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[Askot Bokbondeler]

by that point "gender issues" would refer to the indecision one feels over which gender to go as to a party

"i really feel like going as a woman this weekend, but i already went as a woman to new year's eve"

Read Changes by Neil Gaiman. I have heard that as it is written by a white cisgendered male it completely misses the point.

i actually already did. didn't have it on my mind when i wrote that, though, but i admit it may have had a role in placing the idea there...

i'm not sure that criticism isn't missing the point though, i think the tale is less about gender issues and more about cultural trends. comparing the trangender people in that tale with current trangender people would be like comparing current gay people and ancient greek homosexual people. while in ancient greece there surelly were homosexual people, that label wouldn't be more pertinent than saying that a person enjoys chocolate, or that a person prefers beer over ale. i'm no historian, but the picture i get is that homosexual intercourse was something that everybody tried before deciding they liked or not, and that there was absolutelly no stigma about it

[Vector]

Women aren't funny.

Good job, bro =/

[G-Flex]

Even from a gender-normative point of view (which makes his points a little more truthful, although I don't think that point of view is healthy, regardless), it's rather silly to be speaking about an entire gender like that as if the only ones who disobey the generalization must be termed "exceptions".


In other news: Why Metroid: Other M is horrible and sexist and depicts an awful, abusive relationship. This article goes into more detail and analysis than most people I've heard speak about the game.

[Truean]

Women aren't funny.

Good job, bro =/

"We nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure...." Ellen Ripley, a female

Honestly, thanks for claiming all forms of humor are somehow male.... Jackass.

I'd really prefer an artificial womb made like this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16637583/ns/health-womens_health/t/hospital-plans-offer-first-uterus-transplant/, to one donated like this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16637583/ns/health-womens_health/t/hospital-plans-offer-first-uterus-transplant/

Aside from the obvious rejection and anti immune drugs, it would be mine.... Also no bio ethics questions about donors, as they very aptly point out, I doubt the organ donors in question considered this before death and it is incredibly personal beyond the point of a liver or something.... At this point, they can't give birth without c section either so.... It actually is a lot like the test tube/vat scenario which is ok I guess, but for $500,000 you'd think that would be considered..... I don't know at all really.... Speaking of that $500,000 price, they've raised questions about how good a choice this is given adoption and surrogacy in light of the risk, resources, and real bio ethical concerns.

While again, Ideally, I'd have just been born a normal woman with all that entails, I'd be more than happy providing a home to an adopted child when the time is right for me, and I would hope, a spouse.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

That's Hitchens for you. He's the kind of person who expresses all their ideas to others, no matter what. I'd condemn him some for being this crass, but he's a little too dying at the moment for me to feel justified in that.

[Pnx]

Women aren't funny.

Good job, bro =/

As something of a comedian this is something I've got a bit of insight into.
Something to understand is that comedy is a method of getting attention, and women seek attention less than guys (although perhaps having a male viewpoint might have skewed my impression of this).
Guys tend to do the whole "who wants to be the alpha male" thing. And comedy is a great way to win over people. It's the people that were most desperate to gain attention growing up that tend to turn to comedy. And I'm not talking about just telling jokes, which is just a hat trick, real comedy is about seeking out that tickle spot in the human psyche that will make people laugh.
Girls seem to avoid being the centre of attention more than guys, possibly because being the centre of attention as a girl can lead to trouble from the other girls, I don't know.
Anyway, point is hardcore comedians grow out of big time attention seekers. You seem to see more male ones than female ones.

Fun fact, I've been told by an anatomy teacher that used to assist on brain surgery, that there's an area of the brain you stimulate that will cause people to tell jokes, and apparently be really really funny.

In other news: Why Metroid: Other M is horrible and sexist and depicts an awful, abusive relationship. This article goes into more detail and analysis than most people I've heard speak about the game.

Yeah... I've never played any Metroid games that weren't 2d, but it sounds like they ruined things even worse than I'd heard third hand.
I liked Samus as a character. She struck me as a cold, hard, focused soldier, who's sexuality would only ever come up if she felt like going "you just got pwned by a woman." Except bragging seems like a step out of character for her.
Then Adam, from Metroid fusion I got the impression he had a drill sergeant attitude, and would as a crowning moment of awesome say something like,
"DID I TELL YOU TO ROLL OVER AND DIE LADY? YOU WILL GET BACK UP SHOW THAT ALIEN WHO'S BOSS AND SAVOUR EVERY GLORIOUS MOMENT OF VICTORY, HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!?"
"y-yes sir."
"SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT LADY!"
"YES SIR!"
But instead of just being tough, he's just an asshole sadist.

[G-Flex]

Then Adam, from Metroid fusion I got the impression he had a drill sergeant attitude, and would as a crowning moment of awesome say something like,
"DID I TELL YOU TO ROLL OVER AND DIE LADY? YOU WILL GET BACK UP SHOW THAT ALIEN WHO'S BOSS AND SAVOUR EVERY GLORIOUS MOMENT OF VICTORY, HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!?"
"y-yes sir."
"SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT LADY!"
"YES SIR!"

Judging by the original games, Samus is not the kind of character who would ever, ever need that to be said to her.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Yes, but if I've got this right Metroid: Other M takes place very early in the timeline, so Samus could plausibly not be "hardened" like in later games.

[G-Flex]

No, it takes place after Metroid, Metroid II, Super Metroid, at least some of the Prime series, and I forget what else. I think the only game that takes place after Metroid: Mother of Maternal Moms is Fusion.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Oh, well nevermind then, it's completely stupid in that case.

[Pnx]

Judging by the original games, Samus is not the kind of character who would ever, ever need that to be said to her.

I dunno, in fusion she had a couple of "Oh shit, I'm fucked" moments. Which she did just bounce out of.
But anyway, I still thought he'd be a... yeknow, supportive support character.
The other thing is that while I can picture Samus having a masochistic attitude to being bossed around, I sort of figured the story would be more like:
Commanding Officer does not like Samus, bosses her around and is more than a little mean to her.
CO begrudgingly goes on missions with Samus They go through some tough scrapes, and after saving each other's lives, and somewhere between saving the world and discovering the true meaning of friendship. They gain a close bond. "Lady" then become a bit of an in-joke. CO sacrifices himself to save the story. Samus = sadface.

[G-Flex]

Yeah, I can see a tough/independent character like that having respect for someone with a no-nonsense, get-things-done kind of attitude. As it is, though, he's an abusive dick and she's bizarrely obsessed with him.

[Vector]

... I am enjoying this conversation =)  Carry on~

[G-Flex]

All I have left to say is that it's a very good example of how not to write well, how not to develop a character, and how not to write for a video-game in particular.

The prior Metroid games are also a good example of how characterization can be strong even if it's virtually entirely implicit. If you play, say, the first three Metroid games (NES, Game Boy, SNES), there's barely any text or dialogue (the only text I remember is her little monologue at the beginning of Super Metroid) and the story is very sparse. Regardless of that, though, characterization still occurs through the implications of the character's actions. For example, she's going off, presumably alone, on extremely dangerous missions where she doesn't even have contact with the outside world (strictly speaking she might, but if she does it's inconsequential), and so forth. It's a good example, albeit somewhat unintentionally, of how you can create a story and a character without needing dialogue at all, or even any characters associated with the protagonist at all (aside from villains in this case). Again, that's really just an artifact of the nature of videogames, especially back then, but people interested in film and literature could probably learn from it.

[Truean]

What's especially bad about this is that Samus was one of the first if not the first major gender equality movement in gaming.

Hey, yeah you.... You think that video game is really fun and cool too huh? Well here, type in the password "Jason Bailey" and you'll see that hero you admired so much and thought was so cool was a girl.... You can now play as her and you were always playing as her but couldn't see her inside her armor. The game is otherwise exactly the same. Same cool stuff to do, same exact hero, except now you know that hero happens to be female....

And what the hell is anyone's legit problem with that? Trick question, there is no legit problem with that....

It all proves a god damn point, video games, even the "shoot 'em up" kind, don't have to follow the "male hero saves helpless girl who gets kidnapped way too freaking much," formula to be successful and fun. Further, You don't have to go out of your way to make a video game "about a girl." Samus is the same as all the others, in the same role, and she does just fine in it.  Now, what do you suppose that means...?

Along comes another "boss" figure who "knows how to write" and is correct ultimately because "he's in charge." Never mind logic, never mind history that made this one of the most successful video game brands, the boss knows better and if you disagree, you're fired. <--This is the tyrant's argument being made by a tyrant.... You, o wise boss, know better because you're just that god damn great. We have a saying where I'm from for people like this, "one day you'll get sick and die...."

If the new developers on the new Metroid series wanted to add depth to the game that's fine, except that's not really what they did here. They added material that contradicts previous games. Samus was independent and went through the entire series without anyone else. She proved she could operate in the face of adversity alone without breaking down.... Here, eh... that appears to be exactly what she's doing now. Crap, she's unsure of herself and needs some moron telling her what to do.... We've solved the mystery of what Samus needed to be even more effective.... [sigh]