#but i hate consumer culture and i hate cult of productivity

[tankgotstuckinthecircusgate]

i hate you consumer culture i hate you cult of productivity i hate you imposition of life at a frenzied pace

[numbwhileintertwined]

(ongoing) Youtube videos to watch (uncategorized)

(note: most things here have links attached, but the ones that failed will have the channel name)

Overconsumption is keeping you POOR

Let’s talk ‘Tiktok made me buy it’ culture.

Code Orange Hysteria: Is Halloween Consumerism Out of Control?

The Terrifying World of Temu

How Dropshipping Ruined Online Shopping

TikTok Shop is a Nightmare

fast fashion has ruined media consumption

tiktok's obsession with the it girl aesthetic & consuming in the...

designer brands are for broke girls

How Consumerism Ruins Our Planet and Finances

Your Perfume Obsession is Keeping You BROKE!

Shawna Ripari

TikTok’s Rage Bait Problem..

Gen Alpha is Absolutely COOKED

Millennial Parenting Videos Keep Getting Crazier...

performative cleanliness & the hygiene olympics

Gen Z Has a HUGE Problem With Commitment..

kids ACT like adults because they want to be TREATED like adults

Why Do We Hate Women After They've Cut Their Hair Off?

poor spoiled rich kids on tiktok

the scammers of manifestation tiktok

you’re 12, not 21

Let's talk social media's 'aesthetic' obsession.

Gen Z's Aesthetic Obsession & Search for an Identity is Tiring...

the cult of unschooling

How World War 2 Began

Exploring The Old Internet

How to Perform an Exorcism

why Brandy Melville can't be cancelled

The Conspiracy Theory Iceberg

CC Suarez

Disturbing Internet Anomalies

Is CRAB the final form?

Advice for time traveling to medieval Europe

The Weirdest and Most Obscure Side of the Internet

Government Cheese Tunnels & The "Got Milk?" Conspiracy

How to Eat a Human Being

Something Strange Happens When You Follow Einstein's Math- Veritasium

The Beautiful Horror of Deep Space- Curious Archive

The Complete Extraterrestrial Encounters Iceberg Explained-Zoanfly

Math's Fundamental Flaw- Veritasium

Midsommar - The Complete Guide (Everything Explained)

Entertainment Made By North Korea

BobbyBroccoli

Plagiarism and You(Tube)- hbomberguy

Disney's FastPass: A Complicated History- defunctland

Evermore: The Theme Park That Wasn't- jenny nicholson

The Amberlynn Reid Show! 8 HOURS STRAIGHT DELUSION!- lil cringe

ImAllexx's History of Controversy & The Current Allegations- Mike's Rhetoric

Reviewbrah: Food for Thought - Documentary- Mr. Snowflake

Anna Stubblefield & The Pygmalion Delusion- Andrew van der Vaart, MD, PhD

The Internet's Most Notorious Scammers- TheGamerFromMars

Who's Lila? - Story Explained- Flawed Peacock

The Religion & Cult Iceberg Explained- Wendigoon

The Mass Hysteria Iceberg Explained- Wendigoon

The Cult of Scientology- Philion

Sinking in Scandal: A Canadian Tragedy- BobbyBroccoli

The Monsters Beneath Us: The Monument Mythos- Wendigoon

The Entire History of Video Games

The Biggest Ideas in Philosophy

Life's Biggest Paradoxes

The 8 Greatest Philosophical Theories You Need to Know- Aperture

Here is Everything We Don't Know (Extended)- Arperture

The Lost Books of the Bible- Wendigoon

100 Strange Cases of Lost Media- ShaiiValley

Your Entire Human Existence from Birth to Death- Arperture

The Bizarre World of Fake Video Games- Super Eyepatch Wolf

10+ Hours of Backrooms Level Explanations... (400+ levels)

536 AD: The Year That The Sun Disappeared | Catastrophe | Real History

The Siege of Ruby Ridge - An American Standoff, Story, & Controversy

The Complete History of Rome, Summarized- Overly Sarcastic Productions

The Mass Extinction Debates: A Science Communication Odyssey- Oliver Lugg

These Paradoxes Keep Scientists Awake At Night!- Destiny

Foundation: Are We Predictable?

The Paleozoic Era (That We Know Of) Compilation | Lindsay

How capitalism destroyed community for profit || Motherhood In Progress

Let's talk Water Bottle Culture.

Money: Humanity's Biggest Illusion

End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless

why is everything so bland now?

Thrift Store Prices ARE RUINING Thrifting..

How Dollar Stores Quietly Consumed America

How Central Banks have Seized Power over our Societies

The Return of ElsaGate | It’s Worse Than I Thought

The MOST ADDICTIVE Snack: Flamin' Hot Cheetos

Toxic, Tasty, and Targeting You: Dark History of Fast Food

The Horrible Aftermath of the SHEIN-pocalypse

1984 Tried To Warn You- Moon

Disney World is a Dystopian Nightmare

Let's Talk About The Horrible State of The Internet- Tsunul

Inside China‘s T*rture Camps for Teens- fern (the title isn't censored)

Fear of Forgetting

Why Quantum Computers Will Break Reality

What Is The Biggest Thing In The Universe?- History of the Universe

The Star That Can't Exist

What Is Beyond The Edge?- History of the Universe

Beyond the Observable Universe [4K]

The Mystery of Spinors

Two robots debate the future of humanity

[fearsmagazine]

THE CROW | First Trailer, Poster & New Image

Bill Skarsgård takes on the iconic role of THE CROW in this modern reimagining of the original graphic novel by James O’Barr. 

Bill Skarsgård in THE CROW. Photo Credit Larry Horricks, Copyright© 2022 Yellow Flower LLC.

“I was a huge fan of the original film growing up as a kid and was so honored to take on the role of Eric Draven,” said actor Bill Skarsgård. “But really what drew me to it was what Rupert Sanders wanted to do with it. He wanted to completely reimagine the story and the character and tailor it towards a modern audience. It’s a character that I know many revere and have a strong connection to - he is unlike any I’ve ever taken on before. Working with the remarkably talented FKA Twigs was magical. I felt a responsibility to Eric’s story and endeavored to stay true to the spirit of the source material; I can’t wait for the world to see the film, and hope it resonates with audiences as strongly as it did with those of us involved.”

Director Rupert Sanders explained, “The Crow is the original anti-superhero. His story is about tragic loss, about dealing with the pain of everything that comes with losing someone you love, something that all of us have or will encounter at some point in our lives. It is about the dark shadow of grief, about what we would do when something so meaningful is taken from us.

“The original graphic novel is deeply meaningful for so many, and the character, his journey and his need for revenge has inspired a canon of films for the last three decades. Our version goes back to that graphic novel by James O’Barr, who I had the honour of meeting shortly before production, and explores the love story as the primary drive for our film.

“What Alex Proyas did with the Crow in 1994 - and Brandon Lee's iconic embodiment of that character - will forever impact that generation and others to follow. It was a culture-defining film that is beloved to this day and has inspired many other iterations both inside and outside the Crow Universe.

“That film sparked a fire with the youth of that day, a youth who grew up on hard, alternative rock, punk and metal, that binged on MTV and zines. It held a mirror to that generation in the aesthetic of the film, its smoky, rain-drenched streets, stylized and subverted sets, its leather-clad hero and chain wielding villains. It expressed its time in a very specific, music-driven vision, that spoke to a young audience who had never been spoken to in that way. It became a cult classic.

“Our interpretation of James’ work also reflects this young generation, whose tastes and references have changed so dramatically from the original film. Hopefully it speaks to them in their language, with their style and music and hopefully will get them to discover Alex Proyas' film and James O’Barr’s graphic novel, bringing a new audience to the source material.

“For this story is as universal as an epic poem or Greek myth, it deals with the very primal, naturalistic emotions of love, grief and rage and it also deals with the supernatural and physiological imaginings of heaven and hell, the dead and the undead. It explores the great positive force of love and the great negative force of rage and hate that stands in its shadow, it asks what would we do, but also what would we have become by doing so. When Eric slumps to the floor, covered in the blood of the slain, we look deep into his eyes and he asks us...why?

“I am very pleased to have worked with two young actors whose performances are the backbone of this film. Bill Skarsgard is so committed and vulnerable, monstrously violent and delicately tender, he brings so many layers to the complex emotion of a man consumed with so much love and hate, but also a man who will do anything for the woman he loves. He fights, numb with pain and grief, killing and maiming for the one he loves…but to what end? FKA Twigs brings the same unique and wondrous talent that she does to her entire volume of work and her performance and the vacuum created by her absence undoubtedly gives reason for this Crow to be born.”

THE CROW, from Lionsgate, in theaters June 6th, 2024.

[artsandlit]

What to me is a consistent aspect of so-called identity politics is that they fixate on broad demographics to a fault, and seem to negate the individual altogether. The big ones are gender, sexual orientation, and of course race. Though we are told now that race doesn't exist, so perhaps skin color.

If you're a bisexual Asian female, that, it seems, is WHO you are. Presumably identical and interchangeable with all other bisexual Asian females. Straight black female, gay white male. Everyone goes into a series of labeled boxes, and that label is your identity. If the individual exists at all within these categories; unique genetic makeup, experiences, thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, and conduct, those facets are apparently negligible. What matters is color, gender, and sexual orientation.

This is very similar to the supplanting of words, like person, with the corporate marketing handle of "consumer." It emphasizes your worth in supporting corporations. Buying stuff is all the identity corporate America will afford you because that's what matters from their perspective. Where there were once human rights, there are now consumer rights. Where there were people, there are now targeted marketing groups. Demographics. Maybe that underlies "identity" politics. Perhaps to a large extent unconsciously if not entirely outside of conscious awareness. And that approach is likely to be successful in a nation that seems to accept being reduced to *consumers* without batting an eye.

Along these lines, I created a hypothetical situation for a thought experiment on Quora. I have no doubt that systemic racism exists, though I think a lot of other things exist, too. My primary question is whether people believe systemic racism is uniform across the population. Is it absolute and identical in every individual and family in every corporation, company, academic institution, and other organization in every rural location, town, city, county, and state? Regardless of the cultural and political climate and racial composition of different regions and populations?

I suggested a 30 year old neo-Nazi in the deep south versus a newborn infant to far left, "woke" parents in liberal San Francisco. Both white of course. A respondent downplayed the neo-Nazi. That kind of overt racism apparently isn't the issue anymore. Or at least not the focus. They also said the white newborn in San Francisco is, in fact, a racist, thanks to the modern miracle of the notorious systemic racism.

If a newborn is capable of racism it could enter the arena of abortion debate. At what point is a caucasian fetus racist? At conception? When there's a heart beat, when it still has gills? Which trimester does the racism set in? I wish I had thought to ask about a culture of caucasian skin cells kept alive in a pitry dish. Are they racist, too?

This all-encompassing definition of racism doesn't require any ill will, judgment, bad intent, behavior. or animosity. Only white skin. And the type of visceral conscious racism driven by hostility and intolerance is apparently nothing. Which entitles black people to be as judgmental and hateful as they like with impunity even as it condemns all white people regardless of what and who else they may be, in addition to their skin color.

It has been asked why any white people are meddling in the black experience of racism. Because blacks are not the only people to exist and its claimed, through systemic racism, that they cannot be racist and that literally all white people are racist. I inquire because it's about us, too, God forbid.

In the apparent non-existence of the individual in both corporate marketing, (obviously couched in the idea that their products determine your true identity), and identity politics, in that particular respect they line up with cult dynamics.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Martin Luther King Jr.

[ravenvsfox]

I simply have to write down my thoughts for anything to have meaning, so here are my awtwb opinions in no particular order (spoilers ahead!!!):

- the break up absolutely needed to happen, and also frankly it was very tasty

- "you're crying from simon/baz?" "the 'we’re not made of pieces that come apart' got to me"

- the last ditch effort sentimentality on baz’s part and ill-conceived sacrifice on simon’s........ such a lovely lil piece of angst. hurt stokes honesty and vice versa

- why did they get back together literally the next day though. it was like watching someone tear down an old condemned building and then OVERNIGHT an identical building has been rebuilt in its place. the dust hadn’t even settled yet. can we sit in it for like a minute.

- it definitely IS in character for simon to look at the emotional mess he just made and be like wait. I hate this actually. I’m immediately going to fix it despite the fact that I haven’t thought it through and have no plan :)

- this sure is a horny book huh

- actually very tonally appropriate that simon sees intimacy as too much to possibly grapple with. sex is easy when it's prescribed, and he's not really invested in it, but when he wants things very very badly he knows he can never truly have them. he can only host power or love or acceptance for a while before it's taken away.

- (something something orphan something something instability/insatiability)

- he always used to have one clear path, and now he can’t tease apart all his options. he wants everything or nothing. no embarrassing in-betweens, no gentle half-touches, no one foot in and one foot out of the magickal world

- also he wants to be manhandled and told what to do and bitten and consumed. sub behaviour

- every minor character in this book rules. ent bartender, butch legend niamh, cake-maker ruth, tracksuit fox. demon bear lady please wife me.

- sapphics kissing over the birthing juices of a fresh goat? come ON

- I think it’s fitting that goatherder agatha found her own productive, unconventional niche just outside of the place where she felt so constricted and misunderstood. like she wandered out of her ivory tower and found all of these sprawling open pastures

- shepard is so supremely & unbelievably likeable. so delighted and delightful. a mover and a shaker and a monsterfucker. spin-off when

- penny & shepard were also such pleasing complementary colours, and I like that they were both highly self-assured (in contrast w baz/simon's insecurity) and highly impressed with one another

- there’s a lot of awkward pacing in this book, which does feel (possibly by accident) like a testament to the non-linear, unexpected way that people deal with trauma. like it’s realistic that emotional pitfalls and relationship turmoil will always clumsily insert themselves into your ���narrative,” you know?

- the demon bride storyline felt like a (super fun) short story nested within the book rather than an important element of the overarching plot itself

- some of the interpersonal groundwork laid in wayward son definitely paid off, but there were also a lot of superfluous plot points, and not a lot of fall-out/consequences? no real stakes (pun intended)

- so much good relationship stuff though! the communication is bantery and productive and tender and sometimes uncomfortable. it all feels like growing pains

- it’s so clear that simon’s innate sense of self is completely hollow; he’s petrified of self-identifying (and thus committing to a label which might turn out to be false again), and he’s afraid of smothering people with how much he wants and relies on them so he ghosts them instead

- the way he self-sabotages just for the rush of fixing things afterwards…. baby let me study you

- he constantly kind of has to reassure himself that he’s normal and also that he’s a Normal (this is what regular people do. this is what healthy affection looks like. And also—I have to remember that I don’t have or deserve magic. I’m not the person I thought I was.)

- he was the chosen one, and it turned out to be fake. and now he’s another kind of chosen one—chosen by Baz, by his friends, and later by the Salisburys, but he doesn’t really trust the sensation of being important to people anymore. he thinks that everything good he has or will ever have has been stolen or coerced somehow, and too much feeling is always inevitably going to be followed by total devastation. doesn’t that make you insane

- the excalibur thing was such a neat little piece of world-building (ancestral magic swords? yes ma’am) although I definitely expected agatha to have a hand in that reveal

- wings y/n?????

- no real resolution for the magic immunity. okie dokie

- I wanted to linger with that mage paternity reveal a bit longer. the upgrade simon’s daddy issues just received…… astronomical

- I liked that penny and simon had a little bit of independence from one another actually, because simon had to think through his problems like a Normal, and penny had to fact check herself when no one was nodding benignly along with all of her ideas. growth!

- a society of chosen ones? cult-leader villain obsessed with empty symbolism? mages seduced not by the promise of power but of acceptance and healing? delicioso

- the climax of this book lasted about twelve seconds, but I enjoyed the continued chapel motif, and the fact that every villain ends up being a shade of simon snow

- the conclusion for daphne, prof. bunce, etc, wasn’t super fulfilling, I was half-expecting a reveal that they were all under some kind of thrall, but since they were just like.. insecure and ostracized by their community, I wanted a denouement where their respective spouses meet them where they’re at, and the world of mages pledges some kind of fundamental change in attitudes/policies towards differing magickal proficiency. maybe! idk!

- so much pop culture in this book. (the yeets…… the vibe checks…..) this one’s going to age like milk, ladies

- it’s cute though! I like a book that is a little parcel of the time that it was made, and I like how un-embarrassed it is of itself

- I love the way all three couples had a really clear, “oh this is what it’s supposed to feel like” moment—the transformative potential of being loved the way you want and deserve to be loved

- so many fab individual moments that I'll think about for the rest of my life, and overall so indulgent and fun to read, but a little messy and out of balance for the final book of a trilogy. the end ✌️

[plutoswrath]

Okay since I want to give plainly another perspective on sticker - I think sticker is one of the most powerful and best comebacks from 127 and this might be very controversial, but for once let us not think about numbers and charts, but solely about the artist and the brand behind it (btw, this is not me trying to make you like the song, I really don’t care about that):

we have the music itself: yes, the way the song is composed can be described as very daring. I for my part really enjoyed the asymmetry in it, the offbeat singing, the flute and piano/saloon music that clashes hard with the autotune! Sticker creates hard contrast, the song itself stays kind of low key the whole time but sets itself off through the strong vocals! And I listened to it in the car a few times just now (so no visuals of the mv) and I think the more you focus on the beat mixed with the vocals the more it harmonizes, because the vocals are like the ribbon on a present, tying it perfectly together! Sticker is extremely experimental, but it’s something nct has always done and despite the fact that the song is very ‘neo’, it’s still something new for them and I applaud them for yet again pushing the limits and expanding their brand and music! Nct’s music is the metaphor of an ‘eyecatcher’ and being more on the eccentric side has always been their brand. I remember people saying Simon says was a first hard listen but became one of the brand name songs of the band because it represents all nct stands for: a futuristic sound. I think with Sticker we have a perfect mixture of old and new. Sticker is a song that feels like it’s meant to challenge and grab people’s attention and I think it hits the nail on the head for nct’s whole brand. (Edit: I just listened to the song on Spotify and even the song description mentions the song is meant to ‘stick’ like a sticker to your mind so yeah it all makes sense). Nct lives from challenging people’s understanding of music, the whole concept of the group nct itself is very new/experimental and it’s meant to give the side eye I believe.

For comparison: As someone who listens to stray kids as well, I heard fans complain why Domino wasn’t the title track, but thunderous. Easy: thunderous is very on brand for Stray Kids! Look at the MV for thunderous alone, the way everything comes together and is presented creates exactly the eye catching effect and t buzz the artist needs and wants to not only push their brand further but to get people into their music! Think about it as a strategic move to lurk people into ones music.

And with that being said: The song will help getting people interested in nct. Whatever creates buzz is always the daredevil-ish marketing move to put the spotlight on one artist. Nct often had moments when fans were ‘okay….might have to listen to it for a second time’ and it works! As weird as it sounds it works because nct continues to grow as a band and keeps people on their toes with their experimental music. Nct is a band that not only follows one genre of music but various genres and this creates an extremely diverse following. It’s expected that with the inconsistency in the genre, the reviews will always be mixed. But one thing is for sure, their A Tracks always make sure to keep the ‘neo’ brand, because that’s something nct can pride themself in.

Sticker is like a bright neon light, the MV is phenomenal on so many levels (even screen distribution????? Hello???????) and the music makes most people heads turn. I hope SM will continue to let the ‘weird’ tracks be the A Tracks, also because I firmly believe SM is all about pushing nct as a brand (and economically that’s clever I think). Think about nct 2018 and nct 2020 and how massive nct 2020 sales were, now with nct dream (which btw ‘hello future’ was also more in the ‘weird but good’ genre and it worked fantastically!) following with nct 127: I think no matter how ‘controversial’ the music can be, it really works because it gets you hooked and adds to the whole ‘universe’ that nct is.

A bit darker here but has to be mentioned: I really have to say even though I do think SM mismanages lots of parts of nct and I don’t like the company, the idea how they push the brand itself is clever. It’s not often what the majority of fans seem to want (for reasons I believe), and still people get hooked for the music, people are fascinated by the eccentricity of the band, people enjoy the ‘culture’ of nct and maybe lee sooman is a cult leader in disguise because that’s what he aaalways pushes as an image of Sm and I hate to say it but it works? And that’s always something that Sm has done: questionable moves that worked, because people will continue to consume their ‘products’. I think especially something daring as nct has to be managed by equally daring people or else being too cautious and playing it safe will make the hard work not pay off in a way.

And again, this is not me trying to push you to liking the song itself. And I also do not defend SM as a holy grail company asdfgjkl it’s just another view on the matter because the way SM handles groups especially nct is questionable in eyes of many but I think there’s always an ulterior motive behind it and I think it works well looking at the numbers of preorders alone.

[watchinglikeafangirl]

I'm sick of the BL industry

To be honest, yesterday, I was very close to stop watching BLs - or I should say Thai BLs - because I lost hope things will take a good turn. It was just a thought I had for a second and it may not seem like an important decision that would change my life. It wouldn't affect me much to return to Netflix but it wouldn't mean anything better. The Thai BL industry has the same problems as Hollywood, so why bother what to consume, right?

And it's not like every BL is problematic behind the scenes and it's the same with Hollywood. To be real here, I only watch Thai BLs because I like the language, food and culture in general. And because it's about love no matter the gender in a very romantic and innocent way. I spend years with American shows and watching something from Southeast Asia is very different. I can't name the difference, but it's huge.

But the Thai BL industry has a bit of an image problem going on right now and I'm very curious how things will turn out and if shows like "call it what you want" or "lovely writer" can actually start a debate about abuse and binding contracts because they are immense problems, I'm gonna talk about here.

Casting

It all starts with the casting. Mostly, actors are being casted who are already famous on social media and I get the strategy. The company can generate more fame and popularity of the show but isn't it enough to cast one famous person and that's it? I don't know anything about BL actors to be honest, so I can't say if they were that famous before or not but even if they weren't, then they are mostly casted for a supporting role and are not the protagonist or his love interest. Mostly, I know the actors from somewhere else and it's sad and unfair for the other actors who don't even stand a chance to get the main role. If you are not famous, you won't get there, and that's clearly inequal.

Binding contracts

So, these people get casted and are now part of the crew. The next problem is the contract they have to sign. I have never seen one of those, so I can't say anything credible about it, but what I can figure out is: the contracts must be very long and detailed. The contracts are the real problem here because they put up boundaries and build lines that shouldn't be crossed that are unnecessary and even though the actors can hide it, something seems off. My favourite example is Saint because he seems nice and all but I always have the feeling he fakes everything and I can't tell were his true self begins and his professional one ends. I find it kind of creepy because I can't figure him out and feel like he's broken or at least, hates his job sometimes. I don't know. These contracts lead actors to fake their whole life, lose their identity and turn them into a**holes. It really makes me sad because these people are obviously scared of saying something wrong because then they would be over. What kind of working atmosphere is that? It's not healthy - that's clear - and the actors are always very distant with each other. It's obvious the things they say, do and laugh about are only said, done and funny when the camera is rolling and it's something I really don't like. I deteste fakery and that's why I don't like certain BL casts because I feel like they are pretending so much they don't like each other off camera at all.

Certain people have too much power

People in high positions definetely have too much power over the actors, directors and the whole crew itself. It's not only the binding contracts. What the trailer of "call it what you want" already addressed was way more than that. They are controlled and surpressed. Simply put, the companies and CEO's don't always see them as humans with a soul. It's really extreme and I know, it's not like that with every BL but I also know, it's the case with enough of them. Tracking your phone, getting you fired if you save the wrong number and keeping you apart from the outside are just the three things mentioned in the trailer.

Of course, there's also the problem with sexual harrasment and it's not only a problem, it's a challenge a whole generation has to face. After watching the video "BL: Broken Fantasy" I felt really stupid because someone who was interviewed was saying the BL industry is acting the same as Hollywood, and of course it does but I never saw it this way. Now I feel stupid for being blinded by all the promotion, shiny music videos and happy interviews because in the end it's also just a film industry, so why would things be different behind closed doors? Then of course, sexual harrasment happens a lot and even abuse. I'm even more mad now that I think about all the BL actors who also never spoke up. There must me billions of people worldwide... anyway, turning back, I just wanted to say that CEO's of production companies in Thailand can be as pathetic as the ones in America and sexual abuse is still a thing no one talks about.

Atmosphere on set

As a BL actor, you go to the casting because you personally have no problem with kissing another man. What still surprises me is actors saying they were not as open-minded when they started filming but understand the conflict much better now after they were acting it out and can even imagine falling for someone with the same gender. I thought every one of them doesn't care, but I guess they do.

What really disgusted me in the video "BL: Broken Fantasy" was when this director was talking about the camera man turning away to vomit when the BL leads would kiss. I have no words for how disgusting, inhumane and respectless this is. He even said, the whole crew tends to be homophobic which is like what the f**k?! And he added, he was surprised when he was shooting a film with a japanese crew that offended no one which is so low standard, it's sad. No wonder the atmosphere between the actors and crew behind the scenes looks tense and not that close.

Fanservice

So, here's the problem I've been thinking about for some time now because it's the most viewable one and appears everywhere. I hate fanservice. I just want a normal boring interview with the actors and I'm happy but I stopped watching interviews with BL leads because it's packed with so much wannabe-cutesy fanservice, it's actually uncomfortable. What I don't like about it is that it looks so forced and fake. You can tell just by watching they are only doing it because the contracts say so. They gain money - and I don't believe it's just a bit - to make the fans happy. It's just a part of the promotion but it leads to many problematic situations with fans. I'm not saying Hollywood is much different. During the red carpet shows are so many screaming, crying and fading fans, it's ridicolous. I'm not such a fan and will never be because I don't sympathize with this kind of cult. But at least I feel like Hollywood kind of protects their stars more. In the BL industry the fans can get very close and the promotion is more about the shipping couple than the show itself which causes these big personality cults I already addressed here.

I have two examples: MaxTul and SaintZee. They are not so different when it comes to fanservice but their chemistries are not comparable. MaxTul seem to care about each other whereas SaintZee don't seem to be very close. MaxTul have fun and much of it is fanservice which gets cut into cringey edits on YT but they have a vibe. They look each other in the eyes and know what the other thinks - at least, I have the feeling they do. Their whole friendship looks honest and healthy. In contrast, SaintZee were pretending a lot. It's pretty clear, it was all for the fanservice. They touched so much, it hurt because they wanted to please the production company and follow their contract and out of fear to do something wrong, they overdid it. And then, they had a fallout which wasn't very surprising, because I believe the atmosphere between them was very tense and all that touching was too much.

End

In conclusion, I hope things will change but it's such a long process, it's gonna take years. Now the BL industry doesn't look very bright in my eyes and it's gonna take a while to convince me otherwise. So, I decided for myself that I can consume the shows but won't care about the promotion any more.

I was too close to quit watching yesterday to just ignore it. I got mad again while writing this so I'm just gonna say, I will definetely watch "lovely writer" and "call it what you want" until the end because I wanna know more about this. I wanna know more about what happens behind the scenes.

Anyway, I hope I haven't turned your mood down 🙃

[tragic-obsession]

So, kinda owe you peeps an explanation for wtf happened with me and my anti-vegan rant, because it’s not in my usual feed of random shits and giggles. I don’t normally host discourse. If you didn’t see it or didn’t read it, feel free to skip past, I hope you’re all safe and well.

Essentially, I reached my limit on self-righteous, preachy, militant vegans getting in my face. I’m not good at speaking in person, so everything I wanted to say in *that* moment got bottled up and saved until I could write it down and release it. By that point I was angry and frustrated enough to put it in the vegan tag because part of me did want to invite discussion.

But it’s so much deeper than just random strangers pissing me off.

Growing up, my knowledge of veganism was “it’s just a choice that people make for themselves, much like many other choices.” I thought nothing of it, because people are allowed to run their lives as they see fit. But things started getting darker, vegan propaganda from America started being shoved into my country as though my country’s culture was exactly the same as the states. The system over there is broken, overly capitalistic, greedy and indeed exploitative. You can’t just take ideologies from over there and apply them into other countries as though nothing is different. I started to see the cult like aspects, the extremism in a lot of what was being said, the sheer cultural disconnect in its application here, and I’ll be damned if I’d let people dictate and abuse others for what should be *choice*.

Then my sister decided to go vegan. She’d also been taking a lot of the messages straight from the states and applying them here. She wanted to be the “activist”, but all she became was an extremist.

The first couple of months, her physical health declined. She’d gone cold turkey (excuse the euphemism) off of animal products in a drastic shift that her body struggled with. On top of that, she didn’t yet know how to get a balanced and nutritional diet through veganism, she didn’t have the knowledge, or the skills required, and her body struggled further.

As her physical health declined, her mental health followed. Nutritional deficits made her short tempered, angry all the time, depressed. Pair that with a militant, extremist attitude and she starting to tear rifts in all her relationships with “non-vegans”. Constantly trying to convert people, telling them that they’re disgusting for consuming animal products, telling them a thousand untruths about our country that she’d heard from American propaganda. We almost lost her. I’m so glad we didn’t.

She had the self awareness to recognise where things were heading. We had never told her she couldnt go vegan. We supported her choice and tried to accomodate her wherever possible, because it was *her* choice, her life. We respected her choices, so she began to respect *our* right to choice. She stopped trying to preach to everyone, stopped getting angry at those who ignored her. She still shares her opinions, but she recognises that those are *her* opinions, not everyone’s. She stopped taking the moral high ground because she recognised that it was unfair. She became my sister again, not just “a vegan”.

She’s so much happier now that she stopped fighting those around her. She hasn’t stopped trying to change the world, not in a million years, but she’s stopped attacking people. She’s back to loving them. She’s made her choice about love, not about hate.

All of the above is why I went off. A culmination of hateful experiences that happened to go off when it did. I stand by the sentiment in that post.

I have no problem with people who go vegan, people who decide for themselves what life they want to live and what impact they want to have on the world.

My issue is with vegan assholes who attack anyone they can get their hands on.

I will never stop fighting for people’s right to choice; my support follows your support.

[djxiao]

i agree with ur answer to that anon about how idols are expected to act a certain way, like they should “know” that this is what they signed up for when they started training so they cant complain. I HATE THAT. Like why does being an idol or a celeb in general come with the invasion of privacy why r we treating it as such a norm that when idols complain or show a bit of discomfort n displeasure with this kind of invasion of privacy its interpreted as ungrateful or rude. They signed up to sing and dance and perform,not to be harassed 24/7. i just hate the argument that it “comes with the job” and if u cant handle it then dont be an idol. the fact that they have to hide bad habits like normal bad habits bc they KNOW that ppl expect them to be perfect like that must be so exhausting. Its so stupid to me, absolute insanity, fucking crazy. like ppl cant have careers as a public figure without having fans that exhibit cult behaviour like??? y is it so hard to focus on the real problems of harassment and stalking like these r crimes! ok that idol smokes its a bad habit and sure u can be disappointed but like that should be the extent of it, why is it such a huge deal to the point that theyre afraid for their income. maybe if u all learn how to mind ur business u wouldnt be disappointed in what u discover , fuck around and find out!

i think a big problem is that some people fully buy into this perfect idol image that the company presents and don't realize their faves are just regular people with imperfects and flaws like anyone else. then there’s also this sense of entitlement they have to idols’ personal lives because they're public figures so apparently that means they don't have a right to privacy and ‘this is what they signed up for’ when really they were super young and wanted to follow their passion when they became trainees so no they didn't sign up for stalkers and invasion of privacy and constant harassment. also how can those types of fans justify their behavior??? how do they look at their actions and demands of idols without realizing its disgusting?? they must be totally shameless or have no sense of morals to act that way. not only that but they really don't see idols as people who make mistakes and aren't perfect and have bad habits. which is true of everybody. the reality is that idols are not their idealized personas and they arent objects for consumption. the music the concerts the merch the videos etc are all products that have been made for people to enjoy and consume and some fans mistake that for also meaning they own the idols and are entitled to information, as well as the ability to dictate what they are and arent okay with an idol doing with their personal life. and those insane fans are powerful enough for it to actually scare idols into behaving in a way to not upset fans for fear of losing their job. companies arent going to do anything about it because these are the fans that make the most money and normal fans can call them out but that wont stop them when there's already a well established culture of having a sense of entitlement and unfair expectations. it feels hopeless :(

[blogsteveclark12]

Shopping Can Make You Famous

Every Sunday afternoon, shoppers descend on Bella McFadden’s Depop page for the chance to be dressed like ’90s cult film characters, “sk8r girls” and “Y2K mall goths.” Ms. McFadden, who is 23 and lives in Los Angeles, is something of a “Depop mogul”: Sales of her thrift-store finds have taken off on the popular e-commerce app, where she has more than 500,000 followers who admire her early-aughts aesthetics. They long to be styled by her. They know her as Internet Girl.

For $150 plus shipping, Ms. McFadden’s fans can name a visual theme or inspiration, send over their body measurements and astrological sign, and receive two to three outfits customized to their specifications, with matching accessories. The looks — pulled from a mix of thrifted items, dead stock and Ms. McFadden’s own designs — range from bubbly (a baby tee that reads “All this and brains too” paired with a Hello Kitty purse) to gothic (a black vinyl mini dress and a bat-adorned pendant). And the chance to be outfitted by Internet Girl is competitive. Only 20 lucky buyers can get the customized clothing kits (called “Styled by iGirl” bundles) each week.

Ms. McFadden, who has been selling on Depop for three years now, introduced this business model in early 2018, when she was still operating out of the house she was renting in Canada. “Because I was living in Winnipeg at the time, I wasn’t really getting any opportunity to do styling work,” she said. “I found when I was styling the products at home that I was pulling together all these iconic outfits. I was just like, ‘Damn, I should be selling this.’”

Founded in 2011, the social shopping app Depop has cultivated a following of millennial and Gen Z consumers and sellers. Individuals can set up shop by simply uploading photos of their wares, along with product descriptions and prices. It’s a lot like Instagram, insofar as users can follow each other, “like” pieces and find trending items on a discovery page. This year TechCrunch reported that Depop had raised $62 million in funding and that 90 percent of its active users are younger than 26.

Some well-known users, like the actress Maisie Williams, the YouTuber Emma Chamberlain and the photographer Alice Gao, built their considerable online followings independent of the app. Other sellers are using Depop to propel their internet fame. Ms. McFadden is among the top 20 most followed users on Depop, according to a company spokesperson, and the app’s No. 1 seller worldwide in terms of gross merchandise volume, or dollar sales.

Depop focuses on “curation by individuals that they can build a community with — some of them well known, some of them celebrities doing business on Depop, and some of them just individuals that have a flare, a flavor, a taste that builds a following,” said Stephen Laughlin, the vice president and general manager of global consumer industry at IBM, which published a report on Gen Z shopping habits last year. “You’re opting into someone’s style.”

And for Ms. McFadden, style is akin to brand. She’s built a following on Instagram  by modeling her thrifted wares and original iGirl brand merchandise. On YouTube, which she joined a year ago, she vlogs and documents the styling process behind the boxes. Her influence on the video platform has spawned its own cottage industry, with fans and critics alike uploading iGirl bundle unboxing videos in which they review their purchases.

Gabe Gieser, an 18-year-old YouTuber, saved up for a bundle after stumbling upon Ms. McFadden’s styling videos a year ago. “She’s created this persona for herself that is just very cohesive,” they said. “Everyone kind of wants a little bit of what she has.”

Mx. Gieser has purchased two bundles: the first primarily to wear and the second to unbox on YouTube (before wearing). “Basically, what I spent on the bundle I made up in ad revenue,” they said of their initial unboxing video. “It was a great way to grow my channel because the people who’re interested in iGirl bundles were interested in the content I was posting otherwise about Depop, fashion and sustainability.”

Simonette Boekel, 20, purchased a bundle inspired by the style of influencer Devon Lee Carlson. She hesitated at the expense of shipping to Australia but said: “I thought that at least if I wasn’t 100 percent happy, I could put it on YouTube.” Her unboxing video remains the highest-viewed post on her channel.

Though many of the iGirl bundle requests are guided by pop cultural references — popular themes include the movies “10 Things I Hate About You,” “The Craft” and “Clueless” — Ms. McFadden said the outfits aren’t intended to be costumes. Instead, they are meant to give her followers a chance to try out styles they may have missed when they originally peaked in popularity (sometimes before they were born). She added that some of the punk and goth-influenced bundles provide her fans with an accessible entry point into a subculture, and that she enjoys seeing her customers post about their new looks on Instagram and YouTube.

“My fans are super die-hard and amazing,” Ms. McFadden said. “It’s like this little iGirl cult that I’ve created.”

From a casual hobby to an actual way of making money, thrift store flipping has major potential. Be ready to do some digging! Visit thrift stores in Panama City Beach, FL. Who knows? You might be the next who turns up great treasures!

[golden-masquerade]

Gun Robot Anthology

In-universe media has always been fascinating to me. Mentions of fictional movies, franchises, bands that only exist in a movie, show, video game, web comic, etc were always a super cool touch of local color that helped make a setting or it’s pop culture more believable. Bonus points if it doesn’t effect a plot or character. The example I want to talk about today is the Gun Robot franchise from Tales of Arcadia (Trollhunters, 3 Below and Wizards). 

We know in canon that there’s seven movies and began in the eighties, and the Sally Go-Back doll is from that franchise (and she even has a theme song!), but not much else. Cause it doesn’t effect the plot. So let’s have some fun with the headcanons on the franchise and what everyone in-verse thinks about it. Today, I wanted to talk about the impact rather than what the movies were about.

Gun Robot (1985)

The first Gun Robot movie was made in the veins of Ghost Busters, to be a silly science fiction movie with good action scenes and goofy characters. Reviews were mixed as many felt the humor and action didn’t mix. It became a cult classic for some, and spawn a few toys and a five episode cartoon series (which was canceled due to bad ratings. This cartoon isn’t fondly remembered by fans).

Gun Robot 2 (1987)

There was genuine fear of this movie falling into the sequel curse, but everyone was proven wrong. Gun Robot 2 is considered a masterpiece, not only being better than the first Gun Robot movie but being an overall great, fun, action packed movie with everything everyone could ask for. It had a highly successful toy line and spawned not one but TWO spin off Saturday morning cartoons (one gritty action series, the other a silly slapstick show for little kids, both are great)! Everyone in unanimous in saying Gun Robot 2 was the pinnacle of the series.

Gun Robot 3: Blazing! (1990)

Critics were surprised that the third movie was just as good as the second. There was more wiggle room for the plot to get darker and introduce more characters. One of them being Sally Go-Back. Sadly, the new toyline didn’t do so well this time around, so movie production staff were willing to write the movie off as a flop. Which is wasn’t, the third movie was just as beloved by audiences as the second one.

Gun Robot: Escape Ironclad Fortress (Gun Robot 4) (1993)

Unfortunately, this movie went straight to video, so production value had dropped as well as many of the original ideas that went into it. So, producers decided to follow the canon of the gritty Gun Robot 2 cartoon and included Sally Go-Back into it. It sold VERY WELL on video, and fans were willing to make this their new canon for the franchise. There was no toy line for this one, but the sales helped spawn a comic book franchise as well as a Sally Go-Back cartoon that went on for four seasons.

Sally Go-Back To Space! (Gun Robot 5) (1997)

This was announced as purely a spin off movie for Sally Go-Back to star in, but audiences were disappointed that Gun Robot stole her spotlight. Fans angrily called the movie “Gun Robot 5″ and hate it a lot. It’s a mortal sin to call the film by it’s actual title, you MUST call it Gun Robot 5 or risk forever being branded a fan of the film. To be fair, the movie itself is terrible and broke even at the box office. There were lots of toys made that sold decently, one of the main ones being the Sally doll that Toby has.

Gun Robot (Gun Robot 6) (2016)

After the flop of “Gun Robot 5″, no one in Hollywood wanted to touch the franchise. But it’s remake season, baby, and the only thing that makes money anymore is existing IPs! The sixth movie was made with love, and went back to the show’s goofy roots and was able to experiment with wilder ideas with brand new CGI technology. You either love it or you hate it, since many older fans attached themselves to the Gun Robot 4 movie or want it to be just as good as Gun Robot 2 (which is impossible at this point). And while toy lines don’t exist anymore, a fun voice changing phone app, ring tones, downloadable GPS voice reader and movie maker app were very popular and well received by consumers. Gun Robot and Sally Go-Back are also free DLC characters for video game franchises like Soul Caliber and Team Fortress 2.

Gun Robot 7 (2017-2018?)

It’s a dumpster fire. Everyone knows this movie is just really terrible and played out, but put in in theaters anyway. It’s just expensive explosions, terrible acting and new female characters in barely any clothes showing off for the camera. It’s just bad. It’s really, really bad. Well what did you expect with Michael Bay in charge?

[soulvomit]

This is what *i* refer to when I talk about Boomer culture. It's the one thing that *is* unique to the culture of Boomers and isn't just mislabeling Greatest/Silent attitudes as Boomer.

In response to a few of the @'s and critiques:

basically the whole point of my half baked analysis about "lifestyle liberalism" isn't to accuse actual praxis based liberal politics of any special level of selfishness that conservative politics doesn't have. I can still find lots of arguments that liberalism is on the whole more beneficial to a larger number of people. The problem is when people who deep down are basically conservative, like limited applications of liberalism - especially ones involving no actual structural/institutional change - because they're in a unique position to benefit, then this gets passed on as what liberalism is about: a depoliticized set of weaponized social memes that result in reduction of service coupled with rise in self-centered laissez faire culture, which is presented as broadly liberating to everyone because it offers more personal freedoms with actually *less* accountability than 1950s white culture did. Fuck, at some point I'm feeling that I'm going to argue that the 70s liberalized popular/ consumer culture evolved from the 50s consumer boom more than it wants to admit.

Also, relatively few of us here, and probably no one who follows me, *are* ever going to be 100% lifestyle liberals. It is a really, really privileged cultural space - it's where you are still told to pick yourself up by your bootstraps but also told "your negativity is bringing people down, man."

Also, I'm not talking about the *specific policies* of California NIMBY liberalism - I'm talking about the *culture* of it, because I'm eventually going to go on to discuss New Age culture, the culture space of "wellness," the culture space of codependency and 80s pop feminism (which *both* radfems and intersectional feminists push back on), and also dating and the weird sex politics of the 80s and 90s, and how all of this is informed by the "Cult of the Self." And the weird social status and class warfare in geek culture. The thing is, I kept feeling like these were all basically part of the same broader culture space.

The whole point is to acknowledge a certain set of behaviors and ideas *as a broad culture space and worldview* (whose members claim all kinds of political ideologies). Lifestyle liberalism isn't any individual fish in the tank, or any particular school of fish in it, it's the water itself. I am analyzing it as a cultural, social, and psychological space more than as a political praxis.

My broader environment (raised in Los Angeles around status seeking middle class yuppie "fake rich" spaces and around New Age culture in the 70s/80s, to progressive parents; moved to Bay Area in mid 90s, worked in tech for a while) was heavily influenced by this set of cultural memes.

It's not *bad* that many people have more choice of how they live their lives, or more to choose from at the marketplace, and I'm certainly not in favor of authoritarian culture. Again, lifestyle liberalism is an individualist space but individualism itself isn't lifestyle liberal, and lots of really important things are fundamentally based on individual adult people - not their families, communities, churches, etc - having say at all with regard to their lives. Abortion and gay marriage (and freedom not to marry at all) are some of the the biggies we think about, and there are other fundamental individual rights that we didn't always have. Your family doesn't get to pick your spouse anymore, you don't need your husband to open a bank account for you, you are not accountable for your dead parents' personal debts, your family can not have you committed if you are a grown ass adult anywhere near as easily as they could in the 1950s. In many social spaces it's no longer acceptable to tell someone what gender they identify as or what religion to be. So it's absolutely necessary to distinguish the solipsism of lifestyle liberalism from actual praxis that concerns individual people.

For what it's worth, too, I feel like everyone with any actual political commitment at this point, on *either* side, hates lifestyle liberalism. The real lifestyle liberals at this point are probably just Objectivists. The problem is that lifestyle liberalism dug its hooks *deep* into the white liberal culture space where I'm from.

It's possible to grow up with damage from being raised in these middle class liberal spaces *and nobody talks about it.* Lifestyle liberalism took the credit for lots of real gains that were often lost because lifestyle liberalism did nothing to protect them (and sometimes blamed us for their loss), when in fact lifestyle liberalism had nothing to do with these gains at all. Lifestyle liberalism equates individual feelings and beliefs with praxis, so you have a culture space where lots of people don't think they're racist (to name just one example) because they don't ~FEEL~ racist. The thinking of many of these people is that they are a consumer in desegregated spaces, how could they be racist? Because after all, no class analysis exists ever, what you do with the freedoms you have is up to you, right?

The lack of acknowledgement that difference or inequality even exists, coupled with equating the middle class to the rich, meant that lots of institutions and culture spaces and industries even *lost* any kind of parity they had, because lifestyle liberalism largely constructed as the individual self-betterment rights of people who had never actually lost their privilege or left privileged spaces to begin with.

Like, I remember talking about sexism in tech in the 90s (which at the time wasn't as dominant a thing as it became later). But it was always dismissed by both men and women in the industry and was barely even talked about in hushed whispers. We just didn't have the words. 90s tech culture had a number of women senior programmers and women managers, and it wasn't even heavily bro yet. It wasn't until the dominant work culture shifted to "brogrammer" (itself a product of lifestyle liberalism, I'll argue) that anyone even admitted that any structural inequality was there and even then it was a struggle to acknowledge that company culture is a structural problem at all.

Part of it was that sexism had rebranded by the 90s; it wasn't grandpa's male chauvinism, it was a new post-Sexual Revolution, post-"Women's Lib" world of limitless options and any restriction on any privileged person's behavior - *especially* when it was selfish or oppressive - was represented as oppression of that person. Any complaint on the part of the person being punched down on, was framed as them not being liberated enough. All the world's problems were solved, right?

This is part of the cultural gaslighting I feel like a lot of Gen X came up with, but in many cases got perpetuated anyway (because lots of people who think lifestyle liberalism is politics and not culture, think they're pushing back, when really they're just rebranding).

It's hard to exit a space that everyone thinks gives you the most options unless you're actually forcibly ejected from that space. (Like the downwardly mobile children of yuppie Boomer parents. The ones who made good just kept the system going.)

Whereas people *do* talk about exiting authoritarian spaces. Also, people often need somewhere to exit authoritarian space *to.* and what's often presented is either another equally authoritarian space... or lifestyle liberal space.

The problem is, you can't really exit *to* lifestyle liberal space because it is inherently privileged, often results in loss of status and social capital to those who leave (because status signaling and social capital are - in my opinion - a really big part of lifestyle liberalism), and the pull to authoritarian space was often the validation of experience of lifestyle liberal/me-generation gaslighting. Sometimes the gaslighting of authoritarian space seems like a relief in comparison because the rules are explicit, whereas lifestyle liberal culture is a huge space of unwritten rules and expectations.

Lifestyle liberalism tends to not be either culturally sustainable or personally sustainable - the massive pushback it's getting now, when we couldn't even question that these systems existed in the 90s, is evidence of that.

Also, it requires a huge base of aspirationally wealthy and wealthy people in order to even function as a dominant culture meme, because of the degree to which it was about leveraging economic privilege. (Economics play a huge role. Lifestyle liberalism in practice turns into class warfare.) So the erosion of the middle class probably has a role to play. Because I feel like what I've seen in recent years are lots of people cut out of the lifestyle liberal social space because the middle class is losing so much adjacency to the rich, and even the illusion of adjacency. But now we have a culture space with 30+ years of entrenched mores, institutions, and viewpoints to deal with.

I feel Leftism is pushing back - in fact it's the whole cultural appropriation discussion that made me want to identify this culture space, because a lot of the appropriative practices critiqued were in liberal social space, not traditionalist or conservative social space.

And I feel like non-traditionalist conservatism became friendlier to lifestyle liberalism over time.

I was raised in this culture space, and it's fucked up, and I banged my head against the wall trying to succeed in it, then blamed myself and my own mental wiring for issues that turned out to be wholly structural and cultural. I tried to get therapy but found that therapists *generally* were in this same culture space as well and many seemed to mainly be about bringing people back to lifestyle liberalism.

I'm a downwardly mobile Gen Xr who is the kid of upwardly mobile parents, and I had to identify this set of cultural memes in order to recognize that I was being gaslit by them.

It's possible that a lot of the culture of lifestyle liberalism was a consequence of a strong economy to begin with and a consequence of disliking authoritarian culture but staying within one's privilege bubble.

And I'm not saying it is a bad thing on its own - it's that it's not praxis at all, but for 30+ years, was mistaken for it. Lots of people called themselves liberal who were only describing their personal lifestyle beliefs and choices and a set of consumer patterns. Lifestyle liberalism is to liberalism what mall goth is to goth.

It's that it leads to really selfish, narrow, and callous culture memes when left to its own devices and that it's a whole social system, not merely a praxis. It gets weaponized against vulnerable people in insidious and devastating ways, and then those people get blamed for their own bad experiences. Sometimes the lip service ends up being a way to wash your hands of the problems of other people. Sometimes lifestyle liberalism even ends up enhancing the social problems that praxis liberalism tries to oppose.

There are lots of problems we haven't been able to wrap our minds around, because of not being able to fit certain behaviors into either a conservative or leftist or even liberal framework. For example: protesting a war then demonizing the dominantly marginalized people drafted into it, seems inconsistent, right? No, it's totally consistent within the framework of lifestyle liberalism. It's punching down, it's actually class warfare with a smily face and a flower, as opposed to just plain old class warfare.

And my mom, who grew up poor in Venice and experienced its gentrification in the 60s, has talked lots about this - you couldn't even acknowledge that "baby killer" praxis was punching down, or that gentrification was happening. But to many of the poor people, and or POC, and or actually marginalized countercultural outsiders living in Venice, "the Man" had finally won, but he had come wearing long hair and a beard instead of a flat-top.

But within the cultural framework of lifestyle liberalism, it starts to make sense. So do a lot of things which seem ethically or politically inconsistent on the surface.

I feel like a lot of the more committed lifestyle liberals i knew, became libertarian or even conservative and stopped really giving a lot of lip service to leftist ideas.

Some even went traditionalist - because part of the dynamic of the 80s was that lots of these people had married and had children, and only had traditionalist cultural frameworks to function within once they were no longer swinging singles. The thing is, so much of lifestyle liberalism was not scalable to the family unless you had a lot of money. You had to actually be rich enough to afford the Montessori education and the macrobiotic afterschool snacks and to live in communities of "Positive People" that of course were in higher cost areas. (I've struggled with what so many New Agers mean when they say they want to live around "conscious" people. What they mean generally is that they want to live in rich liberal spaces instead of rich conservative ones.)

Lifestyle liberalism heavily favored the priorities of a large population of young childless, affluent singles. I feel like this is where you get the Silent Generation observation of "Boomer liberals who turn conservative after age 30," because in many cases it *was* about optimizing the freedoms and advantages of a semi-affluent youth culture.

For the most part though I feel like lifestyle liberalism isn't an individual take or set of takes or an individual praxis so much as a broader set of cultural memes. And, btw... it's really, really capitalist and consumerist! It basically treats people as independent consumers and groups of people as marketplaces.

The things that made me think of this and feel like I needed to analyze it:

1. Lifestyle liberalism is a really, really dominant theme in the world I was brought up in, and there is a lot of personal damage I had to overcome because of being in these environments. It infected every single part of every space I lived in, but was presented as the only option besides traditionalism.

2. I had these viewpoints for a long time, and continued to internalize them well into my 30s. I struggled in spaces that pushed back for a long time, because lifestyle liberalism isn't just a political or social viewpoint, it's a whole way many people in my age group are socialized to exist.

3. I struggled with why, after I became unhealthy and broke, many family and my old friends treated me differently and it wasn't about being actually rejected. It's more that they existed in spaces I could no longer move in, continued to say that i was welcome there, but did nothing to actually make it easier for me to be there, all the while maintaining the plausible deniability and moral certainty that they were inclusive of me.

4. I had to *unlearn* a lot of lifestyle liberal viewpoints to survive outside of that space, in spaces where survival was based upon pooling of effort and trying to problem solve interpersonal relationships, rather than being able to just opt out of any situation I was slightly uncomfortable in.

5. This space wasn't actually giving or helpful - it was basically a bunch of solipsists in the same room together - and when I actually started to have any requirements for real emotional or social support, these spaces left me to twist in the wind. "You're like, really bringing me down, man."

[francesbeau]

The Culture Industry - Theodor W Adorno

On the Fetish Character in Music and the Regression of Listening 

- ‘ Cynical barbarism is no better than cultural dishonesty. What it accomplishes by disillusion on the higher level, it balances by the ideologies of primitivism and return to nature, with which it glorifies the musical underworld..’ - This is alluding to Mozart but I don’t necessarily agree with the argument but enjoy the phrasing so keeping it here. pp43

- ‘ The illusion of a social preference for light music as against serious is based on that passivity of the masses which makes the consumption of light music contradict the objective interest of those who consume it. It is claimed that they actually like light music and listen to the higher type only for reasons of social prestige ‘ (pp43) Again, this is in relation to music, which is fine but think in terms of film theory this could be a really interesting application. 

- ‘ All this reaches a climax of absurdity in the cult of the master violins’ Again, just a nice phrase. 

- ‘The woman who has money with which to buy is intoxicated by the act of buying.’ (pp48) I hate spending money so I’ve always found the feminine essence and its tie to consumption really scary. 

- ‘ They are transformed into a conglomeration of irruptions which are impressed on the listeners by climax and repetition, while the organization of the whole makes no impression whatsoever ‘ (pp50) Nice critique of pretty much anything. 

- Could link to this to the above; ‘The masochist mass culture is the necessary manifestation of production itself.’ ‘It corresponds to the behavior of the prisoner who loves his cell because  he has been left nothing else to love. the sacrifice of the individuality, which accommodates itself to the regularity of the successful, the doing what everybody does, the same thing is offered to everybody by the standardized production of consumption goods. but the commercial necessity of connecting this identity leads to the manipulation of taste and the official culture's pretense of individualism which necessarily increases in proportion to the liquidation of the individual.’ (pp50) Wow, so good. Think in terms of the most modern culture; TikTok this liquification of the individual is really interesting in terms of the constant cycle of ‘microtrends’ - dying to be autonomous by following obsessive rituals of consumerism!!

The Schema of Mass Culture 

- ‘Aesthetic truth was bound to the expression of the untruth of bourgeois society. Art really only exists as long as it is impossible by virtue of the order which it transcends.’ (pp86)

- ‘ Mass culture is a system of signals that signals itself. The millions who belong to the underclasses formerly excluded from the enjoyment of cultural goods but now ensnared provide a welcome pretext for this new orientation towards information. But this grandiose system of elucidation, transmission and rapid familiarization in the sudden shock of imposition destroys everything that the ideology of cultural products claims to promote so widely ‘ (pp91)

- ‘ Mass culture is an organized mania for connecting everything with everything else, a totality of public secrets.’ -  Everyone who is informed has his share in the secret. But the tendency towards extortion in which both curiosity and indiscretion find their fulfilment is a part of that violence which the fascist is always ready to employ against the underprivileged. The satisfaction of curiosity by no means serves only the psychological economy of the subject, but directly serves material interests as well. Those who have been thoroughly informed lend themselves to thorough utilization.’ (pp92)

- ‘ The more participation in mass culture exhausts itself in the informed access to cultural facts, the more the culture business comes to resemble contests, those aptitude tests which check suitability and performance, and finally sport. While the consumers are tirelessly encouraged to compete, whether by virtue of the way in which goods are offered to them or through the techniques of advertising, the products themselves right down to the details of technical procedure begin to exhibit sport-like characteristics. They require extreme accomplishments that can be exactly measured.’ TWITTER !!! Also the aforementioned TikTok microtrends and how clothing so heavily in that culture. 

- ‘ The illusionlessness of his performance is turned into that sporting facility which consists in being unsettled by nothing. Nothing is more frowned upon than rubato. ‘ (pp97) Instagram, Guilty. 

- ‘Mass culture only recognizes refined people.’ -> ‘ The totality of mass culture culminates in the demand that no one can be any different from itself.’ (pp101)

- ‘A s a focus of regression mass culture assiduously concerns itself with the production of those archetypes in whose survival fascistic psychology perceives the most reliable means of perpetuating the modern conditions of domination.’ (pp102)

Culture Industry Reconsidered 

- ‘ The most ambitious defence of the culture industry today celebrates its spirit, which might be safely called ideology, as an ordering factor. In a supposedly chaotic world it provides human beings with something like standards for orientation, and that alone seems worthy of approval.’ I actually think this boxing method can be useful in the sphere of girlhood, a collective identity. (pp112)

- ‘ Only their deep unconscious mistrust, the last residue of the difference between art and empirical reality in the spiritual make-up of the masses explains why they have not, to a person, long since perceived and accepted the world as it is constructed for them by the culture industry.’ (pp114)

Freudian Theory and the Pattern of Fascist Propaganda 

- ‘While the mechanical rigidity of the pattern is obvious and itself the expression of certain psychological aspects of fascist mentality, one cannot help feeling that propaganda material of the fascist brand forms a structural unit with a total common conception, be it conscious or unconscious, which determines every word that is said. This structural unit seems to refer to the implicit political conception as well as to the psychological essence’ (pp142)

- ‘ The mechanism which transforms libido into the bond between leader and followers, and between the followers themselves, is that of identification. ‘ (pp148)

How to Look at Television

- ‘ By exposing the socio-psychological implications and mechanisms of television, which often operate under the guise of false realism, not only may the shows be improved, but, more important possibly, the public at large may be sensitized to the nefarious effect of some of these mechanisms. ‘ (pp167)

- ‘ The increasing strength of modern mass culture is further enhanced by changes in the sociological structure of the audience. The old cultured elite does not exist any more; the modern intelligentsia only partially corresponds to it. At the same time, huge strata of the population formerly unacquainted with art have become cultural ‘consumers’ (pp168)

-  ‘ Modern audiences, although less capable of the artistic sublimation bred by tradition, have become shrewder in their demands for perfection of technique and for reliability of information, as well as in their desire for ‘services’; and they have become more convinced of the consumers’ potential power over the producer, no matter whether this power is actually wielded.’ (pp170)

- ‘The curse of modern mass culture seems to be its adherence to the almost unchanged ideology of early middle-class society, whereas the lives of its consumers are completely out of phase with this ideology. This is probably the reason for the gap between the overt and the hidden ‘message’ of modern popular art. Although on an overt level the traditional values of English Puritan middle-class society are promulgated, the hidden message aims at a frame of mind which is no longer bound by these values. Rather, today’s frame of mind transforms the traditional values into the norms of an increasingly hierarchical and authoritarian social structure.’ (pp171)

- ‘ For example, the concept of the ‘purity’ of women is one of the invariable of popular culture. In the earlier phase this concept is treated in terms of an inner conflict between concupiscence and the internalized Christian ideal of chastity, whereas in today’s popular culture it is dogmatically posited as a value per se.’ (pp172)

[sodomymcscurvylegs]

Do you have an iPhone or an android?

Android. I hate Apple’s mother-knows-best attitude software for their overpriced hardware. You pay upwards of $500 for a phone that doesn’t even let you customize the stock OS. That’s fine for some people who just want a simple phone that is stable, but I’ve never really cared for Apple’s obsession with being so controlling with their consumers and options. It isn’t even new either; Apple has been doing this for forever, since long before the iPhone was even a thing. The iPod was a nightmare to deal with when it released, requiring the mess that is iTunes for virtually anything, when MP3 players existed before it that had simple drag-and-drop features for MP3 files and so on. Not a fan of Apple treating its consumer base like children nor a fan of the cult-like culture they’ve built (that’s Apple’s TRUE power: they’ve built a culture around their overpriced products that have everything to do with - I must admit GENIUS - marketing rather than the actual quality of what they create). Whatever Apple makes, has either been done better before or has been improved by virtually everyone after. 

[heathertalks]

Audience Analysis Blog #8: Media Fandom and Audience Subcultures

When we consume our media, whether it is watching our favourite TV series or movies, playing our video games, cheering for our sports teams, listening to our music, etc, we become fans of that particular media, whether we know about it. As fans, we invest in our favourite media and sometimes recommend or talk about it among our friends. Some of us would like to keep it simple in just consuming the media while others would go all out, such as buy T-shirts and other merchandise, create fansites, go to comic-conventions, etc. Just like creating our own media reception context, we create our own way of being fans.

Let us start this blog by asking what is a fan? How do you consider yourself to be one? Can you still be a fan if you did not have a certain trait? A fan is considered to be an audience member that shares a love of a certain type of media, whether it is a celebrity, TV / movie / video game franchise, sports team, etc. Fans are invested in their favourite media as they would examine the plots, characters and the texts’ messages. (Sullivan, pp 239) Fans would interact with one another in discussing the media text as they become part of an interpretive community. Texts created by fans in the form of fan fiction is used to suit their desires. Short for fanatic, the term was initially used to refer to someone belonging to a religious membership. The British would refer to media fan cultures as ‘cult media.’ It is interesting to note how the word ‘fan’ had an original religious meaning as people’s love for something could result in negative views of fandom as individuals would be looked upon as delusional.

Now, before we get into further detail about fandoms, let me tell you my experiences as a fan. I am a fan of many things, from sports to blockbuster films and TV series to gaming. I would often wear shirts / sweaters from my favourite teams, I have a couple of gaming T-shirts, I would attend sporting events. I would not really consider myself as hardcore as some people would describe themselves. Later on, in this blog, I will give out some examples of fandoms that tend to be a little too much.

There has been a debate on what fandom means among researchers with competitive agendas. Early studies concerning fans had an objective in disproving the negative stereotypes of fandoms. (Sullivan, pp 241) John Fiske explained that fans broke away from the negativity by creating ownership over the media texts by going into interpretive play with them. Early scholars were attracted to the notion that fan participation became a political resistance as it resulted in the idea of commodity audience being challenged. Through their own consumption of media, fans develop their own sense of identity. There was more to fandoms than sharing a love for a specific TV show or film series as it formed a pop culture interpretation that developed a sense of community. With a growing number of platforms and media products, the concepts of fan and fandom has broadened. There are different levels of engagement when it comes to passion in fandoms. In order, these levels are consumer, enthusiast, fan and producer.

Sometimes, fandoms can result in groups in the form of a subculture. It is usual for fan groups of a specific interest such as Star Trek and Star Wars to form. The selection of mainstream cultural aesthetics had the fans incorporating it into their personal lives as it would create a subculture. (Sullivan, pp 244) Fans who show their love of a certain franchise had a tendency to be looked down on by the status quo in their engagement. In some cases, fans tend to go a little overboard with their love of their franchise. What I am going to show is a WatchMojo clip of toxic fandoms and the extremes that they went when something goes wrong with their favourite franchises. The reason for me showing this is to demonstrate the lengths some fandoms would go to show their displeasure.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMouE-raVGY

One franchise that I would like to talk about is Star Wars. I am an avid Star Wars fan, I have seen the original films multiple times, played some of the games when I was younger. So, you might say, I am a Star Wars nut. The fan base has a reputation for being toxic. When the first of the prequels came out, two of the actors, one who played Anakin Skywalker, Jake Lloyd and one who played Jar Jar Binks were not well-received. They got a ton of hate from the fans and it messed them up both bad. What I am going to show is a clip on how the fanbase resulted in Lloyd’s misfortunes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jO-H_1M0CQ 

In addition, fans stated their dissatisfaction for one of the recent sequels, they started creating petitions to have The Last Jedi changed. I actually went on Facebook to say that they are being ridiculous, and Disney is just laughing their butt off over this. I got 1,300 reactions from that comment and managed to ruffle a few feathers over it. The reason for me writing it is how we have no control over the final product, and we should accept the movie for what it is and move on.

Star Wars is an example of fandoms who devote their love to their franchise. After the first film was released in 1977, it resulted in an explosion of fan enthusiasm. (Sullivan, pp 250) Will Brooker states that the original films are considered the official texts. The films would be considered the center of the Star Wars universe as several it branched out into several texts, such as a series of books, an NPR-broadcasted radio show in the 1980s, even a TV special featuring the fan favourite Ewoks that made their debut in Return of the Jedi. What adds fuel to the franchise is the fanbase. They wanted continuity from the original trilogy’s narrative in multiple texts. The community among Star Wars fans communicate with one another and share their interest among the texts. What distinguishes fans from simple viewers of the franchise is the ability to share their own unique interpretations.

One other example that would be worth discussing is fandom of the Netflix television series, Stranger Things. For those who are not familiar with the show, it is set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. The series revolves around supernatural events happening in the town, including the appearance of a mysterious girl with telekinetic abilities. Fan involvement with the show included social media usage which included Twitter, Instagram, Reddit and Fanfare. Post patterns consisted of plot, re-watching, para-social and fan art. Plot posts seem to appear in all four platforms as they feature questions concerning the new season, fan reactions to the show and observations. (Pouls, pp 5) Data showed that close to the second season, people watched the first season to get prepared. First-time posts occurred among people who completed the first season. In all social media platforms, fans posted about re-watching the first season. Re-watch posts is common before the second season is released. Twitter and Instagram featured countdown posts as they indicate the amount of time before the second season is released.

There are many things to describe ourselves as an audience, such as a simple viewer to an avid fan. As fans, we do more than consume our favourite content, we live in our fandom through a variety of things. They include wearing simple T-shirts, purchasing merchandise or novelties, take part in online discussions or just simply enjoying it. It is possible to be a fan of a variety of different media, such as TV shows, sports teams, bands, etc. While it is nice to be a fan of certain things, it is possible to get carried away with the fandoms, as I showed in the examples with the WatchMojo and Star Wars videos. It is worth looking at the creative ways that some fans show their love for their favourite franchise. The love is fueled through social media as we have discussed in Stranger Things. Furthermore, growing trends in new media help broaden fandoms in helping them demonstrate their identity.

Sources

1) Sullivan, J.L. (2020). Media Audiences: Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power. 237-263.

2) Pouls, S. & Gilpin, D. (2019). Socially Mediated Stranger Things: Audience Cultures and Full-Season Releases. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal. 34(2). 1-11.

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