etoks21

GREAT to hear from you, Maggi. And I'm happy you're spending time with friends. Blue Jasmine...with The Blanchette, yes? I may have seen it and liked it in the theater long ago. Is that the one in which she's a raging alcoholic? There's a scene is which she's agitated about something she brought on herself, drinking straight booze, bitching at someone else, and among all this she drops the aside "...fuck why isn't the Xanax kicking in?", yes? I laughed out loud like a maniac at that line because it's such an accurate, hilarious depiction of addictive thinking.

As in "I've been abusing booze for years and have a great tolerance to it, I've been abusing Xanax for years and require ever-higher doses to get the effect, I know booze increases anxiety and I know booze disrupts the effectiveness of Xanax, but I'm fucking PISSED that my booze AND my Xanax aren't working, dammnit!!!" lol

As much as I defend Woody against all the morons who insist against all evidence that he molested Mia's crazy adopted daughter (they don't generally know that Woody never adopted her because that would require knowing things), I haven't seen many of his films. I saw "Annie Hall" and was so put off by that character and Diane Keeton's portrayal, that I never again gave much thought to seeing his stuff.

I don't care for Keeton in general, but if you haven't seen "The Other Sister," I highly recommend it.

I'm glad you approve, Neamenlove. :)

This reply to me was rude and unnecessary. Please apologize. Also, please learn to UNDERSTAND written English before replying to comments written by people who use it.

Not once, in the comment above, did I "call the commenter a moron." In each instance in which I used that word, I specifically wrote "You are a moron IF..." If the reader determines from the latter portion of each statement that they ARE a moron, that is their own conclusion, not something I have called them. Brush up on English comprehension.

It's clear you enjoy playing Comment Thread Officer Giggly here, but don't expect me to take part in your fantasies. I don't care what you think of my comments.

I DO have a lot of opinions, and I'm not afraid to share them. If you don't like them, ignore them. If you can't control yourself to do that, it's not my problem. If you're intimidated by them, or unwilling to share and explain your own opinions, which I'd guess you have a lot of too, that's not my problem either.

The only rational, justifiable limits on speech in a free society are those addressing slander, libel, or the concept of not being free to "yell FIRE! in a crowded theater." Anything else is subjective thought control, censorship, and pure BS. Go live in China, unless you're already there. Russia, Hungary, Cuba, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and other countries ruled by authoritarian governments that squash free speech might also be to your liking.

In the U.S. we also have laws addressing "hate speech," which attempt to address speech that incites violence or creates an imminent threat to the safety and livelihoods of minority groups targeted by said speech. There is a lot of gray in this area, which is why violations are not always easy to prove.

I hadn't heard that "pure blood" Koreans or "half-blood" Korean-Black citizens have been threatened or harmed (hurt fee-fees don't count) as a result of the publication of Get Schooled, have you? If so, please let me know. Nor have I heard of any lawsuits or police investigations alleging such a thing...have you?

As much as I'm sure you'd like to, you don't get to shut down the dissemination of art just because it makes you uncomfortable. That's a big part of what art is supposed to do. Being uncomfortable should cause people to THINK about WHY they're uncomfortable; and to reconsider their assumptions. You probably don't like having your biases challenged though, do you? I know, thinking can be hard.

Move on. Officer GigglyDoodle. You're not needed here.

Oh dear, was that rude?

I agree with almost everything you wrote here. I do not agree with your implication (if this is what you're implying), that the racism in Get Schooled is not portrayed "thoughtfully." In any case, that determination is entirely a matter of opinion.

Sometimes, the most powerful depictions of negative human behaviors in fiction are what draws the most criticism as not being 'thoughtful," precisely because it IS so powerful and challenges people's safe zones and assumptions, to which a LOT of people react defensively.

Finally, there is a great deal of fictional art out there that is not produced thoughtfully. In which case, I stop watching and urge others to do likewise. In a free and open society, there is no Thoughtfulness Board, through which art must pass for approval before it can be released to the zeitgeist. There is a lot of crap floating around out there and I'm glad of it, even though I don't watch, listen, or hear it once I determine it's crap.

You are a moron if you missed the arrogant, racist assumption by the Korean bully in this chapter that he is the ONLY "pure blood" Korean in the school, and bullies the Korean-Ethiopian kid. Perhaps you lived in Korea too long, and soaked up the monoculture there with its inherent fear and loathing of the "other" 3%. You lack objectivity.

You are a moron if you missed the bullying inherent in this asshole's belief that he is the only "pure blood" in the school, as if there is such a thing.

You are a moron if you see that dude as a victim.

You are a moron if you missed the numerous word balloons in the chapter in which other students mock the half-blood student as a "monkey," a n****r, and with various other, wildly racist insults.

You are a moron if you believe no minority Korean has EVER, anywhere, in Korea, bullied a "pure blood," whether for the fun of it, or out of retaliation for bullying they have received.

You are a moron if, in any case, you believe a fictional event or behavior has to have occurred in "reality" before it can be portrayed in fictional works of art. Such a requirement would eliminate half of all drama and ALL of science/supernatural/fantasy fiction.

You are a moron if you believe audience members run out of theaters or away from their computer/TV screen after seeing negative behaviors in fictional storytelling, all in a mad rush to emulate in the real world what they just saw on the screen, rather than being repulsed by it and taking from it the message it sends but that you missed.

Finally, you are an arrogant, censorious moron if you believe that, for any reason, you or anyone else has the right to determine what content is allowed to be disseminated into what should be the free flow of ideas and speech in a free society.

Please respond. I look forward to more of your moronic thinking and writing, so I can mock it accordingly.

I just started this, but had to stop to say that is the most handsome/sexy set of ears I have ever seen. :) After just a few minutes, it's clear Lee Tae Yung is the star here, but the other guy is very good as well. I saw this was shot in the vertical on somebody's phone and thought what the hell and almost ditched it, but as annoying as that narrow screen is, it's shocking how good the actors, story, writing, and direction is...at least so far.

I'm old and stupid about such things, so if someone would explain why this was shot the way it was, I would appreciate it. If you really had to use a phone due to budget, why wouldn't you at least shoot in landscape aspect?

There are a great many delusional people on MDL. :)
A lot of them are probably also the "netizens" the media quotes to whip up these stupid, imaginary, Korean "controversies" and make big bucks on ad sales and Internet clicks in so doing.

What's sad is that so often the targets of these faux controversies, the spineless producers of movies and dramas, bow to the imaginary pressure implied by the hysterical media coverage and start self-censoring themselves based on the complaints of a tiny minority.

For instance, the GS publisher has pulled the Manhwa from North America already. I bet Asia will get to see it though. We have the most loud-mouthed, censorious delicate flowers here in the U.S.

Maggi! After I wrote the comment below, I then saw your name above and realized it was YOU. lol
Now I am REALLY curious as to why you watched until the end.

Since you were disgusted, I'm curious as to why you watched until the end.

Hi Tish! Did someone ask for your original opinion above? I'm pretty sure not. It's better to just ignore yourself. lolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll :D

What makes you think I'm "bothered?"
Why are you so "bothered" by a complete stranger's reply to your op? I'm pretty sure replies to comments posted by complete strangers are common, on MDL and everywhere else on the Internet.

I think you should relax your sphincter too! hahahahahahahaha oh plss

Thank you! It's been a while, fellow mud-packer. ;)

Oh god, no! I love butt-f**king! Why do you ask?

My understanding is that this show was not submitted to the Chinese censors because it has been distributed only OUTSIDE China. Had it been subject to homo-hating Chinese censors, the tiny smooches we got would have been cut. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

My understanding is that this show was not submitted to the Chinese censors because it has been distributed only OUTSIDE China. Had it been subject to homo-hating Chinese censors, the tiny smooches we got would have been cut.

Yes, as I wrote above, I have done my research.

By "it," are you referring to the "controversial" (what in Korea is NOT "controversial? Manufactured controversies relentlessly flogged by media and netizens, are a big part of why so many Korean actors/entertainers end up killing themselves.) chapter 125 or the webtoon as a whole?

Let me summarize the situation in question in "Get Schooled:" A bully who considers himself the only "pure Korean" in the school, harasses a Korean-Ethiopian student as a "half-blood." Other students join in with racist comments and insults. The Korean-Ethiopian retaliates by harassing the Korean bully with derogatory, insulting, racially-based comments and actions. A classic case of the oppressed oppressing others in response. Yeah...so what? This is how fictional storytelling works

LOTS of racists use caricaturish imagery to insult their targets, such as monkey gestures, pulling their eyes up with their fingers to make "slant-eyes," etc. That's what racists do. They also call people "n****r," "chink," "Jap," "cracker," "wetback," "raghead," and a thousand other derogatory names all over the world; it's not just in Korea. You know that, right?

Are you arguing that the behaviors I mention above are not repugnant on their face, and don't make the characters who exhibit them look like the moronic racists they are? Are you arguing that the portrayal of these characters and their repulsive behaviors in GS is attractive to the average reader, and inspires readers to emulate their ways to look good too? Are you arguing that the best way to combat racism is to HIDE it?

When I viewed Chapter 125, I was revolted by the actions and words of the racist students, weren't you? Newsflash: We are SUPPOSED TO BE revolted. That is the point. If you don't understand that, you should not be reading anything other than perhaps the blandest children's books you can find.

As to your objections to the artist's depiction of the Korean-Ethiopian student's facial features...you do know this is a CARTOON, right? After seeing the artwork, I'm wondering why you see an illustration of a character with brown skin, thicker lips, and tightly curled hair as an automatically negative thing. Your reaction to what you see there seems a little...racist to me.

You know, I've long wondered why Asian characters in Manhwas and Mangas are depicted with far more European-looking features than Asian ones. They generally have no skin pigmentation at all, with the exception of red to show blushing or embarrassment, or in the case of female characters, to make them look like overly made-up street walkers. The erasure of the Asian characters' racial characteristics seems pretty...racist to me. Have you complained about that?

I laughed when I read your claim that the scenes in the Manhwa in question are a declaration that the few Korean-Black people in Korea are "constantly" harassing "pure-blood" Koreans. Where in the Manhwa is that assertion made? We see ONE Korean-Black student doing this, and he does it to the "pure-blood" Korean bully who harasses him. Get it?

And surely you're not asserting that there is no racism against the few Black or half-Black people living in Korea! If so, you are willfully ignorant. Lots of South Koreans are racist toward even those among them who are half-Chinese or half-Japanese, let alone full-blooded Chinese or Japanese people. Korea is such a monoracial/monoethnic/monocultural society that racism against those who don't fit the mold is a given and has been for centuries.

Many Chinese are wary of Japanese and Koreans, Japanese are wary of Koreans and Chinese, and Koreans are wary of Chinese and Japanese. This is not news. Good god, ethnically identical NORTH Koreans have a hard time being embraced by South Korean society. Have you complained about that?

All of that said, even IF there is no push-back to racist behavior shown in a fictional work of art within the work itself...so what? Don't read it. Don't buy it. Write comments and articles against it as you are doing. BUT you have no right to prevent others from seeing what you object to just because you object to it, and are too blinded by reactionary thought processes to recognize the lessons it teaches.

Even if there is NO true meaning at all, you have no right to demand its removal from the public sphere. The NINETY-NINE MILLION people who have read the Manhwa don't need your protection from racist images; they are free to see/read the work and perhaps take messages from it you're too eager to be offended to learn.

I applaud KMY for taking over this role after KNT got cold feet. Good for him. I've long admired KMY as an actor and human being. Now I admire him more. I look forward to seeing this adaptation, though as I've said, I hope its hard-hitting messages aren't watered down in cowardly reaction to censorious netizens such as you.

You seem to be confusing the actor with the character he was playing in "No Regret," which was the point of my question in reply to the brain-dead "good morals" comment above it.

The CHARACTER'S morals are in question, not the actor's, just as an actor who takes part in a webtoon adaptation depicting scenes of racist images, actions, and behaviors is not a racist. In this case, it sounds as though in the role for which he was cast, KNG's character would not have acted out any of the aforementioned behaviors, though other actors/characters would have.

Your statement of "concern" above is a bit silly. Of course, you're "concerned," that's your reaction to the behavior. Are you not "concerned" when an actor portrays a character who commits murder, rape, arson, kidnapping, torture, theft, or any other of a thousand negative human actions? is it only racist and sexual infidelity that "concerns" you? Of course not.

However, the depiction of negative human behaviors in drama and art of all kinds is what gives drama its conflict and depth, as it has since plays were first written and enacted thousands of years ago, depicting murder, incest, adultery, and all manner of horrendous activities. If there is no darkness to lend contrast, and all we see is the light, art of all kinds would be...boring and meaningless.

But apparently, that's what you and a few thousand attention-seeking, self-righteous netizens want to see onscreen; nice characters enacting nice behaviors and experiencing nice outcomes. No one would bother watching such pablum.

NO REGRET restored, remastered: https://b4watch.com/movies/no-regret/
For English subs, click on the first "Watch Full" bar below the screen.
Enjoy.

What would Korean entertainment media write about without all these manufactured "controversies" that amount to nothing? If this webtoon is as freaky as it sounds, I hope the director/writers don't drain all the juice out of it in the adaptation.

I just did a little research on "Get Schooled." It's the same old, censor-happy, busy-bodies attempting to shut down anything that takes them out of their comfort zone. Guess what? Art exists to challenge us and take us out of our comfort zones.

Please tell me how one confronts/addresses racism/homophobia/xenophobia/murder/kidnapping/adultery/rape/torture/authoritarianism/etc. without DEPICTING the behaviors and speech that flow from those things? Answer: It can't be done.

So, the answer, as always, is if you don't like what you're seeing, watching, viewing, hearing, STOP seeing, watching, viewing, hearing it and leave the rest of us alone.

It's telling the webtoon has been pulled from the web only in North America because we have a high concentration of delicate flowers.

Finally, the webtoon has 99M views. The Tik Tok video getting all the attention was made by some American girl who is unable to articulate her objections and thus uses head bobs, facial contortions, eye-rolls and smirks instead, and has 22,000 views. Who cares what these people say? NINETY-NINE MILLION VIEWS.

There is a HUGE audience for the series being made from this toon and I hope the producers don't flush the life out of it on screen. I applaud KMY for taking over this role. I've long thought highly of him as an actor and human being; now I feel more so that way. I am eager to see the adaptation and I hope it is as fearless as its source material.

"...good morals." lol

Was Kim Nam Gil having "good morals" when he was cheating on his fiancee with a dude, butt-f**king that dude in the a** repeatedly, then dumping the dude he was butt-f**king to go ahead and marry the fiancee he had been cheating on with the dude he was butt-f**king, in my second-favorite movie of all time, "No Regret?"

Just asking.

BRAVO.