Quote from pandapuff
I've also been accused of not outgrowing my fascination with cartoons, but I love the drawn representation of the world. It lends a particular atmosphere that is often lacking in real life.
That's absolutely right! It's why I read manga, too... I always find it difficult to point out exactly what that "particular atmosphere" is, but I think it's the joy of seeing life interpreted in new and interesting ways. Art makes us view life with renewed interest... Well, that's my opinion, anyway. Human faces, when drawn with an artist's hand, reveal fascinating secrets that real faces often manage to hide...
Quote from pandapuff
I've always had a *healthy* interest in porn, but find that most women find the subject shocking. Perhaps it is social conditioning. If so, how did we, the women who enjoy hentai and porn, break it?
Yeah, I've wondered about that. It's obvious that social conditioning discourages women from being honest with themselves about their desires, but for some reason there are always a few stubborn women (like you and me, I guess!) who don't fall for the whole women-are-dainty-and-pure thing. We certainly aren't sex-obsessed demons, but we aren't pure, either... We're just ordinary people with ordinary desires! Why women have to be placed apart from sexual discourse is something I don't understand.
After all, if the world expects us to have sex, it should also be all right for us to talk about it and to enjoy doing it. These ideas about feminine purity and frigidity seem pointless. Elsewhere (somewhere above this comment) it was said that I shouldn't take such remarks seriously, but I'm afraid that these casual and/or joking remarks are just symptoms of a greater misunderstanding about women. That's why I spoke up; I wouldn't have bothered, otherwise.
It's really odd, how society has completely polar opposite ideas about women... On the one hand, they're treated as if they're pure, and on the other hand, they're treated as sexual objects. These extreme misinterpretations seem bizarre to me.
Men are also misinterpreted by society -- they, too, are forced to adopt gender roles that not all men are comfortable with. The ideal of the "working man" and the ideal of the "stoic father," as well as the concept of sexual prowess being a token of masculinity. It's weird that a guy who has sex with a lot of women is often considered more masculine than a guy who has sex with just a few women. Why? I don't think it's fair or rational. Similarly, a guy who can physically dominate over other people is often considered manlier. This is also weird, considering that many perfectly respectable men are gentle at heart. They shouldn't be forced to "act tough" just because they need to get a manly reputation. What the hell...
I think that one of the main challenges of life is trying to reconcile completely opposite ideas about gender. People actually try to live up to ideas that are contradictory; no wonder they're stressed out! A woman must be "pure" but must also be "attractive" -- a man must be "aggressive" but must also be a "protector".
Argh, gender roles in general make me want to pull my hair out.
The rift between reality and ideology is still a wide one. It would be pleasant if this rift were to narrow, and if people's ideas about themselves were to become more realistic. Maybe one day, we'll view ourselves as individuals, rather than as sets of labels. That's all I can hope for.
Last edited by pearlesque at 8:31 pm, Jun 24 2007________________
"They sicken of the calm, who knew the storm." - Dorothy Parker.
Although, I'm sure your last sentence is true, most of them wouldn't probably admit it ^_^'''
{Like in Code Geass, the DVD covers and pictures are all waay too fan serviced-ed out and its gets annoying, 'specially since the anime isn't even like that 'cept one Picture Book thingy) And I don't want to read somethin' with a chick with impossibly large hips and breasts cuz it annoys me >.>...Totally unrealistic 
Too unrealistic for me to even consider reading 
