Episode 181.5 - Minisode 181.5

[Smigg. 509]

Not to get political but there are certainly a few different kinds of media being thrown into people's brains to cause that shit.

 

It's also seems to be sparring from other things like if you see someone agreeing with a Nazi then that's a black and white scenario but like you said other situations (like a fucking Peter Rabbit movie) have nuance to them and deserve a discussion.

 

I don't know how it is in the US, but here, we basically list out all the things that people would find objectionable. We put them on all movies, games and TV; So you look on the back of Mortal Kombat X for example, and it'll say "Strong Language, Intense Violence, Gory Images", so people know what to expect, and it covers pretty much everything from "Mild Peril" to "Extreme Violence"

 

Before, I was guilty of being the "Oh, fucking sensitive people, what's wrong with that?!" but I've eased my stance on it because while I'm alright with pretty much everything, but there are things I see where I think "Well, that's not cool", so then I'd be a hypocrite.

 

Case in point, we have a show here called "The Big Fat Quiz of the Year", and it's a comedy show where comedians of varying quality have a quiz about what happened in the year, they started talking about an advert for a bakery where they swapped out the baby jesus in a Nativity for a sausage roll, and a lot of their responses were "Fucking Christians?! What's wrong with that? If it was other religions, I could see why they would be, but what are the Christians getting mad about!" David Mitchell then said something that gave me this epiphany when he said "I can see why they would be, they've reduced their deity, their god, into nothing more than a pastry product".

 

Which is where I've landed on it, I'm an advocate of creative freedom, however, those who do have a problem with things shouldn't necessarily be shouted down, instead, say "Okay, well, here's why I'm okay with it, but I can see why you'd feel that way".

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I don't know how it is in the US, but here, we basically list out all the things that people would find objectionable. We put them on all movies, games and TV; So you look on the back of Mortal Kombat X for example, and it'll say "Strong Language, Intense Violence, Gory Images", so people know what to expect, and it covers pretty much everything from "Mild Peril" to "Extreme Violence"

 

Before, I was guilty of being the "Oh, fucking sensitive people, what's wrong with that?!" but I've eased my stance on it because while I'm alright with pretty much everything, but there are things I see where I think "Well, that's not cool", so then I'd be a hypocrite.

 

Case in point, we have a show here called "The Big Fat Quiz of the Year", and it's a comedy show where comedians of varying quality have a quiz about what happened in the year, they started talking about an advert for a bakery where they swapped out the baby jesus in a Nativity for a sausage roll, and a lot of their responses were "Fucking Christians?! What's wrong with that? If it was other religions, I could see why they would be, but what are the Christians getting mad about!" David Mitchell then said something that gave me this epiphany when he said "I can see why they would be, they've reduced their deity, their god, into nothing more than a pastry product".

 

Which is where I've landed on it, I'm an advocate of creative freedom, however, those who do have a problem with things shouldn't necessarily be shouted down, instead, say "Okay, well, here's why I'm okay with it, but I can see why you'd feel that way".

I fucking love Big Fat Quiz of the Year. It's my fave NY's tradition.

 

Yes we have a ratings system on all TV, movies, video games, etc. etc, but I guess when something here is rated PG, for some parental guidance needed, people tend to think that's a catch all for this is a fluffy piece of children's show that I shouldn't have to worry about.

 

Mostly my comment was how the political climate in this country has spilled over onto ALL things. There are a couple of right leaning media outlets that heavily rely on the words "triggered," "safe-space," and "snowflake," and they hammer that into the minds of everyone watching/listening to the point where that's the words they use for anyone that disagrees with them on ANYTHING. It's how they are purposefully trying to stop any conversation on rights for minorities and then justify swinging the confederate or Nazi flag around. So it's gotten to the point where you bring up the fact that Peter Rabbit is a bit problematic for children with deadly allergies and people will freak the fuck out and claim that these parents need their "safe-space" when all they are trying to do is create an environment for their children where they don't feel like they'll be killed by blueberries.

[Smigg. 509]

I fucking love Big Fat Quiz of the Year. It's my fave NY's tradition.

 

Yes we have a ratings system on all TV, movies, video games, etc etc but I guess when something here is rated PG for some parental guidance needed, people tend to think that's a catch all for this is a fluffy piece of children's show that I shouldn't have to worry about.

 

Mostly my comment was how the political climate in this country has spilled over onto ALL things. There are a couple of right leaning media outlets that heavily rely on the words "triggered," "safe-space," and "snowflake," and they hammer that into the minds of everyone watching/listening to the point where that's the words they use for anyone that disagrees with them on ANYTHING. It's how they are purposefully trying to stop any conversation on rights for minorities and then justify swinging the confederate or Nazi flag around. So it's gotten to the point where you bring up the fact that Peter Rabbit is a bit problematic for children with deadly allergies and people will freak the fuck out and claim that these parents need their "safe-space" when all they are trying to do is create an environment for their children where they don't feel like they'll be killed by blueberries.

 

Is it true that in the US, a kid can go into any movie if they're accompanied by an adult? Because I think that's how it's different in the UK, there's no way a kid's being let into a movie they're too young for, regardless of who's with them, and they're really strict with it

 

Yeah, I've stayed away from all things political this last year or so, because it's vile, now it's just people calling each other horrible names, and nothing ever gets discussed. Sometimes I just want to turn into pull a V for Vendetta, who whatever show I'm thinking of, hack into all of the available screen in the world and just say "Look, just stop being dicks. You over here, stop doing Nazi shit, you over there, Air Conditioning isn't sexist, you're not helping anything", I think I'm just far too much of a centrist, because I get it from everyone, so I've given up.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Is it true that in the US, a kid can go into any movie if they're accompanied by an adult? Because I think that's how it's different in the UK, there's no way a kid's being let into a movie they're too young for, regardless of who's with them, and they're really strict with it

Lol yes that's true. Exactly the reason why I, at 9 years old, was able to see American Beauty.

[Smigg. 509]

Lol yes that's true. Exactly the reason why I, at 9 years old, was able to see American Beauty.

 

We have a 12a age rating where kids can go in with an adult, but not on their own.

 

The problem with this age rating is that now action movies are doing this thing where they release it in the cinema as a 12a, so that parents can take their kids in with them, but then release the DVD as an "Extended Edition" and it gets a 15 certificate, so you're not seeing the movie as it's supposed to be until the DVD comes out. They did it with the RoboCop remake, The Expendables 3 and Life Free or Die Hard and a couple of others.

 

Case in point as to how strict it is, I went with my brother to a midnight release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and they literally had members of staff going around the shop, taking the game out of kids' hands and giving them to their parents and saying "You have to buy this, it's illegal to sell it to anybody under 18".

[muttnik 476]

From personal experience, way too many parents make a choice to ignore the ratings on video games and remain ignorant about what their kids/grankids/wards are playing until they see something that they don't approve of. For every one customer at three different jobs who would ask me what the ratings meant, ten would flat out ignore me or tell me to mind my own business. "My kid can handle it." Maybe so, maybe not; why don't you want to know what you're giving to your child for entertainment though? And they'd come back later demanding a refund, some insisting that I mislead them, and in one case calling me a smut peddler. I just get the feeling that people are either afraid or just don't want to talk anymore, that discussions have to turn into debates, and that there can only be one right answer.

[grudlian. 4725]

Mostly my comment was how the political climate in this country has spilled over onto ALL things. There are a couple of right leaning media outlets that heavily rely on the words "triggered," "safe-space," and "snowflake," and they hammer that into the minds of everyone watching/listening to the point where that's the words they use for anyone that disagrees with them on ANYTHING. It's how they are purposefully trying to stop any conversation on rights for minorities and then justify swinging the confederate or Nazi flag around. So it's gotten to the point where you bring up the fact that Peter Rabbit is a bit problematic for children with deadly allergies and people will freak the fuck out and claim that these parents need their "safe-space" when all they are trying to do is create an environment for their children where they don't feel like they'll be killed by blueberries.

Every once in a while, I really want the not obviously right leaning sections of the media to actually take the low road and say "Uhhhh, you're being kind of a triggered snowflake begging for a safe space when you think people should leave Trump alone." Not that I think people legitimately needing safe spaces is analogous with a bunch of uptight white people mad they had to make a gay wedding cake. I just think there is some similarity there even if one side isn't justified in their behavior.

 

We have a 12a age rating where kids can go in with an adult, but not on their own.

 

The problem with this age rating is that now action movies are doing this thing where they release it in the cinema as a 12a, so that parents can take their kids in with them, but then release the DVD as an "Extended Edition" and it gets a 15 certificate, so you're not seeing the movie as it's supposed to be until the DVD comes out. They did it with the RoboCop remake, The Expendables 3 and Life Free or Die Hard and a couple of others.

The closest the US has to 12a is PG-13. In the US, anyone of any age can see a PG-13 movie without a parent or guardian in attendance. As a former theatre employee, I might question a kid if they were very very young buying a ticket. But the age I'd probably start questioning a kid, few adults would probably let their kid run around unsupervised at that age with money to even buy a movie ticket.

From personal experience, way too many parents make a choice to ignore the ratings on video games and remain ignorant about what their kids/grankids/wards are playing until they see something that they don't approve of. For every one customer at three different jobs who would ask me what the ratings meant, ten would flat out ignore me or tell me to mind my own business. "My kid can handle it." Maybe so, maybe not; why don't you want to know what you're giving to your child for entertainment though? And they'd come back later demanding a refund, some insisting that I mislead them, and in one case calling me a smut peddler. I just get the feeling that people are either afraid or just don't want to talk anymore, that discussions have to turn into debates, and that there can only be one right answer.

Where I worked, we had a no one under 6 years old in a rated R movie after 6. Parents would argue to let them bring their children to the movie anyway. You have literally all day to bring your toddler to see Deadpool. Let's just limit it to before 6pm.

 

The worst I remember seeing was a parent bringing their, I don't know, 10-12 year old kids out of Hostel saying it was inappropriate. They thought the movie had too much nudity and thought it would be more like Saw.

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

Cameron H (and other parents as well I just know Cameron has two kids), I have a random question

 

Do you believe that the media your sons take in can have an effect on the way they view the world?

I don't think you could argue otherwise.

 

Of course children are, by and large, going to adopt similar beliefs and values as their parents, but they will develop quite a few of their own. Some of that will be shaped by social trends outside of the media they consume, a lot of it will be shaped by their friends, and another good portion of it will be a result of their own idiosyncrasies, but what they watch, play, etc. will matter, too.

 

Now my son is four, we watch Daniel Tiger and other PBS shows together. We've seen a few Pixar movies together. We haven't crossed this bridge, yet. But if I'm being honest, I'm mainly concerned about the internet. It watches you back. And it's not all filled with lovely folks like you all (as you already know).

[PollyDarton 1807]

I'm a parent of a small child and what she watches totally effects her. She's really not supposed to be consuming very much media at her age, but she loves it so we let her watch a little PBS... It's amazing to watch this little person that used to be a tiny baby sing and dance to something all because they are digging it. TBH: Most of the time when we turn it on it is to get through an hour in the evening when she is worn down and ragged. I admit this because I can totally see how people just let their kids go and gradually stop monitoring what their kids are watching... people's lives are fucking hard and they got shit to do. I hope to do better and I guess I will try to combat this by watching things with her for as long as she'll let me.

Now my son is four, we watch Daniel Tiger and other PBS shows together. We've seen a few Pixar movies together. We haven't crossed this bridge, yet. But if I'm being honest, I'm mainly concerned about the internet. It watches you back. And it's not all filled with lovely folks like you all (as you already know).

 

This. This. This.

I was lucky enough to grow up without the internet, and my teen years were in the "instant messenger" days. My early 20s were still pre Facebook/The social media revolution. I did not have to navigate through some of the hardest years under the scrutiny and pressure of social media and for that I am so thankful.

But this will always be the world my daughter lives in.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I was lucky enough to grow up without the internet, and my teen years were in the "instant messenger" days. My early 20s were still pre Facebook/The social media revolution. I did not have to navigate through some of the hardest years under the scrutiny and pressure of social media and for that I am so thankful.

But this will always be the world my daughter lives in.

As the resident young person here I was 16 when Facebook was opened up to high schoolers and lemme tell y'all that going through that age in a time when everyone was just figuring out what the fuck was going on with social media was rough. I honestly I'd rather have it now than in 2006. But maybe I would have still just been a dumbass 16 yo on the internet who knows lol.

 

Thank all y'all for the conversation! There's so much going on in the world and sometimes just seeing people be horrible in 140 characters or less can get exhausting.

[grudlian. 4725]

As the resident young person here I was 16 when Facebook was opened up to high schoolers and lemme tell y'all that going through that age in a time when everyone was just figuring out what the fuck was going on with social media was rough. I honestly I'd rather have it now than in 2006. But maybe I would have still just been a dumbass 16 yo on the internet who knows lol.

 

Thank all y'all for the conversation! There's so much going on in the world and sometimes just seeing people be horrible in 140 characters or less can get exhausting.

I will say unequivocally that I am so glad Facebook didn't even exist until my 20s. My social media accounts in high school would have been aaaaawwwwwwfffffuuuuulllllll.

[Smigg. 509]

Okay, I've watched the film twice, I have plenty of notes, I'm gonna be insufferable.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I really wish that Daniel Van Kirk would come on and guest as Mark Wahlberg for this episode.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

I really wish that Daniel Van Kirk would come on and guest as Mark Wahlberg for this episode.

 

I can no longer watch a Mark Wahlberg movie without hearing everything as his impression.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

Okay, I've watched the film twice, I have plenty of notes, I'm gonna be insufferable.

Every time this god damn movie uses a previously existing song, from downright luminescent performers from Dio to Talking Heads, I'm thinking, "how fucking DARE you?!?!" Fuck this movie.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

Every time this god damn movie uses a previously existing song, from downright luminescent performers from Dio to Talking Heads, I'm thinking, "how fucking DARE you?!?!" Fuck this movie.

This was an issue for me as well. I'm not well versed in metal or hair metal music but I swear I've heard that "stand up and shout" song multiple times but I can't figure out if that's a real song or not lol.

[grudlian. 4725]

Every time this god damn movie uses a previously existing song, from downright luminescent performers from Dio to Talking Heads, I'm thinking, "how fucking DARE you?!?!" Fuck this movie.

I was surprised by how little metal was in the soundtrack.

[Smigg. 509]

Every time this god damn movie uses a previously existing song, from downright luminescent performers from Dio to Talking Heads, I'm thinking, "how fucking DARE you?!?!" Fuck this movie.

 

I'm a thrash guy, so I find Glam/Hair metal to be distasteful. So, when I hear "Livin' On A Prayer", I don't think "metal", but some consider it to be. Take "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue, that's "Metal" because it's performed by Motley Crue.

[Quasar Sniffer 4174]

This was an issue for me as well. I'm not well versed in metal or hair metal music but I swear I've heard that "stand up and shout" song multiple times but I can't figure out if that's a real song or not lol.

Like Smigg, I don't consider hair metal "Metal" either, but that doesn't change the fact that Talking Heads are one of my all time favorite bands, so the use of "Once in a Lifetime" in this movie is fucking GARBAGE. Not only that, but the sort of Motley Crue/Judas Priest amalgam Steel Dragon is in the movie is... odd to me as a metalhead. Because, you know, Judas Priest is amazing and I love them. They've been making awesome music since the 1970s and Rob Halford is nicknamed "The Metal God" for a damn reason.

 

What's even more discombobulating is that "Stand Up and Shout" is an original song by the great and powerful Dio, which makes the music in this movie both more insulting and more confusing.

[taylor anne photo 11311]

What's even more discombobulating is that "Stand Up and Shout" is an original song by the great and powerful Dio, which makes the music in this movie both more insulting and more confusing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjCBV6o_DSE

Oh my god I just realized where I keep hearing this too! At the Cowboy's games they use this song to get the crowd amped up! I literally just had this image of the mascot on the screen singing it and yep that's the song.

[Smigg. 509]

Whenever I talk about Glam Metal, I always end up thinking of three things.

 

The first being the quote from Dave Mustaine when he formed Megadeth, "What do I think of Glam Metal? Well, its G-L-A-M, it's Gay LA Metal"

 

The second is Riki Rachtman, who hosted Headbanger's Ball, talking about how difficult it was to programme, because he'd get it from both sides, he'd get guys sending him shit saying "If you're the 'Headbanger's Ball', why the fuck are you playing Firehouse?!"

 

Then in the same mailbag, he's get girls sending him stuff like "Why are you playing Slayer?! Nobody listens to that!"

 

That contrast leads back to my eariler point that both of these songs I've shown are both considered "Metal", that's why sub-genres become so important.

 

The third thing is how the Glam Bubble ended up bursting. It became so homogenised that these glam bands would bring out an album, but they had to have three specific singles, all released in the same order:

1) The "YEAH! WE'RE GONNA PARTY! ROCK & ROLL!!!" single, things like "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Motley Crue

2) The heartfelt power ballad, like "Is This Love" by Whitesnake

3) The acoustic song

 

And because it had gotten so sanitised, they didn't see the impending threat that was marching over the hill, bands like the big four of thrash.

[Smigg. 509]

This is how scary and powerful Glam was at the time, they turned fucking OZZY glam.

 

Before Glam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnNWUUZ7cEA

 

During Glam:

[Smigg. 509]

 

Shame Brian Posehn isn't in the episode, he might have lost his shit talking about this.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

...they didn't see the impending threat that was marching over the hill, bands like the big four of thrash.

 

Are you talking in popular culture or within the metal counterculture?

 

If the former, I’d say Grunge/Alternative/Whatever had more to do with hair metal’s demise. I have no idea about what was going on within that group at the time so I’d have to take your word on thrash metal.

 

Me: I love Def Leppard. They’re metal as fuck, right? ;)/> Wyld Stallyns were pretty great, too.

[Smigg. 509]

Are you talking in popular culture or within the metal counterculture?

 

If the former, I’d say Grunge/Alternative/Whatever had more to do with hair metal’s demise. I have no idea about what was going on within that group at the time so I’d have to take your word on thrash metal.

 

Me: I love Def Leppard. They’re metal as fuck, right? ;)/> Wyld Stallyns were pretty great, too.

 

Both.

 

What was happening was Metallica were playing to sold out arenas with barely any radio play, and they didn't even have a music video, so they started collecting scalps for want of a better term, because they, as well as bands like Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer were guys going up on stage and playing this raw, fast, heavy metal.

 

Megdeth kicked off the '90s with "Rust in Peace", absolute masterpiece of an album, I implore that you give it at least one listen, just for the technical mastery, that was the shot over the bow, it was a Top 10 album in the UK, and was a big seller in the US.

 

Then Metallica's eponymous "Black Album" came out in 1991, same year as Nevermind by Nirvana, and just fucking blew up, that's when the pile of bodies started growing. In fact, this is how on their game Metallica were at the time, they did a tour with Guns n' Roses in 1992, and it basically sunk GnR for a long time, because of Axl's ego, he demanded that Metallica went on first, and they just destroyed everything in their path.

 

In fact, Jim Breuer does an amazing telling of the saga:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGy_obJa_JQ

 

So, what essentially happened was, the Black Album coming out so soon after Nevermind was this huge, landscape changing moment, and then the rest of the glam bands got picked off by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alica in Chains and Soundgarden, then all of the people who were wearing spandex with their hair all teased up and putting make up on, were now sporting flannel and work boots. So, you sort of had this thing where Grunge and Thrash could co-exist, particularly Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, as they had more of a metal influence.