This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is a thought experiment about capitalism. Specifically, it challenges us to contemplate alternatives that we could actually implement in the real world. Given the current trends in politics, which either glorify or villainize capitalism, I think this sort of idea is increasingly relevant. And it’s something we should contemplate seriously as technology, society, and the world continues to change. Enjoy!
Thought Experiment: Contemplating (Viable) Alternatives To Capitalism
Filed under Current Events, human nature, Jack's World, philosophy, politics, Thought Experiment, YouTube
Real Politicians Are Talking Like X-Men Villains (And That’s Concerning)
I’ve been reading comic books all my life. A good chunk of those comics are superhero comics. And a good chunk of those superhero comics are X-Men comics. I’ve made no secret of this on this website or my YouTube channel. So, I hope my love of comics, superheroes, and X-Men should be beyond dispute.
That’s why I find it so disturbing when something happens in the real world that is dangerously similar to what I’ve read in so many comics. I used to think in my youthful innocence that people in the real world could never be as evil, heartless, or cruel as the villains I saw in comics. In general, I had a high opinion of people in the real world. Sure, there were assholes here and there. But most were good and most at least try to do good.
That opinion has since been shattered on multiple occasions, but nothing has shattered it more than the current state of politics.
Now, I don’t want to go off on a long rant about how divided people are politically and how toxic political discussions have become. I already did enough of that during major elections. I’ll just note that most of the political figures, be they elected officials or media personalities, who sound like villains are coming from one particular part of the political spectrum.
I won’t even bother being tactful. That villainous rhetoric is coming almost exclusively from conservative republicans in the United States, especially those who identify as being religious or sympathetic to the causes of Christian Nationalists.
These are the people who are pushing for laws and policies that do the sorts of things that X-Men villains seek to do. They actively try to marginalize vulnerable minorities, especially those within the LGBTQ+ community. They spew hate, bigotry, and ignorance of these people. They call them horrible names and constantly accuse them of grooming children, despite the fact that children are far more vulnerable to abuses in churches. They haven’t yet unleashed killer robot sentinels against these communities, but I don’t doubt for a second that they would if they had access to them.
It’s been especially bad for the transgender community. They’ve become some of the biggest targets of this particular wing of villainous politics. A decade ago, conservative republicans at least tried to cloak their opposition. They didn’t show outward hatred to people they hated or didn’t agree with. But after 2016, the masks are coming off.
They don’t seem to be trying to hide it anymore. They hate transgender people. They hate the LGBTQ+ community. They hate anyone who isn’t on their team and will do anything they can to marginalize, hurt, or denigrate them. In Florida, which has become immersed in petty right-wing political discourse, it has gotten especially bad. It’s gotten to the point where a real-life republican has actually cited X-Men to justify his bigotry in support of an anti-trans bill.
I wish this were a side-plot in an X-Men comic. But unfortunately, this is real. Here’s what Vice reported.
Vice: Republican Calls Trans People ‘Mutants,’ Totally Misses the Point of X-Men
A Republican lawmaker in Florida called transgender people “mutants and imps” on Monday in an anti-trans rant that appeared to almost imitate vitriolic lines from X-Men movies.
Florida Rep. Webster Barnaby shared anti-trans views at the state capitol while lawmakers deliberated House Bill 1521, a piece of legislation that would criminalize trans people for using public bathrooms that don’t correspond to their sex assigned at birth.
“I’m looking at society today and it’s like I’m watching an X-Men movie,” Barnaby said at the start of his speech.
“It’s like we have mutants living among us on planet earth,” Barnaby continued. “That’s a fact: we have people that live among us today on Planet Earth that are happy to display themselves as if they were mutants from another planet.”
Now, to be fair, Representative Barnaby has come out and apologized for his remarks. In general, I try to be a forgiving and understanding guy.
However, I can only be so forgiving to people who talk like supervillains.
Seriously, fuck this guy. Fuck you, Representative Webster.
In case you don’t understand why his sentiments were so villainous, here’s a quick reminder of what the X-Men stand for.
They are outcasts.
They are freaks.
They are subject to hate, fear, discrimination, and mistrust.
Despite all this, they try to be heroes. But the villains they often face involve humans who either want to wipe them out completely or make their lives objectively worse on every level.
This asshole, who clearly knows what the X-Men are, didn’t seem to grasp that. He might have seen the first X-Men movie and thought it was a tragedy about a brave senator who tried to pass Draconian laws on an entire class of people. Now, he wants to do the same to transgender people, but it will not stop with them.
We’ve already seen this script play out before. It’s happening as we speak with abortion. It’ll keep happening as long as the people in power believe they can get away with it, keep their jobs, and earn money from their doners, who are often villains in their own right.
People like Representative Webster aren’t going to stop with bullshit policies like this. They won’t stop for the same reason the X-Men’s villains never stop. They believe they can get away with it. They believe they’ll get more power, money, and prestige out of it. Some may very well just be hateful assholes who just want to make people they don’t like suffer.
Those people exist.
I’ve had to deal with them.
But unlike the X-Men’s villains, these people are real. They’ll continue doing whatever they think they can get away with, either out of malice, spite, or just plain ignorance. And we can’t expect superheroes to come along and save us. These are villains we’ll have to deal with.
It’s not as easy or cinematic as Wolverine cutting up a Sentinel attacking the Xavier Institute. But it’s something we all need to be aware of. Because the alternative is letting the villains win in the long run. And take it from someone who has read enough comics about dark timelines and dystopian futures.
We must not let the villains to win.
Filed under Current Events, politics, superhero comics, superhero movies, X-men
What Is (And Isn’t) Orwellian And Why That Matters
This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video essay is an exploration of what makes something truly Orwellian. It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot in political circles these days. But those who use it have likely not read any of Orwell’s work and don’t fully understand the larger message of 1984. I attempt to break down that message and apply it to the larger idea of what makes something truly Orwellian. Enjoy!
Filed under Current Events, Jack's World, YouTube
A Brief Note/Rant On The Definition Of “Woke”
As a general rule, I never argue semantics with people. I find those debates to be the least productive conversations in existence. Because when people just argue about the words they’re using, there’s no room for anything of substance. It just devolves into a shouting match between whose definitions are more valid.
This happens a lot in comments sections, political debates, and arguments that get completely derailed. But lately, I feel like it’s happening for even dumber reasons than usual.
One reason, in particular, that keeps coming up has to do with the definition of a very particular word. Now, brace yourself because the word I’m about to use is bound to invite all sorts of anger, vitriol, controversy, and disdain. It’s a word I’ve heard well-meaning people use as often as trolls and grifters. But it’s a word we can’t seem to escape, let alone define.
That word is “woke.”
I know. I just alienated 95 percent of the internet by typing it out. I understand that I just invited the most hateful/idiotic/misguided assholes to endlessly whine about how I’m some sort of agent of a secret cabal bent on destroying Western civilization.
To all those people, go fuck yourselves.
Seriously, fuck off to the end of the multiverse and stay there. You’ll be doing the human race a favor.
But I’m still going to talk about the word “woke” because it’s been thrown around more than empty condom wrappers at a brothel. It’s said at least 100 times a day on right-wing news outlets, usually as an insult or something meant to discredit a certain position. It’s often used by politicians, grifters, trolls, and many other objectively terrible human beings who seek only to harass, demean, and denigrate anyone who commits the high crime of disagreeing with them.
It’s also used by a lot of people who really don’t understand it. Some of those people are entirely well-meaning. I’ve heard my own parents use the word, often with a sense of exasperation and frustration. Now, I love my parents to no end. I even know they visit this website.
But seriously, they do not know what the word means and the way they’re using it is not that different from how asshole trolls use it. So, to that non-asshole contingent that includes parents, friends, and other well-meaning people, I’m here to clear up the definition of woke.
Since nobody will believe me if I cite a dictionary or some other source on the web, I’ll just keep it simple. Brace yourself again because I’m about to reveal the true meaning of woke and it might just make you uncomfortable.
Woke: To be aware of the political, economic, and social injustices within a system and to advocate efforts to rectify those injustices.
Seriously, that’s it. That’s what the word means. That’s what the concept has historically entailed, long before Fox News began using it to bemoan every single policy that dares help someone who isn’t a straight white male billionaire.
It’s just a way of denoting a real understanding about the injustices in the world. Those injustices cut across many walks of life, extending to race, religion, sexuality, gender, and so many other distinctions.
And those injustices are real. You can prove it. You need only look at census data and history books to find it.
Most decent human beings understand that such injustice is wrong. Most also understand that in a fair, just, and civilized society, we should work towards righting those injustices and preserving whatever mechanisms ensure such justice. That helps everyone at every level.
People against such an idea are usually people tend to not want to change things, mostly because the current situation benefits them in some way. Sometimes, they’re just people who want an excuse to not change anything they’re doing, either out of laziness, apathy, or spite. I’m sure there are other distinctions, but I won’t speculate on the particulars.
So, with this in mind, I ask this next question honestly and sincerely.
Are you going to change how you use the word “woke” and how you react to it?
And if not, why?
Seriously, why is it wrong or controversial to be aware of the various injustices in this world?
Why is it wrong to want to try and fix those injustices in some meaningful way?
I don’t deny that some people go about it the wrong way. There’s a time and a place to argue the gender and sexuality of video game characters, but this isn’t it. This is about real injustice in the real world.
And if you understand this concept and still think woke is a bad thing, then I don’t know what else to say other than think hard about what you’re protesting. And if that’s still too much for you, then just fuck off.
Filed under political correctness, politics, rants
Thought Experiment: How Would You Punish Your Worst Enemy?
This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is a thought experiment about enemies, justice, and punishment. Specifically, it asks how we would punish our worst enemies and what we are willing to do to those who have legitimately wronged us. I welcome further comments and discussion on this. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, Thought Experiment, YouTube
Reflecting On This Past Winter And The (Unprecedented) Lack Of Snow
In my part of the world, spring has officially arrived. It’s been here for a number of weeks now. I’ve definitely felt it, mostly through my allergies and by not having to wear a coat every time I take the trash out. For the most part, I welcome the change in seasons. I’ve been sick of winter and cold weather for a while now. I look forward to wearing shorts, going to the beach, and reading comic books by the pool.
But even though another winter has come and gone, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on just how unique this past winter was for me. Because this past winter, that ran from late 2022 to early 2023, was the first winter I’ve ever experience that didn’t have a single snowstorm.
Yes, there were a few cold, cloudy days in which some snow flurries fell.
Yes, there were weeks on end in which it was cold, cloudy, and felt very much like winter.
But for the first time in my life, going all the way back to my earliest memories as a kid, this winter did not include any significant snowfall. There was never a point in this past winter in which the grass outside my home was completely covered by snow. There wasn’t even a point where I had to use my snow shovel or the brush I use to clean the snow off my car.
Now, I’m not going to go on some elaborate rant about how this is a sign of climate change and we should all be very concerned. We shouldn’t need a mild, snow-free winter to be concerned about that. Those issues are already well-documented. Instead, I want to keep things within a certain perspective.
This rare occurrence of a snow-free winter is not entirely unprecedented. The last time this region of the United States got so little snow was in the early 1970s. I was not alive for that, so I don’t know the circumstances. But I’ve lived in the same general area of the United States for my entire life. In every single winter I’ve been through, there has been at least one snowstorm. Not having one this year was oddly jarring.
I won’t say whether it’s a good or bad thing. I certainly enjoyed not shoveling snow for an entire winter. I also enjoyed driving on roads not entirely covered with ice and rock salt. It was just so strange, going an entire winter without snow. It completely went against my concept of a normal winter.
I’ve certainly had winters that were abnormal in the opposite manner. Back in the early-2010s, my area endured a winter that had record snowfall that left me stranded in my home for nearly an entire week. That year had so much snow that I seriously considered planning my retirement in a tropical climate so I would never have to shovel snow again. Believe me, I don’t miss that kind of winter.
But I didn’t see that winter as abnormal. I just saw it as a particularly bad winter. Most every other winter I’ve endured has had one or several snowstorms that required shoveling, rock salt, and a few days of icy roads. That was my concept of normal. Now, I feel like that concept has expanded.
Set aside the politics surrounding climate change and global warming. Just think about all the major weather events you’ve experienced in your life. Whether you life on the east coast of the United States, a tropical climate in the south, or the some other region that have different kinds of seasons, your idea of “normal weather” is shaped by those events. You always remember the extremes. But you don’t always appreciate just how much those extremes skew your perspectives.
I feel like this past winter has broadened my personal perspective. It showed that there can be a winter without any significant snowstorms, just as there can also be a winter in which there are multiple blizzards the cripple the region. What lies in between is what I might consider normal, along with others who also live in this area. It helps us better understand what’s possible in this area, weatherwise, than we might have otherwise assumed.
I’m sharing this insight because, beyond the weather, we all have a certain concept of “normal.” Every now and then, something happens that changes what we think of as normal. It can be jarring, but it need not be scary or distressing. Much like the weather itself, these changes happen and there’s nothing we can do to stop them. We can only adapt as best we can. But it can also help just as much to embrace these new concepts of normal.
Filed under Uncategorized
Jack Quick Reacts: Super Mario Bros. Movie
This is another video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is my quick reaction to the Super Mario Bros. Movie. I tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I do mention a few. It’s somewhat unavoidable in discussing everything that made this movie so great. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, Movie Reviews, movies, video games, YouTube
An AI-Generated Comic Was Denied Copyright Protection (And Why That’s A Big Deal)
Every now and then, a story slips under the radar of a much larger, but closely related story. The larger story makes more headlines and attracts more attention, but the smaller story might end up having a far more lasting impact.
That seems to be happening a lot with news involving artificial intelligence and the various AI tools that have emerged in recent years. I’ve already talked about plenty, giving my opinion on the rise of ChatGPT and showing off some AI-Generated artwork I made. There’s so much going on in this field that it’s hard to keep up with, let alone discuss.
But recently, one of those little stories caught my attention. It involves the same AI-Generated art I mentioned earlier and comic books, something for which I’ve shared my passion for in many forms. And it’s a story that I don’t think is getting enough attention.
It has to do with a comic called Zarya of the Dawn, a comic created by Kris Kashtanova. It’s not published by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Image, or any other mainstream comic publisher. You can actually download it right now for free. But what makes this comic different isn’t the story, writing, or style. It’s how it was made.
This comic was written by a person.
However, all the artwork inside was created with AI-generating art tools, most notably MidJourney.
That, in and of itself, is quite remarkable. The visuals within this book are certainly eye-catching. They might not rank on the same level as a Jim Lee or a Jack Kirby, but it’s a solid visual spectacle that brings to life a story.
For people like me, who cannot draw and don’t have the money to pay artists to depict the stories we want to tell, this is truly remarkable. I would go so far as to say it’s genuinely exciting. It shows just what’s possible with these tools. A writer with no drawing skills was able to produce this comic using only an AI art generating tool with text prompts. And the end result is stunning.
But this is where the story takes a turn. When Kashtanova attempted to copyright this comic, the US Copyright Office issued a surprising decision that might very well set a major precedent moving forward. Because the comic used AI to create the artwork, it could not be granted copyright protection. This was the exact statement, according to Ars Technica:
“We conclude that Ms. Kashtanova is the author of the Work’s text as well as the selection, coordination, and arrangement of the Work’s written and visual elements. That authorship is protected by copyright. However, as discussed below, the images in the Work that were generated by the Midjourney technology are not the product of human authorship.”
That bolded part is my doing because that’s the section with the biggest implication. This is the US Copyright Office stating outright that images and artwork created by AI can’t get copyright protection. That means that every piece of AI art you create for whatever reason can’t be owned by you in any legal sense. Because technically, you didn’t make it. The program made it for you.
Without getting too deep into the legal issues, I don’t think enough people realize the ramifications this might have for the future of the comics industry and for the art industry as a whole. On the comics side, there are actually two sides to consider.
On one, this technology will allow ordinary people with little to no art skills to produce comics with quality artwork. People who never once had the skills or means to make comics could suddenly start producing them on their own without a publisher or a skilled artist.
That means many great comics that wouldn’t have otherwise been made can be made. Great stories that once only existed with words could be brought to life through beautiful renderings.
But on the other side, the absence of copyright protection is an issue. Yes, these comics could bring to life amazing stories. However, the creators won’t be able to monetize their work, nor would they be able to stop others from using it for their own ends.
That means that, in theory, you or I could create a beautiful comic with this technology. It could find a massive audience and become a beloved story with countless fans. Then, a big company like Disney or Warner Brothers could come in, take the story and the depictions, and basically turn it into their own entertainment product. And since they have more resources and better lawyers, the creators likely wouldn’t get a penny of the profits.
This story also doesn’t account for how those same companies might use this technology to further undercut their workers and creators. Comic companies already have a not-so-great reputation for screwing over writers and artists who create iconic characters. Just look at what happened between Jack Kirby and Marvel for a hint of those issues.
If these same companies can use this same AI technology to produce more comics while not having to pay their artists or writers as much, they will do it. They’re a business. They’ll jump at any chance to pay less to get more. It’s cold, callous, and uncreative. But that’s the world we live in.
Add other tools like ChatGPT into the mix and it’s entirely possible that an AI could create an entire comic from scratch. And everything within it, from the art to the story to the characters, could not be copyrighted in any way. At a certain point, the AI might get so good that it would be hard to tell if there was ever a human creator to begin with.
These are all strange scenarios, equal parts exciting and distressing. We’re already seeing so much change as a result of these new tools, but I don’t think we’ve even seen a fraction of what’s possible. As AI technology improves, art generation and storytelling will change a great deal. The comics industry is more vulnerable than most, as Zarya of the Dawn just proved.
It’s hard to know what this will lead to. But whatever happens, it all started with this story and the precent it set.
Filed under AI Art, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, superhero comics, technology, writing
Jack’s Comic Gems: Invisible Woman Partners In Crime
This video is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This is video another entry in my ongoing “Jack’s Comic Gems” collection. And this fantastic gem brought a different kind of story from a familiar character.
For much of her history, Susan “Invisible Woman” Richards has always been defined by her role in the Fantastic Four. As a loving mother figure to many, she is very much the heart of the First Family.
But in this unique mini-series, Partners In Crime, she takes on a very different role for a very different kind of mission. It gives Sue a chance to show what she can do on her own and it turned out to be a hell of a ride. Enjoy!
Filed under comic book reviews, Jack's Comic Gems, Jack's World, Marvel, YouTube
Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog 