History Quotes / TheWarOnStraw

->'''SWJ''':\\\

'''Granny:''' Oh! Those porr SJW LGBTBBQJIDFWXYZ activists are so misguided!

It’s interesting that none of those seeking suicide are in extreme physical pain. Hatil has a damaged leg and a limp – but he’s healthy enough that running off to the mountains is a viable option. Ptera makes no mention of physical discomfort or loss of dignity (or even debilitation) as a result of the '[[BeautyIsNeverTarnished tumorous lesion]]' on her brain. Hatil and Ptera both seem to be relatively healthy individuals with afflictions that aren’t causing immediate agony or serious loss of dignity. Instead, this is a world where social and familial pressure exists to ''force'' people to [[TheSocialDarwinist volunteer for euthanasia]]."''

It’s interesting that none of those seeking suicide are in extreme physical pain. Hatil has a damaged leg and a limp – but he’s healthy enough that running off to the mountains is a viable option. Ptera makes no mention of physical discomfort or loss of dignity (or even debilitation) as a result of the '[[TakeOurWordForIt tumorous lesion]]' on her brain. Hatil and Ptera both seem to be relatively healthy individuals with afflictions that aren’t causing immediate agony or serious loss of dignity. Instead, this is a world where social and familial pressure exists to ''force'' people to [[TheSocialDarwinist volunteer for euthanasia]]."''

It’s interesting that none of those seeking suicide are in extreme physical pain. Hatil has a damaged leg and a limp – but he’s healthy enough that running off to the mountains is a viable option. Ptera makes no mention of physical discomfort or loss of dignity (or even debilitation) as a result of the '[[TakeOurWordForIt tumorous lesion]]' on her brain. Hatil and Ptera both seem to be relatively healthy individuals with afflictions that aren’t causing immediate agony or serious loss of dignity. Instead, this is a world where social and familial pressure exists to ''force'' people to [[TheSocialDarwnist volunteer for euthanasia]]."''

->''"[[SuicideIsPainless Euthanasia]] was a hot-button issue at the time, an example of ''Voyager'' trying to put its finger on the cultural pulse. In 1994, Oregon had legalised selected forms of euthanasia, which generated no shortage of controversy...The problem is that 'Emanations' feels downright reactionary in its portrayal of euthanasia. It feels like something of a strawman argument – the Vhnori are a culture fashioned from the most hyperbolic of arguments against the practice. It’s a world where [[PlanetOfHats euthanasia has become a cultural norm]]. It’s something that the entire culture is built around. Neria tells Harry that there are 'thousands' of facilities like this scattered across the planet.\\\
It’s interesting that none of those seeking suicide are in extreme physical pain. Hatil has a damaged leg and a limp – but he’s healthy enough that running off to the mountains is a viable option. Ptera makes no mention of physical discomfort or loss of dignity (or even debilitation) as a result of the '[[TakeOurWordForIt tumorous lesion]]' on her brain. Hatil and Ptera both seem to be relatively healthy individuals with afflictions that aren’t causing immediate agony or serious loss of dignity. Instead, this is a world where social and familial pressure exists to ''force'' people to volunteer for euthanasia."''
-->--'''[[http://them0vieblog.com/2014/10/03/star-trek-voyager-emanations-review/ Darren Mooney]]''' on ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'', "Emanations"

->''"Essential Viewing: [[{{Music/Nirvana}} Kurt]] and [[Music/CourtneyLove Courtney]]. I like documentaries that are IN NO WAY objective."''

-->-- '''Gregory''', explaining his [[PaperThinDisguise failed attempts]] to go undercover, ''TheManWhoWasThursday''.

->''"Marvel's 2006 event mini series ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' was a pretty damn good read from writer MarkMillar and artist Steve [=McNiven=]. It created a scenario that had hero vs hero [[GreyAndGreyMorality without a definite 'bad guy']] to root against, and managed to invoke modern real-world politics and issues regarding what we as a society are willing to do in the name of safety and security...But as cool as the initial mini series was, the fallout and status quo change in the Marvel Universe [[ArcFatigue went on for years]], arguably at the very least two years too long. In the post ''Civil War'' Universe, [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], the leader on the side of government registration of known superheroes, was portrayed as kind of [[CharacterDerailment a giant prick]], as was every hero on the registration side, regardless of whether or not they actually had a point. Meanwhile all the heroes on the side of those against hero registration were painted as cool rebels."''

So what we have is a story that’s trying to smartly update the old base under siege story, but that ultimately just reaffirms its underlying paranoia and ethos while muddling about without doing much of anything."''

->''"When first I became one of the New Anarchists I tried all kinds of respectable disguises. I dressed up as a bishop. I read up all about bishops in our anarchist pamphlets, in Superstition the Vampire and Priests of Prey. I certainly understood from them that bishops are strange and terrible old men keeping a cruel secret from mankind. I was misinformed. When on my first appearing in episcopal gaiters in a drawing-room I cried out in a voice of thunder, 'Down! down! presumptuous human reason!' they found out in some way that I was not a bishop at all. I was nabbed at once. Then I made up as a millionaire; but I defended Capital with so much intelligence that a fool could see that I was quite poor. Then I tried being a major. Now I am a humanitarian myself, but I have, I hope, enough intellectual breadth to understand the position of those who, like Nietzsche, admire violence — the proud, mad war of Nature and all that, you know. I threw myself into the major. I drew my sword and waved it constantly. I called out 'Blood!' abstractedly, like a man calling for wine. I often said, 'Let the weak perish; it is the Law.' Well, well, it seems majors don't do this. I was nabbed again."''
-->-- '''Gregory''', explaining his [[PaperThinDisguise failed attempts]] to go undercover, ''TheManWhoWasThursday''.

->''…in science as elsewhere, we fight for and against not men and things as they are, but for and against the caricatures we make of them."''
-->--'''''Joseph Schumpeter''''', ''History of Economic Analysis'', p. 86.

'''Youth:''' TOO LATE! I'M ALREADY MADE OF STRAW FUCK BOY\\

'''[[TeensAreMonsters Youth]]:''' I AM A WILD FUCKING STEREOTYPE\\

'''Youth:''' TOO LATE! I'M ALREADY MADE OF STRAW FUCKBOY\\

-->--'''Phil Sandifer''' [[http://www.philipsandifer.com/ on]] ''Series/DoctorWho'' ([[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS32E6TheAlmostPeople}} "The Almost People"]]

->''"'The history of the thing might amuse you,' he said. 'When first I became one of the New Anarchists I tried all kinds of respectable disguises. I dressed up as a bishop. I read up all about bishops in our anarchist pamphlets, in Superstition the Vampire and Priests of Prey. I certainly understood from them that bishops are strange and terrible old men keeping a cruel secret from mankind. I was misinformed. When on my first appearing in episcopal gaiters in a drawing-room I cried out in a voice of thunder, 'Down! down! presumptuous human reason!' they found out in some way that I was not a bishop at all. I was nabbed at once. Then I made up as a millionaire; but I defended Capital with so much intelligence that a fool could see that I was quite poor. Then I tried being a major. Now I am a humanitarian myself, but I have, I hope, enough intellectual breadth to understand the position of those who, like Nietzsche, admire violence — the proud, mad war of Nature and all that, you know. I threw myself into the major. I drew my sword and waved it constantly. I called out 'Blood!' abstractedly, like a man calling for wine. I often said, 'Let the weak perish; it is the Law.' Well, well, it seems majors don't do this. I was nabbed again."''
-->-- '''Gregory''', explaining his failed attempts to go undercover, ''TheManWhoWasThursday''.

->''"Marvel's 2006 event mini series ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' was a pretty damn good read from writer MarkMillar and artist Steve [=McNiven=]. It created a scenario that had hero vs hero without a definite 'bad guy' to root against, and managed to invoke modern real-world politics and issues regarding what we as a society are willing to do in the name of safety and security...But as cool as the initial mini series was, the fallout and status quo change in the Marvel Universe went on for years, arguably at the very least two years too long. In the post ''Civil War'' Universe, [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], the leader on the side of government registration of known superheroes, [[CharacterDerailment was portrayed as kind of a giant prick]], as was every hero on the registration side, regardless of whether or not they actually had a point. Meanwhile all the heroes on the side of those against hero registration were painted as cool rebels."''

Or, at least, it tries. The problem is that ultimately, it still ends up siding with the humans. The basic fact that the Gangers have to do double duty as 'they’re people the same as us' and [[MonsterOfTheWeek they’re monstrous]]' undermines things. On a fundamental level, there’s a real problem with the fact that the only outright villain the story has is a Ganger. It’s the usual problem that stories of this sort have -- on the one hand, The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People wants to sympathize utterly with the Ganger’s cause, and on the other it wants to make sure it shuts down the possibility that their oppression justifies any sort of revolutionary act. And so the entrenched structures of power -- the humans -- are ultimately given priority. This is implicit even in the structure of the plot -- the Doctor defaults to spending his time with the humans, and while he pushes them to save the Gangers as well, the result is still a story in which saving the humans appears to be the primary goal. Even the title is working against the Gangers, relegating them to the status of 'almost' people."''

->''"This story at least tries to do something with its characters, framing the major conflict as being between the extremes of Tegan’s reaction to Monarch (we have to get back to Earth and warn everyone) and Adric’s ([[TokenEvilTeammate ooh yay, fascism]], maybe it will [[HeManWomanHater make the icky women go away]]).\\\
This, of course, gets at the real problem here. It’s trying to create soap-like character tension and drama here, and good for it, but it’s doing so with appallingly broad strokes... When the moral dilemma at the heart of the story is 'totalitarian dictatorship by a reptilian overlord named Monarch, yay or nay' you’re really not setting yourself up for success in the compelling drama department. There’s never any serious doubt that Adric is wrong and that Monarch is evil. Likewise, within the storytelling framework of ''Doctor Who'' 'run and warn Earth' is [[PoliceAreUseless never going to be the correct decision]], and so Tegan hardly comes out as a sympathetic character in all of this."''
-->--'''Phil Sandifer''' [[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2012/02/because-we-dont-quite-fully-understand.html on]] ''Series/DoctorWho'' ([[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS19E2FourToDoomsday}} "Four to Doomsday"]])

->''"Marvel's 2006 event mini series ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' was a pretty damn good read from writer MarkMillar and artist Steve McNiven. It created a scenario that had hero vs hero without a definite 'bad guy' to root against, and managed to invoke modern real-world politics and issues regarding what we as a society are willing to do in the name of safety and security...But as cool as the initial mini series was, the fallout and status quo change in the Marvel Universe went on for years, arguably at the very least two years too long. In the post ''Civil War'' Universe, TonyStark, the leader on the side of government registration of known superheroes, [[CharacterDerailment was portrayed as kind of a giant prick]], as was every hero on the registration side, regardless of whether or not they actually had a point. Meanwhile all the heroes on the side of those against hero registration were painted as cool rebels."''

->''"For those that missed this, in a single page, [[Creator/JMichaelStraczynski JMS]] gives the worst reasoning possible for {{Superman}} deciding to go {{Forrest Gump}}ing across the US. Basically, after saving the world during [[Comicbook/NewKrypton New Krypton]], Superman holds a press conference and a woman shows up, slaps him, says she could care less about his intergalactic whatsits and blames him for not saving her husband... from a brain tumor. The ball isn't dropped her so much as thrown to the floor and stomped on. It could have worked if say the dude died from, I don't know, the Parasite attacking and Superman being off planet. Instead, we get brain tumor. I guess instead of saving the world from massive death and destruction and enslavement, Superman should just go around x-raying everyone on the planet to check their health. Although, how's that for universal healthcare. What really makes it worse is that this actually works and Superman feels bad so bad he starts his hobo adventures."''\\
--'''''Topless Robot''''', [[http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/12/the_5_best_and_5_worst_comics_of_2010.php?page=2 "The 5 Best and Worst Comics of 2010"]]

->''"For those that missed this, in a single page, [[Creator/JMichaelStraczynski JMS]] gives the worst reasoning possible for {{Superman}} deciding to go {{Forrest Gump}}ing across the US. Basically, after saving the world during [[Comicbook/NewKrypton New Krypton]], Superman holds a press conference and a woman shows up, slaps him, says she could care less about his intergalactic whatsits and blames him for not saving her husband... from a brain tumor. The ball isn't dropped her so much as thrown to the floor and stomped on. It could have worked if say the dude died from, I don't know, the Parasite attacking and Superman being off planet. Instead, we get brain tumor. I guess instead of saving the world from massive death and destruction and enslavement, Superman should just go around x-raying everyone on the planet to check their health. Although, how's that for universal healthcare. What really makes it worse is that this actually works and Superman feels bad so bad he starts his hobo adventures."''
-->--'''''Topless Robot''''', [[http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/12/the_5_best_and_5_worst_comics_of_2010.php?page=2 "The 5 Best and Worst Comics of 2010"]]

--> '''Gregory''', explaining his failed attempts to go undercover, ''TheManWhoWasThursday''.

This, of course, gets at the real problem here. It’s trying to create soap-like character tension and drama here, and good for it, but it’s doing so with appallingly broad strokes. Adric is sexist and embraces stupid ideas, Tegan is rash and doesn’t think things through, and the Doctor mediates between them.... Many of the problems here are the traditionalism. When the moral dilemma at the heart of the story is 'totalitarian dictatorship by a reptilian overlord named Monarch, yay or nay' you’re really not setting yourself up for success in the compelling drama department. There’s never any serious doubt that Adric is wrong and that Monarch is evil. Likewise, within the storytelling framework of ''Doctor Who'' 'run and warn Earth' is never going to be the correct decision, and so Tegan hardly comes out as a sympathetic character in all of this."''

-->--'''Phil Sandifer''' on ''{{Series/DoctorWho}}'' ([[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS19E2FourToDoomsday}} "Four to Doomsday"]])

->''"The history of the thing might amuse you," he said. "When first I became one of the New Anarchists I tried all kinds of respectable disguises. I dressed up as a bishop. I read up all about bishops in our anarchist pamphlets, in Superstition the Vampire and Priests of Prey. I certainly understood from them that bishops are strange and terrible old men keeping a cruel secret from mankind. I was misinformed. When on my first appearing in episcopal gaiters in a drawing-room I cried out in a voice of thunder, 'Down! down! presumptuous human reason!' they found out in some way that I was not a bishop at all. I was nabbed at once. Then I made up as a millionaire; but I defended Capital with so much intelligence that a fool could see that I was quite poor. Then I tried being a major. Now I am a humanitarian myself, but I have, I hope, enough intellectual breadth to understand the position of those who, like Nietzsche, admire violence — the proud, mad war of Nature and all that, you know. I threw myself into the major. I drew my sword and waved it constantly. I called out 'Blood!' abstractedly, like a man calling for wine. I often said, 'Let the weak perish; it is the Law.' Well, well, it seems majors don't do this. I was nabbed again."''
--> '''Gregory''', explaining his failed attempts to go undercover, ''TheManWhoWasThursday''.

--> [[TheManWhoWasThursday Gregory,]] explaining his failed attempts to go undercover.

"The history of the thing might amuse you," he said. "When first I became one of the New Anarchists I tried all kinds of respectable disguises. I dressed up as a bishop. I read up all about bishops in our anarchist pamphlets, in Superstition the Vampire and Priests of Prey. I certainly understood from them that bishops are strange and terrible old men keeping a cruel secret from mankind. I was misinformed. When on my first appearing in episcopal gaiters in a drawing-room I cried out in a voice of thunder, 'Down! down! presumptuous human reason!' they found out in some way that I was not a bishop at all. I was nabbed at once. Then I made up as a millionaire; but I defended Capital with so much intelligence that a fool could see that I was quite poor. Then I tried being a major. Now I am a humanitarian myself, but I have, I hope, enough intellectual breadth to understand the position of those who, like Nietzsche, admire violence — the proud, mad war of Nature and all that, you know. I threw myself into the major. I drew my sword and waved it constantly. I called out 'Blood!' abstractedly, like a man calling for wine. I often said, 'Let the weak perish; it is the Law.' Well, well, it seems majors don't do this. I was nabbed again."