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doctor-milfi · 2 years

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Scully Was Not a Victim

Let's see how many of you unfollow me after this... which is fine. But let me say, I've made my bones, kids bc I watched the show in its first run and probably about 20 times through since, so I was there and I experienced it as a woman of the nineties which means something different whether you want to acknowledge it or whether you want to stay comfortably ensconced in the dewy bliss and ignorance of your youth.

These posts that harken how Dana Scully has been done so dirty by CC and how she has been victimized in so many different ways rub me sooooo wrong. Ok... why? Because she was the "victim" of kidnappings/abductions/etc, etc etc??? Because she had a mysterious and potentially incurable illness? Because she got pregnant and had a challenging pregnancy? Because she was a single mother for a while? Because she worked a challenging job while she didn't know where the alleged father of her child was? Because she was a literary device moving an engaging plot forward at a breakneck pace? Alright. . .

Well, if we want to claim misogyny, then we would have to say that is not true since Mulder was also kidnapped (Tunguska/ Terma), abducted (Within/Without), given illnesses (that black oil stuff?), and that other arc where he is the subject of the Cancer Man's experimentation (Biogenesis/ The Sixth Extinction). He doesn't go through a pregnancy, but he certainly does suffer during Scully's abduction. . . so, I am pretty confident in stating that the X-Files and CC are an equal opportunity angst employer.

((And don't even get me started on y'all who want to make Mulder into a dummy with your silly incorrect quote posts of him being stupid like he wasn't an Oxford educated psychologist/profiler who was literally correct every single time on the series. but I digress. . . ))

So, I guess I am curious if people are just triggered in a vicarious trauma way by Scully's experiences, which is valid, or if they are genuinely convicted in stating that she was unfairly targeted by the writers and producers of the series, because I do not believe this is true.

I also believe it is disingenuous to her character to reduce her to a victim mentality.

She's a motherfucken survivor.

Everything anyone throws down and she's like, "challenge, accepted."

LIKE. WHAT??? She fights like hell to conceive, carry, and bear her child, and then she makes the most difficult and agonizing decision a mother can make- not because it is easy or convenient but because she thinks it will help him be safe and happy in his own life. How much strength do you think that has to take??? And if you haven't had children of your own, you don't get to comment. Yeah. I said that.

Furthermore, Scully has on so many occasions sacrificed her own happiness and safety for the better of the X Files, for the greater good of the truth. That is pretty much what American Heroism is built on. And heroes are a complex mix, if you look at any of them. They are kind and savage and sad and they long for things they can never have so that the greater good can be served.

At the end of it, maybe on some days Scully was a victim.

So fucking what?

We are all more than one thing.

Read that again.

We are all more than one thing. We are weak and strong and happy and sad and we love and we hate and we are completely warped mixes of contradictions. But this is why we love Scully. She is more than just a victim. She is so many things. She is all the things and if you reduce her to just one then you lack the ability to think and you don't deserve her.

#scully #dana katherine scully #the x files #meta x files

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letterstoleia · 3 years

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Important Lessons Learned from Gabby and Brian

As an author and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, I’ve learned a lot about the predictable patterns of unhealthy relationships. After years of personal experiences, research, and outreach, I’ve learned to recognize the tell-tale signs of abuse. I am not a licensed therapist, social worker, police officer, or minister. So please understand I shared my thoughts as 3 a.m. musings. When a few people asked me to make the post public, I agreed, reluctantly. I had no idea this message would resonate with so many people. I've worked back through the original post to explain a bit better how I'm feeling. I realize not everyone will agree with me, and I respect all opinions and views. All I ask is that we engage in respectful discourse on all sides. Thank you all.

In recent days, the tragic events involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie have given us a lot to learn. This case is still under investigation, and I can only make assumptions based on the textbook patterns of abuse I’ve witnessed too many times to count. I also recognize that multiple families are grieving, and I have tremendous empathy for everyone involved. However, many survivors will resonate with at least some of the following insights, and I’m hoping we can use this tragedy to shift the way we as a culture approach the complicated issue of domestic abuse.

Let’s examine 30 important lessons this couple teaches us:

1. Followers on social media saw a smiling, happy couple, full of love and wanderlust, setting out for a cross-country adventure while documenting all the joys of young life. In many cases, targets become very good at smiling through the pain.

2. When the public was shown body camera footage captured by Moab City Police officer Daniel Robbins, (who pulled Laundrie and Petito over after the 911 call on August 12), some viewers assumed Petito was suffering from mental illness and Laundrie, while nervous, was the steadier of the two.

3. Other viewers assumed both partners were equally at fault—the old “it takes two” myth that doesn’t really apply to most abusive situations.

4. Some people even assumed Petito was the abuser and Laundrie was the victim.

5. These three assumptions probably crossed everyone’s mind as a possibility (they did mine). Healthy minded people tend to give others the benefit of the doubt, especially when someone is being accused of a negative act. Also, we can all understand that mental illness is a difficult situation and can tax even the kindest most gentle of souls (and the people who love them). Unfortunately, in many cases, this thought pattern leads us to assume the victim is mentally ill or that the victim is to blame for an altercation.

6. “Victim blaming” can happen even in the worst cases of abuse because we don’t see the longitudinal story unfolding. What we don’t see is that the target has managed to keep things together until she reached her threshold, at which time we may see her crying, yelling, or breaking down emotionally. By exhibiting those behaviors, many might assume the target is “crazy,” and it’s natural for us to feel as if the more stable person is more trustworthy.

7. If we listen carefully to Laundrie’s conversation with the officers, he even laughs and says, “She’s crazy.” (17.09) Then he dismisses it as a joke. Of course, he’s already put this claim in the officers’ minds (and by the nonchalant way he says it, many might assume it’s not the first time he’s said these words.)

8. So while viewers (and officers) start wondering if perhaps the target is “crazy,” the abuser plays the part of the poor, patient partner who has to deal with this irrational person. In the video, Laundrie mentions Petito’s anxiety and her OCD, painting her as an unstable partner. (Please note: I’m not at all justifying any physical violence against either party. No one should intentionally harm any other person. Period.)

9. A typical abuser would be skilled at convincing people that he’s innocent, while in fact he’s been acting very differently behind closed doors, pushing his target to this point intentionally and feeding on her emotional break. Many abusers LOVE to see evidence that they’ve hurt their target. They LOVE to see their target in pain. For this reason, “breaking” the target is usually the goal from the start. In cases of abuse, it may take an abuser hours, weeks, months, or even years to break the target, but he won’t stop until he gets that reaction, and then he’ll point the finger and say, “See? She’s crazy. I’m just trying to keep her calm.” And then he’ll do it again. And again. And again.

10. As a result, some people will buy into that false narrative. Even the target can be brainwashed to doubt her own truth. Which may be one reason we see Petito making many excuses for Laundrie’s behavior and taking the blame for everything.

11. In contrast, we see Laundrie blaming Petito, insisting he never hit her and saying he was just trying to keep her calm. He’s charming. He comes across as the loving and loyal partner. He’s joking around with the officers and even gives one a fist bump in the end. All the while, his fiancée is at risk of being charged with domestic assault and possibly spending the night in jail.

12. Later, we’ll hear the 911 recording that (it seems) the responding officers were not fully informed of at the time: “I’d like to report a domestic dispute.” The 49 second audio recording continues as the caller says, “The gentleman was slapping the girl.” When the dispatcher asks him to confirm that the man was slapping the girl, the caller responds, “Yes, and then we stopped, they ran up and down the sidewalk, he proceeded to hit her, hopped in the car, and they drove off.”

13. But long before the 911 call was made public, many survivors could already see through the spin playing out on the video footage. They easily recognized the “red flags” because these cycles become the norm for victims of long-standing abuse. Many targets eventually become conditioned to believe everything the abuser does is her fault. Covering for the abuser, accepting all the blame, trying harder to make the abuser happy—this warped reality becomes the only truth a target knows.

14. Also, it seems clear that Petito doesn’t want her fiancé to be in any trouble. She’d rather pay the price and protect the man she loves. And because she probably believes he only acted this way because of her mood/behaviors/anxiety/OCD/job, she doesn’t want him to be blamed. This is also the norm in abusive relationships.

15. Many experienced and well-trained officers see right through this typical pattern. Others buy the cover-up story. And, sadly, because some officers are also abusers, some side with the abuser even when they know exactly what’s going on. Throughout the video, we get the sense that Officer Robbins senses there’s more to the story.

16. I credit the police in Petito’s situation, especially Officer Robbins. The four responding officers (two of whom were park rangers) remained calm, they separated the couple, they interviewed them individually, they split them up for the night, they consulted the domestic violence shelter … many would say they did everything right considering the information they had at the time.

17. I imagine the officers involved may be suffering from tremendous guilt and wondering if they could have prevented Petito’s death, but I want to give credit to the officers in this case. While it’s easy to look back and say maybe they should have handled things differently, knowing what we now know, I was impressed with how well they treated both Laundrie and Petito (and, sadly, I was thinking how rare it is to see that level of respect and professionalism in most cases of domestic violence, particularly in the South where I’ve been most involved with survivors’ stories.)

18. After Petito was reported missing, many people expressed shock in response to the Laundrie family’s refusal to cooperate early in the investigation. Petito reportedly lived with the Laundrie family for more than a year. Anyone can see that this family will do anything to protect their son, even at the cost of an innocent young woman who was a real part of their family and soon to be their daughter-in-law. While most of us can certainly understand parents wanting to protect their son, most would agree they crossed a moral line when his fiancée went missing.

19. But perhaps it goes deeper than that. Perhaps what we’re seeing is a system of enablers who not only allowed their son to abuse Petito (which may have been a factor in her reported anxiety) but also a system of gaslighters who may have always been shifting the truth to keep Petito confused and make her believe she was the problem.

20. It’s not a far stretch to assume Petito was caught in a system of abuse. And once a target is caught in that psychological web, it’s extremely difficult to see a way out. Reality becomes flipped.

21. It’s also worth noting that Petito and Laundrie had been involved in various levels of a relationship since their teens. This is also commonly observed in dysfunctional partnerships.

22. These immature relationships work beautifully when both partners grow together and mature emotionally. But when one wants to keep the other down, naïve, and under his control … and the other is growing, learning, and maturing … it doesn’t work.

23. We hear Petito tell the officer that Laundrie didn’t think she could succeed with her travel blog (3.25). It seems clear that he didn’t believe in her and that he was trying to make her doubt herself.

24. Throughout the conversation, he implies that he locked her out of the van because she wouldn’t calm down. But when we listen to the full video, it seems he was upset because they’d spent too much time at the coffee shop with her working on her website when he wanted to go hiking. This suggests that because she wasn’t in the van when he was ready to leave, he lost his temper.

25. In the moments that followed, the altercation became physical. Reportedly, Laundrie squeezed Petito’s face with his hand, cut her down verbally, and criticized her.

26. Some would argue that this escalating abuse typically persists until the target reacts emotionally and/or physically. If this case follows the norm, Laundrie may have been trying to break her spirit, intentionally.

27. Why? Again, if this case follows the typical situation, it would likely be because Petito’s focus wasn’t 100% on Laundrie. She had found this new job she enjoyed. She was succeeding at it, and it was allowing her to connect with other people. (Remember, she’d already left her job as a nutritionist to travel around the country with Laundrie.)

28. In a healthy relationship, the new job might be considered a positive opportunity for Petito. Especially considering Laundrie admits they have very little money (not even enough to afford a hotel room to prevent his fiancée from going to jail). But in an unhealthy relationship, the abuser wants the target all to himself. And when that doesn’t happen, he can become increasingly violent.

29. Petito now had this one little piece of her life that Laundrie couldn’t control, so if we’re looking at textbook patterns, perhaps her blog angered him. Perhaps he didn’t like all the attention she was getting on social media. Perhaps he punished her for it. And then a cycle developed. Even though she was doing nothing wrong by building a new career.

30. The next thing we know, we have a missing person, a recovered body, a young man on the run, and several families destroyed. Too much grief to measure. And the truth is, it will happen again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, until we learn to recognize and respond to abusive situations in healthier ways.

The overall takeaway?

When we see someone at her emotional end during a domestic dispute, we shouldn’t assume she’s crazy. We shouldn’t buy into the false narrative given by the abuser. We shouldn’t believe the cover-up story by the target who has been conditioned to carry all the blame and shame. And we shouldn’t assume they’re going to be okay.

Instead, we should all learn the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. We should learn to recognize the warning signs of abuse. We should engage in respectful, fact-based conversations about trauma bonds, abusive cycles, and emotional intelligence. We should be familiar with terms like gaslighting, hovering, love bombing, enabling, triangulating, and projecting. We should stop blaming targets and help them reclaim their truth. And we should stop repeating the age-old myths that keep targets trapped in these dangerous and all-too-often deadly cycles.

Finally, while I’ve used the most common scenario of male-on-female violence in this article, we should recognize that abuse crosses all barriers and can impact anyone regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nationality, religious affiliation, age, or socio-economic level. And we should stop assuming these situations will get better in time. Personally, I haven’t heard of one abusive relationship that became healthier. Not one. Not with therapy. Not with church. Not with prayer or forgiveness or complete surrender. When an abuser is determined to destroy his target, he will not stop until that target is erased from this world or stripped from her life. And in many cases, he’ll walk away without any consequences, often taking the target’s finances, home, vehicle, reputation, or even her children with him.

Please don’t let the next statistic be you or someone you love. For support, contact the Domestic Violence Hotline. From a safe phone, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text “START” to 88788.

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brin-guivera · 4 years

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(via Ten Favourite Characters from The Untamed)

ten favourite characters from the untamed

It’s been a while since I did one of these type of posts (outside of Top Ten Tuesday anyway) and as a small celebration for hitting my 1000th post on the blog (this very one, as a matter of fact!) I have decided to do a post based on my most recent obsession The Untamed!

I have already talked at length about this series in various posts (and did a review of the series here) but I thought it might be fun to share with you my favourite characters. This is based on the live action televised drama – not the web-novel / donghua series or other platforms where it has appeared.

I do like a lot of characters in this series (even some I’m not supposed to like – hey, they are great characters even if they are not good people!) but there are some that are my extra-special favourites.

10. lan jingyi

I love all of the juniors really, but Lan Jingyi made it into the 10th spot because he is the “most un-Lan Lan to ever Lan in the history of Lan” – thus spake the fanbase! Most of the Gusu Lan Sect and calm and peaceful, serene and tranquil. Lan Jingyi is snarky and impatient, with a short fuse and temper. However, he also has a kind heart and is extremely loyal.

I like him a lot because although he does share the Lan clan’s beliefs he goes about it in a completely different way! He is definitely an individual and we need more of those!

9. lan xichen

Lan Wangji’s elder brother and one of the Twin Jades of Lan. Lan Xichen is a gentle and kind-hearted soul who is very trusting, almost to a fault. He is also extremely protective of his younger brother and does his best to help the aloof and distant Lan Wangji make friends. Lan Xichen has a keen ear for music and is known for being able to diffuse tense situations.

Lan Xichen is the perfect older brother – caring and supportive. Although he can be a little bit naive, he is kind at heart and a genuinely good person.

8. wen qing

The best doctor the Wen Clan has, she is a strong and capable woman, slow to trust but quick to help where she can. Wen Qing is forced to serve the power-hungry Wen Ruohan who has a hold over her through her younger brother Wen Ning. She is aloof, cold, and above all extremely intelligent. Initially, she distrusts Wei Wuxian but gradually warms up to him because of his kind and helpful nature.

Wen Qing is a great character – she is capable and powerful and not necessarily warm but cares about others in her own way. Once you have her loyalty you never lose it.

7. wen ning

The shy, gentle, and timid younger brother of Wen Qing, who suffers from a strange illness due to being exposed to the Ying Iron as a young child. He is fiercely loyal especially to Wei Wuxian who was one of the few people to show him any kindness outside of his sister. When the Wen clan falls from power, he is turned into The Ghost General, and becomes Wei Wuxian’s right hand man (as his powers of demonic cultivation are able to control Wen Ning’s powers when they emerge).

Wen Ning is a total sweetheart – he has this horrible reputation yet is the purest soul to ever live. I just love him to bits!

6. lan sizhui

A disciple of Lan sect who is raised by Lan Wangji when his family is taken from him. He is a calm and gentle person who is very mature for his young age and is able to wield his abilities carefully and with great skill. Lan Sizhui’s past is a mystery to him but he feels an undeniable connection to Wei Wuxian and Wen Ning when the former is returned to life.

Lan Sizhui is a total dear – he really is the bestest boy! Genuinely warm-hearted and giving, he also is very capable and has everything it takes to be a powerful cultivator.

5. jiang cheng

Opinionated and hot-headed, Jiang Cheng has been raised with his siblings Jiang Yanli and Wei Wuxian (who was adopted into the Jiang clan after the death of his parents). Jiang Cheng cares very deeply for his loved ones but he is not great at showing it. He has a bad temper and often lashes out at those he cares about (who ultimately recognise that this is just how he shows affection). He dotes upon his nephew Jin Ling even though he often appears strict and sharp-tongued with him.

Jiang Cheng is probably the most misunderstood character. The breakdown of his relationship with Wei Wuxian, and his inability to see how his own actions (or inactions) also led to the tragic events that he hates his brother for, sours his character for a lot of people. Personally, I like him, warts and all, though I do get why many of his critics dislike him. He isn’t an easy character to like but I do like him all the same. 😉

4. nie huaisang

Nie Huisang is initially a contemporary of Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng in their school days at the Gusu Lan clan’s annual seminar. Seen as weak and unskilled, he is well-known for his supposed incompetence. Nicknamed the ‘head shaker’ and referred to as ‘know nothing’, he doesn’t have the best reputation. After the death of his brother Nie Mingjue, he becomes the leader of the Nie Sect.

Nie Huisang is a very intriguing character. Although depicted as being incapable (he carries a fan instead of a sword) there is more to him than meets the eye. Showing rare moments of cleverness and keen intuition, he nonetheless crumbles (and usually faints!) when things get tough. But is it all an act? It is hinted that there is more to him than there first appears – this is then further confirmed in the spin-off Fatal Journey. I really like him as a character, even just the hints you get in the main series. He is definitely one of my very favourites.

3. jiang yanli

Jiang Cheng’s elder sister (by blood) and Wei Wuxian’s adoptive elder sister, Jiang Yanli is a kind and caring person who does everything she can to protect her two brothers. She is the emotional heart of the trio and cares for them deeply, often providing support and cooking for them their favourite meals when they need cheering up. She has strong feelings for her arranged match Jin Zixuan and is devastated when he repeatedly snubs her. Eventually, he comes to care for her and they marry and have a child Jin Ling. Losing Yanli is what tears apart Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, she really appears to be the glue holding the triad together.

Yanli is such an amazing character and did not deserve her fate whatsoever. Her story is tragic and could have been preventable. Alas, it was not meant to be…

2. wei wuxian

Wei Wuxian is the main protagonist of the story. He is a disciple of the Jiang sect and has been raised as a sibling to Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli. He is irrepressibly cheerful and mischievous as a youth, yet also very clever and deeply loyal. He cares deeply for his siblings and comes to view Lan Wangji as his soulmate and life-long confidante.

Due to the Wen clan’s machinations, he ends up pursuing demonic cultivation – a fact that puts him at odds with all of the other clans. He is also the only one to show the remnants of the Wen clan any kindness after their fall from grace and this too puts him in opposition of the other clans, including his own family. When he is defeated, he is mourned by no one; except Lan Wangji who feels remorse for not standing by his soulmate.

Wei Wuxian (or Wei Ying but it feels to personal to call him by his given name – only Lan Zhan can call him that!) is a character that is easy to root for. The television show smooths out some of his more problematic actions so he really is a victim and did not deserve to be vilified the way he was. His return after sixteen years reunites him with his Lan Zhan, who is no longer afraid to stick by him, no matter the consequence. Wei Wuxian is such a relatable main character – you cannot help but feel for him and want him to get his due, finally.

1. lan wangji

Lan Wangji (birth name Lan Zhan) is the second young master of the Lan sect. He is viewed as cold, strict, and distant. Considered difficult to get along with, a real ‘fuddy-duddy’ according to young Wei Wuxian. However, his aloof front hides a good heart and an ever-prevailing sense of justice. Due to his actions in taking down the Wen clan, he is granted the title of Hanguang Jun (roughly translated to Light Bearing Lord). His abilities cannot be faulted and he is considered a cultivator without equal.

Although they could not be more different, he becomes close with Wei Wuxian and recognises him as his soulmate. However, he is torn by his regard for the demonic cultivator and the rules of his peers. Unable to help him, he is devastated when Wei Wuxian is killed and carries that guilt for sixteen years. When they are reunited, it is clear that Lan Wangji will stand by Wei Wuxian, not matter the cost.

Lan Wangji, oh Lan Wangji, how I love you so… I did not foresee him becoming my favourite character when I started watching the series (the live action was actually my first introduction to this world). I was prepared to be a Wei Wuxian fangirl through and through (I kind of am though Lan Wangji is still my number one). There is just something about Lan Wangji though. He isn’t an easy character to get to know. He is very aloof and closed-off. However, when you peel that back you see the layers of sadness and how solitude has really cut him off from everyone else. This is like catnip to me as I love the tortured characters. Wei Wuxian, for all the external crap he goes through, is still underneath a positive and upbeat person (no matter how many times it gets beaten out of him). Lan Wangji… there is just something so lonely about him. I cannot help but love him.

***************

And that there is my top ten characters from The Untamed! I didn’t include Jin Guangyao on this list (even though he is a great character – I more love to hate him than love him!) Hope you have enjoyed me rambling on about them. I love this series so much and I am probably boring everyone to pieces but I just can’t help but talk about it!

**I haven’t mentioned a few of my other favourites such as Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen but I didn’t want to spoil their story, I may do a separate post about the Yi City arc at some point…**

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mikkeneko · 6 years

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Copied this post from Facebook, original source here.

I want to share, particularly because of the way he explains things. As a veteran and a gun owner, he knows much more about guns than I do. Hopefully his arguments and information can help any of my friends trying to sway people on gun control laws.

“Completely agree with the sentiment here, Mom. However, in order to make educated arguments for gun control, it's important to actually know what you're proposing and use the right language. Otherwise, you'll just get completely shut down as "not knowing anything about guns" to people you're trying to convince. And if you don't know anything about guns, you can't really advocate for responsible gun policy.

AR15s are not the problem alone. Yes, it's the most popular military-style rifle, and it is designed to kill people effectively. But banning one model of weapon will just make people switch to other, equally effective killing machines. If you banned the Toyota Camry, would people stop buying midsize sedans? No, you'd just end up with more Honda Accords on the road. If you want to fix the problem, you have to ban all semi-automatic rifles. Semi-automatic means the weapon is loaded with a magazine (or belt in some cases) with multiple rounds; and for every trigger squeeze, one bullet is discharged. There is no real need for these weapons in civilian use. They aren't necessary for hunting, where the point is to kill the animal with one shot. It is only useful for killing a lot of things in a short amount of time or having fun at a gun range. I think our children's lives are more important than a fraction of the population's fun shooting a bunch of rounds quickly at a range. They'll cope.

Handguns are far more responsible for gun deaths in America than semi-auto rifles. You mentioned the kid who brought a gun to school as only having a "handgun, not a semi-automatic." Well, almost all handguns are semi-automatic. They have magazines and one bullet per trigger squeeze. Though most handgun rounds aren't as deadly as rifle rounds, it's inconsequential at short range. And handguns are far easier to conceal than a rifle. With the exception of maybe revolvers (which have 5-6 round max before reloading), I believe handguns should be outlawed. The Virginia Tech massacre, the most deadly school shooting in American history, was accomplished with handguns only. Don't underestimate their lethality. I think military style rifles only account for about 2% of gun deaths each year. If you want to solve the problem, semi-auto handguns have to go, as well.

If we really want to make a difference in gun deaths, we need to do WAY more than universal background checks and better mental health screening. Banning all semi-automatic weapons would make that difference. Keeping shotguns, revolvers, and bolt-action rifles legal accomplish all the typical, common uses of guns. (Bolt-action rifles are typical hunting rifles that you have to reload between shots.) With these types of firearms legal, you can still hunt, defend your home, and compete in sport shooting.

Combine the following with the semi-auto ban.

Government buy-back program of all semi-automatic weapons. Once a grace period for turn-ins ends, possession will be a felony without a special (and rare) license for Federally approved dealers and collectors.

Gun licenses for all who want to continue to own approved firearms. Licenses will be granted by completing a comprehensive background check, psych evaluation, safety training, marksmanship training, and meeting strict storage requirements. Storage requirements would include safes, weapons unloaded, with ammo stored separately. Licenses expire after a certain number of years and all the requirements must be completed again for license renewal.

Registration of all firearms.

Insurance for all firearms. If your gun is used in a crime or if there's a accident with your gun, your insurance company is liable for damages. Let the insurance market set rates based on their analysis of risk. Then, people can decide if it's financially worth it to own a gun.

Finally, here's your counterarguments for the most common pro-gun arguments:

Pro-gun argument - assault weapons aren't an actual thing. Banning them won't make a difference.

Counterargument - none. This is true. Classifying a gun as an "assault weapon" is something people who know nothing about guns do. Having a bayonet stud (a place to mount a bayonet) used to be one way to classify a gun as an assault weapon. Last I checked, we don't have a bayonet problem in this country. Talk about banning semi-auto guns instead of made-up things like "assault weapons."

Pro-gun argument - 2nd Amendment guarantees my right to bear arms!

Counterargument - sure, it does, but there can be limitations. And in case anyone needs a history lesson, the individual right to bear arms has only existed since 2008. From the adoption of the Constitution until the DC v. Heller decision in 2008, the 2nd Amendment had never been interpreted to mean private citizens have a right to own guns. (Thanks, Scalia.) But that decision is now the law of the land and precedent for future court decisions. Nevertheless, even in Scalia's majority opinion, he asserts that there are limitations to the 2nd Amendment. Weapons allowed should be those in common use at the time. And limitations should be made on "dangerous and unusual" weapons, per previous precedent in United States v. Miller. I argue that semi-auto firearms should now be considered "dangerous and unusual," given their lethality.

Pro-gun argument - if law-abiding citizens get rid of their guns, criminals won't follow the law, and we'll be in more danger.

Counterargument - this is an argument against having laws. Since criminals don't follow the law, there should be no limits on anything. Also, when we do outlaw things, it can work. Purchases of large quantities of ammonium nitrate fertilizer was restricted after the Oklahoma City bombing, and there hasn't been a similar bombing since. We outlawed fully automatic weapons, grenades, rocket launchers, etc. in the 20th century, and what has happened? We don't see violence with those types of weapons. Most weapons used to commit crimes are purchased lawfully. If we change the laws, it will work to reduce gun deaths.

Pro-gun argument - if we ban guns, people will just use knives or baseball bats

Counterargument - there are plenty of incidents around the world of mass stabbings or clubbings, etc. Show me one that is as lethal as a mass shooting.

Pro-gun argument - we need armed security guards in every school

Counterargument - do you trust the security guard won't become a mass shooter? The Texas church shooter was an Air Force veteran. The Pulse nightclub shooter was a security guard. Further, it's relatively easy to get the drop on a security guard. Shoot him first when he's not expecting, then keep going. That's what the Pulse nightclub shooter did. It's not difficult if you draw first. Columbine had armed security, too. Adding more guns to schools adds more risk, it doesn't reduce it.

Pro-gun argument - it's a mental health issue, not a gun issue *or* guns don't kill people, people kill people

Counterargument - The United States has the same rates of mental illness as other developed Western countries, but we're the only ones with this type of violence. The mentally ill are actually less likely to commit crime than those who aren't mentally ill, which many find surprising. Also, those who are mentally ill are more likely to become the victim of a crime than those who don't have mental illness. It's a common refrain to hear "anyone who would do that must be crazy." That's not true. Being a murderer doesn't actually mean you are mentally ill, which is why you hardly ever see successful insanity defenses in trials. And if "people kill people," then we really should stop giving all these people guns, right? We don't allow private F-22s or nuclear weapons, do we? Why? Because people would use them to kill other people. People use people-killing machines to kill people. Go figure.

Pro-gun argument - We, as a society, have turned our backs on God. This is why crime is getting worse. We need God/Jesus to heal people's hearts, not get rid of law-abiding citizens' guns.

Counterargument - Crime has actually decreased overall in recent decades. Things are getting better, not worse. Murder rates and violent crime overall have trended down as we've advanced as a society. Mass shootings have remained steady, though, because angry people have easy access to guns.

Pro-gun argument - we need guns to fight against the government in case it becomes tyrannical.

Counterargument - I doubt semi-automatic weapons will defeat a tyrannical government with fighter jets, bombers, tanks, artillery, drones, advanced cyber capabilities, and nuclear weapons.

Pro-gun argument - gun registrations will make it easier for the government to disarm us

Counterargument - The registration is necessary to keep track of deadly weapons in case they are used in a crime, or in case a law-abiding citizen commits a crime that revokes their right to guns. There's over 300 million privately owned guns in America. If the government wanted to take everyone's guns, they'd do it the same way they would if there wasn't a registry: by going door to door and searching everyone.

I truly believe we need to do far more than anything advocated by most mainstream gun control organizations like Everytown and Moms Demand Action. We need to follow the lead of countries like the UK, Australia, and Canada. They've figured it out. Why can't we?”

#gun violence cw #politics shitshow 2018 #gun control discussion #long post

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quakerjoe · 6 years

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Facebook post made by Callista Kline on February 16, 2018 at 6:05 pm

My brother’s response to my mom’s email about the recent shooting. I want to share, particularly because of the way he explains things. As a veteran and a gun owner, he knows much more about guns than I do. Hopefully his arguments and information can help any of my friends trying to sway people on gun control laws.

“Completely agree with the sentiment here, Mom. However, in order to make educated arguments for gun control, it’s important to actually know what you’re proposing and use the right language. Otherwise, you’ll just get completely shut down as “not knowing anything about guns” to people you’re trying to convince. And if you don’t know anything about guns, you can’t really advocate for responsible gun policy.

AR15s are not the problem alone. Yes, it’s the most popular military-style rifle, and it is designed to kill people effectively. But banning one model of weapon will just make people switch to other, equally effective killing machines. If you banned the Toyota Camry, would people stop buying midsize sedans? No, you’d just end up with more Honda Accords on the road. If you want to fix the problem, you have to ban all semi-automatic rifles. Semi-automatic means the weapon is loaded with a magazine (or belt in some cases) with multiple rounds; and for every trigger squeeze, one bullet is discharged. There is no real need for these weapons in civilian use. They aren’t necessary for hunting, where the point is to kill the animal with one shot. It is only useful for killing a lot of things in a short amount of time or having fun at a gun range. I think our children’s lives are more important than a fraction of the population’s fun shooting a bunch of rounds quickly at a range. They’ll cope.

Handguns are far more responsible for gun deaths in America than semi-auto rifles. You mentioned the kid who brought a gun to school as only having a “handgun, not a semi-automatic.” Well, almost all handguns are semi-automatic. They have magazines and one bullet per trigger squeeze. Though most handgun rounds aren’t as deadly as rifle rounds, it’s inconsequential at short range. And handguns are far easier to conceal than a rifle. With the exception of maybe revolvers (which have 5-6 rounds max before reloading), I believe handguns should be outlawed. The Virginia Tech massacre, the most deadly school shooting in American history, was accomplished with handguns only. Don’t underestimate their lethality. I think military-style rifles only account for about 2% of gun deaths each year. If you want to solve the problem, semi-auto handguns have to go, as well.

If we really want to make a difference in gun deaths, we have to do WAY more than universal background checks and better mental health screening. Banning all semi-automatic weapons would make that difference. Keeping shotguns, revolvers, and bolt-action rifles legal accomplish all the typical, common uses of guns. (Bolt-action rifles are typical hunting rifles that you have to reload between shots.) With these types of firearms legal, you can still hunt, defend your home, and compete in sport shooting.

Combine the following with the semi-auto ban.

1. Government buy back program of all semi-automatic weapons. Once a grace period for turn-ins ends, possession will be a felony without a special (and rare) license for Federally approved dealers and collectors.

2. Gun licenses for all who want to continue to own approved firearms. Licenses will be granted by completing a comprehensive background check, psych evaluation, safety training, marksmanship training, and meeting strict storage requirements.

3. Storage requirements would include safes, weapons unloaded, with ammo stored separately. Licenses expire after a certain number of years and all the requirements must be completed again for license renewal.

4. Registration of all firearms.

5. Insurance for all firearms. If your gun is used in a crime or if there’s a accident with your gun, your insurance company is liable for damages. Let the insurance market set rates based on their analysis of risk. Then, people can decide if it’s financially worth it to own a gun.

Finally, here’s your counterarguments for the most common pro-gun arguments:

A. Pro-gun argument – assault weapons aren’t an actual thing. Banning them won’t make a difference. Counterargument – none. This is true. Classifying a gun as an “assault weapon” is something people who know nothing about guns do. Having a bayonet stud (a place to mount a bayonet) used to be one way to classify a gun as an assault weapon. Last I checked, we don’t have a bayonet problem in this country. Talk about banning semi-auto guns instead of made up things like “assault weapons.”

B. Pro-gun argument – 2nd Amendment guarantees my right to bear arms! Counterargument – sure, it does, but there can be limitations. And in case anyone needs a history lesson, the individual right to bear arms has only existed since 2008. From the adoption of the Constitution until the DC v. Heller decision in 2008, the 2nd Amendment had never been interpreted to mean private citizens have a right to own guns. (Thanks, Scalia.) But that decision is now the law of the land and precedent for future court decisions. Nevertheless, even in Scalia’s majority opinion, he asserts that there are limits to the 2nd Amendment. Weapons allowed should be those in common use at the time. And limitations should be made on “dangerous and unusual” weapons, per previous precedent in United States v. Miller. I argue that semi-auto firearms should now be considered “dangerous and unusual,” given their lethality.

C. Pro-gun argument – if law-abiding citizens get rid of their guns, criminals won’t follow the law, and we’ll be in more danger. Counterargument – this is an argument against having laws. Since criminals don’t follow the law, there should be no limits on anything. Also, when we do outlaw things, it can work. Purchases of large quantities of ammonium nitrate fertilizer was restricted after the Oklahoma City bombing, and there hasn’t been a similar bombing since. We outlawed fully automatic weapons, grenades, rocket launchers, etc. in the 20th century, and what has happened? We don’t see violence with those types of weapons. Most weapons used to commit crimes are purchased lawfully. If we change the laws, it will work to reduce gun deaths.

D. Pro-gun argument – if we ban guns, people will just use knives or baseball bats Counterargument – there are plenty of incidents around the world of mass stabbings or clubbings, etc. Show me one that is as lethal as a mass shooting.

E. Pro-gun argument – we need armed security guards in every school Counterargument – do you trust the security guard won’t become a mass shooter? The Texas church shooter was an Air Force veteran. The Pulse nightclub shooter was a security guard. Further, it’s relatively easy to get the drop on a security guard. Shoot him first when he’s not expecting, then keep going. That’s what the Pulse nightclub shooter did. It’s not difficult if you draw first. Columbine had armed security, too. Adding more guns to schools adds more risk, it doesn’t reduce it.

F. Pro-gun argument – it’s a mental health issue, not a gun issue *or* guns don’t kill people, people kill people Counterargument – The United States has the same rates of mental illness as other developed Western countries, but we’re the only ones with this type of violence. The mentally ill are actually less likely to commit crime than those who aren’t mentally ill, which many find surprising. Also, those who are mentally ill are more likely to become the victim of a crime than those who don’t have mental illness. It’s a common refrain to hear “anyone who would do that must be crazy.” That’s not true. Being a murderer doesn’t actually mean you are mentally ill, which is why you hardly ever see successful insanity defenses in trials. And if “people kill people,” then we really should stop giving all these people guns, right? We don’t allow private F-22s or nuclear weapons, do we? Why? Because people would use them to kill other people. People use people-killing machines to kill people. Go figure.

G. Pro-gun argument – We, as a society, have turned our backs on God. This is why crime is getting worse. We need God/Jesus to heal people’s hearts, not get rid of law-abiding citizens’ guns. Counterargument – Crime has actually decreased overall in recent decades. Things are getting better, not worse. Murder rates and violent crime overall have trended down as we’ve advanced as a society. Mass shootings have remained steady, though, because angry people have easy access to guns.

H. Pro-gun argument – we need guns to fight against the government in case it becomes tyrannical. Counterargument – I doubt semi-automatic weapons will defeat a tyrannical government with fighter jets, bombers, tanks, artillery, drones, advanced cyber capabilities, and nuclear weapons.

I. Pro-gun argument – gun registrations will make it easier for the government to disarm us Counterargument – The registration is necessary to keep track of deadly weapons in case they are used in a crime, or in case a law-abiding citizen commits a crime that revokes their right to guns. There’s over 300 million privately owned guns in America. If the government wanted to take everyone’s guns, they’d do it the same way they would if there wasn’t a registry: by going door to door and searching everyone.

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voicehumanity · 6 years

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The Humanity Party®’s Portrait of a Mass Shooter.

This is a framed mirror.

This is THumP®’s portrait of a mass shooter, of a killer, of a murderer, of a shooting victim involved in a suicide.

At any time, in the same circumstance of emotional imbalance and despair, any one of us could be in this portrait.

THumP® has outlined its official response to the recent American mass shootings and our stance on gun control. (Here is a link to this response.)

Here are a few of the main points of our response:

There will be no effect on gun violence until there are rational changes made to American law and order.

...

We do not believe that government should force the American people to give up their guns. We need the right form of government that can prove to the people that its “well-regulated militia” can do the job better, safer, and more efficiently than unregulated gun owners. Only when the people are convinced that the government is able, will they feel safe enough to trust a government controlled “well-regulated militia.”

Therefore, THumP®’s first course of action is to establish a type of government in which the American people can trust, in which the rest of the world can trust. Only then can people be influenced to give up their possession and use of guns.

Furthermore, we acknowledge that most gun deaths are a cause of suicide. When people lose hope, they lose their desire to live. We insist that if the right form of government existed in which people could hope for a better world, less would want to end their life.

...

Our patience comes from our hope that people will consider many of the underlying causes of violence against oneself or against others. Economic and social inequality is one of the root causes of desperate, hopeless acts of violence. Another one, just as important, is emotional inequality, where one feels less valued than others.

We have outlined our platform and presented our plan to give hope to people through economic and social changes, as well as personal self-worth and value. A strong, righteous government that is not self-serving can provide relief from the pressures of hopelessness and worthlessness.

...

We ask people to please consider our proposals for the right form of government first. Keep your guns and back our proposals. Once we have proven to the people that the right form of government is one in which a person can hope, and we can prove that this government’s “well-regulated militia” can indeed provide safety and freedom to the people, then we hope that people everywhere will put down their guns and support human equality and a unification of the world.

“Hope” is the intrinsic measure of our humanity, or better, that which we feel can be possible in spite of the improbabilities that seem to be part of our present experience.

It is improbable that we can convince American gun owners to put down their guns, but if we do not try something different that demonstrates a measure of our shared humanity, that we feel can be possible, then there is no hope.

We all share the same humanity. None of us started out in life as one who would kill another person, or our self. So, what makes us become a killer?

What would we find out if we had the patience and took the time to get to know the perpetrators who take others’ lives, or their own? What happened that caused the moment of emotional imbalance when each decided to take the lives of other people, many of whom, in most situations, the perpetrators didn’t personally know?

Society doesn’t seem interested in WHY a person decides to kill others. Once a person makes the choice, the person is no longer seen as human. Society and the media brand them as “perpetrators,” “killers,” “terrorists,” “monsters,” or “mentally ill,” to name a few of the inhumane names given to these human beings.

It will not make a difference whether the U.S. passes stricter gun laws or takes away all the guns from people outside of a “well-regulated militia” (see and read the entire 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution). A knife is a weapon. A rock is a weapon. And a properly aimed vehicle can take many more lives than any gun can, even quicker. Take away all guns and we will witness an emotionally imbalanced human use a vehicle to mow down tens of innocent school children as they walk in crosswalks, to their school bus, or down the street to their own homes.

These types of seemingly senseless violent acts will not end until, unless, we learn WHY human beings become emotionally imbalanced.

Many will say that all of us have personal problems, that all of us have experienced the unfairness of life, but that few of us would kill an innocent person. Can any of us honestly claim that we have had the same experiences, of whatever kind, that the perpetrators had? Have we walked in their shoes? Have we experienced life as they have experienced it? It is The Humanity Party®’s claim that all of us (the world) have contributed to these mass shootings and to the increase in instances of suicide.

Suicide holds the highest rate of death by a gun.

New York Times reports:

“When Americans think about deaths from guns, we tend to focus on homicides. But the problem of gun suicide is inescapable: More than 60 percent of people in this country who die from guns die by suicide.

“Suicide gets a lot less attention than murders for a few reasons. One big one is that news organizations generally don’t cover suicides the way they do murders. There’s evidence that news attention around suicide can lead to more suicides. Suicide is more stigmatized and less discussed than homicide.

“But, as a matter of public health, gun suicides are a huge problem in the United States. Suicide is the second-most common cause of death for Americans between 15 and 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Across all ages, it is the 10th-most common cause of death, and caused 1.6 percent of all deaths in 2012.

“Not all of those suicides are by gun, but a majority are. And while some people feeling suicidal impulses will choose another method if a gun is not at hand, public health researchers cite two reasons guns are particularly dangerous: 1) Guns are more lethal than most other methods people try, so someone who attempts suicide another way is more likely to survive; 2) Studies suggest that suicide attempts often occur shortly after people decide to kill themselves, so people with deadly means at hand when the impulse strikes are more likely to use them than those who have to wait or plan.

“That means that strategies that make suicide more inconvenient or difficult can save lives. Guns, when they are in the home, can make self-harm both easy and deadly.”

It is our position that a child’s upbringing, culture, religion, and other societal pressures heavily contribute to suicide.

Take for example, a child who colors outside of the lines with crayons and says, “Look how pretty, mommy!”

A loving mother responds with caring platitudes of adoration and appropriate accolades. The child’s coloring is proudly taped on the refrigerator for the rest of the family and others to see. The child’s art is loved and praised, but later, if the grown child shows no natural artistic ability and shows their work to the world, the world rejects the person because the person draws “outside of the lines.” Where the child could once do no wrong, and no matter what the child did, the child received praise and acceptance, the world does not treat the aged child as the child was emotionally foundationalized.

The alignment of a child’s emotional balance begins from infancy. Children do not learn how to fail. Parents, teachers, the world, do not teach children that failure is okay. Children learn that failure is not an option. The aged child only receives worldly value and acceptance when the person meets the world’s conditions of value and success.

The child is loved, supported, fed, clothed, housed and cared for when sick or when emotional pain is experienced, but once the child reaches the age that the world has determined is adulthood, the child is thrown into a world of inequality and of forced economic livelihood (you either work like everyone else has to or you die.)

In the real world ... in the adult world ... no one cares about the child’s “out of the lines coloring.” Unless the aged child submits their free will to the enslavement of employment, they will have no money, and no one is going to clothe, feed, house, and provide health and mental care for them as their parents did.

The child loses an extreme amount of emotional self-worth and value to the world once the child becomes an adult. The child must forget about everything that the child did to find personal happiness in life from the personal freedom enjoyed as child, liberty that is ripped away when one becomes an adult.

Besides economic struggle and inequality, the self-worth and value that a child receives from established emotional anchors of religion and the prejudiced teachings learned from parents, are threatened as an adult. In the real world: Everyone is right. Which makes everyone wrong. ™️

If we base our individual self-worth and value on our personal right, and another tells us we are wrong, we naturally respond in self-defense. And so many times throughout our shared history this self-defense results in killing through murder and war.

Why can’t we have a world where everyone is right? Why can’t we teach our children that everyone has their own version of right; that the version taught to the child is pertinent and relevant to the child only; that every other child has the right to be right and protected and supported in this individual right? We do not teach this to our children because it threatens our own emotional anchors of, I am right and everyone else is wrong.

We have a world where no one really cares about anyone outside of their circle of loved ones and friends. We stand in this circle, protected, praised, and supported. The circle has replaced our parents and the security of our childhood home life. Few dare to step out of this circle because once one steps out of the circle, and if one does not step into a new circle, the one feels lost, unloved, valueless, and hopeless. Why wouldn’t one take their own life and end this emotional pain and suffering?

The above things are about suicide. What about mass shooters? Why do they do what they do?

To explain why we will use a real-life scenario:

The Humanity Party® has become the only supporter of, and we also could have provided a caring circle of humanity that could have surrounded a human being who lived by the name, Thomas Hamilton.

In March of 1996, Thomas walked into a Primary School in Scotland and killed 16 innocent children under the age of 8. He killed their teacher, then himself.

Why?

Thomas Hamilton isn’t around any longer to tell the world why, but we know why.

Here is why:

Thomas loved children. He was the Director of a few local youth clubs. He was the leader of a local Scout group of young boys.

“Thomas Watt Hamilton was born on May 10, 1952, in Glasgow, Scotland. His mother, a hotel chambermaid, was divorced from his father by the time Hamilton was born. Hamilton never knew his father and grew up with his mother's adoptive parents, believing they were his biological parents. They legally adopted him at age 2. He also thought his biological mother was his sister until he was told the truth when he was 22 years old.”

A loner, Hamilton never formed any close relationships with adults of either sex and seemed particularly uncomfortable around women. Can one imagine why? If you were brought up to believe your grandparents were your parents and your mother was your sister, wouldn’t your view of normal relationships be affected?

There had been several complaints to police regarding Hamilton's behavior towards the young boys who attended the youth clubs he directed. Claims had been made of his having taken photographs of semi-naked boys without parental consent. The entire local community was suspicious of his moral intentions towards boys.

Thomas was never arrested, charged, or convicted of ANY immoral act or behavior towards any boy, of any age, but the people spread their rumors. The police did their investigations. The world took away the only thing that gave Thomas self-worth and value: his ability to be involved with and help young boys.

Thomas Watt Hamilton took from that local community what it had taken from him.

How many lives have been destroyed because of rumor? How many lives have been destroyed because of the unregulated freedom of the press? How many innocent people have been arrested and charged with a crime that they did not commit, but had their name blasted in the media as the “alleged” perpetrator without being given the due process of law that Americans tout is part of their inalienable rights? Rumor, gossip, and the sensationalized media reports generated by unscrupulous journalists are a gross representation of what our humanity has become.

Let’s consider the more recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the United States:

In December of 2012, Adam Lanza outdid Thomas Hamilton and killed 20 children under the age of 8 and 6 teachers.

Why?

No one has ever investigated and reported why.

Why?

Because an honest investigative journalist would be crucified by his or her peers and blacklisted from journalism if he or she investigated and wrote a story about the human being ... not the killer, not the monster, but the human being ... named Adam Lanza. No media outlet in this world would dare publish an honest and thorough exposé of the real life of Adam Lanza and what was really going through his head when he decided to kill 20 innocent children and 6 innocent aged children.

The Humanity Party® has done its homework. We are not afraid to tell the real truth. We are not afraid to report it. We know that only if we start to understand why, can we begin to find a solution to, not only mass shootings, but the increasing number of suicides.

Here is some of what the world believes and is taught about Adam Lanza:

“Lanza attended Sandy Hook Elementary School for four and a half years. He started at Newtown Middle School in 2004 but according to his mother, Nancy, he was 'wracked by anxiety'. His mother told friends her son started getting upset at middle school because of frequent classroom changes during the day. The movement and noise was too stimulating and made him anxious. At one point his anxiety was so intense, his mother took him to the emergency room at Danbury Hospital. In April 2005, she moved him to a new school, St. Rose of Lima, where he lasted only eight weeks.

“At age 14, he went to Newtown High School, where he was named to the honor roll in 2007. Students and teachers who knew him in high school described Lanza as ‘intelligent, but nervous and fidgety’. He avoided attracting attention and was uncomfortable socializing. He is not known to have had any close friends in school. Schoolwork often triggered his underlying sense of hopelessness and by 2008, when Adam turned sixteen he was only going to school occasionally. The intense anxiety Lanza experienced at the time suggests his autism was exacerbated by the hormonal shifts of adolescence. He was taken out of high school and home-schooled by his mother and father. He earned a GED. In 2008 and 2009, he also attended some classes at Western Connecticut State University.”

Some of the clues to the real truth about Adam Lanza are in what the world believes about him, but the world does not want to see Adam as a good, caring human being. The world wants Adam remembered as a monster, as a killer, as a mass shooter, as mentally insane.

The real truth: Adam did not want the children to suffer through the same educational process that he did. This is the only reason why he killed them ... to save them from the world that had abused him.

The Humanity Party® doesn’t want anyone to suffer through the same social and political processes that can change any one of us from a human being into a monster.

We are our biggest problem.

THumP® has the solutions. No one else does.

#the humanity party #sandy hook #thump #suicide #mass shooting #gun control #gun controversy #thomas hamilton #adam lanza #equality #American gun owners #centers for disease control and prevention

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allthecreepylittlethings · 5 years

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Mein Teil: How an Internet Cannibal Inspired a Song

When it comes to controversy, Rammstein is no stranger. The German industrial metal band, who is actually more popular in the US than in Germany, has had a wide variety of songs that often cover dark subject matter as well as equally controversial videos to go along with them. From accusations of supporting Germany's dark history of Hitler's regime (they don't, by the way), to just general offense for the amount of nudity and sexual content they sometimes include in their videos, they tend to be an easy target for moral outrage. One of the difficult things about Rammstein is even if you get past the language barrier (assuming you're like me and are not fluent in German), there are times when, even translated, their songs can be interpreted in a number of ways leaving behind more questions than answers. And maybe that's the point, to force you to think, analyze, and draw your own conclusions. A lot of talented artists use this technique and forcing listeners to have to think is, in my opinion, one of the best contributions an artist can give to their audience.

There is, however, one particular song that is far more obvious in its subject matter and has a creepy story to go along with it. This is the true story behind "Mein Teil," which translates in English to, "My Part."

If you haven't heard this song, here's a link to the audio if you'd like to give it a listen first.

The lyrics of the song are through the eyes of a man who is willingly offering his body to a cannibal to be eaten:

"Heute treff' ich einen Herrn- Today I will meet a gentleman, Der hat mich zum Fressen gern- He likes me so much he could eat me up Weiche Teile und auch harte- Soft parts and even hard ones stehen auf der Speisekarte- Are on the menu..."

The song goes on with the willing victim describing the pride he's taking in the act and how happy he is just to be a part of it. There's also a line suggesting that he's being allowed a taste of himself and that he's enjoying it. As messed up as the scenario sounds, the idea wasn't just pulled out of thin air with the intention to shock for the sake of shock. This was actually a true story that did take place in Germany, and it all started with a disturbing ad posted on the internet.

Our story begins in 2001, when an ad was posted to a website called the Cannibal Cafe. The website, now defunct, was dedicated to those with a fetish for cannibalism and its users would either discuss their desire to indulge in eating another human, or share their stories of doing so and what their experiences were like. While there are many sites like this that are completely fake and intended to frighten anyone who happens to stumble upon them, the Cannibal Cafe was not one of those sites. It was all too real. The site has been shut down but is readily available on the Wayback Machine for the morbidly curious.

It goes without saying the warning on this page is warranted.

One of the most surprising aspects of the sites was this was not a community hidden in the deep web. This was a surface web page and easily accessible to anyone who wanted to find it.

The ad that began it all was posted by a user named "Franky," and was titled, "Search for Young Boys." In broken English and various typos, the ad stated, "If you are between 18 and 30 y/o and have you a normal build body, than come to me, i will butchering and eating your fine flesh. Please mail me your age, High and Wigth, and if you can with a pic." As disturbing as the ad is, probably worse is the fact that several men responded to it, all of them offering up their bodies for Franky to fulfill their own fantasies of being devoured. After screening through several candidates (upwards of 200), Franky found what he was looking for and invited the willing victim into his home.

"Franky," turned out to be a 42-year-old man from Germany named Armin Meiwes, and the man who would ultimately become his meal was a 36-year-old man named Bernd Brandes. Brandes, who was also from Germany, suffered from depression and, upon finding Meiwes' ad, felt he would be the right fit for the job. They exchanged emails for over a month, discussing the arrangements before finally setting a date.

(Left: Armin Meiwes. Right: Bernd Brandes.)

On March 9th of 2001, the pair met up at Meiwes' farmhouse where Brandes was fed sleeping pills and liquid cold medicine. Meiwes then set up a camera to record everything that followed. The act began with Meiwes cutting off Brandes' penis and broiling it. Brandes, who was still conscious, asked if he could try some for himself and Meiwes served him a piece, only for Brandes to complain that the consistency was too chewy to eat.

After this, Meiwes placed Brandes in a warm bath to bleed out while he read for over three hours and waited. Eventually, Brandes attempted to get up multiple times but collapsed from the amount of blood loss, ultimately leading Meiwes to stab him in the throat. After butchering the body, preparing it, and eating his fill, Meiwes packed away the rest of the meat and stored it away to be consumed later. However, an online friend of his later discovered he was placing new ads for more victims and alerted the authorities.

Inside of Armin Meiwes' house where the act took place.

By the time he was investigated, Meiwes had already consumed over 44lbs of Brandes' flesh and willingly confessed to what he had done, even stating that Brandes had tasted exactly like pork. Authorities uncovered what remained of the body inside a freezer as well as the video that had recorded the entire act. The video itself has never been made public and likely never will be, though some of the jury, as well as the journalists who had to watch it, reported needing therapy after to cope with what they had seen. Screenshots have allegedly popped up online since then, but their validity is questionable to say the least.

On January 30th of 2004, Meiwes was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in prison. However the prosecution appealed the conviction, stating that Brandes was not mentally sound, making him incapable to truly consenting to his killing, and that Meiwes should have been convicted of murder, not manslaughter. Meiwes underwent a retrail, this time receiving a murder conviction, and was sentenced to life in prison.

While criminal psychiatrists stated that Meiwes had a "schizoid personality," they found no signs of actual mental illness. Meiwes has since expressed his deep regret for the killing and claims he hopes to write an autobiography in order to encourage people like him to seek out help before it's too late. Reportedly, since his imprisonment, Meiwes has become a vegetarian.

When the members of Rammstein learned of this case and that there was an actual video taken of the crime, they wrote the song, "Mein Teil," and later hoped they could use footage from the tape to incorporate into their music video. Unsurprisingly, they were denied access which left them to their own devices. Ultimately, it led to them shooting a video in a warehouse where they were instructed to do whatever the director wanted, each not knowing what the other was doing, and having all of it eventually compiled into what became the music video. The end result is an even mixture of confusing and creepy:

youtube

Something worth noting about the video, the end scene where the band is being walked like a pack of dogs was likely inspired by a scene from the disturbing movie "Salo: The 120 Days of Sodom," in which the imprisoned victims of the film are forced to crawl naked, on all fours like dogs.

If you're wondering if you should see this movie, the answer is no. No you shouldn't.

Despite not being able to create the music video they would have liked, Rammstein has had live performances of the song that depict the subject matter a little more clearly. And, true to their style, it involves Flake doing something weird and Till having an excuse to use a flamethrower. It's definitely worth watching sheerly for the entertainment value and a way to lighten up this topic in general:

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To add an extra layer of crazy to this story, Armin Meiwes attempted to sue the band, claiming they had no right to make a song about his story without his permission. As of writing this, there are no available details on the lawsuit, but given that the song and the music video have never been pulled, it's probably safe to assume it was either dropped or never made it to court.

For those interested, Rammstein has written other songs inspired by true stories that are well worth researching and I may cover another one in a future post. They are far from the only band out there to have done this, but this just happened to be one of my personal favorites.

Sources:

Profile: Cannibal Armin Meiwes: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3443803.stm

German Cannibal Armin Meiwes: https://www.bizarrepedia.com/cannibal-armin-meiwes/

Armin Meiwes on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armin_Meiwes

Manslaughter Verdict for Cannibal: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3443293.stm

Rammstein Sued by German Cannibal: http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rammstein-sued-by-german-cannibal/

Mein Teil (from the Rammstein Wiki): https://rammstein.fandom.com/wiki/Mein_Teil

#mein teil #rammstein #armin meiwes #bernd brandes #cannibal cafe #true crime #cannibalism #tw: gore #tw: murder #tw: graphic

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hanash-tyrasea · 4 years

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When Bad Things Happen

The physical experience offers all to you... All the sorrow and all the pain, as well as the opportunity for absolute freedom and joy. The question “Why do bad things happen?” is one WE hear constantly; in the prayers of millions suffering from untold horrors, loss, illness, violence and more.

There are many who are coming to the awareness that if humans simply raise their frequency, nothing bad will happen. You may be able to see just how incorrect this idea is...

WE must say - this is not how things work. When a human is experiencing great pain, they are not experiencing this because they weren’t guarding their emotions, or their frequency was low so they brought the negativity on themselves... This is what WE have termed, Spiritual Tyranny. The implication within this line of thinking is faulty, for many reasons.

Firstly, no one who is suffering is helped when others blame them for their situation. When others state the problems one has is because they were unaware or unwilling to shift their energy body to attract good things to them is simply cruel and steeped in the faulty religious ideals about how God punishes you for your behavior, your thoughts or your lack of respect to the fearsome God presence. This is never the way of Divine Energy... And, in their superior & critical tone, they create more suffering for the person. There is no good that comes from this.

Equally negative are those who believe the dialog about raising your frequency to manifest a more lovely life, is wrong or incorrect. This means (to them) ... bad things happen due to outside influences and there is no human control involved. This is only partially accurate. When a human lives within a state of fear or negativity, they ARE subject to its matching and equal energy in their physical life.

Think of the scientific proof of the value of education, love and acceptance has on a child, as they grow into adults. The environment absolutely informs the child and gives them options they wouldn’t receive if raised without these simple elements as their foundation. The frequency of acceptance, love and encouragement definitely makes a difference in the small one’s mind and therefore their growth and the options they end up having AND creating.

If someone grows up without enough food, they will always have a sense of hunger, no matter if they become abundantly fed later on. If someone lives with plenty of food and a warm shelter to bask in, but isn’t loved or valued, they will grow up with similar difficulties to the hungry child.

Not enough-ness will be their experience AND their energetic set point. No matter how much these people try to overcome their feelings, without focusing on their relationship to Source, they will have moments of success, followed by a dive back into familiar energy. Until and unless one makes their energy body and relationship with Source, God, etc. their primary relationship, when bad things happen (and they always do) rather than being tossed around by the situation, they will benefit from the desire that is born out of the experience and strive to raise their frequency higher to learn and grow. No human can avoid difficulties, but all humans can learn to reach for the jewels within their struggles or due to them.

How many humans have terrible experiences and they simply can’t cycle out of the pain, which brings them into more pain? Many of these people will only suffer more and more... while some may come to the conclusion they no longer care to be alive. And how many humans have terrible events occur who use their pain to surrender to Source and find themselves being buoyed up even higher BECAUSE the negative experience forced them to let go and trust the invisible energy provided by their God?

The person who struggles with life can also have physical issues inside their brain that requires medical intervention. This is a difficult position for one to be in, because it’s a mental state. Mental illness is not given the same attention as someone who develops cancer. In fact, these humans are often shamed rather than given help.

Also, there is another significant factor most of you are not conscious of...

Within the human, physical experience, there are programs and coding, which play a part in the physical experience. Think of all the millions of humans living in abject poverty, while only a few have all they need and more. The imbalance is obvious, yet nothing is done to right these wrongs, due to an energetic coding all physical humans live with. Some are literally slaves to others, which was established eons ago. This is no one’s ‘fault’, but it is something real and tangible in the energy body of humans. Beliefs, habits and even DNA within the physical form have influence in your lives and as mentioned recently, these times you are living in are designed to bring conscious awareness to the programs you have and change them.

Without the negative events, tragedies and loss, you would remain completely oblivious to this and nothing would change for you... there would be no impetus.

Finally, there are many dimensions to life. There is the 3rd dimension, where the physical world resides. This is what you see, feel and touch. Energetically, there are a 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th dimensions active as well. Additionally, WE could point out there are parallel universes to the one you are consciously aware of.

So you see, it’s far too simplistic to look at the physical experience, deem something ‘bad’ and wander down the road of being a victim for your life. There are many aspects of existence at play and the easiest way to affect positive change is when you face the difficulty, but never wallow in it for long. Get support from those who see your power, not those who will rally with you about what a victim you are.

Being committed to joy means you face your pain and allow it to bear the fruit of desire for something different, for relief from the sorrow, for the connection to love you aren’t feeling. It’s merely a step in your life, not THE only step you’ll ever take.

WE realize that sometimes, events occur that are so horrible, people are literally unable to cycle out of the fear left within their hearts. Even with this level of tragedy, humans can overcome but this does not happen as long as a person identifies as a victim. Yes, they may have been victimized by someone or an accident but this indicates ‘something happened’ NOT ‘this is your new title’

VICTIM v.s. VICTIMIZED

By relying on expanded consciousness and developing the primary relationship with Source, nothing can ruin you AND this is simple while not always easy.

Be gentle with yourselves and with others... The Change of Times is in full effect and now is the time to raise yourself to new places... Oh, and get a cat or a dog. They are immensely helpful when you are low...

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the-oreoluwa-blog · 5 years

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Thought Paper #2: Misrepresentation

Regardless if what you see or hear is a fantasy, when it is constantly in your face it becomes your reality. Media has always been a powerful force in society, and heavily influences the way one can perceive other people, communities around them, and the world. The media contributes to the maintenance of inequalities because it pushes the notion that whiteness is rightness. With the subtle and blatant dehumanization of people of color, especially Black people, cause an exaggerated and unnecessary sense fear and puts a target on the backs of marginalized groups. bell hook’s Oppositional Gaze touches on the ways Black people should look at these incorrect representations and what should be done about them. hooks also goes into the difference in how Black men and women look at these representations and how Black women are more often than not get the short end of the stick. The difference in how Black and White people are treated in schools, businesses, the justice system, and advertising heavily relies on the way the media puts us out in the public. How deep these differences go also bring light to the difference in how Black men and women are represented in the media as well.

How are group of people is represented in the media, true or not, often is how society sees that group. From being nameless in the media to only have stereotypical roles available in entertainment, Black people are constantly victims of inequality. In media like the news White people are given the benefit of the doubt when they commit crimes. Their names, occupations, accolades, number of children, dog’s name, and favorite things to do are displayed when speaking of this White person that committed a crime. Even pictures that give them suburban and innocent demeanor are shown as well. This makes the person seen as if they are incapable of committing a crime, and if not always, most of the time makes you think maybe they got the wrong person. But in the case of Black people, incriminating pictures are used to show the accused. News networks will mention any potential prior or accused crimes of the person as well, making it extremely difficult to not see Black people as criminals and dangerous.

On the same note, but a different token the same type of framing happens with school shooting vs. any kind of violence committed by Black people. In the history of school shooting, an overwhelming amount of them have been committed by White men, but instead of seeing these people as the criminals they are, they get dubbed as mentally ill. And although that is the easy way to explain such tragic events, the reality is that not every person that does horrible things is “crazy”. I bring this up due to the fact that the same energy is not kept when Black people are involved. I personally do not know of any Black people who have committed mass shootings, and maybe that is my lack of knowledge or that there haven’t been any, but what I do know is that when Black people commit crimes like killings the media can’t even begin to conceive the idea that they could have mental illnesses as well. Having to deal with it being mandatory to work two to eight times harder than everyone else around you, having to grow up sooner than your counterparts, having to calculate every move you make around certain people and police, having to potentially code switch based on who you are speaking to, especially if you want to continue to or even just simply be employed, having to fight and protest for things that you deserve, having to see people you know being killed and abused because of the color of their skin, and having a goal be seeing the light of day tomorrow, Black people are forced to deal with so much just to be able to survive, and maybe make a living in this world, all of these are very possible reasons that a person could be mentally ill, or commit a crime, but being Black doesn’t come with the benefit of the doubt.

The misrepresentation of Black people is deeply rooted in this country. With caricatures like the Black Sambo, who played on the idea that the enslaved were content, and even happy about their place in society. The Black Mammy, who was depicted as pitch black, fat and happily obedient to her master and mistress. The Zip Coon, who was a caricature that mocked Black people in the North. It portrayed a Black person attempting to “act” white in their speech, dressing, and behavior, but failing miserably. The Zip Coon was a caricature that made inequality a joke because it made it seem that Black people were incapable of being the equal of white people. The Sapphire, who portrays black women as rude, loud, malicious, stubborn, and overbearing, the use of the Sapphire created the “angry black woman” stereotype. All of this caricatures were how Black people were represented in the media, and White people fed into them. Whether it was being a part of one of the many minstrel shows or consuming them without questioning if these things were even true. These caricatures were referenced in the documentary Ethnic Notions, directed by Marlon Riggs. Ethnic Notions dissected the anti-black stereotypes that have and still do penetrate the media. This documentary opened my eyes to how in most cases Black people are taken for a joke, our misrepresented experiences, pain, and oppression was, a still is used for comedic pleasure.

To be Black in this society is hard, and to be a Black women in this society is harder. Oppositional Gaze, an essay written by Gloria Jean Watkins, better known by her pen name bell hooks, is an American author, feminist, and social activist. The name "bell hooks" is derived from that of her great-grandmother, Bell Blair Hooks. hooks speaks on the difference in how Black women and Black men are viewed and relate to the media she also discusses the importance of gaze. The meaning I got from gaze was being conscious, which is why I believe people who are politically and socially powerful want the masses to be separated from their gazes. This lack of consciousness ultimately allows people who have no concept of the Black experience to make a profit off of it’s misrepresentation. This misrepresentation affects all Black people, but due to the different types of gazes we have the effect is more severe for some. For example, due to Black men have the male gaze they can connect to the media they watch, whether it be the way the view women, sexuality, life, or education. Although for Black women the representation we see only goes as far as our bodies, sexualities, and perceived attitudes.

hooks speaks about the caricature of the Sapphire in the text as well. She describes the Sapphire’s purpose as being the one who makes the Black man likeable, humorous, and human to the audience, by being the opposite. When I read this I thought of the Black women on tv that I have seen and were most likely suppose to represent these Sapphires. There were Thelma and Winona from Good Times, Thelma would always make fun of her brother J.J. and insult his intelligence, and Winona always criticized Bookman for his weight. Others included the notorious Pam from Martin, Gina’s best friend who would go back and forth with Martin anytime they saw each other. I then thought about how all three of these women happen to be of a darker skin-tone. This made me dig deeper into the angry Black woman stereotype. Think, most of the time when someone is described as an “angry Black woman” they are dark, which demonizes dark skinned women. But what I don’t understand with the stereotype is why no on ever asked why these women are angry. In all honesty with the examples I gave it is because the men they criticized didn’t know how to act, and the way the audience takes this arguing might be deeper than it actually is. Most people insult the people their close with, and at the end of the day it’s all jokes, but its when Black people do it it’s seen as “castration of the Black man”. Then I compared Thelma, Pam, and Winona to Whitley Gilbert from A Different World, and realized that Whitley had many of the same characteristics of these women, but due to her wealth, pristine attitude, and skin color she was seen as just being sassy. Whitley, before she fell in love with Dwayne, would insult and make fun of any and everyone, regardless if they initiated it or not. So, why is Whitley Gilbert, not seen as a Sapphire?

The way the media portrays that Black community is detrimental to our advancement. More often than the way we are treated by society heavily relies on how people see us. People will tell you that they form their own opinions, but in reality if something is in your face enough you will believe it. A possible solution to this issue is to have more Black reporters, actors, doctors, engineers, and business owners to show that we more than a statistic. The humanization of Black people is something that needs to be brought to life as well. Say our names, show our accolades, explain that we have children, siblings and parents, discuss the possibility of mental illness, and give us the benefit of the doubt regardless of how light or dark we are. Show Black people as what we are, people.

Works Cited

“Oppositional Gaze.” Black Looks: Race and Representation, by Bell Hooks, South End Press, 1992, pp. 115–131.

Riggs, Marlon, director. Ethnic Notions. California Newsreel, 1987.

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idolizerp · 6 years

Photo

[ LOADING INFORMATION ON IMPERIAL’S MAIN RAP, SUB VOCAL JANUS…. ]

DETAILS

CURRENT AGE: 23 DEBUT AGE: 18 SKILL POINTS: 09 VOCAL | 08 DANCE | 11 RAP | 12 PERFORMANCE SECONDARY SKILLS: Lyric writing

INTERVIEW

he has a pre - existing fan base. 99 entertainment is well aware of this ––––––––- well aware that there are people who saw him first appear on a chinese talent show at the age of eleven and then witnessed his poorly - anticipated debut at fourteen. while that was unsuccessful, his ‘ reappearance ’ in korea was expected to turn heads. nine years have passed since then. it is so, so easy to market him: ye jianhong ( who formerly went by his birth name of lin ) is all grown up now. his cheeks have slimmed, voice deepened, eyes sharpened.

they say that he has matured, gesturing to him with wide, sweeping movements of their metaphorical arms. look at him! tall, handsome, clever, wise, approachable, sensible, the picture - perfect young man, though he did previously face criticism for indifference and insensitivity when a member left. yes, he’s far more outspoken in his native language ( the way he uses his members as thesauri elicits coos and aww’s every single time ), but he’s still remarkably enlightened for a man of so few years. though he certainly looks the part, many refuse to acknowledge that he’s still only twenty - three. it works for him, though. his precociousness highlights his growth; although it’s long been settled, people still to this day side with him over the falling out he had with his old company.

overall, he’s a large selling point. with or without his baby - face or his sad past, the public acknowledges janus’s talent. he’s a well - rounded young man ––––––––- the overzealous suggest he might go solo, that he could replace any member if he truly wanted ––––––––- who is still humble enough to admit that there is much he can do to improve. his pushy fans earn him a reputation of being a try - hard. what business does he have doing everything from singing, dancing, rapping, and cultivating a variety personality? what exactly are his intentions? is he naturally gifted in all of these realms, or is janus planning to leave too?

even jianhong ( not lin, never lin again ) isn’t quite sure. he knows the road of a soloist is a hard one to walk. he’s not eager to tread it again. but what is he doing? oh, lord, if only an answer would come to him. how funny, given the advice he excels at dispensing. the most likely answer, he surmises, is that he’s just doing the only thing he knows how to: perform. that is the expected result of spending just about half of one’s life in the entertainment industry.

to 99, it’s yet another good thing. he’s easy to mold.

BIOGRAPHY

01.

being left on the doorstep of an orphanage is unremarkable. being adopted is slightly less so. but many people in the world are adopted. picked up by the scruffs of their necks like kittens and deemed acceptable to house. maybe to love, if they’re lucky ––––––––- and he is. the couple that takes him in is too old to have children of their own. they take his given name ( lin: torrential downpour ) and turn it into a positive, showering him with love.

it’s a happy existence, even if he’s still too young to appreciate just how wonderful he has it.

02.

grade school isn’t difficult. he’s cute, cherubic. ye lin has a wonderful smile and magnetic compassion. helping others comes naturally to him, his teachers write. a delight to have in class, an excellent student. they think he will be something in the future. lacking the tact for a career in public speaking, they suggest he would do well in both academia and civil service. patient and kind, there are few that despise him, and they only do so because they envy his large social web.

that’s okay. he can’t win over everyone.

03.

when he’s ten, his parents are nearing fifty. his mother feels a lump on her breast. when she goes to the doctor, the prognosis is… ambivalent. she’s not going to die immediately and there is hope for recovery, but it is almost unattainable. comfortably middle class, they’re still not rich enough to afford the treatment she needs to regain her health. ye lin is faced with mortality for the first time in his life.

terrified, he takes to the streets with his guitar and sings on a plastic stool outside of restaurants. it’s not very lucrative, but every dollar counts. ( he tells his parents that he’s making extra money tutoring. they think this is preposterous, considering the fact that his grades are starting to fail because of his extracurricular activities. )

lin surprises people with his voice: they’re impressed that such a large one comes from such a small boy. it’s dangerous ––––––––- busking at a young age and such an innocent mind makes it easy for him to be preyed upon. he’s still a lucky boy, though, and the only person who approaches him ( and whom he believes ) is a producer who invites him onto a national talent show. there will be an audition fee, she warns, but the money prize and national recognition are well worth the investment.

he’s not sure how long his mother has left to live, but he still wants to take the chance.

it’s perhaps the smartest thing he’s ever done.

china, for about fifteen minutes, loves him.

04.

ye lin is endearing enough to net a contract to one of the lesser prestigious ( but still successful ) entertainment companies in china. third place is not the same as first ––––––––- but it affords similar privileges. he never planned on becoming an idol. his company, however, markets him as one. an up - and - comer. he gained popularity by playing an instrument and sitting on a chair, but he’s a surprisingly quick learner. dancing isn’t as hard as he thought it would be; given how much emotion plays into it, it’s no wonder he’s so successful.

eventually, they phase out the guitar altogether. a microphone in his hand or taped to his cheek, soulful folk transforms into effervescent pop. his round cheeks add an extra dimension of lovability that will ( so they say ) earn him and them huge, huge sums of money. his friendship with one of the trainees has the company thinking about slapping him into a duo rather than having him be a solo act. the two have chemistry, and they fill each other’s weaknesses quite well. lin finds himself liking the idea quite a bit.

he doesn’t think of the logistics of their career. instead, he ponders the way his cheeks warm whenever he’s around the other boy, the pounding in his chest as he speaks to him. the way the other’s lips look so soft and welcoming, and then ––––––––- the ache when he gets pushed away after a far - too - short kiss. i don’t feel the same way are the most heartbreaking words he’s ever heard in his life. when the boy leaves a few months later, lin doesn’t believe him when he says that it wasn’t his fault.

young love ( true love ) hurts. practice doesn’t. he throws himself into the latter, hoping that it will patch up the pieces of his heart, which cracks with each heave of his chest. the company praises his hard work even as they sneer at him for driving one of their best and brightest away.

his debut at the age of fourteen is anticlimactic. three years after his not - win, it is all too easy for the public to forget he ever existed. his name is a dim recollection that has people coming to him just because they remember his heartbreaking rendition of meeting in aobao in the finale, only to be greeted by a completely different genre. again, lin’s talent is acknowledged, accompanied by some surprise at his versatility. that’s about as far as he gets: a passing ‘ oh, wow. that’s him? ’ he isn’t quite a flop, but there is little success beyond the little splash he first makes. girls around his age are the most loyal; the only problem is that they are few in numbers and less likely to spend money on him. modest success, apparently, isn’t enough for his company. they expected more from him. he’s a let down.

05.

equally unfortunate is the speed at which the world moves. once the nation’s darling, then an okay ( c - list, if anything ) star, he becomes old news. though several teens stubbornly cling onto him, hope for further work quickly fades. he is replaced both in the hearts of his fans and within his company itself. the public moves on from the novelty of his age to talents they can lust over. objectification elicits slightly less guilt if the victim is of age. old enough to be ogled at. fourteen is just a bit too young. so he gets shelved. ( it stings a little that tfboys is so successful, their eldest member debuting at the same age that he did. maybe he was just too early. it leaves a lot of what ifs. ) then fifteen passes him by, and he’s starting to realize that by the time he turns eighteen, he’ll be even older news. he’ll never be let out of the dungeon. the fact that he hasn’t been paid for the past year should be sign enough that the company has no intentions of letting him see the light of day ever again.

he takes matters into his own hands.

following in the footsteps of the love of his life, ye lin leaves.

a lawsuit ensues, with a heavy burden of 40 million yuan lobbed at him. it’s daunting. while the company doesn’t have a sterling enough reputation to influence an absolute victory, one young man versus a large corporation is a frightening concept. his father help as best they can, but he's no lawyer. the man's compulsivity and his wife's illness ( may she rest in peace ) end up being what saves lin. records of his contract and the payments made ( or, rather, not made ) as pledged cinch the promise of victory. the excuse that the company was going to give him a comeback within the few months, already well into preparations, was meant to guilt trip him. it doesn’t, even as he still pays reparations for the man hours he lost them by leaving. he chooses to settle rather than take the chance of losing. but in the end, he’s free.

he’s only fifteen, and he’s so very tired.

empty. lost.

the life of a normal person is lost to him. his old friends are strangers. his home broken. a whole world just… gone.

what else is there for him to do?

06.

hearing his soulmate had fled overseas, lin decides to do the same. he’s not going to pursue him, oh no, but the idea of a new start is so very tempting. he has never been one to resist. with a teary goodbye and promises to call whenever he can, he takes off northward to south korea. he changes his name to jianhong ––––––––- a bit on the nose concerning his metamorphosis motif ––––––––- and history repeats itself.

busking in hongdae, he’s now a little more wary of the man who hands him a business card rather than tossing money into his guitar case. jianhong does his research before deciding to call. though a relatively new company, he thinks it’s rather strong. anything’s better than the hellhole he left behind ––––––––- but 99 entertainment isn’t just anything. his korean is poor, with only as much aid as a tiny, pocket - sized phrasebook can afford, and he realizes at his audition that he’s a little rusty. despite this, though, they see something in him.

star power, he speculates with some amusement.

the man behind the camera recognizes him with wide eyes and a light gasp ––––––––- “ you! you’re that little boy! ”

“ not now, ” jianhong says, shaking his head. “ different now. ”

07.

ye lin was a vocalist. ye jianhong ( janus, after the roman god ) is a rapper. the people who remember the former are surprised, which is to be expected. half of his old fans leave. he isn’t who they used to love. that’s his intention: to leave ye lin behind. yet, he's still popular enough to win. eighteen years old, not as fresh faced as one might expect, janus becomes imperial’s main rapper. he doesn’t abandon his singing entirely and takes the role of sub vocalist, appeasing those who have been there since ye lin’s beginning. if pressed to count them, he would guess that there are only two. it becomes apparent, over time, however, just who he really wants to be.

everything else, really, falls to the wayside. he doesn’t mind his members ––––––––- might even go as far as to say that they’re friends, if one got him drunk enough. but when one leaves, he doesn’t seem as heartbroken as he could be. “ is he heartless? ” netizens ask, pointing at his apathetic expression upon imperial’s first outing since the news. they’re quick to turn on him. “ what do you expect? he’s chinese. he thinks we’re all the dirt beneath his feet. ”

suffice to say, jianhong figures the hiatus is yet again his fault.

does he care? it’s a hard question to answer.

08.

he takes the time, almost two years, to work even harder. if he can’t be loved, then he’ll be an artist. a monument of skill and talent that even the most delusional can’t deny. he works on writing lyrics, sharpens his movements, studies languages, makes sure that there isn’t a single weakness that can be exploited. a jack of all trades. he can’t win over everyone. but at least he can prove himself.

and when imperial comes back, it’s a breath of fresh air. he pulls his head out of the sand, realizing just what had happened in the world around him while he was busy practicing self - cultivation. it’s easier to relax. to be himself.

one appearance on hello counselor ––––––––- a tentative one where neither he nor 99 were able to forecast his reception ––––––––- spawns such a surge of popularity that he even gets his own special cushion and pair of socks and reserved spot to stage right. where his callousness was decried just under twenty - four months ago, awe is instead expressed: “ oh, he’s so smart. how very level - headed! he’s so mature, i would’ve yelled at that guy! ”

he doesn’t quite win the public back over. but there’s a newfound respect for him, now. 99 makes sure to emphasize how precarious his situation is, and they forcefully insist that he doesn’t do anything to jeopardize imperial’s reputation. they will send him to places where he’s asked for, but jianhong does best when he’s holed up and working on their music. somebody comes up with a softer way to phrase it: they just need a little more time to make him palatable again. for now, he’s not exactly safe from falling off the proverbial cliff.

he doesn’t mind. jianhong’s used to teetering on the edge.

it’s almost a comforting feeling, really.

#id.bio #id.imperial #id.99

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sexyrawvegan · 6 years

Text

Guns, man.

What a lady posted from her brother.