(If anyone is wondering, I am specializing in making anime, and I've already got into the perfect college to do so.)
Let’s drop the “is this about Stockholm Syndrome” debate for once and focus on the other main complaint about this film. I’ve seen people say that Beauty and the Beast casts a negative light on those with mental illness and I just can’t believe people think this is a valid criticism.
Maurice is neurodivergent. This is obvious from the beginning.
Belle—WHO IS ALSO NEURODIVERGENT— recognizes him as a good dad. And the audience is introduced to him in a positive way. Maurice is a damned hero.
Who calls Maurice crazy and disregards him? GASTON AND HIS GROUPIES. THE BAD GUYS.
Why? BECAUSE THEY’RE ASSHOLES WHO PICK ON NEURODIVERGENT PEOPLE.
And why are they assholes? BECAUSE SOCIETY SAYS PICKING ON PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT IS OK.
And that’s a thought process that the movie continually portrays as BAD AND WRONG.
This is not a hard concept to understand! The entire movie is about why being ableist is bad and people want to bash it because Maurice is threatened with being taken to an asylum and that somehow means it’s implying mental illness is bad.
News flash: if you’re headed to an asylum, you’re going to be tortured. It is NOT comparable to getting treatment in a modern facility. It’s yet another example of how abusing mentally ill people is wrong in a movie about the abuse of the neurodivergent. Gaston is an abuser. The movie pretty fucking obviously tells kids not to abuse people. This shouldn’t even be up for debate! It’s literally a movie celebrating neurodivergency!
Rant over.
I am such a sucker for beautiful handmade arts. But I'm learning to appreciate things from a distance without needing to have them in my home. I don't need to have an object near me in order for it to be beautiful; in order for it to affect me and influence my identity and love of life! In fact letting go of ownership can make the experience of art all the more powerful. And if I wanna support a small artist I can always still donate to them.
I feel like there are so many unwritten beauty rules that you're supposed to follow, but everybody isn't the same and it's fine to stray from some of these rules. That's why I thought it'd be fun to ask this question!
I'll start. I wash my hair every day so it looks fuller and not weighed down by the oil. I have a lot of sebum production, and my genetics are just like that. Washing it every day works great for me!
I'm going to start riding a short distance (<5KM) to get to my workplace every other day or so. I'm a little bit nervous cause I never really biked along roads before (only ever rode on bike lanes and sidewalks for the most part). What are some tips and things to watch out for?
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