C.S. Lewis Is A Life Ruiner

So I’ve finished all of the Narnia books and I have to say... that last one left a really bad taste in my mouth. The basic summary goes thusly: everything is weird and goes to shit, plus Susan is barred from heaven for no real reason. Seriously, I feel like Lewis crapped all over what could have been a joyous and happy moment by excluding her from the final novel, for... what, really? Punished her for liking girly things? Seriously?? Maybe it’s because I’m the oldest sister in my family, but it felt a bit like a slap in the face.

Also, the last novel had a lot more Calormene evilness in it, and that shit was just way too racist for me to handle. It was bad enough to deal with in The Horse and His Boy but, like, really? The entire series we only ever meet TWO Calmormenes who are not terrible people: Aravis and Emeth. And yes, I get it, they’re the Bad Guys, but to make them so heavy-handedly “eastern” and I DON’T CARE, “DARKIE” IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE NICKNAME EVER.

Sigh.

It’s just too bad, really. I enjoyed the first two books and adored Voyage. Silver Chair and Magician’s Nephew are kind of boring but had interesting parts. Then everything fell apart after that and I’m left with a bitter taste in my mouth at the end.

In related news, apparently they’re going to make a movie for The Silver Chair? I still haven’t seen any of the movies yet, so that’s going to be my new Netflix challenge. :)

Not So Strong and Free

Most of the time I am a very proud Canadian. Today is not one of those days. What’s gotten under my skin? Well, Canada’s treatment of First Nations people has always left a bad taste in my mouth but a recent study demonstrates that the government actively allowed children and adults starving on reserves to continue to starve, so that they could use them as test subjects in nutritional studies.

Listen, this is beyond mind-boggling. Imagine for a second you’re at home, enjoying the comfort and normalcy of your modest house, when some strange dude walks through the door, declares that the house and everything inside it now belongs to him and his family, but don’t worry, you can still stay in the unfinished basement cellar, there’s a window for light and you’re protected from the elements, you should be grateful he didn’t just, like, shoot you or something when he came in. But he’s a pretty awesome dude, and because he cares he’s giving you some space and for their own good, he’s taking your kids to live with his cousin 500km away, she’ll take care of them properly. So don’t be so noisy down there, don’t try to hold on to any of the life you had before he took over everything you knew and loved, you’re free to leave and walk away whenever you want, or if you pay him a fee you could totally rent out a room upstairs instead. But it’ll be hard to come up with the extra money, because totally awesome dudes just like him have taken over your neighbourhood and have nothing but disdain for your modest ways and strange language and clearly inferior beliefs.

And then a hundred years later, when your children's children's children are still trying to recover from being ripped away from their way of life, everyone blames them for not being as awesome as the dudes living in houses. Go figure.

Say Non To Bill 94

Today's headline: Niqab gets 2nd Quebec student expelled. Okay, this is getting fricking ridiculous. To paraphrase someone else, forcing a woman to reveal part of her body is no different from forcing her to be covered.

*headdesk* QUEBEC, YOU'RE ON NOTICE. >:(

Snagged From Around The Internet

Today, it is all about the links.

The Bechdel Test and Race in Popular Fiction: an examination of just how short most media falls when put against a PoC version of the Bechdel Test. (Warning: that last link goes to TVTropes.)

How to Be Seriously Frivolous (or, Feminism is For Grownups): "Part of the difficulty in battling sexism and gender assumptions is that they are sometimes subtle, sometimes difficult to tease out. What makes [the book Fascinating Womanhood] so shocking is how blatant it is."

"She’s got you wrapped around her finger": fathers, daughters, and a variation on the myth of male weakness: a new father talks about comments he gets when he's with his daughter and how they propagate misconceptions.

Freed reporters say they were dragged into NKorea: Reporters Laura Ling & Euna Lee say communist soldiers "violently dragged" them back when they returned to Chinese soil after briefly crossing into North Korea.

Posts You Ought To Read

http://derekkirkkim.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-day-in-politics-same-old-racist.html - An Asian-American blogger talks about the Racefail that is the casting for the new Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. (Not to be mixed up with Avatar, that epic movie being done by James Cameron that's supposed to revolutionize how movies are being made. But I digress.) This is one of the best posts I've seen yet regarding why the casting for the movie sucks. Way to ruin the greatest cartoon ever, Hollywood. :P

http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2009/07/behold-my-love-advice.html - Sady, blogmistress of the lovely Tiger Beatdown, delivers a tongue-in-cheek analysis of women and love that she gleaned from watching Hollywood movies.

Vegas Anecdotes & Weird Metaphors

• When we went shopping at the outlet mall, the food court had these LCD monitors that played music videos that you could vote for by texting on your phone. The moment we all sat down for our food, I'm Gone, I'm Going by Lesley Roy started playing, an obscure song that I only know through Rock Band 2's downloadable content. Then immediately after, All Around Me by Flyleaf started playing, which is another obscure and fairly old rock song I never expected to be see.
  
  
• While waiting for my flight out of Vegas, a couple sat down next to me. They looked to be in their late 30s or maybe early 40s; both looked kinda weathered but you could tell they had been very attractive when they were young. Anyway, the wife sat down a seat away from me and reached for some water and medication as the husband slowly ambled over and took the seat right next to me. Then they began to argue. He asked something like "do you have to take that stuff?" (meaning her pills, I guess) and she replied with something like "of course, what the hell are you talking about?" And then it became apparent to me that these two viciously hated each other; the wife said "I don't know what I was thinking when I married you", the husband badmouthed her parents and got all in her face, she was like "Oh I dare you, I dare you to start with me" and then she stormed off. They didn't reunite until they had to be on the plane together. It was drama-licious.
  
  
• Getting into Studio 54 and Wet Republic cost me exactly $0 at both places. Hooray for being a feminine young woman.
  
  
• Everyone we met on the trip was so nice, from the other Grand Canyon tourists, to people in the casinos and hotels. The only times people were not so nice were:
  
  
  • the one time I was alone on the strip and a couple of drunk guys heckled me and
    
    
  • when I was on the getting on the plane in Vegas and some woman smacked me in the face with her hand and kept walking.
  
  
• During the day, Luxor reminded me of Lost because of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. During the night, Luxor reminded me of Stargate. The movie, I mean. It was like: "The Egyptian aliens are coming!" ;)
  
  
• I really wanted to buy a CSI: Las Vegas t-shirt while I was there, but I wasn't willing to pay more than $10 for one. Needless to say, I came home empty handed.
  
  
• Las Vegas surprised me in certain ways. First off, it was amazing how many elderly people were there. Wheelchairs abounded at the airport and on the local transit system. The city was far more accessible than I expected it to be. Secondly, you could find sugarfree candy and sweets at most places too. I don't know if this is in response to the American obesity epidemic, but it was still good to see that options like that were available for those who need it i.e. diabetics.
  
  
• Unfortunately, after a day or two in Vegas I developed an annoying second-hand smoker's cough. I never cough, but back when smoking was still legal in clubs I used to wake up the next day hacking like crazy. The casinos stank like smoke so bad, it was disgusting. I love that you can't smoke inside up here.

Oh man, a post just went up at Pandagon that explains elitist racism using an extended Pokemon metaphor, alongside an image of a giant pokeball floating along at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I did my best not to choke on my snack when I read the tongue-in-cheek line (I shit thee not) "I choose you, Negrochu!" Oh Pandagon... *headshake*