What's in the news?

[Oniya]

It really, really saddens me that Trump will, most probably, be the next US President  :-[

In other news:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/31/roman-polanski-polish-government-seeks-to-revive-extradition-proceedings

This is hardly surprising, admittedly. Ziobro (as well as other PiS politicians, IIRC) has long said that Polański should be extradited and face trial... What's notable is that it's the first time the Polish government tries to get Polański extradited. Usually, our authorities have given a kind of silent support for him...

Probably the only thing the PiS has ever gotten right.

[Lustful Bride]

He must stand trial in the court of law.

No crime should go unpunished if you ask me. He did the crime and shouldn't get away with it just because he ran.

(Even if it means an old man must be extradited and tried in court....it might become a fiasco that is totally laughed at...but if we don't continue to persue then it just says that any criminal, especially sex offenders, can just get away with it if they try and hide)

The fact that he ran away to the other side of the world just says to me he knows he did wrong and is avoiding punishment. The law is the law....and ...stuff :/ idk..

This might be the only thing PiS does....feels weird saying that.

(not calling for vigilante justice, I just think he should be brought back to show that even after years, justice will come.)

[Beorning]

I don't know. From what I've read, this whole case is some sort of legal clusterfuck, with the prosecution having offered Polański a deal, then retracting it solely for the reason that the prosecutor wanted a showy trial etc. There's also the matter of statute of limitations...

On the other hand, there is the problem that even if Polański didn't know how old this girl was, he apparently did give her drugs. Also, there's one other woman (an actress from Pirates) that claims that Polański tried to abuse her in a similar way...

I don't know. I honestly have no opinion what's right in this situation.

[Oniya]

I don't think that the statute of limitations can 'run out' once the court documents are filed - I could be wrong, though.

[TaintedAndDelish]

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/pimps-hos-math-test-earns-eighth-grade-teacher-time-out-n584191

[Lustful Bride]

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/pimps-hos-math-test-earns-eighth-grade-teacher-time-out-n584191

I...this cant be real. I refuse to believe this. *plugs ears and tries to retain sanity*

[TheGlyphstone]

Bolser was set to retire this month, WMPI reported.

I suspect it is true, given this fact. About to retire? You DGAF.

EDIT: Reading further, the quiz in question is a well-known hoax that teachers occasionally get in trouble for by using it in seriousness:

http://www.snopes.com/humor/question/mathtest.asp

[Beorning]

Well, a few months ago, a math teacher here in Poland gave his students a somewhat similar task. It involved calculating how many of the refugees should thrown off the boat into the sea, so that the boat crossed the Mediterrean sea safely...

[Oniya]

I suspect it is true, given this fact. About to retire? You DGAF.

EDIT: Reading further, the quiz in question is a well-known hoax that teachers occasionally get in trouble for by using it in seriousness:

http://www.snopes.com/humor/question/mathtest.asp

I thought those questions looked familiar.  Do they even still use the term '8-ball'?  For some reason I want to say that term died out during the crack era...

Edit:  Apparently it is still used and has been extended to mean 1/8 ounce of meth as well.

[Renegade Vile]

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/pimps-hos-math-test-earns-eighth-grade-teacher-time-out-n584191

This is weird... Especially since, at first glance, I'd think she was joking, but than a student says she was being completely serious. Did she go insane overnight or something?
As for the police chief that had been forced to resign, I think that's going way too far. He shouldn't have sent that email over official channels, but it's still just obviously a joke on his part. I've heard far crasser jokes being made far more publicly than that...

I have to admit though, the test itself is quite funny, it would've made for an awesome sketch or parody.

[Sara Nilsson]

I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry....

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/pimps-hos-math-test-earns-eighth-grade-teacher-time-out-n584191

Yeah it breaks my poor soul when I see people refer to a magazine as a clip too.

[AmberStarfire]

I have to wonder what was going through her head when she gave the kids that maths test, unless she didn't pay attention to the details at all (but how could she not?).

As for the Florida police chief, he maybe should've got a talking to for that but forcing him to resign was extreme. I thought that was rather funny, actually. :)

[LisztesFerenc]

  A 40% accuracy rate with an AK, in a drive-by shooting? Isn't that, insanely good? Or at least pretty good? 13 rounds means he's connecting 5.2 shots per drive-by. How fast is this car meant to be travelling, because drive-bys are usually quick.

[Oniya]

  A 40% accuracy rate with an AK, in a drive-by shooting? Isn't that, insanely good? Or at least pretty good? 13 rounds means he's connecting 5.2 shots per drive-by. How fast is this car meant to be travelling, because drive-bys are usually quick.

Come on - these are eighth graders!  They haven't had physics yet!  XD

[Renegade Vile]

  A 40% accuracy rate with an AK, in a drive-by shooting? Isn't that, insanely good? Or at least pretty good? 13 rounds means he's connecting 5.2 shots per drive-by. How fast is this car meant to be travelling, because drive-bys are usually quick.

What it doesn't clarify is that the question is about professional, former special forces, highly trained hitman Ramon; and those stats are from his off days.

[TheGlyphstone]

Or maybe Ramon just plays a lot of Call of Duty in his downtime.

[TaintedAndDelish]

I was a little stumped wondering if there's an agreed upon method for calculating "street value".

[AmberStarfire]

My morning reading usually consists of the Aussie news and there was this article about the treatment of Mystique on the poster for X-Men.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/new-movies/why-the-internet-is-outraged-over-this-xmen-poster/news-story/7ac9950f55321f91b122abb13f750970

[Renegade Vile]

My morning reading usually consists of the Aussie news and there was this article about the treatment of Mystique on the poster for X-Men.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/new-movies/why-the-internet-is-outraged-over-this-xmen-poster/news-story/7ac9950f55321f91b122abb13f750970

*rolls eyes* Heaven forbid the villain does villainous things. I'm pretty sure the context is pretty clear even from the one-half of the poster that she's probably getting strangled by the bad guy in an attempt to set a scene that implies everyone is in deep trouble.
Is there anything people aren't outraged by anymore?

[LisztesFerenc]

*rolls eyes* Heaven forbid the villain does villainous things. I'm pretty sure the context is pretty clear even from the one-half of the poster that she's probably getting strangled by the bad guy in an attempt to set a scene that implies everyone is in deep trouble.

  Whilst I agree the "no context" complaint was a little odd, it is true that this poster does fit a larger societal narrative of using violence against woman in pop culture. Like how the Tomb Raider reboot had Lara Croft the victim of an attempted sexual assault in the trailer to motivate players to feel protective for her. In X-men Apocalypse, most of the heroes are male aren't they, yet the poster central to the promotion of the film happens to show one of the females being strangled.

  In a vacuum, this poster is fine. In a world with troublesome standard of violence against the two genders, I can see why people are bothered by it.

[Renegade Vile]

  Whilst I agree the "no context" complaint was a little odd, it is true that this poster does fit a larger societal narrative of using violence against woman in pop culture. Like how the Tomb Raider reboot had Lara Croft the victim of an attempted sexual assault in the trailer to motivate players to feel protective for her. In X-men Apocalypse, most of the heroes are male aren't they, yet the poster central to the promotion of the film happens to show one of the females being strangled.

The point of the Tomb Raider reboot was to put Lara Craft through absolute hell and make her come out on top; it had precious little to do with having people feel protective for her. And even if it did, what is wrong with motivating people to be protective of the people you like, aka: the hero/heroine? Male characters have been getting shot, beaten, stabbed, burned and bashed since forever and you never hear anyone complaining. Just look at characters like Robocop, who has just about the bloodiest opening of any movie, ever, and it immediately makes you feel bad for him and makes you root for him. Same principle here, same principle in Tomb Raider. If you've got women among the heroes, they're going to get hurt, because villains are bastards. But because they're heroes, they're rise above it. Which is exactly what happens in Tomb Raider, as Lara Croft is a genuine badass by the end of it.

As for X-Men, Mystique is played by arguably the biggest name on the acting roster, and is also one of the most popular characters in the movie franchise. If you are going to have someone be strangled by the villain in a "oh shit!" setup, who would you go for?

  In a vacuum, this poster is fine. In a world with troublesome standard of violence against the two genders, I can see why people are bothered by it.

You know what the troublesome standard is? Women get hurt: outrage. Men get hurt: meh, same old. You know what it should be?
Anyone gets hurt: outrage.
It doesn't matter who is on that poster, what matters is that the villain is choking out the hero and you need to get your butt in the theater seat to see how the heroes are going to get out of this jam. That's all there is to it, nothing more, nothing less.

[LisztesFerenc]

The point of the Tomb Raider reboot was to put Lara Craft through absolute hell and make her come out on top; it had precious little to do with having people feel protective for her. And even if it did, what is wrong with motivating people to be protective of the people you like, aka: the hero/heroine?

  Nothing, but you don't need attempted rape to do that. It's not as if you would have had gamers starting at the screen going "Yes yes, she's going through hell, but she's a woman, how am I meant to take their suffering seriously if no one's tried to rape her".

Male characters have been getting shot, beaten, stabbed, burned and bashed since forever and you never hear anyone complaining.

  Attempted rape and such sexual violence is missing from that list of bad things that tend to happen men. That is significant.

As for X-Men, Mystique is played by arguably the biggest name on the acting roster, and is also one of the most popular characters in the movie franchise. If you are going to have someone be strangled by the villain in a "oh shit!" setup, who would you go for?

  That's a fair point, and this is why sexism sucks. It becomes hard to to distinguish sexism from other more legitimate ideas. Like a stupid black character. Is that a reference to the cultural stereotype that all black men are stupid, or is does it just so happen that the role of a stupid character in a movie went to a black actor?

You know what the troublesome standard is? Women get hurt: outrage. Men get hurt: meh, same old. You know what it should be?
Anyone gets hurt: outrage.

  Until sexism is a thing of the past, the same situation just gender flipped will not provoke the same responses. You are completely right on how it should be, which is probably why your above sentiment is echoed by many social rights activists. For example you have no problem with Lara's suffering being at least in part to make the player feel protective of her, when has it ever been a stated design goal that we feel protective of a male protagonist due to their suffering?

[Renegade Vile]

  Nothing, but you don't need attempted rape to do that. It's not as if you would have had gamers starting at the screen going "Yes yes, she's going through hell, but she's a woman, how am I meant to take their suffering seriously if no one's tried to rape her".

You don't need it, but it's still powerful storytelling tool, if used sparingly. I agree that writers often reach for rape as the easy go-to method of getting investment, but sometimes it works, and sometimes it can also be used to show the perspective of someone who has or almost has gone through it. In LAra Croft's case, it was intended to make the situation as horrible as they possibly could, and there are few things a person can do to another than sexual abuse. On top of that, it was hardly a footnote in the game, nor was it portrayed lightly or unrealistically. Just because it wasn't necessary, doesn't mean it didn't add to it.

  Attempted rape and such sexual violence is missing from that list of bad things that tend to happen men. That is significant.

So you're saying rape and sexual violence does not happen to men? Because I left it off the list of examples doesn't mean I think it doesn't apply. Go look up numbers of things like prison rape, child abuse, etc. And both these things, especially the former, is also showcased in movies and sometimes even games; and never lightly.

  That's a fair point, and this is why sexism sucks. It becomes hard to to distinguish sexism from other more legitimate ideas. Like a stupid black character. Is that a reference to the cultural stereotype that all black men are stupid, or is does it just so happen that the role of a stupid character in a movie went to a black actor?

This is why focusing on these things sucks, rather. There are still sexists, racists and other bigots out there; plenty of them. But most of them are pretty darn obvious to pick out of a crowd, so to speak. Most of these are hardly subtle in their beliefs and once they open their mouths, it becomes apparent almost instantly. This is a movie poster for a movie featuring powerful female heroes that fight alongside the males. They're going to get beaten up. It's an action movie. That's what happens. Be glad there are female characters in it who get equal representation, both in the good and the bad. It just so happens that it's much more photogenic for Apocalypse to be holding up one person by the throat, than having a man in one hand and a woman in another for equality's sake. Mystique sells tickets. Apocalypse showing the prospective audience that he will murder heroes in cold blood sells tickets.

  Until sexism is a thing of the past, the same situation just gender flipped will not provoke the same responses. You are completely right on how it should be, which is probably why your above sentiment is echoed by many social rights activists. For example you have no problem with Lara's suffering being at least in part to make the player feel protective of her, when has it ever been a stated design goal that we feel protective of a male protagonist due to their suffering?

In every story with a sympathetic, male protagonist ever made? It's true that the methods used to breed protectiveness changes depending on gender and target audience. What makes men protective of other men is different from what makes them protective of women. The same as what makes women protective is different; at least in public perception as we can debate on that for hours too. But how many movies have you seen where a male protagonist is hurt, physically and emotionally, either to a breaking point or even beyond? I'm sure you felt protectiveness and compassion in those cases too, even if we're talking about a cliché action hero here. Heck, tons of Greek myths thrive on putting their male heroes through hell to prove all manner of points, but the stories still illicit compassion for the protagonist and their suffering. Protectiveness IS easier to instill in men for women because it does seem to be easier to get out of them, but how many plots revolve around a male protagonist losing a brother or something and you feeling horrible for them? A lot.

Please, try to keep perspective. These things have been happening to men or being done with men since the dawn of fiction. It's nothing new. I don't advocate violence against women, or anyone, but women are in mainstream movies more and more, so you're going to be seeing more and more women getting put in violent situations. That's just the way it is in action movies. But that has nothing to do with their genitals.

[Lilias]

This is what true bravery looks like.

[LisztesFerenc]

You don't need it, but it's still powerful storytelling tool, if used sparingly. I agree that writers often reach for rape as the easy go-to method of getting investment, but sometimes it works, and sometimes it can also be used to show the perspective of someone who has or almost has gone through it. In LAra Croft's case, it was intended to make the situation as horrible as they possibly could, and there are few things a person can do to another than sexual abuse. On top of that, it was hardly a footnote in the game, nor was it portrayed lightly or unrealistically. Just because it wasn't necessary, doesn't mean it didn't add to it.

  What? It was absolutely a foot note in the game. The aggressor is forgettable, gone very early with barely any screen time, and if you don't do the quick time event he doesn't rape Lara, he just strangles her to death, in an incredibly unnecessarily sexual way.

So you're saying rape and sexual violence does not happen to men? Because I left it off the list of examples doesn't mean I think it doesn't apply. Go look up numbers of things like prison rape, child abuse, etc.

  We are talking about pop culture, there's no need to try and ambush me by bringing real life into the discussion without indicating it, since the example you sighted of males suffering was robocop.

And both these things, especially the former, is also showcased in movies and sometimes even games; and never lightly.

  Never lightly? Oh please, prison rape is a go to joke in pop culture. And yes, males are sometimes the victims of sexual violence in pop culture, but very rarely. See the response to when Daniel Craig as James Bond had his thighs fondled by a male villain.

Be glad there are female characters in it who get equal representation, both in the good and the bad. It just so happens that it's much more photogenic for Apocalypse to be holding up one person by the throat, than having a man in one hand and a woman in another for equality's sake.

  You mean Jennifer Laurence, the female star who was recently involved in a controversy over earning less than her male peers?

In every story with a sympathetic, male protagonist ever made? It's true that the methods used to breed protectiveness changes depending on gender and target audience. What makes men protective of other men is different from what makes them protective of women. The same as what makes women protective is different; at least in public perception as we can debate on that for hours too. But how many movies have you seen where a male protagonist is hurt, physically and emotionally, either to a breaking point or even beyond? I'm sure you felt protectiveness and compassion in those cases too, even if we're talking about a cliché action hero here. Heck, tons of Greek myths thrive on putting their male heroes through hell to prove all manner of points, but the stories still illicit compassion for the protagonist and their suffering. Protectiveness IS easier to instill in men for women because it does seem to be easier to get out of them, but how many plots revolve around a male protagonist losing a brother or something and you feeling horrible for them? A lot.

  And this is sexist, which a fair few people would like to see changed.

Please, try to keep perspective. These things have been happening to men or being done with men since the dawn of fiction. It's nothing new. I don't advocate violence against women, or anyone, but women are in mainstream movies more and more, so you're going to be seeing more and more women getting put in violent situations. That's just the way it is in action movies. But that has nothing to do with their genitals.

  Its not that simple. The default victim, especially of something sexual, is female. You are pretty much arguing 10 is greater than 12 if you disagree with that assertion. You cannot simple the issue down to "it happens to males and females" for a number of reasons.