May 20, 2013
I invite you to check out this guest post I did over at A Dribble of Ink on women fighters: I’m going to tell you a story about llamas. It will be like every other story you’ve ever heard about llamas: how they are covered in fine scales; how they eat their young if not raised properly; and how, at the end of their lives, they hurl themselves –...
Mar 16, 2013
NOTE: some spoilers, sexual assault triggers I went out last night to see the Incredible Burt Wonderstone, a cute little movie about a couple old-school buddy magicians dueling with Criss-Angel-stand-in Steve Gray (Jim Carrey) for fame and fortune. It was all right. I’ve lost my patience with people who hate everything. It had some funny moments, and everyone...
Sep 7, 2012
I have been meaning to write a response to this article by Ursula LeGuin for some time. Needless to say, when she says stuff like, “It’s amazing, given their different physiology and complement of hormones, how much alike men and women are in most ways,” I want to tear my hair out. This stuff comes off like somebody saying, “Hey, it’s remarkable that...
Jul 10, 2012
Note: this is a film that is about violence against women. Triggers ahoy. Long-time readers know that I get really pissed off with creative work that employs random violence against women as some kind of lazy shorthand. Creators do this for all types of reasons. You don’t have to work too hard at characterizing your bad guy if you just have him randomly rape...
Jun 11, 2012
NOTE: This post assumes you have already watched Prometheus, so is full of SPOILERS. In the world of Prometheus, we all came from white dudes, who went around seeding the universe with their magical, life-giving sperm. It was a fine feat those boys managed, creating whole worlds all on their own. I can’t help but wonder if it’s the secret dream of the...
Jun 1, 2012
When I rant about biases and stereotypes and authors’ blindspots, I get the impression that some people think I’m some perfect person without any biases. I’ve talked a lot about my awareness of my own misogyny and racism, but there’s other stuff that creeps up on you too, sometimes when you least expect it. Bias does not happen in a...
May 17, 2012
During times of great social upheaval, it can often seem safer to say nothing. You get noticed less. You piss off fewer people. You go around making sure the trains run on time. You make your dollars and go home and stuff them in the mattress and keep your head down and hope they don’t come for you. It’s a silly position, really, because they always come...
