I like pink

It was raining yesterday after class, so I took out my umbrella and opened it.

I managed to get the attention of the girls immediately, who pointed out that my umbrella was pink. My reply was: I don't like to conform to gender stereotypes. +1 to intellectual enlightenment, for me at least.

How do colors get ascribed gender associations? On a separate note, I'm thinking of dyeing my hair bubblegum pink ala Tonks (from Harry Potter - coolest female character in the series).

Gender and dietary preferences

I was just talking to a friend about gender stereotypes the other day, and she asked if I was a "grass-eating boy". I gave her a blank stare and replied, "I'm an omnivore."

It turned out that she wasn't referring to dietary preferences. "Grass-eating boys", or herbivorous guys is a term used to describe a new generation of guys in Japan possessing inherently different qualities and outlooks (in life) from the previous generation, and has been gaining increasing salience in pop culture literature. Essentially, it refers to guys who are apparently lacking in sexual appetite (comparatively), less competitive, and prefer leading a quieter life. It seems that the decade (now 2 decades) since the bursting of the bubble economy in Japan has led to an increasing sense of disillusionment and much soul-searching amongst the population, especially the males, who were the hardest hit by the effects of the economic malaise. Jolted from their bastion of dominance (no doubt padded by the huge swarthes of money swimming around during the bubble era), it seems that the new generation has realized that satisfaction, and happiness can indeed be derived through other channels apart from money. Interestingly though, rather than praise the more enlightened characteristics of these guys, various social commentators have instead labelled this as a sign of increasing"weakness".

Correspondingly, with the emergence of a new herbivorous creature on the gender food chain, a new group of younger women have also evolved accordingly to balance it: "meat-eating girls" or carnivorous females. It doesn't take much to figure out the characteristics of these females: they are generally more assertive, sexually, emotionally and relationship-wise. Given a world where gender equality rapidly gaining traction and widespread attraction, this term seems rather derogatory, and somewhat ironic.

You can read more about them in the following pages: Herbivorous males: Here, here, here, here; Carnivorous females: here, here; Both: here

Is this is a new trend, and is it something unique to just Japan? I'm not too sure; it seems excessively similar to an existing term in the lexicon known as "sensitive new age guy", better known as the SNAG. Perhaps the turning vegetarian is one step further in the evolution (devolution?) of the male gender species.

As for me, I still love my mix of meat and veggies, thank you very much.

Thoughts on "Can't we Talk" by Deborah Tannen

Decided to type out some scribbles I wrote on the hard copy of the article by Deborah Tannen. The article can be found here. The scribbles are rather technical in nature though, and pertains more to the way the author structures her essay than to the content/arguments she raises.

1. The first point of contention I have is with the author herself (nothing personal, just biological, and perhaps sociological): She purports to highlight the difference between men and women, yet if the premise that men and women speak/view/act differently holds, then wouldn't her analysis/interpretation about men's views be inaccurate in this article too?

2. I like the introduction; she provides an anecdote that is humorous, interesting and yet relevant to the topic of discussion in the article to catch the reader's attention.

3. She adds a disclaimer right after she introduces the main argument/point of the article, which I thought was also another good move, since this creates a sense of "objectivity" to the reader, which then results in the reader accepting the arguments in the article more easily instead. However, it would be good to note that she does not raise the point again until right at the end.

4. Good use of sub-headers for clarity of points.

5. I like the way she structures each contrasting point of comparison made: point, anecdote, linkage back to the bigger picture. It provides a clear and concise understanding of the point to be conveyed in the paragraph. In addition, the frequent use of personal anecdotes (either self or friends) creates a "casual" atmosphere allows the reader to build a connection with the reader, creating a "feel good" effect which makes the reader less critical and more likely to be agreeable to the points raised, especially if they identify with the point.

6. Interestingly though, despite the use of sub-headers throughout, she does not create one for the conclusion, which sort of makes the transition from point to concluding remarks slightly messy.

7. The concluding remarks was excellent though, providing a succinct summary of the article's main thrust and it significance on society, which would leave an indelible impression on the reader, even if he/she does not really agree with some of the points raised. After all, the introduction and conclusion are the most significant aspects of an article.

What men/women want

I'm sure everyone has seen this advertisement by now. If not, you probably should have been spending the last year or so hiding out in a tunnel somewhere in the Afghan border.

In any case, this advertisement is an excellent example of the vast amount of audio-visual material that inform and reinforce the perception that men and women are different. In this case, what gets them screaming like rabid Twilight fangirls catching a glimpse of Robert Pattinson. With such heavy promotion (overt or otherwise) of such a viewpoint, it makes one wonder if the "innate" differences we seem to recognize instinctively is actually real, or just a manifestation of the false consciousness. Hohoho.

I'm very sure though, that Heineken doesn't make me jump for joy.

Clucking and Quacking

Why do we not understand each other?

We ask ourselves this question almost everyday. This issue becomes infinitely (almost) more acute when it comes to issues with the opposite gender. A frustrating experience which I'm sure everyone is familiar with.

Do men and women really speak different languages? The issues of power covered in Political Science (which I am majoring in) seem comparatively simple compared to those dealing with gender communication. Hopefully the next few months will shed some light, and provide a better understanding of the situation. In this period, I will also attempt to to add a personal touch through the sharing of anecdotes accumulated from the last 3 and a 1/2 years in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).