Interesting Links for 08-03-2023

[andrewducker]

1. Britons waiting twice as long for sickness benefits under Tories

(tags:uk Conservatives disability austerity OhForFucksSake )

2. Children of same-sex couples fare as well as or better than heterosexual ones

(tags:lgbt parenting )

3. We don't have a blasphemy law, but we have a system that punishes it

(tags:blasphemy uk freespeech police )

4. How the UN's ocean treaty, decades in the making, will transform the way we protect the seas

(tags:UnitedNations ocean nature GoodNews )

5. Scientists decode why people are scared of clowns

(tags:phobia fear humans faces )

6. Are modern superhero comics missing the ordinary people?

(tags:comics writing superheroes )

7. I suspect the court case over this will cost Elon Musk a small fortune

(tags:ElonMusk disability OhForFucksSake )

8. Labour retreats from pledge to nationalise energy, water and mail if it wins next general election

(tags:labour privatisation politics UK OhForFucksSake )

9. Edinburgh Council backs bid to ban vehicles from parts of Leith

(tags:Edinburgh cars transport )

Comments

[mellowtigger]

#6 superheroes: Yes. It's a bit of a culture shock when I watch old black-and-white tv episodes of Superman, even more recent color episodes of Wonder Woman. The common person mattered in those old stories.

[channelpenguin]

You know, I think it's not just superhero films, it's far too many across genres. Hmph. That's sad. Like nobody matters unless they are special/part of an elite. Also what heroes and heroines FOR, if they are not for protecting the ordinary person. And it's much more engaging when that's at least some of the time on a personal level, not just in an abstract "saving the people" way.

[mellowtigger]

Ack! Sorry. I was on smartphone earlier and apparently clicked on the wrong Reply link in the tiny screen. I meant it to go here instead of the main thread.

[mellowtigger]

Agreed. I think that's part of why Buffy: The Vampire Slayer has such "staying power", still in reruns. It was the "Scooby gang" that made it more down to earth. In the end, it was really only Xander who stayed simple. Even Giles had his secret society background. "The Xander episode" was a great nod to this effect, with him realizing that he was still important to the grand story, even without the special acclaim that everyone else found. The art in "The Body" episode should be required viewing for all filmmaker classes, where the death of a side character has such profound emotional impact.

[andrewducker]

Absolutely, keeping things grounded gives things much more emotional weight.