alopecia, weekends, and weed r/changemyview

[@lindsayosterhoff2459]

I have alopecia (among various other disabilies/conditions). Alopecia is not disabling for everyone because it affects different people in different ways but it certainly can be. In my particular case I'd consider it a disability for a few reasons. I have no eyelashes or eyebrows. This leads to issues with things getting in my eyes constantly (which is painful and dangerous). I also only have hair on my scalp sometimes (some are always bald but I fall into the type where it's a constantly changing thing). That leads me to have a hard time regulating my body temperature. Also, it is an autoimmune disorder. Since the body has decided to waste its energy battling hair follicles some of us have weaker immune systems. Funny thing. I'm watching this while putting on fake eyelashes. Something I wear constantly as a sort of glamorous disability aide. I use them to reduce the risk of things getting in my eyes (including reducing light because that can be blinding when you have no eyelashes to filter it a bit). Long story short, I think it's up to the person who hasit to determine if it is for them or not.

[@MsEJMcLaren]

I was leaning the other way on this topic but reading your post actually changed my mind.

[@nyves104]

my understanding is that alopecia is an autoimmune disorder which is absolutely a disability. Also as a disabled person myself who only gets pain relief from weed, I'd probably be dead without it and I'm very grateful it's legal where I live. If that person could figure out a way to get the same level of pain relief without the high, they'd probably be rich

[@lizf1353]

Yes it may be a autoimmune disorder but the only seeming symptoms are related to hair although perhaps in some small cases perhaps there's other things that could be happening however in a very cursory search I didn't see any... I'm going to give the person the benefit of the doubt and assume that when they say disability they likely mean that it is something that would require a accommodation to function or that it would have a serious impact on their ability to live life unaided much like what the government has established a line of what is and isn't considered formally disabled to get benefits such as ssi, medical insurance, a handicap placard or other accommodation etc... like would it be considered a ADA violation for a business to refuse service to someone for alopecia alone? I would think that it would probably be although there's a small chance it may not... BUT would alopecia alone qualify someone as a disabled status to get medical insurance (from the government i.e. Medicare or medicaid for people with disabilities) that is very unlikely even though other autoimmune diseases and disorders are often considered covered disabilities... it's certainly not ok to mistreat someone for alopecia but is it not ok because it's a disability or because body shaming in general is not ok nor is mistreatment if people for something beyond their control... for instance being gay was at one time considered a mental illness and being trans is still considered a mental illness yet neither is a disability and certainly isn't something that you choose. Would we say that someone who mistreated a trans person was attacking them for a disability because it's a medical diagnosis? Obviously not but that doesn't make it ok for them to do so... I'm going to assume they aren't advocating mistreatment or being hurtful to people with alopecia or any medical conditions just saying that they don't see it as a disability and in fairness disability seems to have a wide range of definitions for what qualifies as disabled depending on in what context, what state, what country... you're in...

[@SlothDaan]

Isn't that what they're doing with cbd oil stuff? Only the pain relief but mot the high?

[@nyves104]

@@SlothDaan I can't speak for everyone, but for me cbd helps take the edge off but doesn't give the same amount of pain relief nor last as long as thc does

[@adrienstarfaer]

I mean, yeah, and even if you don't consider it to be a disability, it can cause embarrassment without other people actually adding to it, and it's not something that you can control, so you shouldn't make hurtful jokes about it, y'know? Like, disability or not, it's out of their hands, don't make fun of them for it. I wouldn't want people making jokes at my expense because I'm autistic and adhd. (I'm cool with fellow neurodivergents making jokes sympathizing, like, "adhd be like understimulation followed quickly by overstimulation and you just can't catch a break, amirite?")

[@mackthompson616]

i am so frustrated when people use more “severe” disabilities to disqualify others. if you feel a condition is disabling it is disabling tbh

[@sleepingroses761]

I am an invisibly disabled individual, and I am always super frustrated when society tries to put disability in a hierarchy. I experience narcolepsy and chronic migraine, which significantly impact how I move through the world. For me, disability is an identity, a label that I use to sum up how my experience of the world differs from that of able-bodied people. I'm not gonna push anyone else away from a label of disability based on whether they meet my "qualifications."

[@ThatRomyKate]

I think the first person's issue stems from semantics. Maybe 'disability' and 'ableist' aren't the most appropriate words, but the joke was still punching down on someone for their medical condition which is just shitty. If he'd made a joke about her having acne or excessive hair growth that would've been just as bad, and his behaviour would be ableist in that he is using his superior position as someone without the health issue to make fun of someone because of that health condition. Ergo, ableist. Until we come up with a more inclusive word that that, I think it's the most appropriate to explain the behaviour.

[@kayla8402]

Exactly what I was thinking, it certainly speaks to an ableist mindset on his part even if she specifically isn't disabled by it. And some elements of ableism are about the social impact, which I think your description nailed.

[@lampje5185]

Interesting take y'all! I was thinking something similar. I would say this comment came from a fear of disfigurement (not to say alopecia makes you disfigured, but to use as a general term where it comes from). It's often seen in movies and all kinds of stories, alongside with disabled people, anyone who is in any way visually disfigured/different is seen as 'less' or 'evil', or at the very least something worthy of mocking. There's not really a word for it and it could be considered ableism, if you include disfigurement/different looking people as disabled (in that the world does not give them all the possible abilities cause of their body). Anyways, it's complicated and nice to see these interesting comments!!

[@vulture3105]

I think we can just group that into it being ableist instead of creating a new word because that creates the issue of a ranking system and in a way competition about conditions and disabilities that in reality have spectrums and overlap each other. Things aren’t at all black and white and when we get into that territory, belittles people’s experiences and can make it harder to get support and resources. It’s quite the slippery slope and people are happy to argue semantics to try and hide being a bad person (I’m saying in general bc I’ve seen it happen, I’m not talking about you specifically)

[@champ1ontryymegaming304]

Yet, he stated he had no idea she had Alopecia. Also, her alopecia was very mild and only affected a small part of her scalp. She chose to shave her head. I have a condition as well that affects my scalp and hair, but don't expect everyone to know about it. Also, the awards show is known to make little jokes about the stars and the joke was about GI JANE, an iconic chat. At the end of the day, I would say ESH, but mostly for the woman WITH Alopecia who chose to "expose" her husband to millions basically belittling him. Oh, and also everyone who is crapping in the comedian who made a joke that HE thought was harmless since he didn't know about the condition, while simultaneously celebrating him getting smacked on live TV after he had childhood trauma of being bullied, so much so, there was a WHOLE show made about it called, "Everyone Hates Chris".

[@paranoidrodent]

Regarding the legalization of weed, what I've noticed as an ordinary Canadian (we legalized it several years ago - it's got a similar status to alcohol here and it was socially accepted for ages before that) is that cannabis products have gained popularity as a substitute to alcohol but people are fairly discrete about their consumption. With legal and government inspected/standardized cannabis products, you know that you are getting a safe product of a specific strength. The whole question of the smell is actually far less of an issue than it was before legalization because edibles, beverages, oils and vaped options with little to no smell are the preferred method of consumption in the company of others (even cannabis users don't tend to really care for the smell). There's no smell when you crack open a THC-containing soda at a party or munch a gummy or two at a concert. Also, stoned party and concert goers are so much more pleasant and harmless than drunk ones (who are far more likely to be belligerent or grabby). Having all those non-smoked options means a LOT less smelly smoke. Those opting to actually smoke tend to follow the same basic rules of politeness that tobacco smokers are expected to follow (except that smoking in one's car is obviously not acceptable for driving under the influence reasons). The virtual disappearance of seedy pot and hash dealers was nice too, although that largely happened before legalization proper as the country developed a grey market and largely just ignored the cannabis prohibition as a whole (at which point, everyone "knew a guy" or could just order it online).

[@ThatRomyKate]

I read a book by a paramedic who said he'd rather alcohol be made illegal and cannabis be legalised instead. He said that so much of his job was caused by alcohol, e.g. people drinking too much and injuring themselves, getting into fights, the effects of alcoholism, alcohol poisoning etc. Whereas people who've smoked too much pot are limited by their symptoms, stay at home and usually just need a pat on the head and some reassurance until they sober up :D

[@nathryl03]

I was just about to say the same thing. It's like you read my mind (and were 2 hours earlier, but who's counting lol). You explained it in a great way. 😄

[@demolitionwoman_OFMD]

Another benefit of legalization is that it helped me pinpoint the types that most help with my insomnia. Before legalization, it was kinda impossible for me to figure out why sometimes the cannabis flower I bought did the trick of helping me fall asleep and sometimes it just didn't.

[@FoxxyFire-HellFrost]

I'm a cancer survivor and, when I was 15, I had to get brain radiation. This caused the death of patches of follicles on my scalp. I've had bald patches on my head since and I used to become incredibly scared of people seeing my hair. I wouldn't go out if I wasn't covering my head, and still feel that way sometimes. I hate that someone would minimize the side effects of hair loss like alopecia (which is an autoimmune disease) by comparing it to other diseases when I am a cancer survivor with hair loss and I find my hair loss to affect me in my daily life almost as often as my other health issues. No one should compared diseases or illnesses, especially amongst others because you don't know what other people are going through. You only know what YOU are going through.

[@stragmar]

Regarding disability humour, I do not remember where I heard it but it went something like this "There is such a thing as gallows humour, if you're the one on the gallows, otherwise you're part of the excecution."

[@toros8589]

for the first discussion - i am what many would call a "severely" disabled person, and while most of my friends are disabled, their lives arent as affected on a permenant/day to day bases. but! we have an agreement with each other about not playing "pain olympics", which means that though my baseline is 'worse', if my friend has a flare up or even just a bad day, she can complain to me about it without guilt, because she's a different person than me and both our pain are valid. to me, this extends to disabilities like alopecia. like, can she obviously walk etc? sure, but the fact that some disabled people cant doesnt make her pain and problems with her illness any less valid or life altering, and trying to use people like me as an example of what is or isnt a life altering condition feels like weaponizing my pain against people who are also suffering. in the end, we all just end up hurt by that. when it comes to who is or isnt disabled, i just figure if you feel like your life is affected enough to call yourself disabled, who am i to say no?

[@lydialaub5475]

"[A disability's] impact can be felt on a spectrum" -- as an autistic person ("autism spectrum disorder") this cracked me up! Thank you for that!

[@kateluvya]

For years, I had some negative opinions on pot (mostly on recreational use). When I began my health crisis, people kept suggesting pot. I resisted, due to my opinions. Finally, the pain was bad enough and nothing else was working, so I started trying some pot products. Nothing worked until I smoked my first joint. Ye gods, to be free of the pain was a miracle! I asked my husband why no one told me about how great pot was years ago. He gave me a rather pointed look and said, "I did!". Especially with pot legal here in Canada, I have changed my opinion on recreational pot. So long as you are smart with it (no driving etc) who does it hurt?

[@hjones911]

so, as a disabled person, I am a person who has an impairment and then the way society is set up (attitudes, physical barriers etc) dis-ables me. with alopecia I imagine society's attitudes about people with it experience a lot of attitudinal barriers from society. anyone wanting to know more should look into the social model of disability, especially how it compares to the medical model of disability 😊

[@xotbirdox]

I am "actually disabled." I have autism, depression, social anxiety disorder, OCD, PCOS, Endometriosis, Chronic Migraines, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, and IBS, as well as suspected Rheumatoid Arthritis (been waiting to see a rheumatologist for the entire pandemic but both me, my mum and my doctor think it's probably Rheumatoid bc it runs in our family. My joint pain and swelling are out of control) and I'm also currently still recovering from a really bad ankle injury in November. It was a bimalleolar fracture that required a 2-hour long surgery and 4 days in hospital. They also suspected that my surgeon may have torn my ligament in surgery bc there was a gap between my bones on one of my post-op x-rays but when they sent me for a CT scan to confirm, they said it was OK afterwards but I am not getting any better despite being out of cast and everything so I'm thinking of asking them to check again. But yeah, this is all to say, basically that Redditor would probably consider me "actually disabled." I have a whole host of issues, barely ever leave the house, and I consider myself disabled. And yet, I absolutely consider alopecia a disability. I know Jada is obviously not British but over here at least, as I'm sure you might know being British yourself, a disability is defined in the Equality Act 2010 as (and I'm paraphrasing here) "any condition that affects one's daily life." Alopecia absolutely affects someone's daily life. Now, if someone with alopecia tells me that they don't want to be referred to as disabled, I will absolutely oblige. I will never call someone disabled if they don't want me to do so. But that doesn't change the fact that alopecia absolutely qualifies as a disability, and if someone with alopecia wants to refer to themselves as disabled, that is absolutely fine by me! It's not a slap in the face to "real disabled" people at all. No hate to that Redditor but the rhetoric that they showed is exactly the same rhetoric that is used to deny accommodations and services to disabled people across the world. We're never "disabled enough" in some people's minds. I got lied about the first time I tried for Personal Independence Payment/PIP. I wrote them a DETAILED letter about my struggles and asked for them review their decision, and I got £3,000 backdated and am now on the second-highest amount of PIP. The people at the DWP that lied about me are the exact same people who deny disabled people's experiences based on them not being "severe enough." As someone who has been through their fair share of people not believing me, or supporting me, I will always support someone who feels that their condition disables them. Always. The disabled community is nowhere near as closed off and gatekeepy as a lot of abled people seem to think. The only requirement to being accepted by disabled people as one of us is that you have a condition that you feel disables you. That's literally it. Disabled is not some special word that only certain unwell people can use. It's a helpful word that can help you get across your support needs and emotions about your condition. Alopecia absolutely disables people, and if anyone with alopecia wants to call themselves disabled, that's fine by me. Whatever helps them meet their support needs is A-OK in my eyes!

[@adjjal]

❤

[@Disney8272]

I wholeheartedly agree, what hurts us as disabled people is not other people also being disabled it's people like OP throwing around claims that certain people aren't "disabled enough" because that becomes a common part of discourse and makes it harder for us to find accommodation and support.

[@catz537]

It's interesting that this video was suggested to me, because I made a post on facebook the other day in which I said that alopecia is not a disability. My thought process was that balding is not physically or mentally disabling on its own. I acknowledged that depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia resulting from alopecia ARE disabling and should be considered disabilities. But I learned something from this video. I did not consider hair loss in other places besides the scalp, and I did not think about how the loss of eyelashes or nose hair could affect people. Nor did I consider what someone in this comment section mentioned - that for some people with alopecia, their immune system may waste antibodies attacking hair follicles, which would result in fewer antibodies being available to attack things that are actually harmful. Are these things disabling enough to warrant calling alopecia a disability? I don't know, it probably depends on how disabling alopecia can actually be. Because, if you want to get really technical about it, anything can be disabling; but we don't call everything that is or can be disabling a disability. This has actually made me question how we should define disability. Like, what is considered disabling *enough* to be called a disability? I know this seems like semantics, but it's also a legal question and a question relating to identity. I have psoriasis and I don't consider it a disability, because it does not really disable me. It does not cover my whole body; it has not given me psoriatic arthritis; it does not cause pain or impede my ability to move my joints. The worst it does is give me body image issues and make me extremely itchy (especially my scalp). I am also autistic, and I *do* consider my autism to be a disability, because society is not accommodating to me. But... some people who are autistic or who have psoriasis may not feel the same as I do. I should have realized this sooner, but the answer to the question, "is this disabling enough to be considered a disability?" should be answered by the person who is dealing with it - at least when we're talking about identity, since this is true for any identity. The legal definition is a whole other can of worms.

[@bradiedean7466]

Thank you for holding space to reconsider the issue respectfully and in his faith!

[@Birdkiller46]

Disabled person here! (I’m autistic). I claim the label disabled. It doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. It just means I may have a harder time doing some things than people who are *not* disabled. However, being autistic isn’t an illness. Being autistic is not a bad thing. But it is a disability. A disability doesn’t have to be a illness/negative “condition.” Someone who follows the medical model of disability and thinks that autistic people like me are burdens and being autistic is a tragedy might think that way. But I believe in the social model of disability. I’m disabled because some things are harder for me than people who aren’t disabled. But being autistic isn’t some sort of illness. It’s simply a disability because it causes some challenges compared to allistic people (people who aren’t autistic).

[@charliebrown1184]

To the first discussion, I have severe eczema. It's particularly bad on my hands, which can get so dry that my skin cannot flex enough to do basic tasks like gripping a pen without cracking and bleeding across all of my knuckles and washing my hands or using sanitiser is incredibly painful. I wake up at night itching or in pain and bleeding because I have subconsciously scratched myself in my sleep and often can't get back to sleep for hours because of pain and itching. It also affects my arms, legs and face, which are at best dry and scaly but a normal skin tone, and at worst, red, blotchy, angry and flaking. When I get a really bad flare-up my face also swells up such that I can barely see out of my eyes. So yes, dermatological conditions like eczema, psoriasis and alopecia may not be disabilities, but they absolutely ARE debilitating. They affect what people like me are physically able to do, how people look at us in a world that puts so much focus on physical appearance, and as a result, our self esteem. It's nearly impossible to be comfortable in your own skin when your skin just hurts.

[@bennyton2560]

I have it too. Have yr doctor prescribe some thick cremes can help daily

[@charliebrown1184]

@@bennyton2560 I have probably tried every single cream known to humankind at this point, including prescription medications from a specialist.

[@inbuttsmeeting]

is it not psoriasis at that level of severity? jesus I'm sorry specialists haven't been able to find anything that works for you, that's awful

[@charliebrown1184]

@@inbuttsmeeting With psoriasis there is usually skin thickening and then flaking, whereas eczema usually has just the inflammation, rash and itching. I also have the eczema type that causes tiny and very itchy blisters to appear on the hands called dishydrotic eczema, which is usually only found in people with other types of eczema. I do have a treatment plan in place and various medications that definitely do help to manage the condition and prevent or reduce flareups, but unfortunately there's no cure yet. Like most people with a chronic condition, I am constantly trying new things, in my case new creams and products that are recommended to me and I have had some success replacing traditional petroleum-based creams and ointments with natural moisturisers like shea and cocoa butters. It may not work for everyone but it has helped me.

[@animeartist888]

@@charliebrown1184 I am aware that this is quite an old comment, but as a person who also suffers from eczema I have a tip for the scratching yourself awake- try getting a pair of fabric gloves to wear overnight. They prevent the kind of deep scratching that typically splits open the blistered areas and have the bonus effect of helping your creams and oils stay on the skin longer. They're washable and reusable, so no need to worry about plastic waste of using disposable gloves, and they breathe, so they're unlikely to cause sweaty discomfort.

[@charlie_solace]

my best friend's dad's job has a system where there are alternating 4 day and 5 day weeks so he get every other Friday off all year round which is definitely a step in the right direction towards more flexible work.

[@gracebaxter9744]

As a Canadian, I would say that the legalization of weed has definitely led to a lot of destigmatization around weed usage. One of the main problems with making weed illegal is the likelihood of not only the undergrad/blackmarket drug trade, but also the high degree of laced drugs (in Vancouver, we are currently experiencing an opioid crisis of an insane magnitude and many people have OD'ed on drugs laced with fentanyl). The presence of safe injection sites in downtown Vancouver (of which the conservatives staunchly oppose) has also helped in reducing the amount of overdose deaths. However, it is not true that weed does not have any negative health impacts (particularly among kids who's brains are developing). I do not say this out of a judgemental perspective (love the wacky tobacky), but smoking any substance is associated with negative health impacts. That said, many people who suffer from mental/physical disabilities need weed for pain relief so it also can serve a health purpose (particularly for those who suffer from chronic pain).

[@catjenkins9679]

The majority of my family has smoked at one point and the current fear of weed being cut with fentanyl is one of the reasons I'll never smoke. Weed is medically helpful, but the streets and black market are dangerous. Insite Vancouver (supervised injection site) is incredible and eases the anxiety and stigma. Many people who do use weed are pleasant people and are fine to be around, compared to the loud and obnoxious drunks around Vancouver.

[@anikaphillips1372]

The thing with alopecia is it's an autoimmune condition where your immune system attacks the hair follicles.

[@oli_kate]

So I'm disabled and I have a chronic illness that causes me to experience pretty extreme nausea on a daily basis. I've tried most things on the market and honestly weed is the only thing that has genuinely helped. I have a 5mg edible and it only makes me a little high but it takes away my nausea for several hours. Which then grants me relief and the ability to actually eat. It also has helped me with trauma. I've had several important realisations with my friends. So have my friends. It allows me to think about a traumatic experience without feeling that panic and hurt so in the forefront. I'm able to put the emotions down for a bit and just think about things and talk about them. It's been phenomenal and I can now talk about it without panicking/crying. Also re the smell, at least for me and my friends, we make sure to be respectful when we smoke. We go outside in our gardens, blow the smoke up, close nearby windows and doors, etc. I've only made my house smell like weed once and that was when I was decarbing it (baking it in the oven so I could do homemade quick edibles called firecrackers) and I haven't done it since. But the smell did also disappear after an hour of having a breeze blow through the house. It isn't fully legalised where I live but it's partially and I've been able to get safe weed from reputable places. I also think that all drugs should be legalised and that harm reduction centers should be implemented because if people are allowed to use safely and protected from things like infections and being alone and sexual assault, not only are they protected from those things but they are also more likely to go through rehab successfully. John Oliver did a great episode on harm reduction over on Last Week Tonight. Anyway also if it's legalised then people won't be scared to report crimes around drugs like theft, murder, assault. Because currently if you report those, you can get arrested yourself. The reasons for legalising drugs are very similar to the reasons for legalising sex work because many of the same problems arise and would be fixed if things could be less stigmatised and safer and more regulated. And no the nordic model of only arresting people who pay for sex work is not better. All that means is that the people willing to pay for sex work are willing to commit a crime and it can make it more unsafe for sex workers. People will always find a way to have drugs, sex work, abortions, etc so legalising them so they can be regulated is sort of a no brainer. It makes it safer for everyone involved.

[@crochetmatriarch]

"Businesses should go to a 7 day week" Me: So, like...Retail? Fast Food/convenience? I do not see what would be different.

[@blackivy7582]

So, my grandmother has alopecia, amongst other things. It stems from an auto immune disorder that affects her, my father, myself. Sure, she loses her hair and some people may ask what the big deal is. But it affects so much more. Things constantly get in her eyes, her skin is more likely to get rashes, cuts, sunburns, abrasions, you name it. She's even gotten infected follicle from her hair not being there to fill the space. The way the auto immune disease affects my skin is through severe and painful eczema, which is "just a rash" even though it is often so bad in my flares that I can not move my hands without my skin cracking and bleeding and causing me immense pain. Please stop having an abelist view on things just because you don't understand.

[@byecatsstacey7467]

Awesome discussions, Shaaba, love being a peach! Speaking from a U.S. perspective on the weed topic, decriminalizing it would make a huge difference in our criminal justice system if nothing else. The simple act of decriminalizing at the federal level and expunging associated sentences would radically change our legal framework for the better. For far too long, in far too many places, seemingly minor marijuana related crimes ended in staggeringly disproportionate sentences for vastly minority populations. The removal of marijuana from that class of drug at the federal level and expunging those ridiculous sentences would be a measure of social justice, at least.

[@karendaniel620]

I can't be impartial about alopecia. I'm raising my 6 year old granddaughter, and she has alopecia. But hair is an important part of image. She is a girly girl who can't grow out enough of her hair to do the types of cute styles her 3 year old sister can. My girl embraces who she is most of the time. But 5th graders were making fun of her when she wore the wig she got for Christmas. So, I think it can affect your ability to feel good about moving around in the world. ETA I am a rideshare driver in the US. People go out just as much on Wed and Thursday as on Friday.

[@earthwormlily7425]

With the 7-day workweek thing, I immediately thought about burnout and other mental health disorders. As someone who has had many struggles with burnout, I feel like forcing people to work 7 days a week would ultimately result in less work getting done since everyone would be so stressed and burnt out. Especially in the case that Shaaba said, with evil corporations forcing people to work all 7 days so they have no breaks. It also would probably result in unhealthy standards online/in the media, making people think that if they don’t work all 7 days, they’re “lazy.” Edit: also you’re hair color is absolutely stunning Shaaba :)

[@irenerichards9533]

I’m pretty sure Unions were created to put an end to 7 day workweeks and also provide rights for employees

[@keenywah6349]

My brother-in-law unfortunately lives in a “right to work” state and has to work 7 days a week for months on end. It’s pretty rough - that’s in manufacturing by the way

[@christianavance9124]

My high school economics teacher told us the most important information learned from active communism, was that humans cannot survive a 7day work week and must have a minimum of 1 day per week to rest and recover. I've always wanted to see the studies that brought them to that conclusion.

[@llynxfyremusic]

I do uni courses and the heavy workload plus my horrible management of time mde it so i ended up crunching for weeks on end. When i did get free time i had to choose between three online friend groups and my family to spend it with. My eyesight has also significantly worsened and my back is always in pain. I've only just started getting back into the habits of self care and i'm doing it very slowly. I use resources for adhd people to help me. My mother refuses to let me get tested for adhd even though i check enough boxes to potentially have it.

[@melissacoviello2886]

There are individuals who are Deaf who don’t consider it a disability. I am hard of hearing, although I prefer the term hearing impaired (NOT an accepted term on the Deaf community) but for me it is the most accurate term. It highlights the accommodations that I may need to conduct business in society. I don’t think it’s a disability that you can’t still achieve great things if you have it, which I think many in the community think is the implication of calling it a disability. For me it’s medically accurate and helps me get the appropriate accommodations. I also find this true for my sons, one of which has similar hearing loss, the other who is functionally deaf (not capitalized because he used oral communication and isn’t fluent in sign, although we continue to learn more).

[@jaketaylor2775]

I think the debate over whether or not it's a disability becomes a bit of a dead end, because as you said, some might consider it a disability and some may not. And then we just end up in this whole other debate and forget what started the conversation in the first place, I.E: The morality of mocking a person's medical condition

[@melissacoviello2886]

@@jaketaylor2775 I hear ya, I think jokes mocking disabilities are gross to say the least. That being said, I don’t think Chris Rock actually knew she had alopecia. I think Jada looks amazing with her head shaved and I’m sorry she did it due to her condition, but because she looks so good with it, I think a lot of people assumed it was a fashion choice.

[@vornamanachnam8015]

It doesn't make a difference though if you know of someone in your audience having it. I always consider it a good check to imagine the majority of people affected by whatever you are having a comedy bit about. In life i say everything said with care and compassion is good everything coming from a place of superiority or feeling of uneffectedness is nuo

[@melissacoviello2886]

@@vornamanachnam8015 well except it was a hair joke, he’s a comedian and while I think they could be more sensitive, if you go to far one way there will be nothing left to joke about.

[@leggyegg2890]

If you’re happy to answer, can I ask why you prefer the term hearing impaired? I’m disabled but not Deaf and I sometimes work in disability advocacy/consumer representation, so I’m interested in hearing different perspectives :) Is it mainly because of the access to care you mentioned? Or are there other reasons why you don’t identify as being Deaf/prefer the term hearing impaired to hard of hearing?

[@summer_the_rae]

I have alopecia areata and while I don't see it as a disability for myself (though it can be considered one for others, we're all different), it's very debilitating because of the toll it takes on your confidence. Since I was 10, grown adults would ask me why I have a bald spot on the top of my head. I take painful shots to make the spots grow back. For a few years I had 1 eyebrow and no eyelashes. During the beginning of the pandemic, I was so stressed, which caused a LOT of hair loss, which made me even more stressed, and causing more hair loss again. It's a horrible cycle. I've never met anyone in real life who's gone through this, so it's been incredibly isolating, especially when I was in middle school. Regardless of whether or not it's a disability, making fun of someone for a medical condition isn't funny, and I'm sick of people saying, "You can't make jokes about anything more!" Yes you can. EDIT: To further comment on OP's post, I have eczema, which IS definitely a disability.

[@rai1578]

5:14 This BAFFLES me and infuriates me as well. As a disabled person, I regularly have able people with no medical qualifications or any experience with it try to comment on my level of disability. Like sir, you have ZERO experience or knowledge regarding this topic other than just "this is my opinion!" and I live with it. It impacts every aspect of my life, every single day. I have to consider it in every single thing I do, and I have to be knowledgeable on my own conditions both in order to manage them and in order to advocate for myself. Which one of us do you REALLY think is more qualified in this situation?

[@rexcabrera8398]

furthermore the decriminalization of drugs (even the bad ones) allows us to treat drug problems as public health issues rather than criminal -> cheaper, and better for society.

[@TaylorKingTeaman]

Agree with everything you've said in this video tbh. Super cool format - discussing stuff in a safe space and sharing your views. Excited for the next one! :)

[@bennyton2560]

Shaaba is based

[@solsystem1342]

Idk what op meant but I think having a rotating work week/multiple different schedules would be good. Ie: 4 or 5 out of 7 people work every day but, everyone individually could still have a fixed schedule. This allows buildings to be used much more efficiently since you can have a weekend equivalent crowd at the bar 2-3 times as often with 2-3 times less bars. Similarly for any recreational activity. This would also mean we wouldn't have to leave work buildings completely empty over weekends. Obviously all that is wasted space too and empty buildings still get wear and tear from weather, still need heating in the winter, etc.

[@thegaythespian]

Here's the thing with weekends, and I think maybe what that OP was getting at with a 7 day business week. I think they meant something similar to what you said about a shift schedule of 4 day weeks. The problem with any week/weekend structure is that it assumes that people with a need to sync up schedules (with kids, spouse, etc have access to the jobs dictated by the "work week". For those of us in service industry jobs, the idea of the weekend is a source of hilarity with a healthy dose of irony, because so few of us work a strict M-F schedule. How do we account for restaurant servers who decide it's time to have a child, or get unexpectedly pregnant, but are still expected to work the busier weekend shifts, and may need to because of better tips to provide for their growing families. If we shift all establishments to a 7 day schedule, with rolling set work weeks among employees, whether it's a 4 or 5 day schedule, that provides better access to services for all working people. School lining up is still an issue, and I'm not sure the best way to solve that, but overall, any set work week is going to perpetuate a divide between business and service workers

[@monicabender3943]

ADHD, OCD, Anxiety, depression, insomnia, low appetite are some of the issues in my household that only weed has been able to help. As a result of the complex interactions of these disorders combined neither my husband nor my daughter (an adult) are capable of being reasonable humans with out the use of these products. Many other prescription drugs have been tried and the negative side effects of treating one condition exacerbated the others. Legalizing here in Canada made it easier to obtain legally and cheaper (before legalization we had prescriptions for limited conditions). As well as giving non-smoke options for my daughter who does not appreciate smoke. The other thing about legal pot is the benefit to the medical community who can have easier access to research it and the benefits it could have as well as the potential dangers so that we can be better informed.

[@sjames672]

A medical condition can cause a disability. For some people they will not be disabled by it. I lost my hair completely, along with eye lashes and eyebrows, but I put on a wig and carried on, I even gave my wig a name. Another person with exactly the same symptoms may be emotionally devastated by the loss and find that debilitating to the point of being disabled by it. That's not a judgement on someone, it's just how it is. It's important to acknowledge how it affects individuals, not just use disability as an umbrella term that is supposed to cover everyone's experience of the same condition . Even a person who has lost part of a leg and uses a prosthesis may or may not consider themselves disabled, it would depend on how it affects them, how they adapt and how they deal with it day to day.

[@LarsBars859]

I love your take on weed, I'm Canadian and i indulge in it and my life has only improved from it. I'm a student and my productivity has increased incrementally since incorporating it into my day. I have ADHD and it actually helps me focus.

[@RiverWoods111]

It is the only thing that helps with migraines, and when I am using it I don't self-medicate by binging on sugar and carbs. I can actually control my eating disorder -- I have ADHD.

[@GrungeGalactica]

Yess I have adhd and I tried some unknown strain and my brain has never worked better. Even now I’m on medication for it, it’s never worked as well as whatever strain that was. It made me feel like how I’d imagine a neuro typical person to be. everything that shift at a restaurant cocktail bar ran so smoothly rather than the disjointed mess I usually experience. If it was legalised here in the uk they could breed strains specifically targeted to help certain things and the product would be much more consistent. Plus I hate having to smoke it, it tastes vile to me, I’d love to just pop a gummy and go like a well oiled machine every day. Maybe one day 🤞🏻

[@Charlotte-wx4jz]

As someone with multiple health conditions. I’ve always thought of it like, you can have an illness/ health condition or you can have a disability or you can have a illness/ health condition that causes a disability.

[@ihateunicorns867]

I don't think people who go in this forum really want their mind changed. I also don't think Chris Rock knew Jada had alopecia. The way he delivered the joke and defended it was more inline with someone who just thought she'd shaved her head as a fashion choice. Still not ok. Men need to stop judging women on their appearance. Weed: My sister's friend (when he was a teenager) habitually smoked weed and suffered psychotic episodes as a result of it. He was sectioned and in a marijuana-induced panic, tried to escape and run away. He was so panicked, he tripped, hit his head on the curb and died. …But I do think it should be legalised, because the negative aspects of drugs trafficking far exceed the problems of people smoking weed.

[@chrisleneil]

I’m just going through your back catalogue, because I find your vibe v chill, & I need that right now. (Been a sub for ages) I’m a huge fan of legalisation of cannabis *even though* I am allergic to pot. (I also apparently don’t have the correct receptors, so thus do not have a ‘fun’ THC reaction) I do not feel I should regulate other people’s choices for relaxation.

[@MeganHitachiin]

As a Canadian who uses weed in some variety for anxiety. I am super happy it is legal but I honestly just hate the smell so like what I use doesn’t smell like it. The smell in public is literally only downside I have really seen since legalization but like people still smoke outside, spray on too much perfume and other scent heavy things. And honestly I rarely notice the smell of weed outside it is mainly in houses that I even notice the smell :P

[@pyritethefool4637]

I do hate the smell of weed. I wish people would choose to smoke it away from residential areas. Especially in the summer in places where people don't have AC so they have to leave their windows open all night to cool off. It's frustrating when you just want to cool your home down at night, and your home is filled with a nauseating smell. I don't think we should make it illegal, but I do wish people would use it in different ways or go somewhere where it wouldn’t bother anyone.

[@madisonary9240]

I don’t like the smell of weed either, it honestly makes me nauseous but I would legalise all drugs, limit the sale of them to only specially trained pharmacists/pharmacies (who can explain how to use them most safely). Standardise them, ensure they’re clean, government collect taxes and takes away from drug cartels. I know the downside is addiction but alcohol and cigarettes are legal, are addictive and are in various ways are also deadly and destructive.

[@pegmama8]

Yes, and weed is actually not physically addictive, like alcohol and tobacco are! Meaning, you can of course form a reliance on it to the point where you’re uncomfortable if you’re not high, but there are no physical withdrawal symptoms.

[@bayrochford3877]

As a girl with alopecia, I wouldn’t think of it as a disability for me, my alopecia gives me bald patches of various sizes and I have not yet lost eyelashes, eyebrows or gone completely bald. I have experienced self esteem issues and had problems interacting with others. For me, I consider it an inconvenience that I just have to deal with as it doesn’t really effect my health. For those with severe alopecia, I would think of it as a disability because it does effect your health. That’s just my opinion tho

[@rivertam7827]

There are further points as to whether the joke was ableist 1) Did Chris know about Jada's alopecia? 2) Was the point of the joke demeaning? As in is it offensive to compare someone to GI Jane? As far as what constitutes a disability, that's debatable, but if you were to use guidelines for government services, it depends on how much your condition impacts your ability to carry out daily activities, so whilst two people may have the same condition, one may be able to carry out their activities without impairment, but another may need assistance. Generally, alopecia would not qualify as a disability, but a medical condition, which it would still be kinda shitty to joke about if you were aware of. Having said that, it's still no excuse for physical assault.

[@NyoomMonster]

I agree witj you, especially about the marijuana one. I use it medically (I live in Colorado, the first US state to legalize it), and it helps me a lot with pain and PTSD, and productivity. I can use it to help me when I miss/run out of my regular psych medications, so that I don't feel as bad, and when I don't have my meds using marijuana helps me function better. I use THC heavy Indica, and that makes me more motivated to do things, anf helps my brain loosen up when my PTSD is getting to me and prevents my brain from having as big a trauma response as it would have, and allows me to think more clearly and understand and communicate my thoughts and feelings. It strengthens my brain's ability to rewire itself and develop neural pathways to replace the trauma developed ones, so I can feel better about a trigger or memory than I used to. PTSD has been a huge hindrance for my ability to do artistic things, which is my job, and smoking some weed really helps me when I'm struggling with panic and fear and lack of creativity. I have work related trauma so work has been a huge trigger for a long time. I used to not be able to sit down and start working on something without having a panic attack and breaking down into tears.

[@jordansmith2911]

I support legalization of weed but don’t use it because I have a psychotic disorder and weed can cause psychosis.

[@NatashaLeite]

Middle Eastern countries and countries like Somalia have their week on Sunday to Thursday. Also, Finland have removed one day of their work week - Friday. So their work week is Monday until Friday.

[@wonderbugone]

I have friends who have drank until they vomited and blacked out, a mother who struggled with alcoholism throughout my childhood, and a grandfather I never met because the cigarettes he smoked likely gave him the lung cancer that killed him. Weed is less addictive than alcohol and cigarettes. It can make you less aggressive whereas alcohol can make you more aggressive. Just don't use and drive. I am Canadian and approve of legalization 🍁People who don't agree operate out of baseless fear and tradition. Marijuana legalization doesn't open the door to "hard drug" legalization. *Alcohol and cigarettes* are harder drugs that are _already_ legal. And why are people obsessed with "productivity"? Do people write symphonies while out at the bar or watching TV??? Saying you shouldn't legalize weed because it makes people unproductive is like saying we should ban movies because it makes people unproductive. Excuse me, I watch movies to have fun and destress? Not to design bridges?

[@anjar6483]

Regarding alopecia and hair loss, I 100% think that it can affect the way someone lives their lives. I have personally witnessed people say and do horrible things to people with hair loss that they have no control over. I used to be in a choir with a woman experiencing hair loss (though I’m not sure if it was alopecia), and the choir director once yelled at her during rehearsal saying it was unprofessional of her to perform without wearing a wig. I was absolutely disgusted by his comment and I felt so bad for this woman. I ended up leaving the choir because the dire was such an awful person. But anyway, making fun of people with hair loss is unacceptable.

[@gabeangel8104]

As a person with quite a severe disability, I don't really get where the first person was coming from. Are they suggesting that it's not ok for a comedian to make fun of someone with a disability but it's absolutely fine to make fun of someone with a medical condition that has potentially deviated that persons life (either physically or emotionally)? I actually think a lot of the issue with the particular case that is being debated at the moment is that an awful lot of people don't seem to be understanding that loosing hair is a lot different of an experience for a woman than it is for a man. As men, we may not like it but we all accept that we are probably going to start loosing our hair at some point in life. Women have such different, and harder, beauty standards put on them and many women face ridicule, bullying or discrimination for even having hair too short (I know that pressure and attitudes about hair is something I very much felt before I came out as trans and I actually had a hairdresser refuse point blank to cut my long hair off when I wanted to start transitioning) let alone being completely bald! I know from my partner and other women that it can be downright traumatic for a woman to loose her hair, and I can't even begin to imagine how much being someone famous or in the public eye, or just generally in the any industry that puts so much weight on appearance, must magnify that experience! So is alopecia a disability? Who cares! The same rules apply to anything that is painful, traumatic, or marginalising: you only get to use it as comedic material if you are part of the group effected by it

[@jennivamp5]

I would love a longer form of these types of videos with you and Jamie. I love listening to people having intelligent discussions about a range of topics, even better when they can have civil disagreements on things. I think we need to have more examples of this out in world, especially right now.

[@HasabeMizurukara]

I personally am afraid the 4 day work week because my disability makes my commute long. Like 2 hours of my day. And from what I've seen the 4 day work week has people working longer days to make up for the extra day off. I feel like I would be overwhelmed if I had to work 10 day work days with a 2 hour commute.

[@TiredKnitter]

I think this is missing the idea of the social model of disability, which very basically says that what makes people disabled is the world's inaccessibility, not their medical condition. So the same medical condition can make one disabled or not depending on the accommodations available. So if people with alopecia experience the world as inaccessible to them because of alopecia then they are disabled. It's not for anyone else to decide.

[@tairohnaylor6223]

As for the weed and work week, I agree with you. I grew up being told things are the way they are for a reason and I was foolishly okay with that. But I've realized I disagree with a lot of things I grew up being told.

[@engineer_with_issues]

Loved the Video! I know it doesn't really fit the theme of this and it is very minor and maybe a bit silly. When you talked about the war in Ukraine, I think it is important to name it as it is, a unprovoked war. Here in Germany we had a lot of information around how we name something effects the perception we have. Like I said, a minor detail but I wanted to point it out.

[@ratk1ng.0]

I dont know a ton about alopecia, I will admit, but I know my aunt has it and its been really hard from her bc not only is hair loss difficult but also like her hair was falling out in a really patchy way and she really struggled with it because she had to figure out how to style her hair to hide it. I know hair loss isnt the biggest thing ever but it takes a huge toll on people, ESPECIALLY (I would argue) for women because there is so much more pressure to be pretty and hair loss and patchiness isnt considered pretty and people get treated differently when they look different. Like fuck it's not nothing and it pisses me off that people think Will Smith did something fucking crazy like he really didnt. I dont think any person in his defense is saying punching a dude is a good thing but it was definitely justifiable and Chris Rock was out of line. AND clearly people were hurt by the joke and Chris Rock doesnt care to apologie and Will Smith has and to me thats insane

[@LilThreat88]

"Hi Peaches~" 😳 What happened to Sweet Peas! *checks Oh. Been calling us Loves. Guess I missed a lot! Here to catch up on my day off~

[@HasabeMizurukara]

I think that if someone experiences something that they feel is a disability or chronic illness, than it is. I think we need to be able to self claim what impacts and affects our lives.

[@LizzieMcDonnell]

Personally I have experienced very bad effects from weed. It caused me to get depressed, I was extremely anxious and I dissociated pretty much all the time. The effects have luckily mellowed out a bit now (they were really bad 2 years ago), but I still have some difficulties with for example my memory and feeling anxious. I do believe that it’s largely down to your brain chemistry and genes whether you can ‘handle’ weed, just to put it that way for now. The amount of weed you smoke within a certain period of time and what kind of weed you smoke definitely play a role too. I clearly can’t handle it very well and to be honest that does upset me a little, because it is nice to occasionally enjoy a joint with a friend and some good music/food. Oh well, maybe in another life.

[@Presnix324]

PROHIBITION DOESN'T WORK. Banning these things doesn't help people. But also drug addiction shouldn't be treated as a criminal issue, and should be treated as a health issue imo.

[@halliehallows7781]

i love these types of videos! it really gets intellectual conversations going and not just people attacking others. Thanks Shaaba. Please do more like this

[@melissacoviello2886]

Love the name peaches! Also I love your hair.

[@hannahbradshaw2186]

As a sufferer of alopecia, I can say that it most definitely does restrict me from moving through the world and interacting with others. When I'm going through a bad relapse, I don't want to see anyone or do anything and simple tasks like getting out of bed are so hard. I now have PTSD, depression and anxiety from the condition that is very debilitating - I've been in some very dark places mentally due to the alopecia. I personally wouldn't class myself as disabled but alopecia has completely altered my life and caused me a lot of mental pain, even if to OP it's "just hair loss."

[@lavenderhoney3208]

I have Sunday and Monday off, it's frustrating and wonderful at the same time. I have to get childcare and there are a lot of special events that are Friday and Saturday BUT most events have a Sunday option AND I can send my kids to school Monday and go do whatever or I can keep them out and go do something fun. We go to all the events and activities on a day that most other kids are in school. Now if I could get one more day, life would be epic.

[@blazelightshine2311]

As for the last one - when it comes to 'encouraging the legalization of other drugs', there is... a lot to say about that. I know that some places have run trials where they give people with addiction free access to those drugs and a clean, safe place to administer them, and easier access to rehab, which all in all dropped the rate of overdose, spread of disease, criminal activity, so on. There is... so much to say on the subject and I'm sure I don't even know enough to speak on it all properly.

[@xcluelessbeautyx]

I was born with hEDS, but it didn’t disable me from working and doing day to day activities until 5 years ago at 32. To me you can have a condition or syndrome without it being completely disabling. I hope this makes sense, fuzzy brain fog day. 💕

[@GlamourNNail]

Male pattern baldness IS a type of alopecia! Alopecia can have a huge effect on people, including men with "typical" baldness. My husband is losing his hair and it's given him a lot of emotional issues. Yes, it's "normal" for men, but it's not always easy for them.

[@sarahallegra6239]

A lot of excellent points made both by you and other commenters about the legalization of weed. I’ll just quickly say it is the ONLY thing that helps with my chronic insomnia. It can help with a million other things too (I do have an anxiety disorder and incurable chronic pain) but if the only good it did me was helping me fall asleep most nights, it would be worth it for that reason alone. If I had to get drunk every night to fall asleep, that would be a huge, huge problem, both for me personally, for my health and from the yelling at I’d get from my doctors. Can society please just agree it’s not the demon gateway drug everyone thought it was in the 80’s and admit it has genuine health benefits that often can’t be replicated with other medications? Please and thank you 💚

[@cha0tic_neutral_system]

Omg the second one. I was homeless a few years ago on Christmas Day and every homeless service I had access to wouldn’t take me in because they were shut or were “full” etc. I also had to go to the hospital this Christmas and it took way longer than usual to be given pain meds let alone seen. Also it seems like doctors offices are always closed on weekends and holiday when more people are likely to get drunk and injure themselves but I just statistically am more likely to get injured on weekends for whatever reason

[@keenywah6349]

I like this format, too! I love to hear balanced discussions on topics because it’s just really comforting. A lot of people get super over-the-top about literally everything whether they have information on it or not and it’s refreshing to hear Shaaba give us her opinions and critique when the red flags pop up. Much love! 💚

[@xxx-ie9ic]

Your hair turned out such a beautiful color, I love it!! Also, I honestly don't tend to agree or disagree with others as long as they are respectful, kind, and open-minded - and of course, as long as their views or actions aren't actually harming people. It's an amazing point that the law doesn't actually stop people from doing illegal things like weed. Legalizing it so that it's easier to make sure people are more likely to do things SAFELY is a key point. I also gather from this that, unsurprisingly, a lack of knowledge on a subject is generally the source of a disagreement. For example, the commenter about alopecia didn't know much about alopecia, and the commenter about weed didn't know much about the effects of weed. It just goes to show that so much conflict arises from misunderstanding and misinformation, and hits home the idea that we should all research and thoroughly explore topics before we speak on them.

[@damienburroughs2119]

....yeah...DISTRACTION MODE ENGAGED! love the coloring.

[@xcluelessbeautyx]

Also, I use cannabis medicinally and was able to cut out a handful of my daily medications since I’ve started. I’ll never understand how it’s still so stigmatized.

[@pmbluemoon]

Completely not on topic here... I thought there was something on your wall in the background, and even though I know I can't fix people's walls, I still tried to wipe it off, and turns out it was just dirt on my screen 🤣🤪 I hope that got a chuckle from someone reading this! EDIT: I worked at a job where I worked 7 days a week (8 hour days), and I was one of the "lucky ones" because the company switched some of the other operators to 7 days of 12 hour days, 7 days off. My co-workers were unrecognizable by the 3rd day of the week they were so burned out 😥 We would hold contests to see who worked the longest without a day off, and when I quit, the longest stretch was almost 4 months without a day off! 😱 I think that was just cruel.

[@ImperiatrixMatt]

in terms of disability discrimination in UK law, a disabled person is defined using the following two questions: 1. do you have any physical or mental health conditions or illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more? 2. does your condition or illness/do any of your conditions or illnesses reduce your ability to carryout day to day activities? if you answer yes to both of these then you are disabled. using this definition around 1 in 5 people in the UK are disabled (source: family resources survey department for work and pensions). the second question is often further broken down to if activities are limited a little or a lot. it's not a perfect definition but it helps. hope that helps.

[@thes0mething]

Your positive and lovely personality is like a much needed mental cleanse❤️ I don't smoke and I was never a huge drinker but I used to drink a bit before I got long-term illness. Based on what I've seen personally is that weed can in the best cases be a relaxing thing people use to help deal with their stressful lives (this is the majority btw) OR it can be something some people use in excess when they are in a bad mental place and it sort of holds them back from doing a lot of things in their lives. That being said, I'm 100% for legalisation. The negatives I've stated (which doesn't take into consideration that some people also experience anxiety and paranoia from weed) are VERY MUCH also present with alcohol. If anything I'd argue alcohol is worse in pretty much every single way. I think in the cases where alcohol and excess use of weed becomes a problem, I think the core issue is more likely to be that person's mental health. It didn't really make sense to me to demonise when personally I think using alcohol in excess is FAR worse and we've deemed that okay. And don't get me started on gambling which for some reason we've also deemed okay

[@aShadeBolder]

I think there is value in a space where people can say "I really don't get it. from the outside, this thing seems reasonable. but there is a lot of discourse that says otherwise". people are going to have opinions that aren't the best informed, and having a place that is set up for that means allies & activists who currently have energy to educate can help those people, while those who just want to exist in peace online don't have to. I haven't previously heard of this subreddit, but I like that it exists. I honestly don't know enough about alopecia to have an opinion. if Jada experiences it as disabling, that's good enough for me. a 3 or 4 day rolling work week does probably make more sense than a fixed 5 day work week. I can think of many jobs that can't function on a 9-5 monday-friday schedule (most health & social care, all retail, all/most leisure & entertainment), a few that currently work 9-5/monday-friday but that causes issues for a lot of people (eg. GPs) and absolutely zero who need to be on that schedule. I'd also support a pick-and-choose approach to bank holidays (so people could choose a bank holiday package according to faith/culture). weed, absolutely. legalise it. drug policy needs to be evidence based.

[@bboops23]

16:39 I used to be anti marijuana. It was legalized in my state and shortly before it started being sold my back pain had nearly immobilized me. Mid pandemic a friend brought me a homemade brownie and for the first time in weeks I regained mobility. I began using CBD vapes and finally became a regular THC user and daily CBD user. There's been a decline in minor use of marijuana and the use of opioids dropped significantly since legalization. I had surgery earlier this year and my doctor actually asked if I used THC and when I said yes she wrote down how much THC I could use for pain relief to supplement the opioid that I still needed. I was able to to take my opioid for only 7 days post op, with a single use at 10 days. The standard use for the type of surgery I had is 14 days. My mother in law was staunchly anti weed for years. She can't take most pain killers anymore and she has a lot of pain. She has tried edibles a few times before and didn't like them or get pain relief. She finally trusted me to "dose her" and gave her a grand total of 1.66 mg and she had pain relief and her first actual relaxing high

[@fleetyfoote5483]

Re: 7 day workweek - This is compatible with the 20 hour workweek, where everyone works 20 hours, with shifting/flexibility in who works what days based on what works best. More people get employed to do what's done by each overburdened worker today, and everyone gets more time, without days being "designated holidays" to avoid constant crowds and overwhelm.

[@MsAaannaaa]

alopecia is an umbrella term for differend kinds of hair loss. Dr. Dray did a video on the topic in the context of what happened at the Oscars. While I'm not sure I agree with her take on it, her statement on alopecia (as a certified dermatologiest) is something the OP should listen to.

[@emomsen1089]

I love this kind of things, makes me think so much

[@kylancrawford9574]

Condition: Something that affects you. Usually in a negative way, but also is very much positive in other times (Shaaba has the famous condition for instance). Disability: Something that limits what you can do: physically, socially or emotionally. Not every disability is physical

[@tammysantana7200]

I actually agreed with you on all three points. This was great I’d love to see more of it .

[@robinchesterfield42]

There is, in fact, a very specific word for criminalizing alchohol in particular: *PROHIBITION* And it didn't work out in the _19_20s, either!

[@winterpagel216]

Great video, I like that you covered this subreddit. I didn't know about it before but it's nice that people are trying to have discussions and not arguments about something.

[@christinanorwood5940]

I think there's definitely a difference between having a medical condition/illness and being disabled. I was born with a number of health issues, some of which did impact my daily life to some extent, but I could do most things and didn't consider myself disabled until I developed POTS in 2017. That said, it is very much a spectrum, and there's too much of a history of abled people telling disabled people that we aren't (or don't look) sick enough to be "really disabled" for me to make that judgement call about someone else. Absolutely right that there's a spectrum of disability, and someone being better off than me doesn't invalidate their disability or their struggles.

[@amythewolf6314]

ive always found it weird when people say "(x) thing wont work because (x) reason" then you look at another country that has (x) thing and it works perfectly fine and these people still say "(x) thing wont work" p.s love your vids

[@suemueller4789]

Well done, 🍑! Like the subreddit and your take on things. Jamie did a great job on the pink refresh! 💕

[@huntergalaxy]

I reacted pretty strongly to your point Shaaba, about legalizing cannabis and criminalizing/ increasing tax on alcohol. I am someone who cannot smoke weed for health reasons. I know I would be susceptible to disregarding my health though if it was the only high I could easily get. Bear in mind that alcohol IS heavily taxed in my country, and I am for taxing alcohol in general. Just not to the point of making it unavailable for common people. I am still for legalization funnily enough. But if I had tried weed at 17 when I started drinking then my health would have been even worse in adulthood.

[@Jadyn_Sage]

I'm Canadian. Cannabis has been legal here since 2018 (in leaf form), with oils and edibles added in 2019. I haven't been able to find any specific studies, but as far as I know from past news reports, there has been no correlation seen between the legalization of cannabis and other drug use.

[@taramehta-sjaastad8978]

i love this subreddit and i think you should do more of it. you should do one with jamie.

[@jimmyleclair8924]

Do one of these with Jamie!

[@bob8mybobbob]

The other pro to legalizing weed is it encourages responsible use. People are generally taught how much alcohol someone can safely drink, and what activities are not safe to do under the influence.

[@larryhuffine2814]

I loved this video Shaaba and I cant wait for more. I want to just put this tidbit right here for people- I was a junkie I was a methamphetamine and heroin in the same shot user for over ten years, cannabis was the only thing that helped me get off of those drugs. I am now 7 years clean and sober because I smoked weed instead of using harder drugs.. everyones experience is valid but if you have an opinion on something you have not experienced your self, then maybe try to remain open and not closed off or judgy.

[@sandrasmusicstudio3487]

Can we collectively stop using the term "legitimate disability" -- especially if the person saying those words does not identify themselves as disabled, but even if they do? As a person with a non-visible disability, it is frustrating to have to convince people that I have a disability first before I can access accommodations/resources that I need (because I don't "look" disabled), never mind trying to explain what an "ambulatory wheelchair user" might be to someone with no experience of disability or chronic illness, or trying to explain that something I was able to do yesterday and might be able to do tomorrow happens to be something I can't do today. A non-ableist community would be one that allows you to say what you need in the moment without determining if you have jumped through enough hoops to fit an arbitrary definition on their personal mental list first. Meeting the government criteria of "disabled" is onerous enough; it would be nice if random strangers would just mind their own business and not start policing other people's life experiences. (This is probably true also for people saying bisexual men are really just not-fully-out gay men and non-binary people are just confused, and a whole host of LGBTQIA+ societal "commentary" that should just stop being a thing, please and thank you.)

[@PanicAtTheBleach3177]

It's very strange but legalizing such things as drugs and alcohol actually results in less usage over time and safer usage because they can get help for it and they're not dying from contaminated needles and stuff like that.This data has come from countries that have already legalized drugs and they had success andother countries that is not the US will probably have more success because the US thinks free healthcare is a form of communism yes I can confirm that people actually have this belief I live in AmericaAnd I was born here

[@ageek13]

Love this video Shaaba! I found it quite interesting.

[@kimberlyc6897]

I wouldn't say a world in which we grow vegetables and make music and spend time outside is idealistic since there have been cultures that have achieved this (not that there wasn't "work" to be done but when it's something you have more of a choice in doing and less of a time crunch to do it in I am just assuming it is more enjoyable, certainly more so than being stuck at a desk inside for 8 plus hours a day). This just isn't possible under capitalism.

[@tanyastacy-haws993]

As someone who had a disability that is mostly invisible. I have no problem with people saying that an illness that affects their daily life is a disability. One person’s disability does not change the validity of another’s. If it greatly impacts your life, you don’t want people to joke about it if you aren’t ok with it. Though many people with disabilities will join support groups where we collectively joke about disabilities with people who truly understand us.

[@BrigitteDiessl]

My mother had alopecia. There are different kinds of alopecia, sometimes your hair can grow back. Alopecia Universalis Areata was permanent for my mother. She had also had a breast removed due to cancer. As a result she literally felt "like a freak" (her words) and it definitely affected the way she moved through the world and how she interacted with others. Fortunately she and Dad were well off enough to get human hair wigs but she had no eyelashes or eyebrows. I have no eyebrows (chemo many years ago) and few eyelashes and I am always getting stingy eyes from sunscreen sweating off into my eyes and I find it hard to feel beautiful without my eyebrows to frame my face. Male pattern baldness can be restored with hair transplants or PRP treatments.

[@hawkehawke1276]

disability is a spectrum feels right . thank you for giving me that thought Shaaba

[@MachaMongRuad]

As always, Shaaba, you're an absolute delight! I just wanted to toss in my two cents about weed and alcohol usage. It might just be my friends and I getting older, but the majority of us who smoke actually consume very little alcohol. Like I said, that may be unique to my friend group, but the two don't always necessarily go together. Much love, byeeeee! 💜💜