So then, have you watched Firefly?

[matgb]

So, last week while she was down, we had one of those "what DVDs to watch" discussions on our one (semi-planned) evening in. It turned out that snapesbabe hadn't seen Firefly. At all. Now it appears that tinuvielberen hasn't seen it either (but has now seen the light). This bothered me, y'see, when I first got an LJ, it seemed everyone was a fan, there were Firefly icons everywhere, being a fan seemed like something akin to a cultural norm. Now, of course, I know that's not true, but it sure seemed that way, and for two self-confessed SF fans to have not seen it? Weird. So, poll time:
[Poll #1030452]
Because, y'know, Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, does a proper Sci-Fi series, and Murdoch's Fox network messes him around, but the DVD sales are so good that Universal spring for a mid-budget film anyway? Plus, it's funny. Oh, and one of the opening lines is We're not going to die, y'know why? Because we're so very pretty... Which, y'know, is mostly true. So, via Amazon (UK, don't have the US search installed) the series is £15, the film is only £5.

Oh, and after a bit of pestering, here be a link to my Wish List, which I've started updating again; I used to use it as a handy "to buy" list, but then, y'know, finances collapsed. I guess it makes sense to post it, I'll be 33 in less than five weeks. Ouch.

Comments

[matgb]

Ah, see, that's the problem with any show where you've got a level of actual real knowledge; cf physicists and any TV/film based SF (ask davidnm).

I wouldn't have known he was doing stuff wrong, plus also, y'know he's the Doctor, ergo he does Medical Stuff, and that's all the writers really need worry about.

However...

let Simon blunder around like a bumblebee in a jam jar.

Loving that image ;-)

[el-staplador.livejournal.com]

Yes, but midwifery isn't necessarily medical stuff, only when things go wrong. I'll have to watch it again to see what exactly is going wrong (I vaguely remember 'Woe, woe, she's having a baby so she's automatically DOOMED' type stuff, which also annoyed me, but don't recall any specifics.) But fair point, it really is (mostly) a specialist rant, though I must also say that it irritates me that TV is promoting this 'OMG birth is scary and dangerous and we can't do it without a DOCTOR' attitude; that said, I suppose it's (unfortunately) only reflecting that attitude of the Great American Public.

I'm quite ranty on the end of Revenge of the Sith, too. ;-)

That wonderful simile isn't mine, I'm afraid; I nicked it from Dorothy Sayers.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

I don't think that having experience of birth is that specialist. Many of us have been through it, or watched a partner go through it.

[matgb]

Society in general moved to medicalise birth though; not my field but I know I've heard/read complaints about it and moves to bring back better access to midwives, etc.

I also know a few people who are very much in favour of the medicalising trend, it's not something I know enough about to have an opinion on (yet), although SB seems to agree with you so that'll influence if it becomes an issue.

With apologies for rantiness, but you know the strength of my feeling on matters like this

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Society in general moved to medicalise birth though

You missed the "patriarchal" off the beginning of that. You know WHY women were encouraged for a couple of centuries to give birth lying on their backs, even though it vastly increases the danger to the women, the pain, the length of labour, etc? To make it easier for the doctor to see what was going on without having to do any of that nasty bending down. Up until recently, what gender were pretty much all doctors?

I think that there's a little sentence in the wikipedia entry on childbirth that sums up the attitude of people who favour the medicalisation of childbirth very well: Some studies find that although epidural use can lengthen the labour and increase the need for operative intervention, it has no adverse effect on perinatal outcome.

i.e. the baby is fine, so who cares if the woman suffers from exhaustion and is more likely to need to be sliced open?! That doesn't matter!

Again, it's all about the subjugation of women; although in this instance it's as baby-producing machines, rather than sex objects. And of course, we both know that postpartum women can NEVER be sexy.

;)

apologies? I learn stuff. That's good.

[matgb]

we both know that postpartum women can NEVER be sexy.

Absolutely. Never ever ever. Like I've said above, I know very little directly on the subject, so I merely offer these as counter points:
http://devilskitchen.me.uk/2007/05/this-independent-midwife-insurance.html

http://devilskitchen.me.uk/2007/06/next-theyll-be-confiscating-our.html

Not got around to meeting Katy yet, but have met DK, nice bloke, for an Eton educated UKIPer.

It's possibly worth observing that the first post nearly won an award for "most unintentionally humoerous post" due to some errors she made, but she's got a strong point, if not a good one...

Re: apologies? I learn stuff. That's good.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

See, yes, I agree that people who WANT an epidural should be allowed to have one, and yes, medical aid should be available if it's needed (as it should be for anything, really), but that's COMPLETELY different to the enforced treatment of EVERY birth as a scary and unnatural thing, which is what we were talking about.

* pokes you for setting up straw men *