chrishancock-co

[chrishancock-co]

why dont we talk about justice on twitter tho

[chrishancock-co]

Not to post conspiracy theories here, but something really fucked up and blatantly political is happening with marijuana in Colorado right now and I feel the need to post about it because I don’t believe it’ll make the news:

I work at a recreational marijuana dispensary, so all of this information is coming from someone who is firsthand dealing with it. First of all, there is ONE main POS (point of sale) system for dispensaries, both medical and recreational, in Colorado. This system is specifically designed for weighing out and pricing marijuana. It sometimes goes down just because so many dispensaries are using it at the same time- not a huge deal, it usually comes back up within a few hours, or at most, a day. However, the system went down and didn’t come back up this time. It’s actually been down for about 5 days now. I had my two-day weekend and came back and it was still down. 

Today, I discovered that the POS system didn’t ONLY go down for my dispensary, but for over 330 dispensaries in Colorado. We called them, and as it turns out, they were hacked and shut down. The POS company created a temporary sales system so that dispensaries could still run. However, that was almost immediately hacked and shut down as well.

Now, for those of you who don’t know, hacking that system doesn’t really get you anything. Using credit cards at marijuana dispensaries is technically federally illegal- so most of them are smart enough to be cash-only businesses. Therefore, the only real thing that hacking this POS system does is stop/hinder the sales of marijuana. 

While I don’t even have the slightest idea who would do such a thing- I can’t believe anyone’s motive would be to do anything besides stop the sales of cannabis, but when that happens to medical dispensaries it’s not just rich hippies being affected anymore- it’s kids with epilepsy, cancer patients, and very very sick people in desperate need of highly potent CBD. 

This is fucked. It’s so fucked. And I don’t know why it isn’t a bigger deal.

[chrishancock-co]

FOCO Sage

[chrishancock-co]

The Handmaid’s Tale: marketing, then and now

Comparing the Hulu adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale to the 1990 version is… weird, because the old one seems to have been made with a “haha, this could never happen; let’s play it like a fun adventure thriller and sell it as sexy as possible!” kind of attitude. I mean, the trailer has this bouncy narration that starts with “once upon a time…” and turns the dystopian element into more of a soap opera.

And just take a look at the promotional art:

(…I don’t think that was the message of the book, guys. Sure, Offred was longing for human touch, or pretty much any kind of human connection, but I think that the book was more about women being reduced to wombs with legs, not state-owned prostitutes… It was about the desperation of needing to give birth or face punishment. Everything about this dystopia was hyper-de-sexualized.)

Oh, and my favorite:

“A psychosexual movie shocker.” With what looks like half the cover of a cheesy romance novel, minus some buff shirtless guy.

(I also think it’s kind of funny that they say “once upon a time in the near future” sex became used for control and domination, as if rape and prostitution haven’t existed for centuries… but okay…)

I’ll admit I haven’t seen this version (or the Hulu one, for that matter), but I do appreciate that they cast a properly old and creepy man in the part of the Commander, and a properly aged woman for his Wife. The Hulu casting is a little youthful, if you ask me; the book characters felt very weathered, and I think it mentioned that they were supposed to be quite a bit older than Offred. Her “affair” with the Commander is supposed to feel very weird and unsettling, partially because he’s this old man who wants someone to play Scrabble with and dress up in sequins.

Anyway, then we had what I call the “holy shit these dystopias are too real” phase, culminating with the new Hulu adaptation of this particular dystopia, which is waaaay too relevant to today’s issues.

See? This is how you depict the feeling of objectification. Not with a topless woman bathed in flattering lighting – by objectifying a woman yourself, you’re not sending a message so much as continuing the trend. Especially when you sell your film as some kind of sexy romance. “Branded, sold, controlled: she belongs to The State” doesn’t quite cut it; this very simple, very clear message does. Offred is no longer human, she doesn’t have a face; she is just an object. Objectified.

(This also has some fantastic layering because it recalls the messages that you might find scrawled across the bathroom mirror meant to demean other girls; part of Gilead’s system involves pitting women against each other: Wives against Handmaids, Handmaids against Aunts, even Handmaids against each other out of jealousy and in the Red Center with their slut-shaming. To stay in power, the men at the top make sure that the women below them are too occupied with resenting each other that they forget to look up at who the real enemy is.)

*holy FUCK*

Now THAT is how you market a dystopia. This story is not some scandalous fantasy set in the near-but-distant future; it’s a warning, of what might be lurking just around the corner. The Handmaid’s Tale is an incredibly frightening book to read today, because of the things that are being allowed to happen in our society. It shows what happens when we let sexism flourish, when ecological and political crises make us paranoid enough about national security that we let the people in power take away our rights. It is a fucking nightmare.

[chrishancock-co]

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great

Mark Twain  (via tolle-folien)

[chrishancock-co]

In case anyone thinks Scott and Sara have 50/50 representation. Because they don’t

[chrishancock-co]

Chill Mode 😏🍃⛽️💨

[chrishancock-co]

[The truth behind Asian Media and Entertainments]

Hello guys. Long time no see haha x But now I’m back with a fresh material.

Not really an analysis about ChanBaek but it directly touches them too.

So, many fans ask me about relationships announced by the companies, mostly by SM Entertainment and I’ve always answered that those are practically stunts or cover ups for this or that issue.

Today, I was reading a really interesting interview and wanted to share with you all as well; the one who answered the questions works under one of the Asian Entertainment companies as well. From her answers I concluded that she’s probably a long time trainee, staff manager or maybe PR manager. As she just answers, without revealing her idientity, nationality or any other personal information, I think we can be sure of this article which touches not only the issue mentioned above, but also things like idol’s behaviour and image on stage, what are they allowed/what not, and so on.

Lets go~

1 Question; Is everything scripted? What idols say on interviews are scripted?

Answer: Not all the time. Expected and general questions are usually half scripted; half scripted because we only say the gist of what they have to say, we don’t require them to memorize everything, of course. This is for PR (public relations) purposes. It’s for their image and the image of the company. The artists know it anyway, that they have to keep their reputation good no matter what. Also, it’s the company’s decision if the artist will have to keep quiet about a certain topic.

2 Question: Are idols really packaged? Aren’t they showing their true personalities?

Answer: Not all the time.We only do this to artists who are considered important for the company, or the company’s favorites. One example is this actor-singer under our company, we debuted him with a manly image, a lady’s man type (because he really is handsome and looks manly). But in real life, he’s actually gay. There were scandals about him being gay because he was caught two times (he’s so stubborn about going out at night, I’ll talk about this later), 1st; with another actor of the same company, 2nd; with a male singer from the same company, but our company remained silent about it (it’s actually a strategy as well; keeping silent about scandals, because we refrain from talking about it, then people will forget about it eventually).

So the company continued on giving him projects as if no scandal has ever happened. The journalist who reported both incidents later apologized in public, she/he received a lot of hate actaully because the public really loves this guy whom they truly believe is straight. There’s also this one singer whom we debuted as a ‘’sexy-type’’ lady. But she’s actually the girly and shy type in real life.

3 Question: Does the company have control over everything involving the artist?

Answer: Basically yes, since the artist has to ask permission before doing anyting that company didn’t ask them to do. Like, even if the artist has free time, they still have to ask for permission if they can have a vacation on a certain place, or if they can hang out with this person. There are artists who are stubborn about asking for permissions actually, they sneak in and do what they want. Because of their stubborness, scandals may arise (it happened with a few artists actually, like I mentioned earlier). If that artist is very important for the company, we still keep him/her even if he/she is very stubborn. But of course, we will warn him/her, but we will offer some benefits for them to obey and stay with the company. If the artist is not so important, we will have to ask him/her the question ‘’This or the company/contract/career?’’

So yeah, company’s favorites are pretty much treated very differently than the others.

4 Question; Is fake dating really a thing/marketing strategy?

Answer: Yes. If we see that a lot of people love seeing them together, then we will show what the public wants to see. But we mostly do this to create hype for both artists and their future activities, and of course, the profit that the company can get from it. How about the fans who would be brokenhearted?This will be bad for both artists. Honestly and unfortunetly, the company doesn’t care. It’s true that we consider all publicity, as good publicity. We actually have this phrase: success from scandal. After the scandal (any kind of scandal) arose, we will not bring that up ever again. We’ll continue giving the artist their activities to still promote them and proceed as if nothing happened. This is very effective actaully.

5 Question: But why would they do this? They’re already famous, right?

Answer: Because we only use the ‘’reporting/confirming a fake relationship strategy’’ for artists who are already famous. We will never get the attention we want if we suddenly report that there are two not-so-famous artists dating.

In conclusion: here’s a famous saying. ‘’truth is stronger than fiction’’ which is true in so many different cases. Remember that NOT EVERYTHING shown is TRUE especially about celebrities who are under a contract with very big companies and agencies. We will never truly know the full truth about these artists, especially their true feelings, personalities, relationships, sexuality and their private life. As for BaekYeon and KaiStal and others, as the Chinese insider info was posted and confirmed in 2012, stated they were practiced in the entertainment industry, there’s a high possibility that the couples are fake.

There’s also possibility that they’re real and SM just took advantage of it, but it’s less likely. But we will never know if they actaully felt something for each other or not. Maybe they did fall in love with each other, or are single, maybe they actually have other romantic relationships that the public doesn’t know. Once again, I have nothing against SM, any people, any ships. The sole purpose of this is to be eye opener for those who aren’t familiar with the media and entertainment industry in Asia. I’m not claiming that everything I said is hundred percent evident and true in all of the companies, but everything I said is a common practice in Asia and is true os my country and our company. What I said is true and is based on my experiences. I didn’t include links, pictures, other proofs because I don’t want to give in my idientity, nationality and the company I work in. I’m a lazy but a busy person, I wouldn’t waste my free time writing this if they were all lies. But I know there are still people who will choose not to believe, but who am I to force you? Just remember that media and entertainment industry is very manipulative. Don’t let the media control and fool you. There are many studies, research and theories regarding the media and its efforts on the public (when I was in college, we memorized a lot of theories regarding media and its effects, just search about it if you’re interested, you’ll understand media even more. And even though media has negative effect on the public, they will still continue with their doings. Because it’s business. It’s the industry. It involves money.

-Credits to the owner-

Translate from Korean language to English by: yeolspuppy

Grammar edition and correction by: yeolspuppy 

So guys, this is it. I’ve mentioned this all many times and I hope at least now you’ll understand that not everything you see on your screens is true. Because it’s showbiz,

SHOWbiz SHOW + BUSINESS = a dirty industrial field where wealthy people that own this or that company and agency use idols in their own interests, control them, and keep the artists as money creating machines. SHOW and DO A BUSINESS. The word itself says it all, don’t you think so? They show what you are eager to see and in conclusion, they earn money. This is not a place for feelings, for emotions. SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment….. Exactly.

E N T E R T A I N M E N T. 

These people working under such big companies try hard and work their asses off every day to make a show, to entertain all your fantasies about your idol, to make useless merch with this or that popular idol’s/group’s name, just to make fans buy it. Scandals as well. Attention is what they need.

So tell me, what could catch your attention more than scandals and rumors that involve your favorite idol? I’ve said it a lot and gonna repeat it now too; as you see the relationships that are revealed by a company are nothing more but stunts. They pop out to trigger fans, to make them furious. That’s how a certain agency balances the popularity and the ratings of a certain idol.

It’s like: They talk a shit about the artist? They are furious, they are interested? = they remember the artist. The artist is needed. The artist is still able to attract people and help the company to get money. 

As long as this strategy works and the artist is popular among people, the company puts all the efforts to “sell” his image. When it stops working, because the certain artist already old, the concerts are less, the profit goes down, they just throw him/her away as well used handkerchief.

This is one of the biggest reasons why suicide, self harming, narcotics and drug overdose is widely spread among the popular artists and idols. We all are human and not everyone can be strong enough to go through all of this difficulties and stay in his mind.

As I started the article, I’ve mentioned that this all directly touches ChanBaek too because they’re idols as well and everything said above revolves around them too. Baekhyun already went through one scandal, which as we can conclude was fake publicity-stunt as well, and it’s not impossible that Chanyeol or any other EXO member (solo idols, artists, members of other groups) can be involved in that kind of scandal in future too. 

Of course, it might not happen, but better be aware and not be surprised or hurt. 

Remember, that it’s only for the media.

Don’t turn away from your idol, it’s hard for him to participate in it too, it’s hard for him to hurt you and disappoint you too. Instead, give him support and believe in what YOU see and YOU analyze, not in what the media and the companies feed you.

Remember, that it’s showbiz, where everything they do is kind of performance, a theater, where the actors are, sadly, your idols.

Remember, that relationships are real ONLY if the idols talked about it at least ONCE too, not only their agency.

Remember to have your OWN beliefs and follow them. The company doesn’t reveal your idol’s sexuality, but

Remember that not everyone can be straight and fit in your standards. I know most of my readers are ChanBaek shippers, so please guys;

Don’t leave the fandom if you see something that you don’t like.

Don’t jump into conclusions, no matter what you hear.

Don’t turn you back away, if ever any scandal happens with them, because then they’ll need us most. It’s okay to have doubts, but remember that your doubts are YOUR doubts and they don’t define reality. Love and believe regardless of the situation :)

With love, Lil (yeolspuppy) xx.

[If you post my translation of the interview and my views, please give credits. Thank you].

[chrishancock-co]

@katya_zamo: Greetings from my bathroom folks I am still alive - ready to flourish and thrive through a deep sea dive into the complex modern age of 35 💙

[chrishancock-co]

[chrishancock-co]

mtv: Fun #MTVAwards fact, the #13ReasonsWhy cast is taking over 3 tables because they’re all coming 🙌 | It all goes down this Sunday, May 7th at 8/7c on MTV!

[chrishancock-co]

Franklin Booth “The Estey Residence Pipe Organ - Nymph piping” 1922

Franklin Booth (1874-1948) American artist of detailed pen-and-ink illustrations with the appearance of wood engravings. He created this style when he was young, self-teaching from illustrated magazine art, not realizing they were engravings.

Pen and ink. Vanity Fair, June 1922. House & Garden, August 1922.

[chrishancock-co]

Stay Cheesy & Stay High

[chrishancock-co]

Jimon Social Media AU: Simon is a dork and Jace is in deep^tm

[chrishancock-co]

Forbes joins the influencer marketing platform Julius, along with industry thought leaders, to weigh in on the future of advertising.

[chrishancock-co]

[chrishancock-co]

Black Panther wraps production!