#media literacy challenge go!

[detectivekirigirislays]

"izuocha is canon because ochako likes izuku!" OK WELL IF THATS THE CASE, THEN ISNT TOGACHAKO TECHNICALLY CANON BECAUSE TOGA CANONICALLY HAS FEELINGS OF LOVE. LITERAL LOVE. FOR OCHAKO???

[sadko101]

today i made the mistake of arguing with an ascended astarion fan on tiktok

//just a rant//

they said he deserved ascension after all he went through and i replied that "he doesn't, he deserves better than becoming an abuser and loosing himself" and now everyone is telling me im shaming someone for stating the FACT that astarions bad ending is ascension and that him being a spawn is a better one. i also said that he was no longer astarion and just a husk of his former fear and motivations.

do not make my mistake friends, stay away from ascended astarion fans

some of the arguments were:

"he suffers everyday as a spawn" yeah i suppose he does with his hunger and inability to go in the sun, but he is clearly happy in the epilogue, he accepts his struggles and is still HAPPY!! stupid argument

"he is safer as an ascendant" nuh uh, he is powerful now, known and powerful making him a target for other powerful people or beings. objectively it puts him on the map and makes him a target. whose to say in years to come someone he possibly enslaved gains the power to turn on him as well and he ends in a similar way to how cazador did.

the genral "he loves tav/durge" no. no he doesn't. i dont need to elaborate

(also i wasnt telling them to NOT ascend astarion, i was just correcting them when the suggested it was a good outcome for him when it is objectively not. ascend him if you want guys!!!)

[gwenene]

Sorry but I genuinely hate people who dumb down Heizou’s character as sexual just because of his slightly suggestive voicelines. I know fandoms making characters seem very one-dimensional is common but like. Did we not play the same hangout.

[cartoonchaos]

“gee i wonder why there’s still so much more fanfiction about male characters” “we need more morally complex female characters” “i love relationships that are doomed by the narrative” “more stories need to treat mentally ill characters with compassion and respect” “all his problems could’ve been fixed if he only went to therapy” you fuckers can’t even handle the ending of fionna and cake

[zeb-z]

the sooner badboyhalo viewers realize he’s an unreliable narrator the sooner I’ll be able to sleep at night

[sleepboysummer]

i just opened twitter for the first time and i already hate it on there.. why are people saying that there is IMPLIED BESTIALITY ??? ? in RTC? ?? like god damn hellio he is not actually fucking cats

[magnetothemagnificent]

The world is so hostile to tweens.....

Like we joke about how our schools growing up would ban the latest toy trends, but that reality genuinely horrific when you think about it. Like maybe 1% of the bans were based on safety, but the rest cited reasoning like

-"kids were bartering for collectibles" (kids learning about economics and product value)

-"kids were wearing them and the colors were too flashy" (kids experimenting with self expression and fashion)

-"kids were playing with them during lunch and recess instead of using our rusted safety hazard playground" (kids utilizing their free time to do what helps *them* unwind).

Play areas specifically geared towards children and especially towards teens are constantly being shut down. "Oh kids today are always on their phones!" Maybe because

-there are barely any arcades left and even less arcades that aren't adult-oriented,

-public pools and gyms are underfunded and shut down,

-"no loitering" laws prevent kids and teens from just hanging out,

-movie theatres only play the latest films and ticket prices are only rising,

-parks and playgrounds are either neglected or replaced with gear only directed at toddlers and unsuitable for anyone older

-genuine children's and young teen media is being phased out in favour of media directed only at very small children or older teens and adults.

-suburbs and even cities are becoming more and more hostile to pedestrians, it's just not safe for kids to walk to or ride their bikes to their friends' houses or other play destinations

Children's agency is hardly ever respected. Kids between the ages of 9-13 are either treated as babies or as full-grown adults, with no in-between. When they ask to be given more independence, they are either scoffed at or given more responsibilities than are reasonable for a child their age.

This is even evident in the fashion scene.

Clothing stores and brands like Justice and Gap are either closing or rebranding to either exclusively adult clothing or young children's clothes, with no middle ground for tweens. Tweens have to choose between clothes designed for adults that are too large and/or too mature for their age and bodies, or more clothes they feel are far too childish. For tween girls especially it's either a frilly pinafore dress with pigtails or a woman's size dress with cleavage. No wonder tween girls these days dress like they're older, it's because their other option is little girl clothes and they don't want to feel childish.

And then when tweens go to school, the books they want to read aren't available because they cover "mature" topics (read: oh no two people kissed and they weren't straight or oh no menstruation was mentioned or oh no a religion other than Christianity is depicted), so kids are left with books for way below their reading level. No wonder kids today are struggling with literacy, it's because they can't exercise and expand their reading skills with age-appropriate books. Readers need to be challenged with new words and concepts in order to grow in their skills, only letting tween read Dr. Seuss and nursery rhymes doesn't let them learn.

Discussions about substance use, reproduction, and sexuality aren't taught at an age-appropriate level in school or even by children's parents, so they either grow up ignorant and more vulnerable to abuse, or they seek out information elsewhere that is delivered in a less-than-age-appropriate manner. It shouldn't be a coin-toss between "I didn't know what sex was until I was 18 and in college" or "my first exposure to sex as a tween was through porn" or "I didn't know what sex was so I didn't know I was being sexually abused as a kid."

Tweenhood is already such a volatile and confusing time for kids, their bodies are changing and they're transitioning from elementary to middle to high school. It's hard enough for them in this stage, but it's made worse by how society devalues and fails them.

We talk about the disappearance of teenagehood, and maybe that's gonna happen in the future, but the erasure of tweenhood is happing in real time, and it's having and going to have major consequences for next generation's adults.

[thevulturesquadron]

Today has proven, yet again, that Fans(TM) shouldn't have access to direct communication with the creatives behind the media they consume, unless it's in moderated spaces.

I'd say that a good chunk of the online active fanbase does not know how to interact with someone who provides them with a creative work and doesn't know how to offer constructive criticism. I am not even going to touch on the fact that these people have basically no comprehension skills or media literacy. It's a festering culture of entitlement, and the only way in which they can express themselves is by complaining and demanding.

I wish this wasn't the case, but that's the reality we live in and it has just gotten worse in the past few years. Fans should not have the means of speaking directly to creatives by tagging them in posts or reaching out to them on platforms that only allow for a couple of sentences and raw emotions.

You want to talk to the people that spend years of their lives building something with love in a crazy stressful environment? You need to work for it! Genuinely, these people should have to go through the challenge of writing a structured essay where they stop and think and wonder why something was created that way, every time they want their opinions read/listened to.

And in this particular case (following the Dragon Age AMA), the way some Solas/Lavellan shippers (I know most fans out there are decent people that mind their own business) behaved was beyond belief and excuse. You should really take a step back and look at how you've been treating other, real people, for slights, perceived or otherwise, aimed at a fictional character. Regardless of how you feel, you absolutely do not have the right to treat strangers like that. Talk in your friends groups, vent and rant and let out whatever emotions you need to, but when you interact with people outside of your sphere, talk as you would to a person you just met.

The only mistake the devs made in that AMA was to expect a mature exchange, which was clearly something that people who love stripping their favourite characters and narratives of any complex layers are not capable of.

[tikiki05]

Hard to imagine Gwen in any fandom space but GOD is this correct, she’d especially be appalled at their racism 😶‍🌫️

rip gwen stacy, you would’ve hated gw!les. your ,,fans” are now just fanatics of the ship and not you as a character. disregarding the fact that you are a queer twentysomething who was forced to be aged down just so you could be forced into a hetero relationship with a minor

[thedissonantverses]

So one of my favorite words this year is resiliency. Because I feel that most of my life has been an exercise in developing resiliency haha. I’ve hiked 90 miles in a week with a 30 pound pack and a chainsaw for work and I’m going into education in the U.S. because I like a challenge.

What the fuck does that have to do with Dragon Age you ask?

Well…this is a fandom critical post but I think it’s symptomatic of a larger problem. Because I do not know why people who hated Veilguard take positivity so personally. Like no matter what, if I make a positive Veilguard post, I’ll at least get one person telling me it’s a bad game actually. Because my profound love for the game makes them so angry. (Which again is just endlessly hilarious. Like it’s peak entertainment that I can troll just by giving my honest opinion. I’m not even doing it on purpose.)

Which is fine? Do that! I don’t care I left the comments open. I like arguing it’s fun. But uh….why do you need me to validate you? Why do you parrot YouTubers and popular accounts on here? Why do you care if I disagree? I’m happy to chat but most of the time it’s just people mad I won’t immediately say they’re right when they regurgitated someone else’s argument I’ve seen before because I actually did step out of my echo chamber. Your bad essays don’t scare me I’ve worked in a middle school.

I do fandom critical takes because I want people to have better media literacy. I also want to point out how many of the most vitriolic takes are just repackaged bigotry. Because oh boy are they and oh boy did people fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

All I’m saying is hate the game all you want that’s your right. I mean you’re wrong but that’s not my problem lmao. But also you can stand on your own. You don’t need to quote a tumblr essay at me that’s fine. Have your own opinions! I am not going to watch that YouTube video you linked. Ever. No seriously you couldn’t pay me stop linking them.

But also if you need other people to validate your opinions constantly probably examine that. Opinions are like assholes you know? A dime a fucking dozen and they all stink.

[im-getting-help]

The way people reacted to Saltburn reminded me of a tiktok trend or "challenge" in which you had to watch the opening scene of Nocturnal Animals (2016).

(I'm not going to spoil the movie, go watch it is beautiful.)

It reminded me because the movie is so interesting and enthralling but it was played for jokes. No one was watching the movie, they felt "disgusted and uncomfortable" even though they didn't even tried to watch it.

The commentary of Saltburn was so similar, it really upset me. It was like people were saying "yeah, we watched it this time, it's still too gross".

Nocturnal Animals explores the tense relationship between the protagonists in a very gruesome and violent way. Those choices are not made for shock value, they tell a story. The same way Saltburn showed desire and obsession and in my opinion the perfect representation of unchecked limerence with the bathtub and cemetery scenes.

I have no doubt that in a few years they will be a new tiktok (or new platform) challenge that dares you to record your reaction of the cemetary scene with no context. And it makes me so sad.

It makes me sad not only because of the unappreciation of such amazing movies, but because I feel we are teaching teenagers to not have media literacy. I honestly feel like we're allowing people to just watch movies like they're cocomelon. And I think is dangerous for cinema.

Martin Scorcese shared in a few interviews how he feel that the popular movies are not really cinema, that they fail to convey real emotion and they don't take risks. I think he's right, he makes a direct reference to the MCU but to me he's describing at least 70% of the movies that comes out in a year.

Everything is simple, easy to understand, overly explained. A cast full of well known actors and a beautiful score, or a passable one, and you have a movie. You don't need a new story to tell, not really, you can just reuse an old one. Make a retelling, a remake, a live-action adaptation, a secuel or a prequel with lots of CGI. You got a movie, congrats.

To me the new movies are always disappointing, they're a way to kill time but never a moment to appreciate art.

And this is why the criticism of Saltburn frustrates and saddens me so much. Cause is not a perfect movie (well, to me it is), but is so SO much more than what we're served on a daily basis. It's rich and complex and beautiful to watch. The score is fun and playful and at times heartbreaking and breathtaking. The actors are just incredibly talented and well directed. The clothing and makeup is just a wonder to watch, going from the cringe of 2006 teenage fashion to the opulent gowns and suits. So much of this movie is a pleasure to observe, to discover.

It breaks my heart to think that the future of cinema is... white noise, filler, the equivalent to eating a sandwich instead of cooking a meal cause you're too tired to do more. So much so that when you're presented with a home cooked meal you're unable to enjoy the taste, too accustomed to simplicity.

[staghunters]

"the writers were cowards"

I think the YJ writers were more concerned with exploring the intricate details of teenage girl friendships and dynamics in a harsh environment, and also THE HORRORS, to cater to your shipping needs.

but yeah that's not to say that there's Nothing There, as Shep here rightfully poiinted out. The concept of fanfiction and the notepad program on your computer are right there for you to get writing with smh

all of them

[azelmaandeponine]

I love Stan, but it's the other way around. Stan is the beloved one. Ford is the one everyone lambastes for *checks notes* being an autistic-coded abuse victim that has flaws.

You...you realize he was still mad at Stan because of the betrayal aspect, right? Not because of WCT? (Also I'm pretty sure he knew it existed). Stan was like. The one person Ford thought he could count on. Then Stan betrayed him. It turned out that he DIDN'T love him unconditionally like he thought. (No, Stan didn't ACTUALLY betray Ford, and Ford is WRONG about the idea that Stan doesn't love him but Ford has no way of knowing that).

Ford haters learn media literacy challenge.

Bill WAS abusing Ford. And if you don't think that matters, please never talk to an abuse victim.

Also lol. "I'm not victim blaming!" *proceeds to victim blame*

You literally are basically saying "why did you date him? You were warned he was bad news!"

Shut the fuck up lol.

More victim blaming. Also he thought he was summoning demon google.

And Ford has no way of knowing what Stan's been doing in that timeframe? He's not omniscient.

The apprenticeship was literally about him spending more time with Dipper, but go off I guess. He thought Mabel would be fine. He wasn't being "dismissive of her feelings", he thought highly of her, and thought she would be fine. We have now reached the ableism that Ford haters tend to spew--that is, demonizing him for his neurodivergent traits. Ford isn't emotionally intelligent and has low empathy, so clearly that means he prioritizes work over family and doesn't care about Stan or the twins (objectively untrue).

Yes, clearly the guy who stopped working immediately to play a game with his great nephew prioritizes work over family.

Then that last bit--more gross victim blaming.

"It's his own fault he got abused and tortured!"

Ford haters ARE the most insufferable people in the fandom. They hate autistic-coded abuse victims, and it's clear. Their lack of compassion for abuse victims and the victim blaming is disgusting.

[tainbocuailnge]

it's easy to dunk on people with poor reading comprehension or to look down on them (consciously or not) even if you're not actively shaming them for "not getting it" or "being stupid" but it's not actually helpful. it's a worrying development that many people (particularly many young people) are becoming resistant to the idea that complex and/or challenging books have value but it's also an understandable development, because in many cases it's a reaction to being shamed for their struggles with literacy and not given the help they would've needed to develop an adequate level of literacy.

that's not even going into what should even be considered an "adequate" level of literacy to begin with, because the truth is that a lot of people will simply never be able to read better than absolutely necessary to navigate their daily life, and this shouldn't be treated as some kind of failure on their part. the goal of literacy education should be to give people the tools for self-sufficiency.

what's worrying is not that there are a lot of people who don't engage with complex texts, but that there are a lot of people who refuse to believe that there is something to be gained from engaging with complex texts. someone doesn't have to read or understand shakespeare or kafka or what-have-you in order to live a fulfilling life, but when they become resistant to the idea that a text can have something going on beyond what's immediately apparent on the surface, they become easy targets for deception. this hinders the self-sufficiency that literacy is supposed to provide them with.

the goal of you high school language class is not just to get you to analyze texts, but to introduce you to the idea that texts can be analyzed in the first place, even if you don't go on to be particularly good at actually analyzing them yourself. you don't need to be able to read between the lines to understand that it is possible to read between the lines, and that therefore a text that seems nonsensical to you at first may simply be written for an audience of a different skill level - this is only a problem if there is a mismatch between the complexity of the text and the literacy of its target audience. an inability to read for subtext is not a personal failure, nor does the ability to read for subtext make you a better person than someone who can't. literacy is a skill, and like any skill there are people to whom it comes more easily than others.

calling people who are drawn to anti-intellectual rhetoric due to their struggles with literacy stupid is not going to encourage them to change their mind. developing media literacy and reading comprehension is something that is very difficult to do on your own, and doubly so if any attempt at trying to learn is met with derision for not already being able to do it. the problem is not people who only engage with easy texts, the problem is people growing hostile towards the idea that there is worth in engaging with more complex texts

if reading comprehension has always come naturally to you, it can be difficult to grasp how someone can fail to understand a text that you thought was easy enough to follow. I myself am guilty of snapping at people for misinterpreting me so wildly it seemed like they were doing it on purpose. you need to learn to suppress this kneejerk reaction, and instead see this frustration as common ground: you are both facing a situation where your communication skills are insufficient. what can you do to bridge this gap? how can you present this information in different ways that better suit how the other party processes information? keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean to simplify the information, because nobody likes being condescended to, and being condescended to is in many cases exactly what made these people hostile towards more complex ideas to begin with.

I don't have an easy solution, because this is a complex problem, and what helps some people will inevitably be useless to many others. but I believe fostering a culture where you won't be met with derision or ridicule for not understanding something or needing more explanation will go a long way. next time someone comments on your post with an absolutely baffling take that makes you wonder if they even read what you said, consider that maybe they are trying to engage with a text that is above their reading level, and they genuinely lack the ability to parse and retain the information you presented in the way you presented it. if you're going to respond, try to do so in good faith.

[nightsister-juisid]

“Rhaenyra finally realizing she was groomed”, “I was praying for days like these”…bla bla

1. Rhaenyra never said she was groomed or recognized she was groomed. She wasn’t groomed because they are in the game of thrones universe where Laena was sent to be married with Viserys when she was 12, and where Daemon and most characters were FORCED to be married while they still were KIDS. Everybody “dates” young here! Therefore it doesn’t exist the concept of grooming!!

2. Rhaenyra realized she couldn’t fix someone like Daemon, as much as she had wished it when she was a child. She now notices how broken he actually is and how there is no cure, because she doesn’t need to deal with Daemon’s problems as she, herself, now has challenges of her own in which Daemon should be supporting her.

That’s one thing COMPLETELY different to what antis are understanding (they are so biased, damn)

3. Let’s not forget that their relationship isn’t going to end. Rhaenyra LOVES Daemon as much as he loves her and his family. Daemon WAS MADE FOR RHAENYRA. He was created with the mere purpose of being her consort in the dance of the dragons. Not the other way around.

So stop being delulu and learn some media literacy before posting nonsense

[bogkeep]

[now entering: the OPINION ZONE]

the way i feel about Booktok(tm), as a phenomenon, or maybe more as a weird miasma that is seeping through every bookstore i enter, is that we don't see eye to eye. i'm sure it's got a lot more variation and diversity than whatever weird takes bubble up to the surface for my tiktok-less self to stumble upon - mostly i just feel like my motivation for reading books is different than theirs. there is the occasional overlap in the Books I Enjoy / Big On Booktok venn diagram (which makes me feel very weird about those books but that's for me to sort out), but i cannot personally Trust a booktok recommendation, if that makes sense. either way, it's none of my business what other people like to read, and i think me and booktok can peacefully coexist in each our own spheres. (if all of this is completely incomprehensible to you i salute you and envy your peace of mind.)

anyway, a very fascinating discussion that keeps showing up recently is the phenomenon where popular booktok influencers admit to skipping paragraphs that are too long, or only reading the dialogue of a book, or performing shock at a printed book containing Too Many Words Per Page. what fascinates me is not so much that it is happening (though it DOES fascinate me), but how much people reacting to this struggle to explain exactly Why it's so aggravating.

like, i feel like the obvious takeaway is that these people are monetizing their alleged joy of reading, and then... don't? even like to read? that the consumerist aesthetic of Being A Reader is more profitable on a video platform than doing the due diligence of reviewing books properly? that the content machine marches on and if you're too slow you'll fall behind??

INSTEAD the discussion seems to center around the good old "oohh nooo people read BAD BOOKS instead of GOOD BOOKS and IT'S IMPORTANT TO CHALLENGE YOUR BRAINNN or else the MEDIA LITERACY....." and i'm sorry but i think this has been a moral panic for as long as we've had literature. media literacy has never had a golden age that i'm aware of. there's always been trashy romances that authors pump out on the monthly for easy consumption. capitalism is gonna value profit over quality for as long as it's in charge. people who read for fun are gonna read what they're gonna read, and they're gonna read it in the way they enjoy reading. i agree that reading Good Books is deeply fulfilling! but that is my personal and subjective experience that not everyone is going to share.

i think the reason i feel weird about the insistence that you Must, at least occasionally, Challenge Yourself while reading is that... i'm exhausted in my brain. too exhausted to challenge myself for fun. maybe it's a burnout thing. i really really get looking at a paragraph and finding it simply too much to absorb right now. my main method of getting through books these days is in audio format, even if i would personally prefer to read them visually (they'd stick to my brain better, i would see how names are spelled, sudden POV switches between paragraphs would be less confusing). but reading a book in text form is taking me weeks at best - unless it's a special kind of book that i can't help but devour immediately, sleep schedule be damned (which is another toll to pay). some books are just too complex and need too much focus for me to enjoy right now, so i keep having to goldilock my way to what feels Just Right. some books, i'm sure i'll get back to later. some i've made my peace with never picking up despite the fact that they feel Obligatory (my apologies to lord of the rings. i've Tried and i just can't do it). so like i GET IT. sometimes reading is too much.

what i Wish the discussion was more about, was instead finding ways to read that's enjoyable for you. there is literature and screen plays that are Only Dialogue. there's graphic novels. there's audiobooks and e-readers that let you change the font sizes. there's lots and lots and lots of fanfiction that's literally just banter and smut. there's no shame in reading what you enjoy! there's no shame in spending months on the same book! but i suppose it's not as ~Aesthetic~ as purchasing 10 editions of the same book series on amazon dot hell!!!!