(no subject)
Does anyone know of any good Native American blogs that deal with... well, with racism or other social issues? Or, hell, just "here is my life and I sometimes talk about how being Native American factors into that?" I tried googling it and didn't come up with much. D:
I've been reading some of Sherman Alexie's short stories and poems and... I'm not sure what I think.
Also, I apologize for using quotes for book titles, the tag wouldn't let me put italics in.
So! Some things that I like: he writes guys crying and using the word "love" about both platonic and romantic feelings, and that is awesome. I sort of wished I'd kept track of how often one guy thought, "I love you," or some variation on the theme, always using the word "love," to another guy, because it was a lot. And how awesome is that? Most of the time it wasn't a romantic love and in one of the stories, I - am not really sure what was meant, because the guys in question didn't really know.
And yes, tough guys talking about crying and not thinking, oh no I can't cry, I'm a guy = awesome.
And I don't believe there was any talk at all from tough guys demeaning women? And there was a really badass woman in one of the short stories.
But, uh, the minus side: Almost all of his characters are really damaged in some way or another. In all of the short stories I've read so far, all of the characters are damaged. And, uh, in Flight, I think I can only remember... four characters who were undamaged? And all of them were white, which is really disappointing to me. I mean, I think it's really cool that he wasn't glorifying Native Americans (or Indians, as Alexie prefers, and I really don't know which term I should use) but saying, hey, we're all flawed. So, I mean, that's good, I just wish... I wish there were some examples of non-damaged Native Americans, too?
The thing that I am really disappointed about it is homosexuality. In one story there is a surprise gay encounter, with the toughest Indian in the world, but, uh, it was written from the POV of a straight man who "wanted redemption" and thought he could find it by being fucked by the toughest Indian in the world. And, uh, so, I was really excited when the surprise encounter started? Because it was a surprise, and friends, let me tell you, I have waited for surprise homosexuality for a long time. But this was not what I was waiting for, this was a straight man letting himself be fucked but not enjoying it and then asking the other guy to leave because he felt awkward afterwards.
The guy who initiates the encounter doesn't exactly ask permission, either. I mean, he doesn't just rape the guy, but he - he does come up and spoon him and then stick his hand down the dude's pants without warning. And then mentions that hey, he'd really like to fuck him? And the straight guy just gets in position and lets it happen. D:
AND THEN
The other sort of gay thing is that one of the short stories is about a white, romantic dreamer of a guy holding up an International House of Pancakes with an unloaded gun and asking for someone to come with him who will love him. And a chubby Spokane young dude is like, hey I'll go. I believe in love. And then they make out on the road and decide it wasn't really very pleasant because they're both straight, but keep going and keep hoping they'll fall in love. And I - I don't really know what I was supposed to get out of the story, and I am really, really happy that he is subverting normal romances, but - I was so excited that maybe, finally, I would read a story by a straight guy that dealt with gayness being okay. Like! It is a thing some people experience! And as a writer you can write about these sorts of things!
Maybe if I keep reading I will find a good gay story. Maybe I am writing this prematurely.
I've been reading some of Sherman Alexie's short stories and poems and... I'm not sure what I think.
Also, I apologize for using quotes for book titles, the tag wouldn't let me put italics in.
So! Some things that I like: he writes guys crying and using the word "love" about both platonic and romantic feelings, and that is awesome. I sort of wished I'd kept track of how often one guy thought, "I love you," or some variation on the theme, always using the word "love," to another guy, because it was a lot. And how awesome is that? Most of the time it wasn't a romantic love and in one of the stories, I - am not really sure what was meant, because the guys in question didn't really know.
And yes, tough guys talking about crying and not thinking, oh no I can't cry, I'm a guy = awesome.
And I don't believe there was any talk at all from tough guys demeaning women? And there was a really badass woman in one of the short stories.
But, uh, the minus side: Almost all of his characters are really damaged in some way or another. In all of the short stories I've read so far, all of the characters are damaged. And, uh, in Flight, I think I can only remember... four characters who were undamaged? And all of them were white, which is really disappointing to me. I mean, I think it's really cool that he wasn't glorifying Native Americans (or Indians, as Alexie prefers, and I really don't know which term I should use) but saying, hey, we're all flawed. So, I mean, that's good, I just wish... I wish there were some examples of non-damaged Native Americans, too?
The thing that I am really disappointed about it is homosexuality. In one story there is a surprise gay encounter, with the toughest Indian in the world, but, uh, it was written from the POV of a straight man who "wanted redemption" and thought he could find it by being fucked by the toughest Indian in the world. And, uh, so, I was really excited when the surprise encounter started? Because it was a surprise, and friends, let me tell you, I have waited for surprise homosexuality for a long time. But this was not what I was waiting for, this was a straight man letting himself be fucked but not enjoying it and then asking the other guy to leave because he felt awkward afterwards.
The guy who initiates the encounter doesn't exactly ask permission, either. I mean, he doesn't just rape the guy, but he - he does come up and spoon him and then stick his hand down the dude's pants without warning. And then mentions that hey, he'd really like to fuck him? And the straight guy just gets in position and lets it happen. D:
AND THEN
The other sort of gay thing is that one of the short stories is about a white, romantic dreamer of a guy holding up an International House of Pancakes with an unloaded gun and asking for someone to come with him who will love him. And a chubby Spokane young dude is like, hey I'll go. I believe in love. And then they make out on the road and decide it wasn't really very pleasant because they're both straight, but keep going and keep hoping they'll fall in love. And I - I don't really know what I was supposed to get out of the story, and I am really, really happy that he is subverting normal romances, but - I was so excited that maybe, finally, I would read a story by a straight guy that dealt with gayness being okay. Like! It is a thing some people experience! And as a writer you can write about these sorts of things!
Maybe if I keep reading I will find a good gay story. Maybe I am writing this prematurely.