Film Crit Hulk’s Shortcuts
BEHOLD THE CARVER-ESQUE HULK SHORT CUTS!
IF HULK ONLY STUCK TO THE HULK-SIZED RAMBLING ESSAYS, HULK WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO CONVEY THE PUNY-HUMAN-SIZED THOUGHTS HULK ALSO HAVE! WHILE HULK USUALLY USE TWITTER FOR THAT (FOLLOW HULK HERE IF NOT! HULK TWITTER WHORING!), HULK REALIZED SOME THINGS ARE TOO BIG FOR TWITTER TOO. SO HULK A FEW SHORT CUTS WOULD BE NICE EVERY ONCE AND AWHILE. LET HULK KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
SOON HULK WILL INCLUDE ANY MAILBAG QUESTIONS YA'LL MIGHT HAVE TO. SEND EM HERE: [email protected]
ANYCRAP. HERE SOME RANDOM MUSINGS.
RANDOM THING #1 - WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT BOARDWALK EMPIRE'S MASSIVE JUMP IN QUALITY THIS SEASON?
HAS NO ONE REALLY NOTICED THIS? SERIOUSLY. BOARDWALK EMPIRE MAY BE QUIETLY PUTTING TOGETHER ONE OF THE GREAT SEASONS OF TELEVISION. WHILE THE FIRST SEASON STARTED WITH MARTIN'S INCREDIBLY WELL-DIRECTED PILOT, AFTER THAT IT SORT OF JUST LIMPED ALONG TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT ACTUALLY WAS. THEN SOMEHOW IT WON A BUNCH OF AWARDS, BUT THAT JUST QUALIFIES THE POPULAR "BEST" MEANS "MOST" THEORY FOR AWARDS SEASON. BUT NOW? THIS SECOND SEASON IS SO POINTED, SO UNDERSTANDS ITS CHARACTERS, MOVES A BEAUTIFUL PACE, AND INSTEAD OF JUST FLOATING BETWEEN BUSINESS-RELATED DARKNESS AND CHARACTER WORK, IT NOW SEAMLESSLY BLENDS THE TWO INTO ONE THING (IE GOOD WRITING). IT'S PROBABLY HULK'S FAVORITE DRAMA ON TV... NOT OVERALL... JUST LIKE, WHAT'S ON RIGHT NOW.
ANY WAY, NO ONE SEEMED TO NOTICE THIS EXCEPT FOR THIS GUY ]
OTHER THING #2 - WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT BORED TO DEATH'S MASSIVE JUMP IN QUALITY THIS SEASON?
HOW DID THEY PULL IT OFF? IT'S SIMPLY REALLY. THEY FINALLY FIGURED OUT THE TONE OF THE SHOW. AT IT'S CORE, THE SHOW IS ABOUT THE VOYEURISTIC, SEMI-ADVENTUROUS NATURE OF THREE NEUROTIC, LIBERAL-MINDED NEW YORKERS. THE FIRST SEASON TRIED TO GET ITS HUMOR ON THIS SUBJECT BY SHOVING THEM AGAINST THE GRAIN OF DARK, SEEDY UNDERBELLY STUFF AND HAVING AN AWKWARD CONTRAST. IT DIDN'T TOTALLY WORK. PLUS, THEY OVER-RELIED ON THE CASES AND CASE SUBJECTS THEMSELVES. NOW? THAT IS THE WHOLE WORLD HAS THAT NEUROTIC / VOYEURISTIC BENT AND THE SEEDY UNDERBELLY IS JUST AS SILLY / NEUROTIC AS THEY ARE (OR AT LEAST REFLECTS AGAINST IT BETTER). IT CREATES THIS BEAUTIFULLY UNIFIED "WORLD" OF THE SHOW WHERE THE HUMOR DIRECTS BOTH INWARD AT THE CHARACTERS AND OUTWARD AT OTHERS IN VERY NICE AWAY. BETTER YET, THE MAIN THREE CHARACTERS HAVE ESTABLISHED THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER TO THE POINT WHERE THE SHORT-HAND WORKS GREAT (SPECIFICALLY WITH ZACH GALIFIANAKIS' CHARACTER, WHO THEY FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE). REALLY, THIS SEASON'S BEEN GREAT.
OKAY NONE OF THAT SHIT IS SIMPLE AT ALL, BUT HULK REALLY HAPPY WITH THE SHOW FOR FIGURING IT OUT.
THINGAMAJIG #3 - ON THE WHOLE VIDEO GAMES AS ART THING
SO IN HULK'S COLUMN THIS WEEK ON MODERN WARFARE AND THE ARTISTIC STANDARDS OF GAMING THERE WERE OVER 200 AMAZING RESPONSES AND HULK WOULD HAVE LOVED TO RESPOND TO EACH AND EVERY ONE, BUT IT JUST SO HARD TO DO THAT AND KEEP PRODUCING MORE CONTENT FOR YA'LL. BUT HULK WAS ALSO SEEING A LOT OF OVERLAP IN HULK'S RESPONSES SO HULK THOUGHT HULK COULD CLARIFY A FEW POINTS.
THE FIRST IS THAT HULK'S WHOLE LOOKING FOR "THE CITIZEN KANE OF VIDEO" GAMES MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE WRONG WAY OF PUTTING IT. HULK ACTUALLY REALIZED AT LIKE 4AM THAT HULK WAS LOOKING FOR THE GLADWELL-ESQUE TIPPING POINT... YES, THESE THE SORT OF THINGS THAT KEEP HULK AT NIGHT.
THE SECOND POINT IS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SUGGESTED A LOT OF AMAZING GAMES THAT ARE TOTALLY VALID TO QUESTION IN TERMS OF "IS IT ART?" AND EACH ONE DESERVES TO BE LOOKED AT FOR ITS OWN MERITS. HULK JUST USED SHADOW OF COLOSSUS AND BIOSHOCK AS EXAMPLES THAT ARE PROBABLY JUST AS GOOD TO ARGUE ALONG WITH BRAID, FLOWER, ETC.
BUT ONE PERSISTENT ARGUMENT THAT HULK WOULD CONSTANTLY CITE TO REINFORCE HULK'S THESIS WAS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "ART" AND "THE ART OF." MEANING THAT THERE ARE THINGS WHICH STAND FIRST AND FOREMOST A SINGULAR "PIECE" OF ART AND THEN THERE ARE THINGS THAT MAY HAVE SUPERIOR ARTISTIC ELEMENTS THAT REQUIRE THEIR OWN "ART OF." FOR INSTANCE, THERE IS THE ART OF WRITING, DESIGN, CINEMATOGRAPHY, COOKING, ENGINEERING AND ALL THESE WHOLLY INSPIRATIONAL WAYS OF PURSUING CREATION. AND HULK THINK THE CREATIVE APPROACH IN THESE MATTERS ARE FASCINATING WORLDS UNTO THEMSELVES. REALLY, THEY ARE SO EXTREMELY VALID AND INTERESTING SUBJECTS... BUT IT IS STILL A DIFFERENT MATTER FROM THE PRODUCT ITSELF BEING "ART."
HULK TOTALLY REALIZES THIS GIVES THE DEFINITION OF "ART" A HIGH STANDARD.
BUT THAT'S ACTUALLY THE POINT.
HULK CONSTANTLY SAYS THAT HULK COMES AT THINGS FROM THE "EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE" AND HULK KNOWS THAT MAY SEEM PATRONIZING, BUT REALLY IT'S ABOUT CREATING THE MOST HELPFUL KINDS OF DEFINITIONS. HULK'S DEFINITIONS ARE MEANT TO GET AT THE HEART OF HOW WE CAN TRULY BEST EXPRESS SOMETHING. THUS, HULK'S DEFINITION OF ART IS ABOUT TRYING TO CREATE THE BEST POSSIBLE ART AT EVERY LEVEL. WHICH HULK BELIEVE TO BE A NOBLE GOAL. AND OF COURSE WE WILL OFTEN FALL SHORT OF THAT DEFINITION, BUT THAT ALSO PART OF THE POINT. FOR INSTANCE, HULK LOVES SPIKE LEE. AND THE THING THAT HULK LOVES ABOUT SPIKE LEE IS THAT, FIRST AND FOREMOST, HIS MOVIES ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING WITH EVERY FIBER OF THEIR BEING. THIS APPROACH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MASTERPIECES LIKE DO THE RIGHT THING AND MALCOLM X, BUT IT'S EVEN RESPONSIBLE FOR IMBUING A HOLLYWOOD HEIST MOVIE LIKE INSIDE MAN WITH AN HUGE AMOUNT OF SOCIAL COMMENTARY. AND YES, EVEN IN A MOVIE LIKE SHE HATE ME, THAT PRETTY MUCH FAILS TO FIND ANY KIND OF THROUGH-LINE TO POINTS THAT ARE (QUITE FRANKLY) RATHER STRANGE OR EVEN UNINTERESTING, HE IS STILL TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING WITH EVERY FIBER OF THE MOVIE. SO EVEN IF IT'S "BAD" IT IS STILL TOTALLY ART BY HULK'S ESTIMATION. SAY WHAT YOU WANT, BUT SPIKE'S AN ARTIST THROUGH AND THROUGH. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT THE RESULT, BUT THE WAY WE COME AT THE APPROACH WITHE VERY FIBER OF THE PRODUCT.
SOME WOULD CALL THIS DEFINITION EXCLUSIVE, BUT HULK WOULD ARGUE OTHERWISE. BECAUSE HULK DOESN’T MEAN TO DISMISS ANYTHING OUTSIDE THOSE PARAMETERS AS "INVALID" IN THE SLIGHTEST. INSTEAD, HULK MEANS IT TO BE INCLUSIVE. TO PROVIDE VERY CLEAR TOOLS FOR ANYONE TRYING TO CREATE SOMETHING AND NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL. EVEN IF IT'S THE CALL OF DUTY GUYS BEING LIKE "HEY MAYBE WE SHOULD BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF OUR THEMES." IT IS THAT VERY STRIVING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER THAT ELEVATES THE WHOLE OF THE MEDIUM. AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO DO THIS WITH VIDEO GAMES? BECAUSE THE MEDIUM IS ALREADY CAPABLE OF THESE RELAYING THESE INTENSE MESSAGES, BUT DOESN’T FULLY REALIZE IT YET. AND AS HULK ARGUES WITH MODERN WARFARE, IT'S GETTING PROBLEMATIC.
ULTIMATELY, THE DEFINITION OF ART IS ACTUALLY MEANT TO BE INCLUSIVE. IT'S AN INVITATION FOR EVERYONE TO STRIVE.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU DEFINE ART IN THE BROADEST POSSIBLE WAY AS "WHATEVER GETS PROVIDES INSPIRATION" OR "PROVOKES A RESPONSE." WELL... THEY MIGHT BE "FAIR" BUT HULK REALLY THINK THAT JUST INSPIRES LAZY ART... OR PEOPLE COMFORTABLE PURSUING THINGS WITH MORE INDULGENT RATHER THAN INTROSPECTIVE. IT CREATES A CULTURE OF STAGNANCY.
SAY WHAT YOU WILL, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT HULK IS INTERESTED IN.
ISSUE# 4- HULK VS. CHILD-MURDERERS!
SOMETIMES THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT YOUR ARGUMENT IS YOUR STARTING POINT... BUT HULK''LL GET TO THAT IN A SECOND.
SOMETHING HAPPENED WITH SKYRIM IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. HULK KNOW WHAT YOU THINKING. TWO VIDEO GAME MENTIONS IN ONE WEEK? YUP! HULK SO CRAZY. ONLY THIS ONE NOT PLANNED. YOU SEE IN HULK'S AFOREMENTIONED ARTICLE ON MODERN WARFARE: BADASS COMMENTER "Gabriella E" ALERTED HULK TO A FORUM THAT HULK WAS NOT AWARE OF...
BE SURE READ THE COMMENTS.
SO... YEAH... HULK HAS SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. CHIEFLY THAT THERE IS SOMETHING VERY, VERY WRONG WITH WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
BUT BEFORE YOU JUMP ON HULK, HULK NOT IMPLYING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: 1. HULK NOT IMPLYING THAT PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MAKE MODS LIKE THIS 2. HULK NOT IMPLYING THAT UBER-DARK MODS CAN'T BE FUNNY OR MORE-OR-LESS INNOCENT. AND LASTLY 3. HULK NOT IMPLYING THAT ANYONE WHO SUPPORTS THIS KIND OF MOD IS A SICKO OR SOMETHING. HULK IMPLYING NONE OF THESE THINGS... HULK JUST MEANS TO IMPLY THERE ARE SEEMS TO BE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE BOTH THE APPROACH AND INTENT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THOSE FORUM REACTIONS (TO SOME OF YOU, CLEARLY).
HULK'S FIRST PROBLEM IS WITH THE EXPECTATIONS OF MOST OF THE PEOPLE IN THE FORUM. THE IDEA THAT A GAME A SHOULD SOMEHOW BE THOUGHT OF IT AS "INCOMPLETE" FOR NOT INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO KILL CHILDREN IS, WELL, NUTS. ACTUAL QUOTE: "It's sad that modders are forced to fix a game that's being released as broken." NOW FORGET ABOUT THE OTHER BAD THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE IN THE GAME, BECAUSE GOING DOWN THAT PATH JUST GETS INTO A GAME OF "THIS IS AS BAD AS THAT!" AND THAT'S, LIKE, THE OPPOSITE OF THE FUCKING POINT. WHAT THIS REALLY SPEAKS TO IS THIS IDEA THAT VIDEO GAMES (SPECIFICALLY SANDBOX GAMES) ARE LARGELY VEHICLES FOR INDULGENCE, AND THAT THE AUDIENCE THEREFORE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE INDULGED IN THE EXACT WAY THAT THEY WANT REGARDLESS OF THE AUTHORS' OWN INCLINATIONS... AND THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. EVER. BETHESDA DIDN'T RELEASE AN INCOMPLETE GAME. THEY MADE A CHOICE THAT, BY PRETTY MUCH OF ALL STANDARDS OF HUMAN DECENCY, IS UNDERSTANDABLE. YOU CAN FIND IT WEIRD AND PECULIAR THEY CHOSE THAT LINE AND HAVE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ON WHERE THE LINE SHOULD BE AND THAT IS FINE. AS LONG AS THEY ALSO GET THEIRS. BECAUSE THEY ARE THE AUTHORS AND THEIR THOUGHTS MATTER SIGNIFICANTLY. EVEN IF YOU STILL HAVE YOUR CHOICE TO MOD IT... MOVING ON.
HULK'S SECOND PROBLEM IS WITH THE REASONS PEOPLE FOR MAKING / WANTING THE MOD. GOOD GRAVY LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE COMMENTS. HULK NOT SAYING CHILD-MURDER IS THIS TABOO SUBJECT OR SOMETHING. BUT LIKE EVERY SINGLE COMMENT IS LIKE "YEAH WE GET TO KILL THAT LITTLE BITCH." / "HOW DARE A CHILD SPEAK TO ME THAT WAY? OF COURSE I SHOULD WANT TO KILL HIM! WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU DO IN THAT SITUATION?!?!?!" AND HERE'S ONE ACTUAL QUOTE: "I'm tempted to install the mod, then spend the next 3 hours exterminating every single child from the face of Skyrim. Annoying little cunts." ... YIKES. IS THIS FOR REAL? OH, IT'S THE INTERNET. OF COURSE IT IS.
SO WHAT'S BOTHERING HULK IS NOT THE END RESULT (WHICH IS JUST SOME MOD) BUT THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE SEEM TO DESIRE THE MOD FOR PRETTY FUCKED-UP REASONS. THE SPECIFICS OF THAT FUCKED-UP-NESS CAN BE POP-PSYCH-ANALYZED TO DEATH, BUT HULK NOT GOING TO GET INTO IT HERE. YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF. BUT REALLY THERE IS THIS CENTRAL SOCIOPATHIC IDEA THAT THE GAME IS TEASING THEM BECAUSE, LIKE, HALF THE KIDS ARE KIND OF TWERPS (A LOT AREN'T. MOST JUST WANT TO SEEM TO PLAY TAG WITH HULK'S CHARACTER). BUT NEVER DOES IT EVER SEEM TO STRIKE THEM THAT "SURE KIDS CAN BE TWERPS, BUT WE DON'T GO AROUND WITH THE THINKING THAT THEY OBVIOUSLY DESERVE TO DIE FOR IT!" YOU MAY ARGUE THAT SEEMS EXTREME, BUT LOOK HOW THEY EXPRESS IT. THAT'S EXACTLY THE THINKING THEY USE TO JUSTIFY THE MOD. AND WHAT IS ESPECIALLY TELLING THOUGH IS THAT MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE WANT TO PURSUE THE MOD UNDER THE GUISE OF "REALISM" AND "IMMERSION" WHICH IS ABSURD. IT'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF TRYING TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. JUST ASK "SO YOU WANT TO BE IMMERSED IN YOUR LITTLE WORLD WHERE YOU GET TO MURDER CHILDREN? ISN'T THAT A LITTLE WEIRD TO BE ARGUING FOR?" AND THEY'RE LIKE "WHAT?! IT'S JUST A GAME! FUCK YOU!" AGAIN, TRYING TO HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. IS IT "JUST A GAME" OR IS IT THIS THING YOU DESIRE TOTALLY UNBROKEN "IMMERSION" FOR? AND THIS ATTITUDE IS FURTHER CEMENTED BY THIS INSANE IDEA THAT BETHESDA DIDN'T RELEASE IT WITH CHILD-KILLING OUT OF FEARS AND REPERCUSSIONS FROM THE DAMN P.C. MEDIA OR PUBLIC. WHICH IS TOTAL BULLSHIT BECAUSE BETHESDA MADE IT CLEAR THIS IS THEIR OBVIOUS CHOICE. THEY ARE MERELY REFLECTING THEIR OWN DISPOSITION.
HULK RARELY TRIES TO OUTRIGHT CALL PEOPLE OUT. BUT HULK WILL SAY IT NOW. IF YOU ENGAGE IN THE MOD BECAUSE YOU THINK IT WOULD BE FUNNY AND DON'T REALLY CARE, THEN FINE. WHATEVER. HULK DOESN'T MIND. WE JOKE ABOUT HORRIBLE THINGS AS A WAY TO DEAL WITH THEIR GRAVITY. IT IS A BASIC HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND KIND OF A GOOD ONE ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. HULK EVEN FOUND A FEW FAMOUS INTERNET "BEST KID KILLS!" LISTS TO BE FUNNY. BUT IF YOU'RE DOING IT BECAUSE YOU ARE TRULY BOTHERED BY THOSE KIDS OR CALL THEM "CUNTS" AND "LITTLE BITCHES" ... THEN SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING ON. THIS ISN'T AN EXERCISE IN UBER-DARK FUNNINESS, BUT A PUBLIC MASKING OF A TROUBLESOME OUTLOOK. AND THUS ANY ARGUMENT ABOUT FAIRNESS AND PERSPECTIVE YOU CAN MAKE IS RENDERED RIDICULOUS. BECAUSE LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SAYING AND THE REASON YOUR SAYING IT... NEVERMIND THE KINDS OF WORK THAT WOULD GO INTO TAKING THE TIME TO ACTUALLY MAKE THE MOD. AND FOR WHAT? CATHARSIS?
HULK'S THIRD PROBLEM IS WITH THE PEOPLE DEFENDING IT WITHOUT ACTUALLY REALIZING WHAT THEY'RE DEFENDING. WHEN HULK BROUGHT THIS SUBJECT UP ON TWITTER SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENED. MANY PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T REALLY HAVE INTEREST IN THE MOD LEAPED TO THE DEFENSE OF THE PEOPLE IN THE FORUM. EVEN IF YOU REMOVE ALL THE CRAZY SEXIST "CUNT" TALK... HONESTLY, IT WAS KIND OF WEIRD. AND IT WAS NOT THAT THEY HAD BAD ARGUMENTS OR HAD POOR LOGIC FOR THEIR DEFENSE, IF ANYTHING THEY WERE PERFECTLY SOUND... IT WAS THAT THEY ARGUING AS IF EVERY SINGLE THING THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE CONVERSATION WAS SOMEHOW HAPPENING IN A MORAL VACUUM. WE OFTEN HAVE THIS AMERICAN INCLINATION TO DEFEND FREE RIGHTS AND TO DEFEND PEOPLE WITH THIS A.L.C.U.-ESQUE TENDENCY. AND THAT'S FINE, GREAT EVEN, BECAUSE PEOPLE'S INALIENABLE RIGHTS TRULY MATTER.... BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY TALKING ABOUT HERE. HULK'S NOT ARGUING WITH THE RIGHT, BUT THE SEEMING VALUES. AND THUS IT SECRETLY IT TAPS INTO SOMETHING HULK SAYS ALL THE TIME:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH IS NOT FREEDOM FROM RESPONSE.
HULK HAS EVERY RIGHT TO SAY: "HEY YOU CAN MAKE THIS MOD, BUT YOUR REASONS FOR DOING SO SEEM PRETTY FUCKED UP." AND IT CAN BE DEFENDED UNDER EVERY GUISE OF LOGIC IMAGINABLE, BUT THERE IS A KIND OF MORALISM THAT REALLY MATTERS UNDERNEATH THE ARGUMENT. AGAIN, HULK DOESN'T WANT TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM HAVING THE RIGHT TO DO SOMETHING, OR EVEN ENGAGE THE LOGIC OF WHETHER THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO IT. HULK JUST WANTS THEIR REASONS FOR DOING, THEIR TRUE-BLUE WANTS AND NEEDS AND BEHAIVORS, TO BE THE MAIN FOCUS. AND THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE IT'S NOT A TRIAL, IT'S A DISCUSSION. NOT EVERY CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS "RIGHT" HAS TO DESCEND INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IS PERMISSIBLE. BECAUSE, HONESTLY, WHAT IS PERMISSIBLE IS ALREADY SPOKEN FOR BY THE LAW AND IN THAT WAY IT IS OBVIOUS. HULK'S CONVERSATION IS ABOUT WELL... WHETHER OR NOT SOMETHING IS "GOOD." HULK WANTS THE MORALITY TO BE THE FOCUS, BUT NOT IN AN ACCUSATORY WAY. AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, HULK WANTS TO DIRECT YOU TO A COMMENT THAT WAS MADE ON A REDDIT USER "Boris_Carloff"
A quick and simple rule for language and behavior if you want to be a decent person: Ask yourself, who is more likely to be made to feel comfortable around me based on whatever I'm about to say/do? Rape survivors? Or rapists?
WHILE IT MAY SOUND LIKE POLARIZING MATTER OF CASE OF BLACK / WHITE, THERE SHOULD OF COURSE BE AN ACCOMPANYING SOFTENING TO THE STANCE EITHER WAY. YOU KNOW, TO MAKE ROOM FOR HUMAN NUANCE. HULK MEAN OF COURSE THERE SHOULD BE A SOFTENING ON THAT STATEMENT. BUT THE KEY TO THIS "RULE" IS THAT IT REALLY ZOOMS IN ON THE "STARTING POINT" OF YOUR INTENTION. IT SHOWS EXACTLY WHERE YOU'RE FALLING ON THE SPECTRUM... AND AWARENESS OF WHERE YOU FALL IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO HUMAN UNDERSTANDING AND CONVEYING YOUR MESSAGE. IT INHERENTLY MITIGATES YOUR LANGUAGE INTO A PLACE WHERE IT SHOWS YOUR INTENTION AND MEANING: "HEY HULK KNOW THIS SOUNDS UN-SENSITIVE, BUT HERE WHY HULK THINK IT AND BLAH BLAH BLAH." IT'S A GREAT RULE. AND LIKE ANY RULE IT'S LESS ABOUT PASSING AND MORE ABOUT THE THOUGHT AND AWARENESS THE RULE PROVIDES.
SO THE SAME QUESTION GOES HERE. WHO WOULD BE MORE COMFORTED BY THESE COMMENTS IN THAT FORUM? A CHILD MURDERER OR THE PARENTS OF SOMEONE WHO HAD THEIR CHILD MURDERED? AGAIN. IT SOUNDS SO DAMN MORALIZING AND EXTREME, BUT PEOPLE, WHERE IS YOUR STARTING POINT?
THIS IS ACTUALLY A HUGE DEAL WITH SOCIETY IN GENERAL BECAUSE HULK WOULD ARGUE THAT THESE "STARTING POINTS" ARE SOMETHING WE UNDERSTAND IT ON AN INTRINSIC LEVEL. FOR EXAMPLE, WITH HUMOR PEOPLE CAN USUALLY TELL WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM. NICK DIPAOLO'S RACIST JOKES WORK DIFFERENTLY WITH AUDIENCES THAN ANTHONY JESELNIK'S RACIST JOKES WORK. WHY? BECAUSE IT IS ABOUT THEIR STARTING POINTS. DIPAOLO BASICALLY COMES OFF AS ONE OF THOSE "OLD SCHOOL GUYS" WITH SOME BULL-FACED RACIST JOKES TOLD WITH KNOWING, SMIRKING TONE, AS IF HE'S GETTING AWAY WITH SOMETHING (EVEN IF HE'S NOT AFRAID TO BE IN YOUR FACE ABOUT IT). MEANWHILE, JESELNIK MAY SAY FAR, FAR WORSE THINGS IN HIS RACIST HUMOR, BUT IT IS SO COMPLETELY CLEAR HE IS MAKING A CRAZY JOKE THAT'S SO FAR AWAY FROM HIS OWN 'STARTING POINT." AND THUS, IT FEELS FAR MORE "OKAY" TO THE AUDIENCE AND THEY LAUGH. THE PEOPLE WHO LAUGH AT DIPAOLO MEANWHILE THINK HE'S "TELLING IT LIKE IT IS!"
WHERE WE'RE COMING FROM WITH EVERYTHING WE SAY, MATTERS.
AND THE PEOPLE IN THAT FORUM COME OFF LIKE THEY HAVE REALLY WEIRD, POSSIBLY FUCKED-UP STARTING POINTS AND THAT MERITS DISCUSSION. THEY ARE NOT FREE FROM RESPONSE.
AGAIN, THIS IS NOT ABOUT BANNING OR REACTING HARSHLY. THIS IS ABOUT AWARENESS.
THE STARTING POINTS MATTER.
ITEM #5 - OH YEAH, COMMUNITY WAS AWESOME THIS WEEK!
THEY PULLED OFF A SHOW THAT HULK THINK THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO PULL OFF FOR A GOOD LONG WHILE. THEY'RE SORT OF FAMOUS AT THIS POINT FOR THEIR "OH COMMUNITY IS DOING A ____ EPISODE." WHICH EVERYONE LOVES ACCORDINGLY. BUT THIS EPISODE INCORPORATED MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF _____ EPISODES IF THAT MAKES SENSE. THERE WAS THE "PRECIOUS ITEM" TROPE AND ALSO AWESOME GONZO STUFF LIKE THE ANIME SEQUENCE, WHICH WORKED BEAUTIFULLY DESPITE BEING OUT OF NOWHERE. ULTIMATELY, IT WAS MORE GOLDEN-AGE SIMPSONS-ESQUE FEEL THAN A SINGULAR SEND-UP. AND THAT IS AWESOME.
BUT BETTER YET THE SHOW WAS ABSOLUTE TOUR DE FORCE FOR FIVE OF THEIR CAST MEMBERS. FIRST AND FOREMOST, ALISON BRIE WHO GOT TO DO SO MANY GREAT THINGS INCLUDING THE BEST BATMAN VOICE TRANSITION EVER. YVETTE AND MCHALE BOTH GOT TO PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS AND REALLY WORK WITH WHAT HULK THINK ONE OF THE BETTER POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS ON THE SHOW. AND OF COURSE PUDI AND GLOVER KILLED IT WITH THEIR SUPPORT ROLES (GLOVER IN PARTICULAR STARTING WITH HIS SINGING ENTRANCE BEFORE DISCOVERING ANNIE'S MISTAKE).
ANYCRAP IT WAS AWESOME.
<3 HULK
