failing at my gender, oh noes?
Dear Stephen King,
I like to avoid using broad, sweeping phrases like "Men are . . ." or "Women are . . ." because of one thing: when other people use them, they almost invariably tell me I don't exist.
I don't do girly things. I don't like makeup, I don't like primping and preening, I don't do cattiness and drama, I can't stand sappy movies, I don't shop for any longer than I have to, I hate the "Oh you are a bad man I shall change you with LUUUV" type of "romantic" stories, and I just flat-out don't like the color pink.
So when you drop something about "Women like stories in which a gal meets a handsome (and possibly dangerous) hunk on a tropic isle; men like to imagine going to war against an army of bad guys with a Beretta, a blowtorch, and a submachine gun (grenades hung on the belt optional)" then you're putting me a bit out of the loop.
I don't want the story about the tropical isle unless I also get the Beretta and some grenades. And a machete.And some rum. Otherwise it's boring.
Zen tells me this is because I'm outside of the stereotype. He also mentioned that King pretty much described every chick flick vs. action movie out there.
But I use "chick flick" as a derogatory term. I can't stand the things; I find them horribly contrived and full of characters who wouldn't have problems if they just kept their credit cards in their pockets and fucking said what they meant. Same with "chick lit."
So in a way I have to thank you, King. You've given me a new derogatory word: "Manfiction." It really is a wonderful thing--conjuring images of sweaty, bulky, gun-wielding . . . Well, of Gears of War. It really is the stereotypical extreme on the opposite end of the spectrum from chick lit. It's also even more stuff I can't relate to because it's more about the borderline-homoerotic brotherly love of slaughtering things and because the only female characters to show up are there almost invariably as vaguely-plot-advancing damsel-in-distress eye candy.
It's a caricature. And aren't we supposed to laugh at caricatures? I think so.
With minor annoyance,
Ran
And PS: Don't talk shit about Jody Picoult. She can write multi-layered, well-characterized, heavily researched, deeply humanist circles around you on any day.
I like to avoid using broad, sweeping phrases like "Men are . . ." or "Women are . . ." because of one thing: when other people use them, they almost invariably tell me I don't exist.
I don't do girly things. I don't like makeup, I don't like primping and preening, I don't do cattiness and drama, I can't stand sappy movies, I don't shop for any longer than I have to, I hate the "Oh you are a bad man I shall change you with LUUUV" type of "romantic" stories, and I just flat-out don't like the color pink.
So when you drop something about "Women like stories in which a gal meets a handsome (and possibly dangerous) hunk on a tropic isle; men like to imagine going to war against an army of bad guys with a Beretta, a blowtorch, and a submachine gun (grenades hung on the belt optional)" then you're putting me a bit out of the loop.
I don't want the story about the tropical isle unless I also get the Beretta and some grenades. And a machete.
Zen tells me this is because I'm outside of the stereotype. He also mentioned that King pretty much described every chick flick vs. action movie out there.
But I use "chick flick" as a derogatory term. I can't stand the things; I find them horribly contrived and full of characters who wouldn't have problems if they just kept their credit cards in their pockets and fucking said what they meant. Same with "chick lit."
So in a way I have to thank you, King. You've given me a new derogatory word: "Manfiction." It really is a wonderful thing--conjuring images of sweaty, bulky, gun-wielding . . . Well, of Gears of War. It really is the stereotypical extreme on the opposite end of the spectrum from chick lit. It's also even more stuff I can't relate to because it's more about the borderline-homoerotic brotherly love of slaughtering things and because the only female characters to show up are there almost invariably as vaguely-plot-advancing damsel-in-distress eye candy.
It's a caricature. And aren't we supposed to laugh at caricatures? I think so.
With minor annoyance,
Ran
And PS: Don't talk shit about Jody Picoult. She can write multi-layered, well-characterized, heavily researched, deeply humanist circles around you on any day.