Said villains, by the way, introduce themselves as being a gang of wealthy preppies who derive both pleasure and a sense of patriotic pride from slaughtering the poor. And this is where The Purge goes Off the Rails. Folks, explicit, heavy-handed political message-mongering is not necessarily bad storytelling. Hell, my favourite movie is Robocop, and Robocop is about as subtle as a baseball bat to the face. As the saying goes, some anvils need to be dropped, class is a reliable source of solid drama and the idea that sweeping, showpiece anti-crime measures like the Purge do tend to disproportionately harm the lower classes while shielding or even benefiting the wealthy shouldn't be news to anyone at this point. But having your main villain basically walk up to the camera and say, "Hello! I'm a walking metaphor for the predatory nature of class-disparity that inevitably results from unfettered capitalism and the consolidation of personal wealth!" is just lazy, bad, stupid writing and film-making. The only way it could be less subtle is if the bad guy took off his mask and turned out to actually just be Mitt Romney!
A male character on the show has sex with a transgender character without her revealing her former-gender (extremely unlikely, IMHO, despite the fact that it's one of Hollywood's most popular transgender storylines), and when he finds out, he spews vomit for thirty seconds, then freaks out while another character compares the transgender person to a sex offender? And MacFarlane thinks the transsexual community will be "very, very happy" and that this is the most sympathetic television portrayal of such a character ever?
—Brent Hartinger, from this article
in afterelton.com on the Family Guy episode "Quagmire's Dad"
in afterelton.com on the Family Guy episode "Quagmire's Dad"Reading this comic reminds me of the debate over the "feminist" label. Dictionary.com defines feminism as "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men", and a feminist is one who follows that doctrine. However, many people who would otherwise call themselves feminists avoid the label because of shit like this.
The word "feminist" has become synonymous with "double standards and whining". In the public eye, "feminism" has come to mean "advocating the rights of women over the rights of men", and has resulted in considerable backlash in the form of Men's Right's Advocates. That's why many people who would call themselves feminists instead call themselves "equal rights advocates" or something of that nature. It sounds less one-sided.
I bring this up because this comic isn't doing the feminist movement any favors. It conforms to the stereotypes associated with feminism not only with the way that it portrays men, stay-at-home moms, and just about anyone who doesn't meet the author's personal definition of "enlightened", but also with its virulently one-sided perspective. Cohen may claim that she's only making this comic to be funny and has no intention of spreading a message, but by making every villain a strawman of some opposing political position, and portraying anyone who holds to those ideologies as stupid and brainwashed, the comic comes across as nothing more than propaganda, the kind of propaganda that gives anti-feminists ammo in a debate.
reminds me of the debate over the "feminist" label. Dictionary.com defines feminism as "the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men", and a feminist is one who follows that doctrine. However, many people who would otherwise call themselves feminists avoid the label because of shit like this. The word "feminist" has become synonymous with "double standards and whining". In the public eye, "feminism" has come to mean "advocating the rights of women over the rights of men", and has resulted in considerable backlash in the form of Men's Right's Advocates. That's why many people who would call themselves feminists instead call themselves "equal rights advocates" or something of that nature. It sounds less one-sided.
I bring this up because this comic isn't doing the feminist movement any favors. It conforms to the stereotypes associated with feminism not only with the way that it portrays men, stay-at-home moms, and just about anyone who doesn't meet the author's personal definition of "enlightened", but also with its virulently one-sided perspective. Cohen may claim that she's only making this comic to be funny and has no intention of spreading a message, but by making every villain a strawman of some opposing political position, and portraying anyone who holds to those ideologies as stupid and brainwashed, the comic comes across as nothing more than propaganda, the kind of propaganda that gives anti-feminists ammo in a debate.
— Bad Webcomics Wiki criticising The Adventures of Gyno-Star
The Adventures of Gyno-StarIn the end it seems like Julian Assange is like PETA. Even if you agree with what he's doing, you kind of hate him.
As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents.
—George Orwell, socialist
Rudyard Kipling is a jingo imperialist, he is morally insensitive and aesthetically disgusting. It is better to start by admitting that, and then to try to find out why it is that he survives while the refined people who have sniggered at him seem to wear so badly.
—Orwell in Horizon, February 1942
I had a hard time with Ayn Rand because I found myself enthusiastically agreeing with the first 90% of every sentence, but getting lost at 'therefore, be a huge asshole to everyone'.
I think the greatest asset that the Kremlin has is Senator McCarthy.
The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with bad arguments.
I can see myself giving a positive review to something I enjoyed but professed beliefs I didn’t agree with, but I cannot imagine myself giving a thumbs-up to a piece of shit whose opinions I supported.
Michael Moore is such a divisive figure that even people who subscribe to his political beliefs frequently hate his guts. I am one of those people. I believe in just about everything Moore says, and find everything about him insufferable.
—Nathan Rabin, in My World of Flops #14 An American Carol.
#14 An American Carol.Please don't align yourself with me.
—Detective Amy Santiago, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Bill Maher will tell a joke that I laugh at, while making a point I completely agree with, and I'll think "I want to fucking throttle you."
When you try to make a point about how no one should be excluded based on who they are, but you become a meme instead.
—A comment on the music video for "Big Enough" (a.k.a. the screaming Jimmy Barnes song)
A heartbreaking story is currently unfolding that’s sure to have devastating ramifications for years to come. Just moments ago, without any warning, the worst person you know just made a great point.
''So OK. Let’s say you know the novel, you agree with Ayn Rand, you’re an objectivist or a libertarian, and you’ve been waiting eagerly for this movie. Man, are you going to get a letdown. It’s not enough that a movie agree with you, in however an incoherent and murky fashion. It would help if it were like, you know, entertaining?
There’s a great quote, “There’s nothing I like less than an opinion that I hold dear being argued badly.” With Fletcher, I twisted that a little to like, “There’s maybe nothing worse than a philosophy that you normally would agree with, but put in the mouth of a fucking despicable human being.” Suddenly the human being and the philosophy become inseparable.
—Damien Chazelle, in a 2014 interview about Whiplash
about WhiplashI think it's pretty clear no-one has said "no" to this guy in 25 years. Look, here's the thing. A conversation about race is clearly important, but there's a time and a place, and it is not the length of time it takes to whip up a Tiramisu Frappuccino. But still, let's give Howard Schultz credit; he did start a conversation across the racial divide, with a white billionaire pitching an idea and any number of African-American customers telling him how stupid it was.
— John Oliver, on Starbucks' "Race Together" promotion, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Fahrenheit 11/9 would be better if it didn't romanticize the new wave of progressive action (which, incidentally, I believe in) as if it were the second coming.
— Owen Gleiberman on Fahrenheit 11/9
Fahrenheit 11/9"If the enemy is an ass and a fool and a prating coxcomb,
is it meet, think you, that we should also, look you,
be an ass and a fool and a prating coxcomb?"
is it meet, think you, that we should also, look you,
be an ass and a fool and a prating coxcomb?"
— Fluellen, Henry V
"Gandalf as Ring-Lord would have been far worse than Sauron. He would have remained 'righteous', but self-righteous. He would have continued to rule and order things for 'good', and the benefit of his subjects according to his wisdom (which was and would have remained great). Thus while Sauron multiplied [illegible word] evil, he left 'good' clearly distinguishable from it. Gandalf would have made good detestable and seem evil."
— J. R. R. Tolkien, Letter 246
"Yeah. You're right. And you're not helping! If you can't figure out a way to communicate your suggestions in a way that actually helps people receive it, that's not on them; that's on you. If they don't receive the message because you refuse to change the way that you speak to people, then who's really being the stubborn fool here?"
—Josh Scorcher, "Taking 'Honest Apple' Too Seriously"
Everything you're saying is totally reasonable, but you sound batshit crazy.
—Bertie, Tuca & Bertie, "SweetBeak"
Augh! You can make a case for this perfectly good message without being patronizing about it. You can make a case for the message without cramming it down the reader's throat.
— Cassandra Gelvin on The Great Kapok Tree, Dont Read This To My Kids
The Great Kapok Tree, Dont Read This To My Kids"Really hate the fact that I can't click on a video criticizing a Disney Star Wars product without there being a 50/50 chance that the YouTuber who made it is a shitty person."
This is a real song. And I'm playing it for you as cover for me not liking this artist no matter how positive her messages are.
— Todd in the Shadows on Jax's "U Love U", which sampled the theme song from Barney & Friends for some reason.
"The problem I have with this episode is not that I don’t think it is good to care about the environment, it just like a lot of episodes that try to promote a cause it does a terrible job."
— Jeremy Perron on The Real Ghostbusters episode "Follow That Hearse"
on The Real Ghostbusters episode "Follow That Hearse"