naraburns nihil supernum
8mo ago
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Israel-Gaza Megathread #1
This is a megathread for any posts on the conflict between (so far, and so far as I know) Hamas and the Israeli government, as well as related geopolitics. Culture War thread rules apply.
It’s been reported that Tara Strong has been removed from upcoming noir-themed adult animation Boxtown. Although she was due to play the leading role of Bill the Orphan in the series, opposite Gravity Falls creator and voice actor Alex Hirsch, Strong has now been let go from the show and will be replaced. No reason has been given as yet for the move, but the timing certainly suggests it’s in response to the current controversy.
She'd not be the first person targeted for Cancel Culture over this conflict, and in many ways it's more understandable for people to expect the best moral code apply to Twilight Sparkle than a porn star, at least assuming Strong was let go for her tweets rather than pissing in someone's cheerios. Of course, Mia Khalifa was celebrating spree shooters targeting civilians, along with advising those shooters to improve their cell phone video game. What, precisely, did Strong say?
This isn't the first time that I've seen a cancellation effort target overstated reactions in sympathy to the victims of a massacre. I don't know that Boxtownmatters, in any serious way, and it's quite likely that none of Strong's other gigs so much as complain. But I don't like that we're just a couple hits from making a pattern.
She's part of a league of voice actors with a lately very overinflated sense of importance that has thrown their weight behind various progressive cause celebres. I wouldn't be able to recall anything specifically to her name, but the few times she showed in my Twitter feed was the kind of right-on, fuck-the-other-team hot takes that conform with the rest of her field.
I'm a little surprised to see her 'canceled' over what seems to be a very mainstream take that isn't clothed in the usual pro-Palestinian sentiments often displayed by her 'team'. But I'm not sure what else it could be.
Regardless of how I feel about 'cancel culture' overall (which is irrelevant) or the reasons why she may have been booted, she doesn't engender my sympathy. But it's just one gig and she has a large fanbase cultivated over many years. I'd wager this is a blip and she'll survive fine with all her other work and with no long-term consequence.
Strong feels that she was dismissed as a result of her discussions on Israel and Gaza; you can check her twitter and likes listings over the last week if you'd like. Boxtown has not officially stated why, just that it happened, and I'd be surprised if they ever explicitly state why. It's possible that they just got sick of her outspoken veganism, but I don't think that's particularly plausible.
((I'm... pretty sure social conservatives could come up more examples.))
I don't think matters said out of grief are always permissible or moral. These are... basically boomer-level takes, in both cases, though (sometimes literally in Strong's case). To a large extent, they are just especially unacceptable to the cancellers because of the bad actions of the people these speakers were focusing on; the cancellers do not want the bad actions or applause of small numbers of bad actors associated with a broader social group. Which would be a lot more compelling were people to Well Ackshually them, rather than tell everyone in their field that discussions near this topic with the wrong positions Are Not Allowed.
I'm not sure there's a word yet for the problem that this presents, but a framework where sufficiently bad actions by themselves justify exacting standards of discourse for those trying to criticize those bad actions gives some very bad possible feedback loops.
From what I can tell the professional class is all in on Israel now. From an elite mba network in a city without many of them we have Army vets and IDF vets sharing on the group chat. Usually their a little woke but it now seems accepted Israel is the side to promote.
Took a couple days to get going as people figured whose right to show support for.
I actually assume Ackman did a lot to show the mba crowd who to back.
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Notes -
We Got This Covered reports:
She'd not be the first person targeted for Cancel Culture over this conflict, and in many ways it's more understandable for people to expect the best moral code apply to Twilight Sparkle than a porn star, at least assuming Strong was let go for her tweets rather than pissing in someone's cheerios. Of course, Mia Khalifa was celebrating spree shooters targeting civilians, along with advising those shooters to improve their cell phone video game. What, precisely, did Strong say?
Oh.
This isn't the first time that I've seen a cancellation effort target overstated reactions in sympathy to the victims of a massacre. I don't know that Boxtown matters, in any serious way, and it's quite likely that none of Strong's other gigs so much as complain. But I don't like that we're just a couple hits from making a pattern.
Is there any indication other than insinuations that Strong was removed precisely due to her comments on this issue?
Strong believes they were the cause.
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She's part of a league of voice actors with a lately very overinflated sense of importance that has thrown their weight behind various progressive cause celebres. I wouldn't be able to recall anything specifically to her name, but the few times she showed in my Twitter feed was the kind of right-on, fuck-the-other-team hot takes that conform with the rest of her field.
I'm a little surprised to see her 'canceled' over what seems to be a very mainstream take that isn't clothed in the usual pro-Palestinian sentiments often displayed by her 'team'. But I'm not sure what else it could be.
Regardless of how I feel about 'cancel culture' overall (which is irrelevant) or the reasons why she may have been booted, she doesn't engender my sympathy. But it's just one gig and she has a large fanbase cultivated over many years. I'd wager this is a blip and she'll survive fine with all her other work and with no long-term consequence.
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Wait, what?
Is the implication that she was fired for signal-boosting Ms. Cook? If so, what’s the pattern you’re starting to see?
I ask because this feels like such a strange cause for alarm. I feel like I’m missing something.
Strong feels that she was dismissed as a result of her discussions on Israel and Gaza; you can check her twitter and likes listings over the last week if you'd like. Boxtown has not officially stated why, just that it happened, and I'd be surprised if they ever explicitly state why. It's possible that they just got sick of her outspoken veganism, but I don't think that's particularly plausible.
LexManos officially separated over long-standing personality conflicts, but the actual turning point was his reaction to the Nashville School Shooting.
((I'm... pretty sure social conservatives could come up more examples.))
I don't think matters said out of grief are always permissible or moral. These are... basically boomer-level takes, in both cases, though (sometimes literally in Strong's case). To a large extent, they are just especially unacceptable to the cancellers because of the bad actions of the people these speakers were focusing on; the cancellers do not want the bad actions or applause of small numbers of bad actors associated with a broader social group. Which would be a lot more compelling were people to Well Ackshually them, rather than tell everyone in their field that discussions near this topic with the wrong positions Are Not Allowed.
I'm not sure there's a word yet for the problem that this presents, but a framework where sufficiently bad actions by themselves justify exacting standards of discourse for those trying to criticize those bad actions gives some very bad possible feedback loops.
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From what I can tell the professional class is all in on Israel now. From an elite mba network in a city without many of them we have Army vets and IDF vets sharing on the group chat. Usually their a little woke but it now seems accepted Israel is the side to promote.
Took a couple days to get going as people figured whose right to show support for.
I actually assume Ackman did a lot to show the mba crowd who to back.
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