sigelphoenix

I just read an article on Joss Whedon and race, and I highly recommend it. It covers all of Whedon's series, even the comic book Fray, but the most interesting bit is on Firefly/Serenity, and how it represents both progress and regression in terms of Whedon's treatment of race.

Part of the reason I liked this article so much is that the writer comes from the same perspective as me - a great fan of Whedon (or at least Firefly) who is mostly satisfied with both his artistic talent and feminist politics; yet also disappointed by his attitudes toward race. I've been conflicted by criticism of race in Firefly, because on the one hand - yeah, it's a great show, well-written, and has some of the best female characters I've ever seen on television, so I don't want to spend too much time enumerating its flaws. But at the same time - why the other-ing and fetishization of Chinese (language, people, culture), why the replication of stereotypes in the casting of black actors, and why why why the 'lookit how liberal I am!' color-blindness? This article, I think, does a good job of balancing a fan's indulgence with a progressive's criticism.

Some highlights:

"I love Joss not least because he is very good (not perfect) on gender, but I think his greatness on gender is undermined by his inattention to consistent treatment of the major intersections of race and class. And he’s so damned good at dialog and characters and world-building that he could be perfect if he would just get his shit together."

"There's nothing wrong with creating a fictional world that is progressive or not, racist or sexist or not. But whatever you do, it needs to make sense. If it takes place in today's world then interracial and same-sex relationships make real impacts on real people's lives because of racism and homophobia. If it takes place in another or future world where racism and homophobia don't exist — well, then, I'd like to know how we got there from here, and it better damn well be internally consistent."

"If the world is not internally consistent, if it depicts a whitewashed world, if it ends racism and sexism and homophobia without ever nodding to the fact that they used to exist or shaped the current world, if it does any of these things then it's a problem, and not a problem that can be solved with suspension of disbelief. In the racialized and politicized world in which these works are created and consumed, the problematically unrealistic depictions of race, racism, sexism, etc., in a fictional world cannot help but be read as idealization of, normalization of, or advocacy for that flawed world."

And the entire section devoted to Firefly is great, but here's a taste:

"The 'Verse is much more suggestive of Whedon & crew's take on politics: generally progressive, comfortable with feminism, interested in but a little clueless about class, and deeply uncomfortable with dealing with race and racism. So the racelessness of the people of color is the white boy version of racial utopia: color-blindness, where we can all just appreciate each other for the color/texture of our skin and hair."

Seattle-area folks:

There will be a screening of Serenity to benefit Equality Now, a feminist charity supported by Joss Whedon, this Saturday at Magnuson Park (which is right near my place so I can help people with directions). This is one of several screenings nationwide, and it's neat to see this tangible effort being put forth by Joss.

Unfortunately, Saturday is set aside for game and I won't be able to make it, but I figure other people will be interested. Watch Serenity for a good cause!

Details on the event.
Details on the nationwide project.
Details on Equality Now.

I live. And what's more, I post! And now I'm back in classes, after what feels like a really long time. I mean, usually after summer it takes a while for me to readjust to school, but for some reason my old routine feels very foreign to me now. Perhaps it's because I had my first experience working full-time this summer (and also the longest work-free vacation I've had in a couple of years).

Anyhoo, I only had one class today, my intermediate poetry workshop. Only now the course is called "The Craft of Verse," though thankfully my instructor does not seem to aspire to the same level of pretension evinced by the name change. She seems energetic and friendly, which is pretty much all I ask for in a creative writing instructor. I actually didn't know her name until a couple of weeks ago, and I thought for a while that I might have a male instructor -- none of the creative writing courses I've ever taken (which is to say, the courses I've taken here) have been taught by a man, and I wonder what difference that would make. Perhaps next quarter.

My other classes are Fantasy (though it's really more about sci-fi) and Psychobiology of Women, which I'll have tomorrow. They both look good -- here, for example, are the discussion topics listed on the course syllabus for the latter: Gender and Gender Identity; Sex Education; Eating Disorders and Body Image; Reproductive Technologies, Designer Mothers and Designer Babies; and Motherhood Mandate: Social Pressures to Mother or Not. HEE.

This morning I went back to my usual job for the first time in almost four months -- they'd finished the remodel that began before I left for the summer, which made things even more different. Everyone remembered me, though (yay), and now I get to be back in a job that actually keeps me busy, woo! (Not that I'm complaining about the summer job, really. ^^;) It's weird sitting at the front desk (I help cover the receptionist's lunch breaks) for an entire half hour and not have a single person call. o_o

So, last night I went to a special advance screening of Serenity (organized by the campus film club, incidentally), dressed as Inara, with ratzeo as Wash, nekokoban as Kaylee, rivendellrose as River, zinjadu as Zoe, coramegan as Simon (perservering through illness!), chasdini as Jayne (complete with mama-made hat), and miss_arel as Mal. Upon entering the building, Charlie received a standing ovation for his hat. XD We also had sing-alongs inside the theater, "The Ballad of Jayne" led by Charlie, and "The Ballad of Serenity" led by Arel. The geek factor was definitely high that night. XD XD XD I have pictures, which I'll upload later tonight.

As for the movie itself ... ( Massive Spoilerage )

There isn't much to tell about the three weeks prior to last night. They involved Firefly, KareKano, X-Men Legends II, and other geeking and dorking and general disappearing-from-the-world happiness. The best vacation ever. XD

Okay, so the essay on chivalry in Finding Serenity? Did anyone else find that to be an overblown piece of reactionary tripe? I mean, honestly, I couldn't find much in the way of a point, and what I *did* find consisted of, "Men who aren't classically chivalrous are unmanly," and "Giving respect to whores is funny." There was also the "Wah, poor Christianity," as well as the implication that Buffy and Angel were nice pats on the head to the silly little people who don't like sexism or racism, but admittedly those were minor points.

I was particularly impressed by the so-called description of the plot of "War Stories." Wash, just to be clear, was not heroically inserting himself into Zoe's role to save her from danger. Mal only let him tag along because this particular drop-off was a "milk run." Also, though he is certainly concerned with Zoe's safety, Wash's motivations in this particular instance were not courageous, but jealous and petty. (Which is not to say I don't find them believable and sympathetic!) He did yell at Mal for (potentially) putting his wife into such a dangerous situation, but it was an issue of "How dare you risk this person whom I love" rather than "How dare you risk a woman, you unchivalrous person you."

And yes, the episode was indeed constructed to show that there was "something wrong with a husband trying to safeguard his own wife" -- or rather, with *this* husband wanting to protect *this* wife in *this* way. Wash's move was *stupid.* Zoe is the soldier; she is the one who should go along with the captain. Wash is the pilot; he is the one who should stay on the ship, and be ready to fly them out of there. It's not a husband/wife thing, or a man/woman thing. Were this situation about, say, Mal and Inara, it would make perfect sense for Mal to take the physical risk. It's all about whose strengths are where.

On the whole, though, I'm loving the book so far. "Firefly vs. The Tick" in particular had much funny, and I loved the examination of Wash and Zoe's marriage. I also appreciated the sex therapist's look at the historical tradition behind Companions -- I've actually read a similar history about the "holy whore" in Whores and Other Feminists. (Is it just me, or am I attracting material on sex work? Granted, I sought out the books on sex worker feminisms, but then there was Firefly. And last week I started reading Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart, wherein the heroine is pretty much a professional sub. Hm.)

I finished the last two episodes of Firefly yesterday. So that thing I said before about waiting for ratzeo to come home so we could watch it together? Um, right, yeah. XD;;; But hey! Rewatching is also good, so I can view it more objectively -- and by "objectively" I mean "more solid than a soupy puddle of fangirlish glee."

( Cut for spoilers? length? incoherent glee? )

I also stumbled across this today: A neo-feminist's view of abstinence.

( Cut for snarking about sex )

There's a discussion on BDSM going on in feminist. It's getting a little angry. (The group on average is young and generally sex-positive, but this just goes to show you how sex can be as touchy a subject as religion or politics.) One of the best points made so far, which really cuts to the heart of the conflict, uses this quote from Amber L. Hollibaugh's My Dangerous Desires:

"The truth is that our current state of feminist affairs has demanded that women live outside power in sex. We seen to have decided that power in sex is male because it leads to dominance and submission, which are in turn defined as exclusively masculine. Much of our theorizing has suggested that any arousal form power felt by women is simply false consciousness. In real life this forces many feminists to give up sex as they enjoy it and forces an even larger group to go underground with their dreams. For the many women who have no idea what they might eventually want, it means silencing and fearing the unknown aspects of their passions as they begin surfacing. Silence, hiding, fear, shame - these have always been imposed on women so that we have no knowledge, let alone control, of what we want. Will we now impose these on ourselves?"

Power relationships in sex has been a big issue in feminism -- Andrea Dworkin's Intercourse is a notorious indictment of heterosexual sex, while some radical lesbian feminists formed strict rules about lesbian sex in an attempt to erase power dynamics from sex. Even The Beauty Myth talks about the eroticization of power, and how it contributes to a rape culture. To me, though, that's all about blaming power for the crimes of oppression -- basically conflating power with the abuse of power.

Let's face it: power is sexy. Someone who's in control of him/herself is sexy. Someone who evokes respect or obedience through his/her competence is sexy. This has nothing to do with someone who has power but is a jackass. Jackasses are not sexy. Okay? Okay.

I don't doubt that the eroticization of power has felt the influence of society. I just hate the idea that, just because I might like someone to act in a dominant manner on occasion, that this is inherently some sort of internalized oppression. I am not submitting as a female to someone because he's male. Submission and obedience are not necessarily weaknesses -- whether that is actual, D/S style submission, or just the decision to listen to your partner's opinion. (This is especially the case when the people involved are equals, and there is the possibility of reversal of roles.) So long as the parties involved are consenting, where is there an actual inequality of power? I'll say it again: equality does not mean sameness. Consenting to acknowledge someone else's power requires trust, and trust can be pretty damn sexy.

(The comment itself is specifically about how power relationships relate to domination and submission, so it's not as generally applicable. :P But it's interesting on its own.)

~~~~~~~~~~

On a completely unrelated note: watch the commentary of "War Stories" by Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk. The actual relevance of their commentary to the episode is ~5% (unlike, say, "Out of Gas," which had explanations by the director and writer, Nathan and Alan spend time mocking themselves and commenting on Gina Torres' hotness), but the hilarity is worth it. Includes such memorable quotes as "Headless Wash!" and "I think you can tell just by looking at my face that I have the legs of a dancer," and the insightful, "Is 'essence' the root word of 'essential'?"

Hodgepodge of stuff. First of all, some food for thought:

-An editorial on homophobia written by the mother of a gay son. This was written a few years ago, during the civil union debates in Vermont, but the sentiment is obviously still valid. My favorite part: "If you want to tout your own morality, you'd best come up with something more substantive than your heterosexuality. You did nothing to earn it; it was given to you."

(I myself give great thought to my moral principles, and foremost among these is, without a doubt, heterosexuality. Don't kill people? Check. Love my neighbor? You betcha. Liking boy-parts? Certainly a given principle in moral discourse!)

-A comment from a post in feminist about street harassment. The question was whether guys leering/catcalling at women on the street could be considered harassment, and this answer sums up my feelings: it's not so much about what is said, or the genders of those involved, or even about unwelcome advances. It's about objectification and the overblown sense of entitlement that some people have.

-A quote from Whores and Other Feminists that (for me) trumps the argument that all prostitution is rape, and is disrespectful of rape survivors: "By the blood and bruises of sexual violations that I have sufered, I advocate protection for consensual sexual expressions of all kinds." (emphasis mine)

-Another quote, from Carol Queen, famed sex-positive feminist: "The stereotype about sex workers that says we are driven to this demeaning lifestyle by a damaged history must be exposed as the sex-negative and, yes, sexist crap it so often is. (How eerily this parallels what used to be said about lesbians!)" This reaffirms my impression that anti-pornography and anti-prostitution often acts as a mask for the 'other'ing of a minority sexual group that makes the mainstream feel more secure, rather than an actual, principled opposition to the practice itself.

Second of all, I watched several more episodes of Firefly this weekend. (I'm not going to be able to save it for when ratzeo comes home, am I? ~_~)

-Shindig: Much fun! But the best parts were Wash's ode to the "corpsified" Zoe, and Mal's ode to himself ("Mercy is the mark of a great man," etc.). Also love the way Mal said "sw-what?" when he found out about the duel.

-Safe: Simon has my heart. That is all.

-Our Mrs. Reynolds: I loved the hilarity (Mal is adorably dense!), but also for the sense of mundane conflict -- Zoe getting snappy at Wash, Inara getting snappy at Mal. This episode, even more than Shindig, makes me feel the Mal/Inara. Also love the way Mal said "you dubba wha?" when Saffron wanted to "cleave" to him.

-Jaynestown: I was afraid I wouldn't like Jayne as much as I'm coming to like the other characters. I was happily proven wrong.

Also, I'm developing a deeper and deeper affection for Simon. Not just for his actions in Safe (but it does help that he called River "Mei-mei," because that made me MELT), but for the fact that he's a really ordinary guy. He's smart, and he loves his sister, and he *is* brave -- but he's not a good fighter, not good at deceit, not even very good at being witty. I sympathize with him the most as the 'wants to be useful but is sometimes just an irredeemable gimp' character. <3

My fannish luck continues to dance the line between 'uber-lucky' and 'pitiful gimp' (and then tip over to the right side, thus making me look cool). Today I decided that I'd stop by Tower Records after work and buy the Firefly DVDs. I've been watching zinjadu's copies, but I like it enough that I knew I would want my own, and I would regret waiting until the movie hype bumped up the price. Anyway, I called ahead to see if the store had it in stock, and was told that the one copy would be put on hold for me.

I got there an hour later (yay bus commute) and the woman behind the counter couldn't find anything put on hold for me. The only male cashier who was there wasn't the guy I talked to, and apparently no one else had worked there in the past hour. They looked for the box set on the shelf, but it wasn't there. At this point I was mildly despairing, and paranoid that I'd called the wrong store (even though I triple-checked that I was getting the phone number for the University location). Finally, the first cashier called the manager and asked him if he'd happened to answer the phone and talked to me -- apparently he hadn't, but then she started rooting around behind the counter again. They *did* have one copy of Firefly -- which had been special-ordered for the manager. And he said she could sell it to me! <3 He came up to the counter later, and told me that it sucked that someone had told me they'd put it on hold but it wasn't there for me. I thanked him, and he said he could just order another copy. I thought that was awfully nice -- he could have just kept his copy, and told the cashier to ask me if I wanted to order it or something. Either way I would have bought it, but this way I was happy to give them my money. Was it fannish camaraderie that motivated him, or good salesmanship? Either way, it was a little bit of niceness that gave me a small boost when I'd been feeling down all day.

And speaking of fannishness -- here's a video with clips from the RENT cast's performance in Bryant Park for the Broadway for Life benefit. It includes bits of Idina Menzel and Tracie Thoms doing "Take Me or Leave Me"! Also some interviewing of the cast, in which you hear that Adam Pascal has a higher speaking voice -- sort of what I'd expected Anthony Rapp's to be like. o.O Here are pictures from the event, while here are some from the Today Show (in which you see that Taye Diggs does not like to smile for pictures, but then realize that it's because he could easily take over small countries with that smile).

And now ... Cap'n Tightpants awaits.

I've only seen three episodes of Firefly so far, so I probably shouldn't be so enthusiastic about it yet -- nor should I probably be committing myself to dressing up for the opening of Serenity in September. But! It *is* a lot of fun so far, and I do trust the recommendations of the people who have been pimping it out to me (zinjadu, rivendellrose, and nekokoban, a.k.a. Zoe, River, and Kaylee come midnight, September 30th XD). I even feel justified in forming an attachment to Inara, in that OMG-she's-cool-because-I'm-gonna-dress-up-as-her way, despite not having much to base my opinion on (she's kind of 'meh' in the pilot, and, while she has shown that she has potential in the next two episodes, I haven't gotten to see that borne out), because I have been assured that she's as strong of a female character as the others on the show. Besides which, we went shopping today for costume material, and I found, well, my entire outfit. o_o I'm told it looks exactly like something Inara would wear. Clearly, I performed some kind of summoning spell for cosplay, and targeted it at Buffalo Exchange. I now have all the clothing necessary to make myself look like a high-class whore, yay! <3

It helps that they're girly clothes, because now I have extra reason to squee over them. I probably wouldn't have gotten any of them on my own, but they're quite lovely -- all silk-ish and shiny. One of them is a powder blue/sky blue lacy blouse, the kind that looks almost like it should be a piece of lingerie (which is great for the "companion" look, but not my normal style ^^;), but I love the color. I also got a long, orange silk skirt, which kind of scares me, because goodness knows I don't wear actual colors besides neutral and blue. :P But it's a subdued orange, and now that I have it I might actually wear it. And the last piece is a silk Chinese-style robe, blue with dark orange dragons on it. It's so pretty. *_* And sure, I probably can't wear *that* piece around on the street, but ... but it's pretty. *helpless flailing* I used to drool over this silk robe at the local import shop, red with an embroidered phoenix on the back; I never got it because I'd never wear it, but I'm glad that I finally got an excuse to get one of these things. XD

Of course now I'm all happily planning out the details of the costume, even through the premiere is two months away. :P But there's hair and makeup and accessories to deal with, wah. zinjadu, rivendellrose, nekokoban -- I actually did find a necklace of mine that I think would work. The chain isn't gold, but rather an odd bronze-y color that fits the robe, with dark blue stones. I also went through my earrings and found some that would match. None of my big-ass chandelier ones work, unfortunately, but I'll show you the ones I pulled and see what you think. If not, I can just run up to the mall with you whenever you go. Also, rivendellrose -- could you help me with bringing in the blouse a little bit? It's too big of a size for me, but a minor adjustment would make it fit right.

Done with the fangirling. I should go do something more productive, like eat dinner.

I went to see my first Mariners game on Friday night (actually, my first live pro sports event ever). We lost, and we were stuck sitting behind a REALLY ANNOYING youth group, but still! It was fun to watch. Plus, we made up for it by winning last night in a really exciting ninth inning. Should have gone to see *that* game instead, but oh well.

After that we headed over to the Harry Potter release party at Barnes & Noble. I'm sure it was fun, but I was really too sleepy at that point to notice. :P I did notice an awfully cute little girl dressed up as a house elf, though. And I read the first part of the Marvel 1602 trade, which is enough to convince me that I need to own it. As soon as my wallet recovers from this past week.

Yesterday we trekked up to shadawyn's place for the weekly writing meeting. I got to see her apartment all swanky and furnished, reacquaint myself with the cats (Madeline seemed to recognize me even though she didn't want to, whereas I think Sebastian went through phases of remembering me and being overwhelmed by terror at my unfamiliarity, sigh), and then stuff myself silly at the Outback Steakhouse (OMG steak! and fried things! and BREAD! <3). Also while there, I got some useful concrit for my story, which has given me some direction for my revision, YAY. <3 We then went back to the apartment to fill in whatever space we had leftover with cake and ice cream. Oof. *pokes belly*

Also while there, shadawyn's Firefly discs arrived, and we watched the pilot episode. Oh my oh my. I have been in need of a new, good series, and a good ensemble series really hits the spot. I would love to watch the rest of it, but alas, that must wait until I'm off of work in September and actually have the time. Or rather, actually have the time to watch the DVDs *and* get my writing done.

So, in summary: Baseball. Food. Books. Need Marvel 1602, when am not broke. Need Firefly, when am not busy.

And now to spend a leisurely afternoon reading Harry Potter, and revising my story.