Here’s something I like.
When Steven’s teaching Peridot about music, he never tries to frame it as, like, this beautiful, abstract artistic experience or anything like that. No, that’s not how Peridot thinks about things. That’s not how she processes information.
He introduces music to Peridot in a way that will mean something to Peridot. Music is a hypothetical mathematical pattern, a system, that feels satisfying when you finish it, and you can use that system to express yourself.
Pearl would have rattled off something about the cultural significance of music throughout history, Garnet would have said something philosophical about the rhythm and the rhyme and all the different moving parts lining up to create an emotional experience greater than the sum of its parts, and Amethyst would have said, “I don’t know what it is. I just know when it rocks.”
Which would all have been fine. Absolutely valid. Absolutely true.
But it would’ve had absolutely no meaning at all to Peridot.
But Steven, sweet little sensitive young man – Steven knows how to teach people. Steven knows how to reach people. How to listen and respond.
And there is never any implication, even slightly, that Peridot is “weird” for liking or processing music the way she does or that her experience is…somehow not as good or as real as the others’. There’s no implication that it’s not normal or that she’s not doing it right. There’s no snide, “What are you, a robot?”
No, they all listen. They chime in when it’s their turn. They support her. They have fun. And at least in that one moment of solidarity, they’re all just kind of…there. Together.
Life and death and love and birth and peace and war on the planet Earth. Is there anything that’s worth more than peace and love on the planet Earth?
If you don’t think that I’m going to be a complete and utter wreck when How to Train Your Dragon 3 comes out, you’re wrong. Putting aside any plot things that will happen, How to Train Your Dragon will be…over. Hiccup’s story will be complete. The dragons will be gone. The film trilogy that spanned eight years will be finished. All the hype for the conclusion that I’ve been waiting for since i first heard of How to Train Your Dragon 2 will culminate in a single film of less than two hours. It will be over.
what mouse walks on two legs
mickey
okay, what duck walks on two legs?
donald
no, all of them.
this is the last time you make a fool of me in my own house god damnit
setfabulazerstomaximumcaptain:
Exactly.
Imagine a wall full of circular holes, that circles can keep walking in and out of with no difficulty.
Now imagine that the triangles manage to get the resources together, after years of not being able to fit through the circle’s holes, to drill a single triangle space into the wall.
Now imagine that the circle — who previously supported the triangle’s efforts because they are well-rounded (har) and value equality — comes along and sees the construction project. But instead of being happy, they get angry.
“Well, I won’t be able to fit through your hole!!!!” the circle cries.
“I helped you get the drill!!!!” the circle shrieks.
“Make it fit me too!!!!” the circle demands.
The triangles, barely holding it together enough to get a triangle hole together, stare at the circle in confusion.
“You have all the holes you need,” the triangles explain. “This is for us. You don’t need to fit through our hole, too.”
“YOU’RE BEING UNEQUAL AND HURTING MY FEELINGS!” the circle wails. “I DON’T SUPPORT YOUR HOLE IF IT DOESN’T FIT ME TOO. GIVE ME MY DRILL BACK.”
“It’s not your drill, it’s our drill. You helped us get it, because you said you cared.”
“I ONLY CARED WHEN I THOUGHT YOU’D MAKE A HOLE EVERYONE COULD FIT THROUGH. YOU’RE PERPETUATING INEQUALITY!!!”
“Why is it up to us, the small group that has never been able to fit through the wall at all, to make a hole everyone can use? Why isn’t it up to you, the people who have been able to cross back and forth at will for years? We just want to see the other side; why are you yelling at us?”
“I DIDN’T ASK TO BE BORN A CIRCLE, OMG. I’VE HAD TO WORK HARD ALL MY LIFE TOO. YOU’RE JUST BEING BIGOTED AGAINST ME BECAUSE OF SOMETHING I CAN’T CONTROL, JUST LIKE EVERYONE IS AGAINST YOU.”
“You are interfering with our project and asking us to comfort you while we’re trying to make progress. Please leave.”
“I’m going to tell everyone about this,” the circle warns. “Nobody will support you now.”
“Apparently nobody ever did,” the triangles sigh, getting back to work.
It’s kind of sad
That we have to draw comics using colorful shapes
To explain systematic inequality to people
Reblogging again because yes good
