#514 - The Rebirths of Wesley Chu > Likes and Comments
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Jimmy John's? How soon we forget that it was KFC who jumped the shark in 2017 with their "Tender Wings of Desire". https://youtu.be/84THNyOzkI8?si=RkInn...
Not to mention the dating sim
https://store.steampowered.com/app/11...
and the Lifetime movie starring Mario Lopez
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rec...
I read Tender Wings of Desire. It was funny cheesy romance.
Wow, shamed in front of the whole world (well, that segment of it that listens to the Sword & Laser podcast) just because I couldn’t wait for the next episode of Murderbot! Tom’s spirited rendition of Jisoo’s “All Eyes On Me” is scant consolation…
Re: Sarah J. Maas and her possible problematic-ness, I have found this article from The Mary Sue:https://www.themarysue.com/sarah-j-ma...
There isn’t anything in there that’s too bad, honestly, just some concerns about representation (or lack thereof) and how she portrays toxic relationships. Plus a tasteless promotional post.
Separately, I have seen some people saying she’s pro-Israel and anti-Palestine, but this seems to be based on the fact that she has a Jewish background and family in Israel, rather than any actual statements she’s made.
In conclusion, I don’t think she’s especially problematic, certainly not when compared to the likes of Rowling or Gaiman, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much, although if anyone else has seen more stuff about her then please share!
>Img https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1Qi...Squid Games come to Bangkok. Did not try the game as I could not remember the last time I jumped. I don't even jump over puddles anymore.
Re: Bear in Canada, yes we can watch it on Disney+, but it comes out later than it does in the US for no discernable reason (or at least the original release was).Re: Ruth bashing. Veronica tried SO HARD not to Ruth-bash but that sneaky watching was a tough pill for her to swallow and I LOVED that awkwardness. Poor Ruth. I have also watched together-shows without my wife, because sometimes she's not in the mood to keep up with a show and I am. I'll usually admit to it after I watched it, and volunteer to rewatch it when she's ready because I know I can't fake watching it as if for the first time 😆.
Re: Sarah J Maas, my wife and I have chosen to avoid her because of her anti-Paleatinian views. While she keeps quiet on the current genocide, she does support the IDF in spite of their numerous crimes against humanity (murdering children, starvation as a weapon, bombing hospitals, ambulances, refugee camps, shooting at aid convoys and killing journalists, and so on).
Personally, I try not to judge works based on whether a creator or actor is problematic because I believe in holding the work to its own merit, which is how I can still enjoy HP or Gaiman's works, and honestly if I boycotted anything made by an IDF supporter, then I'd have to boycott Eli Roth, Helen Miren, Stephen Spielberg and possibly even Jeff Goldblume, and that would be very sad.
But in the case of Maas, the second and third ACOTAR books seem to have uncomfortable parallels to the history and prejudices embedded in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Specifically, her portrayal of the people of Hewn City, a race of homophobic and uncultured cave dwellers, can be seen as a racist metaphor for Palestinians, since right-wing Israeli media and government officials often portray Palestinians as sub-human, racist, sexist, homophobic villains hiding and scheming in underground cave networks. I saw this video which highlights these and many other aspects of the ACOTAR sequels to problematic views of Palestine.
https://www.tiktok.com/@soaljaboy/vid...
After watching this, my wife decided to pass on Maas and I stopped promoting her works to people who ask me for recommendations. Obviously though, there's nothing inherently wrong with liking the books and I don't judge anyone who does.
Sigh, Chu cheered for the Yankees. I don't know how I can like him now (jk but man NOT the team). :)
^ I don't know what your specific hate for the Yankees is, but as a former Bostonian it's in my blood. Since I now live in Orange County CA, It's the Sox and if they can't get it done in the post season, pull for the Angels to beat the Yankees.Damn Yankees.
terpkristin wrote: "I read Tender Wings of Desire. It was funny cheesy romance."Ha ha, me too. I couldn't resist a tasty fried chicken romance :)
As for Sarah J Maas, I think she is being targeted because she at the forefront of the Romantasy movement. I think Veronica hinted at the underlying problem when she referred to 'smut'. From what I understand it's not the books themselves that are the problem, more of who the publishers see as the target audience.
AndrewP wrote: "terpkristin wrote: "From what I understand it's not the books themselves that are the problem..."For some of us, it is the books themselves that are the problem.
Again, no judgement to those who like her work. She's not going out and publicly saying that she supports the genocide of Palestinians, but she has stated support for the IDF/IOF in the past and there are problematic metaphors in her work that can be reasonably interpreted as anti-Palestinian.
That has nothing to do with smuttiness and nothing to do with picking on the people who read it.
Admittedly if she were less popular, it would not be as much of a problem, but you could say the same thing about JK Rowling. If some middling mystery author who's never written a best seller says a bunch of anti-trans stuff and writes a book about a predator who dresses as a woman, it wouldn't be as big of a deal, but because she's one of the most famous writers in the world, it's upsetting, and people should be made aware before they buy her stuff.
With Maas, it's similar. If you are someone who boycotts products that contribute to genocide, or if you don't want to read a book where part of the story could be interpreted as legitimizing the dehumanization of a race of people, it's good to be aware of the content of her books before you decide to buy her stuff.
Paul wrote: "AndrewP wrote: "terpkristin wrote: "From what I understand it's not the books themselves that are the problem..."For some of us, it is the books themselves that are the problem.
."
This discussion about Maas is interesting. I haven't read any of her ACOTAR series so I was not aware of the stuff you mention about the Hewn City people who could be interpreted as anti-Palestinian stereotypes. I have the first ACOTAR book on my TBR shelf (I was given it by my mother-in-law who is not usually a fantasy reader but said she enjoyed it) so I think I'll go ahead and read it and see what I think. If I get super into the series I'll have to decide what level of support/engagement I'm willing to give Maas but for now I'll just read that one book I got given second-hand.
Ruth wrote: " I have the first ACOTAR book on my TBR shelf..."
The first one sounds like it's a strongly based on Moses and the story of Exodus, which actually sounds like a pretty cool concept on its own. Enjoy!
John (Taloni) wrote: "^ I don't know what your specific hate for the Yankees is, but as a former Bostonian it's in my blood. Since I now live in Orange County CA, It's the Sox and if they can't get it done in the post s..."My grandfather taught me baseball. He lived in CT and was a Red Sox fan for life. Thus, so am I. :)
John (Taloni) wrote: "^ I don't know what your specific hate for the Yankees is, but as a former Bostonian it's in my blood. Since I now live in Orange County CA, It's the Sox and if they can't get it done in the post season, pull for the Angels to beat the Yankees.Damn Yankees."
terpkristin wrote: "My grandfather taught me baseball. He lived in CT and was a Red Sox fan for life. Thus, so am I. :)."
My dad grew up in Brooklyn watching the NY Yankees play in the era when Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra and the like were at their peak, so he came by his passion for the Yankees honestly. My parents planned their trips around Yankees games. My mom didn’t mind because they drove their little RV and took their dog, and they did touristy stuff for a week, then one day of the trip they went to a game.
My mom’s family is full of Chicago Cubs and Detroit Tigers fans and we lived in Cincinnati Reds country, so I’ve been to pretty much every baseball stadium east of the Mississippi River.
I’m with Wesley; I don’t like baseball. :p
In 1984 while a bunch of us high school and college friends were visiting friends in Arlington Texas, they asked if we wanted to go to a Texas Rangers game. I was outvoted, so we went. All of us from Ohio were ready an hour and a half early and the Arlington crew were just putzing around. We left like 10 minutes before game time and found out the stadium was maybe 5 minutes away. Almost no one was there. We parked right next to the door and sat in the expensive boxes right by home plate.
Benefits of having a crappy team, I guess.
The last game I ever went to was a Reds game where Pete Rose was ejected when he was a manager and argued with the ump.
I do like the Orioles’ stadium at Camden Yards, and Wrigley Field for the Cubbies. They’re cozy. Even though I now live an hour from Boston (four hours with traffic), I’ve never been to Fenway, and god willing I never will.
Not because I’m a Yankees fan, but because of the traffic.
I live in New Mexico, land of no major league professional sports teams. When I went to college in the Boston area, I went to my first first major league baseball game at Fenway Park. Bleacher seats at Fenway were $5 in those days, the only pro sports ticket that cheap, and of course, there was beer. For that reason I became a Red Sox fan. Watching on tv isn't the same, but there is still beer.
As a Dodger fan I like taking over the mantle of the " Evil Empire" moniker from the Yankees. This last weekend in July saw Yankee fandom blow a gasket because there was another 5th inning collapse just like the infamous 5th inning collapse in the 5th game of the 2024 World Series. Gave me endless joy.
Edit: I enjoyed posting this here, but it doesn't need to go on the podcast, really doesn't contribute to anything else.Was just looking it over for work I've been to 15 MLB stadiums, 27 NFL stadiums (not all for NFL games), and 23 NBA arenas (not all for NBA games), and 23 NHL arenas (some overlap with NBA). Plus some MLS only stadiums, although there is overlap with NFL. And I don't have any clue how many hundreds of collegiate sport venues I've been to. Was an interesting job, and glad I did it, but I'm also glad I'm now off the road.
I still go to the occasional game, but that is just as much about hanging out with friends and family, as it is about the sport. I do also follow my state teams, but have never been as big a fan as some are. Probably spent more time watching the Tour of France, as I have watching any other sport this year.
My job + baseball + Texas Rangershttps://www.instagram.com/reel/DMgqBo...
Weird how this stuff is suddenly appearing in my social media.
Okay, universe, enough is enough. But sure, yeah, this is amazingly cool.https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL-S1I...
https://www.swordandlaser.com/home/20...