Links - 12th July 2021 (China's 'Peaceful' Rise)

China’s Political Correctness: One Country, No Arguments - The New York Times - "“As soon as the Communist Party pushes the patriotism button, Chinese will rise up like zombies to unite against the foreign forces, be it Japan or N.B.A.,” said Mr. Yang, the singer-songwriter. “They don’t always know why they’re against those things. In fact, many Chinese like Japan and the N.B.A.”... Their comments reflect a narrative that China’s top-down education system delivers from a young age. A united China, a country with a common purpose, can stand strong against outsiders, according to this narrative. A divided China could slip backward, losing decades of progress and plunging the country back into chaos. Any Chinese person who has gone to elementary school or watched television news can explain the tale of China's 100 years of humiliation. Starting with the Opium Wars in the 19th century, foreign powers bullied a weak and backward China into turning Hong Kong and Macau into European colonies. Students must memorize the unequal treaties the Qing dynasty signed during that period.  There’s even a name for it: “national humiliation education.”  This narrative glosses over a lot of history, including the cruelty of Mao’s revolution, the starving of millions during Mao’s Great Leap Forward and the madness of his decade-long Cultural Revolution. When it does include the 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square, the protest and its aftermath is mentioned in one sentence and portrayed vaguely as a political incident.  These lessons and propaganda sound crude, but they work. For years, I regarded Chris Patten, the last Hong Kong governor under the British rule, as “a sinner condemned by history.” That’s what state media called him, especially after he approved spending heavily to build Hong Kong’s new airport, leading to accusations of waste. Today, I regularly use that airport, a marvel of modern transportation, as do millions of others... The rise of the internet and China’s opening were supposed to widen views there. Instead, the party is narrowing them more. Education officials over the past two years have been increasingly enforcing a widely ignored 2004 effort to make education even more Chinese focused.  In some middle school history books, the Cultural Revolution is described as “a detour in the Communist Party’s expedition,” rather than as a mistake. Some universities have replaced textbooks by Western academics such as Milton Friedman and N. Gregory Mankiw with books written under a program called “Marxist theory research and building project.”  Textbook publishers have cut back on essays by Lu Xun, a writer known for his acerbic criticism of the nationalist government in the 1920s and 1930s. They were once a mainstay of school texts, but some Chinese people have used his articles to criticize current events. One, about how Chinese people should welcome criticism from foreigners, was posted on the social media platform Weibo this past week after the N.B.A. debacle, then was pulled down... For China, the big danger is that it will become even more intolerant of criticism and different opinions.  A Chinese blogger wrote this week that a renovation project at a top Beijing middle school was causing widespread health issues, giving students bloody noses several times a day. The reaction was strong, and strongly against him. Many students told him there was nothing wrong with their school and even if there was, it was none of his business. “He should have shut his mouth just like N.B.A.’s Morey,” wrote one commenter."

Coronavirus: Inside the pro-China network targeting the US, Hong Kong and an exiled tycoon - "Even before most of its accounts were taken down, the network struggled to gain much traction outside of its bubble. Most engagements - shares, likes, retweets, comments, views and mentions - come from inside the network, rather than from genuine users.  "In this case, it looks like the network is trying to generate a high volume of pro-Chinese government content, and then to hide it by surrounding it with spammy content," says Ben Nimmo, the director of investigations at Graphika.  The intention is to attract the attention of genuine users to the messaging, Mr Nimmo says, "but it's being done in an unsophisticated and relatively amateurish way". He says the purpose of networks like this is to create the impression that a lot of social media users support a particular narrative or group; in this case, the Chinese government.  "The problem is that this sort of large-scale frontal assault is too crude to convince many people. It is art imitating reality, but badly." The set of accounts uncovered by the BBC appears to be a larger part of the "Spamouflage Dragon" network exposed by Graphika"

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent Podcast, China and Africans : A Pandemic of Prejudice - "China is on the rise. And the authorities’ advice to African countries is to turn away from the model of old colonial powers and to follow its own path of development. But China's rise has been an experiment in capitalism without the systems and values shared by the international community. The injustices and racism faced by Africans in China is a byproduct of authoritarian rule. An authoritarian rule which often tramples on the rights of China's own citizens in the name of stability."

China wields coronavirus to nationalize American-owned carmaker - "China enticed an American entrepreneur with the opportunity of helping build a cutting-edge automobile company in the world’s largest car market, then used the uncertainty cast by COVID-19 to steal his intellectual property... the city sent six police cars with sirens blaring and vans full of private security forces to raid Jiangsu Saleen’s manufacturing facility and offices. The forces ordered employees to leave and shut off the water and electricity when some refused to do so. Executives, who were Chinese nationals were forced to resign or face consequences from Rugao's government, Saleen told FOX Business. The remaining employees were terminated. Two employees, Frank Sterzer, a German national who was vice president of manufacturing, and Grace Yin Xu, a Chinese national in charge of corporate affairs, were detained.While Sterzer was released after six hours when he contacted the German Embassy with a cellphone that wasn’t confiscated, Yin Xu was held for a month after she refused to corroborate the local government’s claims that Wang tried to embezzle money.Rugao authorities also claimed Saleen’s technology was worthless and false information was given to secure a higher valuation... Without Saleen’s knowledge, officials had previously filed 510 patents for the intellectual properties he developed – 120 of which were already awarded, including his signature supercharger. Many of the filings didn’t even list Saleen as the inventor.The shareholder who represented the city’s one-third stake held an illegal board meeting and removed Saleen and Wang as directors of the firm, leaving the foreign shareholders without representation, he said. Under Chinese corporate law, a board meeting cannot be held without a quorum of 51 percent of shareholders... The irony is that as Saleen's company was being taken over, the U.S. and China were putting the finishing touches on a phase one trade deal for which President Trump had been pushing since taking office.The initial agreement included promises from Beijing to halt intellectual property theft, and a second phase -- now in limbo as tensions between the two countries mount -- was supposed to hone in on those commitments... He says Chinese firms that infringe on intellectual property should be blocked from U.S. capital markets, asset valuations by Chinese companies that operate in the U.S. should be prohibited and that entities and individuals should be held accountable for any intellectual property infringement with both civil and criminal liability.He also believes Chinese cars should be blocked from the U.S. market unless they are part of a joint venture with an American company. Saleen, who worries it is “too late” for him and his partners, thinks his experience serves as a warning for anyone who is thinking about doing business in China"

Yao Ming and Kris Wu not Chinese? Online witch hunt of Chinese celebrities with foreign passports - "With nationalism at an all-time high in China amid the global coronavirus pandemic, a frenzy to catch out stars for having foreign nationality has gripped the entertainment industry. In the face of accusations that they are foreign nationals, numerous stars have come out to dispel the rumours and proclaim they are Chinese nationals... When asked by a Variety reporter what Mulan’s maxim of being loyal, brave and genuine means to her, she said: “To my family and my real self, I am loyal, brave and genuine. I am very proud to be an Asian. Once we know what we want, we try our best to be our best selves.”Mainland netizens instantly pounced on the word “Asian”, ticking her off for not saying she is Chinese... Entertainment news blogger Yi Dao wrote on his blog the new rules ban unsavoury stars with overseas, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwanese nationality.“All the interpretations omit the word “unsavoury” in the original government document listing the rules,” he wrote. “The rules do not aim to ban stars like Kris Wu and Liu Yifei. It aims to sanction overseas Chinese who made speech unfavourable to China. The rules are not a public appeal to take exception to stars with overseas nationality. They are a restriction on those overseas Chinese with dubious morals.”"
Unsavoury = disagrees with the CCP

China confirms arrest of citizen journalist who covered Wuhan coronavirus outbreak - "Zhang Zhan was confirmed to have been arrested in Shanghai for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a charge that is often used to crack down on dissidents... Three other citizen journalists are known to have disappeared in Wuhan. Li Zehua, also known as Kcriss Li, re-emerged on social media in late April after he had been missing for nearly two months. Li has since said that he was held at a quarantine center in the city and then sent to an isolation facility in his hometown.Chen Qiushi, a former human rights lawyer turned video journalist, traveled to Wuhan in late January to report on the worsening situation. His whereabouts remain unknown, along with another high-profile vlogger, Fang Bin... “There is no official recognition and no law one could use to defend them,” Zhan said. “They are also seen as social outcasts with nothing better to do in the eyes of the public – hardly anyone today will link these cases to issues such as free speech."

Now our China illusion is ending, can the West revive its love of freedom? - "Those who praise modern China tend to argue as follows: China was the world’s greatest economic power until the British Industrial Revolution roughly 200 years ago, a wonderful civilisation. Unlike the Western powers, it was not imperialist. It was the victim of Western imperialism. Also unlike the West, it followed a “harmonious” approach (note the use of that word on Jesus’s website), whereas the West preferred “conflict”. China favours the common good over individualism. It sees the world as a “community of common destiny” (a phrase it insists on writing into all UN human rights documents). A new order of international institutions needs to be constructed round that community, instead of serving Western interests. In such a view, the CCP advances this common destiny. Yes, the Chairman Mao period was a bit of an aberration. The Great Leap Forward (more than 30 million dead) and Cultural Revolution (perhaps a mere two million) were definitely mistakes. But, nowadays, all is pretty good. As Kishore Mahbubani, the Singaporean guru of the decline of the West and the rise of the East, puts it, China’s modern achievement is “the most glorious ever in its 3,000-year history”, and Xi Jinping is “exceptionally honest and competent”. Some of these claims are questionable, to put it very mildly indeed. Take that anti-imperial point. Surely the Chinese rulers were called “Emperors” for a reason. If you Google “The Chinese Empire”, a clever map flashes different images across the surface of the Far East, representing the different areas China has ruled at different times. In some eras, the space is twice the size of others – pictures, in other words, of empire-building and -breaking. Supposedly peace-loving China has fought numerous wars, even in the latter half of the 20th century, invading South Korea, Tibet, India, the Soviet Union and Vietnam (where 150,000 people died)... In his latest work, Has the West Lost it?, Mahbubani says that “we may be on the verge of utopia”. It is striking that, so far as I can see, the word “freedom” does not occur in his book. That unfreedom is central to the CCP’s Eastern promise to the world. It seems worth resisting."

China's Xi Jinping facing widespread opposition in his own party, insider claims - "A former professor at China’s elite Central Party School has issued an unprecedented rebuke of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, accusing him of “killing a country” and claiming that many more want out of the ruling Chinese Communist party.Cai Xia, a prominent professor who taught at the school, a higher education institution for top officials, was expelled from the party on Monday after an audio recording of remarks she made that were critical of Xi was leaked online in June. She is no longer in China. The school said in a notice that Cai, a professor at the party school since 1992, had made comments that “damaged the country’s reputation” and were full of “serious political problems”.In her first interview with English-language media since her expulsion, Cai told the Guardian she was “happy to be expelled”. “Under the regime of Xi, the Chinese Communist party is not a force for progress for China. In fact, it is an obstacle to China’s progress,” she said. “I believe I am not the only one who wants to leave this party. More people would like to withdraw or quit this party,” she said. “I had intended to quit the party years ago when there was no more room to speak and my voice was completely blocked.”The comments from someone once firmly part of the establishment – several of China’s leaders such as Mao Zedong and Hu Jintao, as well as Xi were head of the Central Party School – are remarkable and potentially dangerous for the Chinese leadership. Cai is the latest prominent public intellectual to be punished for criticising Xi... she went further in her denunciation of Xi, blaming him for making China “an enemy” of the world... She said there was widespread opposition within the party but few dared to speak out, afraid of political retaliation in the form of internal party discipline and corruption charges. In this environment, Xi’s “unchecked power” and hold on all major decision-making had led to inevitable mistakes such as in the handling of the Covid-19 outbreak... Beijing has blamed the suppression of information about the outbreak in Wuhan on local officials. Chinese health officials said on 20 January that the virus was contagious, weeks after it had emerged in December. But a speech published by the party magazine Qiushi showed that Xi met the politburo and gave instructions on the needed virus response on 7 January, almost two weeks before the public was warned... Cai, who said she had wanted to leave the party since 2016 as the space for discussion within the party shrank dramatically, also blamed the country’s international problems on Xi.“When no one can oppose him, that means that his power is unlimited,” she said. “He has made the world an enemy. At home, all these big issues are left to him to decide. In other words, whether it is a domestic or international issue, it is very difficult for others to restrict him. It is inevitable that his judgment and decisions will be mistaken.“It is a vicious cycle. After a wrong decision is made, the result is not good. But those below are too afraid to tell him and wrong decisions continue to be made until the situation is out of control. In this vicious cycle, there is no way to stop the country from sliding towards disaster.”Cai said she believed that discontent within the party was widespread, especially among her generation as well as among middle and higher-level officials who came up through the party during China’s reform era under Deng Xiaoping, and later as China fully integrated into the global economy following its entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001... “Many of my good friends who saw the news of me being expelled are cheering. They think this is a good thing.”"

She was a communist party insider in China. Then she denounced Xi - "After Mr Xi abolished a term limit on the Chinese presidency in 2018, in effect opening the way for an extended stay in power, Dr Cai told a party school official that such a move would hurt China’s international image, she said.“I said, ‘You are forcing Western countries into a showdown with us,’” she recalled.Dr Cai was raised in a family steeped in Communist values in eastern China. For a decade, she was one of the most well-known scholars at the Central Party School... Dr Cai faces daunting uncertainties in her new home in the United States. The party school cut off her pension and other retirement benefits, and she said she would probably be detained if she returned to China. But she said she felt relieved that now she could fully speak her mind.“In my own mind, I’ve long wanted to resign from the party,” she said. “Now that they’ve expelled me, I’m really happy, because at last I’ve regained my freedom.”"
China shills will just claim she's jealous, or a CIA agent

China Issues Guidelines on How to Develop Local Sci-Fi Films - "Entitled “Several Opinions on Promoting the Development of Science Fiction Films,” the document highlights how the sci-fi genre fits into the ruling Communist Party’s broader ideological and technological goals... To make strong movies, the document claims, the number one priority is to “thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping Thought.” Based on the Chinese president’s past pronouncements on film work, filmmakers should follow the “correct direction” for the development of sci-fi movies. This includes creating films that “highlight Chinese values, inherit Chinese culture and aesthetics, cultivate contemporary Chinese innovation” as well as “disseminate scientific thought” and “raise the spirit of scientists.” Chinese sci-fi films should thus portray China in a positive light as a technologically advanced nation... China’s lack of strong sci-fi is primarily due to a lack of innovative ideas and scripts"

Facebook - "Matthew J. Peterson writes:"The fact that corporations like Disney are fine with doing business in China but will boycott doing business in America with states like Georgia on account of abortion laws tells you everything about how serious and how deep the divide in this nation is at present. Powerful figures like Senator Feinstein and Michael Bloomberg will eagerly and publicly defend China while disparaging their fellow Americans. Google is willing to start an A.I. lab with China while pulling out of an A.I. contract with the U.S. government. Meanwhile, we are supposed to fear secret Russian “collusion” in U.S. politics. Russia has a lower GDP than Canada and Brazil while the American ruling class is increasingly enmeshed and dependent on Chinese money. Half of the revenue from movies from corporations like Disney now comes from China. Many of Bloomberg’s billions are intertwined with China. Feinstein’s husband has untold wealth but we aren’t allowed to know where it’s from—we do know she had embedded Chinese spies in her entourage for years. China has open and public “institutes” at 65 U.S. university campuses. And it’s not a secret who China supports in this election.But the telling point is the divide: many powerful entities in America are more comfortable working with (and profiting from) the Chinese than they are with their fellow citizens.""

Links - 10th July 2021 (2)

Professor Who Questioned Student's Request Reinstated - "The University of California, Los Angeles, reinstated a lecturer in accounting it suspended this summer over his email to a student seeking a low-stakes final exam for the class, especially Black students, in light of the protests for racial justice. The lecturer, Gordon Klein, responded to the student via email, “Do you know the names of the classmates that are Black? How can I identify them since we've been having online classes only?” Are there any students who “may be of mixed parentage, such as half Black-half Asian?” Klein continued. “What do you suggest I do with respect to them? A full concession or just half?” At the time, UCLA’s Anderson School of Management said it was looking into Klein’s “offensive” comments, and that “respect and equality for all are core principles at UCLA Anderson.”"
Apparently it's racist not to have double standards for blacks

Plants overrun housing project in Chengdu, turning 'eco-paradise' into mosquito-infested jungle - "An experimental green housing project in a Chinese megacity promised prospective residents life in a "vertical forest", with manicured gardens on every balcony.All 826 apartments were sold by April this year, according to the project's estate agent, but instead of a modern eco-paradise, the towers look like the set of a desolate, post-apocalyptic film.The problem? The mosquitoes love the plants, too."

STDs are sexist, and women are the losers. Here's why - "“STDs are biologically and psycho-socially sexist at all levels,” said Dr. Hunter Handsfield, a professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD who has studied sexually transmitted diseases for 40 years.“Women bear the largest burden of these diseases,” agreed Dr. Edward Hook, co-director of the Center for Social Medicine and Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.“Chlamydia and gonorrhea, for example, are two of the leading preventable causes of infertility and ectopic pregnancies in the United States, and on Earth.” One reason STDs are sexist: In heterosexual pairings, they are more readily transmitted from the man to the woman than from the woman to the man. British boys aged 12 and 13 will now be vaccinated against the HPV virus.Related Article Cervical cancer can be eliminated. We must do more to prevent this deadly disease“So at any one exposure, a susceptible woman is more likely to catch it than a susceptible man,” Handsfield said. That’s because the lining of the vagina is thinner and more delicate than the skin on a penis, so it’s easier for bacteria and viruses to penetrate and take hold. Once there, the moist environment of the vagina is perfect for growth.And once the infection is acquired, it could be more severe or more damaging to a woman’s health. Take herpes, for example. “Because of the nature of the female genitalia, if you get new herpes, there’s likely multiple painful blisters,” Handsfield said. “For men, typically a few blisters.”Another example is human papillomavirus, or HPV. It causes cervical cancer, which can be deadly unless caught early.“Yes, men can get penile cancer from HPV,” Hansfield said, “but at about one hundredth the rate that women get cervical cancer from HPV.”...  “If a guy goes into a doctor’s office with a urethral discharge,” Handsfield said, “there are only a very small handful of things that can cause it, and most of those are STDs. Any half-trained medical school student can diagnose it and accurately get it treated.”A woman’s discharge or uncomfortable urination, however, could be due to a number of reasons, including a urinary tract infection. Doctors often need urine samples or must swab the vagina and send samples to a lab for analysis, which might take days to come back and are sometimes inconclusive.“Even the most sophisticated expert clinicians end up scratching their heads about the cause of 20% or 30% of women’s vaginal discharge”...
What women should do
Take away the guilt.
Know your body.
Get tested often."
Biology is sexist
In light of this, is it still "sexist" to discourage promiscuity in women?
I like how the "what women should do" bit has nothing at all that would reduce their risk of getting STDs. Presumably telling women to insist on protection is "victim blaming" - rape hysteria is bleeding over

This bisexual pastor-turned-stripper has never been happier - "Growing up in a strict Baptist family, Nikole Mitchell was expected to be quiet, reserved and sweet. But her dreams weren’t quite so conservative.“From a young age, I had fantasized about being a stripper,” Mitchell, who now works as an erotic dancer on OnlyFans, told The Post. “But I was indoctrinated to believe my desires and my body were innately sinful and bad.”So instead of pursuing the pole, the mother of three went all-in on religion — and became a pastor. Even that, however, was rebellious in her family’s eyes.“I was taught that women aren’t allowed to lead and that women belong in the kitchen and with the children,” said Mitchell, 36. “So even though it went against everything I was told, I decided to become [a pastor] because of my love for performing.”"

Subway is chewed out after lab tests find no tuna DNA in its tuna sandwiches - "“There’s two conclusions,” a lab analyst told the paper. “One, it’s so heavily processed that whatever we could pull out, we couldn’t make an identification. Or we got some and there’s just nothing there that’s tuna.”  And when Inside Edition tested tuna samples from three Subway locations in Queens earlier this year, the lab found that the specimens were, in fact, tuna. What’s more, the California class-action suit has walked back its claims somewhat. The complaint has shifted from whether Subway’s tuna is tuna at all to whether it’s “100% sustainably caught skipjack and yellowfin tuna.”...  in 2017, Canadian lab test results found that the sandwich chain’s chicken only contained about 50% actual chicken DNA; the rest was soy filler"

Subway rolls ruled too sugary to be bread in Ireland - "An Irish franchisee of the US company had claimed it should not pay VAT on the rolls it uses in heated sandwiches.But the court ruled that because of the level of sugar in the rolls they cannot be taxed as bread, which is classed as a "staple product" with zero VAT.Under Ireland's VAT Act of 1972, ingredients in bread such as sugar and fat should not exceed 2% of the weight of flour in the dough... in Subway sandwiches the sugar content is around 10% of the flour in the dough for both white and wholegrain rolls."

No, The Ancient Egyptians Were Not “Africans” - "there is the entire industry of Negritude and Black Zionism, which extends a black origin to all the civilizations of the ancient world, including Egypt (and even ancient Greece and Rome).This has led to a common belief that since Egypt is in Africa, the ancient Egyptians were sub-Saharan Africans, i.e., they were blacks. The problem with this view is that it assumes that the passing millennia have had no effect whatsoever on the population of Egypt. Nothing could be further from the truth.The fact is Africa did not become “black” until about 1400 AD, with the Bantu expansions and the eventual slaughter and reduction of other races, by them, that were living in Africa, such as the pygmies and the Khoisan.As well, all of North Africa has always been “non-black,” and this includes Egypt.However, modern-day mythologizers (the purveyors of “black racialism”) and the historians have always been at odds over this topic. The former seek to affirm the “blackness” of Africa, while the latter point to historical fact. Facts usually do not get in the way of politics... there are red-haired and blonde mummies. Famously, Ramesses II had red hair, and Yuya and his wife Thuya are blonds, while brown hair was common."
We wuz kangz

Meme - "Boys? you mean sex toys that are rude and don't even vibrate? no thank u"
"Whatever, Fleshlight that cries."

Ontario's French university receives only 19 applications from province's students - "After much pushback and protest kept Universite de l'Ontario Francais alive, the new French language school has only received 19 applications from Ontario students as of Jan. 17.Vice-rector Denis Berthiaume confirmed that the University has also received around 20 additional admission requests from abroad or from adults who are considering a return to school. That brings the total number of requests received so far to 39.Rector André Roy had previously said the school's goal was to have 200 students for its first semester, which is scheduled to begin this September... The applications also don't mean that students will necessarily choose the university, which is located in downtown Toronto, if they are admitted, as students can apply for admission to multiple programs."
Lobbying is relatively cost free, but responding to it isn't

Johannes Sulistyo's answer to Why are citizens of countries like Spain, Italy, and France who eat a lot of bread not among the most overweight people in the world? - Quora - "A woman in Netflix's “American Factory” is poor, when GM closed its factory, she lost her job and has to live in her sister's basement. But then, when Fuyao opened, she decided to rent a one-bedroom apartment. By the looks of it, it is far more luxurious than my idea of a “assembly line worker” pay. That's right, even the documentary later shows just that. Moreover, she clearly looked obese."
This is an interesting observation on American spending habits and suggests that many Americans are broke all the time not because the system is rigged against normal people

Off with the heads: Pitt Rivers Museum removes human remains from display - "For almost 80 years, the shrunken human heads at Oxford University’s Pitt Rivers Museum have fascinated and appalled visitors with their sewn-up lips and eye sockets, and straggly long hair decorated with iridescent beetles.But under a major revamp to address the museum’s problematic colonial past, the heads, which inspired a scene in the film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, have been removed from display, along with 113 other human remains, including decorated skulls, scalps and Egyptian mummies.When the Pitt Rivers, one of the world’s most important ethnological museums, reopens later this month for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, visitors will instead encounter an ethical display of its collection. This will address how exhibiting human remains has “reinforced racist and stereotypical thinking” of other cultures, portraying them as “savage, primitive or gruesome”, said the museum’s director, Dr Laura Van Broekhoven."
Promoting understanding of different cultures is bad when that understanding makes non-white cultures look bad

Don't de-colonise the Pitt Rivers — Westernise it - "The Pitt Rivers is unusual among anthropology museums in that it displays artefacts, not by region, but by theme. This means that, although the chaotic arrangements and handwritten labels give a superficial impression of Victorian fustiness, the attentive visitor comes away with a far more open-minded understanding of the diversity of human societies... The inclusion of modern Western objects in these displays reinforces that impression of sameness, and sometimes highlights oddities in our own societies that we might not always notice. My favourite cabinet, for instance, contains beauty implements, including neck rings used to elongate the necks of Kayan women placed alongside a 21st century silicone breast implant. This placement means that anyone tempted to think the neck rings “savage”, “primitive”, or “gruesome” is sharply reminded of our own culture’s stranger beauty practices... Perhaps, for instance, the cabinet could include the page from a 1943 issue of Time Magazine that includes a photo of a young American woman gazing on a “Jap skull” sent to her by her sweetheart, a soldier fighting in the Pacific. Or one of the spikes on which decapitated heads were once displayed above the stone gateway at the southern end of London Bridge. Preparing and displaying the bodies of enemies or traitors is hardly unique to the Shuar. On the contrary, capital punishment is a human universal: it is modern Britain that is unusual in having abolished the practice only half a century ago, and in defiance of popular sentiment.By condemning the display of decapitated heads, Dr Van Broekhoven is inadvertently displaying her own ethno- and present-centrism"

The Mongols vs Covid

Bryan Mac on Twitter:

"Did previous civilizations deal with whiners like this?

"Man, we've gotta open the gates."
"We've been through this, Phil. The Mongols are still outside."
"But I've gotta harvest my turnips"
"MONGOLS" "Ugh. But we've been in here or WEEKS."
"That's how sieges work, Phil."
"But the Mongols have barely killed anyone in days."
"That's because of the walls, Phil."
"Are you sure? Maybe the Mongols aren't that dangerous."
"..."
"I'm just saying, how bad could it be. They can't kill ALL of us"
"That is literally the thing they do."
"But my turnips..." 

 

It's been over a year since this text beloved of covid hystericists went viral, and I saw someone just shared it again (to widespread approval).

Naturally, covid hystericists have learnt nothing after more than a year and their appetite for lockdowns is unsated.

 

Here're 2 more accurate ways this scenario would have played out - 1 historically accurate (to the Mongol era) and 1 relevant to covid.

      
Historically accurate:

"Man, we've gotta open the gates."

"We've been through this, Phil. The Mongols are still outside."

"But we're running out of food and the Mongols have promised clemency if we surrender. Half of our population has died of starvation and/or disease in the last few months, and the rest are hungry and/or sick. We've seen how cities that have resisted have been massacred to the last man. No one is coming to our aid and the Mongol army is growing stronger. Soon they will storm the walls and slaughter us all"

 

Relevant to covid:

"Man, we've gotta open the gates."

"We've been through this, Phil. The Mongols are still outside."

"But I've gotta harvest my turnips"

"MONGOLS"

"We're running out of food. If the Mongols don't get us, starvation will"

"MONGOLS"

"Actually, you keep shouting MONGOLS but we haven't seen them for weeks. How long are we going hide behind our walls?"

"You don't know that they aren't hiding behind the hills, ready to charge in and kill us all once we open the gates"

"But if we don't get more food, we're all going to die anyway"

"Are you heartless Phil? Think of all the people the Mongols will kill once they attack. Just another week more"

"But that's what you said last week"

"We follow the science! Our soothsayer has gutted a new cow and read its entrails. When the facts change, we change our minds"

"The other soothsayer disagrees"

"Oh he's a quack. We must protect our population at all costs"

"Well, all of you can starve if you want. I'm harvesting my turnips"

"Put Phil in prison!"

 

Links - 10th July 2021 (1) (Star Wars)

[Star Wars] Palpatine never seems to be able to stop force lightning once he starts, even if its hurting himself. It's because he's sexualized hate and is having an orgasm. : FanTheories

Meme - [On Quinlan Vos] "Some Random Character in Episode One got a seprate arc on Clone Wars and got separate story in Dark Disciple Book Fans Loved It"
[On Broom Boy] "The sub plot that made Rian Johson think himself to be a Genius. No One cared and We have forgetten it already"

Meme - "THIS DAGGER HAS DONE TERRIBLE THINGS"
*CURRENTLY WIELDING THE YOUNGLINGS SLAYER 9000*

The Mandalorian: Jon Favreau Looks "To Keep the Core Fans In Mind" - ""We wanted to really wind it back to the things that inspired the original Star Wars and really get it small in scale and tell simple stories, because part of what you inherit when you're going to see Star Wars now is this whole history, because the stories have been told for decades, and it was nice, with the new medium, to be able to start with a new set of characters to introduce a new audience, but we always knew…and this is something I learned from…over at Marvel and working with Kevin Feige, is you always want to keep the core fans in mind, because they have been the ones that've been keeping the torch lit for many, many years, but these are also stories for young people and for new audiences."  Favreau continued, "These are myths, and so you always want to have an outstretched hand to people who might not have that background. And so you're really telling two stories at once. You're telling the story for the people who are fresh eyes, and you're telling the story for the people who've been there with the property and with the stories and the characters for so many years, and make sure that you're honoring them, as well.""
So much for letting the past die and killing it if you have to
No wonder he's in charge now

Ben Choucroun's answer to What was the point of Operation: Cinder if Palpatine planned on returning? - Quora - "The in-universe answer is that Palpatine didn’t want any rival Imperial warlords to spring up. But this doesn’t make sense. In the Aftermath books, we learn that the Empire hasn’t really splintered. The entire Empire was under the control of Gallius Rax, who was loyal to the Empire. It doesn’t make sense. Some people would say that Palpatine said that if the Empire couldn’t protect it’s emperor, then it didn’t deserve to exist. But Operation Cinder was against civilians on loyal Imperial worlds, who had nothing to do with the Empire’s fall. And even if he did decide to destroy the Empire after Endor, why waste ships and stormtroopers and officers? These are valuable assets that Palpatine wasted. Imagine what a couple thousand Imperial One Class Star Destroyers would do at Exegol. Others will say that Palpatine did so to weed out the unloyal to him. But that also makes no sense. The only people who would do so are likely only complete fanatics in the Empire, and likely not the sharpest tools in the shed. I doubt that Palpatine would want only them serving his Empire.  So, in conclusion, this is what happens when you start a trilogy and have no plan on what to do next."

Ben Choucroun's answer to Were the Jedi good generals in The Clone Wars? - Quora - "Generally, no. Although the Jedi excelled at individual combat, the Jedi generals usually made two major mistakes throughout the war... the Jedi knew almost nothing of tactics. The tactic they did know was “Zerg rush.” And we see that during the Battle of Geonosis, when the Clones ran right at an army of battle droids. In this instance, there was no cover and they were fighting a numerically superior foe. These actions resulted in the loss of 179 Jedi, thousands of clones, and 20,000 additional clones being wounded.  The next mistake was less common, although committed by even the best Jedi generals. That was when they forgot that clones were not Force-sensitive, and could not complete tasks that Jedi could do. A great example of this is the battle of Teth, in which Anakin Skywalker lead Torrent Company up a vertical wall against heavy resistance. While this might be easy for a Jedi, it is nigh-impossible for clones. Torrent Company suffered over 95% percent casualties during the battle."

Ben Choucroun's answer to What is the worst lightsaber battle in Star Wars? - Quora - "The Throne Room Scene. Let’s break this down... why did the Praetorian Guards attack Kylo Ren and Rey? They served the Supreme Leader, but Snoke was dead. Kylo Ren was the best choice for the next Supreme Leader, seeing as Hux has been shown to be an idiot the entire movie. So why were they trying to kill him? What were they trying to accomplish? Also, how did Rey beat eight Elite Guards! She was just shown, about 24 hours ago, struggling to defeat two scavengers on Jakku. So how, with no training, is she defeating eight elite and highly trained guards? That’s like if I struggled to fight off two kids, then I meditate, and with no training defeat 8 fifth degree black belts? The Choreography is just terrible...
At 0.19, the guard closest to the viewer spins for no reason.
From 0.20 to 0.24, two guards just leave.
At 0.21, Rey swings Anakin’s saber at the ground for reasons yet to be explained.
At 0.22, a guard fake pokes at
At 0.22, a guard purposefully misses Rey because Daisy Ridely forgot her cue to duck.
At 0.23, Kylo Ren thrusts his saber into the ground, and for some reason a guard, instead of killing Kylo, hits the saber.
At 0.26, Rey pushes back 4 guards with one kick.
At 0.29, a guard politely waits for Kylo to be done elbowing a guard to swing at Kylo’s previously undefended back.
At 0.37, a bunch of guards completely ignore Rey’s undefended back for a good 5 seconds.
The same happens at 0.48.
At 1.17, three guards show of their cool moves for no reason at all.
At 1.37, a guard swings above Kylo’s head.
At 1.41, the guards politely wait one by one to attack Kylo and conveniently forget to attack his undefended back and sides.
At 1.53, we have the most egregious offense: the disappearing knife. At one moment the guard has two knives, and one just disappears. No seriously, watch it again.
So yeah, this scene is terribly choreographed. The camerawork was really shaky and poor during parts of it, so it was hard to see what was going on."
Subverting expectations again!

Meme - "No. Disney's Lucasfilm itself ruined Star Wars Skywalker Trilogy"
"No! That's not true! That's impossible!
"There are toxic fandoms in every fandom. Blaming them doesn't justify the bad writing the sequel trilogy has done. Neither does blaming the valid criticism. The sequel trilogy was not planned out from the tart. It was just a rush money grab. Search your feelings, you know it to be true."
"NOOOOOO!"

Fandom Menace Girl on Twitter - "Remember when Disney said Solo bombed because fans have Star Wars fatigue?"
*Announcement of 11 new Star Wars productions*
An apologist claimed that there was no Marvel fatigue (even though they produced even more stuff), because Marvel properties were more diverse than Star Wars ones. I guess Disney doesn't believe the lie it told to pretend that The Last Jedi didn't almost kill the franchise anymore
It is noteworthy that none of the 11 concerned the Sequel Era
Someone pointed out that Star Wars fatigue was a good excuse to cancel Kathleen Kennedy's projects

‘Star Wars’: Boba Fett film director quit. Here’s why - "I quit because I knew I was going to be fired if I didn’t quit"
Under Kathleen Kennedy...

‘Star Wars’ films ‘Last Jedi,’ ‘Rise of Skywalker’ are mediocre, judge says

Star Wars Confirms Why Jango & Boba Fett Can't Be Mandalorians - "Asked what would happen if he ever removed his helmet in front of others, Mando replies that he would never be able to put the thing back on again. Given the inherent connection between a Mandalorian and their armor, being unable to wear that symbolic helmet is tantamount to removing the title of Mandalorian altogether. This explanation does create somewhat of a plot hole considering that other Mandalorians have removed their helmets previously in Star Wars canon. Both Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars include multiple episodes where Mandalorian characters such as Sabine Wren and the Death Watch remove their supposedly sacred helmets without consequence or controversy. If The Mandalorian's word is taken at face value, however, then Jango and Boba's connection to the Way continues to crumble."
From Dec 2019, before Jango was confirmed as Mandalorian and Din Djarin was confirmed to be a Child of the Watch
When you write trashy clickbait articles with tons of speculation based on next to nothing for a living, you just look silly

The Mandalorian Is the Only Smart Soldier in the Star Wars Galaxy | WIRED - "He’s an expert at cover and concealment. He actually aims his shots. In the Mandalorian, the Star Wars universe for the first time has a character who engages in believable combat. As if that weren’t enough, the show also introduces Cara Dune, an ex-Rebel special forces operative turned mercenary who also has tactical chops... The show itself is a masterpiece of low-key military moments. It nails details as small as the way Stormtroopers move with their blasters at shoulder level, prepared to fire. It also offers a corrective to most TV shows, in which the method of helping a casualty is to run up and try to render first aid as bullets—or in this case, blasters—fly all around them. That's a great way for both people to end up shot... That same season finale also features a conversation between two scout troopers that amounts to some of the most realistic military dialog I’ve heard, not just in Star Wars but any movie or TV show... But nowhere is the tactical expertise of the two mercenaries more evident than in the near-perfect defensive engagement that the Mandalorian and Cara Dune conduct in the show’s fourth episode, Sanctuary. As an engineer officer, nothing is more sacred than defensive warfare—and this was well-nigh spiritual.  Defensive stands gone wrong is a mainstay of the Star Wars universe. Just look at Hoth: no obstacles, no defense in depth, no plan, just a lot of dead Rebel grunts getting stepped on by Imperial armor. So it’s very satisfying to find out that at least one mercenary paid attention in Building an Adequate Defense Against Infantry and Light Armor 101, a class that I assume gets taught somewhere in the Empire or Republic’s finest military academies."

Everything The Mandalorian Does Better Than The Star Wars Sequels - "Star Wars built its universe out of a number of iconic sci-fi worlds – the desert wastes of Tatooine; the inhospitable cold of Hoth; the Oz-like splendor of Bespin’s Cloud City. The sequels fell short notably in this regard, delivering a second-rate Tatooine clone world in Jakku, the universally-hated Canto Bight, and a blur of barely-seen planets in The Rise of Skywalker, among others. There are highlights to be sure, like Luke’s secluded temple on Ahch-To and the visually striking salt fields of Crait, but in general the new worlds of Disney’s trilogy leave a lot to be desired... Din doesn’t show a lot of himself to those around him, but the viewer slowly gets more and more peaks into his psyche, background, and motivations as the story progresses. Characters like Boba Fett, Bo-Katan, Cara Dune and Greef Karga don’t have much in the way of revealing soliloquies or giant moments of revelation, but their complexity is built up in earnest, simple, and compelling ways – Cara overcoming her past to rejoin the New Republic; Karga accepting responsibility as a leader in his community; Bo-Katan struggling to balance her pride with her love for her people... the films’ inconsistencies lead to odd repetition and poor cohesion in the overarching development of their core characters. Finn has essentially the same arc in the first two movies, and none at all in the third. Rose gets written out of the story just as she’s getting established because of sexist fan backlash. Rey’s promising arc of self-fulfillment gets muddled by rapid-fire Emperor Palpatine retconning... It’s no secret that the sequel trilogy was designed from the beginning to ignore the prequels as much as possible... By incorporating elements from every segment of the canon, The Mandalorian comes off feeling like a much more complete addition to Star Wars as a whole."

The Mandalorian Is the Star Wars Sequel Fans Truly Want - "in The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams started with a whole new cast of characters, brought in an evil force like the Empire, and attempted to reboot the original Star Wars movie. He added a few interesting elements, like a stormtrooper who rebels, but he mostly rehashed the familiar story, down to the major plot where a plucky hero has to blow up a massive weapon that destroys whole planets.  This gave Star Wars fans superficial satisfaction, the same kind of superficial satisfaction they would find in the other two sequel trilogy films. What made the satisfaction superficial?  For one thing, while Luke Skywalker was arguably overpowered, he made his fair share of mistakes and had very human weaknesses. The strong female character Abrams created to fulfill Luke’s role, Rey (Daisy Ridley), appeared to have few-to-no weaknesses. Heck, she barely needed any training, throughout the whole trilogy!  Perhaps most importantly, while the first Star Wars movie (now called A New Hope) rightly built up the threat of the Death Star and the evil of Darth Vader by building toward Alderaan — it was Leia’s home planet, Luke and Obi-Wan planned to travel there, and Obi-Wan feels the destruction of Alderaan in the Force — The Force Awakens did not connect the audience with the New Republic planets that The First Order destroys. While A New Hope rightly builds to the massive reveal of Alderaan’s destruction so the audience feels a sense of loss, The Force Awakens treats the central moral evil of The First Order as an afterthought. The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker only compounded the mistakes of The Force Awakens. The sequel trilogy veered off course, with the second film easily killing off the mysterious key villain, Supreme Leader Snoke, and the third film attempting to brush him away. In fact, the third film treats the entire First Order as an afterthought — even though The First Order was the major evil threat throughout the first two movies!  The sequel trilogy also undermined the logic of the first six movies in important ways. The Last Jedi presented Luke as a disheartened failure, disappointing fans and causing them to question the original films. The Last Jedi also completely dismissed the key mysteries set up in The Force Awakens, only for The Rise of Skywalker to provide weak answers for those mysteries. The Last Jedi also changed the laws of Star Wars physics by turning lightspeed into a weapon. If lightspeed could have been a weapon, every space battle in the entire saga is essentially pointless because small fighters could have just used lightspeed to destroy larger ships.  Worst of all, The Rise of Skywalker effectively dismantles the heroic ending of The Return of the Jedi by bringing back Darth Sidious. Throughout the prequels, characters describe Anakin Skywalker as “The Chosen One,” the man whose destiny it is to destroy the Sith. In Return of the Jedi, Anakin does destroy the Sith — by killing Darth Sidious. Yet if Darth Sidious survives, then Anakin is not the Chosen One and the first six movies make less sense. So, what’s so great about The Mandalorian? Unlike the sequel trilogy, The Mandalorian builds on the previous movies and TV shows (including Clone Wars and Rebels) to tell a unique story that both fits in the broader narrative and has exciting features to add."

Did You-Know-Who's Breathtaking Appearance in the Mandalorian Spark a Disney Galactic Civil War? - "  Rogue One (directed by Gareth Edwards) and The Mandalorian prove Disney can get things right when it comes to Star Wars — as long as it sticks to great story and doesn’t go woke.  But according to Pirates and Princesses, the woke empire is unhappy and it’s plotting to strike back... P&P points to a recent episode on social media, in which Pablo Hidalgo, who is on the Disney/Lucasfilm committee that’s in charge of Star Wars story and canon, lashed out at a Star Wars fan for his deep and positive reaction to Luke’s return.  P&P also predicted young Luke’s return, thanks to digital animation technology in the works at Disney and which had been demonstrated in Rogue One, a couple of months before it happened...   The MCU is diverse. But if the wokes win, it won’t be. White men need not apply for hero roles. Marvel Comics recently retconned Guardians of the Galaxy hero Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, as bi-sexual, according to Screenrant. Until that revelation, Quill was merely a white male demigod of half-American origin. He was played by Chris Pratt, one of the few outspoken and successful Christians in Hollywood.  So the evidence that the wokes are strongly influencing, if not completely controlling, the content pouring forth from Disney is compelling. Their attention is not on story or character, but on melanin and gender, which wokes don’t actually believe is a thing.  The Mandalorian followed none of that during its first two seasons. The space western focused on story and character, with frequent doses of monsters and battles, and nods to Akira Kurosawa. It presented both male and female heroes and villains, stayed true to Star Wars lore, respected the fans, and delivered spectacularly.  The star: a tiny little green guy of uncertain origins. Not white, or even human. Everyone loves the little guy. Until the wokes started taking over and canceling everything, we as a society had long past moved beyond the progressives’ Woodrow Wilson-era segregationism that the wokes now demand. The wokes present a throwback, not any path forward.  Disney/Lucasfilm would be mad to listen to the wokes. Wokes build nothing. They criticize, they divide, and they destroy.   In The Mandalorian under Favreau and Filoni Disney has a very good thing going. The Mandalorian is 5 times more popular than anything else on Disney+...   Mando and Grogu have done what the sequel trilogy architect, J.J. Abrams, said could not be done: It has satisfied all generations of Star Wars fans. Favreau and Filoni have more than proven Star Wars still has great stories to tell. As long as the wokes don’t destroy it."
Of course wokesters will dismiss Pirates and Princesses (previously quoted) despite its past accuracy and the visual evidence of Luke being crossed out on a poster

Disney Shareholders Call Had Some Gross Star Wars Questions - "the shareholders asking some … interesting questions that mirror that of the very loud and rude male fanbase surrounding the Star Wars franchise.  Since the dawning of Star Wars studio Lucasfilm being acquired by Disney, the sexism towards those in charge and the stories they were telling in the Star Wars universe has been ramped up to eleven by gross members of the Star Wars fanbase. Sure, prior to Lucasfilm being sold, there were sexist men who were convinced women couldn’t like the franchise. I know, I dealt with them all the time as a fan. But it wasn’t like this.  Now, every move that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy makes is attacked by men online. They want her fired for simply touching Star Wars. Prior to Gina Carano revealing herself to be a Trump parrot, men hated the idea of Cara Dune because she was a strong woman. Their tune has obviously changed now that Carano has been let go from Disney for harmful social media posts that these awful men agree with, but that initial hatred of her involvement in the franchise is not forgotten. So when the shareholders began asking questions, it was jarring to hear this sexist rhetoric and nonsense questioning that often exists online being parroted at Disney CEO Bob Chapek on a call... What’s concerning to me is that this sounds like the angry fanboy rhetoric that I see spread online. These fans seem to think that they know more than the creatives behind the franchise, and it’s frustrating to see reflected in an investors’ call... Hopefully, in the future, they keep these sort of fan-based ridiculous anger questions out of the calls, but still"
This is amazing liberal gaslighting: pretending that people hate KK just because she's a woman, outright making up bald faced lies about men hating Cara Dune because she was a woman (and pretending that all the other Star Wars female characters - who in reality were not hated by men - don't exist), and pretending that the "creatives" had a plan for the sequel trilogy when we know that they didn't and that they messed it up, and calling for censorship when others threaten to speak truth to power
Of course, we know that liberal logic is that (a non-liberal) questioning a (non-conservative) woman is sexist

Rian Johnson and John Boyega Attack Star Wars Fans and Consumers At Their Own Risk! - "After Chuck Wendig called Star Wars fans white supremacists, Star Wars director Rian Johnson and actor John Boyega have begun insulting and attacking their rabid fanbase following Kelly Marie Tran’s deletion of all her Instagram posts... when a person using an anonymous account Tweeted to Johnson, “You ruined Star Wars.” Johnson decided to berate him. This is just two days after Johnson had said he was condemning “being an abusive asshole to people online.”  Ironically, Johnson would say he’s never lashed out at anyone “for being disappointed in [The Last Jedi]... John Boyega, who plays Finn, in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, decided to have a row with fans.  After one fan believed that Lucasfilm had put up a social media silence policy after Tran deleted her Instagram, Boyega decided to mock him... Boyega isn’t the only one blocking Star Wars fans. Rian Johnson is doing the same thing. We’ve seen clearly what this type of behavior has done to the comic book industry. It’s resulted in a decline in revenue and sales. In fact, in 2017 “retailer orders for comics, graphic novels, and magazines fell 10% to $522.25 million, the largest percentage drop seen since 1998.”... Star Wars isn’t the only mega franchise who has faced intense criticism from a rabid fanbase. Warner Bros., DC Entertainment, and the directors and actors involved in their films have received plenty of criticism. But the difference is these actors and directors aren’t going out of their way to attack fans of the franchise... Is Lucasfilm and Disney endangering their marquee franchise by allowing their directors and actors to attack fans and consumers? Will this strategy pay off"
Prophetic article from 2018

‘Star Wars’ Introduces Trans-Non Binary Jedi Knights - "“Star Wars” celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday by featuring two trans non-binary Jedi Knights on the new cover for Marvel’s “Star Wars: The High Republic” comic series... In 2018, prior to the release of “Solo,” screenwriter Jonathan Kasdan confirmed that the beloved character Lando was pansexual, meaning someone who swings for all different sorts of teams... “Solo” went on to drastically underperform at the box office."

Star Wars Sequels' Rey Mistake Made Kylo The Real Main Character - "Lucasfilm's indecision on how to tackle Rey's story in the Star Wars sequels unexpectedly makes Kylo Ren the trilogy's real main lead. Both introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens as the next generation of main players in the famed franchise, the pair was supposed to represent the light and dark side of the Force. While that was the primary idea going in the new films, the lack of overall plan made things complicated for them, not to mention the threequel's overarching narrative in general... Looking at the latest films from the Skywalker Saga as a whole, it's Kylo Ren who ultimately drove its story, thus making him its true protagonist... Ridley revealed that toward the end, it was still uncertain who Rey was going to be and that's indicative of how badly Lucasfilm handled her character in the Star Wars trilogy. This resulted in the character not having a clear arc across the films. Every time her story progressed, it was eradicated by the next movie, and worse, redirected entirely. Having a muddled hero's journey made Rey's ending in The Rise of Skywalker feel empty and unearned; it's also part of the reason why many people weren't as invested in her character the way they were with Luke or any of the Star Wars legacy heroes. Compared to Rey, Kylo Ren was consistently at the center of the Star Wars sequels; he was heavily involved in each film and thus, his character was really fleshed out at the end of the film... Aside from having an actual arc, the surprise involvement of Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars sequels also helped make Kylo Ren more empathetic than a straight-up villain. In conjunction with Darth Sidious' reveal in The Rise of Skywalker, The Star Wars Book and other tie-in materials gave additional information about Ben Solo's turn to the dark side and becoming Kylo Ren. Long before Luke's split-second mistake that spooked his nephew and pushed him further away from his family, Ben was already susceptible to being lured by the Sith Lord. The young Solo was extremely lonely with both of his parents occupied by their respective endeavors; Leia was trying to make a name for herself in politics, while Han was busy with his galactic adventures. Without any form of support from his family, Ben felt isolated. Sending him away to train with Luke made things worse as it reinforced the doubts in his mind that his parents didn't want him. Unfortunately, even with his strong connection to the Force, Luke failed to give Ben the attention and love he craved."

Journalists Caution Against Blaming Empire For Blowing Up Alderaan | The Babylon Bee - "Many mainstream media sites refused to blame the Empire for blowing up the planet, reporting that "Alderaan just tragically exploded." "Stuff like this happens," said CBS reporter M'iika C'rett'afa on a holographic broadcast, shrugging. "Honestly, when their communications were cut off, they should have known there was about to be an invasion, since that's the only thing that communications getting cut off could mean. It's kinda their fault. What can you do, you know?""

‘Mandalorian’ Spaceship Lands in Siberia - "Fans of the Star Wars spinoff series “The Mandalorian” now have the chance to visit a life-size copy of the spaceship featured in the show. All it takes is traveling to…the remote Far East Russian city of Yakutsk.   Cosplayer Ayaal Fyodorov and his friends built the replica of the Razor Crest, the gunship used by the show’s titular bounty hunter, during the coronavirus lockdown. It now sits at a local park where fans can take photos with it — costumes optional."

PLANETEJOBN: The Extraordinary Journey of a Black Nerd Group - "Probably the inspiration for Queen Amidala - Queen Genepil, last queen of Mongolia."

Disney, Star Wars Criticized Over Black History Month Tweet After Minimizing Black Character - "Star Wars, and its parent company Disney, is facing sharp criticism following a Black History Month tweet featuring actor John Boyega, who plays “Finn,” in the most recent Star Wars trilogy, who was nearly scrubbed from Star Wars’ Chinese promotional materials, allegedly over concerns that a black actor would not be well received by the Chinese market, and who was “pushed to the side” in later films.Disney, it turns out, is not woke enough for the woke... EW and others cited a number of situations in which black actors and other actors of color have been minimized in Chinese promotional materials. Disney did not comment on the matter, according to CNN. Chinese state media hit back, claiming that audiences could not draw broad conclusions from a single incident... In an interview in 2020, Boyega seemed to acknowledge the issue, according to the Associated Press. “Black characters have been ‘pushed to the side’ in Disney’s ‘Star Wars” franchise'”... Woke fans of the Star Wars franchise have also long complained that Disney used Finn as a way of checking a progressive box, shoving the character out of the limelight and into the background before he could fully develop."

'Star Wars' Writer Says Disney is Refusing to Pay Royalties Because it Bought Rights Not 'Liabilities' - "The author of multiple Star Wars novels says Disney has refused to pay him owed royalties while claiming they are under no obligation after purchasing the property in 2012.Alan Dean Foster was the ghostwriter of a novelization of the original film, titled Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker and credited to Star Wars creator and director George Lucas. He also wrote the first installment's original sequel, Splinter of The Mind's Eye, as well as the novelization of 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens and two other stories set in the Star Wars universe. Foster says royalties for the early books stopped coming after Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012... Foster also accused Disney of not paying him royalties that he is owed for the novelizations of three Alien films, a franchise the company owns after purchasing 20th Century Fox in 2019."

Walt Williams on Twitter - "It is surprisingly dark for the saga to end with the Palpatines killing off the Skywalkers for good and then stealing their family identity."

Adam Driver on if he’ll return to the Star Wars Universe “This is not at all on the [current?] agenda. This experience will forever remain one of the highlights of my career, but I aspire to other adventures” [New French interview] : StarWarsLeaks - "My deepest desire has always been to play Kylo as a human being and not as a machine. I fought so that we could feel some compassion for him, despite his horrible choices."
None of the 4 new big stars want to have anything more to do with Star Wars. That shows how badly Disney screwed up

Kevin Winslow's answer to How did Disney do an amazing job with Avengers but fail with Star Wars? - Quora - "Marvel had the right person overseeing everything, while Star Wars did not. Kevin Feige also had an uphill battle to legitimize comic book based films to a broader audience, while Kathleen Kennedy inherited a successful, money-making franchise where the fans bought into the name regardless of what was being sold due to the strength of the brand’s earlier work... That’s the magic of starting as an underdog. You have to take into account what people are buying or not buying and adjust accordingly to increase the value of your product. The better feedback you get from customers and the better your product sells tells you that you’re on to something... Brian Dyson was the CEO of Coca-Cola USA in 1986 and spearheaded New Coke. I cut Dyson a lot more slack than I do Kennedy for one simple reason: Dyson was smart enough to understand that he’d made a mistake and went back to the original formula. By the time Kennedy and her team did, they were trying to mix-and-match the old formula and their new creation into something else.This is crux of Kathleen Kennedy’s problem though. She doesn’t believe in Star Wars as a product in the form she received when she inherited it; she wanted to ‘fix’ Star Wars by making it something different. She wanted to change what she PERCEIVED were the important parts of the formula... Much of the financial success of the new Star Wars films is tied up in “The Force Awakens”, where many of the returning fanbase came out in droves looking to buy Classic Coke but got their first taste of New Coke.There was no way to know what brand changes were being made with someone new at the helm until you actually go and try the product.This is one of the reasons sales numbers aren’t accurate as the only measurement of success: you have to BUY a ticket to see the film regardless of whether you end up liking it or hating it, because you won’t know until you go in and watch. Customer satisfaction is just as important in the long run survival of your product...  a good metric of failure is how many people vocalized this displeasure with the new trilogy. Everyone had to buy a ticket to get in, not everyone who came out enjoyed the films. Over time, this can eventually hurt the brand. For instance, Solo had abysmal ticket sales right after “The Last Jedi”, in part due to choices that were being made in the new trilogy.The Last Jedi, most poignantly, completely broke the fanbase. Even though all of those people saw the movie, most viewers didn’t actually like it.Disney (and Star Wars) still made their money, but I don’t think we can call it a success if you risk losing the quality of your brand, half of your fans, and risk the future of that business... Star Wars is not about DIVERSITY or GENDER IDENTITY; it is about IDENTITY. Identity is about your character… not just your skin color or genitalia... Diversity is all well and good, but not as a focus and not when you believe that the core element of the story is, “this character is good because she’s a woman” or “this character is a good character because there weren’t enough Black men in Star Wars”. That doesn’t cut the mustard.Who actually had THE BEST identity-driven story hook in “The Force Awakens”? That would be Finn. Finn’s identity crisis right out of the gate was the best idea in The Force Awakens, and was painfully dropped in the next few films. Why? Because Kathleen Kennedy’s team didn’t understand the gold they had in favor of chasing after the copper they didn’t... Having a new female protagonist in Star Wars isn’t enough for them to be good, (and that’s for any character, regardless of gender or ethnicity). You MUST put this character into a crucible and show them work to come out the other side. They need to fail, question themselves, better themselves, and learn to overcome those challenges... every Marvel hero is challenged in all the places that matter the most. Yes, there’s a bit of a trope that Marvel heroes tend to face their evil opposites, but there’s a reason why that WORKS. Facing the darker, more evil version of yourself challenges the main character to reexamine who they are. Again… it’s about IDENTITY. Who you are MATTERS to the audience... There’s another quote I really like that really puts the nail on the head of the problem with the trio running Star Wars:“They had me walking by 3PO, not even acknowledging him. I said: “I can’t do that! He (The Last Jedi’s director, Rian Johnson) said, “Okay, go over and do whatever.” So I went over, and I did whatever. They say it in the script: “Forget the past, kill it if you have to”, and they’re doing a pretty good job!’” It’s actually the first part that tells the most. For Rian to not pick up on something that simple… that C-3P0 MEANS SOMETHING to Luke is the real red flag. Rian didn’t just direct that scene, but WROTE THAT FILM. If that isn’t a huge indictment on what that meant for the series, I don’t know what else to say. Luke’s character cares about everyone, and that was completely lost on Rian Johnson during the writing and directing of The Last Jedi.It shows a lack of understanding a character’s point of view… and that is reflected all over this new trilogy. Kathleen Kennedy could have learned a lot studying Drew Karpyrshyn’s work with Knights of the Old Republic and The Sith Lords. It’s two video games that use all the ingredients of Star Wars to make a great set of stories that are very much Star Wars tales without being complete rehashes of the first two trilogies, even though they share common elements.... Even “The Last Jedi”, with all the radical changes made to Luke, could have potentially worked, if they had used the right story formula. For instance:The Mask of Zorro: In the film, we see a champion of the people soundly defeated by his worst enemy; his wife is killed before his eyes, his daughter is kidnapped to be raised by his mortal foe, and he’s locked into a rathole prison for 20 years.This completely justifies an older, bitter version of the character.But, through the training of a new protege he rebuilds himself and his identity as a father, a protector, and a hero."
The corollary is that Marvel is now prone to get woke, go broke too
I guess Luke ignoring C-3P0 is "subverting expectations" too

Rumor: Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy Banned From The Set Of The Mandalorian Season 2 - "A new rumor details that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has been banned from the set of The Mandalorian Season 2... The Disney CEO would then reiterate their focus would be on TV... That focus on TV is more than likely a direct result of the failures of Disney’s Star Wars movies, movies that Kennedy as Lucasfilm President was ultimately in charge of."

Disney Edits Controversial Mandalorian Scene So Baby Yoda Just Eats An Unborn Baby | The Babylon Bee - "Disney has edited its controversial scene from The Mandalorian, where The Child eats an unfertilized alien egg, so that the creature affectionately known as "Baby Yoda" will simply eat an unborn human baby instead... "It's just a human fetus -- definitely no life there. The fetus is a parasite, after all, and it's much more icky than the unfertilized eggs this completely fictional character had stored in this jar." Pro-life groups have protested the change, but they were quickly decried as anti-science bigots who obviously just want to control women's bodies"
Addendum: Baby Yoda Canceled Amid Accusations of Genocide

Mark Hamill Doesn't Understand Why Luke Gave Up in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' - "“Why did Luke give up in The Last Jedi? What other events made Luke give up?” fan Cameron White asked on Twitter, tagging Hamill and writer-director Rian Johnson. “From what we know Luke made one mistake and he gave up. That doesn’t really make sense.”“When I understand, I’ll let you know,” Hamill replied... “I was shocked. I said to Rian, number one, Luke was the most optimistic, hopeful character, and now he’s this miserable, despondent hermit,” Hamill said in one interview when asked about his reaction to Johnson’s script.“You see in the story why that is, but I had a real problem, because I don’t believe a Jedi would ever give up. You see, if he makes a mistake, he doubles down and does the right thing, regardless of the magnitude of his mistake — choosing Ben Solo and being so wrong and giving rise to the possible Darth Vader.”"

Show Don't Tell: The Mandalorian vs. The Last Jedi - YouTube - "When the storyteller doesn't trust you to keep up, but instead explains everything to death like you are an idiot, you naturally start looking for the holes in the story instead of being engrossed in the drama"

Where Does the Star Wars Galaxy Go From Here? | WIRED - "Dave Rubin, host of the talk show The Rubin Report, is a lifelong science fiction fan whose favorite films include Contact, The Matrix, and Total Recall. But the Star Wars franchise has always held a special place in his heart... Rubin was very disappointed with the most recent Star Wars trilogy, particularly its middle installment, The Last Jedi.“They didn’t even write the three stories out, so each director sort of had their own crack at it,” he says. “So J.J. [Abrams] writes something for The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson basically completely aborted it in The Last Jedi, and then they bring J.J. back, and he has to just fix the whole thing. And that’s why The Rise of Skywalker, even though it was fine, felt like a race. There was never a moment to breathe in it, because he’s just trying to patch the ship before it sinks.”Rubin is hardly alone in feeling that Star Wars is off track. The fan base is highly fractured, and many of the recent directors seem dispirited...
Dave Rubin on Joker:
“If you’re interesting and you actually say something, the media tries to figure out how to destroy you, so they were trying to scare people away from seeing the movie. And of course there was no violence related to it. And by the way, if there had been violence, you can’t blame it on the movie, because art is art. That would be like saying, ‘We can’t have books, we can’t have movies about anything.’ … So the idea that this movie was going to instigate people? Now that it’s a year later—or whatever it is—it’s like, ‘Wow, what stupidity that people were writing these “think” pieces.'”
Dave Rubin on The Rise of Skywalker:
“Every time you have an emotional moment they take it away from you. You think Chewie dies in that crash, that [Rey] causes the crash by using Force lightning. What a powerful moment. They kill Chewie, who everyone loves, and it was done by Rey, and it’s the first time you’ve seen her use Force lightning. That’s a powerful thing. Then what do they do two minutes later? Oh, you find out he’s alive. C-3P0, with the memory loss, that’s the killing of C-3P0. That’s pretty powerful. What do they do five minutes later? He’s getting some of his memory back. … When I watched The Rise of Skywalker a second time, I had no expectations anymore, but in many ways I liked it less, because now you watch the Chewie thing and you know what’s going to happen, and there’s no meaningful emotion attached to it.”"

World's First IRL STAR WARS Protosaber Is Insanely Dangerous

Disney Can No Longer Deny That 'Star Wars' is a Damaged Franchise - "According to Disney’s third-quarter earnings report, Star Wars merchandise sales are down. Again.Yes, they were also down last year, too... Despite Disney defenders trying to put as positive of a spin on the disaster that is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the mainstream media has seen right through it and continues to throw shade at the billion dollar expansion’s failure to draw crowds.In fact, the Star Wars themed land seems to be chasing people away instead of drawing them to Disneyland.And when there was some pushback from Disney fandom about the validity of people’s claims about the park being empty, USA Today had to step in and provide aerial photos as proof to shut that debate down hard... Disney CEO Bob Iger had to put his own positive spin on the situation. Saying that Galaxy’s Edge will be profitable… someday. Meanwhile, Universal had 10 hour waits for a new Harry Potter coaster, and announced a third theme park that will likely feature Nintendo... Attempts to make Star Wars more relatable to today’s youth with all new protagonists and villains has seemingly been met with apathy, judging by the unsold toys clogging clearance aisle shelves.And old school Star Wars fans were dismayed at how their childhood heroes were sidelined, the victims of character assassination, or killed off entirely.In the case of the original trilogy’s series protagonist Luke Skywalker, it’s all of the above... Many fans threatened to boycott Star Wars after The Last Jedi. Yet the internet media pundits laughed it off as just a “vocal minority” of disgruntled, basement-dwelling fanboys.Months later, Solo bombed at the box office. Toy sales plummeted. The theme park is a ghost town. And there’s a deafening lack of chatter about The Rise of Skywalker from the general public, compared to the previous two sequel trilogy films... Having the director of the most polarizing Star Wars film of all times call the fans names on social media is not a good look. Nor is letting freelancers associated with the Star Wars brand attack people based on their politics.And blaming Russian bots for the backlash is just really, really stupid. Beyond splitting the fandom, The Last Jedi weirdly became a litmus test of sorts for a fan’s political affiliation. The fans who loved the film, generally speaking, seemed to be more progressive and those who despised it seemed to be more conservative.And you can thank the (predominantly progressive) pop culture media outlets for that, as they stoked the fires for months by trying to incite the old school fans with endless article after article calling them misogynists, trolls and worse.But hey, director Rian Johnson said he loved to make polarizing films. So if he intended to troll old school Star Wars fans all along, he succeeded on an unprecedented level.Unfortunately, the franchise has suffered tremendously for it... Han, Luke and Leia all together in one scene. That’s all many Star Wars fans hoped for, and what was expected when it was announced the trio would return for the sequel trilogy. And when Mark Hamill posted an innocuous image about what he wished would have happened in the trilogy — a sentiment echoed by many fans — Twitter attacked him for it."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Was Terrible, Says Alan Dean Foster - "In the time since its release, other stars of the film have started to call The Last Jedi into question. John Boyega, who played Finn in the sequel trilogy, said, "The Force Awakens I think was the beginning of something quite solid, The Last Jedi if I'm being honest I'd say that was feeling a bit iffy to me. I didn't necessarily agree with a lot of the choices in that and that's something that spoke to Mark [Hamill] a lot about and we had conversations about it. And it was hard for all of us, because we were separated.""

How Much Money Does Hasbro Still Make With Star Wars? - "This article includes several charts, I encourage you to look at them because they will illustrate how interest in Star Wars toys is developing. In short: it’s declining. Rapidly... there is the visible decline in interest after The Last Jedi (the last very high peak to the right). Solo hardly makes a bump anymore and Christmas 2018 saw the least interest in “Star Wars Toys” on Google ever since Google has recorded data."

Toy Executive Confirms Lack Of Demand For Disney's Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Products - "Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogies woes continue, as Diamond Select Toys President Chuck Terceira confirmed there is a lack of demand for products from the three films."

Disney's 2018 Annual Report Sees Star Wars In Decline

Sci-Fi Fan Surprised To Learn He Hates Strong Female Characters | The Babylon Bee - "Avid science fiction fan, Gavin Green, hates all women, opposes equality, and is someone who can’t handle strong female characters in movies. This is according to reports from social media commenters and intersectionality experts who found evidence of Gavin’s incorrect thoughts on Twitter and made sure to leave comments to let him know... This comment, among many other similar ones, was in response to Gavin’s incorrect tweet at 11:43pm which went viral last Friday when he wrote, “I just rewatched The Last Jedi and, yep, I still don’t like it, but I’m glad other people do.”Gavin read some of the 432 replies that poured in and exited his internet browser to his desktop with a wallpaper image of The Mandalorian’s Cara Dune aiming a large blaster at him.“Am I really all the bad things they said?” said Gavin aloud to himself as he looked at the cool sci-fi stuff decorating his room featuring posters and toys from Battlestar Galactica, The Mandalorian, and his favorite movies of all time, Alien and its sequel Aliens."

Facebook - ""The Mandalorian" achieves a truly diverse cast, with many gender atypical roles, in a completely unselfconscious way that bothers no-one, because it takes the radical approach of treating actors and characters as people.The characters aren't simply props to further an ideological message, and fleshing them out truthfully under imagined circumstances as complex human beings (and other sentient beings) is the priority of the writers, directors, actors, and all the artists involved."

Disney Faces Massive Backlash For Firing Gina Carano As ‘Cancel Disney Plus’ Trends #1, Critics Bring Up Company’s History - "In response to Carano’s firing, critics noted how Disney rehired a director that had been fired over disturbing sexually explicit tweets, Disney’s business dealings in communist China, and other controversies that the company has faced in recent years."
At least the mob and Disney proved her right
Of course the same liberals who are cheering this got very upset when people pointed out that Kaepernick was protesting on the job, not in his personal capacity, and that sanctioning him was unjustified and racist. If not for double standards, some people would have none

The Mandalorian's Gina Carano faces backlash for controversial Instagram posts - "Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don't realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views"
Claiming this is anti semitic is absurd. Palestinian activists make wild accusations about the Holocaust all the time, and liberals cheer them on. Not to mention how people with TDS were obsessed with hysterical Nazi comparisons for 4 years and got praised

Disney producer tweets about murdering children wearing MAGA hats: They "go screaming, hats first, into the woodchipper." - "Disney producer Jack Morrissey has tweeted about throwing children who support President Trump, headfirst into a wood-chipper.“#MAGAkids go screaming, hats first, into the woodchipper,” Morissey tweeted after fake news media outlets falsely accused a Trump supporting high school student of taunting a native American man at the Lincoln Memorial.Morrissey, who has since set his Twitter account to private, attached a gruesome image to the tweet, depicting a man shoving a human body into a wood-chipper that was spewing blood."
Clearly to Disney, hate is acceptable if it's directed at the right people. And questioning the liberal consensus counts as hate

It’s not wrong to compare Trump’s America to the Holocaust. Here’s why. - The Washington Post
Holocaust comparisons are only wrong and anti-Semitic when they contradict the liberal narrative

Ben Shapiro on Twitter - "Disney+ must immediately fire any actor who has made an overwrought Holocaust comparison"
"Pedro Pascal he/him: "#ThisisAmerica. Germany, 1944. America, 2018""

Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal Calls Fans Nazis - "Pascal took to his Instagram to celebrate the possible victory of presidential candidate Joe Biden and his choice to be vice-president, Kamala Harris, and posted memes about supporters of Donald Trump calling them "losers" and comparing them to Nazis and the southern states."
Some people claimed in 2018 he wasn't under contract so it was ok. But at this point he was and it was still ok to make vacuous Nazi comparisons

Toxic Masculinity: Star Wars Fans Threatened By Strong, Independent, Free-Thinking Woman | The Babylon Bee
The trans crowd was so upset over her refusal to use pronouns. Once again, we are told when it starts that it's optional and a sign of respect, but it quickly becomes compelled and if you don't do it you're cancelled

Star Wars And Lucasfilm Officially Support Calling All White People Racist - "The official Star Wars Twitter account has thrown their support behind new hire Krystina Arielle and her declaration that all white people are racist.Earlier today Bounding Into Comics reported on a number of tweets that Arielle, the new host of The Star Wars The High Republic Show, where she called all white people racists...   In March 2020, she wrote, “White people: f***ing stop it. Your racism won’t save you. Your ignorance is not an excuse.”... In June 2020, she wrote, “Just a reminder that White Women are just as complicit in the upholding and enforcing White Supremacy.”... The official Star Wars Twitter account has now come out in support of Arielle’s comments declaring white people racists.  The account wrote, “Our Star Wars community is one of hope and inclusivity. We do not stand for bullying and racism. We support Krystina Arielle.”"
If you denounce anti-white racism, it means you're racist and a bully
Some apologists said that Gina Carano was fired because she ignored warnings not to post shit online. But evidently Lucasfilm endorses hating on white people, so

Stephen L. Miller on Twitter - "As long as Disney caters to China's human rights abuses and literal concentration camps for $$, pretty much any excuse they use to fire an actor over offensive social media posts is beyond ridiculous. It's that simple."

Gina Carano’s Mandalorian exit proves ‘cancel culture’ doesn’t exist - despite what her fans say - "Tran, in particular, would be justified in feeling aggrieved. She bore the brunt of a racist and sexist online backlash after her prominent role in The Last Jedi; the near-removal of her character in the sequel was seen by some as the franchise’s capitulation to the abusers. And yet, when people talk about “cancel culture”, it is never the case of Kelly Marie Tran that is mentioned."
This is some high level liberal gaslighting
Apparently everyone has a right to be in a sequel

Gina Carano Was Getting Her Own Star Wars Series Before The Mandalorian Firing - "According to The Hollywood Reporter, a source indicated that Lucasfilm had plans to announce that Carano would be the star of her own show back during Disney's investor day presentation in December, but scrubbed those plans due to her tweets at that time, which included controversial posts about mask-wearing during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the 2020 presidential election. Sources also told the outlet that Lucasfilm had been "looking for a reason to fire her for two months" seeming to stem back to those November tweets with Wednesday's controversial tweets being the final straw."
Going out on your own terms and illustrating the discrimination you face perfectly is not a bad play

Peter Schiff on Twitter - "As a Jew I'm not offended by the @ginacarano tweet referencing Nazi Germany. But as an American I'm very offended by the left's reaction. #Lucasfilm firing her to appease an intolerant left-wing mob merely validates her comparison. We must learn from past mistakes not bury them."

Jenna Ellis on Twitter - "Let me get this straight... We’re so against cancel culture that we’re calling to cancel Disney+ Got it."
Apparently if you're against violence, if someone is trying to kill you, you can't call the police
Imagine not understanding the difference between cancelling someone and boycotting (voting with your dollars) - and that due to cancelling someone, too

10 Famous Liberals Who’ve Made The ‘Nazi’ Comparison But Weren’t Canceled

To Prove Cancel Culture Doesn't Exist, Disney Fires Actress Who Condemned Cancel Culture | The Babylon Bee

Twitter User Questions Whether Disney Will Cancel The Auschwitz Memorial After Posting Similar Tweet To Gina Carano - "When we look at Auschwitz we see the end of the process. It’s important to remember that the Holocaust actually did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanisation & escalating violence"
It's only wrong when a conservative says it

Disney tweets that it won't tolerate bullying, refuses to defend Star Wars' Gina Carano from online abuse
It's only bullying when it's against a liberal

Eric Spencer on Twitter - "Disney and Lucasfilm could have kept Cara Dune as a strong, kickass, female character for little girls to look up to. Instead, firing Gina Carano sends a message to little girls that if you sit down, shut up, learn your place, and don't make men angry, you can keep your job."

Star Wars Stans Set Sights On Rosario Dawson As Next Potential Target Of Cancel Culture - "access media news outlet Inverse chimed in on the Gina Carano situation, with writer Dais Johnston speaking to a couple of people who, through their utilization of Twitter and the hashtag #FireGinaCarano, have claimed victory in getting the former MMA fighter and The Mandalorian actor removed from Disney/Lucasfilm... In the article, titled “Gina Carano Fired: How an army of Twitter stans changed Star Wars forever“, Johnston details not only the circumstances of Carano’s firing, but also how stans for Twitter bio pronouns are now looking to similarly cancel Dawson and any future appearances she may have made in any Disney-related media... Three years ago, a member of the trans community lobbed some hefty allegations against Dawson and her family. The accuser, a trans male, filed a lawsuit Dawson’s family and claimed that they had both assaulted and purposefully misgendered him... However, as noted by Dawson in a November 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, “Every single claim of discrimination” had since “been dismissed by the person who made them.” The writer for the Inverse states as much, their hesitancy to acknowledge it notwithstanding their"
We knew it wouldn't stop at Gina Carano
Of course SJWs will just claim this is "accountability"

Being Conservatarian on Twitter - "The left went from believing the 1st ammendment gives Kapernick the right to protest at work, to Gina Carano should be fired for spicy tweets awfully fast..."

EDITORIAL: The real Gina Carano problem - "Far-left activists have been going after Carano for months ever since they learned that she did not conform to their worldview and was perhaps a supporter of Donald Trump.  We say “perhaps” because it’s not like she’s even all that vocal about it and has been pretty vague in her remarks.  There’s a term for the campaign to fire Carano: Intolerance. And it’s unacceptable. This is happening way too frequently.  These immature activists need to realize that it’s a big world out there and you’re occasionally going to cross paths with people who don’t share your views. It stands to reason that if almost half of the American electorate voted for Trump, then in every workplace — including the entertainment world — there’s going to be Trump supporters.  The childish mob who called for Carano’s firing need to grow up and realize that when they’re in line at the grocery store, walking in the park, or sitting in a cafe there will be people around them who don’t share their views.  This is the real Gina Carano problem — and the problem is with the mob, not her."

Gina Carano says she's 'not going down without a fight' after 'devastating' firing from 'The Mandalorian' - ""I'm not like you, I've never really been interested in politics," Carano told him. "And then as soon as I started seeing things happening, I guess in 2020, I started looking up, 'Well maybe the adults don't have it under control? And maybe I'm an adult now, and maybe I have a responsibility to pay attention.'... After the actress, who played Cara Dune on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, "beep-bop-boop" in her Twitter bio last September, she was met with what she called a "crazy meltdown." Though people took her bio as a dig at the transgender community, she insists that wasn't the case.  "It was 100 percent to go to the Twitter mob that was telling you what to do, and it had zero to do with trying to go after the transgender community, because I would never do that"... She added that while a publicist urged her to issue an apology, she opted to write her own statement clarifying her intent because "I've also been watching celebrities apologizing left and right, and it's very ingenuine [sic]." But her statement was deemed "not apologetic enough," which Carano called "shocking."  Carano also met with LGBTQ representatives for Disney, who she claims told the company it would be a "bad idea" if she was punished over the issue.  "I don't have any hate in my heart for anyone, I stepped in a landmine," she told Shapiro of the response to her bio. But her bosses at Lucasfilm, which is owned by Disney, did want her to take the matter seriously... she balked when she was asked to meet over Zoom with a large group of representatives from the LGBTQ community, noting that some Lucasfilm employees were "railing me" on social media and calling her "ignorant."  "All your employees are slandering the hell out of me right now," she said. "You think I want to get on a video where they can then film it? I felt very insecure about that."  Carano told Shapiro that the group meeting felt like an ambush and "a bit abusive," saying, "I don't feel like I really deserve this." She instead suggested meeting with just four or five people instead for dinner, so she could have a "genuine conversation" about the issue.  Carano did also meet with a media trainer who she joked "was ready to hate me, I think." Ultimately, they had a "great conversation" in which the media expert explained to the actress that she had offered a "logical answer to an emotional response," and that she needed to make a more "emotional" statement to satisfy everyone.  Carano again faced fallout in November after retweeting comments supporting unfounded allegations of voter fraud. Carano told Shapiro that she was motivated by her experience as a first-time voter and her confusion over being allowed to vote without being asked for ID... She also defended a meme she shared urging people to take the mask over their eyes with regards to the pandemic. Again, she pointed to "confusion" over ever-evolving COVID-19 guidance, which she called "all over the place." The post was also intended to challenge political leaders whose actions were at odds with their restrictions.  "I live in California and I see the hypocrisy that's been happening, like [Gov. Gavin Newsom] going to [restaurant] The French Laundry, and they don't have masks on," she told Shapiro. "There's been so much hypocrisy and they have those little edited videos where you can see the Democrat leaders completely [being] hypocrites. This is like, Hypocrisy 2020.  "I thought this was a good way to convey that we need to start paying attention to the hypocrisy. For me, it was just like, open your eyes."... The social media post that seemed to spur Carano's firing was a since-deleted Instagram meme about the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. Carano was accused of anti-Semitism for appearing to compare that treatment to that of modern-day conservatives, which she denies.  "When I posted that, it wasn't something I felt like was controversial," she explained, adding, "I am so inspired by the gentle spirit of the Jewish people going through that time."  "It was something I thought, 'Well, maybe all of us need to ask ourselves, how did that happen?' because it's important. The post never said anything about Republicans or conservatives. It doesn't say anything about that in there. It was more about, you know, people tearing each other apart... Shapiro, who practices Orthodox Judaism, said her post was "obviously not anti-Semitic" and argued that Disney was fine with actors invoking the Holocaust so long as they were politically liberal. He cited Carano's Mandalorian co-star Pedro Pascal, who previously likened the treatment of Jews to the treatment of migrant children at the border... she and Pascal disagree on their respective social media posts, but have maintained their friendship.  "I know he's said some hurtful things ... but there's so much love there still," she continued. "We had an agreement after we realized we were a little bit politically different. First and foremost, you're a human being. You're my friend first. And the two sides that are trying to drag us apart because we're both passionate — that's what's been really crazy, you see these people over here being so passionate, you see people over here being so passionate, and I love it. We're just both passionate and we think a little differently I think through our different experiences. I know that we both misstepped on our tweets. We're not perfect; we're human beings. But he's not a bad human being; he's a sweet person."  Carano spoke out against bullying throughout the interview... "I have a big problem with bullies, and I have a big problem with — I don't have a problem with power; I have a huge problem with abuse of power."  She also claimed that she's "not the only one that's been bullied by this company," cryptically alluding to an anonymous "friend."... She credited Shapiro with helping her find her "new political voice." In a statement issued last week about their new film venture, she vowed "they can’t cancel us if we don’t let them.”  "I was prepared to, at any point, get let go," she told Shapiro. "I have seen this happen to so many people. I've seen the looks on their faces. I've seen the bullying that takes place. They've quit Twitter, they've quit speaking, they show up to their red carpets and they're depressed and they're sad and there are hardened hearts there. I was like, you're coming for me, I know you are. They're making it very obvious through their employees that were coming for me. And so I was like, I'm going to go down swinging then, and I'm going to stay true to myself... "... "if I buckle, then little girls and little boys — who are not getting a fair shake at growing up right now — if I buckle, it's going to make it OK for these companies who have a history of lying, to be lying and do this to other people. And they've done it to other people. And I'm not going down without a fight.""

Disney’s Firing Of Gina Carano Is Confusing And Hypocritical – Lacking Sound Management - "I’ve been sitting on this article for a while, allowing my opinion to form. That’s something that many companies don’t do enough of these days. Instead, they often rush to conclusions too fast, yielding to the views of a few vocal members of the community rather than allowing time and consideration to inform decisions.  The latest example is Disney’s firing of Gina Carano from The Mandalorian...  Ironically, when Disney fired Gina for her opinions it inadvertently proved her point. We can disagree as to whether Disney was justified or not in firing Gina, but one thing is clear; Disney’s management of its social responsibility persona is woefully flawed.  To begin, the company’s approach is confusing. Many assert that Pedro Pascal, star of The Mandalorian, offered similar analogies that Carano did, though with a liberal bent, when he shared a now deleted Instagram post comparing Donald Trump voters to Nazis. Pascal kept his job. Carano did not. Disney’s inconsistent approach led outsiders to suspect that Disney leans left, something that CEO Bob Chapek denied at the recent shareholders meeting by stating, "I don't really see Disney as characterizing itself as left-leaning or right-leaning, yet instead standing for values — Values that are universal." But management cannot afford to treat employees differently for similar actions. It makes Chapek’s comments appear disingenuous. The company needs a universally consistent approach for its universal values.  Disney’s actions also appear hypocritical. At the same shareholders meeting, Bob Chapek went on to say that Disney believes in, "Values of respect, values of decency, values of integrity and values of inclusion. And we seek to have not only how we operate, but the content that we make reflective of the rich diversity of the world that we live in. And I think that’s a world that we all should live in, in harmony and peace." That’s a noble goal, well said. But while Disney shapes and declares these aspirations for U.S. consumption, it turned a blind eye to China when the company shot Mulan in the same Chinese province where the government forced millions of Uighur Muslims into internment camps. Disney went on to thank several government bodies in the film’s credits. This signals that human rights and social responsibility are fine as long as they do not cost Disney any money in important markets. Disney never had an adequate response. Disney’s approach is dangerous. Canceling people for their views is the proverbial slippery slope... In the past, organizations that needed to distance themselves from employees’ controversial opinions would make a public statement that, “the employee’s opinions are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the company.” Done. Banishment was reserved for more egregious behaviors like debilitating drug abuse, assault, robbery, and murder. The 1950’s blacklisting experience reinforced our belief that speech and political affiliation need to be protected, but we seem to have forgotten the lesson.  As companies cancel people for their opinions, it feeds a dangerous cycle. The more they cancel, the more they emboldened the mob to target more people and organizations. Then repeat. Disney, and many other organizations, are playing a very dangerous game out of fear, partisanship, and/or misplaced sincerity. The beast they helped to create and indulge may eventually devour them.  Organizations need a more thoughtful system, not a knee-jerk reaction, to guide decisions regarding who gets fired. They need to specify what constitutes the most egregious offenses. It needs to be transparent so the rules are known and not hidden in vague platitudes open to interpretation. It cannot be the decision of one person, but should be made by a group of people, with varied views, who apply a standard yardstick. They need to balance the right to free speech with social responsibility. And they need to take into account not simply the highly vocal individuals who are fast to complain, but mainstream audiences who need time to digest the situational nuances.  Case in point: A new poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found that 58% of people opposed Carano being fired, but that jumped to a whopping 72% when they saw the post that she was fired for, leaving only 28% who felt Disney was justified. It makes Disney appear to be exaggerating when it later said that her social media posts were “abhorrent and unacceptable” in how they “denigrated people based on their cultural and religious identities.”  Disney could counter that Carano was terminated not merely for her last post, but due to an accumulation of previous posts where, among other things, she reportedly mocked wearing a mask during the pandemic and suggested that voter fraud took place in the 2020 presidential election. But if that criteria were applied nationwide tonight, unemployment would spike to as much as 50% tomorrow morning"

Gina Carano Wins Again: Disney Airs Previously ‘Cancelled’ National Geographic Episode, Show Trends Worldwide - "Industry insiders speculated that Disney had axed Carano from the NatGeo show the same way it did with “The Mandalorian” in February. As The Daily Wire previously reported, when three major TV schedule reporting services —TvMaze, EpGuides, and PremireDate —released episode lists for “Running Wild’s” sixth season, Carano’s already filmed outing was not among them."

In New Holocaust Survivor Testimony, Hate Speech Is a Dangerous Seed - The New York Times - "Sidney Zoltak recalled the early run-up to the Holocaust.  “The diabolic plan to annihilate the Jews in Europe was established in small increments,” Mr. Zoltak, who survived the Holocaust as a child, says in a video. “Way before the establishment of the concentration camps, the ghettos, the death camps, the mobile killing units, it started with words.”... “The crematoria, gas chambers in Auschwitz and elsewhere did not begin with bricks, it began with words — evil words, hateful words, anti-Semitic words, words of prejudice,” Mr. Foxman, 81, says. “And they were permitted to proceed to violence because of the absence of words, because of silence.”"
Better fire Zoltak and Foxman if they have jobs
So is anti-white rhetoric dangerous too?