In Which I Attempt to Write About Gender

This is almost certainly way over my head, but I'd like to share some general musings on gender roles in modern American culture. I freely admit that I am rather out of practice in the art of writing, and my own thoughts on this issue have not completely coalesced at this point, so forgive any inadequacies of this post, as I am attempting to make a habit of writing about random topics that flit through my mind. (I suppose I might have done better to stick to what I know and write about dinosaurs or something, but you never get better unless you push yourself, so here we are.)

Traditional gender roles have been in a state of transition for some time now, particularly over the course of the last century. Whatever its shortcomings, real or perceived, the feminist movement does in fact deserve much of the credit for balancing the fortunes of the two sexes. In fact, I have increasingly discovered that the current form of feminism that's in vogue amongst my generation conforms rather closely to my idea of gender equality (though of course no ideology is one-size-fits-all, and I am disappointed that the current-wave feminism seems to fail to recognize that most of its detractors are actually reacting previous, more extremist waves that they are too reluctant to distance themselves from).

In my own life situation, I have currently accepted the position of stay-at-home husband while my wife provides for us. Though this is partly due to circumstance, we have long taken it as a point of fact that even were I to have a steady income, it would likely always be supplemental to hers, as "medical professional" tends to trump many others careers. One seems to come across couples like us with increasing regularity these days. One of the inspirations for this piece was a series of TED talks I recently watched which dealt with these issues (and if you will indulge me, I will be freely referencing them from here on out. Make sure to click the links as I provide them!)

In Hannah Rosin's talk New Data on the Rise of Women, the speaker examines how the fundamental shift from a labor-based to a service-based economy has drastically altered the job market. Where once a strong body and a good work ethic were the extent of the qualifications for the average job, personal strength has been supplanted by education, networking, interpersonal social skills, and multitasking. On the whole, this shift has favored women while beginning to leave men lagging behind. With this shift in preferred workplace aptitude comes  a shift in the economic potential for young men and women, and thus a shift in attitudes towards their ideal home structure. According to Rosin, women are now more likely to expect to assume the role of primary wage earner while their husbands (if they even take on at all) work part-time or even stay at home.

Why are men lagging behind though? Why not a shift towards simple equality? While one can argue for (or against) inherent gender traits that affect aptitude, Philip Zimbardo (in The Demise of Guys?) argues that in any case, the aforementioned critical interpersonal skills required for the modern public sphere have declined to artificially low levels among young men. This group has seen a rise in social awkwardness: a basic lack of understanding of the verbal and nonverbal rules and skills that enable comfortable, healthy interaction with other people. Zimbardo attributes this to what he calls "Arousal Addiction", that is to say, addiction to empty novelty (not necessarily though certainly including sexual arousal). Arousal addiction is characterized by excessive consumption of video games, internet, and pornography, all of which offer easy reward with minimal effort. This "digital re-wiring of the brain" in favor of these cheap thrills desynchronizes young males from traditional social settings. Their predilection towards electronic, active, and immediate forms of consumption leaves them ill suited for traditional school classes, which are analog, static, and passive. Relationships (both romantic and otherwise) also suffer, as they tend to occur subtly and gradually, as opposed to the obvious and fast-paced entertainment they have acclimated themselves to.

How to deal with these changing climates? While there may be something to be said for changing classroom environments, I think the greatest good can be accomplished in the realm of popular media. While Colin Stokes' talk on How Movies Teach Manhood seemed a little disorganized, it touched on a few points I am passionate about, and got me thinking about other topics as well; so while I posted the link there, know that most of what I'm saying is more inspired by his talk than directly referencing it. In fact, much of what I'm going to mention is more aligned with Anita Sarkeesian's videos, the Lego series in particular (part 1 here and part 2 here). While gender roles have always had unequal portrayals in popular media, the case could be made that they at least tended to prepare one for the expectations of the time. With the changing social fabric, the pop culture seems to have some trouble in keeping up. While the portrayal of females has for the most part modeled good interpersonal interaction, that mostly sums up the extent their roles in many movies. Males on the other hand are allowed to do more, but are either portrayed as goofy and immature or gruffly serious, while portraying deeper social interaction as something to be regarded as awkward. Neither would seem to adequately prepare either gender for the current social & economic climate. (Note: while the "warrior princess" type character seems to be on the rise, she tends to be a gruff stoic, and thus essentially a man with boobs as far as characterization is concerned.) Popular media needs to re-evaluate its current definitions of manhood and womanhood to better suit modern times (and parents should do their best to expose their kids to more balanced portrayals of men and women). Colin Stokes offered the "Wizard of Oz" as an example a more well-rounded approach to personalities and group oriented problem solving, without falling back on stereotypes and "chosen one" plot lines (in direct contrast to films such as Stars Wars). I personally would point to "The Avengers" as possibly the best example from this year's crop of movies.

If you haven't clicked on any of those videos up there yet, shame on you for being lazy! Go watch them now! They all cover this topic much more effectively than I ever could. In fact, go ahead and spend the whole rest of the day just watching videos on TED.com if you have the time. It's packed full of fascinating lectures on pretty much every topic you could think of. Let me know what you think about this post! I would enjoy feedback on this stuttering attempt to get back into the practice of writing.

Deinonychus Drawing

Check it out!

Deinonychus antirrhopus

Just finished this about a week ago. MAN was this quite an undertaking! Yes, I drew this entire thing by hand, without tracing anything!. I used an image by Scott Hartman as my guide, and while I struggled a bit keeping the proportions correct (the limbs in particular seem out of proportion compared to Hartman's), I feel like a got pretty close. Not bad for my first attempt at a full skeleton! I've drawn a feel skulls reference museum photos that I think also turned out pretty well, and I would have done that with this drawing as well, but being my first try, I wanted the clearer delineation that would come with copying someone else's drawing. Never mind the numbers and things scribbled on the paper. Those were for my own reference, and don't really mean anything anatomically.



Here's a couple in-progress pictures:

How I did it

I angsted for a while over whether or not to go over my pencil lines with ink.

Obviously I did in the end. If I decide I don't like it, then I guess that'll just

force me to try again! 

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Resurrection!

So, this blog kinda died before it ever even took off. I don't think I've even looked at it in the last two years!
I'll go ahead and leave the last few posts here for posterity's sake, in case I want to laugh at my old college self. In the meantime, let's see if I can't make something worthwhile out of this thing!

For starters, I'll go ahead and post some links to some of my favorite time-wasters: webcomics!

Of course one has to mention xkcd when talking about webcomics. It requires a real Renaissance Man to understand every single comic, but though it may occasionally sail over your head, it's always entertaining, and often oddly informative!

Wondermark is an absurd comic created from images cobbled together from images taken out of old (pre-1900's?) publications. It kinda reminds me of the silly old pictures they put on the sides of the grocery bags at Trader Joe's.

If you're a gaming nerd, Katie Tiedrich of Awkward Zombie has you covered. Probably not all that entertaining to someone who wouldn't get the references, but an absolute riot to anyone who grew up with a Nintendo!

 If you are more of a history & literature buff (and don't mind some random absurdist stuff in between), then Hark! A Vagrant is for you. Even if some of the jokes sail over your head though, the author Kate Beaton is usually kind enough to explain it to you below the panels.

The Abominable Charles Christopher is about a dimwitted yeti named Charles Christopher and the assorted woodlands residents he meets throughout his bumbling travels. Generally silly, always sweet, and sometimes just a little bit sad, this is one of the more endearing webcomics you'll find out there.

If you're looking for more of a frenetic, fast-paced adventure, the crew of the Lackadaisy speakeasy delivers! Featuring cartoon cats smuggling spirits during the Prohibition Era, I would compare this webcomic to Disney's Robin Hood.

That's all for now! There's several more comics I'm following that are really good, but webcomics have a frustrating habit of going on permanent "hiatus" right in the middle of a story, so I've picked comics that are either weekly non-story-focused comics or stories written by authors who seem dedicated enough to not just up and leave the comic.

Disillusionment Leads To Meaning

A short story by Andrew Stuck

. Damn it all. I hate this planet. The cold and the ice, the nearby asteroid field sending a constant barrage of meteors to hassle us; and here I am, sitting in a trench with my fellow Rebel troops, waiting to be slaughtered by Imperial forces. Damn it all. I don’t even remember what I’m fighting for anymore.

. I used to be a wide-eyed idealist like my fellow soldiers standing next to me. I used to be all for grand adventures fighting the bad guys all across the galaxy. But now I’ve been disillusioned. Ever since the Empire drove us out of Yavin, I realized this isn’t some sort of summer camp: this is war. People die. And I am fed up. As I watch a meteor streak across the sky, I remember the dreams I used to have about traveling the galaxy and seeing amazing sights that nobody had seen before. Well, now I’ve traveled, and I’ve seen horrific defeats and tragic deaths, and I realize that I do not want to fight anymore. For now, I am forced to remain here in this trench as the Imperial blockade has prevented all passage off-planet, but I swear that the first chance I get I am going to quit.
. I hear the sound of the first Rebel transport streaking through the sky overhead in their desperate attempt to escape the impending invasion. We are here to serve as cannon fodder to enable them to do so. I hear another sound, a rumbling boom, like thunder, signaling the entry of Imperial forces into the atmosphere of Hoth. Our time grows short. The Ion Cannon begins firing: that must mean the transport has gotten within range of the Star Destroyers. A call goes out announcing that the transport has escaped, and everyone but me cheers. Nothing can cheer me at the moment. Maybe if I had a pretty girl here with me, a special someone fighting alongside me, then I’d feel inspired. That’s going to be the first thing I do when I get out of here. I am going leave the Rebel Alliance, find myself a nice girl, and settle down to a happy life free of this damnable war. Yes, that’s what I’m going to do. The commander shouts something and we all assume battle positions. Imperial Walkers have been sighted a few kilometers away. We all tense up in waiting. The walkers approach. Feeling a twinge of despair, I sigh for all that I have not and cannot attain. I can see already there are several AT-ATs with a compliment of AT-STs marching steadily forward. They draw closer and closer, and then they fire! A furious hail of lasers blast all around us, snow explodes into the air, men and equipment are going down already.
. The speeders arrive! A strange, triumphant joy I have not felt in a long time fills me as I watch them soar overhead. Watching them, I almost feel re-enchanted with our cause. Watching fighters fly into combat has always had this effect on me. The death of several nearby comrades brings my head out of the clouds, and I return to our fruitless effort against these seemingly invincible enemies. Not even the speeders are having any effect on the walkers. I grow more and more certain of the stupidity of the Rebel cause, and more and more certain that I no longer belong here. I see a speeder flying in crazy circles around a walker’s legs, and suddenly it goes down! I overhear someone say ace pilot Wedge Antilles took it down by wrapping up its legs in his tow cable. Never would have thought of that myself.
. The commander foolishly calls for us to advance. We run forward under the cover of fighter and turret fire. One of my best friends takes a direct shot to the face and crumples up nearby. Sickened and despairing beyond belief, I dare not look at his charred remains. It would only make my situation worse. A blast from a turret shoots by my head and makes a direct hit on a walker’s knee, but it merely absorbs the shot.
. Still the walkers advance. I hear the call to retreat, and don’t waste a moment in hesitation. I’ve done my part, and I’m gone. A quick glance behind shows very few speeders still in the air, although I do see another AT-AT going down, minus its head. I return my focus on escaping. I must escape! Oh, how I desire to leave everything here behind, and live peacefully on some quiet little planet away from all this!
. To my utter surprise and horror, the massive shield generators suddenly explode in a gigantic fireball. A single hit from an Imperial Walker had destroyed them in an instant! There’s no hope now. The Star Destroyers will certainly begin planetary bombardment, and our remaining transports doubtless will not escape. Damn the Empire! They corrupt and destroy everything! Not even on a backwater planet like Hoth are we safe!
. And then it hits me. Nowhere are we safe. My dream of a life beyond this conflict can never come to fruition in a galaxy corrupted by such as the Galactic Empire.
. Morbid curiosity suddenly makes me turn around. I stand petrified as a walker turns its head and aims directly at me. I know it’s physically impossible, but I can see the laser approach me as it’s fired.
. And I remember! I remember! I remember why we do what we do! As long as the Empire dominates, we must fight them, wherever and whenever we can, until the day freedom is restored to the galaxy. This is why I fight. This is why I die. With a profound sense of honor, I stand at attention, straight and tall, as if receiving a medal. Pride pierces through my skull like a laser beam, and I am at peace.