Inclusiveness and M&M's... I Guess..

      

 Image courtesy of Mashed

         So apparently, the Mars Candy Company has decided the M&M characters need to be redesigned to be more inclusive... Ok. Honestly, after looking at the redesign being a change of shoes, I really don't feel this is such a big deal. Now, if their are commercials that follow this which explores the characters dealing with inclusiveness, such as mental struggles, race, etc., then maybe I could see why. However, it was just the shoes, so... Why am I even talking about this!? Well, keep reading to find out!

         In a way, I would argue that Mars is just trying to either 'get with the times' or 'get attention'. Again, the redesigns are fairly minor, and only to the female M&M's. I can understand both arguments where on one hand, this campaign is probably being ran by people who are just a little out of touch. On the other hand, people have tried to 'act' inclusive to get cash before. At least this time I will say it doesn't feel scummy, just a little overblown.

  

          That's honestly just how I think people's reactions to this have been anyway. This doesn't need to be trending on Twitter, it doesn't need to be a main issue, it's just all overblown. At the end of the day, it's a simple design change so far. I guess it does bring up the argument of, 'what counts as big news.' Which is ideally the topic I wanted to discuss here. I understand that the change to the characters would need to be public for the company to move forward x but the way they worded it was superfluous. Then again, so is the reaction it, and any other minor change could have if it was presented right.

 

     At the end of the day, let's leave on this question. Will the Mars Company show more ways to show the M&M characters as inclusive, or will this be it? At the end of the day, let's just stay tuned!

  

          

My Thoughts on NFTs

 

   

         

             Ok, it's time for me to talk about a subject with a bit of controversy. If you read the title, then you know it's gonna be a rant on NFTs. First of all, let me clarify I know very little about Cryptocurrency. Given that NFTs work in a similar fashion, and the two go a bit hand in hand, I felt it best to state this. This blog is going to be based on what I've seen, and my feelings. Keep in mind, I'm probably not the best person to talk about this, but I wanted to get this off my chest.

       So, starting off, what is an NFT? Well, it's really just any form of data, say a gif, jpeg, png, that can be swapped out for something else. It's not a picture of an Ape making a bored expression, and wearing some goofy clothing. With that in mind, it's clear that the Bored Ape Yacht Club, the group behind those NFTs, have become so popular that they've been forever associated with the acronym. Now the way those images are made is a bit interesting, but let's not get too off track here.

         Now, while the ape I made for this blog is clearly not one of those, I like to think the actual BAYC NFTs are alright..... the first few times you see them. After that, it's just the same 'wacky' auto-generated ape face with a different feature. To add to that concern, these things cost apparently around over $100,000.... No thank you. Of course, there have been other blows to the reputation of NFTs. Environmental damage, the poor attitude of some NFT defenders, and the fact commissions for digital art have been done fine for years without Crypto. On top of that, the image itself you get becomes just another file on the Internet if you post it. At that point, it becomes free for anyone and everyone. 

         That in turn leads me to my final point: thievery. It has become common practice for companies to steal someone else's art, and have it be turned into an NFT available for purchase. Not only does this go against the artist already making it available in the first place, but it also hurts their way of getting attention and proper payment. So all in all, NFTs definitely have a negative stigma around them. One so that I could see someone not associating with them so as to sabe their reputation.

       Conclusion

              What about me though? Now that I've had my big rant, how do I feel? Well, given the reasons stated above, I think I would rather not associate myself with something I find needless, and so controversial. Again, I'm not trying to persuade you of anything, just stating my opinion. At the end if the day, I hate the practices of the people behind NFTs more. However,  I still don't care for NFTs.Who knows, maybe I'll change it if things with NFTs change. I don't know if it will happen, but I guess we just gotta stay tuned!

      

         

                                     

Happy New Year

        Hello everyone, and happy New Year! Honestly, not much for me to really talk about this week. I already gave you the run down during Christmas time. Haven't really done anything else due to the holiday break. No real topics I want to talk about yet. All in all, I'm very sorry, but this will be more of a quick post. I just have nothing to talk about, but hopefully I'll have more to discuss soon. Until then, stay tuned!