Monday roundup

Political campaigns are getting creepy with your data.

FFS, Fox News.

We have a buttplant epidemic. No joke; there have been fatalities. The answer (in reference to the woman who said, "you're never happy with your body") is to create a culture where we are always happy with our bodies. If that fails, at least be happy enough to not endanger or permanently disfigure yourself. Yeah I know it's a different issue for exotic dancers, but still.

I'm not quite with the haters on this one--i.e., on whether having a child is a luxury--although I half-joke about it so I guess I'm half with them. It's less financial than etiquette-based: if you can't have a child without being an asshole (i.e., blocking a metro escalator with a stroller), don't do it.

Laurie Penny on nerds, entitlement, and privilege. TL/DR version: don't blame feminism for the impacts of toxic masculinity:

Feminism, however, is not to blame for making life hell for ‘shy, nerdy men.’ Patriarchy is to blame for that.

Maybe read the original comment and some of the back-and-forth. It kind of comes down to this part of the response:

Privilege doesn't mean you don't suffer, which, I know, totally blows.

Scott himself doesn't mansplain, but a lot of the other commenters do, and continue to blame women and feminism for the state of things. Mansplaining, of course, comes down to explaining away other people's experiences (or knowledge). It's the line between "this is what I went through," which is always valid by definition, and "let me tell you about what you went through and why." And some of the commenters excel in that.

Dating, or at least dating well (i.e., mating) is also becoming a luxury. I'm certainly not in the 5 percent; we in the middle range have a harder time finding men who are worth it.

For women, the marriage calculus is pretty simple: you can only reap the full benefits of today’s optimal marriage when your partner is an equal who pitches in and treats you well.

I don't love strollers on public transportation, either, but I admit that they may be necessary. Manspreading, however, is not.