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argumentl · 4 years ago

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The Freedom of Expression Ep 3 - Michelin Star related suicide.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, getting started with the third episode of The Freedom of Expression.

J, T: Yep.

K: Joe Yokomizu san and Tasai san are here again. So, how are we doing, after the second time?

Kami:*interrupts*

J: Ah, He's cutting in early today.

Kami: Yes, yes, yes. Im thinking a lot about my timing.

J: You're entering from every possible angle?

Kami: Yes, thats it.

K: What do you think after the first two episodes? We are on our third today, but does it seem interesting?

K: As a god, im kinda out of things to say.

J: Really?

Kami: Yep

J: You would think a god would know about all sorts of things.

Kami: I don't know all that much. *K laughs* Im studying, Im working on it.

T: Last time, the suspicion arose that he was poverty stricken, didnt it?

J: Yes, he pointed out he was a poverty stricken god.

Kami: I told you not to say that! *K laughs*

T: Sorry..

Kami: Its a problem.

K: After we finished last time, we ended up talking a lot about money, didn't we?

J: Yes, we did. *everyone laughing*

Kami: Yep, yep.

J: After the recording, Kami spoke non stop about money, didn't he? He is really attached to it..for a god. You'd think he'd be the one least interested in that, but he turns out to be the one most interested.

Kami: It wasn't that bad until then. It wasn't like that back on the radio show. It really has become a problem recently.

J: Oh now?

T: I see.

Kami: Yes, now.

K: Right, well, our third episode...

J: Yes, the title is 'Suicide resulting from Michelin stars - In the lawsuit of a former 3 star Michelin star chef, the court rules that....'

This is concerning the Michelin guide which was even popularised in a TV drama last year. In its country of origin, France, there is so much pressure, the fear of losing a star can even lead to suicide. A Chef who lost his third star even filed a lawsuit against Michelin. As for the specific story, Marc Veyrat, who runs the famous restaurant 'La Maison des Bois' in the Alps, recieved the long awaited 3 star rating in 2018. Just one year later, this dropped to a 2 star rating. Veyrat responded angrily, 'The quality of my food hasn't changed at all. Its a mistake in the inspection', and brought the case against Michelin. As well as demading the inspector's qualifications and the report to be made public, as his demotion has led to him to falling into a state of depression, he is suing Michelin for the sum of just 1 Euro, or in yen, 120 yen. He has been telling the media of his discontent that the inspectors could not recognize the cheese Reblochon, from the Savoy region, and probably mistook it for the widely produced cheddar cheese. Nanterre courthouse in the suburbs of Paris responded, that as well as the evaluation of the inspector coming down to freedom of expression, the plaintiff did not show good enough reason that his reputation had been marred. The famous chef was defeated, but the agony of chefs over the star rating is becoming a problem in society. By the way, simply put, the standard for the inspection, or the standard for the stars, is the food only. Not the restaurant interior, or the service. The food is assessed on the following five criteria. 1) The quality of the ingrediants. 2) The level of skill and amount of seasoning. 3) Originality. 4) Cost performance. 5) The consistency of the presented dishes on the whole. This is the same all over the world. As for the meaning of the stars, this is as follows. One star = Food that is particularly delicious within its category. Two stars = Spectacular food that is worth making a detour to have it. Three stars = Excellent food that is worth specifically traveling just to have it. The report is produced by a group consisting of the inspectors, the chief editor and all other responsible parties for the Michelin guide book. Every year they recieved around 45,000 emails and letters from thier readers, which they look through, and sometimes even do re-evaluations. ....Food!

K: Food...

J: Yep...I mean, reputation really controls which restaurants we go to. Kaoru, what do you think?

K: Hmm, well, its an inspection isnt it?

J: Yes, its an inspection.

K: I was in Paris last year. There are loads of these aren't there? * the others laugh*

J: Well, yes. So, he didn't change anything about his food, but his rating still dropped, whats that all about?

K: Isn't it precisely because he didn't do anything new?

J: Oh, could it be that? If others are upping thier game, you will naturally drop.

K: There couldn't really be someone who mistook it for mass produced cheddar cheese.

J: You'd think, wouldn't you?

K: And then, maybe people are just different, no matter what it is. Even if its the same person..

J: Maybe they were feeling bad or something..

K: Hmm, an inspection is...Well, if it was sports or combat sport or something..the observers can easily judge the game, like..oh this one definitely won...But with music, or movies....appraisals of 'things', its different depending on the person isnt it.

J: Yes, you're right.

K: This type of guide is for people who want to expand thier knowledge, the Michelin guide ...For movies it would be the Academy Awards, and there are tv shows doing the same thing. Its just to make things easier for people...so, in the end, it seems like it can't be helped really.

J: Well, thats it, yes. I dont know about Michelin, but Im in the position to do album reviews, so im in the place to award stars...and, its true, if its a genre you like, you just naturally like it, and are prone to jacking up the stars, but if its a genre you don't listen to, you feel unfamiliar and it takes a while to figure out whether its good or bad. So certainly, as for awarding stars.. asking people, well, im just repeating what you said Kaoru, its not objective information. You have to try and think about the aim. If the orgainisation drops a star from you it doesn't necessarily mean you are bad..

K: Its like a contest or that type of thing, you can still see who's winning the game..

J: Like 1-1, you can see whos winning in front of you, the circumstances are a little different from this though.

K: Eventually, won't it affect thier sales though?

J: I think so.

T: Don't you think diners also rely too much on this kind of guide?

K: You can check anything on your smartphone, you don't really know whats true.

J: You don't, there are these restaurant review sites where some people are paid to write good reviews, and some people are paid to write bad reviews, you know, to destroy thier rivals they will write bad stuff...So its difficult to know how far to trust that type of thing. By the way, Kaoru, do you refer to reviews in relation to food, or new music or anything like that?

K: Well, I do, yes. Guides and such...Usually, I get information I want to know from all over the place. I ask people, like..'I want to eat this', or 'I wonder if that place is good' or something, I ask people what they think.

T: But when you want to go to see a movie, do you ask someone who likes movies?

K: I'll read what someone has written about it, or I'll read what they've posted on social media.

J: The main thing is listening to people you can trust.

K: Yes, thats it.

J: Someone you are familiar with, or some well-informed person. Also someone you see eye to eye with.

T: Thats right.

J: If you go out for food with someone, and they say 'this is delicious', if you ask them what else they like, it will be the same kind of things that you like.

K: Really, I've never been to a two star or three star Michelin restaurant * the others laugh*.

J: Well, this internet age isn't going to end...

T: Right

J: Just how far will people trust this kind of assesment, or star rating?

T: Joe, have you ever been hassled by anyone because of this? By artists or such?

J: I havn't actually...I write what I didn't personally like, and sign my name with a star rating, then, 'this is what I think, but what do YOU think', to continue the conversation.

K: Our boss in our office, he was in a band a long time ago, and he got angry about something that was written in a magazine, so he stormed over to the magazine headquarters * the others laugh* He might ????*1

J,T: Your boss, wow!

J: What was the magazine?

K: Oh, I don't remember..*laughing*

J: Which of them has the freedon of expression? *laughing*

K: They are both clashing with each other.

J: The moment their freedom clashed *laughs*

T: But, Ive heard that kind of story before...A hip hop artist or something, went to a magazine and tried to restrain or kidnap the editor. He took it that seriously.

J: Well, in a music magazine, if you write an article, its the same with interviews, you dont know whether the other party will see or hear it. For me, after editing, I think its good to show it to the artist once. Im only writing my ideas, and there are times where thats not the reality.

For interviews, you dont necessarily hand over the questions in advance, and if im just asking at random, the artist may feel on the spot and not be able to say what they really feel, so i think its good to show them once, to get the facts right. With reviews too, i think showing them what i intend to write is important. But there are magazines where the boss doesnt get the content checked, 'you said it, so take responsibility', kind of thing. Thats a bit harsh, i think.

T: Well, yes. With interviews, I think its good to show the person. Protecting freedom should be kept independent.

J: Yes, yes, you are free to write what you think, but this is also keeping it real by checking if artists are holding responsibility for what they say. They decide whether they can really say that after checking it first.

K: There are times when you wish you'd used more words..

J: There are! Of course, its limited to the time and place of the interview, for example 1 hour, the time is squeezed. You have to get on with it, with little explanation..sometimes you need to supplement that.

T: Yes, you're right.

K: What do you think, Kami?

J: Kamiii?

Kami: *stifled laugh* Yes, what?

J: I don't know how to address him.

Kami: No no, don't worry about that, we are short on time.

K: Yes, our third installment is ending.

J: It felt quick today..somehow.

K: Originally, one episode was supposed to have two news items.

J: Yeah, i thought that.

K: But it didn't work that way, did it?

J: No, it didnt. What do the viewers think? Is one item enough? Or do they want two items at a faster pace?

K: If its too long, they won't be able to watch it.

J,T: Right.

T: A shorter video is better.

J: As for raising the number of views, right?

K: We talk about quite difficult stuff too, we should try to break into it as much as we can, make it interesting. Oh, and Kami, even his voice is interesting.

J: Its enough.

K: Well, that was the third installment, please tune in next time.

K, J, T: Thank you very much.

*1 I couldn't catch this.

#dir en grey #the freedom of expression #TFOE #kaoru #薫

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defensematrix · 6 years ago

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Give us the good boy Bap tips 👀 I’ve been playing him a lot and it’d be nice to learn some new things!

yall want TIPS? yall want to see an autistic ramble at full power for an embarrassingly long post??

OKAY so baptiste is a really interesting support hero in that he rewards good mechanics, but he isnt completely useless if your aim isnt that good, especially if you just focus on healing your team and using your abilities

that being said! his primary fire can be very deadly and its absolutely worth it to practice using his gun so you can take out enemies on your own. his burst fire is a little weird to get used to, but after a while ive found that his gun plays really similar to soldier, so if youve played him bap might be a little easier

baptist’s spread is a vertical three round burst that looks like this:

(i tried to get an in-game pic but it didnt show up well lol)

the shape of it means that its better to aim his crosshair at the neck of heroes as opposed to their head, but the verticality is mainly due to his recoil. as such, it helps a lot if you pull down slightly when you shoot

heres a gif of me shooting at the head without fighting the recoil

and one where i am. note that at this range it only takes two shots

baptistes primary fire is best used when:

behind a shield/in a bunker. baptiste can help a lot with shield wars so dont just pump grenades into your team afraid that they might take tiny bits of damage if you focus on something else for a second

to finish off low health targets. it helps if your team calls them out but usually you’ll have to keep an eye out yourself. baptiste is very good for this as opposed to trying to get solo kills, especially if you just have average mechanics (like me)

in chaotic teamfights that could go either way, use your best judgement as to whether to do damage or healing. on attack, i would say to try being more offensive, and on defense always be defensive with his kit unless youre the only person left alive

against tanks and certain squishies (hes really good against pharah/mercy, zen, junkrat, etc, but has trouble fighting tracer/mini dva and snipers that are out of range)

when using his ultimate. the extra damage is actually really good

important note as of the current patch (6/18): baptistes ult is bugged so that it doesnt amplify healing, so dps away until its fixed lol

now onto his healing grenades!

they have a lot less range than you would think (like 3m i think) its good to go into the practice range and see for yourself just how close they have to be to hit teammates so you have a better feel for it in game.

he does 60 heals per second (120 when his matrix,, actually works.) and has 12 ammo per clip, making him a decent primary healer.

in general, his healing works best when youre on the high ground, due to them being grenades. so use his jump boots to take high ground as needed to heal your team! also, if youre in an area that has open sky, they can be shot directly up into the air for a delayed healing effect

technically, you can shoot his primary and secondary fire at the same time, but its rare that doing so would actually be helpful imo, where you aim for each is very different. i guess it wouldnt hurt to practice it just in case

also, his grenades have the same projectile trajectory as his immortality field, which is good to keep in mind if you want to aim the field more precisely. when i first picked up baptiste i made a lot of mistakes bc i flung it way too far lol

speaking of his immortality field, my Most General baptiste tip would be to use his ultimate on cooldown like an ability (since it charges so fast) and to use his immortality field like an ultimate

if you play zenyatta or lucio, i would compare using it to their ultimates. ive found that the longer i wait before using it the better (in my replays i see myself use it too early out of panic and the result is Sad), but you dont want to avoid using it completely and end up with a dead team. finding the balance is hard but it comes with practice

like lucios ult (and sometimes zen) it can be used for initiation! i had a really good team that fought a bastion bunker on paris with dive, and i helped by throwing my immortality frisbee on top of the bastion when they went in. if you have a winston, try throwing it in after him when he initiates

its also very important to pay attention to where exactly the frisbee ends up, because if you place it right, it cant be hit by the enemy team. try to place it slightly behind cover whenever possible. this is by far the most abusable part of his kit and i wouldnt be surprised if the duration of it gets nerfed to compensate. so if you want to cheese your way up the ranks, go into each map in custom games and practice where to put the field so that enemies cant hit it. this alone wont do much if you dont have the game sense to know when to do it, though

ultimates that immortality field is good at countering:

GRAV. zaryas get so mad about this bc people forget to shoot it and its so funny. also hanzos dragons cant kill the field so it can counter that combo entirely, just be sure to communicate to your zen so they dont waste ult

dva bomb/junkrat, but it will be instantly destroyed and your team will be very low health, so be careful. it also counters pulse bomb if you get stuck

earth shatter. if you suspect rein has it, stick to the high ground at all costs to avoid being caught! this is good advice in general for supports, but especially for ones with defensive abilities

in that same vein, you can counter emp if you can avoid being caught by sombra. note that sombra can hack baps frisbee so watch out

genji. genji can kill the field but it takes away from the amount of slashes he has and in this time your team should be able to kill him. if hes nanoboosted, you have less time to get to safety, so try charging your boots to get away from him in the meantime

mccree. high noon cant target the field. press f for everyones favorite trash cowboy. (it can however help friendly mccrees and pharahs from dying as soon as they hit q so try to combo!)

speaking of pharah, its possible to get her to kill herself with barrage if you put your frisbee right in front of her face

not good ultimates to try to counter:

doomfists ult can be avoided by charging your shoes and jumping up in the air (as long as youre not directly beneath him lol) so its not worth it unless you see someone else about to be smashed

related to doomfist, if he gets on you it can be hard to set the field down right bc of how his abilities displace you, so be sure to look straight down when you use it

reaper, soldier, and bob all auto target the field, so if its out in the open it just disintegrates

torbjorn and hammonds ults also kill the field pretty much immediately

also, as good as immortality is, there are some situations where baptiste just doesnt work as well as other heroes. if you have a good zen or lucio who use their ults well, or if you have a really mobile/spread out comp, you might want to pick one of the other main healers.

if in general you feel like youre not doing enough healing, try switching to mercy to reach your teammates better. if you need crowd control or anti heal then pick ana, and moira can be good at lower ranks if youre not getting any peel/dying too much (just please keep focusing on healing)

on that note, if your other healer insists on playing dps moira, baptiste is a good fit since he can main heal and also provide defense abilities to make up for that

as for his regenerative burst, all i really have to say is to try not to use it out of panic every time you take chip shots (i do this still lol) it works best when you and your teammates are all in a fight, actively taking damage

im sure that even with all i wrote im still forgetting something but i think im gonna call this done for now. i uhhhh love baptiste a lot and think hes a good hero to try to rank up with bc his primary fire has a high skill ceiling but his healing/abilities are more forgiving at lower ranks

#baptiste #long post #god i really wrote all this out and made gifs #this is Fun for me ok #used bold mostly to just break up.. all of this #Anonymous

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spring-emerald · 6 years ago

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all in a day’s work

Angel!Kuroo and Demon!Daichi featuring Human!Bokuto that won’t leave me alone.

Kuroo peeks from behind Bokuto and sees an elderly couple having trouble with their luggage. There are no police officers around to help, and the people walking were either too busy to notice them or too busy ignoring them. Kuroo huffs, before shaking his head.

“Well, looks like another good deed for you, Bo,” he says, tilting his head to look at Bokuto’s face, still staring at the struggling couple before him. “Go on.”

Bokuto blinks, snapping out of his quick, temporary daze and jogs over to the couple, offering his help. Kuroo watches on with a proud and satisfied smile, even whistled low when Bokuto effortlessly hefted one luggage on his shoulder, and hand carried the other, as him and the couple walk up the stairs of the overpass.

Kuroo follows behind them, hands inside the pockets of his white hoodie, listening and nodding at the praises the old lady is gushing about Bokuto, smiling at his friend’s modest gratefulness.

They reach the other side of the road in no time, Bokuto and Kuroo waving goodbye at the couple now sitting inside the cab that will take them to the train station.

“That felt good,” he comments, looking at Bokuto’s proud smile.

“And definitely deserves a treat,” a familiar voice from Bokuto’s other side speaks up, before Sawamura bends a little forward to get a good look at him. “Don’t you think?” he asks. His suggestion, while innocent sounding, definitely spells trouble especially when matched with that small curl of his lips.

“The kind lady already gave him candies, Sawamura. That’s a treat, on top of their gratefulness.”

Sawamura hums. “I guess,” he shrugs, stepping out from behind Bokuto. He straightens his gray vest then pushes the sleeves of his black dress shirt further up his arms. “But all that carrying must have made you hungry huh, Bokuto?” He blinks his wide, brown eyes up at the said guy.

Bokuto rubs his belly in response.

“Thought so,” Sawamura nods. “You know what sounds good right now?” He moves closer and whispers conspiratorially. “A bacon and four-cheese, double patty burger.”

“No, it does not-”

“With a side of large fries, slathered with ketchup-”

“You’re going to spoil your dinner, Bokuto. Not a good idea.”

“…And a tall glass of triple chocolate milkshake.”

Kuroo glares at Sawamura, who just smirked at him. Bokuto is already biting down on his lips, eyes a bit glazed from imagining the sinfully delicious meal.

“This is ridiculous,” Kuroo huffs, rounding on Bokuto. “Bokuto, it’s not yet your cheat day. If you hold back now, I promise we can have it during then.”

Just as Kuroo thinks he’s finally got Bokuto convinced to let the tempting meal go, Sawamura snorts. “What you did was basically a work-out, Bokuto. And besides, you can always run an extra lap.” He meets Kuroo’s eyes daringly, chin lifted in a challenge.

“Good things come to those who wait, buddy.”

“Why wait when the diner is just a few steps away from here,” Sawamura gestures to the general direction of the said diner, making Bokuto turn his head towards it. “And the walk back home would help burn some of that anyway.”

Kuroo grits his teeth and steps in front of Bokuto to try and cover the path. “Bokuto…” Kuroo protests, but it’s too late because Bokuto’s already got this determined look in his face and Sawamura steps up beside him, making a show of dusting his hands with a smug smile, nonverbally gloating at Kuroo for a job well done. Kuroo just knows that he’s lost this round.

“We were having a good day, Sawamura,” Kuroo glowers at him as Bokuto pass by him, brushing through his shoulder.

“And it’s bound to get better because we’re having a burger,” Sawamura says with a wink, following Bokuto to the diner.

-----

“Good night, buddy. I hope you have a nice dream.” Kuroo says, patting Bokuto’s form under the thick blanket before stretching up as he stands from the bed.

He takes a quick sweep of the room and notice that Sawamura isn’t making any indication to move from his spot, seated with his legs crossed on Bokuto’s swivel chair, chin propped on his hands on the study table and he’s silently staring at him.

Kuroo clears his throat when the staring got unnerving. “All in a day’s work huh, Sawamura?”

Sawamura only hums noncommittally.

Kuroo bites the inside of his left cheek. “You’re not leaving yet?” Sawamura doesn’t stay too long after Bokuto falls asleep, except only during times when something unusual happened to Bokuto and they discuss if it had been influenced by them or something else. They may have fundamentally different motives, but at the end of the day, Bokuto is their human and they both have to take care of him until it’s his time.

Sawamura lifts a shoulder in a small shrug. “I don’t feel like going back yet.”

Kuroo frowns lightly at him. “You’re not planning on giving him nightmares, are you?”

Sawamura rolls his eyes. “Kuroo, you know for a fact that I can’t give him nightmares any more than you can give him sweet dreams. That’s Matsukawa’s job.”

“Then why d’you want to stay?” While they should leave together ideally, there is no hard rule that prevents any of them from staying with their human alone, should they wish it. The necessary paperwork that had to be written in cases like those are a pain to write though, because both Heaven and Hell like to keep up with their records.

Sawamura doesn’t answer him, and Kuroo thinks he wouldn’t even get a proper response and was ready to leave it at that, but Sawamura stands up from the chair and slowly, languidly walks toward him, keeping eye contact.

Kuroo swallows at the glint in Sawamura’s eyes, but he can’t bring himself to look away or to even move back when Sawamura stops, standing too close.

“What if I tell you,” he says in a soft voice, “it’s because I want to stay longer with you?”

Kuroo’s unable to formulate a decent reply and instead lets out a squeak when Sawamura glides his hands up along his chest over the soft material of his white hoodie, snaking his arms around Kuroo’s neck.

“Will you stay with me?” Sawamura whispers, breath fanning across Kuroo’s lips, making it tingle, and he looks down at the deceptively innocent face that promises something sinful.

“Sawamura, we can’t.” Kuroo reaches behind, aiming to unwrap Sawamura’s arms around him, but gets caught off guard when Sawamura firmly presses his lips on his own. He doesn’t respond for a few seconds, but gives into the kiss eventually, closing his eyes whilst opening his mouth to welcome the wet, sensual slide of Sawamura’s tongue against his.

This is another one for the records, he’s sure. But at that moment, he can’t be bothered by the bureaucracy, not when Sawamura is moaning against him like this and his arms that initially intended to pull away, pulls Sawamura flush against him instead. They part for a few, but Sawamura pulls on some hair just above his nape then pushes Kuroo’s head down and it starts all over again.

A loud cough interrupts them and they both pull away quickly from each other, and both look in shock at one unamused Matsukawa.

“Matsukawa, I-” Kuroo begins to explain, but Matsukawa holds up a halting hand. Sawamura grumbles something about getting to the good part that Kuroo and Matsukawa ignored.

“If you’re going to do something like this, please do it elsewhere.” He tips his head to the direction of Bokuto’s bed where the human has been clearly affected by his guardians’ activity. The blanket’s been tossed haphazardly around him, and he’s panting heavily and his face is flushed.

“We…we did that?” Kuroo asks, nervously running a hand through his hair. “Did he dream of it?”

“No, he didn’t. But your human can still sense you, even when asleep.” He waves a hand over Bokuto and instantly, the human relaxes.

“You even gave him a dream.” Sawamura says, peering over to check on Bokuto.

“Gee, I wonder why,” Matsukawa says dryly. Sawamura pouts at him. “Anyway, no thanks for the free show.”

Before any of them can reply, Matsukawa disappears.

They spend the next few minutes standing in awkward silence, until Sawamura breaks it. “I guess I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

Kuroo glances at him hesitantly but nods. “Yeah. See you.” He stiffens when Sawamura moves into his space again. “I’ll ask Suga for suggestions, so we won’t be interrupted, so wear that jeans again, alright?”

He vanishes after giving Kuroo a wink and a quick peck on the cheek.

#haikyuu!!#kurodai #kuroo tetsurou #sawamura daichi #hq fanfic

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littlelovelymemes · 7 years ago

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✰ — — — EVEN MORE POPULAR TEXT POSTS STARTERS

‘ let me just make one thing clear... i have no clue what’s going on, ever, at any moment, at any point in time. who knows what’s going on? not me. not ever. ’ ‘ i would just like to publicly announce that i have no idea what i am doing ’ ‘ we came from the same star and we will come together again in the end ’ ‘ i have a ‘why am i like this’ moment at least five times a day ’ ‘ did i need it? no. did i buy it? yes. ’ ‘ the most dangerous game is resting your eyes after you turned off the alarm clock in the morning ’ ‘ petition for stars in the day time please??? ’ ‘ i love it when i wake up and stretch and something cracks. makes me feel like a glo-stick ’ ‘ drop whatever you’re doing right now and climb a tree ’ ‘ the most fucked up part of adult life is how you can just decide to do things ’ ‘ i’m a person who wants to do lots of things trapped inside a body that wants to SLEEP at all times ’ ‘ i’m so tired but i’ll probably be awake until 3 am for no reason ’ ‘ time to kick my own ass. bitch had it coming for too long ’ ‘ honestly ‘thanks i hate it’ is one of the funniest phrases in the english language ’ ‘ do you ever wonder how many people have loved you and never told you? ’ ‘ the internets one true talent is making me sick of things i’ve never seen or read or heard ’ ‘ i’m permanently emotionally damaged but it’s chill, i’m chill ’ ‘ all cracker barrels are dimensionally linked. you could walk into a cracker barrel in georgia and walk out of one in arkansas and feel nothing ’ ‘ ‘you look different with makeup’????? you think i’m buying shit for hundreds of dollars to just keep looking like my ugly self ... ok ’ ‘ why did the fray go off so hard in ‘how to save a life’? ’ ‘ anyone else bummed they have 2 sleep alone tonight and uh not in some1s arms ’ ‘ not to be too controversial but i like it when people are nice ’ ‘ the sun has no business tapping out at the tender hour of 5pm bitch i have depression ’ ‘ i forgot how fucking weird november is theres no afternoon its just night after 2pm ’ ‘ what time do you need me? i am unavailable whenever that time is ’ ‘ look i may have made a few typos and committed a few murders but nobody’s perfect okay ’ ‘ i guess at this point i should just consider dating myself ’ ‘ i’m aiming for the “she’s a badass and cute as hell but i wouldn’t touch her without asking” look ’ ‘ haha if you’re bored you could kiss me idk just sayin ’ ‘ i see you’re paying attention to someone who is not me. why is that. ’ ‘ 80s music wont solve all my life’s problems but it certainly distracts me from them ’ ‘ i cant believe what walkie talkies are called ’ ‘ some people think life is like a rollercoaster but my life is more like one of those rides that spin really fast so you’re pinned to the wall and can’t do anything about it ’ ‘ hey girl do you want to make a fragile human connection in the vast and unfeeling infinity of a chaotic universe ’ ‘ all these fuckboys but who is the fuckfather ’ ‘ i love drunk me but i don’t trust her ’ ‘ do you have those people that you’d go anywhere with unconditionally, like they could say “lets go check out that dumpster” and you’d be like “im in” ’ ‘ nah sorry i cant go out tonight, i have plans to spiral into uncontrollable anxiety starting in the early evening and ending at roughly 3 am ’ ‘ me: queen of having had enough ’ ‘ she needs a hug (i’m she) ’ ‘ is it acceptable to start an essay with “listen here you little shit”? 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kiss me on the lips dude ’ ‘ too many songs about love. not enough songs about sword fights ’ ‘ don’t talk to me or my 78 insecurities ever again ’ ‘ i just did a tarot reading... it said ur a bitch ’ ‘ a good substitute for love and fulfillment? a crunchwrap supreme from taco bell ’ ‘ i fucked up? idk what you’re referring to but probably ’ ‘ *in a high-pitched mocking voice* "are you okay?" what the fuck. ’ ‘ how do u just..... not believe in aliens ’ ‘ a coffee pot can be a coffee mug if you just don’t fucking care ’ ‘ “you’re up early!” jokes on you i didn’t sleep at all and am in between energized and dying ’ ‘ dont wanna sound like a slut but i really need a hug right now ’ ‘ casual fan? no sorry i only know how to invest my whole livelihood into something and spend every waking moment thinking about said thing ’ ‘ i have a dozen hearts swirling around my head irl like that isnt a filter its permanent ’ ‘ i worry about you even when you say you’re fine ’ ‘ i will never hurt you. i will always stick by your side. i will always try to make you smile ’ ‘ true love: having to hold back your adorable, violent girlfriend to keep her from straight up murdering a dude ’ ‘ cute date idea: be nice to me ’ ‘ im so jealous of people who know what they want to do with their future i dont even know what t.v show to watch next ’ ‘ me? clingy? yes please don’t leave me ’ ‘ hey….,.,.. no offense but,,. i want someone to love and cherish me ’ ‘ i need someone to lay in bed with me for hours ’ ‘ dark hannah montana..... show me the worst of both worlds ’ ‘ someone has to say it: come on eileen is a fucking banger like that shit snaps,, a bop for the century ’ ‘ roses are red, i’m going to bed ’ ‘ bless netflix for creating the skip intro button honestly ’ ‘ they call me… 7 Knives. because that’s how many knives it takes me to cook things because i keep puttin em in the fuckin sink without thinking about it ’ ‘ i wanna burry my face in someone’s chest right now til i fall asleep and wake up 4 hours later just to find i’m still in their arms ’ ‘ the internet has ruined me honestly i’m numb to everything. it could be the end of the world and i’d be like “tag urself i’m the acid rain” ’ ‘ lately i have been…….dying to be in love…,..and that’s the mood sadly ’ ‘ not to be ns fw but i’d cry if someone kissed me on the cheek ’ ‘ sexting? nah. i’m into spexting. spooky texting. ever seen a ghost? hmu. ’ ‘ not to sound cocky as shit but i’m a fucking good person with a big heart and i deserve a lot more than the shitty hand life has dealt me this far ’ ‘ i say i love you a lot because i do ’ ‘ i’m sorry. i can’t come to the phone right now? why? oh. cause i hate talking on the phone please text me instead. ’ ‘ low on self esteem, so u run on mac & cheese ’ ‘ who’s gonna come lay with me in bed and let me wrap my legs and arms around u like a small bear ’ ‘ youre a coward if youre not on the way to my house right now to give me a kiss ’ ‘ my personality is like 90% the song i’m currently listening to ’ ‘ the first step to any murder is to have fun and be yourself ’ ‘ no offense @ life but can i have a breath.. a break... some slack... ’ ‘ the best kind of alcohol is a lot ’ ‘ 911 i hate to be “that guy” but i glued myself to the ceiling again ’ ‘ having “feelings” is ruining my reputation of being a heartless bitch ’

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everything4everyone · 6 years ago

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Through the looking class

When I look in the mirror, I see more than a simple reflection of my outward appearance. Most of the time I see a ‘me’ that is more ‘me’ than yesterday. This is partly an effect of growing old. A few months back I was driving home when I stopped to let an old man and young woman cross the road. He was walking with a slight stoop, his face was pinched and his clothes had clearly seen better days; it was only when he had crossed that I recognised him as one of my best friends. He was on the wrong side of town at the wrong time of day but it was still a shock to realise that this battered old man was only 12 months my senior. Fuck! Is that what I look like?

But it’s more than just old age that stares back at me. There’s been a steady accretion of experiences, postures, and events which all combine to make me more ‘me’ than ever. Thirty years ago the ‘me’ that stared back from the mirror was more unformed. Less substantial maybe but also open, unshaped. A face that was (literally) not yet scarred. A face that was to-come. Today the lines on my face tell a story of where I’ve been, of who I’ve been, of who I’ve become. These calcifying layers put me in mind of a 1950s B-movie where the protagonist is gradually sheathed in some kind of hard carapace until the only thing moving is an eye which grimly blinks out an S-O-S like a human lighthouse. Actually I think I’m combining several different cinematic tropes here but you get the picture: as I’ve become more ‘me’, the conditions of possibility have necessarily become more constrained.

There’s a link here, I think, to one of the problems of political organisation: how do you grow without becoming more like yourself? Of course this isn’t necessarily a problem if you see revolution as a matter of aggregation, of marshalling our forces until we have the strength to overthrow our rulers. That’s a typically Leninist top-down view, where the aim is precisely to grow, to become more like yourself, changing only in volume. Qualitative change (revolution) occurs through quantitative growth. We are nothing but must be everything and the way to do that is to build the party, recruit members, flex your muscles.

To be fair, this sort of approach makes lots of sense even if you’re not a Leninist. Every group has to reach some sort of critical mass in order to do anything, and constructing a group identity is an inevitable part of this. It also defines a collectivity, ensuring that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But there’s a problem. Once the identity assumes a certain shape, it tends to become meaningful to a limited number of people; in the worst case it might only be visible to a tiny minority. In some cases this might be fine—a Cheese and Wine Appreciation Society, for instance, doesn’t have to care about vegan teetotallers. But if you want to transform the world, and you see real change only coming from below, organisations with a skewed membership are problematic because they tend to end up with a skewed (or at least partial) outlook. If all you see around you are fresh-faced twenty-somethings, then you can easily end up thinking that’s all the world is composed of. It’s like the classic London bubble where “politics” amounts to talking heads prattling on to other talking heads about events in Westminster.

One way to deal with this is to think about the make-up of a group, the way that’s it weighted in favour of certain types of people (and therefore more or less attractive to others). But that runs the risk of collapsing back into a very static idea of what constitutes identity. It might be more useful to come at it from the other direction, by taking seriously (Groucho) Marx’s claim that “I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member.” The collectivity of an organisation offers us a space to become more than the sum of our parts. In other words, part of the reason I want to join a club is precisely in order not to be me.

“I am nothing but I must be everything.” That’s definitely one strand of revolutionary politics. On the evening of Rosa Luxemburg’s murder, she wrote: “Your ‘order’ is built on sand. Tomorrow the revolution will already ‘raise itself with a rattle’ and announce with fanfare, to your terror: I was, I am, I shall be!” This is class as something which just “is”, and as something which has a historic role. Back in the late 1980s/early 1990s Class War operated mostly with just such an approach. But there’s an equally important strand which looks at class as process, as something which happens. In the Preface to his seminal Making of the English Working Class E P Thompson is crystal-clear: “I do not see class as a ‘structure’ nor even as a ‘category’ but as something which in fact happens.” Class, in this sense, is also something which is always to-come. If we think about political organisations in this way, then we can flip Marx’s assertion and start to ask different questions: rather than becoming everything, how do we (as an organisation) become nothing? How do we come to the end of ourselves as we are?

In politics, demands go from one body to another. “We” demand more pay, better resources, greater freedom. “They” demand tighter border controls, more armed police on the streets etc. When we make those demands, we often reinforce our identity as a social force. “We” become ever more workers, social democrats, trade unionists, activists etc. But “everything for everyone” is a very different sort of demand because it doesn’t go in any specific direction. It isn’t to anyone. And it isn’t from anyone. In that respect, it might be one way to step through the mirror and address the perennial paradox of revolutionary transformation, summed up brilliantly by Kathi Weeks:

Can we want, and are we willing to create, a new world that would no longer be “our” world, a social form that would not produce subjects like us?

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