Queen Cersei Lannister, First of Her Name

Broadway and Bootlegs

There has been a lot of drama concerning bootlegs with Hamilton lately, so this will primarily be using that show as an example.

First of all, let me state that Lin Manuel Miranda has done so much to have as many people see Hamilton live from Ham4Ham to the Rockerfeller Foundation partnership for 20,000 students to see the show.

But Lin is only one man.

Doing all of this does not change the fact that Broadway is the most exclusive, inaccessible form of media. Broadway is made for the rich. Are you lucky enough to have 300$ ticket for a terrible balcony seat, alone, to a show that is sold out until next year? Good for you! Most people aren’t.

Lin should understand this as the kid who grew up only being able to listening to cast albums. He should understand that without bootlegs, thousands of people would never see Hamilton live, much less with the original cast.

I saw a few post about this that honestly made me sick. One of which said that “you are not entitled to Hamilton.” What makes me entitled then? Having a thousand dollars spare to see a show in New York? It is disgusting how classist and elitist theater is, and how that’s what a lot of people like about it. They call it the ‘integrity’ of theater because, God forbid, something so beautiful and inspiring be available to poor people without us being shamed for it.

The other post, which was not in reference to Hamilton, said  “In a society where worth is judged by price, for better or worse, what are you saying to someone when you won’t pay for the thing he’s crafted?” Is that really what determines how much something means to you, how inspirational and important it is to you? Do you love something more knowing it was more expensive? How materialistic and rich do I have to be to truly enjoy the arts?

One of the main reasons Broadway and theater has survived so long with the introduction of digital medias is bootlegs. Today, you can illegally download games, shows, and movies with no one batting an eye, but Broadway has always closed it’s doors to the public even though they do film every show for the library. Bootlegs are the only reason you have fans all across America and even world wide. Bootlegs are the only reason you have as many fans as you do because I can guarantee at least half of Broadway fans have never seen anything besides local theater and bootlegs.

“But Lin specifically asked us not to!”

As someone who loves and respects Lin and is an aspiring author, I understand that this show is his blood, sweat, and tears. I understand that he has worked his ass off for six years making this masterpiece, and I love and admire him for it. But again, none of this changes Broadway. None of this changes the thousands of theater fans in poverty and across the globe. Most artists discourage illegal downloads of their work. Do people listen to them?

I haven’t even seen the bootleg yet, because I do respect Lin so much and I am willing to wait until there are any updates on a pro shot version, but that was literally a year ago. Lin wanted to film In the Heights too, but that didn’t happen. I know that isn’t his fault, but I’m terrified that they will never release one for Hamilton either. Why release a video when the seats are sold out for God knows how long?

“You’re stealing his hard-earned money and work!”

Bootlegs don’t lose Broadway a damn cent. If anyone had the means to see a show live instead of a shaky, grainy bootleg, they would. The only people that watch bootlegs are people that cannot see it live. I would love to spend thousands on Hamilton because it deserves it! But I can’t even afford to buy merchandise from them. If I could, I would. But since I can’t, am I instantly less ‘entitled’ to see the show that has inspired me and means so much to me?

TLDR Stop pretending like bootlegs are the end of Broadway.

[ Please message me or send me an ask if you want to talk about this.]

I love that the writers are bringing phenomenal gay relationships to network tv and reducing sterotypes, that’s wonderful. But at the end of the day, I think Bellamy and Clarke belong together. They have exactly what the other lacks, they depend on each other, they have a mutual respect, they have an understanding of one another that defies words, and they would never expect the other to give up their morals to save the other. They hold one another to a higher standard; they make each other better, stronger. That is the type of love that we should be bringing into the media. The world needs a few more healthy relationship role models.

finn collins : *kills 18 people/ willingly pays for his crime* asshole

lexa: *kills 250 people and is willing to kill more* badass

make me choose: finn collins or bellamy blake (by fcolllins and thunderrrlights)

god okay hashtag unpopular opinion:

i wanna make it clear that i love my christian friends, and their politics are pretty fucking great and their moral compasses are fantastic and i have no concrete problem with them at all

but today the nyt published a lovely speech of jeb bush’s at liberty university, where he said that he would totally “allow [his] decisions in government to be influenced by [his] christian faith” because there is “no more powerful and liberating influence” than christianity

and i am just– not okay with christians mixing their religion and their politics any more.

even if it’s a force for good, okay. even if it’s for causes i agree with. i’m not okay with christians talking about how they use their religion as a political guide, i’m not okay with christians arguing with other christians over what’s the “more christian” thing to do (read: the more moral and correct thing to do), i’m not okay with hearing the phrase “christian values” in politics.

because i know y'all want to use your religion as a force for good, and i know it is a force for good for a lot of you, but when it comes to “can christianity, as a whole, be a politically good force”

like– y'all missed the boat on that one. you used up your last chance. and i’m not trying to be an asshole or unforgiving or anything, but, like

we know that you think christians are better people than non-christians. sorry.

we know you think your christianity gives you a special view into what is good and right and true, politically. because that’s what using your christianity as a moral and political compass means.

and that’s gross and weird and it makes me feel pretty crappy! and it makes me feel pretty scared, sometimes, because if i join hands with you and put my energy towards giving you power to do good, then what happens when you’re in power and you see your lovely good politically great christians and your lovely good politically great non-christians, and suddenly your christianity is telling you, hey, some of these people are better human beings than other people

(which, from my point of view, it already does)

like– i know what happens then. i know what happens when you give christianity political power. and i know you’re different, i know you’d never do that kind of thing

but the thing is that i don’t know. the thing is that i don’t trust you. no matter how well i know you, no matter how much i like you. i don’t trust you because i’m a non-christian and you’re christians. and you’ve treated non-christians in a pretty consistent way, in the past.

and that’s nothing personal, but i really need you to stop mixing your politics and your religion.

what the actual fuck is with cishet hate though like wow sorry for being born cishet ??

shit’s so hypocritical

smh

More than half of all LGBT related deaths in 2012 were trans women and people on this site are worried about “cisphobia”

i need to reblog this twice

Your statement is just that absurd as “People in Africa are starving! African Americans have no right to complain.”

I’m really sick and tired of this “My pain is worse than your pain so your pain doesn’t matter” bullshit.

On why skinnyshaming isn’t the same as fatshaming, crystalzelda (via crystalzelda)

I stood by this when I posted this, and I still do. You can keep your tl;dr musings and your anecdotal evidence of how once someone told your thin friend to eat a salad equals to the societal and systemic beauty standards that call for women to be as thin as possible and cater to a very select and limited body type. This post isn’t endorsing the misogynistic practice of commenting on women’s bodies like they were public property, which is part of the patriarchy, it is laying out why saying “thin women have it hard too” is a false equivalency and utterly derailing. You’re mad someone told your friend to eat a burger? Go talk about patriarchal and sexist values that let people feel comfortable policing women’s bodies instead of hijacking posts about the damage fat shaming does to women all over the world.

(via crystalzelda)

the republicans are putting thousands of people’s livelihoods as well as the entire american economy at risk in order to QUITE LITERALLY throw a temper tantrum over the fact that barack obama successfully accomplished one moderately cool thing

This is the single greatest, kool-aid drank misinterpretation of what is happening right now I have ever seen.

You can’t just blame the republicans. They have pushed several compromise bills at the democrats fir the healthcare They have also pushed bills at them to partially reopen the government Nope. I’m not a politician I’m not claiming to know much about this but I do know you can’t point fingers at any one person or party. Everybody has a small piece of the blame.

THE REPUBLICANS HAVE FLATLY REFUSED TO PARTICIPATE IN BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS FOR SIX MONTHS AND NOW THAT GOVERNMENT FUNDING HAS RUN OUT THEY ARE HOLDING THE ENTIRE FUCKING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HOSTAGE UNLESS OBAMA AND SENATE DEMOCRATS AGREE TO DELAY AND PARTIALLY DISMANTLE A LAW THAT WAS APPROVED BY EVERY BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT AND IS SUPPORTED BY 2/3 OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

THAT’S ALL FOLKS