#when are we going to burn billionaires for real

[transduin]

YO HOW MANY ADS YOUTUBE TRYING TO GIVE ME NOW

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Corporate Bullshit

I'm coming to BURNING MAN! On TUESDAY (Aug 27) at 1PM, I'm giving a talk called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE!" at PALENQUE NORTE (7&E). On WEDNESDAY (Aug 28) at NOON, I'm doing a "Talking Caterpillar" Q&A at LIMINAL LABS (830&C).

Corporate Bullshit: Exposing the Lies and Half-Truths That Protect Profit, Power, and Wealth in America is Nick Hanauer, Joan Walsh and Donald Cohen's 2023 book on the history of corporate apologetics; it's great:

https://thenewpress.com/books/corporate-bullsht

I found out about this book last fall when David Dayen reviewed it for the The American Prospect; Dayen did a great job of breaking down its thesis, and I picked it up for my newsletter, which prompted Hanauer to send me a copy, which I finally got around to reading yesterday (I have gigantic backlog of reading):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/27/six-sells/#youre-holding-it-wrong

The authors' thesis is that the business world has a well-worn playbook that they roll out whenever anything that might cause industry to behave even slightly less destructively is proposed. What's more, we keep falling for it. Every time we try to have nice things, our bosses – and their well-paid Renfields – dust off their talking points from the last go-round, do a little madlibs-style search and replace, and bust it out again.

It's a four-stage plan:

I. First, insist that there is no problem.

Enslaved people are actually happy. Smoking doesn't cause cancer. Higher CO2 levels are imaginary and they're caused by sunspots and they're good for crop yields. The hole in the ozone layer is only a problem if you foolishly decide to hang around outside (this is real!).

II. OK, there's a problem, but it's your fault.

An epidemic of on-the-job maimings is actually an epidemic of sloppy workers. A gigantic housing crash is really a gigantic cohort of greedy, feckless borrowers. Rampant price gouging is actually a problem of too much "spending power" (that is, "money") in the hands of working people.

III. Any attempt to fix this will make it worse.

Equal wages for equal work will cause bosses to fire women and people of color. Protecting people with disabilities will cause bosses to fire disable people. Minimum wages will cause bosses to buy machines and fire "unskilled" workers. Gun control will only increase underground gun sales. Banning carcinogenic pesticides will end agriculture as we know and we'll all starve to death.

IV. This is socialism.

Income tax is socialism. Estate tax is socialism. Medicare and Medicaid are socialism. Food stamps are socialism. Child labor laws are socialism. Public education is socialism. The National Labor Relations Act is socialism. Unions are socialism. Social security is socialism. The Fair Labor Standards Act is socialism. Obamacare is socialism. The Civil Rights Act is socialism. The Occupational Health and Safety Act is socialism. The Family Medical Leave Act is socialism. FDR is a socialist. JFK is a socialist. Lyndon Johnson is a socialist. Carter is a socialist. Clinton is a socialist. Obama is a socialist. Biden is a socialist (Biden: "I beat the socialist. That's how I got the nomination").

Though this playbook has been in existence since the nation's founding, the authors point out that from the New Deal until the Reagan era, it didn't get much traction. But starting in the Reagan years, the well-funded network of billionaire-backed think-tanks, endowed economics chairs, and latter-day propaganda vehicles like Prageru breathed new life into these tactics.

We can see this playing out right now as the corporate world scrambles for a response to the Harris campaign's proposal to address price-gouging. Reading Matt Stoller's dissection of this response, we can see the whole playbook on display:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-round-up-price-gouging-vs

First, corporate apologists insisted that greedflation didn't exist, despite the fact that CEOs kept getting on earnings calls and boasting to their investors about how they were using the excuse of inflation to jack up prices:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/11/price-over-volume/#pepsi-pricing-power

Or the oil CEOs who boasted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine gave them cover to just screw us at the pump:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/15/sanctions-financing/#soak-the-rich

There are all these out-in-the-open commercial entities whose sole purpose is to "advise" large corporations about their prices, which is just a barely disguised euphemism for price-fixing, from meat-packing:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/04/dont-let-your-meat-loaf/#meaty-beaty-big-and-bouncy

To rents:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/24/gouging-the-all-seeing-eye/#i-spy

That's stage one: "there's no problem." Stage two is "it's your fault." That's Larry Summers and co insisting that a couple of stimulus checks a couple years ago are responsible for inflation, because it gave you too much "buying power," and so the only possible fix is to jack up interest rates and trigger mass layoffs and sharp wage decreases across the economy:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/14/medieval-bloodletters/#its-the-stupid-economy

Stage three is "any attempt to fix this will make it worse." When Isabella Weber pointed out that there was a long history of price-controls being used to fight price-gouging, corporate apologists lost their minds and brigaded her, calling her all kinds of nasty names and insisting that her prescription didn't even warrant serious discussion, because any attempt to control prices would destroy the economy:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/lately/article-the-millennial-economist-who-took-on-the-world/

You may recognize this as cousin to the response to rent control proposals, which inevitably trigger a barrage of economists screaming that this will not work and will actually reduce the housing supply and drive up prices, which is true, provided that you ignore all evidence and history:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/16/mortgages-are-rent-control/#housing-is-a-human-right-not-an-asset

And stage four is "this is socialism." Look, I am a literal card-carrying member of the Democratic Socialists of America and I can assure you, Kamala Harris is not a socialist (and more's the pity). But that didn't stop the most eminently guillotineable members of the investor class from hair-on-fire, ALL-CAPS denunciations of the Harris proposal as SOCIALISM and Harris herself as a COMMUNIST:

https://twitter.com/Jason/status/1824580470052725055

The author's thesis is that by naming the playbook and giving examples of it – for example, showing how the "proof" that minimum wage increases will destroy jobs was also offered as "proof" not to abolish slavery, ban child labor, add fireproofing to textile factories, and pay women and Black people the same as white guys – we can vaccinate ourselves against it.

Certainly, we've reached a moment where the public is increasingly skeptical of claims that we can't fix anything because the economists say that this is the best of all possible worlds, and if that means that we're all going to boil to death in our own skin, so be it:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/27/economism/#what-would-i-do-if-i-were-a-horse

In other words, after 40 years of subordinating politics to economics, there's a resurgence of belief in politics – that is, doing stuff – rather than hunkering down and waiting for the technocrats to fix everything:

https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/seeing-like-a-matt

Corporate Bullshit is a brisk and bracing read – I got through it in about an hour in my hammock yesterday – and, in laying out the bullshit playbook's long history of nonsensical predictions and pronouncements, it does make a very good case that we should stop listening to people who quote from it.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/19/apologetics-spotters-guide/#narratives

[atiny-for-life]

Ateez's Full Storyline Explained - BONUS

Masterlist

WORK

Based on the GOLDEN HOUR Intro which was released prior to the first teasers and is all about Atiny and Ateez's journey thus far, plus the lack of storyline queues in the music video itself, I believe this is one of those instances where the MV simply falls outside the storyline, much like Turbulence and The Real

I believe this time, it's because they were invited to Coachella and simply didn't have as much time to prepare for the album and get access to the sets they'd need to tell the story visually the way they wanted to which is something I talked about more here

However, let's still dive in and dig up some easter eggs and other fun little moments strewn throughout the video so we can appreciate it better!

Kicking things off is "maknae on top" Jongho buried in the dirt, playing the flute (which sounds like a clarinet) while the others stand around him, four out of seven holding spades and shovels

And it's not just that they felt justified in burying him with extra holes for his hands so he could play the flute, they also felt the need to do it right outside a motel in the middle of the desert

Giving the meaning of this album, this starting from a dirt-hole in the dessert setting could be a reference to Pirate King and Treasure which were both shot in the dessert way back when

If that's the case, it'd also make the red car more meaningful since Yunho also had one during Wave

From here, we move on to a roadside diner/shack situation where our boys are working the counter, preparing counterfeit money burgers

Inside, we can see a bunch of Ateez's awards (bragging rights), including a MAMA award, the Billboard #1 plaque and more, with TYUdeongi and Mito (the two little plushs) front and center

Next up, we've got Seonghwa rolling into town on an ostrich, carrying the flags of some of the countries they visited during last year's world tour while Yunho, San, and Yeosang are counting their money and drinking around a table outside the motel

The next clips show us Yunho reading a burning newspaper with the headline proclaiming something along the lines of "Anonymous Philanthropists Change [...]", likely referencing all the money they've been handing out at their diner

The scene is accompanied by the lyrics "Breaking News popping up no matter where I go" which is very reminiscent of 'Matz'

Wooyoung's vibing outside with a Mariachi band and Flamenco dancers (don't ask me why... I guess they're having a Latin American phase right now - let's see if they end up fluent in Spanish or Portuguese some time soon)

Up in the mountains, we've got them mining for gold far away from any visible mining shafts, and singing about geese laying golden eggs in Spanish (giving Aesop's Fable), followed by a line about building towers 24/7 in Korean (giving Billionaires' Row in Manhattan) before San eats the gold nugget he'd been holding (the effects of eating gold are not well studied, please do not attempt at home)

Next, we've got Yeosang cutting out counterfeit money with a large pair of scissors (we're already struggling with inflation, put those scissors down) while singing about being an introvert

He's in the same office Yunho was in earlier when he was reading the burning newspaper (I'm glad the place didn't burn down)

Moving on, we've got Mingi in the parking lot dressed very Willy Wonka-esque (Gene Wilder version)

He's sporting two pins on his coat - one which looks like a painter's palette and the other looking like a cross, somewhat reminiscent of the Maltese Cross (shoutout to Malta, I feel like no one ever talks about you) or the Iron Cross (popular in early 20th century Prussia)

Everyone's partying, it's raining counterfeit money, we've got car hydraulics in the back (it's been 70 years, I didn't think these were still popular) and our Flamenco dancers are back before we cut to Jongho in his hole, and back to Seonghwa on his ostrich which is now joined by some very talented, head bobbing, CGI chickens

Moving on, we find Hongjoong dancing in another parking lot, surrounded by his members and some strangers on golden bikes, all wearing sunglasses

In the lyrics, he's referencing The Real which strongly matches the vibe they're going for in this sequence, both in terms of costumes and with the general setting

Within the same rap verse, we also see Hongjoong in first parking lot where Wonka-Mingi was kicking off the party earlier

Here, he's dancing with two kids in costume (a chicken and a wrestler), while looking super delighted, just all around happy to be here, much like the guy on the bike we can see in the back (it's very wholesome)

We briefly cut away to a shot of a lone massive golden egg stranded on a deserted hill surrounded by some dry shrubs. Keep it in mind. We'll come back to it later.

Back in the office, Yeosang's happy with his robot chicken (Brian) which seems to be capable of laying golden eggs, going by the tall stack of them presented on his desk

While Yeosang's hogging the office, Yunho's off in some basement, taking the term "money laundering" far too literally as he pulls a stack of bills from a washing machine

Seonghwa, once again on his ostrich, now enters a gas station where Wooyoung fills up the bird by inputting a fuel pump in its side. We can now definitively confirm that this alternate universe is weird as hell.

Moving on to a miniature city, we've got our two main rappers attacking a money-monster with some ray guns ( because, on this ship, we're anti-capitalism)

They're wearing fur coats to match the lyrics, which may also be a throwback to Say My Name

Returning to the diner, we've got Jongho building a money burger abomination with some added CDs because, clearly, that's his favorite breakfast

And over in the kitchen, we've got head chef Hongjoong cooking up some hellfire concoction which is literally on fire but he doesn't care - he's still just making a noot-noot face and giving us a straightforward reference to Bouncy by cutting in some more green chili peppers

Honorable mention to Mingi's GTA reference

From there, we get some shots of Ateez gathered around the camera (Don't Stop End Credits style), a short scene of Seonghwa in the hydraulic car, many people's favorite clip of half-topless San twisting a valve or something near some desert oil rigs, and more, before we finally move on to Jongho in front of a food truck

The truck seems to go hand-in-hand with Ateez's roadside dinner since it also offers their famed money burgers

Next, we've got Yunho and Yeosang carefully watching an extra large golden egg in their office

After a few more super quick scenes flash by, it begins to crack before we return to the lone massive golden egg in the desert we saw earlier which now busts open and out pops Seonghwa

There are some Korean folktales about men being born from eggs, all of them rulers which were used to keep the myth alive that kings were picked by a higher power, not born the conventional way - I assume that's what's being referenced here

[qqueenofhades]

Okay, sort of on that note: I know we are all thoroughly enjoying the Bird App's destruction and drama and firing shots in the air to keep our property values low and complaining about Twitter users moving here and all the rest. But I'm gonna be real with you for a second and offer a Hot Take that might well get my Tumblr elder credentials revoked:

As long as they are willing to play ball with us and understand the rules of the road and etc (and lbr, we have plenty of absolutely idiotic Disk Horse of our own, that will never go away), we should a) actually be glad that they're coming here and b) recognize the far more sinister aspect of Twitter's slow motion Jenga collapse. Because it's all fun and games until the massive human rights violations and democracy destruction starts (or rather, continues). Why is that? Well:

As noted a few weeks ago when this insanity started, the second-biggest investor in the Twitter takeover, apart from Musk himself, was the Saudi government. Now, I have a friend whose PhD dissertation in sociology I have been copy-editing/proofreading for the last few years (he is originally from Saudi Arabia but doing his PhD in the UK). A huge part of his research is about how ordinary Saudis use Twitter HEAVILY, and as a replacement for the freedom of speech they aren't allowed in any other formal aspect of their country, despite many cosmetic reforms and plans for greater international investment and openness. The Saudi government, while tolerating this newfound criticism on the surface, has also routinely jailed these citizens for one critical tweet about them, including those made while the person in question was not in the country. In other words, they're not nearly as happy about this as they like to pretend, even if they're putting a good face on it, and especially during the Arab Spring and other attempted uprisings/calls for reform in the region, Twitter was a hugely effective way to circumvent government narratives and get out community information. After all, it is the biggest communication platform in the world, and anyone can instantly use it.

So, enter Musk: a petty alt-right billionaire who pals with dictators and can do anything he wants by burning ungodly amounts of money. He partners with the Saudis. Two weeks later, Twitter is going down in flames, its entire top legal team has quit, Musk is braying about bankruptcy, advertisers have fled, it's 50-50 whether it survives the year. And yes, this could be because Musk is a sociopathic idiot, since he is. But if you consider that this one evil prick can literally destroy half of the world's only medium of quasi-free speech and community organising just by throwing $44 billion at it... well... that's a lot more sinister than just him wanting to make "free speech" for all the absolute dregs of the Internet who adore him. In other words, it starts to look awfully deliberate, and Musk is anything but a fan of democracy, community organising, and all the rest.

Anyway: Tumblr doesn't function the same as Twitter, we don't want it to, and we are able to laugh at its burning corpse because many of us don't rely on it as our one and only place of meaningful speech and ability to criticize the government. But if Twitter DOES go down in flames, it will be a huge and irreparable loss in a real sense, and in that case, if you see a Twitter user poking their head in here, give them some rules of the road, advise them to change their icon, and otherwise let 'em stay.

[fleshadept]

while the criticism of glass onion being a bourgeois art piece hegemonically negotiating hatred of the 1% into standard discourse is understandable, i think it's important to remember that rian johnson and daniel craig and whoever you want to criticise for making "performative" art about the systemic ways in which the ultrawealthy maintain power and specifically marginalize women of color are far closer in wealth to the average american than they ever will be to elon musk or any billionaire. daniel craig's net worth is $8 million dollars. his WHOLE net worth. you have to multiply that by 19,500 to get anywhere near elon musk's net worth of $156,000,000,000. and that's after he's lost $100bn this YEAR.

it's true that people shouldn't count watching movies as activism and definitely shouldn't see media produced by huge corporations as praxis, but that doesn't mean what political standpoints they do contain lack value or are disingenuous. the human mind is literally incapable of conceptualizing numbers after a certain point, so it's easy to think of hollywood rich and billionaire rich as similar, because both kinds of people live lives that most of us could barely dream of with privileges and access to resources that we will never have. but the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is the difference between being able to make a movie starring daniel craig and being able to bankroll dozens of politicians and buy one of the largest social media websites used by millions of people daily on a whim

as "rich people bad" movies go, glass onion deals with it REALLY well. the scene at the end when helen destroys miles's house demonstrates a very nuanced understanding of how billionaires maintain power; blanc recognizes and tells helen that even though they found the truth, they can't do anything legally because miles burned their only physical evidence and the courts will unequivocally side with the billionaire. again. so in lieu of any justice system that will work, helen starts breaking shit. but miles doesn't even care that much, because what's a dozen million dollar glass art pieces to a man who accrues that in interest every minute? even when everyone else joins in, he doesn't care. it's annoying, but it doesn't mean anything. so the other "disruptors" stop after they've gotten their minimal catharsis, having done no real damage to his reputation or, frankly, their reliance on him.

helen burning the mona lisa to take him down, and that being presented as the best option, is really significant. as movies go, taking the stance of "destroying priceless art and private property is not only justified and moral but effective in the face of a system that gives you no other option for justice" is pretty damn rare.

it's true that if glass onion or other high budget films actually tangibly threatened the system in any way they would never get funded or see the light of day. but the cool thing about stories, and about art, is that you can't predict the effects they have on people. anti-billionaire bourgeois art isn't direct action, it isn't activism, and it isn't even important politically, but that doesn't mean it has no effect on the discourse whatsoever and can't be important to how people see the 1%

[damianwaynerocks]

An Interview with the Resurrected Jason Todd

do i hate this? who’s to say really. but i was thinking about how dc would go about bruce making jason be legally alive again, and I got the idea of a tell-all interview with Jason and. here we are.

-

Interview with the Resurrected Jason Todd

By Donna Gallagher

The Wayne Manor driveway is long as the gate opens for me. I’ve seen Wayne Manor in photos before, as everyone has, but its size in person is almost intimidating. Four stories tall, a massive building of beige brick. 

A butler opens the door. Alfred Pennyworth, the man who has been serving the Wayne family for as long as anyone can remember. He’s taller than I’d pictured him. 

“Right in here, Ms. Gallagher,” he says.

Bruce Wayne is standing behind him

He almost looks nervous. He’s standing stiffly, and although he meets my eyes, there’s a desperation in them. It’s strange to see the billionaire playboy look so serious. We’re all used to him tripping over staircases, running into dark corners with supermodels at galas, and pretending to be Batman on Jimmy Fallon.

“Ms. Gallagher,” he says, “Thank you for coming.”

“You have a lovely home,” I say, and I mean it. The foyer alone is beautiful. Arching ceilings with paintings on each other side. One of the paintings catches my eye. I think it’s a Rembrandt.

“Thank you,” Bruce smiles, but I don’t think it’s a real one. “Right this way.”

I follow him down the hall. Bruce is telling me why he chose me to do this interview. He says it’s because I’ve always stuck to the facts and never released any sensitive information on that family he knows I’ve gotten ahold of. I shrug and explain that I don’t think anybody’s personal life should be public news. He smiles again, and this time I think it might be genuine.

“He’s in there.” Bruce opens a door for me, and I see him.

His face is the first thing I notice. He’s handsome, sure, just like all the Waynes are. Chiseled jawline, black hair, bright blue eyes. But his beauty isn’t what catches my attention; it’s the jagged scar that stretches from the bridge of his nose to the corner of his mouth, making him like he’s smirking. 

He’s laying stretched out on the couch in a leather jacket and a Wonder Woman tee underneath. “Ms. Gallagher!” Jason Todd says cheerfully.

Jason Todd. The second son of billionaire Bruce Wayne. He’s stolen the title of most interesting Wayne from his brother Damian- Bruce’s only biological child -in recent years.

According to a press conference held in 2012, Bruce Wayne found a 13-year-old Jason while the latter was trying to steal the tires off of Bruce’s Mercedes. Despite the attempted robbery, Bruce decided to adopt the homeless child instead of pressing charges.

Jason was rarely seen in public. Whenever he was seen at Wayne events, he always looked uncomfortable, and out of place. Tabloids called him “a snobby rich kid” or “an ungrateful child” for avoiding the press, but I think that is unfair. A child living on the streets suddenly becomes the son of arguably one of the most famous people in America? I wouldn’t be very comfortable, either.

Three years later, in 2015, Wayne Enterprises made a statement that Jason Todd had died. He’d been traveling in Ethiopia with Bruce, whenever he was kidnapped and held for ransom. Bruce tried to wire the money to the men responsible, but due to international bank laws, the money did not arrive in time before the warehouse where Jason was being held at caught fire due to faulty wiring. The boy was said to have died of smoke inhalation.

Over time, Jason Todd’s murder left the public eye, with only a few articles being published each year at the anniversary. The name Jason Todd was rarely mentioned.

Until 2022, when Bruce Wayne announced that Jason was alive. The body found was the body of another teenage child that was similar enough to Jason’s build that, with the severe burn damage, was believed to be Jason himself. In actuality, however, Jason had been trafficked. He was kept for years before the Justice League busted one of the trafficker’s safe houses and found him alive in 2021.

Bruce refused to let the media anywhere near Jason. No pictures of him have been leaked online, and Jason has never made any type of statement to the public.

Until now. Bruce Wayne emailed my office and requested that I interview the Wayne son, saying that Jason was ready to speak out about his ordeal after two years of intensive therapy, on the condition that no photographs were taken and Jason was allowed to read the article before publication. 

“Please, have a seat!” Jason gestures to the couch adjacent to the one he’s sitting on. He seems relaxed, and doesn’t appear to be nervous at all. I sit down.  

“Mr. Todd-” I begin, but he cuts me off, asks me to call him by his first name. “Jason-” I begin again, “-It’s lovely to meet you.”

“You too!” he says. “Hey, did you watch the coverage of the Met Gala a couple months ago? Where Bruce busted his ass in front of Kim Kardashian? That was the funniest shit I’ve ever seen!” 

I laugh. “Yeah, I did see that. It must be interesting having him as a father, does he fall often?”

“Oh yeah, all the time. He’s really bad at like, being a person, honestly. He’s banned from the kitchen after he set the fire alarm off trying to use the toaster.”

He launches into the full story. Apparently, Bruce Wayne isn’t the one who runs the Manor; it’s Alfred Pennyworth. “Which is why I think it’s so fucking funny how so many people think he’s Batman. Bruce? Batman? One time he tripped over Damian’s cat and he started crying because he stubbed his toe.” 

“What’s it like, returning home to have so many siblings?” I ask. I jump right into his return, as I was notified that asking about his time being trafficked was strictly off-limits. Jason snorts.

“Annoying as fuck. Dick was an asshole when I was still here, and suddenly he’s this ray of fucking sunshine who keeps trying to get me to talk about my feelings. Damian’s a little demon spawn, threatens to stab me everytime I do something he doesn’t like.” He pauses. “Duke and Cass are cool, though. Tim is okay too, once you get past the whole falling-asleep-at-dinner- thing. He doesn’t ever sleep you know. He’s stupid.”

“Wait, Damian threatens to stab you?” I’m surprised. Everybody knows the youngest Wayne is a bit… snippy. Everybody’s seen the footage of him berating Vicky Vale for pronouncing a word wrong. 

“Yeah!” Jason throws his hand in the air. “And I’m like, dude, I’ve been stabbed before. Several times! And when I say that he’s like-” He speaks in a high-pitched tone “-Silence, Todd! We’ve all been kidnapped before.’ He’s a little piece of shit.” 

I ask him if he was alright about talking about his experience, as he brought it up. He says it’s fine because Bruce doesn’t know shit about what I want to talk about. He tells me I can ask as many ‘intrusive’ questions as I please, saying he’s tired of everyone treating him Like I’m some fragile piece of shit that will fall apart at any moment. I tell him he can stop me at any time, and then I say, “How did it feel whenever you were first taken?”

Jason takes a drink of his water that smells like vodka. “Scared as shit. Tried to fight ‘em, but then they smacked me in the head with a crowbar like I was some dog that pissed on the floor. I got up after that, though. Took em a while to break me.”

“When did you start to..” I trail off, trying to decide on the word before I decide to use his own language. “...break?”

“Probably like, two months in.” he replies. He still doesn’t seem to be nervous or uncomfortable. His therapy must be really helpful. “Whenever they showed me a news clip of Bruce back in Gotham. Made me think he just gave up and left. I wasn’t told that he thought I died, I just thought he stopped caring.” 

“That must’ve been hard,” I say empathetically, “Feeling abandoned.”

Jason shrugs. “Yeah, it was.” His voice starts to sound strained, so I jump ahead. 

“So, you were rescued by the Justice League. How did that go down?” He brightens up again.

“Oh, it was fucking awesome.” He says excitedly. “Like, seeing Wonder Woman!? In person!? Made all the torture and shit worth it, honestly. I’d go through it all again to see fucking Wonder Woman beat up those fuckers in front of me again.”

I chuckle and ask if he’s a Wonder Woman fan. He scoffs, and tells me that of course, he is because She’s so much better than that furry Batman. “Plus, ya know,” He sits up. “She’s a woman. I love seeing badass women. And honestly, watching those misogynistic fuckers get destroyed by a woman was hilarious.” 

“How did it feel? To see Bruce again after all those years?” I ask. His smile goes away.

“I mean, not great. I thought he abandoned me, you know? And then seeing that he’d adopted more kids after me? I felt replaced. Didn’t understand how he felt for years.” He laughs. “Alfred and Dick were the ones that got through to me, actually. Told me all this shit about what he’d been through and about how he gave millions of dollars to the FBI, CIA, the UN, and even Batman to hunt down the people that took me.”

“Were they ever caught? The ones that physically took you?” I ask. The public had never been told, mainly because their names were never released. We know that the actual trafficking ring was shut down, but not what happened to the people who were responsible for Jason being taken in the first place.

Jason doesn’t answer for a long moment. There’s rage in his eyes, and his grip on his glass tightens. I’m about to apologize and change the subject, but then he growls out “No. He- they weren’t. Nothing happened to them.”

I apologize if I asked too personal of a question, but he stops me. In the same light tone he’d used in the beginning of the interview, he says “Don’t worry about it, questions aren’t near as bad as, you know, being tortured and all that.”

Not the first time, I notice how much therapy had clearly been helping him if he was able to speak of his ordeal in such a light tone. He starts to laugh but covers it with a cough. “Oh- right - therapy-” he snorts out. “Yeah, therapy is the best! Love therapy. Love being in therapy.”

I ask what he’s been doing ever since being back.

“Mainly hanging out with friends,” he replies. “My friends Roy and two others. They’re cool. We go on, uh, vacations a lot. I also get nagged by Dick all the fucking time.” He rolls his eyes. “You can’t be around Dick Grayson without being nagged about something. I also like to read. I’m in the middle of The Idiot by Dostoevsky. Really good! I recommend it.”

“You like classics?”

“Oh yeah.” He grins. “They’re the best. Damian and Duke make fun of me for it, but like, they’re just jealous I can read. They look at pages and are like oooh what the fuck are these squiggly lines.” He pauses again. “Oh yeah, fun fact! Damian can’t read.”

I flinch as we hear a scream from the further in the house, something that sounds like “I can read, Todd, and if you say that again I will cut out your tongue.” Jason ignores it.

“But what I really wanted to talk to you is this project Bruce and I are working on.” He leans forward on his knees. “We’re working on creating an organization for street kids like me to help prevent trafficking. I got trafficked by dumb fucking luck, but most of the people who get trafficked are people living in poverty. Not having access to money to get your basic needs met can result in doing some shady shit to get money, which can make you vulnerable to predators. Like, a common thing for people to do is to resort to prostitution, which can get them trafficked internationally or right here in Gotham. Or they get this offer for a job that will get them money, but it’s just a scheme to get them kidnapped. Plus, poor kids disappearing are less likely to be investigated by GCPD, which makes them another target.”

“I see,” I say with a smile. That was really admirable. “So what are you two planning to do?”

“So, for starters,” he says. “We’re going to poor money into Gotham’s poorest communities. Bruce already does that, but Gotham is so corrupt that the organizations don’t use the money for housing or education or stuff like that, they keep it for themselves. We’re going to make it mandatory that they have to send it documentation that shows that they’re using the money for what it’s supposed to do.”

He explains the plan further. In addition to funding, they’re going to create a Wayne-funded after-school program for children to go to after school until their parents get off work to prevent them from getting into any trouble. There will also be an increase in homeless youth shelters that are overseen by Bruce and Jason themselves to help prevent any abuse from occurring. There will also be free job training and a free wardrobe, all funded by Wayne Enterprises. He adds that not only is this about human trafficking, but the goal is to help children in poverty in general. Jason says that he will be volunteering at all of these places. 

“We’re also working with the Mayor to get homelessness decriminalized,” Jason adds. “Besides the fact that it’s a fucking stupid law- like it’s somehow their fault for not finding a home - it’ll decrease the chances of people moving in with dangerous people just to avoid prosecution for, ya know, trying to survive.”

“That’s amazing,” I say, and I mean it. “Do you have any idea what you’ll call this?”

“Yeah,” Jason says with a smile. “It’s going to be called The Catherine Project.”

We have some small talk after that, and then I leave. He walks me to the door, telling me more stories about his siblings, such as how Tim refuses to take his antibiotics despite his lack of a spleen. He shakes my hand as I leave.

People have been wondering for the past what Jason Todd is like. They assume that he’s a traumatized boy. A boy who can’t leave the house, a boy who has nightmares. They assume he’s angry, a screaming mess, a shell of who he used to be. But I can tell you with certainty who Jason Todd truly is.

Jason Todd is a man who has been through some of the worst things a human can imagine, but he decides to help people. The Catherine Project will help hundreds of children.  Jason Todd is a man who saw the cruelty of the world, but chose to be kind.

[dawsonscreekwasalwaysbad]

funniest parts of inside job pt 2

mommy likey drinky

“santa is fake! but student debt is real!” “you had to learn sometime, brayden”

“this is gonna be the most globally damaging midlife crisis since elon musk” oh that is APT

“ok boomer”

“are you poland? because that german guy straight-up owned you”

reagan saying that alex jones “looks like an orangutan fucked a fire hydrant”

“i’m the only one left who will listen to me!”

spending the whole episode confused on why oprah is back and then seeing her yell “i’m not the first oprah!”

“our missions do feel suspiciously like b-stories”

“why is my wallet on a metal leash? where would it be trying to go?”

lights being mothman’s kryptonite is a very obvious joke but it still works every time

KEANU FUCKING REEVES

“MOTHERFUCKER!” “well, he is fucking reagan’s mother, so yes. motherfucker.”

*takes out a lotus* “i don’t put these in my pocket. they grow there spontaneously.”

“i’m feeling drained from staring meaningfully into the distance”

“after dating so many billionaires, his millionaire lifestyle keeps me grounded”

the pussy posse being amazed and confounded by brett’s respect women juice

the real reason leonardo dicaprio only dates women under 25

“someone on the internet found out margot robbie is cgi” FINALLY SOMEONE WHO AGREES WITH ME

reagan accidentally imitating owen wilson

“when i’m done with you, men will look at you the way they look at me: briefly!”

gigi’s reaction to her make-under: “i wanna cyberbully myself!”

tamiko’s reaction to rand turning into a literal manchild: “way to turn subtext into text, rand”

myc’s absolutely SAVAGE comebacks at the constitution heist

“how would the founding fathers feel about this?” “probably the same way your father feels about you”

“ok, give me the word and i’ll blow the hell out of this thing” “said your ex-wife to brett’s dick”

“aliens? a woman being in charge of a team? nobody’s gonna believe this!”

“it’s a psychic union where everyone thinks the same and acts the same like fucking marvel fans” HGFHJGSDHKJHSJGH

“the last time i saw a white guy that generic, he was on a don’t walk sign!”

“fresh dirt is brought to you by blue apron. do you only care about the environment when it’s super convenient?”

INCEL STEVE

“how did he get that hoodie?”

“WE’VE BEEN FUCKED BY THE POPE!” “for the love of god, CONTEXT!”

saying “when in rome” is half the reason people come to rome

the gay dog weddings

“i now pronounce you two very good boys!”

“that’s me in the corner, losing my religion.”

reagan offending the italians (again)

“oh man, if god is real, i’m fucked”

“in the name of the father the son and the HOLY SHIT”

in a vow to make air travel as inconvenient as possible, the third wright brother invented sharing an armrest

“i deserve to be punished. i still quote borat sometimes”

“look! a woman’s ankle!”

*takes one look at hell* “those flamin’ hot cheetos commercials really nailed it.”

“i love cable news. it’s like watching the apocalypse in slow motion.”

gigi describing brett as “the comic sans of people”

andre reminding us how old millennials are now

“destroying your brother’s political legacy. what are you, a bush?”

the ayn rand tattoo

brett accidentally unionizing and legalizing sex work

“the solution just seemed so obvious”

“because faking your own death worked so well last time, reagan. redundant much?”

“maybe all conspiracies are real!” “oh, that’s not good.”

brett’s lil brett puppet

lil brett dying

lil brett going absolutely batshit crazy during the entire end credits of that episode

“you look like a white girl at burning man!”

the coughing and face-touching station

“the only way you’re associated with the number 300 is in pounds.” “you calling me fat?” “explicitly!”

“i literally have no idea what you’re going to say next!” “vagina egg.”

“i feel like we have the same interests. wanna start a podcast?” “no! this is like a siren song for straight white men!”

reagan once used cheetos as croutons

*route 96 turns into route 69* “haha, nice”

the fact that andre is just the original text of the “one fear” meme

“fun for ages six to six and a half!”

berenstain bears originally being berenstein makes SO MUCH SENSE

“and finally the rich white underdogs became the rich white ruling class. an inspirational story”

jr refusing to put his shirt back on

brett gives a tinfoil hat to the shazaam poster and it WORKS

“turns out i wasn’t pregnant, i just had way too much del taco” “i’ve been there”

“you said something nice, but it felt mean!”

mothman’s alternate timeline was a reverse of the fly

andre is canonically into tentacle hentai

lampshading the plot holes

“me? in charge of a whole workforce, like santa?”

“how many oscars is meryl streep supposed to have? three seems kinda low”

andre, just having shoved nixon back into his grave, now covered in blood and holding a shovel: “i don’t wanna talk about it”

air bud!!

“i could beat a dog in chess! probably.” same, brett, same

[huriya]

We Need Revolution in You and Me

We are watching a country die.

All the while, we know why.

All the while, I see kids like me scream and cry while missiles demolish their homes.

And I sit here in my middle class house with my family and friends,

And I avoid the subject of war because not even my father knows who he’d fight for,

He only knows he would fight with hate disguised as love because that’s what he is told.

Those of you who claim you are prevented from protest by society are lying to yourselves,

You are restrained by society’s individual,

You think you are unable to do anything but watch this genocide,

Watch this genocide on your screen made from the labor of child slaves,

Your screen that is now necessary for modern life,

Your modern life is a life where corporations have told you slavery is necessary,

Where you know every piece in your wardrobe is the fruit of unpaid labor,

The clothes that cover your skin fail to cover up their origin, their sin:

Those countries we know we infiltrated as a false agent of "freedom",

Those countries we accept as sacrifices for our daily lives,

Those countries being burned by the flames of climate change,

But we’ll continue to consume oil and gas because you say it's "too hard to change",

With that sort of thinking we may as well go back to African slaves,

In our justification of the evils of life we become the evil ourselves,

When we ignore the consequences of our luxury and do nothing we are complicit,

Complicit in the generational control of those people we perceive as less than,

Those people who live to die for us without a choice,

Raised by survivors of cultural rape in a cycle of trauma,

Trauma inflicted by that same system we claim is "too hard to change",

For the system sustains our lives by taking others,

And if we want our lives to stay we must turn a blind eye,

A blind eye to hatred and love and thought,

And if we must know of the less-than-human people who die,

We can claim we couldn’t try,

Because their suffering can only be ended when we face the end of our privilege,

And we claim our privilege protects us from what we call the true struggle,

The true struggle we lay upon others while we lavish in our capitalistic society,

Where the number of zeros in your bank account determines your worth,

And the billionaires lay the blame on your neighbors to redirect it from themselves,

While they watch us pick each other apart in a battle where both sides lose,

Where every side loses except the side comparable to God,

God’s grace comes with a cost for the sake of adding to the ever-growing banks of heaven,

Those banks filled with the flow of money once meant to trickle down,

Barricaded by pearly gates to prevent the “lazy” man’s hydration,

And when we have been sucked dry we may finally look up in the sky,

And realize why no one won the wars we all believed were worth fighting for,

Because all we were was entertainment for the more-than humans,

The ones who trampled our children to get ahead,

And jailed our brothers to steal their rights with fear,

And now we fear our brothers and hate our mothers and never know our fathers,

And we don’t give a damn for the rest of them,

Because we’re too busy playing the blame game to have any real goal to attain,

And if we can’t work together we can’t hope to end the cycle of pain,

And so we’ll continue to buzz around our lives like flies coveting trash,

Because we allow ourselves to be too afraid to make real change,

And we pretend we can be truly happy in a world where our children’s time is monopolized by our own government to train good little workers who won’t question money’s authority.

-Huriya, 4/2/2024

[gothicvalentine]

Must watch video compilation. They're coming out and saying they want to go back at least 100 years, before women had rights, one guy said they want to go back to the middle ages and another that things went wrong when "we" stopped burning women at the stake.

Mention was made that they want to make The Handmaid's Tale real--and worse. What the guy means by "and worse" can only be imagined, but considering the actual state sanctioned r*pe in the book and show, it really makes me concerned about them trying to implement forcing women to submit to having sex with (yeah r*ape) men who are not able to get laid, but also feel like they should be able to have sex with supermodels. There's obviously more men than not who will never be able to have sex with super hot women and not all of them can become wealthy enough to make their grossness irrelevant. I've seen articles where it's been stated that some incels have proposed the government "give" them hot women. Like we're nothing more than animals or food.

I know younger people keep complaining that Democrats keep saying that elections are "the most important ever." And I guess it sounds like we're "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."

But it's shit like this that has become more and more open and mainstreamed. So much so that every future election may continue to be "the most important." Because at this point, we're just trying to keep America a democracy (or Democratic Republic or whatever the fuck the legal def is).

These people are the enemy of our country and anyone who wants freedom for women, POC, LGBTQIA, men who don't fit their criteria of "manly men," the lower classes, immigrants, disabled people, neurodivergent people--and anyone I may have forgotten. We have to remain vigilant!

Sadly, for anyone who isn't convinced, I think the only thing that would convince them is if we do lose our freedoms, and I, for one, am not willing to let things get that far! It's enraging enough to me that they've rolled back civil rights and Roe despite everything I've been doing to try to at least maintain the status quo. I'll keep fighting though.

Because I may not fit into most of these groups, but just because someone is different from me, does not mean they should not be able to live happy lives, be the person they are and love who they love. All of you who are dissimilar to me are just as important as I am and the law should consider you all as such. When it doesn't, that's when I have a problem with any of those legislators, even if they are in different states. I wish I had billions of dollars so I could at least try to counteract all the douchy billionaires! 😭

[ultimatebottom69]

I just wanted to laugh real quick. Sksksks. You dare say that kind of shit for real ? Yeah I don't give a damn a 19 year daddy's boy billionaires looking ass guy, fucking imploded because he wanted to "have a nice father and son moment with his hoarding money father UwU"

Like. Listen. There are tons of ways to spend time with your fathers that do include, not signing your own death warrant on an obviously very unsafe scam.

They all died of their own hubris, which was that a measly 250k would save them from litterally imploding.

The fucking captain and inventor of that shit was a known "I think safety regulations are overrated, I think it's a way for the gouvernment to take my money" kind of billionaire.

I am fucking glad he died of his invention with 4 other idiots who read the fucking contract before signing it then spent litteral 250k or 250 M to litterally go inside a fucking tin can Iron Lung looking ass submarine.

I feel absolutely no pity at all. They died too quickly to even realize what happened. But frankly it kills me they didn't see it coming.

Like I am sorry anyone who knows how the sea work could fucking tell that this was a tragedy waiting to happen.

We said "Eat the rich" it includes every type of rich. Even young idiots like that imploded guy.

Also thinking someone showing no empathy to idiots who died of their fucking stupidity make them evil is extremely funny as hell. I have empathy so I do not feel targeted by your bullshit, but contrary to you I know when it's time turn it off and look at the cold hard facts. I also know having empathy doesn't make you a good person at all.

That 19 year old idiot could have totally went "Hey Dad...Can we like...Maybe go to another submarine company ? Or do something next week ? Like the whole week in one of our many overpriced private jet to like go watch a live documentary of Titanic or watch a movie ? Or maybe buy some prostitutes ?"

Like listen. They are richer then any of us can imagine. They HAD tons of way to entertain themselves and DECIDED unimously AFTER seeing the fucking Tin Can that they should go into that Submarine.

Don't expect everyone to have the same "Oh no poor them" then you.

They were all assholes. Hoarders of wealth that could have helped any person like you and me not even question "What can we eat today ?".

And they never helped even a tiny bit.

Fuck them. And your wicked sense of compass. Feeling empathy for every single idiot who dies is not a virtue it's tiring, and you will burn out and it is stupid. Use your time preciously. And frankly even someone with empathy can be a total dickhead that you wouldn't mind seeing die.

Empathy is not a measure of how good of a person you are.

[frevandrest]

Hello, did you read https://ar.crimethinc.com/2019/04/08/against-the-logic-of-the-guillotine-why-the-paris-commune-burned-the-guillotine-and-we-should-too ? I wanted to ask someone who has knowledge about the french revolution's facts, from the little I know I feel like it's simplistic to a bad degree but I don't know much.. to me, it's worse when an idea I agree with is supported by false/refuctive statements, and I do believe in the core conclusion of this essay.

Thank you.

Alright, so I am not knowledgeable about the 19th century and 1871 Paris Commune so I can't speak on that, but the article itself does include numerous simplifications and errors. It doesn't even contextualize the guillotine in its original context, the way it was invented, to provide a quick and egalitarian death for everyone.

While guillotine sure overstayed its welcome (it was officially abolished only with the abolition of the death penalty in 1981, wtf), the context in which it was first implemented is important to keep in mind. The article doesn't even mention that. It does not paint it as an attempt to move away from what was before it: gruesome executions and only aristocrats being privileged enough to receive beheading (the quickest death). The article jumps straight to 1793 and the execution of the king, so we don't get any context.

Now, I am not sure what to think of the article as a whole. It seems to argue that the guillotine isn't/should not be a symbol of liberation because it includes bloody revenge (?) and a state-inflicted violence, which the author doesn't see as a correct anarchist (?) approach. Which, fine, but it is YMMV and a highly personal opinion. But the author's take on history and the French Revolution context of the guillotine is misleading (and often completely wrong). The article seems to see the guillotine in frev as the weapon of the state against its people, which misses the entire point of guillotine being used in frev to prevent (very real) direct killings committed by the people. While yes, we can talk about the role of the guillotine as a state-inflicted violence, a lot of context is missed by ignoring the fact that the people were eager to do their own revenge, and the government trying to prevent those random murders on the street by giving it at least a semblance of the legal process. It might not fly as fair legal process today, but the opposite was not peace and quiet; the opposite was sans culottes taking justice (or what they saw as justice) into their own hands. They did it during September massacres in 1792, and they were ready to do it again. And when told "hold on, the republic will take care of that", people demanded more and quicker executions. The article never mentions this; on the contrary, it contextualizes the use of guillotine in frev as a bureaucratic state murdering citizens "from afar". Which the article argues is what people today want when they talk about guillotining billionaires or whoever. Which is YMMV and highly personal opinion. But this opinion (about politics today and what to do about social change) is very different than the late 18c situation in France. It's anachronistic and, well, ethnocentric, to view the French Revolution through the lens of our own culture. Whatever one thinks about the use of guillotine during frev, it's not really relevant unless they (try to) understand the context, the time and the cultural circumstances. That not to say that anyone has to support the idea of guillotine (I for one am terrified of the thing and I rarely, if ever, post guillotine memes). But it's not possible to understand what was going on during frev (or Paris Commune 1871 for that matter) unless you understand the context. The article you linked doesn't even seem to try to do that. On the contrary, it openly interprets the past through the present and tries to explain frev through today's cultural sentiments, which is not a good way to go, imo. (Well, if you wish to understand history, which I assume was not the goal of this article). Errors and simplifications under the cut.

The guillotine is associated with radical politics because it was used in the original French Revolution to behead monarch Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, several months after his arrest.

Is this really why it's associated with radical politics? Is it really all about the king (and queen)? Even if so, it is a misleading way to put it: guillotine was implemented so there is at least some legal proceeding (trial, death penalty). The opposite is letting people punish with their bare hands whoever they deem guilty (look at the September Massacres). Whatever we think of direct action, it is clear why government could not allow that to happen (for people to go on the streets and punish whoever they want).

Which is a hugely, immensely important point behind the executions in frev. The article doesn't even mention it, even though it talks about doing revenge yourself vs distant revenge (the author seems unaware that sans cullotes in frev very much wanted a direct revenge and were ready to implement it). The article argues that people today want a distant, impersonal revenge where they don't dirty their own hands "with all the paperwork filled out properly, according to the example set by the Jacobins and the Bolsheviks". This shows a profound lack of understanding of what was going on during frev, when there was a very real struggle between the government and the people over "direct revenge". The "Jacobin procedure" was an attempt to prevent more September massacres; it wasn't something created in a vacuum because Robespierre (or whoever) just wanted to kill people with bureaucratic precision.

Maximilien de Robespierre, sometime President of the Jacobin Club, continued employing it to consolidate power for his faction of the Republican government.

This is an interesting way to describe Robespierre (not incorrect, but misleading, because so many people were presidents of the Jacobin club). At least it doesn't claim he was the president of the CSP. Minus for incorrect use of "de Robespierre" (it's typically done to SJ, so this one is rare). Still, it makes it seem like Robespierre was the mastermind behind the guillotinings (and he somehow achieved that by simply being the president of the Jacobin club?)

As is customary for demagogues, Robespierre, Georges Danton, and other radicals availed themselves of the assistance of the sans-culottes, the angry poor, to oust the more moderate faction, the Girondists, in June 1793.

Plus for mentioning Danton in this context (he is typically spared the Robespierre treatment). While it's true that there was a big Girondin vs Montagnard thing going on (both sides wanted to crush the other), the text misses to point out that: 1) Girondins had the power majority in early 1793; 2) What is "moderate" is debatable - Girondins were for the war that caused so much mess, and it's rarely mentioned as "not moderate"; and 3) (most misleading, imo) It ignores the fact that sans culottes were the ones doing the insurrection, barging into the Convention to demand Girondins be punished, "or else" (= "September massacres again"). The people (sans culottes) were very active in their ideas and demands, and the government (Montagnards included) often had to make careful moves to placate them - there is so, so much about the tensions between the sans culottes (Paris Commune) and the Government that the article doesn't even take into account. (Like seriously, it needs to be well-known.)

By early 1794, Robespierre and his allies had sent a great number of people at least as radical as themselves to the guillotine, including Anaxagoras Chaumette and the so-called Enragés, Jacques Hébert and the so-called Hébertists, proto-feminist and abolitionist Olympe de Gouges, Camille Desmoulins (who had had the gall to suggest to his childhood friend Robespierre that “love is stronger and more lasting than fear”)—and Desmoulins’s wife, for good measure, despite her sister having been Robespierre’s fiancée. 

(Was she really Robespierre's fiancée? And since we're there, should we also mention that Robespierre's sister was the fiancée of the man who killed Robespierre?) Anyway. This paragraph is super misleading because it makes it seem that it was Robespierre "and his supporters" doing all of this, when it was faction fighting where, say, Danton was pushing for the fall of the opposing factions. Yet, everyone is lumped together as Robespierre's victim. (And why is Olympe de Gouges not grouped with Girondins? Of course, we hear that she was an abolitionist, but we don't hear that the rest of them were, too, Robespierre included. Not to mention de Gouges' horrendous take on how black people should not "go too far" to liberate themselves. Like if there is one person in frev that should not be hailed as a great abolitionist it's de Gouges. But I digress).

To celebrate all this bloodletting, Robespierre organized the Festival of the Supreme Being, a mandatory public ceremony inaugurating an invented state religion.

Now they're just making shit up. I've heard many bad takes about the Festival of the Supreme Being, but that it was a celebration of the guillotinings???

After this, it was only a month and a half before Robespierre himself was guillotined, having exterminated too many of those who might have fought beside him against the counterrevolution.

Eeeh. This is more what happened to Thermidorians after the death of Robespierre, but sure we don't talk about the White Terror because it's not important (?) (It's true Robespierre miscalculated by alienating sans culottes, but not because he killed so many that he lost supporters. Again, this is what happened to Robespierre's killers, the Thermidorians, and not to Robespierre).

But it is a mistake to focus on Robespierre. Robespierre himself was not a superhuman tyrant. At best, he was a zealous apparatchik who filled a role that countless revolutionaries were vying for, a role that another person would have played if he had not. The issue was systemic—the competition for centralized dictatorial power—not a matter of individual wrongdoing.

This paragraph is not completely wrong (except it sees Robespierre and frev as being much more organized and eeeh, USSR-like than it was - a common mistake. It was a fucking anarchy where nobody had proper power and control - that is the main problem. But to understand this, one has to understand just how disorganized things were, with no institutions and with no proper bureaucratic apparatus - that was a huge problem. But the article seems to equate frev with USSR so... nah).

To a certain extent, we can understand why Robespierre and his contemporaries ended up relying on mass murder as a political tool. They were threatened by foreign military invasion, internal conspiracies, and counterrevolutionary uprisings; they were making decisions in an extremely high-stress environment. 

Oh, now we are mentioning the context, which was supposed to go to the start of the article to explain wtf was going on. That's abut it for frev. After, the article talks about 19c and I am not knowledgeable enough about that.

[welldonebeca]

Miss, PhD (XIV)

WC: 1.2k words Warnings: Fluff. Slow burn. Sometimes finally happened.

If you like my work, consider buying me a coffee or subscribing to my Patreon. It’s just $2 a month and helps a lot while I go through these hard times.

Masterlist

Steve frowned, confused, at the screen, seeing the blonde girl - you had told him the name of the actor was Julia Gardner - on screen. Anna… Devi? Delvey? He wasn’t so sure.

You were seated on the other side of the couch far enough that he would need to move from his seat in order to reach you, and your eyes were glued to the screen, a and he had to confess that you were probably more interested in the story of the Netflix TV show than him, which was funny, because he was the one who had ultimately chosen what you were going to watch after seeing it on the trending shows.

��You said you had met her?” he asked.

After the first episode had ended, you had confessed to Steve that you had actually met the woman who was the real life inspiration for the show - Anna Sorokin, the Russian Scammer.

“Yeah,” you confirmed, sipping your soda.

You had finished your glass of wine and switched it for a can of Pepsi - one of many you had brought in your suitcase -, drinking from a glass Steve had offered you after watching you stir the drink until it was flat.

“I was in New York for my dad’s birthday when he was invited to a… investor’s party, I think,” you explained. “Something about a foundation with her name.”

He nodded along, intrigued. The show was placed in the mid 2010s. Considering you were born and raised in New York and your father was a high profile billionaire, it would be unlikely that you never crossed ways with her, considering you were visiting your father. Maybe they were even going to show your family - or at least the party - in the episode.

“And did he fall for her?” he asked.

You shook your head.

“He got weird vibes from her,” you confessed. “And I didn’t like her a lot either, so we never got around to the foundation.”

He confirmed with a soft moan, a little impressed. Your father sounded like a very level-headed man and a good parent anytime you mentioned him.

You glanced at him from across the sofa, and you stood up, walking behind the couch to the nearest table and put it there while he followed you with his arms, and stood by his side for a moment before walking back to your spot, turning right to him, and your eyes moved slowly over his face before you moved right back to your place, glancing at him again.

“Can I sit closer to you?” you asked.

Steve raised his eyebrows, a little surprised at the request.

“Of course,” he answered quickly.

When you two had sat down on his couch to watch the show, Steve was hoping that you would sit with, but he had let you do whatever you wanted - and you had chosen to sit far away from him.

You adjusted your shoulders and moved your fingers, taking off your jumper and folding it, putting it over a chair, and Steve watched as you adjusted the necklace he had given you around your neck, exposed by your low-cut shirt.

Finally, you sat by his side, turning a bit and resting your head on the seat, watching the show quietly.

Steve hesitated, overthinking for what felt like forever, and finally reached around you, placing his arm over the couch and behind you, waiting for you to say anything. Your eyes, however, were glued to the scene going on in the screen, and he relaxed a little, going back to the TV show just as well.

He had just relaxed when moved again, still watching the episode, and rested your head on the crook of his elbow, leaning a little closer to his body, and Steve glanced at your face just as you looked at him.

“You can lay down,” he whispered. “If you want.”

Your eyes moved over his face, and he could see as you silently thought about his offer, slowly pulling away from him and turning, laying on his lap.

Steve sucked in a deep breath once you settled with your head on his thigh, placing a soft hand right i n front of your face, breathing in deep while the episode played in front of you two, but he was too distracted to even look at the screen now. Your hair was spread over his thighs, bright against the blue of his jeans, looking like it would feel very soft and shiny.

He couldn’t help himself, reaching for you and slowly petting your hair, caressing your scalp in gentle patterns, occasionally twirling it in his fingers, trying not to stare at you too much.

When your eyes slowly drifted closed, he gave up on focusing on the show on the screen.

This was the first time you were this close to him, this calm and comfortable.

He could see the features you had inherited from your father now that he was looking at you a little more carefully, the grey strands of hair Natasha had mentioned growing from your roots - you didn’t dye them - and the soft lines on your lower face and around your eyes that he knew came from years of smiles and laughs. He could see a scar on your cheek, so thin that he knew he had missed by seeing you from afar, and the way your lips were a little marked from where he had seen you biting it, and was enchanted by the soft hump on the bridge of your nose, almost as hard to miss as your scar.

Steve reached for your face slowly, moving a single finger over the bone of your jaw and the soft flesh and the angle it made, wishing he could touch your lips in that slow trip.

And then, you turned up and opened your eyes, looking into his with something he couldn’t quite read in them, pupils slowly growing larger. When his gaze drifted down to your lips, they were parted open, looking flushed and soft.

He couldn’t help himself and moved his fingers slowly from your jaw to your chin, and then touched your bottom lip with his thumb, very softly tracing it.

You stood up quickly, surprising him and making him freeze.

Had he made you uncomfortable?

You propped yourself on your knees on the couch and used the seat of the couch to hold yourself in place, face just a few inches away from his.

“Steve?” you spoke softly. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly. “Please.”

You leant closer to him and Steve’s eyes drifted closed when he felt your nose touching the side of his and your breath against his lips, and exhaled once your lips actually touched, reaching for you, cradling your face in his hand while you slowly kissed him, just as gentle as every time you touched his skin.

Sooner than he wished it happened, you pulled away, and when he opened his eyes, yours were still closed and his hands were itching to brush your hair behind your ear and pull you closer, just to keep you close to him.

When your eyelids fluttered open, your lips slowly curled in a smile as you seemed to realise how he was watching you, waiting.

“Steve?” you looked into his eyes.

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad your car broke down during that thunderstorm,” you confessed.

He grinned, chuckling at your confession, flustered and a little more relaxed now.

“I’m glad my car broke down too.”

. . .

"Miss, PhD" was posted on my Patreon back on January! To read the full story before anyone else and have early access to all of my works, subscribe to my page! It's just $2 a month!

. . .

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[radashes]

Book review: 'Dreamland Billionaires' series by Lauren Asher

Step into the lavish world of the Dreamland Billionaire series, where dreams are as big as bank accounts, and the drama is richer than a double espresso on a Monday morning.

#1. The Fine Print: 4/5 stars

I ended up giving this book a 4-star rating. Was it amazing? Nah, not really. Did it keep me hooked and make me finish it in one sitting? Yeah, it did.

So, the story is all about Rowan, who's supposed to inherit his grandpa's fortune and is running Dreamland amusement park, and Zahra, who works there. Rowan's got to find the park's weak spots to get his inheritance, and Zahra's dream is to be a creator, so she gets roped into helping out.

Now, let's talk characters:

Rowan: Your typical grumpy guy with some daddy issues. He gets oddly excited when Zahra touches his leg. Weird, right? Oh, and he's into art, which adds a bit of depth to him, but it's resolved too quickly.

Zahra: She's all sunshine and rainbows, forgiving Rowan way too easily and laughing way too much.

Cringeworthy moments:

These characters act more like teens than adults, which is kinda cringe.

Zahra describing Rowan's butt as a "firm bubble butt" was just... no.

That first kiss in the office? Totally out of place.

Rowan crawling to Zahra on the floor? Ugh, just why?

But hey, there were some good things, like the inclusion of Zahra's sister Ami, who has Down Syndrome. It's awesome to see that kind of representation in popular books.

Despite its flaws, I'll probably keep reading the trilogy because, let's be real, they're pretty addictive.

#2. Terms and Conditions: 4.5/5 stars

"Terms and Conditions" felt like "The Fine Print" with a slightly better font, and I'll be real, those last 80 pages? Nah, fam, we could've done without 'em.

From the get-go, Iris and Declan steal the spotlight. Their dynamic was entertaining, but I could've done without the whole "Is Iris setting this up because she likes me?! Eww" vibe.

Now, onto the characters:

Declan: Dude's got serious daddy issues, but his introverted, grumpy demeanor was oddly endearing. His subtle affection for Iris and efforts to help her with dyslexia were highlights.

Iris: Queen Iris, y'all! Loved her as the strong, determined female lead. Though I felt her third act drama was a tad over-the-top, she taught Declan some valuable life lessons.

In short, Declan's complexity outshone Rowan's, and Iris was a force to be reckoned with.

Favorite moments:

Their banter: “We both know you actually like my brain.” “I like your heart more.”

Declan's little gestures of affection: “I did some research on how people with learning differences like yours do better with verbal and written instructions.”

And that tear-jerker quote? Hits you right in the feels.

Overall, despite the familiar feel, "Terms and Conditions" delivers a solid slow burn romance with relatable characters and some heartwarming moments.

#3. Final Offer: 3.5/5 stars

"Final Offer" was a bit of a letdown, honestly. It felt like it dragged on forever without much excitement. The plot was a mix of clichés, and it just didn't bring anything fresh to the table. Plus, it moved at a snail's pace, which made it a bit of a chore to get through.

Characters:

Alana: Unfortunately, she fell flat for me. Her lack of empathy and manipulative tendencies made it hard to connect with her. Plus, her behavior towards Cal bordered on emotional abuse, which was a major turn-off.

Cal: He had his struggles, but he still had some charm left in him. His journey through addiction and personal demons was touching, but it didn't fully shine through in this installment.

Favorite Moments:

Latin Representation: Kudos to the author for portraying Latin culture well. It was a nice touch and added depth to the story.

Revisiting Previous Characters: Seeing familiar faces from earlier books was a highlight. It added a layer of continuity and nostalgia to the story.

Cal himself was alright, but even his charm couldn't save this sinking ship of a romance plot. The whole thing just felt flat and uninspired.

So yeah, "Final Offer" ended up being a bit of a dud for me.

Overall, the Dreamland Billionaire is a good series with its diverse tropes and well-developed characters. Each book brought something unique to the table, from the grumpy/sunshine dynamic to the fake marriage trope and the second chance friends-to-lovers storyline. And you're spot on about Final Print—it tackled the complexities of "functional" alcoholism with sensitivity and depth. Overall, it's been a fantastic journey with lovable heroes and heroines, plenty of HEAs, and enough feels to last a lifetime!

[anadrenalineslut]

I think y'all are missing the point of the ending.

Miles Bron is an idiot, which means that nothing he thinks is the truth. This includes the idea that the napkin was the only thing preventing him from going to jail.

First of all, it's copaganda to claim that circumstantial evidence is somehow "weaker" than physical evidence. This misunderstands how evidence is collected in a court of law against somebody. After all, DNA alone does not prove a crime. You need circumstantial evidence, like the fact that he stole Duke's gun and phone, he killed Duke with pineapple juice after handing him his own glass, he tried to shoot Helen who has a journal of her sister's thoughts and beliefs and memories, including the backstory of the napkin and shows that Duke's gun was fired after his death.

Helen doesn't blow up the glass onion for any other reason than to disrupt the system around Bron that was shielding him from consequences. Blowing up the glass onion was a metaphor for blowing up the relationship between the shitheads and Miles. Furthermore, in the first half of the film, Claire literally says "why would you hang a poster of the Mona Lisa in your living room" and Bron is the one who informs them that it's the real thing.

The fact that they believe him immediately was the lynchpin Helen needed to pull so that they would tell the truth when the police came, but it doesn't matter what they said really because Bron's fingerprints were on the gun and the glass. His building was blown up and a burnt napkin would leave behind ashes, so there is physical evidence that supports the eyewitness testimony.

But blowing up the glass onion was a metaphor for how Helen needed to make sure the shitheads would not be loyal to Bron, that's why she is shown in the middle of the explosion to be looking at the Mona Lisa in growing understanding because she thinks of it in that moment, because it represents the lies Bron told the shitheads to coerce their loyalty to him, even when it hurts them in the end.

Even when he was hurting them, they still supported him because his wealth and his reputation of a genius made them scared of him. He explained to them in great detail in the beginning of the film how he manipulated them into thinking he's a genius and they never clock it because they're blinded by his wealth. To them, his wealth is his genius. They believe he's rich because he's smart enough to be rich, and they don't realize how he literally just exploits them into doing what he wants them to, in order to implicate them in his stupid plans.

They also like feeling smart by association, like this super rich guy genius is our friend and we all know smart people like to hang around other smart people. But the point of the film is that rich people aren't smart because they've figured out how to exploit others into giving them their wealth. Rich people are like magicians, telling us "I got here because I deserve it, I'm smart and a genius and I created this ALL BY MYSELF" and we believe them because it means that there is hope for us too.

If we could just figure out how to be smart like Bron, we too can be rich and successful and if we're not it's because we're too stupid to get there. But the film is making a point to have you examine what rich people tell you about themselves and what they tell you about the world around you. That's how rich people exploit you, they tell you they're more powerful than you are. They have all the money in the world to destroy you and they could do it too, because haven't you heard? They're a billionaire and we all know that means they've earned their wealth. They're smart enough to earn their wealth. and we're not.

But the point of burning a fake mona lisa is expose how flawed this mentality of the shitheads' are. The point of the film is not only to expose Bron as an idiot, but to expose the rest of us as idiots for believing anything he tells himself, his friends, the world, or us the viewer. You're not supposed to look at that final scene and think "he's right. Guys like him get away with everything." You're supposed to think: the napkin is not the only piece of physical evidence, YOU FUCKING MORON.

It is very subtle but if you really examine that scene, it doesn't make sense that Blanc would believe Bron's declaration that the napkin is the only piece of evidence they have- because well, the gun and the journal and the fucking recording of Birdie. He is telling her that she needs to disrupt Bron's system of support- the shitheads- because that is how he stays in power.

You're supposed to recognize that the real reason Bron isn't held accountable is not because there is no evidence against him. It's because his support system around him lies and hides the evidence/truth for him because of their belief that "this is just how the world works. nobody would believe me against the richest man alive." It's a look at how we all fail to hold powerful people accountable because we've bought into this lie that their wealth says something about their merit and morality as a person.

Rich people only get away with what the majority allows them to get away with and THAT is the true moral of the story in my opinion. The point is not that Helen needed to disrupt the legal system, it's that she needed to disrupt the interpersonal support system that Bron created with these people, who are representations/metaphors for different communities in our society, that allows him to escape accountability.

In other words, it's not that circumstantial evidence is weaker than physical evidence that the film is making a point out of. It's that circumstantial evidence is AS IMPORTANT IF NOT MORE than physical evidence because if you just have physical evidence, you can give an eyewitness testimony that can explain that evidence away. Especially if you're the only person with knowledge on something, but when you manipulate others to validate your insane version of events- they become more believable.

It's an examination at how wealth causes people to change their stories of the truth and how that is exploited by assholes in power to escape accountability, even when their backs are against the wall. Because the shitheads believe the napkin is the only piece of evidence against them, they are willing to lie once it's gone. BUT once they realize that lying for Bron would cause them to be known as the friends of the guy who blew up the mona lisa because he wanted to prove he could defy the laws of the universe and that's why they decide to tell the truth in the end.

The physical evidence needs to be supported by eyewitness testimony and the ending makes fun of the idea that "circumstantial evidence" is weak in real life. it's not, not if there is physical evidence. But if Bron convinced 5 people to lie and say his insane version of events is true, people are more likely to believe that than 2 people (1 gay man and 1 black woman) saying no actually this is how this thing actually happened.

Like, people will believe anything someone they think is a genius tells them (i.e. drink bleach to cure covid from ur favorite 4d chess playing moron). I've gone on for so long but do you guys understand what i'm getting at here?

[trollprincess]

Okay, NO. I cannot be expected to wait another four weeks to talk about Glass Onion. I CANNOT.

I’m angry about only one thing and that’s that it’s not still in the theater because my immediate goal after walking out was to walk right back in again and see it once again to catch all the stuff that went on that I missed. (Like Helen. Helen! I spent so much time at the end of the movie going, “Wow, she does such a great acting job being her sister!” Except it was *her* all along and … Jesus, seriously give that woman an Oscar nomination.)

I also thought SO MUCH about the whole “you see what he wanted you to see” part of the plot, because yes. YES. I wish more movies did this gaslighting outside of an abusive domestic situation, *and* acknowledged it as such.

I also hope that when Benoit said, “I’ve got a guy,” he meant Philip, and ten minutes later Philip was clearing stacks of books out of their bathroom grumbling about why they can’t go do this in his salon, *Blanc*, you always do this, I don’t know how we didn’t break up ages ago, now go check on dinner while I rummage through what supplies I’ve got on hand.

Okay, but that last sequence … look, I called it sexy for a reason. That shit was so *satisfying*. I’m not going to pretend that it didn’t help that Miles felt VERY Elon on multiple fronts, which made it even better. But Helen getting to destroy it ALL - not just physically by smashing and burning and doing everything some of us wish we could do to a billionaire’s home, but by doing it in such a way that his whole damn empire is about to *fall the fuck apart*.

I kept thinking about Marta in the first movie and Helen in this one, how they both go up against the rich and privileged, although they wouldn’t have done so if a murder didn’t spur them on. They’re both exceptionally brave. Marta’s bravery may be more understated in comparison (God knows she doesn’t blow the house up), but they’re both the real heroes in movie where the urge is to go, “Well, Benoit is the hero, of course.” Even he would go, “No, I do this all the time. But HER! She’s a marvel.” God, I could watch a hundred movies where Benoit Blanc does his detective work while a woman stands up to privileged bullshit and wins over and over. I hope we get so many more Benoit Blanc movies. He’s SO good, but the movies also give him the BEST characters to work with or against.

Ugh, I just want to rewatch ALL of Janelle Monae’s scenes from the start. She had a scarf around her head in that scene with the box at the beginning and of COURSE she did, she’s wearing a robe, she probably just got up, but of COURSE she did, because she’s *Helen*, and she’s got a different haircut. And what I love is that yes, she smashed that box with the hammer because she was good and pissed and good for her, but also she’s the sort of character where if she actually sat down and tried to figure it out, you *know* she could. She’s sharp, she’s a teacher, she’s quick on her feet. But goddamn it, that box NEEDED smashing, and I feel like I could watch two straight hours of Janelle Monae breaking stuff and that would be my porn.

But I love Benoit Blanc so goddamn much, too. I’m not a James Bond fan so I haven’t watch Daniel Craig’s run (that’s on the character, not him), but I’ve adored him in other stuff. Like, he’s so much fun in Logan Lucky, a movie that doesn’t nearly get enough play for being VERY good and for featuring Southern characters without making them the butt of the joke. Oh, but Benoit.

Also, kudos to writing in the pandemic as a plot point in a way that didn’t make me want to whack the screenwriter on the head with a newspaper. Like, Kate Hudson wearing that jeweled chain mask was both so in character and SO infuriating because *people actually did that shit*, a fact I will NEVER get over.

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

If twitter collapses, I'll be fine. I don't really post there, I just use it to follow artists and occasionally commission them, and the only "mutual" I have is a big artist who follows everyone who follows them, so no big loss. We're not friends, we've only interacted a few times outside of a transaction, they won't miss me.

What scares me more is the knock-on effect twitter's collapse would have on tumblr; tumblr isn't store brand twitter like a lot of blue checks seem to think, but I fear a ton of people will flock here anyway and the site will basicslly be gentrified- tiktokified- bought up by some opportunistic rich nutsack who thinks they can turn it from the imagined store brand twitter to a rival, coke va pepsi, mcdonalds vs burger king, twitter vs tumblr. Or worse, maybe the muskrat will cut out the middleman and buy tumblr himself. It would be pocket change to him; last time it traded hands it went for less than one-ten-thousandth what he just paid for twitter. If he sees a bunch of people flocking away twitter, he can just buy wherever they're flocking to, out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Tumblr thinks it can keep its head down and not get involved in the stupid game of thrones between billionaires and social media and news outlets, but it'll get swept up in the crossfire eventually. It's too mainstream to be left alone, no matter how much we pretend it's an inhospitable hellsite. This isn't Myspace, we still have an active userbase, new people still come here every day, so somebody powerful is gonna catch wind of our goings-on and ruin it for everyone. Twitter can burn for all I care, but when it des, tumblr will burn soon thereafter.

All my friends are here. I'm only in contact with two of my mutuals in real life, and I don't want to lose the rest. I have half a mind to exchange phone numbers or mailing addresses just so to keep in touch in the eventuality. I don't know, it just wouldn't be the same without posts to share; it's hard to keep so many conversations going, it's easier to just reblog something funny and acknowledge the funny things other people post, no words, just a mutual sense of camaraderie. Is mutualship the same thing as friendship? Sometimes. I would like it to be, but I don't know how that would shake out; I get the feeling a lot of mutual interactions would devolve into "hey," "hey," "how was your day," "good, yours," and then peter out into silence when we no longer have dumb shit to bond over. I have friends in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Texas, Alabama, California, a bunch of places, and I don't want to lose contact with any of them.

Social media is really important to me, because there are very few people to socialize with face to face in my hometown (everyone my age moved away for college, I'm one of the only people to come back, and everyone else down here is either a rich retired republican or a wage slave who actually lives a hundred miles away on the mainland but commutes back and forth every single day so they have no time to socialize...)