Sex And Gender

[poliphilo]

People get pulled up on the feminist site I frequent for using "sex" and "gender" interchangeably. The distinction is useful. If I've understood it right, "sex" is about physical characteristics and "gender" is about what goes on in your head.

Someone proposed that if you enjoy the cut and thrust of the work-place your gender is male and if you like staying home knitting bootees your gender is female.

I expect they got jumped on. But here's the problem. Sooner or later you stumble over the stereotypes. "Sex" is easily determined (in most cases) but "gender" is a social construct.

I'm confused. I've just written a book in which my tomboyish heroine keeps dodging in and out of drag. She is, of course, a version of myself.

I'm a man. And I'm heterosexual. But when I put myself in a book it's as a girl who goes running about with a sword in her fist having wild adventures.

I think there are probably quite a lot of us with this cast of mind- we are the male fans of Buffy and Xena and Uma Thurman's Bride- but I don't believe there's a word for us...

...Yet.

Comments

[aftertorless.livejournal.com]

Hello. Pleasure to meet you, so to speak.

I would be interested to know the following, should you care to elaborate more than you already have...

[1] Correct me if I am wrong, but did Thurman not collaborate extensively with Tarantino regarding the creation of The Bride? (Just checking.) What are your thoughts upon considering that bit of information?
[2] Would your response to this entry have differed if it were offered up by a gay man as opposed to a straight man? I would be particularly interested to read your thoughts on this point.
[3] Why did you not continue this engaging discussion beyond your final (and rather rude) response? I, for one, think that if you espouse such militant arguments, you should be able to see them through to the absolute end. But perhaps that's just me.

Let's bring the debate up a notch, shall we? (And feel free to continue it in my own diary, lest you insult poliphilo any more than you already have.)

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

[1] You're weren't arguing about that here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/poliphilo/88112.html?thread=483120#t483120). Quentin and Jean-Luc, not Quentin and Uma... I know she contributed, but Kill Bill was hardly advertised as "The First Film By Quenting Tarantino And Uma Thurman". Or even the second one, if you want to count Pulp Fiction, wherein the assassin pilot first germinated. It's funny how women's contributions are more often brought to light to be used to refute arguments made by other women. Really. I'm laughing. But I'm not holding my breath to see them remembered without prompting.

[2] Politics exist in context. Homophobic oppression interacts with misogyny. It doesn't cancel it out.

[3] I thought this "discussion" was over when poliphilo Godwinised it by comparing me to Nazi aircraft, natürlich.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that you took the Messerschmiddt thing as an insult. here in Britain we don't think of the Luftwaffe as nazis, more as worthy and gallant opponents.

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

You should ask archyena, who seems to know so much about Usenet, what Godwin's Law is. Or you could always Google it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Whydon't you just tell me yourself?

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

Because you'll remember it better if you make a minimal effort in learning it.

[aftertorless.livejournal.com]

Or is it perhaps because you can't articulate it yourself, as evidenced by the fact that you have neglected to articulate responses to so many other of your posts in this thread?

Be strong, my dear: if you initiate a debate, be sure you're able to see its completion.

[aftertorless.livejournal.com]

I wasn't arguing anything in the response I wrote; I was, instead, elaborating on the connection between Quentin and Jean-Luc's cinematic style, on which I elaborated at length with my comparison of American Westerns and the Kung Fu films. Aside from my personal admission that I "am a sucker for films with strong female characters," gender had nothing to do with the response you linked.

Additionally, it was not billed as "The First Film By Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman" because it was a creative collaboration, not a co-direction. Also, I did not address Uma's contribution merely to refute your argument; I simply asked for elaboration from you regarding why you reacted so vehemently to this entry; I do not have to be reminded of women's contribution to anything. Whereas, your "argument" seems to be, "if you have a dick, anything you say about women is automatically null and void." Which would of course be similar to some of my more militant gay friends who hate all straight people.

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

And you know you're Right.
[Laughs]

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know, I was just talking about Will about my visit to the East Coast and he was so overjoyed, I think he almost had a heart attack. You would like him. He is my Ferris equivalent--if I may even make that sort of comparison. Just like it's unusual to find nice Republican boys who are smart and fun, so is it nice to find journalists of that description.

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

Darling, you did not overreact at all. I think you raised some interesting points. I am in accord with you, naturally, and I think, too that Ms. ide_cyan would do a great deal better getting her points across if she behaved with a little more decorum.

Though I disagree with it, her point was indeed an interesting one but her manner of expressing it was so violent that it is no wonder so few of us took the time to consider her thoughts. I, for one, was so livid with her lack of civility that I had to return to this post after I had gotten over myself.

She has to realize that there is a place, a time and a code of conduct for her politicking and theorizing. She is not going to "threaten the establishment" by screaming at the top of her lungs and vulgarizing the fine art of debate--all that does is alienate her audience.

Does that help a woman's struggle any more than commenting that you enjoy man-made literary and cinematographic creations? Ah, and we wonder why the feminist is so villanized in the media--mind you, the liberal media (yeah, it's bait, come and get it, I dare you).

My dear poliphilo, I hope you are not turned away from this wonderful medium by the abuse you have suffered here. You are not a misogynist, you are a charming and caring wonderful individual full of perfections and faults, the sum of which, Ailz will agree, is fabulous.