#Militarism

[politijohn]

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[alwaysbewoke]

if someone came to your home and told you you had to get out because their parents lived there 50 years ago, you would call the police on them. you would think they are insane. you would rightly think they are out of their minds because having people who once lived in a place a hundred years ago does not give anyone today the right to take someone else's property. however, israel has been spreading the lie that somehow having people who lived on a land 3000 years ago gives them the right to take it from the indigenous population through theft, murder, gr@pe, and worse. i'm so proud of these university kids for seeing the truth.

[odinsblog]

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has called for an all-Russian ban on “encouraging women to have abortions” in order to combat the demographic crisis

“As a member of the clergy, I testify that an abortion is a disaster and a tragedy for the woman and those close to her,” Kirill said in January, per the BBC.

Putin sees it as “an acute problem,” per the BBC. Kirill says anti-abortion policies are the solution.

(continue reading)

[typhlonectes]

[tleeaves]

Folks going "WHAT they made a show about the Fallout franchise?? I've been hearing people say Bethesda messed it up, but I haven't watched it myself, so I'm going to trust the word of other people -- some of which also haven't finished watching it" is driving me insane.

Being a hard core fan of something obviously brings with it a lot of passionate feelings when adaptations come into play. Of course, there's going to be people going "but in 8 episodes of the first ever season they made, they didn't explore Theme C or D, didn't introduce factions E and F and G, and because the source company is notorious for its scams, we and everyone else who's a TRUE fan should hate it".

The Amazon Original series Fallout follows the videogame franchise of the same name. It is a labour of love and you can tell by the attention to detail, the writing, the sets, and YES THE THEMES ARGUE WITH THE WALL. It's clearly fan service. I mean, the very characterisation of Lucy is a deadringer for someone playing a Fallout game for the first time. She embodies the innocent player whose expectations drastically change in a game that breaks your heart over and over again. Of course, she's also the vessel through which we explore a lot of themes, but I'll get to that.

There're some folks arguing that the show retcons the games, and I gotta say... for a website practically built on fandom culture, why are we so violently against the idea of someone basing an adaptation on a franchise that so easily lends itself to new and interesting interpretations? But to be frank, a lot of what AO's Fallout is not that new. We have: naive Vault dweller, sexy traumatised ghoul that people who aren't cowards will thirst over, and pathetic guy from a militaristic faction. We also have: total atomic annihilation, and literally in-world references to the games' lore and worldbuilding constantly (the way I was shaking my sister over seeing Grognark the Barbarian, Sugar Bombs, Cram, Stimpaks, and bags of RadAway was ridiculous). Oh, and the Red Rocket?? Best pal Dogmeat? I'm definitely outing myself as specifically a Fallout 4 player, but that's not the point you should be taking away from this.

The details, the references, and the new characters -- this show is practically SCREAMING "hey look, we did this for the fans, we hope you love it as much as we do". Who cares that the characters are new, they still hold the essence of ones we used to know! And they're still interesting, so goddamn bloody interesting. Their arcs mean so much to the story, and they're told in a genuinely intriguing way. This isn't just any videogame adaptation, this was gold. This sits near Netflix's Arcane: League of Legends level in videogame adaptation. Both series create new plots out of familiar worlds.

Of course, those who've done the work have already figured out AO's Fallout is not a retcon anyway. But even if it was, that shouldn't take away from the fact that this show is actually good. Not even just good, it's great.

Were some references a little shoe-horned in to the themes by the end of the show, such as with "War never changes"? Yes, I thought so. But I love how even with a new plot and characters, they're actually still exploring the same themes and staying true to the games. I've seen folks argue otherwise, but I truly disagree. The way capitalism poisons our world, represented primarily through The American Dream and the atomic age of the 45-50s that promoted the nuclear family dynamic -- it's there. If you think it's glorifying it by leaning so heavily into in the adaptation, I feel like you're not seeing it from the right angle. It's like saying Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck glorifies the American Dream, when both this book and the Fallout franchise are criticisms of it. If you think about it, the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout is a graveyard to the American Dream. This criticism comes from the plots that are built into every Fallout story that I know of. The Vaults are literally constructed to be their own horror story just by their mere existence, what they stand for, what happens in each of them. The whole entire show is about the preservation of the wrong things leading to fucked up worlds and people. The missions of the Vaults are time and again proven to be fruitless, unethical, plain wrong. Lucy is our brainwashed character who believed in the veritable cult she lived in before she found out the truth.

So then consider the Brotherhood of Steel. I really don't think it exists in the story to glorify the military. We see just how much the Brotherhood has brainwashed people like Max (also, anything ominously named something like "the Brotherhood" should raise eyebrows). Personally, I don't like Max, but I am intrigued by his characterisation. I thought the end of his arc was rushed the way he "came good" basically, but [SPOILERS] having him embraced as a knight in the Brotherhood at the end against his will -- finally getting something he always wanted -- and him grimly accepting it from all that we can tell? Him having that destiny forced upon him now that he's swaying? After he defected? If his storyline is meant to be a tragedy, it wouldn't surprise me, because Fallout is rife with tragedies anyway. And a tragedy would also be a criticism of the military. That's what Max's entire arc is. It goes from the microcosm focusing on the cycle of bullying between soldiers to the macro-environment where Max is being forced to continue a cycle of violence against humanity he doesn't want to anymore because a world driven to extremes forces him to choose it to survive (not to mention what a cult and no family would do to his psyche). Let's not forget what the Brotherhood's rules are: humankind is supreme. Mutants, ghouls, synths, and robots are abominations to be hated and destroyed. If you can't draw the parallels to the real world, you need to retake history and literature classes. The Brotherhood is also about preserving the wrong things, like the Vaults (like the Enclave, really). They just came about through different method. The Enclave is capitalism and twisted greed in a world where money barely exists anymore. The Brotherhood is, well, fascism plain and simple.

Are these the only factions in the Fallout franchise? Hell no. But if you're mad about that -- that they're the main ones explored, apart from the NCR -- I think you're missing the point. These themes, these reminders, are highly relevant in the current climate. In fact, I almost think they always will be relevant unless we undergo drastic change. On the surface-level, Fallout seems like the American ideal complete with guns blazing that guys in their basements jerk off to. Under that surface, is a mind-fuck story about almost the entire opposite: it's a deconstruction of American ideals that are held so closely by some, and the way that key notion of freedom gets twisted, and you're shooting a guy in-game because it's more merciful than what the world had in store for him.

I mean, the ghoul's a fucking cowboy from the wild west character he used to play in Hollywood glam and his wife was one of the people who helped blow up America in the name of capitalism and "peace". There are so many layers of this to explore, I'd need several days to try and keep track and go through it all.

The Amazon Prime show is a testament to the Fallout franchise. The message, the themes? They were not messed up or muddled or anything of the sort, in my opinion.

As for Todd Howard, that Bethesda guy, I'm sure there's perfectly valid reasons to hate him. I mean, I've hated people for a lot less valid reasons, and that's valid. We all got our feelings. But the show is about more than just him. My advice is to keep that in mind when you're judging it.

[fuckyeahanarchistposters]

“Food Not Fighting.

Defund War and Militarism”

[sataniccapitalist]

It clears up a lot of confusion when you understand that the US empire is not a national government which happens to run nonstop military operations, it’s a nonstop military operation that happens to run a national government.

[technicallyclassyperfection]

Via print:

[cavalierzee]

Israel Is "Engineering Famine" In Gaza

Amnesty International says Israel is “engineering famine” in Gaza. Organization head Agnes Callamard adds, “all states that cut UNRWA funding, sold weapons and supported Israel bear responsibility too.”

Yazan Al-Kafarna, a 9-year-old Palestinian boy with cerebral palsy, was forced to flee the Israeli invasion of Beit Hanoun with his family to southern Gaza. Recently, Yazan’s health deteriorated due to a shortage of food and oxygen.

Today, Yazan passed away due to insufficient healthcare and a lack of specialized food for his condition at Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital, exacerbated by the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Biden and Netanyahu did this. Media justified it. Institutions protected it. Protestors lost jobs and reputations fighting it. We will never forget. Or forgive.

Abdul Rahman Al-Dahdouh, an elderly Palestinian, died due to severe dehydration and malnutrition as a result of Israel’s continuous prevention of food convoys from reaching northern parts of Gaza.

Israel did this. With the full support of the US and Britain. We must ensure every criminal who played a role in this genocide faces justice.

Future generations will not forgive us if we don’t.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Defence Minister Bill Blair says he is committed to pushing for increased investment in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) after two top commanders sounded the alarm recently on operational readiness. “Colleagues and shipmates, the [Royal Canadian Navy] (RCN) faces some very serious challenges right now that could mean we fail to meet our force posture readiness commitments in 2024 and beyond,” Vice-Adm. Angus Topshee, commander of the navy, said in a YouTube video posted earlier this week. Last week, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre said military resources are strained amid increased calls for assistance in natural disasters and recruiting challenges.

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Tagging @politicsofcanada

[politijohn]

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[is-the-19thcentury-man-okay]

Help, I'm dealing with some aggression issues in my rescue early 19th century officer. He already had a commission when I got him, and despite my best efforts he keeps going to war. I'm at my wit's end. Yes, he looks very dashing in that uniform, but I'm worried he could hurt himself, or hurt someone else's 19th century man :/

I'm sorry that you're dealing with this, which is notoriously common in 19th century men with a military background. Yes, that uniform is very appealing, but he won't stop seeking 'Glory'!

Raised in a milieu of conquest and imperialism, it can be hard to redirect this type of 19th century man into different pursuits. The traditional answer is recreational hunting, which can have some of the excitement and chaos of the battlefield.

But his drive for military engagement may be something that you have to accommodate. Try to obtain service near home, and keep him away from pith helmets before you have a Captain Peel on your hands! (It didn't end well for him).

[odinsblog]

Martin Luther King Jr. on The Mike Douglas Show, November 2nd, 1967

[rebel-girl-queen-of-my-world]

[typhlonectes]

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

Caitlin Johnstone

In case you haven't figured it out yet, "terrorist organization" is a completely arbitrary designation which is used as a tool of western narrative control to justify war and militarism. In effect it just means "disobedient population who need bombs dropped on them".