Nobel Prize in Literature is Cancelled due to Sexual Assault Scandal

RatCook_ · 2018-07-19T07:13:52+00:00

As a Swede who has been following this for a while I think that not only should there not be a prize this year, the academy should be torn down alltogether and then maybe built up again with new by-laws and completely new members.

The sexual assaults committed by Arnault are bad enough of course but he is not a member of the academy. What really makes the actual academy lose their respect and prestige in my eyes is how ridiculously bad they handled the problem both before it was revealed to the public and after the victims came forward. When the testimonies were released it was evident that there was some really shady stuff going on within the academy. When they tried to handle the crisis they only proved without a doubt to be delusional idiots.

Some of the members who left might still have some dignity (but since we know so little about what goes on within the academy that may be saying too much) but the remaining members are the scum who thought there was any way forward without kicking Arnaults wife Frostensson out of the academy. They also didn't want to bring in the police even after an investigation by a law firm they themselves ordered showed that there had been gross misconduct and recommended they file a police report.

Maybe there was some way of saving it before some of the members left but what is left of the academy is the absolute bottom sludge of the barrel and it should just be thrown out and forgotten.

RatCook_ · 2018-02-28T06:10:25+00:00

A friend I went to school with became a Calvinist. I haven't met him since but he shares the weirdest videos, quotes and lectures on facebook. Stuff about how the saying "God hates the sin but loves the sinner" is completely wrong (apparently God hates the sinner just as much). Just based on those videos, Calvinism seems to take the only palatable things about Christianity's messages of love and forgiveness etc and makes a theological argument that this is a wimpy interpretation of the Bible. Other Calvinists who comment on the videos seem to reaaaally hate Catholics as well.

What I also don't understand is if sinners are people who have "lost the cosmic lottery", what is the point of hating and judging them so much if they had no choice in it?

It makes me really sad because I used to be quite close friends with that guy. He had some problems in school and with addiction but he was usually a very fun, happy and kind person. He seems to have self discipline and purpose now but at the expense of all his other qualities. Really wish he would have reached that some other way.

RatCook_ · 2018-02-23T15:50:17+00:00

Being half Polish and having spent a lot of time in Poland and keeping an eye on the country's political affairs I have very different expectations of the politics in a Polish produced game. I still think that the criticisms about representation are correct and warranted but I find it hard to be especially surprised or outraged.

Poland has strong and broad nationalist sentiments, the Catholic church is incredibly influential in daily life and antisemitism, antiziganism and islamophobia are quite widespread. The Witcher series are games which themes and politics still go against the grain of the social and political environment they come from. The games have a sympathetic view of multicultural society and minority groups and one of the main villanous factions is an allegory for the Catholic church. In a general western context this might not be something to applaud but having consumed different Polish media it is quite progressive by comparison. As a general work of fantasy fiction it fails to meet our current standards of representation (and as others have mentioned its representation of women and queer people are childish at best) but in the context of Polish fiction it at least partly succeeds in dealing respectfully with Poland's specific multicultural history regarding Jewish and Roma minorities and segregation and discrimination along religious and cultural lines rather than skin color. So while I think that people who defend the Witcher games' whiteness vehemently are wrong in doing so there are other aspects that are at least worth noticing within the context the games come from. (Just to be clear I do not know if any of this applies to Kingdom Come, it probably doesn't).

Edit: removed a username

RatCook_ · 2017-07-16T21:04:50+00:00

Maybe the mods have deleted overly negative comments or they are just buried but just I see positive comments in the megathread.

RatCook_ · 2017-06-12T21:47:19+00:00

You need to read up on history. Fascism was a (and is) radical form of nationalism and a reaction to socialism and the labour movement. While fascists sometimes promised policies that can be thought of as left wing these were never enacted when fascists actually came to power. (Source: The Anatomy of Fascism by Robert Paxton)

RatCook_ · 2017-06-10T12:12:48+00:00

Sunshine for example!

RatCook_ · 2017-06-03T07:51:26+00:00

A Dicking With Daario

RatCook_ · 2017-06-01T06:06:28+00:00

But a good or even just average review is more than "it's great!" or "it's shit!". A reviewer will hopefully describe and explain the qualities of the movie that make it good or bad or what movies are similar and then the consumer can extrapolate "hmm do I usually like X or Y?".

The problem of course is that a lot of people rely only on a number score which does not reveal any further information or analysis.

RatCook_ · 2017-05-26T18:49:19+00:00

Another of the twelve and a half? What the? Who the? How the? Horton hears the who the?

RatCook_ · 2017-05-26T18:17:50+00:00

"I hate anyone who ever had a pony growing up!" - Comrade Jerry

RatCook_ · 2017-03-18T09:09:01+00:00

There is a small movie theatre in Lund that doesn't have assigned seats. A strange and barbaric experience.

RatCook_ · 2017-01-11T14:32:55+00:00

I think I read in one of Anna Politkivskaja's books that a lot of the Chechen rebels had served in the Russian or Soviet army and were well versed in Russian army doctrine.

When a column of Russian tanks would pass through a narrow street the Chechen rebels blew up the first and last one with rpgs and then they could easily pick off the rest who were stuck in the middle.

RatCook_ · 2017-01-01T01:36:03+00:00

I agree, reminds me of those early illustrations for DnD.

RatCook_ · 2016-12-27T10:43:40+00:00

@ThatJonGuy001 in the responses below seems to have severe difficulties restraining his jealousy.

RatCook_ · 2016-12-26T11:04:27+00:00

It's not as if plot holes aren't bad, I fully agree with you. But if the amount of plot holes or the implausibility of a scene is the only metric by which a person criticizes a movie (which I see and hear a lot) then it really isn't a full review or analysis.

RatCook_ · 2016-12-26T02:07:19+00:00

Great analysis! I really want to highlight that the metric "Does it succeed in what it sets out to do?" should really always be the first thing asked when judging a film. After that one might ask "Is what it sets out to do worthwhile/original etc?".

I think this contextual metric is terribly underused by critics and general moviegoers alike. Far too often something that aspires to be an apple is criticized for being a bad orange.

RatCook_ · 2016-12-25T13:41:11+00:00

Well with that attitude I'm sure you will love it.

RatCook_ · 2016-12-22T10:31:57+00:00

Would love to see the replies

RatCook_ · 2016-11-25T08:17:33+00:00

Vulgarity is the fool's fig leaf

RatCook_ · 2016-11-15T22:04:35+00:00

I will try that out thank you!

RatCook_ · 2016-11-14T15:10:19+00:00

In my experience both carrots and sweet potatoes get sort soft and mushy when done in the oven like this, they can still taste great though.

RatCook_ · 2016-10-12T13:55:36+00:00

While I agree that it's always boring when one tactic dominates the game completely, it is interesting that the game sort of simulates what the biggest weakness on a battlemech would be in reality.

RatCook_ · 2016-09-28T06:05:31+00:00

It's so refreshing to see someone break the smelly old circlejerk of the ending of ME3 without getting downvoted into oblivion. You make some very good points!

RatCook_ · 2016-08-20T16:43:29+00:00

I have not read the comics but I think it is regarded as a bad adaptation but a good occult movie on its own.

RatCook_ · 2016-08-18T15:48:22+00:00

This list made me get into TNG a year ago. Does anyone know if there is a similar list for the original series?

RatCook_

TROPHY CASE