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Aug. 22nd, 2011 12:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwydion* I dreamed that the separation between various alternate universes was collapsing. At first it was subtle, a different version of a book, a few people switched for slightly different versions, but as things unraveled, the universes got more intrusive and further away. A version of a guy that spoke Czech instead of English. Multiple versions of a person arguing, alternate versions of chess, a river running through the lobby of an office building. Finally, dinosaurs and primitive vegetation were wandering through the city.
* Cleolinda on the West Memphis Three: http://cleolinda.livejournal.com/991515.html?style=mine#cutid1
* BPAL thought of the day: I have discovered that in aged blends, green tea starts to smell like lemon to me, as it breaks down.
* I kept being bugged by my difficulty in placing Patrick Bauchau's not quite English accent so I looked it up. No wonder it was illusive. It's Belgium, UK, and Switzerland all mixed together. (Yes, I know Switzerland is trilingual, but their version of each language doesn't sound quite like one would expect.) In retrospect, I can catch the same odd twang in Christopher Lambert's accent and he is Swiss. I feel better with these little mysteries solved.
* Torchwood:
I love the feel of the past time segments. I loved the psychology of it: Angeloan reminding Jack of his past, the desire to be the doctor, the way it all went wrong. The seduction scene at the window was incredibly hot. I loved the dialog between Jack and Gwen and all the things both said and unspoken. At the same time, I'm not sure I like where the present time plot is going. This is the first episode that engaged me emotionally. So, I'm worried about how it's going to turn out, but I feel better about it.
* True Blood:
I just wanted to say, Jesus FTW. In the past he's been occasionally dubious, but he was a world of cool tonight.
Also, can I mention again how fond I am of Terry?
Wow, Lafayette's actor is good.
* (Warning: I'm going to talk about the trans rant)Leverage:
I had mixed emotions both about the use of the airport and about the trans content. I don't really want to get into the whole airport security debate, but it was in my head the whole time I was watching. Then there's Hardisen's trans rant. The history of using trans status as part of the humour in TV and movies is long and ugly. I have never forgiven Seth McFarlane or Seth Green for the recent particularly heinous examples, and I avoid South Park over their incredibly fucked up use of trans themes. It's a sore spot because so many people over the years have done some version of it, mostly to humiliate and body police trans women while calling into question the validity of trans folk's gender identity, though the Robot Chicken one was a rare trans male example of all of the above. This is where I'm coming from, this tendency of those with lots of privilege mocking those with very little with no understanding of how nasty and hurtful it is.
The thing is, I'm uncomfortable with cis folk using trans status as an occasion for humour, but at the same time, Hardisen's trans rant is one just about every one of us has been tempted to unload on some asshole for making a hassle over ID or names or for making that face that is like a red flag, or for saying exactly the wrong thing off the BINGO card. For the most part, we try to suppress this urge because unloading at the last straw may turn someone well meaning but clueless into an enemy, because that person may have the power to deny needed services, because we simply aren't up to the ensuing hassle. Like I said, we mostly don't do it, but we've nearly all run that rant through our heads at some point.
So this is why I'm torn. He wasn't pulling one of the heinous, obvious nasty disgusting jokes that everyone does because they are lazy and prejudiced. he was doing a just slightly over the top version of a real rant someone might make if they were pushed to far. He's done it before on a number of occasions, using minority status or perceived minority status to make a figure in authority let him get away with the thing he wants to get away with. I'm always a little uncomfortable with it, because it undermines the legitimacy of real people giving some version of that rant out in the real world with good cause. I admit, it bothers me less when it's a group the character can legitimately claim to be a part of, but it made me outright in one of the first episodes squirm when he pretended to be flamboyantly gay and pulled out the gay rant. The trans rant felt less cartoonish, and I probably would be thinking twice if an actual trans character gave it in response to legitimate bullshit, here I'm just sort of uncomfortable. Even though I laughed.
* I'm way behind on the internet. I've got a ton of stuff to do tomorrow and it was too hot for proper sleep today. If I missed it and it's important PM me.
* I did get to read RM's thing on Torchwood and it captures a lot of the things I've been having trouble putting into words: http://lettersfromtitan.com/2011/08/21/torchwood-miracle-day-finally-getting-to-america/
* Cleolinda on the West Memphis Three: http://cleolinda.livejournal.com/991515.html?style=mine#cutid1
* BPAL thought of the day: I have discovered that in aged blends, green tea starts to smell like lemon to me, as it breaks down.
* I kept being bugged by my difficulty in placing Patrick Bauchau's not quite English accent so I looked it up. No wonder it was illusive. It's Belgium, UK, and Switzerland all mixed together. (Yes, I know Switzerland is trilingual, but their version of each language doesn't sound quite like one would expect.) In retrospect, I can catch the same odd twang in Christopher Lambert's accent and he is Swiss. I feel better with these little mysteries solved.
* Torchwood:
I love the feel of the past time segments. I loved the psychology of it: Angeloan reminding Jack of his past, the desire to be the doctor, the way it all went wrong. The seduction scene at the window was incredibly hot. I loved the dialog between Jack and Gwen and all the things both said and unspoken. At the same time, I'm not sure I like where the present time plot is going. This is the first episode that engaged me emotionally. So, I'm worried about how it's going to turn out, but I feel better about it.
* True Blood:
I just wanted to say, Jesus FTW. In the past he's been occasionally dubious, but he was a world of cool tonight.
Also, can I mention again how fond I am of Terry?
Wow, Lafayette's actor is good.
* (Warning: I'm going to talk about the trans rant)Leverage:
I had mixed emotions both about the use of the airport and about the trans content. I don't really want to get into the whole airport security debate, but it was in my head the whole time I was watching. Then there's Hardisen's trans rant. The history of using trans status as part of the humour in TV and movies is long and ugly. I have never forgiven Seth McFarlane or Seth Green for the recent particularly heinous examples, and I avoid South Park over their incredibly fucked up use of trans themes. It's a sore spot because so many people over the years have done some version of it, mostly to humiliate and body police trans women while calling into question the validity of trans folk's gender identity, though the Robot Chicken one was a rare trans male example of all of the above. This is where I'm coming from, this tendency of those with lots of privilege mocking those with very little with no understanding of how nasty and hurtful it is.
The thing is, I'm uncomfortable with cis folk using trans status as an occasion for humour, but at the same time, Hardisen's trans rant is one just about every one of us has been tempted to unload on some asshole for making a hassle over ID or names or for making that face that is like a red flag, or for saying exactly the wrong thing off the BINGO card. For the most part, we try to suppress this urge because unloading at the last straw may turn someone well meaning but clueless into an enemy, because that person may have the power to deny needed services, because we simply aren't up to the ensuing hassle. Like I said, we mostly don't do it, but we've nearly all run that rant through our heads at some point.
So this is why I'm torn. He wasn't pulling one of the heinous, obvious nasty disgusting jokes that everyone does because they are lazy and prejudiced. he was doing a just slightly over the top version of a real rant someone might make if they were pushed to far. He's done it before on a number of occasions, using minority status or perceived minority status to make a figure in authority let him get away with the thing he wants to get away with. I'm always a little uncomfortable with it, because it undermines the legitimacy of real people giving some version of that rant out in the real world with good cause. I admit, it bothers me less when it's a group the character can legitimately claim to be a part of, but it made me outright in one of the first episodes squirm when he pretended to be flamboyantly gay and pulled out the gay rant. The trans rant felt less cartoonish, and I probably would be thinking twice if an actual trans character gave it in response to legitimate bullshit, here I'm just sort of uncomfortable. Even though I laughed.
* I'm way behind on the internet. I've got a ton of stuff to do tomorrow and it was too hot for proper sleep today. If I missed it and it's important PM me.
* I did get to read RM's thing on Torchwood and it captures a lot of the things I've been having trouble putting into words: http://lettersfromtitan.com/2011/08/21/torchwood-miracle-day-finally-getting-to-america/