Being Human

I'm getting increasingly annoyed with this show, and it's for two interlinked reasons, or maybe three. The Bechdel fail, women only talking to each other about a man, which as far as I remember has been true in every episode except the one Nina and Annie conversation. And the fact that the more I watch George and Mitchell the more I think they're doing it wrong, partly because I'm sympathising with and seeing the whole situation from the point of view of the women they meet. Plus the way that the whole ghost, werewolf, vampire thing has from the start been easiest to read as a metaphor for mental health problems, agoraphobia, addiction, whatever the hell they're giving George this week about repressed rage leaking, but the further they go towards the literal side and taking the supernatural stuff seriously the more they close off the appropriate courses of action for the stuff I was reading it as. Specific examples go under the cut.
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I don't want to follow this story round these corners. I don't particularly feel the need to watch addicts go wrong and drag others with them again. Especially when mostly the ones getting hurt are women.


Even if the point of the show is to show that, I've about had enough with watching it.

But we're up to 5/8 already apparently, so odds are I'll watch the rest of the season on inertia.


It's good, it's well written, it's just that mostly I am reaching the point where I want to lock up the guys and give the women pamphlets on codependency, and it's just not fun.



On Buffy there were a bunch of problems, but then women kicked arse and fixed them.
I was still frustrated that it was left to individuals, but it seemed to have a useful view of what the problems were.
Also, strong women kicking arse. I miss that. Where'd they go?

Vampirism as Victorian crime

I been thinking on my irritations with Being Human, and a lot of other vampire shows, and I think the basic problem is equating vampire attacks with murder. To theorise a vast network of killers that uses techniques of organised crime to cover up murder... It doesn't resonate with me. There aren't that many serial killers, and gang crime, at least around here, isn't of that scale... as far as I know.

If we're talking about crime that goes on all the time, but rarely if ever gets prosecuted, where the victims can speak up and will not be believed, then the comparison isn't murder, it's rape, and domestic violence. ( Read more... )

I think there's stories that know the complications, and I think there's some that just have the idea of a pretty white man feeling guilty about hurting people in the past, in a way we're supposed to sympathise with. Which can get full up of problem. And not always problem that knows it's a problem.

Horror stories... they're kind of exhausting.

Snow go away

Dear World Outside My Window: You have two hours to stop snowing. Maybe two and a quarter. After that, I have to go out there, and go to college and stuff. Because snow the weather website insists is sleet will not be considered adequate reason to stay inside, even if I think it's more sensible.
*flaps butterfly and blows snow away from here, travel routes, and school*

Studying hard as we speak

I am in class right now. The teacher is not, so that works out.
My schedule did not quite work. I needed foods when I got in, and they had to cook them, so I had to wait, and then class was just starting so I put foods in a bag and wen tup and ended up unpacking, typing lecture notes, and trying to eat with one hand.
And then I got hiccups.
*facepalm*
Note to self: Get earlier bus, have more eats time.
Which I tried to today, but missed that bus, and stood in the snow an extra quarter hour.

Clearly today is working really well.


Right, back to Jekyll and Hyde and Foucault.

Teach was expounding on the theory that it's all secretly about homosexuality because Hyde always goes in by the back entrance.

... must not *facepalm* at the teacher...

Survived college again

Love it when that happens.

Invisible essay was still invisible, but I got the mark for it: 60%
:-)
... yes it's like 15% lower than my best, and only about 2% higher than my worst, but I think it's in the same grade band as usual, and, importantly, I knew this particular essay was bullshit pasted together with big words, so I'm kind of impressed. For an essay where I couldn't figure out which essay question to answer and so vaguely kind of sort of answered half of them even though I knew that's no use whatsoever? 60% is pretty good.

Even better, teacher has emailed me and says invisible essay got visible after I left, and now it is in an envelope on her desk ready for me to pick up. Win!

Probably it will say 'answer the question'. And possibly it will say 'you are making this up aren't you'. But it being English I think the latter is less likely.



Also today I experimented with catching the bus. I waited half an hour but I was at the right bus stop and otherwise would have spent that time walking in to town and catching the bus at a different stop and getting back to that same stop while on the bus. Which might have been warmer, but since it was no longer snowing by then I could live with it.


Also also I listened to BFA 130 'A Thousand Tiny Wings'. Plenty good story, unusual historical setting, interesting characters, and lots of women. I like it.

I would like it better if I listened to it in a quieter environment so I could hear all of it and not just the loud bits, but the whole point is listening on the bus, so instead I need to fix the loudness. I can't just make it all louder because the loud bits are quite entirely loud enough, but the quiet bits disappear into the engine noise. Maybe I need better headphones.


Now I must decide between food and sleep.
Always a tricky one.