Two Boys Huffing in a Playground - That Was Last Night's Debate

I had no intentions of watching the Presidential Debate last night. I've already voted and the rhetoric and flying accusations between the two candidates are boring and nonproductive. But DH came downstairs while I was working on the computer and said, "You've got to come up and watch this. It's a train wreck!" So, with a description like that, I grabbed a Halo and spoon and settled down to watch for a little while. He was right. 

I wasn't going to watch the Presidential Debate, figuring I'd 
just read the high and low points the next day, but DH 
called me up to watch the "Train Wreck" and he was 
right. It was beyond ridiculous. 

OMG, "train wreck" was actually a really good description. The candidates interrupted each other constantly, flinging outside accusations and commentary back and forth and verging off-subject often. The moderator (who really didn't manage to keep control at all) kept trying to get them back on track, but it was a hopeless mess. The pundits are now calling it the "Most Juvenile Presidential Debate in U.S. History". I think that about cover it. I did find it amusing, however, watching two grown men in their latter years act like eight-year-old boys in a playground. 

The debate was just like boys on a playground - some 
pushing, some shoving, and some verbal interactions. 
Certainly not reflective of the fact that both candidates 
are old men with adult children of their own. 

I doubt anyone's mind will be changed because of the debate, but I'm also quite sure that world leaders around the globe were laughing into their coffee cups this morning as they mused on our election and the various steps we take before getting the population to the polls. 

I love playgrounds. I spent hours and hours on them as 
a kid and young adult. When we lived in the Mexico 
Avenue house there was a park with a playground 
right across the street. My friend Lori and I would 
go over and swing for hours while we talked in Pig 
Latin. Anyone else remember Pig Latin? I was very 
fluent in it as a kid. 

Of course, there is also the question of the new nominee for the Supreme Court. But, the Court is a different kettle of fish. The Court actually relies on the law, the legal precedents upon which the law rests, and isn't an arbitrary decision made on the spur about which breakfast cereal to choose for the morning repast. The legal name(s) chosen for consideration are probably more conservative than I would like, and may be pushed through quickly to make a complete court before or around Election Day, but in the long run, I don't think the choice will be earthshaking and change personal rights and privileges instantly. The law is a profession that requires intense and thoughtful decisions and anyone high enough in the legal process to be considered for the Supreme Court won't be flighty and change with every shift in the wind. 

We all know that all is not sweetness and light in playgrounds. 
There are bullies and fights and accidents. But most kids 
look back on their youth and playgrounds with a sense of 
positive nostalgia, so I guess some of the fights actually 
ended up as best friends or brothers after all. 

So, with that, I'm going to head out to enjoy my "day off". I think I'm going to tackle the area around that final cabinet in my sewing area today. I received a package yesterday that adds to my fiber toys, and I need to unpack that, and I want to feel as if I have actually accomplished something towards making the house more livable by the end of today. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow, and please, wear your mask! 

Here's a Sexuality and Comfort Question For You...

An acquaintance of mine (J) was recently given tickets to see Cher by her husband who accompanied her to the concert. She's a huge Cher fan, he's not, but he knew his wife loved the singer and wanted to give her an experience that she would remember for the rest of her life. So they dressed appropriately (she's quite the glam queen) and saw her while they were on vacation a couple of weeks ago. I happened to see J recently and asked her how the concert was.

"Fabulous," she gushed.

"And how about his Imperial Badness? Did he enjoy the concert too?"

"Well...not so much."

Cher, now in her upper 60's, is still a very attractive woman and
a rare talent in the field of entertainment. 

On further inquiry, it was revealed that the reason IB didn't like the concert wasn't the quality of Cher's performance. No, the reason IB didn't like the concert was because of all the gay men seated in the rows directly ahead of them. Apparently having a large group of gay men "...twittering and gesturing and dancing..." directly in front of him brought his hetero-armor to the front.

She continued her explanation and said that although he normally was not a demonstrative person in public, he put his arm tightly around her shoulders, pulling her against his body, and held her there for the duration of the concert as if to say "I'm not gay. I came with a woman, not a man."

Public displays of affection are fabulous. I didn't feel that IB's actions
were a PDA, however, rather almost a heterosexual battle stance. 

I was amazed, to tell the truth. That he would feel so threatened by homosexuals in close proximity to him floored me, and it got me to thinking...

In any group of women, you're probably going to have several women
who are not heterosexual, or at least who are not exclusively heterosexual.
I don't find that to be a problem or a reason for me to feel
uncomfortable within the group. Is my feeling of comfort that unusual? 

As a woman who has friends and relatives who are either gay or lesbian (and a few transgender), I have never felt threatened by them in any way. To be clear, I'm a female who is 100% heterosexual. There's no longing or desire hidden deep within me for a female to share my bed or my life at all. But I also have no issues having females or males who are gay as friends, or going out on the town with friends of any sexuality. I'm just not threatened in that respect.

I have to ask, so I'm throwing out the question. Is IB's reaction common? Do males feel more threatened by close proximity with homosexuals than females do with lesbians? Do they mind the thought that someone may be admiring their body who is of the same sex? Personally, although my body is nothing much to look at now, I was always happy to be thought of as attractive when I was younger and more slender. In fact, as a teenager and young woman I was striving to be attractive, so acknowledgement by my peers as well as the opposite sex was welcome. Do you, as a female or a male, feel threatened when someone of the same sex looks at you admiringly? Would you feel threatened in a similar situation as IB found himself in?

Why does IB's reaction seem to be a modern day version of donning
plate armor against an enemy incursion? 

So please share your thoughts on this. Do you feel threatened in any way if someone of the same sex compliments you? Do you feel on edge if you are in a group of gay people of the same sex? How about if those gay people are of the opposite sex? Still threatened? Or not? Give me your reactions and arguments because I'm really curious if IB's reaction was over the top (as I feel it was) or if my lack of reaction unusual or also over the top in the opposite direction.

Happy thoughtful Tuesday...

Questioning Obesity - What is Your Perception?

Yesterday one of my LJ friends posted a very basic statement about obesity and perception. I want to pull that topic out and look at it a bit more closely today. 

Time to examine a topic of societal interest. Life isn't just fluff and bunnies, after all. 

The basic topic had been the increase in obese children and how it concerned him. All to the good! Obesity is a world-wide problem that will affect the health and well-being of 1000's of children and adults. He said the following paragraph: 

One has only to walk down the main street of this small town to see that a large percentage of children, teenagers and adults, especially females, are grossly over-weight. And the number seems to be growing. Why? Is it the wrong type of food, lack of exercise, or just plain laziness? It cannot be healthy and must at some stage become very embarrassing, especially for young girls.

(italics are my addition)

This is part of an advertising campaign for strongforlife.com. Obesity is a
problem at any age, but more children than ever are obese.  That
obesity is caused by many factors, though, not just the buffet line in the ad above. 

Now, I really don't have a problem with society perceiving obesity as an issue that is on the increase. My friend is absolutely correct - it is an epidemic in our modern society and the reasons for obese people are myriad. But I did call him to task about his words "especially females" and "especially for young girls". I called him on his terminology, because I think there are an equal number of obese males out there as females. His response was: 

Yes of course obesity and ballet are relevant to both sexes. I was very much aware of that as I was writing. ... But one must admit that one notices girls and women more than boys and men in both cases.

(once again, the italics are my addition)

Like father, like son? Obesity is not just environment and
food choices. Basic body type is genetic.
I will never be 5' 8" tall with a very low body mass index.
My personal genetic profile won't allow me to be
taller than 5' 6" and gives me a propensity to gain
weight in my midsection. 

I'm not posting this to embarrass my LJ friend at all. Some of what he was discussing truly merited comments and thought. But I am curious and throwing this out to my LJ friends. Do you notice obese females more readily than obese males? How about in children? Are the girls the first to catch your eye, or do you just notice all obese children and then mentally separate them by sex. 

Would you be more likely to ignore the weight of these
women if they were nicely dressed in finer clothing that
suits them more than the tank tops and denim? 

I do think that often obesity is forgiven and overlooked more often in males than in females. As a female who is overweight, perhaps I'm more conscious of it because I wish I was back to my weight of twenty years ago. But I've worked with obese males in the past, and their weight problems seem to often disappear under the carpet of a well-cut pinstriped suit. 

Santa Claus is one obese businessman who has made his
weight a positive instead of a negative. Can you imagine
an obese tooth fairy though? 

I know that obese children have a difficult time through school. My nephew was seriously overweight throughout school and was teased and ridiculed for years. He finally found acceptance on the football field where his weight was suddenly seen as an asset instead of a problem. 

So I ask all of you. Is society more apt to focus on an overweight female than a male? Are overweight males given more leeway and societal understanding for their physical appearance than a similarly overweight woman would be given? And how about you? Are you overweight? Have you ever received snubs or been ridiculed for your weight? I'm opening this topic to discussion, please share your experiences and feelings with me. 

Happy Friday! 

Thanks and Thunder

I have to start out today with a huge "Thank You" to everyone who carried out what turned into a very active and totally fascinating discussion about the new Pope on my LJ Blog post yesterday. Despite individually divergent opinions, everyone was very respectful of the other posters. I loved the fact that people posted links to supporting documentation and readings to support their positions. It was a wonderful interchange to participate in and I was so very happy that with discussions about religion, which can sometimes be quite contentious, everyone treated each viewpoint as valid and worthy of thoughtful response. THANK YOU TO EACH ONE OF YOU!

Last night's "Project Runway" episode was to design three menswear looks for dancers from "Thunder Down Under". OMG! These guys were totally gorgeous. I didn't care who won, I didn't care who lost, just show me the guys and let them parade around shirtless and dance. Yowza!

The full cast of one of several groups of Thunder Down Under.
Someone hand me a fan, please...

Just hand me that tape measure while I look....and look...

I'm not really sure what it is about menswear that the designers on Project Runway find so difficult. Can anyone really become a designer without understanding the basics of tailoring? Really? There are some basic things in the clothing for either sex. Things like darts and gussets, collar stays and boning, bias cuts and cutting on the grain are basic to any clothing. Why would making something wonderful be so different for a gorgeous man as a beautiful woman?

Tailored clothing was the only way to get clothes
at all historically. It wasn't until the Industrial
Revolution that off-the-rack clothing was availablel.

Today's contemporary tailors are expert at fit and design with an array
of fabric choices at hand to make every suit perfect. They know how to
use a tape measure and a pair of scissors.

Every season of Project Runway features at least one alternative materials challenge and one menswear challenge. Do these contestants never watch the show? Do they not know that there will be a menswear challenge? Why don't they take time to do some homework before appearing on the show? Why don't they at least spend a bit of time examining tailoring techniques and how to design appropriately for men? But, I did get to look at wonderful male bodies for 90 minutes, so my night was happy - LOL.