Note: This article was originally written on July 03, 2005 as a Shrub.com Article. In my process of switching all articles over to this blog, I will be reposting old entries. What follows is in its original form without any editing.

Because of some crossed wires, I’m taking this month instead of johnmoon (he’ll be up for August). Since I’m in the middle of moving, I’m going to shamelessly plagiarize my own comment from a thread over at reappropriate. On our blog, I argued for the ability for people to choose what, if any, parts of traditional femininity and masculinity are right for them. Taking the argument to its logical conclusion, everyone should have the right to choose what kind of life is right for them whether it be working a job or taking care of the house and kids.

Read the rest…

Note: This article was originally written on November 01, 2005 as a Shrub.com Article. In my process of switching all articles over to this blog, I will be reposting old entries. What follows is in its original form without any editing.

While in the midst of writing my Girls and Game Ads series, I found myself going off on a tangent on the depiction of women in the fantasy genre and how it helped lead to the rise of the “girl power” paradigm we find deeply enmeshed in current Western pop-culture. While the whole “chicks in chainmail” deal was already being challenged by fresh authors and ideas by the time I got into fantasy, it remains an important part of the genre’s history. It is this idea that I will be addressing in this article.

Read the rest…

Note: This article was originally written on May 05, 2005 as a Shrub.com Article. In my process of switching all articles over to this blog, I will be reposting old entries. What follows is in its original form without any editing.

Why is it that the most visible critiques on video games come from people who are obviously not even casual gamers? I always hear “violence” and “sexually explicit content” thrown around without the writer having an understanding, or offering an in-depth critique, on what those words mean for video games. I find that these so-called “anti-game crusaders” often buy into alarmist extremes, thereby misrepresenting the influence of videogames, without ever asking why such a correlation exists. Most times, this perspective misses the intricacies of the games and, in the case of online games, the gaming communities.

It’s understandable, then, when I lumped a Vancouver Sun article entitled “Those MMORPGs: Threat or Menance?” (March 24, 2005, A13) written by Erin Morisette, a political science undergrad, into the same category. Morisette seeks to prove that MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games) are “sedentary, solitary and anti-social, offering little in return,” or so the subtitle under the header would have us believe. While I can’t argue with the sedentary aspect, I find it hard to believe that anyone could accuse online gaming of being “solitary and anti-social.”

Read the rest…

January’s article, Gender Bending in Utena: the movie, is just what the title makes it sound to be: a look at the way the movie handles gender.

Note: Happy new year everyone! This is a journal article from a class on Japanese fiction that I took last Spring. If I was a good person, I’d revise and expand it (some of it’s a bit disjointed, ’cause I waited to the last minute to write it), but I’m not, so y’all have to deal with it it as-is. This article contains spoilers for those who haven’t seen the movie.

The first glimpse of Utena is of a woman in man’s clothing – and in more than just the literal sense; she has short hair, wears pants instead of the typical girl’s uniform, speaks in male language, and for all intents and purposes “passes” as a boy until her (gasp!) breasts are revealed in her first duel. But Utena’s gender bending does not end there; indeed, as her typical outfit implies, it extends to her role of Prince (both her self-assumed identity and later when she becomes engaged to Anthy, the Rose Bride), and later her transformation into a car (henceforth known as the Utenamobile).

December’s article, Helen of Troy, is a critique of the 2003 made-for-TV movie.

Why, oh why, do people insist on butchering Homer? What is it about the Iliad setting that seems to inspire people to turn it on its ear?

What film am I grumbling about this time, you ask?

Helen of Troy.

November’s article, Silent Treatment is a short story and commentary on popular culture, the entertainment industry, and women’s place in all this.

Wanted immediately:

Hot [must be hot!] woman [must be female!] between 5′3″ and 5′10″ [must not be taller than 5′10″!] to play a role in upcoming police drama on a major network. Character is in coma - at no point will she ever awaken from her deep slumber. Other characters (men) will interact with her, but she will generally be non-responsive. Scenes may sometimes involve physical interactions, but generally she will be non-responsive during such interactions. When responsive, other characters will keep her in check by telling her to stop being a bitch and that if they wanted to hear a lecture, they would’ve gone to college.
Call 582-284-2949. Ask for Cindy.

October’s article, Fantasy Women, discusses the “chicks in chainmail” stereotype found in many fantasy based media.

While in the midst of writing my Girls and Game Ads series, I found myself going off on a tangent on the depiction of women in the fantasy genre and how it helped lead to the rise of the “girl power” paradigm we find deeply enmeshed in current Western pop-culture. While the whole “chicks in chainmail” deal was already being challenged by fresh authors and ideas by the time I got into fantasy, it remains an important part of the genre’s history. It is this idea that I will be addressing in this article.

September’s article, Sword of the Valiant, is a critique of the ’80’s film of the same name.

How about a little wine with that cheese? Sword of the Valiant, produced in true 80s fashion, is laughable. The movie claims to be the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I am not sure what copy they read, but I can assure you, this movie had nothing to do with the title other than the main character being named Gawain and the opening scene- sort of.

August’s article, Tilt, Game 6., is a short story on life, death, and the road in between.

I grabbed my computer and stuffed my trunk full of documents and booze and books and clothes. I opened the mapbook to a random page and pointed to a random destination. There. I drive.

The landlord didn’t much care. I found someone else to take over my lease.

I told my boss I’d be gone for a while. I didn’t tell him exactly how long, though, so it could be forever, right? He probably thinks I’ll be gone a week. Anyway, it was a shit job. Fuck him, that prick.

July’s article, In Defense of Domesticity, is a short piece on domestic labour and feminism.

Because of some crossed wires, I’m taking this month instead of johnmoon (he’ll be up for August). Since I’m in the middle of moving, I’m going to shamelessly plagiarize my own comment from a thread over at reappropriate. On our blog, I argued for the ability for people to choose what, if any, parts of traditional femininity and masculinity are right for them. Taking the argument to its logical conclusion, everyone should have the right to choose what kind of life is right for them whether it be working a job or taking care of the house and kids.

When I was younger, I was pretty much against anything feminine. My personality, combined with my having a backlash against what was expected of me, caused me to get into a “male-normative” mindset (meaning that I thought that traditionally male things were “normal” and traditionally feminine things were “bad”): I hated makeup, and “girly” clothing like dresses and skirts, and, yes, I looked down on people who aspired to the domestic. It took me a long time to step away from that mindset but it wasn’t until I got a big dose of feminist theory that I really understood why it’s so important to see things such as domestic labour as valuable.

June’s article, The Mummy, is a review of the 1999 movie with an Egyptology bent.

While The Mummy is an enjoyable two hours, Egyptology 101 it is not. Okay, yes, there are a few other oversights that are not related to Ancient Egypt, but most of the glaring problems were based there.

The first thing that I noticed was the setting itself. The virtual reconstruction was beautiful, but two major issues jumped out at me- the Sphinx and the Pyramids. Both of these objects, while certainly personifying Ancient Egypt, are located at Giza. The scene was supposedly taking place at Thebes. This is nowhere near Giza and could not, therefore, have either of these objects in the skyline.

May’s article, Gaming Communities: Real or Imaginary?, focuses on communities in online games and is a critique on a newspaper article on the same issue.

Why is it that the most visible critiques on video games come from people who are obviously not even casual gamers? I always hear “violence” and “sexually explicit content” thrown around without the writer having an understanding, or offering an in-depth critique, on what those words mean for video games. I find that these so-called “anti-game crusaders” often buy into alarmist extremes, thereby misrepresenting the influence of videogames, without ever asking why such a correlation exists. Most times, this perspective misses the intricacies of the games and, in the case of online games, the gaming communities.