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.
no subject
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.