Very different links

[elisi]

CONNOR (to Faith) So, vampire slayers. I was told about them. How come you're always girls?
FAITH I dunno. Better at it, I guess.

Would you know, Faith was right! ^_^

The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong
The influential idea that in the past men were hunters and women were not isn’t supported by the available evidence

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No One Doling Out Award Nominations for 'Poor Things' Talks About Its Ick Factor

(Sorry, I forget who linked to this!) ETA: It was mecurtin!(Post here.)

ETA: And via sea_thoughts:

Poor Things is one of the most misogynistic films I’ve seen

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Also realised I never posted the link to the newest chapter of 'Breakages':

Chapter 14: The Butterfly People

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And via jerusha:

We Saw Nuns Kill Children: The Ghosts of St. Joseph’s Catholic Orphanage
Very very VERY long and incredibly upsetting buzzfeed article about the abuse that went on at Catholic orphanages in USA (and Canada).

Comments

[shadowkat]

I think the Truman Show did a better job of it? The difficulty Barbie had was it...was trying to do too much? Truman Show was just focusing on what it meant to be human, which fits within the idea of AI.

Barbie wasn't that interested in that theme - it's main theme was the toxicity of the patriarchy, and being objectified. Or being forced to fit into a category. Which is quite different?

The Lego Movie - a friend of mine (cjlasky) compared the Lego Movie and Barbie, and said the two were similar in how they both paid homage to toys, and parodied them at the same time. I've not been able to get through the Lego Movie - and the aspects of Barbie that are similar to it - I cringed at.

Basically the only part of Barbie that I liked was "existenstial Barbie trying to be human and thinking I'd rather be human than someone's plaything", but I'm not sure the Truman Show is the best analogy for that? Maybe Toy Story 4?

[elisi]

I was mostly just trying to think of a movie that played with format - The Truman Show did that in its own way, although very different from Barbie.

I've not been able to get through the Lego Movie - and the aspects of Barbie that are similar to it - I cringed at.
Well, I enjoyed it very much! I think would have been more interesting if the protagonist was more interesting, but it's a very silly movie so I don't mind all that much.

Basically the only part of Barbie that I liked was "existenstial Barbie trying to be human and thinking I'd rather be human than someone's plaything", but I'm not sure the Truman Show is the best analogy for that? Maybe Toy Story 4?
I've not seen Toy Story 4, so alas can't compare.

[shadowkat]

My difficulty with Lego movie - is I can't stand the animation. ;-D. (I'm admittedly very picky when it comes to graphic art and animation.) Also I don't like Lego, so there's that. And that was my difficulty with Barbie as well - not a fan of Barbie as a product. I've noticed that if you don't like the toys - it most likely won't work for you? Although I liked Barbie better than Lego.

That's kind of why I was comparing Lego to Barbie. They are both product placement films, that were produced and funded by toy companies. Lego made the Lego Movie. Mattel paid for and made the Barbie movie.

[elisi]

Well if you don't like the animation, it's an uphill battle! *g*

I've noticed that if you don't like the toys - it most likely won't work for you? Although I liked Barbie better than Lego.
Not sure about this? I loved Lego as a child, and never really played with Barbies. And yet I found the Lego movie fun, but nothing more, whereas Barbie was chewy and trying to SAY something. Nostalgia might play a part in people's reaction, but - for me at least - it did not translate into which movie I preferred.

[shadowkat]

It's subjective, I think? Or depends on the person?

My friends Wales, didn't play with Barbies at all. Her sister did, she didn't. She hated the Barbie movie - which is amusing, considering she "really" wanted to see it in the movie theater. Had it planned out and everything - but it fell through. And she's an activist - a big-time feminist. Also she loves Greta Gerwig and Noah Bumbauch films and their writing. But she hated that movie. (I watched it with her over Christmas at my place.)

I liked it better than she did. (I went in with very low expectations, but I also had seen the trailers - so knew it would bug me in places and was prepared.) And I played with Barbie and Ken dolls as a kid - used them to tell myself stories, usually adventure stories. Lost at sea. Survival.
Godzilla. Stuff like that. Although my best friend at the time - had the dream house and was into fashion Barbie. So I knew about all of it - and caught all the inside jokes and references (there are a lot of them). But they went over her head.

Legos? We didn't play with. They weren't really that big a deal in the early 1970s. I don't think legos really took off until the late 1970s or 80s? And by that time I was kind of past all of that?
I don't have kids - and my niece did not play with legos. (My brother is against anything that is heavily branded due to his background in marketing.) And my cousin well, she worked for Lego for a bit (it was not a pleasant experience). So we really aren't a lego family. I'm not even sure I owned them? I have no memory of playing with them. We built stuff - just not with legos. And I can't watch that movie - it irritates me. Although the song was engaging.

[elisi]

It's subjective, I think? Or depends on the person?
Yeah. There is also the fact of 'Your friends are not watching the same show you are' (this was an online essay that has now vanished, alas) - that is, we all come to the table with different things and are engaged by different aspects of stories/media.

And since nothing can be everything to everyone, we just have to enjoy what we can, and let the rest go. :)

[shadowkat]

Yeah, we all see things differently. It makes sense. I mean - it's actually weird that we agree as much as we do on things. Or see them similarly. It's not strange that we see them differently - that's a given, but that we ever agree...miraculous connection.

[elisi]

♥ ♥ ♥ This was a lovely comment to wake up to.