This movie is a solid No in the chemical household, due to its racist portrayal of Asians. My family is half Korean so it hits a bit closer to home for me.
My kid ended up acquiring a lot of storybooks during his childhood, Aristocats being one of them. Worth noting that Disney removed the Siamese cats from the storybook, so at least they are learning.
I hear ya. I'm trying to think of a Disney movie that doesn't play into some sort of stereotype, and I can't think of one. Children's entertainment is rife with horrible "lessons."
The thing that gets me about the movie is the casualness of the racism. It's like Disney set out to create this cute, non-problematic movie about cats, finished it, and then some studio exec said, "Hmm, this is very close to good, but the problem I have with it is at no point did we denigrate a racial minority" so they added in a few scenes with racist Asian caricatures. It doesn't even make any sense why it's in there and it contributes nothing to the plot.
Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure HP Lovecraft had a similar editing process.
My guess is they wanted a throwback to Lady & the Tramp, it tickles the brain of the people paying for their kids or grandkids to see the movie, reminds them of their own childhood. They DGAF if it hurts more people as long as it brings in more money.
I get that. I mentioned it a bit in my write-up. I can see the movie as a way to broach some difficult but important topics for kids to understand, but it's not for everyone.
That was adorbs. Reminded me of Harold and Maude except they're not geese, they are the community ducks. And now I've learned that they are formally called Pekins, not to be confused, heaven forefend, with Peking duck. They're aka Aflac ducks, and when we checked yesterday they were all settled in for a cold night, heads under wings.
If they don't produce any ducklings again this spring, I will conclude that they are really Harold and Claude and have a duck bromance. They're seldom ever more than a few feet from each other. They've finally come to tolerate the mallards too, it appears.
Weird thing I've never considered--do animals go through menopause? I've only ever had pets that were spayed, and I can't imagine how I would know about the Cycles of the Duck...
I don't know the Danish Royal Family personally 😄 but I'm told they are very popular and the new King has raised his family to live like regular people, sending the kids to state school, etc.
My family xmas gathering turned out to be a (not really super) COVID spreader event. 6 out of 8 with the 'viddie, me with some cheap knockoff virus that I'm just recovering from.
Dr. Gay was fired because she did a poor job as Harvard President. She allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, pissed off a number of large donors and failed spectacularly to provide any leadership during the past 3 months. She also has issues with plagiarism. Not every decision is seen through the lens of race. Sometimes someone is just not good at their job.
Thank you for the words about Covid and masking. I am still in isolation after all this time because I have a chronic virus anyway and I can’t tolerate vaccines or viruses at all. I tried three of the vaccines (I had to give the nurses signed permission to give them to me) but I thought I should try anyway) and they caused more damage to my nervous system. I am very envious of people who can get them so please everyone listen to Rebecca, viruses can be very damaging long-term. Love you all.
I cannot overstate just how life and health-wreckingly awful Long Covid is. There is not a single area of my life not affected by this disease. Every single system in my body is affected. From Brain Fog, to joint pain, to constant nausea, my heart only halfway contracting every few beats before it remembers to fully contract, having to lay down after a shower... these are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s been 3 1/2 years since I contracted Covid and on my very best day I’m about 30% of where I was. Long Covid is not a joke.
I’m still shaking and crying from the article in The Guardian. All those babies. And the media is pushing how we should let ourselves be victimized even further by those kinds of toxic, repulsive, sorry excuses for men? Fuck that noise!
When I was at law school the amazing JoAnne Epps was our Dean. Amazing Black legal scholar, US Attorney, was floated for Supreme Court in 2009, and isn't on that 2021 list because by then she was provost of the entire University. She died suddenly last year and it was a terrible loss for us all.
I did not even know about Wonkette in 2016, and am sad because it would have offered solace. But now that I have seen all the cute pictures of Donna Rose with her friends, I will say that David Corn is a friend of mine, also. In fact, my spouse's high school best friend. Stood up with us at our wedding because he is a stand up guy.
All are welcome! Just go to Wonkette at 8pm ET(movie starts at 9pm ET) for pre-movie socializing. Find the movie on your own preferred device, I list the streaming options available, I try to find free versions but sometimes it may need to be rented. I give a 15 minute countdown in the comments so we can all start watching at the same time. Then throughout the movie there’s trivia and it is expected that you WILL talk during the movie! It’s a great way to watch a movie with friends who, although located far apart, can share a good time.
It is a wonderful film, hoping people give it a chance even if it's in French with English subtitles and has a focus on opera, with a little murder thrown in. Because there is so much more to it than what it appears to be.
"Fuck, the State of Missouri just sent an email saying that I am no longer being considered for employment at the only proper job in the area. Fuck the State of Missouri, fuck America, and fuck the lack of prosperity in this impoverished nation. Fuck, I need a stiff drink at 9:30 A.M."
Also keep up with vaccinations if you want better chance of avoiding long covid (the more jabs, the better your chances), I'm getting my sixth jab tomorrow. Mayo clinic has new study that shows masking does work, even double-layered cloth ones. This is because the virus has to hitch a ride on droplets, which are much bigger than the virus itself.
So the South African Government is accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ literally at the same time as the President of South Africa welcomes Hemedti, the butcher of Darfur.
The fact is that many people are disillusioned by living in an oligarchy that has elections. There is something to be said about pols having to earn your votes. I can't even get into how awful it is at the "we aren't detaining you" detentions at the southern border. Biden absolutely is playing the politics on this one, no surprise as he's a politician. They don't give these people water or food. The only food, shelter or water comes in from mutual aid groups. There a babies freezing in the night air. This is absolutely, 100%, what Candidate Biden said he would undo. When Trump was in office the Left was livid with this. With Biden in office it's all shrugs.
Now I won't say this many places, just here and in a couple of living rooms. I'm voting for Biden and will encourage others to do so, but let's not pretend his record is great. Particularly when it comes to asylum seekers, he acts illegally, just like 45. He certainly isn't giving it his all, he is playing politics with these people's lives. The system IS fucked. The only thing these young voters don't get is that they aren't going to get another chance to vote in 4 years should Trump get back into office. They do not understand fascism, mostly because they were not taught history. Which is again, not their fault. Stop railing against the young voters and start railing against these demons who are taking away our rights. No one listens to a scold.
Although I agree with your assessment that the situation at the southern border is a clusterfuck, the question is what any President could LEGALLY do about it. The numbers are ginormous--mainly driven by refugees from the failed Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro. Many of the refugees are not fleeing political persecution and so do not meet the international definition of "refugee," and sorting out those who do from those who do not is simply not practical given current manpower at the border (not to mention that ICE is a cesspit of racism).
I can only think of two things that would help--significant increases in immigration judge and border patrol personnel and increasing aid to the Venezuelan people. The problem is that both of these would take an act of Congress and the House passed only 22 pieces of legislation this year--none of which had to do with meaningful help on immigration. And even if a miracle occurred and they got off of their asses and did their jobs, aid for Venezuela ain't happening. And even if it did, there would be no one who could administer it inside the country. People need to look at the reasons why things are fucked up, not just the fact that they are.
There are Afghani, Hatian, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, Iraqi, Congolese and of course all those South and Central American countries represented at these detention centers. While the powers that be would like you to throw your hands up and say "oh shit they're from Venezuela, can't feed THOSE babies" and be done with it it ain't that simple.
I would like the president to allow asylum claims into the country according to the laws of the United States, which allow those claiming asylum to enter the US and file their claim. It isn't popular to say it but I do think the president should follow the law.
I know why the Iraqis and Afghans are at the border, that isn't some long lost "oh shit maybe we shouldn't have overthrown democratically elected leaders 2 generations ago but what you gonna do" situation, we did this and we JUST did it.
Here's some reporting on it, a good place to start:
Except that there aren't. Numbers for other nationalities are up but nowhere near the increase in Venezuelans. The problem is that even if you talk to the refugees, most will admit that their reasons for leaving were economic. That doesn't make them less compelling or less deserving. However, there is absolutely no way for the US to process the number of asylum applications coming in. The backlog is already years long--and that was before the current wave hit.
Look what happened in Germany--they were a leader in accepting new immigrants, but the backlash brought literal Nazis (AFD) back into power there. This is not something that can be done piecemeal. We need new immigrants to meet future need for workers. Plenty of people want to come--hell, need to come. There should be common ground for immigration reform. Unfortunately, the capitalists have allied themselves with the klan-robed nativists, so nothing can get done.
Again, you need to look at why the system is the way it is before you can fix it--and fixing it is going to take time.
" Numbers for other nationalities are up but nowhere near the increase in Venezuelans."
Citations? I mean I did send you a recent article from a large publication that has some middle ground respect. Or you know, when were you last at the border to "talk to the refugees?" You sound so easygoing talking about it!
And that whole adhereing to the law of the United States, the president should be exempt? Asylum law is asylum law and this administration is breaking it just like the last one did. Too big to fix, that's your argument?
You think that the resettlement of refugees in Germany is responsible for the rightward shift of power worldwide? Man you sure got your talking points down! Send along you know, ANYTHING backing up that quote and I'd be happy to read it. I like to gather information from lots of sources, and from people who can back up their claims, so if that's you I'm happy to add it to my data points and worldview. But I'm not taking your word for it.
No, Suzie. Try responding to what I actually wrote rather than the straw-man arguments in your head. What I am saying is that the situation is complicated. Even if we let in every person claiming asylum, we cold not process them, we could not house them and we could not care for them. They would suffer on this side of the border rather than in Mexico--which is not really improving their condition
This is NOT an accident. RWNJs in Congress have worked very hard to keep the situation bad, because it fits their narrative that the situation is out of control. LEGALLY, there is very little Biden can do to remedy the situation. Legally, his hands are tied. What actions, SPECIFICALLY, do you suggest Biden take? And remember:
1) The border region is already poor, and has poor health, food, housing and law-enforcement resources already?
2) There is a shortage of immigration judges, making for unacceptably long delays in processing asylum applications?
3) The Border Patrol attracts more than its share of sadists, and it's been that way for over 30 years and got worse under Cheetolini. These agents have civil service protection and cannot be fired without strong evidence of wrongdoing and a prolonged administrative process.
4) The overwhelming proportion of asylum applications are rejected--unfortunately simply wanting a better life is not considered grounds for asylum.
Finally, I note that nothing in the article you linked is in conflict with anything I've said. Venezuelan refugees are driving the current wave into the US--just as they've already done throughout South America. AfD's success in the polls has been driven by their anti-immigrant platform following the wave of refugees from Syria, Iraq--that's their whole schjtick. Maybe try responding to what I actually write?
It’s The Aristocats! More info ‘bout your hed gif source here:
https://open.substack.com/pub/martiniambassador/p/the-aristocats?r=angu9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true
Great tabs, Martini!
Thank you Doug :D
Love this one, Martini!
Thanks Sister!
This movie is a solid No in the chemical household, due to its racist portrayal of Asians. My family is half Korean so it hits a bit closer to home for me.
My kid ended up acquiring a lot of storybooks during his childhood, Aristocats being one of them. Worth noting that Disney removed the Siamese cats from the storybook, so at least they are learning.
I hear ya. I'm trying to think of a Disney movie that doesn't play into some sort of stereotype, and I can't think of one. Children's entertainment is rife with horrible "lessons."
The thing that gets me about the movie is the casualness of the racism. It's like Disney set out to create this cute, non-problematic movie about cats, finished it, and then some studio exec said, "Hmm, this is very close to good, but the problem I have with it is at no point did we denigrate a racial minority" so they added in a few scenes with racist Asian caricatures. It doesn't even make any sense why it's in there and it contributes nothing to the plot.
Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure HP Lovecraft had a similar editing process.
My guess is they wanted a throwback to Lady & the Tramp, it tickles the brain of the people paying for their kids or grandkids to see the movie, reminds them of their own childhood. They DGAF if it hurts more people as long as it brings in more money.
I get that. I mentioned it a bit in my write-up. I can see the movie as a way to broach some difficult but important topics for kids to understand, but it's not for everyone.
Wow! Your gifs are always great; and there are some that really stand out. This is one of them.
Aw, thank you!
Great Tabs this morning Martini!
Not to be confused with The Aristocrats!
"A man and a woman walk into a talent agency..."
Where it was only the dog involved. The cat sat back and judged.
Herding cats is easy when TABS are offered.
Puns get top billing!
That was adorbs. Reminded me of Harold and Maude except they're not geese, they are the community ducks. And now I've learned that they are formally called Pekins, not to be confused, heaven forefend, with Peking duck. They're aka Aflac ducks, and when we checked yesterday they were all settled in for a cold night, heads under wings.
I forgot on first read about your duck duo! I was pretty confused about how the animated cat movie reminded you of the quirky 70s movie...
If they don't produce any ducklings again this spring, I will conclude that they are really Harold and Claude and have a duck bromance. They're seldom ever more than a few feet from each other. They've finally come to tolerate the mallards too, it appears.
Weird thing I've never considered--do animals go through menopause? I've only ever had pets that were spayed, and I can't imagine how I would know about the Cycles of the Duck...
Horses do and I'm told they have hot flashes.
Mammals do, I assume birds and fowl do, also, too.
There's not one day when I don't learn something esoteric here, along the lines of something I would love to know but had never thought of before!
Thank you Cookie Lady!
Yay!
I've enjoyed the cats, meerkats and kangaroos this week. I'll miss them when the ugly pusses of politicians return.
Cannot recommend the pineapple chicken. Very bland and kind of tasteless. It’s why Allrecipes is not a go-to cooking site for me.
I don't know the Danish Royal Family personally 😄 but I'm told they are very popular and the new King has raised his family to live like regular people, sending the kids to state school, etc.
My family xmas gathering turned out to be a (not really super) COVID spreader event. 6 out of 8 with the 'viddie, me with some cheap knockoff virus that I'm just recovering from.
Mask up!
Dr. Gay was fired because she did a poor job as Harvard President. She allowed anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, pissed off a number of large donors and failed spectacularly to provide any leadership during the past 3 months. She also has issues with plagiarism. Not every decision is seen through the lens of race. Sometimes someone is just not good at their job.
Thank you for the words about Covid and masking. I am still in isolation after all this time because I have a chronic virus anyway and I can’t tolerate vaccines or viruses at all. I tried three of the vaccines (I had to give the nurses signed permission to give them to me) but I thought I should try anyway) and they caused more damage to my nervous system. I am very envious of people who can get them so please everyone listen to Rebecca, viruses can be very damaging long-term. Love you all.
I cannot overstate just how life and health-wreckingly awful Long Covid is. There is not a single area of my life not affected by this disease. Every single system in my body is affected. From Brain Fog, to joint pain, to constant nausea, my heart only halfway contracting every few beats before it remembers to fully contract, having to lay down after a shower... these are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s been 3 1/2 years since I contracted Covid and on my very best day I’m about 30% of where I was. Long Covid is not a joke.
I’m still shaking and crying from the article in The Guardian. All those babies. And the media is pushing how we should let ourselves be victimized even further by those kinds of toxic, repulsive, sorry excuses for men? Fuck that noise!
When I was at law school the amazing JoAnne Epps was our Dean. Amazing Black legal scholar, US Attorney, was floated for Supreme Court in 2009, and isn't on that 2021 list because by then she was provost of the entire University. She died suddenly last year and it was a terrible loss for us all.
I did not even know about Wonkette in 2016, and am sad because it would have offered solace. But now that I have seen all the cute pictures of Donna Rose with her friends, I will say that David Corn is a friend of mine, also. In fact, my spouse's high school best friend. Stood up with us at our wedding because he is a stand up guy.
This Saturday's Movie Night is 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐚 (1981.)
https://open.substack.com/pub/ziggywiggy/p/wonkette-movie-night-jan-6-2024-diva?r=2knfuc&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
All are welcome! Just go to Wonkette at 8pm ET(movie starts at 9pm ET) for pre-movie socializing. Find the movie on your own preferred device, I list the streaming options available, I try to find free versions but sometimes it may need to be rented. I give a 15 minute countdown in the comments so we can all start watching at the same time. Then throughout the movie there’s trivia and it is expected that you WILL talk during the movie! It’s a great way to watch a movie with friends who, although located far apart, can share a good time.
Diva is a fine film! I saw it at the little art theater in Yellow Springs.
We went to see it the first night of of a three night run. Liked it so much we went the next two nights. Great movie !
The director,Jean-Jacques Beineix, made another film the late '80s, Betty Blue, that is, amazingly, even better than Diva.
It's challenging, quite a head full.
Also highly recommend it.
It is a wonderful film, hoping people give it a chance even if it's in French with English subtitles and has a focus on opera, with a little murder thrown in. Because there is so much more to it than what it appears to be.
Get everyone to stay for the subway chase and they will be fans for life.
Fuck
Oxford defines Fuck as meaning
1. To have sex with someone, or
2. To ruin or damage
"Fuck, the State of Missouri just sent an email saying that I am no longer being considered for employment at the only proper job in the area. Fuck the State of Missouri, fuck America, and fuck the lack of prosperity in this impoverished nation. Fuck, I need a stiff drink at 9:30 A.M."
Me too. ❤
Also keep up with vaccinations if you want better chance of avoiding long covid (the more jabs, the better your chances), I'm getting my sixth jab tomorrow. Mayo clinic has new study that shows masking does work, even double-layered cloth ones. This is because the virus has to hitch a ride on droplets, which are much bigger than the virus itself.
Now, that is how you do bothsiderism!
https://twitter.com/Daniel_Sugarman/status/1743264754351628657 ---
So the South African Government is accusing Israel of genocide at the ICJ literally at the same time as the President of South Africa welcomes Hemedti, the butcher of Darfur.
Make it make sense.
Eeesh, I need a shower after reading that Guardian article.
The fact is that many people are disillusioned by living in an oligarchy that has elections. There is something to be said about pols having to earn your votes. I can't even get into how awful it is at the "we aren't detaining you" detentions at the southern border. Biden absolutely is playing the politics on this one, no surprise as he's a politician. They don't give these people water or food. The only food, shelter or water comes in from mutual aid groups. There a babies freezing in the night air. This is absolutely, 100%, what Candidate Biden said he would undo. When Trump was in office the Left was livid with this. With Biden in office it's all shrugs.
Now I won't say this many places, just here and in a couple of living rooms. I'm voting for Biden and will encourage others to do so, but let's not pretend his record is great. Particularly when it comes to asylum seekers, he acts illegally, just like 45. He certainly isn't giving it his all, he is playing politics with these people's lives. The system IS fucked. The only thing these young voters don't get is that they aren't going to get another chance to vote in 4 years should Trump get back into office. They do not understand fascism, mostly because they were not taught history. Which is again, not their fault. Stop railing against the young voters and start railing against these demons who are taking away our rights. No one listens to a scold.
Although I agree with your assessment that the situation at the southern border is a clusterfuck, the question is what any President could LEGALLY do about it. The numbers are ginormous--mainly driven by refugees from the failed Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro. Many of the refugees are not fleeing political persecution and so do not meet the international definition of "refugee," and sorting out those who do from those who do not is simply not practical given current manpower at the border (not to mention that ICE is a cesspit of racism).
I can only think of two things that would help--significant increases in immigration judge and border patrol personnel and increasing aid to the Venezuelan people. The problem is that both of these would take an act of Congress and the House passed only 22 pieces of legislation this year--none of which had to do with meaningful help on immigration. And even if a miracle occurred and they got off of their asses and did their jobs, aid for Venezuela ain't happening. And even if it did, there would be no one who could administer it inside the country. People need to look at the reasons why things are fucked up, not just the fact that they are.
There are Afghani, Hatian, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, Iraqi, Congolese and of course all those South and Central American countries represented at these detention centers. While the powers that be would like you to throw your hands up and say "oh shit they're from Venezuela, can't feed THOSE babies" and be done with it it ain't that simple.
I would like the president to allow asylum claims into the country according to the laws of the United States, which allow those claiming asylum to enter the US and file their claim. It isn't popular to say it but I do think the president should follow the law.
I know why the Iraqis and Afghans are at the border, that isn't some long lost "oh shit maybe we shouldn't have overthrown democratically elected leaders 2 generations ago but what you gonna do" situation, we did this and we JUST did it.
Here's some reporting on it, a good place to start:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/dec/20/migrants-us-mexico-border-denied-emergency-medical-care
Except that there aren't. Numbers for other nationalities are up but nowhere near the increase in Venezuelans. The problem is that even if you talk to the refugees, most will admit that their reasons for leaving were economic. That doesn't make them less compelling or less deserving. However, there is absolutely no way for the US to process the number of asylum applications coming in. The backlog is already years long--and that was before the current wave hit.
Look what happened in Germany--they were a leader in accepting new immigrants, but the backlash brought literal Nazis (AFD) back into power there. This is not something that can be done piecemeal. We need new immigrants to meet future need for workers. Plenty of people want to come--hell, need to come. There should be common ground for immigration reform. Unfortunately, the capitalists have allied themselves with the klan-robed nativists, so nothing can get done.
Again, you need to look at why the system is the way it is before you can fix it--and fixing it is going to take time.
" Numbers for other nationalities are up but nowhere near the increase in Venezuelans."
Citations? I mean I did send you a recent article from a large publication that has some middle ground respect. Or you know, when were you last at the border to "talk to the refugees?" You sound so easygoing talking about it!
And that whole adhereing to the law of the United States, the president should be exempt? Asylum law is asylum law and this administration is breaking it just like the last one did. Too big to fix, that's your argument?
You think that the resettlement of refugees in Germany is responsible for the rightward shift of power worldwide? Man you sure got your talking points down! Send along you know, ANYTHING backing up that quote and I'd be happy to read it. I like to gather information from lots of sources, and from people who can back up their claims, so if that's you I'm happy to add it to my data points and worldview. But I'm not taking your word for it.
No, Suzie. Try responding to what I actually wrote rather than the straw-man arguments in your head. What I am saying is that the situation is complicated. Even if we let in every person claiming asylum, we cold not process them, we could not house them and we could not care for them. They would suffer on this side of the border rather than in Mexico--which is not really improving their condition
This is NOT an accident. RWNJs in Congress have worked very hard to keep the situation bad, because it fits their narrative that the situation is out of control. LEGALLY, there is very little Biden can do to remedy the situation. Legally, his hands are tied. What actions, SPECIFICALLY, do you suggest Biden take? And remember:
1) The border region is already poor, and has poor health, food, housing and law-enforcement resources already?
2) There is a shortage of immigration judges, making for unacceptably long delays in processing asylum applications?
3) The Border Patrol attracts more than its share of sadists, and it's been that way for over 30 years and got worse under Cheetolini. These agents have civil service protection and cannot be fired without strong evidence of wrongdoing and a prolonged administrative process.
4) The overwhelming proportion of asylum applications are rejected--unfortunately simply wanting a better life is not considered grounds for asylum.
Finally, I note that nothing in the article you linked is in conflict with anything I've said. Venezuelan refugees are driving the current wave into the US--just as they've already done throughout South America. AfD's success in the polls has been driven by their anti-immigrant platform following the wave of refugees from Syria, Iraq--that's their whole schjtick. Maybe try responding to what I actually write?
So you have so source material or citations, is that correct?