9th Avenue, in the 50s
He looked pretty fantastic!
(x-posted from We Are All Nerds)
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Mr. Fantastic
I didn't catch this gentleman's name, as he was off for a night with his buddies.
9th Avenue, in the 50s
He looked pretty fantastic!
(x-posted from We Are All Nerds)
9th Avenue, in the 50s
He looked pretty fantastic!
(x-posted from We Are All Nerds)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Oh for the love of... - FOLLOW UP
IT WAS EIGHTBALL.
You have got to be KIDDING me.
Yes, there is a lot of nudity and discussion of sex in Eightball, but none of it is gratuitous or pornographic. Of course, it contains just the sort of sexual realism that sends nervous hands to clutch at strands of pearls.
The thing I find most amusing about this revelation is that Eightball was handed to me when I was 16. I was already reading comics at that point, Strangers in Paradise, Young Heroes in Love, and Gen13 being my favorites. (That I can recall.)
And who, pray tell, handed me Eightball?
A counselor at my camp where I was a CIT.
It was a David Boring story, the one where he dates a girl because of her big ass. I loved the story so much, I went out and bought my own copy at Million Year Picnic on CIT Night Out. (The camp was in Boston, obviously.)
While a camp counselor/CIT relationship isn't quite comparable to a teacher/student one, the similarities are there.
I imagine my parents would have been much more upset about the teacher handing me Hothead Paisan than a "fellow" counselor handing me Eightball. Knowing my mom, she probably would have liked the Eightball story.
In the case of the teacher and student, I'm curious as to what inspired him to give her that comic in particular. If there was discussion and a relationship that would have inspired that choice, then what's the problem? Just as my teacher from junior year wouldn't have given me Hothead Paisan without us talking about queer culture and sequential art, I doubt this guy would have done the same with an issue of Eightball.
That said, if a teacher gives a student any kind of reading material (questionable content or otherwise) out of nowhere, then it's time for some questions.
You have got to be KIDDING me.
Yes, there is a lot of nudity and discussion of sex in Eightball, but none of it is gratuitous or pornographic. Of course, it contains just the sort of sexual realism that sends nervous hands to clutch at strands of pearls.
The thing I find most amusing about this revelation is that Eightball was handed to me when I was 16. I was already reading comics at that point, Strangers in Paradise, Young Heroes in Love, and Gen13 being my favorites. (That I can recall.)
And who, pray tell, handed me Eightball?
A counselor at my camp where I was a CIT.
It was a David Boring story, the one where he dates a girl because of her big ass. I loved the story so much, I went out and bought my own copy at Million Year Picnic on CIT Night Out. (The camp was in Boston, obviously.)
While a camp counselor/CIT relationship isn't quite comparable to a teacher/student one, the similarities are there.
I imagine my parents would have been much more upset about the teacher handing me Hothead Paisan than a "fellow" counselor handing me Eightball. Knowing my mom, she probably would have liked the Eightball story.
In the case of the teacher and student, I'm curious as to what inspired him to give her that comic in particular. If there was discussion and a relationship that would have inspired that choice, then what's the problem? Just as my teacher from junior year wouldn't have given me Hothead Paisan without us talking about queer culture and sequential art, I doubt this guy would have done the same with an issue of Eightball.
That said, if a teacher gives a student any kind of reading material (questionable content or otherwise) out of nowhere, then it's time for some questions.
Oh for the love of...
A Connecticut teacher has resigned after getting in trouble for giving a student an "age-inappropriate" graphic novel.
Huh.
Well, we don't know what the graphic novel was.
A teacher I was friendly with my junior year once lent me a huge Hothead Paisan collection. Does that mean she should have gotten into trouble?
(Yes, she was gay. I lent her my Strangers in Paradise collections in return.)
Watch the graphic novel in question be something like Wereslut, or something similarly inappropriate. Then we'll all feel silly.
Although Wereslut's actually a pretty good read.
Huh.
Well, we don't know what the graphic novel was.
A teacher I was friendly with my junior year once lent me a huge Hothead Paisan collection. Does that mean she should have gotten into trouble?
(Yes, she was gay. I lent her my Strangers in Paradise collections in return.)
Watch the graphic novel in question be something like Wereslut, or something similarly inappropriate. Then we'll all feel silly.
Although Wereslut's actually a pretty good read.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Power Girl: A Feminist Icon for the 2000s
I've said it before, and I'll say it again....
This is what a feminist looks like:
I'd hit it, but she'd probably hit back. I'm okay with that
Seriously, I want to find the artist (Dale Eaglesham) and shake his hand.
That's some awesome stuff right there.
She's strong! She's sexy! She's wearing realistic pajamas!
YAY!
This is what a feminist looks like:
I'd hit it, but she'd probably hit back. I'm okay with that
Seriously, I want to find the artist (Dale Eaglesham) and shake his hand.
That's some awesome stuff right there.
She's strong! She's sexy! She's wearing realistic pajamas!
YAY!
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Anecdotal Ignorance
I apologize if anyone went to last night's debate hoping for a scandal.
What I (and most people) expected to be a heated, emotional debate, turned out to be two men having very different conversations in the same space.
Indeed, the most exciting moment of the evening was when a terrifyingly large Palmetto bug flew out from a corner and landed on Brian McCarter's arm.
But I am not here to talk about insectoid interference.
What stunned me the most, aside from Mr. Schwartz's inability to answer a question directly, was his refusal to acknowledge the relevance of an informal poll of Mr. McCarter's.
While it can be universally agreed that if you want to learn about a religion, you go to a leader of that faith. However, I feel that if you want to learn about its place in a culture, you go to the people.
Mr. McCarter went to a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Queens, and asked 20 young Muslim men if they felt the First Amendment was good, then repeated the question with a very extreme qualifier.
Mr. Schwartz refused to acknowledge this information as "representative of moderate Muslims."
At no point did he define what a Moderate Muslim is, nor who would be described as such.
While I appreciate his desire for accurate information coming from informed sources, for the debate at hand, I (and many others) felt that "The Man on The Street" would be the better source. If you're talking about immigration, and the potential for restrictions, Average Yusuf may be a better representative than a more official individual.
If I have a question about Halacha, I'll ask a rabbi. If I have a question about what it's like to be a young, female, observant Conservative Jew in New York, I'll ask my old roommate.
If I have a question about a Mystery of Catholicism, I'll ask a priest. If I have a question about Catholic youth culture in America, I'll ask my friend Alissa.
Which brings me to a question I've been mulling for many weeks now...
There's a saying that goes, "Anecdotal evidence isn't."
Okay, fair enough. The story your friend told you about her cousin's best friend in Ohio probably isn't a good source of information. But then you are pressed for official information. From studies. From journals.
I can think of at least one recent "official study" that's totally bogus.
Meanwhile, there are hundreds (thousands?) of minority groups who are dealing with injustices and oppression, but their stories either aren't heard, or deemed irrelevant because no one's put out an official study about them.
If I can't use the personal experiences of a Female-to-Male transexual professor at MIT to demonstrate sexism in the science community, and no study has been done on it, what use is that person's complaint? Or the complaints of other women in the science community? (This happened in an email conversation I had recently.)
This feels like a dirty trick by the majority to determine what is relevant and valid, and what is just the "uppity" minority whining about something or other.
We can't cherry pick. At what point do situations become relevant/interesting/exotic/dire enough to warrant studying? At what point do anecdotes become data?
I really am curious about this. Why, in so many instances, does something have to be sanctioned for its information to be "real?"
What I (and most people) expected to be a heated, emotional debate, turned out to be two men having very different conversations in the same space.
Indeed, the most exciting moment of the evening was when a terrifyingly large Palmetto bug flew out from a corner and landed on Brian McCarter's arm.
But I am not here to talk about insectoid interference.
What stunned me the most, aside from Mr. Schwartz's inability to answer a question directly, was his refusal to acknowledge the relevance of an informal poll of Mr. McCarter's.
While it can be universally agreed that if you want to learn about a religion, you go to a leader of that faith. However, I feel that if you want to learn about its place in a culture, you go to the people.
Mr. McCarter went to a predominantly Muslim neighborhood in Queens, and asked 20 young Muslim men if they felt the First Amendment was good, then repeated the question with a very extreme qualifier.
Mr. Schwartz refused to acknowledge this information as "representative of moderate Muslims."
At no point did he define what a Moderate Muslim is, nor who would be described as such.
While I appreciate his desire for accurate information coming from informed sources, for the debate at hand, I (and many others) felt that "The Man on The Street" would be the better source. If you're talking about immigration, and the potential for restrictions, Average Yusuf may be a better representative than a more official individual.
If I have a question about Halacha, I'll ask a rabbi. If I have a question about what it's like to be a young, female, observant Conservative Jew in New York, I'll ask my old roommate.
If I have a question about a Mystery of Catholicism, I'll ask a priest. If I have a question about Catholic youth culture in America, I'll ask my friend Alissa.
Which brings me to a question I've been mulling for many weeks now...
There's a saying that goes, "Anecdotal evidence isn't."
Okay, fair enough. The story your friend told you about her cousin's best friend in Ohio probably isn't a good source of information. But then you are pressed for official information. From studies. From journals.
I can think of at least one recent "official study" that's totally bogus.
Meanwhile, there are hundreds (thousands?) of minority groups who are dealing with injustices and oppression, but their stories either aren't heard, or deemed irrelevant because no one's put out an official study about them.
If I can't use the personal experiences of a Female-to-Male transexual professor at MIT to demonstrate sexism in the science community, and no study has been done on it, what use is that person's complaint? Or the complaints of other women in the science community? (This happened in an email conversation I had recently.)
This feels like a dirty trick by the majority to determine what is relevant and valid, and what is just the "uppity" minority whining about something or other.
We can't cherry pick. At what point do situations become relevant/interesting/exotic/dire enough to warrant studying? At what point do anecdotes become data?
I really am curious about this. Why, in so many instances, does something have to be sanctioned for its information to be "real?"
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Tragedy Tomorrow, A Debate Tonight!
DEBATE AT LOLITA BAR: “Is Muslim Immigration a Threat to Democracy?
I'm not making this shit up, folks.
Come on out. It's gonna be a DOOZY.
Lolita Bar.
Corner of Allen and Broome.
8pm.
Admission is free, the booze is not.
Tell 'em Stapler sent ya.
I'm not making this shit up, folks.
Come on out. It's gonna be a DOOZY.
Lolita Bar.
Corner of Allen and Broome.
8pm.
Admission is free, the booze is not.
Tell 'em Stapler sent ya.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
We Are All Nerds
We are currently witnessing a paradigm shift.
Comic book movies are breaking box office records.
Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction are becoming more and more popular.
Fashion trends have otherwise stylish people wearing the shirt you threw out fifteen years ago.
The Geek are truly Inheriting The Earth.
And I plan on documenting it.
Every non-geeky person I see reading a comic book, a science fiction or fantasy novel, wearing a genre t-shirt, or sporting any other trapping of a geek, I will photograph and publish here. (With their permission, of course!)
I give you J, my first example...
23rd St, 8/29/07
This has been simultaneously posted at the official We Are All Nerds blog!
Comic book movies are breaking box office records.
Science Fiction and Speculative Fiction are becoming more and more popular.
Fashion trends have otherwise stylish people wearing the shirt you threw out fifteen years ago.
The Geek are truly Inheriting The Earth.
And I plan on documenting it.
Every non-geeky person I see reading a comic book, a science fiction or fantasy novel, wearing a genre t-shirt, or sporting any other trapping of a geek, I will photograph and publish here. (With their permission, of course!)
I give you J, my first example...
23rd St, 8/29/07
This has been simultaneously posted at the official We Are All Nerds blog!
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