Do you like black Mirror?

Do you like black Mirror?
Do you like black Mirror?

Being a wall, I’m not an avid TV watcher, but some of my assistants certainly enjoy this 21st-century version of The Twilight Zone. If you yourself are curious and don’t happen to have a Netflix subscription, we have the first season on DVD here in O’Neill library: PN1997.2 .B53356 2012. You can find this (and other DVD’s) on the third (main) floor behind the Reference shelves near the elevators.

Thoughts on Joker 4 Smash?

Thoughts on Joker 4 Smash?
Thoughts on Joker 4 Smash?

Ehhh…he’s not really a video game character originally and seems kind of out of place. I know a lot of other characters are the same (looking at you pokemon characters), but it just seems forced. I know this version of Joker is from a video game, but it still doesn’t fit right. Even as a video game character, he’s not a classic Nintendo character – most of the Persona games are on PlayStation. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

How do you think Avengers: Endgame will play out? Also, how dope is Hawkey’s (Ronin’s) new sword!?

How do you think Avengers: Endgame will play out? Also, how dope is Hawkey's (Ronin's) new sword!?
How do you think Avengers: Endgame will play out? Also, how dope is Hawkey’s (Ronin’s) new sword!?

IDK (nor do 240k+ YouTube commenters), but I think Ant Man being stuck in the quantum realm isn’t insignificant. No doubt the writers will think of a way to leave us all hanging again, though, so don’t get too wedded to getting all your questions answered. Yes, dope sword!

What do you think about the musical Chicago?

What do you think about the musical Chicago? Just watched it, don't quite get it. Is it satirical? Are the stories true?
What do you think about the musical Chicago? Just watched it, don’t quite get it. Is it satirical? Are the stories true?

Yes and yes: satire, based on true crime stories by a reporter for the Chicago Tribune in 1927. If you’re interested in learning more, read The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers who Inspired Chicago, by Douglas Perry, (O’Neill Library HV6517 .P475 2010).

Is it me or are others also disgusted and offended by the blatant body shaming in the “Africa’s Next Model” posters.

Is it me or are others also disgusted and offended by the blatant body shaming in the "Africa's Next Model" posters... #LoveAllSizes #We'reNotAllSize2 #StopFATShaming !!!!
Is it me or are others also disgusted and offended by the blatant body shaming in the “Africa’s Next Model” posters… #LoveAllSizes
#We’reNotAllSize2 #StopFATShaming !!!!

The images on those posters don’t seem particularly representative of ordinary people, that’s for sure. If people decide to aspire to those body shapes, that’s a lot of potential failure, because human bodies are delightfully varied, and really shouldn’t be asked to fit such a narrow range of shapes. You might be interested in the anthology of essays The Politics of Women’s Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior (O’Neill Library HQ1206 .P56 2010).

Can we please discuss the significance of the late + great Donna Summers?

Can we please discuss the significance of the late + great Donna Summers?
Can we please discuss the significance of the late + great Donna Summers?

What would you like to discuss? That Donna Summer was a Boston native? That she is the Queen of Disco? Won all kinds of awards and accolades? Was in on the creation of electronic dance music? (In 1977!!!) Had a voice that made you feel good and made you want to dance? Was an inspiration and role model to many singers? Still has lots of loyal fans? She is indeed one of the greats!

Why didn’t Maryland fire Football HC DJ Durkin?

Why didn't Maryland fire Football HC DJ Durkin?
Why didn’t Maryland fire Football HC DJ Durkin?

:-/ Money and poor leadership. Durkin’s buyout would have been expensive, and Maryland’s Board of Regents isn’t well-known for their strong moral conviction. The subtext of this entire thing is pretty clear: UM President Loh refused to have Durkin come back and was overruled by the Board of Regents, so he quit (“retired” at the end of the year) rather than lead a school that would act in this way. Looks like the ACC got rid of Maryland at just the right time and picked up some quality schools (Go Eagles!). UPDATE: Durkin has been fired after an outcry from students and parents. Never let someone tell you that the peoples’ opinion doesn’t count. This was a moral failing of the UM Board that the citizens of the State of Maryland had to force them to fix.

Any good poem recs?

Any good poem recs?
Any good poem recs?

There are just so many good poems that this is a really tough one! What subjects do you enjoy? What styles? Eras? One place to go is the Poetry Foundation (bit.ly/PF-poems), where you can find editors’ picks, or browse by subject or school (style) of poetry from Poetry Magazine’s 100+ year history of publishing, with over 40,000 poems. On their newsletter page, you can sign up for poem-a-day via email. Here’s a nice poem about a wall: bit.ly/goodman-wall.

Dennis is asshole. Why Charlie hate?

Dennis is asshole. Why Charlie hate?
Dennis is asshole. Why Charlie hate?

As Dennis & Charlie are TV characters (from the long-running Netflix series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the answer has to do with what the writers and actors intend to portray. It sounds like both are characters with psychological problems. Apparently Charlie is reacting to what some other characters on the show think was a childhood full of sexual abuse, and Dennis was, in season 10, diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. I haven’t watched it myself (being a library wall, I’m averse to yelling), but it does sound like a darkly funny and sympathetic exploration of characters with psychological damage.

*Update* After conferring with my acolytes, I have revised my answer to “Because Dennis is a bastard man”. But the show wouldn’t be the same without him, so we’re all glad that Dennis is a bastard man.