An open thread for Memorial Day. A day for Americans to remember those who have given their lives for their country.
And a day for a man who’s never sacrificed anything in his life to make a buffoon of himself at Arlington National Cemetery.
"Then they'll play the National Anthem. That part's easy. Just stand still."
"Got it."
pic.twitter.com/9oNjcXvQOW— shauna (@goldengateblond) May 29, 2017
@ Francesca Off topic a bit, since this isn’t Icelandic (to my knowledge,) but what’s your opinion on lutefisk? A friend bought me some, since I try everything once, and I’m terrified of it.
Edited: 100% on your side for garlic and onion~ I’m weird, apparently, for roasting garlic, then peeling it and eating it on sandwiches.
So what happened to the “don’t like it, don’t buy it” mantra? Or their cries of CENSORSHIP? I mean, they’re people demanding the creator change his/her vision of the game to suit their wants.
To chime in about food (a consuming passion): my husband, who is Black, finds most fish distasteful. Our younger son, also Black, enjoys almost all fish.
The son and I share a particular fondness for small, oily fish. When it’s just the two of us, we have anchovies on our pizza. I’ve introduced him to sprats, as well.
He also shares my enthusiasm for mayonnaise.
On the OP topic, my father was a WWII veteran. That may have influenced my career in the VA.
@Francesca
I fully support anything that pisses white supremacists off. Maybe she could explicitly select only women to be her Huscarls/subcommanders, and wind up so feared by the Christian dogs that cities surrender at the sight of her banner.
It’s weird that white supremacists like vikings. Women warriors weren’t uncommon among them.
No worries, Fran.
As for the Ironborn, I’m not much of a fan of most of them. Except for Asha. Yara, to those who only watch the show. The men are just so misogynistic. Probably more so than real Vikings considering that Viking women had a lot more rights than European women did after the church took over basically the whole continent.
I’m a big fan of Legertha from the TV show Vikings
@Alan
Yep, I knew about that guy. He was actually the genesis for my whole Black Viking Woman Fleet Commander idea. Well done!
As I understand it, the Vikings made trips to Africa, so it’s not inconceivable that they would have been in contact with black people. They may even have taken some with them.
But, y’know, the people who insist that racial homogeneity is muh historical accuracy don’t want to hear that.
I also knew that the Vikings found North America before the popular kids like Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci did and called it Vinland.
@Robert
We need to start a Mammoth Epicurean Club, apparently.
The Hotep cultists who insist that black people should not eat white people food would say you have corrupted your black son with White devilry by allowing him to like mayonnaise! OMG! 😀
Seriously, though, mayonnaise is pretty cool. Your family sounds awesome. I’m really happy for you.
@Sandra
Again, I must suspect you of wiretapping my office because I intended to do just that.
As is typical for me, I had an ulterior motive for doing it.
Y’see, white women are supposed to be the Sworn Enemies of black women [listen to Queen Beyonce’s songs about “Becky With The Good Hair” for more information about white women, who are usually named Becky, intruding upon black women].
So, this black woman Viking? She’s so tough she has her own army of Viking Beckies and isn’t afraid of them.
Also, yeah, apparently we aren’t allowed to be friends. Or, at least, I am not very good at being a black woman. Sorry.
My social circles include Beckys With Good Hair. I am a failure at life.
Now I can never be as glamourous as Beyonce. 😀
@Checkmate
I have heard about it and would like to give it a try!
Also, yes, Garlic is life.
@Francesca
I didn’t know that about black american culture.
It makes sense xD Have them feel enough loyalty that they go off on their own to kidnap a Jarl or something if he gives her shit.
Bonus points if you have this Viking commander taunt some ecclesiastical person with how his god is never going to save him.
And also if she recruits nuns to her cause.
I always considered it strange to assume there were no black vikings. We’re willing to accept that Vikings sailed to Canada across an ocean nobody knew there was an other side to, but not that Vikings raided the coasts of Iberia and sailed just a little further south than that? Or that organized raiders might not have given a single goddamn shit what a person looked like if they could stab people properly?
BTW, I brought up the shieldmaiden thing with some misogynists a while back who were pissed about a video game having the gall to assign a WOMZ as a mandatory party member for exactly one month of gameplay. And for having about an even ratio of men and women in all parts of the game. Their response? To deny that this historical phenomenon ever existed. Whatever, losers.
When I was much younger, my first video game was Age of Empires. It was sweet. My biggest problem with it was that there were no women in it. So when Age of Empires II came out, with about half of all villagers being women, I considered that point the single greatest improvement over Age of Empires. Even though that wasn’t much of an improvement at all. And when Empire: Dawn of the Modern World featured women snipers, T-34s, and fighter planes for the Russians, I really adored that game for it. Point is, including women helps games, period.
@Francesca: I don’t think that TVTropes has some sort of white nationalist agenda. If you read the article, it merely states that the trope refers to areas where the audience would perceive someone as a racial anachronism, not where the individual actually WOULD be. It even notes that in many cases, it’s not actually an anachronism, linking to the “Reality is Unrealistic” trope.
They do! Although now there isn’t a set price, you donate however much you want to.
Update on the lutefisk, it’s odd, gelatinous, and kinda mild, it doesn’t taste like much of anything. Don’t know if I’d eat it again.
@Sandra
I am stealing all these ideas.
Glad I could bring you up to speed on American pop culture. As they like to say over here, you gon’ learn something today.
Yes, in the mythology of the Black American Experience, white women, or Beckies, are scurrilous succubi that exist only to feed off the precious bodily fluids of black males, and to attack black women wherever they go.
There was an article I was reading about this black dude who said his worst fear is basically a skinny white woman with a ponytail and yoga pants.
That is the face of Satan Lucifer, people; a white woman in tight pants with a ponytail.
Apparently we are both not very good at our respective roles.
I hang out with Beckies and don’t afraid of anything.
You don’t much care for men at all. Also, I don’t know if you have big breasts, long, perfect blonde hair (The Good Hair™) and wear tight spandex yoga pants and talk loudly about your pumpkin spice latte to anyone within earshot.
I would probably also let you put your hands on my hair, which is Black Woman/Becky Faux Pas #9001. I understand you don’t like touching people, though, so that isn’t an issue.
Another thing I don’t do that all the popular black women do is record myself combing my hair and put it on YouTube, as a lot of American black women are doing.
I have long, luscious hair that many people are fascinated by. Perhaps I should look into it. It just never occured to me to become a hair YouTuber like all the other popular, happening black women on there.
Look up Taren Guy if you want to see one of the more popular black women who do hair YouTube videos.
@ChimericMind
That may be so.
The article is still weird and gross to me, personally. I take issue with it on principle.
@WWTH
Asha is best Ironborn.
I wish Vicky and Euron would fucking die already. They are so boring, oh my God.
@Francesca
Ummm….I don’t look anything like that. And I can’t think of any reason I’d view anyone’s bodily fluids as being precious enough to be worth stealing. Well, not any real world reason.
I often have a ponytail because who has the energy to do hair stuff, but I don’t own any yoga pants and my hair is about the color of midnight. I’m gonna keep my boobs or non-boobs as the case may be to myself right now, thanks.
I also don’t like coffee or lattes. Any of them. At all. Avoid them like the plague, along with beer.
I’m also neither a vegetarian or vegan, which is apparently unusual enough to be remarkable as far as white women of about my age goes. One thing I never ever eat is seafood. For personal spiritual reasons, though I say it’s an allergy cause other people are assholes.
Probably the single best thing I’ve ever eaten is tortellini. I’ve heard rumors of a tortellini pizza, and I really wanna try that eventually.
@Checkmate
That sounds lovely. It’s exactly what I want out of my White People Food.
Your description hits all my pleasure centers.
Today I made grilled chicken breast with a little bit of thyme and parsley and a baked potato for lunch, with a salad.
It was scrummy and delicious and not very spicy at all.
@Sandra
I understand entirely.
I try to ignore the whole “MAN, FUCK SPIRITUALITY” shtick some people have going, because, you know, people gotta be original and edgy, I would respect the fuck out of your choices.
But then again, I’m an Asatruar and therefore I am also spiritual in my own small, odd way, so yes.
Today I met a Neopagan at the vape shop I buy my vape fluid at and we chatted about these things a little.
@Francesca
I literally have no organized religion. I consider myself an atheist, but I still have spiritual reasons for not eating fish. I kinda identify with them. Illusion of freedom, but not so free. Caged and held up for others to stare at, to poke and prod, and ugh. Utterly alien to most of the people I’ve met.
I’m trying to eat less meat, which is only sort of working.
I’ve actually eaten seafood so infrequently it literally makes me sick at this point.
One reason I say it’s an allergy is because other people make a point to try and sneak fish into my food or food near me or pressure me into eating it if I say it’s for spiritual reasons. In much the same as what happens to some vegetarian friends of mine.
In the words of my parents (Devout catholics) on this topic “We all have to grow up sometime, [deadname]”
(Warning: contains link to Something Awful.)
Francesca built thus:
Except for the ones who’d blame it on the tasting of swine. (Is that still a concern, or am I confusing present-day hoteps with the characters from Something Awful’s old “The Legend of Tooth Tooth” series?)
What the fuck? If you don’t want to eat something why does anyone feel the need to make you eat it? Literally any reason is a good reason because it’s your body and it doesn’t affect anyone else *at all*.
@Kupo
I don’t even fucking know. I just know it happens all the damn time to my vegetarian friends, and to me somewhat less often. But only because my seafood thing doesn’t come up that often.
If I had to guess, I’d say these people view me as thinking I am in some way superior for not eating fish, and breaking my “superiority” is the closest they will ever come to feeling like they’ve done something at all in their life.
@Sandra
Those people are so dumb.
SOOOOOO dumb. Like, astronomical levels of stupidity right there.
@Austin
Oh, no, the Heauxteps are still all about not eating swine. You’re shack on the target there.
I eat bacon, so I’m doubly bad at being a Black Goddess-Empress.
I’m basically the worst at my job of being a Melinanated Super-Being.
@Fran
I’ll tell ya this much: if it wasn’t for TV Tropes (which not too long ago deleted its page for the upcoming site due to YMMV issues), I would’ve never found Fundies Say The Darndest Things, and from there the snip from those Philosophy of Rape fellows (it was A Bad Thing), where Dave commented, which led me here.
That said, it does have its fair share of issues locked up. As a documentation of popular culture (primarily Western), this…isn’t wholly unexpected by any means, but still very unfortunate. But a single tropette can’t completely overhaul the system in a night. (At least not without copious amounts of caffeine, Adderall, and risk of getting admins on my ass.)
@ troubelle
Well, you don’t have to touch the Krav Maga page; that seems fine 😉
@Austin
@Robert
Geez, you guys, now I’m imagining poor Robert having to raise his son Hotep-style, all reading books about how THE WHITE MANS IS EFFEMINIZING BLACK GODS, and how to eat AFRIKAN food, and how to only wear Dashikis and not speak English because English be some white devilry, you guys.
Thanks for reminding me about my inadequacies.
[stuffs bacon into mouth while crying. Fran is now cry-eating.]
@Troubelle
I getcha. Honestly, the Fran from ten years ago would have overlooked it. I have become indiscriminately harsh when it comes to fandom stuff like TVTropes and even the slightest indication of problematic shit, however.
I didn’t become this way by choice – being bombarded by racist people in various fandoms is what made me harsh.
@Francesca
I literally ate an entire pizza earlier today. I’m not doing the “Worry about your weight” thing very well.
@ ignoresandra
So long as you don’t cut it that’s really just one slice.
@Fran
Honestly, it varies by page somewhat. Problematic tropes have problematic pages and entries, and the pages of works skew towards the views of the fandom they attract. (For instance, the pages for the Not Always sites, like said sites, skew towards social justice for the most part.)
There’s also a few things universally mocked for terrible views, mostly FATAL (eurgh), but that’s a scope beyond TV Tropes.
Still, I can understand how you came to have a wary eye towards fandom…at least, I understand as far as I can in far different shoes. Jerks infest things and gnaw at what makes them good.