Marriage equality passed second reading! Here’s my buddy’s vid again
Photos of children around the world with their most prized possessions
(this kinda risks that thing of “look how poor those brown people are” but, nah, it’s good.)
D&D 80s cartoon starring Brian Dennehy! Sort of.
School of Thrones
Game of Thrones 90s style
Game Of Thrones creator reads children’s stories
Great New Yorker feature on the Bolshoi Ballet
The original Bond babe (via Mash)
Star Wars Angelus (via Edel) (it is an Irish joke for Irish people but I need to have a Star Wars link here so)
Ten years since Iraq. I can’t bear to think about it. We who protested were right in every way, and those in power were just as much wrong. Here’s a short essay on the matter that I did read, and appreciated.
Smithsonian photo contest (via Ivan)
Every one of these things is made of paper. Incredible. (via Allen Varney)
Passive voice in newspaper headlines on sexual assault. Damn. (via Karen)
The first Feminist Frequency video is out! Really great exploration of the Damsel in Distress trope, its origins, and how it pops up in early video games. Very pleased that Cal and I kicked in a few bucks to support this. And in a freak of timing, this news broke: a reworking of Donkey Kong so the princess is the hero.
And finally (via Tof): skeletor is love
That 1990s version of Game of Thrones made me feel incredibly nostalgic (for something that never even existed!) I’m so totally over spurting blood and people being raped on screen, it’s just not funny.
I must confess I’ve never seen more than half an episode of the TV show and have only read the first book. The violent (inc. sex violence) stuff people talk about does not encourage me to read or watch further.
But Morgue, you don’t understand – the violence/rape is necessary because Game of Thrones is all about REALISM. It’s so very REALISTIC you see.
Realism is very important when you have a show that features dragons, and ice zombies, and shape-changing assassins, and people whose teeth are in good condition despite a complete lack of dentistry. Because otherwise, people might think that it was set in a made-up fantasy world!
Seriously though, looking at this – and a number of other grim & dark fantasy stories of recent times – why is it that the quest for “realism” seems to begin & end with lots of rape and graphic violence? My guess is that it’s because the writer wants to include these elements, and that “realism” is a handy excuse.
Rant over.