Friday, April 26, 2013

Back From Vacation

Welp, in case you hadn't noticed, I took a little blogcation this past week and, wow, it turns out I'm a much happier person when I'm not interacting with some people on the Internet.

I know this isn't a Startling Revelation, but it seems so clear to me that perhaps the majority of blog arguments (bloguments?) aren't really about achieving understanding at all, but rather, they're about point-scoring, pointing out "hypocrisies," winning, defaming, embarassing, and/or attacking and, wow, maybe I should take more time to step. away. from. the. computer. so I can better re-assess which commenters are and are not worth taking time to engage.

Anyway, in Google Reader news, I've made the switch to The Old Reader and have managed to rack up about 963 unread blogposts during my vacation, so that's going to be swell to catch up on everything I've missed. I take it Internet didn't explode or anything during my absence.

In L Word news, since it's Friday, what does the Hivemind think about Shane?

I think a superficial comparison could be made between Shane and Queer as Folk's Brian Kinney, in that both characters have experienced deep wounds from their biological families and are sexually promiscuous and unwilling to remain monogamous.

A key difference between the two characters is that Brian is consistently up front, honest, and unapologetic about his sexual and relationship choices, while Shane is not.  While she's generally loyal to her friends, she cheats on her partners and spends a lot of time being guilty and mopey.

As a result, I ended up liking Brian much more than I liked Shane, even as I understand why some people take issue with the portrayal of Brian and how it lends to the stereotype of gay men being promiscuous.  I also think that some gender narratives and roles might be in play in the two depictions, as, can a woman, a lesbian at that, really "get away with" being openly and unapologetically promiscuous and non-monogamous?

In any event, I ultimately wanted Shane to grow stronger and to become more self-aware, rather than continually finding herself in monogamous relationships with partners who expected more from her than she was able or willing to give.

Welp, I guess that concludes today's post, about a TV show that ended in 2009.  You only get the most breaking news here in Fannie's Room, folks.  Maybe by 2018, I'll hop off my hoverboard and start posting about this hot new show called Game of Thrones!


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