very interesting piece

I'm sure the artist has their interpretation, but it looks like it's symbolic of sensory overload from society--everything from a power drill in one hand, to a scalpel in another, to a pad and pencil in another, topped off with having several cellphones shoved in his face.

We're often told to take all these things silent and diligently, which is probably symbolic of his muzzle being taped shut.

I think that this is a vent piece based on Miles last OC post where a character had a shirt on that has ties to hate crimes and a long history of violence. Miles got backlash from it and I take the drill and scalpel to be people who want to force him to change his mind via literally drilling into his head or lobotomizing him or something along those lines. The pencil and paper seems to be someone wanting his statement and asking what he has to say. The phones are all linking him either articles or angry tweets or other responses to his post. They are muzzling him because he feels that regardless of what he says no one is listening so he might as well be muzzled.

I do think Miles made that character wear a phrase with a long and bloody history. I think that was in very poor taste, however I also think that character is meant to be despicable so I get why you'd want to have them wear negative iconography. There's a always a push and a pull as creators to not pull your punches with what you include, while also being cognisant of how triggering and dangerous some of the materials you're handling are. Seeing those words is not just a political comment to a lot of people who were understandably upset, do I think Miles meant it that way? No, given what I've seen, but that doesn't make those who were hurt and upset about it wrong either. Their visceral reaction to seeing something that can and has killed people like them is not a bad reaction of cancel culture.

In this case my guess is Miles didn't know all of the blood and hate tied to those words, and simply knew they were part of a gross political stance. So it's a case of genuine ignorance, rather than anything malicious. Just my two cents.

After skimming the comments here it seems like you've deciphered the image very well and I agree for the most part. I personally don't know how Miles responded to the backlash of the aforementioned post from a while back, but in my personal opinion, placing a white supremacist dogwhistle phrase front and center in an art piece when tensions around phrases like that are higher than ever before is maybe not the best decision when you have a platform like Miles does. It definitely could be sheer ignorance, but unfortunately I figure a lot of people -- myself included -- would not buy that. This piece does not seem like an appropriate response to the criticism the previous piece attracted.

There's literal images of members of the KKK holding signs with the saying with little coins having the slogan. There's political cartoons against the slogan as well. This isn't smearing, this is the absolute truth of the matter. It's a slogan with a very troubled history to put it mildly.

Context does matter and when your phrase is coopted by the KKK then you should probably start using another phrase.

We'd understand you better without the boot in your mouth.

Such a strong argument, cannot possibly argue with that. By your logic I guess all imagery is context and regardless of who used it in history is perfectly fine. Even if it's from brutal, genocidal regimes it's perfectly fine to use it. I'm certain people who had lost people to revolutionaries are fine with their image and name being used in a casual manner despite the atrocities they committed. It's context after all.

Oh red herring and ad hominem. Spicy. So you cannot debate the merits of the historical meaning of a slogan so change the subject and insult to compensate. Why did you come to argue if you're vastly under equipped to do so?

So context doesn't matter after all then? You're so inconsistent in your argument it's absolutely impossible to keep up at all. I think I've wrung what little capabilities you have to debate out of you already.

Just because some faction you disagree with co-opts something that someone else creates doesn't mean we should just abandon that thing or call said thing bad when it was not made with that intention. The people that co-opted it are misusing it; be angry at them, not the creator.

Like it or not, there is a growing sense of nationalism in the US, and quotes and slogans related to this notion are very popular with about half the US population. It's an extremely important current event, whether or not you agree with it personally. Most of the people who believe "America first" do not even agree with the KKK or other established hate groups.

In any case, extending that same anger to Miles, a non-American who drew a fictional character who presumably has her own fictional beliefs, makes even less sense.

You're wholly wrong in thinking I'm extending any anger to Miles. Where have I anywhere in this chain accused them of being racist themselves? Of being angry toward them? You're making a caricature out of me based on your own views.

As for co-opting something and saying we shouldn't abandon it, are you implying symbols of hate and white supremacy shouldn't be abandoned? That we should wholly accept the burning cross despite the fact it has very racist, white supremacist roots in its depiction here in the USA? The historical context of "America First" even without the co-opting by the KKK is troubling at the least and especially if used in the modern era. It's one of isolationism and protectionism from the rest of the world. It's forsaking allies, soft power, trade, and general good will to just wall oneself off in the false belief you'll be better off.

It was more of an "in general" comment about society as a whole, and the general tone and outrage at Miles for his prior piece.

Don't be angry about the symbols. Symbols and their meanings change over time, that's inevitable.

Be angry at the people who disrespect what the symbols are supposed to mean. Work for changing why anyone would want to be among those groups.

Even if an isolationist policy may not work out how people expect, they're still in their right to want it, still in their right to vote for and support policies in favor of it. If you don't like it, vote against it. People expressing rage and anger toward others for their own beliefs, even if they prove to be wrong in the end, isn't beneficial to society.

It's more about using the system that's in place rather than trying to force compliance outside of it.

Given it wasn't really relevant to the discussion of symbolism it was very odd to bring up that particular talking point even if it were in a general sense. That's more toward the drama and reactions of Miles made about the piece in question. Not what I was intending to discuss in of itself.

I'm not up to date on his reactions, but I wager they weren't much different than Furlana's about the piece with the Native American headdress.

Best case scenario, in my opinion, is that they shouldn't have commented at all. No replies, no quips, nothing. Just continue doing business as normal; let people choose themselves whether to continue to follow or not.

I don't think Miles fully understood the historical context of "America First" and why some people would be angry over its use/depiction. I'm of the opposite view though, they should have stated off the bat that this character is supposed to be seen negatively. That it's a character arc of redemption they're going to work toward with further works. There would still be people angry over it but I think it could have eased over much of the tension if they communicated it clearly, quickly is all.

No one communicates perfectly but this piece just sends a bad overall message while drudging up past drama because of it.

Okay so America first was a racist organization but that dose not mean the idea of putting America's problems first before the world was it was just worded poorly by not stating what they were...

Thing is, America First is not a racist organization. It's a concept that, if stated by someone from outside the USA about their respective country (i.e. Palastine First), would be lauded and praised by the same people calling Americans racist for wanting to put America first.

The only people who think "America First" is a racist concept are people who are full of hate.

I tried telling that to the left but alas.

To reiterate, I don't mean things directly at -you-, but it's hard to write in a generic way that doesn't at least sound somewhat like that. There are huge issues in society right now, and people are going about trying to create change through force rather than using the channels and methods that were intended for it.

"As for co-opting something and saying we shouldn't abandon it, are you implying symbols of hate and white supremacy shouldn't be abandoned?"
Why would you twist what Jaded Kitstune said unless your intention is to engage in personal attacks? Jaded Kistune said nothing remotely like this. How mired in hate and rhetoric do you have to be to interpret something so entirely wrong?

Stop, please, your emotions are clouding your logic.

Agreed. This trollish online behavior is just making it look like the guy was right for blocking him in the first place.

But where is the trollish behavior? What did 0 say that's trollish? Because he said something that you don't like? That's not trolling.

He said there's nothing wrong with nationalism.

I was following this thread, hoping to see both sides a bit clearer... until you wrote this. Then you just made yourself out to be someone looking to rile others, and not listening to others nor having any actual point yourself. I wish you had been able to contain your urge to troll and stood by what you were saying in some rational way, but here we are, I suppose.

Yeah, see what you did here? Little more of this, less 'cry more'. Even here, the feeling comes across that you see this guy, along with many others as 'those people', and are dismissing them as people you can't talk with, which is just a bad way to handle any conversation or argument. If you had continued to express your point of view clearly, despite feeling like you would never get through to the guy, you might have gotten through to him.

Instead, you let yourself get angry enough to try to shrug off anything he said... which left it looking like you were just trying to escape instead of standing your ground. See what I'm saying?

I think you have a point, btw. I don't actually know the history of the phrase, but I don't think it's always had just one meaning, or only been used by supremacists and others. At the same time, it apparently has enough history to get people upset. I'm also not on top of the whole drama behind this image (which I've not seen yet). Still I feel that in a conversation like this, you really need to resist as hard as you can just dropping your point and dismissing the person you're talking to as unapproachable. It's usually worth driving your point home, even if a bit annoying to do so.

Anyhow, I'm not trying to extend this too much. Just explaining my earlier post a bit.

The KKK also said "hi" and "hello" and other things. By your logic, no one is allowed to say anything that bigots have said, which means no one can say anything.

The KKK was founded by democrats

Ya, back when they were the conservatives. Now the republicans are

they have never switched.

https://www.livescience.com/34241-d.....platforms.html

So why do democrats still support planned parenthood then when planned parenthood was founded by a woman who explicitly said she supported the kkk and the goal of planned parenthood was to ensure that as few black people are born as possible?

Just because something is intended to work a certain way doesn't mean it will. Also democrats think everyone should be able to use planed parenthood, not just 1 particular group. It's also become a symbol of a woman's right to chose.

Ah, so we should judge a group by the sins of their long dead predecessors despite their many reformations in both platform and ideology, right?!

I really need a thinking emoji for this post.

That is literally what a dog whistle is. You send out a message that seems innocent but certain people will hear it and know what it means. Sure, not everyone who uses that phrase is a white supremacist, but every white supremacist uses that phrase. Have you never wondered why white supremacists rally around that message?

I clearly said it wasn't inherent, words don't have inherent meaning, we assign meaning to them. In much the same way like an innuendo.

It depends on what you mean by putting "America first". Because I not entirely sure how that differs from what we were already doing, how to reach that objective or if you think we already did somehow.

Your argument pretty much like saying just because someone is really into swastikas that doesn't mean they are antisemitic.

A better question to ask is why do you think people are associating that phrase with white supremism?

I see you avoided all the questions I asked.

You say it doesn't, white supremacists would disagree with you. Do you know of any white supremacist groups that doesn't use the "America first" slogan as a rally cry? There is a reason why they are always chanting it. Is it still an argumentum ad godwin if the topic is about white supremacists? I mean, Nazis are the most prominent white supremacists groups. It seem rather on point topic wise.

"America First" was a slogan first created by the KKK back in the 1920s. The most noteworthy leader of the “America First Committee” was Charles Lindbergh, who sympathized with the Nazis and whose rhetoric was characterized by antisemitism and offensive stereotypes, including assertions that Jews posed a threat to the U.S. because of their influence in motion pictures, radio, the press, and the government. "America First" is and always has been a white supremacist slogan. Just because Trump adopted the slogan and you want the slogan to mean something else, doesn't it stops being a white slogan. Again, your argument is that "just because Hitler used the swastika to promote white supremacists doesn't mean I'm using the swastika to promote white supremacists and people need to stop assuming just because the group I associate with uses the swastika doesn't mean they are white supremacists either." Maybe stop defending white supremacist beliefs?

"white supremacist" is a term invented by ashkeNazi to opress white people.

I don't believe it's Miles' job to tailor his personal art to the sensibilities of other people. Meaningless words on a shirt worn by a fictional character aren't going to hurt anybody, but forcing restrictions on what can and can't be depicted in art does cause damage.

Take a cold shower.

They weren't, thats why they existed in the first place.

Why? Because I don't like a person being harrassed for something they didn't do? Miles wasn't promoting racism with his art so I don't see why he deserves to be accused as such and forced into issuing an apology.

Damn straight. People need to stop being snowflakes. Let Miles make the art that he wants to make.

The outrage here made about as much sense as the fury about when Furlana made a piece that featured a Native American traditional headdress.

At the VERY least people should have some compassion or forgiveness for non-Americans who may very well just not know what things may mean at the minute level some people scrutinize them at.

This is true. But at the same time you can't control how people are going to react. Saying people shouldn't get angry when things offend them is the same as putting restriction on art. It is a form of expression.

I'm not saying that people can't be angry, I'm saying that they shouldn't use their anger as validation to harass someone who hasn't actually done anything wrong. Miles mad a piece of art, people didn't like what they assumed the art represented, people then went on to harass and bully Miles based off of these false assumptions. If you don't like something then just walk away from it.

You're right. People can be angry if they'd like, but I'd argue they're angry about the wrong thing. Rather than venting their rage at a non-American (a Russian living in Germany, no less), they should instead look at the situations that led up to where such slogans and the co-opting of it by less-than-friendly parties. That's where their anger should be focused, and rather than using it to lash out at someone who may or may not understand the sociopolitical details of a foreign country, use it as motivation to get into politics themselves and work for the change they wish to see. Propose new ideas, get a political following and rally some support, and change it from the inside as Americans have the right to do. Don't browbeat everyone around you and expect them to change their own opinions.

I get what you are saying, but things like that hardly ever work in America. That would only work if everyone was being honest. Political change usually takes a lot of fighting.

Perhaps, but that is still no excuse for violence and forcing ideologies on others. The system will never work if people refuse to actually use it.

People have to try.

There is a different between forcing ideologies on other and trying to stop bad ideologies from spreading.

An example of this is people who believed in the false assertion of voter fraud. People tried to convince them were wasn't fraud through dialog and reason, but they kept believing. That believe eventually lead to terrorism and people getting killed. How do you stop hurtful ideologies from spreading if the people who believe in them refuse to listen reason? So, yes, this system will never work if there isn't a away to address people who refuse to live by the system.

Miles might not have known of the implications of what he did, but that won't stop people who already believe in this to see this as a form of acceptance or support. Especially since his fan base is mostly American. Just because you don't know what fuel is, doesn't change its effects when added to fire.

Here's the thing; people are allowed to have bad ideologies and bad ideas. There is no obligation for a person to be moral, or to be 'right.' In addition, it is NOT our right to forcibly impose our beliefs upon others, no matter whether or not we believe we are correct, better, or whatever the reason.

I'm not here to debate what people have done, or what constitutes voter fraud or terrorism, but to simply state that there are democratic institutions in place to see toward the implementation of change and social policy, laws, etc. Again, it is BEYOND the scope of one's rights to force ideology upon someone else through the threat of violence, coercion, or any other extra-judicial means.

What Miles did, and how people interpret images are largely irrelevant.

There is actually a social obligation for a person to be moral. That is why we set up laws and punish people for not following said laws. The laws are set up on subjective morals which is true that nothing is inherently good or bad, but we essentially forcing ideology upon people by setting up rule for society that they may or may not agree with on their own.

If people are allowed to have bad ideas and how they interpret things are largely irrelevant then that undermines your original argument that people venting their rage at Miles is a bad idea. Now you are suggesting that people are allowed to lash out against Miles and saying they shouldn't would mean you are imposing your beliefs on others. You seem to have conflicting views on how people should behave.

What the fuck did I just read.

We have been a sovereign nation for 243 years and I don't think anyone is suggesting we change that. National sovereignty isn't a bad ideology because it isn't an ideology. It is simply a state of existence. I'm not sure what you mean when you say that. It isn't so much as having locks on your doors, we always had various degrees of immigration laws, which I assume is that you mean. It is like asking "do you live in a house that is indoors?" and I'm confused as to what other state could a house be in if not indoors.

JaztheCabbit
Your comment is the best I have read today, well said

They wouldn't, but they do. I'm not sure how you can stop them from doing such.

I whole heartedly agree after seeing the discourse and fallout from this piece.

Incredible piece!

Uhm. That's interesting. Especially for its emotional impact.

Hey it's twitter in a nutshell.

Everything is racist and nazi and sexist! - twitter

Why fix what isn't broken.

You have such sad drawings lately, I'm worried if you're okay :с

looks like noise pollution

Haha, looks like twitter.

I want to say something about how this made me feel... but we all experienced this sort of thing multiple times in outlives. How we react is different, some retaliate, some accept, some just go along with it till behind closed doors. It all mentality is draining and makes me wonder if we are really meant to be able to connected as easily today as a decade ago?

Yeah, something tells me this isn't going to fix anything.

From my view:

It looks likes social pressure.
Everyone wants to change something on your nature, like:
"This is the way, how you should be!"
His mouth is taped, which could mean, that they want him/her to be silence and just listening.
But he don't need to be fixed... because the way he are makes him unique.

Most likely this is his reaction to the backlash of his last piece.

Damn this feels very Deep

This really hits me, thank you for making this piece.

Yup, that's social media: cancel culture and virtue signalling. It was always going to end like this, it was always a trap. Trying to use Twitter, Facebook etc "in a good way" is like trying to use the One Ring of Power in a good way, or walking into a casino and thinking you're going to make bank. The house always wins. Will people every stop poisoning themselves with this stuff?

Sadly, the power of Social Media for business and promotion is too powerful to simply be taken away again. Many are dependant on the platforms for their own paths in life and with the large traction and numbers that it brings, you will attract groups of all kinds to you whether you want it or not. The only real option in my opinion is having alternative options/platforms to use to push for better services and more competitive selections to show customers and users that there are things which are unique to be had. This is why I am against monopolies of where only one place has absolute control over everything.

I sympathize, but it's a fools bargain. You're building a house on sand. A while back, CollegeHumor hugely reoriented their business to revolve around Facebook and their advertising structure. Then FB decided to change the deal, CH was left high and dry, and collapsed in short order. Youtubers and streamers spend years building a business, only for their channels to suddenly be murdered in the night with no communication or chance for negotiation.

I get it, things are shit in the traditional economy for most people, so people go hunting for opportunities online instead, and it IS more dynamic here, there's still a chance to break off a piece for yourself if you work hard and are lucky. And the choices online are bleak, and get bleaker every day as more and more services shutter, leaving only the most predatory options still standing. Do what you have to do to survive, I'm not knocking anyone for that. But have no illusions. Go in knowing these platforms are predators that will skin you alive if given the chance, and much of their userbase isn't much better. Stay away if you can, and keep your usage of them controlled and minimal if you can't. The corporate internet is not a cool, fun place to hang out, it's a war zone. Wear a helmet, and keep your eyes open.

And yes, we dearly need some modern "trust busting." Let's hope we get it.

Wouldn't this site count as social media?

Section 230 needs some drastic work.

Now this is a mind-tingler.

Damn never thought I see symbolism here 0.0

Damn Miles.... I feel this...

ok.

I really appreciate this piece, it feels very relatable, though I'm certain you had your own vent and view of it.

Draw what you want, under your own rules, your own protocols, not others.
It can be hard to ignore them, but remember, in the end, it is your decision to live how you feel better, not theirs.

freaking SOLID, well stated. Don't let up miles.

Man I really hope you're doing okay. I feel this on a cellular level. Twitter is a nightmare land these days.

You deserve better treatment. I know you personally. You're an amazing human, a wonderful friend, and you've never had any ill-will to anybody.
You're my comrade and I am proud of you for being you. Please hang in there. You are still loved, friend.

pretty fucking weak reaction to getting criticized for putting hate symbols in your art but grab your sympathy clicks my good friend

Yeah, he should have doubled down and drawn an OC with a swastika t-shirt.

Yep. Been there. I came to terms with the fact that not everybody loves me (bizarre as that may seem) some time ago.
"The only way to avoid all criticism is to do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing."

Having your ideas harshly shot down is a bitch, I know. But this is not the way

neat piece, and even moreso from the comments learning about backlash from a previous art. I saw it and didn't think much about it other than the character was probably meant to be disliked purposefully

Its like "they" said something online and it was a bad remark. Then everyone is telling him, "look what you said" "take it down" " you're better off not saying anything!"

I dunno that's how I see it.

lmao get over yourself

"Damn, someone said one of my pics might come off as racist. Better tell my NINETY-THOUSAND FOLLOWERS about how I'm being cancelled."

It was literally a KKK slogan, my dude.

https://twitter.com/RenTradewind/st.....44697918038017

By that logic any phrase put on paper by a hate group or oppressive regime is going to fall under this mindset.
Or let me put it this way. "Oh so you drink water? You know who else drank water? Hitler! Proof that you are a nazi!" That's mentalgymnastics for ya.

You're right, context matters. So if you have a character wearing a shirt a slogan used by the kkk during a huge racial justice movement, what exactly do you think that means?

I honestly can't tell if you are aiming for a "gotcha" with this question or not.

Don't you think it's a bit disingenuous to compare drinking water and using an alt-right slogan.

The claim is it's an alt-right slogan because for the last 100 years it's always been nationalists, bigots, and racists using it. And it still is right now.

You're the kind of idiot that would say "Heil Hitler" isn't racist because nazis also drank water.

"nothing wrong with nationalism." Nationalism just means you're okay with brown kids dying for oil interests. Who cares how many people died! They weren't Americans!

Fuck off, fascist.

Yeah. You said there's nothing wrong with nationalism. Only fascists think that.

You're thinking patriotism. Patriots rightly hate nationalists.

OH, NO! It's white genocide hours on furaffinity. Thanks for reminding us, /pol/.

There is plenty that's wrong with Nationalism. Let me put it in a more digestible way for someone of your clearly, uh... refined tastes. Nationalism doesn't work well in a modern world of vast, critical global co-dependencies because it's alienating to anyone not in your immediate circle. Whether you like it or not, GDP is king and GPD is deeply tied to economic, social and political cooperation via globalism. The more visibly nationalistic you are, the harder it is to get other countries and their people to work with you because you don't want them overthinking your values that may not be in their interests. Even China with it's doctrine of aggressive sinicization, Japan's ethnocentrism and Israel's literal ethnostate know that. It's why they all very wisely shut their mouths about it and practice it out of sight, so it stays out of mind. Well, mostly, sometimes they slip. Surely, you're not THAT stupid that you haven't realized that, right? Nationalism is best kept locked away in a cellar, preferably between the stars and bars and the Deutsches Modeamt magazines because you may need to cooperate with someone, some day that isn't in your little circle.

If you're confident though, please! Drop the anonymity. Go tell everyone you work with, go to school with and seek relationships with you have deep nationalistic values and there's nothing wrong with it. I'm sure it wont affect what people think about you, right?

i love it when the virulent antisemites rear their ugly heads. blocked

That doesn't make it exclusively a KKK slogan. Don't be an idiot. Patriotism is not racism.

the founding fathers can suck my fat nuts bro

No one is forcing you to be here. You can always move to a socialist or communist paradise.

that costs multiple Gs

Only if you want to use someone else's stuff. Use your own resources without leeching off someone else. No one owes you anything, especially if you want nothing to do with us.

Moving.

Costs.

Money.

Shocking, I know, but it's expensive to buy a home, even in a socialist or communist paradise. Immigration also costs money.

Oh, and as far as "no one is forcing you to be here" goes? They, quite literally, are. Immigration is a fuckin' thing, you dipshit. They can reject you. It can be slow. Like immigrating, legally, into the USA has a wait time of at least 10 years, and some will wait for LITERAL GENERATIONS. Some people will have kids, while living in america legally and waiting for their legal immigration to be processed, and then their kids will also have kids and the kids and grandkids will have to fear their parent/grandparent being deported.

Other countries are actually humane with their immigration, but they can still reject people.

This is why I support the One World Globalist Government

" This is why I support the One World Globalist Government "


Say no more fam. While you're at saying no more, I hear vasectomy is all the rage.

What's hilarious is you can't detect obvious sarcasm because your brain is so rotted with bullshit already.

Anyway, folks like you are why I support the Soviet-Style Re-education Camps for Conservatives, the One World Globalist Government, the Illuminati, the UN, and NATO, and I hate Imperialism but love Imperial Japan and think they did nothing wrong when they invaded and raped china.

See, it's all sarcasm all the way down.

There's ways to do sarcasm through text, and you're not very good at it. Not even as a derogatory statement just in general, your text articulation could use some work.

Globalist was the giveaway, dipshit. Only a right-wing idiot, or a sarcastic leftist, would have used it that way.

That's not how sarcasm works. Also you're awfully sheltered if you've never met people who are actually promoting this stuff.

oh, I'm sorry, I thought you read stuff with facts not feelings. My bad.

I like this piece of art. Definitely a rough topic if this is about what I think its about.

Thought provoking - I feel like its a good direction to push emotions at least if that's what spurred the creation of this piece. I hope others can find productive ways to manage their own emotions too.

Feels like another vague contextless picture pretending to be deep and thought provoking while it is just pretentious , something you've been focused on for some unexplained reason. You don't interact with people and you seem to hate the idea of giving any form of description under an image.

Why does it matter

As I said, it just comes off as the snob "high intellectual" artist crap, especially how he is not even remotely interacting with any person that watches his art.

Lol hes literally saying nothing but the title and pic, youre just interpreting it like that.

That's what I'm saying, he just throws the picture up without any sort of description as if the "art is supposed to speak for itself" but the art is just head scracthing because so far it was lacking context

You know what I love about American freedom? You're entitled to any stupid opinion you want and anyone else it just as free to call your opinion stupid and show what a stupid opinion it is. It's a two way street.

Which in my opinion is why he shouldn't have been 'canceled' in the first place. He wasn't going out of his way to promote racism or - god forbid a term that I never fucking heard about til' the Twitter mob came along.

Nobody should be canceled. Cancel culture is pure cancer and these people need a hard reality check.

Sounds like you want to cancel them. Hyuk!

You weren't supposed to do that!

But no, they have just as much a right to be heard and valid as anyone else. What they need is to experience the consequence of participating in unjust mob brutality.

I know! I'm just havin' fun with ya. I detest cancel culture too.

Wow, it's almost like different phrases have different meanings.

America first goes back to WWII. It was used by Nazi sympathizers and is now used by the alt-right and KKK. There's even a doctor seuss political cartoon about how 'america first' and nazi germany were inextricably linked. ACAB just means that cops, regardless of whether they're personally good people uphold a system of oppression. Therefore, even if they are nice people, they are still bad.

Yes, ACAB. Not because they are bad personally, but because they do bad things as part of their job.

It is the job of cops to arrest drug users. It doesn't matter how nice a person is if the law they're enforcing is bad.

Bro, you're all up in these replies. Miles isn't gonna fuck you. Relax.

If the cops don't want to do bad shit, they can stop being cops.

Enforcing laws that target minorities is definitely what I'd call "bad shit." If cops really were good people, they'd stop being cops and start protesting against them. Show me even one instance of a cop shooting another cop for brutalizing someone.

Sorry, do you think laws targeting racial minorities is good?

Human-Cops don't apply the law equally. They look the other way for some. Fuckin' idiot.

AI-Police would be fair, and in turn it'd mean a shitload of white people going to jail until they realize hey, this is fucked up.

AI-Police, AI-Prosecutors, AI-judges, and AI-Juries.

I can't fuckin' wait for it. Then you racist nationalistic shitheads will see the truth. XD

This is a great pic, and like everyone in the comments here hating on it are the exact reason why this pic even exists.

A picture is worth 1000 words as they say. Wow.

It's hard to respond to criticism, but it's funnier when the artist's work is all about lashing out what they were taught. This piece isn't even that bad by the standards I've seen (Having you character exclaim "Imagine being offended over that!" or "Some people can't help but mansplain" are all examples of that) of artist taking their criticism wrong.

As someone who just came over here, I legit thought it was another picture with deep meaning.



As for the other thing, perhaps the "America First" was tactless in the wake of BLM bullshittery, unless you were ready for the backlash. The better way would've been to accept criticism, explain yourself, or just take it down and forget it. Considering I've yet to find the image, I guess they did the last thing and kinda went ahead and posted this as a "reaction". Not the best thing to do, but eh, the picture's nice.

The phrase is still used to dog whistle white nationalism.

I am against all forms of nationalism.

Great representation of the current state of the furry fandom!
It perfectly shows how when people are trying to dispose of a garbage person a thousand random furs will say how you should "separate art from the artist" and just enjoy their works without thinking about it, truly captured well!

Been there...

'Help, help, i'm being repressed!'

The slogan you used makes many people uncomfortable. Thats it. Thats all people were trying to say.

The idea were all meant to be forcing you into the only way of thinking seems a bit much. I feel frustrated because I have come out to bat to you before, I dont feel I should be painted as your enemy. :(

It's a lot more overwhelming when the majority take a stance and be very aggressive towards you about something that is, inarguably, "uncomfortable". You may have called out to say "this isn't what Id like to see", but it may get drowned in "You are the worst for even thinking it up!", it all just turns into noise.

All I heard was that it was a provocative piece, but in the same vein as "okay to be white" insofar. Again, I've yet to see the original picture.

Its not an 'aggressive stance', its called disappointment. When I saw that art piece I let out the biggest sigh, it was really depressing to see from an artist I like.

If you havent seen the original pic, Im not sure why you are replying to be honest.

First a question, were you disappointed because you think it meant he was "one of those people"?

Secondly, you may have been even or perhaps subtle, but the amount of people calling him an equivalent of "bitching" for this above piece and saying he has no right to feel bad because "he has more than 10000 followers" can come across as if people had already villainized him to his face. This is the Internet mind you, your place in there might have been a dot that used to draw a picture of guillotine.

I am replying because I am a fan of yours and wanted discussion. All I got from second hand was the "America First" t-shirt in a drawing, which is no different than putting ACAB and Punch Nazis, as in political slogans that are empty advertisements more than anything. Also, that it was a commission, so I assumed it was just a thing he did for money, and nothing else.

Are you saying that you like Nazis? Punching them may be a bit of a stretch, but I'm not seeing the same controversy with the context of the Second World War!

We can feel bad when we make errors, but that doesn't mean the blame lies at the feet who found ire in his work. People are free to react however they like within reason, if I created a piece that created that sort of reaction, I would look inside myself first rather than looking to blame others first, I want to understand why people reacted the way they did. What I wouldn't do is double down on it in another piece in quite this way.

I was disappointed because I don't think its hard to avoid using slogans with a very dodgy past. I have never accidentally used one, you no doubt haven't - its not hard to avoid them! I do think writing off any critique of his work as cancel culture is absurd, as many of the people will be fans of him, maybe even commissioners. I have always defended Miles for charging what he wants against many. many dissenters - fair play to him I think, but this is a very different view - and if he feels alienated, trust me he's also alienating plenty of others. Its not fun looking at a piece that feels aimed at you when all you were asking for was some basic decency.

The internet invites criticism, we all know that, but c'mon - some critique is justified here.

Well, the context here though is as overblown in similar manner, I'd say. Trust me, as a born and raised Russian, I am no more sympathetic to Nazis as the next, even more so due to many stories I've heard since my youth. But the controversy arises when you see "Punch a Nazi" stem from people who would claim a Jewish gay man being a Nazi, or a Nazi sympathizer, simply for holding "wrong" views. If you haven't heard, as an example, a young lady I believe was assaulted for wearing a parody "Make Bitcoin Great Again" hat. I've seen a Hispanic man called a Nazi supporter for speaking out against Antifa, as ironic as that sounds. Ths context here is the same case of "People bringing political slogans that lost all meanings".

That may be true, but that does not absolve of those who may left him feeling bad. If your punishment to what may have been an "improper" or "ignorant" reaction with a bat to the face, they are in their right to react just as aggressively.

"It's not that hard to avoid using slogans".
I am a Russian immigrant, who only learned that the word "boy" is deragotary when used on a black man. When I hear "America First", I believe the first reaction isn't a white supremacist word, but a Trump anti-illegal immigration stance. Which is far from outright despicable, if offensive to some sensibilities. Considering how well Trump scored with non-white votes during last election, it isn't entirely unsupported as a view either, and as someone who has friends and connections Europe, we'd be all the merrier for it, considering how much none of us care for America's constant moseying into other businesses (Iraq, for example). There was no context of some old white supremacism in my mind when I first heard of it, and I am not sure if others weren't dissimilar.
Fun fact, did you know that "Queer" is offensive now? And that its not right to use "LGBT+" and add a Q? There's a historical precedent too. By the way, panxesuality is transphobic, because it assumes a trans person cannot be their chosen gender ("liking genders that are not men or women"). Oh, did you know using "y'all" is wrong cause it's a AAVE venacular? Do you disagree, or would you mind looking into yourself and learn WHY would you disagree with it? Why don't you listen to the people most affected by it?

Critique is justified. Not just on the Artist himself, but the Internet at large, whom choose to "unperson" as soon as someone steps out of line. He did a wrong here, but let's not excuse the mob, eh?

Problem with your first point is the alternative is enabling actual Nazis. Thats not great is it? We have more than enough evidence now to realise that plenty of these people exist, and they should never be enabled again.

If Miles feels bad, maybe look at why he looks bad, because his message leaves lots of other people feeling bad too. They aren't just saying it for shits and giggles.

I don't think Miles could have found a harder crowd to please with the America First slogan, a community full to the brim with people of all identities. Read the room! I'm not gonna get into your other points because they are 'whataboutism'. Yes, other bad issues exist, but this is about that piece of art, and it really wasn't okay, and doubling down on it by pretending to be the victim is really pathetic.

I am sorry but I am not part of a mob because I'm in a group of people who think he made a mistake. You wanna make him feel better, but to do that you have to label me and many, many others a mob and make us feel bad instead? That's not logicial by my standards.

People will move on, but not if the artist keeps digging it up, I find it weird he feels the need to, I really, really do. Makes me think he needs the critique more TBH.

Except "punching" them is also enabling. I never heard of Spencer as a dude until someone punched him and he became news. My solution then? Ignore, or point and laugh. Once you show how cowardly, completely stupid and or completely irrelevant a movement is, the faster they will lose their supposed "teeth". Asking to "punch" them only victimizes the "punchee" and hides their actual views and drums up the danger over a group that is small enough to fit inside a room of a rigged building.
We have evidence that the political divide in US is so big, that everyone went crazy. Antifa, MAGAsters, Israelites, Alt-righters are all bad...they are also not the big part of the world. Make fun of them, the emperor loses all his glamour once you point there were no clothes.

My "whataboutism" was not that these issues "exist". But that these issues "change on a dime". I don't care if you use queer, pansexuality or y'all as words, but that the context is far more volatile.

Question: Why do you think he meant about you? Because you feel you should excuse yourself for making him feel bad? If not, why does it apply to you? There are countless examples within that mob, you don't need to group yourself into it. If you did play part, why not own it? Just say yeah I criticized him, feel bad you sucker, is it so hard?

Anyways, he did what he did, I ain't defending bad form, aside from saying there is no justification for mob threats. If you feel like critiquing him, your choice, and if he wants to keep digging, his choice.

I still like the picture, tho

I will say I was a part of many people who didnt like the picture of which he recieved much criticism, I really dont think it should be normalised, especially now!

Why would I feel bad? It was a pretty shitty thing to post, I simply expressed that calmly. Mind you I dont tend to keep the kind of company that normalises that doubles down on that sorta message so hell if I know how to handle it.

Thats really all I have to say now.

And my point was that the context was far more debatable, if not his later actions.

Good day to you sir.

I don't see why people love to try and control others. The internet has always been ruthless with expressing it's distaste with your personal opinions or world view if it's not the "norm". You're either with the hivemind or you're a target. So what if someone thinks differently then you. So what if someone looks different then you. We are all on the same rock spinning in space. It's time to grow up and learn to get along with each other.

Isn't growing up and learning to get along with each other NOT using racist slogans in art? I mean its not really hard or asking for much at all.

In the opinion of lots of people on here it absolutely is, so if you know that, why would you use it?

Its really not asking for much. You arent being silenced, just you give respect and you get respect. If you give out disrespect you cant be suprised when you get disrespect back.

Can the artist and you not be wrong?

What a silly response, refusing to understand and disrespecting everyone, get over yourself!

You never will. That doesnt make you not wrong though!

Or maybe you'll be able to make an argument at all.

Err why? You want me not to be offended, go prove it. I am quite happy with my position.

Riiiiiiight.

my life back in 2004

Нда, неприятная ситуация получилась... Надеюсь эту идею ты не похоронил до конца.

Don't let the mindless zombies bother you dude.
They sit on twitter all day and try to enforce their Americentric views onto everything as if they're the only country in the world, weak attempts at media colonialism by boring people.

This all just feels like self-pity and I don't have any patience for it. "I have 100k twitter followers, and make 5k an art piece...but I've been CANCELLED and CENSORED."
Get over yourself.

I assure you, he's not losing business over this, even if you might wish he was.

FAX

Don't let them get you down. The people who vent their outrage at you aren't your customers. They do not affect your business, nor your bottom line.

There is nothing you can say, no apology that you can make that will placate or satisfy these people. Don't waste your time with them. They're angry at the wrong people, and venting their anger is easier for them than actually trying to foster change.

My interpretation:

Ok so he’s trying to stylize his hair... but he can’t do it himself so he hires a bunch or people to do. Unfortunately they don’t know what to do, so half of each one of the pulls up a YouTube tutorial that describes the specific step. Meanwhile they tape his muzzle so the dye won’t touch that part of his muzzle. Their confused at this part of the tutorial so everyone is chaotically giving their opinion, while one person draws out what should do. The price is all about the value of teamwork, friendship, and most importantly... trust!

Hope I got it right! Love the work hun!

Hah, I love it. This is definitely better.

I complete agree. I don’t know why everyone is overthinking this

I "Know Nothing" about this excellently crafted image.

These comments..

Dude I've gotta' say you're one hell of an artist. Look at all these emotions you've evoked with your work.

hahahaha "I'm the victim actually"

“Proclaim the truth and do not be silent through fear.”
― St. Catherine of Siena

“[T]he mob is the most ruthless of tyrants;”
― Friedrich Nietzsche,

“Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”
― Mark Twain


Ignore the haters Miles, let them be led by collars all they wish. Let them dabble in their hiveminds.
The ignorant can never be brought to the truth. Don't let their hypocrisy, & use, of public shaming tactics change who you are as a person, or an artist.

The greatest artists of all were those born in the fires of their works which were destroyed by the peasant rage mobs.

Know for all the thousands of moronic peasants that try to tear you down for their dogmatic beliefs there is people like I who will, when the time comes, shovel mountains to protect your freedoms and human rights of expressions. 74 million people voted to keep Americans free of political dogmas.

There may be few of those 74 million in the fandom, especially with how toxic it can be to us, but i've found the few are also the proud.

Keep your spirits up and ignore the crowd. After all, the majority was only ever good for manipulated power. Never give up. Never surrender.

Find love in your work, and the mob's opinion will never drown you.
Me and My associates support you.

In the end, whats the worst they can do? Your mind should always be your own.

Just remember, your struggle against the impossible can be a beacon to all the others struggling.
https://youtu.be/tYP9VTY8ppU "when all is lost, our hope will carry on."

why do you people start talking like anime villains after the slightest criticism lmao

Ignoring all the drama stuff and seeing this piece for what it is as a standalone, I think its really beautiful. The emotion Miles has been putting in his recent work is great to see.

lol

Sorry that being critized for using hate symbols is such a tough time for you.

If by "criticized" you mean getting constant death threats for a mistake* he apologized for over and over.

*(He wanted to portray a bad character, so gave them a shirt associated with the far-right, but out of context and without explanation it came across as if he was supporting that stuff. He clarified it wasn't his intention. It was a stupid mistake.)

I'm so tired of this argument. The vast majority of critism was just a normal reaction to a context-empty picture of a wolf girl licking a guitar suggestively, while wearing heavy loaded political imagery. But to make this more dramatic, just let's call it "constant death threats". I don't doubt there were overreactions. There always are. There are not excusable. But using that as a shield to avoid realizing that most people took issues with that image for a good reason is pretty pathetic. Not you, specifically. But like every major TERF out there shields their critism of transphobia by acting like they only get harassments and no one is disagreeing with their point because their points are bad. That's why this sort of phrase is just beyond cringe-worthy for me now.

Mind you, that Miles apologized, is besides the point for this new picture. I don't doubt it was a mistake. But this art piece reads as being sulky for getting critized, when everyone was already over it.

Context is everything. And this is true for both that piece and your initial comment I replied to, which sounds like dismissing all of the actual hate he is getting for the wrong reasons as "criticism", while omitting the fact that he apologized and said he didn't mean to use said symbol in a positive way.

Did he deserve criticism? Absolutely! Did he deserve hate? Absolutely not. Is this vent art edgy and unnecessary? Absolutely. Does that make the fact that he got actual hate and threats go away? No.

Ah, okay! So, the apology doesn't read well for me, when this art piece potrays him as "being silenced" and "being a victim". That's why I'm dismissive of it. I do not want to downplay the hate and overreactions though. They are never okay, no matter the context or the drama.

Other than this misunderstanding, I guess we are in agreement then.

It seems so.

Preach.

?

I remember the days when art was purposely used as a tool for provocation; nowadays you just have to put a misinterpretable line on a piece and plenty'll lose their shit over the smallest things.

The people going out of their way to look for KKK comparisons are taking this a little too far; it's art, it's not meant to please you or confirm your personal beliefs, it's the expression of an artist.

I remember the days when art was purposely used as a tool for provocation; nowadays you just have to put a misinterpretable line on a piece and plenty'll lose their shit over the smallest things.

The people going out of their way to look for KKK comparisons are taking this a little too far; it's art, it's not meant to please you or confirm your personal beliefs, it's the expression of an artist.

"wahhh wahh wahhh they called me out wahhhh for putting racist shit in my art" thats u

thats what u sound like

Where is racism in sentence "America first"? Just because not "Israel first"? "Mexico first"? "Africa first"?

Very relevant.

Never apologise to the cancel culture hate mob. It just means they win. They won’t back down, even if you bend over backwards for them. Next time double down.

Nach oben Buckeln, nach unten Treten.

You can't win against these people Miles. They don't care if you honestly apologized for a mess up or not. Neither do they care what you say afterwards. All they want is blood. Even if at the end they do the very same thing they claim to be fighting against.

Miles APOLOGIZED in front of these New Fascists?! I'd would send them in a pedestrian erotical travel!

Yep, The world of people does seem to be that way these days. Although you could say it was always this way.

Agree, fuck the new order! All normal people hate infringements of freedom, only idiots and wasteland fried nazis can approve/support/excuse this shit. Humans for freedom of speech, hypocritical orcs for censorship with double standards. Weiße Leben sind wichtig!

Miles, dont let the lousy inventors of nazism teach you how to be tolerant! Their nazism is 4000 year old

Ah, a picture that sums up my everyday interactions...
You aren't alone in this.