Keri G. '10 | December 22, 2008
"In which I am a bad example"
I walked through the front door of my local Barnes and Noble today and was immediately confronted by a colossal display for the Twilight series. A thirtysomething dad was scrutinizing a copy of the fourth book - Breaking Bloodless NightRaven, or something like that. Whatever it's called, it was halfway through that book when I finally couldn't take any more of the series and stopped reading.
"Oh, I hate those books," I say, before I could stop myself.
"Really? Why?" he asks.
"I mean, it's not that they're badly written or anything. Considering the quality of teen lit out there, this is probably one of the more well-written books you could give to a teenage girl." (I do not think the series is well-written at all. I was not lying when I told this man what I thought. Take this as an insight into the overall quality of teen-girl-oriented novels currently in print.) "I just think it's not very empowering, you know? It's got a main character who absolutely fawns over this guy and sets everything else aside in favor of him, which is about as antifeminist as you can get."
He looks at me as if he is all about the antifeminism, so long as it stops his little girl from having sex.
I am digging a hole for myself.
"Not that I'd rather have teen girls reading so-called "feminist" books with sex all over the place, I mean! But these books, I'm, um, saying... well, they're also not a very good example, just in a totally opposite way."
A woman on the other side of the display chimes in with, "They're not all that realistic."
"Unrealistic! That's the word!"
He glares at me, probably convinced I'm an ultra-promiscuous feminazi out to convert innocent thirteen-year-olds to fellow godless heathens.
"I have to go," I say, and shuffle into the Self-Help Section before I can do further damage.
My wordfilter - along with my eloquence - has significantly deteriorated since coming to college. I used to chide my friends for being completely tactless at the worst possible moments. I've been doing the same thing to my mom for even longer, as she is one of maybe three people in the world more outspoken than I am.
It looks like I am turning into my mother.
The prospect thereof may or may not terrify me.
I think I meant to wax nostalgic about my semester when I sat down to write this post, but clearly that's not going to happen now - one of my grades still hasn't been posted, so it doesn't feel like this term is really over yet. Also, I don't feel like it anymore.
Instead, here are some blurry pictures - insights into our lives, or some other fluffy phrase - of the illustrious residents of Senior Haus being upside down.
(Is that obscene? I don't think so. Really, though. Is it?)
being right side up.
being fierce.
being inchworms.
being out of Popsicles.
(okay, I don't actually know what's going on here.)
See you on the other side of the semester, when I'll probably go ahead with the waxing nostalgic thing.
Or, you know, not.
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You are my heroine. :)
Posted by: José P. on December 22, 2008 10:35 PM
Haha, definitely agree with your assessment of Twilight. As opposed to being the heroine, Bella Swan is the classic damsel in distress. It's annoying.
That's weird one of your grades hasn't been posted yet. When do professors have to submit the grades by?
Posted by: Anonymous on December 22, 2008 10:50 PM
So Paul and I have a game where we read our RSS feeds and try to guess the blogger from the excerpt.
I read the title and suspected this was yours, and I read the excerpt and knew for sure.
That's not to say you're predictable, though. :D
Posted by: Mollie on December 22, 2008 10:58 PM
^^^ The last day of 2008.
Posted by: Anonymous on December 22, 2008 11:01 PM
Oh, hey. It's Cesar.
Posted by: Cam on December 22, 2008 11:19 PM
No fair, you have a D300?!?!
Posted by: Cam on December 22, 2008 11:20 PM
Cam - Cesar's awesome, yo.
And I only wish I had a D300. The visual arts program has an ongoing Nikon loan, so I checked it out for the semester when I took 4.341 this term. I have a Rebel XT.
Mollie - Shh. I don't want everyone to know how predictable I really am.
Posted by: Keri on December 22, 2008 11:30 PM
Way to go, Keri! Spread the feminism, one random conversation at a time.
I tried to read one page of Twilight and failed. The writing is so bad.
Posted by: j on December 23, 2008 12:25 AM
I agree completely about Twilight. All of my girl friends are crazed, rabid fans...so I can't voice any objection without a beat down. :(
Nice picture collection of random mischief.
Posted by: Steph on December 23, 2008 02:01 AM
I can't believe you don't have thousands of enraged twilight fans commening on here by now. I guess I'll be the first
FYI, I don't read the twilight series because I connect with Bella--I agree she's not the brightest bulb in the bunch. I read the series because Edward is everything devoted a girl could ever want, and Jacob is the hilarious friend whose very presence forbids depression. I agree the IQ-level of the book is probably not up to MIT quality, and yes, the book has flaws. But reading about magic, mythical creatures, self-sacrificing vampires... it's an enjoyable break from the real world--which, let's face it, is the point of fiction.
Posted by: Anonymous on December 23, 2008 10:45 AM
Ha! And I've never even had a word filter, so you're at least one step ahead of me.
I'm thinking of spending part of winter break actually reading Twilight, Gossip Girl, etc, just so that I can more fairly complain about how awful they are.
Posted by: Laura on December 23, 2008 11:13 AM
I love Twilight, Gossip Girl, and the Gilmore Girls more than life itself.
Posted by: Danny on December 23, 2008 01:25 PM
AHAHAHAHA YEAH MIT TOTALLY TOOK AWAY ALL MY TACT.
"He looks at me as if he is all about the antifeminism, so long as it stops his little girl from having sex." -- And that, my friend, is exactly why so many parents are encouraging Twilight. Because they do not realize that in fact, Twilight DOES encourage you to have sex ... horrible, nonconsensual, violent sex with older men who pretend they are normal and healthy when in fact they are FREAKY SERIAL KILLERS.
On a less strident note, Breaking Bloodless NightRaven LOLLLLLL THIS IS WHY I LOVE YOU.
Posted by: Nina on December 23, 2008 02:47 PM
I was born without a wordfilter. Helps sometimes, but a lot of the time i just get in trouble - oh well, what has to be said has to be said. lol
Posted by: Matthew '13 on December 23, 2008 03:52 PM
And omg, i really want to live in senior haus or east campus - like, it'd be perfect
Posted by: matthew '13 on December 23, 2008 03:54 PM
@Keri:
Ooh. Yumyum. Yum.
Do they have a Canon loan program? I was playing with the EOS 5D mkII the other night, with the kit lens & 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.... O.o that was impressive.
That was while hanging around Best Buy. I think I could get a job there, now, though, because I sold an EOS 40D to a random customer whilst debating the merits of the 40D versus the Rebel XSi.
Posted by: Cam on December 23, 2008 04:36 PM
Had there been a Canon loan, I would have been on that. Alas, no. Just Nikon.
Mmm, 50D.
Posted by: Keri on December 23, 2008 04:55 PM
I have a friend who is just like you, but I really liked the Twilight series until I read the last book. Now I find that I don't like the whole thing quite as much. I think it's just the fourth book though. Anyways, I just saw you're doing course 9, which is exactly what I want to do!
Posted by: Alice on December 23, 2008 07:10 PM
Yay! More anti-Twilight!
And a logical argument. I tend to get stampeded by my sister and her horde of obsessed friends whenever I insult Twilight slightly.
One more reason MIT rocks!
Posted by: Anonymous on December 23, 2008 09:08 PM
Harry Potter series = FAIL!
Twilight series = EPIC FAIL!!!
Posted by: WikiWiki on December 23, 2008 09:39 PM
what the HELL is greg doing there? also, we need a photo of the pokemon mural.
Posted by: milena '11 on December 23, 2008 09:44 PM
You know the writing's bad when the Chinese translation reads a lot better than the original.
Posted by: Oasis '11 on December 23, 2008 11:41 PM
i founded an anti-twilight society on facebook... =P
Posted by: Anonymous on December 24, 2008 01:19 AM
look for "I don't care how much you argue, Twilight is demon magic."
Posted by: Anonymous on December 24, 2008 01:20 AM
"i founded an anti-twilight society on facebook... =P"
Linkage?
Posted by: Steph on December 24, 2008 01:51 AM
Keri you're fantastic. Twilight is terribly written. It's quite amazing how many girls I know have failed to notice that. That and the fact that Bella isn't even her own person, everything she does is for Edward. Some heroine.
Posted by: Anonymous on December 24, 2008 02:45 PM
= Proud owner of a brand-spankin'-new 40D. The battery's charging.
:-D
Posted by: Cam on December 24, 2008 08:48 PM
@ WikiWiki
Harry Potter = Win!
Posted by: Wikipedia on December 24, 2008 09:03 PM
oh god, how could i have missed this for two days?!
very awesome. mostly the photos at the end, but also because i always knew you were a flagrant feminazi. you should have suggested sloppy firsts... (i kid, mostly.)
Posted by: Laurie on December 25, 2008 01:24 AM
Oh, my.
If you don't scrool all the way down on the first picture it appears as if it is some person spreading their legs at the camera.
Shocking and obscene to my first glance.
Posted by: victoria on December 25, 2008 07:23 PM
i got super excited when i saw your pictures :)
also, the twilight novels totally won't stop that dad's little girl from having sex. clearly you didn't read the 4th one.
p.s. the jessica darling novels are terrible but i've read all 4 of them this break
Posted by: Karen on December 26, 2008 12:15 AM
Keri, just admit your feminazi tendencies. Acceptance is the first step in recovery. Also that is an awesome photo of Cesar.
Posted by: Chris B. '12 on December 26, 2008 07:44 PM
Everyone I know thinks I'm a feminazi. I don't understand.
Karen -
Things I love:
-the Jessica Darling novels
-
-
...um, that's it.
Posted by: Keri on December 26, 2008 09:21 PM
You're hilarious! I know the whole tactless thing - that all went to he-heck this year. I can't count the number of people I've angered about religion/politics this year.
Posted by: Drammy on December 29, 2008 09:09 PM
What?! I don't get it!! You people like stupid Harry Potter books, and you don't like Twilight?! It's way, way, way, better than those Harry Potter books (which are more like encyclopedia).
By the way, Keri, the fourth book is called Breaking Dawn, and it's really good, so don't insult it =]
Posted by: Banerjee on December 30, 2008 02:20 AM
keri, this post reminds me that i miss you dearly.
hopefully we'll cross paths this semester (my FINAL semester, wtf?!) at the schoolies.
Posted by: peach on December 31, 2008 05:38 PM
haha! i am glad that i am both shocking and obscene. thanks keri!
Posted by: d. on January 2, 2009 02:53 PM
