CuriousCat Archive Page 161 of 202

  1. ghosts or spirits?

    ghasts

  2. frequently make mistakes and apologize often or always be seen as a snob?

    how about infrequently make mistakes and over-apologize anyway?

  3. Hi there! Sorry to hit you with a "have you read X?" question but... SORRY NOT SORRY.

    Have you read Mavis Gallant's short story "Speck's Idea", which I came across while doing some research for a think piece. I read and loved it, and agree with her characterisation of the story in an interview with Geoffrey Hancock of exploring "the origin of the worm, not the historical causes of Fascism — just its small possibilities in people".

    Have you ever encountered it? If not, and you don't have anything to say, I'm sorry for wasting your time, and I don't mind at all if you shave some from your life by not replying — I realise you don't often talk about Fascism's manifestations in fiction, and orient yourself on more praxis-oriented takes.

    I haven't read it, so I'll take this as a recommendation!

  4. Are movie/video game violence the main cause of violence in real life?

    Obviously not.

  5. Do you like Hasan Piker?

    I don't really know much about him. I popped by his stream one time and the first thing I heard was someone asking if the term "stupid" was ableist and he said "people who think that are stupid" and I was like... yeah, that's not the kind of intellectual engagement I'm looking for.

  6. I am still watching the video, and maybe this is a tad too personal, but I am just struck by how much more JOYFUL you seem when narrating this video? Maybe I'm projecting, or maybe you had a better sleep, or a great cup of coffee beforehand, but you just seem so enthused, energetic; the video has a completely different tone to the ARP stuff.

    Thanks for revisiting WSGT?

    Talking about the Alt-Right demands I use my most serious voice. I can let go all-in on enthusiasm with other videos.

  7. hiiiiii

    this is small but I love when critics subtly throw shade on someone they're quoting with "[sic]"

    was this intentional re: Andrew Plotkin's definition of adventure games and his use of "him"?

    Not to throw shade, exactly, but male-pronoun-as-default tends to get a [sic] from me. In Andrew's defense, that article is from quite a while ago when there was less discourse around pronouns, and I think he would probably use neutral pronouns were he writing it today.

  8. how often do you see the phrase "Inyourendo Studios"

    as of this message, three times

  9. A while ago, you mentioned that it was the anniversary of your polycule on Twitter. What does that mean in the context of poly relationships?

    also, very belated congrats

    You misunderstand! I said that all the anniversaries in my polycule were in a short span of time. My partners and my partners' partners all seem to start dating in the fall.

    I don't have any anniversaries for the entire 'cule.

  10. Ok but isn't it literaly the problem with the Alt-right? they say crazy shit, and then laugh at you for taking it seriously. also a lot of time they don't seriously mean it, yet. It's not like leftist revoulutions being taken over by agrresive, vindictive elements is something that never happened. I don't see a reason not to aknowledge it, at least to ourselves.

    in response to Does that mean Leftists joking about political violence is both ironic and sincere like the Alt-Right is? I.E. massacre the rich

    No one said not to acknowledge it.

  11. I’m personally for this new wave of left-leaning millennials with “radical” ideas (hehehe) but while I think they manipulate the liberal side of the Overton window farther left, I can’t shake the feeling that they’re not really moving the right side of the Overton window (or, worse, they’re ostracizing people and moving it farther right). What are your thoughts on this—and are the young democrats helping or tearing the loosely coaligned party apart?

    "Moving left pushes the Right further right" is... it's not wholly inaccurate, but I take issue with where it puts the blame. The Right gets energized whenever it has strong opposition. Some people with drift further right when the Left is formidable. I think we ignore that some people on the Right also drift *left* when the Left is formidable, but we're not talking about numbers of people, we're talking about the Overton Window, and, yes, when people drift right they take the Overton Window with them.

    The implication that this is the Left's fault for going left and not the Right's fault for going Right bothers me. Because, I mean, what are we supposed to do? Just stay in the center for fear of what the Right will do if we actually fight for equality? That's what the Democrats have been doing and it hasn't worked. If our scenarios are a) a bunch of centrist Democrats who let the Right do whatever it wants and b) a Far Right and a Far Left that actually duke it out over what's best for the country, I'm going to choose b every time. I remind you that the Right's policies don't work and are extremely unpopular, and the only way the Right stays in power is by gaming systems and outright cheating. They're not going to fare well in a democracy if they face actual opposition.

  14. hi Ian,

    I've been writing some fictional works lately and I am grateful to gain some input from various people but the question is who should I be asking for input or opinions to begin with?

    if let's say im writing a piece about a leftist movement in a fictional place, can i gain opinions from both sides, one a leftist and the other a right-wing neo-conservative dude?

    I also want to ask when does one's opinion or criticism of your videos/works help you to constructively improve your videos and your voice in saying the "right" things

    Story Hospital's on hiatus right now, but I'd scroll through and see whether your questions have been addressed and what resources they've linked to. It'll be a good jumping-off point at any rate.

    https://storyhospital.wordpress.com/

  15. Isn't this a symptom of our alienation that we can't practice even performative equality without a layer of irony ?

    in response to Does it ever feel memey to say "comrade"? I appreciate the sentiment but I've never heard it used in person unironically but my experience just might not be in the right space for it

    It's not an either/or. People saying "comrade" with an ironic smirk are also literally being comrades to each other. We understand that fascist memes are sincere and ironic at the same time; why does Leftism have to run on different rules?

    Zoomers and Millennials are ironic. The revolution will not take itself seriously.

  16. What do you think of the Deponia trilogy (tetralogy?)?

    I played a bit of the first. The protagonist rubbed me the wrong way. And I know he's supposed to rub me the wrong way, and his whole arc is something about learning to be a better person, but it takes three games to get there and I wasn't particularly enamored with the design, either. Someone also showed me a clip of some pretty transphobic shit from one of the later games, so... yeahhhhhh, probably not gonna bother.

  17. I was watching your video on the future of the adventure game and I was wondering: now that all of the games mentioned have been released, what do you think of all the mechanics and how they were ultimately implemented?

    I've been writing capsule reviews of adventure games on my Tumblr for a while now. My goal is to hit all the games I discussed in that video - the core five and the list of other games mentioned near the end. I've also thrown in a bunch of other adventure games when I have something to say about them.

    I haven't gotten to everything yet (The Witness and Obduction run like total trash on my machine), but I'm hoping to tick them all off the list eventually.

    Here's the link:
    https://innuendostudios.tumblr.com/tagged/capsule-review

  18. Does it ever feel memey to say "comrade"? I appreciate the sentiment but I've never heard it used in person unironically but my experience just might not be in the right space for it

    Enh. The fact that the Left doesn't take itself entirely seriously when it says "comrade" doesn't mean they aren't sincere. You can mean what you say and still make fun of yourself for saying it.

    If there's one thing we should know in the age of the Alt-Right, it's that irony and honesty can go hand in hand.

  19. Should there be any reason not to worry that Russia might mess with elections again, potentially even trying to get the Dem nominee elected so that Republicans will once again turn around and blame us for the things they were complicit in

    There is every reason to worry Russia will interfere, but developing conspiracy theories where, even if Trump loses, it was all part of Putin's plan is the road to irrational paranoia.

  21. If the soviet union was fascist, why is Breadtube so enamored with soviet iconography, comrade?

    The Soviet Union was authoritarian, not fascist, and BreadTube is enamored with the iconography of the revolutionaries, not the government. Comrade.

  22. What if we...
    put our means of production...
    together ?
    Haha just
    kidding... unles?...

    (But seriously, what do you think the biggest hurdle the left will face in the struggle to seize the means of production would be? Sorry if it's a tough question!)

    Biggest? I dunno! A heavily militarized police force? Regularly getting sold out by establishment Democrats? Financial precarity making strikes riskier every year? Factionalism within the Left wherein privileged people throw marginalized allies under the bus *and* progressives crucify each other over perceived slights? So many options!

  23. Do you ever listen to The Majority Report with Sam Seder?

    I've noticed they've had interviews with a lot of relevant authors for the alt-right playbook, they even had Bob Altemeyer on a little while before you live tweeted your readings from him.

    I have this horrible feeling like I'm going to say "I've never listened to The Majority Report" and then someone's going to tell me "Ian, you've BEEN ON The Majority Report."

    I haven't, have I?

  24. Thanks for the answer. I guess the thing I couldn't really "get" was their obsession with "purity" and "personal responsibility" (maybe not being an American is healthier for your brain lol). I often tell myself that these people are only the vocal minority and most will grow out of it someday, but judging by the ever non-changing state of The DiscourseTM, that doesn't seem to be the case, does it?

    in response to I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the mindset of some people (especially The Gamers) who treat art criticism like personal attacks. Even after watching your Angry Jack series, I just can't fathom how someone can interpret "this work has some problematic elements that can be improved for the better" into "you are a bad person for enjoying this work and will someday go to hell because of it".

    I think we need to get away from the idea that people are either "like this" or "not like this." The notion of maintaining your moral integrity is one everyone in the US is acquainted with, and usually operates under in certain parts of their lives. They also operate under more pragmatic ideas at other times. Like, I'm a pretty diehard consequentialist, but I'm still a vegan, even though I know the positive consequence of my veganism is very small. I feel a need to abstain from the meat industry regardless.

    We all have many frames. It's more a question of which frames get activated in what circumstances, and how strongly.

  26. I mean starting an instance and crossposting our things there, and encouraging our audience to use the PeerTube instance over YouTube, particularly when YouTube takes down videos/channels or otherwise fucks something up. The idea of this being hosted by a hypothetical BreadTube coop is being brought up a lot on r/BreadTube again in the wake of the Three Arrows incident.

    Personally I think it's a good idea, but the difficulty lies, as with most such things, in how it's organized and how many people can be brought on board.

    in response to What do you think of the idea of BreadTube organizing and hosting a PeerTube instance to mitigate the control YouTube has over our content, and would this be an effort that you would be interested in joining and/or supporting?

    I'd be down to try it out!

  27. What do you think of the idea of BreadTube organizing and hosting a PeerTube instance to mitigate the control YouTube has over our content, and would this be an effort that you would be interested in joining and/or supporting?

    Do you just mean starting an instance and cross-posting our stuff there, or do you mean moving our stuff off YouTube entirely? Because that would end most of our careers.

  28. I asked the original question, and I hate to just continue to barrage you with stuff, but CALL ME BY YOUR NAME director Luca Guadagnino utilised the setting of the German Autumn for SUSPIRIA, which streams on Amazon Prime Video. It's not a historical story — it's an excellent, stylish supernatural horror with a historical backdrop used to great effect — but if you ever want to unwind, there's that, too!

    in response to The Baader Meinhof Complex is a great historical fic film concerning this.

    I saw SUSPIRIA in theaters, and suggesting it's a movie you could "unwind" to is one of the more brilliant troll moves I've seen.

  29. So Barney went on fox news town hall thing and mange to make them look silly and also used fox to further his own messages. Warren declined to go and expressed her feelings of the degree to which fox news sucks. Who do you think is more clever?

    Who's Barney?

  30. The Baader Meinhof Complex is a great historical fic film concerning this.

    in response to This is an excellent, well-thought out response that's helped me understand a few things, namely the idea of proportional response. I guess, my historical question would be, what do you think about groups like the Red Army Faction, of the German autumn? It was left-wing violence aimed at what they called the "Auschwitz generation", which is to say, former Nazis still occupied positions of immense privilege and power within Germany after World War 2, and continued to exert that control. The RAF was rooted in student political groups, and it was in parts a campaign against racism, sexism, and the failure of Western efforts to properly de-Nazify. This isn't a question of extrapolation — I'm not asking what you think about its contemporary relevancy or resonance — but whether you have some sympathy for the RAF. No attempts to sugarcoat: they did kill thirty four people, and not all of them were the intended targets: bodyguards, drivers, assistants. I'm just wondering: given that Nazism had 'been defeated' (at least the main structural force), do you think their response was not actually proportionate? Turning to violence when it feels like the only option is, well, often pretty heartbreaking, but sometimes it does feel good to (in the words of Tabby) SMASH Hope you're well!

    Noted!

  31. Not to be a horseshoe theory idiot... but Horst Mahler, a founding RAF member, is currently a Neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier. Is there any political thoughts on incidents of people from far left swinging suddenly far right?

    in response to This is an excellent, well-thought out response that's helped me understand a few things, namely the idea of proportional response. I guess, my historical question would be, what do you think about groups like the Red Army Faction, of the German autumn? It was left-wing violence aimed at what they called the "Auschwitz generation", which is to say, former Nazis still occupied positions of immense privilege and power within Germany after World War 2, and continued to exert that control. The RAF was rooted in student political groups, and it was in parts a campaign against racism, sexism, and the failure of Western efforts to properly de-Nazify. This isn't a question of extrapolation — I'm not asking what you think about its contemporary relevancy or resonance — but whether you have some sympathy for the RAF. No attempts to sugarcoat: they did kill thirty four people, and not all of them were the intended targets: bodyguards, drivers, assistants. I'm just wondering: given that Nazism had 'been defeated' (at least the main structural force), do you think their response was not actually proportionate? Turning to violence when it feels like the only option is, well, often pretty heartbreaking, but sometimes it does feel good to (in the words of Tabby) SMASH Hope you're well!

    No observations other than "that sucks." Maybe I'll discover something in my research.

  32. Do have a plan Episode about the how the use of Grifters like Tim Pool, Candace Owens, Dave Rubin etc helps the pipeline to the Alt right?

    Mm, sort of?

  33. not OP but this reads (kinda hilariously) like THANKS FOR THE HOMEWORK, FUCKO!!!!

    in response to This is an excellent, well-thought out response that's helped me understand a few things, namely the idea of proportional response. I guess, my historical question would be, what do you think about groups like the Red Army Faction, of the German autumn? It was left-wing violence aimed at what they called the "Auschwitz generation", which is to say, former Nazis still occupied positions of immense privilege and power within Germany after World War 2, and continued to exert that control. The RAF was rooted in student political groups, and it was in parts a campaign against racism, sexism, and the failure of Western efforts to properly de-Nazify. This isn't a question of extrapolation — I'm not asking what you think about its contemporary relevancy or resonance — but whether you have some sympathy for the RAF. No attempts to sugarcoat: they did kill thirty four people, and not all of them were the intended targets: bodyguards, drivers, assistants. I'm just wondering: given that Nazism had 'been defeated' (at least the main structural force), do you think their response was not actually proportionate? Turning to violence when it feels like the only option is, well, often pretty heartbreaking, but sometimes it does feel good to (in the words of Tabby) SMASH Hope you're well!

    THANKS FOR THE NON-QUESTION, FUCKO!!!!

  34. turn this into a thread on twitter. people need to hear it phrased like this, which is to say, excellently. pls don't respond to this

    in response to I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the mindset of some people (especially The Gamers) who treat art criticism like personal attacks. Even after watching your Angry Jack series, I just can't fathom how someone can interpret "this work has some problematic elements that can be improved for the better" into "you are a bad person for enjoying this work and will someday go to hell because of it".

    I'm not saying much I didn't say in my video series with over half a million views, so I don't think tweeting it will add much.

    Also I reply to what I wanna reply to!

  35. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the mindset of some people (especially The Gamers) who treat art criticism like personal attacks. Even after watching your Angry Jack series, I just can't fathom how someone can interpret "this work has some problematic elements that can be improved for the better" into "you are a bad person for enjoying this work and will someday go to hell because of it".

    We have this thing in America where we equate consumption with morality. The way to fight climate change is recycling. The way to end racism is to boycott racist companies. You should only buy Fair Trade coffee. What you consume and how you consume it is a shorthand for your morals.

    In this framing, telling people they are consuming goods produced in sweatshops is telling them they are responsible for the sweatshops. So what happens when you tell them they are consuming games produced with sexism?

    It's an entire system of morality built on maintaining purity. They can't let go of that until they accept that nobody's pure, which is *very hard to do* when you've spent your life assuming purity is the only way to be ethical.

  36. This is an excellent, well-thought out response that's helped me understand a few things, namely the idea of proportional response.

    I guess, my historical question would be, what do you think about groups like the Red Army Faction, of the German autumn? It was left-wing violence aimed at what they called the "Auschwitz generation", which is to say, former Nazis still occupied positions of immense privilege and power within Germany after World War 2, and continued to exert that control. The RAF was rooted in student political groups, and it was in parts a campaign against racism, sexism, and the failure of Western efforts to properly de-Nazify.

    This isn't a question of extrapolation — I'm not asking what you think about its contemporary relevancy or resonance — but whether you have some sympathy for the RAF. No attempts to sugarcoat: they did kill thirty four people, and not all of them were the intended targets: bodyguards, drivers, assistants. I'm just wondering: given that Nazism had 'been defeated' (at least the main structural force), do you think their response was not actually proportionate? Turning to violence when it feels like the only option is, well, often pretty heartbreaking, but sometimes it does feel good to (in the words of Tabby) SMASH

    Hope you're well!

    in response to obviously antifa aren't actually terrorists, and they aren't trying to kill nazis, and they aren't an organized group all mobilizing to hunt down nazis, and I'm not trying to suggest that they are, or that they necessarily should However, I am curious-- and I promise I'm not asking this in bad faith --if Antifa were such a group doing such things, could you see an argument for that action being ethical?

    I would need to research a lot more before answering that question, but thanks for giving me something to look into!

  37. i feel like it's a desperate hope that things won't have to escalate, that and them trying to apply their Saturday Morning Cartoon morality to the real world
    i remember really struggling with the fact that one day i might just have to confront a fascist, its a scary thought and i can see why people need comfort however ultimately unhelpful it is

    in response to remember that one Pepsi ad where some girl broke up a protest by just handing the stuff out i feel like theres people who genuinely believed that

  38. Do the ends justify the means?

    in response to Liberal here. One thing you bring up that kinda piqued my curiosity. You said that we are comfortable with violence against Nazis in the "abstracted enemy from before any of us were born" sense. But weren't things like the Dresden bombing or war crimes committed by the Allied (mostly against surrendering Nazi soldiers) considered a very bad thing? We killed a lot of civilians that were Nazi citizens that, no doubt, most if not the vast majority supported the regime, and when US soldiers committed what is considered war crimes, it's against literal Nazi soldiers. Are these not bad things? I was under the impression that we've always sorta considered these individual incidents and actions bad even if the war against Nazi Germany and liberating concentration camps as just. Has the sentiment changed that these are now acceptable if not outright good things that I wasn't aware of?

    I did a whole video on this.

  39. do you have letterboxd? :D
    #

    I do, but I just use it as an aggregator for reviewers I like. I don't post.

  40. Liberal here. One thing you bring up that kinda piqued my curiosity. You said that we are comfortable with violence against Nazis in the "abstracted enemy from before any of us were born" sense.

    But weren't things like the Dresden bombing or war crimes committed by the Allied (mostly against surrendering Nazi soldiers) considered a very bad thing? We killed a lot of civilians that were Nazi citizens that, no doubt, most if not the vast majority supported the regime, and when US soldiers committed what is considered war crimes, it's against literal Nazi soldiers.

    Are these not bad things? I was under the impression that we've always sorta considered these individual incidents and actions bad even if the war against Nazi Germany and liberating concentration camps as just. Has the sentiment changed that these are now acceptable if not outright good things that I wasn't aware of?

    in response to obviously antifa aren't actually terrorists, and they aren't trying to kill nazis, and they aren't an organized group all mobilizing to hunt down nazis, and I'm not trying to suggest that they are, or that they necessarily should However, I am curious-- and I promise I'm not asking this in bad faith --if Antifa were such a group doing such things, could you see an argument for that action being ethical?

    Well, one of the central themes of Slaughterhouse Five was that America had ignored the atrocity of Dresden for years. And what made it an atrocity was that it killed non-combatant civilians as well as American POWs. I don't think anyone significant defends the firebombing today, but it doesn't change how they feel about Nazi soldiers.

    We could go on and on about the ways the US forgives its own atrocities during the war, and those of its own history. One of the problems with how we vilify the Nazis is that we pretend they are fundamentally other than ourselves, as though we have nothing in common with them and similar things could never happen here.

  41. How recently did you see a dog and how big were they? If you have a dog it would be appreciated you describe a dog you randomly saw most recently, ideally in addition to your own.

    There was a dog tied up by the bike racks at the grocery store the other day. She was brown with short, slightly curly hair, so she may have been a poodle mix? A bit smaller than a lab. Super sweet and friendly. Hugged her before getting on my bike.

    Not the last dog I saw, but the last one I interacted with.

  42. remember that one Pepsi ad where some girl broke up a protest by just handing the stuff out
    i feel like theres people who genuinely believed that

    That was Kendall Jenner. And, yeah, a lot of people think systemic problems are really just people being mad or scared and a bit of kindness will solve everything.

  43. Different person here, but I often remark as polite as I can be with a smile, "I'm really sorry. You seem nice and friendly but I'm actually straight." Or somewhere along those lines

    in response to Diff anon but I heard people do get unsavoury responses when someone were to say "I'm straight" or just being straightforward Is there really a way out or do we just have to embrace a possible hidden queer nature in us all along?

    Yeah, that's similar to what I've done. Honestly, in my experience, when men hit on me it's usually clear they're looking for signs that I'm receptive, and move on when they gather I'm straight, or even ask me outright.

  44. What's a hypothetical way one could go about redistributing their own wealth? Like in a meaningful way that goes beyond philanthropy

    Lobbying politicians to increase the top marginal tax rate.

  45. Diff anon but I heard people do get unsavoury responses when someone were to say "I'm straight" or just being straightforward

    Is there really a way out or do we just have to embrace a possible hidden queer nature in us all along?

    in response to I don't wanna framed this question in bad faith, but I need to ask: Is there a way to politely reject the advances of a trans/gay/bisexual when they're trying to ask a tragically straight person like me out? I mean and I meant no disrespect but I do find most of the people who are trying to court me are nice and friendly but I could only see them as a friend and a great ally. I fully support LGBT rights but i sincerely want everyone to understand that I'll do the same with ladies too when they are a number of them who are also interested to ask me out but I too have to politely reject

    I've never gotten an unsavory response from saying "I'm straight," and if you get one, you're either being a dick about it or the other person is. If it's you, investigate how you're coming across. If it's the other person, there's no way to respond to a dick where they're not gonna be a dick.

  46. Why is it okay to use violence against Nazis or fascists when we're not committing any kind of crime? Unless, speaking is crime?

    Like fascists give a shit about what is or isn't a crime.

  48. Oh sorry no. Not at all. I meant one of the same gender.

    So sorry that I listed bi and trans, since while writing my question, i thought LGBT becomes the main theme of my question here

    Thanks for your response. So sorry again. Hope this clears out any misunderstanding or confusion 😣

    in response to I don't wanna framed this question in bad faith, but I need to ask: Is there a way to politely reject the advances of a trans/gay/bisexual when they're trying to ask a tragically straight person like me out? I mean and I meant no disrespect but I do find most of the people who are trying to court me are nice and friendly but I could only see them as a friend and a great ally. I fully support LGBT rights but i sincerely want everyone to understand that I'll do the same with ladies too when they are a number of them who are also interested to ask me out but I too have to politely reject

    Ah! No worries, thanks for clarifying. :)

  49. I don't wanna framed this question in bad faith, but I need to ask:

    Is there a way to politely reject the advances of a trans/gay/bisexual when they're trying to ask a tragically straight person like me out?

    I mean and I meant no disrespect but I do find most of the people who are trying to court me are nice and friendly but I could only see them as a friend and a great ally. I fully support LGBT rights but i sincerely want everyone to understand that I'll do the same with ladies too when they are a number of them who are also interested to ask me out but I too have to politely reject

    If someone the same gender as you asks you out, I feel like "I'm straight" is the least offensive rejection you can give. It's literally nothing personal. But I'm confused as to why you listed trans and bisexual; are you saying you'd turn down a person of the opposite gender for being bi or trans?

  50. Are routine and ritual the same thing?

    There are no synonyms.

  51. obviously antifa aren't actually terrorists, and they aren't trying to kill nazis, and they aren't an organized group all mobilizing to hunt down nazis, and I'm not trying to suggest that they are, or that they necessarily should

    However, I am curious-- and I promise I'm not asking this in bad faith --if Antifa were such a group doing such things, could you see an argument for that action being ethical?

    That's a really hard question to answer, because the actions themselves matter less than what they're intended to accomplish and whether they're successful.

    We're at the point right now where throwing a few punches keeps a lot of the Alt-Right from showing up in public. Far Right gatherings have gotten a lot smaller in the last couple years, whittled down to mostly just the people looking for a fight. So the Proud Boys are happy to show up, but the big names and the casuals stay home, and all it took was a few punches. And, in large enough numbers, we don't even need to punch; 99% of Nazis won't pick a fight if they're outnumbered by a wide enough margin. I'm not sure what the ratio has to be, but we curb the vast majority of violence just by showing up. If there's ten of us to every one of them, only the ones desperate to be martyrs pick fights.

    So if anyone were to suggest hunting down and terrorizing and murdering Far Right folks, the questions would be: how bad have things gotten that you're resorting to that much violence, and is that violence accomplishing what you want it to? People are very uncomfortable entertaining these ideas when we think about the Alt-Right, but it's no problem when we think of Nazis. We accept that, yeah, if people are running death camps, it's justified to shoot them. But that's how we feel about an abstracted enemy from before any of us were born.

    I don't like thinking about getting to that point with our enemies today. I don't think anyone should be comfortable with the idea. It's why I put so much effort into educating people now, while we can still stop things before they get that bad. Right now, numbers, mockery, education, and the occasional fist are enough, and I hope it stays that way.

  53. Thinking about the "Is it ethical to punch a nazi?" thing again after the Andy Ngo incident today. Is there a good reason to not physically humiliate this guy?

    Why are people even calling it "the Andy Ngo incident"? It was a fascist rally with the Proud Boys, whose sole aim is to beat people up. There was a clash with antifa counter-protesters. Ngo was one of several people who got hurt.

    Don't accept the framing that implies one guy got jumped by antifa.

  54. Who would you say are the 12 more pretentious characters and/or people above you as per your twitter bio?

    nice try, cop

  55. before I saw your livetweet research i genuinely thought you already had a background in all this and were putting out videos on stuff you already knew

    in response to Do you ever get the feeling that some of your viewers think you just, like, know all of the stuff that's in your videos? Like one day you were like, okay, let's put all of this knowledge I have into a script and then animate it! What does it take, like six hours max? I sometimes get that feeling from some of these questions.

    fooled you!

  56. Do you have any particular reason for not watching the debates? Like, do you think they're bad or anything, or did you just not care/have time?

    in response to How’d you think Bernie did in the debate?

    Everything goes online these days anyway, I don't stress about seeing things as they happen. I do kinda feel like the only thing a debate demonstrates is how good you are at debate, which is not what the actual job is. What seems to matter most is what effect the debate has. So... I dunno, I'll watch it when and if it feels like I need to.

    Honestly I just didn't know when they were happening and was doing something else at the time.

  57. um yeah... that's what i meant about his AHS role.

    But I also meant and hoped that Evan Peters' appeal is being a speedy white-haired mutant filled with goodness and an interesting music playlist

    Lol

    in response to unrelated and not a question but just to state: Evan Peters was more of a wholesome dude in those X-men movies like days of future past and Apocalypse (and an even better Quicksilver than his Kick-Ass counterpart Aaron Johnson in the MCU) than someone like Tate Langdon or whoever character he was playing in that AHS series

    yeah no, he needs to cry and kill people

  58. How’d you think Bernie did in the debate?

    I didn't watch.

  59. please don't judge me and i won't judge you

    I'm not afraid of being judged.

  60. Do you ever get the feeling that some of your viewers think you just, like, know all of the stuff that's in your videos? Like one day you were like, okay, let's put all of this knowledge I have into a script and then animate it! What does it take, like six hours max?

    I sometimes get that feeling from some of these questions.

    Yeah, it's like 50% "this guy knows everything, why hasn't he solved all the problems yet?" and 50% "this guy doesn't have a PhD in Political Science and even if he did he wouldn't be a real scientist, so we can ignore him."

  62. Hi, yes, trans person here saying that my favorite representation of trans people in scifi that I've ever read was 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

    in response to Hi. I'm a writer. Fiction, I mean, and I've been thinking about whether to pepper trans people in passing within my work. I'm writing sci-fi, and I want to extrapolate from the world that I am living in now — and in the year 2500, if climate change and fascists don't kill us, I hope trans people will be treated better, given more opportunities to understand themselves earlier. I couldn't do justice to the internal life of trans folx. I am both pan and NB myself, but I don't feel it's my place to create trans stories — that should be left to trans people to tell and take readers on those journeys. I am not trans. I often use my birth pronouns, and in many senses my being NB is something for my trusted people to know, not something I burst out at work dinners. My first instinct was to simply go with, the trans people are there. They are simply living within the prose' pronouns that go unquestioned by readers. That feels like cheating. That isn't a meaningful form of representation, and it doesn't contribute to normalisation. There are no trans people in my life, and Googling these questions just brings up the idea of cis writers creating PoV trans folx, and telling stories on their behalf. That feels like a dangerous game. Do you have any thoughts on this with regards to normalisation?

  63. How are twenty something cishet straight white dudes on youtube (and on the internet in general) capable of sprouting so much nonsense, with no research whatsoever, with so much confidence? It hurts my brain watching/reading them (especially when they talk about marginalized groups like they're such experts), but they're always so goddamn sure of themselves. Any tips on how one can obtain this power?

    A whole society tells them they're the center of the universe their entire life. You can't really replicate that, sorry.

  64. unrelated and not a question but just to state:

    Evan Peters was more of a wholesome dude in those X-men movies like days of future past and Apocalypse (and an even better Quicksilver than his Kick-Ass counterpart Aaron Johnson in the MCU) than someone like Tate Langdon or whoever character he was playing in that AHS series

    in response to Different anon but I thought good and bad are two objective responses that you're not fond of? But subjectively if a close friend were to like it and I have not watched it yet, though I've seen a few clips but I'm not impressed wouldn't it hurt ones feelings for not liking the things that they liked?

    The appeal of Evan Peters is not being wholesome. The appeal of Evan Peters is being a sociopath who cries.

  65. What is Bringing back what's stolen about?

    Watch it and find out.

  66. well i'm an economics student going to be an economist soon,

    would you still date me?

    in response to Would you date an economist?

    You're probably too young for me, but you're gonna make some YouTuber very happy someday!

  67. Would you date an economist?

    You asking me out?

  68. Just today the supreme court ruled gerrymandering is a ‘political not judicial’ issue. So given your video on values neutral governance I pose this question; assuming the dems do well in 2020 and pick up governors and state legislatures, should they gerrymander all state and US districts they can?
    Is there a limit? Take California for example, it’s conceivable that using gerrymandering and putting say parts of Devin Nunes’ district in with LA is possible (by having the lines follow highways since no one lives directly on highways. Its conceivable that Cali could have no republican reps using this method. Most other state would have to rely on packing and cracking, but they’d never threaten a majority in the house for the rest of that decade.

    What do you think of this? I am torn, I am 100% for adding DC and Purto Rico and even the assorted territories as states. I can also get behind packing the supreme court. However it’s hard to ‘draw the line’ with this.

    I don't think it matters whether it's defensible, Dems will never do it. They're not above gerrymandering, but they'd never be so blatant about it. It's too important to them that they look evenhanded.

  69. Hi. I'm a writer. Fiction, I mean, and I've been thinking about whether to pepper trans people in passing within my work. I'm writing sci-fi, and I want to extrapolate from the world that I am living in now — and in the year 2500, if climate change and fascists don't kill us, I hope trans people will be treated better, given more opportunities to understand themselves earlier. I couldn't do justice to the internal life of trans folx. I am both pan and NB myself, but I don't feel it's my place to create trans stories — that should be left to trans people to tell and take readers on those journeys. I am not trans. I often use my birth pronouns, and in many senses my being NB is something for my trusted people to know, not something I burst out at work dinners.

    My first instinct was to simply go with, the trans people are there. They are simply living within the prose' pronouns that go unquestioned by readers. That feels like cheating. That isn't a meaningful form of representation, and it doesn't contribute to normalisation. There are no trans people in my life, and Googling these questions just brings up the idea of cis writers creating PoV trans folx, and telling stories on their behalf. That feels like a dangerous game.

    Do you have any thoughts on this with regards to normalisation?

    I'm not trans either, but I think your instinct to do more than just pepper trans folks in is correct. I think it's very possible to write trans characters without doing trans people any injustice. Story Nurse has some advice and resources for writing marginalized characters: https://storyhospital.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/71-you-are-allowed-to-write-outside-your-own-experience/

  70. Wait how is that even possible??

    How could an actress/actor and crew act well upon a bad writing?

    in response to Different anon How is it not good? Is it the unrelated stories each season or just bad acting?

    I dunno what to tell you, it happens all the time. There's more to writing than just character and dialogue. I'd say AHS often has interesting characters, nonsense plotting, and incoherent themes.

  71. Could there be fascist politics (not policy) without violence?

    It's often nonviolent in the early stages, but it always trends towards violence.

  72. Different anon but I thought good and bad are two objective responses that you're not fond of?

    But subjectively if a close friend were to like it and I have not watched it yet, though I've seen a few clips but I'm not impressed wouldn't it hurt ones feelings for not liking the things that they liked?

    in response to Yes And we demand answers

    Well, short answer: any time a person says a thing is "good" or "bad" you can just mentally add the "in my opinion" because it's pretty much always subjective. But I have no problem saying things are good or bad. I just generally don't make videos about what is good and what is bad because I think "good" and "bad" are about the least interesting adjectives I can give for a thing and cannot possibly stretch that out for a whole video.

    I don't think I'm alone in feeling like much work is subject to taste, where it's more reasonable to say "I'm not into this" than "this isn't good," while also feeling that some stuff does not rise to the level of subjectivity. Some stuff is just plain not good. I won't deny that AHS has a certain pulpy appeal - I know smart people who love the shit out of it - but I wouldn't say what makes it enjoyable is not being bad. Because it's kind of bad.

    I'm all for enjoying great trash, but AHS isn't my trash.

  73. Different anon

    How is it not good? Is it the unrelated stories each season or just bad acting?

    in response to Yes And we demand answers

    good acting, bad writing

  75. Hi! (relatively) Longtime viewer here. After watching your Why are you so angry videos I finally set aside some time to watch the Tropes vs Women in games videos (which were wonderful by the way).

    My question is specifically about the 'Ms. Male' character trope in relation to 'the Vasquez'. I understand these two are wholly separate issues that do not contradict each other via their existence. However, I would like to know if you find that an attempt to overcompensate in one direction may put you towards the other? What are some good ways to avoid accidentally falling into these trappings? And I know that your ability to provide a view from the relevant perspective may be limited, where else would you recommend looking for guidance when writing characters that are typically marginalized within mainstream media?

    Apologies if the question is a bit rambling and poorly formatted, but I wanted to get it out there.

    I'm not from a marginalized community so I dunno if I'm the right person to ask. Feminist Frequency did a couple videos on Positive Female Characters, so you can start with those:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXmj2yJNUmQ

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCsu3YPOw50

    Personally, I feel the best way to avoid a trope is to not think of your characters in terms of types. Think of them as people. You want to understand who your character is as a human, so, if you see yourself drifting into some trope-y territory, you can think of how that character might believably behave in a different situation. My rule of thumb if I want to write a character who is different from me along an axis of privilege is to start with someone I know. I base women on my female friends, Black characters on Black friends, and so forth. They'll evolve into their own personalities with time, but I try to start with a real human so I don't unconsciously rely on stereotypes. You can bring in sensitivity readers in later drafts to fix whatever you screw up along the way. And you will screw up, it's inevitable, but once you have a strong sense of who your character is, it should be fairly easy to fix mistakes.

    I think we just need to get good at owning our fuckups, you know? We need to be able to hear that a our rough draft of an unpublished story has problematic elements without having a Fragility Meltdown. We'll all be better allies if we can just hear criticism and say "understood, I'll fix that in the next draft" and let everyone get on with their lives.

Anon commented:
Ian replied: