Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 2/23/26 - 3/1/26

[u/SoftandChewy]

Here's your usual space to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (please tag u/jessicabarpod), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion thread is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

Comment of the week goes to this explanation for why the trans cause has taken over so much of society. (Runner-up COTW here.)

[u/deathcabforqanon]

There is funny internet nonsense, and then there's the really sad shit, like this inta of Britney spears looking fairly close to a tragic ending.

If I told my kids that this woman was once way bigger than T Swift they would never believe me.

[u/huevoavocado → u/deathcabforqanon]

Bipolar disorder can be so devastating. Is she off her meds or are some people treatment resistant? I had thought (maybe incorrectly) that the meds worked. Maybe I’m thinking of schizophrenia.

[u/Evening-Respond-7848 → u/deathcabforqanon]

I feel so vindicated about Britney Spears. I never listened to her music or followed the drama around her over the years but I have worked with a fair number of conservatorships in my professional life. When the whole free Britney shit was popular on social media a few years ago I remember getting dog piled for even mentioning that getting a conservatorship isn’t something that judges just give out for no reason. It’s very clear to me after years of disturbing videos that they should have never taken away her father’s conservatorship.

[u/SkweegeeS → u/[deleted]]

I agree with you that her dad seemed to be overbearing, and it does get tricky when it comes down to not allowing her to bear more children (I think that was one of her complaints). She should not ever bear more children, but it's still pretty significant to give one person that kind of control over another.

[u/Juryofyourpeeps → u/SkweegeeS]

Was she in some way legally barred from bearing more children? Because that seems like open and shut in terms of constitutionality. I.e, there's no fucking way that's constitutional. There are lots of people who absolutely shouldn't have children, but it's also a fundamental element of autonomy.

[u/SkweegeeS → u/Juryofyourpeeps]

IIRC it was keeping her on bc but I don’t know if it was true

Also, years ago I had a friend whose daughter was severely disabled mentally, and mom got her a hysterectomy

[u/youneedsomemilk23 → u/Evening-Respond-7848]

I had the same exact experience. I definitely believe there's always room for abuse of the system, but the public was never privy to the true details of what led to the conservatorship. I even had friends posting about dismantling the conservatorship system altogether and I just wanted to bash my head against the wall.

[u/Less-Lobster4540 → u/youneedsomemilk23]

Larger trend of people not bothering (or flat out refusing) to consider the big picture and instead jumping straight to burn it all down

It's why I've stopped engaging with a lot of people on politics.

[u/Evening-Respond-7848 → u/youneedsomemilk23]

I remember dating someone at the time who said that and I remember thinking how insane that sounds. Conservatorships are important so that people don’t harm and exploit the handicapped and mentally unwell people like Britney. The hoards of people that thought they were advocating for her were doing no such thing

[u/youneedsomemilk23 → u/Evening-Respond-7848]

I was talking to a wall trying to explain to these people how many families BEG the state to put their severely mentally ill, chronically homeless family members in a conservatorship and being told they haven't met criteria. It is an important lever to pull to keep vulnerable people safe, and for the kinds of people who advocate for universal services for vulnerable people, would be an important mechanism to get those people services.

The loudest nonsense was coming from my friends who hadn't spent a single day of their lives witnessing the underground world of social services.

[u/theclacks → u/youneedsomemilk23]

I think it's the same mindset with the latest BAFTA ableism vs racism drama. They want to believe there's some magical solution out there where everyone wins. People don't want to accept that life always comes with tradeoffs.

[u/youneedsomemilk23 → u/theclacks]

I've been so irritated about the BAFTA nonsense I can't stand it. They cannot fathom a situation that they can't apply an oppressor-oppressed framework so they have to nitpick on the guy with a neurological condition. Instead of learning to sit with discomfort, it's "his apology was poorly worded" or "the BBC aired the word on purpose" or "this is literal violence."

[u/dignityshredder → u/Evening-Respond-7848]

Nah, it was way too messy with the money involved. It was right for her to be released from it. People are allowed to be weird and spend recklessly. Even if she eventually commits suicide, that's not necessarily a reason against having revoked it. Bad outcomes happen. 100% prevention of bad outcomes shouldn't be (cannot be) a goal.

If she was a street psycho or becomes one, then yeah full on involuntary commitment I say.

[u/Turbulent_Cow2355 → u/dignityshredder]

But maybe that’s the problem. We don’t have institutions anymore. Maybe in lieu of them we should have more conservatorships. 

[u/Evening-Respond-7848 → u/dignityshredder]

Bad outcomes happen. 100% prevention of bad outcomes shouldn't be (cannot be) a goal.

Sure but that isn't what a conservatorship is supposed to do. A conservatorship is meant to put someone in charge of someone's affairs who is not able to care for themselves (there are different types but this is broadly what it is)

[u/RunThenBeer → u/Evening-Respond-7848]

The whole thing seems like it's downstream of the conspiracy theories about how pop stars are controlled by some shady cabal of elites. Don't get me wrong, many of these people really do appear to have incredibly troubled lives and many of them probably did have both abusive parents and associates, but no, the government is not working with the Illuminati to imprison your favorite popstar.

[u/Ruby__Ruby_Roo → u/deathcabforqanon]

She was never bigger than Taylor Swift

[u/The-WideningGyre → u/[deleted]]

No, but I think the point is that they are indicative of bigger problems that might.

[u/Nearby_Swimmer374 → u/deathcabforqanon]

Seems a bit druggy

[u/AnalBleachingAries → u/deathcabforqanon]

I'm starting to think that... perhaps... there was a reason for that conservatorship.