dogbearinggifts

[dogbearinggifts]

MCR fans: Danger Days is the most important album of our generation. So ahead of its time. We must never forget its powerful message of resisting tyranny no matter the cost.

Also MCR fans: Do everything your government tells you to do and don't you dare question their motives. They're just trying to protect us.

#mcr #my chemical romance #my chem #danger days #the true lives of the fabulous killjoys #killjoys #irony #tyranny #resistance #battery city #better living industries #bli

[dogbearinggifts]

This would be a lot more meaningful if you never-Trumpers didn’t encourage each other to jump to the worst conclusions possible regarding Trump supporters, and discourage each other from talking to Trump supporters themselves. What’s the point of forming an opinion on an entire group of people if you’re just going to give them a chance to speak for themselves and possibly refute the rumors you’re spreading about them? 

By the way, I live in one of the reddest states in the Union. Trump supporters are my neighbors and coworkers. If I didn’t talk to them, I’d talk to no one. So yes, I’ve talked to them, and while I don’t agree with everything they say, I know better than 90 percent of the people on this site that your opinion of them is based on assumption, rumor, and a lack of firsthand knowledge. 

friendly reminder that there are trump supporters in the rpc.

not so friendly reminder to them: get fucked you racist.

:)

[dogbearinggifts]

Friendly reminder that encouraging blind hatred of others is not something people on the right side of history have ever done. 

:) 

friendly reminder that there are trump supporters in the rpc.

not so friendly reminder to them: get fucked you racist.

:)

[dogbearinggifts]

You know, as a millennial who rebelled against their parents’ strict black-and-white fundamentalist worldview by finding and fully embracing the grayness of everyday morality, it’s really jarring to watch Gen Z rebel against their parents’ strict black-and-white worldviews by adopting an equally rigid black-and-white worldview that just clings to the polar opposite opinions of their parents’. It’s like watching someone who’s complained about being forced to wear dresses their whole life decide to rebel by wearing only blue dresses instead of pink ones. You’re not getting rid of what your parents forced you into; you’re just changing the look of it. 

#not tua #musings #thoughts #opinions #morality #black-and-white thinking #grey morality #millenials #gen z

[dogbearinggifts]

Friendly reminder that “Teenagers” is not a “rah rah, stand up to the evil adult oppressors who want to turn you into capitalist slaves” song. It is literally about school shootings. It’s about teenagers expressing their (not unfounded) anger and fear through violence and how that is not something you should do. Gerard wrote it after teenagers on public transport were giving him a fucking panic attack, which is not something that happens when you see a group of people as innocent victims who have no choice but to turn to violence. If you watch the video, you have Death—the literal personification of death—saying “Teenagers scare the living shit outta me” and having that fear immediately validated. Turning it into a “rah rah, stand up to the evil adult oppressors” song is a willful misinterpretation of the original intent and also shows you didn’t listen to it very carefully. 

#my chemical romance #mcr #my chem #the black parade #tbp #black parade #teenagers #violence #this song is not an anthem #it is a fucking warning #stop scaring the living shit outta death you guys #he's actually very nice and doesn't deserve that #also he's seen some shit so if you scare him #well #you need to work on some things

[dogbearinggifts]

I don’t usually support remaking movies that aren’t even five years old yet, but I’ll make an exception for this one. 

@relatablepicturesofdoofenshmirtz @ot3 @therealoswaldtherabbit

#phineas and ferb #mcu #mcc avengers #doofenshmirtz #thanos

[dogbearinggifts]

What did u think of allison in the scene with ben’s funeral? Like her talking back to her father. I figured she would have just kept her mouth shut bc she didn’t seem to have a best relationship with ben?

Maybe not, but sibling relationships are complicated even in healthy households. You might’ve heard people with siblings say you can want to kill them one minute, but then kill the person who’s picking on them the next? That’s a pretty accurate description. Siblings will snitch on you and have your back, tease you and comfort you, ignore you and laugh with you—often all in the same day. 

I don’t know if Allison and Ben had a good relationship or not, but a bad relationship wouldn’t have made his death any less traumatic. If anything, his funeral would’ve reminded her that she would never be able to make amends. She would’ve had years to think about how she should’ve treated Ben differently, how she could’ve been kinder, arguments she should’ve let slide and pranks she should’ve laughed at rather than getting angry over—and at his funeral, all of those feelings would’ve been raw and jumbled together. 

Enter Reginald. Instead of comforting his surviving children or—you know—actually eulogizing his dead son, he uses Ben’s funeral as a chance to berate his siblings and blame them for his death. He accuses them of cowardice, tells them they let Ben die (and if he wasn’t even close enough to supervise the mission, this would’ve been even more enraging—because how dare he tell them what happened when he wasn’t watching?). At this point, it doesn’t matter what kind of relationship Allison and Ben had—this is too much. Their dad is running his mouth, pouring lemon juice all over their fresh wounds, straight-up lying about what happened when they already feel guilty. 

Honestly, the only thing that surprises me about Allison’s reaction is that she waited as long as she did to speak up. 

#the umbrella academy #tua s2 spoilers #tua s2 #allison hargreeves #ben hargreeves #reginald hargreeves #death mention #siblings #sibling relationship #anon #answered

[dogbearinggifts]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but please, please, please do not use the term “gaslighting” in political debates or discussion. It doesn’t belong there, and using it in that context is doing real harm to abuse survivors. 

Gaslighting is when an abuser attempts to make their victim question their own sense of reality through denial or fabrication. A parent telling their child, “No, I never sat you down and yelled at you for an hour because you didn’t take out the trash. Why would you even accuse me of something like that?” That’s gaslighting. One partner using emotional manipulation and vague claims to convince another that having a single beer after dinner is evidence of a drinking problem? That’s gaslighting. Someone countering your political opinions? A politician saying something you disagree with? Not gaslighting. 

I get that things are contentious right now. I understand a lot of people are angry about a lot of things. But the word “gaslighting” is important to abuse survivors. It’s a powerful term, and the only one that adequately describes the mental agony of having someone try and rewrite your reality, of having them attack your own sense of self to try and make you depend on them to define what you remember and what you don’t, of wondering if the horrible things you remember even happened. When you take the word “gaslighting” and fling it around your political arguments, you cheapen it. You water it down. You turn it into just another buzzword used to shut people down on Twitter, to win a debate that is utterly meaningless by any estimation. (Hate to break it to you, but it’s true. Social media debates don’t change anyone’s mind and, according to most counts, have only ever succeeded in making everyone angry.) 

When survivors, still in that fragile questioning phase where they don’t know if they deserve to use the word abuse just yet, see gaslighting used so casually, they’ll assume that what happened to them was no more horrific than one person disagreeing with another on social media. What’s worse, their abusers can now accuse them of gaslighting for something as simple as challenging their false version of events. 

I won’t be hearing arguments on this. No “but it IS gaslighting because….” No “but when my parents argue with me, it feels like gaslighting.” Your feelings do not define a word. That word does not belong to you. Leave it alone. 

#not tua #politics #gaslighting #abuse tw #abuse mention #alcohol mention #stop using that word #it does not mean what you think it means

[dogbearinggifts]

An important announcement from a very smart man. 

#not tua #political #ish #jp sears #awaken with jp

[dogbearinggifts]

Okay, but why did it take me this long to realize that Jack Ruby turning Luther into his prizefighter is probably what helped him become more comfortable in his body (because even though Luther still doesn’t like his body, having his build be treated as a huge asset in the ring could’ve helped him see it more positively) and also gave him a means to feel more at ease in public without covering up every spare inch of skin? 

I’m not saying Luther’s body dysmorphia is magically gone now, because it obviously isn’t, but we see him wearing ordinary outfits and even rolling up his sleeves, which he never did in S1. I dunno, it just feels like a step toward body positivity, or something close to it. 

#the umbrella academy #umbrella academy season two spoilers #tua s2 spoilers #luther hargreeves #jack ruby

[dogbearinggifts]

If it helps, the comics timeline begins in 1977, meaning the childhood flashbacks take place in the 50s-60s. Attitudes toward abuse were much, much different back then and yes that’s a polite way of saying “fewer people gave a fuck.” If any outsiders knew about the shit the Hargreeves kids went through, they would’ve considered it a private matter and not gotten involved. Vanya, who had more opportunities to talk about it with her peers, probably wouldn’t have for that very reason. 

The show, which is set in 2019 with childhood flashbacks taking place in the 90s-2000s, doesn’t have that excuse. 

Reginald Hargreeves Personal Notes from the comics

First of all can I just say that the main vibe I got from reading this was that goddamn meme that’s like “What? Favorites? Me? No, I don’t play favorites, I love all of my children equally. Number One, of course and….um, the reckless one….the uh, the insufferable one…the one who looks like a Swedish film directors film extra….the other one, you know, the one who went missing a number of days ago…..the gross one to look at……and uh, the useless one. Yup, love em all.” (this is not to say that poor luther wasn’t just as unloved and abused as everyone else)

Secondly can you imagine your power being controlling projectiles and holding your breath indefinitely and ur dad’s like “eh, he’s not bad with a knife i guess”-BRUH

THIRD: “DISAPPEARED SEVERAL DAYS AGO. NO GREAT LOSS.” REGINALD YOU BITCH. 

I have to wonder if he even reported a missing child or just????? (I know I’ve seen Fives face on milk cartons in the comics but I really doubt it was because of Reginald) 

Anyway I’m finally reading the comic and I’m only ONE page into the damn thing and have read and reread this passage like eight times-WHERE WERE U CHILD SERVICES. 

#the umbrella academy #Umbrella Academy #tua

[dogbearinggifts]

Just wanted to add that the trauma of “I’m also just now realizing I’ve been abused and manipulated my whole life” should never be understated. You guys remember Inside Out, where Riley spends the whole movie trying not to feel sad about her most cherished childhood memories, so much so that she winds up plunging into depression over it? Multiply the disaster and destruction in her brain by ten, and you have what happens when you realize that the parents you loved were actually abusive. Moments you thought were funny turn out to be sinister, moments you thought were full of warmth and caring were actually full of manipulation. You lose your childhood, and it’s a lot like losing a loved one. 

Also, teens who don’t rebel against their parents raise more psychological red flags than teens who do. Luther’s failure to rebel against Reginald until his thirties doesn’t mean he was stupid or somehow complicit in the abuse; it means he did not feel safe enough within Reginald’s authority to develop his own personality. 

Klaus: I got sent to the Vietnam war and was put through series emotional trauma

Five: I was in the apocalypse for 45 years

Luther: Dad sent me to the moon and never even opened the research

#the umbrella academy #Umbrella Academy #tua #luther hargreeves #luther #number one #inside out #the school of life #sorry I keep going back to this discourse guys #but the more I unpack my own shitty childhood the more I identify with luther #and I will not stand for this slander on his character

[dogbearinggifts]

It’s almost like some people don't want to be reminded that the character they spent over a year treating as an amoral villain who only ever wanted to hurt Vanya because he’s evil and Vanya is perfect don’t want to be reminded that he went through something so traumatic that it royally fucked up his interpersonal skills, leaving him paranoid and unable to read social cues, which contributed to the actions they harp on. 

i 100% get people disliking luther and i get the whole “dad sent me to the moon” thing is meme now or whatever but it’s kind of weird... like people make memes and is like

vanya and klaus: being emotionally abused and locked away

luther: but dad sent me to the moon

like a lot of people act like klaus and vanya are the only ones that ever went through anything lmao. and try to invalidate the shit luther went through and comparing to what his siblings went through.

i just wish people would stop comparing their trauma in general. abuse is abuse and trauma is trauma.

like every five minutes in season one all you hear is vanyas saying “i’m ordinary dad told me i wasn’t special.” and there’s not issue. but when luther does it with the moon all of a sudden he makes everything about himself and is annoying?

#the umbrella academy #Umbrella Academy #tua

[dogbearinggifts]

Danger noodles find a pool

“A variety of wild animals visiting a water fountain”

(via)

#not tua #cute animals

[dogbearinggifts]

Congratulations, you found the GRIDDY’S DOUGHNUTS Secret Menu! Order wisely.

#the umbrella academy #Umbrella Academy #tua #oh my god this is the best thing I've seen today

[dogbearinggifts]

I wonder how many people who treat stringent content moderation and cancel culture as civilization’s first, last, and only line of defense against a world of widespread misogyny and racism understand how many of their favorite bits of entertainment would be unacceptable by today’s standards. 

And no, I’m not talking about books written in 1884, when Mark Twain could drop the n-word more often than a hyperactive squirrel with paws coated in butter would drop an acorn and have no one bat an eye. I’m not talking about movies released in 1961, when a white actor could play a racist caricature of a Japanese landlord to widespread praise from critics. I’m talking about 2006. 

That year, Markus Zusak gave us The Book Thief, an eerily beautiful coming-of-age book set in Nazi Germany whose virtues would be drowned out by the flood of trigger warnings modern gatekeepers would attach to it. Opening with the death of Liesel’s brother (tw:death, tw:child death, tw:parental abandonment) it includes a loud, abrasive foster mother (tw:abuse, tw:child abuse, tw:verbal abuse, tw:mental abuse) who is portrayed as a headstrong protector of her family (tw:abuse apologism) and the Jew they hide in their basement (tw:white saviorism), as well as a meek foster father who kowtows to his wife’s ways (tw:domestic abuse) and teaches Liesel to roll cigarettes (tw:smoking). It’s narrated by Death (are there even enough trigger warnings for that?) who, rather than condemn characters who have embraced Hitler and Nazism, points to the bitterness, grief, and misinformation catalyzing their fervor (tw:Nazi apologism). 

For those of you readying a barrage of rebuttals to that summary, scrolling down to the comments to tell me that I stripped the book of any nuance—that’s the whole point. The Book Thief is a very nuanced story that conveys its message in shades of grey. Few characters are wholly good or wholly evil. Death is a neutral figure, condemning the horrors of war while pitying those who fight it no matter their side, portraying the nightmarish consequences of hatred while showing the reader how it is born. But since when has nuance ever mattered to someone riding high on a wave of righteous anger? 

Moving on, 2006 was also the year My Chemical Romance released The Black Parade, which sees Death (tw tw tw) telling the story of The Patient, a man whose life was filled with war, depression, political unrest, PTSD, religious guilt, self-loathing, broken relationships, and near-constant suicidal ideation—a life that ends in his thirties from heart complications due to a long, painful, emotionally draining battle with cancer. Millions of depressed kids, teens, and adults have found catharsis in the album’s raw, honest lyrics, but those same lyrics would earn the band a #CancelMCR hashtag today. To wit: 

Another contusion, my funeral jag/Here’s my resignation, I’ll serve it in drag: Mocking drag queens and men who crossdress. Using a very real expression of gender identity for shock value. Blatantly transphobic. 

Juliet loves the beast and the lust it commands/So drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands Romeo: Toxic relationship. Probably violently abusive. #DumpThePatient, lady, and #MCRStopRomanticizingAbuse. 

Wouldn’t it be grand to take a pistol by the hand?/And wouldn’t it be great if we were dead?: Oh my fucking god, they’re romanticizing suicide now? How was this album even allowed to be made? Who let this happen and how soon can we #cancel them? 

If you’ve heard the album, you know none of the above interpretations are remotely true. You’ve probably shaken your head at the Daily Mail’s infamous claim that My Chem promoted self-harm and suicide, but the sad truth is that if The Black Parade were released in today’s climate, that claim would probably be taken up by the very people who now consider themselves fans. The raw honesty that resonated with so many could easily be taken as a stamp of approval on the very suicides its songs have prevented. The anti-suicide anthem, “Famous Last Words,” could be ignored or twisted into a mockery of those who condemn suicide, and the darkly wholesome “Welcome to the Black Parade” music video would likely be taken as enticement toward teens who want to end their lives: “Look at all the cool things you’ll get to see once you’re dead and gone!” 

Again, anyone who is even a casual fan of The Black Parade knows this is a deliberately malicious misreading of the material. My Chem’s music has been gratefully embraced by LGBTQ+ kids looking for a place to belong, and the band members have been outspoken in their support. They’ve been quoted, on multiple occasions, speaking out against suicide and self-harm. We know Parade is not pro-anything except pro-keep on living. But we know this because we gave the band a chance to tell us. We assumed good intent when we listened to their music, and so their intended message came across without interference. Were Parade released today, in the era of AED (Assume the worst, Exaggerate the damage, and Demand outsized retribution), the resulting furor (and refusal to hear their objections to the rampant misinterpretations) could very well have forced My Chem to vanish into obscurity. 

And look. I’m not against content moderation wholesale. I actually think it’s done some good in the world of entertainment. Podcast hosts and book reviewers who warn audience members about triggering content allow them to avoid that content before they suffer an anxiety attack. As a librarian, I have personally and enthusiastically recommended Does the Dog Die?, a website (doesthedogdie.com) that tracks hundreds of anxiety triggers in media, to colleagues who work with kids so they can allow their students to request a different book or movie if the assigned one would cause undue distress. Trigger warnings can prevent anxiety attacks. Content moderation allows audiences to make informed choices. 

But some things are toxic in high amounts, and when it comes to content moderation, we’ve long since passed that mark. 

When trigger warnings are used not as honest labels of content, but as a means to frighten people away from material they might otherwise enjoy, trigger warnings become toxic. 

When self-appointed content moderators tell others what interpretations they should take from a piece of entertainment, rather than allowing them to come to their own conclusions, content moderation becomes toxic. 

When artists are afraid to produce their most honest work for fear their honesty will be twisted into something dark and ugly, the world of fandom becomes toxic. 

Content moderation is not bad in itself. It can actually be a valuable tool for sufferers of anxiety, PTSD, and other disorders. But when it goes hand in glove with cancel culture, it becomes a monster, keeping audiences from discovering something they might otherwise enjoy by twisting the content into something it’s not. 

By all means, tag your triggers. Warn about your content. But don’t tell your followers to expect something horrible that isn’t even there. 

#long post #the book thief #the black parade #markus zusak #my chemical romance #mcr #my chem #tbp #mark twain #breakfast at tiffany's #content moderation #cancel culture #anti cancel culture #trigger warnings #a warning about trigger warnings #misreadings #misinterpretations #meta #meta ish

[dogbearinggifts]

THE HARGREEVES SIBLINGS + greek deities.

#the umbrella academy #tua #these are perfect