#cultural critque

[mysticstarlightmiracle]

Lily Orchard is the Drake of Media Analysis

Surprisingly and funnily enough, Lily Orchard and Drake are both from Canada so seeing them beef with 2 American men just makes the beef even funnier. This post is in relation to the current beef between Ant and Lily and Lily accusing Ant of being a Plagarist. I will be referncing Kendrick Lamar in relation to Anthony but I promise it makes sense in the larger context of what I'm saying.

Let's start:

Anthony Gramuglia is a very well known writer and video essayist who has worked for several publications, the most well known one being CBR. He is someone who takes writing very seriously because it is something he is passionate about and something he enjoys discussing with his fellow creators, Ant covers almost anything and everything, from comics, to video games, to LGBTQ+ related topics. If you are someone who watches his content, you can see that Anthony tends to pride himself in what he says, he's someone who isn't afraid of giving his opinion on topics he is knowledgable in and is someone who isn't afraid of being wrong or challenged on his views on things. He in fact welcomes people to challenge his opinion because he is open to the idea of not having the correct opinion on a subject.

Now let's look at Lily Orchard, Lily Orchard is a "media critic", "video essayist" & "writer" who primarly covers children's media and TV Shows. Lily is most known for her Steven Universe Critque and Legend of Korra video, she also large videos also covering the indie horror game, The Coffin of Andy and Leyley as well as a very large Pokemon retrospective. She also has a very well known comic that goes by the name Pokemadhouse, and aside from that there isn't much Stockholm that Lily is known for. She is someone who, much like Ant prides herself on her opinions on the media that she covers because she genuinely believe what she says.

The most important thing/part here is what makes Lily and Drake the same type of individual. Drake is someone who has never cared about the culture that he is in and for the longest time has used the culture that he's in to prop himself up as something that he isn't and get alot of money from it. Lily Orchard is very similar to Drake in that regard, she's someone who has used media analysis and writing to prop herself up as someone that she isn't, a writer, critical thinker and media analysist. I've always said for the longest time that Drake is cosplaying as a rapper, and I think the same can be said for Lily Orchard, she is cosplaying as a video eassyist, writer and media critic for money and views and much like Drake, has used the influence of her success to her own sick benefit. If Drake didn't have access to the money he had, he wouldn't have been able to get into weird spaces with underage girls. If Lily didn't have the success she had from her videos on SU and LOK, she wouldn't have been able to talk to Lolo or Mikaila, just like a parasite/leech, Lily and Drake use the spaces their in for their own profit and clout without ever truly giving back to the fields their in.

Now lets look at Ant and Kendrick and how and why I believe that Lily is the Drake of Media Analysis. Ant and Kendrick are 2 people who love what they do, they are people who have a genuine appreciation of the spaces their in, from Kendrick's love of Hip-Hop to Anthony's love of writing and story telling. The most important thing that I see that Ant and Kendrick have in common is that they want to challenge people to think more critcially of whatever they happen to be doing or engaging with and how to process it in a healthy way and this will hopefully open a dialogue on something. Do they have their faults, yes, but they are the first people to admit their faults and are more then willing to be called out on their actions without ever backtracking or making excuses for what they said. If they are in the wrong, they will admit it and will apologize for it, unlike Lily and Drake because Lily and Drake will never admit fault because that require them to look inwards but they can't do that.

Lily Orchard is cosplaying as someone she isn't for clout and money while calling people who have actually devoted years of their life to the same field that she's in: Plagarists

If people aren't aware of the type of person she is, she can use that clout and money to do very dangerous things and that's so messed up.

I guess the good thing is that unlike Drake, Lily isn't a famous celebrity, she's just a creep and sex pest who has managed to cultivate an audience with her shitty opinions on kids cartoons.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk

Now go watch @agramuglia videos because they are good and go listen to Kendrick Lamers TPAB because it is the greatest album of all time.

[cookie-waffle]

okay last point I swear

But it’s really fucking sus how people’s main problem with shipping Ganondorf with Link and Zelda is because his design is offensive and not because most versions of that ship have a MASSIVE child/adult age gap.

Not saying it isn’t offensive, but, like, really? Your problem with the ship is because his tits are out and not because (most) people who ship him with those two are making light of pedophilia?

Kinda makes me wonder if people are only just now getting mad about the ship because it can serve as “discourse fuel”, but don’t actually care about the proshipping aspect usually involved with it.

I’m not jewish and I’m also not of middle eastern decent so I can’t really say for certain if Ganondorf’s design is really offensive or not.

But I will say that I don’t think there was any intentional correlation in his design between the green skin and antisemitism. You gotta keep in mind that this is a Japanese studio blending their own culture in with another real world culture they (obviously) don’t know enough about. The green skin was likely meant to be connected with magic.

There is no real legitimate racist agenda or mal-intent here. I think a lot of Japanese studios are just really REALLY bad at researching non-east asain cultures and end up making a LOT of bad choices in their character designs because of it. Be it in anime, video games, or whatever.

It certainly a thing that I think Nintendo’s PR team should be dealing with more. And they really need to start doing some actual research into real middle eastern fashion, physical features, and what is or isn’t considered offensive.

Thing is, Nintendo treats the gerudo like a 100% fictional race when that’s not completely true. They are very VERY obviously coded middle eastern. But, not only is Japanese culture notoriously xenophobic, but a lot of people in Japan have extremely unrealistic ideas about how people in other countries live. (The white american stereotypes are legitimately funny ngl) And a lot of these misconceptions about foreign cultures make a lot of the darker-skinned POC rep in anime and video games that is questionable to say the least.

I’m not excusing Nintendo’s actions but, I think it’s absolutely absurd to act like they’ve had some sort some sort of secret racism agenda all these years. They don’t. It’s typical willful ignorance that is shown by countless Japanese content creators.

Ya’ll really need to keep in mind: Nintendo is not an american studio. These questionable character design decisions are not coming from the minds of white Americans who think Mexicans pose a threat to national security. Japanese people are NOT white and the way their culture interprets and expresses racism in their media is NOT gonna (always) have the same reasoning behind it as a white american would.

I think it would be an extremely smart idea to get some Japanese-fluent middle eastern people on the character design team for the next game. Like, that is all they would need to do like literally. Someone who is experienced in both cultures would be able to blend them into the gerudo’s designs than how Nintendo is doing it now. Why aren’t they doing it? No fucking idea. That’s all on Nintendo. But, I am fairly certain that the designers genuinely want to put love and care into these character designs and that they aren’t literally trying to be racist.

[bl00dybl0g]

i finally watched american psycho, and i know the whole point is that it's a critque on yuppie culture in the '80s, but i also feel like it could pass as a critque on violent masculinity (specifically around sex workers).

how bateman treats the escorts is different, though not much so, from how he treats the other women he's intimate (if you could even call it that) with in his life. with courtney, he's somewhat kind and deals with her when she's drugged up; with evelyn, he's not nice, but he feels no murderous urges toward her; with elizabeth, he treated her almost like an equal; with jean, he's a dickwad, but still, he let her live.

with all the escorts, he was nice upfront to their faces, but ultimately murdered them in cold blood.

bateman treats them like objects, like you'd treat your car. nice in the beginning, and as the interest is lost, like a piece of shit. it's not pretty, it's not right by any means, but it fits the mould perfectly.

[painted-starlight]

while i cant say i agree with all of your tangled takes, i do find them very interesting to read. and also, its funny bc a lot of your critques about rapunzel are the same ones i have about jasmine. specifically, her being a walking plot device, and her movie having her prince as the main character instead of herself (i mean the movie is titled aladdin after all, not jasmine). its why i say aladdin is technically the worst disney princess movie lol

Warning: I talk about infantilization and sexualization

Very interesting, I was recently actually thinking a lot about how T//angled took cues and arcs from Aladdin in it's character setups. For example, Aladdin is about, well like you said, Aladdin! It makes sense the story would start with him and focus on him.

The tale of Aladdin has him as the main character, while Jasmine is secondary (or, if you think about it, Genie takes more prominence after Aladdin, so maybe third?). The reason the whole "disney princess not as the main character in her movie" kinda works for Aladdin is because it's about him.

Ta//ngled is a fairytale derived from the story of Rapunzel. It's not "Eugene/Flynn Rider." And the fact that Flynn Rider is treated as a main character nearly the same way Aladdin is, doesn't work as well and it relegates the actual main character to a plot device. And I can't deny that while Jasmine has a strong conviction, and values, she is subject to being a damsel in distress for a lot of the movie and it can be very off putting.

I do like Jasmine as a character, and I do I appreciate that she was there for me as one the three princesses of color I had when there just weren't any black princesses growing up.

But there's definitely a lot to criticize about Jasmine's role, and how this plays into the racist stereotypes of the movie and how it uses it's setting.

Like Rapunzel, Jasmine is subject to uncomfortable framing. Her sexualization is creepy and exploitative. Rapunzel's infantilization is also creepy and weird. But I wouldn't necessarily call them identical, they're different due to being a result of portraying stereotypes about girls of color and cultural idealization of white women/girls as more innocent and purer than them.

[beggingwolf]

I came across this tiktok and it gave me something to chew on

I fully agree with the critism of newer published (some self-, some traditional) authors being too sensitive to critique of their works—I've heard the stories, I've seen the ranting goodreads posts haha—but I was definitely left with something to consider about the "culture of niceness" commentary regarding fandom

that's arguably how I operate in fandom spaces these days, ESPECIALLY around fanworks. "say something nice or say nothing at all" was, to me, the acceptable way to interact with passion projects people were doing for free. it's interesting to hear someone push back against that mindset and actively miss days of fan critique!

like, I don't know... part of me is like "if I got someone thoughtfully wording constructive criticism, isn't that a growth opportunity?" as if I wouldn't immediately be put off and affronted by someone leaving critique in the comments of a fic of mine hahaha.

I think I don't have a particularly thick creative skin, and that's definitely a result of my fandom upbringing. hell, even when I was writing crackfic as a tween for twilight, I never got critique for it. I've gotten very few comments that could ever been construed as critque, and I think I've never gotten one that was outright hateful... which is good?

but I do see the pipeline there of "fic writers participating in a culture that only validates and never critiques" to "people who cut their writing teeth on fic who are now unused to dealing with varying opinions on their work".

I do think it's worth saying that I don't think fic should inherently be held to the same standards as published books—lord knows I've dashed off a couple thousands words and slapped them onto ao3 without so much as a second glance—but I think we also should be conscientious of not trying to have our cake and eat it too.

I'm reminded of those really annoying comments online where people are like "i'Ve ReAd FiCs BeTtEr ThAn AnY pUbLiShEd BoOks" and I just go...... okay well if it can be treated as serious literature (which... maybe it can!) then it needs to be able to withstand critique, and we do not have a current culture of critique in fandom to actually put those very good fics to the proverbial test. you know??

this isn't to say I think we should start a reading salon where everyone can loudly proclaim "I HATE THIS ONE FIC" or whatever but it's a complicated dynamic that I believe I have traditionally left unturned because I figured niceness is better than unsolicited critique. and also I don't really derive joy from offering someone unasked-for feedback and potentially ruining their night haha.

I DO get a lot of joy from working with my friends in a beta capacity and being able to really dig in and offer up a harsher look at stuff, AND I think I like receiving it (when I am in the right mindset to do so, as we all have nights where it's like "JUST READ FOR GRAMMAR, I CAN'T TAKE ANY PLOT HOLES POINTED OUT TO ME RIGHT NOW!" haha), but I like receiving it from people who I am DIRECTLY ASKING and whose opinions I already respect and value. getting critique from strangers is an entirely different skillset that has to be practiced, and you have to know when to start filtering out opinions because You Can't Please Everyone

anyways this has been a lot of words to say that I have complicated feelings about a "culture of niceness" in fandom and while I certainly know I ENJOY participating in a culture of niceness, there are downsides (see: people dogpiling anyone who in the FAINTEST WAY POSSIBLE does not precisely conform to the-never-critique-fic attitude) and it's good to at least think about alternate ways to do fandom/alternate ways in which fandom has BEEN done in the past

[bnwoacademy]

BNWOA CURRENT COURSE LIST

𖤍𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐦 𝐎𝐧𝐞 || 𝐁𝐍𝐖𝐎 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬𖤍

𝑭𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒗𝒔. 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕: 𝑰𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 {w/Headmaster Cer} • Defining fetishization and its impact on marginalized communities. • Learning how to recognize signs of fetishization in personal relationships, media, and society. • Explore the intersectionality of fetishization with race, gender, and other identities. • Develop critical thinking skills to distinguish between healthy appreciation and objectification. • Learn strategies for unlearning fetishization and promoting respect. 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑶𝒖𝒕 𝑩𝑵𝑾𝑶 𝑻𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒔 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑼𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒔 {w/Headmaster Cer} • Gain a deep understanding of the historical context and origins of BNWO terms with unsavory roots. • Learn how to identify and avoid using terms that perpetuate racism or discrimination. • Explore the impact of language on marginalized communities and the importance of using respectful language. • Develop the knowledge and skills to engage in meaningful conversations about BNWO terminology and its implications. • Enhance your cultural competency by understanding the power dynamics associated with language and its historical context. 𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝟏𝟎𝟏 {w/Headmaster Cer} • Gain a comprehensive understanding of the concept of reparations and its historical context. • Explore the various forms of reparations, including financial compensation, land restitution, and community initiatives • Learn about the implications and challenges of reparations in contemporary society. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒚 {w/Gothess Zara} A constructive critque of mainstream BNWO from the perspective of a Black Queer Superior. • Discussing the problematic hierarchy the centering of cis-male pleasure from both sides of the slash • How white femininity/feminization has been given privilege/a pedestal • Discussuing the complete lack of focus/ regard given to Black gender-nonconformist & fem-aligned Superiors ( literally everyone else that not a cis, able-bodied, “well hung Alpha” male.) 𝑨𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 & 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒌 {w/Gothess Zara} What is Afrofuturism and how it can be integrated in kink/Black Supremacy • What is Afrofuturism & does it have a place in kink • How can Afrofuturism can be integrated into Black Supremacy 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰𝒔 𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒂𝒄𝒚: 𝑨𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 {w/Gothess Zara} • Learn about the history and principles of the Black Supremacy and BNWO movements. • Gain insights into the ideologies, impact and influence of the movements on social, cultural, and kink spheres • Engage in critical discussions to deepen your understanding of BNWO ideologies from a Black focal perspective. 𝑰𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆 {w/Deity Honey} • Gain a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices of service to the BNWO. • Learn how to effectively serve and contribute to the goals and vision of the BNWO movement. • Explore the misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding service to the BNWO and learn how to address them. • Develop practical skills and strategies for providing exceptional service and support to the BNWO movement.

[1eos]

before you get some weird anons by people who dont have a life and stalk ur blog i wanna defend you in advance

Miss kendra has a life. She doesnt care what the fuck any of you do in private she minds her own business. She is DEF not in YOUR blogs insulting you 30k word coffeeshop au. LET. US. CRITQUE. FANFIC AND ITS CULTURE.

And if you just dont give a fuck about fanfic culture but still think Miss Kendra is 'too harsh' put the keyboard down. And just think on why you think that. Okay im good sorry for the rant have a nice day Miss Kendra!

ANONNNNN PLEASE 😭💖 ilyyyyyyyy have a great day too legend. i haven't gotten weird anons in a minute *knock on wood* so let's keep that streak going bc all i got for those infected with fanfic brain today is this video:

[generalherasyndulla]

for the ask meme, the five numbers you like the least. not the questions. the literal numbers.

"the five numbers you like the least" bruh I'm still not sure why I'd be expected to have strong number opinions but here we are I guess.

Also you didn't specify a fandom so I'm just gonna jump around here for funsies

12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them

Alright listen aitsf/aini fandom. I get why a lot of y'all don't like Lien. His interactions with Kizuna early on aren't great and there's a valid critque to be said about that dynamic perpetuating creepy stalkerish tendencies "wearing a woman down until she accepts a relationship". BUT there's a lot more to him than that which is super compelling. Lien at the chronological start of the game is a former criminal trying to better himself and feeling bummed out because he got fired from a legitimate job he had because of his criminal history. Ultimately his relationship with Kizuna motivates Lien to better himself and not give up and find a job that suits his skill set. I think the exploration of classism and the struggles of trying to better yourself in a society that believes "once a criminal always a criminal" in Lien is compelling plus he's just a big dumb guy that loves his girlfriend. YES their first meeting was bad but dammit Lien being Kizuna's legs for her so they can dance is so fucking cute and it fucking got me. Sorry haters in this house I love Lien Twining.

17. there should be more of this type of fic/art

I think there should be Sam and Max fic that actually fits closer to Steve Purcell's style. I've seen some really great fanart/fan comics that I think feel very Sam and Max and fit the style of its various incarnations but fic is kind of a different story. I've definitely read some INCREDIBLE sam and max fics but overall most of them are kinda mediocre and I think it's because a lot of sam and max writers are young and aren't quite equipped to tell a story that fits sam and max, mostly by treating them too seriously. Sam and Max is first and foremost a comedy and even canon at its darkest still manages to have plenty of genuinely funny moments. There's nothing wrong with trying to explore a more serious side to the characters mind you but a lot of it in my opinion takes it too far to the point where Sam and Max don't feel like Sam and Max.

18. it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on...

Okay buffy fandom, maybe I am looking in the wrong place by why is there Robin Wood fandom. I know season 7 sucks but Robin is a highlight of that season for me. I think he's a very compelling character, the son of a slayer who lost his mom at a young age and takes up the fight himself. I don't think the show really used his character to the fullest potential but that's what fandom is supposed to be for. At least it is when the character with untapped potential is white but ALAS here we are. Anyway I love Robin a lot I don't talk about him much but I think he's neat and I wish there was more appreciation for him out there.

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

Nothing tbh. CRINGE CULTURE IS DEAD BABY IN THIS HOUSE WE'RE BEING GENUINE ABOUT WHAT WE LIKE!!!!! THAT'S WHAT THE REAL COOL KIDS (TM) ARE DOING

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

Probably franmaya. Like I used to really like not like it when I was younger (mostly because Maya is my favourite character while I didn't care much for Franziska. Like I didn't hate franziska per se I just didn't like her as much as other. idk what to tell you somehow I didn't get the crush on franziska gene that every other sapphic woman has) but due to it being a common background ship in narumitsu fics and one really good analysis post tumblr breaking down maya and franziska's similarities in a way that actually made it click I've softened on the ship. I still won't actively seek it out but I might reblog a cute fanart here or there if I come across it.

Thanks for the asks dude, even if u asked them in the weirdest fucking way

send me some more "choose violence" fandom asks

[sylwanin-was-right]

Cant remember where I saw it but I remember reading that someone didnt care for the first Avatar movie that much because the last half of it was just an action movie. They really enjoyed the beginning because it was a lot of immersive worldbuilding and speculative biology that was very well fleshed out, believable, and visually stunning due to the cutting edge CGI. Their personal gripe about the action-centered theme toward the end was, of course, personal bias because I remember they mentioned action movies werent their thing anyway. But I havent stopped thinking about their critque because its very considerable.

I personally enjoyed most of Avatar, including parts of the action toward the end, but I can see where they were coming from. A fast-paced, thrill and action-centered plot can remove an audience from the world it takes place in, and that can be really dissatifying for a sci-fi story, let alone a story so depednent on ethical, spiritual, and social themes.

Sometimes when I'm watching action, it can feel as if the world around is oversimplified, and primarly used as obstacle. On one hand it makes sense because you cant expend too much runntime to just "slice of life" sequences, expounding upon every detail of lore introduced can be unnecessary (thats what merch and fandom are for), and making the choreograohy and interactions of characters too uncoordinated can seem really awkward and unintentional (your watching a film, not a series of home videos). The characters movements, interactions, and the way they navigate their world needs to be as visually satisfying and engaging as narratively pleasing for placement of storytelling devices.

But whats supposed to be an alien forest may become a blur of the same green bushes and trees in Earth that make you forget youre on another planet when a character spends too long running through them to escape or hide; a complex ship turms into long hallway or single room with random arrangements when characters need to battle or be put through obstacles. Continuity of time can be contradicted and details about the world can seem more artifically exploited than happenstance when worldbuilding is neglected for action sequences.

Although the runntime for the film is speculated over 3hrs, its only a little longer than the last. And alhough we got to see a large portion of worldbuilding and lore the first time, we also saw a lot of action centered scenes that were used to progress the story and take the characters where they needed to be for it rather than flesh out details about lore, like history of Toruk Makto or cultural practices of the Omatikaya (that werent just a short montage sequence lol). It sometimes led to signficiant, unanswered questions about the flora, fauna (why were the Ikranay so skittish against a few Na'vi on the mountain but then suddenly fearless against RDA ships and missles just bc "Eywa", etc), and even the Na'vi themselves that felt too convenient for the story and 2-dimentional for the characters (why was Neytiri so romantically interested in someone who was clearly affiliated w the same people who killed her sister, etc).

Basically what I'm saying is I'm a little worried AWOW might take a similar direction with the plot where we're not given enough intimacy with the Pandora and Na'vi cultures in priority of action and thrill. While the movie is supposed to be a sci-fi thriller, its still sci-fi, and we've only seen a fraction of Pandora and the Na'vi. People clearly care about Pandora and the Na'vi, so while this story will need to be character driven, they will embark on new biomes, meet new people, and have new conflicts that people will want to immerse themselves in as if real. But I still worry AWOW will rely too much on visual sensation and narratively convenient tropes because this movie is also a tech showcase in a way, since the novelty of water-mocap is a large part of the anticipation.

I want to see the Avatar sequels as character driven as they are Pandora-driven, if that makes sense, because the Avatar universe is what made the first movie so memorable despite its lackluster plot. So while action, imo, is an important story and film element, I, too hope it doesnt smother time for intimacy with Pandora and the Na'vi.

[gravitascivics]

CRITQUE OF THE NATURAL RIGHTS VIEW, II

With the last posting, this blog has resumed its posting schedule of Tuesdays and Fridays.  With this posting, the blog picks up its critique of the natural rights view.  As a quick review, the natural rights mental construct is the dominant view of governance and politics in the US.  In the last posting (the first after a three-month break), this critique was introduced by outlining a list of points it will develop.

The first was:

 The construct has a limited view of decision-making.  This is important because the construct’s position on decision-making is narrowed to transactional aspects of governance and politics.  The position on decision-making serves as one of the construct’s basic operating assumptions.

 Let this posting describe and explain this shortcoming.  

A political systems model is an extensive and comprehensive view of the political life one finds in a nation.  As the mode by which the natural rights view encourages students to go about studying politics, it is exceedingly useful if a student makes an assumption that there are extensively shared goals and values within the political system.  If these exist, then a further assumption or prior condition is possible.

         In such a nation, behavioral studies’ reliance on people being apt to make rational decisions will be the normal course of decision-making.  That is, when people are confronted with a decision, they will basically ask themselves what choice affords them the most benefit for the least cost.  Choices will be made toward those possibilities in which the marginal benefits exceed marginal costs.

           For example, should one turn on the TV?  Does what is on TV accrue more benefit than expending the energy to turn the set on or to do something else?  Of course, calculations come into play as to the possibilities for benefits and costs with alternative choices in an uncertain world.

This analysis can be highly involved, but the mind handles the calculations fairly efficiently given the complexity of the choice and the information a person has at the time of the decision.  But in any event, certain stable conditions need to prevail for this type of calculation to be possible and should be considered.

         So, how is this relevant? Theoretical work in the field of political studies which has been based on these considerations is advanced by Anthony Downs.[1]  In his writing, the concern is focused on the role the above mentioned marginal or rational thinking has in political systems study.  The judgement here is that the rational assumption is a basic one for those students who employ the political systems approach.  Or if one wishes to delve a bit further, what is assumed are those elements of a political culture to be present and viable when such decisions are being made.[2]

         Daniel Moynihan shares this view:  “… American social science had pretty much settled on a utilitarian model in which behavior is explained by expectation of things yet to happen.  Rewards and punishments.”[3]  This critique is not that political systems and other derived models are crude behavioral efforts – all of them have taken pains to address other factors beyond rewards and costs – but the biases toward that sort of calculation are entrenched in systems theorizing and in their derived research.  

And therefore, their concerns for the formulation of goals and values – normative factors – seem wanting.  This is so if one considers that there are two sides to decision-making.  One side is the way the individuals see the benefits and costs before them, and the other is the development of the goals and values that establish what is judged to be beneficial and costly.  

This latter part of decision-making is mostly ignored in the political systems approach to the study of politics.  In most analyses, these aspects are taken as given, yet this critique deems these concerns essential if understanding and predictability are the ultimate goals of any given study.  The approach, by so assuming, adds to its reductionist tendency of only taking those factors immediately present when such decision-making takes place.

Money plays a role in these considerations.  Money is not an end in itself.  It is converted into many different things and conditions of life. When one says, “it’s only money,” one does not do money justice.  Money can mean peace of mind or a child’s health.  It can convert into recreation or education.  It can mean an untold number of things.  As such, it can represent goals and values.

To add to this situation, money can be counted in equal units. Therefore, there is a tendency for money to create an illusion.  The illusion is that money can represent goals and values.  It can be seen in different guises as a won contract or a promotion at work.  Money then seems to be the universal goal or value.  In capitalist economies, the attainment of money seems to permeate all aspects of life.  Sports, religion, and education seem to be measured in monetary terms.  

But upon reflection, people know that not all is for sale or measurable by a monetary value.  The significance of this is that systems’ view of counting on benefits and costs is further entrenched by the role of money.  Not only are all people after money, or so the assumption goes, but one can measure how much money – reward or benefit – it takes to get people to do something. There is a certain theoretical cleanliness about this view.

In short, what is being suggested is that human behavior, much less human thinking, emoting, planning, and other non-observable human “actions” are highly complex and involved and that doesn’t even consider what is at the subconscious level.  This posting ends with this introduction to decision-making and will continue with this point of contention in the next posting with a quote by Philip Selznick.

[1] Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy (New York, NY:  Harper and Row Publisher, 1957).

[2] See Jurgen R. Winkler, “Political Culture,” Britannica (n.d.), accessed February 9, 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/political-culture.   Winkler writes,

American political scientist Lucian Pye defined political culture as the composite of basic values, feelings, and knowledge that underlie the political process. Hence, the building blocks of political culture are the beliefs, opinions, and emotions of the citizens toward their form of government.

           … The classic study of political culture is The Civic Culture (1963) by American political scientists Gabriel Almond and Sydney Verba.

He goes on to point out that some studies look closer at subcultures within nations, but the effect is the same; it provides the landscapes by which decision-making can proceed as described here.

[3] Daniel P. Moynihan, Pandemonia:  Ethnicity in International Politics (New York, NY:  Oxford University Press, 1993), 30.

[ileftherbackhome]

a long time ago i saw a post critquing american fusion cuisine culture and i agrred with until recently where a lack of spoons and many leftovers led my bf and i to make curry salad wraps and its so fucking delicious and i get fusion culture now. there is nothing more exciting than putting two foods that traditionally do not get put together into one dish and creating something completely different taste wise.

[unicazurnfanpage]

Surrealism and Desire

i wanna talk about this Rene Magritte painting Collective Invention 1934 that i have a great discussion in my philosophy of surrealism class, which i adore mainly cause it's challenging and omfg my other classes are not and i need that in my life.

a few thoughts from other students were that this is a she, a dying thing, not being able to breathe. the class as a whole was struck by the absurdity. Our collective first reaction was the laugh. It's an absurd image, a reverse mermaid. A mermaid being an image we are all familar with being raised roughly after the Disney renassiance so we all grew up watching the little mermaid. I for one grew up playing mermaid in the pool and playing with mermaid barbie dolls. This subject in the painting stuck some people as sexual. particularly insidious depiction as it removes the face, and thus the identity and ability to consent because a fish with gills does not have vocal cords.

However that interpretation that this is an object of desire felt wrong and like we weren't viewing it as it was meant. My class keep focusing on the legs and not viewing it as a whole. That this is yet another male surrealist objectifying women in art. But surrealists were ahead of our time in many places of critical thought, for one this is a critque of desire and cultural creations of desire and everything in this painting brings you to question it.

Firstly the humorous reaction is intentional. we are supposed to laugh at a reverse mermaid. it is a distortion of something we are familar with through folk lore and culture. the secondary reaction is to really think about what this image is. sure if we remove the legs and view it fully as a fish, it is beached and unable to breathe thus it is dying. However if we view this truly as a reverse mermaid, don't mermaid hold themselves up on rocks?

Disney The Little Mermaid - Limited Edition Canvas - Thomas Kinkade

(side note there's no date on the thomas kinkade website. that's insane as someone who has been in art school for four years at this point)

if we ignore the kitsch bullshit in this painting for a moment, i promise we will come back to it, we notice Ariel is holding herself up. if our figure in the previous painting was a proper mermaid, she would hold herself up. But Magritte is going with the antomny of a the fish so she has no arms and she is so top heavy that she can't even sit normally which is funny and also shows what an abomination this is as it can't even hold it's own weight.

But let us return to the kitschness of the Kinkade painting. Personally, I have a hate fan obsession with Kinkade from when i first read Greenberg's Avante-Garde and Kitsch essay. He creates soulless art that has far too many sources of light that is gives one a migraine trying to look at it like you would look at any other painting. Omfg there's so much bullshit in that painting, my eyes don't know where to focus.

I bring this painting up because Magritte is engaging with this kitsch, made for consumption, fetish kind of art. A mermaid is an object of desire, a fantasy. She exists in the deep oceans and is a creation of sailors who have no interaction with women for months on end, thus a fish and women is combined. In the folk lore, and my own cultural memory and understanding of mermaids, they are always topless yet their legs are stuck together into a fish's tail. as another class member said THERE'S NO HOLE! and they are right. Magritte's figure has a whole for one but it creates an abject image because you would be (i don't know tumblrs censors) with a fish. thus is calls into question our fantasy, desire and cultural folk lore of a mermaid. and because this is surrealist, the point is to bring what you encounter with you to other parts of your life, we ponder other cultural images that are similar to a mermaid as well as other kitsch paintings like the abomination pictured above. Some other figures in art history i think of are goddess and particularly Aphrodite, or Harpies, Banshees, angels, and centaurs to name a few that come to mind.

[tieshoeseveryday]

Independant Project Outline (Week 2)

1. Focus: (50-100 words):

Continue exploring, devloping and experimenting with digital modelling medium. Further convey ideas such as surrealism, advancing conceptual aspects of hyperreality.

2. Background: (200-300 words):

The work from last semester was an installation of reoccuring CRT TVs in studio 6B16. each TV displayed a video of a surreal regression of TVs inside one another, in different interior settings. The imagery was created with a 3D CAD modelling program called Sketch Up, and rendered with the architecture design software Twin Motion.

3. References:

Artists or Artworks

Michele Durazzi - Italian Surreal Digital Artist

'Bord de Mer ' by Agnès Varda - Blum & Poe Gallery Tokyo, Japan 2018

'Contact ' by Japanese Art Collective Mé - Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan 2018

'Elegy ' by Miguel Rothschild - St. Matthäus-Kirche, Evangelical church in Berlin, Germany 2018

Text

Simulacra and Simulation - Jean Baudrillard

Travels in Hyperreality - Umberto Eco

Hyperreality and Global Culture - Nicholas Perry

Consuming Surrealism in American Culture: Dissident Modernism - Sandra Zalman

Other

Californication (Music Video) - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Hotline Bling (Music Video) - Drake

Studio Zawhatte - Online Youtube Channel - 3D Digital modelling and Rendering

Halawany - Online Youtube Channel - 3D Digital modelling and Rendering

4. Process:

I intend to make a surreal/dream-like video using the same software process as previous semester. However, potentially learning how to use Blender as well.

The video will either be an audio visual accompanied by a song or a montage with a more expermental inclusion of recorded audio. However the conceptual outcome will most probably evolve alongside weekly development.

I intend to further research the concepts of Hyperreality and Simalcra. In addition, I will critically reflect on my progress in particularly after critques.

Last semester, my work process of starting new projects for each significant hand-in or presentation allowed my work and I to continuously change, evolve and develop new and existing ideas/concepts. Thus I will aim to create a series of work as opposed to spending too much time on one particular project.

Week 1: Gather research material in preperation for IPO - Start project

Week 2: Continue working on new project - IPO due Friday - Book install space in advance for week 3 and 5

Week 3: Project development/experimentation - Rōpū critique

Week 4: Further develop idea, try different media i.e props, installation ideas etc

Week 5: Prepare installation - Formative Assessment

Week 6: Develop work - make any adjustments accordingly

Study Break:

Week 7: 1st Discussion of Exposure

Week 8: Space and AV needs for Summative/Exposure sent to Course Coordinator (template to be supplied)

Week 9: Continuation with project

Week 10: Rōpū Crit

Week 11: Critcally reflect of previous weeks discussion

Week 12: Continue developing work

Week 13: Finalise work in preration for install

Week 14: Prep space, install work

Week 15: 11 AM, Tues, Nov 7, Assessment Deadline (work and workbook/blog ready). Friday Exposure opening

5. Resources:

I would like to use the studio space 6B16 again for the purpose of filming. In addition, a green screen could be another option to further extend the current practice. Will also need access to equipment such as camera, tripods, TVs, plinths, lighting etc.

For installation, I intend to include the use of props and objects such as couch, table and decorations.

[octobertooctober]

1966: June Artforum: Chryssa at Pace Gallery

For the summer of 1966, Krauss wrote reviews for exhibitions by Bridget Riley, Morris Louis, and Chryssa.

Chryssa, who primarily worked in what would be considered mixed and new(er) media sculpture, exhibited what would become of her most important works at Pace Gallery.

Neon as a medium has been full embraced since 1966, and is a now a staple of the cyberpunk and dystopian aesthetics, often alludes to (primarily American) consumer culture. Chryssa was one of the first artist to establish this short hand via her massive sculpture "The Gates to Times Square."

Krauss traces a trajectory of Chryssa's work from cubism, which, seems more symptomatic of her preoccupation with influence of the movement on the contemporary art of the time. She extends the critque of the image on to the sculptures, in a way that is ultimately not only dismissive but displaced.

[mister-fisch]

So I asked in a discord server what they thought vampire culture was about and here was someones answer and it makes perfect sense to me

So basically both songs are basically about critquing fascism and white supremecy and how it seems to be common in suburbia's

put 5 songs you listen to, post it, then send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers <3 (´^ω^)

YESYEYSYEYZUWUZYWS I LOVE SHARING MUSIC

Vampire Reference in a Minor Key by Will Wood

Mama by My Chemical Romance

Mr. Nothing Man by Insane Clown Posse

The Price of Life Itself by Moon Walker

Epiphany from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

:3

[thoughtportal]

In one of Carrington’s earliest stories, “The Debutante,” a young woman who does not want to go to a ball switches places with a hyena. The débutante allows her maid to be killed and eaten by the hyena, save for her face, “which was nibbled very neatly all around,” in order to provide a human disguise. But the hyena cannot suppress her true nature for long. At the ball dinner, the hyena removes and then eats the maid’s face, which was the animal’s mask, and which was also meant to substitute for the débutante herself, who is tucked up in her bedroom, reading “Gulliver’s Travels.” “Well, I don’t eat cakes!” the hyena cries, before leaping out the window “with one great bound.” One cannot help but feel that the young woman’s spirit springs over the ledge as well.