On 111 Male Characters Of British Literature, In Order Of Bangability
Yes, I am confused as to why Lydgate and others are so much higher on the list than Ladislaw. I mean, Ladislaw!
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On 111 Male Characters Of British Literature, In Order Of Bangability
WHERE IS FARAMIR
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On Being Female
@cherrispryte: Please explain to me, specifically, the sinful nature of my Uncle Tom reference. I would love to hear you articulate that.
I also find it awesome that this "Uncle Tom" reference is the first thing everybody has seized on in refuting my argument (especially since it's not at all germane to the argument I was making.) But if you want to dismiss me as a racist so that you can feel good about your position, I suppose that's your prerogative. Dance alone in your apartments with your racism>sexism binaries and wall charts of inappropriate vocabulary words.
My comment wasn't directed at you alone; it was directed at a number of the female commenters on here who made dismissive comments. I was really surprised to see these types of comments being made by these specific commenters, since they don't usually write weird, reactionary things. It *reminded* me of certain otherwise intelligent women I know who are always eager to defuse feminist arguments, saying things like "domestic violence affects men too, you know," etc. I do think of these women as Uncle Tom types. Is that harsh and offensive language? Yes. I feel harshly and am offended by this behavior.
Did I actually accuse you, specifically, of making ridiculous statements about rape, et. al? Or did I say that some of these comments *reminded* me of ladies who say that kind of thing? It's a small distinction, but kind of an important one.
As you point out over and over, I don't know your life! I just know your Internet comments, which include statements like the following: "The idea that there are different expectations placed on people, based on gender, and that women are considered the "other" and that society judges people differently based on gender, and that people finds labia to be scary? That's like a pre-req to feminism 101. None of the information or viewpoint presented above is new or special."
This statement seemed to imply a level of boredom with Myles' essay, since it covered such pedestrian, well-worn topics as the representation of the female perspective in art, institutionalized sexism, and so on. I do find this point of view to be jerky; it seems like the kind of thing that only a woman with a fair amount of privilege could say. Again, I don't know your life (say it in a creaky Southern old man voice for extra impact!)
That's quite the paraphrase you make about my second paragraph. You dislike Myles' essay for being about how she feels: "But this wasn't "holy shit this sucks, here's how it affects me, here are some solutions," this was "I have a lot of feelings about this pie chart, and all women must feel the same way I do about this pie chart." Then you want utter amnesty for your rather feelings-based responses.
I like Mr. Sauer's response not because he is a MAN but because he was thinking about the economic angle, which nobody had heretofore brought up. And because it was a substantial critique. As I read the essay, I couldn't help but think about the situation of writers like J.K. Rowling and Jennifer Cruisie, who may not get much acclaim but are definitely economically dominating other popular fiction writers like Clive Cussler. Does Harry Potter contain a female reality? Did Rowling's choice to center the series around a male character and to recycle the classic Hero's Journey male narrative help her to achieve an oddly appealing androgyny in her style (a style that led to her giant success with everybody)? Is Rowling ever going to write about a female protagonist? These are intriguing points (for me) to think about.
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On Being Female
@IBentMyWookie: For a person whose Internet handle is based on a Ralph Wiggum reference, you put on a lot of airs.
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On Being Female
@jolie: I wonder if you are ever going to actually defend your position, instead of reflexively calling those who disagree with you racist or homophobic? One wonders if you're capable of actually articulating it.
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On Being Female
I'm pretty sure that isn't actually an opportunity.
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On Being Female
I think the way that a lot of the regular female commenters on here rushed to aver that Eileen Myles doesn't speak for them is suspicious. There is a definite defensive tone to a lot of the comments in this vein, which tastes a lot like a preemptive strike. The same deconstruction keeps getting used to invalidate Myles' argument, which boils down to "Eileen Myles is not allowed to make general statements about the state of women in the publishing world because women are all real different and nobody can ever speak for anybody else blah blah blah [over-chewed postmodern notions about subjectivity being the only objective truth] blah blah blah "this! so true" blah blah namaste."
There are a lot of arguments which could have been used against Myles' points, not the least of which was Abe's regarding the bestseller's list (see below.) Yet, none of those got used by said female commenters. Why?
I think the main purpose of these commenters was to disassociate themselves from Myles' statements. Their tenor reminds me of those women who say things like "men get raped too," and "sexism against men is a real problem that we must guard against!" Okay, Uncle Tom.
Myles gets to make universal statements about women in America because the statistics about women in America are dire enough to warrant it. If women as a (huge, majority) group are being discriminated against in large numbers, then broad statements about it are applicable, because it is a broad, sweeping problem. Perhaps that is a little "Feminism 101" for you, but our culture isn't past the "Feminism 101" point. The levels of sexual and physical violence against women in America are insane. You might be tired of hearing about it, but other people are tired of experiencing it. Sorry these problems aren't sophisticated, nuanced, or specific enough for you.
The NYT is supposedly a bastion of enlightened Western thinking. The fact that in practice it is not is interesting, and it's interesting to hear the thoughts of a female author on that phenomenon, at least to some people. You say that you want your subjectivity respected, but apparently you're not willing to extend that courtesy to others.
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On 111 Male Characters Of British Literature, In Order Of Bangability
He is hot and weak and young and soooo romantic. I guess it is a 21 Jump Street thing?