Posts
Shakesville's Fatsronauts 101
2:43 PM Posted In fat , health , literature , main stream media , movies , TV Edit This 0 Comments »
Bill O'Reilly Gets Spanked
6:19 PM Posted In abortion , main stream media , TV , violence Edit This 0 Comments »Quote of the Day or Witchy Woman is O'Reilly's #1 Enemy!
1:37 PM Posted In entertainment , feminism , misogyny , politics , TV , women Edit This 0 Comments »I hope I'm not the only one who gets the irony of a show by women and for primarily women having a guest misogynist and not even grilling him properly. Then again, I'm certainly not a fan of The View.
They made her a lesbian!!1!1
10:35 AM Posted In entertainment , geek , homosexuality , sex , TV Edit This 0 Comments »I have recently begun watching Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Yeah, it's a guilty pleasure. I also like Angel and Charmed. Go ahead, laugh and mock. Get it out of your system. Feel better now?
My circle of friends and I have been swapping around seasons. One of them complained about willow's relationship with Tara, believing that it was written in as a mimicry of Gabrielle in Xena. This complaining consists primarily of, "They made her a lesbian!" It took me some time to realize that this bothered me and why, then forming a counterpoint argument. Yeah, I'm slow.
At this point, Willow is in college. Experimentation, duh. Everyone does it. Particularly unsure, hesitant kids who were too concerned with grades and other responsibilities in high school. She has been attracted to men. At the very least, she is bisexual. Willow falls in love with people for who they are, not their gender. Tara complements her and is good for the character, gender aside. Their relationship just makes sense, even if it happened to be due to non-contextual reasons.
Now what rant of mine would be complete without a far-reaching social commentary? Said friend is complaining to a bisexual woman that they did not enforce heteronormative behaviours on a single character. No, the absurdity of it has not hit her yet. I thought I would wait and see how long it took.
Willow was one of the first non-hetero main characters on primetime TV. This was huge, we finally had the spotlight, even if she was stuck in a sidekick role. And we have been relegated to this position ever since, except for shows such as Will and Grace and The L Word where their sexuality and orientation are primary themes.
In interviews, Joss Whedon said that he hadn't inteded to write her that way. It just happened. Having written fantasy pieces for pleasure (not pay, and no, I have never written fan-fic), I can definitely understand.
Ultimately: who frakking cares? It works, it fits, just move on.
Furniture Commercial
2:29 PM Posted In commercialism , good news , homosexuality , TV Edit This 1 Comment »While watching Reba last night, a furniture commercial came on. A woman is putting together a dresser that was shipped to her. First win: a woman is doing it herself rather than having a man do it. Another woman is in the room narrating in a creepy-ghost way, ignored by the first woman.
The second woman is extolling the virtues of said furniture, yadda, yadda, yadda. And then says something to the effect of, "Now you can sit back and relax. Or go out. Maybe meet a man... Or a woman. I won't judge."
Second win: The narrator realizes that the first woman might not be heterosexual! Yay!
I tried to find the video on YouTube to no avail.
Religion in Sitcoms
12:01 PM Posted In Christianity , entertainment , religion , TV Edit This 0 Comments »I was watching Reba last night. In my defense, I was over at a friend's drinking, knitting, and talking. The son-in-law admitted to the rest of the Texan, church-going family that he doesn't believe in God. They start lecturing him, beating him with Bibles, yelling at him, and bringing in the future of his daughter's soul. In short, a lot of things that really do happen only with a laugh-track. Reba tells him that they're a God-fearin' household and drags him off to the minister.
I was foolishly hoping that maybe they'd have an open discussion and come to realize that it's ok to be something other than Christian. (Hey, allow me my blind optimism). It's finally determined that the son-in-law's really just mad with God for an old injury and doesn't want to talk to him right now. They're not on speaking terms, but eventually he'll come around and start practicing again. In short, it was a mini-morality play on doubt, faith, and testing. *Sigh*
Objectification of the First Family
9:59 AM Posted In entertainment , feminism , main stream media , misogyny , sexism , TV Edit This 3 Comments »I was watching the TV Guide Channel last night. I know, I know it's just as bad as watching those gossip shows like, um, well, I can't actually think of the name of one. And I was checking to see what channel House was on. Does that help absolve me?
A couple of fashion mongers were analyzing Michelle Obama's inauguration outfits. *Eyeroll, who cares, etc.* Then, they turn to Sasha and Malia and studied their clothes! They approved, but that's not the point! And I thought that it was bad when Tom Cruise's and Katie Holmes' kid was studied as a fashion plate.
What the hell are we teaching our kids if they're going to be scrutinized and critiqued for what kind of clothes they wear? And little girls in particular. It's brainwashing, pure and simple. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo. Oh baby, don't drool on your shirt. What will people think? We have to be perfect looking at all times because we have a uterus."
No Wonder Our Perception of Beauty is Distorted
1:39 PM Posted In commercialism , feminism , TV Edit This 0 Comments »H/t to Reave.
Superbowl
11:06 AM Posted In commercialism , entertainment , misogyny , sex , sexism , TV Edit This 0 Comments »My mother asked me last week if my friends and I had anything planned for this weekend. I thought, "That's a bit of a strange question. She usually just asks what I'm up to." She clarified it by asking if we were doing anything for the Superbowl.
"Oh, none of us really have TV nor care about sports." As evidenced by my cluelessness as to the date of the Superbowl. Only myself and one other friend have TV hooked up to our sets, most of us just use our sets for movies and video games.
The Superbowl has been blown into an American religion of its own. If you don't like football, ya ain't a reel Amurican (tm). And to properly watch a bunch of grown, sweaty men in spandex roll around in the mud, you have to have the Mountain o' Junk Food and beer. Double points if you barbeque. Naturally, your wife is to provide the nutritional orgy and to hide elsewhere in your domicile because estrogen is not allowed to intrude upon the Man Cave.
Then there's the inherently sexist commercials and cheerleading. Yes, cheerleading is demanding. It is not, however, a sport. An activity which serves only to support someone else' activity is not a sport.
Overall, I hate the Superbowl, all its trappings, and just about everything it stands for. That is all I'm going to say about it.
I am incredibly jealous
10:34 AM Posted In entertainment , science , TV Edit This 0 Comments »My brother's girlfriend went to a conference where she got to meet Adam and Jamie of Mythbusters. And she got to go to a Q and A session with them.
Why so many movies fail the Bechdel Test
11:46 AM Posted In Bechdel Test , entertainment , feminism , misogyny , movies , sexism , TV Edit This 1 Comment »I couldn't remember if I'd posted about this before.
"It’s not a coincidence. It’s not that there aren’t enough women behind the camera (there aren’t, but that’s not the reason). Here’s what we’re up against (and for those who have requested a single post that summarizes my experiences in film for linking reference, now you’ve got it).
When I started taking film classes at UCLA, I was quickly informed I had what it took to go all the way in film. I was a damn good writer, but more importantly (yeah, you didn’t think good writing was a main prerequisite in this industry, did you?) I understood the process of rewriting to cope with budget (and other) limitations. I didn’t hesitate to rip out my most beloved scenes when necessary. I also did a lot of research and taught myself how to write well-paced action/adventure films that would be remarkably cheap to film - that was pure gold.
There was just one little problem.
I had to understand that the audience only wanted white, straight, male leads. I was assured that as long as I made the white, straight men in my scripts prominent, I could still offer groundbreaking characters of other descriptions (fascinating, significant women, men of color, etc.) - as long as they didn’t distract the audience from the white men they really paid their money to see."
Bloggers = Losers?
2:48 PM Posted In news , politics , TV Edit This 0 Comments »Since I often blog during work breaks (in office attire) while drinking coffee (not eating cheetos), does this mean that I'm not really a blogger? Oh, and I also don't live in my parents' basement, I have my own apartment so I can't be a real blogger.
Ad Anger
9:58 AM Posted In advertisements , entertainment , feminism , misogyny , sabbat , sexism , TV , Yule Edit This 0 Comments »I actually have something good to say about a commercial.
A man surprised his family by decorating the house for the holidays while he was home alone. In it, the man showed pride in his home and its appearance rather than the woman being expected to take it all on herself Martha Stewart-style.
I am praising the marketing division for being equal opportunity, and not the actions of the male character who is allegedly performing this task. I think if you want holiday decorations, you're expected to help with them.
But I do think it's a rather sad statement that I have to work to find an ad that is not sexist.
FYI, it was a Home Depot ad and the family in question was actually African-American. No, I couldn't find a clip of it.
Shows that Fail the Bechdel Test
9:54 AM Posted In entertainment , feminism , misogyny , sexism , TV Edit This 2 Comments »
Chuck
Big Bang Theory
Prison Break
Two and a Half Men (no surprise)
Home Improvement
Family Guy
Simpson's
Frasier
Stargate, any of them
Star Trek, any of them
Ones that Pass
Heroes
CSI's, for the most part
Battlestar Galactica
Bechdel Test
Big Bang Theory
Prison Break
Two and a Half Men (no surprise)
Home Improvement
Family Guy
Simpson's
Frasier
Stargate, any of them
Star Trek, any of them
Ones that Pass
Heroes
CSI's, for the most part
Battlestar Galactica
Bechdel Test
Ad Anger Part 2- Novel Adventurs
11:07 PM Posted In advertisements , entertainment , politics , TV , violence Edit This 0 Comments »Yet another ad that induced a paroxysm of twitching is for "Novel Adventurs," sponsored by Saturn. I could not find a clip of the odorous ad, though.
A woman enthusiastically joins a book club, and was supposed to, like, read this one book called The Old Man and the Sea. And she's totally inspired to go fishing. But fishing is gross, so she goes surfing instead and meets some, like, really hot guy.
Gender issues aside, the rampant denigration of intellectualism is sickening. Obviously a major contributor to this problem is certain politicians and their politics. Then there is the popularity of an entire film genre called "dumb comedy." (Go ahead, ask me how much I hate those type of movies).
Children are being taught that intelligence = nerd = bad. But violence is cool!
A woman enthusiastically joins a book club, and was supposed to, like, read this one book called The Old Man and the Sea. And she's totally inspired to go fishing. But fishing is gross, so she goes surfing instead and meets some, like, really hot guy.
Gender issues aside, the rampant denigration of intellectualism is sickening. Obviously a major contributor to this problem is certain politicians and their politics. Then there is the popularity of an entire film genre called "dumb comedy." (Go ahead, ask me how much I hate those type of movies).
Children are being taught that intelligence = nerd = bad. But violence is cool!
The Pretender
11:51 AM Posted In entertainment , feminism , misogyny , TV Edit This 0 Comments »
Bronn and I were watching an episode of The Pretender called "Nip and Tuck." A beautiful teenage girl's face was severely disfigured in an accident and was distraught over it. At first he couldn't understand why she was so upset. I pointed out that as women we are valued in society for our appearance first and everything else comes second. Don't believe me? Check out any magazine stand at your local supermarket.
She had been pretty, popular, and outgoing. She was just now learning how disfigured/disabled people are treated as half-people whereas before she had everything going for her.
Some might say that it would be particularly hard going through that in high school and how fragile our self-esteem is at that stage. I believe that the state of one's self-esteem at that age is a result of beginning to realize how much importance is placed on being thin, pretty, and fitting the ludicrously unrealistic mold that society has created for us. In short, it's a case of nurture rather than nature.
As we get older, we learn to deal with our bodies. We resign ourselves to "this is what we're stuck with, let's make the best of it" leading to industries such as cosmetic surgery, anti-aging creams, and Botox.
She had been pretty, popular, and outgoing. She was just now learning how disfigured/disabled people are treated as half-people whereas before she had everything going for her.
Some might say that it would be particularly hard going through that in high school and how fragile our self-esteem is at that stage. I believe that the state of one's self-esteem at that age is a result of beginning to realize how much importance is placed on being thin, pretty, and fitting the ludicrously unrealistic mold that society has created for us. In short, it's a case of nurture rather than nature.
As we get older, we learn to deal with our bodies. We resign ourselves to "this is what we're stuck with, let's make the best of it" leading to industries such as cosmetic surgery, anti-aging creams, and Botox.
Feminism and hair colour
12:04 PM Posted In entertainment , feminism , TV Edit This 0 Comments »
Today was watching some black and white 1950's sitcom and the gag factor was horrendous.
The whole daily drama was over whether the father figure's girlfriend looked better as a blonde, which he thought was a terrible look for her. So girlfriend was all worked up over it. And the teenage daughter wanted to dye her hair blonde because she thought some boy at school preferred blondes.
Long story short, these two women worked themselves up over nothing.
My response?
Who gives a crap? You want to dye your hair for yourself, go right ahead. Don't do it because some guy thinks you aren't good enough as it is. And if he doesn't like the results, that's nice.
The whole daily drama was over whether the father figure's girlfriend looked better as a blonde, which he thought was a terrible look for her. So girlfriend was all worked up over it. And the teenage daughter wanted to dye her hair blonde because she thought some boy at school preferred blondes.
Long story short, these two women worked themselves up over nothing.
My response?
Who gives a crap? You want to dye your hair for yourself, go right ahead. Don't do it because some guy thinks you aren't good enough as it is. And if he doesn't like the results, that's nice.
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
12:41 PM Posted In entertainment , feminism , misogyny , TV Edit This 0 Comments »
I was watching "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" the other night with Bronn. Why? It's sad how so many people are not. He and I both prefer Cash Cab because it's actually challenging for us, at least further on in the game.
Well, the mayor of Muskogee, OK was asked "Who was the first woman in space?" (Note: that may not be the exact wording, but is the essence of the question in question). His musings as he attempted to wrangle the answer from the depths of his brain?
"What colour was her hair?"
Major fail. Yes, because obviously the only thing that stuck out in your hormone-soaked brain was her hair colour. Dear Gods.
(I also fail because I had to look up the answer. It was Sally Ride.)
At the end of the show there was a teaser for the next episode. During said teaser, a bunch of scantily clad female dancers came out and did a routine. My response?
Yes, let's show these brilliant girls on the show and any others at home watching that they can be as smart as anyone, but grow up to be nothing other than eye candy.
Fail.
Well, the mayor of Muskogee, OK was asked "Who was the first woman in space?" (Note: that may not be the exact wording, but is the essence of the question in question). His musings as he attempted to wrangle the answer from the depths of his brain?
"What colour was her hair?"
Major fail. Yes, because obviously the only thing that stuck out in your hormone-soaked brain was her hair colour. Dear Gods.
(I also fail because I had to look up the answer. It was Sally Ride.)
At the end of the show there was a teaser for the next episode. During said teaser, a bunch of scantily clad female dancers came out and did a routine. My response?
Yes, let's show these brilliant girls on the show and any others at home watching that they can be as smart as anyone, but grow up to be nothing other than eye candy.
Fail.
