PC194: Their Changing Bodies

[Listener]

I figured out how the vampirism was spread about a minute before I heard it in the story, and just started LOLing.

Of course, I was eating breakfast when the cure was explained. Um... yeah, okay, fine, it's natural and stuff, but I really don't like to hear about blood and such while I'm eating.

I enjoyed the story. I found it humorous and relatively accurate in terms of adolescence, at least in my own experience. (My summer camp didn't have vampires, but I did have a friend Sonya. She liked to pull hair. It hurt.)

I too saw the needles as Chekhov's gun.

Also someone noted the change in attitudes to homosexuality between women and men, I took this as not the writer's opinion but just her good writing of her main character. I'm pretty sure adolescent girls would find those kinds of urban myths gross.

I would never accuse this author of homophobia, but I do think you need to pay attention to the unintended side-elements of your work when you write, lest you accidentally send messages other than the one you want to send. In this case, I bet that the author either didn't notice ("Really? You read it that way? Huh... oops.") or decided that it didn't matter ("This story is for adolescent girls, some of which will be gay or bisexual - hence that out lesbian teen - not for boys, so I don't care if someone reads an unfortunate message into my story."). I don't think the author meant it. That doesn't mean it isn't there.

To me I assumed that the difference in attitude was not of a male/female homosexuality attitude, but just a matter of basic health.  I don't think it's unreasonable to be bothered by the ookie cookie while not being bothered by other homosexual encounters, because of the potential for spreading STDs when you take turns eating a cocktail of sex fluids of a bunch of other people about whom you know little or none of their sexual history.

I think it's a combination. To adolescents (which, these days, extends to the mid-20s and later, sadly), female homosexuality is pretty and sexy, while male homosexuality is gross and disgusting. In fact, even among the other 30-year-olds with whom I have lunch on a regular basis, the anti-male-homosexual bias is quite alive and well. Rumors about our CEO are bandied about with impunity, negative stereotypes are used, and in general it's pretty unpleasant. Especially for me, because my best friend in the world since we were six came out to me when we were 19. I'm happy with whatever makes him happy, and in general I'm happy with whatever people do together so long as it does not cause non-consensual harm.

Plus, marketing: marketing using lesbians is HAWT AND SEXAY; marketing using gay guys is seen as EVIL AND WRONG.

I really could go on about this for a long time, but I'll cut it short. I really don't want to fall down this rabbit-hole.

(I happen to be in the southeastern US. Opinions and attitudes differ across the world.)

[Unblinking]

I think it's a combination. To adolescents (which, these days, extends to the mid-20s and later, sadly), female homosexuality is pretty and sexy, while male homosexuality is gross and disgusting. In fact, even among the other 30-year-olds with whom I have lunch on a regular basis, the anti-male-homosexual bias is quite alive and well. Rumors about our CEO are bandied about with impunity, negative stereotypes are used, and in general it's pretty unpleasant. Especially for me, because my best friend in the world since we were six came out to me when we were 19. I'm happy with whatever makes him happy, and in general I'm happy with whatever people do together so long as it does not cause non-consensual harm.

Plus, marketing: marketing using lesbians is HAWT AND SEXAY; marketing using gay guys is seen as EVIL AND WRONG.

I really could go on about this for a long time, but I'll cut it short. I really don't want to fall down this rabbit-hole.

(I happen to be in the southeastern US. Opinions and attitudes differ across the world.)

That's a fair point.  I think sometimes I forget how vastly different attitudes can be in different geographical locations and even one local microcosm versus another.  In all of high school and parts of college, the attitudes were what you described.  At the moment most of my social interaction takes place at the office, where I've worked for 8 years.  I work with two men and one woman who are openly gay, and it's a complete non-issue here as far as I've seen.  (Which is great, but it may skew my expectations of the general population)

[Fenrix]

Unfortunately, the cookie mentioned in this story is a real thing.  I roomed with a guy that was pledging a fraternity, and walked in on such a...ceremony.

Wow, no kidding?  I had a roommate who a fraternity pledge freshman year of college.  He was a shoe-in because his older brother was already a member, but he still had to go through all the initiations and stuff, which were all top secret.  And I'm really glad they were top secret.  I don't want to know about that kind of stuff.  I've heard of other rituals, and those were bad enough (for one of the sororities, the girls were made to hang around the house in their underwear with their fattier bits circled with marker).

I've never really understood the appeal of those groups anyway, and even less so after hearing things like that.

I was not going to be terribly surprised to find the wayward intolerant and ignorant viewpoints about alternative lifestyles here. I just didn't expect it to be about Greek organizations. That brush you are painting with is awful broad...

[Unblinking]

I was not going to be terribly surprised to find the wayward intolerant and ignorant viewpoints about alternative lifestyles here. I just didn't expect it to be about Greek organizations. That brush you are painting with is awful broad...

I was referring to one specific fraternity's and one specific sorority's initiation rituals when I was speaking of details.

I don't believe I need to justify the broad statement that I made:   "I've never really understood the appeal of those groups anyway, and even less so after hearing things like that."  I have never understood the appeal of fraternities and sororities.  I don't see how my lack of understanding implies intolerance.  Sure, lack of understanding is a type of ignorance, but I don't see why it should be a problem for me to declare my lack of understanding.  If you have a different perspective on fraternities and sororities, please share it, and I will appreciate the chance to view another's perspective even if it doesn't appeal to me.

I also don't understand the appeal of professional sports, public arguments about politics, Honey Boo Boo Child, Dane Cook, Will Ferrell, or cottage cheese either.  Is that wrong?