so far, i don’t enjoy The Sims Medieval as much as i enjoy The Sims 3. i do, however, think that this is the best personality trait in any Sims game, period:
It was a hot and sweaty day. The sun blared across the oval as a cool bead of sweat rolled down Matt’s face. He could hear the yelling of Tim, James, Tom, Tim, and Jim in the background. Matt was in the zone and ready to take down Ben once and for all.
I spent the last couple hours compiling this list. It is by no means the entirety of trans women/trans feminine folks on Bandcamp, it’s just the ones I could find. Reblog it, add to it, buy their music.
Laurence Berg, Canada Research Chair for Human Rights, Diversity and Identity, disagrees with the idea that PC language and policies are oppressive. Why? Because he doesn’t really believe that PC policies existed in the first place.
“What [they]’re calling the ‘PC movement’ I would call a social movement by marginalised people and the people who support them,” he said. “[A movement] to use language that’s more correct—not ‘politically correct’—that more accurately represents reality.”
Berg is referring to a way of thinking that many of us students were too young to catch the first time around. For us, the term ‘politically correct’ survived the 90s, but the term ‘human rights backlash’ did not. Will Hutton, former editor-in-chief for the UK publication the Observer, described in his column how the term ‘PC’ was never really a political stance at all, contrary to popular belief. It was actually perceived by many as a right-wing tactic to dismiss—or backlash against—left-leaning social change. Mock the trivial aspects of human rights politics, like its changing language, and you’ll succeed in obscuring the issue altogether.
Berg believes this is what political correctness is all about: “The term politically correct is a reactionary term,” he said. “[It was] created by people who were worried by [social] changes…that affected their everyday understanding of the world in ways that pointed out their role in creating or reproducing dominance and subordination.”
According to Berg, the indignation people feel against PC ideas reflects the discomfort we feel when language and politics begin to pull away from the dominant values we grew up with—in other words, white, middle-class values. It’s no small coincidence that the concept of political correctness originated in the 80s and 90s, just after human rights concerns and visible minority groups started getting real attention in politics and the media.
Berg explains that in its original context, PC was a pejorative term used by people who felt they were losing something. Exactly what they were losing is very hard to describe, especially to them. But many sociologists and historians today have come to a consensus on what they call it: it’s a loss of privilege—and in terms of race, a loss of white privilege.
This is fantastic and also helps explain why whenever I hear someone use the term “PC,” I sort instantly shut down and dismiss what they’re about to say.
For my friends on tumblr, in case you guys want something to watch, here’s a quick list of anime series/movies with unusual/unique art styles that you may or may not know.
Kaiba
With an artstyle reminiscent of the original Astro Boy, Kaiba has a very simplistic (yet stylized) and fluid style of animation and art. The story revolves around the titular character, who wakes up with a hole in his chest with no idea of who he is. I enjoyed this a lot for the art, music and characters, who all have realistic motivations and ideals, as well as the themes handled in it; such as what defines “being human” when bodies and memories are as disposable as plastic. Genre: Sci-Fi, Psychological Drama
Redline
In terms of sheer action and excitement I got from watching a movie, I’ve got to say that Redline is one of the best ever in those departments. With a highly stylized comic-book-esque art style with a high influence from Western comics like Dick Tracy (with the emphasis on black shadows on solid colours and thick black outlines), this show is extremely fluidly animated, the movie is said to consist of 120 000 hand-drawn frames, taking seven years to complete. The movie follows the story of racer JP (aka “Sweet” JP, because of his refusal to use weaponry while racing) trying to win (and survive) the titular Redline, a race consisting of multiple racers from multiple different galaxies and planets. Genre: Racing, Sci-Fi, Action
Mononoke
Every frame of this anime could be screencapped and slapped onto someone’s dashboard for their aesthetic. That is how distinct the art style and character design of this show is. The show uses a form of “plaid animation”, where something will be animated over a still color or object as it moves, creating most of the time a jarring effect that is usually the sign of a lazy animator, however in Mononoke, the show utilizes the art to create a sense of a surreal, dream-like environment, intentionally focusing on the jarring effect. The art and design of the environment is also extremely ornate and beautiful. The show focuses on the story of the unknown Medicine Seller and his travels through Japan (in an unknown time period), killing spirits and creatures known as Mononoke. However, he cannot do so until he learns their Form, Truth and Reasoning/Regret, which leads to some very interesting lessons at the end of each story. Genre: Mystery, Horror
Dead Leaves
Another comic-influenced movie, and just barely under an hour too; Dead Leaves is an extremely fun, hyper-action-packed movie with amazing character design (almost EVERY good character in this movie has a unique design, barring the civilains and generic bad guy cannon fodder), driven by slapstick, humor (usually of the sexual kind) and more pop culture references than you can digest within the time span they’re thrown at you. The story focuses on criminals Retro and Pandy; Retro having a TV instead of a head, and Pandy having a panda-like marking on her eye, who, shortly after waking up on the moon and causing havoc on a nearby planet, are imprisoned in a super-jail. Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Kuuchuu Buranko / Welcome to Irabu’s Office
Combining rotoscoped 3D, 2D animation and live action elements, Kuuchuu Buranko is an extremely surreal look into the world of psychiatry. The art and designs were created by the lead artist of Mononoke, Kenji Nakamura. But whereas Mononoke had some subtlety/ to its art, this show is bright, colourful and neon as all hell. The show focuses on Dr. Ichiro Irabu and how he helps his patients with their problems, who are all connected in some way or the other. Genre: Comedy, Psychological Drama
The Tatami Galaxy
With a bright visual style that also manages to be subtle at the same time, The Tatami Galaxy also utilizes not just its art as a device for story telling, but the form of the show itself to convey its messages. I can’t spoil too much about the show, but I can give you this: if you enjoy the first episode, please watch it to completion, as this show basically requires the viewer to watch the show in its entirety. The story focuses on an unnamed protagonist, commonly referred to as Watashi by the show’s fans, who tries to attain the “rose-tinted” college life style he has desired for his whole life, as well as all the challenges he faces on the way. With fast-paced dialogue, a lot of humor, interesting character and background designs, as well as the various forms of “characterization”, and also the themes tackled by this show, I’d say it’s one of my favorite shows of all time. Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Drama, Psychological, Sci-Fi
I plan to add more to this list once I get around to them.
Mind Game
Mind Game. Directed by Masaaki Yuasa (also the director behind The Tatami Galaxy, Kaiba and Ping-Pong). I don’t think words can do this movie justice, but I’ll try. Imagine a combination of 3D-morphing-into-2D, sketches, animated photo images of (presumably) the voice actor’s for talking, extremely smooth and fluid movement, plus an insane amount of exaggeration,all coupled with a huge range of bright and dark colours and you’ve got Mind Game’s animation style down somewhat. Go look up more GIFs, they’ll help you understand the range of styles this surreal (and extremely fun) movie goes through. The plot follows Nishi, a down-on-his-luck, 20-years-old manga writer, running into his childhood crush Myon. He discovers she’s getting married soon while they’re talking inside her father’s restaurant. After that (plus another key event), the craziness in the movie begins; Nishi having a new-found desire to live life. Genre: Comedy, Surrealism,
Tekkonkinkreet
Tekkonkinkreet, although similar in appearance to some Masaaki Yuasa works, was not made by the man himself (although, it was made by the company,
Studio 4°C, that helped produce Mind Game). This movie has incredibly detailed backgrounds, similar to a Studio Ghibli film, with amazing usage of lighting, camera shots and motion blur as well as a wide variety of colours and shades. The story follows Black and White, two street orphans who call themselves “The Cats”, trying to keep control of their town from dangerous enemies. Although vastly different in personalities, they support each other emotionally, mentally and physically very well. Genre: Action, Drama, Adventure
The Diary of Tortov Riddle
The Diary of Tortov Roddle, although very short (6 episodes all leading up to 14 minutes! Watch it here! It has three special episodes that are part of the DVD though), is an interesting adventure of a surreal world that seems almost like a moving/animated picture rather than a movie or series. It follows the journey of Tortov Roddle and his pig-steed throughout this world, with just his calm thoughts and experiences. There’s no dialogue in this series but it doesn’t really require any dialogue at all, the only dialogue being Tortov’s journal entries at the beginning and end of each episode. The music, lack of dialogue and artall contribute to a very interesting, mysterious atmosphere. Genre: Fantasy, Surrealism, Adventure
The responses are direct, gentle, and very good. It has sections for family, friends, coworkers, and self.
Please read it, please spread the link, please keep this link around as reference. Everyone needs to see this. It is very important that we arm ourselves that we may be better able to address the casual hateful speech many of us are likely to encounter.
One of the most effective tools at our disposal is protecting the area around us, and making sure that things like this said within earshot of us will not go unchallenged.
Do what you can, but also stay safe.
I read another article today that suggests active inquiry as a solution as well: “What do you mean when you say that? What makes you feel that way? Can you tell me why you think that is the case? How does it make you feel? How do you think other people might feel about that comment? Do you see any resolution between how you feel about this and how others might feel?” Etc.
Asking non-judgmental questions geared towards reflective critical thinking can help someone else examine their thought processes, and may lead them to some self-discovery. I.E: upon analysis of their own thoughts and beliefs, they may come to question their own biases.
Please note: Making statements will slow this process considerably, and will impede your ability to make progress. So the only way it works is to continue down a path of asking questions so that we can unpack our preconceived notions about our belief systems. This will require you to question your own beliefs as well. Follow this path. It can be transformational.
Why does criticizing shitty opinions somehow mean that you “can’t handle different opinions than your own” and you’re “attacking free speech”? like criticism /is/ free speech, it’s the exercise of it what the fuck is the deal with that?
It’s part of Stormfront’s forum invasion instructions, if I recall.
Explain
Stormfront used to circulate a document through its forum membership, specifically its subforum for indoctrinating the membership of other websites, no clue if they still do. This was 2010 or so? It was a list of talking points, key phrases, strategies, and methods for invading other forums and bringing them around to a more receptive environment for their rhetoric.
It had instructions on how to make it look like there were a lot more people agreeing with you than there actually were, in order to make it seem as if the fight was already over and the website was only safe for white supremacists and fascists; on how to shut down dissenters of the new status quo, usually with spam or key phrases like the ones you mentioned; how to become a moderation staff member and who to target and how from there.
I’m not saying at all that they invented any of this chatter, that would be patently ridiculous. But I do think this activity had a huge effect on how it’s become a lot more common on the internet and especially with the sub-30 crowd. Stormfront has made no secret about how they’ve taken over 4chan, for example, which was the breeding ground and organization point for the “alt-right.” They didn’t just implement the rhetoric there, they taught it to others memetically.
4chan has a userbase that goes disturbingly young in many cases, so the kids that thought it was fresh six or seven years ago are young adults now. And those that were young adults then are now comfortably situated and camping out in more mainstream venues with these fringe ideas and fringe talking points, and from YouTube comment fields and Twitter diatribes and so on you see those Stormfront techniques passed knowingly or unknowingly to a much wider audience, who are willing to readily accept it as just how things are.
I don’t have a bird’s eye view of any of this. But every time I see those phrases from young people like me, I immediately remember that invasion document.
*blink*
*blink*
*blink*
This is called SWARMfront, and the people who do it are called BUGs. Their strategy includes memetic mantras like, “Anti-racist is code for anti-white,” and shit about “white genocide.” They also do shit like asking why there’s no White History Month or White Entertainment Television while pretending to be pro-equality, or saying only “white countries” allow immigration of people not of the majority race, attempting to get white people who don’t really think about racial issues to see themselves as subject to unfairness and oppression.
The mantras and shit are obvious, but they have way more subtle and insidious strategies, which is why there’s been such a marked rise in their rhetoric being spread across the internet.
Here’s a copy-paste of what appears to be the rules used by SWARMfront to propagandize
Thanks to steviemcfly for mentioning this keyword so i could look it up
What I was talking about in Scotsblr. It’s likely all of these people jumping into the fray about how punching a nazi ‘makes you just as bad as them’ are St*rmfr*nt agents. Pay close attention to the blog’s content, whether it recently made, the username itself, et al.
This breaks it down a bit more toward the level I need
good tutorials are few and far between ( a lot of artists seem to get caught up in the superficial trappings of portraiture rather than the nitty gritty fundamentals), but these breakdowns by Bryan Lee are just fantastic. Super applicable tips and tricks, no matter your personal technique/approach.
This is something my professor taught me. When in a large demonstration, you need to keep an eye on not just the public, but also your fellow demonstrators as well. Cops have a tendency to sneak into both.
Keep an eye on the people recording whatever demonstration you’re in, because there is a strong chance that person is an undercover cop. That person is looking for anyone, ANYONE that they can profile for when they start doing arrests. This is why you want to cover your face and blend in with the crowd. When you notice someone recording, do NOT look at the camera; it might well be an invitation for the cops to single you out. If this happens, you WILL be arrested if/when a disturbance occurs.
This leads me to your fellow demonstrators. Cops can (and have) snuck in and blended into those crowds too. Their aim is to actually START the trouble that will justify the arrests that will occur later. There are only a few telltale signs, so keep an eye out for:
1- Black sneakers
2- backpacks
3- covered faces
These undercover cops will wait for the right moment to strike. When you see an unusual amount of recorders, that’s a sign that shit’s about to go down. You’ll usually have a few seconds to react. The moment you see some of your fellow demonstrators go for garbage cans or heading towards windows, DO NOT FOLLOW THEM. Keep your cool. The instant you see someone start breaking windows, do NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, JOIN IN. Run. Get as far away from the ruckus as possible.
The undercover cops are baiting you and yours in that moment. At the very least, they’ll discredit whatever peaceful protest you may have been engaging in at the time. At most, they’ll bait a large number of protestors into becoming violent, leading to many arrests, just like they wanted.
Remember that the press is NOT your friend. They aren’t there for the truth, they are there for a story. If you talk to them, you do so at your own risk. Never give your real name. Conceal your face at all times. Wear NOTHING that makes you stand out or recognizable.
It’s a tough world out there. Protect yourself!
yeah but also like there are antifa who intend on destroying public property as means of protest, because the media and government care more about property than lives.
antifa will literally get shot by nazis, but oh look at this broken starbucks window they can replace in a day.
If anyone chooses to destroy public property, remember to NOT get caught doing so. And if by some happenstance the cops manage to arrest you, the following tips are literal life savers.
1- Plead the fifth. Anything you say can and will be used against you.
2- The cops are NOT your friends. As far as they care, you’re guilty. Every question they ask you is designed to get a confession of guilt out of you, one way or another. Do not let your guard down with them.
3- Any question they ask you must be answered with “I want my lawyer.” No exceptions. They ask you for your name, say “I want my lawyer.” INSIST ON THAT LAWYER.
4- Make sure you actually get a good lawyer. In fact, a good lawyer is a good friend to have.
5- UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES DO YOU TALK TO COPS!!!! Seriously, I can never stress that enough.
For the record I am NOT telling anyone to go destroy any public property. But if you choose to do so, remember the tips I gave you and you’re golden.
