Kids These Days

I was going to do my best to ensure that this wasn't going to be a sort of "these kids these days" rant that ends up making me sound like that one elderly conservative character in Agatha Christie books, but oops, too late.
I went to see my friends a few weeks ago and I was shocked over how mature the eleven-year-old was (for the sake of convenience and protecting her privacy, I'm calling her Jane). She was messaging her friends and she let me sort of message them pretending to be her for a bit and oh my gosh. They were swearing as much as people at high school do, and they were asking each other if they had ever been kissed. I was shocked into shame by one of the replies, "Yeah, like three guys at camp and I didn't even like them that much :/ " People, is this really happening? They're eleven. I was playing with dolls and I still thought boys were gross when I was eleven. Is it because of today's environment? The increasing barrage of advertisements and the sexualization of ever-younger girls? I couldn't believe it, I really could not. I can talk to Jane like she's sixteen, no problem, and she understands innuendos that go right over my head. I saddens me to see seven-year-olds with iPhones and Ugg boots shopping around the mall in a little gaggle of their friends. Maybe one day, kids won't be really considered kids anymore, and being "childish" will be a thing of the past, or something you grow out of when you're three as opposed to seven.

Eighties Cartoons

Over the weekend, I went to see some family friends in Windsor, and I was unfortunately forced to watch "Dungeons and Dragons" because Nate (who's nearly four) wanted to. Which, by the way, was fine because I spent the entire time making sarcastic commentary. However I did notice some interesting stereotypes, and a (possibly unintentional?) racist slip-up.
So, the basic story from what I gathered from the intro, this group of teenagers, plus Sheila's little brother, goes on a Dungeons and Dragons theme-park ride and they get transported into the realm of Dungeons and Dragons. The main, glaring stereotypes were:

• Hank: Of course the oldest, most responsible, and general all-round pretty-boy hero is blonde-haired and blue-eyed. Side note: Why do the eyebrows never match the hair? 

• Eric: The spoiled brat that complains constantly is diametrically opposite from the golden boy in superficial appearance.

• Diana: The only black character, the most skimpily clad, and the furry outfit makes her look especially savage and even almost ape-like. I truly hope that the clothing was an unintentional slip on the drawer's part. The one redeeming part is that she seems to assume the leadership role in Hank's absence. I apologise for the quality of this photo; I wanted to show her whole outfit.

• Sheila: Overall, from the episodes I've seen, the quietest character. She has an invisibility cloak. The only thing I can think of here is: why does the woman have to be invisible? Ever thought of Violet from "The Incredibles"? How come she has invisibility and Dash has super speed? Why can't it be the other way around?

• Bobby: Sheila's little brother, as stated above. Again, blonde hair and blue eyes: all the better to look ingenuous with, my dear. 

• Presto: The magician's apprentice whose spells never really work. Of course the kid with the glasses is clumsy and awkward.

North Carolina

North Carolina just passed an Amendment to their Constitution that bans same-sex marriage, and defines marriage as "a union between a man and a woman". I simply cannot believe this is happening. North Carolina has a Republican government for the first time in 140 years, and what's the thing that they make sure they accomplish? Banning gay marriage. It's nice to know that humanity is regressing back to the 1800s. Also, because of the very vague wording in the Amendment, it could cause complications and even lessen protection for victims of domestic abuse, since "domestic union" is not a phrase recognised by state law. I just can't believe that in 2012, we are still struggling for gay rights. It sickens me, it really does.

You can read more about it here and here.

The Price of a Pretty Face

I was reading the BBC today and I came across an article that saddened me. It was about Pakistani women who have acid thrown on them by husbands or in-laws for various reasons. But the article focuses on a woman whose husband threw acid on her because she was too beautiful. I was very shocked and surprised by that statement. In the West, women are spending hundreds- maybe thousands- of dollars a year to be beautiful, and they are shunned if they're ugly. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, women are being permanently burned by caustic acid because they are beautiful. To make matters worse, the perpetrator is rarely brought to justice for his deplorable actions. Sure, the women can have surgery to fix their faces, but who can afford it? And besides, even if their faces were reconstructed, maybe they would just have acid thrown on them again. There is a price to being beautiful that people in the West don't have to pay, and unfortunately, it's one that Pakistani women pay too dearly.

You can read the article here.

Caricatures

When I went to see "Rio" in theatres a year ago, I was pleasantly surprised. The story was good and the music was great. While my dad and I were laughing about how the Brazilians were satirically portrayed in the movie, I began to worry that other people probably didn't understand the satire. There were some things said in Portuguese that were not translated, and a lot of things were exaggerated. I realized that this is really how Brazilians are portrayed in the media. It's not just satire; people were not surprised by some things, as though they thought it was the most natural thing in the world.

Brazilians are represented in the media as rather over-the-top, loud people that walk around half-naked with big behinds and big breasts. Or they're drug dealers. I would just like to clear that up right now. While some Brazilians are (I will admit from observing my family members), in fact, loud and over-the-top, they do not walk around the streets half naked! It's rather akin to saying that all English people walk around saying, "Wotcher old bean, how's the weather? Oh, quite, yes, it is indeed time for tea and crumpets, eh what? Cheerio!" It's just a caricature. Same goes for the large breasts and behinds. It's actually part of the Brazilian phenotype to have small breasts. And as far as behinds go, it varies, just like in any other country.

The drug dealer thing, just, come on. Seriously? Are all Islamic people terrorists? No. Exactly.

"Brothers; not in blood, but in bond"

I decided to do a blog entry about this because this is something that's been on my mind for a while now: why are people less accepting of men being close friends? I am absolutely sick and tired of hearing two male characters in books, movies, and shows being called "gay".
First of all, so what if they are? I would like to make it clear that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It doesn't take away from the story one bit. But my main point is that men can have a platonic relationship. Girls don't face this kind of scrutiny. If two girls are very close friends, then everyone's thinking, "Aw, that's so cute, they're like sisters." But if two men are close friends, then the very first reaction is, "Oh, they must be gay."
Frodo and Sam, for example. They are two people who shared a unique and frankly terrifying experience. It brought them closer, as traumatic events can only do. It brought them closer to the point where they are practically brothers. They don't need a romantic attachment, because their bond runs so much deeper than that.
To put the Frodo/Sam relationship in perspective, think of Tolkien, in World War I, fighting in the trenches. The men who fought in those trenches became very close to each other. They were brought together by their mutual suffering and the thought that tomorrow, they could all die. They knew every detail of the the life of everyone in the trench with them. Those men shared such a deep kinship, that they even made promises to each other that if one of them died, the others would look after the deceased's family. Would anyone assume that they're gay, and say so derogatorily, nowadays? People now don't understand the sort of closeness that exists between men. It goes to show that while girls are criticized for their appearance, men are criticized for their friendships, which is, in some ways, just as bad. If they are made fun of for being close friends with a man, who can they then turn to for comfort and compassion without being worried about the jeers?