REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Why Halloween is depressing

POSTED BY: MAL4PREZ
UPDATED: Saturday, November 23, 2013 22:49
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Sunday, October 27, 2013 11:14 PM

MAL4PREZ


I enjoy dressing up, as do many of my students and co-workers. There's a few other teachers with long histories of excellent costumes, from Indiana Jones to Darth Vader to Jack Sparrow. My first year of teaching I was Princess Leia of Star Wars with the funny side buns and white dress. My second year I did Cher of the 60s: long black hair, overdone make-up, fake lashes, and a goofy 60s jumpsuit.

Since then... not so much.

I cannot find an interesting female sci-fi/whatever character to dress up as that isn't totally inappropriate for a woman who doesn't need to present herself as a sexpot. WTH? I think of all my favorite movies... nope. It's all skintight and revealing. Not what I need to be wearing in front of teenagers.

A few days ago I thought - hey, what about something from a kids story, like little red riding hood? Get a red cape and a basket to carry, I've got a flowery girlish dress... until I just did a google search for fairy tale female characters and it was all anime sexpots.

What the f is wrong with this world? Can women exist in fiction these days without being all sexed up? Even Joss has fallen - look at the ridiculous posters for the Avengers, with Scarlet Johansson presented as all T&A.

/rant

Anyone got ideas?

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Monday, October 28, 2013 12:16 AM

WISHIMAY


That's one of the reasons I LOVE Avatar TLA and Legend of Korra.

Lynn Bei Fong is probably one of the strongest female characters ever made. Not a single thing about here is sexied up, from the don't touch me uniform to the scars on her face. And who DOESN'T wanna metal bend, really??
Toph is just as much fun and also Avatar Kyoshi. Really just awesome role models for kids and adults in both shows. I've now officially seen Avatar more times than I've seen Serenity.
Astrid is a great character that's not too sexified from Defenders of Berk. Plus all that great armor...and weaponry!

Pretty damn sure I was a warrior queen in another life. Could be why I'm paying in this one though

If you wanna go for sorta obscure Daria would be another great female character.

Captain Janeway?

Dax from DS9?

Carter from Stargate?

Reba from Tremors?

Bring a labeled "Empathy Gun" and be Trillion from Hitchhikers Guide?

Marge from The Simpsons?




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Monday, October 28, 2013 12:42 AM

BYTEMITE


...Kaylee? In her overalls. Tomboy wrench girl is a fetish but not generally sex-pot fodder.

Zoe, but it would only work with a fake gun and schools frown on that I hear, kinda inappropriate too maybe considering.

I'd say Inara since I'm pretty sure you like her but I'm pretty sure she can be described as a "sexpot." River too, even though she's a scary assassin in a sundress, if it wasn't for the movie you would've been okay though.

oh and ask Frem, he probably knows a BUNCH of cosplayable girls who aren't wearing tinfoil and dental floss! I don't really watch new stuff often enough to have lots of suggestions.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 1:38 AM

OONJERAH



Sue Storm Richards. Miss Piggy too sexy? Olive Oil is pretty asexual.

If you go waay retro, heroines were portrayed more Good than Sexy.
Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Snow White, etc. Orphan Annie.
Lucy (Peanuts Lucy or I Love Lucy). The Flying Nun.

No one'd know who you were in retro, tho.


==========================:>

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Monday, October 28, 2013 2:30 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Why Halloween is depressing

Because the fact that we now celebrate it is one of many indicators of how we are being culturally swamped by the US.

Next thing, we'll be doing Thanksgiving

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Monday, October 28, 2013 3:24 AM

OONJERAH



You know perfectly well that Hallowe'en is from
the Celtic All Hallows Eve & so from Britain.
And Jesus celebrated it with His desciples. :)

The Fantasy and Folklore of All Hallows
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/halloween.html

Thanksgiving, OtoH, is a Massachusetts-Puritan,
Mayflower-Pilgrims thing. I should boycott it
as I am, for last several years, concerned that
Virginia colony (1584) & New York (1612) were
here before Mass-Mayflower (1620).

In elementary school, I believe they told us that
the Mayflower was the 1st ship to bring colonists
from England to the New World. So even back then,
the schools had screwed our history lessons.

But Hallowe'en is pretty cool as long you have fun!

P.S. NM St. Augustine's (1565)!

======================
A man's gotta know his Holidays, Doc.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 4:01 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


It was never celebrated here, as far as I can remember, until about 10 years ago, when kids started trick or treating.

All Hallowed's Eve has never been particularly acknowledged, although as Catholic we had to go to church the next day as it was/is All Saints Day.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 7:06 AM

FREMDFIRMA


Quote:

Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I cannot find an interesting female sci-fi/whatever character to dress up as that isn't totally inappropriate for a woman who doesn't need to present herself as a sexpot. WTH? I think of all my favorite movies... nope. It's all skintight and revealing. Not what I need to be wearing in front of teenagers.


Nausicaa of the valley of the wind.
Bonus points for her being my A-1 exemplar of humane behavior.
You could also try Yuna from Final Fantasy X.

Neither costume looks too hard to pull off, and they also represent strength and decency from a generally nonviolent aspect.

-F

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Monday, October 28, 2013 9:17 AM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by FREMDFIRMA:
Nausicaa of the valley of the wind.
Bonus points for her being my A-1 exemplar of humane behavior.



I saw that movie when I was in 6th grade and it had a huge effect on me. Really, it gave me dreams that I still remember. I never could recall what the movie was until just last year, when I finally hunted down the title and found it online.

I will note that the first section of the movie includes a whole lot of upskirt shots of this leggy little girl. Totally creeps me out. Am I just too sensitive?

Quote:


You could also try Yuna from Final Fantasy X.

Neither costume looks too hard to pull off, and they also represent strength and decency from a generally nonviolent aspect.


Haven't seen this. Cool thing is, I have students who are into Anime and would likely recognize these.

WishImay - great ideas! Wish I had more time to be creative. Marge from the Simpsons would be awesome.

Ripley from Aliens would especially rock, since I look a lot like Sigourney Weaver. Seriously, there are scenes from Working Girl where I swear I'm watching myself on screen. But I don't know how I'd be recognizably Ripley. Just a jumpsuit with "Ripley" on it.

I may just go look for a Marge wig and necklace. I have the perfect dress already...



*---------------------------------------*
The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 9:45 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Halloween has become nothing but a great excuse for women to dress up and go out as a " naughty " nurse, or a 'sexy' lady pirate or some such. Which I'm fine with, but it does show a real lack of imagination.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Monday, October 28, 2013 10:21 AM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
It was never celebrated here, as far as I can remember, until about 10 years ago, when kids started trick or treating.

All Hallowed's Eve has never been particularly acknowledged, although as Catholic we had to go to church the next day as it was/is All Saints Day.



Oh come on. American culture is awful and the fact that it's so pervasive is disturbing, but trick or treating is legitimately fun. Sure, it's a bit of a pain for the adults, but people I've talked to in England said that they HATED it right up until they saw how happy it made their kids.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 10:26 AM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

I will note that the first section of the movie includes a whole lot of upskirt shots of this leggy little girl. Totally creeps me out. Am I just too sensitive?



Seconded "Japan is different" maybe with a "JAPAN!!!" *shake fist* or "Japan is really fucking weird."

There's a vending machine somewhere in Japan that sells panties. You don't even want to know.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 10:36 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up


On the teacher theme, how about Professor McGonagall or Madame Hooch from Harry Potter?


"When your heart breaks, you choose what to fill the cracks with. Love or hate. But hate won't ever heal. Only love can do that."

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Monday, October 28, 2013 11:34 AM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Quote:

I will note that the first section of the movie includes a whole lot of upskirt shots of this leggy little girl. Totally creeps me out. Am I just too sensitive?



Seconded "Japan is different" maybe with a "JAPAN!!!" *shake fist* or "Japan is really fucking weird."

There's a vending machine somewhere in Japan that sells panties. You don't even want to know.



Yeah, this is what I'm talking about:



Why oh why? Makes the day for dirty old men, I guess. *shakes head*

Thankfully, the movie seems to start taking her seriously a half hour or so in and this kind of thing stops.

McGonagall is awesome. Many ideas here for next year! I'm going for Marge though. Gonna stop by the costume store on the way home for a wig. I like wigs.

OK, I just had an idea: Pat Benatar, like from the Love is a Battlefield video. I love her. But none of my students would have any idea LOL!


*---------------------------------------*
The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 12:29 PM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...


There's always a witch, you know. "Crassic", as Rap would say.

I find Halloween depressing for several reasons. First, because the crap for it starts coming out (like everything else) way too soon, and it's all commercial bullshit. Second, because we don't have kids and don't want to spend money on crap sugar, so we turn off the lights, close the curtains and watch TV quietly until they pass.

Like most things, Halloween is for families with kids, and retailers, period. I used to dress up at work, and we used to put up a display in our front yard and I'd dress as a witch, sit totally still out front and scare kids (and sometimes their parents!) when I moved, then give them their "bakshish". Lost interest years ago.


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Monday, October 28, 2013 2:14 PM

FREMDFIRMA


I never even noted it Mal4, she's wearing a tunic over pants so that never registered with me as what they call fanservice, usually the visual focus is elsewhere, sooo...

The reason both Nausicaa and Yuna rate so high with me is that they never give in to hate, they have their tempermental moments, being only human, but generally hold to a standard of compassion and tolerance which is laudable even in adversity - and they both have huge reserves of courage that isn't necessarily based in violence, Nausicaas headfirst rush on the gunpod is prolly hands-down THE gutsiest thing I've seen in anime, and she did so to rescue a critter generally hostile to her people simply because it was suffering.
Yuna chose to defy prettymuch EVERYONE to break a stupid cycle and prevent a needless sacrifice for a mere year of peace, then went for all the marbles and tried to make that peace as permanent as such a thing ever is.

Oh, and this'll interest you, no doubt - they're workin on actually BUILDING a functional Mowe-02J jetglider, still haven't got all the kinks out though.
I seriously want one of these.



-Frem

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Monday, October 28, 2013 2:32 PM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:


Yeah, this is what I'm talking about:





Pants creep you out...?

Note the difference in *color* between the head and the area you seem upset by...




"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Monday, October 28, 2013 3:52 PM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:
Quote:

Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:


Yeah, this is what I'm talking about:





Pants creep you out...?

Note the difference in *color* between the head and the area you seem upset by...




"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"



If that's the case, then I take my creeped-ness. About this movie anyway. :)

*---------------------------------------*
The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 4:01 PM

STORYMARK


Granted, there is some freaky shit out there when it comes to anime....




"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Monday, October 28, 2013 6:28 PM

FREMDFIRMA


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:
Granted, there is some freaky shit out there when it comes to anime....


Which doesn't even necessarily have to be perverse, you'd have to go pretty far out there to beat FLCL or Paprika for sheer WTF?! factor.

-F

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Monday, October 28, 2013 6:33 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!



Here's a suggestion...



Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Monday, October 28, 2013 6:52 PM

JONGSSTRAW


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Here's a suggestion...



It's because of her we have Obama as president. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" ... you got that right Jack!

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Monday, October 28, 2013 6:59 PM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:
Granted, there is some freaky shit out there when it comes to anime....





*Repeats the "You don't want to know" line*

When your high school years were well spent competing in "find the most disturbing anime/manga images and see if you can get through the whole thread" contests with your friends, you see things that cannot be unseen.

The worst ones I've encountered can be summed up as "meathooks do not go there," "mammary eggsac," and "yep, that sure is a scat fetish image."

When people invoke Rule 34, they aren't kidding.

Source: the things I do for science, knowledge, and/or boredom.

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Monday, October 28, 2013 7:06 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
It's because of her we have Obama as president. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" ... you got that right Jack!



Dammit, I just KNEW someone would go there, and ruin a perfectly fine Halloween costume suggestion.


Tanks for nuttin' !

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Monday, October 28, 2013 7:18 PM

JONGSSTRAW


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:

Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
It's because of her we have Obama as president. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" ... you got that right Jack!



Dammit, I just KNEW someone would go there, and ruin a perfectly fine Halloween costume suggestion.


Tanks for nuttin' !


You could always go as Alan Keyes. But if you're gonna be asking for Pennies For Unicef, you might be better off as Rod Blagojevich...


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Monday, October 28, 2013 8:23 PM

MAL4PREZ


Quote:

Originally posted by AURaptor:

Here's a suggestion...



Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall



Yeah, that'd go over well on a high school teacher... I respected her as an actor that she was able to project any kind of *character* past that outfit. Holy bosom!

Here's the outlandishly costumed character I'd love to be... but no real body can pull it off, as the movie proved:




*---------------------------------------*
The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Tuesday, October 29, 2013 12:48 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!


Yeah, I never really got 'anime'. Seems pretentious as hell, imo. Oh well, to each their own.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 2:06 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:

I detest Halloween. I never much liked it as a kid when there was nothing more than a few wonkily carved pumpkins around the streets by way of token celebration. But over the years my vague ambivalence has ballooned to full-blown hatred.

I think it was living in Hong Kong that tipped me over the edge. The vibrant local Honkongese and expat community love a cultural/religious celebration. Whatever is going around, be it Christmas, Diwali, Lantern Festival or Buddha's birthday, they will get into it. But Halloween is something else. It's bigger than Christmas, the streets of Lan Kwai Fong (party central on Hong Kong Island) are festooned with so many huge hairy spiders and tacky webs it's almost impossible to walk the steep, cobblestoned streets. And the normally all-pervasive aromas of barbecued duck and goose are obliterated by the fake smoke machines.

Driving to school last week the five-year-old said: "I can't decide whether I like Christmas or Halloween better." I nearly crashed the car in horror.

Every towering apartment block hosts a sort of vertical street party. I took my then one and three-year-olds to a party in our block. I dressed the one-year-old in a faux-felt pumpkin costume complete with stalk hat and she spent the night crying at the indignity of it. Never again, I thought, and for the next three years we left town on October 31.

But now, with kids aged five, seven and nine, I cannot escape it. We have come home to Sydney and Halloween is everywhere. There are gross ghouls hanging from every second house around us and the supermarkets are filled with weirdly perfect pumpkins. Driving to school last week the five-year-old said: "I can't decide whether I like Christmas or Halloween better." I nearly crashed the car in horror.
Advertisement

How has this happened? Why do we celebrate this American custom? Halloween has no cultural significance here. No one understands or cares why we do it, it is just mindless dressing-up in spooky costumes because the US does. And then there are the lollies. I am fine with them having sweet treats, I'm fine with the bags of tooth-rotting goodies that come home from a party. But I'm not fine with the bucketloads of "candy" that will come home tonight. It's just too much.

The wonderful lady who picks our kids up from school will take our girls tonight. They are beside themselves with glee. She took them last year as well. I drove home in the evening and saw them heading up our street towards home. Their smiles were brighter than the street lights as they sailed along waving to the many neighbours spilling out into the street. "See," said Jeanne. "It is a wonderful event that connects people and brings them together." Yes I saw. I just wish it didn't take Halloween to do this.



http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/food-news/the-horror-how-hallowee
n-hijacked-my-home-20131031-2wjab.html?rand=1383186403300


Also

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/31/halloween-in-aust
ralia-what-a-terrible-and-spooky-sight



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Thursday, October 31, 2013 3:02 AM

OONJERAH


^"How has this happened? Why do we celebrate this American custom?
Halloween has no cultural significance here."

New Years, Easter, Christmas. Are those American customs too?

Cool! We rule the world. All your kids wanna be just like US.


======================
A man's gotta know his limitations. ~Dirty Harry

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:42 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


That's pretty much it.


I guess its hard to understand what its like to feel swamped by another more dominant culture, and feel bit by bit that you're being subsumed.

I have a lot of sympathy for the French who rail against it.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:56 AM

OONJERAH



If, by chance, we should last another 100 years,
we'll probably be absorbed by the countries we occupy.


===================
A country's gotta recognize its boundaries. Or lose them.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 7:42 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


It's not the same. No, not the same at all. It's the difference between celebrating chinese new year because you have lots of chinese in the neighborhood, and celebrating it because china is the dominates every aspect of your life.

Dont know if I can explain it to you, jerah. Perhaps, if you could imagine that Australia Day became more widely celebrated in the US than July 4th. You weren't sure what it was all about, but you had the bbq and the sausages and lamingtons and draped yourself in Aussie flags. Every tv show you watched depicted people celebrating it, newspapers talked about it, but nobody mentioned July 4 anymore.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 8:48 AM

OONJERAH



I am really sorry, Magons.
I had no idea -- none.

Because, you see, coming the other way, all the entertainment, books,
movies, songs, that we get from you are wonderfully Aussie & not US at all.

Lately, I've had occassion to say to friends, "Don't you remember
'The Ugly American?'" "No," they reply, "What is that?"


==============
A man needs a bit of humility.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 11:16 AM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
It's not the same. No, not the same at all. It's the difference between celebrating chinese new year because you have lots of chinese in the neighborhood, and celebrating it because china is the dominates every aspect of your life.

Dont know if I can explain it to you, jerah. Perhaps, if you could imagine that Australia Day became more widely celebrated in the US than July 4th. You weren't sure what it was all about, but you had the bbq and the sausages and lamingtons and draped yourself in Aussie flags. Every tv show you watched depicted people celebrating it, newspapers talked about it, but nobody mentioned July 4 anymore.



We actually have this in America. It's called Cinco de Mayo, and it's awesome.

Which tends to be the reason celebrations and traditions cross cultural and national boundaries.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if soon Americans start celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, and vice-versa for Canadia. :P

It's like me saying I'm having a party, and you saying you hate my party because it's all you've heard about all month. You can basically either join in the fun, or don't play. Like Christmas for atheists. Which starts in July now.

Normally I'm the first in line when it comes to resenting America. But Halloween? Really? Of all the problems that America causes in the rest of the world, of the many times we've exported American culture at GUN POINT, you hate Halloween.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 11:30 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


Quote:

Originally posted by G:
Jersey whatever-the-hell-it's-called on euro TV??? Christ almighty! I feel like apologizing to every foreigner and at the same time I feel like screaming, "that's not the US that I live in...

Duck Dynasty, Hardcore Pawn, and Lizard Lick Towing ought to be internationally syndicated. The World needs to know what Americans hold dear: quiet hedonism, consumerism, and mind-numbing mass entertainment. The increase in leisure has not resulted, as the ancient sages supposed, in an increase in wisdom and the contemplation of the good, the true, and the beautiful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Dynasty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_Pawn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizard_Lick_Towing

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 1:33 PM

STORYMARK


I dig Halloween. An excuse to indulge in some sugar - and lots of fun costumes. It really doesn't hold any significance for me beyond that - but it's fun and I like it.

Im dressed as Mal right now, as a matter of fact...




"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:08 PM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

The increase in leisure has not resulted, as the ancient sages supposed, in an increase in wisdom and the contemplation of the good, the true, and the beautiful.


Eh. While I do think there are beneficial aspects to physical labour, I don't think we should toss out our tractors and technological developments just yet. Rather, I think that the problems you refer to are more of a corrupt Empire bread and circuses type thing like Ancient Rome. Superficial spectacle distracts and sells easier than depth.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:09 PM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:
I dig Halloween. An excuse to indulge in some sugar - and lots of fun costumes. It really doesn't hold any significance for me beyond that - but it's fun and I like it.

Im dressed as Mal right now, as a matter of fact...






WE DEMAND PICS.

Oh wait, actually no, that might endanger your personal security. WE DEMAND STICK FIGURE DRAWINGS OF THIS EVENT.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:27 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:

Originally posted by BYTEMITE:

We actually have this in America. It's called Cinco de Mayo, and it's awesome.

Which tends to be the reason celebrations and traditions cross cultural and national boundaries.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if soon Americans start celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, and vice-versa for Canadia. :P

It's like me saying I'm having a party, and you saying you hate my party because it's all you've heard about all month. You can basically either join in the fun, or don't play. Like Christmas for atheists. Which starts in July now.

Normally I'm the first in line when it comes to resenting America. But Halloween? Really? Of all the problems that America causes in the rest of the world, of the many times we've exported American culture at GUN POINT, you hate Halloween.



Yeah, you don't get it. I see that clearly.

Again, not the same as celebrating other cultures festivals, as I said earlier, but I see you lack the understanding to see the difference.

I'd have no problems celebrating Thanksgiving with some Americna friends who lived around the corner. I have a problem when American cultural norms being adopted because people see them on TV. I don't hate Halloween, I resent it. Just like I resent the 24 hours MacDonalds opening down the road, and the fact that most youngsters now use American spelling because computer spell check defaults to American spelling and a thousand other things that demonstrate American cultural dominance over the world.

And yes, not as bad as having tanks roll down the street, but is that the yard stick for complaints these days. "You're not being shot at, so put up and shut up"

Anyway, enjoy your fun. Just wanted to chip in my ten cents about what I find depressing about Halloween.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:36 PM

BYTEMITE


So celebrating Thanksgiving because some Americans you know expect you to is okay, but celebrating Halloween because some of your countrymen saw it on television and thought it looked cool is just uncalled for.

It is apparent that you basically don't like Halloween not because it's American but because it's popular, and populism is the realm of the vulgar audience. Yet ultimately you are objecting to giving candy to children and calling it cultural victimisation.

Meanwhile, I'm going to gobble down a shit-ton of sugar and somehow carry it on my 5'5" 125 pound frame. Then I'm going to watch some friggin' GHOSTBUSTERS, and maybe scare the piss out of some kids with a remote controlled helicopter.

It's going to be pretty good.


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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:45 PM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:
I dig Halloween. An excuse to indulge in some sugar - and lots of fun costumes. It really doesn't hold any significance for me beyond that - but it's fun and I like it.

Im dressed as Mal right now, as a matter of fact...






WE DEMAND PICS.

Oh wait, actually no, that might endanger your personal security. WE DEMAND STICK FIGURE DRAWINGS OF THIS EVENT.



Eh, Ive posted my pic before, I don't mind. Its not a great costume anyway - I just realized that I had enough elements to pull off a "close enough" version, and... here I am.



I need to clean my mirror....




"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 4:59 PM

OONJERAH



Hey! You're young enuf to Be Mal when the series picks up again!
Get an agent, quick!


=================:>
A man's gotta know his Imitations.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 5:12 PM

STORYMARK


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:

Hey! You're young enuf to Be Mal when the series picks up again!
Get an agent, quick!


=================:>
A man's gotta know his Imitations.



Im actually only a couple years younger than our Cap'n.

What can I say, I age well.




"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 5:20 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK


Quote:

Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I enjoy dressing up, as do many of my students and co-workers. There's a few other teachers with long histories of excellent costumes, from Indiana Jones to Darth Vader to Jack Sparrow. My first year of teaching I was Princess Leia of Star Wars with the funny side buns and white dress. My second year I did Cher of the 60s: long black hair, overdone make-up, fake lashes, and a goofy 60s jumpsuit.

Since then... not so much.

I cannot find an interesting female sci-fi/whatever character to dress up as that isn't totally inappropriate for a woman who doesn't need to present herself as a sexpot. WTH? I think of all my favorite movies... nope. It's all skintight and revealing. Not what I need to be wearing in front of teenagers.

A few days ago I thought - hey, what about something from a kids story, like little red riding hood? Get a red cape and a basket to carry, I've got a flowery girlish dress... until I just did a google search for fairy tale female characters and it was all anime sexpots.

What the f is wrong with this world? Can women exist in fiction these days without being all sexed up? Even Joss has fallen - look at the ridiculous posters for the Avengers, with Scarlet Johansson presented as all T&A.

/rant

Anyone got ideas?




Good luck with that M....

Where I work, if it isn't a joke costume it's a slut costume. That remains the same at any age. I'm glad I don't have a daughter of Halloween age today because we'd be battling right now.

Go to ANY big box store and look at the pictures of the girls on the costumes. Enough makeup to make a clown jealous...

Shit's just getting really weird now.


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Thursday, October 31, 2013 10:58 PM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Quote:

Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
So celebrating Thanksgiving because some Americans you know expect you to is okay, but celebrating Halloween because some of your countrymen saw it on television and thought it looked cool is just uncalled for.

It is apparent that you basically don't like Halloween not because it's American but because it's popular, and populism is the realm of the vulgar audience. Yet ultimately you are objecting to giving candy to children and calling it cultural victimisation.

Meanwhile, I'm going to gobble down a shit-ton of sugar and somehow carry it on my 5'5" 125 pound frame. Then I'm going to watch some friggin' GHOSTBUSTERS, and maybe scare the piss out of some kids with a remote controlled helicopter.

It's going to be pretty good.




Yeah, you don't get it.

Revel in your cultural imperialism by all means. Empathy seems to be pretty difficult for you to manage.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 11:04 PM

BYTEMITE


Quote:



Yeah, you don't get it.

Revel in your cultural imperialism by all means. Empathy seems to be pretty difficult for you to manage.



You just accused me for a second time of cultural imperialism - a large part of why I have zero empathy right now and in itself mindboggling considering my usual opinion of America - that YOUR OWN PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN.

I'm not going to be sympathetic or feel guilty that you're upset that people around you are choosing to have FUN. I'm just not. That is a ridiculous expectation, and I do not apologize.

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Thursday, October 31, 2013 11:29 PM

OONJERAH



Lemme guess ...

People having fun is not the objection.
People adopting US customs in lieu of their own is felt as a loss.
Very upsetting when one loves-respects her own culture.
My refusal to hear-understand the hurt was like an insult.


======================
Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest. ~Paul Simon

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Friday, November 1, 2013 12:09 AM

WISHIMAY


I get what you're trying to say Magons...

There's a guy in chat occaisionally who is from Bulgaria. His favorite TV show is "The Big Bang Theory"

I had no idea they got that in Bulgaria, but they do.

The internet really really has made the world a much smaller place. If you want entertainment THAT'S WHERE EVERYONE GOES! That and a generation or twelve of subtle cultural representations in movies and music...Unfortunately, it was bound to happen, but I personally did not expect it this soon, and I firmly believe most Americans have NO CLUE how we are affecting the rest of the world.
I'm sure a lot of Christians would deny that they want the rest of the world doing their holidays, but I know that a lot would secretly revel in the "superiority" of it all. It makes me kind of sick that Americans ( and lets face it- companies EVERYWHERE LOOOOVE how commercialized we are) are soo inadvertently messing with others cultures, but people get bored with their own stuffs and I think that's natural. It's not like we're putting a gun to anyone's head and making them do it anyways... Who knows- in 50 years maybe South African culture will take the world by storm? Polynesian? If we haven' wrecked it completely by then, I mean...

Halloween always was a little too much "glamorizing the dark side" for me, but hubbs loves it. I tell him he's welcome to decorate, but don't expect me to do any of that. We're both fine with.... whatever.

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Friday, November 1, 2013 1:23 AM

BYTEMITE


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
Lemme guess ...

People having fun is not the objection.
People adopting US customs in lieu of their own is felt as a loss.
Very upsetting when one loves-respects her own culture.



Okay then. If Magons comes back and tells me what specifically Australians did for Halloween before America started forcing their children to trick or treat against their will, I'll concede that point and take it all back.

But I my impression is that there was no celebration prior to this, and so this new tradition happens to be filling a spot that was previously empty. It is not as far as I know replacing or disrespecting any existing cultural tradition.

Until I have this clarification, I can only assume Magons is looking for people to acknowledge her cultural superiority and mourn with her over the foolishness of television zombies of her country acting like those awful American philistines. How lamentable. Unfortunately, I live by the belief system that no culture is inherently better or preferable to any other culture, and I happen to like Halloween. I also am not going to take the blame for Magons' neighbors deciding of their own volition that they want to celebrate Halloween "American" style just because Magons dislikes the holiday for whatever reason.

Nor am I a "CULTURAL IMPERIALIST" for saying that I think her argument is unsound and fallacious and explaining why.

It's basically a reverse bandwagon fallacy and also a genetic fallacy: saying that something is wrong or bad because it has become popular and also because where the idea originated from. The goodness or badness of a practice or idea is completely unrelated to it's popularity or origin.

If Magons dislikes Halloween because other people in her country are celebrating it, she is entitled to that, but it is a matter of personal preference and opinion as opposed to some sort of WRONG perpetuated against her and Australia.

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Monday, November 4, 2013 2:33 AM

MAGONSDAUGHTER


Said what I needed to say as clearly as possible. not going to say the same thing over again so Byte can come back with some bitchy response. You either get the objection to feeling like American culture is taking over your own, or you don't.. Believe me when I say, my sentiments are shared by many citizens of the world.

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