Final Chapter in this Epic Saga

http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/the-final-chapter-from-gay-men-will-marry-your-girlfriends

I found this article, and since we discussed the "Gay Men will Marry your Girlfriends" video in class, I thought this would be a nice follow up. As always, the videos were quite amusing, and here are some of my linguistic notes.

Go For It, aka Video 1

"Jazzercizing, or whatever the fuck" -by adding "whatever the fuck", the man in the video is distancing himself from the activity and is trying to show that he doesn't know what it is called. He doesn't want to to admit that he knows that Jazzercizing is because it is not seen as a "manly" activity.

"We are ripped"- this reminds me of the conversation we had in class about the different ways men can describe their physical appearance. Apparently, this man identifies as "ripped".

"Devirginized" -is that even a word?

"You find vaginas to be icky" -'icky' is a very immature word to use to talk about a mature or adult topic. Perhaps they are using it because a woman is stereo-typically more likely to use the word 'icky' in general, and gay men as perceived to have more 'feminine language'. 

We Need your Help, aka Video 2

"This is a grill...It only cooks red meat." -I found this stereotype extremely amusing-that men only cook or eat steaks. Also, everyone loves a good steak, so don't be bashing on some meat!

"How about a nice...Eggplant Parmesan" - First of all, "sensitive side to your cooking"? I was not aware that cooking had a sensitive side? Also, if steak is a problem due to it being unhealthy (which I assume is the problem, because what other problem could there be with a steak?), Eggplant Parmesan is not particularly healthy either. Nor sensitive. Maybe a mousse? Mousse sounds sensitive,

"Alright Mary Sunshine, let's go"- I found it very interesting that the gay man used a female name to refer to the straight man in a demeaning way. Apparently women can't get any support from anyone. 

*Random Dance Caveat* -The music is an Argentine Tango. One does not move their hips in an Argentine Tango. Nor plie. 

He's just not that into you

This article talks about "tell-tale signs" that the guy that a girl is texting is not interested in her. First of all, I do not believe in "signs" because I feel that the best way to know whether someone likes you is to FLAT OUT ASK HIM. But my personal opinions aside, it is interesting that texting, which is an interaction purely based on language, is such a big phenomenon in the way we communicate. This article, and others like it, demonstrate that language is very important in how we portray interest. For example, according to Pauker, not asking questions or canned responses denote that someone is not interested. It has nothing to do with what he is saying, but how he is saying it.


http://thoughtcatalog.com/lance-pauker/2014/05/10-giveaways-that-the-guy-youre-texting-isnt-interested-from-a-guys-perspective/

The female version of purple

I was walking with my father today and we see a very prim and proper woman crossing the street. She was wearing a light purple pastel dress and looked as if she was straight out of a 50s movie. My dad mentioned that her dress was "NU purple" to which I replied "No, NU purple is darker." He then answered with "Her dress is the female version of NU purple." So apparently the dark purple that all of NU wears is a 'masculine' color and has a female version? It was just very interesting how the color of one's clothing is so gendered that just because of the light and pastel quality of it, it was seen as automatically the epitome of femininity. 

Give me a reason to Smile and Maybe I will

I stumbled upon this article on comebacks to someone saying "Smile" to you on the street. A bunch of the advice was amusing and made sense, but it got me thinking about the importance of "comebacks." We rely so much on language to express ourselves, so it only makes sense that we use comebacks to express our disapproval. When telling stories, we always note the comeback we wish we had at the moment. So I guess I better read  this list and learn it so I always have the perfect comeback when a stranger tells me to smile (which, by the way, has never happened).


http://thoughtcatalog.com/hok-leahcim/2014/05/18-creative-and-satisfying-comebacks-to-why-dont-you-smile-more/

This is my...Special Friend

A few days ago, I remembered an incident that happened when I went to lunch with my boyfriend, (we will call him W). At the time, he and I had been dating for only a few weeks and still in that awkward "new relationship" phase. We got our food, and went to look for a place to sit and bumped into his roommate (whom we will call B) at the time. I had previously met B in passing, so we were both familiar with one another but had never really conversed. As W goes to put his food down to sit down at B's table, he turn to me and says "Lena, this is Ben. Ben, this is ...*cue awkward pause* my special friend." I stood there, mortified that someone just called me their "special friend." I remember thinking, "no, your special friend is the hooker down the street. I am not your 'special' friend. I am your friend, your girlfriend, not a hooker." To me, special friend denoted a status that was completely separate from a committed relationship and closer to "lover".

Fast forward a year. I spent this Thanksgiving with a friend, L, and her family in Minnesota. The actual dinner happened at her uncle's house where there was a plethora of family, including her uncle A who had a serious case of word vomit when talking to me. Apparently, L's mother, when talking to A on the phone weeks earlier, mentioned that L was bring a "special friend to Thanksgiving. A Russian ballerina." So of course he acted awkward around me- he thought L and I were an item! What is even funnier is that L's mom did not realize the connotation of "special friend" when she used it, she thought it meant a "good" or "best friend".

Things I learned: be careful how you use special friend!

See You At 3rd Base

According to Mat Devine, "today’s generation is a new breed of lightning-paced, attention-deficient, instant-gratification-seeking, sexually-charged, Frappucino-chugging spaz sluts." Therefore, we must reevaluate the baseball analogy that has previously been used to discuss sexual behavior. After polling high school and college students, Devine suggests these new 'bases':

1st Base : Furious finger-blasting

2nd Base: Anal sex gangbang

3rd Base: Marriage

Home Run: Amicable divorce 

Perhaps Devine is writing this with a sense of humor (I sure hope he is), but I found these bases to be quite disturbing. Personally, I would not like to think that today's youth is so over-sexualized that these bases apply to them. Also, stating that "home run" is an "amicable divorce" implies that all relationships will eventually end and the best outcome is a divorce is just grim. I really hope that this new scale will not catch on and become part of everyday discourse.

Thought Catalog Article: http://thoughtcatalog.com/mat-devine/2014/05/its-high-time-we-update-the-sexual-bases/

#Meninist

I stumbled upon a Thought Catalog article that spoke about 'Meninism' which is a trend where men "take feminist memes and slogans, twist ‘em, and toss them right back at the girls." This trend picked back up again after the Solange/Jay-Z debacle and many of the tweets talked about how it is wrong for women to hit men. Now, I completely understand that men, just like women, are surrounded by gender norms that dictate how they should and should not behave. I do not support violence from either gender. But some of the tweets are expressions of random irking behaviors and not blatant sexism. For example:

SCamp Mack™ :No, you CAN'T have my hoodie. I like it too, it's the reason I bought it #MeninistTwitter

Sure, having someone take your hoodie without asking is rude on their part. But how is that an anti-male action. Having someone ask to have your hoodie is not objectifying you, so stop complaining and just tell your girl 'no.'

Mexican Yeezus :How about leaving the toilet seat up for once. #MeninistTwitter

Women complain about putting the toilet seat down not because doing so is "proper male behavior," but because it is common courtesy. Men can use the toilet both sitting down and standing up, plus they never face the risk of falling in. Women on the other hand, must always sit down to use the facilities. Most importantly, if you are not putting the seat down, that probably means that you are not putting the seat cover down either, and that means that the dirty toilet water is spraying everywhere when you flush. And nobody wants fecal matter on their toothbrush. So put the seat down, stop complaining, and thank us for trying to help you maintain oral hygiene. 

Mike lowery :No, I will not "pull out", it's MY body and I have a choice..don't silence my voice #MeninistTwitter

Mike, yes you have a choice about what happens with your body. But so does the women you are having sex with. If she wants you to pull out, that is her choice and her authority over her own body, so you need to respect that as well. Better yet, have a conversation about this before you engage in sex. That way, both of you will be on the same page and can decide whether "pulling out" is happening or not. Her asking you to "pull out" is not silencing your voice, it is making sure that she feels comfortable during and after this sexual encounter. And is probably somewhat preventing a potential pregnancy which will affect HER body. Stop complaining and be happy your girl ain't pregnant.

Thought Catalog Article: http://thoughtcatalog.com/jim-goad/2014/05/the-brothers-strike-back-50-tweets-from-meninisttwitter/

Twitter Results: https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23meninisttwitter&src=hash