tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post1853003096475423604..comments2024-03-13T06:04:12.643+00:00Comments on Thoughts Of A Workshy Fop: Devlin Waugh: Sirius Rising (2000AD #1168-1174)varalys the darkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-68804150220408948642017-06-20T02:21:23.180+01:002017-06-20T02:21:23.180+01:00I think there is an annoying tendency to gatekeepi...I think there is an annoying tendency to gatekeeping in some progressive circles. Like for some people it's just another subculture with all the shibboleths and exclusivity, rather than a means to an end. Been pondering that a bit recently. I'm quite proud of "'filthy casual'feminism'" though. :-)<br /><br />Yeah, non of my other gaming friends have even heard of Gamergate. Neither have a lot of my 'capital F' feminist friends. Same with MGTOW and incel etc. I think those 'movements' over estimate their own notoriety.<br /><br />I've heard about, but never seen, the original versions of trolling. Did have sort of real world versions though. I think I've told you about my Vietnamese law school mate who went to Battersea Dogs Home in a bloodstained chefs outfit and asked:<br /><br />"I'd like to adopt some puppies please; about 5 kilos each"Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-47763161571107598872017-06-20T00:39:56.492+01:002017-06-20T00:39:56.492+01:00It's boiling here too, but it has it's ups...It's boiling here too, but it has it's upsides I've been writing instead of sleeping. I just heard about the Finsbury Park thing I have ranted a lot to my family about how white terrorists aren't labelled as such, they're just "othered" as mentally ill people so no one has to deal with white terrorism. Drives me up the wall.<br /><br />I do think most of the 4chan generation will grow out of it. Before 4chan existed one of the biggest sites for trolling and so on were the boards on GameFAQs. I posted there a lot under several different IDs and conducted epic trolling. I was in my mid twenties and I sort of cringe at what I did. I wasn't racist or anything, I was more a performance art troll. But I would never dream of behaving like that in an online community now.<br /><br />Gatekeepers can sod off. Funnily enough I think that's got worse over the years. When I was posting on GameFAQS the hobby was still seen as very nerdy and everyone was welcome to join in. Now well, Gamergate need I say more. That said, I post and moderate at a small videogame wesbite and no one there had heard of gamergate (I certainly hadn't) so I think it's influence is smaller than it sometimes seen.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-10988340204418840822017-06-20T00:25:29.785+01:002017-06-20T00:25:29.785+01:00I was thinking about what you said about family an...I was thinking about what you said about family and grounding. I was going to give an edited version of that 'trajectory of radicalisation' model. Then of course the Finsbury Park thing happened. Now the news is full of people having that discussion. Some interesting input from the guy who heads up 'Prevent'. He was articulating those points very coherently. Like he suggests, strip away the surface detail and get down to personality, and Islamic terrorists and far right ones are indistinguishable. Hmm, on a broader level have to say I'm getting a bit tired of old hangouts appearing on the news as the backdrop to this sort of thing.<br /><br />On a semi related note you'd possiblly find a comment by a mate on this sardonically amusing. It was the point that Muslims are terrorists whereas far right attackers are 'mentally ill'. "I guess this just proves Islam cures mental illness". Heh. But I am feeling sorry for my Muslim mates at the moment. Not just in the 'SJW' you have to say that sort of sense. But can see how it's just the shitty end of the stick whatever. Got people trying to kill them, but they're still the ones people are suspicious of. Amazing they can still keep a sense of humour about it all.<br /><br />But anyway, I'm currently melting here. Fantasising about being hosed down with icy water. Also a bit dazed and confused. My Manc mate Julia called last night at ungodly o'clock (like 3am). Having a lovely chat though. Then we started hearing about FP, so ended up staying up all night listening to the news. Julia was a mate of Jo Cox. She was telling me about the commemoration thing they'd had this week. And the theme of not letting wankers divide us. But we did end up wondering about all this 'reaching across the isle' thing. Came to the conclusion that with some people there's just no point.<br /><br />So I have been mulling more on our original subject of online Nazis. Be interesting to see what motivated the FP guy. Hes nearly 50. So is he likely to have been influenced by the subculture we've been chatting about? Guess we'll find out. But what about the 4 Chan generation? Will they grow out of it and look back with embarrassment? Or are we breeding a new generation of fascists? Interesting topic, if a bit worrying. Also considering the overlap between racism and MRA. Theres like an alt-right packag deal. I guess it all grows out of the same feeling of inadequacy and the need to scapegoat for their failure.<br /><br />Be very interested in your thoughts on all this. You being the expert and all. Especially that ridiculously OTT resentment at the minor improvements in representation in media and the obsession with gatekeeping their perceived 'spaces'.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-34622212009663415942017-06-19T00:34:13.455+01:002017-06-19T00:34:13.455+01:00We're showing our age I think. I'm the sa...We're showing our age I think. I'm the same, of course because I resent peer pressure I never found myself in physical echo chambers and though I am members of a few different communities online, I don't always agree 100% with what people say in them. And yes it's mad some of the sub-cultures that exist online now.<br /><br />It's a shame that one of the best things about the internet which is the ability to find people who share your interests (had a few hook ups thanks to the internet back in the nineties/early noughties) should also now be one of it's worst aspects too. <br /><br />I wonder about these people's relationships with their families. I can always rely on mine to keep me grounded and provide different perspectives on things.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-57387433244773579292017-06-18T23:14:43.056+01:002017-06-18T23:14:43.056+01:00I'd not thought of that but you're right (...I'd not thought of that but you're right (unsurprisingly). It's like that current kerfuffle with the new Wolfenstein. All the usual suspects complaining that the Nazis are 'now' the bad guys.<br /><br />Eh? Isn't that game literally where we get jet pack Hitler from? <br /><br />But that echo chamber alternate facts thing seems really pernicious in those circles. I find it a bit bewildering. I suppose though when I was a yoof there wasn't really a mechanism for spreading memes (in the original sense of the word) as quickly or widely. So yes we had subcultures. But apart from intermittent fanzines it was more word of mouth proliferation. So it mutated as it went along. More differentiation even within a sub culture. And perhaps more genuine scepticism. Now people can so easily find a bunch of people who exactly share, and reinforce, their very narrow world view. Like the fedora phenomenon. How is that a thing? Who can do that unironically?<br /><br />Also there's the anonymity aspect. It's so easy to be an Internet warrior. You could of course be a Nazi back in the day, but you had to put some skin(head) in the game.<br /><br />Not too bothered about the ban. Did what I came to do. Exit with quip. Credits roll.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-31013751077107636812017-06-18T21:16:18.704+01:002017-06-18T21:16:18.704+01:00Well I imagined you'd win, but you might have ...Well I imagined you'd win, but you might have ended up with a small bruise man!<br /><br />I do think you're right, they exist in a self reinforcing echo chamber and don't have much to do with folk outside it so the media influences more than it probably does "normal" folk like us. But often in a very surface way, I mean think how many comics are about superheroes who battle fascists, or the fact most videogames have you play the good guy and even when you are given the option to play like an asshole (like the Vampire game I was playing or the new one I am playing called Deus Ex: Human Revolution) you'll usually be penalised with less experience, more fights and so forth. So often they're talking about an imagined version of the media they consume too. It's bizarre.<br /><br />Still I'm glad you got a rush out of your challenge :) Shame you got banned sounds like you could have had some more fun with them.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-79454498785669499102017-06-18T20:48:43.959+01:002017-06-18T20:48:43.959+01:00Hey, why does everyone keep assuming I'd get h...Hey, why does everyone keep assuming I'd get hurt? You know how skilled I am; in my head. But yeah, such brave. I wasn't even bothered about that particular issue, they'd just been really bugging me over a thing where they had a really nasty go at a teenage girl and then the Ariana Grande victims. So this had been brewing for a bit.<br /><br />But to move on and perhaps tie it in with the theme of your blog, I wonder how much a part popular culture plays in this. I really got the impression from reading their posts that there's a lot of media influence there. At the risk of sounding like one of those moral guardian types, it did seem they were just quoting stuff from video games, comics, films etc as if they were their own real world experiences. They'd describe some incident they'd been in or their tactics for their fantasy apocalypse and I just kept thinking "that doesn't work in real life!". That's one of the reasons I was sort of hoping they'd go for it.<br /><br />(and you'd have ended up reading my comments here out at my inquest)<br /><br />But I can't deny maybe I'm equally influenced. You know what I'm like and who my heroes and heroines are. I've always been a bit of an interventionist as you know. But was I trying vicariously to live out some sort of Punisher or Tom Strong scenario? Hmm, it's definitely something to ponder.<br /><br />It was quite fascinating how motivating it was though when I thought it might be happening. There was a huge endorphin and adrenaline buzz. But I was really able to channel that. In those 48 hours I worked harder on fitness and technique training than I'd ever normally do. All those preparation montages you see in films suddenly became really plausible. I've always preferred the badass normal characters. Wonder how much I was channeling that?<br /><br />Of course if someone had said here's some anti Nazi super serum, I wouldnt have said no. Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-6093658829734164962017-06-18T19:57:20.434+01:002017-06-18T19:57:20.434+01:00LMAO! Such brave, most fearless of them. Still I&...LMAO! Such brave, most fearless of them. Still I'm glad you're not going to get hurt in defense of feminism :)varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-63762737220333068092017-06-18T13:00:05.563+01:002017-06-18T13:00:05.563+01:00Apparently not. I conceded they'd won the bet ...Apparently not. I conceded they'd won the bet so gave my full contact details and said I'd meet at a mutually convenient venue at their pleasure. I also said I'd give them a 3 to 1 advantage. They suddenly changed their mind and I got banned for 'promoting violence'. What sort of Nazis are they?!<br /><br />From Mr Stormer himself:<br /><br />"I’m not interested in beating you up because I don’t fear your ideas. The people who start the violence are always on your side, that’s because when a free intellectual debate becomes necessary your side always loses. Us “fascists” and “nazis” only become violent in self-defense, when you judeo-leftists make it a zero sum game."Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-56577996834706810522017-06-18T11:59:20.786+01:002017-06-18T11:59:20.786+01:00Hahaha, nice challenge. Don't think you'r...Hahaha, nice challenge. Don't think you're in any danger somehow though :)<br /><br />I am surprised you hadn't heard of Tom of Finland, some of his work got co-opted by early Punk. Still your synchronicity is becoming spooky...varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-23028106595577746812017-06-17T23:30:48.614+01:002017-06-17T23:30:48.614+01:00Oh this is getting weird. Just mentioned a particu...Oh this is getting weird. Just mentioned a particular magazine cover on David Futrelle's Facebook page and then 5 minutes later a mate (who has no connection with Mammoth) posts it as his Facebook picture!Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-3155122515870005942017-06-17T22:24:40.252+01:002017-06-17T22:24:40.252+01:00Wow, that is so weird. I'd never heard of Tom ...Wow, that is so weird. I'd never heard of Tom of Finland until you said that; but at literally the same moment peevee on Mammoth has just posted something about him. This is not helping my tendencies to solipsism!<br /><br />But I'm super hyper at the moment. Finally got my Nazi challenge thing up on that Stormer site (emailed you the post). Got such a buzz. Really hoping they go for it. Heh, seems I can't shake off some aspects of my personality. Still I always say it's the toxic bit that's the problem not the masculinity; and anyway I know loads of girls who are just as into it. You know better than I it's certainly not a gender thing.<br /><br />When I calm down a bit ill try to respond with something more rational, but I'm currently buzzing round my living room doing Hong Kong Phooey impersonations. :-)Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-23839910344728434542017-06-17T20:15:06.173+01:002017-06-17T20:15:06.173+01:00Devlin is great, and I find it cool that when he f...Devlin is great, and I find it cool that when he first appeared in the Megazine in the early 90's no1curr that he was a gay man. UK comic fans generally seemed to be a bit more open minded than the mainstream US ones at the time. John Smith the writer had also written "The New Statesman" for CRISIS which revolved around a love triangle between a bisexual white man who loved an African American woman and an English man. I wrote it up on my blog, one of my early ones. I believe John Smith is himself gay so Devlin really allows him to have some fun with playing with tropes and stuff as well as the more magical stuff he's into as well.<br /><br />Those Charles Atlas ads are so iconic that Grant Morrison created a character who was based around the advert but the "Muscle Mystery" exercises actually allowed him to cast powerful magics as well as bulking him up. He appeared in Doom Patrol, before getting a miniseries of his own.<br /><br />I used to like checking out Tom of Finland's hypermale depictions. I used to draw a character based around his work (just minus the enormous schlong) although the character had a cat's head.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-65855719348277155662017-06-17T16:51:29.521+01:002017-06-17T16:51:29.521+01:00I'm writing this whilst listening to an Erasur...I'm writing this whilst listening to an Erasure retrospective on BBC red button (Sarah Cox is doing the intervening, phwoar)<br /><br />But anyway Devlin is growing on me. I didn't really catch him first time round. I love that old fashioned moustacheioed machismo. And thats really enhanced by him being gay. You know I have a bit of nostalgia for that old fashioned masculinity. Like the Tom Strong stuff. Big barrel chested physiques, before everyone ended up with David Beckham style abs. There was always a bit of latent homoeroticism about it though. It's that Charles Atlas circus strongman thing. Almost like classical admiration of the male form. Greek gods and all that.<br /><br />Incidentally Charles Atlas's 'dynamic tension' method was once tested in court. There was a 'trade description' trial about his claims. So the judge just ordered evidence of getting some skinny guys and them doing the regime. Guess what? It worked! So Charles won the case. Funny how so much of that entered the public consciousness. "You too could have a body like mine", "7 stone weakling", "Getting sand kicked in your face". All from that one advert.<br /><br />I do have a soft spot for that very "in your face" (Ooh er missus) hyper gay stuff. I've got a few of the 'Fist' compilation albums. Heavy pumping beats, and so over the top. "No. Women. Allowed. *unce* *unce* *unce*."<br /><br />But yeah, this does have a real old school Turkish Bath towel slapping vibe about it. It somehow manages not to be parody or overwhelm the underlying story. It's a tribute to the writers that they tread that line so well and pull it off (f'narr).Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-90393939319005152162017-06-17T14:33:22.614+01:002017-06-17T14:33:22.614+01:00Emailed you ;-)Emailed you ;-)Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-59634442964553913612017-06-17T10:41:03.382+01:002017-06-17T10:41:03.382+01:00Sounds.. interesting! I am intrigued :)Sounds.. interesting! I am intrigued :)varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-25081056796502236732017-06-16T22:17:11.138+01:002017-06-16T22:17:11.138+01:00Hi, sorry for not getting back to you fully yet. B...Hi, sorry for not getting back to you fully yet. But just arranging to get my head kicked in by Nazis. All will be revealed soon. :-DAlan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-37317440212467831512017-06-16T06:11:08.275+01:002017-06-16T06:11:08.275+01:00Cool, I look forward to your more in-depth musings...Cool, I look forward to your more in-depth musings. This was one of those stories that made me glad I write this blog, because when I first read it I was totally bewildered by it. But sitting down and going through it slowly and in detail made me actually understand what was going on.<br /><br />Also it reflects what I love about 2000AD. How it can play host to gung ho simple but fun space opera like the V.C.s and yet also have space for dense and complex tales of magic and mayhem. Such a great comic. I'm now wrestling with Zenith Book 4.varalys the darkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032083859598898676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2243012679315072030.post-52304817325195965472017-06-16T01:14:26.542+01:002017-06-16T01:14:26.542+01:00"Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"
Ooh,..."Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"<br /><br />Ooh, lots to unpack here. Another one of those tales where I sort of recognise the influences and sources. Like I share a common reference pool.with the author.<br /><br />The megalodon was a clever touch. Think it might be a subtle Jonah pedantic reference. Contract to popular belief, he wasn't swallowed by a whale. The Bible says "big fish" and megalodon was probably the biggest.<br /><br />Leylines and pole shifts. Hmm, I'll ramble on in a layer post about something I once tried to put together on that. May have mentioned it before actually. It's the idea I abandoned that then cropped up in that film The Core.<br /><br />It is a very dense story though in terms of ideas and references. Bit like some of Moore's stuff. I should be hitting the hay, so I'll try and dream about it and let my semi conscious see if it can come up with anything.Alan Robertshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14509360521332746130noreply@blogger.com