Simon Malik

I like music, and most forms of storytelling.

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literature

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Dragons - East vs. West

Dragons are known to be creatures of immense power and destruction and can be found in folklore across the globe. However, there is a difference in the way dragons are depicted as symbols of power between eastern and western culture. Eastern culture depicts power through embodying a dragon i.e. an aspiration to become like a dragon whereas western culture depicts power through slaying a dragon i.e. overcoming a foe who is as powerful as a dragon.

I think that you've already established some broad values that are commonly associated with Eastern culture vs Western culture that might be a bit too leading. I would love to see how these norms and attitudes have been challenged by more recent depictions of dragons (i.e. how dragons are of the East in Game of Thrones but were brought over to Western culture multiple times). – kickingupanacho 5 years ago
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I like the angle you chose--embodying or becoming a dragon (East) vs. slaying it (West). It's different from the more typical discussions about European dragons being associated with fire and destruction while East Asian dragons are associated with nature/weather and benevolence or one has wings and the other is pretty much a flying serpent. It'd be imperative to look at cultural sources, especially with Eastern culture as dragons are almost always (and exclusively) associated with kings/emperors. – snowycarousel 5 years ago
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Very interesting! I cant help but find the Western interpretation all the more inspiring. In spite of the vast difference in size and strength between a human and a dragon, the human still prevails, through courage and intelligence. The Western interpretation seems very applicable as a parallel to many of the problems that humanity faces, whereas the Eastern interpretation.. I can understand to a degree.. I've noticed many therianthropic themes in Eastern culture (humans turning into animals).. I wonder where this cultural focus stems from.. – Dstoll25 5 years ago
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arts

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The rise in popularity of nihilistic and dark humour memes

Recently I have witnessed an increase in the number of memes which feature nihilistic or dark humour themes. These memes seem to resonate especially well with people between the age of 20-27 years old (as of 2019). Is there a socio-cultural element which has resulted in the increased popularity of such content?

Would also be good to look at the 'acceptibility' of these memes. There appears to be some fluctuation in whether these memes are seen as harmful, or a means to cope. – Andi 5 years ago
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It shows a lack of imagination essentially in addition to the increased incidence of anti-social and narcissistic personality disorder among millenials. – youngmollflanders 5 years ago
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This is such a complicated subject that I genuinely believe deserves a great deal of attention. Some have argued that we are in late stage capitalism; a period of time characterized by the uncoupling of signifier and signified, depthlessness, alienation, absurdity, and meaningless. Life has been subordinated to capital, and capital is not bound to coherent chains of signification. As a result, our lives feel empty, deterritorialized, lacking a history or sensible temporal/cultural orientation. Add to that the war on terror, war on drugs, consequences of the 2008 financial crisis, and ecological devastation, there is a prevailing sense that the present and the future is merely chaos, that the promises we grew up on are empty fictions, and that there is very little hope in general. Nihilistic memes are a reaction to all this, and they are thoroughly implicated in the ironic and post-ironic cultural meta (a refusal to treat anything with sincerity as a reaction to the madness and alienation earlier described). – joshasoflate 5 years ago
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I think that maybe it's a way for this (our/my) generation to feel that they are not alone, when everyone seems to be offended at the slightest things. I think there is quite a gap between those who still enjoy dark humor and those who think it's mean and shouldn't be enjoyed. But I think that sometimes those memes can help people deal with the cruel reality of our world and the actual, real life rudeness and hate that we experience every day. However, this is a quite complicated topic. The question why humans enjoy dark humor and tragedy more than we do happy endings, to me seems to be hard to answer. – bulatovskayae 5 years ago
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I kind of see it as a combination of the overall nihilism of our pop culture (as a function of growing up, for the first time, without being taught that life has any intrinsic meaning or purpose) and the anonymity of the Internet, which leaves people freer to say things that they wouldn't dare attach their name to in real life. – Debs 5 years ago
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Latest Comments

May 24, 2019 simonmalik The show has definitely gone through some major thematic changes after moving to nbc. I would love to know the opinions of everyone on these changes.	Brooklyn Nine Nine: The Importance of a Diverse Show & Characters
Jul 31, 2018 simonmalik love this show!	Brooklyn Nine Nine: The Importance of a Diverse Show & Characters
Jun 7, 2018 simonmalik Dystopian works have a vague sense of realism to them. Most people of society imagine the future to be a happy and peaceful utopia but they fail to recognize how their immediate surroundings are often the opposite. I think fiction is consumed because everyone wants to hold on to some form of hope that one day everything will be fine. Maybe this is to justify how we are leeching the resources of this planet without a care. Dystopian prospects often hold up a mirror to the innate desires and greed of humanity and are therefore a very important literary genre.	What is the Purpose of Dystopian Literature?
Jun 3, 2018 simonmalik I enjoy a good subbed anime as much as the next person. However I personally feel that, as a person who does not understand the Japanese language, I am unable to comprehend the cadence and the tone of what is being said. This makes it difficult to relate to the character and I believe that it is better for new viewers to begin with dubbed animes.	Are you a Sub or a Dub?