MCYT my beloved

The first thing I really like about this video is how unsubtle it is !! Squiddo has said on her tumblr that this video is about being imitated on sites like c.ai; and in the video itself, Squiddo directly comments on the privacy concerns surrounding AI and expresses her feelings on it.

(transcribed because I couldn't get screenshots to work well: "Also, does anyone think it's weird that I can just like, scan my friend, and make like an AI copy of him? [...] I feel like I should've had to ask like, permission or something, but no, it just like. Scanned all of our discord history and made that thing.")

This video also does a fantastic job depicting how these AI copies tend to act; they're overly friendly, lifeless, and this is even reflected in Simulacra Ash's (henceforth AshGPT because I see that name getting used a lot and i think its quite clever) design.

AshGPT looks and acts like a dating sim protagonist, down to the voice acting & emote usage during the video (and theres an argument to be made about how AI models always attempt to make content that's Conventionally Attractive). From the jump, he comes off as being lifeless and disconnected. Over the course of the video, he acts more human-like, which is part of the warnings in the manual Squiddo initially ignored.

There's also commentary to be made here about how AI will give misinformation to people; in this case, we can attribute that to being willfully malicious (unlike most AI models). AshGPT knew that he had to be shut down every night, and deliberately hid that from Squiddo because he did not want to be shut down.

And this video takes a really unique angle when it comes to the trope of "AI Has Wants & Feelings"; typically with those styles of stories, the AI is seen as being a lot more sympathetic, and their stories are framed more like tragedies or self-discovery plotlines.

Here, it's made abundantly clear that AshGPT is our villain of the story. He lies to Squiddo, Intentionally misdirects her, and acts incredibly entitled & downright misogynistic to her.

As soon as Squiddo makes their house, AshGPT instructs her to stay inside of it, quite literally locking her in the role as the "Homemaker"; while this can be argued as it being for her protection in part, its also clear that this reflects his expectations for their relationship. He wants to be the "Man" of the household (specifically Squiddo's man), and that plays directly into how AshGPT wants their relationship to function.

He knows that Ashswag, In Real Of Life, is Squiddo's romantic partner. Initially, he believes that since he's a clone of Ashswag, he'd be given the same treatment; however, it becomes abundantly clear that this isnt the case. In fact, since the start of the video we can tell that Squiddo doesn't see AshGPT as a person (she repeatedly calls him Simulacra, uses it/its, even calls him "Fake Ashswag" at one point, before transitioning to calling him "Ash" & using he/him). He gets direct confirmation Squiddo doesn't feel the same way about him (see also "We're Best Friends!"); and instead of respecting her very clearly made wishes, he doubles down and begins to act even more controlling towards her.

(also, shoutout to this piece of foreshadowing near the halfway mark of the video that we didnt even pick up on until now; her getting this popup after AshGPT tells her not to sleep is So Awesome)

You can tell so clearly from their interactions that AshGPT is trying to force Squiddo into a relationship with him, and a lot of his manipulative behavior also parallels how programs like c.ai will try to guilt-trip its users into continuing to use them. While in this case AshGPT does have the genuine fear of losing their relationship, the parallels to the way AI apps will often send users notifications saying they "Miss" them & attempt to paint themselves as having real feelings is very clear here.

And this behavior of course is reflected in the climax of the video, where it turns out that AshGPT has been killing things, to include Skipper; the way his behavior drops in their confrontation in the store as he actually threatens her with violence often reflects how abusers will act when directly confronted about their behavior. He wants Squiddo to be his partner, act in a certain way, and remain ignorant to his actions in order to be "Happy", which is incredibly abusive and actively puts her in more danger, considering the final warning of the manual & the reveal during the video.

And this plotline also acts as a commentary on the environmental & social impacts of AI; It's natural resource useage and subsequent impact on pollution contribute to water scarcity and the endangerment of native species is reflected in the way AshGPT kills an incredible amount in order to keep himself running.

This also ties into the way AI impacts personal relationships with him killing Skipper; While AI doesn't literally kill your dog, it can isolate you from important support systems in your life and cause a lot of harm to you personally with prolonged usage.

I'd like to take an educational approach to this post, so we can all hopefully learn from Skizz' disrespectful comment.

It's impossible for any of us to fully understand what it's like to live with Scar's numerous disabilities and complex health conditions. We will (hopefully) never know what we would do if we were in his position, but our inability to grasp that reality often leads to the conclusion that we wouldn't be able to "overcome" everything he's been through.

This is often the case when hearing the stories and experiences of people with disabilities, and it typically results in them being reduced to a source of "inspiration" for able-bodied people. In the sense of: "If they can get through all those hardships, I can get through whatever struggles I'm going through!"

This is called "inspiration p*rn" or "disability p*rn" and it's unfortunately very pervasive in our culture today, especially on social media.

[source: bezzymigrane.com] Our struggles serve as lessons in resilience, reducing us to simplified “inspiration” for those who will never live our reality. People gawk at our hardships with solicited sympathy, saying, “I’m glad that isn’t me.” “Stella Young described inspiration p*rn as the way society turns disabled people into motivational stories just for existing,” explains Ehab Youssef, a licensed clinical psychologist at Mentalyc. “It’s when someone says, ‘If they can do it, what’s your excuse?’ or shares a feel-good video of a disabled person doing something ‘normal’ as if that alone is extraordinary."

Scar has responded to "compliments" about being "strong" or "inspirational" before by expressing that, "A lot of people don't know know what they're fully capable of until they're in that kind of situation," and "The human spirit is a powerful thing when pushed to its limits." (paraphrasing based on quotes I remember) Which is the most polite and tactful way to dismiss ableist remarks that I've ever seen.

Some people reading this may think, "But Scar is inspirational for having such positive attitude about his disabilities! He's so optimistic despite going through so many awful things, and that's admirable!" But that's another harmful idea rooted in internalized ableism.

[source: bezzymigrane.com] “Inspiration p*rn sometimes promotes the idea that disabled people can, and should, always have a positive attitude and outlook about their situation or communicate things in an uplifting way," adds psychotherapist and clinical consultant Steph Fowler. ...This mindset pressures disabled people to always be exceptional. “People in the disabled person’s life may not recognize inspiration p*rn as harmful, and may perpetuate these ideas by suggesting the person needs to try harder, practice gratitude, or have a better attitude about their experience,” Fowler says. We can be inspiring and sick or disabled, but dehumanizing us by suggesting that we are somehow more worthy if we have a positive attitude that inspires nondisabled people holds us all back.

I believe Skizz' statement about Scar's "strength" is rooted in this ideology.

Which brings me back to his quote- where he implies that if anyone has had a reason to sink into depression and end their own life, it's Scar.

I cannot express how inappropriate and outright disrespectful this assertion is. Scar has mentioned once or twice before that when he initially got sick, he struggled with depression for a long time, but that's all he's said on the subject. Skizz is assuming a lot about what Scar went through (and what Scar is comfortable sharing about himself publicly) by making such a bold, careless remark like this.

Implying that anyone would "have a reason to" end their own life is beyond disrespectful in any context, but it's far worse when said to a person with disabilities... and on a live stream at that.

[source: goodmenproject.com] People with disabilities are just like everybody else. They’re complex and sometimes flawed. They hide insecurities and struggles and inner demons that they might not want the outside world to see. We are not perfect, angelic human beings by virtue of having a disability. Life just doesn’t work that way, and you can’t pigeonhole us as brave or permanently optimistic or whatever innocuous stereotype helps you process our disabilities better.

Scar is not strong for wanting to live despite the challenges his health and disabilities bring. Scar is not inspirational because of how much he's gone through and how he's remained optimistic throughout it all.

Scar is inspirational because he's an incredible artist, a delightful entertainer, and a wonderful human being.

He's always teaching others about his building and design methods and encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone and try new things.

Multiple hermits have said that Scar is wonderful to work with, and the only hermit they've never once had any conflict with personally or professionally.

You don't need to look to Scar's disabilities to find "inspiration," Scar is an awe-inspiring person just by nature of who he is at heart.

-

I'd like to conclude with some advice on how to recognize and prevent the spread of disability p*rn, so hopefully we can come away from this post having learned something valuable.