tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6260931.post9141640833289229529..comments2023-07-21T09:44:54.150-04:00Comments on My Defective Life: Sometimes a Rose is Just a Rose (and a Zombie's Just a Zombie): A Critique of the article "Hell is Older People"Lindy Loohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08157095992986439072noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6260931.post-59190837920079610862010-04-18T00:08:24.237-04:002010-04-18T00:08:24.237-04:00Alana:
Apologies for misspelling your name, but I...Alana:<br /><br />Apologies for misspelling your name, but I super appreciate you taking the time to comment! (It's nice to actually have a dialogue about these topics rather than just ranting into a vacuum, and I really do appreciate you taking the time to open that door.) <br /><br />I agree with you about word allowances (I've struggled with the same--it's tricky to really flesh out your points when only allotted so any words, especially when you're trying to tackle a bunch of films in a short short time).<br /><br />And ultimately, even though we may disagree about sexism/ageism in some of the horror flicks you mentioned, your article WAS clearly a success (and also a clearly interesting and engaging critique) for the sole reason that it got me really thinking about the horror movies I watch and it impassioned me enough for me to write a lengthy blog post about it. And that's the best kind of writing: one that opens a dialogue. So, even though we may disagree, I'm glad I read your critique since it got me looking at horror flicks in a slightly different light.<br /><br />And again: I really do appreciate you commenting. So often, responses to blog-posts are just defensive and screechy, so I really WAS pleased to see the care you took with your comment.<br /><br />Keep on writing. I look forward to reading more of your stuff. And I promise to spell your name right if I end up writing another impassioned critique in the future. ; )Lindy Loohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08157095992986439072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6260931.post-81441898776768837472010-04-16T14:00:38.786-04:002010-04-16T14:00:38.786-04:00I wrote the article in question, and I don't e...I wrote the article in question, and I don't entirely disagree with your critique. While I stand by my claim that horror movies exploit sexist and ageist stereotypes, I recognize that these stereotypes originate in mainstream culture, not in horror movies specifically (although obviously horror movies are one part of mainstream culture). As you rightly noted, the point of horror movies is to scare us, so they can reveal a lot about our collective fears. I meant to use horror movies as a vehicle for exploring the whacked (anti-woman, anti-old) fears that preoccupy us as a society, but perhaps this angle was expressed too subtly in my piece.<br /><br />Actually, I think the over-the-top and camp elements in certain horror movies like Dead Alive and Drag Me to Hell give them a lot of potential for satirizing our irrational fears. In an unpublished review of Drag Me to Hell which inspired the piece in Bitch, I wrote: <br /><br />"There’s nothing remarkable about either stereotype—destitute old lady or evil crone—or about Mrs. Ganush’s rapid shift between them. Old women get shoved into the powerless/too-powerful dichotomy all the time in popular culture. What is remarkable is Drag Me to Hell’s subtle send-up of these stereotypes. It’s hard to take seriously the apparently ageist and misogynistic representation of Mrs. Ganush when the film mocks so many other horror movie conventions with hilarious flamboyance: psychos lurking in underground parkades, midnight exhumations, séances, and grotesque violence towards pets. The characterization of Mrs. Ganush is just as self-consciously excessive." <br /><br />Believe me, I have nothing against horror movie buffs (my best friend is one--he's also one of the raddest pro-feminists I know). I also have nothing against you for critiquing my article. Part of my problem, I think, is that I'm still learning to make the most of limited word allowances, and sometimes the subtleties of my argument may get lost in the editing crunch. I'll keep your feedback in mind as I write and publish--I hope--many more pieces of feminist cultural critique.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Alana Prochuk <br />(note the friendly spelling correction)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6260931.post-43569245502572320062010-02-22T10:51:16.370-05:002010-02-22T10:51:16.370-05:00Yeah, that reference has been put to death in abou...Yeah, that reference has been put to death in about a trazillion different things to the point that it's just part of the lexicon anyways, but I kind of blame sartre for that for writing something so pat and easily quotable. =)Lindy Loonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6260931.post-32017895127425998892010-02-22T09:54:26.420-05:002010-02-22T09:54:26.420-05:00"So ultimately, I'm not even sure how to ...<i>"So ultimately, I'm not even sure how to respond to this article, other than with a "Seriously?" and also a "Duh."</i><br /><br />And a 1700-word blog post ;-)<br /><br />Me, I'm indignant at their title, an awful play on a Sartre quote.Jill (Lady Lazarus)https://www.blogger.com/profile/01517127238408584830noreply@blogger.com