I'm voting Kotoko Guilty this round for quite a few reasons. First off, the only other two characters who have been voted guilty are Haruka and Muu. Yk. Minors. Who are already in a shitty mindset, who's verdict will most likely make that worse? Yeah. I would rather not have them beat up by Kotoko. And she WOULD beat them up- she would have beat up Amane if she hadn't been stopped, and Amane is much younger than Haruka and Muu.
I don't even mind her fighting injustice to feel good about herself. I mean, she's still fighting injustice. Regardless of her personal feelings about it, she's still doing good things. It's the way she goes about it that worries me. The article she was reading on her phone states that "more violence than necessary was used". Of course, the article could always be biased, but Kotoko has shown herself to be a violent person. Her call to us to vote everyone else in Milgram as Guilty, regardless of their crime, is a request for us to give her permission to make them her enemy and crush them. She would apply the same amount of force to, say, Yuno- someone who simply had an abortion because she didn't want the baby- as a person who kidnapped a child.
Kotoko sees everything in black and white. Yuno's "crime" of an abortion is just as evil as Haruka's crime of murder. Here's a reminder of the character's crimes (from my understanding):
Haruka: killed out of desperation to be seen, to have his mother finally acknowledge him after he wasn't good enough (ie, neurotypical) to keep up with the other kids.
Yuno: Had an abortion because she didn't want the baby. She didn't have some tragic reason why, she had a normal life. She was simply doing as she pleased.
Fuuta: Took part in cancel culture, which ended up doxxing a minor and she took her own life. He didn't want to accept responsibility for this, but it was clearly weighing on his mind.
Muu: She bullied others with her friends, and then her friends turned on her. She reached out to a classmate for help, but didn't receive any. Muu stabbed her in a panic, after alluding to either her or the classmate dying at the end of all of this.
Shido: Medical malpractice ? I think ? It's still not clear to me idk
Mahiru: Abused her boyfriend until he offed himself due to her sheltered life and toxic positivity. She feels as though she can't change, and she wants someone to love even if it hurts both of them.
Kazui: Lied about romantically loving his wife so that he could fit in to society at large. When he finally opened up about his feelings, the shock of it all caused his wife to end her life. He cared for her, but can't continue lying like this.
Amane: Killed her abuser, and is clinging to religion to both justify it to herself and comfort herself.
Mikoto: Still unclear whether he or John did the murder, how many murders there were, who was murdered, etc. The focus isn't exactly on the murder, moreso how mentally ill people are pushed to their limit with no support or help from others and the unhealthy coping mechanisms that can arise from that.
She tells us to throw away our sympathy. But understanding and kindness and sympathy are so so so important- not just in Milgram, but everywhere else, too. Yes, these are just characters, but a popular theory is that they represent societal issues. And I do believe that's true. They may not be real, but they represent real problems real people face. By ignoring the nuance, we blindly swing at whatever we're told is "guilty". Kotoko only attacked the prisoners we announced as Guilty. She won't act on her own moral code, merely the law. We are the law in Milgram, so she follows us.
I adore Kotoko, but her mindset is genuinely dangerous. While this is unlikely (cough, Amane) I hope her Guilty vote will help her. But it probably won't- Guilty votes destroy a person. But I can't vote her Innocent, either. I don't forgive her for her black and white thinking. Thus, she is Guilty to me. I'm very curious how she'll develop after this. I'm a little scared, too, but oh well.
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i've had two really good days back in my hometown!!!:) yesterday i had coffee with my fifty something woman bestie who is funniest person i know, then i saw my fifty something straight white man bestie who basically treats me like im his kid; we accidentally talked until 1 am without realising the time. today i went to a café with a dear dear friend (who is actually my age) and although im very worried about her it was nice to see her and hopefully she was able to take her mind off things a little. and then my political idol and also friend – a city councilmember from my political party – walked in with her equally cool husband and we caught up a little and they said they'd invite me over for homemade pasta soon :)!!
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Me: Mother, we should dress the baby up for halloween.
Mother: She's not even four months old yet, she doesn't need candy.
Me: I didn't say anything about candy???
Mom: But then why dress her up?
Me:....You know, just because you've dressed up two babies before now, doesn't mean that it's not still fun >:C
Mom: I've dressed up two babies before, which means I already know how much this one is going to squirm and fuss when she gets uncomfortable.
Me:
Mom:
Me: But-
Mom: You already bought a costume, didn't you?
Me: YES, look at it, it's a little pumpkin overalls set, with a matching hat-
Mom: She'll be too hot-
Me: I considered that when I bought the fabric. It's made out of muslin, so depending on what the weather is like, we can put it on her as just clothes, or we can get her cozy with something warmer underneath.
Mom:
Me:
Mom: You made this?
Me: Yes. the costumes at the store are scratchy and they smell weird.
Mom: ....we should try it on her to make sure it fits...
Me: I mean, it's pretty loose already. I wanted her to be able to wiggle around if she wanted to. Plus I added some extra snaps in case we needed some extra room, or she decided to get significantly bigger in the next month.
Mom: Honey, I'm saying that I would like to put the baby in the pumpkin suit right this very second, because it's very cute.
Me: Oh. Okay! I think Dad has her?
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