random picture thread

[NejinOniwa]

Heads up, I wasn't referring to you, but to all the people posting img'd danbooru links (visible only by quote) that don't werk. Have a cute little kitty...eh...cat.


kawaii, that's right!

[NejinOniwa]

But now, for something COMPLETELY different.


'

[Dr. Kraus]

Very nice

[Chocofreak13]

i feel really depressed all of a sudden and i'm not sure why. :[

on the upside, i'm finding comics that i know for a fact we don't have. ^^

[Pitkin]

...exactly like the picture I posted, of the cute little anime girl with the Communist hammer and sickle.

I'm not discussing what's moral or not - I'm talking about how society chooses to classify one symbol of tyranny and crimes against humanity as being indicative of hate speech, while another such symbol is socially acceptable.

Of course, humans have a tendency to hijack unsavoury symbols and ideas and do with them what they will - be it nazi-chic or communist-chic or jihadi-chic or whatever insert-violent-group-here-chic comes down the pike next, or the romanticizing of war, national conquests, ideological crusades and all sorts of violence in general. Hell, my entire ancestral Russian line was murdered by communists during the Revolution, but seeing romanticised images of the Soviet Union doesn't bother me. (Hearing somebody espouse communism as a noble ideology will, however, light a fire under my ass.)

TL;DR: there are advantages to being a misanthrope, not least of which includes not giving a damn anymore about the strange things that humans find fashionable or hip.

TL;;DR: I don't want to talk about this anymore. Have a puppy.

I know you don't want to talk about this, Bella, but let me still say two things. First, I'm very sorry to hear for the atrocities your family's had to go through because of another group of extremists who gained power at one point of crazy European history. I'm by no means implying that the Soviet symbols are in any way less bad or "more hip" than the swastika, Italian fascist symbols or Finnish ones for that matter.

Second, what makes me personally MORE BOTHERED about swastika is that while the soviet symbols are indeed unjustly "hip" and whatever, the swastika is STILL used by groups here who would like to exterminate one quarter of the population for reason #1 and another quarter for reason #2: the neo-nazi movement in Finland is not totally invisible, harmless, "little boys fooling around" even nowadays, but they are the people who break windows of muslims' houses and offices and send them pigs' heads in mail, attack immigrants in masses, stain the LGBT organizations' doors with blood, attack the Pride march with pepper gas, direct death threats to decision-makers and/or human rights activists, and so on and so on, just to mention something from the latter half of 2010. The Soviet symbols are not carried by any such people (anymore), so while the Soviet symbols are indeed equally bad in historical meaning, I see them never used in such context anymore (but like you said, as supposed-to-be chic way, which is ignorance mixed with poor taste IMO). The nazi symbols on the other hand are alive and well in their original meaning, as is the violent mentality.

Sorry for bringing it up again, still. I just wanted to explain it a bit why the picture by stewartsage triggered me. Sorry to stewartsage as well. Haters gonna hate. ._.

Let's just put the topic to rest now... *places it somewhere out of the way*

edit: Blues Brothers <3

[Red-Machine]

I will admit that I find Soviet syombolism and all that jazz pretty interesting, probably the main reason why I like the Red Alert games so much (I always play the Soviets first ).  I'm also pretty interested in the history and culture of the Soviet Union, but I would never say that their methods were acceptable.  As for the Nazis, I admit that while I find them interesting, I do not find them as interesting as the Soviets.  That is probably just cultural or generational perspective.  I never lived with the constant threat of nuclear war from Russia as my parents did, I have no doubts my feelings on them would be different if I had.  Whereas, throughout my entire educational life, I was taught that the Nazis were evil and the Allies were fighting a war for good over evil, etc.  If it had been the other way around, I'm sure I would think differently of them both.

But for now, just call me a Russophile.

[stewartsage]

Meanwhile, deep inside the OSC Labs


Yeeeeah

[Chocofreak13]

who is who in that pic above me?

and why is one of my pantlegs longer than the other....?

[Krizonar]

Looks like me from the gender flipper thread.

[stewartsage]

We'll call it a group picture for the gender flipped thread, since Kriz can see himself.  On that thought, I'd say I'm throwing the paper airplane.

[Bella]

Girl!Stew is so prettyful. @.@

If I was in that shot, I'd prolly be the girl holding the beaker and looking scared. Since chemistry scares the bejesus outta me. :\

[Chocofreak13]

happy birthday bells. :3

[Dr. Kraus]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~

[NejinOniwa]

ALL THESE PICTURES ARE INACCURATE. THE CAKE WAS MADE OF ICE CREAM.

[Chocofreak13]

i want an ice cream cake, a whipped cream frosting cake, and a pizza for my birthday food. :3