May Update: Where To Even Begin
Added 2020-06-01 14:04:39 +0000 UTCHey team.
The Basics
We put out two videos this month. (Thanks to Radek for the excellent suggestion of naming them CO-VIDs.) I also wrote up my thoughts on Outer Wilds (be warned, they get a little heavy).
There's not going to be a CO-VID today. I was working on something about the semiotics of "cuck" that I had to scrap, might revisit it later. Then I wrote and recorded something about adventure games. Then my country fucking erupted into massive protests and a whole lot of overt police fascism and 10 minutes on why adventure games are cool seems almost profane in context.
There's a video on the politics of violence I've wanted to do for a long time. I wanted to go about it in my usual essay fashion: research the hell out of everything, definitely get through This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed, be huge and comprehensive. But, given what's going on at the moment, you might be getting the shorter, messier version of it as a CO-VID in the near future. I feel like I need to talk about what's happening before I go back to yelling about how good Mutazione is or whatever.
(Mutazione is really good, though, don't sleep on that one.)
The General Crisis
I'm not sure how to talk about what's going on. I can recite the bullet points - how George Floyd was murdered by cops in broad daylight, how protests against police violence have swept the nation, how Trump tweeted "when the looting starts the shooting starts" (a quote from a famously racist, segregationist, anti-Civil Rights police chief), how I've gotten many angry Curious Cat questions asking me to condemn looting that seem more offended about broken windows at Target than protestors getting blinded by rubber bullets or citizens on porches getting paint canisters shot at them or nine-year-olds getting maced my cops.
But going through the narrative almost feels like re-traumatizing people.
This is happening amid a pandemic, an election year between an absolutely garbage Democratic candidate and an out-and-out fascist, and a number of personal crises that have exploded in the last week. If you're feeling overwhelmed, I assure I am, too.
I'm gonna do what I do and make a video about it, and also bake some cookies. Remember: do the work, and also take care of yourselves.
That's It
I think that's all I've got, folks. We're gonna keep on with CO-VIDs for at least another month. Support each other, support the Minnesota Freedom Fund, and, if you can, bake yourself some cookies.
-I
Comments
And that means yes, I am spending a bit of time in No Man's Sky VR and wondering at this faux galaxy I can just throw myself through. Because the real world will be here. I will do what I can. But I also need to be able to turn those worries off. I wish everyone had that escape.
Crissa Kentavr
2020-06-03 09:19:33 +0000 UTCTwo things: We still need the good things. We need to be able to go home and unwind. We can't be there, on the line, the entire time. I may have a little experience here; but nothing like what black people experience: My father was wrongly shot and killed by a police man when I was a child. Abuse of authority is the one that that makes me utterly steaming angry every single time, no matter how petty. But we need those reliefs and releases. ...And we need to support the Democratic candidate. He won the vast majority of the Black vote and endorsements. He's what the majority saw as the 'safe' candidate. And no amount of his foot-in-mouth syndrome could hold a candle to the damage that Republicans do on a daily basis to this country.
Crissa Kentavr
2020-06-03 09:17:40 +0000 UTCAlso, yes to baking cookies for comfort! <3
JinxedJoker
2020-06-03 06:01:26 +0000 UTCExcellent update. I love both your thinking and these plans. Take care of your health (meatbody and mind), and continue engaging your passion, context matters as much or more than comprehensiveness and your instincts here have served your videos well in the past.
JinxedJoker
2020-06-03 05:59:57 +0000 UTCwe need a video on how to help black people, the movements, making room, and not how we can ambivalently flood (real activism) hashtags with superfluous antics. Anonymous just posted a tweet testing their bot engagement, and the results were fascinating. Thanks for your constant work, love from LA.
2020-06-02 22:27:02 +0000 UTCI vote for the covid version... you know what they say about perfection... I'm def interested to hear your insights on this and agree, I can only take so much of the powerful crushing the powerless mercilessly under their boots with a grin on their faces and an OK symbol because why the fuck not, just being "ironic" after all. After a while, I gotta go play some xbox and block it out.
Eric Hula
2020-06-01 21:35:37 +0000 UTCas with most things, you can blame Austin Walker for this one
Ian Danskin
2020-06-01 18:19:45 +0000 UTCGod, I loved Mutazione to bits, bought as soon as it came out and couldn't find anyone who has played it. Finding out that you of all people are a fan of Mutazione is just unbelievably cool.
2020-06-01 18:03:05 +0000 UTCThank you for this.
Kait Hatch
2020-06-01 14:59:54 +0000 UTC
