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This whole topic is already treading into stupid territory, but...
On July 20 2015 14:31 Yoav wrote:Show nested quote +On July 20 2015 10:12 Wegandi wrote: A lot of people don't like SJW's because their argumentation is disingenuous and has a huge double standard, and secondly, they're extremely overzealous.
There are idiot SJWs, just like any other group. Doesn't change the fact that the group has a point. Sure, it's stupid to say "X is a bad movie because it doesn't pass the Bechdel test." + Show Spoiler +Which requires two named female characters to speak to each other about something other than a man. But when about a third of movies made fail this test and almost none fail the gender-swapped version, there's something fishy about the trend. I don't blame a coin that lands on the wrong side for me once. I get suspicious if it lands on that side twice as often as the good one. At the end of the day, they're just people who complain about things on the internet. And like any internet mob, there isn't a "group", there's a bunch of individuals getting angry at whatever catches on as a collective mass.
The "old" angry mobs started on places like 4chan, IRC and message boards. The "new" ones are from social media like Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Different talking points, same level of garbage to importance ratio.
On July 20 2015 10:12 Wegandi wrote: As for female protagonists. Well, I assume you're only talking about action/sci-fi genres since females are well represented in comedy/rom-coms/etc. Anyways, I wonder if you happen to have forgot about 2 of the most influential and popular sci-fi franchises in history have female protagonists (Alien & Terminator). Carry on though with your false premises.
A few counterexamples don't make the point. And yes, Alien and The Terminator are great movies with female protagonists. You'll notice, however, that every one of the 4 fucking sequels to Terminator made the main character a male character. And generally, it's laughable to pretend that women are adequately represented in comedies, never mind action movies.[/QUOTE] Most consumers don't actually care about "representation", they care about the media catering to their specific tastes. I mean, Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray were the biggest sellers among female demographics ever, and both were (supposedly) about boring everygirls pulled along on romping romantic fantasies by dreamy men.
Japanese media's a fairly good example, which actually has industries devoted to catering to each gender demographic. And, unsurprisingly, male-focused media is mostly action/adventure based with everyman protagonists, and female-targeted media is about romance/non-action fantasy with everygirl leads.
You can talk about statistics and numbers, but at the end of the day males and females don't actually buy into the same kind of media in equal numbers.
That said, most media is absolutely terrible about becoming formulaic and lacking any kind of experimentation. But that's the kind of thing that fans and nerds and geeks have complained about for ages. They just didn't try to make a social issue out of it.
On July 20 2015 15:29 Yoav wrote:Show nested quote +On July 20 2015 15:07 Danglars wrote:On July 20 2015 12:20 oneofthem wrote: must say it is a revelation to see the popularity of the 'omg the evil SJWs' movement on the internets. I laughed out loud seeing how starkly asked and answered the question was right here. I expected some detached explanation, boring. I didn't expect Yoav to crystallize everything you might expect one to be. Talk about roll call. Yes, if you see the world in race, class, and sex, and sexual orientation, wear the badge with pride. If the world is only ever made up of victims, oppressors, and the champions of the oppressed, behold the term that's gained some recognition (albeit mostly people that overdo it) The second laugh if for people that think the worlds in their clutches, which I'll believe if Putin falls and the Middle East is rallied to their religion. I think people just need a single salient point of sickness in western culture to join in attacking; the bigger picture is much too complex. Ya know, I used to not really give much thought to race/class/sex. Then people challenged me and asked why it was that minorities and women are underrepresented in our culture. And I saw this was the case, and that I had only ignored it for so long because the people on the movie screens looked like me and I hadn't noticed. When you notice that this variable you ignored correlates to lots of things, you realize it has descriptive power, and then may go on to realize that it points to injustice. Meanwhile I'm represented by "Flied Lice" and Bruce Lee clones, and I think "justice" is a hilariously heavy word that is disproportionate to the actual issue at hand.
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At the same time Sanders had 7000 people at a rally, Brett favre had 70,000 people for his retirement speech. Bernie has a long way to go before is on the same level as a NFL qb who hasent played for 5 years. Then democrats can get excited.
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Most consumers don't actually care about "representation", they care about the media catering to their specific tastes. I mean, Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray were the biggest sellers among female demographics ever, and both were (supposedly) about boring everygirls pulled along on romping romantic fantasies by dreamy men.
Ding Ding there is the answer they are giving consumers what they want, taking those sales to the bank. It's not about justice and there shouldn't be a "quota" to be met. You target your demographic, do your research and the make another piece to be put into modern culture.
I guess white men are just the only ones privileged enough to be categorized by their interests and not their identity though. It kind of bothers me that in a heterogeneous society we allow ourselves to lose our beautiful individuality and put incredible emphasis on our polling category. I mean, it's fantastic that GH votes Dem because democratic socialist and progressive positions resonate more than 2nd amendment values with him and it is disingenuous and lazy to base it on nothing more than Democrats have the "black vote".
That's why I like Sanders as a candidate, he has clear positions that don't bend because he's polling poorly among "key demographics". This thread and American politics in general is incredibly funny when a black man is telling everyone he supports a candidate for his positions and that the candidate just needs time to market those positions. Meanwhile people telling GH that Bernie doesn't have the black vote and he needs to be either black or change his policies.
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Absolutely, they're only going to start caring about representation a) As soon as they know they will make more from diverse representation b) People throw a big enough hissyfit that even if people don't actually care about representation, the controversy will lead to less consumption. What I mean is, if someone says "Hey movie X only has white people in major roles, let's boycott it!" but then movie Y also only has white people in major roles, and X's consumption plummets while Y's consumption does not, people cared about representation ostensibly but not in actuality c)A law is passed regarding representation
On July 20 2015 16:05 whatisthisasheep wrote: At the same time Sanders had 7000 people at a rally, Brett favre had 70,000 people for his retirement speech. Bernie has a long way to go before is on the same level as a NFL qb who hasent played for 5 years. Then democrats can get excited. They're two different types of events. You can't really compare them.
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On July 20 2015 16:05 whatisthisasheep wrote: At the same time Sanders had 7000 people at a rally, Brett favre had 70,000 people for his retirement speech. Bernie has a long way to go before is on the same level as a NFL qb who hasent played for 5 years. Then democrats can get excited.
This is the most shallow and already tired and unoriginal line that I've heard trying to dismiss his huge political rallies and unmatched grassroots support.
@Wolf, Bernie is pretty sensible on guns and I don't think it would be hard to help him understand that some gun laws are stupid and some are smart and he's supported a couple dumb parts.
"It's not that all republicans are racist white guys, but if you're a racist white guy, you probably vote republican".
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If we're gonna measure candidate success by crowds, everything so far this season has been small ball. Obama pretty consistently pulled crowds of 50K+ (granted that was later on in the election cycle).
I think the thing that will demonstrate if Sanders is a truly viable candidate as opposed to being a guy people *could* get behind is if he pulls in endorsements. I took a quick glance at the Wikipedia page and he's got Vermont behind him and a scattering of others-- governors, a couple reps. Hillary's list of endorsements dwarf his both in clout and in quantity. Now, the unions haven't come out yet (with the exception of the teacher's union which announced for Hillary). Bernie absolutely needs to win their support.
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On July 20 2015 16:43 GreenHorizons wrote:Show nested quote +On July 20 2015 16:05 whatisthisasheep wrote: At the same time Sanders had 7000 people at a rally, Brett favre had 70,000 people for his retirement speech. Bernie has a long way to go before is on the same level as a NFL qb who hasent played for 5 years. Then democrats can get excited. This is the most shallow and already tired and unoriginal line that I've heard trying to dismiss his huge political rallies and unmatched grassroots support. The Green Bay Packers are all about grass roots. In a world of only billionaires owning football teams, Green Bay is the only team in the NFL owned by the public. That is what Sanders is trying to emulate so he should follow their lead. Being dismissive of independent successful organizations is unwise.
In other news, the Cuban embassy has been reopened in DC after 50 years. Down with the rebel Confederate flag and up with the Communist Cuban flag! http://news.yahoo.com/video/yahoo-news-special-report-180000670.html
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House Democrats and health care advocates blasted drug patent provisions in a current draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on Friday, criticizing the Obama administration for advancing policies that could drive up drug global drug costs.
Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), together with health advocates and a representative of the generic drug maker Mylan, called on the Obama administration to change aspects of the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade pact that would strengthen pharmaceutical patent monopolies. Speaking to reporters on a conference call, they said the measures would make it harder for generic drugs to come to market in countries that sign the agreement, including the United States.
The TPP agreement's chapter on intellectual property for drugs “confirms some of the worst fears of health care advocates,”said DeLauro, who has access to the agreement's classified draft text. If the current draft of TPP becomes law, she warned, “You can freeze cheaper generic drugs out of the market.”
In addition to the impact this could have on lower- and middle-income countries involved in TPP negotiations, like Vietnam, the provisions “will mean increased costs for Medicare and Medicaid, which will have a devastating effect on seniors" in the U.S., DeLauro said.
One thing fueling critics' concerns is a mandatory “patent linkage” provision in the draft text, which would prevent governments from approving generic drugs if there is any possibility that they violate a patent. This could dissuade generic drug makers from entering poorer or smaller countries, since overcoming stringent patent barriers has less of a payoff than in larger or wealthier nations like the United States.
Although the United States already has mandatory “patent linkage” requirements in place, the requirements in the current TPP draft are broader, said Nawel Rojkjaer, senior director of international affairs for Mylan. Currently, generic drug makers are only required to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about patent disputes. TPP’s patent linkage would preclude them from entering the market entirely if a pharmaceutical company argues that they are violating a patent, she said.
Source
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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is still out in front of all Republican contenders in a new Monmouth University poll out Monday surveying likely Iowa GOP caucus-goers.
But in second place is Donald Trump, whose remarks on Arizona Sen. John McCain’s military service do not appear to have had a material effect on his standing in the Hawkeye State, or at least not yet. In fact, plurality of those surveyed (47 percent) said they have a favorable view of the multibillionaire candidate, while 35 percent said they do not.
Walker grabbed 22 percent, compared to Trump’s 13 percent. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson received 8 percent, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 7 percent each. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 caucus, follows with 6 percent, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 5 percent, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal at 4 percent.
Source
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It is so painful to see Walker and Trump that far out front...
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It doesn't hurt me none
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On July 21 2015 02:06 JinDesu wrote: It is so painful to see Walker and Trump that far out front... More painful to see people who actually want another Bush in office.
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On July 21 2015 02:31 whatisthisasheep wrote:Show nested quote +On July 21 2015 02:06 JinDesu wrote: It is so painful to see Walker and Trump that far out front... More painful to see people who actually want another Bush in office.
Yeah, but he's the more articulate Bush.
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On July 21 2015 01:37 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:Show nested quote +House Democrats and health care advocates blasted drug patent provisions in a current draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement on Friday, criticizing the Obama administration for advancing policies that could drive up drug global drug costs.
Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), together with health advocates and a representative of the generic drug maker Mylan, called on the Obama administration to change aspects of the 12-nation Pacific Rim trade pact that would strengthen pharmaceutical patent monopolies. Speaking to reporters on a conference call, they said the measures would make it harder for generic drugs to come to market in countries that sign the agreement, including the United States.
The TPP agreement's chapter on intellectual property for drugs “confirms some of the worst fears of health care advocates,”said DeLauro, who has access to the agreement's classified draft text. If the current draft of TPP becomes law, she warned, “You can freeze cheaper generic drugs out of the market.”
In addition to the impact this could have on lower- and middle-income countries involved in TPP negotiations, like Vietnam, the provisions “will mean increased costs for Medicare and Medicaid, which will have a devastating effect on seniors" in the U.S., DeLauro said.
One thing fueling critics' concerns is a mandatory “patent linkage” provision in the draft text, which would prevent governments from approving generic drugs if there is any possibility that they violate a patent. This could dissuade generic drug makers from entering poorer or smaller countries, since overcoming stringent patent barriers has less of a payoff than in larger or wealthier nations like the United States.
Although the United States already has mandatory “patent linkage” requirements in place, the requirements in the current TPP draft are broader, said Nawel Rojkjaer, senior director of international affairs for Mylan. Currently, generic drug makers are only required to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about patent disputes. TPP’s patent linkage would preclude them from entering the market entirely if a pharmaceutical company argues that they are violating a patent, she said. Source
Global drug costs need to go up, it will actually make them go down in America. Right now we basically subsidize the entire world's pharmaceuticals. Without the American market most of the drugs that came out in the last 20 to 30 years would not have been developed.
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Yeah, still not buying that narrative as an excuse for your shitty healthcare system.
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So while everyone is caught up in the tabloids about Trump not apologizing for being a windbag, McCain is busy giving away sacred Apache public land to a foreign mining corporation. Why is no one talking about this?
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On July 21 2015 03:34 Simberto wrote: Yeah, still not buying that narrative as an excuse for your shitty healthcare system.
That is because you assume I think its the entire reason, which I don't. Prescriptions are only like 5-10% of medical costs. I'm just saying its a huge subsidy, like out military subsidy.
Plus, Europeans, when attacking the American system, always seem to ignore Medicare, which is socialized medicine, but still has high costs.
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United States41995 Posts
Medicare is socialized paying the bill for private healthcare. It's not really comparable to the NHS for example.
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United States41995 Posts
http://www.wbez.org/news/city-fires-investigator-who-found-cops-fault-shootings-112423
“Things began to turn sour, I would say, within the last year,” Davis said. “Chief Administrator Ando began to say that he wanted me to change my findings.”
Davis says he helped investigate more than a dozen shootings by police at the agency. He says his superiors had no objections when his team recommended exonerating officers. The objections came, he says, after each finding that a shooting was unjustified. He says there were six of those cases.
“They have shot people dead when they did not have to shoot,” Davis said about those officers. “They were not in reasonable fear for their lives. The evidence shows that the officer knew, or should have known, that the person who they shot was not armed or did not pose a threat to them or could have been apprehended by means short of deadly force.”
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On July 21 2015 05:44 KwarK wrote:http://www.wbez.org/news/city-fires-investigator-who-found-cops-fault-shootings-112423Show nested quote +“Things began to turn sour, I would say, within the last year,” Davis said. “Chief Administrator Ando began to say that he wanted me to change my findings.”
Davis says he helped investigate more than a dozen shootings by police at the agency. He says his superiors had no objections when his team recommended exonerating officers. The objections came, he says, after each finding that a shooting was unjustified. He says there were six of those cases.
“They have shot people dead when they did not have to shoot,” Davis said about those officers. “They were not in reasonable fear for their lives. The evidence shows that the officer knew, or should have known, that the person who they shot was not armed or did not pose a threat to them or could have been apprehended by means short of deadly force.” 1 in 400. No one anywhere has a 0.25% wrongful shooting rate. That fact alone shows me how utterly bullshit the investigations are.
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