I haven't heard good things about Exiled, the show that takes spoiled teenagers from My Super Sweet 16 and pairs them with tribes in remote locations around the world. I stumbled upon it by chance a few minutes ago, and I have to admit, I actually like it.
The arguments I've heard against the series have been valid. It shouldn't be up to other countries to educate spoiled rich kids in what it means to be human. And, spending a few days with a non-Western tribal culture shouldn't be the worst punishment imaginable. Some people pay a good chunk of money to have the same experience these girls have.
The reason I like the show is it gives girls who have spent their entire lives (in most cases) cushioned by the luxury of their parents the chance to expand their worldview. At worst, the girls will go home with a feeling of discomfort they've never felt before, which will make them grow as people. At best, they will find a new strength and determination they never knew they had. And, to top it all off, other Westerners (okay, Americans) will get a glimpse of cultures they didn't know they should care about. One of my biggest beefs about American culture is we're blind to the world outside our own borders, especially if the people in the outside world look and act differently than we do. I think any opportunity to show Americans, especially young Americans, the glorious diversity around the globe is a good thing.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
This season's action dramas and feminism
Between Monday and Tuesday, I found myself being drawn into two action dramas, the returning Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
and the new Sons of Anarchy with one of my favorite actors, Ron Perlman.
I think one aspect that draws me into both shows is the strong female characters. In Terminator, Sarah Connor is like the MacGyver of modern mothers. She's resourceful, fierce, and a strategist who can survive just about everything. The competing Terminators so far this season are also women (if you can call them that) who are all the more intimidating because under the soft skin and big eyes are really killing machines crafted of an intricate network of wires, steel, and living tissue.
In some ways to me, the journey of the main Terminator, played by Summer Glau, is like that of women through history as she tries to prove her humanity in the face of the doubts of those around her. Last season she discovered art in the form of ballet, which gave the biggest hints that she was on the path towards becoming a human machine, and in the first episode of this season she declared her love for John Connor, and more surprising, she meant it. Through the machine's journey of self discovery, she is becoming more than a weapon, more than a tool, more than a machine, and because of her superhuman strength, more than an ordinary woman.
In Sons of Anarchy, it is clear that Gemma, played by Katey Sagal, pulls some major strings when it comes to her son Jax and Clay, the leaders of the SOA. She's not afraid to kill to get results, and she uses seduction, power, and quick thinking to get what she wants. She is cold and calculating, but you can tell she is tuned in when it comes to her family and will do what she thinks is best, no matter what it takes to see its fruition.
Dr. Tara Knowles has also been introduced as a strong woman. Not only has she had the courage to leave the jurisdiction of the SOA and come back to do good in her hometown, she also was intelligent and hardworking enough to finish medical school. It is clear there will be sparks between her and Jax, but it remains to be seen whether or not Jax will be up to being involved with such a strong, together woman.
Another thing I like about these shows, and it's somewhat controversial, is that the people who make the show are brave enough to put these women in danger. The mothers aren't June Cleaver. They make hard, and sometimes bad, decisions that impact the story lines of the shows. They get hurt, and sometimes women end up with a boot in their face or with an overdose coursing through their veins and making them froth at the mouth. But, instead of being victims who constantly need to be saved by the men around them, at times they save the men. I think this shows a maturity growing in Hollywood, where a gender paradigm is beginning to shift, and people are beginning to rethink the roles of men and women when it comes to power and protection.
If you agree or disagree on any of this, please feel free to leave a comment.
The Terminator series is available on Amazon and pretty much anywhere you can buy DVDs, and individual episodes of Sons of Anarchy are available for download from iTunes.
and the new Sons of Anarchy with one of my favorite actors, Ron Perlman. I think one aspect that draws me into both shows is the strong female characters. In Terminator, Sarah Connor is like the MacGyver of modern mothers. She's resourceful, fierce, and a strategist who can survive just about everything. The competing Terminators so far this season are also women (if you can call them that) who are all the more intimidating because under the soft skin and big eyes are really killing machines crafted of an intricate network of wires, steel, and living tissue.
In some ways to me, the journey of the main Terminator, played by Summer Glau, is like that of women through history as she tries to prove her humanity in the face of the doubts of those around her. Last season she discovered art in the form of ballet, which gave the biggest hints that she was on the path towards becoming a human machine, and in the first episode of this season she declared her love for John Connor, and more surprising, she meant it. Through the machine's journey of self discovery, she is becoming more than a weapon, more than a tool, more than a machine, and because of her superhuman strength, more than an ordinary woman.
In Sons of Anarchy, it is clear that Gemma, played by Katey Sagal, pulls some major strings when it comes to her son Jax and Clay, the leaders of the SOA. She's not afraid to kill to get results, and she uses seduction, power, and quick thinking to get what she wants. She is cold and calculating, but you can tell she is tuned in when it comes to her family and will do what she thinks is best, no matter what it takes to see its fruition.
Dr. Tara Knowles has also been introduced as a strong woman. Not only has she had the courage to leave the jurisdiction of the SOA and come back to do good in her hometown, she also was intelligent and hardworking enough to finish medical school. It is clear there will be sparks between her and Jax, but it remains to be seen whether or not Jax will be up to being involved with such a strong, together woman.
Another thing I like about these shows, and it's somewhat controversial, is that the people who make the show are brave enough to put these women in danger. The mothers aren't June Cleaver. They make hard, and sometimes bad, decisions that impact the story lines of the shows. They get hurt, and sometimes women end up with a boot in their face or with an overdose coursing through their veins and making them froth at the mouth. But, instead of being victims who constantly need to be saved by the men around them, at times they save the men. I think this shows a maturity growing in Hollywood, where a gender paradigm is beginning to shift, and people are beginning to rethink the roles of men and women when it comes to power and protection.
If you agree or disagree on any of this, please feel free to leave a comment.
The Terminator series is available on Amazon and pretty much anywhere you can buy DVDs, and individual episodes of Sons of Anarchy are available for download from iTunes.
Monday, September 8, 2008
On Sarah Palin and censorship
I'm hoping this will be my only Palin related post, but I can't make any promises.
Palin is anti-abortion, pro-guns, and is in the pocket of the religious right. But, none of that matters to me as much as what I've read on her stance on books. Here's an excerpt from Time Magazine:
It was easy for me to decide whether to vote for or against intellectual freedom.
Remember, when you vote for a president, you're also voting for their running mate.
Palin is anti-abortion, pro-guns, and is in the pocket of the religious right. But, none of that matters to me as much as what I've read on her stance on books. Here's an excerpt from Time Magazine:
Stein says that as mayor, Palin continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." That woman, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor.
It was easy for me to decide whether to vote for or against intellectual freedom.
Remember, when you vote for a president, you're also voting for their running mate.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
New blog for Vampire LARP
I'm moving all posts about the Vampire: The Masquerade OWbN LARP game I play to my new blog. My welcome post is now up at Wendy's Guide to OWbN LARP!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The problem with the new 90210
I'm watching the new 90210 as I type this, and already (23 minutes in) I'd rather be helping a friend move than sitting here in front of the screen.
I wasn't the biggest 90210 fan; I rediscovered the series in high school, think '98 or '99, in reruns. I watched the Walsh twins live through high school angst mixed with real world problems. There was anorexia, binge drinking, drug use, you name it and those crazy, beautiful white kids with problems were getting into it.
In this new 90210, the problems of the cast aren't as believable. The kids look plastic, their worries seem forced. Instead of introducing a pair of kind of shy, kind of ordinary teens from the Midwest into the world of Beverly Hills, an alien world to them, the new show introduces a pair of alpha teens into a town they already know from summer visits and romantic trysts with the hottest boy at West Beverly High.
From what I can tell, there's nothing new to watch in the 90210 zip code; the show seems like a rehash of every other teen show out there. The Peach Pit's been revamped, the teachers are now hotties, and many of the adult cast could pass for high school students.
Even the original cast members can't save this show in my eyes. Add a Brenda, an Andrea, and some other characters that really wouldn't mesh in The Hills, and I might consider watching again. Until then, you've lost me.
I wasn't the biggest 90210 fan; I rediscovered the series in high school, think '98 or '99, in reruns. I watched the Walsh twins live through high school angst mixed with real world problems. There was anorexia, binge drinking, drug use, you name it and those crazy, beautiful white kids with problems were getting into it.
In this new 90210, the problems of the cast aren't as believable. The kids look plastic, their worries seem forced. Instead of introducing a pair of kind of shy, kind of ordinary teens from the Midwest into the world of Beverly Hills, an alien world to them, the new show introduces a pair of alpha teens into a town they already know from summer visits and romantic trysts with the hottest boy at West Beverly High.
From what I can tell, there's nothing new to watch in the 90210 zip code; the show seems like a rehash of every other teen show out there. The Peach Pit's been revamped, the teachers are now hotties, and many of the adult cast could pass for high school students.
Even the original cast members can't save this show in my eyes. Add a Brenda, an Andrea, and some other characters that really wouldn't mesh in The Hills, and I might consider watching again. Until then, you've lost me.
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