#so his lack of communication looks significantly bad when he's willing to kill his own son out of revenge

[dmclemblems]

@garlandgerard​ replied: like, anon realises that dimitri... communicates with edelgard about what she's doing, and edelgard... continues, right? edelgard isn't in it because she doesn't have the full story, she's in it because she wants to

I think that’s part of what they meant. The plot works because even though he attempts communication, she won’t meet him halfway the way he’s trying to with her. Though they do talk, she’s completely unwilling to bend with her ideas/goals. Though Dimitri suggests he could get along with her if the world she seeks is just and whatnot (which he says to Byleth), and while he seems to be willing to meet her halfway and work things out, she’s firm on her decisions and won’t change them.

Basically there’s no communication in the sense that for Dimitri it was like talking to a wall. He tried to reason with her but she wasn’t giving him a give-and-take conversation. She didn’t offer him solutions where her world could happen and his ideals would be implemented. If it had been a productive conversation you could say that would’ve been communication, but since their conversation was literally just a back and forth of “I can’t understand your vision of the world when I see it this way”, it didn’t go anywhere.

They talk, yes. They have a conversation, yes. I wouldn’t call it “communication” though because it was more of them each laying out their own vision of the world and admitting to each other that they weren’t willing to bend on their beliefs. You can have a conversation about something, but it’s not necessarily truly communication. Also, I think anon understood that with that their mention of truth versus violence, because if there’s no seeking of the truth and a war (or even just a battle in Lonato’s case) is started without personally seeking out the truth, that too is a lack of communication (like Edelgard learning about Rhea from TWS, but she didn’t make any effort to actually understand the Church and their people, so there’s no communication between her and Rhea either).

From what I understood, anon is saying the plot works the way it does because the central and side conflicts occur due to a lack of at least one side being unwilling to talk things out with their supposed enemy. Even in Hopes there’s an extreme lack of communication outside of AG (possibly even worse than Houses tbh). If Edelgard spoke to Rhea and Dimitri personally, the current plot that we have would fall apart because her war would no longer be based on TWS based knowledge and her experiences in Adrestia regarding Crests and nobles. The plot would have to be turned into something else like the lords vs. TWS and that being the main story itself.

#garlandgerard #basically she believes what she believes and won't talk to anyone to contest her views #that lack of seeking out the other side's perspective before starting a war is the lack of communication #and what I understood from the ask was that that's what they were referring to including with Lonato #he didn't care to ask for all the facts or where Catherine got the information about Cristophe from #he just decided facts are facts and my son is dead therefore I hate his killers (executioners technically) and want revenge #it's just that with Lonato as my posts/comments have been going #Lonato had three other kids and one of them was at the exact monastery he was planning to attack #so his lack of communication looks significantly bad when he's willing to kill his own son out of revenge #whether he actively wants to or not doesn't matter if he's still at the end of the day willing to cut down his son for that #and all because he didn't ask anyone what really happened or just chose not to believe it #DCB Reply

[vidavalor]

Can we talk about how Sam is as useless at this as Bucky is, really, and it’s massively sweet?

Yeah, I’m writing about Sam because we all love us some brainwashed, century-old assassin endless array of hurt/comfort here but this idea that Sam, because he’s a therapist and not always a crying, nightmare-sweat-drenched mess, is Captain Got It All Together is not truth... because this poor broken-hearted kitten absolutely does not and it makes him so much more of a better-realized, fuller character... 

I’m not trying to wade any ship wars here or any fandom strife over the Bucky slant to fic/sometimes erasure of Sam here... I love both of these characters equally and ship them but my point here is that I think that because Bucky’s trauma is more well-documented and, for lack of a better word, “flashier”, that some people might think Sam looks perfectly well-adjusted. By comparison, he probably is but this other, quieter story happening with Sam is necessary reading here if you’ve been sleeping on the complexities of one Sam Wilson that aren’t the ones the show is focusing on more explicitly relating to his lived experience as a Black man in America. (They’re not completely separate either but not only this part of his life.) What do I mean, exactly? 

Been wondering how these two are falling in love but can mainly just get it from Bucky’s POV because Sam is awesome and Bucky is sad and need love? Not sure what Sam is getting out of his relationship with Bucky? Not totally sure you ship it but leaning that way? Yeah, pull up a seat because this thing I wrote after Ep 5 here (so spoilers through that) is basically an old-school ship manifesto at this point but comes at SamBucky/WinterFalcon from Sam’s side, rather than Bucky’s. (I have nothing *against* Bucky. I just think you’re missing half the goodness of this show and half the surprisingly tender romance of all of this if you are not focusing on Sam as much as Bucky.) If this interests you, then read on, being forewarned that it’s a little long...

So... Sam Wilson is a sweet, kind, warm-hearted, empathetic, drop-dead gorgeous superhero soldier flying military veteran therapist... whom the canon suggests is Bucky Barnes-level obsessed with his dead former partner (in some sense of the word), Riley. You thought it was just Bucky with the angsty past love? Oh no... oh, no no no....

Consider that Sam’s been back in Delacroix twice now in TFATWS and not once has his sister-- who adores him and who knows everyone in town-- suggested that she call up any one of the at least ten decent single people she has to know who live in the area to take her f*cking *dreamboat* of a brother out. Forget the show putting Sam in like twelve pieces of canon and not throwing a single human (not named Bucky) at him and what that implies-- we all know that Sarah wouldn’t care what kind of human her brother was attracted to and yet she and the entire community of Delacroix can’t seem to find this guy a date. He’s sweet and hot and an Avenger but our Sam’s a monk, you guys... More to the point... they don’t even try. They know better than to try anymore... which says a lot.

Going back awhile now, when Sam met Steve, he was still this equally dreamy and he didn’t even have any Avengers-related problems getting in the way of his potential dating life. He had a normal job working for the VA in DC. Yet, he clearly was seeing exactly no one and while I am willing to admit that pretty much any human would drop everything and follow Steve Rogers around the world, it’s clear that Sam wasn’t seeing anyone at the time because his life was able to be dropped in a second and he also had that file with Riley’s photo at the ready, man. At. the. ready... 

He responded to the opportunity to follow Steve with no less need when it came to his own post-trauma-of-war identity as Bucky does. This isn’t to say that Sam is *as* lost as Bucky because it would be hard to out-do the once-brainwashed assassin who has been alive for a hundred years but Sam saw all sorts of hell. He’s a therapist for veterans because he’s had to get beyond *his own* PTSD and he’s really aware of how that is a journey that doesn’t exactly ever end. It gets significantly better and he knows how well it can-- that’s why he can tell Bucky that there is hope of that-- but it is very clear that Sam Wilson is still suffering his own kind of PTSD and his own grief for the death of a guy who likely couldn’t love him the way he needed him to. 

I know we don’t know a ton about exactly what Sam and Riley were but I think there is enough to infer that they probably actually weren’t a couple. For one thing, Sarah never mentions him and even if the show wanted to be vague about things, they could phrase it like “it’s been forever since you brought back someone to the house, haven’t met any of them since Riley” or something. There are ways to infer that they were a thing and the nature of it, if the show wanted to do that but all they have suggested so far is that Sam was in love with Riley. We know he and Riley were friends and worked on the Falcon suit project together but what we are getting out of what they are giving to us is that Sam loved him but it’s not clear that they were even a couple. I’d even say the picture of them that he shows Steve and Natasha is supposed to evoke that they weren’t a couple-- it’s of Sam looking at Riley, smiling like he’s the moon and the stars, while Riley is smiling but just a bit and he’s looking at the camera, not at Sam. 

In other words, remember Miller’s analogies from school? Sam is to Riley as Bucky is to Steve. I just offended every person reading this who thinks that Steve and Bucky weren’t an unrequited thing *ducks* but I feel like we’re supposed to take from what they give us that Sam knows a little something about being mad for a guy who thinks you are his best buddy but doesn’t look at you in a romantic or sexual way and you feel like you’re dying over it. Sam gets Bucky because Sam *is* Bucky when it comes to this. 

If Sam and Riley were just the best of friends, Sam still would have mourned him greatly but it would not necessarily have impacted his love life the way it seems like it might have. I’m not necessarily saying there was no one but this is a man who even when it felt like Steve Rogers-- whom Sam obviously found attractive-- seemed like he was making Sam question whether or not he was coming onto him or just super-nice and making a new fellow veteran friend... even when that was happening, Sam’s response was that he didn’t hate it or anything and he was willing to help Steve with what he needed in this friendly, advice-giving sort of way and maybe they had a thing, who knows, but it was clear that Sam-- a guy who has to be hit on *all the time*-- wasn’t really used to the idea of there being someone in his life. So, he wasn’t letting anyone into his life. He would have had the chance, no doubt. He was choosing not to. Why would you choose not to? If you were grieving the loss of a man you couldn’t get over and you thought that you weren’t ever going to love anyone like that and maybe having someone wasn’t going to happen for you.

Like, imagine Sam’s surprise when The Winter Soldier turns up, nearly kills them all, disappears and they go on the run and he starts hearing Steve’s confessional stories about the guy who was his best friend and in love with him and Steve has literally never said those words aloud because they’re from the *1940s* and he’s felt guilty all this time for hurting him. Steve’s the kind of guy who would feel guilty for not being in love with someone who was in love with him. That’s when Sam, who thought he had more in common with Steve, realizes he’s actually *Bucky Barnes* in this story. He’s the damn Winter Soldier in the Steve-and-Bucky version of him and Riley. 

That is how Bucky evolves from “the kind of guy you have to stop” in Sam’s mind to the guy he’s hanging out with in every fight and snarking over the car seats with. He’s like yeesh, I thought I had a few years of this ungodly pain and that was bad... this poor bastard’s been in love with a Riley who could and probably will live until he’s a hundred and thirty. Sam starts getting into this whole antagonist origin story of The Winter Soldier here because he realizes that one wrong move-- one case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time-- and he could have been captured during the war he was in. He could have been tortured like that, so easily, and he knows what it’s like to be tortured by love in that way. 

Bucky, for his part, when he begins to get his mind back and more fully remember Steve and his past, takes one look at Sam and is thinking like... that poor SOB... oh, look, it’s 21st Century Me. So, you fell for Steve Rogers, huh? Welcome to the club. We meet every Tuesday at two to discuss being the pining best friend in love with a guy who, in all likelihood, is attracted to both of us but unless Tony Stark can shake loose a bit of the freak in The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan, we’re not getting anything but a most earnest and sincere friendship out of this (and if Stark can’t, no one can....)

Like, Bucky’s Steve love is pretty pure. He wants him to be happy. He’s hurt that Steve doesn’t love him the way he loves Steve but he does love him as his best friend as well and wants him to have what he wants out of life. If that’s going back in time to Peggy Carter (who wouldn’t, really?) and leaving him behind then, fine. He wishes he were still here but he’ll deal but he’s going to be keeping an eye out for the other guy left behind-- Steve’s new modern era best friend person. Bucky’s so gone over keeping Steve safe that he can’t even resent Sam’s presence-- he’s thrilled he exists. Someone good to look after Steve when Bucky couldn’t! Sam Wilson is heaven sent and must be protected at all costs! So frequently from some kid with webbed fingers, apparently! 

Sam, meanwhile, is challenged by the dilemma that Bucky appears to think that they’re in the same boat while Sam, who for sure had a little crush on Steve as who doesn’t, has really come to realize that he is far, far more into the tragic one here. He’s so irritated about it. It would be simpler if he just fell for another blond soldier with red, white and blue blood who couldn’t love him. At least he’d just be completely hopeless then but the brainwashed one? The one that thinks he’s horrid but is so good that he can’t even bring himself to be that jealous of Sam when he clearly thinks Sam is sleeping with the guy he’s loved for years? 

Oh, Sam’s gone on that one... 

Bucky’s still a mess then so it’s harmless enough to just pretend he’s not writing himself into touch-starved Bucky fanfic in his own mind here but when Bucky keeps saving him in different fights? When he catches him looking once or twice. When the bickering is really flirting and Sam knows he means it that way, too? When the poor guy just gets his mind back, they all reunite and go to one battle and then the two of them disappear and miss *five years* of their lives? When then, soon after, Steve is gone, too? 

When it begins to feel like *they* are now the story and meant to go through the rest of these things together? I mean, when everyone else is all on about the fate and destiny of it all-- Stark’s big sacrifice being the one way to save everyone, Doctor Strange going on about all the possibilities of the universe on a saving the world level but it so personal to the people Sam and Bucky know, Steve choosing to go back in time because he can and be with the woman he loved and never got to have... 

...standing there in the funerals and aftermaths of all of this together, by virtue of being Steve’s Friends Who Aren’t Really Part of This Gang Exactly... are Sam and Bucky. What are the odds that they are supposed to be the rest of one another’s story? Sam was wondering it. He for sure hadn’t felt like this since Riley... he might not have really ever felt it at all before. 

Can we just admit that while there’s been some guys in the past-- and it could be rephrased as ‘some people’, as while Sam is written to suggest he’s at least into men, he could be into people who don’t identify as men as well-- but there’s not been someone who has been able to love him the way he’s loved them. 

He’s from the South and Black and the show taps into the racism he’s been through as a result. Not obviously in Delacroix, where he feels safe and seen, where people care about him and don’t care that he is not straight, but in other parts. He’s been in the military, where homophobia is still pretty rampant and it’s a culture of a lot of heterosexual machismo. (Hell, the show even has a kind of walking, talking example of a guy everyone knows was the epitome of that kind of culture, even if he’s been broken by that world, too-- John Walker.) It’s not even really clear if Sam is out and, if he is, to whom. He seems to be the kind of person to want to be himself as much as possible and Sarah likely knows because they are close but I’m not so sure that a lot of Sam’s military buddies actually did. He really strikes me as the guy who gets along with everybody and whom everybody loves-- but whom few people actually *know* because he keeps himself (all of himself, not just his sexuality) private from others...

...which is also a hell of a lot like one Bucky Barnes. 

Guaranteed they became such fast friends not just from being sort of left with one another in the aftermath of Steve and their attraction but because Sam was amazed to find that Bucky was actually pretty funny and Sam just kept talking to him because while he has-- or had, anyways, before he ran off with Steve-- a ton of people he’d consider friends, he doesn’t really have anyone he’d consider to be a close friend and hasn’t since Riley. Bucky, just still stunned to be free of mind control and that there was another human being talking to him instead of looking at him as a weapon to program to kill, was eager to listen to and absolutely thrilled when he could find something sarcastic to say to make Sam laugh that surprised laugh and light up. 

These two damaged couple of guys spent most of this show and the months before it just terrified by how much love they were feeling for one another and were very happy to let any conflict they could get in the way of it-- any excuse to claim they weren’t feeling totally seen and run for the hills back into their own trauma.

It’s not just Bucky doing this. He might have been the one not returning the texts at the start, the one who seemed to be withdrawing more, while Sam was texting him still to check in on him but how quickly that began to flip around by Episode 5. 

Suddenly, the brave one is Bucky. It was Sam for the first few episodes-- he was stil trying and so hard, despite not getting what he needed in return and Bucky still sending signals that he wanted him but was happy to still revel in being too damaged and scared to try harder. By Episode 5, though? Bucky’s not only learned to trust himself again, it is proven to be what he was afraid of: not being able to protect and love Sam the way he wanted to and that Sam would leave him. Triggered by the shield as a metaphor for not caring about Bucky, not having a reason to still pursue him, Bucky thought he had successfully pushed Sam away and that Sam would really stop texting because to not do so would be to admit to one another that they wanted to be around one another and this wasn’t just about Steve/Captain America. By Episode 5, Bucky shows up in Delacroix not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but with eyes only for Sam and is every one of Sam’s favorite Bucky Barnes fantasies come to life. 

It’s now Sam flipping out. Would you have expected the Sam of the first two episodes to be a babbling mess in the face of a flirty Bucky stretching and claiming it’s time for him to go get a hotel room? To try to be playing it cool but winding up asking him to stay forever and telling him he likes his tight t-shirts in the middle there? To get so nervous that he suddenly is babbling about six toes and flirting with Sarah, showing how jealous he was of Bucky just... smiling and being this guy Steve had said was under there but that Sam had only had small glimpses of so far? If he was gone for the broken Winter Soldier... he’s wrecked by a single smile from this Bucky. 

This is the same guy who spent the first few episodes confident to a point of near-cockiness, loving flirting with and teasing Bucky, the one that seemed more well-adjusted and in control of himself. Overall, he is but there’s something there when Bucky shows up and White Wolfs Sam into a sputtering mess who is sending him little glances, as if they’ve switched bodies from the first few episodes. It shows *just how much* Sam is comfortable with Bucky and how rare it is for him because he would react differently to Bucky’s more overt flirting of Episode 5 if how he is with Bucky was his default in life. Instead, we see that some of it is posturing-- it’s the Sam equivalent of lifting heavy things and using power tools. His is the humor (what’s a better aphrodisiac than making the Winter Soldier laugh or flirt back or blush?) and the bicker-caring. We even see where it comes from, in a way. Sam is a soldier-- he knows how to help other traumatized soldiers and when we saw him in his VA group session when we met him, we saw him using that kind of machismo world and its language to communicate with the soldiers in the group. The difference for him with them versus him with Bucky is that he’s also flirting with Bucky. The buddy cop thing is intentional-- it’s Sam’s strategy, it’s been Bucky’s choice to respond to it and they’re playacting it as how they talk because it’s been easier than admitting that they are completely gone on another and just want all the soft things. 

Up until recently anyway and now Sam’s reeling from a man he’s fallen in love with showing up and loving him back. Don’t think for a second that Bucky doesn’t know enough by now to know that it’d totally undo Sam but the surprise of it to the audience only really exists if you don’t think Sam and Bucky have anything in common besides their now-gone mutual friend. In reality, they’re endgame. 

#tfatws #sam wilson #sambucky #bucky barnes #thefalconandthewintersoldier #marvel #bucky #buckysam #winterfalcon

[maluminspace]

49.You can sleep I’ll keep u safe with Michael lol sorry I mixed u up with someone else

I decided to go in a very different direction for this fic 🙈 I hope you like it 💖

49 “You can sleep I’ll keep u safe”

The world is a dangerous place now. Anyone fortunate enough to survive the virus is doomed to a life of constant fear and uncertainty.

Luckily you and your best friend, Calum, had met with a group of other survivors not long after the first outbreak had claimed the lives of billions.

In the weeks since all communication had finally cut out, your rag-tag bunch has been crafting an abandoned farm into a base. It’d worked well so far, having surrounded the grounds with barricades, fences and hand-made devices that will alert you if any of the ‘infected’ wonder too close to your new little dwelling.

As grateful as you are to have people who can look out for you and protect you, being holed up at the farm had started to drive you mad. It’s for this reason that you jump at the chance to accompany Calum and a couple of the others on a supply run into the nearest little town.

The walk ends up being entirely miserable. A heavy rainstorm delays parts of your journey. Your little group is forced to take a longer route to avoid flooded paths and at times the rain comes down so heavily that you have no choice but to take shelter until the worst of it passes.

You feel a wave of relief when you finally reach the little town. Your group makes a mutual decision to split up for an hour to check as many buildings as possible before heading back to base with your haul. You agree on an assembly point and head off in different directions.

Not a single word passes between you and Calum as you set off together down the Main Street. The two of you have been friends for longer than you care to remember and it makes words unnecessary a lot of the time.

The two of you silently scope out the front of a few of the buildings. Unsurprisingly, most of the shops and public buildings seem to have already been ransacked.

“This could turn out to be a wasted journey.” Calum frowns as he cautiously steps over the threshold of what was once a little grocery store. “I hope we can at least find some stuff that we can plant back at the farm. No one else seems to be thinking long term...”

Your friend’s sentence trails off when the sound of grunting and scuffling reaches you.

“It’s coming from back there.” You whisper, pointing to the rear of the store.

Calum nods, his expression serious and focused as he holds up his baseball bat in front of him, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

You prepare your own weapon, a long metal pipe that you’d acquired weeks ago. It wasn’t the strongest or most sophisticated of defensive items but it’s served you well enough so far.

Calum steps ahead of you, silently insisting that he leads the way. It’s not surprising, he’s a sort of natural leader and protector.

The two of you tread carefully, ensuring you avoid the various items littered across the floor. As you approach the back of the shop, the daylight fades significantly. You can just about make out the shape of an infected. It’s limbs twisting unnaturally as it scratches against a door that seemingly leads to a little office or store room.

The undead creature barely has chance to turn it’s broken face towards you before Calum sends his bat crashing into it’s scull with a sickening crunch.

The infected corpse collapses instantly, falling into a crumpled heap on the grimy floor.

“Why was it trying to get into that room?” Calum asks, moving his gaze cautiously from the motionless body of the infected to the door it’d been trying to get through.

“There’s probably rats in there or something.” You shrug, although you don’t really believe that. The corpses can feast on rats at pretty much any given moment of the day. The vermin had spread like wildfire since humans were no longer around to deter them.

Luckily, you know that Calum’s curiosity isn’t going to let him walk away until he’s checked the room out.

It’s pointless telling him to be careful. Calum has always been brave and a little reckless, even in the years you’d known him before the virus had destroyed everything and everyone you’d both loved.

He gestures for you to stay back as he tentatively tries the door handle. The metal bar moves freely but when Calum tries to open the door it only moves a tiny bit like there’s something propped up behind it to keep it closed.

You exchange a significant glance with Calum, silently agreeing that forcing your way inside blindly might be a bad idea.

Stepping forward you open the door as wide as it will go, which is barely an inch or so. “Hello...” you whisper, “is someone in there hiding?”

Your question is met with complete silence. You turn back to exchange a confused look with Calum. “Someone has to be in there, right?”

Your best friend shrugs is broad shoulders as he peers into the darkness around the back of the store. “Maybe there’s another exit from that room somewhere.” He ponders our loud. “Maybe whoever barricaded that door got out another way?”

Judging by the size of the store and the distinct lack of other doors, something tells you that whoever or whatever made the barricade is still inside that room. The only question is, are they still alive.

“There’s no grunting or anything.” You whisper, still listening carefully through the tiny gap between the door and the frame that you’d created. “Maybe whoever’s inide is just asleep or something?”

Calum makes a sceptical noise. “With that thing scratching at the door?” He asks, jabbing his bat at what remains of the infected former person. “Would you be able to sleep knowing that it could get in?”

Before you can reply a weak noise, something like a sob or a whimper, comes from the other side of the door.

You hold up your hand to stop Calum from talking before cautiously moving a little closer. “Hello... who’s in there? You don’t have to be scared. We won’t hurt you.”

When you receive no reply, you gesture to Calum to say something, knowing that whoever is inside is probably scared and need of reassurance.

“Yeah... We won’t hurt you.” Calum shrugs. “We killed the thing out here, you’re safe now.”

After another moment of silence, a weak, scratchy voice asks, “really?”

“Yes!” You reply a little too eagerly, excited to have found another survivor after weeks of convincing yourself that the little group you’d found with Calum were the only people left. “You’re okay now, we can help you.”

Calum frowns at you. His protective nature obviously kicking in. “Careful.” He whispers. “We don’t know who this person is.”

You roll your eyes at him. “There’s a survivor in there, Calum! We have to help them.”

Before Calum can argue with you, there’s a shuffling noise from inside the barricaded room. You both turn your full attention to the door as the sounds of heavy objects being scraped along the floor interrupts you.

Calum instinctively steps in front of you by you shove him to one side that you can stand next to him. “I’ve told you a million times, Cal.” You huff, “I’m just as capable as fighting as you and besides...” you can feel your expression softening as you look at your best friend. “We agreed that we’d face every danger we come up against, together. That’s how we lived before all this happened and it’s how we’ll live now, yeah?”

A tiny smile touches Calum’s lips as he nods, touching your shoulder apologetically.

When the previously barricaded door slowly creeps open, both you and Calum snap your faves towards it, your weapons held tightly at your sides.

It take a moment for the stranger to step out of the dark room. They seem to have a slight limp and they seem frightened as they step into the dim light.

Your heart aches at the sight of the obviously scared man as he looks at you nervously. He has a kind face, although it’s partly covered with a long, matted blonde fringe. A thick stubble is covering the majority of the lower half of his face and his pretty green eyes are red rimmed and damp.

“You haven’t been bitten or scratched by one of those ‘things’ have you?” Calum asks, his voice a little coarse and harsh in your opinion.

The stranger shakes his head as he turns his startled gaze to Calum and then the corpse your friend is pointing at with his bat. “I’ve just been hiding in there for... I don’t even know how long.”

Calum regards the other survivor, obviously searching for the tell-tale signs of infection. You’d do the exact same thing if you weren’t so taken by this stranger’s beautiful green eyes. Maybe it’s because you’ve been surrounded by the same faces for weeks now, it’s nice to have a new one to look at.

“Are you alone?” Calum asks, startling you out of your daze.

The blonde man hangs his head and curls in on himself a little. “I am now.” He whispers hoarsely. “I had a friend, we were heading into the countryside to search for other survivors but...” The stranger’s voice breaks, a rough sob tearing out of his throat.

Without thinking about your own safety, you step forward, ignoring Calum’s warning tone as he huffs out your name. This stranger needs comforting and you’re obviously more qualified to offer that than Calum.

“I’m sorry you lost your friend.” You offer, gently reaching out to touch the blonde man’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’d want you to be safe, though. We can definitely help with that.”

“As soon as we’re sure we can trust you, of course.” Calum cuts in.

The stranger rubs his damp eyes with the back of one hand. “I don’t know how to that.” He shrugs, “I’m just... I’m alone and lost and I...”

You hush the stranger gently. “I believe you.”

The blonde man meets your gaze properly for the time, his eyes betraying his disbelief that you’re so willing to help him. “If we don’t trust each other these days, we have nothing.” You smile gently. “What’s your name?”

“Michael.” The stranger replies hesitantly.

You smile before introducing yourself and Calum. “We need to get the permission of the rest of our group before we can take you back to our base.” You turn to

Calum, ignoring his disgruntled expression. “Why don’t you go gather the others? I’ll grab whatever I can salvage from this store and Then we’ll meet you at the gathering point in ten minutes, yeah?”

It’s obvious that Calum isn’t happy about leaving you with Michael, but your suggestion is the most logical plan and he knows it.

“Fine.” Your best friend concedes. “If you need me, just yell, okay?” He shoots Michael a warning look before traipsing back to the front of the shop.

A moment later the front door opens and closes, signalling Calum’s exit from the store.

“You don’t have to take care of me.” Michael says quietly, “I can find another group...”

You shake your head, cutting the blonde man’s sentence short. “Our group needs to grow if we’re gonna survive longe term.” You explain. “There’s no reason you can’t be one of us, is there?”

Michael gives you a shy smile. “Well I hope the others like me more than your boyfriend does.”

A tiny laugh escapes you. “Calum’s not my boyfriend, he’s just very protective. You’ll see when you get to know him.”

“I hope he lets me get to know him.” Michael says, attempting a step back towards the room he’d been hiding in. His limp seems a bit worse now that he’s been standing for a while.

“Are you hurt?” You ask cautiously, hoping more than anything that Michael hadn’t been lying when he’d told Calum he hadn’t been bitten.

“I twisted my ankle running away from that thing.” Michael replies, pointing to the dead body. “I can still walk, though.”

You’re a little sceptical about his last comment but you watch with interest as he hobbles back into the room. He emerges a few moments later with a backpack and an arm full of bottled water, canned food a few bags of sweets. “There’s more stuff in there too.” He says “maybe Calum will like me more when he sees that I have supplies and treats.”

You smile gratefully. “You’d really share all that with us?”

Michael nods. “If your group will take me in I’ll do whatever I can to help and sharing this stuff would be the very least you all deserve!”

There’s something incredibly likeable about Michael. Despite his obvious sadness about the death of his friend, he’s willing to open up to you and trust you. That means a lot in these uncertain times.

The two of you chat casually as you gather up whatever supplies you can find. Michael understandably seems a little shy and nervous. You do your best to reassure him that things will be better when he’s accepted into your group. “It’s a little less stressful when you have people to watch your back.” You reassure kindly, taking the little box of bandages he offers to you. He’d found them on the floor behind the counter amongst some other discarded elements of a broken first aid box.

He smiles gratefully. “I just hope they can accept me, I don’t really want to be alone anymore.”

“You won’t have to be.” You smile gently. “Come on, lets go meet Calum and the others.”

Michael nods apprehensively as he follows your lead. You listen to his uneven footsteps as you both step out of the shop. The rain has worsened again since you’d entered the store with Calum and you’re concerned about the journey back to camp.

Your worries about the rain seem to be mirrored in the faces of your companions when you meet them at the assembly point you’d agreed on earlier.

“I don’t think it’s safe to head back today. It’ll be dark before we’re even halfway there and we can’t risk being out in the open after nightfall.” Calum yells over the pounding rain. “I think we should find somewhere to set up camp until the morning.”

His suggestion is met with a murder of agreement from the rest of the group. No one seems particularly happy about the idea, yourself included, but it’s definitely the safest option you can think of.

Calum leads you all to the outskirts of town. His survival and leadership instincts telling him that it’s better to be away from the bulk of the buildings just in case the former residents of the town are still hanging around.

There’s a large house that’s set apart from most of the other buildings on the main toad in and out of the town. Calum and a coupe of the others scope it out to ensure it’s empty and safe before they allow the rest of you in.

Once you’re all inside, you introduce Michael to the rest of the group. Most of them seem to share your view that taking him in would be beneficial, knowing that the farm is going to need a lot of work and the more people there is to all of that labour, the better.

After a quick meal of crackers and apples that you’d brought from the farm, Michael shares one of his bags of sweets with everyone.

Unsurprisingly, Calum volunteers to be take the first watch. The house is big enough to warrant a two person watch at all times, therefore you volunteer to take it with him. After sorting out the schedule for the rest of the night, you insist that Michael gets some much needed rest. “Seeing as you’re new, you don’t have to take a turn to be look out tonight.” You smile, offering him one of the blankets you’d just found in a cupboard upstairs. “You definitely need all your strength for the walk back to the base tomorrow.”

Michael eyes you uneasily. “I’m not sure how much I can sleep.” He confesses, “This is the first night I’ve spent out of that tiny store room since my friend died...”

Despite knowing very little besides his name, you wrap Michael in a comforting hug. “You need your rest, your friend wouldn’t want you to make tomorrow’s journey any harder than it needs to be.”

Smiling sadly, Michael curls up on the floor, snuggling under the blanket and using his worn out backpack as pillow. “I miss him... We were friends for years before all this.”

The pain in Michael’s voice almost breaks your heart. It resonates with you because despite belonging to a group now, you don’t know what you’d do without Calum. He’s your best friend, your rock, the person you love and trust more than anything.

A quiet sob escapes Michael as he curls up into a tighter ball.

It might seem overly familiar for someone that you’ve known for just a few hours but you can’t help yourself. You stroke Michael’s hair gently before wiping a tear from his grimy cheek. “It’s okay, you can sleep now. I’ll keep you safe.” You whisper, already knowing that the words leaving your mouth are entirely truthful. Michael is going to be a huge part of your life from now on, you just know it.

Masterlist

#michael clifford #5sos #michael clifford blurb #michael clifford imagine #michael clifford fic #5sos imagine #5sos fic #5sos blurb #michael imagine #michael fic #michael blurb #zombie apocolypse au #my writing #200 dialogue quotes

[smolgreenboi]

CHARACTER SHEET

repost. do not reblog.

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME.                            garfield mark logan NICKNAME / ALIAS.               b, bb, gar, grass stain, salad head (vic only), LGM, etc GENDER.                                 cis male (though able to alter sex by/when shifting) HEIGHT.                                   5′ to 5′5 (age dependent) AGE.                                        13-18 (verse dependent) ZODIAC.                                   pisces (with feral aries energy) LANGUAGES.                          english, can understand spoken swahili & hausa (cannot read or                                                   write it) as well as use basic terminology from both, reads and                                                   understands animal body language & other vocalization or forms                                                   of communication & is capable of mimicking it

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR.                 dark forest green (previously dark, earthy brown) EYE COLOR.                   mossy green (previously wet earth with amber specks) SKIN TONE.                     vibrant grass green (previously olive or gold) BODY TYPE.                    lean muscle and nimble. gymnast build. stronger than he looks.  ACCENT.                          neutral american (can sometimes adopt swahili accent when                                           pronouncing specific words his foster mothers taught him while living                                           with them in africa). VOICE.                              a bit high-pitched, frequently squeaking or cracking during early teen                                            years. speaks quickly and with increasing volume when excited or                                            highly energetic. tendency to draw out words or use ‘uh’s and ‘um’s                                            when trying to organize his thoughts at the same time. stammers                                            and/or stutters and gets tongue tied while experiencing extreme                                           emotion (positive OR negative). voice can become distorted before                                           and after a shift depending on current emotional state and the form                                           chosen, but only for a few seconds. DOMINANT HAND.           ambidextrous & swaps ‘default’ hand depending on what’s convenient POSTURE.                         situational & company dependent. gar’s day-to-day posture is                                           attentive, but relaxed. not always ‘good’ but always evident he’s very                                           aware of his surroundings and is prepared to move quickly if needed.                                           when in company of ‘superiors’ or those he respects, admires, or                                           wants to impress, he stands very straight (almost stiff) and keeps his                                           eyes low. SCARS.                             bite scar on upper right bicep. multiple needle-induced scars around                                           bite scar as well as around his left shoulder.  TATTOOS.                        none (will get one on his left arm the year he turns 20 to cover a scar) BIRTHMARKS.                small ‘blob’ on his inner knee, though difficult to notice due to skin                                           pigmentation. MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S).    he’s green, my dude. and beyond that he prefers to keep                                                               pointed ears, a slightly widened nose, and sharper                                                               canines/fangs even in his human form. at night, he’ll                                                               include tapetum lucidum in his eyes, which lets him see                                                               better in the dark and causes his eyes to ‘glow’ when                                                               reflecting light.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH.                     unknown city, new york HOMETOWN.                             ???? (midway, michigan) BIRTH WEIGHT.                         ??? BIRTH HEIGHT.                          ??? MANNER OF BIRTH.                 ???  FIRST WORDS.                         mooma (’mama’) SIBLINGS.                                  none, biologically. considers kori his big sister. PARENTS.                                  mark & marie logan PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.     both of gar’s parents were present and involved when he was                                                   very young. after he contracted sakutia and they were able to                                                   mutate the virus, allowing gar to co-exist with it, they grew much                                                   more distant. gar was often isolated to certain rooms of their                                                   research center, partially for his own protection and partially                                                   because his parents didn’t know what to do with him once he                                                   started exhibiting the abilities sakutia had granted him. a scientist                                                   working with the logans, dr. samuel register, would often try                                                   pressuring them into exploring the possibilities that came with                                                   their son and, while at first resistant, mark began to bend. marie                                                   remained protective, determined to find a way to give gar some                                                   semblance of normalcy. gar remembers his parents with a blend                                                   of emotions he can’t quite explain or give names to, the only                                                   exception being guilt that he wasn’t able to save them.

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION.                        superhero/vigilante. will eventually become a wildlife educator &                                                 conservationist, working with various organizations and                                                 rehabilitation.  CURRENT RESIDENCE.         jump city, california CLOSE FRIENDS.                   victor, kori, raven, dick RELATIONSHIP STATUS.        single. FINANCIAL STATUS.               his inheritance has him more than covered (but this is a secret). DRIVER’S LICENSE.               he don’t got one lmfao, he got legs and wings bay-beeee CRIMINAL RECORD.              theft, breaking/entering, destruction of property (pre-hero work). VICES.                                    various forms of escapism. desperate need of company, often                                                 regardless of how dangerous or toxic it may be (will make excuses                                                 for the other party or claim it’s not that bad ; refuses to be alone).                                                 general refusal to seek or accept medical help for any injury.

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.                        demisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION.                   bi / pan-romantic PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE.       submissive | dominant | SWITCH. PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE.              submissive  |  dominant | SWITCH. LIBIDO.                                                 low (on a 1-10 scale, probably a 3). TURN ONS.                                          returning his bad jokes with an even worse (or better)                                                               one. a contagious laugh. warm hands. the way someone                                                               lights up when they’re excited over something they care                                                               about. pun-game on point. intelligence. sleeves rolled up                                                               to the forearms. genuine acceptance. kindness toward                                                               animals. upbeat attitude.

TURN OFFS.                                         lack of empathy. ignoring him. belittlement.  LOVE LANGUAGE.                              sending memes. quality time, taking turns choosing                                                               activities. various forms of physical contact, be it hand-                                                               holding, leaning into you, propping his legs over yours,                                                               etc. special nicknames for you and only you (gets irritable                                                               if other people try to use them). allowing himself to show                                                               signs of sadness or depression around you.  RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.          initially friendly and welcoming, though this can 180                                                               immediately depending on how it’s received or how he                                                               observes you treating others. highly protective of friends                                                               and those considered family, to the fault of being blindly                                                               willing to “throw himself away” if that’s what it takes. puts                                                               friends/family first, always. doesn’t give a shit what                                                               genetics say, you choose your family (trigon’s a dad?                                                               news to me). crushes fast and hard, but it takes a bit                                                               longer for romance or sexual feelings to actually root                                                               themselves.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG.           pride . waving through a window . what’s up, danger? HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.                    video games, dancing / choreography, free-running &                                                               parkour, climbing anything he can, exploring/being                                                               outside, swimming, sun-bathing, flying. MENTAL ILLNESSES.                          complex PTSD. depression. situational anxiety. PHYSICAL ILLNESSES.                       infected with a mutated strain of the sakutia virus. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED.                 right-brained. PHOBIAS.                                              being alone. hospitals/medical staff/scientists. needles. SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL.              low to medium, depending on his company (ie:                                                               confidence is higher when around his own team & friends,                                                               but significantly lower when in steve/mento’s presence or                                                               around someone he might be crushing on or trying to                                                               impress) . VULNERABILITIES.                             mentions of his biological parents. bringing up                                                               past “screw-ups” or mistakes. tara (especially how he                                                               spoke to her the night of her betrayal, though this is                                                               information he hasn’t shared with anyone). his fear of                                                               himself and his own “potential”. (post-series) accidentally                                                               killing madame rouge. his refusal to wind up alone.

tagged by stolen from: @humanitysbridge​​

tagging: @gctjinxd, @nvertoolate, @demon-sorciere, @ring-of-azar, @fastestboyalive, @kywht​, @floraluniversal​ —————YOU if you’re reading this (tag me so i can peep) !

#;describe yourself (yoooooooo) #;a garbage can. but it's pretty cute. ( SPECIFIC HEADCANON ) #long post for ts #[ holy shit this was fun but BOY HOWDY IT TOOK A WHILE ]

[shirlleycoyle]

OAN Is So Dangerous Because It Looks Like a Real News Channel

It’s the president’s favorite “news” channel, and a cornerstone of America’s growing disinformation problem. It’s One America News (OAN), a rotating collection of wobbly conspiracies and gibberish that has more in common with a state-run disinformation network than a credible news organization. 

OAN’s definition of “news” has included false claims of electoral fraud, baseless Kremlin-backed conspiracy theories, false claims that the novel coronavirus was developed in a North Carolina lab as part of a vast government conspiracy, and accusations that last summer’s protests over the police killing of George Floyd were part of a diabolical “coup.”

“According to the mainstream media, the riots and extreme violence are completely unorganized,” the network proclaimed last August. “However, it appears this coup attempt is led by a well-funded network of anarchists trying to take down the president.”

Last June, 75-year-old Martin Gugino had his skull fractured after being shoved to the ground by Buffalo police officers. Video clearly showed the elderly Gugino doing nothing wrong, but OAN insisted he was an “Antifa provocateur” using sophisticated tech to target the police.

“Newly released video appeared to show Gugino using a police tracker on his phone trying to scan police communications during the protest,” the network falsely claimed.

Tuesday, YouTube suspended the OAN channel for a week after the company uploaded a video promoting a bogus cure for COVID-19.

In seven years OAN has gone from completely unknown to being routinely amplified by Trump, catering in many ways to an audience of one. It is a symbiotic relationship, in which Trump can point to what vaguely look like news reports to buttress his own conspiracy theorizing, and the network, by providing them, can access his massive and loyal audience.

This relationship, like so much about Trump's presidency, is seemingly unique and aberrant. But while experts say OAN’s impact is overstated and future success unsure, they also warn that without a major course correction, the channel’s modest success is a troubling harbinger of dumber and more dangerous things to come.

OAN is the brainchild of millionaire Robert Herring, who ran a chain of Los Angeles pet stores before making his fortune printing circuit boards. In 2003, Herring created Herring Networks, which includes WealthTV, a self-proclaimed “lifestyle and entertainment cable network,” and OAN, which was launched in 2013.

Few gave OAN a second glance until it became a network exclusively dedicated to pandering to Donald Trump’s insatiable ego. Dating back to 2015, Trump touted the network and its coverage of his presidential bid, and throughout his presidency, he has praised and promoted it to his tens of millions of followers. Throughout election season, OAN heaped lavish praise on the president, even pulling polls that dared suggest Trump might not win his reelection bid.  And post-election, both Herring and the channel he founded have pivoted to parroting false Trump claims of rampant electoral fraud.

Much like the alternative-reality contemporaries OAN hopes to compete with, the channel’s unbridled dedication to Trumpism—and the relentless repetition of every conspiratorial MAGA brain fart—is routinely portrayed as objective journalism by company executives.

“We’re a no-fluff, very fast-paced live news service meant to inform,” Robert’s son Charles Herring told the Washington Post in 2017. “News anchors are not allowed to express opinions. They simply deliver the news and we leave it up to the viewers to decide. It’s not our family’s mission to determine the news.”

The president’s adoration of OAN means that despite being banned from briefings by the White House Correspondents’ Association for ignoring CDC safety protocols, the channel has been allowed to simply ignore the ban, and on any given week can still be found amplifying ludicrous claims from White House grounds with a quality reminiscent of high school A/V clubs.

Last week, OAN received yet another signal boost when Trump tweeted out a segment featuring bogus claim of electoral fraud propped up by “expert analysis” by Ron Watkins—son of 8kun (formerly 8chan) owner Jim Watkins—who is alleged to be a cornerstone of the QAnon conspiracy cult, where the false claim first originated:

But even with daily free marketing from the president, OAN’s real-world influence has been largely overstated.

OAN doesn’t subscribe to industry-standard Nielsen estimates, so accurately measuring its viewership has proven to be a guessing game for TV ratings firms. (OAN claims to reach around 35 million potential homes, little more than a quarter of the total number of U.S. homes that currently own a television set.) Research firms like Kagan estimate OAN’s reach to be 23 million cable subscribers, a significantly smaller potential footprint than right-wing outlets like Newsmax TV (58.2 million) or Fox News (78.6 million). When Nielsen attempted to more accurately measure how many of those users actually watch the channel last year, it wasn’t pretty:

OAN’s ambitions have been challenged by the fact that numerous major cable outlets, including Comcast, Spectrum, and Dish Network have refused to carry the channel. A June Bloomberg report attributed this reluctance to stringent OAN contract requirements, an asking price out of line with the channel’s quality, or a lack of interest in being associated with controversy.

OAN’s biggest cable distributor, AT&T/DirecTV, has been trimming costs due to sustained TV subscriber losses from cord cutting and mismanagement. Reports earlier this year indicated that OAN’s contract with AT&T is up for renewal next year, potentially removing AT&T’s 19 million potential viewers from the equation if a new deal can’t be reached.

Neither OAN nor AT&T responded to inquiries about the status of the contract.

While OAN may not be brainwashing a massive audience; it is providing plausible-seeming props and set dressing for Trump as he uses social media to create an alternate reality in which he won the election, defeated the coronavirus, and is unfairly besieged on all sides by mean journalists and the “deep state.” It’s a false reality OAN hopes to take to the mainstream.

The MAGA set has become furious at Fox’s failure to more fully embrace false claims of election fraud, and for (accurately) calling Arizona for Joe Biden before other outlets on election night. A recent Morning Consult poll found that Fox News’ favorability among Republicans dropped from 67 to 54 percent post-election—simply for occasionally telling viewers the truth.

But without free daily advertising from the president, overtaking Fox will be a steep uphill climb for the fledgling network—especially if OAN continues to double down on conspiracies and nonsense, Stanford professor of political economics Greg Martin told Motherboard.

“Fox News in some sense created the market for OAN, by building up the taste for conservative-slanted TV news in a large audience,” Martin said. But he added that Fox maintains its massive audience by including just enough hard news (like a legitimate election data team willing to call Arizona early for Biden) to keep at least the illusion of integrity intact.

Martin’s research has found that in terms of gaining cable TV market share, there are diminishing returns when it comes toward pushing extremism at your target audience, suggesting that OAN’s quest to out-conspiracy Fox might not be a winning formula.

“One of the points we make in the paper is that there is a tradeoff in moving farther towards the ideological extreme: if people watch, you'll have greater influence on their beliefs, but you also increase the risk that they are turned off by it and don't watch at all,” Martin said.

Martin added that Fox has been very successful at this balancing act to create the illusion of mainstream respectability, but a network like OAN positioning itself even further to the right of Fox is likely to be drawing viewers from a limited pool of total viewers.

“Fox has already pushed the envelope about as far as you can go before the returns to additional ideological extremity start to turn negative,” he said. “So I am skeptical that OAN will achieve anything like Fox's influence on public policy and politics in the US, even if its ratings were to continue to grow.”

While OAN may never see the same level of success as Fox News, it doesn't have to: It has had, and could continue to have, real effects on the public discourse just by inverting the usual formula by which powerful people reach a mass audience via news outlets. And other media scholars say the success it has seen is a troubling omen for the future of U.S. journalism and America’s accelerating battle with disinformation and propaganda.

Victor Pickard, an American media studies scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, told Motherboard OAN’s rise comes at a major inflection point for U.S. media. With U.S. journalism facing an existential and financial crisis—and so many bad faith actors looking to fill the vacuum created—OAN will likely be the least of our problems. 

“It's difficult to imagine a surefire way to undo the damage to our media ecosystem, but one key piece of any solution must be to rebuild local journalism, whose dissolution has created the vacuum into which all manner of conspiratorial nonsense and disinformation has rushed in,” Pickard said. 

Decades of corporate consolidation and layoffs have hit local journalism particularly hard, replacing quality local reporting with a troubling combination of Facebook conspiracies, Trump-loyal disinformation empires like Sinclair Broadcasting, and a flood of even more malicious actors looking to disguise corporate and political propaganda as legitimate local news. 

Researchers have shown repeatedly that as local journalism is replaced with homogenized fluff and nonsense, Americans not only become less informed and more divided, but local corruption reporting falls through the cracks. In some instances, a lack of quality reporting has been directly linked to a measurable impact on election results.

Pickard noted that without addressing the underlying rot that fertilized the rise of the U.S. disinformation problem in the first place, things are likely to only get worse.

“Several structural conditions enabled the rise of OAN,” Pickard said. “First are the commercial values that incentivize media outlets to privilege profits above all else,” he said. “The proven formula of outrage-driven commentary is both cheap to produce and captures audiences' attention, which advertisers covet.”

In short, we’ve created an entire information ecosystem that prioritizes engagement above accuracy or insight, one in which it’s often not as profitable to tell the sometimes-boring but important truth.

Pickard has been a consistent advocate of providing more public funding for U.S. journalism as an antidote to the corrosive impact of engagement-based advertising. He also advocates for stronger “public interest protections that mandate social responsibilities such as maintaining ideological balance and fact-based coverage in our news media.”

In the 1940s the FCC passed the Fairness Doctrine, which required that broadcast news outlets cover issues of public interest fairly. But the rules were demolished in 1987 after Republicans spent years demonizing them, insisting they violated the First Amendment. Even if still around today, the rules would have only applied to broadcast television, not cable TV.

With inflammatory nonsense so profitable and Congress increasingly divided, a more modern proposal seems all but doomed. In its place, U.S. media policy has consisted of rubber stamping problematic mergers, eliminating decades-old media consolidation rules, and doubling down on an ad-based media environment that only tends to reward the inflammatory.

Without a major funding boost for real journalism and a massive rethinking of U.S. media policy, “news” empires like OAN will continue to see outsized influence on U.S. discourse, Pickard said—and it's not hard to imagine the possibilities for more sophisticated actors creating bespoke fake news for powerful politicians and political movements. Media experts also argue more mainstream journalists and outlets need to rethink their role in amplifying or validating bad faith viewpoints in a misguided quest for artificial balance. 

“I predict that our news media in general will continue to worsen because there's less and less actual journalism,” Pickard said. “Meanwhile, the rightwing, fact-free media model is a proven money maker with no countervailing force.”

As trust in institutions is eroded, the public tends to turn to dubious, sometimes terrible alternatives to reinforce their shaken worldview. OAN wasn’t the first “news” outlet to exploit our failure to prevent conspiratorial thinking from being mainlined into the American bloodstream, and without a dramatic shift in U.S. media policy and funding, it certainly won’t be the last.

OAN Is So Dangerous Because It Looks Like a Real News Channel syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[politicaltheatre]

Justice, Faith, and Power

We can learn.

We take it as a matter of faith. We have no proof that we can learn. We always have. It’s gotten us this far. It stands to reason that it will take us farther.

Maybe that isn’t faith. If it stands to reason, then we do have proof. We have a track record, we have history, our own and that of other civilizations, that we have learned.

Patterns are revealed in that history, proof of what we have done, how we have succeeded and how we have failed. All it takes is a willingness to see and a willingness to learn.

Which brings us to Mardi Gras.

You could be forgiven for wondering what drunken partying has to do with learning, but you’d be wrong, at least about Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras is all about traditions. The partying is one, yes, but everything about that party is layered with meaning, with rituals and traditions passed on generation to generation, rituals and traditions that carry lessons and that hold communities together when times get hard.

Yes, rituals and traditions can be twisted and abused by those seeking to acquire or maintain power, used against other communities and used, eventually, against their own, but rituals such as Mardi Gras are built on lessons, ideas meant to be learned and passed on through repetition.

Justice, faith, and power; these are the themes of Mardi Gras, represented, respectively, by the colors purple, green, and gold. Mardi Gras asks us to look around at our lives and our world, asks us to ask, What lessons in justice, faith, and power are there for us learn?

Justice? That’s easy. There isn’t any. Well, okay, maybe there is some, but lately it feels like there’s one set of rules for the rich and powerful and another for everyone else.

Yesterday, Harvey Weinstein was convicted of 3rd degree rape and sexual assault, a sign of progress for every woman he attacked and demeaned, but he was also acquitted on two more serious charges. The bar for fighting sexual harassment and assault has been lowered, but not so significantly that women in every workplace in the film industry - or any other - will now feel safe.

Those “above the line”, women whose positions in the filmmaking process are visible to the viewing public thus giving them clout, they may be safer than they were. Me, Too and Weinstein’s downfall have had an immediate impact for them, but for those “below the line”, still relying on the good word of those with hiring and firing power, little to nothing has changed.

The lesson: if you are rich and powerful, only those with clout can take you down.

It’s just as likely that those with clout will help you keep what you have, especially if what you have will help them get more of what they want. Case in point, the acquittal of Donald J. Trump by a stacked jury of his peers.

Talk all you want about the politics of impeachment. The Republicans in Congress and their surrogates in the media sure are. They’’ll be talking about it all the way to November and probably for years to come. And why wouldn’t they? It keeps them from having to ask about the law and how Trump sought to undermine the rule of law.

Of course, he succeeded. With their help, he broke several laws and, thanks to the glory of legal precedent, has rendered them effectively null and void for future presidents to come. If, you know, we get any more.

The only lesson he learned - sorry, Susan Collins - was that he can violate with impunity. He celebrated his victory over the rule of law first by firing those who testified against him, then by hiring a man who had himself been fired from the White House for breaking the law to oversee the firing of anyone else who fails to pass some kind of loyalty test.

In each case, we have already been told, no one has actually been “fired”. As a National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien explained, everyone stops working at he White House at some point, all that’s happening in these cases is their time has come.

How’s that for a place to work: you’ve already been fired, now give me a reason to let you stay.

Trump followed that up by interfering in the sentencing of Roger Stone, convicted of lying to and obstructing Congress on Trump’s behalf, and then by pardoning a slew of rich and powerful men who had been convicted of crimes such as soliciting bribes and insider trading.

It doesn’t help that an a depressingly credulous media chose to take Trump’s staged sparring with his complicit Attorney General William Barr at face value. Such is their willingness to do so that even something as obvious as that bit of pantomime mostly escaped comment, let alone any serious investigation.

The corruption of executive, legislative, and judicial power in the United States government is just about complete, with nothing but the coming election in November to stop it. Trump and his Republican allies are counting on Americans’ increasing lack of faith in government to carry them through. If they keep destroying what government can and should do, they might just succeed.

Faith, and the lack of it, is an important factor in Trump’s success. Ask many who voted for him in 2016 and they will tell you it was “a leap of faith”.

They didn’t know what he would do or how. They had, or should have had, an idea, given everything he’s ever said or tweeted, but he had no track record, no history, in politics other than race-baiting and showing politicians who could help him a good time.

They would have told you at the time that it was his success as a businessman that convinced them, but if you had asked them then what they actually knew about his business, they wouldn’t have known much beyond what his public relations team or NBC’s “The Apprentice” had told them.

Faith. They were told a story and they chose to believe. It’s a bit like religion, and like religion if that story comes under attack they will rise to that story’s defense. They don’t dare lose what that story gives them, the justification for their decisions and something embedded within their identity.

Lose that, and they don’t know who they are. Having supported someone who has done something wrong, they don’t dare accept that he could have done it; if they must accept that that he has, then they don’t dare admit that doing it was wrong.

Imagine what it must be like to root for the Houston Asterisks Astros right now. They probably feel the same way. The team cheated. The team was caught cheating. That much isn’t in doubt.

The reactions are what we might expect.

The player who blew the whistle, Mike Fiers, has been condemned as a “snitch” by those who cover the sport and by at least one former star who himself was caught cheating with steroids. He has also received death threats from fans of the Astros and of the sport in general.

Those fans’ faith in a game they have followed since childhood has been shaken. It doesn’t help that the powers that be in Major League Baseball have chosen to protect their money-making players at the expense of game integrity.

The rest of the players don’t like it. It’s gotten so bad that the league commissioner, Rob Manfred, felt compelled to tell pitchers not to throw at Astros batters.

As if that was the biggest threat to his sport.

Baseball’s economics have long been a problem. Star players are signing contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The last guy on the bench, barely able to hit big league pitching, makes more in a season than the average American might make in ten years.

The pressure to acquire and maintain those contracts combined with lax oversight led to the same steroid scandal that shook fans’ faith in the sport a decade ago. The price for paying such high contracts is paid not by the teams but by the fans, those willing to pay big money to see their teams at the stadiums or on premium cable and streaming services.

Is it really enough to keep steroid cheats out of the Hall of Fame if the cost of watching a game becomes increasingly unaffordable? Is it enough if fans and players can’t really trust the results of those games? And if cheaters do get in, as “snitching” complainer David “Big Papi” Ortiz likely will, what then?

Loss of faith terrifies us. Faith in anything serves as an anchor; take even the worst anchor away, we fear drifting or even being completely swept away. This is why we fight for it with such ferocity. This is why we hurt others in order to protect it.

The recent attacks by right wing terrorists in Germany are perfect examples of this. In Volkmarsen yesterday, a 29 year old German drive a car into a crowd celebrating Carnival. He wounded 30, including 10 children. Last week in Hanau, another German, 43, killed 9 adults in a restaurant in the city’s Turkish and Kurdish neighborhood.

If the names of these cities don’t seem familiar, let that teach you a valuable lesson about the threat these right wing groups pose. They aren’t just focusing on the big cities like Berlin and Frankfurt; they’re in the small cities and small towns, places that traditionally have fewer foreigners, places that once seemed all the same and now do not.

These attacks are meant to instill fear in those not like them. They are meant as a call to action for those who, like them, live their lives in constant fear of being weak, of being vulnerable, and of being alone.

Anti-semitism has also been on the rise in Germany, too, with murders and other attacks growing in number as they have in the United States and elsewhere. In a country that once seemed inoculated against a recurrence of Nazism, the fear among many is that no cultural antibody may be enough to stop its spread.

The reasons offered for the rise of right wing movements around the world are many, from demographic shifts and immigrants to loss of local industry and economic uncertainty.

The actual reason is something common to them all: a loss of faith in community and in government. In societies in which there is demonstrable social and economic justice, there are fewer attacks on minorities. There are fewer attacks, in general.

Why is religion at the center of every civilization? It isn’t because it helps those in power stay in power. It does do that, yes, but only because every institution is ultimately corrupted to do just that.

No, it holds that place because at some point it provides certainty and stability. It provides the idea that we are all equal, if not in the disastrous present then in some distant past or inevitable future.

Ritual and tradition are key to every culture’s power. Those that interfere with them do so at the risk of destroying the most important power any community has, the power that holds that community together.

Sports fans will only pay what they believe they can afford. Their faith in the integrity of what they’re paying for can only hold out for so long before they can no longer avoid the facts. Lose their faith, they’ll go find another and spend their money there.

Likewise, voters will only go out and vote for a candidate they believe they can afford. The cost to them, literal or figurative, is what will decide if they make the effort. Their perception of risk and its proximity to them, therefore, decides if they turn out to vote or not.

That’s power. That’s a power to be exploited, and it’s being exploited right now.

When we talk about a “base” in politics, we mean a community held together by stories and rituals and tradition, ones who will turn out not because they were persuaded by a policy position or a great debate performance but by how that candidate reflects those stories, rituals, and tradition that give them their identity.

Trump’s rallies have been all about that: stories, ritual, and tradition. They’re mega-churches, with a smarmy loud mouth spouting lies and pointing his faithful to scapegoats and other victims for bullying.

Make no mistake, Donald Trump is the most powerful politician we have seen in the United States in our lifetimes, and he is because he is everything that can and will destroy the things that hold the United States together.

We made the mistake in underestimating him in 2016, in underestimating the willingness of so many to follow a bully and to do his bidding, and in the damage they might do to the idea that there can be such a thing as justice.

There will be things in our lives that we regret. That’s bound to happen with drunken partying, but equally it is bound to happen in defending our faith in ideas and people who do not deserve it. That, however, is how we learn.

We must not be afraid of our mistakes. We may fear learning the difficult lesson, but having made the mistake and sharing it, we pass on valuable information to others in our communities that help them succeed.

In doing so, we help restore a sense of justice and, with it, faith in our community. That’s our power, one no one can take away.

- Daniel Ward

#mardi gras #carnival #politics #justice #faith #power #epiphany #revelation #2020 presidential election #bullying #racism #fear #right wing #donald trump #fascism #nazism #germany #houston astros #cheating #cheating culture #religion #christianity #long reads #mike fiers #david ortiz #steroids #terrorism #kleptocracy #oligarchy

[wakingdreamland]

Argumentative Essay Sample

One of the services I offer is the critique and review of essays, as well as custom examples for students to use as references when constructing their own works. 

The argumentative essay is often one of the most challenging to write, as it must be presented with multiple sides of an issue, but a clear opinion on the part of the author that can be argued by others. Even finding an appropriate topic can be difficult, as the writer must immerse themselves in the issue to understand multiple viewpoints involved, state through the writing their stance (or just the stance they are choosing to present) on the topic, and attempt to sway the opinions of the readers. It should also be tailored to the audience, be it the teacher, classmates, or a larger group, so anticipating the viewpoints of the audience is crucial. 

The essay beneath the cut is just shy of 2500 words, and could be trimmed or expanded to fit an assignment if it was needed. It lacks any source citations or footnotes, though those could be provided in whatever format an assignment required.

The topic for this sample argumentative essay is the current controversy over Marvel’s upcoming story-arc, Secret Empire, and how Magneto, a canonically Jewish character, could potentially ally with Hydra, an organization that once had strong Nazi ties. 

Please remember that this is a sample of an argumentative essay only. It is not intended to spark debate in comments or reblogs, nor is it intended for others to plagiarize for themselves.

Magneto And Hydra;  Attract Or Repel?

“What makes a man a man? A friend of mine once wondered. Is it his origins, the way he comes to life? I don't think so. It’s the choices he makes; not how he starts things but how he decides to end things.”  -John Meyers, Hellboy

If you're a nerd and not living under a rock that the Mars Rover is about to inspect, you've borne witness to the chaos swirling around Marvel's Secret Empire. Or at least the part that is spreading through the internet like secrets through the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Thanks to how the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taken stories once only found in comics and stray movies and spread them out for a far wider audience, many people are weighing in heavily on the matter of Magneto vs. Hydra. There is outrage aplenty that a canonically Jewish character who survived the Holocaust would ever join an organization as heavily associated with Nazis as Hydra, but as John Meyers said regarding Hellboy, it is not the origins of a man that defines him, but the choices he makes along the way.

Before we examine the character of Magneto as he's developed over the years as well as Hydra, the fascist organization that has allied with the Nazis during WWII and has been seen as an allegory for the Nazis since, it is important to note why this is a sensitive issue for a significant number of people. The current political climate in the US appears to be encouraging a rise in hate crimes; while these bigots have always been among us, believing themselves superior, now they have become more brazen. Bomb threats have been called in to many Jewish Community Centers and Muslim Mosques, and cemeteries have been vandalized; swastikas are appearing in far greater numbers than any time in recent memory. Marvel has already taken a beloved hero, Captain America, and through the use of a Cosmic Cube plot-line, has turned him into an agent of Hydra, which generated intense outrage. Now, there are strong implications that a canonically Jewish character will be a turncoat as well. Readers --or even just people who have enjoyed the movies-- may feel as though their heroes are being taken away from them in a darkening time, to join The Enemy. In all likelihood, this is intentional; comic books have long been known for touching on real-world issues, and these particular story arcs are taking both heroes and villains into a grim and uncertain new reality.

It should also be noted that this controversy is in response to a Marvel variant cover, which don't often have much, if anything,  to do with the story; various other heroes like Hulk, Thor, and Captain Marvel are depicted as secret Hydra agents as well, and even a poster for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. displays a looming threat of Hydra. Nothing on the variant covers hint at what the story arc of Secret Empire will involve, besides a likely conflict between the heroes and villains of several Marvel groups and Cosmic Cubed Captain America.

Magneto is a very well-known super villain of Marvel even to those who have never touched a comic book. He's played big parts in anything related to X-Men, which means significant appearances in cartoons and movies over decades, but many of those depictions focus on Magneto rather than Max Eisenhardt, who after enough name changes to confuse even a comic book writer a little, including Erik Lehnsherr, became Magneto. How does one go about creating such a charismatic super villain? Well, judging by his background, apparently one shoves the character through at least three levels of hell from childhood, makes sure they are repeatedly betrayed and lose multiple loved ones, and makes certain they slaughter a large number of people in a rage that also forces them to lose a loved one. While different variations of the story exist due to the complexities of translating comics to TV shows to movies, the basics of this Intro To Super Villainy are as follows: Through the 1930s and into the 1940s, young Max Eisenhardt suffered the loss of mother, father, and sister by execution, after which he escaped a mass grave. He was captured again and sent to Auschwitz, the horrors of which could have their own essay. While there, he found a "bright side", reuniting with Magda, a Romani girl he'd fallen in love with. They escaped the prison camp and lived an uneventful life until a manifestation of his powers drove an angry mob to attack, burning down their home and killing his daughter. Magneto, or Magnus, as he was calling himself at the time, retaliated by destroying everyone he could get his magnets on. Magda, terrified by the display of power and violence, fled, and would later give birth to Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch.

Looking at what this character went through in his formative years thanks to the Nazis, it's incredibly difficult for many to accept that he would align his interests with Hydra. These are events that can shape a man in many different ways. Stan Lee, the creator of Magneto, said in a 2008 interview that he didn't think of Magneto as a bad guy. He was dangerous, he was driven, but not a villain. This is particularly interesting, and a display of the concept: Villains are the heroes of their own stories. From the outside, it is clear that Magneto is absolutely a villain, but from the perspective of the character, he is doing whatever it takes to protect mutant-kind, "Homo superior" from the horrific results of bigotry and fear combining. Even as Magneto wanders off and makes an orbital base in a hollowed out asteroid and gathers a bunch of pissed-off mutants to form the "Brotherhood of Evil Mutants", --seriously, there was no name creativity happening here-- which is probably one of the most super villainy things one can possibly do, his goal is to protect the mutants from the rest of mankind. In his own narrative, and in Stan Lee's mind, he's not the "bad guy"; he's simply willing to do whatever it takes to keep what happened during the Holocaust to the Jews from happening to the mutants.

Magneto goes through a great number of character development arcs, as do most long-term characters that exist in comic books that span decade after decade. Some to the point of becoming utterly nonsensical when looked at with hindsight. At one point, it is discovered that the use of his mutant powers has made him extremely paranoid and aggressive, traits which show during several attempts to conquer or destroy humanity. At another point, Magneto is inwardly horrified that he's become a supremacist himself; in an encounter with the X-Men he nearly kills Kitty Pryde, stopping himself barely in time when he realizes that she's just a child. He also realizes that he's started to view those who oppose him to be as worthless as the Nazis considered his people to be. One of the most unique story arcs he was involved in was called Secret Wars, in which an alien being took heroes and villains to pit against each other so he could view the concept of "good vs. evil" in action. Significantly, it sorted Magneto in with the heroes, because regardless of his methods, his desires were based on a wish to help mutant-kind rather than the more selfish motivations we often see in villains.

Some of these arcs are off-set by others that show just how far he is willing to go with regard to helping mutant-kind; kidnapping, torture, and aiming stolen nuclear warheads at Earth from an asteroid-base are all fine examples of this. He is perfectly willing, at numerous points, to slaughter as much of humanity as his paranoia insists is necessary to preserve mutants, even if he has to kill other mutants to do it. Marvel also repeatedly created spin-off universes, such as the House of M, in which Scarlet Witch warps reality so that those in her family can receive their heart's desires. It says a good deal about the character Magneto that this arc involves him as the leader of the world's much larger mutant population, using Genosha as a base for dominating the rest of the world and placing mutantkind above humanity.

Now we take a look at Hydra. In many instances, members of Hydra can be easily identified by a habit of wearing green with a serpent motif which has probably led to Slytherin / Hydra cross-over fan-fiction somewhere on the internet. Marvel has tried quite a bit, especially in recent times, to distance Hydra from real-world Nazis, though many fans can't --or won't-- see a distinction. The wider fan-based reached by the Marvel Cinematic Universe has seen Hydra in association with Nazis repeatedly, while the comic book canon shows a far more diverse cast for the history of Hydra, which spans back to dynastic Egypt. Red Skull is the villain that many see as the head of Hydra, forgetting that the hydra has many heads; cut off one and two more will grow.

Red Skull is significant because unlike the overwhelming majority of Hydra, he really is a Nazi. Red Skull first appeared in 1941 as a Nazi agent and enemy of Captain America and of the free world in general. What might surprise people is that he has had several incarnations, including having his mind placed into a clone of Steve Rogers. Time and again, the world believes he has gone, only to have him return time and again with schemes of world domination and genocide. People focusing on the allegory of Hydra as Nazis because of Red Skull's association with both miss that Red Skull himself is an allegory of how some enemies will never be truly gone. The ideals he espouses of fascism, bigotry, rule-by-intimidation, and superiority are problems that the real world sees time and again, in many different forms. In a way, he is Captain America's opposite; trained by Hitler himself and appointed head of terrorist activities, given a grotesque mask of a red skull to strike fearful obedience in others while Captain America's costume and shield have stood for hope, uniting against an enemy of the free people, leading others through inspiration. It was Red Skull who took over the reins of Hydra during World War II, thus giving Hydra an association with Nazis that Marvel has been trying, with little success, to break away from.

So why would Magneto join forces with Hydra? We have no real way to know even that he is going to, much less the reasons that will be provided in the upcoming story arc. Art and teasers that Marvel has made available strongly suggest that many groups from the Cinematic Universe, including the X-Men, the Avengers, and even the Guardians of the Galaxy will be swept up in this year-long story, Secret Empire.

People look at one facet of Magneto, the fact that Max Eisenhardt is a Jew. Not just a Jew, but one who survived the horrors of the concentration camps and lost his family in the process. And from that viewpoint, it does seem appalling that he would join with Hydra. While it now lacks any true Nazi ties, the fascist organization has its tentacles squeezing tight on the Marvel universe, subverting Captain America to their side while utilizing S.H.I.E.L.D. as an intelligence gathering unit, surely with intent to (as all villainous organizations wish) take over the world.

But Magneto is not only a Jew. The character has made a number of choices in his life, choices that have led down paths of possible redemption and paths that would make most other super villains anxious and wary of hostile take-over. What he experienced as a young Jew during the Holocaust has led him to desire, beyond all else, protection of mutantkind. He even qualifies as a supremacist himself, over and over, to the point that he'd be willing to eradicate the rest of humanity so that mutants can ascend to their rightful place, believing that they are far superior. A place above a humanity that is so often cruel to the unknown, that lets fear of the things they do not understand lead to war and tragedy over and over. From that perspective, perhaps we can see why he might throw himself in with Hydra, even with the organization's history.

Magneto is not only a mutant with incredibly dangerous and extremely powerful abilities, he is also a brilliant tactician (various asteroid-base debacles aside.) He is cunning, and ruthless, and if he saw a way to utilize Hydra in his ever-present goal of protecting and uplifting mutantkind, he would very likely take it. It is also possible that he would make use of his intelligence and wit to infiltrate the organization with the thought of causing it to topple from within; he is often depicted as a patient man willing to go to great lengths, even ones he may question himself, in order to achieve his goals. To us, the readers, that makes him not just a super villain, but one that can have a certain amount of admiration. Unlike many comic characters, his origins and his experiences have combined to make a fairly steady character in a genre that often sends characters through roller-coaster loops that baffle the laws of physics; no matter what Magneto does, always in the back of his mind is the goal of keeping what happened to his people, the Jews, from happening to his people, the mutants.

Right now, in the real world, minorities are feeling not just oppressed, but scared. Sacred spaces of many cultures are being violated in the name of bigotry or "progress", to the point that it's become difficult to tell the difference between the two anymore. The behavior of US officials has been dismissive over these frequent horrors, sweeping them under the rug, only adding to the hurt and anxiety that many people all over the world are feeling. And while many of us look toward fiction to lift us up, hints and theories suggest that Marvel's Secret Empire will lead our heroes into darkness. Looking at the US today, Captain America being subverted by propaganda and putting Hydra on display as American military is terrifyingly on the nose; those who see Hydra as allegory for Nazis may now see Hydra as allegory for America, and that is a horrifying thought. But comics have often reflected the real world quite intentionally, and perhaps the choices Magneto will make, the way he decides to end things within the story-arc of Secret Empire, will reveal a man we can admire as a hero.

#Argumentative Essay #Sample #Secret Empire

[nxfury]

THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS, A Discussion On Free Speech

In the early 1940s during World War 2, a world renowned rock-'n-roll guitarist named Woody Guthrie mustered up the courage to paint a slogan on his guitar, that would forever change the way we view the world and influence many people's views on the subject of free speech. After the publishing of one of his wartime songs, Guthrie painted "THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS" onto his guitar. But Why Would He? Guthrie believed that the battle Freedom of Speech and Censorship was more important than the war between Good and Evil itself. Enough history, why is this viewpoint relevant to society today?

This post is different, I recently downloaded a videogame I remembered playing from several years ago, called Return To Castle Wolfenstein. It's considered to be cult classic game, but I learned it was banned to own or sell in Germany and a couple other countries, due to it's use of the Nazi Swastika. This got me thinking on the topic of censorship as it relates to the world we live in, why hackers should care, and how we can tackle this issue.

What Is Censorship?

Censorship comes from the root word censor, which means "to examin in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable" (definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Due to the breadth of this definition, this means that NOT ONLY GOVERNMENTS can censor a society- society can censor themselves. An example of government-forced censorship would be the banning of books (such as how several countries ban the Bible or other books deemed "sacred") or the blocking of websites in a specific region. Society-induced censorship examples could be calling people "haters" for having alternative opinions and the creation of hate speech, intentionally disregarding any alternative opinion.

Why Does Freedom Of Speech Matter?

If one is familiar with Orwellian novels or history from actual oppressive regimes such as Mussolini or Stalin, one common idea is always shared. This is the mindset of group-think, and getting society as a whole to think the same way as a like-minded whole. Hitler managed to brainwash an entire society into the hatred of the Jewish population, and all the others did similar things.

If we wish to prevent this oppressive fate, society must protect and encourage the ability to think for themselves- even if they don't wish to.

How Does This Tie Into Technology?

The Internet was formerly the ARPAnet project, a system to interconnect Universities for the purpose of enabling schools and students to better share ideas and work. It would eventually morph into the Internet which saw a massive increase in size and sharing of information, and still remains the largest source for information available to the human race. When hackers started traversing the wires and breaking into systems, the US Government promised security and began an absurd pattern of arrests and lawsuits.

The DMCA act was introduced, effectively allowing the creator of a copyrighted work to legally compel the removal of information from the internet, which resulted in numerous creative works being either deleted or removed. The NSA, FBI and CIA began an all-out assault against encryption, and are still trying to make encryption illegal, although privacy is a protected human right in the United States. Movie and record companies introduced Digital Rights Management (DRM), making it harder than ever to share derivative, creative works based on famous clips of audio/video. Human and Animal Rights Activists all around the globe started labeling people "haters" if they didn't entirely agree with their ideologies. Code of Conduct terms were introduced in numerous public domain projects to prevent people from speaking their mind. The list of these offenses goes on and on, all of them unexcusable offenses for those who claim to be guardians of free speech.

Why is this bad? IT HINDERS INNOVATION, CREATIVITY, LEARNING AND GROWTH.

On Fascism

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the words Fascism and Fascist come from the Italian root word fascio, or group. The term fascista was used to talk about the members of Mussolini's political organization, named Fasci di combattimento (combat groups). These "combat groups" adopted a bundle of rods with an ax as their insignia and wore black shirts, and became a symbol of complete and utter servitude to their government's authority. As this group was a "combat group" by nature, they would always disregard anyone else's opinions but their own, to the point of mass genocide in Italy.

Thus, a fascist is someone who violently opposes the free sharing of information and are completely subservient to some authority figure. One could easily argue that the modern bipartisan political system in the United States has encouraged such behavior on both sides, for both Republicans and Democrats, Right and Left. On the Right, we have pro-gun citizens who believe it's their God-given right to protect their land and often join militia groups to oppose anyone who disagrees. On the Left, we are seeing groups such as Antifa who are taking it upon themselves to destroy anyone or anything that questions the Black Lives Matter movement in the slightest.

This Isn't About Race Or Political Beliefs

If we were to ask the entire US population, around 90-93% of all people would agree that racism, corrupt politicians, and unethical companies are all bad things worth opposing. So why on earth are people becoming more and more divided? There are a few possible answers, neither of which are pleasant to think about:

There's a disagreement on the approach to solving these issues, and no one's willing to come to an agreeable solution.

People are actively looking for a reason to get into fights with one another.

People have let the idea of identity politics go too far, letting their beliefs become who they are- making their opinions rigid and immovable.

Whatever option is picked, the problem is clear as day: It's not about race, spending, political beliefs, global warming deniers, and so on. It's about giving opposing views the light of day in order to refine each other's view of the truth.

How Does This Apply To Tech Enthusiasts?

This arbitrarily imposed limitation on what techies can say and do effectively speaks death to their creativity. For example, the Linux kernel had a significant reputation for it's owner (Linus Torvalds) being very brash and offensive at the sight of poorly written code. He openly admitted several times that he was such, and has a zero tolerance policy for poorly written code in his project. As a political push, the Linux Kernel was forced to adopt a Code of Conduct with the reason being due to Torvald's (and others) behavior. With this code of conduct being extremely overreaching and taking control out of the owner's hands, it's become significantly harder to ensure the quality and openness of Linux. Other Open Source projects have seen this happen to them, and the quality of their code has greatly diminished while the quality of ones that haven't are greatly increased. For example, OpenBSD actively refuses to adopt a Code of Conduct, and they retain this "asshole-ish" behavior towards authors of bad code with the view that incompetence shouldn't be rewarded. Unsurprisingly, OpenBSD is widely seen as one of the most secure and reliable Operating Systems on Planet Earth.

This begs a huge question: If forcing people to speak a certain way results in reduced quality due to lack of involvement, should people be allowed to speak completely freely? For the sake of designing quality software and hardware that's meant to be used and perfected, the last thing that's needed is a set of rules to slow down the smartest people from expressing their ideas. The question ought to be posed as a moral question, asking whether or not it's an acceptable solution to use authority to force people to agree with others, even if they don't. Wouldn't it be much easier to just let someone hurt their own reputation if they wish to behave unprofessionally?

A Potential Solution

After a bit of a test run, it seems as though allowing free and unfettered speech in a ~400 member chat server seems to work extremely well, provided a system is designed to encourage real discussion about even the hardest topics. For example, reminding people that they have their own reputation to uphold is huge (Some communities might opt to make use of a rule where a member can be removed forcibly through popular vote, where no vote counts as a vote against removal) and other things.

It's incredibly sad to see the academic and scientific world decay in this way, so it's a moral duty for hackers and tech enthusiasts to protect and retain the quality of information and projects, no matter the cost.

That's it, rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled program... :)

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[nxfury]

THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS, A Discussion On Free Speech

In the early 1940s during World War 2, a world renowned rock-'n-roll guitarist named Woody Guthrie mustered up the courage to paint a slogan on his guitar, that would forever change the way we view the world and influence many people's views on the subject of free speech. After the publishing of one of his wartime songs, Guthrie painted "THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS" onto his guitar. But Why Would He? Guthrie believed that the battle Freedom of Speech and Censorship was more important than the war between Good and Evil itself. Enough history, why is this viewpoint relevant to society today?

This post is different, I recently downloaded a videogame I remembered playing from several years ago, called Return To Castle Wolfenstein. It's considered to be cult classic game, but I learned it was banned to own or sell in Germany and a couple other countries, due to it's use of the Nazi Swastika. This got me thinking on the topic of censorship as it relates to the world we live in, why hackers should care, and how we can tackle this issue.

What Is Censorship?

Censorship comes from the root word censor, which means "to examin in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable" (definition courtesy of Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Due to the breadth of this definition, this means that NOT ONLY GOVERNMENTS can censor a society- society can censor themselves. An example of government-forced censorship would be the banning of books (such as how several countries ban the Bible or other books deemed "sacred") or the blocking of websites in a specific region. Society-induced censorship examples could be calling people "haters" for having alternative opinions and the creation of hate speech, intentionally disregarding any alternative opinion.

Why Does Freedom Of Speech Matter?

If one is familiar with Orwellian novels or history from actual oppressive regimes such as Mussolini or Stalin, one common idea is always shared. This is the mindset of group-think, and getting society as a whole to think the same way as a like-minded whole. Hitler managed to brainwash an entire society into the hatred of the Jewish population, and all the others did similar things.

If we wish to prevent this oppressive fate, society must protect and encourage the ability to think for themselves- even if they don't wish to.

How Does This Tie Into Technology?

The Internet was formerly the ARPAnet project, a system to interconnect Universities for the purpose of enabling schools and students to better share ideas and work. It would eventually morph into the Internet which saw a massive increase in size and sharing of information, and still remains the largest source for information available to the human race. When hackers started traversing the wires and breaking into systems, the US Government promised security and began an absurd pattern of arrests and lawsuits.

The DMCA act was introduced, effectively allowing the creator of a copyrighted work to legally compel the removal of information from the internet, which resulted in numerous creative works being either deleted or removed. The NSA, FBI and CIA began an all-out assault against encryption, and are still trying to make encryption illegal, although privacy is a protected human right in the United States. Movie and record companies introduced Digital Rights Management (DRM), making it harder than ever to share derivative, creative works based on famous clips of audio/video. Human and Animal Rights Activists all around the globe started labeling people "haters" if they didn't entirely agree with their ideologies. Code of Conduct terms were introduced in numerous public domain projects to prevent people from speaking their mind. The list of these offenses goes on and on, all of them unexcusable offenses for those who claim to be guardians of free speech.

Why is this bad? IT HINDERS INNOVATION, CREATIVITY, LEARNING AND GROWTH.

On Fascism

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, the words Fascism and Fascist come from the Italian root word fascio, or group. The term fascista was used to talk about the members of Mussolini's political organization, named Fasci di combattimento (combat groups). These "combat groups" adopted a bundle of rods with an ax as their insignia and wore black shirts, and became a symbol of complete and utter servitude to their government's authority. As this group was a "combat group" by nature, they would always disregard anyone else's opinions but their own, to the point of mass genocide in Italy.

Thus, a fascist is someone who violently opposes the free sharing of information and are completely subservient to some authority figure. One could easily argue that the modern bipartisan political system in the United States has encouraged such behavior on both sides, for both Republicans and Democrats, Right and Left. On the Right, we have pro-gun citizens who believe it's their God-given right to protect their land and often join militia groups to oppose anyone who disagrees. On the Left, we are seeing groups such as Antifa who are taking it upon themselves to destroy anyone or anything that questions the Black Lives Matter movement in the slightest.

This Isn't About Race Or Political Beliefs

If we were to ask the entire US population, around 90-93% of all people would agree that racism, corrupt politicians, and unethical companies are all bad things worth opposing. So why on earth are people becoming more and more divided? There are a few possible answers, neither of which are pleasant to think about:

There's a disagreement on the approach to solving these issues, and no one's willing to come to an agreeable solution.

People are actively looking for a reason to get into fights with one another.

People have let the idea of identity politics go too far, letting their beliefs become who they are- making their opinions rigid and immovable.

Whatever option is picked, the problem is clear as day: It's not about race, spending, political beliefs, global warming deniers, and so on. It's about giving opposing views the light of day in order to refine each other's view of the truth.

How Does This Apply To Tech Enthusiasts?

This arbitrarily imposed limitation on what techies can say and do effectively speaks death to their creativity. For example, the Linux kernel had a significant reputation for it's owner (Linus Torvalds) being very brash and offensive at the sight of poorly written code. He openly admitted several times that he was such, and has a zero tolerance policy for poorly written code in his project. As a political push, the Linux Kernel was forced to adopt a Code of Conduct with the reason being due to Torvald's (and others) behavior. With this code of conduct being extremely overreaching and taking control out of the owner's hands, it's become significantly harder to ensure the quality and openness of Linux. Other Open Source projects have seen this happen to them, and the quality of their code has greatly diminished while the quality of ones that haven't are greatly increased. For example, OpenBSD actively refuses to adopt a Code of Conduct, and they retain this "asshole-ish" behavior towards authors of bad code with the view that incompetence shouldn't be rewarded. Unsurprisingly, OpenBSD is widely seen as one of the most secure and reliable Operating Systems on Planet Earth.

This begs a huge question: If forcing people to speak a certain way results in reduced quality due to lack of involvement, should people be allowed to speak completely freely? For the sake of designing quality software and hardware that's meant to be used and perfected, the last thing that's needed is a set of rules to slow down the smartest people from expressing their ideas. The question ought to be posed as a moral question, asking whether or not it's an acceptable solution to use authority to force people to agree with others, even if they don't. Wouldn't it be much easier to just let someone hurt their own reputation if they wish to behave unprofessionally?

A Potential Solution

After a bit of a test run, it seems as though allowing free and unfettered speech in a ~400 member chat server seems to work extremely well, provided a system is designed to encourage real discussion about even the hardest topics. For example, reminding people that they have their own reputation to uphold is huge (Some communities might opt to make use of a rule where a member can be removed forcibly through popular vote, where no vote counts as a vote against removal) and other things.

It's incredibly sad to see the academic and scientific world decay in this way, so it's a moral duty for hackers and tech enthusiasts to protect and retain the quality of information and projects, no matter the cost.

That's it, rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled program... :)

Liked This Content? Check Out Our Discord Community and Become an email subscriber!