Friday Ephemera

Most people don’t realize how much good direction and showrunning matters;
Which reminds me that I’m still irritated by Blade Runner 2049, which, like the original, had bled me of all interest, such as it was, after about an hour. Someone should tell Mr Villeneuve that a glacial, drama-killing pace does not equal profundity.

To be fair, this should be communicated from fathers in tandem with “always wear your raincoat”.
I was assuming mothers (or grandmothers) might have some additional insight, being womanly and all.

I was assuming mothers (or grandmothers) might have some additional insight,
My advice to my daughters: If he says don’t worry, I’ll pull out in time he may be sincere, but it’s not going to happen.
My advice to my grandsons: If she says don’t worry, [I’m on the pill] [it’s not the time of the month were I can get pregnant] [I know you’ll pull out in time] she may be sincere, but always wear your raincoat.
Advice to both: Don’t sleep with crazy … the experience that night is never worth the days that follow.

Knowing how to identify crazy before it bites would also be useful.
“Society is far more comfortable with teaching women about the dark side of men than vice versa.”

It starts in childhood with both the father and the mother’s advice to the daughter, and it continues into adulthood. I think this is very important because I think the average man puts the average women on a pedestal far more often than vice versa, and men are trained and socialized by both parents to do this from young. Women on the other hand get an education from both parents on how to protect themselves from the dark side of most men from a very young age. “All men want is just one thing.” “Give it up too fast and he won’t stick around.” “He’s just not that into you.” “He won’t buy the cow if he can get the milk for free.” “Don’t let yourself be alone with a guy you barely know.” “All men will cheat given the opportunity.”
Go into the relationship section and see how many relationship books aimed at women warning them about shady men. Book after book about dogs, cheaters, players, emotionally unavailable men, narcissistic men, “Nice Guys” (the apparent latest bogeyman of the dating world), immature men who need to “man up!,” passive aggressive men, verbally abusive men, men who string women along with no intention of committing or marrying, and so forth. Even when women admit that all men don’t fall into the bad categories described in a book or article, they make it clear they found “one of the good ones,” which still implies that the good ones are a minority of what’s out there.
Meanwhile, I don’t think men are capable of even believing the average woman has a dark side. They think only the outliers do. (I believe this is why the Madonna/Whore problem is still prevalent today.) Women are totally fine accepting that the average guy has a dark or unsavory side and that they need to be informed about that, without believing that doing so makes them man-haters. Yet men feel like the mere entertaining of the idea that the average woman (not just the mythical “bad girl”) can have an unsavory side will transform them into instant misogynists.

Because, as above, there will be other victims.
Our bien pensant progressive betters don’t care.

Yet men feel like the mere entertaining of the idea that the average woman (not just the mythical “bad girl”) can have an unsavory side will transform them into instant misogynists.
It always amuses me, and not in a good way, how even very intelligent women (or so my deluded cis male brain has been trained) will be surprised to hear of a nice guy (nice, but too boring and/or socially awkward for they themselves to ever take seriously) falling for the Whore With A Heart Of Gold.

Next up, Woody Allen as Patton.
Well, come to think of it, for several decades, we have had Woody Allen as James Bond . . .

Hal has inspired me. Probably some here have read the following, but it’s Harlan Ellison’s account of him as a writer for Disney. For 1/2 day. It’s “3. Labor Relations”, the third account on the page below. Of the other two, the first is also funny. The second is definitely not.
http://www.harlanellison.com/iwrite/mostimp.htm

Ok, I have to crow a bit. Wanna know who taught Armstrong to land vertically?
Google images “Fred Drinkwater Neil armstrong”