Yes

[Doctor Rock]

In sexist-author-comment news... did y'all hear about this? British novelist VS Naipaul has stepped up the controversy by suggesting that women writers are 'sentimental' and 'unequal to me.' He says he can read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two determine whether or not the writer is female. Hm. So the Guardian has a little challenge... (I haven't done it yet.)

Take the test!

I don't know which part of that is worse, the idea that femininity=can't write seriously or the idea of people inevitably rising to the "defense" of women by saying there's no difference at all.

When it comes to writing, I think individuality trumps gender, that is, Urusla K. Le Guin or Marguerite Yourcernar don't write like women, they write like U.K. Le Guin or M. Yourcenar. 

And V.S. Naipul, writes like V.S. Naipul.  And apparently, V.S. Naipul is a bit of a sexist prick.

[Just Some Girl]

I didn't get to weigh in on the women-aging-in-Hollywood thing the other day. I'll let Geena Davis (who was referring to the dearth of roles for middle aged women) speak for me. Davis has worked to change things for women, notably through her foundation, “The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.”

She recounted an experience with a group of animators in which one man noted that it’s really hard to create women characters because they are “too boring.”

When she asked what he meant, he explained that women had to be perfect and beautiful or “the feminists would crack down on us.”

Davis thought at the time, “Really, I didn’t know we were so organized.”

She said she told them the way to avoid criticism is by having many different females in movies, rather than just one who must represent all women. Filmmakers should “just switch characters” from men to women in order to have more female parts.


It's an interesting enough experiment to try...

My girlfriend's theater company specializes in just switching characters.  I think it would be interesting to see Glengarry Glen Ross with some women in roles.

Bridesmaids.  Biggest comedy hit of the summer so far.

Meryl Streep  She is so damn charming and she's a big star.  Julia Roberts is interesting.  Holly Hunter and Kyra Sedgewick on TNT.  Interesting actresses will get projects.  And women of all ages will always have roles.

The movie Salt with Angelina Jolie was going to have Tom Cruise in the title role. 

That sounds like an awesome approach to theatre. I think I'd like that hippie girl of yours.

Re: the rest of this, I didn't mean to suggest there were no roles for aging female actors, or that there's no star power. But there are fewer of these roles. I like the idea of having a range of female characters, just as there are (typically) a range of male characters presented in most (mainstream) movies. you know?

[Bizarro]

In sexist-author-comment news... did y'all hear about this? British novelist VS Naipaul has stepped up the controversy by suggesting that women writers are 'sentimental' and 'unequal to me.' He says he can read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two determine whether or not the writer is female. Hm. So the Guardian has a little challenge... (I haven't done it yet.)

Take the test!

I don't know which part of that is worse, the idea that femininity=can't write seriously or the idea of people inevitably rising to the "defense" of women by saying there's no difference at all.

When it comes to writing, I think individuality trumps gender, that is, Urusla K. Le Guin or Marguerite Yourcernar don't write like women, they write like U.K. Le Guin or M. Yourcenar. 

And V.S. Naipul, writes like V.S. Naipul.  And apparently, V.S. Naipul is a bit of a sexist prick.

Of course. There are good writers whose work is individual enough that it goes past gender.

But the idea that if a woman writes with a feminine slant, she has a handicap that must be overcome by striving to sound more gender-neutral or even masculine...

Well, that's just stupid.

[Just Some Girl]

In sexist-author-comment news... did y'all hear about this? British novelist VS Naipaul has stepped up the controversy by suggesting that women writers are 'sentimental' and 'unequal to me.' He says he can read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two determine whether or not the writer is female. Hm. So the Guardian has a little challenge... (I haven't done it yet.)

Take the test!

I don't know which part of that is worse, the idea that femininity=can't write seriously or the idea of people inevitably rising to the "defense" of women by saying there's no difference at all.

I hope you don't think I was saying that. But to paint all female writers (or all anything, for that matter) with the same brush (as others here have pointed out) is just the kind of shitty generalization that angers up my blood. It's not just sexist, it's massively hubristic. Sexist prick, indeed.

[Just Some Girl]

In sexist-author-comment news... did y'all hear about this? British novelist VS Naipaul has stepped up the controversy by suggesting that women writers are 'sentimental' and 'unequal to me.' He says he can read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two determine whether or not the writer is female. Hm. So the Guardian has a little challenge... (I haven't done it yet.)

Take the test!

I don't know which part of that is worse, the idea that femininity=can't write seriously or the idea of people inevitably rising to the "defense" of women by saying there's no difference at all.

When it comes to writing, I think individuality trumps gender, that is, Urusla K. Le Guin or Marguerite Yourcernar don't write like women, they write like U.K. Le Guin or M. Yourcenar. 

And V.S. Naipul, writes like V.S. Naipul.  And apparently, V.S. Naipul is a bit of a sexist prick.

Of course. There are good writers whose work is individual enough that it goes past gender.

But the idea that if a woman writes with a feminine slant, she has a handicap that must be overcome by striving to sound more gender-neutral or even masculine...

Well, that's just stupid.

I will totally kick your ass.




( )

[Just Some Girl]

I was too busy posting today to actually write my li'l trip report. Maybe on the weekend...

[Just Some Girl]

I do agree that ALL men who buy sports cars have teeny tiny penises.

[Just Some Girl]

I just ordered a pizza. I usually don't eat this late (it'll be 10pm by the time it gets here...eeps) but...still no food (groceries were on my ignore list today, apparently) and tired and lazy and... well, yeah all that.

[Bizarro]

In sexist-author-comment news... did y'all hear about this? British novelist VS Naipaul has stepped up the controversy by suggesting that women writers are 'sentimental' and 'unequal to me.' He says he can read a piece of writing and within a paragraph or two determine whether or not the writer is female. Hm. So the Guardian has a little challenge... (I haven't done it yet.)

Take the test!

I don't know which part of that is worse, the idea that femininity=can't write seriously or the idea of people inevitably rising to the "defense" of women by saying there's no difference at all.all and likes cars

I hope you don't think I was saying that. But to paint all female writers (or all anything, for that matter) with the same brush (as others here have pointed out) is just the kind of shitty generalization that angers up my blood. It's not just sexist, it's massively hubristic. Sexist prick, indeed.

I never thought YOU were saying that. I was just grimacing in advance at all of the people who will. It's like when people "defend" gay men by pointing out some guy who plays football and likes cars..."You'd never even know he was gay." Certainly, gay men can exist on a wide spectrum where masculinity/femininity is concerned. But it's not like queens are handicapped or stupid, either.

[Tripp]

Neil Peart drum solo on Letterman tonight..