These are reviews of various dictionaries based on my personal experience (though I kinda ran out of steam halfway through):
Unabridged Dictionaries:
Webster's Third New International Dictionary (W3): Basically the unabridged dictionary in the US. A good dictionary overall, but this dictionary is also heavily outdated. This dictionary was published in 1961 and stopped receiving additions to the Addenda (a section at the front where new words or definitions and usages for old ones could be added) in 2002. The Addenda is a bit inconvenient to use, being separated from the main text. Note that the Addenda is where you'll find all the vulgar four-letter words. As for positives, this dictionary has well-written and comprehensive definitions, the most entries of any physical unabridged dictionary (besides the Oxford English Dictionary), and lovely hand-drawn black-and-white illustrations. It has great coverage of words in every area and field and contains even the most obscure definitions.
One oddity of this dictionary is that nearly every word is shown in lowercase, even if it's always uppercase (though initialisms, trademark, and God are the exception to this rule); a label next to the word indicates how often it is capitalized. This makes for a consistent look, but it's overall inconvenient. The definitions also tend to be a bit wordy; for example, consider the definition of "leaf": "a lateral outgrowth from a stem that constitutes part of the foliage of a plant and functions primarily in food manufacture by photosynthesis, that arises in regular succession from the growing point, that consists typically of a flattened green blade which is joined to the stem by a petiole often with a pair of stipules at its base, which in cross section exhibits an outer covering of epidermal cells penetrated by stomata usually more numerous on the lower surface, which has one or more layers of palisade cells beneath the upper epidermis and between these and the lower epidermis a mass of spongy parenchyma cells, both palisade and spongy tissue being ramified by a network of veins, and that is distinguished from a leaflet, cladophyll, or phylloclade by the presence of a bud at the juncture of petiole and stem and from a phyllode by differentiation into blade and petiole" Comprehensive, but a bit wordy and difficult to comprehend.
This dictionary faced quite a bit of controversy over being "permissive" at the time of its release. This controversy was mostly culture war nonsense, and the dictionary is no less descriptive than its predecessor.
This dictionary also has useful usage guidance and synonymies (discrimination between synonyms). Physically, this book is massive but also quite lovely. Overall, most people do not need an unabridged dictionary, but if you need or want one, this is the one you should get.
Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: I found this dictionary somewhat disappointing. First, the positives: the illustrations are nice and the formatting is acceptable. It's a bit more up-to-date compared to W3 (released in 1987 and updated until 2001); however, it's still fairly outdated. However, this still gives the Random House Webster's an edge when it comes to slang and newer terms. The essay on avoiding insensitive or offensive language is a nice addition. However, the definitions are somewhat weak in comparison to W3. For example, regret is defined by Random House as "a sense of loss, disappointment, dissatisfaction, etc." and by W3 as "sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond one's control or power to repair : grief or pain tinged with disappointment, dissatisfaction, longing, remorse, or comparable emotion." In addition, there aren't nearly as many entries as W3. Overall, a decent dictionary, but the W3 is overall the better package.
College Dictionaries:
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: This is the dictionary most people should get. It is abridged from W3 but is more up-to-date, the eleventh edition having last been revised in 2020. Good definitions, nice illustrations, useful usage guidance and discrimination of synonyms. It's not afraid to capitalize entry words like the W3 was. Overall, if you only want to get one physical dictionary, make it this one. It's pretty cheap on Amazon.
Webster's New World College Dictionary: This is the other dictionary most people should get. In comparison to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate, this dictionary also has good definitions and illustrations; the definitions are a bit easier to understand though not quite as precise or comprehensive. It's a bit less descriptive but not by much. Overall, my recommendation is to make this your second dictionary. Best used in conjunction with Merriam-Webster's Collegiate.
American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: This is a great dictionary. Its strongest strength is its formatting, generous margins, and lovely full-color pictures. Unfortunately, it's no longer in print. Famously, this dictionary contains the usage panel; however, this is more of a drawback than an advantage. The usage advice is subpar compared to other college dictionaries. It also has an appendix containing Indo-European roots (probably its best feature in my eyes). Overall, you can't go wrong with this dictionary even if it's not as good as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate or the New World.
Random House Webster's College Dictionary: An abridgment of Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. All of my criticisms for that dictionary apply here.
Online Dictionaries:
Wiktionary: This dictionary is very up-to-date but the definitions are of varying quality. A very useful feature is the very many foreign words treated here. Also, the section outlining translations of a word into various languages is good. Obscure words are treated here too. Overall, I recommend using this in conjunction with Merriam-Webster Online or Unabridged.
Google Dictionary: This is the dictionary you use if you don't care about dictionaries. The definitions are acceptable. One useful feature is a graph showing the usage of a word over time. However, this offers no usage advice or discrimination of synonyms. Overall, if you don't care at all about the dictionary you use, just use this dictionary.
Merriam-Webster Online: The definitions are the best out of any online dictionary. However, due to Merriam-Webster's standards for inclusion, some more recent words might not be here. This is basically a digital version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate but more frequently updated.
Merriam-Webster Unabridged: This is basically a digital version of W3 (see my critique of W3 above). It also includes the Collegiate Dictionary, Collegiate Thesaurus, and Medical Dictionary. It solves the main issue of that dictionary which was capitalization of entry headwords and up-to-dateness. Unfortunately, there's a heavy subscription cost though you can get a free one-year subscription at https://www.merriam-webstercollegiate.com/ (though this requires a copy of the Collegiate). This is my overall preferred online dictionary, and I often use it in conjunction with Wiktionary.
Dictionary.com: This is basically a digital version of Random House Webster's Unabridged. My criticisms of that dictionary apply to this one.
American Heritage Dictionary Online: This is basically a digital version of the AHD (see above). My criticisms of that apply here.
If you have any questions or want clarification, feel free to reply to this post.

Week 1: Introduction to Poetry and Sonnets
Day 1: Overview of Poetry Styles - Activity: Icebreaker - Introduce yourself through a poetic name acrostic. - Lecture: Brief history of poetry, introduction to various styles. - Discussion: What draws you to poetry? Share your favorite poems.
Day 2: Understanding Sonnets - Activity: Analyze a classic sonnet together. - Lecture: Explanation of sonnet structure (Shakespearean and Petrarchan). - Discussion: Share initial impressions and feelings about sonnets.
Day 3: Writing Exercise - Crafting a Sonnet - Activity: Break down sonnet structure with examples. - Assignment: Write a sonnet exploring a personal experience or emotion. - Vocabulary Words: Quatrain, Couplet, Volta.
Day 4: Peer Review and Feedback - Activity: Peer review workshop for sonnets. - Lecture: Discuss common challenges and strategies in sonnet writing. - Discussion: Share insights gained from reviewing peers' work.
Day 5: Recap and Reflection - Activity: Reflect on the week's lessons and exercises. - Lecture: Overview of upcoming weeks. - Assignment: Write a short reflection on what you've learned about poetry and sonnets.
Study Guide Questions for Week 1: 1. What is the basic structure of a sonnet? 2. Compare and contrast Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnets. 3. How does the volta contribute to the meaning of a sonnet? 4. Discuss the role of rhyme and meter in sonnets. 5. Explore your personal connection to poetry. What emotions or themes resonate with you?
Quiz: A short quiz assessing understanding of sonnet structure, key terms, and the historical context of poetry.
Week 2: Embracing Haiku and Villanelle
Day 1: Understanding Haiku - Activity: Analyze classic haikus. - Lecture: Explain the traditional structure and themes of haikus. - Discussion: Share thoughts on the simplicity and depth of haikus.
Day 2: Crafting Haikus - Activity: Write haikus individually. - Lecture: Discuss the significance of nature in haikus. - Discussion: Share and discuss individual haikus.
Day 3: Unraveling the Villanelle - Activity: Analyze a famous villanelle. - Lecture: Explore the structure and repetition in villanelles. - Discussion: Discuss the impact of repeated lines on the overall theme.
Day 4: Writing Exercise - Composing a Villanelle - Activity: Break down the process of crafting a villanelle. - Assignment: Write a villanelle on the theme of memory or loss. - Vocabulary Words: Tercet, Refrain, Envoi.
Day 5: Peer Review and Feedback - Activity: Peer review workshop for villanelles. - Lecture: Discuss the challenges and beauty of crafting repetitive forms. - Discussion: Share insights gained from reviewing peers' villanelles.
Study Guide Questions for Week 2: 1. What defines a haiku? Discuss its structure and thematic elements. 2. Explore the cultural significance of nature in haikus. 3. What is the structure of a villanelle, and how does repetition contribute to its impact? 4. Discuss the emotions evoked by repeated lines in a villanelle. 5. Reflect on the process of crafting a villanelle. What challenges did you face?
Quiz: Assessment on the understanding of haikus, villanelles, and the effective use of repetition in poetry.

1. Imagery: Prompt: Choose a setting (real or imaginary) and describe it using detailed sensory imagery. Imagine the sights, sounds, smells, and textures to create a vivid scene, just like a painter with words.
   
2. Metaphor: Prompt: Compare a personal experience to an everyday object or phenomenon in an unexpected way. For example, "My heart is a compass that always points to the north of your laughter."
   
3. Simile: Prompt: Write a series of similes to express intense emotions. For instance, "As brave as a lion facing the storm, as fragile as a petal in the wind."
   
4. Rhyme: Prompt: Craft a short poem or lyrics with a consistent rhyme scheme. Experiment with different rhyme patterns (ABAB, AABB, etc.) to enhance the musicality of your writing.
   
5. Meter: Prompt: Compose a poem with a specific meter, such as iambic pentameter. Pay attention to the syllabic beats in each line to create a rhythmic flow.
   
6. Alliteration: Prompt: Create a tongue-twisting line using alliteration. Focus on the repetition of initial consonant sounds to add a playful or musical quality to your writing.
   
7. Assonance: Prompt: Write a passage where the vowel sounds within words echo each other. Experiment with different vowel combinations to create a melodic effect.
   
8. Personification: Prompt: Choose an inanimate object and personify it. Describe its actions, thoughts, and emotions as if it were a living being.
   
9. Symbolism: Prompt: Select an object or element and explore its symbolic meaning. Connect it to broader themes or emotions in your writing.
   
10. Enjambment: Prompt: Write a poem where the thoughts flow continuously from one line to the next without a pause. Explore how this technique can create a sense of movement or urgency.
    
11. Repetition: Prompt: Repeat a word or phrase throughout a poem for emphasis. Consider how repetition can enhance the overall impact and meaning of your writing.
    
12. Free Verse: Prompt: Embrace the freedom of expression by writing a poem without adhering to rhyme or meter. Allow your thoughts to flow organically, exploring the beauty of formless verse.
    
13. Stanza: Prompt: Divide your writing into stanzas to create distinct sections with varying themes or tones. Explore how the organization of lines contributes to the overall structure of your work.
    
14. Theme: Prompt: Choose a universal theme (love, loss, freedom, etc.) and explore it through your lyrics. Delve into the nuances and perspectives associated with the chosen theme.
    
15. Tone: Prompt: Write a poem that conveys contrasting tones. Explore how shifts in tone can evoke different emotions and responses from the reader.
    
16. Connotation: Prompt: Select a word with strong connotations and use it in a poem. Explore the emotional baggage and cultural associations tied to the word within the context of your writing.
    
17. Irony: Prompt: Craft a poem with elements of irony. Create situations or lines that convey a meaning opposite to the literal interpretation, adding layers of complexity to your writing.
    
18. Allusion: Prompt: Reference a well-known song, book, or historical event in your lyrics. Explore how the use of allusion can enrich the depth and meaning of your writing.
    
19. Syntax: Prompt: Experiment with sentence structure to create different effects. Play with word order, sentence length, and punctuation to convey specific emotions or rhythms in your writing.
    
20. Diction: Prompt: Choose a specific mood or atmosphere you want to convey and carefully select words that evoke that feeling. Pay attention to the impact of your word choices on the overall tone of your writing.
    

English: for section 1 question a on paper 1 use pqe, point quote explain, nake one point use a quote to back it up and explain, leave extra space after each point incase you have extra time to spend on it,alternatively a kind commentor added fhe following:Can I add one to English, from an English teacher. Instead of PQE, use PEEL . Point, Evidence, Explain and Link (to the next paragraph/back to the question). Will boost C mark.
Question b of that same question make sure if you write the text of a speech the whole text is said speech and if you have to for example write the text of a speech from a famous person you never step out of character. Your opening line should be basically a rephrasing of the question eg:write an article for the local newspaper, you should say "I am writing for the x newspaper to tell you about...", even if its unrealistic they still look for this in regard to your purpose mark.
For the composing:make sure there are famous people you can talk about a lot, also just a few topics that youve got some bit of knowledge on e.g ai might be handy
personal essay: use anecdotes even if they're made up
Short story:I'm avoiding this personally but make sure you show don't tell and alsondont leave plot holes, from what I've heard people who do this already have things like settings, characters and storylines planned out before the exam
Opinion essay: chose for or against and be strongly for or against, if im not mistaken you can be neutral but it's a lot harder
For the single text your first quote shouldn't be from act 1 scene 1 or your texts equivalent,your answer shouldn't be a summary
For hamlet: have lots of quotes, back in as many points as possible with quotes, remember the word regicide and antic-disposition, if the question asks about Claudius' role as villain if must only be his direct wrong doings (laertes, elder hamlet) and not the ones he indirectly caused by making hamlet mad (ophelia, polonius etc).
Comparative:constantly compare your 3 texts,(this next tip only applies if parf of your comparative course is never let me go) MOST of the time if you are doing the question 1 which is split up into a and b where a is in relation to 1 text and b is 2, never let me go will be in part a as it is hard to compare to other texts, this obviously depends on the question but if in doubt do that
Unseen poetry:I'm absolutely useless at this but on my mock I completely misunderstood the poem and got 17/20, waffle with confidence, don't spend too long on it as 20 marks is sweet fa in your English paper and the difference between spending 20 mins and 25 mins is no more than 3 marks. As a kind commentary added(soz days are long cba tagging everybody) backup using any poetic technique you can
Poetry: have one poem you can talk for days about no matter what, they will more than likely come up. Have 3 more you understand to be able to answer a question, then your perfectly covered. If you want to be more confident you can learn 2 poems to perfect 50/50 but from here to Thursday time management is important
History: if your a slow writer like me learn a metric fuck tonne of good quotes they're the quickest way to pick up marks, here's a few if you want them
Oh little sputnik flying high/with made-in-moscow-beep/you show the world its a commie sky/and uncle Sam's asleep-mennen Williams,democratic governor of michigan
The United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external and internal forces-the turman doctrine
We are kings men and well be with you to the end -james Craig (not precisely a long one but so many essays it could be used in)
I want dr king to know that I didn't come to selma to make his job difficult, I really did come thinking I could make it easier. If the white people realise what the alternative is, perhaps they will be more willing to here dr king-malcolm x
Also know the 3 document essays off by heart as one will defiently come up,somebody mentioned about knowing every case study off by heart and learning information rather than essays but that's more long term advice than last minute, still tho
Geography: from here to friday dedicate 10 minutes to aerial photography, it's 8 marks waiting to be claimed. Nows probably too late for flashcards but if it isn't fucking use them for srps
Maths: nows not too late to print off a mock or past paper, see what needs the most work and make sure you fully understand them
Irish: if your like me and haven't done a scratch there's still more than a week, predictions are your best friend, learn one essay, one poetry notes, one story notes and one play notes and let God decide how well he wants you to do
French:be able to write about the Olympics as if your fluent, its probably going to come up. Know your tenses and your subjunctive. Learn off a few proverbs they add marks to any essay. "Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec le declaration Ci dessus","il est neccesaire de pesser le pour et le contre", "n'oublions pas le proverbe" and "a Mon avis" fit into most opinion pieces, know them(get correct spelling aswel mine was affected by autocorrect). Also if your down to the wire learn diary phrased, even if you write a bad diary you will get marks for the phrases.
Somebody has pointed out its the 70 year anniversary of the d day bombings so bare that in mind too
Accounting: final accounts will come up,know 2/3, learn all your ratios and all the theory they will come up, know either budgeting or costing as one of each will come up, that leaves the second 100 marker, it will most likely be suspense as that comes up every second year but it could be a 60 marker, I wouldn't even bother worrying about anything else until ratios,final accounts, budget/costing and suspense are up to the grade your hoping for but if all that is sorted learn off maybe 3 other possible 100 markers, that any you have 4 which includes the 80% likely suspense and 2 will come up, the accounting exam is probably the easiest to predict, and for the love of God know your theory. Keep doing exam questions of your struggling, every time you correct one write down your mistakes and have the list of mistakes next to you when doing the next one, then tear it and make a new list of mistakes
Biology: If you know photosynthesis and respiration off from the back of the hand, you are good to go because there is a very high chance one or the other will be asked in some form (could even be a full 30-mark question if you are fortunate enough).
Business: Be 100% familiar with the ABQ strands (the comprehension can help you out a bit in finding the information for each question but you need to know the material that goes along with it from the heart). For Section 3: Defo know Strand 1 or 2 as that comes up as a question 1 or 2, Ratios as that can come up (caught me off guard when I did LC and made the difference between H1 and H2 for me unfortunately) and then would recommend preparing either strand 6 or 7 (or both if you wish for the final question you decide to attempt) Think if I recall you have to do one from Part A, one from Part B and then one other question from either part. Section A is an easy way to pick up marks so if you are struggling bank on Section A and B to get you going and make a decent stab at Section C and know section 1-3 inside out
This is all my experience, I will add any good advice for these subject or other subjects that are provided in the comments, all of these are for higher level except for maths, good luck,don't panic and think about the pint that's instore once this is all over

For my Rhetoric and Composition class, I have to write a compare and contrast essay on ANY topic and can only use one source. I've been trying to brainstorm ideas, but I have no clue what I want to go with. Minimum of 1,000 words. So I'd need something interesting, with a decent amount of info, but something where I could find one source that has information on BOTH of the things I am comparing/contrasting.
Any ideas?
One thought I had was to compare two characters in a movie, but I barely watch movies so I don't even know which one I'd pick. My mom suggested I do taking a gap year vs starting college right after high school, but IDK if there's any good sources for that. I can't do research until after I write my rough draft.

In the 19, nearly 20, years I have lived my life, I was raised a Christian by American conservatives in a middle class environment and am fortunate to experience countless memories of joy, laughter, and growth with (mostly) everybody I have met. Each memory with the people in my life holds a special place in my heart, and I will forever cherish the bond we built.
The thing is that until the end of eighth grade, I had a strange obsession with East Asia. Looking back, it was very embarrassing and I condemn my parents for enabling me to become a weeaboo (by “weeaboo”, I mean “a person who is overly obsessed with East Asian culture, especially Japanese culture, to the point that they fetishize the culture in an unhealthy way”). I was the textbook example of a weeaboo who had a terrible case of “yellow fever” (sexual preference towards East Asians). Loving the image of East Asian culture without having any real idea what it stood for and seeing the East as a utopia, my fetishization of East Asia, especially Japan, was born out of the shame I have with the Western culture I was raised in. I never felt like I could fit in with my Western peers who I often looked down upon and did not want to be associated with. It got to the point that I became unsatisfied with my home town, my physical appearance, and even my closest friends. This combined with the surge in anime, K-pop, and other media on the internet really got me hooked and believing really fetish-y things about the Sinosphere. I hate being reminded of it and have tried to move on.
However, I am thankful for my exposure to Eastern culture, though it was through a very bastardized, Westernized lens. I am grateful for my exposure, even though it started out with something as intellectually undemanding as Vocaloid music (songs sung by a Japanese voice synthesizer). The best part about the exposure was that it helped me leave Christianity and join Buddhism at age 11, which greatly helped with my mental health considering I was experiencing suicidal thoughts since the age of 8. Though I had awful misunderstandings of Buddhism in the beginning and still do not really have a Buddhist teacher, I am glad that I have the resources to connect myself with other Buddhists and take refuge in the Triple Gem.
As I left my gross misconceptions of the Sinosphere behind back when I was 14 while still having a healthy interest in it, my eyes were eventually opened to perils which threaten not only the homelands of Buddhism (East, South, and Southeast Asia), but also the sustainability of modern humans. These two perils are Western culture and capitalist fascism.
The West exoticizes and misrepresents Buddhism and the culture of its home, the East, as a whole. I am ashamed to be born in a culture where this was encouraged, which I am worried could lead me to fetishizing Eastern culture again.
But what I know for sure is that the West’s hyperindividualism is harming people, both those whose lands are invaded and its own people. This combined with the West’s growing rejection of education, including that of the knowledge the West itself has given to the world for humanity’s benefit, makes it clear that it is lacking some of the Sinosphere’s cultural strengths. Everybody should hold collectivism and education to the same degree that the Sinosphere does, otherwise we would be left with an unsustainable society that would destroy itself.
There is nothing wrong with speaking Western languages, eating Western foods, watching (most types of) Western media, wearing Western clothes, and especially nothing wrong with using Western inventions, but we are now seeing that the West’s hyperindividualism and rejection of education is destructive and spreading like a cancer.
It is only Buddhists who make an effort to assimilate to the East (had they not been born into it) who can see the West with its hyperindividualism and uneducatedness, promoted by its creation of its spreading ideologies such as capitalist fascism and social Darwinism, for what it really is: a cancer. I can now see the direction the United States, the most populated and powerful country in the West, is going due to the rise of ultra-capitalism and/or fascism supporters.
Rarely the phrase “Western”, as in “formed by the combined foundations of Greco-Roman civilization and Western Christianity” (Gabbe), raised positive thoughts in my mind since I learned about it shortly after discovering Buddhism. “Western” when used in the context of medicine is an exception to this, but we are now seeing more and more Westerners dishonor the progress their ancestors made towards modern, mainstream, dare I say, Western medicine as they fall for anti-vaccine and anti-mask pseudoscience.
Nowadays, some who use the word in a derogatory context are uneducated reactionaries that bash anything and everything Western, yet hypocritically promote the Western political ideology of fascism. A strength that a majority (though now a decreasing number) of Western countries have is their progressivism, supporting scientific advancements, women’s rights, racial equality, and the LGBT+. However, this is not just becoming less common; being a progressive Westerner is not enough, not enough to end Western imperialism, to save the sacred truths taught to us by the Shakyamuni Buddha, or to empower the working class.
Although I never fully approved of Western culture after my weeaboo phase ended, my early teen self still ended up falling into the anti-social justice warrior side of YouTube that I now recognized hindered my understanding of what actually ruined my country, the United States of America. I still did not feel comfortable calling myself a Westerner but mainly because the West did not widely accept Buddhism and has several times in its history persecuted Buddhists. At the same time, I was deceived by a bastardized form of Buddhism common among Westerners (known as “secular Buddhism”, which picks and chooses aspects of the Buddha’s teachings instead of accepting them as a whole), so I was a bit more of the classic, stereotypical atheist neckbeard who fetishized the East up until 2020. Since then, my views became more progressive similar to those of American liberals and I denounced traditionalist Western beliefs, but like the average American liberal, I did not see Western culture, both traditional and progressive, as the peril I now see it. It was not until around the end of 2023 when I discovered the Western problem.
It was a slow burn that started with my discovery of Buddhists on the internet talking about how the West misrepresented Buddhism to appeal to “self-help” consumerists, Christians, and New Age followers. In the Westerner, I originally saw only a person who followed harmless customs, traditions, and other norms that came from a part of the world where Buddhism was not the dominant religion (if you could even call the non-theistic dharma as taught by the Gautama Buddha a religion). And so, I did not believe that Western civilization needed to fall for the safety of the dharma, let alone for its own people. After all, I thought to myself, the West has contributed so much to science and the modern world as we know it. I still believe to this day that there are no superior cultures and that each one simply has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, some of which are only subjective. However, while looking through Buddhist forums, I was shocked to hear about the West’s pollution of Buddhism and my knowledge on Buddhism skyrocketed as I learned that I fell victim to the Dunning-Kruger effect. I started reading sutras and immersing myself with Buddhism by listening to those who have much more experience than I do. There are hardly any Buddhists in my community and the only Buddhist center within reach is a New Kadampa Tradition meditation center (FYI: the New Kadampa Tradition must be avoided since it has a reputation for financially exploiting members and its monastics have allegations of drug trafficking and sexual abuse), so books and the internet are all I have left.
Practicing Buddhism in the West is nearly impossible without a community, without a Buddhist teacher, without any resources written by Eastern Buddhists. Reddit user u/Tendai-Student, a “lay Tendai Student [sic] with aspirations to become a Priest [sic]” states the following:
It is exceedingly challenging for a Westerner who is interested in Buddhism to find reliable information. Bookstores' Buddhist sections are rife with myths about the religion (we will come to some of these misconceptions below). Buddhism-related disinformation abounds in university classes. Misinformation about Buddhism abounds in publications with a Buddhist theme. Even Buddhism-related english-speaking [sic] Reddit boards are prone to carry false information.
Buddhism is constantly distorted in the same way: to make it more agreeable to Abrahamic faiths(especially Christianity in the west) [sic]. To imply that it is subject to Western standards, Western religion, and Western consumerism and materialism.
…Asian teachers are frequently excluded from English-speaking Buddhist places (meditation centers, university forums, periodicals). Asians make up the majority of Buddhists in the United States, despite the fact that popular images of Buddhism in the West make it appear otherwise. In the minds of Westerners, Buddhism is a religion of white converts. They don't even pay attention to the odd lack of Asians in some Buddhist areas. (u/Tendai-Student)
It is no wonder that I went through a phase when I was a weeaboo with “yellow fever”. The Westerner commodifies and commercializes these Buddhist practices and East Asian customs like they do with several other cultures. Its misuse and stealing of Buddhism is the worst because its teachings are for us to end suffering by ridding ourselves of the three poisons: greed, ignorance, and hatred (which the Westerner promotes).
My realization of this drew me away from the West, similar to when my obsession with the East began. The difference is that my interest in the East now is not because of a fantasy born out of misguidance, especially not a sexual one. I now know that there is more to the East than its pop culture. But I cannot help thinking that none of this would have happened and I would better understand Buddhism had I been born to and raised by Buddhists in East Asia, or even a majority Buddhist country in South or Southeast Asia.
However, the possibility of a cycle starting with a yo-yoing fetishization of the East makes me anxious. When I realized what I was doing at first was fetishization, I did further research and found out that the West is to blame for its portrayal of the East in its media. This in turn makes me denounce the West and brings me back towards my obsession with the Sinosphere, which could lead to more fetishization.
Despite this, I am glad that at the very least, my interest is more than just wanting to live a kawaii lifestyle, hoping to have a “submissive housewife who will look young forever”, or all that neckbeard squick. I do have to say that there is something else that is drawing me towards the Sinosphere, not to mention that it is the region where Buddhism is dominant (the same is true to a lesser extent with the Indosphere). Even though I am not a huge fan of tradition since I am very progressive, when a region’s culture gets something right, they get it right. In addition to Buddhist values, the Sinosphere holds education and collectivism to a high degree. It is no wonder I find their people so much more intelligent and caring than people from my culture.
It is common knowledge that countries such as Japan, China, South Korea, and Singapore have the highest average IQs. To add to this (unbeknownst to many), even less developed countries, e.g. Mongolia, with high Buddhist populations around the same region, have average IQs higher than developing and undeveloped nations outside the region. The most agreed upon reason for this is cultural factors rather than genetic or economic factors. To conclude, Buddhism combined with values in the East Asian cultural sphere creates the best “brains” to represent humanity, thus the West should make way for them, especially considering the East’s superior collectivism.
Of course cultures do not stay the same forever because they change over time. One big thing that is different now in the Sinosphere and Indosphere (the latter I am mentioning because it is where Buddhism came from, though it is not as dominant in the cultural region as it was) is that they are generally much more patriarchal and anti-LGBT+ than they were up until the last several centuries. However, Buddhism treats same-sex relations and being transgender the same as heterosexuality and being cisgender (preferring celibacy among monastics, though depending on the school of Buddhism, those in the monastic order may be treated as their birth gender, even if they are transgender), and in addition, the Buddha taught that women are just as capable of attaining enlightenment as men. Even outside of Buddhism, there are records of same-sex relations as early as the Shang dynasty in China and the temple walls in Khajuraho, India depict homosexual activity. As for feminism, China was matrilineal until the Han dynasty era, when Confucianism and filial piety became mainstream in the area, while India, home to over 100 different ethnic communities, has had a few matriarchal and egalitarian societies pre-European colonization. In the modern era, numerous people in the two cultural spheres are becoming more supportive of gender equality and the LGBT+, which in some cases may be due to Westernization (not that it redeems it) or simply the individuals’ progressive political views not influenced by Western culture.
What has stayed the same for the most part, besides Buddhism, is the Sinosphere’s and Indosphere’s value of collectivism in honor-shame societies and the former cultural sphere’s emphasis on education; this is what Westerners, as well as people all over the world, need for themselves. If the West is going to fall due to hyperconsumerism, late stage capitalism, and uneducated leaders, those living in the West would be better off joining Buddhism and assimilating to the East. Arguably, the best way to do this is to move to a majority Buddhist country, preferably one in the Sinosphere (its core countries being China, Japan, the Koreas, Taiwan, and Vietnam). Leave everybody you know from your home behind, especially non-Buddhists. Just to make things clear, Westerners are not necessarily evil and it is not their fault they were raised in a Western culture, but having these people in your life will hold you back from collectivism, quality education free of anti-intellectual quackery, and above all, understanding the dharma.
After you have left everybody in your life and started anew, you can immerse yourself in the culture. Again, abandoning Western food, media, clothing, and especially inventions and scientific breakthroughs is very unnecessary. Your main focus is reprogramming your mind to think like a person (specifically a Buddhist person) in the Sinosphere/Indosphere, utilizing the high educational standards, putting the collective over the individual, and taking refuge in the Triple Gem. Before moving, though, it is best to make yourself familiar with the customs and learn the language of the place you are moving to. To aid your assimilation, it would not hurt to start dating one of the locals who strongly identifies with the culture, regardless of their race. Someone living there who is not ethnically East, South, or Southeast Asian who is still very involved in the culture would be very helpful to your assimilation as one who is ethnically East, South, or Southeast Asian (I am clarifying this to discourage racial fetishization). This may be difficult as you would have to win over approval from their parents, let alone convince them to see you as another Easterner, but if you manage to do so, that would be fantastic. To make things easier, you could plan to move to a country where people treat women as equals and are relatively accepting of the LGBT+ so you would not have to worry about gender roles or whatever. Think of places in the Sinosphere such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, or if you are planning on going to the Indosphere (which is not too big of a step down) since they did give us Buddhism after all, Nepal and Thailand. Your most important goal, however, is to rewire your brain to think in a more Sinic or Indic way and be more in touch with Buddhism.
You can hardly consider yourself a Westerner if you manage to do so, being Western only in your country of origin (and possibly race as well). I am definitely not like those other “people” from the West who strongly cling to Western culture because they just do not understand. Western cultural merit is almost solely from the proxy of our ancestors’ inventions, scientific discoveries, and political revolutions. Considering that the West is being brought towards the wrong direction in the modern era, we should get out of there culturally, if not physically, until it all hits the fan.
If the West continues its defilement of the rest of the world, when it falls, it will bring it all down with it. We must not lose or else everybody loses.
This pressure has a good side; because the bigger the great threat becomes, the more we will push ourselves to assimilate and raise children to fight for us. Considering the infectability of Western anti-intellectualism and “main character syndrome”, how could our Western peers know better? Buddhism is not a proselytizing “religion”, so our best bet is eliminating the promoter of the three poisons, the Westerner (especially the Christian Westerner), from our own lives. How it will run to us as its society collapses under itself and we welcome it to assimilate but say “we told you so”! The older I get, the better I know the Westerner. The better I know the Westerner, the easier it gets to excuse hostility against them, especially from the Sinosphere.
From my perspective, the ones to blame are not the angry, low-middle class white males in the rural United States nor the boba conservative bananas and right-wing coconuts who suck up to the West’s biggest scum, but rather the ones who have brainwashed them to fall for chauvinism, reactionarism, and laissez faire capitalism.
Realizing this, I am now closely investigating the sources of these beliefs which make up the foundation of social Darwinism and, when combined with totalitarian thinking, capitalist fascism. This is after I noticed that these systems are unsustainable and would destroy themselves from the inside out. The slow, painful destruction of communities who fall victim to them are well known to me. If one looks carefully, they can see the consequences that have been unfolding since the 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic. You may wonder: were the founders aware of this? My guess would be that they were not but were evil nonetheless because they were too selfish to think about the future, their descendants.
If this is the case, then it is the duty of us, the opponents of these ideologies, to spread the word faster than the ideologies are currently spreading in the West. It is hard for me to believe it is not the case considering that both Western political ideologies are fundamentally reactionary. Besides, I doubt they would want civilization as we know it to collapse.
I have a social Darwinist as a maternal uncle who sometimes meets with my parents, maternal grandfather, and younger brother and with his political conversations, often sourced from flawed studies, Russian news, and 4chan, I can easily study the principles of its theories. Both of my parents are also conservatives who support Trump and other immoral American politicians. Being raised by the two of them, I bet I could disguise myself as a Western right-wing traditionalist, maybe even a social Darwinist, since I know the way they speak, to whom they flock to, and how to make them give one their full attention. It would probably be easy to do this as some right-wing grifters can fool American right-wing audiences into thinking that they share the same beliefs (e.g. Thomas MacDonald).
Their kind are gullible because they do not listen to fact checkers and often do not do research to see if who they are listening to really practices what they preach.
Even though there are Westerners who are not like this, the West cannot coexist with Buddhism, let alone the cultures where it is dominant, as the West ruled by colonizing tirthikas and it will likely always be for as long as it lasts. And just because their culture is not as viable as the one founded on Buddhist, Sinic, or even Indic values does not give them the right to imperialize the rest of the world and bring it down with them. We can welcome the Westerner willing to change its ways, turn it into one of an Easterner, and have its culture go through a quick and painless demise, or the Westerner can continue its power trip, destroy everything it touches along with itself, and society will suffer a slow and painful death. This is what the conclusion that I have come to so far as I examine capitalist fascism and Westerners’ connection to it.
The Western doctrine of capitalist fascism rejects an aspect of maitrī, fulfilling beings’ basic needs, and substitutes it for a privilege towards the bourgeoisie and the exploitation of the workers’ labor (also known as Vergegenständlichung or “objectification”). Thus it denies the worth of the collective, only concerns itself with greedy individuals, and thus is immoral. Unlike what the non-Buddhist capitalist wants people to believe, all beings have an altruistic Buddha nature, but it is corrupted, being difficult to notice as it has only conditions without a beginning (listed in the Avijjā Sutta). Abandoning capitalism, both fascist and non-fascist, gives power to the people as it ensures a more guaranteed right to life instead of having not even one thousand billionaires own more than half of Earth’s population combined, more than each one of those billionaires could ever spend in their lifetimes.
Should the Westerner, especially one who pushes capitalist fascism, strengthen its grip on humanity, it can be said that it would make its own naraka.
And so I stand by my plan and encourage others to do the same because it is in the name of the Unsurpassable Enlightened One. By protecting our kind against the Westerner, we are defending the Triple Gem.
If it is not already clear, the disapproval I feel towards the societal values and prevailing norms of the West has led me to question my place in this environment. I believe that meaningful change can only be fostered if the West is put into its place and the Sino-Buddhist East motivates our minds.
In Vietnam, where the culture is predominantly Sinic with some Indic aspects and little European influence, we can see the promotion of quality education, collectivism, and Buddhism (practiced by a forgivable 15% of the population), very unlike the nearby country of the Philippines. In the Philippines, its citizens cling to the Anglo-Saxon and Hispanic culture brought to the country by American and Spaniard imperialists. The effects of this are very clear in their average IQs (Vietnam: 89.53 vs. Philippines: 81.64) and PISA scores (Vietnam: 1403 vs. Philippines: 1058). They are both developing countries in Southeast Asia that were colonized by the West, but because Vietnam kept its culture more pure and stuck to Buddhism (or at least Sinic philosophies), its people are better educated compared to the nearby Westernized countries in a similar economic situation.
In short, Westernization leads to the following:

1. The native culture becomes diluted
2. If Western thinking intrudes, mental degeneration takes hold of the native population and its society slowly degrades along with the West itself as it eats itself from the inside out

Those who cause this to happen must be stopped, especially those who endanger Buddhism. We must not wait for the fruition of their karma for their sacrilege of the Tathagata’s teachings because by then it would be too late, and even if it is instant karma, every bodhisattva’s job is to end suffering.
Those who spread the harmful ideologies bring themselves and others away from the Buddha’s word are polluting humanity by having them join their rat race that will only end in their own demise. They are leading to the ruin of many and thus, I do not consider them to be human but instead parasites.
There is a disgraceful Western belief that for a short amount of time was not held by the majority but is now very pervasive in the West and also is the foundation of reactionarism, chauvinism, and capitalism in all cultures. It says: “My individual rights matter the most and freedom means my right to violate the rights of others.”
This Western babble is followed by numerous all around the world and sows disharmony in societies where it becomes the norm. This idea provides basis for several types of Westerners, including but not limited to:

• the “Karen”; a middle-aged, entitled, often white and anti-mask/anti-vaccine female who makes trivial complaints
• the “Chud”; a racist, misogynistic, right-wing male (usually young) who browses 4chan everyday and has a high likelihood of becoming a mass shooter
• the dayangma (Hanzi: 大洋马); a sex-obsessed young adult Western female, majority white but sometimes POC, is conventionally attractive (to Westerners), sleeps around, and in some cases creates spawn that do not know their father(s)
• the angry white male; self-explanatory, right-wing and traditionalist (sometimes a social Darwnist or capitalist fascist), commonly rural, evangelical Christian and have never seen a POC before
• the “Trad Wife”; a prudish, sometimes uneducated, female who lets Western males walk all over it and raises spawn who are likely to become angry whites
• the New Agehippy; generally a teenager or young adult, a well-meaning but poorly educated white liberal or social democrat who misappropriates Buddhism and appeases Muslims
• the AmeriKKKan fathegrandfather; a middle-aged to elderly, chauvinist male with children, sometimes also grandchildren, and is unconcerned about social justice and similarly to the “Karen”, falls for pseudoscientific conspiracy theories
• the neckbearded otaku (Hiragana: おたく); a hairy white male with “yellow fever” and mediocre hygiene, for the most part subreddit/Discord server moderators who stalk and kidnap East Asian ladies (if not teenage girls)

The growth of these groups is evidence of the degradation of Western culture, showing that it must retire as the dominant culture and make way for the much more sustainable East. Once the manuṣya realm on Earth is completely tainted by the West, Buddhas can no longer arise in the world because the dharma would be known by nobody and the Vinaya are forgotten or destroyed.
The future generation will not remember the dharma unless we halt the growth of the parasitic culture that promotes overconsumption, hyperindividualism, and anti-intellectualism.
The Westerner has a remarkable contrast to the Sinic or Indic. The Westerner has a grasp on this world so strong with its weaponry since the 16th century, using force to disrupt the traditional lives of whatever native people it saw, safe for those in a few countries (even though some of those countries are still being Westernized). The Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish built colonies from the Americas to Southeast Asia. The kingdoms were blessed with powerful militaries, strong economies, stable governments, and advanced technology that allowed their cultures to spread. But after half a millennium and looking back, was any of this really earned? And is the Westerner’s conquest over yet?
Since the Great Schism of Christianity, the Westerner trained itself for roughly one thousand years. It trained itself in several aspects, but it forgot an important piece, the dharma. The cunning Westerner, blessed with advancements, used them to tyrannize other peoples on a scale never before seen. This was the beginning of the Latter Day of the Dharma. The dharma is declining because of the savage Westerner. And so, it leeched off of any people it got a hold of, including predominantly Buddhist peoples. Even during the decolonization of the 20th century, fundamentalist Christianity spread and threatened the dharma. To make matters worse, previously Buddhist peoples clung to Christianity as taught by their colonizers; the French in Vietnam and the Spanish and Americans in the Philippines. To this day, the Philippines is a lost cause along with its majority Muslim neighbors in Maritime Southeast Asia. The cunning Westerner turned the Filipino against us and now Buddhists make up only 2% of the Philippines’ population. Now, the Westerner sees Buddhism as nothing more than an aesthetic, a self-help lifestyle, or a decoration that they can commercialize and cherry pick aspects to integrate into their religion or lack thereof.
It is excellent for someone from the West to learn the dharma as this will turn them into a more compassionate and wise person, but they must not enforce the Western gaze onto it and discard parts of the Shakyamuni Buddha’s words they do not like. To be fair, some aspects of Buddhism would be nearly impossible for a Westerner to understand unless they assimilate.
Buddhism is not materialist or blind belief without evidence and it belongs to the East, so stop pretending to be something you are not while pushing stereotypes of Asian Buddhists.
However, even though Buddhism is not materialist or very in line with the Western worldview, it is uniquely human. Walpola Rahula, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and writer explains it this way:
Among the founders of religions the Buddha (if we are permitted to call him the founder of a religion in the popular sense of the term) was the only teacher who did not claim to be other than a human being, pure and simple. Other teachers were either God, or his incarnations in different forms, or inspired by him. The Buddha was not only a human being; he claimed no inspiration from any god or external power either. He attributed all his realization, attainments and achievements to human endeavour and human intelligence. A man and only a man can become Buddha. Every man has within himself the potentiality of becoming a Buddha, if he so wills it and endeavours. We can call the Buddha a man par excellence. He was so perfect in his 'human-ness' that he came to be regarded later in popular religion almost as 'super-human'. Man's position, according to Buddhism, is supreme. Man is his own master, and there is no higher being or power that sits in judgment over his destiny. (Rahula 3)
How could one even consider the Westerners who diluted Buddhism human themselves at this point? If it were not for them, Westerners may have a better understanding of the teachings of the “man par excellence”. We are lucky that the only Westerners who necessarily see us as inferior are white nationalists and fundamentalist Christians, otherwise the Westerner could have committed a genocide that would have left millions of us dead. Westerners are competitive beings, so they rarely act in concord towards each other. It is only when there is something that draws them together or away from a common danger.
If everybody on Earth becomes a Westerner, they would wallow in their shamelessness and would have nobody left to exploit except for each other until they destroy themselves.
Until they are the only ones left, they will vilify and exploit anything non-Western until they only have each other, then leading to a chaotic world of undignified militaries, economic inequality, corrupt governments, and little or no innovations.
Unless the Westerner considers even the slightest of inspiration from the East, it will continue to follow hyperindividualism and have apathy towards its education. That is why the West is falling. Those from the West who are smart enough to realize that the West’s flaws that it spreads are deciding that the West is not worth maintaining and its resignation is overdue. If those from the West abandon it to assimilate to the East, it would make the West’s death quicker but more dignified.
This is more than a fad but rather the realization that Western society would be best being a passing fad itself. The West gave us great inventions, food, clothes, scientific discoveries, etc. and once it is gone, the East can pick up where it left off just fine.
We will never abandon the Triple Gem because we recognize it to be more than a spiritual, exotic aesthetic or trend. To do so would make us just like those others in the West who Asian Buddhists look down upon. When the time is right, each and every one of us will surround ourselves with the people who know the dharma better than anyone you have met in the West and we can finally be at their level. We shall be Western only in our country of origin and/or race, but in every other way, we will be Easterners; Buddhist Easterners who will take back what rightfully belongs to us.
When we (and hopefully Buddhists outside of both the Eastern and the Western world) do this, consumerism will lose some of its biggest prey. Even though it may not seem like it at first considering we are abandoning everyone we have ever known, we are doing our ancestors a favor by joining the culture that strives towards the end of suffering. We will be leaving our cultures’ ways of thinking behind, but doing this will save face for our lineage, especially the Western lineage as we would be preventing the creation of more “Karens”, “Chuds”, dayangmas, “neckbeards”, and other degenerates. We will not be annoying dorky nerds and certainly not “neckbeards” who are overly obsessed with and fetishize the culture but people making an effort to get closer to the dharma and surrender to the East.
Although we are collectivists, we must seek personal liberation first for the good of other beings. Once the West collapses and its former supporters come running to us, we shall welcome them. If some do not recognize this before it is too late, well boo hoo! They will have a better birth with the world we will create. Some of them, especially their unlucky spawn, would probably be better off dead and reborn into a better life, maybe even the Pure Land.
The way it is looking now, the West is falling and becoming the world’s laughingstock, which is a good thing. The quicker it falls, the less painful it will be for the Westerner and everybody else. Western culture will not be missed, but we can keep the best of it and continue the innovations that the creators would wish to see. We will remember the legacy of them and be thankful while never forgiving or forgetting the ones who ruined the West.
Works Cited
“Ignorance Avijjā Sutta (AN 10:61).” Translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu. Dhammatalks. 2017, https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN10_61.html. Accessed 31 May 2024.
Gabbe. “Western Culture.” Wikipedia. 25 May 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_culture#:~:text=The%20core%20of%20Western%20civilization,Roman%20civilization%20and%20Western%20Christianity. Accessed 31 May 2024.
Rahula Thero, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught. Oneworld Publications, 1959. Accessed 31 May 2024.
u/Tendai-Student. “栄真Eishin (u/Tendai-Student).” Reddit, 31 May 2024, https://www.reddit.com/useTendai-Student/. Accessed 31 May 2024.
u/Tendai-Student. “Buddhism is being MISREPRESENTED in the West Marginalisation, cultural appropriation, misconceptions and what you can do.” Reddit, 2023, https://www.reddit.com/WrongBuddhism/comments/14zc6xg/buddhism_is_being_misrepresented_in_the_west/. Accessed 31 May 2024.

To begin with the story, we became a couple at the end of 2019. I was interested in another girl before she confessed to me so I rejected her at first, but I haphazardly said I would be with her due to some complications (too personal) a few days later. I was a boring guy, barely functional and ready to end it all after repaying everyone that I know, so I thought after her infatuated period she would see who I was, leave me and search for happiness elsewhere. I would prioritise myself before hers which is very bad, I know, which was an idea that she will leave me eventually right? TLDR: I invited another girl to try league to have 5 man squad, she was new and suck at the game, everyone scolded the new girl and I felt very guilty since 2 other people join I left with the other girl to teach her about it. I shared personal stuff with her and I considered myself as best friends. My girlfriend who was in the squad felt jealous regarding this issue for 4 years now even though I explained "Hey I was the one who invited her and if we just kicked her, it feels so bad for her." I was pretty competitive (Playing ADC) and I would criticise everyone, including myself (I was and still am crazy, would play and watch VODs at least 3 times and see what to improve on and hit myself for making misplays). So she would mention how competitive I was and say (not word for word but a gist of it) "I thought you were competitive, she played so badly and you did not scold her or anything but would scold everyone else when they make mistakes" That is honestly a valid point, like really valid, which I said "She is new to the game, imagine being mean to someone that has no idea what is going on, it is just really unfair. I criticise people who I played with for a long time, know how I want the game to play out and still make the same mistake again and again. I never scolded Friend A (This Friend A played for an amateur team in DOTA2), he has never played league before so there is no reason to be mad at him. I never scolded Friend B (who got masters a few seasons ago) who did not play league for months and played poorly due to preseason changes." This was one part of it for her leaving me. Another short story, I never scolded her for her mistakes, even after she went on about my mistakes and specifically asked me to never play Jhin again (I still remember it, it was an off game on Jhin). Not just in league. Even in real life, I never raised my voice at her, never did anything to her that she did not want to.
In 2020, we were in this community which eventually got a huge drama between a huge group of people and her (I cannot go too specific in this). She brought up some glaring points about a person and there were huge allegations back regarding the points that she brought up, however, there was no real evidence to witch-hunt that person other than the things he said which were dark humour in everyone's eyes. Everyone defended that person and pushed her into a corner (metaphorically, not physically). I also believe that the person was just making dark humour jokes, and would try to stop everyone from attacking her instead of siding with her. I said "If anything, I should be the one to be attacked as I am responsible as well.", but the group and I had been friends for almost 4-5 years, they kept saying I did nothing wrong and she should be the one taking responsibility, which I then say "They are not being sensible here". They eventually stopped to show some respect to me. She felt betrayed as I did not choose to side with her, but to sit on the fence regarding this issue. It is another reason that she left me. Up until 2024, I was trying to get those people who were involved to apologise to her, saying that they went too far but to no avail. I would stop talking to the group of people, but still have some chat from time to time (this is also pretty important).
This is also in 2020, I gave her my password thinking "I don't have anything to hide right?" It was one of my worst mistakes as she could access the past messages that I sent to another girl (the one that I had a crush on). I have been trying since 2017-18 till I got together with my girlfriend. The thing is that there is nothing, but the efforts of trying to get the other girl's attention and even skipping lunch to get her stuff ticked her off. (I worked part-time to buy tickets and gifts for the other girl) (I fucking regret this as well, now that I have grown up, it is embarrassing to simp that hard for a crush) I apologised for my past actions, which is being a fucking simp, but this would be brought up countless of times when we fought.
I started to feel love towards her at this point, in the sense that her love for me was not infatuation but actual love. I had bad experiences back then, a girl asked me out and a month later said that it was infatuation and broke up, and the other one cheated on me with my best friend at that time. (This might be important? I am not sure whether I want to speak about it or not) I felt that maybe this was the one proper relationship I would have.
Following that in late 2021 to 2023, I would do a mandatory 2-year work and it was really strict. They would send personnel to check on you if you took a medical certificate. I would sometimes take a medical certificate to visit her, risking the chance of getting caught. Sometimes, they would call me asking where am I and why am I not at my house. I would say I went to get food and would be back in 30 minutes and quickly took a cab back home. Ok, why this part is important is that I had 2 surgeries in 2022 and have a 6-month + 4-month medical certificate. I explained that we could not meet up due to me being unable to walk and on crutches, but I would still go out and meet up with her. There are times when I just pretend to be fine and not use crutches to make her feel less embarrassed and bad, but in actuality, it fucking hurts, every step, every movement hurts.
After I could walk, I had to go back office and do normal work. So being the spoiled child I am, I would be tired and tell her that maybe going out daily is too tiring so let's go out from time to time. She agreed with it which I did not pick on as lowering her standards for me. I would fuck up by saying that I will go back to the game which in turn go back to the community that hurt her. We would argue about this and all the other stuff that she was pent up about. I will talk about how we argue later on. Late 2023 was one of the huge turning points where I felt that there was no end basically, we would always be arguing and I started having doubts about whether she loved me. (Her backstory is fucking sad, basically had a really really bad past, you could not imagine it, her previous boyfriend cheated on her, less trusting with people, has only me to entertain her and now me that does not show enough love)
As time went on after that argument, I started taking the avoidant approach, whatever she said in the argument was right. I am a narcissist, I am egotistical, and I don't love her, with this amount of care and love no wonder my ex cheated on me, friends called me out saying what I did was fucked, etc. I would agree and head to bed. I started caring less and less about arguments and I know that it is wrong, but every time we argued I would get so agitated and do stupid things, so to solve that I decided to do the dumbest thing on earth if you are in a relationship, to care less about the argument.
In University, I would pretend to be a normal human being and not be stupid. I would study countless hours, having breaks in between the sessions of course. I know my foundation is bad, so I had to study more than other people. We would go out 2-3 times a week and at some point, it became 2-3 times a month cause I was too focused on school, to get the future (I moved it below this paragraph). I scored pretty well, currently 4.8 GPA, got my professor's recommendation and became a part-time research assistant, but what did it cost? Everything that we had built. I would always say that I am busy with school work, projects, and studying for a test, and that is 100% my fault. I would always say that it is for our future, with a high GPA and first-class honours, I will get more pay and we don't have to worry about money ever again. However, that is not what she wanted. She wanted to spend time with me, to enjoy life with me, while I was hyper-focus on the future and she did say that she would not be in it no matter how many times we argued about it. She had period cramps, her mental health declining due to lack of job offers and is alone while I am focusing on the future. The future is important, not saying that it is not, but I failed to see what is important and that is my family, how am I going to get the future that I wanted if I don't help her now? I regret not being able to see this part until the very end where she said she wanted to have a break from me and could be friends afterwards.
About myself, I am one of the dumbest people on planet Earth if you compare people without complications. I went the long route in terms of education, 4 years in high school, 4 years in pre-university (diploma) (17-21) and only now starting university at 24. (I don't know any US terms) I have low self-esteem and apparently, I am the worst person alive as well. I mentioned that I wanted to end it all after repaying everyone that I know, for the time spent and taking care of me. My mental health improved when I was with her, believing that I could live until old and protect her. So I decided to go to university for 2 reasons, 1. To impress her family and 2. To get a good job and not let her worry about financial issues. (Oh, I am a foreigner so I would be bullied in school and fight back to protect myself, which led me to study less and fake being a menace. Came to this country without a penny, mother had to work 3 part-time jobs to support my siblings and me. Everyone had lunch money and I had nothing. Even now my allowance is $250 per month) I see financial stability is what makes a good and stable, and I started to see the future which in turn made me blind to the present. I want to meet her. but it is an hour-and-a-half trip to her house and another hour-and-a-half back home which I find to be inefficient. 3 hours spent not doing anything and it is going to be crowded on the train (so I have to stand for an hour-and-a-half back home tired). She mentioned that I could get a driver's license, which is true, I am stupid (this was after she said she wanted to have a break from me). There are times when she would say things that hurt me, but I let it go as she had a sad past and I understand that she does not mean it when she said it. (I can't take it honestly) My love language is affirmation of words so words hurt me x100. She would get me gifts, but that is not how I see it. I would accept it, loving the gifts, but all I wanted was a pat on my head and say I did well. She did say I did not spend enough time with her and gave examples of someone she knew flying to other states and driving his significant other to his house. My brother would take MC and leave to bring his girlfriend for cruising. My friends can sustain a relationship when we are in the same boat (in university). I said those friends can be in a relationship because they spend time studying together, while when we spend time I have to spend 3 hours in transport and risk lowering my grades. However, everything is just an excuse.
She blocked me everywhere due to me trying to plead with her countless times when she did say that she wanted to have a break from me. So here comes the question, how can I improve myself as a person for that time when she is ready to communicate with me? I am trying hard not to go back to the same mindset as before. How to improve on not being a narcissist and egotist? What do I do to improve my self-esteem issues? How to not worry about her finding another man before I even prove myself? How to start seeing colours again and not hear static everywhere? Am I lacking as a person? Only she could pull me out of the well that I am currently in. How do I cry my heart out? I have only been able to tear up but not cry even though my heart is killing me. I tried searching for it but nothing worked, listening to sad music, watching sad movies, laying in a fetal position and pretending to cry, nothing worked. I am starting to think that maybe she is right about me not loving her. What am I supposed to do? I love her... I have been trying to eat for the past few days, but everything just came out after it entered. Please help me
PS. Please focus on me instead of anyone involved. I want to improve as a person and know what to do to get her attention back. I will be deleting this post in a few days.

A short essay explaining the distinction between conventional and existential and how it is often life changing.
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Here's two pebbles. How are they different?
== == == == == == == == == == ==
PERSON1: Would you like to have a conversation about the two fundamental contexts one can use to describe anything? ... Doesn't matter if it's a thing or an idea.
PERSON2 (in parenthesees): (Why not. What am I gonna say, no?)
PERSON1: Cool. Suppose you have two pebbles. In what ways are they different?
PERSON2: (Well one is rounder, or heavier, or darker... etc.)
(P1) Yep. Agree. Now tell me which one is 'pebblier'.
(P2) (What?)
Which one is better? Which is a better example of a pebble?
(?…Well they're both pebbles. Either can't be any more or less of a pebble than the other!)
I agree! So ... in some ways they're different – rounder, or heavier – and in another way they’re equal – they’re both 100% pebbles.
They’re not the same in some ways and they're equally the same as just being pebbles. They’re not forks, or pencils. They can't be anything other than pebbles.
(Yep. Ok. So what.)
I’d like to reintroduce a word you already know ... “convention”. A convention is quality we can measure ... weight, color, smoothness, temperature, hardness, whatever you like. Every conventional measurement is relative to something else ... heavier, greener, hotter, whatever.
(Yep. Ok. So what.)
But each pebble, itself, not compared to anything else, is just a pebble.(And?)
In other words, we can actually choose to perceive, see or understand the pebble ONLY as a pebble... because we know it's not a fork or a pencil. We know what it "is".
(And?)
Another word for "is" (a pebble) is "exist".
The pebble is a pebble.
The pebble exists as a pebble.
Those two statements mean the same thing.
(So what!... get to it...please!)
When we measure something compared to something else it's a “conventional” measure.
To say a pebble is round means comparing it to something else similarly round.
But whatever it is, in this case a pebble, it "is" before we start describing it with conventional terms like heavy and smooth.The pebble "is" before it "is heavy and smooth".The something has to exist before it can be compared to something else.
(hmm... ok... and?)The existence of that something, by itself, before being compared to something else, is that something's “existential” existence.
When we refer to something 'existentially' ... note the 'exist' in there … we're talking about the thing itself ... *without* comparing it to something else, which again is a conventional description.
(So?!?!)
So existentially … everything is exactly what it’s supposed to be.
A pebble is exactly a pebble.
That also means the pebble is existentially, 'perfect’ ... it's exactly what it is ... it's inherently perfect because it's not supposed to be anything else.
If something is exactly what it is supposed to be then there’s no reason to compare it to anything else.That thing has no conventional flaws.We have to conclude that thing is existentially perfect.
(That’s nuts. Wouldn’t you rather have a diamond than a pebble?)
YEP! I’d rather have a diamond than a pebble! The diamond is worth *conventionally* more.
But the pebble is, existentially, as perfect as the diamond.
The pebble is a perfect pebble ... 100%.
The diamond is a perfect diamond... 100%.
(Well I just want the diamond. I'd never existentially want the pebble.)
Ok, then here's a different question. Is Magic Johnson better than you?
(What do you mean better?)
That's the point. In some ways Magic Johnson is better than you and I.He's better at business. He's better at basketball. He doesn't pay at Starbucks as he owns one.But regardless do you and I deserve the same respect and basic rights that Magic deserves?Existentially, you, I, Magic and everyone else, have equal value.
Conventionally, Magic Johnson, in some ways, is better than you or I.
(I get it but so what can do with it?)
Well there's both personal and social ramifications to deciding whether to existentially or conventionally judge the value of something.
For example, judging ourselves.Everyone has doubts about themselves, about situations, whatever. That’s normal, people want to be better at making money, having relationships, whatever.
But! … they also want to feel accepted just because they are who they are. That's existential.
Existentially … they want to have the same respect and fair treatment they feel everyone deserves.
And when they feel the world doesn't respect them they suffer.People regularly think "I am not good enough because the world doesn't treat me a particular way."
The big point here is that *human suffering comes from conventional measures*.
When a person thinks some version of "I'm not good enough (compared to other humans)." it's a conventional measure.
But one can choose, to train themselves, to not think conventionally and instead think "I am ok just because I am. I’m not supposed to be anyone else. I understand I may have to take conventional actions to get what I need, but me, to me, only about me, is existentially perfect and need not suffer.”

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If you're into reloading your own ammunition and looking for a reliable option to choose from, then look no further than the 458 Socom Reloading Dies. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about these dies, including their specifications, features, and how to use them. Get ready to take your reloading game to the next level!

The Top 12 Best 458 Socom Reloading Dies

1. Lee Precision 4-Die Carbide Set for .38 Special and .357 Magnum Reloading - Experience efficient and effective reloading with the Lee Precision Deluxe 4 Die Carbide Set - the perfect solution for .38 Special ammunition!
2. Lyman Rifle 3 Die Set: Precision Carbide Expander and Seating Die Set for 5.7 x 28 Reloading - The Lyman Carbide Deluxe Rifle 3 Die Set provides a seamless and durable reloading experience for 6.5 x 55 Swed. Mauser cartridges, offering extended case life and precise bullet seating.
3. Lee Precision 45 ACP Breech Lock 3-Die Set for Reliable Reloading - The Lee Precision Breech Lock 3-Die Set for 45 ACP offers easy die identification, reliable performance, and a complete kit for effortless and precise reloading - the ultimate companion for your reloading needs!
4. High-Quality RCBS 3-Die Set for 5.7 x 28 Reloading - The RCBS Lott 3-Die Set offers a top-quality, 5.7 x 28 reloading system that includes dies for size, expander, and seater, resulting in a professional, crimp-free finish for your ammunition.
5. Precision 7.62 x39 Reloading Dies Set for Exceptional Performance - Lyman Pro Die Pack offers superior precision and durability for reloading 7.62x39 cartridges, backed by stainless steel material, carbonite neck sizing, and enhanced bullet seating technology.
6. Reloading Dies for Small Capacity Rifle Cases - Lee Rifle Charging Die is a versatile and efficient reloading solution for small capacity rifle cases, compatible with Auto Disk Powder Measures and ideal for 22 cal. cartridges and up to .308 Win.
7. Lyman 380 Auto Carbide Pistol Die Set - Precision, versatility, and consistency: the Lyman 380 Auto Carbide 3 Die Set delivers top-quality rounds for bullseye, action, and cowboy shooting enthusiasts.
8. Hornady's Premium 458 Lott Die Set for Precise Bullet Sizing - The Hornady Series II 3-Die Set for 458 Lott delivers dependable reloading performance with all-steel construction, Sure-Loc lock rings, and a smooth elliptical expander, ensuring a consistent and reliable fit in cases.
9. Hornady Expander Die for .458 Lott Straight-Wall Cartridges - Enhance your straight-wall cartridge loading experience with Hornady's reliable and versatile Expander Die for .458 Lott caliber, featuring convenient die locking rings and ensuring perfect bullet seating.
10. High-Quality Hornady Powder Cop Die for 204 Ruger - The Hornady - Series I 2-Die Set in 204 Ruger offers durable all-steel construction, easy disassembly and cleaning, and precise adjustments for superior performance.
11. Hornady Custom-Grade 450 Bushmaster Reloading Kit - Experience top-notch reloading with the custom-grade Hornady Die Set 450 Bushmaster, featuring the innovative Zip Spindle design and guaranteed to last a lifetime, making it an essential addition to any reloader's arsenal.
12. Hornady Series I 2-Die Set for 223 WSSM Bullet Feeder and Seating - Experience unparalleled precision and durability with Hornady's Custom-Grade 2-Die Set 223 WSSM, featuring the innovative Zip Spindle design for effortless adjustments and superior reloading results.

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Reviews

🔗Lee Precision 4-Die Carbide Set for .38 Special and .357 Magnum Reloading

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When I decided to take up reloading my own ammunition, I knew I needed a reliable and efficient set of dies. That's when I stumbled upon the Lee Precision Carbide 4 Die Set. I was immediately attracted to its four-die set, which included a carbide sizing die, a bullet seating die, a powder thru expanding die, and a carbide factory crimp die. The set is perfect for effectively and efficiently reusing my ammunition.
One of the things that stood out to me was the air-tight, low profile box that the dies come in. It keeps the dies organized and preserved, so they're always ready to use. The dies themselves are high quality and easy to set up, ensuring a smooth and efficient reloading process.
However, there were a few drawbacks. The instructions could be clearer at times, and I found that I needed to thoroughly clean the dies with lacquer thinner to ensure accurate adjustments and prevent any issues with powder flow. The locking rings also took some getting used to, but after a little practice, I was able to easily switch between calibers on my Lee turret press.
Overall, the Lee Precision Carbide 4 Die Set has been a reliable and efficient addition to my reloading setup. It's a great value for the price and has lived up to my expectations. I would definitely recommend it to fellow reloaders looking for a high-quality and cost-effective set of dies.

🔗Lyman Rifle 3 Die Set: Precision Carbide Expander and Seating Die Set for 5.7 x 28 Reloading

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I recently had the opportunity to try out the Lyman Carbide Deluxe Rifle 3 Die Set, and let me tell you, it has been quite the adventure. On one hand, it has some really impressive features - like the super hard and slick carbide expander that makes resizing a breeze. Plus, the carbide button that can be adjusted for height, really comes in handy.
However, along with these pros, there are a couple of cons that I've come across. Firstly, I noticed that the carbide free floats on the rod for self-centering in case necks, which is great in theory, but in practice, it seemed to be a bit too sensitive, leading to some issues with neck alignment.
Another thing is that when I was using the set, I unfortunately came across a seating die that was not as good as I had hoped. It caused me some trouble, and I ended up ruining several cases before I figured out what was going wrong.
Overall, the Lyman Carbide Deluxe Rifle 3 Die Set has its strengths and weaknesses. It's loaded with features that make it a great choice for reloaders, but it's also important to be aware of its limitations. If you're looking for a comprehensive set to help you get the most out of your rifle cases, this might be a good option for you.
But if you're after a more robust set that can handle a bit of rough handling, you might want to look elsewhere. That's just my experience though. Your mileage may vary.

🔗Lee Precision 45 ACP Breech Lock 3-Die Set for Reliable Reloading

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The Lee Precision Breech Lock 3-Die Set for 45 ACP is the ultimate companion for all your reloading needs. Featuring colored smart lock bushings that make identifying the right die a breeze, this set is designed to make your reloading process smooth and hassle-free.
Crafted with carbide for reliability, the set includes a carbide full-length sizing die, bullet seating die, and powder thru expanding die. This guarantees consistent and precise reloading results every time. You'll also find a universal shell holder, powder dipper, and comprehensive instructions/load data. With this complete kit, reloading enthusiasts, both beginners and experienced, will love the convenience and user-friendliness.
Effortlessly switch between dies with the colored smart lock bushings, ensuring no more wasted time searching for the right one. The carbide dies are built to last, offering flawless, seamless performance for your reloading tasks.
Experience the ease, precision, and reliability that Lee Precision is known for with the Lee Precision Breech Lock 3-Die Set for 45 ACP. It's time to take your reloading arsenal to the next level - get yours today!

🔗High-Quality RCBS 3-Die Set for 5.7 x 28 Reloading

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I recently had the chance to try out the RCBS Lott 3-Die Set, and let me tell you, it was quite an experience. This set includes a Group C die, a Sizer die, an Expander die, and a Seater die, all of which are essential for any gunsmithing workshop.
One of the standout features of this set is the 3-Die roll crimp, which adds a professional touch to your reloading dies. The quality of the dies is top-notch, and the fact that they are made in the United States only adds to their appeal.
While the RCBS Lott 3-Die Set is a great addition to any gun enthusiast's arsenal, there are a few drawbacks to note. For instance, the dies may require some adjustment to get the perfect fit, which can be a bit frustrating. Additionally, the price point may be a bit steep for some users, particularly those just starting out in the reloading world.
Overall, if you're looking for a high-quality set of dies to take your reloading game to the next level, the RCBS Lott 3-Die Set is definitely worth considering. While there are a few minor drawbacks, the pros far outweigh the cons in this case.

🔗Precision 7.62 x39 Reloading Dies Set for Exceptional Performance

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Introducing the Lyman Pro Die Pack, a versatile and powerful addition to your press reloading toolkit. Crafted with your Mark 7 press in mind, every aspect of these dies was meticulously engineered to deliver top-notch performance. While they're perfectly suited for Mark 7 presses, they also work seamlessly with regular progressive presses, turret presses, and even single station presses.
The Lyman Pro Die Pack boasts dies made of stainless steel for its resilience and rust resistance. It's great to see durable and anti-corrosion materials in action. The Lyman Pro even goes the extra mile with highly polished carbide rings on the sizing dies, offering unparalleled wear resistance and reduced sizing force. The spring-loaded decapping rod system ensures the primer is ejected from the primer pocket with force, eliminating any potential misfire.
In the Lyman Pro Die Pack, the M die neck expander stands out. It has a specially designed two-step expander plug, ensuring just the right amount of neck tension and flair for your case mouths. The pistol sets include flare dies, designed to let bullets sit securely on the case mouth before being seated.
The Micrometer Seating die, a standout feature, impresses with a micrometer adjustable seating head. It guarantees precision bullet seating length and a floating bullet seating punch that centers your bullet with pinpoint accuracy. Lastly, each set comes with a taper crimp die, micrometer adjustable, which fully removes any case mouth flare and provides improved bullet retention.
However, like any review, there are pros and cons to consider. While the Lyman Pro Die Pack delivers exceptional performance with its array of features, it may lack compatibility with certain cartridge types. Always ensure it matches your intended use. Overall, the Lyman Pro Die Pack is a reliable and robust choice for reloaders looking for top-tier performance.

🔗Reloading Dies for Small Capacity Rifle Cases

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I recently tried out the Lee Rifle Charging Die and was impressed with its functionality. It allowed me to charge small capacity rifle cases with ease, using the Auto Disk Powder Measure or Pro Auto Disk Powder Measure. The die works similarly to pistol powder expansion, but without expanding the case mouth. Instead, rifle case expansion is done in the sizing die, making it an efficient and accurate process.
One aspect I loved about this product is that it could be used on a wide range of cartridges, from. 22 cal to. 308 Win. I appreciated the versatility it offered, as a seasoned shooter looking for an effective reloading solution. The Lee Precision Reloading Rifle Charging Die made the process of reloading smoother and more efficient.
However, there were a couple of minor drawbacks I encountered during my experience. Firstly, the die did not include a shell holder, which might be a downside for those looking for a more complete kit. Secondly, it only sized cases up to a length of 1.76 inches, which might be limiting for some long-range shooters.
Overall, the Lee Rifle Charging Die is a reliable and efficient tool for reloading rifle cartridges, especially when paired with the Auto Disk Powder Measure. Its ease of use, versatility, and quality construction make it a worthwhile addition to any reloading setup.

🔗Lyman 380 Auto Carbide Pistol Die Set

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My experience with the Lyman 380 Auto Carbide 3 Die Set has been quite positive. In my daily life, I found these dies to be versatile and efficient in creating high-quality ammo for various shooting activities. As a pistol reloader, I appreciated the inclusion of a Tungsten Carbide sizing die and a two-step neck expanding m die for proper bullet alignment.
The bullet seating die roll crimp bullets securely and the provided bullet seating screws offered an added bonus, accommodating both round nose and truncated cone bullets. However, I did notice that the bullet seating die had a slightly rougher finish compared to other Lyman products.
Overall, these dies have significantly improved my reloading process, delivering consistent quality ammo. They fit seamlessly with my reloading press and the included tools made the process even smoother. Though the finish of some components could be improved, the Lyman 380 Auto Carbide 3 Die Set has proven to be a reliable and efficient choice for serious shooters seeking high-performance ammo.

🔗Hornady's Premium 458 Lott Die Set for Precise Bullet Sizing

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The Hornady 458 Lott Series II 3-Die Set has been my trusted friend in reloading ammunition for quite some time now. This set of dies includes a sizer, expander, and seater, all made of high-quality American steel. The precision and craftsmanship that went into making these dies are evident as they deliver reliable and accurate results each time. The all-steel components make them sturdy and ready for any amount of use, while the smooth polished elliptical expander ensures a seamless release from the case neck without causing any neck stretch.
One feature I appreciate the most is the Sure-loc lock rings. They lock the dies into position and provide precise adjustment, making fine tuning a breeze. This set also comes with a storage box, which is a great addition to keep everything organized and safe. Although I have had a positive experience with this product, it's worth mentioning that some users have encountered difficulties with the case seating and size. However, the pros far outweigh the cons, making the Hornady 458 Lott Series II 3-Die Set a go-to option for many reloaders.

🔗Hornady Expander Die for .458 Lott Straight-Wall Cartridges

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I've been reloading my own ammunition for years, and I was excited to give the Hornady Expander Die a try for my. 458 Lott cartridges. The American-made product seemed promising, and it was compact enough to fit in my reloading setup.
The die was easy to set up, thanks to the smooth threading system, but it took some adjustments to ensure the case mouths were expanding properly. Once I got the hang of it, the die worked like a charm, and my bullets seated with ease.
The die locking rings provided extra security during the reloading process. The only drawback I found was that the die wasn't included with a shell holder, which meant I had to purchase one separately. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and will be continuing to use the Hornady Expander Die for my reloading needs.

🔗High-Quality Hornady Powder Cop Die for 204 Ruger

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I was intrigued to try the Hornady - Series I 2-Die Set for 204 Ruger. The all-steel construction and smooth polished elliptical expander caught my attention, and it seemed like a promising addition to my reloading toolkit.
One of the highlights of using this set was the precision and ease of adjustment. The sliding alignment sleeve and spindle lock design made it simple to fine-tune my bullet seating, while the hardened steel decap pin held up well without bending or breaking. Additionally, the comprehensive set came with a built-in crimper, retainer ring, and a storage box for convenient storage.
However, I did notice a few drawbacks. Firstly, the bullet seater guide left a noticeable indent around the bullets, which could potentially impact their ballistic performance. Secondly, the de-primer design wasn't the most user-friendly, requiring an extra de-primer to be included with the set.
Overall, the Hornady - Series I 2-Die Set for 204 Ruger proved to be a reliable and accurate option for my reloading needs. Despite the minor flaws, I found the set to be well-crafted and a great addition to my toolkit for achieving consistent bullet seating and bullet crimping.

🔗Hornady Custom-Grade 450 Bushmaster Reloading Kit

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I've used the Hornady Custom-Grade Dies 450 Bushmaster for a while now, and let me tell you, it's a game-changer. The Zip Spindle design is a real lifesaver - it eliminates spindle slippage and makes adjustments a breeze. You know when you're struggling with a stubborn spindle, but not with these beauties!
The Sure-Loc rings are top-notch quality and contribute to a satisfying and comfortable reloading experience. However, I did encounter a slight issue with the resizing die in my set. Not a huge deal, but worth mentioning.
Another downside is that the included shell holder #44 isn't included. I was initially perplexed but glad I had a trusty cut-off wheel nearby. No biggie, though.
Overall, this product has made my reloading journey more efficient and enjoyable. Give it a try, and I'm sure you'll feel the same!

🔗Hornady Series I 2-Die Set for 223 WSSM Bullet Feeder and Seating

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Using the Hornady Series I 2-Die Set 223 WSSM has made my life easier for reloading ammunition. The new Zip Spindle design is a true game-changer, eliminating spindle slippage and making adjustments smooth and simple. The 7/8-14 threads are sturdy enough to keep the spindle locked in place, but also flexible enough for easy adjustments. The included storage box is also a convenient feature for keeping everything organized.
However, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of a shell holder. And while the die locking rings do their job, I found myself yearning for easier assembly. But overall, this product has definitely made reloading a breeze.

Buyer's Guide

Welcome to the buyer's guide for 458 SOCOM reloading dies! This guide will provide you with important information and considerations to make when purchasing reloading dies for this specific cartridge. Whether you're a novice reloader or a seasoned veteran, this guide has something for everyone.
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Types of 458 SOCOM Reloading Dies

There are two main types of reloading dies available for the 458 SOCOM cartridge: single-stage dies and progressive dies. Single-stage dies are ideal for beginners and those who prioritize accuracy and control over speed. In contrast, progressive dies allow for faster reloading and reduced manual labor but may sacrifice accuracy in some instances.

Important Features to Consider

• Brand reputation: Choose a reputable brand with a track record of quality and customer satisfaction. This ensures that you're investing in a die that will perform well and last for a long time.
• Material: Die materials can vary, with some common options being steel, aluminum, and brass. Steel dies are generally more durable and resistant to wear but can be heavier. Aluminum and brass die bodies are lighter, making them more comfortable to use but potentially less durable.
• Sizing die compatibility: Ensure that the sizing die you purchase is compatible with the 458 SOCOM cartridge, as well as the type of ammo you plan to feed the firearm.
• Shell holder compatibility: If you plan to use separate shell holders, confirm their compatibility with your chosen die.
• Adjustability: Determine whether the die features adjustable components for precise calibration. This can be crucial for achieving consistent and accurate results.

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General Advice and Tips

1. Start with a good-quality reloading manual or online resource to familiarize yourself with the correct procedures and specifications for the 458 SOCOM cartridge.
2. Take your time when handling die components, and be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions for proper use and maintenance.
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FAQ

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What are 458 Socom Reloading Dies?

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Apologies for the absolutely insane number of words, got carried away trying to compensate for being slower than usual with my recap.
The cold open for the finale has a nice little parallel to the cold open in S1E2, which similarly has Deborah walk in to Marty who’s in a somewhat compromising position with his trainer to deliver good news, although in this case her news is something they both celebrate, rather than a win she uses to gloat over Marty
Even though she’s in a much less combative place with Marty, Deborah still isn’t willing to admit that she came over to tell him the news in person and insists that she’s only there to return the key, showing the limited extent to which she is willing to open up even to people she’s known for a long time.
Deborah and Marty doing the tango together to basically celebrate the news is quite cute and a fun way to kick off the episode
I do think it’s kind of sweet that Kathy is quite looking forward to Deborah’s visit, and J Smith Cameron plays up Kathy’s somewhat childlike excitement at this during the opening of the phone call
Nice to see Deborah making an effort to follow up after inviting Kathy for Christmas, committing to a sister’s weekend is a not insignificant step although it also becomes clear that she’s not 100% committed to it. Waiting for Kathy to call and then tell her there’s a change in plans instead of just straight up telling her isn’t a particularly nice thing to do
Deborah has a weird look on her face when Kathy brings up her parents at the mausoleum, which I initially thought was because she didn’t really like to reflect on the past, although on a rewatch it becomes clear it’s because she knows the truth about the mausoleum.
“She’s pivoting into being an adult” Found the way Kayla phrased this part of the child star to adult actor experience to be very funny. I guess the Bella Donaldson character is supposed to be a reference to people like Zendaya, Zac Efron and Selena Gomez (Cannes Best Actress winner!!???), Disney child stars who are trying to shed their past image and be taken as serious adult actors to varying degrees of success. Also the bit about getting awards buzz for an Aronofsky movie feels a bit like what happened/ was projected to happen with Sadie Sink and The Whale
Deborah watching her old Late Night tape and Ava seeing her do that is a nice callback to and reversal of S1E3, where it was Ava watching Deborah’s tape and discovering more about her past
I love Hannah Einbinder’s simple but sincere delivery of “I knew you would” as Ava, and the way Jean Smart lets just the tiniest smile play across Deborah’s lips in response to Ava’s belief in her
Ava being able to only write stuff for Deborah’s Late Night show and not any actual material of her own shows that even though it’s been a year plus since the S2 Finale she still has the same issue of Deborah being “the one with all the stories. What do I even have to say?”
Ava’s voice going up endearingly high when she says “This is gonna be amazing” is very cute, what a touching and lovely scene between Deborah and Ava showing the respect and admiration they have for each other. I’m sure that will continue for the rest of the finale!
How does a safe in the floor of the pool even work lol
Very fun comedy freaking out by Mark Indelicato as Damien, him becoming hysterical at the thought of becoming the new Marcus is hugely entertaining.
According to Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart on Variety’s Award Circuit podcast, thy did shoot a scene for this episode where Marcus does tell Deborah that he’s leaving but it was cut from the episode. Honestly not sure what role Marcus will play next season and curious to see what the writers will do since it seems he’s going on a very different plotline than the rest of the show. If this was another show I’d say he’s being written out but from interviews and other behind the scenes material the cast and showrunners are fairly tight knit, so I’d imagine they’ll find a way which makes sense for Marcus to continue being around
Between this guest appearance as Bella Donaldson and the release of Lisa Frankenstein and Abigail, Kathryn Newton is quietly having a pretty cool 2024. She absolutely nails the passive-aggressive “nice” girl type that she’s asked to play here. Also the Zack and Cody mention is kind of neat since Newton starred along with Cole Sprouse in Lisa Frankenstein earlier this year, while the goat demon movie mentioned might possibly be a nod to Newton’s affinity for the horro horror adjacent genre?
Quite like this Jimmy/Kayla B plot, allows Meg Stalter to show a different/more emotional side to Kayla who’s usually just the very fun comedic relief. Her smiling nicely and trying to politely ward off Bella’s passive-aggressive “niceness” is such a deeply human character beat.
Deborah Margesson doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as Deborah Vance, so I guess that’s why she didn’t go back to her maiden name after the divorce.
Deborah moving her parent’s remains to Vegas and not telling Kathy for twenty plus years is absolutely deranged behaviour. “It was a corner plot” and “I used my art shipper!” are ridiculously bad responses to the situation, this being the last straw for Kathy is very understandable. Although in Deborah’s defence I guess the fact that she was willing to accompany Kathy to the mausoleum for what she knows to be a completely empty gesture is her deranged way of showing care for her sister and not wanting to hurt her feelings.
Also in hindsight Deborah lying to/not telling Kathy about their parents to avoid hurting her feelings and any conflict is good foreshadowing since that pretty much turns out to be what she does regarding Ava and the head writer job
Deborah’s look of absolute disdain/confusion after hearing the “going to the hardware store for milk” line is gold from Jean Smart
I think Kathy’s reaction to Deborah here and deciding that she’s had enough of her BS and not wanting to put herself through even more hurt in attempting to maintain a relationship is completely reasonable, really liked J Smith Cameron’s work here, as well as Jean Smart playing Deborah’s silent acceptance of this relationship blowing up yet again
Deborah standing alone in the mausoleum is a great shot
Kathy’s reaction to Deborah’s BS here serves as a great contrast to how Ava deals with Deborah’s BS later on in the episode, it truly takes someone special/equally deranged to want to continue being with Deborah despite all her flaws and the hurt she causes to those around her. To use some internet parlance, Kathy is unwilling to put up with Deborah’s freak, while Ava ends up being more than willing to match Deborah’s
Lewis Benton/ fake John Oliver’s line to Ava about her being the hardest-working person in the office is a nice reminder of how working with Deborah has changed Ava for the better in some ways by giving her a stronger work ethic
“Maybe our paths will cross again” Just speculating here, and maybe this would be too inside baseball of a storyline for a show that initially at least was about two people on the “outside” of the entertainment industry, but might there be a future storyline of Deborah competing against fake John Oliver for an Emmy? A recent Emmy rule change starting from the Emmys earlier this year means that Oliver no longer competes with the more traditional Late Night shows like Colbert, Kimmel, Meyers, The Daily Show etc prior to that this had been the case for the past ten or so years
Kayla being the funny one growing up as a defense mechanism against bullies like Bella is such a great character detail on the part of the writers, makes so much sense and explains so much about Kayla’s outlook and attitude
This conflict is so great because both Jimmy and Kayla do have a point. Obviously Jimmy standing up for Kayla who’s being bullied is a good thing for him to do as a friend, but Kayla’s also not wrong in feeling that Jimmy is kind of ignoring her work and being a bit patronising. Really liked how Meg Stalter plays Kayla’s hurt feelings in this scene, it’s a well-executed emotional beat for a generally comedic character. And this continues the throughline about whether Jimmy has what it takes/enough stones and guts to be in the business which was also seen in the back part of S2
Quite liked the scene between Deborah and Biff Cliff (what a name!), a pretty sobering reminder of the obstacles faced by women in entertainment and just how precarious making it in the business actually is, makes complete sense that it would spook Deborah to do what she does later on
I thought the Jimmy Page dating a 14 year old story was meant to be a jab and Jerry Seinfeld and his 17 year old girlfriend, but googled and found out that that was a true story too
I feel like the bit Ava has as a writer taking new headshots and the different treatment they receive compared to actors must be drawn from the real-life experiences of the writers/showrunners, it’s such a specific joke. That said I think if you asked a layperson to tell who’s a writer and who’s an actor from this Deadline photoshoot I think they’d be hard pressed to tell the difference (very complimentary).
Ava sharing her excitement over her “dream job” as head writer for Deborah with a random make-up artist is very endearing, and just makes what happens later on even more crushing
Deborah going to the exec meeting and slowly realising just how much is being invested in her is a great bit of reaction acting from Jean Smart, and further helps reinforce the pressure she’s under and explains her choices
Quite liked the scene of Deborah telling Ava that the network doesn’t want her as head writer, on first watch it seems like Deborah is just worried about how to break the bad news to Ava and let her down easy, but on rewatch it feels so obvious that Deborah is just lying through her teeth to Ava and struggling with it big time.
Jimmy’s “proposal” to Kayla on the plane is such a great comedic setpiece/skewing of the rom-con trope, everything from the overly-excited passenger who completely misreads the situation to Jimmy kneeling because the flight attendant says there’s no standing in the aisle is just perfect.
It’s also just a really good way to cap off the season long plot involving Jimmy and Kayla, we’ve seen throughout the season that they make a very good thing and that Kayla’s kind of a genius at this in her own unique way, very satisfying to see Jimmy finally recognise this and promote her. Jimmy and Kayla’s mentomentee relationship serves as a healthy contrast to Deborah and Ava,with Jimmy as a mentor who recognises the mentee’s contributions and is willing to make compromises (see his acceptance of Kayla’s three funny videos a day)
Jimmy’s voice going up absurdly high when he says “Leave us alone!!!” and “What is your deal” is fantastic comedic work from co-showrunner Paul W Downs, he’ll get Writing and Series Emmy nominations this year, but he should really be getting one for Supporting Actor too.
I guess if you want to nitpick you could say Ava running into Winnie is a very convenient thing to move the plot along, but I choose to look at is as a reminder that Ava has moved on up in the world since the end of S2 and is now at a place where she can get takeout from fancy places where a high-level network head might also dine
Ava’s look of betrayal and anger after realising that Deborah lied to her is great work from Hannah Einbinder
Deborah is reading a Churchill biography when Ava storms in
My god, Ava confronting Deborah is just a perfect perfect scene, the writing is so sharp and Jean Smart is fantastic at playing Deborah going into ice/hardened mode when being confronted, but what a tremendous performance by Hannah Einbinder. She just captures the mixture of betrayal, hurt and anger that Ava feels so naturally and powerfully
There’s so many callbacks and references to previous Deborah/Ava confrontations and scenes from across the show. Ava accusing Deborah of just doing the same thing is from their very first meeting S1E1 where she calls her a hack as well as from their argument in S1E10 when she calls her the same thing. The line about being “a shark or whatever” comes from S2E5 which is what Deborah’s retired comedian friend Susan describes her as, with Deborah later then telling Ava that “You’ve got to be a shark” at the end of S2E8. And Deborah’s advice to Ava to be ambitious and saying that she feels lonely when opening a champagne bottle comes from S3E5 (take that people who said the woods episode was pointless filler).
“You can be the woman behind the man behind the woman” What an unappealing job description, and also a sign of how far Ava has comes since the S2 finale when she was unwilling to take the credit for writing Deborah’s special. Now her time away from Deborah has allowed Ava the space to truly value herself, her achievements and be justifiably proud of them (she stresses her job at On The Contrary to Deborah back in S3E1 and stresses her co-producer role when in bed with Christina Hendricks in S3E6), and she’s no longer willing to accept this demotion and wants credit for her work.
“You’re already making decisions out of fear and you’ll keep doing it” A really cutting observation from Ava which completely nails what Deborah is doing, much like how she immediately clocks in S2E8 that Deborah is pushing her away because she’s afraid.
“It has to work. I’ve lost way too much for it not too” Deborah’s sentiment applies equally to Ava as it does to herself, and helps explain just why Ava would go to the the extremes she does later on
As much as the dialogue in the scene is great, this Deborah and Ava argument also hits hard because of the silent moments in between. The wordless ten seconds or so which rests entirely on Ava after Deborah says that she’s willing to lose her is just tremendous stuff from Hannah Einbinder, all the hurt plays across her face and Einbinder is simply terrific in making the audience feel the deep hurt and sense of betrayal of that moment
Ava saying that Deborah will die alone is something that Deborah has thought about before, saying back in S1E9 in her interview with a journalist that she accepts the truth that people leave the world completely alone and refuses to pretend otherwise
One Last Time - Deb’s Final Stand Up is the track which plays as the big Deborah/Ava argument scene closes out according to Shazam, with the track (that played in the S1 Finale) taking on a whole new meaning in this context. The soundtrack isn’t a big selling point of the show unlike something like say Succession, but the themes by Carlos Rafael Rivera are simple but always effective
Jimmy taking a selfie in his new office is quite cute, and him saying that he didn’t do it alone and comforting Ava at the end of this scene is a much needed nice beat after the intensity of the previous scene
“shows that already exist with one tiny tweak, or huge global hits” Honestly a pretty depressing but frankly accurate read of the current media/television landscape
Jimmy saying that he knows Ava will do the right thing brings to mind these Deborah lines to Ava from the previous episode “It’s so easy for you to say what’s right or wrong. It’s never that simple. One day you’ll understand that” Ava’s move of blackmailing to get Deborah to do right by her certainly falls into the “never that simple” category
Curious about the politics/legal behind the scenes stuff that needed to be cleared to have Deborah be the host of a CBS late night show in the world of Hacks, while Hacks the actual show is under Warner Bros. Discovery which does not own hacks. I guess in this universe Deborah gets the Late Late Show timeslot instead of Taylor Tomlinson with After Midnight
Deborah’s left Vegas but the vanity plate for her car will continue to follow her and be updated
Deborah excitedly taking a photo of her Host parking spot is very cute, but the beat immediately after when we see a hint of her being sad and uneasy/regretful is also great, she’s achieved her dream but at great personal cost, and has no one to share the photo and moment with
It’s been a central thesis of the show that Deborah and Ava are ultimately more alike than different despite their different ages, backgrounds etc. Even in S1E2 the antiques dealer says that Deborah and Ava are “the same” and are “both psychotic b*tches”, and in episode after episode we see just how alike they are. For example in S2E2 after Deborah finds out about the email she says that Ava is just like her, being equally cruel and selfish. Ava blackmailing her abusive boss so that she can continue to work with her is just a completely insane thing to do, and also very much something Deborah would do herself to help her career, as we saw back in S1E5 when Deborah blackmailed Marty to secure her dates at the Palmetto
This move also shows just how much Ava has learnt from Deborah and how much the student has learnt from the master. Ava takes Deborah’s advice from S2E8 to be a shark, and her advice from S3E5 to “concentrate on what’s best for you”. It’s also ends up becoming a twisted version of Ava saying that she won’t leave Deborah in that same episode too, with Ava resorting to blackmail to stay with Deborah. And Ava finally does what she said back in S2E8, which is that “I get to decide what’s best for me”. I love love love the layers to this show!
I love love love the cocky and slightly confident/smirking Ava that we get a brief glimpse of from this scene, coupled with the power suit she’s rocking it makes for such a satisfying moment as she gets one up over Deborah after being on the back foot previously
We’ve seen a different and more vulnerable side of Deborah this season in S3E5 and S3E7, and seen her be like a fangirl in S3E4, but this scene and her stepping up to Ava and slightly seething as she says “You wouldn’t” is a nice reminder that she can be absolutely terrifying when she wants to be
That tiny tiny little gulp that Hannah Einbinder does when/just after Ava says “I would” is so so good, Ava’s standing up to Deborah but Deborah is still one very scary person. Also really love her cocking her head to one side as she says “Wouldn’t you?”
This has already been pointed out on Twitter, but Deborah and Ava sitting apart in the writer’s room at the end is kind of like the pepper shakers which Deborah rearranged to be apart in S3E1. Also a nice contrast to S3E8 when they were sitting apart as Ava was reporting the journalist’s article to Deborah, even despite them sitting separately they were still very close emotionally, but now the physical distance between them is reflective of the division between them as friends/colleagues
Spoilers for Succession S2E10: This Hacks finale is very reminiscent of the Succession S2 Final This Is Not For Tears. In both episodes the older mentor who’s been trying to teach their protege/successor to be harder and tougher ends up being too good at their job and get betrayed by their mentee in a stunning rug pull moment, even though for much of the season it seems the mentee is perfectly content working undefor their mentor. It’s a plot twist that’s both completely shocking in the moment yet makes so much sense when looking back on the season and the series as a whole. And of course the finale ends on a shot of the older mentor as they take in what their mentee has done, with a mixture of anger but also just the slightest hint of pride and begrudging admiration
This final twist in the finale of Ava blackmailing Deborah is so so good and satisfying, does what great season finales do which is deliver a “twist” that feels like a gut punch initially but has actually been building over the season, and sets up a really juicy scenario/ status quo for next season
Ava blackmailing her way to head writer on Deborah’s show is such a juicy scenario to leave things for Season 4, Ava has never had power over Deborah like she does now and I’m personally very much looking forward to how that changes their dynamic next season
My only concern is that I do hope the Vegas aspect and the characters from that part of the Hacks universe don’t get left behind with the focus shifting to running a Late Night show. If there is something to ding this season of the show it’s that there’s not enough Kiki, I’m not smart enough to figure out how a Vegas casino dealer will be able to regularly show up in LA but I selfishly want the writers to figure that out because Poppy Liu is just too fun as Kiki to leave out. Also kind of curious as to how they’ll keep Marcus around since he’s now leaving Deborah’s QVC empire.
Overall a really really great season finale and a very strong season as a whole, easily the best Comedy of the year and one of the best shows of the year. Really rooting for the show to win big prizes at the Emmys later this year against the Bear although that will be tough, pulling hard for Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder to win and for the show to at least win Writing if it can’t win for Comedy Series. Also would be very happy if Meg Stalter and Paul W Downs got their first-time noms this year, they were both great this season

This is something I noticed recently and found I had some misconceptions about: How long exactly Bilbo was mentoring or teaching the younger hobbits. From A Long-expected Party:

[Bilbo] had many devoted admirers among the hobbits of poor and unimportant families. But he had no close friends, until some of his younger cousins began to grow up.
The eldest of these, and Bilbo‘s favourite, was young Frodo Baggins. When Bilbo was ninety-nine he adopted Frodo as his heir, and brought him to live at Bag End. […] At that time Frodo was still in his tweens.

After his adventures Bilbo clearly takes on the role of a teacher and scholar in the Hobbit society. He teaches language (reading and writing to Sam at least, Elvish to Frodo), history, poetry (see Sam‘s recital of the Fall of Gil-Galad), Geography and other Cultures through the tales of his travels. In many ways he elevates (parts of) Hobbit society, their provinciality and isolationism are some of the few 'negative' traits of Hobbits. He is like a smaller (ha!) reflection of the Valar teaching the Eldar, the Eldar teaching the Dunedain or the Dunedain teaching the 'lesser' Men.
This role of Bilbo‘s is so clearly depicted as very influential that to me at least it is easy to forget how comparatively short and also long ago his teaching must have been at the start of Frodo‘s adventures. Here is a timeline as a reference, mostly from the Tale of Years and Family Trees (Appendices B & C):

2890 Bilbo born in the Shire
2942 Bilbo returns to the Shire with the Ring
2968 Birth of Frodo
2980 Birth of Samwise and Fredegar
2982 Birth of Meriadoc
2989 Bilbo adopts Frodo; Frodo moves to Bag End
2990 Birth of Peregrin
3001 Bilbo‘s farewell feast
3018 Frodo leaves Bag End

Notably, this means:

• Frodo has been living alone in Bag End for 17 years, quite a bit longer than he lived there together with Bilbo (12 years). I don't think we know when Bilbo's and Frodo's relationship started, but conceivably this is even as long as Frodo had known Bilbo at all!
• Pippin was 11 at Bilbos departure, Merry was 19. This means that to Pippin at least, Bilbo‘s tales must have been mostly like children‘s tales, there is very little time for Pippin to learn much from Bilbo directly.
• For about half of Merry‘s life and more than half of Pippin‘s, Bilbo has been gone.

Here is a quote about Pippin and Bilbo‘s Trolls that shows Tolkien recognising this matter, from Flight to the Ford:

He [Pippin] knew the story well. Bilbo and Frodo had told it often; but as a matter of fact he had never more than half believed it.

Emphasis mine - I like how Frodo seems to have taken over some parts of Bilbo‘s teacher role after Bilbo‘s departure.
It is also interesting to consider that Bilbo's 'younger cousins' happen to contain the children of some of the most influential families of the Shire. Merry and Pippin are after all the closest thing to princes of the Shire we have. In contrast to lower class families like the Gamgees it seems to have been usual among these families to teach their children to read and write at least. I wonder what this more pro-education stance meant for their relationship to Bilbo. Was Bilbo's growing learnedness recognized by the higher class families and seen in a more positive light? Would Pippin for example have been sent to Bilbo as a sort of private student? Or was the connection more accidental (as in: Uncle Bilbo is visiting his Tuck relatives and telling stories to young Peregrin) and frowned upon by the older family members?
Anways, I‘m not quite sure what the point of this post is, except to give some clarity to my own conception of the younger Hobbits. I find it easy to assume that all the main Hobbits have at least a similar degree of knowledge about what we know as 'The Hobbit', but this is clearly not the case. Apart from Frodo (and Merry in part) no one has read the book itself, and even direct instruction from Bilbo is both long ago and for the younger Hobbits like Pippin probably more like a hazy children‘s memory.

I'm the mom. I've been reading this site for so many years and it's been invaluable to me as a homeschool parent. I know my son's experience won't be relevant to a lot of you, but hopefully this will help kids taking an alternative path.
Demographics

• Gender: Male
• Race/Ethnicity: Latino, Jewish
• Residence: Northeast
• Income Bracket: $75K - $100K
• Type of School: Homeschool
• Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): Latino

Intended Major(s): Music, linguistics
Academics

• GPA: N/A
• Rank: N/A
• Number of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: English, Pre-calc, Spanish, Russian, Psychology

Standardized Testing
None.
Extracurriculars/Activities

1. Cello 30 hours a week, 52 weeks/yr 1, 2, 3
2. Piano 15 hours a week, 52 weeks/yr 1, 2, 3
3. Chamber music 10 hours a week, 52 weeks/yr 1, 2, 3
4. Research about music and language at major university, 5 hours a week, 30 weeks/yr 3, 4
5. Translator for Latin American immigrants 4 hours a week, 30 weeks/yr 3, 4

Awards/Honors

1. Admitted to Juilliard Pre-college for cello
2. Soloist at Carnegie Hall
3. Soloist with [list of] orchestras
4. National award for Latino leaders in music
5. Separate resume listing 20 national and international competitions won, and a list of scholarships received from music programs all over the US.

Letters of Recommendation
All the recommendations were from people who taught at universities. They showed us the recommendations ahead of time.
9/10 Music teacher. Taught him 3 years. Wrote about how accomplished my son was as a cellist. He also wrote about how my son overcame the shock of not being able to play at the same level after a car crash.
9/10 Spanish teacher. Taught him two years. Wrote about how he went from 0 to fluent in a year.
9/10 Jewish Studies teacher. Taught him at a summer program at Brandeis University that my son went to make sure he could handle regular courses with his brain injury. He isn't super religious but the teacher wrote an incredible recommendation.
Interviews
My son contacted the cello teacher at every school he applied to. (At Harvard and Case Western he contacted the affiliated music schools.) He played for teacher and did a short lesson to make sure they would like working together. In each lesson the teacher asked why he wasn't going to music school and he explained the head injury.
Essays
First essay: Wrote about the car crash where he lost his ability to hear the highest notes and he had to figure out what else to do with his life. He learned Spanish without being able to read or write while he was recovering from the head injury, and then did research on how kids with disabilities can learn a second language the way he did.
Second essay: Wrote about how learning Spanish helped him connect with his cultural roots and his experience being a translator for recent immigrants.
Extra essay: Explained why he graduated late. He spent two years in recovery and then decided to do junior year a second time so he could prepare for a regular college instead of a conservatory.
Decisions
Accepted

• Duke (going there!) (95% scholarship)
• Brandeis (95% scholarship)
• Northeastern (95% scholarship)
• Miami of Ohio (95% scholarship)

Waitlist:

• NYU (withdrew)

Rejections:

• Harvard
• Cornell
• Case Western

Additional Information:
I learned a few things that might help other parents/kids going through the process:

1. Schools don't care if you graduate high school late as long as there's an explanation.
2. The recommendations can go a long way making up for grades/scores as long as the recommender is a university professor and can compare the applicant to college students they've taught.
3. It's hard to understand how your story plays out on the application because you're so close to the story. We probably should have hired a college consultant to help us understand how admissions officers would read the application. At the time it seemed so expensive, but in hindsight it was too risky that we didn't hire someone.
4. Arguing about aid works. Miami of Ohio accepted him before the other schools but offered no aid. After pushing, we received 95% aid. A teacher at the university coached me on how to argue. This is probably another reason why we should have hired a college application counselor to help us; it's hard to know what you don't know, even after reading this subreddit obsessively.

11th: Jerri Manthey 1.0 (The Australian Outback - 8th)

mother
u/SMC0629:
Despite how anyone feels about Outback, I think Jerri is the one character who transcends those opinions. She is a pioneer in terms of Survivor villains, literally the original, and for better or for worse, she had the entire fandom in a chokehold back when the show started. She's super complex and fun to watch, and EASILY my favorite character of the season.
~
u/DryBonesKing:
Survivor’s original villain. Man-eater Manthey, the original Black Widow, Survivor’s very first “mactor” casting, the asshole who said Keith couldn’t cook rice, the horrible person who accused Kel of smuggling beef jerky… Honestly, I think Jerri’s gotten underrated nowadays. There’s some meaningful discussion to be had about the extent of how much of a villain Jerri is based on modern day perspectives, but I have also seen it accompanied by takes about Jerri being neither a villain nor “that entertaining”, and honestly, I categorically reject both assertions.
Jerri carves herself a truly unique role in Outback and serves as a fantastic foil to all of the main characters of the show. She’s narcissistic and vain and has very little filter on her thoughts (i.e. her complaints about Keith and her open flirting with Colby), and she’s also very cutthroat with some amazing one-liners. I think Jerri is the first person in the show’s history to make a reference to “making a deal with the devil” and god does she pull it off so well. Her relationship with Colby is genuinely iconic. Her relationship with Tina is also pretty damn amazing as well (especially as it starts with both of them being suspicious of Kel). Her hatred of Keith, her feud with Elisabeth, the forced politeness she and Rodger share… hell, she manages to do the genuine impossible task of actually making Amber Brkich seem entertaining on Survivor! Give this woman an Emmy for fuck’s sake!
The beef jerky, her making tortillas to one-up Keith, her involvement in the Mitchell tribal council as one of his faithful allies, the “drizzle chocolate on a hot guy’s bod”, Colby splashing her with water after Ogakor lost reward, their late “date” at the Great Barrier Reef, her blindside, both Tina and Colby taking potshots at her in the FTC… there’s so much to say about Jerri. And despite all of these iconic moments and being such an iconic villain, she herself has a relatability to her that I think should not be ignored. Truly, one of the best of all time. Someone who should realistically make every Endgame.
Overall Rank – 9/821
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u/Zanthosus:
The original villainess of Survivor. She’s the star of her season, and she has one of the most perfect three season arcs in the show’s history. I adore her in every iteration, but here she’s basically perfect. A true 10/10 character through and through. It’s really telling that the quality of the season goes down considerably after her elimination.
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u/Tommyroxs45:
The original villainess of Survivor. Her dynamic with Colby is iconic for a reason they have some of the best moments in survivor history. And perfectly sets up Colby’s story as well as just being completely tv gold with her beef jerky gate, Hershey bars, whenever she is on screen you know you are gonna get the Manthey experience.
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u/ninjedi1:
Jerri is definitely one of the most well known characters, originally one of the most hated people on the show, and nowadays is one of the most beloved (although not a fan of the revisionist take that she was the hero of the season). From the beef jerky debacle, to her relationship with Colby, with having the ability to tick off a number of people with her attitude without even knowing, she's pretty fun overall.
~~~~~
u/Regnisyak1:
Jerri Manthey (Australian Outback, 8/16)
Jerri, Jerri, Jerri. The maneater of the show has one of the most important roles in the series and is a necessary character, not just in the history of Survivor, but the history of Reality TV. She shows what happens when a personality clash happens on Survivor. She demonstrates the pride of strong women and how they are immediately ostracized on these TV shows as being a “bitch.” The double standard she expresses, where she is playing a clear strategic game, but is relegated to the position of the camp pariah because of her behavior is endlessly fascinating. But most importantly? She is the true first villainess, the first true flirt of the series, and she is the demonstration of perceived evil in society when in reality people desire scapegoats. She is a stellar character and one of the few characters whom I ultimately question where I have in my rankings - and perhaps one day could be my number one of all time. I love Jerri.
There are about one million things I love about Jerri, so for this essay, I want to frame it in a certain manner that is easy to follow, both for myself and you all. Jerri’s strengths are mainly showcased in her relationships with other people on the island - namely, Keith, Colby, and Tina, and coincidentally, that is the order in which this paper will go. With Keith, we understand Jerri’s humor, bossiness, and personality best. Often, Jerri IS right whenever she complains about Keith - he is simply put, an idiot, and Jerri outshines him in everything. With Colby, we understand a newer facet of Survivor that hasn’t been shown - sexuality on Survivor, and how it's dealt with. With that, Jerri is also deemed as a villain, especially given the situation of Ogakor and their… conservatism. And lastly, Jerri is a free independent woman in the series - which means she is SATAN! A discussion of Tina will take over the last section of this write-up because she is the primary source of Jerri becoming the original villain that we all love and know her for.
I mentioned a long time ago in my Jerri 3.0 cut that I didn’t think that I was able to get her cut for endgame (because at that point, we all kind of agreed Jerri was making endgame), so the fact that I am in this position, to talk about one of my favorite characters of all time, is just an honor. Outback is a very underrated season when it comes to the theming of Survivor, and the fact that I get a chance to deep dive into it as extensively as I will right now is a lot of fun.
Part I: “He Should Keep His Day Job” - Jerri and Her Personality (featuring Keith and other Friends)
Opening right away on the now iconic helicopter scene, Jerri almost immediately came out on the island guns blazing when she reached the camp… by arguing with Keith. Keith in general is a condescending dink, but right away, he begins to suggest things for camp, when in reality they would not work in the context of how they should live - in other words, his ideas are kind of lame. But this culminates in the second when the world-class chef continues to cook the rice horrifically.
Jerri and her tortillas are unfortunately a bigger character than Amber 1.0, but they show so much about her character in such a short amount of time. One is that she is not afraid to speak her mind, both in confessionals and in the game. She complains about Keith not being able to cook something as simple as rice in the middle of the beach, while Jerri can do it with relative ease. She is not afraid to call his ass out on the issue either, because his rice sucked and she knew she could do it better. But it also shows Jerri’s bossy side, which seems to especially come out whenever she is hungry (or wakes up in a bad mood… or doesn’t get what she wants… or is annoyed… or… well you get the point). While Jerri is hilarious in the moment, and right because everyone hates Keith’s rice, people still see her as being negative because she has such a personality clash with the tribe, who tend to be people who follow, rather than lead like Jerri. People like her should be appreciative of what Keith is doing, but she breaks the mold and goes against the line. This culminates in Episode 3 when Jerri mocks Keith AGAIN because she is catching more fish than him without barely trying! Her overconfidence is further a key component in her character, and something that pushes people away.
I’d be wrong to not bring up JerkyGate at this point, which happens in the same episode with Jerri and also shows her abrasive side. We might never know if Kel snuck beef jerky on the show, or was simply munching on grass, but one thing we do know is that Jerri was pissed and led the witchhunt against him. Ultimately, Jerri is not afraid to take the lead on anything, even if the facts are not clear, and while the tribe was pissed at Kel for potentially having food and not being prepared to share with 7 other starving people on the island, Jerri got more flak for the situations due to how harsh she was in the concept. It’s another staple of her character.
Episode 3 is also an interesting episode for Jerri because it showcases one positive trait of her and her game. At the end of the day, while she could get annoyed easily and maybe isn’t the nicest when she is hungry, she is loyal to the people that she is friends with. Mad Dog was one of the most difficult votes for her at that point of the game because she considered her a close friend, but ultimately that was where the chips lay. It further expands to Mitchell in the next episode, where Jerri specifically mentions friendship in the game, and how she is not as close with some on the island as others. This sets off red flags for a particular Tennesseean and something I will go into more detail earlier, but it shows that no matter how the show portrays her if she likes you, she will be loyal to you. What’s important about this scene, however, is that it is a classic example of Jerri speaking before thinking about the words that she is saying. Jerri’s immediate regret in the next episode showcases her fear of the game and shows that she has game awareness, despite not having social awareness. Ultimately, her loyalty takes a front view at the end of Episode 4, as she refuses to vote for Mitchell, which puts her on the outside of the tribe because of Tina’s last-second vote flip on their hike over to the tribal council.
As time progresses, we begin to see more sides of Jerri, and it is up to us as the viewer to construe the positivity or negativity of Jerri. She is constantly complained about for her attitude on the show, whether it is her style of gameplay or her continued attitude on the beach. The gameplay portion of her game is rather important. As the game progresses we see Jerri become more and more paranoid. Jerri is a classic example of a player lacking self-awareness of how their behavior might affect people in the future, but what is notable is that she quickly understands that people do not like her in the game. I don’t think she is ever aware of the extent of the game and her behavior, (which I think explains her bitterness toward Tina in All-Stars) but she does know that people will never take her to the end, either because she is not deserving or because she is playing a good social game. But, that leads to Jerri becoming a paranoid mess, desperate to strategize with almost anything at this point. One notable moment is her strategizing with Colby in the middle night, which is something that he CLEARLY did not want to do. This was yet another strike, but showed that Jerri, while being bossy all the time, is also really game-oriented, but she doesn’t recognize what times she should - it reminds me of a lot of characters on the show, but Jerri is the true example of that, where she is actively seen as bossy AND overplaying.
But Jerri’s bossiness reaches a new height once the Kuchas come over to the tribe. Immediately, the Ogakors look like idiots because that dumbass Keith accidentally took the matches to the old Kucha tribe by accident, leading the women to have no ability to make fire, as their guests meander to their tribe. Further, we get Jerri being incredibly bossy about the rice and such, yet again, as the merge progresses. With this, we understand the entire characterization of Jerri with a simple Rodger voting confessional “Most days she gets up in a good mood, but oh baby, watch out if she gets up in a bad mood.” We get some classic Jerri personality clashes at this point in the post-merge, notably with her complaining about how Elisabeth cooks the food every morning, and how she has a specific way of cooking it.
This scene is especially important because it is a rare time when we see Elisabeth, of all characters, break their character and lose the sweetheart facade for a moment because of Jerri’s sheer negativity around camp. Elisabeth tends to keep her composure throughout most of the season, but you can tell her annoyment in this situation, and it sparks a different side of her character that we did not get an opportunity to see - a more malicious side where she pushes a lot of the Jerri boot in the process. It was yet another personality clash with Jerri at this point, and something that caused another strike because of her abrasion. And what’s funnier is that Jerri came into the merge to hide that attitude. She was attempting to be nice and together with the Ogakors as the other two Kuchas meandered over to their tribe, and she was even going to stay loyal to the final 3, who she never really knew the extent they hated her, but her power on the tribe was just too great, and her attitude finally wore them down. She went home in that episode, for a mix of reasons. Her abrasion, her attitude, her differences from the “good” people on the tribe, and her strategic abilities.
Jerri so effortlessly creates argumentation in the tribe, whether it is deserved conflict or perceived conflict because of her attitude. Her ability to be such a natural villain without over-hamming it up, and just merely due to her negative personality, is beyond impressive on the show, and something that I can’t overemphasize my appreciation for. Ultimately, Jerri is not really that bad, and I think many could even suggest that she is the right half of the time, but she ultimately cannot make that point clear because she just comes off too strongly. But is it her fault? Maybe not. At this point, we have to start looking at the other people in the tribe. Ultimately, Jerri is abrasive, the vitriol she got was just not deserved. It’s due to simple perceptions, initial first perceptions, and perhaps gender roles that created such an intense portion of the game with Jerri, and why she meets the themes of the season so well. But before that, let’s jump into the other character and their dissolution of a potential relationship, to a rivalry that last over a decade. He ain’t no Hershey bar, either.
Part II: “I Am SUCH a Sucker for Cowboys” - Jerri and Sexuality/Gender Roles
The tumultuous roller coaster that occurs between Jerri and Colby is telegraphed so greatly during Australian Outback, and ultimately it is because of one thing, and one thing only. Avoiding the full Freudian comparison, Colby is a MAMA’S BOY!
Jerri and Colby begin the show with having a mutual relationship and liking for each other, while also having their knives sharpened and ready to stab at the correct period. Probably one of my favorite and underrated scenes of Jerri was when she gave Colby the massage on the island. Both give immediate commentary in that they can see right through each other and know exactly what they are doing to each other. Jerri begins the massage but knows that at some point in the game, even though she is attracted to Colby, she will have to stab him in the back. On the other hand, Colby sees right through her sexualization of him and knows that Jerri will be in trouble down the line.
Something that Jerri’s weaponizes is her flirtatious nature. I don’t think Jerri gets enough credit for using that as her strategy and being the first really to use it in such an obvious way, because she is actively using it to win people over, notably her potential boyfriend on the season, Colby. To me, I think Jerri very well knows how she is acting on camp, and using her powers of seduction as a way to convince Colby to move over to her side and be a strong ally for her character. I think she also just has a crush on Colby, but as we’ve seen from her being strategic and understanding game awareness, she knows exactly what she is doing.
Probably, my favorite example of Jerri and her sexuality is the classic scene with her and the chocolate. Chocolate releases endorphins. Poor it over a hot bod. Hopefully, Colby is in her fantasies. I mentioned this casually in my Jerri 3.0 writeup, but her relationship with chocolate is one of my favorite side stories of Jerri because she mentions it consistently in all three seasons she appears. I don’t think it is overshadowed at all in Survivor, but with it appearing in the same episode as Trial by Fire, I do think its placement gets forgotten. She’s on the beach, lying next to a log (wait that’s AMBER?!?) and discussing just so blatantly how chocolate is an aphrodisiac near Colby, whom she admits pretty firmly that she is fantasizing about in her daydreams. Yes, we get the Hershey Bar scene here, but Jerri destroys this scene with how classic she is, just because it was so unique and different to hear a woman like her so blatantly talk about sex in that manner. Like for 2001, that’s SHOCKING. But it is reality, and I think Jerri being the leader in that role is pretty incredible.
But, silly goofy gender roles come into play, and it causes a riff between the tribe because it does make the rest of the tribe uncomfortable. Again, I will go into this more detail down below, but Colby and Tina don’t like how open she is about how she wants it, and I think that is really important contextualization for the tribe because they are a bunch of conservatives on the tribe. They don’t need to hear that, and Jerri, someone they’ve already had issues with, is already annoying as is, and this just adds insult to energy.
But as they progress, we see their relationship continue to tumble down a hill, picking up speed as it rolls down faster and faster. Colby is getting irritated with Jerri at this point, and I think Tina is involved a lot in this position on the season. As I mentioned earlier, Colby is a total mama’s boy, and that is immediately confirmed when his mom comes strolling out on the island after he wins one of his ten million challenges. We question his motives throughout the season, but I think Tina clocked Colby immediately for being someone who respects elders in his life, and her power of acting as a motherly figure for his character begins the general dislike for Jerri because at first they did get along and created an alliance. But they continue to struggle, and whether it is Colby throwing the water at Jerri during the challenge, or his general apathy as the game progresses and lack of interest, their relationship is going down, and a lot of it is due to Tina and her negative attitude toward Jerri and her character.
Their awkwardness of their, for a lack of a better word, “situationship”, culminates into the classic honeymoon scene, as they go to the reefs and slowly ruin a national landmark in Australia (lol). They lounge on the chairs out there, but Colby first issues a rule with Jerri - no one is allowed to talk about strategy out on the reward. This is a time to relax, and he simply has no desire to hear it. It was hilarious how differently the two were on different pages, with Colby not giving any fucks about Jerri (he dragged her along the challenge but did not want to win), while Jerri somehow fell more in love on her honeymoon without sex. The dichotomy of their games, with Colby playing a better social game, but not so much one with game awareness, while Jerri having the exact opposite, became quite clear here.
Jerri’s ultimate lack of understanding of how to use her strategy, and the divide of her negative attitude, something that is very difficult to change at the end of the day, creates a varied strategy that ultimately fails on cylinders. But the more important part is how a woman who has these feelings, basically being a love-sick puppy, gets ostracized by the entire country of America for her behavior. I think the perception of Jerri and her seductive nature is probably the most interesting about her character because it is highly lauded in seasons now, but when it happened then, she was the equivalent of the devil. It represents the double standards of women on Survivor because god forbid a woman shows that she has a strong sexuality. I love how Jerri embraced it, and while she did have issues making it actually… work, it still created some interesting tension among the much more conservative tribe members of Kucha and Ogakor.
Ultimately, I think Jerri and Colby’s relationship ends with fire because he just straight up lies to her when he mentions who he is voting for her because she is so done with her attitude. Jerri isn’t shocked at tribal because early Survivor didn’t understand blindsides, so they likely told her beforehand, but I think you can see she is heartbroken by the decision because Jerri was a mouthy, but loyal soldier. Even at the end, I don’t think anyone expected Jerri’s game because she was trying to fish for answers with her jury questions, and I think there’s a certain tragedy that Jerri was playing a strategically forward game, but was ultimately ruined because of her boisterous personality.
And again, I’d be wrong not to mention the sheer strength of Jerri and Colby, and how their relationship progresses throughout the seasons. From this, we get legendary moments in All-Stars that give the season some semblance of watchability, which leads to an incredible three-season arc for the duo. I wouldn’t go into too much detail because this write-up is already getting to be way too long, but it is pretty great, and watching Jerri get the final word on Colby twice is great.
Part III: “She took the canoe!” - Jerri and The Themes of Australia
Lastly, Jerri symbolizes the themes I’ve talked about loving so much in Australian Outback - understanding what deserving means on the season, and how that turn has no relevance to the season. Once someone gets pegged as “undeserving” it is hard to fight against that reputation, even in a favorable way. The problem is that Jerri constantly gets dogpiled, to the point where she can never bounce back from what people thought of her with her initial perceptions.
Tina’s hatred of Jerri symbolizes that, as she was one of the leaders of the concept of good vs. evil. Throughout the premerge, Tina plays a hidden role, but eventually, we begin to understand the “good people” winning, or those who agree Tina initially perceives as those who are “good.” The entire perception comes from her. This means white people who don’t have an attitude problem. I think Australian Outback is beyond interesting because of that because it shows how the cast can change what people describe as deserving, and that it can be completely subjective depending on the season.
No one on Survivor is truly “deserving” to make it to the end or not. It’s almost entirely luck. But Australian Outback tries to establish that, which makes it unique against the other seasons of Survivor because deserving is never really as vocalized as it is in this season. Tina disguises what being “good” means, and it causes the endgame to work out the way it is. Jerri is only the first victim that Tina has with this march, but the good vs evil marking leads to an interesting dichotomy between the two groups.
Besides that, their relationship reconfirms gender roles of the season, with someone who lives in a more conservative setting, versus one who didn’t and has broader strokes of liberalism with it. Tina is very conservative in her roles in society, as we see with her judgments of Jerri all season, which is described as negative when Jerri begins to talk about sexuality. Of course, there's a right and wrong place to talk about it, and Jerri often did do it at the wrong times, but it clouded Tina’s mind to the point where she couldn’t change her mind.
The conceit of friendship and connections also comes into play with Jerri. Again, at Mad Dog’s tribal she accidentally leaks that friendships do exist on Survivor, and she has quite a few. This immediately paints a target on her back because she admits to having an alliance, but also likes other people more than others. It set off two people, with Tina who already began to dislike Jerri, but also Colby, who understood Jerri could be a loose cannon, and he didn’t like when people ostracized other people on the tribe. Jerri was considered rude in this situation, and this was yet another domino in Jerri’s villain arc.
No one is right or wrong in this situation because putting people into schemas is natural. I don’t want to make a moral judgment about this story, but ultimately, Tina’s story did boil down to her only supporting people who have her views. And I love it. But Jerri as the main villain, when in reality, she was just an outspoken woman on a tribe that has more conservative views is an incredible contrast with one another. I don’t want to make this section about Tina any longer than it should be the ranker will do a great job speaking about her, but Jerri as a concept was through Tina’s perception, and she ultimately became a scapegoat for the tribe person that they can pile on easily.
Whether Jerri deserved the vitriol is up for debate, but ultimately, it’s a reflection on society. Jerri was both right and wrong with her accusations, and most of the time, she was right with her perceptions. But once you get targeted for that negativity, it is hard to shake off what happens for the rest of the time. We naturally look for scapegoats, and when someone falls out of line, they get targeted next to society. Tina perfected this strategy to a T and deserved every penny. And Jerri? She was the first victim in that description.
It’s why Jerri’s common complaint about her game being “tame” in comparison is always a weird take to me. It’s not the point about Jerri. She’s a bitch, but it is not really because of her style of play or how she plays the game, it’s because of how people perceive her on the show. Symbolically, her role in Australian Outback represents such an important facet of society and how people can tend to pile on when first impressions are not met properly. She is supposed to be tame in comparison to the legendary characters because she is tame. She’s just extraordinarily bossy and clashes with other people. Ultimately, this is why I love Jerri. She goes against the grain and gets punished for it, when in reality, how much she deserves it is questionable, and should be up for debate.
Her downfall is legendary from two different angles. One is if you support Tina’s narrative of getting out the negativity on the season. The other is tragic when you understand that Jerri was ostracized because of her personality, and given a chance to grow outside of it because the other tribe members were mum about their feelings. Having a character who has two completely different interpretations of how their boot occurred has a lot of implications for Jerri and showcases how stellar her character is. A lot of it is ambiguous, and while Tina’s side was much more supported in the narrative, I think both are valid takes to understand how Jerri went home.
Part IV: “I don’t know who I am out here” - Concluding Thoughts
Ultimately, as Jerri knows she is going home, she learns that she does not recognize herself out there on the island. And I believe that. Jerri becomes a mess after a while and a lot of factors could have led to that. Whether she does have a bossy personality, hunger on the island, being around people who don’t like her, or being in the same place constantly, could lead to why Jerri became Jerri on the island. But ultimately, it’s the symbolism that surrounds her boot. First impressions mean everything on Survivor, and sometimes you can go down a rabbit hole that evolves into whether someone on the series was deserving or not.
A good character for me is someone that you can spin easily. Spin their meaning into something that relates to society. And Jerri is probably the easiest character to do that for. She has so many implications about whether or not she is a villain, and how that can translate to the larger role of society. It’s a tragic blend of gender roles, personality clashes, good in society, and negativity overall and how that affects the mood. It leads to a beautiful blend of a character that is not only asking all these questions but incredibly entertaining to boot.
That’s something I’ve mostly been quiet about, but whenever Jerri has a personality clash, it’s almost gleeful to watch her be so blissfully unaware, with a top 5 laugh in reality TV (Cirie and Amy Crews from BB4 are also there). Jerri is someone who makes me consistently laugh because she is so detached at times from reality and truly doesn’t understand how these people feel about her. When she complains about tortillas, she is a magnetic narrator, and her annoyance is clear through her emotions. When she discusses sexuality, you can feel a certain emotion from her, as well as the mood shift around the camp. Ultimately, she is one of the most expressive, hilarious, funny narrators in the history of the show.
When she leaves, you can tell the magic nearly disappears because she is a queen of conflict and drives all of it on the season. Jerri was the life and soul of the season, and while Tina dominated the strategy, Jerri dominated the character. She is one of those few characters that makes characters better than they should be. I am so happy that she had the opportunity to make the endgame again, and I am even more overjoyed that I had the opportunity to talk about her in more detail.
Personal Rank: 6/821 <3.
SMC0629: 14
DryBonesKing: 8
Zanthosus: 10
Tommyroxs45: 14
Regnisyak1: 6
DavidW1208: 4
ninjedi1: 20
Average Placement: 10.857
Total Points: 76
Standard Deviation: 5.521 (10th Lowest)

Lesson 1: Introduction to Esoteric Wisdom
Summary: Explore the foundational concepts of esoteric wisdom, touching on its historical roots and overarching themes. Highlight key terms and their meanings within this context.
Exercises and Activities: 1. Research and define five fundamental esoteric symbols. 2. Meditate on the symbolism of a chosen ancient symbol. 3. Create a personal symbol reflecting aspects of your own journey.
Assignments: 1. Analyze a passage from a Gnostic text, connecting it to esoteric principles. 2. Investigate the historical background of a prominent figure in esotericism. 3. Read a relevant excerpt from the Dead Sea Scrolls, examining its significance.
Discussion Questions: 1. How does esoteric wisdom differ from mainstream religious teachings? 2. Share insights gained from meditating on your chosen symbol. 3. Discuss the relevance of Gnostic texts in understanding esoteric traditions.
Writing Prompts: 1. Reflect on the impact of esoteric wisdom on your personal beliefs. 2. Compare and contrast esoteric symbolism across different cultures. 3. Craft an essay on the role of secrecy in esoteric traditions.
Study Guide Example Test Questions: 1. Explain the symbolism of a chosen esoteric symbol. 2. Analyze a Gnostic text passage and its implications. 3. Provide historical context for a figure in esotericism.
Commentary: Emphasize the importance of delving into esoteric wisdom with an open mind, encouraging students to approach these concepts critically and reflect on their personal connections to the material.

1. Gnostic Texts:
   
   • Reading: "The Gospel of Thomas"
   • Historical Context: Explore the emergence of Gnostic thought in the early centuries, examining its relationship with mainstream Christianity.
2. Dead Sea Scrolls:
   
   • Reading: "The War Scroll"
   • Historical Context: Investigate the historical background of the Qumran community and its relevance to the broader Second Temple period.
3. Apocrypha:
   
   • Reading: "The Book of Enoch"
   • Historical Context: Understand the socio-religious climate during the Hellenistic period and the influence of apocalyptic literature.
4. Key of Solomon:
   
   • Reading: Excerpts from "The Key of Solomon"
   • Historical Context: Explore the medieval context of magical grimoires, examining the cultural and religious climate.
5. Thelema:
   
   • Reading: "The Book of the Law" (Liber AL vel Legis)
   • Historical Context: Delve into Aleister Crowley's life and the cultural backdrop of the early 20th century that influenced Thelema.
6. Occultism:
   
   • Reading: "The Kybalion"
   • Historical Context: Examine the Hermetic influences on occult philosophy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
7. Tarot:
   
   • Reading: "The Pictorial Key to the Tarot" by A. E. Waite
   • Historical Context: Understand the symbolism and historical development of the Tarot deck in the context of occultism.
8. Numerology:
   
   • Reading: "The Secret Science of Numerology" by Shirley Blackwell Lawrence
   • Historical Context: Explore the historical roots of numerology in ancient civilizations and its evolution over time.
9. Astrology:
   
   • Reading: "Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos"
   • Historical Context: Examine the foundational work on astrology by Ptolemy and its impact on the medieval and Renaissance periods.
10. Religion from Every Cultural Tradition:
    
    • Reading: Select a text representative of a specific cultural tradition (e.g., Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching)
    • Historical Context: Research the historical and cultural milieu surrounding the chosen religious text.

Ensure students critically analyze these readings, connecting them to broader historical contexts and identifying recurring themes across different traditions.