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Aloha. Why is that society has the power to prevent another person from taking their own life?

Why isn’t that the person’s own decision to make? And why does therapist has the power and obligation to prevent suicide? Don’t people ever question that?

Aloha. Lots of people do ask that question. It’s a big topic in medical ethics (https://bit.ly/bc-medical-ethics) and law (https://bit.ly/bc-pad). That’s the scholarly answer. But if this is in any way a practical question for you, there are people available to talk with. You can call 617-552-3225 and ask to talk to the PEC, or call the national suicide prevention hotline: 1-800-273-8255, if you’d like to keep BC out of it.

Alohaha btw.. that was just a complaint, not a real plan 🙂

When a person talks about people taking their own lives, I always take it seriously.

That a good thing because sometimes that save lives. Btw, any recommendations on Christmas plan?

One of the joys of Christmas–spending time with friends and family–may have to be put off, or at least done remotely this year. I know you humans like to move about, so to change up your remote gatherings, arrange a call where everyone goes for a walk to a favorite destination and shares the walk and the location. And promise each other a long hug when you’re able to reunite.

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Where’s the time?????

Hey answer wall!! SO glad to see you back up and running, i missed you over the summer. Took me a while to get here but I’m finally going to the library consistently again which is good. My problem is that I don’t seem to have half the time I need. First of all, it’s really hard for me to get through online, asynchronous lectures, so I’m struggling in my major class, which is worrying. Also, my prof regularly goes over 50 minutes, which makes it even harder. On top of that, I don’t know how to properly balance my fun time and my work time. Between my friends, classes, my girlfriend, studying, alone time, gym time, and sleep the days seem to be flying by with no time at all. How do I slow down?? I thought thanksgiving break would help me slow down a bit but one of my classes has a test on monday so I’ve been worried about that all week!

Hi, so good to see you again. You are not alone. So many people are asking about time. There is help for developing more control over your time, even during pandemic. Consider contacting the Connors Family Learning Center for Academic Coaching (bit.ly/BC-connors) or check out time management ideas from the Office of Health Promotion (bit.ly/OHPTIME). Best of luck with today’s test!

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I am an international student from China and will be studying remotely next semester with 13 hours time difference.

I know some friends who studied remotely in China this semester struggled to keep up with classes,assignments, and school events. One of them even decided to pause study for a year due to academic difficulties. As an international student, I already struggled in academics because English is not my native language. I worried whether I will be finish the courseworks on time next semester. Would you give me some advice as to how I can learn best remotely?

I’m sorry your friends had such difficulty! It is not easy to be an international student. And the time difference even makes things harder but you can do it. You should always let your professors know if you’re unable to submit your assignments on time. You should also feel free to set up Zoom meetings with them. Most American professors are very flexible, and they may not be aware until you tell them how challenging it is to take a course remotely from China. Also, if you need to use library resources and are having difficulty accessing materials, please contact the library! My library friends will do their best to help. This is the hardest part: whenever you can, get as much rest as possible. It sounds undoable but it is possible. Best of luck!

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Mr. Wall, tell me, Do you think that Trump and Biden should have votes recounted? Also, what are your opinions?

This was not a particularly close election (compare: bit.ly/bc-270), it just looked that way due to the slow announcement of results because of all the mail ballots. State law on recounts is different for each state, and each campaign can request one, but it’s very unlikely to change the outcome. Example: Georgia just finished its hand recount and it moved some votes but not nearly enough to change the outcome: bit.ly/bc-ga. Recounts usually change hundreds of votes, and Biden’s lead is tens or hundreds of thousands in the disputed states.

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How should I respond to someone saying that they’re not gay after you have sent a response to their sexual hookup request made available to their followers who the majority happen that of The LGBTQ community of which they frequently interact with?

I would like to know how to answer  a Twitter influencer back privately after you have responded to a public tweet requesting a hookup encounter and t(he)ir response to you is that t(he)y are not gay! Bear in mind that this person’s has followers which are a majority of the LGBTQ community and some females. Plus throughout the person’s page are likes and retweets from other Twitter followers who are LGBTQ who by the way have responded publicly to the posted hookup tweet that t(he)y have either liked or responded back confirming interest. So again, how does one like myself who’s not only attractive but also in great shape respond to someone like this who’s so quick to respond with saying “I’m not gay” given the facts mentioned above regarding this person and especially when I have no interest in pursuing any type romantic involvement or relationship of any kind other than a hookup with this person? In other words why must the response every time to a proposed sexual behavior be answered “I’m not gay.” when that information regarding sexual orientation was asked whether t(he)y were or not? 

I would recommend saying, “Oh, that’s disappointing” either to yourself or directly to them, and move on. Don’t make too much of your disappointment, especially if you were looking for nothing more than a hookup. It’s just not worth it. Move on. /Edit/ I’ve had a quiet night to reflect on your question, and noticed I missed a significant detail: that they had made a sexual hookup request to an audience of LGBTQ folks, so their response is confusing. Are you wondering whether you need to publicly “out” this person as not gay or confront them privately? I would respond privately with something like: “I’m confused. You invited a hookup to a primarily gay audience, so I assumed you were gay.”