Factual Dispatch #41: Ilhan Omar Can Have A Little Gundam, As A Treat

Sometimes the seed of an idea takes a long time to germinate. Given how veterans reject war, while chickenhawks use the same tactics they used 17 years ago, I’ve been reminded that only those who have experienced strife know how horrific modern weapons of war can be. Which brings me to the much maligned refugee turned Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

About 6 months ago, a random tweet fired off into the ether that Ilhan Omar, after tolerating all of the bad-faith attacks on her, while still fighting for a country and people who hate her, should get a Gundam. It didn’t get much attention until this week, when it got a minor still-not-viral-except-to-people-extremely-online bump after this well-executed photoshop was tweeted out, eventually reaching Ilhan’s eyes.

There are a few elements at play here. Firstly, the idea that a Congresswoman watches anime is uniquely appealing for the sub-45 demographics who grew up with these stories. Secondly, giving a massively powerful mecha to a person that millions on the right (mistakenly) consider one of the biggest threats to the nation, allows for quite a bit of trolling in forums and on twitter. Thirdly, with the plurality of Gundam stories, variants, and world settings to choose from, fans can pick from dozens of different giant-ass robots.

But I think these minor bits are overshadowed by a big thing here: refugees, orphans, and the global poor have seen what futuristic weapons can do already. They, more than any failson of a billionaire, or princeling of a dying empire, know what happens when they’re used. Which brings me back to a part of the Gundam extended universe called Iron Blood Orphans.

Gundam Iron Blood Orphans is the story of a group of kids who took control of a paramilitary organization on Mars after freeing themselves from the bondage of work-camp and child-slavery. Over time, this rag tag group of refugees, “human debris” (the word used for space orphans), and indentured servants learns to read, fight, and protect a revolutionary who is trying to negotiate equal rights for all humans on Mars. In the process, our hopeful idealists are thrust into intrigue and a conflict bigger than they can imagine, while trying to understand how adults fucked it all up.

One of the things the series gets correct is the fact that a giant space robot can’t always win the war for you. Over the seasons, you see the unique advantage the kids have is both their hopeful youth & vigor, but the way the teens bring the Buddhist idea of the “beginners mind” to their tactics. The Gundam cinematic universe is one of breathtaking cruelty, with space colonies being used as asteroids, and refugees/orphans, and the working poor being abused by the rich. The protagonists struggle for equal rights, security for their families, and to prevent the adults in charge from using them from exploiting them for their own gain. Sound familiar?

While it’s easy to laugh at this meme, troll some people who think she married her brother because wing-nut Twitter told them to and move along, we should remember where these stories come from. Godzilla came out of the USA’s nuclear weapon usage in WWII, Game of Thrones draws from the War of the Roses, and George Lucas used Star Wars to help protest Vietnam. There are many stories inside the Gundam universe that are surprisingly pro-labor, pro-worker rights, and pro-early childhood education. Which is why I think Omar getting a weapon to protect refugees and fight against the increasingly robotic forces of of the future, got the traction it did this week. With us barely being able to confirm whether people pushing for war with Iran are lying to us, even about basic details of the reasons to begin the conflict, I gotta say, I’d feel a lot better if veterans, refugees, and orphans had their hands on the triggers.

Eye-watering Data Visualization of the Week: Ecosia is a Google competitor that plants trees. And frankly, I’m a pretty big fan of a slice of their profits being used to do this.

Vaguely Dystopian Read of the Week: We are building joints for robots that are both easier to break, and easier to heal on their own in the field.

Annoying-But-Correct Take of the Week: Stop believing meritocracy not only exists, but that even if it did, that it would be good for you. Also, there are plenty of ways to win rural America, and slap fighting with China on trade is not one of them. Also Also, the war on Iran was etched into the stars when our forever war began almost two decades ago.

Impressive Grift of the Week: I’ve decided to add a new weekly section, one devoted to highlighting reports of fraud, grift, and corporate shenanigans that are just so impressively bad you’re almost more impressed than mad. First up, round of applause for Goldman Sachs! Who knew you could have that many shell corporations?!

“Huh, Interesting” Read of the Week: Muslims were in America before Jamestown was colonized, so when Peter King, Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, and whichever asshole tries to Klansplain who was here first, you know what the score is. Also someone kicked the ballistics on exactly the year America was great, according to Trump.

Royal Sampler

Professor Galloway’s story about how he made it, how it’s actually an unremarkable story, and how it wouldn’t be possible today, is a must read for everyone you know who thinks Horatio’s bootstraps are real.

There is this meme, peddled most recently by Elon Musk, that China’s authoritarian economy is wildly more efficient than the USA’s. That…is not exactly the case. 

Matthew Ball, a VC, outlines seven reasons why he thinks gaming will not just compete with TV, but eventually overtake it as the dominant medium we consume. Very interesting analysis here of Fortnite as a platform.

Our discourse is increasingly being driven by bots, as they proliferate and grow in sophistication. You might be arguing with an astroturf campaign and you don’t even know it.

For The Baffler, James Pogue illustrates how the explosion of streaming services has created a situation where every story, including the bad ones, are being optioned almost immediately.

Iran & the USA have the same number of UNESCO world heritage sites. You know, for that debate on culture and stuff. Also, Google & YouTube were seen to be cleaving to fact-based information sources during the Iran missile strike this week, Facebook? Not so much.

I had no idea there was still billions of dollars worth of gold being smuggled out of Africa every year, as Reuters Investigates.

After Don Jr’s Deus Vult Gun-thing went minorly viral, Talia Levin meditated on the right’s obsession with the Crusades, Iran, and the clash of regions for GQ.

Data For Progress makes a surprisingly compelling case for nationalizing some rural hospitals on the heels of dozens of closures and conglomerate purchases going sideways in low-population areas of the country.

Dunk of the Week: Starting off with a fantastic joke about the Mandalorian that doesn’t involve Baby Yoda. Just in case you’d forgotten I can do the impossible.

The holiday hangover has come and gone, with the New Year upon us. Have you hung on to any resolutions?

Yours,

T