Alita: Battle Angel - A lesson on pushing your opinions, beliefs and products

Introduction

For those of who you don't know, Alita: Battle Angel (currently in cinemas at the time of writing) is about a cyborg who learns more about her past as she takes part in a dangerous sport. With its stunning visuals, an interesting sounding main character and prolific director, Robert Rodriguez, at the helm, I should be excited about this.

But I'm not excited for one reason: it's overly-advertised. Everywhere I go, especially now, I see nothing but Alita: Battle Angel. Be they in cinemas or online, Alita: Battle Angel has been advertised to death and quite frankly, I'm sick of it. And that's before I even seen the film.

Why is that? Why did a film that piqued my interest cause me to turn against it so quickly before I've even seen it? 

That's when I realised: this is the perfect example of how not to get people to see your product. In this post, I will explore several examples of how pushing people to see your movie or join your organisation will do exactly that: push.

Main Thingy

So the earliest example of pushing something beyond breaking point, at least for me, is Disney's Frozen. It was a massive hit with both audiences and critics and it generated over $1 billion dollars at the box office. And for good reason, it is a solid film with great characters, beautiful animations, one or two great songs and a fantastic moral about how true love is familial love, not necessarily romantic love.

Sadly, Disney caught on to its success and suddenly it was everywhere. For a while, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing 'Let it Go,' nor could you go anywhere without Frozen merchandise being shoved in your face. They even put unnecessary short films before other Disney films! It got so ludicrous that I actually started to forget why I even liked that film and I just became sick of it.

And as a result, pretty much everyone became sick of Frozen. I'm not even sure how much money the upcoming Frozen 2 will make.

But it doesn't stop there with Disney but with this example, it's not Disney's fault. Enter The Lion King, which I have to say is overrated. True it has stunning animation and a great villain but the main character is an obnoxious brat, the story is fine but it doesn't stand out to me, it's unfunny and the songs... not a fan...

But the main reason why I don't like The Lion King is that everyone won't shut up about its greatness, to the point where they denounce anyone who says they didn't like it. Because of this, it got shoved in my face and now I'm sick of it.

Then there's Netflix's Stranger Things. I have yet to see this show because, once again, it gets everywhere. Everyone wouldn't stop raving about it and everyone I talked to about it freaked out when I mentioned I haven't seen it. Now I won't watch it because I'm afraid I'll be underwhelmed. Ditto with Game of Thrones.

On that regard, I've been fairly guilty myself. I tell everyone I meet to read/watch Doctor Who, Star Wars, and Harry Potter if they haven't done so. So I guess I can't be too mad. But then again, as surprising as it is for you to hear, I don't jabber on about these as much as I want to because I know people would get sick of me. Heck, I get sick of me sometimes!

But okay, that's for movies. Everyone is entitled to their opinion even if I don't share it and at the end of the day, that's inconsequential. But sadly this applies to things like politics and religion.

A bit of background: For starters, I am apolitical. I believe that all political parties in the UK are out of touch with the people and don't have much of an idea what they're doing. If I had to vote, I'd say Labour because they make the most sense but even then, they're not perfect. But honestly, if voting wasn't that important to the lives of everyone in my country, I wouldn't do it. Not just because British politics is basically a joke these days but because everyone I know and know of would not stop shoving their political views down everyone's throats. And guess what, more often than not, it would cause arguments as people were more pushed apart then drawn together. And don't get me started on the kind of divide Brexit caused! I understand that politics make people angry but when you share your anger, people will only get angry in return. That's why I stayed out of this, to keep a positive aura around everyone I know.

And don't think political correctness and social justice warriors are free from this too. Yes, I get that you want to make positive changes and I admire you guys for that but can you do it in a way that doesn't make you come across as 'I'm better than you!' It'll just annoy people. Same with the anti-SJWs: you're just as annoying as the thing you're against and I cannot take your opinions seriously if they aren't even there.

And sadly, religion is no stranger to this. Now, as I mentioned in my last post I am a Christian. But I have to admit that part of the reason why I wasn't for a while was that my Christian friends wouldn't talk about anything else. They came across as weird to me because they came across as obsessed. I ultimately chose Christianity on my own terms because I was in a dark place and Jesus helped me out. And I know shoving Christianity down people's throats doesn't work because I tried that. In a fit of enthusiasm, I tried forcing my atheist friend to come with me and, unsurprisingly, she didn't take it well. We nearly fell out because of it and I learned that if I were to get people to become a Christian, I must let them do it on their terms and I must respect their views until they want to change it.

It's a lesson some Christians need to learn because it's getting dangerous. Now, unfortunately, I have to begrudgingly agree with the Bible's questionable views on the LGBT+ community but only because I believe that the Christian approach is to let them change on their own terms, not ours (if that's even possible). But apparently, some morons don't believe that and we have the ex-gay groups and, most horrifyingly, gay conversion therapy, both of which force LGBT+ people to turn straight with damaging results. I do hope they're just an extreme minority because that is messed up and is the ultimate example as to how forcing your views on other people is a bad, bad idea. No wonder non-Christians mock us! We must come across as raving lunatics if this is how we spread the word.

Granted, it's not like other religions are much better. Atheists are laughably hypocritical by condemning Christians for forcing their views only to force their own views down people's throats. Then there are terrorists like ISIS and Al Queda who fail to realise that killing people isn't going to make us like them.

Conclusion

Okay, I could go on and on (I haven't even mentioned vegans and opinionated fans) but that would be defeating my objective. What's the point of all this? 

Basically, if you push something, be they an opinion, a belief or a piece of entertainment, you will do exactly that: you will push people away. What you should do instead is that you should say your piece and let people decide for themselves. If they disagree with you, respect their decision and move on with your life. 

As for Alita: Battle Angel, if they cut back on their advertising I would've seen the movie because I made that decision on my own. But sadly, the movie pushed it too far and now I'm dreading it. 

Now I may have just come across as a hypocrite seeing how much of a rant this was so I'll leave it up to you. Did I make a good point or is there actually merit to pushing an opinion? Or do you just not care about this? Leave your thoughts on the comments below both on here and my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' and always, leave your suggestions on what I should talk about next. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet!

Why I'm a Christian - A discussion on how Christianity changed me for the better

Warning: This post involves the topics of faith and religion. If you get offended by such things, I suggest you click away now. If you want to hear me out, please respect my views and opinions. I also get pretty personal here including some confessions that I wasn't that great of a person in the past. Don't worry, I'm trying to get better for the reasons I'm about to say. I just thought I should warn you.

Yes, I like Christian memes. It's good to laugh at ourselves so long as it doesn't come with loathing.

Introduction

Sooooo... this isn't going to stir controversy at all isn't it... heh...

Hopefully, the fact that I have a small fanbase will mean that I have a respectful one, at least one who is willing to hear me out.

Besides, it'll be interesting to talk about faith because I feel like it's one thing that both people with autism and neurotypical people have in common. Everyone believes in something be it a religion or faith in other people. I just so happen to put my faith in the Lord and his son Jesus. And I thought I'd explain my faith in the hopes of showing that a) Christians aren't as bad as their reputation suggests and b) to provide context behind any future views since this will play a big part.

The Interesting Bit

So a bit of background: I was raised as a Christian. Both of my parents are strong Christians though they practised their faith in their own ways. As for me, I went along to church with my Dad and sometimes my mum depending on who had me that weekend (it's complicated). As a kid, I was okay with it but like most kids, I wasn't that connected with God. I just enjoyed Sunday School and VeggieTales (shout out to those who have watched it!). 

Then things became complicated when I permanently moved in with my Mum (again complicated) and though we tried different vineyard churches, my mum presumably never found one she liked and we simply stopped going. 

Eventually, I found a church of my own with my now former stepdad (see the above parentheses), a Baptist church in my home town. It was then I became interested in finding out about God and I started to attend the actual services. There was just one problem: I wasn't very good at paying attention to it. I became worried at this point. I feared that I wasn't close to God. 

So at the age of 15, I decided to get baptised, hoping that this would help me out. Though I'm glad I did it, it didn't help. Eventually. I grew sick of not paying attention and I eventually left that church. I didn't return to church save for a few occasions for about four years. 

Then my lack of faith got worse. For starters, one of the seven deadly sins, lust, took over my brain. I got desperate for a relationship, sex in particular, and it has led me to some embarrassing situations I would rather not get into. This was partly because of my inability to deal with puberty but it was also out of loneliness and peer pressure. A lot of people I knew were having sex and being in relationships and I felt left behind. And despite people telling me that relationships don't matter, I didn't listen. In fact, it didn't get through to me until recently (and even now I can't help developing feelings for people, even if I am self-aware and more cautious). As a result, I am rightfully still a virgin because of said desperation.

But it's not just that, in 2017, I began to question the Christian religion itself. I became worried that I was wrong all along, my Christian friends were starting to come across as weird to me and my agnostic/atheist friends and even some family members weren't helping. It also didn't help that I found out that Christians are, shall we say, disapproving of the LGBT community with some willing to force said community to become straight through any means necessary. Now I'm not LGBT. With the exception of having a man crush on Ryan Gosling and Arthur Darvill, I have always preferred women and that ain't gonna change any time soon. But the idea of forcing people to change against my will just rubs me up the wrong way. Maybe it's because some people feel the same way about autism (*Cough* Autism Speaks *Cough*) that I find myself relating to them in some way.

I tried searching for other faiths (well Buddhism) but it didn't go anywhere. Eventually, I fell into a form of depression (well I think... I was never diagnosed because I was and still am afraid it would make it real) because I felt lonely and rejected from society and I became self-conscious with the belief that people, particularly women, would find me creepy. Basically, I became Radiohead. Don't worry, I wasn't suicidal. My will to live is just too strong and I'm grateful that it is.

It was in October 2018 that things started to change. I informed my mum of my plight and she informed me that the church she went to has relocated to the place where I go to university. Realising that I never truly abandoned God and with no other option, I decided to go. I was worried at first. Partly because I was wearing a Harry Potter t-shirt without thinking but also because I saw people really into things like worship and I didn't feel it. But gradually, I got into it. I paid attention during sermons and I was dancing along to worship music. For the first time in months, I felt truly happy. 

I became a regular member, even going to a student church group on Thursdays, and over time, I felt better about myself because now I had a divine influence to talk to. I had a confidant who would not only not judge me for my past sins but would also help me become a better person. Week by week, I changed for the better. I no longer felt the need to embarrass myself out of desperation for sex (in fact, even that's going away), I felt a bit more sure of myself and my abilities, my friends advice about how relationships aren't great finally got to me and any doubts I had about God washed away once I felt the Holy Spirit stir inside me.

Granted I still have a way to go. For starters, this is the first time I've truly opened up about my faith in Jesus to the internet, I'm still not very confident when it comes to social situations and telling [NAME REDACTED] how I feel about her and I still haven't had the confidence to take some responsibility with my life and find a job or at least update this and 'Perfectly Honest Film Reviews' regularly. And I'm still not happy with the especially homophobic Christians for allowing certain verses of the Bible to become toxic even though I'm aware that though most Christians don't approve of homosexuality, they at least respect them enough for them to make their own decisions.

And in most ways, I haven't changed that much. I'm still a geek at heart (yes I like Harry Potter because I know it's a work of fiction born of one woman's imagination and not Wiccan propaganda), I'm still interested in films and reviewing them and Doctor Who is still my favourite show. 

But considering what I was like these last 6-7 years, I finally feel like I'm getting better as a person instead of getting worse. I'm more in control of my feelings and my self-esteem feels higher. It's gotten to the point where past me feels like a different person. A rather unlikeable person but still a different person. 

Conclusion

So why am I telling you all this? Well because I want people to see why I chose the faith that I did and also to apologise for anyone who fell victim to my creepy past self with the promise to become a better person.

But I also want people to see the impact Christianity had on me in the hopes that it would have a similar impact on anyone else with nowhere to turn to. Of course, if you have already chosen your faith, that's absolutely fine. If that's the right path for you, then go for it. This is simply the right path for me and potentially anyone who is interested in becoming a Christian. 


Anyway, that's my testimony. If you're a Christian, why not say some of your testimonies if you're up for it. If you're not, again that's fine but please respect those of a different faith to you. If anything, I'm actually curious as to why you chose the faith that you did!

Be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole' and because I'm not very good at coming up ideas for this, I am very open to suggestions to what I can write about next. Until then, fare thee well good people of the internet and peace be with you!