Slightly political ramblings...
Jul. 7th, 2003 03:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out_thereWell, I've had one session and one free lunch, and I already feel like the cynic amongst the true believers. The Riotgrrl/queer theory session was interesting. The basic correlation was that both fight against the norm, and try to refute the dichotomy of male/female, gay/straight.
Personally, I think it's a lovely theory, but not something that will ever be achieved. The most basic structure of human society is dichotomy and dualism; the basic binary between us and them. The most adhesive part of society is that bond that comes from being one of "us" and not one of "them".
I don't think you'll ever break down that basic mindset of inclusivity and exclusivity. As much as you may want people to accept that you don't have to conform to a particular group, the human mind works on definitions; descriptions have no use without them. And acceptance of people only having to fit broad definitions of being "a person" is useless. It's like describing all fics as "fanfiction". True they are, but that description by itself, without the qualifying "het/gen/slash" (let alone the ratings and genres), makes it really hard to discuss, define and enjoy fandom. Society relies upon strong divisions and definitions. You can challenge the meaning of them, but I doubt you'll ever find true acceptance of breaking them down altogether.
You know, it's one of the things I always found very true about Trek. Humans only united as "us" once there was a bigger "them" (ie. vulcans and other aliens). The Federation only united because the "them" became the Klingon Empire. Klingons could unite with the Federation once they got difficulty from the romulans (I'm pretty sure.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tboy correct me if I'm getting names/dates mixed up, okay?). Likewise, the Alpha quadrant in general could only unite once the Borg started giving them trouble.
It always comes down to an "us" and "them" mindset. In other words, we only unite if we have something to unite against.
Okay, now I'm late for my next session. I might skip it and catch up on LJ instead... *cheeky grin*
ETA: Yeah, I checked LJ instead. It was worth it to see the SV ad and the MR birthday ad at TWOP.
Sometimes, the world is very small and coincidental. I was looking up the lyrics to "I Want To Be Straight" since as inappropriate as the song is, it's been going through my head all morning (blame that late night tape of Rage) and came across this article on "straight acting", which was written by one of the presenters of the Womyn's BDSM demonstration on Wednesday. Small world. @.@
Oh, btw, I found out how I can drink coffee. Normally it makes me nauseous within a few mouthfuls, but a shot of espresso in a hot chocolate can be finished with an only slightly queasy tummy at the end. had it at about 2pm but I'm still very wired, so I think that I'm a) sensitive to caffiene, b) not coming down from this for a while, and c) should probably avoid trying to drink coffee and stick to Red Bulls/LiftPlus for a caffiene fix if needed (probably because even with those, I tend to drink a can during several hours of a day. If I drink a whole can, it's when I've had less than three hours sleep that night).
All in all, it's that same feeling of tetchy energy that I got from having too much of my Ventalin inhaler. Not altogether pleasant. See, this is the reason I've never had any real interest in experimenting with drugs. Generally I like my relaxed moods, and go with the energised moods when stressed. I don't like this sensation of being *this* close to jumping out of my skin.
Plus, it makes me ramble. *bg*
Personally, I think it's a lovely theory, but not something that will ever be achieved. The most basic structure of human society is dichotomy and dualism; the basic binary between us and them. The most adhesive part of society is that bond that comes from being one of "us" and not one of "them".
I don't think you'll ever break down that basic mindset of inclusivity and exclusivity. As much as you may want people to accept that you don't have to conform to a particular group, the human mind works on definitions; descriptions have no use without them. And acceptance of people only having to fit broad definitions of being "a person" is useless. It's like describing all fics as "fanfiction". True they are, but that description by itself, without the qualifying "het/gen/slash" (let alone the ratings and genres), makes it really hard to discuss, define and enjoy fandom. Society relies upon strong divisions and definitions. You can challenge the meaning of them, but I doubt you'll ever find true acceptance of breaking them down altogether.
You know, it's one of the things I always found very true about Trek. Humans only united as "us" once there was a bigger "them" (ie. vulcans and other aliens). The Federation only united because the "them" became the Klingon Empire. Klingons could unite with the Federation once they got difficulty from the romulans (I'm pretty sure.
tboy correct me if I'm getting names/dates mixed up, okay?). Likewise, the Alpha quadrant in general could only unite once the Borg started giving them trouble. It always comes down to an "us" and "them" mindset. In other words, we only unite if we have something to unite against.
Okay, now I'm late for my next session. I might skip it and catch up on LJ instead... *cheeky grin*
ETA: Yeah, I checked LJ instead. It was worth it to see the SV ad and the MR birthday ad at TWOP.
Sometimes, the world is very small and coincidental. I was looking up the lyrics to "I Want To Be Straight" since as inappropriate as the song is, it's been going through my head all morning (blame that late night tape of Rage) and came across this article on "straight acting", which was written by one of the presenters of the Womyn's BDSM demonstration on Wednesday. Small world. @.@
Oh, btw, I found out how I can drink coffee. Normally it makes me nauseous within a few mouthfuls, but a shot of espresso in a hot chocolate can be finished with an only slightly queasy tummy at the end. had it at about 2pm but I'm still very wired, so I think that I'm a) sensitive to caffiene, b) not coming down from this for a while, and c) should probably avoid trying to drink coffee and stick to Red Bulls/LiftPlus for a caffiene fix if needed (probably because even with those, I tend to drink a can during several hours of a day. If I drink a whole can, it's when I've had less than three hours sleep that night).
All in all, it's that same feeling of tetchy energy that I got from having too much of my Ventalin inhaler. Not altogether pleasant. See, this is the reason I've never had any real interest in experimenting with drugs. Generally I like my relaxed moods, and go with the energised moods when stressed. I don't like this sensation of being *this* close to jumping out of my skin.
Plus, it makes me ramble. *bg*
