Someone asked a while back what a US female president's husband's name
would be. In Frederick Pohl's _Coming of the Quantum Cats_, an answer (if
not the answer) is provided. In one of the alternative universes, Nancy
Reagan was President, and next to her (always looking attentive
and dapper) was the "First Gentleman" Ronnie.I liked the title. Wonder
when it will happen.
In another thread someone brought up the gender differences in perception
on Antonia's Line. Simular experiences occured here in Canada, with some
(male) reviewers criticising it for its "anti-male" stance. As the person
who first raised the question astutely pointed out, Antonia's Line is
definitely not anti-male as most of the male characters are sympathetic.
There is absolute criticism of one of them (the incestuous pedophile) but
how critque-ing such a chararacter reduces to anti-male is difficult to
see.
What I think many (definitely not all) men found "anti-male" is the
overall vision of Antonia's Line is b/c male characters are far more
periferal than usual. Goodness knows, women are used to this.Imagine,
males can simply be used to make you pregnant, in the example of Antonia's
daughter, while your real emotional and sexual life is centered
on an other women! Or an attentive man's proposal is turned down b/c you
don't want to be lumbered with his children, but happily sleep with him
anyway. Men can be used (and are quite happy so to be used). The horror,
the horror! I really think (some) men do percieve themselves as the
center of the universe, and thus percieve any movie that has the gall to
place them on the margins as anti-male. What they are suffering from is
delusions of absolute importance, and so lash out irrationally when anyone
challenges this vision, a challenge that AL posited beautifully. On the
whole, this attitude is pathetic (although its also worrying).
I wonder if AL can be seen in the context of Feminist Utopias? It is after
all a strongly matriarchical society, with female autonomy a given
postulate, female intelligence assumned, with a wide range of sexual
behaviors not only tolerated but celebrated (ranging from the earth
mother type who adores being pregnant, to casual sex and not so casual
sex, to commited Lesbain relationships) and individuals being
allowed to act as individuals while always being accepted within this
community, while forces threatening this world from the outside are dealt
with with the violence that frequently characterises all utopias.
Hurrah, what a movie! Anyone know who directed it?
Tanya.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu May 25 2000 - 19:07:40 PDT