Monkey Puns Abound

So, it seems my nemesis Peter Singer is back at his old tricks, only this time people are listening to his crackpot ideas. I should qualify all of this animosity with the admission that I find his notions on poverty alleviation exceedingly compelling, but when it comes to his radical views on animal rights, I am not a proponent. Specifically, my own views on the rights of the mentally disabled are in sharp contrast with how Singer views this segment of the population. You see, Singer argues that animals should have at least equal rights to mentally disabled persons who are of similar or lower cognitive functioning.

Regardless of my own reasons for rejecting this notion, someone has found it plausible enough to pass a law to this effect—namely the whole fucking country of Spain. I know what you’re thinking, “Not the bastion of progress and intellectualism that spawned such global gifts as brutal inquisitions and fervent nationalism!”

Believe it, friend.

The absurdity is such that the author of the article noted the hypocrisy of defending the rights of apes while continuing to slaughter bulls in possibly the most inhumane manner possible in the name of culture and tradition. Olé indeed.

So, how is it that a left-leaning aspiring philosopher who supports rights for animals could be opposed to such a measure? Because of the inherent naïveté in granting chimpanzees the same rights as children. Unless I’m missing some crucial part of the legislation, I do not understand why it is not possible to make laws protecting the unnecessary killing or imprisonment of apes without making them equal in the eyes of the law to some humans. This might seem harmless, or even admirably progressive, but I see a host of messy quagmires awaiting Spain.

For example, if chimpanzees have the same right to life as children and a chimp kills a human, does that mean they have the right to a court trial? If so, can they then be incarcerated? How would they be said to have given themselves an adequate defense? Or, do we treat them as we treat children: by saying they are not truly capable of such heinous crimes, and so murder would not be a viable conviction? Here is yet another question: what if one chimpanzee kills another? Is that murder? Do you sentence an ape and lock it up with humans? Do you put it to death? According to the article, some chimps are known to eat rivals’ babies. How do you deal with the legal issues of this without somehow confining the apes to keep them from assaulting the infants of rivals?

My objections to this measure are similar to my objections to most of Peter Singer’s ideas, namely that they work in theory but not in practice. It is all well and good to declare apes morally akin to humans, but without working out the details, the measure comes across as half baked. I will curiously await the first bump in the road to see just how thought out the Spanish Parliament’s laws are.

–Casimir

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Damn Sneaky Bushies

Looks like either way we’re in for four more years of Bush policies…

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Stay A While And Listen

Today we’ve been blessed with some delicious news from the world of Blizzard.  It seems the boys at the big B - or Fo’ Blizzle, as it’s colloquially called - have announced the next iteration in their epic series Diablo with Diablo III.  I may have summoned a piece of shit in my plate leggings.  Better head back to town.

Along with the announcement of DIII, Blizzard also launched a website to its dedication chock-full of savory content, including but not limited to, a teaser trailer characteristically beautiful in its execution as well as a 20-minute gameplay demo(!).  Not to mention the enormous amount of screenshots, concept art, wallpapers, other game information and a section called Cain’s Journal narrated by Cain himself.

Watching the 20-minute demo of the initial gameplay blew me away.  Since a few years have passed since the release of the second Diablo, graphical prowess and overall performance in the industry of technology has increased at a rate incalculable which allowed for Blizzard to make the Diablo series even more refined and polished visually.  So right off the bat, the environment present in the demo popped and flourished right out of the screen.

The beginning of the gameplay trailer shows off one of the two classes that have been announced for the game thus far; the Barbarian.  The old staple.  Immediately one notices the difference in gameplay mechanics as the Barbarian takes but a few steps onto a large square pillar connected to the rest of the environment with small narrow walkways and is assaulted with what some may call a “zerg rush” of quick, agile Gollum-esque creatures.

While some key gameplay components have been altered to reveal a much more fluid, fast-paced (almost God of War style play) experience in terms of combat, the fundamentals are still present making it very much Diablo.  Some of the changes seem to include things like destructible environments, which can be used to ones advantage or bring ruin to one’s well-being.  As well as a new drop item when killing enemies that, again like God of War, replenishes health just be coming in contact with it lessening the need of potions to save you.

The other class shown in the demo is a new class to the Diablo series; The Witch Doctor.  This class seems to have replaced the Necromancer.  I don’t know this for certain, but the character-type and play styles are very similar.  The Witch Doctor is a master of disease and can summon pets to do his bidding and control the minds of his enemies.  One attack the Doctor possesses spits a swarm of locusts towards an enemy devouring it whole leaving only bones then arching to nearby enemies to do the same.  This same attack can then be used on his pets which gives them bonuses to their attack causing extra poison damage.  Awesome.

As far as I’m aware the number or type of classes available for play has not been set.  I heard rumor of only 5 classes, but that would remain consistent with previous Diablos (excluding expansions).  It is only day one of the newly launched site, so I’m sure speculation is ravenously devouring all on the official forums.

What Blizzard has delivered so far excites me deep within a sub-region of my being.  Diablo has always been my Blizz series of choice.  While I enjoy all their games, Warcraft and Starcraft are both essentially RTSs and I have never been especially adept at that genre of game.  My strategic prowess carries me through a game of Stratego, maybe.

I look forward to seeing all the new content that gets released over the next however many months detailing all the new story elements, characters, enemies and Horadric Cubes within the world of Sanctuary which taking a look back through all the games and the upcoming third one has to be the most ironically named world ever.  Peace.

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Anime Showdown

I’m going to step out of my usual shoes and do something I’m not sure I’ve yet done here: endorse an anime. Yes, it is true, I watch them as well. Kether can be attributed (or blamed, if you’re the Mistress) as the impetus. Regardless, I shall now be comparing and contrasting two shows still in progress: Code Geass and Soul Eater.

It might be dangerous to discuss and critique shows still in progress, as my feelings about them may change by the time all is said and done, but since my remarks will generally be of an extolling nature, I should be safe. I should also give the caveat that when I read or watch fiction, my overwhelming focus and judgment lies in the characters themselves. I am willing to overlook terrible art, atrocious plot lines, and a host of other issues so long as the characters are three dimensional, genuine, and believable. Bearing this in mind, I move to the first anime under discussion: Soul Eater.

The series is only 11 episodes in, but I was hooked after episode one. The story revolves around a shinigami school for Meisters and Weapons who team up to defeat those who prey on innocent souls of humans. The Weapons are human in form when inactive, but adopt the form of anything from blades to guns to smoke bombs when in combat. The Meisters utilize the weapons with the goal of acquiring 100 souls and one witch’s soul in order that the Weapons become a Death Scythe. Upon defeating an enemy, the weapon will literally devour their soul, hence Soul Eater. The primary story involves three such teams of Meister and Weapon(s).

What I like: All of the characters are fallible, unique, and consistent. What I mean by consistent is they do only actions you would expect them to do, or can understand given their motivation. The animation is hailed as sublime, but I am not sensitive enough to the art form to comment on that. The action scenes are exceedingly enjoyable to watch, and the perspectives of the “camera” are a treat for the viewer as well. Also, the world of Death City is fantastic enough to feel almost outlandish, but detailed and described well enough to keep the viewer from falling out of the illusion.

What I don’t like: Sometimes the series can feel too Japanese, if that’s the proper term. What I mean by that is the overly goofy anime expressions or cultural humor that is probably rarely appreciated outside of Tokyo. That being said, I do find myself laughing often enough to overlook the Kawaii! aspects of the series.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, seasons 1 and R2 are in the almost opposite extreme of Soul Eater. While this series would be classified as a Mecha anime, it is of the style that focuses more on the human side and characters. The series is meant to be a futuristic, but historical fiction depicting the events of the overthrow of Japan by the Holy Empire of Britannia in the near future, but focusing primarily on the aftermath and subsequent rebellion by enemies of the state. Season one chronicled the rise of the Black Knights and their leader Zero, a castaway prince of the old power who seeks retribution against his father, the emperor. Season two begins with the Knights scattered and beaten back, but Zero regaining his memories and the power of the Geass.

What I like: The sheer scale of the story is impressive, encompassing a multitude of characters with detailed backgrounds and several nations with complex political relations over the span of several years. While fiction, the series is heavily based in plausible technology and world events (leaving the Geass aside). The main plot line resembles Death Note in its juxtaposition of ideals and methods for creating a just world and the battle of wills resulting. In addition, the series does little to glorify war or rebellion per se, focusing rather on the sacrifices and losses of each side.

What I don’t like: Remember when I said how important characters are to me? This series strays little from the stock, cliché anime characters I have become all too familiar with. The two protagonists (I’m not sure of the role of either of the main characters) are practically cutouts from the anime writers manual, and at times do things completely out of character for no reason, and then fail to recognize their hypocrisy. Lelouch is your standard brilliant but bored high school student who ends up shaping the world through his will. Suzaku is his oldest friend who is superior in might and adheres to the rules, preferring to change the system from within. Each vehemently professes their ideals, but then repeatedly and blindly defects on themselves throughout the series.

Bonus what I don’t like: Is it Kallen or Karen? Geass or Geas? Make up your mind! Also, I get it: Pizza Hut is a friend of the show. Long live Pizza Hut! Can we maybe be a little less obvious about it?

Putting these two series up against one another would be a bit unfair, since Code Geass is currently 36 episodes deep, and Soul Eater is just 11 old. However, even at this point, I would have to say I prefer Soul Eater. Frankly, I’m just not that into Mecha battles, even though I do love some of what they do with the political and strategic storylines of the series. To be perfectly redundant, what sells a series for me is characters, and Soul Eater wins hands down. Still, if you have time, check them both out and you will likely not be disappointed.

–Casimir

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The Fault in Forgiveness

I had a professor recently tell me why she did not agree with forgiveness. I am not going to replicate her argument, but in telling it to someone else, I was forced to play devil’s advocate and reject forgiveness in my own right. I will do the same here, and welcome all challenges.

Claim 1: Not all forgiveness is bad, but forgiveness can only come about when some injustice or wrong has been amended.

My biggest problem with the elevation of forgiveness in Judeo-Christian society is that it is regarded as a virtue to unconditionally forgive others. Nay, it is considered godlike. I would concede that forgiving has some psychological benefit for those who have been wronged, as well as those who wrong, but to unconditionally forgive is to ignore some legal or moral wrong. As humans, this is a socially crippling and potentially self-destructive mode of behavior.

Claim 2: Anger and revenge are baser reactions, but base reactions do not imply inferiority.

The survival of humans has depended upon our “lesser” traits that allowed us to reach a more complex plane of interaction. That being said, a complete rejection of these patterns is not only extremely difficult and the source of great strife, but may have ramifications we can not yet conceive. We are told that denying sexuality is a virtue, but sexuality is necessary not only for the procreation of our species, but the sort of bonding that likely allowed nomadic groups of humans to persist. Granted, I am here intermingling sex and love, but the two are quite impossible to tear apart.

Claim 3: Anger and revenge may be the reason humans were able (and are able) to cooperate.

Game theoretic studies suggest that cooperation cannot survive unless the conditions are ideal and the agents are willing to defect on those who defect on them. In fact, unconditional cooperators fare the worst, while ideal settings show conditional cooperators fare the best. My suggestion is that the evolutionary purpose of anger and revenge is to create a society where a few defectors cannot take advantage of the greater society, otherwise cooperation would never have survived. Of course, surreptitious deception is not out of the question, but that leads me to the next claim.

Claim 4: Punishment is a necessary precursor to forgiveness, and can be considered revenge extracted by society as a whole.

When we discover some moral wrong, we seek retribution in the form of incarceration or pecuniary damages, thus justifying the desire for revenge and satisfying the need for defection in kind. It may seem that unconditional forgiveness is a virtue, but would it be so easy in a society where none were punished for their actions? Of course, the Judeo-Christian teachings say that forgiveness in those cases is even more divine, but if that were the case then we should never want to overthrow dictators. This is the line of thought I find so volatile: we should not judge others, but rather await divine judgment. If a member of your nomadic tribe stole and bartered the entire hunt your group had stored for the winter, should you turn the other cheek and allow them to remain a member of the group?

In summation, without some form of revenge, forgiveness is irresponsible. Punishment is societal revenge manifest, and anger at moral wrongs is often the impetus for such desires for revenge. Forgiveness may be divine, but unconditional forgiveness is certainly not human, nor should it be.

-Casimir

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Jarring Velocity

Within recent, recollectable time, life feels like it has sped up to a speed at which I am more a participant to my own life rather than at the helm of the U.S.S Me.  As if life is moving at such a rate that I am more watching the events of my life unfold rather than be Tom fuckin’ Cruise in the film adaptation of my life.  And some asshole behind me in the theater keeps sneezing and breathing too loudly so I miss half the good scenes.

Much of my conscious wakened state is spent at work.  This is to be expected.  I’m not some hippie college student anymore taking bong hits from weed I found under my roommates sofa cushion.  Unfortunately.  My current work environment is such that I arrive at some time when the sun is just beginning to start its journey across the pale blue vastness of our visible horizon, blink once or twice, and then it’s time to go home.

Home - post work - typically consists of trying to forget all that I’ve done over the past eight or so hours at work.  This activity can take all night, which usually translates to me not actually relaxing at any substantial portion of the evening.  Alcohol tends to lend a hand at times, but much like any night of intoxication, the effects are far too temporary.

Stress has built up to a point that even among my nightly leisure activities I find strain and scouring.  I have choices between anime, manga, movies, music, television, massively multiplayer online role playing games, etc.  This multitude of choices only hinders as opposed to helps.  I have too many relaxing hobbies to partake in and that breeds pressure and tension.

I believe a vacation may be desperately in order, but I think any place I chose to go would produce its own unique array of issues that eat away at my psyche.  Cas is actually in town this week and while I always welcome the time to spend with him - as I typically only spend time with myself - it is also a dangerous change in my daily routine.  So much so that fatigue is induced at an alarming rate.  I will do what I can to maximize our time together as it seems to only come around three times a year tops.  I guess having a life will do that.

I may make my life sound unmanageable, and while at high frequency it feels just that, I do find some time for moments of peace and enjoyment minus any damaging strain.  I wonder if drugs might be able to slow my mind to a crawl capable of processing more than a handful of moments each day.  As far as I know, drugs can do anything and everything.  So perhaps my hope should lie in pharmaceuticals.  If I can’t rely on them, who can I?

I hope that eventually this fast-paced mind fuck I call my life will slow and perhaps when it does I will pine for the days when I had too much to do.  At this point in time, I’m not sure that moment can come soon enough.  I would prefer to keep my blood on the inside and not shooting out of the orifices in my face.  Peace.

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I Am Justice!

I haven’t written in this space for quite some time.  Almost immeasurable time, really.  Mostly, I didn’t want to break the swift and sweeping momentum built up by Cas’ recent flurry of posts.  I figured they wouldn’t really benefit from an interjection about anime or some such topic.  However, now that the torrent has cooled to a slow simmer, the time may be nigh to emerge from the dark waters of silence and firmly reapply my stamp of authority on this site…with a post about anime.

I’m so sorry.

A week or so ago now - eight days to be exact; making this post almost irrelevant - I attended a limited two night only event at a theater near me.  To set the stage for this tale, we begin at a movie theater not unlike the one I went to for what I’m about to tell you, but unlike that movie theater because it wasn’t the same theater.  Anyway.  I went to see Iron Man a week or so after its release, fashionably late, and during one of the pre-pre-previews I saw a trailer for something I didn’t expect:  Death Note, the Live Action movie.

It caught me quite off guard because as a fan of things that hail from Japan, I generally don’t expect to see them anywhere near my movie theaters.  Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.  The trailer informed me that two nights for a single time each night the first Live Action adaptation of the popular anime series, Death Note, would be playing at theaters across the country.  Banzai!

As soon as I remembered (about a week before the event), I bought early tickets to make sure I procured a seat.  The day came and myself and two cohorts made off for the show.  We arrived literally on time so we had to skip the confections and concessions.  As we made our way into the theater, I noticed the volume level was a little louder than typical for a waiting movie theater audience, but I ignored it paying more attention to my own excitement.

I was disappointed before even showing up to the theater finding out online earlier that day that the movie was to be shown dubbed.  I’m not sure why English companies feel they have to do this.  Ultimately, it is unnecessary.  If you are showing a movie that up until that point is exclusive to another country and based entirely off an anime series that has only just begun being shown on late-night American television, it would be safe to assume the people in attendance can endure subtitles, if not wholly endorse and prefer them.  If the dubbing had any merits, they did use the English voice actors from the anime series.  This provided a sense of continuity and familiarity at minimum.

The story of the film was excellent.  While it follows the beginning plot of the anime it is not strict in its execution.  Certain accepted liberties were taken and story elements were changed without hindering or tarnishing the original work.  In the end, it provided a brand new take on an established story and told the same crucial sequences of events in a fresh and compelling way creating a unique Death Note experience.

Looking past the dubbing, the actors presumably did a great job portraying the characters they were playing which I imagine from animation to live action is no easy task.  Their characteristics and behavior matched to the best of abilities.  Also, they nailed Ryuk, the first and main shinigami (death god) we meet in both stories.

The only thing about the whole evening which may have hindered or altogether ruined my experience were the other fans in the theater.  This seems to be a recurring theme.  I’m not sure if it is just a general life lesson that with any and all hobbies or events, there will always be a percentage of people who are complete fucking obnoxious assholes.  My assumption is yes, because I can’t imagine they are solely contained within my areas of interest.

Now, I know anime fans.  I know them all too well.  Unfortunately.  Across the board they are typically a genre of subhuman trolls whose remarkable lack of social prowess begs the question how they survived through life up until this point.  It is probably why I get looks of repulsion from others when I tell them of my hobby.  Granted, not all anime fans are like this, much like any other stereotype, but fuck; a lot of them are.

I would prefer not spending too much time on those who I hope I never meet again.  They did, however, spend the entirety of the film giggling and “creeing” and talking disruptively amongst each other.  Adding commentary when they saw fit and laughing at parts that merited no such laughter.  They were also cosplaying or dressed up as their favorite characters.  While I can respect and admire those willing to look the fool by being passionate about something, I do not extend the same feelings to these people.  They don’t deserve it.  A crying child with whooping cough is more hospitable.

All in all, the movie was pleasant and entertaining.  It took an anime series I deeply enjoy and enhanced it by viewing it through a different lens.  I would recommend watching it, preferably subtitled with the original Japanese audio mainly to eliminate the cheesy effect inherent in dubbing live action.  Since you will not be seeing it in a theater, you will not have to suffer through that which I did.  You are lucky.

A second movie, Death Note: The Last Name, has already been released overseas and will likely be making its way here through the same mediums the first did.  While seeing it on the big screen was a delight (parts of it anyway), I might just secure a way to watch it in the privacy of my home away from any screaming 15-year old high school girls dressed as Misa Misa.

Peace,
Kether

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On Libel

It is not ironic to criticize a critic. In fact, it’s down right banal. However, what I am going to do is attempt to constructively criticize Your Webcomic is Bad and You Should Feel Bad in a manner to which the site is probably not accustomed, namely with a focus on decency and rationality. Let me clear the air and say that I have no problem with judging other webcomics, and I think that this site could potentially be doing a great service to the admittedly few artists and authors who are able to take criticisms and use them to grow. What I take issue with is the way this blog goes about it.

My number one gripe is with the attitude taken towards webcomics and their fans. The name of the blog alone suggests a naked disgust for anyone who is not up to par with the standards of the contributors, whatever these standards might be. Another problem I have is with the proclivity for the term ‘fantards’ in reference to the loyal readers of these webcomics. While it might be true that some fans are irresponsive to sound judgment and react in a very undistinguished manner, such blanket terminology is not meant to surgically strike at this group, but anyone who disagrees with the arbitration of four critics. It is intentionally incendiary, and of the same nature as the title of the blog itself.

This tenor also carries over into the sort of wrathful hyperbole that litters each comic “review.” I put the word in quotes because the bombastic diatribes are little more than page after page of muckraking. I dislike some of the comics as much as the critics do, but even I, elitist as I may be on occasion, would not use a bazooka to kill a mosquito. From the few reviews I did manage to read in their entirety, I finished with a sense of feeling unwashed, or perhaps like I had just put cayenne pepper in my grandmother’s oatmeal. This is not doing a service to the community, which brings me to my next point.

Being intentionally offensive towards webcomics and their fans is not constructive, and no wonder the contributors receive so much animosity. When you dismiss any backlash as “a mighty wailing and gnashing of teeth from his whale-sized fantards” you are not opening avenues for discourse, you are alienating and bridge-burning. I don’t even read the webcomic that comment was about, but I found it offensive. People do tend to be fiercely loyal to their favorites, but as the author of a comic that probably would have received quite the mud-dragging-through from this site, I can tell you that the feeling is not only reciprocated, but very much appreciated. Overlooking some flaws or forgiving the occasional (or in our case, frequent) bad strip is part and parcel with reading amateur work, and without this relationship between creator and fan, most comics would never get off the ground. You begin doing it for yourself, but somewhere along the line it becomes a work for your loyal readers, and gladly, I might add.

I read a number of times on the blog about how inane the reactions to their work can be, and they even have a top ten list of most frequent fallacies. If you’re in the business of criticizing, you had better get used to some yourself, especially if you are not going to give the “fantards” or webcomics you are railing against any reason why your judgment has authority. There was a claim that people who criticize movies or video games do not receive such uproarious reactions. Bullshit. Everyone hates a critic, unless it is done with grace and tact, and by someone respected in their community. Ebert gets away with it because he has shown pointed criticism alongside praise, whereas most of the reviews on this blog are absurdly one-sided. He is also established, and has given people reason to think he is an objective and informed observer. I do not know the qualifications of the four contributors to YWBYSFB, but I know that they do claim to be informed and qualified.

If you won’t tell people what comics you like—i.e. what your standards are—then don’t expect them to think you have authority. If you hurl bile at fans, then don’t expect to receive anything but likewise in kind. If you do not compliment where it is due, and consistently attack the comic with ad hominem abuses against the author, then do not be surprised that they would be dismissive of you. I think the community could very much use honest criticism, but remember that the vast majority of webcomics are done by unpaid amateurs who are trying to be expressive and creative. Forgive them their flaws, as I am willing to forgive you yours, and you might find people more receptive to your criticism.

As a final note, if I find your attacks on Chugworth to be overly critical and unfair, it might be advisable to reconsider your approach.

–Casimir

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Vader vs Smith Reloaded

Well, I thought that I had all but laid this debate to rest. After all, emo then vindicated Vader are the low points of the man’s villainy, whereas Smith’s least villainous moment is probably thanking Neo for setting him free, just before 50+ Smiths brawl with him. Case closed, I thought.

My opponent has done something I will admit I never saw coming: he argues that Darth Vader is a separate character from Anakin Skywalker. Now, this claim has the immediate appeal of sectioning off the undesirable side of the man that I am calling a pseudo-villain from the arguably more notorious Sith Lord instantiation. But seriously, two different characters? And my allegations were called “preposterous”?

Alright, let’s do this thing and do it quick. Not that I give two shits about how Vladimir Propp defines a villain, but a character is not defined in some arbitrary temporal void. Anakin/Vader is a singular consciousness—what Locke might define as a person—and I see no evidence to suggest multiple personalities or mental illness. This is evinced by the fact that both Anakin and Vader can access memories and emotions pursuant to the supposed “other character.” If the suggestion is that villainous acts are temporally relativized to unique individuals, then no villain would ever be equal to themselves in terms of identity. Hitler circa 1942≠Hitler circa 1895, since one committed villainous acts, whereas the other did not.

My opponent then suggests that perhaps Vader is not a person, but rather some amalgam of machine parts and sentience. That, and being under duress can influence personality to such a degree that we are no longer truly ourselves. If this last point is true, then Vader does not truly even exist. When someone commits a crime under duress, they are generally recused in some degree because it is understood that they acted outside of their own control. We do not say that they were someone else and then go on to attribute a villainous nature to their temporary alter ego. Either Vader=Anakin, or Vader does not exist and is therefore not a villain. If Vader is not a person because it is a cyborg/android, then one would have to make a case that Vader understood morality in order for his acts to be truly evil. It is made clear that Smith understands the difference between moral rights and wrongs, but he simply cannot stop himself. If Vader is not a person, but some robotic slave, then we cannot attribute moral praise or blame to him, hence he cannot be hero or villain.

As for Smith’s actual motivation for being evil, I might argue that he was not truly evil in the first Matrix film, just as Vader is not truly evil for being under the influence of the Emperor. Smith did evil acts, but they were not always acts of his choosing. Of course, he acted outside of his program (“What are you doing?”), and probably did relish more in the death of Neo than he was programmed to, but his release from his programming allowed him to revel in his evil nature. Regardless of his motivation for choosing evil, he chose it under no coercion. So much for the appeal to his agent cohorts as detracting from Smith’s evil. Questions of how many opponents Smith fought at a single time seem to me not only misleading, but erroneous, as I recall that Vader never fought more than one person at a time himself.

One final claim: It is suggested that Vader is a “tragic villain.” This is half right, in that his story is tragic, but Vader seen through the lens of time and not in the excerpt of Star Wars history that is Episodes 4-6 is actually a tragic hero. He has his noble beginnings, but rejects his previous life because of his own hubris, and eventually faces a major trial in which he has to choose between his power and pride and the love of his son. His heroic choice costs him his own life, but redeems him and brings him to grace. It can be argued that the sum total of his life adds up to more villainy than heroism, but not if it is understood that Vader is but a puppet, and the true impetus of villainy originates from the Emperor.

It is done.

–Casimir

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Stimulated, Economically

So, the Mistress and I received our Economic Stimulus payments in the mail recently, which amounts to $600 between the two of us. I know I should be excited about this and be singing the praises of the Bush administration and the great American economy. After all, they gave me money! Free money! Here is why I’m not.

$300 per person? That’s supposed to stimulate the economy? Let me tell you, when gas is at $3.85 a gallon and I live in an area with almost no public transportation infrastructure, that money will not last beyond a few trips to the local petroleum station. I, like most Americans, will not be out at the malls with hands in the air shrieking at the opportunity to reinvest in American goods and services. I will pay off some debts or recurring costs and then attempt to save the rest. Likewise, the weakness of the American dollar and the absurdity of the inflation rate and cost of living versus the relative stagnation of real wages means this money is not the godsend the upper ups thought it would be. I am not greeting them as financial liberators, is what I’m saying.

Sure, it is nice to receive money in the mail, but it is by no means free money and is not going to create the windfall of prosperity the administration believes it will. I am not an economist, but it is not hard to see that when people don’t have jobs, access to education, and decent wages/living conditions, this money will not be doing them much good. “Oh, I can pay half of one month’s rent, I’m saved!” And really, the money is just our tax dollars being redistributed anyway, so really we just paid ourselves the money. In addition, if the economy is still hurting, they just subtract the money we received from what we would get back on taxes next year.

I guess what I’m saying is, WHOOO! FREE MONEY! I’M GOING TO GO SPLURGE AND IGNORE THE CRIPPLING FINANCIAL SITUATION THAT BOTH I AND MY CHILDREN WILL BE IN BECAUSE OF CRIMINALLY POOR MANAGEMENT OF OUR COUNTRY BY THE FUCKTARDS WHO EXPECT ME TO SHIT MYSELF OVER SOME PIDDLY AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WON’T EVEN OFFSET THE SPIKING PRICES OF FOOD!

–Casimir

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