PancakeCats's recent activity
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Comment on Haliey Welch interview (Hawk Tuah) by Channel 5 in ~life
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Comment on Haliey Welch interview (Hawk Tuah) by Channel 5 in ~life
PancakeCats Link ParentI don't see how claiming the original street reviewer was disrespectful to women dodges accountability for the crypto rugpull that was done in her name. To my knowledge the rug pull is the main...I don't see how claiming the original street reviewer was disrespectful to women dodges accountability for the crypto rugpull that was done in her name. To my knowledge the rug pull is the main controversy, and is only connected to the original interview in that the scam was only possible from the fame she got from said interview. Is there context knowledge I am missing here?
Having watched the whole thing, she comes across as sincere and fully admits she got duped by crypto bro swindling & promises, and put her name on something she shouldnt have. But she was even cleared by the SEC and FBI after she fully cooperated and gave them literally everything they asked for, so while yes it is a rebranding to her specific context, I think it's more than fair to have a desire to set the record straight.
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Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes
PancakeCats Link ParentBelieve me, I wish I could live without a personal vehicle, and I do get where you're coming from, but the U.S. is a pretty varied place and the majority of the country is pretty rural. Being 30...Believe me, I wish I could live without a personal vehicle, and I do get where you're coming from, but the U.S. is a pretty varied place and the majority of the country is pretty rural. Being 30 miles from the closest hospital is reality for large swathes of people in the country, and you don't wanna be without a car when there's an emergency in an area like that. But if we take it to a semi urban environment like where I live, there's multiple factors that can make what you describe difficult. A bike might not be physically viable for everybody, whether due to job proximity or health reasons. Moving close to a place of work can be financially unavailable to people, if they can even find something close by. Some places dont have have bus networks at all, let alone a semi functional one. In my state at least you can't rent a car until you're at least 26, and even then you usually need a credit check or funds to even do that. There are a multitude of reasons a car can be both inaccessible and required depending on where you live and what financial situation you are in. I guess a more accurate statement would by my life and options would be dramatically limited without a vehicle.
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Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes
PancakeCats Link ParentI have no doubt you have experienced the type of people you are describing here, I have as well. But is it not a massive generalization to lump everyone who advocates awareness into the category...I have no doubt you have experienced the type of people you are describing here, I have as well. But is it not a massive generalization to lump everyone who advocates awareness into the category of those who are trying to "Gotcha!" others with a lack of awareness on whatever issue they devote attention to? You are assuming a lot about people, mainly that they are ignoring those issues at all, or that they are trying to shut others down to conveniently ignore doing any introspection or avoid receiving scrutiny on themselves. And sure, some people do fall in that category, but I think the users on this forum deserve a bit more benefit of the doubt and good faith engagement than you are offering. I honestly can't say say I saw what you're describing in the responses here, if anything they were more thoughtful and reasonable than my gut instinct would have expected when reading the initial post. It just seems like a lot of bias and preconceived notions to assign to people that you dont really have any idea of beyond what they put to text here, which from what I can see doesnt seem to support that which you are describing.
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Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes
PancakeCats Link ParentExactly, thank you finding the concise way to word what I was trying to express. One of the reasons I love this site.Exactly, thank you finding the concise way to word what I was trying to express. One of the reasons I love this site.
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Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes
PancakeCats Link ParentThere is no ethical consumption under capitalism, that much is definite. However, in this case, we are actively aware of where this money goes and to what end, and advocating for others to not...There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, that much is definite. However, in this case, we are actively aware of where this money goes and to what end, and advocating for others to not continue to offer support despite knowing the real harm that is evident should not be written off. When you are aware of how evil that powers that be truly are, you'll have to make decisions on what you can live without and what you can't.
American centric pov for an example, but I know that the automotive industry is harmful to the entire planet and human life, but I cannot live my life in the majority of my country without automotive access. I know that JKR is hugely problematic and wants to legislate certain groups out of existence, and I can live without Harry Potter, and so I chose to not give any money to her or the franchise in anyway. And I see no harm in advocating for others to do the same. We aren't all innocent, and we are all going to have things we decide we cant live without that others may dislike, but I don't see how that lessens the value of advocating to cause less harm in ways where we can relatively easily make the choice to live without. You don't have to listen, but I dont think we should discourage people from speaking up because you can "gotcha!" them on something in their bank account that also supports problematic endeavors.
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Comment on I think Tildes moderators and admins may need to make a decision regarding how to handle Harry Potter related posts in ~tildes
PancakeCats Link ParentRespectfully, while I don't find your tone to be malicious, I do find it to be rather disrespectful of the perspective of others. You can disagree without explicitly belittling someone's desire to...- Exemplary
Respectfully, while I don't find your tone to be malicious, I do find it to be rather disrespectful of the perspective of others. You can disagree without explicitly belittling someone's desire to highlight things they view as important. I am not trying to attack you here, these are merely the thoughts I had in response to the points you brought up, so I apologize if it comes across more hostile than I intend.
Personally I would say that any discussion of Rowling is on topic in regards to a Harry Potter related post. Just because you can seperate the author from the work, doesn't mean everyone can, nor should they be required to. Saying it changes nothing to bring these things up is, in my opinion, a very narrow and defeatist view, because people can change over time and not everyone on this site is a monolith of shared cultural knowledge. For example, someone could be aware of her being problematic without knowing the full extent to which JKR actively funds hate and harrasses people who don't deserve it. Just because you deem it unlikely doesn't mean it can't happen or that people should be disinclined to share things they view as important information that more people should be aware of.
I think knowing more about the creation and creators of the media you discuss is valuable context, but I doubt anyone here would tell you that you are required to be fully aware of everything that could possibly come up prior to engaging in a discussion on a topic. I think it more in the spirit of the site to allow additional context to be provided than reject it as off topic or a digression if someone brings up problematic views of a creator, even if you have heard it a million times. The framing of a discussion can change from post to post, and I believe allowing as much additional context and information around a topic as possible leads to a more vibrant and interesting discussion.
I understand your fear of being misconstrued and malice tagged, I have the same worries as I type this. However, I have rarely ever seen a post of this nature not be met with good faith discussion, and I feel like this is a rare place on the internet where people do try and see where you are coming from, or at least challenge your comment in a respectful way, rather than simply reporting you for disagreement.
There are also still plenty of places where fans of Harry Potter can discuss the series and their love for it. Dedicated forums and fansites still exist, and I think it is perfectly reasonable for people on a more general forum like this one to express how a discussion of a topic or creator that is harmful to them or those they love makes them feel. You can ignore it, but to say its not worth bringing up because you have read it before feels disrespectful of other's lived experience. Even in your last example, you bring up being able to discuss Card's works and failures as a human without it instantly devolving to lines in the sand as a positive aspect of your life, but is that not the opposite of what you are advocating for here? Is it not a line in the sand to say you are tired of people mentioning Rowlings failures and that bringing them up on a Harry Potter post is pointless and should be considered off topic. How is that not denying others the same luxury you were afforded with a work that affected your life? Because make no mistake, these works are affecting lives, whether those lives engage with the work or not. Directly funding an author who lobbies for legislation to remove a human being's right to exist in a form they find most comfortable to them IS affecting the lives of those people, and I think it more than valid for those people or those close to them or quite literally anybody who cares, to voice how they feel about it.
In the end, I echo the sentiment of other comments on this post; if you are tired of hearing about Rowling and Harry Potter, filter it out. If you want to discuss Harry Potter without having to hear about the author, another site is probably a better fit than here.
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Comment on Game testers wanted for science fiction game in ~games
PancakeCats LinkAlways down to test out a game, count me in.Always down to test out a game, count me in.
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Comment on The ethics of buying, playing military, war or games inspired by them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentThis is an interesting perspective, a certain type of mass market game being subliminal advertising for whatever niche they are aggrandizing. The car example particularly struck a cord, because I...This is an interesting perspective, a certain type of mass market game being subliminal advertising for whatever niche they are aggrandizing. The car example particularly struck a cord, because I have been playing a lot of My Summer Car recently, an intentionally hostile lifesim set in 90s Finland where you put together your dad's old sports car, piece by piece, bolt by bolt. And I would not call this game an intentional advertisement of owning and maintaining a car, because it really captures the frustration that comes from owning a car and having to spend a lot of effort and financial investment to keep it running smoothly. However, since putting significant time into it, I have had a semi frequent thought of, "Man I should do this in real life, get a project car and just start working on it." Which is distinctly not something I had ever desired or even thought much about prior to playing the game. So it really isnt a stretch to see someone playing Forza and feeling a desire to have the fancy new car, finances be damned, or playing Call of Duty and becoming the local Gun Guy™. I guess the question is where is the delineation between hobby advertisement through video games and harmful industry product advertisement through video games?
As an aside, check out some racers from smaller teams! Not every racing game is an expensive car glaze fest, some are like Wreckfest, where you drive old cars and junkers in demolition races and derbies. Or Parking Garage Rally Circuit which is a super tight arcade racer focused on MarioKart style drift boosting and tight courses.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentI have also been playing Mewgenics and enjoying it! Agree that the game limiting your options is a plus, I find it gives the game a quicker pace, a nice flow to it. Despite my initial aversion, I...I have also been playing Mewgenics and enjoying it! Agree that the game limiting your options is a plus, I find it gives the game a quicker pace, a nice flow to it. Despite my initial aversion, I actually really like that you only use the cats for a single journey. It helps to keep the amount of rules and abilities in check, forces you to move on from using a set squad of cats, and encourages breeding the real all stars that emerge from the mud. I find it thematically pleasing that the game is commenting on how cruel humanity can be to itself and everything it interacts with, particularly cats, all the while slowly encouraging you to treat them the same through the game design. I love finding a new item or ability, it feels like im almost always seeing something new. Very good stuff all in all.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
PancakeCats Link ParentAnother big example of small word changes making a big difference on a characters personality can be found in Attack on Titan, with there being a distinct difference between Warriors and Soldiers...Another big example of small word changes making a big difference on a characters personality can be found in Attack on Titan, with there being a distinct difference between Warriors and Soldiers that the dubs gloss over and blanket refer to as Soldiers everytime. The reasons that difference matters are pretty late game reveals so Ill refrain from spoiling and settle for if you know, you know.
Beyond that though, I have found dubs have improved so much since I was a kid/teen first watching anime that my first watch through of most of the newer shows have often been dubs. Usually this is followed by reading the source material then switching to subs if im craving a rewatch even after running through the story twice. But in general, I think localization and VA direction has gotten much better, and/or stays closer to home to the point where at the very least most lines match the subtitles 1-1, like with Violet Evergarden. In general it's far less common for me to find those kinds of discrepancies, which makes it even harder to ignore when they do pop up. Especially when you compare to when i was a kid hearing anime characters say one thing and seeing the subs say something completely different, which was fairly ubiquitous.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentFor me, Cairn is in many ways a dream game made reality. Since i was a kid, i longed for a game that let me climb all these cool mountains and cliff faces int the games I played. I could see how...For me, Cairn is in many ways a dream game made reality. Since i was a kid, i longed for a game that let me climb all these cool mountains and cliff faces int the games I played. I could see how it could be done if I were to do it myself, but the games were never built for that so it remained this far off wish in my head for years. Other games have come close, and captured some of the magic I've been seeking, like Jusant, but as Protected said, the climbing felt limited, or to express it myself, very on rails. More an avenue to express the art and story it santed to express, rather than anything mechanically or cognitively demanding.
Cairn captures that magic i've been seeking, without question. Every wall and climb you do is a fun logic/physics puzzle of moving Aava's body in a way to keep her moving up without straining her too much. As you play on and face tougher and tougher climbs, you learn new techniques to overcome them, just by naturally coming to efficient ways to move and position her. Scouting a route and then on the fly overcoming it, it satisfies some deep primal part of my brain to keep climbing, and keep reaching ever higher. The auto selection for the limbs does sometimes feel like it's trying to kill me, but in the end its just something more for me to overcome with deliberate intent on my movement using the manual selection. (I do not see how you could do these harder climbs without manual selection, its wild to me that the devs recommended keeping it off and just using the auto selection.)
I also love how my obsession with the game is mirrored in Aava's characterization as a climbing prodigy who has a single minded obsession of climbing Kami, even at the detriment of those she holds dear. "One more climb, to the top of this segment of the cliff, and then I'll rest." But when you reach the top, the elation you feel for having overcome something difficult is replaced with the craving to push yourself further and further. I wont comment too much on Aava's continued characterization, but it does continue to he interesting to me the more she unfolds, the more i see of who she truly is. Every rare line of dialogue she speaks a tantalizing glimmer of who she is as a person, and makes me want to peer even deeper into her soul. And while it hasn't fully crystalized, I think the games themes are going to resonate with me in a big way, if it keeps up its current quality trajectory.
I would to hear your thoughts as you get deeper in, there are some cool moments I want to discuss with others but its still fresh so I'm trying to give it time.
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Comment on Star Wars shake-up: Kathleen Kennedy steps down as George Lucas protégé Dave Filoni, exec Lynwen Brennan take over Lucasfilm in ~movies
PancakeCats (edited )Link ParentRespectfully, I think this is too narrow of a view of what makes Star Wars what it is, and an over simplification of the point NaraVara made. They never asked to drop the all the iconography of...Respectfully, I think this is too narrow of a view of what makes Star Wars what it is, and an over simplification of the point NaraVara made. They never asked to drop the all the iconography of the series, or make it a drama about a mundane guy, just to separate it from the Skywalkers a bit, which has already been done outside of the main saga of films, and done well.
Look at Knights of the Old Republic, two games set thousands of years prior to the Skywalker saga that have quite literally no relation to any of the main films, and yet they are, in my opinion, the best star wars media the franchise has to offer. They offer deep introspections into the thematic heart of star wars, from two different angles, and still have cool ships, jedi and sith, lightsabers, and everything that makes Star Wars what it is. You don't need to have Darth Vader and the Skywalker drama to make a piece of Star Wars media. The pull between light and dark, passion and order, authority and a lack thereof, those are integral to Star Wars. Sure, a lot of other properties have guys in space with lasers, but the guys in question and how they are portrayed matter. The aliens, tech, and planets in Star Wars all have a distinct feel and vibe that makes them Star Wars, its not just the guy in the mask with the funny breathing or the specific types of starships. You can explore so much of that setting and still have it be recognizably the series it claims to be, while not retreading the same ground for almost 50 years.
For a quick example, a story from the perspective of non force users, say smugglers or bounty hunters, could still do a lot of work exploring the force and how it affects those who are unable to access it. Like the terrror a lightsaber would strike into ordinary folk, or how awe-inspiring and unnerving the force would be to those who can only view it from afar. If you think about it, access to the force is access to a weapon of mass destruction. That upsets the balance of power and society, thats interesting to explore, imo. Again, just because it doesnt have Darth Vader or any of the skywalkers doesnt mean it isn't Star Wars, if you are still exploring integral concepts of the setting, that counts, and can even enrich the experience of the rest of the franchise.
Edit: clairfied some poor wording.
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft - Get hyped countdown thread in ~games
PancakeCats Link ParentAwesome, appreciate the information!Awesome, appreciate the information!
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft - Get hyped countdown thread in ~games
PancakeCats LinkNever joined the last one, but am excited to have a fun way to scratch the minecraft itch thats been creeping back in. Is there a whitelist or anything necessary to be able to join? I've seen some...Never joined the last one, but am excited to have a fun way to scratch the minecraft itch thats been creeping back in. Is there a whitelist or anything necessary to be able to join? I've seen some of the basic rules and ethos of the server in the comments here but nothing on the process of signing up for the server. Sorry if im dense and just missing it somewhere obvious.
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Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
PancakeCats LinkI binged through all of the currently released Blue Box manga in the past week or so. I pulled the certified boyfriend classic of being in the same room as my partner watches something im not...I binged through all of the currently released Blue Box manga in the past week or so. I pulled the certified boyfriend classic of being in the same room as my partner watches something im not interested in, only to get very invested. We then proceeded to watch the entire season of the Blue Box anime on netflix together. The show ends in a way I didn't find satisfying, so I sought out the manga to continue the story. I definitely did not expect to become as hyper fixated as I have.
Im not usually one for highschool romance animes/manga and on occasion I enjoy a sports anime/manga, but Blue Box hits in a way thats a little difficult to describe. There is something about the way the characters are written that feels so grounded and earnest, it just keeps me hooked and invested. It really captures the feeling of being in highschool, and having your first love or crush, and the way you obsess over all the small interactions while trying to be normal. The basic premise sounds very rote, FemMC moves into MaleMC's house and awkwardnees ensues, but its handled and delivered in a way that works very well, at least for me. It doesnt ever feel overtly tropey or gazey or weird, it just feels like im getting to peek in on the authentic lives of these highschoolers. It's a slow burn, letting the characters and their feelings develop over time in a way that feels natural, which I really enjoy and I think enhances the emotional highs and lows of the characters romantic endeavors.
While the sports are not quite the main focus as in the way of a "Rising Impact", the sports are still intertwined into the core narrative and character dynamics, so the big moments still feel gripping and powerful. Also shoutout to the protags not always winning and being considered a prodigy of their sports from go. They improve over time and takes some pretty crushing losses at times, and it makes it feel so much more earned when they do finally pop off or have a big win. It ties back into the grounded way the manga portrays its characters relationships, feeling so real and earnest and showing the highs and lows of being an athlete in high school. All in all, its just a really solid manga, especially as someone who tends to be fairly picky on what i devote my attention too in this genre.
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Comment on Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston and a gaggle of stereotypes introduce Windows 95 features in this time capsule video in ~tech
PancakeCats Link ParentYeah Seinfeld is admittedly a big blind spot for me. I enjoy the episodes I watch but rarely feel compelled to seek it out. Definitely agree about Friends feeling like it was rooted in the lead up...Yeah Seinfeld is admittedly a big blind spot for me. I enjoy the episodes I watch but rarely feel compelled to seek it out. Definitely agree about Friends feeling like it was rooted in the lead up to the new millenium and the culture therein. Feels much closer to the culture of my youth than seinfeld has in my experience with that.
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Comment on Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston and a gaggle of stereotypes introduce Windows 95 features in this time capsule video in ~tech
PancakeCats LinkI found this while scouring the Internet Archive a while back! I was looking for semi longform educational content to put on an in game TV in this game Voices of the Void. This was probably my...I found this while scouring the Internet Archive a while back! I was looking for semi longform educational content to put on an in game TV in this game Voices of the Void. This was probably my favorite find alongside an early demonstration of computer generated graphics with a voice overlay from a very dispassionate scientist ranting about things unrelated to everything on screen. But I digress, it was so fascinating seeing this video painstakingly explain things that seem so fundamental and elementary now. Start menus, graphic user interfaces, word processors, all stuff i take for granted as fairly simple.
Also wild to see this came out right at the start of their meteoric rise from starring in Friends, as they are very much portraying similar characters to those they portray in the show. I wasn't there, so maybe Friends was a hit from go, but I would assume they weren't quite household names the same way they are now, which makes their pick here a very interesting one. And RIP Matthew Perry, he was a true goat gone too soon.
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Comment on How did you choose your podcast app and would you switch to a different one? in ~tech
PancakeCats (edited )Link ParentWrote up the entire post, posted and refreshed to see you beat me to it! Also the youtube feed into Antennapod then viewed in Newpipe is so smart and surprised I never knew that was an option....Wrote up the entire post, posted and refreshed to see you beat me to it! Also the youtube feed into Antennapod then viewed in Newpipe is so smart and surprised I never knew that was an option. Definitely gonna look into getting that set up.
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Comment on How did you choose your podcast app and would you switch to a different one? in ~tech
PancakeCats (edited )LinkI have used Antennapod on Android for as long as I've had a specific podcast app. I only really got into listening to a podcasts a lot in the past few years, and started out using Spotify. For a...I have used Antennapod on Android for as long as I've had a specific podcast app. I only really got into listening to a podcasts a lot in the past few years, and started out using Spotify. For a number of reasons, I wanted to separate my podcast source from my music source, chief among them being having an untainted Spotify wrapped, at the time I believe songs and podcast stats were mixed together, and if i ever wanted to stop paying for Spotify to not have to deal with ads on top of the normal ads in a lot of podcasts. I found Antennapod through some googling of decent Android podcast apps, and on a reddit post someone recommended it as a no frills podcast app. The app is open source and lets you subscribe to any RSS feed. If there is a pay walled function, I haven't found it nor ran into any walls.
Everything just works to my needs, which are: download podcasts, listen to podcasts. It seems to have a large amount of customization, though I rarely see a need to delve too deep. It has never crashed or bugged out on me in anyway. It remembers where you pause in any episode, supports chapters, has a queue function which i use rarely but appreciate when needed.
Because of an overall satisfaction, I haven't really had much of a desire to switch or try out other apps. The only thing I partially miss is that Antennapod doesn't really track your listening to the same extent. You can see some basic stats, but nothing crazy. This isnt wholly a negative, I appreciate having something not collecting data on everything I do all the time, but stats breakdowns are kind of neat. It notably isn't cross platform (Android only, Playstore and F-droid) and has no web player, but times I'm listening to podcasts not on my phone at work or in the car are exceedingly rare. None of these are enough to make me considered switching, especially when most are increasingly profit driven if the talks of subscription in this thread is anything to go by. If you have an Android and the above drawbacks aren't deal breakers, I recommend checking it out.
My podcast shoutouts are mostly video game related, but pretty much anything on The Worst Garbage podcast network has my recommendation. They are all very low key, most have limited advertising in episode, which is a real plus for me. Into The Aether is a notable highlight, as well as Videogame Podtimism and Press Start. The former two are both very low key gaming podcasts hosted by two longtime friends that have very different voices, while the latter is a gaming news show hosted by three gen z actual working journalists. All three of these shows tend to have well expressed nuanced takes on life and media tied into the introspective analysis they do of the things they engage with. There are loads of other good shows on the network, some not gaming related at all, and they're all earnest and come from a love of the things they cover, which makes them easy listening and mainly good vibes. That continues to be a real boon in trying times.
Im sorry I might be missing something but what is there really to be accountable for there? Her saying something while drunk and it blowing up and going viral? She doesn't really seem all that bothered by it nowadays, nor does that seem like an especially problematic thing to have happen to you. She mentions in the interview that she initally asked the street interviewer to take it down due to embarrassement and when he didnt she decided to profit off of it instead. She also said after going through his channel she didnt really like the questions he asked because they were very invasive and disrespectful of women but I dont think that means she doesn't feel responsible for what she said. I just feel like I'm missing something here, because I don't see the issue with my current context.