Er, for example : Wash is correct in thinking that the relationship between Zoe and Mal is unhealthy. Discuss.
I get the feeling that many Z/W shippers are strongly invested in the idea of the friendship between Zoe and Mal as being a/ very tight, b/ totally asexual and c/ admirable. And since there are so very few male/female media friendships which meet that description I really don't want to dis the value which people lay on it. Because it is cool. But not necessarily healthy, for either of them...
Here is where I may also be totally misreading the language of the show, coming from a (slightly) different cultural background. In NZ usage "Sir" and "Ma'am" are strictly confined to a/ the serving military, b/ the Queen, or her local representative the Governor-General (if it's a formal occasion - the only G-G's I've had occasion to chat with I've called "Paul" and "Cath", because that's what I called them when they were only the Archbishop of NZ, or the Mayor of Auckland, respectively, but I'd dodge around the issue with the current G-G until he asked me to call him Anand - which he would, because he's a sweetheart), or c/ judges while they're sitting on the bench, and if they're the kind of arrogant people who get off on that. Given that 99.5% of the times I've been on the receiving end of ma'am were in the States, and the remaining tiny percentage in Europe when we wandered out of our natural price-bracket (and which ceased as soon as either of us opened our mouths) I'm guessing that the usage isn't quite so loaded in the US.
or : does the Alliance/Independent conflict in Firefly more usefully map to the US North/South Civil War (which seems to be the usual assumption), or to the civilised east/wild west cultural divide (which makes more sense to me, as an entire outsider - as if the cattle barons had taken up arms against railroads, and law which didn't come out of the barrel of a gun)?
But there I run into both the "other people's history" and the "other people's politics" issues. I could be opening cans of worms without even seeing the possibilities, and, trust me, even from here I can see such possibilities.
And so on - I can see so much potential for a innocently intended discussion descending into wank, especially given that I'm working through cultural filters which don't match most of the comm readership - I could stuff it up so very easily! But would also value the chance to discuss things.
Sorry, that was far too long. Will shut up and push post now.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-04-18 12:29 am (UTC)I get the feeling that many Z/W shippers are strongly invested in the idea of the friendship between Zoe and Mal as being a/ very tight, b/ totally asexual and c/ admirable. And since there are so very few male/female media friendships which meet that description I really don't want to dis the value which people lay on it. Because it is cool. But not necessarily healthy, for either of them...
Here is where I may also be totally misreading the language of the show, coming from a (slightly) different cultural background. In NZ usage "Sir" and "Ma'am" are strictly confined to a/ the serving military, b/ the Queen, or her local representative the Governor-General (if it's a formal occasion - the only G-G's I've had occasion to chat with I've called "Paul" and "Cath", because that's what I called them when they were only the Archbishop of NZ, or the Mayor of Auckland, respectively, but I'd dodge around the issue with the current G-G until he asked me to call him Anand - which he would, because he's a sweetheart), or c/ judges while they're sitting on the bench, and if they're the kind of arrogant people who get off on that. Given that 99.5% of the times I've been on the receiving end of ma'am were in the States, and the remaining tiny percentage in Europe when we wandered out of our natural price-bracket (and which ceased as soon as either of us opened our mouths) I'm guessing that the usage isn't quite so loaded in the US.
or : does the Alliance/Independent conflict in Firefly more usefully map to the US North/South Civil War (which seems to be the usual assumption), or to the civilised east/wild west cultural divide (which makes more sense to me, as an entire outsider - as if the cattle barons had taken up arms against railroads, and law which didn't come out of the barrel of a gun)?
But there I run into both the "other people's history" and the "other people's politics" issues. I could be opening cans of worms without even seeing the possibilities, and, trust me, even from here I can see such possibilities.
And so on - I can see so much potential for a innocently intended discussion descending into wank, especially given that I'm working through cultural filters which don't match most of the comm readership - I could stuff it up so very easily! But would also value the chance to discuss things.
Sorry, that was far too long. Will shut up and push post now.