Friday, November 11, 2016

#NotMyPresident

Hello, everyone. Sorry I haven't said much lately. But things have been rough for me as of late, even having an emotional breakdown on Sunday--the day after my birthday--because of where I am in life. However, that's not what I wanted to talk about.

On Tuesday night, the American public voted to put an orange-skinned, racist, misogynistic blob in the White House, and after 8 years of progress under Barack Obama. The fact that so many people would vote for him instead of the highly-qualified Hillary Clinton says a lot about our society. And for the first time in a long time, I have to say that I'm ashamed to be an American, especially a white male; the orange bastard's supposed "base".

I'm a liberal. I've been that way for over 10 years. But that has nothing to do with how frustrated I am. I look around and see LGBT, Hispanic, black, Muslims, and a whole host of other peoples in fear of what that blob's Presidency will be like, and so am I. I'm on Medicaid because I can't afford insurance. I'm afraid that I'll never be able to get Medicaid again once the ACA is gutted. As an environmentalist, I'm afraid for our planet's future as that orange blob guts environmental regulations. I'm afraid for women and little girls who have to see sexual predators be rewarded for their behavior instead of punished, and for potentially losing their rights to their own choices. And I'm afraid for our free speech, too.

"But D!" you say, "He won the election fair and square!" That's not the point. The point is that his views and rhetoric don't represent what we as a country stand for--inclusiveness and freedom. The fact that he didn't even win the popular vote should tell you enough, that we didn't want him in the first place. The orange bastard only represents himself and his greed. He only wanted the title, not the office, to feed his massive, over-bloated ego. He is not my president.

My folks tell me not to worry too much. But I also see people in the streets, telling the orange bastard that he can't get away with sowing such division and racism once he's in the White House. I respect the Office, but that blob has not earned my respect. And I'll do what I can to make sure his time in office is not only short, but miserable. I've already started by donating to the ACLU (You can donate here) and I hope to attend a #NoDAPL rally in Chicago this Tuesday.

Meanwhile, conservatives and trumpians have criticised the protests. Unfortunately for them, this is pure hypocrisy. Conservatives clearly don't understand why people are angry at trump's election, and why we say #NotMyPresident. They point to the lack of post-election protests in 2008. Sadly for them, they forget the Tea Party. And they were the worst thing to happen to American politics then and now, probably the worst since the Civil War.

They've tried to de-legitimize President Obama just for who he is, calling him "Kenyan", "Obummer", photoshoping him into an African witch doctor, threatening to hang him, bringing their guns to rallies and even questioning where he was born. Even trump got in on the act with his whole #birther nonsense. Fact of the matter is, trump supporters have no leg to stand on when criticising "#Trumpriots"; because they did similar stuff. Your arrogance and hypocrisy is your downfall, trumpians. You'd be rioting if you lost, and you know it. Because trump incited them. In the final weeks of the campaign, trump would ramble on and on about how the Election was “rigged”. Heck, even back in 2012, he demanded protests when he thought Mitt Romney won the popular vote against President Obama. He’s since deleted those tweets.

But most importantly, when a Presidential candidate incites bigotry & hate as part of his campaign, that effects every one of his targets, and the resulting fear is real. Lecturing on protesting means nothing when people are scared. That's why they protest, and that's why they'll fight back. 

But these anti-trump protests are real, and they're going to continue. Trumpians and deplorables need to quit crying that people don't like their cult leader. We'll be there every step. But while the trumpians definitely hypocritical, reports of protestors committing acts of vandalism disheartens me. I do not want violence in these protests. But they’re going to continue, and we need to keep them going, so stop complaining about protests. And by calling protestors “crybabies”, they’ve exposed themselves for the hypocrites they are even more. But when attacks on minorities shoot up post-election, now you see why people are protesting. And why you are hypocrites.

Now quit complaining, crybabies, while the Left reorganizes, fights back and makes your cult leader wish he'd never run. When people are afraid, they fight back. This is just the beginning. #TheResistance is coming.

I hope you guys can do what you can, too. #NotMyPresident

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Marvel Owes Fans an Apology


I haven't posted on this blog in a long time, but recent developments in the comic book world have made me decide to speak my mind on the situation.
I usually don't get offended on other people's behalf, but in this case, not only am I making an exception, I'm just as offended as the people I'm going to discuss.
Marvel decided to make a cheap plot twist for the sake of gaining readership by making Captain America, a symbol of hope, strength, freedom, and a middle-finger to the nazis in WWII, a Hydra agent, essentially making him the very thing he's sworn to defeat over 75 years.
The outrage isn't just confined to Jewish fans, but that's where it probably hits home the most. Cap was created by two Jewish men, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, as a response to pro-nazi rhetoric and people like Charles Lindbergh, who was not only isolationist, but explicitly pro-nazi.
In the comics, Hydra is an organization dedicated to nazi-like ideals. By making Cap a Hydra agent, Marvel has betrayed gentile and Jewish fans, and his creators. You don't need to be Jewish to be offended, but if I were Jewish, not only would I be offended, I would be ready to storm the Marvel offices and demand that Nick Spencer, the man behind this, to resign, apologize and make things right again.
It has also been pointed out by others that it's possible Cap is being mind-controlled. While this dilutes the anger only slightly, it doesn't change the fact that this is not only offensive, it's a cheap, lazy writing gimmick for simple shock value that spits on his and his creator's legacy. Also, the possibility that this won't last shows that Marvel would rather go for cheap, short-term shock than long-term storytelling, which says a lot about Marvel.
Even worse,“Everyone relax! Marvel does this all the time, it’ll be back to normal soon!”
THAT’S NOT THE POINT.
This is bad writing and cheap marketing ploys in the name of a twist and generating publicity. While it definitely worked, it’s come at a cost to Marvel’s reputation and exposes a common problem in the comic book industry of relying on naked shock tactics to get readers. Unfortunately, it fucking backfired this time, because Captain America is not only Marvel’s top hero, he’s a literal response to anti-semitism. By making him a HYDRA agent, it betrays everything his original character stands for.
All in the name of a cheap marketing ploy. A CHEAP MARKETING PLOY.
Bad writing is inexcusable. I don’t care if you say nick spencer “understands” this character, everyone in their right minds knows that this is wrong. It’s even worse to grab attention; it smacks of an uncreative group who think being shocking and edgy is a great way to grab readers. It certainly grabhs headlines, but not at the cost of betrying the fans.
There’s no excuse for this kind of bad writing.
And it's pointless. If it's all going to end in a couple of months, then this was nothing but a cheap publicity ploy. In fact, this is just as good a reason to hate it, because we all know it's not going to last! They angered their entire fanbase just for a cheap shock. It's insulting to any intelligent reader, IMO.
By contrast, DC Comics has released "Rebirth #1", by Geoff Johns, and it's a concerted attempt by Johns to apologize to fans for bad writing and stories for 30 years. Another twist reveals Dr. Manhattan to be the one behind the company's disastrous New 52 line, which tried to take the point of Watchmen the wrong way. I loved this book. I felt happy. I felt hope. I felt the way comic books and superheroes are supposed to make me feel. Marvel did the opposite.
This cannot stand. It betrays everyone who admired Captain America. It betrays his creators and it betrays his original intent. Shame on you, Marvel. Shame. On. You.