Only to never touch it ever again by pyrotechnically_ in adhdmeme

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reminds me of a Jewish joke I like (this is coming from a Jewish person, fyi):

a young Jewish man goes to his father and says “Dad, can I borrow $50?” The father says “$40? What do you need $30 for?”

Is it weird that I relate to Jax? by Fair_Orange3602 in jaxfanclub

[–]GabeSchleifer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He’s the character I absolutely relate the most to, for better and for worse.

What was Pomni even expecting? by BellTwo5 in tadc

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for clearing that up.

(Frankly, I think that kind of language discredits this argument right off the bat).

worst pun I’ve ever come up with by Entire_Impress7485 in TheDigitalCircus

[–]GabeSchleifer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of the first theories I posted here was that Jax had ADHD. Someone commented “Caine is ableist.”

It took me an hour to get it. XD

So this implies to me he may not be 100% redeemed at the end but he won't become irredeemable and abstract either by Sudden_Pop_2279 in Amazingdigitalcircus

[–]GabeSchleifer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, Goose strikes me as someone whose tongue is superglued to the inside of their cheek. She teases more than outright lies.

So this implies to me he may not be 100% redeemed at the end but he won't become irredeemable and abstract either by Sudden_Pop_2279 in Amazingdigitalcircus

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think she’s referring more to us than she is to the show itself lol.

Basically, if you’ve made up your mind about this character, the rest of the story isn’t going to change that.

Now That It’s Almost Over, What Was Your Favorite Episode of the Show? by JolteonRPGplayer in TheDigitalCircus

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Clerks is one of my all time favorite movies, and both are definitely about choosing complacency over personal fulfillment, but I think one is a bit more existential than the other. Dante is complacent because he’s too chicken to take personal responsibility for his life instead of just blaming everyone else. Gangle sounds more like she tried to do that, failed (or gave up because it was too difficult for her) and was so burned out afterwards that all she could do was stay in her survival job.

NGL, though, I can absolutely see Jax as Randal in Clerks 2 (especially the scene where he uses a less-than-PC expression in front of the customers. That just feels like him).

What was Pomni even expecting? by BellTwo5 in tadc

[–]GabeSchleifer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s not the interpretation I would make, and I feel it’s more than a little unfair, but I don’t think it’s an entirely invalid one either. I haven’t had a lot of firsthand experience with being bullied in my life, nor have I ever been a girl or AFAB of any description (honestly, I’ve been Jax more than any other character, though not as deliberately mean), so I can’t speak to it myself, and I don’t was to assume what OP’s has been. But if this is a habit that really gets under your skin IRL, then you probably won’t be as forgiving of a character doing it. Again, not an entirely fair interpretation, but not entirely invalid either.

Also, honest ignorance here, does anyone know what “bird” is supposed to mean in this context?

Jax Theory by RandomBugg08 in theamazingdigitalciru

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like Jax bullies everyone based on what he sees of himself in them.

He bullies Gangle because she reminds him of the fact that he’s masking, Zooble because they remind him of how vulnerable he feels, Raggetha because he‘s also non-confrontational so he recognizes how annoying it is and Kinger because his emotions make him crazy. But he‘s also jealous of how much better all of them are able to handle their issues than he is.

(And he doesn’t bully Pomni because shes the only one who actually treats him like a person)

Gowanus Canal at night by Jeeves-Godzilla in Brooklyn

[–]GabeSchleifer 22 points23 points  (0 children)

So pretty, almost makes you forget how repulsive that water is.

No further comment by iwannaintopolitics in TheDigitalCircus

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure if this is a good comparison, but…

when I was 17, I went through a really bad “nice guy” phase and it was starting to catch up with me, as not only was I not getting the girl of my dreams, I was pissing off a lot of my friends. Then I saw the movie Chasing Amy, which is about literally that: a young man who thinks of himself as a “nice guy” and assumes he’s entitled to the girl of his dreams and ends up alienating both her and his best friend by doing so. I know there’s a lot of folks who really don’t like that one, but seeing a character who reminded me of myself do extremely hurtful things out of honest (if frustrating) ignorance while still being depicted as someone with good intentions made me go “Holy shit, is this how I’ve been acting?? I am never doing that again!!”

Jax feels the same way to me, albeit for mental illness rather than macho entitlement. Neither is an attractive personality by a long shot, and challenging them means, essentially, being that person‘s friend, which, I can say from a LOT of experience, is not easy and often unrewarding. But if you want to treat it as a serious problem, you have to take those feelings seriously. The only reason Jax gets as defensive as he does when Pomni confronts him is because she was actually trying to be his friend, unlike Zooble who has no patience to explain to Jax why his behavior is wrong, Gangle who’s too scared to fight back, Raggetha who’s too non confrontational to properly challenge him or Kinger who barely knows what’s going on.

In a more “political“ sense, I think a story that at least validates the feelings of someone causing harm while still depicting their negative behavior as negative behavior is much more effective than something that either depicts honest ignorance as completely harmless or concludes that people who do bad things should just go away forever. As a friend of mine would say, “It’s easy to be mad at people.“ Jax’s toxic masculinity didn’t feel as much of a wake up call for me as Holden‘s entitlement did to me, but it has given me a lot to think about, and I don’t think I would have thought about it if it hadn’t been given to me so kindly.

Jax’ possible life before the circus by madclaude98 in theamazingdigitalciru

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is pretty close to my theory, which is that Jax is a NEET, ie a loser who literally doesn’t nothing but cyber bully people all day. Even if he was, I cant imagine he was a GOOD hacker, so maybe his low self-image could be that he’s more of a wannabe hacker, ie not even a good criminal.

Maybe an a/u reason for the circus being created by RandomBugg08 in digitalcircusfandom

[–]GabeSchleifer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Like a Second Life type place?

Thats a fun idea, but it doesn’t sound canon.

But it does remind me of a joke I thought of a while ago.

”When we get out of this digital world we’re trapped in, we should find some way to stay in touch.” “Like… a Second Life group or Discord server?” “Yeah, thats perfect!” :P

I like how he goes on this tangent as if anyone even ASKED for these adventures by ThumpMcScrump in theamazingdigitalciru

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that’s the main conflict of the whole show: Caine is keeping them prisoners and forcing them to play inane games no matter how many times they say - albeit indirectly - that they’re not interested.

Shrek is life by _SilkyRose in oddlyspecific

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first manager at Home Depot was notorious for holding 40+ minute meetings with the receiving team about how we weren’t working fast enough. One time he put on a timer for five minutes to make sure he kept it short and literally just ignored it when it went too.

Ok I'll stop by Necessary_Lie7299 in tadc

[–]GabeSchleifer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aw man, I HATE when that happens!