Prejudice in Reverse?

In a world that has been increasingly made aware of the continuous prejudices in the world, I can't help but wonder why it seems like the issues are striving to go to the opposite extreme.

Don't get me wrong, prejudice in all forms exists.  Racism, ageism, sizism, gender discrimination, etc. permeate all realms of our lives.  Hell, I grew up attending mostly white schools.  My mother upon hearing I had signed up for the military had a few "words of wisdom" to impart.  Basically, what those words were showed that though she had denied being so when I was growing up, she was racist.  She told me to be careful, especially of the black guys.  I had a black male friend and I couldn't help wondering how she really felt about several of my friends - most of whom were males and some were not white.  She moved us because she didn't want us to be influenced by her parents who were according to her, chauvinistic.  While my grandfather may have had problems with my mother doing things that were seen as male, I remember him and my grandmother encouraging us to do as we wanted even if those dreams weren't what they thought we should do.

Recently, I read a story about a woman who has had to put down books written by guys telling a story from a female point of view because they'll have a woman walking alone at night, but there is no thought about her own safety or how she might be attacked on her way home.  As a young-ish female, I have to admit that I have had walks where those thoughts do come into play.  However, it's not a regular occurrence. In fact, it's really only a thought that I have every once in a small while unless I go somewhere I don't know very well.  This, however, got me to wondering if guys who read books from a male point of view see the same disparities that women notice.

See, I've read numerous stories and I can't always tell the gender of the author based on what I'm reading because even if it is typical of a gender according to society, it does not mean it's unrealistic.  Typically females will ask for directions according to general society, however, MythBusters did happen to bust it, and I can further confirm that not all females will ask for help.  It just fits the mold we've tried to condemn ourselves to constantly.

Beyond that, we think of WW2 as a prime example of racism when the Jewish religion is not a race, but religion or faith.  Being Jewish is the same as being Muslim, Catholic, or Wiccan - not defined by how one looks but by personal beliefs.  But prejudice doesn't just get perpetrated by the perceived majorities.  Women are considered a minority even though they make up just over half of the population.  In South America, blacks made the majority but racism is considered to be perpetrated solely by the white people who were in control.  There are still problems with whites and males thinking they are better than everyone else and who wish to keep control as a white patriarchal society, but the so-called minorities are fighting back and have been since the very beginning.  We usually refer to teenage rebellion, but isn't that exactly what we need?  The feelings of oppression that make us refuse to bow down to someone else's idea of whom we should be?  These are things that have caused change to all of a sudden take over the news.

Legalized same-sex marriage, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and so much more are the results of people refusing to be told that they are wrong, that they're feelings are incorrect.  In fact, these people countered societal norms, which is good.  The problem is that there are people who are trying to beat the past into our faces as problems that need to be removed from existence.  We, women, get all upset over men who think they know what we go through or deal with and yet we do the same to them.  We get yelled at for "cultural appropriation" and get told we can no longer use certain words because they are offensive.  Then we use them because that's what we've grown into a habit of doing or that's how we were taught, we get penalized for not immediately conforming to avoiding using things that others find offensive.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be aware of what we've done or said, but that doesn't mean we should remove all traces of what our past is.  In fact, that could cause more issues because we have forgotten what was done.  In doing that, we open ourselves to repeating the mistakes of the past in a manner that could actually be worse.

This brings us to what I started with.  Are there things that readers have noticed that immediately aided in helping them to identify something about the author?  Something other than what we get told about?


**This was started to be posted on the 20th of January.  I apologize for the long wait but I was deterred by other things.  I will also have last week's original posting and hopefully this week's by the end of the day Sunday.

The Voice in the First Half of an Election Year?

Alright folks, it's been a crazy couple of weeks, but I'm excited.  Do you want to know why?  The Voice starts again on Monday, which is also a leap year extra day....I think several hi-jinks will ensue.  For those who were born on a Feb 29, no matter the year, I don't no if I should apologize or envy you.

But enough on the once every four year phenomenon.  No what's got me excited is that if you've subscribed to The Voice's YouTube channel you've likely seen them: the coach ads.  I have yet to see one for Blake, but the three I did see made me laugh.  It also put me in mind of the fact that yes, it's a presidential election year.  So, now I've got even more on my plate to do, because I need to update myself on who is actually running for the election and where they stand on the issues that matter most to me.

Do I care about what they claim they'll do once in office?  Not unless they can explain how and it makes sense to me, but doesn't feel like it goes against what we need.  I haven't been watching the Voice very long, but it one I don't have to sit in front of the TV and watch, either.  I can listen to it while doing other things and not miss out.  Anyway, since I can't watch it when it airs, I have to wait for Hulu to air the episodes.

I don't know which coach I like most, but their ads are worth watching.  I'll post the links below.  What about you?  Do you watch The Voice and, if so, do you have a favorite coach?


Coach Campaign Links:
Pharrell Williams - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZvl6VNfALI
Christina Aguilera - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B20timw0yCo
Adam Levine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNJXIoogj0

Rambling of Current Events to Unknown

With all the unrest in the United States, I couldn't help but wonder about a few things this week. First, I guess I should explain a small thing, at least, small to me. I don't pay as much attention to current events as I should. It's not just that I don't have television, either. I just got tired of trying to watch the news as a kid for more of the important events and finding glorified horror stories. Quite honestly, if you're a writer and need a plot bunny, you likely don't need to go much further than the evening news.

The next thing I should explain is that when it comes to Facebook or social media of any kind, I am the least likely of persons to actually use said outlet effectively. I use Facebook as an example, but the same is true of Twitter and any other social media site I have an account with. It's not because I don't wish to connect with other people, though. I just don't heave enough time in a day for everything I want to do as well as need to do. And even though I'm of the generation that can still add, subtract, multiply, and divide using either pan and paper or a calculator; I'm not as computer savvy as people seem to think.

When users on Facebook used a rainbow filter on their profile pics back when the United States legalized same-sex marriages, I did not. It's not because I have a thing against it either. No, I honestly believe that so long as a person believes themselves in love with another person they should be allowed to be together in marriage if that's what they truly want. I'm just to lazy to edit a profile pic that shows support to something I'm just not paying attention to in the news because I have too many other things to worry about(like Christmas gifts for numerous nieces and a few nephews!)

So, after explaining that no, I'm not current events aware and that most of my information is minimum secondhand (though more likely fifthhand...) I must admit I started wondering why people have to be politically correct. And by politically correct, I mean the BS of speaking the “correct” term to describe someone's description. If I said a black man did something or claimed that someone is black because that is the color I perceive their skin to be or that someone appeared Asian by look, suddenly I'm prejudiced, according to some. These are most likely the extremists, but it colors our whole way of communicating.

The biggest thing on my mind was when did we decide saying the truth was so offensive as to reasonable grounds to call someone else prejudiced? It's not like we weren't all raised differently based on the values of those who raised us. Our experiences also likely changed our opinions as well as what we've read and watched through various forms of media. I started rewatching some old shows and I've found that when some of these shows have a strong female character, they don't make them realistic. Some books or short stories are the same. If you read fanfiction, I'm sure you've noticed that some of the characters are taken to the extreme “never wrong” standpoint. This actually annoys me and I find myself enjoying shows that center on males.

This is not the way things should be. Yes, jokes about women or blacks or gays are going to be commonplace. Just as jokes about Pollocks, geeks, blondes, and moms (I've heard numerous relating to all of these over my 29 years of life, and don't find them offensive if delivered in a way that indicates the joker is actually telling a joke) are abundant. However, when I'm reading a story or watching as a story unfolds on a screen of any kind, I want to be able to relate to the characters personalities. I referenced a quote in an earlier blogpost, Tyranny through Shamefor what we Read?, about YA reading defenders admitting that part of the enjoyment of reading YA had to to with escapism. I could not and still cannot nor will I argue this point. I agree with it. Lucky for me, this particular point plays to my advantage in this post.

When I read or watch something, yes, by now I'm very well away of what the ending is likely to be. The guy and girl end up together, the villain is defeated, and everyone lives happily ever after. Or at least that is the general premise for most stories. Sometimes it's annoying. Today I find myself looking for the romances that people seemed to fall into with their personalities rather than their hearts (mostly catered to in fanfiction.) I've started looking for more in relationships that are meant to only be either close friendships, frenemy status, or sibling-like. I'm not saying it's wrong. It's just something I'm looking for that's different. Mysteries end up with the lead detective or team figuring out the case. We know everything will be wrapped up with a pretty little bow and “happily ever after”. What we don't know and that which intrigues us, is the journeys taken. That's why we tend to be drawn in. It's the characters that keep us there. I can't get behind a female who is always right, but lords it over her friends or family or both and gets away with it. Characters that are able to manipulate everyone around them and when their victims realize it, the perpetrators are forgiven. They don't even hold or show resentment for what the person had done!

It doesn't seem realistic enough even if it's in a fantasy world. No matter how much time is given or how much someone claims to have forgiven someone, there is still a little piece of resentment in their heart at what was done to them. Mercedes Lackey managed in her Dragon Jouster series to weave it in such a way that while yes the main character held resentment toward and for a certain person due to circumstances outside of their control, the resentment was still there. It would peak through in some of the interactions when they were of equal status again. Yes the character understood and appreciated everything he'd done for him, he also resented that the man had been a part of the system and never seemed to try to fix it.

The journey is what is great. When I read I jump in head first. When I watch a show, my brain keeps trying to see things that don't quite exist or relate it to what I'm aware of. The authors and creators don't worry about being politically correct because they exist in a different world where what they say while expected to be grammatically correct isn't expected to be inoffensive. The characters take on lives of their own and it's a lot more noticeable in written works than it is in a show or movie. The nuances are in both, just more readily received through the written word rather than a visual representation.

I know I got off whatever I was originally going to type up for this post and part of that is because I managed to get sick earlier this week. In fact I got sick just as I was going to finish this post, edit it, and schedule it for posting last Sunday. It didn't happen so instead I'll just have to post this this Sunday and hope you understand what I've ranted about. Feel free to ask for clarification or rants about something else. Yes I still plan to type up Session posts for LANZ, but I'll probably start them back up after the New Year.

Yes I do plan to go over last year's resolutions and decide if they'll be the same this year or if some of them may change. Last year's resolution post can be found as  Resolutions for 2015.