Deadpool: A Wisecracking, Insane Merc With a Mouth

(Warning: Strong languages and some disturbing materials ahead)

Few posts into this blog, and I haven’t had a chance for geeking out on one of the entries. You may know me as an Anthropologist, a metalhead, a motorsport fan and a pro wrestling fan. But what I like to indulge the most is comic books, either from Japan or from America. Speaking of American comic books, I must say that I am personally a Marvel fan who personally loves The Avengers series (albeit most of the time I watch all the movies instead of surfing for more comic books). But when it comes to a specific character, A Canadian mercenary caught me for the first time when his movie first released back in 2016. He suffered from cancer; awaken a mutant gene, which enabled him to regenerate from whatever wounds, or injuries he suffered (including the cancer cell in his body), while at the same time messing with his mind and sanity. His name was Wade Wilson, but everyone around the world known him as Deadpool.

Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza, Deadpool made his publication debut by appearing in The New Mutants #98 in 1991, later gained his own publication in 1997. His real name (Wade Winston Wilson) and hero name is said to be either a spin-off or an inside gag of the DC Comics’ Mercenary-for-hire character Slade Wilson, a.k.a Deathstroke. What differentiates Slade from Wade is Slade is described as a villain/anti-hero affiliated with the Suicide Squad, while also being the main arch nemesis of the Teen Titans, while Wade is mostly an anti-hero who basically conduct his service with some amount of payment, although he affiliates himself with the X-Men and The Avengers in some way. Wade (or Deadpool) himself is aware that he is a comic book character, and he frequently breaks the fourth wall, intended as a comedic effect. He also provided narrations on both the comics and the movies. His backstory revolves around a Canadian mercenary, who suffered from a form of cancer, and according to the 2016 movie, he seeks out various means of medication, ultimately entered the Weapon X program by the villain Ajax. He was tortured so many times, and finally awakens his mutation, disfiguring him in the process. He often referred his now-scarred appearance as “Ryan Reynolds crossed with a Shar-Pei” (Reynolds later potrayed the character in two movies, released in 2016 and 2018 respectively). 

His mutation mainly involves having an accelerated healing factor, which not only allows him to regenerate from his wounds in an accelerated level, also made him psychotic and mentally unstable, as his neurons are also affected by the mutation. His regeneration ranging from mere wounds, scrapes, broken bones, gun shots, stab wounds, and even severed limbs and decapitation, but in order for the latter two to work, Wade must place the severed part into its original place. While this is billed as a curse (Thanos himself said that he is cursed with life, as this factor effectively renders him immortal), Wade sees this as a blessing, because his mental instability is proved as an asset in the battlefield, making him the most unpredictable and improvised fighter ever faced by his foes. Aside from that factor, he is also known as a skilled marksman and an adaptable combatant. He is trained in Savate, among many martial arts. He is also a polyglot, having mastered German, Spanish, Japanese and American Sign Language. This element is portrayed to a comedic effect in Deadpool 2 movie, when Wade is on an assassination job in Hong Kong, saying “I don’t speak Cantonese, but I learned Spanish in 6^thgrade, so Donde esta la biblioteca, which means, I don’t do bargains” (the sentence itself, surprisingly means “where is the library”). 

Let me stress this first. Deadpool is a funny but insane comic book character. Most of his jokes featured on both of his movies are his usual fourth wall breaking or an overly slapstick, often gross, sexually explicit jokes. As evidenced in a scene where Wade masturbated on a couch in the first movie during a “rewind” process. Other element present on both movies is Wade’s profane-filled monologues and references to other aspects of the popular culture. No wonder his movies are rated R. Hell; it might as well be NC-17. Despite this, somehow, he also has a PG-13 version called Once Upon a Deadpool, released December last year. He is also quite violent most of the time, where he would go on a killing spree to find Ajax, hoping that he would reverse his disfigurement. You might have thought that he doesn’t have any moral compass, but during the events of Uncanny X-Force,he stormed off after Wolverine tried to rationalize Fanthomex into killing Apocalypse, who was in a child form at that time. While Logan argues that he is motivated solely by money, Archangel revealed the fact that Wade never cashed his assassination checks. His companions are not spared from this either. Bob, Agent of HYDRA is Wade’s sidekick, but often suffered most of the abuse either from Wade himself or the enemies. He has no combat training or any mutant or inhuman abilities, thus making him pretty much a sitting duck during his time with Wade. This sadistic side of him also present during his time staying with an elderly woman named Blind Al. He would often play cruel pranks, taking advantage of her blindness as well as forbid her visitors from visiting. He also likes to lock the poor woman into a tiny room full of sharp objects dubbed “the Box”. Despite this, Al would always be one step ahead and not less cruel than her roommate. He also had a strange “love-and-hate” relationship with Nathan Summers (Cable). Most of the time they would try to kill each other, but on another instance, they have to work together. It is the comedic aspect that ultimately made me hooked into the character. Yes, he has an unorthodox sense of humor to say the least, but nonetheless, this is a great alternative to every superhero comics and movies, which is always about good guy VS the bad guy. Why don’t we just enjoy a sadistic and insane mercenary dressed in red spandex beating the living hell out of even crazier bad guys (or as Wade would say, “we are the bad guys who fuck-up worse guys”) while laughing our asses off? Marvel Comics sure know the drill when they first published this superhero character.

In the end, We all know that Deadpool is not up on everyone’s alley, and it will require a special breed of genius to better understand his mind beyond his insanity. On both the comics and the movies, the Regenerating Degenerate will always grace the pop culture, especially the superhero universe. He might not as strong as Superman, or as analytical as Batman, or even as morally upheld as Captain America, Wade Wilson is surely one of the most recognizable character ever graced the Marvel Universe. I know Deadpool will discover this article sooner or later, and all I can say is I hope this piece will do you justice. I am just a fan of your work, and even though you are probably the most insane anti-hero out there, I am still a big fan. And after this, I feel like I want to eat a bunch of Chimichangas, in honor of the Merc With a Mouth, The Regenerating Degenerate, and The Man in Red, The One and only, Deadpool. 

K-Pop Fans: The Hard-lined Fandom full of Toxic Comments and Unhealthy Wars

(Warning: Strong Languages and Rants ahead)

I did mention about me not being a fan of K-Pop (Korean Pop) music in the past articles, didn’t I? Well, right now, ‘not being a fan’ has escalated into a minor hate, because while the music itself is quite catchy (but let’s face it, even as an anthropologist who have a massive interest in language studies, I couldn’t get a firm grip in Korean) with most of the lyrics are spoken in Korean language with a slew of English words thrown in between, It’s the fandom that made me loathe K-Pop as a musical genre. I have to admit that the only K-Pop song that I can grasp in terms of language is PSY’s Gangnam Style. And (unapologetically) I am good for that. I can’t even understand most of the songs playing nowadays either. 

Speaking of fans of K-Pop, we are talking about someone who loves the genre, and supports all the artists and groups. Those supports can come from online streaming or buying physical copies of a favorite group’s albums, attending concerts and fan meets, and following the news about their idols. While some K-Pop fans are civilized, well-mannered and well-behaved individuals who are active in the fandom and only minding their own business, there are also a lot (I say A LOT because most of the time, It is these Neanderthals who came out first) of deranged, overly-obsessed music terrorists who thinks that their supposed “idols” (and K-Pop in general) are better than most of the artists across all genres (kind of like Metal with Metal Elitists, although these K-Pop stans are a lot more lethal). First of all, these fanatics would do anything in their power to defend their idols from outside bashing, even if it means to systematically bully a poor soul who was just merely post his criticism on the Korean Entertainment Industry. This has happened to Dolan Twins, who back in 2018 posted a satirical video on YouTube talking about the reality of K-Pop idols that overworked themselves to the point of passing out in the middle of a performance. This inevitably drew the ire of K-Pop fans and then proceeded to flood the comments section with criticism and hate remarks, even when the Twins’ father passed away earlier this year. Instead of offering support and stating their condolences, these deranged fucks instead CELEBRATING the death of someone not related to the problems at hand, this being the Dolan twins’ old man. I know that you disliked them because of a simple (hard hitting) reality. I also pointed out on my last post with similar topic about how they overwork themselves and receiving little numbers on their paychecks, but please. If you want to bash them only because of that, might as well throw yourself into a Cannibal Corpse mosh pit and see if you can last even for a minute. Not only this hate bashing are targeting people outside of their fandoms, they even wage war with their own! Fanwars, ironically, is a normal thing happening within the K-Pop realm. And what makes this thing even bizarre is the wars itself are sparked because of competition within K-Pop idol groups themselves. It can be for chart position, popularity, or even about who is the most handsome/beautiful member. While most fanwars are contained in the realms of social media, this weird activity once escalated into a full-blown fistfight, like when the fans of SECHSKIES and H.O.T wage war against each other. This thing can be varying, one of them is constantly post hate comment about a specific group, even as far as posting death threats to a specific group member. Initiating a “Black Ocean” is also other form of disliking a specific group. A “Black Ocean” is essentially the act of turning the light sticks off and sits still in silence during a performance. Girls Generation once suffered from this type of abuse as a result of then ongoing fanwar between them, TVXQ and Super Junior back in 2008. 

When we talk about the demography of the K-Pop fans, Most of the them that I know are between the ages 12-18 years old, but not dismissing the adults who are also hooked with the music itself, but when it comes to teenage fans, they are turning their passion for K-Pop into an obsession, and more often than not, these obsessions even escalated to the point of being flat-out disgusting. Some K-Pop fandoms like EXO-L, Blink (Blackpink), and even ARMY are probably the most active & devoted fandoms existing today. The way these overly obsessed animals done within these fandoms is they are not hesitate to pick up items related to theirbias (favorite member of the group) from normal stuff like autographed cards and posters, to absurd items like drink bottles and even tissue sheets used by them to wipe the sweat from performing. What makes this funny for me is the idols might be good looking and somehow in a good shape (remember those diets and starvation they have to endure? I do), but sweat is still sweat. It stinks. You are willingly dropping your IQ points to that of a Baboon just to obtain your bias’ memorabilia. Not only that, they are also fantasizing themselves married to one of the members of the group they idolize. Let me tell you this. They barely even know you. So stop deluding yourself and face the fact that you maybe a fan, but these idols don’t even know you personally. But of course, these obsessed fans will stop at nothing to make her known in the fandom. Sasaeng fans are K-Pop fans who are so obsessed with their idols, the only thing they will ever do to gain the attention is to stalk, invade the idol’s personal space, hack their phones, and even sending fan notes written in menstrual blood (yuck!). When it comes to overall obsessions, these sasaengshas to take the cake. They even cause physical injuries to some of the idols (Heechul suffered a broken leg after being involved in a crash while trying to evade a sasaengchasing him on the road). Still, who the hell am I to judge when they are so devoted to their idols. After all, I’m just a normal metal fan who coincidentally has some relatives and friends that are big K-Pop fans (no offence here). 

Here’s a food for the thought. Everyone has the right to indulge themselves into their favorite music. Whether it’s Pop, K-Pop, EDM or Metal. And just like what I say with the Metal Elitists, You don’t have to shove your taste down to everyone’s throats. Some might just don’t like it. And since I am now have a slight hate towards K-Pop (Mostly to the fans and the industry, not the music), I got to say, I have never seen a fandom so toxic and hostile to others ever in my life. Yes you got those girls and boys with porcelain of a skin and great appearance (while starving themselves to death in the process and reconstructing their faces with plastic surgeries in between), and yes, they are talented. But I guess nothing calms me more than pounding beats and monstrous guitar riffs of a good Heavy Metal tune. And to close this rant, I just want you to know that I am writing this fully aware with the consequence of opening the floodgates of hell that is K-Pop stan’s hate comments. And during the process of writing, I have yelled SLAYER (while listening to Angel Of Death, Raining Blood and Repentless in the process) twice and blasted some good Cradle of Filth album to calm my nerves.

Reign in Blood For the Final Time: A Murderous Tribute to Slayer

For every beginning, there is bound to be an end. For a ‘hello’, there is always be a ‘goodbye.’ Today, the metal community bids farewell to one of the giants of the genre, who is billed as the pioneers of Thrash Metal and defined the genre as their long-lasting legacy. During their time producing “noisy pleasures”, there were dramas, line-up changes, feuds, and even some criticism (mostly about their supposed satanic imagery and their lyrical content, which evolves around war, religion, anti-religion, terrorism, human experimentation and prison). They might not be performing live ever again, but there is still one thing left to do: release another album. This is a heavy metal tribute to the Californian behemoths Slayer.

Slayer first formed in Huntington Beach, California by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, Chilean vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo in 1981. At that time, they performed mostly cover songs from various legendary bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Venom. Since their formation up until today, they released 12 studio albums, 2 live albums, a box set, 6 music videos, 2 EPs and a cover album. They also bagged two Grammy Awards for ‘Best Metal Performance’ in 2007 and 2008, with both songs came from their 2006 albumChrist Illusion.Among those 12 albums by Slayer so far, most metalheads will tell you that the 1986 offering Reign in Bloodis considered one of the heaviest and the most influential Thrash Metal records ever. Those feats came from humble beginnings, with considerable amount of popularity after being spotted by Brian Slagel, founder of Metal Blade Records, Slayer released their first ever (self-financed) studio albumShow No Mercy in 1983. During the process of making the record, Araya worked as a respiratory therapist to cover the expenses, as well as using the money borrowed from Kerry’s father. Their future direction was established by the release of Haunting The Chapel EP in 1984. Metal Blade financed their second album Hell Awaits, with producer Ron Fair, which featured even darker sound from its predecessor and more complexity in its composition. Slayer switched to Def Jam records for their iconic Reign In Blood album, which features the then highly controversial song Angel of Death. The song itself is about Josef Mengele, a Nazi physician who conducted human experimentations on concentration camps like Auschwitz. They decided to slow down the tempo and incorporate more melodic singing with the release of South of Heaven in 1988 with mixed reception. While being the most commercially successful records at that time, this move also generated critics alike. Realizing this, they cranked it back to eleven while still retaining their melodic element with 1990 album Seasons in the Abyss. Two years after the release of the album, Lombardo left the band and was filled by then Forbidden drummer Paul Bostaph. He contributed as the drummer for four Slayer albums between 1992 and 2005 with Divine Intervention (1994), a Punk cover album titled Undisputed Attitude(1997), Diabolus in Musica (1998) which was heavily criticized for incorporating Nu Metal elements like tuned-down guitars, and God Hates Us Allin 2001. He would later return to Slayer with the release of 2015’s Repentless. Lombardo continued as the drummer in the years following his exit in 2005, with the first record back being Christ Illusion. The album itself contained songs Eyes of The Insaneand bonus track Final Six, which snatched a Grammy Award for ‘Best Metal performance’ in 2007 and 2008 respectively. The final album with the original Araya, King, Hanneman and Lombardo line-up was World Painted Blood,released in 2011. Hanneman died from cirrhosis due to his habit of drinking on May 2013, while Lombardo was fired on February. For Repentless,King and Araya enlisted Exodus guitarist Gary Holt and the aforementioned Bostaph, who mad his return to the band since 2005 (although Holt was not credited with the writing process of the album itself). 

There is no denying the legacy of the band Slayer. They are regarded as one of the “Big 4” bands of the Thrash Metal genre, alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. They are also said to be responsible for the rise of Death Metal, and had influenced numerous bands like Behemoth, Gojira, Kreator, Bullet For My Valentine, Lamb of God, Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse and Avenged Sevenfold. Their playing style is also distinguishable from the rest of the Big 4, with fast-paced drums, chaotic-sounding guitar riffs, and overall aggression of their music paired with their murderous and graphic image as well as their violent lyrical content. No wonder some crazed members of the society hated this band so much. Not only the music is deemed dangerous, their album covers are controversial as well. Most notably God Hates Us All, which had to be released with an alternative version featuring crosses lined up, down, right and left (the original cover itself features the Slayer logo carved into The Bible with blood spattered all over it) and Christ Illusion, which gained backlash from the Christian community. 

Slayer recently wrapped up their final tour on November 30 in Los Angeles’ The Forum. While stating that the band would continue, they stated that there are no further plans to tour and play live ever again, although they are currently working on the follow up to Repentless.This is a huge loss for the Metal community, as Slayer is regarded as the most violent, yet successful bands to ever graced the genre. You reigned in blood, showed no mercy, and most importantly, you thrashed your way in the middle of a raining blood with a repentless attitude. As a metalhead myself, I salute the guys at Slayer, past and present and congratulate them for an amazing career from 1981 to 2019. Reign strong, Slayer, enjoy the times ahead, and we’ll see you down the road. 

Exhibitionism: Private Pleasure Which is Not For The Public to Enjoy

(Warning: Strong sexual references in this article)

Usually I tend to steer clear from this particularly sensitive topic, but considering that there are more recent cases involving some sick pervert who likes to voluntarily flashing his private parts, I know I have to write this. I am not condoning these actions, and quite frankly, as a man who knows which behavior is appropriate on the public context and which one that is not fit for such situation, I feel sick to my stomach that these guys are roaming free and unchecked, probably scaring more innocent souls with their perverted antics.

The act of intentionally showing his/her private parts (breasts, genitalia and buttocks) in public is called exhibitionism. This term derived from the word “exhibit”, which had the meaning of “to show something.” It is said that an exhibitionist gains sexual pleasures from flashing their nude body to non-consenting people inside a public area. The act itself is classified as both a mental illness and sexual deviation (paraphilia). The person who engages in exhibitionism might feel a sense of sexual impulses that he couldn’t control, and may have no control of this behavior himself. Other factors contributing to this disturbing act of sexual deviation are the lack of self esteem due to lack of socializing and anxiety, particularly about the sense of manliness. He usually get a brief sense of pleasure from the shock value of his actions, mainly towards the opposite sex, after a brief moment of regret, he might do that same act if that same impulses that he has is rising and needs to be channeled. Sometimes, someone who did this is expecting the target to either engage in a sexual intercourse or to show her private parts too. In most cases, she would be shocked, distressed, angered, scared or disgusted.

During the last two months, In Indonesia there are some cases of exhibitionism that went viral. The first one happened in Tasikmalaya, West Java. A 25 year-old man was arrested for “Sperm Terror” after being reported by a local stay-at-home mother. Before he threw the supposed “semen liquid” into the poor woman, he engaged in an act of public masturbation. After an investigation launched by the Police, the suspect is confirmed to have some form of a sexual disorder. Another case of similar complain happened in Bandung Regency, where a man dressed in black jacket wearing a helmet flashed his penis in front of a woman who was busy doing her chores. The identity of the man is still unknown, while the Police are still investigating. The most recent case of this gross encounter happened in Bekasi, where a 25 year-old woman was shocked by a man who opened his pants in front of her, initially calling her with the guise of fixing a leaking oil line on her motorbike. What makes this case weird is he intentionally pulled his genital organ to compare the size of that same oil line. These perverts are not only targeting young women to engage their acts, innocent children and teenagers are not spared from this either. In Surabaya, a man is facing up to 10 years of incarceration for masturbating in front of 3 young children. Another penile terror of this caliber happened in Mojokerto. The case in question involves a High School girl walking home while being stalked by a suspicious man. He then proceeded to lower his trousers and performed a mock-masturbation in front of that poor soul. While most of the time the one who did this act is predominately male, women are not shy of this either, although rare cases happened on the daily basis. 

By dissecting the psychological effect of exhibitionism to the victims, the pervert in question only experiences pleasure from the shock value of his act of sexual terrorism, either scared, disgusted or angered. The best way to handle this type of perversion is to ignore the exhibitionist himself. When the target didn’t experience anything from this disgusting behavior, he will consider it as “mission failed.” Other method for scaring these deranged individuals is to scare them with everyday items that can be useful for self-defense, like a pair of scissors. For these sick bastards themselves, the sexual impulses are deemed unbearable for them to control, and couldn’t seem to find a way to distract themselves. In their twisted mind, the target is expected to respond back with shock, or if the target happens to be the same type of perverts as he is, she will respond by flashing her bare breasts at him, which in turn, could escalate into a full-blown sexual intercourse. 

When it comes to anything sex-related, it should only be a private matter between two individuals. Some elements of the society in specific countries even consider this type of topic a taboo, and should not be discussed at all. But I can assure you, reproduction is always bound to happen, there will be another generation of men and women who will reside this planet and its cities. It should remain private. If you have a strong urge for sexual impulses, try to distract yourself by exercise, or engaging on activities that you like the most. Don’t be these perverts. They are deranged, insane, and uncontrollable animals that have no absolute control over their own sexual desires. This article is not an encouragement for any sexual indecencies, but as an awareness that these behaviors exists, and we should be prepared at any given situation. 

Home Alone: The Funniest “Deadly” Holiday Movie Ever

It’s almost time for the holiday season, the time when family and friends gather to celebrate Christmas, which is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year. And every year during the entire month of December, We are offered many movie titles that take Christmas as the main theme, such as The Grinch, which tells about a grumpy creature called The Grinch who hates Christmas so much, he wanted to steal all the presents from the village with the intention of ruining the holiday spirit. Another Christmas-themed movie (or movie franchise) that I can remember is the Home Alone movie series. Based on the name itself, the movie depicts an 8 year-old kid (9 years old in the fourth movie and 10 years old in the fifth movie) who was accidentally left alone by his family, and later having to fend off burglars from invading the house and robbing them by setting up booby traps. The franchise itself released 5 movies in total, starting with the namesake first movie released in 1990, followed by Home Alone 2: Lost in New Yorkin 1992, Home Alone 3in 1997 (with new casts), Home Alone 4 in 2002 and Home Alone: The Holiday Heistin 2012. From those 5 movie series, the first two are regarded as the greatest holiday movies ever, while the latter three was deemed regular. In this article, I want to discuss the first two movies of the Home Alonefranchise, on why the traps could possibly kill you in real life and why it is considered as the best holiday movies ever made. 

Directed by Chris Columbus, Home Alone follows the 8 year-old Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin), who was a troublemaker in the McCallister family. Prior to be accidentally left alone by them on their way to Paris for spending the Christmas vacation, he accidentally ruined the Christmas dinner after being bullied by his older siblings. He initially relished the fact that he was left alone, but later as the movie progresses, he had to defend the house from “The Wet Bandits” (Their MO involves flooding the target house’s basement after they done robbing it) Harry Lyme (Joe Pesci) and Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern), who planned to rob the supposedly empty McCallister residence. He went on to rig the house with various traps designed to inflict pain (blow torches, single nail in the stairs covered with tar, ice on the outside patio) and humiliation (feathers and cling wraps with glue placed in the doorway). The bandits ended up arrested by the police. During the events of Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, Kevin accidentally boarded the wrong flight heading for New York City (The Family planned to spend Christmas in Miami, Florida). During his time at the city, Kevin met the ghost of his past, now called “The Sticky Bandits” (Marv wore a sticky glove that would make him steal things a lot easier), who previously escaped from prison in Chicago, Illinois (The city where the McCallister resided). He initially went to meet his uncle, who lived just outside NYC, but discovered that the townhouse was under renovation, with the occupants said to be in Paris, France. He later rigged the house with more traps with resulted in more pain (an improvised arc welder made out of metal sink, blow torches with kerosene dumped in the toilet and big hole inside the house) and even more humiliation (bird seeds, cements falling from 100 ft.). He planned to lure the bandits into those traps after caught them red-handed robbing a toy store. He might only wanted to teach these bad guys some holiday lessons, but some of the traps are considered so dangerous, it can trigger a deadly chain reaction on the poor bastards’ bodies.

If you analyze the traps really carefully, you can see that some of them placed by Kevin were not only designed to humiliate those bandits, but to inflict pain as well as incapacitate them almost to the point of dying. Some can even kill them on one go. In the first movie alone, there are several traps that can easily kill one of those bandits in real life. One of those traps is when Kevin used few paint cans (presumably with paints inside) as swinging pendulums at the stairs. In the movie, the bandits only suffered concussions, but in real life, the force of the can travelling at least 32 km/h (20 mph) could easily break the face of the recipient of the blow. Some YouTube videos depicting this trap with a ballistic dummy revealed that the force is so powerful; it can snap the neck bones effortlessly. Kevin amplified this trap’s deadliness by replacing the cans with a metal column during his defense plan in New York. This would result in broken ribs, and after cutting the column loose, it fell two stories to those poor burglars, possibly killing them due to the weight and the force generated by the metal bar. Another trap is when Harry triggered a mechanism on the back door, which in turn engaged a blowtorch searing his head. He stood for exactly seven seconds before burying his head on the snow. During that period, he would suffer at least third-degree burn injuries, with parts of his skull visible underneath the scalp. This trap is replicated in the second movie, this time with explosive proportions. Harry again triggered a blowtorch disguised as a lamp, and when he saw a puddle on the toilet, assuming it was water, he dipped his head, not knowing that it was actually kerosene laid by Kevin. In real life, the force of the blow would instantly kill him with multiple fractures and traumas on his internal organs. Marv would die several times during the course of the second movie. He had to endure four bricks being thrown at him from 5 stories above. In the movie, it would only left him concussed and some brick marks on his forehead, but if this happened in real life, one brick alone would spell the end of his criminal career (and probably his life). He managed to somehow survive those punishments, and after caught with staple gunshots to his backside, groin and nose, he entered the house, only to fell two stories below the ground due to a massive hole. He fell flat on his face and his front torso, shocking his internal organs and hemorrhaging his brain. After he slipped on a puddle of slime and crashed into a shelve full of paint cans (the impact was absorbed by his groin and his body, with possible broken ribs), he went for a sink (rigged by Kevin, turning it into an arc welder) for a wash, only to be electrocuted. To put it simple, he was fried inside out the moment he touched the metal sink, and would die as the result. Some even designed to either leave a lasting mark or killing them slowly with diseases and infections. When Harry attempted to enter the house from the front, he placed his hand on the doorknob, turned into a glowing red-hot metal by Kevin and burned his hand, leaving the “M” mark on his left palm. During this time, Harry would need a skin transplant by removing few skin tissues from his other body parts and graph it onto his damaged palm. Marv would contract tetanus as a result from stepping into a nail after being stripped of his footwear in the basement with stairs covered in tar, beside neural damaged caused by the trap itself. Some male audiences would cringe when Kevin shot Harry in the groin with a BB gun. It might not injure him fatally, but it affected his fertility and would require medical attention, as it might rupture his scrotum. 

Despite the deadly nature of the traps, the effects that they might cause are intended for comedy. When Marv was hit with a brick for the first time, he fell on his back while felling dizzy. After his fourth time with those bricks, he was depicted as someone who lost few IQ points and was talking gibberish. Groin shots also depicted as the comedic element, with Harry when he was shot with a BB gun, and Marv when a staple gun nailed him in the unmentionables. Another hilarious moment slipped in the movie is when Marv was electrocuted for so long, he turned into a skeleton. While Harry would be killed after the kerosene explosion, in the movie, he was covered in coal from the explosive encounter.  These traps are design to make the audiences laugh so much, with the expense of these poor criminals turned prank victims.

The Home Aloneseries basically portrays a young boy who was left alone and his plan to defend the house from burglars with some traps. While the traps themselves produced comedic effects that involve bodily injuries and humiliation, if you replicate these in real life, it will only resulted in disaster of lethal proportions. Some traps can even kill the recipient with just one blow. This movie franchise might be the greatest cinematic product ever made for the masses, but all comedic elements aside, this movie might be the deadliest holiday movie ever watched during holiday season. And despite these facts, Home Alonecontinues to be the holiday staple for the masses to enjoy during Christmas. And to close this, I know it’s still early (November 27 by the time of writing for God’s sake), but may you guys have a merry Christmas this upcoming December. This is the season to gather, enjoy the holidays with your friends and family and reflect on the year, en route to welcoming the New Year and a new decade. 

Metal Elitist: A Thorn In Our Metalhead's Sides

(Warning: Strong language in this article)

Ever since I wrote about the musical genre of Heavy Metal, I've been thinking of the fans of this genre, dubbed 'metalheads' as probably either the most open-minded group of people ever walking the face of this planet, or some retarded Neanderthals who like to bash and disrespect other forms of music. Well, most of my metalhead friends I know are most likely to be the former, but around the world, there are also many of them who can be classified as the latter. I know some metal musicians also have other interests on other branches of entertainment, and they are either praised or hated. This is the unfiltered story about the so-called 'metal elitists'.

Elitism as a terminology refers to a belief or an attitude that specifically formed by a group of individuals over a specific interest. Those who upheld this particular belief may express disdain or disagreement over things that are not up to their own standards. This group alienate themselves from other things outside their own circle. A metal elitist is a Heavy Metal fan that is said to be that close-minded individual who constantly attacks specific sub-genre or bands that either belongs to said sub-genre or outside of it. This group has their own standards when it comes to the heaviness of a band. For them, if it's not heavy enough or lacking any guitar solos, it's not metal. They are mostly listens to a specific sub-genre and based their judgment on that sub-genre alone, without taking a single consideration of other features offered by another genres. This elitism doesn't happen within the metal community, some metalheads also bash another musical genre based on their opinion that 'metal is above all else.'

Open-minded metalheads might not like other genres like Rap, Pop or EDM, but still appreciate them as forms of art. After all, these genres have their own features, strengths and weaknesses. But those narrow-minded bastards often see the weakness aspect only. We all know the long-running hatred that metalheads have on modern Pop music. Metalheads often argue that artists within the Pop realm are only make music for fame and fortune, produce songs that have meaningless lyrics, abusing auto-tune, and lacked any effort into their music. Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour even said in an interview with Loudwire that Pop music makes him 'ashamed to be a musician.' I remember back in August, when the Tool VS Taylor Swift feud was rampant on Twitter, while most Taylor Swift fans (mostly teenage girls between 12-17 who don't even know who Tool as a band was) voiced their frustrations, Tool fans were simply laughed and told those teens to 'suck it up'.

Within the metal spectrum, those same assholes have their own 'high standards' when it comes to labeling a band as metal. For them, metal is about being unknown and underground, and tends to label them "sellouts" if they found out that the band in question started to gather more fans. This term also refers to bands with considerably high popularity not just among metalheads, but also the society in general. When Metallica released their self-titled album in 1991, from that point until their latest album Hardwired: To Self Destruct in 2017, Elitists will only refer to Metallica by saying, "I love Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets, and that's it. Other albums by them are straight up bullshit." They also hate the idea that bands need to evolve their sound. Their icon for "not selling out" is Cannibal Corpse. As much as I love them, I can't really understand the fact that they rarely experiment with their sound. And apparently, that is what the elitists want. But if other bands tried to explore any musical possibilities, then it's almost certain that the floodgates of hate will open. When Megadeth released their 2013 album Super Collider, they received massive critics from the metal community, citing that they sound is more Rock oriented. They also consider that their preferred gene is better than anything else, and anybody who doesn't listen to it will be branded as a "poser." I am personally a Symphonic/Power Metal fan, but at least I listen to songs from outside that sub-genre, most people would brand me as a "poser who wants to be fucked in the ass" for listening to Symphonic Metal. They might think that metal must be pure distortion, guttural vocals and blinding fast drums. They might even say that Rage Agianst The Machine is not metal at all, because of the musical style of the band that blends rap vocals and metal riffs to absolute perfection (Thank Zach de la Rocha and Tom Morello for that). Recently, Japanese band BABYMETAL is targeted only because of the fact that they blend Japanese Idol music to Heavy Metal, with the band consists of a backing band (two guitarists, a bassist and a drummer) and 3 young Japanese Girls between the ages of 15-18 years old. The elitists thought that having three teenagers singing and dancing over heavy riffs is an insult to heavy music. Hell, they might say along the lines of "I'd rather eat my own shit and throw up on it than having to listen for even 5 fucking seconds of that garbage" or "those assholes make me want to kill myself."

Metalcore and Deathcore are among the genres most targeted by metal elitist. Those two are the result of fusing Hardcore Punk with Metal (Traditional Heavy Metal and Death Metal). Metalcore is often labeled as 'Emo tryhards' and Deathcore often being compared to Death Metal when it comes to skills and the time these genres existed. They are also (apparently) in denial of bands that came in the 80s, mostly listens to Pantera and Slayer. They might say that they are fighting against "corporate metal" but in reality, these cow-brained fuckers are just branding bands they don't like as shit and needs to die. In that same decade, Metal music reached its peak of popularity, with bands like Poison, Twisted Sister, and Motley Crue. The rise of Nu Metal in the early 2000s also provoked these crazed anti-metalheads to voice their negative opinions. Limb Bizkit once labelled as "Mallcore", and Slipknot was critisized for their masks. Among all the sub-genres of Heavy Metal, Black Metal is regarded as the genre where most elitists come from. For them, metal is like their way of life and their belief system. Even within Black Metal, some musicians like Euronymous from Mayhem stated that only bands with satanic beliefs (will all members must adhere to Satanism. But recently, some musicians of this genre are not necessarily had to be a satanist) can call themselves 'black metal'. Some musicians outside of this genre are also satanist, albeit not an elitist at the same time, like Deicide vocalist/bassist Glen Benton and King Diamond.

Yes, metal within itself is a spectrum. There are no two metal songs that sound the same. Some might include fast riffs and drumbeats, others might settle for slow and gloomy, another might step in with their epic, mighty symphonic sounds, and there are many who likes their music to be raw and unfiltered. But regardless, every sub-genre within Metal deserves their own appreciation, and should be treated as equal forms of art. It doesn't matter if you love the full force of intensity of Traditional Heavy Metal, the precision and complexity of Progressive Metal, the chaotic nature of Thrash Metal, the grim and intimidating Death Metal, the raw aesthetics of Black Metal or the epicness of Power and Symphonic Metal, Those are still music, and every fan deserves their own right to explore them all. If you like a specific sub-genre, feel free to introduce it to others, without having to shove it on their throats with force, but if you dislike one, at the very least, don't provoke others to hate it, some of them might just like it. Quit bitching and let others enjoy the music this genre has to offer. 

Jogjakarta: A Special Region That Is Being Rocked To The Core

Believe it or not, within the Republic of Indonesia, there is still a pre-colonial monarchy that existed way before the country even declared independence. What the hell is this? What kind of sorcery are you talking about? You may ask. Well, Only in this archipelago that you can find two provinces that have its own laws and systems. One of them is the Sultanate of Jogjakarta, or as referred with the official name, The Special Region of Jogjakarta (Daerah Istimewa Jogjakarta in Indonesian). As you might expect, the head of this provincial-level autonomous region is not a governor. Instead, the Sultan himself took that position according to the Special Law of Jogjakarta; with the Vice Governor is the royal price that assumed the title of Paku Alam. Why the hell this region is still allowed to do this? In a nutshell, The Sultanate is the first kingdom that fully recognizes the independence of Indonesia. Jogjakarta City would also served as the Nation's capital during the Indonesian Revolution (1946-1948), although after an invasion, the government switched to Bukittingi. This is majorly done with the blessings and the support from the Sultan. In order to pay the favor back, the Indonesian government would grant a special authority status to the Region. The law passed in 1950, making Jogjakarta the only province among the 34 provinces that still retains the monarch. Since then, the region plays an important role for the country. Even the royal family was represented at the top of the Indonesian government, with His Highness the Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX who assumed office as the Indonesian Vice President under Suharto.

I've been to this Special Region twice, and I have to say that in comparison to other cities on the Java Island, Jogjakarta still retains its cultural heritages and its royal vibes aside from the Bali Island (but with the Balinese, it's more towards religion-based customs, since the province is the only Island province that has the most Hindu population). The city itself is also full of the big sense of royalty to it. Jogjakarta City is the home of the Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace, which serves as both museum and the royal palace. The Sultan's position in this case is like that of a governor, with full control over the region and answers directly to the President of Indonesia. Whenever you go, there is always a bit of a royal vibe that surrounds the region, from the city all the way to regencies like Sleman, Kulonprogo or Bantul, people who travel to Jogjakarta always came up with two things on their minds: The Royal Sultanate and the embodiment of the Javanese culture. Not surprisingly, Jogjakarta is also known to be the center of Javanese culture. With various dances, drama plays, music, poetry and puppet shows. Aside from the royal palace, Jogjakarta is also home for the famous shopping district known as Malioboro Street. This complex is roughly 500 meters away from the royal palace, and known mainly for its Batik. There are many stores either inside the shopping district or areas surrounding it that specializes in this type of clothing. Aside from that, some shops also have t-shirts with various motives associated to Jogjakarta or the Kingdom of Jogjakarta. This city is also known for its higher education, namely the Gadjah Mada University (Universitas Gadjah Mada, UGM in Indonesian), probably one of the most prestigious universities in Indonesia. Other place of interest is Mount Merapi, last erupted in October-November 2010.

For many years, Jogjakarta is widely known for being "always special", but there are some controversies that rise in this region during the last decade. I did mention that the Sultan of Jogjakarta also assume office as the governor of Jogjakarta, right? Well, in 2016, an advocate named M. Sholeh tried to challenge that special right by stating that Jogjakarta needs an election to decide the governor seat. He referenced the current President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, who despite being born in Surakarta (known as Solo), Central Java (his ID card is a Central Java ID), he was allowed to run for the position of governor of Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKI Jakarta). He was also against the idea that the Sultan can be the governor at the same time. This idea was rejected, citing that under the Special Law, M. Sholeh was ineligible to run for candidate, since his ID was also a Central Java ID. The Constitutional Court also stated that the limitations was put in place with the sake of honoring the agreement and the recognition of Indonesia by the Sultanate of Jogjakarta, before the country was even established. Since then, the governoral seat belongs to the royal throne. The Sultan is also the governor of the Special Region as long as he remains in the throne. Another case of the special law being challenged was by a lawyer named Handoko. He claimed that the current land ownership law issued by the Vice Governor restricted Chinese-Indonesian minorities from owning their own lands. The State Court of Jogjakarta later broke this argument, stating that due to history and the special law, the Special Region of Jogjakarta is allowed to establish its own laws and regulations. This law is again challenged, this time by a Chinese-Indonesian college student Felix Juanardo Winata, an UGM student. He claims that it will jeopardize the unity of Indonesia as written on the Pancasila's fifth principle, which says "Social Just and Equality to all Indonesians". The trials of this case will be held at the Constitutional Court.

Jogjakarta is indeed special. Evidenced by the strong royal influence in the form of the Sultanate, and also it major Javanese customs. Among all the cities across 6 provinces on the Java Island (save from Banten, Jakarta and West Java, with the former and the latter mostly known for its Sundanese population, and Jakarta which is the home of the Betawi), This is the city that has the most Javanese-influenced customs and traditions. When you think about the history behind it, it is only appropriate for the Indonesian Government to name Jogjakarta as the Autonomous Region with special rights for its own regulations. From the start, the Sultanate pledged their allegiance to the then newly established republic, and fought alongside them during wars and hard times. In the end, no matter what happens, keep Jogjakarta "special."

Talent Shows: From Fame to Infamy

Everybody wants to be famous. And to achieve said thing, many would work hard, play hard and train even harder. And it is a common conception that it's hard to be famous, but it's even harder to maintain that fame over the years. Some would still be famous across generations, but there are also many that only last in a few years time, and that apparently is inevitable. And what happens to someone when he/she is not famous anymore? They revert back to a normal citizen doing normal chores, normal jobs and normal life.

There are many ways for an individual to achieve fame. Nowadays, it's either cause a massive controversy or drama (cough, Kim Kardashian, cough), be a content creator on either YouTube or Twitch, or just participate in some form of a talent seeking show. Talent Shows are probably the most watched show in the planet. With many programs offering different concepts, these idol hopefuls are looking to establish their marks on the entertainment industry. Even with different concepts, these shows always feature a similar aspect amongst themselves: fan votes. As the name suggests, these shows often broadcasted live and include the viewers as the judge to vote for their favorite contestant, with the contestant who collect the most votes advancing to the next round (or winning the show if that particular episode is the final), and the others with the least amount of votes are eliminated every week. This gives the masses the power over these contestants' fate. If a contestant is doing well across the competition, it is guarantee that the votes will increase, however, the least marks you leave with the audience, the less votes you will get.

There are some big Talent Shows across the globe right now, with shows like singing competitions American Idol, The Voice, and The X Factor, or dancing competitions like So You Think You Can Dance. Some countries have their own versions of talent shows, like the Produce Series or Superstar K from South Korea, Got Talent series like America's Got Talent, Britain's Got Talent, even Asia's Got Talent. The winners of these shows often got a decent amount of money with other prizes, like a recording contract, or other prizes like cars or houses (yep, some shows offer these things as prize). There are many celebrities that came out of these shows. One of them is Scottish singer Susan Boyle. This inspirational singer won Britain's Got Talent and went on to have a successful career in music. Another instance of talent show contestants turned famous artists are former X Factor UK competitors turned famous boyband One Direction. The group, instigated by judge Simon Cowell was consist of contestants Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlison and Zayn Malik. They might not win the show, but they soon skyrocketed to new heights with songs like Midnight Memories, Story of My Life, and History. This now-on-hiatus group was famous around the same time as Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, among others. This shows that not only talent show winners can enjoy their fame, those who didn’t can experience the same amount of fame as their winning counterparts. However, some talent show winners can fade to obscurity in no time, instead choosing jobs outside the entertainment business. Indonesian Idol alumni Januarisma Runtuwene (known as Aris Idol) won the 2008 edition of the show, but nowadays facing legal difficulties after his arrest for narcotics in 2019. He only released a single full-album in the wake of his victory. His job prior to his arrest was an online taxi driver.

Talent shows are not safe from controversies either. Recently, the Korean Police Force are currently undergoing an investigation of an alleged vote manipulation of both season 3 and 4 of the Produce series, which are Produce 48 (a collaboration show with the 48 Family and its conceptor Atsushi Akimoto of Japan) and the latest show Produce X 101. The police suspected that some of the people backstage, from the agencies to MNet officials changed the final vote results in such a way to give specific contestants the advantage during the course of the competition, even winning the debut contract as part of a K-Pop group (often bribed to doing so). Now the fates of both groups (X1 and I*ZONE, respectively) are in question pending the full investigation, some even said they might be disbanded. Not only the shows itself are full of shady deals, the contestants once they exit the show (either as winners or losers) often caught doing questionable behaviors. Jung Joon-young was a Superstar K contestant, placed in the top 3 at the fourth season of the show, aired in 2012. After his stint at the show, he expanded his career as a radio DJ, singer and host. His most infamous act caught by the masses was happened recently in 2019, when he admitted to record and spread sexual contents without the consent of his partner. He was charged with rape with possible sentence of 7 years of incarceration.

Sure, this type of reality programming will continue to exist, but unfortunately, controversies of any sorts will also follow. There might be new concepts and fresh faces, but the voters are still the same, the audiences watching at home. Winning a talent show doesn't mean that you will be famous in an instants, as with others, you will have to scratch and claw your way into the entertainment business, as this industry is all about fresh talents and trending topics. If you are lucky, you can last for decades, even generations. But if you are unlucky, one slip-up can spell the end of the line for you. 

Bullying: Never a Cool Thing

(Warning: Strong Languages and Full-blown Rants in this article)

We all know a story about a misfit in high school, who was constantly being in the short-end of the deal, either not able to fit in with the environment or just downright outcast. Sometimes, these poor souls are subjected to bullying. What the hell is bullying? You may ask. Let me elaborate this. Bullying is mainly the use of force or threat to abuse and assert someone as dominant to another. This thing is mainly done with the hostile intention to cause any sort of damage that can last for short term or long term. Ironically, many of those so-called 'bullies' actually have either low self-esteem or just downright malicious and narcissistic.  We all know the phrase "the strong overpowers the weak", and bullying is a crystal clear interpretation of the phrase.

Bullying itself is divided to few types. The most commonly done is physical bully and verbal bully. Based on their names, one is a type of bullying by the means of harming someone's body or possession. This can range from mere punches, kicks, shove, to even more dangerous use of weapons. This can escalate to violence if the bully wants. Another is used by the means of talking either rumors, hoaxes, calling names or making threats. Unlike the previous type, this form targets the victims’ psychology and mental health Some might do this type of bullying based on the victim's appearance (body shaming) or a fact that the same target is a special needs kid (autism and any disorders similar to it). This is done mainly to assert power in a group by constantly alienating a specific target for their own pleasure. Nowadays, cyber bullying is the preferred method of bullying, by utilizing social media platforms to send threats online, making prank calls, and anonymous harassment. Kids at schools do not only experience all these three types of bullying, adults at workplace are also deal with that same cases. More often than not, some suicide cases mainly caused by depression are traced back to bullying inside a working environment.

I'll be blunt here in the next paragraphs. I've been bullied before. I've been pinched, beaten, yelled at, left out and even some jackasses I called classmates often place their blames at me for the things that they've done. I can vividly remember when I was in Elementary school; a classroom's door handle was pretty loose due to improper fitting. Many of my friends played with that same handle, and when I touched it, since it was already broken, came off the door mechanism. Instead of helping me fix it, those same bastards instead yelled loudly and instantly blaming me for the loose knob. Another instance is when I was constantly beaten like I was some sort of a sandbag when I was in fourth grade. There was this kid who likes to punch me anywhere. On one day, at one instance during class, we were sitting on the floor because we forgot to turn in our assignments, and this kid started to torment me. Because I cried quite a bit when I was a kid, many would call me 'crybaby'. Being fed up of his antics, I swiftly punched him in the unmentionables for self-defense. On another occasion, I bit another kid who was bullying me in the hand. And what I got in return was vengeance. He actually hit me with a drumming stick straight to the head. It is safe to say that my grade school years were more like hell on Earth. I guess that might explain why I personally prefer to be alone in a few instances. My first taste of cyber bullying came about two years ago. My friend inserted me into a gaming community group on Facebook. At first, the community was pretty friendly, but quickly turned sour when a group of spoiled motherfuckers (yep, that is my term to refer those guys) post some hateful comments and toxic remarks, even as far as flipping me the finger. Other members outside of their circle who has different opinions also subjected to this hate comments online. Few of those, including me ended up quitting the group and formed our own instead, making a promise to never accepting an online bully.

Sometimes bullying happens when some asshole is trying to assert dominance to another. Others might argue that it is done to channel their aggression over some unexplainable matters. By doing this, they say, the bully will gain power and self-confidence and a sense of importance. And surprisingly, people with mental conditions can even be either the bully or the victim. Speaking of mental conditions, people with autism and other behavioral disorders (here we go again) are prone to these abuses by the neurotypical society who either not having a clue of what autism is or simply don't give a simple, shiny glowing fuck about it. And let me tell you something. These beautiful minds are living their own lives and are doing well with themselves, so leave them the fuck alone, you arrogant prick! There are too many cases happened with this matter. Particularly involves someone who is a non-verbal autistic and a few of these wolf-in-sheep-clothing assholes that are supposed to be their caregivers. Those poor souls are often beaten, harassed, dragged, and even put them inside a room full of 'nightmare' (autistic person might have sensory issues, either sound, sight, or touch). Those 'nightmares' can be in a form of loud noises blowing constantly, rooms with excessive amounts of lighting (or lack of them), or even clothing with irritable tags and seams.

Cyberbullyings on the other hand might not have the biggest impact as the physical ones mentioned above, but with the advent of modern technology, throwing shades and toxic comments can be faster than snapping a finger, even if the target is a renowned celebrity. Choi Jin-ri or Sulli (yep, we're doing this again) was a famous Korean singer and actress, formerly a member of K-Pop girl group f(x). Last month she was found dead at her apartment after she allegedly hung herself. It only took a few weeks to determine that she was suffering from depression due to a constant and malicious hate comments made online. These keyboard warriors (personally I just call them jackasses with no life) post various comments full of disdain, hate, and intentionally evil words in every posts Sulli made on her various social media accounts. When confronted, these heartless fuckers even said along the lines of "it's not my responsibility if she dies" and "all I do is tell the truth." Congratulations, you assholes just admitted that you are indirectly killed Sulli. Now go ahead and turn your Asses in to the Police. I hear that some K-Pop fans are the most militant to their idols; they would do anything to defend them.

Annoyingly, bullying has become a typically normal aspect of everyday life. Some might say "they are just kids" or "they are just having fun." Well, it's not funny anymore if that poor kid ended up killed by these bullies! Someone needs to step up and challenge this supposed 'social norm' (this is not social norm to begin with anyway, this is pure ignorance). These victims might feel lonely, isolated, rejected, and most horrifyingly, dark and depressed. I mean, come on, if these guys already have depression, DO NOT MAKE IT WORSE! Damn it! I guess many people are still in need of proper education of anti-bullying. Better still, I think bullying, at this point should be considered as a crime. Make those bastards serve prison time for "having fun" with the expense of an innocent soul.

In the end, if you are parents with kids, teach them to be compassionate with others. Teach them something about diversity and empathy. Don't let them become bullies. Moreover, don't bully them in the first place. They might channel their agression and envy into an innocent kid. And for the closure, fuck bullying. They should not suffer things I've suffered long time ago.

Motorsport: Safe, Yet Potentially Deadly

This piece is written in the wake of a fatal accident that cost a young Indonesian rider Afridza Munandar's life at the Asia Talent Cup race in Sepang Circuit, Malaysia last weekend (in conjunction with the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix). Before that, on August, French F2 driver Anthoine Hubert succumbed to his injuries sustained as the result of a crash at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, at the Eau Rouge-Raidillon section of the track. This marked the first on-track fatality since Ayrton Senna's fatal wreck at Imola back in 1994. As for two-wheeled racing, the last fatal crash that happened across a weekend was Luis Salom's high-speed slam into turn 12 at Catalunya Circuit in Barcelona, during the Moto2 second free practice back in 2016. But when it comes to fatal crash during a race itself, we have to mention a three-bike pile-up between Marco Simoncelli, Colin Edwards and Valentino Rossi at Malaysia in 2011. The force of the crash even dislodged Simoncelli's helmet off. He was later pronounced dead because of the injuries sustained, and cancelling the race altogether. Although being a fan of motorsport (or auto racing as they would called it in the US), I have to admit, this is the most dangerous sport ever done by humankind. There are countless cases of on-track fatalities happened across the history of the sport, and usually ended with some sort of improvements and rule changes in regards of the safety of the drivers and riders.

Perhaps the most famous example of safety improvement after the death of a driver was the afromentioned Senna crash and Dale Earnhardt's fatal last lap wreck at turn 4 of the 2001 Daytona 500 race. Earnhardt succumbed to his spinal cord injury sustained at the crash. This ultimately made the use of Head and Neck Support Device (HANS) mandatory across all racing discipline governed by FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) and NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). Earnhardt himself refused to wear one, citing discomfort. Some races were forced to change venue after the death of a competitor, as evidenced by Daijiro Kato's high-speed impact at 130R bend of Suzuka Circuit that ultimately claimed his life. Since then, the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix is held at Twin Ring Motegi. Firesuits was strengthen to withstand over 9000 degrees of soaring heat after the famous 1976 Nurburgring crash involving Niki Lauda, who went on to return to the F1 circuit at Monza exactly six weeks after the incident. And after a heavy crash at the same track as Kato's incident during the 2014 F1 Japanese Grand Prix that eventually costed Jules Bianchi his life, the halo (a single protective bar installed in front of the cockpit to protect the drivers from flying debris) was made mandatory by the FIA across all single-seater, open-wheeled racing discipline. And already this single bar demonstrated the capability of saving a driver from a potential fatal accident, like when Charles Leclerc almost squashed by Fernando Alonso, who was bumped by a brake-locked #27 Renault car of Nico Hulkenberg at Spa last year.

Big crashes always happen in every racing series. Formula E is a fairly new series, but already has two near fatal wrecks in the form of a tangle between Nick Heidfeld and Nico Prost during the final lap of the inaugural FE race at Beijing, China, and a horror shunt between Nelson Piquet Jr and Jean-Eric Vergne at Mexico City earlier this year. NASCAR also has its fair share of big wrecks, dubbed 'the Big One', usually occured on races at Talladega and Daytona. But probably the most well-remembered big (and horror) wreck happened at either of those tracks was the final lap of the 2014 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, when Austin Dillon (#3 DOW Chevrolet SS of Richard Childress Racing) was punted in the rear bumper and subsequently flown across the field and landed in the trackside catchfencing on the outside of the tri-oval. Another instance was back in 2017 when Joey Logano lost control of his #22 AAA Insurance Team Penske Ford Fusion and hooked the #10 Stewart-Haas Ford of Danica Patrick in the process at Kansas with 67 laps remaining, which subsequently collected the speeding Aric Almirola, resulted in a violent crash between the #22 of Logano, #10 of Partick and the #43 machine of Almirola. While Logano and Patrick walked away unharmed, Almirola complained about his back and had to be extracted from the heavily wrecked #43 Smithfield Ford Fusion of Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM). He was awake and alert. In Formula 1 however, the biggest (and the messiest) recorded wreck was the start of the 1998 Belgian Grand Prix at Spa during an extreme downpour. The crashed claimed as many as thirteen cars, instigated by David Coulthard who lost control of his McLaren. Another instance of crahses in wet conditions happened at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix in 2017. Max Verstappen (#33 Red Bull Racing) squeezed in a sandwich by both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari, sending both Verstappen and Raikkonen into the wall, with Fernando Alonso collected along the way. Vettel retired 3 corners later on the same lap.

While these crashes happened because of either outside factor or driver errors, some wrecks happened because of driver shenanigans. The NASCAR Chase For The Sprint Cup round for 2015 season was marred by a feud between Joe Gibbs Racing's Matt Kenseth (#20 Dollar General Toyota Camry) and Joey Logano. Before that, in 2013, he was also involved in another feud with another Joe Gibbs driver in the form of Denny Hamlin (#11 FedEx Toyota Camry), who ended the feud wrecked by Logano at Autoclub Speedway, injuring his legs in the process. The feud first started in Kansas when Logano spun Kenseth out from the win. He went on to score 3 wins in the first rounds of the Chase, until the Martinsville race came up. Kenseth was all over Logano during the course of the race, with him and Penske teammate Brad Keselowski (#2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion) swapping first and second place. Keselowski later tagged Kenseth at the exit of turn 2 with Kurt Busch (#41 Haas/Monster Chevrolet SS) as the collateral damage. The opportunity presented itself when Kenseth, limping around the track was about to be lapped by leader Logano, and at the entrance of turn 1, he hooked the right front bumper of his #20 Camry into the #22 Ford's left rear and drove them straight into the outside retaining wall much to the fans' delight. That crash would cost Logano a chance of winning the 2015 Sprint Cup in the later stages of the chase, which was ultimately won by Kenseth's teammate Kyle Busch (#18 M&M's Toyota Camry). Kenseth was later suspended for two races.

Two drivers in the heat of the battle (usually for the win/championship) can also cause a crash or a mistake that would lead into a crash. Lucas di Grassi (Team Abt Sportsline FE) was in desperate mode heading into the final race of season 2 of Formula E against Sebastien Buemi (Renault eDams). Held at Battersea Park, London, going into turn 3, Di Grassi hooked his front wing into Buemi's rear end, sending them into the wall. Buemi later clinched the championship by scoring the fastest lap of the race. In NASCAR, during a playoff elimination race last year at Charlotte (First year with Roval configuration), Martin Truex Jr (#78 Auto Insurance/Furniture Row Toyota Camry) and Jimmie Johnson (#48 Lowe's Chevrolet Camaro of Hendrick Motorsports) was battling tooth-and-nail coming into the final lap. The battle was even until the final chicane sequences of turns 15, 16, and 17. Johnson locked his wheels, spun out and collecting Truex in the process. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney (#12 Pennzoil/Menard's Ford Fusion) took the win as the result of the incident.

Let's face it, we attend races and watch those events on TV and various streaming services for exciting racing, great battles, nailbiting finishes and of course, the wrecks. Many fans will say that every race has to have at least one accident (don't take my word for granted, I was just paraphrasing Bernie Ecclestone's respond to Jeremy Clarkson's question during an episode of TV show Top Gear). We can't say for sure that motorsport is 100% safe, but with all these safety measures in place, these daredevils can at least breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the safety standards being implemented today is constantly improved. And I'll end this by stating my deepest condolences to Munandar and Hubert families. These young racers had big potential, but gone too soon. 

Pranks Gone Wrong: When Practical Jokers Do not Care about the condition of The Society Anymore

Ah, comedy. This small thing that is capable of wiping the tears of sadness and the burden of life in a form of laugh and fun. There are many forms of this activity that the masses can enjoy, whether as a performance broadcasted on TV or various streaming services (Stand-up comedy, Comedy roast, sit-com, or sketch comedy routine) or pranking some unsuspecting member of the society just for the sake of it. I have to admit, I love a good prank. My absolute favorite pranking methods is by either an air horn or a big loud noise (train horns and other forms of big horns), although I mostly carry out my pranks by sneaking into the back of an unsuspecting friend of mine, and basically jump scaring them. It's all for good fun, but by pulling a prank on someone with possible heart issues or something that can trigger a fatal chain reaction can be quite a handful, to say the least. Some of the victims might lash out, some might faint, or some might resorted to law enforcement officers. Even worse, few of them even killed in the process.

Recently, some teenagers set out to prank the entire neighborhood by dressing up as pocong (a ghost wrapped in the shroud, the soul is said to be trapped inside it. Also known as hantu bungkus (wrapped ghost). Predominately found in Malaysia and Indonesia) and recorded the reaction to be posted on YouTube. One famous and viral example of this is a YouTube channel Erlanggs, owned by Erlangga Alfreda Davian, who posted the act last year on April 5, 2018. The prank in question was set in an area near the cemetery in Pondok Labu, South Jakarta. What they didn't know was it turns out that one of the victims of the scare is a woman with alleged heart conditions. She lashed out to the teenagers, citing that if her heart acts up, she would end up dead. The netizens offered similar opinions as the woman in question. Some even say along the lines of "joking out of bounds" and "shame on you, you could have accidentally killed her." Six months later, a mob arrested 6 young boys, two of them dressed up as pocong in Sukmajaya, Depok. They didn't turn those boys in to the Police, but instead punishing them to sleep at the cemetery, with the boys crying in the process. The Makassar City Police Force carried out the recent arrest of similar complaint on November 3, 2019. The Police Response Team arrested two teenagers on Banta Bentaeng Street and surrounding areas. The arrest was carried out based on the complaint about some teenagers dressed up as pocong scaring the living being out of unsuspecting passerby either on foot or by vehicle (usually motorbikes). After interrogating those jokers, the police established a motif of "pranking the passerby just for the sake of good laugh and fun."

By this time, we can all see that although pranks can be fun for the perpetrators, it can cause a major discomfort to the surrounding areas, and more often than not, these innocent pranks could turn into a disaster of lethal proportions. There is a story when a High School boy put on a mask and hid inside a dumpster bin to scare the living hell out of unsuspecting victims. The story goes, a High Schooler of African descent was interviewed by a schoolmate when that same guy jumped out of the bin with the mask on. But instead of jumping back, the victim instead punched him in the face, possibly knocked the prankster out cold (now that is what I call instant karma). I did mention jokes turn lethal, didn't I? In 2014, an innocent teenage girl lost her life because of a simple toilet paper, egg and mayonnaise prank on a car in Little Rock, Arkansas. The victim, a 48 year-old man then opened fire into the group, killing that poor girl and injuring some of her entourage in the process. The shooter was later sentenced to 30 years in prison. Another instance of fun-turned-sour happened in 2017, when a series of prank messages about girlfriend who killed herself led an 11-year-old kid to suicide. His girlfriend was, in fact, alive and well and was charged with malicious use of telecom devices. During the pranks, his friends never told him that it was a joke, and nobody told an adult that the boy was threatening to kill himself. They were simply carried out the prank and assuming that he either wouldn't kill himself or simply didn't care any less. Many even say that despite starting out harmless, this plan was already cruel from the get-go.

When it comes to comedy, pranks are always considered as the cheapest and the easiest way to execute, although with the expense of surrounding masses. When executed correctly and safely, this activity will surely be a lot of fun, but if the perpetrators execute the prank with malicious intent, it can turn to the worse in the matter of seconds. Even if those pranks are safe and non-lethal, there are several circumstances that might turn an otherwise fun and harmless prank into a deathtrap. Some of the targeted victims might resort to force, either by fisticuffs or the use of weapons. Some people just don't have any sense of humor. And if they do, most of them wouldn't necessarily find it funny if the prank involves something that have excessive shock values or something with the intention of harm and discomfort. It's okay to let loose and laugh, there are many mediums of comedy to do so, but just make sure that it's safe, harmless and tolerable for the masses.