Don't ever, EVER, take a women's studies class. Why? Apparently it's wrong to portray WALL-E as a male and EVE as a female.

Is that one of the study topics, or is that the professor/teacher's own blog?

Quote: Original post by Nypyren
Is that one of the study topics, or is that the professor/teacher's own blog?

Study topics. Believe me, this is some of the easier stuff to stomach.

I think you could do with at least a little more commentary on the article. Where does the author argue that it's wrong to say that Wall-E is male and EVE is female? (It sounds like you literally heard that argued in a women's studies class, but you don't actually come out and say it. [smile]) It's a silly idea, sure, but it's at least a slightly interesting point. They're robots, you see.

To comment on the article:

Quote: I suppose what makes me so mad is not that Pixar makes movies about male characters but that they seem to go out of their way to make sure that this remains the case.

Yeah, that just, that gets me every time. I'll chop this up to poor choice of words, because it'd be ridiculous to suggest that every creative person should endeavor to create every possible work of art about everything instead of just focusing on what interests them.

Quote: It's not just the stories they choose to tell, it's how they choose to tell them: in a way that always relegates female characters to the periphery, where they can serve and encourage male characters, but are never, ever important enough to carry a whole movie on their own shoulders. Unless they're, you know, princesses.

Now that's a solid point, and it's at least something to take into consideration, even if it is an argument squarely against Pixar in this instance.

Yeah, and stay away from Xbox Live if you're a lesbian!

Microsoft admits to, defends banning Lesbian Xbox Live user

On the other hand, I think its good to challenge "stuff". If its something that makes you personally uncomfortable, then it's worth examining to see where the discomfort comes from.

Some recent examples:
*bum/homeless guy/vagrant comes into a starbucks talking on his cell phone. He was having a heated political argument about how the jews are controlling america and how they are on to him, and how isreal needs to be nuked, etc. It would have been offensive to 95% of anyone listening. I was uncomfortable with the hatred spewing out of his mouth, but on the other hand, he has the freedom of speech.

*religious zealots shouting on a street corner in Seattle, telling everyone that they are liars, thieves, hypocrites, etc. and that we're all going to burn in hell. These people were so far off into the deep end that I thought they were insane. I was uncomfortable because I didn't want to get into a shouting match of any sort against someone incapable of reasoned thought.

*university had a speaker come and talk about sex. Topics included anal sex, porn, gender identity, BDSM, polyamourous relationships, communication, etc. I guess I'm a bit more prudish then I realized because I don't feel comfortable with serious talk about kinky sex with random strangers. I guess I feel embarrassed about it all? But why? I don't know. Anyways, I should have dove right in and figured out what about it all made me uncomfortable/embarrased.

So... pushing the envelope is "good". Taking a class on women's studies should be a good experience. To be fair, does the university also offer a course on men's studies? Or is it labeled "gender studies"?

Quote: Original post by LessBread
Yeah, and stay away from Xbox Live if you're a lesbian!

Or Straight.

Quote: Original post by slayemin
So... pushing the envelope is "good".

It is, but throwing off a cliff is pointless.

For every interesting historical fact (teen pregnancy was it's highest in the 1950s, in contrast to what Happy Days told us) or insightful thought (why is it that you never hear a woman orgasm, but you always hear them scream when they're getting killed?), there are two ridiculous spin statements.

[Edited by - Lazy Foo on March 5, 2009 2:48:12 PM]

Quote: Original post by LessBread
Yeah, and stay away from Xbox Live if you're a lesbian!

Microsoft admits to, defends banning Lesbian Xbox Live user

If you give someone some room to decorate, then surely you'll see some of their decoration. Microsoft's mistake was that they gave their customers that room to decorate (their gamer profile that consists of a gamertag and optionally a motto, bio, and location), but then decided it was best to have a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that's reinforced with a banhammer. It would've been easier, safer, and less stupid if they hadn't given any room to decorate at all (no profile pages). Ah, but it seemed like a cool idea.

I just block voice and chat and set it all to private. I have no more interest in meeting or otherwise associating with anyone on XBox Live than I have in meeting someone who comments on Youtube. I'm just there to play, thanks.

Quote: Original post by slayemin
To be fair, does the university also offer a course on men's studies? Or is it labeled "gender studies"?

It seems like this thread might turn into an equivalent... but I've never heard of such a thing as a course. The closest thing is usually called "Psychology 101" or "Anthropology 101" and is innately gender-neutral.

Quote: Original post by Nypyren
The closest thing is usually called "Psychology 101" or "Anthropology 101" and is innately gender-neutral.

Once you leave the realm of hard science, there's no such thing as gender neutral.

Quote: Original post by Benjamin Heath
If you give someone some room to decorate, then surely you'll see some of their decoration. Microsoft's mistake was that they gave their customers that room to decorate (their gamer profile that consists of a gamertag and optionally a motto, bio, and location), but then decided it was best to have a "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that's reinforced with a banhammer. It would've been easier, safer, and less stupid if they hadn't given any room to decorate at all (no profile pages). Ah, but it seemed like a cool idea.

See this is an interesting discussion, about why it's necessary to not even mention sexual orientation and how the internet is exposing how much of a problem racism/sexism/homophobia is today even though we don't like to acknowledge it.

I was hoping for this sort of stuff in this class because our history books are glorified cheerleading manuals. Instead I get lectured about how paper clips are misogynist.