Politics is Downstream From Culture

[GURPS]

Roald Dahl Goes Woke: Famous Children’s Author’s Books Heavily Altered by ‘Sensitivity Readers’​

Joyce Carol Oates Actually Asks Intelligent Questions About Leftist 'Rewrite' of Roald Dahl Books​

Now, in a several tweets on the Twitters, author and steadfast progressive Joyce Carol Oates actually managed to ask some intelligent questions about the wisdom of rewriting Dahl’s books.

Here’s how she began:







Then in a reply tweet to her opening tweet, she wrote wisely:

[P]rose so radically revised by “sensitivity readers” should be noted as collaborations. it is unfair to readers to be deceived into thinking that they are reading the original work.
if Dahl is so egregious as to require such wholesale whitewashing (sic) why republish him at all?

Oates came up with a wry, potential “rewrite” of another classic book:

 

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way more better looking women than you .......

 

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BAFTA So White! Second Major British Awards Show Hit With Diversity Outrage​

After a major move to instill more inclusiveness, the BAFTA Awards managed to select nothing but white trophy winners.



Of the 45 individuals that were granted a trophy this year, all were considered white. The only two possible exceptions were the pair behind “Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio,” but they are considered “white Hispanics.” The flood of outrage and dismay has been palpable. It is also slightly amusing. This is because the BAFTA management (as evidenced by the group’s Twitter account boasting a lone image of black actor Daniel Kaluuya) set out to avoid this very result.

After the 2020 awards, the BAFTA committee pledged to become more inclusive for POC performers in the industries. Going into this year’s ceremony, it appeared that they had fixed what was perceived to be broken. To the people who occupy themselves with tabulating proper representation, the field of 2023 nominees consisted of 40 percent of the names being people from “approved” minority categories. Yet they all failed to nab the top honor in their respective categories.

This lack of effective alterations to the awards process echoes the complaints heard just a week earlier at the Brit Awards. The group behind that awards show received all manner of media acclaim last year when it announced that It would be doing away with gendered categories, and simply would be recognizing the qualified names as “artists.” Then this year’s nominations came out and the social experiment exploded in their faces.

It ended up that no female artists were nominated for AOY, and just like that, the crowds who were applauding themselves for being gender-neutral were instantly supremely focused on gender. How you can go from pretending that there should be no focus on gender with recognition to then blasting headlines about the exclusion of a gender defies logic – but that is because all of these preening efforts are bereft of logical thinking.

 

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The SPLC, a left-leaning advocacy group notorious for branding mainstream conservative and Christian organizations “hate groups” and placing them on a map with chapters of the Ku Klux Klan, attacked the summit for providing “a platform for multiple anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups and personalities who cloak their hate in religious rhetoric.” The SPLC highlighted organizations it has branded “hate groups” and other conservative Christians who oppose the LGBT agenda.

Lantos Swett, a lifelong Democrat, co-chaired the Jan. 31-Feb. 1 summit alongside Republican Sam Brownback, a former Kansas governor, senator, and ambassador-at-large for religious freedom under then-President Donald Trump. She expressed her appreciation for some of the SPLC’s work but chided the group for missing the mark in this instance.

“While I appreciate much of the important work done by the Southern Poverty Law Center in past years, I think SPLC sometimes misses the mark in its critique of important advocacy work that does not fully align with its views. This is clearly one such instance,” Lantos Swett told The Daily Signal.

Leftist Group Slams Religious Freedom Summit for 'Hate'; Democrat Responds

Religious Freedom Summit Co-Chair Katrina Lantos Swett says SPLC "misses the mark" in attacking advocacy that doesn't "align with its views."

www.dailysignal.com

 

[Clem72]

i heard an explanation before about the crazy runway fashion shows. Apparently there are two very distinct camps for these shows, one is to show off a new clothing line and try to generate buzz and get stores to stock your product. The other is an art exhibit, basically living canvasses meant to appeal to the same people that go to regular art shows. Those clothes generally aren't sold or meant to be worn.

 

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Last week, largely unreported by corporate media, Governor DeSantis held a press conference on “defamation law reform.” Over the last week, this one was filed twice; first as HB951, which was very good but was quickly withdrawn and then replaced with HB991 — which is ten times better; it is fantastic.

This bill is an overlooked diamond, and I’m not surprised corporate media has been so quiet about it. Anyone who’s ever been trashed or cancelled on social media will instantly recognize how badly-needed is this new law. It would literally benefit everyone, by shrinking the poisonous effects of online cancel culture.

This new law would allow you to effectively and economically sue social media trolls who got you fired by falsely labeling you a “racist.” And it does a lot more than that too.

To set the table, part of my commercial litigation practice includes defamation cases. In my most recent case, for example, I sued a Facebook troll for falsely posting that my surgeon client “has paid lots of malpractice settlements.” The defendant, an unemployed paralegal who’d been sued before by a previous employer for embezzlement (although she doesn’t mention that in her bio), was actually upset because she didn’t like my client’s opinion about virus masks (he thinks they don’t work), and so she set out to destroy his excellent reputation.

I won that case, but it was much harder and more expensive for my client than it should have been, because the existing laws pre-date the Internet age. They are designed for people defamed on television or in the printed newspaper. Also, the current laws overly protect corporate media, mostly because, at the time the laws were passed, corporate media had just been opposed to the government during the Cold War.

☕️ DECENCY AND DISAPPOINTMENT ☙ Thursday, February 23, 2023 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠

It's another good news roundup, with Trump in East Palestine, a terrific Florida bill you never heard about, and the Supreme Court is preparing to tackle a critically-important issues.

www.coffeeandcovid.com

 

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Vox in despair: Hogwarts Legacy is a hit and there's nothing the left can do​

‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Earns $850 Million, Sells More Than 12 Million Units in First Two Weeks​

That marks the biggest global launch ever for the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned brand, with the “Harry Potter” action role-playing game also setting the Twitch record for single-player games with 1.28 million peak concurrent viewers at launch.

As Variety previously reported, “Hogwarts Legacy” opened with stunning player engagement, topping 267 million hours played from launch on Feb. 10 through Feb. 21. On Thursday, Warner Bros. Games revealed the game had broken company records with 280 million hours played to date.

Per Warner Bros. Discovery, “Additionally, there has been an increase of global franchise fan engagement overall with Wizarding World Digital garnering 300% higher traffic over the normal monthly unique visitor average for the first 10 days of February.”

 

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Ben Stiller Hits Back At Woke Mob, Says He Makes ‘No Apologies’ For ‘Tropic Thunder’​

Actor Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a Method actor who darkens his skin to play a black soldier in the 2008 war movie, the outlet noted.

During the “Iron Man” star’s appearance in 2020 on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Downey said the film showed how wrong blackface is.

“I think that it’s never an excuse to do something that’s out of place and out of its time, but to me it blasted the cap on [the issue],” the Marvel star shared. “I think having a moral psychology is Job 1. Sometimes, you just gotta go, ‘Yeah, I effed up.’ In my defense, ‘Tropic Thunder’ is about how wrong [blackface] is, so I take exception.”

In 2018, Stiller stood by Olympic Gold medalist Shaun White after he dressed as a disabled character in the film, named Simple Jack, for his Halloween costume, People magazine noted.

“Actually ‘Tropic Thunder’ was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then,” Stiller tweeted. “It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie, Shaun White, And the great people and work of the [SpecialOlympics].”

 

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‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Earns $850 Million, Sells More Than 12 Million Units in First Two Weeks​

 

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I love spending hours cooking and cleaning for my husband​

Despite online critics calling Estee 'backwards,' she believes being a tradwife gets a 'bad rep' and said she and Conner are 'equally reliant on each other.' 'Women don't need to do what men do to be equally important in the world,' she said. 'I think we can be equally important by believing in our roles.' Estee and Conner met in 2020 and quickly realized they both longed for a traditional relationship. 'I've always wanted this lifestyle but kept it to myself as I knew how people would view it,' she said. 'On our first date he said that more than anything, he wanted to give a woman the stay-at-home role. As we began talking about the future, we developed this plan to lead a more traditional lifestyle.' The inspiration for Estee's lifestyle stems from her faith. 'The bible talks about home making and a woman's place in the world,' she said. 'It's not The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it's a humble lifestyle. Making your own bread, learning to sew, making your own clothing sometimes - it grounds you.'

For Estee, cooking is a big part of fulfilling her responsibility to her husband. 'I spend anywhere three to five hours in the kitchen every day,' she said. 'It's important that my family has home-cooked meals and to not have overly-processed foods.' The couple also hunt their own food - including deer, doves and rabbits. 'My husband is an avid hunter and we usually keep game meat in the freezer all year round,' she said. 'Our freezer is full of hunted meat. The only other thing we can fit in there other than that is a bag of frozen fruit.' On top of cooking for her husband, Estee keeps their house looking spick and span and believes in 'serving him completely in the home.' 'I usually clean for one hour a day,' she said. 'I get everything cleaned around the house so when my husband comes home we can spend time together. He doesn't have responsibilities at home other than heavy lifting and hanging up pictures. It's important that when he comes home from work he can relax.'

 

[GURPS]

Roald Dahl Goes Woke: Famous Children’s Author’s Books Heavily Altered by ‘Sensitivity Readers’​

Earlier this week, the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the works of the British author, announced changes to his classic children’s stories, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “The BFG,” among others. But after a massive backlash from readers and commentators who enjoyed Dahl’s stories, Puffin announced it would release the original texts in addition to the woke updates.

“At Puffin we have proudly published Roald Dahl’s stories for more than forty years in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company,” said Francesca Dow, managing director of Puffin’s parent company Penguin Random House. “Their mischievous spirit and his unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations. We’ve listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.”

Publisher Walks Back Woke Rewrites Of Roald Dahl’s Classic Stories, Will Release Original Text As Well

Book publisher Puffin has announced a walkback of its woke rewrites of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books after backlash. Earlier this week, the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the works of the British author, announced changes to his classic children’s stories, including “Charlie and...

www.dailywire.com

 

[spr1975wshs]

Earlier this week, the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the works of the British author, announced changes to his classic children’s stories, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” “James and the Giant Peach,” and “The BFG,” among others. But after a massive backlash from readers and commentators who enjoyed Dahl’s stories, Puffin announced it would release the original texts in addition to the woke updates.

“At Puffin we have proudly published Roald Dahl’s stories for more than forty years in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company,” said Francesca Dow, managing director of Puffin’s parent company Penguin Random House. “Their mischievous spirit and his unique storytelling genius have delighted the imaginations of readers across many generations. We’ve listened to the debate over the past week which has reaffirmed the extraordinary power of Roald Dahl’s books and the very real questions around how stories from another era can be kept relevant for each new generation.”

Publisher Walks Back Woke Rewrites Of Roald Dahl’s Classic Stories, Will Release Original Text As Well

Book publisher Puffin has announced a walkback of its woke rewrites of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books after backlash. Earlier this week, the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the works of the British author, announced changes to his classic children’s stories, including “Charlie and...

www.dailywire.com

I'll look for pre-2000 editions on eBay.

 

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I'll look for pre-2000 editions on eBay.

Apparently the family sold out to Netfliks ...

 

[spr1975wshs]

Apparently the family sold out to Netfliks ...

I read that earlier today.