A number of social media posts have surfaced recently looking to point out how the Parler smartphone app was quick to ban them after they joined. Parler is a relatively new social media service that claims to emphasize free speech, and has gained a significant number of users in the past week. The service is now often referred to by supporters as a free speech alternative to Twitter.
Twitter is a place where many go to keep up to date on news or express their thoughts. However, the platform has been changing recently and many of these changes have resulted in some feeling as though they are being silenced or shut down. As a result, Parler has emerged as an alternative solution for those users and especially, as it seems to welcome free speech.
In spite of its claims, a number of people have taken to Twitter recently to explain they attempted to join the service only to find themselves being banned again. It is not just the frequency of the reports but also the speed of bans that is raising concerns. While Twitter has made it clear that it won't allow certain topics to be discussed on the platform, those who advocate for Parler specifically point out how it doesn’t discriminate based on viewpoint. For example, Founder and Co-Chairman of Students For Trump, Ryan Fournier described Parler as somewhere “you don’t have to worry about getting censored or banned because you think differently than who runs it.”
With a sudden uptick in new users, there are plenty of people reporting positive experiences with the service and advising others to give it a try. However, there are also those who claim to have been banned already. Some, like Thor Benson, simply point out that they were banned without providing any additional details or context.
Then there are those like the Devin Nunes’ cow Twitter account that specifically call out the app as censoring users by banning them.
One of the issues with banning claims of any app is that it is rarely as simple as the user reports suggest. For example, while many claim they are being silenced by Twitter, the truth is more a matter of Twitter having changed its policies recently and deciding to take action against those who fail to abide by those changes. The same does not appear to be any different for Parler. For example, a recent post now being shared online by Parler CEO, John Matze, specifically suggests that recent bans have been the result of users not abiding by Parler’s guidelines.
Regardless of the reasons, the message by John Matze would seem to suggest that Parler is not the Wild West version of Twitter many might assume it to be. Likewise, that the rules in place are just as enforced as those by Twitter. Whether or not that means Parler is not quite as free speech-oriented as it claims will probably come down to whether an individual views Twitter’s recent moves as limiting free speech or not.
The plot of Netflix's Stranger Things is rather dark, but the undiluted grit of its characters makes the show, currently about to enter its fourth season, a compelling watch. From the forceful determination of Joyce Byers to the struggling radiance of Eleven, the show creates and maintains them with a finicky perfectionism.
Aside from the usual crop of characters that audiences have grown to love, there are a host of other secondary and tertiary ones who have as much of an impact on the narrative as anyone else. Considering their fundamental role in the various arcs that span the story, we have created a list of some fan favorites, classified under the Chinese Zodiac sign that they are best suited to.
12 Rat - Kali Prasad
Kali is Number 8, another child in the same program that Eleven once belonged to. Like the latter, she also manages to escape, using her Rat survival skills and her ability to analyze outcomes to perfection.
Kali does have a considerable amount of resentment towards her captors, festering over several years, but Eleven helps her think outside her rage. Her resourcefulness comes in handy when fleeing the scene, as shown when she creates the illusion of a blocked tunnel to "blockade" the cop cars following her gang.
11 Ox - Martin Brenner
For the longest time, Eleven only considers Brenner as her caretaker; a terrible option, but there is nobody else, really. Brenner is certainly hard-working and devoted to his job (read: experiments on babies and children), which classifies him as an Ox.
Along the same lines, he is also a demanding and stubborn man, seeing as he throws a terrified Eleven into a claustrophobic chamber, simply in order to activate her powers. The fact that a guard dies in the process is of no consequence to him.
10 Tiger - Erica Sinclair
Erica is the definitive Tiger — intelligent, durable, and completely uncaring of how other people think of her. Similarly, she doesn't care much for other people either, constantly insulting her brother and his friends for being nerds.
When Robin, Steve and Dustin ask her to sneak into a room supposedly containing Soviet weaponry in order to open it from the inside, she agrees to join the Scoops Troop, but only in exchange for the glories of infinite ice cream.
9 Rabbit - Barb Holland
Poor Barb. She was always a Rabbit: her clarity of thought and sense of judgement allowed her to see through the farce that Steve was putting on for Nancy, even though her friend discards her opinions.
Barb is one of the most loyal characters in the show, given that she willingly goes to Steve's party so she can take care of Nancy if something goes wrong. Unfortunately, she ends up the first victim of the Demogorgon, which mauls her to death while the couple are hooking up upstairs. The saddest part: Her last word is "Nancy".
8 Dragon - The Mind Flayer
The Mind Flayer is an ultra-powerful being whose genius is only matched by its malevolence. Dustin feels that it behaves the same way as the creature from D&D it is named after, namely a sense of unbearable arrogance (considering itself the highest form of consciousness).
These are all traits of the Dragon, at least when magnified through a lens of pure negativity. The Mind Flayer only sees a difference between itself and the "other", the latter being everything else in existence. It takes great pleasure in causing pain, but it's true motives remain unknown.
7 Snake - Robin Buckley
Robin is the snarky colleague of Steve's at Scoops Ahoy, who loves to playfully mock him for his attitudes towards women, friends and life in general. As a Snake, she is extremely hesitant in developing a closer relationship with him, but begins to open up gradually through the course of their adventures.
Robin's secret, an enormous burden for anyone to carry around in the queerphobic 80s, spills her secret while the both of them are puking the truth serum out in the mall bathroom.
6 Horse - Karen Wheeler
Karen Wheeler is Nancy and Mike's mother, a seemingly suburban housewife with a spicier side. For the first couple of seasons, her role is minimized to maternity, but her need for something more than her marriage slowly sneaks its way to the surface.
In her interactions with Billy, Karen is a full-fledged Horse, displaying a frenzied passion she herself had forgotten she was capable of. In fact, she is gutsy enough to contemplate Billy's invitation, but turns it down at the end in favor of her family.
5 Goat - Ted Wheeler
Karen's husband, Ted, is a Goat. He doesn't enjoy emotional friction very much, leaving the cases of his truant children for his wife to handle. Instead, Ted is usually found asleep on his easy chair with some food item half eaten on his lap.
If given the change, he would always opt for the calmness of his evening nap than the stress his children put him through. But this doesn't mean that he doesn't think of Nancy and Mike's best interests, however.
4 Monkey - Murray Bauman
Murray is eccentric, to put it politely. Being a Monkey, he is always on the prowl for something, anything, to stimulate his easily bored mind, even if that means poring over ridiculous conspiracy theories.
Murray has also exhibited some aspect of warmth towards other people, like when he "allows" Nancy and Jonathan to hook up in his house. Though he is generally very paranoid about literally everything, he can see right through people's relationships (this makes them super uncomfortable.)
3 Rooster - Dr. Alexei
Dr. Alexei can barely speak English, but his fascination for Americana is the most adorable thing in Season 3. He embodies the Rooster in that he works himself to the bone for the Soviet authorities but also knows how to have fun (Hooper might say too much fun).
Alexei's innocent nature endears him to his American friends soon enough, but he also knows how to bargain information for various treats, such as cherry Slurpees, and only cherry Slurpees.
2 Dog - Bob Newby
Bob Newby appeared from nowhere, sliding into Joyce's life almost seamlessly. He enjoys spending time with both Will and Jonathan, and shows that he really cares about the kids as much as he does his new girlfriend.
The Dog seems to have instilled in Bob a sense of unbreakable devotion to his loved ones — to protect his family from the imminent swarm of Demodogs, this incredibly courageous man gives his life to allow them time to escape.
1 Pig - Sam Owens
Unlike Brenner, Dr. Sam Owens is far more transparent about his experiments, even when he intimidates Nancy and Jonathan into keep Barb's fate a secret (understandable, especially if they didn't want the people of Hawkins progressing into mass hysteria).
The Pig is one of the smartest of all the signs, but also one of the most prudent: consequently, Dr. Owens avoids paths that generate unwarranted troubles for other people. He is also an empathetic person, seeing as he helps Hopper adopt Eleven irrespective of their prior conflicts.
General Naird is the First General of the United State's newest branch of defense, Space Force. With a brand new branch to launch and a country to protect, General Naird has his hands full. Along with the epic roller coaster he goes through at work, he has a daughter who's having troubles in their new home and a wife who's incarcerated.
With so much on his plate and no one to talk to who's been through this before, General Naird has made some questionable decisions over the course of 10 episodes in the first season of Netflix's Space Force. A few of those decisions have viewers wondering if he's even competent enough to hold the position of First General. To see five reasons why he's great at his job and should remain as general (and five reasons why he should be fired), keep reading.
10 Best: His Singing Outbursts Help Him Make Better Decisions
At the end of the first episode, General Naird needed a moment to compose himself. As he's staring out the window at the rocket, he breaks out in song singing "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys. As adorably odd as it was seeing the very serious Naird break out in song, he had a clear head and open mind afterward. After singing to himself, he was able to make the right decision to send the satellite to space, even though he was pressured not to.
Throughout the season, he continues to sing to himself as a way to calm down, which is honorable. It takes a lot to quiet the mind and focus on the greater good.
9 Fired: He Has No Concept Of Budget
In the episode "Mark and Mallory go to Washington," General Naird has a budgetary meeting with congress. He's asking for a 150% increase in their Space Force budget and is questioned why he needs that kind of increase so soon.
In the paperwork he gave to congress, Naird blacked out most of the reasons why they need the money because it's confidential, which didn't help his case. Furthermore, viewers found out Space Force sent $10,000 worth of produce to space, which seemed like a waste of money. He even said money didn't matter. Granted, he noted people mattered more than money, but he doesn't put up a good fight.
8 Best: He Chooses His Duties Over His Family
In terms of General Naird as a professional in the military, his dedication is undeniable. He would do anything for his country and takes his duties seriously. So much so that he spends more time at work than he does with his family.
With Maggie in jail, their daughter Erin is by herself a lot and doesn't have the closest bond with her dad like she used to. While he may not be the best father or husband at the moment, General Naird is definitely a devoted general that the country can rely on.
7 Fired: He Left Two Animals In Space
So, whatever happened to the monkey and dog in space? In the second episode, General Naird finds out the military sent a monkey and a dog into space to do special projects because it would be fun for viewers on earth to see how advanced the space task force was. However, NASA never brought the animals home.
In fact, they have been left alone with no contact for weeks. General Naird was unaware of the situation and was told it would be too expensive to bring the two animals home. He claimed he would do everything in his power to bring the animals back but nothing ever came from it. The episode ended and the monkey and dog were never spoken of again. Is General Naird forgetful or does he just not care about them left behind?
6 Best: He Beat The Air Force In 'Space Flag'
In the episode "Space Flag," Space Force goes head to head in a fictional war with the Air Force. General Grabaston of the Air Force and General Naird have been going head to head throughout the entire series. It was finally time to see who was a better fit for war: Space Force or the Air Force.
With the help of Dr. Mallory, General Naird and Space Force were able to defeat Air Force in their first ever war games, which solidified Naird's role as general.
5 Fired: He Sent Two Individuals To Space Without Proper Training Or A Background Check
To be fair, General Naird wanted to assist with searching for talented technicians for Space Force's trip to the moon, but he had a conjugal visit with his wife Maggie. Instead, Dr. Mallory took charge. Sadly, the search didn't go as well as Dr. Mallory would have hoped. He needed to fill two more positions and all of his candidates turned down the opportunity to go to the moon.
Knowing he was limited on time, he ended up blindly selecting two individuals who weren't properly trained, prepared, or educated for the position. Furthermore, he never did a background check on them, which blew up in his face. Dr. Mallory's ignorance in the matter reflected poorly on General Naird.
4 Best: He Instills Confidence In Those Around Him
General Naird is as serious as they come. Even his jokes are hidden by a straight face. As a decorated and beloved military general, Naird's focus on teamwork and loyalty outshine all his downfalls. There's nothing he wouldn't do for his country and he tries to instill the same confidence and leadership in those he's working with. Viewers see this especially with Captain Angela Ali.
3 Fired: He Doesn't Trust His Colleagues
As a general in the military, General Naird has to trust those around him while also being trustworthy himself. Loyalty and dedication are key in his chosen profession. It's obvious he has downfalls with those he works closest to (like Dr. Mallory) but does he really trust the people he lets in? The audience sees him overreact when he finds a double-encrypted email sent to a random email address from Dr. Mallory. Naird also trust his personal assistant, Brad Gregory, and he constantly questions Space Force's social media director, Tony.
2 Best: He Made Sure The Astronauts Were Protected
Fans learn later in the series that Dr. Mallory isn't necessarily pro-violence; there are avenues he would like to entertain before launching a war with someone. However, after Space Force saw China's moon cruiser run over the American flag, General Naird was ready for war on the moon. General Naird told Captain Ali that there were loaded guns on-board and to prepare for battle. As soon as Dr. Mallory found out, he exploded with rage because it went against previous conversations and notions. At the end of the day, though, it's General Naird's duty to keep his astronauts safe and this was just one way of doing so.
1 Fired: The Moon Battle With China
Speaking of a battle with China on the moon... It was smart to go into space prepared for the unthinkable but it's also very irresponsible to launch a war with China in space when no country owns the moon. Instead of preparing his astronauts for battle, General Naird should have found another place for the Americans to land instead. Both Chinese generals told Naird to land elsewhere and yet he decided to land nearby in the middle of their testing zone. Better communication and planning could have been done to avoid a hostile situation.
The Netflix series Hollywood is everything that one would expect from a Ryan Murphy show. It’s full of enterprising and optimistic people, all of whom are trying to make a go of it in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. Indeed, it is precisely the characters that make this series such a fun show to watch. There’s no character that doesn’t capture the viewer’s attention, and every one of them has at least a chance at redemption.
What's more, as the series progresses, they all begin to show the nuances and depth of their personalities, and thinking about them in terms of the Meyers-Briggs® personality types sheds new light on what makes these men and women tick.
10 Rock Hudson - ISFP
Based on the classic Hollywood star of the same name, this Rock Hudson is a bit of a hayseed from the middle of America. He’s also an incredibly sweet guy, and his romance with Archie is one of the most endearing and heartwarming parts of the series.
However, it has to be said that he’s something of a dim bulb sometimes, and this leads to him often being exploited by others who want to take advantage of his ISFP innocence.
9 Jack Costello - ESFJ
In some ways, Jack Costello is the primary character in the entire series. Like so many of Ryan Murphy’s other characters, he’s incredibly earnest. He genuinely wants to make a go of it as an actor, and as an ESFJ, he also wants to be the best husband and friend that he can.
However, he’s not always the brightest crayon in the box, and it’s his lack of savvy that lands him in some very uncomfortable situations. However, the viewer is invited to love him anyway.
8 Raymond Ainsley - ESTJ
The fledgling director Raymond Ainsley has managed to make a career for himself in Hollywood, largely by hiding the fact that he’s biracial. While there’s no question that he’s charismatic and has an artistic vision that he’s determined to see brought to fruition, he’s sometimes a bit exasperating.
He often makes decisions that seem to defy the rules of logic, and despite the fact that he should know how a movie is made (like a good ESTJ), he sometimes doesn’t recognize that there are financial limits to what he can attain.
7 Ernie West - ENTP
Ernie West, the man who runs a gas station that provides a certain kind of service to the men and women of Hollywood, is one of the series’ most fascinating characters. He’s irascible, but there is also a heart of gold that shines forth from beneath that seemingly cynical exterior.
Ernie’s the kind of guy whose ENTP nature lets him make exactly the decisions that he needs to in order to get ahead in life, so it’s no wonder that he’s managed to accrue a tidy fortune by the time the series begins.
6 Laura Harrier - INFP
Despite the fact that she is an African American woman working in a Hollywood notorious for its segregation, Laura is determined to get what she wants. She wants to be a top-tier actress, and she has the intelligence, the charm, and the acting ability to see her get there.
From the beginning of the series, the audience is invited to cheer for her as she gradually works her way up through the Hollywood hierarchy, and they are also invited to cheer for once she finally arrives at success.
5 Henry Wilson - ESTJ
Henry Wilson is, without doubt, one of the most despicable characters to appear on the series. Viperish and malevolent, he has almost no respect for anyone, whether studio bosses or the stars that he takes under his dubious wing.
For all that he’s a morally reprehensible character for the majority of the series, he’s also shown to be remarkably intelligent. Like a good ESTJ, he knows how Hollywood works, and he has the sort of ruthless brilliance that allows both him and his clients to succeed.
4 Archie Coleman - INTJ
Archie Colemen quickly emerges as one of the most endearing characters in the series. There’s an innocence and a charm about him that never goes away, no matter how many obstacles are thrown in his way. The series makes it clear that he’s a very good writer, and it is his script that forms the basis of the film that eventually gets made by all of the main characters.
He’s also a very determined INTJ, and he deserves a lot of credit for deciding to live his life as an openly gay black man in a Hollywood, and a society, reluctant to accept either of those identities.
3 Ellen Kincaid - ENTP
Holland Taylor brings all of her considerable acting abilities to bear in her portrayal of this character, one of the higher-ups at Ace Studios. Unlike some of the other executives, who tend to be a little bit too quick to dismiss the young talent that they see come before them, Ellen has a sixth sense for what kind of person is fated to make a star (making her a great ENTP).
Time and again throughout the series, she’s shown to have a will of iron, one that helps her survive in the very patriarchal world of old Hollywood.
2 Joe Mantello - ESTJ
Like Ellen, Joe Mantello is one of the highest executives at Ace Studios. At the same time, he’s also hiding the fact that he is a gay man. Eventually, of course, he comes out, but he manages to stay in his position, precisely because he is one of the most intelligent people in the entire operation.
As an ESTJ, he knows what makes movies work and, just as importantly, he knows what it takes to get them made. He’s a fascinating and charismatic character.
1 Avis Amberg - ENTJ
It’s probably no surprise that Avis would be an ENTJ. She is played, after all, by the one and only Patti Lupone, one of the most extraordinary talents that has ever appeared on stage and screen. From the moment that she appears on-screen, Avis makes it clear that she not only knows what makes Hollywood work, but also her husband.
It’s entirely fitting that she would be tapped to run the studio after her husband’s sickness (and later death) because she’s the only one with the brains to really make it work.
In some ways it seems like those born under the zodiac sign of Aries are perfect matches for a Hogwarts house like Ravenclaw, but in other ways it seems like the stereotypical traits of Aries and Ravenclaw are diametrically opposed to one another.
Although any zodiac sign is going to mesh and clash with any Hogwarts house in a variety of different ways, what typical Ravenclaw traits are also typical Aries traits? And which traits of Ravenclaw are characteristics that people born under the sign of the ram almost never possess?
10 Are: Adventurous
Although Aries tends to follow their passions and Ravenclaws tend to follow their minds, their ultimate instinct to do what other people might not think to do or might be afraid to do stems from the same basic place.
There is nothing more thrilling to an Aries or to a Ravenclaw than being the one to blaze the trail and do something or discover something that no one else has before.
9 Are Not: Pessimistic
One of the down sides of being the thinkers at Hogwarts is that thinking can often times lead to overthinking, and overthinking can often times lead people down a pessimistic path. Knowing and understanding all the ways in which something can go wrong is bound to make someone expect things to go badly.
But Aries doesn't ever succumb to these trains of thought. They are extremely confident, so they expect to succeed at everything they attempt.
8 Are: Intelligent
Sometimes their impulsiveness covers it up, but most people born under the sign of Aries are actually very smart. They don't always use their intelligence to their maximum benefit, but that doesn't mean that it isn't there.
That's another obvious reason why many Aries people would feel right at home in Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaw could actually help them learn to use their minds instead of their impulses first.
7 Are Not: Open-Minded
Aries is both a fire sign and a cardinal sign, and that combo means that they are extremely strong willed and intense in their own perspectives. One of the reasons why so many Aries are high achievers is because they will fiercely go after whatever they want and they will block out everything that they don't.
But of course, that means that they're not particularly open-minded either, which is a pretty classic Ravenclaw trait.
6 Are: Persuasive
Aries is one of the fiercest signs of the zodiac, so while they aren't particularly open to ideas or points of view that aren't their own, their passion and intensity is so great that they have an easy time convincing people to see their side.
They're so strong in their own ideas that even if someone doesn't initially agree with them, they ultimately have a hard time seeing how Aries could be wrong.
5 Are Not: Flexible
Ravenclaws are typically very adaptable. They have an easy time getting along with other people, and they're clever and savvy enough that they can adjust themselves to any situation or to any group of people with ease.
And this isn't to say that Aries isn't capable of that. However, it's extremely unlikely that they will adjust or adapt to any given situation, both because they don't feel like they have to and because they simply don't care to.
4 Are: Creative
One arena in which Aries and Ravenclaw is never lacking is in creativity. Ravenclaws love to explore every possibility they can, and they love to imagine every possibility they can't.
And because Aries is so strong minded, they are amazing at pushing themselves to and beyond any limit that they see in front of them, as they simply do not believe in the idea that they can't do something.
3 Are Not: Analytical
Aries can be great intellectuals, but their intelligence isn't what drives them or what they value more than anything else. They can be analytical if they choose, but again, this is something they're really not prone to doing.
They trust their instincts and intuition, and they would much rather be doing something than thinking about something. Instead of analyzing first, they're much more likely to just try anything they can think of until they find something that works.
2 Are: Independent
The greatest trait that Aries shares with Ravenclaw is their sense of independence. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, so they are trailblazers in every way, and alone at the front of the pack is exactly where they want to be.
While Ravenclaw's independence is more driven by exploration than the need to lead, it is a clear and striking similarity between Ravenclaw and Aries.
1 Are Not: Level-Headed
Aries is a fire sign, so they are driven by passion. They are the kinds of people who act first and think later.
They can also be one of the most ferocious and temperamental of the zodiac signs, so if they get a burst of passionate energy then they need to release it immediately in any way they can, and it's only after they've cooled off that they can access their more level-headed side.
