The Big Picture: Junk Drawer: Reloaded

[HalfTangible]

I have a question.

Why is the burden of proof on the guy saying 'no there isn't' when it comes to racism? Shouldn't you have to prove that something is racist BEFORE you ask someone to prove you wrong?

Further, why are all crimes commited by a superiority (is that the right word?) against a minority hate crimes? Can't it just be over money, like everything else?

 

[sageoftruth]

Oh, and is anyone really that excited for Soul Calibur V? I loved the second one, but the fourth one felt like a weak retread and the fifth one looks even worse to me.

I bought SC IV, I played it for a day then went back to SC III(love the strategy-ish campaign is has). The fourth one turned me off so much I've lost interest in all new installments to the series... even if Vader or Spawn or (that guy from Tekken (I think he was from Tekken anyway)) or Link is in it again.

EDIT:

So lets get this right,

Gay marriage = Destroying innocence
letting someone burn to death in hot lava, decapitating and dismembering people with a lazer sword and the full genocide of a planet to prove a point=Fine.


People are weird...

not to mention the original series, which dates back to the 70s, had a father cutting his kid's hand of, torture, murder with magical powers, gangsters, drug runs, giant space slugs who are horny for Carrie Fischer, a hero who shoots first to handle his debt to said gangsters, bounty hunters, very obvious Nazi analogues, bar fights etc.

But yeah, homosexuality is the death of innocence.

Hey, they "fixed" that, remember? So it's all ok now... well after a few more edits and reselling of said series anyway.

It definitely reminded me of this:
http://satwcomic.com/anything-but-that

 

[sergnb]

I still don't understand how or why a My Little Ponies series became this internet phenomenon seemingly overnight. Or over any length of time.

Since I won't watch the show, I probably never will, either. It just seems bizarre to me.

Here's a suggestion if you don't want to watch MLP: It's exactly the same as Powerpuff Girls, but with movie and internet culture references.

Oh, and the most overrated stuff ever made too.

Did you watch EITHER of these shows?

Because PPG had significantly more pop-culture references than MLP.

For one thing, PPG was originally intended to be adult animation, back when it had the working title "The Whoopass Girls", and it was toned DOWN for Cartoon Network.

MLP was always intended to be aimed at 3-8 year olds, until the Internet decided that it is sooo cuuute and fuuuunnny. So far, we didn't see any episode that was written after it became a meme.

Just pointing it out, because it's funny that you fell for the same mistake that Bob accuses lazy execs of, that is, ignorantly believing that if it is popular with nerds, that can only happen because it is secretly full of nerdy jokes.

Yes, I agree. I did a mistake there saying MLP has more references, because that is clearly not the case.

Point is: MLP is the most overrated piece of shit I've ever seen.

 

[AdamRBi]

In a perfect world I'd be expecting the success of MLP:FiM to usher in more creative freedom to studios since it was the creative freedoms given to the series that made something little girl oriented to actually be good...

... damn this imperfect world, I honestly didn't see this bleak future of girly franchises rebooted to catch the 18 to 25 crowd. Please, I don't want another 90's unless I get more SwatKats.

No wait, knowing most companies today I don't think I'd like the result.

It's only a matter of time though until this Retro Fad starts pulling from the 90s though; we can only really hope for the best.

 

[Shjade]

I still don't understand how or why a My Little Ponies series became this internet phenomenon seemingly overnight. Or over any length of time.

Since I won't watch the show, I probably never will, either. It just seems bizarre to me.

I think you've hit the nail straight on the head there. You really won't get the show unless you've watched it. Even if you don't be come a 'brony' you will understand the whole concept it's based upon.

So......... i suggest you just try and watch a few minutes of MLP just to see what it's about. One 22 minute episode is more than enough to get the gist of the show. At least that way you'll know what everyone's talking about.

I was thinking similarly the other day, deciding I should at least give it some time to try to make an impression on me.

The impression it made: my pre-watch assumptions were 100% accurate. It's an entirely unremarkable show - not bad, but nothing about it that's notable either. Average animation, predictable characters and episode arcs, aimed at younger age groups, devoid of intellectual stimulation. At least the voice acting wasn't obnoxious - if it were I wouldn't have been able to sit through an entire episode - but "not obnoxious" isn't exactly an attractive descriptor for a source of entertainment.

I'm as puzzled by the show's popularity now as I was before watching it.

 

[crazeekamikazee]

I feel that feminism cheapens equality and spits in the face of men who stand up for and believe in feminism. At first it was a noble and much needed movement, but it's turned in to "how many double standards can we make acceptable in sociality and rights we can take away from men.".

Feminist are so fucking cowardly, they don't say shit about religious oppression, if it offends Islam then they leave it. they'd rather pick faults with movies and video games, than do something that could actual help someone.

If a mother and father was to split up, the father has lot less rights when it comes to whether he sees his own kids. No one seems to care, it's sickening.

If a man was being abused by a women in the street, everyone thinks "he had it coming" or "stop being pathetic".
If a women was being abused by a men in the street, everyone thinks "what fucking scum" and may proceed to intervene.
Case and point --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKgwczruOSQ&feature=related
atrocities can be done against men but not women. Could you imagine if a man was to cut off a women's clitoris and tits, would that convocation be the same?

There is no reason for male circumcision to be legal but female is completely out of bounds.

Stop treating those who have a problem with feminism as people to be disregard because of some assumption that they don't know the history. The good of yesterday doesn't justify the bad of today.

 

[Alterego-X]

I still don't understand how or why a My Little Ponies series became this internet phenomenon seemingly overnight. Or over any length of time.

Since I won't watch the show, I probably never will, either. It just seems bizarre to me.

I think you've hit the nail straight on the head there. You really won't get the show unless you've watched it. Even if you don't be come a 'brony' you will understand the whole concept it's based upon.

So......... i suggest you just try and watch a few minutes of MLP just to see what it's about. One 22 minute episode is more than enough to get the gist of the show. At least that way you'll know what everyone's talking about.

I was thinking similarly the other day, deciding I should at least give it some time to try to make an impression on me.

The impression it made: my pre-watch assumptions were 100% accurate. It's an entirely unremarkable show - not bad, but nothing about it that's notable either. Average animation, predictable characters and episode arcs, aimed at younger age groups, devoid of intellectual stimulation. At least the voice acting wasn't obnoxious - if it were I wouldn't have been able to sit through an entire episode - but "not obnoxious" isn't exactly an attractive descriptor for a source of entertainment.

I'm as puzzled by the show's popularity now as I was before watching it.

I think, one notable unique element that you glossed over, (maybe because you personally don't care about that as a value, that would also explain why you didn't turn into a brony) is it's innocence, and a lack of ironic cynicism.

Almost everything that is made for older kids, and with adult fans in mind, (like SpongeBob, Chowder, etc.), is trying to be "hip", so it includes a huge dose of parody elements, with traditional morals getting spoofed, "friendship is lame, idealism is lame, every other story is lame because they take things seriously, you are lame, oh, look, how cool we are." Even in animated movies, every poster has the "Dreamworks Face", sending the message of how cynical and ironic the show is, compared to the older, straight fairy tales and likes.

Ironically, MLP's charm is in how un-ironic it is. In that show, friendship IS magic, ponies are nice to each other, every episode has a honest moral... AND it's not even obnoxious!

Even if there were other shows for very young kids, that were cute, and friendly, they were all the epitome of obnixiousness (Teletubbies, Barney, etc). So, apparently there grew such a huge demand for innocent, kind shows, that respect adult sensibilities, that MLP could grab it all by the virtue of NOT being a lazily made suckfest of stupidity.

 

[internetzealot1]

No, really, the connotation of feminist has been negative since women earned civil rights? Because the day suffragists got away with it anybody pushing for female rights immediately became a stuck up *****?
The day women got equal with men, any woman who continued pushing exclusively for women's rights became a stuck up *****


and no feminist I know, myself included, has ever claimed to want women to be treated better than men, ever
Well no shit they're not going to straight come out and say it. And I'd put you, an "equalist" or something, in a different category anyway.

You would label me something different, but I'm not. I'm a feminist, not an "equalist" (which, as a movement, does not actually exist). You don't own the word, and your misuse of it isn't going to give it to you.


Oh, and I guess any black, hispanic, asian person who works for equal treatment and civil rights is a bigot? I mean, after all, they are technically equal since slavery got abolished, so they should shut the hell up, right?

Maaaan, you do suck. A lot.

No, I don't own the word. But I'm not the one "misusing" it: society is. And words are only what society makes of them. There is no longer any need for the traditional meaning of "feminism" (like I said, the belief that women should be treated equally is now the norm, and it is much more efficient to label who believe otherwise), so it has assumed, or is in the process of assuming, the new usage given to it by society.

"Oh, and I guess any black, hispanic, asian person who works for equal treatment and civil rights is a bigot? I mean, after all, they are technically equal since slavery got abolished, so they should shut the hell up, right?"
They have already attained equal treatment and civil rights. If they continue to press for better treatment or more rights exclusively for themselves, then they are bigots. Prejudice is no longer a societal thing. It is only present at the level of individuals.

Please try to be more flexible.

 

[Shjade]

It's an entirely unremarkable show - not bad, but nothing about it that's notable either. Average animation, predictable characters and episode arcs, aimed at younger age groups, devoid of intellectual stimulation.

I think, one notable unique element that you glossed over, (maybe because you personally don't care about that as a value, that would also explain why you didn't turn into a brony) is it's innocence, and a lack of ironic cynicism.

I don't think I glossed over it. It's right there: predictable characters and episode arcs, aimed at younger age groups, devoid of intellectual stimulation.

It's innocent and lacks depth. That's pretty much the definition of "aimed at younger age groups" on average, and anyone above that target demographic (assuming average intelligence/life experience) could likely tell you how any episode is going to run just by watching the first two to three minutes, minus specific details (ex: little ponies giving their volunteer babysitter a hard time until she saves them from whatever trouble they get themselves into, minus the specific detail of cockatrice appearance).

It's not bad. I just don't understand why it's popular above, say, mid-teens at the oldest. There's no substance. If it were ironic popularity it'd make more sense.

 

[internetzealot1]

No, really, the connotation of feminist has been negative since women earned civil rights? Because the day suffragists got away with it anybody pushing for female rights immediately became a stuck up *****?
The day women got equal with men, any woman who continued pushing exclusively for women's rights became a stuck up *****


and no feminist I know, myself included, has ever claimed to want women to be treated better than men, ever
Well no shit they're not going to straight come out and say it. And I'd put you, an "equalist" or something, in a different category anyway.

You would label me something different, but I'm not. I'm a feminist, not an "equalist" (which, as a movement, does not actually exist). You don't own the word, and your misuse of it isn't going to give it to you.


Oh, and I guess any black, hispanic, asian person who works for equal treatment and civil rights is a bigot? I mean, after all, they are technically equal since slavery got abolished, so they should shut the hell up, right?

Maaaan, you do suck. A lot.

No, I don't own the word. But I'm not the one "misusing" it: society is. And words are only what society makes of them. There is no longer any need for the traditional meaning of "feminism" (like I said, the belief that women should be treated equally is now the norm, and it is much more efficient to label who believe otherwise), so it has assumed, or is in the process of assuming, the new usage given to it by society.

"Oh, and I guess any black, hispanic, asian person who works for equal treatment and civil rights is a bigot? I mean, after all, they are technically equal since slavery got abolished, so they should shut the hell up, right?"
They have already attained equal treatment and civil rights. If they continue to press for better treatment or more rights exclusively for themselves, then they are bigots. Prejudice is no longer a societal thing. It is only present at the level of individuals.

Please try to be more flexible.

But that's not what feminists want.
You're not talking about feminists. You're talking about normal people

And prejudice not being societal is just... either wishful thinking or self delusion, really.
If I stand on a street corner with a sign that says "White Power" or "Go back to the kitchen, women", society will condemn me. Prejudice may still exist, but it exists as fragments in individuals and fringe groups, not as the unified will of the people it once was

That's the core of the issue, I just can't accept your presumptions. They're wrong. They're self-serving and irresponsible.
lolwut
Women aren't treated equally in many ways. Neither are racial minorities or homosexuals.
Once again, in fragmented instances. Also, there are ways in which men are treated worse than women.

Also, I'm not sure you're in a position to give permission to other societal groups to complain or not. Parsing your "theys", you're a white heterosexual male. So am I, for the record. We have been the one single unoppressed group in the western world for the last 200 years. If you're upper class, make that 400, and if you descend from nobility, that's about 2000. I'd say we should think fucking hard before we tell racial minorities, women or other groups that their four decades of fighting for equality have expired and they should shut up and go back to work.

Please don't use this argument. Its totally invalid. White heterosexual men of today are not responsible for injustices committed by white heterosexual men in the past. Even though it seems to be a universal assumption

 

[arealperson]

He couldn't even pronounce Vita right...

Vee-tah.

I guess vitality is pronounced vee-tality then right?

Er, vita isn't an English word, it's Italian. Or Latin, as in the case of the "veetah" we borrowed for "Vytalitee".

Sacré bleu! The English speaking world sometimes appreciates other languages?

 

[maximara]

I don't care about the attractiveness of the male leads, or how they run around in next to nothing. I'm bisexual, so of course I like that, but I think anyone seriously that worked up is just fucking insecure.

Of course, what does trouble me about Twilight is its portrayal of the Edward/Bella RELATIONSHIP as anything but creepy...

Thing is that it's fictional entertainment based on what a lot of women find fun in a fantasy. It's not designed to be used as a basis for a real relationship, take it from a guy who has read more than a few female erotic novels, they are almost never representative of a healthy relationship or any relationship a woman would want. Women on the whole are not so stupid as to confuse an idle daydream with a workable plan.

I don't know about that last part. The whole have a career and family and handle it on your own ideal was anything BUT workable but a lot of woman bought into it. It should be pointed out that the feminist movement hurt itself by letting extreme radicals run amok without saying anything. When by silence you give the impression that you are wound up over trivialities like changing policeman to policeperson the movement as a whole suffers.

 

[Diddy_Mao]

Okay, gonna tackle these as they're presented.

Game Scores - A lot of Gears of War: the newest one, was shown here but I wouldn't know how the fan/critic reaction has been to it since it and everything associated with it is a non entity to me. But I saw the same reaction to the Warhammer 40K: Space Marine game. Some folks made some valid points that it is comparable to some other games in it's same genre and that outside of it's setting it doesn't bring much to the table. And a lot of fellow 40K fans flipped their collective god damned wigs about it. A 7/10 score is pretty damned solid and were the boots on my feet it's probably the score I'd have given it. Don't get me wrong, I love the game because I'm a fan of the source material but there's nothing to be gained from blindly refusing to admit that the game mechanics themselves aren't anything to write home about. They're functional and solid but not perfect.


Sony Memory Cards - I love Sony I do. For three generations of home console they have managed to deliver the most stable system and most diverse library of games. But their handhelds suck dong and whenever one comes out I have to genuinely wonder who it was made for. Did anyone buy anything media beyond games on UMD? Did you ever really use that weird streaming radio service that it came with?

LGBT Jedi - I don't know how much of the game is going to be dedicated to pursuing a romantic relationship but I'm fairly certain that it won't be much of it. If current MMO's are of any indication your child's innocence will be completely ravaged by the random racist and generally hostile general or trade chat LONG before they happen to encounter a Jedi or Sith who might be a little light in the Lightsaber.

Soul Calibur/Twilight oogling - I agree, fair is fair and the "idealization of the human form" is and always will be a part of fantasy fiction. With that being said I'm still gonna ***** about Twilight for twisting the knife into the corpse of Vampire mythology that Anne Rice and Poppy Z. Bright already murdered.

Feminism - If I may be allowed to paraphrase "Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings too." As long as we're all in agreement that equality works for both good and ill then I'm all for it.

Employers - Myep. Suncoast, Starship Theatres, Carmike Cinemas and Hollywood Video. I am the destroyer of worlds.

Racism in games - This is a WAY bigger can of worms than I want to get into here and now. Short response is similar to the Feminism one above. I know in previous installments it's been a point that the whole "slavery" thing gives folks a free pass on this issue. To me, we're reaching a point where the majority of folks in America have probably never owned any human beings as property nor have they been owned. I think it's getting to be time to put that particular argument to rest.

Lord knows nobody ever gave me a small pox infected blanket or stole any of MY land. Paleface not speak to me with fork tongue for many moons.


"chick cartoons" - Hey, as long as they get some developers with the Animation Predigree of Lauren Faust I'll have no room to complain.
But yeah, my hopes ain't high on that one.

 

[Khada]

Oh Bob, we agree on oh so much... <3

 

[Alterego-X]

It's an entirely unremarkable show - not bad, but nothing about it that's notable either. Average animation, predictable characters and episode arcs, aimed at younger age groups, devoid of intellectual stimulation.

I think, one notable unique element that you glossed over, (maybe because you personally don't care about that as a value, that would also explain why you didn't turn into a brony) is it's innocence, and a lack of ironic cynicism.

I don't think I glossed over it. It's right there: predictable characters and episode arcs, aimed at younger age groups, devoid of intellectual stimulation.

I still say that you did. What you describe here, is not the DEFINITION of innocence, just one particular , (negative) aspect of it. While it's clear that it's a matter of different tastes for you and bronies, and you won't suddenly go "OMG, I see now, so that's why MLP is awesome!", I'm still trying to explain, for the sake of clarity.

Think about this analogy: Why do people like children? They aren't even that clever, or strong. We, as humans, admire those values, but when it comes to children, we can look at them with an entirely different set of values.

It's not even just "lowering the standards", or "tolerating them". If you live close to young kids, you might notice, that in certain situations, you would genuinely rather spend some time with them, than with "deep and intellectual" adults, because that "cute, innocent, and simple" attitude is a value on it's own right.

As long as you are thinking from the standpoint that people would only ever watch shows for their twists, and intellectual content, I guess you won't even understand what bronies are talking about. "I'm watching it because it's so charmingly innocent" just sounds to you like a synonym of "I'm watching it because it's so charmingly dumb", if you ignore all the positive associations of the word, so that sounds like "watching it ironically".

It's a bit like the assumption that some people have, that just because history films, or Hard Sci-Fi, are expected to be "realistic", realism is ALWAYS a goal, every unrealistic element in every story is a failure to be realistic, therefore fantastic stories are inherently failed works. (while in fact, they aren't even trying, but they function on entirely different values of quality, than others.)