tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post2336176269242985958..comments2024-03-01T03:37:20.420-05:00Comments on I'M SOMEWHERE ELSE: The most boring thing everAmanda Foresthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04200794053287551087noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-43041144486850804112010-01-12T22:27:02.881-05:002010-01-12T22:27:02.881-05:00no, I mean technical proficiency. I'm not tech...no, I mean technical proficiency. I'm not technically proficient. I don't really know where to start, and I'm not especially motivated; I've been writing songs pretty much since I started playing guitar, so instead of wanting to practice and learn how to do something in particular with the instrument, I've just sort of muddled around and done whatever goes with the vocals. I consider myself an outsider artist--and unsurprisingly, I'm not much better at talking about or playing music with other people than someone like Daniel Johnston is. But it feels different because I'm a girl, and I guess my music is "cute" or whatever so I don't feel like I can be seen as outsider-artist-talented the same way as him, like it would eclipse my lack of technical skill and technical-skill-motivation.<br /><br />In terms of my mom, I don't really know what to say to you about that. It's cool that you're good at not taking anything that one of your parents says to you, your entire life, at face value. I'm not. I like my mom. That's just how it is and I don't feel that I need to be called out on it, or for anyone to act like I'm some kind of pathetic loser for worrying about my weight. I'm good at lots of things.Amanda Forest Vivianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284158336100298682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-79831699786341689732010-01-12T17:40:58.864-05:002010-01-12T17:40:58.864-05:001. I actually do play music and I have since I was...1. I actually do play music and I have since I was 9 years old. I guess I just play music in a guy way or something. Do you mean playing music and being confident about it and having an easy time playing in public, or something like that? Showing off?<br />2. Your mom is bigoted and wrong. I would think that knowing how wrong she is to criticize your weight would help you ignore the criticism.<br />3. I do not, indeed, live under a rock. I am just very good at not caring about stupid meaningless shit. <br />4. Despite the fact that I am arguing with you via comments, I do agree with much of what you've written in this post. That song is boring and unlistenable, and it takes no risk whatsoever. Feministing is not the deepest place around in general--I've noticed plenty of times when its commenters get super excited about totally mundane, fluffy, barely-if-even-feminist things.ERJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14927721853635137677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-775144582756698072010-01-12T15:48:16.222-05:002010-01-12T15:48:16.222-05:00I am not good at playing music in a "guy"...I am not good at playing music in a "guy" way (I am referring to a stereotype, not being essentialist); if you don't know that, you probably don't play music yourself, so I guess you're buying into that. If I don't lose weight, it's really difficult for me to be around my mom, for one thing--I guess I don't have the awesome super thick skin that would keep me from caring about how she talks to me when she thinks I'm too fat (which started when I was 5'5" and 121 pounds and has only increased with time and weight gain--although recently it's kind of dropped off because she appreciates I have the grace to express unhappiness about it, I think).<br /><br />Also, you know, I just feel like this. The first time I put myself on a diet was when I was eleven. It's hard to imagine feeling differently. Also I wonder if you possibly live under a rock.Amanda Forest Vivianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284158336100298682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-33357945990454514682010-01-12T15:19:28.418-05:002010-01-12T15:19:28.418-05:00You know that you're good at playing music and...You know that you're good at playing music and that you're a great lyricist, you know that being pretty doesn't matter and that obligatory makeup is sexist bullshit, and you know that 1200 calories a day is generally not enough to sustain a healthy young person and that dieting is stupid, so why do you keep buying into it all?ERJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14927721853635137677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-50195388052942823412010-01-12T14:15:40.387-05:002010-01-12T14:15:40.387-05:00okay, cool, I am resentful, I'm currently limi...okay, cool, I am resentful, I'm currently limiting myself to 1200 calories a day, I find it impossible to play music with other people (i.e. guys because I don't know many girls who are into playing music) because I end up feeling like a faker because I'm not technically proficient and I don't really know what a whammy bar is, I don't leave the house without putting on makeup, and every day I feel depressed because I don't think I'm pretty.<br /><br />Thanks for calling me out on that! I <i>am</i> resentful. Now everything makes more sense and I'll never have trouble with any of those things again.Amanda Forest Vivianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06284158336100298682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-44479740891729553582010-01-12T13:40:04.614-05:002010-01-12T13:40:04.614-05:00I don't see why we shouldn't insult or at ...I don't see why we shouldn't insult or at least call out women who are happily buying into patriarchal bullshit about not eating or being ignorant about music/tech things. In my experience, women who accuse other women of "trying to be one of the guys" are just resentful that they're not able to break out of the cultural constraints of femininity as easily. <br /><br />Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to eating my sandwich, not giving a shit about my middling BMI, and generally being an Exception. I wish more women had the nerve to be Exceptions.ERJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14927721853635137677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8466691337834051176.post-9549182848030055762010-01-12T13:26:17.817-05:002010-01-12T13:26:17.817-05:00I think that guys absolutely say and do shitty thi...I think that guys absolutely say and do shitty things to girls, we don't always make it up. Especially in junior high. I'd like to think that their jerkdome evolves as they get older, but I am left to wonder if they are still thinking the things they used to say right out. That's why girls make stuff up, because they are scared of mens thoughts. <br /><br />On the same topic. I think it's "socially" ok to be really skinny if you have big tits. If you are a skinny girl with no chest then people bother you about it all the time and tell you to eat. Boys in junior high were brutally mean to me because I hadn't grown boobs yet, and trust me if people tell you to eat every day because your too thin you begin to hate being thin. I am very happy to be a size 6. People leave me alone now.Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06001020811877167957noreply@blogger.com