So this is my first time ever blogging so if something doesn't work out I apologize. Anyway, since we started out the class discussing the concept of gender through the socially sordid concept of gender-bending I had to go with an American classic; The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Initially I wasn't quite sure what I'd do with it, only that Tim Curry's absolutely fabulous. It's only when I went to google the scene with Dr. Frankenfurter's introduction that I was struck by something I absolutely wasn't expecting. Looking for better picture quality, I went to hulu for the video only to be told that I would need to sign onto an account because the video withholds mature content. As anyone that watches it can see, no one's half naked, no one's humping anyone (or as we like to call it, "dancing"), and at no point is there any lewd or foul language involved. We can only assume that what categorizes this as inappropriate for a younger viewing audience is the fact that the main character's a transvestite and gay (and damn proud of it too.)
The fact that in our society which is supposed to be so modern and progressive we still feel the need to "shelter" ourselves from people, who despite their choices in attire or lover are still people, is absurd. And when compared with the fact that we find it more acceptable to broadcast videos for songs like Rihanna's "Rude Boy" ( with such fashionable lyrics as "I like the way you touch me there; I like the way you pull my hair. Baby, if I don't feel it I ain't faking no, no." or the even more tasteful "I like when you tell me kiss it there; I like when you tell me move it there. So get it up; time to get it up.") there is clearly something wrong with our culture's understanding of morals and values.
To handle our fear of the unknown and its dangers, we have a rampant need to understand and categorize things. Though this may work for rocks and trees when we attempt to categorize people and what's right and wrong behaviour for people, I think we all know there no way to come up with one set answer. So why do we keep acting as if there is one?
--Jheanelle G.
I remember when the RHPS episode of "Glee" premiered. It was a mess (but then, when is "Glee" not a mess? But I digress), but one of the things that stuck out to me the most was the censoring of the word "transsexual" in "Sweet Transvestite." Instead, the kids sang "sensational." I'm sure Transylvania is quite sensational, but in addition to that word change the word "transvestite" was left alone. I'm not sure what the reasoning behind that decision was. Does it mean that transvestism is more acceptable than transsexualism? All I know is that our culture is, like you point out, oddly puritanical about certain things and completely free about others. It makes me wonder where this subjectivity is coming from.
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