LupineTroubles [he/him, they/them]

It does, he says بصر and بصيرة which are sight and insight. It is a fairly common word to mean insight or discernment or even vision.

Unfortunately the only thing which motivates large portion of male population whether liberal or conservative is to what degree they can objectify women. This is why Israel uses models as IDF propaganda.

Are you asking for a specific book talking about this concept? I am not sure if there is anything comparative this way but in a lot of cultures historical and contemporary the idea of fulfilment is tied to different formulae (sometimes evoking that image of formula, for example “Alchemy of Happiness” by Al-Ghazali), it is a broad spectrum with variety theological and philosophical understandings whether it is spiritual or mundane. Happiness can come from fulfilment but it is more of a fleeting feeling that’s not reliable as a long term goal so these religious or personal beliefs often emphasize other factors for it, from self-sacrifice to community to purpose whether one agrees or not. Consumerist culture is something else entirely, because it sells happiness which is elusive and hard to define, you are always meant to self-improve towards productivity to service this idea of acquiring happiness as an utilitarian currency which you exchange for your toil so life is proposed as an expense for goal of happiness. This latter idea of consumerism and happiness is something that has been written about specifically. As for the connection of both to each other and this event that’s a personal interpretation I made. I suppose one could just call it a “hot take” that way.

What has went wrong in American cuisine and food culture that it came to a point where eating soups and stews is considered subversive and transgressive by these health enthusiasts?

This is what happens when a culture doesn’t understand happiness isn’t the end goal of life. Consumerism which promotes idea of earning your happiness through constant self-improvement has its logical conclusion in this idea that all which isn’t happy or striving for happiness through consumption is wasted. This is functionally same ideology as those social media life coaches selling the hustle grindset.

Requiescat in pace

They’ll win the votes of the elusive 99% hitler electorate any day now. I suppose they don’t mind trying since it is their preferred policy and if Trump second term is bad enough they might win the election with ability to pass reactionary conservative austerity legislature. Basically learning from Labor in UK.

It’s okay your desire to mention Mongols is very understandable and not at all unusual.

I understand what you are saying, to take a general criticism of a medium as personal offense requires a certain type of person attached to certain perspectives within that medium beyond being a fan of works in that medium. However I tend to try to not be too callous because you can treat people in good faith about their interests and they’ll sooner than later out themselves if they are the type of person you are highlighting here. Basically, the cost of giving people benefit of the doubt in this case is not too high because your doubt will be proven wrong very quickly if it is misplaced.

There is probably a more recent and more relevant example that could be given considering the circumstances than distant Mongol conquerors.

I have noticed also from what you have said and from what was written both here and elsewhere female protagonist, LGBT themes or both seem more commonly move past some of the worst impulses of anime, at least ones that aren’t outright fanservice or queer-baiting. Not to say that there isn’t any of this in any other LGBT-oriented media, but perhaps maybe it is has more of a baseline of self-examination and introspection. Sword Art Online just seems to be both ur-isekai for the category I have in mind and and also the ultimate slop of its own genre somehow, which is interesting.

I am not a media snob, opposite really I don’t really watch many movies or series except things that seem to specifically appeal to me or if someone asks to watch something with me so indeed shifting through that much of a genre to wade through its various subgenres for the love of the game is not something I imagine myself doing. However I did watch both Frieren and Dungeon Meshi as both of those appealed to me, as I do like fantasy with focus on the human element. So I’ll keep these recommendations in mind if I end up watching something similar in future. Genre deconstruction comedy is also something I like, so that may be something I watch with someone if that happens. Thank you for recommendations.

Thank you for the explanations. I watch few series, anime or not but at least knowing that there is a bit more to it than some of the more popular stuff that I hear about is good. Still I have to say the examples you give seem to be basically having all the same faults within category of its genre just shifted a bit more towards having bit of character exploration and a touch of self-awareness. However that’s surprisingly optimistic still even if I don’t watch those since it means it’s not as static as I imagined even within its specific category but there are a lot of these things apparently much more than I thought especially when the novels are involved.

I agree somewhat, in the sense that association with anime as a personality trait seems to be basically a political statement but I also don’t think being judgmental towards people who have been alienated by society is a productive or kind thing to do in itself, particularly because society has no qualms about not writing off some terrible people. Media is escapism to us all and anime in particular is a very varied medium. Ergo, we live in a society.

Are there even any good isekai anime? They all seem tasteless and disgraceful wish fulfilment with zero actual examination of its own premise. I suppose anime like Spirited Away and Inayusha are technically isekai, but obviously when anyone says Isekai it is more a modern Japanese young person being transported into a RPG setting, so the genre is more about nondescript young adult deep in alienation exercising power and agency over others in the most generic euro-fantasy with absolutely no self-awareness whatsoever.

It’s not even that you can’t make a story out of power bringing worst out of someone or circumstances driving people into exercising their agency to harm of others or even the simple idea of how people can do bad with good intentions, no. It’s just they have slaves and a harem of girls while they had nothing back in their “old” life, that’s all. Even character development as much as it exists seems to just come down to them moving past insecurity and inaction to become a go-getter in a way that reminds of hustle culture except fantasy.

They don’t seem to care much for that. In real life Suleiman the Magnificent was a pale man with mostly light features but in CIV6 he is very much not that, they just go with the vibes of what representation of a civilization ought to look like most of the time, so this is a truly puzzling character design.

I am sure China is making breakneck speed innovation in defense industry but these studies and accompanying research is often just a way to present China as an existential military threat to US to get more funding to military-industrial complex. It’s just manufacturing consent for absurd amount of money that goes to institutions like DARPA let alone the total amount of money spent on all the defense projects like F-35 and whatever the new F-47 will be.

Of course, the intent and meaning is clear from the wording alone to anyone looking at it in good faith. It isn’t just talking about sports but trying to discredit and delegitimize trans people and especially trans women.

However the foot in the door is allowed because there are people whose purpose for being came to be preventing the very few trans people in sports which comes up again and again repeatedly in any competition now including of course against cis people.

This is just vile. It is so difficult to witness a state’s whole weight utilized to persecute and disenfranchise the few trans people involved in sports this way.

Entire state wielded just to serve the compulsive thoughts of some who are obsessed about trans people and want to take it out on them by not only stealing joy from the ones who want to participate in sports but also word it in the most insultingly self-satisfied way possible.

This is just romanticizing suffering for purpose of anti-intellectualism. Nobody is capable of contextualizing all they go through let alone formulate that into a coherent worldview without prior cumulative analysis and knowledge. Even those who believe they do like this romanticization do so because they had some prior familiarity with the ideas, probably through second-hand knowledge, to relate it to theory or communism.