We had one of our incredibly busy days at the shelter today. Neonatal kittens, lost dogs, sick cats, pet owners in varying degrees of distress and panic looking for help. Pet owners in varying stages of anger that we couldn't help them in the way they wanted to be helped. And as I was running around doing 50 things at once I found myself asking, "Am I being Dr. Robby, here?" Both as a positive check, "Am I taking the time to lift up my staff instead of letting my stress bleed onto them?" and also in the sense of, "Am I vastly overdue for a few quiet minutes to gather myself?" Idk if it made me a better leader. And I still didn't take a real lunch or actually stop to pee until after we closed. >_> But it gave me a different way to look at how I was juggling things, and a touchpoint to keep in mind about where I would like to be. And that is pretty damn awesome for a show to do.
A quick PSA not for Langdon fans in general, but especially for the mega-stans who won't shut up about his "disappointing ending" in the inboxes of people who haven't solicited their opinions:
A character can not be a villain...while still being an asshole who desperately needs to work on far more than just their tragic drug addiction.
Because there's not a personified villain in The Pitt. The villain is the American medical system and the stressors and attitudes it creates in those who are trapped within it. In many ways, the villain is American society itself, which creates unapologetic pricks like Driscoll and sucks in vulnerable young men like David and lets down the poor, abused, and marginalized.
However, that does not make Langdon less of an asshole. Langdon is compelling because he's an asshole who has, let's be honest, a LOT to work on about himself. And it's independent of his addiction, too, which is not a personality flaw but rather one of those tragedies created by the faceless villain of American medicine. He deserves sympathy for that, and people are right to say it, but the way he behaves independently of it is another story. Langdon, on his own, is egotistical, obsessed with his own authority, is an awful teacher who plays favorites, and has terrible bedside manner. He's Gregory House played straight, in a universe where there are consequences for his behavior.
From someone who is a big fan of both characters, take some cues from us Santos fans and wait for Langdon's character development to play out. I know engaging with literally anything in good faith is, as a human trait, basically dead these days, but for god's sake, give it a try just this once, because sometimes media doesn't hand you your perfect ending on a silver platter IN SEASON ONE.
And fucking stop flooding people's inboxes with your unsolicited doomer bullshit. As with the character you're stanning, your feelings and circumstances do not give you a "get out of consequences for being an asshole free" card.
I was just having this conversation today with someone. You can 100% view addiction as a disease rather than a moral failing *and also* recognize when a character is being an asshole. Shows are not real life, but IRL part of admitting to and healing from addiction is recognizing the times you were an asshole to loved ones while in active addiction. It SUCKS to have to come to those realizations about yourself, but it's literally part of the process.
I work primarily intake/non-adoption outcomes in a high intake, busy, urban animal shelter with a small veterinary team. When I say that every one of my coworkers who has watched The Pitt sees ourselves in the show, that might give you an idea what some of our days are like. We're all aware we don't work human or (technically) veterinary emergency med...but let me tell you, some days it feels like we do.
Lampcat! (Christmas Sp):D
Pirate History Reading List!
I'm teaching a class on the golden age of piracy at my university this upcoming semester and I wanted to post the reading list, just in case anyone's interested in some good pirate history books!
I require three books, which I think are excellent if you're interested in pirate history at all:
Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly is THE pirate history book, I do not think any pirate history library is complete without it! This book covers all your major players and does an excellent job at arguing what the reality of pirate life was like. This is the definitive text on pirate history and if you can only get one book, I recommend this one.
Enemy of All Mankind by Steven Johnson is about the global hunt for pirate Henry Every. It's fantastic and a very entertaining account; Johnson has a gift for casual, enthralling history writing.
A General History of the Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson is a primary text, written in 1724 by a contemporary of many of the pirates who were alive during the golden age. This account is biased and over-dramatic and absolutely fascinating. It's the most complete and detailed primary account of piracy you will ever find. You'll notice that some quotations from OFMD were lifted directly from this text, including Stede Bonnet being "uncomfortable in a married state" and Blackbeard "desiring [Bonnet's] company." However, because this book is so overblown and dramatic, I strongly recommend reading it alongside a history text, such as Under the Black Flag, to contextualize it.
I also included these as supplemental reading; I think they're all very solid texts and if you're interested in pirate history you will enjoy them.
The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard is another classic and has biographical information on many famous pirates. Woodard makes a compelling argument that pirate society was shockingly meritocratic and allowed opportunities for people of color not found anywhere else in the world. It's a great text.
Black Flags, Blue Waters by Eric Dolin is a great history of piracy in US waters. I love this one for its detail on Edward Low - OFMD got inspiration for his sadistic streak from real history!
Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition by B. R. Burg is an older one so do not expect modern terminology, but it's a classic; its argument that queerness was common and at least somewhat accepted among pirates holds up well. If you're interested in how pirates understood homosexuality then this is the text for you!
Blackbeard: A Reappraisal of his Life and Times by Robert Lee is the text for you if you're interested in the historical Blackbeard. It synthesizes pretty much all of the primary information out there and makes a strong case that the real Blackbeard intentionally cultivated a fearsome reputation that helped him become so successful. This one is an oldie but a goodie, I'm yet to find a better and more comprehensive text about Blackbeard than this one.
Decided I needed a break from social media and Youtube, so I caught up on watching the third part of the Our Good Shadows trifecta - WWDITS. I liked it more than I expected to - I love vampire media, just hadn't been sure if the humor would click with me. At first viewing, I'm still more fixated on Good Omens and OFMD, but I enjoyed. :)
Hello, I did a hyperfixate twice this year - Good Omens and OFMD. I'm sure no one could guess from my Spotify Wrapped. xD Only surprise is no nightingales, but that's prob bc I alternated 3 different versions.
Honestly, I'm not surprised Con O'Neill won out; absolutely deserved. :) His versions of "La Vie en Rose" turned into my "I need a moment to rebalance" songs at my job at a high intake animal shelter, and I thank him for that. <3
