Rivers and Roads

Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:59:24 -0400

Twisting the kaleidoscope behind both of my eyes

Photo

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:08:52 -0400

iygrittenothing: ryuyosei: killipan-jones: purrim: purrim: why are blonde jokes so short? so...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:07:03 -0400

ryuyosei:

killipan-jones:

purrim:

purrim:

why are blonde jokes so short?

so men can remember them

this took an unexpected turn

Not if you just asked for directions.

Miss it already.

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:12:00 -0400

Miss it already.

computerheroboy: Adult Swim making an unholy amount of sense.

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:42:22 -0400

computerheroboy:

Adult Swim making an unholy amount of sense.

theashleyclements: http://xkcd.com/1222/

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:44:25 -0400

theashleyclements:

http://xkcd.com/1222/

heatherannehogan: malindalo: alyssakorea: Tumbling over the...

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:10:25 -0400

heatherannehogan:

malindalo:

alyssakorea:

Tumbling over the past year and a half has made me see the problems of gender roles that exist in media, but sometimes it gets to the point where I over analyze every single piece of television or film that I come across. (However this in no way means that I think feminist media criticism is wrong, or should be avoided!) Mostly I just over think everything.

This is an interesting thing! It represents something I’ve seen it a lot in discussions of feminist criticism on the internet lately: the tendency to believe that something is either X or the opposite of X. This basically creates a binary situation: an either/or scenario. Rather than overthinking, a binary situation actually oversimplifies — especially with regard to gender, which is often perceived as a binary even though it’s not.

I believe that almost everything (including representations of gender) exists on a spectrum, and much of the really interesting sticky-complicated-fun stuff happens somewhere in the middle. The problem is, people often prefer to view the world in black and white because it’s simpler that way. Good vs. evil. Love vs. hate. Right vs. wrong. Feminine vs. masculine.

The world is, of course, more complicated than that, and so is gender. A character can be both good and evil, sometimes simultaneously. There are all sorts of fascinating emotions between love and hate. What makes something “right” versus something “wrong”? That question alone opens up a ton of issues around culture, ethics, and philosophy (and more!). “Feminine” and “masculine” open up similar cans of worms, since they’re not stable terms, but are contingent on a whole host of shifting cultural factors.

Maybe part of the binary’s enduring existence is related to the idea that criticism is about determining whether something is good or bad. But again, that’s a binary. I personally believe that criticism is about teasing out the complexity of a work of art: seeing both the good and the bad, and not necessarily casting judgement on either. (“Judgement”: another loaded phrase with multiple connotations.)

I think art is meant to be complicated and messy and sometimes difficult to categorize — just like life.

Reblogging for Malinda Lo’s always astute commentary.

Carolyn taught me how to make heaven! Covered in powdered sugar!

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:42:36 -0400

Carolyn taught me how to make heaven! Covered in powdered sugar!

Yes, I’m at a baseball game.

Fri, 31 May 2013 19:20:35 -0400

Yes, I’m at a baseball game.

The loneliest football.

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:45:50 -0400

The loneliest football.

Photo

Fri, 31 May 2013 11:58:53 -0400

Siblings. #tbt

Thu, 30 May 2013 18:47:31 -0400

Siblings. #tbt

Sometimes you just have to embrace it.

Thu, 30 May 2013 13:09:15 -0400

Sometimes you just have to embrace it.

Orphan Black, Season One: A Summary

Mon, 27 May 2013 23:11:01 -0400

Orphan Black, Season One: A Summary

princess: you haven’t experienced true pain until you’ve played candy crush and have one move left...

Sat, 25 May 2013 18:02:48 -0400

princess:

you haven’t experienced true pain until you’ve played candy crush and have one move left and one jelly left to clear and there’s no way you can do it

ashtonskoala: merlinobsessedchild: and i don’t care if this...

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:32:36 -0400

ashtonskoala:

merlinobsessedchild:

and i don’t care if this doesn’t fit on my blog. this is beautiful.

She has a beautiful heart…

Oh god. Why are there tears in my eyes?

And I don’t even like Beyonce but rebloging this because omfg

I WATCHED THE VIDEO AND NOW I’M SOBBING!

marykatewiles: freaking cried. at this and everything else.

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:19:44 -0400

marykatewiles:

freaking cried. at this and everything else.

I have no idea what Eurovision is, but I am LOVING tumblr right now!

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:35:02 -0400

I have no idea what Eurovision is, but I am LOVING tumblr right now!

Photo

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:40:16 -0400

Yep.

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:58:37 -0400

Yep.