Category: Archived Posts

OS.CB REIGNS SUPREME!

tekanji

A quiet battle has been raging. So quiet, in fact, that none knew it was raging save me and… uh… me. Ever since I was introduced to the truth laid bear, I have realized that I, tekanji, Queen of The Official Shrub.com Blog was not the sovereign of the Shrub Kingdom. All it took was one ecosystem search for the word “shrub” and I found that I have not one, but two rivals: The Useless Shrubb and The Shrubbloggers.

Clocking in at around #20360 in the ecosphere, I surpassed The Useless Shrub with ease. It was The Shrubbloggers, however, who ceaselessly taunted me with their rankings in the upper 8000 and lower 9000. I had to beat them, but I was lagging behind in the 11000-14000. A few times, I came so close to taking my rightful kingdom from the usurpers. Victory was in my grasp, I could taste it. And then… nothing. I retreated, the stink of faliure following me in my wake. I vowed then that I would have my revenge.

Today, my subjects, today that vow has come to fruition. Today the mighty Kings have fallen. Today, the Shrub Kingdom is ruled by its magnanimous Queen, as well it should be. But, I should not get too cocky. I must be remain viligant. The Shrubblogging Kings are ever at my heels, waiting for their chance to re-take their precious domination of the Shrub Kingdom. I swear to you, dear serfs, that I will guard this position as well I may and serve you as a ruler should for as long as I may keep this position.

Introduction [Gender in Indigo Prophecy, Part I]

tekanji

Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit in its European release) is a sci-fi action/adventure game by Quantic Dream. You follow three characters (Lucas Kane, Carla Valenti, and Tyler Miles) while they discover the truth about ritual killings, ancient Mayan organizations, and a child whose knowledge can either lead humans to a golden age or destroy them.

Overall, the storyline is well written and interesting, with twists here and there to keep the players on their toes. The gameplay is sometimes clunky, but the puzzles (simon-says was the most frequent, but there was also “physical challenges” which required arrow-tapping skills) were definitely innovative. My only issues are that 1) occassionally the need to play simon-says to keep the scene going detracted from actually hearing what was going on and enjoying the plot development; and 2) it would have been nice to have a more varied puzzle system. I, personally, liked the graphics, both the levels and the character models. The music was used to set moods, with Lucas represented by rock (Theory of a Dead Man), Tyler with soul, and Carla with a kind of music I can only think of to call electronic lounge. Despite its flaws, it is definitely a game I’d recommend to any kind of gamer, whether casual or hardcore.

In this series, I’d like to specifically address how gender was used (and abused) in the game. Most, if not all, parts that follow this one will contain game ruining spoilers, so I will keep them behind a cut with a disclaimer. I plan to be looking at character portrayal (both major and minor), character relationships, and the message in certain scenes/extras. My intention is to highlight not only the obvious issues, but both the subtle ways that the game reinforces or breaks sexist stereotypes.

All we want for the holidays…

tekanji

December tis the season to be consuming. We all love gifts but, more than that, companies love selling them to us. There is likely a gift guide for everyone, their families, and even their pets of choice out there. Enter HUB magazine’s “Holiday Gift Guide” edition.

Cover for HUB's Dec 2005 EditionWhy, you may ask, do I have a HUB on me? Do I subscribe to their magazine? Well, no. I was at an electronic’s store with my cousin, picking up some stuff to mod my GC with, and the cover caught my eye. One look at it should tell you why. At first it was just that I wanted to explore the image itself: What was the significance of putting a woman on the magazine’s cover? What about the use of glasses, a white collared shirt, and bound hair to make her a non-sexual nerd? How does this representation compare to the oversexualization of geek women that is becoming a part of the status quo?

When I began examining the text surrounding her (it was definitely a good idea to have the “Stocking stuffers” text on the top and far from her breasts), however, I saw “Gifts for her” and my heart began to sink. Please, I thought to myself, please don’t be another fru-fru, tech-lite, Nintendogs-touting POS. If wishes were horses I’d own a very sucessful stable.

But, before I go into the breakdown of the list itself, let’s take a look at the other gift guides offered: Flash drive MP3 players, Portable PCs, Gifts for kids, and a Console gaming gift guide. No, “gifts for him” or “gifts for teenagers” or whatever. Just kids, women, and guides for everyone else (read: teenage boys and adult men). I’d also like to point out that running gifts for “her” with gifts for “kids” sets the stage for the infantalization of women by putting them on the same level as children in the tech arena. In that light, the little girl depicted on the “Gifts for kids” page isn’t as cool as it might be otherwise.

Now that the introduction is out of the way, ket’s delve into the 7 “great gift ideas for the girl geeks on your holiday shopping list.” The list is written and compiled by Erin Bell, proving that internalized sexism is alive and kicking.

Kodak EasyShare Picture Viewer

If the card sleeve of your giftee’s wallet is in danger of breaking loose because it’s crammed full of photos of assorted family, friends and pets, the Picture Viewer can provide a digital solution for storing and showing – and these pictures won’t get dog-eared. Simply import pictures to the device via USB (it has 32MB of internal memory), or insert an SD or MMC card and use the navigational buttons to cycle through images on the Picture Viewer’s 64 mm (2.5 inch) colour screen. The credit card-sized device comes with a tan leather carrying case.

What immediately strikes me is the “easy” part in this. It assumes that the woman you’re buying for either wouldn’t want or wouldn’t be able to handle a more complex model, but isn’t the point of being a “geek” (as the introduction text implies these women are) not being scared of more technical pieces? Especially since any camera that has the word “easy” in it is definitely sacrificing quality for ease of use. Not bad for casual users, but I’d take professional over easy any day.

Targust Kaleidoscope Mouse

In addition to being a functional USB optical mouse, the clear plastic portion of the Kaleidoscope lights up in a cycle of seven rotating colours as long as the computer it’s attached to is powered on. The Kaleidoscope also comes in a smaller version with a retractable uSB cable for notebooks, which retails for $29.99.

A mouse that “lights up in a cycle of seven rotating colours” sounds cute, but not exactly on the top of the list of geeky toys. I must say I’m suspicious of it, especially since it buys into the idea that all women love pretty/bright colours to the exclusion of usability and form. Only tangentially related, but why is it that only mini-mice for laptops have retractable cables? There are times when having one in a large mouse would be completely useful.

Belkin iPod cases

As part of its extensive line-up of iPod accessories, Belkin offers a range of leather cases to fit iPods of all shapes and sizes. Standouts include the Sports Leather Case for iPod Mini, which comes with an armband, hand band and removable blet clip; the Caribiner Case for iPod nano in white, pink, blue or black; and the Classic Leather Case for iPod shuffle which includes a ring for attaching a lanyard, and comes in two different three-packs – the more reserved red, white and black, or a funkier set of pink, orange, and green.

This one buys into the stereotype that women, as inherent shopaholics, are in love with anything that might be seen as an “acessory”. Also, and this isn’t to knock the iPod or anything, but it is often seen as a “woman friendly” device. I do, however, have to give points for including a “sports” case as one of the highlighted picks, and not hyping up the stereotypically girly pink in the colours.

Hasboro iDog

This robotic puppy’s favourite food is music, and it can be “fed” tunes by plugging in an MP3 or CD player, or simply setting it in front of any sound source. The iDog’s forehead will light up in an array of pleasing rainbow-coloured patterns based on what genre of music it’s listening to – yellow for hip hop and red for rock, for example. Pet its head and touch its nose to interact with it further, and a personality will start to develop as it barks, growls, plays little musical ditties and lights up in various patterns to communicate its mood. When a sound source is plugged into the iDog, it functions as a speaker – and not a bad one at that, given its price. If you’re giving it as a gift, just make sure to have two AA batteries and a Phillips screwdriver (for installing them) on hand to avoid Christmas morning disappointment.

Do I even need to comment on this one? I think this line says it all: The iDog’s forehead will light up in an array of pleasing rainbow-coloured patterns…

Targus “Jackie” and “Katherine” laptop totes

Resembling oversized purses, the “Jackie” and “Katherine” laptop totes from Targus offer ladies a more elegant and higher-end alternative to the traditional laptop backpacks and shoulder bags. The top-loading bags have long straps designed to be ablet o fit overa winter coat, and stainless steal “feet” to prevent the bottom of the bag from scuffing. The “Jackie” comes in black or red leather, while the “Katherine” comes in black and white tweed pattern. For the budget conscious, there’s also the black nylon “Jayne” model for $59.99.

This suggestion cashes in again on the accessory stereotype, this time outright linking it to women with the cases being described as “oversized purses” that “offer ladies a more elegant” laptop bag. I wonder if they have “not a man-purse!” laptop bags for men that have names like “Butch” and “Spike”.

Nintendo DS Nintendogs Bundle

Nintendo is releasing a few hardware bundles in time for the holidays, one of which pairs the new teal or pink coloured Nintendo DS portable dual-screen system with a special “Best Friends” version of the popular dog owning simulation Nintendogs. Nintendogs “Best Friends” features the six most popular breeds – Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Beagle, Yorkshire Terrier, and Miniature Dachshund. Like the previous three versions of the game, additional breeds (like Pug, Husky and Shiba Inu) can be unlocked.

No “for her” list would be complete without a reference to Nintendogs. Because women (and only women) love the cute widdle dawgies and therefore must own Nintendogs under threat of expulsion from the cult of femininity. It’s lists like these that make me wary to buy the blue DS because of its affiliation with Nintendogs. Sigh.

Philippe Starck digital watch by Fossil

For a digital watch with some flair, check out the Philippe Starck watch from Fossil, which comes in pink or orange with digital display, two alarms, chronography and countdown timers, and a unique rubber strap.

The watch, pictured on the page, is neon orange with a huge display in captial block letters. Picked, I presume, for its cutsey, easy to read design.

If taken on their own, none of these suggestions are heinous. None are items that I’d be interested in, but some women might. However, the harm comes from them being the only suggestions on a list that’s supposedly for “geek” girls. Add that to the fact that most other geek-oriented “for her” lists out there spew the same kind of BS and it is tantamount to gender segregation. Boys get all the “hardcore” geek toys, while girls need to stick to the fluffy, the colourful, the feminine. The truth is, it’s not as easy as saying Nintendogs is for girls (not true) and leaving it at that, because stereotypes like that fall short of reality.

No one’s saying girls can’t like fru-fru things, but we shouldn’t be relegated to them. And, on the same note, men shouldn’t be shamed into avoiding the “feminine” tech toys, either. What geeks, and non-geeks, like has nothing to do with what’s between our legs and everything to do with our individual personalities. So, please, if you’re going to write a “for her” list, don’t rely on stereotypes to compile your list; go out there and find what real girl geeks are into.

Shrub.com Article for January

tekanji

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).

On Chivalry

tekanji

Most of my friends know my stance on chivalry: it needs to rest in a watery grave. Some of them think that I go overboard with my outspoken hatred of a tradition that is supposedly about “good manners.” They think that if I try to dismantle the system that I’ll deprive them of the privilege of having their SO’s do anything from open car doors for them to give them flowers. But, what they don’t get is that I could care less what arrangements they make with the people in their lives. I care about what people try to do to me without my consent. I care about what the unspoken “rules” of chivalry mean for me and other women. And that is why I hate chivalry in its current incarnation, not because I’m against people opening doors for each other or whatever other considerate gestures they wish to extend.

Over in the feminist LJ, police_my_lips has sparked a discussion on the matter. I’d like to pull some choice quotes from commenters and elaborate on my own experiences and opinions.

I. Chivalry: Then and Now

I’ll defer a bit to Miss Manners: Chivalric etiquette was an improvement on the previous system of “Ladies never.” Nevertheless, symbolically declaring women too superior to run the everyday world had an amazingly similar effect to declaring them too inferior. And by the way, chivalry originally applied only to upper-class ladies, and while a version of it was extended to the middle class in the nineteenth century, it never inspired anyone to defer to the lower classes.

With that in mind, I think it’s important to note that “chivalry” was not only sexist, but also classist. It never existed in the way some people today like to claim it did, and ought to be declared thoroughly dead, hopefully replaced by the idea that all people ought to treat each other with respect.

The only place chivalry seems to come up these days is by people making the argument that feminism is BAD because it requires people to be mean to men who hold doors open to women. Clearly, this is the most pressing and foremost issue for moden feminism.

[Comment by night101owl]

While chivalry certainly lingers on in part as another way to discredit us feminists as over-the-top, and that kind of bad PR is definitely worth addressing, I’ve found that it lingers on in spirit as well as name in other areas. I think these areas also need to be looked at in order for us to dismantle a tradition rooted in sexism and classism and replace it with a tradition that is focused on being considerate to all people. Remember, folks, good manners is helping people in need regardless of their gender, class, race, orientation, or what have you.

II. The difference between chivalry and good manners

Right. People sympathetic to chivalry often point out how certain behaviors, like holding open doors, can sometimes be the polite (or nice, or helpful, or friendly) thing to do. What we’re saying is that politeness is fine, but treating women based on a code that means treat us as fragile glass creatures is not. We put in the politeness bit to preempt people who would try to explain how chivalry and politeness are the same, or coterminous.

[Comment by trinityva, emphasis mine]

Good manners is about respect. It’s not respectful to treat a woman in a way that limits her personal freedom without her consent. It’s about doing things to help out those of your kind, regardless of their gender expression, chromosomal set, or sexual organs. It’s about helping because you want to help, not because society/your parents/your family/your friends have told you to.

Chivalry, in its original form and the bastardized version that’s touted today, may include common courtesies but the gendered slant takes it out of the arena of strict good manners. It’s good manners with conditions: I’ll open this door for you if you’re a woman, because I’m supposed to be nice to women. I’ll buy dinner for you because you’re a woman. I’ll do this and that because you’re a woman and my parents told me that women need/want to be treated this way. Not, you know, because we should be kind to those around us.

III. It’s about helping women, right? Wrong.

“Chivalry’s not dead? Let’s slay it.”
I often hear people say, “Ha ha, chivalry’s not dead. Awww.” Grrr.

If men really want to assist women, how about joining the fight for equal wages and political power? How about working for the maintenance of reproductive rights? How about boycotting the sexist, Anglo-centric, anti-fat, media?
(Nota bene: I know that many men already do these things. I’m just developing an argument, y’all.)
Through chivalry, opening the doors to cars and buildings for women and pulling out their chairs signifies that men want to help women. So, if by chivalry men demonstrate that they want to aid women, fine; do something that actually helps. (Nota bene: I know that men do things to help women, c.f. Men Against Rape, Dads for Daughters. Just developing the argument.)

Also, by holding that women are more fragile and delicate than men and also that women are more virtuous and trusting (hello, gender roles), chivalry cripples women: it puts them on a pedestal and renders them in need of protection from the cruel wiles of the worldly outside. Lastly, by saying that women are “more (fill in the blank)” than men are, chivalry doesn’t help equality between the sexes that we feminists work for.

[Comment by alaiyo, emphasis mine]

First off, I find it really sad that alaiyo has to qualify her arguments with “of course this doesn’t apply to all men” statements. That should be obvious; there are men (feminist, pro-feminist, and non-feminist) who concern themselves with actually helping women. Not surprisingly, in my experience they are also ones don’t consider themselves to be chivalrous.

Does that mean that my non-chivalrous friends are uncooth men who would slam a door in the face of a woman whose hands were full of groceries? Well, no. But they wouldn’t slam a door in the face of a man whose hands were full of groceries, either, something that chivalry allows by omission. How many “chivalrous” men think about other men when they hold open doors? Or rush to pull out another man’s chair? Not many, in my experience. And, at least in the chair-pulling instance, the act would probably be considered highly offensive to the recipient of such “chivalry”. But we women aren’t allowed to be offended by those same acts. We’re not allowed to speak up against them, or to ask for such acts not to extend to us. It’s just good manners after all.

And that, to me, is one of the ways that chivalry is exposed for what it really is: a way to control women by forcing “courtesy” on us. The veneer of good manners is just a smokescreen to make it hard for women to break away from the controlling aspects. Women get “special” treatment, whether we like it or not.

I once had a friend who wanted to be “chivalrous” towards me, so he would run ahead of me to open doors. In itself, it wouldn’t be so bad, except that even after I told him I didn’t like or appreciate that kind of behaviour, he would still do it and if I beat him to a door he wouldn’t walk through it.

That, while an extreme example, is not the only instance of that kind of thing. Almost always when I bring up with my chivalrous male friends that I don’t want a door opened for me, or I don’t want my chair pulled out, or whatever, they try to shame me by telling me that I’m oversensitive, that I should be glad for their help, etc. Sorry if I, you know, think my opinions should be the deciding factor in what people do to me. My apologies, fellows. I’ll just go back to being the fragile desert flower who needs protection from big, strong men who couldn’t give a shit about my happiness.

IV. Don’t ruin my romance!

I like my b/f giving me flowers as much as I like doing it for him. I hold open the doors for people to be courteous and I appreciate the same in return. Politeness, niceness, heck even being “romantic” is wonderful so long as you’re not set a certain “role” to play based on your gender! That’s my view =)

[Comment by rosalynmoon]

One of the most infuriating arguments I get from my female friends (who also try to shame me when I bring up my displeasure with chivalry) is that I’m trying to ruin the romance from them. Because they want their SOs to open doors for them, or to give them flowers, or whatever, I have to have the same treatment or suddenly I’m on a crusade to control what they do in their personal lives.

As rosalynmoon’s comment demonstates, feminists aren’t out to ruin romance for people. If you like getting flowers, great. If you want your SO to open doors for you, great. These are things that you discuss when you get together with your SO, so that you can be treated the way you want to be treated. You see how I am not part of this process?

For me, romance isn’t flowers. It isn’t opening of doors, or pulling out of chairs. I like to pay my share of the meal, or treat my SO to a movie on occasion. I like to be involved in major decisions, outside of perhaps a couple surprise parties or whatever. I like being a partner in my relationships, both intimate and friendly. I’m not a delicate flower, and to treat me as such is the deepest insult to my personhood. It is a dismissal of who I am and what I stand for. It is not courteous, it is rude.

V. Final Thoughts

Being nice is good.
Being friendly is good.
Being helpful is good.
Being polite is good.

Bullshit codes about how to treat people based on gender? Not so good.

“Needing” bullshit codes about how to treat people based on gender to remind you to be nice, friendly, helpful, and polite to women? Fucked the hell up.

[Comment by trinityva]

If chivalry really is good manners, then why do a good portion of the men that I hold doors open for refuse to go through? Why am I not allowed to define what kinds of “courtesy” I want to receive from my friends? Why are people treated differently based on their gender expression? Why is an act from a man to a woman considered appropriate, but that very same act from a man to another man not?

Every culture, every nation, and every individual have different ideas on how they want to be treated. If you want to give me a courtesy, then give me the courtesy of respecting me on my terms for a change.

Turning the other [butt]cheek

tekanji

Astarte might have a budding career as a comedian, ’cause she has the “it’s funny because it’s true” category down pat. In response to the men who came to her blog to read about Hot Girl-on-Girl Action and were sorely disappointed that their privilege was called into question, she has done her best to show the boys out there why we womenfolk are so uppity on the issue of gender parity in video games.

You’ve heard about this great new fantasy game, and you’re really itching to play it. The day it comes out, you’re in line with all of the other people eager to buy the game. You come home and pop it into your console or PC, then turn it on.

At character select, you have a choice between four different female characters and one male character. The female characters are attractive, but they’re dressed as if they’re ready to do battle –“ no skimpy clothing here. They all have detailed stories as to why they’re out on their quest.

The first one seeks ancient tomes to return to her library back home in the hopes that she can crack an ancient spell that she’s been working on for some time. The second one saw her brother killed by the hands of the enemy, and now she seeks revenge of the most bloodthirsty sort. The third one is a mercenary, and she just wants to see blood spilled in exchange for enough drinking money, and the fourth one is seeking riches to build a castle and conquer the southlands.

After reading all of those, you get to the only male option in the game. His stats are the same as all the other characters, but his story is much different, and his clothing is much different. It turns out that his parents turned him out of the family farm because he didn’t want to get married at the age of majority like every other male. Thus, he’s been forced to take his finely-honed martial arts skill out adventuring so that he can find a date. His main weapon is a quarterstaff, and his avatar is dressed in a mesh shirt, leather speedos, and he sports a constant hardon.

[From Fair Play by Astarte]

And the best line from the entire post? Maybe you’ll be able to find some armor along the way to cover up his protruding nipples and bulging sack.

The best drug you'll never take

tekanji

Instead of finishing my rant on another one of those stupid “gifts for her” list, writing on gender in Indigo Prophecy, or finishing the essay I want to submit to She’s Such a Geek, I’ve been hit with the creative writing bug. I don’t question this, and neither should you. Plus, Buffy will be happy that I finally finished this round of editing on CoS.

But this isn’t about me and my laziness, this is about the new miracle drug, Panexa:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR WOMEN

Pregnant women, or women who plan to become pregnant, should avoid taking PANEXAor handling broken tablets. Or intact tablets. Women considering some day becoming pregnant, who have ever been pregnant, who have had a pregnant friend or pet, or who have seen other pregnant women, naked or otherwise, should also follow these precautions:Do not handle PANEXA tablets, containers, or related literature. If a PANEXA product nears your field of vision, avert your eyes. Try not to say the word “PANEXA.” If you do happen to pronounce the syllables, spit thrice and soak your hands in iodine. If you hear the words spoken, live or via recorded medium, cover your ears and immediately see a specialist to try and staunch the bleeding. Try not to think too hard about PANEXA. In fact, don’t ever even think about it at all. Pretend you never heard of PANEXA, and never will. Drop this magazine immediately, and get the hell out of here as fast as you fucking can. Go on, get out of here. You’ll thank me.

If you should be aware of a pregnant woman who has handled PANEXA, attempt to warn the peoples of earth of the mind-numbing horror that is about to unfold. Also, drink plenty of liquids.

If that’s not a poignant critique on legal drug culture, I don’t know what is.

Can't a man be "sexy" for once???

tekanji
An Ad Seen On Pandagon
Democrat Dates! Only Women Are Sexy

Here I was, trying to read Pandagon because I haven’t checked it out in a couple of weeks. I was minding my own business, looking forward to get my dose of snark against sexism, and WHAM. I was assaulted by the above ad.

This, my friends, is one of the reasons I ceased calling myself a Democrat or liberal a long time ago. You’d expect that a supposedly minority-friendly group would be above reducing women to role of “sexy” date for someone. Or, at least, that they’d shy away from a tit shot and/or use a male model. But then you’d expect wrong.

No, sir, that's not made for me

tekanji

Over at New Game Plus, Lake Desire shares her feelings on the disconnect between what she, a woman, wants in a game and what male players think she wants:

Final Fantasy X-2 wasn’t my first disappointment in the series (particularly my first time in Spira), but it was the first time that I felt this game is for someone other than me. I didn’t even have a chance to get excited about a role-playing game with an all female party; I remembered just how “strong” a character Yuna was from the last game. When the screenshots and production art made the forums, and I saw pictures like this (a declaration of the game’s intended audience), I thought they were a joke. A Final Fantasy game about collecting outfits? Although many thought the upcoming game looked cheap and insulting, others seemed to be missing the point. I recall reading articles and forum posts written by male gamers who were excited that more games like FFX-2 and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball were coming out with things women like, shopping and clothes, so girls can have fun gaming, too. Like they thought the game was for women.

[From Alienating Audiences by Lake Desire]

It’s a whole lot easier to think that having a female character, or dressing up feminine stereotypes in new, more sexist ways are appealing to women than actually taking the time to, you know, think of your female audience as people who would like to be represented equally. Women make up almost half of the gaming audience and yet, despite our growing outrage, we still have to put up with games that objectify and demean us, and people who just don’t get it.