Update: Hello Kitty STILL not a cat

[cville]

Aug 29, 2014 9:51:00 GMT -5 agnes said:

If Hello Kitty is not a cat...Then, Keroppi is not a frog. Pekkle is not a duck. Pochacco is not a dog. Badtz-maru is NOT a penguin?

WTF?

They are all animals/not animals.  Simultaneously.  We have to accept this.  I just choose to see the catness in Hello Kitty over and above the girlness, even though I accept that the girlness is present.

I was being cheeky and glib before, but I really do think this whole brouhaha is rooted in a fundamental philosophical difference in what the meaning of is is.  

[eclaires]

Aug 29, 2014 9:48:03 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:40:51 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I'm not even sure what this is supposed to mean?

I'm rolling my eyes and having a cocktail.

[pixy0stix]

Is it too early to start drinking?

[agnes]

Aug 29, 2014 9:53:49 GMT -5 cville said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:51:00 GMT -5 agnes said:

If Hello Kitty is not a cat...Then, Keroppi is not a frog. Pekkle is not a duck. Pochacco is not a dog. Badtz-maru is NOT a penguin?

WTF?

They are all animals/not animals.  Simultaneously.  We have to accept this.  I just choose to see the catness in Hello Kitty over and above the girlness, even though I accept that the girlness is present.

I was being cheeky and glib before, but I really do think this whole brouhaha is rooted in a fundamental philosophical difference in what the meaning of is is.  

BUT BUT BUT wiki says all of them ARE animals!!!  Except Hello Kitty.  She's a girl. 

"Bad Badtz-Maru (バッドばつ丸 Baddo batsu maru?) is a male penguin with spiky hair."
"Pekkle (Ahiru no Pekkle) is a fictional duck. He is a small white duck with a blue t-shirt with the letter P on it."
"Pochacco is drawn as a white dog with black floppy ears, but no visible mouth."

[cville]

Aug 29, 2014 9:57:03 GMT -5 agnes said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:53:49 GMT -5 cville said:

They are all animals/not animals.  Simultaneously.  We have to accept this.  I just choose to see the catness in Hello Kitty over and above the girlness, even though I accept that the girlness is present.

I was being cheeky and glib before, but I really do think this whole brouhaha is rooted in a fundamental philosophical difference in what the meaning of is is.  

BUT BUT BUT wiki says all of them ARE animals!!!  Except Hello Kitty.  She's a girl. 

"Bad Badtz-Maru (バッドばつ丸 Baddo batsu maru?) is a male penguin with spiky hair."
"Pekkle (Ahiru no Pekkle) is a fictional duck. He is a small white duck with a blue t-shirt with the letter P on it."
"Pochacco is drawn as a white dog with black floppy ears, but no visible mouth."

Until Wednesday, Wiki said HK was a cat, too.  


Here, do you want the red pill or the blue pill?

[eclaires]

Aug 29, 2014 9:55:43 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:53:31 GMT -5 wawa said:

Dude, you're the one who wanted to make this a critique of Japanese cultural issues!  And in a PAINFULLY cliche'd way too. 
in other words...

YOU STARTED IT!  nyah!

I made light of it because it is fucking ridiculous. I don't give a shit, but it's ridiculous.


But I see we have turned a corner, and now CEP is very sex positive! Consensual panties vending machines! WONDERFUL! I LOVE IT! BRING IT HERE!

Lol. No.

However if I was Japanese and someone trotted this out as an example of why Japanese culture is weird along with suggesting people teach their kids about Japanese culture, I might be a little peeved that someone would be implying that is emblematic of Japanese culture. This is not hard, bunny. Nor is anyone suggesting that this is something we should aim for here (panty vending machines).

[eclaires]

Aug 29, 2014 9:56:41 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Is it too early to start drinking?

Like I said, I'm having a cocktail.

[irishbride2]

I don't care if hello kitty is a cat or not, to be honest. But I just found it funny that you think 4 year olds wouldn't read into it. Because most will.

[pixy0stix]

So Hello Kitty is not a cat, but all the other anthropomorphized characters are their animals?

I'm down the rabbit hole, and the bottom isn't in sight.

[pixy0stix]

We have vending machines that dispense makeup. What does that say about our culture?

[eclaires]

Aug 29, 2014 9:58:26 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:54:32 GMT -5 eclaires said:

I'm rolling my eyes and having a cocktail.

Because I don't care that Hello Kitty isn't a cat? I think probably I should be the one posting the eyeroll and cocktail gif because 

Ummm. This is also not hard. Maybe you should scroll through those quotes again. But just in case:

Weren't you the one who suggested we give our kids a lesson on Japanese culture over hello kitty? And including the panty vending machines in your comment? That's what I'm rolling my eyes at. You can not care all you want, I don't give a shit. I cared enough (which is not much really) about this to comment that my kids thought it was bananas (because you seem to think kids aren't literal or something) but other than that Sanrio can say whatever they want. I will make a joke or refuse to agree and go on about my life. The only reason I even commented about what my kids said is because you made some ridiculous assertion about children.

[wawa]

Aug 29, 2014 9:55:43 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Aug 29, 2014 9:53:31 GMT -5 wawa said:

Dude, you're the one who wanted to make this a critique of Japanese cultural issues!  And in a PAINFULLY cliche'd way too. 
in other words...

YOU STARTED IT!  nyah!

I made light of it because it is fucking ridiculous. I don't give a shit, but it's ridiculous.


But I see we have turned a corner, and now CEP is very sex positive! Consensual panties vending machines! WONDERFUL! I LOVE IT! BRING IT HERE!

I can't even articulate right now why I want to simpsons strangle you.  You burst into the middle of a conversation about something very silly, told us we were all being a bunch of stupid heads because 4 year olds won't care (which...yes.  They will.  and way more than 4 year olds like HK so I'm not sure why preschoolers are relevant here.  HK is a huge industry), and then decided to trot out the "but what did you expect anyway out of THOSE PEOPLE" because of panty vending machines nonsense - as if the existence of creepy but kindasorta socially accepted kinks justifies all other totally illogical nonsense from an entire country.   All of which was very haha lighthearted, but still I found irritating. 

Perhaps I need another coffee.  Or less coffee.  Or something. 

[pixy0stix]

I feel you, wawa.

[pixy0stix]

Hey! So are the Simpsons human, or do they just exhibit human traits and are really just cartoon representations of humans?

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 9:51:00 GMT -5 agnes said:

If Hello Kitty is not a cat...Then, Keroppi is not a frog. Pekkle is not a duck. Pochacco is not a dog. Badtz-maru is NOT a penguin?

WTF?

[wawa]

And Bunny - I hope my use of the simpsons imagery conveys that I'm not actually MAD nor do I wish violence upon you. I just...wanna strangle you a little.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 10:05:38 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Aug 29, 2014 10:01:26 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

I don't care if hello kitty is a cat or not, to be honest. But I just found it funny that you think 4 year olds wouldn't read into it. Because most will.

I just doubt they'll put much processor time into it. They're 4. I assume something else will happen and then they'll start thinking about that.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 10:05:38 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Aug 29, 2014 10:01:26 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

I don't care if hello kitty is a cat or not, to be honest. But I just found it funny that you think 4 year olds wouldn't read into it. Because most will.

I just doubt they'll put much processor time into it. They're 4. I assume something else will happen and then they'll start thinking about that.

Uhm no. Kids are oddly married to their lore.

If George Lucas came out and said that the Dark Side was not actually all that bad, his head would explode, he'd want Lucas tested for drugs, and he might start throwing things. And he's nearly 13.

I'm just going to go ahead and pull the "just you wait until your kid grows up a bit." Because again, kids are very much married to their lore. Mostly because they use these cartoon worlds to escape. It's something that makes sense even when things in their life don't. This is the HK universe. These are the truths. They aren't trying to hear anything different and they won't move on to something else five minutes later.

Despite appearances to the contrary, kids aren't flighty.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 10:21:18 GMT -5 @helenabonhamcarter said:

Aug 29, 2014 10:05:38 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

I just doubt they'll put much processor time into it. They're 4. I assume something else will happen and then they'll start thinking about that.

Uhm no. Kids are oddly married to their lore.

If George Lucas came out and said that the Dark Side was not actually all that bad, his head would explode, he'd want Lucas tested for drugs, and he might start throwing things. And he's nearly 13.

I'm just going to go ahead and pull the "just you wait until your kid grows up a bit." Because again, kids are very much married to their lore. Mostly because they use these cartoon worlds to escape. It's something that makes sense even when things in their life don't. This is the HK universe. These are the truths. They aren't trying to hear anything different and they won't move on to something else five minutes later.

Despite appearances to the contrary, kids aren't flighty.

So much this.

When we moved into our house, we promised the kids we'd paint their rooms according to their wish (within reason). DD: I want pink and purple walls, and a yellow ceiling, because HK. Bedding? HK. 90% of her casual clothes? HK. Face painting at a party? HK. She wants to be called HK.

But yeah, KOKO. We'll check back with you in 3 years or so.

[Deleted]

Just think of how grown adults response when they start making a film version of their favorite book and fucks it up.

Is this Peeta? Is Jamie Dornan the right Christian Gray? Was Noah an asshole who wanted to kill innocent babies?

[josieposy]

I'm still recovering from that whole "the Brontosaurus never existed" thing and I'm in my 30s.

[lasagnasshole]

Aug 29, 2014 10:21:18 GMT -5 @helenabonhamcarter said:

Aug 29, 2014 10:05:38 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

I just doubt they'll put much processor time into it. They're 4. I assume something else will happen and then they'll start thinking about that.

Uhm no. Kids are oddly married to their lore.

....

Despite appearances to the contrary, kids aren't flighty.

This is so true.

I had a stuffed animal when I was a kid. His name was Doggie, pronounced with a pretty pronounced New York accent (think Mike Myers in Coffee Talk on SNL). People used to tell me, "Oh, what a cute bunny you have!"

OMG. I got SO OFFENDED. "IT'S NOT A RABBIT. IT'S A DOG. HIS NAME IS DOGGIE."

Nobody would ever, ever, EVER convince me that Doggie was a rabbit.

A few years ago, when we were moving one time, I came across a Rubbermaid container with a few of my childhood stuffed animals. Doggie was in there. I started looking at him - the ears, the face, the COTTONTAIL. This thing is a rabbit. There is no way it is not a rabbit.

But 4-year-old harpy would hear NOTHING of it, and my mom apparently decided it was easier to go along with the charade of this animal being a dog than arguing with me.

Now that I type this out, I'm all   and  .

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 10:27:51 GMT -5 @bunnybean said:

Ugh. You all can go straight to hell, @ladydisdain @helenabonhamcarter. That is such a lazy argument. I haven't found it to be right yet, but who knows.   

[wawa]

Aug 29, 2014 10:30:03 GMT -5 josieposy said:

I'm still recovering from that whole "the Brontosaurus never existed" thing and I'm in my 30s.

And pluto isn't a planet.

My very excellent mother just served us nine....WHAT?  WHAT DID SHE SERVE MOTHER FUCKER???  WHAT DID SHE SERVE IF NOT PIZZAS???

[andrealynn]

Do you see what is happening here? I hope that Sanrio can live with the seeds of discord this revelation has sown.

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 10:41:52 GMT -5 nuggetbrain said:

Aug 29, 2014 10:26:37 GMT -5 @helenabonhamcarter said:

Just think of how grown adults response when they start making a film version of their favorite book and fucks it up.

Is this Peeta? Is Jamie Dornan the right Christian Gray? Was Noah an asshole who wanted to kill innocent babies?

DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON THE BULLSHIT THAT WAS TOM HANKS WITH A FUCKING BOWL MULLET IN DAVINCI CODE.  

OR THE HORRIFYING CREATURES FROM HELL THAT ARE THE NEW TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

If JJ Abrams fucks up Star Wars, it will go harder for him than it went for Lucas when he unleashed the bullshit that is Jar Jar Binks.

I bet @bunnybean likes Jar Jar and those awful Gungans. 

[pixy0stix]

(I liked Jar Jar. Sorry, not sorry.)

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2014 10:47:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

(I liked Jar Jar. Sorry, not sorry.)

Did you like the pod race though? What about Anakin and Padme's dumb as fuck emotionless love story for the (space) ages?

I need to know how hard I should judge you right now.

[pixy0stix]

Aug 29, 2014 10:49:50 GMT -5 @helenabonhamcarter said:

Aug 29, 2014 10:47:51 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

(I liked Jar Jar. Sorry, not sorry.)

Did you like the pod race though? What about Anakin and Padme's dumb as fuck emotionless love story for the (space) ages?

I need to know how hard I should judge you right now.

I liked the first movie! I thought the subsequent movies were boring. Especially the love story development. Fuck, that was time wasted on the screen. There was none of the fun/funny elements of the first movies. It was all "we're a super serious mega-movie conglomeration now, fuck funny". I died a little more inside with every new movie.

[IIOY]

This thread.