Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: enemies of the state, freedom, politics, the trap
It is obvious that reporters and average Joes blame anarchism in ignorance; they know no better. But it is as obvious that the rioting punks try to free-ride on a thoroughly misunderstood and propagandized label. They don’t riot and destroy because they have read and understood anarchism as described by the great anarchist thinkers; they riot under the name of anarchism because they understand it the way it is used by statists trying to make people fear level organization and non-hierarchy. In using anarchism as a reason for destruction, they are playing the statists’ game and reinforcing the myth of freedom as a threat rather than a promise.
Proudhon, just as any other great anarchist thinker, was clear on anarchism being order. But it is an order based on equality, freedom, and mutual individual respect; in this sense it is, indeed, the opposite of the current state of society. In anarchy, no individual can be sacrificed for a greater good and no individual is persecuted for his beliefs or choices. No individual’s right is greater than any other individual’s; the very foundation of anarchy is every individual’s equal right to life and liberty.
–Per Bylund, “Blame Anarchism?”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: anime, douchebaggery, failure, freedom, letdowns, madness, magic, reviews, satire, surreal
Anime >> Abenobashi Magical Shopping Arcade (Vol. 4)
It’s no use, Sasshi. No matter how big a tantrum a kid like you throws, nothin’s gonna be changed or resolved by it. The only thing that changes is what’s in your head, in your imaginary world. But this is reality, and you can talk about all the Omryou science and spells you want, but it won’t move a single pebble. In the end, it’s nothin’ but a toy… and you’re just a kid who stayed out too late playin’ in the dark after the sun’s gone down.
–Sasshi’s Dad, Delivering the Serious Closer Lines Every Comedy Must By Law Contain
This volume begins with a witty realization of the emotional battle between the two protagonists into a literal war in Episode 11, in which almost every other major character in the realm of Abenobashi is implied to have lost their life due to the hellish nature of their conflict. You’ve got your tanks, your World War II-era fighter planes and, of course Sasshi fighting his way through a Catch-22-style military bureaucracy from hell.1 Extremely entertaining though annoyingly rough around the edges would be a good way to describe this set-up to the tragic failure that Episode 12 becomes. Ostensibly a wry look at those retarded Americans and their wacky cinema, Episode 12 quickly devolves into a wheels-off debacle that invites more pity than anything else.2
Good God, I actually frowned while watching this episode… not a good sign!
Episode 13 brings us back around to the underdeveloped “serious side of Abenobashi” and the repeated conflicts related to Sasshi’s profound selfishness and his attempts to shield Arumi from the harshness of reality, even though she seems far more capable of handling it than he is. I won’t spoil too much, but the quote box at the top of this article plus an in depth understanding of the prefix “meta-” should help guide you in the right direction.
What really, really annoyed me about the ending of this series was not that it “was too sad,” but that it almost validates Sasshi’s douchebaggery to some extent. For one, he actually succeeds in reversing Grandpa’s death in the “real world” (yeah right), keeping the shopping arcade open, and even keeping Arumi in Osaka.
ARUMI: It’s a shame I won’t be moving to Hokkaido. I was really looking forward to it!
SASSHI: I see..
See that? He wasn’t even able to make her truly happy! That little b*****d ran amok through at least fifteen different universes and learned absolutely nothing!
And what line did it end on? Something like, “Well, at least you’ve got your health”?
…
Dang it!
Had enough yet?
Final Grade: C+.
1Cartoons can be literary, too!
2Like, say, laughter for example.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: art, christianity, free speech, freedom, libertarianism, sexuality, the trap, writing
Why start with this?
Well, firstly, it’s my half-assed attempt at a disclaimer, and secondly…
Why not?
I suppose what really spurred this commentary is the fact that, as a producer of fine (literary) art, the subjects of what I produce are often conflated with my own personal mores. For example, I’ve discussed with my aunt whether or not a work can be considered Christian and have, let’s say, a curse word or two. Or someone getting hurt. Or a reference to human sexuality. Furthermore, can one still be a Christian person and write such things?
Naturally, I came down on the side that any variety of things may be depicted in an artwork by a Christian–scribbling something on a piece of paper coming out of a character’s mouth doesn’t mean that you wholeheartedly approve of it. Once I mentioned that the Bible itself (which both I and her believe is true, mind you) contains a fair amount of deviant sexuality, gruesome violence and virulent imprecations, she pondered this for a moment and then responded: “Well, it’s still a catharsis of some sort.”
Do tell! 0_0
But seriously… the clothes don’t make the man, and neither should the parts absolutely define the whole. And now, with that said, I am hereby no longer responsible for corrupting your minds with whatever oddities I find and discuss in this weird and wacky world of ours. I promise to be fair, bal… make that opinionated, and somewhat entertaining. Now that you know what you’re in for… enjoy! ^^
