#youtube is dire. and enraging. and upsetting)

[mashamorevvna]

it is kinda funny how every italians first reaction to finding out about treviso is five seconds of 🤨❓️... god bless canadians 🙌🏻

[thelastharbinger]

Rant time because I’ve seen some truly ugly takes on Squid Game (2021) but this has to be the most tone deaf:

A prominent reaction YouTube channel host posted a video today saying [about the season ending scene at the airport gate] Gi-hun has no reason to be upset at the Squid Games because everyone chose to go back knowing they were going die, and what is he [Gi-hun] offering them as an alternative to the games??? Note: this person was not agreeing with the existence of the games, but the point they were trying to make was that, since everyone “consented”, our protagonist’s anger towards the games is unfounded. Like...folks, where do we begin with this?

Let me explain something for the number of you who do not yet seem to get it: at no point in the show is there any real consent. Yes, even after the players are made aware of the deadliness of the competition. The repeated presentation of “consent” is a fallacy. And here is why. Because when we are talking about disenfranchised peoples whose resources, opportunities, life chances are incredibly low, and who otherwise, in this situation, have no viable alternatives, no “decision” made is one of absolute agency. For example, Sang-woo’s course paths were to either be incarcerated for embezzlement or try to survive the games where, may I remind, no one is informed that the games are manipulated for there to only ever be one survivor at the end, as has been shown in the records from all the previous years. They are made to believe there can be multiple victors, so long as you win all six rounds, not knowing that the games are designed for there to be one sole champion because it’s easier to keep tabs on one person when they re-enter the world than several. But back to Sang-woo.

When you are in such dire straits as he’s in, where you are choosing from fucked to even more fucked, he is really just going from either being subjected to the game or the prison industrial complex and criminal justice system. When the stakes are literally life and death, consent becomes a gimmick because it doesn’t really exist, it is a pretense. Gi-hun elects to remain a contestant because his diabetic mother will die without the much needed hospitalization that they are unable to cover the costs for. Even Deok-su is being hunted by the mafia. All of the participants are being acted upon. Everyone’s livelihood is at stake both in and out of the arenas, and in a game where 456 walk in and only 1 walks out, what really is the game offering? The VIPS, the Front Man, the recruiters--all of them are predating upon the poor. Each of these contestants were hand selected, observed and manipulated because they knew those at the very bottom of the barrel are already on the brink. And decisions made out of desperation, anxiety, panic, and life threatening conditions are not the same we’d make if we otherwise felt supported and secure in our other areas of life because we are hard-wired to want to survive no matter the costs.

Now, getting at this bullshit take of what is Gi-hun offering that the games are not (besides, you know, their fucking lives!). First off, it is not Gi-hun’s job to offset the imbalances and inequities of capitalism because that is ultimately what the true enemy is. The Games are a microcosm of this. Gi-hun alone cannot fight back against an entire system. It is also not his job to terminate the games but because he feels guilt as what he acquired was simply blood money, he steps up in his new-found privileged position to do what he feels is right against what he cannot forgive. So actually, I take it back. Maybe it is his responsibility in the same way rich folks have a responsibility to un-hoard wealth and repair poverty because in free market economies, you only get impoverished populations as the expense of the upper class. There will always be people at the bottom, there have to be for capitalism to sustain itself.

Gi-hun absolutely has reason to be enraged; the fact that I have to explain this is mind-boggling! Hundreds of people knee-deep in debt die annually, people who are being exploited like Ali or who are given no real chance in society like Sae-byeok and her family (look into the way North Koreans are integrated into South Korean society and how they’re basically not. When they arrive they face intense prejudice and discrimination). Now that I think about it, how is it that the government or IRS hasn’t caught onto this every year? Unless that’s how far deep it all goes? Also, the way debt works, if you die and loans remain unpaid, your kin inherits that burden and have to pay off your mess. Just another way that this game intergenerationally fucks people over atop separating people from their loved ones without families ever knowing why. None of it is fair! The games pretend to be twistedly altruistic, but it makes false promises. These people are nothing other than cattle being led to slaughter.

Side note: the only nerd culture reaction channel I co-sign is Heroes Reforged, if you need a recommendation. I only mention this because it was one of these reaction channels that mainly does superhero content that came out with the take I open with and refute. It’s led by 2 men of color and their token white friend. But they’re one of the only YT reaction channels who talk about things like Marvel, DC, comics, and other movie franchises in a really informed way that is intersectional, are not afraid to get “political” (you’d be surprised how many comic book nerds and anime fans don’t like when their content becomes sociopolitical commentary), and I promise their takes won’t make your head split because some of these really popular channels I just look at like, how your brain do that?

[independentartistbuzz]

Indie 5-0 with Michael Gutierrez-May

Singer-songwriter Mike Gutierrez-May has been entrenched in the folk scene for almost 30 years as a dedicated behind-the-scenes force. Since the mid 1980s, Mike promoted shows, booked coffeehouses, and supported underground artists, doing everything he could to help the scene he loved so much. In doing so, he didn’t do enough to support his own songwriting endeavors. 

In 2009, he decided to put his music in the forefront. In 2021, he released his 4th album, Drifting to the Right. Drifting to The Right is a pointed and reflective album inspired by political upheaval and self-knowledge.

We got the chance to speak with Michael Gutierrez-May in this edition of Indie 5-0. So, without further ado, let’s dive in:

What was the inspiration for your album Drifting to the Right?

Anger. Feeling enraged every time I would see Donald Trump on TV abusing the public trust. I didn't think his election was very legitimate to begin with and then he started grifting as soon as he was sworn into office. I was also upset at seeing others enraptured by him, first a small group, then ever larger numbers of people taken in by his appeal to blind prejudice. I'm half Puerto Rican and I was particularly ticked off by his disparaging treatment of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

What’s your favorite song on Drifting to the Right?

The songs were written between 2016-2020. I think I have three favorites, the title track “Drifting To The Right,” “I'm A Realist” dedicated to my mother, and “Imaginary Tomato,” which will be featured in a new lyric video by Kat Reinhert. Largely thanks to my producer Stephen Martin and sound engineer Joe Clapp, all of the songs on the album came out nicely and that was very gratifying.

Which song was the most fun to write/record/produce? Which one was the most difficult?

“Imaginary Tomato” was definitely the most fun to perform and produce. Stephen Martin and Colette O'Connor provided great supporting vocals! “Never Again” was probably the most fun to write. The most difficult song to record was “Head Full Of Garbage” because Stephen wanted to tighten up the space between the lyrics and that took a while to get to the right place. The most sophisticated recording was “Cadillac Dreams,” adding Cliff Goodwin's contributions to match Fred Meltzer's percussion in the outro part of the song.

What song/album is your favorite and why is it meaningful to your career?

If you ask a musician what his or her favorite songs or albums are, you are likely to get 15-20 different responses if not more! Album wise, the two main influences are Graceland by Paul Simon and Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits followed closely by Bob Dylan's Blood On The Tracks and Shoot Out The Lights by Richard and Linda Thompson. Song-wise, Changes by Phil Ochs, Circle Game by Joni Mitchell and Hello In There by John Prine. These albums inspired me to think big but also value personal storytelling. The songs inspired me to create beauty and heart in the songs I write.

If you could perform with any musician/band, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

You would think my answer would be more folky but I would say Dave Matthews now or Steve Wynwood and Traffic from the past. If I had the ability to create and improvise on stage, that would be glorious and I love seeing that in concert. Currently I have the most fun when I get to perform with my sometime songwriting partner Beth Gray, only once so far but hopefully more often in the future.

Find and connect with Michael Gutierrez-May via: Website // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // YouTube // Spotify // Soundcloud