#white cishet men's egos

[socialistexan]

Watching the way some men are having a Very Normal Reaction to the term "pavement princess" is hilarious to me. I saw one guy make a tiktok where he showed his truck said "see, I put OFFROADER stickers in three places and I went in this gravel road! It's not a pavement princess!"

Pavement Princess is the name for a jacked up super truck, you know the ones, that really mostly only exist in suburban areas with custom paint jobs and the brightest LEDs you can buy on the market, but pickup beds smaller than a Honda Acty. They're gas guzzling, road destroying, pedestrian killing, ego-boosting machines.

And yes, the Cybertruck is absolutely a Pavement Princess.

Like, damn, maybe we finally do have a slur for cishet white men.

[frenzyarts]

remember that man-hating includes marginalized men and men of color and trans men and queer men people who id as both men and women and does actually hurt people you probably care about ! it's not always fun and quirky to be full of hate. i used to think the same way you did about it but i took a step back and saw all the people it hurts and stopped. i cant tell you what to do, but i can at least share my thoughts on it

This is wiiiiild. Did you think I didn’t know other men besides white cishet men existed??

If I said “I hate the straights” no one comes into my inbox like 🥺b-but what about the marginalized straights? Not all straights, right?🥺 But as soon as I complain about men even once everyone suddenly feels the need to start defending the poor poor little men from me, an evil dastardly lesbian

Also I’m not “full of hate” I literally made ONE post about the misandry bounce house like. What is actually wrong with you

Before you bring up marginalized men again to a person complaining about men, please learn about intersectional feminism. It’s very easy just type it into google.

If a man is hurt by my statements maybe he should step back and think why I might feel that way instead of being a crybaby about his ego

[mouseratz]

idk what could be said that hasn't already but most trump supporters just want a strong man in power to make them feel safe, even if that man is thoroughly stupid and abusive, because those things read as traditionally masculine, those things read as powerful to them. they don't care if he's misused that power, they don't care if he hates black people, they don't care if he hates women- in fact, it may even support the way they feel about him; he's a real man, he protects his masculinity and ego at all costs, and prides nothing over himself.

many white conservative men feel emasculated by the idea of "woke" culture, the idea that they should treat people different from them with respect, because respect is earned through authority, through power, brute force, and fear. whoever ends up on top is the best. therefore, the cishet white man is the best.

(and the women, raised in this culture, have come to accept the idea of supporting them, because being second best still gives you influence and power by those below you, over your children, over people of other races and religions. it's okay to be subordinate to your man, because he will keep you safe, anything else is terrifying and dangerous, so you'll do anything to keep him above you. you don't want to know what a world without him is like, that's the fear. you feel safe when the man who hurts you and "keeps you in line" is there and always going to be there.)

that's why trump can do anything & keep his base. it's not about politics in the traditional sense, about what policies they actually think he'll enact, or how capable for the job he is. it's about how he makes them feel. and as long as he keeps his ego, as long as he stays self confident, as long as he keeps up the act, he's their man. he makes them feel safe. he makes them feel like the rigid status quo will both be (violently) enforced & other aspects will return, because they know they need a strong, firm hand to keep them in line. they like everything about fascism but the name, because they don't care or know what that looks like, they just like how it feels. it's familiar and safe.

[monsterblogging]

If you're like most people in modern western society, you really have no idea just how weird modern western society is until you start putting in the work to learn anything else.

People like Joseph Campbell are like "no actually we're totally normal; look, if you view this carefully-selected collection of stories through this very specific lens I have constructed, you can see that they express all the truths us enlightened modern people - you know, people like me - believe in."

But like, the more you put in that work, the more you realize that people like Campbell are narrow-minded weirdos perpetuating a form of pseudointellectual bullshit that functions as a kind of spirituality tailored for the ego of the privileged white cishet gentile man. It's not itself inherently fascist, but it's never more than a few degrees away from fascist ideology because it's constructed from many of their own ideas. No, seriously. Campbell was inspired by German nationalist myths.

The Hero's Journey also implies that people who can't or don't make this specific journey, which both relies on having a whole lot of privileges and being part of a culture where this is expected of you, aren't self-actualized. There's an implicit infantilization of most people who aren't privileged cishet white men. They are at best the supposed beneficiaries of and assistants to the self-actualized, who can supposedly be trusted to act in the spirit of noblesse oblige. It's very paternalistic, and very related to white man's burden.

So like, when you actually stop and think about it? It's absolutely horrifying that this guy's ideas gained as much traction as they did. They were pushed as some kind of universal lens that could be used to interpret any story, when in reality their function was to constrain people's thinking within a tiny little box called white supremacy. A story commonly being interpreted as an example of the Hero's Journey shouldn't be treated as a neutral thing, but as a call to examine that story a lot more critically.

And work on learning other frameworks to view the world, because the type of worldview espoused by Campbell fucking sucks.

[retaurd]

Representation does matter. I think I see the point you're trying to make here but it falls flat because you're missing the point of why representation even exists or matters. If it doesn't matter, why would incels throw a hissyfit and shout "FORCED DIVERISTY1!1" whenever they so much as smell the sight of a non white person? We all have stories to tell. Blatantly saying the stories of people who aren't white cishet men don't matter and shouldn't exist is telling on yourself quite a bit.

A little black girl being told she's beautiful and not ugly for her dark skin when media tells her only beauty exists in white skin isn't "ego stroking".

A queer person seeing a love story where they can experience angst, heart break, and intense love isn't "comfortable".

A disabled person seeing a story of perseverance where they're not made to be a punching bag and actually shown to be on equal footing with their able peers isn't "easy".

Media should be transformative, and what's more transformative than presenting disverse stories. YOURE the one saying media is fun when it has people who aren't like you, yet you're arguing media should ONLY have people who are like YOU. Why are you the only one who gets to be in media? You just said that media should present people outside your sphere of life so why are you so opposed to seeing queer people, people of color, disabled people, women etc. They're all outside your sphere of life so don't you wanna see them? Starting to think you just don't like being reminded we exist 👁👁👁👁

[autistic-alexithymic-female]

'Why are women so distracted by men telling them to be more politically correct?'

Because men do not let women DO anything else.

Men want women to put our own shit on hold

so we can sit there and think about how we are white and/or straight

any discourse about SEXISM as a form of oppression goes out the window.

-

Men also want women to sit there and feel guilt over dozens of genders and sexualities that do not even exist.

'Have you thought about that privilege you are sitting on as a CISHET white woman? Have you thought about helping they/thems, aromatic and asexual people, and non-binary, agender, genderfluid, and trans people? Have you thought about helping demigender and poly-gender people? Have you thought about helping people with neo-pronouns? Have you thought about helping OTHER PEOPLE who menstruate and who have uteri? Have you thought about helping he/theys and she/theys? Have you thought about helping pansexual people?'

The source of male oppression of women is SEX.

'Women having discourse about periods and menopause, and their bodies, is GREEDY and SELFISH. Women are UNFAIR and MANIPULATIVE. Everything has always worked for them. Women are DISTRACTING from discourse we could be having about OTHER oppressed groups. CISHET white women are so privileged, they barely even experience oppression. There are SO MANY other oppressed groups of people out there who are in DANGER every day.'

One of the really disgusting aspects of this SHIT STORM is that trans ideology (a form of male extremism) socializes trans people

to make social media posts talking about 'deadnames' and how anyone who uses their REAL NAME and their REAL PRONOUNS must somehow be doing an act of violence

by not using their SEXIST make-believe names and pronouns.

'Don't call me by my deadname, please.'

It is so fucking disgusting that MEN have managed to socialize a group of people to carry out male extremism. You would think trans people would be more scared of having their bodies mutilated or of getting arrested.

Trans ideology does not help people; it turns women AND men into male extremists. Shit is dangerous.

Trans people do have feelings; trans ideology exploits their pain with love-bombing and coddling. Trans ideology puts trans people on a pedestal and tells them they are 'cute squishy adorable smol beans'; this language INFANTILIZES them and massages their egos.

Trans people believe they should be allowed to do anything they want, because now they're part of this amazing 'community' which 'protects' them and provides them 'safety'.

Trans people start to believe that people who 'oppose' their desires to do whatever the fuck they want, are bigots who are promoting genocide against them, and everyone in their 'community'.

This makes trans people angry, quite angry, as trans ideology promised them that they would feel mighty and powerful. Trans ideology promised trans people they would be coddled and love-bombed by everyone around them.

Trans people who do not blame trans ideology and detransition, blame the gender critical 'bigots'. 'Cishet' white women become Karens and TERFS.

Trans ideology socializes trans people, particularly trans women (men wearing dresses, cosmetics, and high heels), to believe people (particularly 'cishet' white women) who do not massage their egos are bigots.

Men are angry at women not coddling them, and not love-bombing them (as they have been socialized to think they NEED from women). Their anger, in an adrenalin rush, surges and somehow manifests into lashing out at WOMEN with genuine violence.

Now, this is what I do not understand.

I genuinely understand why trans people would be angry, but women are NOT TO BLAME for the damage trans ideology has done to them.

Women just want to live their lives. Women are not the ones who created trans ideaology. MEN did. Trans people's anger is not at women, but at the very ideology that MEN have been ENABLING.

Trans people do not say shit about MEN though, which is what makes their cuddly, sweet, adorable 'community' a form of male extremism. Trans people have been socialized by MEN; they blame WOMEN. Men wearing dresses, cosmetics, and high heels blame 'cishet' bigots and Karens and TERFs.

WOMEN did not do this to trans people. MEN did.

Trans people who detransition hold men accountable.

Trans people who do NOT detransition are asking people to enable their male extremism, and they should be arrested.

'What about gendering?'

Men who want to wear dresses, cosmetics, and high heels should take up their complaints with OTHER MEN, not with GENDER CRITICAL women. It is not the FAULT of gender critical women that men have socialized ONE ANOTHER to promote toxic masculinity.

Do not blame gender critical women; these are the women who want to HELP you and who are GOING OUT OF THEIR WAY to HELP YOU.

[somedudenamedanthony]

you trans weirdos and pedos are the ones who should die, and as a gay man i think lgb community would be thriving without freaks like yourself lol

Sir. Can I call you that? Sir? I don't know how fragile your ego is (you are an anon fighting a child on Tumblr so it's probably very fragile) so I don't know what labels your little snowflake heart accepts.

A; I know I have a lot of porn on my blog made by me (support young artists by spreading their work and giving credit), but I am sixteen (16). Explain to me how I specifically am a pedophile. Where do I ever talk about anyone younger than myself in a manner that would let you think that I am? Or do I just come off as older than my age? I want this to be an honest discussion. You're free to send as many screenshots and links as you want.

Also I'm on the AroAce spectrum. I'm pretty sure you don't think that's a real thing either, but I do want you to keep it in mind. Just a small request

B; Why do you think all Transgender people are pedophiles?

Is it because we want to create a safe environment for LGBTQIA+ youth? Something you clearly do not like or want. Given you are invalidating identities and the queer community. Look at you! A little oppresser in the making!

Or because you think any 10 year old can waltz into a clinic and take as many gender-changing-pills as they please? Despite it being illegal in the USA (and most places in that matter) to be put through HRT while under the state's legal age of consent (with parent or guardian permission - otherwise you need to be eighteen (18)? You're clearly not stupid. Probably white but NEVER stupid. So I don't know how you won't know that.

Or are you just a hateful, ignorant, asshole that craves CisHet validation like a starving boot-licker eating mud and grass?

C: One last thing I need you to tell me. I promise. Does it ever occur to you that you are exactly like the cranky old white men. - both of the past and of the unfortunate present - who call you and your mlm (probably shouldn't say nwlnw since you just said lgb) brothers pedophiles every day for the crime of existing?

Or should I ask; are you just stupid?

I'm waiting, sir anon. Or do you want a different name? I'll be happy to discuss that with you.

[runthepockets]

Extremely bullshit personal ramble under the cut

I was reading this article on Chevy Chase yesterday, and it talked a little about his time on the tv show Community, and how he once left creator Dan Harmon an angry voicemail after the latter had embarrassed him very publicly at a party. And Harmon's response was to....play the voicemail at a small gathering, which just felt really unnecessarily cruel and exploitative for a guy in charge of a successful sitcom.

"This is a pattern people have with my father" Chase's daughter says, "whenever they get hurt by him, the run to tell their friends and call up TMZ and gossip about him, make him a laughing stock, put him on blast in front of the whole world". And look, I know the guy is an ass. He's a racist, xenophobic, sexist, and every other outdated ideal rich white guys are prone to under the sun, with a huge ego. But a lot of me is still like....why this? He's just a guy, he's still human at the end of the day. You're both adults, and Harmon was clearly the one in the wrong, why didn't he just call Chase and apologize for embarrassing him in front of his family and coworkers? That doesn't seem unreasonable. I believe in accountability, and all, but kicking a man when he's down and making a huge spectacle of it for a cheap laugh is just low hanging fruit, and wraps back around to being pretty devastating and pathetic, even if he sucks as a person.

I've been bitching a lot about queer spaces lately, and I feel pretty bad about it, even if I feel a lot of the criticism is warranted. In the midst of all my bitching, I should clarify that I'm not one to sell people up the river for cis approval, or to judge people unfairly for being different than me, or any of that stuff. I'm an adult, I grew up in the 2000s and 2010s. I remember all the stupid jokes at trans women's expense and a lot of "shock humor" revolving around making a mockery of gay men's sexualities. I remember how people hated Brokeback Mountain when it first came out. I remember Matthew Shephard. I remember how simply wearing pants that fit could get a guy jumped after dark. I think about all of that stuff all the time. I'm stealth and unwilling to compromise this, but even while navigating the world as a cishet dude, I still operate as an ally to the queer struggle and liberation. I'm not an idiot and I'm not heartless, I know it's rough out here, I can still afford people a lot of grace and empathy, I'm genuinely a pretty smart and patient guy.

But lately I feel my patience is running thin. I wish it wasn't, but it is. Every time I try to open myself up in queer spaces I just end up getting manipulated or abused or backstabbed or assigned some sort of mediator role that I never asked for. And look, I'm no saint, and I know I can be pretty polarizing at times. I often struggle to find the sweet spot between amusement and comedy and just being a douche, and at the end of the day not everyone in the world is going to like me, cis or trans, gay or straight, and goddamn if there aren't people I couldn't give less of a shit about. I honestly couldn't care less about being in everyone's good graces, that's just not how being an adult in this life works.

But I digress. I'm not a damn mass murderer, I've never raped or sexually harassed or killed anyone. I'm just kind of awkward at times. For all my jokes and how much I revel in being a bad boy and giving little to no fucks about any trivial bullshit, I do have morals. I do try very hard to make sure no one feels left out or alienated or uncomfortable by my actions, and if I do it's almost never intentional. It isn't fun. Being the only black & neurotypical dude in a lot of queer spaces isn't too dissimilar from Mr. Chase's experiences on Community; if you fuck up, you're pretty much fucked. Queer spaces are too small to avoid everyone you've ever fucked up with, and you can't throw a rock in a queer space without hitting like 12 people with trauma responses that lead them to blow a lot of things out of proportion. By no fault of their own, of course, but they are still in control of their actions and that more often than not leads to me being treated like some sort of pariah rather than just being told what I did wrong and deescalating conflict in a casual way.

On a more menial and petty level, it also sucks being ignored. Seeing people's eyes glaze over and watching them reach for their phones any time I talk about my interests and passions for improving malenes or how much I like being a straight guy, cus that doesn't blend very well with people's ideas of queer identity / conflicts with their priorities. It sucks. I'm chopped liver. I wish I could pin it to white queer spaces (and they are the most egregious offenders for most of this), but I think it's just the state of nonblack queers in general and the sad reality of queer spaces being molded as a "safe space" from masculinity since like, the 70s (many trans men and masc gay men will agree with and testify to this). That's a good 80% of time I just spend being an after thought, both interpersonally and in broader political conversations. It sucks ass. I get that being stealth isn't for everyone, but I really don't see how anyone can fault me for my decision. When I'm in the cishet world, as a black dude, things aren't perfect either, but people are more likely to understand where I'm coming from and the things I have to say, at the very least, because the majority of their experiences are the same and the lack of stigma and trauma around their identities makes it a lot easier to communicate. Again, this is not a personal failing of queer spaces, but the material reality is....yeah, it's just easier for me personally to deal with cishet people. Black trans people, too, but realistically black people as a whole only make up about 13% of the population and only like, 6% of that is trans, and I'm not gonna spend all day every day weeding out people to hang out with, I'm gonna chill with whoever is cool to be around.

Idk man. Lately I've just been feeling this strong sense of "if I weren't trans, I wouldn't matter to any of these people, pretty much everything between us is conditional." Like, if people react this poorly to me as a black dude who presumably doesn't have a dick or isn't struggling with a lot of the hang ups and traumas cis black dudes have (you know, the kind of shit that lands you in jail or addicted to meth, instead of just being kind of rude and dismissive sometimes), imagine how they'd react if I actually was a cis black dude. I'd probably be torn to shreds by now. And the fact that I'm feeling this way means it's probably time for a huge change. I try really hard-- to accommodate for people, to find new friends, to learn and keep learning and always try to do better, and it all always ends the same. It's gotten to the point where some of my friends think it's all online nonsense. It's not. Being a black man really just sucks that fucking bad, and it really is just this fucking hard all the time. I mean don't get me wrong, I fucking love being black and I love being a man, but there is no reprieve, and it's idiotic to act as if all men have the same privileges that white dudes do.

I don't think I can ever fully leave queer spaces behind; I mean, I love trans women so much, romantically platonically and sexually, and black trans people in particular give me so much joy and hope in a world that feels very stacked against me a lot of the time. But I do think it's time to be more selective with my time and energy and who I interact with, cus it's very apparent to me that a lot of people don't have my best interests at heart, nor do they really know how to deal with problems beyond very surface level and biased understandings of gender and being trans.

At the end of the day, I really really love people, which is maybe why it always hits so hard when they don't always love me back.

[thepolyamorouspolymath]

Does anyone remember the guy who I slept with in January who every few months tries again and I have to run him off, sadly lacking a shotgun?

He messaged me after being so mad and I'd never hear from him again bc he has so many other options, blah blah, ego saving bullshit at being repeatedly rejected, blah.

But ah, now he has a new tactic. He listened just enough to know I'm a coach though apparently missed that I work with WOMEN.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First he asked if men could do sex magic.

Well, yes sex magic isn't gendered. But what kind bc there are several? Also I'd teach him none of them as it shouldn't be taught to anyone who has demonstrated a lack of integrity, which he has repeatedly.

Then gets into how he's sick of not listening to his wants or his body and blah blah blah and he knows I'm a coach, which he somehow confused for sex therapist which he seemed to also confuse for someone who has sex with clients (which there are, but that's not the norm).

I'm like well first im going to repeat the same thing I've said before and you've gotten hostile and mad about which is you don't know what you truly want, you just tell yourself you want what you should want bc it's easiest for you

You need to get clear on your big d desires -- little d desires are "I desire a cupcake" big d are "I desire safety in my body."

And he's all agreeing and how he can help with money. No. You want me to coach you, you aren't helping with money, you're paying my going rate. Which when I quoted was way out of his range, and so I offered a generous payment plan based on how much he had paid for sugar babies in the past.

Also I said he'd need a set schedule of 1 hour via Zoom or phone or possibly in person if he need privacy per week for 9 weeks. There's also a daily practice but he can work that into his daily schedule however he wants.

His response? He offered to set me up an onlyfans he'd manage and I'd get all the money, presumably full of footage he took of me or him fucking me.

And he could probably see me in person every two weeks but it'd have to be flexible based on what works for him at the moment.

So essentially you're asking me to provide you with sex on your schedule with no strings or benefit to me at all? Huh, that sounds exactly like your last incredibly manipulative offers that I've shot down every time.

The audacity of cishet white men.

[flyingwhalegirl]

you know I just read this book that was so clearly written by a straight man because it had a fantastic premise, a few really great characters, and a cool plot, but the way women were described and treated was so gross. so much objectification and every flat character is a straight woman and obsessed with their respective specific guy, I can't with straight men writing books.

this is not news. read books written by women, queer people, poc, etc, they're just better.

but the part that really struck me was that pre-transition I would have probably been fine with it. I might have been a little annoyed but I'd still have been able to separate the book from that aspect of its construction and enjoy it. I may even have given it a good review. And it hurts me to think that it took me having the experiences of living as a trans woman to understand and react fully to such a normalized portrayal of women. I wish I'd had that same empathy in my views before, but moreover I'm concerned that the empathy and concern for women and minorities that we're teaching to people, specifically men in positions of power, is inadequate. I worry that I was taught a shallow form of empathy only to look for blatant disregard of others' humanity, and not to read in depth and be able to put myself into a greater variety of experiences.

I'm not sure what the solution is, but I know my experiences in my time as an upper middle class cishet-presenting white dude were not sufficient enough for me to care about misogyny to the degree required to do something about it or even have it take up residence in my mind, and I think as much as that's personal and I'm young and have an admittedly big ego, it's also a systemic failure somewhere that I wasn't able to grasp the experiences of those around me enough to care. really makes a person wonder how many privileged people are being taught to be selfish while operating under the understanding that they're being taught empathy and being told that they're supremely empathetic.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

I love this post. You may be interested in the Dan Harmon Story Cycle too: studiobinder dan-harmon-story-circle/

I'm not fond of the word "Universal" in story structures 9/10 they are wrong. For those who don't follow: Universal means in every culture in the world. If their ego is big enough, they'll say it applies to every story.

Worldwide, to me, means in a bunch of different places.

Things are very, very rarely universal. For example, in all languages in existence today, none of them are without pronouns.

More white cishet men like to say something is "Universal" https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/dan-harmon-story-circle/

is basically the Hero's journey boiled down without the credit.

When people don't give credit for their ideas, you know what happens? You get massive retconning. And I get annoyed at the plagiarism. But let's examine why it's not universal:

You — A character is in a zone of comfort Jo-Ha-Kyu breaks this rule as do a lot of Japanese media, in general. Frames and prologues often break this rule too. 50/50 Ta'zieh breaks this rule.

Need — But they want something. Need and want aren't the same thing. This is basic philosophy. You need food, you need shelter, and a place to sleep. Do you *need* a 50 billion dollar mansion? But some people *want* it. Second issue with this is a whole genre can break the back of this: Slice-of-life. And also kids stories are still stories. (as supposed to stories for kids). Often it lists places and what they did there, but it isn't "I needed this." Sometimes in thematic order.

Go — They enter an unfamiliar situation,

Again, Slice of life breaks this. Often the situation is familiar, or starts strange and is familiar after all. (Second one is more Miyazaki)

4. Search — Adapt to it,

This isn't even true in the US. Often you do't need the character to adapt to it. Horror pulls this out a lot.

5. Find — Get what they wanted

This isn't universally true either. Jack London had it so a lot of his characters true-to-life didn't even get a bit of gold. So it doesn't even apply to European and European diaspora countries. China is famous for the fourth act--everyone dies, the evil lives, making international viewers anxious.

6. Take — Pay a heavy price for it, 

Also, see Slice of Life. Not very good if a whole genre can break you.

7. Return — Then return to their familiar situation, 

Korea puts this in the middle, and then flings the reader in several directions, disorienting them for the sake of heightening emotion. This is not what they are thinking here. Familiar situation? Nope. Koreans don't do this.

This is half true for Taz'ieh. (Which is truly one of the oldest trackable forms)

Noh totally breaks this rule (and Jo-Ha-Kyu within it)

Some forms of oral storytelling also break this. There is no return element. Some just leave you there. Antigone doesn't really return the character to before her father died.

Griot.

8. Change — Having changed.

Some characters are supposed to never change, and stay there.

Slice of Life, Slasher horror, Zombie films: the zombies.

In Chinese Qichengzhuanhe, the specific usage can also break this, because the aim is different.

There is literature which also breaks this: Don Quixote. He never changes.

About here:

Probably some blustering about how it's universal, but not in all stories...

Yeah, nope. This is why white men need to read more and more widely. Also get out of the 20+centuries and look backwards with the actual story structures used prior. (Also !@#$ Cite your sources. Just because Freytag did it badly, doesn't mean you have to. Remember he hated Japanese, women, Jews (though he revised a little), and a whole bunch of other people and wanted to genocide for Polish... If that's your example, no. Credit people, regardless of if you agree or not.)

Is your knowledge of the Earth's history of Literature wide enough to call it universal? I have that list and I'm humble enough to say I might wake up the next day and find out something I thought was universal isn't and will be shaken to my core--and I live for that. That's *exciting* and I think that's a philosophy we should have for stories and culture.

If I found a human existing or pre-existing language that uses no pronouns--you know that excitement I would have? I'd be spending hours asking how does it work then? Is there subject deletion or object deletion? Can you communicate for places like in Korean only in verbs?

And I think we need to approach stories the same way. The preoccupation with universal can erase the very specific. Say:

Karagöz and Hacivat

story structure, which is ONLY used in this genre of shadow puppetry.

And I think the search for universal erasing the specific is a shame. As did many of the 19th century writers. (And probably begrudgingly Lubbock himself).

Short version: Plagiarized a whole ton. Am I surprised? No. And it's not universal, because most people try to cram stories into their story structure, rather than examining how retconning destroys reading literature, because ego over facts.

An aside, but Don Quixote is *not* 3 act or 5 act. I looked it up and was shocked it's a different story structure entirely. (And Cervantes was a fan of other story structures).

[mrsmarlasinger]

I licherally have the confidence of the world's most mediocre cishet white man regarding my current WIP. Like, oh? You don't like it? You wouldn't publish it? You wouldn't read well over 100k words of it? What's it like having bad taste. Perish 😌💅✨

[cruelsister-moved]

i wish "ally" men would argue more about feminism with other men and less with women ngl

[syekick-powers]

ugh i know i talk about my self-insert writing on tumblr a lot and i know ive talked about my tendency to self-lampoon but sometimes when i see mainstream writers make characters that are obviously self-inserts and then try to pretend they’re not and you can just. tell. they’re self-inserts because the writer presents the character in such a self-congratulatory way it really irritates me. like the character always has a smooth Retort for people criticizing them and the criticizing characters are always portrayed as in the wrong and the character is never seriously challenged i just. want to stick my face into the dirt and scream

like idk if it’s just my low self-esteem but i cannot imagine writing a self-insert without putting them through hell. i see the self inserts of cishet male writers who are like these smooth criminals who always have a slick retort and sleep with a bunch of interchangeable women and do cool gun stunts and i am shocked at how boring they are. Adventures of Jimothy WhiteStraightMan. i cannot imagine writing a self insert without 1) putting them through living hell, and 2) making them look like a fucking jackass. actual words ive said about one of my self inserts: “he has entirely too much dignity and i need to reveal him as the clown he is.” again, maybe it’s just my low self-esteem but when i write self inserts i want the character to fuck up. in spectacular and embarrassing ways. i want them to look like dumb asshats sometimes because sometimes i am a dumb asshat. and like... yes, writing power fantasies is fun. but “power fantasy” does not completely preclude conflict and banter. you can have a character that is a power fantasy without automatically handing the entire plot over to them on a silver platter.

(this post isn’t about self-insert as a coping mechanism btw this is specifically about boring mainstream writers who can’t get past the “power fantasy”  aspect of self-insert long enough to write an actually entertaining story.)

[gahdamnpunk]

I....

[edgywitches]

i hate the word mansplaining because almost no one takes it seriously but FR men challenging me on subjects they know less than me on is so irritating! honestly itd only be mildly annoying if they did the same with other men but haha we know they dont