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emotionallychargedtowel · 7 months

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The psychological paradoxes of Utsukushii Kare, part 1: Covert grandiosity and finding status through idealization

I’ve had some thoughts about Utsukushii Kare bouncing around in my head since the end of season 2. I started to post about them back then but my first attempts stalled out. Maybe the ideas involved were too complex, or I just needed to let them marinate a bit longer. I tried to give up on getting them on “paper,” but they just wouldn’t leave me alone. Eventually I returned to them and everything clicked. This is part one of my attempt to get those ideas down. After a ridiculous amount of tinkering, it seems like the right time to let it see the light of day. Subsequent posts are in different stages of readiness as well.

I wouldn’t have finished this without copious encouragement and feedback from @lurkingshan and specific edits from @wen-kexing-apologist. A kind comment from @nieves-de-sugui was a shot in the arm. And I’m always indebted to @porridgefeast for support, encouragement, and cute animal content.

I’ve written a lot about this series in the past; refer to my Utsukare master post for a continuously updated list. This includes some related posts on pursuer/distancer dynamics and attachment style in the series that have some overlap with what I’m discussing here, but this post should also stand on its own quite well.

A few things to note at the outset:

My focus here is on the series (both seasons), but I will refer to the movie, the novel, and a couple of vignettes when they illustrate points that are consistent with and relevant to the series.

My approach in this series of posts involves viewing fictional characters the way I would if they were real people--a bit like if I were to do a case conceptualization of a potential client. This isn’t always the approach I use, or the best one, but I thought it was a good fit for what I wanted to discuss here.

Quotes will be cited, but general information on sources will be given at the end of the post.

Now, to get down to business.

* * * * * * *

I’ve seen a lot of commentary from other Utsukare fans about Hira and Kiyoi and how much their self-worth–and the lack thereof–impacts their relationship. It’s a clear theme and lots of folks have had salient insights about it. But one thing I haven’t seen in any of the posts I’ve read is a full acknowledgement of the duality at play there–the way that both characters sometimes believe, or at least fear, that they’re irredeemably awful and at the same time believe, or perhaps hope, that they are better than everyone else.

I’m sure someone reading this is thinking, “Kiyoi is like that, sure. But Hira? Thinking he’s superior? Come on.” I get that it isn’t always apparent. In a genre that loves to portray profoundly smitten, devoted characters, Hira stands out as intensely, even excessively, whipped. But yes, Hira totally sees himself as superior to others in some important ways. Even before Noguchi Hiromi took his inventory about this so mercilessly, there were plenty of other signs.

covert grandiosity and idealization

Our introduction to Hira is his description of the “pyramid” social structure he experiences at school and how he’s at the lowest level of that pyramid (invisible at best, a visible target at worst). At first glance, this seems self-deprecating. But Hira is just describing where he falls in the structure, not endorsing the structure or his place in it. This sets up an important distinction that comes up continually in Hira’s thinking. Sometimes he really thinks badly of himself. But other times, he’s reporting how, in his view at least, others think of him. Sometimes he’s resigned to the ways others see him, but other times, he rebels against them. He doesn’t always make it clear which of these things he’s doing at a given time, but if you know what to look for it starts to be easier to pick out.

Mind you, it’s still very clear that there are ways in which Hira does view himself extremely negatively. His belief that he’s unworthy of Kiyoi is particularly strong. It inspires a lot of demeaning metaphors about himself, like calling himself a “pebble.” His belief in his unworthiness is linked to the belief that Kiyoi can’t possibly return his feelings or that if he does, it’s a bizarre miracle that can’t possibly last over the long term. The most remarkable thing about this belief is its incredible persistence, even in the face of example after example of evidence that Kiyoi loves and values him too and wants them to stay together. But denigrating himself in this context has a different meaning from what it would in others, as I'll get into in more detail shortly.

It’s a pretty universal human tendency to pay more attention to information that confirms our biases than information that challenges them. We’re also hard-wired to be more attentive to perceived threats (including threats to our sense of self-worth) than we are to less threatening things (and ideas). Both of these tendencies contribute to the fact that most of us fail to notice when our negative beliefs are being disproven.

I’ll be discussing this in more depth in part 2, but for now, I’ll just say that resistance to disproving a negative belief is very normal, but Hira’s stubbornness is way beyond what’s typical. He continually misinterprets or simply ignores clear signs of Kiyoi’s interest in and regard for him. I mean, most of us, no matter how poor our self-esteem is, no matter how jaded and pessimistic we are, would, if kissed by someone we’re in love with, at least entertain the possibility that they might like us a little bit. Not only does Hira not consider this possibility, he comes up with the rather bizarre interpretation that the graduation day kiss was Kiyoi’s way of telling him to leave him alone.

So, why would anyone be as stubbornly negative on this point as Hira is? Part of it is the strength of his negative beliefs and the degree of his bias. But there’s another reason as well, one I’m going to circle back to in a moment.

First, let’s look at Noguchi’s assessment of Hira in season 2, episode 4, which is very pertinent here. Talking about Hira’s submission to the Young Photographica contest, Noguchi says:

It was such a childish photo. You should've just chosen an empty place rather than erasing people. Going out of your way to [erase] people made it very clear that you hate this world. What I felt from your photo was tremendous selfishness and disgust. You haven't succeeded at all, but you think you're amazing. But instead of showing it outright, you make a shell by belittling yourself. You look down on this world with youth, stupidity, and ambiguity….You're just like the old me.

(dialogue from Viki subtitles)

It’s a little bit of a stretch, I think, to suggest that Noguchi can really tell all of this just by looking at a single photo (or even Hira’s entire portfolio). I think this partly happens just for the convenience of the story. But if I had to justify it, I’d say Noguchi has this much insight because, as he says, he used to be like Hira, making this a “takes one to know one” situation.

Hira confirms that Noguchi is correct here. “It’s like he sees right through me,” he thinks. So how do we reconcile this with Hira’s apparent negative self-image? Well, first off, it’s not unusual at all for very negative and excessively positive beliefs about the self to coexist in the same person. Take narcissism for example. People tend to think of narcissists as grandiose, thinking they’re amazing and special to a degree that’s clearly distorted. And that is one of the key symptoms of narcissism. But it’s also typical for narcissists to believe that if they aren’t remarkably special, they’re totally worthless. They have a hard time sitting with moderate (hence realistic) beliefs about themselves.

This kind of narcissistic tendency is really strong in people with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, but it’s present in a milder version in a lot of people (I suspect it’s present in most people, to some extent and under certain circumstances). Narcissistic personality traits are supposed to be linked to getting stuck at a developmental stage that ideally gets worked through during childhood. But a lot of us have at least a little bit of unfinished business from that period. I think Hira has a ton of unresolved stuff in this area. I definitely don’t think he would meet criteria for NPD. But I think that when he was in that developmental stage, he came up with some maladaptive strategies that helped him to get through it. As a result, he didn’t get stuck in the full-blown grandiose version of NPD, but he did get stuck with those maladaptive strategies, and they became a part of his personality instead. And he did retain 1) some of that highly polarized idea of self-worth (“I’m either the best ever or complete garbage”) and 2) some degree of belief in his superiority to others, no matter how shameful he finds it or how carefully he conceals it.

It’s also worth noting here that adolescents aren’t typically supposed to be diagnosed with personality disorders and even diagnosing young adults is often discouraged. This is because adolescence and early adulthood are times of intense change and development and the natural process of maturing can cause personality disorder symptoms to resolve even without mental health treatment. So that’s yet another reason to be wary of labeling Hira with any such diagnosis. This points to a major theme of the show, which is the fact that the central characters are works in progress. They aren’t fully formed adults yet, and that gives them a chance to improve themselves before they become set in their ways.

Getting back to Noguchi’s points: Hira is pretty misanthropic, although it’s often shown in pretty subtle ways in the show. This aspect of Hira is more noticeable in the novel. For one thing, the novel establishes early on that the erasing-people-from-photos thing isn’t some new or isolated phenomenon. Rather, the main thing Hira does with his camera at the beginning of the story is to intentionally take photos of populated areas and then carefully photoshopping out all of the people. And it’s explicitly because he dislikes, even hates, most of humanity. This tendency still comes through in the series. Sometimes it’s obvious–remember those mass shooting fantasies?--and other times, it’s more subtle. We know that this aspect of the character is definitely still present in the series version of Hira since he confirms what Noguchi says about how his photo shows “selfishness and disgust.” He really is disgusted by many of the people around him.

making a shell - perfectionism and covert grandiosity

What about the part of Noguchi’s spiel where he says that Hira “make[s] a shell by belittling [himself]?” It took me some thinking to realize what (in my view) he meant by that.

This actually syncs up really well with something Noguchi says about Hira in Utsukushii Kare: Eternal. It’s illuminating enough that I’m making an exception here to confining myself to the time period of the series.

In this scene, Kiyoi is scheduled to be photographed by Noguchi on a day that Hira isn’t present at his studio. He asks about Hira and he and Noguchi talk about him briefly. Hearing that Kiyoi was Hira’s high school classmate, Noguchi talks about how weird and confining high school is, a terrible “environment for growth.” He says that doesn’t apply to Hira, though, because he’s “a king in sheep’s clothing.” This catches Kiyoi’s attention. “I was just thinking that you understand him really well,” he tells Noguchi. “I do,” Noguchi replies. “Although he looks timid and weak, he’s actually really strong.”

As Noguchi continues, his comments become more metaphorical and get harder to understand. (I suspect that the metaphors he uses might be idiomatic or otherwise intelligible to a Japanese audience in a way that’s difficult to get across in translation.) The gist is that he sees Hira as “strong-minded,” but that “in his heart” he has a kind of “sanctuary” that he protects from others, and that this could end up either holding Hira back or being something he can use to get somewhere in life. I’m not sure what to make of the sanctuary part, but it’s clear that Noguchi understands that Hira has thoughts and emotions that he doesn’t share with anyone, and that his image as a “sheep” who is “timid and weak” masks an unseen strength and determination, along with a more king-like attitude toward the world than he typically shows to others.

Time for a quick psychological theory sidebar, this time on perfectionism.

Some researchers who study perfectionism have identified a type they call “narcissistic perfectionism.” Narcissistic perfectionists think that they are, or need to be, perfect, and they expect others to be the same way, thinking about them in highly negative ways if they don’t measure up. If you read about this idea, most of the examples given to illustrate it are people who have achieved a lot in their lives, who can point to big accomplishments. But perfectionism doesn’t always result in achievements. Sometimes it keeps people stuck in a mindset that anything but perfection is pointless, making them reluctant to really try to do anything at all. If you’re a perfectionist who has a need to believe you’re special, that you would achieve big things if you tried, actually trying means taking a risk that you’ll find out that when you try, the results aren’t actually perfect and amazing.

According to narcissistic thinking, this would mean that you’re worthless, because the options are either being the best or being complete garbage. Again, I think it’s an overstatement and an oversimplification to call Hira a narcissist, but he has unresolved self-worth baggage that takes a somewhat narcissistic shape. In this way, he shows a kind of perfectionism that seems clearly underpinned by his self-worth issues. Instead of fueling achievements, this perfectionism keeps him stuck, inactive, too afraid to attempt what he thinks he might be able to do while clinging to a fantasy of what he could do if he ever got un-stuck and really tried.

That’s usually a secret. Remember when Hira didn’t make it through the first cut of the contest? He thought, “Even though I always deny it out loud, I did think photography was the one thing I can do. It felt like I was being ripped apart for being conceited" (dialogue from a fansub by @lollipopsub). The fact that he would "deny it out loud" is notable. I also think that he’s still not being entirely candid. If he thought “photography was the one thing [he] can do,” that wouldn’t exactly be “conceited”--it would actually be quite modest (about photography) and harshly self-critical (about everything else). I think deep down he has thoughts that are truly conceited, thoughts that he’s not just competent when it comes to photography, but “amazing,” as Noguchi puts it. Once again, Hira confirms everything Noguchi said with his “he sees right through me” reaction, so he agrees with this assessment.

This conceited side of Hira is never supposed to see the light of day. This is the main reason he’s so intensely embarrassed when Noguchi understands him so well, I think. It’s what Noguchi is talking about when he says that Hira “make[s] a shell by belittling [him]self.” Acting as if he’s the lowest of the low is a defense. It does correspond to the part of himself that fears, at times even believes, that he’s worthless. But it’s also a way of hiding his grandiose side. This is a way of protecting himself from the reaction others would have if they could see how highly he thinks of himself despite not having made enough effort to accomplish the sorts of things he thinks he’s capable of. It’s also a way of protecting himself from his own awareness of his shortcomings and pretensions.

There’s another type of perfectionism researchers have identified, called “covert perfectionism,” in which the person’s outward expectations of others are low and they don’t show their perfectionistic traits outwardly very much, if at all. They’re supposed to be more likely than some types to get trapped in the kind of stuckness I mentioned earlier, in which perfectionism prevents the person from making a real effort at things they would like to do well. In some important ways, Hira’s perfectionism resembles this type as well. You could say that his type of perfectionism has definite narcissistic attributes, but he hides it well enough that it is also covert.

A number of different articles on perfectionism that I looked at cited the same Brene Brown quote about it, from her book The Gifts of Imperfection. I think it’s very salient here. She writes:

Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.

This is very characteristic of Hira. He doesn’t expect to “look perfect” in most respects (he’s more likely to simply try to go unnoticed). But he is obsessed with avoiding those painful emotions. He has spent his entire life being shamed and judged and living in fear of it happening still more. He’s very strategic and has given a lot of thought to how best to avoid being shamed. In fact, these efforts seem to be part of the reason he is such an avid observer of the social structures around him–learning about those structures is a survival skill for him.

idealization and affiliation: borrowing status

In addition to factoring in his covert grandiosity, I think there’s something else to account for when looking closely at Hira’s apparent self-hatred. Hira’s self-critical tendencies can appear inflated if we lump examples that pertain to his relationship with Kiyoi in with other cases. They should actually be looked at separately, because their meanings are distinctly different. Again, I don’t contest that Hira has a low opinion of himself in a lot of respects. But I think when we step back and look at many of the biggest examples of what appears to be a negative view of himself, a lot of them are focused on where he stands in relation to Kiyoi. That’s not the same thing as his value as a person. And placing himself in a certain role in relation to Kiyoi has a specific kind of meaning for him, along with a specific kind of payoff.

Here comes another theoretical interlude. This time, I’m going to briefly touch on Heinz Kohut’s idea of the need for idealization.

Kohut was the originator of a school of thought called self psychology, a branch of psychoanalysis that underpins a lot of contemporary psychoanalytic/psychodynamic theory and practice. He was also an expert on narcissism and basically saw variations and degrees of narcissism as central to a lot of psychological challenges. (There’s some reason to believe Kohut may himself have had narcissistic personality disorder, which would have made him intimately familiar with its inner workings.)

Kohut’s self psychology departed from Freud’s whole psychosexual development model (basically, everyone’s least favorite aspect of Freudianism—the part with all the penis envy and Oedipal stuff and so forth). In its place, self psychology focuses on how we see ourselves, what our needs are in terms of self-image, and other matters that are very relevant to this discussion. One of Kohut’s most important insights was his observation that even when other people have a big impact on our psychological state, what we’re interacting with isn’t so much the other person themselves but our internalized idea of that person. Kohut called internalized versions of people and things from our external world “selfobjects.” (I’ll be circling back to this momentarily.)

One of Kohut’s most central concepts is idealization. In Kohut’s version of idealization, a person views someone else as basically perfect, maybe even omnipotent. The idealized person becomes a special kind of selfobject. In the best case scenario, the person doing the idealizing has some kind of real, personal connection to the idealized person. But even a mental connection to them via their status as a selfobject can meet a need in some ways.

By feeling connected to, or even just affiliated with, the idealized person, the idealizer feels like they take on some degree of the qualities they see in the idealized person. It’s not hard to see how this tendency would date back to childhood. Children have a particular need to idealize their parents at certain stages in their development. Thinking of their parents as strong, capable, in control, wise, calm, etc. gives children a sense of safety and a sort of borrowed self-esteem.

Once you’ve idealized someone, you feel a real need to continue to see them as special and powerful. Again, childrens’ views of their parents are a good example here. One reason children often blame themselves when they are neglected or abused is because they have a strong need to continue to view their parents favorably. Without that favorable view of their parent, their world would seem chaotic and dangerous. Blaming themselves often seems safer. Here, maintaining the high status of the idealized person is so important that it’s a bigger priority than preserving self-worth.

I bet you can guess where I’m going with this. Yep, Hira idealizes Kiyoi in the Kohutian sense of the word. There are a number of facets of this. Part of it involves viewing Kiyoi as basically perfect–outstanding in every way. Even when Hira sees Kiyoi as cruel, he seems to view this as an ideal attribute for someone like Kiyoi.

Hira not only states that he thinks of Kiyoi as “like a God" in season 1, episode 6, he frequently expects Kiyoi to have god-like qualities and abilities. In one of Nagira Yuu's shorter pieces about Hira and Kiyoi that's told from Hira's perspective, he's explicit about this. "Kiyoi's existence is already in a much higher dimension than human beings," he thinks. "Is he the successful fusion of deity and human? That is the big question" ("Wonderful World," as translated by @sparkling-rain). At points during the series, he expects Kiyoi to have a superhuman degree of freedom to do anything he wishes and to know things that would require him to read Hira's mind. He really does treat him as if he’s practically omnipotent.

Hira's idealization of Kiyoi has a number of implications. One is that Hira misunderstands the social structure at his school. He views Kiyoi as the unquestioned king and doesn’t see that in many ways, Kiyoi makes choices about how to behave in school out of a desire to stay on the good side of bullies like Shirota. This fundamental misunderstanding in turn makes it impossible for Hira to notice or understand all the ways Kiyoi tries to protect him at school. If Kiyoi were really at the peak of the school hierarchy, if he wanted to be nice to Hira, he would just do it. But because he has to maintain a certain image in order to keep himself safe, he has to help Hira in covert ways. For example, when Kiyoi admonishes Yoshida not to order Hira around or use his demeaning, ableist nickname, he makes it seem like he just wants Hira to be at his beck and call, which wouldn’t be possible if he were occupied doing tasks for others. But if that were the case, why would he object to Yoshida using the nickname? For that matter, why doesn’t Kiyoi ever use the nickname himself? (He says it aloud in his exchange with Yoshida, but he never actually uses it to address Hira.) If Hira weren’t so invested in the idea of Kiyoi’s supreme power, he might have noticed these disparities between his narrative and reality within the story.

In season 2, the fact that Hira is both someone who has a relationship with Kiyoi and at the same time is a fan of Kiyoi as a performer points out another aspect of idealization. While I’ve never seen Kohut’s concept of idealization applied to fandom, I think there’s at least a variation of it at play when we feel comforted by, or as if we gain status from, being a fan of a person (or a group, piece of media, etc.) that we see as special or powerful. When we get excited because the sports team we root for does well or our favorite actor wins an award or is in a movie or show that does well, I think we’re experiencing a kind of gratification based on a selfobject that we feel is ideal in some way. Our status as fans gives us an affiliation that feels similar to a real connection. (Parasocial relationships are related to this as well–something that’s likely to resonate with those of us who participate in BL fandom, where examples of parasocial relationships abound.)

So both as a fan and as a classmate, then a (sort of) friend, then a boyfriend, Hira gets a great deal of satisfaction and happiness from idealizing Kiyoi and feeling like he has a kind of tie to him. This is completely interwoven with the love he feels for Kiyoi in the beginning. But it also makes it very difficult for him to acknowledge the ways in which Kiyoi doesn’t actually resemble his initial, idealized selfobject of him. Kiyoi isn’t omnipotent. He was never actually the most powerful person in their high school class. In many ways, he’s actually a better person than his selfobject version. Although Kiyoi isn’t the nicest person ever, he’s not nearly as cruel as the cold, imperious figure Hira paints him as.

Sometimes Hira chooses this selfobject over Kiyoi the human being, and Kiyoi knows it. In season 1, episode 4, when Hira starts to get close to Kiyoi but then backs off, protesting that he’s just a “servant” and Kiyoi is his “king,” Kiyoi responds by telling him (in the Viki subtitle translation), “I don’t care if you chase your ideal of me, but leave the real me alone.” This dynamic, of course, is a huge theme in their relationship that continues all the way to the end of season 2 and beyond.

Those are some of the ways in which Hira insists on maintaining his idealized selfobject of Kiyoi. But there’s another way he clings to this idealization, which I think is harder to see at first: in order for Kiyoi to be elevated, Hira has to be beneath him. This is actually one of the most paradoxical parts of this paradoxical structure, because in Hira’s view, he has to be beneath Kiyoi in order for Kiyoi to be exalted, but by exalting Kiyoi, Hira’s status is raised. It sounds strange at first, but it’s not a new idea. The notion of humbly dedicating oneself to someone or something that you uphold as an ideal sounds like an act of self-abnegation, but in the minds of those who take on such a role, by affiliating themselves with this perfect person or thing, some of the magical aura of that perfection rubs off on them.

It’s a bit like members of the clergy in the past (in a Christian/European context), who were known to humble themselves completely, taking vows of poverty, depriving themselves in various ways, even mortifying their flesh. Through these humbling acts, these people were seen by themselves and others as closer to God than an ordinary person, potentially as a channel to God–even as someone who could actually speak for God. By humbling themselves and exalting their ideal, they became something greater than they would ever have been capable of being on their own. Hira’s approach is remarkably similar. In keeping with his description of Kiyoi as a kind of god, he talks about wanting to be a “nun.” (As I understand it, he’s describing a role more like that of a shrine maiden in Shintoism than a nun in any Christian tradition, but there’s enough similarity in those roles to justify the translation.) Basically, if you make your ideal person perfect enough, then even being their servant gives you a lot of status, especially if you’re their most devoted, indispensable servant.

I’m reminded of a passage from the novel here. In the novel version of the story, Kiyoi visits Hira at his new home. A different situation than the one in the series has led to him living alone for the first time, and as in the series, Kiyoi uses his need for a rehearsal space as an excuse to visit Hira there. The situation is somewhat different from the series, but similar in essentials. Hira and Kiyoi have a conversation that leads to an exchange that is equivalent to the conversation that takes place right after the finger incident in the series. In the novel, this scene is portrayed from Kiyoi’s point of view; anything in italics is his internal dialogue. (The ellipsis below is mine.)

‘What am I to you?’

‘The person I love most in the word.’

It was this firm response that gave Kiyoi courage.

‘Then, do you want to date me?’

Kiyoi felt his face burning. Just say yes. If you do, I’ll be able to be honest too. Kiyoi’s heart was pounding as he waited for Hira’s answer, but the answer he got was something that he hadn’t expected.

‘I don’t want to.’

Kiyoi blinked.

‘Why?’

…

‘Because you’re the king.’

‘Huh?’

Kiyoi’s eyes blinked even faster than before.

‘I mean…Kiyoi is like a king, and I’m merely an ordinary person who serves the king; it’s not like I do it out of obligation, but in my mind, I view myself as Captain Duck…Ah, by Captain Duck, I’m referring to a yellow toy in the shape of a duck that children play with in swimming pools or bathtubs, you know?’

–I know, but what does that have to do with it?

Not caring about Kiyoi, who wanted to ask something, Hira continued to explain about the duck. He kept babbling on and on about how Captain Duck once used to float in the sewage and was now proudly floating down a golden river as a prestigious toy of the king, and it was very satisfied with its current life.

(from this section of White Lotus’s novel translation)

Hira is explicit here about the servant/king relationship he envisions for himself and Kiyoi. But the rubber duck imagery is even more telling. Being a cheap toy, an inanimate object of so little value that it’s almost disposable, is more than enough for Hira as long as he can be associated with Kiyoi–if he can be ‘a prestigious toy of the king.’ Just belonging to Kiyoi, even (or especially?) as an insignificant object, equates to ‘proudly floating down a golden river.’ Again, placing Kiyoi in an exalted position and then abasing himself (while maintaining a link to Kiyoi) is Hira’s way of using idealization to achieve a paradoxical kind of status.

The conflict over Hira’s unrelenting idealization of Kiyoi comes to a head in season 2 when Hira fails to understand why his comment about Kiyoi and his parents having “nothing to do with one another” was hurtful.

Kiyoi: Do you not get how I feel right now?

Hira: I don’t!

Kiyoi: Think about it! If you don’t get it, think! [tapping Hira on the head]

Hira: Sorry.

Kiyoi: I don’t want you to apologize.

Hira: But…you’re mad at me.

Kiyoi: It’s always like this. I get mad, and you take the blame. But in reality you just don’t get it!

Hira: No, I don’t! The stars in the sky and the ones watching them will never align!

Kiyoi: What does space have to do with it?!

Hira: Because you and I are completely different! We’re in different dimensions and on different paths. That’s why stars shine so brightly! If I try to touch it or to understand it, all I’ll do is pull the star down to my level! So what I’m saying is…in reality…I don’t…want to understand you.

(dialogue translated by @lollipopsub)

Hira makes this dynamic very explicit here. It’s not just that he thinks Kiyoi is superior and his role is to serve him. He’s determined to actively resist interacting with Kiyoi on an even playing field. It’s particularly clear when he says, “If I try to touch it or to understand it, all I’ll do is pull the star down to my level.” Seeing things from Kiyoi’s point of view or touching him–metaphorically, and in some ways literally–would “pull [Kiyoi] down to [Hira’s] level.” Instead of raising Hira’s status, this would degrade Kiyoi’s. The distance between Kiyoi and Hira–the lack of understanding and meaningful contact–is (from Hira’s perspective) a feature, not a bug. It’s integral to the gratification Hira experiences when he watches Kiyoi as if he were a star–something both beautiful and trillions of miles away.

One sign of the importance Hira places on Kiyoi’s exalted social status is how irritated, even livid, he gets when other people don’t recognize and behave in accordance with his views on the social hierarchy and where they stand in relation to Kiyoi.

For example, when Shirota and his friends make shitty comments about Kiyoi after he doesn’t win the contest, they’re obviously being assholes. But what bothers Hira most is that they are acting as if Kiyoi failing to win a highly competitive national contest means he’s beneath them, when in fact, it’s unlikely any of them would have qualified as contestants, much less made it to the finals like Kiyoi did. To Hira, it’s their lack of understanding of their place in the hierarchy, their lack of recognition that Kiyoi is above them, that is most damning. Which is legitimately infuriating–they’re being incredibly arrogant. But personally, I think it’s clearly more important that they’re being critical and dismissive of someone they claim is their friend right when he has just gone through something very disappointing. That’s not a big concern for Hira, though. In addition to deriving a kind of status from his association with Kiyoi, he also finds some satisfaction in knowing that while his status in relation to Kiyoi is low, at least he can correctly gauge where he stands, unlike others.

And he seems to relish not only correctly assessing his place in the world but also maintaining a particularly lowly role. This isn’t inherent to idealization, though as I’ll talk about further, this combination of factors isn’t unique to Hira by any stretch. I mentioned that Hira’s perfectionism, among other things, is a way of attempting to, as Brene Brown put it, “avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.” Hira does have some grandiose beliefs about himself, but he also views himself as inferior in many ways. This tension creates the stuckness that often comes with perfectionism, and this blocks Hira from attaining goals that would fuel a more healthy kind of self-esteem. Gaining status through his association with an idealized version of Kiyoi gets around all of these problems.

Hira also seems to view his grandiose thoughts as a sort of jinx, a way of tempting fate. Think back again to his thoughts when he found out that he hadn’t made the first cut in the Young Photographica contest. “It felt like I was being ripped apart for being conceited.” In Hira’s world, having grandiose thoughts–or at least, buying into them–brings punishment. It’s better, and safer, to embrace total abjection. This is one more reason why it seems safest to put Kiyoi on a pedestal while placing himself in the most inferior position possible. At least, this seems safest until Hira realizes he could lose Kiyoi entirely if he doesn’t stop this destructive pattern.

When Hira does finally try to make a shift in how he relates to Kiyoi at the end of season 2, the big gesture he makes toward “look[ing] at [Kiyoi] straight on” is setting, then communicating, the goal of photographing Kiyoi in the role of professional photographer. This is a very appropriate way for him to make this move. Viewing Kiyoi more as an equal means having to relinquish some part of the status and self-worth he borrows from his idealized image of Kiyoi; this is the perfect time, then, for him to find some self-worth of his own by finally putting himself out there as a photographer and making a real effort to test his abilities.

That's it for this installment! I hope to get part 2 posted within the next week. Edited to add, four months later: That was a little unrealistic! But I'm determined to finish it off one of these days.

Edited to add:

Adding an edit here as I noticed what seems like a rather glaring omission. I failed to reference a scene that bears out a lot of what I have to say in this post. It happens when Hira is staying with Noguchi in Eternal. They have this exchange over ramen:

Noguchi: I was just like you in the past. All full of myself and thought that everything I saw was boring. I was always angry and all, "You're all worthless and should disappear!" Hira: I don't think we're alike at all, though. Noguchi: Having too much confidence and having too little confidence, they're two sides of the same paper in the sense that they're both signs of a damaged self-consciousness. Anything could make you switch sides at the drop of a hat.

(Emphasis mine.)

Citations for individual quotes are included with their respective quotes. The following sources were used:

When I quoted series dialogue, I used the wording @lollipopsub used in their (sadly no longer accessible in the US) fansub whenever possible. I lost access to this version so these quotes are from my notes.

I also quoted the Viki subs (which are good, just not quite as good as the ones @lollipopsub made) when needed. On one occasion I used the Viki version because it supported my point better.

When I quoted the novel, I quoted a fan translation by White Lotus featured on a site called Chrysanthemum Garden.

I also briefly quoted a short story translated by @sparkling-rain here.

When I quoted Eternal, I quoted a fansub that (at the subber’s request) will remain nameless.

#utsukushii kare #utsukare #utsukushii kare meta #utsukushii kare analysis #utsukushii kare season 1 #utsukushii kare season 2 #utsukushii kare 2 #utsukushii kare eternal #my beautiful man #hira x kiyoi #psychology of bl #self psychology #heinz kohut #selfobject #covert perfectionism #narcissistic perfectionism #psychological paradoxes of utsukushii kare #hira kazunari

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callboyjobsindia · 3 months

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Callboy occupations: An Aide for the Cutting edge Callboy on Long haul Delight and Fulfilling Connections

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digital-media-mktg-sem-101413768 · 1 year

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From Awareness to Action: The Art of Influencer Marketing

Recently we had the pleasure of Ashley Walsh, Account Director at North Strategic, as a speaker for our class Digital Media Marketing Seminar Series. The following blog is inspired by the event and is an extract of it.

Things to consider while considering influencers from the brand:

According to the speaker, there are a lot of ways of selecting influencers for a brand. First, the influencer’s level of engagement with their audience will impact how effectively they can reach and engage potential customers. It is also important to consider the influencer’s industry expertise, their knowledge of the brand and the products they are promoting. We will also want to consider their reach, how large or targeted their following is and how interested they will be in the brand’s message. Finally, a marketer should consider whether the influencer's values align with those of the brand.

Latest trends in influencer marketing:

Influencer marketing has been steadily growing and is now one of the top strategies companies are using to reach their target audiences. Companies have begun leveraging the power of influencers to build relationships with their customers, spread brand awareness, and drive sales. The rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok has given brands the ability to reach a wider range of potential customers and build relationships with them.

Influencer marketing is constantly evolving and adapting to changes in the marketing landscape, and these are some of the latest trends that are shaping the industry:

Rise of Creator-Led Short Form Video Content: Influencer marketing has long been dominated by Instagram, but there is a growing demand for creator-led short form video content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. TikTok has emerged as one of the most popular social media platforms, attracting Gen Z and millennial audience. Brands are leveraging partnerships with TikTok creators to reach this demographic and engage with them in new and creative ways.

AI (Artificial Intelligence) / Virtual Influencers: The rise of AI influencers has opened a new realm of possibilities for influencer marketing. Brands are turning to AI influencers to promote their products and services, capitalizing on their ability to reach a large and engaged audience. While still relatively new, AI influencers are expected to become increasingly prominent in the influencer marketing space.

De-influencing: The trend of de-influencing has gained traction on TikTok, where creators are sharing the products and services that they were encouraged to buy through influencer partnerships. This has sparked a conversation about overconsumption and the impact of influencer marketing and has led many to question the authenticity of such partnerships. The hashtag #deinfluencing has recently racked up millions of views on various social media platforms.

Why does a career in Influencer Marketing appeal to me:

Exciting and dynamic industry: Influencer marketing is a rapidly evolving industry and is often seen as one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of marketing. This makes it an appealing option for those who are looking for a career that offers opportunities for growth and innovation.

Opportunities to work with diverse brands: Influencer marketing provides opportunities to work with a wide range of brands across different industries. This can be appealing for those who enjoy working with a variety of clients and are looking for a career that offers a diverse range of experiences.

Potential for creative problem-solving: Influencer marketing requires creative thinking and problem-solving skills, as brands look to develop unique and effective campaigns to reach their target audience. For individuals who enjoy working on creative projects and finding solutions to challenges, a career in influencer marketing can be very appealing.

High demand for skilled professionals: As influencer marketing continues to grow and evolve, there is a high demand for skilled professionals who understand how to navigate the industry and develop effective campaigns. This provides opportunities for individuals to build a rewarding and successful career in influencer marketing.

My reflection on the case study activity:

One thing that genuinely surprised me and was a learning experience while working on the case study activity with my group was – the complexity of selecting a partner to engage with and deciding your creative approach. Selecting a partner to influence marketing and deciding your creative approach both require careful consideration and a strategic approach, as they can impact the success of your campaign.

When selecting a partner, it is important to consider factors such as the size and engagement rate of their audience, their relevance to your target audience and industry, and their personal brand and values. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that the influencer aligns with your brand and is a good fit for your brand image. This will help to ensure that the partnership feels authentic and credible to the influencer's audience, which is key to the success of the campaign.

Deciding on your creative approach also requires careful thought. It is important to consider the goals of the campaign and what message you want to communicate to your target audience. It is also crucial to consider the influencer's personal brand and what type of content their audience is most engaged with. You want to ensure that the content you create is aligned with both your brand and the influencer's brand, and that it resonates with the influencer's audience. Additionally, it is important to make sure that the content is visually appealing and is delivered in a format that is engaging and easy to consume.

Both the selection of a partner and the creative approach require a thorough understanding of your target audience, the influencer's audience, and the goals of the campaign. By taking the time to carefully consider these factors, you can increase the chances of success and maximize the impact of your influence marketing efforts.

Additional teaching by the speaker regarding networking:

One thing I learned from Ashley Walsh that could help with networking is communication. You need excellent communication skills to navigate between the brands and the influencers, like how you need them to succeed in networking.

Effective communication skills are key to successful networking in any field. When you communicate effectively, you can build relationships, negotiate deals, and resolve conflicts. This is especially important in the realm of influencer marketing, where clear and concise communication is necessary to ensure that both brands and influencers are on the same page and that their goals and expectations are aligned.

By honing one’s communication skills, stronger relationships can be built, and more success can be achieved from networking efforts.

In conclusion, influencer marketing is a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry that offers exciting opportunities for growth and creativity. When considering influencer marketing, it is important to carefully select a partner and develop a creative approach that aligns with your brand, resonates with your target audience, and is in line with the influencer's personal brand and values. By doing so, you can increase the chances of success and maximize the impact of your influencer marketing campaign. Overall, a career in influencer marketing can be appealing to those who enjoy working in a dynamic industry, solving creative problems, and working with a diverse range of brands and clients.

#influence marketing #digital media #marketing

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snarkywrites · 3 years

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October Horoscopes: Diplomatic Territory

A big month for Cardinal signs as many planets are going direct. On the 6th of October, two major transits are going to rock their world; both the New Moon in Libra and Pluto stationing direct will happen on this day. This is an energy that will have us all battling with power and authority, but the New Moon in Libra will have us opting to be more diplomatic to climb the professional ladder with grace. The people we meet during this time can inspire and motivate us to do more if we are not content. Venus enters fiery Sagittarius on the 7th, bringing a burst of energy into our lives to spice things up. Saturn will be direct on the 10th, and Fixed Signs are going to feel like the marathon race is almost over. Things become clearer as Saturn teaches us all to restructure to prosper. On the 18th, Jupiter and Mercury are going direct and this will initiate a new chapter. Jupiter will be in Aquarius for a few more months before we experience the Pisces period once more. When the Full Moon in Aries graces us on the 20th, it will be a good and meaningful way to close a cycle that we initiated 6 months ago. Think about what projects you started then and how they are now. Scorpio Season begins on the 23rd. Powerful Mars will enter Scorpio on the 30th and this transit is going to serve as a wakeup call for many of us. Mars is finally in its domicile, allowing us to act and fight for our place without fears. The only drawback will be the Square this planet will face with Saturn and Jupiter. We can also feel frustration once this planet opposed Uranus. Either way, it kicks off a time where we start to move ahead confidently.

Aries – The month begins with the New Moon in Libra on the 6th making you consider your status in the world and how others view you. Mercury is currently retrograde so you can expect a blast from the past regarding relationships. One of the more important transits is Pluto finally going direct on the 6th. This can be a time of restructuring your views in your organization. The dynamics you have with bosses now can be significant and anything you have been questioning will come to light now. Venus enters Sagittarius on the 7th, a good boost to your confidence with this transit and the perfect time to begin reflecting on where you see yourself in the next few years. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th is going to make you prioritize yourself and needs since it’s in your sign. Your ego takes center stage as well as the direction you have carefully thought of. Your ruler, Mars will enter Scorpio on the 30th allowing you to ask questions and face any fears you have.

Taurus – Your ruler, Venus opens the month with a New Moon in Libra on the 6th, a reminder to switch up your routines if things are not working the way you expect them to. Pluto is going direct on the same day and this transit has contributed to your own spiritual growth. See where you are now and compare it to where you were in April of this year. A transit that will have a great impact for you is Saturn finally going direct on the 10th stimulating some new events for your career or educational life. You will find completing tasks now is not as frustrating since Jupiter will be direct on the 18th. Expect superiors to take notice of the work you have put into your projects. The Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd, a new time to focus on relationships for the next month. Mars enters Scorpio on the 30th; try not to lose your cool with your romantic partners or friends.

Gemini – You will be thankful for the New Moon in Libra on the 6th, opportunities arise that are going to make you more creative and emotionally aware of what you seek in relationships. Venus enters Sagittarius on the 7th, another influence on romance and self-discovery. You can meet new people or strengthen the bonds of your current relationships. Saturn goes direct on the 10th, bringing more confidence with your ideologies during this time. Matters relating to research become easier to manage especially once Jupiter goes direct on the 18th. Mercury also goes direct on the same day, and you will be appreciative that the retrograde comes to a close, even if you might be surrounded by much excitement. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th, will allow you to reconnect with friends and to end some close friendships that are no longer serving you.

Cancer – Focus on your inner world and how to make it livelier with the New Moon in Libra on the 6th. You will have plenty of opportunities to initiate new projects that are going to impact your career in the next six months, just wait for Mercury to go direct. On the 6th, Pluto is also going direct and any tensions you have felt with your relationships will be healed, for now. Communicating your needs to people will allow you to move forward and let go of any grudges. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th sets the stage for your career goals and the accomplishments you have done all year long. Expect to receive recognition and honors, as bosses or professors congratulate you for a job well done. The Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd, initiating a month of excitement and joy. Confidence levels rise for you, and it will be noticeable in your relationships. Mars enters Scorpio on the 30th, another big transit that will keep you focused and energized if you needed the boost.

Leo – Communication takes a big role this month. Venus will enter Sagittarius on the 7th, a great time to feel radiant and adventurous. As a fire sign, this transit will rock your world for the next month. On the 10th, Saturn will go direct, and this proves to be a positive time with partners and friends. You can have better communication and with Jupiter going direct on the 18th, you will feel a lot more willing to bond and spend more time together with those you love. Mercury will be direct on the 18th; this transit will allow you to finalize whatever projects you needed to rework, and you can bring more powerful expression to your communication. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th is a time filled with nostalgia and analyzing where you were six months ago. Now is the time to compare if you are on your designated path or if you need to make changes. The Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd, shifting the focus to the home front. Mars enters Scorpio on the 30th, a time where you might even consider some new renovations. If you feel anger levels rising, focus on an activity that brings you peace.

Virgo – Who you are will come to light this month. The New Moon in Libra on the 6th will be a good period to initiate a cycle regarding enforcing your sense of confidence and independence. Another good transit for self-empowerment is Pluto going direct on that same day. You know what you want in relationships and will not be afraid to go after it. Tensions at work begin to ease with Saturn going direct on the 10th and Jupiter following suit on the 18th. You can feel like you can breathe just a little bit now as things cool off and you are able to outshine and outperform colleagues. Need some excitement in your life? Well, good thing that the Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd and Mars enters the same sign on the 30th. These transits are going to have people reach out and you can expect to have the support you need from friends.

Libra – Power struggles begin to ease for you this month. Things kick off with the New Moon in your sign on the 6th and Pluto going direct on the same day. Prioritize yourself, learn your surroundings and make sure to be on friendly terms with authority figures during this time. Things begin to feel a lot more doable, and your confidence levels build thanks to Mars currently in your sign. Saturn goes direct on the 10th, so if you have felt a little bored, you can expect your social life to pick up, thanks to Jupiter also going direct on the 18th. On that same day, Mercury is also direct, so the frustrating periods you have experienced in the last three weeks will conclude. Communicating with others begins to get easier. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th will expand on your relationships once more, as you consider having deeper conversations with friends or partners to clear the air and move forward. The Sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd and Mars enters Scorpio on the 30th. These are both positive transits for you since you are going to be focused on your earning abilities. Just make sure not to go overboard with the spending and to remember to have some fun when you feel burnt out from all your responsibilities.

Scorpio – This month is going to focus on you and the path you are going to want for the future. October 6th will have the New Moon in Libra and it will have you diving into your psyche to find some answers for the next six months. You are in for a ride, especially with Pluto, your ruler also going direct on the 6th which will empower you to be more focused and driven regarding career goals. Saturn will be direct on the 10th, which can have some matters relating to home be resolved. If you were planning on making a move, this time around it might be easier. Jupiter will also be direct beginning on the 18th, a great time to set your sights on expanding a new room at your home or welcoming some family members. During this time, you can be more social and welcoming. Full Moon in Aries on the 20th can bring you magic and new perspectives that will make work or school easier to handle. We welcome Scorpio season on the 23rd, a good time to focus more on yourself for the next month and to treat yourself. Mars, also enters your sign on the 30th, if you have lacked focus and motivation, you can see things move in a new direction.

Sagittarius – Friendships take center stage this month, especially with the New Moon in Libra on the 6th, showing you that there is power in reconciliation. Pluto goes direct on the same day, and this transit shows where you need to be more patient with yourself. Don’t let the frustrating periods get to you but learn to work with obstacles in a constructive way. Venus enters your sign on the 7th, a time where you can feel radiant, confident, and empowered. This time around, you will notice your magnetism impact others. Saturn goes direct on the 10th, a time where you can also appreciate just how much you have grown regarding your connections with others. You have matured a lot and others will begin to take notice. Jupiter goes direct on the 18th; a period of growth and expansion begins now until the end of the year. If you needed to edit a project, now is your time to do it. Jupiter provides guidance and insight. Mercury will go direct on the 18th, so you can utilize this transit to clear the air of there have been tensions in your social circles. The Full Moon in Aries will be on the 20th, a time where you reflect more on relationships and friendships.

Capricorn – Kick off some major changes this October with the New Moon in Libra on the 6th and Pluto going direct on the same day. Ask yourself if you are where you have envisioned and if you aren’t, the New Moon will allow you to initiate a new game plan. Saturn, your ruler, will be direct beginning on the 10th, showing you the results of being patient and responsible regarding your spending habits. Jupiter will be direct on the 18th, providing you with a little relief, if you felt like the expenses were beginning to pile on up. A major transit that has been causing some mayhem is Mercury Retrograde which will be over on the 18th. You can get back to business and with a fresh perspective. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th brings your focus back to home. Are you balancing work with down time? Or are you overworking yourself? The Full Moon allows you to have some time to yourself.

Aquarius – We are all looking forward to the New Moon in Libra on the 6th, which will have a positive impact on your sign. You can feel a lot more optimistic about the months ahead, as this transit equips you with knowledge and personal growth for the next six months. Pluto also goes direct on the same day, and you can finally move on from a memory that had some hold on you. Time to move ahead with Saturn going direct on the 10th, bringing you more lessons to learn and more self-evolution. On the 18th, Jupiter will also go direct, supplying you with more of that confidence and positive energy that the New Moon has given you. You can finally get back to work on your plans when Mercury goes direct on the 18th, a period where you can start new projects. On the 20th, the Full Moon in Aries will bring you more perspective to what those plans and projects should be. As the Sun moves into the sign of Scorpio on the 23rd, you prepare for new things to come in your career for the next month. Mars also enters Scorpio on the 30th, adding ambition and drive to your career as well.

Pisces – One of the challenges for you this month will be the New Moon in Libra on the 6th. It can feel rough at first, but this transit is about moving on and facing your fears with strength and courage in yourself. Pluto goes direct on the same day, so you will see more fluctuations in your inner circle. A transit that you will look forward to is Venus in Sagittarius, which is going to make you step your game up regarding your career. Set your sights high because you will have everyone’s favor around this time. Saturn goes Direct on the 10th, providing you clarity and fortitude to heal emotionally. Jupiter direct on the 18th, will bring spiritual healing and inner trust. Mercury goes direct on the 18th, a good time to handle debts and read up on ways to save financially. The Full Moon in Aries on the 20th, will carry some of those themes from the Mercury retrograde, save and don’t spend as much. Sun entering the fellow Water sign Scorpio on the 23rd, a month-long transit that is going to bring new perspectives, empowerment, and courage. Mars follows the Sun on the 30th, also in the sign of Scorpio, building your courage and allowing you to prosper even when you might feel your weakest.

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cancerjupiter · 4 years

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💨 air moons💨

If the Moon is in Gemini, Libra, or Aquarius, one adjusts oneself to the inflow of life experience by first assuming an intellectual detachment to assess things objectively through logic, or to test what is at hand using familiar concepts or theories. This tendency can of course lead to too much analysis, and a lack of clear decisiveness; but the potential for constructive and intelligent forethought can be valuable, and it is a quality often lacking in those with Water or Fire Moons.

gemini moon

If you multiply the fluctuations of the constantly changing Moon by the eternal changeability of Gemini, you arrive at some inkling of this Moon sign. It is the very opposite of stable and predictable. The strength of Gemini Moon is the quickness with which they react to input and to other people, and the rapid connections they can make with many ideas and possibilities. They adapt quickly to changes and their perceptions are often intriguing, motivated as they are by endless curiosity. In fact, they constantly need a variety of mental stimuli to keep them feeling alive and developing. The major problem for these folks, and for those who try to relate to them intimately, is that they never seem to know who they are for very long. They scatter their sense of identity and inner security along with their diffuse concentration. Emotions are a rather foreign territory for those with Gemini Moon and somewhat baffling for their illogical and fluctuating nature. They therefore need to communicate verbally about their emotional life to find some mental clarity about their irrational and changeable feelings (although sometimes talking endlessly and tiresomely with no resulting clarity). In short, they need to verbalize their emotions in order to feel connected with them. And, in close relationships, these glib and flirtatious individuals often continually experiment with their feelings, first expressing one thing and then another—to the profound dismay and frustration of their would-be partner—as if their chronic inconsistency and changeability have no impact on the other person.

This Moon sign is perhaps more averse to commitment than any other, and their emotional superficiality does not help the situation. There is a pitiful lack of touch with the subconscious, and although there is endless logical analysis of motives and rational examination, there is no change. This is only one manifestation of the dual-mindedness of this Moon sign, wherein one part of the mind does not know what the other part is doing or thinking. Contradictory reactions (even simultaneously) and unfocused thoughts and emotions often lead those with Gemini Moon to spread themselves too thin.

Gemini Moon desperately needs mental variety and learning of all kinds. But the primary challenge to them as they grow through life is confronting this question: With all these ideas and “facts,” do I have any depth of real knowledge, and with all this learning, have I gained any understanding? At their best, Gemini Moon people are witty and amazingly skilled in a vast number of areas, and they also have a lively communication style with a diverse array of people. At their worst, they seem possessed by—and thus at the mercy of—their own thoughts, leaving them endlessly perplexed and confused. They are also sometimes so subjective that they will not really even notice the other person with whom they are so actively talking and “communicating.” Grant Lewi also wrote perceptively about the intellectual pride of Gemini Moon:

“The picture of yourself that pleases you best is that you are an exceptional intellect to which the world listens to thankfully. To be as intellectual as you would like to be is a big order and may take more application than you are willing to put on it. Cleverness pleases you better than profundity. You would rather be funny than fair, exciting than stable, provocative than studious.”

Those with Moon in Gemini are often very clever, and they like to emphasize it, but their overly active minds, and their attempts to figure everything out through intellectual theories, can make them chronically unhappy. Despite the intellectual pride referred to earlier, their self-image is unstable, perhaps most of all because Gemini often finds it difficult to believe in anything. There is often therefore a confused self-image—and thus sometimes also an unclear sexual identity.

Women with Moon in Gemini are very talkative, very social, project a level of nervous energy in everyday life. Being around anybody with Moon in Gemini, there is a highly energy-charged atmosphere. The men share these traits with the women but also seem to be more like the types that “get around,” who are always on the go, doing something, giving somebody a hand. There’s a lot of versatility in both sexes, interested in many kinds of people and activities.

Emotional reactions are light-hearted, cool and startlingly versatile. Feelings flit like butterflies and are just about as hard to catch. To some, all the colour and brightness is irresistible. To others, the display is much too hollow, too unemotional, too fickle.

libra moon

Like Gemini Moon in the tendency toward indecision, but not nearly so scattered, this Moon sign weighs everything in their minds before reacting to any experience. One can get a feeling for this Moon sign by imagining a combination of the fluctuating Moon and the Libra symbol of the “scales of justice,” which oscillate up and down, continually adjusting even if a feather’s weight is added to one scale. Libra Moon often balances off whatever interpersonal input they receive, usually doing so gently. They take personal relationships seriously and pride themselves on fairness and being able to see the other person’s point of view. This tendency of putting themselves in the other’s situation, more marked in Libra than in any other zodiac sign, can be carried so far as to see them lean over backwards to please the other person—often even ignoring their own interests. Thei need to beliked that motivates much of their person-to-person behavior, to where it can undermine their highly valued objectivity. The desire to avoid unpleasantness can lead to relatively superficial, placating responses that may not be completely sincere—occasionally verging on flattery. They easily lose themselves in the other’s energy field and become confused about where they end and the other begins. Their spontaneous reactions are unconsciously modified by how the person they are interacting with is reacting!

There are, however, people with an imbalanced Libra Moon who exemplify one of two extreme modes of expression: either those with the tendency to please others and avoid any appearance of disagreement even to the extent of hypocrisy; or the occasional unpleasant ones who make it a point to be especially irritating and aggressive, as if to show you they don’t care what you think. In the first group, despite the powerful urge to play nice and pretend kindness, they seem almost unconscious of other people’s real thoughts and feelings. And of course, the second group would never in any situation bother in the slightest with anyone else’s thoughts or feelings. With either extreme type of Libra Moon personality, there is an inability to relate deeply and authentically.”

In both of the “imbalanced” types of Libra Moon just mentioned, the result can be a rather lonely life, something that is difficult and depressing for anyone with an emphasis on Libra, the sign of partnership par excellence. Libra Moon folks need sharing of ideas and idealism in life, and without that dynamic interchange and companionship, they do not feel secure or fulfilled. One sometimes wonders if there is deep down a profound fear of personal intimacy with some of these people, the emotional reactions often being so inhibited, regulated, and unspontaneous. One could easily interpret the motivation of the aggressive group mentioned above as a way of guaranteeing that no one likes them, thus making a close relationship, wherein they would have to give of themselves honestly and openly, completely impossible. This type of Libra Moon is completely self-centered and insensitive to others, and very exclusive in their views of other people and in their social lifestyle. They are also extremely opinionated. Although even the more pleasant and considerate Libra Moon folks can be very opinionated (even though they rarely acknowledge their true views in case it would cause disharmony), the irritating type of this lunar position is usually rigidly opinionated in a way that makes true communication a hopeless impossibility. People with this Moon sign often seem to lack intellectual confidence and thus seem unable to be comfortable with the natural Libran ambivalence toward important ideas. They then retreat into a safe opinion that does not have to be questioned or shared. The truly balanced Libra Moon personality can readily handle many sides of any issue or concept with impartiality.

aquarius moon

Those born with the Moon in Aquarius are the ultimate nonconformists. They instinctively react to most experiences in an unpredictable, often eccentric way. They will respond in a rather contrary way if you say, do, or expect anything that is socially or intellectually conventional. Independence is their primary guiding principle, and they pride themselves on their objectivity and intellectual integrity. In many areas of life, they are extremely experimental, and they rarely take anyone’s word for “truth” or as an ultimate authority—a quality that does not endear them to most of their bosses, supervisors, or even close friends, who may be far more knowledgeable in a certain field. Aquarius is after all the sign of the truth seeker; and it is the most scientific sign of the zodiac, in the true experimental sense of the word.

These guys feel most secure when exercising complete personal freedom of ideas, self-expression, and innovation. They need freedom like they need air, and they habitually rebel against too much restraint or anyone who tries to control them. Periodic radical life changes (social, geographic, domestic, or intellectual) provide some of this desperately needed personal space, rejuvenating and nourishing them, even though it may be difficult for themselves or their partners to endure. They have a rather odd emotional nature that infuriates and frustrates more conventional, predictable people, and this leads to their reacting eccentrically to many situations. The fact is, although they seem coldly mental, aloof, and sometimes even without normal human feelings, their emotional pressure builds up over time (since they find it impossible to keep in tune with those bothersome and murky passions and embarrassing needs); and it eventually explodes in impulsive, radical actions, or in sudden changes of plans or viewpoints. More than any other, Aquarius is a sign of extremism.

This Moon sign must be socially involved either directly with many people (such as in teaching or organizing conferences) or through publishing, social activism, or politics. They have an emotional need to affect large groups of people. Their humane understanding of broad human and social needs is actually much more perceptive than is their understanding of the needs of individuals. In fact, they often like studying entire societies or languages or other global issues, and the social sciences are frequently fields of interest for them. Aquarius Moon people identify with a society or with humanity as a whole. Their impersonal approach often elicits criticism from others about their aloofness and “coldness,” but in fact that very detachment enables them to respond to the emotional crises of others by remaining objective and staying above the turbulent and confusing emotional level. They are great friends and need to have friends that they would do anything for. You can tell them anything, and they’ll understand. They are utterly trustworthy, reasonable, and straightforward.… You discover how irrationally loyal these folks can be. Cool and detached they may seem, but they stick like glue to the people they love and respect. They stay in situations long past what others could handle and put up with.…

In fact, Aquarius Moon people rarely find their sense of security with family or physical relatives. They feel especially uncomfortable with such groups and the obligations and social protocols involved. They always seem to feel dissatisfied with their parents’ lifestyle and lack of communication, and sometimes that feeling of dissatisfaction extends to the country or culture of their youth. Therefore, they not only feel the need to detach themselves from the “oppressive” family, parental, and cultural influences, but they also sometimes extrapolate their dissatisfaction onto all of society and often expound many types of social protest. Good examples are John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, and Lady Diana. A streak of rebelliousness thus pervades their memory of childhood and parental influences, and this affects their lifelong behavior in society. They insist on freedom from social obligations and conventional values.

The automatic contrary streak I mention above manifests in interpersonal reactions, in ways of thinking and discussing ideas, and in lifestyle. But it is the emotional contrariness and independence that sometimes cause them difficulty in relationships through others’ resentment or feelings of alienation. There is often an aloofness toward the sensitivities of others. Aquarius Moon folks prefer to maintain their stable focus and broad perspective than to be drawn into what appears to them the endlessly confusing morass of emotions that many people would like them to indulge in.

A dislike of routine and a strong need to prove self-sufficiency. A thread of separateness in relationships always seems present, as does unconventionality. Security with excitement is a major hard-to-achieve goal in life; needs constant stimulation within a fixed environment. I’ve had several close relationships with Moon in Aquarius individuals and none of them put any pressure on me to be any different than I am; they either accept or reject people but they rarely put anybody on the spot. I find Moon in Aquarius individuals to be straightforward once they’ve opened up. I always find myself confused in trying to figure out the independent yet sentimental nature of the Moon in Aquarius.

Both sexes can fixate for quite a period (sometimes days) on some extreme mood—either negative or unshakably upbeat. But the men were usually far less analytical about their current emotional state. In fact, whereas men with Aquarius Moon are usually seen to have remarkably steady moods, perhaps too steady in the view of many people who would like them to be more obviously responsive on a feeling level, women with Aquarius Moon seem to focus on their emotions and moods and then act them out in quite an extreme way.

These people are very detached in daily life!! You can never tell what they are thinking or feeling, often they seem not to be listening at all! They dislike hassles and can withdraw at the drop of a hat, becoming very hard to reach or read. They are very matter-of-fact, very independent, self-assured when they do respond. They usually have something “different” about their lifestyles or interests. They usually have a very liberated sex life, experimental and blunt towards it.

#astrology #moon signs #air moon #gemini moon #libra moon #aquarius moon #moon in gemini #moon in libra #moon in aquarius

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ms-demeanor · 4 years

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Hi, can I get some clarification? At one point does lusting for a person/feeling lust for someone become objectification?

Objectification is treating a person like an object, like a *thing* instead of a person.

(for the purposes of this post I am primarily going to be talking about sexual objectification though parents treating their children like objects is DEFINITELY a thing)

I would argue that objectification happens when you disregard a person’s autonomy (not that you overrule or deny he fact that they HAVE autonomy, but like it doesn’t even occur to you that your choices should be considered because they’re not real enough to you in that moment for it to matter).

Having a crush on your friend or thinking that the cashier at a store is sexy isn’t objectifying them. Resenting your friend for not returning your crush or taking a photo of a sexy cashier to share on social media is objectifying them. Arguably just thinking about someone while masturbating is, to an extent, objectifying them. But imagining the sexy cashier taking you out on a nice picnic date and showering you with presents and buying you a pony is objectifying them too.

I’ve got a hot take here: Objectification isn’t inherently bad.

There’s a person at my gym who has some fucking THIGHS. Every time they’re at the gym they’re on the stair machine for a minimum of thirty minutes. I’m pretty sure they can’t wear jeans because I can’t *imagine* the kinds of jeans that would fit over this person’s quads. Every time I’m at my gym and this person is working out their thighs it’s a little bonus perk for my gym visit. In fact it’s kind of an incentive: if I go to the gym maybe I’m gonna get to see THIGHS and that’ll be cool.

This person is an object to me. At a conscious level I know that they are a real person with their own thoughts and desires and agenda and whatever but that’s not what they are to me. What they are to me is Damn! Thighs!

And that’s not a problem.

However if I *follow* them around the gym to look at their thighs, or if I stare obviously and move so that I’m working out behind them, or if I follow them out so I know what their car looks like so I can make sure to go into the gym if I see them in the lot THAT is a problem. And if they introduce themselves to me and I don’t remember their name or their interests and all I ever want to talk about is how hot their thighs are then THAT is a BIG problem. And if they were my coworker and I ignored their achievements and didn’t listen to their requests because their needs were less important to me than hot thighs and anyway if you spend so much time looking good you’re probably an idiot who doesn’t really work but just gets a paycheck because the boss likes looking at you and your work doesn’t matter THEN that is a VERY VERY BIG problem.

You are allowed to lust after and objectify people so long as it doesn’t impact the actual real world and that actual real person.

Chris Evans is an object to me. He’s pretty. I like looking at him. He doesn’t have any idea that I exist so me seeing him as just a pretty dude and ignoring everything else about him doesn’t matter. And I cannot tell you how much I DO NOT want to personally humanize Chris Evans as a celebrity and form a parasocial relationship with him where I know about his dog and his siblings and look at pictures of his family at the holidays. I’m much more comfortable experiencing Chris Evans as an object than as a person, thanks, and I’m pretty sure that for most celebrities that’s how they want most of the world to interact with them. But if I were to meet him and objectify him by presenting him with sexual fanart of him or if I were to have an interview with him about his political website and only asked him questions about his workout routine THEN it would be a problem for me to objectify him and I would be doing so in a way that was directly harmful to him.

Also. In terms of nonsexual objectification:

I keep hearing random liberals say that Biden needs to nominate a woman of color as his running mate.

I hear it over and over but I’m not hearing names, just “Joe Biden needs to nominate a Latina” “Joe Biden won’t win if he doesn’t run with a Woman of Color on the ticket.”

Over and over. But no names. No policy. Almost as if people are seeing this possible running mate like some kind of talisman or token or object or fetish (in the original “magical object’ sense, not the sexual sense) instead of a theoretical politician with experience and ideas of her own.

Hm. Gross.

And yes it is COMPLETELY possible to objectify men and we as a society do it A LOT and I kind of have the objectification of men as commodities in the popular music industry as a special interest that I’ve done a lot of reading and research and writing about.

Objectification is a thing that people do. It is arguably a *necessary* thing that we do in our society, where we’re aware of so many hundreds or thousands of people that we can’t actually individually treat them like humans (and we can’t even meaningfully conceive of MILLIONS or BILLIONS of people).

So let’s look at George of the Jungle (because that’s what we’ve been talking about today)

The ladies looking wistfully at George as he plays with the horses: these characters are objectifying the character of George but it is likely harmless because he doesn’t even seem to notice that they’re ogling him.

Ursula’s roommate/friend staring at George naked: this character is objectifying George and it *could* be harmful to his character because it will change their interactions and the way she views him and the dynamic between him.

The advertising for the film focusing on a shirtless character slammed into a tree: Not objectifying George.

Tumblr focusing on gifs of George/Brendan Fraser without his shirt: Objectifying the character/actor, harmless (though if you approached the actor on the street and said “Oh my god, I am so hot for your ass in that one scene where you’re wearing the bowl” that would be harmful)

People focusing on Brendan Fraser’s weight gain and lamenting that he’s no longer sexy: Objectifying the actor, potentially harmful to the actor (because people frequently tag the actors in criticism like this) and definitely bodyshaming in a way that can be harmful to the people who encounter the criticisms.

Fans expecting actors to maintain a particular level of fitness outside of a film: objectifying the actor, harmful.

Studios expecting actors to perform complicated stunts without adequate preparation or safety precautions: Objectifying the actor, harmful.

Studios and audiences expecting actors to be dangerously dehydrated so that they appear extremely muscular or extremely fit when filming; Objectifying the actor, harmful.

A film executive expecting an actor to perform sexual acts for them or to tolerate sexual touching because they’ve cast the actor for a part: Objectifying the actor, harmful.

So it’s interesting that while the actor Brendan Fraser was likely objectified in the process of making this film (especially considering that, yeah, there was probably some unhealthy dieting and some dehydration to look as lean and muscular as he did in some scenes) the film as a whole does not objectify the character of George.

Anyway.

Shit’s complicated and there’s not a clear dividing line but it’s okay to think of people as objects sometimes because that’s honestly a thing that we have to do to get through the day without keeling over from overextended empathy but it’s not cool to *treat* people like objects and media that treats people like objects frequently models behavior that people normalize even if they don’t intentionally emulate it so it’s worthwhile to have discussions about the objectification of characters in media.

There we go.

Easy, right?

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incoherentbabblings · 3 years

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Hi!

I love your content, your love for TimSteph, and I was actually going to ask what you love so much about them. I, for extra credit for English, decided to write an analysis of Stephanie (and why I love her so much), but I just got into comics, and cannot really put my feelings for her in words ... which is odd, considering how much I love her and writing. Also, I was going to do a section on why TimSteph is narrative genius, and I needed help elaborating on that too.

Could you help me out, please? Thanks!

(I feel the need to mention that I have read quite a lot of comics with Stephanie in them, though not all. I'm not much of a comic book fan, but I'm really interested in the Batfamily!)

I'll be very happy to write out bullet points that you could talk about, and feel free to go through my ask and I'll babble/TimSteph meta tags for anything that you think may be worth discussing in your own words - there's like four or so years of stuff there to spark your brain.

HOWEVER!!!! Keep in mind though that much of what I have written is half based on textual evidence and half me just writing what I like/wish would crop up in canon.

For example, yes I like to draw comparisons between Tim being cold and Steph being warm, moon and sun and so on, but there's genuinely nothing in text to hint as this being an actual character trait or symbolism. If anything Tim's stated to be warm several times, more than Steph.

So, and I am sorry to be so blunt, but if I take your request in bad faith for a moment, don't use either directly or indirectly what I've written for your work. Especially without actually going and reading the arcs I talk about. A lot of the time it doesn't hold up under genuine textual scrutiny, and we want to be good academics here! There's Death of the Author and then there's me making crap up because I want to include it in a fanfic. Not the same thing! My blog is called IncoherentBabblings for a reason after all!

I will therefore say this: If you want to write about Steph as a character, I would use the below video as a point of reference. Using the below, you can then go into why she resonates with you the way she does, or why her relationship with Tim is so interesting to you.

youtube

If I were you: focus on her dynamic character development: cynical to idealistic. And use three points in her publication history to do this: her introduction in Detective Comics, War Games, and Batgirl. I am sorry to recommend War Games as something to read but it is important to her character. Use the Stephanie Brown Wiki to help!

That lends itself to a biography of her character, a look at her motivations and values, her role within the batfam, and so on. You can also use this to make comparisons with her peers, specifically Tim moving in the exact opposite direction development wise; Babs and Cass in their approaches to Batgirl; and the other Robins through her similar character progression as Dick, which in turn allows her to be a good mentor to Damian, and finally how her character arc runs perpendicular to Jason's. Does that make sense?

Anyway, let's get going! If I were to write an academic piece on Stephanie, these are the main points I would work through. In other words, this is what I would do. You probably will not need nor want to go into this level of depth, and you will want to make it much more personal about why she resonates with you, which may be different to why I love her. So don't worry about touching base with all of them. This is like... 10,000 word essay level stuff. And don't get overwhelmed. I've taken your request far too seriously is all.

Again, I can't write it for you! You gotta do the reading and writing I'm afraid.

...But I still wrote 1,500 words anyway. Gosh darnnit.

Steph’s Character Development

Always keep three points in her character history in mind – her aged 14/15 in her introductory arc in Detective Comics, her aged 16 in War Games, and her aged 18/19 in her Batgirl run.

How does she change? How does she grow as a character? What events caused these changes? Compare that angry 14-year-old trying to choke her father, to the 19-year-old crying happily on the roof. A lot happened between those two points! Outline the main plot beats.

Steph's Role as a Batfam Character:

Protagonist or Antagonist: Supporting Protagonist

Static or Dynamic: Dynamic (think of her character development - angry to alturistic; she softens in her life outlook and in the way she treats others as the years go by)

Minor or Major: Minor and we all mourn that fact :(

Foil or Symbolic: A foil to Tim Drake (and to a lesser extent the other Robins, specifically Jason Todd)

Importance of the character/Position in Society: Fourth Robin, third Batgirl, own superhero. Tim's girlfriend, Cassandra's best friend, one of many of Bruce's 'children'. Initially introduced just as a one-off character for a small arc in Detective Comics, brought back with the intention of being a supporting character to Tim Drake, and eventual love interest. Eventually gained enough popularity on her own terms to support her own solo comic, but has since returned to a supporting role. The character she supports, at the end of the day, is Bruce Wayne.

Motivation

What influences their decisions?: Stephanie's dynamic characterisation comes in here. Compare her motivations during her introductory arc, versus why she does what she does in War Games, versus why she dresses up at Batgirl - Stopping her father, getting Batman's approval, need for redemption.

What do they value?: Values emotional openness, vulnerability, second/third/fourth chances.

Goals/Hopes/Dreams: No long term goals/hopes/dreams in the domestic sense... Continue to be vigilante. Be respected by her peers. Continue to improve self worth through deeds. Graduate college?

What are their views: Views the justice system and police as corrupt, but still trusts in the inherent goodness of people. Focus is usually on the individual, rather than societal or structural.

Actions

Behaviour, Attitudes, Impact on Story and other Characters, Internal Struggle (Wants versus Needs): This is why I think you are best to look at three points in her story - Intro Arc, War Games, Batgirl. Focus on her Wants versus Needs - Steph's take a very long time to align, but they finally do in Batgirl.

Character development is usually driven by the conflict between what a character wants. The plot forces them normally to confront the fact that what they want is not gonna work out, and what they needed instead takes priority.

Everything usually goes tits up for Steph when she is in the driver's seat of the narrative because what she wants from a situation is rarely what she actually needs to happen. See every time she seeks Bruce's approval. She wants it. She absolutely does not need it. And only as Batgirl do we get that acknowledgement, which coincides with her being at the healthiest point in her life emotionally. Look at what she wants as Spoiler during her introductory arc, as Robin/Spoiler during War Games, and then as Batgirl. Why is she so unhappy in the former two? Why have her wants finally aligned with her needs with her time as Batgirl?

Character Traits

Personality: Cynical but perky. Sardonic but sincere. Think about how she changes over the time. This can be attributed to her different writers, but - for example - is there a universe reason for why Batgirl Stephanie is so much more socially awkward than Spoiler Stephanie?

Strengths & Weaknesses: Link these two together because Steph is a very good example where her strengths as a character can simultaneously be a weakness. Her determination can lead to her making ill conceived decisions. Her empathy can lead to her putting her trust in the wrong people. Her forgiving nature can lead to her being taken advantage of. Her temper, whilst landing her in hot water, can also just as often get her out of it.

Relationships

How do they interact with others: Focus on which characters pop up in all three arcs – Steph and her parents; Steph and Bruce; Steph and Tim. I am chucking Cass out the window here, sorry Cass, but if you’re focusing on these three arcs, Cass doesn’t really fit in.

How others view them: Conditional love/affection from her father and Bruce. Unconditional love/affection from Tim and her mother (though both are not without serious pitfalls).

How they view others: Stephanie has explicitly never loved her father. She has also never explicitly hated him either. What does that say about her? Look at her changing closeness with her mother. What changed between them, and again, what does that say about Stephanie? Crystal got sober, supported Stephanie through her pregnancy, Arthur was removed from their lives, Stephanie makes a conscious effort to be closer to her after returning ‘from the dead’, though continues to lie consistently to her. Stephanie admires Bruce, whilst also right from the get go insisting she does not answer to him. She never quite lets go of wanting that approval.

How does society view them: Her outsider role within the Batfam. She never quite belongs, and at points her closest relationships are actively discouraged from seeing her. Which Tim specifically never entertains. This outsider nature bites literally everyone in the butt during War Games. Her outsider status is still in place by the time Batgirl concludes, due to its largely self-contained nature as a book, but this is less being an outsider more having earned to right to operate independently. Trust has been given and earned.

Dialogue

What does she say and how: A teenage girl in New Jersey from a working class background has a very distinct voice. She does not mince words, nor does she hide what she is feeling. If she is happy, she will say so. If she is annoyed, she will say so. What she won’t do is ask for help when she needs it, due to her background formulating a need for her ‘to do things on her own’.

Think of famous/important Steph quotes from the three arcs I keep talking about – the excuse me if I don’t jump when you bark, the I really was part of the legend, the only variable you can control is yourself. These show how Steph views others and herself.

When I was writing I Would Have Loved You, I literally made a spreadsheet where I have picked out what I think are pertinent quotes from every New 52 issue featuring Tim or Steph along with a synopsis that explained what they were up to/what the main theme of the issue was. Not saying you should do the same because I’m just that goddamn anal when it comes to this sort of stuff, but the point is – look for quotes by/about Steph which highlight the above things we’ve talked about. You have thirty years to go through!

Author Intention

What purpose does this character serve?: A character that young female readers could get attached to – the every girl/girl next door archetype or a character that young boys could have a crush on – the kind of girl who’s into the same sort of stuff as you, I think Chuck Dixon once said of her, from her initial appearance. Fodder for Bruce and Tim’s man pain in War Games. Batgirl it’s a combination of filling the void for a female lead solo character in the batbooks, but also tonally taking on a much lighter and self-contained book that new readers could jump into very easily, directly compared to the more lore heavy Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin books.

What is the author trying to communicate: Steph’s character shows that determination can only get a person so far, a support system and doing things for the right reasons (again remember that want versus need argument) is the only way a person will genuinely succeed.

What is her main theme?: Balancing cynicism and idealism – doing acts for the right reasons, and discovering what these reasons actually are.

...

Is this even usable for anyone but myself? Possibly not!

Still... Go write! And good luck!

#ask and i'll babble #stephanie brown #tim drake #timsteph #dc #anon i am sorry if i misconstrued your intentions #but i hope if nothing else this helps you verbalise why you like steph and timsteph by extension #good luck for your writing!

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sarcasm-and-references · 4 years

Text

may or may not have written a 5 paragraph, 1000+ word character analysis of Jim Lake Jr and his healthy masculinity for fun

i’m not even kidding there’s a literal essay beneath the cut

James Lake Junior; Jim; the trollhunter. The lead protagonist of Dreamworks’ Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia is a fan-favorite for good reason. Utter vulnerability and emotional maturity allows Jim a distinct and refreshing character archetype. Yet, he is not the antithesis of the modern day animated action hero. Jim perfectly walks the line between stereotype and not, thus demonstrating a rare example of healthy masculinity in teenage boys. He is an exemplary role model, and one which is uniquely important in shows directed primarily at families and children.

Upon first impression, Jim seems a typical boyish hero, attracting many young viewers. He is, admittedly, quite the ordinary character on the surface. His primary color is blue, he gushes obsessively over Vespas, his favorite movie is an action film called Gun Robot, and he’s attracted to girls. Obviously, Jim displays many traditionally masculine traits. As a human, at least, he is lanky, and, quite frankly, average looking. He is white and has a simple name. If one were to look at his character and his basic personality without watching the show, Jim may appear mostly plain. Moreover, he is portrayed as somewhat of a social outcast alongside his seemingly stereotypical best friend, Toby. The two play video games and use walkie talkies to communicate, a standard dynamic for any “dorky” duo of children’s entertainment. This garners the attention of a variety of today’s young boys and children in general. Ultimately: Jim is entirely relatable. Sarcastic, witty, and protective, Jim takes to the mantle of ‘reluctant hero’ well and wins the favor of fans. As the series progresses, Jim grows into a strong defender and powerful threat to the story’s variety of villains, often sacrificing himself for the sake of his loved ones. To put it simply, Jim has a sword, he becomes athletic, he is the hero. He is a stereotype, yet this is not necessarily a negative aspect of his character and, more importantly, his impact on the younger generation.

Despite displaying ostensibly typical traits, Jim is simultaneously an incredibly rare type of hero. He is, indeed, pure of heart and courageous, yet he is also uniquely in touch with his emotions. What’s more, many aspects of Jim’s personality are those which are usually attributed to feminine characters. While not necessarily effeminate, Jim is in touch with a side of himself which most other teenage boys (both fictional and not) aren’t. This is clear from the moment he is introduced. In fact, his first spoken words are, “Love you, mom.” This line is, surprisingly, a certain indicator of Jim’s vulnerability. Jim says this to his mom, making her breakfast and caring for her as she sleeps after a long night at the hospital at which she works. There is no one watching him do this, no one to impress and no façade to maintain. His bond with his mother is genuine. He is shown to deeply regret keeping his adventures secret from her and value their bond. Furthermore, Jim goes out of his way to respect his eventual girlfriend, Claire, and does not downplay her capabilities for any reason. Rather, Jim dedicates time to their relationship and supports her own arc. He wants to be strong for his mother and for Claire just as he does for his male mentors and Toby. Although his intentions may be skewed by his crush on Claire, Jim auditions and performs well as Romeo in the school play. This is not often a hobby of teenage main characters, unless the work focuses on members of a theater department. In reality, there is an astoundingly small number of teen boys involved in theater. Once again, Jim defies that which is expected for his type of character. Perhaps Jim’s most definingly unusual hobby is that he loves to cook. In fact, Jim often cooks for his mother, underscoring his compassionate nature. Aside from surface level traits, Jim is emotionally mature. Initially, he is reluctant to harm other living things and often is only shown to hurt or kill when defending others. He owns up to his mistakes, one of which being his solo journey into the Darklands. He processes such lasting consequences and feelings and learns from them, rather than brushing off pivotal points in his arc (another example of which being perhaps his greatest self-sacrificing act of the first series: his decision to become half-troll). All in all, Jim is the picture of healthy masculinity. This is highlighted in what may be the pinnacle of his emotional maturity: the multiple scenes in which he freely cries. Jim has been known to sob earnestly and rawly when faced with especially difficult or intense situations. This is not at all frowned upon, nor is it even light-heartedly made fun of at any point. Ultimately, Jim is aware of and completely processes his feelings.

Throughout history and still in today’s sociopolitical climate, vulnerability in young men is not commonly seen in the media. Thus, many young boys and children are influenced by what they view in video games, television, films, books, etc… They are often told to push down any “weak” emotion in order to show strength. This notion is drilled into the minds of children and becomes a part of many adults’ (of all genders) perception of masculinity. Likewise, any stereotypically feminine traits exhibited in boys or men are often immediately seen as negative. Basically, a person like Jim is as rare as a character like him. For Jim to be so unique and still seen as a role model, or simply as cool, is nearly paradoxical. It is essential to the development of healthy masculinity and sense of self in growing adolescents. In the opinion of the author, Jim is the epitome of this concept and his role in Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia leaves viewers with a lasting impression of what a modern teenage hero should be, and the values they should encourage. This is especially significant as the show is primarily directed at the younger generation and quite possibly could be integral to a child’s growth in today’s world.

Jim Lake Jr, is, conclusively, a powerfully influential character and a paragon of the future of teenage male heroes. On a final personal note, he is illustrative of the type of character which I hope to replicate in the media industry as I hopefully pursue a career in film.

#tales of arcadia #wooooo that took so long #if you made it to the end thank you #trollhunters #jim lake jr #james lake jr #toa wizards #toawizards #toa #jim lake #netflix #fandom #writing #essay #character analysis #dreamworks

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hawkinsschoolcounselor · 4 years

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My friends and I occasionally play that made-up game called "Kerfuffle" - A bit like DnD but with everyday life tasks and not as nerdy (sadly :D). You pick a random politician, TV char., etc. and try to overcome some challenges in a way you assume they'd do it. Last time we played, I obv picked s.o. from ST - Joyce. That was when a random thought crossed my mind: If s.o. were to name each ST main character's greatest weakness/ strength, what would be the outcome? I immediately thought of you. :D

Ok, now that the election is over, and my anxiety has come back down to its usual “only a little high” status, it’s back to business here. This is an interesting question from my pal @sollody here. I’m not going to be able to go too much into depth given the breadth of the question here, but it’ll be a nice look at several characters. Perhaps this will result in requests for more in-depth looks at some of them individually. For the sake of having a defined meaning of “main character,” I am only going with characters who were in all three seasons and were directly involved in the action (sorry, Mr. Clarke). I will make an exception for Max, as she’s just too central to leave out.

The Party

Mike

Greatest Strength: Determination. Once he sets his mind on something, he does everything in his power to see that it happens. Do not try to come between Mike and his objective. God help you if you try to stop him when his objective involves Will or El.

Greatest Weakness: A lack of emotional intelligence. Mike reacts to his emotions as they come. There’s no apparent self-awareness, and this results in impulsive behavior that leads to negative outcomes for himself and his relationships. The feelings themselves aren’t the problem. Mike just doesn’t understand them enough to react appropriately.

Will

Greatest Strength: Quick thinking. I was tempted to mention his compassion, but really Will’s greatest asset is his mental acuity. Since season 1 he has shown an impressive capacity for quick thinking in stressful situations.

Greatest Weakness: Insecurity. Will has self-esteem issues resulting from not only the Upside Down situation, but also more mundane personal and family experiences. He worries about how people view him and fears that he’s being left behind. This leads to him keeping important things to himself, things nobody, especially a child, should be expected to deal with alone.

Lucas

Greatest Strength: Rationality. Lucas has generally been the member of the party with the most down-to-earth mindset. Regardless of all of the supernatural goings on, Lucas has tried to view things realistically. His approaches to the events of the series have typically been the most practical, skeptical, and grounded. Ironically, this actually does make him a good Winston, though I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him this.

Greatest Weakness: Overconfidence. Lucas is very sure of himself, sometimes too much so, even when warned off by others. From being sure that El was trouble, to risking a beating from Billy, to thinking he’s some suave expert on women, Lucas has made trouble for himself and his friends. He doesn’t meant to, of course, and a lot of this may come from some desire to “be a man.” Lucas needs to learn to accept himself as he is.

Dustin

Greatest Strength: Curiosity. Dustin is always looking to learn more about anything and everything. Nothing is too weird or off-putting for him. His knowledge has come very much in handy for the Party, and this general attitude has led to him accepting the supernatural events in stride.

Greatest Weakness: Recklessness. Dustin, in his pursuit of satisfying his curiosity, or some other goal, can fail to see clearly obvious dangers. Find a strange creature? Raise it yourself. See a strange growth in the underground tunnels? Go get a closer look. Find out about a possible Russian base in the mall? Let’s go check it out! His goals are often admirable, but his approach is often foolish.

Greatest Strength: Adaptability. El has managed to escape a government facility, survive in the woods, and travel to unfamiliar locations despite her young age. While she has been somewhat dependent on her powers, she’s managed to accomplish some impressive feats for someone who hasn’t had anything close to resembling a normal upbringing.

Greatest Weakness: Ignorance. This isn’t the “you’re so ignorant!” meaning of the word. I mean it in the truest sense of the word: El just lacks a lot of information in life. Most critically, she’s emotionally and socially unaware. A lot of her schemas for relationships come from TV shows and what little she picked up from Mike in season 1. She’s gotten somewhat better as the seasons moved on, but there’s just a lot she doesn’t know. This had led to her being suspicious, angry, and possessive (specifically of Mike), harming her relationships with others.

Max

Greatest Strength: Acceptance. Max doesn’t unduly judge anyone. Her issues with Mike stemmed from his treatment of her. Aside from that, some light teasing aside, she was more than happy to accept the Party as her friends. She didn’t let Lucas’ race get in the way of their mutual attraction, despite knowing what Neil and Billy would think about it. She wanted to be El’s friend from the start, and, despite being harshly rebuffed at first, she accepted El when she sought Max out in season 3. It’s really a testament to how determined she is to not continue the cycle that Neil and Billy brought into her life.

Greatest Weakness: Family. Honestly, Max’s biggest drawback is her home life. She’s worried that she may end up going down the same angry, abusive road as Billy and Neil. She’s mistrustful, snarky, and blunt even when not worked up, behaviors she likely developed due to exposure to Billy and Neil. She also seems to still love Billy despite his abusive behavior. This sort of family dynamic can be very damaging (and it was probably just as harmful to Billy). Hopefully, Max’s found family serves to offset the harm done by her “real” family.

Older Teens

Nancy

Greatest Strength: Determination. It must be a family trait. Nancy is relentless, and she will get to the truth of the matter, one way or another. Nobody, and indeed no monster, will keep her from what she’s after.

Greatest Weakness: Egocentrism. Nancy can easily lose sight of how things impact those around her. Her desire to prove herself has left her somewhat blind to the difficulties other people face. She has trouble relating to people from other situations.

Jonathan

Greatest Strength: Compassion. Jonathan has sacrificed a great deal for his family, and he’s apparent done it without any noticeable resentment. His treatment of Will resembles the ideal that a lot of parents hope for in their kids (though in reality Mike/Nancy or Lucas/Erica is the more realistic outcome). Jonathan just wants those important to him to be happy.

Greatest Weakness: Social Awkwardness. Jonathan has a great deal of trouble interacting with other people. This likely stems from his family situation, as his father leaving left his family as pariahs of sorts, and it also left him having to be a sort of father figure when he should have been able to be a regular teenager.

Steve

Greatest Strength: Courage. Yes, Steve has been freaked out by everything, but that’s irrelevant. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the ability to feel fear and not let it control you. Steve has willingly put himself in harm’s way for the sake of others in all three seasons. The only thing that scares Steve too much to overcome is social judgment...

Greatest Weakness: Insecurity. Yes, our buddy, King Steve, has self-esteem issues. This is why he’s always trying to play himself off as a hotshot. He’s simply too afraid to just be himself. Sadly, it’s only when he lets this guard down that he’s at his best. He’s made some stride at overcoming this, and I’m hopeful that he continues this in season 4.

Adults

Joyce

Greatest Strength: Ferocity. Do I even need to explain this? Do NOT threaten Joyce’s loved ones, especially Will. Just don’t.

Greatest Weakness: Emotional Reactivity. When stress hits Joyce, she reacts hard. It’s perfectly normal, given the level of stress she feels, but it leaves her seeming “crazy” and makes it hard for others to understand what she’s trying to get across. As a result, her message, warning, etc. is lost and her credibility is damaged. In less serious occurrences, she instead just comes across as belligerent or annoying, even though she’s generally right about whatever she’s on about.

Hopper

Greatest Strength: Compassion. Hopper is at his best when he’s trying to protect others. Despite having worked to close himself off from the world after his personal trauma, Hopper still feels compassion. He probably never wanted to feel anything for anyone again (perhaps why he returned to a boring town like Hawkins), but when tragedy struck it brought out the best in him. Though, that brings us to his weakness...

Greatest Weakness: Insensitivity. Perhaps ironically, Hopper’s weakness is the complete opposite of his strength. Hopper is a man who runs hot and cold. Which version of him that you get depends on his mood. If you get his bad side, prepare for harsh words, and perhaps harsher fists. This may help him get the job done at times, but it harms his relationships. He has a tremendous fear of loss, which results in him lashing out fiercely at those he cares for if they do something to that risks him losing them.

Ok, that’s the best I could come up with. I’d love to read other people’s thoughts on the matter.

#stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #eleven #max mayfield #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #steve harringrove #joyce byers #jim hopper

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emersonfreepress · 3 years

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okay so is there content that you had planned for the ROs and story in general but then scrapped cause there wasn’t a good place in the story to stick it in? and if so, can you share what it was? 👀 👀 👀

yes, definitely. *rubs hands together* oh man, you done asked THE question today xD I can't wait to get into this 😁

Academics. I almost decided to have classes and grades be a minor part of gameplay, but the more time I spent designing it the more I realized I wanted nothing to do with it 😂 I haven’t really enjoyed academic gameplay in other interactive fiction because I 1) hate having to choose between studying and interacting with awesome characters, 2) have terrible short term memory, and 3) hate school in general!! So instead I just opted to have the MC be really good at school, point blank period so I could focus on social drama and relationships instead! 😆

Physical skills. I spent literal months crafting the catering scene around setting up stats for stamina/endurance, dexterity, and strength instead of just magnetism, confidence, and persuasion. They had their own backstories with the MC’s parents being overly invested sports parents instead and I think the background choices were like... martial arts, gymnastics, and track? But yeah, I ended up scrapping it all because I was spending hours on research about those individual sports so I could integrate them into the MC’s narrative organically but like... when I tried to think of what use they would be in the actual story, I came up blank. Best decision yet, esp since it means a lot less coding!

Skin tone customization. For one, I noticed that a lot of my favorite IFs don’t offer that customization and it hasn’t impacted my experience at all. For two, I originally realized I might as well not implement it since I am striving real hard not to introduce any customization that won’t actually be mentioned in interesting or meaningful ways in-story. I don’t think it’s really all that common for real life friends (esp in high school?) to comment or compliment each other’s skin and like... when it comes from someone who doesn’t share a similar complexion or ethnic background, that type of commentary gets... d i c e y. So then I wanted to be sensitive to that but what’s the pay-off? An RO mentioning how they love your skin tone once? Awkward sentences with the MC referring to their own skin color? Idk, just wasn’t vibing with it. I’m open to revisiting it in beta or something but for now it’s scrapped.

Singing, Rapping, and Gaming as Hobbies/Talents. I feel bad about scrapping these, honestly 😂 They’re great and I really wanted to incorporate them but it just came down to already having a lot of stuff to code. Plus, I know I can write the Hobbies/Talents I stuck with far better. And for Book 2 purposes, as well!

Leo. as @sourandflightypeaches asked me about a long while ago, I had to scrap an entire RO 😢 His name is Leo, he was the nephew of wealthy west African diplomats residing in Emerson, and I love him dearly! His backstory was largely based on my mother’s childhood and the circumstances she lived through after immigrating to America. and... ok, i’m about to go on one hell of a tangent so buckle up and bear with me if you can 😅

my intention with this story, aside from writing things that I personally enjoy (graphic violence, spooky woods, social drama, romance, conspiracies 😚), is to explore greed, wealth, and how the ways people and families interact with those two things influence young people and who they grow up to be. here i go sounding pretentious af 😝 and here’s where I apply a cut for those who want to preserve a little mystery to the main characters!

With Gabe, we’ve got someone who grew up with very little stability or financial security but who has found unscrupulous methods to gain status and money, with both noble and selfish motivations.

Kile has some of that childhood experience in common with Gabe, having been in the foster care system since infancy, but they lucked out when they were adopted into massive wealth by a caring, loving couple—a couple that uses their wealth and privilege to be far more lenient and protective of Kile than is actually reasonable or responsible.

Jack comes from a prestigious wealthy family on his dad’s side who he loves dearly but there’s no getting around the fact that they love him back as much as they despise his working class mom.

Jessie is a spoiled sweet heiress (being the baby of her family and the only girl) and while she lives blissfully ignorant of the harmful source and impact of her father's income and career, she bears the weight of the expectation to fulfill very traditional gender roles, including her behavior and appearance, but also extending to her career and life plans.

Rain's wealth led to them growing up sheltered and isolated but also extremely accommodated, giving them maximum freedom and opportunity to discover and develop their personal talents and interests. However, they have almost no positive relationship with their parents who have essentially decided to give up on a kid that couldn't be exactly the accessory they tried to mold them to be—both in terms of their identity and personality.

Rupan/Rohan, at their very core, rejects everything about conformity, self-importance, and excessive luxury—which means they have never, ever truly fit in with their peers. Going full non-conformist, however, has resulted in them becoming alienated from much of their family, as well, despite them all loving each other very much. Their history with false friends and betrayals has led them to over-indulge in their vices and reckless behavior to compensate for that isolation. Sometimes, they just get in over their head and many times, they know better. Every time, it's just that the feeling of finally belonging is utterly intoxicating.

Vivian/Vincent has two extremely successful parents who didn't inherit but instead built up their wealth and they aspire to be just like them, to a degree that is well and truly unhealthy. Their mother specifically is an over-achiever and applies mountainous pressure for them to follow in her footsteps, especially academically. Vi is completely capable of achieving what their mom expects of them, but they were already an extremely sensitive perfectionist so this has made them intensely critical of themself. This is a large part of why they are such a rigid, no-nonsense person and that in turn has made them one of the most disliked people among their peers—which is a huge personal failure to them since their father is a very well-liked and socially successful person in town.

And the Emersons are peak privilege: inherent high social status, brains, looks, charisma, athleticism, and massive wealth. They could never have been anything less than extremely popular, just by virtue of their last name and the nature of the town's social dynamics and politics. And they do enjoy that privilege (esp Curt lol). However, it should go without saying that being so high profile, even (or maybe especially) just in the isolated scope of your hometown, isn't always a boon. Their family's and their own perceived failings are widely discussed and privately mocked and/or celebrated. Real friends are scarce while fake ones and snakes are plentiful. Plus their dad is a gigantic dickhead who sees his kids as extensions of his own status and reputation and not much else. Public shortcomings make for an unbearable time at home and the world outside the estate is at once overly accommodating, full of assumptions, and even subtly hostile at times—all unrelated to their own actions or character.

And with the MC, I think the narrative will make it clear there are several ways that story can go. You start off with irresponsible parents that have lost their wealth due to their own mismanagement and material ambitions—how that affects any individual MC should differ based on choices and consequences!

So why bring any of that up when I was supposed to be talking about my cut OC? 😂😂

Leo was going to be the unwelcome recent addition to his uncle’s household, the son of a brother his aunt hates for (petty af) Reasons, and she took that resentment out on him directly by restricting his access to nearly every aspect of the family's wealth. Especially material goods and living conditions. He was basically treated like the help, tasked with playing nanny for his many younger cousins and burdened with doing the homework and providing academic cover for his dumb as rocks cousin in the same grade as you all. To sum it up, he was basically a victim of trafficking at the hands of his own family with his uncle out of town enough to feign ignorance to how bad his wife was treating his nephew and his aunt going out of her way to keep him busy, at home, and isolated. This is sadly a super common form of trafficking in Francophone African cultures (although I don't think most people view it as trafficking. and I’m sure the same is true of other cultures but I don’t want to speak outside of my purview). And like I mentioned above, it’s how my own mom's (and idek how many cousins') child/teenhood went.

It’s a perspective on modern wealth, privilege and greed that I really, really wanted to tell. I am confident in saying it hasn't been explored in interactive fiction yet (though correct me—and direct me 👀—if I'm wrong) and out of all the wealth/greed explorations I came up with, it's the one I have the closest personal ties to and the strongest feelings about. The characters and plans I had for it were detailed and I'm proud of them but at the end of the day... I just couldn't find a place for Leo in the story at large.

Leo was, in fact, the last main character I came up with, when I had already designed and fleshed out the larger story and started crafting the timeline of major events. I think the worst thing I could have done for a story and perspective that I care about this much is shove it into a plot that didn't have room for it at the very base level, regardless of how well the character or his story is written. Shoe-horned characters always stick out. I didn’t want to disservice Leo by having him be the character that did nothing or could be removed from the main plot without affecting it at all, y’know? That’s so much worse than just forgoing the indulgence, imo :((

ugh.... Leooooo 😭 I'm so sorry bb, I failed youuu 😥

#lovely anon #answered #hotmess #ok I am truly so sorry for going on and on like this #writing #ch design #ty for this question it was really nice to revisit this stuff 😃#and a nice reminder to not look back lol #scrapped

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woman-loving · 4 years

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I’m curious about “respectability politics” and how it applies to variations on the “born this way“ / “it’s not a choice” argument for toleration of homosexuality.

I’ve heard that “respectability politics” was theorized by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham in Righteous Discontent: The Women's Movement in the Black Baptist Church 1880-1920, which I have not read yet. (Although this might be a good time to start it, cause I’m just about to finish my current book!) My impression was that it referred to appeals to middle-class norms of respectability as a basis for claims to citizenship and protection and nondiscrimination under the law.

I associate the “it’s not a choice” discourse (and I’m not entirely sure if that’s a bit different from the “born this way” discourse) mostly with a counterargument to conservative Christian pronouncements about homosexuality in the US. I had previously rejected the idea that this argument was a form of “respectability politics,” because I didn’t think that “not being able to choose your sexuality” was a typical marker of middle-class respectable citizenship. I had instead described this argument as “toleration politics,” where, rather than being seen as meeting moral (or citizenship) requirements just as well as everyone else, a special exemption from the standard requirement was being requested based on a (tragic) inability to fulfill it.

But I’m thinking about some things I’ve read and feel like variations of these arguments (which each have their own particularity, but also some commonalities imo) may have more to do with respectability than I originally thought.

But the other part of the equation is that they may involve appeals to religious patriarchal moral authorities. And I’m curious about the relationship between patriarchal religious morality--which I would basically describe like that, although I’m trying to work “religious” out of it--and class and citizenship dynamics. Because it seems like, at least in Christianity (and also in Islam from what I know about it), the acknowledged orthodox sexual morality is patriarchal and doesn’t authorize sex outside heterosexual marriage, even if it overlooks it. (But what variations might I be overlooking because they’re not considered orthodox by more institutionalized authorities?) Is there an automatic link between orthodox patriarchal sexual morality and “middle-class respectability,” just because the former is taken as a basis for the later? In the US, appeals to Christian patriarchal morality are also important to citizenship given the influence of Christian conservatives in politics, but is this also/only about middle-class ideals? (This has all got me thinking about the argument I heard Naomi Goldenberg make on The Religious Studies Project that religions can be understood as vestigial states.) I’m also thinking of religious authority here in terms of patriarchal authority: is this a good way to think about it and how is it incomplete?

Anyway, there are some passages that have been fitting themselves together in my brain:

Karen, editor of Frauenliebe, used sexological concepts of congenital and acquired homosexuality to draw a strict boundary between the two. She argued that anyone seeking same-sex love out of enjoyment of transgression [acquired homosexuality] damaged society and should be "separated from the public." On the other hand, Karen continued, "Same-sex behavior, entered into voluntarily and clearly by both partners [congenital homosexuality], belongs, like every intimate heterosexual behavior, to the realm of things one accepts but does not talk about."[68] Karen also warned aspiring writers to avoid writing explicitly about sexual experience in their stories and essays.[69]

Categorical exclusion shaped a debate in Frauenliebe about bisexuality. Like prostitutes, bisexuals were excluded from homosexual community. Frauenliebe printed fifteen responses to a letter asking readers to express their view on women who had relationships with both sexes.[70] They saw homosexuality as moral and bisexuality as immoral. It was not only movement leaders who wanted to discipline sexual desire in their followers. Letters from readers grouped bisexual women with prostitutes and "sensual" heterosexual women, accusing all of seeking homosexual experiences out of curiosity or sensual desire rather than as an expression of inner character.[71] [...]

Vilification of bisexual women allowed women the opportunity to enter into the classification and definition work of sexology and to create a purified figure of the female homosexual suitable for political citizenship. The "sexual" in homosexual was tamed through strict denial that irresistible desire defined the category. Rejection of prostitutes and bisexuals allowed women to construct "female homosexuality" as materially and sexually pure. As a type, they argued, "true" homosexuals kept desire under the control of the individual will.

-- Marti M Lybeck, Desiring Emancipation: New Women and Homosexuality in Germany, 1890-1933, 2015 Fuller quote here. This one links sexual morality and citizenship most directly and perhaps in the most “respectable” way (the realm of things you don’t talk about).

To understand how MSM is read, it is important to examine how explicit and implicit boundaries are drawn around the category gay. Consider, for example, a passage from Paul Farmer in which he claims that, in recent years, there have been fewer HIV cases than predicted among gay men in the United States, a category he implicitly racializes as White via the contrast with “injection drug users, inner-city people of color, and persons originally from poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa or the Caribbean.”21(p47) He further excludes gay from poor and suggests that “males involved in prostitution are almost universally poor, and it may be their poverty, rather than their sexual preference, that puts them at risk of HIV infection. Many men involved in homosexual prostitution, particularly minority adolescents, do not necessarily identify as gay.”21(p47) With this juxtaposition, Farmer seems to suggest that same-gender behavior among poor men of color (especially youth) is sex work rather than sex for pleasure and is devoid of identity and community; same-gender behavior among White men is read as synonymous with gay identity.

Compare these assumptions with a recent ethnographic report on men at risk for HIV in Dakar, Senegal.22 While many of these “men who have sex with men” are poor and engage in sex work, the authors found that they have indigenous sexual-minority identities that are differentiated and socially meaningful. Senegalese sexual-minority identities serve as a basis for social organization, including, but not limited to, sexual roles. The authors describe ibbi as men who “tend to adopt feminine mannerism[s] and to be less dominant in sexual interactions,”22(p505) whereas yoos are men who “are generally the insertive partner.” They also stress that the categories have “more to do with social identity and status than with sexual practices.”22(p506) [...]

Is MSM a useful term for describing groups that eschew prominent LGB categories? Much has been made of the fact that men on the DL lead secret lives and do not consider themselves gay.25,26 But DL is not a behavioral category that can be conveyed as MSM. As Frank Leon Roberts has put it, “DL is . . . about performing a new identity and embracing a hip-hop sensibility [italics added].”27DL functions not as a nonidentity but as an alternative sexual identity and community denoting same-gender interest, masculine gender roles distinct from the feminized sissy or faggot, Black racial/ethnic identity, and a dissociation from both White and Black middle-class gay cultures.26–28

-- “The Trouble With “MSM” and “WSW”: Erasure of the Sexual-Minority Person in Public Health Discourse,“ by Rebecca M Young and Ilan H Meyer, published in American Journal of Public Health, July 2005. This one doesn’t deal with the “it’s not a choice" argument directly, but suggests who people might want to exclude and have actually excluded in practice from categories of “sexual orientation" and “born this way” gay identity.

Omar’s analysis of linguistic terms has direct impact upon the issue of interpretation of the Qur’an. This analysis, published in 1997, predated the El-Moumni Affair by four years, yet illustrates exactly the conflation of terms which the imam pronounced in that controversial interview. Omar writes, “Many words are used to express sexual relationships that take place between man-and-man or between woman-and-woman. . . . Whether in modern standard Arabic or local dialects, there are terms like sexual deviance (al-shudhudh al-jinsiyya) and sodomy (al-liwat) and also homosexuality (al-junusiyya). . . . The problem is that most people use these different terms as synonyms, creating a situation of naming experiences with names that do not really fit, thereby generating misunderstanding and confusion about the topic of sexual orientation. . . . I see the critical importance of writing about homosexuality as the attempt to remove these confusing mix-ups of terms and issues.”[15] In this crucial passage, Omar explains that his project is to differentiate between homosexuality and sodomy. In his understanding, the Qur’an condemns sodomy as the act of anal penetration rather than homosexuality as sexual orientation, while the Islamic legal tradition mistakenly conflates the two.[16]

The distinction between homosexuality and sodomy makes sense if one asserts that there is a psychological reality called sexual orientation, which is separate from and prior to any sexual act. He writes, “Sex is a phenomenon that happens by way of the body, whereas sexuality is a matter existing at the level of psyche and personality.”[17] In his analysis, only a person with a psychological identity of constant and exclusive same-sex desire should be called “homosexual” (junusi in his terminology, or mithli jinsiyya in the Arabic terminology of other contemporary writers). The person who performs same-sex acts without doing so within the framework of exclusively homosexual orientation can be described as sodomite (luti). It is this behavior that characterizes the Tribe of Lot, who wanted to perform same-sex acts for reasons other than as a genuine expression of their sexual identity and psychological persona.[18] Omar’s analysis challenges classical Islamic law. Jurists instituted practical norms forbidding same-sex acts such as sodomy (liwat), with the assumption that those performing them were, in their inmost character, actually heterosexual (or at least functionally bisexual).

--Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims, by Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugle, 2014. I read this one yesterday. I can’t be sure whether bisexual people are considered at all, even as a footnote, in Omar’s analysis, and if they are, whether their pursuit of same-gender sex would be categorized with the acceptable homosexuals or unacceptable heterosexuals. I’m not sure here if Omar has in mind for sodomy rape specifically, or any anal penetration, or sexual activity (anal or not) between men that’s perceived as ‘voluntary’ rather than following the demands of exclusive sexual orientation.

But I think it’s interesting how intent/context/constraint of orientation is factored into ethical analysis here and in the first quote, in a way that accepts some forms of or reasons for having same-gender sex as unethical or socially disruptive. And in the first quote, these ‘voluntary’ expressions are imagined to be rooted in hypersexuality and sex work, distinctly un-middle-class. The last quote is engaging with Islamic legal traditions as well as theology, and I don’t know much about how this articulates with “citizenship,” although the author was writing in the Netherlands where LGBT rights were guaranteed by secular authorities.

Anyway, that’s what was bouncing around my head last night.

#lgbtq #born this way #it's not a choice #citizenship #respectability politics #religion #patriarchy

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sofiagrimm · 3 years

Text

Covid-19 faces a breakdown of small and medium-sized revenue streams and several ways to overcome them

This note has been orchestrated by the OECD Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE) for discussion by the OECD Working Party on SMEs and Entrepreneurship (WPSMEE). The WPSMEE conducts assessments and provides confirmation based guidance to the arrangement and execution of SME strategies. It similarly fills in as a goliath extra room of SME framework responses amidst a crisis.This note looks at how SMEs are influenced by the current COVID-19 pandemic, gives a record of early affirmation and really produces a gander at the results, and gives a stock of technique responses to help SME flexibility in 60 countries. Given the fast speed of overhauls, the arrangement of country responses isn’t done and by and large consolidates expected system responses that are presently a work in progress, or essentially at the hour of public assertions. This note is the sixth update of SME strategy responses since early March 2020. Meandered from the last update, the latest assessments show a steadily contradicting consequence of the pandemic on all things considered GDP progress. In the meantime, regardless, considers since February show that SMEs and financial specialists are obviously worried about the impact of COVID-19 on their liquidity position and business constancy, the most recent business outlines show some affirmation upgrades, possibly related to the major game plan attempts to address the SME liquidity opening and the lifting of lockdown measures in different countries. In this shrewd circumstance, the method perspective is dependably moving from liquidity support measures for SME resoluteness, which really remains a need in different countries, to help for recovery.District 2discussions about the establishment to SME impact and strategy responses, investigating the most recent figures for the impact of COVID-19. Region 3 has been fundamentally engaged and analyzes the creating beware of the impact on SMEs from in excess of 40 systems among SMEs worldwide and a making gathering of monetary evaluations. Region joins the arranged appraisal of country SME strategy moves close. Annexe 1.A. presents the organization of country SME structure responses, with extra straightforward information on the measures.2 Annex 1.B. gives a framework of study results on the impact of COVID-19

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📷 📷 📷 EstablishmentThe Covid pandemic is causing an enormous degree of loss of life and genuine human bearing from one side of the planet to the other. It is the greatest general prosperity crisis in living memory, which has in like manner made a huge monetary crisis, with a stop in progress in affected countries, a breakdown in usage and sureness, and stock exchanges responding unfavourably to elevated weaknesses. While all throughout the planet, the amount of COVID-19 continues to grow at the hour of making out of this report, in different OECD countries cases are diminishing, and lockdown and control measures are dynamically being lifted.Monetary measures gave over April-June 2020 depict an obviously unfriendly perspective to the extent the size of the overall money related slump set off by the pandemic. In its June 2020 Economic Outlook, the OECD broadened a 6% drop in overall GDP, and a 7.6% fall in case of a resulting pandemic wave before the completion of 2020, with a twofold digit decline in indisputably the most hit countries, followed by an unassuming recovery of 2.8% in 2021 (OECD, 2020[1]). This follows a gauge in late March, which showed that the fundamental direct impact of the terminations could be a diminishing in the level of the yield of between one-fifth to one-quarter in various economies, with customers’ utilization possibly coming around 33% (OECD, 2020[2]).Lately, a couple of other worldwide affiliations have given figures on pieces of the monetary impact of the Covid pandemic. The IMF June 2020 Economic Outlook Update broadens a diminishing in overall GDP by 4.9 per cent in 2020, 1.9 rate centres under the April figure, followed by midway recovery, with improvement at 5.4 per cent in 2021 (IMF, 2020[3]). The June 2020 World Investment Report (Unctad, 2020[4]) guesses a lessening in overall new theory by up to 40% in 2020, with a further decrease by 5–10% in 2021. The ILO assesses the impact of COVID-19 to achieve a climb in overall joblessness of between 5.3 million (“low” circumstance) and 24.7 million (“high” circumstance), hailing that ‘supporting business assignments will be particularly hard for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)’ (ILO, 2020[5]). The WTO reported a reduction in the volume of overall item trade Q1 2020 by 3% year-on-year, and expects an amazing abatement in Q2 of 18.5%, possibly provoking a drop of 32% more than 2020. Impact on SMEsTransmission channelsThere are a couple of various ways the Covid pandemic impacts the economy, especially SMEs, on both the market revenue sides. On the stock side, associations experience a reduction in the store of work, as workers are unwell or need to deal with young people or various wards while schools are closed and improvements of people are restricted. Measures to contain the contamination by lockdowns and disengages lead to further and more outrageous drops in limit use. In addition, supply ties are meddled with provoking insufficiencies of parts and widely appealing products.On the fascinating side, an electrifying and surprising loss of interest and pay for SMEs truly impacts their ability to work or conceivably causes outrageous liquidity inadequacies. Besides, buyers experience loss of pay, fear of contamination and raised weakness, which hence diminishes spending and use. These effects are compounded considering the way that workers are laid off and firms can’t pay rates. A couple of regions, similar to the movement business and transportation, are particularly impacted, also adding to diminished business and customer assurance. Even more, all things considered, SMEs are most likely going to be more vulnerable against ‘social eliminating’ than other companies.The impact of the contamination could have expected floods into financial business areas, with extra diminished sureness and a reduction of credit.These various impacts are affecting both greater and more humble firms. Regardless, the effect on SMEs is especially genuine, particularly considering more raised degrees of shortcoming and lower adaptability related to their

size.In all OECD countries, SMEs address by a wide margin most the associations, regard added and business. Regardless, in specific districts and regions that have particularly felt the impacts of the situation, the inescapability of SMEs is essentially higher. For example, in without a doubt the most impacted regions, like Northern Italy, the importance of SMEs inside the monetary development is impressively more essentially huge. Also, SMEs are immovably tended to in regions like the movement business and transportation, which are by and large affected by the contamination and the moves are made to contain it, similarly as plan and food where short movement times are of the core.SMEs often have a more foreordained number of suppliers. At times, this may shield them from the shock. Around the beginning of the pandemic scene in China, this radiated an impression of being the circumstance with German SMEs working more in regional stock chains and as needs are less impacted by headways in Asia. In various cases, SMEs may rely upon suppliers from countries and areas with more COVID-19 cases, growing their shortcoming. Additionally, obstructions in transportation by means of sea, road or air impact these SMEs. Some SMEs are particularly feeble against the interference of business associations and supply chains, with a relationship with greater chairmen (for instance MNEs) and the re-appropriating of various business organizations fundamental to their show. Over the more expanded term, it may be difficult for some SMEs to re-structure relationships with past associations when supply chains are disturbed and past assistants have set up new associations and business contracts.Associations, including SMEs, will bear the most exceedingly terrible piece of a decline in overall interest for their things and organizations. This impact may particularly be felt in express regions like the movement business yet furthermore among those SMEs catering for neighbourhood markets where guideline measures have been introduced.SMEs may have less flexibility and versatility in dealing with the costs these shocks include. Costs for evasion similarly as referenced changes in work measures, similar to the shift to teleworking, may be reasonably higher for SMEs given their more unobtrusive size, at this point also, in numerous events, the low level of digitalisation and difficulties in getting to and taking on progressions. On account of creation is diminished in view of the new developments, the costs of underutilized work and capital weigh more important on SMEs than greater firms. Plus, SMEs may believe that it is all the more sincerely to get information not simply on measures to stop the spread of the disease, yet also on possible business procedures to back off the shock, and government drives open to offer assistance. Given the restricted assets of SMEs, and existing hindrances in getting to capital, the period over which SMEs can endure the shock is more limited than for bigger firms. Examination in the United States recommends that half of the independent companies are working with less than 15 days in cradle cash6 and that even solid SMEs have less than multi-month cash saves (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2020[6]). As the OECD signals, there is a danger that generally dissolvable firms, especially SMEs, could fail while control measures are in power (OECD, 2020[7]). 📷 📷 Reviews on SME swayProof on the COVID-19 emergency impacts on SMEs from business reviews demonstrates extreme disturbances and worries among private ventures. Table 1 presents the result of 41 SME reviews recognized worldwide on the effect of COVID-19 on SMEs.8 The Table shows that the greater part of SMEs faces extreme misfortunes in incomes. 33% of SMEs dread to be bankrupt minus any additional help inside multi-month, and up to half inside 90 days.The extent of SME concerns is affirmed in a new NBER paper (Bartik et al., 2020[8]) that presents the aftereffects of a review of more than 5 800 independent companies in the United States. The review shows that 43%

of reacting organizations are as of now briefly shut. Overall, organizations decreased their workers by 40%. 3/4 of respondents demonstrate they have two months or less in real money available for later. (Humphries, Neilson and Ulyssea, 2020[9]) report tantamount effects of the pandemic on the independent companies. Additionally, as per an overview among SMEs in 132 nations by the International Trade Center, 66% of miniature and little firms report that the emergency emphatically influenced their business activities, and one-fifth show the danger of closing down forever within 90 days (ITC, 2020[10]). In view of a few reviews in an assortment of nations, (McKinsey, 2020[11]) demonstrates that somewhere in the range of 25% and 36% of private ventures could shut down forever from the disturbance in the initial four months of the pandemic.In the United States, a particular week by week independent company review was set up by the Census Bureau to gauge the effect of COVID-19 on private ventures (Buffington et al., 2020[12]).9 In late June, the study showed that practically 90% of private ventures encountered a solid (51%) or moderate (38%) adverse consequence from the pandemic; 45% of organizations experienced disturbances in supply chains; 25% of organizations have under 1–2 months cash holds.The audit models in Table 1 are presented in consecutive solicitation and show the growing concerns among SMEs. Regardless, in the later audits — explicitly in countries where lockdowns are being lifted — SME feeling has become to some degree more confident. A US Chamber audit followed through on 3 June, shows that 79% of privately owned businesses are totally or somewhat open.10 Many (82%) autonomous endeavours stay stressed over the impact of COVID-19, yet the piece of associations being ‘incredibly concerned’ dropped from 53% close to the start of May to 43% at the start of June. 56% feel OK with their associations pay situation (appeared differently in relation to 48% in May), and 47% expect development in livelihoods in 2021. In one more United States audit by Verizon Business, 68% of autonomous endeavours show they desire to have the choice to recuperate their COVID-19 related losses.11 In a review by American Express in Australia, 80% of business visionaries want to bear the crisis, though 52% fear that arrangements will not renounce enough to make due in the more extended out term.12 A KPMG outline in Australia, finds that 79% of associations feel ‘sure’ their affiliation can bob back financially.13 However, a third continuous review (the semiannual Pushka ‘Canary in the coal mine report’14) gives a gloomier effect on finance managers sentiments and presumptions with only 225 of SMEs being good with regards to their business in May 2020 when diverged from 40% each earlier year. In Germany, the IFO Business Climate Index (not dictated by size) unequivocally chipped away in June.15 In the Netherlands, the sensation of associations on the movement of their business dealt with in May diverged from April.16 In Korea, in June the Bank of Korea business sureness marker improved for the second month in a row, with the assessment for little and medium-sized associations chipping away at more than for greater firms.17 A June audit in the United Kingdom showed that over 71% of privately owned businesses exhibit their firm gets the opportunity to emerge better and more grounded after COVID-19. 📷 📷 Audits on teleworking, digitalisation and new business practiceA few audits in like manner give data accepting kickbacks up of teleworking and progressed bargains stations by respondents. A 4 May audit by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CIBC) finds that of the 26% of business people who do have online undertakings, 30% have seen a development in bargains and 25% say they have proceeded as before stood out from pre-COVID-19 levels. A review by the US Chamber of Commerce that came out on 5 May showed a speed expansion in digitalisation designs. Over April-May, the piece of privately owned businesses advancing a couple or the

whole of their delegates to teleworking extended from 12% to 20%, and free endeavours that had begun moving the retail part of their business to cut edge implies extended from 10% to 17%. Another review in Japan exhibited that there is an opening in the ordinariness of teleworking by the size of the associations (48% for colossal endeavours versus 10–20 per cent by the SMEs). The reasons referred to consolidate a shortfall of establishment and expert capacities to use progressed instruments. A further report in Japan maintains these finishes that the greater firm the higher the ordinariness of teleworking; in SMEs of 5–29 specialists, teleworking in June stayed at 8% of firms (Okubo, 2020[13]). A review in Germany from early May shows that while toward the beginning of the crisis 88% of German SMEs worked with mandatory in-person work, 81% expect that the pandemic will make their associations more versatile and 33% of SMEs respects digitalisation has filled in importance in light of the pandemic (McKinsey, 2020[14]). A review in Europe recommended that only 56% of all associations with 50 or fewer agents gave distant induction to email, applications, and reports for their labourers, differentiated and 93 per cent of all associations with more than 250 specialists (McKinsey, 2020[15]). As shown by an outline among 86 000 privately owned businesses in the United States by (Facebook and Small Business Roundtable, 2020[16]), 51% of associations extended online coordinated efforts with their clients to acclimate to the crisis. In like manner, 36% of autonomously utilized individual associations that use online mechanical assemblies report that they are coordinating all of their business on the web, and 35% of associations that have changed exercises have broadened the use of electronic portions. An outline in Hungary followed through on 23 June, shows that where 24% of SMEs intend to return to their pre-COVID business procedure, 41% would like to continue with the strategy made during the pandemic.According to a June audit of Canadian autonomous organizations, 44% of these are going up against a combination of development and specialized help hardships, for instance, in the space of cutting edge publicizing (19%), eCommerce (13%) and their other online commitments, including their website(17%). 32% of private endeavours reported needing support with safety efforts, including workplace and customer prosperity, followed by accounts (28%), publicizing support (19%), arranging their business (18%), neighbourhood/(14%) and workspace equipment like goods or things (11%).In late May, an audit by Verizon in the United States showed that business people were searching for additional direction and assets to help them with recovering from the pandemic. To the extent the expertise needed for recovery, autonomous endeavours referred to money-related (54%), online business (42%) and HR (40%) as the key areas that they may need help with. Further exploratory evidence on COVID-19 SME influenceNear surveys, actually, further, exploratory verification with respect to the impact of the crisis on SMEs opened up, recalling for the possible impact of ways to deal with counter This evidence offers a further hint of how SMEs have been hit more tenaciously by the crisis than greater firms.SMEs and most impacted regionsThere is a surprisingly good depiction of SMEs in regions particularly impacted by the crisis, which, according to OECD assessment, include: transport delivering, improvement, markdown and retail trade25, air transport, accommodation and food organizations, land, capable organizations, and other individual organizations (for instance styling). Late OECD data show that while in the business economy all over, SMEs address the greater part of work across OECD countries, there the piece of SMEs in business is 75% on ordinary across OECD countries, and practically 90% in Greece and Italy (see Figure 1 and Figure 2) (OECD, 2020[30]).26 In some OECD countries, microenterprises are particularly unequivocally tended to in impacted regions. In

Italy and Greece, the piece of microenterprises in the most affected regions is 60%, however, their proposal in outright work in the business economy is independently 45% and 55% (OECD, 2020[30]).A similar examination was made in another Brookings paper (Parilla, Liu and Whitehead, 2020[32]), which orders ventures in three classes according to the risk of being affected by COVID-19 (approaching risk, close term danger, and long stretch peril), and looks at the presence of autonomous organizations in all of these characterizations. As shown by the audit, about 26% of private endeavour establishments (those with under 250 delegates) in the United States are in the looming peril arrangement, and 28% are in the nearby term risk class. Joined, these two groupings consolidate 54% of private endeavours (4.2 million total) and 47.8 million positions. Microbusinesses (managers with under 10 delegates) inside endeavours at speedy or close term danger address 2.9 million business establishments and 8.7 million positions.An audit by the Central Bank of Ireland (McGeever, McQuinn and Myers, 2020[33]) shows that in astoundingly affected regions SMEs addressed 79% of yearly turnover in 2017, and for 59% of yearly turnover in significantly and unassumingly impacted regions solidified, described by the impact of social isolating measures. To put this into perspective, the piece of SMEs in regard remembered the business economy for Ireland was 44% in 2016. The concentrate furthermore recommends that of outright work in SMEs, 39% is in significantly impacted regions and 71% in uncommonly and sensibly affected regions merged. This places indisputably the number of occupations in peril in SMEs at 770 000, a big part of all work in the non-cultivating business economy, and basically 75% of the total number of occupations impacted by the pandemic (see also (McCann and Myers, 2020[34]).(McKinsey, 2000[35]) shows that minority-had privately owned businesses are extensively more powerless than SMEs when in doubt, because of their more unassuming size, nonappearance of induction to credit and perilous nature of their business, yet likewise because of their high ordinariness in immovably impacted endeavours.SMEs and occupations at serious riskAnother report on the impact of the pandemic in Europe (McKinsey, 2020[15]) investigates occupations most at risk,27 and finds that “somewhere near a couple of positions in peril are in an SME, and over 30% of all situations in peril are found inside microenterprises containing nine labourers or less”. In Australia, SMEs address 68% of all situations at serious risk (McKinsey, 2020[36]).The ILO Monitor on COVID-19 and the universe of work (ILO, 2020[5]) shows that general work in the spaces most in peril is determinedly amassed in firms with under 10 delegates, however the reverse way around by a long shot a large portion of work in commonly safe regions is in greater firms with more than 10 agents. For instance, in regions, for instance, markdown and retail trade, fix of motor vehicles and cruisers, the part of firms with under 10 agents is 70%, however in OK regions like guidance, utilities and strategy execution the deal is under 20%.The German investigation establishment IFM caused two circumstances to study the impact of the crisis on SMEs (Welter, Wolter and Kranzusch, 2020[37]). In a circumstance where the lockdown would be limited to 2–2.5 months, for most SMEs (Mittelstand) the crisis would not be immediate liquidation, but the impact on retail, social and unwinding adventures may be tremendous. If the lockdown would continue for over a half year, basic business incidents of between 850 000 and 1.6 million are typical among SMEs, especially among microenterprises.In the United States, of the 20 million positions lost in April, 11 million came from close to nothing and medium-sized businesses.28 New Zealand saw a 4% reduction in positions in autonomous organizations in March and April.29In Canada, it was represented that women had associations laid off a disproportionally higher part of their

workers. 62% laid off more than 80% of their workers, against 45% for the private endeavour people at large.30SMEs and midway redundanciesFrench work market data from early April on midway redundancies of agents by firm size give fascinating pieces of information (Table 2).31 The data show that SMEs address practically the amount of partial redundancies (93%), while their proposal in work in France is 63%. Microenterprises alone record for 42%, while their proposal in business is 30%. Yet following work market surveys show a little decline in the part of microenterprises (39% on 14 April 32), unquestionably their proposal in redundancies continues to immeasurably outperform their proposal in businessuse Homebase information to dismantle the effect of the pandemic on hours worked in exclusive organizations in the United States. They track down that commonplace hour worked fell unequivocally in March, and ignoring the way that they scarcely recuperated, by 6 June they were now 35.9% under their worth in late January. They find that decreases in the measure of firms in the development and in the measure of workers address the vast majority of the hours lessens. Changes in hours worked by proceeding with specialists are optional. Lessens in hours and business were more prominent for laborers with lower pay. They discover little contrast in the decay of hours worked among more unpretentious and more prominent firms and property this to two changing effects. More modest firms generously will without a doubt close down than were more prominent firms. More noteworthy firms that remained open, then again, generously will without a doubt lessen their number of specialists. Per saldo, the effect was equivalent. The semiannual money related arrangement report by the US Federal Reserve Bank (Federal Reserve Bank, 2020[39]) comparatively shows how the movement was the fundamental driver for business lessens to be more huge for little firms than for more prominent onesIn Australia, hours worked by the freely utilized fell by 32% since the start of the pandemic, which stood out from a 9% reduction in hours worked across the economy.33 Another survey in Australia suggests the differentiation in the drop-in hours worked between autonomously utilized and agents were 6.5% (Biddle et al., 2020[40]).SMEs and impact on specialists benefitLate investigation in the United Kingdom on the ordinary impact of the crisis on delegate pay by firm size shows that the drop in benefit could be astonishingly higher for labourers in more unobtrusive when appeared differently in relation to greater firms and that more energetic agents danger passing up a major opportunity most (Figure 3). 34 The paper recommends that taking into account the crisis the ‘tremendous firm remuneration premium’ may fabricate (Bell et al., 2020[41]). (McKinsey, 2020[11]) shows how lower-pay workers, minority business visionaries, and business visionaries with less enlightening accomplishments are particularly powerless against the crisis.Various countries have set up measures to help new organizations as well. For instance, in the Netherlands, the public power announced Corona interface progresses for new organizations and scale-ups of between EUR 50 000 and EUR 2 million, for which EUR 100 million will be available. Attributes under EUR 500 000 should be open in 4 to 9 working days after request.91In Switzerland, a remarkable affirmation strategy was made to get bank advances to qualified new organizations. 65% of the affirmation is paid by the local government and 35% by the canton or outcasts. Consequently, the public government and the canton (or outcasts) together affirm 100% of a proportion of up to CHF 1 million for each new business. The total aggregate guaranteed may not outperform 33% of the start up’s 2019 running costs.92Denmark is making two development plans with financed credit expenses for new organizations. The chief plot targets associations in their starting stages, while the resulting plan revolves around associations having at this point got speculation. The

plans have a total monetary arrangement of generally EUR 296 million billion. The assistance, as advances, will be managed by the Danish State public hypothesis store Vækstfonden.Italy familiar assistance with state of the art new organizations: the endowment of the rule public supported money program for imaginative new organizations is extended by EUR 100 million. EUR 10 million are allocated to help new organizations to use organizations by business incubation facilities and gas pedals. The cutoff points for the public monetary supporter visa plot for new inhabitants financing SMEs and new organizations are parted. An additional tax cut for fire up esteem monetary sponsor is set up.Portugal dispatched a EUR 25 million assistance drive for new organizations, which joins five measures:Money related assistance through a catalyst. The value will be indistinguishable from the most reduced compensation allowed by law per delegate (up to the furthest reaches of 10 labourers for each startup);Multi-month expansion of the Start-up Voucher plot (EUR 2 075 for every business visionary work);Support for new organizations with under five years of business development, through the contracting of incubating organizations reliant upon the inspiration of EUR 1 500, non-refundable;A development convertible into social capital (supplies), following a year, applying a discount rate that grants new organizations to avoid a debilitating monetary sponsor’s worth. Ordinary endeavour ticket between EUR 50 000 Euro and EUR 100 000 for each start-up;Dispatch of the “Covid — Portugal Ventures instrument”: for advantages in new organizations, with tickets starting at EUR 50 000.Austria set up a EUR 150 million COVID-19 start-up Relief Fund, to back innovative Austrian new organizations set up not more than 5 years earlier. The drive joins two parts:An aide hold through the state-guaranteed restricted time bank AWS of EUR 100 million, which combines new incentive for Austrian new organizationsA EUR 50 million speculation store.Canada introduced a CAD 250 million assist program with aiding imaginative, starting stage associations that can’t get to existing COVID-19 business support, through the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program. Additionally, Canada dispatched CAD 20.1 million in help for Futurpreneur Canada to continue to help young business visionaries across Canada who is going up against challenges in view of COVID-19. The financing will allow Futurpreneur Canada to give portion help to its clients for up to a year.Commonplace governments have similarly dispatched drives. For instance, Upper Austria is cultivating a EUR 4 million start-up pack, which intends to adjust new organizations and sponsorship creators. This group by and by involves an unprecedented advising organization by the commonplace start-up guiding and support board “tech2b Inkubator” and a deferral of dynamic start-up progresses from “tech2b Inkubator”. New organizations can similarly benefit from the Region’s Corona guarantee. In Belgium, Flanders dispatched a EUR 250 million pack for new organizations, scale-ups and SMEs. Under the arrangement, useful associations affected by the COVID-19 erupt are equipped for oppressed credits of up to EUR 800 000 over three years. The credits ought to totally cover the financing needs for something like a year. Associations pay a credit cost of 5%.Brief changes in obligation and liquidation frameworksA couple of countries have introduced changed obligation and bankruptcy frameworks on account of the pandemic. The mark of these movements is to give breathing space to associations running into money related difficulties during the pandemic and avoid their pointless liquidation.Private region drives and undertakingThroughout the last weeks, a couple of private region drives have been dispatched to harness the capacity of business with respect to the crisisSeeing of impact and organization of methodology responsesA couple of governments have set up coordination instruments to screen the scene and

cultivate responses. All things considered, the point of convergence of such coordination is on prosperity points. In specific countries, SME perspectives are explicitly thought to be in these coordinated undertakings, as are stunning organization matters, since nearby and neighbourhood governments expect a critical part in the SME technique response.

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iridescentides · 4 years

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hi again dia! happy first day of december ❤️💚 i wanted to ask you what, in your opinion, are the 5 most underrated dcoms? i remember you saying before that you've watched all of them so i'd love to hear your opinions 😊 - 🎅🎁🎄

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH secret santa you are so good! asking me all the best questions 💜

okay so i literally had to make a list of all the dcoms i consider underrated and then narrow down a top 5. theres lots of dcoms that i love, but that i think got the right amount of attention and care (like lemonade mouth and the teen beach movies, for example), so this list just focuses on ones that deserved more hype for their quality level.

5. The Cheetah Girls: One World (2008)

okay so even as i type this i feel like a hypocrite. i have only watched this movie one time. BUT i can acknowledge that its one of the most criminally underrated dcoms ever, tons of people didnt watch it simply because raven wasnt in it. thats why i avoided it as a child, and i didnt get around to watching it until i did my big dcom binge in 2016. and it was so good. theres a really long post floating somewhere around tumblr full of specifics on why its actually the best cheetah girls movie (my favorite is the second one purely out of nostalgia), so to paraphrase some points from that post:

its a solid example of cultural appreciation, rather than appropriation, as the girls go and learn about bollywood and indian culture together

the indian characters arent treated like props or unimportant sides, they get their own agency and storylines that are important

the songs are good!!!

basically this movie was overlooked and slept on even though in terms of role modeling and social value, and just like the first two cheetah girls movies it was important and impactful.

4. Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (2011)

okay so as someone whos very neutral and occasionally negative-leaning towards the hsm franchise (mostly bc its overhyped and not really representative of all dcoms), i was pleasantly surprised by sharpays fabulous adventure. this is another one that i know lots of people skipped right over and dont hold with as much esteem as the main hsm franchise, and that doesnt sit right with me.

i do not agree with the “uwu sharpay was the real victim in hsm” arguments bc in their efforts to look galaxy brained the people who say that overlook the fact that she was a rich white woman who used her power and status to exercise control over opportunities that should have been fairly and freely available for all; they were not “making a mockery of her theater” in the first movie, they were literally just kids who wanted to try out a new school activity that everyone was supposed to be allowed to participate in; and despite allegedly learning her lesson and singing we’re all in this together with everyone at the end of the first movie, she literally showed no growth in the second movie as she fostered an openly hostile environment and favored troy so heavily that it literally cost him his friends, all as part of yet another jealous plan to take things away from people who already have less than her. she was NOT the victim in the main franchise, and she did not seem to exhibit any growth or introspection either.

and that!!! is why sharpays fabulous adventure was so important. in focusing on sharpay as the main character, they finally had to make her likeable. they did this by showing actual real growth and putting her outside of her sphere of influence and control. we saw true vulnerability from her, instead of the basic ass “mean girl is sad bc shes actually just super insecure” trope (cough cough radio rebel), and this opened us up to finally learn about and care about her character. throughout the movie we see her learn, from her love interests example, how to care for others and be considerate. she faces actual adversity and works through it, asking herself what she truly wants and what shes capable of. and in the end, when she finally has her big moment, we’re happy for her bc she worked hard to get there. she becomes a star through her own merit and determination, rather than through money and connections. this movie is not perfect by any means, but it is severely underrated for the amount of substance it adds to sharpays character.

3. The Swap (2016)

okay i know im gonna get shit for this but thats why its on this list!!! just like sharpays fabulous adventure, its not perfect and definitely misses the mark sometimes, but it deserves more attention and love for all the things it did get right!

the swap follows two kids who accidentally switch bodies because of their emotional attachment to their dead/absent parents’ phones. and while i normally HATE the tv/movie trope of a dead parent being the only thing that builds quick sympathy for a young character, they definitely expanded well enough to where we could root for these kids even without the tragedy aspect. we see them go through their daily struggles and get a feel for their motivations as characters pretty well. as a body switching movie, we expect it to be all goofy and wacky and lighthearted, but it moves beyond that in unexpected ways.

the reason the swap is on this list is for its surprisingly thoughtful commentary on gender roles. its by no means a feminist masterpiece, and its not going to radicalize kids who watch it, but it conveys a subtle, heartfelt message that deserves more appreciation. the characters struggle with the concept of gender in a very accurate way for their age, making off-base comments and feeling trapped by the weight of expectations they cant quite put their finger on. we watch them feel both at odds with and relieved by the gender roles they are expected and allowed to perform in each others bodies, and one of the most interesting parts of the movie to me is their interactions with the other kids around them. as a result of their feeling out of place in each others environments, the kids inadvertently change each others friendships for the better by introducing new communication styles and brave authenticity.

the value of this movie is the subtle, but genuine way it shows the characters growing through being given the space to act in conflicting ways to their expected norms. ellie realizes that relationships dont have to be complex, confusing, and painful, and that its okay to not live up to appearances and images. jack learns that emotional expression is good, healthy, and especially essential to the grieving process. one of the most powerful scenes in the movie comes at the end where, after ellie confronts jacks dad in his body, jack returns as himself to a very heartfelt apology from his father for being too hard on him; the explicit message (”boys can cry”) is paired with an open expression of love and appreciation for his kids that he didnt feel comfortable displaying until his son set an example through honest communication. this is such an empowering scene and overall an empowering movie for kids who may feel stuck in their expected roles, as it sets a positive example for having the courage to break the restrictive societal mold. for its overall message of the importance of introspection and emotional intelligence, the swap is extremely underrated.

2. Freaky Friday (2018)

this is my favorite dcom, and probably my favorite movie at this point. ive always assigned a lot of personal value to this movie (and i love every freaky friday in general), for the message of selfless familial love and understanding. i know i can get carried away talking about this topic; i got an anon ask MONTHS ago asking me about the freaky friday movies and i wrote a super super long detailed response that i never posted bc i didnt quite finish talking about the 2018 movie. and thats bc on a personal level, i cant adequately convey all the love i have for this movie. so i will try to keep this short.

first lets state the obvious: the reason people dont like this movie is bc its not the lindsay lohan version. and i get that, to an extent, bc i also love the 2003 version and its one of my ultimate comfort movies, and grew up watching it and ive seen it a billion times. i even watched it a couple days ago. but the nostalgia goggles that people have on from the early 2000s severely clouds their judgement of the wonderful 2018 remake.

yes, the 2018 version is dorky, overly simplistic plot wise, a bit stiff at times, and super cheesy like any dcom. the writing isnt 100% all the time. the narrative takes a couple confusing turns. the song biology probably shouldnt have been included. i understand this. but at the heart of it all, this movies value is love. and its edge over all the other freaky friday movies is the songs.

on a personal level, the movie speaks heavily to me. i cried very early into my first viewing of the movie bc i got to see dara renee, a dark-skinned, non-skinny actress, playing the mean popular girl on disney channel. that has never happened before. growing up, i saw the sharpays and all the other super thin white women get to be the “popular” girls on tv, and ultimately they were taken down in the end for being mean, but that doesnt change the fact that they were given power and status in the first place for being conventionally beautiful. so, watching dara renee strut around confidently and sing about being the queen bee at this high school got to me immediately. and in general, the supporting cast members of color really mean a lot to me in this movie. we get to see adam, an asian male love interest for the main character. we have a second interracial relationship in the movie with katherines marriage to mike. ellies best friend karl is hispanic. and we see these characters have depth and plot significance, we see them show love, care, and passion for the things they value. the brown faces in this movie are comforting to me personally. additionally, the loving, blended family dynamic is important to me as someone in a close-knit, affectionate step-family.

but on a more general level, this movie is underrated for its skillful musical storytelling and the way it conveys all kinds of love and appreciation. in true freaky friday fashion, we watch ellie and katherine stumble and misstep in their attempts to act like each other. its goofy and fun. but through it all, the music always captures the characters’ intimate thoughts and feelings. the opening song gives us a meaningful view into ellie and katherines relationship and the fundamental misunderstandings that play a role in straining their connection. ellie sings about how she thinks her mom wants her to be perfect, and her katherine sings about all the wonderful traits she sees in her daughter and how she wants her to be more open and self assured. this is meaningful bc even as theyre mad at each other, the love comes through. the songs continue to bring on the emotional weight of the story, as ellie sings to her little brother about her feelings of hurt and abandonment in her fathers absence. the song “go” and its accompanying hunt scene always make me cry bc of the childlike wonder and sense of adventure that it brings. for the kids, its a coming of age, introspective song. for katherine who gets to participate in ellies body, its a reminder of youth and the rich, full life her daughter has ahead of her. she is overcome with excitement, both from getting to be a teenager again for a day, and from the realization that her daughter has a support network and passions that are all her own. today and ev’ry day, the second to last song, is the culmination of the lessons learned throughout the movie, a mother and daughters tearful commitment to each other to love, protect, and understand one another. the line “if today is every day, i will hold you and protect you, i wont let this thing affect you” gets to me every time. even when things are hard and dont go according to plan, they still agree, in this moment, to be there for each other. and thats what all freaky friday stories are ultimately about.

freaky friday 2018 is a beautiful, inclusive, subversive display of familial love, sacrifice, and selflessness, and it is underrated and overlooked because of its more popular predecessor.

1. Let It Shine (2012)

this is another one of my favorite dcoms and movies in the whole world. unlike the other movies on this list, it is not the viewers themselves that contribute to the underrated-ness of this movie. disney severely under-promoted and under-hyped this movie in comparison to its other big musical franchises, and i will give you five guesses as to why, but youll only need one!

let it shine is the most beautifully, unapologetically black dcom in the whole collection. (i would put jump in! at a notable second in this category, but that one wasnt underrated). this movie was clearly crafted with care and consideration. little black kids got to see an entire dcom cast that represented them. the vernacular used in the script is still tailored mostly to white-favoring audiences, but with some relevant slang thrown in there. in short, the writers got away with the most blackness they were allowed to inject into a disney channel project.

the story centers on rap music and its underground community in atlanta, georgia. it portrays misconceptions surrounding rap, using a church setting as a catalyst for a very real debate surrounding a generational, mutlicultural conflict. this was not a “safe” movie for disney, given its emphasis on religious clashes with contemporary values. it lightly touches on issues of image policing within the black community (cyrus’s father talking about how “our boys” are running around with sagging pants and “our girls” are straying away from god), which is a very real and pressing problem for black kids who feel the pressure (from all sides) of representing their whole race with their actions. its a fun, adorable story about being yourself and staying true to your art, but also a skillful representation of struggles unique to black and brown kids and children from religious backgrounds.

on top of crafting a fun, wholesome, thoughtful narrative and likeable protagonists, let it shine brought us what is in my opinion the BEST dcom soundtrack of all time. every single song is a bop. theyre fast, fun, and lyrically engaging. “me and you” is my favorite disney channel song of all time due to its narrative significance; i will never forget my first time watching the movie and seeing that big reveal unfold onstage, as a conversation and a plot summary all wrapped into a song. the amount of thought and care that went into the music of this movie should have been rewarded with a level of attention on par with that of other musical dcoms.

if disney channel had simply cared about let it shine more, it couldve spanned franchises and sold songs the way that other musical dcoms have drawn in success. i would have loved for a sequel that explored and fleshed out cyrus’s neighborhood a little bit more, and maybe dipped into that underground scene they caught a glimpse of. i wanted a follow up on the changed church community once cyrus’s father started supporting his sons vision. i want so much more for these characters and this world than disney gave them in just one movie.

for its bold, unabashed representation of blackness and religion, subtle, nuanced presentation of race-specific issues, strong, likeable characters, and complex, thoughtful songs, let it shine is the most underrated dcom.

and because i made a full list before i started writing this post, here are some honorable mentions:

going to the mat (2004)

gotta kick it up! (2002)

tru confessions (2002)

dont look under the bed (1999)

invisible sister (2015)

#this took me embarassingly long to write #i cant help myself i literally think about this all the time #youre doing a great job with these questions secret santa!#dcoms #disney channel #answered asks #anons #gcwca secret santa #Anonymous

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Design in context: Sustainability and sustainable design Darrel Bitema

Introduction

Sustainability as a concept entered the academic lexicon around the 1980s, and from that time on has gone to evolve substantially (Portney, 2015). Sustainability may broadly refer to economic development activity that accomplishes the needs of today without jeopardising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Portney, 2015). At its core, sustainability as a concept refers mostly to the preservation of the Earth’s biophysical environment with particular respect to the depletion and use of natural resources (Portney, 2015). This essay will explore multiple definitions behind sustainability, its characteristics, foundations, and importance. This essay will also make special references to sustainable design and its impact and applications in the world.

Defining Sustainability

Sustainability while often argued to have roots in conservation, it is not the same as environmental conservation (Portney, 2015). It refers more to finding a sort of steady-state so the Earth or at least a fragment of it can support the human population and economic growth without eventually threatening the health of humans, animals, and vegetation (Portney, 2015). The basic premise of sustainability is that Earth’s resources cannot be used, depleted, or damaged indefinitely; not only will these obviously resources run out at some point, but their exploitation largely undermines the ability of life to persist and thrive (Portney, 2015).

Perhaps the biggest difference between traditional ideas of environmental protection and sustainability is that the former tends to focus on environmental remediation and preventing very certain environmental threats while the latter tends to be far more proactive and holistic, focusing on dynamic processes over the long term (Portney, 2015). Multiple concepts and definitions of sustainability have been used to portray the many different expressions of environmental priorities, with each emphasizing a specific set of results that should be sustained. These concepts consist of ecological capacity, resource/environment, critiquing of technology, biosphere, Ecodevelopment, and no growth-slow growth (Portney, 2015). When elaborated upon ecological capacity hopes to promote the maximum and optimum ability of the Earth to support human life and systems, resource management promotes economic growth only to the extent that it does not deplete natural resources, critiquing and rejecting technology involves the rejection of the notion that science and technology will protect save and protect the world, mentions of the biosphere refers to concerns regarding the human population’s impact on the Earth’s natural resources, Ecodevelopment helps adapt businesses and economic development activities towards the realities of environmental limits and finally no growth-slow growth speaks of the limits of the Earth’s ability to support the health and wellbeing of the ever-growing human population (Portney, 2015).

Sustainability, however, does not equal responsibility. A very good example may refer to corporate social responsibility as it does not require any trade-offs (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014). Ethics, norms, and morality often permeate or pervade corporate social responsibility (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014). There is no such moral imperative that dictates what a firm should do or not do to support sustainability. No specific system is judged as right or wrong, nor are individuals ever assumed to be morally responsible to society. A sustainability lens can also be as likely applied to understanding the operations of the Mafia as to the Catholic Church (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014). While sustainability scholars can comment on excess greenhouse gas emissions creating change in climate systems, they do not have the adequate tools to judge whether the new climate regimes are relatively good or bad (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014).

Sustainability and responsibility often come face to face with the result not often being good. A prime example could refer to mining companies that create shared value when they build local schools and hospitals, a healthy, educated local workforce helps generate the profits, which are eventually redistributed back into the community (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014). However, these responsible actions may not always be sustainable, especially if the surrounding environment is degraded and traditional lifestyles are disrupted (Bansal & DesJardine, 2014). This can happen even if the local community participates in the initial decision-making.

The significance of sustainability in identifying and solving a design problem

Sustainability when relating to design can be expanded upon in terms of sustainable design. While meaning many things to many people, it can be viewed as the process of planning, contemplating, or creating in ways that maintain resources and preserve the environment for future generations (DeKay, 2011). Preservation of resources merely to minimize resource use is insufficient for sustainability. The maintenance of resources requires critical thinking in cycles and considering both resources and the outputs/pollution and their ability to be absorbed into environmental sinks such as the atmosphere or rivers (DeKay, 2011). This brings us directly to consider natural ecosystem processes, which is one perspective critical to the preservation of the environment (DeKay, 2011).

To understand how sustainability in design or, more specifically, sustainable design helps solve design problems, a brief overview of the major perspectives behind sustainable design should be discussed. These consist of behaviours, systems, experiences, and cultures. Behaviours help reduce our levels of resource consumption (to sustainable rates), creating more internal loops in our building economy and reducing our waste products and pollutants to zero for non-renewables and an absorbable rate for renewables (DeKay, 2011). Thus less is more and more becomes more in regards to less consumption and more recycling (DeKay, 2011). When referring to systems, the environment is seen as a living system (DeKay, 2011). Sustainability is concerned with keeping the living systems of the planet locally, regionally, and globally, in good health for future generations (DeKay, 2011). Sustainable Design asks us to think, contemplate, plan, and make patterns with our intelligence in ways that will fit human settlements to their ecological contexts (DeKay, 2011). Patterns can’t be measured in the same way as a more straight forward unit of measurements such as kilowatts and gallons. This requires high and new levels of creativity and consciousness, with the good news being, next to many professionals, designers are actually good at the pattern (DeKay, 2011).

The experience perspective requires us to reach far further into the capacities of being a human and to consider the physical world (the exterior) of the built and natural environment but also to consider the artistic skill behind the design and its relation to ecological aesthetics (DeKay, 2011). Cultures ask us to design our built environment as operating within the context of natural systems; at the same time, it transcends these whole systems view to embrace the cultural context of the building community and the cultures at large (DeKay, 2011). Language, stories, customs, and meanings are all around us all the time and they are constantly evolving (DeKay, 2011). To further discuss the relationship between sustainable design nature and culture, we have to understand that design requires a complex state of mind and the development of many lines of skill and thought by the designer (DeKay, 2011). We are also interested in our collective values and understanding. This helps us take action today for future generations, which is an ethical perspective only available in the context of a community, where all ethics begin (DeKay, 2011). This allows one to enter “the realm of culture” (DeKay, 2011). This realm is specifically portrayed in the relationships of human to nature. It requires us to examine how what we create has something to say or mean, which can also carry a purpose (DeKay, 2011).

These four perspectives help us understand how sustainable design performs, is an ecosystem, creates beauty and human feeling, and also conveys cultural meanings (DeKay, 2011). Performance refers to technological sustainability, which ensures applied principles of empirically-based knowledge are used to reduce resource use and pollution (DeKay, 2011). This is a design committed to “less is more” concept. The ecosystem section refers to expanding the design to include ecological patterns as design is an ecological is a literal or figurative participant of the ecosystem (DeKay, 2011). Using fewer resources or even having fewer sick days for workers does not contribute to a healthy ecosystem. Finally conveying cultural meanings helps to expand and include rich human experiences (DeKay, 2011). This is because one of design’s roles is to reveal and express sustainable technology, so people have the direct and indirect experience of the cycles and forces of nature with which design interacts (DeKay, 2011). Sustainable design can also expand to include meaning-making stories as it can embody specific myths, stories and beliefs about how society and nature are related (DeKay, 2011). When Sustainable Design manifests, reflects, and expresses ecological processes, it gives people the opportunity to become more aware of living processes and our relationships to them (DeKay, 2011).

Examples of successful application of sustainability/sustainable design in spatial design

In current years there has been an unprecedented, exponential growth in distinct academic programs especially related to the environmental dimension of sustainability in higher education, especially in this last decade (Henderson, 2012). Environmental, sustainability studies, and graduate programs are in every major scientific, engineering, and social science discipline, as well as in design, planning, business, law, public health, behavioral sciences, ethics, and even religion, are abundant and continue to grow (Henderson, 2012). Progress on campuses modeling sustainability has grown at an even faster rate. Higher education has finally embraced programs necessary for energy and water conservation, renewable energy, waste reduction and recycling, green buildings and purchasing, alternative transportation, and growing organic foods, and sustainable purchasing, which saves both the environment and money (Henderson, 2012).

Sustainability with specific reference to spatial design has given birth to what can be referred to as “green building professionals” (Henderson, 2012). All building professionals such as architects, engineers, etc., can be considered green building professionals in that they incorporate sustainability in their designs and enhance their knowledge with green ideals and techniques (Henderson, 2012). Sustainability and green building consultants take their jobs further by completely centering their expertise on integrating the environmental friendly with companies and buildings. One tool that helps overlap specialists with green building is “BIM,” or building information modelling. This global tool holds all of the pertinent data in one place, which can be used in tandem with other tools such as energy modelling (Henderson, 2012).

BIM can be referred to as a digital representation of the literal (physical) and functional characteristics of a facility; thus, it serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for decisions from the beginning, during its life cycle and inception onward (Henderson, 2012). If BIM is implemented properly, nearly every piece of information an owner needs to know about a facility throughout its life cycle can be made available digitally. One key aspect of BIM is that it allows for energy modelling to be easier and faster, providing the chance for multiple iterations of a project and the ability to make minor tweaks in the architecture that will eventually result in significant energy savings (Henderson, 2012).

Figure 1

The Randselva Bridge, which has often been described as the world’s longest bridge without drawings, is an example of BIM at its finest (“The world’s longest bridge built without drawings a reality”, 2020). To put into context of how impressive this is, the bridge was nominated for the Teklas structure award in the infrastructure category and has already won the awards for Best BIM Project and Best Infrastructure Project (“The world’s longest bridge built without drawings a reality”, 2020).

Figure 2

Another prime example of sustainability and or sustainable design’s applications in design, specifically spatial design, is “LEED,” or more specifically, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a green-building rating system created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) (“What is LEED? | U.S. Green Building Council”, n.d.). Available for virtually all types of buildings and building phases, including new construction, interior fit-outs, operations and maintenance, and core and shell (“What is LEED? | U.S. Green Building Council”, n.d.). LEED provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is thus a globally recognised tool (“What is LEED? | U.S. Green Building Council”, n.d.).

In today’s current market, LEED has developed to become a household word (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010). More projects have been registered and continue to be registered, while LEED ratings increasingly ﬁnd their way into marketing brochures distributed by developers, building owners, architects, and contractors (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010). Accredited professionals proudly add “LEED” to their titles, and, most signiﬁcantly, numerous federal agencies and state and local governments now require some form of LEED certiﬁcation. Green architecture is no longer a fringe phenomenon (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010).

LEED provides numerous environmental benefits, as compared to typical building construction, LEED-certified buildings use lower percentages of material with high levels of toxicity, use less water and energy, and have a lesser overall impact on the physical landscape (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010). Another prominent benefit of building rating systems is increased commitment by owners and clients once a project is registered in a building rating system (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010). The greatest impact of green building rating systems is the increase in dialogue about sustainability, sustainable design, and green building (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010). With clients pushing designers and builders to become more educated on these issues and students are demanding much more sophisticated discussion within institutions of higher education, the result of the increase in green building, there are much more resources available both online as well as on the ground than ever before (Parr & Zaretsky, 2010).

Conclusion

In this essay, based on the evidence presented, the importance of sustainability and sustainable design was successfully argued and discussed. Special reference was specially made to its effects on architecture and green-building while also providing visual examples.

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