Misanthropy

I grew up reading a lot of adventure stories, fairy tales and myths, and I was one of those girls who generally identified far more with the male characters than female--because, really, it was the male characters who got to do the fun things. March is Women's History Month, and so here is my random list of fictional females that I grew up loving. Not history you say? Ah, but it's my history, and I am female, ergo . . . .

Okay, some disclaimers/explanations: It's not meant to be any kind of feminist empowerment theory list, but is strictly based on my own personal quirks and exposures. And it's by no means complete, since, well, I'm just forgetful that way. I'm also not including any contemporary works (which is probably far, far richer territory), but stuff that I saw/read in my more formative years--for the most part. In no partiular order:

( The list )

Mmm. Sadly, that was a lot harder than I thought, and I'm rather hoping I'm just being really forgetful.

So who are yours?

A little more on point, coming soon (maybe): Historical Women Made of Awesome.

Part of my ongoing attempt not to work at work. I’ve been writing this post for what feels like months and it keeps growing. No attempt at profound analysis here, I just like to keep track of what I’ve been reading and watching.

Movies

( Flags of our Fathers and Stranger than Fiction )

Books

( Inheritance of Loss, The Places in Between, Icarus Girl, and others )

Television

I don’t normally watch a lot of television, but with the use of DVR, I’m either watching more, or at least I’m watching things I’m deliberately choosing. I’ve started watching Ugly Betty, which I love so far, although I’ve only seen a few episodes (and if anyone watches this show—what is deal with the woman who everyone thinks is dead but has her face wrapped in bandages??). I’ve also watched a few episodes of Brothers and Sisters, which I wouldn’t have thought would appeal to me, but which I’m liking in an emo-porn kind of way.

I'm also still watching Heroes, which I'm loving even more, as well as BSG, with which I have a love-hate relationship. It's rather like a bad child--so much potential, can't help but love it, but all too often a train wreck.

As I was waiting for the elevator this morning, I saw the headline flash across the big TV screen in our building lobby: "Bush refuses to recognize Hamas government." My understanding from other stuff I've read is that the situation is more complicated than that, but the headline made me laugh a little, though not really in humor.

Fascinated by history as I am, I sometimes think to myself that "democracy" is the new "Christianity"--the excuse of empire for imperialism. I find it deeply ironic, after all the rhetoric for the need to spread democracy throughout the world as some kind of immediate and magical panacea, that Bush is finally having to realize that democracy might actually mean letting people pick what they want, not what he dictates. Hmm--oh wait, but didn't he learn the same things from Hatti where he and dad overthrew a democratically elected president and left chaos in their wake? And what about Iran, and what about-- But, well, slow learner.

I also have to laugh because if it was fair game to just not recognize elections you didn't like, I would be renouncing this administration all over the place (assuming of course, it was legally elected, which it seems is quite an assumption to be making).

Ok, done with the vague and probably obtuse political talk. On a completely different tangent, the movie The Ref was on TV last night and I was surprised to see two Law & Order psychologists making an appearance--and even more surprised that I noticed, since such things generally escape me. B.D. Wong played "Dr. Wong" (uh huh) marriage counselor--better known to me as Dr. Huang on SVU, and J.K. Simmons, who plays Dr. Skoda on the original, played the son's school's commandant. Weird.

Despite loving Firefly, I have no interest in reading Firefly fanfic. This shocking phenomenon occasionally occurs when I really like the original of something. Sometimes the feeling vanishes after a period of low resistance in which I succumb to something well written, but occasionally it has remained. I have yet to read any Harry Potter fic, and the very thought makes my skin crawl. I can't really bring myself to read any Lord of the Rings fic, whether book or movie, although I occasionally have deluded visions of writing something about Aragorn's death as viewed by his son (it really is all about the appendices)--but given my inability to write anything these days, thankfully, I easily resist.

For HP and LotR, part of the distaste is probably from the monstrous nature of the fandoms themselves, but I don't think that's the only reason. While I will in fact read almost anything when I'm trying to procrastinate on my life (which means I will pretty much read anything at anytime), the fandoms I tend to really like are those where the original material is flawed. Disappointment in squandered potential, that's the key. Weiss, Phantom Menace--both sucked in their way, but both were full of such potential in their own way too (okay, in Weiss' case it wasn't so much potential as it was improbably silly opportunities). This, however, is not a universal rule (I am nothing if I am not inconsistent). For example, Hornblower--I love the books and movies and I still want the fanfic. Although as yet, I don't have even the delusion of wanting to write it.