#the criticism because you think his adhd excuses his actions | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scoups4lyfe · 2 years

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Hebi Anon

Yeah, that little scene of Taro tossing Haruka aside cemented him in my mind as an asshole

Haruka and Saruhara were nothing but nice and helpful this entire episode. They saw he was basically ill and, completely of their own accord, went to find answers and a solution.

Sure the first time it didn't work properly because Jin is an asshole who withholds critical information (about his SON) for no reason, but it did help. Taro would never have been able to save so many people during that chase if they didn't give him that first round of kibi dango. Then they again go out of their way to do it properly. Even when Kaito ends up bringing one too little, Taro even admits that (somehow, why is never explained and that's a writing pet peeve of mine), Haruka's actions made up for that deficit.

And then he just tosses her aside without even a thank you. For what? For laughs? Haruka has been nothing but helpful and he does that? There is no amount of neurodivergency that can excuse that, that's just the actions of an asshole.

Once you get up to the point where I gave up on Donbrothers I'll give a full write up of why I hate Taro (warning in advance, it actually involves some deep seated traumatic rage)

Time to put on my Momoi-Apologist glasses (LOL)

I should preface this first: Your thoughts are completely valid. I can see why you'd dislike Tarou after he throws Haruka halfway across the yard, rip. Seems like he's just taking her effort for granted and being a huge jerkwad. I just hope y'all Momoi antis can take a few deep breathes and come into my analysis with an open mind. Cause I love discussion.

I'm also prefacing that I'll be quoting from academic material and books as well, so prepare for that. This will probably be unnecessarily long so I'm putting a cut here too

Me and Nacho actually discussed Momoi quite a bit, and one thing that had continued to stump me was how Momoi would completely change his personality the moment he transformed.

Dude just idk became iNSANE to me. And so I really was like ???

So here's a set of questions I'm going to try and answer and explain.

(1) Why does Momoi's personality change when he becomes Don Momotaro?

(2) Why does he answer everything he's asked?

(3)Why does he hit or disrespect his teammates or attack them in battle when he says he "doesn't hit people"

Let's get into it.

So first:

" And then he just tosses her aside without even a thank you. For what? For laughs? Haruka has been nothing but helpful and he does that? There is no amount of neurodivergency that can excuse that, that's just the actions of an asshole."

Quoting this down here because I disagree. "There is no amount of neurodivergency that can excuse that, that's just the actions of an asshole." I think its really easy to see Momoi's behaviors and label him an a$$hole.

But he acts like that for a reason.

He's on the spectrum.

I’m not equating being on the spectrum with ‘bad’ or ‘ rude behavior. I’m saying Momoi deals and processes and copes in a different way.

(Is this an excuse? No. But I want it to be noted here that his mind fundamentally works differently. ADHD is similar to Autism in a lot of ways, but there are still a lot of differences, and that doesn't account for differences among individuals as well.)

So let's get to it.

(1) Why does his personality change?

(Inserting a conversation I had with Nacho about this. For context, we where discussing episode 7, when Momoi calls them, Haruka and Haiku, his "companions". Nacho told me what word he was saying and why they reacted like that LOL. )

Nacho:

So tomodachi, to me that word insinuates an affection between two people, like high school classmates. Japanese school, you see the same people you're whole life so your bonds with your school friends are just a tiny step down from family

So it might not necessarily be a deep friendship, but it's the most obviously affectionate

Nakama is more about a bond like you're people on a journey. So like, less affection, but more devotion. Like you feel a strong loyalty to someone, but you might not define yourselves as close in any sense of the word

And then Tarou freaking says that they're his お供 (otomo) LOL!!!!

Which is very, Idk, it sounds archaic

It give me a mental image of a rogue vagabond and is 5 sidekicks. In medieval Japan.

Otomo is different than otmodachi. Like it's spelled different too :))

お供 (otomo) is spelled with the kanji for submit/offer/serve/accompany

Which is why it gives this image to me (rogue vagabond). And why it's HILARIOUS that he called them that.

Basically "you're my sidekick companions"

No wonder his friends were like "HUH????" Truly the appropriate reaction.

Ngl, now that the idea was planted, Tarou does remind me of my autistic family members

Idk, maybe fixated is the wrong word but Idk the correct ones. But having a preference for certain speech patterns and not differing from them to incorporate nuance in conversation.

Like Idk all the context, but like for whatever reason, Tarou is attached to talking or referencing or alluding to archaic language. Assuming that Tarou is on the spectrum, he might not be able to really incorporate the nuances of molding himself into the legendary hero he wants to be—hence he adapts old language and this goofy personality bc it comes with the package of being Momotarou.

It'd be like if I thought to myself that I want to mold myself into a Superman-esque persona, but I also put on the blue spandex and wore fake glasses randomly

Those things have nothing to do with what Superman's admirable qualities are, but I'd be unable to take some qualities and leave the other, have to do things in black and white.

Me: Woah. I was wondering why Momoi always acted insane specifically when he transforms. Like he doesn't normally go around WAHAHA'ing

Nacho: Right. I mean that part especially reminds me of my autistic family members LOL. Definitely should read up more about it, but adhering to some sort of predictable character/caricature that they admire, that brings comfort. It's jarring for people not on the spectrum bc we read social cues that tell us some behaviors are odd, but others can't tell that.

Like it's obvious not to randomly laugh like a maniac to us, but it's not obvious to people on the spectrum.

[I ask about why Momoi answers every question he's asked]

Nacho: Pasting this from the American Journal of Medicine,

"Autistic patients commonly demonstrate restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. For example, as children or adults, autistic individuals may continue to repetitively handle and play with objects such as toy automobiles rather than interacting with other persons. These repetitive actions are referred to as “stimming”—self-stimulating behaviors, usually involving repetitive movements or sounds.""

Nacho: I'm sure we all know this to some extent but you know, using a real source this time LOL

So yeah with this, for people who aren't autistic, change is normal

J: but people with autism need the repetition?

Nacho: Yeah exactly, for autistic people, rigidity is normal, not change .So even people who are neurodivergent and can't pick up social cues, they will naturally try to find the answer.

J: I see, that's why when change is introduced to them, it can tend to cause a lot of stress....right?

Nacho: Right, and from my understanding, the idea that you can change your behavior, that's foreign.

I don't want to assume that there ISN'T any truth to the argument that Tarou is not trying to change. BUT I think it's important to consider how change is something that's only normal to some people.

Like in a more physical manifestation of autism, a kid might do repetitive things like scratching their ear right? Someone might say "why aren't they trying to change?"

Especially when they get older. But the idea that someone would think "man, I should change this thing I'm doing"--that doesn't even register as an option

It's like a tricky multiple choice question

Where you have answers A and B

And then the teacher tells you it should've been C: neither. And you're like "BUT THAT WASN'T AN OPTION"

Again,

I don't think Tarou realizes that avoiding to talk is even an option. It's only A or B

/end of our conversation/

(This was all Nacho's brilliant analysis lmao. I noted when I talked or when J talked. So if I didn't note it specifically, assume Nacho was talking.)

Anyways, this brought me the realization that Momoi's personality changes because he's putting on a character, a 'persona'. He doesn't know how to be the hero "Momotarou" without it.

It's easy to imagine too.

Like Jin named Momoi after the Momotarou fairytale. It would be a fair assumption to think that he would then read him the fairytale or tell him about it?

And so Momoi is essentially doing what the fairytale Momotarou did.

Heroes being pricks isn't a new concept either. A lot of them are portrayed as having a sort of natural "bravado." Like Tony Stark for instance. He's arrogant, a narcissist, AND he's rude. And you can see some of that bravado in Momoi.

NOW! Time to get on quotes from my research.

This topic had me looking into books, and so I read "Uniquely Human" by Barry M. Prizant.

And this gave me the language to analyze Momoi and somewhat hypothesize why he acts the way that he does.

"When a child with extreme sensory sensitivities enters a noisy room and cups his hands over his ears and rocks his body, this pattern of behavior is simultaneously a sign of dysregulation and a coping strategy. You could call it “autistic behavior.” Or you could ask “Why is he doing that?” The answer is twofold: the child is revealing that something is amiss and that he has developed a response to shut out what is causing him anxiety."

"Whether or not we realize it, all humans employ these rituals and habits to help us regulate ourselves—soothe ourselves, calm our minds and bodies, and help us cope. Perhaps, like many people, you find public speaking unnerving. To calm yourself, you might take a series of deep breaths or pace back and forth while you speak. That’s not exactly the way humans typically breathe or behave in public, but an observer would not judge this as deviant behavior. The person would understand that it’s your way to cope with the stress of the situation and to soothe your nerves so that you can do your best.

When I return home from a day of work, I immediately check the mailbox, then sort the mail, placing bills in one pile, magazines in another, and tossing what I don’t need in the recycling bin. It would take a significant distraction for me to skip that small but important ritual; then I would feel out of sorts on some level until I took care of it. It’s a calming routine; it’s how I come home.

For people with autism, comforting rituals and coping mechanisms come in all varieties: moving in particular ways, speaking in various patterns, carrying familiar items, lining up objects to create predictable and unchanging surroundings. Even proximity to certain people can serve as a regulating strategy. After coming home from a busy school day, Aaron, who was eight, had a habit of placing both palms on a table in front of him and then rhythmically jumping in place. His parents noted that the intensity and duration of his jumping were a good barometer of how stressful his day had been. Just as infants are comforted and soothed by being rocked, and toddlers run in circles to stay awake, we all use movement to modulate our emotional and physiological arousal.

If people with autism feel underaroused, they increase their alertness by spinning, bouncing, or swinging. If they’re overstimulated, they might calm themselves by pacing, snapping their fingers, or staring at a fan.

Ok. Let's take a break from quoting LOL!

I bolded this part because it really stood out to me; things were beginning to make a lot of sense with this knowledge in the back of my mind as I re-examine some of Momoi’s behaviors.

What does Momoi do every time he transforms, or right before he does something crazy? He laughs.

"WAHAHAHA." <-He does this because it helps increase his alertness.

Likewise, in episode 7, why do you think Momoi got out his fan right before he aggravated the MOTW? It's because he was upset at his comrades being attacked and he needed something comforting to focus on, to help him calm down. After he gets it out he starts laughing --> He's ready to be Don Momotarou.

Tarou needs to "flip on" his Don character when he goes into fighting because it makes having to fight a possibility for him. He's changing the script from "battle" to "play/game".

Un-transformed he says "I don't hit people" and this is true.

But transformed he does; like in this Haruka example listed by Hebi anon. He does (hit people) because he has to and this helps him cope with that.

Now, so why did he hit Haruka / attack his comrades? >:)

Quote: (Uniquely Human)

Seeking to eliminate behavior without fully understanding its purpose is not only unhelpful; it also shows a lack of respect for the individual. Worse, it can make life more difficult for the person with autism. That was the case for Lucy, an eleven-year-old. Her public school teachers had reported that Lucy, who did not speak, was an extremely aggressive child, prone to unpredictably lunging and clawing at the faces and necks of teachers and therapists. When I spent a morning observing her in my role advising the district, the problem became clear. Much of the work the educators and therapists were doing with Lucy consisted of matching exercises; they repeatedly asked her to match pictures and images on cards or to point to pictures on command.

I quickly deduced why Lucy appeared to be springing at her teachers. In the midst of the activity, the assistant abruptly changed course. She stopped showing pictures and instead wrote Lucy’s name on a card, placed it in a row with other cards, and asked the girl to identify it. Almost immediately Lucy dove toward the young woman, trying to pull on her blouse in protest.

Why?

The therapist had shifted the pattern, changing the rules without warning.

When a highly anxious child craves routine to understand the world, it’s no wonder a sudden change throws her off. To test my theory, later that day I watched Lucy stroll with a teacher along a familiar school hallway. Then I suggested that the teacher alter the route from the usual routine. When she did, Lucy, suddenly upset, again lunged and grabbed at the teacher’s neck and blouse just as she had before.

It was clear that the grabbing wasn’t aggressive behavior; it was a plea for support at a moment of extreme confusion. Lucy didn’t intend harm. She was confounded during a familiar activity; she had become more anxious and dysregulated, approaching a state of panic.

....

So Momoi didn't intend on harming Haruka here, but because he spent the entire episode ill and vulnerable, what was routine had been changed. He did this as "a plea of support at a moment of extreme confusion." Basically, the power dynamics in their "play" shifted. He had been relying on Haruka (when he usually doesn't rely on anyone, mostly always in control of the battle) and by throwing her he's doing it to show thanks.

"I am able to be myself again. You helped me go back to being a hero." (Play his role)

Haruka had shifted the pattern, changing the rules. Likewise, when they went to defeat the monster in episode 3 and FAILED -- she swears fealty and he responds by kicking her and then attacking his teammates (LOL). This is because Sononi disrupted the pattern (defeat monster, save person). She interrupted the routine and killed the monster/human and Momoi didn't know how to regulate himself. Therefore he chose to attack his teammates.

Esp because he only attacked Haruka AFTER she swore fealty, so basically, she was saying "yeah I'll be ur helpful sidekick" and at that moment Momoi needed help getting rid of his anxiety/aggression/confusion at the routine being disrupted and a person being killed.

In episode 7 they ask him "yo, if we're ur companions why did u attack us?" And Momoi said it was to train them so 'they wouldn't hold him back'

For me, I think what Tarou's really trying to communicate, is that he attacks them because HE sees it as a way to protect his friends from being harmed. The first time he ever attacked them was in the episode where his routine was interrupted and they failed to save someone. I don't doubt this made Momoi upset, and anxious. He doesn't want his friends to die like that monster did and he doesn't want more monsters to die (in general) therefore --> attacking his teammates = training = they can protect themselves and save monsters ergo his routine won't get interrupted and they won't be "holding him back"

"Holding him back" can also metaphorically mean emotionally. Like instead of holding him back cuz they're weak, it's more they're holding him back because if he's busy being worried/anxious about them he won't be able to focus on the battle.

...

Another book I read for research "The Reason I Jump: The inner-voice of a 13-yr-old Boy With Autism"

(Notably, the boy who wrote/answered the questions asked in the book was 13 at the time, and also he's Japanese as well, so I’d say it’s culturally relevant. I knew it would be nice to have varied voices/sources. So I included this.)

"Sometimes, people with autism speak with a strange intonation, or use language in a different way. Non-autistic people can sort out what they want to say in real- time, while they’re having their conversation. But in our case, the words we want to say and the words we can say don’t always match that well. Which is why our speech can sound a bit odd, I guess. When there’s a gap between what I’m thinking and what I’m saying, it’s because the words coming out of my mouth are the only ones I can access at that time. These words are either available because I’m always using them or because they left a lasting impression on me at some point in the past. ."

Now this next quote I'm putting down is because it directly reminded me of Haruka, Haiku, and Momoi's episode 4 Cafe conversation. The scene starts with Haruka and Haiku bombarding Momoi with questions.

"You normal people, you talk at an incredible speed. Between thinking something in your head and saying it takes you just a split second. To us, that’s like magic! So is there something wrong with the circuitry in our brains? Life’s been tough for people with autism, pretty much for ever, yet nobody’s really been able to identify the causes of autism. For sure, it takes us ages to respond to what the other person has just said. The reason we need so much time isn’t necessarily because we haven’t understood, but because by the time it’s our turn to speak, the reply we wanted to make has often upped and vanished from our heads.

“I don’t know if this is making a whole lot of sense to you. Once our reply has disappeared, we can never get it back again. What did he say again? How was I going to answer her question? ... Search me! And all the while, we’re being bombarded by yet more questions. I end up thinking, this is just hopeless. It’s as if I’m drowning in a flood of words."

Momoi's reaction and response here now make a lot more sense, right? You can actually visibly see how Momoi is taken aback by all their questions. He looks uncomfortable. Unsure.

Vulnerable.

He isn't condemning them or mocking them and saying "just do what you're supposed to do, why are you asking questions." He genuinely doesn't know and he's anxious from all the questions they spring upon him. He doesn't even know how to answer the first one and he's drowning in all their words.

Like, is it really a wonder he stood up, turned AWAY from them (not looking at them) and instead went and sat at a counter before asking his question?

And what he asked was if it was really necessary to know the reason for everything. Now, consider this, what if this is another echo of things he's heard? Perhaps how Jin has responded to his questions before?

He's anxious and stressed from their questions, it wouldn't be surprising if he fell back on a response he's heard before.

.....

This below quote reminded me of the end of episode 4 when Momoi's job is essentially finished and so he stops showing up to the Oni-giri shop/the consultant work place. AND the added cut to him being alone by the pier.

"‘Ah, don’t worry about him – he’d rather be on his own.’ How many times have we heard this? I can’t believe that anyone born as a human being really wants to be left all on their own, not really. No, for people with autism, what we’re anxious about is that we’re causing trouble for the rest of you, or even getting on your nerves. This is why it’s hard for us to stay around other people. This is why we often end up being left on our own.

The truth is, we’d love to be with other people. But because things never, ever go right, we end up getting used to being alone, without even noticing this is happening. Whenever I overhear someone remark how much I prefer being on my own, it makes me feel desperately lonely. It’s as if they’re deliberately giving me the cold-shoulder treatment."

(Honestly this BREAKS my fkin heart. Because this is so obvious in that lonely pier shot of his. Just the contrast of the people celebrating at the Onigiri shop, and Momoi all alone, staring off into the distance at the deep waters in front of him.)

To me -- at this point, it's painfully obvious that Momoi is on the spectrum. (IMO. He’s at least exhibiting a lot of traits / is coded that way) I know you (Hebi anon) said you had trouble with his behavior or the things he says, but when you look at it through this lens it all starts to connect.

First, I need to say, Momoi isn't doing ANY of this maliciously. Even his attacks on Haruka. If you're like "that doesn't make any sense" -- well, exactly. Because we aren't looking at it from Momoi’s context. When you ask "WHY" and examine his actions and the context it's in, it puts things into perspective.

(Uniquely human quote:)

That’s a common theme in the children with whom I have worked. Animated movies of all kinds hold a particular fascination for children on the autism spectrum, capturing their attention like almost nothing else. Why?

Many children find the predictability and consistency of animated characters (as well as the music) comforting, a welcome contrast to the unpredictable nature of real people in everyday situations. In Monsters, Inc. or Madagascar, the characters’ vocal, facial, and body language is exaggerated, making emotions easier to decipher for such children. People with autism also find the clear delineation of good and evil characters an appealing alternative to the more nuanced gray areas they encounter in real life. And repetitive viewings engender a reassuring sense of familiarity and mastery.

--> This is why Don Momotarou is so....animated and exaggerated.

And for why he laughs, or repeats phrases? Like the "It's a festival!" Phrase? It's delayed echolalia, or scripting.

Echolalia is something that can be seen as a one commonality for a good handful of people on the spectrum. Essentially they're echoing the words / phrases of things that they hear. And this can be for MULTIPLE reasons.

(1) Because they like saying the phrase and it gives them comfort.

(2) To ask a question

(3) As a self-soothing ritual or coping mechanism to help them with their situation.

etc. etc. etc.

To share an example….yes from Uniquely Human 🤪:

“One day we had the children create an art project with paints, but instead of paint brushes, they used pieces of sponge. Afterward David discovered bits of the cut-up sponge on the floor of the classroom. Just as he had with the fuzz balls, he began picking them up one at a time, closely examining each as he rubbed it between his fingers, savoring the texture. “That’s a piece of sponge,” I said. “That’s a piece of sponge,” he echoed. “That’s a piece of sponge, sponge, sponge!” Again I could see the joy he derived from the combination of the feeling of the material and the sound of the words coming out of his mouth. As he clutched the bits of sponge in his cupped hands and looked at the others on the floor, he began to dance around the room on tiptoes. “That’s a piece of sponge, sponge, sponge!” he kept saying. “That’s a piece of sponge!” The real revelation came the next day. By then the classroom had been cleaned. We had cleared away the art project and someone had straightened up and vacuumed away all the debris. When David arrived in the classroom, though, he returned to exactly the spot in the room where a day earlier he had come upon the sponge bits. I watched as he repeated his dance, shifting his gaze to me and saying, “That’s a piece of sponge, sponge, sponge! That’s a piece of sponge!”

Consider this:

What if a visitor had happened into the classroom that day to observe the children? Imagine such a person watching this little boy coming into the room, full of energy, and then performing a little dance and babbling on about a sponge. The visitor might easily have dismissed the behavior as absurd. Or silly. Or random. The visitor might have questioned David’s grip on reality—or at least his understanding of the word sponge.

But if you had been in the room the previous day, if you had shared the conversation with David that I did, if you knew about his enthusiasm for new textures, then you would have understood exactly what was going on. This little boy was recounting his experience of the previous day—not only the facts of the experience (the materials used in the art project) but, more important, his own feelings of excitement about it.

He was telling a story."

(end quote example.)

So what story is Momoi telling? Well, I'd like to examine that scene in episode 4 -- the flashback to Momoi's past.

When he sees those protestors he says to Jin:

"Its a fun festival!'

Now, I'm beginning to realize he didn't say that just because he thought that was what it was. He's echoing something he probably heard Jin or someone else say -- the time they went to a festival. More than that he's probably asking a question: It's a fun festival, Jin! -->Look at all the people gathered! Why are they gathered? Are they celebrating? What's going on?

He's asking a question, through delayed echolalia as well as making an observation.

Here's another example (from Uniquely Human, I really recommend reading it LOL) :

"Often children use echoes to tell us what they’re thinking, but rarely in ways that are immediately obvious. The father of Kyle, a young boy with autism, once invited me to join the two of them on a sailboat in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. In the middle of a lovely afternoon, we were anchoring in a little cove when the boy began running up and down the deck as he anxiously leaned over to peer into the water. “No dogs! Dogs bite!” he kept saying with increasing urgency, looking back at his dad. “No dogs! Dogs bite!” No dogs? We were out on the water, with no other boats nearby—no people, no animals. Just waves and wind. What could he have been talking about?

His father knew exactly what he meant. “He’s asking if he can go swimming.” I asked the father to explain.

He told me that Kyle had a fear of dogs. When he felt anxious about his safety, that was how he expressed it: “No dogs! Dogs bite!” Now he wanted to go swimming in the shallow cove, but he wasn’t sure whether this was a safe place, so he was asking. With that phrase he accomplished three things: he expressed his fear, requested permission from his dad, and made sure it was safe. And when his father responded “It’s okay, it’s safe! No dogs!,” Kyle jumped in with great glee."

This example.....is so good. Now some of what Tarou says or does makes a lot more sense.

When he goes into battle he scripts it as "a fun festival" because he's using an echo of a fun experience from his childhood, an experience that obv left a lasting impression. One that can comfort him, or that he can use to cope with being thrown randomly into battles and fighting.

It's not so scary if he's a hero, right? Like the ones in his fairytales. Because heroes ALWAYS beat the bad guys.

Even more than that -- he can deal with it if its a game or contest or festival. "This isn't a scary life-or-death experience. This is a fun game!" This is how Momoi copes.

Now, onto Momoi and his thing with mistakes/weaknesses:

(Taken from An Autistic Japanese 13 yr old's own account)

“When I see I’ve made a mistake, my mind shuts down. I cry, I scream, I make a huge fuss, and I just can’t think straight about anything any more. However tiny the mistake, for me it’s a massive deal, as if Heaven and Earth have been turned upside down. For example, when I pour water into a glass, I can’t stand it if I spill even a drop.

It must be hard for you to understand why this could make me so unhappy. And even to me, I know really that it’s not such a big deal. But it’s almost impossible for me to keep my emotions contained. Once I’ve made a mistake, the fact of it starts rushing towards me like a tsunami. And then, like trees or houses being destroyed by the tsunami, I get destroyed by the shock. I get swallowed up in the moment, and can’t tell the right response from the wrong response. All I know is that I have to get out of the situation as soon as I can, so I don’t drown. To get away, I’ll do anything. Crying, screaming and throwing things, hitting out even…

Finally, finally, I’ll calm down and come back to myself. Then I see no sign of the tsunami attack – only the wreckage I’ve made. And when I see that, I hate myself. I just hate myself."

Ok. I'll end my essay here.

I just want to say, Momoi's action make sense if you look at it from his context with a lens of what people who are autistic / on the spectrum are like. Sorry for such a long response man :x,

#hebi anon 🫡🤝💋#I...honestly I don't know if you'll get anything out of this LOL #anyways I think its real easy to judge Momoi esp cause #he's good at a lot of things and kinda stoic #But believe me homie he really REALLY needs help for social things #my thougts #avataro sentai donbrothers #donbrothers liveblog #donbrothers #donbrothers analysis #donbrothers meta #9 peach falls #before harvesting season #who let delivery boy bring a parade float to a gun fight #sentaisouped #asks #momoi tarou

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en-somniac · 2 years

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Personal Post / opinions ahead you've been warned (MCC/MCYT)

Every time someone says "oh but Dream has ADHD" in return for criticism about him (ie - on a post I've seen recently of someone criticizing his actions during the recent MCC, which was a totally fair post!! cause Dream was acting like a fucking dick!!), I want to scream.

ADHD is not an excuse for his actions. Congratulations. He suffers with emotional dysregulation. So do I. That is not an excuse. It is not a valid reason. He's an adult, he can learn to cope with it. Being competative, being petty and being legitimately shitty in front of a massive audience cannot be excused with "oh but!! he has adhd!!". Not only is it just... so fucking disrespectful to every other competator to try to justify him, but it's.

So.

fucking.

Condescending.

To people with ADHD.

Stop fucking babying your fav and start treating them like a complex adult who can make their own choices. Yes. Emotional dysregulation is hard. RSD is hard. As Hell. But it does not excuse action. He has ADHD. He is still an adult.

Beyond that it is exhausting to see people say "do you even understand ADHD at all??" when they have a tiktok/tumblr perception of a very complicated disorder. I am not a true expert, but considering I live with it and do an awful lot of academic research on it, I think I'm more set than most. ADHD does not justify being shitty. Moreover, a disorder does not excuse you, as a fan, being shitty towards another person over it.

MCC is a fun competition about a block game that shouldn't be taken this seriously. Being competitive is fun and all, but I cannot stress this enough - it really isn't that serious. For the love of god. You can be a Dream fan and still be critical of him. It's not even that hard! The people you follow do not have to be perfect! You can like them and still critique their actions! You don't even need to justify them!

I'm not going to tag this with anything related, because I'm tired and an adult and really don't care that much about teenagers arguing with me on the internet, but god.

God.

It pisses me off so much.

#somnic speaks #personal #like god??#I'm so goddamn tired man #I just like watching block people compete in a lighthearted competition

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urbicide · 3 years

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idk how to fukdodnnwkajna. reply to posts from a sideblog but this is the funniest response i’ve ever gottenajksbsjajjajanshajankakana. the idea that i jack off to purity culture because i made that travis post is so funny

like..yes i have considered that he’s neurodivergent. yes i still think he was being a dick.

i also really like the implication that i think grown men with children DONT struggle sometimes.

#when you respond to valid criticism with “but shouldn’t you take his adhd into account’ aren’t you inherently saying that you disagree with #the criticism because you think his adhd excuses his actions #even at least somewhat?#it’s genuinely so insulting. and infantilizing. to continue treating adults like toddlers just because they have adhd #saying things like ‘oh #he just has a hard time understanding #because he has mental issues’#how is that... supporting neurodivergent communities in any way?#you’re treating them like children who don’t know better. and tbh via Healthy Parenting not even children should be treated that way #here’s something cringe about myself: i listened to mcelroy podcasts and i loved them. i can think of few other things that made me #laugh harder than taz balance and that one half life monster factory episode #i thought whatever small #minor mistakes travis made back then could be overlooked simply because he was very open witt his mental health struggles and he seemed to #genuinely want to defend marginalized communities #but he kept repeating mistakes and he kept.. virtue signaling. saying some ‘woke’ buzzwords to seem hip and with the left #instead of doing what was due #which was preventing those same mistakes instead of ‘showing how good of a little activist you are on twitter’ for likes and retweets.#when you make the same mistake a handful of times sure. a relapse. when it’s consist #consistent #without any sign of change? you’re not learning anything #and this is because he has adhd?? do you even know what adhd is?#it’s also very funny that someone thinks i’m into purity culture #since like 60% of the posts on this blog would get me cancelled on woke twitter

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dr3amofagame · 2 years

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i think some people need to realize that you can't apply the same critisms to a roleplay that you would to an actual show or film.

regarding real shows, if there was a villian who was neurodivergent and they were the only character with those traits then it would be reasonable to critize that media because the writers chose to write their character in that light appealing to negative tropes and stereotypes

however, in a roleplay where the individuals are playing characters that are based off of themselves (to an extent obviously) you can't reasonably critic that!! cc!dream is neurodivergent therefor his character is going to have traits that reflect that, it's not an intentional writing decision nor is it something dream can control? you can't reasonably consider that ableist or using this to excuse c!dream's actions when it's just... literally who he is?

while many people on the smp are neurodivergent, i'd say that cc!dream's neurodivergency is arguebly one of the most visible (i dont know how to word that without it sounding kind of weird but i hope this makes sense) and that is going to translate to his character as well no matter the scenario

-sincerly a neurotypical cc! and c!dream stan <3

yep!!

nd representation on the smp is different bc it's not like ,, a marketing strat or anything. it's literally the ccs being nd and that carrying over to their roleplay characters. and while there is a divide between the fictional character and the cc,, it feels weird 2 me to act like being nt is the "factory default" and to like. what. expect nd people to suddenly not act nd when roleplaying? theyre minecraft youtubers, not professional actors.

besides, there's such a variety in nd streamers on the smp who express said neurodivergencies in different ways. making a haha funny post abt adhd people being adhd is just ,, for fun and solidarity as an nd fan of these ccs, not meant to be some all-encompassing judge on the characters', content creators', or audience's morality.

#tw ableism #tw discourse #my asks !!#-> my asks

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mariaiscrafting · 3 years

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ahhhh ty ty ty <3

ok, so I think that what makes Dream act this way (iykyk) is how dreamwastaken became so big so quickly. and by quick I mean fucking lightning speed.

he didn't have enough time to learn enough about cc etiquette, especially in these three aspects: influence, boundaries and fanbase/stans/whatever you call it. I'll try to explain it:

• Influence: Does he know the influence he has? Like, when he hears that he is the myct with the largest fanbase, does he really process that? I remember he talked about not being able to control all of his fanbase and there's bad apples everywhere -- which is true, and that only like 1% of his fanbase breaks his boundaries (that include sending hate for him, harassing, doxing, etc. yk, basic twitter culture lol) but, honey, with your big ass fanbase, 1% is still a lot of people. As a content creator you *have* to be aware of that.

let's take the hbomb situation. First off, as a streamer, it's you that set the mood of the stream. Even if he was only messing around with his pals, even if they did say to do not send hate to hbomb, dt dunking on him created a toxic environment, which caused his fans being toxic towards hbomb and you know what happens next. Hell, when this happened, I was watching Tapl and he was watching them and he was crying laughing over them screaming bc they were just. so loud and so aggressive that it was kinda ??? Sirs, this is literally a Minecraft Stream lmaooo

my point is, that was not the road that dreamwastaken, 21M fans, should've taken. he don't condone his fans actions but he knows his fans are diehard and will always be on his side, he should be more careful before stating negative opinions, especially if its towards another person.

• Boundaries and Fanbase: He posted a list of his boundaries a while ago, idk if you know or seen it (btw please george copy your bestie for the love of god <3) but I'm not talking about those boundaries, I'm talking about the basic boundaries between cc and viewer. boundaries that, in my opinion, should exist between cc and viewer. I get that Dream is an open person, an oversharing type of open person if I may add, but I think he should take a step back regardless. When I heard that he was taking a time from twitter, I genuinely got so glad, not because he couldn't start any drama then, but because it would do so so good for his mental health. I'm not even that fond of him, it's just that for me, any cc taking a break or outright leaving twitter is a win for me. I know how RSD is hard to deal and honestly letting shit out it's better but dream you have dt you have bbh so please don't make things worse online 😭 I know how good can be to feel validation from millions of people but. it's not a good idea, especially in the state that his fanbase is on rn (this topic is kinda sensitive to talk abt for me bc people be outright ableist and hide it as criticism like. say that shit's not helping his reputation and whatever without acting like he's fucking. manipulating his fanbase for being affected by his rsd💀 or, on the other hand, don't say that hes just being adhd🤪 when he's just being an asshole like damn that's a Him thing bro lol)

(omg it's so big I'm so sorry and theres a part two I'm so sorry tumblr user messed-up-gal ToT) - morango 1/2

pt. 2:

Dream is the proof that the people who loves you can be your downfall. istg. Have you noticed that every drama that Dream enters, people usually get more mad abt how his fanbase reacts (85% they'll react in a bad way) than Dream himself? it's not always, but its definitely more likely. I'm not saying Dream is saint, he Is petty and his ego does him dirty and made him choke multiple times before,, But! i dont think hes a bad guy. he's literally just a dude. ok, he's a 21yr old white gamer man that has a trumpie past (maybe?? idk. I think hes cured now ig lol) so he's bound to do some shitty things but he still tries to get better and hopefully he'll mature. 21 is old enough but it's still so young, yk? I kind of lost my mind during the end and my eyes are literally begging to be closed so tl;dr: Its gonna be hard for him to become a better cc bc his fans don't let him be criticized (by infantilizing his adhd symptoms or the mob mentality as soon as someone says anything abt him), the honest criticism get lost between lies from antis that don't know shit, he still has a lot of growing up to do and overall he became famous too fast and he needs to learn things even faster bc as soon as there's not a single one dream hater on sight they'll turn their back and attack him instead lmao I hate twitter i definitely have more to say but I'm tired and my memory is shit. just-- hate dream if you want, love dream if you want, nobody is obligated to have an opinion but I wanted to express mine. have a lovely day! -morango 2/2

Aight, there's a lot to unpack here, so Imma try to only go into the points I have something to add to (here's what I talk about in each paragraph, if you want to jump to a specific point):

Speed of Dream's rise to fame

The "bad apples" in the Dream fanbase

Post-MCC HBomb stream

Not condoning versus actually condemning his fans

Manipulation & RSD

Criticism of Dream, his fanbase, and his brand

The “just a dude” argument, flipped

First, I agree that one of the many factors that has resulted in the current image Dream has set up for himself, the way his fanbase functions, the ways people hate on him, and the way the Dream brand functions, is the speed of his rise to fame. It's unique, and there are probably a hundred social/psychological angles that could be used to examine the exact effects of that speed upon all of these facets of the Dream Name; did rapid fame beget the rapid rise of unrighteous hatred, did those waves of hatred then instigate the rise of a surprisingly overdefensive fanbase, did that rapid fame get to his head and/or result in an inability to appropriately handle all the after-effects of rapid fame, etc.? That point you bring up, about how the speed of his rise to fame requires him to learn even more quickly, is so interesting to me. I think that maybe Dream expected to get pretty famous pretty quickly, hence the preparedness in regards to some mechanics of influencer fame- merchandise, business-building, networking, knowing how to manage his fanbase to best benefit him. But I don't think he expected to get this famous this quickly. This is all speculation of course, as are this entire post and your ask, but I think that he just couldn't anticipate having to learn how to handle enmasse controversy, waves of antis, or every Youtuber speculating/knowing about him; and yeah, that results in him having to learn all of these things very quickly, lest he allow his whole brand and fandom to fall apart.

Second, I disagree with the frequent argument that Dream's fanbase is only marginally toxic. Personally, I think that the circumstances of Dream's fame, his personality and management of his fanbase, and his brand of content have resulted in the very specific kind of stan that Dream stans are. I don't think this is simply a case of "all fandoms have a small percentage of assholes who take it too far;" rather, the nature of the community itself breeds the kind of mentality of "an asshole who takes it too far." I only even know this because I was a Dream fan (kinda a stan, I'm ngl). At one time, I watched every single Dreamwastaken & Dream Team video multiple times; I listened to the Manhunts on repeat, as though they were podcasts; I followed mostly smiletwt and dttwt accounts on mcyttwt; I had upwards of 10 tabs for AO3 DNF fics open on my phone at a time; I watched DNF and Dream Team Being A Family-esque compilations on repeat; I watched every George and Sapnap alt stream I possibly could; I went out of my way to defend Dream against Redditors and Twitter antis regarding the cheating scandal. For the latter half of 2020, and a couple months of 2021, I lived and breathed this part of the fandom; so when I say that Dream stans are a whole other breed than any other kind of mcyttwt stan, I say that because I used to be like that, too. I usually use parasocial very loosely or ironically, but Dream stans are genuinely one of the most parasocial fanbases I have ever seen or been a part of. The level of investment Dream stans have in this man's life, the lengths they will go to to defend him, the amount of psychonalysis and digging they do on his life and character, the amount of emotion he can evoke in them- it's taken to another level, man. This isn't just characteristic of a fraction of his fanbase; this is what the fanbase is like as a whole.

Third, I partially disagree with your take on the HBomb thing, but not in the way one might think? I actually empathize with the way they reacted much more than I thought I would, simply because I suspect I have RSD (also suspect I have ADHD, have for several months now) and I can see myself getting insanely frustrated because of something like that. Like yeah, it was "just a MC stream" or "just an MC game," but that's kinda disregarding the fact that something that might seem like "just a [insert inconsequential thing]" to a rational mind might have a major emotional consequence/take a major emotional toll on someone with RSD, or really anyone who gets easily impatient/angry about video games (Sapnap reminds me of many of my friends, in that way). The issues I, personally, had with the way they handled the HBomb situation is that these are simply explanations and reasons for my empathy; they are not excuses. I have no excuse when I get irrationally angry about something inconsequential in my own life, for a couple of reasons. One, because I am an adult and I need to learn how to handle my reactions and manage my own anger. Two, because as someone with many mental problems, it is my responsibility to learn coping mechanisms to ensure my own emotional stability and livelihood; this includes learning whatever I need to handle RSD- whether that be isolating myself from others when I know I will become violently/passionately angry about something, creating and sustaining a support system that can get me through bouts of extreme emotion, finding healthy emotional outlets for my negative emotions that won't harm myself or others, or a combination thereof. I don't think what they said about HBomb post-MCC was an irreversibly horrible thing, or anything. I think there were errors committed by two men who should be fully capable of foreseeing and preventing those errors, but I don't unconditionally hate Dream or Sapnap for the post-MCC stream or comments. I just wish they had made amends quickly, publicly, and sufficiently, because the greatest consequences from the whole thing weren't even from those two criticizing HBomb themselves; they were from the waves of backlash because of their immense influence on the MCYT fandom, which could've been prevented, if they had acted maturedly and responsibly after the stream.

Fourth, you’re right, that he doesn’t seem to condone his fans’ behavior. I detest the frequent anti argument that one of the reasons Dream should be criticized is because he explicitly uses his fanbase to attack others, or something of the sort. Personally, I think he created his fanbase in a very specific way and interacts with them in such a way so as to benefit him as much as possible, yes, but he never actually tells his fanbase to go and yell at or harrass anyone. Still, there is a significant difference between not condoning something and condemning something. It might seem unfair, and it might be annoying of me to say this, but I truly think that someone with this large a fanbase, especially one as overzealous as Dream’s, needs to be condemned every single time it goes on some kind of rampage/harrassment campaign. Either that, or Dream needs to make a definitive, permanent statement against any kind of harrassment of others on his behalf. I know he’ll occassionally make the odd tweet or serious stream addressing something his fanbase did, but one of the many reasons his fanbase keeps doing the same damn thing is because he’s so lukewarm and spotty about this condemnation. A fanbase like his needs to be given explicit guidance and boundaries for the numerous things they do in his defense- harrassing/doxing antis, harrassing people who criticize him who aren’t antis (respectful criticism, other CCs, other MCYT stans, etc.), harrassing the people he critcizes (i.e., HBomb), speculating about his personal life (his relationship with his gf, his mental health/ADHD, his romantic life, his childhood, etc.), and speculating about his relationships with his friends and colleagues. My personal ideology is that, if you have significant influence over someone or a group of people, you are at least somewhat responsible for the things those people do or don’t do, if it at all relates back to you. I’m so fucking tired of the argument that CCs aren’t responsible for what their fans do. Obviously they aren’t responsible for every single one of their fans, and obviously they can’t fully control their fans at the end of the day. But I think there are certain things that reach such a level of extremity that does make those CCs responsible. This can be measured by either scale or intensity; that is to say, if a CC’s fanbase does things on an extremely large scale, or one person from/a fraction of the fanbase does something really extreme, then the CC is made all the more responsible. Another CC I’ve always had trouble discussing with other people on this subject is Pewdiepie, in particular, about the extremists in his fanbase. Because the things a small handful of his fans have done in reference to him and/or in his name were so fucking extreme, I thought Pewdiepie had to take at least some responsibilty. Along a similar vein, because the things Dream’s general fanbase does are so widespread and on such a massive scale, Dream has to take at least some responsibility.

Fifth, okay. Hmmm. I want to tackle this point you made about the ableism he faces in some criticism of him carefully and with empathy, but not coddling. One, I do think a lot of the criticism he receives for the ways he handles criticism (post-cheating Tweets, reactions to John Swan, post-MCC HBomb stream, etc.), disregard his RSD and can be oftentimes ableist. I’ve actually encountered people irl who criticize this aspect of Dream’s character, and have had to explain to them their disregard for how ADHD/RSD affect neurodivergent people’s reactions to criticism. But - and this is a big, and very controversial but - I think mentally ill/disordered people can 100% leverage their mental illness/disorders for the sake of manipulation. This is actually something I’ve learned from a psychiatrist, regarding the ways people I know and I handle our anxiety and depression. This manipulation can be unwitting or intentional, but it is entirely possible, and the possibility shouldn’t be entirely dismissed as ableist. Living with a mental illness or disorder that others know about/that you are very public about puts you in an interesting position to receive frequent sympathy, empathy, and/or pity. I’m not saying that empathy for Dream having ADHD/RSD is entirely unjustified; on the contrary, I have frequently expressed how I can relate to his ADHD symptoms and have defended him for expressing those symptoms, both on mcytblr and in real life. I am saying that Dream fans tend to use his ADHD as a kind of shield for a lot of criticism levied against him, including the supposition that he could be manipulating his fanbase to defend him because of his public expressions of RSD. So yes, my theory is that Dream knows how to levy every aspect of his life for his personal gain and for the growth of his brand, and that includes his ADHD. I think he has courage for his openess about his ADHD, I think his openness has contributed to the rise in awareness of mental health and empathy for neurodivergent people within Gen Z, and I think at least some of his expressions of RSD publicly/online weren’t intentionally made public. All that being said, I also think he has to know just how much his fanbase cares about defending him for his ADHD, and I think he has to know that some of the things he does related to his neurodivergence endear him to his audience, in a coddling, baby-ing, mildly ableist sorta way. Maybe this is all incredibly presumptuous of me. Of course, I can never know the real intentions behind any Dream video, Tweet, or stream. Maybe I’m just projecting, because I can see myself doing just this, if I had the maturity I had circa 2018-2019. Idfk know, man.

Sixth, I actually agree with you here, people probably do get more mad at his fanbase than him. Dream puts out content pretty seldomly, considering the frequency of content output for other Youtubers/streamers in his field/at his brand size. And yet, he has received masses of criticism. Considering that the things Dream himself does/says do not entirely correlate with the amount of criticism he receives, I think it’s a logical assumption that a lot of that criticism actually goes back to the size of his presence online, rather than the man himself. That is to say, because of the massive community he’s amassed, the exponential growth of his fanbase, their presence on every single social media site and in virtually every single Internet space/fandom, and the size of his metaphysical presence in his fields, Dream is much bigger than the man himself, so the criticism he receives will, at least in part, be a direct or indirect result of all these other aspects of the Dream brand. Something I don’t think many Dream fans/stans, or even most MCYT fans in general, understand, is that Dream isn’t just “one guy” in the eyes of the Internet- at least, not anymore. He hasn’t been for nearly a year. Like Pewdiepie, Mr. Beast, and other CCs who have amassed similar levels of fame and wealth via Internet content creation, Dream is a brand now, and most people will treat him as such. He isn’t just some uwu soft boy playing Minecraft anymore. He is on a whole other level from any other MCYT in his friend circle or colleague interaction bubble. His words will never again live in a vaccum or private bubble, his friend circle will never again be under anything less than intense scrutiny, his past actions will never again be simple mistakes or silly errors, his words will never again be casual tweets or streams for laughs among a couple thousand followers. Dream’s name represents something much bigger than just the one man. As such, all aspects of his brand, including his fanbase, will tie back to him and, ultimately, to any general criticism of him.

I’m not saying I like any of this, and I actually think the evolution of influencers from people to a marketable brand with similar mechanisms, responsibilities, and liabilities as a corporation is some kind of late capitalism nightmare fuel; I’m just stating my own observations and theories as to why so much anti-Dream criticism seems to be directed at his fanbase, rather than him.

Seventh, he’s just a guy, you’re right, but I think a lot of the antis on Tumblr understand this more than you know. As I’ve seen it, the sentiment among much of the “DSMP stans DNI” crowd seems to be that of “Dream/other MCYTs are such ‘bad’ people, so why do their fans stick to these mediocre, racist men, when there are so many better people to watch/better content to consume?” We know this argument is flawed for many of the obvious reasons - the conflation of all MCYTs’ actions regardless of individual identity, the equating of a CC’s fanbase’s morality to that of the CC they enjoy watching, the exxageration of any error MCYT CCs have committed as bigotry/racism, the fundamental misunderstanding and misinformation that led antis to believe this exxageration of the facts, etc. But I want to focus on the general, underlying sentiment of, “why not watch someone better, when your creator is problematic?” Sometimes, I ask this of Dream stans. Yes, being mildly ignorant, getting involved in the scandals Dream has, and being a right-leaning/libertarian centrist in the recent past all seem like harmless things, all things considered. One could say Dream isn’t nearly as bad as many antis who are misinformed seem to believe, and that there are much worse CCs Dream stans could be watching and creating fan content for. But I think what Tumblr antis wonder is, aren’t there also much better MCYTs/CCs people could be watching and stanning? Because he’s just some guy, right? Is his content truly so exceptional or is he really so exceptional a person, that people have to stick by him, despite the things that spike up regarding his current or past actions? I think that’s what made me finally decide to stop watching Dream. I realized he was just Some Guy. The Dream Team was a comforting dynamic to indulge in, DNF was a cute ship to read and speculate about, and Manhunts were fun videos to watch; however, once the Reddit posts came out and I read them in-depth, the cost-benefit analysis tipped over to the “not worth it” side for me. I realized Dream’s content, while fun and comforting, was not entirely unique, and wasn’t worth sticking around for, given what I then knew about his past political leanings. If he is just Some Guy, then there are a hundred more like him out there. There a hundred more ships, a hundred more found family dynamics, a hundred more entertaining and skilled Minecraft players. So while I agree with you on the point of people being allowed to love him regardless because he is just a guy, at the end of the day, I think that, if we are to believe that sentiment or use that argument in such a manner, we should also understand the flip side- that, if he is just some guy, why is it worth sticking around? To that I say, maybe because people just enjoy the simple things they enjoy.

Anyways, I wholly agree with your tl;dr. Thanks for that insanely long ask, this was a fun thing to keep me occupied while I’ve been at work, facilitating Zoom sessions this whole morning.

#ive been writing this on and off since 830 am est SHEESH #dreamwastaken #dream critical #eh i think im relatively lenient of him here given my past posts ab him #but still just in case the blacklist tags for yalls convenience:#discourse #/neg #asks #long post #long posts #this a LONG one bois #morango

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gh0st-patr0l · 3 years

Text

Okay. Alright. I wasn’t gonna talk abt this, but apparently this is a discussion that needs to be had. So Lets Have It.

I have a Big Fucking Problem with all this “cc!critical” stuff in general. And I’m just gonna say it straight up.

You Don’t Know These People.

You do not have a personal relationship with these content creators. You do not talk to them on a one-on-one basis. You do not know them.

So why the hell do you people think it’s your responsibility OR your place to judge them as a person?

Let’s look at what this person pointed out specifically!

First of all- yes, Karl IS ND and has confirmed that much. He’s mentioned having ADHD several times on stream and has tweeted clarifying that he’s officially diagnosed- I don’t have the tweet on hand but it Does exist, you can do your own research if you don’t believe me.

Building on top of Niki’s base. Let’s look at that situation:

They are on a survival minecraft server. Where Niki specifically made an underground base, without telling Anyone where it is. Where they are free to build and do what they want wherever.

Niki specifically stated publicly after the fact that she had no problem with Karl building on top of her base, and that it was funny and could pose some cool lore opportunities- proving that all of yall complaining about this not Only don’t actually listen to her or pay attention to her actual feelings or opinions on things and just want an excuse to get mad, but that you will specifically talk over her when her feelings don’t support your argument.

KARL AND NIKI ARE FRIENDS. They are Real Life Adults who are capable of talking to each other if they have problems with what they are doing. For someone who seems concerned with infantilizing people, you sure seem to have trouble with remembering that being an adult also means you can have agency and can speak for yourself

“Treating people on TFTSMP as if they are visibly less important”

I’m... not even sure where to start on this one? Where has he Ever gone out of his way to exclude someone or make them seem unimportant?

TFTSMP is a Group Improvisation Series. People come up with characters and roleplay. There is no line-to-line script. If people want to talk, they Can Talk. Sure, some people may be more shy or anxious! It Is Not Karl’s Responsibility To Put More Pressure Or Focus On Them, nor would that be good or productive of him to do! If your fave is in an episode and isn’t talking as much, it’s probably because They Don’t Want To, and that is in no way Karl’s doing???

I honestly REALLY want to see a specific example of him doing this because I cannot name One off the top of my head. Karl does his best in Tales to make sure everyone there has their time to shine if they Want to. If somebody doesn’t do as much, that’s because. They Didnt Want To Do As Much

And this is why I have a fucking problem with yall. Because you LOVE to remind us that Karl is an adult and is responsible for his actions and how he treats people!!!

But then... suddenly the rest of his friends are Incapable of voicing their opinions? Of settling personal conflicts? Of choosing to interact with people who they enjoy spending time with???

You cant pick and choose to address personal agency and responsibility when it suits you. If Eret, or Niki, or any of Karl’s friends have problems with him, they can fucking say so? Or better yet, address it in private? Like normal fucking people? Because this is what yall dont seem to get-

THEIR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

Imagine you were walking down the street, and passed a group of people, and overheard their conversations. And you decided you didn’t like the way one of them talked to the others, so you inserted yourself into their conversation and went “HEY I DONT THINK YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON AND I DONT THINK YOU SHOULD BE FRIENDS BECAUSE THEY OBVIOUSLY TREAT YOU BADLY.”

How fucking weird would that be??? Is that not overstepping major boundaries and making assumptions about people you don’t know??? HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT.

Any time Karl’s friends have ACTUALLY spoken about how he is as a friend or person, I have heard NOTHING but good things! His close friends- including Eret, Niki, and all the other people you LOVE to speak for and get mad about- have only ever spoken about him being kind, selfless, and a genuinely lovely person and friend. But you all seem to be absolutely Certain that what you see of him, from behind a screen, is somehow a much more accurate picture of who he is as a person, and think you know better than the people who are actually friends with him.

When I made that post, I wasn’t saying that you can’t make any judgement about him without being ableist. Frankly, the fact that you assumed that was what I was saying says a LOT about you, but I’m not gonna touch on that.

What I was saying was that a lot of the time, when people say they’re being “CC critical”, they’re not actually being critical of anything Karl does as a content creator. They don’t talk about his streaming, his writing, or his directing. What they talk about is the way he talks, the way he acts, and stuff that is heavily influenced by his ADHD. What I have a problem with is that people completely misuse the term “criticism”.

Because giving feedback on how somebody makes content is one thing. But when you’re complaining about how he talks, how he acts with his friends, or how he lives his life, that’s not “criticism”, that’s just fucking judging someone that you don’t know.

I’m not saying you have to like Karl. But don’t try to make it look like you have some moral high ground, speak over other CCs, or make it seem like you’re somehow conducting some social justice when what you’re really doing is complaining about a person living their life. Just say you don’t like him and move on, because I promise, you are not doing Anything else.

#yall rly dont do Any effort to actually know wtf you're talking abt huh #also I love how patronizing these asks were #'/gen' sure bud #karl jacobs #dream smp #dsmp #argue more babes <3 ur just diggin the hole deeper #ghost.txt

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butch-bakugo · 3 years

Text

Not sure how else to explain this but the whole idea that if you tell someone to stop hyperfixating on something or tell them that you cant consume certain things critically is ableist is bs.

Warning, bitch long, yeet

Like, its very very centered around adhd people who have bigoted interests and value their fandom over actual support of oppressed people. Its very clear yall veiw adhd and autisitc people as children who " just cant help it" which is ableist. I personally am professionally diagnosed with adhd and autism, i cant fully control (to an extent) what i hyperfixate on but i can control my own actions.

Like recently, ive found myself wanting to go watch pewdiepie videos and rewatch the anime hetalia, both are things i HEAVILY hyperfixated on for 4 or more years. Both things are horribly racist and i am well aware of this now after their inital popularity waves have died out. However, i am mature enough to notice when my hyperfixation is about to start rehappening cause ive had it before.

Ive hyperfixated and unhyperfixated on fnaf and undertale on and off for years. I know what that first itch of " oooo... Im kinda getting attached again" feels like and any adhd or autisitc person CAN. Its litterally one of the first positive things about haveing these disorders that people notice. We know when a new interest has the potential of starting and wr can quite litterally feel it like every other person, nd or nt.

But the difference between a person who is using the whole argument of " i have adhd so you cant hold me morally responsible for supporting harry potter" as an excuse to keep helping a bigoted creator vs a mature adhd individual who can not control their hyperfixations is their actions after the intial " shit! its by a bad person/its bigoted!"

If someone with adhd and/or autism is drawing and posting fanart, buying shitloads of merch, making cosplays, posting about it, talking about it constantly to friends and reccommending it to people as being the holy grail of interesting things? Thats not critical consumption. Your just being a intentionally blind consumer. Even if they are re-entering an old interest and have old merch, your still wearing it out/posting it in public to advertise it to others.

Your that bigoted creator's walking propaganda

Just cause i noticed that im wanting to rewatch hetalia or pewdiepie dosent mean i dont have the self control to go watch something or someone else that im interested in that isnt racist. People with adhd and autism have self control over these actions. Yeah we cant control if we start stimming or bouncing our legs cause we are getting hyper, but we can control who we watch and what we monetarily support.

I have old hetalia shirts, i dont wear them in public. Thats a pj shirt now because i dont want others to ask about hetalia and get interested in it because they saw me in it. I dont want to advertise that i was a dumb kid who liked a racist old anime. Liking hetalia isnt a good thing and i should feel at least abit of shame that i ever liked it.

Im not gonna shame my 13 yr old self for not noticing racism that wasnt blatant and hateful but instead romantizing nazi japan but im still gonna shame myself for not noticing racism period. Yeah, i do believe the 13 yr olds who still support dream and buy his shit and post fanart but think its ok cause they are " consuming critically" should feel ashamed. If you know you like something or someone regardless of their horrendously terrible actions, you should be ashamed of yourself. That dosent mean kick your ass about it but you should still feel that.

Basically, us adhd and autisitc people know when we are about to hyperfixate on something and we feel emotions strongly enough that if we find the bigotry in it to be bad enough, guilt will build up( as it SHOULD. Cause you are guilty of supporting a bigot.) Till we dont feel comfortable fuckin around with it anymore and boom! Hyperfixation gone. I was hyperfixating on fnaf till the shit about scott came out and suddenly, my hyperfix took a u-turn. I was starting to hyperfix on oran high school host club as i was watching it then they started saying tranny and being weirdly transphobic/homophobic and condoning/glorifying incest and boom! Hyperfix is dead in the water.

The thing about autisitc people is we tend to have our own strict moral code that we do NOT want to break. I dont think stealing from random people is a good thing so when i play a video game, i get crazy nervous trying to steal things. If i break one of my own morals, i feel like im rotting alive in anguish. I looked through my gfs phone once cause i suspected cheating, didnt find anything. I think looking through your partner's phone is a pretty shitty and invading thing unless cheating has already been a confirmed issue so i felt very guilty. Planned on staying quiet about it, didnt happen, i told her in under 10 minutes of it happening and she forgave me. We still feel bad for shit that happened when we were like 8.

So yeah, the only time an autistic person wont feel guilty about supporting bigoted work/bigoted artists shit is if that bigotry dosent go aginest that internal code. Yes, that autistic friend of yours who unapologetically supports dream, dosent think racism is bad enough to feel guilty about it. Its not that hard.

Another thing is that we can control our own actions. We arnt immature enough to just be utterly incapable of not watch pewdiepie 😭 when our brain remembers our old interests. We can control ourselves enough to understand that and not click on his videos. We are mature enough to sit down, sigh, remember his actions and the things he promotes, understand the harm he caused to many people, understand that if this hyperfixation is ignored that it will pass then click on a markiplier video and forget about it. Any adhd or autisitc person who tells you otherwise is either a. Not getting the help they need to cope,b. Telling you some bullshit just so youll stop asking why they think a racist is funny or c. Dosent actually care about the damage done by racists enough to feel moral guilt over supporting one.

Final note: people with adhd and autism, though can not control their hyperfixations, can control their own actions. They can stop themselves from consuming shitty bigoted content by shitty bigoted people and " critical consumption" is an excuse.

#levi speaks #anyone who calls my disabled ass an ableist cause you cant critically consume dream while posting fanart can pay me $500 #ableism my ass #you can control your own fuckin actions you just dont want the backlash #either that or get some fucking self control #either your immature or you dont care about the bigotry #either option dont worl

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flying-elliska · 3 years

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Shadow and Bone Season 1 Review

Ok so I got distracted by a need to watch all of Ben Barnes' filmography (lmao) but here is my review : It was really fun to watch and it was clearly made with love which is already the main thing with YA fantasy, which is often turned into a soulless moneygrab when put on screen. The actors were GREAT. I did think that the Crows suffered from being mashed up with the Shadow and Bone story, but they were still a highlight. I also think it was a bit rushed, esp. when it came to Alina's training. The costumes were beautiful, I want a kefta now. Plus the crossover fanfic interactions btw the SaB characters and the Crows were just pure joy. Also Milo, obviously <3 I'm in hyperfixation mode so here, have an essay :

The "Shadow and Bone" Characters :

- Jessie Mei Li !!!!!! She really made me like Alina so much more than in the books, she absolutely is the 'human embodiment of literal sunshine' and she was a joy to watch. Her character's arc is cliché but her acting is so expressive and endearing, I really felt for her all the way through. (maybe I'm biased bc Jessie talking about her ADHD and seeing her thrive at the same time is like!!! i love them they deserve all the best.) I like that they made Alina more proactive - even though she does make some stupid decisions... but I just don't understand people who put that down as bad writing, like ??? have you ever met a real person who only makes wise, good decisions ?? a character like that would either be at the end of their story or just in the background because that makes them static. The things with the maps in the beginning does a good job of illustrating how she is just this one girl making rash, erratic decisions out of fear and loyalty and doesn't have a sense of the bigger picture, caught in the tide of bigger events. It works for her character. When it comes to the choice of making her half-Shu, I do think it really makes sense re: her character feeling like an outsider but I do understand the criticisms that the microaggressions felt too relentless and one-note. I am really looking forward to them introducing Tamar and Tolya and hopefully connecting to them over her heritage in a more positive way.

- Mal in the books was one of the most annoying YA characters I've ever come across, so I really liked that they made him much more of a loyal, devoted friend. I found his relationship with Alina cute, it really gives us the sense that these are two orphans who found a home in each other, childhood best friends (and potential sweethearts) separated by war, two army grunts and ordinary people caught up in the wheels of power and war that usually crushes people like them, it's a great way to introduce the dynamics of their world and it's a trope that always makes me emo. It felt a bit too one note to me, though, and too heavily on the nose, like Mal's only personality was his attachment to Alina (and his resentment towards the Grisha) and too much of her emotional arc also relied on him. Them hitting us over the head with the meadow scenes felt like pure telling instead of showing and it ended up being super repetitive and kind of annoying. I am willing to like this pairing, but I wanted more scenes of them just having conversations about things and really understanding why they like each other beyond the whole childhood friends bond that we're asked to accept exists at the beginning. So I hope there's more depth there in next seasons.

- Ben Barnes!!!! Just jksdfhgkdjghdf. I'm not a big villain stan usually and I hated the Darkling in the books but DAMN his performance is just amazing. They managed to make him more sympathetic and human while at the same time making clear the stuff he does is deeply horrible. There's the Magneto-aspect of 'well clearly his methods are fucked up but he's addressing a terrible injustice nobody is doing anything about' that makes it very tempting to root for him ; and again, well, like, Ben Barnes is so hot and charismatic it feels uncomfortable (which I guess is part of the point lol). His loss of humanity is, up to a point, understandable, brought about by despair, loneliness, grief and a sense of powerlessness - living so long he starts to see other people as disposable, losing so many people he stops caring, seeing over and over how hate never seems to stop, etc. It's a logical explanation for going insane.

But the hunger for power is also very much present as a motivation and this ambiguity is there constantly. Does he maybe come to genuinely care for Alina or is it totally bullshit ? I think he does, he's just so fucked up that it comes out as possessiveness and a need to control her. He wants Alina to be his equal but he's incapable of treating her that way. It's tragic, in a sense, but the show doesn't excuse his actions either. Like his monstrosity is a product of this world full of injustice, yes, and that warrants some compassion, monsters are always a symptom of their environment in some ways and dehumanizing them completely is an excuse ; but at the same time, he sabotaged his own cause anyway the moment he started to treat other people like things, as he does with Alina, because that just perpetuates the cycle of violence and hate. At some point he started feeling like he was the only solution and he was owed power for his sacrifices, and he's using his cause as an excuse. When Alina came to him, there was a possibility for redemption, taking down the Fold, and it's a test because there is finally someone on his level of power. But instead of seeking to remedy the power imbalance between them, he made it worse, by lying to her, manipulating her, etc, and the antler collar is the ultimate sign of this.

I love those scenes towards the end (the antler-based body horror has big Hannibal vibes, so messed up). I like Alina telling him they could have had this, that she had compassion for him and his cause, that they could have worked together, and he's the one responsible for screwing it up and this time his claim that he's the misunderstood victim ("Make me your villain") appears delusional and self-serving instead of somewhat justified. The almost-lovers to enemies vibes, the sense of lost potential, and the angst of the whole 'oh you could finally have been loved by people, too bad you fucked it up !', very juicy. There is this fundamental idea that power/respect/love is not something you are owed no matter how good your intentions are or because you're strong or you have suffered or you're willing to commit horrible drastic actions, you have to keep proving you deserve it, and trying to claim power without responsibility of care turns you into a monster. The thing with the stag was an excellent metaphor of the fact that there's things you can't take, they have to be given to you, and the wonderful power there is in understanding that is what allows Alina to harness the stag amplifier's power. This is really when she escapes his grim utilitarian outlook and a different way forward and owns her own power fully on her own terms.

Anyway I hope Alina gets to beat the shit out of him at some point that would be very sexy but I'm also looking forward to see how their arcs parallel and diverge from each other as Alina starts to grapple more with the implications of her power and the harsh dilemmas of war and her own dark side. I want to see him become scared of her, and I feel it will be more visible than in the books where he just has this cold aggressive facade all the time. This one feels a lot more openly emotional which is just a lot more interesting.

- As for the other characters ; Zoya mostly made me sad. The actress has the perfect vibes but I'm not sure I love their take on her character so far, it does make sense in terms of the later books - that she has internalized prejudice regarding her mixed-race heritage, that she is jealous of Alina because of how hard she's fought to get where she is and Alina kind of takes it away from her, etc. But I would have liked to see a bit more of her being badass and sharp-tongued in a clever (even if mean) way instead of spending most of her time being rejected by men and being racist towards Alina. I did like the ending though, of her actually seeing the monstrosity of the Darkling in action and the mention of her aunt. And her brief bonding with Inej was great, just because it was badass but also maybe because it could be a part of Zoya learning to accept her Suli heritage in turn, maybe not right away but in time, when thinking of that part of herself, she won't only think of her parents' ruined marriage and all the pain it caused, but also of that badass and brave acrobat girl who went toe to toe with these really scary monsters without even having any powers and !!!!!

- Also Leigh's cameo was so cute and as an aspiring writer this is just such wish fulfillment

- I honestly think that having the Crows there actually made the S&B story better ? Not only in terms of the much needed levity breaks but also in terms of themes. For instance, Matthias and Nina's story gave us a really raw and visceral view of how the Grisha are hunted. And Inej's relationship to Alina really gave us a sense of what Alina actually means to people who believe in the Saints in a way that doesn't feel just like 'ugh those superstitious people' because we know that Inej's faith is part of what makes her who she is and a person with morals, and something that saw her through the worst moments of her life. It feels so special that she got to meet Alina and given a sign that maybe the world is not completely shitty. And Alina's kindness towards Inej really gives you a sense that she might be, or become worthy of that belief in time, or at least that she wants to, that she's figuring out her power to really touch people's lives might be a good thing, and that she's starting to accept this responsibility more fully. And her arming Inej is a nice parallel to that. I'm very emotional about this scene, because one of the first things we see of young Alina is her taking out a knife to defend Mal from the bullies, because she's protective and brave, but she's also aware the world is a shitty place, and so her giving that knife to Inej is a sort of spiritual transmission and recognition of sorts, that she trusts Inej with that fighting power, that she'll use this knife to defend herself and her loved ones and not abuse it. It's so interesting. And a counter point to the Darkling's fucked up relationship to power that Alina might at some point get afraid she'll replicate. That you could see Alina trying to gather followers and using people's admiration for her like he did but instead she sets them free and empowers them. It's great. And I feel that when Inej takes to the seas, she'll think about Alina. (I do hope somebody tells her Alina's not dead at some point though god). Girls giving each other knives is my spirituality, honestly.

- And I also noticed an interesting parallel between Kaz and the Darkling in terms of being two emo dudes who like to wear black, are prone to violence and have a thing for two very powerful women they think are special and want to have at their side, but of course, they go about it in very different ways. The Darkling comes at it from a place of power while Kaz comes from a place of utter powerlessness, first of all, and he understands why it's important to set Inej free. Him spending the entire season trying to earn enough money to pay off Inej's indenture is the opposite to the Darkling putting that collar on Alina and while I do have issues with how the show portrays him, I do love that. Love is about setting the person you love free !!!! And that confrontation scene was so powerful, when Kaz tells the Darkling Alina was tired of being a captive ! Drag him !

- As for Genya, I liked the actress and her chemistry with Alina, but I'm not sure they did a great job of making her arc very clear, for instance what it means for her to get that red kefta, her relationship with the other Grisha, etc. Her and David are already very cute though. Also very much looking forward to see where that goes.

So yeah I think they did a great job with this bit actually, I enjoyed a lot more than I think I would and even though it is a very tropey story, there's plenty of depth there too.

The Crows :

- I'm a bit more nitpicky about this because I care about these characters so much. I think overall the problem is that the SaB story in the books happens on this massive scale with enormous stakes, and that next to that the Crows' issues feel less important ; it's like their impact is distorted by the gravity of the much larger story. Like for instance, Kaz in the books is very much at the center of everything, this larger than life trickster figure who knows and controls almost everything by sheer cleverness, and he has this sense of allure and mystique that can't happen here, and so his aura just shrinks. On top of that they're not on their home turf. Being introduced to these characters before they've reached their full levels of badass is weird - there is a reason why prequels generally happen after the main stuff, because they count on the love you have for these characters at their full potential to make you interested in their story when they were less badass and interesting. So I had several moments where I was like 'oh this feels wrong'. Tbh the idea that they would even volunteer to kidnap Alina in the first place, what with Inej's backstory, feels kind of wrong, esp since they had no idea of what would happen to her if they succeeded.

- But I still enjoyed a lot of it though, especially the fact that they were this force of chaos in the midst of this bigger narrative that's a lot more self-serious. The bits with the train, or the circus acts were very clever. A lot of the best moments in the show happen when they come to disturb the other plot in unexpected ways. I'm still dead over the whole 'Alina jumps into their carriage' scene, that was fucking gold. The team up at the end !!!! Alina and Kaz making a deal ! Inej stabbing the Darkling !!!! Them stealing the Darkling's carriage !!! They don't give a shit that the story is supposed to be super dramatic it's great.

- Jesper is the one character they completely nailed from start to finish and he's probably my favorite part of the whole show. He's very funny without being reduced to the role of comic relief ; he's just so! damn! cool!!!!!!! I honestly feel this is a thing they actually did even better than in the books, or at least Six of Crows where I felt Jasper kind of disappeared behind Kaz and they insist a lot on his flaws and issues. So before we dig more into those problems I love that they gave him time to be this ultra badass who saves the day several times ; while at the same time, hinting at further developments like his powers or his gambling issues. Kit Young is just perfect, confident without being arrogant, a bit cold when it comes to crime while at the same time being so obviously caring with Inej - I loved their friendship, that was so sweet. My main criticism is that they should have made it clearer he was bi because there are already people calling him gay and that's very annoying. I know some people had a problem with his hookup and like...I can see it's a bit of a cliché...the charming badass bisexual adventurer....it's a trope I kind of love though lmao and the scene itself felt kind of cute and fun. He's not the only person who is shown to have an active sexuality and he's also not the only queer person around and we know he's going to have a more substantial romantic arc later so eh. On a larger note I loved the little casual hints of completely normalized queerness - Nadia thirsting over Zoya, Fedyor and Ivan, Poppy, etc. Having grown up with fantasy where queerness was either completely erased or very tormented and problematic, this was refreshing as hell.

- Inej and Kaz...my faves... They have a kind of relationship which feels so rare and unique in terms of what exists on TV and while I don't feel they entirely replicated it, the core is still there - the mutual respect and building of trust, the longing, the repression, the trauma, etc. One thing I really like is their arc around faith - in the books, Kaz is dismissive of Inej's faith in ways that often feel really shitty and I like that he learns to be more respectful of it. It's very much linked to hope/survival ; Inej keeps this token from her parents and she hopes to find them again ; Kaz tells her it's no use and she'll survive better if she gives up. He believes Alina is a fake, while Inej wants to believe that myths can come true and there is hope for good things in the world. Kaz comes to accept that Alina is the real deal and, out of respect for Inej's faith, to stop pursuing her. I loved the bit about Inej struggling to kill as well - it's the dilemma of what her survival and that of the people she really cares about are worth in such a shitty world - her compassion is a good part of her but so is her survival instinct, and that's the part Kaz represents - that even after she's been through hell, broken in unfathomable ways, even if she gave up all hope and faith in the world, even she becomes dangerous and ruthless to survive, she will still deserve dignity, and to be treated better. And meanwhile she is willing to break her principles, which she holds so dearly, to save him, when he's never had anyone who cared for him like that - enough to keep him alive. That bit in the church !!!!! God !!!!!! Bye !!!!!!! And then him basically calling her his own version of a Saint, that he doesn't believe in miracles but he does believe in her !!! It's very emblematic of their whole arc ; he empowers her to survive in a ruthless world and loves her at her most dangerous ; but he loves her laugh too, he finds her a ship and her parents, he honors her capacity for love and hope even when he can't share it. And she sees that he's capable of doing better, that he's worth caring for. This whole thing kills me honestly and I can't wait to see where they take this next. I'm not mad they're a bit more soft and obvious than in the books, Kaz would just have come across as an an asshole otherwise.

- That said, there are bits of how they introduced their backstories I don't like. I get that making it so Inej was still tied to the Menagerie gave them a very powerful reason to want to kidnap Alina beyond greed so that they wouldn't look like very shitty people. But in the books Inej is terrified by the idea of simply seeing Heleen or the Menagerie and the way they have her interact with her feels weirdly casual and dismissive of her trauma. Also, in the books, the fact that Kaz had to convince Per Haskell to buy Inej's contract through a lot of effort, that he wasn't the one holding that above her head either, made the power dynamics more palatable. I especially disliked the scene where Kaz says he won't free other girls because just Inej is special, it makes him look like he has the power but he's just too much of a callous asshole to do it, and that he just freed Inej because he liked her which is absolutely not what their relationship is about at the start, it's a lot more about seeing Inej's dangerous side behind a facade of powerlessness and relating to her, in a sense, and this scene made it all feel cheap.

- Also, what was that about Inej having a brother ? Not a fan of that either. I'm afraid they're going to make her story all about finding what happened to him, and that's 1) too on the nose similar to Kaz's story and 2) it kind of cheapens her own arc, a female character realizing that what was done to her was wrong, reclaiming her own power and dignity and then making sure it doesn't happen to anybody else, harnessing her personal experience to save strangers, that's so powerful - making it about a family member at first, especially if it's about revenge, it's so much more simplistic and unoriginal and the perspective really annoys me.

- Also not a fan of Per Haskell not being there because he's a very important part of Kaz's evolution, so I hope he shows up eventually - and the way they introduced Pekka Rollins was kind of like...weird and out of place. I just found the Crows' introduction scenes stilted and not as cool as they should have been - well, Jesper and Inej were very cool, but we needed to see Kaz in action first, we needed to see why he's such a menace before we see him flounder later, and I just...I don't know exactly but it didn't work for me. Also this is a very petty thing but I wasn't crazy about the Ketterdam sets, I know this is probably a budget thing but in my head it looked like this incredible mix of Amsterdam and Venice - specific locations in the book directly remind me of parts of Amsterdam I know very well - and instead what we got felt like this very generic London-ish fantasy setting....so boring. Also a lot of scenes that felt to exposition-y. I don't mind that Kaz was a bit softer than in the books, like many people have said some things work in books and don't work on a screen, and you need to make the character's inner dynamics more explicit. But I do agree that, at the same time, he should have been more ruthless towards people outside of his group. Loved that scene where he faces the Inferni though, and how well they illustrated his disability and aversion to touch.

- I don't have that much to say about Nina and Matthias ; I'm still not super sold on the whole 'haha misogyny!' thing and I dislike that so much of Matthias' change of heart relies on the fact that he finds Nina hot. But I did think that the actors had enough chemistry to make their scenes together interesting and cute ; I loved the waffle scene. Even though it's disappointing that they didn't find an actress who was more clearly plus size for Nina, I still think Danielle does a good job bringing her bold, unapologetic energy. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Crows as a whole team.

So yeah, even though the season didn't feel like a perfect, coherent whole, it was just a lot of fun and I really hope they get renewed. In particular I feel like tying the first trilogy to the Crows' story could create such interesting parallels in terms of themes, about power, the cost of survival, hope, trauma, etc etc

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone netflix #grishaverse #six of crows #leigh bardugo

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theangrycomet · 3 years

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Comparing KO’s (OK KO) Character Arc to Cassandra’s (TTS)

Ok THIS^ actually bothers me and I really hope it’s a shit-post. Sorry, @astratic, but you have inadvertently signed up for some Character Analysis.

Let’s establish one critical difference between Cassandra and KO before we really dig into this shall we?

Cassandra is a fully developed, fully functional adult roughly in her early to mid twenties.

KO is a CHILD, who’s age is literally 6-11, though fans typically agree that he acts in the 8-9 range. Additionally, he is commonly head cannoned to be on the Autistic Scale and/or ADHD.

Because of this, their decisions and actions need to be seen through different lenses.

Point 1: work tirelessly to become a hero like [parent] who you idolize

KO:

This statement perfectly depicts KO’s goals. KO strives to be a hero in order to help people to the best of his abilities. He hates being useless and powerless to help his friends, so he trains to be a better hero and works through his struggles with their help. He lives to be like his mommy and his father-figure. I mean, look at him when Gar praises KO and tells him how proud he is of him.

Cassandra:

Cassandra’s goals are different. She wants to be a guard at the end of the day for glory. She wants people to see and acknowledge her abilities and strength and admire her for it.

Yes, making her dad proud is a benefit of that, but that is NOT her driving motivation.

Point 2: Become discourage by lack of progress and hindrance by social status

KO:

Social status was NEVER KO’s problem. His stalling in progress, as I mentioned in another post, was a mental block. He couldn’t tap into his power He came from lower middle, working class family with a single mom.

Cassandra:

Social Status was her problem, but only up until the 1st season finale where she was placed as Captain of the Guard.

She had regular progress in getting more time and respect as a royal guard. The fact that She CHOSE to leave that behind in order to follow her crush on some half-baked, unplanned road trip is only the fault of her own. She threw out the chance she had been waiting for for her entire life to follow Rapunzel.

And than was given numerous opportunities through out the trip to leave and pursue other goals.

Point 3. Be Mentally Ill

Okay, first OP, you could phrased that WAY better.

Secondly, the mental struggles our characters face are completely different and largely incomparable so to group the two is insulting to both characters.

KO:

Disassociative Identity Disorder (or multiple personality disorder)

Possible Undiagnosed Autism and or ADHD

KO develops Disassociative Identity Disorder, due to his frustration at lack of progress, the manipulation of Shadowy figure, and his bottling up of negative emotions. KO is mostly unaware of what happens when TKO is in charge and vice-versa. It took the two a long time to figure out how to work together and eventually merge back into one personality.

He also demonstrates some traits typically associated with Autism and ADHD, though some of those could be on account of his age. It is a common head cannon amongst fans that his either and sometimes both.

Cassandra:

Cassandra doesn’t have to deal with any mental illness until the season 3 finale where it can be gleamed that she’s working through depression if you squint at it.

Yes, there is the Blueberry Ghost, but she was never a result of Cass’ mental state so much as her being host to the Moon Stone.

Her struggles lie in reigning in her anger and her pride so that she can see problems from unbiased perspectives and apologize for her actions. And that is left still unresolved by the time the finale comes around.

Point 4. find out long lost parent is actually horrifically villainous and have a whole crisis about it.

Perhaps, we need a little reminder here before I dig into this one:

KO is a child figuring himself out and Cassandra is an adult figuring out what she wants in life.

KO:

KO had been struggling with his darker side for quite some time before he asked his Mom about who exactly his dad was.

This was something the show had demonstrated time after time that bothered KO, not knowing who his dad was.

So he finds out his dad was this big time hero, and gets reassurance from that fact that he comes from great heroes, so he too can be a hero. Only for that to be immediately tossed out the window when it’s revealed that the only person he hates in the entire world, the person he dubs as the truly evil villain, is actually his father.

His whole world is not only shook to its core, but his self-confidence as well. Laserblast was a great hero who turned villain; what does that mean for a hero-in-training whose already struggling with that darker side.

Praise Carol for not killing PV on the spot.

Additionally, PV didn’t actually know KO even existed until a few months before this incident, and wasn’t even sure if KO was his kid (KO does coincidentally share a lot of Physical attributes to Gar) until KO came busting in, wearing Laserblast’s helmet and bragging about how his dad was a great hero.

So when they attempted to have that father-son relationship, it was as awkward and strained as it should have been. (I’ll get to the OK KO Finale in just a minute)

Cassandra:

Cass could have cared less as to whom her real parents were. She had her dad. She had her goals. She had her job. Who her parents were and why they dumped her on the Captain was irrelevant to her life.

She didn’t care until Season 3, and that whole season was OOC for everybody,

Even then, it wasn’t so much as a crisis so much as an excuse to use to fight Rapunzel. It didn’t matter that Gothel was her mother, it mattered that Gothel picked the Sundrop over her. Which in all honesty was the best thing that could have happened to Cass.

Her “crisis” revolved around a dead woman’s shattered legacy more than her mother.

Point 5: Fall under the influence of said Villainous parental figure

KO TKO: (again, a CHILD)

TKO was used and manipulated into letting his darker side show by Professor Venomous/ Shadowy Figure, (this is my opinion), in order to actually have something they could relate to eachother on.

Yes, Shadowy Venomous saw TKO as more of his tool for power, but you can’t deny that he wasn’t motivated to have his son by his side.

Additionally, KO had at this point literally locked away a part of himself because he didn’t have the tools to deal TKO with this mentally or emotionally. So he responded the best way he could and pushed the problem down so he and others wouldn’t have to keep cleaning up TKO’s messes.

KO was in desperate need for someone to understand how he was and how to help him.

And guess who was there.

Cassandra: (again, an ADULT)

Cass was never led on by Gothel, she was led on by Zhan Tiri.

Cass was delusioned that the moonstone was hers by Zhan Tiri just as much as Rapunzel was delusioned into thinking stopping the moonstone was her destiny by Demanitus.

However, Zhan Tiri really didn’t make Cass do anything, she never pushed her past the breaking point, she never forced her to do anything.

Baked Ziti only prompted Cass, reminding her what she was angry at.

Cass was perfectly capable of ignoring her and doing her own thing.

Point 6: suddenly and dramatically betray everyone you love even as they plead with you to stop. Become convinced they all hate you except for [villainous parental figure] who is actually just manipulating you to gain power.

This point is actually a very good description of what happened to both, given different contexts. Again, remember that KO is a child who is significantly more easily influenced than Cass should have been.

(Note: again, Zhan Tiri’s not her Parental figure and neither was Gothel)

Point 7: ruin everything and destroy your home

KO TKO:

His destructive rampage was motivated by the betrayal of the one person he believed to understand and support him entirely. He was literally grabbed by the shirt, lifted in the air, told he was nothing more than a tool at best, and that the plan to conquest together had been a lie.

Wonder where I’ve seen THAT BEFORE?

(Sorry about the low photo Quality, I quickly search and screen shotted so)

(yes it’s this scene that made me think Mad Ben and TKO would get along)

Cassandra:

Which betrayal are we talking about? Because both involve trained guards rightfully attacking Cass for injuring the crown royalty and wrecking the castle.

Point 8/9: snap out of it at the last second and be horrified at what you've wrought/ the world is fixed by an incredible magic. Reconcile with your loved ones. Flourish

KO:

This is accurate.

But KO didn’t have to lose his power to see how bad he messed up. He was actually at the top of his game. He probably could have taken out the President of the Universe if he really wanted to. Instead he begged for everything to get fixed, and wished that EVERYONE (even Professor Venomous) could live their best lives.

Cassandra:

She was only repentent AFTER she lost her power. Even then, she does not apologize for her actions but rather the circumstances and ONLY to Rapunzel herself. She does not care that she caused a world catastrophe, and still wouldn’t have had she won.

With how it was executed, Cass did NOT deserve such an easy redemption. She should have had to work at it. She should have at least attempted to apologize to the people whose lives she ruined. To the people she’s hurt. Not just Rapunzel. Rapunzel has no right to forgive her in place of everyone else.

Eugene should not have to forgive her.

Varian should not have to forgive her.

The Brotherhood honestly deserves to fight her in combat.

She should not have been able to ride off into the sunset and avoid the consequences of her actions.

BUT I digress.

IN SUMMARY:

KO and Cass, while they share some similarities, do NOT have the same Character Arc. At all.

Sincerely,

TheAngryComet

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checkfortraps · 3 years

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I think a lot of people are overreacting about Travis, but it also seems like there are a lot of fans (myself included) who are disappointed in his behavior, not just this stream. He makes a lot of weird no homo tweets and has talked about parasocial relationships being bad while still forming them actively it feels like, and idk he’s been a fixture of internet culture for near a decade now, he should know that his actions have impacts far beyond himself. I dont think mental health is ever an excuse, and it’s weird to see how quickly people will be like “oh but he has NPD” when other people don’t get that same grace. this isnt the first time he’s said something uncomfortable then lashed out at fans for it, and it’s great he apologized this time, but idk maybe we put too much investment into random men online. like all legit criticism of him gets reduced to ppl claiming cyberbullying, and obvi i dont support the people who are doing that, but there are legitimate criticisms of the way he acts online and treats his fanbase, and maybe he does have NPD but anyone who’s been treated for a personality disorder can attest that our symptoms can directly harm people if we aren’t cognizant of that, it isnt ableist to say that

Oh yeah, trust me, I’m fully aware and agree that personality disorders, or any sort of mental illness, aren’t an excuse to act like an asshole. What I’m saying is that even if you go to therapy and work your ass off to not display symptoms, it might still happen occasionally, and being a Popular Internet Man doesn’t protect you from that. So yeah maybe it happened before, but honestly, that’s just how mental illness is - it pops up from time to time no matter how hard you try, and all you can really do is apologize and move on. I’m saying that as someone who has BPD - another very demonized personality disorder. And having ADHD on top of that, well, that can really mess you up re: impulsivity even if you try very hard not to let it. Also, for the record, I’m not even that into the McElroys - I only ever listened to TAZ Balance and nothing else - and certainly not ‘putting too much investment into random internet men’ or forming parasocial relationships with them. I’m just voicing my thoughts as someone who’s also dealing with a difficult personality disorder that impacts my filters and tends to make me act impulsively if I don’t keep a very tight leash on it. (And certain things can make you lose your grip on that leash, like family drama, pressure in your work life, or, like right now, a global pandemic; it’s not a personal failure or ‘not trying hard enough’ when it happens while you have severe outside stressors, or maybe trauma is resurfacing. You never know what other people privately deal with, after all.)

Just saying, someone being famous doesn’t mean they suddenly have a better grip on their mental illness. They’re only human too, after all, and to be human means to sometimes fuck up and yes, even hurt people on accident. The important thing is to own up to that and apologize, and Travis did that, so I don’t see what continuing to call him out is gonna do here. And saying ‘oh but this person did this in the past without apologizing, that means they’re inherently bad!’ is ... not great because people can change and learn and grow, and we shouldn’t decide if someone’s a Bad Person based on some stuff they did in the past. (Unless it’s like, pedophilia or being a nazi or something like that obviously.)

But yeah TL;DR: of course having a mental illness isn’t an excuse for problematic behaviour or absolves you from having to take responsibility for it, but I think we should practise some compassion when people slip up - even if it’s someone famous - as long as they apologize and try to do better. And yes, you can start trying to do better at any given time - it’s rarely too late for that. (And I do think Travis is aware of how questionable his behavior was, because he apologized. If you don’t think you did anything wrong, you’re usually not inclined to make amends for it.)

But that’s just my two cents. I really don’t interact with McElroy content or Travis specificially enough to have a comprehensive opinion of him. I’m just an advocate for being forgiving of people with difficult to handle mental illnesses like NPD, BPD, schizophrenia, etc. as long as they own up to it and try to do better. I’ve been on the receiving end of being demonized for my personality disorder before, and trust me, it sucks. (Though it of course is always valid to be disappointed when someone loses control and lashes out at you. This isn’t a black-and-white issue where only one half of the conflict can be right.)

#tricky replies

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misterbitches · 3 years

Text

some thots. having a bad time so this is rougher than usual. oh well

....

i guess he really does know hiim best cos if that was my mans (man specifically cos if anyone else did that id take it more srsly) i would be like oh my god ur singing me a love song? i would love it but i woudl SCREAM in embarrassment. UNLESS it was a really deep love song that's about us dying together.

like i want to eat ur skin type of thing (drain u nirvana) lmaoa but i really like this song it reminds me of that velvet underground song (the only one i know cos of juno lmao) and nico or whatever 'i'm sticking with you)

my adhd would be out of fucking control i had to spend my time listening to this looking around i kept getting distracted by a tissue and thinking "wow this song is nice but i wish it would end bc i am getting distracted" and lo and behold i paused it and i have to pee and i know it's gonna take forever to undo this

ok about 12m later i turned it back on and they kissed and then he bit the corn then that night li chen also lost his virgin teas after watching gay porn and being like "hm interesting" and he'll be like "i see, ur dick is not medium sized"

i'm honestly gagging i cannot at this 12 year old marrying his mom

beautiful theyre beautiful

ayea you fucking psycho we do too because he was 17 and we had to witness it (or well, other people did cos i didnt watch the show even tho wayne song is [BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEP] and i want him to [BEEEEEEEP] and ppl even liked it which is fine like i get it in theory but they put this in my eyeballs so i'm gonna make fun of it bc it's fuckin DUMB lmao like i can't I CANNOT and he said "u were so persistent" BITCH UR 30??!?!???!?!?!?)capi hve it on mute and i tried to get a screencap of li chen and mu ren like together and not just his face but i cant find the timestamp and seeing their faces as they get married is literalyl traumattizing i'm like scremaing at my screen going "HE'S 5 HE'S 5 HE'S 5" and every time theyre like "we acn live forever together" like no bitch ur bones rae creaking

also is the officiator white? if anyone knows why or if that's common i'd love to know more. EDIT: HE ISN'T I JUST THOUGHT HE LOOKED LIKE MOBY FROM THAT ANGLE

anyway here

i'm almost done with this fucking bullshit and i am in a really ould mood and usu they make it a bit better but imo it's kind of....annoying i guess balancing all these story elements and introducin gother couples (even in the periphery) since the story in itself can't focus. i feel like all in all the time spent with these two is a lot more limited and we get the feel for the rship because of their chemistry as actors, irl chemistry as friends and colleagues, and hopefully being happy and working on a good set. so it isn't the strength of the writing or production.

for some reason they get like less dynamic ways of being together which i think is part of their charm, they do things their own way, but the writers really should have substantiated this more. it's really just the way everyone in the show has managed to deliver these AWFUL story lines and production decisions (like seriously who the fuck was on costume? lighting?)

like maybe hot take but all the moments that are cringe and insane in the show are not pleasant, per se, because they aren't thought out clearly. so they're not a joy to watch in the normal sense but the actors are good enough to pull it off. i didn't cringe at the talks they had because it felt like actors like acting these lines out instead of us being embarrassed for it and you CAN TELL theyre embarrassed.

this is a huge kudos to the casting director and the actors and whatever crew that actually did a good job. i don't particularly like watching bo xiang and his grandfather husband not because of the content but because i feel like, to me, they're so awkward even though they have chemistry. i don't have that issue with xing si and his rapist brother boyfriend because watching them is actually really pleasant, it's intimate. this isn't to do with the story though because when it hits you how devoid this other person is and how stupid the situation is it changes (for me, for me, for me, this is all my opinion think whateverrrr u want im not telling u 2 ok!)

so truly kudos to this cast. idk if i'm misremembering here but imo the most cast appropriate series in this was crossing the line and close to you. one is a decent atmosphere and execution (yes even with that brother story line, notice the major key differences though because that's a sincere false equivalence. they try to execute power imbalances soooo badly and then fail every time but here's one meant to shock too and it was just likelmao ok girl?)

it may not make sense to say either in a writing way or for the character to do it but i believe that whoever the characters these people are supposed to be especially those super not well written on the page still get that message aacross (yong jie's actor is a good ex. not sure if i should ccongratulate him for having the worst job on earth and the worst character and his character is flat but. ostensibly they should let their actions speak for themselevs but what they do is they back themselves into a ccorner with unsuretyabout their characters or a dilemma that pops up they just want to excuse it. well guess hwat u couldnt do enough legwork. but to some extent the disposable side couple works here on a um "our eyes see them and get it" way

also to me it seems like they chose this story just to have this specific wedding. like it's a timely topic and i'm pretty sure like another provision? (correction? idk) was made WRT taiwanese same-sex marriage so it's topical but it isn't like a "papa and daddy" situation where they're interacting in it and there (for ex: the pride parade) and there being like real life terms and consequences. here it seems like they were like ah yes wedding ah yes dumb couple from modc bc we kiled off the other one sooooo (then outsource them to life love on the line u__u) then hamfisting in some fucking message which is funny bc

- despite the hints peppered in and the clear attraction they both acknowledge ur like ~not gay just him~ even tho...i mean i just. again they dont read over what they write i don't think considering. but wahtever.

- the only gay dude (verbally said) is with his rapist brother with an awful power dynamic oh or IS a rapist (gao) (or his brother but i think it was just a "im a psycho so it's him" thing unless they said it. in which case idc cos i wasnt paying attn but that's also not great) or i guess the wedding but like....that's also a ridiculously inappropriate and dumb relationship taht it's built on. i mean i don't really see much respect her so i dont particularly want to hear abt gay weddings being important when they didn't even utilize it in the story beforehand and have we ever. this is a huge indication to me that it was a reverse engineered chosen story beforehand (if it was one) or thought of

soooooo

so reversal of that....it didnt give us enough time to breathe with these two at all but for both of the actors they can capitalize what's on the page and the writers didn't. like their dynamic is very i give/you give like taking car eof each other etc that's why

again, no artist worth their salt will ever say their work meant nothing. that's a cover up. i'm sick of lazy production and then getting away with it claiming being subversive or attacking an issue by not doing anything. we show crazy shit all the time but it has a POINT and ur point is "i like the gays" then girl.....i mean it's not great

but the acting really carried it. i have a feeling if this series continues it might continue to use more experienced actors cos maybe the budget goes up but they also have less inhibitions now when it comes to acting. i like the way li chen expresss himself and teng teng too. i like anson a lot and there's some angles that did not do any favors and i think eh has to get more control of his body movements (bc he's SO LARGE and thin) but he wasn't bad at all and there were real human tears. of course i, personally, favor charles tu. he has more control over his body because he has...less to work with and he's a bit bigger and he was really great in this role. he's a himbo a bit of a meathead but you like him. you like them. there's some things i think they had them say and do that they wouldn't let happen if they stuck to the characters and the story (mainly liking that dumb idiot rapist)

what i notice is that the reprehensible actions people criticize others for in the show and in real human life lalways gets turned around. teng teng being surprised that this boy's grandfather boyfriend met him when he was a junior in high school and he's 12 years older and him apologizing for being shocked and then whatshisface going "ur better at it than most people" and then the convo about gao with whatshisface and then rapist brother comes to pick him up. they are admonishing gao but thinking that rapist brother is noble for doin gwhat he did (and oh rapist brother shows up) like the hypocrisy and the decisions are immense. so now it's like "guys see he's a great guy" like girl STICK TO SOMETHING but whatever so i live in this universe where muren and li chen do everything right and have lots of different interesting fun seex with all their friends. i would write this but i cannot i am dying

#history 4: close to you #history 4 #li chen x mu ren #a thot

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jyndor · 3 years

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so I was talking to my friend @timelordthirteen about some shit and I decided to just share with you all about the importance of actually explaining shit instead of just saying it. the Left, I am looking at you bitch (ily bitch but)

lol would put a read more but tumblr's being a petty little bitch today ❤

shitposting is fun. dunking on asshat right wingers is fun. you know what is not fun? seeing people not understand the basic terminology that we use in the ~discourse*

but. if we are going to use terminology, if we are going to inject regular old laypeople conversations with (imo) unneccessary amounts of academic terms, then we should try to use them correctly** because in many cases misusing them means we as leftists do not have a full understanding of what the fuck we're on about. this dilutes both the meanings of these terms and their purposes. I know I am wordy as fuck and can be hard to understand sometimes (thanks adhd) so what I am about to say is a little ironic, but clarity is fucking important when it comes to strategy and organizing.

so I am going to examine some commonly misused concepts and terms today. yay.

1. THEORY, PRAXIS AND FRAMEWORKS FOR ANALYSIS weeee yes I am fun at parties tyvm

what is a framework? a structure, in this case, for analyzing some bullshit we deal with irl. that's it lol but I use it a lot so I figured I'd define it here. examples of frameworks are: intersectionality, marxism, queer theory. seriously, if you can think it, it has already been analyzed through the queer lens.

what is theory? ideas, knowledge in the abstract based on looking at shit happen and analyzing that shit. it is useful because it can help us articulate what we are going through in our shitty lives. this is why I often recommend people learn about chomsky's manufacturing consent (theory of why we get the info we get from the media tl;dr), not because I think chomsky is the ultimate leftist grandpa but because this site needs some media literacy lmao. and btw, this clip narrated by amy goodman is a great, trippy little 4:30 min long video that explains the basics of manufacturing consent so you don't have to open a book or use drugs!

theory can help serve as a framework to understand what the fuck is happening to us irl, but imo is kind of an incomplete understanding of shit without lived experience (aka - theory v praxis). this is one reason why we should listen to marginalized groups on their own shit and not talk over them - because all of the research and theory in the world does not make me a Black woman living in Flint (aka - ground up organizing v technocracy). it is not about being nice, or politically correct, although we should be nice and we should care about people just because they're people. if you understand the why of listening to marginalized groups, you understand that it is mainly about communities knowing their own problems best and therefore having the best solutions for those problems.

2. MARXISM, CAPITALISM AND OTHER BUZZWORDS (and leftists need hobbies)

so marxism is a framework for socioeconomic analysis observed by mr kpop himself, karl marx (and his sugar daddy friedrich engels). because leftists love to argue, there are so many kinds of marxism, and if you ever feel like you are shouting into the void too much, just look up some arguments between stalinists and trotskyists. it's just... magical. no, I am not defining tankie here.

as many people smarter than I am have said (read: kwame ture seriously watch this video it's iconic), karl marx did not discover socialism or invent it or whatever, he observed capitalism and saw how shitty it is, like any other sane person would do. the point of marxism is not karl marx (which he would say) or tankies or fuckin guillotines***

things that marxism is:

- an analytical tool for looking at the world

- a theory which was used to develop the basis of different kinds of post-capitalist economic systems like communism and socialism

things that marxism is not:

- a system of economics or government lmao marx did not govern dick

- scary

marx looked at capitalism and said "this is definitely gonna fail someday because it's clearly unsustainable, I mean the proletariat is bigger than the bourgeoisie who owns everything uh yeah so I can do basic fucking math. if I have one capitalist and fifteen hundred workers, eventually that capitalist is gonna lose his damn head because he is gonna hoard all that wealth and his workers are gonna get pissed that they don't have their basic fucking needs met. lmao now put on some kpop, freddy" or something. idk that might not be a direct quote.

what is capitalism? (besides horseshit) a system of economics where industry is privately owned. and yes, this includes publically traded corporations because they are still owned by individuals (shareholders) even if they aren't privately owned by one person or a group of partners. truly a nightmare to live in, and we hate to see it.

what is the proletariat? well, the working class. and the bourgeoisie is the owner class, the capitalist class. the rich.

and this is something else that we need to discuss, tumblr. if you are going to say "eat the rich" please understand who you are talking about. we're not talking about random actors or musicians, or doctors or lawyers, even if they make better than a liveable wage. even if they often have zero class consciousness, meaning they don't ~see class, like colorblind racism for classism.

anyone who has to sell their labor for wages and is not part of the owner class is working class. this includes people who cannot work for any multitude of reasons (disability, can't find work, caretaker, etc) and also white collar workers who might be well off in relatively high paying jobs because they don't own the means of production, or capital that is used to produce shit. so yes, that rich actor who is a part of a union is actually part of the working class in marxist theory. when we say eat the rich, we mean jeff bezos, not john boyega. jeff bezos owns the means of production. john boyega is a working actor who is in a union.

this is important not because we shouldn't get pissed off when actors and celebrities do tone deaf shit like singing about imagining no possessions in their mansions while people starve during a pandemic. they need to put their money to good use, have some class consciousness, instead of asking fans to donate to causes that they could fund. but they are not the bourgeoisie until they start owning the means of production. and there is no doubt that many of them do, which is why we might eat gwyneth paltrow but we won't eat john boyega.

and by the way, eating the rich is metaphorical, a reference to french revolution-era philosopher jean-jacques rousseau's quote: "when the people shall have nothing more to eat, they will eat the rich." obviously I don't even need to explain it but I will anyway. basically, the people will forcibly redistribute the wealth of the rich if they have nothing else. this is why there are some very smart capitalists who are in favor of reforms and raising taxes, because they recognize the danger to their necks in not providing for basic needs of the working class. no, "eat the rich" does not mean be pro-cannibalism. but there are many capitalists who would prefer to die than lose their hoard so

oh, and one last thing. "no ethical consumption in capitalism" is tossed around a lot and it's a million percent true, but I need all of us to understand that it is not an excuse to support harmful practices but it is also not meant to shame consumers. it is rather an understanding that we as consumers are not responsible for the monstrous impact of capitalism. we live in it, we have no choice but to consume, and sometimes (most of the time) that means we have to buy shit that was produced in unethical ways. unfortunately supply chains being what they are, all consumption causes harm in some way.

it is a reminder that individual actions are not going to have the impact of collection actions. this is why plastic bag bans, though well-meaning, are not going to have the same impact on climate catastrophe as, say, banning fossil fuels would.

I am a vegetarian and I can recognize that I am doing a whole lot of nothing by not supporting factory farms, and when I was a vegan I wasn't doing much either. boycotts without mass support don't have much evidence of working. this is why bds exists - boycott divestment and sanctions. boycott, meaning don't support goods from various conpanies connected to something, divestment, meaning get companies/countries/institutions to remove their money from something, and sanctions, meaning getting countries to penalize a country for their bad behavior until they comply.

this is what the anti-apartheid south africa movement did and what palestinian rights organizers support for israeli apartheid.

do not allow legislators to put the burden of fixing the ills of society that capitalism created on consumers' shoulders.

3. INTERSECTIONALITY (because it deserves its own section)

I don't have as much to say on this as I did the last bit because holy shit capitalism, man.

intersectionality, a term that was coined by law professor kimberlé crenshaw in the late 80s to serve as a framework for people to critically assess how legal structures impact Black women differently due to class, race and gender. it is not incompatible with marxism (in fact marxism has been argued to be a form of intersectionality).

intersectionality can and should be used to examine why the Black queer experience is unique, for example. I also want to acknowledge that professor crenshaw isn't the only person to come up with intersectionality; sojourner truth spoke about it even if she didn't coin the term, for example. patricia hill collins, another influential af Black feminist academic****, created frameworks for viewing intersectionality. also you can read her book black feminist thought here for free.

intersectionality has been used - improperly - by liberal feminists***** to excuse bad behavior from leaders who pretend to care about women while creating and enforcing legislation that harms women. anyone who stans politicians at all needs help. it has also been misrepresented as essentialism, which it is also not (essentialism is the idea that everything has some assets that are necessary to its identity) because intersectionality isn't saying that every Black queer woman has the same experience, just that Black queer women might experience similar issues because of a system that negatively views them as Black and queer and women.

intersectionality does not excuse kamala harris for prosecuting poor moms of truant kids.

okay if you guys have things to add please do because I want us to educate each other instead of always talking shit. both is good.

* I am not calling out people for not being academic enough or not speaking english or not reading enough theory because LOL I am a 2x neurodivergent college dropout who radicalized by working retail and not by hearing karl marx talk dirty to me. also, not everyone speaks english like, I am truly not shitting on people.

** I recognize that language is fluid and ever changing, and that is a good thing. But diluting terms that serve specific purposes is not ever going to be good.

*** and I don't want to dismiss intra-leftist theory discourse (🤢) because I know how annoying it is to hear bernie sanders lumped in with liz warren, or bernie sanders lumping himself in with post-capitalists lmao of course I get it. but twitter discourse is not dismantling capitalism so ANYWAY

**** actually crenshaw built on collins' work (black feminist thought) and the collins built on crenshaw' work we love to see it.

***** I should go ahead and define liberal feminism as well as rad fem and terf and shit because people use them all very very loosely, especially terf (not every transphobe is a terf but every terf is a transphobe, it's like the rectangle/square thing). but I am exhausted with this so next time.

#marxism #word vom #intersectionality #kpop idol karl #truly apologize for my mess

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