I keep forgetting who all reads this and it kinda scares me to think about it…
Power of Madonna
“Culturally, Madonna’s legacy transcends her music because by and large the subtexts of her songs are about being strong, independent, and confident, no matter what your sex. More than anything, Madonna’s musical message is about equality.” -Glee
Things I’ve learned from Rachel Berry
Every once in awhile I happen to come across a character who truly inspires me or teaches me something. Watching Glee and getting to know Rachel Berry has been like a welcome blast from my own past. And as Rachel would say, make fun of me all you want, but it’s the truth. Rachel Berry has taught me to remember who I am, and own it. I do like attention. I am outspoken, bossy, sometimes self-absorbed, and even dramatic. I am a leader and an achiever, and until recently I had lost my way, drifting through the dregs of our generational gap, waiting for life to happen to me. But I’m back! Back in school, back to being smoke-free and full of excess energy, back to my take-me-or-leave-me attitude. And it feels great. I like where I’m going. So thank you, Rachel, for bringing me back to the realization that it’s going to be lonely at the top, that people will try to bring me down, that I just have to keep “singing” and shooting for my dreams, and that I can’t let anyone stop me. You’re not gonna rain on my parade. ; )
Pet Peeve of mine: When people say that my being queer is a lifestyle.
My being queer is not a lifestyle, folks.
A lifestyle is a way that a person chooses to live and so by saying so, you are saying that my orientation is a choice - which it most certainly is not. I cannot just change my sexual orientation on a whim for any reason, because I want to style my life differently.
However,
My being vegan is a lifestyle.
My being an anarchist is a lifestyle.
My being a feminist is a lifestyle.
My being an environmentalist is a lifestyle.
I can go on and on…
I’ve had this book since I was in 9th grade, having always been extremely interested in psychology, personality traits in particular. Using the Enneagram, this book explores the 9 basic personality types, their motivations, behaviors, fears, strengths, weaknesses, etc. They are- from 1 to 9 respectively- The Reformer, The Helper, The Motivator, The Individualist, The Investigator, The Loyalist, The Enthusiast, The Leader, and The Peacemaker. This is an amazingly in-depth way of evaluating both yourself and others, and I’m so glad I started studying it again.
This villain from Super Paper Mario is called King Croacus. Notice his makeup and beauty mark? It seems Nintendo is taking a cue from Disney in demonizing gay/trans/queer people… it’s a subliminal thing… but it stays with children as they grow older. Remember how “queenish” Cruella was, with her harsh facial features and affected mannerisms? How about Ursula, who was modeled after Divine? Anyway… this King Croacus is presented as an ultra femme villainous male, and as the ‘good’ characters meet him, the background music suddenly becomes extremely strange and almost scary. It’s clearly putting a message into the heads of children- don’t trust these weird beings who cross the boundaries of gender conformity! They are evil! I’m not suggesting any political action to be taken… I’m just pointing this out. People make up their minds in the end on their own. All that aside, he may have just become my new favorite Mario villain. Tee hee <3
So much for political correctness…
