#i formatted this thing all wrong so i apologize if the quality suffers

[andromeddog]

going my way?

my secret santa gift for @nothin-2c-here !! happy holidays and a very merry merry :)

#my art #band of brothers #hbo war #hbowarsanta23 #lewis nixon #richard winters #dick winters #winnix #i formatted this thing all wrong so i apologize if the quality suffers #i beg of you please look at this on desktop it’s so much better there #i cannot format for this app to save my life #in ur browser of choice also works #happy holidays everyone i will see u in the new year!!!!

[caneannabelle]

ok hi guys. it’s been a while. i wrote this analysis back when Mag 187 aka Checking Out aka The One Where Helen Dies first came out and literally ever since i’ve posted it i’ve wanted to redo it because it feels. lacking. listen if there’s one thing i hate it’s incomplete media analysis and i must right my wrongs lest i be forced to look upon myself and crumble from within. that being said, i’ve been putting off this rewrite for a long long time bc Life Gets Weird. tldr this was written over the course of several months so i apologize for inconsistent quality. anyways let’s get into it!

part one: recap!

it’s been a while! let’s just go over what happened. the scene i wanna focus on in particular is this one:

VICTIM

You’ve got to help me!

ARCHIVIST

[Angrily] Don’t touch me!

[THE ARCHIVIST PULLS AWAY, AS THE VICTIM FALLS AND IS CRYING]

HELEN

Oopsie. Not so easy, is it? Keeping up your humanity?

(187).

that being said i’m gonna be kind of all over the place but! i do think that’s a good jumping off point.

part two (part one): disparaging everyone’s problematic fav

in my original post my point was that in reflexively reacting to a victim with disgust and anger jon inadvertently reveals the nature of his dedication to helping victims as ego driven, especially because this line is directly preceded by him asserting his moral high ground over helen as being a “protector” as opposed to her indulgence in destruction. what i’m saying is homeboy has a savior complex. honestly there’s a lot of evidence to support that claim but i think the most obvious example would be jordan kennedy. like.

JORDAN

…Yeah. But wrong. Sick.

What did you do to me?

ARCHIVIST

I helped you.

JORDAN

Helped me? I don’t feel right, I, I just – Ah! No I don’t – argh! I don’t want this!

(184). to be clear it’s an action with a good intent! he just wants to help someone who once helped him! BUT it also demonstrates a lack of conscious empathy. i feel like i don’t have to argue this since jordan Literally vocally said he didn’t want this several times throughout the scene but the point remains that while jon’s intent is good the actual application of his saviourism removes the autonomy of those he affects. i’m not gonna touch on the “is it objectively immoral to become an oppressor for the sake of self preservation while existing within an extreme system in which all are oppressed regardless of your individual status” query mostly because i do not have the brainpower available rn to come to my own conclusion about systems of power and the way they’re represented in tma (which is a whole other rant tbh) but jon DOES rob jordan of the ability to come to his own conclusion in this debate and make his own choice, thereby removing his autonomy. you know. autonomy. free will. the thing that is central to jon’s internal conflicts. huh.

anyways i NEED to stress that i’m not saying that he’s the same as jonah or the web or even annabelle (although annabelle is a victim. no i don’t take constructive criticism). i just want to point out that his actions reflect a lack of understanding. while he’s able to empathize with the pain others experience and is eternally hyper- aware of it he is unable to view that pain through any lense besides his own and uses it in his cycle of self pity and blame, minimizing it at any point possible in the quickest way and Not prioritizing the wishes of the victim but instead the efficiency in decreasing his own guilt. anyways back to 187- both the victim and jordan are treated as props by jon (and helen) and once they serve their purpose in reaffirming the two’s sense of self are cast aside and ignored. ok from here i’m gonna get conceptual and self indulgent bc it’s my analysis and i get to bring up vague convoluted philosophy.

part two (part two): part two

let’s talk about the distortion for a sec. i refuse to believe helen and michael were both completely gone and it was just the distortion piloting their visage, mostly because… like that’s not what the text would indicate

HELEN

Michael isn’t me. Not now.

ARCHIVIST

What happened?

HELEN

He got… distracted. Let feelings that shouldn’t have been his overwhelm me.

Lost my way.

(101). it’s heavily implied that there was SOME remainder of michael in there, even if the being wasn’t him. maybe i’m way off base here but the way i interpreted the implosion of michael was that it was driven by his inability to maintain the repressed resentment and anger he had for gertrude. like it’s pretty clear that some warped version of michael’s feelings were trapped inside of the distortion and i’d go as far as to say that they were integral to his formation as it. i’m gonna operate on the assumption that michael and helen are two separate beings here for a sec even though we know they’re not. As opposed to michael’s resentment for the archivist, helen actively sought refuge in the institute and from the small amount we saw of her Pre-Distortion it seems like her paranoia is internally directed. i think you could even say that while michael was caught in an eternal battle with the concept of connection, helen is caught in a battle with the concept of self. the point is that she thinks of jon in a less “The Archivist” sense and more as just That Guy who she had an intense connection with that one time.

ARCHIVIST

So… S-so what do you want?

HELEN

I don’t know. Helen liked you, so… there’s a lot to consider. But I will help you leave.

(101). i would also like to point out that helen’s emergence as the distortion coincides with jon coming to terms with his identity as the archivist. parallels, baby! SO helen is a newly formed being that is grappling with the concept of her own existence and jon is reevaluating his understanding of identity as he comes to terms with the fact that he is turning into the thing he’s fighting against and this is all happening at the same time. live laugh love. stay with me here, i promise i’ll get back to 187. Throughout seasons 4 and 5 helen attempts to validate her own moral decisions via jon who she once saw herself in. conversely, jon sees both an image of what he could become AND arguably a representation of his past failure in her.

ARCHIVIST

It did. I think… I mean, you remember how I was back then, how paranoid. The Not!Sasha was there, and I could sense something wasn’t right, but I just couldn’t place it. It left me a suspicious wreck. Then when Helen Richardson came in, it seemed like… she was in the same place I was, but worse, further along. I thought, maybe if I could help her, that would mean… maybe I wasn’t beyond help?

(188). helen and jon lie at opposite ends of the same spectrum. both of them derive pleasure from the suffering of others

HELEN

Oh, John! This existence can be wonderful, if you just let it.

ARCHIVIST

[Sadly] I know.

(187). needless to say that a LOT of jon's arc and the themes surrounding him focus on the concept of autonomy and addiction and i think it'd be fair to say that this component is an aspect of that. repressing these qualities is both a way of reaffirming his control and also just.. him trying to be what he perceives as Good, and season 5 is the point at which this comes to the forefront of his character- particularly the line between what is intrinsic and what he truly has control over. a battle of the concept of the self, if you will. while the two share similar traits, jon is intensely moralistic while helen indulges in a twisted sense of hedonism and both are fueled by an inability to expand their viewpoint. helen fully immerses herself within these qualities and intentionally blinds herself to any concepts of morality (indulgence), and jon actively pushes back on this as hard as he can and follows black and white moral framework (repression). this means that in order for their relationship to function he must either accept her, choosing to let go in his personal battle with autonomy OR she must break out of her worldview and conform to standards of human morality which goes against her own nature.

part three: questions i do not have the answer to

so. what does it all mean. WELL. 187 is the boiling point of all this tension. we know that helen relies on jon to validate her sense of self and we know that jon sees himself in helen, both past and present

HELEN

But that doesn’t make any sense. You barely met her. You had half an hour together, and she spent most of that ranting about mazes! She was positively delirious with paranoia!

ARCHIVIST

True. But as you’ll recall, I was pretty paranoid myself at that point.

HELEN

So what? You saw yourself in her? A sad reflection? A possible future?

(187). I’d argue that 187 is demonstrative of jon’s inability to either fall into complete indulgence in intrinsic values that lack moral validity vs. maintain and image of self that does not conflict with the values he attempts to uphold in order to find internal satisfaction and yes both of those concepts are inherently egocentric as he bases his moral judgement on what he can justify to himself instead of what can be calculated via empathy. however. paired with the alternative (helen). is that BAD. is it inherently selfish to do what you perceive as good in order to feed your own savior complex? and if so, is it inherently selfish to indulge in destructive qualities as to not delude yourself? is honesty vs deception a black and white question? if not, where does helen even fall? in not deluding herself does she achieve a moral high ground? IS she deluding herself by denying the potential to be facetiously benevolent at the detriment of both her personal enjoyment and her honesty? does helen even posses the capability to repress her violent qualities? if she doesn't, does she have any autonomy? if she and jon are both inherently selfish and intentionally resistant to introspection, what makes them different? i do not have answers but i do think the text is meant to invoke these questions. i mean,

MICHAEL (STATEMENT)

There was a great evil, she said, and Michael was going to help her fight it. Am I evil, Archivist? Is a thing evil when it simply obeys its own nature? When it embodies its nature? When that nature is created by those which revile it? Perhaps Gertrude believed so. Michael certainly did. He believed everything she told him.

(101).

part 5: conclusion

so once again. what does it all mean. well! even post helen’s death jon continues to fight for autonomy and preserve his moral worldview so. i think that probably indicates something good.

MARTIN

Huh. She couldn’t help what she was, I guess.

ARCHIVIST

She didn’t even try.

(188). i honestly don’t have a thesis i just find it incredibly interesting how the themes surrounding these two intersect and play off of each other. anyways looping back to 187 i do think in a broad sense jon killing helen is representative of him choosing to stick by his convictions and keep fighting. i don’t have any good way to end this but thanks for sticking around during my self indulgent rambling!

#also apropos of nothing but #this scene reminds me of a clive barker story #truly that has nothing to do w this analysis i just wanted to throw this in the tags #anyways! hope this makes sense #i had a friend who’s never listened to tma read over this to make sure that it’s coherent #and she said it was fine so.. alice ty #this was fun! i have lots of Thoughts on tma and i should write them more often #the magnus archives #mag 187 #jonathan sims #the archivist #helen richardson #helen distortion #michael shelley #tma meta #the distortion #the spiral #tma

[mylonelyangel]

Good Omens: A Study in Comedy

A couple years ago in my senior year of high school, my English teacher had told us for our last essay of the year, to pick any novel by any notable author, and write about it. I picked Good Omens cause i happened to be reading it at the time, but this essay was legit the most fun I’ve ever had writing an essay. I figured with the show coming out at @neil-gaiman being on tumblr, I might as well post it here were people might enjoy it.

Its about why Good Omens is successful as a comedy. It’s kinda long so it’s gonna go beneath a cut. But yeah here it is. (Also apologies for the formatting I cant figure out how to make this thing readable. rn it looks a lot better on desktop than mobile. Any suggestions on that are welcome)

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In the world of entertainment-- be that film, TV, literature, etc. -- comedy is hard. It’s hard to act, it’s hard to write, and it takes real talent to do comedy well. Often, comedy goes underappreciated in the professional world; however, Good Omens seems to be an exception. In writing the forward to their book, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman describe the many well-read and deteriorating copies of Good Omens that they have had the pleasure of signing. From books dropped in bathtubs and puddles, to pages being held together by packing tape, clearly, the book is well loved by many. The unique quality of this novel is that rather than a “laugh-out-loud” humor, Pratchett and Gaiman aimed for a more subtle, ironic humor adding up to a satire that teaches a lesson on the importance of humanity and compassion. All in all, Good Omens is a delightfully witty and entertaining book that is sure to please any avid reader.

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Biography

It was the year 1989 when Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett decided to combine efforts in writing Good Omens. At the time, Gaiman was 29. He was born in Hampshire UK in 1960 and grew up frequently visiting his local library, developing a life-long love for reading. After briefly pursuing a career in journalism, he soon became interested in writing comic books. The Sandman is one of Gaiman’s most notable graphic novel works. It won several awards including three Harvey Awards, nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, and the 1991 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story, becoming the first comic to every receive a literary award.  After gaining this success, Gaiman has gone on to expand his resume by working in film and television. He’s written and directed two films: A Short Film About John Bolton (2002) and Statueque (2009). Most recently, Gaiman is writing for the television series adaption of his book, American Gods, set to premier on April 30, 2017 on Starz.

Gaiman’s writing companion, Terry Pratchett, was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire in 1948. He had a passion for writing from a young age, publishing his first story, “The Hades Business” in his school magazine at age thirteen. Four years later at age seventeen, Pratchett dropped out of school to pursue journalism. It was in this line of work that he came into contact with his first publisher, Colin Smythe, and through him published his first book in 1971, The Carpet People. Smythe remained a close friend of Pratchett and in 1983 published the first book of Pratchett’s phenomenally successful series: Discworld. At this time, Pratchett worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board as a press officer. Four books into his Discworld series, Pratchett decided to become a full time writer. After a long and successful career, unfortunately in 2007 Pratchett was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s called Posterior Cortical Atrophy. He lived the last years of his life very well; in 2009, he was knighted by the Queen for his services to literature and in 2013 he presented a documentary discussing the controversial topic of assisted dying. Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die won both an Emmy and a BAFTA. Despite campaigning for assisted dying, Terry did not choose to take his own life and died peacefully surrounded by family in March 2015.

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Extended Analysis

The comedy collaboration Good Omens has been deemed by many to be a great novel. Critics praise the unique blend of writing styles for making this novel a success, but to understand what makes the comedic genius of Good Omens, one must ask what precisely makes it funny. This novel is a satire; it comments on existentialist ideas surrounding humanity and the responsibility humans have over their own actions for better or for worse. In order to emphasize their novel as an unexpectedly witty and socially relevant satire, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett use several literary devices such as repetition, mood, and irony. In a remarkable world belonging to angels and demons who wish to bring about the apocalypse, the air of abnormality must be maintained throughout the novel; comedy only follows naturally.  

In order to emphasize the absurdity of the events in Good Omens, the authors often used repetition in describing people or events. Given that this book revolves around the events of Armageddon, absurdity is not hard to come by; it is precisely what enforces the satire nature of the novel. For instance, the Antichrist is first described to the reader as “a golden haired male baby we will call the Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is called Dragon, Prince of this World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness” (Gaiman 27). Not only does the baby have this long list of titles, but he is referred to as such several more times in the next few pages. This description is a means to bring attention to the oddness of the situation and the repetition serves to emphasize it. Another interesting use of repetition is a scene in which the events of the evening are being narrated by an irritable man named R. P. Tyler; a man who not only believes himself to be the sole decider of right and wrong in the world, but that it is his responsibility to pronounce his wisdom unto others via the letter column of the Tadfield Adviser. This man is the epitome of arrogant old men and on the afternoon of Armageddon, finds himself directing several parties of odd people to the same location. In the eyes of the reader, all of the characters introduced thus far are arriving to the small English town of Tadfield for the start of the apocalypse. The events are rumored to take place at the Lower Tadfield Air Base and in succession, R. P. Tyler encounters four groups of people going to the Airfield within a span of 30 minutes (Gaiman 325-336). The result is a comedic effect that brings all separate storylines back to the same page. The repetition of events is what brought to R. P. Tyler’s attention to the odd occurrences in Tadfield. As the man met group after group, he quickly becomes more flustered and his figurative bubble of normality is cracking until Crowley’s arrival: “There was a large once-black car on fire in the lane and a man in sunglasses was leaning out the window, saying through the smoke “I’m sorry, I’ve managed to get a little lost. Can you direct me to the Lower Tadfield Air Base? I know it’s around here somewhere”” (Gaiman 334). One can safely say that after this event, R. P. Tyler no longer has a figurative bubble of normality.

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One of the highlights of Good Omens is the comical language in which it is written, setting an air for the absurd to be normalized and the mundane to receive an exaggerated retelling. An ambiance of abnormality is maintained throughout the entire novel through methods of over-explaining minute details. For instance, as the first proceedings of Armageddon are set into motion, the scene is set with the following depiction:

“It wasn’t a dark and stormy night. It should have been, but that’s the weather for you. For every mad scientist who’s had a convenient thunderstorm just on the night his Great Work is finished and lying on the slab, there have been dozens who’s sat around aimlessly under the peaceful stars while Igor clocks up the overtime” (Gaiman 14).

This description of the setting contributes to a lighthearted mood despite the impending apocalypse. It feels as though the authors are making polite conversation as the story progresses, and this style of writing is used throughout the novel. Later on, a scene occurs in which a demon kills a room full of telemarketers and the aftermath is described as follows: “. . . a wave of low-grade goodness started to spread exponentially through the population and millions of people who ultimately would not have suffered minor bruises of the soul did not in fact do so” (Gaiman 308). The elegance in which that sentence is written gives the reader a sense of understanding in that the authors are not technically wrong in their description. The line is satirical and for many readers, felt on a personal level. The witty line does not fail in upholding the absurd and exceedingly nonchalant atmosphere. This style brings to light underlying truths of humanity that one may not acknowledge in a day to day basis, but are true nonetheless. Through this recognition of distinctly human emotions and struggles, Gaiman and Pratchett succeed in creating an engaging environment in which the reader is both reflective and entertained by their story.

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The irony in Good Omens lies within the ongoing discussion of humanity and the importance of free will. As Heaven and Hell prepare for Armageddon, the key to its commencement lies in the hands of the Antichrist. However, the Antichrist ends up being much more human than either side predicted. As usual, the demon Crowley and angel Aziraphale come to this conclusion long before their superiors:

““Because if I know anything,” said Crowley urgently, “it’s that the birth is just the start. It’s the upbringing that’s important. It’s the influences. Otherwise it will never learn to use its powers.” . . .

“You’re saying the child isn’t evil of itself?” [Aziraphale] said slowly.

“Potentially evil.  Potentially good, too, I suppose. Just this huge powerful potentiality, waiting to be shaped.” said Crowley” (Gaiman 58).  

Given that Adam the Antichrist grew up in the absence of any supernatural influence, he naturally became a very pure and innocent child who only wanted save the environment and read conspiracy theory magazines. In fact, unaware of his power and heritage, he was involuntarily at fault for the rise of Atlantis and the visitations of aliens. His deep love for the planet also allowed for his subconscious to grow rain forests in the thick of cities and to turn 500 tons of Uranium into a lemon drop. In a book that satirizes the meanings of good and evil, it is very ironic that the Antichrist has the greatest amount of love to give. As observed by local witch, Anathema: “Something or someone loves this place. Loves every inch of it so powerfully that it shields and protects it. A deep-down, huge, fierce love. How can anything bad start here?” (Gaiman 229). It is reiterated several times throughout the book that humans are their own worst enemy. They are the ones who have free will, therefore they choose whether to act good or evil. Demons and angels have no choice in this respect. Gaiman and Pratchett make clear to their audience that humans must value their free will, spread love and live life to its fullest. If the Antichrist can do it, so can you.

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When reflecting on the comedic success of Good Omens, one can conclude that Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are masters at their craft. This wonderfully composed work of fiction succeeds in satirizing the inner workings of human nature in that the supernatural can do no worse to humans than humans already do to themselves. Stylistically, Gaiman and Pratchett create a casual environment that highlights the absurd events by using techniques such as irony, mood, and repetition. The result is a clever and profound lesson on the importance of love in the human experience taught not by those who are human, but those who act with the most humanity.

#good omens #neil gaiman #terry pratchett #aziraphale #crowley

[popculturebuffet]

Changing the Channel: My History as A Channel Awesome Fan and Why I Unsubscribed

I thank anyone who reads this. As the #changethechannel movement takes the internet by storm and slowly but surely destroys Channel Awesome, I felt I needed to let out some emotions regarding the skeletons tapdancing out of channel awesome’s closet following the revelations in the Google Doc. 

A long time ago in a High School Video Media Classroom far away, 8 years ago to be exact, I was a fresh faced young man living the dream of helping produce the school news show Wham TV, a dream I’d had. But as I was just the lowly credits guy, I had a lot of free time on my hands and during one of these down periods I noticed a bunch of the guys watching something on my friends computer. And that is how a young me found the Nostalgia Critic. I was a huge fan, binging every episode I could find at home since the entire series was on YouTube.  And if that wasn’t enough, as school ended I soon found out there was an entire SITE full of other people like him, riffing on bad films, comics and just about anything thanks to the crossover film Kickassia. I loved it at the time, and it opened my eyes to all these other people floating around. I watched the crossovers that came out and once I got a computer at home fast enough to actually watch blip without it taking two hours to load, I dove right in.

For the next few years I slowly found my faviorites: Lupa, Linkara, Todd, Spoony, The Nostalgia Chick… I devoured their videos along side Doug’s at rapid pace.  And as my first year of Community College went on, I found myself more and more isolated: I was an awkward young man ape, unable to talk to women at all, barely relating to my fellow guys, and finding myself in a very unhealthy online friendship with an asshole that constantly made me feel like crap and insulted me at every turn that I was desperate to impress and was close to my best friend. And in those dark uncertain times.. Channel Awesome was my light in the darkness. A beacon that provided weekly mounds of entertainment to binge at school after class, people like me who were nerdy but had fun making hilarious videos and clearly had a tight knit surrogate family to back them up.  I aspired to be one of them, to make my own reviews. I wasn’t great and bottomed out, but I still wanted to be one of the shiny happy people walking by, the nerds who had friends and relationships and were loved by many.

I never made it, a combination of having no camera, little skill, and a huge amount of homework squashed that dream… and in hindsight.. that was a good thing considering just how bad that dream went for the people who did make it. What I never realized is that while Channel Awesome really was a family to some people.. it was also a nightmare of mismanagement, misogyny, and neglect as time went on.

When I saw Suburban Knights I saw a stellar sequel to a movie I loved..  not poor Iron Liz getting starved and being treated like a pack mule, several people being injured, and Doug being Tommy Wiseau levels of dangerously incompetent.

When I saw to Boldly Flee I saw a deep exploration of the fear they all faced in the wake of SOPA and a touching sendoff to the critic. I didn’t know that Doug just outright refused to listen to ANYONE about the script even with it involved characters they made, terribly sexist jokes, horrendous rape scenes, and script bloat, not to mention giant amounts of cast abuse.

When I saw Demo Reel while I gave it a chance, feeling that Doug was finally living his dream I didn’t realize that he was tanking the site and didn’t give one shit what happened to anyone else. And when I heard Allison Pregler, one of my favorite reviewers on the site was being harassed I just naturally assumed that Doug, like just about everyone else, had come to her aid… instead of ignoring said harassment even when it got to the point there were threats on her life. When Fool Fantastic was fired, I assumed he was just some lazy kid, never realizing that instead he was basically forced into video reviewing due to a format change, then went through several months of upheaval dealing with high school graduation and coming out to less than accepting parents.. and then  finding himself removed from the site despite having told a staff member about it, and given no sympathy by Rob and Michaud despite having gone through hell. And that, in this inferno of horrible facts coming to light that’s been #changethechannel, what’s gotten me the most. People suffered. People struggled. And I saw none of it. Wether it was due to pressure to keep things under wraps to keep their jobs, as Channel Awesome, or just plain feeling like no one would care due to not having many friends on the site, I was blind. Even when Allison and Phelan came out post firing about their mistreatment, I saw it as just Rob and Mike’s fault. Doug had to be innocent right? He had to be a good person? I can’t have been following a giant sack of dicks for years at this point?  But I was so wrong. While Doug wasn’t nearly as bad as these two.. he still didn’t seem to give two shits about anyone outside a select few he’d bonded with. It was all about the Nostalgia Critic to him, it was all about the critic to rob and it was all Michaud said.

The rest of Channel Awesome were just window dressing, minions to be used and discarded whenever they decided they weren’t needed anymore. To be fired for missing ONE video after years of service, to be fired for missing a goddamn Skype call or just for no damn reason.  While Doug wasn’t’ nearly as abusive as Michaud he still did jack all to change things at the site or actually talk to anyone. He just let his brother and actual animate sack of dicks CEO do whatever and slowly run the site into the ground. And amazingly despite having the management skills of a flamingo that’s on fire and had it’s brain surgically removed and replaced with a can of tuna with the word “BRAIN” sloppily written on the side that the site still stands today. And it’s amazing that even as quality dipped and it became clearer and clearer just what a waste of space Doug Walker’s work was… I stayed by anyway. Because he was a nice guy and surely it’d turn around. But it didn’t and he sure as shit hasn’t, letting the company twitter send out half assed apologizes and according to one report DEFENDING that heartless mass of diseased rats and spittle.  And if he won’t just man up and get his show back, fire this asshole and firmly apologize for EVERYTHING, then why do I need him.  After MONTHS of finding out people I liked in movies and such were the worst humanity had to offer... why should I give him ANY sort of chance. And with that I unfollowed channel awesome and spent the next few days beating myself up about watching Doug for so long. I felt terrible, like by supporting the site and him I’d hurt so many people... for ignoring the signs... and so... that’s why I’m here today. Because I felt like I had to get my feelings out and in doing so I realized that while I was a dum dum for giving Doug the benefit of a doubt… I’m not dumb for just HOPING beyond hope someone was a good person.  It’s not bad to have faith, but you can’t let it blind you. And you can’t beat yourself up for hoping he’d get better or that things would change… al you can do is walk away, leave Doug to let Rome burn and hope beyond hope that the people still on the site don’t go down with him.

And even with all Michaud has done and the walkers let him do… Channel Awesome WAS still a family. For many of it’s former contributors it was home and they found best friends, spouses and comrades.. .. and if anything all this coming to light has only strengthen those bonds, and shown that no matter WHAT mike did, no matter what he tried to take.. he couldn’t take away their friendship, their audiences or their basic dignity. And he certainly isn’t taking my peace of mind anymore.

#changethechannel #channel awesome #doug walker #rob walker #michael michaud #allison pregler #lindsay ellis #lewis lovhog #that guy with the glasses #phelan porteous #editorials

[asagimeta]

The Weirdness Of "Girl Trouble"

So I've talked probably atleast two or three times in depth about the worst episode of Hey Arnold ever- "Curly's Girl", wich is like a How To guide on rape culture- but I had sort of forgotten about "Girl Trouble" until rewatching it just now and it's... oddly almost as bad- now don't get me wrong, there are actually a couple of qualities about "Girl Trouble" that I like and it isn't quite stomach-churning like "Curly's Girl" is but it also displays some pretty hefty messages about abuse.... in the wrong way

Hey Arnold! has a very weird dichotomy in terms of toxic relationships in that it either portrays them almost FLAWLESSLY- think Helga and her parents- or just about as nightmarishly as you can imagine- think Curly and his "relationship" with Rhonda- and as much credit- as much real, TRUE credit- as I give to them for complete GEMS like the Patacki family or Ernie and his one-off model girlfreind, I also can't help but see the toxic relationships that flood the show

The good thing is that alot of them are occassionally addressed- Susie leaves Oskar at one point and is constantly calling him out on being a bum, Pheobe has several episodes where she either calls out Helga on what an abusive person she is or leaves her (be it as an intentional break in their relationship or not), and the bullies in the show are atleast usually given what's coming to them- but these things, like almost everything in HA!'s continuity, never stick around past an episode or two, Susie sticks around, Pheobe goes back, the bullies learn for the length of a half-episode but it never makes a lasting impact, and in a way I can excuse it because the issues DO atleast present themselves properly and he only reason I believe the changes don't stick for good are because HA! tries to have a very fluid continuity where you don't necessarily need to have seen episode three to see episode four, with the exception of some charectors coming (Lila, Mr. Simmons, Lorenzo) or going (Ruth, Torvald, the teacher before Mr. Simmons who's name I forget..) and HA! also typically tries to stick it's charectors to their archetypes, wich they overcome episodically (Rhonda learns not to care so much about her appearance and/or wealth/status in atleast three or four different episodes, because she's The Rich Spoiled Girl, Harold is always portrayed as The Dumb Bully no matter how many times he's shown to actually be very sensitive and- when he puts his mind to it- pretty smart, etc) So TL;DR I can forgive HA! for not keeping the changes it makes because the format of the show may not have worked as well- especially for the target audience and especially in the time period- if the charectors had had linear development, if Oskar and Susie had gotten that divorce, if Phoebe had decided to break things with Helga for good (or if Helga stopped treating her like a sidekick) if Rhonda stopped being spoiled, etc, we know from shows that DO develop their charectors episode to episode like As Told By Ginger that it's usually an older audience who gets attached, not grade schoolers, but I digress

The problem I really have is that "Girl Trouble", just like "Curly's Girl", simply sends a terrible message: If someone is abusing you it means they like you, so sit down and take it and whatever you do, DON'T fight back or you'll be the bad guy

Helga and Arnold's relationship defies stereotypical gender roles by making Helga the aggressor/abuser and Arnold the passive victim, but it's still a highly abusive relationship, and I think that fact gets really, really lost on people- especially the HA! writers- when it comes to episodes like "Girl Trouble"

Basically, Helga is acting especially cruel to Arnold and Grandpa advises him not to retaliate because "You'll have to be dealing with this girl for a very long time, it's best to make peace with it" and tells a story about how a girl in his school was just as mean to him (fondly, wile laughing) who we later learn is actually his wife Gerty, Arnold can't stand to take the advice, however, and after Helga throws paint on him, he throws paint back at her, Arnold is immediately given detention but Helga has no consequences for that /or/ for the cruel prank she had pulled the day before (covering Arnold's backside in glue and feathers) and when he gets home and explains what happened Grandpa freaks out and admonishes him about not fighting back- AGAIN, Arnold stews and Helga laments over the fact that her sweet, pure Arnold had finally been "pushed over the edge" due to her cruelty, but when Arnold calls and apologizes she's just as mean as ever and that's the "resolution"

Typically during episodes like this there's some ACTUAL resolution, a good example being "Pheobe Breaks A Leg" when Pheobe finally has a heart-to-heart about how abused she feels with Helga, Helga seems sincere in not wanting to hurt her anymore and promises to do better, even though the last shot is back to the same old dichotomy of Helga bossing Pheobe around, there was atleast a very honest realization on Helga's part that she was doing something wrong and Pheobe had the chance to confront her, but that isn't the case here

Here, we see nothing but a victim being told multiple times to learn to live with the fact that his abuser is going to be around for ages and he needs to get used to it, punished when he acts out back at her, and then tossed immediately back into the Toxic Tornado when HE apologizes to HER and is verbally put down, insulted, and screamed at again

Now, to be clear, before I go any further, I LIKE Arnold and Helga, I ship them and HAVE shipped them since the beginning.... but I ship them in a HEALTHY relationship where they're a little older and Helga has made more progress with her mental health and Arnold has started standing up to himself and not allowing her to bully him so much

There's actually an episode that I freaking ADORE about their relationship- "April Fool's Day", wich consists of a prank war between them, it isn't mean-spirited, just competitive, and at the end there are no hurt feelings or punished parties, just two kids having fun together, Arnold decides to best Helga however he can- wile, again, not being mean-spirited, just competitive- and doesn't let her bullying tactics push him around or scare him off

"Girl Trouble" is a serious problem because it perpetuates that the only abuse is male -> female, not so much in the storyline that Helga is being abusive to Arnold and he's not fighting back- that's pretty typical of HA!- but because of the actions *around* Helga and Arnold, namely: Arnold is punished for fighting back and Helga isn't, Helga having a breif moment of realization that she may have gone too far but not even coming CLOSE to admitting that (we know Helga is capable of being nice to Arnold when the circumstances are really serious, "Parents Day" being a good example) and worst of all, Grandpa repeatedly telling Arnold that he not only would have to deal with the abuse "for years to come", but that he should never, under any circumstances, defend himself, what is that saying to young boys who are suffering from something similar?

I just can't really understand- much like "Curly's Girl"- how the writers looked at the end outcome and went "Yeah, this is a reasonable message to send", in particular because Arnold broke their usual dichotomy for once, and they couldn't hide behind "Helga is aggressive and Arnold is passive, Arnold is the bigger person" like they usually can, that was the entire POINT

Wile I COMPLETELY agree that there should have been a message of "Be the better person and don't engage with a bully", there ALSO shouldn't have been such a heavy handed message of "Your abuser is going to be in your life for years and there's nothing you can do about it, and in fact, you'll probably fall in love with them!", and Helga's actions being flat-out romanticized is deeply troubling

A much better way to handle it is to keep things the same up until Arnold gets detention; give him and Helga BOTH detention (Gerald can testify that Helga tossed paint on Arnold first) and let them have detention together, maybe add a throw-away line about Helga having gotten detention for her prank the day before, and let the rest of the episode take place there, at first Arnold and Helga won't speak to eachother, but Helga makes a casual comment about Big Bob going through the roof over her having detention again- if he notices, that is, and how he'll just compare her to Olga again, Arnold says that she brought detention on herself this time and they argue until Helga says something about always bullying people because "How ELSE are you supposed to deal with them all the time?" and Arnold simmers down and makes a gentle, slightly vague comment about how you're supposed to treat people and then another apologizing for what she has to go through at home, a simple "I'm sorry they make you feel that way" or something would suffice, wich brings Helga to apologize for tormenting Arnold over the last couple of days (in her crass Helga way) and they sit in silence for a few minutes before detention is finally over and they can leave, at wich point Helga makes a very small comment concerning deciding to give Arnold something of a break from now on

The next day she's shown throwing spitballs at him or something and when he makes a face she winks and lets him borrow one of her books, or something like that

Just something like that, something that could possibly show that just because the attacker is female that doesn't give them a free pass, and to not push such abuse as a "funny love story" the way they did with Grandpa and Grandma

#kid's shows #Hey Arnold! #Girl Trouble

[kaibagirl007]

Belated Birthday Surprise

The 26th July was a date that Kaiba would never forget after having discovered it’s importance. The significance being that it was in fact his boyfriend’s birthday, something they had both learnt after Ishizu had helped Atem to decipher ancient Egypt’s calendar into modern day format. So it pained him that he’d pretended not to remember at all, though knew it was the only viable option he’d been presented with...

Over the last several months, Kaiba Corporation was struggling,- quite badly,- though he would never let on to the full extent of just how bad things were. Instead Kaiba chose to be seen shrugging it off as nothing more than an unexpected ‘dip' in the economy so as to keep his brother and boyfriend free from worrying. Yet in truth, matters were far worse as he strived to maintain dwindling partnerships.

It wasn’t completely unheard of that his company would have contracts terminated. Though that very rarely happened, and if it did it was because he felt the collaborating business gravely lacked in meeting the standards required of them. But ever since going public and revealing his relationship with Atem, his company had suffered drastically as a result.

Yes he’d been prepared to have the odd one or two bigoted businesses part ways, but hadn’t expected anything like the true scale when over a dozen contracts were ended within the first month of the reveal alone. Of course less than a third had actually had the gall to explain their decision directly. One of them however had even been brazen enough to ‘inform' him of the dishonour brought to his ‘family name', and that the only consolation was the fact that he wouldn’t be able to ‘spawn’ a dynasty of hafus with his chosen lover.

From then on he’d found himself working even longer overtime hours in an attempt to re-nagotiate as many contracts as possible so that only a few projects would be culled, thereby allowing his business to continue to thrive. It hadn’t been easy, and although he still maintained his major partnership with Industrial Illusions,- “I’d never leave you in the lurch dear boy, especially not over something so trivial as your choice of lover. Those narrow-minded enough to have done so don’t deserve to be acquainted with such brilliance as yours. You’re much better off without them trying to hold you to ransom with their discriminatory ways.”,- the withdrawal of smaller outsourced contractors meant that several projects had had to be placed on hold for now. Those included the expansion of KaibaLand theme parks both at home and abroad, his dreams of opening a school specialising in duelling and the building of his very own space station, as well as the his current labour of love in creating a duel disk that was powered by a person’s thoughts.

And had it not been for the fully booked week of numerous meetings,- that unfortunately happened to surround and occur on his boyfriend’s special day,- then he wouldn’t have been fortunate enough to have secured the deal allowing him to proceed with development of the Duel Links game designed for play on touchscreen devices.

Having purposely avoided any living soul that was likely to remind him of the importance of the date in the days leading up to it, the CEO then pled ignorance when his brother finally collared him the following day. A swift ‘apology' with the promise to make it up to Atem then appeased his sibling’s wrath. That then lead him to now; flying to a ‘secret' location.

“How much longer is this going to take?” Atem enquired as he sat in the back seat of the Blue-Eyes jet with a blindfold over his eyes.

“Not long.” Kaiba responded after having checked the remainder of their route on the navigation system. “We’re almost there; perhaps another ten, fifteen minutes max.”

“Very well… But no more loops! I wasn’t joking when I said you were in danger of re-seeing what I had for lunch.”

“No more loops.” He assured with a grin and pushed down harder on the thrusters to make sure they would definitely arrive within the timeframe he’d just given.

After another brief moment’s silence, it was hesitantly broken. “In case you’re wondering Seto, I’ve no ill feelings with you for having forgotten my birthday. Much like you, I’d rather not make a fuss. And it’s the first time in three thousand years that I’ve known the date myself, so I hardly expect anyone else to. You really didn’t have to go to so much trouble-…”

“It’s no trouble at all.” He cut in on the other’s words before he felt even more guilty by being assured that he’d done nothing wrong. “I had this surprise all planned for you. It’s just a little late in being given.”

“Of course it is.” Atem simpered, knowing that his boyfriend was far too proud to admit that the date had slipped his mind due to his busy schedule. That was all the other seemed to do lately; work. The fact that they’d be spending some quality time together was more than he could ask for. And away from Japan where they ‘hopefully’ wouldn’t be sneered at for being a same sex and/or mixed race couple. Yes, these next few days were exactly what the two of them needed.

It wasn’t much longer before the jet came to land at their destination. Once the cockpit visor lifted, Kaiba was the first to jump out,- quite literally,- and assisted his visually impaired boyfriend out of his seat too. When they were both firmly standing on the ground, he removed the blindfold to the sound of a rather theatrical, “Ta-da!”

Atem’s eyes took a moment to readjust to the bright sunlight now filling his vision as he looked out across rows and rows of grapevines. “Where are we?”

“In a vineyard.”

“I can see that!” He didn’t know whether to laugh or roll his eyes at the CEO’s deadpan response so did both. “I meant ‘WHERE are we’, as in what country?”

“France.” Kaiba declared as he then went to retrieve their bags from the jet’s storage compartment. “The Graves region of Bordeaux to be precise.”

“Bordeaux.” Atem quietly mouthed in awe at having been brought to the birthplace of some of the finest wines he’d ever consumed. Sometimes it amazed him at just how much thought his boyfriend gave things by catering them to his personal interests and tastes. “Wow, this was unexpected. Please tell me we're here to sample the wine.”

“Heh heh, not quite. Though you’ll certainly be able to do so during our stay."

“Well then, why ARE we here?”

“To make the ownership handover of my vineyard to you more impressive.” Kaiba pulled out a file full of documents and handed them to his perplexed looking boyfriend. He leant down and delivered an accompanying kiss. “Happy Birthday.”

Atem was too stunned to react as he tried to process what was happening. Finally he found his voice. “Wait a minute… how long have you owned a vineyard?”

“A good several years or so. It was one of my earliest investments that allowed me to keep Pegasus sweet with a continuous supply of wine. Costs like that can build up pretty quickly. I’ve saved myself a considerable amount of money in doing it this way.”

“And now this place is mine?”

“That was kind of the idea.” Kaiba suddenly began to feel nervous. Was his gift not liked? Had he somehow messed up? Knowing how much the other loved to drink wine, he’d been so sure that it would have been well received…

“You can relax.” Atem assured as he sensed the growing uneasiness festering behind those blue eyes surveying him. “I love it. Thank you.” He clutched the file close to his chest and stood on tiptoes to return the kiss from just a moment ago.

“You’re not just saying that?” He held the other close once the kiss was over.

“Of course not. Granted I am a little unsure of what it is you’re expecting me to DO with this place…?”

“That choice is completely up to you.” The CEO’s long fingers brushed blond bangs aside as he spoke tenderly to the one he loved. "You want to use this vineyard as your own personal lifelong wine supply, go right ahead. However, this place turns over a fairly decent profit,- the Claret produced here is especially popular with the British and Americans,- so it should set you up nicely if you wish to expand into a bigger empire. Or if you’d rather sell up-…"

“Monsieur Kaiba.” One of the vineyard’s workers approached the two men, completely unfazed by the affectionate display right in front of him. “The pressing process is about to begin if you’d like to witness it for yourself.”

“Can we join in?” Atem’s eyes seemed to light up at the announcement which had been made. He had such fond memories of him and Mana dancing together inside the huge pressing baskets. Oh how he’d love to relive such a simple pleasure.

“Oui.”

“Then we’ll be right there.”

The worker nodded in response to the shorter man’s reply and headed back to the processing shed.

“You certainly perked up.” Kaiba chuckled as he let go of his boyfriend from his hold and the two of them followed on behind.

“Wine pressing is fun.” Atem threaded his fingers with the other’s hand as they walked. “I’ve done it many times as a child. Haven’t you?”

“No.” The scoff came before the CEO could stop himself. “Besides, what’s so great about turning a wheel to push a plate down on some grapes?”

“A plate? You mean you don’t crush the grapes with your bare feet?”

“Heh, sometimes I forget just how old you are… No, no-one makes wine like that anymore. That method died out centuries ago.”

“Oh.” Atem was saddened by what he heard. He wouldn’t get to have fun after all. No wonder people in this day and age were so gloomy all of the time if even the pleasurable tasks had machines to do it for them. He then glanced down at the document file held in his other hand. “Wait a minute! I own this place now, correct?”

“Yeah…?”

“So I could just instruct to have the plate removed and do things my own way?”

“I guess so… if that’s really what you want?”

“Yes, it is! Very much so!” He grinned upwards. “You’ll join me, won’t you?”

“Pfft, you won’t catch me treading on grapes with my bare feet.”

“Oh come on, live a little. It’s not like I’m asking you to strip down and do it naked… Not unless you want to of course?”

“There is no way you’ll get me to crush grapes with you, and definitely NOT without my clothes on.”

“But it’s my birthday!”

“No, that was last week.”

Atem resorted to pouting. Hey, it always seemed to get Mokuba whatever he wanted so why not him?

“N O, spells no.”

Damn, it didn’t work. “Okay then fine! I can’t make you do something you don’t want to do…” An idea then hit him. “But you DO realise the double standards you hold?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Well on the way here, did you or did you not, do a triple loop whilst we were in your jet?”

“Yeah, so? It was fun.”

“But did I have any say in it? No. I had to sit there and-…”

“Okay, okay; you’ve made your point! I’ll press wine with you just this once. But if I get grape juice in places it should never go-…”

“Then I’ll lick you clean.”

“…!” Kaiba froze just several steps short of the pressing shed door. He looked at Atem whilst displaying a curiously cocked brow. “You better be able to live up to that claim.”

“You know damn well I can.” A sly smirk was given in return. Sometimes his boyfriend was far too easy to lure into his playful traps. And whilst their time together for his special day may have been delayed until now, Atem had a feeling that this birthday was going to be his best ever.

@heartof-thepharaoh

#rp stuff #short story for heartof-thepharaoh #prideshipping

[pope-francis-quotes]

23rd February >> (@Zenitenglish By Deborah Castellano Lubov) #PopeFrancis #Pope Francis DAY THREE FEATURE: Like Prodigal Son, We Must Come Clean and Start Fresh. Third Day of Summit for Protection of Minors Welcomes Warnings from Women to ‘Not Downplay’ and that We Could Be ‘Your Worst Enemies’.

The third day of the Summit on the Protection of Minors in the Church, Feb. 21-24, 2019, focused on transparency, with calls from African bishops who said, like the Prodigal Son, we bishops must come clean and start over, and women, lay and religious, who said no more hypocrisy.

Archbishop of Tamale, Philip Naameh, President of the Episcopal Conference of Ghana, gave the homily at the Penitential Celebration which took place at 5:30 this afternoon, in the Sala Regia of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

The African bishop reflected on the Gospel of the Prodigal Son, noting how they as bishops “readily forget to apply this scripture to ourselves, to see ourselves as we are, namely as prodigal sons.”

“Just like the prodigal son in the Gospel, we have also demanded our inheritance, got it, and now we are busy squandering it,” he said, noting the current abuse crisis is an expression of this.

The Lord has entrusted us with the management of the goods of salvation, he trusts that we will fulfil his mission, proclaim the Good News, and help to establish the kingdom of God. But what do we do? Do we do justice to what is entrusted to us?” he asked, lamenting: “We will not be able to answer this question with a sincere yes, beyond all doubts.”

Too Often We Have Kept Quiet

“Too often we have kept quiet, looked the other way, avoided conflicts – we were too smug to confront ourselves with the dark sides of our Church. We have thereby squandered the trust placed in us – especially with regard to abuse within the area of responsibility of the Church, which is primarily our responsibility. We have not afforded people the protection they are entitled to, have destroyed hopes, and people were massively violated in both body and soul.”

The Archbishop reminded that the prodigal son in the Gospel loses everything – not only his inheritance, but also his social status, his good standing, his reputation. “We should not be surprised if we suffer a similar fate, if people talk badly about us, if there is distrust toward us, if some threaten to withdraw their material support.”

Arcbishop Naameh stated we should not complain about this, but instead ask what we should do differently. “No one can exempt themselves, nobody can say: but I have personally not done anything wrong. We are a brotherhood, we bear responsibility not only for ourselves, but also for every other member of our brotherhood, and for the brotherhood as a whole.”

Situation Changes & Improves When You Come Clean & Accept Consequences

What must we do differently, and where should we start? Let us look again at the prodigal son in the Gospel. “For him, the situation starts to take a turn for the better when he decides to be very humble, to perform very simple tasks, and not to demand any privileges.

“His situation changes as he recognizes himself, and admits to having made a mistake, confesses this to his father, speaks openly about it, and is ready to accept the consequences,” and as a result, he observed, the Father experiences great joy at the return of his prodigal son, and facilitates the brothers’ mutual acceptance.

“Can we also do this? Are we willing to do so? The current meeting will reveal this, must reveal this, if we want to show that we are worthy sons of the Lord, our Heavenly Father.”

Meeting Is One Step of Many

While there is “a long road ahead of us, to actually implement all of this sustainably in an appropriate manner,” and we have made progress, even if “attained [at] different speeds,” the bishop noted that this current meeting was “only one step of many.”

The African prelate noted that just because we have begun to change something together, that does not mean all difficulties have thereby been eliminated.

“As with the son who returns home in the Gospel, everything is not yet accomplished – at the very least, he must still win over his brother again. We should also do the same: win over our brothers and sisters in the congregations and communities, regain their trust, and re-establish their willingness to cooperate with us, to contribute to establishing the kingdom of God.”

At the same penitential liturgy, an abuse survivor spoke to the bishops, which was not anticipated in the program, and played the violin. Later, Director of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, told journalists, including ZENIT, present in the Holy See Press Office: “The victim was Chilean and lives in Kuwait. He played Bach [on the Violin], and the Holy Father will received him later in Santa Marta, to speak a bit with him.”

Earlier in the day, there were three discourses, all centered on the third day’s theme of transparency. The first and second days were dedicated to responsibility and transparency, respectively.

Courage to Change Your Mind, Don’t Downplay

The first was given by Sister Veronica Openibo, who condemned abuse and coverup, and stressed that: “In some parts of the world, like Africa and Asia, saying nothing is a terrible mistake.” She also stressed that even if countries and certain areas are living through situations of war and conflict, that this –while terrible–is not a reason “to downplay” sexual abuse in those places.

Referring to when Pope Francis initially defended a Chilean bishop guilty of covering up for Karadima, but then later corrected himself, and accepted his resignation, she said: “I admire you, Brother Francis, for taking time as a true Jesuit to discern and be humble enough to change your mind, to apologize and take action — an example for us all.”

Necessary to Redefine Confidentiality and Secrecy

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, in his address that followed addressed traceability and transparency, observed that “the thoughts of some abuse victims can be summarised as follows: ‘If the Church claims to act in the name of Jesus, yet I am treated so badly by the Church or its administration, then I would also like to have nothing to do with this Jesus.'”

Calling for concreteness, he stressed: “it is necessary to redefine confidentiality and secrecy and to distinguish them from data protection. If we do not succeed, we either squander the chance to maintain a level of self-determination regarding information, or we expose ourselves to the suspicion of covering up.”

The German Cardinal who is one of the Pope’s advisor’s also made the following recommendations:

‘…In view of the urgency of the topic… the most important measures should be initiated immediately. These may include the following:

1. Definition of the goal and the limits of pontifical secrecy:

The social changes of our time are increasingly characterized by changing communication patterns. In the age of social media, in which each and every one of us can almost immediately establish contact and exchange information via Facebook, Twitter, etc., it is necessary to redefine confidentiality and secrecy and to distinguish them from data protection. If we do not succeed, we either squander the chance to maintain a level of self-determination regarding information, or we expose ourselves to the suspicion of covering up.

2. Transparent procedural norms and rules for ecclesiastical processes: Court proceedings as legal remedies are meaningless without adequate legal and procedural rules, as this would be tantamount to arbitrariness when it comes to passing judgments. This would represent a lack of transparency in relation to the specific actions. Establishing transparent procedural norms and rules for ecclesiastical processes is essential. Yesterday, in our group a bishop said – not from Europe – about that their civil law administration was better than others; it could be. The Church must not operate below the quality standards of public administration of justice if it doesn’t want to face criticism that it has an inferior legal system, which is harmful to people.

3. Public announcement of statistics on the number of cases, and details thereof, as far as possible, and according also to the laws of the State:

Institutional mistrust leads to conspiracy theories regarding an organization, and the formation of myths about an organization. This can be avoided if the facts are set out transparently. We have to look on the legal framework on the data protection that is clear, but when you give the impression “we hide something”, in our culture that will not be successful at the end.

4. Publication of judicial proceedings:

Proper legal proceedings serve to establish the truth and form the basis for imposing a punishment which is appropriate for the relevant offense. People in the Church have also to see how this judge comes to the sentence and what is the sentence; nearly all are secret, we can not see this. I think that in our situation it is not good. In addition, they establish trust in the organization and its leadership. Lingering doubts about the proper conduct of court proceedings only harm the reputation and the functioning of an institution. This principle also applies to the Church…’

This afternoon’s discourse, before the Penitential Liturgy, was given by Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, who has been covering the Vatican for 40 years and covered no less than 150 papal trips. She said she was speaking to them as a mother.

She told the prelates: “Report things when you know them. Of course, it will not be pleasant, but it is the only way, if you want us to believe you when you say: ‘from now on we will no longer tolerate cover ups.’

Alazraki also gave them a strong warning: “If you do not decide in a radical way to be on the side of the children, mothers, families, civil society, you are right to be afraid of us, because we journalists, who seek the common good, will be your worst enemies.”

Today, there was also a press conference in the afternoon, during which President of the Maltese Bishops’ Conference, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Pope’s trusted investigator of clerical sexual abuse, seemed to suggest that the pontifical secret in abuse cases is being reconsidered: “There is a movement, [to] not bind these procedures with a top heavy level of confidentiality.”

23rd FEBRUARY 2019 19:15SEXUAL ABUSE AND PROTECTION OF MINORS

[pandabearlikes]

Temporary Affairs II

Table of Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Chapter o9.  His True Love

  With your head buried in Jongin’s chest, you sniffed his scent that always had the ability to calm you through your most trying times.  If anyone asked you to describe the scent, you’d simply describe it as the fragrance of the most perfect man in this entire world – unique and special, limited edition, just for you. 

  Yoona tumbled in your tummy – really, her way of saying, “Good Morning, Omma!”

  “Good Morning too, Sweetpea,” you chimed.

  The male sleeping next to you stirred so you quieted down to not disrupt his sleep. 

  The baby continued to create different shapes and formations inside your stomach.  You watched parts of your belly raise then fall.  Taking your hand, you followed the pattern, guessing where she’d kick next by lightly tapping on different areas as if playing whack-a-mole.  When the theatrical movements ended, you sighed contently.

  “Yoona, thank you so much for staying,” you’d been vocally saying on a daily basis to remind yourself of your blessing. 

  A light peck landed on cheeks.  You turned to your side to see that Jongin had already woken up.  He gazed at you with those dark dreamy eyes again.  Internally melts.  Even the baby is melting, I swear Oppa.  So staph.  Staph.  But he continued and you don’t turn away, already captured way too deep to escape. 

  “I love you,” he said and you winced.  I know…I know you do.   

  But you don’t say a word.

  Suddenly an agonizing ache radiated from your lower back to your stomach.  You groaned, clutching your abdomen in panic. 

  “Jagiya??  What’s wrong?!” Jongin anxiously questioned, sitting upright.   

  “Oppa…Oppa…it hurts,” you bit your lip and clawed his arm. 

  “I’ll go get the doctor,” he said, jumping off the bed. 

  “Noo, can…can you help me to the bathroom?” you asked shyly. 

  He blinked, confused then mouthed a “oh”.  Supporting your back, Jongin slowly walked you over to a small cubicle in your hospital room, IV drip and all.  As he waited outside the bathroom, you massaged your cramping legs and throbbing back.  You mentally laughed at the thirteen-year-old you who thought having her period was the most painful thing in the world.  Well, she sure didn’t know the feeling of having a six-pound baby sleeping on her bladder and her bladder shifting to another region of her body, in turn causing all your intestines to reorganize like some tetris game.  What did that mean?  That meant constipation.  YES, CONSTIPATION.  You groaned willing for your body to release the toxic parts of you. 

  “Jagiya, are you okay?” your husband asked for the fifth time, getting impatient. 

  You looked at your watch and realized twenty minutes had passed.

  “I’m…fine,” you answered, weakly. 

  “…Jagiya, can you let me in?” he asked.

  No…nnoo…why would you want to come in?  No, of course I won’t let the love of my life smell the odor of my waste…

  “I’m really fine,” you tried to convince, but you ended up groaning again when you strained.

  “Please?” Jongin pleaded, trying to turn the doorknob but you kept it locked. 

  “Oppa, I’m fine,” you repeated.

  “I’m going to break the door,” he said sternly and you could almost imagine him backing up to gather momentum to slam into the door. 

  “NOOOOOOO!” you shouted then twisted the lock, “It’s open!” 

  Immediately, your husband opened the door and walked in.  You hung your head, expecting him to either complain about the smell or laugh at your pain, but instead he squatted down in front of you and stroked your hair. 

  “Can you let me stay with you until you’re done?” he questioned.  Omg, why are you so dumb you handsome man?  Can you not smell the scent of rotten eggs and onion? 

  You opened your mouth to answer but a loud splitting wet fart echoed in the cubicle.  Omg.  Out of humiliation, you buried your face in your legs. 

  “Aww,” Jongin hummed, and stood up, bringing your head against his stomach. 

  Squirming you begged, “Oppa, can you go out?” 

  “Why?”

  “Because this is embarrassing!” you confessed.

  “What is?” he questioned, chuckling at your shyness. 

  You parted your lips to answer but another unappealing noise sounded.  Flushing bright red, you hid your face in his abdomen.  He curled his arms around your head and you looped yours around his hip.    

  “What’s so embarrassing about pooping?  We all do it. Just let me stay with you so I’m not driving myself insane with worry,” he soothed. 

  Pouting, you reasoned, “But it smells so bad in here”.        

  “Smells like rainbows and cherry blossoms to me,” he joked, sniffing in the scent to demonstrate.  Omg, you Pabo.  I love you so much. 

  You whimpered and slapped his arm playfully. 

  “I love you, Jagiya,” he said. 

  “I know, you Pabo,” you responded and he bent over to peck your pouting lips.  Omg, I swear I’m going to die in the hands of Kim Jongin. 

  “I love you,” he repeated, standing up again to massage your back.  I know, Pabo.  You just told me that ten seconds ago. 

  “Why do you love me?” you asked, more to deter his attention away from another incoming windy noise than actually waiting for an answer. 

  “Because my wife is so lovable,” he started.

  You cut him off, “No, I’m not.  I’m so childish and crude.  I swear a lot and I have a child’s diet.  I’m picky and I annoy you all the time”.

  “But you’re passionate and hardworking, honest and bubbly, always puts other’s before yourself…” he countered. 

  You rolled your eyes and cut him off again, “You’re exaggerating”.

  “I’m not!” he sounded offended.

  “Am I really that good?” you asked.

  “I’m not even done listing.  Jagiya, stop cutting me off,” he laughed then continued, “You can be so cute, yet sexy, yet elegant all at the same time.  Your eyes are the biggest, most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life,” he lifted your chin so he could gaze into them, “they’re so innocent like a baby’s but curl outwards like sexy cat eyes”.

  You looked at him skeptically. 

  “And best of all, when you smile, they twinkle like stars and curve into arches,” he detailed.

  “So you fell in love with my eyes?” you jokingly questioned, wrapping your arms tighter around his hip. 

  “I’m not done yet.  There was this defining moment when we dated that I knew I was falling in love,” he started again.

  You raised your brow at him.  

  “Remember when you got super sick that one time?” he questioned, his eyes smiling down at you. 

  “…Uh…no?” you admitted and he pouted like a lost puppy so you tried your hardest to dig through your memory, “…you mean the first time you let me use your jacket?”  But that was so long ago…that’s impossible that he liked me that early on…

  His face instantly lit up and he nodded happily that you remembered, “I was so upset…no disappointed?...no more like confused why this girl kept pretending like she wasn’t sick.  All the other girls I dated always whined and complained for me to baby them.  Pftt…one even pretended to be sick to force me to ditch an important basketball tournament.  But anyway, the fact that this silly girl hid her own suffering so that others wouldn’t worry was just so beautiful to me…”

  The whole time as he was talking, you were gazing at his expression…the gentle curl on the corners of his lips…the batting of his lashes when he described your eyes…the twitch of his brow when he talked about the time you were ill…

  And every time you cut him off thinking he was done, he always still had something to add.  It made you wonder how all these qualities you thought were flaws…to this Pabo were strengths. 

  By the time he got to describing the little cute noises you made right before you fell asleep, you had actually been done doing your business for almost twenty minutes but you just let him continue rambling on and on because he looked absolutely delighted and cheerful.  I love you so much, Kim Jongin. 

  A knock on the door disrupted you two from your little world. 

  “________, are you in there?” Minah’s voice asked. 

  “Y-yeahh!” you replied, a bit flustered at the situation. 

  Jongin pouted that his little story of why he loved you got interrupted.

  “You can tell me tonight?” you whispered to comfort the tall, dark, and handsome man.  He nodded so you cleaned up and walked out with him to greet your intruder. 

  Upon seeing you, Minah immediately broke down into tears, apologizing over and over again about the tiny, ridiculous argument you guys had that almost cost you and your child’s life.  And even though you were expecting for her to comfort you, you ended up comforting her instead so she’d stop feeling so guilty. 

  -----

  A few days later, when you were healthy enough to get out of bed, Jongin and you took a stroll around the hospital to loosen up your leg muscles since you’d been lying in bed for so many days.  In your hospital gown and slippers, you waddled down the hall with your husband sturdily supporting your back.  When you passed the nursery, your lips parted in awe. 

  “Oppa!  Look at the babies!” you gasped. 

  Your fingers unraveled and grazed against the window that separated you and the little creatures.  Most of them were asleep but a few were awake, kicking their feet and wiggling their baby grape toes.    

  “They’re so cute!!” you continued to cheer. 

  Beside you, with an arm over your shoulder, Jongin peered into the nursery as well.

  “Hehe,” you giggled when one of the babies responded to your tapping with one of his own. 

  Jongin kissed you on the cheek and stayed still for a little longer than usual.  I’m going to melt. 

  Ecstatic and re-energized from your stroll, your hubby and you began walking back to your room so you could rest your throbbing back.  Jongin stroked your hand with his thumb. 

  As you rubbed your gigantic stomach, you stated, “I can’t believe we still have over three months to go.  I feel like I’m a whale already”.

  “A whale?  Maybe a panda, but not a whale,” Jongin joked. 

  “What does—” you started but something took you by surprise.

  A nurse lost control of her cart and it was sent zooming across the hall toward you.  You just stood there stunned out of your mind, internally screaming for your legs to move but they were rooted onto the tiled floors.  Sensing the dangerous situation, Jongin quickly pulled you over before the cart crashed just centimeters from where you had been standing.  You covered your mouth, wheezing from shock. 

  “Jagiya, are you okay?” Jongin asked but you’re so rattled by the sudden event, you were speechless.

  “Don’t scare me!” your husband said desperately.        

  You looked at him but you couldn’t muster any energy to talk at all.  Instead, your legs grew weak and they caved in.  Jongin instantly sensed your fall, allowing you to rest your entire weight against him.  In his chest, tears started flowing from your eyes. 

  “Jagiya, are you hurt?  Does it hurt anywhere?” he asked fearfully, holding onto you so tightly you thought you were suffocating.

  As you continued to panic and lose yourself in your sobs, your temples began to hurt and the room started to ripple. 

  “Ma’am!  I’m so, so sorry.  Are you okay?!” the nurse spoke but when it got to your eardrums, it sounded like loud thunderous bangs. 

  “Oppa…” you managed to murmur before you fainted into his arms. 

      Two days later, that almost catastrophic event was still bothering you.  Thankfully, Jongin was beside you and you had fainted from your emotions running too high and not because of any physical injury, but it was like a reality check.  What if Oppa wasn’t there?  You held your palm on your stomach protectively.  Yoona had given you a second chance already, you weren’t sure if she would be willing to give you another one.  But you had made a promise to do everything in your power to keep her safe…even if it meant keeping her away from you. 

  Beside you, Jongin held your hand and meticulously helped you cut your long nails.  Silently, you observed him as he cut millimeter by millimeter, making sure not to hurt you.  When he was done snipping, he took a pink filer to smooth out the edges before blowing the dust away.  He motioned you for your other hand and you obediently gave it to him. 

  “Let’s get a divorce,” you surprised yourself by saying. 

  Jongin paused what he was doing and looked up at you. 

  He chuckled and pinched you on the nose, “Stop joking around.  You scared me to death”.

  “I mean it,” you said firmly.  Omg, _______ah, what the heck are you saying.  What’s wrong with you?  Are you ill?  Are you being possessed?  What in the world are you doing??!?!?

  “No,” Jongin said firmly, then resumed giving you a manicure. 

  You harshly pulled your hand from him to catch his attention. 

  “Oppa…let’s get a divorce,” you almost begged.

  “WHY?  I DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Jongin was furious, his nose flaring and lips trembling. 

  “I…”

  “Did Lee Sohee say something to you again!?  I’ll go yell at her!” he shouted.

  “No…no…Oppa…I’m scared,” you said tearfully.

  “Of what?” he asked in a much softer tone. 

  “I’m not fit to be a mother.  Yoona is not safe with me.  I’ll give birth to her and you can keep her and marry another woman,” you said.  Omg, _______ah, what the hell.  Are you out of your mind?  You shook your subconscious away.

  “That’s ridiculous!” Jongin yelled, angry that you even had the guts to say something like that. 

  “No it isn’t!  Oppa, you saw.  I almost killed Yoona twice within one week!” you defended.

  “Jagiya, those are accidents!  It’s not your fault!” he reasoned. 

  Ignoring his rationale, you said, “But I’m scared I’ll hurt Yoona.  I’m so childish and clumsy.  I can’t even take care myself, how am I going to take care of a baby?” 

  “Shhh…it’s fine,” he tried to hush. 

  “No it isn’t, I’m not fit to be a mother,” you continued to argue.

  “Do you not want to be one?” he asked seriously. 

  What?  What do you mean?  You looked at him confused.

  “W-what –”

  “Then we don’t need to have children,” he concluded. 

  You stared at him in complete confusion and utter fear.  Did…he just suggest to get…rid…of…the…baby?

  “We don’t need to have children, if you don’t want them,” he repeated.

  You looked down to your hands and they were shaking. 

  “We’re having six children,” you recalled Jongin requesting when you first announced to him of your pregnancy. 

  “Wh-what…” you sniffled back tears.

  “I just want to be with you.  If you don’t want children then –“

  You slapped him across the face.  Electric currents ran through your hand.  Jongin stared blankly at the white wall of the hospital room.  His cheek turned pink from the blow.  You gasped when you realized what you did. 

  “Oppa, I’m sorry,” you apologized then crumpled into tears. 

  He loved you and that was why he said those things.  Just like how you loved him but for Yoona’s safety you would willingly leave. 

  “Jagiya, please.  Please don’t leave me,” he begged as you two hugged. 

  I don’t want to either.

  “I know…I know being a parent is scary.  I’m scare too but it’s okay because we’re new to this.  It will take time.  Just like how the first time you babysat Youngwoo, it was terrible, right?  But then you got the hang of things and it got better,” he prepped and you nodded, digesting his every word, “but I don’t want you thinking that if anything happens to our child, that it’s your fault, because it isn’t, okay?”

  You nodded into his shoulder. 

  “Jagiya, I love you,” he said.

  “Oppa, I love you too,” you replied. 

            a/n: ~melts into a puddle in front of Jongin~  though if my future hubby ever suggested to get rid of baby I’d punch him across the face xD.  But omg the bathroom scene is my favorite hehehe it’s so reality based.  Hehe you know when a guy’s a keeper if he doesn’t mind the smell of your poopoo tehehe.  ヽ( ´ ∇ ｀ )ノ 

  Sohee’s back next chapter uh oh.  Get your pens ready my unicorns!  We must protect Yoona at all cost!!!!!!!    

#kai scenario #kai scenarios #kai fanfic #kai fanfiction #exo scenario #exo scenarios #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #kai #kim jongin #jongin #exo #exo angst #exo fluff #Temporary Affairs

[rabbiandrewrosenblatt]

From Debate to Dialogue

In 1992 I took Modern British Literature 3269 at Columbia University, taught by the celebrated professor, Palestinian nationalist, and author Edward Said. He used literary theory and criticism to argue that European colonialism was a system in which the indigenous people in colonized lands were portrayed in art, politics, and everyday discourse as racially inferior to the white Europeans who colonized them. A central thesis of this intellectual project was Orientalism (also the title of his book that popularized the notion) – which is the point that language has the power to normalize the racial distinctions and hierarchies that enabled European empires to colonize, oppress, and enslave the non-white inhabitants of the so-called Orient. A corollary to this was the claim that Zionism was an extension of European colonialism. He argued that the founders of the Zionist movement were white Europeans who followed the same strategy to displace Arabs that European colonizers had used to conquer and enslave non-white Indians, Asians, and Africans. 

By the time I was in Prof. Said’s class, his reputation was well established. He had become an influential person in politics, advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He had been an independent member of the Palestinian National Council. He had once acted on behalf of the US government to convey a peace plan to Yasir Arafat. Many of the Jewish students in my class naturally anticipated that there would be some discussion of politics. There was none. 

However, according to my fellow students there was one episode of politics. It happened in a lecture that coincided with Yom Kippur, when none of the Jewish students were in attendance. The novel covered in that session was Youth by Joseph Conrad. Conrad’s work had been a central case study of Said’s doctoral thesis. Many of Conrad's works feature ships. In Youth, the ship is the Judea. However, in that particular class, Said referred to the ship as the Palestine. My classmates were confused; they would have had less context to question the nuance of this substitution than the Jewish students who observed Yom Kippur. The next class, we all anticipated further discussion about the novel, and his changing the name of the ship. 

There was none. 

If we apply Said’s method of critical analysis to the ‘text’ of his lecturing, then he was taking advantage of an opportunity to frame or re-frame the narrative of the defining conflict of his life – i.e., the birth of Israel at the expense of the birth of a Palestinian state. The classroom is often seen as a place where knowledge, truth, and history are defined for tomorrow’s leaders. If Said saw the birth of Israel as a racist, colonialist displacement of Arab Palestine, then re-naming Judea – the ancient designation for the Jewish state – would be a step toward reversing Orientalism. 

Three weeks ago, I wrote a Friday message that commented on a podcast featuring Seth Rogen. That week’s writing got more responses than any other Friday message. Some were supportive and some critical. Last week my letter included an apology to Mr. Rogen and his family for the personal tone of my criticism of the podcast. I said the following:

In a message two weeks ago, I aggressively argued against Seth Rogen’s remarks regarding the founding of the State of Israel. The wording of the message implied a judgment of how our community and his family educated him. That was wrong, and my words should never have even suggested that. I apologize for expressing my arguments in terms that impugned the Rogen family. I, too, have to learn from my mistakes and errors 

This week, I got a phone call from Mr. Rogen. I want to share what I learned from him and what I believe we agreed we learned from the reactions to the podcast.  

The first and most important lesson is that we can all be guilty of oversimplifying each other’s positions or oversimplifying the nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Rogen told me that he felt that his comments had been taken out of context. I had focused on a sound bite that was intended for a podcast on comedy. To clarify his position on Israel he linked me to a long-format podcast with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. In this interview he said he realized, on reflection with his wife, “when having a conversation about something so sensitive...it is what we said and it is also what we did not say. When you're having even a humorous conversation about something so nuanced, leaving things out or omitting things can become just as bad as the things you do say.”  

I now see that I had responded to an oversimplification at the same level, with platitudes. After speaking with Mr. Rogen and learning more about his personal values, I think that his position on Israel reflects a certain ideal, not entirely different from the philosophy of the Kibbutz movement – in which his parents met – that sought to bring a strong sense of justice and equality to the world. The humanitarian ethos of Zionism is very different from Prof. Said’s view of Zionism as an inherently racist enterprise. 

From the Kibbutz movement’s perspective, the values of liberal democracy and fairness should be applied to the present situation. Israel’s treatment of Palestine and of Palestinians should reflect the humanitarian ideals that were at the core of the humanist labour movement. The argument Mr. Rogen advances sees the current policies and negotiation strategies as a betrayal of the founding principles of Israel. Many Israelis agree. I think there is much to value in such a perspective; dismissing the merits and values of such a perspective is not true to my own thinking, nor is it an effective way to get others to understand my opinion. 

There is irony in the fact that this all began with a comedy podcast and a simple line about how Mr. Rogen’s Israel education was too narrow, and then was carried on by responses, including my own, that were similarly narrow. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that organized Jewish communities present a curriculum designed exclusively to build Jewish identity and love of Israel. It speaks to the nervousness of the diaspora about the disaffection and disappearance of Jews. It speaks to the reality that there are so many narrowly-defined anti-Israel counter-narratives out there – like Prof. Said’s linguistic turn on Youth – that it is only natural to advance a counter-counter-narrative. It speaks to the very real security concerns that Jews have had in Israel from 1920 to the present. However, narrowly focusing on any single factor leaves little room, if any, for a more fulsome presentation of the Palestinian condition portrayed in the media, in the arts, and in the classroom. Too often, it leaves out a balanced view of how dehumanizing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be to ordinary people on both sides – especially to Palestinians. 

Mr. Rogen and I are probably more in agreement than he might think. In the weekly letter of 8 December 2017, I applied this principle [with Terry Neiman] to the Israel-Palestine situation as follows.

It is hard to imagine listening to a narrative from enemies who lie and mislabel us as an occupier, a Nazi, and a war criminal. It is hard to listen to people who cannot utter the word Israel without the modifier of Apartheid… However, in our experience, problems do not get solved without genuine appreciation of the story of the other side. Those who choose to remain callous to the opposite story in a conflict are doomed to a status quo of conflict. 

Palestinians call their story the Nakba - the Catastrophe. 

The Torah, at its core, values investigation that is broadly fact gathering to present the whole picture of any situation. The laws that emerge from this week’s Torah reading [Parshat Shoftim] concerning the procedures of the court reflect the need for both fact-finding and empathy. A panel of judges must include experts in the fields of practical knowledge. The law cannot exist outside of the factual knowledge of a conflict. Interestingly, the members of the court cannot be “exceedingly old.” Rashi understands this to mean that they must not be so detached from having raised their own children that they have ceased to have the patience and mercy that it takes to tolerate the indiscretions of youth. 

There is a law in the Code of Torah Courts that if a court gives a unanimous verdict of guilty, then they must declare the accused exempt from punishment. One interpretation, a close reading of Maimonides in Sanhedrin 9:1, is that if everyone is of one mind to convict, then it may be that the court was biased or predisposed to find guilt and therefore was guilty of either prejudice, group-think, or both. As such, even those who are the most loyal defenders of Israel should be open to widening their lens. 

I am ever mindful that my readers – many of whom I know personally – have a range of views and political leanings. My pulpit gives me the privilege to share my narrative with many, and affords me the advantage of controlling my email distribution list. In contrast to this, Edward Said had a captive, non-Jewish audience that lacked context for his interpretations, and lacked the power to challenge his academic pulpit. He was using his privilege to re-write someone else's narrative. Mr. Rogen and I, with very different audiences, share the quality of getting more diverse, unfiltered feedback than Said got in the classroom. This experience taught me that my words carried beyond my intended readership, and that those readers were sent emotionally and intellectually in a direction opposite to what I intended.

I believe that one’s ability to engage in meaningful reflections on Israel and its policy decisions and its treatment of the Palestinians suffers from being far from the realities on both sides of the conflict. We speak about Israel from the comfort and shelter of being an ocean and a continent away, and fail to appreciate what a luxury it is to opine on Israeli and Palestinian actions when we are not part of the facts on the ground.

On reflection, I see more clearly now how my conversations with political or intellectual critics and adversaries is different from my discussions with my co-author and contributing editor Terry Neiman. Over the years, Dr. Neiman and I have developed a process of  dialogue. We agree, disagree, re-construct, re-approach, and incorporate each other’s perspectives. In contrast to that, the adversarial debates I have with others are more like competitive wrestling matches in which one person will be pinned or submit. To the extent that all our debates seek to open the perspectives of all, it is a good thing. To the extent that they intend to suppress voices and perspectives, it is a very bad thing.   

I appreciate that Seth Rogen took the time to call me to sort this out. I don’t know if his conversations with me or with Haaretz changed his opinion or gave him opportunity to see things differently. I can say for myself it was an inspiration to read further, explore more, and to be disciplined enough not to fall further into the trap of electronically-mediated debate – the so-called echo chamber effect. The chiddush – the novel approach – here is that we stopped lobbing shots at each other in the media and started a dialogue. I look forward to less oversimplification, less winner-take-all debate, less competition for control of the narratives, and more dialogue. 

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New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/the-creator-of-bojack-horseman-comes-from-a-home-of-funny-jews/

The creator of 'BoJack Horseman' comes from a home of funny Jews

Jerusalem draws in animation bigwigs from all over

Antisemitism czar slams German cartoon as ‘Nazi propaganda’

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Bojack Horseman. (photo credit: YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT)

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While growing up in Palo Alto, Raphael Bob-Waksberg was a serious consumer of popular culture. He would watch TV for hours on end and view movies over and over until he memorized them. In particular, he was a huge fan of “The Simpsons.”

“We used to talk about Bart and Lisa at the dinner table as if they were real people,” said his mother, Ellen Bob.

Nowadays, the conversation around American tables is more likely about “Bojack Horseman” a successful Netflix animated series created by Bob-Waksberg. The show’s fifth season premiered on Sept. 14.

In addition, Comedy Central recently acquired the rights to reruns of “BoJack Horseman,” reportedly making it the first Netflix show to enter TV syndication in the United States. Season 1 reruns are scheduled to begin on Sept. 26.

The show is an adult drama-comedy set in an imaginary Hollywood populated by humans and anthropomorphized animals (the eponymous main character, BoJack Horseman, has a horse’s head and man’s body), and has catapulted Bob-Waksberg’s career to new levels in the real Hollywood.

In addition to his work as head writer and showrunner for “BoJack,” Bob-Waksberg is developing new shows for Netflix and Amazon. He’s also writing a book of short stories scheduled to be published next year by a major imprint.

The 34-year-old’s success has come as no surprise to family, friends, rabbis and teachers in the Bay Area who nurtured his creativity and independent thinking from an early age.

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“I think Raphael was really headed in that direction since his teen years,” said family friend Nechama Tamler, a longtime Jewish educator who early on recognized his writing and performing talent.

Simultaneously sad and funny, but mostly funny, “BoJack” is a satire about the elusive nature of happiness. It has gained praise for its intelligent writing that does not adhere to the typical sitcom formula, and there is no emotional closure at the end of each episode. It’s an ongoing, frustrating effort for characters to learn and grow from their mistakes, and to grapple with the meaning of existence.

The titular character, the deeply flawed BoJack Horseman (voiced by Will Arnett of “Arrested Development”), struggles after his successful acting career flounders. Fans still recognize BoJack for his role as a young, single guy who adopts three orphans in a popular late 1980s sitcom called “Horsin’ Around.” However, now he’s a 50-something depressive addicted to alcohol and drugs. Critically, he lacks the required self-awareness to stop from hurting himself and those closest to him.

When Todd (voiced by Aaron Paul of “Breaking Bad”), a slacker who lives on BoJack’s couch and suffers the equine actor’s constant indifference, has had enough of BoJack’s apologies, he yells at him: “You can’t keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about yourself, like that makes it OK. You need to be better … You are all the things that are wrong with you. It’s not the alcohol, or the drugs, or any of the shitty things that happened to you in your career, or when you were a kid. It’s you.”

The message is that there are no easy answers, and that making amends takes hard work. Ultimately, actions speak louder than words.

Bob-Waksberg’s father, David Waksberg, recognized the Jewishness of this value immediately.

“When a friend asked me about it after the first season, I said it was about teshuvah,” he said, using the Hebrew word for the Jewish concept of repentance.

For his part, Bob-Waksberg wasn’t quite sure how to answer when asked whether his Jewish identity influences his writing, and in particular the melancholic humor of “BoJack.”

“Asking me that question is like asking a fish how much being in water has affected it,” he said.

Bob-Waksberg grew up in Palo Alto in the late 1980s and 1990s with two younger sisters, Becky and Amalia, in a family that was — and still is — very involved in the Jewish community. David Waksberg worked to free and resettle Soviet Jewry, and is now the CEO of the San Francisco-based Jewish LearningWorks, the central agency promoting Jewish education in the Bay Area. Ellen Bob ran a Judaica store (Bob and Bob) with her mother for 26 years, and in 2011 joined Congregation Etz Chayim as executive director.

Humor was always central to life at home.

“We like to laugh … big belly laughs,” Ellen Bob recalled. “David is a great storyteller and joke teller. He would regale the kids with routines from Steve Martin, Woody Allen … and songs from Tom Lehrer. I’m more of a wisecracker. Like my son, nothing gives me more pleasure than to make someone laugh.”

She said she is always pleased when her son makes a point of telling his interviewers (and there are many) that his was a happy childhood, and that BoJack’s family is not based on his family of origin.

“I’m delighted to be known as Raphael’s mother, as long as people don’t think BoJack’s mother is based on me,” she said, alluding to Beatrice Horseman (Wendie Malick), a neglectful and abusive heiress to a sugar cube company who appears primarily in flashbacks.

In looking back on his childhood and adolescence, Bob-Waksberg pointed to Mid-Peninsula Jewish Community Day School (now Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School), the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre and the Gunn High School drama program as other outlets where his creativity was rewarded.

“In school, there were a handful of teachers who understood me. And there were many who didn’t. I didn’t make it easy for them,” he joked.

Rabbi Sheldon Lewis, rabbi emeritus at Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto, recalled Bob-Waksberg as “not an easy student” in the religious school.

“It was because he was so clever and beyond his years in creativity, humor and mischief,” he said.

Despite having grown up in the Palo Alto academic pressure cooker, Bob-Waksberg was never saddled with any expectation that he would become a doctor, lawyer or founder of a startup. His parents were always supportive of his creative leanings.

“It was pretty clear to me that he was going to need to figure a way to make a living through the arts because it was the only thing he knew how to do,” his mother said.

Like “BoJack Horseman,” the shows Bob-Waksberg is writing for Netflix and Amazon are also animated. It’s not a format the graduate of Bard College in New York originally planned to work in when he moved to Los Angeles after trying his hand at comedy writing in the Big Apple.

In his spare time, he collaborated off and on for a decade with his high school friend, illustrator Lisa Hanawalt, on a cartoon featuring human-like animals, which became the basis for “BoJack.” Hanawalt is now a production designer and producer for the show.

The program was in development with Michael Eisner’s company, Tornante, for a couple of years before it went to Netflix, which wanted it to be put into quick production for a summer 2014 premiere.

“I didn’t know I would get into animation. I was initially writing for live action, but ‘BoJack’ is the one [project] that went,” Bob-Waksberg said.

He said this decade has been an exciting time to be working in animation, and that he has an appetite for more.

“Animation is a format, not a genre,” Bob-Waksberg said. “There is a lot to do in animation for adults. What has been done in the past has been limited in scope and has lived in the shadow of ‘The Simpsons.’ The new shows I am developing are about women, which is really fresh.”

Much has changed for Bob-Waksberg in the past few years. On the personal side, he was married a year ago.

Bob-Waksberg and his wife have not yet found a synagogue in Santa Monica that feels like the right fit for them, but they welcome Shabbat on Friday evenings at home.

“My wife grew up more observant than me, so she has been a good influence and has helped me reconnect to Jewish practice,” Bob-Waksberg said. “We even had benchers [blessing booklets] at our wedding, which surprised my parents.”

Professionally, Bob-Waksberg has become more aware of his role and responsibility in the pop culture universe. First, he checks himself as to whom he hires, ensuring that he brings in writers and cast members of diverse backgrounds.

Additionally, he doubts he would now make some of the jokes he made about anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and Nazis in the show’s first season.

“Those jokes were made in the spirit of Mel Brooks, in the sense that you have to laugh at the things that scare you,” he said. “But now I think a lot about how what is said on ‘BoJack’ will be perceived by the audience.”

Speaking to that point, Bob-Waksberg recalled how, as he was growing up in Palo Alto, other kids would tease him with anti-Semitic taunts they had heard on the Comedy Central animated series “South Park.” The writers of that show meant it to be satirical and did not intend to actually be anti-Semitic, but that was lost on Bob-Waksberg’s young tormentors.

He would hope that viewers take dialogue from “BoJack” in context, understanding that it is not what the writers are saying, but rather the flawed characters’ thoughts or opinions. However, Bob-Waksberg said he is more averse these days to taking a writing risk, lest the point be lost or weaponized.

“If we make jokes that are bad for society,” he said, “then it is on us.”

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Source: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/The-creator-of-BoJack-Horseman-comes-from-a-home-of-funny-Jews-567244