Whatevs

Great first playthrough. Prefer Bioshock. The cartoony bad guy and cartoony racism killed it for me. Yea, people were racist back then but not to that extreme. Which to be fair was the point, Columbia was meant to be an exaggeration of America at that period.

I was hoping someone could help me out. Is there any kind of program with allows you to sort documents based on keywords and such, like a tagging system? Hoping for something fairly elaborate where I can group a keyword and any abbreviations under one tag.

Hezbollah made a modern fps game. Of course people said "herf derf it is exactly like CoD but the Muslims are killing Americans!" as some ironic point. When last I checked the bad guys in CoD are usually Russian and the Hezbollah game had you fight the Israeli Defense Force.

On te last point, I didnt say she did. I was just dismissing it as evidence for the argument I was dealing with

I have been meaning to do a blog on Manehattan for a while. This won't be the proper analysis although I will touch on it, this is more my general thoughts on the episode. The reason for doing this prelude is that I believe it makes the actual analysis easier by clearing up some issues and potential baggage. Some analysis and hints of analysis is present so if you like analysis you will get your fix. The first is that while I like this episode and think it is pretty good, it does suffer from being bloated. The most salient and most far reaching example is the inclusion of the main cast. The only purpose they serve is to change the conflict from Rarity having her work stolen to Rarity being mean as a backlash to this fact. I understand the writers wanted the ponies' elements to be challenged but they could have done that without the rest of the main cast. Perhaps have the tension be from Rarity trying to rectify Suri's theft alone in an unfamiliar city, causing her to compromise but realize her mistake and then be assisted by the various people she was generous with in the song Generosity. Such a format would be similar the Rarity' previous episodes where the conflict gradually emerges from her character being placed in a relatively simple situation. I fault nobody with taking issue with this as it is my only real gripe with this episode, even though I did enjoy the episode. Mentioning Generosity brings me to the issue of generosity in this episode (quite a leap I know) and the focus of this blog post. It is common for allegedly clever (hopefully this statement will not be proven ironic) to remark that Rarity was not being generous because of the expectations of favors or reciprocation. If this was the case, then yes they would have a point. But it is not. Rarity says, "the best thing about Manehattan is that when you do something nice for somebody, and you never know when they will do something nice for you." This is not entitlement and here's why: For one, when Rarity remarks that Manehattanites (?) repay good deeds done to them she is not expressing expectation or entitlement. She is describing them as possessing this positive quality, and maybe even expressing faith in this quality's existence. This being a rather charitable outlook on people, and not at all inconsistent with the Element of Generosity I might add. Rarity also includes the line "you never know when they will turn around and do something nice for you," which suggests too vague a concept of when she would be repaid and how she will be repaid to support the theory she is doing it out of self interest. In summation, she is not really expecting favors in any practical way but simply feels safe being generous with the Manehattanites because they reciprocate good deeds. The difference between this and expecting favors is that here Rarity is TRUSTING the Manehattanites rather than trying to manipulate them in any way. Trust is the key. Really, this should be argument enough but more is probably required. For one the song's lyrics themselves make it very clear that Rarity enjoys being generous for its own sake. Such as the following: "Oh, Manehattan, what you do to me Such a huge bustling community And there's always opportunity To do the friendly thing." This shows that Rarity is motivated by doing good for its own sake, as does, "If some are grouchy, pay no mind Surprise instead with something kind Lo and behold, you may just find A smile is what you bring." "Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can give Generosity, I'm here to set the bar Just sit back and watch how I live" A little aggrandizing to be fair but still confirms the sincerity of why she enjoys being generous. Remember she believes the Manehattanites are generous themselves so she is not convinced she is better than them. While she is the one setting the bar over the course of this song, they will meet it. Moreover it is an "I Am" song, it's going to be on the nose because it is by design about whatever qualities she possesses. "Some may say, "Rarity, Don't be so big-hearted and bold Treating strangers like they're friends This town's too big and cold" But this is how I play my cards I'm not about to fold Where I see a frown, I go to town Call me the smile patrol" Same as the first two parts. And lastly, "Generosity, I'm here to show all that I can do Generosity, you are the key Manehattan, I'm here just for you Just for you," This shows a commitment to service unto others. Furthermore, if Rarity were simply trying to garner favors, why would she further repay the generosity done in reciprocation with more generosity on her part? She begins by getting Spike a hotdog, repayment for his labor. This was minor but worth pointing out. Then she over-tips the bellhop for his helpful attitude. This causes the bellhop to help her out whenever she needs it, either by delivering her dresses or telling her where her friends went. And in each instance she tips him again, despite his eagerness to help her being in response to her earlier generosity. If Rarity truly saw this as nothing but an economic strategy, it would dictate that she should probably not bother tipping the bellhop again. Maybe, one could argue that tipping him again is simply to ensure more favors but that is a stretch and in disharmony with the aforementioned points about her motivation. But even disregarding all of that let us ask ourselves, "which is more likely?" That she is a clever and conniving emotional con-jobber with rather far reaching vision to be able to predict that she will need the help of others, and spreads token gifts thereby making them indebted to her socially to ensure that they do? Or that she's being as generous as she can but not saying no to their own instances of reciprocation? The latter is the most reasonable. There is more to this pattern but that will be touched upon later. My last major point over this issue is regarding a fair counterargument, one I don't hear as often as I would have thought,is that later in the episode Rarity DOES expect her friends to help her out because of her earlier generosity which lends credence to the entitlement argument. This is an accurate description of her later actions, and I will get more into this in the proper analysis, but if one recalls this was presented as a heel-turn on Rarity's part. Her words, "It was in this magnificent metropolis that I learned that while there are ponies who will take advantage of your generosity, you should never, ever let that cause you to abandon your generous spirit. Nothing feels worse than taking advantage of the giving nature of your friends." It is made clear that by the moral that this is not a way she commonly acts and was brought on by being taken advantage of herself. As such her realization that this was what she had become is presented as a return to form with the moral making it clear that the lesson was to be vigilant against this mentality. The lesson was not that the mentality itself is wrong, as Rarity already knew this but simply failed to see the behavior in herself. Furthermore, this statement reinforces the notion of trust. When Rarity was being generous earlier it was out of trust. When her trust was betrayed she became distrusting and began to use her earlier altruism as a way of manipulating favors from her friends. But then Rarity remembered the value of their contributions and all was restored. Trust being the linchpin between manipulation and a healthy self respect is very apparent here. As a segue to the final item, it is important for Rarity to believe others will repay her generosity in their own way. It is also important that she accepts this repayment from them. Not only because it displays a charitable faith in the general goodness of others which resonates strongly with her element, but also because to not accept their help is rather rude and egocentric in its own right. Largely because it presupposes that only her generosity and good will matters. Bear this in mind. To be fair to those who criticize this episode's conception of generosity; while it is true that while Rarity herself is not be guilty of perceiving Generosity as favors, is is possible that the episode itself still may. And it does, but this is hardly a negative. As I stated earlier, the concept of reciprocal altruism is not inconsistent with the Element of Generosity. In fact, it is a realistic and compelling method of expressing what Generosity means. I say this because Reciprocal Altruism is a concept in human/animal interactions where one will decrease their personal fitness (meaning literally how fit to survive they are in this context) to increase the fitness of another within their pack/tribe. This is done because of the pack mentality and concept of reciprocation social creatures possess. The one giving knows that if they need it the other is likely to assist them, as well as being a way to demonstrate loyalty to the pack as a whole and build social trust (as mentioned early on in this post). And while Rarity did not expect favors, she still fostered this kind of mentality through her actions. Both sides were getting what they liked through mutual generosity. It is not an instance of feeling entitled to favors. Rarity did not expect favors in any practical sense, and the Manehattanites certainly did not expect her to give anything to them. In short everyone is taking the best possible actions for one another, achieving the definition of a harmonious relationship. Which, as I understand it, is the idea behind these Elements and the show itself. In fact it is possibly the best expression of the Element of Generosity since it shows that generosity can be contagious and inspiring to others. Furthermore the idea of community is good depth for her Element and character as it allows her to repudiate the negative sides to not only her character but the also to the concept of nobility while embracing the positives, which is the concept of service unto others in both cases. The Elites from S&E largely exhibited service unto themselves to varying degrees and so does Rarity when she is misbehaving. Whereas Rarity when she is being good and Fancy Pants both exhibit service unto others, particularly those less fortunate. This is called Noblesse Oblige and as such this episode has great thematic importance to Rarity since it is the entire basis for her character's good traits. This is primarily what the analysis is going to be regarding as one can probably tell. Link: https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Reciprocal_altruism.html

IQ scores actually correlate with life outcome better than education. As well as how good you are at cognitively demanding jobs. According to an online test I have an IQ of 156. I think they're inaccurate... The only approximation I have to an IQ score is my ASVAB score (as the general intelligence portion is essentially an IQ test but easier) which placed me in the 99th percentile. 70 is mental retardation. Which you clearly are not. Online tests are really crap. And to be a snarky guy the preponderance of 130 and above people in this thread is tacit admission of this fact. Since 130 and above would be ~1% of the human population, if I am generous. People can google IQ percentiles.

Don't worry. Nothing about EVA in here, in fact it exists as a good example of what this will NOT be about. I just saw it scrolling for an image and it gave me the idea to do this followup to my Nightmare Rarity blog post, as it occurred to me that saying Rarity has the kind of insecurity I argued she has can be a double edged sword for different people. Link: http://mlpforums.com/blog/1599/entry-12974-nightmare-rarity-and-how-it-affects-raritys-character-on-the-whole/ After all, people like her confidence. And seeing her as an insecure little girl can turn them off. But don't worry. It's not that simple. Firstly it is worth mentioning that all of the Mane 6 have some kind of angst that people find endearing and argue makes them deeper characters. And I happen to agree. Moreover, the idea that Rarity has insecurities is not new. In fact it is rather unavoidable as it crops in her various episodes. While taken to humorous exaggeration, it first showed up in "Suited For Success" when her fashion show fails. It also helps explain why Rarity would have been so acquiescent to her friends. Yes, Generosity and all that but remember in my last blog (and the one before) I pointed out that being insecure about pleasing people goes hand in hand with her generosity. It also shows up in episodes like "Sweet & Elite" and "Rarity Takes Manehattan" beyond the ways I mentioned. In "Sweet & Elite", Rarity's motivation for going to the Garden Party was a directly stated fear that not going would ruin her chances in high society. And in "Manehattan" when she fears having caused her friends to run out on her she walks around the rainy streets of Manehattan, clearly forlorn and distraught over this. Even her role in MMC is consistent with this characterization. By the end Rarity was in tears over how horribly her mismatched role has gone for her. She can't make art to inspire people (a large motivation as a pony) without making the weather awful and making other ponies hate her (being a people pleaser is her other big motivation as a character). Ultimately, Nightmare Rarity just crystallized the concept. And while perhaps the comics are not canon, the characters are still the same characters just being exposed to different events in a different continuity if that is the case. So I don't think Nightmare Rarity can be rejected. Nor should it be since the comics have done quite a bit for Rarity's character. But let us tackle what i think the main issue at the heart of this is: does Rarity's insecurity ruin her confident and determined nature? Well, quite simply no. Part of being a determined person is moving forward despite your own insecurities and fears. It is not having no insecurities or fears. And this is exactly what Rarity has done. She uses her goals and achievements to assuage her insecurity. This is why she goes after admiration and adoration as shown in Becoming Popular. It is why she made her own business and affected high class mannerisms. This is dealing with her insecurity, not running from it or wallowing in it. If anything, it makes these efforts on her part more interesting and admirable. That last part more than anything, it does not ruin her as a character rather it adds depth to her character. Yet more depth. I realize this blog may not get to the heart of the issue so feel free to voice any concerns or problems, as this was not as well thought out and considerably more 'spur of the moment'.

No hard word on that. I take as "what if" scenarios. Meaning that if this were to happen it would play out the same way.

I need to work on tenses.

IDW's second arc in its MLP:FIM series features Rarity being abducted by Nightmare Forces who then turn her into Nightmare Rarity, like Nightmare Moon with Luna. What is interesting is why they pick Rarity. The Nightmare Leader is clear that Rarity was picked for two connected reasons: she had self esteem issues, and with those they could manipulate her Generosity. And fortunately the comic provides insight into what those self esteem issues are. Rarity fears (or maybe feared if she got over it) being replaced, rejected, forgotten, unwanted by those around her. This is interesting, beyond being thematically consistent with a character who makes art to be appraised and gives things away for free, because of how it develops her desire to join High Society and the steps she has taken to achieve it. Reinventing who she is from the ground up and trying to fit in to High Society is clearly a search for identity on her part, and can even be a search for a sense of belonging. After all, Becoming Popular graces us with the line "not just another Jane Doe." A clear exclamation of having achieved a position of relative fame and prestige. The rest of the song goes into this as well but this particular lyric resonates greater in comparison to the Nightmare Rarity arc as they both capitalize on the same emotion. A fear of being unknown and unwanted. Without Nightmare Rarity, the Jane Doe line could have simply been a turn of a phrase. However I don't think it is now. After all, the author of Nightmare Rarity probably got the idea from somewhere, and did state that they felt it made up for Rarity's absence in Season 3. Meaning that, on the perspective of the author, it contributes something to Rarity as a character. Beyond simply adding an issue of identity and standing to her character, the Nightmare Rarity arc (as I touched on here http://mlpforums.com/blog/1599/entry-12489-an-addendum-to-the-freudian-thing/) also shows that Rarity's desire to be popular and important is part of her instinct to also be generous. When she is generous she is ingratiating herself to others and gaining social connections while doing so, whether she intends to or not. Rarity Takes Manehattan took advantage of this with the recipients of her generosity helping her later in the episode. But also when she is raising her own status she displays an understanding of Noblesse Oblige (that nobility set the example of behavior and are charitable), as evidenced by her general behavior but more specifically her actions in two episodes. In Sweet & Elite, during Becoming Popular specifically, she is the only member of the Elites to support the paintings at the gallery, and bid on initially unwanted items at the charity auction. Each time this not only causes the other Elites to do as she does, but it also displays a less snooty and more charitable character on her part. Particularly when she went to those events to placate the same Elites who hosted them, as they histrionically threatened cancelling the events if she did not come. Simply put, Rarity understood being a good guest by being acquiescent to those in 'need', not being so flippantly stuck up as to turn her nose up at the unappreciated works of others; and being a Star of High Society by acting as a tastemaker when appropriate. In addition to Sweet & Elite, Rarity takes Manehattan also displayed this concept. Although to a lesser and more visible extent. Rarity used her social connections with important people in the play to do nice things for her friends. Initially just getting them the tickets, later a private showing as contrition for her poor behavior, and lastly giving her job to the talented but previously unsung Coco Pommel. These episodes display not only her modelling behavior as befits a noble but also sharing the fruits of her achievements with others. Even if done unknowingly, or rather without any direct expressed intent, this is what one can take away from her actions. In fact, her acting this way so casually and without forethought in many of these instances strengthens this as a part of who she is as it casts this behavior as autonomous or default rather than something unique and fleeting. It also displays how her desire to be important and her desire to be generous are linked, she satisfies both at the same time. Hopefully, the concept of Noblesse Oblige will be explored further with Rarity as it provides a compelling avenue down which to develop her character further. But that is another blog.