#as per implication (gay people win)

[denkies]

[therealvinelle]

I love your metas, but I have to say I disagree with your take that becoming a Twilight vampire would be even semi-utopian for marginalized groups. This is just my personal view, but it sounds kind of awful, considering the vitality of community and pride in identity as a source of support and joy for many marginalized people. Even setting aside how much Twilight vampirism ""smooths out"" what it considers imperfections (and yeah, I admit, I do interpret that as pretty Eurocentric, which would seem to equate to stripping people of identity markers they're proud of. I don't think everyone would be thrilled to wake up as Alien Diamond Supermodel, but I know you've addressed the fact that Bella has Issues many times over). Plus, then you have to leave everyone behind, and forsake possibly ever finding community in the future, considering how many vampires are nomads and a coven of 7-9 is considered very large.

I do understand that you're talking about immediate individual consequences of oppression but you becoming a vampire hasn't changed anything besides you. It just means you, personally, get exempted, which would not make a lot of people particularly happy, considering everyone they would have to leave behind per vampire law, who will still be struggling with everything you were before you became a vampire. Unless you accept the argument that no longer being human = no longer caring because you can't remember/relate to being human anymore, which also isn't an unalloyed good, it's just biologically directed apathy.

I do think Meyer was aiming for something personally utopic, but I think it's a significant sign of the writer in worldbuilding (not even her normal unhinged processes). Meyer's a white American Mormon, and that type of individualism-- "as long as me and mine are okay, everything is great, the status quo can chug right along" -- is very typical of a lot of dominant American culture, but isn't a universal cultural ideal or guarantee of freedom or happiness. In a way, it'd seem to me that it works like being super-wealthy does for real humans--fewer consequences, but just for select individuals who win that particular lottery (in this case, being bitten and not eaten and surviving long enough to be transformed).

(Anon is referring to this post.)

Oh I know, you bring up very fair points. My post was more of a thought experiment, as I find the implications of being removed from society fascinating. Obviously, as proven by Kebi, Siobhan, and the Cullens, sexism doesn't go away when you become a Twilight vampire, Bella "I find the Amazon women frightening for some reason" Swan is proof you can still be racist, and there are many problematic elements to it such as the whitening of their skin.

My thought was that there are some axes of oppression that can't affect Twilight vampires, such as women being financially dependent on their husbands/mates, gay love being penalized, or POC vampires being denied jobs. Other axes still exist and the loss of community and identity you bring up is a very good point as it's a new problem they wouldn't otherwise have to deal with, but there's this one, institutional, aspect that can no longer be enforced.

But yes, all very good points, you're absolutely right and I'll go back to my regularly scheduled wacky posts on what happens if Bella puts on googly eye glasses.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Lucifer/Satan

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Please allow me to introduce this villain. He’s a man of wealth and taste...

Satan, or Lucifer, or whatever of the hundreds of names across multiple religions, folk tales, urban legends, movies, books, songs, video games, and more that you choose to call him, is without a doubt the biggest bad of them all. He is not just a villain; he is the villain, the bad guy your other bad guys answer to, the lord of Hell. If there’s a bad deed, he’s done it, if there’s a problem, he’s behind it. There’s nothing beneath him, and that’s not just because he’s at the very bottom of Hell. He is the root cause of all the misery in the entire world.

And if we’re talking about Satan, we gotta talk about Lucifer too. They weren’t always supposed to be one and the same, but over centuries of artistic depictions and reimaginings they’ve been conflated into one being, a being that is a lot more layered and interesting than just a simple adversary for the good to overcome when handled properly.

Motivation/Goals: Look, it’s Satan. His main goal is to be as evil as possible, do bad things, cause mischief and mayhem. Rarely does anything good come from Satan being around. If he is one and the same as Lucifer, expect there to be some sort of plot about him rebelling against God, as according to modern interpretations Lucifer fought against God in battle and was then cast out, falling from grace like lightning. When the Lucifer persona is front and center, raging against the heavens tends to be a big part of his schemes, but when the big red devil persona is out and about, expect temptations to sin, birthing the Antichrist, or tempting people to sell their souls.

Performance: Satan has been portrayed by far too many people over the years to even consider keeping count of, though some notable performances of the character or at least characters who are clearly meant to be Satan include the nuanced anti-villain take of the character Viggo Mortensen portrayed in The Prophecy; the sympathetic homosexual man portrayed by Trey Parker in South Park and its film; the hard-rocking badass Dave Grohl portrayed in Tencaious D’s movie; Robin Hughes as a sneaky, double-crossing bastard in “The Howling Man” episode of The Twilight Zone; the big red devil from Legend known as Darkness, played by Tim Curry; the shapeshifting angel named Satan from The Adventures of Mark Train who will make you crap your pants; and while not portrayed by anyone due to being entirely voiceless, Chernabog from Disney’s Fantasia is definitely noteworthy in regards to cinematic depictions of the devil.

Final Thoughts & Score: Satan is a villain whose sheer scope dwarfs almost every other villain in history. It’s not even remotely close, either; Satan pops up in stories all around the world, is the greater-scope villain of most varieties of three major religions, and his very name is shorthand for “really, really evil.” Every other villain I have ever discussed and reviewed wishes they could be a byword for being bad to the bone. Even Dracula, one of the single most important villains in fiction, looks puny in comparison to Satans villainous accomplishments.

Satan in old religious texts tended to be an utterly horrifying force of nature, until Medieval times began portray him as a dopey demon trying to tempt the faithful (and failing). Folklore and media have gone back and forth, portraying both in equal measure – you have the desperate, fiddle-playing devil from “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and the unseen, unfathomable Satan who may or may not exist in the Marvel comics universe who other demons live in fear of the return of. Satan is just a very interesting and malleable antagonist, one who is defined just enough that he can make a massive, formidable force while still being enough of a blank slate that you can project any sort of personality traits onto him to build an intriguing foe.

One of the most famous examples of this in action is the common depiction of Satan as the king of hell. This doesn’t really have much basis in religion; he’s as much a prisoner as anyone else, though considering how impressive a prisoner he is, he’d be like the big guy at the top of the pecking order in any jail for sure. But still, the idea of Satan as the ruler of hell was clearly conceived by someone and proved such an intriguing concept that so many decided to run with it.

I think that’s what truly makes Satan such an interesting villain, in that he’s almost a community-built antagonist. People over the ages have added so much lore, personality, and power to him that is only vaguely alluded to in old religions to the point where they have all become commonplace in depictions of the big guy, and there really isn’t any other villain to have quite this magnitude on culture as a whole. It shouldn’t be any shock that Satan is an 11/10; rating him any lower would be a heinous crime only he is capable of.

But see, the true sign of how amazing he is is the sheer number of ways one can interpret him. You have versions that are just vague embodiments of all that is bad and unholy, such as Chernabog from Fantasia, you have more nuanced portrayals like the one Viggo Mortensen played in The Prophecy, you have outright sympathetic ones like the one from South Park… Satan is just a villain who can be reshaped and reworked as a creator sees fit and molded into something that fits the narrative they want. I guess what I’m trying to say is that not only is Lucifer/Satan one of the greatest villains of all, he’s also one of the single greatest characters of all time.  

Now, there are far too many depictions of Satan for me to have seen them all, but I have seen quite a lot. Here’s how Old Scratch has fared over the millennia in media of various forms, though keep in mind this is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive lsit:

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” Devil: 

I think this is one of my favorite devils in any fiction ever, simply because of what a good sport he is. Like, there is really no denying that Johnny’s stupid little fiddle ditty about chickens or whatever sucks major ass, and yet Satan (who had moments before summoned up demonic hordes to rip out some Doom-esque metal for the contest) gave him the win and the golden fiddle. What a gracious guy! He’s a 9/10 for sure, though I still wish we knew how his rematch ended…

Chernabog: 

Chernabog technically doesn’t do anything evil, and he never says a word, and yet everything about him is framed as inherently sinister. It’s really no wonder Chernabog has become one of the most famous and beloved parts of Fantasia alongside Yen Sid and Sorcerer Mickey; he’s infinitely memorable, and really, how can he not be? He’s the devil in a Disney film, not played for laughs and instead made as nightmarishly terrifying as an ancient demon god should be. Everything about him oozes style, and every movement and gesture begets a personality that goes beyond words. Chernabog doesn’t need to speak to tell you that he is evil incarnate; you just know, on sight, that he is up to no good.

Quite frankly, the implications of Chernabog’s existence in the Disney canon are rather terrifying. Is he the one Maleficent called upon for power? Is he the one all the villains answer to? Do you think Frollo saw him after God smote him? And what exactly did he gain by attacking Sora at the end of Kingdom Hearts? All I know for sure is that Chernabog is a 10/10.

Lucifer (The Prophecy): 

Viggo Mortensen has limited screentime, but in that time he manages to be incredibly creepy, misanthropic… and yet, also, on the side of good. Of course, he’s doing it entirely for self-serving reasons (he wants humanity around so he can make them suffer), but credit where credit is due. The man manages to steal a scene from under Christopher Walken, I think that’s worth a 10/10.

Satan (South Park): 

Portraying Satan as a sympathetic gay man was a pretty bold choice, and while he certainly does fall into some stereotypes, he’s not really painted as bad or morally wrong for being gay, and ends up more often than not being a good (if sometimes misguided) guy who just wants to live his life. Plus he gets a pretty sweet villain song, though technically it’s more of an “I want” song than anything. Ah well, a solid 8/10 for him is good.

Satan (Tenacious D):

It’s Dave Grohl as Satan competing in a rock-off against JB and KG. Literally everything about this is perfect, even if he’s only in the one scene. 10/10 for sure.

Robot Devil:

Futurama’s take on the devil is pretty hilarious and hammy, but then Futurama was always pretty on point. He’s a solid 8/10, because much like South Park’s devil he gets a fun little villain song with a guest apearance by the Beastie Boys, not to mention his numerous scams like when he stole Fry’s hands. He’s just a fun, hilarious asshole.

The Howling Man: 

The Twilight Zone has many iconic episodes, and this one is absolutely one of them. While the devil is the big twist, that scene of him transforming as he walks between the pillars is absolutely iconic, and was even used by real-life villain Kevin Spacey in the big reveal of The Usual Suspects. This one is a 9/10 for sure, especially given the ending that implies this will all happen again (as per usual with the show).

The Darkness:

While he’s more devil-adjacent than anything and is more likely to be the son of Satan rather than the actual man himself, it’s hard not to give a shout-out to the big, buff demon played by Tim Curry in some of the most fantastic prosthetics and makeup you will ever see. He gets a 9/10 for the design alone, the facty he’s Tim Curry is icing on the cake.

[traincat]

Do you think that at some point Marvel (though they'd never do this in reality) should or could do a reveal of Peter being bi? Or alternatively Johnny Storm? Or heck, both of them?

Ultimately, going forward, I do think anything is possible – maybe not imminent, but possible. I truly do believe that. I will admit that I think it’s a lot more likely Johnny would be revealed canonically bi/possibly in his case revealed gay in the nearer future, for a couple of reasons. I do think there’s quite a bit more subtext with Johnny than there is with Peter in practice - I have a long post about that here. In short, Peter – and of course this doesn’t preclude him from being bi, and there are definitely men I believe he’s attracted to even if that’s not strictly canon in the moment – has a very healthy in-canon sex life with women, and he has a relationship with Mary Jane Watson that, at this point, if it isn’t endgame would make the future of the series seem inauthentic. Johnny has next to no in-canon sex scenes, the ones that exist are super awkward, and he has no such “endgame” or iconic canon relationship, especially not on the level of Peter and Mary Jane; the closest you come are his relationships with Crystal, which hasn’t been a thing for decades, and with Lyja, who raped and gaslit him. That’s before you factor in that Johnny was literally gaybashed in Dark Reign: Zodiac (despite not canonically being gay):

And the history of comments about him casting doubt on his sexuality:

(Hulk & Thing: Hard Knocks #3)

(Fantastic Four #251)

Not to mention in Startling Stories: Fantastic Four: Unstable Molecules, an Eisner-winning miniseries about the fictionalized “real” people in the 1950s who inspired the Fantastic Four, Johnny’s sexuality plays a major part:

There’s also Johnny’s relationship with Daken during Dark Wolverine to consider. Daken: Dark Wolverine #4 paints a relationship that, if not explicitly sexual or romantic, is certainly full of tension and implications.

This is a breakup aftermath scene if I ever saw one. Furthermore, when asked if Johnny and Daken had been sleeping together, Marjorie Liu, who co-wrote this book, tweeted this:

Therefore you could make the argument that Johnny’s already been depicted as having been in a relationship with a man. It’s in that nebulous grey area for me – the implications are certainly there. The author intent is there. I do think Johnny had a sexual relationship with Daken in canon. I do think it’s in the text. But until canon recognizes Johnny’s sexuality explicitly, it remains just that fuzzy in terms of deniability. I do think it’s there, clearly Marjorie Liu as per the above tweet thought it was there, but Marvel as a company hasn’t admitted it’s there. But I do think it puts Johnny in a different category than a lot of other characters when it comes to subtext. He’s had at least one sexual relationship with a man as heavily implied by the text, but Marvel the actual conglomeration who doesn’t have to listen to pesky things like specific authorial intent because they’re a huge corporation that owns these characters has yet to recognize what that means for the character’s sexuality or be public about that. Like I said, grey area.

So there’s a lot of material here that I think is really begging to be addressed in mainstream canon – I don’t think you can make this many jokes or allusions to a character’s sexuality over this many years and not, at some point, address it properly, on top of a whole host of other content. There’s Johnny’s close relationship and adoration of Spider-Man, for one thing, which has read for the past couple of years very much like a one-sided romantic love connection, and then there’s his long and extremely devoted friendship with his college roommate, Wyatt Wingfoot, with whom he had a meet-cute if I’ve ever seen one:

(Fantastic Four #50)

Wyatt’s return to prominence in the current run of Fantastic Four has me delighted, don’t get me wrong, because I love Wyatt, but I’m also a little confused about the intent behind and purpose of some of these scenes – I’ve seen several people ask if Johnny and Wyatt are dating in the current run, and well, who can blame them when they were paralleled against romantic (and now married) couple Ben and Alicia, and when there was a lot of this:

(Fantastic Four v6 #1)

(Fantastic Four v5 #5 – which included a speech from Ben to Johnny that was carefully gender neutral, telling Johnny to seize romantic opportunity when he sees it, and to “be brave, Johnny Storm”, an odd sentiment if Johnny was just entering another in a long line of heterosexual romances.)

(Fantastic Four v6 #9)

I’m not saying JohnnyWyatt is happening in canon, or that Johnny’s going to be revealed as bi any time soon (by more than a tweet from Marjorie Liu, anyway), but I am saying that the build up is certainly there and I do think it’s only a matter of time before the right writer and a smart editorial department seizes what’s in front of them. 

(Fantastic Four v4 #16)

[recentanimenews]

7 Great Gay and Lesbian Relationships In Anime

During the month of June, we celebrate LGBTQ+ pride. People of all identities and sexualities, whether they're loudly out of the closet, reservedly in, or anywhere in the middle, are encouraged to honor the struggles that have been made, rise above prejudice and social injustice, and be proud of who they are. Heroes like Marsha P. Johnson, Harvey Milk, and Laverne Cox have been and continue to be pillars of inspiration in the LGBTQ+ community, but there are plenty of fictional heroes in our favorite anime who continue to inspire us as well.

  We’ve covered several iconic LGBTQ+ characters in the past, including thoughtful transgender representation in the form of Lily Hoshikawa from Zombie Land Saga and the cast of Hourou Musuko. Now, we’re shining a spotlight on canonical homosexual relationships in anime and how they signified progression in LGBTQ+ anime storylines. Here’s our list of some standout lesbian and gay couples in anime and what they do to present positive and healthy portrayals of homosexual romance.

Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya (Revolutionary Girl Utena)

As Kunihiko Ikuhara’s flagship title after his time directing seasons of Sailor Moon, the award-winning Revolutionary Girl Utena is memorable for several reasons, one of which being the nuanced and mystifying lesbian relationship between the eponymous Utena Tenjou and the Rose Bride, Anthy Himemiya.

The budding romance that Utena and Anthy have certainly isn’t love at first sight. Utena stumbled into a betrothal with Anthy as per the rules of the Student Council, wherein she initially protected her honor as part of her ongoing life mission to become a chivalrous prince. Meanwhile, Anthy only acted on behalf of her conniving older brother and came off as cruel and merciless toward Utena throughout the series.

However, it’s through their developing feelings and eventual romance that their walls and patriarchal world views came crashing down. Through turmoil and sacrifice, the two of them learned how to trust and love one another. Though in the original anime their love is marked by a tragic and ambiguous end, their romance flourished openly in the movie, Adolescence of Utena, where they kiss on top of a moving motorcycle. It certainly doesn’t get more romantic than that. 

Yukito Tsukishiro and Toya Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)

In a cast that’s remarkably diverse with its LGBTQ+ representation, Yukito and Toya are among one of the most wholesome gay anime relationships between two men.

Their romance was one of little spectacle, told through the lens of Yukito struggling to stay alive while hosting a magical being in his human body and Toya sensing that urgency. Though Toya tried to be forthright with his emotions, both with knowing Yukito’s secret and with his own romantic feelings for him, he was stopped at nearly every opportunity by antagonists out to make the main characters’ lives as difficult as possible. Luckily, all that emotional frustration paid off when their arc culminated in a heartwarming confession that saved Yukito’s life in the process. It was a love as passionate as it was magical.

Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune (Sailor Moon/Sailor Moon Crystal)

  A list that includes great lesbians in anime wouldn’t be complete without two of the coolest Sailor Soldiers ever. Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh made their mark in the 90s as prominent female characters in an intimate relationship with one another. Their depictions in both the original anime and Sailor Moon Crystal prominently displayed their feelings and leaves little to the imagination by way of their mutual affection.

As high school students, they were significantly older than the original five Sailor Soldiers. Thus, they were significantly more secure and mature. Brave as both lovers and Soldiers, their audacious displays of love set the precedent for lesbian portrayals to its audience.

Fun fact: In 2007, HarukaXMichiru fanfics were ranked as the third most popular fan fiction search subject behind Backstreet Boys and Harry Potter.

Shion and Nezumi (No. 6)

In this 2011 series, two young boys grow up in a dystopian future while uncovering mysterious secrets in the “ideal city” of No. 6. Though the romantic implications between the protagonists of No. 6 was often more subtle than not, Shion’s and Nezumi’s relationship was not without its payoff.

Shion was the first person to treat Nezumi with kindness, despite having broken into his home in the first episode. What starts out as an unlikely friendship eventually develops into full-blown love as the series progresses. As the two become embroiled in government conspiracies, they become closer to each other.

The nature of their feelings couldn’t be easily defined at first. A kiss shared between them was written off as a friendly “good night” gesture. But all throughout the series, a natural intimacy would develop between Shion and Nezumi. This would eventually culminate in a climactic kiss that left no ambiguity over their relationship status. As a gay romance given its time to thrive throughout the course of a show, it’s a proper testament to how deftly homosexuality can be portrayed.  

Cure Macaron and Cure Chocolat (Kira Kira PreCure A la Mode)

In 2017, the popular Japanese magical girl franchise, Precure, aired Kira Kira PreCure a la Mode, and featured two very distinct characters. As another milestone in magical girl lesbian representation, Cure Macaron and Cure Chocolat (Yukari Kotozume and Akira Kenjou) are truly a modern day “Uranus and Neptune” power couple.

As a series marketed towards younger viewers, including a wholesome romance between two girls was certainly no small matter. Throughout the show, Yukari was unabashedly flirty with Akira, while Akira often contemplated her own feelings in response. Episode 25 brought their flirtation to a head when Akira confessed her love to Yukari in the midst of battle. The official soundtrack even contains a romantic duet between the two.

Macaron and Chocolat are rather groundbreaking representations of lesbian romance for their time. These two girls used PreCure’s notoriety as a platform to promote diversity and acceptance to its young audience. There’s nothing sweeter than that.

Hikaru Kusakabe and Rihito Sajou (Doukyuusei)

In four short vignettes, this 2016 film experty portrayed a budding romance between two adolescent classmates at an all-boys school. Over a year, Kusakabe and Sajou explored the many facets of first love through sudden kisses, late-night city excursions, and impromptu singing lessons.

Throughout a year, Kusakabe and Sajou experience a “what are we” phase, jealousy, and learned how to deal with long-distance relationships. Only occasionally does the movie delve into anything more mature than that. They also don’t experience any overt social backlash from their peers, who never ask any more than “so are you guys a thing?” 

It’s this distinct lack of adult themes and controversy that is key in Doukyuusei’s storytelling. The courtship between two boys is told as a typical, interpersonal love story. Their relationship has its drama, of course. But thankfully, Kusakabe and Sajou are allowed to stretch out comfortably to fit in their relationship. They’re a perfect example of how homosexual love stories could and should be told, which is exactly like everyone else’s.

Akira Okudaira and Fumi Manjoume (Sweet Blue Flowers)

With a surprising number of wholesome lesbian relationships in magical girl shows, it sure is refreshing to have this couple in Sweet Blue Flowers live their love lives in a grounded drama. 

Protagonists Akira Okudaira and Fumi Manjoume explore their individual sexualities in this coming-of-age story. While they were childhood friends who reunited during their high school years, their romantic endeavors took them to very different places. They didn’t initially end up together, finding romance with other girls. Through these journeys, each girl learned about being in a relationship and grew more emotionally mature as time went on.

Eventually, they find each other once more. After becoming a little more comfortable in their sexualities, the show ended on a positive note as they decided to try going out with each other.

Lesbian and gay couples could always have a better spotlight in media. But their portrayals in these and several other shows and movies represent the strides that anime has made in wholesome and nuanced LGBTQ+ stories. And that’s something to be proud of, no matter what month it is.

Who is your favorite gay couple in anime? Who else would you include on our list? Comment and let us know!

  ----

Carlos is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. Their favorite genres range from magical girls to over-the-top robot action, yet their favorite characters are always the obscure ones. Check out some of their satirical work on The Hard Times.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[ptw30]

VLD Season 7 Reactions

My inbox has been busy non-stop since Season 7 dropped, and I thought I’d share a few with you, @dreamworksanimation and @voltron, just in case you’ve missed the fandom’s reaction to the new season. 

It's sad that we've gradually gone from being excited to new seasons to feeling worried and skeptical. There was a lot of dread in the fandom instead of anticipation for s7 and the interviews fueled it. People used to make intriguing theories but now it's all "how s7 would have been better" and "this is a crack theory but knowing vld it might be canon" We are supposed to be right before the grand finale of a space opera but people can't wait for it to be over. What a great way to end a series!

The grand space opera became a space tragedy in one season. We’ve waited for a payoff that will seemingly never come - including the end of the lion swap. An introduction of a new mecha should have exciting but was overshadowed the permanent demotion of Allura from commander to foot-soldier and the banishment of Shiro from Voltron and his lion, the latter with whom Shiro shared the strongest bond. This also ended Shiro’s internal struggle of “can I be worthy of the paladin mantle” with the answer, “no, you can’t be.”

Season 7 could have the fandom’s resurgence, after a strong Season 6 showing, but from the standpoint of almost everyone in my inbox - the fandom is just tired and ready to move on.  

More under the cut. 

I commented on a Youtube video how I didn't like the Atlas consolation prize, and someone replied saying I need to stop because they “clearly“ aren't trying to bench him or anything. It took everything I had to not respond with a rant. 

Wanting to rant is understandable. I’ve had this conversation a few times - messages, on my blog - about why Shiro being in Atlas isn’t a satisfying conclusion to his character’s arc. It’s not about him being benched, per se - though he is. Shiro’s internal struggle was deciding if he was worthy to be a paladin after everything that happened to him - and what he had to do to survive. By putting him in Atlas, the show is saying he is unworthy of the Black Paladin mantle. 

Sending this demoralizing message in the same season that we learn Shiro is also LGBTQ+ representative is reprehensible but perhaps ignorant. Saying that Shiro is also unworthy of the Black Paladin mantle as a multiple-minority, LGBTQ+ character with PTSD and a disability, is unconscionable.

I honestly think the dream works execs weren't told the full story on what they were planning with Shiro. The way they speak about the Atlas, the DreamWorks execs seemed to be left out of the picture as to how much distance they put between Shiro and his team - or how he goes half the season being nothing more than a background prop. The way they say “the Atlas does something really cool“ makes me think they never gave the impression Shiro was going to be next to irrelevant.

Could be! But now it’s DreamWorks’ job to correct the issue. They need to come out with a statement, say that recognize there is an issue, and that they are taking steps to correct it. However, the only communication we’ve gotten from DreamWorks was JDS’s apology (and subsequent tweets by LM), and that letter was ineffective. It addressed queerbaiting, not what the EPs did to Shiro, a LGBTQ+ character, or even to Adam, Zethrid, and Ezor. 

So I’m not sure if DreamWorks’ execs have acknowledged that there are offensive and harmful messages in Voltron, especially Season 7. 

My deepest wish was that after they came back from Sven's reality, they actually went to another reality, very similar to the original and never realized, and in the end of season 8 slav will tell them that and they'll go back to their own reality, and continues on s9 with Shiro being actually alive, just captured again by haggar, then rescued and he is the bp for ever and keith is back to red and allura is back to castle and lance is like blue i missed you and blue is like [expletive deleted] me too the [expletive deleted] 

Duuuuude. Can we make this canon?

I know being salty helps nobody least of all myself, but I'm so irked that the EPs pat themselves on the back for making Shiro gay, when a)they don't get that Adam's death is an issue that goes way beyond OTPs, b)they did kill Shiro, c)even though Shiro eventually got back, Kuron didn't, not in any piece of actual canon, and presumably Kuron was gay too so that's 2 dead gays (4 if you count the implied lesbians), and d)apparently Shiro being Asian, mentally ill and disabled doesn't matter as rep

Being salty helps. Really. It helps DreamWorks to determine what worked well and what didn’t in their latest season.

Though I understand how some fans felt queerbaited by VLD, the fact that it is the only thing addressed in JDS letter tells me DW is waving a hand over all the other implications. DreamWorks didn’t want to address all they did to Shiro, so instead, they apologize for the least offensive issue and hope people will be satisfied. (From my ask box, they are not.)

melissa18999 said: So even the execs thought that shiro was an interesting character. I can see why. The writers wrote him to have one of the saddest backstories ever and he’s the only human on the team that has experienced the galra’s bullshit first hand. The other 4 paladins pilot voltron because they’re told to. There doesn’t seem to be the same drive that shiro had. Sure there’s Pidge but she was the one trying to quit voltron to save her family. removing shiro exposed the others lack of a call to action.

It exposed that practically none of the other characters had any stakes in Voltron. We can say that Hunk received his stake in Season 1 when fighting for the Balmera, and Keith’s stake was Shiro. Lance? Nope. Never really had one and really never got one, considering his family was safe and sound on Earth. You could make the argument that he cares for Allura and wants to be a better paladin because of her, but...we don’t actively see him trying to do it for her. We saw him trying to be a better paladin before she and he connected.  

And now they’ve removed the aforementioned motivating character from Voltron. Yeah. Not cool. 

The thing about the execs liking Shiro and demanding that he gets a better role... is that we always hear about creatives who want to get rep on screen but the EEEBIL executives say no. And here we have a case where the creatives saw a mentally ill disabled poc character that broke all stereotypes, and they could see no place for him in the cast, while the execs recognised his incredible potential and wanted him to shine. So I have zero sympathy for the EPs here. The execs were RIGHT, damnit!

The reason I liked VLD S1/2 so much was because it broke tropes. Shiro is strong leader but also needs help. Allura is a warrior princess and isn’t scared to go toe-to-toe with the emperor of the universe. Keith and Shiro hug. Look, no matter how you view their relationship, hugs just don’t happen in cartoons, especially between men. So I just loved that part so much. and it made Voltron progressive. (You can share and show your feelings and not be scorned for it.) 

Oh, and Lance was originally the heart of the team, not Allura. She became so after moving into Voltron, but having a male character being the heart? That was groundbreaking, too. 

Sure, VLD had its issues, but the show was empowering to so many marginalized groups - until Season 3.

perhaps the worst part of Shiro's placement is that he's effectively become the side character of an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SERIES. I've started watching robotech, and CANNOT see the atlas as anything but the ship from that (down to the transformation), or the MFEs as a mix of Vehicle Voltron and the robotech fighters. 

I would argue that the worst part about Shiro’s placement is that Shiro is no longer a part of the eponymous character, has no family, and is a multiple-minority character who proved that he can not only be a part of the team but also be the strongest part. 

And then Voltron decided to show people who identified with Shiro - that’s not the case. In fact, you can’t even be a part of the team or win your own battles. You have to rely upon others to do so. 

But you have a valid point. That part’s bad, too. 

Please note: I received more asks with VLD Season 7 reactions. I’ve answered some on my blog, but I’ve also deleted a few that were too harsh to post.  

[tumblunni]

Also yeah while im on the subject

I really hate fantasy settings where magic is limited by biological sex. Because usually its used to enforce some sort of stupid gender stereotype that the writer believes is "biologically innate" rather than predjudice, by making up a world where it actually is biologically innate. Or its like "oh but women cant do those jobs" but again, a made up excuse for it to be LITERALLY TRUE. And usually they either dont even touch on the subject of trans and gay people (since it often conflates heterosexuality with gender...) or else it actually does bring it up and just creates a cavalcade of even more everything-ism...

Like i mean i love the game Jade Coccoon and considering it came out in the early 2000s i can understand it being more sexist, and its supossed to be a dark game anyway and a lot of the societal structures in Syrus Village are meant to be wrong and evil even if the characters act like its the way the world should be. The villain of the game is basically the toxic atmosphere of your shitty town and their paranoia of things they don't understand. Tho that means the player kinda has no motivation to finish it cos the main conflict is also saving those same villagers from dying and theyre all fucks. Anyway i'm going offtopic! What i mena is that i dont think it was a particularly sexist example of the inexplicable gender segregated magic trope. But just cos its a fave game of mine im gonna pick it to talk about anyway. Hope i dont sound too negative on it, cos seriously i love it loads!

Ok so to use Jade Cocoon as an example, here its a thing that only men can be cocoon masters and only women can be nagi. Tho it also gets a bit complicated because nagi is also an ethnicity as well? Its kinda like being romani, they're a race of displaced people who travel the world giving their magical services to other countries while searching for their lost homeland, which you end up finding at the end of the game. So yeah its extra weird cos male children of the nagi race are born with no powers whatsoever and cant even become cocoon masters, yet they get the ruling position in this homeland place? Like thats a better metaphor for how christian societies work, honestly!

Anyway im going offtopic again!

Basically, cocoon master = adventurer dude who catches monsters, nagi = magician who purifies those monsters so you can use them in battle. So when you catch stuff it becomes an inventory item rather than being able to use it on your team right away. And also nagi women can fuse monsters together to make super badass new ones and basically the gameplay system works really well to make you believe your wife is absolutely necessary to your quest and you would die without her, even if she cant fight. And honestly its actually kinda romantic! I just wish it wasnt presented as this weird sacred heterosexuality arranged marriage nonsense where all women are physically unable to go to a dungeon and all men are physically unable to not fight every day. Or at least thats how the powers work and if you try and step out of that role you fuckin die. Like it would be romantic to have a couple of a battle partner and a supporter magician if they actually chose it, yknow?

And whats annoying is that they actually do bring up the subject of people defying gender roles and canonically state that you not omly die but bring a curse upon everyone and are hated forever. They dont mention trans or gay people, instead the excuse is that a man loved his wife so much that he tried to learn nagi magic to lift the burden from her. Cos oh yeaj women get 'punished' by god for doing this magic?? Cursed tattoos all over their body the more they use it, and everyone hates them and eventually they turn into a fairy and forget they were ever human. And in the japanese version you can actually fight other nagi women who met this fate, theyre just another monster that you can fight and capture. They were censored in english cos they looked like really racist stereotypes of black women! Ugh! So yeah anyway nice straight husband is punished by the magic straightness enforcing rules of the universe for loving his straight wife too much. So what is the even point? If a man tries to use nagi magic it creates the "black cocoon" of cursed doomness and blah. Literal punishment for not conforming to gender. Damned if you do, damned if you don't!

Anyway this setting always made me wonder about all the stuff it just glosses over with this implication that every one of these relationships worked out fine. Like even before we rub lgbtq topics all over a retro videogame, there's a lot of logical holes! Like seriously how many of these arranged marriages ended up loveless or abusive? How many women just didnt want to stay confined to one room forever and not even have anyone look at them because their magic markings are shameful yet its also shameful not to want to do it?? How many men were terrified of going out on this advebture fighting literal demigods sent by heaven to punish humans? How many of them just had no ability to fight and died immediately because of shitty traditions, while perfectly qualified women had to sit there and watch it happen? What if there werent enough straight men and women of the same age and people were forced into gross pedophilic shit or other horror scenarios just cos there has to be this one magical straight couple or the village dies? Whenever theres this stupid gender magic its ALWAYS portrayed as idyllic and never failing ever, unless *gasp* people dont follow the gendrules...

And then SERIOUSLY do no queer people exist in this universe?? Man i'd be so interested in their stories! I actually had an oc idea of a self insert version of me as a travelling merchant. Because maybe what if nonbinary people could do both sides of the magic at once and thus adventure alone without being tied to a village's straight marriage system? So i'd just go around purifying monsters and then be a place you could buy new and rare mons from other villages without having to catch them. Maybe an easier way to get the super rare drop fusion materials for tiger pattern and stuff? And like seriously itd be good to have a character to talk to who agrees that your village is made of assholes. I cant say its bad writing cos it was clearly intentional, but they shoulda at least put a bit more incentive to keep playing even if you didnt care about these people. Also it would help plug the plothole of how a village even survives if it doesnt have the required people to form this magical straight marriage. Have some mysterious enby avengers who travel all across the world and save everyone regardless of country! All we ask is you buy some of our lovely souveniers! Maybe a pet patalchu for your family? Seripusly why dont they ever show anyone using the purified monsters for anything other than fighting the unpurified ones? You'd think they'd be really useful in repairing the village and guarding the walls and like..regular industrial jobs. Help the place actually advance and not have to live day to day on scraps,bickering amoungst themselves as the monsters grow ever closer to breaking through. Hell, you could even have them help spin the cocoons for other monsters! If this magic only depends on having a dick or not, then cant we just dress up some animals in the magic straight marriage outfits? XD

And like aaaa man im getting so emotional just imagining a trans woman who's constabtly told she will literally bring about the apocolypse if she tries to fill the female role in this ritual. And then one day she tries to spin the magic silk and she thinks she's committing the ultimate sin and they were all right. But the magic responds to her touch, and she makes a spell more beautiful than any other woman in the village! It would probably be harder for a trans man cos the magic doesnt have so much of an immediate proof like that. Just going out and winning a fight with a monster can be called "dumb luck", and knowing these assholes they'd probably keep calling it dumb luck even after the thousandth time you save their life!

And man, i wonder how gay relationships would work in such an annoyingly strict system of enforced heterosexuality? Would it be like the magic isnt REALLY gender locked at all, and it can just be any couple with either partner taking either role? Or would it be that it is one magic per gender but the bigoted villagers were wrong about it being impossible to do things without both? Like maybe when you're going into battle alone as a single cocoon master you cant fight without catching other monsters. But when two cocoon masters love each other their magic is amplified and they become able to like.. I dunno.. Imbue each other with elemental strength so they can fight the monsters hand to hand? Cos really the elemental system is the only reason you cant do a no monsters run of the game as it is. Maybe since they cant purify monsters but they can still catch them, they equip the monsters as sort of a power rangers transformation? Or socket them like materia on their weapons? Or just if the world was less segregated into tiny sexist racist villages they could simply buy the purification coccoons from another local nagi, and villages without a coccoon master could buy the services of travelling ones. Oh, and maybe two nagi lesbians could be even more badass! Cos if they can only purify and not fight, maybe their double purification is so strong that they can just straight up walk into the forest and monsters don't attack them. They dont even need to do the full spell, they can calm a beastie's rage just by holding out their hand and patting it on the head. So they coukd be infinately more effective and not have to just tenporarily clear single travelling routes of a few monsters, but actually work towards slowly purifying the entire forest and creating a peaceful land again. Tho i mean the game did have a unique atmosphere with the whole 'no hope of ever beating them' aspect. It was unique to see a society formed around the idea of never going into forests or you Die. But magical lesbians and their family of a million pet dragons is honestly better!

And uhhhh ive gone all offtopic now and i camt stop thinking about how much i love magical lesbians with a million pet dragons

The End

[mrknightow]

Barely a spark: Let’s talk about Dallas Fuel

It’s no secret to anyone that Dallas Fuel are off to an extremely rough start. The boys in blue have lost a surprising 4 games in a row to start off their season. The team that many, including myself, thought would top the table currently find themselves slumming the bottom. I’ve spent a lot of time researching so let’s talk about what has gone wrong.

As I said in previous posts (which you should totally check out *wink wink*) about how important communication is in professional Overwatch. Clear and consistent calls win games, Fuel have neither clear nor consistent comms. Fuel’s communications are all over the place, from people calling different targets to everyone talking over each other. This lack of communication have proven to be a huge stumble for Fuel as other teams have found it easy to prey on their lack of coordination. Coach Kyky has been noted as saying when he first joined as coach of Envyus, they had no shotcaller and most games were played in silence. Envy didn’t need coordination because their mechanical play was so much higher than everyone else. Contenders was the most recent and most obvious display of this. In contenders Envy didn’t lose a single game and in most cases didn’t lose a single map. This dominance in the tournament can shine a light as to the issues Fuel face now, if they never needed comms before why would they need them now? Well now in the Overwatch League that’s no longer feasible. Fuel made the needed adjustments when it came to filling holes in the roster but not in leadership. In previous metas shotcalling was often designated to the Lucio player. Lucios usually filled this role because they were often on the frontline diving with the main tank and main DPS. Now we find ourselves in a Mercy meta due to her unprecedentedly powerful ultimate and teams have had to find other means of shotcalling. Currently teams have found success by having their tanks take over the shotcalling role. Tanks often find themselves in the frontlines of the fight giving them a good lay for the battlefield and how fights will progress, making shotcalling easy. Fuel have the options of making Cocco or xQc their shotcallers but for now Cocco is their only option leading to my next point.

xQc is one of the most divisive and polarizing personalities of the Overwatch community. xQc is extremely passionate about the game, this can easily be seen on his very popular stream, averaging about 10 thousand viewers per stream. This passion and energy is a knife that cuts both ways as xQc’s mouth and actions have landed him in hot water on many occasions. The first instance that had implications for Fuel was the preseason ban of xQc’s main account. This ban was instigated by his abuse of the report system. Actions such as these are beginning to be taken less and less lightly by Blizzard and for someone in xQc’s position, an example had to made. The multiple day ban that was leveraged on his account divided the pro community, many saw Blizzard’s ban to be in the wrong light in the face of the one trick problem in grandmaster. xQc faced a ban while those who refused to cooperate with their teams faced no such action on their accounts. This ban was responded to promptly by Fuel who had a sit down with xQc regarding his behavior. An apology was published and xQc kept a low profile for a while, the regular season began and following one of the more one sided loses xQc found himself in hot water once again. Following the match against the Houston Outlaws, xQc made a comment towards Muma, an openly gay player, in an extremely inappropriate and derogatory fashion. This comment being “I’d tell you to go suck a dick but knowing you you’d probably like it.” While xQc was swift to apologize to Muma on twitter and the two made peace, the damage had already been done. Blizzard made it clear this kind of homophobia wouldn’t be tolerated, banning him for 4 games. Fuel took the actions into consideration and extended the ban until the end of stage 1 of the league. xQc’s passion often causes him to act without thought, while Dallas picked him up for this aggresive mentality in game, the same behavior out of game is the issue. The question now stands, is xQc more of a help or hindrance? Currently the answer remains unclear but leans towards hindrance. Some players have hinted that the extension of xQc’s ban was extended by Fuel due to issues behind the scenes but they didn’t elaborate any further. When xQc was announced as part of the roster, I was cautiously optimistic. His high skill with tanks in a more aggressive manner filled a hole they had due to Cocco’s more passive playstyle. That being said I was more than familiar with xQc’s personality from his streams and was not very excited to see him added to the team. xQc’s rabid fanbase and obnoxious stream personality usually leave me eager to distance myself from his nonsense. 

Finally, Dallas have found themselves with some injuries. Both Taimou and Chipshajen have found themselves with arm injuries which hinder their play. Being the main DPS and main support respectively, these injuries can attribute to the lackluster performance of Fuel. Luckily, Fuel have a strong support staff that have been working with the players to mitigate the effects of any injuries. 

Dallas Fuel have had a rough start to the season. So many things go into making a pro team work, some fans can see, others they cannot. The most recent game against Spitfire showed a much more cohesive performance from Fuel. Fielding the classic Envy roster with the addition of Seagull seems to be yielding more success for them. The season is young and there are many games ahead. Fuel may have no come out blazing but I’m with them till the end. Being one of my two favorite teams, the other being London Spitfire, I’ve had one team go undefeated and the other winless. Fuel are going to make the adjustments they need and start burning other teams down. The last game showed improvements and it can be assured that more will follow. The blue flames may not be here now but every fire starts with a spark.

[biofunmy]

Boris Johnson, Giuseppe Conte, Dorian: Your Friday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

We’re covering Boris Johnson’s promises to speed up Brexit talks, how Giuseppe Conte went from irrelevant to irreplaceable and a chicken-sandwich battle for the ages.

Mr. Johnson promised that Britain’s Brexit negotiators would sit down with their European counterparts twice a week through September, with the possibility of additional technical meetings, to try to reach a deal that would avert the risk of a cliff-edge departure.

“While I have been encouraged with my discussions with E.U. leaders over recent weeks that there is a willingness to talk about alternatives to the anti-democratic backstop,” he said in comments released by his office, “it is now time for both sides to step up the tempo.”

Details: The Conservative Party leader in Scotland, Ruth Davidson, resigned, and Lord Young of Cookham, a former cabinet minister, resigned as a Conservative whip in the House of Lords on Thursday.

Meaning: The move seemed to acknowledge the mounting concern about the suspension of Parliament, a decision that provoked spontaneous protests in London and other cities.

How Giuseppe Conte became irreplaceable

The departing prime minister of Italy, after 14 months of being ignored and mocked, has been using his resignation last week to catapult himself into a leading role in the country’s government.

In accepting the mandate to form a government on Thursday, Mr. Conte said that he wanted to win back lost time “to allow Italy, a founding member of the European Union, to rise again as a protagonist” and “transform this moment of crisis into an opportunity.”

What’s next: Mr. Conte will now begin meetings with all party leaders and is expected next week to submit to President Sergio Mattarella a cabinet that, if approved, will be brought to Parliament for a confidence vote.

Reminder: Mr. Conte will preside over a populist/anti-populist coalition between the Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party.

What genes say (and don’t say) about sexuality

An ambitious new study found that many genes play a role in sexual behavior, and that there is no one “gay gene.”

The study in the journal Science found that genes account for perhaps a third of the influence on whether someone has same-sex sex, along with social and environmental factors.

“I hope that the science can be used to educate people a little bit more about how natural and normal same-sex behavior is,” said one of the lead researchers. “It’s written into our genes and it’s part of our environment. This is part of our species and it’s part of who we are.”

Perspective: One of the study’s researchers and a colleague, both gay men, parse the implications and limitations of the work in an Op-Ed.

Accused of recruiting for Jeffrey Epstein

The Times is reporting on disturbing new accusations that Jeffrey Epstein relied on a ring of women close to him to feed his insatiable appetite for girls.

Mr. Epstein’s accusers contend in court papers that his onetime partner Ghislaine Maxwell, along with a small cadre of other women — including several assistants and one referred to as Ms. Maxwell’s “lieutenant” — helped Mr. Epstein lure girls into his orbit and managed the logistics of his encounters with them.

Legal dilemma: Experts also told The Times that prosecutors may struggle in deciding whether to charge the women, because some may have initially been victims themselves.

If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it

Those excluded from France’s sacred August holidays

France is famous for its long summer vacations. In Paris, handwritten notes pop up on the doors of the local bakery, brasserie or locksmith indicating that the owners are away and that you should be, too.

But for many, vacations are becoming increasingly out of reach financially, especially as traditional summer hot spots cater to high-income clients. The gap reflects an increasingly unequal French society — another sign of the things that gave rise to the Yellow Vest movement.

Here’s what else is happening

Measles: There is a “dramatic resurgence” in the disease on the Continent, the World Health Organization said — fueled in part by a rising wave of people who are refusing to be vaccinated. Albania, Britain, the Czech Republic and Greece joined 12 other nations where the disease is endemic.

Hurricane Dorian: The powerful storm is on course to hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane. It could start as early as Saturday night, with winds of up to 130 miles per hour. Forecasters predict that the hurricane will drop 4 to 8 inches of rain, with up to a foot in some areas.

Climate change: The Trump administration laid out a far-reaching plan to cut back on the regulation of methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change.

Colombia: A former rebel commander called for a return to arms, saying the government has failed to honor the peace deal that ended a 52-year war.

Snapshot: Above, a Popeyes location that sold out of chicken sandwiches in New York, after Twitter insults led to the most successful product launch in the fast-food chain’s history. A viral social media debate between Popeyes and Chick-fil-A had customers flocking to restaurants across the country to see for themselves — and it turned into a logistical headache.

U.S. Open: Taylor Townsend upset the Wimbledon champion Simona Halep for the biggest win of her career. Coco Gauff, the 15-year-old who has captivated the tennis world, beat Timea Babos to reach the third round. Next she will face the defending champion, Naomi Osaka.

What we’re reading: This piece in the Atlantic. Remy Tumin on the briefings team, says: “My friend and former colleague Peter Brannen puts the fires in the Amazon into the context of humanity’s burning of fossil fuels, which summons ‘creatures long dead to return to Earth’s surface and give up the ancient energy they took to the grave,’ he writes.”

Now, a break from the news

Listen: Lana Del Rey’s fifth major-label album, “Norman ____ Rockwell!,” is a collaboration with Jack Antonoff packed with fiery lyrics.

Smarter Living: One thing you can do for the environment is drive less. Our Climate Fwd: newsletter did the math for the U.S. Since Americans drive trillions of miles every year, a 10 percent reduction would equal taking about 28 coal-fired power plants offline for a year. Short trips are the lowest-hanging fruit — you can ditch the car and walk, bike or take public transit.

And if you use Slack to escape from email hell, we can help you keep it from taking over your life.

And now for the Back Story on …

Namor, the Sub-Mariner

The Marvel Comics character turns 80 on Saturday. Created by the writer-artist Bill Everett, he has been a villain, a hero, a corporate tycoon and more.

In his origin story, published on Aug. 31, 1939, he is a force of nature personified. Two divers who spot him in the ocean depths are in awe of “the long strokes of his powerful arms.”

Under water, his hair and skin color vary. On land, he has brown hair and is Caucasian — closer to his modern look.

The cartoonist Art Spiegelman, writing about how fascism shaped the golden age of comics in the 1940s, noted that the volatile Sub-Mariner was “a marked contrast to the square and square-jawed vigilante do-gooders who lived in the less scruffy DC Comics neighbourhood.”

The reason for Namor’s rage resonates today: undersea explosions set off by a scientific expedition. With the kingdom of Atlantis threatened, his mother tells him, “It is your duty to lead us into battle!” And so he has, for eight decades and counting.

That’s it for this briefing. We’re off on Monday for the U.S. Labor Day holiday. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Chris Harcum provided the break from the news. George Gustines, a senior editor for graphics and video, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about Uber’s struggle to make a profit. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Philosopher John who lent his name to a “Lost” character (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • On Thursday, we distributed 2,000 copies of the Times Magazine special issue “The 1619 Project,” along with a related newspaper section, for free to readers outside our headquarters in New York.

Sahred From Source link World News

from WordPress http://bit.ly/328wIDM via IFTTT

[mikemortgage]

Alberta heads to the polls today. The fate of carbon taxes for the entire country is on the line

Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta, home to the world’s third-largest oil reserves, head to the voting booth Tuesday in a divisive election that could have wide-ranging implications for the country’s environmental policy and global energy markets.

Polls have consistently shown that United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney is on track to unseat centre-left New Democratic Party Premier Rachel Notley. Recent surveys show his lead narrowing, with the UCP at 47 per cent support, to 38 per cent for the NDP, according to poll tracking by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The CBC projects 63 seats for the Conservatives, to 23 for the NDP. Polls close at 8 p.m. Calgary time.

At stake is leadership in the province that churns out about 80 per cent of Canada’s oil and sets direction for the energy industry, which accounts for 10 per cent of the nation’s economy. Alberta’s current production puts it on par with OPEC member United Arab Emirates, and its crude reserves trail only Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Vivian Krause: Rachel Notley, the Rockefellers and Alberta’s landlocked oil

‘A stampede of stupid’: Alberta’s energy sector fighting Ottawa on three fronts

Curse of the skyscraper: Microcosm of Alberta’s downturn, Calgary becomes election’s battleground

A Kenney win would deprive Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of an occasional ally in Notley, who had helped his environmental ambitions by implementing a provincial carbon tax and capping oilsands emissions. The Conservative leader promises to scrap Alberta’s carbon levy and would join a legal fight with several other provinces to block a federal tax that’s imposed on any region that doesn’t have a carbon plan of its own.

Pipeline Support

On the key issue facing Alberta’s energy industry — a lack of pipelines that has weighed on local crude prices — it remains to be seen how much either candidate can do. Kenney plans to create a $30 million (US$22 million) “war room” to hit back at anti-energy campaigners and investigate their sources of funding. Notley has favoured outreach, travelling the country to drum up support for the industry and pipelines.

But many of the pipeline problems originate outside of Alberta’s borders. TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL delays have been in the U.S., most recently at the hands of a Montana federal judge. Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 has been pushed back a year because of permitting issues in Minnesota. And the Trans Mountain expansion, purchase by the Trudeau government from Kinder Morgan Inc. last year, has been blocked by a federal judge amid opposition in British Columbia.

“The most important issue is out of their hands, which is market access,” said Laura Lau, who helps manage $1.6 billion at Brompton Corp. in Toronto. “That’s the No. 1 issue by far.”

Rail Shipments

Kenney and Notley also differ on the idea of the government helping increase the province’s capacity to ship crude by rail. Notley has signed contracts to invest $3.7 billion in leasing rail cars and selling shipping service to producers that can’t get pipeline space for their oil. Kenney plans to kill that program, saying the private market can better solve that problem.

The government’s crude-by-rail plan is factored into current prices, and local crude — now trading close to a year high — may drop if the program is cancelled, Deloitte analyst Andrew Botterill said. Private companies may not have enough capital to make those investments, he said.

Beyond the energy industry, Kenney, 50, has campaigned on cutting corporate taxes and balancing the province’s budget within his first term. Notley, 54, has said those plans favour only the wealthy and would harm the province’s health care and education systems.

Investors appear comfortable with the prospect of a Kenney win. The relative yield on Alberta’s five-year bond maturing in 2024 has narrowed to 28 basis points over federal government debt, from a high of 50 basis points in January.

United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney speaks during a campaign rally in Edmonton, Alta., on Friday, April 12, 2019.

The campaign has tapped into social issues as well. Notley, who ended a 44-year run of Conservative party rule with her victory in 2015, has criticized Kenney’s strong anti-abortion positions as well as his support for allowing schools to notify parents if their child joins a gay-straight alliance. Kenney’s campaign also has been beset by occasional offensive or controversial remarks by other members of his party.

Kenney also has come under fire for allegations he helped a fellow candidate for his party’s leadership attack his chief rival for the post, a scandal that’s become known locally as the “kamikaze campaign.” Kenney’s party was formed two years ago in a merger of the Progressive Conservative and Wildrose parties.

Whether those social issues will outweigh the economic troubles in Alberta remains to be seen. The oil-industry malaise and investment cuts have pushed Alberta’s jobless rate to 6.9 percent, among the highest in Canada.

“My experience over all my years in politics is that people vote on pocketbook issues first,” said Rona Ambrose, a former federal lawmaker who served as interim Conservative leader. Ambrose supports Kenney but isn’t part of his campaign. “There are many other issues that people care about, but when it’s this dire of a situation, and the economy is the No. 1 issue, people vote their pocketbooks.”

Bloomberg.com

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2IzzdIJ via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

[gigglesndimples]

Mormons Oppose Marijuana Initiative in Utah Despite History of Cannabis Use

Mormons with Mexicans in Northern Mexico, 1908

In 1885, the prophet and president of the Mormon Church, John Taylor, purchased about 100,000 acres of land in Mexico—in Chihuahua and Sonora, to be exact, some 200 miles south of the US border. More than 300 polygamous Mormon families from Utah migrated south to settle the land and to proselytize (even today you see the traveling twosomes of fresh-faced young men in their white shirts, ties and black name tags) and, many theorize, to preserve the practice of polygamy.

At the time, Mormon polygamists were being jailed and having their property seized. Utah itself was denied statehood by the federal government to halt the practice. Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is descended from the Mexican settlements; his father, George, and grandfather, Marion, were born in Colonia Dublán, Mexico, in 1907.

But in 1910, many who had settled in northern Mexico began an exodus back to Utah due to anti-American sentiment fueled by the Mexican Revolution. Some say they returned with a local plant introduced by the natives: cannabis.

The Mormon Church, formally known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), were and still are infamous for their teetotaler ways and as abstainers of vices of all kinds; hence, they didn’t look kindly on the brethren partaking of the plant, viewing it as a violation of Mormon scripture from the “Doctrine and Covenants,” section 89 (D&C 89), commonly referred to as the “Word of Wisdom.”

(function($){ function bsaProResize() { var sid = "12"; var object = $(".bsaProContainer-" + sid + " .bsaProItemInner__img"); var animateThumb = $(".bsaProContainer-" + sid + " .bsaProAnimateThumb"); var innerThumb = $(".bsaProContainer-" + sid + " .bsaProItemInner__thumb"); var parentWidth = "772"; var parentHeight = "105"; var objectWidth = object.width(); if ( objectWidth < parentWidth ) { var scale = objectWidth / parentWidth; if ( objectWidth > 0 && objectWidth != 100 && scale > 0 ) { animateThumb.height(parentHeight * scale); innerThumb.height(parentHeight * scale); object.height(parentHeight * scale); } else { animateThumb.height(parentHeight); innerThumb.height(parentHeight); object.height(parentHeight); } } else { animateThumb.height(parentHeight); innerThumb.height(parentHeight); object.height(parentHeight); } } $(document).ready(function(){ bsaProResize(); $(window).resize(function(){ bsaProResize(); }); }); })(jQuery); (function ($) { var bsaProContainer = $('.bsaProContainer-12'); var number_show_ads = "0"; var number_hide_ads = "0"; if ( number_show_ads > 0 ) { setTimeout(function () { bsaProContainer.fadeIn(); }, number_show_ads * 1000); } if ( number_hide_ads > 0 ) { setTimeout(function () { bsaProContainer.fadeOut(); }, number_hide_ads * 1000); } })(jQuery);

Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith

Church founder and prophet Joseph Smith wrote D&C 89 at the strong urging of his wife, Emma, who was tired of Smith’s friends gathering in their home and spitting tobacco on the floor. But Smith went far beyond forbidding tobacco; D&C 89 also bans the use of wine, coffee, tea and liquor. And it promises that those who follow the doctrine will receive health, protection, knowledge and wisdom from God.

So when the settlers returned from Mexico with marijuana in hand, church leadership urged the legislature to officially outlaw cannabis in 1915. Four years earlier, Massachusetts became the first state to prohibit marijuana, followed by California, Indiana, Maine and Wyoming in 1913; New York in 1914; Utah and Vermont in 2015; and Colorado and Nevada in 1917.

19th Century map of Mormon colonies in Mexico

This version of events seems to have first appeared in 1995, when a University of Southern California law professor, Charles Whitebread, floated his theory in a speech to the California Judges Association, “The History of Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States.” Riddled with historical and cultural inaccuracies, Whitebread said that he “had help from some people in Salt Lake City associated with the Mormon Church and the Mormon National Tabernacle in Washington,” which does not exist.

At the instruction of Smith’s successor, Brigham Young, 19th-century Mormons became incredibly self-sufficient, raising their own cotton, flax, silk and, yes, hemp to limit interactions with non-Mormons. In the Journal of Discourses, a pioneer-era magazine written by church leadership in the late-1800s, leaders advised members, “We must make our own woolen, flax, hemp and cotton goods or we must go naked.”

Nonetheless, Whitebread drew the line straight from Mexico to Salt Lake City and blamed the cannabis ban on the morals of the church. Mormon historian Ardis E. Parshall challenges Whitebread’s logic in her 2009 article, “The Great Mormon Marijuana Myth,” a comprehensive, if dense, takedown citing LDS conference talks, newspaper editorials and even arrest records, making Whitebread’s explanation much less tidy.

Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is descended from the Mexican settlements; his father, George, and grandfather, Marion, were born in Colonia Dublán, Mexico, in 1907.

“There is no hint whatsoever that Utah’s law—which you now see did not specifically target marijuana or even show particular awareness of marijuana, but merely incorporated the language used by other entities to name marijuana among a whole host of regulated drugs—was spurred by religious concerns,” Parshall wrote.

Parshall’s contention that religion had nothing to do with the original 1915 ban, however, does not seem to hold much water today. In November, Utahans will have the opportunity to vote on Prop 2, a.k.a. the Utah Medical Cannabis Act—a ballot initiative that, if it passes, will blow open Utah’s legal cannabis landscape.

LDS leadership has taken a position against Prop 2, even going so far as to commission Salt Lake City law firm Kirton McConkie to conduct a legal analysis of its implications. In May, based on the firm’s findings, the church concluded that “serious adverse consequences could follow if it were adopted,” citing “grave concerns,” like an increase in youth use, a lack of traditional research, taking power out of the hands of pharmacists, a mandate to destroy patient records after 60 days and providing legal cover to doctors that make recommendations.

DJ Schanz speaks at a Utah Patients Coalition event.

Even though Prop 2 has strong support among Utah voters, the Utah Patients Coalition (UPC), the group spearheading the legalization effort, has faced stiff opposition—and some would argue shady tactics—from Drug Safe Utah, the anti-legalization group that tried to keep medical marijuana off the ballot.

Comprised of the Utah Medical Association, the ultra-Conservative Eagle Forum, the Sutherland Institute and the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, Drug Safe is closely aligned with the all-male church leadership. Drug Safe has received $167,000 contributions (including $100,000 from a private citizen named Walter J. Plumb III and $20,000 from the Medical Association). UPC has raised $767,000 (including $261,000 from the Marijuana Policy Project and $50,000 from Dr. Bronner’s).

The Mormon church has not been shy about stating their views, especially around matters that intersect with perceived moral issues like drug use. For example, leadership counseled its members in 2008 to vote for California’s Prop 8 initiative that made gay marriage illegal and applied the same tactic with recreational cannabis initiatives in Nevada and California. When given as a directive, members tend to rally behind church guidance.

UTAH PATIENTS COALITION’S DJ SCHANZ: “The challenge in Utah, which may be somewhat unique to our state, is the influence that a single religious denomination can have on a huge swath of the population.”

Mormons are not necessarily opposed to cannabis, per se, but have strong opinions about how and why it should be used. Opinions about Prop 2 seems to boil down to the word “medical.” A Dan Jones & Associates poll from 2016 showed that support even then for medical marijuana hovered around 66%. But when asked about legalizing recreational marijuana, the results were flipped, with 77% opposed.

“The challenge in Utah, which may be somewhat unique to our state, is the influence that a single religious denomination can have on a huge swath of the population,” UPC’s campaign director DJ Schanz tells Freedom Leaf. “It’s a constant balancing act of winning over supporters in this demographic without being confrontational and abrasive to the organization, even with said religious organization’s subtle efforts to derail the ballot initiative.”

Currently, Utah has a very restrictive, lawmaker-driven medical marijuana program in place. HB 195 allows those diagnosed with terminal illnesses access to medicinal cannabis and HB 105 (a.k.a. Charlee’s Law, named for Charlee Nelson, was enacted in 2014) permits CBD-only treatment for children with intractable epilepsy.

Utah Patients Coalition

Many stakeholders and policymakers in Utah believe marijuana can’t be a medicine if it’s smoked. Prop 2 does not allow for marijuana to be packages pre-rolls and specifies vaping only. Section 51 reads, in part:

“(6)(a) Except as provided in Subsection (6)(b), a cannabis dispensary may not sell medical cannabis in the form of a cigarette or a medical cannabis device that is intentionally designed or constructed to resemble a cigarette.

“(b) A cannabis dispensary may sell a medical cannabis device that warms cannabis material into a vapor without the use of a flame and that delivers cannabis to an individual’s respiratory system.”

H.B. 195 is also smoke-free.

Mormons are not necessarily opposed to cannabis, per se, but have strong opinions about how and why it should be used.

In the view of church leadership and many members, marijuana used in any way outside of a strictly-regulated, medicinal application turns it into a habit-forming and addictive narcotic. This leaves faithful members and ward leaders feeling torn about medical use, especially since the church has not provided clear guidance.

At a 2010 conference in Colorado Springs, priesthood leaders were asked what the official church policy was on medical cannabis. “It’s an issue between the church member, the member’s bishop and the Lord, to be made in consultation with the scriptures and Word of Wisdom,” was the general answer, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

A Mormon bishop who wishes not to be named says he hasn’t had any members ask him for advice about using medical marijuana yet, but is certain it will eventually come up. “The counsel I would give them would have a lot to do with specific circumstances,” he confides. “I hope this is an evolving policy and that [church leaders] are open to further clarification in the future.”

Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT

The church says they want more research, stating: “It’s in the public’s best interest, when new drugs undergo the scrutiny of medical scientists and official approval bodies.” Even Mormon Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is pressing the federal government to lift the delays on cannabis research approvals.

But none of this may matter to Utah voters, about half of whom are active Mormons. A late August Dan Jones & Associates poll indicated that, despite the church’s vigorous disapproval, support for the initiative remains high, at about 64%, though down from 78% in July.

Unless the winds shift, Prop 2 will most likely pass. Win or loss, when Utahans wake up on Nov. 7, they’ll still be tussling with the church about marijuana. Guaranteed.

More Marijuana Ballot Initiatives in 2018

Michigan Is Poised to Become the 10th State to Legalize It

Dueling Initiatives in Missouri Likely to Confuse Voters

Recreational Legalization on the North Dakota Ballot

If you enjoyed this Freedom Leaf article, subscribe to the magazine today!

The post Mormons Oppose Marijuana Initiative in Utah Despite History of Cannabis Use appeared first on Freedom Leaf.

Source: https://www.freedomleaf.com/mormons-utah-medical-marijuana-initiative/

Mormons Oppose Marijuana Initiative in Utah Despite History of Cannabis Use is courtesy of The Giggles N Dimples Blog

from Giggles N Dimples - Feed https://gigglesndimples.com/2018/09/26/mormons-oppose-marijuana-initiative-in-utah-despite-history-of-cannabis-use-2/