#then how to win friends and influence people

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Dan Rather at Steady:

The morning after the election, I was talking with a friend who said something that made me pause: “The American people aren’t buying what the Dems are selling.” At the time I acknowledged the notion but filed it away for closer inspection, once the shock wore off.  Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party were selling hope and freedom, upholding the rule of law, saving democracy. What’s not to buy? With the benefit of lots of discussion, reading, watching, and thinking over the past 17 days, it became apparent that that analysis is incomplete.  It isn’t that the American people didn’t buy what Harris was selling; they didn’t know what she was selling. The increasingly powerful right-wing media championed her opponent’s message while distorting hers. And millions of Americans bought it. 

As The New Republic editor Michael Tomasky wrote, “It wasn’t the economy. It wasn’t inflation, or anything else. It was how people perceive those things, which points to one overpowering answer.” The right-wing media now controls the agenda.   For those of us who grew up on a steady diet of truth-telling, it’s gut-wrenching to see this mega misinformation machine grow into a multi-headed monster.   Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a shock. Gallup says trust in the media is at an all-time low. The most trusted news source according to YouGov is … The Weather Channel. Couple that with exit polls showing people who consume a lot of news from traditional sources voted overwhelmingly for Harris. 

If you only read The New York Times or watch CNN or so-called legacy networks such as CBS News, you might be surprised to learn there is a vast right-wing media ecosystem that goes well beyond Fox News. Founded in 1996, Fox is the granddaddy of the far-right media but has since been joined by Newsmax and One America News Network. This media universe also includes Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns hundreds of radio and TV stations — reaching 40% of the viewing public — and newspapers, including the recently purchased Baltimore Sun; iHeartMedia, which dominates right-wing talk radio and podcasting; Trinity and Bott Radio, two massive Christian broadcasting networks; social media platforms like Trump’s own Truth Social and X, owned by Trump bestie Elon Musk; and a multitude of hugely popular far-right podcasts.  Collectively, these various and varied media outlets have been feeding growing audiences a constant diet of disinformation for years. They have been fighting and winning an information war Democrats didn’t seem to know existed. The 2024 election may have been the inflection point when the right-wing media’s influence finally eclipsed the mainstream media. That is a major reason a convicted felon won with just under 50% of the popular vote.

The landscape is changing at light speed. Today, traditional media is not where most people get their news. Not so long ago you had to pick up a morning newspaper or turn on a television at a specific time to get news. Now “news” is available 24-7, from hundreds of sources, in tiny bite-sized portions, often without the benefit of context or even fact-checking. Right-wing outlets peddling half truths have learned how to navigate and thus dominate this new landscape. It is important to note that this battle is being waged between right-leaning media and mainstream media. The combatants are not two ideologues. One group is pushing a hard-right agenda, and the other is striving to report and expose the truth. The social media landscape mirrors this reality. On the right, you have Truth Social and X. On the left, not much. In reaction to the misinformation rampant on its sites during the 2020 election, Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram removed most political content.

An excellent read from longtime CBS News journalist Dan Rather on how right-wing media propaganda being fed to millions of Americans without any real fact-checking of lies is what led to Donald Trump become a Presidential candidate in the first place, let alone win twice.

[carus26]

Subjective opinion, but I will comment on a couple of things (and character).

Rather negative statements about a SPECIFIC character, so I will say right away that I am not in the mood to argue with anyone here, but I am simply expressing my point of view based on what I have already seen, and I don’t know how the plot will unfold further :)

Randall's banishment.

Considering how many fans (randall fans) dislike this scene because of its *illogicality* and *unfairness*. Like, Sulley and Mike didn't even tell anyone and generally did a bad thing (considering that with Randall's help they themselves were recently banished for life for nothing, I won't even mention the attempted murder).

Now, given the recent events of season 2, they surely told either the CDA or the authorities about what happened. Because that's the only logical reason for Johnny to know the exact coordinates of Randall's location, since NO ONE knows about it except Sulley and Mike. And if this is not so, then I have big questions for the scriptwriters... 

As for the illogicality and unfairness, I really don't see any other outcome for Randall. They needed to take Randall with them? How? Considering that they have a child on their hands, with whom they still need to somehow get to the place moving on FLYING doors. Considering that Randall can turn invisible at any moment, and generally come up with anything to slip away from them. And it's not like they have a rope to completely tie him up.

Or *they should have listened to him*, after everything that happened? Again, my opinion, I don't see any other logical outcomes for him, considering how strong and cruel he can be.

But i will only agree that they definitely should have told the authorities about it, so that the banishment would not be considered illegal. Because otherwise it just looks weird.

In general, the whole situation looks more like self-defense, considering what happened recently.

About Randall.

I never saw him as a *victim* at any point. Why? Because he always has a choice about who to be with and what to do, and he always makes those choices himself.

One of his main characteristics is that he has goals that he has set from the start, and he will achieve them by any means necessary. And, apparently, he doesn't give a damn about *conscience* and other human traits from a high bell tower.

It costs him nothing to set up a whole team of monsters, whom he doesn't even (mostly) know, just to win the trust of those who are an authority for him. It costs him nothing to kill someone, torture (just for fun), manipulate others, and much more, only to achieve a high position at work (I'm not even mentioning that he basically treats people around him like an asshole, absolutely EVERYONE, not just Mike and Sulley).

And who forced him to do all this? Johnny? Waternoose? No. The choice is always his. You know, he is not a prisoner or a slave to any of them. Never was.

*he wouldn't have become like that if he hadn't joined ROR* sure, but then you're talking about a completely different character. Randall initially had a goal to become popular and get fame, and he would have achieved this goal in any other way. I'll tell you more, he and Mike still wouldn't have remained friends, because their goals in life are INITIALLY different, they see life differently, they have different principles.

They were initially with each other temporarily, not as friends, but as roommates, and their separation is a natural process, not the fault of other characters, other characters simply accelerated this process.

*he was simply influenced by other characters (insert any name) it was because of them that he became like this* of course, it's always easier to dump your problems and responsibility on others.

When fans like to, besides Johnny and Waternoose (who are just who they are, Randall knows who they are, he HIMSELF decided to go and work with them, I highly doubt that the CEO of the corporation took and FORCED Randall to work for him, how did he even know that Randall understood and can build the construction of the machine that Waternoos supposedly invented? There is no logic. It was either Randall's idea or their common) blame Mike for not being Randall's friend. Was that Mike's job?

As far as I understand, you don't have to be best friends with your roommate, you can always just do your own thing, not bother each other, and just be nice to each other, which is what Mike did, being one of the few who was nice to Randall, gave him important advice, calmed him down when he was nervous, and that's still not enough, you have to be best friends and always do what the other one wants?

Or if you're talking about Mike allegedly using Randall for his own benefit when he was studying with him, was Randall forced to do it? No. 

Or when fans like to blame Mike for the ACCIDENTS that happened between them and Randall, with that pig and the cupcakes, like Mike did it on purpose, like it was all the bullying that led Randall to this result. Mike was bullied his whole life, somehow he didn't turn into a maniac. ALL the main characters went through humiliating moments in life, some were smart enough to move on.

*he didn't even apologize*, well, I don't know, they didn't show me this, just like they didn't show you, therefore we can only assume this.

*Randall was jealous of Mike towards Sulley* why can Randall interact with other monsters and Mike can't? Why does it even matter to him, it's none of his business.

Or when fans blame Sulley for that scene in the scare games, when he literally did what he had to do, and Randall literally got *karma* back for the fact that he DELIBERATELY embarrassed the other team and experienced first-hand what it was like to be humiliated in front of everyone, but for some reason his "friends" will not support him this time.

This scene only shows why Randall is mad at Sulley, not why Sulley is supposedly to blame for all of Randall's troubles by supposedly being so successful "just because" :)

in general, ALL their dynamics look like:

- you ruined my whole life

- I don't even know your name

Another detail that I doubt is that Randall actually helped Waternoose or Johnny (in Maw) to supposedly gain their favor, using them for his own purposes is MUCH more suitable for him as a character. Unless, in Johnny's case, it might actually be a debt payment for saving his life, but I doubt it's ONLY a debt payment (he left Johnny in prison and escaped himself, as we can see at the moment).

And I will add one more very important detail: it is Randall's fault that the child escaped into the monster world, it was he who left the ACTIVATED door unattended and went somewhere himself, the child could have escaped at any moment, Sulley was just lucky to be involved in the situation.

Randall's redemption.

I know that Pixar tried to give him his redemption arc, but only on the condition that he helps Mike and Sulley in their search. Now..? And besides, why would Randall change himself if in his head he does everything right? He himself is sincerely confident in his rightness. After all, he himself never had doubts and questions about his actions.

And now he suddenly wants to change because he has nowhere else to go? It's not like him, he's too proud for that. In any case, there's not a single person in the corporation who would believe him and accept him, after EVERYTHING he's done. And where is his life sentence to go? All of this is of course too big a statement for a children's cartoon, I know that everything can be solved by the magical power of friendship and so on, but these questions remain questions.

In any case, I personally think that if he is just redeemed like that, it would be stupid and unbelievable. He needs to undergo a lot of therapy before he is safe for society, you know? x)

So, yes, this is how I personally see the picture, and after everything I have written here, draw your own conclusions.

[leori-the-unlearned]

this is quite the task (also i had a draft of this post that got eaten lol) + it’s been a bit since i’ve been deep into classpects

as a quick blocking-in of my own perspectives;

Marco as a Mind player, likely a Mage of Mind - knowing of it, primarily for himself, but he does share & contribute enough of it to the group’s benefit that I can see him as a Seer. Not just because *he* thinks, but because he looks into how others think and strategize to exploit that.

Rachel fits best as a Rage player; not just for being angry, but for challenging expectations and refusing to settle. I’d place her as Prince of Rage. However - given that the combination of class and aspect can transform the individual parts - I could also see her as something like a Rogue of Doom, stealing/redistributing Doom to benefit her team; changing out who dies and who doesn’t by her own actions. Or something like that.

Tobias is very close to Breath already; freedoms, detaching from his old life, being mostly self-determined. I’m leaning towards Heir of Breath, since having this freedom uproots him and allows him to fill a very different role, but you could also argue Knight of Breath, or potentially Page of Breath at more of a stretch. (As ‘providing others freedom’, which he does for Ket and Jara, and could be said to have freed the other Animorphs from the decision to let the asteroid hit and kill the Mercora or head home.)

Cassie I wouldn’t place as Life, despite the face resemblance; I’d actually put her as Hope. She has strong ideals against killing or needless violence (while understanding predators and the need for their existence still), and has the optimistic belief that they can negotiate a peaceful end to the Yeerk War. I think both Maid of Hope and Knight of Hope could fit, potentially Sylph of Hope. I could also agree with Space, which another person in tags already suggested.

Jake I’m less sure of. Light, Doom, Time, Blood? Light as far as intuition and seeing what to focus on; Doom as far as orchestrating or pruning it more passively/through command, ie Bard of Doom; Time under the interpretation of the aspect as timing, or things coming together in their place; and Blood as far as being a uniting influence, plying the bonds between people, as he’s the only one of the group who definitively has a well-defined tie with each of the others, being Rachel’s cousin, mutual crush with Cassie, protecting Tobias, best friends with Marco, and considered Prince by Ax. Any of the others have loose connections to at least one of the group. Maybe like a Seer of Blood, or potentially even Heir or Page of Blood ??

Ax I’m less sure about. I’d actually put him as Blood before I would Jake; bonds aren’t all there is to Blood, and Ax doesn’t necessarily have to have deep bonds already for them to be important to him as a character. I’d also consider Rogue of Blood for him, as compromising/benefitting from his bonds or duty for the sake of others, but perhaps instead Knight of Blood…

As far as playing a proper SBURB session? In order to *win* the Game in one session, you’ve got to have a Space player to actually have frogs to breed, and likely a Knight to help with raising the Frogs. If you don’t have those conditions, you need a Time player in order to Scratch/‘reboot’ the Session for a chance to win with a different playerset. Space is easy if you give that to Cassie, and I think Knight best befits Ax, so there’s your Genesis Frog/new universe-breeding pair. Or, if Cassie is instead Hope, you could try to work Jake into being Time…

I know you didn't get into Homestuck but on the offchance your followers have opinions what would the Animorph's classpects be?

I will float this to the followers. People who know Animorphs and Homestuck - thoughts?

[ramonathinks]

Ooo what was the concept bae?

hiiii, basically popstar reader x rockstar choso 🙏🏾

but this is what it was originally, but then i didn’t know how much i liked this concept.

so then it was thissss. but either way the ideas were gonna be a bit merged together in the end

[colleybri]

A blink and you miss it moment of Cassian becoming an excellent leader in episode 9 of Andor.

Ulaf is slowing the team down, and Cassian (‘Keef’) has the idea to swap places with Taga. Taga asks why and Ham rather brutally tells him “Keef is faster”. Hurt, Taga grumbles “There’s a better way of saying that!”

After Kino comes over to investigate, he asks Cassian whether the swap was his idea, clearly about to compliment him.

Kino is still quite antagonistic towards Cassian (who he has marked as a troublemaker like Melshi) so we might expect him to enjoy receiving some praise but instead of accepting the compliment, Cassian says that the swap was Tagas’s idea. “Are you kidding?” says Taga in respect, and happily accepts the praise, making up for the insult 30 seconds earlier.

Earlier, Cassian wanted to avoid attention for self-centred reasons . Now, this trait is becoming a positive leadership quality . Standing behind others, encouraging them on, freely allowing them to use his ideas and even his words. Motivating them to find their own motivation. 

^^ Kino using Cassian’s words

I think Kino realises exactly what was going on here and comes away with new respect for Cassian. Kino is the figurehead and voice of the prison rebellion, but it’s pretty clear who is the real leader.

[teekays]

i'll be so real every time you guys put the "quinn is reading a book every week" quote on my dash all i can imagine is him with like. goosebumps. junie b jones. don't let the pigeon drive the bus. like the general "books" is just really getting to me

[cinematic-literature]

Interview with the Vampire S02E06 (Like the Light by Which God Made the World Before He Made Light)

Book title: How to Win Friends & Influence People (1936) by Dale Carnegie

[peterlorrefanpage]

Peter Lorre + Dale Carnegie

(Cleaned up versions from an earlier post.)

Peter Lorre: A gift to memes before there were memes.

[teatreejammer]

Coincidence? I think not….

for context, kevin mitnick is a hacker who got into the databases of large companies by tricking people over the phone. This is his first book. Maybe it *is* a sneaky reference considering greely’s methods & the phantom factories being like companies polluting the earth

*thanks to admiralarchivee for getting the screenshots from aj for me*

[iamindifferenttolamp]

Keyleth: *finally tells Vax she loves him*

Keyleth: high five! Yeah!

[rubypomegranates]

"It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it."

Dale Carnegie "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

[hollowfaith]

thank goodness she's not doing this in the backyard

[stoicmike]

I am interesting because I find other people more interesting than myself, works every time. -- Michael Lipsey

[batsplat]

Quite funny, sorry, just some of the Italian journalists - in the Spanish press it came out that, obviously Sete Gibernau had tested the Ducati. And so the Italians trying to stir things said to Casey Stoner 'So, has Sete Gibernau's test made the Ducati quicker?' And he just laughed in the face of the Italian journalists.

Excerpt from the Assen 2008 race commentary

[kyouka-supremacy]

WAIT YOU AREN'T AMERICAN???

[thateclecticbitch]

desperate times call for desperate measures or whatever