Alex Mell-Taylor
Bio
I write long-form pieces on timely themes inside entertainment, pop culture, video games, gender, sexuality, race and politics. My writing currently reaches a growing audience of over 10,000 people every month across various publications.
Stories (87)
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The Owl House Subverted A Generation of Anti-Fascist Media
Dana Terrace's show, The Owl House, ended on April 8, 2023. It was about a nerdy woman named Luz Noceda who was transported to a magical land called the Boiling Isles. There she learned magic, gathered friends and allies, and faced off against a dictator named Emperor Belos, who wanted everyone to conform to his rule.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
Many Minecraft Players Fail To Understand What Anarchy Is
If you have been following Minecraft for a while, you may have noticed the proliferation of so-called "anarchy servers." Places such as 2b2t & MC Prison where there are allegedly "no rules." Players are permitted to cheat, steal, and kill other players (virtually) with reckless abandon.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
Kurzgesagt’s Neoliberal Stance on the Environment
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell is a charming YouTube channel that attempts to demystify complicated topics in a way everyday people can understand. Each episode involves a narrator explaining subjects while adorable little animations help to illuminate the topics as clearly as possible.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Earth
Sometimes It's Okay To Give Up Hope: The Future Isn't Lost
I talk to my friends, and the futures they paint for me are bleak: Gilead, Bladerunner, Max Max. They tell me that there are no good futures left: that we are irreversibly headed for constant wars, depleting water, food shortages, and reduced life expectancies. As Bill McGuire, a climate scientist at University College London, told The Daily Beast of climate change: "There is no doomerism, simply realism."
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Motivation
The Disaster Town The Government Ignored (Flint, Michigan)
Why hello there, traveler, and welcome to the “Apocalypse Tour.” This is the walking and drinking tour for all those disaster junkies out there, where we observe the locations that had a significant impact on species 947’s collapse (947 were also known as humanity [hyoo·ma·nuh·tee]). We discuss the physical, digital, and psychic locations that contributed to humanity’s untimely end on a tiny planet called Earth in the year 90,423 XE (what humans may know as 2XXX AD).
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Fiction
Calling Marianne Williamson' Kooky' Reeks of Sexism
In March of 2023, spiritual leftist and failed 2020 presidential democratic nominee Marianne Williamson announced her bid for the presidency. Almost immediately, commentators began attacking, not her policies, but her kookiness. "Let the Cranks Run," Jack Shafer argued in Politico, a picture of Williamson on the thumbnail. "If I had a, what's it called? A little globe here, a crystal ball," Biden's press secretary mocked when asked about her bid, "Then I can tell you…. If I could feel her aura. I just don't have anything to share on that."
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in The Swamp
Disney Doesn't Need To Campaign For Copyright Extension
For years, Disney, and all major media holders, have pushed to extend copyright so that their Intellectual Property can remain outside the public domain — i.e., materials not protected by IP laws. Their political meddling has been detrimental to our property laws. As I wrote in The MCU Was Never A Bold, New Experiment in Cinema:
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in The Swamp
Surprisingly, This Is What a Trans Genocide Looks Like
Everywhere we see people comparing trans existence to an insidious threat, a malicious ideology, indoctrination, contagion, or plague. "The leftwing gender insanity being pushed on our children is an act of abuse," Donald Trump said recently.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Pride
The Movie ‘The Menu’ Is a Disappointing Class Commentary
Seth Reiss and Will Tracy's satirical romp The Menu is about the maniacal Chef Slowik enacting revenge on those he perceives as slighting him. It centers around 12 customers being ferried to the private island to pay for a $1,000+ per plate dining experience. Throughout the night, it quickly becomes apparent that none of them are leaving alive.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
The MCU Was Never A Bold, New Experiment in Cinema
When the MCU first came onto the scene, it was praised as a bold new direction in storytelling. "The Narrative Experiment That Is the Marvel Cinematic Universe" went the title of an article by Maya Phillips in the New Yorker. "…the MCU can't forget the secret formula that made Phase 4 so groundbreaking," writes Nicolas Ayala in Screen Rant. Everywhere you look, people are praising this franchise that now spans multiple mediums and platforms for its originality.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Geeks
The Political Appropriation of the Train Crash in East Palestine, Ohio
On February 3rd, a train operated by the company Norfolk Southern derailed near the village of East Palestine, Ohio. Authorities claimed that toxic materials had been released into the atmosphere (and would release even more themselves) and consequently ordered an evacuation.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in The Swamp
The World of Online Publishing Makes Liars of Us All
As a blogger, I am someone who values the truth. I take the responsibility of this platform very seriously. I will spend hours analyzing and double-checking my sources, going down research rabbit holes that will never turn into content. I spend a lot of time-consuming articles and books that take me a long time to process and digest, all so I can feel somewhat confident that I know what the f@ck I am talking about.
By Alex Mell-Taylor3 years ago in Motivation
