The Power of the Sea…

For those of you who are not aware, last week Thursday a massive storm ravaged Durban and the Kwazulu Natal beachfront, causing a great deal of damage, the likes of which we hardly ever see in South Africa. I found these photos on my daily read at skyscrapercity.com. They is to be scary, neh?

Yah. That’s a ship. A beeeeeg ship.

That’s a Steers fast-food joint, on the Durban beachfront.

Darn! There goes my Plasma TV Screen from Korea…

Anyone for a dip in the sea?

Guess Poseiden doesn’t really approve of fast food, neh?

Marie Antoinette

Last night Sven and I went to see the movie Marie Antoinette with Robin and his friend Barney. I was quite disappointed with the movie as a whole. I thought it was going to be this glorious period piece, and whilst I think the movie was successful in getting across the opulence of pre-revolution France, I don’t think the story line had nearly enough substance as it should have had.

Granted that the movie was about Marie Antoinette, but I think that the movie was too biased in Marie Antoinette’s favour, and that it didn’t really delve into the intricacies of her character. In addition, the movie didn’t go into enough context – there were references to the storming of the Bastille, but I felt that if one didn’t know the story of the French revolution, one might be a little lost.

One other aspect that I thought was just weird was the music. On the one hand, you had Baroque music that I thought contextualised the story, but on the other hand, there was a great deal of rock/punk music that I thought just sounded weird in this movie. The director said she added this modern element to humanise the story. But I don’t feel it was necessary, because I feel that just telling the story like it was would be sufficient in humanising the story.

On the positive side, though, the costumes were fantastic (the movie won an academy award), the sets were brilliant, and the acting wasn’t bad either.

So I give it… er… about a 6 out of 10.

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Patriarchy

I have always disliked patriarchy and sexism, and I think my mom has instilled in me a good deal of feminism and an understanding towards how women are perceived in society. Obviously I cannot offer a decisive view from a feminist perspective, but I can offer a decisive view from a homosexual perspective, and my experiences with patriarchy I think are substantially similar to what many feminists/women feel.

As society, we have always categorised people into certain groups and attached to them various traits. But I’ve heard a number of jibes lately that just annoy me, mainly because these occurances have been more than just funny ha ha jokes, but jibes that could very easily offend even the most insensitive of people…

• My friend Tosh is doing her advocate pupilage at the bar in Joburg. She informs me (and it is a well-known fact) that the bar is comprised of 80% males and 20% females. It is thus particularly patriarchal. Some gorgeous women goes into reception, and the men all dash downstairs to have a look because, as one man stated, they could “add her to the Wank Bank.” The Wank Bank – have you ever?
• In a particular lecture today, because the class is small, there were only males in attendance. “Where is the oestrogen in this class?” quips one male.
• In a notetaking session this evening at my new place of employment, one male says “_____ is a moffie’s car.” Yes, dear – one can see the limped wrist a mile away.
• Another male: “An ideal car maintenance plan would be for me to pack my wife into the car when it goes for a service.” Pack yourself in boet!
• An sms Shakti received from this club called Roxy’s in Melville, which said that ladies could get in free if they dressed up in a French maids outfit. Men have to pay, for they do NOT have the option of dressing up as a French.. buttler?
• The way clubs will charge R100 entrance fee for males, and R50 for females. This further stigmatises women as being dependant on men, and paints them as ‘chaperones’ to males who have to pay extra to enter a club that would invariably be more populated with women than men.

  Just imagine this… If women were to pay more than men to enter such a club, the club would simply SIMMER with half-dressed males free for females to oggle at and add them to the ‘Orgasm Bank.’

Some people might say that I simply have a carrot up my bottom, and am getting angry at society for nothing. But I really do not believe I am. There is still way too much abuse towards women for such jibes to be taken lightly, and they simply should not be tolerated. We SHOULD be a society of sensitivity and understanding towards what others might construe as insults or as attacks towards their dignity and self-worth.

Herewith the end of my rant.

Thanks be to the blog.

Whacky Stuff #2

I overtook this truck on the way back from Mafikeng yesterday. The truck looks a bit like an elephant, and so the construction company has very cleverly painted the back of the truck to resemble an elephant. Anyway, I think it’s whacky and funny!

Welcome to the Whacky Stuff category Miss Elephant Truck… teehee