Activism
Pink Scare: What's behind the media panic about "princess boys"?
Ever since the age of 2, when his hair first started growing in, my son Elijah has been mistaken for a girl. As he grew, so did his curls; they now frame his face and inch toward his shoulders, with every offer to trim them rebuffed. Elijah was 3 when he started painting his toenails; he had been... Read more »
Murder, She Blogged: Violence on Screen
I’m not saying that violence should never be shown or described. We need our movies and TV shows and games and books to address issues of the violence in our culture, and violence against women is included in that. But some of these examples just play into the same old misogyny—without asking... Read more »
Stage Left: "Mother Knows Best": on Abusive Parenting in TANGLED
Abusive parents are a real problem in the real world. I know more than a few people who upon seeing this movie connected Goethel’s behavior with that of their own parents, and took it as a cue to reassess their relationships. And because of that I think that this film, despite its flaws, has... Read more »
We're All Mad Here: Going to the Loony Bin: A Brief History of the Asylum
Despite documenting abuses in the institutional environment in a way that might seem like a condemnation of institutionalization, pop culture often makes a point... Read more »
We're All Mad Here: Mental Illness and Celebrities
The hunger for celebrity gossip appears unslakable; there’s a reason paparazzi and gossip-mongers can always find employment in Los Angeles. Even in periods of... Read more »
Stage Left: The PORGY & BESS Controversy
For those who don’t follow theatre news (so…quite possibly a lot of you), one story is currently dominating coverage, and it’s got a number of complicated aspects to it. I am referring, of course, to the kerfuffle over Diane Paulus’ mounting of Porgy & Bess at Boston... Read more »
We're All Mad Here: <em>Inception</em> & Dom Cobb's Crazy Lying Dead Wife
This post includes spoilers for Inception. It also discusses domestic violence.
There are multiple interpretations of Inception, but for the basis of this discussion I’m going to take the movie at face value. The central story is about Dominic Cobb needing to come to terms... Read more »
Douchebag Decree: New York Post
The New York Post likens the US stock market to “a hooker’s drawers” with a “hooker” on its cover. Meanwhile, Rupert Murdoch is back in town.
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Stage Left: "What Did I Clearly Say?": Transgression and Punishment in INTO THE WOODS
Like many fairy tales, at least in the retellings we recognize today, a very strong theme of Into the Woods is morality—actions that are right and actions that are wrong; rewards for the former and punishment for the latter. What’s interesting, though, and what I want to look at... Read more »
We're All Mad Here: Of Course We Should Dislike This Character! She's Crazy!
One consequence of this kind of character presentation is that audience members can experience a sense of “she deserved it” when something bad happens. Take, for example, the domestic violence depicted in the Schuester kitchen, where Will grabs Terri, shoves her aggressively against a counter, and... Read more »
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