To Like or Not To Like

DIFFERENT, NOT BETTER, NOT WORSE
By Alex Ness
October 20, 2023

WHEN THE CRUSHER DEFEATED HIGH CULTURE

I've spent years writing about the world of popular culture, and about what I like in it. I don't deal with as many emailing haters or direct message stalkers, but it does seem most people like only the food they are familiar with, country they live in, and ideas they have heard before. I've been called a non-Christian for interviewing non Christians, a fascist for not canceling a variety of people who don't follow a certain agenda, a socialist for not hating certain past or current US presidents and much more. But, whatever I am attacked for, I am me. Whatever I do, is my right and I am open about what I like, who I like and what I don't like. The idea that most people seem to misunderstand, is that I don't like or love everything, but I try to share what is positive. So if I read 200 comics, and love 10 in that stack, but hate 50, you won't hear about the 50 from me. I want to use my time to promote, share, speak about the good things in life and popular culture.

I'm aware that not everyone agrees one what is good. Which is why I try to share what I experienced as being good. I want to give reasons for people to try something I found to be good. And when I find something new that is good, you will hear about it. I dealt once with a person I liked, and anytime I referred to something I enjoyed, he'd say, oh that sucked. Or that was a shit show. Or something similar.  And that was his taste. But sometimes people don't like something because the people they know saying they liked it, were their cultural opposites. I don't care if you don't like what I like, but I think there are better ways to express one's self than to say something they didn't like automatically was awful or a shit show. Sometimes something is simply different, and outside one's taste. My mother hated professional wrestling. My grandfather on her side loved it. Her hatred of it came from the only TV in the house throughout the fifties and sixties being tuned to Pro Wrestling. She was horrified that I liked the wrestling from the 60s and early 70s. But hey, the Crusher and Baron Von Raschke were awesome.

If you don't like what I write about, I am fine with that. I'd just suggest you like or dislike what you like or dislike, for the right reasons. If you say whatever someone likes sucks, you might instead think that about the person liking those things, rather than the things they like.

American Comic Books Adapting/Using Japanese Characters and Reverse

I have read that there is a name for Americans who love Japanese culture, but I don't think it is accurate regarding what it presumes to say. The term is for Americans loving Godzilla or Utraman, Micro Men, and giant robots, i.e. popular culture products and ISP's from Japan. I love all those things, but I also love Samurai and Ninja, Zen Gardens, Mount Fuji, Japanese food, Japanese art, Yukio Mishima and so much more. Other fans might enjoy that too, so the phrase used to describe them is even more falsely aimed. In the image below, note that Spawn is an American/Canadian character and a Japanese creative told a story with him as the subject, and used the format of Manga storytelling, page arrangement and all things Japanese. I loved it, I know others didn't. The rest of the images, show Japanese toy licensed intellectual properties, as done for the American and overall Western audience. Some people are or definitely were disgusted at the thought of sushi, but those people are fewer and fewer, as the negative aspects of sushi are far outweighed by its success, now worldwide.

India's Legends, Myths and Religions in American Comic books

I bought an enjoyed all of the releases of Indian legend, myth and religions for an American audience, but I know many who gave them a try didn't want to have to know more than what they already knew. So, instead of seeing superheroes, they were reading powerful characters, doing epic and dangerous things, but with a background of creation, apocalypse and good gods versus the evil gods. I found the works to have worth, if not fitting easily into Western culture, at least working in the translations into American comics. That such a valiant effort didn't succeed is not a good thing, but it shows that not everything that is good or honorably done has a market in a foreign country.

VIRGIN
LIQUID

REVIEWS AND STUFF

FINALLY...  I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address.If you send hard copies for review I will try to always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

My Creative Blogs:

5k poem blog         AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com

Published works   AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html

Social Media:
Bluesky
X/Twitter
Facebook

All images are copyright © their respective owners, use is simply as fair use and no ownership rights asserted.