Analyzing Analysis.

Today, I read a really awesome post on Tumblr. I do not feel lame at all that all the awesome stuff I find is on Tumblr, because I can tell you Tumblr has made me a better person.
Anyway. it's this: a post called RABID WRITER CAPSLOCK RANT GO.
It's about how BORING English class is when they make you analyze intent, theme, etc. in books. And I have to agree. I hate being told there's one way to think about what the author wrote.

remember how they talked about ‘theme’? and there was a list of themes like ‘man versus nature’ and ‘man versus himself’? and how you had to ‘figure out’ what the theme of a piece was? remember how there was one right answer?
you know how they’d ask “why did [author] write it this way?” and for some reason, “because it’s awesome” was never an acceptable answer. there was always a hidden reason. a boring, preachy reason.

Which is terrible and wrong.
WRITE ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WANT! THINK ABOUT STORIES HOWEVER YOU WANT! Because that's what makes it fun. We don't read books, and we haven't been reading books so we can be told there's only one way to interpret things.

remember the last time you talked about your favorite fandom* with someone else who loves it as much as you do. remember how excitedly you analyzed characters and untangled plot, speculated on future directions, wondered whether the author was fucking with you or whether that crazy thing you noticed is canon for real.
remember how fun that was?
the difference between the fun experience and the soul-sucking one is that you were analyzing the story, and your high school english teacher was analyzing analysis. there’s no reason you couldn’t have the same crazy awesome discussions about shakespeare or the iliad that you do about homestuck or sherlock.

Fandom:

 is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom); this is what differentiates "fannish" (fandom-affiliated) fans from those with only a casual interest.

A fandom can grow up centered around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individualcelebrity, or more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903.^[1]

Fandom as a term can also be used in a broad sense to refer to an interconnected social network of individual fandoms, many of which overlap.

So, you might be a fannish fan of Glee or Boardwalk Empire or animes or what have you. Do you ever talk about new episodes with your friends? Do you ever freak out when the story progresses in a new way, or when there's a cliffhanger? I know I do!
Sometimes I get depressed in English because I want to just geek out about whatever I'm reading, and everyone else is like "lol i just read sparknotes calm down." It's sad, but they have a right to do that. Analyzing analysis is only fun for a few people.
Books, however, are fun for everyone. I love stories. So, so much. And you do too!!! Storytelling is becoming a lost art but I know how important it is to everyone. When you read a story you can nearly live vicariously through, it's a very thrilling feeling. Great movies tend to do this for people, too. I know I feel like I'm spinning through a hallway or sprinting through Mombasa when I watch Inception.

And don't even get me started on games, games are the king of storytelling as far as I'm concerned, since they effortlessly splice written story, character interactions, and visuals all while maintaining a feeling of choice or power over the situation at hand.
Maybe I'll post about games later.

So how about you, do you ever feel really bored having to do some really boring analysis of a book? I feel bad having to see others feeling bored because it's definitely not for everyone.

*

Fandom:

 is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the object(s) of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices (a fandom); this is what differentiates "fannish" (fandom-affiliated) fans from those with only a casual interest.

A fandom can grow up centered around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individualcelebrity, or more widely defined, encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions. While it is now used to apply to groups of people fascinated with any subject, the term has its roots in those with an enthusiastic appreciation for sports. Merriam-Webster's dictionary traces the usage of the term back as far as 1903.^[1]

Fandom as a term can also be used in a broad sense to refer to an interconnected social network of individual fandoms, many of which overlap.

Gender and sex are different things!

This is an issue I'm a little passionate about. I believe in equal rights for everyone, and since I'm a senior, I wanted to make a bill to that effect. At first I wanted to make a bill that was about making sure there were public facilities that allowed for use by people outside of the gender binary, but I realized I wouldn't get anywhere trying to pass it. The fact is, members of the trans* community (transgender, transsexual people) are so misunderstood and oppressed that many people don't even know of their struggle.

Let me get this straight first for those who don't know. Gender is a social construct. That means that it is not part of a human at birth, it is assigned to people based on their sex. If you're confused right now allow me to describe the difference between sex and gender.
Sex is the biological part of someone, rather, whether they have female or male sex organs. There are also inter-sex people, or people with sex organs that do not fit solidly into "male" or "female," so even biological sex is not strictly speaking a binary.
People aren't in charge of their assigned sex and so sometimes gender identity and sex "disagree."
Gender is all a matter of identity. It is what you choose to be called (she or he, woman or man,) and what you identify with. Like sexuality, gender is a spectrum. There are not only "girls" and "boys" who are defined only by the sex organs they were born with (we call people whose sex and gender agree "cisgender." This would include myself, I am a cisgender female). In fact, gender means different things for everyone. What's feminine and masculine is totally different between cultures and between individuals, too! Genderqueer is a term people use when they don't identify entirely with being a girl, or a boy. Sometimes it's appropriate to use gender-ambiguous pronouns like "zhe" when referring to these people but only if they ask you to.

Why do I think it's important to learn the difference between gender and sex, and understand that both are spectra? Because I want everyone to be educated and tolerant. I notice that people seem to be very intolerant of trans* individuals as a whole so I thought I'd make a post trying to educate people.

Those of you more familiar with this than me, feel free to correct me or add something!

WWASP and legal torture of minors

Perhaps some of you have heard of WWASP. It is an umbrella organization of Mormon fundamentalist "schools" found throughout the US, and other countries. It is infamous for the crimes it has committed against the youth it houses, such as physical and psychological abuse. There are several documentaries which spotlight their crimes. I'll post some here later.

The organization claims to have dissolved, but in reality there are many schools still in operation, where kids are forced to succumb to torture and harassment, in some cases even rape. The organization can get away with this by changing its name, and it's gotten away with it for so long because of the large family-based network which owns it.

Perhaps you recall the for-profit industry of locking up minors mentioned in Capitalism: A Love Story, which you watched in class. This is like that, but much, much worse. Some victims suffer from such severe PTS that they can never function normally in society again. And all this is done under the guise of a rehabilitation resort.

Well, thoughts? Like I said I'll post a documentary and witness accounts later when I can reach the database on my own computer (right now I'm on a school one.)

A post for you: What would you like from me?

I'm really excited to be a TA for the first time and it's been great seeing and commenting on all your posts. I want to know what you think of my feedback, and what you would like to see more of from me!! Are you trying to improve your writing skills? Do you want more topics to write about besides what you're given? Do you like creative writing, but are scared to post your stories without revision? I want to know what I can do to help you. I see all of you as my equals and I want us to be able to help each other think and write more effectively.

So what would you like from me? Have I not commented on your blog yet? Is my feedback bad, or just not what you're looking for? I might make a formspring account, so you can talk to me or give me feedback anonymously. Would that be a good idea? I'm done peppering you with questions now. I'm sure you are all quite seasoned, I am just trying to gauge how my input has helped or hindered, and what else I can do.

Feel free to give feedback or answer some of my questions here, or not, it's up to you.