Bringing the Funny

2012-01-13
This is kind of a lengthy addendum to my previous post on Tone. I started including some bits of it there but I realized this topic is best appreciated in its own post. For those that know me, yes, I realize that I'm only JUST BARELY not writing about both FUoS and Lady Gaga's gender-twisting project here, too.Today, I want to focus on teh funnay. I've come to really appreciate the way a humorous approach can be a great way to discuss feminist topics. The following are all projects that I see as positive and very accessible ways to bring gender issues to light. I also find them pretty hilarious -- which is, of course, tied in with their accessability. They're not part of 'gaming' per se, but the influence and parallels are quite clear.Men-ups is a photo series from photographer Rion Sabean that depict men in classic 1940s-1950s pin-up...

Tone Deaf

2012-01-04
I've long disliked the caustic methods of Richard Dawkins. I've had similar issues with Christopher Hitchens. Dawkins has a very arrogant, abrasive tone. Fans of Dawkins love his biting wit and his haughty yet matter-of-fact smackdowns. Okay, sure, I also love me some smackdowns. The youtube clips of some of his best lines can be a rare guilty pleasure.In contrast, Neil deGrasse Tyson has a very open, understanding and personable way of speaking that engages everyone who listens. The man is fucking pumped about astrophysics and he's absolutely delighted to help you understand why. You can feel it bursting out of him all-at-once and you start to get frustrated on his behalf at how the slowness of language is obviously mistranslating his intensity of feeling. He's a favourite guest of Stephen Colbert's and the two have a great rapport even out-of-character. This video is old, but it's a brilliant moment...