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ritchiepage2001newaccount · 6 months

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WHY UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE JUST AS UNLIKELY AS EVER, UNFORTUNATELY

I'm a leftist (Libertarian-Socialist), who votes progressive, because I live under an "elected" government, and I had thought I had purged the MSNBC/CNN Nation from my friends list, but apparently not, as my timeline is just chock-full of media-driven hysteria over current events, so here's a primer:

"Liberals" who think their arguments are clever or relevant to the Second Amendment are exhausting.

They are not the left; they are just one half of the good cop/bad cop act of the corporate owned fire-hose of bullshit that is the corporate media, and corporate America's governing criminal cartel/duopoly.

Both cults "I like simple and ineffectual 'solutions', because they make me feel like I'm doing something, and I'm just stinky with fear."

There are over a hundred million legal gun owners, who some want to punish for somebody else's crime.

Well, there are some things to consider.

We've been a heavily armed country since 1621, and yet the epidemic of daily mass-shootings didn't begin until 20 April 1999 (Columbine), at a time when gun ownership was at an all-time low, and five years after Clinton's assault-weapons ban, so maybe guns aren't the variable.

Worth noting: One of the first things the "Pilgrims" did when they betrayed the Native Americans, was disarm "King Phillip" and his men.

Maybe, just maybe, dead school-children are the price of the neoliberalism practiced under the "Washington Consensus" of BOTH right-wing authoritarian parties since the 1980's? When your country offers you no prospects, and you become terrified of the future, what then? Fear can make unstable people do desperate things. Add to that a culture of celebrity, and what could possibly go wrong?

Another factor that goes completely unexamined, is the way Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill emptied our state hospitals onto our streets, and onto families ill-equipped to deal with the sometimes violent mentally ill.

Thank God, the "solution" is so simple…

Also, 84% of NRA members support universal background checks. The problem is, every time a bill comes up for a vote, Democrats add poison pill amendments guaranteeing defeat in the legislature (and the courts), and then they proceed to tell the TV cameras that "once again the GOP and the gun lobby have voted down background checks and defied the will of the people", or some such nonsense.

If you want to watch Dems sabotage universal background checks (while Republicans roll their eyes and face-palm) in real time, go here:

P.S. You can probably guess which one of these three groups I belong to (Hint: It's the one that's growing and actually decides elections):

LaborPartyNow!!!

P S The line, "You don't need 30 rounds to shoot a deer!" is not clever.

The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting tools, toys for hobbyists (target shooting), or even weapons for self-defense.

It's about ARMS!!!

It's about the individual citizen's right to arms, so they'll be prepared to join a militia, not the other way around. ‘Well regulated’ at that time, simply meant, ‘efficient.’ In other words, in order for a muster to be efficient, civilians needed to be already armed.

So the "collective rights" argument has a couple of problems that make it quite unhinged from history and reality.

1) As I've mentioned above, Americans have always been relatively heavily armed. How did that happen in a collective rights paradigm?

2) Contrary to what you were probably taught in school, by the time of the Confederate artillery barrage on Fort Sumter, the war over slavery had already been going on for over six years, and was fought entirely by independent volunteer militia's. Fort Sumter was just the beginning of official involvement by government troops. How did that happen in a collective rights paradigm?

3) In what universe do government forces need to have their right to arms protected?

4) Since when do National Guard members keep National Guard arms (Hint: they're kept at the armory, and have been since colonial times)?

5) Obviously, "Liberals" are stupid.

Again: #LaborPartyNow!!!

P P S That was ENTIRELY the point of the first fruits of dissent, the 10 Amendments we've come to call the BILL OF RIGHTS (which have become a beacon to aspiring democrats all over the world), to protect INDIVIDUALS from the government they had just created. #TrueStory

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papirouge · 1 year

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If you wanted to know how deranged and evil American evangelicals are about gun worship, I had to listen to one tell me that Türkiye’s and Syrias earthquake was punishment from god because Europe banned guns to protect themselves from Muslims…….. and also add that I would turn into a socialist for choosing going to university in Denmark. That last comment was from my grandmother. She believes once I’m done with school america will ban me from ever entering into the US for being a socialist. Don’t get wrong, the US is huge and full of so many amazing diverse and beautiful people but the evangelicals here are….. something

The same evangelicals saying this trash are the same to be shook whenever people say the USA deserved 9/11 ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Let's say......the 9/11 a punishment against the USA.....for existing - existing over a literal genocide and the blood of millions of slaves🙃

They are so astonishingly stupid though. Like- how gun ownership has anything to do a LITERALLY EARTHQUAKE. At least a mass shooting would make more sense - thankfully those hardly happen here maybe because Europeans on average aren't as much mentally ill as USAmericans I guess. Do they really think God cares about the silly obsession of a handful of Americans with guns so much that he would punish a whole country abroad? Guns are from the devil. They are secret knowledge given by fallen angels to humankind, and it's crazy to me that so-called Christian are hellbent to defending those demonic tools. Guns aren't that much helpful against terrorism anyway because many terrorist attacks involve SUICIDE BOMBING.

And USAmericans need to grasp that guns aren't "banned in Europe". It's just that culturally, guns ownership isn't that much of a thing. I knew a guy in highschool who had firearms and everyone thought he was a bit weird for that. Switzerland has a high rate of gun ownership... Europe isn't a monolith and no, guns are not banned in every European country.

And LMAO the obsession with Conservatives American with socialism is hilarious. They sound like a cult scared that their brethren wander far away in the outside world and fearmongering them about an imaginary threat..... 💀 Everything they complain about Europe "socialism" are the perk of most European countries lol (universal healthcare, social welfare, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, etc.) I LOVE MY SOCIALIST SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS MY MOM TO TRAVEL THE WORLD WITH HER RETIREMENT PENSION INSTEAD OF HAVING TO WORK UNTIL SHE'S IN HER 70S - OBESE US CONSERVATIVES CAN SEETHE & CHOKE

I agree that there need to be a distinction between regular Americans and crazy Conservative/evangelicals. Many USAmericans have a very good self awareness about their country and pull out excellent takes to call it out. Tbh I totally understand Liberals hate against religion/Christianism whenever I see the crazy stunts of American Evangelicals. They truly are a disservice to the body of Christ.

#answered #Christian

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tumbirus · 2 years

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Dear American Government , World wide leaders and Governments, Peopls, Dears ,Group Members ,Audience and our Grant secret Dears etc. American country under Many Mass Shooting and Blasting running to be for many years ,dying to inncent peopls and children's ,Intelligence and other agencies ,police and other investigation agencies are stay ,after be how running to this human life killing activities ,why not killing to leaders life ,so our secret enquiry proof to one truth ,this all back American political leaders also ,this inhumans are not any sympathies or kind or god belive ,former President Donald Trump is criminal Saudi king dom and crown prince Muhammed Bin -Selman pimp also ,Selman is world terrorist leader ,Islam world is Saudi Kingdom and Selman dream .Terrorist and Taliban criminals are wepons and financial support giving ones is this Kingdom ,this one's terrorist hub is Pakistan .This all changing all Islam terrorist are live blasting days ago ,not jail custody ,direct shoot or blasting ,humanity not understanding one terrorist name inhumans are no more want in the world. So American country under wepon shops are band or not ,but many rules writing to ours ,analyse after Immidiatly rule making to American country under authorities. 1,Any wepon shops are authorities licence joint only ,daily sale wepons and get ones detail next day submit to authorities office. 2,wepon get one ,which purpose joint want to wepon ,rich or real life threat and any other true issues proof joint authorities officers near apply after ,investigation officers are true path making to enquiry ,this enquiry succour after ,authorities written order joint getting to wepons ,authorities signature direct verifying to any wepon shop owners or mangers . 3, America under 5districts are one wepon shop only.wepon shop sale one all wepons counting aby time enqure to investigation officers and identfy to persons ,any way illegally wepon sale one wepon shop owners punishable.....countinu (at UK - United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/Celiknnl723/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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yasbxxgie · 3 years

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Twenty-eight years ago, famed science-fiction author Octavia Butler published her apocalyptically prescient bestselling novel Parable of the Sower, which illustrated what America would look like when climate change, economic instability, and a white Evangelical Christian fascist movement took hold and converged.

Sound familiar?

The eeriest part about this novel is the way in which cultural and political norms were slowly erased. There was no major war, no invasion; instead, a sense of collective lethargy set in across the nation, and things went from bad to worse. Religious fundamentalism seized the country, slavery was reintroduced, water was scarce, and all the social safety nets that the government once provided were rolled back in favor of privatization. If you could afford police protection, health care, the creation of roads and bridges, great—if not, you were out of luck. Butler was clearly ahead of her time. She combined her brilliant imagination with a keen understanding of human behavior to illustrate where the U.S.A. was headed if we continued our ostrich behavior of sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that what was unfolding before our eyes wasn’t happening.

Right now, America as we have come to understand it is unraveling. In this radically new normal world, doctors and health care workers are accosted for trying to keep the public safe, poll workers are threatened for counting votes, anyone who aides a pregnant person seeking an abortion in Texas can be sued, mass shootings are commonplace, and historic climate events are happening weekly. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright famously said regarding fascism, “If you pluck a chicken one feather at a time, people don’t notice it. So I am concerned about chicken plucking.”

We all should be very concerned.

Contrary to what people think, America’s democratic erosion didn’t begin with Donald Trump; it began with the birth of the Tea Party as a response to a Black man having the audacity to think he could be president. It was the first time in modern history when White Americans were demanding to see the president’s birth certificate because in their minds even though Black Americans were brought here by their ancestors and built this nation, we certainly didn’t have a claim to it — let alone be permitted to run it.

President Barack Obama wanted to believe in the best of Americans as opposed to the reality of who they truly are. Better put: Obama is who America aspires to be while Trumpism is who America is and sadly has always been.

We are a country that made Juneteenth a federal holiday while criminalizing the teaching of critical race theory. We are a country that goes around the world scolding underdeveloped nations about democracy and women’s rights while refusing to pay women in this country equal to men and disallowing people with uteruses to make decisions about their own bodies. We’re a country wrought with blatant contradictions and saddled with elected officials who spend their energy gaslighting the public into believing all is okay and that if you just use paper straws and vote, all will continue to be well.

The reality is much starker.

Under Democratic presidents and congresses, we have witnessed the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the demolition of Roe v. Wade, and a rise in White supremacist groups. As our country grapples with multiple climate disasters, we have Democrats like Joe Manchin who are “uncomfortable with climate language” in a historic infrastructure bill and actively deny Black and Brown Americans access to the ballot in favor of upholding the filibuster. You see, it’s too easy to just slap the blame of where we are right now on Republicans and Republicans alone. The reality is that you teach people how to treat you, and most people will do their worst if unchecked — insert Trump’s criminal presidency and the January 6 insurrection as examples.

Like children, politicians need boundaries and accountability; otherwise, they will run amok.

The 243-year American experiment is facing an existential threat like we have never seen before. Voting alone will not save us. We turned out in record numbers during a pandemic, and instead of celebrating our resilience, Republicans are punishing Americans for daring to believe they have a voice in their democracy.

How can you change what you refuse to face? How can you build tactics for what you choose to willfully ignore because the reality is just too hard to swallow? Democracy isn’t stagnant. If done correctly, it evolves as often as the people do. It expands. It grows.

America is changing. The ground we once thought was stable is shifting beneath our feet. It’s scary and it’s painful like all births, but we must push through if we are to survive. Lauren Olamina, the heroine in Butler’s Parable series, said this, “All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you. The only lasting truth is change. God is change.” What we change into, however, is still very much up to us, but only if we take our heads out of the sand and decide to get to work.

[alt|h/t]

#danielle moodie #medium #octavia butler #octavia e. butler #octavia estelle butler #parable of the sower #lauren olamina

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3fluffies · 3 years

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An Essay: “Blue Alert” - Seriously?!

Today I got that loud alarm on my phone that usually signals an Amber Alert, but it said "Blue Alert." Confused, I looked it up - it's about the manhunt for a cop shooter.

Look, I hope they catch the shooter, I do. I hope the officer pulls through and fully recovers.

But this should not be treated the same as a Amber or Silver Alert, which is a missing child or elderly person who is in immediate danger.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a Blue Alert is a request for assistance from the public following the disappearance, assault, or death of a law enforcement officer. For the first item on the list, I endorse it - mostly. For the rest, no. If a police officer or other first responder was missing in action, an alert might be warranted, but today, the officer is out of harm's way and receiving medical treatment.

There are plenty of alerts and ads available to alert the public about a wanted criminal, even an armed and dangerous one - we don't need to dilute the message of the Amber/Silver Alerts for a fugitive just because the authorities are really mad about it. (Seriously, we don't even get those for mass shooters!)

This "Blue" stuff just keeps growing and contributing to this effort to venerate police officers and treat them as larger than life, angels made flesh, and worst of all, above the law. This is why even making a cop angry is treated so often by other civilians, the media, and worst of all, the justice system as a crime deserving of any punishment that cop sees fit to impose.

A suspect who assaults or kills a cop receives the undivided attention and resources of the media and law enforcement, beyond what is focused on those who assault or kill civilians. A cop who assaults or kills a civilian is surrounded by a massive effort to excuse their actions, not holding them properly to a higher standard than civilians but to a lower standard.

The as-yet-unnamed officer is 26, shot in the head. This is the nightmare of every law enforcement officer and every member of their family. I understand that. I've been disowned by the LEOs in my family, but every report of violence against an LEO gives me chills. If it takes place in their state, I save the report and hit refresh over and over until the name is released. I understand as much as an extended relative of an LEO can.

But is that horror so much more worthy of mass attention, public outrage, and government reaction than the horror that falls on any man, woman, or child who is the victim of senseless violence? Is the agony of a parent, spouse, child, sibling, or cousin of a 26-year-old who is shot in a street fight, or a mass shooting, or a drive-by, or a robbery really so much less? Yes, the job is particularly dangerous and treated as public service. But so is firefighting, search-and-rescue, and front line healthcare against infectious disease.

This is America. We celebrate freedom, liberty, and justice for all and emphasize the rule of law. The former comes under attack when the latter is treated as, rather than the rule of law, the rule of law enforcers. The latter is contrary to every concept of freedom and liberty. There should be no notion of "contempt of cop".

The "Blue Alert" in the context it was used today is just a symptom of that toxic "thin blue line" disease afflicting this nation. To treat them as the only thing standing between "order and chaos" is to make them gods who answer to no one. To treat the hunt for a suspect responsible for harming one of them as equal to the search for a kidnapped child is to do the same.

They aren't gods. They are men and women. They are public servants and government agents. Their job is risky. Their lives have value and their work has value. But the same is true of other first responders and other professions. It's not right for a free society to value its law enforcers as being worth so much more.

#blue alert #police reform #thin blue line #blue lives dont exist #law enforcement #cops #amber alerts

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oursubjectisntcool · 3 years

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If I ever open my own PR firm, I'm going to name it "8 Mile Strategic Communications".

Hear me out:

So I used to work in church communications, right? Believe me, it's harder than it looks: trying to navigate a presidency during which the world's perception of the church condensed into a racist, gun-toting, anti-immigration hypocritical hierarchy, when in reality it's a spiritual hospital filled with and run by well-meaning but screwed up people who are trying with varying degrees of commitment to make the world a better place through life-giving salvation. And I would stand by these people sooner than I would be convinced to stand against them. But let's hone in on the screwed-up part for a second: as one of the few "mega-churches" (hate that term) in America, there are bound to be administrative failures, spiritual hypocrisies, and hastily-executed plans that put the church leadership in hot water. There are biblical concepts that they teach from the pulpit that I 100% agree and almost always come off as controversial. Sticking to your biblical guns is going to get you in hot water with the world sometimes, so long as your consistent, I'm good with you. But when the aforementioned oopsies start being used to accuse leadership of among other things: liberalism, trying to establish a new world order, selling church property to the mosque down the street, wanting to kill white people (seriously??) or any of the other crazy accusations I heard leveled at the leadership in recent months, we should be able to respond and say these things aren't true and you're being ridiculous by even considering them.

You wanna know what's holding them back from doing exactly that (in the humble opinion of this communications professional)? There's apparently a certain decorum in communications that needs to be maintained in a church setting: deleting negative comments on social media posts, trying to save face, backroom meetings where major arguments erupt, lack of transparency. There are all these things that people accuse the church of but because we are broken, screwed-up people, there is a perception in leadership that we don't have a leg to stand on to fight back. And we may not crumble because we're kingdom-minded and not earth-centered, but our reputation crumbles and it's just added to the list of reasons why people stop coming to church. Why would people in need of a Savior go to a building where all this supposed church family is doing is tearing each other down?

Let me get to my point:

You remember that scene from 8 Mile at the end where B Rabbit defeats his opponent? Do you remember how he did that?

The whole point of the battle rap format is you win by picking apart your opponents weaknesses, hypocrisies, physical flaws, etc. and cleverly forming on-the-spot rhymes out of those chinks in the armor. Then your opponent is so embarrassed that he/she is unable to think straight that they can't come up with equally or more clever retorts or are straight-up stumped.

B Rabbit didn't just destroy his opponent Papa Doc by revealing he wasn't as gangster as he proported himself to be ("his real name's Clarence!"), he started by pointing out his own flaws and OWNING THEM.

"This guy ain't no motherf***ing MC I know everything he's 'bout to say against me I AM white, I AM a f***ing bum I do live in a trailer with my mom My boy Future is an Uncle Tom I do got a dumb friend named Cheddar Bob Who shoots himself in his leg with his own gun I did get jumped by all six of you chumps And Wink did f*** my girl I'm still standing here screaming, "F*** the Free World!" Don't ever try to judge me, dude You don't know what the fuck I've been through"

TLDR he basically lays out all the means by which Papa Doc could possibly lyrically attack him and shows that he is unbothered by these things because his life is screwed up but it's his life!

He ends the battle to thunderous applause with this phrase:

"I'm a piece of white trash, I say it proudly And f*** this battle, I don't wanna win, I'm outtie Here, tell these people something they don't know about me"

I won't ever advocate using a secular - let alone an extremely vulgar - example like this to try to teach the church because the Word of God is "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12)" and way more life-changing than an Eminem movie.

HOWEVER,

Why can't we at least partially apply this to how we conduct the church and our reputation in the world? Just lay it all out - that way at the very least, no one can come after us for hiding anything. "Yes we preach and believe XYZ, yes we've messed up, yes a lot of people have left our church, yes we've lost a ton of money in tithes.

But regardless of all of that, we live out the fact that:

1. God is a loving and powerful Father who created us to have a relationship with Him

2. Our screw-up-ness from birth prevents us from having a relationship with this God

3. We can't do enough good things to earn us a seat at the table with God, let alone a relationship with him.

4. Jesus subjected himself to all the same pressures we face and yet didn't cave to any of them and lived a life completely 1000% on point. Yet, he paid the mass punishment that we earned by our screwed-up-ness.

5. Everyone who recognizes that Jesus is God in human skin and understands/accepts that his perfect life is enough to bridge the gap between us and God lives forever, even when he dies.

#the church #church politics #church drama #the real meaning of being a Christian #8mile #eminem

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teiahlu · 3 years

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The Construction of Violence in Banana Fish

By: Teiah Lu Palhetas

If you speak to anyone who’s read Banana Fish, one of the first things they’d likely mention is the violence. As a crime thriller that follows an 18-year-old gang leader named Ash Lynx in New York City, based in the year 1985, both the comic and the animated adaption are violent from the beginning. The story never goes an episode or volume without threats with guns and knives, kidnapping, sexual assault or murder.

Codes and Conventions and how the influence messages about violence:

Episode 1 opens with what appears to be an eagle flying overhead. Traditionally, birds are seen as a symbol of freedom. This is an interesting contrast to the life Ash Lynx has lived. Freedom is something he longs for, that doesn't exist in his world. Ash was taken and sexually abused from a very young age by wealthy, powerful politicians. When he was only 12, he killed one of his tormenters just to have the chance at escaping this life. Despite the title America has as a “free country, ” Ash’s childhood shows that even though there are laws against violent acts, you can never abolish it for good. That he can never be free from the trauma he experienced in his youth.

At the end of the first episode, A Japanese boy named Eiji asks to hold Ash’s gun in a bar. Given what we now know about Ash’s past, this gun is something he used to take other peoples lives, a violent weapon, the only thing he has to protect himself. Eiji asking Ash’s permission becomes symbolic of trust as well as consent. It's an honest, innocent request without any ulterior motives. This moment is what draws Ash to Eiji. But even more than this, it is the fact that Eiji has enough respect for Ash’s boundaries to ask first. When Eiji returns the gun, he says to Ash “Thank you for trusting me with it.”

Image of Ash and Eiji for Banana Fish exhibition in 2018

In the end theme of each episode, we are shown the lyrics “Get away from me, get away from dark nightmare.” I believe that this is Ash speaking to Eiji. Telling Eiji to get away from him, because all he brings is sadness and chaos and he himself is a dark nightmare. This would be in line with the way Ash tends to view himself, since the audience is shown a lot of self loathing on his part. Especially when it comes to Eiji being involved in this violent world Ash lives in.

Lastly, I'll be discussing a vision Ash has under anesthesia. In episode 9, Ash is forced to kill his best friend, Shorter. In terms of him hallucinating Eiji, I view this as Ash believing that he has murdered Eiji’s innocence and his fear of what's to come. If Eiji were to die as a result of his involvement with Ash, however indirect. Ash would feel direct responsibility. To top off this horrific hallucination, we see Ash drop to his knees as he screams that he is a murderer. Further emphasizing the extent of his guilt. This is again symbolic of how he is trapped in this cycle of violence and self loathing.

Short scene below:

Ideologies put forth by the mediaconcerning violence/ What external forces influence these ideologies?

The racial realities of Banana Fish’s America:

The original comic is a painful read because it’s able to capture how pervasive white supremacy is throughout all areas of society. The series depicts how that ideology is perpetuated through interpersonal relationships and how it has an influence on real-world policy decisions. The creator or the story Akimi Yoshida clearly did extensive research on the subject. However, she ended up perpetuating racist caricatures reminiscent of the long history of Anti-Black portrayals in media.

The comics highly tense environment draws from real-world events such as the Civil Rights movements, the Vietnam War and the Cold War, which created impactful societal changes in the United States. During Richard Nixon’s presidency, the “War on Drugs” became a priority. This initiative both criminalized drugs and associated them with communities of color, which allowed law enforcement to raid their neighborhoods. As a result, the mass incarceration of people of color, particularity Black people, rose dramatically during this period. The street gangs featured in Banana Fish formed as a direct result of communities of color feeling disenfranchised by a country that continuously proved it didn’t care about them.

This is the brutal reality that our racially diverse gang leaders Ash, who is white, Shorter and Sing, who are Chinese, and Cain, who is Black find themselves in as they try their best to survive a world hostile towards them. However, their interactions and later involvement in larger political schemes show how unequally the story treats their leadership qualities.

With the exception of Eiji, there is also the issue of the few openly LGBTQ+ men of color in Banana Fish being depicted as pedophiles or rapists. So, while representation can be empowering, it can also be problematic.

Target Audiences:

Victims of sexual assault and gang violence likely relate to this story the most. One Reddit user says “I definitely related to Ash. We’ve been through a lot of similar things. Maybe that's why I took the ending so hard and felt devastated. Despite its depressing end, I understand that I deserve love too, Just as much as anyone else. I haven't been able to resonate with a character this well ever. Or felt this touched by a work of fiction in a while.”

This story seems to have had a great impact on many people who have read/watched the series. Especially those who grew up around violence. Leading the original comic to reach legendary status is Japan.

Breaking conventional norms:

Everyone loves a happy ending. For all the sadness and violence to just, disappear. Many people read stories for wish fulfillment. They want to see a world where the heroes succeed and the unjust are punished. Stories centered around tragedy often end this way. Bird box, for example. In the movie the main characters witness death and violence around every corner. In the end, they reach a safe haven away from danger, It's predictable.

Banana Fish is a story I’ll l never forget. From the beginning, the audience was sure Ash would find happiness with Eiji at the end. Ash would begin to heal from his trauma and all would be right in the world. Up until the last 5 minutes of the final episode, all was going as planned. Ash’s lifelong abuser was dead and his ring of abusers were exposed to the world.

Ash, recognizing the danger he exposes Eiji to, ceases contact with him. He is to return to Japan, though just before his departure, Eiji entrusts a letter for Ash to Sing. In the letter, Eiji says, "You are not alone Ash, my soul is always with you." Ash changes his mind, and wants to see Eiji one last time. For the first time in his life, Ash lets his guard down is stabbed by an enemy gang member. Ash shoots him, as one last violent act to end the story.

He takes this as a sign from God that he doesn't deserve to be happy. He walks to the New York Public Library where he bleeds to death, smiling and clutching Eiji's letter in his hand.

Eijis final letter to Ash:

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donnerpartyofone · 4 years

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hello, friends. today is an extremely stressful day for probably most people who follow this blog. personally, i'm staying a little disconnected, partially because i know it's going to be forever before a conclusion is reached, but also because it's so hard for me to be hopeful. wishing for a different president than the one we have is one thing, but there is also a wish to be able to stop feeling the way many of us have been forced to feel every day for the last four years; the relief of being allowed to stop listening to and thinking about that one individual would be immeasurable. i'm a little afraid to love this thought, and find myself heartbroken. note that i'm not looking forward to Hope and Change, just this one crucial psychic difference. I'm not going to debate whether donald trump and joe biden are fundamentally the same, in that democrats have just as much generalized blood on their hands as republicans. the problem with trump is in what he does to people emotionally. if he were to drop dead this instant, like i pray to god for every single day, mike pence would never inspire and galvanize the same mouthbreathing knuckledragging fuckfaces in the same violent way. having joe biden in the seat of ultimate power would not inflame the same kinds of general public feelings that it is openly permissible to shoot up a synagogue or beat black people to death in the streets, that "many fine people" are capable of these things. even accepting the allegations of rape against biden, i do not believe there are roid-raging frat boys out there who will look up to him and feel encouraged by his success to ramp up their crimes against women. the inflammatory psychic signals that come from trump specifically create their own problems in this country, separate of the legislative corruption and stagnation that we still suffer under the democratic party. politely stifled, appropriately embarrassed bigotry is radically different in character and effect than bigotry that is stroked and fluffed and trotted out on tv by a cartoon father figure who literally makes the rules for everybody. trump, specifically, has to go.

so what do i do with myself, with the conflict between my cynicism about america's ability to progress and my inexpressible rage against what must change? well, sometimes, i toy with elaborate id release fantasies about how i think trump should die. i mean, that would really be the optimal event here, but it would be important that he die in a really humiliating way that makes it hard for his constituents to keep identifying themselves with the idea of him.

i mean, none of this should ever happen in real life, because that would be cruel and hateful of course, and we're not supposed to wish unhappiness on others. but some of these ideas give my nervous brain just the massage it needs to get me through my day.

you know, i mean, i can imagine it would be good if he were like, jacking off to gay tickle porn and had an aneurysm and shat all over himself and it glued all his tickle feathers all over him and the violent paroxysm contorted him into such an idiotic shape that they couldn't remove the frilly bonnet and giant baby rattle from his rigor mortised body before hauling him through the streets in front of everybody to the city dump.

in my imagination, it would be really cool if he were coming down an escalator with a banana in one hand and a corn cob in the other and he choked while slurping on both of them and toppled over and fell right on top of his head which cracked like an egg and his pants split and revealed his many pink and purple layers of spanking welts to the entire press corps.

in my imagination, it would be terrific if it were discovered that he got a dominatrix clown wearing a patchwork pantsuit and blonde bob wig to peg him as hard as possible with a strap-on shaped like a toy gun that shot out a big BANG! flag at the peak of the action, ripping through his colon and out of his dickhole with such force that it caused his entire lower portion to explode like a blood blister, leaving only the flag flapping in the wind before the live audience of a facebook feed that the clown was secretly running the whole time.

sometimes my imagination skips the accidental circumstances and just pictures him as the subject of a mass public execution; i mean like, he's found guilty of assholism by the royal court of the entire galaxy, and he has to get in the middle of a desolate field, and every single person who wants to gets to come and burn him with cigarettes and rip little chunks off of him with nail clippers and stab him with the spines from those anti-rape condoms that burrow in further when you try to remove them, until he falls on the ground and we can all stomp all over him until he looks like a bunch of yogurt, but he's still alive and waving his little baby fists in the air and weeping in a really stupid little way that makes it impossible to feel sorry for him, so he can appreciate it when we get a long chain of elderly lesbians to come stand over his face and piss all over his open wounds, and then nature gets in on the act because carnivorous fire ants are attracted to the smell of his blood and they crawl through his tattered clothing to his hilarious little genitals and inject waves of chemical pain into his crotch to radiate throughout his entire body while gorgeous models stand around pointing and guffawing at the size and shape of his mutilated joke of a member, and then jackals and vultures come, unable to wait until he's dead, and start rippping him apart like monkey bread, and parasitic wasps nest in the festering remains, and he is still conscious, and by some divine magic he remains conscious until every single cell has been separated from the others and ground into the barren earth beneath him, which we finally spread with gasoline and set on fire. that would be really ideal.

sometimes it makes me feel better to just imagine him in the most irretrievably degraded state possible, in which every single shred of his being is individually punished to the fullest extent possible for his appalling and totally irredeemable existence that has been destructive to practically the whole entire world including people who like him. i think maybe the one thing that the right has over the left is their acceptance of the power of hate. in the extremely disturbing and eye-opening documentary FEELS GOOD MAN, about the internet's conversion of innocent cartoon character pepe the frog into a fascist icon, modern druid john michael greer makes a fascinating observation about how the pepe episode is a demonstration of sigil magic, in which a symbol facilitates the intense concentration of passionate hatred, so that it can be weaponized in a focused laser-like fashion against the object of this hatred, and used to scaffold the success of the object's adversary--namely trump. many people have theorized that the remarkable focus of feeling that was achieved within the chan boards during 2016 was, in one way or another, directly responsible for the outcome of the election. i guess i wish that the left were capable of this same kind of mass ritual, to stop the in-fighting and the moral purity tests, and pool our collective hatred in the same satisfying way that we've seen the right do--just to share the dream of it. i mean, why not? it's just emotional catharsis. it's just the power of the imagination. it can't hurt anybody. it's not like our congealed desires could spin themselves into a massive psychic megaton rocket aimed directly at the entire fate of the worst person on the planet. so let fly, indulge yourself a little. add your notes to this post, whydontcha. things can't get any worse!

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troughtonmedia · 4 years

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Confessions

I know I’m a piece of shit that has lied and cheated to get to the bottom and if I have it my way I even go straight to the top. I know that my mind has criss crossed topics like abortion and gay marriage but so much of my life was in fast forward. Politics and religion a couple of taboo topics that would dominate my thoughts and I was watching real life examples of corruption in the news.

To bring you back down to earth I am a 32 year old renting a room in my hometown on extended government unemployment. My previous job was delivering Domino’s pizza in Antioch and I had done it for 4 years before getting robbed at gunpoint!

I have also been actively trying to “change the world” since 2012 where everyone was supposed to run end credits but as most of you know it didn’t happen to you but there have certainly been a fair amount of “end of the world” casualties now like from mass shootings, school shootings, terrorist attacks and of course for those living in general around the Middle Eastern area of Europe and Asia.

If I had it my way all the religious prophecy would happen in my lifetime. I wanna see how it all goes down between God and the Devil because this much is certain good and evil are playing a game with us! I wanna say I’m fighting for the good guys but to the audience that’s all relative so I stay as neutral as possible with the power to make a move when I so choose. I know I’ve done some bad things and I’ve been punished with shit jobs and jail time but all this has made me weaker and more stupid then you!

Our nation can go in a couple different directions but first we gotta get it off the freeway. The thing is a wrecking ball. I want it taken to the best auto shop money can buy and have it looked it and fix everything that’s gone wrong. It’s approaching 300 years of government so there’s obviously gonna be some problems. Once the engine, justice system, transmission, fair and honest elections, radiator, suspension, and all that jazz checks out I want new paint get rid of the white and add some purple. The United States of America has endless potential if it can get its act together. Literally stars are the limit!

#blogs #confessions

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glycerineclown · 5 years

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On November 17, 2017, six weeks after a mass shooting in Las Vegas, one week after Veteran’s Day, and six days prior to Thanksgiving, season one of The Punisher was released on Netflix.

Maybe this is over-dramatic, but I didn’t know that it would change my life. I’m not in the military, I don’t have PTSD, and my family is not in tatters. I don’t even care about comic books. But I do write fic, and I love character pieces.

It’s no secret that the story of Frank Castle is a tragedy. His life is a sad day in hell, and every morning he has to wake up and remember that. So when I tell you that upon finishing the last episode of The Punisher, I was overwhelmed with hope for him, well. No one was more surprised than me.

But maybe we should back up a little.

The Punisher came a year and a half after Daredevil’s second season, when we were first introduced to Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle. He made a fascinating and only-sometimes-sympathetic antihero, and made a stunning commentary from all sides of the gun control debate. He had some spectacular fight scenes and got under Matt Murdock’s righteous skin. But it was Jon’s emotional performance and the scenes he shared with Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page that made that entire season of Daredevil memorable for many.

Their scenes were intense from the jump—right away, they got down in the mud together like they had known each other for years. Frank was slipping into savagery, a last gasp from a man with no will beyond revenge. When he and Karen had conversations, though, the audience grew to see Frank Castle as more than a monster. As if by accident, they grew from apprehension into a deep respect for one another. But by the end, Frank and Karen were left in an ultimatum, in a place with nowhere to go, with only bad options. They shut the door on each other. It was a very hard time to love them.

Cut to last October. The release of The Punisher was delayed after a man made a sniper’s nest out of his Mandalay Bay hotel room, killing 58 people and injuring 851 others with semi-automatic rifles. The NYCC panel for The Punisher, scheduled for that very weekend, was cancelled. I was relieved to not hear any whining. I think everyone thought it was the right call. (As if there wouldn’t be more gun deaths in America by Thanksgiving.)

People came to The Punisher expecting a bloodbath, and they got one, for sure. But if they expected a story of a killing machine without connection or emotion, that isn’t what The Punisher delivered. Not at all. It’s abundantly clear from the writing and Jon’s performance that Frank Castle feels the things he does. That he has regrets that eat at him, that he wants to make things right, and that he has people he would die for.

Without that throughline, Frank isn’t someone most people can root for. Jon Bernthal and the writers at Marvel managed to take a man who could so easily be played as a stone cold meathead and instead break him wide open, into a sensitive, self-aware, still-grieving man who can leave bodies in his wake.

The Punisher isn’t a story about death and destruction. It’s a story about family, blood and found. And that’s why it’s important to me.

It’s not a new idea to say that the Marvel and Netflix shows have been, by and large, so well received because they are personal. Sure, they have movie-level special effects and incredible action sequences. But these heroes prevail in people’s hearts because it’s possible to relate to them.

They are still people that always get back up. But they are also human beings.

In The Punisher, we get to see Frank in the Marines, and after he and Billy and Gunner get handpicked for Cerberus. We see him clear the LZ in Kandahar, and rage at his superiors for making the wrong choices.

We get to see Frank cherish old friendships, and be betrayed by them. We get to see him spend time forming new, but very different friendships, with David and Sarah Lieberman, and with their children, who he treats with the same honesty and personhood that he would his own.

We get to see his memories, and his nightmares. The story doesn’t concentrate on everything Frank hates--it’s on the things he cares about.

There are even moments that are genuinely funny.

We get to see side stories of interesting women with full lives and agency. We get to see Dinah Madani fight for herself, and fall down, be mad as hell, spend time with her parents, and still ally herself completely with Frank.

We get to see visions of Maria, some gauzy and idyllic, others too honest for him to face every day. She floats in and out of Frank’s consciousness, with relief and springtime and truth and judgement.

Karen isn’t the window to Frank’s soul in The Punisher—Frank does that himself. Her role is closer to the sidelines, but she takes no prisoners, and if there was any doubt about the lengths Frank Castle would go to for her, they’re gone now. The string tying them together is as strong and nameless as ever. She wants so badly for him to be able to live a normal life. She would fight tooth and nail for him, if he would let her.

Curtis Hoyle would, too.

Frank can’t exist without the loyalty of others. He’d be dead without it. He wants to move forward, he wants to love people, but he’s afraid to do it openly. And rightfully so. His mission’s over, and he doesn’t have a North Star anymore.

The season closes out on Frank, after getting some semblance of a pardon and a stack of cash from Homeland, sitting down with Curtis’ support group. Talking through what he’s feeling. And god, does this man need that. Upon first watch, I could hardly believe it was happening—it seemed like the happiest ending possible for him, somehow. I would have been satisfied if the series never got a second season, if it meant we got to keep that moment. Another season only means he’s still losing himself, and he’s still on the run.

The season closes out on a man who’s peeking into the future like he might leave death behind. Like he might step into the light.

It was a door I was able to swing open until it bounced off the wall, again, and again, and again.

I was thankful for it last year on Thanksgiving.

I’m thankful for it this year, too.

#the punisher #tpappreciationweek #frank castle #kastle #op #this.... is not a good essay #but i'm tired of looking at it

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carolrance · 5 years

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I AM DYING LMAO

i just found the most hilarious reviews for the handmaid’s tale and i’m dying lol. since twop is dead(?) (is it? i dunno cos i never look anymore tbh) this is the next best thing. and it’s doubly awesome cos she hates all the same characters. (mutual nick hate is my life). i have another post in my drafts about how amazing amy glynn’s reviews at paste are. and they are. but they are serious. these ones are snarktastic.

“Welcome back to America’s favorite rape and explosions show, The Handmaid’s Tale.”

“Nick goes out into the rain, full emo cigarette smoking, resigned to boning this virgin, when he spies something. Oh no! It’s Offred, sprawled in the rain, bleeding to death. He picks her up and screams for help. My god. These two. Offred is the world’s worst teenager. And Nick is her bad boy boyfriend. She’s going to robotically obey and then bleed to death in the rain? Get the fuck out of here with that. These two act like they are in a My Chemical Romance music video circa 2005.” (This is my fav one of them all.)

“Speaking of Nick, he’s still the worst! His baby bride comes to Offred for...advice? I don’t know why she comes to her exactly, except maybe it’s like coming to your sluttiest friend and asking a weird sex question? I don’t know.”

“Serena is clearly mad about Offred, and E. Moss is doing a great job as playing her as the bitchiest teenager in the house. Aunt Lydia has moved in to keep her eye on Offred, and she bursts in during Offred’s teenage sulk bath to instruct her to wash. Down there. You know. (vagina). Offred makes more defiant teenage eye contact as she washes. Down there. She’s almost coming on to Lydia. That’s cool, I guess.”

“We cut to the Colonies and some more cockadoodie plot machinations. Because of the mass casualty event, Emily and Janine, among others, are going to be pressed back into service as Handmaids. This is some ripe bullshit. First off, both are disobedient. Secondly, they’ve been in the radioactive Colonies for a hot minute--who knows what that’s done to their baby making machinery? But now the writers can bring back some important characters. COCKADOODIE.”

“Part of the purpose of the walks are so the fetus can hear and get used to Serena’s voice, you see, and Serena wants to talk shit about everyone they know.”

“We get some grade A pen pornography as she lovingly fingers Fred’s pens, and we close on the image of Serena behind the desk and Offred clicking the ballpoint just like Ofglen clicked the detonator. (We also get an insane music cue: “Venus.” You know, from the razor commercials and also the 1960s? Like, what the what the what, show.)”

“She’s worked on her shrine and her newspaper-clipping Crazy Wall ™, where she is reconstructing the events that led to the creation of Gilead. Which is great, but also, bitch, didn’t you watch the fucking news? You lived through this.”

“They load up into a truck, but at the last minute, Offred remembers that she is the worst and this show is supposed to go for ten seasons, so she hops out, gives the baby to Emily, and heads back into the night, to become Jedi June and fight Gilead to rescue her other daughter.”

“Serena stomps into Devil Fred’s mancave while he is enjoying his jazz records and demands that Offred go back to the Red Center. Fred talks her down, telling her that they don’t want to miss the joy of the pregnancy. Which, okay, Fred. You try having a testy teenager in your face all day.”

“I really wanted to punch her during all of this. How golly, and how insensitive, to poke through their sacred objects and get all teary-eyed, especially as they risk their lives to shelter her dumb ass.”

“Serena monologues about her drafts of new security orders. She wants things to get back to normal--she wants to cut back on the police state to normal dystopian police state levels.”

“It seems the Marthas have had enough, and they are taking action. Offred fucks around for about ten minutes because she is the worst, carving Nolite into the bedroom wall.”

“Anyway, Serena is super pissed, violently potting succulents and plotting dark deeds.”

“At some point, Offred takes a pout bath that is red with blood. She also bleeds clear through her underwear. When they get home, the Waterfords welcome Nick’s bride into the household, and then send Offred and Rita away. Rita is worried about Offred, but Offred has decided to bleed to death. Up the stairs she goes.”

“Offred’s presence rouses Fred out of his mini-coma for just long enough for him to remark on her size (just like a real son of a bitch). Offred leaves and makes out with Nick in the hall because they are stupid assholes. I mean, really. There are people and Eyes all over the place and these two are just slobbering all over. Offred also makes the Martha’s shooting all about her in a real self-centered way.”

“Let’s check in on the boring house, shall we? Offred decides to go around and collect godmothers for her baby.”

“Oh I forgot that Nick and Offred cuddled the baby and blah blah and I still hate them. Also, Nick, your baby bride’s blood is on your hands.”

“In the show, though, we’ve seen a lot of natal care, including ultrasounds, and we’ve seen the inside of a hospital room. Why in the fucking hell would they mess around with home birth at all? It’s so illogical it makes me mad.”

“So she goes outside with the shotgun, has another wolf encounter, and blasts off some rounds to alert someone of her presence. Then she goes back inside and takes off all her clothes and shits that kid out.”

“Back at the Waterford manse, Serena and Offred bond, AGAIN, over Eden’s execution and Serena lets Offred breast feed the baby, because she is completely internally inconsistent. On this episode, Serena will be affected by the atrocities of the regime she helped create. ANYWAY, THE END.”

“Eden wants to spruce up the apartment, and Nick gives her permission and plays the husband humoring his little woman’s whims. Which, total and complete barf forever. Nick still doesn’t see Eden as a potential threat, because he is an idiot. While she’s working on her HGTV audition tape, she finds the stack of contraband letters Nick took from Offred when she was going mad.”

“Into the house they run, Serena screaming Offred’s name like she’s going to catch her and probably murder her. I mean, this is full throated scream. If your dog ran away, you wouldn’t scream his name that way because he would be like: that bitch is crazy and wants to kill me. So it unsuprisingly doesn’t work on a human woman.”

“Meanwhile, Nick catches Eden kissing the douchebag Guardian. He’s like no big deal, and Eden freaks out. She says that he’s in love with the Handmaid, and he gaslights the fuck out of her denying it. Nick is a bastard. He shows Eden no kindness. He doesn’t treat her like a person. She doesn’t rate even a decent excuse. There are many things he could say: that she’s so young, that they don’t know each other, that he’s unhappy to be married at all. But he does none of those things. This woman is fifteen years old. She’s spent her adolescence under the yoke of Gilead. While she may be a true believer, she is still not in charge of her fate here. Nick is a bastard.”

“Devil Fred and Offred get in a knock-down, drag out, and he misquotes the bible at her and slaps her across the face. She then slaps him across his face, and is not immediately fucking super murdered.”

“Emily is like what the fuck, this place is weird. Lydia is like, bye! You better be good or we will kill you! Have fun! Anyway, she has a brief conversation with the Wife, who is like: this guy is horrible. He created The Colonies! He poisoned people! Commander Old Hipster gently shuffles her away, back to her crazy room.”

And serious business shit (cos it’s not all jokes):

“What I do think is wrong is the zig-zagging of Serena’s character. She’s mean and petty, and then she’s happy playing writer to Offred’s editor. Then she’s mad again, and then even more mad after that. Raping Offred to punish her for false labor is insane and irredeemable. Devil Fred has been consistently devilish--a prick who enjoys owning women--but Serena has seesawed from one extreme to another. I don’t think it makes her character more complicated or deep. Instead, it seems like inconsistency in the writing.

This show has been saluted as being of the times, for being very current. When I see children being ripped from their parents, or in an earlier episode this season, people desperate to escape to another country, and then I see it echoed in real life, it is hard to take. Dystopias are less entertaining to watch when you live in a country that seems to be accelerating toward the same.”

“Things I liked: Annie Lennox, Commander Old Hipster/his house/his wife/his Martha/his stolen art collection/taste in graphic novels/scarves, Rita and the Marthas rising up. Things I didn’t like: EVERYTHING ELSE

As adaptations go, the second season was always going to be a rough one. I can’t say that it was successful. They’ve turned June/Offred into an asshole, and they made Serena so inconsistent we don’t even know what to expect moment to moment. That’s not good writing, y’all.”

BTW, the site is:

https://heauxsmag.com/new-blog/?tag=handmaids+tale

#i'm gonna read s1 later #the handmaid's tale #i no longer worry about any of my posts showing up in tags cos apparently tumblr has decided that nothing i post is worthy of being found ev #ever so whatevs pals. i don't even worry about tagging to avoid being seen in a search now #it's kinda like freedom?? but also invisibility???? hmmmmmmm #there's gotta be some sort of philosophical treatise in there or something #who cares #anti-nick #there i did it. i have a tag. cos nick is the worst.#(he's not the literal worst obvs. but he's the worst to me cos of fandom. it ruined him totally and made me hate him 10000%)#(serena and fred and lydia like worse than him technically but meh.)

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ritchiepage2001newaccount · 10 months

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WHY UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE JUST AS UNLIKELY AS EVER, UNFORTUNATELY

"Liberals" who think their arguments are clever or relevant to the Second Amendment are exhausting.

Both cults "I like simple and ineffectual 'solutions', because they make me feel like I'm doing something, and I'm just stinky with fear."

There are over a hundred million legal gun owners, who some want to punish for somebody else's crime.

Well, there are some things to consider.

Thank God, the "solution" is so simple…

If you want to watch Dems sabotage universal background checks (while Republicans roll their eyes and face-palm) in real time, go here:

P.S. You can probably guess which one of these three groups I belong to (Hint: It's the one that's growing and actually decides elections):

LaborPartyNow!!!

P S The line, "You don't need 30 rounds to shoot a deer!" is not clever.

The Second Amendment has nothing to do with hunting tools, toys for hobbyists (target shooting), or even weapons for self-defense.

It's about ARMS!!!

So the "collective rights" argument has a couple of problems that make it quite unhinged from history and reality.

1) As I've mentioned above, Americans have always been relatively heavily armed. How did that happen in a collective rights paradigm?

3) In what universe do government forces need to have their right to arms protected?

4) Since when do National Guard members keep National Guard arms (Hint: they're kept at the armory, and have been since colonial times)?

5) Obviously, "Liberals" are stupid.

Again: #LaborPartyNow!!!

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askthescp-4050-instances · 6 years

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Laws in America probably caused by Adrian

Alabama It is illegal to drive a car blindfolded. Bear wrestling matches are prohibited. It is illegal to impersonate a person of the clergy. It is illegal to maim oneself to escape duty. You must have windshield wipers on your car. You may not have an ice cream cone in your back pocket at any time. It is illegal to sell peanuts in Lee County after sundown on Wednesday. Dominoes may not be played on Sunday. It is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death. Boogers may not be flicked into the wind. It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street if you have a lantern attached to the front of your automobile. No person may spit on the floor of a church. It is illegal to bike, roller-skate, skateboard, or inline skate in a commercially zoned area.

Alaska While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited. It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane.

Arizona Hunting camels is prohibited. Any misdemeanor committed while wearing a red mask is considered a felony. There is a possible 25 years in prison for cutting down a cactus. It is a Class 2 misdemeanor if one places a mark upon a flag which is “likely to provoke physical retaliation”. It is illegal to manufacture imitation cocaine. When being attacked by a criminal or burglar, you may only protect yourself with the same weapon that the other person possesses. It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water. You may not have more than two dildos in a house. No one is permitted to ride their horse up the stairs of the county court house. One must be 18 years old to buy spray paint.

Arkansas It’s strictly prohibited to pronounce “Arkansas” incorrectly. Oral sex is considered to be sodomy. Alligators may not be kept in bathtubs. It is illegal to kill “any living creature”. No one may "suddenly start or stop" their car at a McDonald's. It is considered disturbing the peace if you honk near a sandwich shop after 9:00 PM. Flirtation between men and women on the streets of Little Rock may result in a 30-day jail term. It is unlawful to walk one’s cow down Main Street after 1:00 PM on Sunday.

California You may only throw a frisbee at the beach in Los Angeles County, CA with the lifeguard’s permission. Sunshine is guaranteed to the masses. It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale. No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour. Bathhouses are against the law. Nobody is allowed to ride a bicycle in a swimming pool. You are not permitted to wear cowboy boots unless you already own at least two cows. It is illegal to spit, except on baseball diamonds.

Colorado One may not mutilate a rock in a state park. It is illegal to ride a horse while under the influence. Tags may be ripped off of pillows and mattresses. Throwing missles at cars is illegal. Establishments which sell alcohol must have enough lighting to read text inside them. Catapults may not be fired at buildings. It is legal to challenge a police officer, but only until he or she asks you to stop. It is illegal to permit ones llama to graze on city property. Boulders may not be rolled on city property. It is illegal to bring your horse or pack mule above the ground floor of any building.

Connecticut Town records may not be kept where liquor is sold. You can be stopped by the police for biking over 65 miles per hour. It is illegal to discharge a firearm from a public highway. It is unlawful to walk backwards after sunset. Only white Christmas lights are allowed for display. You aren’t allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands. You may not educate dogs. The use of a bean whistle in public is prohibited. Silly string is banned.

Delaware “R” rated movies shall not be shown at drive-in theaters. One may not lay down on the beach at night. You may not change clothes in their car. It is illegal to have a picnic on a highway. No person shall pretend to sleep on a bench on the boardwalk.

Florida The state constitution allows for freedom of speech, a trial by jury, and pregnant pigs to not be confined in cages. One may not commit any “unnatural acts” with another person. Unmarried couples may not commit “lewd acts” and live together in the same residence. Corrupting the public morals is defined as a nuisance, and is declared a misdemeanor offense. It is illegal to sell your children. Oral sex is illegal. If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging. It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit. Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown. It is illegal to skateboard without a license.

Georgia You cannot live on a boat for more than 30 days during the calendar year, even if just passing through the state. The term “sadomasochistic abuse” is defined so broadly, that it could possibly be applied to a person handcuffing another in a clown suit. All sex toys are banned. It is illegal to use profanity in front of a dead body which lies in a funeral home or in a coroners office. Signs are required to be written in English. All citizens must own a rake. If you want to read your favorite book in public to your friends, do it before 2:45 AM. Goldfish may not be given away to entice someone to enter a game of bingo. Owners of mules may not allow their animal to roam around Athens unsupervised. Persons under the age of 16 may not play pinball after 11:00 PM. It is illegal for one to make a disturbing sound at a fair.

Hawaii Coins are not allowed to be placed in one’s ears.

Idaho You may not fish on a camel’s back. Riding a merry-go-round on Sundays is considered a crime. Residents may not fish from a giraffe’s back. If a police officer approaches a vehicle and suspects that the occupants are engaging in sex, he must either honk, or flash his lights and wait for three minutes before approaching the car. Bicycles are not allowed in the tennis courts. The carrying of concealed weapons is forbidden, unless some are exhibited to public view.

Illinois It is forbidden to fish while sitting on a giraffe’s neck. Kites may not be flown within the city limits. It is forbidden by law to eat in a place that is on fire. It is illegal to hang “obstructions” form the rear view mirror, including fuzzy dice, air fresheners, GPS units, etc. In the Pullman area, it is illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while sitting on the curb. It is illegal to give a dog whiskey. It is legal to protest naked in front of city hall as long as you are under seventeen years of age and have legal permits.

Indiana Anyone 14 or older who profanely curses, damns or swears by the name of God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, shall be fined one to three dollars for each offense, with a maximum fine of ten dollars per day. State government officials who engage in private duels can be dismissed from their post. Mustaches are illegal if the bearer has a tendency to habitually kiss other humans. Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide. It is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public. One may not sniff glue.

Iowa It is a crime to use a dead person’s handicapped parking sign or license plate. Kisses may last for no more than five minutes. It is a violation of the law to sell or distribute drugs or narcotics without having first obtained the appropriate Iowa drug tax stamp. Horses are forbidden to eat fire hydrants. One must obtain written permission from the City Council before throwing bricks into a highway. All softball diamond lights must be turned off by 10:30 PM.

Kansas Rabbits may not be shot from motorboats. It is illegal to drive one's car through a parade. No one may sing the alphabet on the streets at night.

Kentucky Dogs may not molest cars.

Louisiana You will be fined $500 for sending people a surprise pizza “Fake” wrestling matches are prohibited. Spectators at a boxing match may not mock one of the contestants. You can be jailed for up to ten years for stealing an alligator. It is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol. Biting someone with your natural teeth is “simple assault,” while biting someone with your false teeth is “aggravated assault”. It is illegal to gargle in public places. It is illegal to shoot lasers at police officers. One may not “dare” another to go onto railroad tracks owned by another. It is illegal to steal a “movable” even if it classified as an “immovable”. Rituals that involve the ingestion of blood, urine, or fecal matter are not allowed. One could land in jail for up to a year for making a false promise. Every time a person is seriously burned, he must report the injury to the fire marshal. Prisoners who hurt themselves could serve an additional two years in jail. No one may pour a drink out on the ground at any drive-in movie.

Maine You may not step out of a plane in flight. After January 14th, you will be charged a fine for having your Christmas decorations still up. Strolling down the street while playing a violin is against the law. No person may roller skate on a sidewalk. It is illegal to expectorate from any second-story window. It is illegal to park in front of Dunkin Donuts. Dog leashes may not be over eight feet in length. Advertisements may not be placed in cemeteries.

Maryland It’s illegal to take a lion to the movies. You may not curse inside the city limits. It is illegal to use profane language on a playground. Persons may not swear while on the highway. Citizens may not swim in the public fountains within the city limits.

Massachusetts It is illegal to give beer to hospital patients. Shooting ranges may not set up targets that resemble human beings. At a wake, mourners may eat no more than three sandwiches. Quakers and witches are banned. Bullets may not be used as currency. Taxi drivers are prohibited from "making love" in the front seat of their taxi during their shifts. No gorilla is allowed in the back seat of any car.

Michigan Persons may not be drunk on trains. It is illegal to kill a dog using a decompression chamber. It is legal for a robber to file a law suit, if he or she got hurt in your house. Any person over the age of 12 may have a license for a handgun as long as he/she has not been convicted of a felony. Couples are banned from "making love" in an automobile unless the act takes place while the vehicle is parked on the couple’s own property. Willfully destroying your old radio is prohibited. It is illegal to let your pig run free in Detroit unless it has a ring in its nose.

Minnesota It is illegal to stand around any building without a good reason to be there. A person may not cross state lines with a duck atop his head. It is illegal to sleep naked. Citizens may not enter Wisconsin with a chicken on their head. Airplanes may not be landed in city parks. Placing tacks on a sidewalk is considered a public nuisance.

Mississippi No one may bribe any athlete to “rig” a game, match, tournament, etc. One may be fined up to $100 for using “profane language” in public places.

Missouri Minors are not allowed to purchase cap pistols, however they may buy shotguns freely. It shall be unlawful to provide beer or other intoxicants to elephants. No person may have a “yard sale” in their front yard. No person may own a PVC pipe.

Montana It is illegal to have a sheep in the cab of your truck without a chaperone. No person shall raise pet rats. It is illegal to bring a bomb or rocket at city council proceedings. Bands who play in clubs where alcohol is served may not leave the stage while performing. It is illegal to use speed-dial in the city phone system. Worrying squirrels will not be tolerated. It is illegal to annoy passersby on sidewalks with a revolving water sprinkler. The game of “folf” may not be played at night. No item may be thrown across a street.

Nebraska Drivers on mountains should drive with caution near the right hand edge of the highway. (There are no mountains in Nebraska) It is illegal to fly a plane while drunk. It is Illegal to go whale fishing. It is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

Nevada It is illegal to sit or lie down on sidewalks It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway. It’s still “legal” to hang someone for shooting your dog on your property. An ordinance makes bringing a concealable fire arm into the county illegal unless it is registered with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Benches may not be placed in the middle of any street.

New Hampshire You cannot sell the clothes you are wearing to pay off a gambling debt. At White Mountain National Forest, if a person is caught raking the beaches, picking up litter, hauling away trash, building a bench for the park, or many other kind things without a permit, he/she may be fined $150 for "maintaining the national forest without a permit".

New Jersey Handcuffs may not be sold to minors. It is illegal to wear a bullet-proof vest while committing a murder. It is illegal to delay or detain a homing pigeon.

New Mexico "Idiots" are banned from voting Nudity is allowed, provided that male genitals are covered. Women may walk in public topless provided they have their nipples covered. Hunting is prohibited in Mountain View Cemetery. You may not carry a lunchbox down Main Street.

New York It is against the law to throw a ball at someone’s head for fun. The penalty for jumping off a building is death. During a concert, it is illegal to eat peanuts and walk backwards on the sidewalks. Eating while swimming in the ocean is prohibited.

North Carolina Oral sex is considered a crime against nature. It’s against the law to sing off key. It is a felony to steal more than $1000 of grease. It is illegal to have sex in a churchyard. Persons in possession of illegal substances must pay taxes on them. Organizations may not hold their meetings while the members present are in costume. Bingo games may not last over 5 hours unless it is held at a fair. Serving alcohol at a bingo game is not allowed.

North Dakota Playing bingo while drunk is a Class 2 misdemeanor. You cannot shoot fireworks after 11 PM. Beer and pretzels can’t be served at the same time in any bar or restaurant.

Ohio It is illegal to mistreat anything of great importance. No civil arrests may be made on Sunday or on the Fourth of July. Illegal to sell dyed chickens. It is illegal to get a fish drunk. Participating or conducting a duel is prohibited. If one loses their pet tiger, they must notify the authorities within one hour.

Oklahoma One may not promote a “horse tripping event”. It is illegal for the owner of a bar to allow anyone inside to pretend to have sex with a buffalo. It is against the law to read a comic book while operating a motor vehicle. Fish may not be contained in fishbowls while on a public bus. People who make “ugly faces” at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.

Oregon It is illegal to go hunting in a cemetery. Drivers must yield to pedestrians who are standing on the sidewalk. One may not test their physical endurance while driving a car on a highway. It is illegal to place a container filled with human fecal matter on the side of any highway. Babies may not be carried on the running boards of a car. A door on a car may not be left open longer than is necessary. An adult may not show a minor any piece of classical artwork which depicts sexual excitement. It is illegal to buy or sell marijuana, but it is legal to smoke it on your own property. Juggling is strictly prohibited without a license. It’s illegal to walk down a sidewalk and knock a snakes head off with your cane. You cannot eat a doughnut and walk backwards on a city street.

Pennsylvania It is contrary to Pennsylvania law to discharge a gun, cannon, revolver or other explosive weapon at a wedding. It it illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish. A person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel. Ministers are forbidden from performing marriages when either the bride or groom is drunk. No more than two packages of beer at a time may be purchased, unless you are buying from an official “beer distributor”. Persons convicted of felonies may not operate Bingo games.

Rhode Island Cap guns are illegal. Ropes may not be strung across a highway. No one may bite off another person's leg. Any marriage where either of the parties is an idiot or lunatic is null and void. It is considered an offense to throw pickle juice on a trolley. It is illegal to wear transparent clothing.

South Carolina It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide. You cannot play pinball if you are a minor. A permit must be obtained to fire a missle.

South Dakota It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory.

Tennessee It is illegal to share your Netflix password. It is illegal to to post images online that cause emotional distress without legitimate purpose. Any person who participates in a duel may not hold any public office in the state. Giving and receiving oral sex is still prohibited by law. You can’t shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile. Hollow logs may not be sold. It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish. “Crimes against nature” are prohibited. The definition of “dumb animal” includes every living creature. It is illegal to place tacks on a highway. Skunks may not be carried into the state.

Texas You cannot sell a human eye. A felony charge can be levied for promoting the use of, or owning more than six dildos. It is illegal for one to shoot a buffalo from the second story of a hotel. Wire cutters can not be carried in your pocket. It is against the law to throw confetti, rubber balls, feather dusters, whips or quirts (riding crop), and explosive firecrackers of any kind. It is illegal to possess realistic dildos.

Utah No one may have sex in the back of an ambulance if it is responding to an emergency call. It is illegal to detonate any nuclear weapon. Alcohol may not be sold during an emergency. It is illegal to cause a catastrophe. Throwing snowballs will result in a $50 fine.

Vermont It is illegal to deny the existence of God.

Virginia You cannot go trick-or-treating if you are over 12 years old.

Washington The harassing of Bigfoot, Sasquatch or other undiscovered subspecies is a felony punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment. It is illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole without prior consent from the utility company. X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.

West Virginia Whistling underwater is prohibited. For each act of public swearing a person shall be fined one dollar.

Wisconsin It is a class A misdemeanor to wave a burning torch around in the air.

Wyoming Using a firearm to fish is strictly forbidden.

#original #source post #Adrian

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themyskira · 6 years

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Amazons Attack! - part 10

PREVIOUSLY! Supergirl and Wonder Girl smashed up an internment camp for women associated with Amazons (where ‘associated’ can mean anything from ‘known acquaintance of Wonder Woman’ to ‘looks a bit feminist’), succeeding only in getting Cassie’s mother injured and the rest of the Teen Titans arrested for the crime of collaboration with subversives (where ‘collaboration’ means ‘trying to stop’).

For their next trick, the Girls Super and Wonder successfully helped to crash Air Force One, get a bunch of people killed and almost murder the damn President of the United States, before Superman came and gave them a stern talking-to.

This time: the Teen Titans teach us that the right way to resist oppression is to look quietly disapproving until the system gets embarrassed and sorts itself out, and Supergirl is an actual monster.

Part 10: Teen Titans #49 — Adam Beechen (writer) and Al Barrionuevo (artist), and Supergirl #20 — Tony Bedard (writer) and Renato Guedes (artist)

The Teen Titans’ “arrest” is immediately revealed to be a fakeout — the colonel in command of the camp swiftly marches over, orders her men to stand down and asks the team to help relocate the detainees from the half-destroyed camp.

(Colonel Wallace, who is cast as a good soldier in a bad situation, is a white woman. Major Hanratty — the aggressive, over-zealous, sexist soldier who tried to arrest the Titans — is a black man. The implications of this become increasingly Unfortunate as the issue unfolds.)

Ravager is outraged, comparing the situation to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, but Robin insists that “going against the government won’t help this situation. We just have to make sure things don’t get any worse”. So that’s what they do, because according to Beechen the only two options in this situation are to violently attack the soldiers like Cassie did or to reluctantly aid the government’s wrongful detention of innocent women and trust the system to work itself out.

Am I reading too much into this to think that this sends kind of a dodgy message to the reader? I mean, bearing in mind that this crossover is a (clumsy) analogy for the War on Terror and was written in the context of ongoing US atrocities — the fact that Beechen appears to dismiss all forms of protest and resistance as irresponsible and detrimental… really sucks?

The women are loaded onto a train and the Titans fly alongside as escorts, until they’re waylaid by a squadron of Amazons led by oh fuck me please don’t drag Artemis into this craphole

“CHILDREN, HOLD! ARTEMIS COMMANDS YOU!”

Artemis explains that she is looking for Cassie, who undertook a mission for Hippolyta to down Air Force One and take the President captive, only to abandon her mission and flee.

Let me list all the things that are wrong with this.

Cassie and Kara were not sent to bring down Air Force One (they managed that through their own incompetence)

Artemis couldn’t possibly know that Cassie and Kara “abandoned” their mission, because none of the Amazons sent to attack Air Force One returned

All Artemis knows is that the Amazons’ mounts returned riderless and bloody, implying that the mission went horribly wrong

Artemis cannot physically be here right now because there’s a big fuck-off forcefield trapping her in DC

The Titans politely explain that they have not seen Cassie or Kara, and Artemis is like, ‘I trust you guys, but unfortunately that doesn’t help me, so I’mma take you all hostage to lure your friends to me, k?’

The Amazons attack, the Titans land heavily on top of the train, which barely avoids derailing. We get of shot of Helena Sandsmark inside the train exclaiming, “Cassie—?”, which cracks me the hell up. ‘Violence? Property damage? Endangerment of bystanders? It must be my daughter!’

Outside, everybody yells at Artemis to mind the innocent civilians. And Artemis, who thus far has been one of the few voices of reason among the Amazons, and a consistent opponent of attacking bystanders, is suddenly flippant about the idea of mass civilian casualties. “Such is war … they are our enemies”.

Then she glimpses the train’s passengers and gasps theatrically.

“—Eh? Women? Under armed guard? WHAT MANNER OF TRAIN IS THIS?!”

So, what, you’re allowed to commit despicable crimes against innocents but nobody else is? Because you were perfectly at peace with murdering everybody on the train a second ago.

Pegging Colonel Wallace as the leader, Artemis yells at her that she’s a traitor to all women.

“Much in this war puzzles me, but these things I know: Women should not shackle their own kind and this will not stand! AMAZONS… ATTACK!”

Yes, let’s attack the fast-moving train full of innocent hostages, that’s sure to go well for all involved.

One rando Amazon is taking Cassie and Kara’s potential betrayal super hard.

“I can’t believe Supergirl would abandon our cause for these… these cowards, hiding behind their guns! She’s our friend! Friends don’t take different sides in a war!”

So, I take it you’re new to comics crossovers, then.

Rando Amazon continues to obsess over Supergirl until Kid Devil pushes her into a lake a few pages later.

It goes on like this for a few pages. More fighting, more poorly-written trading of insults. Ravager declares, “I don’t know who’s worse… the Army for bringing back internment, one of America’s worst memories… or you Amazons, for making ‘em feel like it was necessary!”, which… eeeeeeeeeeeeeeno.

Leaving aside the tortured dialogue, of all the crimes that can be laid at the Amazons feet in this story, internment is not one of them. They didn’t “make” the US government feel that wrongfully detaining innocent people was necessary, any more than the Japanese military “made” the real US government wrongfully segregate, arrest and incarcerate over a hundred thousand innocent Japanese Americans. The Amazons committed an act of war, and pre-existing American bigotry and hatred and ignorance led the government to punish their own citizens despite a lack of evidence of any national security threat.

By implication, here, Adam Beechen is absolving the US government of responsibility for the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans.

Meanwhile, Colonel Wallace isn’t jumping to indiscriminate slaughter fast enough for Major Hanratty, who threatens mutiny.

“Listen, I know that witch with the sword got to you. But you are a soldier first. And if you can’t do what needs to be done, I will.”

The fight causes the train to jump the tracks. M’gann is able to stop it and prevent a crash, just as Superman arrives with Wonder Girl and Supergirl.

Artemis calls on Cassie and Kara to stand with the Amazons; they, of course, refuse.

Artemis: And you, Cassandra? Have you forgotten where your loyalties lie? Cassie: The gods gave me my powers, Artemis, but I’m not a god. And I’m not an Amazon. I’m a woman. And I’m a daughter. My loyalties lie with my family… and with doing what’s right. Tim: What about us, Cassie, are we still— Cassie: Not now, Robin, just… not now.

Way to step on somebody else’s moment, Timbo. And yeah, middle of a live battlefield, maybe not the best time to work out where your friendship stands.

As for Cassie, she is a god (well, demigod, by way of an admittedly crappy retcon), she is an Amazon (not by birth, sure, but she’s earned the right to call herself one), and when she says ‘I’m not an Amazon, I’m a woman’, I can’t help but hear, ‘I’m not a feminist, I’m a humanist’.

Superman pressures Colonel Wallace to let the women go, because it’s the right thing to do. This, again, goes exactly as you’d expect: Colonel Wallace agrees that the orders she’s following are unjust and decides to release everyone; Major Hanratty responds by declaring that he’s assuming command and absolutely nobody will be released.

A few of women decide to make a break for it while they have the chance, leading to this piece of white feminist nonsense:

Woman: Now’s our chance, while they’re sorting all this out… Helena: What—? No, don’t! Let them talk it over, this will all resolve itself peacefully...! Woman: We’re getting out of here. We’ll never have a better chance…

White woman telling a black woman not to make any waves and trust the authorities to sort things out. Cool feminism you got there.

The soldiers see a group of women fleeing. Hanratty mistakes Helena for the ringleader and orders everyone to shoot her. Of course, the Titans save her, and Superman destroys all the soldiers’ equipment. The Amazons hug and make up with Cassie and Kara, then return to DC (you know, the city they’re supposed to be trapped in with no means of getting out) to continuing raining death on America.

Cassie apologies to the Titans, smooches Robin, and good lord this art is appalling.

So that’s it for the Teen Titans in this crossover. Supergirl #20 picks up where this issue leaves off, and it’s so unbelievably dull that I’m not even going to give it a separate post.

The issue opens with a flashback to the attack on Air Force One. With the plane rapidly losing altitude, a terrified flight attendant called Ranay phones her husband — Greg, a DC accountant — to say what might be her final goodbye. She’s talking to him when the plane crashes and the phone is flung out of her hand, leaving Greg believing that his wife is dead and Supergirl is to blame.

That’s page one. If y’all think you know where the rest of this issue is going, you’re probably right.

Still in the flashback, we see Kara and Cassie rushing to help the injured crew and passengers as if they’re not the villains in this story.

Kara: Is everyone okay? I tried to soften the impact… Man: You shot us down in the first place! Kara [VO]: Actually, it was the Amazons, but why argue? It sure felt like my fault.

THAT’S BECAUSE IT IS YOUR FAULT, YOU INSUFFERABLE TWIT. You agreed to kidnap the president. You threatened to bring the plane down. You punched through the GODDAMN FUSELAGE. And all of that happened before the Amazons even arrived on the scene.

In the present, Superman has left Supergirl and Wonder Girl with the Teen Titans. Kara tells Cassie says that she’s going to be in huge trouble when all of this has wrapped up:

“Trust me, this war with the Amazons is nothing compared to the verbal beat-down I’ll get once things die down.”

Oh, I’m sure. Thousands of Americans are dead and the entire state of Kansas is a smoking ruin, but that’s nothing compared to the stern words that Kara’s going to cop.

To ease her hurt feelings, Kara decides to help the rescue efforts in DC (which, again, is supposed to be SEALED OFF FROM THE WORLD).

Meanwhile, Greg’s office is being evacuated, with four heavily armed military personnel guarding the civilians’ escape. It takes two Amazons in a primitive horse-drawn chariot all of five seconds to cut them down, which even for this crossover is ridiculous. Fortunately, grieving-husband-with-a-vendetta Greg is also an ex-Marine! He scoops up a rocket launcher and incinerates the charioteers, then grabs a gun and begins firing.

More Amazons descend on the civilians, which is when Supergirl joins the fight. She defeats them, but only after they’ve shot her in the side with an enchanted arrow.

Greg pulls the arrow out of her with more violence than is strictly necessary and, after an oblivious Kara explains that she’s vulnerable to magic, surreptitiously pockets the arrow in case he needs to indulge in some light revenge murder later on.

Kara’s just happy to have people fawning over her again.

Civilian 1: Can you stand? Civilian 2: If you hadn’t shown up when you did… Kara [VO] The relief in their faces, the gratitude in their voices — this is why I needed to come here. Just to know I’m doing some good, to know that I’m wanted…

That’s why she needed to come here. Not to use her abilities to help people in imminent danger — to get a quick ego boost.

Greg confronts Kara about the Air Force One attack and demands to know if Kara killed his wife. And that’s when the giant Cyclops attacks.

Battling the monster, Kara engages in some more historical revisionism.

“Just this morning, I’d hoped the Amazons could accept me as one of their own. Then they unleashed these monstrosities on innocent people. I guess you never really know somebody until you meet their pets.”

Bull. Fucking. Shit. The Cyclopes were in the very first wave of attacks. Right before the Amazons got to mass-slaughtering civilians and setting literally all of Kansas on fire — all of which you knew about when you agreed to kidnap the president.

Greg grabs his gun and begins firing at the Cyclops while the others run for cover.

“And then there’s this guy, who has every reason to hate me. No way am I letting him die without getting a chance to tell him I’m sorry.”

So what I’m hearing is, you’re not protecting him because you care about humanity and believe passionately in using your extraordinary gifts to help others, you’re protecting him so you can feel better about yourself.

Kara saves Greg and catches the brunt of the Cyclops’ attack. She’s flung through the air, crashing through the wall of a childcare centre.

Kara [VO]: Oh, boy. They must’ve hidden here since the invasion started. Kara: Hey, is everybody okay? I didn’t mean to crash in like that, but I promise I’ll keep you safe. [pause] Hello? [pause] Doesn’t anybody have anything to say? Everyone: AHHHHHHHHH!!!!

The self-absorbed jerk is so busy fishing for some validation that she completely forgets about the huge fuck-off Cyclops advancing on the building.

Resolving that she won’t let innocents get hurt again, Kara tries to draw the Cyclops away, but the fight’s not going well. Greg mutters that it would “serve her right” if she got smashed to bits, then sighs and decides to help. He hands her the enchanted arrow and tells her to go for the eye, which works.

Kara thanks Greg, and he admits he was holding onto the arrow to kill her.

Greg: I… I was on the phone with her… You should’ve heard the fear in her voice… and Ranay, she’s not scared of anything… and then the plane crashes… and the line goes dead… Kara: I’m sooo sorry.

I know it’s intended to be for emphasis, but that elongated ‘so’ just reads as sarcastic.

They talk it out — blah blah wanted to fix things, blah blah the world is more complicated, blah blah that reminds me of my tour of duty in Somalia — and then Greg gets a phone call from his wife and she’s fine. All the while, Superman watches Kara paternalistically from above.

Next time: Catwoman infiltrates Lady ISIS!

#when shamazons attack #comics talk

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didanawisgi · 6 years

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Toting the Gat: Black Women and Gun Culture

“For the Black female, the solution is not to become less aggressive, not to lay down the gun, but to learn how to set the sights correctly, aim accurately, squeeze rather than jerk and be overcome by the damage.”

--Angela Davis

The first gun I recall seeing was in my grandmother’s house in Tennessee. My father was checking out her .38 BB gun; however, he was having difficulty cocking it. Granny shook her head, walked right over to her son-in-law, and carefully took the weapon from his hands. “It’s like this, Greg,” she instructed, and then cocked it with a finesse that impressed my then 12 year old self. When my mother asked her if she still kept guns in the house, she responded unapologetically, “Of course we do. This is Tennessee, honey. We still got Klan around here.” Years earlier, it was Otha Collins, my father’s mother, who would bestow upon him his first pistol: she also owned a sawed off double barrel shotgun in her Chicago home. Granny Ruth and Granny Otha, both born and raised in Mississippi, were women of the South—resilient, no-nonsense, and, like many other Black women of their time, owned guns for the utilization of self-defense.

There is a complex history between Black women and gun ownership in America; such history is inextricably linked with questions concerning agency and whether or not Black women have the right to defend themselves against toxic masculinity and white supremacist actions of the state. It is reported that Black women who are murdered by men are almost always killed with a gun, and most likely be someone that they know, particularly in domestic violence disputes. In 2015, 15 Black women were killed by the police, a counter-narrative made possible by the organizing efforts of Black queer women in the Black Lives Matter movement. As there is a history of abuses against Black women inter-personally and by the state, it is important to state that Black women have always been resilient against violence—and the obtainment of weaponry, from Emancipation to hip-hop, was a symbolic gesture of bodily autonomy and dedication to survival.

It is white men who are historically celebrated in the American imagination as brave and charismatic gun-slingers. Westerners portray white men as heroic purveyors of new territory, with a shot gun in hand. The glaring differences of how white male gun ownership is perceived in comparison to those who are Black reflects deep-seated racism, stemming back to the era of slavery. “Django, Shaft, and a few other Black action figures notwithstanding, most glamorized gunmen are white. For Americans, the notion of Black people carrying guns conjures fear rather than admiration or nostalgia,” says writer Charles Cobbs. Due to the history of slavery, Black folks with firearms (and Black women in particular) were seen as especially dangerous, capable of inciting masse uprisings during enslavement and upsetting the power dynamics of Jim Crow.

In the South, it wasn’t uncommon for a number of Black women to easily obtain weapons, as “the South’s powerful gun culture and weak gun control laws enabled Black people to acquire and keep weapons and ammunition with relative ease.” “It was common knowledge in Sunflower County, Mississippi, that Lou Ella Townsend, the mother of famed civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, could be dangerous if pushed too hard,” Cobbs continues. “Walking out into the cotton fields to work, Mrs. Townsend would put a pan on her head and carry a bucket in each hand. One of them was always covered by a cloth and in that bucket there was always a 9mm Luger pistol. Once, when a plantation overseer hit her youngest son in the face, she warned him not to do it again. Laughing, perhaps as much in disbelief that she could or would do anything to stop him, the overseer grabbed Townsend, spun her around, and raised him arm to strike her. She caught his arm and forced him to the ground. When she let him up, he fled; he never bothered her children again.” Older Black women didn’t hesitate to use firepower as an aid in exercising their rights. Cobbs adds that, “A story Stokely Carmichael liked to tell was of bringing an elderly woman to vote in Lowndes Country, Alabama: ‘She had to be 80 years old and going to vote for the first time in her life. . . . That ol’ lady came up to us, went into her bag, and produced this enormous, rusty Civil War-looking old pistol. ‘Best you hol’ this for me, son. I’ma go cast my vote now.’”

If Black women’s possessions of weaponry made whites uncomfortable in Reconstruction and the Civil Rights eras, it downright frightened them in the Black power period. No longer were activists keeping it low-key that they exercised their right to self-defense against state terrorism. While there were many phallocentric theories by men of the Black Power movement concerning weapons, it was personally gendered for women in the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. “By wielding guns, revolutionary women of the 1960s and 1970s claimed full citizenship,” writes Laura Browder. “And yet, they sought to change, and in some cases worked actively to dismantle, the nation. The gun came to be both a badge of citizenship and a symbol for dismantling an oppressive state.” In the 1970s, as Blaxploitation cinema emerged, Pam Grier, Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones), and Jeannie Bell followed the example of Black Panther women in film by playing autonomous, radical lead characters who could aim, shoot, and fire at their assailants.

A number of Black women in hip-hop culture also frequently weaved gun talk into their lyrics, as a stance against gender imbalance in the genre and a defiant act against sexism. Lil’ Kim in “All about the Benjamins”: “And I kick shit like a nigga do/Pull the trigger too/Fuck you”, and Foxy Brown’s verse “Might breeze through Prada, Chloe, or Tiff’s/ Other than that, it’s just me and my 6”, were most notable in spitting bars that alluded to an embrace of self-preservation. Perhaps most poignant is Eve, whose record, “Love is Blind” chronicles the killing of an abusive male partner who is responsible for her friend’s death:

“And before you had a chance to get up

You heard my gun cock

Prayin' to me now, I ain't God but I'll pretend

I ain't start your life but nigga I'ma bring it to an end

And I did, clear shots and no regrets, never

Cops comin' lock me under the jail

Nigga whatever my bitch, fuck it my sister

You could never figure out even if I let you live

What our love was all about.”

While there is a rich history of Black women utilizing weapons for self-defense, such acts of self-agency are increasingly met with push back by the state. In 2010, Marissa Alexander, a mother of three in Florida, fired a warning shot into a wall to ward off her abusive ex-husband, who had a history of being abusive, threatening to kill her. Two years later, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison on a murder charge. The court’s refusal to evoke the “Stand Your Ground” law in Alexander’s case sends the message that Black women are not supposed to fight for their survival, and to do so means that they will surely be punished. “If you do everything to get on the right side of the law, and the law does not apply to you, where do you go from there?” Alexander stated.

While it has been a year since Alexander’s release (due to a retrial), her case is not unusual. Eisha Love, a Black transgender woman, was criminalized for defending herself against transphobic attacks and booked on aggravated assault, despite her assailants taunting her into an altercation in 2014. Cherelle Baldwin, another Black mother, was convicted of murder after she was attacked by her ex-boyfriend in her home in 2013. Baldwin tried to flee from her home, but her boyfriend came after her, and attempted to choke her with a belt. When she tried to escape the car, it rolled over her leg, and ended up crushing her ex-boyfriend. While the state is unable to provide for the safety of Black women, they also penalize them for enacting any type of method for survival. (Left: Marissa Alexander)

Understanding the history of guns in America from the perspective of Black women is crucial in understanding what liberation for our community will look like in the future. While firearms do not completely eradicate the threat of white supremacy and misogynoir, they are indisputably a traditional act of defiance for Black women, whom society refuses to grant autonomy. The embrace of firearms by women in the Black community demonstrate a brilliant sense of resilience. By actively working to dismantle the prison system, challenging the penalizing codes of the court systems, and working to end white supremacy and toxic masculinity, only then can the power of the gun in the name of self-defense be fully utilized.

Sources:

Amber, Jeannine. “In Her Own Words: Marissa Alexander Tells Her Story”. ESSENCE. 3/04/2015. Accessed 01/25/2016.

Browder, Laura. Her Best Shot: Women and Guns. North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 2006.

Cobbs, Charles. This Non-Violent Stuff’ll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement. New York: Basic Books, 2014.

Henderson, Tanasha. “Black Domestic Violence Survivors are Criminalized from All Directions”. Truthout. 06/04/2015. Accessed 01/25/2016.

“Black Women Murdered by Men are Most Often Killed with a Gun, Almost Always by Someone They Know, According to New VPC Study Released Each Year for Domestic Violence Awareness Month”. Violence Policy Center. 09/19/2012. Accessed 1/24/2016.

Vincent, Rose Addison. “State of Emergency for Transgender Women of Color”. Huffington Post. 09/16/2014. Accessed 01/25/2016.

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