Archive for the ‘culture’ Category

My Take From Ladd Ehlinger’s Doctor Who Doom Promo Review: Run Away Dude Run Fast and Run Far

Posted: March 26, 2023 by datechguy in culture, entertainment
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when, not if, the SJW affirmative action Doctor fails what then? If the ratings don’t improve and the audience doesn’t return do you DARE kill off the 1st woman doctor after one season? After two? Do you risk the wrath of the SJW community if you don’t replace the 1st woman doctor with the 2nd woman doctor or the first openly gay doctor hitting on every man in history or the first transgender doctor or the first cisnormative but sexually confused asian crossdressing doctor? You get the idea. Once you start down this path you’ll have a tough time getting out of it without facing a backlash and we’ve already seen how very nice the SJW community reacts?

DaTechGuy Why The Doctor should not be Tilda Swinton (or any woman for that matter) 2017

Yesterday while I was at the Catholic Men’s Conference and away from the net Ladd Ehlinger sent me a heads up on a video he made called “Doctor Who is Doomed”.

When I saw the title this morning I expected a post about how the series even with the temporary return of David Tennant and the less temporary return of Russell T Davies was not going to be enough to save the series from the self inflicted wounds it gave itself in 2017

Instead it was about a trailer the BBC put out for it’s Doctor Who Doom cross platform series.

I had heard of this from Big Finish which is one of the platforms this story is going to be on which says this about it on the pre-order page.

Someone has sent literal Death after Doom. She can only outrun it for 24 hours. Unless she can find the Doctor…

Doom’s Day is a multi-platform Doctor Who story to celebrate Doctor Who’s 60th anniversary by introducing a brand-new character on a 24-hour pursuit of the Doctor.

Further story details to follow.

And this on the backstage Tab of the preorder page

Russell T Davies says: “Doom’s Day is a huge new adventure for the whole Doctor Who universe – starring the brilliant and hilarious Sooz Kempner as an intergalactic assassin. Her adventures will span comics, audio, a novel, video games stories and more, expanding the world of Doctor Who into brand new territories. Beware the Doom’s Day, it’s coming for us all.”

Sooz Kempner says: “To be part of the Doctor Who universe, a British institution up there with cups of tea and James Bond, is surreal and amazing! I love everything about Doom and can’t believe I get to travel across time and space with her.”

Now in fairness I don’t know anything about Sooz Kempner. To my knowledge I’ve never seen any of her work and I have no idea if she is funny or how funny she was, but let me tell you this. If I were her agent and saw the preview that Ladd Ehlinger showed me in his video I would have given her this advice:

I don’t want to steal Ladd’s Thunder so here is his video Doctor Who is Doomed which incorporates the BBC promo for the Doom cross platform series.

Ok let’s forget for a moment the point Ladd was making concerning the history of breaking the 4th wall and filmmaking which is interesting but doesn’t include my favorite example of such namely the Bob Hope, Bing Crosby Dorthey Lamour Road Pictures…

…and ask yourself this:

You’re the BBC. You’ve just finished a five year disaster that has cratered the ratings of not only a British institution but of what once was a cash cow for the network for decades. A crater so bad that you needed to bring back multiple doctors and companions from the original series run (Including William Russell who was in the very first episode of Doctor Who setting the record by returning to a TV series 57 years later to play the same character at age of 97) in order to sell a regeneration story.

You’ve then instead of instead of introducing the announced new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa who will be both the first black doctor and reportedly the first gay doctor brought back the very popular David Tennant who was the 10th doctor his popular companion Catherine Tate and even showrunner Russell T Davies to try to salvage something for the 60th anniversary of the show (while sneaking in the first transgender companion) in the hopes of drawing back the millions who have not only stopped watching but stopped buying all the licensed stuff that filled your coffers.

You’ve even created a clever gimmick of having a cross platform story over comic books, video games, a book, a Big Finish audio and the TV show to try and get people who have dropped all things Doctor to buy all those side items that they have abandoned.

You’ve done all this with hope that the series returns to the ratingsy that it had during those pre-Cibinal years…:

Apparently this strategy has not been all that productive when it came to the new “festive” special:

Whereas the Christmas Special used to get ratings in the 12 million, 13 million range, the latest “Festive Special” got… 4.69 million.

The absolute lowest of the rebooted Doctor Who.

…And the Quality of the those years:

The irony being that according to my oldest who actually watched it the episode was one best of the Jodie Whitaker series, in that it was better than the absolute worst episodes (like Fear Her and Oxygen) of the revived series but not as good as what could be considered a standard vanilla episode like The Curse of the Black Spot or even Thin Ice.

And you produce a promo that is so bad, so unappealing and so amateurish that any fan making a trailer of their own would be ashamed to put it out.

Moreover Russell T Davies is the showrunner for the series. He has been given the ultimate task of selling this to a reluctant audience skittish about returning. Let he allows (or even worse) creates this promo to be the gateway to his tenure on the series?

Seriously?

If this is a signal of the days to come under RTD part 2 let me repeat the warning given in the Big Bang clip above to those who are considering investing their time and money in this Doom special:

Run away Dude! Run Fast, Run Far!

The left hates the word “woke,” which is why we must use it more often

Posted: March 19, 2023 by John Ruberry in culture, education, media, News/opinion, opinion/news, politics
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By John Ruberry

The left has a new mantra. Well, they always have a new one. And their newest mantra is, “The right doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘woke.'” 

As far as I can gather, the earliest use of “woke” was by African American musician Lead Belly, who added “stay woke” in an afterword of his recording of “Scottsboro Boys,” which was about the injustices faced by nine black youths accused of raping two white women in 1931. 

First, a brief side note: This is the second post in a row of mine at Da Tech Guy where Lead Belly gets a mention.

But words often change meanings. For instance, centuries ago “garble” meant “to sift.” In the spice trade “garbling” was the process of removing impurities from spices. Over time, “garble” evolved into meaning confusing, unclear, and yes, impure. For instance, someone might say, “I couldn’t understand the voicemail message you left for me, it was garbled.”

The definition of woke has similarly evolved. It appears woke made a reappearance in the public dialogue in 2016 after the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2016, but by 2020, conservatives had adopted and co-opted the word. People who are woke–this is my take–are rigidly beholden to far-left political beliefs and they will use mob action to enforce their viewpoints.

“Politically correct,” a term that emerged from the left, was similarly co-opted by the right, so liberals dropped it years ago. 

The word woke is a much more serious problem for the left, which is why libs, in a futile effort, are trying to reclaim it, or at least neutralize its meaning. After all, woke is an unpleasant word with only four letters and just one syllable, it is better suited for our contemporary sound bite and pithy headline culture, compared to the more cumbersome “politically correct.” Over the past week leftist journalists, an intellectually incestuous lot, pushed back. An opening to them was given by Bethany Mandel, the co-author of the best seller Stolen Youth, which is about the dangers of woke culture. Last week, in an interview captured on video–one that went viral–Mandel suffered, in her words, “a momentary brain freeze,” and she wasn’t able to clearly answer a question about the definition of woke.

But shortly afterwards on Twitter, Mandel was able to clarify what woke means.

“A radical belief system suggesting that our institutions are built around discrimination,” Mandel Tweeted last week, “and claiming that all disparity is a result of that discrimination. It seeks a radical redefinition of society in which equality of group result is the endpoint, enforced by an angry mob.”

Since Mandel’s verbal misstep, leftist writers have attacked the woke word. In MarketWatch, Rachel Koning Beals has tried to dial back the new meaning of woke–as has Ross Douthat in the New York Times.

Just now, as I was finishing up this entry, I watched as Jen Psaki, in the premiere airing of her MSNBC show declare, “Republicans have gone all-in on their anti-wokeness.” Psaki, a smug know-it-all, then presented a one-sided view of Mandel’s “momentary brain freeze.”

All but admitting defeat in the word war, Matthew Cooper in Washington Monthly says the word needs to be disposed. The headline of his article is, “Let’s retire the word ‘woke.'”

Too late!

The legacy media is up woke creek without a paddle.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has often said, “Florida is where woke goes to die” and vows that “we will never, ever surrender to the woke mob.”

This month two woke mobs attacked in California. The Federalist Society invited a US Appeals judge, Kyle Duncan, who was appointed to the bench by Donald Trump, to speak at the Stanford Law School. Only the mob, the led by the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusivity dean, Tirien Steinbach, all but prevented the judge from speaking. Diversity to the left hasn’t meant diversity of opinion for years.

Shortly afterwards, the dean of the Stanford Law School, Jenny Martinez, apologized for the beastly misbehavior Duncan received, which led another woke mob to disrupt her lecture hall.

In my opinion, outside of the ten percent or so of the populace who is indeed woke, no one can argue that such boorish antics are justifiable.

As is also the case of the second California campus woke outburst, when Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk spoke at the University California, Davis. “Black-clad goons” goons is how the Daily Mail described the protesters who pepper-sprayed attendees and smashed windows at the hall where Kirk spoke.

Kirk’s UC Davis address is available in podcast form. Unlike Duncan, Charlie was permitted to speak. And in his opening remarks, Kirk vowed, “Tonight, you’re going to see that anyone who disagrees with me tonight is not just allowed–but is encouraged to go ask [me] a question.” Kirk even called for his dissenters to head to “the front of the line.”

Now, that’s what I call diversity.

Those leftist protesters–I believe it’s fair to call them rioters–were probably egged on by a woke Sacramento Bee opinion columnist, Hannah Holzer, who, in a since retracted claim, said Kirk “called for the lynching of trans people.” In his remarks that evening at UC Davis, Kirk responded, “That is a lie. I have never done that,” adding, I’ve always been clear about peaceful activism.”

The unpeaceful ones that night at UC Davis were the members of the woke mob.

The great majority of Americans don’t have politics on the top of their informational diet. But this truly silent majority, the ones who decide the outcome of elections, is aware of the evils of leftist violence, intimidation, misinformation and censorship. And now there is an ugly word for that and more that is now entrenched in the mainstream conversation.

“Woke” is that word.

To my conservative writers and influencers: The other side has betrayed a weakness and a fear. They hate it when we say “woke” to decry radical policies and angry leftist mobs. What is worse than “woke?” Well, those odious things that the word describes, such as the recent outrages at Stanford and UC Davis.

Say “woke” early and often.

We will win.

John Ruberry regularly blogs at Marathon Pundit.

Two Predictions one Nastier than the other

Posted: March 18, 2023 by datechguy in culture

Otter: Flounder, you can’t spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up… you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it! 

National Lampoon’s Animal House 1978

Sooner or Later either a parent who is told by the state that their child will be given hormones and/or surgery without their consent or one of those kids who have been “transitioned” without their parents consent whose life is ruined is going to take their revenge on either the doctors, the teachers or the lawmakers who enabled the situation they find themselves in.

When it happens the press will blame the gun and then use it as an excuse to censor all those who warned that this is insanely evil. In fact I’ve become so cynical that I half believe the left is hoping this will happen so they can launch a full court press to silence and disarm us.

If by some miracle I’m wrong (and I hope I am wrong because I’m not a fan of Murder not even of people like this) then in about 10 or 15 years lawsuits against the hospitals and practices will be so ubiquitous that we’ll be seeing ads all over TV, Radio and the Net by law firms asking “Have you been made sterile after surgery or drugs prescribed after a false diagnosis of Gender dysphoria?”

All of this is a full employment plan for lawyers.

Some Catholic Thoughts Under the Fedora: Pope Nails One, And Another, Trouble in Germany, Practical Reasons to support Priestly Celibacy and the Post Christian Experiment

Posted: March 16, 2023 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine, culture, under the fedora
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The Pope had something to say about all this Transgender Nonsense.

“Gender ideology, today, is one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations,” the pope said in an interview to Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper. “Why is it dangerous? Because it blurs differences and the value of men and women.”

Always good to hear him get one right. He also has been strong on coining a phrase:

He has frequently used the term “ideological colonization” in reference to cases in which influential organizations and governments require developing countries to accept abortion, contraception and Western values before they can receive aid money. For example, he lamented to Catholic bishops in 2016 that schoolchildren were being taught that they can choose their gender. “Why are they teaching this? Because the books are provided by the people and institutions that give you money.”

That nails it.

Even better Francis is two for two

“With great respect, I have no choice but to think about a derangement (“desequilibrio”) in the person who leads [Daniel Ortega]. There we have an imprisoned bishop, a very serious, very capable man. He wanted to give his testimony and did not accept exile. He is a something that is outside of what we are experiencing, it is as if it were bringing the Bolshevik communist dictatorship of 1917 or the Hitlerite dictatorship of 1935, back to life… They are a type of rude dictatorships, or, to use a nice distinction from Argentina, “guarangas” (vile), assured the Pope in the interview published on Friday.

Via Babalu Blog who notes how this contrasts with his treatment of Cuban communists:

 In its 64 years of existence, Castro, Inc. has committed millions of crimes, and its cruelty dwarfs that of Daniel Ortega. Yet, Papa Che [Francis] has never uttered a single word of condemnation — or anything close to it — against Cuba’s communist dictators.

Its’ a fair critique but it’s such a nice change to see him get things right I’ll take it.

Meanwhile in Germany things aren’t so good:

The German Synodal Way has voted to adopt “implementation texts” related to same-sex blessings, lay preaching during Mass, and a request for Pope Francis to reexamine the discipline of priestly celibacy in the Latin-rite Catholic Church.

If you think that’s bad it gets worse

While the Vatican has not explicitly condemned the Synodal Way’s promotion of heterodox proposals related to same-sex blessings and women’s ordination, the Holy See has been increasingly clear about its rejection of this form of ecclesial governance, which involves bishops and laity “sharing responsibility.” In the German proposal, laity could even overrule a bishop (or bishops at the national level) with a two-thirds majority.

Hey who needs confession when the sinners can just vote to cause sin to be legit?

Pray for these folks they need it.

There is one issue that these folks have brought up that I have mixed feelings on, that’s priestly celebacy.

This is because it was introduced as a reform to stop the practice of heredity parishes and dioceses which is no longer a problem.

I do have some practical objections.

Given the workload of most priests I don’t see how a married Priest would have time for a family and given the commitments a family involves I don’t see how you could make time for the 24/7 nature of priestly duties.

My primary objection to the idea is that as a parent I would not want priests to be in a position where there is a conflict between church and family. Furthermore the insurance costs for families might be prohibitive, particularly at a time when there is so much trouble in supporting retired priests.

Then again Anglican priests who have converted and kept their wives and families have managed to pull it off.

Anyways those are the practical objections I see, but in terms of theology I see no objection to the Vatican changing the rules, just as long as they think long and hard about it because if they think this is a solution to the sex scandals that are primary homosexual they’re wrong.

Finally one of the advantages of being my particular age is I’ve been able to observe the difference between a Christian culture and a “post Christian” culture.

We see the promotion of vice, the sexualization of children, the redefinition of basic terms we have understood for centuries. We see people unable and unwilling to deal with basic situations that our society was able to cope with less than 50 years ago without issue.

We see youth confused and unable to cope, we see people without direction grabbing different fads, dissatisfied with themselves and their positions in life without hope.

Put simply the world, as it does by it’s very nature, is chewing people up and spitting them out because they can’t cope.

One can only think of this verse from scripture:

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

Matt 9:36

That is what happens always happens when you remove Christ from the picture. Because he respects our free will if you choose the world he will step back and let you face it alone if you choose, but fortunately he always has a hand extended if you change your mind. No person or nation is ever so far gone that God will not bless it if it repents.

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