Beerus featured in US White House promo video

[MasenkoHA]

https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2029741548791853331

Things like this really makes you realize how much DB has become a huge part of pop culture.

Others may have accused you of being a rage baiter. I personally think you’re an early experiment with AI

[Tian]

The crap is so "american" that they included clips from two Japanese properties like DB and Yu-Gi-Oh!.

No wonder it was made by the Mountain Dew drinking, Cheetos eating and Call of Duty playing teenage lazy ass nephew from someone in the White House.

[Koitsukai]

Would Toei or whoever owns the rights file a lawsuit, though? to the administration that is invading countries left and right? not that they would get nuked or anything, but still. It's not a TNM video this time.

In any case, while I agree it's not healthy to say a product like DB has no message at all, I doubt this is a direct consequence of that. In fact, I doubt the person that put that video together is aware of those interviews.
DB would've been featured even if Sasuke Toriyama had digged up an old note from his father saying "DB is actually about how fucked up the guys that nuked Hiroshima were".

[MasenkoHA]

In any case, while I agree it's not healthy to say a product like DB has no message at all, I doubt this is a direct consequence of that. In fact, I doubt the person that put that video together is aware of those interviews.
DB would've been featured even if Sasuke Toriyama had digged up an old note from his father saying "DB is actually about how fucked up the guys that nuked Hiroshima were".

This. Superman is as pro-immigration as you can get. The modern version of Lex Luthor from 1986 onwards was literally based in Donald Trump. Hasn’t stopped the MAGA cult from photoshopping Trump’s face on Superman’s body when they need new spank bank material

[JulieYBM]

Lighten up. Not everything is political. The old He-man and She-Ra cartoons weren't. They had social commentary and PSAs in them, but no politics. Same with Transformers, and all the older cartoons before them, including '90s cartoons. Thinking about literally everything through a political lens is what's ruining people's hobbies and minds.

These political games come and go in waves. The '70s and '80s are literally repeating in some shape or form and the tides will keep turning back and forth. Meanwhile, just enjoy the short time we have on Earth.

Everything is political. Social commentary is literally a part of politics. Societies are political things.

These shows are made in a capitalist system, where what is shown and is not shown is determined by what benefits the continued place of their rights holders in a hierarchical society.

We can't enjoy shows innocently anymore? To me, that's less fun, I think non-political shows are the best escape and a good break from the lunacy all over social media and TV, but I can't argue with what others are comfortable with. I personally find it a bit sad that we've become like this. If something is too egregious, I get it, but every little thing being dissected is wearisome.

'Anymore' implies that art and commercial media were ever without politics. That simply isn't true, especially for any minority group that has seen art demonize and demean them.

[MasenkoHA]

On a side-note, this is the direct consequence of taking Dragon Ball as an apolitical, unserious work of art with terrible amoral protagonists and nothing to teach to its audience: Using its imagery as a display of dumb brute strength.

"Don't make your work political" is an argument I often see being thrown around on the Internet, but every work of art is inherently political.

Lighten up. Not everything is political. The old He-man and She-Ra cartoons weren't. They had social commentary and PSAs in them, but no politics. Same with Transformers, and all the older cartoons before them, including '90s cartoons. Thinking about literally everything through a political lens is what's ruining people's hobbies and minds.

.

Ahem:
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Socialist_Democ ... _Carbombya



Also, all those aforementioned series exist because the Reagan administration deregulated laws against advertising to children. They literally exist because of, wait for it, politics.

[lansing]

That video’s absolutely pathetic, by the way. The administration is treating this completely pointless war like it’s a damn video game. America is run by manchildren who are desperate to prove to the world that they’re macho men. These are the people who have access to an entire nuclear arsenal.

Pointless war? You do know that Iran was trying to make nuclear weapons right? You either stop it now or they're going hold the whole world hostage in a few years.

[VegettoEX]

But *I* live in an authoritarian country with leadership that actively hates its own population (not to mention the rest of the world) that also has nuclear weapons.

Won’t someone think of the children?

[WittyUsername]

That video’s absolutely pathetic, by the way. The administration is treating this completely pointless war like it’s a damn video game. America is run by manchildren who are desperate to prove to the world that they’re macho men. These are the people who have access to an entire nuclear arsenal.

Pointless war? You do know that Iran was trying to make nuclear weapons right? You either stop it now or they're going hold the whole world hostage in a few years.

Even if that’s true, maybe a certain someone shouldn’t have withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear Deal? Besides, wasn’t Trump supposed to be the anti-war candidate or something? Furthermore, didn’t he claim he disarmed Iran of its nuclear arsenal a couple months ago?

[Jack Bz]

On a side-note, this is the direct consequence of taking Dragon Ball as an apolitical, unserious work of art with terrible amoral protagonists and nothing to teach to its audience: Using its imagery as a display of dumb brute strength.

The Trump admin has used art and music, overtly political or not, many times for their terrible promotions without permission/consent. They've done it for years. It means less than nothing. It's kind of an insult to say it's anything to do with the work in question. What should Pokemon, Olivia Rodrigo, Radiohead, The Beatles, Neil Young etc etc have done differently? Trump's team just don't give a shit. They take art and regurgitate it into fascist propaganda no matter how insulting or little sense it makes to use it.

Pointless war? You do know that Iran was trying to make nuclear weapons right? You either stop it now or they're going hold the whole world hostage in a few years.

This is nonsense Stop manufacturing consent for another of America's wars

[Kenji]

For the record: The point of my post was not that it's Dragon Ball's fault that it's seen as a dumb show that glorifies brute strength and violence, but rather, that it's dangerous to interpret it like that and encourage others to do so. And unfortunately, that's the main impression pop culture has of it: A dumb show that glorifies brute strength and violence.

[lansing]

That video’s absolutely pathetic, by the way. The administration is treating this completely pointless war like it’s a damn video game. America is run by manchildren who are desperate to prove to the world that they’re macho men. These are the people who have access to an entire nuclear arsenal.

Pointless war? You do know that Iran was trying to make nuclear weapons right? You either stop it now or they're going hold the whole world hostage in a few years.

Even if that’s true, maybe a certain someone shouldn’t have withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear Deal? Besides, wasn’t Trump supposed to be the anti-war candidate or something? Furthermore, didn’t he claim he disarmed Iran of its nuclear arsenal a couple months ago?

What is this fantasy world logic? Since we blew up their nuclear facilities a couple months ago, we can now sit back and let them rebuild it again?

[Hellspawn28]

"Don't make your work political" is an argument I often see being thrown around on the Internet, but every work of art is inherently political.

Lighten up. Not everything is political. The old He-man and She-Ra cartoons weren't. They had social commentary and PSAs in them, but no politics. Same with Transformers,

Yeah...about that

[PhantomSaiyan]

No, I'm not saying art like Dragon Ball shouldn't exist, I'm saying it's dangerous to insist it's apolitical and has nothing to teach you just because it was planned that way. "Don't make your work political" is an argument I often see being thrown around on the Internet, but every work of art is inherently political. I would just like to remind you all that Toriyama based Freeza off real estate speculators, "the most evil people ever." That is 100% a political statement, despite what Torishima has to say.

"You shouldn't use Martial Arts to subjugate others, that's an evil thing to do. If others engage in such, beat their asses up." Is one of the earliest messages Roshi sends to the audience. That is also a political statement. Guess what this video is all about, and how would Toriyama portray Trump if he ever wanted to.

Saying that Dragon Ball is political would just be lying though.

"All art is Inherently political" essentially just means that you can project things onto it even if they aren't really fully there.

And the thing is, I even agree with the sentiment in most cases, something like 90-99% of art can have a political message that can be extrapolated from it regardless of authorial intent.
But Dragon Ball\Toriyama stories? Nah. Maybe Sand Land, but that's about it really as far as his body of work is concerned.

Real estate = bad isn't enough to convince me, especially when this theme/idea is not even explored in the actual content of the manga

[BernardoCairo]

Toriyama has always written "political" stories. It's hard not to. Just read Pink, for example.

[PhantomSaiyan]

Toriyama has always written "political" stories. It's hard not to. Just read Pink, for example.

Big disagree. His "political themes" are never explored, if they are, it's super shallow and superficial, and merely set dressing for the actual things he wanted to write (gags, or sexual themed gags, and a little bit of action), and in Dragon Ball, the politics are straight up not there.

Like I've said, the only work from his that I'd be fine with people calling political is Sand Land, the rest of his repertoire straight up does not deserve to be called political.

The bar is really low for some people when it comes to calling things political. I say they gotta earn it, cuz at this point, even if a hypothetical story has a politician in it, who does nothing, whose political role never comes into play, ever, it still gets called political just by virtue of that motherfucker being there.

It's like saying Dragon Ball is a medical anime because Dende heals people

[JulieYBM]

Toriyama has always written "political" stories. It's hard not to. Just read Pink, for example.

Big disagree. His "political themes" are never explored, if they are, it's super shallow and superficial, and merely set dressing for the actual things he wanted to write (gags, or sexual themed gags, and a little bit of action), and in Dragon Ball, the politics are straight up not there.

Like I've said, the only work from his that I'd be fine with people calling political is Sand Land, the rest of his repertoire straight up does not deserve to be called political

I regret to inform you that people very regularly have shallow politics and said shallow politics are inevitably visible in their art.

This is to say nothing of the politics involved in the creation of said art.

[Hellspawn28]

Toriyama has always written "political" stories. It's hard not to. Just read Pink, for example.

Big disagree. His "political themes" are never explored, if they are, it's super shallow and superficial, and merely set dressing for the actual things he wanted to write (gags, or sexual themed gags, and a little bit of action), and in Dragon Ball, the politics are straight up not there.

In the Freeza saga, you have characters that causing genocide on another planet and a big bad who had genocide another race? How isn't political? Saving the world from evil is always political. Freeza and the Saiyan were inspired by real estate speculators, which Toriyama claimed were "the worst sort of people". Real estate and anti genocide is a supremely, hugely political topic. It may come off as "political", but it is political by the end of the day.

You will always find political text in something. Anyone who studies art history like I have will know that politics in art has been around since day one.

[Makaioshin]

This video was made by and for...well...let's just say a certain word Gohan used in the Boo arc. Now, I rather not say this word in mixed company but it should be noted that curse words in Japanese don't necessarily have the same connotations. The word could be bluntly translated but it could also be something along the lines of "fool" or "slowpoke."

[johnboy1]

What is this fantasy world logic? Since we blew up their nuclear facilities a couple months ago, we can now sit back and let them rebuild it again?

So your solution is to keep bombing them until they stop? That sounds great until they, you know, don't stop. Which you are already explicitly assuming they won't. Where does that sequence of events end, and exactly how comfortable are you with it going there? This is the thing about genies: They don't go back into the bottle. Technological advances only ever get easier. If a country REALLY wants nuclear weapons, if they're totally committed to sparkle motion, it's simply a matter of time until they get them. A lot of time? Maybe. But still just time. Law of large numbers.

Even if this conflict results in regime change without our boots being on the ground, the country is still gonna lowkey want nuclear weapons, like every country with enemy borders wants them. Unless you want to be a complete psycho and glass the whole country (in which case you belong in a concrete box), you'd best prepare for the reality of a nuclear Iran.