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I've also seen a bit of discussion about the presentation of race in the series (notably, an early sequence showing a white band in black-face). Yes, it's historically accurate. But, that doesn't make it unreasonable for people to talk about how it makes them uncomfortable or whether or not showing this moment is necessary to the construction of the show. It's not appropriate to dismiss that conversation, even if you ultimately disagree with the conclusions any particular person involved in it reaches.
I really, really did not know what to do with "Number 5". Is this Angel does Tarrantino? How much of this is as things happen in a supernatural reality and how much of this is as heightened (un)reality narrative bias? Is this racist? Should Whedon ever be allowed near anything that pretends to be about South American or Latin American or Hispanic cultures? Ever? Because I remember "Inca Mummy Girl" and so do you. On the other hand, it had such a small, gentle, touching ending, and I do like the idea that everyone, even the dude you think it just a punchline has an important, meaningful story and deserves your respect.
The Wesley's robot dad episode has its own set of problems. Namely, robot ninjas raining from the sky. Ninjas are a crappy shortcut in terms of narrative and racial presentation (faceless Asian horde, seriously?). On the other hand, the performances knock this out of the park -- we see the awkward Wesley we remember from Buffy, we see a man who is both too ruthless (Wes, just because you have nothing left to live for and would happily give up your life for the greater good, doesn't mean everyone else is on that page) and too generous (for fuck's sake, TELL FRED) to be happy, and, ultimately, we see a man who doesn't know quite what to think about his own childhood. Was his father merely cruel (not that words don't do a lot of damage) or as was referenced in an episode way back (Patty had to remind me) actually physically abusive? What makes Wesley the worse man? the desire to connect with his father or the desire to kill him? None of this works without Alexis Denisof being able to run rings around a simple script (again, ninjas? must we?).
This is also an episode that speaks, again, to so much of early Torchwood -- Wesley and Angel touching base after a night of professional disasters. Wesley, worrying about how their fearless, remote, miserable leader is doing, more than being worried about his own pain related to robot
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Date: 2010-09-20 05:09 pm (UTC)With retirement + a second career + a second earner in a household, it's not hard to hit $150k. The Clinton-era tax bracket for this group was slightly higher and we're just reverting to that level, so the sky is not falling.
However, I'm not certain it's wise to raise taxes for households making under $200 with the economy where it is, however. People have also lost house value, and are reluctant to spend as they normally would on things like new kitchen cabinets, and it's KILLING retail. The little store where I bought my kitchen tile is out of business. I make 5% less than I did two years ago but I don't want to spend money on things like this to improve my house anymore, because I don't know that my job is secure and my house is worth less than I paid for it now, so screw it.
As for kid safety, I think the problem is that hardly anybody lets their kids walk anywhere or do anything unsupervised now, so there are fewer kids out there, creating the illusion that it's weird and unsafe to do this (and maybe it's safer when there are hordes of kids walking to school, anyway, because there you all are, walking within plain view of each other, rather than being the sole kid by herself).
I do live in the burbs and I don't even see kids in their BACKYARDS. They're all at planned activities or playing games on the wii, I guess. I don't know.
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Date: 2010-09-21 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-21 03:11 am (UTC)Am tempted to buy some skates and skate up and down my street. I'll be the only one!
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Date: 2010-09-21 04:17 am (UTC)