Each time the tide begins to turn it up to push us off the fence

[sovay]

I made this mixtape for kore as an antidote to the whole history-overwriting shenanigans of Marvel's Secret Empire, now with an extra side of this mishegos. It's not especially subtle, but with any luck it sounds good. Contributors include British Sea Power, Jawbox, Odetta, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, Arcade Fire, PJ Harvey, and Marc Blitzstein.

Sam Phillips, "Pretty Time Bomb"

Start counting, everybody—it's going to blow
Pretty time bomb, you're a mirror of your times

British Sea Power, "Remember Me"

Do you worry about your health?
Do you watch it slowly change?
And when you listen to yourself
Does it feel like somebody else?

Kate Bush, "Heads We're Dancing"

It looked just like you in every way
But it couldn't be true
You stepped out of a stranger

Jawbox, "Spoiler"

Working the wrecking ball, maybe you feel less small
Religion for the mean is disbelief

Odetta, "Masters of War"

You that hide behind walls
You that hide behind desks
I just want you to know
That I see through your masks

Oh, Rose, "Prom"

No, you're not summing up things with a black heart
Oh, you know something's there, but you're not sure what

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, "Episode 7: The Schizoid Man"

I keep running for you, it's not enough
I keep fighting for truth, it's not enough
I keep feeling I do, it's not enough

Eleventh Dream Day, "The People's History"

My head is spinning in a spiral
The people's history also lies
My heart is strung up on a timeline

Arcade Fire, "My Body Is a Cage"

I'm living in an age that calls darkness light
Though my language is dead, still the shapes fill my head
I'm living in an age whose name I don't know

PJ Harvey, "The Phone Song"

That the change, changes can happen
That the loop it can be broken
That your heart it can be open

Editors, "Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors"

Someone turn me round
Can I start this again?

Scott Hirsch, "Loss of Forgetfulness"

In the parking lot, time had stopped
Recalled all that he forgot
Come on, you remember what it means?

Johnny Flynn, "Barnacled Warship"

Made my way with the fusiliers
I even fought my way back home
But the front line shifted and my rifle got lifted
Had to fight the war on my own

Belly, "Low Red Moon"

I look up and I see the raising of an old hope
Brave and tattered
A shining knight with shining eyes, he shines around me brightly

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer, "Lancelot"

I ain't no untarnished Galahad
Down from Arcadia like a dream in your head
But, gentle lady, lend me the true heart I never had
And I'll bring you roses and bread
And we'll fashion gold out of lead
With all the illusions we shed

DANN KOMMT DIE MORAL:

Marc Blitzstein, "Nickel Under Your Foot"

Maybe you wonder what it is makes people good or bad
Why some guy, an ace without a doubt
Turns out to be a bastard and the other way about
I'll tell you what I feel—it's just the nickel under the heel

I've had a headache on the right side of my face since about two in the afternoon, so I am going to bed.

Comments

[rosefox]

The latest thing from Marvel is that they asked comic book stores to replace their social media logos with Hydra logos. At least one store has responded by saying that they will no longer hand-sell Marvel comics out of respect for their queer and Jewish employees.

[kore]

YES, and also the "Secret Empire Party Kit": https://www.previewsworld.com/Article/192214-Marvel-Launch-Parties-for-Secret-Empire

All qualifying retailers will receive the following as the part of the SECRET EMPIRE PARTY KIT:

Secret Empire Invitational Postcards
Secret Empire Lenticular Backing Board (Bundles of 25)
Secret Empire Pins (Bundles of 25)
Secret Empire #1 Nauck Where’s Hydra? Sketch Variant
Downloadable Cake Toppers

NAZI FASCIST CAKE TOPPERS, in celebration of Captain America brutally taking over the country, I can't even anything.

[sovay]

All qualifying retailers will receive the following as the part of the SECRET EMPIRE PARTY KIT

I would be . . . is fascinated the right word? . . . to know who shows up for Hydra parties.

[kore]

Hopefully not part-time store employees who might otherwise lose their jobs or get disciplined somehow.

If they really are going to "redress" the Marvel Unlimited virtual storefront, oh man. I can't even imagine the reaction to that.

[gwynnega]

I am aghast.

[kore]

I could hear my neurons sizzling and popping at "Nazi/Fascist Cake Toppers"

[sovay]

I could hear my neurons sizzling and popping at "Nazi/Fascist Cake Toppers"

WHY DO WE EVEN HAVE THAT LEVER.

[kore]

Axel "This story totes is not political! Not at all!" Alonso is clearly the alligator. (Crocodile?)

[kore]

OK wait since I inflicted that on you, this just made me feel so much better:

Tiny Jyn Erso Heads to Star Wars Celebration, Hands Every Leia a Copy of the Death Star Plans

[sovay]

Tiny Jyn Erso Heads to Star Wars Celebration, Hands Every Leia a Copy of the Death Star Plans

That is the best AU.

[kore]

ALL THE LEIAS I teared up, I mean I'm hormonal, but omg, what a legacy.

[rosefox]

Yeah, they were mailing out t-shirts too. It's certainly given rise to an impressive number of anti-fascist versions of the Hydra logo.

[kore]

REALLY. Are these all on Twitter? I miss everything by not being on Twitter. I just can't deal with it, tho.

[sovay]

At least one store has responded by saying that they will no longer hand-sell Marvel comics out of respect for their queer and Jewish employees.

That's actually what I linked under "mishegos." I hope the store is not alone in its decision; it should never have been required to make it.

[rosefox]

Ah, sorry, I only did a quick mouseover and thought you were linking to Nick Spencer's odious comments. (I didn't click because I didn't want to read them again.)

[sovay]

Ah, sorry, I only did a quick mouseover and thought you were linking to Nick Spencer's odious comments.

No, just the Hydra theming and its necessary rejection, which was mishegos enough for me. (I am not on Twitter and got the news from Rob.) I haven't seen what Nick Spencer's been saying recently.

[kore]

Oh my God what is he saying NOW?

//looks Oh, comparing himself to Orwell and Kafka. And escapism is evil. Well, uh, wow.

[sovay]

Oh, comparing himself to Orwell and Kafka.

*passes poem about Kafka, poem about Orwell has to wait until next month*

And escapism is evil.

There goes a man who knows nothing about the operation of stories within the world.

[kore]

Well, first he strawmans the objection of "I don't want to read about CAPTAIN AMERICA, an antifacist symbol, being turned into an always-fascist dictator right when my country is a fucking fascist trash fire" (my phrasing) into 'The idea that 'the world is in a bad place, therefore stories should be escapism' remains an irresponsible, cowardly argument.' That is a horrible thing to do to story, he says (or I think he means Story), to reduce it to emotional stress eating! (whut) 'Stories exist to illuminate the world around us, to challenge us, to test us. They are there to help us face our fears, not run from them.'

Then he quotes the Alan Moore dickbag proclamation about how an Arteest does not give the audience what they want, it is the job of Arteests to force upon give the audience what they need. (Granny Weatherwax/Terry Pratchett had some things to say about that, as I recall.) This is a really typical reaction from male creators when they get pushback about something, in my experience. "YOU just want escapist fluffy meaningless dessert pudding. You NEED this hard-charging real manly castor oil-and-broccoli casserole only I can give you!"

I mean, slippery slope blahblah, but it's not awfully far from that to "You just THINK you want freedom and rights, this Authority can give you what you NEED."

I always think of what Le Guin says -- "I totally oppose the notion that you can put Art over here on a pedestal, and Entertainment down here in a clown suit. Art and Entertainment and the same thing, in that the more deeply and genuinely entertaining a work it is, the better art it is....Every artist is deeply serious and passionate about his work, and every artist also wears a clown suit and capers in public for pennies." (The Language of the Night) It's a totally Victorian-era (well it goes back far further than that, really), patronizing, PATERNAL "I know what's best for you, you don't know, you can't know, let me tell you what you really would want if you only knew, but I will know for you." Bleeecccccccchhhhhhh.

[sovay]

'Stories exist to illuminate the world around us, to challenge us, to test us. They are there to help us face our fears, not run from them.'

Even if we assume for the sake of argument that that is a true description of the worth and use of stories, you know what helps people face their fears? Narratives that model heroism and courage. Not narratives that tell you that heroism is a false ideal and courage is just a faster way to die. That's just bad logic.

"YOU just want escapist fluffy meaningless dessert pudding. You NEED this hard-charging real manly castor oil-and-broccoli casserole only I can give you!"

And sometimes what you really want is just a broccoli pudding and where are you going to get that in this false dichotomy?

I always think of what Le Guin says

Le Guin is a wise writer.

[edit] spatch points out that all of this could be going over much better if, instead of couching his writing decisions in patronizing terms of moral prescription, Spencer just said, Look, I really want to write this, I think it's an interesting thought experiment, I think it's fun, I hope you'll follow me and it's fine if you don't, which would take the conversation out of the realms of the didactic and into the much more reasonable different people like different things. As it is: "Frankly, at this point I'd rather hear Zack Snyder bloviate over his fantasies of female empowerment than try to do . . . whatever this guy is doing."

[kore]

Even if we assume for the sake of argument that that is a true description of the worth and use of stories, you know what helps people face their fears? Narratives that model heroism and courage.

....like a certain, wait, his name will come to me, I'm sure, it's something like LIEUTENANT NORTH AMERICA

And sometimes what you really want is just a broccoli pudding and where are you going to get that in this false dichotomy?

....can you make broccoli pudding even? Suddenly I am curious.

Mind you, this is the exact same giant bag of dicks who said right along with Alex Alonso like last week, Oh no this has nothing to do with the current political climate, we were mapping all this out in 2015, oh my goodness me Hydra are totally not Nazis, no parallels here at all! when even a sympathetic news site is like, uh, WHUT.

God, I have to stop thinking about this guy. He is bad for my blood pressure. I wish Chris Evans would punch him.

[sovay]

....like a certain, wait, his name will come to me, I'm sure, it's something like LIEUTENANT NORTH AMERICA

Oh, God, we're entering the multiverse of Captain Britain.

....can you make broccoli pudding even? Suddenly I am curious.

Totally. If you can make pease pudding, you can make broccoli pudding. You can probably also make a broccoli pudding along the corn pudding axis of things, so long as it's savory. I'm sure you could also do something in the batter pudding line. I might add cheese.

God, I have to stop thinking about this guy. He is bad for my blood pressure.

I think it is totally okay for you to back away from the Spencer.

I wish Chris Evans would punch him.

I think first he's got to punch some alt-righters.

[gaudior]

....like a certain, wait, his name will come to me, I'm sure, it's something like LIEUTENANT NORTH AMERICA

I laughed out loud. Literally. (LOLL).

[kore]

all of this could be going over much better if, instead of couching his writing decisions in patronizing terms of moral prescription, Spencer just said, Look, I really want to write this, I think it's an interesting thought experiment, I think it's fun, I hope you'll follow me and it's fine if you don't, which would take the conversation out of the realms of the didactic

YEAH, and would emphasize the decision of the readers, too -- read/buy it if you like it, don't if you don't. And allow people to disagree with him without there being this set in stone Right and Wrong framework! Other people get to make their own decisions!....well I guess it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the writer of this comic is being authoritarian about how people interpret it, hah.

[dewline]

Yeah, that is creepier still.