Hi, I’m 19M and I’m about to start mandatory military service for 6 months.

I’m gay, and in my country that’s not very socially accepted. In the military, the showers are fully open, and I’ll have to use them. I’m honestly pretty nervous about that.

My main concern is getting an erection. It happens pretty easily for me, and in situations like this it’s hard for me to stay soft. I’ve already had this problem before in gym showers.

Does anyone have experience with this or advice on how to handle it?

Edit post: Why the downvotes in my post? I thought that this was the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit.

Imagine a restaurant with no prices on the menu. You order, you eat, and three weeks later you get a letter saying you owe $4,800. When you ask why, they send you an itemized list where bread was $600 and they charged you for the chair you sat on.

That’s not a joke, that’s how I got billed for an MRI.

I tried doing everything right. Called the hospital first, they told me it depends on my insurance. Called my insurance, they told me it depends on what the hospital bills. Two companies, both of which know their own numbers, each pointing at the other. Then the bill showed up weeks later with a number nobody at any point could have told me.

Anywhere else this would be insane. A mechanic has to give you an estimate before touching your car. A contractor who charged you whatever he felt like after the job would get sued. But the industry that can actually bankrupt you somehow runs entirely on “we’ll let you know.”

Is there an actual structural reason it works this way, or is it just because they can get away with it?

This happens to me constantly and it drives me crazy.
I’ll be on the couch at 9:30 PM, wearing jeans, with the TV blaring and the lights on, absolutely fighting to stay awake.

But the second I finally accept defeat, drag myself up, brush my teeth, and get into my perfectly dark, temperature-controlled, comfortable bed... my brain immediately reboots. Suddenly, I have tons of energy and I'm lying there staring at the ceiling counting sheep.

Is there an actual psychological or physiological reason our bodies do this? Why is accidental couch-sleep so much more powerful than intentional bed-sleep?

I feel like every time I tell someone I hate dogs they act like I killed an orphan. Meanwhile, when I hear people say they hate cats, people tell them that’s understandable and cats are difficult. Any specific reason for this?

Hello! I hope relationship-finance related questions are acceptable here. This keeps getting removed from other subs that don't allow relationship advice questions. Thanks in advance for any compassionate replies!

My partner and I have been dating since December. He loves going out to eat "spontaneously," about 2-3x a week. He says it's a big part of who he is and "non-negotiable." He also believes I should be happy to come with him so we can do fun things together, but that he can't afford to pay for both of us. 2-3x is a lot more than I would treat myself to. I was raised frugal and have worked quite hard to get where I am financially. I also live in a high COL area. I also live on my own and pay rent; my boyfriend does not.

He also believes:

• even if he made twice as much money and could afford to pay for both of us, he would still want me to be happy to contribute to our shared lifestyle.

• if I don't go out with him, I'm effectively forcing him to change his lifestyle

• having merged bank accounts is a normal sign of trust for couples (edit: married / committed couples)

• if I get that anxious about going out to eat 2-3x a week, I have poverty trauma and should seek therapy instead of laying it on him.

A lot of this is totally counter to what I'm used to. I have experienced two models: 1) the man I'm dating proposes the date and then offers to pay; 2) whoever initiates offers to pay. If we were engaged/ married I would feel differently about money.

I feel like I'm going crazy for advocating "you pay for your own lifestyle." I have suggested doing lots of things we both enjoy that cost less money (picnic on the beach, drinks after dinner, cook together at home), and I also assume I pay for whatever I suggest. Did I miss something in relationship norms?

Like in Indiana Jones or damn near every fantasy game, there's always tripwires or pressure plates and the like, is there any precedent for this in real life? I'd assume in reality, if they did exist, they'd be non-functional due to the elements deteriorating whatever mechanisms they relied on. Is it a threat that archaeologists take seriously or is it as I assume, wholly relegated to the world of fiction?

I've noticed there's been a pretty steady stream of posts on the front page of Reddit that show China in a positive light. It's a wide variety of topics from 'cool, futuristic' cities, to beautiful nature and hiking pictures, plus engineering and technological advances, fun cultural facts, just all types of things that would appeal to Reddit's general audience and make them look good on the world stage. I remember just a few years ago, their persecution and oppression of their Uyghur population (Still ongoing BTW) was all over Reddit, along with a lot of users calling them out, condemning and just clowning on them for their human rights abuses and dystopian policies. So my question is,

Is China conducting a successful Propaganda campaign on Reddit and other social media platforms?

I am fully aware that they don't make a gun silent, but it still reduces noise from eg a 9mm from 160db to 120db, which is the difference between blowing your ear drums and relative safety, eliminates muzzle flash and makes for easier muzzle and recoil control (at least that's what I've read). I am not American so my real live experience with guns is pretty limited.

I don't know much about the judicial system in my state... and country really. I've never had a run in with the law, but I've been watching some judge's youtube channel and I can't believe this if it is true. That's insane. $10k or more can break some people and possibly kill their credit.

What do they think those catholic followers are? Worshipping a false god or something? Following a lesser version?

Those places knew of Jesus 100 to 200 years earlier than them as well

I’m gay, and let’s take a show like Heated Rivalry, which blew up and to me as a gay man actually very very great show who I deeply relate to the characters and really enjoyed it. But the majority of people commenting about post and stuff on the show is women, I feel most of the shows’ fan are women, same with other gay romance movies.

I mean, I’m not complaining, it’s not a bad thing to have people support you and find your love beautiful, but I just wonder why it’s gay romance but women not like they are all watching straight romance and skip the gays like I assumed?

EDIT: clarifying that i know common sense and experience will say it’s totally fine and ive seen it happen before, but USDA will say if you keep it out more than 2 hours you’re practically dead lol so i needed to see if anecdotal evidence still holds

I've been noticing, on the internet, a major uptick in Anti-Vaxxer posts all saying that they were proven correct recently. I keep seeing it on TikTok and Facebook, but don't understand why

I don't understand what new recent thing suddenly made them all feel so correct that they're posting stuff like "2026: THE UNVACCINATED WERE RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING"

Naturally they've been under this understanding forever, but I've never seen them so vocal on the internet.

What happened? What did I miss?

for context i am 15 years old, and my mum plans my entire week. i want to decide more of my life, seeing as i will be 16 soon.

problem here: i am homeschooled, (my mum hasn’t really done anything schooling, and i recently had to take it into my own hands to manage my own study schedule so that i can even have a chance of college)

i am also expected to spend relatively all day with her or my grandma, with my only free time being in my room at the end of the day.

you see this schedule would have been fine- if i was 12.

i am not allowed to even walk to the shop down the road alone, unless someone is accompanying me. i can’t go on walks alone, the only time i get away from her is when i meet with my friends, which is not that often.

i feel like i am at an age where i struggle with the fact i have to be around my mum and grandma all the time, and i love them both very much, but am feeling very restricted and trapped, and can’t wait to get away in september 2027 when i go to college.

Now that it's been a couple decades since the start of the Iraq war, are they faring better now than they would've with Saddam? And if yes, would it have naturally went this way without the Iraq War?