Random Thoughts 3: A Little Bit of This, and a Little Bit of That...

[Takhisis]

Almost forgot my thought of the day.

Thought for the Day: My hands are starting to look old.

Think that the image you are seeing of them is already an image of the past.

 

[Zkribbler]

At least I think the snow got rid of the pigeons.

Zkribblers hate pigeons to pieces.

 

[Commodore]

Thought for the Day: You can't win if you don't score any points. You can be tied, but you can't win.

 

[Synobun]

Sure you can. The other person can be disqualified. You win and you didn't earn a single point.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

Sure you can. The other person can be disqualified. You win and you didn't earn a single point.

I was just about to write that.
Another scenario: The other person is leading and forfeits/yields for whatever reason. Maybe they were bribed or are/could get injured.

 

[Snerk]

Also golf. Nuff said.

 

[Ryika]

People always wonder what makes a president, and I think I've boiled it down to a single, easy-to-understand formula. It is:

<number of civilians killed in just wars while defending liberty and righteousness in the world> * <number of progressive laws repealed or denied under your administration to stop the degeneration of American culture> * <number of times you cheated on your wife while being a good Christian>

As you can clearly see, Trump is the best president America has ever had.

 

[Broken_Erika]

Don't know where to put this so i'll shove it here.
Video Game Character Stares Impotently At Forbidden Realm Beyond Impassable Waist-High Bush

JOHTO—Cruelly tantalized by the dream of life in the green and plentiful land just beyond his reach, video game character Ethan spent countless processor cycles Tuesday staring impotently at the forbidden realm stretching out beyond the line of impassable waist-high bushes at his feet. “All my powers, all my abilities, yet I’m halted in my tracks by a hedge half my size,” said the crestfallen hero, who is almost certain he can discern the edge of a rare egg at the limit of his vision, just three rows beyond the bush in question. “I’ve tried everything in my arsenal from the running double jump to that teleportation spell I bought from the cloaked wandering merchant, but it just seems futile. I never thought I would face an obstacle to match the chest-high wooden fence around the corner from my hometown.” A despondent and enraged Ethan was later arrested for trespassing in nearby strangers’ houses in a desperate search for a town map.

 

[Ryika]

Don't know where to put this so i'll shove it here.
Video Game Character Stares Impotently At Forbidden Realm Beyond Impassable Waist-High Bush

The state of masculinity in western society.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

The state of masculinity in western society.

That warrants a lengthy essay which I'm too lazy to write because I'm a White Male who's quite busy resting on the laurels of his wifebeating ancestors.

Nevertheless, here are some potential excerpts of the hypothetical essay:

...in Breath of Fire 2 the character Katt (a female catperson) had the ability to smash some obstacles -like small bushes- and open new areas. Even in extremely sexist cultures (like 1990s Japan) women were considered an indispensable part of society and could have a vital role in defeating a demon with a massive mommy complex....

...this is a stark contrast to the first Breath of Fire game where the hypermasculine character Ox (an extremely buff male Cowman) fulfilled a similar role and was able to push heavy obstacles like rocks or cupboards aside.

...even though Katt and Ox appear to be functionally smilar (in combat situations Katt is primarily a damage dealer and potential evasion tank while Ox is a damage dealer and HP tank), their role in the overworld and narrative couldn't be more different...

...while Ox pushes obstacles to the side, Katt destroys them. This is callback to the destructive nature of females (Tiamat) and the transformative power of men (Marduk)...

 

[Ryika]

Not quite my own thoughts, but still very true: The Alien Franchise is one of the few true "feminist" productions. The main character, Ellen Ripley, combines femininity and (mental, emotional, and physical) strength in a way that makes sense and really elevates the character, unlike most of the products that are usually hailed as "feminist" just add masculine traits and behaviors to a female character and then call it a day.

 

[Synobun]

What? Ripley fits the very model of a binary tomboy.

Oh no. I've taken the bait.

 

[Ryika]

Kind of telling that you reduce her to her appearance, when I was actually talking about her actions and her thought process/priorities.

 

[Lemon Merchant]

What? Ripley fits the very model of a binary tomboy.

Not in the second movie she doesn't.

 

[Synobun]

I've said nothing of her appearance.

 

[Takhisis]

Stay away from it, Syn! Remember that Samus is a girl!

 

[Ryika]

I've said nothing of her appearance.

Then you have got no idea about the character.

 

[Synobun]

Then you have got no idea about the character.

She is as effective as a trained team of mostly-male marines. Her modus operandi is violently kicking ass. In a traditional society (since that's the only context in which "tomboy", and the considerations of masculine and feminine, are relevant in any way), that's fairly strictly masculine.

That she is maternal towards Newt doesn't detract from her tomboyishness. Matrix in Commando is doggedly paternal over his daughter and that doesn't make him less masculine, especially given that he travels around taking names and snuffing out henchmen while sweaty, covered in blood and grease, and just generally making a violent mess out of everything.

Your post specifically mentions that she is feminine and doesn't have masculine traits, unlike the sham products. You could argue that "kicking ass" is not necessarily masculine, but if you're going to try that out, then the question of what is masculine and feminine needs answering.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Not quite my own thoughts, but still very true: The Alien Franchise is one of the few true "feminist" productions. The main character, Ellen Ripley, combines femininity and (mental, emotional, and physical) strength in a way that makes sense and really elevates the character, unlike most of the products that are usually hailed as "feminist" just add masculine traits and behaviors to a female character and then call it a day.

And, in this case, a woman was cast to play a character written for a man, and history was made. Ridley Scott says that, when he was having a hard time finding an actor he liked, Warren Beatty tipped him off to a '7 foot-6 inch' stage actress he knew in New York (Weaver is 6' tall, but she was wearing heels when Scott met her, and judging by pictures, Scott can't be more than 5' 9").

More Alien movie trivia:

• After Weaver was cast, an intimate scene between Ripley and Dallas was considered, but the idea was tossed and the scene was never filmed.
• When Lambert slaps Ripley for refusing to let them back aboard the Nostromo, the smack is real. Scott told Veronica Cartwright to really let Weaver have it, and she did.
  
• The role of Captain Dallas, played by Tom Skerritt, was initially offered to Harrison Ford.
  
• The xenomorph's famous acid blood was introduced when a crew-member asked, "Why don't they just shoot it?"
  
• In Aliens, Pvt. Frost has the name "Heath" written on his body armor inside a heart, making him perhaps the first gay marine depicted onscreen. The actors were allowed to personalize their costumes a little, so Ricco Ross decided to write his girlfriend's name - Heather. Unfortunately, he drew the heart first, and then her name didn't fit inside.

 

[Traitorfish]

She is as effective as a trained team of mostly-male marines. Her modus operandi is violently kicking ass. In a traditional society (since that's the only context in which "tomboy", and the considerations of masculine and feminine, are relevant in any way), that's fairly strictly masculine.

Is the implication that the twenty-first century West is a "traditional society", or that masculine and feminine are no longer socially-relevant categories?