#and not the victims of a homophobic marketing strategy

[ssaalexblake]

.

[oh-hush-its-perfect]

INVALID reasons to dislike Taylor Swift as a person:

You don't like her music

You think her fans are obnoxious/annoying

You believe she is not being genuine about liking/appreciating her fanbase or the awards she has received

You didn't fact-check that "study" that claimed she emitted 8,000 tons of carbon via her private jet (I read the article by Yard— not only do they not source their methodology, but other climate experts have come up with completely different estimates, averaging around 1,000 tons)

You believe Taylor Swift (the person) is guilty of queerbaiting

You don't think non-Black people have any place at all in hip-hop

She has friends who are mostly also rich white people

She has had a lot of boyfriends in the past and seems to have moved on from her partner of six years very quickly

She sometimes plays the victim

You think heartbreak is all she writes about

VALID reasons to dislike Taylor Swift as a person:

You believe Taylor Swift (the brand) is guilty of queerbaiting and that Taylor Swift (the person) is content with this business strategy

1,000 tons of carbon is still A LOT to emit and Swift should be more responsible with her footprint, ESPECIALLY now that she's touring

The music video for "Shake it Off" features what many people consider racially insensitive material, disputably using traditionally Black and Latine styles of dance as the butt of the joke and Black and Latine women as props

Swift was politically quiet for years, allowing white supremacists and nationalists to claim her as one of their own and declare her their "Aryan goddess" (though this could be blamed on her marketing team, considering they did not allow her to be politically active until 2018— and she did denounce racists in interviews prior to making her Democratic opinions public)

She is currently dating white singer/songwriter Matt Healy, who has been accused of a) saying the n-word, b) doing a Nazi salute on stage "ironically—" and there is video evidence of this, though it's difficult to tell if it's actually a Nazi salute or just a regular gesture to which he didn't give much thought, c) making fun of fat people, and d) making fun of black women. And probably more of which I'm not aware.

The music video for "You Need to Calm Down" portrays a very naive view of bigotry as angry people holding signs (and a somewhat classist view of bigotry as well, considering the appearance of the "homophobes") and uses queer people as props

She's a rich white liberal and is guilty of many of the sins typical of most rich white liberals

She has played the victim as a white woman and vilified black men (specifically Kanye West) in the process

You believe her releasing new songs like "Mr. Perfectly Fine" and the 10 minute version of "All Too Well" has encouraged harassment of men she dated over a decade ago and there was no need to rehash this hurt.

You believe that the academies (i.e. the Grammys, the VMAs, etc.) are biased towards her as a white woman and she has not done enough to combat or even acknowledge this racism

She has engaged in LGBTQ+ erasure by having one of her brand's official accounts call straight couples "lavender," even though that is a queer phrase, following the announcement of her song "Lavender Haze" and by using the queer dog whistle "hairpin drop" in a song even though she is assumed to be straight, reducing the saying's meaning.

You just don't like her vibes (NOTE: this is a valid reason to dislike her in your personal life, but NOT to diss her)

More can be added to both lists. Please note that many people acknowledge all of the flaws above listed and like her anyway because, as it is important to understand, she is human and will often make mistakes. Doing any one of these things do not make her a "bad person," and dividing people into "good" and "bad" categories— especially people who you don't know— is very binary and unnuanced; however, they do make her a flawed person, and people, Swifties and non-Swifties, have a right to make of that what they will.

[gatheringbones]

["The only "special right" that the United States gives its minorities is the right to be the target of genocidal policies. We have only to look at AIDS policy to confirm this truth. Just as we do not want people of color buying the Right's homophobic argument that we are after "special rights," not civil rights, it is also vital that our movement does not buy the racist backlash to affirmative action propagated over the last two decades by the same Republican forces. When we put both parts of their strategy together, it's clear that, to them, all civil rights are "special rights" that victimize privileged white men. When any "minority," whether racial, ethnic, gendered, or sexual, buys into these wedge strategies, we play ourselves for fools and disrupt the possibility of a transformative political majority in the next century.

It's my belief that racism shapes all political movements in the United States, for better and for worse, but because white people so seldom talk about how we are affected by racism, we don't understand how to counter it. We just act it out. In the lesbian and gay movement, much of our analysis had flowed from an understanding of gender, leaving race and class at two removes from our analysis. But approaches to racism have shaped the debates within our own community on issues such as passing and assimilation, radical transformation versus reform, and legal strategies versus empowerment of the grassroots. One of the dominant paradigms for dealing with race in the twentieth century emerged from the University of Chicago in the 1920s. It was called the ethnicity model, and it theorized that immigrants to the United States go through cycles of contact and conflict, then assimilation. Now, on the one hand, this theory was an improvement over the dominant paradigm it replaced, which was the biological approach to race, that saw racial differences as inherited and that justified slavery and colonialism. (This context should make us beware of the biological theories of homosexuality now being advanced.)

But the ethnic paradigm was based on European experience, not the experiences of people of color. At the same time that European immigrants were being assimilated— if painfully— into our economy, Jim Crow reigned in the South for African Americans, Asians were kept out of the country altogether by immigration quotas, Native Americans were suffering record rates of poverty on a land base once again decimated by white theft, and Chicanas were forming their own mutualistas in the Southwest in the face of racist white unions. So this business of assimilation operates differently above and below the color lines, as do most manifestations of American "democracy." If we generic gay and lesbian white folks set as our movement's goal being assimilated into American culture, getting "our piece of the pie," we ignore or deny the reality that gay and lesbian people of color will never be assimilated in the same way within this system because it was constituted to exclude them. And, as Derrick Bell has argued in reference to African American, and as Colorado proved in regard to gay civil rights, wherever assimilation goals may become enshrined in law, they can just as easily be overturned.

If we follow the ethnicity theory, we perpetuate the belief that the issue of "homophobia" is mainly a matter of personal prejudice, which contact with us will diffuse. We ignore the extent to which the most powerful political and economic forces in this country have an investment in our degradation. Literally, right-wing groups invest millions in slandering us, knowing that these efforts will build up their grassroots base and their funding chests. In the Oregon Citizens Alliance campaign, they put back into their vicious homophobic ballot initiative campaign one dollar out of every three raised. The rest of the money, according to the Task Force's "Fight the Right" organizer Scot Nakagawa, went to a range of regressive causes. Such campaigns also distract people from the corporate theft that may beggar us all.

The assimilation model leads us to try to smooth the rough edges of our community, putting limits on visible leadership by people of color, working-class white gay men and lesbians, and anyone else who doesn't look and act like most lobbyists. It leads to "outing" powerful, rich people to show that they, too, are gay. It leads to surveys that tout the marketing power of the gay dollar and position us as a movement of the middle to upper class, with higher-than-average spending power. This dynamic sets us up to be a "buffer class" in a way similar to how Jews were portrayed in Europe, to draw off class anger from the economic elite who are really making the decisions and reaping the rewards in a period of national crisis and decline. It makes us appear narrow and selfish (which I do not think we are) and cuts us off from allies, increasing our vulnerability to insurgent right-wing populist movements agitated by economic unrest. This is classic fascism and its foundation has already been laid in our time and our nation."]

Mab Segrest, Memoir of a Race Traitor, The New Press, 1994

[camrensrealbish]

Hi there 👋. First I just wanted to wish u a congratulations on your degree u truly deserve the best thank u for being here with us and keeping our hopes alife ✨✨✨

Secondly I just logged in and I saw Camren vs PR post about everything that happened yesterday and it truly disgusts me that they now use women's body and issues that comes with it such as bodyshaming as a form of a marketing strategy. I have been a victim of bodyshaming before and trust me it's a very serious issue, it's something I won't ever wish upon any woman at all but seeing Hollywood use that type of issue as a strategy to promote music is so irritating and disgusting to me. Aren't artists making music for people to listen to and be happy, why is the music industry different? Why are people that we look up too and call our guardians the ones biting us in the back? Artists of such a young age are now in relationships with older men that could be thier uncles, artist of that age that this people are meant to protect are now being victimized by predators in the industry, artists can't love who they want because people who are humans like them are homophobic and hate the word called 'gay'. My real question is why and how did the music industry get to this stage. Artists can't be authentic anymore because they have to follow the rules, what rules exactly? As long as the higher class gets the money no need for caring about your clients even if it's taking a toll on them. Fake relationships are now the new real, women's body are now tools that bring in money, I can't even begin to imagine what this artists go through behind the scenes. We were brought to this world to be happy and leave lives according to our own terms, artists are not tools or toys for predators and pedophiles to control, they are humans. I hope one day the truth revel itself and artists can be free.

😊😊😊😊 you're so nice thank you, this made my day

You're so right. Music industry became hell, and it's so ironic how it produces art that's suppose to resonate with people, but they decided that creating fake persona around the artist is the most effective way of selling their art. I guess that's the easier and more certain way for them of making predictable profit from the product, at least used to be. I really hope with the new generation and more diversity in the industry things can change.

What's worse is how they create beauty standards, how their lives are glamorized and all of this is not even real. Our society is messed up

And it seems like there are no moral boundaries for them, anything that has a potential to make money is enough of a reason to make the artist do something. And it's so so messed up how they use important issues like mental health, body shaming, homophobia just for good publicity. I'm sure the artist themselves tries to make it somewhat authentic not to feel like an asshole, but the last Camila's pap pics taken just to use them as an excuse to continue this subject doesn't sit well with me. Of course she has a right to speak up and she experienced body shaming herself, but it's disappointing if it's only done for publicity.

Grooming is a huge issue. And it's so in these bosses' business to create a standard that allows them to make otherwise riskier moves on minors. If that's more common, they aren't under the radar. It's always publicized as legal, and the relationships officially start with an 18 years old, but excuse my suspicion if they meet when the girl was 15 and the man was someone with industry privileges. They always try to deflect the suspicion by blaming it on lack of tolerance for an age difference in a relationship, but that's not it at all in these cases.

It's so sad to see the girls trapped in this life and doing things that they used to be so against of. Seeing Camila living this "public life" suddenly, I'm so worried for her mental health.

And even if not a contract, the culture and people around you trap you. Slowly change your moral code, you care less and less, because everyone around you does that. Hollywood is a scary place to be in.

[wellthatwasaletdown]

Maybe its a clever strategy because anyone who hates/criticizes H can just get lumped into the right wing bigot category.

That’s totally happening. As people have noted there was critical discussion about representation issues when the Vogue cover first came out. Then Candace Owens jumped in and Harry was the brave victim. Of a grifter right wing nobody who is widely despised. HSHQ must have been jumping for joy. It gave him tons of publicity and sympathy and solidified that anyone who doesn’t buy his marketing is evil and homophobic.

.

[creepingsharia]

How the Term “Islamophobia” Got Shoved Down Your Throat

Originally posted on November 27, 2010

via Moderate Muslim Watch: How the Term “Islamophobia” Got Shoved Down Your Throat – Ricochet.com.

The neologism “Islamophobia” did not simply emerge ex nihilo. It was invented, deliberately, by a Muslim Brotherhood front organization, the International Institute for Islamic Thought, which is based in Northern Virginia. If that name dimly rings a bell, it should: I’ve mentioned it before, and it’s particularly important because it was co-founded by Anwar Ibrahim–the hero of Moderate Islam who is now trotting around the globe comparing his plight to that of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, a former member of the IIIT who has renounced the group in disgust, was an eyewitness to the creation of the word. “This loathsome term,” he writes, is nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics.

In another article concerning the many moderate Muslims whose voices have been drowned out by Saudi-financed Muslim Brotherhood front groups, Muhammad describes the strategy behind the word’s invention:

In an effort to silence critics of political Islam, advocates needed to come up with terminology that would enable them to portray themselves as victims. Muhammad said he was present when his then-allies, meeting at the offices of the International Institute for Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Northern Virginia years ago, coined the term “Islamophobia.”

Muhammad said the Islamists decided to emulate the homosexual activists who used the term “homophobia” to silence critics. He said the group meeting at IIIT saw “Islamophobia” as a way to “beat up their critics.”

Really imagine that scene: a bunch of Islamists admiring how astutely the queers–people who in their ideal world would be served with the lash or hanged–had portrayed their critics as mentally disturbed. Brilliant. Let’s take a leaf from them and then kill them. The association of anti-Islamism–the noblest form of liberal anti-totalitarianism–with gay-bashing rednecks in the grip of a psychosexual panic was not just one of those linguistic accidents of history, in other words. These guys were sitting there in Virginia and really thinking about the best way to exploit the weaknesses of the Western psyche. They came up with this word–and admit it, it’s clever; I challenge you to find a better one if you want to yank the West’s chain–and they marketed it with petrodollars, and now it truly does drive public discourse and policy the world over.

The fact that the IIIT was co-founded by Anwar Ibrahim, who is now on trial for sodomy–something of a homophobic charge, that--would be almost hilarious in its just-deserts irony if Anwar hadn’t succeeded in portraying himself as the moderate darling of Muslim moderation whose plight should now trouble the liberal conscience of the West, no matter his own role in exploiting it.

…

So Anwar Ibrahim– our moderate man in moderate Malaysia–is the moderate man behind this Orwellian effort to render the West incapable of objecting even verbally to political Islam. The gift of “Islamophobia” is just the beginning of the story.

Read it all.

Help Share the News:

[itsmarianstories]

They call me kitty🐾

[Jikook Social Media Au]

Part 40: Play the act >> Part 41

Jungkook is a bratty college student, who stumbles through life, trying to find his way. He is attractive and he knows it, so he is used to getting whoever he wants. Until a certain cute boy walks into his life with swaying hips and fluttering lashes, who seems completely unimpressed by Jungkook. However, being the stubborn boy that he is Jungkook refuses to give up just yet, not knowing that with that he has already become a figure in Jimins game of life.

(A/N: We are nearing the end everyone, not many parts are left! What do you think how will it end?)

.................................................................................................

Jeongguk bounced his leg nervously. They were sitting in a car, Jimin by his side. The next hour would probably decide the rest of their lifes. Jimin squeezed his thigh.

“Calm down, bunny. By being this nervous you are only making it worse.” Jimin said while scrolling through his phone.

“How are you so relaxed? What if something goes wrong?” He asked. Jimin sighed and put his phone down, turning towards his partner.

“Nothing will go wrong.” He said, just as the car stopped. “You know why? Because I planned everything. We check and checked again, nothing will go wrong.” His smile calmed Jeongguk down a little. Jimin cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss.

“Now, make a sad face and let me do the talking, okay? It’s show time!” Jeongguk saw a sparkle in Jimins eyes but it quickly died again once the older turned towards the door. 

They stepped outside and people immediately turned towards them. A whole mob of reporters, journalists and paparazzi. All right in front of the cities main police station. Jimin took his hand and they shared a look. Jeongguk was amazed by Jimins acting skills. The older looked so sad and scared with just a tiny hint of anger.

“Thank you for coming, everyone. We really appreciate it! We didn’t plan on going this far b-but---” Jimin cleared his throat and quickly wiped at his eyes, quick enough to make it look sneaky, but slow enough for everyone to see. Jeongguk rubbed his back and tried to look pathetic. “We just didn’t know what else to do anymore! This has been going on for so long and we--- we just want to live in peace.” Jimin said and that’s when the doors opened and a bunch of heavily armed police men rushed out. Jimin jumped and made himself small as his teary eyes widened. He really looked like a scared kitten and Jeongguk did his best to copy him as the police men circled them with their weapons pointed at them and yelled orders. The bunch of press people screamed and went wild, some ran away but most of them took a pictures or videos of the whole fiasco. Jeongguk had to bit the inside of his cheek to not grin. 

The pair had to lay down on the floor with their arms on their backs. They faced each other and shared a knowing look. Jimin started full on crying and sobbed loudly “Why are you doing this? What did we do wrong?” Two guys came and roughly felt them up and down for any non existent weapons. 

“This is diskrimination, we didn’t do anything wrong! You can’t do this!” Jimin yelled, his face red and puffy. Even Jeongguk believed him and wanted to run over and dry his tears. The police men pulled them off the ground and towards the police station as someone read them their rights. Jimin and Jeongguk both threw several glances towards the camera to make sure their devastated, scared expressions could be seen. 

The couple shared another glance as they were parted inside the station. They’d both be investigated separately. Jimin gave him a silent order to keep the act up and remember what they discussed earlier. They both agreed it would be best for Jeongguk to not say anything, so they decided on the “Jeongguk tough guy, Jimin soft boy” strategy. 

Jeongguk was brought into a cell at first, but he was prepared for it. He just waited patiently until a man came and pulled him out again, into a investigating room. They made him sit down, not unlocking his handcuffs. 

“So, Jeon Jeongguk, huh? How nice to meet again.” Jeongguk recognized them. The two detectives were the same who already investigated him once. Jeongguk didn’t say anything.

“Last time you said you don’t know about his business and illegal doings. Considering the developments in your--- relationship I guess you are now more filled in.”

“And you are still as clueless as ever.” Jeongguk mumbled. The guys perked up.

“What do you mean?” Jeongguk grimaced and leaned forward.

“I mean, that you are all mad obsessed with this idea of Kitty being some weird mafia boss. You put all these expectations onto him that he has drug labs, or a human trafficking ring but you have absolutely nothing to prove any of it. And do you know why? Because it’s! Not! True!” The detectives gave him angry glares but Jeongguk didn’t care. His part was done, he wouldn’t say anything more. They kept asking him questions about Jimin but also Jin and Hoseok but Jeongguk only shook his head and stated that he wanted his lawyer. Eventually they gave up and brought him back to the cell. This time Jimin was there as well. The older was cowering on the hard plank bed, eyes still red and sniffling. Jeongguk immediately went to hug him. Jimin hid his face in Jeongguks neck.

“How did it go?” He murmured quietly. 

“Good, they were mad as fuck.” Jeongguk whispered back, not allowing himself to chuckle.

“Okay. They’ll probably keep us for a little while longer, but eventually we’ll get our lawyers here, than we’ll make our move. It'll be over soon." They cuddled up on the hard bed and waited. Talking about random things or making out a bit, just because they knew those homophobic bastards were watching through a camera. 

Just like Jimin said eventually someone came to get them put. Two men and a woman dressed in very expensive looking suits demanded both of them to be freed. Jimin kept his role up as the intimidated, soft boy and he greeted their lawyers accordingly. They were all part of the plan so Jimin let them take over. The woman stepped up to the detectives with a stern expression.

"I hope you are aware that this will have consequences. My client has continuously been mistreated and I'll make sure that it won't continue any longer. Since you don't have anything to keep them we will go now, but just know that you will hear from us." She said and stormed off, the whole entourage following. 

Jeongguk took a breath of relief as they stepped out of the building. There were still -or again, he wasn't sure- photographers and reporter, who immediately crowded them and yelled questions. Jimin stepped forward shyly, his fists clenched in his sweater paws. He looked adorablen

"The police have mistreated my boyfriend and I for a while now. I get it, I have to admit that I've done b-bad things in my past," his voice started shaking as he spoke to the press "but a lot of it was because I didn't know better. I grew up as an orphan, so I learned to fight to survive. I guess they target me because I own a lot of nightclubs and brothels, but I just want to clarify that all my establishments are licensed and I don't force anyone to work for me." Again he wiped a tear away. "I've seen a lot of horrible things in my past so I wanted to do bet. There will always be a sex market, no matter if people like it or not, so I wanted to do better. To offer a chance to not support sex slavery. I didn't know people would hate me so much for it." Jeongguk stepped forward and hugged Jimin to calm him down slightly. Jimin took a few moments before he spoke again.

"Anyways, I don't want to portray myself as the victim. I'd just like some justice for us, because we get mistreated a lot for no reason. Thank you for listening." Jimin bowed deeply, Jeongguk followed and soon later they left towards the black car that was already waiting for them. They hopped inside together with the layers. And as soon as they started driving Jimins whole demeanor changed. 

He leaned back and pushed his hair back, wiping his whole face clean and grinning brightly.

"Well wasn't that fun?" He giggled, nothing was left of the shy, scared boy from just minutes earlier. 

"The speech was really good. The press will go wild the next few days, just slightly before they calm down again we'll come with the lawsuit so no one dares to forget. They won't have any other chance but to eat out of our hands." The woman chuckled.

"You love cases that you can't lose, don't you Chungha?" Jimin smirked. 

"Who doesn't love winning?" She said and leaned back as well. Jeongguk still couldn't believe they actually made it work.

[dearly]

At least Louis doesn't have blogs here whos dedicated their whole life on hating and shitting on him, un like Harry. The ammount of louies blogs whos daily saying horrible things... Like realwonder or wellthatwasadissapointment. And i know you follow them

it’s so wild to me that people like you refer to WTWAL as a blog that shits and hates on him because the entire reason that blog exists is because of c*ntgate. it’s because when people said on their blogs that they were dissatisfied with the holo rollout there was a witch hunt, an invented boycott targeting the person who very correctly stated that you have no obligation to financially support something you’re dissatisfied with. multiple big blogs taking out pitchforks and calling fans c*nts for allowing anons to express doubts and dislike with a marketing strategy. (all the posts and the fallout is still there so you can knock yourself out.)

that’s why that blog exists. because people weren’t able to express any dislike, any criticism on their blogs without being absolutely railroaded, bullied and harassed (with handy homophobic slurs no less, how lovely coming from the rainbow flag TPWK fandom). you can dislike the content on there, but it is a vent blog for former harries and it doesn’t hijack posts or bother anyone else. it’s easy to block and ignore. there’s a louis equivalent to that blog and yet that’s not even what i talk about when i talk about louis hate blogs, because a space for venting that doesn’t bother others is just that, and people are allowed to put their disillusion into words, and address the PR lies and the complain about the abuse harries rain on the fandom. and you realize none of them are immune from criticism, right? 

that said, yeah actually, there are blogs dedicated entirely to hating on louis. those were some of the first blogs i blocked, and guess what? those blogs do hijack posts and comment on posts just to be vile. i’d estimate there’s in the tens-twenties of those blogs. and that’s not counting the regular blogs that frequently shit on him saying he shouldn’t even be in the band, he’s talentless, he’s a rat etc, all posts garnering up to thousands of notes. and let’s not forget all the smear campaigns that targeted louies who didn’t even say jack shit about harry, the fucking charity project that was suspected because ‘maybe it’s run by harry haters’. 

the need to victimize harry and his team seems pathological at this point. but whatever. keep crying into your cereal about evil ex-fans who are upset because we were lied to, who are vocal about being dissatisfied and disappointed with harry/hshq’s embrace and apparent push of the ‘gospel of harry’ which is exactly what all of you said you were against. we’re just finding out that azoff and cowell actually have been in bed together since 2011 but evil louies are the ones destroying the fandom1!1!!

[stepphase]

Why it is illegal to share a screenshot of a private conversation/email

Sharing screenshots has become commonplace on social media and messaging apps. Many ignore it, but sharing a screenshot of a private conversation or an email can get you in big trouble … 

There is no law about the screenshot itself - and it might not be necessary - but rather several different laws depending on the content represented in the image. In the eyes of the law, if shared content is originally available for everyone to see, re-sharing it shouldn't be a problem - except in the case of copyrighted images. In theory, sharing a screenshot of a photo or newspaper article could get you in trouble. In practice, however, it is unlikely that a newspaper or photographer will sue if you have shared a newspaper article or photo on your Facebook. On a site, however, the bill may be steep… More and more professionals are using bots that scan the web in search of images illegally shared on private sites. In the eyes of the law, however, the real problem may arise when a screenshot discloses a private conversation without the consent of the interlocutor.

In Belgium, everyone has the right to respect for private life and this includes the secrecy of correspondence. The sharing - public or not - of the extract of a private conversation cannot in principle be done without the consent of the interlocutor or interlocutors. If one of the parties has not consented, there may be a breach of the privacy of that person. There is then a risk of being sued and having to pay reparations.

To this is added the General Regulations for the Protection of Personal Data (RGPD) which governs the matter at the level of the European Union, the latter applies in Belgium. In principle, it only covers the sharing of personal data - private discussion included - in a commercial or professional context. However, the European Court of Justice has ruled that the dissemination of personal data on the Internet goes beyond the domestic sphere from the moment the information is available to everyone, therefore an unlimited number of people. It must therefore be deduced that the GDPR also comes into play if the screenshot of a conversation is shared publicly on social networks like Twitter or Facebook.

In practice, it is obviously unusual for the right to the confidentiality of correspondence not to be invoked when an interlocutor shares a screenshot of a common conversation with other people, it is still necessary to be aware. In addition, it is not especially necessary that the injured party is recognizable, because the content of the conversation can also prejudice a third party, undermine honor or the right to non-discrimination linked to private life (comment homophobic, racist, anti-Semitic, misogynist,…). It is possible to obtain compensation in proportion to the damage caused to you in one way or another.

Let's say your best friend told you on WhatsApp that he cheated on his partner and you sent a screenshot of the conversation to the person afterward. This situation may seem trivial, but the damage done to your (ex-) friend could get you into legal trouble, because there is an invasion of the privacy of your interlocutor. However, nothing would have legally prevented you from warning your girlfriend by rephrasing , it is the photographic reproduction of the private conversation that is in reality the problem.

The same is true if you insult your boss in a private text message to one of your coworkers. Nothing will stop your boss from firing you if they get a screenshot of that problematic conversation. However, you can sue your colleague for having shared the content of your exchanges without your agreement, and moreover for having drawn you into serious trouble.

In a professional context, it may be prohibited to share information on a contractual basis. Often, the employment contract also includes clauses related to the reputation of the company. Sharing professional emails without the consent of each party can therefore get you into trouble.

There are countless examples of this type and the penalties incurred will be systematically proportional to the harm suffered by the victim. In general, you should therefore be very careful with sharing screenshots.

Note, however, that when it is a tweet, a Facebook message on an open account, or publicly available information, re-sharing the message in theory poses no risk.

Some exceptions

As always, there are exceptions. What if the sharing of a screenshot of a conversation is done for the purpose of obtaining justice in the face of harassment, for example? This is still debated. Indeed, a publicly incriminated person without legal background could potentially file a complaint for slander and defamation.

Jean Herveg is a professor and researcher in digital law at UNamur and a lawyer, according to him, we must think about the strategy to follow to denounce harassment: “ Usually the first advice we give people is to file a police complaint about harassment. Unless we are obviously in the hypothesis of a fight against the law of silence. In which case it is better to seek legal advice to ensure that freedom of expression operates effectively without backfire, ”he says.

In reality, nothing is legally defined, it will always be necessary to navigate between freedom of expression and the protection of privacy. “ The secrecy of correspondence can give way to a higher legitimate interest. There is therefore an assessment to be made. I fully understand why a person would want to post a screenshot for justice, but the question is whether it is the most effective thing to do, ”says Jean Herveg.

Moreover, if the public authorities have already been warned of the misdeeds that we want to denounce, but nothing happens, we must be able to “ shake the coconut palm ”, “to make everyone know what has happened, to that there is pressure from the public, that the authorities get started and recognize the wrong “, explains the lawyer. We then fall into the hypothesis of flagrant injustice to which no one can remedy, “ freedom of expression is also used for that ”, according to him.

An exception remains, however, for public figures. They are not subject to the same degree of protection of their privacy as an average individual, as long as this has an appeal with their public activities. This also applies for the other cases of this article. In cases where sharing screenshots of them feeds into public debate, it is more easily justifiable to do so. But if and only if it fuels the public debate. Defamation remains punishable.

Be that as it may, the reprehensible cases presented in this article are paradoxically highly prevalent in modern uses of social networks and messaging.

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[ladystylestores]

For World of Darkness, the future of tabletop RPGs is increasingly digital

The early-’90s, in all of its grunge-soaked glory, saw vampires and werewolves roam the night while humanity became part of a herd to be culled and controlled. A World of Darkness had been born in shadow and masquerade. With the birth of the first editions of Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse tabletop role-playing games, White Wolf Publishing had crafted a gritty, cloistered realm where playing with monsters wasn’t just encouraged — it was the whole purpose.

Monsters need management, however. Throughout the early-aughts and into the 2010s, White Wolf was in dire need of restructuring and solvency. CCP Games stepped in for a time — there was even an MMO in the works — but the partnership ultimately faltered. In 2015, Paradox Interactive, which had started to branch out from its grand strategy PC gaming roots more and more by that point, acquired White Wolf Publishing from CCP Games.

For three years, White Wolf operated fairly independently. After Vampire: The Masquerade’s fifth edition source books were published, there were a number of callous and homophobic passages that forced Paradox to adroitly absorb White Wolf in both name and management.

With World of Darkness’ monstrous roots firmly managed, Paradox Interactive has had to rethink ways to analog storytelling with digital experiences in order to broaden its approach to tabletop roleplaying games. Part of that is ensuring that the analog source material and their digital counterparts are as seamlessly integrated as possible.

Paradox’s firm leadership coupled with the deep creative well at World of Darkness has required more blood, both new and familiar. Justin Achilli, a veteran writer (1995-2005) in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade, has rejoined the “vamily” as brand creative lead at World of Darkness. Martyna “Outstar” Zych, a popular Twitch streamer and indie game developer, has also joined the World of Darkness team as brand community developer.

Above: Martyna Zych

Image Credit: World of Darkness

We had an opportunity to chat with Achilli and Zych, with additional commentary from Jason Carl (Brand Marketing Manager at World of Darkness) and Sean Greaney (Brand Manager at World of Darkness), about World of Darkness’ approach to transmedia, the role of streaming and liveplay shows, and exploring World of Darkness’ properties as “platform agnostic.”

World of Darkness, but time to shine

Over the last two years, Paradox Interactive has made waves in both development and publishing, especially with an eye on World of Darkness. A 2018 $2 million investment in Hardsuit Labs for a 33% minority stake coupled with full IP control over World of Darkness’ properties meant that a sequel to much beloved cult RPG, Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines, was finally possible.

Paradox has been playing with the interplay between analog and digital for a handful of years with its own IP as well, including tabletop adaptations of Crusader Kings (released in 2019) and Stellaris (due out in 2021).

Fully absorbing White Wolf into the Paradox brand meant that World of Darkness could shine on its own. Letting these shadowy analog and digital realities bleed together with ease has become far more of a focus than it had been when White Wolf was independent (despite Activision publishing Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption in 2000) or even when CCP Games had acquired the company in the mid-aughts.

The word “transmedia” appears to be more of a buzzword than it is. At its root, transmedia refers to media that is explored across multiple mediums. So, in World of Darkness’ case, it means taking their properties from the page to the stage (live-action roleplay) and from analog to digital.

Above: Justin Achilli

Image Credit: World of Darkness

“The World of Darkness has been hugely influential to so many areas of entertainment, especially early on in the brand’s life,” Achilli told us. “I want to reinvigorate that and take this in an innovative new direction in every medium of entertainment that we can. It takes not only a good design intuition, but an understanding of how we want to welcome players and what we want them to take away. Making players feel like they belong, ensuring they have questions to answer and mysteries to unearth and discuss is some of my responsibility.”

Making a property like Vampire: The Masquerade or Werewolf: The Apocalypse accessible to audiences across platforms and mediums is essential in making sure players feel like they have a place in a World of Darkness. For some, that introduction may be with Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2. For others, it may be with World of Darkness’ “L.A. By Night” live-play show or through playing Vampire: The Masquerade as the TTRPG it was originally built as.

For Jason Carl, the future of World of Darkness’ products will be tied to streaming, from liveplay or “actual play” productions to news shows like Martyna Zych’s weekly show.

“Streaming is an increasingly important part of World of Darkness,” Carl said. “It lets us tell interesting stories, some that are incorporated into official canon like ‘L.A. By Night’, and interact with our fans in ways that just weren’t possible before. It also helps provide a very accessible example of how to enjoy our games, showing rather than telling how much fun it is to play TTRPGs with your friends. Incorporating streaming into products is new in the TTRPG space and luckily is something we had already started dipping our toes in with the live-play shows from By Night studios.”

“One important aspect of ongoing development is that people play games differently now than they did when the World of Darkness first emerged,” Achilli continued. “Streams, virtual tabletops, virtual and augmented reality, and a variety of new media formats give us a host of new ways to tell stories. Because, of course, it always comes back to storytelling — the World of Darkness thrives on players and audiences making, experiencing, and sharing stories in its secret world.”

Zych’s formidable presence on Twitch (20,000-plus followers) and newly minted role as brand community developer at World of Darkness means that she is tasked with developing a community built for transmedia experiences. Given the complexities of World of Darkness’ properties spanning digital and analog spaces, there are a number of challenges that Zych and her team will be facing.

“The main challenge is reaching the whole World of Darkness community with news, updates and the content that we’re cooking,” Zych said. “Our social media efforts, streams, videos and the work of our ambassadors help with that a lot. The second challenge is maintaining approachability and easy onboarding for new audiences, while at the same time keeping our core fans in mind. The way we interact with our community needs to reflect it.”

As we’d discussed in a previous interview with Carl, streaming the development of the next edition of Werewolf: The Apocalypse will be an integral piece of sharing the game with fans right from the start. Developing a ruleset that will embrace being “media-agnostic,” as Greaney puts it, isn’t a tacked on approach at World of Darkness, either. It’s an important starting point.

Above: Mark Meer (Commander in Shepherd in Mass Effect) plays Chaz Price, and Cynthia Marie (Sirens of the Realms) plays Nelli G in “L.A. by Night.”

Image Credit: World of Darkness

“When we start development on our franchises it’s from a media-agnostic perspective, because we’re a transmedia brand and we know the franchise will exist far beyond tabletop,” Greaney said. “Systems design and rulesets are about building foundations for the kinds of experiences we want fans to have with the franchises. TTRPGs are a great way of ‘opening the hood’ on those foundations for fans and partners alike, but [conceptualization] begins at a higher-level than a specific medium.

“This also requires building an ecology between the narrative and the rules and systems,” Achilli added. “The single largest difference between games and traditional media is that games are interactive. Players touch the systems and have an influence over what happens in a way they simply don’t with more traditional consumable media. That means the game systems need to reinforce the narrative; the themes of the stories are communicated significantly through the actions the player takes. For example, as a vampire, there’s a reason you choose individual victims when you feed, and there are consequences for feeding too much or exposing what you are.”

This ecology isn’t just relegated to developers and writers, or even to World of Darkness all by itself. Greaney describes World of Darkness as an expression of “living play culture.”

“That’s where we see the greatest opportunity to move between and across media, whether that be digital or analog media or linear or emergent stories,” Greaney noted. “This is a collaborative effort with our community, partners and Paradox game teams. And, so we definitely want your favorite vampire to show up to surprise and delight in many products, but more so we want to give you the tools to take them into your own stories. For example, the work our partner Vault Comics is doing to bring Winter’s Teeth characters to TTRPG. But what we’re most excited about … are platforms that enable the community to speak directly back into our story world.”

“Living play culture” also needs to ensure meeting players where they are when onboarding them into the World of Darkness as it exists today. Greaney specifically noted that there are two distinct player bases at the moment: fans that have been exploring World of Darkness since the ’90s and new players that are sinking their fangs into V5 (Vampire: The Masquerade fifth edition) and are anticipating Bloodlines 2. The former is looking for “continuity in experience,” namely with metaplot and characters. The latter is hungry for, well, more.

Above: Vampires love Ferris wheels.

Image Credit: Paradox Interactive

“So for those who’ve joined us through LA or Seattle By Night, Bloodlines 2 transmedia work like Tender or Vein Pursuit, or V5 Discord roleplaying servers,” Greaney said, “we work across the product portfolio, marketing and individual products to ensure there’s a fun experience of discovery and peeling back the layers of secrets in WoD and in that process of discovery a chance to join the World of Darkness community.

“And that’s what is ultimately important to us — that we can help customers become fans of our franchises rather than directing them to a specific medium. If you’ve watched Jason every season over the past few years or joined the Tender ARG (Alternate Reality Game) or played through Coteries of New York or spend time discussing WoD5 (World of Darkness fifth edition) lore online — but have never filled in a character sheet and sat down at a table for a chronicle, you’re just as much a Vampire: The Masquerade fan as anybody else and we have no strategic aim to make you experience the franchise in a specific way.”

Looking ahead, World of Darkness is dedicated to creating “more low barrier to entry video games” like Coteries of New York and other visual novel experiences. Additionally, we can expect more alternate reality games like Tender.

“Expect to be able to experience World of Darkness at the table, with a controller, in your earbuds and with your TV remote,” Greaney concluded. “We want to make discovery as seamless as possible, whether that is discovery of lore, fan content, products, or communities relevant to the experience the player is driving. So, whether you’re a new fan eager to discover the breadth of our story world or a long-time fan going deep, our aim is to enable that seamlessly without taking you out of your WoD experience.

“World of Darkness has rapidly evolved and adopted new ways to engage with our fans. Our live-play shows like ‘L.A. By Night’ and games like Bloodlines 2 are just some examples of how we are embracing the future and welcoming new players to our world. We have big plans to continue this expansion and drive discovery that we can’t wait to share with you when the time is right.”

World of Darkness’ approach to being “media-agnostic” is laudable, especially given White Wolf’s roots in print media and old school tabletop RPG culture. Paradox’s levelled leadership, both from CEO Ebba Ljungerud and from the team at World of Darkness, has rebirthed a World of Darkness that exists in all realities at once. We often talk about companies needing to “evolve or die” in the chaos of the game industry, but to find that evolution in death is the sweetest victory of all.

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[drcontrarian]

Freedom

If Hitler was alive today, would he be interviewed on TV- or Radio Talk Shows?

If he was to be interviewed and given a ‘platform’, would that have been wrong?

There is always someone who seems to offend the sensibilities of the Left, so we might as well consider the worst case scenario.

Let’s ignore for the moment the bigotry involved by the left, for if their spokespeople (senior politicians - including Hillary Clinton - and celebrities alike) call for and end of civility and the result is undeniable Antifa violence in the streets, their talk is justified because it supports the cause and come from within.

Let’s just focus on the principle, and not the politics.

Freedom of speech is the liberty to express your thoughts.

The cliched example of yelling ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre is often trotted out as an example of how all speech is not free. It is not a good example, because that is clearly not merely an expression of thought.

I, too, don’t believe in unlimited freedom of speech. It only works in a certain context - let’s call it a certain socio-cultural environment. (More about that later.)

But freedom of speech is a core human right and any limitations put on this right is bound to have adverse ramifications. Freedom of speech is one degree removed from freedom to think; and I would argue that it is in fact inseparable because we often ‘talk through our ideas as a means of thinking.

If you are not free to speak, you are not free to think.

Unless you are free to offend, you are not really free to speak.

Unless you are free to think wrongly, you are not free.

As shocking as this may sound, it is perfectly okay to be racist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic or whatever ‘wrong think’ someone might be accused of. Because unless you allow someone to think the opposite of what you think (say, anti-racist, anti-homophobic etc), why should THEY allow YOU to think the opposite of them?

And if you believe that other should not have the ability to make up their views because they happen to be contrary to yours, because they are ‘clearly wrong’, then you must surely understand that YOU are not only being a victim of an ideology, but also a bigot who denies others the freedom you claim for yourself.

Unless you can call for an overthrow of the government, you are not free.If you are not free to even incite violence, you are not free. There would have been no French Revolution if there wasn’t an incitement to violent uprising.

Ideas are expressed. When ideas are expressed as ‘speech’, they may be manifested in behaviours and practices and ultimately even law. When these ideas are adopted and become practice (or law) that is when a society is impacted and shaped in a certain way.

Racist laws may be enacted for example.

But that is only a problem if the society does not want that. Japan has pursued ethnic homogeneity for a very long time and this is embedded in their culture and their policies and their laws. One might call it racist. But it is not a problem for Japan if that is what the Japanese people want; whatever you or I may think about it.

I mentioned earlier that there is a context in which free speech is not only desirable, but necessary. A democratic society is one element of that context. Because in such a society, the best ideas will win and and will reflect the will of the people. There is no need to fear bad ideas and no need to ban them.

In the context of a democracy, freedom of speech has a natural inhibitor, the voice of the people, and it works. I have a serious problem when democratic opposition transmogrifies into boycotts, bullying and outright physical violence.

[The relatively new strategy to target people’s livelihoods and to threaten and bully anyone associated with a person you agree with is reprehensible and cowardly. Your ideas should battle against other people’s ideas.]

If one group of people reserves the right to ‘ban bad ideas’, how can we be certain that one day they won’t also ban a good idea? Because any cause, any human endeavour, no matter how noble,  eventually becomes irredeemably corrupted (just ask any Church).

The only safeguard we have is to deny ANY group of people the right to ban ideas. And I don’t really care how noble you think your cause is, or how meritorious the outcomes will be for some other group of people.

We are our ideas.

If Hitler was around, I’d absolutely invite him on my podcast, talk show or whatever, because I would love to shine a light on his beliefs, because I think my ideas about the human race are more meritorious than his, and any audience who is free to listen and think for themselves will draw the same conclusion.

The Hitler-problem became a problem when he usurped the authority to oppress dissident voices, which is exactly what the Left is doing.

Message for Marketers/Brands and Organisations

Brands need to think about this clearly, and then make a firm decision that they will stick to: What is your role in socio-political issues? Should you promote ‘causes’? Should you participate in the ‘conversation’?

Socio-political issues are important. I write about it all the time on this, what is essentially a business blog. But there is a world of difference between understanding what is happening in the marketplace, and taking sides in a debate.

An organisation (brand) is nothing more than the group of people who work in it. It is, in my view, untenable for any commercial enterprise (larger than 3 people) to arrive at a position (on any social issue) that will embrace the views held by every member of that organisation fully. The economic impact of promoting inherently divisive issues is rarely quantified, but I believe it to be significant. Knowing a little bit about human psychology, it stands to reason that people will be less engaged in ‘work’ if work also involves a cause that is anathema to them.

My advice is to be socio-politically agnostic as much as practical: when pressured to adopt a cause, resist, when targeted by activists, ride it out.

If you want to stand for something, stand for great service or quality products.

Postscript

I write this as a postscript so as not to muddle the key point I want to convey, but it is an important contextual consideration when we discuss freedom of speech.

There are other contextual elements that makes freedom of speech tenable; democracy being one and the other is that ideally the culture should also have a  Judeo-Christian foundation. If there is a coherent set of values that unites the body politic, and such values have been shaped in pursuit of eternal, transcendent and objective truths, then the people of that culture will naturally impose limitations on their own expression of ideas, recognising that some of these may be inappropriate or sinful. Ideally we want people to police their own thoughts, and not need others to do so.

Whilst secular commentators may be too theologically- and philosophically illiterate to realise it, but the very notion of sanctity and ‘worth’ of the individual (Imago Dei) is a Judeo-Christian idea. A truly Christian culture cannot simultaneously be fascist or oppressive.

Image: https://benamimusic.com/2013/05/13/what-is-freedom/