Adam Motherby retweeted
So there’s a whole discussion going on about boys not being readers and why that is and how people like/don’t like gendered books.
“Why do we need new authors for boys when these classic books exist?”
“Why do we need male protagonists when boys should read books with female protagonists so they can understand what it’s like to see through someone else’s POV?”
Let me handle it this way:
1. Boys have always been behind girls in literacy for various reasons.
Biological and mental development, testosterone burn-off/lack of sitting still long enough to read, undiagnosed learning issues - all of these are legitimate reasons.
2. Being a classic doesn’t mean it resonates immediately with a younger audience.
Yes, LOTR is timeless. And wordy. And has funky names that put people off reading it.
3. Boys should be exposed to female protagonists and characters. And they are, daily. From tv shows to video games and even in their real lives, boys have been placed in a secondary role. “Girl power” and “girls in STEM” are preached while boys get nothing special. They get a lot of other people’s POV.
Their gay teacher hands a rainbow flag while their older sister’s friend’s sister is really her brother. They see it. What they don’t see is themselves.
4. “Well what about Harry Potter?” Yeah, the books are 29 years old and the movies are 25 years old.
“What about these other authors and series?” Percy Jackson started 21 years ago.
The books and series you’re referencing belong more to adults than to the kids at this point.
The bottom line is boys want new books, new stories to read and grow with. Cutting men out of the literary world (except for a few well established authors who tell the same stories over and again) is basically telling the boys they don’t belong and shouldn’t be reading.
If you want them to enjoy lead female characters, you have to get them to enjoy reading first. And that starts with stories for them.
Adam Motherby retweeted
malfoid and anakin: two sides of the same generation, united by one desire
one meme turns hostility into love
the other shows how love can turn into destruction
one is an anime girl yearning for harry potter
the other is a fallen jedi who has become a symbol of a generation losing faith in the establishment
two different stories, yet both revolve around the same desire
to love, to belong, and to build a future worth living for
malfoid transforms draco malfoy’s rivalry with harry potter into something innocent: affection
the blushing, the teasing, the constant yearning
she represents something simple, the desire to love and be loved
anakin’s story takes that same desire somewhere much darker
viral anakin memes portray the jedi council as an aging establishment demanding loyalty from a generation it no longer understands
for some young white men in the west, anakin has become a symbol of political and economic alienation
housing feels unattainable, financial security increasingly distant, and the dream of building a family uncertain
debates over immigration, demographic change, and cultural identity have become intertwined with fears that institutions no longer represent their interests
beneath these frustrations lies the fear of losing the future they hoped to build
anakin feared losing padmé, but the jedi struggled to understand his desperation
palpatine recognized that fear, promised him the power to protect what he loved, and exploited it
in trying to save padmé, anakin destroyed the very future he wanted to preserve
and that’s where these two memes connect
anakin never wanted to rule the galaxy
he wanted padmé, love, a family, and a future without fear
the very life that malfoid memes romanticize
where malfoid transforms hostility into affection, anakin transforms affection into destruction
not every fan shares the same politics, but these memes reveal two very different sides of the same desire
and perhaps the greatest warning in anakin’s story is that when institutions fail to understand people’s frustrations, someone like palpatine may recognize them instead
not to save them
but to use them
one romanticizes the love we yearn for
the other warns what happens when the fear of losing it consumes us
Adam Motherby retweeted
Restore Britain no doubt does have some vile supporters (few in number). The difference is, Reform have vile leaders, who lie and appease. People who don't just use nasty words, but try to destroy peoples reputations with lies. That is despicable and unforgivable.
Adam Motherby retweeted
This is a public service announcement for all women everywhere ever.
A fight does not happen by mutual consent. A fight happens because one person decides to start it.
That's ONE. Uno. Un. Eins. Ichi. Yī. Unus. Ett. Hana. Wāḥid.
One is not two.
Your man is not in a fight because he looked at the other guy, and they both said, hey, let's totally throw down, bro, as if fighting were a pickup game of basketball.
Your man is in a fight because one person decided to attack. That person is not necessarily your man even if, and I cannot stress this enough, even if your man is the one who throws hands first.
Yes, you read that right. If you don't understand, if it makes no sense to you, that's because you know nothing about fighting.
If you grab your man and try to restrain him, you are not preventing the fight. You are restraining him while the fight occurs.
Just because you would like your man to exit the situation does not necessarily mean he can. Even if he can, that does not necessarily mean he should.
He knows about fighting. Some men know less about it, and some men know more, but unless you are Ronda Rousey or Lena Miculek, your man always knows more about fighting than you.
If you have something you want him to do, like exit the situation if he can, use your words like a big girl.
Do not touch him.
He will ignore you, of course, because you have no idea what you are talking about, but you can talk if it makes you happy.
Do not touch him.
Step back from the area of conflict and get out of the way. Keep him between you and the threat if possible.
Do not get between him and the threat. That is retarded.
Also do not touch him.
If you do touch him, do not be surprised if you shoves you hard enough to land you on your butt ten feet away. This is the appropriate response. He is trying to protect himself and you from your willful ignorance.
Do not touch him.
If you do touch him, and he survives, do not be surprised if he ends the relationship afterwards. You grossly disrespected his judgement, and put him in serious danger with your selfish desire to be right all the time.
Do not touch him.
The time to have a conversation about whether the fight should have happened is after the fight, not while people are in danger.
Do not touch him.
Okay, quick reading comprehension test.
What should you not do?
Adam Motherby retweeted
New day. New chapter. New adventures await. 💚
The mission remains unchanged: make Malfoid dominate the world, save humanity, and ensure every living soul knows about her existence.
Reposts, likes, comments. Every contribution brings us one step closer to world domination.
#Malfoid #HarryPotter #Yearning
