Feminist Friday | Queer Values and Change

I didn’t find this in time to reblog it last Friday, so I decided to save it for today. I never really thought much about “queer heterosexuality” until I read this, but I will say that the creativity, flexibility, and negotiation of roles she’s referring to here are the things that make intimate relationships worthwhile. I agree with the argument, and I’m glad to have this insight into a perspective other than my own. It’s a very thoughtful and well-argued post.

I’m also pleased to see my friend Alva making some progress with her blog, which I can’t recommend highly enough.

Music!

Randy Newman is a national treasure. The President should name him poet laureate sometime, and eventually, one of his pianos should be preserved in the Smithsonian. Listen to this while you read the rest.

You can read about the Great Mississippi flood of 1927 at the wiki, but really that should be your starting point. There are lots of lessons packed into that episode of our history.

The reason I think he should be the poet laureate and have his piano preserved in the Smithsonian is that he writes about stuff that matters, but he doesn’t let the fact that he’s being serious get in the way of making you laugh or cry, as appropriate. In my mind, that’s exactly what artists are supposed to do.

I’m working on something for tomorrow, but I feel like I haven’t been posting enough lately, and I’ve been wanting to share this one for awhile. Enjoy!

Who Saves The Doctor?

by William Hohmeister

Doctor Who uses many myths to support both individual episodes and entire seasons. “Dalek”, the reappearance of the Dalek race in the new series, draws upon the myth of the Dalek Empire. Formerly a reality in earlier episodes, when we first meet them they are a myth of the universe the Doctor inhabits. The Doctor’s reaction to even one Dalek tells the audience all we need about the strength of that myth, and drives the action of the episode. Similarly, another myth supports not just an episode or season, but the entire first four seasons of Doctor Who and the character of the Doctor.

The devil is the myth that drives and supports the Doctor’s character over four seasons. 

What is it about the Joker?

by Jeremy DeFatta

Happy new book day, everyone! Today, I want to take a little break from Batman himself and begin discussing some of his supporting cast and rogues gallery. I believe the appropriate first choice for this will be the Joker.

The Joker first appeared in Batman #1 back in 1940. Appropriately enough, given that so little is known about the character, his exact creator is disputed to this day—creator credit is generally spread out across Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson. Originally meant to be a one-off character, the Joker seemingly returned from the dead due to an unexpected upsurge in his popularity among fans after (what was intended to be) his single appearance. Indeed, the Joker has never not been popular, and is likely as well known as his heroic nemesis. Why is this? What makes this character as immortal and (arguably) as beloved as Batman?

The Joker is sometimes painfully campy and goofy, while at other times he is a chillingly deranged mass murderer. What is the appeal of this character? Deep down, as can be argued with Batman, do we as readers/viewers sense a sort of kinship with the character? Do we understand him? Does he force us to recognize something we are afraid to see within ourselves? Let’s try to address these questions.