#as a society we have been collectively robbed

[hotshotsxyz]

why tf is there not an emperor’s new groove rollercoaster

[marxism-transgenderism]

Okay I started that last post as a joke but this is actually fascinating so the reason trade between Indigenous people and settlers up to the mid 19th century is nearly always called the fur trade is because that was the primary product settlers were buying to be processed and shipped back to Europe and later to prominent coastal cities. But according to historians of the lower Great Lakes specifically like Susan Sleeper-Smith, it should really be called the cloth trade if we're just going based on the largest quantity of product being shipped.

The idea that European traders were just plying Indigenous people with "useless beads and shells" (as they would disparaging describe wampum) and alcohol in exchange for mountains of furs is just not the reality. Indigenous traders at thus time did value and acquire those things, but collectively they were shipping thousands of tons of one of the most valued commodities settlers wanted and they used that power to get guns, iron cookware, silver and gold commodities, and colored textiles.

Indeed the amount of textiles coming from all the European powers, but most of all from Britain where their manufacture was booming is incredible. Specific designs and colors were manufactured specifically to appeal to the fashion trends of Indigenous people in the lower Great Lakes all in the interest of getting better furs than their other colonial competitors got.

We have records of American raiders robbing Indigenous towns and looting intricately designed clothing adorned with hundered—sometimes over a thousand—pieces of silver and jewelry. Very clear examples of Indigenous people flaunting their fashion, connections, and immense wealth. Most often Indigenous women as they were the ones most active in trade with Europeans.

We just often have such an image of Indigenous societies during this time being devastated, poverty stricken, and peripheral to the big changes happening back in Europe. But when we take a look at the raw numbers of trade during this time, we see a prosperous, wealthy, and interconnected society. One that knew it's currently advantageous position in global trade and took advantage of that to gain more wealth. It's true that since 1492 they had been devastated by disease and colonial warfare, but the mere presence of guns, germs, and steel did not cause Indigenous poverty just by simply having one so called "advanced civilization" come into contact with a so called "primitive society."

Indigenous poverty was something created very specifically when all the other imperial competitors had fled the scene after the American revolution, leaving only this one genocidal entity left with a monopoly of colonial claims to this region to fight for decades to take away the wealth these Indigenous people had built on their land in the centuries prior, inch by bloody inch.

Btw I didn't feel like citing sources here but most all of this is taken from Susan Sleeper-Smith's book Indigenous Prosperity and American Conquest

[alwaysbewoke]

NINE HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS COMPARE ZIONIST POLICIES TO THOSE OF THE NAZIS

“Sometime after [1956] I heard a news item about Israelis herding Palestinians into settlement camps. I just could not believe this. Weren’t the Israelis also Jews? Hadn’t we – they – just survived the greatest pogrom of our history? Weren’t [concentration] camps – often euphemistically called ‘settlement camps’ by the Nazis – the main feature of this pogrom? How could Jews in any measure do unto others what had been done to them? How could these Israeli Jews oppress and imprison other people? In my romantic imagination, the Jews in Israel were socialists and people who knew right from wrong. This was clearly incorrect. I felt let down, as if I was being robbed of a part of what I had thought was my heritage. …

I have to say to the Israeli government, which claims to speak in the name of all Jews, that it is not speaking in my name. I will not remain silent in the face of the attempted annihilation of the Palestinians; the sale of arms to repressive regimes around the world; the attempt to stifle criticism of Israel in the media worldwide; or the twisting of the knife labelled ‘guilt’ in order to gain economic concessions from Western countries. Of course, Israel’s geo-political position has a greater bearing on this, at the moment. I will not allow the confounding of the terms ‘anti-Semitic’ and ‘anti-Zionist’ to go unchallenged.”

Dr. Marika Sherwood, ‘How I became an anti-Israel Jew’, Middle East Monitor, 7/3/18. Marika Sherwood is a survivor of the Budapest ghetto.

-----

“Israel, in order to survive, has to renounce the wish for domination and then it will be a much better place for Jews also. The immediate analogy which a lot of people are making in Israel is Germany. Not only the Germany of Hitler and the Nazis but even the former German Empire wanted to dominate Europe. What happened in Japan after the attack on China is that they wanted to dominate a huge area of Asia. When Germany and Japan renounced the wish for domination, they became much nicer societies for the Japanese and Germans themselves. In addition to all the Arab considerations, I would like to see Israel, by renouncing the desire for domination, including domination of the Palestinians, become a much nicer place for Israelis to live.”

Dr. Israel Shahak, Middle East Policy Journal, Summer 1989, no.29. Israel Shahak was a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto and Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

-----

“I am pained by the parallels I observe between my experiences in Germany prior to 1939 and those suffered by Palestinians today. I cannot help but hear echoes of the Nazi mythos of ‘blood and soil’ in the rhetoric of settler fundamentalism which claims a sacred right to all the lands of biblical Judea and Samaria. The various forms of collective punishment visited upon the Palestinian people – coerced ghettoization behind a ‘security wall’; the bulldozing of homes and destruction of fields; the bombing of schools, mosques, and government buildings; an economic blockade that deprives people of the water, food, medicine, education and the basic necessities for dignified survival – force me to recall the deprivations and humiliations that I experienced in my youth. This century-long process of oppression means unimaginable suffering for Palestinians.” 

Dr. Hajo Meyer, ‘An Ethical Tradition Betrayed’, Huffington Post, 27/1/10. Hajo Meyer was a survivor of Auschwitz.

-----

“As a Jewish youngster growing up in Budapest, an infant survivor of the Nazi genocide, I was for years haunted by a question resounding in my brain with such force that sometimes my head would spin: ‘How was it possible? How could the world have let such horrors happen?’

 It was a naïve question, that of a child. I know better now: such is reality. Whether in Vietnam or Rwanda or Syria, humanity stands by either complicitly or unconsciously or helplessly, as it always does. In Gaza today we find ways of justifying the bombing of hospitals, the annihilation of families at dinner, the killing of pre-adolescents playing soccer on a beach. …

There is no understanding Gaza out of context – Hamas rockets or unjustifiable terrorist attacks on civilians – and that context is the longest ongoing ethnic cleansing operation in the recent and present centuries, the ongoing attempt to destroy Palestinian nationhood.

The Palestinians use tunnels? So did my heroes, the poorly armed fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto. Unlike Israel, Palestinians lack Apache helicopters, guided drones, jet fighters with bombs, laser-guided artillery. Out of impotent defiance, they fire inept rockets, causing terror for innocent Israelis but rarely physical harm. With such a gross imbalance of power, there is no equivalence of culpability. …

And what shall we do, we ordinary people? I pray we can listen to our hearts. My heart tells me that ‘never again’ is not a tribal slogan, that the murder of my grandparents in Auschwitz does not justify the ongoing dispossession of Palestinians, that justice, truth, peace are not tribal prerogatives. That Israel’s ‘right to defend itself,’ unarguable in principle, does not validate mass killing.

Dr. Gabor Mate, ‘Beautiful Dream of Israel has become a Nightmare’, Toronto Star, 22/7/14. Gabor Mate is a survivor of the Budapest ghetto.

[gingerylangylang1979]

Male identity: Carmy and Richie

I’m finding that a certain demographic of fans have a much harder time relating to Carmy but very much relate to Richie. Granted, a lot of this has to do with what fandom platform you observe. I actually kind of hate The Bear subreddit but continue to browse it periodically because it’s super interesting to hear what “the others” are talking about. I rarely engage anymore because it’s mostly nonsense and a totally different vibe than Tumblr. The contingent is definitely very anti-Carmy x Sydney and seems to hate Sydney. I’ve also noticed that while there is a lot of love for Carmy there is even more love for Richie. I’m very intrigued by this perspective. 

This season Richie was definitely a standout. I think Ebon is an amazing actor and am glad he is finally getting nominated for his role. I thought he got robbed with the non-Emmy nominations. But even before S2 I noticed that Richie was the most favored character among the Reddit demo and perhaps a big part of the general audience. That’s fine, people can favor who they like. I know that doesn’t represent everyone but I do think that speaks for what I consider general audience and makes sense considering how society still views manhood despite social progress. This season even a lot of the reviews were kind of meh about Carmy. I get it, I initially was writing him off too, was pissed, and thought he had the worst arc. Then once thoughts settled he went back to being my hero. Deeply flawed, but I just relate to him so much and he’s fascinating to watch. I’m a woman, so maybe that helps my empathy. I also don’t think The Bear would work with Richie as the lead as some have suggested. 

The thing is Carmy is a more difficult character because he has multiple layers of trauma, his work is so specialized and niche, he is a sensitive soul, he’s artistic, and he doesn’t fit the mold of the working class male models he was surrounded by. Your typical man can’t relate to him. And most likely your typical conservative leaning woman can’t either. At the Christmas party he was appalled at how the other guys were talking about Claire. And this is a woman he had a crush on and is present day attracted to. He could have easily been superficial and macho and laughed at the jokes as expected. He didn’t let Richie get away with calling Syd sweetheart. Richie says he’s “woke”. He employs a woman in a leadership role. He’s built different. 

He is struggling in many ways that are hidden and he also lashes out. The hidden ways and the lashing out are interpreted as whiny and annoying by people that can’t relate. He’s been cited as not growing but people can’t acknowledge that his healing won’t be linear. But how can it be when his trauma was collected in overlapping seasons for most of his life? The pain didn’t develop in a linear path. He had a stutter when he was young. There are hints that there is a learning issue of some sort (I’m not going to try and diagnose). He was always the “different” one in the family. The other guys call him “weird”. His father was absent. His mom has mental health issues and is an alcoholic. He witnessed the traumatic incident at Christmas and I’m sure it wasn’t the only such incident. His brother was an addict that pushed him away, then killed himself. He went into a chaotic, highly demanding field that required him to isolate to excel. He is shy and has trouble forming close bonds. He had a mentally abusive boss. He was always super competitive. He comes back to own The Beef and it’s problem after problem. How are people expecting him to be “fun” and have an easy comeback like Richie? 

Richie has issues, too. Stagnant in mid-life, spent years devoted to an addict, failed marriage, feeling disillusioned and displaced, also an absent father. But when we meet Richie he’s not as wounded as Carmy. Carmy is literally sleep cooking, almost starting fires, dissociating, having panic attacks. Richie is sad but it mostly manifests as him being kind of nasty and grumpy. He’s like a sour old man with dated and offensive jokes. His behavior is dismissed because he’s grieving. Which yes, he deserves a pass. But why does he deserve a bigger pass than Carmy who is dealing with so much more or Sydney who seemed to bear the biggest brunt of his outrage and was also struggling? Carmy is literally on the verge of a breakdown and has the weight of trying to keep the staff, the business, and himself afloat. Despite all this Richie gets a lot of indulgences for his bad behavior that Carmy isn’t. 

Richie is easier for a lot of people to digest because he’s funny, he’s the working class representative, he’s tall (yes people have height bias, especially with men). Carmy is viewed as the pompous prodigal son that’s trying to ruin Richie’s delicate ecosystem by gentrifying and kicking out “the working man”. There are people posting in disgust that he dare change The Beef despite it being a hell hole money pit. 

It’s just so interesting that in reality we are dealing with an unprecedented numbers of men who report extreme loneliness, depression, hopelessness. Richie and Carmy both fit that profile. Yet, a man like Richie is broadly understood and accepted and a man like Carmy isn’t. It goes back IMO to the continual coding of masculine/good vs feminine/bad. Richie is the stereotypical red blooded American male. He wants the stripper’s panties. He has a gun. He needs to be alpha. He views anything outside the norm as a threat. He wants to preserve tradition at all costs. Carmy is his foil. Carmy is viewed as feminine. 

I see it even on Tumblr with the persistent identification of Carmy as somehow feminine. Like he can’t be soft and traumatized and just be a man. So what does that say when even people who would probably consider themselves progressive still classify a man in feminine terms if he isn’t a MAN? We accept all types of gender identities but still struggle with a man not fitting the correct paradigm. Society still has issues accepting that men can be vulnerable and struggling without being feminized. People also make assumptions about Carmy’s gender identity and sexuality based on his trauma. Like, of course he has to be XYZ because well, look at him, he’s sad an pathetic. What does that say about men’s sexuality and identity? Are only queer men accepted as sad? Carmy could be a queer character, cool, representation matters. But I just find the semi-automatic equation of queerness with an atypical male to be odd and a bit regressive. 

Edited to add on above: I hope what I’m saying doesn’t get interpreted as dismissing queer people who identify with Carmy. I get it, I support it. What I’m speaking to is the insistence that canon Carmy is queer because of his interests, aesthetic, and mental health as if that is the only identity option. Granted, he could be bi. I also think some people are insistent on this, just as they are on Syd not being into men, as a way to negate the possibility of them being romantic. Again, I’m saying some people. Also, proximity and shared struggle doesn’t equal identity. This makes me think of once when a white gay male bestie claimed we are the same because I’m a black women. I had to kindly correct. We share the same haters, we are both marginalized, but he will never know my experience just like I will never know his. We can bond on the commonalities but we aren’t exactly the same. IMO, it would be a disservice to both of us to claim different.

I’m really rambling, but just thought I would share my thoughts and open a conversation about this. 

[bibibbon]

In defense of Yuta okkotusu

I know Iam not a fan of jjk 261 mainly because of the creative direction gege chose to go in but that doesn't mean I hate yuta. I have been rereading some jjk moments and in all honesty yuta doing something like this makes sense.

I just wish that a different creative decision was made making yuta abandon his innocence (the little he had) in a different way like him taking Getos cursed technique (I find that interesting because geto and yuta have always been foils to eachother and yuta strongly dislikes geto) while kenjaku takes over Gojo (paralleling with geto).

Yuta losing his innocence and doing something that fans would deem unethical has actually been built up and foreshadowed as early as chapter 90. This can be seen during kenjaku and Gojos conversation where kenjaku expresses his doubts in yuta ever becoming as strong as Gojo or becoming the second Gojo. Ironically yuta literally becomes Gojo and is in gojos body. Like kenjaku stated this could only be achieved due to rika and yuta can't truly become Gojo permanently as he only has 5 minutes before he dies or fully loses his abilities.

The true meaning of Yuta becoming Gojo would mean that yuta would have to face a similar fate to Gojo which he does considering that he had to sacrifice rika to even achieve such a thing and lose all of his innocence.

However, I think what's even more interesting is that many characters like uro and kenjaku never actually believed that yuta could ever do such a thing. They never believed that yuta would be desperate enough and hungry enough to take everything and risk it just so he could kill sukuna and avenge gojos death. Kenjaku is aware of the various and over powered abilities that yuta has yet he doesn't believe that he can become as powerful as Gojo because he is "too nice". This belief is then repeated in chapter 180 with ishigori and uro telling him the same thing. They have fought yuta at one of his most powerful states and took him not killing them as a sign of weakness or softness which they view it as something that hinders him from becoming someone like sukuna.

Although now that I think about it this page can also be interpreted in another way. This could mean that someone losing their calm and collective cool can lead to their death as it blinds then with rage leaving them to their own devices. Now this idea can relate to yuta who in a state of emotions like anger and fear agreed to do what many thought would be the unthinkable and take over gojos body. This decision now leaves yuta on the line of facing various harsh concequences, one of them being death itself and losing rika.

I think something whats also devastating about yuta is how he is effected by this. Ever since yuta's first year in Jujutsu tech he like his own teacher has been given the title of the second strongest and the narrative continually hypes him up as gojos successor if anything goes wrong. To me this is especially evident in chapter 143 where we see Gojo himself tell yuta that if anything happens in the jjk society where he can't be there to prevent it he would like yuta to step up and take his place. This obviously is a huge responsibility placed upon a 17 year old who out of nowhere (like in the span of a year or less) became the second strongest whose strength is said to be on par with gojos.

I think what's more cruel about this is that it's met with yuta cracking a joke, showing how he believes that an event like this occuring is unlikely. Yuta trusts and believes in Gojo and his abilities so you can imagine how much of a shock shibuya was to yuta. Shibuya -even though yuta wasn't there and wasn't directly effected in shibuya- robbed yuta of his own innocence. After Gojo was sealed yuta was forced to step up and place himself in various dangerous scenarios to keep his word to Gojo. While in the chapter 143 flashback yuta is clam and even happy talking to Gojo this moment is contrasted with chapter 261 flashback where yuta is deadly serious that it even catches gojos own attention. The question that yuta asks about taking over gojos body (even though I don't like it) shows how much Jujutsu society has changed. The pillar of Jujutsu society, Gojo Satarou was taken down in shibuya for 20 days!! How could they not question what they would if he dies against sukuna especially after that sickening slap to the face that's as shibuya showing them that Gojo isn't invincible. Gojo himself is actually painfully aware of this and it's his turn to lighten the mood or try to in this situation.

Yuta in this situation truly doesn't want to do such a immoral and what people may consider villainous thing that is befitting of the likes of kenjaku, yet circumstances and society forces him into it.

We clearly see yuta's own desperation twice this chapter. Yuta shouts at the group trying to get them to understand his thoughts process. Honestly I think it's quite twisted that yuta who ends up taking over gojos body and using it as a weapon is the one to actually understand gojos situation the best. It's cruel writing from geges part. Yuta voices what the concequences of being the strongest are, the dehumanisation and the immense pressure. People have been unconsciously relying on Gojo and him being trapped and knocked down a peg in shibuya truly changes Jujutsu society and yuta realises that. As the second strongest yuta has seen what Gojo has had to go through and has painfully accepted the path as his, taking gojos place as the strongest both metaphorically and literally.

We see yuta's outburst born out of desperation but it's only when yuta is heavily injured that his actions themselves are born out of desperation. Gege gives us a whole page of Yuta laying down close to death doors with blood all over him giving consent to shoko and confirming that he will do what others view as immoral and the unthinkable. I have interpreted that him giving his consent to shoko shows that it was a last desperate solution and that he didn't actually want to do it but due to circumstances was basically forced to.

Honestly yuta doesn't gain anything from taking over gojos body. It's basically a last attempt sacrifice at destroying sukuna even if it means killing yuta himself and losing everything that yuta has to lose. Yuta doing this basically puts himself at risk, makes it plausible that he loses rika which means he would lose all of his abilities as kenjaku stated in chapter 90 and he loses his own humanity just for five minutes of strength. A gamble and a horrible one at that is what yuta has taken.

[amarimeta]

The Television Academy watching Carrie Coon deliver one of the greatest performances of the decade: No

The Television Academy watching Carrie Coon act cunty in a soap opera: Yes

no because literally WHAT GOES ON.

gilded age mutuals look away if you must but COME ON. LETS BE SERIOUS. i looooooove gilded age i love nothing television i love this stupid soapy show about my beautiful princess with a disorder and the entire town who hates her. HOWEVER. you (the academy) need to look me in the EYE and tell me carrie’s performance as bertha russell is the best she’s ever done. WHAT ARE YOU SAYING. i LOVE bertha. but she is NOT the crazy girl of all time. she is NOT the bravest girl on earth. she is NOT nora durst.

“ace you have to think about the strength of schedule” THE LEFTOVERS WAS ONLY EVER NOMINATED FOR ONE EMMY. AND IT WAS FOR ANN DOWD GUEST ACTRESS IN THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD (and his identical twin brother). LIKE THATS A WHOLE OTHER CAN OF WORMS. the show was never nominated. the writing was never nominated. the directing was never nominated. i have no love for the man but justin theroux was never nominated?? CARRIE?!?! WAS ?!?! NEVER ?!?!? NOMINATED ??!?!,!?!?! after the performance of HER lifetime, MY lifetime, every single person who ever has or ever will live’s lifetime???

do not click the read more unless you want me to complain about strength of schedule for each season. i get very specific i’m sorry.

SEASON 1 - 67th primetime emmy awards

BEST DRAMA

game of thrones season 5 (WINNER)

better call saul season 1

downton abbey season 5

homeland season 4

house of cards season 3

mad men season 7 part 2

orange is the new black season 2

haven’t watched house of cards or homeland (to be fair i DID watch homeland s5 for miranda otto like five years ago), haven’t watched oitnb in YEARS, haven’t gotten to mad men season 7 OR downton season 5 yet. HOWEVER. i do not care. take downton s5 off from there. mind u i bought the downton collectors boxset two weeks ago i have all the dvds i have a stupid ass bell TAKE IT OFF AND PUT THE LEFTOVERS ON THERE!!!! or take homeland season 4 off idc what happened on it but why is tracy letts a main character on a show nominated YOUR WIFE IS BEING ROBBED TRACY!!! DEFEND HER!!! wait i just realized i hadn’t even mentioned game of thrones season 5 being the winner. i can’t say anything at this point i just have to laugh.

lead actor jon hamm won for mad men again idk what happens in s7 i haven’t even finished season 1. as a newsroom and better call saul enjoyer i will not advocate for either of them to be removed so get rid of kevin spacey and put theroux up there. would carrie have been nominated as lead for s1? i think she’d be supporting no? in which case take emilia clarke off for game of thrones I’M SORRY I’M NOT HATING BUT WE NEED TO BE REALISTIC HERE. IT IS SEASON 5 GAME OF THRONES. YOU ARE NOT OUTDOING NORA DURST. supporting actor christopher get your ass up there!! jonathan banks get your ass down here. i will sound like a jonathan banks hater in the rest of this post and i’m not we just need to be serious here as a collective. mike ehrmantraut could never do the leftovers. sorry. (jim carter nom for carson on downton is actually for me personally which i think is beautiful).

mother’s mercy winning for best directing AND best writing is insane. game of thrones we will never forgive you for many things. (unrelated how did bcs five-o get a best writing nom and not any other episode of season 1. mike lovers have too much power in our society. we need to kill them.)

SEASON 2 AKA THE STRONGEST SEASON OF TELEVISION YOU CAN EVER WATCH IN YOUR LIFE - 68th primetime emmy awards

BEST DRAMA

game of thrones season 6 (winner)

the americans season 4

better call saul season 2

downton abbey season 6

homeland season 5

house of cards season 4

mr. robot season 1

AGAIN. GAME OF THRONES WINNING BEST DRAMA LIKE YOU ARE NOOOOT SERIOUS PEOPLE. YOU ARE JOKING. americans and bcs <33 downton season 6 i’ve heard awful things about you. homeland season 5 HEY that’s the season i watched!! yea get rid of game of thrones and put the leftovers in there and MAKE THE LEFTOVERS WIN. IMMEDIATELY.

lead actor idk get rid of kevin spacey again. lead actress tatiana maslany i know you were working overtime im so sorry unfortunately i’m taking this away from you. please understand i’ll give it back to you for a different year but this one is carrie’s. btw im replacing claire danes on homeland in terms of nominations. supporting actress i cannot believe i am taking this away from maggie smith but we are giving this to either ann dowd, regina king, or amy brenneman. MIND YOU REGINA KING WON FOR SUPPORTING IN A LIMITED SERIES SO I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE HER THE DOUBLE WHAMMY but if you want to argue its ann dowd i will not fight you. also get maura tierney off of that nominations list NOT HATING ON MAURA simply hating on the affair. we need to be serious. supporting actor i’m taking down jonathan banks and kit harrington sorry putting up christopher eccelston and kevin carroll. i’ll let the academy decide who wins but it IS between them two. no one else. sorry.

battle of the bastards winning both writing and directing again hey guys not sure if i’ve mentioned this before but i hate game of thrones the television show that cannot hurt me and isn’t real!!! and also THAT SEASON WAS NOT GOOD. directing wise we’re getting rid of the door for game of thrones and writing wise we’re getting rid of battle of the bastards CONGRATULATIONS THE LEFTOVERS SEASON TWO EPISODE EIGHT INTERNATIONAL ASSASSIN YOU ARE THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER!!! THE BEST EPISODE OF TELEVISION EVER!!!! YOU DID IT!!! YOU HAVE NOW WON BEST DIRECTING AND BEST WRITING YIPPEE!!!!

SEASON 3 (my beloved) - 69th primetime emmy awards

BEST DRAMA

the handmaid’s tale season 1 (winner)

better call saul season 3

the crown season 1

house of cards season 5

stranger things season 1

this is us season 1

westward season 1

sorry handmaid’s tale you are not keeping the win. you can keep the nom i guess. get rid of stranger things for me. anyways the leftovers season three you ARE THE FATHER!!! (but also hiii better call saul season 3)

lead actor i like sterling k brown so he’s keeping the win but once again goodbye spacey and theroux enjoy your nomination. lead actress elisabeth not only are you not getting the win i might take the nomination from you too. sorry. carrie coon needs it more. we need to be on the right side of history. supporting actress ann dowd won which i can’t BE TOO UPSET ABOUT but im taking millie bobby brown’s nomination away and giving it to amy brenneman like i’m sorry but we need to be serious here. supporting actor i’m taking jonathan banks and mandy patinkin down and putting up christopher eccelston and kevin carroll. OBVIOUSLY.

AND OF COURSE ANN DOWD IS WINNING FOR BEST GUEST ACTRESS LIKE. alexis bledel sweetie i’m sorry but that award is not yours. but please take a picture with alison wright for me i would enjoy that.

best directing went to handmaid’s tale offred. i’m sure it was a good ep. anyways taking that down and taking stranger things ep 1 down and putting both most powerful man in the world and book of nora. book of nora is winning probably. (also taking down bcs witness and putting up chicanary. like come on here folks). best writing ALSO went to offred yea sorry. it can stay up i guess i’m just taking down stranger things ep 1 and putting up book of nora which will be winning. (notice how chicanery was properly nominated here).

well that’s all from me!!! so happy that everything i just wrote actually happened!! i can’t believe the leftovers won so many emmys BUT IT WAS WELL DESERVED!!

[pal1cam]

I just think it’s extremely hypocritical when some people who say they care about humanitarian issues in general go out of their way to support artists who have been SO silent for years and decades on any humanitarian issue that has POC people as the victims…

So many artists have done that and i am so glad that we collectively as the global community have decided to boycott, block and take away the platform of such people and give it to the people who actually do deserve it.

But i am still quite baffled when i see individuals wether ones that i know personally or online go to concerts or buy merch or support such silent and ignorant artists in any way shape or form, especially when these supporters themselves are POC and their own people back home are the ones that are struggling, because that just shows how such people are willing to be sellouts and give away their principles for a liberal white capitalist person that views POC people and anyone who is not white and filthy rich as deserving of a prosperous life or even the most simple and basic human rights that every human on this earth should absolutely have.

Like yes many of us loved artists that we then found out that they support or even defend agendas that are absolutely disrespectful to the average human life or human rights of a certain people or community, and since finding that out we have stopped supporting them and that is absolutely fine and 100% respectable… But when it has become a very accessible and public piece of knowledge that a certain artist supports the worst agendas to ever exist and that they simply don’t care about humans if they’re not white or align with white supremacy, and some people (especially POC people) still choose to support such artists while having all of that knowledge on the artist’s background, it makes me rage how gullible some people are and how they let their emotions and parasocial relationship with such a terrible artist take over their logical and critical thinking and humanitarian values…

And i know that what i am saying here is not the most important issue in the world, but such a way of hypocritical living and changing your perspective and priorities depending on the artist / person you’re talking with or about, is what could lead to worse issues such as people becoming truly brainwashed into believing that the white life is superior just because their favorite white artist said so…

Have some shame and reevaluate your principles, values and priorities in life.

Because no privileged artist or public figure needs that much support, attention, time and money from you,

The people who truly need that are the people, the humans that are being trafficked, murdered, stuck under the rubble and robbed of their most basic human rights because governments and people who are in some of the highest positions in society have decided that such people are not so worthy of even having a life to begin with.

( I wrote this post in a moment of anger, so i hope that i articulated myself and my feelings right and that i got the message across…)

[vincent-marie]

Hot Take: "Equal Fights" Predicted Online Faketivism

In some ways "Equal Fights" hasn't aged well in its effort to teach about feminism, that the execution wasn't handled as well as it could have been & that it wound up painting the feminists as straw men stereotypes. Rumor has it that even Lauren Faust, who did storyboards on the episode, isn't a fan of it in hindsight.

However this episode feels a lot more relevant to me now in our current age of online purity culture.

We live in an age of social media where young people, who had little to no power before, now have a tool at their fingertips to signal boost for those who need help the most. Teenagers can be everyday heroes in their own right. Frankly I respect you kids for being motivated in your sense of kindness & nobility.

However the problem is that unfortunately what good that can actually be done gets drowned out by a lot of harassment & bullying in the name of social justice. Especially if these young people's sources are very dubious & self-serving.

That's basically what Femme Fatale is as a character. She's a grifter who uses a progressive movement, feminism in this case, as her means for her own gain. Namely, robbing banks.

It's understandable that every super villain has a gimmick. Two-Face has the Number 2 & duality, FF could've just been a devious collector of currency with women imprinted on them. (I myself wish they would discontinue the bulky, useless penny & bring back the Sacagawea dollar.) But beyond that, she uses it as an excuse to get out of getting arrested, to claim that what she's doing is good for society at large, & above all to manipulate & influence the young & impressionable Powerpuff Girls.

The girls, being literal children, take her words to heart & implement them in ways that do more harm than good. From bullying boys in the schoolyard to letting Femme Fatale get away with her crimes.

Reminds me an awful lot of kids & young people on Tumblr & Twitter who get riled up by the words of self-proclaimed progressives who turn out to be TERFs, grifters, or members of the Leopards Eating My Face Party. Namely, the people who use progressivism & online activism to their own end.

And it's not just the Youtubers with the large subscriber base. It's also the individuals who reblog, retweet & bully even on a small scale to make themselves look good or feel like they're making a difference. Not to mention the burner & bot accounts being used to fan the flames of discord within progressive circles.

But what I find the most telling is that FF claims to be a feminist, she collects Susan B. Anthony coins, but she doesn't even know who Susan B. even was & why she was so important to American history.

Reminds me an awful lot of certain gay or trans Youtubers who would try to have you believe that "queer" is a slur, when in reality we not only reclaimed it as an umbrella term to include bisexual, trans, intersex, asexual, etc. people, but is an important part of our very history.

The slogan chanted demanding our basic human rights:

"We're here, we're queer

Get used to it."

It makes me sick that there are multiple generations of people who don't understand our own history. That there are people within our community who would promote & capitalize on that ignorance.

That's who Femme Fatale is. Willingly ignorant herself, selfish, manipulative, & would promote such lack of values to the next generation for her own gain.

And that's why she deserves to serve time in prison, while online faketivist grifters deserve to lose followers, go broke, & disappear into obscurity so they can't do any more damage.

[mode-genesis]

The Legacy of Meadham Kirchhoff

by MODE GENESIS

Known for their outrageous interloping of romanticism and rebellion, Meadham Kirchoff had become an iconic brand in the early to mid-2000s. The brand was founded by designers Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchoff, both graduates from Central Saint Martins, which gained fame through its extravagant expression of whimsicality. An interview by Glamcult with Kirchoff verbalizes how he designs from instinct in a state of “aborted happiness,” and both feel the fashion industry is “based on a repetition of ideas, often aimed at product placement.”

Their inspirations ranging from Victorian dolls to Courtney Love lookalikes in the SS 2012 show, the duo expressed a fresh approach to fashion which became one of the signatures of their brand identity.

Each show transported you into a carefully crafted almost theatrical performance with scent, visuals, light, and music accompanying. Their rebellious spirit brought new design innovation through patchwork dresses in velvet and leather, stacked glittering platform shoes, and a runway decorated with what looked like blood-dipped tampons. Each piece in their collection was carefully made through tailoring research and using techniques such as Elizabethan lacework. The handwork which came in forms of hand embroidery showed in garments in almost all seasons, and detailed construction of each piece became a standard for the brand

Although their womenswear lines achieved most of the media attention, their menswear emerged as out of the ordinary on the London scene. The collections set the direction of modern-day menswear, anticipating the arrival of gender-fluid casting and boy-meets-girl styling. One of their final shows, SS 15, was reclaimed as a celebration of different bodies, genders, and races. The use of rubber, chiffon, color, and layered drapery was an ode to the liberation they stand for. They were chosen as LVMH Young Fashion Designers but weren’t included as finalists so in their show notes they elaborated, “Fuck LVMH corporate fashion,” which is admirable considering the nature of the fashion industry, LVMH, and celebrity culture. As a Dazed article states, “Because fashion doesn’t just have to be about seasonal trends; it can, at its best, be a broader reflection of society, and like riot grrl, BodyMap, Westwood, and Leigh Bowery before them, Meadham Kirchhoff is making clothes for the people they love: the dykes, fags, slappers, and freaks.”

The brand met its demise when most of their clothes they were making weren’t sellable; the market was too niche, and production costs of garments became too high. While it was believed for Meadham Kirchoff as a whole for their clothes to be either too expensive or costume-like, critics praised them, and many designers looked at them as an inspiration. As a Dazed Article states, “They were showing detailed lace on par and on time with the wonders that Alexander McQueen was showing on its runway. Some have even likened the brand’s jackets—particularly from years ago—as foreshadowing those that made Christophe Decarnin a star at Balmain.”

Most of the brand’s pieces have been long lost, as the archive was taken by their landlord and sold in 2015, leaving only pictures and memories of what once was. Since the brand shut down, the duo has gone on separate paths. Meadham launched a new label called Blue Roses, and Kirchoff has become a stylist and menswear consultant. While Meadham Kirchoff could not have survived in the corporate fashion world, they live on as a martyr of sorts through their fun, cheeky, whimsical yet rebellious spirit, which inspires the future of the industry and may even have been ahead of its time.

References:

[felipeandletizia]

July 5, 2023: Princess Leonor delivers a speech during the Princess of Girona Awards Ceremony

Majesties, authorities, patrons, girlfriends and friends. I especially salute our prize winners and the thousands of young people who have been involved in the activities that the Foundation has developed this year. Good night and welcome.

Being in Girona is a joy and makes this award ceremony a very special moment for me. Yesterday, my sister Sofia and I were lucky enough to meet the BulliFoundation's model of innovation and creativity - and its museum - from Ferran Adrià, in the impressive Cala Montjoi, in the middle of the Natural Park from Cap de Creus. And I'm also very happy to have been able to meet, with my sister, the headquarters of the Foundation in the city of Girona.

We are brought together tonight by the talent of our five winners and their commitment to society and the challenges it faces. The five are indisputable references who have taken advantage of the opportunities so that their trajectory has a clear purpose with social impact. I have spoken with them and with other young people about the concerns of our generation, about what it means to train, about how to find and develop one's own talent, about preparing for new skills through innovative educational models, about the awareness of living in a balanced way. on our planet, of vital projects when you are twenty or twenty-five years old.

In my case, I am almost eighteen. I have just finished high school and I am about to start a new stage with a period of military training. And, beyond my responsibility, I am happy because I know how much the Spanish value our Armed Forces. It is an important moment in my life and I feel very eager and convinced to continue learning and giving my best spirit to strengthen the values with which I have grown and that today our five awardees embody: respect for others, effort, excellence, search for knowledge, temperance, discipline, perseverance. Also, ability to perceive reality and live with the enthusiasm typical of my age.

That is what I can see in Sabrina: her determination to succesfully build Kenya´s largest network for early childcare is truly inspiring.

And those are values that Marc also projects, when he is proud of his beginnings in Girona to now be a professor at Yale University and a benchmark in the research of a major public health problem: obesity.

And I am still surprised and impressed by Rafel's courage to launch himself into manufacturing satellites that collect valuable information to face challenges such as climate change.

And Silvia, who has the ability to heal emotions and relieve pain when a chronic and advanced disease robs us of any joy.

And with Maria's story, and her extraordinary talent on the violin, I feel that effort is always behind excellence.

They will tell me if it is not exciting to share a night together in which we are verifying that several generations of young people have already taken action and offer us the best of themselves.

Thank you, Silvia, Rafel, María, Sabrina and Marc for leading the way. Thanks to the young people who trust the Princess of Girona Foundation to continue growing, thanks to so many companies and entities that support us. Thank you for allowing me to learn from all of you.

And thank you from Girona for inspiring so many young people of my generation who want to live in a society that is more committed to others.

Thank you so much.

[dragoneyes618]

For almost a decade I worked at a small Holocaust museum in Brooklyn. The mission was simple and impactful. While most Holocaust museums focus on the perpetrators, the Nazis, and how they came to power, the impact of propaganda, and the extent of their unimaginable evil, our museum centered on victims of the Holocaust: the Jews and their experiences. We constructed period rooms with prewar artifacts, showing how Jews lived in different communities in prewar Europe. We displayed report cards Jewish children received in schools and notices about what time to bring your family’s cholent to the local bakery before Shabbat.

The main difference, to my mind, in focusing on perpetrators vs. victims is the ability to universalize the message. It’s easy to demonstrate how propaganda works, how attractive antisemitism becomes and has always been especially in times of turmoil and stress, and how groupthink can convince regular people to commit evil beyond imagination. Almost every day since October 7th I have reflected on how the increased acceptability of antisemitism in the world is just a new chapter in historical cycles that have gone on for thousands of years.

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Focusing on victims, however, is particular. This is how Jewish communities, Jewish leaders and Jewish individuals respond to heightened danger. It’s a message about suffering and equally about resilience.

Another unique aspect of this museum was its inclusivity of the Orthodox experience, something that has been, until recently, shamefully neglected by many Holocaust institutions. Most prewar German Jews were famously secular and seemingly well integrated into German society, while Poland’s Jewish community, almost completely wiped out by the Shoah, were more traditional in their lifestyles.

As director of collections, I often spoke to Holocaust survivors and their children who would share religious objects with me that they hadn’t previously donated, not because they didn’t want their items to bear witness but because the context, spiritual meaning and resilience encoded within a pair of tefillin, for example, needed to be honored just as much as the courage necessary to sneak in a religious object into a concentration camp.

Even in the face of undeniable terror, we maintained agency in our identity, in our hopes, in our relationships, in our prayers and in our songs. When you turn the Holocaust into a generic moral lesson you rob it of its particular evil and you rob the victims of their own narratives. It becomes an allegory rather than a historical event and thus, removed a little more from reality, it gets whitewashed.

“Zone of Interest” is a movie about evil. It is a movie about people’s ability to not see what they don’t want to see. No matter how powerful and unflinching, Jonathan Glazer’s film is a Holocaust film with no Jews. This is what allows the director and filmmaker to declare:

“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”

I believe his words are wrong and a betrayal, and his refuting Judaism is privileged, because his home, family and existence are not being threatened; it is also disrespectful. Setting aside the fact that Gaza has not been occupied since 2005, Glazer tells us in his film and in his speech that he is more interested in the morality lessons of the Holocaust than in the stories, the experiences, and the victims. This is what he takes from the Holocaust.

What do I learn from the Holocaust? That I will always be a Jew no matter what I say and no matter what I do. But far from that being an embarrassment, it is a core piece of my identity and a source of immense pride and comfort; pride in our survival and comfort in knowing that Jews all over the world are my family. The hostages? They are my family. That half of the world’s Jewish population who is living in Israel and fighting for its very survival? They are my family.

Were Jonathan Glazer alive and safe in America during World War Two, would he have refuted his Judaism being used to justify the murder of Nazis in the name of liberating Jews? Hamas and all proxies of the Islamist regime of Iran are not so different. They have never hidden their genocidal agenda. Indeed, it’s in its charter. The massacre of 1,163 Israelis on October 7th is part of its strategy; it’s one more step towards the complete annihilation of the Jewish state. That is not a justification of war. War is terrible and necessarily has undeserving victims. War is not to be celebrated but avoided as much as possible in favor of diplomatic channels when open to us. But to accuse us Jews of using our Judaism to justify inflicting evil when Israel’s war is actually a push towards survival is wrong. We have agency. We don’t want to be annihilated and we will fight back.

In the long Jewish tradition of tragedy, I have no choice but to end on hope. Recently, our modern Orthodox congregation invited a group of chassidim to join us and to lead the davening. At Shacharit, we sang a song that has become an anthem in this historical moment, “Achenu Kol Beit Yisrael – all Jews are siblings,” first found in an 11th century siddur.

As for our brothers,​ the whole house of Israel, who are given over to trouble or captivity​, whether they abide on the sea or on the dry land:

May the All-prese​nt have mercy upon them, and bring them forth from trouble to prosperity, from darkness to light, and from subjection​ to redemption​, now speedily and at a near time.

To our enemies, all Jews, including chassidic and modern Orthodox Jews, surely look the same. Sadly, however, we ourselves often focus on our differences. Not now. Every Jew is my sibling. Glazer, you are my sibling too. Siblings can disagree and I don’t know about you but I will never ever refute my siblings.

[justkeepstimming]

Year Seven

Content note for the Day of Mourning, filicide, and a much longer post than I meant to write.

On March 1st, we participated in the Disability Day of Mourning to honor disabled victims of filicide. Every year, a new list of names is shared – adding to the hundreds of names that has been gathered by The Autistic Self Advocacy Network over the years.

And yet, there are names and stories that we will never know. Never reported, acknowledged, or shared.

___

Disability is a natural part of the human condition. It’s not a tragedy or a fate worse than death. Every person is an integral part of the interconnected life we live – by the things they create, the influence on those around them, or the love they hold for the things that give them joy.

Our worth is not measured in salaries, degrees, or suspected IQ points. Life is sacred in whatever path lies before us – even if it’s not expected or the “norm.” The beauty of life often lies in the mundane.

_____

This was my seventh year as a site coordinator for the Disability Day of Mourning vigil. It never gets easier. As I put together a slideshow each year, I look through the photos and their stories.

I see babies as young as one day old, and I wonder what kind of life they could’ve lived. I think of all the things taken away from the young names on the list, robbed of those little moments as we grow.

The warm feeling of sunlight through a school bus window or the comfort in the presence of those we love during a winter storm outside – would they have experienced such things?

What joys would have filled their soul with delight?

What would they have been like as an adult?

_

I see elders over one hundred years old – and I imagine what kind of life they lived. Even in their older years, life was still there to be experienced.

How did they like their coffee – or did they even drink coffee?

Did they have any regrets?

Was there something they were looking forward to?

_____

A list of names doesn’t tell you everything.

It doesn’t tell you that 4 year old Madelin’s favorite color was blue and adored her collection of stuffed animals.

You can’t see that 84 year old Patricia had 8 great-grandchildren – or the joy of 6 year old Leon when he was surrounded by bubbles.

It can’t describe how much 73 year old Mary loved scrapbooking and watching the Guardians of the Galaxy.

We don’t get to see why 35 year old Jack was described as an incredibly loving person, or the art of 17 year old Morgan who dreamed of going to Japan one day.

It doesn’t tell you that little 2 year old Lola was a joyful toddler with a love for butterflies and the outdoors – or that 9 year old Amanpreet loved visiting the park, playing in the swings.

We don’t know what books 63 year old Cheryl was happily reading. We will never see 82 year old Joan’s rose garden.

We don’t get to know 7 year old Lucas’ favorite character in Star Wars, or 12 year old Rosa’s favorite shade of pink.

Names alone can’t tell you that 5 year old twins Ahmad and Ava were in kindergarten; how Ahmad was talkative and outgoing while Ava was known as a quiet observer.

_____

All these years, I’ve never been able to understand these deaths. I can’t explain it, nor can I explain society’s painting of our existence as a burden.

When my youngest brother died in 2018, the remnants of my grief were constantly countered with “encouragement” of strangers, who never actually had the privilege to meet sweet Liam.

Being told we were better off without him as a burden was pure salt in the wound. Over 6 years later, the sting still remains – as does the real burden: grief.

__

The arguments of a lack of supports fall flat as parents all over struggle with the same – and yet never harm their children like this.

The tragedy lies not in the disability, but the violence from the hands of those who the victims should have been able to trust the most.

I don’t have the words to describe the ache I feel in the photos and stories.

But what I can tell you is this:

Disabled lives are worth living.

-Courtney Johnson, @justkeepstimming

[uispeccoll]

Guest Post from John Martin Rare Book Room

At Hardin Library of Health Sciences

DU VERNEY, JOSEPH (1648-1730). A treatise of the organ of hearing: containing the structure, the uses, and the diseases of all the parts of the ear. 1737.

Hi, my name is Carlisle Isley, and I am a University of Iowa School of Library and Information Science practicum student working in the John Martin Rare Book Room this fall.

I'm introducing you to this book because I have always been fascinated with how the ear, nose, and throat, seemingly small parts of the human body, are connected and can impact our daily quality of life. Interestingly enough, we can thank Sam Baker, a bookseller from the 1700s with a bookshop in London, for A treatise…

Baker commissioned Du Verney's work to sell in his shop down the street from the Angel and Crown ale house in Covent Garden. Baker eventually transformed his bookshop into an auction house for books and manuscripts. Upon his death, he bequeathed his share of the auction house to his nephew, John Sotheby, who would lend his name to the now world-famous Sotheby's auction house.

Joseph Du Verney was an anatomical lecturer and dissection demonstrator at Jardin Du Roi, an early medical plant garden. During the reign of King Louis XIV, theatrical anatomy was performed in public spaces, but bodies could be hard to come by. Body snatching and grave robbing were common. Society was not yet comfortable with donating bodies to science.

It was common to have amphitheaters where students could observe dissections, and Du Verney, with his "dramatic, rhetorical and anatomical skills," drew crowds of people. Du Verney conducted lectures and dissections for the Paris Academy of Science, including for the heir apparent to the French throne and royal courtiers. He also lectured to medical students at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital.

Du Verney corrected beliefs that the Eustachian tube was an avenue for breathing or hearing by showing it was a channel through which air is renewed to the tympanic cavity. He explained the mechanism of bone conduction and gave an accurate account of the bony labyrinth. He greatly advanced knowledge in the physiology of hearing with his theory of hearing and communication. His theories helped inform the work of the 19th-century biophysicist and inventor Herman Ludwig Ferdinand Von Helmholtz, who was the first to measure the speed of a nerve impulse.

Prior to this book joining the John Martin Rare Book Room, it circulated in the main collection as part of the Hardin Library. During its time in the Hardin Collection, the book was heavily used and at some point, one illustration "went missing." When paging through the book, one will notice a photocopied page was inserted to replace the missing illustration. More than likely, library staff realized the illustration was missing and contacted another institution to request a photocopy from their copy of the text.

For more, contact John Martin Rare Book Room

[aeronics]

thank u for the tag @fizzy-watches-dps :)) this is the first time ive been tagged in one of these sorry about the wack formatting it needs to look good to appease my little monkey pea brain top 5 books: lord of the flies, wuthering heights, cant think of any others rn

top 5 shows/movies: dead poets society, midsommar, little miss sunshine, the batman [2022] [are you seeing the paul dano theme yet], there will be blood, dont hug me im scared

fav movie genre: idk the weird slice of life ones that have no point like little miss sunshine or just psychological horror

top fandoms you're in: dead poets society, south park ig, some of the og lets play youtubers (markiplier, jse, etc.), life is strange 1+2, metal family

top fandoms you’d like to join: scp foundation stuff, the welcome home arg

top artists you listen to: abba, ghost, gorillaz, la dispute, crywank, wilbur soot's old music, msi [i dont support their actions at all]

top songs currently: to be alone with you - sufjan stevens, voulez-vous - abba, tous les mêmes - stromae

a song that describes you perfectly: iris - goo goo dolls

top music genres currently: [according to spotify stats] rock, pop, permanent wave, indie, modern rock

favourite music genre: oh god idk uhhhh id just say rock if i had to pick

love language you're most comfortable giving: acts of service

love language you like receiving: physical touch, quality time

favourite aesthetics: liminalcore?? grunge, gross boyish boy things idk how else to word that [maybe transmasc-core]

characters you kin: stephen meeks [dead poets society], kinda charlie dalton [dead poets society], ches [metal family], richard cameron [dead poets society, listen i have my reasons], red guy [dhmis], nathan prescott [lis], max caulfield [lis], dwayne hoover [little miss sunshine], todd anderson [dead poets society], scott tenorman [south park, idc he listens to radiohead too], michael/tall goth [south park]

fav colour and why: grey, nice n neutral and chill or red bc it looks good on everything

interests i would like to talk about: just random obscure facts i have collected [..whales sometimes explode when they die], also the dark web, also morbid history things, also dead poets society and how we were robbed of the deleted scenes, also the 4th dimension, also philosophy and politics

fav animal/s: raccoons, cats, basking sharks

favourite season: summer or winter i can never decide

favourite weather: sunny with a breeze or violent thunder and lightning

sixteen personalities type: intp-t

mtg colour quiz results: planeswalker of the jeskai way, a combination of blue, red, and white apparently

kinda not serious fears: baby birds opening their mouths to be fed [its fucking horrific]

random tags [sry if u have already been tagged!]: @elistudies @springlikesmile @taciturnpoet @pinkobsessedfreak @dpsthinker and anyone else who wants to

[hazzzzzzman]

Are gaming communities becoming a toxic environment for certain people?

Introduction

The promise of fellowship shared passion, and collaboration often coexists with a darker underbelly: toxicity, in the vast digital expanse of gaming communities. While these communities provide opportunities for connection and entertainment, they have also become breeding grounds for toxicity, creating hostile environments for certain groups, particularly women, LGBTQ+ people, and marginalized gamers. Gaming has always been perceived to be played by males. According to Ambi et al (2020), They conduct a survey to collect data by surveying the respondents. The study included 476 respondents aged 18 to 37 years old and discovered that the majority of those who identify as gamers are men, white, and generally younger than those who do not. Except for the fact that they were white, the results were deemed significant. The study thus demonstrates that the general demographic and group of people who identify as gamers are young males, which is critical information for the respondents.

Getting toxic? Let's talk about it

Toxicity manifests itself in various ways within gaming communities, ranging from straightforward harassment to outright discrimination and exclusion. Misogyny, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination are common experiences for women navigating these spaces. Targeted abuse, derogatory language, and objectification all contribute to an environment in which female gamers feel unwelcome, anxious, and unsafe. This toxic environment discourages many women from freely expressing their love of gaming or participating in discussions, robbing these communities of diverse perspectives and talent.

A survey was conducted on 900 women gamers in the US, Germany, and China on their opinions and perceptions towards their behavior and how females are portrayed in video games. One said "A lot of the time I end up playing as male characters in MMORPGs so people don't realize I'm a girl," one woman explained. "We try to hide what we are so people don't flirt with us, send us stuff, send us messages we really don't want, or pictures." It has been reported that the women surveyed express their satisfaction to developers on how females are depicted but are rather disappointed with how they are treated by other gamers (Sinclair 2021). This implies that female audiences are facing quite a few adversaries to fully immersed in the gaming community due to this circumstance.

Minorities?

Representation matters in this age of moving forward as what society perceives hence why inclusion is very crucial in many aspects of life and gaming is definitely one of them. Despite these drawbacks, the number and variety of players is growing. African Americans, Latinx Americans, and Asian Americans are becoming more active in the gaming community. Similarly, these players of color are more likely to play than their white counterparts (Eng 2020). Representation doesn't mean you have to give up on catering to or shaping your player niche. These still remain and designers need to consider them throughout the process but so is cunning with player accessibility in mind. Representation helps us reach and recognize more and different players in our field. However, this desire did not arise without recognition of the negative aspects previously caused by the lack of expressiveness.

In addition to that, the LGBTQ+ community is not perceived well initially when integrating into the gaming communities. There are many political reasons as well as cultural reasons that this group has not been fully or openly represented. Although there are times when few game companies have been trying to push the representation of these minority groups to gain a wider audience, especially the gamers that are in the LGBTQ+ community

PERSONAL TAKE?

I personally think the minority group that is not feeling too comfortable in life gaming deserves the product that can be marketed towards them. I sense no harm in anyone playing a game as everyone should play the game as intended which is to enjoy and fulfill their time. Gaming should not contain the elements of sexism, racism, and overall hate. Gaming is supposedly available for everyone to enjoy. Thus the example of girl gamers should be a norm and not stir up conflicts as well as political issues.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, the toxicity prevalent in gaming communities, particularly towards women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and marginalized gamers, is a multifaceted problem that must be addressed collaboratively. Gaming communities can transform into spaces that celebrate diversity and provide a welcoming and enjoyable experience for all enthusiasts by cultivating a culture of inclusivity, respect, and accountability. Representation is critical in the fight against toxicity. In their creations, game developers should prioritise diverse and authentic representation of women, and other minority groups. Inclusive storytelling that celebrates diversity while avoiding harmful stereotypes not only empowers underrepresented groups but also fosters empathy and understanding among participants.

References

Amby, A., Caluscusan, D., Dublas, J.H., Medina, M. and Tuballa, G., 2020. Analysis of stereotypes: How non-gamers view gamers. Academia. viewed 26 November 2023, <https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/62301617/Analyss-of-Stereotypes-how-non-gamers-view-gamers20200307-128480-ha50k8-libre.pdf?1583646102=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DANALYSIS_OF_STEREOTYPES_HOW_NON_GAMERS_V.pdf&Expires=1701093819&Signature=B9eDz0AlblG9HzTMVzUOzCd9~Hqr~2c8anxPrrTY-s2A4J0kwWr57qBfYF38f~98ySQ49TdDPuLl8KAmey-VLUJw5ShSBwA-~I5xBz76w7yCiljVr2VW9x9UvxHGIQnz3qNJCaEGkiDJH1f3qhNIcTowqbjxawIqDVNjS5seLGSFnR-wrVN9OMEtvQUgmEXnlQM~-PeDbjxFpIQIkJ-W3fixh9b3c6lMQh42J8sdy3EPE-J0qS2pmDZvpZD143UCBnCelYCcoWtwlkAjYTMoLl~mFW4NSCOmpfkVVuYfRM72dUhELxk0N9Z9QJp4uBMsYQCOP3p~N45qShgT9RRp-g__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA>

Eng, D 2020, Representation in games, Medium, viewed 26 November, <https://medium.com/@davengdesign/representation-in-games-eccc9e59e36b>

Sinclair, b 2021, Survey says 59% of women hide gender to avoid harassment while gaming online, GamesIndustryBiz, viewed 26 November 2023, <https://www.gamesindustry.biz/survey-says-59-percent-of-women-hide-gender-to-avoid-harassment-while-gaming-online>

[fusilloscotto]

Here’s to 20

A few days ago I turned 20.

It was a weird feeling.

I was actually dreading my 20th birthday, because it meant officially entering adulthood and I was not ready for that. Plus, now that I'm in uni all of my friends are somehow younger than me (and I'm a December baby, so that's saying a lot), so I was the first to reach this milestone, which scared me even more. I braced myself and, just like Dante stepped into the dark wood at the beginning of his Inferno, I prepared to venture into the unknown twenties, ready to face my own private hell. To my surprise, it was a really nice day: I was not scared, I enjoyed myself a lot, everything went smoothly and the world did not end. So of course I started wondering: what was I so scared of?

After a bit of deep thinking, I had a Rachel Green moment and I realised I was behind schedule: I was scared of turning 20 because it meant that the life I imagined for myself while growing up, the one where at 20 everything is perfect and I always know exactly what to do, was not going to happen; it'd just remain a fantasy in my head.

It started when I was 12: my best friend's older sister turned 15 and I was so in awe of it. I remember thinking that, once I turned 15, my life would be just like theirs, because they were so old, mature, cool. I was so so so sure that at 20 my life would be perfect because I would have it all figured out at 15, because 15 is the age you become old... right? WRONG. I turned 15 and I was still a baby. Fifteen was the age I found myself screaming at the tv while rewatching the Little Mermaid: Ariel was talking about being 16 and sooo mature and I got really upset because no?? she was not old?? she was still very much a child and her dad was lowkey right for wanting to protect her.

I'm not gonna lie, I was really confused after my 15th birthday: how could people be defined as grown-ups at 15? Why was I lied to, why did society make me believe I was gonna be an adult at 15? And I know I wasn't the only one thinking this: my friends, my parents, even newspapers were saying that, until a few years ago, people used to look way older than they were, so I couldn't help but wonder what went wrong with our generation?

Did we collectively forget to take a special potion? Did we collectively miss one chapter in the growing-up book? Was there a step-by-step tutorial on Youtube that we were supposed to watch? Maybe we all just expected to magically become adults overnight, so none of us did anything to actually become an adult?

I don't really have the answer to this, however, I have the answer to what my problem was and, technically, still is.

I was talking to my friends about my terror of the big 2-0, and this friend of mine kept saying that in 30 years I'll wish to be 20 again, because 20 will feel so young. The thing is, my problem is not that I feel old... I just don't feel old enough. I don't think I've processed the fact that I'm not a teenager anymore, in my head I'm still 16... I don't feel 20 at all. And I am angry and sad, because the only reason I'm stuck at 16 is that deep down I feel I've been robbed of my teenage years. Everyone says I'm currently in the best years of my life, and I'm missing them because I just cannot move. My head is filled with voices that keep screaming at me to just let it go and be present, and no matter how much I try, I just can't. I can't move super fast like everyone else.

My teenage years are an ex-lover who decided to ghost me, and I need, crave, closure.  And since I'm looking for closure, I keep trying to find my teenage years everywhere I go. And since I'm too busy trying to find my teenage years, I'm missing my twenties.  And when I'll be older, I'll probably start looking for my twenties, and it will just become a never-ending cycle of delusional and vain searching and not living.

Ferris Bueller said it best: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it".

And I'm tired of missing out.

I can't really blame myself for not being able to move on though: time stopped within a minute, and it never started running again.

One minute I was drinking with my friends, the other I get a text saying there's a quarantine happening.  One minute I am cheering because I have two more weeks to study for my physics test, the other I'm begging to go back to school.  One minute I have my teenage years, the other I am alone in another country blowing 20 candles out.

But I want to change things.

So this is me, being finally old enough and letting go of my teen years. To quote Abbie Lee Miller, "You were great, but you didn't stick out to me".

And I now apologise to my 20s.

I'm sorry if I dreaded you, because you've been treating me pretty nicely for now.  I'm sorry if I ignored you, you are probably way cooler than teenage years anyways. I'm sorry if I haven't been present, I promise I'll try to not waste you from now on.

so here's to 20, one of the best birthdays of my life.