Come on down to the open Avatar the Last Airbender live action film casting call! We are looking for token adults and children of all ethnicities, to remove attention from the fact that we have cast all-white heroes for a show set in mythic Asia. (And that we made a separate casting call for these roles asking for 'Caucasian or other' actors - hey, we SAID 'or other', it's not our fault they're the unfavorites!)
Because you will be hired to look and act ethnic, you must come to the audition as ethnically as possible. Wear a kimono if you are Korean, or lederhosen if you are Belgian. Sing some songs from The Lion King if you are from Jamaica, because all foreign people are the same, right? Demonstrate a native craft! Perhaps you can prove to us you are Mexican by selling gum and hand-woven bracelets, or show your African heritage by looking very hungry.
Remember, it's the only chance people of color get to act in a movie that isn't 1) about the tragic struggle of black people in a certain industry just long ago enough that we can pretend it's better now, 2) nice white ladies saving ethnic schoolchildren, 3) based on an already popular book, or 4) an independent film that will get no wide release whatsoever!
Please come help us so people will see our movie! The fandom's too smart and actually noticed and felt condescended to! A bunch of Asian people felt marginalized for some reason! We need to fix this, or someone might notice that Hollywood has been doing it for YEARS. And you don't want that, do you? You might actually be asked to learn about or relate to someone who doesn't look like you and uses teacups with no handles.
---
(All stereotypes are intentionally made as offensive as possible to highlight my ever-growing rage. I apologize for any offense taken in the name of satire for a good cause.)
Thank you and go on with your day - AFTER writing an angry letter to everyone involved in this bullshit.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
aang_aint_white will tell you how!ETA: "Recently, Rickets has worked on the sets of Tropic Thunder and Charlie Wilson's War." (italics mine)
IRONY IS YOUR FRIEND, KIDS.
I already sort of love you. Your rules are clear and your auditoriums are comfy and all the amenities of the university are two feet away from both each other and my classrooms. The president of the entire university seems to not only know what social work is, but has the good humor to describe big caseloads as similar to "being pecked to death by ducks." (From what I saw at my undergrad internship, he's right.) There's just one little thing:
We KNOW why we're in our profession, and we already care. So showing us this slideshow of homeless, ill, starving, and crying people with background music of mournful Latin chanting and the repeated phrases 'It's about people,' 'It's about stories,' and 'It's the apple of our eye' (WHAT?) does not in fact make me sober and sad. It makes me think these things:
1. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means" etc etc etc.
2. Why are the only happy pictures of pride parades? And that one random one of people in a gym that made no sense.
3. You're not TNT, guys, seriously. We do not need to know drama.
4. Why is the black woman crying? At least the crying black women in the other picture were at a funeral, and the refugees of color look sad because they're clearly poor and, er, refugees, but is the crying black woman sad because she's depressed or on welfare or she just saw Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or just because she's black and it's more relevant to what we do than a crying white lady? (Not that this does not, in fact, mean PoCs don't have it rough. It was just odd.)
5. As much as an emaciated starving child and a Make Poverty History bracelet will make me want to help out, I think it was supposed to invoke third world country poverty, and I don't think social workers in this country have that job description. I think that's the Red Cross and stuff. Whole other org.
6. ...'The apple of our eye'? Seriously?
Then the next presentation on the Generalist Intervention Model had polka songs. I think I sort of love these people.
We had a fight that was a long time coming in senior year and we sort of never recovered, but just...holy. smegging. fuck.
My post from a month ago seems like nothing compared to this.
"Perfect! But we'd have to midquel, and that means we need some other villain."
"How about Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca as a pipe organ?"
"Tim Curry can do the voice!"
"He's never played villains or homosexuals before! He'll jump at the chance to expand his portfolio!"
And it was the best Christmas ever.
Absolutely nothing like Dr. Steel, in style or motivation or anything outside of the well-used trope. In fact, Dr. Steel is sort of full of shit, because there is nothing vintage about Dr. Horrible's presentation, the 'Ask Dr. Horrible' stuff is not called that, is in there for two seconds, and is used as an exposition device (dude people answer comments on their blog that's why it's a BLOG), and none of the 'master plan join me as minions' stuff is present in the Dr. Horrible site or would even be IC for the character. Good. I'd hate to hate Wheadon, he's such a staple of geek culture. And I think Dr. Steel is really just being IC about it himself, or at least I hope so, and I hope his fans aren't too gigantically stupid at Comic Con.
The show is also not all THAT amazing - like the first half of the songs are really mediocre, though the second half of them are fantastic. I could do with more orchestration - like the organic approach worked with Buffy because it was an exploration of the musical trope, and that was half the humor, but with this I'd have liked it a *little* bigger and less amateurish. There were a lot of lines that made me laugh out loud, because I think Joss's sense of humor is his strongest point - and is surprisingly like Arrested Development in its dryness - but the characters and plot are in really broad undeveloped strokes. Probably intentionally, yeah, but I felt like I was watching a new expression of very common themes. Not even a new exploration of those themes, just a new expression. And even the expression was stupid sometimes - like I'm not well-versed in comics at all and I can still tell you that a stupid, shallow musclehead hero and the supervillain as bitter nerd has been done before. On Kim freaking Possible, no less.
Still, I think in Act 2 it hit its stride, and sitting here at the end of the third part I'm surprised at how much it was able to do in only half an hour. Like, I felt his pain when [spoiler], I felt that very palpably. That end shot was, yes, amazing. I sat there thinking about the nature of insecurity for a little bit - weirdly, my biggest thought is whether Penny was really all that wonderful a person, because while she had the purest heart and was the only one really committed to getting anything done, she was never really willing to question or care in a way that felt real. Not that I think Horrible was right either - he pissed me off for a good deal of Act 1. What I do like was the commitment to making everyone wrong and kind of sad in this story. The understatement did work in that way, and felt authentic. (I hope I'm making any sense here. XD)
Loved 'oh, look at my wrist.' Loved him trying to use the freeze ray. Loved Captain Hammer's big song. Loved anything with Dark Horse, oh my god when I read the credits and realized what that was I burst out laughing.
So I'd recommend it, but I'd not exactly worship it. :) Eh. I'm an easy critic.
Really really want to listen to Dr. Horrible and love it, but now am seeing the Dr. Steel wank, and I love me some Dr. Steel, and I really hope they are not too similar in a disturbing plagiarism way because I really want to support an indie artist more. (Yeah, I know it's a trope, what I'm really praying is that it doesn't go beyond that.)
...AVATAR.
( Cut for lots of capslocky spoilers over the last three days. )
- Now I want in on this fandom bad. I hate coming late to the party.
Fala and Joey, I'm looking at you especially. :)
Edit: And for any new people on my friends list who watch Avatar (hi, new people!), Zuko is the most adorable failpuppy ever. Can anyone recommend a good place to get all the eps streaming? All the usual sites for anime/animation tend to get Avatar taken down really fast.
ganked from erinm_4600
- Enter the year you graduated from high school in the search function and get the list of 100 most popular songs of that year.
- Bold the songs you like, strike through the ones you hate and underline your favorites. Do nothing to the ones you don't remember/care about.
( Class of 2004... )
( Cut for a long entry of angst. )
Me: I know. God damn it.
Him: Shit.
Me: Fuck. ...Which is exactly the reaction he'd want, really.
I've admired George Carlin for years. Since about middle school, actually, when I was first learning the power of swearing, of rebelling, of making a point by using controversy. Along with South Park and Kevin Smith (the latter of which he worked with a good few times), he made a fantastic teacher.
I've heard a few people say that he's one of the first celebrity deaths they ever cried over. Weirdly, Steve Irwin (whose career I paid almost zero attention to) got me a lot more upset. Irwin was a cultural icon, and his death was random and painful at a young time in his life, survived by little kids, with a lot of work left to be done conserving the environment. With Carlin...
Carlin was 71 and "still full of life", which is a pretty condescending thing to say about an "old fuck" (his words) anyway and I'm sure he'd have resented the implication he'd be anything but. For him, death seemed not only a lot closer along but something he'd look at a lot more practically, without the bullshit fear a lot of us have of the inevitable. So of course I start watching his latest HBO special and one of the first things he talks about is turning 70, the things we say when people die, crossing dead friends out of the address book and the thrill of power you get while doing it. I didn't wince once, in that way you do when something is ironic. I smiled and laughed at every bit I was supposed to. Because whether or not there's a Heaven, he's kicking back relaxed wherever he is, reveling in the fact that he lived and died a critical thinker, a writer, a performer, and the center of a lot of attention.
And strangely, I'm not sad about not hearing any more of him, either. There's so much of his work I haven't mined yet, and so much that he leaves as a legacy. Yes, we're a nation of fat, stupid, lazy consumers - and I'm openly at least two of those, sometimes three - but I think a number of us are also sharper, more cynical, and more willing to question. He's not the only one who has helped that along, but I see a lot today that thrives on his kind of comedy, and that will continue to from here on in.
That someone like him lived makes me happy, and that he helped build so much makes me even happier, and I hope as many people as possible take up his torch.
So I'm an Obama supporter and the country is full of idiots.
Because this isn't racist or sexist at ALL.
The correct answer is 'Barack Obama is whatever the hell he wants to identify as within the confines of his DNA, and if you're so enlightened then why the fuck do you care as long as he's going to support the interests of people of color?'
I don't care what you're going for here, you just sexually harassed a man AND HIS CHILDREN through your 'art' and I'm glad your exhibit got shut down. (NSFW. SO NSFW.)
I swear I'll answer that meme eventually, guys, I've been busy as hell with schoolwork lately. Thankfully this stupid class is over on the 20th.
Me: ...That is amazingly stupidly brilliant.
It is totally five in the morning.
Responses to that meme I put up should be coming tomorrow. :)
It's also about class. As in rich, poor, and under-a-bridge kind of class. They cover this more than the movie ever did (that I can remember), and frankly it impresses me because it's not piled all over the damn place but it's pointed enough to say that no, the problem isn't whether you enjoy fashion or use a certain form of slang, the problem is being able to coast by without caring about a damn thing except which shade of blue matches your shoes, and that's what makes you stupid. Paulette dreams about seeing Ireland and knows she has no future to be able to do it (by the end she's wrong, thankfully). Emmett tells Elle that she believes she can coast with no compromises, but he's come up from the slums on scholarship, worked two jobs plus law school and she needs to turn her vanity back into a desk again before she has a shred of credibility. And there's a converse moment in how Enid, the man-hating ultra-activist (who ISN'T a lesbian stereotype, Jesus, someone refers to her as a lesbian ONCE to get under her skin), is all 'sisters doing it for themselves' until Elle dares to wear pink and compliment her on her top. Which is something I actually SEE, that you can be proud of being a woman until you're a certain kind of woman and then you're just enabling the patriarchy.
Soooo there's that. And it's actually kind of poignant and smart - key words here being 'kind of', but I think they're better delivered messages than the 'believe in yourself' garbage, and I haven't actually seen anyone talk about them, including the critics. So I felt like babbling.
Speaking of crappy art, I just got PDFs of the Twilight series. Expect much mocking to follow. They sound trainwreck-worthy.
And now for the memes! I'll give you guys two today:
( Character Questionnaire )
If you're not sure if I'll know a character, just ask. And for the second one, very simple:
Pick a character or pairing! Watch me ramble on about it!
So, update on life the universe and everything: I am a college grad!! On Tuesday I'll be attending a one-time mandatory class for my online transition course, and then I'll be spending a year getting a Masters of Social Work from FAU. Joeymylove came down for the grad ceremony, which was headed by the most self-centered head of a group of elite students since Phillip Morgaman (my high school's narcissistic nepotism-loving owner, for those of you taking notes). I have been a part of the exact social situations that are run by Horace Slughorn types, and actively hate the men partaking, and yet I still freaking love that character. Discuss. ('Chubby chaser' or 'sexygenarian' are not acceptable answers, JOEY. <3)
My brother just got an operation for spinal fusion surgery because three different doctors who were told to look for scoliosis way earlier, as I have it and had to wear a brace when I was younger, did not look and it progressed way too far. He just got home and he's doing great though wow, I hate hospitals even more now.
Ending the serious factor: I'm in a fandom mood and just discovered
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
fandom_memes. I'll be posting a bunch trying to catch up, and yes, I WILL respond to them this time. Today's:Summarize 10 of your fandoms in one sentence, then see who on your friend's list can guess each fandom.
Gonna do a few fandoms that I'm not really active in and don't talk about much for variety's sake. Sooo, ( behind the cut (now with hints!)... )
My first thought is 'I must buy this and cook every single one'. I am an insane person.
That being said, I think know one way to actively be less stupid about race, white privilege, and all things multicultural:
Don't make a show like THIS.
Look, I have maybe caught one episode of the original anime that I laughed at because of how shitty the dubbing was, but WTF. Please note the white kid with the Japanese eyes with the same fucking name as Speed Racer (and granted, Speed Racer's original name was something like 'Go Mifune' according to IMDB but seriously. what.) Apparently it's implied that the original Speed is his dad because he's an orphan with a mysteeeerious past or something, but that really doesn't make it any better. Everyone else's eyes are semi-Asian-looking too, whether they're white or black or *gasp* actually Asian. It takes place at an institute for racers from all around the world, but aside from the black girl who's one of his friends the ones we see hail from such exotic locales as "Canada" and "Ireland". The style doesn't even attempt to emulate the original series even though there are pictures of the original Speed everywhere and the two styles together are so jarring it makes me stare.
Soooo basically an appropriation of a 40 year old anime that is appealing to kids who are too young to remember even the RERUNS of the original, or the fact that it's from another country. Uhm, dude, do you want to make next-gen fans of Speed Racer? Then RERUN SPEED RACER.
I'm not sure if I should be just as upset by the movie, now, because that makes everyone white too but it's at least openly paying tribute rather than trying to create some sort of assy "new thing". At least the people who see the movie might, in fact, be fans of some kind. Maybe there's no reason to be pissed at either one, or maybe I should have been pissed way back when. Again, whitest white girl ever and I'm sorry if I offend anyone. I have plenty to learn. But it FEELS insulting. We've been Americanizing anime for ages now, but it seems like most of the dubbing companies have learned that you can use a name like 'Naruto' and not alienate anyone who isn't directly from Tokyo. And then, tada, we get this. Just stunning.
Joey: oh
me: even though people cook with the recipes of others all the time
Joey: alfja;jal headwall
me: meanwhile
they asked michelle, ms. mccain, and hillary
note they did not ask bill
sexist sexist sexist fuck you all
Joey: god yes
but he can't be a first LADY you see
me: and he can't cook because that would be EMASCULATING
Joey: and asking him if he likes to cook would be EMASCULATING
*DIES
me: hahahhahahaa oh holy shit
I love you [heart]
Joey: *kiss* I love you too
me: *kisskiss*
Joey: I thought I'd posted that twice for a second
wow
LOL *kiss*
me: omg I'm putting this in my LJ
this is like the third time
Joey: hahahahahaah do iiiiit
in a week!
no less
me: yes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHh8EKgu
It's a deeply depressing and horrible thing that this isn't all over the place with people calling for a nationwide boycott of Fox News, or at least of this program. I can't watch it in more than ten second segments because it is literally that vile.
If we were talking about a person of color, or even a homosexual, with this kind of language - wishing pain on them, hoping they die, referring to them as 'it' or a freak show - you can bet it'd get that kind of air time.
I do not understand this bullshit about gender identity. I don't. I have friends who are trans, and friends who identify as two-spirited. I also have a friend who is the girliest girly girl ever on the planet and is literally squicked by the thought of *anyone* messing with their private organs, and yet, she manages to not act like a dick in a box over someone else who feels differently.
Frankly, I think it's ironic. If changing your body is so innately ridiculous and omgwut, if it means so little, how does losing your boobs and growing a moustache make you any more or less worthy of respect? If a person decides to use the 'wrong' pronoun, and it's so hideously dumb of them because they really are just what they were born, why are you the ones getting all upset? These things matter because we choose for them to matter.
Or, in less 'what the fuck are you talking about' language: if I'm a freak because I feel wrong wearing a skirt instead of jeans, then why is it so damn important to insist I wear the skirt in the first place? If I put one on, I'm still going to be wishing it's jeans instead.
I know it's beyond that metaphor, but it's the best I can come up with. Frankly, you can think it's damaging and unnatural and wrong and all kinds of negative words, but it still doesn't excuse talking about a person this way. I don't even talk about prisoners this way. In my mind, no one deserves it. Ever. The end.
