Today my Twitter feed has been filled with outrage over the rather stupid article in the New York Times that dumped on A Games of Thrones on the grounds that it is “boy fiction”. Apparently all of the sex has been added to the story by HBO in a desperate attempt to gain female viewers. Naturally a whole lot of George’s lady fans, and indeed women who don’t like George’s book but do like other fantasy, are yelling about the NYT telling them what sort of books they are supposed to like.
At the same the inimitable Julie Bindel is once again dumping on trans people, because apparently trans people spend all of their time reinforcing gender stereotypes. (I am clearly falling down on the job as I am not typing this blog entry wearing a gorgeous ballgown and full make-up. Sorry.)
It occurred to me that I could perhaps point Bindel at the NYT article. Here, after all, was someone who genuinely was trying to enforce gender stereotypes. Perhaps she could go and harass them instead.
And then I realized that if I told her that trans women like fantasy fiction she’d respond that it proved that they were “really men”.
Actually that is consistent according to her weird form of feminism.
I note that Bindel herself is not opposed to gender stereotyping when it’s herself stereotyping (those she perceives to be) men on the basis of their gender.
But Cheryl, you don’t always look as if you’re ready to accept a Hugo Award at any minute? Even when blogging? My illusions are totally shattered! 😉
You’re *not* wearing a ballgown and full make-up??? B-b-but that’s how I picture you writing *all* your blogs. Please tell me you’re at least wearing the 6″ platform boots?
But seriously, I find it fascinating that the NYT is trying to argue that all the sex was added in “as a little something for the ladies”. It’s a weird kind of step forward in terms of gender stereotypes, isn’t it? The admission that women might actually *like* to watch explicit sex and erotica in television. It wasn’t that long ago when this kind of stuff was deemed verboten to women, or at least something that would drive them *away* from a show or movie. Sex was for men, soft-focused kissing was for ladies. I guess Sex and the City changed all that forever …
It’s still an abysmally insulting review. I can’t wait to see Game of Thrones … obviously, I need to check my testosterone levels. Cheryl, I might need to borrow that ballgown to try and restore some femininity afterwards.
Yeah, I thought that was traditionally put in there as the magic incantation to allegedly keep 18-34-year-old males from getting bored!
OTOH, if it is “for the ladies”, and yet both I and the NYT reviewer remain uninterested in viewing the series, what does that mean is wrong with us? 🙂
Although if I had the fab dress you wore to the San Jose WFC I would wear it all the time.
Gender Stereotyping of the Type of Selection by the Feminists of Choice is nasty enough but there are worse things albeit things that fit within the same combat zone.
I grew up in a pre turn of century British Working- Class Northern environment in which the were no, NO queers/gays or the gender descriptive of your choice .. it was illegal to be Gay and indeed it was also illegal to commit suicide ..this later if the suicide did survive the attempt of course. Mental illness of any sort was thought to be due to a Lack Of Moral Fiber, much frowned upon, and often treated with a hefty dose of Electric Shock Therapy …And Quite Right Too!
Unless, of course, you were at the receiving end of the Short Sharp Shock.
My next door neighbors are a gay couple and the only prejudice that they face is that which they receive for being – Bankers! Which you practically need to be if you are to be able to afford to buy property hereabouts these days. Fair enough, this is an ever so middle class area, but still it is conservative with both a Big as well as a Small ‘C’ and so my amiable neighbors would have had to be bloody socially invisible to be accepted hereabouts not many decades ago.
How far we have come, eh? Unless you have the misfortune to live anywhere other than the U.K. or the correct states in the US of A or of Euro-land.
This was brought to mind by a piece that I’ve just come upon …
” Within the past few days, it has emerged that the education department in the eastern state of Terengganu has set up a boot camp to which it has sent 66 schoolboys to deal with their “effeminate tendencies”.
“The severity of the symptoms vary. We understand that some people end up as homosexual,” said the department’s director, Razali Daud, “but we will do our best to limit the number. If left unchecked, it could become a problem for them, their families and society.” ”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/sex-scandals-obsess-malaysia-the-country-with-a-onetrack-mind-2274081.html