#I HAVE PARAGRAPHS FOR DISCRIMINATION THROUGH ASSOCIATION

[donewiththisshitplsstop]

When you hear about the toxic environment within Aston Martin's F1 team it becomes very easy to realise that maybe there is a 'culture issue' within F1 as a whole because it isn't just Aston Martin, it's been RBR and it's been Mercedes and it's been Mark Hughes and it's been Nelson Piquet and it hasn't just happened to Lewis or Alex or Zhou Guanyu or Nicholas or Yuki or Kamui Kobayashi or Pascal Wehrlein it's happened to the people without a platform to say anything - thankfully Aidan Louw found his platform but there are countless other people within F1 being discriminated for Sexuality, Gender and Race.

There is also the different ways in which drivers of color are spoken about within F1 as an organisation and also within fan communities. It's the way Yuki and Lewis are aggressive but Max and Kimi are passionate or just 'being themselves. It's the way Lewis is a tax evader but Lando and Jenson live in Monaco because they want to. Its the way Sir Lewis Hamilton is just Lewis Hamilton but then Sir Jackie Stewart is Sir Jackie Stewart IN THE SAME ARTICLE. It's the way Kamui is aggressive but people running other people off the track is a mistake. It's the way Lewis' actions at Silverstone were a 'tactical foul' whereas Max's brake check was a 'silly mistake'. It's the way Lewis should have retired to preserve Michael's legacy but Sebastian can beat Schumacher's 7 WDCs. The way these drivers have been treated will inform you of the way the workers with no voice have been and will continue to be treated.

I can understand why there is a culture issue within F1, and it's simply because F1 as an organisation haven't really done anything to dissuade their own people and by extension their fans from being racially discriminatory. It's mainly because these rich white men that are the bosses in F1 haven't really experienced the sort of discriminatory behaviour the ethnic minority drivers have and why would they change a system that has always worked for them. Why would they try to make it better for 'the others'. But I think another thing that plays a big role is the fact that the heads of F1 haven't really called out the racial abuse that these drivers have been confronted with. Barcelona 2008 for example, the blackface wasn't really focused on and really Lewis should have 'expected hate' - it ain't just the head office - so if F1 and these drivers can't even pretend that these drivers who are being discriminated don't deserve it than why should the fans and that's why I believe a large majority of racial attacks have occurred in recent years because of a 'they don't care so why should I' attitude.

Also I think we have to think about the fact that maybe, behind closed doors a large group of individuals associated with F1 have used derogatory language, we now know that because of Piquet's interview and also Bernie's interviews that they're not scared to say it in front of the cameras. And if they're not scared to use a racial slur against Lewis or talk about how he was allegedly taking it up the a*s and that's what lost him his 2016 championship in blatant homophobia than what might they be saying behind closed doors. What must they be saying to Lewis himself, Lewis who whenever he tries to say something about he's being treated is 'crymilton' and 'whining' and 'moaning'. Like I said, if they can treat the drivers like this what stops them from saying anything to the 'little people' the ones without a platform or power to say a thing.

There is a culture issue within F1. The people who can't see it are those who are privileged enough to not have it happen to them.

Things have to change. Really and truly things have to change. Not just for Lewis, Zhou Guanyu, Yuki, Alex, Kamui, Pascal, Nicholas but also for the countless kids vying for a spot in F1, kids with the talent to be a part of the greatest motorsports category in the world, kids who don't even have a fighting chance right now because they're not white westerners.

#f1 #all lewis wants is to make f1 better for the people after him #all f1 is doing is showing him how far away he is from seeing that happen #its heartbreaking #listen i had so much more to say #like discrimination through association is a thing #I HAVE PARAGRAPHS FOR DISCRIMINATION THROUGH ASSOCIATION #the mental health repercussions for discrimination #but im just going to upset myself by going on #so maybe next time #because i feel like people genuinely need to know #the shit that happens and how it makes people feel

[genericpuff]

This has been buggibg me for a while. What is the reason why Rachel dehumanizing nymphs?

Cause from what I'm seeing the nymphs getting the most screen time is Daphne, Minthe, Thetis, Psyche and a little bit of Leuce and Echo.

4 out of the 6 nymphs we see are very open in their sex appeal and flirty. Yet for some reason they get discriminated when Hera, Persophone, and Aphrodite do the same thing but get a pass because the are white coded rich people.

For my knowledge (but I could be wrong if so please correct me) nymphs are known to be seductive and sexy but they were well respected just like any other God. They were given given sacrifices to please them.

Is this just another case of Rachel being the so-called "folkorists" who has done the first Google link she see or could there just be how she interprets then but like the rest of her story misses the mark?

So there are a couple different and equally interesting theories on this.

Rachel has established it as canon that the nymphs are lower class. And there are a lot of stereotypes and prejudices against lower class women going into sex work, which we see in LO through characters like Minthe who work as car girls (notice how in the present story Thetis and Minthe are both personal assistants which is also a role that's commonly stereotyped as "the boss' sidepiece" as it's a role often occupied by women in service to men). Even Leuce isn't safe from this:

Normally I'd just say "good for her" but it's clear with how much Leuce has been turned into the delusional girl who "manifests" her fantasies that Rachel is once again conflating sexuality with more negatively-associated character traits for any woman who isn't Persephone (because when it's Persephone it's sexual liberation always, she's not a "sugar baby", she's a "workaholic" who "earned her position and wealth", but when it's Leuce or Minthe or Thetis they're "homewreckers") And yeah, this is a common disconnect that happens between lower class and upper class people, where lower class people (especially women) are often judged and outcast for doing certain things or behaving a certain way which rich upper class people take and adopt and turn into something "trendy" and "empowering".

But there's... another theory that may explain why so many nymphs in the story are being pigeonholed into the "homewrecking sugar babies" stereotype. And you're gonna hate me for this, because I'm sure the gut reaction to reading this from many is gonna be "goddamit not Lolita again!" buuuttt yeah we're gonna talk about Lolita again.

CONTENT WARNING: We're talking about Lolita again, which means discussion surrounding the sexualization of minors is ahead.

There's a certain term the main character of the book Humbert Humbert uses to describe girls who are specifically, and I quote:

"Between the age limits of nine and fourteen there occur maidens who, to certain bewitched travellers, twice or many times older than they, reveal their true nature which is not human, but nymphic (that is, demoniac); and these chosen creatures I propose to designate as 'nymphets'." - Lolita, Chapter 5, Page 18, paragraph 5

It's also very clear from the way Nabokov specifies the definition of nymphet from Humbert Humbert's perspective that the use of the word 'nymphet' is intentionally referencing the root word of Greek origin:

"...I would have the reader see 'nine' and 'fourteen' as the boundaries - the mirrory beaches and rosy rocks - of an enchanted island haunted by those nymphets of mine and surrounded by a vast, misty sea. Between those age limits, are all girl-children nymphets? Of course not. Otherwise we who are in the know, we lone voyagers, we nympholepts, would have long gone insane."

Though Humbert Humbert is obviously not being literal here, the visual metaphor is strongly relying on the etymology of the word 'nymph', but twisting the depiction of nymphs in such a way to support his own fantasies.

And while I'm definitely not trying to accuse Rachel of having the same mindset of Humbert Humbert (seriously, I want to make it clear that I don't think Rachel is a pedophile, just horribly misled at best), it's interesting to me how this specific definition of a nymphet matches with that of Rachel's old descriptions of her own art:

"You have to be an artist and a madman, a creature of infinite melancholy, with a bubble of hot poison in your loins and a super-voluptuous flame permanently aglow in your subtle spine (oh, how you have to cringe and hide!), in order to discern at once, by ineffable signs - the slightly feline outline of a cheekbone, the slenderness of a downy limb, and other indices which despair and shame and tears of tenderness forbid me to tabulate - the little deadly demon among the wholesome children; she stands unrecognized by them and unconscious herself of her fantastic power."

What's interesting is that I did dig up an old profile of Rachel's that actually acknowledged that what she's doing with her art shouldn't be conflated with, well... child porn.

"It's not THAT kind of lolita" and yet the writing feels like it's been smeared all over the wall with shit. There are so many scenes and artistic choices throughout LO that scream "it is that kind of lolita".

Though it is still a theory, and I don't resort to using Rachel's old art of "proof" of LO's shortcomings, I don't think it should necessarily be ignored that the nymphs in LO seem to be characterized very similarly to Humbert Humbert's description of 'nymphets' - devious and promiscuous, and thus easier to blame when predatory men pursue them, rather than holding those predatory men accountable. And we see this in Persephone too, but unlike the nymphs, Persephone is rich, upper class, and of a "superior pedigree". So she becomes the desirable form of a 'nymphet' that's praised and celebrated by the narrative and characters like Hades, rather than the literal nymphs who are shamed and outcast for simply having sexual independence.

Whatever theory you roll with is on you, you can dismiss all this as just overthinking nonsense, but I do think it makes for interesting food for thought because at this point, LO is undeniably - intentionally or subconsciously - influenced by Rachel's relationship with Lolita, and whether or not that influence is aware at all of Lolita being originally written to be a precautionary tale, that remains to be seen.

#lore olympus critical #anti lore olympus #lo critical #ask me anything #ama #anon ama #anon ask me anything

[midnightactual]

Advanced Guidelines

“The code is more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

If you have some specific questions or inquiries or are curious about my thoughts or feelings as to why I do what I do, this page will hopefully answer whatever is on your mind.

BASICS

Behavior: If you discriminate against people on the basis of their identity (racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc.) or generally enjoy being a fascist or asshole (but I repeat myself) you can stop here and fuck off.

Language: I write in English; I can read Spanish and know a little about other languages, but I wouldn’t be any good at writing in them. It’s a tough language and I try to be as patient and forgiving as possible with everyone, especially those who had a different first language. Please don’t feel intimidated because of this.

Interaction: You do not have to be following me to interact! You can message me through an ask or Tumblr’s chat function to brainstorm a plot, or reply to an open starter or prompt I have (these can be found here and here). Do note that I still reserve the right to turn down interactions for any reason and it’s almost certainly not personal if I do so!

Tagging: You’re free to tag me in things, but I won’t always interact with everything I’m tagged in. It’s also almost certainly not personal if I don’t. (Note: I’m tracking “#midnightactual”.)

Style: I’ll try and match your effort in length if I can, but you don’t always have to match mine. I tend to start with novellas or multi-paragraphs to set scenes, or go longer when additional detail is required, but when there’s a lot of action or talking, I’ll probably move to a quicker and shorter pace so there’s more fluid interaction. Thoughtfulness is appreciated, but I know sometimes things happen. Don’t feel bad if your response is shorter than mine, especially right off the bat.

Activity: I’m in GMT-7, but there’s not really a particular time period associated with my activity. Response time is highly variable. Feel free to gently remind me if I have missed something and I’ll attempt to provide clarity. I am currently heavily backlogged and also occupied with revamping things.

Liking: Like whatever you like, I don’t mind.

Reblogging: Don’t reblog my RP threads. All other stuff (meta, edits, music, prompts, and so) that isn’t extremely heavily headcanoned is fine and I don’t mind; indeed, I encourage reblogging meta!

Drama: I’m not really interested in it. If you’re having personal issues and need somebody to talk to and have nobody else, I’m here and I’ll listen. But I’m not really here for feuding, shading, call-outs, etc.

Maturity: I’m an adult. Although I don’t create much content requiring tagging, I’ll endeavor to do so when it’s necessary. If something escapes my notice and it bothers you, please inform me.

Minors: I’ll interact with underage muses and muns, but actions will be rather more constrained: obviously, there will be absolutely no shipping or smut, and her general behavior will be more circumspect and reserved. I expect that if you’re underage, you either disclose that fact or have it clearly stated somewhere on your pages.

Triggers: I’m not really triggered by much, but I don’t like engaging with highly explicit written gore. I’m also strongly opposed to interacting with anything to do with incest, beastiality, pedophilia, non-con, or drugs. I’ll things tag with “<topic> TW” for anything that I think goes beyond a certain limit (e.g., Adult Themes, Alcohol, etc.) and will also tag with “#NSFW” and “#R18” for anything that goes further. Any smut will be under a read more. You’re free to block these. (Note: I generally don’t tag for states of undress or non-sexual nudity in text, only in imagery.)

SELECTIVITY

Following: I follow accounts I think are interesting for one reason or another. This isn’t necessarily a demonstration of an intent or desire to RP, but should be taken as a sign that I wouldn’t be opposed to it. I don’t usually follow personals unless it’s purely an aesthetic source.

Following Back: I’ll follow back most Bleach muses, canon or OC. I’m less likely to follow back muses from other fandoms (canon or OC) unless I know them or have heavily interacted with them. This isn’t personal, it’s just for the sake of my dash. I won’t generally follow back personal accounts for the same reason.

Settings: I’m most familiar with Bleach and it’s my main focus. If your character is from another fandom and you want to do a crossover that isn’t listed, I’ll have to do some research as to whether I find it workable. (Note: if you’re interested in that, you’ll probably need to approach me rather than waiting for me to approach you.) Any series on the Verses page is exempted from this regardless of what Verse an interaction occurs in.

Verses: I don’t demand we stick to Bleach; AUs are more than acceptable to me, but you should discuss them with me first. You can check the Verses page here for more information on settings I’ve already established. Other pre-existing settings require my consent.

Continuity: Technically speaking, any given muse will be being interacted with in their own separate continuity. That said, I will sometimes reference details from other interactions just to leaven things with a bit of flavor and nuance. (The aforementioned Verses page talks about this more.)

Crack: I don’t really do crack threads. Which isn’t to say that wacky things won’t happen here, but they will generally be treated as having actually happened. (Another of putting this is to say that all crack here is owned.)

Variants: I’m not at all opposed to variant muses of a character, but I’ll treat them individually as I see fit. I might interact with a particular variant more, but I don’t really do mains or exclusives.

Twins: I don’t have issues with twins of Yoruichi or other muses, as I enjoy seeing different takes on them. However, I won’t follow Yoruichi blogs first in particular out of respect for their portrayal and will only follow back for them (unless they’re on multimuse blogs). I will, however, promote them when I see them out of a sense of solidarity, and I don’t expect a follow for doing so. I also don’t care if a twin adopts or modifies my headcanons or background information; take anything you like.

Original Characters: I don’t have anything against OCs. I do however require some more information about them and I’ll be looking at info pages for them.

God-Modding: I’m not especially interested in fights, but if they should happen, please keep things reasonable―Yoruichi is very powerful. This also goes for more general interactions. You can have Yoruichi doing small things to move the plot along but please don’t either wholly negate or assume her actions.

SHIPPING

Yoruichi in particular is rather difficult when it comes to ships. As noted under Orientation in her Profile (here), in the present she’s not overly inclined to one-off physical relationships. She prefers to have some sort of emotional connection with a potential partner beyond just physical attraction, even though she’s a very physically expressive person. (Although she’s more likely to engage in casual relationships with humans, or near-humans.) For various reasons (see here, here, here, and here for detailed thoughts regarding her psychology) she also finds it hard to open up to others and be emotionally vulnerable, making that difficult to achieve.

What this means in practice is that she’s unlikely to establish a romantic ship without concerted effort and interest on the part of another muse. This isn’t to rule out the prospect of her getting physical first and building a relationship off of that second, because she’s an agent of chaos (see here), but she’s also rather picky and fickle. She isn’t easy. There is little to no guaranteed success with her (with one exception to be noted below) unless she expresses a reciprocal interest. (Her flirting is also no guarantee of such interest for various reasons.)

Platonic, non-romantic, and non-sexual ships are much easier to establish with her, as Yoruichi will often put herself in a supporting position based on relative age, taking on a parental (usually much more strongly fatherly than motherly) or older sibling role, or sometimes a more distant sort of familial attitude (like an aunt or cousin). She’s also readily inclined to become a friend, confidant, or wingman.

When it comes to preexisting relationships from canon, there are only three possibilities to really discuss:

Urahara Kisuke: Yoruichi’s relationship with Kisuke is complicated. While her History (here) was written to align with a particular Kisuke, even with other variants of Kisuke it’s difficult to say what they are to one another. While Yoruichi does care for Kisuke, and may engage in sensual or sexual activities with him, their relationship shouldn’t be assumed to be romantic a priori for any variant of him. It would have to be something he would have to work toward, and isn’t guaranteed.

Soifon: Yoruichi’s relationship with Soifon is similarly complicated. It resembles a traditional senpai and kōhai relationship more than anything else; they aren’t as close as Yoruichi is with Kisuke, and while Yoruichi regards Soifon as something more than just a protégé or friend, it’s difficult to describe what she actually is. Yoruichi is not, by default, interested in Soifon in a romantic way, and it would also be something a variant of Soifon would have to work toward.

Kūkaku Shiba: Yoruichi’s relationship with Kūkaku is a (at least to her mind) one-sided romance. Yoruichi loves Kūkaku, and has for a very long time. This sentiment applies on her part to any variant of Kūkaku. However, Yoruichi generally imagines that it’ll always go unrequited, and that to confess it would likely strain or ruin their friendship. For this and other reasons (mostly relating to a lack of self-confidence on her part when it comes to this), she has a tendency to avoid Kūkaku, and will often behave unusually around her as compared to others. Yoruichi will always operate on this feeling around Kūkaku, but that doesn’t mean there’s a desire to force a relationship between them with any and every variant.

To put it more succinctly: while I’m aware that Kisuke and Soifon are the most popular shipping choices for Yoruichi, my feeling is that if she wanted romance with either of them, she'd already have it. Meanwhile, I feel that a lot of her behavior regarding Soul Society and Kūkaku is explained by her trying to avoid the latter because of her feelings. To repeat: this doesn’t mean Yoruichi will try and force ships with Kūkaku, only that that ship is always open.

Having said all this, Yoruichi is fewship romantically (in basically parallel timelines) with such ships requiring plotting. Such relationships will be specifically detailed as Links on her Bonds page here. I’m open to other ships of whatever nature occurring either organically or being discussed and plotted out, but please don’t take it personally if they’re declined for whatever reason.

[bicyclepainting]

gavin’s zodiac chart

oh god i really wasnt expecting anyone to interact with my astrology headcanon post for david, and people did! they liked! they replied for gods sake! this has unleashed an urge from deep within me to talk about my other astrology headcanons for different characters :-) i hope you enjoy my thoughts about gavin (loose character analysis and astrology rambling/explanation under the cut)

masterlist to the series

sun- sagittarius

moon- pisces

rising- leo

mercury- scorpio

venus- scorpio

mars- libra

when thinking about gavins sun sign, i had to be strategic. i knew i wanted him to have prominent scorpio placements without having a scorpio sun, which limited my options. i ended up landing on sagittarius, which i think is perfect. for starters, its a mutable sign (other mutable signs are gemini, pisces, and virgo). gavin very much goes with the flow and rolls with the punches, which is essentially what mutable signs are. in my mind, he does not have the desire for leadership that cardinal signs (capricorn, cancer, libra, aries) have and he does not have the stubbornness that fixed signs have (aquarius, leo, taurus, scorpio). while i dont think anyone should rely on stereotypes for astrology, there is a certain level of truth to them. sagittariuses are stereotyped as being impulsive party-lovers, which i think is applicable to gavin (although certainly not in all situations and certainly not as strongly as he goes through his character development) additionally, what people seem to forget about sagittarius is that it is also the sign of the philosopher! sagittariuses are intellectuals and love the pursuit of knowledge. gavin wants to pursue full certification!! (he only stopped because of the discrimination he faced) he is So sagittarius <3

i struggled less with gavin’s moon sign than i do usually. pisces placements are very dreamy and are also intuitive. i think gavin is definitely in touch with his emotions (even if he does kinda keep them close to the vest with people other than freelancer). he is also in touch with the emotions of people around him (which is literally only because hes an incubus but my point still stands) which is also characteristic of a pisces moon.

on first impression, gavin is Flirty as Fuck. hes confident and knows what he wants. i also headcanon that he is very expressive and creative in the way he presents himself in material ways as well (clothes, accessories, makeup, etc.). to me, this makes him a leo rising

now here we go with gavin’s scorpio placements! as i discussed in my previous astrology headcanon breakdown, mercury has limited options. the options here are scorpio, sagittarius, and capricorn. mercury dictates the way you think/process information/communicate. capricorn mercuries are very practical and i think of them as very serious, although they do tend to have a dry sense of humor (which is very funny to me personally). sagittarius could work for gavin if you squint your eyes just right, but i wanted his chart to lean more towards scorpio than sagittarius (as i will discuss a bit further in the next paragraph)

giving gavin a scorpio venus is the pièce de résistance. there are so many reasons why this is the perfect placement for him. for starters, the traditional ruler of scorpio is mars. mars is usually associated with aggression and passion, but it also rules sex! and venus is the planet that rules over relationships and love! gavin is an incubus! this makes sense! scorpio also rules over the reproductive organs (cough cough genitals). venus in scorpio is also a placement in detriment. this means its a difficult placement and can make relationships hard for people with this placement. i think scorpio venuses are resistant to commitment and often struggle with opening up emotionally to romantic partners, but once they do they are very loyal and devoted partners. This Is So Gavin. LIKE CMON THE EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM IS SO SCORPIO VENUS (scorpio venuses are also stereotypically very attractive and good at sex and hes a FUCKING INCUBUS)

anyway. mars is kind of the placement i struggled with for gavin. this planet rules ambition, passion, and your drive (specifically sex drive). i think giving him a scorpio mars would just be a cop out to be honest. i kind of think gavin would have a mutable mars sign, which leaves sagittarius, pisces, gemini, and virgo. none of which i feel fits, frustratingly enough. out of the rest of the signs, libra to me is the most mutable without being mutable (its a cardinal sign). libras value balance and justice. libra is also ruled by venus which gives these placements a strong sense of aesthetic. However!! mars in libra is also a placement in detriment, which means its a difficult placement. unfortunately for gavin, i do think this fits for him lol hes struggled with relationships with the whole incubus thing and i think him having a libra mars makes sense

#every astrology take of mine should be taken with a grain of salt #as always i would love to hear other peoples thoughts and opinions about this /g #redacted asmr #redacted gavin #astro thoughts #astrology

[immiryn]

On Otherkin And Cancel Culture

In the effort of being clear, I have personal experience with the topic at hand. I write this in an effort to spread awareness of the behaviors that I've witnessed.

It's also worth noting that I am speaking solely to my experiences in the Otherkin communities online, and that any prescriptions are to be taken in said context.

-----

My experience with the clumps of Otherkin communities is transitory. I'm a nomad. From one community to the next, I move. If a community dies, I move. If something particularly egregious happens that I cannot stomach, I move.

I have always searched for a place to call "home" in these communities, and these places for one reason or another lack what I need or desire. Often it's that activity dwindles down and that eventually a server "dies" of natural causes. In one or two occasions, it has been due to acts of a moderator or "public figure" of the server; whether that is something that I disliked personally, or something that affected the reputation of the place and thus caused a rift in the membership.

Within these communities, I have found a sense of tribalism. You are With, or you are Not. You cohere, or you leave. What brings us together is a sense of being Something Other, and sometimes some people are too Other.

This lines up squarely with my last big post, on "Kinnies" and discourse. Regardless of what the individual uses the term for, and regardless of whether they may learn about themselves as part of the group and cohere quite well, the clumps of community have sometimes decided that this was too Other for them. They don't fit into the tribe, so it's time to boot them out.

In general, as long as people are being respectful about it, I don't see a problem with server staff deciding what the focus of their server will be. It's when members decide this, or when people deign to be disrespectful and act without empathy in the process.

Something else that I've witnessed is more sinister in outcome. Most people who don't fit a particular tribe will find another to join. People who have been publicly called out and shamed over any number of behaviors will not.

The topic of the day is Cancel Culture. Hot words, hot topic. Strap in.

If you have substantial evidence, making a call-out post may well be worth it, especially in the more predatory circumstances. This typically involves a manifesto - a long document detailing clearly the transgressions and the evidence that proves that these transgressions happened.

A call-out post may come in two other forms:

A post is put out warning people away from someone. This can range from a paragraph to a few paragraphs, perhaps with a picture or two but sometimes without anything more than anecdotal evidence.

Someone says something in a community space, warning persons away from person X.

In both cases, there is little or no evidence of a transgression other than what one or possibly two people felt happened. There may not even be a criminal act involved. In this digital age, people are more than fine with getting angry over a minor argument and making it into something more.

Why is this a problem? Because people tend to trust their peers with their (social) safety, and don't engage in critical thinking as a result. This implicit trust allows people to share things like "x person did y thing, don't let them hang around". Short statements proliferate far more readily - if you've been on Twitter, you know what I mean - and the discrimination spreads.

When the discrimination is by an admin/mod or by someone who knows them well enough, it can spread through a community space without any real effort involved.

So, the target gets called out for their actions. What happens next?

They may be removed from the server or community with or without due process.

They may be ostracized from other community spaces as word spreads.

Individuals who find themselves vexed enough will assert their right to "keep others safe" by talking to people who associate with the target.

The above behaviors may even occur in a form of intervention, wherein language is used to encourage the target's associates to drift away in one manner or another.

Seems fair and all, but have you asked what kind of Justice this is? Here are consequences of our actions, in order:

Removed the target's ability to learn from their mistakes or argue for or against their issues.

Removed the target's ability to create new associations and learn to integrate into the community (or communities).

Allowed the target to take harassment for their actions.

Allowed the target's associates to be interacted with or manipulated in favor of reducing the assumed effects the target may have on others, which incurs stress and potential little-t trauma on the associates.

Allowed the target to have their associates removed from them, whom may have been able to interact with and understand the actions of the target in a way that allows them to communicate to the target about what happened.

In short, we've punished the target in a way that may not be befitting of the crimes, and we've done so in a way that removes their path towards reformation.

That's Retributive Justice. It creates suffering for the sake of suffering, making spaces "safer" but eliminating people who could contribute to the spaces we share.

-----

It's something that has happened to a friend of mine. Someone who was outspoken and sometimes quite brash in certain communal spaces, but who endeavored to improve the lives of people around them. The consequences for their "actions" have been severe, and people felt it necessary to intervene in my personal life as a way to get at theirs.

I have watched as my friend lost friends, lost people to communicate with and to understand the world through. I saw them lose access to the only place that was willing to host them in the first place, all because one or two people in charge got a bug up their ass over baseless allegations.

My friend lost the opportunity to argue their position, or to reform...if indeed there ever was one.

In the process, I lost my ability to trust in them. Fears, doubts, and traumas were stepped on without a care because the intervening individual "cared for my safety" ... despite only talking to me once or twice, a year or two ago. I've been having to work hard, to journal and process how I felt while trying to understand the motivations and the feelings on the other side.

-----

Shame and blame don't create reform. They merely allow us to create suffering for the sake of our own suffering.

Be wary of anyone who would shame or blame someone else without evidence to back it up. Especially if it's someone who holds a position of power in the social space(s) you inhabit.

#dragonkin #otherkin #otherhearted #alterhuman #wolf therian

[nexttothebagels]

Okay, the original post everyone is making memes about is badly worded but here’s a more understandable version (with my own opinions on the matter mixed in) If you were to apply the same determination of “problematic” fanworks/other types of media to HLVRAI itself, HLVRAI would become “extremely problematic”.  The following are examples of the logic of what determines a “problematic” fanworks being applied to HLVRAI and how it would make HLVRAI “problematic”: - Benrey, in canon, kisses Gordon and comments on his ass. If this was in a fanwork and the same cancel-culture logic was applied to it, it would be considered “problematic” for sexual harassment. - Benrey, in canon, is gay, not human and a villain. If this was in a fanwork and the same cancel-culture logic was applied to it, it would be considered “problematic” because it suggest that gay people are inhuman and villains by association. - There’s no main female characters in HLVRAI. If this was in another type of media, it would be “problematic” for not having any female leads. (Honestly, this point is weak. I supposed it’s about the lack of diversity and how in new media it would be considered problematic.) - (The point about Darnold being a “pathetic man” isn’t tangible here because this is about concrete facts within HLVRAI that make it “problematic”, not the creator’s intentions) The cancel-culture logic applied to the aspects of HLVRAI here are a bit silly. HLVRAI isn’t problematic. However, this logic is being applied to some fanworks and it’s really harmful for new creators. (Note: i don’t have any specific evidence for these claims) Now, please realize that awareness of problematic material is important! If someone is doing something bad in fanworks, it’s necessary to point it out to help them grow and improve and if they don’t after proper explanation, then block them. I disagree with OP’s point about Gordon being “rude and controlling” in canon. Though, if you see Gordon as a “mean/angry” character and then decide to portray him as POC (sometimes unconsciously), that’s messed up.  The main point here is that you can practically argue that anything is problematic with this sorta disjointed-by association logic. (It’s similar to those Illuminati Confirmed memes from 2012). Though, it’s important to be aware of problematic implications. Cancel-culture is messed up and pretty prevalent in the HLVRAI fandom. People make mistakes and should be given the opportunity to grow and move past their mistakes. However, if they refuse to learn or accept criticism, block them. (OP you get a little sketchy in the last paragraph before the tl;dr. Progress is difficult and it’s important to take in account feedback from minorities. Of course, different people have different views on what makes something good or bad but it’s up to you to synthesis the information, try to understand it as best as you can and come to your own decision to determine how to improve yourself and your fanworks. If you’re so tired trying to understand it, just imagine how tired they are going through discrimination and poor representation in media and life. Please respect, consider and understand their opinions on the matter.) 

TL;DR: Some of the call-outs in this fandom have poor logic behind them. If this same logic is applied to HLVRAI itself as an example, you’ll see that the logic is poor and misconstrued. But, it’s important to not discount reasonable concerns from minorities. Despite how tired you feel, you need to try to understand their points of view and determine if it’s applicable to yourself in order to improve.

#discourse #hlvrai #the memes were funny but i think the point of post is important #i wanted to write this because the main point of the post is important #feel free to comment if i missed anything or say anything wrong

[benandstevesposts]

The Police Department So Bad ––– A Officer Called Black Lives Matter ––– And Complained

A new lawsuit accuses a police department with a history of alleged horrors—KKK magazines left for a Black cop, racist slurs—of firing a policeman who finally blew the whistle.

Over his year of service in the department of Millersville, Tennessee; Black had allegedly been subjected to sexual harassment, including from a female officer who used a racist slur while grabbing his genitals.

The police chief, whom Black suspected of harboring Ku Klux Klan ties, had allegedly made disparaging comments about Black’s biracial son.

The assistant police chief was under investigation for allegedly assaulting his wife during a dispute over an alleged affair with a drug suspect.

Through it all, management allegedly silenced officers’ complaints by instructing them to support the “thin blue line.”

“Nobody would listen to what was going on up there,” Black told The Daily Beast. “Nobody cared.”

So Black made a fake Facebook profile, reached out to Black Lives Matter organizers, and blew the whistle on his department. Days later, he was fired. At least two other officers who allegedly clashed with management departed soon thereafter.

In a new lawsuit, first reported by Nashville’s NewsChannel 5, Black and former Millersville Police sergeant Joshua Barnes describe a culture of harassment and intimidation in their former department. Both men cite a pattern of alleged racist behavior from the department’s leadership—directed at Barnes because he is Black, and at Black because he is white with a biracial son.

The lawsuit’s three defendants are Millersville Police chief Mark Palmer, assistant chief Dustin Carr, and the city of Millersville. Carr did not return The Daily Beast’s request for comment. Palmer stated that, although he would like to address the suit’s allegations, all comments must be directed through the city and its manager. Millersville’s city manager did not return requests for comment.

The case is not the first time Palmer and the city have faced a lawsuit from within their ranks. In 2015, two men who had previously been Millersville’s only Black officers sued Palmer and the city, alleging racial discrimination.

In their lawsuit, which was dismissed with prejudice in 2016, both men claimed Palmer had told each of them that “I don’t like n-----s.” One of the former officers, Anthony Hayes, claimed Palmer took him on an unexplained visit to a former KKK leader’s home, where Hayes “was subjected to an extended conversation in the presence of KKK memorabilia.” Hayes also accused Palmer of placing a copy of a KKK magazine in Hayes’ locker, with a sticky note that read “this was left for you—don’t let your subscription run out.” In their response to the lawsuit, the city denied the allegations against Palmer. (The plaintiffs included in their lawsuit an email from the city manager stating that Palmer would be disciplined in the magazine incident.)

The above photo is a stock photo. It is not intended to suggest any individual is directly involved with this report. Its use depicts the association and the ideology of closed mindedness, police associations are alleged of having when dealing with public groups.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Hayes and the other former officer, Brian McCartherenes, claimed to have been forced out of their posts after they accused the department of racism. Hayes claimed he was “forced to resign” following a punitive shift change. A police memo shows that McCartherenes was fired for alleged racist conduct, because he told a new Black officer that “at the end of the day, remember you are Black.”

“This KKK publication is not something you can go get at the library. You can’t go buy it at the 7/11. These publications are like, homemade...”

McCatherenes claimed he intended the statement as a warning about the risks of being a Black officer in a small town. That new officer was Joshua Barnes, one of the plaintiffs in the latest suit against Millersville’s police brass.

Barnes claims he soon encountered a culture of racism firsthand. Palmer called Black people “n-----s,” “monkeys,” and “animals,” Barnes alleges in his suit, adding that Palmer invoked racial stereotypes about Barnes “always want[ing] to get some fried chicken and watermelon.”

Barnes claims the legacy of Millersville’s previous Black officers lingered over his own employment. Assistant police chief Dustin Carr “informed Sgt. Barnes that Millersville did not want to hire Black people because they may sue the City ‘like Anthony [Hayes] and Brian [McCartherenes] did,’” the lawsuit alleges. Barnes claims the department hired only one other Black person during his tenure: an officer whom Palmer allegedly joked was related to O.J. Simpson. The officer lasted “a few months before he left out of frustration due to Mark Palmer’s racist comments,” the suit reads.

When Robert Black joined the force in June 2019, he had been unaware of its reputation. That changed quickly, he claims, when Palmer learned that Black’s son is biracial. The lawsuit claims Palmer expressed dissatisfaction with Black, telling another officer that “Robert is a little different. He’s not one of us.” When the other officer asked what Palmer meant, the chief allegedly replied “well you know, his kid and all… He’s just not one of us.”

Black told The Daily Beast that Palmer started treating him with hostility around the time of the alleged comments. Other Millersville officers also allegedly turned against Black. A female officer allegedly made repeated unwanted advances toward Black. At one point, according to the lawsuit, the officer allegedly grabbed Black’s genitals through his pants. When Black told the colleague to leave him alone, she allegedly responded “why? Because I’m not a n----r?”

Although Black claims to have reported his colleague, his supervisors allegedly refused to pursue the matter, with Carr allegedly making his own sexualized comments about Black. (Black told The Daily Beast that Carr gave the nickname “Tripod” in the office. “It made me feel very weird,” Black said, adding that other officers picked up on the name before he learned it was an innuendo.)

Carr, meanwhile, was facing other accusations of impropriety after he allegedly began a relationship with a Millersville woman who was charged, but never convicted, on multiple drug counts. Carr was married at the time. In April 2020, according to Barnes and Black’s lawsuit, Carr allegedly assaulted his wife when she accused him of infidelity. Carr began bringing his new partner into the office in May “much to the chagrin” of some officers, the lawsuit alleges.

What Happened When Cops Joined MAGA Hellsite Parler JUST LOOKING AROUND

That month marked another flashpoint for law enforcement. The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer set off nationwide protests, allegedly enraging Palmer. In the lawsuit, Barnes claims to have witnessed Palmer watching a video of a protest in Nashville, during which Palmer allegedly called the demonstrators “n-----s” and “animals.” “Let these motherfuckers come to my house,” the lawsuit claims Palmer said. “I’ll shoot ’em and string those fuckers up in my front yard.”

In August 2020, Nashville’s WSMV reported, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began investigating Carr for alleged domestic violence. (A TBI spokesperson told The Daily Beast the investigation into Carr “remains active and ongoing.”)

Barnes and Black allege that Carr and other police leadership became convinced that officers were leaking details to investigators. According to the lawsuit, and an October 2020 report by NewsChannel 5, Millersville Police pressured officers not to cooperate with the TBI investigation. “Chief Palmer berated Barnes about the ‘thin blue line,’ and the need to cover for other officers,” the lawsuit alleges.

But while Palmer allegedly warned officers against speaking to TBI officials, Black was ready to go public with a growing dossier of complaints. Following Palmer’s alleged remarks about Black’s son, Black had read up on Hayes’ and McCartherenes’ 2015 lawsuit, particularly Hayes’ account of finding a KKK magazine in his locker.

“This KKK publication is not something you can go get at the library. You can’t go buy it at the 7/11. These publications are like, homemade, produced on someone’s printing press. It’s hate literature,” Black told The Daily Beast.

The rarity of the publication, plus Palmer’s alleged field trip with Hayes to a former KKK house, led Black to suspect the police chief had current or former Klan ties of his own.

“You can’t find this anywhere,” Black said of the magazine. “That’s why I hit up BLM [Black Lives Matter] reps. I was like, ‘hey y’all…’”

“Nobody would listen to what was going on up there. Nobody cared.”

THAT WAS ABOUT TO CHANGE!

Black said that in September 2020, he made a pseudonymous Facebook page and began seeking out Nashville-area Black Lives Matter activists. “I started letting them know: hey guys, maybe you want to look into the police chief up here. It’s a small city and everyone’s so focused on Nashville. This guy was apparently in a KKK lawsuit by a Black cop five years ago.”

Find out how the story concludes. Visit the reports origin - where the author Kelly Weill - introduced the piece. The ending is worth the the click! Besides you have only a short - paragraph or two to go... Go to https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/kelly-weill and read the final paragraphs of this report. It is worth your time and take time to click on social media links so you can follow the story to keep tuned to future updates from Daily Beast concerning this story.

This piece is shared as a service groff-swintMedia.com llc™ galaxy8news.com a gathering of news, information, and unique perspectives from coast to coast, border to border, sea to shining sea, extending your voice, and those of others, into the galaxy. Visit and find your story there today! Galaxy8news.com

#black lives matter #blm ally #police brutality #protests over police officer shooting in minneapolis #anti kkk #kkk #hate prejudices #hate crime #hate #racial prejudice #prejudice #police crime #racial violence #black communities #black men #black families #asian hate crimes #hispanic lives matter #Hispanic hate crimes #hispanics #native american #indigenous #india #aclu #naacp #southern poverty law center

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 29 of 26

Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea (2020)

Author: TJ Klune

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Found Family, LGBT Protagonist, Third-Person 

Rating: 10/10

Date Began: 10/13/2020

Date Finished: 10/18/2020

Linus Baker, a forty-year-old caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth (DICOMY), lives a solitary and mundane life. But when he’s summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a top-secret case, everything changes. Linus is sent to the classified Marsyas Island and tasked with investigating an orphanage housing six dangerous magical children-- including the Antichrist. He is to live among the residents for one month, record his observations, and report back to the organization. No more, no less. 

The master of the house, Arthur Parnassus, is a mysterious and enigmatic man. But Linus soon learns that Arthur will do anything to protect his wards. As Linus grows closer to Arthur and the children, a secret from the past and prejudice of the present threaten to destroy the orphanage and their way of life. Linus must decide if he can abandon the world he knows in order to help the ones that need it the most. 

"Fire and ash!” Lucy bellowed as he paced back and forth. “Death and destruction! I, the harbinger of calamity will bring pestilence and plague to the people of this world. The blood of the innocents will sustain me, and you will all fall to your knees in benediction as I am your god.” 

He bowed. 

The children and Mr. Parnassus clapped politely. Theodore chirped and spun in a circle. 

Linus gaped. 

“That was a lovely story, Lucy,” Mr. Parnassus said. “I especially liked your use of metaphors. Keep in mind that pestilence and plague are technically the same thing, so it did get a little repetitious at the end, but other than that, quite impressive. Well done.” 

Minor spoilers and content warning(s) under the cut. 

Content warnings for the book: Semi-detailed discussions of child abuse and trauma. Internalized fatphobia (challenged). Structural discrimination, and hatred/prejudice associated with that, some of it internalized. 

I'm going to have a hard time reviewing this book, because it was so goddamn good I don’t think I’ll do it justice in a few short paragraphs. So here’s the fast version: The House in the Cerulean Sea was a fucking delight to read from the first page. It’s full of genuine humor, magic, and charm, while being just this side of heart-wrenching. Though geared toward adults, it’s the first novel I’ve read in a long time that captures that childlike enthusiasm I used to have when reading a good fantasy book. It takes place in a world with magic (obviously), but it’s 98% character-driven. Both the main plot and the (queer!) romantic subplot are woven together so well that neither feel tacked on or lacking. The found family hit me in the emotions again and again and again. I read books out loud, and I spent the last third of this book struggling because I kept fucking crying and having to take regular breaks before continuing. And then I went through the whole book to find a good quote for this review and ended up fucking crying again. So yeah. 

Ok. Got that off my chest. Usually in these reviews I talk about what I liked and then what didn't work for me or confused me. The good news (?) is I have zero complaints or critiques on this one. So you just get to hear me gushing about it for a while.  

Since this is a character-driven book that’s where I’ll start. Linus Baker, the protagonist, is great. Let me just say I love speculative fiction books starring older characters. At forty, Linus isn’t old, but it feels like the majority of spec fic stars people under thirty. Linus is also a conspicuously ordinary guy; prim and proper to a fault, no magic, oblivious in many ways (including to his own loneliness), but with a hidden sense of justice and protectiveness for people that comes out more and more. His development over the course of the novel and how much he grows to love and care for the other characters is just so good. The writing draws attention to this through repeated phrases and jokes one doesn’t expect to make a comeback (more on that later). Seeing him come out of his shell and stand up for what’s right is cathartic as hell. As a side note, it’s also nice to have a fat protagonist who struggles with his self-image but gets warm affirmation and support from his family and love interest. 

Arthur Parnassus, the deuteragonist and said love interest, is more of an enigma. A lot of his motivation and behavior makes sense once you get his Tragic Backstory (TM), and I think this will be a fun book to reread based on that. I picked up on some of it before the reveal, but not everything. But without spoiling it, I do love seeing an older (mid-forties) father figure who would do literally anything to make sure the children on the island have the care and love they need. Seeing his patient love and acceptance of them tugs my heartstrings. Maybe I’m a bit of a sap. Linus and Arthur’s obvious mutual crush on each other is also really cute, okay. There’s something about older queer people finding love that makes me smile. 

And the children are great too, of course. I really liked each of them and thought they were all unique and interesting. My favorites are probably Lucy the six-year-old Antichrist, Sal the were-Pomeranian (his arc just really hit home for me), and Talia the gnome. They all have such distinct and fun personalities, and seeing them interact is great and often hilarious. I’m not very paternal, but I love seeing children with sad/abusive pasts blossom into their best selves with love, guidance, and support. It’s uh, a little personal. I’d be remiss not to mention Zoe, the resident island sprite, who brings a whole lot of personality and rounds off the group. 

When I say the story is character-driven, I mean it. While a fantasy novel, there’s not any significant violence or action in the story (except for maybe one scene if you squint). The House in the Cerulean Sea is carried by its characters, interactions, and worldbuilding. The humor and inherent charm helps too -- and manages to do so without ever feeling trite. I can’t help but admire that. I was never bored; I honestly enjoyed every page because I liked the characters so much. Not to say there isn’t an overarching conflict with the whole DICOMY thing, but most of the focus is Linus struggling and coming to terms with his discoveries-- about the others and himself, and how he can make a difference on a grand scale. To me that kind of stuff is captivating. And boy does seeing someone find the place they belong get me. As I said, found family is a big thing in this book. 

Aside from that, the writing is just super; it literally had me laughing from the first page. I can’t believe the fucking lemur joke came back at the end, too. But on that subject, I love that this book utilizes recurring jokes and phrases to show Linus’ character development. In particular, “see something, say something” and “don’t you wish you were here?” have VERY specific meanings to Linus at the beginning of the story, and over time transform into the polar opposite. I’m  holding myself back because I don’t want to spoil shit, but if you read it you’ll see what I mean. There’s also a lot of meaningful callbacks to certain dialogue earlier in the story and I eat that kind of stuff up. But even small details, like the early quip about Linus forgetting his umbrella, come back to deliver an emotional gutpunch near the end. So thanks for that, Mr. Klune. 

The book really takes a turn in the second half of the story, which is a tad darker. Avoiding the Actual Spoilers, this is where prejudice and hatred of the outside world become a bigger part of the story. We learn what’s really at stake, and that this wonderful found family in the first half is threatened by a world that hates and fears them. Boy does that shit get emotional REAL quick. Yes the allegory is obvious. No, that’s not a bad thing. Ultimately, The House in the Cerulean Sea becomes a story about love, hope, and change; and boy does that shit strike my gay little heart right where it hurts. 

If you’re looking for a (literal) magical pick-me-up (ignore my comment about crying a whole lot) with INTENSE found family vibes and a side helping of queer mlm romance, dear God read The House in the Cerulean Sea. I don’t think I did it justice in this review; just trust me, it’s real good. My only complaint is that it ends; I want more, damn it! 

#taylor reads #2020 reading challenge #BONUS ROUND #10/10 #i added content warnings right under the cut. idk if i will do that consistently but why not #anyway this book wrecked me

[alianoralacanta]

hi (this is no hate, just wanting to educate you) I saw your comment about not liking the word 'idiot' because its ableist ?

calling some one an idiot is not meant as an ableist comment. an ableist by definition is 'discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities and/or people who are perceived to be disabled' while calling someone an 'idiot' is an 'insult towards anyone perceived as incompetent at doing something'.

I'm not making any assumptions about your life or yourself in particular, but my brother suffers from mental retardation hence I would get offended or say people are making ableist comments when saying the 'r slur'. but calling someone an 'idiot' or 'stupid' is not ableist comment so please don't spread false info or make false claims because it is not productive use of advocacy for the disabled community.

but still if you feel I am in the wrong feel free to correct m, cheers ❤️

Trigger warning: discussion of ableist insults follows, along with material some people threatened with deprivation of liberty may find distressing. "Idiot" is ableist regardless of the intent of the speaker. Not everyone has the privilege of having only been called it as a phatic insult. Some of us have had the entire course of our lives (up to and including whether we were likely to be alive to have this conversation) changed depending on whether someone else thought we looked intelligent or otherwise. And the speaker didn't always know that was how their words were being treated. * - Phatic: a word used that isn't carrying any of the literal intent of the sentence, but is there for structural reasons. In the case we're discussing, the sentence really meant "I think that was wrong and the other driver shouldn't have done it", and the insult (which could have been any insult, and did not have to be that specific type) existed to carry the emotional heft of the sentence, rather than any meaning. With no insult at all, the emotional structure of the sentence would have collapsed - but any insult could have worked as structure). For anyone who did not guess from the previous paragraphs, one of the people whose lives was changed by the presence or absence of such labelling was me. I was allowed to go to mainstream school because I happened to have certain signifiers that made some observers think that I was "not stupid". Some doctors noted those comments and interpreted what they saw of me in that light (it was actually written on my case notes). Some other people with the same extent of disability as me had the signs of their intelligence missed, got comments that they were "stupid" or words to that effect, got sent to over-restrictive environments and... ...let's say not all of them would have survived to their mid-30s like I have. Nor did those environments teach the interoception I needed to survive that far myself. There are a number of words that are used in similar situations as "stupid". Some of them - the three used to grade that general category by Binet in 1911 (of which "idiot" is one, and the other two are "imbecile" and "moron" - ordered from lowest IQ to highest) and the alternate general category name (the "r-slur" are recognised by doctors as synonymous. I discovered this in secondary school, where people started calling me all these things, the powers-that-be started believing them, and I ended up threatened with restrictive environments again. Despite having among the highest marks in the school, having friends and managing about as well as a chronically-bullied student could expect. "Idiot" as an insult got used to attempt to put me on that life-endangering course, and none of the people who had spoken it had intended - or understood - that type of danger. Not even the ones who actually meant the insult as more than a phatic concept. (That these things happen in 2021 is less surprising to those who know that the original use of such terms in the 1910s was to judge which children shouldn't receive any education at all. Or that in the 1920s and 1930s, it was used to decide which children should be sterilised or murdered. The danger only ended when I was 17, had to get an official IQ test (descendent of those super-high-stakes tests) to enter an athletic competition (long story) and got a three-figure number. At that point, the authorities legally couldn't treat me as someone with low IQ, however many people called me names. But at times, it came close to nobody ever producing that paperwork, and me simply being treated in a life-threatening way due to suspected low IQ. It made me consider how people in those situations were endangered because people thought it was OK to use insults aimed at low IQ, and how utterly unsuited the test was to finding out anyone's intelligence regarding anything in particular. Thus, I know "idiot" is an ableist comment regardless of the speaker's intent through long and bitter experience. You might not see how using it in a racing context might cause any

problems, but drivers' careers have already been damaged, and occasionally destroyed, on less powerful beliefs. Maybe no driver will ever find themselves in a psych ward or secure school due to a rival throwing an insult, but planting insults associated with such places into people's minds carries risk to them, too. (Also to those of us who get such insults thrown at them, because it encourages others to do the same - and most people aren't as protected from the consequences of such ideas as racing drivers). Anon, I hope you have learned something from this. Your brother needs you to protect him from those people using intelligence-based insults of all varieties, not just the ones society has deemed fashionable to ban. Foosplaining a member of the disability community (one who's been the target of such insults with intent and not mere phatic to boot) is not the answer - making a more positive environment, to help everyone have a good life regardless of IQ.

#tw ableism #tw psychiatry #tw secure schools #tw idiot #tw moron #tw imbecile #disability advocacy #intelligence-based insults have a vicious history #which plays out in the present #please do not use intelligence-based insults of any description #not even the ones not invented yet because that prevents the euphemism treadmill

[klahadores]

a lot of white women in dbh fandom either fetishize white gay men. or sometimes they write these tone deaf self insert fics. usually depicting a white human lady who feels sorry for androids, showing how 'woke' she is by quoting mlk or nelson mandela or some other black person. it's like some of these people don't get how offensive it was for david cage to exploit the struggles of black people and they don't care either. they just want to fuck the white cop robot.

asjkdsajkld GO AHEAD KING STEP ON THIS PLATFORM BABEYYY! TAKE EVERYONE PRISONER!! LEAVE NO ONE LEFT ALIVE!!!

a lot of the fandom keep forgetting that their foundation is build on david cage’s exploitation of black people’s trauma, jewish people’s trauma, and profits off history that isn’t for him to tell. whenever a white person thinks they’re saying something by creating stories and films where “imaginary” characters are substitutes for marginalized people (ex. netflix’s “bright” and amazon prime’s “carnival row”). fairies, elves, and orcs go through a type of discrimination that is a lot like racism because of who they are, how they look, and how they are perceived as “other”. this is just a way for white people to digest the meaning of racism but it’s also incredibly harmful because it gives the perception that this doesn’t happen at all today when in reality, it is...and people are dying because of it. gosh not to get emotional but i was rewatching some of dbh because there was a mod for it and just...the way that this game is echoing a lot of what’s happening right now is just...it’s horrible! how can y’all demonize a violent revolution?? how dare a white person think that violence isn’t the answer when there is literal violence coming from the opposing side. then there’s the whole fucking fist symbol, the “i can’t breathe” shit, the “we have a dream”, the “hands up, don’t shoot”...literally getting sick thinking about how the game got away with so much shit and no one batted a fucking eyelash.

seriously, you really did capture this whole fandom in a nutshell. it’s incredibly frustrating when at the end of the day, the only thing the fandom walks away with from playing/watching the game is that connor is hot, nothing else. everyone’s attention is only drawn to connor’s storyline where they only care about him and the characters within his little world. it’s mainly white people (specifically white women) who are out here drooling over hankcon and reed900 as if gay men are some sort of sideshow attraction and say that they care about gay people when they don’t. even with rk1k, the ship between markus and connor, there are some works and fanart that depict a lot of racial stereotypes of markus and that shit ain’t right. people make fanfiction for stale side white characters and for what purpose? why can’t y’all think of headcanons for josh, a history university lecturer who definitely knows that history is repeating itself. what about rose and her son adam? why can’t y’all expand on her story and actually explore why she got into helping androids the that she does? and above all, why don’t y’all white stannies DESPISE markus? he is the literal at the center of dbh, this is his story...how are y’all just gonna brush him aside because you think he’s “boring”? this is not only the fault of DC but also the entire fandom. i have seen fandom literally create a character’s whole ass backstory, complete with fears and wants and dreams, for a side character that doesn’t fucking matter. trust if gavin was actually a man of color, he would be hated and cancelled. if hank was a man of color, he wouldn’t be forgiven for his past prejudices. hell, if connor was a man of color, y’all would NOT be this way with him...that’s on racism.

i did wanted to make this a separate paragraph because as a lot of y’all know, i used (maybe still..who knows) to write for dbh and i have seen firsthand the type of fics you described. the reader is either described as having the same prejudice as hank towards androids or the reader thinks “androids rights!” but it’s so base level activism and fake woke. like come on, girly, i don’t give a shit if you educated yourself by reading things, now what are you gonna do with the knowledge? how are you going to help this population? have you checked your own biases? then...that kinda gets to another thing where it drives me bananas thinking that white authors will write the reader as not having any sympathy towards androids...like what about us people of color who hurt alongside with them? who know what it’s like? it’s so vile to think that an author could write a reader to be so uncaring...it comes from a privileged place and that’s why i literally hate the self-insert dbh fandom. there is no representation whatsoever and whenever something is marketed as “neutral”, it never really is if the reader doesn’t care about androids. if the reader is actually written as neutral and to be “woke”, it’s a big ole bruh moment when they be like “why can’t we all get along :(” like fuck off!! we can’t get along because we still got a fucking police state, racist people in the streets, and the literal production of servants of color WHO STAND AT THE BACK OF THE BUS!! what is the reader doing about it? what are their biases? what are their privileges, if any? that’s why there’s not a single reader insert that is truly “neutral” because we know racism hasn’t been eradicated in the year 2038 (despite what rose said y’all KNOW that shit is deeply rooted and if the same establishments are still in place in detroit, we know racism hasn’t left) so we know that there will still be discrimination towards people of color. we can’t have neutral readers when writing in the dbh universe because that shit goes hand in hand. people of color, more so women of color, are gonna be far more sympathetic/empathetic towards androids and their cause than white people because they see a lot of themselves in them.

that’s why i tried to write for latinx readers while i was actively in the dbh fandom as a way to get the fandom into diversifying the reader. i have been incredibly vocal on my writing blog about these issues and though i was overwhelmed with love, support, and praise, i still wasn’t seeing the change the fandom promised to do. i was still seeing the same white reader being advertised as “neutral” ...and it hurt. neutral readers can’t provide the much needed nuances to discuss racism and discrimination about androids (since they symbolize black people/people of color do not argue this) because there needs to be a deeper understanding. yes, i have some privileges where i haven’t experienced half the shit others have experienced and i am not the spokesperson for people of color everywhere but i just know that we can no longer write neutral readers anymore when it comes to shit like this. it’s like when y’all right for 1940s!bucky barnes, you know damn well a woman of color would NOT be treated fairly during that time. that’s the nuance. you must be able to have the room to talk about it because then the work of fiction caters to white women. out of sight, out of mine and they go back to fucking connor. honestly, clown behavior.

no more “being hank’s daughter”, “gavin reed’s sister”, “reader that doesn’t care about androids/doesn’t believe in rights for androids” and other bullshit like that. society has progressed past being associated with white people!! fuck that shit xx

#ask #dbh #detroit: become human #mama mia i wrote a lot bye #Anonymous

[canadianherbe]

Where to Begin with Cannabis Education

With growing popularity for cannabis especially during this Covid epidemic, It got me thinking about my own and others introduction to this hobby, and moreso what a brand new introduction to an industry like cannabis looks like today. With years of media like Cheech and Chong movies & Bob Marley music, growing/breeding, a whole biological system of; the plant, your body and how they come together, the legality of cannabis and the historic discrimination that comes with it, to just introducing yourself to the plant and taking the time to learn how to enjoy it like a fine vintage wine. Where is the starting point for someone new, or for someone old that has never taken the time to understand what they were smoking, we've all have those times where if it's green and can be lit that's all you need to know.

Really the simple answer to this question is to start where you enjoy, the more extensive an area is the easier it is to find something for you. For myself my family comes from a small farming/fishing village so at first I gravitated towards growing and caring for plants and I think that's generally a good starting point Swami Chaitanya one of the old names in cannabis said “The only way to truly experience in its totality is through the flower” in a YouTube series I highly recommend called High Rollers where they speak to prominent figures in the industry, like growers and judges for cannabis competitions and they dive into “Exploring the finer points of cannabis”. Swami meant this in the context of starting to smoke but it's a really good point, agriculture and going to the source of where cannabis products really come from, starting from the seed can seem like the natural place to start. My own suggestions are to learn about the anatomy of the plant, how strains can grow differently (strains are their own whole other area to talk about later), breeding old strains into new ones and what could be said for every suggestion, YouTube. It helps that there is such a large social community for growing cannabis, at home DIY growers on YouTube is a beautifully large community that can be interesting to watch for someone new and incredibly useful for someone stepping from education to putting it into practice like growing your own little plants on your window.

Of course learning about growing is all well and good for most anyone who has been somewhat formally introduced to cannabis, but taking a step into this community takes one, much more important step first, actually learning how to smoke. I remember my first times. Ah the memories, taking chambered hits out of a home made bong because I didn't even know how to smoke from one, even if I did it's not like I could handle it my first time anyway. One of the biggest hurdles for me when I started smoking was figuring out how to take in smoke from a joint just into the mouth and then inhaling, it might just be me but don't you think explaining to a brand new smoker how to use your lungs and where to put your tongue, distributing air between your nose and mouth can actually be an interesting challenge. All little things that can come naturally now and eventually through perseverance should come naturally in their own time for anyone is a hurdle at the start. Making it an interesting enough place as a starting point and literally where you're going to have to start from.

Further weather you're smoking something rolled or from a bong it might be good to learn a bit about the product you're using to elevate your high. For rolling different products stuff like glass filters and things to help you roll, especially for a beginner if you struggle to roll but enjoy a joint, a cone filler can be an incredibly useful thing to look into. Likewise for something like a bong you could be forgiven for thinking it's quite simple to learn the hard part being how to hold all that smoke in. Really a bong is just a hollow tube with flower in it, in another hollow tube with water in it. Buying a new bong Isn't just about finding one in your colours, bongs can have lots of accessories and features to (again), really elevate that high. The easy to understand stuff is simple, figuring out things like how big you want your bong, and what I think should be a more controversial topic; weather you want a bowl that pulls out, or a carb hole on the side of your bong. Meaning that in the 3 stages of smoking a bong; lighting, chambering, clearing, when you clear the bong you want free airflow into it so your inhaling isn't just slowly pulling smoke or ashy air inwards through a tiny blocked hole. You can do this by either removing the bowl opening that down stem up or uncovering the carb hole in the side of your bong you've been covering with your finger while taking the smoke in. That's something really simple that probably didn't warrant even that long of an explanation but one that needed to be made so you can choose a side in this what I want to become, greatly controversial topic. Something good and slightly more complicated is choosing the right bong with the right percolator(s) for you. Like I said you could be forgiven for thinking of a bong as just two hollow tubes, something thankfully much more popular now are parts of the bong that help disturb the smoke in your bong as it comes up to help filter it more, making a smoother and cleaner hit without sacrificing as much of the high as you'd think. And doing it while making your bong action look much nicer in the process, some even making your bong water swirl like a tornado. The simplest to understand being the honeycomb percolator, it's just that, it's a honeycomb pattern in your bong the water and smoke has to pass through breaking up the smoke and letting the water do more of its job. Really what I'm saying here is A good place to start learning is with product knowledge, what's in your local weed store? Not just things you smoke from but things to make the whole process easier, smoother and sometimes more colourful. Hopefully they'll even have a muchies and media corner where you can get food and films stoner friendly and approved.

The thing that will change your high the most (second in my opinion only to how you take it E.g edibles) is the strain you're working with and this is something you'll probably want to be learning even before the first time you smoke. Understanding the ungodly amount of  different strains each giving you a different high and important to note how they differently effect your body. For example cannabis can be a great anti-inflammatory but different strains will do this better than others, so if you're not just partaking for recreation, it's important to find what strains are for you and your individual particular needs. If you've spent time round cannabis but never paid too much attention to it in the more recent years, the single most important development I can tell you here is that sativa being an energetic high, and indica being in da' couch might have been enough of a way to explain the effects a few years ago but now, It's all about terpenes. Basically terpenes are found in all kinds of plants, and what they do is give off different scent profiles. For example you might want to take a guess at what limonene is in, and what it might smell like.  Limonene is what gives citrus fruits their smell, in things like lemons and oranges, that's how you can get strains that smell and taste of all sorts of things. Now what this has to do with indica and sativa? when you dive deep into it terpenes can get quite complicated, but on the surface what you have is each terpene, and each combination of terpenes, and each combination of terpenes in slightly different proportions can slightly and radically change both your high and your medical effects. Limonene in cannabis works as an anti-fungal and to help treat mood disorders, enhancing your mood whereas the terpene caryophyllene is more associated with pain relief and anti-inflammatory effects. Learning terpenes and common terpene profiles you'll often find in cannabis will open your world to choosing a strain for any occasion. And better yet it'll save you from having to figure out why that indica you smoked has you bouncing off the walls.

Each topic you have here on their own could be a specialist subject that you could delve deeper and deeper into, some you'll stumble across at the right time on your own, others I've seen slip past people for years. All this being said and there is still things to discuss like the general history of cannabis and the legal history that I find is far too serious to be left as a paragraph in an oversimplification of cannabis. In final, get high and learn what you want, the truth is out there.

#cannabis #weed #marijuana #cannabis education #budtender #educational #stoner #terpene #terpenes #indica #sativa #bong #joint #strain #strains

[queermediastudies]

Call Me By Your Name: A new attempt for queer movies

Call me by your name is a queer film directed by Luca Guadagnino, starring Timothy Chalamet, Amy Hammer, and Michael Stuba, in January 2017 It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States on the 22nd. The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Andre Acimon, and tells the story of a 24-year-old American doctoral student Oliver who met 17-year-old Elio in Italy, and the two developed an ambiguous relationship. In November 2017, the film won the Best Picture of the 27th Gotham Independent Film Awards; on November 29 of the same year, it was selected as the top ten films of 2017 by the British "Empire" magazine; in December of the same year, it was awarded the 2017 Tenth Film Institute Best video. On February 12, 2018, the film won the American Screenwriter Guild Award for Best Screenplay in the category of film; on March 5 of the same year, it won the 90th Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. The story takes place on the Italian Riviera in the 1980s. The sudden love is like a wild beast running out of the forest, grabbing the body and mind of 17-year-old Elio. He fell in love with Oliver, an American doctoral student who was 6 years older than him and came to Italy to travel. The two were fascinated, hesitant, and tempted towards each other, allowing their passions to burst out, and they achieved a first love that lasted only six weeks. This beautiful summer love left an indelible mark on the hearts of the two. The performance that really stood out in the film came from 21-year-old Chalamet. He played Elio has many "firsts" in the film. He doesn't have too many lines, but Chalamé uses his own facial and body language to transform this character into a character that everyone can understand at a glance. people. The last few minutes of the film without a line of dialogue is a rare close-up shot of Elio in the film. This shot is very attractive. The chemical reaction between the men is obvious, but more importantly, the two actors can convey the complex feelings, expectations, and ideas between the characters without opening their mouths. This movie is one of my favorite movies all the time. After learning some queer theory and LGBTQ knowledge, I think I can analyze and deconstruct this movie from a more professional perspective.

After watching this movie, the first thing I thought of was the intersection of culture and queer issues. Sexuality does not exist alone. It is integrated with society, culture, religion, education, etc. It involves different content of knowledge and social factors. Intersectionality helps us understand the diversity and complexity of identities, and allows us to examine issues more comprehensively. Just like Ahmed mentioned in 2006: "After all, both queer studies and phenomenology involve diverse intellectual and political histories" (p.5). Although the whole film does not describe how homosexuals are discriminated against, Struggling with one's own sexual orientation, there is no race, and the shackles and constraints of the social system need to be broken, but the cultural background that the director vaguely expresses through the lens language is differently ignored. One of the most direct is that Oliver wears a six-pointed star pendant around his neck: a symbol of Jews. Here, the freedom from the United States collides with the conservativeness of Italy. As we have shown, the queer problem is impossible to put aside everything that exists independently, even without political and social factors. In addition, the film also incorporates the question of queer into the discussion of the family framework. In the film, Elio has a pair of enlightened parents. The mother's understanding and father's enlightenment made this ignorant and beautiful relationship not a shadow in Elio's heart, but a treasure in his life. I like his father’s words at the end of the film the most: "How you live your life is your business, Just remember our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once." Elliot is happy, and his mother knows what he wants, What he likes, his father knows his inner struggle and suffering, and he lives in an open family. In the previous class, I remembered that in the video Mia showed us, it was mentioned that many queer groups lived carefully in the last century and did not dare to let friends or family members know their "secrets". From this point, we can compare the importance of family in the queer problem, which is an issue about understanding and tolerance.

Another point I want to focus on is not the content of the movie itself, but the market and audience that the movie faces. "However, within television, audiences matter – a lot. In particular, the imagination of audiences matters because demographics determine which advertisers might be interested in shilling their wares in the spaces between the narrative" (Alfre & Martin, 2018, p.1) The film is a sophisticated work. The director has mastered his own high-speed editing and eye-catching close-up style. The rhythm of the film is very suitable for the hot Italian summer in the film. The details of the film are very special. The trust and power of the characters in the film will make ordinary audiences who are not familiar with it feel very rich. It is this kind of film craftsmanship that will let people know that the film can create resonance from an almost spiritual perspective. According to Doty (1993), "Queer" is a practiced mass culture, which is accepted and shared by different audiences to varying degrees (p.2). This film is not limited to LGBTQ groups, it is more like a movie of the same kind A new attempt to allow a more diverse audience to find a microcosm of their own life from the emotional development of the protagonist to the regretful ending. It is not only that the audience group is not defined, it is a diversified process from production to presentation. "'Queer'" can be used to describe an authorial voice, a character, a mode of textual production, and/or various types of representation practice. Filmmakers, forms, and audiences-not necessarily identified as gay or lesbian-can rather be understood as queer" (Benshoff & Griffin, 2004, p.2). As this sentence says, this movie is no longer a queer main movie in its own sense. What it wants to present to the audience is just a paragraph A beautiful and slightly regretful love story.

And in the following part, I would like to share some of my personal views and comments on the film.Before I saw this film, I only felt that the title of this film was very sentimental. Although I knew it was a story about the same sex and had won numerous awards, I was not particularly interested this time because I was disappointed in Carol first. I thought, alas, maybe another film won the award by relying on the same sex stunt.But after watching the movie, my heart was calm for a long time.Should this relationship in the movie be called sweet or regrettable?It's sweet because you have a wonderful and romantic time together.Sadly, it was clear that the relationship was not going to last, as Oliver's holiday was over and the couple were likely to be separated for the rest of their lives.Alas, sad romance ah.In the scene at the train station, the director handles it with great restraint. The two men don't even speak, just a deep hug. Then Elio smiles and watches Oliver get on the train.Elio struggled, and his grief manifested itself when he finally called home, crying and asking his mother to come pick him up.Seeing this paragraph, I already shed tears.People in love generally hope to be together all the time, but separation, often bring is tore heart crack lung pain.In the film, Elio's pain was also restrained. Maybe in front of his mother, Elio had to restrain his emotion, but because of the pain of separation, he could not cry, but could only twist his face into a lump. I have to say that the director showed the character's emotion perfectly.I want to say, Elio was still very happy, he came back home, my father said to him the meaning of a passage, it is the world 90% of the parents could not have said, he told Elio, do you have a wonderful friendship, perhaps more than friendship, you may now pain, sad, but don't let this feeling disappear, not to mention there have been happy.What a waste it is for us not to feel in order not to feel.I think it was a great comfort to Elio that their relationship was validated, that it was real, and that even though they weren't together, the joy they had would make this summer memorable.This reminds me of a sentence we learned at that time: "Het Culture think of itself as the elemental form of human Association, as the very model of inter-gender relations, as the indivisible basis of all community,And as the means of reproduction without which society wouldn't exist "(Warner, 1993, p.21).This film shows us that the beauty and simplicity of relationships should not be mixed into the so-called mission of reproduction.Love this abstract thing is unrelated to gender, just a warm attraction between two people.

"Do you mean what I think you mean?" The tone of the whole film is like these dialogues, full of ambiguity, whether day or night. Two shy people fell in love and started a classic couple life. However, there was no banquet that would never end. Oliver had to go. The night before parting, Elio saw Oliver dancing with the stranger on the road, squatting down and vomiting violently. Vomit is not only because he is unable to drink, but also because he is about to part with you. He sings and dances with strangers to his heart's content. You are like an outsider. The person you love deeply, like Mount Fuji, doesn't belong to you, and then the miserable heart quickly vomites out. The next day, the platform whistle, two people smile goodbye, the train left, take away your favorite person, you finally can't help but wipe a tear, crying in the place he can't see. At this time, he called his mother to pick her up. His mother comforted him in the car. When he got home, his father boiled chicken soup for him to drink. He felt sorry for his parents. Father's several bowls of chicken soup, the child immediately stopped crying, and even lit up hope, the professor is really not a fuel-efficient lamp. Two years later, on Hanukkah, it was winter in the small town. Frozen ponds, withered fruit trees, and heavy snow all implied the tragic fate of the hero. Elio received a phone call from Oliver, like an old friend, "I'm going to get married." then there was a classic blessing. I was numb to see. I didn't know that the screenwriter even asked Elio to say "Elio" six times. I admit that A few words almost tears, and then Oliver's soft call "Oliver", I knew the story began to point. There was a light in the eyes of the boy by the fire, but I believe he was happy at that moment because I felt the same. "Queerness is not so much a stable, clearly defined sexual orientation as it is a way of seeing and experiencing the world" (Ruberg&Phillps, 2018). This film gives me a totally different way of experiencing and seeing events. If Jack in Brokeback Mountain is warm and cheerful, and Ennis is is silent, two people forced by life fall in love on Brokeback Mountain, and eventually Yin and yang are separated. This is the real world. Then Call Me By Your Name is more like a hazy poem in the sunshine. It is a new attempt to integrate queer and the film industry. It makes people ignore the cruelty of reality and social system, and only devote themselves to the beautiful world brought by movies.

References:

1. Ahmed, S. (2006). Queer phenomenology: Orientations, objects, others. Duke University Press.

2. Doty, A. (1993). Making things perfectly queer: Interpreting mass culture. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

3. Alfred, L. & Martin, Jr. (2018). Pose(r): Ryan Murphy, Trans and Queer of Color Labor, and the Politics of Representation. LA Review of Books. URL: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/poser-ryan-murphy-trans-queer-color-labor-politics-representation/

4. Benshoff, H. M., & Griffin, S. (Eds.). (2004). Queer cinema: The film reader. Psychology Press.

5. Warner, M., & Social Text Collective. (1993). Fear of a queer planet: Queer politics and social theory. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

6. Ruberg, B., Phillips, A., Pozo, T., Stone, K., & Youngblood, J. (2018). -Queerness and Video Games Not Gay as in Happy: Queer Resistance and Video Games (Introduction). Game Studies, 18(3).

#call me by my name #queer #queer movie

[ljw-art]

not to be controversial... but

the fact that such a substantial amount of Japanese poeple deny their government’s historical discrimination against Chinese and Korean citizens, their use of “comfort women”, and even participation in (or rather, its initiation of) the Nanjing massacre/genocide is deeply concerning

i bring it up for having read this article and seen coverage on NHK News

the gist of it is that an artists work was pulled from an exhibition for referencing, even in such a gentle and unnassuming depiction, a comfort girl (or ‘ainfu’) — aka, a woman during wartimes (often Korean or Chinese, for Japanese troops) who was taken (mostly against their will) as sex workers / sex slaves by soldiers during wartime (not only by Japanese troops; this was a practice used by cultures across the world for thousands of years, of course. Women being treated and objectified through history as “comforting” sex objects is by no means exclusive to Japan)

right-wing politics and imperialist attitudes in Japan are something that have really fascinated me over the past few years, as a subject matter — while studying animation in college i even focused on it in my presentation on post-WW2 effects on Japanese media and the extremeties of politics on each side

and this? this is not encouraging. Not one bit.

i’m at least happy to report that it seems as though Japan is seemingly leaning towards the centre-right scale of politics at the moment as far as its general public goes. The general public seems open and gentle towards foreigners, even those who belong to cultures they have historically been hostile towards, or who have been hostile towards the Japanese...

but i have to take note of those opinions that are discriminatory

in my literal first five hours in Tokyo, in the early hours of last wednesday, i went out to get some food after my long trip from Scotland

and i met a man (his name was Tanaka), a relatively well-practiced English speaker, who was asking what drew me to Japan. I cited its historical significance, my curiosity over the isolation of its culture, so on and so on. Then he asked me what places in Japan i would like to see most of all. I stated my usuals — Tokyo was one of the last places i intended to stay, i’m just here for the Tokyo Game Show. The places i would really love to visit for the richness of their cultures and their histories and landscapes, are Osaka, Fukoaka, and (above all else) Kyoto...

then i mentioned Hokkaido...

“Hokkaido? Why Hokkaido?”

“not only is the island beautiful, but the culture of the Ainu people is incredibly humbling,” i say, “their traditions are deeply immersed in a certain type of respect for nature and coexistence.” This is something i relate to, with my religious practices, as a history lover and pantheist. “I would love to have some insight into how they live in the modern age, in a rapidly evolving Japan”

now to the best of my ability im gonna quote this... as accurately as i can remember, Tanaka goes on to tell me; 

“You do not want to meet Ainu. They are like savages in American cowboy movies, and they are very dirty. You should stay in Tokyo. People here are clean, and we are more proud to be Japanese.”

now that outlook didnt impact me IMMENSELY, since i’m so foreign to this culture, to these politics, to this social climate, even with my past research... But it did stick with me and it made me think a LOT, considering the fact that i know how disheartening, unsettling, and even frightening it feels to be outcast and labelled as “savage” and “dirty” and “unpatriotic”, as a left-leaning, mixed-race Scotswoman with a Diné (Navajo) native-american name

now going back to that article?

there are Japanese who are so deeply in denial of the historic war crimes committed by their troops between WW1 and WW2, that there is a minority who are even willing to send death threats to artists for simply acknowledging the existence of the victims of these crimes

*** One of the faxes it received read, “I will bring a gasoline container to the museum,” which drew associations with the recent deadly arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio, according to Omura.

( i would also like to briefly acknowledge my deepest regrets and support for Kyoto Animation’s studios; Hearing about the fire that day was devestating — and if it was devestating for me, i cannot begin to imagine how the friends and families of the victims must be suffering from the aftermath )

if this paragraph doesn’t speak VOLUMES about the state of right-wing extremism in Japan, i really, truly do not know what could. Yet somehow, the world is... unsettlingly quiet, in its acknowledgment of Japan’s political climate.

That silence is directly affecting the basic rights of Japanese artists, the depiction and integrity of Japanese history, and by proxy, the freedom of speech of artists reflecting on the history of Japan and its relative cultures, and its neighbouring countries

this breed of nationalism, whether originating in Japan or anywhere else... it has to be recognised, and approached with caution

that’s all i got tonight, folks...

#tw_slavery / #tw_rape / #tw_sexual assault / #tw_genocide

#NHK world #nhkworld #tokyo 2019 #political art #history #historical art #commentary #japan

[yourflixfix]

Lilia Cuntapay, Keeping it Reel

Written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone is a 2011 film Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay which is starring Lilia Cuntapay portraying the role of herself. When Lilia Cuntapay got multiple supporting roles after her debut in the 1990 film Shake, Rattle & Roll 2, she turned out to be far too well-known for being in horror movies that other people would opt to not hire her because of it. And that is why for a very long time, she was bound to constantly play as a bit-player or an extra. Despite being stereotyped as the actress who took on characters such as ghouls, ghosts, and all scary roles of that sort, Lilia Cuntapay managed to have her name be known and not just her face, for something she so loved and worked hard for. This mockumentary spiraled around the behind-the-camera life of a bit-player like herself, and emphasizing its harsh reality too which is not something everyone knows.

For so many years, degree of separation is an idea that researchers are trying to account for, that it actually stretches back to a 1969 study by researchers Stanley Migram and Jeffrey Travers. The idea of degrees of separation being a theory is known to contend that all people are linked to each other one way or another. This concept was said to be popularized by the 1990 play by John Guare which was turned into a film after a few years. It may seem impossible that we are chained by acquaintances with someone else we do not think that we are ever going to cross in our lives with, but it is in fact, quite possible. Later on, this idea has been taken up to a notch in 1994 by students at Pennsylvania Albright College who invented the game Six Degrees of Separation with Kevin Bacon, in which the context was to associate every film actor to Kevin Bacon in six cast lists or less. We cannot disagree with that the thought actually makes sense. In connection with the film in focus, Six Degrees of Separation with Lilia Cuntapay, degrees of separation has been a recurring idea in the totality of the film itself. This made me think that it is the bare bones or the so-called referential meaning of the film. The title of the film heavily suggests it too! The film made reference to degree of separation linking Lilia Cuntapay to Filipino actors and actresses, and to Kevin Bacon himself.

“In the end awards don’t really mean anything.” These words coming from someone as renowned as Peque Gallaga proves a point. Through the days leading up to a fictionalized awards night, Lilia Cuntapay spends most of her time getting things ready, renting the perfect dress, and asking for help and advices for her to come up with the perfect speech to deliver as she was a nominee for the Best Supporting Actress award for the first time in three decades of her acting life and imagining winning it. With this, I came up with the point that I think the film is trying to teach or tell its audience that an award is just an award. I find myself relating to the film and to the life of Lilia Cuntapay trying to seek for approval, most of the time. Nobody in life wants to do something without being recognized or for once, being in the spotlight. After so many years, Lilia Cuntapay for once, can in fact, have a chance and be in the spotlight but for me, this thought contradicts itself and tries to come across that indeed, award is just an award. It may be the reason why one can have a higher talent fee, it may be the reason why one can demand more in terms of his or her working conditions, but it can never sum up to how good a person is in what he or she is doing.

 The more abstract and underlying message that I have constructed while deep in the film is dreaming big. This might seem a reversing idea with the paragraph before this but it is not. Stating that an award is just an award is different from not having big dreams. In the film, the dream of Lilia Cuntapay to win the Best Supporting Actress award is not an impossible dream to have because she knows that she worked hard enough for her to bag the said award.

 It is undeniable that both the explicit and implicit meaning of the film worked together to express the role of a form of approval and dreaming big in an actor’s life even he or she is just a bit-player. Lilia Cuntapay believed that people like her can win an award or even just be nominated alongside well-known artists even when faced with constant rejections, discriminations, or even living in the harsh reality of being a bit-player. In her case, a familiar but unnamed face in the Philippine film industry. Her name and her face, seemingly, six introductions away from each other.

Delving into the film, I see myself empathizing and relating with the main character which a person would probably not, if the film is not that much realistic at all. The sense of empathy and relating to a character of a film is further supported if and only if it feels real. There is a blurred line between what is real and what is not, in this film. Reality can take on so many forms, and it is believed that a mockumentary is not one of them, however, Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay proved us otherwise. The film treated fact and fiction the same way which resulted into it being a unique piece of work. With that being said, for me, the film met the realistic criteria.

The film overall gave a casual but engaging and heartfelt feel to the audience all throughout the 1 hour, 33 minutes, and 24 seconds of watching. I find myself laughing and crying as the film progresses. The film has a comedic aspect but develops into an emotional and dramatic setting and this for me, highlights the smooth transition of the film. Antoinette Jadaone made a spotlight just for Lilia Cuntapay and the harsh reality of the industry that everyone seems to just see as glitz and glamour. We finally know who Lilia Cuntapay is and how she kept it real.

#film analysis #lilia cuntapay #sixdegreesofseparationfromliliacuntapay #antoinettejadaone #2011film #mockumentary #yourflixfix #bysamc

[tak4hir0]

What is TypeScriptTypeScript is a popular JavaScript superset created by Microsoft that brings a type system on top of all the flexibility and dynamic programming capabilities of JavaScript. The language has been built as an open-source project, licensed under the Apache License 2.0, has a very active and vibrant community, and has taken off significantly since its original inception. Installing TypeScriptTo get started with TypeScript and try out all the examples, you can either install the TypeScript transpiler on your computer (more about this in the following paragraph), use the official online playground or any other online solution you prefer. In case you want to try the examples locally, you need to install the command-line transpiler, which runs on Node. First, you need to install Node.js and npm on your system. Then, you can create a Node.js project and install the TypeScript transpiler package: mkdir typescript-intro cd typescript-intro npm init -y npm i typescriptThis will install the tsc (TypeScript Compiler) command in the current project. To test the installation, create a TypeScript file called index.ts under your project directory with the following code: console.log(1);Then, use the transpiler to transform it to JavaScript: npx tsc index.tsThis will generate a new file called index.js with the exact same code of the TypeScript file. Use the node command to execute this new file: node index.jsAlthough the transpiler did nothing else besides creating a JavaScript file and copying the original code to it, these steps helped you validate that your TypeScript installation is in good shape and ready to handle the next steps. Note: TypeScript versions can have substantial differences even though they get released as minor revisions. It's common to bump into transpilation problems after a minor version update. For that reason, it is better to install TypeScript locally in your project and execute it using npx when needed instead of relying on a global TypeScript installation. Defining a TypeScript ProjectTo define a TypeScript project within your Node.js project, you need to create a tsconfig.json file. The presence of this file in a directory denotes that the directory is the root of a TypeScript project. tsconfig.json contains a number TypeScript configuration options that change the transpiler's behavior, such as which files to check or ignore, the transpilation target, the imported types, among many others. You can create the TypeScript configuration file easily by running the following command: npx tsc --initThe generated tsconfig.json file contains almost all available options with a brief description of what they let you accomplish. Fortunately, most of these options have a good default value, so you can remove most of them from your file. This blog post will spend some time talking about the compiler options later on. For now, let's focus on writing some code. TypeScript FeaturesThe features of TypeScript are thoroughly explained in the TypeScript handbook. However, this article will focus on a more practical approach to some of these features. It will also give light to some features that are often left out from content you find on the internet. Typing fundamentalsTypeScript's basic idea is to keep the dynamism and flexibility of JavaScript under control through the usage of types. Let's see this concept in action through a practical exercise. Create a file called test.js under your project directory and populate it with the following code: const addOne = (age) { return age + 1; }; const age = "thirty two"; console.log(addOne(age)); console.log(addOne(20));Execute that file as follows: node test.jsWhat was the output of the program?Do you think the output is correct?It turns out that running it on Node.js, or on any browser for that matter, would output thirty two1 without generating any warning. Nothing new here; it's just JavaScript behaving as flexible as always. But, what if you want to guarantee that the addOne() function accepts only numbers when called? You could change the code to validate the parameters typeof during runtime, or you could use TypeScript to restrict that during compile time. Head back to the index.ts file you created earlier and replace its content with the following: const addOne = (age: number): number { return age + 1; }; console.log(addOne(32)); console.log(addOne("thirty two"));Note that you are now restricting the parameter age to only accept values of type number as valid. Transpile the file again: npx tsc index.tsUsing the TypeScript compiler to generate JavaScript produces the following error: index.ts:6:20 - error TS2345: Argument of type 'string' is not assignable to parameter of type 'number'. 6 console.log(addOne("thirty two")); ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Found 1 error.Defining types during application design can help you avoid mistakes like passing the wrong variable type to functions. string and number are two of the basic types that TypeScript supports. Besides these, TypeScript supports all the JavaScript primitive types, including boolean and symbol. On top of these, TypeScript defines some types that do not map to anything in JavaScript directly but are very useful to represent some of the methodologies that are commonly used in the ecosystem: enum is a constrained set of values.any indicates that a variable/parameter can be anything, effectively skipping the type system.unknown is the type-safe counterpart of any.void indicates that a function won't return anything.never indicates that a function always throws an exception or never finishes its execution.Literal Types are concrete subtypes of number,string, or boolean. What this means is that "Hello World" is a string, but a string is not "Hello World" inside the type system. The same goes with false in the case of booleans or 3 for a number:declare function processNumber(s: 3 | 4); declare function processAnyNumber(n: number); const n: number = 10; const n2: 3 = 3; processNumber(n); processAnyNumber(n2) AggregatesTypeScript supports aggregate types (maps, array, tuples), allowing a first-level of type composition: MapsMaps are commonly used to manage an association of keys to values and to represent domain application data: type User = { id: number, username: string, name: string }; const user: User = { id: 1, username: "Superman", name: "Clark Kent", };VectorsVectors are a sequential and indexed data structure that has a fixed type for all its elements. While this is not a feature that JavaScript supports, TypeScript's type system allows developers to emulate this concept: type User = { id: number; username: string; name: string; }; const user1: User = { id: 1, username: "Superman", name: "Clark Kent", }; const user2: User = { id: 2, username: "WonderWoman", name: "Diana Prince", }; const user3: User = { id: 3, username: "Spiderman", name: "Peter Parker", }; const userVector: User[] = [user1, user2, user3];TuplesTuples are also a sequential indexed data structure, but its elements' type can vary according to the fixed definition: type User = { id: number; username: string; name: string; }; const user1: User = { id: 1, username: "Superman", name: "Clark Kent", }; const userTuple: [User, number] = [user1, 10];UnionsAnother way to compose types is through unions which are very handy when a function argument can have multiple types. Suppose you want to write a function that will fetch the user's address details using either a User object or a string representing an email address. First of all, let's install node-fetch in our project so that we can use the fetch function: npm i node-fetch @types/node-fetch…and then in the code, we can discriminate the two cases by type using the typeofoperator: import fetch from 'node-fetch'; type User = { id: number, username: string, name: string email: string }; async function fetchFromEmail(email: string) { const res = await fetch('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users'); const parsed: User[] = await res.json(); const user = parsed.find((u: User) u.email === email); if (user) return fetchFromId(user.id); return undefined; } function fetchFromId(id: number) { return fetch(`https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/users/${id}`) .then(res res.json()) .then(user user.address); } function getUserAddress(user: User | string) { if (typeof user === 'string') return fetchFromEmail(user); return fetchFromId(user.id); } getUserAddress("[email protected]") .then(console.log) .catch(console.error)The type system is smart enough that note that, according to the if result, the type under check is a string or not; this is an implicit type guard. Let's take a look at that. As side note, tuples and unions play well together: const userTuple: Array<User | number = [u, 10, 20, u, 30]; It is also possible to specify both the size and the type of every element in the array: const userTuple: [User, number] = [u, 10, 20, u, 30]; const anotherUserTuple: [User, number] = [u, 10]; Type guardsType guards are expressions that perform a runtime check whose result can be used by the type system to narrow the scope of the checked argument. The typeof operator is a type guard; in the previous example, it has been used to narrow down the scope of the user argument. There are other expressions that TypeScript treats as type guards, such as instanceof, !== and in; the documentation has the complete list To handle situations where the type system is not able to infer the specific type in the current scope, it is possible to define custom type guards through a predicate (a typed function returning a boolean): function isUser(u: unknown): u is User { if (u && typeof u === 'object') return 'username' in u && 'currentToken' in u; return false; } function getUserAddress(user: User | string) { if (isUser(user)) return fetchFromEmail(user); return fetchFromId(user.id); }User defined type guards are completely under the developer's control, and TypeScript has no way to verify their correctness. A very common and legit use case for custom type guards is when validating external data against a JSON Schema through an external library, such as Ajv. This usually happens in web applications where the request body is typed as unknown (or any, depending on the framework you're using), and we want to type-check it before moving on with its processing: import Ajv from "ajv"; const ajv = new Ajv(); const validate = ajv.compile({ type: 'object', properties: { username: { type: 'string' }, currentToken: { type: 'string' } }, }); function validateUser(data: unknown): data is User { return validate(data); }This mechanism relies upon the developer's discipline of keeping the JSON Schema definition in sync with the type. In fact, if we modify the type but not the JSON Schema, we would get TypeScript narrowing a type to something that it's not. We'll see in a different section an alternative to keep these up to date automatically. Discriminated unionsUnions with a common literal field are called discriminated unions. When working with these, TypeScript is able to provide an implicit type guard, avoiding the burden of writing a custom one: type Member = { type: 'member', currentProject: string }; type Admin = { type: 'admin', projects: string[] }; type User = Member | Admin; function getFirstProject(u: User) { if (u.type === 'member') return u.currentProject; return u.projects[0]; }You can see in the getFirstProject function TypeScript can narrow the scope of the argument without having to write any predicate. Trying to access the projects array in the first branch or currentProjectsin the second branch would result in a type error. Runtime ValidationsWe have briefly explained how, in case of custom-type guards, it is up to the developer to test and make sure that the returned result is correct. In case of bugs in the predicate, the type system will have inaccurate information. Consider the following code snippet: function validateUser(data: unknown): data is User { return true; }The following predicate will always return true — effectively leading the type checker narrowing a type on something that it is not: const invalidUser = undefined; if (validateUser(invalidUser)) { console.log(invalidUser.name); }TypeScript has a set of libraries that can help us to keep the runtime validation in sync with the associated type automatically, providing an implicit type guard we do not have to manage. A notable one is runtypes, but in this article, we're going to take a look at io-ts. Essentially the deal is to define the shape of a type using io-ts included primitives; that defines a decoder we can use in our application to validate data we do not trust: Once we have installed the required dependency npm i io-tsWe can try the following code: import * as D from 'io-ts/Decoder'; import * as E from 'io-ts/Either'; import { pipe } from 'fp-ts/function'; const UserDecoder = D.type({ id: D.number, username: D.string, name: D.string email: D.string }); pipe( UserDecoder.decode(data), E.fold( error console.log(D.draw(error)), decodedData { console.log(decodedData.username) } ) );TypeScript ConfigurationThe transpiler's behavior can be configured through a tsconfig.json file that indicates the root of a project. In particular, the file contains a series of key values controlling 3 main parts: The project structure, such as what files to include and exclude from the transpiling process, what are the dependencies of the various TypeScript projects, and how these projects can refer through each other through aliases.Type checker behavior, such as whether to check or not for nulland undefined in the codebase, preserve the const enums, and so onRuntime transpilation process.TSConfig presetsTypeScript's transpiler can produce down to ES3 code and supports multiple module definitions (CommonJS, SystemJS). The combination of the two is dependent on the runtime environment that you're using. For instance, if you're targeting Node 10, you can comfortably transpile to ES2015 and use CommonJS as for the module resolution strategy. In case you're using a newer Node runtime, such as 14 or 15, then you can target ESNext or ES2020 and even dare to use the ESNext module strategy. Finally, if you're targeting the browser and you're not using a module bundler such as wepack or parcel, you might want to use UMD. Fortunately, the TypeScript team provides good presets that you can import in your own tsconfig file that handles most of these parameters for you. Using them is relatively straightforward: { "extends": "@tsconfig/node12/tsconfig.json", "include": ["src"] }Notable configuration optionsdeclaration: controls whether TypeScript should produce declaration files (.d.ts) with the transpilation. If your project is a library, it's good to enable this so that other developers using your code can benefit from the type checking. If the project is a deployable artifact, such as a web application, you can set this to falsenoEmitOnError: controls whether TypeScript should abort the transpilation in case there is a type error. If set to false, the type erasure and the JavaScript production will continue anyway. Generally speaking, true is the value to useremoveComments: true,suppressImplicitAnyIndexErrors: true,strict: controls a family of additional type checks. Unless there are some good reasons (such as legacy libraries that haven't been correctly migrated/typed), disabling this is not a good idea.noEmitHelpers: When necessary, TypeScript will emit functions and helpers to polyfills newer features that are not available in older standards, such as ES3 and ES5. If set to false, these helpers will be put at the beginning of your code; otherwise, they will be omitted, and you can install the tslib dependency separately.ConclusionsUnlike most of the other introduction articles on TypeScript, hopefully, this one gave you a different perspective on the capabilities that are often ignored in TypeScript. While not perfect, TypeScript's type system is pretty powerful and, for the people interested in using it to the extreme — I highly recommend taking a look at fp-ts and io-ts.

#Auth0 - Blog

[bluewatsons]

Richard M. Hays, The Rise and Fall of Authoritarianism in the Teaching of Medicine, 29 Einstein J Biol Med 49 (2013)

The spring of 1903 arrived in Baltimore on schedule, and the trees and flowers on the campus of the Johns College of Medicine were already in bloom. But the medical students scurrying to the amphitheater hardly noticed. Sir William Osler was waiting with a patient, and heaven forbid they should be late.

Sir William was a remarkable figure in the history of American medical education (Geyman, 1983). Born and educated in Canada, he did his graduate work in England, Scotland, Germany, and Australia. Following his arrival at Johns Hopkins, he reorganized the curriculum, combining the English system and the German internship and residency systems. There were two years of clinical clerkships, with small-group teaching at the bedside. Central to his teaching was his textbook: The Principles and Practice of Medicine (Osler, 1892). That day, he planned to discuss a section on cardiac dilatation. He had already mastered the lecture; he had written virtually every word of the book.

The students had spent the night memorizing the section, which focused on history and physical manifestations, since little was known at the time about disease mechanisms, laboratory findings, or treatment. Osler may have taken this avoidance of therapy to the extreme; indeed, Hogan (1999) wondered whether Osler had “paranoia antitherapeuticum baltimorensis.” Still, Osler remains among the immortals.

Osler eventually turned over the updating of his textbook to Henry Christian, who continued the practice of writing the entire text himself. Christian argued that “there is an advantage in presentation by a single author, who has studied the reports of others in the light of his personal knowledge and experience, and presents the various subjects with a unity of critical thought as is not possible in multiple authorship.” Authoritarianism indeed! Edition after edition appeared, with no outside contributors. Principles and Practice lost value, and finally ran aground.

Fortunately for American medical education, a new, multiauthored book under the editorship of Russell Cecil, Textbook of Medicine, appeared in 1927. Experts in their fields wrote each chapter, and disease mechanisms and therapy were in abundance. With Cecil’s work as a model, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (Harrison, 1950) was published. Harrison’s book and similar texts are now used throughout the world.

Students and Residents

With the advance of the materials of medical education, we might ask about the students themselves. Here, a paradox appears: students at many schools continued to be subject to professorial authority, receiving rigorous and sometimes ruthless questioning and contributing few of their insights during the rituals of teaching. Dr. Sam Ziegler, Einstein Class of 2002, showed me the memoirs of his grandfather, Dr. Samuel R. Ziegler, who entered Case Western Reserve Medical School in 1936, and recalled the following experience (Ziegler & Ziegler, 1999):

I had another of those real hair-raising experiences to start off my sophomore year. One of the subjects we took was Pathology. Dr. Harold Karsner was the instructor. Dr. Karsner had the reputation of being very hard on students. I was again afraid that I was going to be the first to be called on with my name beginning with a “Z”. I prayed he would start with the “As” when we walked into the amphitheater for our first class. But what did he do? He started with the “Zs”. He called out “Ziegler!” And asked me a question that had something to do with syphilis and serology.

I finally replied, “Dr. Karsner, I don’t know.” I then stammered out some half-assed answer after a short pause during which Dr. Karsner continued to look in my direction. Dr. Karsner took another long drag on his cigarette, inhaled deeply and said “Ziegler, I don’t see how you can be so goddamn dumb.” You could have heard a pin drop in the amphitheater.

This state of affairs went on in our schools—perhaps not so colorfully—for a surprisingly long time. I, like many of my contemporaries, recall professors who were brilliant but seemed to delight in demolishing students. Students were not the only victims; interns and residents were driven to exhaustion by long hours of service and relatively little supervision. Indeed, it could be argued that when reform came, it started with the plight of the members of the house staff.

In 1957, interns and residents in New York City’s public hospitals took leave of their roles as underpaid and over- worked apprentices in what has been termed one of the “last great sweatshops in America” (Duncan, 1996), and founded the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR). In 1969 they were joined by house staffers in the private sec- tor. In 1999 the CIR won a National Labor Relations Board decision guaranteeing residents in private teaching hospi- tals the right to form unions. The CIR went on to negotiate contractual limits for on-call schedules, benefit plans, and higher pay.

Figure 1. The learning studio at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. This is a building designed to accommodate students gathered around conference tables, and conferring with each other on the answers to questions projected on the screens above. Permission to reprint granted by Norman Shafer (University of Virginia Magazine, spring 2011, pp. 36–37).

The movement gained strength following a tragic event in 1984, in which Libby Zion, an 18-year-old girl with a complex history of drug use, was admitted to a New York hospital with fever and agitation. The admitting intern was beset with other patient problems, and Libby died of cardiac arrest. Her father, Sidney Zion, a journalist, took up her cause and “set in motion a series of reforms, notably work hour limitations instituted by the ACGME that have revolutionized modern medical education” (Lerner, 2006). Dr. Bertrand Bell of Albert Einstein College of Medicine headed a panel of experts that recommended that residents could not work more than 80 hours a week or more than 24 consecutive hours.

The Medical Curriculum

There has been a profound and heartening change in the approach to teaching medical students, brought about by a deeper understanding of the teaching process and a greater respect for the ability of the students to teach themselves and each other. After all, they are college graduates, and have already gone through a meaningful pro- cess of achievement and reflection. One need only survey the home pages of our medical schools to appreciate the variety and imagination that have gone into their curricular design. A list of some of the newer programs would include the following:

Earlier encounters during the preclinical years with patients, who share their stories with students.

Problem-based learning, in which students work in small groups to deal with scenarios designed to simulate real-life cases.

Evidence-based medicine, in which students learn to evaluate new drugs and new findings in the search for effective therapies.

Students-as-teachers programs, in which third- and fourth-year students take on the role of teachers for small groups of first- and second-year students. This program has been in use at Einstein, and has been favorably reviewed by both teachers and students.

The opportunity for students in their clinical training periods to return to basic science in the form of class- room teaching during their work on the wards. Also, at Einstein, under the guidance of Dr. Jeffrey Avner, students taking pediatrics are asked to include a “basic science paragraph” in their admission writeups. This serves not only as a reminder of their preclinical studies, but as a means of giving their preceptors and attending physicians an update on the latest in the basic science of the disease at hand: the student as professor, if you will.

The opportunity for students to take an extra year or two to obtain advanced degrees in areas such as public health and business administration.

Team training, moving the student “toward being an effective and competent team player and not an individual achiever” (Morrison, Goldfarb, & Lanken, 2010), in preparation for the growing need for cooperative approaches to healthcare management (Figure 1).

Finally, the Internet. Many of our current students may have come from colleges where the Internet has played a major role in their education. At least two articles in the New York Times have surveyed the role of the Internet in today’s college education (Parry, 2012; Lewin, 2012). At the extreme, the Internet has supplied much of the information that students receive, has influenced their choice of courses, and has even identified appropriate partners for them in the learning process. Inevitably, the Internet is now having an impact on medical education. For example, the syllabus, a printed document so carefully assembled each year as the central source of information for each course, is on the Internet in many schools, and is only part of a flood of sources of information. And, as already noted, it plays an important role in the clinical years.

Some of the programs listed above should, in theory, increase the collegiality among students and the attending physicians and house staffers responsible for their education. But it appears that this is not entirely the case. A recent nationwide poll conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (2012) showed that a substantial percentage of students still encountered what they regarded as mistreatment, including public humiliation and gender-based discrimination. More work must be done in this area, which may extend beyond the limits of medical education.

Conclusion

This brief commentary has taken us from the early days of medical education, when a few authorities dominated the source of medical knowledge, to the computer age, when students and teachers share the information provided by the Internet. But rest assured: teachers still have much to contribute in terms of experience, perspective, and examples of kindness toward patients seeking their help. Sir William Osler would be grateful to know this.

References

Association of American Medical Colleges. (2012). Medical school graduation questionnaire. Retrieved from https://www.aamc.org/data/gq

Bell, B. M. (2003). Reconsideration of the New York State laws rationalizing the supervision and the working conditions of residents. Einstein Journal of Biology and Medicine, 20(1), 36–40.

Cecil, R. L. (1927). A text-book of medicine, by American authors. Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders.

Christian, H. A. (1942). Principles and practice of medicine, originally written by Sir William Osler, designed for the use of practitioners and students of medicine (14th ed.). New York, NY: Appleton-Century.

Duncan, D. E. (1996). Residents: The perils and promise of educating young doctors. New York, NY: Scribner.

Geyman, J. P. (1983). The Oslerian tradition and changing medical education: A reappraisal. Western Journal of Medicine, 138(6), 884–888.

Harrison, T. R. (1950). Principles of internal medicine (1st ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Hays, R. M. (2004). Students as teachers: An idea whose time has come. MedEd @AECOM, 7(1), 1–3.

Hogan, D. B. (1999). Did Osler suffer from “paranoia antitherapeuticum baltimorensis”?: A comparative content analysis of The Principles and Practice of Medicine and Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, 11th edition. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 161(7), 842–845.

Lerner, B.H. (2006). A case that shook medicine. Washington Post. November 28: Special Section.

Lewin, T. (2012). Universities reshaping education on the Web. New York Times, July 17, A12.

Morrison, G., Goldfarb, S., & Lanken, P. N. (2010). Team training of medical students in the 21st century: Would Flexner approve? Academic Medicine, 85(2), 254–259.

Parry, M. (2012). Please be eAdvised. New York Times Education Life, July 22, 24–27.

Osler, W. (1892). The principles and practice of medicine, designed for the use of practitioners and students of medicine (1st ed.). New York, NY: D. Appleton.

Ziegler, S. R., & Ziegler, I. H. (1999). For the soul is dead that slumbers—A memoir: The adventures of a surgeon and his family in northern New Mexico (1946– 1996). Shreveport, LA: K’s KopyIt.

#medical education #medicine #medical school #authoritarianism #The Way We Live Now #paradigm shifts #libby zion case #practice of medicine #william oster #medical residency