Looking Spooky Right in the Eye
Questions for the Culture no. 5
Welcome back to Questions for the Culture! I have my costume for Halloween and the wig is absolutely horrendous. I’m so excited.
What are you going to do now that Twitter (we refuse to call it X here) is going to be training their A.I. with your tweets?
I’ve made a bluesky and I’m going to be testing out how I like it but honestly it feels like I can’t escape A.I. at all. Elon is a pathological liar and thief so this has probably been going on for longer than he’s let on. Is it worth it to leave now? It’s the one “internet homebase” I have since I was never into Tumblr or even really Facebook. I have friends on there that I’ve never met but we’ve been talking for years and even though it’s not a replacement for the real friendships I have, it feels shitty to throw them away. Still, after what I’ve had to say about Nanowrimo, I do need to consider leaving more seriously.
How do you like bluesky in the 24 hours since you made an account?
It’s better than Threads. That’s all I can ask for at this point.
Is it time to leave kpop behind?
Honestly, it’s feeling like it, right? I like to think I’m a pretty resilient person but I just can’t take it anymore. At this point I don’t want to put any money in the pockets of these companies, especially if they won’t put any of that money towards actually protecting their artists. Specifically, from terrifying parasocial fans who don’t understand reasonable boundaries. The fact that a few obsessed fans can bully an artist into leaving a group for his own wellbeing just days after returning from hiatus, is a bridge too far. Like that was the line and they skipped over it. They’re making Kpop embarrassing to talk about. Unfortunately the music is still fye so idk…
Boy group RIIZE has been the target of strange and severe bullying by their own fans, so much so that a member was bullied out of the group entirely this week. Their company has capitulated to these fans at every turn.
Has Halloween always been this expensive?
Like everything else, greedflation has hit our traditions and pastimes too. I went to spirit halloween for the first time in years and was shocked at what I saw. This is highway robbery especially in the kids sections. The idea that crafting childhood memories for your kid could probably put you in financial straights is disgusting and sad. Can’t even make you own costumes either because the supplies are increasing in costs too. Just a mess all around
What is going on with people and their insane podcasts?
I wish I could tell you. From doing actual race science to further dehumanize black woman to laughing with racists about black women to actively bullying their own friends live on air, people all across the world are going out sad. The problem is that far too many people think they are the kind of yappers who need to have a podcast. They’ve deluded themselves into thinking we care to hear their awful conversations with their dull friends. We do not and journaling doesn’t need to become a lost art. Now in addition to strangers knowing you’re boring, they know you’re a bigot, too. For shame.
On this episode of “Under the Influence” podcast Esther Lee explains black women’s anatomy to a group of men. Yes it’s as bad as you’re thinking.
Have you ever been jealous on someone else’s behalf?
Lately I have been dealing with something I like to call secondhand envy. Meaning I see someone thriving in a certain way but instead of wanting it for myself, I desperately want it for someone else. I’m sure this feeling already has a name and a peer-reviewed essay detailing it’s hallmarks but for now, this is where I’m at. A good example is watching a film with a broody, dark-haired protagonist and wishing it was Nicholas Hoult in the role because he deserves it and you’re tired of seeing him miss out on roles CLEARLY made for him. Or something along those lines. Anyway, I think I’ve grown overconfident in my ability to place myself in the shoes of others.
This is truly one of my favorite features on What Whitney’s Watching. So much so that I reformatted this entry to be a QFTC. If you aren’t doing what you love then what are you doing?
Stay Golden and have a good week!
-whit