Unfortunately I’ve had no time to see the new Ghostbusters film, though the mass coverage in the media makes me feel like I’ve pretty much seen it already. The movie has stirred up some bizarrely partisan feeling since the all-female reboot was announced back in 2015, bringing it into the argumentative ambit of the competing Gamergate factions in the United States (I say competing, though in reality the “competition” is largely in the paranoid imagination of several right-wing activists and their followers). One contemporary effect of the controversy has been the muting of unfavourable reviews of the film, as liberal critics have over-compensated for the unrelenting hostility of their conservative commentariat. That perhaps is not surprising when one looks at, for instance, the needlessly offensive review of the Paul Feig production by alt-right poster boy, Milo Yiannopoulos (or one his chameleon interns). That has contributed to Yiannopoulos’ permanent ban from Twitter, which is worrying for those of us on the Left who lead a precarious existence on social media networks. The reactionary opinions of the flamboyant Trumpite with a daddy-fixation may be repugnant but there are plenty on the Right who view progressive figures with the same disdain. The censorship door can swing both ways. I’d rather we just took it off the hinges altogether.
On a related point, my brother came back quite disappointed from an early screening of the film. Normally that would lead to a few barbed tweets to his several thousand followers. However in this case he declined to express any opinions because of the negative impact it might have on his career. Personally I was unimpressed by the dodge, but then I’m a burn-all-the-bridges type of geek. In any case, the blunt Comic Book Girl 19 does an excellent job of examining the controversy, both the real stuff and the plentiful fake.
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
I have to say just read Milo’s review. Don’t find it that offensive. In fact he points out how offensive it is (women laughing at queef jokes), Milo love to skewer the PC crowd. I do myself. The rules of political correctness are you can ridicule anyone in the most offensive way as long as they are white,male,christian and straight. Groups which get attacked relentlessly in the media. Just saw several ‘comedy’ shows complaing about how white the republican convention in the US is. Put any other colour in that complaint and see if the humourist has a job the next day.
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I’ve read and watched some of Milo’s antics, and he’s an interesting enough character if predictably trollish. Like Trump he is 50% self-aggrandising PR and 50% substance. I suspect he believes only half of what he says. The rest of it is playing to the gallery, or comes from his legion of interns (who seem to do most of the heavy lifting). His popularity among the alt-right and more traditional right in the US is a mystery given his overt gayness, and staged fey mannerisms, but I suspect the British accent gives him a waiver. That alone enough makes him an exotic beast to those in Shitkicker Illinois, so adding in his sexuality just adds to the allure. AS Homer Simpson might say, I like my gays flaming.
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I’ll tell you what else is a mystery. The absence of condemnation from the left (i consider myself a lefty for the most part) when muslims persecute gays etc. A Pakistani woman was strangled to death the other day by her own brother for having an instagram account. The reaction from people on the left who claim to defend gays and women? Silence
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Qandeel Baloch? I thought that it got a fair degree of attention, more so than the numerous bloggers killed by religious fanatics in Bangladesh, and so on. Likewise, ISIS/ISIL killing gay men in Syria (notably the horrific high-rise executions). I will admit to having had my own kickback on a similar subject when I objected to pandering to unreasonable Islamic teaching by some individuals (a Dublin Muslim leader demanding that women teachers must accept that they could not have a hand shaken in greeting or be alone in the company of a male parent, some sexist nonsense like that). Being branded a “racist pig” by a well-known, left-wing female Muslim blogger in the US for declining to view women as tainted was a bit bizarre.
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A little attention in the media but i don’t see leftist,feminist or gay groups protesting over such things. I have seen some of the most supposedly left wing people you could imagine simply laughing off such barbarity or saying ‘well its their culture’. The left has dropped the ball on this issue and the right has picked it up. I wish Milo the best of luck in confronting the homophobia of islam. Lord knows the left won’t do it.
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I think Yiannopolous is going about that confrontation in the worse way possible. Though then again, maybe he’s secretly an agent provocateur for the Islamic State! 😉 There is a weird dynamic in the US at the moment with the emergence of a sort of alt-left in reaction to the alt-right. But it is actually just a libertarian left tendency. Dave Rubin is a good example of that. It talks left but leans right.
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Any argument,ASF????
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Say what you want about Milo. Milo as a gay man is extremely brave in taking on islam. I know,ASF you are one on the left still deluded by the thought muslims are just as liberal minded as the rest of us,they are not. There is a going to be a massive unfortunately bloody battle for human rights in the muslim world. And Milo is a warrior on the side of good. He will be participating in a gay pride parade through the muslim areas of Malmo Sweden soon. Good luck to him. Hopefully he isn’t murdered. Sorry to go off topic.
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Two queries. Is fort Shannon a legit target for Al Qaeda. why do irish republicans ignore guantanomo. noraid offspring are the occupiers Of Iraq.Look at the irish amedical genocide in Vietnam.
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Oh dear lol. I hope you don’t delete this one,ASF. Good lord.
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And sorry,ASF. As a new comer to your blog i find it extremly educational.
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