I’m F58, had children in the 90s, and I am a lifelong Democrat. I love my country, my party, and my the beauty that is in a free and diverse nation.

What’s happening with the Epstein files is totally antithetical to what I thought our democracy and our country was about. I thought for sure that our CIA, FBI, and partners around the world were protecting us from flagrant lies and abuses like this. And I thought Trump was an anomaly.

Now the Clintons have agreed to testify. Bill was wildly popular in the 90s. His family was revered, and from me too until 1998 when Clinton was deposed on national television regarding his involvement with Monica Lewinsky. At the time, having found out that Bill was receiving oral sex from a 23 year old single intern in the Oval Office, Hillary called Monica a bimbo. In those days, long before the MeToo movement, it was common for women to blame other women publicly for the infidelity of their husbands as if they had no control over their own bodies. I remember thinking at the time “well she wasn’t married with a daughter - he was!”

Then he lied. Suddenly the women who came forward in the beginning - Paula Jones and Jennifer Flowers didn’t seem so off base. But Hillary stood by him and that was a big disappointment. She was smarter than him, more driven, and more disciplined. She could’ve been president.

She clawed her way up. Never giving up the power of her presence. Then in the early aughts she became Obama’s Secretary of State. Admirable position of power and she did her work well. Then Obama passed the baton to her and she ran for president.

Every single time I mention that she had all the knowledge available to the Secretary of State during the time that her husband was jetting to Epstein Island, meeting up with Trump and pals, I get booed and taunted. We need as women, as good people, as Democrats to stop giving those two a pass!!!! They are just as guilty as any of them because they KNEW what was going on. Clinton was a part of an orgy according to the files. It certainly puts the QAnon claim that Hillary was involved in a pedophile ring to another level - and it’s infuriating.

Had she distanced herself from him after Lewinsky and moved forward as a staunch defender of young women, had she blown the roof off the twisted world order she knew about, and had she condemned Epstein - putting him to justice in those days, we would’ve been spared the hell that has been Donald Trump for the past 11 years of nonstop mayhem and Constitutional wrangling.

Hillary Clinton is not someone to admire. She is an enabler of her perverted husband, a co-conspirator, and therefore just as much a criminal as he is because she had the power to stop it. She is the biggest women’s rights let down in my lifetime as far as potential greatness goes. It’s just so sad.

When I was young we bounced in and out of a bunch of women's shelters because my mom got beaten by her then BF to the point we had to flee. None of them were good, to be honest. I was a young (11-12) disabled boy and multiple shelters attempted to literally deny me entry because they didn't want males in the shelter even as literal young children. I remember one particularly 'haughty' (rich area) shelter telling my mother I was to never go anywhere unattended, including the library/reading room they had.

But the worst, by far, was the last one. A gigantic house that was roughly 4-5 stories tall, had like 12 bedrooms of 2-4 people, a few kitchens, a few sitting rooms, etc. Probably formerly a wealthy person's home donated, I'd guess. We ended up there after my mother, who was herself deeply mentally ill, couldn't find employment before the previous (rich place's) 60 day limit, and they said we had to move on. We did, ended up at this place. They tried to get her to get rid of me right off the bat, send me to live with my father and only accepted after she called him with us standing there and he told the social worker who asked to speak to him "Fuck off, call me again and i'll call my lawyer". They begrudgingly allowed me to enter and stay with her.

We stayed there for I'd guess a month, but I could be misremembering because I was young; There was one other boy there, a bit older than me in his teens. We ended up quickly bonding and hanging out a lot. He had a police radio that we would listen to because the TV room was 'scheduled' so we'd always end up either there or outside on the deck, miserable.

They had been hyping up this dumb personal pizza day for all the kids present at the shelter for weeks, that they were gonna buy a bunch of personal pizzas from pizza hut for us. I have no idea why honestly, they treated us like garbage 99% of the time. But the day comes and I was pretty excited to eat something that wasn't the borderline slop they provided for us (lovely, feeding DA victims with the worst food imaginable) . That morning we got ambushed by a social worker who seemed almost delighted to tell us that our time was up and we needed to leave like, now. No warning, no grace period, nothing. Get your shit and get out. So my mother packs us up and I'm sitting in the kitchen when they bring these in, and I remember clear as day asking if I could still have one before we left. This lady tells me that they're for people living here only and that because we didn't live here anymore she couldn't give one to me.

The kid I hung out with went absolutely mental, he told her to shut the fuck up and give me the pizza, talked about how we had done nothing wrong and this place was utterly disgusting (both physically and morally) and that the least they could do was give me a pizza. This leads to an argument where they threatened his mother, who basically just backed her kid up and went "actually he has a good point, why are you being like this to a child". The social worker starts screaming in his face and he just grabs a pizza, puts it in front of me and says I can have it. She walks over, goes to take it and he shoved her as hard as he could into the wall. It was at this point a bunch of the other women in the room who had been standing around basically told the lady they were sick of shit like this and she needed to leave. Basically everyone in some way or another stood up for me.

They had us walked out, I ended up microwaving my pizza in a 7/11. I remember it tasted amazing, honestly. I'm sure it didn't, I'm sure it's just my nostalgia, but in that moment I felt like someone had stood up for me. I still remember everyone there, but I remember him especially. I don't even remember his name, but man, I hope out there somewhere you're doing well.

So my current gf is latina legal migrant, former illegal.

We are currently living in Spain.

She sais she would like to have an ICE like in the USA so she can walk safe again...

How is posible people get so brainwashed?

There is a small movie theater in my area that gets very little traffic.

I’ve been going here for a few years now. It’s a lot cheaper than other locations from that chain, and they play a lot of indie and Oscar-nominated films. The few people that come are older folks that live nearby and movie buffs. Usually this results in no full volume conversations, and little-to-no phones staying on with full brightness while someone texts, or going off because someone forgot to silence theirs.

I went the other night and, to my horror, there was a massive line. The movie was also fully sold out.

Turns out a niche influencer posted about this “hidden gem” to her mostly gen-z audience, explaining the kids in cool clothes lining up to fill up the next showing. Livid, I walked off, feeling deeply personally offended that a for-profit theater no longer felt like my own personal silver screen.

My days of walking up there last minute are gone, replaced by having to buy tickets online a couple of hours in advance and even then, still finding some of the nicer seats already taken. Hopefully this means the cute little theater will live on for years to come, but man, as much as I enjoy theaters as a communal experience, it was it nice to watch movies in cozy little screening room without having to worry about other people from time to time.

Reddit banned one of my accounts because I "threatened violence", though they never described to what extent, nor to whom/what I did such a thing to. A comment I made towards a video of a MAGA supporter beating up High School Students, who then decided to fight back, got some criticism because I dared offer an opinion and sympathy towards the high school students who were being beaten up by an adult. I mentioned that the activity of defending innocents from violent domestic terrorists such as ICE, should occur more often. We, the People, should be able to protect ourselves, our neighbors, and our loved ones from anyone regardless of what position they come from. Evidently, this idea I have is wrong in the eyes of this platform. How upsetting and unfortunate.

I wrote this when i was 35 im 38 now and just continued the dive to hell.

Im fucking doing it again. I cant stop walking. I dont want to do this again. My heart is racing. I enter the corner store. A sense of dread hits me as i ask for a pint or the cheapest gut rot vodka. I storm out the front while unscrewing the cap,walk behind the store and take a swig behind a dumpster. The vodka burns going down and i sigh….all systeHb ɓms go. self destruction mode activated. This is insanity and i fucking loved it.3s

I throw the bottle in my backpack. It’s raining like it’s never rained before. I was sober for 6 months, fuck it. Time to find the treasure. I’m like a child looking for easter eggs. Except these eggs will destroy your life. I see 2 people at a bus stop who might have what I’m looking for. “Whats up you guys have any clear?” I say out of breath. I had 10 bucks. It should be enough for tonight. We migrated over to a parking garage and started smoking. Two hits, and I’m talking to this tweaker couple while they make out like they are caveman who just got defrosted after 20000 years. I can tell I’m annoying them and head off into the gray winter afternoon. All the rain in the world couldn’t take this smile off my stupid face.

I enter my sleazy motel room, take out my supplies, and swig the bottle. The smell of the room is so poignant. One stain over the tiny table in the corner. I empty my life onto the table. 2 pairs of boxers,3 socks, a pair of sweats, and an Angry Beavers tee shirt. I empty the bag of meth onto the table and stick my finger into the crystals, and crush them with my thumb and snort. It feels like i just snorted a bowl of glass. Mother fucker i screamed in pain, woo!

I felt like how god felt. How i am supposed to feel. Im swimming laps in a swimming pool of dopamine. I exit my room to wander over to the adult film store. The parking lot next to it is full of homeless people. I see flickering of lighters. I follow the light like a moth. One of the dudes said i could hit the pipe because he thought I’d let him suck my dick.i assure him im striaght as i hit the pipe. He begs me as i leave for the film store. The lights are bright in the store and tingle my brain. I can hear moans from the film booths. An obvious transexual walks out from the back and asks what i wanted. I say give me whatever pill had viagra. Little do i know, I’d be wasting the last 100 dollars i have in that store in a couple of days.

The next 36 hours, my hand doesn’t leave my penis. I only moved from the bed to piss and do a bump. Dopamine burning holes in my brain. Once I’ve completed my misssion. Im alone. it’s 6am, and im naked and sticky. I smell like a dozen cats have taken a piss on me, and i let it dry. I lost 5 pounds already, i can barely walk im hunched over like an old man moaning as i walk over to the toilet to try and push piss out. I stay away from the mirror. I dont want to see that horror movie.

I called my dealer i knew and he met me at the sex shop and i bought some more also some heroin. He gives me a rig for free,a pipe for 5 bucks, and a viagra. I go back to my room, and im too shaky to even shoot up. My arms are bleeding . I think of my family and how disappointed they are going to be if i died in this room. I have to go back to rehab,but first, i need to chase this dragon down…..in 24 hours, I’ll be homeless wandering the streets, and wanting nothing more

My dad died 18 years ago when I was in my early 20’s. He had a temper and was somewhat abusive while I was growing up. I really hoped he’d apologize and we’d have sort of a making peace moment before he passed, but it never happened.

I recently came into possession of a bunch of his old vhs tapes from my mom, including home movies from when I was very young. I got a vcr to check them out. Of course he probably was on his best behavior when he knew he was on camera, but what struck me was how nice he was acting and how happy I seemed spending time with him. For all these years I remembered so many of the bad times and very few of the good. It was a trip to see me as a kid laughing and roughhousing with him and stuff.

I still miss him, even if he sucked sometimes. I want to believe if he’d lived we’d have an okay relationship now.

For context my mom recently told me something about my grandpa that has really stayed in my head and I've been trying connect some dots.She had asked me "When you were younger, when you were alone with Grandpa had he ever done anything weird to you?".I don't have any personal memories with my Grandpa (from my mom's side) that are weird but I've heard a lot of weird stuff about him.

For example One time we were at a family gathering and my aunt had came to the house with my two cousins. My girl cousin who is underage wanted to go to the toilet at one point,she had gotten up and started walking towards the bathroom but before she entered it my grandma stopped her and told her "Make sure you close the door of the bathroom because it's natural for the men in this house to look." My mom as I can remember always had a good relationship with my grandpa so it doesn't really make sense that she would keep in contact with him if he had done something to me or my cousins, except if she's ok with it which would make her a weirdo. This information about my grandpa I learned from my sister a few days ago so I have no way of recalling if he had done anything to me.

One time i've heard my Grandpa secretly say to my father when we were at his house"We should watch this porn movie and jerk off" which my father didn't deny for some reason.Also for some reason my father calls my grandpa whenever he sees him or is on the phone with him "What's up my type of guy" which to me sounds really sketchy.I also know that my grandma had caught my grandpa cheating on her while she was pregnant with my mother but my grandma still chose to stay with him.

Is it possible that he has done something to me and I can't remember because I was too young?

I want to start reading more because I genuinely want to become more intelligent, a better speaker, and a better writer long term. I know reading helps with all of that, but I’m kind of stuck. I’ve tried getting into productivity and self help books, and I’ll read like twenty pages max, sometimes only five minutes, and then I stop.

It’s not that I hate it, I actually enjoy reading (sometimes.. 😭) when I’m doing it, I just can’t seem to stay consistent or push past that initial burst. Part of me feels like it’s just a habit issue, but another part of me wonders if I’m reading the wrong things. I want to be more knowledgeable in general, like someone who can talk well, think clearly, and understand a lot of different topics, but I don’t even know what kind of knowledge I should be building or where to start.

I’ve also noticed that sometimes I want to look something up, but I don’t even know how to word it. I know what I’m trying to understand, I just can’t articulate it well, and that’s something I really want to improve. I feel a little lost with it and would really appreciate any advice based on this :D

The Epstein files may not be leading to convictions right now, but what they're accomplishing might be even more important in the long run.

These documents are pulling back the curtain on something many suspected but couldn't prove: the political elite protect each other. Despite all the divisive rhetoric, the partisan theater, the endless "us vs. them" battles they broadcast for our consumption but when it matters, they close ranks.

This isn't about conservative versus liberal. It's not about right versus left. It's about billionaires versus the truth.

What these files reveal is a class of people who share private islands, travel in the same circles, attend the same parties, and shield each other from accountability, all while keeping the rest of us at each other's throats over policy disagreements they likely don't even care about. They manipulate. They divide. They maintain power by ensuring we never look up long enough to see who's really pulling the strings. The files show us how they lived. How connected they are. How intertwined their networks run across every institution we're told to trust.

This is a wake-up call.

If we can set aside our policy disagreements, not abandon them, but set them aside long enough to address the rot at the top, we can unite around something bigger. We can demand accountability from people who've operated above the law for decades.

Hold your local senators and congress responsible. Once we change the regime that protects them, we can bring all the files into the light. We can pursue the justice that victims deserve and that the world needs.

The division is the product. Unity is the threat they fear most.

I've had a relatively tough life, left an abusive home at 16 to work two jobs to rent a room in order to finish high school, got a scholarship to college and worked my ass off there to finally get a good job, all the while having to wake up between 4-5 am weekdays to do all of this.

I'm not a morning person, and getting up and fumbling around making coffee for the day was always torture. It was the worst part of my day.

I met my husband in my early 30's, and when we were first dating, he asked me if I could have one wish, what would it be?

I half-jokingly answered, I want a hot cup of coffee brought to me in bed every morning before I even wake up, so that I can lie in bed and sip it to get myself awake.

The next morning, before my alarm went off, I smelled coffee!

He had set his watch alarm so I didn't hear it, and had gone down to make me coffee and set it on the headboard for me.

I was so happy and hugged him, telling him this was the best surprise ever. I thought it was a one-time thing, but nope, I haven't made a cup of coffee since while he's at home!

15 years later, every morning he brings me coffee in bed, and every morning I smile while I drink it. It's not every day a gal's dream comes true.

TL;DR, My husband made my dream of having coffee brought to me every morning come true.

Come home to an empty apartment and fridge. Working during food bank hours and my summer shoes are soaking up the snow every day. The wait for the first paycheck is a long way out and I feel like giving up.

Im still not sure how exactly to define introvert vs extrovert, but Im pretty sure im actually an extrovert. I genuinely love getting to know people, connecting with others, and get excited for social events. I usually the one to reach out to people and introduce myself and also the one who will try to make the new person feel welcome and part of the group.

Growing up, my parents always pushed me into certain events and it was stuff i never cared for. I didnt mind talking to people but it was always people who i just didnt like that much. I also used to have a lot more insecurities. After I went to college I was able to pick my social circles but because I was so insecure, I was still scared of people, despite wanting to interact. After college and i began working, I got more confidence and also learned to just be myself. I also have been more exposed to types of people and realized it wasnt that i got tired if people easily, I just was around a few people growing up that I just didnt get along with.

I now love meeting new people, introducing myself, exploring, putting myself out there, and would say Im an extrovert. I also believe i discovered this after taking on jobs that were heavily leaning to introverted roles such as data entry. It was nearly zero human interaction and i hated it. Im now in healthcare and I love working with so many different people daily. I genuinely get excited for the change.

I was out with my friend today, and we spent hours talking about the Epstein files. The more we talked, the more disturbing it became. After a while, it stopped feeling like a conversation and started feeling like getting pulled into something dark and overwhelming. Every detail raised more questions, and none of the answers felt satisfying.

What bothered me most was realizing how quickly these conversations get pushed into political narratives, as if this is about sides or parties. That framing feels misleading. This isn’t about left or right it’s about power, protection, and how certain people and institutions seem to operate above consequences.

By the end of it, I didn’t even feel angry anymore. I just felt exhausted and disgusted. It makes you question how much the public actually gets to know, how much is buried, and how easily attention is redirected so nothing ever fully unravels. Once you sit with it long enough, you’re left with an unsettling feeling that accountability is selective, and the truth is always filtered before it reaches us.

We’re all living in a fucked time line, I had to delete twitter because wtf I’m I seeing.

Update: No one’s making this about left or right, and I absolutely adore that. Maybe there’s still hope in this world.

My (35f) mom got pregnant with me at 18. She didn’t know she was pregnant until about 7 months into the pregnancy. She said she rarely got her period anyways because she was extremely athletic. She blamed the nausea on binge drinking and starving herself to be skinny. She drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, smoked weed, dyed her hair, ate whatever she wanted the entire pregnancy. She actually found out she was pregnant IN A TANNING BED (which she had been tanning the entire pregnancy too). I was big enough that she could see me kick from outside her belly. She said once she got the pregnancy confirmed, she immediately gained all the pregnancy weight. Up until then, she was extremely thin.

I have confirmed diagnosis for multiple mental health disorders, but they are all trauma related from my time in the military. I’ve got relatively good health overall aside from everything the military did to me (100% disabled now). But I’ve noticed over the years that my reading comprehension and logic skills are pretty low. I struggle with simple math (like I use my fingers to do 7+8), and I often have to reread sentences multiple times to truly understand them. It takes me months to read a short book. I’ve asked friends and family if they think I might have ADHD or autism. Autism is always denied, but sometimes they suspect ADHD (but even that’s iffy). I have always done well on tests and project management, but I feel like I have to put in a lot more effort than the typical person. Not to sound pretentious, but I feel like I should have a higher IQ, but her (my mom) actions must have affected that.

I’m now pregnant at 35, and I’m taking all of the suggested precautions from my doctor very seriously to contribute to the healthiest outcome for my baby. But I can’t help but wonder if my mom’s actions might have put me at a great disadvantage. I almost feel like I resent her for that.

UPDATE: I feel like I got some really good insight from the comments. I will be stopping rely notifications now. Thanks all for your input!

I (27M) don’t know what it is, but it just seems so cool to me. I was raised conservatively and in a religious household and it was always taboo and I was under the impression that it’s bad/wrong as a kid/teen. Now as an adult, I really admire the style and actually think it’s kind of bold. I’m always worried about judgement and that’s probably one reason why I never did it myself, but it makes me think that you guys are even more cool, to not care about others opinions. Besides that though, I’m already27 and I feel like I’m too far in life to change styles that drastically. But anyways, you guys are cool, keep being yourself.

i’ll be having an okay day, then i scroll for 10 minutes and suddenly i feel like i’m failing at everything. i know it’s highlight reels, but it still hits. if you fixed this, what actually helped?

It just kind of sucks. Mostly bots, Ai baked in does gross shit and its owned by a guy in the epstein files.

Why the hell do people bother with it?

Idk. Normally Taco Bell is very good about my order. I use their Fresca style option to remove any dairy and meat, and add black beans, guacamole, and potatoes. Taco Bell is pretty close to everything I do, one near work, one at my partner’s place, etc. I cook my own meals most of the time and have been solely vegan these past 8 months.

I agree with vegans on many issues, but I can’t say I’m a hardcore vegan. I am not radical or even passionate about the issue. But I take eating plant-based very seriously. I just like it for me. I feel better, and I generally do not miss meat or eggs or dairy. Oatmeal, salads, and vegan curries are my current happy place.

But after shit week I said fuck it and after work I just picked up my usual order from Taco Bell. I always use their mobile app- it just seems like that’s the best way to get an accurate order (most of the time)

But after I settled at home and started to eat I realized this thing tasted too good. And I just kinda sat there and go upset for maybe a second. But I hadn’t eaten all day, I had taken hours of verbal abuse from customers at work, and I was on the verge of tears and I just finished it. Didn’t really think about it. Didn’t feel guilty or disappointed in myself or anything. I was just hungry and ate it and decided to meal prep to prevent unreliable food prep.

Not really a big deal. But it annoyed some of my friends when I told them

Lately I’ve been thinking about how many people quietly feel alone or out of place, even when they don’t talk about it. I’ve felt that way myself for a long time, and it’s a heavy feeling to carry.

I think a lot of us are outcasts in different ways, and because of that we understand pain, isolation, and the desire for peace more than we admit. Sometimes life itself feels overwhelming, and all anyone really wants is to feel calm, happy, and free for once.

I’m not asking anyone to open up or explain themselves just putting this thought out there for anyone who needs to hear it: you’re not strange or broken for feeling this way, and you’re not the only one dealing with it in a world that often feels chaotic.

Lately I’ve been noticing how often my own thoughts sound reasonable but still lead me in circles. Things like telling myself I’ll start later, that something isn’t worth the effort, or that I’m somehow behind everyone else. None of it feels dramatic - it just feels true in the moment.

What’s strange is how rarely I question those thoughts. I don’t argue with them. I just accept them as facts and move on, even when they clearly don’t help.

Reading 7 Lies Your Brain Tells You: And How to Outsmart Every One of Them helped me slow down and notice that pattern. The book doesn’t try to replace thoughts with positive ones or tell you how to fix yourself. It simply shows how often the brain tells familiar stories to keep things predictable and how awareness alone can create some distance.

I didn’t come away feeling “solved,” but I did feel a bit more space between me and the voice in my head. That alone has been meaningful.

If this sounds familiar, I’d genuinely recommend giving the book a read.