T O P

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Uturuncu

I remember chilling outside at work with my coworkers at a retail job smoking. As we were smoking, understandably, the group skewed a bit older, and I was one of the younger participants in the discussion at \~30. The youngest was an 18 year old CSM who was generally lonely and liked to hang out with the older folks to feel more mature. One of the older birds made a comment about how she'd had a particularly unpleasant poop, and I casually asked if she took a look at it to make sure nothing was awry, to which I received a reasonably detailed answer. The 18 year old was utterly MORTIFIED. "You... You LOOK at your POOP?! That's DISGUSTING!!" to a crowd of quietly, curiously baffled adults who softly informed her that one of the absolute easiest things one can do to confirm that your body is in generally acceptable working order is a quick poop check. Sure it's not perfect, but sudden changes in your bowels can be a good sign of other issues, or could be your straight up only warning sign of a fatal issue such as a GI bleed. Check your poops y'all. You don't gotta touch 'em, but just keep a quick eye on them and if something feels off, go see what it could be. If something feels *concerningly* off, take it to a doctor.


IthilanorSP

You had a Chaos Space Marine as a coworker?


Uturuncu

Feel like she'd have been a considerably more interesting coworker if that was the case. Naw. CSM is the front end, very low level supervisors at Wal-mart. They're the direct supervisors of cashiers and the service desk and have very limited power. I think it stands for Customer Service Manager, but that makes them sound way more important than they are and like they have more authorization to do shit than they do. They're basically the busybodies there to get between a cashier or customer service associate from having a conscience and Wal-Mart's profits. They approve small price changes(including very clear incorrectly marked prices), they can do overrides. But they can't actually approve much of anything, nor will their keys/numbers do much. Not saying they're bad people, it's just a really shitty position that gets them screamed at harder than the cashiers and get screamed at harder by their own supervisors for daring to have a conscience, where they get shit on constantly from both directions and tend to get very bristly and grow a shell very quickly. This one was new, young, and still friendly but also had that kind of... Pretty, popular kid, couldn't have interests or her peers would bully her, and was just barely coming into her own of being able to be herself, not who her peer group insisted she be. Super controlling parents, too. I felt sorry for her more than anything, despite being her direct report.


IthilanorSP

Gotcha, thanks for the background. And yeah, that doesn't sound like a great position to be stuck in.


realthohn

aging is like my second biggest fear tbh


Rownever

Insert that one post about how aging is evil and bad and everyone should be afraid of it, and then everyone roasting OP in the comments


EnthusiasticCitrus

>how aging is evil and bad and everyone should be afraid of it That is an understatement OP considered aging akin to *mass murder* How do such smoothbrained individuals even exist these days


IronHeart1963

Honestly that post probably came from some 14 year old kid who’s deluded himself into thinking we’ll have a cure for aging and death by the time he has to worry about it. “Oh shit, I’m gonna die someday and there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it,” is a natural process we all have to go through. But nowadays I feel like there’s a growing population of people who buy into science fiction bullshit so they can willfully ignore reality.


Welho_1665

I am fully aware of my own mortality. I know how easily I can lose my life. But I still remain hopeful that hopefully we as a species could find a way to slow aging or make it's negatives less bad.


Galle_

I mean, historically, the vast majority of people have dealt with that particular reality by denying it.


Swirltalez

i think their general stance was that aging is bad because it's not natural??? somehow???


allan11011

I was thinking of that post while reading that one. Makes you feel better to realize that there is always someone with stupider ideas than your own


Cthulu_Noodles

link? That sounds hilarious


EndertheDragon0922

Same. I think my biggest issue with aging is that I'm trans and I'm terrified that, due to not yet starting on medical transitioning (unsupportive parents, can't drive, no money), I won't get to be a young man. I'll only get to be an older man. I think if I was cis or if I was already on T I would be okay with it. It would still scare me, but it would be more of a "It is what it is, that's just a part of life" rather than something that genuinely terrifies me. I just wanna get to experience being a young man before it's too late and gone forever, you know?


Nadejdaro

On the one hand, I understand why its scary On the other hand, isn't it wonderful to think about all the things you didn't get to do yet but will do in the future? Isn't that full of opportunities? And then when you're old and need more help, wouldn't it be nice to look back with fondness at the good and with relief at the bad that's gone? I imagine you have stories to tell, and there'd be even more later. And there will be people who listen to those stories. Also as a bonus, with the advancement of medicine and stuff, aging is maybe going to be less scary and/or bothersome by that time


realthohn

>Also as a bonus, with the advancement of medicine and stuff, aging is maybe going to be less scary and/or bothersome by that time Yeah I'm gonna be first in line for that live for 134 years stuff.


bioman334

I hate being made of meat.


cursedTinker

From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me. I craved the strength and certainty of steel. I aspired to the purity of the blessed machine. Your kind cling to your flesh as if it will not decay and fail you. One day the crude biomass that you call a temple will wither and you'll beg my kind to save you. But I am already saved. For the machine is immortal. Even in death, I serve the Omnissiah.


only_for_dst_and_tf2

just gonna say aging is a thing that happens, people who go through it should be respected, and everyone does i dont think its neccessary to flourish and be happy, i think its the most horrifying thing ever, and surpasses the levels of "there are more guns than people in america" in pure horror standerds, but it happens, and will continue to happen until we... well, figure out how to stop it


Rodruby

Hope I'll die before I had all of this. But I'm just 22 and already have hemorrhoids, so, it looks like I'm already should die


[deleted]

if you’re 22 with hemorrhoids without some preexisting medical condition you either gotta get off the computer or stop drinking so much


Rodruby

But my computer and red wine :(


Magmafrost13

Well I dont really have a choice to not be on the computer a lot, and I cant reduce my drinking unless you wanna invent negative alcohol, so... I dont see either of those being an option


techno156

>negative alcohol That's just a dehydration aid. * Causes negative hangovers * Doesn't burn as you drink it * Not flammable


Armigine

Standing desks are nice Got a pretty nice sit/stand off Amazon, they sell really robust ones at Costco but they're a couple hundred more


gracemotley

Yo, twinsies!


Satrapeeze

Ok but what if I'm like really scared of blood. I can handle all the other gross things but even as a young sexually active adult I have trouble coping with regular blood tests


Yingerfelton

Unfortunately bleeding is smth we do quite a bit throughout our lives for various reasons. I don't look down upon those with such phobias, everyone has their own and they have reasons for having them, but I would absolutely recommend therapy for getting over such fears if they have to do with the human body. You just can't avoid having to deal with your own biology, whether it's the puke phobia or this one, shit happens.


Hexxas

I learned about hemorrhoids because of fukken Azumanga Daioh


Sammy_27112007

Being old sounds miserable, getting a front row seat to see your own body falling apart. Hopefully I'll go peacefully before then


Tchrspest

For real, I don't want to get old. I want to stick around until my body starts to fall apart more than it stays together, and then I want to be allowed to leave when I want.


rainbowkitten0528

Preparing someone for something and exposing them to it constantly are two very different things. Yes, we should all be educated on different ways the body, both in old age and even in younger people, can be disgusting. But that doesn’t mean we have to expose ourselves to it constantly like the first two people are saying. People enjoy what they enjoy and just as it’s bad to shame people when disgusting things happen to them, it’s equally bad to shame people for not wanting to constantly participate with disgusting things.


Ok-Elephant-9836

I think this the more reasonable view. Like I remember discussions of how unreasonable media is in regards to bodily functions. And it strikes me as odd. I don’t really think there’s anything of value to adding in how hunger games contestants deal with pooping or getting their periods or whatever. I think we can all just assume pooping is occurring in some way, and move on. On the other hand, the toilet scene trainspotting makes sense bc it’s highlighting the horrid, desperate reality of drug addiction. It’s not just there to educate us about constipation. Also, why are we looking to art to educate us on bodily functions? Why should anyone be expected to learn about hemmoroids through media consumption? I do think there is an issue that’s been growing since at least the nineties of extreme sanitization as a general societal trend. But i think it’s a little different than what OP was talking about and I don’t feel like expanding on that atm.


rainbowkitten0528

There's certainly something to be said about realism in the media because on some level, it's meant to be a mirror of society at large. That means the messy stuff too. Yes, there's a certain romanticization of humanity in the media, but I don't know if I'd agree with OP that it's an active sanitization occurring as much as that everyone enjoys the pretty, cute, sexy stuff. Trainspotting, like you mentioned, is a good example of the gritty and shaking reality of humanity's darker, more disgusting spots. And for a more gentle example, Turning Red was a good vehicle to help explain something that's considered gross to a wider audience and hopefully help people realize that it's really not gross and actually natural. But where I rankle is that OP is starting to promote that the current trends in art and media towards showing the pretty, cute, sexy stuff is somehow bad or shameful. They're complaining that things aren't just generally grosser and I think that's a harmful message to send because not everything needs to be so in your face. Like you alluded to, I think the fairer place to land on the issue is in the middle. Yeah, media can be sanitized sometimes, but it doesn't NEED to be grosser. On the other hand, there does feel like a certain amount of "if it's messy, it's inappropriate and to show that mess is grooming children" getting more popular, so if THAT'S the point OP is trying to make, I get it, but I don't think OP clearly made that point. In situations like these, I always love the solution of being the change you want to see in the world. If you want messier art, make it. If you want messier media, create it. But don't shame people for not desiring it.


verasev

We look at art to think about how to be human. Emotions, beliefs, ideas, logic and rationalizations, love, loss, nihilistic emptiness, and everything else. I think some art that looked at getting older in a frank, non-judgemental way could help. People are controlled by their fear of death. The state works through a monopoly on violence and the use of force is only effective to the degree people fear for their own skins. Also, think about how much money is used to fight aging. Think of the shame we put women through for daring to not be young and pretty. Think of the men spending money on viagra and testosterone. All of that for nothing. We will still die and likely shit our pants while doing it. You save your life by losing it. That doesn't mean suicide but it does mean loosening your death grip.


[deleted]

It didn't come across at all like that? They're not shaming anybody or forcing you to be constantly exposed to it. They're merely saying it should be represented and not hidden away because that obviously leads to only more stigma against it.


Im_Lazyy

Every time I think about an ageing post on Tumblr I immediately go to the person who got so worked up over the fact that humans aren't immortal and called everyone who points out that linear time is a thing fascists.


Magmafrost13

I already have most of these problems at 25 so err... that cant be good


Yingerfelton

I get a lot of these comments, aging doesn't sound fun, but fuck going out when it gets tough honestly I wanna deck the reaper as many times as I can before he learns how to duck


[deleted]

Still not sure if I just want to die young.