#shows how normalised she thinks her behaviour is
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I'm so happy we finally got more of a backstory and a happy ending for Namsom and Kor in City of Stars, even if some of the flashbacks were super painful to watch.
There's this part when that horrible, hateful aunt is being intentionally cruel and transphobic, and I think the translator did a really good job of substituting cultural differences and a lack of gendered pronouns by having the aunt intentionally misgender Namsom:
Still, I don't think the subs quite manage to bring across how incredibly rude and hurtful and transphobic (and homophobic too btw) she really is.
Because in Thailand/Theravada Buddhism sons often ordain for a few weeks or months to honour their parents/family. This isn't expected of daughters. See where this is going?*
(*That being said, some conservative temples/monasteries might not want trans or queer people in general to ordain either because they view queerness as a distraction and/or a bad karma.)
Then there's this bit where the English subs again intentionally use the wrong pronouns but in the Thai original the horrible aunt calls Namsom a slur (tut/ตุ๊ด - which afaik is used for [effeminate] men only) along with kathoey (กะเทย - which is NOT a slur, even if that horrible woman meant it that way) - making it very clear what exactly she thinks of her.
And later, when Namsom tells Kor that she is kathoey (and negl that scene almost broke my heart for so many different reasons 😭), she shows him her ID card.*
Currently there is no way for trans folk in Thailand to change their legal sex, meaning that whenever they have to show any kind of ID (which afaik happens quite often in professional environments) they automatically out themselves. The marriage equality bill that's currently underway will hopefully change that soon. 🙏
(*This was also a plot point in My Ride when one of the moto-taxi drivers discovered that his crush was trans when he found her purse - and he didn't care either. 🥰)
#city of stars#city of stars the series#jane watches stuff#queer stuff#i was about ready to throw hands when that disgusting aunt opened her filthy mouth#and the way she expected namsom to just take it and pretend that nothing happened#shows how normalised she thinks her behaviour is#kudos to star hunter for adding namsom (and sand) and giving her the best of endings 💜💜#also pls let me know if you want any added cw tags#as an nb person i find this upsetting but also important so i understand 💜💜#to those of you who don't watch city of stars:#namsom is a character who is cherished and loved and gets a well-deserved romantic happy ending
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A speech made at the Academy Awards by Jonathan Glazer, along with the subsequent reactions, sheds light on how people tend to distort others' words to portray themselves as victims and, more concerning, their willingness to reside in a dystopian bubble as long as it doesn't affect them directly.
Rather than idolising Hollywood, I've previously posted about the complexities of my evolving parasocial relationships. But to disregard the influence wielded by these elites would be naive. It's frustrating to witness those in power facing backlash when they attempt to bring attention to pertinent issues.
While the Oscars' prominence in Western pop culture is waning, the ceremony and the fervour surrounding the nominees and winners, especially in the major acting categories, still hold significant sway in film culture and the broader world.
So when such a speech is delivered at the Oscars, it's bound to garner attention:
All our choices were made to reflect and confront us in the present — not to say, “Look what they did then,” rather, “Look what we do now.” Our film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present. Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October the — [Applause.] Whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization, how do we resist? [Applause.] Aleksandra Bystroń-Kołodziejczyk, the girl who glows in the film, as she did in life, chose to. I dedicate this to her memory and her resistance. Thank you.
Glazer highlighted in his speech that victims of the ongoing situation and the last 75 years, whether Palestinian and Israeli, all stem from the occupation and are casualties of entrenched ideologies like Zionism. But when he said this on stage and was immediately misquoted online on social media and by reputable news sources, alleging that he simply renounced his Jewish identity.
He also faced considerable backlash from those indicating a persistent conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. It really parallels previous speeches of resistance at the Oscars. Boos rang loud and clear during Michael Moore's opposition to the Iraq war (which we know was a colossal failure by Geroge Bush and the US Government who perpetuated and pardoned multiple war crimes in the region after lying to their own people about evidence of weapons of mass destruction).
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There was also Sacheen Littlefeather's advocacy for Native American representation and the direct of attention to the Wounded Knee Occupation, a speech that had bodyguards having to restrain people from getting on the stage and attacking her.
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And, of course, Vanessa Redgrave's aim at “a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums whose behaviour is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression”, which still feels relevant today.
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Turning to Glazer's film, I am baffled at those who vehemently objected to it: Did they actually watch it? Because if they had any negative feelings towards Glazer's speech, especially after watching his film, it suggests, to me, a deficiency in critical thinking.
Glazer's film portrays a chilling atmosphere where genocide becomes normalised, echoing real-world situations like the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The film serves as a stark reminder of humanity's ability to coexist with atrocities, often turning a blind eye for the sake of comfort.
The horrors adjacent to the characters' lives evoke contemporary parallels, particularly in regions like Gaza. With over five months of relentless violence, Israel's defiance of international court orders, and Western governments passively reprimanding while fueling the conflict with arms shipments, the spectre of genocide looms ominously. It risks becoming a mundane backdrop to daily existence. It is a stark portrayal of how affluent lifestyles can be linked to neighbouring atrocities, challenging the notion of denial and complicity.
The film doesn't centre around the Holocaust (Glazer's own words), with its specific historical context. Instead, it delves into a more universal theme: humanity's ability to coexist with atrocities and even derive some form of reconciliation or gain from them. The discomforting reflections are on purpose. It prompts us to acknowledge that the threat of annihilation of any people is always closer than we might imagine.
One of the most poignant moments in the film occurs when a package filled with clothing and lingerie pilfered from the prisoners of the camp arrives at the Höss household. The commandant's wife decides that everyone, including the servants, can select one item. She claims a coat for herself and trys on makeup discovered in one of its pockets.
How can the people who are so staunch against Glazer not draw parallels with Israeli soldiers who have recorded themselves rummaging through the lingerie of Palestinian women and slut shaming them? (Why are Israeli soldiers obsessed with Gaza women's underwear?) Or proudly displaying stolen shoes and jewellery for their partners back home (Israeli soldier loots Palestinian homes for his engagement party). Or celebrating International Women's Day with a photo of women soldiers posing for selfies against the backdrop of destruction (How an AP photographer made this image of Israeli soldiers taking a selfie at the Gaza border).
The film is rife with these parallels that it feels like a documentary. It is a grim reality: the potential emergence of the first live-streamed genocide, captured by its very architects.
Gaza doesn't mirror the systematic mass murder machinery of Auschwitz, nor does it approach the scale of Nazi atrocities. However, the entire purpose behind establishing the postwar framework of international humanitarian law was to equip us with the means to collectively recognise practices before history repeats itself on a large scale. And disturbingly, some of these practices – such as the construction of walls, creation of ghettos, mass killings, openly stated intentions of elimination, widespread starvation, plundering, gleeful dehumanisation, and deliberate humiliation – are recurring. And have been long before October 7th.
How do we disrupt the cycle of trivialisation and normalisation? What actions can we take? There are persistent protests and acts of civil disobedience to "uncommitted" votes, disrupting events, organising aid convoys, fundraising for refugees, and creating radical works of art.
And as genocide fades further into the background of our culture, some people grow too desperate for any of these efforts. I am certainly one of them.
Yet, these efforts seem insufficient, particularly when those in positions of power remain indifferent. It's insufficient when I watch a video of a little girl saying that the violence has made her feel less beautiful before she talks about her father being kidnapped by Israeli soldiers or of the orphans visiting their mother's burial spot in the street. It is insufficient when the death toll rises to exceed the daily death toll of any other major conflict of the 21st century.
Perhaps it's unfair of me to prioritise one tragedy over another, given the multitude of suffering in the world – the ones that are in the news cycle and the ones that are not. Yet, my connection to Palestine and its plight feels as personal as it can be without me actually being Palestinian, fostered from childhood teachings and further enriched through my own research. I have loved ones directly impacted by this conflict: friends in the diaspora grappling with survivor's guilt, friends in the West Bank enduring the daily hardships of occupation. And my friends in Gaza are all either dead, dying or being pushed straight into the arms of death.
The realisation that my efforts to help them are insufficient fills me with frustration. I'm angered by the indifference of those in power and by the hostility encountered by those attempting to bring the truth to the forefront.
#palestine#free palestine#gaza#anti zionisim#academy awards#oscars#jonathan glazer#the zone of interest#geopolitics#politics#i hate doing tags#Youtube
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by the way this is not gonna do the subject NEARLY enough justice BUT i do really wish there was more keeley appreciation in the main tags... like not only is she an Extremely explicit parallel for ted, but she's also at the heart of SO much of the show's themes - and you'd never know it from reading most of the meta that goes around!
[content warnings for sexism, sexual harassment, Locker Room Talk™]
okay, so like, in no particular order, here some of the criminally underrated + under-explored things we know abt keeley jones:
she has an almost identical social strategy to ted: being earnestly, and oftentimes defiantly herself, regardless of what assumptions it pushes other people to make abt her (i.e.: her description in the pilot, 'used to having her book judged by its cover'). and then, in spite of the ppl around her belittling her/writing her off, she STILL approaches them w genuine intent to connect + get to know them.
i think it was an EXTREMELY deliberate choice in episode 3 for both keeley and ted to give rebecca 'a compliment she's never heard before'. they're not merely skating by on small talk or doing the bare minimum to show their appreciation for killing the photo (which rebecca would be prepared for), they're subverting her expectations by going for genuine (if bemusing) compliments.
then ofc w keeley's s3 arc, you can see how she's trying (and slowly succeeding, judging by that nervous worker guy's attempts to start joking around with her) to get her PR firm's culture to the same, easy-going, more-friends-than-coworkers vibe of richmond. she even specifically asks ted for advice (and, again, i think its relevant that the advice he gives refers to his most effective team building moment - the ghost banishing ceremony). it's very important to her that ppl feel comfortable in her presence, and we can see her getting genuinely distressed whenever she struggles with this.
she says EXPLICITLY in that one exchange w sassy + rebecca that she freaks out whenever she thinks she's being abandoned - she delivers it like a joke, but she's visibly off-kilter and nervous while she says it, apparently still coming down from the anxiety of thinking she'd been ditched. and again, after the gala when she goes to (presmably) get back together with jamie, she says outright that she really struggles to ever break up with people - even people she's no longer interested in, like jamie! - because she second guesses her own judgement so much. on an adjacent note, imo the melt down she has when roy was crowding her was only as abrupt + extreme as it was because she had been repressing her feelings about it for so long. which is SO interesting in the context of her being one of the most upfront and outspoken characters in the show!!!! like. she literally contains multitudes!
and, also, while i do think there's some genuine critical analysis to be done abt the normalisation of what is, essentially, sexual harassment at richmond (it's... extremely uncomfortable to go on such a long tangent about how attractive a stranger's boobs are, even if ur also a woman), i think keeley's active flirtation + general horny-on-main behaviour is ALSO extremely under-explored. bc, in the context of her being a WAG, and also a model, keeley recieves completely unprompted + unwarranted comments abt her body all day every day. when sassy told her that her ex-husband used to masturbate to her photos, she's hardly shell shocked. it's pretty clear that that's something she's used to being known for, and being told about in gratuitous detail. in this context, you can really see how the way she leans in to flirtation, and talking about sex and the hotness of various ppl around her (ie: her entrance in the pilot, making a show + joke out of how she must Obviously want to see all of the footballers naked), is her way of pushing back against the way others don't respect HER boundaries. ie: 'if my body's fair game for everyone to talk about + sexualise, so is theirs!'. it's an extremely interesting coping mechanism, especially in the context of it leading to her oftentimes perpetuating the cycle of harassment herself. and then there's also how the locker room culture OF richmond involves a significant amt of talking about sex, past partners, etc - since she spends so much time in that environment, you can pretty clearly see how that'd influence her decision to go with the current, rather than against.
AND OFC. HOW could i get this far w/o talking about the sheer narrative weight that's given to her relationship with rebecca!!! not only is she arguably the first character to befriend rebecca (beating ted out by several episodes, at least by my count), she is ALSO the reason that rebecca ever tells ted the truth ('it would change how i feel about you'!!!!!!! AGH!!!!), and honestly i think keeley's disappointment in her is what leads her to finally accept that. sabotaging richmond is a cruel thing to do and she doesn't want to do it anymore! like. keeley's unabashed admiration of + love for rebecca, and rebecca's eventual reciprocation is quite literally the driving force for both of their arcs ('thank you for teaching this panda how to be a lion'!!!!!) and i just!!! i care them!!!!!!!!!!!!
tldr; keeley jones is a blorbo of absolutely apocalyptic proportions PLEASE let her into ur heart the next time ur writing analysis + meta....
#ted lasso meta#keeley jones#ted lasso#i basically wrote this whole thing just so i could plead for ppl to accept narrative parallels keeley : ted#into their hearts. like u can learn SO much abt keeley by analysing ted and vice versa!#the anxiety the Baggage the motivations the fears..#even their professional goals + ethics and shit!!
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To be honest I haven't liked the things Catherine has been saying about mental health lately. First that talking therapy doesn't help everyone, now this. For a royal to say a short sentence or two about mental health... it can easily come across the wrong way & doesn't show nuance. Yes, talking therapy doesn't help everyone, but her saying this could discourage people from trying it out. Not everyone who feels anxious has a medical condition and needs medication, but some of us do!
Let's look at what she said (and buckle up, it's a long one):
Quote number 1: At an art therapy charity. Someone said writing music had been an easier way to get their feelings out than talking in a clinical space. Kate responded: "Talking therapies don’t work for some people, they’re not for everybody. It’s so important to have a range of therapies." She then followed it up by talking about how many people won't respond to talking therapies because of their own preconceptions about clinical spaces and so it's important to let those people know that there are safe alternative spaces like this charity where they can come for help in a way that works for them.
Unless you're asserting talking therapy does work for everyone and alternative therapies shouldn't be offered, I can't see what the issue is. It's 100% truthful. An analysis by the Child Outcomes Research Consortium found that only a third of children had recovered (i.e. they were no longer above the clinical threshold) by the end of therapy. About 40% responded they'd experienced no change at all. For adults it's slightly better but NHS Digital report only 50% of adults who access therapy have recovered by the time it's over. That's before we even get into the fact that talking therapies were built by and for predominantly white westerners and so large chunks of the population find them completely unhelpful, even actively damaging. There's an article here on that. So it's accurate to state that they don't work for everyone - for a variety of reasons - and alternatives need to be accessible for those who have reason to not trust professional services, or who had therapy and haven't recovered. In fact, this is a big problem in therapy because people often go into it thinking it'll fix things and then ending treatment without being "cured" is extremely difficult for them. And that issue is caused by precisely this unwillingness from the public and some professionals to be honest and acknowledge that talking therapies won't work for everyone.
Quote number 2: I can't find the full quote but essentially she said that normal anxieties should not be over-medicalised.
I wrote a whole thing about this, read that. I'm going to illustrate with an example from Drag Race. A few years ago there was a contestant who wasn't popular, I can't really remember why, but in their sob story episode they opened up about their clinical depression. And the reaction all over social media was "who cares? Everyone has depression!" But the thing is... they don't. In the US, where it was filmed, 2/3 of people don't have depression in their lifetime. We have created an environment where instead of normalising mental illness so those who have it feel accepted, we've overcorrected. And now it's cool and trendy to make stress into Anxiety Disorder, to making lying into gaslighting, to make your dick of an ex boyfriend's behaviour a Personality Disorder. All of which means that people who genuinely do have mental illnesses are taken less seriously and for conditions like mine (I have BPD) stigma is worse than it's been at any point since I was diagnosed 8 ish years ago. And that's not to mention medications for mental illnesses can be heavy duty. She was at an event for children and it's perfectly reasonable to question whether a doctor giving a child meds after a five minute appointment because the child said they were anxious is a sensible and healthy choice. It's there in the name - over medicalising. It's like any medical procedure. No one is saying you shouldn't cut someone's arm off if they have a serious infection and it's needed. But you shouldn't cut their arm off just because they got a paper cut. PS something slightly outside the scope of this because Kate can't be partisan but we talk about this a lot at work, the link between over-medicalising and poverty. A good article on that here.
I understand what you're saying about the fact that sometimes quotes are clipped out of context and royals need to think about what the headline will be but even taken out of context, all of her statements are accurate. And actually in my view it's the first time I've ever seen her be nuanced! I've always found her mental health work patchy because I feel like she unintentionally contributed to a lot of the issues I've outlined above but she's finally talking about things that are not talked about as much, even amongst professionals. I get your perspective because I was there a few years ago. When someone first mentioned the concept of over-medicalising to me I thought it was denying mental illness is real etc. But then I realised that knee jerk reaction was coming from my insecurities about my illness and my past experiences of struggling to get care, it wasn't actually about the concept itself.
#ask#anon#kate middleton#british royal family#mental health#mental illness#again having bpd is a really helpful diagnosis for this#because there's a huge movement within the bpd community to remove the diagnosis entirely#i don't completely agree but there are lots of people who believe that bpd is largely diagnosed amongst women who have experienced trauma#and so it's medicalising a normal human response to something traumatic
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Okay yeah this. Gotta share this. So I love watching cute animal vids like all the other thousand people per square mile, and recently I stumbled onto this one. And of course it reminded me of them, like duh, look at them.
Also now look at the comments and how not so eerily similar they are to the dialogues that go on here. @teddywiththumbs is the op, owner of the cats.
Now just to be clear, yeah cats can be gay. Along with most other animal species. Homosexual behaviour and courtship has been widely documented across species. And yeah, there is the issue of anthropomorphism (the attribution of human-like qualities to animals) as well. But I just can't help but notice how people like the commenter simply don't see what they are actually responding to when they get offended with a woman, the owner of the cats, simply stating a fact about the cats she owns. They don't see it so they think they aren't being homophobic but they are.
This is a response that I am sure some of you will relate with.
Hahahaha. No seriously, this is the case isn't it?
Sometimes when I see these posts made by SNS fans here, and in spirit they read like the creation of bards of the yore who crooned graphic songs of eternal, fantastical love about two boys who once were and were made for each other.....and I wonder if the term shipping came from 'worshipping'? Maybe it did.. Heh.
They are talking about the love, the absolute spectacle of the romance of Sasuke and Naruto, aren't they? But all that is reduced to an outcome of the mental illnesses that plague these fujoshis and dirty lesbians. What this says is, this kind of bias doesn't exist just in fandoms, it is simply a reflection of the larger society, fandoms are made of the same people. This gives us a look at how people generally think of homosexuality, fandom is simply one of the many microcosms.
Hehehe accurate. Or friends, brothers, comrades, etc.
No seriously, just to see how quickly reactive people become when it comes to homosexuality, like what a potent trigger it is. How easy it is for people to be so upset at something that is simply natural, a fact of life. And this is just cats they are talking about, but how well it translates to other things...
Like the outrage, the desperate need to explain it away in a 'safe way'......they really harassed the op for talking about her own cats. Like no one even waited a second to google how it is possible for animals to be "gay", just like some fans here who could have saved a lot of trouble if only they had used the internet for things other than reading het smut.
What I am saying is, look how similar the narratives are. It doesn't matter if it's cats or humans, it's not about that. It's about ingrained homophobia. It doesn't say so much about cats and love, it says how uncomfortable it makes people to even consider normalising homosexuality, that seeing it so clearly portrayed or documented in media really triggers their prejudices so unquestioningly, so unerringly, so insidiously, so organically, that they don't realize what they are actually reacting to and how deeply biased they are. Good thing the op was quite insightful.
It really says a lot about people's attitudes and sublimated prejudices. The op knows homosexuality makes people deeply wary, feel deeply wronged, they feel as if they are entitled to their outrage. It results in reiterating the "natural order" of things and showing righteous indignation at what they think 'maligns' it. It is the same blueprint, settings may differ.
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I think solar people are only compatible with lunar nakshatras bc they’re the only ones able to manipulate them into liking them. Moon nakshatras are so smooth they can draw energy and manipulate things better than rahu. I feel like rahu is too obvious and intense and they show it and come off as stalkerish. While moon women or men are just good at manipulating situations to their advantage.
i actually have to agree lol
Sun & Moon are naturally compatible because Sun has to emit light and energy and Moon has no light of its own, so it has to absorb energy/light. But the key difference between Moon and Rahu is that, Rahu is in perpetual darkness and Moon is sort of designed to reflect the light of the Sun if you will. its literally just the way the universe functions. I'm not saying Rahu girls are doomed and no Sun man will ever want them but Moon gains whatever it has to gain by being subtle about its ability to draw light in. like u said, Rahuvians bend over backwards and try too hard and make it too obvious and this charade can drain a Solar person of their energy/light. Lunar women take from you without you even realising its happening.
everytime i get an ask about how "im moon dominant and ive never manipulated anybody" i have to laugh, i dont think many people have self awareness to realise that a deeply embedded part of their personality is actually manipulation. one of my friends told me how she does not like to park her car so she told her bf that she doesn't think he's good at it either bc she knew he would do it just to prove her wrong and she was right, he did. manipulation is literally this. its not just conspiring against people and sabotaging their careers and lives. its simple, normal everyday behaviour that you've completely normalised in your head because its "harmless".
and for god's sake, nobody who is actually innocent would have to type out a 500word essay to tell some stranger online about how they're not manipulative lol. we are triggered by the sight of our shadow.
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Am I the only one who really HATES that Barbie movie? It LITERALLY NORMALISES BULLYING, EMOTION ABUSE AND GASLIGHTING
I know it’s probably more trouble than what is it worth but I am losing my mind keeping it in. As someone who had been bullied, abused and gaslighted multiple times I am shocked to see how everyone seems totally ok with this movie. Even like it! I mean Sasha’s ENTIRE character LITERALLY just normalises bullying, gaslighting and toxic abusive behaviour!
Just a heads up. I am going to get into some serious shit here. So trigger warning for I will be mentioning more abuse…although again the Barbie movie literally normalises that. But I am here to talk about the real dangers that behaviour can cause, such as depression, self harm and even suicide.
I was really upset watching that godawful scene where the group of girls decided to chew out Barbie like that. I am so SICK of people saying “Oh that’s just teen angst”. NO it is abusive behaviour and it doesn’t matter if it’s a kid or not! If a kid is harassing someone you HAVE to confront them about it or else someone will get REALLY REALLY HURT! They will never learn and continue to hurt others like that as well! This is coming from someone who had to endure this type of behaviour and got into some serious self harm habits. Many kids at school have ACTUALLY committed suicide because of girls like Sasha and her friends! DO NOT ACT LIKE IT IS A NORMAL THING!
I felt so angry at Sasha at that time and I still am but what sickens me is how she gets away with it. I thought it may be introduced as an obstacle to show how HARD it is on people who are the victim. For example, Wreck it Ralph does a good job at showing how hard it is and how that behaviour can effect others and why said behaviour is BAD. While Wreck it Ralph is hard for me to watch when I feel vulnerable other times it makes me feel stronger as it shows I am not alone. I figured it was taking that sort of direction, to show how it is hard but it happens. As a small way to show awareness.
Barbie bounces back and literally forgets it ever happened and Sasha was just a horrible person all the way through and she NEVER apologised. She got away with it as if it was NORMAL and OK! She was even portrayed as one of the heroines of the story! With NO growth or apology or ANYTHING! You see where I am going with this?
I actually ended up crying and having a serious meltdown after the movie because of that. My mother also agrees with me and says she couldn’t stand Sasha and how she reminded her of the girls who used to bully me and torture me like that. I don’t know how the directors didn’t even THINK about how awful that would look! I am surprised that no one in the making of the movie even thought “wait a minute…”. Also this is just going to show kids that it’s normal to do that. NO! It is bad! If your kid treats someone like that you have to talk to them and tell them how harmful that behaviour is!
Am I literally the only one who sees this problem???
Oh and I should also mention how Sasha and her friends thought Barbie was a crazy person who had mental issues. They literally thought she was mentally disabled and decided it would be hilarious to harass her! Like WTF?!!!! HOW IS THIS OK?!!!!
#barbie#barbie movie#trauma ment tw#tw trauma#tw bullying#tw gaslighting#abuse survivor#bullying#bullies#anti bullying#anti gaslighting#gaslighting#rant#Sasha
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Diane Nguyen, a millennial heroine
(mostly spoiler-free)
Diane Nguyen from BoJack Horseman is one of my favourite characters of all time largely because of how rare it is to find such a multifaceted and layered character who lends striking verisimilitude to a world of talking bipedal horses and cats.
Since her introduction in the pilot episode, she is shown to be smart, introverted and opinionated, who won't shy away from voicing them. Diane is in many ways, the moral compass of the show reminding the characters and viewers what is the right thing to do. She holds everyone, including herself, to high moral standards. But in a world with no objective morality, one can only do their best as is acknowledged by Diane. And it is undeniable that Diane tries to stick to her moral philosophy-
"There's no such thing as "bad guys" or "good guys." We're all just guys who do good stuff sometimes and bad stuff sometimes. And all we can do is try to do less bad stuff and more good stuff, but you're never going to be good. Because you're not bad."
I'd argue she is also the audience's stand-in as she is a complete Hollywoo outsider stuck in a world of celebrities. She notices normalised bad behaviour in the industry and tries her best to shake the numbed insiders to reality, although, often to no avail. She is sensitive to the state of affairs and struggles to find a place and meaning in the world.
Diane's arc touches upon how creativity and personal fulfilment are crushed under capitalism. While working for Girl Croosh, a comically pink-washed company, she is routinely pressed to write vapid, clickable articles instead of the more serious issues she wants to write about.
But no one, not even Diane herself, can meet her moral standards, as we see with each passing episode. What is revealed is a deeply flawed character, some evident through her outbursts and some in more subtle ways through her internalised beliefs. And thus Diane truly embodies the millennial ( and Genz) archetype- a duality of woke-ism and solipsism.
But we see that her self-absorption can at least in part be attributed to her childhood when her attempts to be a part of a community by trying to connect to her Vietnamese roots were neglected by her parents. And by the time she visits Vietnam herself, she's in her 30s and it dawns on her that she's too divorced from those roots, an experience children of immigrant parents are only too familiar with.
Throughout the show, we see through Diane that doing the right thing is systemically made inaccessible and one only really has two options - lash out or go numb. And the tragedy is that your choice is, at the end of the day, insignificant. But we also see how her worldview makes her feel entitled to do things without consulting with others she believes she has a moral high ground over and often overreacts when called out.
A combination of these factors gives Diane a paradoxical perspective. And this is pointed out by BoJack, although unintentionally when he tells Diane she fetishises her sadness. It is shown through multiple examples throughout the course of the show that Diane struggles with accepting gifts or help even from her loved ones- even something as simple as a warm jacket from Guy. She justifies it to herself by making excuses or being overly critical. One can understand this behaviour better when one looks back to her neglectful parents that made her internalise the idea she didn't deserve anything good unless she proved herself in some capacity.
In the episode- Good Damage, we get even more insight into Diane's childhood and the inner workings of her mind. She has been telling herself this story that her trauma has a meaning and a purpose that she can unleash into the world through her writing. She tries to find some solace in the archetype of a tortured genius as a means to cope with her profound dissatisfaction with her life. We also see her stop taking her antidepressants because she thinks (unfortunately like many others) that the medication would make her lose her spark™. She thinks that being a children's author is beneath her even when she is good at it and the books were successful. She desperately wants to write her "serious" book of essays, despite how difficult it is for her because not doing so would mean that all her damage won't be "good damage", but just damage.
Though later the conversation with Princess Carolyn makes her realise that looking for a grand narrative is pointless as there is no grand narrative and that she can achieve her dream of inspiring young girls through a happier and easier way through books about a girl detective. This metanoia is illustrated in the series finale with Diane not wearing the characteristic green jacket she wore since the first episode, anymore. She has let go of the jacket, a token of her past, and is finally at peace with herself, giving all of us hope that we might eventually get there as well.
#analysis#culture#musings#short essays#feminism#social media#media#capitalism#current#psychology#bojack horseman#long post#feminist#mental health#trauma#tropes#fictional characters#netflix#sociology#society#musings and analyses#millennials#gen z#existentialism#nihilism#fiction#animation#asian representation#asian#neoliberalism
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Wiki Anon.
I wanted to say more but I was out and my phone was messing up due to low battery.
But yeah, you basically said in your response to me what I wanted to say. I don’t really believe that piece I got from the wiki because like you said- it’s either false information or it’s from the original story, therefore, fans want it to be considered canon. Especially since it could be someone trying to put Hover in a good light. You and the other Anon about what Hover says to Quickmane was just spot on.
The information just stuck with me because it puts Hover in a worse light for me if it has been confirmed to be true in the show. Were we supposed to see her making fun of Nothing’s leg as her way of flirting? Just highly concerning if any of the Hover fans thinks that.
It also just annoys me that Hover could be a great character and she’s meant to be Nothing’s girlfriend/ally; she could have been a great escape for Nothing and the one to call out on Pride Law, which she has before, but they wanted so desperately to make her the snarky, rebellious type of character and fails badly so she’s just insulting everyone around her. Then that ‘snarky, rebellious’ character dies for the sake of Nothing being left alone besides Feather. All it did was make Hover worse.
I do believe we were 100% supposed to see her actions in Episode 2 as flirting, yes. Nothing being enamoured with her at the end of it just confirms it for me.
But yeah, I certainly agree that people were too quick to automatically like her because she was snarky and rebellious. Especially when she was SO much worse in the original story, where her "snarkiness" is actually borderline verbal abuse and she calls Hobblestep (Nothing) the c slur just for being slightly confused by her name.
I feel like Hover is generally how a lot of people online would like to behave if a punch to the face or a call to the police was not a distinct possibility. Just mouthing off at anyone for the smallest infraction and showing how 'cool' they are. Except it's not cool. It's downright embarrassing.
I'm only saying this because I went through a similar phase when I was a young adult. But you grow up and realise how cringe that behaviour is. I feel like Hover serves as a normalisation of such behaviour because she's from a story written by a 14-year-old and was barely modernised. It is fine to like such characters, don't get me wrong, but to shamelessly defend her and write her characterisation off as non-problematic and actually awesome is where I'm going to have to do a hard disagree.
There are just far better ways to write a character who is rebellious and non-conforming and this wasn't one of them. - RJ
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Sometimes it feels more like we inherently don't want to say that the characters we like are flawed because liking the character makes us feel good and that feeling makes it a matter of personal pride. However it's just not healthy or really all that enjoyable to associate what you like with who you are. Once you stop defending characters as some weird projection of your own morality, and see yourself as simply a human person with human emotions, and a character themselves as something that NOT, you tend to enjoy the fandom in a healthier way.
When we criticise characters, we're criticising the message that character is representing to the demographic. It's not just a question of if that the character is 'evil', it's 'is this character being evil in a way that's being normalised'. It's the fact that the character's narrative is a building block in a toxic narrative.
This show (and yes, Astruc has said this) LITERALLY USES the characters to represent/show a lesson to an audience that can then use that to navigate the real world. So when your character is doing covert & problematic shit with NO indication that it is BAD, it's normalising that behaviour TO that audience. Blinding them to what it really is.
Yeah IDK what to really add at this point. I'm sick of talking about characters like Alya did this Marinette did that. Even Adrien I feel like I can't talk about properly because everyone looks at criticisms through this stan or hater mindset. People like characters for lots of different reasons I'm not trying to make fans of characters feel bad or stupid.
"Marinette is a well rounded character, it's great that a superhero show has this female lead who uses her brain to solve problems every episode" and "The formula of the show being that Marinette makes a mistake and has to learn a lesson each episode means the narrative is unfairly harsher on her than other characters at times" and "The way Marinette behaves toward her crush Adrien is outright creepy at times, even if it's a joke or in service of having her learn a lesson it sends a bad message about what love is/should make you act, giving her trauma over dating as an excuse does not help in the slightest" and "Marinette has very little connection to the main villain of the show" are all statements that can coexist.
Lila is/was my favourite character but a big issue with her is that she's poorly utilised, she exists in an episode to push the plot forward and then does nothing for a season. Does that make her a good or bad character? Is she a bad character I just like the wasted potential of? imho it's the wrong question. This show has issues with having too many characters and not focusing on any of them beyond Marinette and Gabriel. It can't figure out how to raise the stakes and create drama without using characters like Lila and Felix but also can't figure out what to do with those characters afterward. Lila's lies aren't built to last yet the show avoids having resolution to her storyline so they can use her for cheap drama when they want. These are problems with the show as a whole but they affect Lila so fair enough if they make you dislike her idc. Whether she's an enjoyable character and should be your fave or not is irrelevant to the points I'm making. If you're mad I like Lila more than your fave or think me saying anything bad about your fave means I'm saying you're stupid for liking them get a grip.
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Not much of a blackpink stan but I do look up for their content that shows up on tiktok or twitter (or x, wtv we’re calling it now). I think the group is mid in terms of discography but they have good money going in marketing to make their songs popular. I’ve listened to some of their b-side that weren’t as much known to gp & felt they were good. Or until I happened to know many of these were rejects from some pop singers and yg took them for bp. I don’t bother engaging in fan wars too coz it’s mostly a joke on blinks side as they can’t come up with any quick comeback at army’s except for dragging the boys for their appearance or youtube achievements. Although I have one confession to make, which is lil silly so pls forgive. I think I’ve grown to be a Lisa sympathiser smh in some of these months as I watch their tour clips? There are thousands of clip on Tiktok showing how unsyncronise the group is, mostly jennie slacking as per usual and even other two members looking disinterested in group performances or stiff. Lisa is better than the other 3 from all clips I looked at, which is being used as a defence slander against bts. Defending one entire group’s downfall by one member it’s funny to think about LOL. But just sometime ago I saw one tiktok on feed where they captioned lisa was sick but still performed throughout and blinks in replies were gross saying that ‘she only got fever everyone has it not a big deal’ it was upsetting to read. Like if somebody as an army says something like this to a member they’re surely getting kicked out from army fandom coz this is legit anti behaviour but in blink city they celebrate this? Meanwhile if Jen is leaving stages due to sickness they’re pitying her. IG this internalised sympathy over one member is so dense that members got more solos than whole group stans and blinks know that they’ve failed as a fandom so they nitpick fights with armys instead. Also normalise blaming yg for their favouritism to polarise the group, I think nobody can save them from the downfall when this group disbands. Serves the company right.
Lisa is a hard worker who genuinely seems to like her job and she’s rlly good at it, I hope she will always be successful and happy xx
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i’ve officially watched far enough into s4 of stranger things to know for sure y’all going on about how the Max plot was minimising how fucked up that family was just totally lack an understanding of abuse and trauma.
Do you Really think every abuser sits around in seething hatred for their victim? Do you think you can’t abuse people you love? Billy’s dad left because he couldn’t stand to live there without his son. He abused his son. These two things can and will coexist. Is that galling? Yeah, but it’s true.
Also... if Billy was a parent and treated Max the way he did, you’d be lining up to point out it was abuse. People don’t Seem to want to use the word because he was ‘just’ a sibling, but he was abusing her in the same way he’d learnt to be abused by his father. Cyclical violence.
Max lacks this perspective. When you live in this type of environment you normalise it for your survival, instead of escaping said environment and learning from the perspective of a healthy environment in the future that what happened during her childhood was horrific, she instead witnessed Billy be killed Violently and traumatically in front of her face, as he saved one of her friends’ lives.
So now she’s traumatized And feels bad about still hating him! She has survivors guilt, ptsd, and is depressed as hell, she is borderline suicidal. She even says out loud that they hated each other, she Knows this, her feeling like she also died that day is her not understanding her depression and grasping at straws at the only solid thing she knows happened; That Billy died.
She has meetings with the councillor, but due to what happened when he died she cannot be honest with her and get proper therapy, so she’s stuck with no help Nor perspective on her own feelings. She thinks her being sad and traumatised over how he died means that maybe she did something wrong, maybe She should be dead.
She’s wrong, but her feeling this way makes total sense. Max having a trauma response to witnessing him die violently in front of her and then having her whole family life fall apart is not dismissing that the family unit was toxic and abusive. The show had her state that she didn’t like Billy, and that since her stepdad left that life is better because he’s an awful man.
What I mean is... Max is displaying understandable behaviour considering her personal knowledge. This is A) the 80′s with an 80′s understanding of psychology And B)Max would have no personal access to said knowledge anyway Because it’s the 80′s. We as the audience know better, but... This is from Max’s perspective. We’re meant to grasp that she would understand less as a child in the 80′s with no useful help or information sources.
#danni watches stranger things#stranger things spoilers#this is a ... pet peeve#none of y'all Get sibling abuse#bc if you say 'yeah my sibling is abusive' ppl shove it under a rug bc siblings are assholes right?#.... not like that#bleh.#anyway max is Fine thanks leave the kid alone#and the writing in this case#they knew what they were doing.#abuse mention cw#suicidal ideation cw
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B- Bullying
youtube
Aren't we tired of witnessing the harmful effects of bullying around us? It's time to take a stand and put an end to hurtful language that leaves scars both online and offline. This powerful campaign by UNICEF (South Africa) against cyberbullying, where they shed light on the impact of using derogatory words like "slut." Often we forget that such words affect people not just mentally but can sometimes also affect their physical health. This campaign addresses the need to make people stop and think about this, before hitting the “SEND” button. In a world where digital interactions have become an essential part of our lives, it's crucial for us to remember that our words hold tremendous power. In terms of this ad the word "slut" has been used to demean, degrade, and humiliate Stacy, causing deep emotional wounds that can last a lifetime. Despite knowing that Stacy was going through something difficult which are severely causing sadness in her life.
This ad was made by two young girls, Amri Botha and Carina Coetzee six years ago. Since then we can see a lot more cases similar to this one. This ad is simple but at the same time is structured well with a strong message focusing on how we should be mindful as individuals and spread respect and love for each other. The audience that it caters to is mostly Genz. in the past few years we can see how words like “slut” have been normalised without keeping in mind the implications it can have on someone. Through this we can see how language is perceived, as well as on societal attitudes towards gender, sexuality, and respect for one another.It's important to note that language is a powerful tool that shapes our thoughts, behaviours, and cultural norms.
The part that I found to be the most interesting is how even after getting in built messages in order to avoid sending the message, she still sent it showing how little emphasis we put on such matters. It also shades light on problems like “consent” which are crucial as it forms the foundation of respectful and healthy interactions between individuals, especially in matters of personal boundaries, relationships, and human rights.
It's time to erase hurtful language from our screens and replace it with words that uplift, inspire, and unite. As humans we should stand up against bullying of any kind. Stand up for respect. Stand up for change. Together, we can make a difference.
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The slashers reaction to their child mimicking them killing someone and the child responds with "I want to be strong like you."
The Slashers reacting to their child mimicking them killing somebody:
Thomas Hewitt
Thomas wanted to keep both you and his children away from all that violence but that just wasn’t realistic and he knew it.
You and even his kids would eventually see something at some point. No matter how hard he tried.
So yes, you’re child had seen the violence that happens on occasion.
But Thomas isn’t please with this. You’re child mimicking the violence they’ve seen their father commit.
He’s torn by the gesture.
He doesn’t want to encourage them into violence at all.
But “I want to be strong like you” absolutely melts his heart. They want to be like him? Why? He doesn’t understand but, god, does he adore his child with his whole being.
Michael Myers
Unfortunately doesn’t see the problem with the child mimicking him.
You know Michael Myers raising a child isn’t exactly ideal but you love him and you love your child, not matter which parent that start to take after more...
“I want to be strong like you” Yes, their father is strong. Well done for noticing that...okay, fine, he admits that it was kinda cute! Are you happy now?!
But he’s not an idea, a murder scene isn’t a place for a child, even he knows that, and he’s not about to take his child out on the kill with him.
That’s your problem to deal with...
Jason Voorhees
Jason tried to protect your child from all this bad stuff but it was bound to happen.
You and you child going for a walk in the woods, running into their father as he killed somebody.
But the child was never afraid of him, he never gave the kid to a reason to be.
Not a fan of the child mimicking the swing of his machete, he wanted to protect them from that no participate in it.
He won’t get mad at the child, of course he won’t, but he will discourage the behaviour.
“I want to be strong like you” will make him falter. Not in a bad way. It’s just so precious! He could never be mad at his child, especially for something they unfortunately learnt from him.
Brahms Heelshire
It was a one time thing! Somebody broke into the house, Brahms dealt with it...your child happened to see it.
And instead of trauma, they just thought it was great that their father was protecting them and you.
It wasn’t long after that, that your child starting mimicking the action
When you asked why and your child responded with “I want to be strong like Daddy!” Brahms was smiling like an idiot.
See, Y/n! Even your child can see that he protects you!
You’re going to have to deal with the consequences. Both discouraging the behaviour in your child and wiping that grin off of Brahms’s face.
Bo Sinclair
Bo does do his best to keep his child as far away from the dark truth of the town as much as possible, he knows it’s no place for a child and they’ll learn about it eventually.
But it’s a small town and people show up unexpectantly. Which is how your child witness their father killing a man.
Honestly, it freaks Bo out a little bit. He never thought he would be a good father and this is just like evidence of that.
But he makes sure they aren’t scared, told them that it’s just something they have to do for the town and the family. It’s all okay.
It’s a couple of days later when you both witness them mimicking that they saw Bo do.
He already knows you’re glaring at him and he’s apologetic, he just isn’t going to say that.
“I want to be strong like you!” It catches Bo off guard more than it does you. He’s still questioning his fathering abilities but they must think he’s doing alright if they want to be like him!
Still, he nods along when you mention that you should be discouraging that as much as possible.
Vincent Sinclair
Vincent does want to keep your child as far from the darkness of the town as much but it’s nearly impossible.
Your child is completely allowed in their father’s workroom, as long as he doesn’t have a victim there.
But this time a victim escaped and headed for the house, were you and his child where. He had to protect you both so he caught them and killed them, completely horrified when he realised that his child had witnessed that.
It was you that sat down to explain it to your child, knowing that Vincent was beating himself up about it.
Vincent was also horrified when your child started mimicking the action.
“I want to be strong like you!” your child claimed with a bright smile.
Vincent melted at that. They wanted to be like him? God, he loved them so much. But there were much better ways to be like him than to hurt people, he’ll work on teaching them that.
Lester Sinclair
It’s not often that Lester actually had to kill a victim himself and one of the few times it happens, your child just so happened to be around. To be fair, they attacked him first!
Brushes it off to your child as “it’s just something we have to do for the town, just protecting ourselves, okay?” but also adds a very serious “Don’t tell your mother/father”.
But then the mimicking began, explained by a “I want to be strong like daddy!” so Lester wasn’t getting away with this one. He can’t even lie about it, he looks too guilty because he knows he messed up.
Don’t worry though, Lester is just as eager as you to discourage this behaviour and not have your child mimicking a murder.
Bubba Sawyer
Bubba is so used to the violence normalised in the family that he doesn’t see a huge issue on the effects it could have on your child but he does really want to shelter them from it all as much as he can.
When your child starts mimicking his actions, he gets concerned.
He doesn’t want them to hurt anyone and he doesn’t want them to get hurt.
“I want to be strong like you!” Oh okay that is cute...they want to provide for the family like him! But no, this is wrong, doesn’t matter how cute it is...
Works extra hard to keep your child away from all that bad stuff in the future, with your help of course.
You both just want what’s best for your child.
Billy Lenz
Like Brahms, it was a one time thing! He was protecting his family from an intruder! He was doing the right thing and it wasn’t his fault that your child saw it!
He knows you’re going to kill him when he first sees your child mimicking, and tells them to not do that around you.
They do though and Billy is looking anywhere other than at you.
“I want to be strong like you!” okay, you both can admit that’s cute but it’s still not good!
Admittedly, it does get Billy smiling. His kid wants to be like him and he thinks that means he’s doing a good job!
You still have to discourage the behaviour, even Billy can see the issue here.
Otis Driftwood
It’s impossible for your child to avoid what happens in that house, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened.
Otis is way to supportive until you remind him why he should no be supportive of this.
Is still secretly supportive of it.
But even he has enough sense to not actually encourage the child to harm a person...that’s something that they have to decide to do in their own time, and when that time comes Otis will be a proud father who will teach them how it’s done.
You knew what you were getting into when you got involved with this family!!!!
Baby Firefly
As I said, it’s impossible for your child to avoid the shit that happens in the Firefly household! It’s a reality that you are going to have to come to terms with as parents.
...not that Baby is very concerned about it. It’s a family thing! What’s wrong with it?!
Is pretty supportive and proud of your child picking up her bad habits.
Calls you a ‘party pooper’ for suggesting that maybe it’s not great for your child to be mimicking killing someone.
Won’t force your child to do anything but if, in a few years, your child wants to join her in hurting someone...she isn’t going to stop them...
I said it one and I’ll say it again, you knew what you were getting into when you got involved with this family!!!!
Yautja (Predator)
So proud!
Obviously, in this case, this isn’t your child mimicking some stabbing motion and pretending to kill an innocent.
It’s your child doing their best to mimicking their father’s combat stances and strikes.
Will happily teach your child combat.
But he knows that they’re still too young to actually take on a hunt.
Soon though!
Don’t you worry, Y/n, he’ll take care of them!
You trust him with your child’s life and know he won’t put them in any real danger. He’s just proud of them!
“I want to be strong like you!” Yes child, your father is strong! See, Y/n, they can see that he is strong as well! He’s going to teach your child to be strong just like him, just like they wanted.
You’ve never seen your mate so proud.
#thomas hewitt x reader#michael myers x reader#jason voorhees x reader#brahms heelsire x reader#bo sinclair x reader#vincent sinclair x reader#lester sinclair x reader#bubba sawyer x reader#billy lenz x reader#otis driftwood x reader#baby firefly x reader#yautja x reader#predator x reader#brahms x reader#slashers x reader#slashers#slasher#my writing
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Becky Downie has missed out on an Olympics before. In a 13-year gymnastics career, which has seen her win 14 major medals, she felt the heartbreak of watching a home Games from the sidelines in 2012. But this time is different, she says.
On Monday, her shock omission from the Tokyo 2020 team was announced, and she now says she can “never forget” the turmoil she endured from British Gymnastics during the selection process. She also hints that her treatment was influenced by her decision to speak out at the culture of abuse within gymnastics, suggesting she was “made to feel not welcome” at the sport’s training hub at Lilleshall after going public.
In an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport, Downie describes the last few weeks as "the hardest of her life". She had thought things could not get worse than 2020: Olympic postponement, the fallout after she joined whistleblowers to speak publicly about what she described as "normalised" abusive training environments, and her father's time in intensive care battling Covid-19.
But last month tragedy struck when her brother Josh, 24, died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition while playing cricket. It was news Downie says "you never imagine receiving". To make things worse, she received the devastating call on the eve of the final Olympic team trial, while apart from her family at a hotel in Cardiff.
"I got a knock on the door after midnight, and my first thought was it must be drug testers," Downie says of that night. "I was half asleep, completely dazed. The coaches came in and when they told me [that Josh had died], I thought, am I actually dreaming this? There are really no words to really describe it. There were a lot of tears. It was the longest journey of my life, getting back to be with my family in Nottingham."
Sat in her living room in Nottingham now, Downie still has a look of disbelief on her face as she describes the events of the last few weeks. Condolence cards are placed around the room to mark how raw and recent her family's grief remains. Mounting more pain on top of that seems unimaginable, but the blows have kept coming.
Just two months ago, she was on top of the world after executing what she believes is a world leading uneven bars routine. At 29, she felt in the form of her life. When she posted a video of her routine online, major champions were applauding her in the comments, even the legendary Nadia Comaneci. Downie believes the routine put her in contention for a gold medal.
But last Friday her appeal was denied, and British Gymnastics confirmed she would not go to Tokyo. It is less than two years since she won a stunning silver medal at the World Championships - a competition that counted as a trial for the Olympic squad - but somehow she has failed to make even the three reserve spots for Tokyo. Though Downie has wished all of the gymnasts selected the best, she remains baffled by her exclusion - especially because she “met all the criteria” and her trials scores put her top of the rankings in bars.
British Gymnastics have defended the decision, saying they are focusing on medals in the team event, and that Downie's specialism in bars posed a "risk" to this strategy. But it has caused uproar, with a petition calling for an independent review of the selection process receiving 25,000 signatures in the last five days. Beyond selection though, Downie says what hurts the most is the way she believes the decision was made and how she was treated in the process.
After missing the final trial due to bereavement, Downie and sister Ellie were given another opportunity by British Gymnastics to compete for their spot on the team 10 days later. Though Ellie elected not to do so, Downie made the brave decision to take up the offer.
"I know that Josh would want me to, he wouldn't want me not to try," she says. What followed though, was a process where she alleges British Gymnastics lacked "any element of compassion".
They did not allow her to compete at her home gym in Nottingham or at the national centre at Lilleshall. British Gymnastics then rejected a venue she and her coach proposed and instead suggested she return to Cardiff - a six-hour round trip from her home and the very place she had learned of her brother's passing.
"That's the part that hurt me most. I refused. Why would I want to go back there? I don’t think that should have been asked of me at all."
Another venue was confirmed instead, and though British Gymnastics emphasised their intention to replicate as closely as possible the environment that the other gymnasts had competed in in Cardiff - for the benefit of fairness - Downie says it was her that was put at the disadvantage.
New obstacles included British Gymnastics failing to book her training slot at the chosen venue - a basic thing that all of the athletes had for their trial - which saw her make a 90-minute trip and have to plead with the Leisure Centre to remain open. She also had an existing dispute with the governing body because they refused to allow her to use equipment at the trial which more closely resembled that being used in Tokyo. As a bars specialist, this meant she couldn't perform her highest difficulty routine. "It's like telling Lewis Hamilton to get in a Ferrari and drive - in a sport of small margins, and high performance, equipment is always a factor."
Actually competing in the trial, while still reeling from the death of her brother, was "the hardest thing I ever had to do", and she describes national coaches walking past her wordlessly while she “sobbed uncontrollably”. But afterwards, she and Ellie walked out of the gym with "not a doubt in our mind" that she had done enough.
"If I can perform in that environment, which was harder than any Olympic final would ever be, I’m really proud," she says.
But, according to British Gymnastics, it was not enough. Knowing now that the team event was the priority in selection, she believes her exclusion from the team was already a foregone conclusion before her trial.
British Gymnastics "categorically" denies the suggestion that the trial was a "tick box" exercise, and say they trust that selection was decided purely on merit, but Downie is unconvinced. To add insult to injury, she was given a 48-hour deadline to appeal the decision, falling on the day of her brother's funeral.
"It makes me feel sick that they treated me like that," she says. "It hurts me to know the things I had to miss. Picking the flowers for the funeral whilst I was away trialling, a tribute for my brother at his cricket club, which happened when I wasn’t even given a proper training slot. I missed that, for what? There’s so much that was hurtful.
"I'll never forget that. And no amount of apologies will ever make that okay."
Downie and her sister were two of the only current British gymnasts to speak out about abuse in the sport last year, which triggered an independent review commissioned by UK Sport and Sport England. When she was left out of the squad on Monday, lobbying group Gymnasts for Change called it a "sinister warning" being sent by British Gymnastics to whistleblowers.
Does Downie think this outcome is a result of her speaking out? "It's very hard to say... But I definitely know that there has been a big behavioural shift towards me and Ellie, since that point, from certain individuals, decision makers. We’ve gone down to Lilleshall and been made to feel not welcome.
"I have been told by a person of significant importance - in the national team environment - that a lot of coaches do not agree with what we've done. Maybe I did open my mouth a year too soon, I'm not sure. If this is the sacrifice [an Olympics] then this is the sacrifice, change needs to happen. I’m proud of what I did and I don’t regret it."
Tokyo was meant to be her final bow, but now Downie has spent her first week in months out of the gym.
Downie is adamant though that she is not done with gymnastics. Despite the heartache and hurt caused, her love for the sport remains strong.
"It’s hard for me to think, can I be selected for a team ever again? I do know I want to carry on, because I want to show that routine. I haven’t done two years of work to sit on the sofa. There’s a World Championships this year. They certainly don’t have control over my final chapter. I know I want to compete again on my terms."
But the dream of Olympic gold is gone: "I genuinely believe that we could have done it. I think I had a shot at being the first female Olympic champion Britain has had in gymnastics."
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I was missing some Lee Soo Hyuk content and decided to rewatch born again, only to be reminded why I hated that show.
Jesus christ the FL is infuriating. I’m not even mad at the second lead (?), who’s clear as day a borderline psychopath. I’m more mad how spineless the FL is. He put a tracker in her phone, looked through her diary, put recorders to listen in on her and almost killed someone because he was jealous and she said “it’s alright. You didn’t mean to do it.” HUH??? What in the stockholm syndrome is this dumpster fire. I’m sorry I don’t think you understand, he wasn’t going to kill you, that knife was for your bf so if you weren’t there, someone else was going to die. And even after knowing he almost killed you, you smile and invite him out for dinner. HUH????? x2
It’s alarming how easily she empathise with serial killers. When asked “what if he goes out of jail and kills again?” she said “What if he doesn’t, why can’t you give him a chance?” HUH???? x3
That’s not up to you miss. Try telling that to the victim’s family like wtf. It’s not for you to forgive.
I’m not mad LSH didn’t get the girl because his character is not a saint either, but anyone but the other guy. He’s A PSYCHO. WHY WE ROMANTICISING A STALKER LIKE NO. It’s almost offensive that they tried to give him an arc. Like he’s a stalker yes but he’s learned his lesson. WTF put him in a ward bro, that’s not okay. Her reason for liking him is so stupid too. Because she remembered how many times he protected when half of the time, he caused it. And have you forgotten how the other guy saved you every other time for SL’s own actions??? What world do we live in where stalking to that degree is romantic? Most people are NOT STALKERS. So why don’t we start with not normalising criminal behaviour, yes? 7 billion people in the world and you chose a stalker???
I went over to reddit and some person was debating with people how fl and sl is destined to be together, fated to be lovers. In the past, he was a convicted serial killer. Even though it turned out it wasn’t him, he knew about the murders and he also killed her fiance. In the future? No better. Literal sociopath with no empathy and knows no emotion other than when it comes to FL. He excuses all his actions due to his alarming infatuation with her. He attempted murder twice. Destiny? Yeah, okay. Sure, let’s call it that.
I want my life before watching this show back thank you.
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