oh god oh god. i was NOT prepared for the surprise of "Shadowheart's Mom has early stage Alzheimer's/Dementia"
She literally gets you confused for Shadowheart/Jen if playing a fem durge/tav (apparently she confuses you for her HUSBAND if you're playing dude)
and she's at that stage where she KNOWS she's slipping and will get worse and not better and holy shit this is so heartbreaking and hits way, way too close to home (lost my grandma to it, and my aunt that was basically my mother died from a brain tumor that...caused issues)
JFC this is brutal, hits close to home, was a total surprise on my 2nd run, and I can't remember seeing it depicted in games (esp. fantasy games) very often.
September 26, 2022 - Congratulations to the Cuban people for voting in favor of the Family Code! [article]
The new code guarantees the right of all people to form a family without discrimination, legalizing same sex marriage and allowing same sex couples to adopt children. Under the new code, parental rights will be shared among extended and non-traditional family structures that could include grandparents, step parents and surrogate mothers. The code also adds novelties such as prenuptial agreements and assisted reproduction.
The Code promotes equal distribution of domestic responsibilities amongst men and women and extends labor rights to those who care full-time for children, the elderly, or people with disabilities. The code establishes the right to a family life free from violence, one that values love, affection, solidarity and responsibility. It codifies domestic violence penalties, and promotes comprehensive policies to address gender-based violence.
The Code also outlaws child marriage and corporal punishment, stating that parents will have “responsibility” instead of “custody” of children, and will be required to be “respectful of the dignity and physical and mental integrity of children and adolescents.” It also asserts that parents should grant maturing offspring more say over their lives.
The new code also expands the rights of the elderly and people with disabilities. It recognizes the role of grandfathers and grandmothers in the transmission of values, culture, traditions and care.
Thinking about how genuinely frightening it is how much we as a society have been conditioned to dismiss old people. Like. That’s literally going to be every one of us who doesn’t tragically die early, guys. Take a look at literally anything for the elderly and imagine yourself there in a few decades.
Do you look forward to being sneered at and/or treated as invisible because your natural effects of old age inconvenience the younger set? (It’s so much easier to pretend you don’t exist or matter, you see, than to be inconvenienced, or acknowledge they will face the same reality one day.)
Do you want to be shuffled off to a virtual prison staffed by jaded workers when you are too old/infirmed to live in your own house? (There are many nice nursing homes, but there are many more not-nice ones, and too few altogether.)
Do you look forward to only seeing your kids and maybe grandkids once a month (if that) because it’s too much trouble in their busy schedules to come visit you?
Do you look forward to a large division of society advocating that you be euthenized before your time because it’s more “humane” (because you’re an inconvenience, not a person)?
It IS hard to remember to care for and visit the elderly people in our lives. I am as guilty as anyone of this. But I think on a broad scale, we really need to consider treating the elderly with at least as much consideration as President Coin treated Snow in the final Hunger Games book: giving the person in her power special comforts and respect (even knowing they will die) so that if/when she is in someone else’s power in a similar way, there will be a precedent that she should also be treated well. The difference here is the elderly haven’t committed a crime—they are literally just Us In A Few Short Years.
Do it for selfish reasons if no other. Advocate for the elderly. Prepare the way for your own peaceful later years.