Very interesting post, and a very good point about people unconsciously creating their own bubbles.
Uh, also, I'm one of those gymnastics fans who only watches casually and unironically loved Stick It? And I am now watching the first ep of Make It or Break It in all its campy gymnast glory, so thank you for that.
Make It Or Break It gets really bad for a while in the middle. Stick with it. I mean, there's a reason all the Bitter Old Gymnastics Queens on the message boards are obsessed with it even as they yell, "A single twisting vault? In elite? In 2012? Also, why can't anyone say 'Yurchenko'?"
...Anyway. Glad you like MIOBI and glad you found the post interesting.
I'm sure there are reasons not to like Lost Girl - it can't possibly be to everyone's taste. (And by that I mean mostly that Dyson is my type but not really fandom's type.) But I think it's mostly just overlooked. Everyone I know who's started watching it has gotten hooked.
It's okay to like normative media. It's okay to produce normative fanworks. But it bothers me when fans claim that they like normative media and fanworks because there's no alternative. Also, people produce better normative fanworks, and consume and react to normative media in more thoughtful ways, when they own their preferences.
So wait, people are annoyed that there's a love triangle to keep things interesting? ...Oh, right, they always are. (My sweetie has totally gone Team Lauren, btw. It makes things tense around here.)
And yes. There are so many female characters! With so many different personalities! And yet people hate all of them. It confuses me.
As usual I am very fond of your brain (and also belated congrats on the diss defense; I have been trying to cut back on recreational computer use because I have sort of injured my hands with so much archive typing).
This post made me miss The Stupid Doctor Show. It's been a while since I got to have a crotchety person with a physical disability on my TV. And I am feeling exceptionally crotchety thanks to Moscow-- The Good Wife and Revenge are filling my Smart Women Being Awesome needs. I really wanted to beat someone with the Crutch of Doom on the subway today because they stole the seat I was on my way toward.
Academia-related injuries! They are the most hilarious to explain. Hope yours heal fast.
There are a few excellent grumps with disabilities on my TV. Not enough, but a few. Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones and Walter White Jr. from Breaking Bad (who has CP! and is a shiny ball of snark!) come to mind.
Ah, see, now I realize the problem: every place I read about Breaking Bad was a source that was not aimed at me and my needs. CP and snark=I am going to start watching Breaking Bad once I'm back in America.
I like Tyrion in book form and love Peter Dinklage. Maybe I will pick up GoT as my reward for finishing Chapter one, if I ever do.
Walter Jr. often does not get enough to do, but when he does, he's awesome. And, like, cute boy on crutches being smart and non-stereotypical.
There are problems with Game of Thrones, but its kickass snarky disabled lead character with a sex life (in season 2, at least) is not one of those problems.
I think of Revenge as soapy because it makes me yell "oh shit" nearly every episode. Soapy like Dynasty, not soapy like 90210. I agree that it's a terrible reason to dismiss it though, and that it's 100% Batman. The good parts of Batman not the dour Christopher Nolan-y parts. I don't remember who coined "Hamptons Batman" for Emily, but I have adopted it and made it my own. The revenge sensei was the kicker.
Speaking of John Orozco, have you seen the new Gym Class Heroes video with him? It's really awesome, and John + Travie more or less balances out the existence of Ryan Tedder.
And in re: the NFL, I've been extremely impressed with Brandon Marshall and how he's handled coming out as mentally ill while an active player.
If Revenge reads as a soap opera to you and you like that, awesome! My argument here was more, genre fans dismiss the show because they assume it's a soap, but it has enough characteristics of suspense and superhero that many of them would enjoy it. And also, if the lead character were male, the show would probably not be handwaved as "just a soap."
I have not seen the Gym Class Heroes video because I cannot stand the Gym Class Heroes, Travie McCoy, or Ryan Tedder. Maybe I will watch it with the sound off.
I didn't know about Brandon Marshall - thanks for pointing him out to me. The NFL has some serious hangups to deal with, but the open and compassionate discussion of cognitive diversity is probably better than anywhere else.
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Uh, also, I'm one of those gymnastics fans who only watches casually and unironically loved Stick It? And I am now watching the first ep of Make It or Break It in all its campy gymnast glory, so thank you for that.
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...Anyway. Glad you like MIOBI and glad you found the post interesting.
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I don't even know that much about gymnastics, and I laugh at MIOBI.
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It's okay to like normative media. It's okay to produce normative fanworks. But it bothers me when fans claim that they like normative media and fanworks because there's no alternative. Also, people produce better normative fanworks, and consume and react to normative media in more thoughtful ways, when they own their preferences.
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(The comment has been removed)
And yes. There are so many female characters! With so many different personalities! And yet people hate all of them. It confuses me.
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This post made me miss The Stupid Doctor Show. It's been a while since I got to have a crotchety person with a physical disability on my TV. And I am feeling exceptionally crotchety thanks to Moscow-- The Good Wife and Revenge are filling my Smart Women Being Awesome needs. I really wanted to beat someone with the Crutch of Doom on the subway today because they stole the seat I was on my way toward.
Reply
There are a few excellent grumps with disabilities on my TV. Not enough, but a few. Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones and Walter White Jr. from Breaking Bad (who has CP! and is a shiny ball of snark!) come to mind.
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I like Tyrion in book form and love Peter Dinklage. Maybe I will pick up GoT as my reward for finishing Chapter one, if I ever do.
Reply
There are problems with Game of Thrones, but its kickass snarky disabled lead character with a sex life (in season 2, at least) is not one of those problems.
Reply
Speaking of John Orozco, have you seen the new Gym Class Heroes video with him? It's really awesome, and John + Travie more or less balances out the existence of Ryan Tedder.
And in re: the NFL, I've been extremely impressed with Brandon Marshall and how he's handled coming out as mentally ill while an active player.
Reply
I have not seen the Gym Class Heroes video because I cannot stand the Gym Class Heroes, Travie McCoy, or Ryan Tedder. Maybe I will watch it with the sound off.
I didn't know about Brandon Marshall - thanks for pointing him out to me. The NFL has some serious hangups to deal with, but the open and compassionate discussion of cognitive diversity is probably better than anywhere else.
Reply
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