#especially in relation to post-9/11 America

[silvery-bluish]

Tag game - 9 people you wanna get to know better

ack thanks for the tag @euelios

last song - Eat Your Young by Hozier, as of the time of typing. I will not apologize for Unreal Unearth consuming me wholly when it comes out.

currently watching - Absently rewatching Batman: The Brave And The Bold for the fun superhero background noise. Currently watching Ted Lasso with my qpp, and Abbott Elementary with the entire House Team, annnd Person of Interest with a smaller subset of the House Team. The perils of watching different shows with different people mean that progress is Very Slow on most of those, but I would recommend all of them. and Will speak further if anyone asks.

currently reading - Intermittently Fallen Hero, but on the non-IF front I don’t have any books I’m Actively reading. Contemplating returning to my October Daye reread, I was on An Artificial Night, and I need to pick up Nona the Ninth at some point. Might reread the Murderbot series, but I’d have to reclaim my copy of All Systems Red from the person I loaned it to. Book Reading Brain has mostly left for now, unfortunately.

current obsession - legally obligated to say Fallen Hero, i have not shut up about it since Retribution came out in February.

I will... not be tagging a full 9 people lol. but if you want to, no pressure, @jj-wildheart, @scrawlsonblankpaper, @fallen-angel161, @honor-among-thieves, @dogueteeth !

[zoobus]

hey, it concerns me to see you reblog that post about bin laden's letter to america without any commentary because like, youre usually very good at being smart and critical about things, and that post seems to be promoting a letter that, legitimate critiques of american and israeli imperialism aside, is also viciously antisemitic and homophobic and promotes a worldwide islamic fundamentalist theocracy. I hope that I'm misinterpreting your intent in that reblog because I really enjoy following you and think youre very cool.

Let me get this out of the way: you do not in any way "have to hand it to" Osama bin Laden. I didn't consider the implications of reblogging the archived letter without commentary and I haven't personally seen whatever teens are saying about it on tiktok. my thoughts while reblogging were not as clear as I assumed, so I'll write them out now.

Everyone is correct to say the letter is wildly antisemitic, homophobic, and not an entirely correct reflection of reality. Bin laden is not an admirable, sympathetic hero for writing it. In the specific context of young people reading it for the first time, my read of it was that the letter itself is eye opening to the extent of which Hamas and Israel's actions are logical, regardless of cruelty. Probably even more significant for young people experiencing their first major war-related historical event, this might be their first time reckoning with:

time is a flat circle and history can feel like it's predicting the future

the US and its allies get absurdly disproportionate amounts of leeway and sympathy

The people you've been taught as irredeemably evil driven by baseless hatred and jealousy of your great nation probably had more grounded, logical motivations than you're giving them credit for, and that makes the black and white perception harder to maintain. Osama specifically called out that 3000 Americans deaths makes the world kneel but all the much higher death toll of Iranian children meant nothing. It's not difficult to find parallels.

gives at least a little context as to why US politicians are teaming up to ignore a very loud and bipartisan demand for ceasefire.

I didn't reblog it because I think homosexuals are evidence of the US as the worst civilization in history, I reblogged it because my best faith outlook was that tiktokkers who actually read the letter might start thinking about why 9/11s and 10/7s happen, whether Israel's current actions will really just end here with no future consequences. It might be obvious to us, but I think it's very likely the majority of people (especially the very young) don't think about these things too deeply unless compelled to. You shouldn't take his letter at face value but Osama bin Laden explaining why he was orchestrating acts of terrorism is significant

I don't want to call it nuance or shades of grey. I shared it for similar reasons we share that one Onion article:

[perrysoup]

Pretext: This deals with Hamas and the US program DARE. Some of you may not like the analogy I am going to use, but frankly you need to think on it too, especially if you grew up in the US.

Long post.

So, story time. I grew up in America, I was born and raised here. Part of American schooling (in Fifth Grade, gotta get them agreeing with a police state early) is a system called DARE you are taught of and by, standing for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. In that (absolute dogshit pro-police anti-addict (NOT anti-addiction, anti-ADDICT)) lesson, a key thing we are taught is that Weed is a gateway drug. If you smoke weed you WILL do crack. You WILL do heroin. You WILL sell your body for the weed addiction. That drug dealers and users and mean and hurtful and will abuse you constantly. Again, this is regardless of the drug. I am not speaking about actual horrors committed on people who are having their addiction taken advantage of. Those are real and happen.

That's not hyperbole btw, feel free to look at your own kids DARE stuff if you have them in that age group.

Anyway, I believed it. Others may not have, but I did. We had to sign things saying we would never do drugs, never drink and drive (which they never defined and I'll tell a fun story at the end about), never do ANYTHING really.

So time goes on, 5th grade me turns into 6th grade to 7th, rinse and repeat til I am a Sophomore in High School (Grade 10). And on a whim, I was offered to smoke a bong in a car in a SUPER white SUPER "well off" neighborhood. And I did. I actually first had to ask how to do it, and shocker, the dude was super nice and friendly. He didn't judge me or anything, he was happy to show me. My inexperience was not a thing to laugh at to him. (One Question raised about what DARE talked about. Technically two since "well off" people never did such a thing, and because of that they are "well off")

He also never offered me any other drugs. Hell he didn't even offer pot. If you wanted it you could ask and buy from him, but he wasn't pushing it. (Two questions raised about what DARE talked about).

I also never craved other drugs. I had seen the effects of heroin on some of my family, so maybe that was a part of knowledge I had and other didn't, but no one I even knew pushed me on it. Shit I hung out with people happily doing coke and sharing it, but ONLY if you asked. No one tried to make you do it. (Three now)

Finally, after discussing it with my parents, I find out that my mother was an on and off pot smoker, and my dad wasn't a drug user, but he didn't disparage it, he just preferred alcohol as his drug of choice. (Which was ACTUALLY a major issue in our family, not that DARE seemed to care)

And in the end, it comes clean that everything they told us about Pot was a lie. Everything they said was either full out false, or left out convenient details that explained WHY. Not that they were "worthless junkies" (actual phrase used).

That started some of my questioning about what we were taught and told by authority figures that had a position of power to hold would tell us anything to nod and agree with them, regardless of the facts.

I didn't think about what other stuff that could affect though. 9/11 happened when I was in 6th grade, and as many other Americans can attest, we were riled up into a fervor to support the troops, that "they hated our freedom", that terrorists were gonna get you unless you pledge your support undying to the United States. And I believe that for way to long. It took me much longer that it should have to see the flaws and lies that were told to us over and over and over by people we were told we could trust.

So how does this relate to Hamas?

As more and more is becoming clear about the lies and abuse we endure, and the lies and abuse we have seen especially by Israel, it is fair to ask I believe, is Hamas the bad guy? Did we take the statements of "Terrorist Group" as fact and "Rebellion against Annihilation" as bullshit?

I don't know. I'm not saying that as a cop out, I am saying I LITERALLY do not know. I have been told the Western story over and over and over and I don't know the truth.

But what if we were wrong? What if it was another lie that was done to make us angry at the wrong people?

This is the issue that arises. After a certain amount of government lies, tricks, torture, abuse domestic and foreign, can we trust what the government told us? They had a chance to tell me the truth when I was young, and they instead chose to lie to me, to treat me as something they could mold into their sick image of a "good citizen" instead of another human.

As I said, I don't know enough about Hamas to say if the labels are wrong, and I encourage everyone (Pro AND Anti) to share information so we can all be more educated.

But we have been lied to many times.

---------------------------------------

Drinking and Driving story: As I said, DARE left out details that made things easier to understand, I think on purpose. One of those that could just be in the "fucking stupid to not clarify" was drinking and driving. So after that class, that weekend, my father and I go to McDonalds, and get our usual.

And then my father *gasp* started driving while sucking on his straw.

I was distraught, my OWN father drinking and driving? And I confronted him on it, and his could only look at me bewildered and say "Son, that's for alcohol, not Coke" and that's how I learned what drink meant in that context.

[zahri-melitor]

Honestly beechan is a good writer, it’s a shame that he was stuck with writing Cass going evil (which I believe was actually an editorial mandate bc they were thinking of bringing back babsgirl already), but you’re right that it’s a good read if you can ignore the character assassination lmao

Yeah for an editorially mandated evil arc, Beechen just throwing his hands up and going “ok so Cass can just be her mother for a bit” is…not the worst? In that Shiva was also being sort of weird and actually working heavily with the League of Assassins immediately prior to One Year Later? Like obviously we would all have preferred no evil!Cass arc, but as someone who LOVES Tim and Lady Shiva’s interactions, Cass getting set up in that dynamic with Tim is just good times for me, compared to the many many worse decisions that could have been made. (I don’t LIKE ‘you are fated to become your parents’ as a trope but also it’s SHIVA. Honestly I’d have been more offended if she instead had become a mini-David Cain)

(Especially the bit where Shiva shows up to check on Tim and basically goes “have you seen Cass recently? I care about you both a lot”. Beechen gets their dynamic)

Anyway, Beechen’s run has these good things going for it: a whole bunch of solid characterisation work (aside from you know, Cass); Tim and Bruce actually getting some moments to relate to each other as adoptive family; the villain plots are actually interesting? First time since Dixon left that the average Rogues knocking around a Robin book felt properly scaled again. It feels like it plays with and adapts a lot of the old Dixon status quo in interesting ways. I like the Dodge storyline. Zoanne actually reminds me a lot of Ariana.

Compared to other writers:

Dixon is Dixon (and there ARE no 90s Batfam comics without Dixon, love him or hate him).

Jon Lewis does decent character work but his plots are off the wall, and contain so much more magic than you expect to see in a Robin book. Letting Tim and Steph’s relationship breathe a bit and have them spend some time out of costume together? Necessary character work. The secret homesteading isolationist wrestling club plot? BONKERS. Charaxes clones? BONKERS. PLUS he forgot Janet Drake’s first name AND he wrote the 16th Birthday story (time-travel is NOT illogical to Tim, Tim’s literally best friends with BART ALLEN).

And then you have Bill Willingham, who CAN write, but is hugely uneven on Robin. When he’s on his game things are great. Dark Rider is hilarious, especially in how over him Tim immediately gets. Fresh Blood was a solid team up story. The Dana bits of #134-136 make me highly emotional, though I’m not thrilled about the way she was written out of the story (Issues #134 and #136 are both legitimately solidly written highlights of Willingham’s run). But then he got editorially screwed over by the necessities of War Games, the Johnny Warlock plotline was extremely dull, and it just. kept. going, and then once he was clear of THAT the end of his run devolves into a war plotline which is TOO WEIRD EVEN FOR CHUCK DIXON. Like, Dixon already WROTE a war storyline (the Dava Sborsc plot) and it was 300% better and not just because it contained Lady Shiva, but because Tim was wrestling with actually interesting problems about when is resisting an invasion justified and what actions are acceptable, rather than being in a post-9/11 gun ho invasion. I cannot forgive #147 ending with the “what might happen” moment for One Year Later being… Does Tim join the secret military with right wing fake Captain America? NO. NO HE DOES NOT. NO SHIT, SHERLOCK.

[uozlulu]

20 questions for fic writers!

I was tagged by @firebatvillain :D!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 148 works on AO3

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

I have 740,203 words in total. I added 59,061 words this year

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Supernatural (TV 2005) (32) Naruto (16) Doctor Who (12) Interview with the Vampire (TV 2022) (11) Black Clover - Tabata Yuki (Anime & Manga) (10) The Avengers (Marvel Movies) (8) Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies) (8) Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms (8) Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis (7) Banana Fish (Anime & Manga) (7) Sherlock (TV) (7) Teen Wolf (TV) (5) My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) (5) Spider-Man (Movies - Raimi) (4) Hawaii Five-0 (2010) (3) Death Note (Anime & Manga) (3) X-Men (Movieverse) (3) xxxHoLic (2) Whitechapel (TV) (2) Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle (2) Star Trek (2) Captain America (Movies) (2) Hannibal (TV) (2) Pacific Rim (Movies) (2) One Piece (Anime & Manga) (1) CSI: NY (1) Spider-Man - All Media Types (1) The Venture Bros (1) Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga) (1) Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits (Anime) (1) Suite Life on Deck (1) My Life in Film (TV) (1) Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (1) Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (1) Daredevil (TV) (1) Gundam 00 (1) Vampire Chronicles Series - Anne Rice (1) Star Trek: The Next Generation (1)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Our Soulmate Academia (BnHA (MHA)) - 355

Pain (Banana Fish (manga!verse)) - 280

Crush (SuperWolf (SPN/Teen Wolf (MTV))) - 256

A Gift (Avengers (MCU)/Daredevil (Netflix)) - 219

Best Laid Plans (Banana Fish (manga!verse)) - 203

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always respond because it seems like the polite thing to do especially now that people don't leave as many comments as they used to back the 00's on ff.net

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

You Can't Stay Blind - (SuperWho (SPN/Doctor Who)) - the Eleventh Doctor runs into Crowley who's wearing a too familiar face

In the Pasture of a Vale (Supernatural) - Dean runs into Adam and Ben five years post-season 5 (written back in 2010)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

 I think I always end up with a kind of mixed emotion ending like Best Laid Plans or Our Soulmate Academia, so it's difficult to remember the truly happy ones. The most recent happy ending would be The Mystery in the Fog (ACD!Holmes) where Holmes and Watson end up at the same secret wedding of an underground queer club they're both members of unbeknownst to each other and have some revelations

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Sometimes I do. The most infamous incident was the time I wrote a fic speculating on who Castiel's vessel might have been before I got to Jimmy's episode in my binge watch back in the day. The reviewer went into gruesome detail on how I was going to burn in Hell for my fic. It was unreal. I just deleted the fic and then went on to write several more SPN fics as you do.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've written smut a handful of times for fics and more often than that for RP since that's part of the RP culture I fell into in university. Most of my smut fics have been orphaned now, but the one that remains is Swallow My Fang at Night Island (Interview with the Vampire (AMC)) I approach smut like I approach fight scenes so I can keep track of the flow of action. I keep my own personal kinks out of it and try to write a scene I think the audience would look for instead

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've written 15 crossovers. I enjoy them tbh. In terms of plot, the craziest one I wrote was Distortion (BBC Sherlock/My Life in Film) where Jones was hired to play Moriarty and things get way too real. In terms of titles crossed over, the craziest one is probably The Hokage (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle/Naruto)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, ages ago. It's why I'm my own beta reader or Kitty Britpicks me because I can trust her

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had some requests but I've never been alerted to the final products

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

My brother and I regularly cowrote fics together when I was in high school and he was in middle school. If you ever read a Trigun script-based crack fic in the 00's with the phrase "Love and peace! Doves and geese! Change the world!" or "Another carnival ride with cotton candy," that was us.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I don't think I actually have one because I'm a multi-shipper and I have so many favorites. That said, it might be inuyasha/Kagome since I always had an Inuyasha fic in rotation (usually more than one though) from 2001 - 2007 or so. Unfortunately they've all been lost to time. According to my AO3 relationship toggle in the filters sidebar, it's Destiel (7) and Devil's Minion (7)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a BnHA fic from before we learned what Hagukure's powers were where she sent Class-A and Aizawa back in time to Yagi's high school years to do a kind of Tenchi in Love (1996) type of plot where they had to stop a time traveler from murdering Yagi. I wrote quite a bit of it but it stalled on me when Midoriy and Nana interacted and I wasn't completely sure how to get that to work

16. What are your writing strengths?

The most consistent thing I get complimented on are my fight sequences, which is why it's sad I lost all my IY fics because I wrote so many fights for them

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My memory is a sieve and some of the holes are too big

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've done it before because I was a weeb and it was a trend in the 00's. Not sure I'd do it again now that I've matured past that.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Technically fairytales. I retold Cinderella when I was so little my mom had to write it down for me because I couldn't write yet. I drew pictures to go with the narration

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

The Land Across the Sea (Black Clover/Boruto) - Boruto ride a tsunami to Clover Kingdom and the knights have to take him back home, which is also Yami's homeland.

I got the idea for this fic when a friend and I were talking about what we'd want the Black Clover movie to be about when it was first announced. Then I took my idea of Yami getting to return to his homeland and made it a crossover because I like the idea of Yami and Naruto knowing each other from back in the day.

[sci-fiworlds]

Battlestar Galactica - Sci-Fi and the Terror Wars

Very sadly Stuart Miller's Alien Worlds magazine "will not be published again." Although short lived, I really enjoyed my time working with Stuart and am very proud to say I wrote for AW. In a field largely trapped in the 1990s (if not the 1950s), it was fresh, young and innovative, not afraid to seek new answers to old questions or even ask new ones. Perhaps the best evidence of this is the fact that Stuart was prepared to take a gamble and give new writers like me the chance to show what they can do. For those who don't know, I wrote a sci-fi/TV related column called Sci-Fi Worlds, my first piece was on Doctor Who and is available in issue 4 of Alien Worlds. Anyway, before I got the sad news about the magazine I had already written a second piece on Battlestar Galactica so I thought it might be a good idea to publish it here at BoA instead. Hopefully you'll find it thought provoking, even if you disagree with some of my views.

Unlike the new series of Doctor Who, the resurrected Battlestar Galactica is not a continuation of the classic story but rather a total re-imagining of it. Like its counterpart, the new series begins with 12 colonies of humanity getting savagely attacked and ruthlessly wiped out by the Cylons. A relentless and calculating race of war machines that appear hell-bent on the complete annihilation of all mankind. The Cylons' holocaust leaves only a handful of survivors. A ragtag fugitive fleet, 41, 402 people desperately trying to escape their cybernetic hunters and clinging to the hope of finding the legendary 13th colony called Earth.

But other than this shared back story, the two series have surprisingly very little in common. This is a good thing, because the original descended into little more than a childish action adventure, especially when compared to the more serious, adult drama and post 9/11 allegory which is the new series.

Perhaps the most interesting and, by far, the most disturbing parallel with 9/11, however, is how the survivors behave in the wake of the tragedy. Of course, just as in the wake of 9/11 in the real world, we witness incredible courage, as well as a stubborn determination to continue in the face of terrible adversity. But, we also sadly see how fear, fueled with a legitimate need for revenge, can bring out the worst in people, changing victims into criminals, the terrorized into terrorists, and moving society closer to the evil it is meant to be opposed.

Interestingly, the post-9/11 parallels are completely turned on their head in the third season. In the miniseries, as well as season one and two, the Cylons are clearly meant to represent Al Quada and fundamentalist Islam, whereas the humans clearly parallel America. However, in the shadow of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq, these roles seem to have been somewhat reversed during season three. The bad guy Cylons become the invading westerners and the humans take the place of the Iraqi insurgency.

Much of season three takes place on what the colonials name "New Caprica": a cold, remote and hostile world that most humans decide to settle on after abandoning their vain search for Earth. However, they are eventually found and, strongly echoing real world events in Iraq, invaded and occupied by the Cylons one year later.

Moreover, strongly paralleling the Iraqi Police Service created in the immediate aftermath of the 2003 invasion, the Cylons establish the New Caprica Police: a group of human volunteers who work for the Cylon authority to establish law and order within the settlement. The NCP are considered nothing more than Cylon collaborators and traitors by the resistance who, again like their counterparts in Iraq, even go to the extremes of using suicide bombers in their campaign against the Cylons.

Another interesting parallel with Iraq, of course, is the role religion plays in the conflict on New Caprica. The Cylons worship what they call the "one true God," whereas the colonials have many different gods. This is perhaps a loud echo of the religious differences between a predominantly Christian America and Muslim Iraq.

It should be stressed that in earlier seasons the monotheist Cylons were obviously meant to conjure up images of Osama bin Laden and radical Islam. However, during their brutal occupation they more immediately brought to mind another band of dangerous religious fundamentalists... George Bush and the Christian Evangelical right that supported his mad crusade in the Middle East. Like the Cylons (or even bin Laden) they used God to justify their immoral war.

Similarly, many people sadly supported the 2003 invasion because they were beguiled into believing our troops were fighting to free Iraq from an evil dictator before he could develop weapons of mass destruction and threaten, paradoxically, international peace. Disastrously though much like the Cylons, far from peace all we've done is throw Iraq dangerously close to civil war and terrorized the Iraqi people.

Five years on from its relaunch, the writers of the re-imagined Galactica have to be congratulated. It would have been easy to write a more simplistic series with, like the original, everything presented in distinct black and white terms of good vs evil and no shades of grey. Instead, they created a highly compelling post 9/11 allegory, a mirror for our troubled times that shows the Terror Wars, warts and all. Hopefully, the rest of the series and the planed spin-off Caprica will be equally brave and thought provoking.

READ RICHARD THOMAS'S SCI-FI WORLDS COLUMN FOR BINNALL OF AMERICA

[wwwfa2023]

This social media post reminded me of the reading we discussed in class called “Veiling Resistance”. It included a lot of information dating back to earlier times in Islamic countries and the laws and social rules they had including those for clothing. The attire of Muslim men and women has evolved and changed many times depending on the region they live in, Islamic rulings, and their own preferences. For women, the hijab is most commonly known as a head covering and still worn by many today including myself. I always think of my hijab like a crown I carry that tells people that I am a Muslim woman, even if I am standing among a crowd of people. However, living in America as a hijabi is not something to be taken lightly. It has its own struggles and challenges that come along with it. Many people have chose to stop wearing their hijabs because of our biased American culture that does not accept Muslims as equals especially after 9/11. Muslim women have chose to conceal their identities by not wearing the hijab and they have been conditioned to stay quiet and endure any injustice because they don’t want to be an inconvenience. I completely relate to that feeling because no one is ready to accept us anyway and standing up for ourselves and being an inconvenience puts us more at risk for being hated. 

After 20 years of being silent and “obedient” many of us are exhausted and frustrated. Whether we speak up or stay quiet, society and our government always fails us to the point where they begin to openly dehumanize us like they have been dehumanizing Palestinians now and for the last 75 years. It is not worth it to sacrifice a piece of ourselves, our hijabs, just for the slightest chance of fitting in. I will always continue to wear my hijab and encourage others to do the same if that’s what they truly want to do. Hardships and struggles will come, but it will only make us stronger. No one should ever need to give up pieces of their identity for someone’s else’s sake, especially when it has been tried and tested with no success. We should always stay true to ourselves and find pride in who we are.

[4menra4media]

Blog Post - Shouting Fire

Menra Mapfumo 

The shouting fire film is a documentary about the American people’s first amendment rights, specifically, freedom of speech. The film focuses on events post-9/11. It shows multiple cases where people have lost their jobs or been expelled/suspended from school due to their opinions and once again expressing their first amendment rights. It highlights many times throughout history where first amendment rights were questioned and what freedom of speech truly is. It takes events like 9/11 and shows how it affected those of Middle Eastern descent in America, and how it affected those who understood why the events of 9/11 took place, all falling under freedom of speech.   

The film also makes you play the devil’s advocate if there is a case you do not agree with. For example, there was a case where a student had designed a homophobic shirt and wore it to school, but he was facing suspension and expulsion because of it, which sparked conversation about freedom of speech. The film makes you question ethics and critically think, however at some point cases seem clearer cut than others, regardless of bias. There have been many cases where people’s first amendment rights were questioned, but this film uses some of the best cases.   

A case that stood out to me was Debbie Almontaser’s case, “A word that cannot be explained.” Almontaser is an immigrant from Yemen. She came to America with her parents when she was 3 years old. Almontaser worked in the New York Public school system for 15 years, before being asked to be the principal of a new dual-language school where learning Arabic and English would be part of their normal school curriculum. Of course, just like today, people of Middle Eastern descent in America, especially in New York, experienced racial abuse, and physical abuse post 9/11. According to the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, they reported in 2001, “over six hundred September 11-related hate crimes committed against Arabs, Muslims, and those perceived to be Arab or Muslim, such as Sikhs and South Asians.” hrw.org.     

The school was opened in September 2007. Leading up to that date, Almontaser was in a battle with right-winged republicans. When the school was announced, a right-wing journalist named Daniel Pipes, wrote a story questioning the purpose of the school. Pipes has written many pieces described in the film as “anti-Arab, anti-muslim perspective.”  

Many New Yorkers did not like the idea of the school because they thought it was a religious school, calling it a Madrasa. The New Yorkers started a group called “Stop the Madrasa.” With that, they added that “all Muslim are terrorists.” I believe that is an ethical issue. If anything, one can make an argument saying, “half of the mass shooting terrorists are white,” and it would be true. According to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, from 2013-2022, 54.1% of mass shooters were white. rockinst.org.   

Also, I believe the categorical imperative can be applied here. The universal rule of the categorical imperative is, “whatever you believe, you are willing to have that implied.” These New Yorkers believe an Arabic dual-language school is a religious school even though at the time there were 67 other dual-language schools in NYC, but there had never been rallies regarding those schools. This leads me to believe that their belief is fueled by 9/11. The New Yorkers believe the school is religious and that the school has ties to terrorism, whatever they believe is implied.   

In 2007, Almontaser helped start the Arab American Heritage Week in NYC. It is a weeklong full of events with the last event of the week being the Arab American Heritage Park Festival. An Arab women led group had a table with t-shirts saying “Intifada: NYC.”  Almontaser is on the board for this women-led group. Stop the Madrasa attacked Almontaser and tried to expose her to the public saying she was responsible for the T-shirts. They said she should not be the principal of the dual-language school.     

She was later interviewed by the New York Post about the root definition of the word “Intifada.” According to the dictionary, the definition for Intifada meant, “shaken off.” However, Almontaser stated that the word has evolved, and its definition also means uprising, standing for the uprisings in the Middle East. She also stated that the word means many different things to different people. The reporter for the New York Post used her words out of context and invalidly, causing her to be forced to resign from the school by the NYC Department of Education before it even opened.     

[kombatfather1796]

Avengers: Endgame was supposed to be the theatrical event of the century, the grand finale of the Infinity Saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the culmination of the glorious (and at times, inglorious) history of the 11 year old (at the time) franchise -- and for many people, it was just that. I, however, was not one of those people.

I had such high hopes and expectations for that movie, which was clearly my first mistake, and I was hugely disappointed. Endgame was supposed to be a beautiful send-off to our core six Avengers, as they and the next generation of heroes defeated the Mad Titan Thanos once and for all, and all it served to do was to destroy the legacy of these characters we've gotten to know and fall in love with over the past 11 years (as of that point in 2019) and forever tarnish the legitimacy of the MCU going forward.

The original post perfectly illustrates how horrendously they eviscerated one Steven Grant Rogers, who, up to that point, was my favorite character. The gross treatment and writing of Steve was nothing but a massive retcon to fight back against the fandom and delegitamize the canon nature of Stucky -- even though Marvel themselves wrote Steve and Bucky with all that underlying subtext. My biggest points of contention with the thing they call Steve Rogers in Endgame are thus:

Going back in time to steal a woman's life from her -- a woman you kissed all of one time, who told you 9 years prior in 2014, that she lived her life and her greatest regret was that you didn't get to live yours, who told you in that same conversation to move on with your life -- because she was supposedly the great love of his life, the entire reason he became Captain America in the first place

The second and biggest insult and atrocity of all is while shaking up with your Nazi of a wife, you willingly sat there through all the horrors and atrocities of 20th century American History and did nothing about it. On top of that, you sat there and allowed your best friend to remain a captive of Hydra, being brainwashed, tortured, and undergoing the most vile suffering imaginable because you wanted to play house with the irredeemable character that was Peggy Carter.

Steve leaving Bucky to be tortured by Hydra was the worst offense. Amidst all the other god-awful things he did in this movie, that was definitely the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back for me. The disrespect of Natasha, the overhyped, unwarranted pedestal they propped Tony Stark on, the further ruination of Bruce, the humiliation of Thor and the mocking of his trauma, among so many other things just broke soe.yhing inside of me that has never been repaired.

Ever since Endgame, and especially because of Spider-Man: Far From Home, I've been soured and disillusioned on all things MCU. I've been lucky and grateful to find little nuggets here and there with things like WandaVision (even though it has its own issues with messing with established characters) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (which I truly only enjoyed because of the all the pandering and nostalgia-bait), but beyond that I've been largely done. There are still days where it's hard to even engage in fandom works because of the awful memories of 2019 MCU, which is why I started to pen my own Endgame Fix-it fic back when it was still popular. I never finished it, and I really need to because it may help me to finally close the door on the hurt and betrayal I feel when engaging with anything Marvel-related, MCU specifically.

the best things about tws have all been retconned

steve finding a home in the future ▸▸▸  that wasn’t a life, goes back to the 40′s.

peggy was happy with her life, wanted steve to move on ▸▸▸ goes back in time, takes away peggy’s happy life, steve does the opposite of move on.

steve and bucky find each other again, the possibilities are endless ▸▸▸ let’s separate them again and spend their lives apart.

steve meets sam and is realistic and honest about how difficult the past was and how he prefers it now ▸▸▸ have fun boiling your ham again steve. enjoy your hot ham water.

one of the best fights in the mcu ▸▸▸ now used as a cheap joke so that steve can make a hydra reference, because a very political hero pretending to side with a n*zi organization is really funny and not at all upsetting in today’s political climate!

steve, natasha, and sam’s relationship that is based on trust, mutual admiration, and respect and which has developed over time ▸▸▸ one manly tear at not a funeral and quite honestly a dickish conversation on a bench? also apparently, his current family means nothing compared to one woman who told him to move on and had a happy life.

peggy talking about how steve saved her husband ▸▸▸ steve was always the husband! those were always his kids! he was always meant to go back!

steve being a hero ▸▸▸ whatever that republican maga monstrosity was in endgame.

[mariacallous]

In the United States, it is difficult to overstate the degree to which Islam has fallen off both the domestic and foreign policy agenda. In many ways, this is a welcome improvement over the near-constant preoccupation with American Muslims and Muslims abroad as objects of concern during the post-9/11 period. With the Trump administration’s “Muslim ban,” it seemed like it might never end, with each president having their own particular approach to the “problem” of Islam.

This appears to have ended with U.S. President Joe Biden. With the end of the war on terror, the securitization of Muslim identity is largely a thing of the past. American Muslims are increasingly part of the cultural mainstream, accepted and normalized to the extent that they sometimes appear to have been forgotten entirely.

That said, there is a dark side to America’s loss of interest in Islam and Muslims, especially since this indifference is tied to a broader apathy toward the Middle East. The Biden administration’s Middle East policy, as reflected in the recent National Security Strategy, is effectively one of telling regional actors to “keep calm and carry on.” The priority is to prevent the problems of the Middle East from crowding out attention towards more overarching problems, such as the threats posed by Chinese and Russian adventurism. (Whether policies toward particular regions can be siloed in this fashion is another matter).

To be uninterested in the Middle East is, by default, to be uninterested in human rights, political reform, and democratization in the Middle East. A policy of maintaining the status quo with only slight adjustments is inevitably a policy of turning a blind eye to human rights violations in the interest of “stability.” To anger regional partners with talk of their domestic political arrangements would require devoting more attention to assuaging that anger, which would distract U.S. officials from countering China and Russia.

Consider Saudi Arabia. In July 2022, Biden paid a high-profile visit to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an effort to reset a relationship that had been strained by the 2018 killing of the writer and critic Jamal Khashoggi. Since the visit, bin Salman’s crackdown on dissidents has only intensified.

In recent years, the decline of major terrorist groups like al-Qaida and the Islamic State has certainly relieved pressure on U.S. policymakers. But the Biden administration’s indifference to authoritarian consolidation in the region is an additional critical factor that allows it to display an otherwise welcome disregard for Islam.

Prospects for democracy in the Middle East have long been linked to questions around Islam’s role in public life. Any process of democratization, after all, would entail state authorities ceding control of religious knowledge and production — a domain they have jealously guarded for decades. In religiously conservative societies, something as resonant and powerful as Islam couldn’t be left to the masses, or so Arab autocrats thought. If people could choose their own leaders, religiously-oriented parties — Islamist parties — would have a greater say in politics and government and perhaps win elections outright. The failures of the Arab Spring and the return of repression have relegated such questions to the background. Fierce states are even fiercer today. But as I argue in the latest issue of Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, the “problem” of Islam has merely been postponed; it has not been resolved.

It’s no accident that the two administrations that focused considerable attention on Middle East democracy (or the lack thereof) were also the ones that felt compelled to make Islam-related pronouncements. While the Bush administration ultimately failed to translate its sweeping pro-democracy rhetoric into policy, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice does deserve some credit for grasping the intimate link between “political” problems and “religious” problems in the region. To address the former was to take seriously the latter. For example, she notes that “religion and politics don’t mix easily — but the exclusion of religious people from politics doesn’t work either” and that the Arab world “desperately needs an answer to [this] challenge.”

While President Barack Obama was less enthusiastic about democracy promotion (in part due to a desire to distance himself from the Bush administration’s adventurism), he was compelled to take it more seriously during the Arab uprisings of 2011. And he too understood that to have a policy of promoting political reform and inclusion meant thinking carefully about America’s longstanding “Islamist dilemma.” As one senior aide to Obama described it to me:

Obama started off very much of the view that we need to accept that Islamists will have a role in government. I think he came in very much believing in that and he wanted to be the president who would have an open mind about Islamists.

This “open mind” didn’t necessarily last, but it’s telling that the Obama administration felt it had to think about Islamism in order to think about democracy. The inverse was true for President Donald Trump. His active hostility towards democracy promotion and enthusiasm for Arab dictators translated into a desire to exclude and even punish Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.

It would have been hard to avoid this conclusion. To the extent that Arab societies democratized, voters would have more to disagree about when it came to Islam’s place in politics and its relationship to the state. Under the limited electoral competition that Arab autocrats had allowed beginning in the 1980s, “identity politics” around religion gradually eclipsed the traditional left-right politics of class as the primary electoral cleavage. And so emerged what the political scientist Hesham Sallam calls “classless politics.”

Islamist parties were the primary beneficiaries of this shift. But since there was no real risk that they would be allowed to take power, the practical implications of their ideological preferences could remain somewhat theoretical, projected far out into the future. With the democratic openings of the Arab Spring, however, this all changed. Now that Islamist parties had a realistic shot at winning power, the question of how — or whether — to accommodate a more pronounced role for Islam rose to the forefront of Arab politics in a way that it rarely had before. Moreover, constitutions had to be drafted, and constitutions would need to address (or at least choose not to address) the polarizing matter of Islam as a source of state identity and Islamic law as a source of legislation. A political and religious settlement remained elusive in Egypt, paving the way for the establishment of a new military dictatorship under Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Even in Tunisia — until recently the Arab Spring’s lone remaining (relative) success story — Islamist, secular, and leftist political forces appeared to reach such a settlement only to see it collapse. Today, after a slow-motion coup, Tunisia finds itself languishing under one-man, authoritarian rule.

With a new authoritarian normal asserting itself across the region, the ongoing effort to seek a democratic resolution to the question of Islam’s appropriate role in politics and public life is on life support. For now at least, this has given the Biden administration the permission, and perhaps even the freedom, to disregard the democratic dilemmas its predecessors had little choice but to face. Future administrations might not be so lucky. The dilemmas, after all, haven’t gone away.

[bleachenjoyer]

2/5 - Eden of the East

As I watched through the end of Eden of the East, there were several underlying elements that really caught my attention, especially in regards to how the material here related to the other sources we talked about in class as well as modern issues in general. The three things I wanted to briefly touch on in this post were the commentary on corporate corruption, the clashing perspectives on methods to save the country, and the final role of the NEETs in the eleventh hour of Eden of the East.

Though it was a very brief sequence, I did appreciate Panties' little quip about corporate influence on the will of the people. Though this is obviously a series based in fiction, he mentions some very real examples of instances where the public was essentially manipulated by the powers that be (like the general frenzy of the public after 9/11, etc.). I just thought that was a very based-in-reality concept, and I found it intriguing how he pointed out that, while America is a very prominent example of this, it is an issue in other countries (such as Japan) as well.

The different Selecaos' ideological difference on how to finish the game and win Mr. Outside's challenge are a prominent issue in the final episodes of Eden of the East, and I think this translates to the real world in the sense that, though many people have different ideas on how to improve modern society and 'fix' the world, there are certainly various 'right' answers that may clash with one another, not to mention misguided 'wrong' ones.

I also wanted to briefly speak on the role of the NEETs in the finale in relation to the reading on work culture we perused last week. Though NEET, and other terms like it, are essentially used to demonize that lifestyle and ostracize those people as 'the other', the fact that the NEETs end up being what allows Akira to prevent the missile strike and 'save the day' highlight that these are just as much people as those in full-time employment, and have their own ways of contributing and benefitting society.

Overall, I thought Eden of the East had some good messages to tell, and I think it did a good job of telling them. On to the next series!

[the-writer-is-always-write]

Can you expand on the impact of islamophobia on dune please? I felt like a lot of parts of it made me feel… a way (I loved the film DONT get me wrong but I’m still untangling my thoughts and feelings) I don’t know if it was harmful at all but there were times where I felt uncomfy or maybe just very aware of the differences between characters

Does that make sense ? I’m getting too into my head so I would love to hear someone’s perspective (since you’re the only person I’ve seen commenting on it)

There are definitely other people more equipped to answer this than I, but I will do my best. To clarify, I am not a Muslim or an expert on Islamic or Middle-Eastern culture so please feel free to add on with any corrections or other insight.

Basically, Dune (the novel) was published in 1965. There are a LOT of Arabic and Islamic influences in the Fremen culture. A lot of the names were taken from Arabic words, or made to sound Arabic, and the Fremen culture was loosely based off the Bedouin tribes. There are a lot of parallels between the ecological and sociological exploitation of Arrakis and the ongoing exploitation of countries in the Middle East that began in the early 1900's when oil was discovered in Persia (Modern-day Iran). With those parallels in mind, it's easy to see how the novel is critical of exploitation in both the fictional world of Arrakis and our own world as well. I wasn't as worried about these themes being overlooked, and in fact I think the film did a good job bringing in those themes from the beginning when Chani asks "who will our next oppressors be?"

Now. The most noticeable influence from Islam is the theme of jihad, and this is the one I was worried about. From the very beginning of the novel when Paul does the Gom Jabbar test, he becomes aware of this "terrible purpose" that he must fulfill. He has visions and knows that this purpose is inevitable, it is his destiny, and there is no escaping it no matter how hard he will try. This sense of "terrible purpose" follows him all the way until the end of the first section of the book (the book is divided into three mini-books, for those who haven't read it). At the end of this first section, this "terrible purpose" is revealed to be jihad. It's the first time the word jihad is used, and it effectively communicates the dread that Paul feels. Paul doesn't want this, but he knows it is his destiny. There's a crucial interplay between the messianic narrative and the jihadist narrative, but that's a discussion for another post. For the sake of this discussion, it's just important to know that jihad is the word that Herbert uses, and it comes up many times throughout the rest of the novel and the series. Essentially, it's one of the book's most significant themes.

Now, fast-forward to 2020. We're living in a VERY different world than Herbert did, and Islamic culture and religion are seen much more negatively than they were in Herbert's time. (I admittedly don't know much about how Islam and Muslims were perceived during the 1960's, but I'm certain that if it was bad before, it is much worse in the 21st Century). Especially in America, where we live in a post 9/11 context in which one event shaped the way that a lot of our society perceives Islam and Muslims. This perception is predominantly negative. I didn't have any specific examples off the top of my head, but a five-minute google search found this: the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently released a report on the long-term effects of Islamophobia in America over the last 20 years. It gives some insight into how these stigmas have been perpetuated by the government, and it has some statistics and examples of hate crimes against Muslim-Americans. Basically, it's bad.

Now imagine that you're a Hollywood executive, funding and producing a movie based primarily off of Arabic culture with some heavy Islamic themes revolving around jihad - something often associated with 9/11 and used to justify the subsequent War on Terror. How do you market a movie to white-American audiences? Well, if you remember the first trailer for Dune released last September, there's a crucial line that Paul says: "there's a crusade coming."

You might be thinking, "well a crusade and jihad are kinda the same thing, right?" Technically speaking, both are essentially religious warfare. But how do you think Christians would react if we started calling the Crusades the Jihads? It would not be good. And rightfully so, because the concepts emanate from very different cultures with many different connotations and nuances behind them. But the idea of a "crusade" makes the film more marketable to certain audiences still living with biases and tendencies radiating from islamophobia, because a holy war based in Christian principles is more digestible and sympathetic to white-American culture. This article by a professor of Islamic Studies does a really good job explaining how this line goes against the central themes of the book and misrepresents what the "holy war" really is within the context of Dune. It also explains jihad better than I could, and from a better perspective than I could ever give.

Going into the movie, I was very concerned for how they would handle the subject of jihad. Overall, I think they did a good job of alluding to it and creating the sense of dread within Paul as he comes to terms with what's in store for his future. Visually, I think they got the idea of jihad even without saying the actual word. For now, I'm alright with the fact that they didn't explicitly say jihad, but that opinion may change once we see Part 2 (I'm expecting and hoping that Part 2 will be a little more explicit).

[yaralulu]

This was like a mini interview; thank you so much for putting it together!! I really had to think for some of these questions hehe.

1. What are some of your favorite shows/movies?

Some of my favorite shows are: The Vampire Diaries, House MD, Interview with the Vampire,Greys Anatomy, Tell Me Lies, Criminal Minds and Hannibal. Lengthy list LOL.

2.What are your favourite books?

I only started reading books less than a year ago so I haven’t read much and nothing amazing really LOL. So this list is embarrassing to say the least BUT I’m working on it!! I’m a big fan of the “The Hunger Games” books, “The Serpent and the Wings of Night”, and ngl the first acotar book LOL.

3. What about movies?

I’m not huge on movies (more of a show person) but “The Hunger Games” movies have a very special place in my heart. A few of the marvel movies as well, specifically “Spider-man: No Way Home” and “Captain America and The Winter Soldier.”

4. Why is Tamcien your favourite ship over other ACOTAR ships?

Ok this this is something I can ramble about hehe. I absolutely love how complicated their relationship is and how despite everything they’re still trying to make it work. like the odds are completely against them but they refuse to let go of one another. They clearly hold so much love for each other and the amount of loyalty Lucien specifically has towards Tamlin just does something to me. I genuinely view them as two ppl who cannot exist without the other (and there’s a slightly toxic element to this which i thoroughly enjoy. SUE ME). I also love all the history they have together and how that history shows as they interact and when they talk about each other. They simply know the other person like the back of their hand. They need each other.

5. Do you ship Tamlin with other characters? What about Lucien?

I ship these two with half of the damn characters 😭. Tamsand/ Tamris/ Feylin. Elucien/ Luzriel/Lucnes. I’m a multishipper to my coreee.

6. Who are your non-ACOTAR otps?

I had to dig DEEP to remember some of these. Dazai/ Chuuya from BSD, Childe/Zhongli from Genshin Impact, Dabi/Shigaraki from MHA, Stefan/ Elena, Klaus/Caroline, Captain America/ Bucky (omg??? i’m unlocking memories), Levi/Erwin from AOT.

ok i’m done

7. What is a Tamcien premise you never got around to writing but is on your list?

Any scenario in which Tamlin shifts into a female or he shifts Lucien into a female and they have very hot sex 😄.The smut would be outrageously hot like walk with me here.

8. Which of your fics are you most fond or most proud of?

Is it naughty if I say something I’ve yet to post 🫣? bc it’s totally something I’ve yet to post but you’ll see it in two weeks time i swear!!

9. As a writer, what is something that you enjoy when reader other fics?

Good dialogue/banter!! Especially when it comes to characters like Lucien who have that sort of witty personality and comebacks. I love tension, whether it’s sexual or not. I want to be gnawing at my screen when I’m reading. Like fully giggling and kicking my feet. Or screaming and crying.

10. What is your favourite fanfic of all time? If you have many, please share them! For research...

This is my fav topic ever. I’m gonna list out the same ones I did for the tamlinweek post bc they really are my favorites!! Colors in a Dead Garden by fourteentrout (i think about this fic like 7 times a day no joke. cannot recommend it enough). Soap Bubble by SorcerySmithereens. Hedonism by A_ Chaotic_Human. A strange thing happened the night of the High Lord meeting by umthisistheonlyusernamenottaken

I feel like these will show you exactly my taste in fics fr.

11. What is a fanfic that surprised you? Why?

Am i allowed to say something that’s not tamcien or tamlin related bc…Rhysand Is The Most Handsome High Lord... by the_darkestminds takes the cake for sure. No words just read this for yourself.

12. What is your favourite NSFW dynamic? Any favourite kinks?

Everyone look away! I enjoy a clear dom/sub dynamic. Dirty talk is very sexy to me, whether it’s Praise/degradation I don’t have a preference. Bondage and exhibitionism is also very hot lol. Hair pulling, biting, light name calling. Yep.

13. Do you think you know the identity of your secret santa? hihi

GENUINELY NO CLUE. I had my guesses at first but nothing rn. I’m very very curious 🙏

14. Quick, if Tamcien adopted a pet together, what would they name it? Don't think, just name!

muffin (???? terrible name)

15. Do the same thing, but for a Tamcien baby, quick quick!

oliver (??? EVEN WORSE)

16. What about favourite anime? If you didn't name anime OTPs above, share them here too!

Ahh I love animes. Some of my favorites are: My Hero Academia , Given, Bungou Stray Dogs, Attack on Titan, Haikyuu!

17. Do you ever think of Tamlin and Lucien in lingerie?

Not until this very moment omg?? I think that’d be hot and I see the vision.

18. What's your favourite color?

Purple and pale pink!!

19. Do you have a Lucien or a Tamlin fancast?

I really don’t like thinking of them as real ppl in my head, it kinda ruins the experience for me LOL. But sam reid would be my Tamlin fancast but I honestly have never seen anyone who reminds me of Lucien.

20. Do you accept early gifts?

Ofc! I don’t mind!!

21. How willing are you to adventure with me with this gifts?

VERYYY WILLING!! I’m very excited to go through this with you.

hi @yaralulu, i made this questionnaire for u to help me with ur gift!!

What are some of your favourite shows/movies?

What are your favourite books?

What about movies?

Why is Tamcien your favourite ship over other ACOTAR ships?

Do you ship Tamlin with other characters? What about Lucien?

Who are your non-ACOTAR otps?

What is a Tamcien premise you never got around to writing but is on your list?

Which of your fics are you most fond or most proud of?

As a writer, what is something that you enjoy when reader other fics?

What is your favourite fanfic of all time? If you have many, please share them! For research...

What is a fanfic that surprised you? Why?

What is your favourite NSFW dynamic? Any favourite kinks?

Do you think you know the identity of your secret santa? hihi

Quick, if Tamcien adopted a pet together, what would they name it? Don't think, just name!

Do the same thing, but for a Tamcien baby, quick quick!

What about favourite anime? If you didn't name anime OTPs above, share them here too!

Do you ever think of Tamlin or Lucien in lingerie!

What's your favourite color?

Do you have a Lucien or a Tamlin fancast?

Do you accept early gifts?

How willing are you to adventure with me with this gift(s) :3

[sokkastyles]

Do you think ATLA would have followed the same plot/ships had it been conceptualized today rather than the mid-2000s?

I already talked a bit about how I think the ships would be different if the show were made today, or been handled with a bit more care and more attention given to its female audience (rather than mocking them).

I also think the show is a bit of a product of its time related to some of its other more controversial aspects. This was an American show made in a post-9/11 world - and I am old enough to have been in high school when the towers fell, I watched the second tower collapse on live television during religion class - and you can see that in some of its themes, particularly the anti-extremism narratives with Jet and Hama as well as the whole Dai Li thing. When Zuko talks about how his government lied to him, which a lot of people seem to interpret as a plausible deniability cop out, this is how a lot of young people felt during the Bush administration. Nowadays the show's political stance comes off a bit centrist. Other people more equipped than me have also addressed some of the issues with the way the show uses the cultures it took inspiration from, and even saying that America is the Fire Nation doesn't really solve that issue because it's still seeing nonwhite people as symbolic for whiteness and centering whiteness in the narrative, even to serve as a warning to the American audience. Other people have also pointed out how the characters in the show talk like kids from California in the early 2000s. TV tropes used to call this "Buffy Speak" and there was actually debate about changing the name to "Avatar Speak." Particularly Sokka as a character embodies that. You know Seth Cohen from the OC? That's Sokka. I'm not saying his character is entirely westernized because of course it isn't, but there are things about the show that make it unique to the time and place in which it was made, even keeping in mind the amount of effort that was put into research and cultural sensitivity. I think if the show was made today, the Water Tribes would be South Asian, not Inuit, although I know a lot of people value the Inuit rep in the show and I don't begrudge them that.

Idk, it's hard to say, but every piece of art is reflective of when and where it was made, in ways both intended and unintended. The show also gets criticism for upholding the monarchy but that's a product of the fantasy genre in general, and if the finale of Game of Thrones taught us anything, it's that trying to be "progressive" within that framework can backfire horribly, especially when you've already got an all-powerful authoritarian character as your main hero.

AtLA also suffers the fate of all episodic shows in some ways, and that's a product of its format. This wasn't a "whole season released at one time on netflix" kind of show. A lot of the plot was made up by the writers as they were writing, because that's how shows were written in the cable TV era. That's why you got all that infamous stuff about arguments in the writers room, or wildly differently characterization from episode to episode because the episodes were written by multiple writers. Or the writers flubbing the end of Aang's arc because they had an idea of where they wanted to get but not as much of a clear idea of how to get there. These aren't necessarily condemnations, but they are what they are.

[impossiblelibrary]

Today's rant brought to you by: Queer Eye Japan, can we all just try to be as kind as they try to be?

After watching the Queer Eye Japan super short season, I wanted to google to see the overall reaction to the show, make sure that my western eyes were correct in seeing the care that was given to the culture. Were cultural taboos, other than being outwardly gay, crossed? So I find this article in the top results and other than the perspective, why tho? Tokyoesque.com had an article with a higher reading level, with surface level appreciation but at least better written.

I can't get over this hate article though. Unfounded, dumb, wrong and incorrect. Do not go forward unless you like that blistering kind of anger from me.

But the reasons just get weaker as the article extends: "Hurts the country it set out to save?" Looking for white savior much? They did not go to save Japan, they gave some free shit to like 4-5 people, think smaller.

Their culture guide wasn't gay enough.

You want to suggest any lgbt insta models or celebrities, use your platform to raises some up?

"There is a growing sexless culture in Japan for married and unmarried people, and it is perilous watching Queer Eye present this without any context behind what is driving this behavior."

Sexiness is what the fab 5 embrace, unfortunately and it was probably discussed behind the scenes of how much talking about sex was allowed or polite and the conversation of not having sex is closer to the tip of the tongue rather than the feeling of sexiness. The West is not the ones blasting that information. It is across multiple Japanese printed newspapers and online stories by now and the "context" is still being discussed and debated amongst Japanese. So I don't think any outsiders should be weighing in or "explaining" this phenomenon. We can repeat what we have been told but guessing at the reasons is not our place. The reasons illustrated by the author of the article seem lacking, a take but not the only one, but who am I to speak on that being in a sexual relationship with someone who pulls from that culture?

Kiko begins to lecture Yoko-san on how she “threw away her womanhood” (referring to a Japanese idiom, onna wo suteru) by going makeup-free and wearing drab, shapeless clothes.

The mistranslation by the subtitles fixed by this author was necessary information. But Kiko didn't lecture her on it, it was brought up by Yoko before any of them arrived, that was her theme, that was what she had decided to focus on. Meanwhile, if you watched Jonathan, he understood there was no time to spend on makeup and skincare so provided her a one instrument, 3 points of color on the skin to feel prettier. That and the entire episode being the 5 treating her like a woman on a date, not trying to hook her up, which is what they did in American eps.

"In teaching a Japanese woman, who already struggles to find time for herself, how to make an English recipe, Antoni is making great TV and nothing more."

So Antoni shouldn't have taught her apple pie because it's too exotic for a Japanese woman. (Can you smell the sexism?)

He didn't make an apple pie, altho Yoko did mention her mother made that for her when she was a kid. He made an apple tartine after going to a Japanese bakery who makes that all the time. Then highlighted the apples came from Fuji in true Japanese media fashion. Honey, American television doesn't usually highlight where the ingredients come from. A Japanese producer told him to do that. So all worries handled within the same ep. She got Japanese ingredients, had the recipe shown to her and then made it for her friends in her own house. Did the author actually watch this show or nah?

"beaten over the head with his western self-help logic. “You have to live for yourself,” he says."

The style of build up the 5 went for was confrontational but in a "I'm fighting for you" way. It's hard to describe, but the best I can say is, a person has multiple voices in their head, from parents, siblings, society, and maybe themselves. By being loud and obnoxious, American staples right there, they are adding one more voice. You deserve this, you are amazing, you are worth it. I know this is against most Japanese cultural modesty, but maybe it shouldn't be.

Sarcasm lies ahead:

Apparently: mispronunciation is microaggressions, not just someone who had a sucky school system. Yea okay, They're laughing at the language not at how stumbling these monolinguals are with visiting another country. Mmhm. Japanese don't say I love you and don't touch and that should stay that way instead of maybe, once in awhile, feeling like they can hug. Yeah, let's just ignore Yoko's break down that she had never hugged her lifelong friend after hugging strangers multiple times. Maid cafes are never sexualized in Japan ever, just don't go down that one street in Akihabara where the men are led off by the hand sheepishly blushing. Gag me. And Japanese men love to cry in front of their wives and would never break down once the wife leaves. I have never seen a Japanese movie showcase that move. Grr.

"I identify as many cultures."

So you're a Japanese man when it's convenient for you to get an article published? Are you nationally Japanese or just ethnically or culturally?

Homeland is an inherently racist word?

"After the Bush administration created the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a Republican consultant and speechwriter Peggy Noonan urged, “the name Homeland Security grates on a lot of people, understandably. Homeland isn’t really an American word, it’s not something we used to say or say now.”

Yes, let's use a Washington Post article rather than a etymology professor. Yes, the google search results increased after 2001 Homeland Security was used but the word has been around since the 1660s and I've read multiple turn of the century lit on white people returning to their homeland, i.e. the town off the coast they were born in.

"But" is not disagreeing. I think the repeated offender for the author is the not acknowledging the makeover-ees feelings. But, that is how LGBT have decided to deal with the inner voices that invade from society. They are just that, not our own, they are the influence of society, and we can choose, we have to choose, to be influenced by someone, anyone else.

Karamo can't speak about being black when an Asian is speaking about being Asian, even though the Asian gay man was feeling alone. It's called relating bitches, and I'm done with people saying that is redirecting the conversation, it's extending the conversation. That's how we talk, the spotlight is shared, especially when someone's about to cry and doesn't want to be seen as crying, time to turn the spotlight.

The gay monk wasn't good enough, you should have invited the gay politician.

Yeah, causes I'm sure a politician has all the time in the world for a quick stint and cry. They picked a Japanese monk who travels to NY because they had a guest who travels to the West too. Did you want him to stop traveling back and forth? Did you want a pure, ethnic and cultural Japanese gay man who has no ties to the west to talk to this Western educated young man? Seriously?

This is just not how it works in Japan.

Being in a multi-cultural marriage between two rebels, discussions on facets of culture are plenty in my household. Culture should be respected enough to be considered but not held on a pedestal like we should never adjust or throw some things out. LGBT being quiet and private for instance. "Being seen" was Jonathan's advice, and a good one especially for a Japanese gay man that was called feminine since he was a kid. Some gay men can hide, but as Jonathan said, he couldn't hide what he was, he couldn't hide this. So fuck it. Don't hide. It's actually more dangerous for a feminine man to come off as anxious rather than gay and proud. It makes you more of a target if they think you won't fight back. Proud means, Imma throw hands too, bitch.

This is also from the civil rights playbook going back to Black America: never hold a protest or a fight without the cameras, without being seen. LGBT have found the more seen they are, in media, in the streets, the better off we are. When LGBT Americans were being "private" about our lifestyles, we died, a la 1980s. They won't care if you start dying off if they never saw you to begin with.

And hence why I think the author's real anger is from these 5 being seen dancing flamboyantly in Shibuya, in Harajuku, afforded the privilege of doing this safely because of their tourist status, cameras and very low violence rate in Tokyo, loud and obnoxiously. Honestly, they wouldn't have been invited or nominated if they didn't want that brash American-ness coming into their home, just for a taste, at least.

Here's my real anger, my own jealousy: Japan's queer community currently does not have marriage or adoption rights. US does, so we have progressed further. But we are also not that many years from being tied to cow fences with barbed wire, beaten with baseball bats and left for dead overnight. If things are so bad over there, maybe take a few pages from the civil right playbook we took so much time to perfect and produced by the Black Americans who fought first. But so far, I only hear loss of jobs and marriages, which we still have here too. Stop trying to divide us, we are one community, LGBT around the world and we are here to try to help. Take it or leave it, it's not like we're going to go organize your own Pride parade for you.

Rant over? I guess. Is this important enough to be put in the google results along with his. Hell no, anyone with half a mind can see he's reaching more than half the time. And any argument about: this wasn't covered! There are a shit ton of conversations that are not covered in the 45 min they have. They are not a civil rights show, it's a makeover show, doing their best in that direction anyway. Know what it is.

Next blog post, what research I would guess was happening behind the scenes for each of the 5? I'm pretty sure I saw Jonathan doing Japanese style makeup there...

[james-stark-the-writer]

i'm not misunderstanding your tone lol, that was a needlessly flippant comment and is overly playful either way, and i'm not complaining about jarring moments, i'm complaining about random scenes, as in the connecting tissue just isn't there or what is there doesn't work which makes it feel random. juxtaposing violence is not new for Zombie, i'm well aware of how he juxtaposes stuff, that's why his Halloween movies work at all as scary movies, and i simply do not think the thing the characters do go remotely far enough to be "absolutely fucking disgusting", House of 1000 Corpses went way further and in more compelling and interesting ways, and this just had flatter versions of the same characters in a flatter world. as a genre piece this is fine (although for all the "western" and "exploitation" labels, this is neither fatalistic/nihilistic enough to be a good western, nor actually weird and perverted enough to be good exploitation, especially for 2005, by which time we had seen a lot worse shit, including in Zombie's own House of 1000 Corpses), but as a sequel to House of 1000 Corpses it's pretty mid since it's just much less interesting imo, with less of as strong a vibe to slip into. House of 1000 Corpses also does a much better job at making you care about these people just because of how it plays with the horror formula and how much stronger and more interesting the characters are there. this is a slight improvement in some ways, Zombie feels like he has more formal control in the edit and direction, but in most other aspects it's just worse than House of 1000 Corpses.

i'm not denying there's any thematic reasons for what happens (like the cyclical nature of violence, and some have pointed out how this is an outlet for post-9/11 rage as well, and about how america breeds violence among its populace), but it's ultimately just boring or not fleshed out enough, or flat out doesn't work in execution. the characters aren't stripped back enough like in something like William Friedkin's Sorcerer for us to be forced to relate to them entirely just on the basic fact that they're people for the themes to hit, and there's not enough depth in either the characters or the world to get into the world in the opposite direction, especially with how long it is, and the literal words Zombie uses to convey his ideas are just worse than his other movies, since House of 1000 Corpses, Halloween, and Halloween II all have better scripts with actual depth (and also much funnier or interesting things, as indicated by literally your own username lmfao) and an exploration of their zeitgeist at the time of creation and recognized the pain and trauma of their characters and showed us the devastating consequences of the violence these characters caused and were actually successful in exploring it all. this still has empathy for its characters than most franchises, as is expected of Rob's love for the outcasts, but it doesn't work right for me because it never goes far enough to make you struggle with that empathy in any way outside of maybe the gun thing (didn't really make a difference to me, but it might for others), but even that's only for Otis and it still feels like a regression on his artistic interests as a character. even if you see this as a loose sequel, it's still just less interesting because it makes them all kinda blur together and not in a way that makes them feel like family, and the ending is great but it simply does not achieve into making these characters into mythic figures fighting the kkkulture of the US.

and once again, these were clearly initial thoughts and not final judgments, since those can't be made until you've digested the whole thing, which i did. in the actual review. there absolutely stuff in the movie that really works, mostly everything with Baby who is really the emotional center of this movie, and when Rob is playing music and letting the images speak for themselves, but the rest is just weaker than House of 1000 Corpses and his Halloween movies and they do everything this wanted to much better. this mostly just tries to mimic the feel of one of those 70s movies without understanding what make them appealing and charming.

My ★★★ review of The Devil's Rejects on Letterboxd

some notes and thoughts on Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. how the fuck does anyone think this is better than House of 1000 Corpses????????