Xenophobic backlash

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

Maybe in about a hundred years from now, people will start to tolerate others.

Better yet, maybe we'll go extinct. Fingers crossed!

[Leo656]

I've already explained the fact that since the human race evolved out of primitive tribalism and "Us Vs. Them" is encoded into our very genes, it's impossible for us to ever completely "Get Along". Even without made-up religions stoking the fire, human nature simply doesn't have the ability to ever grow out of "I'm better than you are" and "Gimme that, it's mine!" That's ultimately all we know. Add the religious stuff back into it, and it's an even bigger mess.

All anyone can do is make the most of the time they have. The world ain't being saved.

[Prowler]

Yep, racism and prejudice have been part of mankind since like forever and they're not going away anytime soon, if ever. otherwise, why would we still have different nations, languages, cultures, etc despite all the globalization? And why do you think some people view globalization and foreign culture influences as a threat to their own culture?

[Leo656]

I'm with you, man. One World Order, with one country and one language and one set of laws and one group of people running it! That's what we need!

...except that actually sounds like it has a huge bunch of things wrong with it, too! But come on, HOW else could there ever be "peace"? As long as you have at least two different groups, those groups are going to be in conflict with each other. The only way to even slow that down is to only have One Group. But even then, that never even works, anyway. People within the group always find stuff to fight about, they go their own way, and then you're back where you started.

So what the hell are we to do, exactly? I can't think of anything.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I'm with you, man. One World Order, with one country and one language and one set of laws and one group of people running it! That's what we need!

...except that actually sounds like it has a huge bunch of things wrong with it, too! But come on, HOW else could there ever be "peace"? As long as you have at least two different groups, those groups are going to be in conflict with each other. The only way to even slow that down is to only have One Group. But even then, that never even works, anyway. People within the group always find stuff to fight about, they go their own way, and then you're back where you started.

So what the hell are we to do, exactly? I can't think of anything.

I kinda see Sports as a replacement for wars. European nations and ethnic groups would rather beat each other in soccer or ice hockey today than in a war.

[Leo656]

I kinda think if we still just did the gladiator games gimmick, that'd go a long way towards fixing things. No foolin'.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I'd go for it, but only if we used criminals like the Romans usually did. (Yes, there were other gladiators besides just Christians.) One country could pit it's criminals against the ones from another country, and we'd solve two problems at once!

[Papenbrook]

Originally Posted by Leo656

I've already explained the fact that since the human race evolved out of primitive tribalism and "Us Vs. Them" is encoded into our very genes, it's impossible for us to ever completely "Get Along". Even without made-up religions stoking the fire, human nature simply doesn't have the ability to ever grow out of "I'm better than you are" and "Gimme that, it's mine!" That's ultimately all we know. Add the religious stuff back into it, and it's an even bigger mess.

All anyone can do is make the most of the time they have. The world ain't being saved.

People can get along. It CAN be done. Iceland is an example.

[Leo656]

Great example. Like 25 people live there.

I appreciate your optimism but it's not really applicable in real-life terms, sadly.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

People can get along. It CAN be done. Iceland is an example.

I know a guy who lives in Iceland. It is indeed a peaceful country but yet its prisons are full and they have waiting lists for new criminals to get arrested. So it's not exactly perfect either.

[Powder]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

People can get along. It CAN be done. Iceland is an example.

Well sure, if everyone on earth listened to Bjork we'd be a lot more mellow.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Powder

Well sure, if everyone on earth listened to Bjork we'd be a lot more mellow.

Make that Sigur Rós and I'm in.

[Katie]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

People can get along. It CAN be done. Iceland is an example.

You can't pick an example country where 93% of the country is all the same ethnicity and the country is sparsely populated.

Its nice to think that people can get along. But you want to know my opinion on it? ( I know no one cares what I think but bare with me). We spend way too much time trying to shield kids from the bad stuff in this world. You aren't going to ever fully eliminate it. So, you have to let kids see the ugly parts of life so you can teach them how to deal with those ugly things.

Like...did you hear Carrie Fisher on the Slave Leia controversy? Some dad wants toys of Leia in the metal bikini banned because how does he explain that to his daughter. Well, you can't stop the objectification of women by eliminating a toy. Why not teach your kid that this thing exists and guess what, people who think things like that are ignorant and don't give them any of your time.

Instead we want to take away all the bad stuff and not give anyone the tools to deal with the real world and you end up with places like Tumblr where everyone is "triggered" by everything.

You can't get rid of everything that offends someone. Its impossible. Instead, teach people how to deal. THAT'S the only way to ever get people to be civil.

[shuriken]

^^Very eloquently put.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

I know you're being sarcastic, but it's the truth. Let's be realistic. It will take a while for society to change.

I use sarcasm while trying to educate you on life's harsh truths. That way, even though I'm wasting my time, I'm enjoying myself.

Originally Posted by Purple Kraken

People can get along. It CAN be done. Iceland is an example.

That is the first time I have EVER heard anyone say "if only we were all more like Iceland..." Aren't they the guys with the alcoholic fish dish?

Originally Posted by Leo656

Great example. Like 25 people live there.

I appreciate your optimism but it's not really applicable in real-life terms, sadly.

Originally Posted by Katie

You can't pick an example country where 93% of the country is all the same ethnicity and the country is sparsely populated.

Its nice to think that people can get along. But you want to know my opinion on it? ( I know no one cares what I think but bare with me). We spend way too much time trying to shield kids from the bad stuff in this world. You aren't going to ever fully eliminate it. So, you have to let kids see the ugly parts of life so you can teach them how to deal with those ugly things.

Like...did you hear Carrie Fisher on the Slave Leia controversy? Some dad wants toys of Leia in the metal bikini banned because how does he explain that to his daughter. Well, you can't stop the objectification of women by eliminating a toy. Why not teach your kid that this thing exists and guess what, people who think things like that are ignorant and don't give them any of your time.

Instead we want to take away all the bad stuff and not give anyone the tools to deal with the real world and you end up with places like Tumblr where everyone is "triggered" by everything.

You can't get rid of everything that offends someone. Its impossible. Instead, teach people how to deal. THAT'S the only way to ever get people to be civil.

Katie isn't on here that often that I see, but whenever she is, it's like Moses coming down the mountain again trying to make fools listen to the gospel.

[Katie]

Ha! One day I will learn to stay up on the mountian and keep my mouth shut.

I feel more like that old Sunscreen song: I shall dispense my wisdom...now. I lived too much in a short time to let lessons learned go unshared.

But I'm a fool speaking on a sidewalk to noone in particular. In the end, no one cares what i have to say.

[plastroncafe]

If we lived in a world where everyone got knocked around an equal amount, I'd agree, but we don't.
There are some groups of people who get knocked around a f*ck of a lot more than others. And the people who complain of coddling are more often than not from a group that doesn't get knocked as much.

Until people are honest about that, then we're back to making babysteps when we can.

Let's look at the Leia Controversy.
If we lived in a world where female characters got as much attention in the merch market as male characters....it wouldn't matter that "Leia the Hutt Slayer" was an action figure, because there'd be so many other figures of Leia for kids to play with. But there aren't, at least not this go around.

These days we're lucky if we get a female action figure. So yeah, I can see the problem with the only figure in a set being "Slave Leia." Especially when one takes into consideration just how gross fanboys are concerning Leia in that costume.

In conclusion:
Context matters.
All things are not equal.

ETA:
Also, This is pretty kickass:

Regarding the recent rumor the all “Slave Leia” merchandise will be stricken from shelves (one that seems based in half-truth based on this Mrs. Potato Head labeled ‘Jabba’s Captive’), Carrie Fisher was recently asked for her take by The Wall Street Journal. Her response was amazing.

“The father who flipped out about [the bikini], ‘What am I going to tell my kid about why she’s in that outfit?’ Tell them that a giant slug captured me and forced me to wear that stupid outfit, and then I killed him because I didn’t like it. And then I took it off. Backstage.”

That right kids. If someone forces you to do something against your will, if they threaten your life, if they take away your agency and attempt to strip you of your dignity? Kill them.

Life lessons from Hutt-Slayer Leia.

[Bry]

Are we just talking about Star Wars now? Because I'm very okay with that.

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

Let's look at the Leia Controversy.
If we lived in a world where female characters got as much attention in the merch market as male characters....it wouldn't matter that "Leia the Hutt Slayer" was an action figure, because there'd be so many other figures of Leia for kids to play with. But there aren't, at least not this go around.

These days we're lucky if we get a female action figure. So yeah, I can see the problem with the only figure in a set being "Slave Leia." Especially when one takes into consideration just how gross fanboys are concerning Leia in that costume.

Yep, this is on point. I don't necessarily agree with "banning" the costume from merchandise, but for a solid year I'd occasionally browse Star Wars toys at multiple stores in town, and damn near every time there were a whole bunch of Slave Leia figures warming the pegs and not a single other Leia toy to be found. The reason it's a problem is because there's no balance.

If there was a lot more of this available...



...I don't think people would make such a fuss about a few Slave Leia toys sharing the store shelves.

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

ETA:
Also, This is pretty kickass:

Carrie Fisher rules.

[Katie]

I can appreciate all things not being equal, and the loudest complainers not being the marginalized groups, but I think with kids, the very first thing you have to teach is that yes, all things are not equal, and yes, it sucks that you are going to have to deal with this....but you need to know how to deal with it and why people saying that stuff are ignorant jackholes.

My parents did that for me on gender and on race and even though they couldnt imagine every scenario, at least I had tools and a foundation of beliefs so I could deal with all the ugly stuff in the world. Better than shutting down when something is said or doors are shut.

Do I have to work harder than some guy in my same position? You bet. Is it fair? Nope. But since I know its out there and its not fair, i can work with what I've been dealt in life.

C'est la vie.

[Candy Kappa]

Do we really need more Slave Leia figures after the Series Black figure? It's just a "cute" novelty thing, and until the next Collector line comes along we have plenty of other Leia variants that should be made.

Like, there's only 2 Leia figures in the 6" Series Black. Bikini Leia and Boushh Leia, where she is undercover as a bounty hunter.

Ahsoka is getting her 6" figure, so Leia should have a figure with a more iconic outfit too. Maybe something from the current ongoing solo comic she is starring.