#media circus

[girlactionfigure]

Now it's becoming more clear - the prime minsiters of Spain and Belgium have apparently been recruited by Hamas. The Spanish PM is now giving a speech in which he says the 4-day ceasefire is not good enough, and he demands a permanent truce. Hamas survives. As expected, Hamas and its friends in the international community are turning this into a media circus. And these are only the first 13 of 238 hostages. We are playing Hamas's game now, and it's one Israel is not well equipped to win. Many, if not most Israelis feel the remaining hostages should be rescued through military action. Doing it this way only plays into the hands of the jihadists.

Israel Today

[akashicrecordtelevision-com]

The Mysterious Cult That All of Japan Loves

Cult?

[oh-my-damn]

I'm watching the new Menendez Brothers documentary on netflix and I'm only about 20 minutes in so far, but already this is such an interesting study and example of how the US treats not only criminal cases and criminals, but also how they treat the law.

The way this case was turned into a "media circus" as they so often like to coin it, is honestly fascinating and disturbing. The US has a flair for turning very, very disturbing criminal cases into "media circuses" and more often than not, that media circus will result in the actual matters, facts and victims of the case being overlooked or forgotten, in service of content creation.

It truly is content creation in its darkest, purest form, even decades before the term "content creators" existed.

The Ted Bundy trial is another excellent example of this.

I'm watching this documentary with the knowledge that I have gathered about the Menendez case in mind, and I am hoping it will do this case the justice it never got when it was happening. I am certain the case and outcome would have looked very different had it happened today, or had the brothers instead been sisters, back when it was originally tried in court.

But the spectacle that the US likes create for cases like this is truly fascinating. And not in a good way.

I could go on for days when it comes to the legal system in the US, and the fact that cases are won and lost often not on proof, but primarily on biases and on who performs the best on the stage that is the american courtroom, but it will always baffle me that the system works this way.

It will always baffle me that arrests are public knowledge, that peoples names and pictures will be posted on the front of tabloids before they're even convicted. It will always baffle me that judgement is in the hands of 12 random people who are supposedly unbiased, but who in no way would be able to overlook the media surrounding a case like that. It will always baffle me that these 12 random people have to be convinced throughout performance - acting - by lawyers putting on a show of "who can make the most convincing argument."

Not fool-proof evidence, not actual testimony; these judgements more often than not, rest on who can manipulate circumstances, evidence and people the best.

Is that really justice?

[idroolinmysleep]

Trump called out for his supporters, which is the media. The media gave him a billion dollars’ worth of free advertising, and they’re doing it again. When he said to his supporters, ‘come out,’ they did not fail him.

I Stood Outside the Court Waiting for Trump to Arrive. It Showed Me Some Things About His Support Now.

I see no lies here.

[vicshush]

[Video description: Video of Karen Friedman Agnifilo, one of Mangione's attorneys, making a statement to the court, the text of which is transcribed below the video. The video is stamped in the top corner "News18.com". /end ID]

"I’m very concerned about my client’s right to a fair trial in this case.  He’s being prejudiced by some statements that are being made by government officials. Like every other defendant, he’s entitled to a presumption of innocence. But unfortunately the way this has been handled so far his rights are being violated. And as you know, Your Honor, there’s a wealth of case law guaranteeing his rights to a fair trial, but none of the safeguards have been put in place yet here — in fact it’s just the opposite of what’s been happening. 

He’s a young man, and he is being treated like a human pingpong ball between two warring jurisdictions here.

These federal and state prosecutors are coordinating with one another at the expense of him. They have conflicting theories in their indictment, and they are literally treating him like he is some sort of political fodder, like some sort of spectacle. 

He was on display for everyone to see in the biggest staged perp walk I’ve ever seen in my career. It was absolutely unnecessary. He’s been cooperative with law enforcement. He’d been in custody for over a week. He waived extradition. He was cooperative at all accounts. There was no reason for the NYPD and everybody to have these big assault rifles — that frankly I had no idea it was in their arsenal — and to have all the press there the media there. It was perfectly choreographed. 

And what was the New York City Mayor doing at this press conference, Your Honor? That just made it utterly political. And as your honor knows under Loro v. Charles, the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit has held it to be clearly established that these staged perp walks to the media unrelated to a legitimate law enforcement objective is unconstitutional. And I submit that there was zero law enforcement objective to do that sort of perp walk. There’s absolutely no need for that whatsoever. 

And frankly, Your Honor, the mayor should know more than anyone about the presumption of innocence that he, too, is afforded dealing with his own issues. And, frankly, I submit that he was just trying to detract from those issues by making a spectacle of Mr. Mangione. 

And there are consequences to this. 

He has a right to a fair trial. And I just want to put on the record statements that the mayor made publicly about my client. Nothing saying “alleged” for example. And he said “I wanted to send a strong message with the police commissioner that we’re leading from the front. I’m not just going to allow him to come into our city. I wanted to look him in the eye and state ‘You carried out this terrorist act in my city, the city of New York that I love.’” And he wanted to show symbolism. 

Your Honor, he’s not a symbol. He’s somebody who is afforded the right to a fair trial. He’s innocent until proven guilty. And the mayor was talking to jurors — future potential jurors that elected him. Those are the people that elected him that he is talking to and calling this man a terrorist.

So, Your Honor, I just want to make a record of this and put everyone on notice that this has to stop, and my client is entitled to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence."

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

I am incredibly serious right now when I beg you all, please, and if you have Twitter or Tiktok or whatever to please spread the word: click on an author's profile on Ao3.

You want to know if an author has written more? Want to know if they're still writing? Want to see more from them? Want to know if they've written a trope or kink or sex scenario you enjoy?

Click on their name. And look at their profile.

I cannot tell you how many times in the last six months someone has read a new or newer fic of mine and said they (a new reader who has read nothing else I've done) "can't wait to see what you do next!" I've written 50+ fics and over a million words already.

"I don't know if you're still writing..." click on my profile. I am. I literally wrote a 128k+ fic for that ship last month.

"Would you ever do X?" "Please do Y!" I already did. Click on my name and look at my works.

Archive of our Own is a library. It's an archive. Not social media. It is your responsibility to fight back against the laziness that corporate algorithms have trained into you.

Click my author name. Just click it. Just click it.

Before you demand more, or ask if a writer will do XYZ, or wonder if the author still writing, or anything - click on their profile. Click on the author's profile.

I'm not trying to be mean or condescending or anything like that. I'm just exhausted. It's disheartening and frustrating to repeat myself ad nauseam, because someone couldn't take thirty seconds to do the tiniest bit of work to see if I've written lately, if I've written more for their ship, or scan my works to see if I've written what they're asking for. Please. Please. I'm begging.

Click the author's name, and explore before you ask.

[justanimaniac]

Stupid doodles

[prokopetz]

Today on The Amazing Digital Circus: character with untreated bipolar disorder tries off-label meds on a work day, experiences The Horrors.

[elektraflowers]

I have a lot of inchoate thoughts about what's going on with Kate Middleton now. Not the human being named Kate Middleton (or Kate Windsor, Kate The Duchess of Cambridge, whatever her real name is) but the media circus surrounding her absence and all the conspiracy theories. I'm going to put these thoughts here.

1) Kate clearly signifies something(s) important in the public imagination, both in North America and the UK (and other places I'm not familiar with as well). If I had to put it in words, I'd say she represents an ideal wifely figure. Motherhood is part of that as well. She is often contrasted with Meghan Markle, who is seen as grasping, grifting, self-absorbed, even a poisonous influence on Prince Harry (who was well north of 30 when he married her). Kate is now defined in part by the absence of these qualities. There's also a racial element, but it's hard for me to tell exactly how that plays into that, especially as an American.

2) When I finally started going to stores again in ~April 2021, the Harry/Meghan interview with Oprah had just aired. I didn't see it but I could tell it $^()%&! BOMBED by the tabloid covers. I hadn't been to a store in over a year so I really noticed that. With the exception of gutter trash like the National Enquirer, there were no anti-Meghan covers anywhere. Anti-Harry, a little, but Meghan was not mentioned at all. Most of the covers were about how Kate was the silent strength of the BRF. They'd have pictures of her looking resolute. A few had pictures of Prince William looking vaguely upset along with headlines about how he was fighting with his brother. But this was a clear illustration of how Kate is compared to her sister in law. No half-reputable paper in America will print an anti-Meghan cover even if public opinion turns against her. So they print a pro-Kate cover and never mention Meghan at all.

3) A lot of the speculation feels incredibly prurient. My understanding is that the palace let people know that Kate's recovery time was not going to be short, but she would be back to royal duties at Easter. Abdominal surgery can have a long recovery period. It seems really odd to focus on what seems like a non-story, or a story that's not really anyone's business. It's like seeing paramedics working on someone on the sidewalk. You instinctively avert your eyes because you'd want others to do the same for you. Since the paramedics are there you don't have to do anything, the situation is at hand. Oddly enough the reaction is opposite in a car, you're more likely to look (or I am) and I think that distancing has a psychological effect. How much more distant when it's words on the internet.

4) The monarchy is in a very strange place after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It's not quite clear what the British Royal Family signifies now. King Charles is a far more polarizing figure. I'm not a subject of the Crown, so I don't quite feel that web of attachment, resentment, patriotism, boredom, anger, and admiration that seems to exist for many UK residents. I know how I feel about Queen Elizabeth asking the Royal Guard to play the Star Spangled Banner at Buckingham Palace on September 13, 2001. I always get choked up when I think about that. It's not something you can argue me out of feeling.

All this said, I think some of this tension is being expressed by this scandal. Kate can't even do what is asked of her. She can't pose for pictures or bake cookies for charity workers or film short videos. She is one of the most popular members of the BRF so it's only natural that people are paying a lot of attention even if it's very invasive.

5) I wouldn't trade places with Kate Middleton for anything on this earth. Imagine having enough resources that you can genuinely down tools and recover for months, but the price you pay is endless speculation.

[circslai]

[chiegetseven]

I feel like I should own up to having made a mistake by voting for the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, in 2016. I was very frustrated that Bernie Sanders was not selected as the Democratic candidate (I voted for him in the primaries) and I really didn't like Hillary Rodham Clinton's record as Secretary of State. Of course I didn't believe Donald Trump would win the presidency, I thought he was so obviously a joke that Hillary would win whether or not I voted for her. And considering that I voted in Mississippi that year and they haven't gone Blue in my lifetime, my vote for HRC really wouldn't have made a difference, I didn't see the benefit. I was so very tired of politics as usual and honestly rebelled against my party & my parents' party because I didn't feel like they were actually standing up for anything good anymore.

On the night of the election, I watched with growing dread as the votes came in and showed the Donald Trump would win the election, despite not having the popular vote, which has been true of every Republican President elected in my lifetime. They've gotten astonishingly worse each presidential cycle and I absolutely dread the circus of conservative clowns coming to media outlets everywhere.

So now I vote Democrat no matter what, even though they are hypocritical and far from perfect and compromise to a fault. Because politics are like the bus, they won't get you exactly where you need to go, but they can get you closer. And I make sure to vote in local elections and pay attention to the bills, ordinances, and other policies set to be voted on. And I build and support my community because we can only get through this by working together.

[depravedmicrowave]

No no, see, Red Robin, upon finding out about Amity because of the anti-ecto acts decided to do a deep undercover mission over the scientists leading the charge about ecto-ology. But he met Danny and they fell in love with their mutual passion for the injustice done to the ectobeings.

i keep seeing fake to real relationship fics where Red Robin is sacrificed to the ghost king

and those are great don’t get me wrong, but why is it always Red Robin??

wouldn’t it — hear me out ok — would it not be infinitely funnier if Timothy Drake-Wayne, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, a son of Gotham’s beloved royal family, social media blue check, was kidnapped and sacrificed instead.

Imagine the panic. The internet catastrophe. The viral posts. The public outcry. Why is the Justice League taking so long to rescue this poor boy??

Then imagine said poor boy finally being rescued. They manage it. They get him back.

And upon his return from what was obviously, no doubt, a traumatizing ordeal of inter dimensional kidnapping, Timothy Drake-Wayne’s first Twitter post is just

“give me back my ghost king boyfriend I miss him : (”

The internet would fucking EXPLODE ok listen, no stop walking away listen to me —

[oh-my-damn]

Eat the rich?

How about... Eat the fucking famous.

They don't deserve any of the love, recognition, money or attention we give them.

Humans will be humans.

They will always disappoint.

So instead of putting them on a pedestal, let's see them for what they really are.

Humans who got lucky.

Humans who worked hard.

Humans who got what they deserved.

Humans who got more than they deserved.

None of them are the same, but you know what goes for all of them?

They will never live up to the idea you created of them, in your head.

That goes for every single person you've met in your life, so why doesn't it go for them?

It's time to stop idolizing these people, it's time to stop believing they're better - more worthy, more talented, more intelligent, more beautiful, more strong.

It's time to stop believing they're better.

Just because some people noticed them? That doesn't make them better. It makes them more vulnerable.

It's time for us to stop putting these people on a pedestal, and start understanding who they are, and who we are.

Just. People.

And no one is better than the other, no matter what some social media or article may say.

They're not better than anyone else.

They're just... People.

[dottdraws]

Let's talk about Shavs Media Productions

I wanted to make this post a little earlier on, but completely forgot to put it on Tumblr. In case no one is aware, I was one of her co producers. I helped run the channel for a bit and was hesitant to share my experiences with her. After hearing that she was not treating other people in my position very well, I decided to come forward. For those who choose to follow the rabbithole, please be warned there are mentions of N/S/F/W talk, racism, transphobia, and other things. There's a LOT about this that we uncovered since posting. Lots of people are hurt. This is your warning. Here's the link to the post on Twitter.

For those of you who can't see it there, I'll just post the direct link to the document here. The archive of screenshots I have is posted at the beginning.

It's important to note that this is to spread awareness of her past actions and hold her accountable. Shavs uses Tumblr as a platform to recruit artists, and it's important people know what they're getting into by working with her. Many many others have come forth to corroborate the things talked about in this document that are not in the posted Archive at the beginning. While she is saying that she is making changes and coming forward with a public statement, Tumblr is still a preferred choice of recruitment platform for her. Don't witchhunt, spread rumors, or harass people. This is the open door for those who've been affected to come out. Spread this around. Share your own stories. Hold her accountable, please.

[itsnotalemon]

Shes lost in the stupid sauce

[faeyuh]

so. yeah.

Jax's Coping Mechanism (being the first n all)

If he was the first to enter the Digital Circus, then how has he survived this long? Without abstracting, I mean.

Probably the same way he's surviving currently. BEING AN ASSHOLE. Focusing on the misery of others instead of his own. Not giving a fuck basically- or, giving way too much of a fuck, so he distracts himself.

So, does this make him a bad person? If he's prioritizing his safety (not getting abstracted) at the risk of others?

Probably. A bit selfish, too.

But, to him, this is the only thing that will keep him going.

He's breaking, though. Just a lot slower than the others. He won't be able to keep this act up forever. And I think he knows this. Personally, I'm excited to see if and when he breaks.

Anywho, this post isn't really justifying what he does. Like I said, he's an asshole. But he's also being an asshole because that's what's comfortable for him- even if it hurts sometimes. It's what keeps him sane, and only him, so that's all that matters, right?

I'd like to see if he ever truly feels bad for what he does, maybe in a future episode. I'd love to see him go too far. Maybe bring someone else in the circus close to abstraction? I think that would gnaw at him for a while, if how he acts doesn't do that to him already.

How complex. He has the capacity to be good, but he's not focused on that right now. So he doesn't care if he's a bad person. As long as he's able to keep living.

Or maybe I'm just reading a bit too much into his character. Just thought this was interesting. If he was the first, that must mean he has the strongest coping mechanism out of everyone else- if he has survived this long. But this, unfortunately, does mean becoming the worst version of yourself in the process. If you want to survive in the circus, Jax's strategy is to sacrifice other's sanities in order to save your own.

Maybe he was a good person before he joined, and became a bad person to survive. Or maybe he was always this way.

Either way, his character is really intriguing to me! Can't wait to see the horrors he goes through next!