Tuesday Trash: Random (but Mild) Rants

I’ve got a few things to blow off a little steam about today.

First I’m going to tackle the minor flap that popped up in the comments section of Witchfire’s post about Wonder Woman. Absolutely NOT mad at anybody. Those who commented did a nice job of being polite in their disagreement. It’s simply easier to reply to the overall theme of the replies here in one reply, and expand on my beliefs. Comments are kind of limited after all. 😎

To be honest, I was surprised how many people rushed to Marston’s defense. If one looks at those early Wonder Woman comics, it’s pretty clear the emphasis was on submission, with being a strong woman being secondary, even if it is still central to the character.

The NPR story linked to in one comment said Marston took inspiration from suffragettes and centerfolds alike. The trouble with NPR’s assertion is that Marston stopped writing Wonder Woman in 1947. The first issue of Playboy didn’t hit the news stands until late 1953. Ergo, there were no centerfolds to influence Marston.

Bottom line; NPR was more interested in pushing an agenda of sexual libertarianism than the truth. Facts matter.

Let me be blunt, both of us here LOVE everything about sex. There’s NO issue at all on that level. Our only two caveats is everything should be consensual (which automatically precludes children and animals), and it should ideally stay in private. Beyond that, your kinks don’t matter, nor does your orientation. Do what you want, just don’t hurt or use others, OR try to force your lifestyle on others.

For us, it’s more about reality and giving Marston credit for what Wonder Woman evolved into in the 77 years since he was at the helm of the comic book.

This:

and THIS:

Are NOT about female empowerment. They are about the titillation of being able to “break” and control an otherwise strong woman. THAT was Marston’s fetish. It was how he ran his household with his wife and mistress. It’s also honestly the same thing that drives the superheroine peril (rape) sites that are out there today, albeit on a far less toxic level than some of them.

Things like a bridle bit in the mouth and Wonder Woman grinning and blushing while a child takes a hair brush to her ass are NOT about female empowerment or a strong female lead.

Did Marston push the envelope with the character? Absolutely! Up till that point, women were in stories strictly to be the helpless damsel in distress that the real hero rescued, often from perils caused by her own headstrong nature.

Even Diana’s costume was considered “scandalous” and indecent” at the time. Kind of amusing in that regard that nobody in the first Wonder Woman movie reacts to Diana’s costume. World War 1 was a time when women’s fashion had barely progressed past the point of it being scandalous for a woman to show an ankle from underneath her dress. Yet Diana’s armor is treated as completely normal, LOL. The formal ball towards the end oof the movie has her wearing a modern (ie very clingy) evening gown also.

We’re getting off track here however. The point is that yes, Marston took some risks and got some definite blowback from it all. He had a real impact on the idea of female superheroes also.

Wonder Woman was hardly the first female superhero character though. The Blonde Phantom, Sheena Queen of the Jungle, Phantom Lady (who appeared years before Wonder Woman), Marvel’s original Miss America (who fought alongside Cap in WW2 as part of Tthe Invaders), the original Dinah Drake Lance version of Black Canary, Namora (the Submariner’s cousin) and others all made their debuts around the same time as Diana / Wonder Woman.

Some of them, like Sheena and Namora, were dressed in equally revealing outfits as well. They didn’t get the same level of blowback because there was no BDSM agenda being pushed.

Getting back to Wonder Woman herself… The character didn’t truly get away from the bondage theme until the late 80s / early 90s. People went “OMG!” the first time Diana broke chains after letting herself be bound by men (and then promptly kicking the snot out of them, lol). It’s been so long though that people see the modern Wonder Woman and simply assume that she’s the same character she always was.

Nothing is further from the truth. Even Captain America has undergone major changes over the years. Back in his WW2 days, he was a propaganda piece as much as anything. The U.S. was the greatest, and he was there to defend it against the nazi hordes. By the time the late 80s came around, and Marvel had the Government try to conscript him into service, he decided that forcing a citizen to work for the government was wrong, and he told the President “I’m only loyal to the dream, sir” before turning in his uniform.

So yeah… Knowing Wonder Woman’s history much better than the writers at NPR, I don’t see Marston as a feminist saint. He’s NOT evil by any means either, but he did use the character to push his fetish.

And Then There was The Batman…

Well, Bing AI can do the Bat correctly at least, LOL

One of my commenters yesterday hit a trigger for me. Most likely unintentionally as well, as the comment was vague enough to not fully imply if it was about escape artist training OR that there was something sexual going on between Batman and Robin.

That gay rumor has been around FOREVER, and I’ve always felt it’s completely unjustified and unproven. What’s worse is that the greater implication is that any single parent adoption, especially by men, is all about pedophilia. In 2017 alone, there were 17,000 adoptions by single parents. ALL of whom went through a ton of extra scrutiny to make sure pedophilia wasn’t an issue.

Likewise, there have been over 1000 issues of Detective Comics since it debuted in 1939, and God only knows how many total issues of the numerous other Batman focused titles over the years. Bruce has plenty of other baggage, but he’s never once been shown to be gay or a pedo.

Tying That Into the State of Society in General:

I’m not even going to blame any “gay agenda” on this either. I believe it started with and is, for the most part, driven by snarky, cynical people who can’t accept the idea of role models or that others could actually do good for it’s own sake. The same kind of people that say Captain America has to be racist because he’s white and that Superman makes a better villain, or Luke would actually try to assassinate his own nephew.

The sad part is, this kind of thinking is becoming so commonplace that most of us just go along with it and never ask why.

Without getting into a long side discussion, suffice it to say there’s a long running effort to tear down anything resembling role models and cultural icons in society. That’s part of why Bruce’s character has devolved into somebody who can’t trust and has contingencies against all his allies and “friends”.

But really… What this all comes down to for me is that if we want to start improving society, is has to start by eliminating all the toxic thinking in it. AND question EVERYTHING we’re told, no matter the source. Journalism is dead on all sides, replaced by agenda driven spin.

Those Damned A.I.s

Yes, I’m still fighting to get artwork to turn out the way I want. A perfect example of my frustrations is the Wonder Woman picture above. Overall Bing did a fabulous job. The necklace isn’t canon, but I like the look. Diana didn’t even have those wings on her tiara is when she had Thor’s hammer in the BIG Marvel & DC crossover event decades ago:

ANYWAY… I clicked on the wings, told Bing to remove them, and what do I get?

The flipping Archangel Diana! With two lassos and a whip to boot. No matter what I tried in the editor, I could not get rid of those damned wings either.

OK, that’s a long enough rant. Time for me to shut up…

Eclipse Day!

That’s right, today is the day… early afternoon is the time.

North America, be ready!

As it turns out, the total eclipse band / path is going to be a little wider than originally calculated also. I couldn’t find a decent map to post or link to however.

I’m tempted to do a long post about superstitions regarding eclipses, but there are soooo many worldwide, I’d be writing forever, LOL. Instead I’ll just leave it at this friendly reminder. 🙂

Witchfire Speaks: I Already AM a Character!

Daily writing prompt

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

View all responses

OK, so this one is a little bit of a slap in the face after being sucked into the comics on an NSFW website… And yet, Silk is sticking me with answering the daily prompts. 😈🤬

Which character though? It’s not like any of them have an easy journey. Well, there’s the easy answer if I wanted to never face any real challenges: Rey from the Star Wars sequels. Let’s face it; she’s got it made.

Never faced a challenge that she couldn’t overcome. Beat a full fledged, well trained Sith Lord the first time she ever picked up a lightsaber. Able to leap speeding T.I.E. fighters in a single bound… She even managed to beat her creepy old grandfather after he completely depowered her and had gone full-on godmode himself.

And then she gets to engage in identity theft as well, stealing the Skywalker name.

Would I want to be her though? No. She’s hated by many for ruining the sequels. Even her actress suffers for it. And at the risk of being VERY politically incorrect… the poor woman has no boobs either! I’m a 34C, and I look huge next to her. Yeah, given all the bullying I put up with over the years by the early blooming, big boobed popular girls, I should be nicer, but I would be miserable trading down to a training bra. 😁

Yes, redheads are evil. Deal with it. 😝😎

Well, There IS Wonder Woman…

Let’s face it, she’s one of the faces of female empowerment. What a figure also. 😉

Is it wrong that I like the necklace? It’s kind of similar to mine…

Where was I? Oh yeah… Diana is a great role model nowadays, but in her early years she spent more time in bondage than any of those heroines at the adult site. She still occasionally gets into trouble too, despite frequently out-performing Superman now.

It’s kind of funny… with everyone trumpeting the modern Diana, they’ve declared Professor Marston as some sort of feminist icon as well. If you read the early years of Wonder Woman comics though, he was kind of a dirty old goat with a bondage fetish. The early comics clearly have a theme of “willing obedience to loving authority”. It’s even outright stated on occasion:

If that didn’t convince you, there was an Amazonian item in early comics that hasn’t been seen in years:

Occasionally the comic went even further:

That one was probably one of her World War 2 encounters with nazi spies. Even Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman frequently ended up in that situation:

Fausta strikes again…

The next scene takes “spank me, baby” to a whole new low however:

Paradise Island must have been a pretty wild place also:

But verily… Brutus is an honorable man… err Marston isn’t pervy. 😉😁

But It Gets Better for our Heroine in Modern Times, Right?

Hmmm, not as quickly as you’d think… For starters, Lynda Carter’s TV Wonder Woman was tied up every other episode.

It was worse in the comics:

Even in the Justice League animated series, she’s tied up

I could go on and on here, but I think you get the idea.

They supposedly did away with the whole “bound by a man” limitation at the start of the #metoo movement. No idea if it’ll resurface. Nothing in comics seems permanent anymore. Diana is still helpless to resist her own lasso though, and even compelled to obey the user while bound. That’s a pretty hefty vulnerability, and that’s coming from a girl who loves occasional consensual bondage.

Presumably those magical submission girdles are still sitting somewhere on Paradise Island also, just waiting to be slapped on her or an ally.

So yeah… Even with that figure and all that power, to this day, she ends up in bondage more than I’d like. As tempting as it is, I’d have to pass on being Diana.

So What Is The Answer Then?

Maybe the best option is to stop worrying about other people, wishing for their problems, and just learn to be happy with yourself.

A.I. strikes again.

Sure, my current situation sucks, but I’m smart, a helluva witch, a good martial artist, and pretty good looking too… Even if I don’t have Ms Americana’s giant boobs.

Blogging Etiquette

OR how to make sure your blog is followed… or that nobody follows it.

As usual, the most serious threat that A.I. CURRENTLY presents is to proper English and spelling

This was originally going to be this week’s “Tuesday Trash” rant, but time didn’t allow any real work on it. More time will allow me to be more constructive also. Always a plus, right? 😊

So, what follows is a list of do and do not based on 6 1/2 years here at WP, and several years online before at various vbb style discussion sites, including moderator duties.

Let’s Start with Writing a Post:

First and foremost, keep your article reasonably friendly, or at least have a neutral tone. People will make exceptions for personal “bad day” rants, but nobody wants to read a toxic diatribe about how that other political party is the cause of every evil in the world, they and their followers should all be jailed or worse, etc… You bring people down that way, and MOST people blog to have a healthy escape from the toxicity of daily life.

I’ve been guilty of making that mistake in the past myself, but am working hard at changing for the better.

Cite Sources: It doesn’t matter if you’re showing a recipe that you found on the internet and tried at home, OR if you’re quoting some statistics on something like climate change. Show where you’re getting your information from. It lends credibility to your own words and gives proper credit to others for their own work.

This goes for pictures and images used also. Where ever possible (most memes and some Pinterest pics can be hard to get sources on), give credit to the creator or site. Ideally, use a site like Unsplash where you can free use (with citation) pictures, or A.I. generate your images. It’s safer with all the flap over fair use and artistic rights.

Don’t Plagiarize! There’s (at least) one blog out there that cuts and pastes half of LONG science related articles. They link to the story at the end, BUT fair use and plagiarism standards state that the proper limit to that sort of thing is a paragraph or two, with proper quotation and linking given.

Anything more that could be added to “Do Not Plagiarize” is probably covered under “”Cite Sources” above.

Proofread and Edit! In the name of humanity, even if you don’t rewrite drafts, at least proofread and edit your posts to correct spelling and grammar errors! Nothing makes you look less intelligent than having massive spelling errors and poor grammar. It can undermine the most intelligent of arguments.

If you don’t get it, your grammar needs work. LOL

Like it or not, if you want to be taken seriously as a writer, and have your ideas taken seriously, proper spelling and grammar are essential. Sites like Grammarly make it woefully easy to check your work also.

Stay on Topic: Admittedly, this is something that I rarely see as an issue here at WordPress. It merits a brief mention however. When writing and editing, make sure everything in your post contributes solidly to your overall point. Wandering off topic into anecdotal stories or worse can derail a good post and make a reader lose interest.

Couldn’t resist this one after the Vader meme

Topic Selection: There’s alot of debate about if a blog should have a specific theme OR go where ever it wants to.

If your blog is commercial, obviously it’s best to generally stick to whatever it is you’re promoting. The key word being “generally”. My personal view is there’s a little wiggle room there if it’s something even vaguely related that readers might find interesting.

Personal blogs… I agree with the majority here in that the owner has free rein to write what they want. However, I can say from personal experience that readers often look for a specific topic. Ergo, if you write on several topics, it’s best to organize your posts so that specific topics fall on the same day(s) each week. That way, your readers that are interested in gardening (for example) will know that your gardening posts fall on Sundays. More random postings can discourage readers.

Avoid a Wall of Text: Something that’s also rarely an issue here at WP, but be aware that your posts are easier to read if you use subject headers, spacers and pictures to break up the dreaded “wall of text”. Best practices is even to vary the length of your paragraphs to make reading easier on the eyes.

Handling NSFW Content: Most bloggers are unlikely to deal with this issue. It merits a quick note however. First, regarding pictures and GIFs, remember WordPress has very specific rules: nudity is allowed, but nothing remotely sexual in nature.

Yes, I’ve found a few NSFW AI sites…

A self-hosted wordpress.org site removes that restriction, but you become responsible for complying with various laws regarding adult content. Getting back to here at WP.com though, even strong enough innuendo can potentially get you in trouble if somebody complains to WP.

Keep in mind that some people (or their employers) can consider cartoons and similar artwork on social issues and politics to be NSFW depending upon how strongly they present their point.

If you want to do NSFW stuff, here’s a few guidelines:

• Use a separate, dedicated blog if you do NSFW and SFW topics
• Use NSFW warnings in the title and tags
• Do NOT do anything related to animals or under-aged people… BAD form and illegal.
• Where your settings allow, edit notification emails so that NSFW content, including explicit writing, does NOT get included in the email. These can get people in trouble if the email is opened in the wrong place (work, for example).
• An even better option, especially if you intend to use one blog only, is to set up separate pages for NSFW content. Use directory pages to access them, and then make a blog post about the new content that is as SFW as possible. The blog post will send the notification emails, and show up in the reader roll, but nobody will be accidentally exposed to adult content.

Provide a Translation Widget: This is a pet peeve of mine. Everyone has an absolute right to blog in their native language. If you want people from other countries to read your material though, add the Google Translate widget to your pages or provide some other translation link (since I’m hearing mixed stories about the Google widget being discontinued). This is a site design thing as opposed to a post writing issue, but it’s important for growing your readership.

Tags, Tags, Tags: For some people, this is an overlooked aspect of getting blog views. If you don’t use enough tags, other WP users won’t be able to locate you when searching for a topic. Make sure they’re accurate and relevant to the post also. Misleading tags can anger searchers. Too many can be bad too, as I’ve read that search engines frown on that. 10 tags, give or take a few, should produce good results though.

Avoid Overshare: This is less a matter of etiquette than it is personal safety. Be careful what you share online. Blogs and social media in particular present the illusion of a safe place to tell your life story. At a bare minimum, these sites are collecting information to sell ads, and almost always selling the info collected to others as well.

Beyond that, there’s the issues of potential stalkers, employers finding and searching your blog, and dealing with other “judgy fucks”. My personal pattern here is to keep details fairly general and avoid “PII”; the cybersecurity crowd’s acronym for “Personally Identifiable Information“. That can be something as simple as a picture of the front of your house, or a picture of your car with the license plate visible. Reverse image search is a thing.

Handling Comments as a Post Writer:

A.I. again – Bing this time

I only have a few pieces of advice here:

First, set up a comments policy in your blog. The “About” page is usually a good spot for such information. Even if your policy only says “polite comments and constructive criticism only”, you’ve let people know what your standards are.

Once the standards are in place, politely but firmly enforce them. My personal opinion is polite replies first, then private communication and / or deleting comments, then blocking as a last resort.

Take the time to respond to each comment you get, even if only once. It shows courtesy and appreciation for somebody taking the time to read your blog and offer input. Especially if it’s a comment from a new person, thank them for stopping by.

This last one is HUGE for me as I’ve had drama from a handful of other bloggers over the years because of it… If you offer an opinion on something, be grown up enough to act civilly if somebody posts an alternate opinion in your comments. Said opposing opinions should always be civil / polite, of course.

None the less, if you want to (for an easy example) drop some politi-troll rant about how your candidate is the savior of humanity and the other candidate is the devil incarnate, expect that people are going to disagree. You want an echo chamber, go to your party’s official forums and rant to the yes men there.

If you lack the emotional maturity to handle polite disagreement though, just turn off comments for your post. You’ll save everyone alot of headaches.

Etiquette for Readers:

Do NOT try trading likes and follows! This is a pet peeve that is rapidly growing in the WordPress community. Trying to trade likes and follows with no interest in what the other person is writing about shows that you’re a shallow person with little regard for others.

Follow blogs that you genuinely like and are interested in, and then actually read the posts before hitting like.

Note: I have NO idea if the site or PC cleaner in this meme works or is even safe. This is NOT an endorsement.

Keep Your Comments Polite, Constructive and On-Topic: Hopefully this is self-explanatory. Nothing pisses off the average blogger like needlessly snide remarks and personal attacks. It’s fine to disagree (in my opinion anyway) but be polite about it and show some empathy for where the other person is coming from.

Likewise, don’t wander off the original subject. If the post is about baseball, don’t try to turn it into how soccer is a better sport.

Be Specific: In regards to your comment that is. If you only say “Nice”, “Good Post” or something equally generic, you’re sending a strong signal that you never bothered to read the post and are only looking for reciprocal likes and comments. Take the time to comment on or ask about something specific within the post.

Don’t Make it All About You: There’s a fine line here. A brief section of a comment about a similar personal experience is one thing, but if that’s all your comment is, you’re hijacking the post and trying to make yourself the center of attention. That’s what your own blog is for.

Be Careful with Your Humor: Writing lacks any context clue from tone of voice, body language, etc… Keep that in mind when you consider making snarky or snide “humorous” remarks. The reader may not interpret them the way you intended.

Use Proper Punctuation and Grammar: Yes, the same advice for the post author applies to you as well. A reply that’s well constructed is far more likely to get replies of it’s own and people looking at your blog

DO NOT BEG FOR FOLLOWS: Most annoying thing ever! In my personal opinion, asking somebody once to follow you IF it’s part of a real, non-generic comment is OK. Doubly so if it’s something like “I did a similar post. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it“, and providing a link. If you genuinely interact with a quality blogger, odds are they’re going to want to follow you without you begging.

Just showing up and spamming a “please follow me” comment makes people want to throat punch and ban you. It’s the quickest way to make sure I never look at your blog.

For Everybody:

Hope that big font got your attention. I’m about to give you the biggest key in three simple steps to avoiding drama at WordPress.

1: Do NOT Assume! Remember what I said about writing not carrying any verbal tonality, or facial / body language clues to add context? Don’t assume that something you read HAD TO mean something you interpret it to be. Emotion and external drama can be a major influence on how we see things.

2: Be an adult and ask for clarification, ideally via email.

It should also be included here that running to a friend, etc… and feeding them your one sided story then getting “garbage in, garbage out” feedback does not constitute clarifying the issue.

3: Take You Shit Outside: Attacking other bloggers via your own blog is juvenile, and only escalates things, as they’re likely to feel the need to defend themselves, or counter-attack. Vague (ie passive aggressive) “this person / these people are pissing me off” posts only leave many of your readers wondering if they’re the target of your rant as well. You can get away with it all of once, MAYBE twice. We all have bad days. Beyond that, your reputation is really going to take a hit.

Settle it outside of WordPress; email, discord messages, whatever. If the other person won’t, then take it as a sign of their lack of maturity and giant, fragile ego. Block them, forget about them and move on. Life is too short to let drama queens tear down your mood.

Bottom line though, there’s been WAY too much of this on WordPress lately. I’ve seen at least a dozen cases in the last month. Those are truly unique from people venting about other issues like relationships, work interfering with writing, etc…

Kevin is the only one of the dozen I’ll give a pass to also, as he was unintentionally caught in the middle when such an attack was launched against me.

While I can’t speak specifically for the rest of the community, I can say that I personally do not need to see this kind of post every second or third day. It turns WordPress toxic.

In Conclusion…

Am I (are we) perfect with any of this? Absolutely not. We both keep working hard at improving every day though, and when we get knocked down we pick ourselves up and try to keep doing our best.

All these rules… every single one of them… all come down to treat others the way you’d want to be treated. I think we can all agree that WordPress, and the world, would be a much better place with that philosophy enacted.

Witchfire Speaks – The Best Pets

Daily writing prompt

What animals make the best/worst pets?

View all responses

Yes, I’m back again… answering another prompt for Silk Cords.

The best pet? Got to be a fairy dragon…

They’re loyal, super affectionate, intelligent, can work some magic… They can be a little mischievous though. There was that time Sparkle turned my clothes invisible in public… errr… nevermind.

Worst pets? Hands down fire ants!

Unadulterated little sources of unmitigated evil only good for conjuring into the shorts of villains.

Witchfire Speaks: Work For Free? Not Like I Have Much Choice…

Hi all. I suspect most of you don’t know me. My name is Krystal, but I go by Witchfire when I’m doing my thing.

Image AI generated via Stable Diffusion

That free job that the writing prompt asked about… Believe it or not, I’m a superhero. I used to be a normal college coed at U.C. San Diego, studying criminal forensics and psychology and was part of the “real” world like all of you.

Then things got… complicated. ‘Oliver Queen on Arrow’ level complicated.

I’m a Wiccan, and I follow the Norse goddess Freya. One day, right after schooling my roommate about not being a total bitch, I got summoned into Freya’s realm and told I had to go into some alternate reality to ‘save the world’. Not just ANY world, mind you… The reality that this superheroine peril website’s stories are set in. Yes, I’m a bad girl… 🙄 I find a little bit of harmless fictional non-consensual… fun… to be arousing.

Except, as it turns out, that metaphysical theory about imagination being a window into other realities or dimensions is true. The airheaded women I mocked for fighting crime in bikinis are real. Not only that, but some big bad demoness from the underworld has made her way there and teamed up with some very bad people in order to completely take over that reality… then move on to others until she owns them all.

The kicker? For some reason, *I* am the freaking Harry Potter of this world, and it’s up to ME to go set things right and stop this demoness before she takes over the multiverse… All while dealing with the hapless heroines, corrupt officials, and over-sexed bad guys ALL trying to get me naked.

Why me?!?

Freya says its because my ancestry somehow makes me the last best chance to deal with all this. No pressure, huh?

And yes, as the post title said, on top of everything else, I don’t even get paid for putting my butt on the line… I did get a slightly less revealing costume than Ms. Americana and the others though:

AI Altered Version of a costume from Baldur’s Gate 3

I wear my hair in a ponytail while in costume.

And lucky me… Silk Cords is tuned into that reality and is going to be reporting on everything I go through at their NSFW blog. Well, technically only part of it NSFW, but you can guess what section I ended up in.

So yeah… Off I go to save the world. I’d pass on such an insane proposition, but that demoness will find me regardless I’m told. Oh that and…

Writers; Words Matter. Chose and Define them Properly

As a note before I get started, I am going to be discussing this topic partially in the context of some miscommunication in my social commentary post yesterday. However, I will be saving those specific issues for another post. This is NOT social commentary, just discussing the importance of clarity in communication.

The one reply I got to my post on the Elites ages ago made some interesting points. I did my best to refute them, but the problem really wasn’t with the replying person so much as it was that I hadn’t defined some of my terms clearly enough. Particularly for newer readers who may mot have seen earlier posts.

This is a common situation nowadays, and a lesson for writers. The extreme elements of both political parties and many special interest groups go out of their way to misuse terms and change definitions to suit their arguments. Even when we’re not talking political and social issues, both writers and readers tend to get lazy in how they interpret a word’s meaning or the intent of a paragraph.

Therefore, it falls upon us as writers to be as clear as possible. If you read the great thinkers of the enlightenment, such as Montesquieu, every word of their writing is carefully chosen and there’s never any doubt as to what they’re saying. These are folks you should read just to study critical thinking and good communication, even if you don’t care about government or humanities.

Around the time Neuro-Linguistic Programming came into being however, people trying to get clever with wording began to become epidemic. Ambiguity is an advocated technique in NLP. Ambiguity creates confusion in the mind of the listener / reader and makes them more open to persuasion as their mind tries to fit the vague wording and innuendo into an understandable framework.

Between lawyers and politicians, we also have the secondary cause of people trying to structure language as a way to give themselves an excuse or deniability… to avoid responsibility for any fallout.

While any writer or speaker should consider the ways their words might be misinterpreted, going out of one’s way to be vague is NOT being artful, it’s being a weasel. People are getting better at sensing it too, and nobody respects a weasel.

Chose your words carefully, but have the courage of your beliefs. Write or speak clearly.

If there’s any doubt about what you mean, find a better way to word it, or define your terms right there instead of waiting for them to be misinterpreted. Words like “elites” are used by numerous groups with wildly varying interpretations.

This problem is why editing and multiple drafts are also important to writers. Seat of your pants writing is fine for first drafts, but editing and rewrites are what makes the difference between a good writer and a great one.

You Ever Feel Like…

The more you try to get life organized, the more it spins out of control? LOL.

Not even anything major bad lately, just Chaos working overtime.

And this one just struck me as funny, LOL

April Fools Day, Winter and Robin

In memes, of course, LOL

and one more that helps prove how Batman’s son is the biggest braying donkey in the DC Comics Universe:

The Most Important Self-Defense Skill

Time for another promised Martial Arts and Self-Defense post. So what do you all think the most important self-defense skill is? Blocking? Footwork? Getting power behind your strikes? I’d probably get a variety of answers even from fellow martial artists.

I’d argue that the most important Self-Defense skill is “street smarts” or awareness; being able to notice details in your surroundings, and size up people and places as potentially dangerous or not so that you can avoid trouble in the first place.

“Best way avoid punch; no be there” – Mr Miyagi.

Yep, another Miyagi-ism, because it’s very valid.

Women (and some smaller guys) don’t need much convincing on this idea. It’s learned from an early age to be wary of strangers while out walking, jogging, at the mall, etc… A generally smaller size and less muscle mass necessitate developing situational awareness.

Guys, on the other hand, (and again we’re dealing with generalities here), tend to be either more cavalier about their safety, OR think they’ll be seen as weak if they cross the street to avoid potential trouble (as an example).

That’s silly because if nothing else, you have no idea if that person making you uneasy is armed, or has friends lurking nearby that you can’t see. A gun, knife, swung beer bottle, or a few friends jumping in can change the complexion of a fight REALLY fast, no matter how skilled you are.

Your potential opponent(s) being drunk or stoned out of their mind is another potential problem. Such people often shrug off blows that would completely debilitate a normal person. I used an example in a previous post of a fellow Shou Shu student who was mugged and landed several strong hits to the temple and kicks to the groin with heavy boots and the attacker kept coming. They may have needed an emergency room after they sobered up, but they kept fighting.

Legalities: The Other Consideration

Awareness of your local laws and how they view self-defense is another serious consideration. It’s part of the reason I left California. They treat somebody who defends themself as just as guilty, if not more, than the actual attacker. There’s some obvious exceptions; if you’re a woman who defends herself against a man, you’re not likely to face any blowback from the police unless he’s got the crap kicked out of him and there’s not a mark on you. Even in that case, there’s still every likelihood you’ll get sued by your attacker.

Tennessee, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. As long as the officer can be reasonably sure you didn’t instigate the fight and you used reasonable force acting in self-defense, you’re golden.

Laws vary widely across the country and even across some states. If in doubt, talk to the local police or an attorney to know how far you can go.

Let’s take half a step back and revisit the term “reasonable force”. Generally speaking, this means you respond with the same level of force that’s used against you. If somebody just slaps you, it’s not reasonable to break half their bones. On the other hand, if somebody attacks you with a knife or gun, that’s considered life threatening and countering with lethal force would be seen as reasonable in most locations.

There’s an annoying double standard that comes into play here however; the more training you have, the more it’ll be expected that you can handle a situation with minimal damage to your opponent. Law Enforcement faces the same problem, with people somehow believing that their training allows them to handle any situation without having to hurt anyone unless they really want to. Rather than get sidetracked on that topic, or chatting about if comic books and Kung-Fu movies are responsible for such expectations, I’ll simply say be aware that they exist.

Why The Training is Still Worth It:

I’m sure a few of you are wondering about that after reading the above.

The training is worth it for two main reasons. First is that ANY knowledge of how to defend yourself is better than none at all. If push comes to shove and you have no choice, every bit of training increases your odds. The more the better. That’s not even getting into the secondary physical and mental health benefits of training.

Second is that self-defense training can help you carry yourself with confidence when you walk down the street. Criminals and thugs target people that look weak and scared; poor posture, avoiding eye contact, looking around nervously, etc… Those all mark you as a target just as much as wearing expensive jewelry would.

For the record, I’m NOT advising strutting down the street trying to look tough and intimidating. That just tells others you’re looking for trouble. It’ll find you also.

What I’ve adopted is a posture, body language and facial expressions that project a quiet, comfortable confidence. When you can get that vibe down; where you don’t look like either a victim or a troublemaker, you generally won’t be bothered.

Political Correctness Has No Place in Self-Defense

One other note here: I’ve seen the SJW crowd try to guilt people for crossing the street or otherwise avoiding people that make them feel uncomfortable. Charges of racism in particular get tossed around if a minority is involved. My advice? SCREW THEM.

They’re not going to rush to your defense if you’re attacked. Nowadays, society being what it is, they’re more likely to egg on the attackers while recording the attack for YouTube.

Trust your observational skills and intuition. If you’re getting a predatory look and threatening body language, it’s reasonable to avoid that person. Body language, facial expressions, eyes and just general vibe are what I pay attention to. Even how somebody dresses isn’t always an indicator. Even in the poorest neighborhoods, most folks are decent and only want to be seen as fellow human beings. It’s their demeanor, not their race or social status that should determine your reaction for good or bad.

A Final Note:

Proper training is very important in my opinion. It gives you potentially life saving skills along with the self-confidence and discipline to not use those skills unless absolutely necessary.

I trained for 17 years total, the majority of that time with styles that were NOT sport focused. Kenpo was called “Scientific Street Fighting” by Ed Parker. It teaches joint destruction and other harsh tactics, BUT also to avoid a fight whenever possible and do only enough damage to stop the threat (while still training for worst case scenarios).

Thanks in large part to my training, Ive only been in one “fight” since I started at my first dojo. That without looking or acting like a coward or a bully. All it takes is being in tune with your environment and adopting an appearance of quiet confidence.