I ran across this remarkable painting, titled “The Irritating Gentleman,” on Sheltered and Safe From Sorrow, a blog devoted to Victorian mourning rituals and other creepiness from that period. The gentleman in question seems to be a Victorian era Pickup Artist in action. He’s even peacocking, Mystery style, with that bow tie and stupid hat and even a non-ironic handlebar moustache. Probably the only thing keeping him from wearing aviator goggles is the fact that airplanes haven’t yet been invented.
What makes it all the worse is that the PUA’s target is clearly in mourning. As the blogger behind rawr I’m a tumblr notes:
She’s wearing all black in 1874. Black gloves, hat, cloak, and dress. In public. The whole nine yards. That’s not a fashion choice or a gothic thing. Back then when people wore all black like that, they were in mourning for someone who died. No one did mourning like the Victorians, that shit was an art form to them.
Someone in her family has died—she could even be a young widow. No one’s accompanying her either. With the carpet bag? She’s traveling alone while still in deep mourning. Look at the closeup. She’s got tears in her eyes. She is upset, devastated in a way that one is only when someone has died. And the guy’s still bothering her, like her problems are flippant bullshit and she needs to just smile or pay attention to him because ladies are supposed to be pleasing for men no matter what shit they’re going through. That’s not a look of “what an ass.” That’s a look of devastation that even in her pain, she’s expected to give people like him focus. She’s not mad. She’s hurt. And to add insult to injury? Everyone would be able to tell. It was a clear sign and still is in ways that someone is mourning, to dress in black crepe like that. He would know why she’s wearing all black, and he’s still demanding her attention.
What an insufferable dick.
Yep.
Okay … having just looked that up, I had a totally “Ewww that’s getting into Meller territory” initial reaction. Have you seen it? Is it like that?
Cassandra — 1) the ex was totally that much of an asshole 2) the pity blowjob dude was supposedly a virgin, so I’m not sure the logic really occurred to him (as irrational as it is, I kind of feel bad for the kid)
Kitteh — thanks…St Patrick’s day, so expect more tidbits as my brain refuses to let me think about anything else (which is probably why the anti-PTSD-nightmares drug ain’t cutting it…I can haz logic!)
“And being really STRONG because robots.” — *dies*
“…chobits…” — *dies again*
Chobits? Enough ew and creepy misogyny to keep this blog in business for months.
I kind of want to make pity blowjob dude go get one of those check-ups where they use the tongue depressor while he’s feeling pukey just to make a point.
(Waits for Abnoy to start whining about how feminists are censoring Chobits by thinking it’s laughable.)
I want the ex who demanded I do it to finally have a charge stick, dude’s always getting arrested and getting off, and probably won’t even have those run it’s now that personal use pot is more or less legal in CT.
Your version does seem like fair turn about, I’m just far madder at the ex. (And see…I couldn’t, duh, so um…other measures were taken, by both of them, if you catch my drift? I do hope you do, because I’d really rather not spell it out!)
Apparently 1mg of Ativan and I get along // good thing today was already stressful enough. Bought fish, had to deal with my father re: fish, which, for some reason, is his favorite topic to argue with me on (could be that I know when I’m right and won’t concede the fishy point)
Lol, he does have issues with thinking anime is real and our reactions to anime huh?
Ooo, I know what I want…time to try EA’s tea…
Back in a bit, try not to use up the troll chew toy while I’m gone!
Oh wait…tablet! Y’all can come with me to make tea 🙂
Hugs, Argenti. Hopefully karma will pay him a visit soon.
Thanks, and one can only hope. Though right now I’d just like to make my cheap generic tea and go back upstairs where I don’t have to listen to my father (EA’s is real loose leaf tea, too much work when I’m alternatively being grunted at and yelled at)
My father’s such a charmer isn’t he? >.<
Internet hugs if you want them, Argenti. 🙁
And here are Sharky and Max-Arthur arguing about who’ll do the dishes.
http://youtu.be/g5GCDS5Tnmk
Thanks.
Also, silly kitteh! Dishwashers are for humans!
Remember the video of Max-Arthur riding the roomba and smacking Sharky every time he goes past? That’s one of the funniest ever.
Misandry! Since all cats are feminine by association.
(Does this mean that a male cat is a catgina?)
“(Does this mean that a male cat is a catgina?)”
Only if he’s been neutered!
…wow…y’all just killed me all over again!
::sends emergency rations of whisky and chocolate via intertubes::
Lol chocolate! Thank you for reminding me that I’ve got the good stuff up here where I don’t have to listen to my father and brother being all “this is too rich for me *tries another chunk*” then stop eating my good chocolate dumbasses!
“Chobits? Enough ew and creepy misogyny to keep this blog in business for months.”
I’m an anime fan, and the only thing I’ve ever read about Chobits is the Wikipedia summary. Apparently it’s about a sex robot or something? I dunno.
Anime can get pretty creepy, especially when it comes to women. Apparently there’s a genre called “little sister” anime, where the protagonist forms an incestuous relationship with his little sister. I don’t know any specifics though because I’m hesitant to look any of this shit up.
“Does this mean that a male cat is a catgina?”
I lol’d 😀
If you’re comparing it to, say, some of the creepier hentai then Chobits initially seems harmless. Like a lot of anime, it’s not the fact that it deals with sex or relationships that makes it troubling so much as the underlying attitude towards women. The idea of women or woman-like creatures as pets and gosh wouldn’t that be nice because actual women are such a pain with their having free will and all, what a nuisance, comes up a lot in anime, and if you read the stuff that Abnoy posts you’ll see why. Why can’t women’s sexuality be something that you can switch on and off at will and that won’t exist for any man except you? What if there was a way to make that a reality? Hardcore otaku eat that shit up with a spoon, because they can’t deal with actual women and feel like the fact that they have to in their day to day lives is terribly unfair. There have been academic articles written in Japan about how these guys put the fun in dysfunctional, and the market has catered more and more to the most hardcore of them over time. Whenever it doesn’t do that, well, observe the kind of tantrums that ensue.*
(Sex and violence are both valid subjects for drama, so I have no problem with anime including them just like any other kind of movie or TV show would. This is not an argument that all anime should be made suitable for small children.)
*It’s not just Abnoy. There was one manga writer who had one of her characters make out with a guy in a car and as a result got hate mail and demands that she be removed from the authorship of her own product because how dare she corrupt the purity of CutieVirginChan or whatever the character was called? These guys do not have healthy attitudes towards women or sex, and they expect to be catered to.
I’ve only read very little of Chobits, but I got paedo vibes from it. Sure, computer girl looks like she’s hit puberty, but personality-wise she’s like a tiny child that’s learning everything for the first time.
The tendency to make women act like either children or excited puppies/kittens is so common in a certain kind of anime that it would make a great drinking game if it wasn’t for the possibility of alcohol poisoning. Example!
(Mr C and I abandoned that particular series soon after this point.)
“The idea of women or woman-like creatures as pets and gosh wouldn’t that be nice because actual women are such a pain with their having free will and all, what a nuisance, comes up a lot in anime,”
Reminds me of a cracked.com article about the weirdest erotic Japanese games. There was one about cat women where the protagonist literally has a cat woman as a pet and has sex with her. If that doesn’t send shivers down your spine, I dunno what will.
The fact that anime caters so much to these guys explains a lot though, like how it seems like most anime these days is of the harem genre or based on dating games. It seems like you have to dig through so much trash to find the good stuff.
“personality-wise she’s like a tiny child that’s learning everything for the first time.”
Most of the time it’s not as bad, but it’s a common recurring theme in modern anime. Even with the mainstream shonen shows like Bleach and Naruto, the main characters’ love interests will usually be portrayed as innocent and child-like.
luckily I have the perfect girlfriend for crazy anime fans (kinda sorta NSFW/NSFL): http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/11/18/finally-a-pillow-you-can-fk/
“I use males and females because men and women would be an ill-fit to refer to adolescents no, especially since it’s your sode that usually tries to deny adult agency to them?”
Huh? What is this? Stick to simple declarative sentences, friend.
Ah, much like the primary consumers of commercial porn in the US.
Best wishes and internet hugs to Lumi, and anyone else who wants them.