Horror Movies

Who likes Horror Movies?

Besides myself, obviously.

Anyone? Anyone at all?  Do you notice a pattern with certain films?

For example, Friday the 13th has campers who are usually sexually promiscuous and who die in number of gruesome ways.  Of course, the one survivor is the one girl who abstains from sex or alcohol.

Jason X (2002) was a weird addition...with Jason in space...what was...why even?...I have no words for it.

Actually, the less said about any film after the 1984 Jason film the better. Just, no. No.

There are other movies that are, thankfully, better made plot wise.  Sleepy Hollow (1999), The Blair Witch Project (1999), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), to name a few.  Of course, not all female roles include being a helpless damsel or being the "good girl". 

But they are meant to show terror. To show fear.

These films are made to scare and terrorize, to make us squirm and tremble.  There are people who like being scared.  Some want the "closeness" of a date at the movies, you know, the stereotypical girl cuddles with guy because she's scared.

But why can't it be the other way around?  Men can be scared.  That's okay.  It shows that they're not macho robots.  Fear is a good thing.  Reminds us that we are not invincible and that we are human. 

I like to think that fear humble us, keeps us from thinking we are more than human, more than flesh and blood.

And I think that is one of our greatest strengths: being able to live and act and accomplish amazing things even in the face of fear.

Do you disagree?

Stalking Youtube...

So, I decided to stalk YouTube today.  I couldn't decide what to focus on, what topic to bring up.

I liked discussing the What Would You Do video I posted yesterday and thought, "hmm, what else is there?"

Thus, the stalking. 

Now, I'm sure many of you know how to use the search function on YouTube.  I decided to make a random pick and when I added "wwyd" into the search bar, imagine my surprise when I spotted "abusive boyfriend" among the choices.

Well, I found my topic.  Which is actually something I find lumped together with Domestic Violence, which is not always the case.  Or at least, not always as it is defined.  What I find especially disheartening is that many victims of abuse find themselves isolated and alone. 

However, in the video the female victim has a number of people willing to come to her defense.  But this is a scenario where the abuse is happening in public.  Who helps her then? Who would be willing to help her? Behind closed doors, the situation is different. 

The abuser has more power, more control.  What does he have to fear his power being undermined or taken from him?  The abused has no reprieve, no relief.  There is no freedom.  There is no choice, merely the illusion of one. 

Anything can happen, anything at all, and the abused would be too dependent and too afraid to resist.  But out in the open, events work differently. 

This is the "expected" norm. Woman abused + public = "HERO HELPERS"!!!

But what if the roles were reversed?

Men are, sadly, not given the same consideration as their female counterparts.

Men are just as vulnerable to abuse. 

The problem is that men are emasculated in our society.  They are taught that it is shameful to be weak.  That, to be anything, but "a man", is to be ridiculed and humiliated.  It is the same as saying "boys should not play with dolls." 

The Double Standard.  At. It's. Finest. 

Men can be hurt.  Women can be hurt.  But why are we concerned only with the latter when both suffer, when both can be victims?

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, consider these sources:

National Domestic Violence Hotline

http://domestic-violence.laws.com/domestic-violence-hotline

WWYD - A Sexy Female/Male Noobie Bartender Are Been Sexually Harassed By...

Today, I had to attend a class seminar for work. 

The main topic was sexual harassment.  It's company policy.  But why?  Why is this still a thing? It should be common courtesy to be able to go to work and not have to worry about being harassed.  Men and women should not have to suffer at work because of individuals who don't know the meaning of the word "no". 

It's not that hard a concept to understand.  No means no.

But it doesn't end there.  It's still a thing in the work force.  In the video above, What Would You Do is a television show that conducts a number of social experiments to see what would happen in public with certain scenarios.

This video is specific to sexual harassment for both genders.  I like that it shows that not only are women vulnerable to sexual harassment but men as well.  We seem to have this misconception that men are not vulnerable to unwanted sexual advances. 

I'm kind of concerned that we need to be reminded of what qualifies as "Sexual Harassment".  That was the first slide of the presentation. Do you know the definition of sexual harassment? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry or scream. 

That was the power of my disbelief.  People need to be reminded what sexual harassment is. 

It makes me frightened.  If people are not aware or do nothing in the face of sexual harassment, what about when actions escalate?  Will you react then?  Will you do nothing then?  When it's probably too late?

This brings back a memory of my time in undergrad, where the police chief had advised us to scream, "fire!" or carry a whistle if we ever felt we were at risk for assault.  He explained that we had a higher chance of help coming to us than if we screamed, "rape!"

What kind of society do we live in that a fire is more likely to gain attention than assault?  What kind of country do we live in if we are willing to endure sexual harassment for a pay check? 

At some point, we will have no choice but look upon the horror we've inflicted upon ourselves and wonder...

What. Have. We. Done?

And is it too late to fix it...

   

Call Me Crazy, Diary of a Mad Social Worker

Today I had the privilege of going to see a show called "Call Me Crazy, Diary of a Mad Social Worker". 

It starts with a Social Worker named Lewis, who has a nervous breakdown and tries to kill her boss.  She is committed for psychiatric observation and recounts her life experiences working with prostitutes, drug addicts and prisoners.

Call Me Crazy is an entirely unique outlook at the experiences of social workers by showcasing 25 characters from addicts to women with menopause.  It's a chance insight of the life of social workers, who work to save one life at a time. 

My mother bought the tickets because she's a social worker and she really wanted to see it.  I agreed. I like these kind of shows.  Now, I don't want to give out any details and spoil it but I will say that it is worth the time to go see.  These are the types of shows that are never the same.  Each one is unique and special, in its own way.

This one was hilariously funny, loud, engaging, and honest. 

My mother would come home from work with various stories about her day.  About students fighting or exposing themselves.  About students who stole from teachers or threatened teachers.  She had stories about "clients" (not inmates), who would bring weapons to locations or times she was attacked by dogs.

This show highlighted the life of social workers.  It showcased the experiences that social workers go through on a daily basis.  From difficult and dangerous clients to incompetent and hostile co-workers.  It expressed the hardship of separating the personal and work, of the low pay and scarce thanks.

Social Workers are vulnerable to PTSD. 

Social Workers are paid low to medium wage (if they're lucky). 

Social Workers are often denied pay raises and funding.

Social Workers put their lives on the line everyday.

This show is powerful in its honestly and in the reality that it reflects. 

It was moving and funny.  I laughed at frightening accurate impressions and cried at those that were heartbreaking true.

Call Me Crazy is not just a play.  It's not just poetry out loud for social workers.  It is an example of the lives of real people.  People who have a wide range of experiences about sex, family, life, and work.  About people who have been stalked by pimps and sex offenders.  About people who have been held hostage or been threatened and attacked.

These are people who are paid less than school teachers, and who try to make a difference.  Because these are people who know the meaning of being human, of treating someone like a person and not a label.  These are individuals who sacrifice their own safety and peace of mind to try and help others.  

They're crazy. Undoubtedly.  But, you have to be crazy to care so damn much.

When you get the chance, this is something you should definitely see.

Cinderella

Well now, this post was started by the movie...which I am also watching as I make this post. 

It is actually my favorite film out of the entire Cinderella fandom.  This is because of a number of reasons (not including the fact that Richard Madden, who also played Robb Stark from Game of Thrones, is paying the prince. Definitely not. Not at all. Nope.).

(That smile...)

ANYWAY!!!! Moving on...

This film hit a number of high points.  The prince character was fleshed out.  There is depth to the Prince beyond  the "Charming" bit.  Which I think means a great deal for men and women, all around.  Men are not competing with an imagined idea of the perfect "prince", and women are not fantasizing about a person that cannot realistically exist.  Two dimensionally characters do not transfer well to reality.  I'm sure they'd melt or something.

By most favorite part of the film is that both female and male leads have obstacles that they have to overcome before they can get their happily ever after.  This, I find, is consistent with what we face now.  We all have problems and obstacles that block our way to the happiness we strive for.  Sometimes those obstacles may even be our family and their expectations for us.  Other times, it is the expectations we think is expected of us. 

Did the prince not think he had to marry for advantage? Did Ella not think she could never find love, much less with a prince?

The most powerful of the film, I like to think, is that almost missed message: you can't do it alone.  When the "prince" meet his "honest, country girl", she imparted onto him a lesson of power and strength.  Just as the Fairy Godmother helped Ella make it to the ball. 

We are all people with strength we don't think we have.  Only we as individuals can take the journey before us.  But that does not mean we have to take it alone or that we won't need help along the way. 

In the end of the film, the newly crowned king rescues his intended bride from her tower prison.  But it was Cinderella who saved herself, her dignity and it was she who walked away with her head held high. 

We may not be born princes and princesses but that does not mean we cannot be just as noble or as graceful or as kind or as dignified. 

All of us have the capacity for greatness, so long as we are willing to reach for it.

The word, "Babe".

Hello Everyone!

How has your day been? Good? Okay? Amazingly Awesome? I hope so. Well, better than my day, at least.

I had an interesting experience at work today.  My job consist of inputting individuals into a system, then giving them a temporary I.D. to work in the building.  After I "signed" this one individual into the system, he said, "thanks babe."

...Babe...

...As if we were in any way remotely familiar with each other.  This person was old enough to be older than my father but not quite my grandfather.  So, I was highly unhappy...actually I was just down right uncomfortable.

Do old guys seriously still say "babe"? To women they don't know? Really?! What the hell?!

My dad uses that when he talks to my mother...his wife of 15 years.  She loves it. Makes her feel loved, she says.  Which I cant argue.

Because...15 Years...

Jeez!

I'm impressed, jealous and frustrated when they tag team because then I can never find a good argument beyond, "because". 

On the flip side...

...I do not like being compared to a pig.

I. Am. NOT. Pork!

How is this a thing!!?!?

How did this even go from toddlers to describing attractive women (and men)?!

So, according to dictionary.com, the term originated in 1150-1200, during the Middle English period. 

And tells me someone, somewhere down the line, heard someone else use it as a term of endearment or something and decided to be a jerk and butcher it. 

Which does not surprise me...considering "bootylicious" is in the dictionary.

Introduction

Hello Everyone!

My first post! How exciting!

Let start right off the bat. My name is Krystal and I'm from the garden state, New Jersey.  It's a lovely little state and no, the people from Jersey Shore do NOT represent me or the rest of Jersey residents.  Please, no comparisons. 

Here is my greatest statement to you all: I. Am. A. Woman.

Clear enough?

I am a woman.  I have a face. I have a heart.  I am person. 

Are you a person?  Do you look into a mirror each morning and recognize the face staring back at you? Does your heart beat I your chest? Then, you must be a person, too.

You must be important to someone.  You must hold something of value, to yourself. To others. Does that mean all people are equal?

No.

No, they are not. 

There is no equality.  Not all people are treated equal.  Not all people have the right to free speech, to vote, to protest their government. 

No.

In this world, there is no Equality.

Equality is a lie.

Because we made it that way. 

Because women are beaten and raped and shamed.  Because men are allowed to do this and are applauded.  Because child brides are real.  Because female genital mutilation is real. 

Where is your Compassion, Humanity?  Is that, too, dead? Mutilated? Raped? Sold to the richest buyer?

I'm tired.  So, very, tired.  Tired of looking over my shoulder after dark.  Of being told the rules on how not to be raped.  Of suspecting every man who comes up to me of being a potential rapist.  Of reading stories about campus rape, and date rape, and everything in between. 

Is that wrong? To want to be able to go out and fear for my safety? Is that too much to ask?

But the movement against rape, against inequality, and the rights of women, seems frighteningly...quiet...

Why?