Snow, Fish, and Gender-Reversals

[lydamorehouse]

We finally got some snow on Saturday -- about two inches. Global warming pisses me off, because I feel like Mason gets denied the pleasure of Midwest winters. The memories I have of winter involve snow by Thanksgiving that stayed until March. December snow was best for building forts because the temperatures were mild and the snow was melty. Mason has yet to build a snow-person because there's either no snow, or (like today) the temperatures are sub-zero (not the best for a toddler/pre-schooler.)

Despite the temps, I bundled Mason up on Saturday morning to go play in the snow. We were outside no more than ten minutes when he announced that it was too cold. Turns out he's also caught a headcold, so he's been snuffling. He's even worked his cold into the "story of going to sleep." Last night when he answered the phone for the zookeeper, he said, "Achoo, Hello, Achoo!"

Poor little guy. At least he's got a well developed sense of humor.

As for the fish, well, the saga continues. The downstairs tank seems to be 100 percent stable, but in a fit of fish hobbiest enthusiasm I allowed the friendly guy at A World of Fish to sell me six neon tetras and a dwarf gouramie for our upstairs "hospital tank." That's been interesting, if only because Shawn finds the gouramie (now named "Dip") creepy. Admittedly, he's one of those Amazon River fish that looks a bit like a piranha -- flat and bug-eyed and he tends to hide behind things (apparently both neons and gouramies are shy fish--*sigh*)

We lost one neon already (combination of new tank syndrome and a bout of "ick"), and the thing Mason was most upset about was that he didn't get to flush it. I would have waited for him, but I found the neon stuck to the bio fliter in the morning along with some un-eaten shrimp and I just couldn't stand how gross it all looked.

Mason has developed his own ritual for flushing. He says, "You were a good fish. Gucci-gucci!" When asked what gucci-gucci means, he said "it's nonsense, ima." Personally, I think it's a kind of toddler benediction. Works for me.

I've taken the advice of carrying a book from room to room and I've been able to read a hundred pages of CARNIVAL by Elizabeth Bear. It's interesting so far. I ended up talking about it with fellow writer April last night, because she had just been to see the Science Museum's exhibit on race. One of the background tidbits in CARNIVAL is that at some point in Earth history an eco-plague of some kind wiped out the entire Northern Hemisphere. So, basically in the future there are no white people. So far that hasn't really figured much into the main plot -- although it adds tension because our heros are gay, and given that the majority of the people in the Southern Hemisphere are either Muslim or Catholic, being gay is a crime that can result in "culling" (death.) The main issue is gender politics, though. I'm struggling with that... if only because I have a strange reaction to role-reversal stories. Bear has agreed to let me interview her, so I'll get to find out authorial intent.

My main problem with role-reversal stories is what I call the "titilation factor." There are things that authors can do to men, that if done to women, would send most feminists into a fit of screaming heebie-geebies. This is includes treating men like cattle, property, whatever. I realize that's kind of the point, but I often find myself think that this is done not to make the reader uncomfortable with women's roles in today's society but as a kind of almost B&D turn-on. I suspect that much of my reaction come from the fact that it works for me... :-)

Anyway, the book is quite good, regardless. Shawn, Mason and I went to Uncle Hugo's this weekend about I picked up two other books that are on the Philip K. Dick short list. I got RECURSION by Tony Ballantyne and CATALYST by Nina Kirki Hoffman.

Comments

How was it?

[(Anonymous)]

The science museum display on race, that is. One of the people in charge is a recent PhD from Shawn's own program at UM. I actually contributed to it in a minor way and I've heard good things about it from others.

No white people in the Southern Hemisphere? Was this book set about 1200 AD? No one tell New Zealand or Australia or South Africa or lots and lots of folks from South America that there aren't any white people down there nowadays.

Gouramis are cool. There used to be giant gouramis out at the MN zoo--they are probably the size of a poodle. I suggest blue gouramis: they are slightly bigger than the one you have and quite a bit smaller than a poodle.

jpj

Re: How was it?

[lydamorehouse]

I didn't see the exhibit myself; April did. She took her nieces and the place was packed (the Science Museum offered free admission for MLK Day), so she says she'd like to go back.

As for Bear's book -- I should have said "few" white people, but her point was that white is the minority in this future.

As for gouramis - the zoo still has the giant ones. I did get a blue one (powder blue, no less) so I guess you and the guy at A World of Fish are on the same wave-length.

Re: How was it?

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Actually, no, there are no Caucasians. Period. ;-) I thought that was adequately exposited, but I guess not. It's not just the northern hemisphere that was culled. Although that was the first stage.

And really? S&M turn on? Huh. Like a John Norman thing?

It never would have occurred to me actually. Now I'm afraid I'm a grave disappointment to you.

Actually, I wanted to comment on and extrapolate from some of the tropes explored in the feminist SF of the 1970's (Suzy Charnas, Joanna Russ, et al) and also examine some of the various ideas I've seen presented as Utopic in various fictional worlds, most of which have generally seemed like pure conformist hells to me. *g*

Re: How was it?

[lydamorehouse]

Okay, I thought that Vincent had auburn hair... so I thought there must have been a few survivors (or is that because his family was out in a colony?) Keep in mind I haven't finished your book yet, so some of the details are probably murky in my mind because the infomation is given in dribs and drabs (as it should be.)

And no, not S&M -- B&D. Completely different. Dominance being _about_ sexual power and who has it (which is, in our current society often relating to gender roles, physical size/strength, etc.)

Re: How was it?

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Vincent's a light-skinned, red-haired, hazel-eyed black man. *g*

Vincent was brilliant, unconventional, almost protean in his thinking. Unless something remarkable had changed, he wore tight, kinky sandy-auburn braids a shade darker than his freckled skin and a shade paler than his light-catching eyes. He was tall, sarcastic, slender, bird-handed, generous with smiles as breathtaking as the nebula outside the bubbleport.

His skin is reddish-brown, sandalwood colored.

He's fairer than this child: http://www.baobab.net/7-06.jpg, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like. It's not entirely uncommon in people of Ghanian descent. I've known two people with that coloring (including the freckles, which the boy in the photo does not have) and it's very striking.

Oh, okay, I see what you're saying. Nope, boys in chains are not really my kink, though. Sorry.

Off to answer your email questions.

Re: How was it?

[lydamorehouse]

Ah! Clearly, I need to read more closely. My deepest apologies, although I do think what's interesting to me about this in not so much what my take on your book tells me about you, but what it tells me about me, ie that I am, despite myself, racist.

Because, despite clear evidence that a character is NOT white, my brain still read that he was the fairer of the two guys and went with WHITE. It's funny that you mentioned in the interview that you wanted race to NOT be the issue, when I think it's almost impossible for it not to be. Because the majority of your readers are going to be white and you have to work double-time to get people to remember that there are no Caucasians in this world.

Re: How was it?

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

Well, and in fairness to you, I think the assumption tends to be that red hair + freckles = pale skin, because 99 44/100th percent of the time, here in the USA, it does.

[tacithydra.livejournal.com]

Yay for carrying books from room to room! I'm so glad it's working.

I ended up really liking Carnival, though with some reservations here and there. I look forward to seeing what you thought of it! And to the interview!