What are you watching?

[mimekiller]

[Phoebe]

See that is news to me, I did not realize that was supposed to be one of his crimes. But that does not help the show any. My kids do love this show, so... I can't reject something that has such positive practical value, but i wish they could do better. Maybe I just need to see more of it, as Mike says. I was delighted by it at first, first few episodes, before things got more complicated, and they just will not stop saying the same two things about each character.

[Phoebe]

Fauda
People is no one actually watching this? It's not safe to have on with kids in the room and it's pretty intense, and I think it's wildly biased, but it's such a good show.

[El Jefe]

Justified has so many damn fine single lines, it's incredibly hard to pick one. But the bullet line is pretty high up there.

Phoebe, all of your questions and points of contention have been answered in the show. But you're going to basically need to go through 3 seasons of it to get those answers.

If you're trying to figure out why philosophy focuses on old white dead men...I'm not sure where to start with that. I took a few classes, so that's the extent of my knowledge. And read a few books recommend from some websites. That's it. (Side note: I hated almost all of them.) Every single one of them was by an old dead white dude. If you're asking why the female and POC philosophy professors from UCLA who serve as the consultants for the show have recommended those concepts specifically (I'd imagine, because those concepts fit the story, so they ended up using them), I don't know. You'd need to ask them. But it is very clear that they were after the concept put forth by those dead dudes, not the dead dudes. This is an incredibly weird thing to have a hang up on (and strangely inaccurate), particularly when it's answered in the show. Watch it, or don't. Cool either way. Trying to bang on for not having diverse enough philosophy use is...pretty shitty. They clearly wanted certain concepts used, and picked those concepts. That those concepts were all dead white dudes...I don't know, maybe take it up with philosophy? It's a broadcast network show with a tiny main cast that managed to put a first-time female POC actor in a major supporting role, got a fucking Asian dude in the main cast, has two *other* women in the main cast, one of whom leads the whole goddamn show, and then pretty much stuck the old white dude in the most sarcastic spot possible. That's...pretty fucking rare.

Also, if figuring out why the dude who literally professes to multiple felonies (including bank robbery, prolific drug use and dealing, fraud, and others), in the first handful of episodes, could possibly break some moral/ethical rules? Well...I'm not really sure how to explain why Jasons might be kind of bad more than that. But good job on sucking me in again with the concern-trolling.

Watch the show. Don't watch it. Either works. But maybe try holding off from attempting to break it down when you're very much missing some pretty key info about the show and its characters. Because it's kind of frustrating as hell, and sort of shitty to do. Like, you know, the fact that they don't continue to make the same two jokes for every character. You know, because callbacks are bad, I guess, even though they've been used as a writing tool and way to ease the audience in for something like four decades? This isn't a show you can watch bits and pieces of, and come out with any kind of informed opinion on it. It's a "build on little bits" show. But Fauda is now on the list to check out, so thanks for that!

Side note, having just finished Season 3. D'arcy should get every goddamn acting award ever. Fuck every single other actor out there forever and ever.

[Phoebe]

Lol no, Jeff, no, it's not "shitty" of me to ask questions about why Philosophy is represented almost exclusively as Dead White Men on the show, with a few exceptions that, yes, I'm pretty sure they got straight from Pamela Hieronymi and Todd May, because I think even most professional philosophers don't credit Philippa Foot with the trolley problem even though she invented it, and they still got Foot's take on it wrong, but at least she was mentioned. You're welcome to disagree with my take on the show, which I have repeatedly expressed positive sentiments about in addition to my gripes, which I think make sense for me (dude do you EVEN know me? my husband is SO correct that nobody here is actually my "friend", but I never listen! eternal blind optimism!) and yes, we're arguing over people's subjective enjoyment of a show, and I'm not calling other people shitty or saying that their opinions are shitty or that expressing them is shitty - people react how they react and it's interesting to hear the variation. No, it's not necesssary to convey the "concepts" on this show exclusively by appeal to Plato or Aristotle or whoever; the next time you complain about representation in any fandom or genre you care about, ask yourself whether you're being "shitty" and be sure to answer Yes!

[El Jefe]

It's not representation in a fandom or genre. That's sort of my point. The fandom or genre (you know, the show) has that representation.

Is the representation in philosophy bad? Yup. Is that representation bad in the general public's understanding of philosophy? Yup. Also, kind of my whole point.

You're right about me calling it shitty though. That was shitty on my part. There's about a dozen ways I could have framed and stated that better without doing the "well, actually", but on a second look, I definitely didn't have the spoons for it.

I'm kind of a little unclear on the bit about being your "friend" or knowing you. I don't ever really recall claiming either. I do, in fact, remember saying that I don't know you very well at all, when pointing out that it still seemed like a weird one to recommend (for the tiny bit I do know you).

Yeah, it could use more diverse philosophy representation. Agreed. The way I read your points, it came off as the show lacking the representation. In my head, the show and the philosophy representation are two different things, and I read it as putting them down as one. That's not to say you're wrong, but my brain didn't exactly put that together until just now. So, yeah. Poor response and reaction on my part, because I'll admit to not seeing very much positive in your responses, even when it was there. I read the situation as "I watched almost nothing of it, and here's why it's all shit." That's not the accurate read, on a second look, so that's my fuck up. Time for a break now, because this is more shit on top of already too much shit.

[Phoebe]

Eh, don't worry about it, none of it is important.

[mimekiller]

Finishing second half of Preacher season 3 and hot damn its a show....white text incoming

[mimekiller]

I FINALLY tuned into Lodge 49(on Hulu) and its AMAZING, guys you HAVE to watch this show.

[Tahlvin]

[Phoebe]

Dave Chapelle's new special I think... Something sticks and stones? It's SO good, I'm dying here, no idea why people are deeply offended by him. He's hilarious but it's way beyond that, he just gets a lot about life. The tears are rolling down my face help.

[mimekiller]

The newest Dave Chapelle special is mostly brilliant, his observations of the LGBT alphabet people on the car trip was astutely hysterical, the only real clunker to me was the CHINESE MAN STUCK IN A BLACK MAN BODY BIT, straight up BEN SHAPRIO LVL comedy.

Finished Good Place season 3, the shows ability to completely re-invent itself or pivot into a new direction every 3-4 episodes is truly stunning

[Phoebe]

That's what I thought of the Chapelle special too. The Chinese jokes were third-grade playground racism level, which as you note is also Shapiro level intelligence, and he probably thinks being married to a Chinese wife excuses those. The rest of us have no idea why they would find that funny around the family dinner table. But for me his other jokes revealed a lot of truths about how poorly people are treated in our society, so when that's the obvious goal it doesn't offend me. He's holding up that mirror, you know? I don't know if somehow the Chinese jokes are supposed to work like that but if so I missed it.

[Phoebe]

Rhythm and Flow on Netflix, on the Chicago episode, have developed 1000% increased interest in Chance because agree with everything he says except his feelings about vegetables which are all good. Hormone problems, laying here sobbing over the tryouts for a rap contest. Every time a good one comes up it makes me cry again just because they killed it. Someone get me an iron pill, spinach salad, and my medicine. Too weak to drive, sorry.

[Phoebe]

Some people apparently think it's weird that I take notes, in a notebook, on Rhythm and Flow. Do u even know me?

[Phoebe]

Having some issues with a few of the judging decisions on Rhythm + Flow but they still have a few really good finalists in the mix so I keep watching. Mainly I'm pissed that they got rid of three women I thought were really good, maybe four. Cannot for the life of me understand why some of these same boring guys are still in it but these women were taken out. Londynn of course will win even if she doesn't win the specific contest on the show; she's obviously able to launch a whole career from this regardless.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the careers of the other people on the show, since most of them had something going on for a while before they were selected for this - they were already performing and putting out music, but didn't have the launch to a bigger audience. Some of them were just young and didn't have the body of work or experience to move forward yet, but maybe it will happen later. One of my favorites Smoke is obviously a good musician on different levels, and seems like an inspiring and positive person, but they have not found the right sound for him yet. I don't know what it would be but this isn't it, so I'm hoping it gets sorted out soon. The publicly Christian one is probably going to succeed with that audience regardless of what happens on the show; I would listen to that guy as a Christian rapper whatever he puts out.

[mimekiller]

Watchmen HBO(2019)

After lot of hemming and hawing and MYSTERY BOX nature of what this show even is going to be it turns out its just simply Watchmen 2, taking place in the same universe as the comic but following up on events in 2019, Robert Redford is serving his 5th term and the USA is different(Vietnam is a state, reparations were paid out I think in the 90s) but also the same. The opening with a grounded and TRAGIC telling of the Superman origin is some of the most compelling 5 minutes I've ever seen this year. Check out this show, everyone is going to be talking about it.

[Phoebe]

Loved Rhythm and Flow, and they picked the same winner I would have. I assume a good half-dozen of these people will get a significant career boost from the show, because developing a large national fan base interested in your output, and exposing you to producers who can put you on projects, is probably just as or more valuable long term than the money they gave the winner.

[Tahlvin]

Over the past week or so, I FINALLY got around to watching all 5 seasons of Breaking Bad, plus the new El Camino Breaking Bad movie. Loved it all!

[Phoebe]

Wow, that is a lot of Breaking Bad at once! My favorite is when it was less complicated and he was still presented as a decent person trying a crazy thing to help his family. And the chicken guy.