u/Top_Echo_6702

Scale of 1 to 10?

Best/worst foods you've had there?

Which is better: Southside or Northside?

Does anyone know which times the free food pantry usually restocks, and how often?

Also, what do they typically have there?

I do my fair share of dating as well as hookup culture, and I have been outright called "autistic" by 3 different guys who barely know me. I am not autistic.

I have tried telling them that I have been in therapy for 10 years now, and that my current therapist is the only one qualified to diagnose me like that. I have been through 5 different therapists before, and none have ever had any suspicion of autism for me. If I needed a diagnosis, it would have been done by now.

Even after I tell them this, they proceed to try telling me that my therapists are just "liars trying to push an agenda" or that they're wrong or something. Even though these guys CLEARLY don't know shit about actual psychology themselves. They can't even use "you're" vs. "your" properly in their text messages.

This is when I (naturally!) get angry. I keep on explaining to them that I am NOT autistic and my therapist is qualified and knows me well. They then tell me that I'm "overreacting" because "autism isn't a bad thing!!!! It's okay to have autism!!!! I'm only asking because I think I have it myself!!!!". They tell me to "not freak out and just breathe", as if I'm crazy.

When I ask them WHY they think I have autism, they outright tell me "because you don't have any friends" as well as very minor things, such as "being a little loud" or "bouncing back and forth between conversation topics".

Keep in mind, these guys barely know me.

So, not only do they think it's socially acceptable to basically tell someone "I think you're mentally disabled", but they also think it's acceptable to tell someone that they have zero friends to their face. All while claiming they want to hook up with that person????

I do not understand it. Do guys think that outright insulting a girl is some kind of backwards "strategy" to get her into bed with them???!!! It makes zero sense to me. I obviously blocked them all.

I'm just very angry looking back at it. Even IF I was autistic, it shouldn't be socially acceptable for people to label each other this way- let alone to people they barely know.

Hi,

I'm 19, just finished my first year of college, and am feeling anxious for next year. I'm at a stage in life where I do NOT feel ready for a relationship, but I do not want to feel forced to be celibate either. I want to keep exploring my sexuality and having (safe!) fun.

The only problem is that participating in hookup culture is apparently REALLY bad for my reputation. People think that I'm a total whore with no self-respect or worth as a human being just because I enjoy multiple partners. I have been gossiped about, bullied, and been called degrading names by people a lot.

I am really worried that even if I try to be discreet about my lifestyle, people will still find out and do those things all over again. I really want to make friends, but I know I can't make friends if I have a bad reputation.

What do I do??? I don't want to force myself to be celibate or be in a relationship out of peer pressure... I've tried it before, it does NOT work out for me.

Hi guys! Kinda last minute, I know, but I want to submit a new roommate request so that I'm not stuck with a religious girl. (Not that I have anything against religious people, I just feel like we wouldn't have that much in common yk). I was hoping to meet some potential candidates before I take a gamble and click "I am interested in being assigned any available roommate".

DM if interested!!!

When I was in like 5th grade, we had a biology unit, and my teacher was going over the fact that you get 23 chromosomes from each parent and those genes create a ton of different possible offspring combinations or whatever. Me being a very late bloomer not knowing ANYTHING about sex at that age, raised my hand and asked, out of genuine curiosity, "How do those genes combine though?".

She looked at me like I was crazy, told me my question was inappropriate, and moved on- entirely dismissing me as a few kids giggled.

I'm 19 now, and looking back, I honestly feel like that moment deeply traumatized me. It made me feel like I did something really really wrong, and like whatever this topic was, it was something I was never EVER allowed to know about, let alone even speak about. Anytime I saw or heard anything even vaguely related to reproduction, I would keep my questions to myself as I felt way too scared to ever express my curiosity around the subject again. And because of that, I didn't fully learn what sex exactly even was until I was almost 13, when my mom gave me the talk along with some puberty books.

How would you handle that situation differently as a teacher? How would you answer that question in an age-appropriate, positive way?

I just don't get it. If it's all fully consensual, safe, and the boundaries and expectations are communicated clearly then... where's the problem??? Why does enjoying sex with no strings attached make me apparently worth less as a woman??? Why does enjoying casual sex mean that I'm "destroying myself", as my dad phrases it?

I've tried a relationship before, and I ABSOLUTELY HATED it. Having to be with the SAME EXACT PERSON for 7 MONTHS STRAIGHT was AWFUL, and I do NOT want to go through that again anytime soon. It was SO FRICKIN' BORING, and throughout it all I could hardly manage to be a good loyal girlfriend. (No, I didn't cheat, but I was always feeling TEMPTED to.)

And just because I don't want a relationship, suddenly that means I'm supposed to be... abstinent??? I don't deserve sex unless I'm in a relationship??? That's bullshit. I shouldn't have to lie about wanting a relationship with someone just to get sex from them. Literally what's so wrong about saying "Hey, I find you attractive, I'd love to hook up if you're down, but please know that I am not seeking a relationship anytime soon" and having an honest conversation about that???

What's so wrong with being HONEST???

Also, I hate it how there's no specific metrics on what makes somebody a slut. What is my body count SUPPOSED to be for my age??? (19) What number is too high?? How the hell am I supposed to "just not be a slut" like my mom tells me to, if I don't know exactly what the limits are???

Yeah, sure, I might be a "slut". But WHY DOES ANYBODY EVEN HAVE TO CARE??? Why am I seen as so damn unattractive for it??? It's literally just... sex. It's fun, it's awesome, and it's something basically every single human on the planet does. It's just a fucking activity, nothing more.

I don't understand the argument of "well it's supposed to be something intimate" or whatever, because it's like... okay, sure, maybe for SOME people it can be, but Jesus fucking Christ, has it ever occurred to these people that MAYBE THAT DOESN'T APPLY TO EVERYONE???!!!

I have NEVER felt sex as an emotional thing, and why should I have to pretend that I do??? Why should I force myself to lie and act like I actually feel an emotional attachment for the person when I don't, just for the sake of doing what is socially acceptable???

IT'S LITERALLY JUST SEX. IT'S JUST AN ACTIVITY. IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A FUCKING DEAL. IT'S MY LIFE AND MY BODY... WHY CAN'T I JUST DO WHAT I WANT???

Sick of this mentality that just because I'm a woman means I'm supposed to be "UnToUcHaBLe!". Well what if I fucking WANT to be touched????

Only reason I ask is because I'm a transfer student from WWU, and over there, the comms class I took SUCKED. I would have to write weekly essays on things like "deeply analyze a time you experienced group communication" or "explain a real-life example of public communication" and other very basic, common-sense things. I felt like I was getting literally nothing out of it, and it was absolutely mind-numbing.

Of course every class is different. But overall, would you say you actually get something out of taking comms classes here, or is it just more bs?

Any kind of insight on these professors or these classes in general would be appreciated!

Comms 101: Pawel Popiel

Comms 102: Teena Edwards

Comms 105: Gabriella Bedoyan

Comms 138: Geoffrey Thatcher and Sara Stout

Comms 210: Anthony Thompson

I'm doing a project on loneliness at Western, and I wanted to gather a variety of student voices for it. You have the option to stay completely anonymous, by the way.

Here are the questions I'm looking to ask people:

1. Do you think loneliness is a major issue at Western? Why?
2. Do you think social media contributes to students feeling lonely?
3. What do you think are some common misconceptions about loneliness?
4. If you’re comfortable sharing, how has loneliness impacted you as a student here?
5. What do you think Western could do to help combat this issue? 
6. Are there any words of advice or comfort you’d like to give other lonely students?

PLEASE DM IF INTERESTED!!!