Retrieved 30th December, 2009 from http://users.lmi.net/buddha/Images/People/PrideManPinkDressBIG.jpgCompfight couldn't serve me well enough =)
I'm surprised actually to realize that no one has mentioned anything about transvestism, as far as I could see.
Yesterday in our TLL class our teacher had a word about this issue, without comments. He only shared his observations, indicating that if a woman showed signs of transsexuality (dressed like a man and acted like a man) it wouldn't be so annoying for people. (he gave an example like "think of a girl stepping into this room saying "kalem var mı lan!?") Yet if the vice-versa happens, for instance, if a boy steps into the same room with flashy girly clothes and attitude, saying "ayol kalem var mıydaaaa" then the majority of people would mock him etc.
Our teacher finished his words about this topic saying that it is intrepeted differently according to genders, but I had already begun to think about this a bit more.
I think this example has a lof of underlying issues about the gender differences, and even about the inequality of them. Both situations are a bit weird but that's because they both are unusual. However, a masculine behaviour of a girl is sometimes liked as she's imitating the superior one - this may sound strange and hard to admit but that is the situation. It's more convincing if we take on the opposite example - a boy with girlie mirlie acts is regarded as a more serious thing, and an embarrassing one. And that is because that act is considered as going down to the level of the inferior, how come can a tough guy do this?
I personally don't recommend both, and I don't like to experience these scenes indeed. Yet there are two major things that are more important than (dis)liking - first, if something's weird, then it is so because of gender changes, not level changes. And second - whether you like it or not, you have to respect both. At least say "that's their mistake".
LMAO :))
ReplyDeleteI think you're right - a 'tough' female may be seen as attempting to gain the power she has been stripped of in society, and her behaviour may thus be afforded a certain amount of legitimacy, especially if the 'tough guise' already has roots in the culture. And I think the converse situation has deep roots in psychology, although I cannot articulate my thoughts on this point very well...I just think of Stewie on Family Guy and how he desperately wants to kill his mother, both literally and figuratively. I can remember my dad, many years ago, saying his friend's 5-year-old boy would become a 'sissy' simply because he was crying and his mother held him. 5 years old. But that's how my father's generation was raised.
You say your teacher didn't comment, but I'd be very surprised if no students did, especially the boys. Even today, (surreptitiously) watching the reaction of 'certain' people's faces as The Full Monty was being presented, I could see that stubborn resistance to 'the softest thing a man can ever do.' Well, much as the body can be a prison for the woman, so can it be for the man. I actually think repressing onself is even more damaging than being repressed, and sadly, men suffer from a lot of sexual anxiety based on their 'size', their 'performance' and so on. Katz doesn't focus on this much in Tough Guise; I suppose he wants to keep the documentary 'clean and wholesome' for his educational viewing audience, and cultural discussions of a man's penis are so taboo as to be almost unheard of. Strange, that, since it's implied in nearly every aspect of culture.
Now, Beri, how on earth am I going to write another post? Did you ever forsee this race as turning out like this? Your and Hasan's brainchild has had children of its own... :))
Just FYI (and cuz you asked):
ReplyDeleteHow come = Why? It needs to be followed by a subject, as in "How come you were late to the NS recitation today?" :D
When you talk about two things in the negative, use "either", as in "I don't recommend either (of them)".
OMG, look what I found, this is great, you have to read it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.merip.org/mero/interventions/oktem_interv.html
yeees.. respect.. everybody's favourite word. İn life, people do not have any respect to others anywhere. Politicians don't have any to their citizens, sometimes people on the street don't to others, young ones don't to elder ones, sometimes our parents don't to us (and vice versa) HOW COME [Sonja :)] we can even expect people to have respect to transexuals ? Accepting them and making them join the society is a big step. For now, I think most people cannot manage to do such a thing.
ReplyDeleteActually, Can, I see now my explanation was not very clear: your question should be 'HOW can we even expect people to have respect for transsexuals?' (Remember that 'how come' = 'why').
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought you were asking ME this question... :) But I'm sure you know I would write a dissertation on it... :0
lol can, "how come" made your statement opposite. I was surprised when i read it at first
ReplyDelete