City man has died after sexually harassing a supervillain. Witnesses report that Willie Wasson first said, "Suck my dick, sweetheart," and after her refusal, "Oh yeah? Well, I'll warm you up, you frigid bitch!" After the second verbal assault, Cold Shoulder turned around and iced him where he stood. Regarding the subsequent blizzard on Friday, August 22, Cold Shoulder said, "Like many people, I find it harder to control my superpower under stress. I was sexually abused as a teen. Catcalls on the street often give me flashbacks. I thought he was my stepfather, so ... yeah. That happened."
Wasson worked as a salesman at Yoohoo Used Cars, quite successfully according to his boss. He is survived by his two ex-wives and three ex-children. While everyone else declined to respond, his second ex-wife commented, "I always said that mouth of his would be the death of him someday." Despite Wasson's death by instantaneous freezing, no one else was directly injured by that blast.
The blizzard wreaked havoc throughout the area. Fully leafed in late August, the trees caught so much snow that they could not sustain the weight. Many citizens suffered financial losses as branches collapsed onto cars, houses, and other property.
Downtown Rapid City has been paralyzed by a combination of snow and debris. Citizen responders are assisting emergency workers in clearing the streets. As of Saturday evening, main roads have been cleared but many side roads remain blocked. Pickup for yard waste will commence when enough streets have been cleared to allow access to parks and residential neighborhoods.
Heavy snow closed roads in and around Rapid City, causing several pileups. No fatalities have been reported from collisions, but dozens of people have required medical attention. Ambulances report difficulty in reaching accident victims. Area paramedics have resorted to traveling on snowmobiles.
Rapid City Regional Airport also closed due to the blizzard, grounding 59 flights and stranding hundreds of travelers. Airport staff hope to reopen by Monday morning. Citizens are requested to postpone elective travel plans and leave the first flights out for those trapped by the blizzard. If you want to help, the Muslim Students' Association at the School of Mines has established a donation fund for distressed travelers impacted by this storm.
Rapid City ranchers lost thousands of cows, frozen in the unseasonable cold. Notice that the grass visible alongside the road is still green. In late summer, the animals were still grazing vigorously. They had not yet put on enough fat, nor had their winter coats grown in, to protect them from the storm.
Meanwhile, the buffalo were playing in the snow. American buffalo are native throughout the Great Plains and well adapted to local conditions. Even in warm weather, they have thick coats and considerable fat, which help insulate them from violent storms.
Paul Pearson, owner of the Sitting Bull Buffalo Ranch, had this to say about the incident: "If you are going to live in a certain place, then you need to understand its own gifts and risks. This land will give you plenty of meat, but also a lot of cold weather. That is just life in South Dakota. Now a good man knows not to speak crudely to any woman, but only a fool speaks crudely to a medicine woman. The spirits do not like that sort of talk, so if she calls for help, they will answer in a big way. It is sad that so many others have gotten hurt because of his foolishness. If any ranchers would like to try running buffalo, I have had a very good year and have several breeding trios for sale at a discounted price for anyone who just lost cattle."
City officials have already declared their intent to press charges against Cold Shoulder ranging from murder to environmental destruction. As she is currently in Iceland, a country known for refusing U.S. extradition requests despite having a treaty, this may prove little more than a thought exercise. However, numerous area lawyers have commented on the incident, including the following samples:
Harold Bottum: "This incident has cost Rapid City over $7,500,000 in lost cattle, $500,000 for emergency snow removal, and $354,000 in canceled flights. That's before any estimates come in for smashed cars, buildings, and other property damage. Total damage is likely to exceed 1 tanner in costs. The supervillain known as Cold Shoulder is a menace, and the city should certainly pursue charges for the above damages and the murder of Mr. Willie Wasson. Wasson's behavior, while regrettable, was not grounds for lethal force, not to mention damage to innocent bystanders. This is why Rapid City must maintain a strong stance against the misuse of such dangerous abilities."
Alice Abourezk: "While Rapid City has suffered considerable damage from unseasonable weather, it is very difficult to convict individuals -- even those with extraordinary abilities -- for environmental disasters. Similarly the charge of murder stretches the circumstances. A charge of manslaughter has a much better chance of success. I further urge city officials to consider reckless endangerment, which is quite easy to prove under the circumstances."
Tomi Wolff: "Witnesses clearly indicate that Mr. Willie Wasson made unwelcome and aggressive sexual advances toward Cold Shoulder. She first refused him verbally, but this did not dissuade him. A man who does not take no for an answer once, and persists with repeated assaults, must be considered a credible threat. This is all the more so for a survivor of sexual violence, as Cold Shoulder has identified herself. Therefore, her actions constitute self-defense and no charge of murder may reasonably be laid. The extensive environmental damage is regrettable, but the blame falls on Wasson as the instigator of the conflict. Since it was unintentional, however, we may hope that Cold Shoulder's conscience will move her to offer some restitution to innocent bystanders harmed in the incident. It is essential for people of all genders and ability levels to coexist in peace."
Recovery efforts are underway throughout Rapid City and the surrounding area. Volunteers are still needed for snow removal, debris cleanup, first aid, and other projects. If you want to help, call your local or organizational volunteer manager. If you have experienced or perpetrated sexual harassment, or you worry about superpower issues, visit your nearest mental health clinic. Public Health is already working on a set of workshops and other presentations on these topics, so watch for further updates. Stay warm, Rapid City!
* * *
Notes:
Cold Shoulder (Amael Maas) -- She has tawny-fair skin, brown eyes, and long wavy brown hair. She is tall and slender. Amael went into foster care as a tween, and she has PDSD from sexual abuse during her teen years. This makes her adept at identifying sexual predators and other dangers. After a harsh winter brought out her abilities, Cold Shoulder became a supervillain, working on teams to rob banks and other facilities. She uses her superpowers for everything from freezing water inside a lock to shatter it, to creating ice slicks to deter pursuit. This makes her popular despite her tendency to have flashbacks from PDSD. Cold Shoulder enjoys hanging out with other supervillains after hours, and is quite a party girl -- although she won't have sex with anyone who isn't already tied up when she starts. She is fiercely independent and adept at taking care of herself. She sees money as a means to these ends.
Origin: After aging out of the foster care, Amael became homeless. One winter, she froze solid while sleeping under a bridge. When her body thawed out in the morgue, though, she woke up. Her hysterical banging on the door terrified the staff, but someone eventually opened the door to let her out. The inside was sheathed in ice, revealing that she had developed Cold Powers.
Uniform: She always wears a top with shoulder cutouts, usually over snug pants, occasionally a skirt.
Qualities: Good (+2) Danger Sense, Good (+2) Party Girl, Good (+2) Safecracker, Good (+2) Tall, Good (+2) Taking Care of Herself
Poor (-2) Sexual Abuse Survivor
Powers: Master (+6) Cold Powers
Motivation: To be independent.
Willie Wasson -- He had fair skin, brown eyes, and short black hair. He was married and divorced twice, and all three of his children also disowned him. On August 24, 2014, Willie died after sexually harassing the supervillain Cold Shoulder, who froze him solid and also released a blizzard on Rabid City.
Qualities: Good (+2) Alcohol Tolerance, Good (+2) Persuasion, Good (+2) Sports Fan, Good (+2) Used Car Salesman
Poor (-2) Judgment
Paul Pearson -- He has pinkish-fair skin that tans easily, brown eyes, and short white hair that used to be black. His heritage includes Britannian, French, and Yankton Sioux. He speaks English, Plains Indian Sign, and Yankton-Yanktonai. Paul runs the Sitting Bull Buffalo Ranch just outside of Rabid City, South Dakota. A successful rancher, he shares his wealth with friends, family, and neighbors. Although still strong, he is starting to lose his hearing. Fortunately he knows the hand-talk already, and is making sure that his relatives do too. Paul's ranch survived a blizzard caused by Cold Shoulder with no losses, and he offered to sell breeding stock at a discount to neighboring ranchers who lost their cattle.
Qualities: Master (+6) Buffalo Rancher, Expert (+4) Big Happy Family, Expert (+4) Naturalistic Intelligence, Good (+2) Generosity, Good (+2) Strength, Good (+2) Yankton Lore
Poor (-2) Hearing Loss
Explore the genealogy of the Yankton Sioux.
* * *
"Rapid City Gets Cold Shoulder" involves a soup-caused blizzard hitting the city. There was one direct fatality, for 2 tanners of casualties. Dozens more people were injured in traffic accidents and other indirect events, which probably adds up to another 3-4 tanners of casualties. Property damage from frozen cattle, fallen trees, smashed buildings and cars, closed businesses and an airport, etc. probably exceeds 1 tanner. That's a total of 6-7 tanners for one incident.
South Dakota actually has four times as many cows as people. Cow prices run about $1,500 so 5,000 cows x $1,500/cow = $7,500,000.
Blizzard cleanup costs for emergency snow removal seem to average around $500,000.
Airlines cancel flights during fierce blizzards or other winter storms, costing everyone involved. It costs an airline about $6,000 to cancel a flight. However, stranded passengers must also spend additional money to wrangle their disrupted travel plans. The Rapid City Regional Airport averages 118 aircraft operations per day, half of which were affected by the blizzard, so 59 flights x $6,000 = $354,000.
$10 million equals 1 tanner worth of property damage.
1 tanner of casualties = 2 hospitalizations and a maximum of 10 lesser injuries that may require medical attention but not an overnight hospital stay
1 decitanner of casualties = 1 minor injury requiring outpatient attention
1 centitanner of casualties = 1 trivial injury treatable with an ordinary first aid kit
The mall incident included 2 significant casualties (R. Andrew Tanner himself and his victim Cold Cash), one case of frostnip which was treated and released, and assorted scrapes and bruises sustained by customers fleeing the mall.
Analysis of similar incidents indicates that 1 serious, 2 moderate, and 10 minor injuries are typical numbers.
A fatality is therefore suggested as 2 tanners worth of casualties.
Local-Rapid City has the seventh-highest rate of rape in American cities. Sexual assault and other crimes are rising, which police attribute to drug abuse instead of rape culture and the city's rampant disdain for human beings across many measures. The risk of rape for Native American women is twice that of other groups.
Child abuse, especially sexual abuse, tends to create suspicious and insecure people. These are often accurate feelings in the original context, but abuse tends to impair judgement so the survivors can't adapt quickly or easily to new circumstances where those feelings no longer apply. There are ways to check whether your suspicions are valid. Cognitive Behavior Therapy excels at identifying and debugging inaccurate thought patterns through tools such as thought records. It also helps to process triggers in a more analytical way.
Triggers include many things, depending on a person's past experiences. They activate flashbacks, which are traumatic memories that intrude on everyday life. Know how to cope with flashbacks or help someone through them. Among the most useful techniques is anchoring, which allows you to create positive anchors and remove negative anchors. All of this takes work, but if you know what you're doing, you can reprogram your wetware with these techniques -- which is very useful if someone has shoved it full of malware.
Zakat is a type of charity, one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Travelers in distress count among the authorized recipients of zakat.
Lakota lore includes the story of White Buffalo Calf Woman, in which a sexual harasser winds up as a steaming pile of bones on the ground.
Volunteering has many benefits. It's also a vital part of civic engagement. In local-America, volunteerism is declining for various reasons. I have observed leading reasons to include lack of time/energy due to overwork, lack/expense of transportation, eroding social ties due to family fragmentation and moving around, disaffection due to society mistreating people, increased barriers such as background checks, and negative experiences as a volunteer or recipient. Meanwhile, over in Terramagne, volunteerism is thriving due to programs such as intentional neighboring and digital social credits or other incentives. Many neighborhoods and almost all towns have some kind of local volunteer program; so do most churches, many businesses, and other organizations; plus nonprofits organized around a specific theme. Volunteers can do all kinds of things. Idealist.org offers a search engine for volunteer opportunities. Learn how to volunteer.
Sexual harassment has a variety of unpleasant causes and effects. People can take steps to prevent harassment in public and at work. Know how to deal with someone who is harassing you. L-America offers little in the way of effective treatment for harassers who want to stop mistreating people, but I managed to find a description of one excellent program. A problem I often see is that the advice is topically relevant but harsh to the point of off-putting, and also socially tone-deaf. What's worse, urging everyone to stop touching each other just feeds into touch starvation, which undermines health and may increase the risk of victimization by making people desperate for any contact, even if it's bad. Better advice teaches how to respect boundaries.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-07-02 01:06 pm (UTC)Yes ...
Date: 2018-07-02 10:47 pm (UTC)Me too. Granted, the most effective stopcock I've found is to hand the boor a survey -- it knocks them right off their script -- but I don't blame Cold Shoulder for wiping that creep off the face of the Earth.
>> Talk like that to any woman and you're basically scum. Talk like that to a woman with superpowers, and you've just committed an Ankh-Morpork Suicide, capital S and all. <<
Yep.
>> Seriously, though, if he hadn't already reproduced, I'd say give the man a Darwin, that's just so incredibly stupid. <<
Within the context of T-America, I think he actually fits the rules. There doesn't seem to be an exclusion for "already reproduced" -- the point is "cannot reproduce now because dead or sterile." Which certainly improves the pullulating gene pool of Rabid City.
>> HOW? How does someone manage to lack that critical minimum of self-preservation? Never will I understand some people (not that I doubt the realism, though, some guys just are that dumb.) <<
Well, smarts and speed aren't carried by the same gene. Millions of sperm, and sometimes Mr. Swifty is an idiot. Or just smarmy like the result: "Heyyy, baby!" 0_o
You can see why Willie had so many EX-relatives.
(no subject)
Date: 2018-07-02 02:18 pm (UTC)In any event... soup or nary, Stupid there shouldn't have been messing with her; if he was anywhere remotely close the had every right to ice him. As for the blizzard, am thinking *first* that home slice's estate is escheat to the city, minus something for the kids if they're still underage... and I'm hoping Cold Shoulder takes advantage of the good help available in Iceland, and also takes the time to learn finer control while she's in a place where that won't cause so much havoc. Ideally she'd help clean up her mess, but I wouldn't want to be the one to try and bring up the subject, let alone put any kind of "thou shalt" behind it...
Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-02 07:53 pm (UTC)Very true. Hell, Captain Left rarely goes out at all, in person, just because he's happier socializing in cyberspace than in meatspace.
And then there are people like Fortressa who solve sexual harassment the other way. "Hypothesis: a broken pelvis causes 100% of men to stop attempting rape." Now in test phase!
>> He may well have mistaken her for a 'nary, an easy target of opportunity... AND some people will mess with *anybody*.<<
He did not know he was sexually harassing a supervillain.
>> In any event... soup or nary, Stupid there shouldn't have been messing with her; <<
That is true.
>> if he was anywhere remotely close the had every right to ice him. <<
Consulting the intensity chart yields a range of Near (10 yards, can run up and punch it). That's a credible threat: a guy who escalates catcalling is quite likely a guy with grabby hands.
>> As for the blizzard, am thinking *first* that home slice's estate is escheat to the city, minus something for the kids if they're still underage... <<
Ohhh, that's a GOOD idea! :D While it's not enough to pay for all the damages, it would definitely cover a sizable chunk. Feel free to prompt for this. It's a very interesting solution and it fits T-America's fondness for fines.
>> and I'm hoping Cold Shoulder takes advantage of the good help available in Iceland, <<
She has been working on the survivor damage for a while now. I note that she would be a lot farther along if men were not swine.
>> and also takes the time to learn finer control while she's in a place where that won't cause so much havoc. <<
Finer control would be nice in terms of, say, icing one person rather than dumping snow all over a city. But I would not hold anyone's self-control to a standard of "must remain volitional even when a crime is actively being committed on one's person." That's unreasonable. Based on the way Cold Shoulder sounds, she's probably blaming herself for losing control, even though she's had counseling and the incident was Willie's fault as the perpetrator. So she'll need counseling for the guilt. But it's like touching the driver, you know? If someone is driving a bus and you grope her and she wrecks into a building, it's not the driver's fault. Harassing a supervillain is like that, only you can't see the bus.
>> Ideally she'd help clean up her mess, but I wouldn't want to be the one to try and bring up the subject, let alone put any kind of "thou shalt" behind it... <<
It occurs to me that she probably feels worst about the cows. Or possibly the plants. So if Cold Shoulder offers restitution, it's likely to focus there.
If it were me, I wouldn't care about the cows, I definitely wouldn't give a shit about the asshole citizens. I'd be "I broke trees in half O_O waaahhhhh!"
Again, feel free to prompt if you wish.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-02 08:23 pm (UTC)And I'd just been thinking that if more men were afraid that women would kill them, it might start to reduce the problem right there. OTOH, one has to be careful with that sort of advice, because it segues very easily into victim-blaming. ("Why didn't you take the martial-arts classes? Why didn't you shoot him?" etc.) Not to mention that you leave yourself open for accusations of advocating murder... which are much more likely to be leveled against someone from any marginalized group than against a white man, even if the words used are the same. (cf. 45 and his gang of thugs)
(This, BTW, is why I am always careful to say that the only way to be permanently rid of a stalker is for the stalker to die. The audience can take it as they like.)
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-02 08:51 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-03 01:09 am (UTC)I feel that this is true. It is why some feminist organizations advocate gun ownership.
It's also why I'm so leery of background checks for gun ownership. In an age where doctors are pathologizing normal human experiences, and given that victims of violence often seek mental care, excluding all "mentally ill people" from buying a gun would have two very bad effects: denying protection to some of the people most in need of a gun in case their abuser tries again, and discouraging people from seeking mental care so they don't lose a bundle of rights before they even might get help. It's a move that sounds pretty popular, but the effect is wiping out access to at least a third of the populace. "Don't give guns to crazy people" sounds like a great idea, until you recall that many men think all women are crazy. And will legislate accordingly.
>> OTOH, one has to be careful with that sort of advice, because it segues very easily into victim-blaming. ("Why didn't you take the martial-arts classes? Why didn't you shoot him?" etc.) <<
Because that solution only works for people who are comfortable defending themselves with violence, which is not that many folks. Defending their child? A lot more folks. But either way, you have to think about it in advance. What can you live with, or not?
>> Not to mention that you leave yourself open for accusations of advocating murder... <<
Self-defense is not murder. That's exactly the point being debated in this scene. Willie was a credible threat, being a large man determined to keep sexually harassing a woman after being told to stop, and he inside her fight/flight range. Lashing out at him was self-defense, not murder. The fact that he died over criminally vulgar language is excessive force. But that part was an accident. Suppose she had used pepper spray, which is a "sublethal" weapon, but he had asthma and died. That's manslaughter in self-defense.
>> which are much more likely to be leveled against someone from any marginalized group than against a white man, even if the words used are the same. (cf. 45 and his gang of thugs) <<
This is the real issue. It's not about murder. It's that many men feel that a woman has no right to resist anything a man choose to do to her. This is the prevailing action of local-American courts, which is evil. Same with racism.
T-America fares somewhat better; even in Rabid City we see a full range of legal arguments.
>> (This, BTW, is why I am always careful to say that the only way to be permanently rid of a stalker is for the stalker to die. The audience can take it as they like.) <<
Point.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-02 08:49 pm (UTC)I *like* that... when you've got a prima facie hostile case on up in your face, kick him *through* the balls and into his tailbone... he'll think twice when he literally can't sit down for a month or two...
And this way they'll tell their dude-bro buds!
Consulting the intensity chart yields a range of Near (10 yards, can run up and punch it). That's a credible threat: a guy who escalates catcalling is quite likely a guy with grabby hands.
When I was studying such things closely, we learnt that 7 yards was the standard most cases that got to court worked from. Basically: Male would-be perp, female would-be victim, assuming normal sizing gives you ability: He's bigger. Opportunity - he's within 7 yards. Jeopardy: At this point he basically has to do something _slightly more_ than look at you funny for him to be considered a lethal threat and thus eligible to receive whatever force is deemed necessary to end the threat. Draw and fire, freeze ray, heat vision, broken pelvis, broken head, personal concrete introduction...
Though my favourite one is the apocryphal story where a SCAdian gets accosted in the parking lot of a con hotel by some dude-bro who thinks his switchblade will get him what he wants... and she coolly reaches behind her head and produces The Claymore. "I'll see yer six, and raise ye thirty." He hadda go home and change his pants _right then_... "Too bad he left such a nice knife..."
And, yeah. Total agreement that Cold Shoulder is gonna need help with the survivor guilt. Good to know that she _is_ helping; that in itself will likely soothe her ruffled feathers some... and pinned for prompting. Thinks-With-Willy had it coming; the rest of'em didn't *and* _nobody_ could see the bus... (I love that analogy... reminds me of Marconi's explanation of radio. The telegraph is like a very long cat - step on its tail in Cleveland, and it meows in New York. Radio is the same only no cat. :D )
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-02 09:13 pm (UTC)Exactly. A broken pelvis produces a kind of all-consuming agony, more so if the Armored fist went through your manly whatnots on the way in. Hollaback loves Fortressa.
>> And this way they'll tell their dude-bro buds! <<
That's a very effective way of discouraging sexual harassment. Word is spreading not to pick on lady supervillains, but well, not all of them are visible as such.
>> When I was studying such things closely, we learnt that 7 yards was the standard most cases that got to court worked from. <<
Oh, that's useful.
>> Basically: Male would-be perp, female would-be victim, assuming normal sizing gives you ability: He's bigger. <<
Cold Shoulder is tall and slim, if I remember right. (Her character sheet is stuck in my currently-jammed character notes file.) Certainly he outweighs her.
Then you have to consider superpowers vs. ordinary person. Unless the nary has some kind of equalizer (e.g. a gun) he's effectively defenseless against most superpowers. Even other soups are defenseless against many, such as Telepathy or Teleportation. But not all crimes require contact: sexual harassment can be either a touch attack (groping), a sonic attack (catcalling), or a gaze attack (weenie wagging). So they are capable of harming each other, one person has a physical fight advantage and social advantage, the other has superpowers.
Lawyers would fight to get this fun case, if it went to court, which is unlikely since Cold Shoulder is in Iceland.
>> Opportunity - he's within 7 yards.
Jeopardy: At this point he basically has to do something _slightly more_ than look at you funny for him to be considered a lethal threat and thus eligible to receive whatever force is deemed necessary to end the threat. Draw and fire, freeze ray, heat vision, broken pelvis, broken head, personal concrete introduction... <<
:D
>> Though my favourite one is the apocryphal story where a SCAdian gets accosted in the parking lot of a con hotel by some dude-bro who thinks his switchblade will get him what he wants... and she coolly reaches behind her head and produces The Claymore. "I'll see yer six, and raise ye thirty." He hadda go home and change his pants _right then_... "Too bad he left such a nice knife..." <<
Technically, polygenetic rather than apocryphal. That one was Scarborough Faire. I think the scene with the Tuchuks and their red-silk girl was at Pennsic, but I'm less sure of that one. Back in college, I wrote a paper on several such incidents for my Women's Studies class. I knew people who'd been at the events for them. The problem is that, as these stories get passed around, they tend to blur together.
*ponder* I was also at Chambanacon and saw the incident where some dumb mundane harassed a young girl in a Unicorn Bait t-shirt ... and got washed into a corner of the dealer's room, pinned there by crowd surf, until someone came to boot him out the front door with instructions not to return.
>> And, yeah. Total agreement that Cold Shoulder is gonna need help with the survivor guilt. Good to know that she _is_ helping; that in itself will likely soothe her ruffled feathers some... and pinned for prompting. <<
Yay!
>> Thinks-With-Willy had it coming; <<
*cackle* Good name.
>> the rest of'em didn't *and* _nobody_ could see the bus... (I love that analogy... reminds me of Marconi's explanation of radio. The telegraph is like a very long cat - step on its tail in Cleveland, and it meows in New York. Radio is the same only no cat. :D ) <<
Superpowers are the same, only no bus. :D
Scene I know but haven't written up yet: after Ricasso rescued Thriver from a very bad situation, they were trying to manage an energy transfer with Thriver too wrecked and inexperienced to be delicate about it. Ricasso explained, "Imagine that I'm holding a very hot cup of coffee, full to the brim. I want to give it to you, and you want to take it very carefully so it doesn't spill on either of us." <3 awesome boss.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-03 02:19 am (UTC)Russ has one of these stories too; it happened to him and a couple of friends at the con universally known as ConDigeo, and he was the one with the sword.
Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-03 02:47 am (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2019-08-01 06:59 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2018-07-03 08:13 pm (UTC)Re: Thoughts
Date: 2019-08-01 07:01 pm (UTC)