CuriousCat Archive Page 166 of 202

  1. Sorry to piggyback but Dr Kate Manne gave this a name, and talked about in her book of the same name, ‘Himpathy’. Definitely incredible reading. She's also been on a few podcasts so worth looking into!

    in response to What do you think provokes the mindset of people defending abusive men in all forms of media, and claiming a woman as “bitchy” for showing independence? Or saying it’s not a big deal when a non-minority makes a mistake, and relentlessly hounding a minority when they do. If happens on such a mass scale each time. Is it just plain old bigotry and a lot of people are assholes, or is there something more deep rooted in society and online culture there?

  2. Do you not find China and Russia stoking Americanophobia for their own political hegemonic ambitions to be concerning? The world isn't safer if the US is dismantled and then Russia, China, and/or the EU are waiting in the wings to replace it with their own Hegemony.

    in response to I didn't mean to say that America = white. I just mean that is "Americanophobia not a real thing" similar in ideological merit to "you can't be racist against white people"?

    Can you tell me what actual threat they pose? Putin gaining influence with/having leverage over Trump is the closest thing to anyone "dismantling" the US I can see, and I would hardly call that Americanophobia. It kinda seems like you're saying "people are stoking resentment for the US in order to position themselves as world leaders," and then extrapolating that into "the US will collapse if they are successful." The first is pretty reasonable, but the second is not, which is why I don't think Americanophobia is a thing anyone needs to care about.

    If China surpasses the US as the most powerful nation, that is not *actually* the same thing as the US ceasing to exist.

  3. I didn't mean to say that America = white. I just mean that is "Americanophobia not a real thing" similar in ideological merit to "you can't be racist against white people"?

    in response to Is this like we don't need to care about racism against white people?

    Not saying it's not a real thing - maybe it is, maybe it isn't - just saying it's not a thing that matters.

  4. A younger friend of mine is always parenting me, telling me go to bed when we're both up late, etc. The other day I told him off, because I've been responsible for my own actions long enough that I'm absolutely done being told what to change. If I stay up late, I've already accepted the consequences. It strikes me that this dynamic looks an awful lot like the dynamic between young progressives and older conservatives. As a young progressive myself, what do?

    It also strikes me as the dynamic between conservatives and everybody else.

    You can tell you friend to shut up about your decisions but I would recommend against extrapolating too much about politics from it.

  5. Well there is fear mongering against america in all kind of parts of the world, and I think Americans should care to make those argument make less sense / be less justified.

    in response to Do you believe "Americanophobia" is a real thing?

    The US has the largest nuclear arsenal on Earth, the global economy depends on the US remaining stable but its economic policies are horrific, it has the highest rates of gun violence in the developed world, and it's currently run by a petty, ignorant, self-obsessed rapist with a fascist streak and zero understanding of how politics work.

    Most people aren't scared enough.

  7. There are black people almost in every country, but you wouldn't say for example "white chinese are white because there are also black people in China". You are being willfully obtuse.

    First sentence on wikipedia article "Spaniards"

    And what's the first sentence of this Wikipedia article I wonder. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Andalus

  9. Do you believe "Americanophobia" is a real thing?

    If it is, it's not a thing we need to care about.

  10. Ive heard you state before that you thought zizek had fallen off the deep end. Is there any particular problem you have with him?

    I don't know much about Zizek, and don't remember weighing in on him. But I know he's gone on some "anti-PC" tirades.

  11. If you had a time machine, how far back in time could you go and still understand English?

    the 70's

  12. About Spaniards. Dude this doesn't make sense, it's like saying white Germans are white, where German is ethnic group. Of course Germans are white. Why do you need specify this about Spaniards?

    Because there are Black people in Spain.

  13. Are spaniards white?

    White Spaniards are white.

  14. What do you think provokes the mindset of people defending abusive men in all forms of media, and claiming a woman as “bitchy” for showing independence? Or saying it’s not a big deal when a non-minority makes a mistake, and relentlessly hounding a minority when they do. If happens on such a mass scale each time. Is it just plain old bigotry and a lot of people are assholes, or is there something more deep rooted in society and online culture there?

  15. Is there any chance you'd consider making a video about what Sargon is up to with UKIP?
    That press conference where he just gets up just to have a pop at the media directly, and the way he responded to Kate McCann is disasterous.
    And to top it off, he seems to think that he's going to win in the same way Trump won his candidacy, "they will make the same mistakes".

    Taking down Sargon is really more in the wheelhouse of Shaun, Hbomb, Peter Coffin, Curio, NonCompete, Destiny, Steve Shives, etc. etc. etc. They're good at it. I might use Carl as an example in discussing a larger trend, if there's a trend that he'd be a good case study for, but I don't want to poke that hornet's nest for its own sake.

  16. I know it was a long time ago, and apologies if you've answered this on here before but I couldn't find anything.

    Have you any more detailed thoughts on Jane from The Walking Dead? You've mentioned her on twitter before, but not in as deep a way as you looked at Kenny, far as I can tell!

    I've just seen a *lot* of people on the reddit who repeatedly hate on her, and mock the fact that she commits suicide, so it made me wonder if you had further thoughts on her, her ending, how she dies, etc. If that's okay to ask? <3

    I haven't played Season 3 and people keep spoiling that she kills herself. I might weigh in after I play it.

  17. I just started playing text based adventure games. I'm most (I think) of the way through Anchorhead and I'm not sure what to play next. Do you have any recommendations?

    I haven't played many text games, but I loved Blue Lacuna.

  18. A thing I worry about with left-tube videos is that, in making art for themselves or doing whatever it is they feel like doing, they end up not doing what would best move people leftward. One of my goals is to make a different sort of lefty videos than the ones being made by various people, in the hopes that I fill a gap of some sort. But this is making videos for the sake of others, which you said rarely works out for others because they don't notice that they have an effect on people quickly enough. Do you think I should at least initially make videos for myself, or do something different altogether, or something else creative that may lead me less into burnout?

    in response to Have you ever made a video and quietly hoped to have some specific impact on reality? Such as, having someone famous mention you, or getting a PM about how you changed someone's life, or even just some statistical milestone. If so, what?

    I'm not here to tell you what to do. And maybe we shouldn't paint "making videos for yourself" and "making videos for others" as such an either/or (though I'll concede that framing is mostly my fault).

    I started The Alt-Right Playbook because I was frustrated at how poorly the Left seemed to understand what they were up against, and kept falling for the Right's ploys. I wanted to understand how the Right was playing people and what they actually believed, but of course the reason I share that information is because I want people to learn from my research. I want to push the Left further left, and I want us to properly understand the fight we're having.

    So when I say I'm not chasing "success," what I mean is I'm not in control of how many people see my videos, or whether they'll figure out any better than me what to do with the information. The popularity of the series has been steadily growing, and it's pretty clear from the responses that people are getting the message, but, fuck, I have no idea what comes next, or if any meaningful progress is going to start on YouTube. I'm just doing what I have the skills to do, on a hope and a prayer that it's helpful. I don't think anyone can promise better than that right now.

    I can say that building an audience usually takes a lot of time, and you won't have a lot of control over how fast or slow it goes. If it's not worth it to you to make videos if they're not having an impact, you may have a frustrating time. But, as usual, I think you should make the videos that you feel driven to make. And "I want to have an impact on people" is clearly something that drives you. If you need to do what I do and mix it up now and then with something fun, or take a break when you need to, that may help you avoid burnout. But, if you're in this for the long haul, you'll probably have to strike a balance between what work you feel is important for others and what work is important to you.

    All my work is, to some extent, for me, and I've found my work connects with more people when it's genuine.

  19. Do you think he’s sincere? And he has some plans about hijacking the YouTube recommendations algorithm for which I’m curious to know your take.

    in response to His video and the controversy surrounding it

    Hi. This is the third consecutive question where people are alluding to things without saying what they are. I know literally nothing about him that he didn't say in his video. So, if you want me to weigh in on the controversy or hijacking algorithms please either explain these things or give me a link.

    And I have no reason to think he's insincere. Shitlords generally aren't very good at passing for progressives.

  20. Not the OP, but I was wondering about your thoughts on the white men who complained about being “reduced to their race” in progressive circle. Faraday said something similar, in that how he being called “racist” pushed him further to the right.

    in response to Thoughts on Faraday Speaks?

    I always wonder why being called "socialist" doesn't push these people further left.

    It's been a minute since I watched the video, but what I recall is Faraday being called a racist in a wider context, where a lot of stereotypes about what liberals are and a lot of myths about the persecution of whites were already creeping into his life. His adoption of some of these talking points was why he was being called a racist in the first place.

    Having one's whiteness confronted isn't a politically motivating event in and of itself. It's how it fits into a larger narrative, where whiteness is under attack and the Left's witch hunts for racists are contributing to it. It's that narrative that moves people right, and it's why simply not using the word "racist" won't stop the the rightward drift. The reason Destiny and Contrapoints helped him deradicalize is because they gave him a different story, where the Far Right are a bunch of ignorant, hateful dipshits and the Left actually talks sense when you stop demonizing them long enough to hear what they're saying.

  21. His video and the controversy surrounding it

    in response to Thoughts on Faraday Speaks?

    Can you tell me what the controversy is? I have seen the video but I'm not up on The Discourse.

  23. Thoughts on Faraday Speaks?

    You mean his video? Or did something else happen?

  24. Is adam goldman you but gay or do all white men look like that?
    (the show is good, btw, thanks for the recs)

    in response to People like to poop on Torchwood, and it was... pretty bad, at times. But I specifically remember how Jack Harkness making out heavily with whatever James Marsters' character was called in the S2 premiere was the first time I'd seen queer intimacy beyond pecks (I would've been 23 at the time), reflexively cringing initially, and then getting over it. No real question here. This just reminded me.

    look, I love Mitchell, but you just compared me to the only character on that show who's not a total babe

  25. Favorite Delany novel?(note: the correct answer is Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand)

    Dhalgren.

  26. Do you prefer rain or snow?

    snow

  28. Any feelings on Extra Credits these days?

    I only ever watched sporadically, but I stopped completely after I heard all the stuff about James.

  29. Is one night stand a good thing?

    if that's what both parties are looking for, it can be great

  30. Do you think Steve jobs is a decent businessman within the capitalist structure? Compared to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates?

    Steve Jobs isn't a decent anything, him dead.

  31. I recently re-watched your Life Is Strange video and was wondering— have you ever read Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami? I feel like a huge amount of inspiration may have come from that book when it comes to the hard switch in tone from [lesbian love triangle and coming of age story] to [missing girl related supernatural meditation on existence.]

    Haven't read any Murakami.

    I'm actually trying (slowly) to get back into reading novels. I've been mostly doing nonfiction for years and years, and it turns out reading fiction is a muscle that can atrophy? At least, for me. I'm out of practice with the whole "I'm supposed to form pictures in my mind" thing, but I'm getting back in the swing of it!

  32. Is there a valid moral reason to oppose third trimester abortions?

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

  33. Do you think the Joker as a character could work as a minority or as a woman?

    A major plot detail about the new Joker movie seems to be that he was "pushed to the edge" of society.

    If we were careful about some of the coding in the movie could it work by highlighting racism/sexism?

    The Joker is a flexible enough character, reinterpreted in several *dramatically* different ways, that I don't think there's some core essence that would be violated by being a minority. But there are a lot of wrong ways to do a minority villain, so it would need some care and probably a writer from the same background.

  34. maybe that whole hippie stuff about not hating people who are wrong and not making people your pitiful serfs who has to toil for you unendingly and live in filth?

    in response to Do you have an evil twin named Dan Ianskin?

    yeah but I smoked a pot one time

  35. The twin that has all the fun... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZHSFTxIpv4

    in response to Do you have an evil twin named Dan Ianskin?

    this is cute

  36. Do you have an evil twin named Dan Ianskin?

    What makes you think I'm not the evil one?

  37. Is it possible to learn this mindset? Is it possible to unlearn the opposite mindset? ‪As much as I want to create for creation’s sake, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to not think about extrinsic success/failure, and it seriously inhibits my ability to create at all.‬

    in response to Have you ever made a video and quietly hoped to have some specific impact on reality? Such as, having someone famous mention you, or getting a PM about how you changed someone's life, or even just some statistical milestone. If so, what?

    If you want to do what I did, spend 10 years doing theatre with method actors and another 7 1/2 years in art school. I dunno if that's the only road, but it's the only road I've ever known, ah ah, ah ah, ah ah, ah aaahhhhhhh.

  38. Have you ever made a video and quietly hoped to have some specific impact on reality? Such as, having someone famous mention you, or getting a PM about how you changed someone's life, or even just some statistical milestone. If so, what?

    No.

    I came up through art school, where a sort of unspoken expectation is that you're making art, first and foremost, for yourself. (Come to think of it, that's also the kind of theatre I grew up doing - my acting teacher was fond of saying "fuck the audience.") A thing I realized well before I started making video essays was that "success," as defined by other people, is only marginally under my control. I couldn't know how long my work would take to make money, or make an impact, or if it would ever do either. And it was possible I would spend a lot of my career not knowing if I would ever be "successful." And anyone who's in this primarily to have an impact or become financially solvent is, more likely than not, going to wash out before they ever get there, because they'll never make it through the years of not knowing if it'll happen. I decided that simply doing whatever I was gonna do had to be enough on its own; that, even if I never had an impact or made money at it, it was still fulfilling. I had to treat money and impact as bonuses; if they happened, great, but I couldn't seek them.

    (You can add to this a kind of crippling humility where it's very hard to think of myself as Important Enough to have an impact, and also a fear of failure that keeps me from defining "success" or "failure" by things I can't control. These things have lessened a lot in my career, but never really gone away.)

    I think of my audience as people I have a responsibility towards, and my work has definitely changed as my audience has grown, because the responsibility is greater now. I consciously avoid having a negative impact on them: it's important not to mislead them, or use oppressive language, or tell them to do something that turns out not to work. I take that responsibility seriously. But I tend not to think about my audience while I'm writing beyond "is this understandable?" and "is this harmful?"

    For me, a video essay is me trying to understand a thing that's on my mind. I research it, I write about it, I think about it, and the video is what I come up with. I write and edit hoping to make that as meaningful as possible to others, but, in the end, its "success" hinges primarily on whether *I* got what I wanted out of it. If people found it hard to follow, that's a kind of failure, but it doesn't change what it meant to me to get those thoughts out of my head and into the world.

    When people message me saying I had a big effect on them, it is phenomenally humbling, and also kinda messes with my head. I feel like, if I thought of myself as someone who could change people's lives, I might make my work very differently. And that scares me a little bit.

  39. People like to poop on Torchwood, and it was... pretty bad, at times. But I specifically remember how Jack Harkness making out heavily with whatever James Marsters' character was called in the S2 premiere was the first time I'd seen queer intimacy beyond pecks (I would've been 23 at the time), reflexively cringing initially, and then getting over it.

    No real question here. This just reminded me.

    in response to Is it alright to feel uncomfortable watching Brokeback Mountain & The Handmaiden?

    Thanks!

    I also recommend folks watch season 1 of The Outs, because the male intimacy is just so sweet and tender. I can't imagine anyone getting through all 7 episodes without their feelings on boy smooches evolving.

  40. Is it safe to assume that you don't buy into the notion that if a feeling or a state of affairs is natural, it should be accepted?

    in response to Is it alright to feel uncomfortable watching Brokeback Mountain & The Handmaiden?

    What is natural is not necessarily moral.
    What is moral is not necessarily natural.

    It is natural to be squicked out by things unfamiliar to you. It has nothing to do with the thing itself, just the fact that you haven't been exposed to it. Should we take the fact that the first time a teenager sees porn they are usually freaked out as a sign that sex is gross and should be rejected? The primary reason people are freaked out by gay stuff is because society has gone to rather a lot of trouble to shelter people from it.

  41. I remembered you tweeting about Bojack Horseman and praising why it's so good compared to Rick and Morty is because of "... the meaning of change" rather than simply just a change in the arc of the character's action/journey etc.

    What exactly do you mean by the meaning of change? Can you please clarify that further?

    I feel like I covered everything in the thread: https://twitter.com/InnuendoStudios/status/916832566434549760

  42. So, you admit that you exist, you know, like babies do?

    you got me

  44. So you confirm that you are a tiny baby who speaks only its native language like, you know, babies do?

    in response to Do you know other languages?

    tiny babies don't speak

  45. Do you find them attractive?

    in response to Do you know other languages?

    I don't answer questions about my love life.

  46. Do you know other languages?

    I'm aware of them.

  47. Is it alright to feel uncomfortable watching Brokeback Mountain & The Handmaiden?

    I would say that it's perfectly *natural* to feel uncomfortable watching queer sex scenes, but also let you know that you will probably feel less weird the more queer people you know and the more inclusive media you consume. Discomfort typically goes away unless you're invested in keeping it.

  48. Brokeback Mountain OR The Handmaiden?

    Handmaiden.

    I like it when queer folks survive the movie.

  49. Singles events, house parties or art events?

    Depends on what I'm looking for. Singles party* if I want a date, house party if I want a group, art event if I want alone time and free food.

    *I'm assuming "singles party" includes "poly much"

  50. Do you think there are words and phases like "Microaggressions" that you feel need to be be reworded or rephrase in order for people who would otherwise have there brain turn off be open to leftists ideals?

    Broadly? As in, people as a whole should find a different word because "microaggression" is tainted? No.

    Individually, if you are talking to a person or group and you think using a different word will help get past their defenses, then go for it. But, as a whole, the people taking issue with "microaggression" aren't confused as to what it means. They aren't opposed to the word, they're opposed to people discussing what the word refers to. It's a term that acknowledges there's more to bigotry than klansmen and wife-beaters. That's why they mocked it and misused it to the point where we're considering using a different word - they wanted us to stop saying it. And they'll do the same to whatever other word we pick.

  51. Genuine question: Where do you think the "Dan" misconception comes from? Is it because "Danskin"? Are they mixing you up with Dan Olson? A little bit of both?

    A bit of both, and then it became a running gag.

  52. Now that the DCEU has finally hit a good stride with Wonder Woman, Shazam and the most recent stunning Joker trailer, do you think it's above or at the level of the MCU in terms of quality at this point?

    Is there anything that the DCEU does that you with the MCU did more of?

    I haven't watched Shazam or Aquaman and I think that Joker trailer looked awful.

    I will say that Wonder Woman had a thematic point it built to, an actual statement about heroism in relation to a flawed humanity, and it's been ages since a Marvel movie actually committed to a theme and paid it off competently. I enjoyed Wonder Woman more than the average MCU flick because of that, despite it being pretty uneven in comparison.

  54. Would you ever do a video on the MCU and your major problems with it? Like you said, it's interesting from the perspective of "awww man this could have been great"

    If not that, why do you think the action in IW isn't exciting?

    I toy with doing a video about my gripes with the MCU, but... that seems like EXTREMELY well-trod ground already. Patrick Willems' recent 3-part series said a lot of things I would want to say. If i have some brainwave where I think of something specific I want to express that I'm not seeing elsewhere, I might do it, but so far the ideas aren't worth the effort.

    It's not easy to put into words why Infinity War's action isn't exciting to me. Because I mean it literally: I do not feel excited while watching it. There are a lot of ways good action can affect me emotionally: it can be physiologically thrilling, where my heartrate actually increases, as in Fury Road; it can be be a piece of impressive acrobatics, like the best Jackie Chan fights; it can be cleverly constructed, making creative use of all the elements of the scene, as in Wallace and Gromit; it can be aestheticized until it's just beautiful to look at, like a John Woo movie; or it can be brutal in ways that make me wince in my seat, like The Raid. But all of these provoke some kind of emotional reaction.

    And I will say that very few of the MCU movies provoke any emotional response with their action scenes. The best ones do - The Avengers is still the series' high water mark for genuinely thrilling and creative action setpieces. But *most* of the action is just kind of... there. Like, it's visually stimulating, and I'm never bored watching it, and it often has clever moments, but I never respond on a gut level.

    This is, frankly, true of most action movies these days. It's not an MCU problem. I think directors know how to keep their audience engaged with action but it is a rare director who can make their audience EXCITED.

  55. I was thinking about your Mad Max video essay series and also about the film 'The Handmaiden' since you also did a video essay on that. Rather than ask 'are the women in The Handmaiden avenging feminines' since i'm sure you get 'is x an avenging feminine' asks all the time and that's probably quite boring for you, I guess I'm just curious what your thoughts are on The Handmaiden in context of violent genre filmmaking?In your video on it you talk a lot about sexuality and gaze if I recall correctly (admittedly it's been quite a while since I last watched that video), and I found that discussion fascinating, but I'm currently writing an essay about violence and hyper-masculinity in Korean cinema for a film criticism class and I think The Handmaiden placing queer women at the cathartic center of a revenge thriller (complications in framing that catharsis in the third act aside) is a fascinating choice, particularly from Park Chan-Wook, who is kind of the pre-eminent 'hyper-masculine revenge-as-catharsis thriller movie director' of South Korea. Anyway, I'm not sure if any of this is actually phrased as a question, but I'd be fascinated to know your thoughts on how 'The Handmaiden' and it's female leads fit in with what you talk about in the Mad Max videos.

    I'm not sure how much of what I talked about in those videos would apply to The Handmaiden, because Sook-hee and Hideko don't actually *perform* any of the violence. They manipulate their enemies into killing each other. Not saying that's a problem - it's not like women *have* to be violent or the movie's antifeminist - but Bringing Back What's Stolen was all about how and when women are allowed to be violent in the movies.

  56. Hey Dan I have a Tweet all fired up to drop a link to your ARP playlist and handle in the context of a Twitter battle with some Terf/transphobes. This runs the risk of exposing you to TERF/transphobe harassment,.so I'm asking asking your blessing.

    Feel free to drop a link, but please don't tag me in your argument.

    Also who's Dan.

  58. Is hbom a cryptofurry?

    If Hbomb were a furry, do you think he'd shut up about it?

  59. so you're just leaving people out in the cold?

    then, how do you expect other men to follow your advice?

    in response to Is this the right way then for a guy to approach women and then gracefully respond to rejection like this: https://twitter.com/ShaiShaiB_/status/1112498496819597313?s=19

    Men who care about not being creepy to women don't rely solely on the opinions of one specific other man.

    Everything you want to know about how to interact with women in non-creepy ways has been posted all over the internet by women who don't want to be creeped on, so hit up Google before you hit up my Curious Cat.

  60. I really liked the feeling of hope the viewer had at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, as the Asgardians headed for a new home. It felt like this hope was solid without much thought at the beginning of Infinity War. Have you touched on this before?

    It's hard to say what has an hasn't been solid by Infinity War because it's pretty clear a lot is going to get undone in Endgame. But consider: The two movies before Endgame were Black Panther - which promised a game-change with Wakanda sharing its technology with Black people worldwide - and Ragnarok - which promised a game-change by destroying Asgard and having its people emigrate to Earth. With the drama of Infinity War being most of those people dying, and the drama of Endgame being trying to bring them back, those promises have been deferred. Our attention is drawn elsewhere.

    Keep your eyes open for whether, and how, those promises kept in movies after Endgame.

  62. why is it called breadtube? it's something that started with contra, right?

    The LeftTube subreddit was named r/breadtube to reference Kropotkin's The Conquest of Bread. I don't know whether Contra has any direct responsibility.

  64. Why are conservatives obsessed with blocking abortion rights? Is it all because they're fundamentalist Christians or is there another (probably misogynist) angle that I'm not seeing here?

    Controlling women's bodies.

  65. are youtube video essays enough to be considered as film school worthy for beginners/curious cinephiles?

    What do you mean by "film school worthy"?

  66. How's your blood pressure? Have you seen a doctor regularly? How do you control it?

    blood pressure's fine, though my triglycerides were up last time I was there. been exercising more and eating fewer processed carbs since then.

  67. Do you think dropping labels like "leftist" or "socialist" and addressing problems with capitalism in a more personal Peterson-esque way (social isolation, lack of control over your own life, spirituality) could siphon some people away from the alt-right pipeline and into leftism?

    A huge problem with the left I feel is that most tend to approach capitalism from a dispassionate, analytical perspective while fascists manipulate their victims in a much more personal convincing way.

    I sometimes feel we need a leftist Jordan Peterson.

    I mean... a lot of the big names of LeftTube don't use much Marxist terminology. Contrapoints especially has very adamantly not called herself a socialist and has come at reactionaries from the perspective of isolation and powerlessness. Shaun, Hbomb, and PhilosophyTube do the same, to varying degrees, though they pepper actual Marxism in here and there. But, like, the LeftTubers who are more explicitly Marxist are smaller channels like Peter Coffin and Mexie. So I kinda think the thing you want is sorta being provided, even if it's spread across multiple personalities instead of all balled up into one.

    Honestly, a proper leftist Jordan Peterson would probably have to be a former Alt-Right type. Someone who can really speak from experience to the alienation those guys feel. Contra's history with being an antifeminist edgelord is probably why she fits the bill so well, but I'm guessing some refuse to connect with her because she's both a woman and trans. But I don't have the background where I would fare well in that role.

  68. Can superheroines ever really represent an "Avenging Feminine" trope seeing as the respect their powers create can't really extend to women in general in their universe?

    Not every hero is superpowered. Black Widow could play an Avenging Feminine, though I seriously doubt they'd write her that way.

  69. After watching "Sherlock is garbage is here's why" video by Hbomberguy, and thinking about the show afterward, I was reminded of your Monkey Island video and noticed that both of them share this nihilistic "destination doesn't matter, nothing matters" spirit. It's about pirates/detectives doing pirate/detective things not for any particular goal, but because that's what pirates/detectives do, and the joke's on you if you're emotionaly invested in all of this. In other words, Sherlock is all about the left over Gen-X attitude from the 90s. (and yes, both Ron Gilbert and Steven Moffat are born in early 60s). Would you agree with this?

    Mmmm, I didn't feel like Monkey Island went "joke's on you for caring" until the sequel. I feel like Monkey Island 1's attitude was "none of this matters, but that's wonderful!" Like, a pirate movie is best when it has a good plot, but we don't go for the plots. We go for the swashbuckling. Monkey Island was just honest about what the goods actually were. It was meta and ironic but, in the first game, not cynical. It straddled that line where you were free to laugh at the contrivances while still caring about them. I spent a whole section of my video talking about why I love Guybrush and Elaine as characters. They exist as parodies of tropes, but that doesn't prevent them from being points of empathy.

    I haven't watched Hbomb's video because it's freaking 2 hours, but I'd say similar about Sherlock. Moffat and Gatiss don't care about the mysteries beyond them being excuses for Sherlock to be Sherlock, but they care very much about Sherlock and John and the relationship between them. I think the series would have been better if they'd cared more about the mysteries, but those characters and that relationship is entirely sincere.

  70. Favorite Jarth?
    Jarth: https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/1072710917568294912

  71. Honestly, is it out there to call Infinity War's treatment of Wakanda racist? Like they decide to take the force field down bc they're afraid they've left Vision unprotected, ignoring the also unprotected entire country full of civilians. The people of Wakanda get ignored so hard I don't see any other plausible explanation for it, considering this franchise has cared about civilian lives before, but I feel like I have yet to see anyone explicitly call them racist for this particular thing. (Also, like, killing Shuri offscreen--what the hell?)

    in response to On one hand, a planned out arc would probably not have allowed for something as divergent as a Taika super hero film. On the other hand, Ragnarok made such a good arc for Thor. And Infinity War basically misses ALL THE SUBTEXT. like goes directly from a film that makes a point about Odin's imperialism using Thor's Hammer as a metaphor to "yeah lets go use a place my dad conquered to have them make me a new one".

    The series has cared about civilians but the films directed by the Russos have not. It is racist primarily in the sense that not considering what it means to accept that many Wakandan fatalities in exchange for one white-coded android is white blindness. It is not cruel or intentional, but that lack of consideration is still a form of passive racism.

  73. On one hand, a planned out arc would probably not have allowed for something as divergent as a Taika super hero film. On the other hand, Ragnarok made such a good arc for Thor.

    And Infinity War basically misses ALL THE SUBTEXT. like goes directly from a film that makes a point about Odin's imperialism using Thor's Hammer as a metaphor to "yeah lets go use a place my dad conquered to have them make me a new one".

    in response to Not to mention wildly inverting Thor Ragnarok such that the only thing left is Thors personality at Hemsworth's insistence.

    It also took the nation that symbolized anti-imperialism from Black Panther and carpet-bombed it with imagery inspired by Vietnam movies, so the Russos aren't so good with subtext or colonialism.

  74. Budget differences aside it kinda sounds like the MCU really needed to be a TV show that can comfortably tie long form character arcs between multiple seasons

    in response to Not to mention wildly inverting Thor Ragnarok such that the only thing left is Thors personality at Hemsworth's insistence.

    TV shows have the same problems all the time. What the MCU needed was a guiding hand that was actually interested in its best qualities.

  75. Not 'really' my main question. Is there a difference between an authoritarian movie and a fascist one?

    in response to Maybe I'm blind but I don't really see it. Could you give some examples? Maybe like authoritarian or something? There's like nothing especially racial about the films that I saw. Do you categorize authoritarian movies and fascist movies separately?

    Fascism falls under the umbrella of authoritarianism. I did a whole video defining it - the things that make it more specific than broad authoritarian are things like the romanticizing of the nation and the mythologizing of the past. Most military movies are authoritarian without being particularly fascist; 300 is both fascist and authoritarian.

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