The Last of Us Part 2 is absolutely triggering “gamers” and right-wing nutjobs

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1. 

   The truth (from Nikko in NZ)

   July 5, 2023 at 9:29 pm

   TLOU2 was disliked by terrible people because it was either that or realize they were terrible. No Right Winger, by their nature, invites self-awareness, so this is a near impossibility of occurrence. Neil Druckmann’s aspirational hope that Right Wingers would “get it” was, ironically, far MORE respect than they deserved from him. A fact proven by their response overwhelmingly to the sequel – despite its obvious brilliance.
   They thought Joel was the hero because the narrative had him as a protagonist. Selfish, ignorant people gravitated to or identified with him and then saw themselves justifiably killed, but could not see why this justification existed – and objectively so.
   Even Ellie knew Joel was wrong. He lies to her because, unlike the Right Wing, even he knows he is not a good person. He is haunted by the worse person he knows…. himself.
   I played the ending for hours instead of minutes, constantly dying, as I refused to beat Abbey. You stand for something, or you stand for nothing. If you stand for an illusion and a grift like the Right do, then you stand for a lie.
   I knew who was justified and I knew who the heroes of the story were… and it was both women. Even their names are similar, so as to set up the allegory. To show they are both victims and two sides of the same coin.
   The problem is, by choice and/or by design, the Right Wing are stupid or selfish or both. This means the death of Joel is an affront to them. Either the joke was on them – and it was – or it just was “not right” and is “unacceptable” or a “woke agenda” et cetera. Right Wingers also hate the ending of No Country for Old Men. Notably – and again objectively – one of the greatest endings in film history. But you need to be both smart, poetic and insightful to get and appreciate it. It excludes people who are not capable. And often people who think they are, who then get mad and critical. Ring a bell?
   To be pushed, to improve, to realize, to become self-aware, this is the domain of the Left and of the intellectual. It is hard. Ignorance is bliss. Which is why the Right hate progression in or of any form… and largely hate this game.
   The TV series made them even angrier, as the first game is only controversial as Joel does the wrong thing EVEN IF one understands it in PART.. and the first series is the first game only. Come the second, the trick of supporting Joel being a blatant misjudgment and revelation of poor character without question is cruelly foisted on the Right Winger / person of poor character themselves. Ignorance is bliss though, so unlike the intellectual hopes of Neil and others who made the game, the Right Wingers did not drop to their knees and hang their heads in shame…. they fought progress, awareness, any critique, any admitting wrong or fault or why they needed to do so…. It is all projections and avoidance instead.
   This is why trying to wake the Right up to themselves was admirable, but will not and cannot work. They must be destroyed. TLOU2 realizes this and the reaction to it proved it categorically so.
   Ellie lets her “dreams” of revenge die and turns away from them, because they were Joel’s and they were poison. The original wrong was Joel’s. This is not up for dispute. Nor is the fact that the Right Wing dislike the empathy that comes with seeing the bigger picture. On the basis of climate change alone, this is undeniably the case and a reflection of how that myopic selfishness applies across the board to the Right and they will destroy us if they remain part of us.
   People who disagree, like Joel are lost and hurt and need to re-engage their empathy and their humanity and to prioritize the many over the few. If you thought Joel did not deserve what he got, it is because you don’t think you deserve what you have coming if you don’t make better choices, which in fact, currently, you do because you’re not. The clock is ticking.
   Evolve or die. That is how life works. IF you refuse to change those things that you should, and this will hold us back as a species, then you are surplus to requirements, whether you consider yourself a protagonist or not. You’ll get Joeled. Unlike Joel, your choice isn’t so traumatic… you just need to be better. Something that is hitherto completely beyond you.
   When Right Wingers criticize TLOU2, they are simply ripping themselves. It is sad to watch though, as it shows how poorly educated, gullible, selfish or sociopathic so much of the world is. How tragic a Right Wing exists at all.
   The world is at a crossroads and we cannot go both ways. Not just because we must move together, but because one of these choices is an illusory con job nearly entirely driven by conservatives, racists, sexists, homophobes, lobby groups and big business. If you want to go that way, even as a victim (as all working-class Right Wing voters are) or feeling forced into a corner as Joel did, you will be destroyed just the same. And you will deserve it. Just like Joel did.

   TLOU2 does not deserve much if any criticism really, but it’s either that or these lost souls must attack themselves. They would have to look inward. And as we know, while they love to be “just asking questions, what about _______?” They rarely if ever ask any of themselves. Their subconscious monologue is working away furiously and desperately to make sure that never happens. People averse to change are not going to change themselves.
   So, once given the logical choice to do so, if they refuse, they must be removed from the equation. I would like to see this happen democratically – through votes – and non-violently but it is happening regardless. Generations demand this. The many over the few. The thing that Joel could not comprehend. The reason he deserved to die.

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