The fact that you put Doc Holliday on your list reminds me that you're the truth. He's my favorite character of the American mythos and I love whenever he's included in anything pop culture.
@risingbean: I brought the hawk, we got some leeway. I was the only guy without an e-tool since I elected to bring a hawk. Other than digging outright ditches it was just as versatile and serves as a much better weapon...not that it ever came down to that for me.
@lvenger: Thanks for taking the time to read. Admittedly I'm American and I love the violent beauty in a knife or Tomahawk so there might be some (admitted) bias in my rankings. The Katana though I find less impactful than the tanto, but I talked about that above. The sex appeal and awesome lore behind the reverence of the Katana for samurai is impossible to deny though.
@erik_soong: Thank you, I do work out after all. ;)
@emperorxhadesx420: I've no problem continuing the discussion either, but I just wanted to be clear my goal is the discussion itself and not to sway you one way or another. People on this site in my experience too often mistake a discussion of ideas as an 'I'm right and you're wrong' debate.
But all in all, if I'm being honest, I only got into the Netflix shows because of Iron Fist. I've never held much interest in DD, Cage or Jones...but Danny is right up my alley. Considering Marvel has made me like three characters I previously didn't care for, I am super hyped to see Danny Rand. This is what I've been waiting for with this Netflix stuff!!!
@emperorxhadesx420: Again I'm not trying to make you believe what I believe or think the way I think. I think different viewpoints are needed to look at the world.
And I don't think guns are evil, if I gave that impression. I own 2, my wife owns 3, and I'm pretty good with my rifle if I may be allowed a moment of bravado. But I acquired mine legally.
@emperorxhadesx420: Even as a soldier I don't excuse governments, any government, from performing operations that can harm their own people. I don't excuse my own leadership from it, the same as I don't excuse them from abusing the National Classification System or anything of the like. That's a discussion of the American public (or any free public) holding their government accountable for their actions though, which is a different rabbit hole all together.
And we saw Cottonmouth send his goons into Genghis Connie's in E1 to extort money from them, and Connie and her husband even say they've done it before. This isn't even a vigilante 'rob from the rich' criminal, he's a bad dude harming those with little in his own town.
I wasn't commenting as to the authenticity of the gang banger behavior in Cage. I grew up lower middle class neighborhood but we didn't have a lot of gang activity so I can't comment there. I can make the comparison of every 'Navy SEAL' or other Hollywood 'Special OPS' team is woefully represented (like the SEAL team in the Dark Knight Rises) because 98% of Hollywood writers don't know the real thing. I assume as much with Mafia and other organized criminal elements as much as their police and military representations.
And I'm sorry you had to go through that life. I have family in jail who grew into certain criminal elements, it isn't always easy when you know nothing else. But as you grow up and see the world around you, you learn that what you were raised to believe is right, isn't. Mike Vick proclaimed that dog fighting was a part of life growing up for him,but it's still wrong.
Or we can go a step further and say that every Arian Brotherhood or KKK member who grows up believing whites are superior to others and it's OK to harm people of color because of their skin gets a pass because that's all they've known and shouldn't be blamed for it.
Witnessing and performing acts of violence can affect anyone of any age. It's why I had mandatory psych evals every 6 months (and I'm not expressing this to sound 'tough' or 'hardened' or whatever, my goal is not to impress but simply to contribute my own life comparisons as you have). Now it undoutedly has a greater effect on a child, so Cottonmouth's low appreciation for life is understandable. But he knew it was wrong as a teen (even though he did it), and murder is still wrong as a kid.
Now is he tragic? Certainly. I empathize with Cottonmouth, and as I said before I even feel bad for him. But as he matured he continued to do what he even seemed conflicted about at times...which means he knew it was wrong.
And as for it being difficult I imagine it is. It's like the None Disclosure Agreements I've signed. You are out, and there's a risk that you can talk, so in the criminal element there's the chance you might have problems. If I talk I can get brought up on treason and be shot or spend my life turning big rocks into little rocks....but even though it's hard, you walked away (it sounds like). So you made your choice to change, Cottonmouth didn't.
@emperorxhadesx420: Just because others do it doesn't make it right. We can't excuse the evils of someone because 'others did it'. He was preying on 'his own people' in the black community in Harlem, and the fact that Mariah encouraged it while spouting exposition about helping the black community makes it worse on her end.
And as far as extortion, we'll I've been to war and seen people killed and done some shit, but it doesn't make things like murder less bad in my eyes. Especially when most gangsters and mobsters talk about it not being personal but 'part of business' or 'going to war'.
I'm not looking to change your views on the show or the world, you have a right to an opinion as much as I do. I view Cottonmouth as much of a villain as any if the criminal elements in the show. Was he the worst of the worst? Perhaps not, but he still wasn' a good or decent person. At least not in my book, you're free to your view on him. That's how art works haha.
@emperorxhadesx420: Murder, illicit weapons dealing, drug trade, money laundering from illicit operations, extortion and racketeering were all ones that I saw throughout his time. Again I think he got pigeonholed into 'the family business', and I find Mariah to be a much worse person personally, but he still chose to keep walking that path when he could have gotten out.
@emperorxhadesx420: I remember him killing his uncle, and I said I sympathize with him and his situation. But a tragic villain is still the villain, he still chose to continue to walk that path. The point of Pops character, partially at least, was to demonstrate we must each be held accountable for our own choices. Cottonmouth chose to continue down that path. He certainly had little choice early in life, but he continued down it. But this is what makes him compelling, could he be redeemed? Had he walked too far down the path? Or could he have been like Pops? It makes for an interesting character.
The fight between Diamondback and Cage requires suspension of disbelief, it's in just about any action series or film. While it's silly when you look at it through the lens of reality, it's not uncommon in film so I give that a pass. But yes the idea of cops blocking off the street to let two guys slug it out is a bit ridoculous.
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