culture 'n stuff

Far from being comprised of a homogenous row of white bread loaves *G*, my f-list is filled with a variety of personalities. On a weekly basis, I get from you guys all sorts of topics, including:

Ballet
Belly-dancing
Conservative perspective
Education about Palestine
Education about Israelis
Black PoC giving their two cents (using "black" because hey, Charlize Theron is also an African-American)
Asian and Asian-American PoC giving their two cents
Education about Irish rebels
Squeeing over blockbuster movies
Australian politics
Neoconservative perspective
Radical liberal perspective
Feminism
Torchwood
Anime
Classic literature
Porn, tentacle and otherwise
Independent film recs and analysis
Education about medical conditions I've hardly heard of
Dispatches from depression and mental illness
GLBT concerns
Actual pirate history
Costuming design and sewing
Military life
Legal analysis
The daily life of paramedics
Cooking!
Drawing and other artwork creation
History discussion
Moderate political stances
Cat care
The politics of teaching
The circuitous ins and outs of financing college these days
Marketing and PR
Jack
Diane
Two American kids doing the best that they can

But you see my point. If you have 5 minutes, list some of the issues you've learned something about through LiveJournal thanks to your diverse (and appreciated) f-list. Even if you're just surfing by and not part of my f-list or vice versa. :-)

Like, I TOTALLY should've gotten an Oscar

NOW I remember why I don't watch TV on Sunday afternoon. There's not much on anyway, and heaven help you if you stop on MSNBC and its "true crime" programs. *shudder*

Like the one I'm watching now, that's basically a trainwreck I can't look away from. This young couple gets together and eventually marries - but before they even marry, the husband has abused and raped and killed two teenage girls, and the wife has helped out by drugging them (and there were more than didn't end up dying). One of the murdered girls was the wife's 15-year-old sister - who she drugged for the husband as a "Christmas present" in 1990.

Cut to videos every so often of the wife talking during a psychiatric evaluation how she didn't willingly do any of this - how she did it basically to get along and not piss her husband off further into abusing her more. Going on how she "was, like, really good at hiding the abuse." PAH. UGH. BLECH.

Now what angers me about this, other than the obvious offense I feel on behalf of the raped and murdered girls, is this twinkie defense of the wife's. "Wahhhh, I was being abused! Wahhh, I had to save myself!" Bitch, I've KNOWN true abused women - lots of them. I worked with a few. You've just fucked over any sympathy they might get from some of the viewers of this program, who don't already know abused women themselves.

There are abused women who turn a blind eye to their partners abusing their children, or refuse to believe them. This is true. But many, MANY more are inspired to leave as soon as they see this happening, because while they might be willing to put up with it personally, they don't want to see their children (or perhaps by extension, a younger sibling?) treated this way. And, though I have contempt for women who turn a blind eye, it isn't quite the same as actively participating in the systematic degradation and killing your husband enjoys doing.

Another reason I don't believe Bitch's story is because a lot of this happened before they were ever married. I'm well aware of the number of women who marry men who are already abusing them, but there's a much bigger number who don't see those "true colors" until after the I Do's. Divorce is expensive and a pain in the ass - but why couldn't Bitch have just gotten away from him before they married? She had parents who could help, who by all accounts were fine until their younger daughter was murdered (the death at the time was ruled choking on her own vomit after drinking too much and passing out from Christmas liquor - liquor laced with drugs her sister gave her from a veterinary clinic). Best of all, she had no legal or financial obligations to get out of by breaking up with Asshole.

Here's what I would do: Bitch needs her clit clipped off and force-fed to her, right behind the asshole's balls. He can snack on his own penis, preferably while still attached (I have no problem with breaking his spine to make this possible). Yes, I am vindictive - have you met me?

sort of intrigued

HEE! I had absolutely no interest in the "Fame" remake until I just saw a new commercial and recognized Bebe Neuwirth and Megan Mullally as teachers. And it turns out Kelsey Grammer is in it, too!

Damn. I may have to see this, either a matinee or a DVD rental ...