jasonderoga86 | Entries tagged with corruption

In our "Political Scandals" class this afternoon, we discussed the continuing abominable actions of the former Turd-in-chief. One of our clients brought up an article covering a new "version" of the Holy Bible. This new "version" immediately put a scowl on my face, as it reminded me exactly why I decided to disown Christianity late last year.

This Bible, titled the "God Bless the USA Bible" was just recently promoted by the Omnipotent Orange himself on his bullshit Truth Social site.

This is Blasphemy to the highest degree. Jesus would weep if he saw this.

To those who're still unclear as to why Christianity in America is what KILLED Christianity itself, here's your answer.

Sacrilege is the dominant religion in America; always has been, and always will be.

Current Mood: angry

Christianity is a religion, not a law. Christian Nationalism is NOT a religion OR a law. Again, Christianity is a religion; Christian Nationalism is terrorism fueled by hate and ignorance.

Reformed Christian Nationalists have come to admit these simple truths. Many of them abandoned this vile ideology of their own will.

A certain Black musician succeeded (and is STILL succeeding) in pulling MANY manipulated White Americans out of Christofascist hate groups.

The Meek will inherit the Earth. Humanity and dignity are FAR better embodiments of strength than guns and bullets, and hiding the truth out of fear of discomfort.

Oh, and another thing? Christian Nationalism and Al-Qaeda are cut from the same cloth. Both weaponize religion to justify unspeakable crimes against humanity

Peace and love to you all.

Current Mood: straight up

I was thinking about my little cousin who teaches 2nd grade, and how he was explaining to me and my other cousins about the conflicts between his White students and his Muslim students over religious ideals during our family Thanksgiving gathering. The White students didn't want to learn about Islam and Allah because in their minds, "Allah" wasn't the "one God" and thus a false idol. It was really saddening as he delved into the obvious implications of cancel culture, as well as this asinine agenda by right-wing Republicans to ban books they find "inappropriate" (read: exposing) to White children to prevent them from "indoctrination" and "feeling guilty of their White heritage". And right now, it's looking like the era of Seduction of the Innocent again, with any books covering race, gender identity, the blood this country was founded on, and African slavery brutality that literally BUILT this country being fed to flames in some states (a video surfaced of a White man using a flamethrower to roast banned, "woke" books. How about that.).

Obviously you can see where I'm going with this. Jazz Nevermore's new Strange Pixels DW webcomic covers the current disagreements covering AI art, but in a way that aims to educate, not to divide. Very much like Matt Zimmer's Gilda and Meek and the Un-Iverse, I think everyone should give this a read, if only for the fact that it opens eyes, and opens minds.

This relentless effort to erase what doesn't qualify as White supremacy and preservation in the name of "Christianity" from school and library shelves is in reality nothing more than an effort to aid in right-wing plans to turn this entire nation into a White nationalist autocracy/personality cult for Trump, whom the Republicans see as their REAL God (it's true; MTG literally likened him to Jesus, and when Pence ran for President, he was called a treasonous Judas. That's saying something.), despite what they want us to believe. To add to the hypocrisy, their argument that these "woke" books are "inappropriate" because of things like violence, murder, incest, and infanticide... well, an article on IowaCapitalDispatch.com put it plainly, saying the The Holy Bible, which is shoved in people's faces nearly every day as the definition of holiness, actually covers ALL of that, and has been used (and still IS being used) to justify atrocities past and current. It's the Republican right-wing saying that students of the new generation shouldn't be free to learn and be open-minded because stuffy White "Christian" old-timers believe these young scholars must accept the status quo so they themselves can keep running the joint as they're afraid of change... hence the concept of their version of "conservativism". And the worst part of is, MANY students -- White students included -- see right through the facade and are calling out the stuffy old ones for this attack on their education. It's been more than two centuries, and Republicans still don't understand the concept of separation of church and state.

Jazz and Matt, good on you for taking the fight to this bullshit crusade. People need to wake the hell up.

Current Mood: contemplative

I'm almost ready to punch out from work for the Thanksgiving break. But I have to say I'm feeling that the authoritarian, slave master-like mentality of corporate greed and capitalist extremism is seeping not just into social media, but even into art-based websites. And at the center of it all is the recent news of Comic Fury's situation concerning AI art.

Long story short, AI art is now forbidden on CF. The argument is that AI art is "theft" and shows "lack of all effort" as a result of "copying".

As I told Jazz Nevermore, a victim of this new "policy", the argument shouldn't be on AI artists. It should be on people who either don't see the whole picture, or are just looking for a reason to literally start a fight, conflict, flame war, whatever.

First off, as Matt Zimmer stated, everyone on Comic Fury is a hobbyist artist. The whole point of making art online -- in this case, comics -- is taking advantage of a way to share that work without needing a publisher's "blessing" to do so. In comics, we come to CF because we know our works would never be accepted by "big name" publishers who think they always know what sells. All you gotta do is look at the film industry (and to an extent, comics): Hollywood always says they always know "what the people want". Well, I got news for them: people want new, fresh, ORIGINAL MATERIAL. They have been since I can't even remember how long. But Hollywood knows best, right? And what do we get?

Action films with all explosions and no plot. Superhero movies that turn out to be nothing but filler material for "cinematic universes" that literally go to infinity and beyond (pun intended). Reboots of ALREADY rebooted stories with only different colors and costumes. The stuff that sells.

And you know what? That is a steaming load of bullshit.

Nobody's gonna tell me that this rehashed, rebooted stuff is "big bucks". What's so "groundbreaking" about the same story with different dressing? No, this is NOT a valid example of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Hollywood's studio CEOs rake in billions from these pieces of "repackaged goods", but the ones doing the actual work -- actors, writers, designers -- get pocket change and no entitlement to basic health insurance. No, really; as the SAG-AFTRA strike kicked off, I remember seeing an actor showing his interviewer his check from his studio publisher. Get this: he showed the check to the camera for all to see... and his check amounted to $0.01. Seriously, the check was for $0.01.

Not to mention "indie works" in any creative field are always judged as inferior because they don't have the prestige of a company that never invests in originality, by publishers who themselves couldn't create a comic even with a team, much less alone. The term "established publisher" is, and always will be, a bald-faced lie.

This mentality about "stealing" -- especially in the area of art -- fails in Comic Fury's situation on two fronts: first, as I said, CFers are all hobbyists. Hardly any of us are making a living off of our work there. Hell, many of us charge absolutely nothing, it's all free for reading, viewing, whatever. It reminds me of the whole file-sharing Napster/Kazaa/Limewire conundrum. The record industry was suing people by the hundreds on the allegations of theft. But some replied, "Really? We're the ones stealing? Well what about the record industry's known practices of exploitation? What about music artists making pennies while their CEOs are making millions and living the fine life in their McMansions... all while they know they themselves couldn't carry a tune? Aren't they stealing?"

Why are we all fighting each other over art made through AI, when actual employees in comics are getting blindsided by their management, forced to give blood, sweat, tears, mental health, and sometimes, even their lives -- all so they make lunch money and their publishers make fortunes? If you ask me, cheating people out of paid work that they are HIRED TO DO just so clueless big businessmen who "know what sells" can kick back and relax as the money rolls in is more like stealing than AI art. In fact, I'll go as far as to say this indirectly plays into a divide-and-conquer strategy by these very greedy corporate assholes to turn the attention away from them and towards our fellow man. The result? We're tearing each other to shreds while big business laughs at our naivete.

At this point, I guess I'm starting to sound like a "social justice warrior." Well, I couldn't care less, 'cuz this isn't about politics. Hell to the no there, screw politics. This is about morality, burying hatchets, helping each other out, and trying to make this world a better place, with great legacies... because I'll tell you all now, these corporate autocrats could give a shit about any of this so long as they get their literal "passive income" in the billions.

...and, for the record, nobody's died, taken their billions, and came back with them to say, "See? Even if I die, I can take my money with me to the afterlife!" No. No, no, no. This ain't Egypt, with kings in tombs taking riches to the afterlife. This is real life. Enough with this pervasive capitalist extremism; it literally kills its very builders.

Current Mood: enraged

An article on CNN (I STILL don't watch that news channel, just happened to walk by the TV last night in the living room) caught my attention recently. Twitter is starting to look like a freaking joke. First, major corporations like Disney and IBM withdraw their support from the site, then there was the epic fail of that SpaceX rocket blowing up moments after launch. But now Elon Musk's hateful ass really fucked up.

Long story short, a 22-year-old Jewish guy who just recently graduated from college became a target of far-right Neo-Nazi conspiracy theories. They made him look like a sleeper government "antifa agent" planted in a Neo-Nazi group to make them look bad. Or in other words, make the Neo-Nazis look like the victims and the government look like terrorists. The poor kid and his mom had to leave home at one point for fear of being attacked. Worst of all, Musk himself appeared to confirm the theory on Twitter soon after, saying the Neo-Nazis were right about the kid.

Now, the young graduate is suing Musk's hateful ass. His attorney is the same one who successfully sued Alex Jones for lying about Sandy Hook. Likely gonna have the Anti-Defamation League on his side, too.

This is just another example of right-wing idiots -- in this case, one of the world's richest men -- resorting to sadistic bullying tactics to push a fascist agenda rather than talk about how to move this crippled country forward. Fucking disgrace, and yeah, FUCK TWITTER. It's become another 4chan. Stay away.

Current Mood: enraged
Current Music: Rick Braun, "Hollywood and Vine"

First off, I was just assigned a new case manager recently. I haven't yet had a chance to really talk to him, since a lot is going down at my job. But our first meeting WAS unique. Unique in that it was three days after an all-too-common tragedy happened in Lewiston, Maine.

See, the thing is, my new case manager has a history with Lewiston. If I remember correctly, he was born there, and still has family there. So when the terrorism that was what went down in Maine happened, it hit him personally. And HARD. I don't think I've EVER heard such rage in someone's voice. He reminded me of Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr on the day Uvalde happened. And Kerr was also pissed to a level I've never seen before.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but I really feel I have to emphasize this and get it off my chest. My new ally voiced the all-to-familiar disdain for Republican politicians who say they don't want to talk politics after these things happen, yet in the same breath they propose new legislation for arming more people. Or in other words, the same shit that Wayne LaPierre coined after Sandy Hook: "The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

Uh-huh. And who decides who the "good" and "bad" guys are? Certainly not the ones doing the shooting, seeing as Republicans always seem to avoid talking about the killer after things like this. And in many cases, the "good guy" with a gun is also murdered anyway -- because they're armed with a pistol, which is FAR less potent than a military-issue rifle designed specifically for army soldiers. You know, the kind that these assholes use to slay so many people at once, AS THEY'RE DESIGNED TO DO.

The GOP have already said they refuse to anything about this. In fact, to answer a parent's question of how she could ever send her child to a public school again with this being an obvious new norm forced on her and over 60% of American citizens -- INCLUDING responsible gun owners -- one particular Republican simply said, "Homeschool her."

What the shit? THAT'S the best they can say? So I guess that means the end of students reciting the Pledge of Allegiance? The end of the sacred "One Nation under God?"

And while we're on that subject, I've noticed something equally disturbing. The weapon used in many school massacres and mass shootings in general is the AR-15. Some have aptly called it "The Radicals' Rifle." Thus, it shouldn't be a surprise that AR-15s were used in mass shootings incited by racist and bigoted rhetoric from GOP politicians. And it also shouldn't be a surprise that these same politicians respond to such massacres by LOOSENING already weak gun laws. There is a pattern here. Part of it is the GOP always stuffing "thoughts and prayers" down Americans' throats, invoking an all-powerful God. Also, oftentimes an ideology of strengthening a "Christian nation" is mentioned. Hell, even psuedo-Speaker Mike Johnson spoke of a "God-decreed obligation to charge the gates of hell." He spoke these words after the horror in Lewiston... amongst a group of ladies from a group named "Gun Rights for Women." Wow. That's SO thoughtful of you, Mr. Johnson. How much did the NRA pay you to say that, hmmm?

An article on the Washington Post concerned this very incident, and many comments followed. One in particular echoed the original author of the article's statement that Republicans let this carnage continue because they "think violence is good". The commenter, a lady, elaborated on the statement in detail, decrying the violence. Violence against schoolchildren because schools are no longer safe. Violence against women for standing up for the right to their own bodies. Violence against people who are anything that deviates from being heterosexual. Violence against election workers, Democratic politicians, people who stand for the rule of law. And of course, violence against marginalized Non-White groups for the purposes of GOP-encouraged ethnic cleansing.

Another person responded with something along the lines of " Guns save more lives than they take. Deal with it."

First off, that's completely ignorant -- one life taken is one too many. Personally, I don't care who it is at this point, whether you're a cop, soldier, whatever. If you take a life, then by definition you're a killer. Christianity is no exception. Jesus said to "turn the other cheek." God Himself said, "Thou shalt not kill." The Second Amendment grants the right to bear arms to "well-regulated militias", NOT to any old Joe who wants to see how it feels to murder someone on a dime for sadistic pleasure or release of pent-up hatred.

Many people on the internet also accuse the inaction as supporting Christian nationalism, citing that the insurgents on Jan 6, 2021 were fed lies that Christianity "was under threat by a Marxist Radical Left Regime" along with the notion that violence was necessary -- in fact, some said "required" -- to "save America". That same encouragement of violence is still a cornerstone of GOP rhetoric.

Mike Johnson also told Sean Hannity that guns aren't the problem, but rather "the human heart." Another commenter on a different blog site said, "Yeah, Mike Johnson is right. The problem is the human heart... that is, the hearts of the Republican Party. Their hearts are full of greed, insatiable lust for power, and just flat out evil." Basically, they don't fight against death. They CHAMPION it. Letting the gun violence continue is the only way Republicans can advance their agenda, because diplomacy and negotiation are off the table lest they draw the ire of the gun lobbyists. They won't bite the hand that feeds them.

So, the Republican Party has made their intentions entirely clear, and they will let nothing -- not even the lives of young schoolchildren, who wish to have promising futures -- stand in the way of that. But I believe something WILL. No human likes to have their life be dictated on someone else's account. As I said before, God/Higher Power gave all of humanity the gift of free will. America is already fed up, and regardless of the GOPs fealty to gun lobbyists and violent extremism, SOMETHING'S GONNA GIVE EVENTUALLY. And when that happens, they'll be left high and dry, and not even the NRA will be able to save them. We're seeing it happen in the entertainment industry, this refusal to commit to an untenable way of life to satisfy those in power who crave godhood, and we're gonna see it among American citizens.

SOMETHING'S GONNA GIVE. Hope never dies. Never. ✊🫡

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker Original Soundtrack - "End Titles"

Whilst doing more research on books and commerce, I found myself again thinking about the book arm of the entertainment industry. And, surprisingly enough, one word – no, one name – came up. That name was Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer. But why are they so popular when it comes to books? As far back as I can remember, Amazon has always been lauded as the go-to place for buying books. You can find almost any book there, and once you purchase it, it usually arrives in 2-3 days. You can even opt for a cheaper, “used” book for the same shipping costs, if money’s a problem.

Back in 2007, when I had completed Lil’ Hero Artists: The Original Series through the print-on-demand service Lulu, I learned about another perk of theirs: exposure through their “Global Distribution” option. For a small fee, I could have the book listed on Amazon.com in a little more than a month. I thought, “What the hey, I could use the exposure.” I enrolled the book into the Global Distribution program, and when all was said and done, my book eventually appeared on the website.

It is still there, but over time I’ve noticed a few things. I have a friend who published a new style of novel, with a blend of action, crime, and thriller elements. It took him years to write and publish, and he even had me design the cover illustration for the book. He eventually brought it to Amazon through its Kindle Direct Publishing program, and it was soon listed with it’s $20 price tag. For around 550 pages, I thought he priced it decently. But over time, I saw things that heightened my suspicions about Amazon’s business practices in this area. The whole story wasn’t being told, and both of us were on the receiving end of a rude wake-up call.

First, I noticed one day that my next book, titled Curse of Creation: Lil’ Hero Artists, Vol. 1 had been listed on Amazon – without me having enrolled it into Lulu’s Global Distribution Program. It didn’t bother me too much, and at the time I wanted to see how my friend’s book was doing. When I checked its listing, I was astonished to see that the book was selling for around $5 – a HUGE discount. The real kicker here is that the price Amazon was charging – the $5.00 – was BELOW the printing (or manufacturing) cost. That meant Amazon was pocketing the profit from their distribution earnings… but my friend was LOSING money on every sale. EVERY SALE. And to add insult to injury, one day Amazon decided to sell my book Curse of Creation at $6.50 instead of its normal price at $8.50. The same problem applied here, because Lulu’s Global Distribution forbids me from pricing it at that amount due to distribution fees—in other words, Lulu would also eat the losses.

Angrily ready to stand up for my friend (I wasn’t concerned about myself at the time, as I was getting sales on Lulu), I wrote to Amazon to criticize them for what I saw as stealing profits from him and essentially hurting his business. Amazon’s response was so arbitrary and vague that I simply could not provide them with what they wanted—even though I ALREADY HAD done so in my complaint to begin with. I’m going to inform my buddy when I get a chance that he’s getting shafted here.

Then, I decided to test Amazon with my own stuff. I purchased a copy of Curse of Creation: Lil' Hero Artists, Vol. 1 from Amazon at its proper price, $8.50. When the book arrived, I was appalled. The material was lackluster compared to Lulu’s copies, with a cover that felt like that of a magazine, and pages stained with bleed-through. Basically, Amazon WAS selling the same book as Lulu… but Amazon’s copy was severely lacking in quality compared to Lulu’s. So, at one point, they’re ripping my customers off, and then at another point, they’re selling my stuff below manufacturing cost, so I eat the losses while they profit off the distribution fees.

Talk about some serious effed-up mess, huh?

I then did some more research into how Amazon treats self-published authors, including those that use its Kindle Direct Publishing service. I was angered to see that I was just one of many who get this kind of treatment. And what’s worse, if Amazon must eat the loss, they recoup that loss by linking the book’s product page to OTHER commodities and items where they DO make a profit—and a hefty profit, at that. And aside from all this, it don’t take a rocket scientist to understand what this has done – and continues to do – to brick-and-mortar bookstores… ESPECIALLY local, independent bookstores.

To say this makes me furious would be an understatement. What we have here are morally and financially corrupt deals with so many loopholes that aim to maximize Amazon’s profits and give the illusion that it cares about self-published authors--even its own authors using its self-publishing program. And to add insult to injury, this shady business practice is responsible for the death of many bookstores, both indie and branded (as far as I know, Barnes & Noble is the only remaining branded brick-and-mortar bookstore chain. Borders died a LONG time ago, and B&N consumed it assets—and its corpse). I know a local indie bookstore that I treasure dearly, because the staff there always make me feel at home. Hell, they even always have a big plate of cookies for the customers available at no cost. And that’s to say nothing of the relationship I have with its owner, who has shown unwavering support for my OmniLegend Tales “brand”; Lil’ Hero Artists: The Original Series made its debut there, starting at five copies for $11.95 at the time, I think. Within about 5 months or so, they all sold out – I was at the bookstore when the customer who bought the final copy asked me to sign it. I did, after which they purchased it with me nearby to witness. That right there, that is an environment that sees books as ENTERTAINMENT, not commodities purposed only for monetary motives and bragging rights.

I’m gonna give all this some thought. I won’t delist my stuff from Amazon (I actually can’t; even if I unpublish it, the listing will remain there as far as I know), but I certainly won’t be directing anyone over there to purchase it. I have a storefront at Lulu for that – and sales from that site obviously yield more of a profit, since the middleman (in this case, Amazon) isn’t there to take a slice.

Current Mood: confused
Current Music: "Still Standing" by David Benoit

For anyone who's ever watched the show Friends, this is a dark evening. This evening, another celebrity has joined the ranks of the dearly departed. The celebrity in question is Matthew Perry, who was found in a hot tub by authorities in Los Angeles, Califonia, apparently drowned at age 54. Personally, I'm assuming it was a suicide, seeing as many celebrities such as Robin Williams (Mrs. Doubtfire, Disney's Aladdin's "Genie"), David Carradine (Bill from "Kill Bill"), and even Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver/The Green Ranger/White Ranger from "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers") took this road.

Right now everyone's asking questions. Me, I think if it IS a suicide, it's undoubtedly because of how the entertainment industry of today sees only numbers and not people. The spectre of the SAG-AFTRA ongoing strike is rearing its head here. Capitalism in this industry as a whole is all about enriching its publishers/distributors and leaving the ones who provide the entertainment to the masses to wither and die. Actors, authors, musicians, the whole shebang -- they are just cogs whose sole purpose is to keep the machine well-oiled and going on all cylinders to keep the wealth pouring into the ones who don't deserve it: studio CEOs, record industry CEOs... Hell, just CEOs in GENERAL and their sycophants.

The one who does the work always gets the worst of the deal, the proverbial short end of the stick, with their "benefactor." And that leads to frustration and inevitably declining mental and physical health, which often leads to one taking their own life because they feel they have nothing left to live for. And it's happened more times than one can count. Is this really how capitalism in this country is slated to remain? For humanity's sake, I really think a radical change is in order here, because it doesn't make an iota of sense for ANYONE to hold green pieces of paper with old people's faces on them above a living being. It's delusional and borderline misanthropic, and always will be.

'Night everyone, and peace and love to you all.

J.D.

Current Mood: tired

I recently became a member of the blogging website called Medium. It's a place where I can find different perspectives on various topics by various people. I mostly read about mental health topics, the comic book industry, and sometime politics. I checked my account today for updates, and well, again the horror in Maine was front and center. But the article also had an interesting title: ""God isn't fixing this:" The Controversial Headline That Divided America".

This article pretty much spelled what I've always tried to explain to others about my views toward this shameful normalization of gun violence and forced living in fear. What really spoke to me in this article were two words that both political parties (the Republican Party more than the Democrat Party) always use every time a mass shooting happens: "thoughts and prayers".

Every time.

I knew that these platitudes were worthless, but I couldn't find a way to express how. But this article, by a guy called Dan Foster, did the work for me.

As everyone knows, America considers itself a Christian nation above all else. And Republicans like to consider themselves devout Christians. But when one looks at them, it doesn't take a deep thinker to see through the facade. Foster goes even further and digs out a Scripture from the Book of Isaiah, which tells a story about the People of God (whom I will refer to as People, for simplicity) who ask why God has not blessed them and fixed their problems. The People had done everything to please him, be it fasting, worship, and other pious actions. They believed they were doing everything right, so why weren't they receiving and abundance of blessings and solved problems? Welp, the Almighty had two basic answers.

One, God had expected them to end injustice, to liberate the oppressed, and relieve the struggling of their burdens.

Two, God had expected them to stand up for and give unconditional support to the poor.

Pretty obvious where I'm going with this, eh?

For as long as I can remember, the Republican Party has done the exact opposite of those two expectations. They have relentlessly oppressed all marginalized groups. They are still passing laws to negate the significance of these groups. There are still invalidating the lives of these groups. They are relentlessly trying to maintain the status quo of systemic and institutional racism, sexism, and bigotry. And above all else, they are obsessed with maintaining a country where White, Christian, heterosexual Americans reign supreme.

For as long as I can remember, the Republican Party has always put their own personal gains above the American people -- including their own voters. They have always neglected those who struggle to provide for their families, and they heartlessly shun those who live on welfare and other benefits, dismissing them as lazy and not working hard enough (easy for them to say, they're rich and don't HAVE to work as hard), They are still trying to gut any kind of government assistance benefits like Social Security and the Affordable Care Act (remember, one time they tried to gut it, but had nothing to replace it at time). I can actually remember when Mitt Romney was running against Barack Obama in 2012. He also was dead-set on killing Obamacare. When he was asked what Americans could do when in need of critical care without Obamacare, he responded with, "They can always go to ER."

Seriously?

As a guy who had to go to the ER many times in a pinch because I had nothing better at the time (no real health insurance) and had to be sacked with hospital bills up the wazoo demanding 1,000 to 1,200 dollars each, I resent that completely.

But I'm getting off topic.

As I was saying, Republicans consider themselves staunch Christians with an unshakable devotion to God. But whenever a crisis happens and American people demand action, whether it's a natural disaster or a mass shooting, they are as silent as a nighttime grassy plain with only crickets chirping. The truth is, they aren't devoted to God, but rather hiding behind his name to shield themselves from the "heretics and nonbelievers out there who are the true sinners." Well, their Lord and Savior DJT was quoted saying that he "never asked for -- or needed -- forgiveness". And with their loyalty to him and him alone, I gotta ask them, "You guys really have the balls to talk about devotion to God?"

And that's to say nothing of a political party that believes gun violence is the best, or only, way to solve disagreements, the whole "good guy with a gun" (who's never been there when needed in a mass shooting, or is already gunned down in such an incident by the bad guy -- or guys -- with guns) simply because they have a noose around their necks by the gun lobby, and because in an indirect way, letting these bloodbaths continue helps them with this cockamamy "race/culture war", as most of them target marginalized/ethnic groups. They believe wholeheartedly in the Great Replacement Theory (a bogus concept if I ever heard one) and that's the best way for them to prevent it, regardless of how many casualties it takes. Ron DeSantis and Marjorie Taylor Greene can attest to that, with Greene wanting to kill Democrats and DeSantis inciting racial/bigoted hatred and murder through so-called "legislations".

I will end with this quote from Foster's article, which itself is from C.S. Lewis, the author of the Chronicles of Narnia books and a real Christian:

“If conversion to Christianity makes no improvement in a man’s outward actions — if he continues to be just as snobbish or spiteful or envious or ambitious as he was before — then I think we must suspect that his ‘conversion’ was largely imaginary; Fine feelings, new insights, greater interest in ‘religion’ mean nothing unless they change our actual behavior.”

One thing is certain above all else, and we've known it all along: the Republican Party is full to bursting with heretics and repeat sinners, and they're proud of it, because it gets them everything they want. And contrary to what they would have us believe, they show that America is not -- and never was -- the greatest nation on Earth.

Current Mood: contemplative

So I was browsing the web before starting work one day, and just for the hell of it, I decided to read up on the state of the comics industry, since creativity in film is pretty much under attack (if I remember correctly, negotiations for the SAG-AFTRA strike still haven't been met). As I scrolled down the ol' Google, I found something seemingly titled "ComicsBrokeMe". Now, being the curious guy I am, I clicked the link. I wish I hadn't, because what I saw horrified me.

The article I clicked on covered a comics artist named Ian McGinty. I don't remember the name of the publisher he worked for, but that's not the point. The point is that Ian McGinty died at the age of 38 just this past June. The official cause of death was never discerned, but according to his family and close ones, he died due to stress from extreme overwork and deplorable deadlines. Basically, he worked himself to death.

It ain't no coincidence that this tragedy happened when the film industry started on it's path to a possible implosion. To me, this is just another example of big, cigar-smoking CEOs overworking their employees and giving them diddly in return, and don't even ask about health insurance. This is compounded by the fact that comic book movies, particularly superhero movie universes/franchises, are also screwing over the people who created and/or worked on the actual source material. The creator of the Marvel character Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier got damn near pocket change from the show Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates, writer of many Black Panther comics, got diminishing returns from the BP films. And it turns out that many comics publishers -- American and Japanese (mangas) -- are still working the hell out of their writers and artists, paying them barely enough to eat, and not even offering them health insurance. This, after many artists have talked about having to do things like work several sleepless nights, or even face abuse from their editors. And the CEOs and movie stars? Well, need I say anything there?

We are living in an age where capitalism has become something of a legitimized weapon to maximize riches and returns for CEOs who just sit in posh offices while the ones who are doing the actual legwork endure horrible working conditions and/or take abuse from their clientele -- again, for pocket change. This doesn't make sense, and it doesn't allow for any change. Is this supposed to be an aspect of conservatism, where your livelihood is predestined depending on how wealthy your family is when you're born? So that the rich stay rich and vice versa (now let's be honest, there are a lot of rich people who don't deserve their privileged life)? Really, this is pretty much tantamount to modern-day slavery, I don't care if they're getting paid -- it ain't enough to live on.

All I can say is that if fair wages can't even be offered in the entertainment industry of all things, then America has a problem. And if it doesn't want to put in the work to change it, then the comics industry and entertainment as a whole as it is must die out so that something better can take it's place. To me, this kind of system itself is a crime against humanity.

Peace,

J.D.