Posts by Danielle
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Meh. I didn't want to get into this, but here I am.
The "All men are rapists" is a very annoying unifem-type argument
Yes, it is, if it's used in the way you're talking about. However, people using this as an example of inflexible 70s feminist argument miss the point, since no one appears to have actually read the original work: it is far more nuanced than anyone gives it credit for. The 'all men are rapists' theory does not, actually, say that all men are real, dyed-in-the-wool rapists: it says that most men in society *benefit* from a social structure in which most women live in fear of rape. Which sounds a lot more true than 'all men are actual rapists', doesn't it?
I should have said - why are generalisations such a bad thing in a context where one is talking about gobal concepts - eg gender and sexual politics
I'm thinking it's because we all have a horse in this race, and we're all personally involved, so it makes people uncomfortable to hear 'hey, gender relations? Still pretty fucked up when it comes to sexuality'. People are much more likely to latch on to the 'hey, lots of women I know go to strip clubs, so it's all OK!' thing than to ask harder questions like 'why does this particularly weird aspect of modern life even exist? Why is staring at hot naked women something *all* of us are supposed to do now, male or female, to prove that we're not 'uptight'? Why do we do it more now than we did before? What does it really mean?'
By the way, I've been to strip clubs - and not just the happy, comfortable, postmodern kind we have in Auckland, either. I've been to the more prevalent working-class American kind, where the men gaze at the women like resentful lions on the hunt, and the women can barely conceal their contempt for the audience. The strippers *loved* me: I was no threat. But it's still pretty uncomfortable, that atmosphere. Problematic.
It's all so contradictory, this gender politics stuff. Particularly in music. If you love big, cheesy, popular hiphop, as I do, you just have to let a lot of that lyrical content flow right over you and sort of ignore it. For example, I love Jay-Z's '99 Problems'. But the chorus, 'I got 99 problems and a bitch ain't one' isn't really something that a right-on third-wave feminist like myself wants to, um, 'reclaim' in any meaningful sense. Sigh.
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My husband's grandmother was a wonderful woman, but she could occasionally get similar words confused. The CNN coverage she was watching in the aftermath discussed the blame laid at the feet of the paparazzi, while showing photos of Diana's famous friends.
This left Granny convinced that... Pavarotti had killed Diana.
(It would have been a much better story if he had.)
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I'm thrilled.
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musicals - yuck!
There is nothing inherently wrong with musicals.
That is all. :)
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I'd like to add myself to the tiny but dedicated chorus of Wire-lovers. We're at the end of season one right now, and it really is stellar in every respect. All these characters have such depth and complexity - it's incredible that I find myself supporting both sides at once. In fact, I suppose the show is really arguing that there aren't 'two sides' at all. I can't wait to see the other seasons, particularly season four, which concentrates on schools, and which by all accounts is amazing.
One of my future 'American pop culture' road trips is going to have to be a John Waters/Wire themed Baltimore journey...
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My husband grew up on the outskirts of Houston in the 70s. He said Dazed and Confused is completely accurate. And yes, they did chase the freshmen with paddles. L-I-V-I-N!
The removal of 30 Rock is utterly infuriating. BAH!
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Danielle, I swear, you're my wife aren't you...(considers this possibility)...now that would be weird.
Well, I *do* like pina coladas. And getting caught in the rain.
I also loathe having to make awkward conversation with strangers (it actually gave me hives on one occasion) so maybe I prefer a barber simply because of the strict conversational protocol.
It's not that I mind small talk, you understand. I just want to have some choice about when and whether to engage in it. I think I would have been poorly suited to pre-industrial village life.
I have to assume she was using scissors to cut it. It looks like she used a tiny enraged pomeranian. Either as the cutting device, or the model.
I would like to nominate this joke for some kind of award. It's the funniest thing I've read for days.
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I must come to Dylan's defence here and say I don't think he's ever been much of a stage banterer (unless 'I don't believe you - you're a liar!' counts). He and his band played well, and with feeling, and I don't think he is perfunctory about live performance at all, and hasn't been for some years. He's on the Neverending Tour, after all. I've seen him four times since 2000, and he was great each time, and I never felt cheated because he didn't *talk* to me. I have the radio show for that.
Besides, who really needs banter like 'Hey [insert town name here]! I hear [insert town name here] likes to party!'? Don't insult me with that shit. Bloc Party did it, and it was cheesy. (On the other hand, the Eagles of Death Metal were so crazily over the top with it that it was kind of endearing. And they did spend a lot of time talking about specific Auckland landmarks, which helped.)
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I am possibly the only woman in Auckland who cuts and dyes her own hair. I really hate making stilted conversation for an hour with someone I don't know very well, all the while staring grimly at my increasingly weird-looking visage. And the magazines always suck.
(Hi, I'm Danielle and I'm a curmudgeonly misanthrope. Nice to meet you.)
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I am wondering the same thing too, and I'm really looking forward to it. OMG!
I am reliably informed that he will be bringing sexy back. Or so my sources tell me.