[sylestial]

*meows loud as fuck to no avail*

[fforsythiaaa]

Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”

So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”

Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.

Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.

[mens-rights-activia]

[nyancrimew]

the median voter

[chinchillasinunison]

indeed.com: hello person with a graphic design degree we think you'll be great match for (checks notes) dying in a coal mine

[melonflavored]

I know we joke and all but i think my mind is destroyed for real

[opheliathegrey]

[a-cipher]

anon I want you to know that I am always thinking about this

[themself]

there's always posts on here like "this is why I feel misgendered by the assumption I must be a man/masculine because I'm trans and cafab" and I'm like yes me too and they go on to be like "and this is why it's trans women's fault" and I'm like Jessie what the fuck are you talking about

[ode-on-a-grecian-butt]

[chickensnack]

TUESDAY AGAIN NO PROBLEM

[sunshinetomorrow]

goomba

[themself]

not to subtweet my job but it's pretty crazy to lay off people from your localization team the same week you have a public oopsie where your AI translation tool incorrectly subtitles someone as saying they like masturbating so much it's affecting their writing

but what do I know about running business I'm just a lowly proletariat

[rivetgoth]

When people talk about all art being political (hard agree) they always talk about the content, themes, etc present within the art itself. Which obviously I get and obviously is a huge part of it. Of course. But I’m personally always struck by the politics surrounding the more metatextual elements of the art; that is, stuff like access to the tools needed for the creation of the art. I mean the literal materials of which an artpiece is made. This is a low-hanging-fruit example but I’m reminded of that Disney adult who tried to claim art isn’t inherently political by being like “I just drew a stick figure on a napkin, is that political? 🤣🤣” & while I think there are multiple different angles from which one could criticize this blatantly pathetic argument, I remember being really struck by like… the flagrant “waste” of implicitly throwaway resources that many parts of the world just literally don’t have and/or that carry with them deeply fraught histories of capitalist labor exploitation and destruction of natural resources. Like. Napkins?? The apolitical canvas that is paper napkins?

[unicouniuni]

One look and you know he’s having fun :3

[themself]

joining the war on spoiling kids on the side of spoiling kids.

i think kids should get whatever they want forever life is hard enough

[my-dailydreams]