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

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

In Israel we have been compared to bird 'flu, that we undermine Judaism and more... 'cause we're queer. Go figure. Bird 'flue, of all the things that have been said... and a lot has (http://israleft.org/?p=70), that still feels the worst to me.

At the time (I was 12-13) I liked the way the Buffy's virginity thing was handled... except the fact that she was punished for having sex at all. There are a number of conflicting messages when it comes to Joss and sex and I don't think I've managed to suss them all out yet, after over ten years of having been a fan.

[dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com]

I liked the way the Buffy's virginity thing was handled... except the fact that she was punished for having sex at all.

Because Buffy has been described as "High School as a Horror Movie," I can understand that one. It's a huge fear for girls in high school, that you'll be pressured into sex, that you'll be dumped if you don't have sex, that you'll be discarded if you do...

But... it would be easier if other cast members had clearer situations so you got some sense of how it worked out differently in different situations.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

I think that was Whedon's intent with that whole storyline though. He was really pushing that high school is hell allegory the first three seasons, and he says in commentary that he meant for Angel(us) to be an example of when a girl has sex and the guy changes on her. Then I guess that might be one of the cardinal problems in the way he handles women--as feminist as I think Whedon believes himself to be, I think he always has been (justly) criticized for the way some of the storylines involving sexuality panned out. Buffy was definitely a refreshing change of having a woman kick ass as a superhero, and turning the horror genre on its head, but it does have its problems.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

There is one primary message from Joss regarding sex:
Sex is bad. This is implied through the series and flat-out stated in Angel, with everyone saying "We KNEW that."
("Sexbots are hot" and "All vampires are gay" is secondary)

Buffy/Angel is every woman's nightmare: you have sex and he changes. He used to like you, now he's horrible to you.

[nicoli-dominn.livejournal.com]

Your last line: pretty much what I got out of that episode as well. My own personal reasons for holding on out actual intercourse with guys definitely included that one, but I also had a lot of other crap going on (still do).