There was plenty of organic separatism in much of Eastern Ukraine after Maidan. The support they received from Russia doesn’t invalidate that fact.

I remember looking it up and it was about the same as Europe but higher than the US.

Personally I’m not sure the gate keeping you’re observing is all that much of an issue. I think it’s useful to remember many vegans are also public advocates for veganism. It’s important to them that people generally know what they mean when they advocate for veganism.

However, the definition of all words are always in flux. It’s not uncommon to see people call themselves vegan when a more apt description of their lifestyle would be plant based, flexitarian, vegetarian, etc. As such, I think edge cases like your friend take on an outsized importance that goes beyond the morality of your friend eating honey.

Basically, the goal may not be the social exclusion of your friend which is what I think is usually the problematic aspect of gatekeeping.

CBT is useful as a way of addressing all sorts of issues someone might be dealing with. It’s very common for therapists today to incorporate aspects of CBT into their practice regardless of the client. It’s not just something used to treat severe mental illness.

What, specifically, do I need CBT for?

Ask yourself, are you happy arguing with some something this deep into a comment thread? Are you really getting anything out of it? Because if the answer is no but you find yourself still engaging, it’s probably worth talking to a therapist about.

CBT helps plenty of people live happier and healthier lives. You don’t actually need to be diagnosed with any mental illness to find it useful.

I actually recommend going to someone who specializes in CBT and not psychoanalysis. That said if the latter is all that’s available to you it’s generally better than nothing.

I’m not important. Feel free to ignore me if that’s what you really want.

I think it’s generally good practice to go see a therapist every once in awhile if you can afford it and even if you feel fine. I’m not trying to diagnose you and therapists don’t really do that either. But yes, seeing the way you’ve interacted with me and others I think is enough for me to give you that advice.

If you want to use a very high burden of proof then you will have to wait a while to know what’s going on.

I agree but I also think that a high burden of proof should be the standard for political topics especially armed conflict. If this was a youtube video about a pig saving a goat from drowning I wouldn’t really care if people chose to believe in it or not.

I literally think you might need help though. It’s not uncivil nor an insult to suggest someone go to therapy unless they mean to belittle people with mental health issues which I certainly do not. It’s not something to feel ashamed about either especially given the world we live in.

Why won’t you admit you were wrong? I’m not engaging further after this unless you address the question. If you can’t then I suggest you get offline and see a therapist to deal with your own insecurities.

If you’re unwilling to admit that you were wrong about the state of the conflict prior to October 7th then it’s pretty reasonable for me to assume you’re arguing in bad faith.

If you’re unwilling to admit that you were wrong about the state of the conflict prior to October 7th then it’s pretty reasonable for me to assume you’re arguing in bad faith.

If you’re unwilling to admit that you were wrong about the state of the conflict prior to October 7th then it’s pretty reasonable for me to assume you’re arguing in bad faith.

If you really want me to explain to you the difference between between the right to sovereignty and the material existence of a sovereign state I can. I could even provide you with articles written by Palestinians on the topic. However, why should I do that when it just seems like you want to pretend you’ve won some internet argument for the sake of your own ego.

You were wrong about the state of the conflict prior to October 7th. You refuse to admit it and now you want to sidestep your own ignorance through semantics and pedantry. Have fun with that.

What a pedantic and useless argument. Palestinians want a sovereign state. The international community recognizes that they have a right to one. However, Israel violates that right every day therefore deny Palestinians a truly sovereign state.

Honestly, stop pretending you know anything about the plight of the Palestinian people. You showed your ignorance by claiming there was not violent conflict immediately prior to October 7th.

This is something new but I’m still pretty skeptical and I think rightly so. Photos and videos posted to telegram aren’t always what people claim they are. I also haven’t seen any new media willing to say whether or not these videos show what they purport to show. I’d add that it’s also entirely possible for North Korean troops to enter Russia as part of some joint training exercises. However, they may not be intended for deployment in Ukraine.

I’d also be interested to know why the US or NATO do not seem to want to validate any of these claims at this time.

What an absurd comparison. Palestinians in Gaza were under an ongoing military siege by Israel. That looks absolutely nothing like a border between two independent sovereign states. It’s laughable that you would think otherwise.

Edit: Just so you understand how utterly wrong you are, here’s an article about Israel bombing Gaza just weeks before October 7th.

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/24/1201381201/an-israeli-military-raid-has-killed-two-palestinians-in-the-west-bank

Articles like this one are just a search away. Maybe take five seconds and do that before making wildly inaccurate claims next time.

When do you think this conflict started? Because if you’re not aware Israel has been bombing Gaza for decades. The bombing of the desalinization plant I mentioned happened in 2021 and Israel has bombed water infrastructure in Gaza far before that.

Don’t avoid the question this time. In such circumstances what do you expect Palestinians to do? Because as far as I can tell the only answer you have for them is death.