My response wasn’t particularly emotional but sure.

Keeping my empathy doesn’t preclude me from being discerning, swift and decisive in moments of crisis or high risk. I prefer to be kind, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to be vicious.

When “prepping for war”, it’s important to consider the non-actors that may get caught in the crossfire. “Conservatives” is a wide generalization, many of them are not only capable of empathy, but dare I say decent people, even if they’re under the spell of propaganda.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a trans woman with a gun and a plan for if/when crisis hits. I’m very aware of the current threats to my life and continued pursuit of happiness. But before that I’m human, and so are they. And as far as I can tell, most of them are as unwilling to participate in this propaganda driven culture war as I am.

So yeah, I’ll keep my empathy.

Don’t let one loud house ruin the neighborhood.

Then let them think we’re weak. Dehumanizing others goes against my principles, whether or not that person dehumanizes me. I won’t compromise myself to “best” them because doing so would defeat the purpose.

Refusing to dehumanize them doesn’t make us any more exploitable, and I would argue refusal to dehumanize others solidifies trust on the side of those with humanity left.

When I see someone refuse to sink to such low states as calling other humans “cockroaches” i have more respect for them, and that much more faith trust they won’t turn around and call me a cockroach a few years down the line when political tides change.

If you’re out here calling people cockroaches then I really don’t give a fuck what you have to say. Bad faith, emotional based insults get us nowhere. They give us too much ammo to be that lazy.

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Similarly, what counts as a date?

If I get a bottle of wine, make dinner with and get cozy on the couch with my best friend… is that a date? Or are we just hanging out? What if we kiss?

I feel like it comes down to intent, and if that intent is shared and understood. Which is why communication is so important in any relationship.

I tend to take my friendships as seriously as my romantic relationships, because, often there is no tangible difference.

I’ve had so’s that were asexual, I’ve had friends I fucked but never “dated”. I’m still friends with most of my ex’s. Sex is sex but the relationship depends on how you define it between the two of you. A label is a label, what matters is that both people feel comfortable with the dynamic and are on the same page as far as what the relationship actually is.

Love comes in a myriad of forms and can evolve overtime, so often living in that grey area. Getting bogged down in trying to label and define what something is or isn’t will just make you rigid when reality comes and you’re in that grey area.

A poster above responded with something about building into a common future which also helps differentiate but can’t really be used as a hard line. I’m actively working into a common future with my best friend and partner but I’m only dating one of them. Devotion, trust, respect, vulnerablity, consistency, and common morals/boundaries seem to be the things I look for when i’m looking at someone I’m considering to be a partner.

Damn… you’re saying I can only choose 50 of my closest friends?

Minecraft!