sundries

[rm]

We have met Claudette and sent email about our intent to bring her home. So now we just have to get all the paperwork sorted out and then hopefully we will be a two cat household again the week of the 15th.

yuki_onna writes about gendered packaging and appalling tag lines for deoderants. via franny_glass

sparkindarkness posts another round-up of gay hate. All of it is of interest in its horrifying way, but I think there's something particularly of note in the link to the photo of the real lesbians who are adopting vs. the photo the religious right found and used to advance their argument on the matter. Because it's all about gender normativity and implying lesbians are evil for not being attractive to straight men.

In Malawi, a man was arrested for putting up gay rights posters.

Adm. Mike Mullen, DADT, and the Right. Who's supporting senior military wisdom now? Not a whole bunch of politicians who promised to.

Offensive article in the New York Times about how the presence of more women at college is skewing dating culture. Moments of fail include the assertion that with student bodies being 60% female, some schools feel "eerily like a women's college." OH, GET OVER IT. The article is disgusting. Because really? In a world where women slightly outnumber men, how the fuck can you argue that the only thing that is normal is more men in college than women? And then explain that it's just for everyone's comfort in the dating world?

The "My Way" killings.

Manhattan as seen from Hollywood.

Buffy. OMG Gypsy!fail. Wow. WOW WOW WOW WOW.

Anyway. So Buffy loses her virginity. This pair of episodes was odd. I thought the first one wasn't that good and was making me squirm the way these sorts of episodes always do (I didn't lose my virginity until college, it wasn't a straight forward situation and I don't really have much love for long, drawn out, "am I ready?" and "it'll be so beautiful" stuff. This shit punches the buttons of my inner 17-y-o in a way I don't enjoy.

But, the second of the two episodes was Really Good. I mean, other than the Gypsy!fail and all the other fuckery going on. I laughed my ass off when Buffy's mom was all "you look different," because doesn't every teen worry about that? And I thought Giles was so awesome with Buffy at the end. I felt like you could really see this sense of the teen he had been and the way his own obligations had broken his heart at that age. Loved it to pieces.

And then, hey, Oz is a werewolf!

Comments

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

All in all, I think that Buffy handled the whole virginity thing with a lot of sensitivity, but oh man, the Gypsy fail. It's been ten years and I still haven't gotten over it. I mean, really Joss? Really?

Of course, as lolarious as it is, at least it's a portrayal of gypsies in the media, right? That's something.

[fremen-dancer.livejournal.com]

Of course, as lolarious as it is, at least it's a portrayal of gypsies in the media, right? That's something.

Although I think I get what you mean, I'm forced to disagree as a part Romani person who is particularly sensitive to popular stereotypes of the ethnicity, especially in the media.

If you were to ask the average Westerner to name a few qualities that they generally associate with Romani culture, they're pretty much taken from the 98% bullsh*t depictions they've seen in movies and tv.

I would much prefer it if writers as usually smart and sensitive as Joss Whedon refrained from reinforcing stereotypes about my ethnic background that cause people to rib me with jokes about "putting curses on them" and "where's your wagon?!"

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

I understand what you mean. I'm not of Romani decent, but I'm currently writing a paper about the Romani people and the media, and I have to say, I'm particularly shocked by how stunningly inaccurate the few examples I found were. I didn't mean to be insensitive; I'm just shocked by how few portrayals I've found at all.

I don't understand why gypsies of any kind are still considered acceptable targets for the kind of bs representation you're describing. Surely someone has noticed! It's like the Romani are a forgotten people.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I suspect some people don't know Romani and Sinti are real peoples. After all, some people still think Jews have horns.

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

Jews don't have horns?

Well gosh. This changes everything.

[fremen-dancer.livejournal.com]

Romani in popular culture are generally stuck into the categories of either "villainous strange dark-skinned outsiders" or "noble savage". Or both.

It's interesting to me how here in America, the attitude toward Romani seems to often be one of "how quaint", "how romantic", "how bohemian", "how exotic", "how mystical and special" at best. If, you know, people are aware that it's a real ethnicity at all.

However in much of the rest of the world, I assure you that the Romani are not forgotten. Instead, they are largely reviled and treated with the worst kind of xenophobic fear and prejudice.

[rm.livejournal.com]

However in much of the rest of the world, I assure you that the Romani are not forgotten. Instead, they are largely reviled and treated with the worst kind of xenophobic fear and prejudice.

It was ALL I heard about in Italy the first time I went (now it's diluted with the anti-Muslim)

[fremen-dancer.livejournal.com]

I've had plenty of socially awkward instances in which people had no clue about my background and they started going on about "Look out for the Gyppos!".

I have never glared so hard in my life. Particularly since a member of my extended family was beaten to death by skinheads at the age of 15 a few years ago in Russia for being full-blooded Roma.

[zahrawithaz.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on the Gypsy fail, but I have to say I think it's utterly typical of Whedon, who abandons all smarts and sensitivity when race and ethnicity enter the picture. The racefail in Buffy actually gets worse as the series goes on.