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zuzuslastbraincell · 3 years

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IMO, if you’re going to criticise the way zukka’s booming popularity ties into the racialised fetishisation of mlm (great article on this as a phenomenon here), you should make that the core focus of your critique? I’ve seen some takes recently that try to critique it from additional angles but I feel these arguments are 1. borne out frustration 2. flawed 3. miss the point.

For example, I’ve seen some posts criticising zukka that are frustrated with people not for giving the canon wlw representation in the avatar universe the same kind of popularity and attention. I’m sympathetic to this frustration (I share it), but I think framing it in this way fails to recognise that neither of these ships are in ATLA itself. One is from a different show, that has far more inconsistent and arguably poorer writing, whose world-building has been critiqued from anti-imperialist perspectives and anti-capitalist perspectives multiple times, and critically, the canon wlw ship, while groundbreaking in children’s animation for its time, was poorly developed and foreshadowed. While you could attribute this to disputes with the executives at nicklelodeon, it doesn’t change the fact that as a viewer it’s not as compelling as it could have been. I personally love korrasami but I think there are good reasons to be disappointed or underwhelmed by its portrayal, there are good reasons why fans might not care much for Legend of Korra; indeed there are ATLA fans who haven’t even watched LoK. The other pairing is from a spin-off novel series about an important minor character, which hasn’t received anywhere near the publicity as ATLA or LoK. Again, I adore Rangi/Kyoshi, but we should be realistic about how much we expect casual viewers to read a spin-off novel series and how much attention it should garner without its own TV series. To some extent we need to be realistic – why should we expect people who are fans of ATLA, and only ATLA, to give as much attention to ships that are not part of ATLA?

I’ve also seen some posts that question why people don’t find the canonical m/f relationships appealing, and urge people to reconsider them, often stating gay =/= better, or more politically correct. While it’s true that liking ships absolutely should not be a measurement of how progressive you are, I find this perspective fails to recognise that there are actual genuine critiques that you could level at kataang, sukka, and maiko respectively? In each case you could make an argument for lack of development, that these relationships tend to centre the male character and their feelings? There are genuine reasons why viewers might be put off by these dynamics (in fact, there is no obligation for them to care, there never is), and I think we shouldn’t overcorrect and ignore the flaws in the dynamics’ canonical depiction that people might take issue with. I am also skeptical of the implication offered by this line of critique, where these canonical m/f relationships are all more politically correct – even if that’s true, I really don’t think that a lone is a good reason why people should be more invested in them (especially if the viewer finds their dynamic otherwise uncompelling flat etc.). We shouldn’t confuse shipping children’s TV characters with activism; taking an anti-imperialist, anti-racist, and feminist approach to media is more to do with accountability than activism and about ensuring fandom cultures do not only only cater to white cishet men.

The last argument I’ve seen recently has been to do with the fact that mailee shouldn’t be compared too closely with zukka – agreed, in that they’re very different dynamics, and again, I can understand the frustration there. But mailee is not “more canonical” than zukka simply because the former were childhood friends. Firstly, neither of these relationships are canonical (may I remind you that Mai ends up with Zuko). Furthermore, there also no firm, rock solid, near indisputable evidence that Mai and Ty lee always cared for each other more deeply or fully than Azula; there is no firm, rock solid, near indisputable evidence that Mai and Ty lee always knew they were going to betray Azula and were leading her on the whole damn time. This is an interpretation of the text based on some circumstantial evidence and body language. It is a potentially an interesting, compelling interpretation of the text that has some limited evidence suggesting it could be true - but it ultimately relies on conjecture and extrapolation. It is not canon. There is also space for an interpretation of the text where Mai and Ty Lee never particularly liked each other or understood each other, and largely tried to get along for Azula’s sake. We should be careful to ensure that we don’t treat our headcanons as if they are ironclad canonical fact. There is space for a variety of interpretations of Mai and Ty Lee’s dynamic and to call it “more canonical” presents an interpretation of mailee as fact in a way I think not only is just kidding ourselves / exaggerating what we saw on screen, but also I think doesn’t allow for alternate interpretations that more broadly, impacts fandom negatively.

Like, ultimately I feel that all of these arguments are flawed, but also I think they miss the point! None of these things have much to do with zukka’s sudden popularity or why a lot of interpretations of zukka delve into racist fetishisation and mlm fetishisation. If you want to criticise zukka and its sudden rise in popularity, talk about the key factors at play. Talk about how migratory shippers latch on to new fandoms without much care for the context and detail of the source text, treating characters like blank slates they can attach tropes to without regard to their actual characterisation, either latching onto white characters no matter how minor their role is, or, as in the case of atla, either erasing & “whitening” the cultural background of the characters or just perpetuating racist perspectives.

We could also talk about how there is not much space or resources in fandom in general for wlw ships and discussions and spaces. We could talk about how women are more willing to work with and interpret male characters than vice versa, in part due to the lack of interiority and complexity often given to female characters in children’s animation historically but also due to misogyny and the male audience’s unwillingness to treat women like people even when presented with complex and layered female characters. We could also talk about the history of whiteness in fandom and how the source text was written by white american men and is a limited western interpretation of asian cultures and how that impacts the fandom and the reception and treatment of said cultures.

Like. I think there are more important factors at play and we shouldn’t make these flawed arguments simply out of frustration that what we care about and what we’re passionate about isn’t getting the reception we think it deserves. Because I get most of this, most of these arguments are borne out of frustration, but we shouldn’t exaggerate, mistate the case, or leave no room for critique.

#long post #i have no idea how to tag this #this is probably fandom wank ?#but i fucking hate that term it's so 00s livejournal #anyway i'm just frustrated by seeing these arguments

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satsuki2406 · 3 years

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OPEN SKY Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

“…And never, ever forget that, your dreams are the wings that’ll help you fly.”

(L/N)(Y/N) has always been forced to live according to others’ expectations. As a member of the powerful and influential (L/N) Family, she has had to live with the heavy weight of seeing others write her destiny with no choice but just obey. But when (Y/N) finally decides to risk it all to take the only opportunity to regain the control of her own life, everything ends up going horribly wrong. Surrendered and disappointed, she receives one last chance to prove to herself and to U.A, along with some unexpected help that this was not a crazy and meaningless waste of time.

Maybe this plan could work after all…

PAIRING: (Bakugou Katsuki x Reader)

GENRE/WARNINGS: Romance, Fluff, Angst, Mentions of sex (nothing explicit tho), dark themes, My poor attempt of comedy, family dysfunctionality, toxic relationships, Strong language (Courtesy of King Lord Explosion Murder 💥), Manga Spoilers.

STATUS: On going

Masterlist $￣︶￣*$)

6- Have We Got a Deal?

✒A/N:

I rewrote this chapter like three times, and hopefully, now it turned out better. I read my progress again a couple of weeks ago and it was simply, not right. I hated it so much that I decided to delete it and work again on it. The essence is the same of what I planned for this chapter and although it is a bit longer now, I took the chance to get into more detail about certain things and express better about others. The conversation between Reader-chan and Kaguya may have become a bit deeper than it used to be, but I really liked the outcome and gave me more ideas for the future plot. That's all for now.

Hope you enjoy it! q(≧▽≦q)

So, my dear sweet cousin, do you accept or not?

“W-Wait a minute! You can’t be serious, do you- do you understand the implications of what you’re saying?!” You said incredulously.

“Of course I do, why do you think we are here?” Kaguya said while she took another canape and bit it. She chewed slowly while you watched her attentively, the dread in your stomach growing by increments, exasperated for her to continue. She finally swallowed and took a sip of wine.

“So? Would you care to explain what on earth is actually happening, because you don’t expect me to believe that the cause of such an unprecedented change is because of some internet gossip” You said in a demanding tone.

“Of course it’s not, but if you are patient enough I’ll explain it to you with pleasure, so you better watch your tone with me, brat.” She hissed.

You puffed out your cheeks but nodded in cue for her to continue.

“Approximately three days ago grandmother convened a last-minute meeting in her abode to discuss this problem. At first, I thought she was overreacting about this whole ordeal, after all big corporates and companies are attacked and critized all the time, but after a long, long discussion, we all agreed that the situation should not be taken lightly and it needed to be addressed as soon as possible.”

“That bad it is?” You asked slightly concerned.

“Unfortunately,” Kaguya answered. “Walls covered in graffiti in Kyoto, people protesting and messing with the employees at the ER main entrance in Hosu, broken windows in Deika and thousands and thousands of emails and nasty messages in all our social media accounts. We had to hire the services of a whole publicity agency so they could deal with the problem, hardly. It has been difficult to contain, but it paid off because it hasn’t been leaked into any important newscast. Internet, the origin of the problem, has been another story, unfortunately, in these cases, it can be very difficult and unforgiving to work with; once something enters, is nearly impossible to pull it out and if you succeed there’s always a risk it would pop up anywhere when you least expect it.” Kaguya said while she rubbed her temples.

“Internet is a huge source of news and information for thousands of people nowadays, even millions, fake or not, and also the main responsible that this situation slipped out of control faster.”

You contemplated your next words as you soaked in all the information you just were provided with, so you could express your ideas and queries as clear as possible. “Okay…but why is everybody so angry about our current family situation? I get it’s messed up, but why go as far as vandalize privite property and nag about it on social media?” You asked slightly hesitant.

“As an institution, we had always presented and preserved ourselves as a family, working to, and for the Japanese families generation after generation, no matter where we went, we always went together, always radiating the image of a happy, healthy, and unified family. Throughout the time several members of our family had made multiple presentations in public inspiring kindness and charisma, earning the trust and love of the people, which is impressive considering the heavily hero centered world we live in. Now that there are strong rumors putting all of these apparent facts into question, some people feel mocked, disappointed, and cheated… besides other things.” Kaguya mumbled.

“Sorry I could not listen the last part Kaguya.” You said puzzled.

“Don’t worry, I was just talking to myself, the important thing is that the problem is been solved, millions will be invested but is necessary. We have already started a huge ad campaign, a lot of important heroes will be involved so we can reassure and remind people why we have been their number one choice during over a century, that we still the same and will always remain the same, that we do not change, we improve.”

“I see, but you haven’t explained what does this have to do with me going to U.A-”

“As I told you she decided to make exceptions, due to the unusual situation we are going through right now we need unusual solutions as well and as part of our ad campaign and for the sake of our image she decided that two fortunate souls would have the chance to pursue a carrier of their choice, you know to placate the masses.”

“ Of course, a different series of factors would be taken into account when examining the option chosen and its potential benefits for the interests of the company, if these results are not satisfactory, the other alternatives will be analyzed to find a more suitable one and the aforementioned process will be repeated. Once we find satisfactory results, grandmother will proceed to revise everything once more and give her approval or deny it.”

“So, what you’re telling me is that we are doing the same thing but with more options? And they are going to evaluate if we can actually perform well in these new career options?” You asked unimpressed at your grandmas’ unwillingness to let the leash lose a bit even in a situation like this.

“Exactly right, it’s a change but there are still rules nonetheless.” Kaguya affirmed as she refilled her cup again. “Don’t get me wrong, she is really mad, just the thought of sacrifice two pawns in one single move is driving her crazy”

“Which selection system will be used in this case?” You asked.

“Nominations. As you already know there are two potential candidates, besides you of course.”

“Two? But there’s other three-”

“Aya has already been selected by grandmother herself, he’ll be enrolled into U.A next year via recommendation, everything is ready and processed the only thing left is to break the news on him.”

You grimaced, anxious, and preoccupied to see your already thin chances narrow even more. Your cousin, Aya was a famous vlogger and influencer with a strongly settled fanbase in and out of Japan. His videos generally focus on his daily life, trips to cool and exotic destinations, and the typical ‘eat this’, ‘do that’ challenges that always went around the internet.

He also participated in different campaigns to raise funds for different charitable causes and was a fervent advocator of animal rights and the environment, even donating millions from his own pocket. He always did his best to involve the name of the (L/N) Group, allowing them to organize, participate and sponsor some of these events helping bust their image as a caritative, conscious, and woke organization.

The bastard overflew with kindness and charisma and knew how to surround himself with the right people to manage his channel properly, although no relatable for the regular mid-class YouTube user, you had to admit that his videos were fun, entertaining, interesting, and sometimes, informative, that was the reason they were always flooded with millions of views, comments, likes and overall the crushing success he was experiencing every time he uploaded a new one.

He’s rich, famous, handsome, and had an appealing personality, add hero to that list and you’ll get the recipe to success. It wouldn't surprise you at all if he reached the top 10 of the HBC in a year just out of sheer popularity. His quirk is also fitted for a hero, he’ll need some serious training, but nothing that money and elite PT could not manage.

“How am I supposed to compete with that?” You whispered with your head down watching how your knuckles turned whiter as your hands crinkled your uniform skirt.

“Don’t trouble yourself with what you’re not supposed to, Aya is not competition, not anymore, instead try to focus on the actual competition, and may I add that you got a really big chance with my brother out of the picture. Kaguya smirked at you confidently.

“You think so?” You asked doubtfully.

“Believe me (Y/N), my sister is really smart and competent, but has the charm and social skills of a cardboard box, and Himeko, well… we could resume all her virtues, abilities and skills to shopping, makeup, gossip, selfies, social media, being pretty and an absolute headache. Grandmother got big plans for her after she graduates though, so I’ll take her out of the picture as well.”

“Big plans?” You said arching your eyebrow.

“Let’s say that, right now, we have a great, juicy, and very convenient deal that is in negociation right now and she is a vital piece to close it successfully. Don’t worry, your curiosity will be satiated soon enough.”

“What worries me is that I think I got a grasp of what you’re talking about.”

“Aw. Come on, businesses are businesses (Y/N), C’est la vie.” She said as she shrugged uninterested.

“Yeah, because is not you.” You grumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, why don’t you continue.”

“You are right, where we were? Oh, right.”

‘Was she really just dismissing the topic like that?!’

“Tell me (Y/N), do you think that I would have brought you here and propose this plan to you if I didn’t have an ace up my sleeve? Please. There are some important and positive points that can grant us success if we exploit them properly, but we must play our cards wisely, unfortunately, that’ll have to wait until we are completely alone.” Confused your arched your eyebrow, until your ears were met with the sound of the wheels of a certain golden cart rapidly approaching.

“Hello again ladies, let me take this off,” Hiro said while he took the almost empty canape plate along the rest of the dishes. “Is there anything else you would like? Would you like another beverage (L/N)-sama?” Hiro said looking at your semi voided glass.

“Y-Yes please”

“Alright!” With the swift and skill of years of experience, Hiro served your plates, removed the shiny silver food covers, refilled both water cups and Kaguya’s wine cup as well in less than a minute. “Please enjoy, if there’s anything else you would like I’ll be happy to assist you! I’ll be back in a minute with your drink miss.”

You spent the next couple of minutes in total silence waiting for your drink in order to continue your conversation privately and interruption-free. Just as said, Hiro returned instants later with the promised drink and finally left you two to converse calmly.

“Well, now that the coast is clear, let me fill you up with what you have to know and do in order to obtain a favorable outcome for both of us.” Kaguya began as she sliced a bite of quail breast.

“So, this is my plan…”

Now with your dinner night already finished, you were now heading to your house. This ride was as quiet as the one to the restaurant, but without the suffocating weight of uncertainty. Your head was filled now with the echoes of your conversation with Kaguya, debating, analyzing, considering, comprehending every single word of it.

“You seem troubled, you are doubtful, aren’t you?” Said Kaguya interrupting your thoughts.

“I’m more scared than anything if this doesn’t work-”

“It will, you already know what to do, just focus on that. I’ll keep in contact with you anyway, in case of emergencies or any last-minute matter.” She then proceeded to rummage in her purse and took out a brand-new phone, it was one of those not so high-quality flip phones that you can get for a really low price, probably a disposable one.

“I already put my phone number in it, so we can communicate without issue. This phone is a really basic one, so it has no internet access but you have unlimited calls and texts. Just make sure to keep it hidden from your mother or that blabbermouth maid of yours.”

“Yes, I’ll find a place.”

“Perfect, remember, the announce dinner will be this Saturday, surely your mom would tell you, everybody will be there, they must at least.”

Another twenty minutes passed before you were at the main door of your lavish home. Silently, you excited the car after Soichiro opened the door for you and you headed to the front door.

“We’ll keep in contact, until then, (Y/N).” Kaguya said softly, once she finished Soichiro shut the door, bowed his head, and wished you a good evening. He straightened up his posture and proceeded to hop in the car again. Quietly you observed the car get farther and farther until it disappeared. You stayed there in silence, while the nightly wind swayed your hair delicately. The sound of the door opening distracted you, then, you turned around to be met with the gentle smile of Nobu-san.

“Okaerinasai, (Y/N)-sama, how was your dinner with Kaguya-sama?”

“Pretty…unexpected.” You looked everywhere, making sure that nobody else was listening to your conversation. “I’ll fill you out on the details later” You whispered and Nobu-san nodded knowingly. “I see, your bath is ready (Y/N)-sama. Please take your time and relax, it’s been a long night after all,” He got slightly closer to you and cupped his hand around his mouth, and whispered. “I’m pretty sure you’ll make good use of this time to ponder any thought that is troubling your mind.” He distanced from you, crossed his arms behind his back, and gave you a gentle closed-eye smile. “Would you like a cup of tea after your bath?”

You smiled at him fondly.

“(F/T/F), please.”

You’ve been lying if you said that you could actually sleep the night before. Your head could not stop to reproduce in a loop your conversation with Kaguya the night before, like a broken record you couldn’t escape from. Before you noticed, the outrageous melody of your alarm resounded in the spaciousness of your room. You groaned in protest, unwillingly getting up to start your day.

Dressed and ready, you took your bag and went downstairs to have breakfast. Before you could finish hopping down the stairs you caught a glimpse of your mother sitting at the head chair, like always with your father by her side, she was holding her morning coffee while she read some emails on her laptop.

As always she looked stunning in her soft pink and golden outfit, she crossed her legs, put down her cup and started typing in her laptop.

You straighten your posture the best you could and approached the table with delicate steps. “Good morning mother, good morning dad”

“Good morning dear, how did you sleep?” Said your mother without taking her eyes off the screen in a somewhat flat tone as her fingers tapped nimbly over the keyboard. “Pretty well, and yourself?” You said while you took a seat at the innecesarily expansive dinning table.

“Not so well sadly, there’s been some… issues I had to take care of.” She hissed a bit irritated as she rubbed her temples.

“I-I see, hopefully, you’ll have a better day today, mother.”

“I doubt it, unluckily, but thank you for your words, darling. Now hurry up or you’ll be late.”

“Yes, mother.”

“You should have some fresh fruit honey; the mangos are delicious!” Said the cheerful voice of your father. You smiled fondly at him while he reciprocated with a smile of his own. “I’ll do then, thank you for your suggestion dad.” You answered while one of the maids served you a portion of fresh mixed fruit in a bowl and Nobu-san poured tea in your cup.

“(Y/N)” Spoke your mom.

“Yes, mother?”

“Your grandmother had organized a family dinner this Saturday that we must assist, of course, I expect nothing less of you than be on your best behavior, also is imperative that you choose your outfit today so I can determine if it’s appropriate for the occasion. If you need to go shopping just tell Sasaki, I activated your debit card again just this time.” She said authoritatively.

“Yes mother, I’ll do it today after class.” You said as you topped your fruit with some honey, yougurt and granola.

“Splendid, now if you excuse me, I have to go now, Haru, hurry up or we’ll be late”

“Yes, cara mia” Your father beamed. Your mother then rose from her chair took her handbag and draped her coat over her shoulders. Your father then finished his coffee as soon as he could and went behind her. “Have a good day princess!” Exclaimed you dad. “Thank you, you too!” You answered while you saw them get escorted by an army of bodyguards.

Soon enough the door was closed and you were left alone. “(Y/N)-sama I advise you to hurry as well, school starts in thirty minutes” Said the familiar voice of Nobu-san. “What!? Oh, I’m going to be late! Ok, I got this! I’ll brush my teeth and I’ll be ready-please ask Sasaki-san to start the car! I will be there in a minute!” You stuttered while climbing up stairs.

“Sure thing, Ojou-sama,” He said with an amused smile.

“Thank you again for joining me for shopping Momo”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all, I’ll also take the chance to buy some new accessories as well,” Beamed your ravenette friend. It was the end of the school day and you had asked Momo to help you choose new accessories to complement a dress you already had.

“But to be honest I never imagine that your mom would lose her grip on you so soon even if it’s temporary, what surprised me more was what Kaguya-san told you yesterday,” She whispered trying to no let your conversation be known by Sasaki-san although the automated partition window was up as a precautionary measure. “Are you sure you can trust her?” She said concerned.

“I still don’t know, suddenly everything became so complicated, I mean her plan is good and has a high probability to work, and right now I don’t have a better option, I don’t even have any options, to begin with!” You groaned, confused.

“What’s still bugging me is why is she helping you in the first place? I can’t help but find it suspicious no matter how much I think about it. Did you ask her something about it?”

“I did, but she went into this mysterious and enigmatic mode and just said something like ‘You’ll know soon enough’ It would be easier to pinch a glass than get something out of her.” You said with a tone of frustration.

“I guess that the only thing we can do now is to wait and see,” Sighed Momo while she shrugged her shoulders. “By the way, what are we going to do first?” She said more animatedly.

“Let’s start with the shoes and then maybe a new jewelry set, a new clutch as well would be good. What you think?”

“I think is a splendid idea!” Momo exclaimed.

🏷Taglist:

@bakasbitch18

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chromsai · 7 years

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Sai, I just went and watched Yugioh Everything's video on Yusaku and Aoi having Autism and Depresson, respectively. While he makes some solids points and I agree with them having mental problems, he basically said Vrains is the first yugioh to talk about 'such dark topics.' If your up to it could you bring up some characters in previous ygo series (Arc-V or all your choice) that implied to have mental problems cause Vrains is not the first by a long shot lmao.

Lmao sorry this answer is kinda late since the past few days have been busy for me and ironically enough you sent this right when I just got back from a grad school info session (regarding psych programs ofc) which made me realize I kinda wanna pursue a career more along research in the field of abnormal psychology which is one of my stronger areas of knowledge in psychology already anyway. I just really like it that much.

So yeah I did see this ask like almost right when you sent it but it was late and I had just gotten home after a nice day and YE’s videos haven’t been making me too happy lately so ofc sorry I kinda avoided watching it that night cuz I didn’t wanna ruin my nice day (just in case). But now that I watched it, well as far as I can remember he didn’t outright say that this is the first time a Yugioh’s dealt with these issues before (but I can see how you got that he perhaps implied it).

That all being said, I still have just a, I’d say, general yet above-average knowledge in these subjects (hey I have a degree in Psych, yes, but that doesn’t make me an expert by any means and I’m not afraid to say that, hell I love learning new things about psych all the time) so please keep that in mind (also please keep in mind too that I cannot professionally diagnose anyone, but for the sake of discussion about the psychology in fiction, I can definitely give my thoughts on what would be the most probably diagnosis for certain characters). Besides that though, if YE does actually believe that this is the first time these kinds of issues have ever been dealt with in Yugioh, well wow idk how much he’s been paying attention before this...

(Long read with further examples + explanations from characters in each series under the cut)

Regarding his statements on the Vrains characters and the disorders he mentioned, I’ll give it to him. In fact, I too am pretty sure by now that all of Yusaku’s “quirks” point to Autism, though, and YE didn’t mention this so idk how knowledgeable he is regarding other personality disorders, he also seems to show symptoms of OCPD (obsessive-compulsive); these include being obsessed or preoccupied with making lists and keeping track of small details, over preoccupation with work or meeting goals to the point of neglecting your social life or forming close relations, unwillingness to see ethics or values in someone else’ light, being stubborn, etc. Wouldn’t surprise me if he has both since there’s a high co-morbidity between ASD and OCPD.

In regards to Aoi, again yes I agree. Girl has depression. It’s very obvious (this I can say with confidence as someone who has suffered previously from it [note: I sought help and let’s just say I’m very glad I did]. The Paranoid Personality Disorder... (I’m gonna be honest.... I didn’t pay enough attention to Aoi’s character enough to determine a firmer answer and I don’t really feel like rewatching the ep). According to him, it’s a possible thing. He did mention that she could just be acting that way because her whole entire life she’s been kinda used so she has a general distrust of people, but that’s just the thing. If in fact he’s correct about her symptoms matching up, it doesn’t necessarily matter if she’s acting this way due to her childhood trauma, in fact, that’s even more reason to validate her suffering from PPD (another area I feel more confident about in psych is child/adolescent development and hey guess what, lots of personality disorder symptoms start showing up during childhood or are even a direct cause of childhood trauma).

Speaking of childhood trauma, you wanted to know characters from other series that have mental illnesses/suffer from personality disorders? Well... (*cough cough* as a psychologist, why do you think I enjoyed Arc V so much?)...Here’s a quick list of just a few select characters I can think of:Arc V:-Yuya (remember, the childhood trauma I mentioned): Oh my poor boy suffers from dysthymia. Again, I’m pretty confident here because I can relate (because I suffer from it too ahaha). While we don’t know exactly for how long, it’s been at least three years with it (ugh) since his father’s disappearance and all the bullying. He shows so many signs of it throughout the show (it would be pointless to get screencaps because the signs are literally everywhere): dysthymia (sometimes called “persistent depressive disorder”) is noted by sadness, anger, irritability, mood swings, loss of appetite, insomnia (did you notice in Synchro when we was feeling depressed in his room he didn’t eat at all and stayed up all night despite being noticeably tired), indecisiveness, low self-esteem, among others. I’m sure people might argue against me, trying to say “oh well he’s energetic for the most part and still smiles a lot” well guess what, there’s lots of entertainers, comedians, performers, and just overall really sociable people who do a terrifyingly good job hiding it.I saw someone once mention that they headcanoned Yuya also has Histrionic Personality Disorder and well... he actually does show signs of it but not so much that he actually meets criteria. Even for being an entertainer tho, he shows this more than the others (either Dennis, Yuzu, or even Yusho), but again, can’t be diagnosed with it.Lastly, and this is more of a post-canon thought regarding the prognosis of his mental health... he’s definitely gonna deal with some dissociative symptoms for the rest of his life (or until somehow, some way they find a way to separate him and the other Yuus, and even then still...). There is just no way in hell you can convince me that he’s not gonna experience dissociation on a regular basis with 3 other people living inside him. Same goes for Yuzu. (Side note: RIP my heart.)

-Shun: He suffers from PTSD. Oh man he’s kind of textbook PTSD: irritableness, mistrust, social issolation, flashbacks, hostility, fear, anxiety, paranoia, agitation, hyper-vigilance, etc. (I’d also say Yuto and Kaito suffer this too).

-Reria: Also suffers from PTSD, but since Reira is much younger, coping with childhood PTSD is a lot harder and leads to more frequent panic attacks, flashbacks, intrusive or unwanted thoughts, nightmares, avoidant behavior, etc.

-Yuri: Conduct Disorder, aka the precursor to Antisocial Personality Disorder. He’s 14 so he can’t really be diagnosed as the second. Anyways, what really tipped me off about him having this is his blatant disregard for any remorse towards harming others. He just doesn’t feel it. On the contrary, he straight up says he enjoys it, says he needs it “just like breathing”, he’s an overall really violent kid and starts fights with literally anyone that gets in his way (like... it’s even his catchphrase “You’re in my way!”), has no knows long term close relationships with anyone (reeaaally wish they had given us more of him and Dennis together tho...), and he’s known to deceive, trick, or lie to others with no guilt at all. (He’s also seen as similar to past villains of Yugioh, outright disproving the implication that Vrains is the first Yugioh to deal with personality or mental disorder issues).

-Zarc: Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Again, another textbook example. And yes, similar to Aoi’s possible Paranoid Personality Disorder, this is canonically induced into his personality as a result of the society he lived in praising his violent duel style and eventual lust for power due in part to the same reason. But just because it was induced due to circumstance doesn’t make it any less valid. It’s another form of trauma, just like Aoi’s whole “being used all her life” led her to develop PDD.

And well there’s more examples in Arc V (you can also argue that Shingo also suffers from NPD to some extent, etc.) but I think those are the biggest ones I can think of right now.

And of course, though I’ve seen them all, I know Arc V the best + it’s just the one that’s in my most recent memory so it’s easier to talk about them, but some other quick examples from the series that I can think of:

DM:-Kaiba: Again, Narcissistic Personality Disorder.-Marik: I think he’s a strong candidate for being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (at least the way his villainous arc portrayed him as).-Bakura: Actually an adult so actual Antisocial Personality Disorder.

GX:-Judai: Depression & Dissociation. Yep.-Ryo Marufuji/Hell Kaiser: Definitely could argue that he displays signs of Sadisitic Personality Disorder, just keep in mind that it is no longer included in the DSM-V so it is not something someone would be typically diagnosed with professionally.-Manjoume: Another Narcissist.

5D’s:-Jack Atlas: Okay so he’s more of an accurate example of Histrionic Personality Disorder, minus the sexual criteria (which, if the Yugioh anime genre/audience allowed, I’m sure would be plausible since he also displays signs of NPD, implying that he might actually want that kind of physical/superficial attention).-Aki: Also like Aoi, displayed symptoms of PPD, though I’d argue she definitely has it and just learns to cope over time after befriending Yusei & co.-Sherry: Shows signs of high functioning ASD (being perfectionist and being obsessed with finding out about her parents murder), but ASD isn’t something I’m too confident talking about yet so maybe don’t quote me on this.-Divine: I’d say you can argue he’s has Antisocial Personality Disorder.

Zexal:-Vector: Another one with.... I mean... he’s not really 13 or 14, he’s actually, what, like 100s of years old? So instead of Conduct Disorder, he actually has Antisocial... technically...-Fuya: OOOOOHHHH You thought I wouldn’t remember a character like him??? (Again, as a psychologist, these are the characters I like the most). He’s memorable to me, despite being a minor character, cuz I’d say he definitely displays signs of having Avoidant Personality Disorder, especially with regards to using his Esper Robin personality to avoid all those intrusive, self-conscious thoughts he doesn’t find pleasant.-Shark/Ryoga/Nasch: Also has PTSD.-IV: He’s borderline Antisocial. Not quite. But almost there.

OOOKAYY Well anyways, those were just a bunch of examples. There’s way more, I’m sure that I missed A TON. But yes it’s as you said, Vrains is definitely NOT the first time in Yugioh history where characters have had to struggle with mental health / personality disorder issues. Far from it.

And wow actually thank you for the ask! This was really fun to think about and I welcome the discussion any time! Anyone, don’t be afraid to let me know if there’s stuff I might have left out or if there’s anything wrong with this or any arguments for or against any of this.

#skittymon #ask #reply #skitty #ygo #psych stuff #and wow i got carried away how is it 4:30am already #i should sleep #thank u day off #*prays fam doesn't wake me up early in the morning like they said they would*#ugh #i'm not tagging all of this so RIP #long post

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thechasefiles · 4 years

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The Chase Files Daily Newscap 12/1/2020

Good Morning #realdreamchasers. Here is your daily news cap for Sunday January 12th, 2020. There is a lot to read and digest so take your time. Remember you can read full articles via Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), Barbados Today (BT), or by purchasing a Sunday Sun Nation Newspaper (SS).

MORE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TRAINING NEEDED – The President of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) Mary Redman says a lack of industrial relations (IR) training is responsible for many of the problems the school system is experiencing. Redman claimed that for many years, BSTU has attempted to persuade Ministry of Education officials of the necessity to train members of school boards in IR and has even suggested that such training should form a prerequisite for the acceptance of positions on boards. “Chairpersons and especially key board employees like secretary treasurers have created many problems because of this lack of a basic knowledge of IR principles, procedures and even of the relevant legislation. Many chairpersons, we have found have been influenced by some principals who have their own agendas. “And because of their lack of IR exposure and knowledge of legislation, they create and get themselves in many breaches of the rights of education workers. Within recent times, we have been experiencing serious problems with some secretary treasurers who are acting outside of their authority. “We have too many contentious issues being addressed in this regard at the moment. In both cases, the genesis of these matters have been aided and abetted by principals in those schools,” Redman lamented. The President raised her concerns about the vexing issue as she delivered remarks at a press conference hosted by the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, to discuss industrial relations issues developing in the education sector. It was held at the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) headquarters, this morning. Redman said she was also concerned about unfair dismissals, obstructed appointments, illegal secondments within the teaching service, denial of members’ legitimate expectations to continued employment, lack of acknowledgement of correspondence from the union, unwillingness to set up requested meetings, and a disregard for the process of the grievance procedure as outlined in the Public Service Act. “This procedure has been established specifically to stop grievances from escalating into disputes and that important rationale for the existence of this legislation is obviously unknown and unappreciated by those who should know better. It has been our experience that there is little regard for this legislation,” she said. Noting that BSTU was also concerned about the handling of the review process by school boards regarding teachers evaluation, Redman said the Union expects that authorities will take appropriate actions to remedy the lapses in IR best practice by school boards and to engender the quality of industrial relations that will redound to the benefit who work and learn in educational institutions. (BT)

CTUSAB CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION AT PRINCESS MARGARET SCHOOL – The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) is calling on Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw to investigate the actions of the Chairman of the Board of Management and Principal of the Princess Margaret School and to take disciplinary action if there are any fundamental breaches of office. CTUSAB’s President Edwin O’Neal made the call as he told members of the media during a press conference this morning that there was a matter being played out at Princess Margaret Secondary where the decision of the Board of Management to fill the vacant post of Secretary Treasurer has been stalled. Giving details on the matter, O’Neal said it has been reported to CTUSAB that instead of executing the decision of the Board to appoint the successful candidate subsequent to the completion of the interview process, the Chairman of the Board has resorted to the issuing of a letter of an acting appointment for the position. “It has also been reported that the officer has subsequently been issued with a letter of suspension on full pay, until the Board of Management could investigate 14 changes brought against the individual. “It is the understanding that the suspension was done without the knowledge and approval of the Board. The fact of the matter is that the Chairman has no authority to execute a suspension of the employee. With respect to 14 charges, it has been reported that the members of the Board of Management have had no prior knowledge of these,” he said. O’ Neal added that in further developments, on reporting for duty on December 31, 2019, the secretary treasurer who has served as secretary to the principal for 17 years was informed by the security guard on duty that the Chairman had directed him that the officer was not permitted to trespass on the premises. The President explained that nevertheless, the officer proceeded to the office, only to find that the locks to the office had been changed. Subsequent to this, the police were summoned to remove the officer from the premises, O’Neal said. He said with the resulting development having been drawn to the attention of CTUSAB, the matter was brought to the attention of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT), Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) and the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), and an urgent meeting was requested with the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training to discuss the matter. “Given the urgency of the matter, the Congress indicated that it stood ready to meet as early as Friday, January 2, 2020. Regrettably, no meeting has been scheduled or convened to date,” he said. “Coming out of this Princess Margaret Secondary matter, CTUSAB has learnt of an intended notice served by a senior Ministry of Education official, at a recently convened emergency meeting of the Board of Management of the Princess Margaret School, of the intention to request of CTUSAB, the removal of its representative on the Board of Management of the School. “CTUSAB deems this as preposterous, and goes further to denounce and warns against any such suggested action, which it perceives as a threat to silence the voice of the labour movement in executing its role to defend workers’ rights and injustices against workers,” O’Neal continued. Also speaking at the press conference, Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW), Wayne Walrond, condemned the developments at Princess Margaret Secondary, which was not in keeping with good governance or proper labour management relations. Walrond said if the unprecedented action is allowed to continue, there would be implications for other Boards of Management and across the public sector. The Deputy General Secretary said there cannot a situation where decisions are made to appoint persons, but other actions are taken instead. He said NUPW was disturbed and annoyed at the development and would back its comrades in pursuing any appropriate course of action to bring justice. “What is interesting in this development is there is an officer who passed competitive process recommended, a decision made. And simultaneously following on the heels of that is 14 charges, allegedly. Is this a concocted move to discredit the officer? “The officer was good enough to reach the competitive position and to be earmarked to be suitable, and then you could [come up with] 14 charges. Something is wrong, I smell a fish. Something is fishy about this situation,” Walrond said. (BT)

INDUSTRIAL UNREST MAY BE BREWING - Certain individuals’ lack of adherence to industrial relations best practices is leading Barbados to major industrial unrest, says a trade union leader. In fact, said Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) president, Edwin O’Neal, the island is on a “collision course” with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). “We are involved in the doctrine of tripartism, which is integral to the construct of the social partnership. If any one unit decides they will arbitrarily not abide by it, then we all need to shut shop and go home. But we in the trade union took the Prime Minister at her word about holding hands and staying the course for the good of Barbados, very often to our own detriment. “We have been put in a position where we have cooperated in ways the trade union movement of the past would not have done, because of tripartism. The whole notion of the Social Partnership is to avoid flare ups where they need not occur when or if there is dialogue . . . (SS)

WALCOTT INSISTS MULTILATERAL TRADE MUST BENEFIT ALL – Multilateral trade must redound to the benefit of all, regardless of size. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Dr Jerome Walcott, made this declaration at a three-day CARICOM workshop held to discuss World Trade Organization (WTO) issues at the Savannah Beach Hotel, recently. Minister Walcott stressed that the event was being held at a critical time because the multilateral system, which small island developing states (SIDS) have relied on, had begun to undergo a “seismic shift”, a move that could undermine fair trade for the region. “If this is allowed to continue, [it] would be to the detriment of small states like ours, which have limited negotiating power. A system, which delivers for all, regardless of size; a system that is fair, balanced, and rules-based, is vital for us,” he insisted. He maintained that the preservation of small economies within the WTO was essential since small size continues to be a major disadvantage to the growth, development and competitiveness of SIDS. “Special and differential treatment for small economies must always remain at the heart of the WTO and its thrust,” he emphasized. Just days after the 25th anniversary of the creation of the WTO, he lamented that instead of discussing the advancement of the WTO, CARICOM officials were meeting in Bridgetown to look at the “very tense state of play” in that organization. “It is clear to all of us that the World Trade Organization has been at a major crossroad for some time now. Despite the numerous meetings taking place almost daily in Geneva and in other places, it appears to many that there is a lack of political will to advance the mandates agreed at ministerial conferences. Admittedly and collectively, members have failed to deliver on the Doha Development Agenda in a meaningful manner and yet have embarked on new, albeit exciting areas of discussion. This is a concern for small states like Barbados, as many implementation issues remain unresolved,” he stressed. He pointed to the issue of climate change, a phenomenon that impacts the majority of issues being discussed under the ambit of the WTO, and argued that it was time to stop paying lip service to trade and climate change. “We have seen the debilitating effects of many Category 4 and 5 hurricanes on our small open economies. The effects these have on agriculture, infrastructure, tourism and wider trade in the goods and service sectors continue to be of major concern to us,” he explained. Also on the agenda for discussion were other issues relating to the WTO Reform agenda, which include Fisheries Subsidies, Agriculture, E-Commerce, Micro Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and Investment Facilitation. He also insisted that the region’s own trading mechanisms also needed to become more agile and stated that Government was committed to playing a leading role in this process. “These ought to be looked at, not only from the perspective of the current state of play, and maintenance of policy space, but also with a view to ensuring first that members of CARICOM can fully engage in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, [while] ensuring that our trade and development interests in Geneva are advanced and protected pursuant to the tenets of the Revised Treaty. “We may need COTED to have a ‘rapid-response’ mechanism which would allow CARICOM to issue comprehensive positions simultaneously to their Geneva based representative in the WTO. In this regard, I commend the CARICOM Council for Trade and Economic Development for recognizing the need to re-examine the region’s external trade strategy,” Minister Walcott said. (BT)

MTW LISTS ROADS REPAIRED IN 2019 – The Ministry of Transport, Works and Maintenance (MTW) completed work on several roads in 2019. In a media release through the Barbados Government Information Service, MTW also sought to reassure the public of its commitment in completing its road programme for 2020. During the period January to December 2019, roads from St Lucy to St Philip were repaired, including sections of the Ronald Mapp and ABC Highways. They were: Harri Smith, St Philip; Evelyn Terrace, Lowthers and St David’s, all in Christ Church; Little Bay Road, St Lucy; Kings Village, Flagstaff Road, Codrington Road, Rockhampton Road, Mahogany Lane, Sobers Lane, Friendship, all in St Michael; and Melverton Phase 1, St George. The other roads were Ronald Mapp Highway Phase 1; Shermans, St Peter; Plum Tree Road and Melverton Phase 2, both in St George; Pounders Road and Padmore Village, in St Philip; Upper Carters Gap, Christ Church; Boarded Hall 1 and 2, St George; Upper Weston 1, 2, 3, and 4, St James; Well Gap, St Michael; and Lammings, St Joseph. As part of the Inter-American Development Bank Project, the following roads were also completed: Charles Duncan O’Neal Highway Phases 1, 2 and 3; West Road to Sir Frank Worrell Roundabout and The Norman Niles to Clyde Walcott Roundabout. The following road projects are ongoing: Long Bay, St Philip; Wildey Road Phase 1, St Michael; Ronald Mapp Highway Phase 2; Two Mile Hill and Green Hill in St Michael and Salters in St George. Barbadians have been complaining for years about the poor state of roads which have damaged some vehicles and disrupted business. (SS)

BETTER BCC NURSING RESULTS – The measures taken to improve the nursing programme at the Barbados Community College (BCC) are bearing fruit. However, principal Annette Alleyne says there is still a long way to go before the programme is totally enhanced. She was speaking against the background of the high failure rate of Barbadians taking the Caribbean Examination Council’s regional examination for nurse registration of the past few years. She said the lowest pass rate was recorded in 2018, noting that of the 31 nurses in training who sat the exam, only 16 passed. (SS)

SUCCESS THROUGH TEAM EFFORT – The secret to The St Michael School’s success rests with the efforts of the collective – students, committed staff and parents – who contribute to fulfilling the school’s vision as a centre for excellence, says principal Dr Yvette Mayers. She made the remarks while reporting there were greater academic achievements in the last school year, resulting in the Martindales Road institution earning seven Barbados Exhibitions. Equally or more importantly, there were also significant advancements in their thrust to hone all-around individuals by way of extra-curricular activities as they prepare their students for life after SMS. Delivering her report at the annual speech day and prize giving ceremony yesterday, Mayers was adamant that the collective will continue to strive for self-improvement as it pressed on to fashion well rounded individuals who will make a positive difference in the community. (SS)

PUBLIC ENCOURAGED TO SNITCH – The rate of murders on the island reached a historic high of 49 last year, and with the first already recorded this year, at least one member of the Royal Barbados Police Force has come out to urge Barbadians to see providing information, also known as “snitching”, as a greater good. While delivering the feature address at The St Michael School annual speech day and prize giving ceremony on Friday, lawman and former headboy of the Martindale’s Road institution, Ryan Brathwaite, warned that a person can never tell when the tables might turn. “We live in a society now where people believe they should not snitch, they should not become informants. I want to say to you that you are being a nice, decent, moral, citizen of your beloved Barbados, and your contribution is to ensure we continue to live in a safe Barbados.” (SS)

‘BE MORE TOLERANT’ TOWARDS FEMALE ADDICTS – There is a social stigma attached to women who are fighting drug addiction, and a counsellor at Marina House is calling for more tolerance and gender equality understanding. The call has come from Shawn Springer, who provides unit support and counselling for those battling addiction at Marina House and Verdun House. He was speaking to the Sunday Sun as the Substance Abuse Foundation held its annual Recovery Hike in St John yesterday morning. Springer revealed that there were four women resident at Marina House but the Newcastle, St John facility, which opened in 2015, had helped about 50 women.(SS)

CHINESE ATHLETES FOR PAYNE CLASSIC – The tenth anniversary of the Joseph Payne Memorial Athletics Classic on January 25 will be a historic affair, as two athletes from China will be competing at the National Stadium for the first time. Competition manager and founder Charles Walcott made the disclosure in an interview with Sunsport following the media launch at the MQI Show Room in Wildey on Friday evening. The Classic will feature an estimated 700 athletes from primary and secondary schools as well as athletic clubs competing in 100 events, starting from 10 a.m. The Chinese competitors are 28-year-old men’s discus specialist Tan Shen, whose best distance last year was 59.77 metres, and 26-year-old women’s shot putter Gao Yang, who has a lifetime best of 19.20 metres. (SS)

WINDIES AFTER CLEAN SWEEP - West Indies will take aim at their second clean sweep in less than two months today. Having beaten Ireland in the first two matches at Kensington Oval, the Caribbean side will be bubbling with confidence ahead of the third and final one-day international (ODI) at the Grenada National Stadium. Head coach Phil Simmons made it clear yesterday what the goal was. “We’re leading 2-0, but we all know 3-0 looks better than 2-1, so we are going for the clean sweep. We would like to play that complete game and not just bowl well, or bat well, or field well, but to do all three departments very well on the same day,” he said. (SS)

WOMAN DIES AFTER JETBLUE FLIGHT FROM BARBADOS; FAMILY WANTS ANSWERS – A selfless Queens mother, grandmother and beloved nurse for over 40 years took her last breath Monday night. “Nothing is going to bring back our mother we would just want to know what happened what did she say something to somebody to tell us something I don’t know,” said Ottley Parris. He told PIX11 News his 64-year-old mother Ingred-Denny Boyce got sick on a JetBlue flight from Barbados headed to New York’s JFK airport. How exactly she died remains a mystery. “My stepfather waiting for the phone call wondering if plane got delayed, he was saying to himself what happened then he got a call from someone at Jamaica hospital asking if he’s the spouse.” He said they were waiting for a phone call from her saying she landed, instead they got a phone call from the hospital saying she was dead. “Something happened on that plane they didn’t follow up to see what the outcome was or even try to reach out to family… Jamaica hospital found a way to reach out to family… if they found a way JetBlue could have some way.” The family says they called JetBlue multiple times but keep getting the run around. PIX11 News tried multiple times to get answers from JetBlue too, even asking what is the protocol when there is a sick passenger onboard. “We have connected with our customer’s family to offer our condolences and any support they may need” is all they’ve told us so far. “Who knows if there could have been a difference if they landed somewhere earlier and get her medical care? Could have saved her life, who knows,” said her other son Terry Denny. We’re told there were passengers who did CPR on her in the aircraft. “These people jumped up into action to save my mother, I’d love to find these people and give them a hug and say thank you.” Now, as the brothers mourn their mother, they say she moved to New York from Barbados to give them a better life. They believe she did that and so much more. That’s why they need answers. “In Barbados, she worked in the cancer ward, she would hold their hand as they were dying… she was like that very caring and giving,” said Denny. “I want people to remember my moms spirit… happy always,” said Parris. (BT)

WE GATHERING TO SHINE SPOTLIGHT ON HOSPITALS – We Gatherin’ 2020 will shine a spotlight on the hospitals of Barbados, which are earmarked to benefit from its philanthropic drive. This assurance came from Minister of Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs, Senator Lucille Moe, this afternoon, as she delivered remarks at Mount Gay Rum Distilleries, St Lucy, where the rum production company handed over a $20 000 cheque to officials to aid in giving the St Lucy District Hospital a much needed facelift. Senator Moe indicated that other healthcare institutions, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Psychiatric Hospital, Geriatric Hospital and other district hospitals, will also receive financial or in-kind assistance. “Throughout the year we will catalogue the needs of the hospitals of Barbados to facilitate the receipt of charitable donations and I want to encourage everyone, corporate Barbados, Barbadians abroad and at home to join in these efforts and give back to these institutions,” Moe said. “Our larger vision is not only to foster the spirit of philanthropy but also to make it easy for Barbadians and those who care about Barbados, to give of their time, expertise, material or cash to support and develop our country’s healthcare system.” The Minister also indicated that the Ministry of Health and Wellness was working with the Ministry of Labour and Social Partnership and the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology to create a digital portal, which will allow people to contribute financially, to pledge time, commitments and technical support to specific projects.Catalogues will be created for parish projects that are in need of assistance, with a focus on health, as well as a number of key education and community-based initiatives, she said, adding that the portal is being made ready to go live soon. “In the meantime, I want to say that donations of money, materials and equipment can still be made. You can also set aside time to volunteer at one of these institutions. “Thursday January 30 is the Open Day at the St Lucy District Hospital. Save the date so you can take a treat and spend some time either reading or reminiscing with our senior citizens who reside there,” she said. Member of Parliament for St Lucy, Peter Phillips, said the development of the District Hospital was one that St Lucy champions, and noted that the assistance from Mount Gay and future support from Barbadians, well-wishers and corporate Barbados is vital.Meanwhile, Mount Gay’s Managing Director Raphael Grisoni, who described We Gatherin’ 2020 as a fantastic initiative, also announced that in addition to providing financial assistance, the company’s 140-plus employees will head to the District Hospital to lend a helping hand to the efforts to make the environment aesthetically pleasing and more comfortable for the 52 residents. Grisoni said that every year Mount Gay contributes to a worthy cause. “And we encourage all companies in Barbados to do the same to change Barbados.” Government Ministers and officials who attended Mount Gay’s Open Day event planted trees on the St Lucy property as the company seeks to plant more than 600 trees as part of the National Tree Planting initiative. (BT)

There are 355 days left in the year Shalom! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram for your daily news. #thechasefiles #dailynewscaps #bajannewscaps #newsinanutshell

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maxwellyjordan · 6 years

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Symposium: Back to the drawing board for political gerrymandering plaintiffs

John Phillippe is chief counsel at the Republican National Committee, which filed an amicus brief in support of the Wisconsin in Gill v. Whitford.

It is difficult to see the Supreme Court’s decisions in Gill v. Whitford and Benisek v. Lamone together as anything but a significant setback for those who would have the courts wade even further into the legislative process of redistricting. Although early commentary suggests that the court “punted” or “sidestepped” the merits of the cases, in actuality the two decisions erected substantive barriers to political gerrymandering claims.

The Gill plaintiffs had hoped to convince the Supreme Court to adopt for the first time a constitutional standard for invalidating redistricting plans based on what they deemed excessive partisanship. Instead, the court unanimously rejected several theories advocated by the plaintiffs and supportive amici, thereby cutting off multiple paths toward a new constitutional doctrine, with significant implications for future plaintiffs.

First among these is that no challenge to a redistricting plan under a vote-dilution theory can even be considered unless the challenge is to the lines of a particular district or districts brought by a voter or voters who live and vote there. General challenges to statewide maps based on vote dilution will not be entertained. Second, because the right to vote is a personal one, no plaintiff may state a claim by alleging that there should be more elected representatives from the plaintiff’s political party in the legislative body from districts other than the plaintiff’s. Third, to the extent there was any doubt, there is no right to proportional representation or partisan symmetry.

The Supreme Court has clearly borrowed from its racial vote-dilution jurisprudence in assessing standing to bring a political gerrymandering challenge. Indeed, as the RNC pointed out in the amicus brief we filed in this case, it would be an odd and unfortunate result if racial vote-dilution claims were to have a more onerous standard than political vote-dilution claims.

Here the Supreme Court has required that that each district challenged must have at least one plaintiff who both resides and votes in the district. This has long been a requirement in other vote-dilution cases and was extended to racial-gerrymandering cases in U.S. v. Hays. In the context of Gill, this is more than a mere procedural requirement. The Gill plaintiffs essentially claimed that their votes were diluted because the votes of other Democrats in other districts were diluted. The court very clearly stated, consistent with long-standing precedent, that the plaintiffs could not establish standing based on third-party rights. In most situations this is a problem that can be solved by adding plaintiffs; however, simply adding plaintiffs from districts in which Democrats claim that their votes were diluted should not create standing here because the court carefully linked the need for a plaintiff in each specific district challenged to the personal nature of the right to vote. This means standing does not exist if the plaintiff is merely claiming that although he can elect the candidate of his choice, his vote is diluted if that candidate is likely to be in a legislature dominated by representatives of another party.

The Supreme Court’s reliance on Lance v. Coffman and Ex parte Levitt are critical to this point. As the court notes, the plaintiffs’ purported legal harm is “not limited to the injury that they have suffered as individual voters, but extends also to the statewide harm to their interest ‘in their collective representation in the legislature,’ and in influencing the legislature’s overall ‘composition and policymaking.’” But for Article III standing, this is “‘the kind of undifferentiated, generalized grievance about the conduct of government that we have refused to countenance in the past.’” In other words, any vote-dilution claim must be based on the individual vote cast by the voter for his representative and not the overall success of that voter’s party.

Not only did the plaintiffs fail to present evidence that would establish this prerequisite for standing but, to the contrary, the plaintiffs’ theory of the case was fatally flawed on this key point. The Supreme Court’s discussion of vote efficiency-gap analysis and partisan symmetry illustrates this fundamental flaw and how it relates to standing. The court correctly notes that neither of these analyses addresses the effect that gerrymandering has on the votes of particular citizens. Partisan-symmetry metrics measure something else entirely: the effect that a gerrymander has on the fortunes of political parties.

Those political fortunes are measured by deviations from proportionality. Any sort of partisan-symmetry analysis relies in some form on proportional representation. For instance, if a jurisdiction voted 60 percent for Party A and 40 percent for Party B, a 60/40 split of the seats in the legislature would be directly proportional. Any symmetry analysis will create a boundary around that proportional split of the seats that, if exceeded, will, in the mind of the creator of that analysis, prove that the map in question is an unconstitutional political gerrymander. Symmetry analyses vary widely in terms of range, flexibility and complexity. As the Supreme Court clearly realizes when it discusses the efficiency-gap range that the plaintiffs argued should trigger constitutional scrutiny, there will always be a significant degree of arbitrariness. And as the RNC noted in our amicus brief, partisan-symmetry analysis amounts to back-door rough proportionality. As we also noted, efficiency-gap analysis is biased and designed to ignore most Democratic gerrymanders. In dismissing this metric, the court has rejected the inevitable rough proportionality that any partisan-symmetry analysis necessarily imposes.

Partisan-symmetry analysis was the essential innovation in Gill. Plaintiffs hoped it would eliminate the need for the difficult proof described in Davis v. Bandemer, but the Supreme Court easily dismissed partisan-symmetry analysis’s promise “to finally solve the problem of partisan gerrymandering that has confounded the Court for decades.” The plaintiffs now find themselves having to redesign their legal theories. Although this case has not ended the plaintiffs’ and their affiliated groups’ efforts to overturn numerous redistricting maps across the country, it has shown that any political gerrymandering plaintiffs, if successful at all, likely will be incapable of achieving wholesale changes to any redistricting maps.

To the extent potential plaintiffs may yet bring statewide theories of harm and of remedy, Justice Elena Kagan’s concurrence certainly tries to help them get there. But in inviting plaintiffs to bring new theories of partisan gerrymandering to the Supreme Court, her glaring omission of a First Amendment retaliation theory rings ominous for the plaintiffs in Benisek, perhaps indicating that even for the four liberal justices, that theory has no legs. The Benisek plaintiffs rely on such a retaliation theory in challenging a single congressional district in Maryland.

Left unsaid in much of the commentary on these cases over the last year is that any statewide theory of partisan gerrymandering that might even be plausible in the state legislative context would almost surely be a nonstarter with respect to congressional maps. Because voters in any given state elect only a fraction of the 435 members of Congress, the partisan balance of a single state’s congressional delegation is less significant than the composition of its legislature.

So, although their case may be fatally flawed in other respects, the Benisek plaintiffs at least have it right in challenging a single district. But, as the Supreme Court concludes, they got a lot wrong – at least for the purpose of getting a preliminary injunction, highlighting significant cautions for any plaintiff seeking a preliminary injunction in the election context.

First, delay in seeking a preliminary injunction will be weighed against plaintiffs, potentially very significantly, when balancing the equities under the Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. analysis. Second, ambiguous legal issues can exacerbate time considerations when determining whether a preliminary injunction would significantly damage the public interest in orderly elections as described Purcell v. Gonzalez. Benisek’s reinforcement of that analysis could be significant in many election cases beyond the redistricting context. Any election law or process that has been in place for a long time could be difficult to enjoin without first obtaining a final judgment in the case. Given the recent determination of many lower courts to forge ahead on unclear legal issues while the Supreme Court considers cases that could provide clarity on those issues, this analysis could prove helpful to those responsible for the conduct of elections. Because of an unwillingness to wait for the Supreme Court to clarify important legal issues, lower courts have forced the Supreme Court to issue a significant number of stays in recent election law cases. Clearly the Supreme Court would prefer that lower courts follow the example of the analysis used by the Benisek court.

Ultimately, Gill and Benisek together contain a number of lessons and present new challenges for potential plaintiffs in redistricting and other election-related cases. Other cases are in the queue, and it may not be long before we know if partisan-gerrymandering claims are left with any viability whatsoever.

The post Symposium: Back to the drawing board for political gerrymandering plaintiffs appeared first on SCOTUSblog.

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