It taps into the experience of being a teenager in our current society—they can see that the world is unjust, and as teenagers, they respond strongly to extreme dramatizations of the injustice they see in the world. Also, most YA is essentially a fantasy that they can positively effect an innately unjust world by…

(We could probably have this conversation go on forever, so I understand if you don't want to continue, but I'm enjoying talking with you)

Right, but when it comes to the burgeoning set of film-quality TV shows, you have that kind of length. Films, in my opinion, should be compared with short stories, and novels with TV, because of the duration of engagement you're talking about.

Well, you're asserting that it's an inferior experience; I'd argue that it's just different. All media have to find their own methods and techniques for communicating non-literal aspects of the art—color and form in visual art, structure in poetry, cinematography in film and television, etc. And I think you're…

I think the difference we have is in what you're calling "the aesthetic experience." To me, that comprises all four levels of engagement, but I think you're using it/asserting that the essence of the aesthetic experience is that ecstatic (standing outside of yourself) engagement. And narrative art is interesting to me…

I could try and explain why I disagree, but I'll never do as good a job as film crit hulk: http://filmcrithulk.wordpre…

Yes, definitely! Also, AFFC/ADWD are kind of the Karate Kid training montages for the Stark kids, so we have to imagine that Sansa's education—not only from Littlefinger, but her traumatic education in KL from Cersei and the Tyrells—has a purpose (and I think narratively we're given lots of hints that it will).

Well, Sansa is actually an interesting character because she does have a spine, but she has no political or social power whatsoever, so she correctly understands that any amount of "spine" that she shows will simply cause her and others more pain. Furthermore, she's shown to be one of the most empathetic characters in…

You should! If you like this sort of thing, the first two are available as graphic novels, and unlike the appallingly bad A Game of Thrones graphic novel, both of these are excellent. The third is currently being adapted into one as well.

I'm guessing we'll find out, right? Since Korra was saying "Raava" in her delirium and she's supposed to find Raava. I didn't think that was accomplished this episode—instead, Wan just showed Korra who she was looking for. So, I guess we have to look forward to Korra actually communing with the spirit inside her?

So far it's been the kind of season that will work best in one sitting. I've liked it more than most, but I have a high tolerance for Korra as a character, and that might be what shapes opinions more than anything.

No, it does not count as payment. A scholarship, especially one that is not guaranteed for the whole time they're there, is not payment.

Profit does not mean income. The income generated by student athletics at big football or basketball programs goes back into the school in the form of facilities expansions, new hires, new technology, etc, (the increased cost of running a school).

Because they're not actually treated like indentured servants. That's the whole point. The school makes millions (often billions) off of the work these athletes do, work which actively compromises their ability to get a good education and work which will cause permanent chronic brain issues.

Not only are the school and the networks making millions off of student athletes, they're not even guaranteed health care coverage in the case that doing the activity that generates that money will give them serious damage. That's not going to happen in a debate, and it's far less likely to happen in an intramural…

I wasn't blaming Marah for the collective reaction, just calling her out for a bad joke that reinforced the idea that a woman like Deschanel who embraces traditional feminine ways of expressing herself should be continually reduced to a useless body part (also, between the eyelashes line and the precious title of the…

But seriously, what the fuck has Deschanel done to earn this sort of knee-jerk assholery from the internet commentariat? It verges on sexism, especially since the aspects of her personality that people love to shit on are the ones most synonymous with femininity. Oh no! How dare an adult woman embrace aspects of her…

Normally with colorblindness you can tell the color of an item because of its context. What's difficult is items like the emerald which have no context to inform the viewer, so they make a subconscious assumption about what color it is.

Not at all. The book really touches on lots of different fields—abstract math, music, art, genetics, etc.—but without the assumption that the reader knows anything about it. Also, there are problems/though experiments that are necessary to think about before you move forward (that I found very helpful, even though I'm…

Why is this a meaningful thing to say, I must ask? You readily admit that a) most comedians aren't funny, and that b) there's a vast divide between the amount of male and female comedians. So why is it helpful to the conversation to make this point?