OMGWTF?

[jhameia]

First, Conan and Van Damme have a dance-off. Getcher popcorn, kiddos.

Secondly, WTF is wrong with the world? On a Grayhound bus, an insane homocidal psycho stabs and decaptitates a young man. The States importing their crazies up North??

Thirdly, Melissa McEwan on "edgy" misogyny... or rather, why it's NOT edgy.

Fourthly, a wicked spoken word performance by Renee Sonya for Choice USA a couple years back.

Fifthly, the teaser for Disney's new Princess movie, the Princess and the Frog. Let's hold our breath and see how badly Disney fucks THIS one up. It's already gone back to the drawing board after the PREVIOUS storyline which had the main character start up as a chambermaid. Because obviously black people can only be in servile positions *rolls eyes*

Sixthly, Minneapolis police get medals after they break into the wrong house and shoot it up, traumatizing a child in due process.

Seventhly, Amanda Marcotte on why it sucks to be in a relatively normal heterosexual marriage. Read the discussion comments if you have time; that's where the juice is!

Finally, I actually have a lot I want to write about with regards to the shooting up of a Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church a few days ago. But it's exhausting to think about. It's made me very sad, especially since I considered going to the local UU church here in Halifax on a regular basis (which never happened because I got lazy). If I had to choose a religious institution to go to, the UU church would be it. My heart goes out to those who lost their lives, and their loved ones.

Comments

[tenchan.livejournal.com]

One; Wrong

Two; Maybe the kid had his headphones up too loud? CSIS sleeper got an unintientional subliminal message? Too much anime?

Three; Amen.

Four; No comment til my sound works again

Five; Note, the black princess is after a FROG..this doesn't strike anyone as somewhat ~offish~? Really..if you're using a black princess, why not look into some Anansi tales?

Six; Any time you're presented medals, you have the ability to refuse. If they made a mistake, they can say 'We screwed up, we don't deserve these.' Yes, they deserve commendations on their records for performance under fire...but even they should notate that it WAS a mistake.

Seven; In part, it's very true. I'm sure you've heard of 'supermom'? That's a prime example...Catch is, sometimes it's even 'feminist society' that pushes for women to exceed limits, change standards or make demands they wouldn't otherwise after marriage. I think, depending on who you are, your social circles, etc, this essay rings generally true...And I really feel the pressures are different for a man, (not unequal, different) and they can be generally blind to those imposed on their partner. Even I experience this imbalance from time-to-time...Mind you, I'm very fortunate to have a man who subconsiously steps up to the plate in times of need on a physical and enviromental level..so the experience for me is wholly on a psychological/social level.

I, however disagree with the opinion that married women are 'more depressed' than married men. There's some interesting studies out there on how severely under-diagnosed male depression is...I think, maybe it's more that women are 'married women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression' would be a more accurate wording. I would ~like~ to believe it's because women are more willing to talk, and there are plenty of good liberal men out there who want to tell their partners when they're worried that something's wrong with their counterpart.

I think marriage IS an institution in the social attributes it has been given. It can be oppressive, have a fatalistic feel, and as a commenter posted, grinds you down. Like Feminism/Liberalism/Peoplism...I think you have to take the term 'marriage' and, aside from the legal aspects of it, redefine it for yourself and reject the social definitions pressed upon you. A marriage can truly suck...(So can raising kids!) but IMHO it's how much the individuals let it suck in the end, rather than it sucking for what it is.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

A lot of people were wondering just WHY that particular story had to be used. I really like the idea of using the Anansi tales myself but then... it wouldn't have fit the Princess genre much *snrk* Remember, Disney doesn't do things for the characters anymore, it's the consumer product that matters in the end!

Re: Marriage, the pressures of why people change within the institution usually depends on people OUTSIDE the marriage... go figure. Some individuals have made it what they want it to be, which is great, and a few of them slip back into the traditional framework, kind of by accident. Takes a lot to reject the subtle pressure from everybody else.

[prayers-forrain.livejournal.com]

I couldn't sleep last night after I heard about the Greyhound decapitation. It's so fucked up. I kept picturing how he carried the head with him to the front of the bus and held it up to show the people outside. It's something straight out of a horror movie.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Why are YOU messed up? Aren't you the horror movie buff here? X_x

[prayers-forrain.livejournal.com]

Yes, but horror movies are FAKE. It crossed the line into reality, and that's fucked up.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess I'm desensitized to the idea of real human beings killing each other. I have less of a stomach for zombies and the fucked-up shit that we ourselves think up for entertainment.

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

Am I really the only one who doesn't mind Disney Princess story lines? I lost respect for Disney mainly due to its sequel-milking ways. But I liked their earlier work (especially the early 90's). The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and The Beast still remain some of my all-time favourite Disney movies.

I think the trailer looks kinda cute actually. The only thing that annoyed me about it was that ugly bug at the end. I'm really tired of Disney adding small 'funny' sidekicks in ever single Disney movie since The Little Mermaid.

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

The stuff from the early 90's is fine, mostly. The problem with the Disney Princesses is that they're all streamlined to look just about the same, with superficial changes. They're also all mostly white, with Jasmine having had her skin lightened so she'd fit in better. It's purely consumer product - the STORIES are okay, it's the end image that results which isn't.

It's also touchy with a black princess because time and again Disney has proven to be really insensitive to its previous stereotyping of minority characters, particularly black characters. There're plenty of questionable things about this new story: previously, it was "A CROCODILE SIDEKICK?" and "VOODOO?" Now it's "NEW ORLEANS?" and, like you said, "A TOOTHLESS FIREFLY?"

[eiko82.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have to agree with you in regards with the streamlined-all-look-the-same point. I've seen those Princess lines with videos and books centering on only the Disney Princess. I did think that all the Princesses DO look similar in those. They don't stand out anymore which is kinda sad. 'Cause some of the princesses are really cool e.g. Belle (yay for cute bookworms!).

[fantasyecho.livejournal.com]

Ugh, totally. I mean, I would prefer sequels to the Princess lines... those toys and clothes and assorted products. Those things piss me off; it's not like they're environmentally friendly, or even that educational. The sequels at least show that there's more to the "happily ever after" so concept-wise, I don't mind sequels that much. (And Pocahontas/John Rolfe was really cute, so yay!) I just wish they made GOOD sequels, yanno?