#but yeah it's probably one of the most important elections for france right now

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Sorry for a brief french interlude, but:

Je ne sais pas si des français me suivent par ici, mais s'il y en a qui me suivent : ALLEZ VOTER AUX LÉGISLATIVES.

C'est le dernier jour où on a le droit de le dire, alors je le dis partout. C'est potentiellement l'une des dernières chances qu'on a à reprendre le contrôle avec une coalition de gauche, et vu la situation mondiale actuelle, c'est un luxe.

Allez voter.

[zaddyazula]

gary lineker is completely in the right

i feel like some sort of right wing enthusiast saying “see this is what happens when all media is influenced by a political side” but it’s true. and i might go on a bit of a rant about it.

for those who don’t know, gary lineker compared the new tory bill to prevent immigrants coming into the country to nazi germany, which is completely right. he has now stepped down from his job on match of the day.

the tories completely control the media, and the general population it seems, because for years and years in general elections the tories have come out victorious, despite them ruining the country trying to fill their own pockets.

[screenshot of a sky news article]

as someone who lives in the uk, specifically from the north, the tories are fucking devastating the country, and have been since margaret thatcher. i don’t really know what the us version would be, but the north and south of england have been against each other for decades.

another thing i’d like to mention is the fact that gary lineker stepped down from a BBC JOB. the BBC is very important in this, as they may or may not have been the ones who edited a clip of the orgreave’s riot to portray that the civilians incited the riot, and not the police officers. they switched the film around. and broadcast it on live television. so yeah, that’s how fucked up the BBC was and how far they’d go to protect the tories.

(by the way, the tories are basically the republicans :) )

the divide between the tories and labour (the version of the democrats) is a lot deeper than actual politics. this goes as far as the tory governments depriving the north of the same necessities and developments as the south. rochdale, in extremely north manchester, (as someone who has lived there) is a complete fucking shithole. there’s barely any fucking public transport that don’t run solely in the town centre, the train station is in the middle of nowhere, and most importantly, the town itself is in the middle of nowhere. it’s a point to where you can just tell towns are shitholes purely because of their position in the uk. obviously, just because a town is in the north, doesn’t mean it can’t be tory and vice versa.

the actual bill lineker was talking about is to restrict the amount of people crossing the english channel into the uk from france, most of these people fleeing from war. hang on a minute, aren’t they the same places the uk may or may not have bombed??? what a coincidence. these poor fucking people, coming to this shithole of a country for a better life, and the people who approved the orders to rip them from their lives have the FUCKING AUDACITY TO KICK THEM OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

breaking news today:

what a lovely thing to see. what fucking bullshit.

the absolute fucking shite the government comes out with is unbearable, and there are still tory supporters????? i’m sorry but fuck the hell off.

these people are coming here for a better life. risking their lives to be given a chance at a new one in the lovely uk. putting innocent people in detention centres like we’re back in the 1930s isn’t a great look for the tories, but i doubt people will stop supporting them. instead of funding the military, education services, health services etc. etc., the government are giving france money to build detention centres.

these people, who are somehow in charge of a country, are making my life hell. first it was fucking brexit, don’t even get me started on that, and now it’s adopting a fascist, racist, xenophobic regime. it’s been coming for a long time.

minorities already suffer enough over here, and now we’re going to suffer even more.

my grandparents migrated in the late 60s (i believe so anyways - they’re both dead so i can’t ask them) for a better life, and they got one. after a while anyways. i expect they probably went through a bit because of the ira. again, i never asked either of them, i was too young.

hope you enjoyed my rant :)

[orange-positivity]

Hi, I'm an Asian with very little background of Slovenian politics - could you please help me understand the situation on the ground and how's it come about?

Hi! I'm not the best with politics but I'll try my best

I'll first do a run through and then I'll put in bold what's happening right now but before I start, the main thing right now is that they want to shut down independent media

Just putting this first because it's the most important, okay now for the run through

Pretty much our former prime minister, Marjan Šarec resigned and so Janez Janša was elected by the National assembly in March, which is also when the coronavirus outbreak started in Slovenia. Now a lot of shit went on while we were in lockdown and I honestly can't tell you much about that because I wasn't really following politics at the time, but there was a thing with ordering unsuitable masks and respirators and also during the whole corona crisis, they tried to pass laws completely unrelated to the epidemic (because they knew all media attention was on the virus). Janez Janša and his political party (SDS) are also very right wing and corrupt (Janša actually went to jail for corruption a few years back)(he's also good friends with Orban, the Hungarian prime minister and I think he [Janša] owes him [Orban] some money?) and there were just a lot of allegations of corruption flying around during that time as well as bribing other parties into teaming up SDS to form the government (members of the parties who connected with SDS got promotions and raises). The government also gave themselves the highest paycheck possible, but they offered very little financial support to small businesses during the lockdown (as far as I know, the only thing small businesses got was that they can pay their taxes with a delay or something?). They also passed an amendment against the conservation of nature, but thankfully that's been put on hold by the constitutional court.

That was lockdown and the protests started in early April with people banging their pots and pans on the balcony. In late April, the bike protests started. So every Friday, people would ride their bikes on the streets around the parliament. There was a lot of shit with the police at the beginning, putting up fences on our protesting space for no good reason and writing people up or arresting them for BS. At this point I'd like to say that the protesters have never gotten violent. The most "violent" thing they did was throw massive paper airplanes across the fence.

But I feel like shit really hit the fan on the 24th of June. For context, 25th of June is Slovenian independence day.

So Slovenian Antifa organized an anti celebration on Prešeren square in Ljubljana (Slovenian capital) on the 24th, as to say "we don't support this government and what it's doing to our country". That's when the Nazis roll in. They saw what the antifa was trying to do and they said "okay, we'll go to Prešeren square as well as to show our support to the government". There were about 50 of them and they were all wearing neon yellow vests (no correlation with the Yellow Vests movement in France btw - they just stole their symbolism). Some (I think 11) of those "Yellow Vests" had Nazi tattoos and some of them were identified by other people as active members of the Slovenian neonazi group called Blood&Honour.

On the 24th, the police also put fences around half of Ljubljana city centre. People couldn't get to their homes, cars, bikes because the police wouldn't let them through... They [the police] did that so that the government officials could have their own private independence day celebration (on the Congress square which is about 200m from Prešeren square) without having to listen or look at the protesters.

After that, the nazis came to three more protests before deciding to "leave us alone" by mixing into our crowd (their words not mine), taking pictures of us and trying to expose us on their twitter account (@/RJopici). They call this "yellow monitoring" and they said they specifically target middle aged people employed in the public sector, NGOs and or on RTV (RTV is radio television Slovenia basically like the BBC)

What's happening right now

Janša is pushing to shut down RTV (the biggest independent media house in Slovenia). He says it's a leech to the Slovenian budget and not even necessary (because most of his voters watch Nova 24 TV anyway which is Janša's TV company and it's basically like the Fox news). Shutting down independent media is simply unacceptable. Hungary and Serbia already shut down most (if not all?) independent media and idk about Poland? But Janša looks up to those countries and wants Slovenia to be like them. So yeah, Janša and SDS are pushing to shut RTV down entirely or at least cut its funding. This on it's own is a bad thing, but it's really put in perspective when you see just how shitty and biased the reporting of politically owned media like Nova 24 or Planet TV is. They lie and turn everything around to cater to their agenda.

The other thing that's happening is we have an increased number of corona cases. We were down to only 6 active cases so the borders opened and a lot of Slovenians went to Croatia (which is a popular tourist destination for like most of Slovenians). So people brought in new cases from abroad and as of 25.7. we have 241 active cases (which isn't a lot compared to other countries but we are pretty small). Despite that, the government still doesn't want to shut down the borders again or at least put Croatia on the red list because putting Croatia on the red list would mean people returning from there would have to go into a two week self isolation period and that would mean people would be discouraged to travel to Croatia, obviously. But I'm pretty sure our government gets a share of the money Croatia makes from Slovenian tourists, which is why they don't want to restrict travel to Croatia just yet. Probably once the tourist season is over, they will restrict travel immediately.

Instead Nova 24 TV is blaming the protesters for the rise of infection numbers, which isn't true. If the new infections were in fact caused by the protesters, then Ljubljana would be the epicenter of the epidemic (since that's where the biggest protests are), but as of right now, Hrastnik is actually the epicenter and Hrastnik is in a whole different region than Ljubljana.

There's also now talk about stepping away from the Istanbul convention (just like Poland did) - but right now it's just some of the right wing politicians tweeting about it. As far as I know, Janša's government is also looking to privatize healthcare (rn we have free public healthcare). Obviously they won't do that in the middle of the epidemic, but it's one of their interests.

That's not even counting all the racists, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic and misogynistic comments our politicians make on twitter daily.

Oh and if you're wondering where our president (Borut Pahor) is amidst all of this, he's posting selfies on Instagram and refusing to acknowledge the situation at all.

TLDR: our government is corrupt and wants to shut down independent media and just all in all make our country more like Poland or Hungary and people aren't happy with that

If anyone is from Slovenia, feel free to fill this in if I've missed anything or got anything wrong

[bigfan-fanfic]

Making Bad Look Good Part 2

A second part! Featuring... Two-Face, Deathstroke, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Mad Hatter, Hush, Zsasz, Klarion the Witch Boy, and the Court of Owls!

I got a ton of requests for these, and you’ve all been so helpful! This one’s for you!

Making Bad Look Good part 2 - a.k.a. another 6 Degrees of Evil Bacon

Warning: Long post ahead.

Two-Face - Harvey Dent

You met Two-Face back when he was District Attorney for Gotham.

He was no “Ce-SEAL-Your-Fate” Horton from Central City, but he was doing a bang-up job putting criminals behind bars, cracking their insanity pleas.

So you went to meet him after a case where he got the Penguin sentenced to Blackgate instead of Arkham.

Sure, he’ll probably escape, but the precedent the case sets is important.

“Mr. Wayne! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Just came to meet our amazing new D.A.”

You make small talk, until you decide to ask him to lunch to congratulate him on the case.

He grins. “Okay. But we’ll flip a coin for the check. Heads, you pay. Tails, my treat.”

You shrug.

He flips a strange coin that he tells you is his lucky charm.

It comes up heads, on the side that looks like it’s been corroded.

You smirk. “That’s a double-headed coin, isn’t it?”

He laughs. “Yup. Most people don’t get it so quick.”

He shakes your hand and offers to pay anyway since you were such a good sport.

After he becomes Two-Face, it’s this moment you choose to remember...

Deathstroke and Deadshot - Slade Wilson and Floyd Lawton

There have been quite a few times when you were targeted by an assassin or two.

But that particular time, you were the prize for a competition between them.

Slade and Lawton had been hired to take you out, but only the actual killer would get the other half of the payment.

So one day, Deadshot is setting up the hit, angling a crazy shot to hit you through the back of the skull and bamboozle all ballistics tests. You come into range, and he shoots -

-only to see you get shoved out of the way by the eyepatch-ed Slade Wilson.

Bruce wants to sequester you in the Batcave, but instead, you tell him to set up a meeting as Batman.

It’s fun to throw money at problems.

On a rooftop, the Bat behind you, you offer Slade and Lawton double the total for your contract to give you the name of their employer and void the hit.

It’s technically against whatever assassin code there is, but you know, money tends to grease the wheels of any machine.

Deadshot takes the money and tells you it was some crackpot billionaire trying to get at Bruce. He also chuckles and says that he’s available if you ever have more money to throw and a grudge for him to carry out.

Deathstroke also takes the money and nods at you before leaving.

And while Slade comes back to torment you and your sons time and again, Floyd is actually quite pleasant. You sometimes hire him when you need security, which he calls easy money, and from that point, your husband almost never encounters him on the job...

Harley Quinn - Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel

“Paging Dr. Quinzel. Dr. Quinzel, to the front desk.”

You and some other Gotham big shots were invited to Arkham for a publicity tour. Reporters are there, too, including Clark, so you feel pretty safe.

A surprisingly young woman comes to play tour guide, her hair in slight pigtails.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Quinzel. Currently I’m junior psychologist here at Arkham Asylum.” She has a bit of a New York accent, though you can tell she’s worked hard to soften it.

One reporter asks just how “junior” she is, and she gives an indulgent chuckle. “Yes, I graduated med school early, so I’m a bit young for a specialized doctor. But I’m also one of the only medical professionals still willing to work at Arkham, so I think that’s what counts, right?”

The tour goes well enough, until you raise your hand. “You’re the psychologist in charge of the Joker, right?”

Dr. Quinzel smiles in a strange way. “Yes, that I am.”

You frown. “And do you think, as a junior psychologist, you’re adequately prepared for him?”

“I know that I am a medical professional, Mr. Wayne, and I am certainly qualified to examine my patients.”

But Dr. Quinzel, just for a moment, looks fractured, torn. Like there’s some sort of internal war raging in her soul. But it gets absorbed in her too-wide smile.

You put it down to nerves about meeting the press, and let it go.

You always wonder if there was something you could’ve done for the woman, prevented it from all going wrong, prevented her from becoming Harley Quinn...

Poison Ivy - Dr. Pamela Isley

Pamela was going to college at about the same time you were. 

You weren’t friends, exactly, although you did both share a class in Professor Crane’s Intro Psych course (an elective for both of you).

There were a lot of rumors about her. You chose not to engage in the gossip, especially as it was a lot about her sleeping with her Biology professor for a better grade.

You had to do a project with her for your final grade, and she invited you to her apartment to work on it together.

It was full of plants. She mentions it before you have a chance to even think about bringing them up. 

“They’re my babies.” she jokes. “So much easier to take care of than pets.”

You smile. “All the oxygen probably helps you work better, right?”

She nods. “Yeah. Yeah, it does.”

She talks about how she’s going to be a botanist when she graduates, and she’s going to work for the EPA. She’s very self-interested, but genuine, and you have fun while working on the project.

But only a few weeks after you turn in the project, she disappears. Rumors abound about how she ran off with the Bio professor. Some say they were having an affair. Others are kinder and say they’re on a botanical conservation mission in some swamp somewhere.

Either way, you never see Pamela again.

At least, until Poison Ivy shows up in town...

(Side note: Drew Barrymore as Poison Ivy? Thoughts?)

Mr. Freeze - Dr. Victor Fries

Fries shows up one day out of nowhere

Just shooting with that cold gun.

He attacks a gala event for the Wayne Foundation and holds it up for jewelry and the cash being raised for the underprivileged of Gotham..

You glare at him. “You know you’re just taking money right out of the pocket of needy kids, right?”

“It’s for a good cause.” He says darkly.

“And what cause would that be?”

He sneers at you. “Disease research, mainly.”

The phrase surprises you.

Later, Bruce is doing research at the Batcave. “He goes by Mr. Freeze. Born: Victor Fries. Wife Nora suffers from Stage Four of a rare pneumonia-like condition known as MacGregor Syndrome. He had her cryogenically frozen, and now it seems like he’s turned to crime to fund his research into a cure.”

You hesitate. “Well... is there something we can do to help him?”

“Help him? May I remind you that he held hundreds of people hostage?”

“Well...” you shrug. “I just figure that maybe he wouldn’t be so... crime-y if his wife was being taken care of. I don’t know what I’d do if I was so close to losing you.”

Bruce softens slightly. “Look, Freeze committed a crime - several crimes, and he has to go to jail. But if it makes you feel better, we can have Wayne Enterprise’s medical division look into studying her disease. Judging from what I see here, MacGregor Syndrome has similarities with many other diseases. It might be a key in finding lots more cures.”

You smile and hug him. “Lead with that. Tell Fries that we’re willing to do that.”

Of course, Fries’ future crimes are due to the cost of maintaining his portable cryogenic suit, but you hear a lot less about it than you expect, especially since Nora is being taken care of...

Mad Hatter - Jervis Tetch

You were meeting a couple of old school friends at a tea parlor one day. It’s nice to escape the stress of your life and reminisce.

Roland and Alicia are a cute couple, and they tell you they have a baby on the way.

But the day is marred by a strange incident in which a small man in a top hat and tails (tuxedo tails) comes up to your table and starts babbling at Alicia, calling her “Alice” and trying to touch her blond hair, despite her attempts to shove him away..

Roland gets angry and punches the man, but before he can go any further, you pull him back.

The strange man glances at you. “The Dormouse...” he mutters, and walks away.

“What a creep.” Alicia shudders.

You’ve already figured it out. The man is deluded, thinking he’s the Mad Hatter, and he seems to be trying to fit everything into his Wonderland-inspired delusions. You tell Bruce about this, and he immediately agrees that Alicia is in danger.

You go to their hotel room to see them, warn them, but Roland answers the door wearing a bowler hat and Alicia is nowhere to be found.

Roland attacks you, knocking you out and kidnapping you.

Thankfully Bruce has been watching as Batman and follows.

You wake up tied to a chair around a tea table. Alicia is tied to another chair in an Alice-in-Wonderland costume, looking terrified. 

Jervis Tetch reveals himself and points out his minions, enslaved with his mind control headwear.

“Very spiffy, if I do say so myself.” you say cheerily. “Quite the milliner you are, my good sir.” (Alicia looks at you like you’re crazy)

Jervis loves the flattery, and it distracts him long enough for Batman to smash through the glass ceiling and knock the hat off his head, disabling the control.

Sure, no one was hurt much, but needless to say you would have to visit Alicia and Roland in the future instead of ever having them come to Gotham...

Hush - Dr. Tommy Elliot

“We’re having lunch with an old friend of mine.” Bruce announces.

You raise an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Why don’t I know who this is? We have pretty much all the same old friends. I mean, we were together, like, all the time.”

“You remember Tommy, right?”

“Tommy? No, Tommy doesn’t ring a bell, hon.”

Bruce sighs, and you laugh. This is as animated as you’ve seen him in a while. “Come on, Tommy Elliot! Back when we were little! We used to play Robin Hood together in the park, and you two always fought over who got to be the Sheriff of Nottingham?”

“Yeah, nope. No memory of that.”

He sighs, but you go with him anyway. It hits you when you see the man at the restaurant. He was that kid! His parents were friends with Bruce’s parents. They had almost died in an accident when Bruce’s dad saved them.

He’d always try to play this strategy game thing with you and Bruce. It was only two players, and while he’d always beat Bruce (your husband wasn’t always the tactician he was now), he’d get really frustrated playing against you.

Tommy liked to try and get inside your head to beat you, figure out what you were going to do and then planning for it.

But you could tell what he was doing, and kept doing random moves you wouldn’t normally play, throwing him off and winning.

You didn’t like him much, and you kinda got the feeling he didn’t like Bruce that much either.

“Oh. That Tommy.”

Bruce looks at your worried face. “What’s wrong? If you really don’t want to, we can cancel.”

“Oh, hush. We’re already here. Least we can do is have a nice lunch...”

Zsasz - Victor Zsasz

It’s never a good sign when a payphone rings. So many bad reasons...

Not the least of which is that barely anyone even uses payphones anymore.

Let alone to call another payphone. I mean, how does that even work?

So it startles you when you’re walking Gotham (during the day, of course), and a payphone rings. No one else is around to answer it. 

You start to walk away, and then the next payphone rings when you reach it.

The other guy near it jumps like fifty feet in the air, but then goes to answer it.

He looks scared. “It’s... it’s for you.”

You sigh and take the phone

“Ignoring my calls? Naughty...”

“Um... wrong number. This is a payphone, not, uh, whoever you were calling.”

“This isn’t Y/N Wayne?”

“Yeah, no, it isn’t. May I ask who’s calling, though?”

“I know it’s you, Y/N. You don’t know me. Yet.”

“Look, I know Halloween’s coming up, but I’m not in the mood for Scream right now, okay?”

“This isn’t a scary movie, it’s real. My name is Zsasz.”

“Z- zsa... okay, how is that spelled?”

“Z. S. A. S. Z.”

“Oh, that’s beautiful. If you don’t mind me asking, is that Polish?”

“...What?”

“Sorry, I have to run, but it was nice talking to you!”

You run home and immediately tell Bruce you talked to Zsasz. Luckily you were running a trace with your phone - a little extra Tim developed for you. Within the hour, Batman has Zsasz in custody, saving the poor people he had kidnapped to add to his tally...

Klarion the Witch Boy

“Oh, hello! Who are you, little guy?”

The orange tabby glares at you with utter hate. It flicks its tail, but surprisingly, comes closer and curls around your legs.

It allows you to pick it up, and it purrs.

“Teekl! My word!” a boy comes running up to you, wearing a tailored suit and a newsboy cap. 

The boy snatches the tabby from you and pets it, despite how it looks like it wants to go back to you. “What were you doing with Teekl?”

“That’s its name? He’s a cute little guy. Uh, he just wandered in front of me and basically asked me to pet him.”

The boy glares at the cat. “You TALKED to him?”

The cat looks at him and rolls its eyes.

“Um, who are you, kid?”

He looks at you incredulously. “Seriously, mortal? You haven’t heard of me? I am Klarion! Klarion the Witch Boy! And this is my familiar, Teekl.”

You nod seriously. “Good for you, kid.”

He seems about to throw a tantrum, so you wave and leave the boy dumbfounded...

The Court of Owls

“Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,

Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.

They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed,

Speak not a whispered word of them

Or they’ll send the Talon for your head...”

“That’s a stupid poem. It doesn’t even keep time.”

“It’s free verse.”

“Yeah, free ‘cause no one would pay for it.”

You and Bruce were only kids when you heard the old rhyme. Bruce was trying to scare you as a Halloween season joke, but it wasn’t working.

“Come on, Y/N! At least pretend to play along!”

Thomas Wayne enters the living room, and pretends to scold Bruce. “Now, Bruce, be hospitable to your guest. What’s the argument about?”

You smirk. “Bruce says that there’s a Court of Owls who eat limes and put talons on people’s heads.”

Thomas hunches down, making a spooky face. “Well, Y/N, it’s an old Gotham story. It’s a very bad thing that Bruce told you. You’ll have to be very careful now.”

He looks dead serious, and now you’re scared. “Really? What should I do, Mr. Wayne?”

He puts a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll have to be a very good kid all your life, Y/N. Never go out after dark without your parents’ permission. Don’t ever cheat on a test. Don’t lie. And if you ever see someone in an Owl mask, look the other way and forget you saw it.”

He grins, dropping the facade. “I’m sorry, Y/N, I just couldn’t help it. Hope I didn’t scare you too badly.”

Being a stubborn child, you insist he didn’t. After all, you’re old enough not to be scared by that stuff anymore.

But on the way home, after your parents pick you up, you notice something.

A tall figure in an alley, wearing a stylized white Owl mask.

You quickly look away, trying to put it out of your head, mumbling the rhyme to yourself.

“Beware the Court of Owls...”

You forget about this until far later in life, after you, as Y/N Wayne, have become an enemy of the dreaded Court...

[revengeisalwaysanoption]

Skam Meeting @ Gaystatale - Part 2

In PART 1 I forgot to write that, when Pietro was asked how much of himself there is in Filippo he said that inevitabily, since he is part of LGBT portaying a gay man, there’s a bit of Pietro in Filippo.

Back to the where we left off:

- So basically the question was if Ludo thought Italy was ready for S2, and he said that yes of course, there have been LGBT characters even on Rai (Italy’s national broadcaster) 

- So Izzy (the girl interviewing Ludo and Pietro) praised how down to earth and real the language feels in Skam Italy. Ludovico was glowing as said it was the best praise he could get, because making his characters sound 17 and from Rome when he 35 and from Milan... Then he admitted that he got there, to deliver that ‘realism’ thanks to a long process that he and his crew have been taught by the Norwegian team, through interviews and meetings. Still, the realness has also been brought by the actors themselves who had room to improvise (and Bessegato downright refuses to write “ao’ “ and “daje” on his scripts) and showcased their talent (ALL of them). 

- For the Pride speech, since he is a straight man, he felt that the best solution was to simply translate from the Norwegian and then let Pietro act it out as he saw fit. 

- The only one for whom it is a bit different is Beatrice, because Sana is very far from who she is as a person, so she needs a bit more guidance and to stick to the script.

- A lot of the moments and quotes that we love the most are improvised, a part from “zozzoni” who came from Bessegato himself. 

- He concluded by saying “c’è tanto dei miei ragazzi in quello che sentite” awwwwww.... (”there a lot from/of my kids* in what you are hearing”)

*kids as in a gender neutral version of ‘guys & girls” *

- Then the clip with the Gay Test was shown, and he repeated what he had already said in Rome: he got a 2, so he had to take the test a couple of times to get a 0 and direct Fede to do the same.

- The clip was used to introduce a question about stereotypes and how much Bessegato felt the need to go against them and if he felt like he succeded.

He said that he felt like he did and it’s one of the aspects he is most careful about in Skam Italia (avoiding stereotypes) especially because all S3 by Julie Andem was about breaking the stereotypes concering two guys falling in love and how a gay guy is supposed to be.

That led him to the choice of having the coming out while the boys where playing FIFA, because it felt like the symbol of “a hetosexual friendship between two guys”... But he is aware that now and then “qualche cazzata l’avremo pure detta” (we probably ended up saying some bullshit). 

The stereotypes can be true, after all, but it’s important to show some other aspects of reality as well.

And of course Filippo (and Pietro) listen to Britney Spears ;D

- And that’s where Pietro added his bit about not fighting the stereotypes by marginalizing/hurting/insulting those who fit them. If the message you are trying to deliver is meaningful, you need to handle the way you communicate with great care or it will get lost.

A gay guy who is a effeminate or a lesbian who is a butch, for example, should be admired because they feel comfortable in their own skin and by the way who are we to judge others without knowing about their journey towards acceptance.

And what’s wrong by the way, about challenging some heteronormative macho behaviour (he used manspreading as an example: if one wants to be a decent human being and sit properly, he should, without worrying about not looking straight enough or something). No man really fits into the ‘alpha male’ stereotype, but straight men probably feel less bound to challenge it. And whilst his straight friend only cries when no one can see, in his own room, he feels free to do it in front of everyone, after spending two years crying his eyes out towards self-acceptance

- Bessegato knows how important it is for the audience to feel that the characters are relatable (then why doesn’t he get the need for rep? who knows) so, unless it’s a reality that he knows well by himself, he always speaks to people belonging to that community so that he can give a realistic picture. He referred to Sana again (which made us start wondering if he’s currently writing her season, huh ;) ?), saying how he is consulting with a Muslim friend of his.

- Pride clip, and Pietro underlined again how making it resonate so much as has been a team effort from everyone (writers, director, Federico, etc.)

- S2 has been written AFTER the 4th of March 2018, when we had the elections that would lead to the Salvini-Di Maio government. Izzy asked why they left Italian politics out of the show, he basically said it’s more important to show people something about worlds/realities they didn’t know about before, making them deep and meaniful so that people can empathize. He got loads of messages from people saying that thanks to Skam they had the courage to come out to their friends and family, that’s the kind of response he wishes for.

That’s what bringing politics into a series like Skam means to him: affect the society around you by showing and encouraging virtous behaviours (one of the reasons he decided not to change the coming out scene, though he was tempted too). Showing good people, instead of wasting time critizing the bad. 

“I want to inspire, not to destroy” . And by the way, having a character insulting Lega (Salvini’s party) doesn’t do any good: who was already against him will say ‘yeah, I think so too’ and who supports him will go like ‘oh great, now they’re insulting me’ and it will only serve to radicalize the latter.

Again he talked about Sana and how to show a true friendship between her and the girls can come to be is more important than giving a judgement about our current political situation (giving how islamophobic Italian society can be, I do agree with him that Sana’s season is going to be quite important for our country)

- Pietro stressed that in our society, the coming out IS a political act. Trans’ bodies are a political act. Our identities, our lives... Just telling our stories is  a revolutionary political act. Every day we do politics just by being true to ourselves, not choosing a way that would be more comfortable and reassuring. Which doesn’t mean you are an asshole for not coming out of the closet, though.

- I don’t really know why he digressed by complaining about how we insult him and the cast when the clips don’t come out or things were better in the og and such, but he did.

- By the way they had Filippo saying “fascisti di merda” because Rome has a big problem with neo-nazis from Casapound beating people up in Gay Street, it wasn’t a jab to the government itself.

- Effettivamente: it was really important and meaningful clip for him. He was tempted to give it a dramatic turn, with Giovanni not accepting Martino straight away. He said ‘you generally use this trick: I’m not mad about the matter itself, but about you not telling me: it’s Fiction 101.’ and that it’s the kind of conflict that would be resolved pretty soon.

(Personally: I said that when Yann went to Lucas and said “tell us what’s wrong or solve whatever it’s going on and then come back to us”  he gave me the vibe of someone who would make a coming out about themselves, not necessarily in a bad way, but more like ‘why haven’t you told me before, am I such a bad friend???’ and I could tell without watching the show, but just that one clip... because it’s the way storytelling works)

- He praised David for changing the scene. He personally hasn’t seen Skam France - all directors basically mind their own business and take care of their own remake - but he gets that after SkamOG and SkamIT it was wise to have changes and that if it worked for Yann as a character then why not? The fact that we were still talking about it on Monday afternoon meant David’s change wasn’t that bad after all, huh?

He couldn’t go through with his idea because it would have been OOC for Giovanni to react that way, given how Ludovico Tersigni fleshed him out through S1 and S2 up to this clip.

Moreover, he felt like ending ep 6 on a sad note after all that happened to Martino at the end of ep 5 and up to Effettivamente would be too much.

Like Nicholas in the bloopers he said “He saw Rocco kissing his girlfriend”, instead of ‘Niccolò’, which made us all laugh ;D

- He said that he wants every remake of S3 to be loved and appreciated, given how important it is, that we shouldn’t make it into a challenge. The Norwegian team gave them Skam so that the message of love and acceptance could reach as many people as possible and that’s what all the directors care about (they sometimes give each other advice). So he personally will never take part in any feud against and back up who disses other remakes.

- Pietro: “there isn’t a ‘right’ formula. Personally, I cried while watching this clip. I wasn’t there when they shoot it so I saw it when it came out, just like you. Because its message is about the importance of communicating: Martino gets into a fight when he doesn’t know how to express his emotions, or he can’t, but then he bravely takes that little step that opens new scenarios to him... So, do we want to tell people that they are allowed to come out to their best friend and that the worst it can happen it’s telling them to fuck off? That sometimes people, even those you would never expect to, when they see that there’s something deep there, there’s a history behind it and a feeling and when you can get those emotions across to the ones you’re speaking to, then maybe it won’t result in being beaten up?

- Then every reaction, even a negative one, is still meaningful: it gives me more info about the person I came out to. Communicating opens the door to emphathy, which is also the reason why Filippo doesn’t take it to heart when Martino says those things during the Pride clip, because he knows Martino is in the middle of his journey and sees the potential in it. It’s about showing the shades of emotions that can happen while interacting. 

- Ludovico said that we should be forgiving with Martino’s dad, since his reaction wasn’t that negative from an estranged father who doesn’t really communicate with his son. He said we shouldn’t stigmatize reactions that are not immediately 100% supportive and ideal.

Thanks Ludo, but no thanks. He might not be homophobic, but he still feel like an asshole to me.

- To him the crucial message of Skam is: people need people. Talk to them, you’ll find them more ready to listen than you’d expect. People are the solution, not the problem.

- Yes/No question to Pietro about Emma’s words to Martino in the last clip of episode 5... He said no, of course. People still care if you are gay in 2018/2019.

- How do they choose the music for Skam Italia? Well, it a lenghty and expensive (in terms of royalties) process and sometimes the songs we hear are not even their first choice but the 4th or 5th. Some of the proceedings became urban legends, like going to LA to get Britney’s approval to use one of her songs... Some are chosen by the music consultants, some are suggestions from Bessegato himself or the cast.

- Question about MI: he approached it with care, as Julie did in the original. He got some pointers from a psychiastrist on what he should modify to tell his story... He still ended up receiving a letter, recently, from an association of doctors who deal with these MI (he said ‘doctors’ not psychiatrists) telling him that he mixed elements from BPD and the bipolar disorder (and pointing out the inaccuracies of the OG as well, before someone uses this to diss on SkamiT) but that the end of the letter they thanked Skam because, apart from the inaccuracies it is good that someone talks about MIs a bit more in depth and that it doesn’t label people with MIs as ‘crazy’, people that you don’t wanna hang out with because they aren’t right in their heads but it’s rather a situation that can be dealt with, that can be managed and that have different levels of severity...

I also walked up to him later on to personally thank him about changing Nico’s MI, because after we discussed it and complained about the inaccuracies - he smiled when I said that - it led us all to get some more info and a deeper knowledge of BPD.

Okay, now that’s all X°D

[cassatine]

Wait, I've been reading your posts on Macron (I'm not really well-versed in the nuances of French politics, so I may be getting something wrong here) but it seems you're saying that he's acting like a dictator, refusing to cede power, using the army to maintain his control... but when that scottish blogger cybersmith said it, you said that was wrong. Is Macron a tyrant or not? (also, I hope yor okay, some people have been hurt)

Yeah huh what “that scottish blogger” actually said, and I quote:

Does it not alarm you that Macron has announced his intention to rule your homeland and countrymen in perpetuity as an eternal dictator, even going so far as to proclaim himself a manifestation of divinity? Or do you still find this preferable to the possibility of a (humanely implemented) regime change carried out by concerned neighbour-states?

and

I did warn you about Macron. Now he has openly declared his intention to rule France as an immortal god-king.

and

He… Literally compared himself to a pagan sky-father. I’m not being a conspiracy theorist. He makes no secret of it now that he has won the election.

and

As a French person, would you be in favour of a New Reconquista to rescue the lands of Europe from Illuminati-Backed Jihadism? I am planning to ask my MP to bring this up on the House Of Commons (because of the upcoming GE in the UK) but it occurs to me that such an endeavour would necessarily start in France, and I hadn't discussed this with any French People. Do you think foreign intervention -from the Occidental nations that yet remain free- will be necessary to unseat the vile Satrap Macron? 

and, from an unanswered ask because I HAVE FUCKING LIMITS.

When I pointed out that your country would be better of under a monarch, or with externally-imposed regime change, you scoffed at me. Now the aspiring god-king is readying his merciless troops to slaughter your countrymen, cementing his iron rule with a mortar of blood and tears. I was correct, from the very beginning.

I mean I don’t want to sound mean, anon, but there is a difference between "Macron & his gvt are flirting with authoritarianism by exploiting the weakness of the Vth Republics institutions and of representative democracy because he’s fucked, with on one side a population that doesn’t want his reforms and on the other the private interests that helped him get where he is (+the actually hard-to-avoid obligations that come with being part of the EU)" and "immortal god-king” bullshit. 

I bolded the important parts. Look, what Macron & co are doing is gaming the system, so to speak (see first bolded part), and not to establish some kind of dictatorship headed by an immortal god-king or whatever, but because overall the french are chauvinists attached to their conception of social and economic justice who have been noping in the face of unchecked neoliberalism, and that’s no good for das kapital. Macron’s doing exactly what’s been done by many others -- he went from banking to public service, and he probably intends to go back to banking, and the point of his public stint isn’t politics or even ruling or power, it’s to enact reforms benefitting his class and open the door wide to that unchecked neoliberalism the general public doesn’t like much. His plans for Europe are in the continuity of this. 

But the thing is, Macron didn’t really do anything our previous gvts. didn’t do (beyond not bothering to hide his class disdain, which certainly helped to get people against him. most politicians at least have the sense to use lube before fucking us over, but his party is amazingly shitty on that end), he’s just... accelerated the cadence. And sure he got where he is and did what he’s been doing not without some very illegal shit, but mostly because systemically the conditions were already there for him or someone like him -- there’s this old joke that everyone here knows and that says it all: we don’t have a president, we have a king.

Now don’t get me wrong, what’s going on here is shitty, and I’m afraid because it’s far from over, but we still have quiiite a way to go before dictatorship (we do have counterpowers, even the Senate got in on it), and I hate to admit it but if Macron’s refusing to step down of like, his own initiative, there is no ongoing procedure or motion or whatever that would obligate him to. As to the army, that shit is scary af but again, there’s a nuance to make -- although I’m really fucking scared that they might end up firing on people during protests and the communication around their deployment at the last protest was abysmal, the gvt. doesn’t want them to fire. I’m afraid it will happen not in the sense that they will be ordered to fire, I’m not quite there yet, but in the sense that the Sentinelle (the concerned unit) are not trained for crowd control. The gvt. also doesn’t want to use them outside of the specific context of GJ protests (and yknow, their actual duties). The Sentinelle people are an anti-terrorism brigade, and calling them specifically is part of the ongoing effort to depict GJ as... well, terrorists, or at the very least definitely dangerous. 

It was also a gambit. They’re still hoping they’ll find THE thing to keep the GJ home, and the fact that they’re down to waving the threat of the army around (and again, I Worry, but that’s what putting the Sentinelle specifically where the GJ are not supposed to protest amounts to, abysmal communication notwithstanding) when people are already aware protesting might kill them (because it happened!!), among other ugly consequences is scary af, yes, but it’s also a sign that the gvt.’s options to maintain itself have dwindled something crazy. You call the army when you’re losing control, not when you have it. 

Because again, our man Manu is kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, he’s got the GJ and little popular support, and an actual politician would have to factor that. But on the other hand, that boy owes. He owes to those who helped put him where he is to defend their interests and who keep helping him so that he keeps doing exactly that. He can’t give the GJ what they want without losing that support, he can’t leave without losing that support, and without it he’s just plain fucked. 

So basically we’re in a complicated situation! The specters of full-blown authoritarianism, plutocratic dictatorship, and who knows what other horrors loom on the horizon. But so do others, like the specter of our victory, and now that we’ve seen it...

The thing is that we’ve won a huge battle already, because Macron was supposed to deliver a success story. He was supposed to reform the unreformable! To maintain the oh so practical ‘populism’ (ie. the far right and the left -- it’s not quite the same here as in the US, but we’re seeing a similar displacement of meaning wrt. the left, the far left and the ‘center’) vs ‘liberalism’ (ie. unchecked neoliberalism basically) pseudo-opposition, in which one is the only solution to the other, the only alternative! He was supposed to be the youthful, energic face of progressism, a Mozart of finance who would deliver where traditional politicians couldn’t. He was supposed to unite ze french beyond political and social divides (and he kinda did do that, ironically enough), and a bunch of shit besides. 

We fucked that up, and we fucked it up good. Most of the merit is his, though -- he got us to the current situation. He got us to people asking for his head (metaphorically), but more than that, he got us to realize what’s become a slogan: fin du monde, fin du mois, même combat -- end of the world, end of the month, same fight, and he got us talking about the relative merits of participative and representative democracy and how our institutions should work and for whom because collective intelligence is actually a thing and we realized he is a symptom and it’s the root we need to go after. Not that no one knew it before, but the trajectory from protests against an oil tax to the protests we have now, that’s a victory unto itself.  

Anyway, I forgot the point somewhere, but overall, going from the symbolic “jupiterian presidency” WHICH IS WHAT TCS WAS REFERRING TO FFS to the painfully literal “Macron has announced his intention to rule your homeland and countrymen in perpetuity as an eternal dictator, even going so far as to proclaim himself a manifestation of divinity“ etc etc is still a really bad take (and I’m not Going There but “New Reconquista” is not an innocuous term). Reality is weird and shitty enough as it is, thanks.

[angelreports]

30 day catch up!

Days 13-21

13–Goals

Describe a long term goal that is     important for them to achieve: Write for Time Magazine

Tell about a previous goal they succeeded     at: Find a position with a well-known newspaper

What do they do when they fail at something     they meant to succeed at? Try again

Where does their passion and inspiration     come from the most? Their desire to do better.

How do they handle setbacks in obtaining     their goals? Figuring out where they went wrong.

Does your character tend to give up easily     on objectives? No

Do they celebrate when they’ve achieved a     goal? If so, how? Not really.

What’s one short term goal they have for     themselves now? Manage their living space.

14–Situations & Scenarios

Your character wakes up in the body &     living the life of another person and are stuck for 1 week. Who do they     wake up as (your choice) and what do they do for that week?  Oprah Winfrey. I mean come on. They live     the dream.

Your character inherits a precious     heirloom from a family member they did not care for. Without the ability     to sell it for money, what do they do with it? Give it away.

It’s your character’s birthday! From the     moment they wake up to the time they go to bed, what are they doing to     celebrate? Wake up, shower, sing loudly, get dressed in the most     comfortable lounge wear, go out to the MET, buy themselves lunch because     they took the day off and just chill.

There’s nothing interesting on TV,     Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime; nothing looks good in their movie     collection or in the theatres and it’s their day off from school/work.     What do they decide to do? Go for a walk.

Your character comes across a friendly     stray animal (no collar/tags, no leash, no apparent owner). What do they     do? Do they look at it and continue about their business? Do they try to     feed it? Do they take it home and print up flyers, temporarily caring for     it? Do they call animal control? Do they decide to unofficially adopt it     as their own? They will probably bring the animal to the ASPCA

Your character is accidentally shoved in     passing but the person does not acknowledge them or apologize. What are     they likely to do? Stop and glare.

DAY FIFTEEN: POP CULTURE

Anyone else bitter that restaurants play the same music over and over? Whats your favorites:

15–Pop Culture

Who     is a celebrity (living or dead) that they would like to meet? Barbara     Walters

Do     they watch/go to the movies often? Not often but they likt it

Do     they enjoy reading books? Yes.

Do     they listen to the radio/top 40 music? Not really. Not top 40 stuff.

Do     they know how to do the macarena? Yes

If     asked, would they know what a hashtag is? What the Y2K bug was? The     Cinnamon Challenge? Yes

Of     the following major pop culture fandoms, which would they consider     themselves the biggest fan of: Harry Potter, LoTR/The Hobbit, Star Wars,     Star Trek, Dr. Who, or Game of Thrones? They know a little bit about every     fandom but aren’t loyal fans or anything.

Your     character just won tickets to see their favorite band/artist (living or     dead). Who are they going to see? Mana. (Mexican rock band)

16–Relationships

Are     they currently matched/married to anyone? How long have they been     together? No.

Where     does your character think is the best place to meet someone? Anywhere     really.

Is     it easy for them to become involved with someone (friendship or     otherwise)? Yes.

What     qualities do they like in others? A good smile, a great laugh, a good     sense of humor.

What     in others turns them off? Passive aggressiveness.

Do     they like to be romanced? yes

Do     they like nicknames or pet names/have special names for themselves or whomever     they’re with? Not really but they’re okay with them.

Do     they get jealous easily? Do they have insecurities for themselves when it     comes to relationships? Yes they do and they just don’t want to be in     anything long term right now.

Are     they highly protective of their significant other? Or they often protected     by their significant other? Yes very much so.

Would     they consider themselves a romantic person? Do they try to be? They try

Have     they been kissed before? How old were they when they were first kissed?     Yes. Their first kiss was when they were 14 years old. Boy in their third     period class. Owen Helms.

What     is their favorite intimate gesture (hugging, hand-holding, playing     footsie, cuddling, pecks on the lips, making out, foreplay, sex, etc.)?     hand holding and cuddling. Making out is a big one.

What     is the most special thing someone else (who is not family) has done for     your character? Get them time with an old fashioned printing press.

17–Politics

Do they keep up with U.S. or global     politics? yes

Where do they get their news from? They ARE     the news.

Do they affiliate with any U.S. political     party? Democrat, registered.

Are they prone to engaging in political     debates & discussions? Yes.

Would they ever take up any sort of     political office? Yes

If election season were approaching, which     of these roles would they play in a presidential election (campaign     manager, VP candidate, presidential candidate, PR manager, speechwriter,     sign/slogan maker, debate moderator, campaign volunteer, or rally     supporter)? speechwriter

18–Gender, sex & sexuality

Do they ID with a certain gender (male,     female, agender, genderqueer/fluid, etc.)? No.

Do they ID with a certain sexual     orientation (gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, etc.)? pansexual

Are they open in expressing or talking     about their gender &/or sexual orientation with others? Yes

Are the people closest to them openly     aware of their sexual orientation? Yes

Have they ever had sex before? Yes

If sex interests them, do they always,     sometimes or never believe sex = romance? Sometimes

If sex interests them, do they consider     themselves sexually experienced or inexperienced? Experienced.

19–Favorites

Pizza topping(s): extra cheese

Color: black

Pastime(s): reading

Sport to watch: Soccer & Boxing

Sport to play Soccer

Movie(s): Bronx Tale

Sweet:Sour straws

Book(s): To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hero (historical, fictional or otherwise):     Barack Obama

Rainy day activity: Dance in the apartment    

Gift given to them: the home Surge got     their parents (she was living at home at the time)

Cuisine(s): Carnitas tacos al carbon.    

Music genre(s): Reggeaton, Cumbia

Snacks: brownie bites.

Quote or song lyric: 

Tú me partiste el corazón

Pero mi amor no hay problema,

Ahora puedo regalar

Un pedacito a cada nena, solo un pedacito

TV shows: The office

Beverages: Pepsi

Ice cream flavor: Chocolate

Hobby: Dancing/writing

Game: Call of Duty

Job or volunteer work they have had: The     Daily News

20–Travels

Do they know how to drive? Do they have a     vehicle of their own? Yes and yes

What does their car look like if they own     one? They drive and 2014 honda Civic, amazing condition

What is their general mode of     transportation? Train.

Do they know how to roller skate? Ride a skateboard?     Ride a bicycle? Yes to all three

Are they prone to getting lost? Sometimes

If they have gone on a vacation before,     what was their favorite destination? Sadly they don’t vacation much but     interning in France was wonderful.

Where is a place that they would like to     vacation to? Greece

Have they ever ridden on an airplane? A     train? On a boat/ship? A bus? The subway? Yes, yes, no and yes

21–Has your character ever…

Wanted a super power? What would it be? Speed    

Wanted to change anything physically about     themselves? No

Wished they possessed or had a more     prominent personality trait about them? No

Wished they had less of a more striking     personality trait than they have? No

Been admitted to a hospital? Yes

Done any extreme activities (skydiving,     bungee jumping, etc.)? Bunjee jumping.

Built a snowman?Yes

Burned a basic food item (toast, pasta,     etc.)? Oh yeah. Macaroni when they were like 7

Held a grudge and never resolved it? Yes     lol

Gotten into a fight in public? Yes

Split their pants open? Yes

Gotten into any sort of legal trouble? No

Sung or danced in public? Yes to both

Gone to a (non birthday/non-wedding)     party?Yes

Skinny dipped? Yes

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Over the last 18 hours I saw both The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and I have thoughts on both! Thanks MoviePass! Spoilers below of course. 

So first, The Shape of Water:

Sally Hawkins, y’all. She’s been one of my favorite actors for several years now after delivering one of my favorite performances (maybe ever?) in Happy-Go-Lucky, and her steadily great work continues in basically everything she’s in, whether it’s bit roles in Submarine or An Education or Never Let Me Go or Paddington or the role that she finally got her Oscar nomination for in Blue Jasmine. She’s superb in everything. It’s too soon for me to really say if this is career best or not (Happy-Go-Lucky is an absurdly high water mark for me) but she’s fucking phenomenal. This is the kind of performance actors dream of giving and every single soul who watches this movie will fall in love with her Elisa. 

The supporting cast is real solid! Octavia Spencer, God love her, is delightful as always, Richard Jenkins is heartbreakingly lovely in a quiet, refined way, Michael Shannon is loud and white and straight and male, Michael Stuhlbarg is reliably good. It’s Hawkins’ movie through and through. Oh! And Alabama senator-elect (jk) Doug Jones as the fish man is really great too. 

It’s gorgeous to look at, obviously. And the music is really effective. 

The actual plotting of the story is pretty terrific, and it really does play out like a Cold War-era fairytale, and Guillermo del Toro is to be commended for that. The actual dialogue was a little iffy sometimes, but I can look past that. 

Oh that musical sequence was unnecessary. Cute, but wildly unnecessary. The use of “You’ll Never Know” throughout, however, was beautiful. 

My biggest complaint is that for the most part, it sort of felt a bit...familiar? There’s the obvious Creature from the Black Lagoon influences, but Caty was quick to point out Amélie and Pushing Daisies as well. And the sets that looked practically identical to Hidden Figures and Mad Men and that “Settle for Me” song in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It wasn’t a distraction! And the last fifteen minutes or so are so strong that it made me forget about most of the issues I had with it up to that point. 

Oh, I also felt like the movie was missing a scene in establishing Elisa and the Asset’s relationship early on? It all happened a bit quickly. And maybe it’s my own prejudices, but I wouldn’t be all that quick to jump into a romantic and sexual relationship with a fish man. But Hawkins sold it!

As for Oscar chances, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if it led the nomination count this year. It can get nominated in virtually every non-documentary/non-foreign language/non-animation category except Best Actor and Best Song, lol. I’m wondering how Best Picture and Director will shake out--Del Toro stands a real shot at Director, I think, as does Hawkins. 

Real solid overall!

Now Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. 

So first off: In Bruges is one of my all-time favorite movies. Naturally, I was thrilled that McDonagh had this movie coming out, because I like pretty much everyone in the cast and I’m all for him getting some awards love. 

Basically I’m not sure what to make of this just yet. I feel like maybe it has a lot of great and interesting ideas and doesn’t actually explore them all the way? Like, yeah, in the current political climate I can understand the temptation to praise a movie for merely saying that cops can be very shitty and the jobs lends itself to corruption, toxic masculinity, violence, racism, and homophobia very easily, but the film doesn’t seem to really do much with that other than show (repeatedly) how shitty Sam Rockwell’s Dixon is, until his redemption arc begins.

Frances McDormand is real good. It’s an incredibly powerful and entertaining performance, and a truly fascinating character. 

I can’t tell how I feel about Sam Rockwell’s performance--a lot of his scenes were really great and honest and a lot of others felt really false and mannered. I’m not sure how much my perception is being colored by his character being so aggressively despicable, even with the attempt at a redemption arc. And for a character that was clearly meant to be some kind of comedic relief, I didn’t think he was very funny--probably because he was so despicable. 

Most of the humor really fell flat with my audience unfortunately! I did think parts of it were very, very funny in the McDonagh way. Not all of it though. 

Woody Harrelson was probably my favorite of the supporting actors. His letters were beautifully acted and written, so kudos for that, McD. 

Most of it really feels like what it is: a non-American writer/director creating a story that critiques and comments on contemporary America. The problem with that is that it doesn’t actually feel like the America we live in right now. Which, weirdly, was sort of a positive thing for me since the story is so heightened and frankly unbelievable in the first place. 

John Hawkes, Lucas Hedges, Željko Ivanek, and Peter Dinklage are all great actors and were all waaaaaaaay underused. Samara Weaving as Penelope was fucking hilarious but she was in a completely different movie from everyone else. Abbie Cornish was probably used too much, lol. I’m still not sold on Caleb Landry Jones as an actor but I liked him more here than I did in Get Out. 

Also, what is it with Martin McDonagh and little people?

The makings of a really great, really important movie are here, but I don’t think it delivered all the way.

All that said, watching it, it feels like a Best Picture winner? And not in the way that it’s the best movie of the year, but in the sense that it checks all the boxes of one: just timely enough, enough of a crowd-pleaser, full of actors acting really hard, a VERY writerly script, etc. However, as last year showed, being perceived as an inevitable winner can be a bad thing. And the current voting system favors consensus picks. It’s a long road to the Oscars, and I’d be very surprised if Three Billboards kept up the buzz to actually take it all the way. But of course, I’ve been wrong before. 

[sssssph]

My Advocation for Labour

Vote for policy, not for politicians. This isn’t a gameshow where we choose our favourite contestant. This is real life with very real consequences. This coming week our country is going to vote in one of the most important elections of our lifetime. This election will hugely impact us and the generation(s) to come and we should all go out and vote in order to make sure that the impact will be a positive one.

It’s time for change, and Labour will bring that change. These major reforms and policies will create a more just and fairer society for all of us. Think of the most vulnerable people in our society, and vote as if you are voting for them. Because it will be them who will be affected the most by a government led by the Tories.

The NHS staff are literally begging people not to vote Conservative because it will not be able to last much longer. Even life-long Tories are not voting for the Conservatives, and even advising others to not vote for the Conservatives. Think about that for a moment. Life-long greens are even voting for Labour, this is how serious it has become.

How can we talk about being united and caring for others in our society, when people are still homeless, child poverty still exists, our NHS is at its breaking point and hundreds of thousands of people have died due to austerity? Don’t fall for the lies and the false promises. The Conservative party promises more nurses, more police, more public services, things that are literally all re-packaged back to you because they were the ones who made the cuts in the first place. Much like the 19,000 ‘new nurses’ re-packaged back to you.

Climate change. With environmental issues having greater importance than ever before, we cannot vote for a party who doesn’t take climate change seriously. We can see this unconcerned attitude towards the climate crisis when the PM skipped the climate change debate in which David Attenborough himself called this snub “shameful”. Labour surpasses all the other political parties on climate change, scoring 33 points, the Greens at 31 and the Conservatives at a disappointing 5.5, by far the lowest. We should be voting for Labour, a party who is doing much more, not just for the U.K. but for our planet.

We cannot vote for a PM who consistently lies time and time again, attacking single mothers, women, the working class, the LGBQT+ community, those in poverty, Muslims and Africans. Boris is divisive and legitimizes racist rhetoric across the country. If you’re saying no to Corbyn because of racism/anti-Semitism yet still accept the islamophobia and racism coming directly out of Boris Johnson’s mouth, do you actually care about racism?

Still not convinced? Let’s dispel some untruths

“We won’t be able to afford all of this and will be put into huge debt” 163 academics and economists around the world have backed Labour’s spending plans. Furthermore, Corbyn has a full team of economists and analysts to produce a fully costed manifesto. It seems like we’re always complaining about things, like the ‘bloody train prices’, but when a manifesto actually wants to make things cheaper, everyone complains. Listen to the economists, the academics, the analysists. Furthermore, Labour will still be spending less on public services than Germany and France.

“I’ve earned my money, I don’t want to spend it all on taxes” What the top 5% of this country would spend on taxes is cheaper than a bottle of wine or your Spotify account. Can those who earn over £80k a year fork out an extra tenner/twenty quid so people literally don’t die. £80k is a huge sum of money, and £240 a year is nothing to contribute to society. A fair price for widespread investment in public services, funding for schools, social care, to have a functioning NHS and to reverse the impacts of austerity. This is our responsibility to society.

“I can’t vote for Labour because of Jeremy Corbyn” This is a ridiculous statement. So you aren’t going to vote for life-changing policies because you don’t like the frontman? And the very fact that you don’t like Corbyn shows how well propaganda and the right wing press has furthered their agenda in our society. This man has been awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Sean MacBride Peace Prize. He also stood up and was arrested for protesting against the inhumane apartheid in South Africa which was backed by the British government. What a nasty man…

“Corbyn can’t make a decision on Brexit” First of all, the Tories talk about Brexit as if the referendum and leaving wasn’t their idea in the first place. Secondly, Johnson is taking us out of the EU with a trade deal, far worse for our economy than that of Theresa May. On the other side, Swinson wants to keep us in. The only logical choice is to go to the polls again. We absolutely should not settle. The amazing thing about democracy is that we’re allowed to change our minds. Every election we can change our minds, and we can vote in contrary to the way we did last time. We have had more general elections in these past few years than we are meant to have had. Is this anti-democracy? Obviously not. 3 years is a long time, and in a democracy, we should be able to look retrospectively with a clearer image of what Brexit will entail. We can now clearly see the false promises and lies that we were told back in 2016 and use that to better inform ourselves this time round. Let’s vote again, if you’re so confident that the U.K. wants Brexit, then there should be no problem in doing it again. That is, unless you think that opinions have changed… and therefore, want to force the U.K. to leave the E.U. against the will of the new majority. Now that would be anti-democratic… Bloody Remoaners.

“Jeremy Corbyn is anti-semitic” PLEASE find these quotes. It’s a nice thing to say that might sound like you’re on to something – but you’re really not. Why is islamophobia not treated with this same energy? There are literally quotes from Boris Johnson on Islam and Muslims, yet people want to subvert the conversation to manufactured rage (much like how people get themselves worked up over mythical immigrants stealing their jobs). There is also a difference between being anti-Jew and opposing Israeli policy against Palestinians. Why is Corbyn responsible for things he has never said whilst Boris is not held accountable for the actual horrific statements, he has made himself which are all evidenced and recorded. The hypocrisy.

“Labour voters are lazy and want free handouts” So, paying extortionate amounts for medicine is being pro-active? Some things should be a universal right. Healthcare and Education should be two of those things. That doesn’t make you lazy.

“Socialism doesn’t work, and hasn’t worked anywhere in the world” Apart from in postwar Britain when it turned a 250% deficit into a surplus. This led to the creation of the NHS, welfare states and the building of council houses. Other countries attempts have been met with foreign interventions and interference with the main goal of crushing it – so yeah it probably didn’t work because they weren’t given the opportunity to fully realize themselves.

During the run up to the deadline for the registration to vote, Johnson never encouraged the public to register to vote, because traditionally when the masses go to the polls, the Conservatives don’t do so well. It’s time for change.

VOTE LABOUR!

[teachanarchy]

 For 50 years, Noam Chomsky, has been America’s Socrates, our public pest with questions that sting. He speaks not to the city square of Athens but to a vast global village in pain and now, it seems, in danger.

This interview comes from Open Source with Christopher Lydon, a weekly program about arts, ideas and politics. Listen to rest of the conversation with Chomsky here.

The world in trouble today still beats a path to Noam Chomsky’s door, if only because he’s been forthright for so long about a whirlwind coming. Not that the world quite knows what do with Noam Chomsky’s warnings of disaster in the making. Remember the famous faltering of the patrician TV host William F. Buckley Jr., meeting Chomsky’s icy anger about the war in Vietnam, in 1969.

It’s a strange thing about Noam Chomsky: The New York Times calls him “arguably” the most important public thinker alive, though the paper seldom quotes him, or argues with him, and giant pop-media stars on network television almost never do. And yet the man is universally famous and revered in his 89th year: He’s the scientist who taught us to think of human language as something embedded in our biology, not a social acquisition; he’s the humanist who railed against the Vietnam War and other projections of American power, on moral grounds first, ahead of practical considerations. He remains a rock star on college campuses, here and abroad, and he’s become a sort of North Star for the post-Occupy generation that today refuses to feel the Bern-out.

He remains, unfortunately, a figure alien in the places where policy gets made. But on his home ground at MIT, he is a notably accessible old professor who answers his e-mail and receives visitors like us with a twinkle.

Last week, we visited Chomsky with an open-ended mission in mind: We were looking for a nonstandard account of our recent history from a man known for telling the truth. We’d written him that we wanted to hear not what he thinks but how. He’d written back that hard work and an open mind have a lot to do with it, also, in his words, a “Socratic-style willingness to ask whether conventional doctrines are justified.”

Christopher Lydon: All we want you to do is to explain where in the world we are at a time—

Noam Chomsky: That’s easy.

CL: [Laughs]—When so many people were on the edge of something, something historic. Is there a Chomsky summary?

NC: Brief summary?

CL: Yeah.

NC: Well, a brief summary I think is if you take a look at recent history since the Second World War, something really remarkable has happened. First, human intelligence created two huge sledgehammers capable of terminating our existence—or at least organized existence—both from the Second World War. One of them is familiar. In fact, both are by now familiar. The Second World War ended with the use of nuclear weapons. It was immediately obvious on August 6, 1945, a day that I remember very well. It was obvious that soon technology would develop to the point where it would lead to terminal disaster. Scientists certainly understood this.

In 1947 the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists inaugurated its famous Doomsday Clock. You know, how close the minute hand was to midnight? And it started seven minutes to midnight. By 1953 it had moved to two minutes to midnight. That was the year when the United States and Soviet Union exploded hydrogen bombs. But it turns out we now understand that at the end of the Second World War the world also entered into a new geological epoch. It’s called the Anthropocene, the epoch in which humans have a severe, in fact maybe disastrous impact on the environment. It moved again in 2015, again in 2016. Immediately after the Trump election late January this year, the clock was moved again to two and a half minutes to midnight, the closest it’s been since ’53.

So there’s the two existential threats that we’ve created—which might in the case of nuclear war maybe wipe us out; in the case of environmental catastrophe, create a severe impact—and then some.

A third thing happened. Beginning around the ’70s, human intelligence dedicated itself to eliminating, or at least weakening, the main barrier against these threats. It’s called neoliberalism. There was a transition at that time from the period of what some people call “regimented capitalism,” the ’50s and ’60s, the great growth period, egalitarian growth, a lot of advances in social justice and so on—

CL: Social democracy…

NC: Social democracy, yeah. That’s sometimes called “the golden age of modern capitalism.” That changed in the ’70s with the onset of the neoliberal era that we’ve been living in since. And if you ask yourself what this era is, its crucial principle is undermining mechanisms of social solidarity and mutual support and popular engagement in determining policy.            

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It’s not called that. What it’s called is “freedom,” but “freedom” means a subordination to the decisions of concentrated, unaccountable, private power. That’s what it means. The institutions of governance—or other kinds of association that could allow people to participate in decision making—those are systematically weakened. Margaret Thatcher said it rather nicely in her aphorism about “there is no society, only individuals.”

Since the Second World War, we have created two means of destruction. Since the neoliberal era, we have dismantled the way of handling them.

She was actually, unconsciously no doubt, paraphrasing Marx, who in his condemnation of the repression in France said, “The repression is turning society into a sack of potatoes, just individuals, an amorphous mass can’t act together.” That was a condemnation. For Thatcher, it’s an ideal—and that’s neoliberalism. We destroy or at least undermine the governing mechanisms by which people at least in principle can participate to the extent that society’s democratic. So weaken them, undermine unions, other forms of association, leave a sack of potatoes and meanwhile transfer decisions to unaccountable private power all in the rhetoric of freedom.

Well, what does that do? The one barrier to the threat of destruction is an engaged public, an informed, engaged public acting together to develop means to confront the threat and respond to it. That’s been systematically weakened, consciously. I mean, back to the 1970s we’ve probably talked about this. There was a lot of elite discussion across the spectrum about the danger of too much democracy and the need to have what was called more “moderation” in democracy, for people to become more passive and apathetic and not to disturb things too much, and that’s what the neoliberal programs do. So put it all together and what do you have? A perfect storm.

CL: What everybody notices is all the headline things, including Brexit and Donald Trump and Hindu nationalism and nationalism everywhere and Le Pen all kicking in more or less together and suggesting some real world phenomenon.

NC: it’s very clear, and it was predictable. You didn’t know exactly when, but when you impose socioeconomic policies that lead to stagnation or decline for the majority of the population, undermine democracy, remove decision-making out of popular hands, you’re going to get anger, discontent, fear take all kinds of forms. And that’s the phenomenon that’s misleadingly called “populism.”

CL: I don’t know what you think of Pankaj Mishra, but I enjoy his book Age of Anger, and he begins with an anonymous letter to a newspaper from somebody who says, “We should admit that we are not only horrified but baffled. Nothing since the triumph of Vandals in Rome and North Africa has seemed so suddenly incomprehensible and difficult to reverse.”

NC: Well, that’s the fault of the information system, because it’s very comprehensible and very obvious and very simple. Take, say the United States, which actually suffered less from these policies than many other countries. Take the year 2007, a crucial year right before the crash.

(Illustration by Susan Coyne)

What was the wondrous economy that was then being praised? It was one in which the wages, the real wages of American workers, were actually lower than they were in 1979 when the neoliberal period began. That’s historically unprecedented except for trauma or war or something like that. Here is a long period in which real wages had literally declined, while there was some wealth created but in very few pockets. It was also a period in which new institutions developed, financial institutions. You go back to the ’50s and ’60s, a so-called Golden Age, banks were connected to the real economy. That was their function. There were also no crashes because there were New Deal regulations.

Starting in the early ’70s there was a sharp change. First of all, financial institutions exploded in scale. By 2007 they actually had 40 percent of corporate profits. Furthermore, they weren’t connected to the real economy anymore.

In Europe the way democracy is undermined is very direct. Decisions are placed in the hands of an unelected troika: the European Commission, which is unelected; the IMF, of course unelected; and the European Central Bank. They make the decisions. So people are very angry, they’re losing control of their lives. The economic policies are mostly harming them, and the result is anger, disillusion, and so on.

Noam Chomsky: What Did Adam Smith Really Mean by “The Invisible Hand”?

We just saw it two weeks ago in the last French election. The two candidates were both outside the establishment. Centrist political parties have collapsed. We saw it in the American election last November. There were two candidates who mobilized the base: one of them a billionaire hated by the establishment, the Republican candidate who won the nomination—but notice that once he’s in power it’s the old establishment that’s running things. You can rail against Goldman Sachs on the campaign trail, but you make sure that they run the economy once you’re in.

CL: So, the question is, at a moment when people are almost ready… when they’re ready to act and almost ready to recognize that this game is not working, this social system, do we have the endowment as a species to act on it, to move into that zone of puzzlement and then action?

NC: I think the fate of the species depends on it because, remember, it’s not just inequality, stagnation. It’s terminal disaster. We have constructed a perfect storm. That should be the screaming headlines every day. Since the Second World War, we have created two means of destruction. Since the neoliberal era, we have dismantled the way of handling them. That’s our pincers. That’s what we face, and if that problem isn’t solved, we’re done with.

CL: I want to go back Pankaj Mishra and the Age of Anger for a moment—

NC: It’s not the Age of Anger. It’s the Age of Resentment against socioeconomic policies which have harmed the majority of the population for a generation and have consciously and in principle undermined democratic participation. Why shouldn’t there be anger?

CL: Pankaj Mishra calls it—it’s a Nietzschean word—“ressentiment,” meaning this kind of explosive rage. But he says, “It’s the defining feature of a world where the modern promise of equality collides with massive disparities of power, education, status and—

NC: Which was designed that way, which was designed that way. Go back to the 1970s. Across the spectrum, elite spectrum, there was deep concern about the activism of the ’60s. It’s called the “time of troubles.” It civilized the country, which is dangerous. What happened is that large parts of the population—which had been passive, apathetic, obedient—tried to enter the political arena in one or another way to press their interests and concerns. They’re called “special interests.” That means minorities, young people, old people, farmers, workers, women. In other words, the population. The population are special interests, and their task is to just watch quietly. And that was explicit.

Two documents came out right in the mid-’70s, which are quite important. They came from opposite ends of the political spectrum, both influential, and both reached the same conclusions. One of them, at the left end, was by the Trilateral Commission—liberal internationalists, three major industrial countries, basically the Carter administration, that’s where they come from. That is the more interesting one [The Crisis of Democracy, a Trilateral Commission report]. The American rapporteur Samuel Huntington of Harvard, he looked back with nostalgia to the days when, as he put it, Truman was able to run the country with the cooperation of a few Wall Street lawyers and executives. Then everything was fine. Democracy was perfect.

But in the ’60s they all agreed it became problematic because the special interests started trying to get into the act, and that causes too much pressure and the state can’t handle that.

CL: I remember that book well.

NC: We have to have more moderation in democracy.

CL: Not only that, he turned Al Smith’s line around. Al Smith said, “The cure for democracy is more democracy.” He said, “No, the cure for this democracy is less democracy.”

NC: It wasn’t him. It was the liberal establishment. He was speaking for them. This is a consensus view of the liberal internationalists and the three industrial democracies. They—in their consensus—they concluded that a major problem is what they called, their words, “the institutions responsible for the indoctrination of the young.” The schools, the universities, churches, they’re not doing their job. They’re not indoctrinating the young properly. The young have to be returned to passivity and obedience, and then democracy will be fine. That’s the left end.

Now what do you have at the right end? A very influential document, the Powell Memorandum, came out at the same time. Lewis Powell, a corporate lawyer, later Supreme Court justice, he produced a confidential memorandum for the US Chamber of Commerce, which has been extremely influential. It more or less set off the modern so-called “conservative movement.” The rhetoric is kind of crazy. We don’t go through it, but the basic picture is that this rampaging left has taken over everything. We have to use the resources that we have to beat back this rampaging New Left which is undermining freedom and democracy.

Connected with this was something else. As a result of the activism of the ’60s and the militancy of labor, there was a falling rate of profit. That’s not acceptable. So we have to reverse the falling rate of profit, we have to undermine democratic participation, what comes? Neoliberalism, which has exactly those effects.

[yeouami]

Dealing with family who still believes in Trump, their God and Saviour, and won’t listen to reason.

So I just posted this on facebook:

My former English teacher shared this after seeing it on her friend's page, and I just had to share it, too.

(Especially with you, C.F. and H.D.F. - and anyone else among my friends/family who still believes in Trump as their God and Saviour. Please don't tell me, you wouldn't also be pissed if the following scenario were real. Maybe now you can understand a little better, why there are still so many people who don't agree with Trump's presidency. And I'm not only talking about Democrats here. More and more Republicans are waking up to seeing his wrongdoings for what they are..)

--- Imagine this scenario: Hillary Clinton is president. It's learned that she has deep ties to Putin and the Russian spy agency. She puts utterly unqualified billionaires in cabinet posts. She pursues public policies that benefit her and her billionaire friends. She puts her daughter Chelsea in a position of influence in the West Wing, gives her her own office and allows her to use that position to forward her own business interests. And Chelsea's husband is her chief advisor. The private business trips taken by Chelsea and her husband are paid for by the taxpayers. She refuses to release any tax returns, she blocks access to the visitor logs in the White House and Bill refuses to live in the White House so our tax dollars are spent keeping him safe in Chappaqua. Hillary spends almost every weekend lounging in her own, privately-held resort. Her private resort gets reimbursed for any and all "official" government functions (including security) because she chooses to conduct all her "business" and personal functions there. She and her family live in three White Houses at the same time. In an interview, she names the wrong country she bombed while bragging about the chocolate cake she was eating while she ordered said bombing. I could go on and on. The point is that the outrage, the outcries, the screaming by Republicans would be heard around the world and impeachment proceedings would already be underway. By the way, this is not about political party affiliation. Let's face it, if Hillary - or any woman or minority candidate - had five children from three partners s/he would never have survived the primary.

--- COPY and PASTE if you want all your friends to see this.

#NotMyPresident #sorrynotsorry #thetruthcannolongerbedenied#itstimetowakeupamerica 

And received this reply by H.D.F. (who happens to be my Uncle, who lives in California):

Don't believe our liberal press . They are so out of touch with the American people . They told the American people that Trump would lose by a landslide to Clinton . We all know how that turn out . Many liberal turn on Clinton in the traditional liberal states . Like Wisconsin Michigan Ohio Florida and many more . As far as Putin goes, I don't think they have a close relationship . He showed this when he launched 60 tomahawk missles at air base in Syria . Now about his taxes . No ones cares here about his taxes . Only the liberal rich people do . What liberal people refuse to understand . The people who sent him to Washington wanted change . The last eight years of Obama and Clinton policy has not been good in America for a large segment of the population . It showed in the election . I look fawned to the French election . Neither major party is going to second round . You have two outsider . That is major change no matter who win . Look forward to may 7th . Keep up the good fight. Your voice is important.

To which I replied:

If not the liberal press, who else is there to trust? Sure, you should never take anything that's said as 100% true, but it can't ALL be lies. They thought Trump would lose because they believed that the US citizens would be sane enough not to vote for someone as mentally deranged as him. His whole campaign was built on agitation and lies. Most of which are gradually being exposed, and can't be ignored for much longer. As for Putin, sure, only they know how close they really are. But you can't deny that there isn't some kind of connection in the background. How else would they have known to take all the important personell out of said area before the missiles hit..? Also, those f-ing expensive missiles still make me mad as hell. Why did he have to use so many?? What about the veterans, homeless and public education, everyone always seems to be complaining about not having enough money, that could've really needed the money wasted on those missiles???? Are you really ok with that??? Why is it then, that most of the protesters I see are from middle to low income families? The rich could actually care less about his tax returns, cause for one, they probably don't care about their own, and two, they just care about the money they receive from supporting him. Those protesters are just vocalizing their right to have him do the same thing they are FORCED to do, so they wouldn't be prosecuted, while HE GETS A FREE PASS. Money or status should not be a guarantee for him to just get away with it. You can't seriously think that's RIGHT...? Don't you think it's weird how the unbiased news I've been watching over the last eight years, never showed how terrible of a president Obama supposedly was? Sure, not everything can always go well and not every promise made during the campaign can be held. But did it ever occur to you, that he tried his best while having to face one defeat after another because the Republicans just simply didn't want HIM to win the vote on something that could've made the lives of so many Americans better, while they knew that their decision would just make everything worse. But no, a true Republican can't let a major improvement, a Democrat proposed, go through, because obviously they wouldn't get the recognition they think they'd deserve. The Democrat would rightfully receive it, and there is no way they could lose to the Dems like that. This is sadly the painful truth we've been living in for quite a while now. The problem is that most people still don't seem to see the bigger picture. They're quite selfish in a way. Sure, having the coal mines running again may give some people their jobs back. (And obviously those people would never have dreamed to vote for a presidential candidate who advocates clean energy to fight climate change) But what they seem to forget is the future. The future we all will have to live in. And not just us. Our children, grandchildren and so on will have to deal with the result of what is now done wrong. I really don't get how those people just ignore what's going on and only care about themselves in the now. They probably won't be around anymore when the consequences hit hard, so they might think it doesn't have anything to do with them. But this is our responsibility right now. So many of the older generations have already messed things up for the younger ones, by voting for what they believe is right for them at this very moment, not once considering the change that has already taken place over the last decades. Just take a look at how liberal-minded youth responds to racism, homo- and xenophobia. We're trying to understand each other so that we can live in peace as one human race. With how evolution stands now, there is no black and white anymore. Obama's presidency showed the world that the US was doing it's part toward a better future for all of us. I can't say the same about Trump's presidency. And with what he has shown the world so far, I highly doubt I ever will. As for France, it's pretty much the same situation as with the US elections. Macron is what everyone wished Trump to be when he came from out of nowhere and promised all those wonderful things for America, while Le Pen is what he turned out to be. So yeah, I'm totally looking forward to May 7th. Same to you. Believe in what you want to and stand up for it. Just please, don't do it blindly. Your voice is important, too. Mostly to Trump for that matter ;)

Sorry for the long post. I know he’s gonna reply with more nonsense along the lines of “Make America Great Again” or something like that.. I’d really love some objective thoughts on this. Also, if you also happen to be in the same situation and need some arguments, feel free to use mine.. 

P.S. Just so this all makes more sense: I’m German-American and spent a few years (during my childhood) in California. For the past 15 years I’ve been living in Germany again and wasn’t exposed to only biased American news. Therefor I’m pretty confident in the sources of my arguments.

[joshhutchsource]

Josh Hutcherson AMA Transcript

This is the transcript from Josh’s AMA on Reddit on February 16th, 2017.  All spelling and grammar errors are as written by the original people  This is very long, so the majority is under a read more.

Q:  Do you miss working with the Hunger Games cast?

Josh:  yes... they were the best! family forever. i miss them all dearly... however we still hang now and then and keep in touch.

Q:  Hi! What's your favorite television show to watch?

Josh:  the Bob Ross painting show... i can benge for hours

Q:  Hey Mr. Hutcherson, is there any actor (that you have not yet worked with) that you wish to work with someday?

Josh:  so many.... joaquin phoenix is up there for sure.

Q:  Hi Josh, You got second class treatment from Rosemary Telesco and continued with Katniss Everdeen. Does it hurt your feelings?

Josh:  hahaha.... life imitates art…

Q:  What do you define as your first "big break" into acting and that business?

Josh:  For me my first ever job was personally my big break.. I was 9 and I held a goat in the backgroud for a bible study video in ohio.... everyone starts somewhere…

Q:  How do you go about choosing a script that you want to work on, both for this project and other professional work?

Josh:  I want originality. Characters that are bold and have clear voices. i also want to push the boundaries of what reality is.

Q:  Hey Josh! What is the craziest encounter you've had with a fan?

Josh:  i had two girls and their mom show up at my door a few years ago during christmas with my family..... that was..... awkward. Im not answering the door next time. Haha

Q:  do you think 2017 is going to be a good year?

Josh:  hard to believe it can be... however I feel like so many people are getting involved that werent before... this is a moment when people feel energized.

Q:  If you had not been an actor, what profession would you have done?

Josh:  i like building stuff... and i like photography... maybe building stuff and taking pictures of it... if thats a job

Q:  Because Im sure you get the same questions over and over - what's your favorite day of the week, and why?

Josh:  Thursday... not becuase im here... but because i like how the word looks. and wednesday is finally over.

Q:  JOSH is there anything you couldn't live without?

Josh:  my freedom of speech and gluten

Q:  your favorite song at this moment?

Josh:  Lazarus by David Bowie

Q:  Why were you such a little bitch in the hunger games ?

Josh:  i prefer other words... however this little bitch survived. so... yeah.

Q:  Which country do you think is the safest in a zombie apocalypse?

Josh:  Iceland... no doubt. Zombies hate Byjork

Q:  What's your idea of a successful person. What would make someone successful in your eyes?

Josh:  A person who is comfortable in their skin... I'm defintely not. I have gotten better as time goes on but someone who is and who is genuine is successful for me.

Q:  Do you have any advice for someone dealing with depression?

Josh:  I'm not certified to answer this sort of thing. However I go back to perception. As well as really find what you care about and express it. film, music, walking... whatever it is that you can connect with is what i try to lose myself in.

Q:  i feel like, in my mind, i always associate you with the jungle. Why is that?

Josh:  that really makes me smile. I love the jungle and i feel a part of it often. thank you.

Q:  hi josh, I'm not very good at english so I can't write a good question but do you like mango?

Josh:  yes... im human. never trust someone who doesnt

Q:  What do you think about Darren Aeronosfsky as a director?

Josh:  I think hes great... requiem is on point!!

Q:  Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Josh:  here in this ama.

probably isolated somehwere thinking of ideas of things to make movies about. I dont know!!!! cant think that far ahead honestly.

Q:  in ten words can you describe your experience directing "Ape"?

Josh:  BEst experience of my life creatively hello cars cat apples

Q:  What's your favorite food?

Josh:  Skyline Chili... Only available in the greater Cincy area…

Q:  You still here? And if so, what do you think of the Oscar contenders this year?

Josh:  Moonlight!!! That movie was incredible. I also really loved LA LA Land. those two really stood out for me. so many great performances though. Denzel was on point!

Q:  Donald Trump or President Snow ?

Josh:  I mean... one in the same right?

Q:  How are Driver and Manchi?

Josh:  they are the loves of my life.... I worship them. I believe they are quite happy. they get plenty of love and attention!

Q:  ‼️‼️‼️ BERNIE SANDERS !!!! ❗️❗️❗️❗️

now that i got your attention,

Do you watch TV SHOWS ? If yes which one

You are such an inspiration to me. After almost 10 years as a fan, im really proud of you and everything you've achieved! I cant wait to watch ALL your upcomings projects and you are such an AMAZING human being Joshua. Thank you for everything. Seeing you in Paris in 2015 was the best moment of my life, i hope i will see you again and talk with you. Please don't forget your fans, we love you so much. (We missed you so much) Will you ever come back in France? :)

Josh:  THANK YOU!! that made my day=] I love france and would love to come back!

I do watch some tv... not so so much. I really love GIRLS. that show is so perfect in so many ways. Ive never seen a show that feels more flawed and honest like that one. Best characters ever.

Q:  Really wanna know if you'll keep supporting Bernie although the election is over?

Josh:  ABSOLUTELY. we must. things are crazy now but we need to vote in local elections and keep our voices loud. I miss the days when Bernie was a real option…

Q:  Hey Josh! Congrats on your director debut of "Ape." Were there things you did differently as an actor because you were also the director? How did it change your perspective?

Josh:  it was hard... I liked it a lot but it was tough because i couldnt watch the monitors obviously so i had to make notes in my mind while acting in the scene... i realy liked this experience though and i have somehow even more respect for directors than before.

Q:  Do you believe in a real life happy ending? If yes, what would you tell someone who kind of lost hope?

Josh:  I think a happy ending is possible. I really believe its all about perception. If you can learn to manage that then you can find ways to be happy all the time

Q:  HEY JOSH! I'm so glad you have finally done an AMA!

What advice would you give you're teenage self when entering the theatre/acting community?

Josh:  thick skin. actors are the most insecure and insane types of people... with that you need to have thick skin to deflect the dissapointment and let downs and judgements.

Q:  Do you want to repeat the experience as a director??

Josh:  No doubt. I loved it. its extremely addictive and Im feining fo some mo.

Q:  Hi Josh ! How are you ? Will there be a French subtitled version for Ape ? I'm a French fan :) Thank you !

Josh:  oui... i think.

Q:  Yooo RV was a dumpster fire of a movie...that being said, how awesome was it to work with Robin Williams??

Josh:  hahahahah! Robin is a saint... biggest heart in the world and never a dull moment. he was the best.

Q:  What kind of movies would you like to direct in the future?

Josh:  I like stuff that bends reality and questions the human condition... bending the rules. I love films like being john malkovich and eternal sunshine of a spotless mind

Q:  Hey Josh! What's your all time favorite movie or a movie you think everyone needs to see?

Josh:  Two for the Road. 60's film that was way ahead of its time and has inspried so many modern love stories. its great!

Q:  Hello, Josh! As an aspiring filmmaker, I know how tedious making any sort of film can be. What gets you motivated to create? Also, what’s your favorite snack? Cause, duh, snacks are some of the best motivators.

Josh:  Honestly I think i get inspired when i see a dope movie... like when i saw moonlight i just wanted to go out and create something personal and important.

Also sitting in a restaurant looking around and making up stories about the people...

Snack..... kale. Fuk off kale!! frosted flakes

Q:  JOSH. Huge fan, you're awesome, yadda yadda ;)

You're such a strong ally to the LGBT community. How did you get involved with your organization, Straight But Not Narrow? What is your advice to the community in the wake of certain political events?

Josh:  We started SBNN becuase it felt like there was a lack of outreach to bridge communities together... especially in schools where bullying is brutal. I think now more than ever showing your support to your neighbors is paramount in surviving whats going on.

We are all here and human

Q:  What was it like working with Mark Ruffalo?

Josh:  Hes the best guy in the world. I love that human!

Q:  Josh! Favorite 80's movie?

Josh:  Lost Boys

Q:  Do you have any directorial advice?

Josh:  prepare!! Its so important to know what you want to make so when youre there on set you have it all set up.

The script is the absolute base for everything. understad it inside and out.

Q:  Hi Josh!

You and I went to the same school, and you even lived in the same neighborhood as some of my close friends. We’ve never met because you always looked like you wanted privacy and I wanted to respect that, plus I’m a shy person who wouldn’t have known what to say. I’ve always wondered if you felt like you sort of missed out on your high-school experience, and if that impacted you on a social and mental level.

I’m trying to pursue my dream of becoming a published author, but sometimes I just feel like it’s never going to happen and that I’ll never be successful in the only thing that I’m passionate about. What advice would you give to someone who’s been told over and over again to give up their dream and focus on a more practical plan for their life?

Thanks for doing this AMA! It’s really awesome seeing someone from Union doing what they love!

Josh:  I think that going for something different in life is for sure the most important thing to do... FUCK THE HATERS!

Only you can stop yourself from going for it.

that should be on an inspirational cat poster...

Q:  How would you beat up Donald trump?

Josh:  With knowledge.... it seems to be his biggest weakness…

Q:  Would you rather be attacked by 50 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck?

Josh:  One horse sized duck.... no question... Ive seen some big ass ducks…

Q:  What are the kind of things you learned while working your blockbuster role in "The Hunger Games Trilogy"?

Josh:  TEAMWORK. we had massive crews and it is not possible without all that.

Q:  Josh Do you have any Tips for a Happy life?

Josh:  Inner happiness... you wont find it in anything else in the world. thats the only way to get by and be happy

Q:  what is the number one thing on your bucket list?

Josh:  go to patagonia…

Q:  Was this role challenging for you to play and how do you think you did?

Josh:  It definitely was challenging... its a deep and dark place to go to and I like tapping into that side of myself... I think I did alright... Im my hardest critic

Q:  It's so easy to hack me because all of my passwords are your name, what do you think about that?

Josh:  Its kinda dope,... maybe try changing it for a bit?

Q:  What is your favorite horror movie?

Josh:  I really like It Follows... and classics like the shining of course... some chronenburg stuff too... butchered that spelling

Q:  Is it harder to be an actor or a director?

Have you thought about being in another large franchise such as the hunger games?

Josh:  Hmmm. I would say that directing definitely requires a shit ton more focus and work!!! Id say thats more challenging for sure

Q:  Are you looking forward to doing the full length APE?

Josh:  YES!!! The plan is to fastrack this into production after the short comes out. the feature is even deeper and darker... gonna be weird…

Q:  If Peeta tried to fight you, could real life you take him down?

Josh:  fuck yeah!!! well... maybe not. I have a ferocious side that I can tap into.

Q:  Hi Josh (my brothers name too) What is the most Hollywood thing you have done/seen so far?

Josh:  dont ever come to hollywood for a vacation... its tacky and nothing like they make it seem. Hah.

Q:  There's definitely a theme of dealing with mental health issues in your film. Is this something you've dealt with personally?

Josh:  There have been moments where I've questioned my mental state... haven't gone too far down that road but I think it's beyond interesting to try to empathize and deal with people who are dealing with those.

Q:  hey josh! the other night i was really high and felt like i was you. did you feel it too?

Josh:  Wait... was that monday?? I felt something then…

Q:  Hi,

What is your dream role, if you could have any in the world, and what is your dream directorial role (genre, plot, cast to direct)? If you had to pick one of these, dream role or dream directing opportunity, which would you prefer to do?

Now this is the obligatory thank-you part that I could not pass up the opportunity to post, considering how much your LGBT+ work has meant to me:

I figured this would be a good opportunity to send some well-deserved thanks your way and hope you see it…! This idea of wanting to thank you started in a letter I started writing a good few years ago now… which I still happen to have in my bedside table, because it never got sent. (I don’t think I ever figured out where to send fan-mail to you, which didn’t help my cause.)

I don’t remember, when I was younger, knowing of any out actors. I’m 20 now, but up until my mid-teens, there was a big blank space around the ideas of ‘LGBT+’ and ‘the world’ being connected for me. I’ve known I was gay since I was 11, but the experience was very isolating, not knowing any gay people in real life. I had no foundation to go on, no experience in this, and obviously felt as though I couldn’t talk with anyone about it, even though I remember very few support-type services.

I remember seeing you in Zathura (my Dad loves Jumanji, so it was bound to happen) and ever since then, I think I’ve just sort of stuck with you. I must have seen that movie when I was about 12/13, and I think that’s when I started to hear what it was you were saying, because I noticed it was relevant to me. I followed what you were saying, and as I got older and more aware of myself and the world, it really started to have an impact on me. I felt as though that was my connection, as though that was my way of learning partly about who I was.

Even though you weren’t gay, the fact that you were only a few years older than me and were into the things and the field I also enjoyed really helped me relate to you. Because I related to you and because you actually meant something to me, the message you seemed so passionate about really resonated with me and it gave me a sort of courage and hope I don’t think someone older (or just generally someone whom I didn’t look up to) would have been able to instil. For the first time, someone I liked and someone I respected was talking about this thing I wasn’t able to share with anyone else. And they were a proper force in the ‘wider world.’

I never really struggle with ‘being gay,’ but I struggled with what other people might have thought, and again your dialogue helped with that. It was just so amazing to see someone whom I respected acting in a way that showed me he would treat me and people like me just as he would any other person. Even though it wasn’t a two way conversation between us, I felt that because you were a person with such a big stature who was brave enough to say this in public, that surely you knew people like me were out there and you were at least partially talking to us.

In the big scheme of things, I didn’t have it as hard as some others do, and I never want to take that for granted. My parents are relatively liberal and Australia is an OK climate to LGBT+ in. But I still found that it was hard to relate who I was with something bigger, and it was scary thinking about whether I would have to start a journey of discovery (not just self-discovery, but a discovery of ‘everything LGBT+’ I suppose you could say) on my own. Simply said, you helped me bridge the gap that I think sometimes people forget exists, even for young LGBT+ people in “supportive” environments. Just because they’re supportive doesn’t mean they’re informative or comfortable.

Nowadays, I’m so happy when I see younger celebrities come out, because I know how much that visibility and that platform means to young LGBT+ kids who simply want to see someone like them on television or in the media. Ellen Page, Charlie Carver, Tom Daley, Troye Sivan, Gus Kenworthy, etc, are all fantastic people that I just know will help make all the difference in someone’s life, as you did in mine.

So, all in all, I just wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do for me and everyone else like me! I think it’s fair to say you’re not just an ally, but a friend too. I hope one day I get to shake your hand and thank you in-person for what you’ve done.

(...well this is the most personal thing I've ever written on this website.)

Josh:  Of course! I think its beyond important to give people their voice and fair shot at what they want from life. GET OUT OF THE WAY HATERS!

Only light can drive out dark.

[travelbuzzfun-blog]

TheWhiteHouseSpin.Com

Remarks of President Donald J. Trump of the United States of America Prior to departure on Marine One Departure

The White House South Lawn

August 23, 2019 11:03 P.M. EDT - 11:12 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  We’re going to France.  We’re going to have a good few days.  I think it will be very productive seeing a lot of the leaders, who are friends of mine, for the most part.  I wouldn’t say in a hundred percent of the cases, but for the most part. And I think we’re doing very well.  Our economy is doing great. We’re having a little spat with China, and we’ll win it.  We put a lot of tariffs on China today, as you know.  They put some on us; we put a lot on them.  We’re up to about $550 billion.  They’ve been hitting us for many, many years — for over $500 billion a year — taking out of our country much more than $500 billion a year.  So, we want that stopped.  Okay?

QUESTION:    Do you still want to (inaudible) China next month?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’ll see what happens.  At this moment, they want to do that.  So we’ll see what happens.  If they want to have talks, we cert- — I’m always open to talk.

QUESTION:    What authority (inaudible) tariffing companies (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, in 1977, we had an act passed — a National Emergency Act.  I have the absolute right to do that.  We’ll see how that goes.  But I have the absolute right.  1977 — check it out.

QUESTION:    (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I think our tariffs are very good for us.  We’re taking in tens of billions of dollars.  China is paying for it.  They’re, as you know, manipulating their currency.  I think that our tariffs are working out very well for us.  People don’t understand that yet. At the same time, China has had the worst — the worst year probably in anywhere from 30 to 50 years.  Their worst year.  And they want to make a deal.

QUESTION:    (Inaudible) Jay Powell?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I’m not happy with Jay Powell.  I don’t think he’s doing a good job at all.  I don’t think he’s much of a chess player.  But, I’ve got him, so, you know, that’s what I have.  That’s what I have.  What can I tell you?  He’s not much of a chess player.

QUESTION:   In the summit, sir — (inaudible) Japan (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT:  I’m going to see Prime Minster Abe.  I look forward to it.  He’s a great gentleman.  He’s a great friend of mine.

QUESTION:    South Korea ended military intelligence agreement with Japan.  Are you worried about that?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we’re going to — we’re going to see what happens.  President Moon also a very good friend of mine.  And we’ll see what happens with South Korea.

QUESTION:    Did Kim Jong Un break a promise to you by doing further missile testing?

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I don’t think so.  I think that we have a very good relationship.  We’ll see what happens.  That could always change, but we’ll see what happens. Kim Jong Un has been, you know, pretty straight with me, I think.  And we’re going to see what’s going on.  We’re going to see what’s happening.  He likes testing missiles.  But we never restricted short-range missiles.  We’ll see what happens.  Many nations test those missiles.  We tested a very big one the other day, as you probably noticed.

QUESTION:    Six hundred and twenty-three points — that’s what the Dow was down today because of what you tweeted.  Do you have a responsibility for that?

THE PRESIDENT:  Not at all.  Not at all.  Because if you look at from November 9th — the day after the election — we’re up 50 percent or more.  We’re up many, many points.  We were at about sixteen or seventeen thousand.  We’re at 25,000, so don’t tell me about 600 points.

QUESTION:    Do you have a message for Justice Ginsburg?

THE PRESIDENT:  Say it?

QUESTION:    Do you have a message for Justice Ginsburg?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I hope she does really well.  And our thoughts and prayers are with her.  And it’s a very serious situation.  I’m hoping she’s going to be fine.  She’s pulled through a lot.  She’s strong, very tough.  But we wish her well — very well.

QUESTION:    Mr. President, are you going to talk to President Macron about the technology tax (inaudible)?

THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, I am.  I don’t like what France did.  They put a technology tax on our tech company.  And it’s not that I’m the biggest fan of the techs companies — the tech companies, because, as you know, they were very much opposed to the Republicans, and they are very much opposed. Somebody came in the other day and said the election that we had in ’16 with Hillary Clinton, that it could’ve cost me anywhere from 2,600 — from 2,600,000 votes to, I think, it went up to close to either ten or maybe fifteen million votes.

So I’m not a big fan of the tech companies, but I don’t want foreign companies and foreign countries — I don’t want them doing anything having to do with taxing unfairly our companies.  Those are great American companies.  And, frankly, I don’t want France going out and taxing our companies.  Very unfair. And if they do that, we’ll be taxing their wine or doing something else.  We’ll be taxing their wine like they’ve never seen before.  I don’t like it.  That’s for us to tax them.  It’s not for France to tax them. Other than that, I have a very good relationship with, as you know, with Macron — as you say.  And I think we’re going to have a very good couple of days.  I look forward to being in France.

QUESTION:    What did you mean yesterday when you said you were the “chosen one”?  Did you mean it in a biblical sense?

THE PRESIDENT:  Let me tell you, you know exactly what I meant.  It was sarcasm.  It was joking.  We were all smiling.  And a question like that is just fake news.  You’re just a faker.

QUESTION:   Are you interested in changing your ideas about giving reparations to African Americans in this country?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, I never stated my idea, so you tell me what my ideas were.  I never stated them.  They’re your ideas.

QUESTION:    Okay well —

THE PRESIDENT:  So don’t — no, no, no, no.  Don’t put a question like that.  I’ve never stated my ideas, so don’t put the question like that.

Q    Do you want Powell to resign?

THE PRESIDENT:  Say it?

QUESTION:   Do you want Powell to resign?  Do you want Powell to resign, sir?

THE PRESIDENT:  Do I want him to resign?  Let me put it this way: If he did, I wouldn’t stop him.

QUESTION:    President Xi — you referred to him as Chairman Xi today.  You get along well with him, you do business with him.  I think you maybe even called him a friend at one point.  Today you implied that he’s an enemy, along with Jay Powell.  Is he an enemy or a friend?

THE PRESIDENT:  He’s a very good competitor, but we’re going to win.

QUESTION:   Mr. President, why did you decide not to pursue your foreign aid cuts?  Your decision package for the foreign aid cuts — why did you decide not to cut?

THE PRESIDENT:  We’re going to be spending that money in different ways than you think.  But rather than renegotiating everything again, I’m going to do it the way I just said.  We’ll be distributing that money differently.

QUESTION:    (Inaudible) Danish Prime Minister?

THE PRESIDENT:  Called me.  A wonderful woman.  We had a great conversation.  We have a very good relationship with Denmark.  And we agreed to speak later.  But she was very nice.  She put a call in, and I appreciated it very much.

QUESTION:    (Inaudible) with China?

THE PRESIDENT:  Look, China has been hurting our country for 30 years with the money they’ve been taking out.  Other Presidents should’ve done something about it, and they should’ve done it a long time ago, whether it was Clinton or Bush or Obama — any of them.  They should’ve done something about it.  And they didn’t.  I’m doing it.  And I have no choice, because we’re not going to lose close to a trillion dollars a year to China.  And China understands that.

I hope that with President Xi — I have a good relationship, but they understand we’re not going to do it.  And this is more important than anything else right now — just about — that we’re working on. We have to make sure that our taxpayer — look, we have helped rebuild China like nobody else.  And they’ve done a great job.  And I don’t blame China.  I blame our Presidents, our representatives, past administrations, for allowing that to happen.  It’s a disgrace.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOKHlGM6b1g)

[i-am-very-very-tired]

NIBBI May 4, 2017 at 10:34 am The older-wife thing actually makes me like him better. Sure the beginnings are a bit murky but they’ve been together for twenty years and by all accounts it sounds like a loving, stable relationship. I like & respect a guy who can/ is willing to love someone so much older than he is. Perhaps if we actually believed their story that nothing super untoward happened until he was older (well, sure, perhaps thanks to his parents freaking out and sending him away…) & she was divorced- ? And he did very well against that lying, snickering, aggressive demagogue Le Pen last night- he kept his head (I wanted to scream at the TV with some of her whoppers) , he repeatedly brought things back around to the questions the journalists asked & tried to keep things specific & offered real details of real policy propositions, which she just seemed unable to do. I, too, have little patience for the “we’re screwed either way/ la peste et le choléra” people. I’m sure the immigrants, refugees, full-French-citizens-but-from-varying-ethnicities who are facing renewed and very ugly racism and threats to their status as legitimate members of this society don’t feel that way. Can anyone of good conscience really think that political economics, no matter their stripe or provenance, outweighs BASIC. HUMAN. DECENCY ? And yes, the parallels to what happened in the States, with the Mélenchonistes-abstentionnistes/ Bernie-or-Busters is keeping me up at night. I’m an American, longtime-resident of France, and I’m not sure I can handle living through the nightmare of November 8-9, 2016, all over again. I feel very afraid. BABS May 4, 2017 at 11:18 am “Funny” how no one seems to care about Fillon voters who by some polls are going to vote Le Pen in epic proportion for a traditionnally republican right wing party. Or even Le Pen voters whose number is growing by millions. But yeah, abstention/blank vote are the problem here, sure. APPLEMINIS May 4, 2017 at 12:07 pm It’s not THE problem, it’s a part of the problem. Just like Fillon’s voters chosing Le Pen or some of Mélenchon’s voting for her too. There are a lost of things that are important here : - For who are Fillon and Melenchon’s voters are voting ? Do they vote, do they chose not to vote ? - If Macron wins : does he have to win with a huge difference (like Chirac in 2002) but that will give him full power to do just what he wants and a lot of people do not want that. - If Macron wins with a small majority, it will make of MLP the 1st opponent, which is not what we need right now. - If people chose to vote for her in majority + there’s a big abstention, then she can win. For example, MLP has 44% of intentions of vote. IF 90% of the persons who want to vote for her effectively vote for her and if only 70% of the people who said they want to want for Macron vote for him, then she will win with 50,25% of the voices. There is a critical threshold for Macron : if less than 65% of the voters who said thay they will vote for him effectively vote for him, then MLP will win. So yes, abstention is part of the problem, not the only problem, but a part of it. NIBBI May 4, 2017 at 12:14 pm Re: the Fillon voters: I guess we haven’t seen the same polls; the ones I’ve seen seem to indicate that most of them are going to Macron- ? Re: Abstention/ blank vote: several things. The abstentionnistes are getting hell because they are primarily coming from the left, especially the Mélenchonistes. It seems normal to expect left-wing voters to support the center-left/ Not-the-%*%-Extreme-Right candidate. In my post, I refer to the abstentionnistes because I am personally in touch with several of them and am feeling completely frustrated- I myself am left-wing, most of my friends are; it’s normal that I can speak more to this phenomenon than to the “millions of Le Pen voters,” because i don’t actually know more than a tiny handful and can’t really relate to them. My friends here tend to be really ‘intello,’ really moralistic, really lefty – and it just melts my brain that they refuse to vote for this banker centrist type out of some kind of ideological purity. Purity? If she wins, we’ll be hearing a lot of talk, again, about *ethnic*/”national” purity, like in the bad old days of Europe’s darkest hours. I think it’s nuts how up in arms abstentionnistes are about how everyone is trying to convince them not to abstain or voter blanc, to just hold their nose and vote anyway. Sure, it’s their right to decide. Yet given the circumstances it is completely normal- correct, I believe- that people are super-worried and trying to convince them otherwise. Finally, the Abstentionnistes are legitimately catching hell because of what we’ve already seen what happened with Clinton vs. Trump. Clinton lost even traditionally Democrat-voting states because not enough of those core voters felt motivated to go vote for her. The result is the nightmare we are living today. There are so, so many parallels to the US election is makes me queasy. Finally, you seem to be dodging my basic point about morality: I don’t actually care where in the political spectrum you come from. When you’re up against a party which is a direct inheritant of the Nazis, you vote for BASIC. HUMAN. DECENCY. You don’t bitch and moan and act like a petulant child who refuses to eat his dinner because he doesn’t like what’s on the menu at the restaurant. BABS May 4, 2017 at 12:33 pm It’s “natural” some Mélenchon voters will go back to Le Pen. In several cities, numbers say Mélenchon, by his work and his party’s work, managed to convince Le Pen voters to vote for him instead, which is a good thing. Now that Mélenchon is out, it’s quite certain a lot of these voters will go for Le Pen and not for Macron if they must choose. Mélenchon’s traditionnally left-wing voters will vote Macron in numbers and some will abstain, polls say. Fillon’s voters i.e traditionnal right-wing party are not known as abstainers. I think it will be fifty-fifty with a slight majority for Le Pen. “Others” who I belong to, will vote quite massively for Macron to stop Le Pen. Some will abstain, some will blank vote, I know I will. Le Pen voters are like 7 millions if I remember correctly, Macron voters are slightly more. So yeah, I agree she can win, but the probability is low. What I hope for is a Macron victory with a very small majority, which is why I chose not to vote for him. I agree that will place Le Pen as first opponent, but it’s unfortunately already the case. Yes, this is not what we need, but this is what we have. Now being the situation of our country, I think our job as citizens is not to create artificial scores against what is now a huge part of the opinion even if it’s disheartening, but try to switch it and appease the anger, or use it in more positive ways, if I can say it like that. Just my respectful opinion. Nibbi : The 23% of abstentionnists of first round, no one knows where they from, politically speaking. I mean I understand the dialogue (or “dialogue”) around second round left-wing abstention/blank vote, what I don’t understand is the focus on it. I don’t even think that’s constructive. Maybe I’m biased because I live in south-east and working in medical field i.e meeting just about everyone, and hearing just about everything. My friends and close ones are left-wing, but I think we actually meet (as in “côtoyer”) a lot of Le Pen voters/potential Le Pen voters we could talk too, not all of them obviously, but still a significative part. I think ideas deserve to be despised, not people, and that’s not what our current politics are doing, in fact they do the exact opposite and that does nothing but strenghten that party, the anger and the hate. We as citizens should not fall in that kind of trap. We all get.