June 2011
oh yeah & this other thing i'm mad about
I’m getting so tired of historical/fantasy/sci-fi pieces that are basically (cis/straight/white) dude-centric without nod to anyone else and getting the justification back, “But it’s historically accurate that the women don’t do anything/that queer people are erased” or “in this society men still dominate for some strange and miraculous reason!!” OK, really, saying it’s “historically accurate” doesn’t make it any less sexist/racist/heterosexist or frustrating that the (US)American culture is so obsessed with historical stories (see: Gladiator (2000), 300 (2006)) and creating SF/F stories where male culture dominates (see: Blade Runner (1982), Repo Men (2010)) is even worse because SF/F is a great chance to make social commentary on gender roles and the gender binary (which is depressing that it needs to be done) and give female and gender&sexuality minority characters a chance to actually exist outside the oppressive status quo.
What’s even worse is that these pieces go out and reinforce ideas of machismo over and over again by glorifying them without pointing out the oppressive nature of these attitudes because they happily play along with and even support this idea of machismo and oppression and erasure! It’s like the Batman narrative: Batman could be wrong, but the reader never gets to make that choice because the narrator of the Batman story assumes that Batman is completely correct (turning morally grey characters like Jason Todd villainous where they should be anti-heroes).
AND REALLY, why can’t we invent different realities or universes in which people who are not (cis/straight/white) dudes carry the narrative structure or at least equally share the burden of narrative structure with others?? I swear it is not difficult!: Spirited Away (2001), Nausicaa Valley of the Wind (1984), Summer Wars (2009), Princess Mononoke (1997), The Princess and the Frog (2009), The Cat Returns (2002), Quest for Camelot (1998), True Grit (2010), Mulan (1998), Anastasia (1997), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), The Orphanage (2007), Ash by Malinda Lo, Valiant by Holly Black, Immortal Iron Fist #7 (aha sadly JUST THAT ISSUE), Card Captor Sakura (the manga)…
There are more but not enough because seeing as it took me forever to come up with these movies (and all the other movies I’ve been watching for the last 4 years feature, surprise surprise, straight/cis/white dudes), because as long as we’re getting movies like Real Steel (2011) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) greenlighted and released, then I’m going to make angry, bitter posts filled with too many exclamation points.
May 2011
That one friend that annoys the shit out of you.
“Hipsters are a driving force behind gentrification, driving out low income people and people of colour. They consistently co-opt and appropriate elements of other cultures, piecemeal, and often without any cultural sensitivity or respect. They regularly draw upon the work and legacy of people of colour, usually without crediting them, and most of their contact with people of colour comes in the form of the service personnel serving them their food, cleaning their wine bars, and picking their organic produce.”
—
s.e. smith, Hipster Racism (via darkjez)
you mean there are people who still haven’t figured out that they’re just budding yuppies in disguise?
(via ayiman)
An amazing article. Read it.
(via mycultureisnotatrend)
Oh look there’s questions in my ask.
GUESS I’LL ANSWER THOSE.
:’D
Someone please call the police in Ottawa, Ontario canada and tell them James Hubley might have killed himself.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1312238840
http://catchmeblondie.tumblr.com
REBLOG PLEASE
Signal boosting
Discussing taking Highschool classes online with my mom.
D: AND SHE KEEPS SAYING NO!
SHE’S KEEPING ME AWAY FROM TUMBLR!Two of my main classes are online next year.
neither of you are/would get shit done. i can’t wait for the “OMG IM FAILING THIS CLASS” blog posts.
Keisha beat me to it, but BASICALLY WHAT SHE SAID.
Send in my ask:
T - For a Turn On.
F - For a Fear.
O - For an Obsession.
L - Someone i love.
H - Something i hate.
P - For a phobia.
When a child is aborted.
That child is not sad.
That child is not angry.
That child is not wondering what kind of live he could of lived.
That child does not think, “Mother, why did you not love me?
That child is not thinking at all.
The only people it immediately affects, are the parents.
It’s their decision, no one else’s.Not the government.
Not yours.
And not your God’s.
