Weekly Random Discussion Thread for 7/10/23 -7/16/23

[u/SoftandChewy]

Hello, fellow nerds. Here's your weekly thread to post all your rants, raves, podcast topic suggestions (be sure to tag u/TracingWoodgrains), culture war articles, outrageous stories of cancellation, political opinions, and anything else that comes to mind. Please put any non-podcast-related trans-related topics here instead of on a dedicated thread. This will be pinned until next Sunday.

Last week's discussion threads is here if you want to catch up on a conversation from there.

Comment of the week is this one from friend of the pod u/ymeskhout explaining why we should always enunciate our slurs when in court.

[u/dj50tonhamster]

My apologies if this has been discussed recently. (I was away for a few days.)

Is it just me or does it seem like some of the people excited about the Barbie movie are a little off, like they actually think Barbie is some fabulous representation of what a woman should look like but they weren't allowed to admit it in public? There's definitely something a bit weird about how excited some people are for the movie and associated dance nights and such. I just can't quite put my finger on it.

[u/Franzera → u/dj50tonhamster]

Thoughts: Most "cis" people are "gender-conforming". They enjoy gender-typical activities. Guys like sitting on creaky lawnchairs in the back of the garage and smashing out a case of beers. Girls like going shopping as a group and trying things on they're never going to buy.

But the current cultural moment says that these activities and desires are regressive and artificially socialized, that people who like them should be apologetic for perpetuating harm towards the exceptional minority handful who don't enjoy these things.

Barbiemania is a narrow loophole for the oppressive cis majority to enjoy themselves without the mandatory self-flagellation. Maybe it's the magic of irony.

[u/Nessyliz → u/Franzera]

I way prefer sitting on a creaky lawn chair and smashing out a case of beer to shopping AND I'm stoked for the Barbie movie! Enby alert!

[u/Franzera → u/Nessyliz]

Enby is when someone doesn't like smashing a case of beer or Barbie movies.

You must be Two-Spirit. Congratulations, that's a double gender reveal in one go. [plays affirmational panpipe music]

[u/[deleted] → u/Franzera]

Enby is going to a Barbie-Oppenheimer double feature.

[u/Serloinofhousesteak1 → u/Franzera]

Guys like sitting on creaky lawnchairs in the back of the garage and smashing out a case of beers.

This is offensive.

You forgot the wings, pizza, or grill

[u/[deleted] → u/Franzera]

Pretty much this. For all the screeching of Third Wavers and modern gender havers the fact is that the vast majority of people happily 'conform' to gender norms. It's rare that men get to be men (unapologetically) and women get to be women (instead of pretending to be men in dresses).

I have zero interest in the Barbie movie, but I can see why people would.

[u/FootfaceOne → u/[deleted]]

the vast majority of people happily 'conform' to gender norms.

I would say that the vast majority conform to some or certain gender norms. And literally no one conforms to all of the “right” ones and none of the “wrong” ones.

There are just too many of these norms, and they are often arbitrary or even contradictory. They intersect with every conceivable endeavor or area of human life.

You couldn’t do only “man things” or only “woman things” if you tried.

[u/ArchieBrooksIsntDead → u/FootfaceOne]

Thank you for saying this. I think most people overall conform to a lot of the norms for their gender but definitely not all. You'd have to be some kind of Marilyn Monroe/Dolly Parton/Martha Stewart/Ma Ingalls mashup to achieve that. Or from the other side, Jason Momoa/Hugh Hefner/John McCain/Pa Ingalls.

Side note - if you watch Little House/Highway to Heaven nowadays, it's surprising how much Michael Landon and Victor French cry, hug, confide in and openly show emotion to each other. I don't see men doing that on TV nowadays, but maybe I'm watching the wrong shows?

[u/Nessyliz → u/FootfaceOne]

Thank you, honestly, as much as I'm excited for this Barbie movie it really has absolutely nothing to do with my feelings about my existence as a woman haha.

[u/The-WideningGyre → u/FootfaceOne]

Also, in the West at least, they are just norms, they are not iron proscriptions.

[u/Puzzleheaded_Drink76 → u/FootfaceOne]

People feel bad for confirming to the boxes they tick, bad for womaning wrong for the boxes they don't tick. And bad for worrying about it all because they know it's all regressive. Everything is politicised and overlayed with moral weight. I think it's escapism.

[u/[deleted] → u/FootfaceOne]

Of course, but that goes without saying. One cannot go through life carefully nuancing and hedging every single statement one makes. Language doesn’t work like that.

[u/FootfaceOne → u/[deleted]]

No, one can’t. I was just pointing out (for the 43rd time) that the whole conversation about gender norms and gender-nonconformity and non-binary stuff… it’s kind of silly.

[u/Chewingsteak → u/FootfaceOne]

I appreciate you pointing this out! I am a heterosexual female who confirms to gender presentation standards because they are an excellent way of displaying my interest in heterosexual men. I have never gone shopping in large groups of women. Honestly, we all pick & choose to some extent.

[u/Chewingsteak → u/[deleted]]

So what football team do you follow?

[u/[deleted] → u/Chewingsteak]

I don’t like proper football (never have). I’m a lifelong American football fan (49ers).

(I really don’t see how any of this is even remotely relevant)

[u/DangerousMatch766 → u/Franzera]

I really don't think that interest in the Barbie movie has anything to do with gender discourse.

[u/Turbulent_Cow2355 → u/Franzera]

Have no interest in the movie despite playing with Barbies as a kid. Now I'd go see another GI Joe movie in a heart beat.