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By Jordana Franklin • 11 years ago

Great Expectations

In response to the recent Daniel Tosh rape joke controversy, many people brought up the issue of expectation. They argued that people are not entitled to complain about a comedian’s brand of humour because they decided to watch it and should know what to expect. We apply such logic on a regular basis. It dictates, among other things, which televisions shows we choose to tune into and which we choose to bypass. It is why I avoid the inherent sexism found in shows like Manswers.  However, it is with this same level of expectation that we may let certain comments on our favourite shows slip by undetected.

 

Since it began in 2000, Gilmore Girls has been my feel good show of choice. A few months back, I popped in a season five DVD I had watched countless times. Yet for the first time, I caught the main character Lorelai, known for her quick-witted banter, say the following:

LORELAI: Okay. But I’m warning you. If I call and tell her, and then you change your mind and you want to back out, we’re going to have to leave the country. And have extensive facial surgery, and sex changes. Both of us, so that we can, you know, kiss and not look funny.

Between all her fast talking charm, I had repeatedly let that line go unnoticed. It made me question, what other blatant examples of homophobia had I missed? And which bigoted statements am I ignoring on ...
By Jordana Franklin • 11 years ago

Do we need a new word for feminism?

A SYTYCB entry

In 2011, actress Melissa Leo became the first person in broadcast history to use the F-bomb during the Academy Awards. She blurted it out shortly after a character created by notable feminist Aaron Sorkin described a swear word as a term he doesn’t use in front of women while a curious internet user asked his online community whether or not it is illegal to swear in front of women and children in public. (Answer: No, but more importantly, would those groups still be allowed off the Titanic first?) Although Leo’s acceptance speech helped dispel the belief that women are too chaste for such words, she recently declared her rejection of another F-word: feminism.

A few months earlier, an ...

A SYTYCB entry

In 2011, actress Melissa Leo became the first person in broadcast history to use the F-bomb during the Academy Awards. She blurted it out shortly after a character created by notable feminist Aaron Sorkin ...