The man is iconic.

Unironically, I have that ad saved under comedic commercials.

Which, tbh, are already confusing for someone who hasn't been in the game for decades on end.

I've also never understood things like this from a marketing perspective. Like this is definitely dissimilar, but even if it were an on the nose deal with like "Sauron Sauce" or whatever as one of their offerings, you're still getting recognition.

Even if the Tolkien estate were concerned about the cheapening of their "brand", who tf cares? It's obviously not about that, because I just checked and there is a line of LOTR Funko Pops for fuck's sake.

And if a work like The Lord of the Rings can't stand on its own (with regard to seriousness and artistic value) with the addition of kitschy wing trucks, I don't know what else would.

Seems like a win-win to me, but then again, I fucking hate trademarking and patenting laws in general. Intellectual property is a pretty spurious concept at best and courts around the world have consistently shown it is a tool used to quash innovation, promote stagnant wealth, and keep the heel on the middle and lower classes.

I feel distressed, tbh...

Some states? Maybe. Georgia (as mentioned in the article), likely not. There has been a continual war on education in the US and we see it on display every election cycle.

Despite their best efforts (including paying teachers in red states poverty wages), those who would keep us dumb and scared are frustrated to find a new generation that doesn't give a fuck about division along arbitrary demographic lines and is increasingly aware of class warfare.

This drives further education cuts and cries from extremist/hate motivated groups to further crack down on our schools because these parents are so weak willed as to be offended by diversity and critical thinking.

I hope these are the last dying wails of this kind of hatred and ignorance, but I'm not taking that for granted. Vote, educate, and promote solidarity and unity at every opportunity because the shitheels who are on the other side will fight tooth and nail to destroy education funding and cut down our teaching corps.

Edit: How a teacher of eight years experience is making $47k a year is a travesty.

For me, it all started with Raven from Teen Titans... No chance after that, I'm afraid.

Okay, yeah, you have a point. I'd take a chance on the extraplanar roommate.

The first dentist I ever went to was great. He was good with kids and adults and did his job. He was realistic about kids being kids and gave us the tools and information to make sure our teeth were healthy. I had him all the way through my braces and into high school. He then retired.

My next dentist was a horrendous, preachy, asshole who loved to tell all of his patients what was wrong with them, make people feel bad for their decisions to drink soda, and surmised that we were all eating too much junk food (which he wouldn't really elaborate on when asked). My diet wasn't perfect, but I had mostly home cooked meals with steamed vegetables, along with the occasional fast food lunch with friends.

He was also Mormon and I know a lot of Mormons love to get on their high horse and take pleasure in being petty, insufferable, assholes. I haven't read their batshit book (albeit, most in that genre are similarly zany and harebrained), but there must be some discussion on how to be a bad neighbor to everyone you meet in there based on their predilictions for unfair/unwarranted judgement and exclusion. He only hired other Mormon dentists to his practice and all the dental assistants were similarly preachy and religious.

I dreaded going to the dentist for mostly social reasons and didn't want to be shamed by being told that I had better take care of my teeth (which were fine) because my parents had spent a lot of money on my braces (and it wasn't that much money because the first dentist wasn't a sneering profiteer).

I ditched that asshole once I went to college and have had a couple dentists since then who were fine, did their job and didn't give me a bunch of flak for not flossing after every meal like a fucking psychopath.

Fundamentally, I think the issue with dentists is that when you get a bad one, they make you feel bad, which is the absolute antithesis of healthcare.

Additionally, because of the arbitrary and asinine distinction in the US between oral care and basically the rest of the body, dentistry is seen as cosmetic and unnecessary, often allowing or obligating dentists to charge an arm and a leg for most of their services. We all know how prices ratchet up from initial obligations to cover higher costs into "fuck the consumer, they were fine paying the higher prices anyway so let's increase our profit margin".

Compound that with the ridiculous price setting and insurance rackets baked into anything close to the health sector, and you have a lot of frustration even before patients get into the chair.

If you're not a dentist who will practice compassionate care, at least be one who just shuts the fuck up and does their job. Of course let the patient know what's going on in their mouth and how they can better take care of themselves or treat something they're dealing with, but chill the fuck out with the fire and brimstone shit about missing a cleaning or not flossing all the time.

Healthcare is all about bedside manner. If you don't have it, you're not a good provider and your business can and should suffer (the fact that our healthcare structures are businesses and profit motivated is fundamentally opposed to effective care, anyway, but that's the subject of another essay).

Edit: Cleaned it up a bit and added that my first dentist retired.

Agreed. He shouldn't have to hide, either, but that's not where we are, apparently.

I'm so glad every sentence in that comment is incorrect.

Slovenia is ashamed of her lol

Edit: Typed post instead of comment, corrected.

This is the worst second breakfast meme I've come across yet... And, sadly, the most relatable.