The Thin Line Between Offence and Respect

This is an exchange between a native American woman and a white man in Adam Sandler's Ridiculous 6; see if you can guess which character is which. Recently, a group of native Americans-including the film's cultural advisor-walked of the set of Ridiculous 6. This does not bode well for the film. At all.

"Just the same Tip": Gender Fluidity in Baum's Oz

L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law was a radical feminist, and she influenced his work greatly (if you're interested more on this particular aspect, Sally Roesch Wagner has a book on this called The Wonderful Mother of Oz). This contributed to the gender fluidity of his work.

Sad Puppies, Sad Days: An Appendix

Things I couldn't include in my last post.

Sad Puppies, Sad Days: Reactionary Views in Nerd Culture

Nerd culture has taken a swing for the reactionary recently. First it was Gamergate (praise be to Our Lady Sarkeesian), then it was God Gave Comicsgate To You, Shirtstorm, Metalgate (which thankfully never took off), God Gave Comicsgate To You II, a myriad of minor controversies with the suffix -gate mixed in between, and now the Scandal of the Sad Puppies. The Sad Puppies are a group of conservative science-fiction enthusiasts who want science fiction to go back to how it "used to be" and stop being so goddamn progressive. They are willing to do whatever it takes to take the world of sci-fi back-and they have formed a voting bloc in this year's Hugo Awards.

Guts - Chuck Palahniuk

Awful. Just really awful.

Seconds - Bryan Lee O'Malley

Seconds is a delicious treat that left me wanting seconds. If Bryan Lee O'Malley continues in this direction, he has a dedicated fan in me. The book's vivid depictions of food left me ravenous, and what's more, the restaurants were a perfect metaphor for the unrest in Katie's life.

Discworld & Narrative Causality

In Discworld, "stories are important" (Witches Abroad). They wrap themselves around people, play riddles with them, and shape their lives. A witch in a gingerbread house always has an unfortunate ending, a girl skipping through a forest in a red coat always meets. Nowhere is this more evident than in Witches Abroad, a tale of two powerful women fighting each other through stories. An evil queen forces people to obey the narrative, on threat of death.