(no subject)

why is it impossible to buy only one book?
because I have no willpower, is why.
also amazon's cunning plan with the free postage.

I went in to order one more textbook for cultural studies
I leave with an order - no, two orders actually - with textbook, more textbook, and a bunch of Buffy comics. And also that choose your own adventure book with Ethan in it. I have no idea if thats any good. Yet I buy it anyway.


My books to be read pile is only... well, actually it got scattered a bit. It would probably be more than a foot tall if it was actually all in one place. But most of it is textbooks which I've already diped in to, just haven't read all through.


I also burnt time trying to get the 'Amazon recommends' feature to be any use whatsoever. Stupid thing is busily recing me things it should know I bought already. Or books with a one star rating. Why does it rate *anyone* books with a one star rating?

They're Buffy books. I suppose there are fans who'll buy a one star book with 'Buffy' in the title.
Vaguely depressing thought.


/ramble
*go eat & read*

BUGS gets worse

BUGS season 4 = oh dear

heres a writing hint: if your entire show hangs on the fact your team are the best in their field, having them bested by a 14 year old is *not helpful*.

Also, adding a Troubled Teen is not the sure fire ratings earner someone must have thought it was.

Also also, if Ed and Alex were dating approximately a fortnight ago in series time, having Alex make a date with random Adam makes it look like cheating on Ed. They have to actually break up first. Unless you actually are going to have her dating both at once.


So far the season has been bad. annoyance.

but I'm mostly only watching while I eat. shall go read now.

sociology, gender inequality, sexual harassment

been reading more about gender inequalities in paid employment.
there's a study on expectations from female service sector staff, waitresses and that.
it says female staff (but not male) were required to be attractive, and also clean. (Why aren't men required to be clean? I'd call clean a health and safety issue entirely unrelated to gender.)
It also said that female staff were expected to respond to sexual harassment by keeping the customer happy.

that made me ???

I mean I can see the money logic behind it, but the people logic is well lacking.

in the definition of sexual harassment is a lot of 'unwanted's. If it isn't unwanted, its more or less not harassment. So how is anyone to figure they're doing sexual harassment if the person it is aimed at is being smiles about it?

I mean my understanding of the rules is you say something and see if someone says something nice back or tells you off. (Not that I've actually managed anything of the sort myself, so its a terribly academic understanding). Requiring anyone to do other than that is *not playing by the rules*, which is cheating, and makes a mess for everyone.

I'm... disproportinately offended by this idea.

Employees are required to lie! Woe! And shock!

;-)

okays, put like that, less shock...

but why do people think thats a good idea?

Keep customer happy? Well surely customer could be just as happy if its pointed out that 'waitress' is a purely practical role involving food, not flirting. Because that is the deal, money for goods. Should be simple.


I suppose I've heard of parts of what was said in this section before. Being required to have pretty makeup was in the news a while back. Stuff like that.

But... well, there's a lot in the other sections about roles, and how society works smoothly because everyone knows what they are.

Is the expectation of male customers that the role of a waitress is to accept unwanted attention? Or do men just think they're that hot waitresses everywhere want them?

Is said its mostly male supervisors telling off female employees about this stuff. Firing them if they don't play by fake rules. All very wonky.


Confuses me terribly, this whole area does. I purely don't understand how people can see male-female as so much changing things. People are people, and can do things, and why is that not the whole of it???

*puzzlement*



Also, I'm suddenly wondering on the status of this kind of thing in gay bars etc. Like, is it like that at male staff, or is it all business, or what? Hmmmm, research project...

(no subject)

I have read (and selectively highlighted) the entire section on 'Sex and Gender' in my huge great sociology textbook of doom.
From page 92 to 151 in an A4 size huge great book.
That is a lot of words.

and many big thinkings.

my brain has so much stuff in it right now, I feel like it will slosh out my ears if I turn around too fast.



I also read the section on Family when we were studying that unit. And bits of the intro and methodology chapters.
I've read rather a lot really.

cool.



Now I just have to switch to Cultural Studies books, seeing as I decided to do a Cultural Studies essay ready for my probable Cultural Studies degree next year. I have a few more weeks to work on that though. And all this gender stuff is sure to be relevant. Sort of. Probably.



I also get to watch Buffy episodes a whole lot. I decided to focus on gender in the episode 'Halloween', and costumes and camera and suchlike. But I'm not real good at 'focus', on account of everything being connected.


Books are full of thoughts. Yaays!