Counterprograming to every time this thread has to bring up the latest Pewdiepie nonsense.
Fantano being good actually:
That's nice to see - he definitely went through a spell where he was kind of walking a fine line with trolling and alt-right memes
It really seems like he just has a giant fanbase of 4channers, specifically /mu/ posters. If anything Fantano is a constant leftist voice getting in the ear of people who probably really need to consume something besides racist memes.
+5
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HeadCreepsNOW IS THE TIME FOR DRINKING!Registered Userregular
also the lead singer is such a massive shitstain that even if it was decent I wouldn't be able to enjoy it
I saw Disturbed live back in 2016 (my brother paid for the tickets and I like their older stuff shut up) and at one point between songs, Draiman went into this little "All Lives Matter" type monologue before they played "Indestructible", you know, the song about how you should respect the troops or we'll fucking kill you
The best part is, immediately after the song, Draiman stopped again and like, backed up and amended his statement, I assume so he wouldn't get too much shit for it later
I finally watched this, and at the end, all I had to say was yikes. This is easily one of Ellis' worst videos, in large part because she got so focused on her thesis that she doesn't take a moment to pause and look at what she's actually saying.
(Detailed analysis/complaint under the fold.)
The best place to start is at the end, where she points out that media criticism is about looking at media as it is, and not ignoring the distasteful aspects of it. Which, okay, that's true - but on the same token, Disney is not engaging in media criticism - they're remaking films for a modern audience, with media criticism being a small sidebar to that goal. When the two conflict, the latter is necessarily going to give way because Disney is in the business of mass media production, not media criticism. There's also her choice of words at the end - "aged poorly" - which to me reflects a certain point of view that misses the entirety of the issue.
That's not to say that she's completely wrong - in fact she gets a lot right, which is what makes the bad parts stick out more. Disney is (for the most part) going to present sanitized stories that don't challenge structural issues but instead give us explicit villains corrupting the order. (And as she points out, Maleficent bucked the trend by actually engaging in those structural criticisms in its story, which is why it works in ways the other live action films don't.) Disney is also only going to ever perform mild criticism of itself or society, because it's not going to hold a true critical eye because that would be bad for business - and therein lies the petard by which Ellis hoists herself, most notably in her criticism of the live action Dumbo.
There are two complaints that she makes about it that stood out to me for their tonedeafness. The first is her complaint about the removal of the pink elephants scene where Dumbo accidentally gets drunk. The problem here is that she avoids talking about the actual meaning of the scene (and thus why a modern version of the scene would not fly.) Pink elephants in our culture have historically been associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse, with the implication/gag being that Dumbo's accidental drinking leading potentially to ruin. Fundamentally, the scene is a well animated version of 80's era "scared straight" anti-drug ads. Today, though, we have a more nuanced view of alcoholism, where it is no longer acceptable to treat alcoholism as the punchline to a gag (see also: the failure of the Russell Brand Arthur remake a few years prior.) As such, an entire scene built on the gag of "look how zany alcohol induced delirium is!" is not going to read well - which is why the scene is reduced to a single reference done in a way to avoid the reference to alcoholism. Ellis further compounded the issue with her lead in, dismissing modern issues with alcoholism as joke/gag fodder with the term "abrasive to modern viewers", which feels like a dismissal of how modern audiences would read something like this.
This leads to the yikes part of the video - her section on Dumbo's minstrelry scene. Ellis pretty much points it out clearly - the segments with the crows are animated blackface, with mostly white actors playing stereotypical minstrel characters who sing a jazz styled song written by a white composer. The problem is that she then argues that Disney choosing to omit the whole part is somehow an affront, that it's whitewashing the history of Dumbo. (Do note that she makes this argument after punting herself on how to respectfully depict it, which further illustrates the bind Disney was in here.) I was reminded of a controversy over Huck Finn a few years back, where several schools, in response to feedback from black students, began using versions that omitted the use of racist language, in particular a certain word banned here. You had (predominantly white) people arguing that the modified versions were an affront to freedom of speech, and that students need to understand that language existing - while black students and their advocates pointed out that they knew what those words meant (mainly from hearing them directed at them), that their white peers would use the book as a justification/shield for racist attacks, and that the exposure to such literary racism was part of what caused them to disconnect from school. Ellis' position here strikes me as being similar to the argument made by the former - that the live action Dumbo needs to have a reference to incredibly racist behavior because it's "part of the movie's DNA". Her comment on "If I Saw An Elephant Fly" being tame further compounds things, as the song is still a minstrel song - with all the baggage that entails - no matter how "tame".
Even when she has a solid point, this sort of myopia still causes issues. In a later segment, she talks about the problem of ostensibly diverse films being helmed by white male producers and directors - which is a real problem! Bringing up Guy Ritchie directing Aladdin, Ellis comments "Was all of Bollywood busy?" - which pretty much undermines the impact of the point. Bollywood is actually bigger than Hollywood in certain aspects and is very much its own thing separate from Hollywood and not reliant on it - and basically treating it as the Hollywood minor leagues is yet more of the same sort of myopia that fueled the above "yikes" elements.
In short, while Ellis does have a good point about the problem with Disney not really challenging the structural aspects of their stories, she also exhibits a myopia regarding how certain elements read today that leads her to make tonedeaf proposals that undermine her overall point.
It's no longer acceptable to treat alcoholism as a punchline? Literally every comedy I have ever seen that includes drinking includes alcoholism as a punchline. I also don't understand how the sequence even mocks alcoholism. A quick Google didn't pull up anyone being offended by it, which is not to say that there is absolutely nobody who is, but I'm completely positive what was considered abrasive to modern is a baby getting smashed. With what we know now about the damage from alcohol it's pretty edgy. And hot take with regard to "scared straight" across the decades: anti-alcohol messages in children's media are good.
The crows are completely different from n-word controversies. Mark Twain with "slave" used euphemistically is still Mark Twain. The crows as characters are central to the plot of the original Dumbo, and the song is not racist when you take it out of the original context, it's just rhymes. And even if you're concerned about the pitfalls of merely modifying the original, they replaced it with...absolutely nothing. Oh and the feather he randomly gets is white now, great job guys.
The reference to Bollywood is not at all implying Bollywood is Hollywood's b-team, it's pointing out that there are many non-white directors with extensive experience doing musicals if you maybe look outside of LA.
In conclusion, I'm baffled that any of these things made you mad enough to write a post about it.
Counterprograming to every time this thread has to bring up the latest Pewdiepie nonsense.
Fantano being good actually:
That's nice to see - he definitely went through a spell where he was kind of walking a fine line with trolling and alt-right memes
It really seems like he just has a giant fanbase of 4channers, specifically /mu/ posters. If anything Fantano is a constant leftist voice getting in the ear of people who probably really need to consume something besides racist memes.
He did have a podcast thing with Sargon at one point but I think that was in the period where it was Sargon was still generally given plausible deniability as a "classical liberal" intellectual so I don't feel like holding it against him
If I remember correctly the confession at 0:50 is because Arnold got blamed for the other 3 dudes, then just straight stone-faced them when they asked him not to snitch. He also stone-faced the principal up until they came crashing in to confess.
He needs to do the Game Boy Color sewing machine next. (Yes, this is a thing that actually existed - it used the GBC as an interface/controller for automatic stitching.)
But really, these devices predicted the boom in smartphone based tools - the ability to convert a pocket sized device into a number of different tools by attaching accessories was always an attractive one, it's just that the GB just didn't have the horsepower.
do they make vape rigs that look like giant old meerschaum pipes
This is the kind of question that answers itself.
My vape rig is shaped like a person smoking a meerschaum pipe.*
(Also, and I mean this in absolutely the nicest way possible: if your worst example of (late stage) capitalism is vaping, you are living a truly blessed life, and should give thanks to whatever deity you believe in for said blessed life).
When they get to Fatal Frame 3ds/Zero or Maiden of Black Water I would watch as those were the only two Fatal Frame games I did play
Also I was quite confused about Maiden of Black Water as I looked in vain for a physical copy of the game only to find out in the US was a eshop game {shows how often I used the WiiU eshop}
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The Nostromo was built in the year 2101 as a cruiser before it was refitted 15 years later as a hauler.
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Actually, surprisingly enough there aren't any!
Fantano being good actually:
I am sorry my friend but all this you describe is a work of fiction
https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
That's nice to see - he definitely went through a spell where he was kind of walking a fine line with trolling and alt-right memes
Oh.....
https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
It really seems like he just has a giant fanbase of 4channers, specifically /mu/ posters. If anything Fantano is a constant leftist voice getting in the ear of people who probably really need to consume something besides racist memes.
I saw Disturbed live back in 2016 (my brother paid for the tickets and I like their older stuff shut up) and at one point between songs, Draiman went into this little "All Lives Matter" type monologue before they played "Indestructible", you know, the song about how you should respect the troops or we'll fucking kill you
The best part is, immediately after the song, Draiman stopped again and like, backed up and amended his statement, I assume so he wouldn't get too much shit for it later
The crows are completely different from n-word controversies. Mark Twain with "slave" used euphemistically is still Mark Twain. The crows as characters are central to the plot of the original Dumbo, and the song is not racist when you take it out of the original context, it's just rhymes. And even if you're concerned about the pitfalls of merely modifying the original, they replaced it with...absolutely nothing. Oh and the feather he randomly gets is white now, great job guys.
The reference to Bollywood is not at all implying Bollywood is Hollywood's b-team, it's pointing out that there are many non-white directors with extensive experience doing musicals if you maybe look outside of LA.
In conclusion, I'm baffled that any of these things made you mad enough to write a post about it.
The future is only a work of fiction until it happens, man.
He did have a podcast thing with Sargon at one point but I think that was in the period where it was Sargon was still generally given plausible deniability as a "classical liberal" intellectual so I don't feel like holding it against him
If I remember correctly the confession at 0:50 is because Arnold got blamed for the other 3 dudes, then just straight stone-faced them when they asked him not to snitch. He also stone-faced the principal up until they came crashing in to confess.
Arnold kept it real.
This game is so pretty
Tumblr | Twitter PSN: misterdapper Av by Satellite_09
Platina Jazz - Come, Sweet Death (from ”Neon Genesis Evangelion”) 5:13
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
Holy fucking shit.
Disturbed has been a longtime guilty pleasure of mine
but this fucking unequivocally rules
This will be here until I receive an apology or Weedlordvegeta get any consequences for being a bully
He needs to do the Game Boy Color sewing machine next. (Yes, this is a thing that actually existed - it used the GBC as an interface/controller for automatic stitching.)
But really, these devices predicted the boom in smartphone based tools - the ability to convert a pocket sized device into a number of different tools by attaching accessories was always an attractive one, it's just that the GB just didn't have the horsepower.
Slow mo guys are famous apparently
Gavin was exceedingly star struck the entire video
This is the kind of question that answers itself.
My vape rig is shaped like a person smoking a meerschaum pipe.*
(Also, and I mean this in absolutely the nicest way possible: if your worst example of (late stage) capitalism is vaping, you are living a truly blessed life, and should give thanks to whatever deity you believe in for said blessed life).
*I don't vape. But man, if I did..
Ruggero Leoncavallo had a time machine confirmed.
Also I was quite confused about Maiden of Black Water as I looked in vain for a physical copy of the game only to find out in the US was a eshop game {shows how often I used the WiiU eshop}
Oh now I understand why he was replaced as War Machine, because he's insane.