#I am still furious about this

[magratpudifoot]

We watched The Devil in Ohio in its entirety yesterday because that's the kind of thing we have time for these days, and I think I completely broke my Netflix profile by telling it we didn't like it. I never, ever give streaming services more data than they are already mining just from tracking the things I'm watching, so it's a testament to how much we didn't like it that I actually clicked the thumbs down.

We were watching it as a kind of endearingly over-earnest bit of nonsense with some vaguely interesting stuff going on, and we were having a decent time (though neither of us were engaged with it enough that we didn't get up and do chores without pausing it). But then the ending...

Literally the only way the ending doesn't send me into apoplectic rage is if we're meant to understand that the protagonists' nuclear family is also a cult with the father as leader, and I AM HERE FOR THAT INTERPRETATION (let me show you my vast array of non-fiction about cults and the many forms they take), but that feels like an oppositional reading that is too smart for the piece.

It's possible I could have been persuaded to give it that much credit, but nope, not after reading more. In googling to try to get to the bottom of how someone gets to act as both executive producer and writer on the adaptation of their first novel*, I came across an article claiming that the novel/series was "based on true events'', citing the author's hearing second hand about the experiences of an anonymous source** and "research" that included Gone Girl, that noted non-fiction account of a cult survivor.

Presumably "based on true events" here means that cults exist and sometimes people leave them.

Of course, the fact that the big bad in the story was specifically a satanic cult*** had pretty well convinced me that the writer of this thing had never heard of Steve Hassan, Rick Ross, or Janja Lalich...which would be more forgivable if the main character weren't a trauma psychologist who presumably would at least do a quick look round to see if there is any scholarship on how to help people who have escaped from cults.

JEEBUS.

*A first novel which I, as someone who goes directly to the horror section in bookstores and occasionally attends a sf/fantasy/horror literary conference, had never heard of. WHERE DID THIS COME FROM, AND WHO DOES THE WRITER KNOW??

** Obviously obviously obviously this is EXACTLY the sort of story that would be sourced anonymously. I am not doubting the existence of people who escape horrific abuse and don't want their business publicized to the world. But before we go making "true story" claims, I'm going to need some more substantial evidence of corroborating research than a couple pieces of fiction, a recovered memory testimonial, and one legitimate documentary about a not-even-remotely-related cult. (Holy Hell is an incredible doc if you have the stomach for it [trigger warning for sexual abuse if you do look for it], but N O T H I N G about it has to do with Devil in Ohio, to the point where I honestly think the writer may have just claimed she watched it because it sounds like it should be about Christian theology in some way.)

*** Heads up for those who don't spend 90% of their free time reading about cults, satanic cults are...pretty fucking rare, compared to Christian cults and capitalist cults and white nationalist cults and extraterrestrial cults and cults that spring up around random people with malignant narcissism. But what isn't rare is people weaponizing the specter of satanic cults against marginalized people, so this is a particularly fucked up time to have the (rural isolationist terrorist) cult be ~~spooky satanists~~. Hat tip I guess for at least having them use some of the trappings of Christian religiosity?

Also, HEY, remember that time they tried to do a Heathers series where all the awful popular characters were people of marginalized identities, and the kids they were picking on were white? There's a whiff or two of that going on here, too, for all its attempts to be Inclusive(TM).

[melancholic-pigeon]

Leftists on tumblr: listen to marginalized people about their own oppression

Jewish person: X thing is super antisemitic

Those very same leftists on tumblr: OH SO YOU SUPPORT MURDERING BABIES THEN? GENOCIDE APOLOGIST

Jewish person: here's an exhaustive list of sources going back thousands of years proving that X is antisemitic.

Leftists on tumblr: Doesn't count, colonizer!!!!!! /gets X tattooed on their forehead, puts an X bumper sticker on their car, calls people Genocide Supporters when they say "hey X is not allowed here because it's antisemitic"

Leftists on tumblr: "Why do Jews keep complaining about leftist antisemitism? I don't see it; it's clearly a distraction from talking about those Noble Savage Palestinians. Prove to me you're oppressed, X! X X X X!! CHANTS X FROM THE ROOFT0PS"

Jews: we don't super trust you guys not to call for our extermination, since you have repeatedly at every past opportunity

Leftists on tumblr: Look, I know antisemitism is annoying, but now is not the time to discuss blood libel when those Evil Jews are eating Palestinian babies!!! HASHTAG X

Jewish person: *rubs forehead as Turning from les mis plays in the background* (nothing changes, nothing ever can / round about the roundabout and back where you began)

Leftists on tumblr: SEE? THEY WON'T EVEN HAVE A GOOD FAITH DISCUSSION WITH ME 😭

Leftists on tumblr: "anyway discussions of antisemitism are a DISTRACTION. I am good person who is being very helpful and only hurting bad people who deserve it, like those filthy Jews— I mean zionists"

Leftists on tumblr: Why, oh why are people calling us antisemitic? 🥺

[nerdie-faerie]

TVDu was all 'family is really important to the Mikaelsons, they have a whole saying about it' only to turn around and be like oh yeah that only applies to three of the siblings though !?! what!!?! how dare you!!

[buttercupshands]

wait a minute

stop.

stop it.

[allmyandroids]

Raymond Reddington

In Season 4 Episode 2 - Mato

[pansyfemme]

i think this time of year is cursed

[stizzysupremacy]

…

[elftwink]

one major difference i have found between service industry work (in my case food service but this is widely applicable to similar jobs) and other public-facing positions is that the job itself is often very similar because people is the same, it's just in service everyone approaches you already thinking they're right and you're a fucking idiot and its their god given right to disrespect you, where in other positions even if they are not nice to you they usually acknowledge that you know more than them on issues pertaining to your job. like the difference in behaviour from people who see you as serving them vs helping them is unreal. i am doing literally the exact same things. customer is always right mentality did irreparable damage to the fabric of society

[disco-tic-wonderland]

Oh no… If Harry fails the red encyclopedia check on Kimball, and simply comes up with ‘Hey aren’t Seolites all good at pinball?’

Oh man. So. That stereotype is likely why a junior officer Kim was put on the pinball squad in the first place.

It’s crazy how much racism is presented in fridge logic form. It hits so hard. The shit this man puts up with every day of his life. I just wanna hug him.

Fun fact: look up Seolite in fayde. I’ve been breaking my own heart all morning lol. I was trying to figure out if there were inconsistencies in Kim’s telling of his own background. I keep getting a Feeling about it. He says his grandparents are from Seol, but that both his parents are half Seolite, also his father wasn’t in the picture, but *also* that his parents were killed in the revolution…so he didn’t know his mother either? And he says he’s only a quarter Seolite, but with two half parents, is that correct? In his position, I think I’d tell half-truths as well, or whatever I needed to say to get racists off my ass. It is canon that Kim messes with racists by playing into stereotypes, and bless him for it because he’s so damn funny about it.

[batwynn]

I really want to say something about the abuse of comic creators leading them to suffer and die young for so, so many reasons. But instead I will just send healing vibes out into the universe for Jeff Smith after his cardiac arrest, and hope that he knows that regardless of his life-changing work and the many number of people who are touched by his amazing creations who might want to tell him or meet him at comic cons. that his health should always, always come first. That healing and taking time to do so is the only priority.

[saintfaulkners]

one of my housemates is so fucking sensitive it turns me into a person I do not like

[kshaar]

oh!!! they're not fucking releasing veilguard in india!!!!!! the "community manager" on the fucking ea forum said its because it has not been "reviewed and approved locally by a Ratings Board for the region". we do not have a local ratings board for games by the way

[ben-the-hyena]

My mom being asked some days ago by me if she wants to come with me watch the KFP4 premiere since after all we saw the whole trilogy together (she never was a fan of it and thinks thay now I'm an adult she has no reason to have to come for me and I can go alone like I often do when something doesn't interest her)

My mom as soon as I add Tai Lung returns (he was her favorite character just like me and missed him)

[tacagen]

quentin 'fruity hands' beck from the first mysterio-featuring issues you will always be remembered

[yelena-bellova]

CAN I JUST SAY…

Fast and Furious is an underrated franchise.

[fullofmoonsandstars]

For a show with so many references to Rom Coms they really chose to not give any of the main characters a proper romance at the end and got one of them to marry their abusive girlfriend. That's not fucked up at all