Just glancing at the abstract and not having read the paper- looks interesting. Author is trying to do a Marxist analysis of the texts vis-a-vis settler colonialism, with Goblin Slayer as a reactionary re-framing of standard isekai power fantasies (for example, in something like SAO the labour of the protagonist is always rewarded and he is thus non-alienated). What I'm curious is 1) how the author will reckon with other isekai that had their narratives centered on colonialism like Gate or Shield Hero and 2) the relative utility of such criticism of culture/entertainment/soft-power, because as much as they might flatter themselves terminally online weebs aren't the drivers of fascism, it's the politicians who get got by :the-doohickey: (after all, superstructure follows base).
I'll come back and comment more later when I have some time to read thru.
Edit: Ok, having skimmed thru it: 1) he doesn't, rather he just wanted to point out that in general isekai power fantasies are the fantasies of the oppressed proletariat yearning for the end of alienation from their labour with Goblin Slayer as the reaction to the emptiness of that fantasy and 2) his scope was much smaller than I anticipated, my man just wanted any excuse to quote J. Sakai’s Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat.
But most importantly, as the crisis of the system awakens the global proletariat, the ideological
justification for keeping it down becomes more and more genocidal. Goblin Slayer emphatically reminds its fans of this fact with vigor.
Thank god recently there's been a trend of isekai stories where they drop the entire "save the world by exploiting it" pretense and replace it with "I retire to the countryside with my big boobed 30 something girlfriend to become a farmer". It's not lesbians overthrowing the bourgeoisie, but it's better than slavery harems. Low bar, I know, but still.
It can go the other way honestly to a reorientation of further escapism. Doubling down, instead of confronting the isekai genre's pitfalls.
The thing is that i find these comfy situations complacent unsustainable without exploitation running in the background irl(ex: underpaid workers and why the americana, your own big farm fantasy is shit).
I don't watch Hollywood shows, but it's intriguing on how much TV in Asia rely on a middle-class fantasy as a dream occupation/occupation of the protagonist. Like cafe owners, bookshops, friendly landlords, and such.
On another tangent obviously i'm not hoping for a marxist art to pop up and just watch that for the rest of my life. Tendency literature, according to Engels, is bad propaganda. Most contemporary leftist art is corny and boring(in terms of form).
There's a reason in why you can appreciate Bambu as a rapper so much, he blends the struggle and his truths, that's why he's not corny. Most non-corny art that incorporate social commentary are either in prestige TV with great form(writing) and not too self-aware(Billions, The Wire) and others have the backing of experience in being organized(Boots Riley, Masao Adachi).
The oppressed are hoping for an ending, and they have to be stuck with vague/bittersweet conclusions? That's supposed to be cinema?
Fuck arthouse. Fuck indie. A proper ending is more entertaining.
Those vague shows are just schlock for bougies to teeth on(Succession, The Menu, Tar, Triangle of Sandness as recent examples).
Considering they fund the above shows the ruling class obviously have an eat-the-rich fetish. Fuck them.
Anyone who champions these A24 class signifiers as class struggle entertainment are professional bullshitters. You don't want to engage in a bougie "cinephile's" kink non-consensually. Stop watching eat-the-rich stories.
Good post. Yeah, those shows probably are a further retreat into escapism- I guess they're only preferable in that their form of reaction is less overtly fascistic.
Good point about leftist propaganda. Personally- I think the only way we'll find out how storytelling turns out is when/if we come out the other side of revolution. Right now I'm just taking the frequency of left/right leaning media as a cultural barometer of where we're at.
Just glancing at the abstract and not having read the paper- looks interesting. Author is trying to do a Marxist analysis of the texts vis-a-vis settler colonialism, with Goblin Slayer as a reactionary re-framing of standard isekai power fantasies (for example, in something like SAO the labour of the protagonist is always rewarded and he is thus non-alienated). What I'm curious is 1) how the author will reckon with other isekai that had their narratives centered on colonialism like Gate or Shield Hero and 2) the relative utility of such criticism of culture/entertainment/soft-power, because as much as they might flatter themselves terminally online weebs aren't the drivers of fascism, it's the politicians who get got by :the-doohickey: (after all, superstructure follows base).
I'll come back and comment more later when I have some time to read thru.
Edit: Ok, having skimmed thru it: 1) he doesn't, rather he just wanted to point out that in general isekai power fantasies are the fantasies of the oppressed proletariat yearning for the end of alienation from their labour with Goblin Slayer as the reaction to the emptiness of that fantasy and 2) his scope was much smaller than I anticipated, my man just wanted any excuse to quote J. Sakai’s Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat.
I like the cut of his jib, author go on Chapo.
deleted by creator
:yea:
Thank god recently there's been a trend of isekai stories where they drop the entire "save the world by exploiting it" pretense and replace it with "I retire to the countryside with my big boobed 30 something girlfriend to become a farmer". It's not lesbians overthrowing the bourgeoisie, but it's better than slavery harems. Low bar, I know, but still.
It can go the other way honestly to a reorientation of further escapism. Doubling down, instead of confronting the isekai genre's pitfalls.
The thing is that i find these comfy situations complacent unsustainable without exploitation running in the background irl(ex: underpaid workers and why the americana, your own big farm fantasy is shit).
I don't watch Hollywood shows, but it's intriguing on how much TV in Asia rely on a middle-class fantasy as a dream occupation/occupation of the protagonist. Like cafe owners, bookshops, friendly landlords, and such.
On another tangent obviously i'm not hoping for a marxist art to pop up and just watch that for the rest of my life. Tendency literature, according to Engels, is bad propaganda. Most contemporary leftist art is corny and boring(in terms of form).
There's a reason in why you can appreciate Bambu as a rapper so much, he blends the struggle and his truths, that's why he's not corny. Most non-corny art that incorporate social commentary are either in prestige TV with great form(writing) and not too self-aware(Billions, The Wire) and others have the backing of experience in being organized(Boots Riley, Masao Adachi).
The oppressed are hoping for an ending, and they have to be stuck with vague/bittersweet conclusions? That's supposed to be cinema? Fuck arthouse. Fuck indie. A proper ending is more entertaining.
Those vague shows are just schlock for bougies to teeth on(Succession, The Menu, Tar, Triangle of Sandness as recent examples).
Considering they fund the above shows the ruling class obviously have an eat-the-rich fetish. Fuck them.
Anyone who champions these A24 class signifiers as class struggle entertainment are professional bullshitters. You don't want to engage in a bougie "cinephile's" kink non-consensually. Stop watching eat-the-rich stories.
Good post. Yeah, those shows probably are a further retreat into escapism- I guess they're only preferable in that their form of reaction is less overtly fascistic.
Good point about leftist propaganda. Personally- I think the only way we'll find out how storytelling turns out is when/if we come out the other side of revolution. Right now I'm just taking the frequency of left/right leaning media as a cultural barometer of where we're at.
I know you lot are mostly not Maoists, but How Yukong Moved The Mountains is a great preview about the socialist future.
(In my own words as observation of the film: Even love is different on the other side of the revolution. It's dialectic!)
I'll go check it out, thanks!