I'm on a freakin' safari here... ;)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
And Now, For Your Viewing Pleasure...
Fuck You, Penguin describes itself as a blog where people "tell cute animals what's what." And with 8,238 followers (so far), it's one of the best and most popular blogs I've come across... it's pretty damn funny.
Here's a selection of some of the quotes from the Orca/Killer Whale page (which you can find here):
"I get it, Whale, you're busy. I've only been on this FUCKING BOAT for three and a half hours waiting for you, and the only thing I've seen so far is my lunch from earlier. It's not like you spend your entire goddamn life in the ocean, so I see why you would only come up for basically a split second. Personally, if someone was going to all this trouble specifically to see me, I would take time out of my BUSY ASS SCHEDULE to at least stop by the boat and make some small talk, maybe have some salmon. But I understand, Whale, places to go, 500 pounds of food to eat. I'll be fine. The real question here, Whale, is will you be fine? Can you really live with yourself? Maybe you need to make a change."
Jennifer said...
Whales have an enlarged ego. Ever since "Free Willy" they think they're the shit. Especially those orca bastards. Fuck orcas. They are so fucking vein. They should spend a day in a sperm whale's shoes and see how it feels to be ugly bastards.
RandyG said...
Whales are selfish manipulative bastards...acting all extinct, like oooooh save me, save me!
Fuck you whale.
The Rougman said...
What sort of self respecting mammal drinks water that fish have shat in?
You ain't all that, Orca. Bite me.
Dunesdreamer said...
Wait a minute...what's that I see in the background? A Japanese tuna boat?
Say good-fucking night, Gracie.
Ryan said...
What I'd like to know is where the fuck this DOLPHIN gets off calling itself a WHALE in the first place. A toothy cetacean does not a whale make. Asshole.
Jaywalker said...
Also, call that a "song"? I don't fucking think so. My ears are bleeding. Who do you think you are, whale? Britney fucking Spears?
I'm not angry. I'm just so damn disappointed.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Ecco Summary from TV Tropes Wiki
Retrieved from http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EccoTheDolphin
Ecco The Dolphin
"Man, maybe they should have forgotten the name Ecco and just called the series Jesus Christ There's Sharks And Aliens Everywhere." - Anon.
A Sega video game series about a time-travelling bottlenose dolphin who fights space aliens. His friends include a pteranodon, a telepathic strand of DNA, and flying dolphins from ten million years in the future. Or, if you ask some people, a telepathic crystal and various alternate future dolphins.
The games feature notoriously difficult gameplay, which focuses on solving puzzles with the ever-present Oxygen Meter hanging over the player, and surreal storylines focused on a dolphin's perspective on alien invasions (that don't involve leaving with a thank-you note). Despite the apparent silliness of the premise, the alien (sometimes literally) setting, atmospheric music and minimalist dialogue create a lingering sense of eeriness.
The series was originally for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and began with Ecco the Dolphin. In this game, Ecco's pod was snatched from the seas by a mysterious storm, so he set out to find them, helping other dolphins along the way.
As the storyline went on, it got progressively more bizarre: first, Ecco went to see a blue whale for advice. The blue whale didn't know much, but sent Ecco to talk to the Asterite, the oldest being in the seas with the appearance of globes arranged on a double-helix. The Asterite, with no explanation, recognised Ecco and told him it could help him, except it was missing a globe and thus not at full power. The solution: travel to Atlantis and go back in time 55 million years to retrieve the wayward sphere. In Atlantis, Ecco discovers that the source of the storm was a species of hiveminded alien who had lost the ability to make their own food and was thus harvesting from Earth's seas every 500 years.
In the end, Ecco saves his pod and destroys the Vortex aliens - or so he thought.
Ecco: The Tides of Time picked up where the original left off. Turns out the Vortex Queen was Not Quite Dead and had followed Ecco to Earth, whereupon she killed the Asterite and began a takeover. On top of that, Ecco's time-travelling in the first game had split the timestream in two. Whoops. The second game, then, followed Ecco's adventures as he sought to save the Asterite (also Not Quite Dead) and the good future of Earth. It ended with Ecco vanishing mysteriously into the "Tides of Time."
Then, save for an Edutainment Game called Ecco Jr. and a few remakes, the series vanished from the face of the Earth for several years.
Its return came in the form of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future for the Sega Dreamcast, which brought the series to three-dimensions and completely ignored the universe and storyline that came before it. About the only things it had in common with the original series was the protagonist being a dolphin named Ecco, aliens, and time travel. It also introduced a dolphin/human (and /whale) society, where the original games relegated humans to backgrounds in Atlantis and the odd background sunken ship. Fan reaction was mixed.
In Defender, the plot centered around the Foe aliens breaking the timestream by stealing dolphinkind's "most noble traits" - Intelligence, Ambition, Compassion, Wisdom, and Humility - in the past, before they could unite with humans. It was of course Ecco's job to get these traits back, over the course of three different alternate futures: Man's Nightmare, Dolphins' Nightmare, and Domain of the Enemy.
One was a dying world with polluted water, no humans on account of them having gone extinct in their war against the Foe, and stupid-but-still-sapient dolphins who either worshipped men as a benevolent force which had uplifted dolphinkind from being mere animals and eagerly awaited their return or regarded them as a nasty species that had enslaved dolphinkind. It turns out both factions were probably right.
The next reality happened after Ecco sent back Intelligence and Ambition, turning dolphins into a surly bunch of warlords who drove humans from the seas. Arguably the prettiest section of the game, since the dolphins used a lot of organic-looking technology, and since it includes Hanging Waters, aka "Let's See How Many Mythology Gags Can Fit In One Level".
The final alternate reality saw every trait but Humilty restored to dolphins. In this one, the Foe took over and turned Earth into Mordor. And... that's... about it...
All in all, Ecco is a very bizarre, haunting, frustrating, and strangely charming series. Don't expect to see any more of him in either the Genesis or Defender storyline anytime soon.
________________________________________
This series provides examples of:
• Adaptation Decay or Adaptation Distillation (Your Mileage May Vary) - The comic book adaptation in Sonic The Comic, which preserved the basic plot elements, well depicted the setting and characters, but cut out most of the time travel elements (for example, Ecco retrieves the Asterite's missing pearl from a giant squid and the abyssal plain in the present, not Atlantis).
• Bad Future - Central to the plot of Tides and playable in a few levels. Defender of the Future has three Bad Futures to go through in total during Ecco's quest to restore the timeline to its proper state.
• Bag Of Spilling - You start Tides with the powers the Asterite gave Ecco in the first game, but they are lost when the Asterite is killed. Which of course occurs just before the first real level of the game.
• Bull Fight Boss - The Globe Holder from Tides has elements of this in the second phase, although it's not really a "boss." The great white shark in Defender is a somewhat straighter example.
• Crowning Music Of Awesome - The Sega-CD & PC versions all versions have an epic soundtrack, though the CD/PC ones are for the most part completely different.
• Crystal Spires And Togas - "Atlantis Lost" of Defender.
• Discontinuity - Quite a few fans of the Genesis games hold this attitude about Defender, although the plot has almost nothing to do with the first two games anyway, so take that as you will.
• Dolphins Dolphins Everywhere - And orcas, and whales, and porpoises...
• Doomed Home Bay - Jump really high to trigger the apocalypse!
• Downer Ending - One interpretation of Tides of Time. You spend the Playable Epilogue chasing the Big Bad through Atlantis, trying to beat her to the Time Machine and destroy it before she uses it to mess up the timeline you just spent the whole game fixing. When you get to it, you use it instead. A scrolling title card (set to the rather chilling title theme) tells you the Vortex Queen beat you there and warped into prehistory, you went after her, and you were never heard from again. This Troper was in tears at the ripe young age of seven.
• Escort Mission - Each game (even the edutainment one) has at least one, though in the original they are optional. They're also not too bad as escort missions go; in the Genesis games, your charges are invulnerable, and the Defender one isn't killable. They're arguably not even true escort missions, since you don't have to protect them or even keep them in sight, they just follow you automatically and unerringly.
o Defender had an irritating glitch during the most difficult escort mission (there were several, but only one required any real effort). You were meant to protect a dolphin so he could lead you to a door and open it for you. Sometimes, after going through a short tunnel, he would manage to swim inside a rock on the other side and become stuck. Made irritating by the fact that a Power of Sonar gem would have made him obsolete anyway.
• Everything Is Even Worse With Sharks - Well, naturally. Sharks are some of the tougher enemies, often taking three to five hits to kill. Ecco himself is transformed into a shark several times in the second game, mostly so he can rampage about the level eating everything.
o And for an excuse to choose between getting munched by One Hit Kill sharks, or turn yourself into one and proceed to get attacked by other dolphins.
• Everything Trying To Kill You - Ecco's enemies are fairly reasonable for the most part, but the prehistoric levels of the first game feature Goddamned Trilobites and seahorses who shoot their young at you.
• Floating Continent - In the Good Future. The flying dolphins say they were "born of the great eruptions", whatever that means.
• Flying Seafood Special - At least, if they don't have dolphin-safe tuna millions of years in the future.
• Gainax Ending - The other interpretation of the Tides of Time ending. It is implied the Vortex Queen, upon arriving in prehistory, got stomped by the local wildlife (goddamned trilobites!), and was unable to dominate Earth's ecosystem, instead integrating into it and evolving into stuff we already had. Not weird enough? According to a Word of God interview — god only knows how reliable the source, but it sure sounds cool and it's not like we're going to see another game — Ecco knew this would happen and didn't even bother using the time machine to chase the Queen at all! He used it to go to the time of the Atlanteans, for "specific reasons reserved for the 3rd game."
• Genius Loci - The ocean in the good future, according to the future dolphins.
• Goddamned Crabs/Pufferfish/Trilobites - There are quite a few enemies in the Genesis games that make you see the positive side of driving things to extinction.
• Hailfire Peaks, naturally all with an Under The Sea twist:
o Green Hill Zone - The first level in every game.
o Underground Level - The Undercaves would be the first example.
o Slippy Slidey Ice World - In which Ecco can literally slip and slide around on his belly atop the ice.
o Prehistoria - And how.
o Eternal Engine - Welcome to the Machine
• Heroic Mime - Ecco does use his voice as a general problem-solving tool, but the player's never privy to anything he says beyond "Queek-queek-queek" and "SQUAAARK!!"
o He also chatters when you press the sonar button out of water in Defender.
Interestingly, one of the scrapped ideas involved being able to see what Ecco's sonar translated to by singing at a mirror (Defender).
• Hive Mind - The aliens in both storylines.
• Horde Of Alien Locusts - Again, the aliens in both storylines.
• Humans Are Bastards - In Defender, when they take over without uniting with the dolphins. Of course, the dolphins from the Dolphins' Nightmare section are some pretty nasty customers as well, so maybe it's more like Unchecked Dominant Species Are Bastards.
• Locked Door - "SEARCH FOR THE KEY-GLYPH"
• The Maze - At least one in each game, some more frustrating than others.
• Make Me Wanna Shout - Ecco's sonar gets various weapons-grade upgrades throughout the games.
• My Own Grampa - Variant: while retrieving the Asterite's globe in Ecco the Dolphin, Ecco encounters some proto-cetaceans and accidentally gives them the idea to take to the seas.
• New Age - Self-explanatory, really.
• Nice Job Breaking It Hero - "You are the Stone that splits the Stream of Time in two."
• Nightmare Fuel -
o The entire game is a claustrophic, haunting experience. It gets worse. Do not let the fact that the protagonist is an adorable dolphin fool you. Seriously. ◊
o Welcome to the Machine. Not only does it feature a pukish green background and some really unnerving music, but it's also pretty long, even for a level with automatic scrolling.
And thanks to a surely deliberate plant on the password screen, it's easy to be transported to it accidentally with no knowledge of what awaits you there.
• Nintendo Hard - Controller-throwingly so.
• No Ontological Inertia - The Asterite's powerup only works when it's alive.
• Nostalgia Level - Defender includes two hidden sidescrolling levels based on the Genesis games; one is actually called Passage from Genesis. Also, the Hanging Waters levels are one big Mythology Gag reference to the Good Future water tubes from Tides, although that doesn't change the fact that they look awesome.
• Oddball In The Series - Ecco Jr.
• One Hit Kill - So many things do this you wonder why they bothered letting you keep the life meter for the last few levels.
• Paranoia Fuel - So you've just started Tides of Time. You're zooming around one of the first levels, enjoying the better controls, and suddenly you see a terrifying mass of blue chitin that kills you instantly. It was one of the alien enemies in the first game that you never saw till the last level. One the one fin you don't want to go that fast ever again in case more of them are floating around, but on the other...you have to. Eep.
• Pass Through The Rings - Those goddamn teleport levels from Tides. Predictably, some of this in Defender as well, since it's the only 3D game in the series.
• Playable Epilogue - Tides has one three levels long.
• Poison Fish - Seen in Defender; Among the many health-restoring fish there is one specific kind that'll hurt instead of heal you.
o These Poison Fish are the only way to heal you from a slow death due to Jellyfish Poison. If you're poisoned and eat this fish, you won't take damage and your health won't increase, but the poison will be gone.
They can also be mildly useful after you learn the Song of Fish. Sharks don't want to eat poison fish, so having a little cloud of them following you around makes a nifty living shield. The downside? Fish are slow, so said living shield is only effective when you don't need/want to swim quickly.
• Porting Disaster - The GameGear version of Tides. It is now thought it was based on a prototype of the Genesis/Mega Drive game. The Game Boy Advance port of the original Ecco isn't quite so atrocious, but removed almost the entire soundtrack, replacing it with a 30-second loop heard during the time travel sequences in the original game.
• Scenery Porn - Lovely shots of the ocean, in both the Genesis games and Defender.
• Scrappy Level - Every game has at least one. Inevitable given the general difficulty, really.
o Ecco the Dolphin features Welcome to the Machine: Five minutes of twisting, turning, auto-scrolling Hell. And just to make things even better, if you lose to the final boss you get to go through again!
o Subverted with the Hanging Waters level in Defender of the Future. It has all the makings of a Scrappy Level, but it's generally forgiven because the concept behind it is so awesome and said concept is executed flawlessly.
• The Sky Is An Ocean: The Tides Of Time features flying dolphins, a giant flying jellyfish, and ocean paths in the sky.
• Somewhere A Palaeontologist Is Crying - The prehistoric levels of Ecco the Dolphin include trilobites, pteranodons, and proto-cetaceans cohabiting.
• Space Is An Ocean - Defender seems to make it apparent that both man and dolphin prefer the "space fetus" method of interstellar travel from the end of 2001: A Space Oddyssey.
• Stable Time Loop - Ecco is sent back in time to find the Asterite's lost globe, but ultimately ends up stealing it from it in the past, and thus being the reason the Asterite doesn't have said globe in the first place. The Asterite itself comes to this revelation when you first meet it, but of course, you're not likely to understand a word it's saying at the time.
• Stalking Mission - Defender. There's a deadly version in Tides.
• Surprise Creepy - You wouldn't think a game about a dolphin could possibly be this eerie, would you?
• Sword Of Plot Advancement - The special powers the Asterite gives Ecco in the first and second games, the dolphins' noble traits in Defender.
• That One Boss - Again, given the general difficulty almost all the bosses are well-hated, but the final boss of the first game deserves special mention. She actually isn't all that bad herself, but if you die you have to pick your way through Welcome to the Machine again. Worse, she has a move that will kill you instantly or even freeze the game forever if you have infinitie life.
• They Just Didnt Care - Arguably Defender; the guy who wrote the storyline has never played the Genesis games, and the original creator of the series was not part of production.
o They cared enough to hire David Brin, the writer of the Uplift series, to pen the script for the new game rather than just getting a staff writer to do it. Just because it disregards the story of the first two games doesn't mean it sucks. Then again, he apparently can't tell the difference between the Genesis games and Defender, so he may only have cared about getting a paycheck. The "arguably" above is well-justified, and it's worth noting that gameplay-wise Defender of the Future wasn't half bad.
• Time Travel - In every single game, apart from Ecco Jr.
• Underwater Ruins - Doubles as Scenery Porn.
• Unpleasable Fanbase - On the other flipper, perhaps this is the only "problem" with Defender.
• Womb Level - Defender's final boss.
• Xen Syndrome - Defender gets hit with this bad during Domain of the Enemy.
• Xenofiction - At least, the Genesis games are.
Ecco The Dolphin
"Man, maybe they should have forgotten the name Ecco and just called the series Jesus Christ There's Sharks And Aliens Everywhere." - Anon.
A Sega video game series about a time-travelling bottlenose dolphin who fights space aliens. His friends include a pteranodon, a telepathic strand of DNA, and flying dolphins from ten million years in the future. Or, if you ask some people, a telepathic crystal and various alternate future dolphins.
The games feature notoriously difficult gameplay, which focuses on solving puzzles with the ever-present Oxygen Meter hanging over the player, and surreal storylines focused on a dolphin's perspective on alien invasions (that don't involve leaving with a thank-you note). Despite the apparent silliness of the premise, the alien (sometimes literally) setting, atmospheric music and minimalist dialogue create a lingering sense of eeriness.
The series was originally for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, and began with Ecco the Dolphin. In this game, Ecco's pod was snatched from the seas by a mysterious storm, so he set out to find them, helping other dolphins along the way.
As the storyline went on, it got progressively more bizarre: first, Ecco went to see a blue whale for advice. The blue whale didn't know much, but sent Ecco to talk to the Asterite, the oldest being in the seas with the appearance of globes arranged on a double-helix. The Asterite, with no explanation, recognised Ecco and told him it could help him, except it was missing a globe and thus not at full power. The solution: travel to Atlantis and go back in time 55 million years to retrieve the wayward sphere. In Atlantis, Ecco discovers that the source of the storm was a species of hiveminded alien who had lost the ability to make their own food and was thus harvesting from Earth's seas every 500 years.
In the end, Ecco saves his pod and destroys the Vortex aliens - or so he thought.
Ecco: The Tides of Time picked up where the original left off. Turns out the Vortex Queen was Not Quite Dead and had followed Ecco to Earth, whereupon she killed the Asterite and began a takeover. On top of that, Ecco's time-travelling in the first game had split the timestream in two. Whoops. The second game, then, followed Ecco's adventures as he sought to save the Asterite (also Not Quite Dead) and the good future of Earth. It ended with Ecco vanishing mysteriously into the "Tides of Time."
Then, save for an Edutainment Game called Ecco Jr. and a few remakes, the series vanished from the face of the Earth for several years.
Its return came in the form of Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future for the Sega Dreamcast, which brought the series to three-dimensions and completely ignored the universe and storyline that came before it. About the only things it had in common with the original series was the protagonist being a dolphin named Ecco, aliens, and time travel. It also introduced a dolphin/human (and /whale) society, where the original games relegated humans to backgrounds in Atlantis and the odd background sunken ship. Fan reaction was mixed.
In Defender, the plot centered around the Foe aliens breaking the timestream by stealing dolphinkind's "most noble traits" - Intelligence, Ambition, Compassion, Wisdom, and Humility - in the past, before they could unite with humans. It was of course Ecco's job to get these traits back, over the course of three different alternate futures: Man's Nightmare, Dolphins' Nightmare, and Domain of the Enemy.
One was a dying world with polluted water, no humans on account of them having gone extinct in their war against the Foe, and stupid-but-still-sapient dolphins who either worshipped men as a benevolent force which had uplifted dolphinkind from being mere animals and eagerly awaited their return or regarded them as a nasty species that had enslaved dolphinkind. It turns out both factions were probably right.
The next reality happened after Ecco sent back Intelligence and Ambition, turning dolphins into a surly bunch of warlords who drove humans from the seas. Arguably the prettiest section of the game, since the dolphins used a lot of organic-looking technology, and since it includes Hanging Waters, aka "Let's See How Many Mythology Gags Can Fit In One Level".
The final alternate reality saw every trait but Humilty restored to dolphins. In this one, the Foe took over and turned Earth into Mordor. And... that's... about it...
All in all, Ecco is a very bizarre, haunting, frustrating, and strangely charming series. Don't expect to see any more of him in either the Genesis or Defender storyline anytime soon.
________________________________________
This series provides examples of:
• Adaptation Decay or Adaptation Distillation (Your Mileage May Vary) - The comic book adaptation in Sonic The Comic, which preserved the basic plot elements, well depicted the setting and characters, but cut out most of the time travel elements (for example, Ecco retrieves the Asterite's missing pearl from a giant squid and the abyssal plain in the present, not Atlantis).
• Bad Future - Central to the plot of Tides and playable in a few levels. Defender of the Future has three Bad Futures to go through in total during Ecco's quest to restore the timeline to its proper state.
• Bag Of Spilling - You start Tides with the powers the Asterite gave Ecco in the first game, but they are lost when the Asterite is killed. Which of course occurs just before the first real level of the game.
• Bull Fight Boss - The Globe Holder from Tides has elements of this in the second phase, although it's not really a "boss." The great white shark in Defender is a somewhat straighter example.
• Crowning Music Of Awesome - The Sega-CD & PC versions all versions have an epic soundtrack, though the CD/PC ones are for the most part completely different.
• Crystal Spires And Togas - "Atlantis Lost" of Defender.
• Discontinuity - Quite a few fans of the Genesis games hold this attitude about Defender, although the plot has almost nothing to do with the first two games anyway, so take that as you will.
• Dolphins Dolphins Everywhere - And orcas, and whales, and porpoises...
• Doomed Home Bay - Jump really high to trigger the apocalypse!
• Downer Ending - One interpretation of Tides of Time. You spend the Playable Epilogue chasing the Big Bad through Atlantis, trying to beat her to the Time Machine and destroy it before she uses it to mess up the timeline you just spent the whole game fixing. When you get to it, you use it instead. A scrolling title card (set to the rather chilling title theme) tells you the Vortex Queen beat you there and warped into prehistory, you went after her, and you were never heard from again. This Troper was in tears at the ripe young age of seven.
• Escort Mission - Each game (even the edutainment one) has at least one, though in the original they are optional. They're also not too bad as escort missions go; in the Genesis games, your charges are invulnerable, and the Defender one isn't killable. They're arguably not even true escort missions, since you don't have to protect them or even keep them in sight, they just follow you automatically and unerringly.
o Defender had an irritating glitch during the most difficult escort mission (there were several, but only one required any real effort). You were meant to protect a dolphin so he could lead you to a door and open it for you. Sometimes, after going through a short tunnel, he would manage to swim inside a rock on the other side and become stuck. Made irritating by the fact that a Power of Sonar gem would have made him obsolete anyway.
• Everything Is Even Worse With Sharks - Well, naturally. Sharks are some of the tougher enemies, often taking three to five hits to kill. Ecco himself is transformed into a shark several times in the second game, mostly so he can rampage about the level eating everything.
o And for an excuse to choose between getting munched by One Hit Kill sharks, or turn yourself into one and proceed to get attacked by other dolphins.
• Everything Trying To Kill You - Ecco's enemies are fairly reasonable for the most part, but the prehistoric levels of the first game feature Goddamned Trilobites and seahorses who shoot their young at you.
• Floating Continent - In the Good Future. The flying dolphins say they were "born of the great eruptions", whatever that means.
• Flying Seafood Special - At least, if they don't have dolphin-safe tuna millions of years in the future.
• Gainax Ending - The other interpretation of the Tides of Time ending. It is implied the Vortex Queen, upon arriving in prehistory, got stomped by the local wildlife (goddamned trilobites!), and was unable to dominate Earth's ecosystem, instead integrating into it and evolving into stuff we already had. Not weird enough? According to a Word of God interview — god only knows how reliable the source, but it sure sounds cool and it's not like we're going to see another game — Ecco knew this would happen and didn't even bother using the time machine to chase the Queen at all! He used it to go to the time of the Atlanteans, for "specific reasons reserved for the 3rd game."
• Genius Loci - The ocean in the good future, according to the future dolphins.
• Goddamned Crabs/Pufferfish/Trilobites - There are quite a few enemies in the Genesis games that make you see the positive side of driving things to extinction.
• Hailfire Peaks, naturally all with an Under The Sea twist:
o Green Hill Zone - The first level in every game.
o Underground Level - The Undercaves would be the first example.
o Slippy Slidey Ice World - In which Ecco can literally slip and slide around on his belly atop the ice.
o Prehistoria - And how.
o Eternal Engine - Welcome to the Machine
• Heroic Mime - Ecco does use his voice as a general problem-solving tool, but the player's never privy to anything he says beyond "Queek-queek-queek" and "SQUAAARK!!"
o He also chatters when you press the sonar button out of water in Defender.
Interestingly, one of the scrapped ideas involved being able to see what Ecco's sonar translated to by singing at a mirror (Defender).
• Hive Mind - The aliens in both storylines.
• Horde Of Alien Locusts - Again, the aliens in both storylines.
• Humans Are Bastards - In Defender, when they take over without uniting with the dolphins. Of course, the dolphins from the Dolphins' Nightmare section are some pretty nasty customers as well, so maybe it's more like Unchecked Dominant Species Are Bastards.
• Locked Door - "SEARCH FOR THE KEY-GLYPH"
• The Maze - At least one in each game, some more frustrating than others.
• Make Me Wanna Shout - Ecco's sonar gets various weapons-grade upgrades throughout the games.
• My Own Grampa - Variant: while retrieving the Asterite's globe in Ecco the Dolphin, Ecco encounters some proto-cetaceans and accidentally gives them the idea to take to the seas.
• New Age - Self-explanatory, really.
• Nice Job Breaking It Hero - "You are the Stone that splits the Stream of Time in two."
• Nightmare Fuel -
o The entire game is a claustrophic, haunting experience. It gets worse. Do not let the fact that the protagonist is an adorable dolphin fool you. Seriously. ◊
o Welcome to the Machine. Not only does it feature a pukish green background and some really unnerving music, but it's also pretty long, even for a level with automatic scrolling.
And thanks to a surely deliberate plant on the password screen, it's easy to be transported to it accidentally with no knowledge of what awaits you there.
• Nintendo Hard - Controller-throwingly so.
• No Ontological Inertia - The Asterite's powerup only works when it's alive.
• Nostalgia Level - Defender includes two hidden sidescrolling levels based on the Genesis games; one is actually called Passage from Genesis. Also, the Hanging Waters levels are one big Mythology Gag reference to the Good Future water tubes from Tides, although that doesn't change the fact that they look awesome.
• Oddball In The Series - Ecco Jr.
• One Hit Kill - So many things do this you wonder why they bothered letting you keep the life meter for the last few levels.
• Paranoia Fuel - So you've just started Tides of Time. You're zooming around one of the first levels, enjoying the better controls, and suddenly you see a terrifying mass of blue chitin that kills you instantly. It was one of the alien enemies in the first game that you never saw till the last level. One the one fin you don't want to go that fast ever again in case more of them are floating around, but on the other...you have to. Eep.
• Pass Through The Rings - Those goddamn teleport levels from Tides. Predictably, some of this in Defender as well, since it's the only 3D game in the series.
• Playable Epilogue - Tides has one three levels long.
• Poison Fish - Seen in Defender; Among the many health-restoring fish there is one specific kind that'll hurt instead of heal you.
o These Poison Fish are the only way to heal you from a slow death due to Jellyfish Poison. If you're poisoned and eat this fish, you won't take damage and your health won't increase, but the poison will be gone.
They can also be mildly useful after you learn the Song of Fish. Sharks don't want to eat poison fish, so having a little cloud of them following you around makes a nifty living shield. The downside? Fish are slow, so said living shield is only effective when you don't need/want to swim quickly.
• Porting Disaster - The GameGear version of Tides. It is now thought it was based on a prototype of the Genesis/Mega Drive game. The Game Boy Advance port of the original Ecco isn't quite so atrocious, but removed almost the entire soundtrack, replacing it with a 30-second loop heard during the time travel sequences in the original game.
• Scenery Porn - Lovely shots of the ocean, in both the Genesis games and Defender.
• Scrappy Level - Every game has at least one. Inevitable given the general difficulty, really.
o Ecco the Dolphin features Welcome to the Machine: Five minutes of twisting, turning, auto-scrolling Hell. And just to make things even better, if you lose to the final boss you get to go through again!
o Subverted with the Hanging Waters level in Defender of the Future. It has all the makings of a Scrappy Level, but it's generally forgiven because the concept behind it is so awesome and said concept is executed flawlessly.
• The Sky Is An Ocean: The Tides Of Time features flying dolphins, a giant flying jellyfish, and ocean paths in the sky.
• Somewhere A Palaeontologist Is Crying - The prehistoric levels of Ecco the Dolphin include trilobites, pteranodons, and proto-cetaceans cohabiting.
• Space Is An Ocean - Defender seems to make it apparent that both man and dolphin prefer the "space fetus" method of interstellar travel from the end of 2001: A Space Oddyssey.
• Stable Time Loop - Ecco is sent back in time to find the Asterite's lost globe, but ultimately ends up stealing it from it in the past, and thus being the reason the Asterite doesn't have said globe in the first place. The Asterite itself comes to this revelation when you first meet it, but of course, you're not likely to understand a word it's saying at the time.
• Stalking Mission - Defender. There's a deadly version in Tides.
• Surprise Creepy - You wouldn't think a game about a dolphin could possibly be this eerie, would you?
• Sword Of Plot Advancement - The special powers the Asterite gives Ecco in the first and second games, the dolphins' noble traits in Defender.
• That One Boss - Again, given the general difficulty almost all the bosses are well-hated, but the final boss of the first game deserves special mention. She actually isn't all that bad herself, but if you die you have to pick your way through Welcome to the Machine again. Worse, she has a move that will kill you instantly or even freeze the game forever if you have infinitie life.
• They Just Didnt Care - Arguably Defender; the guy who wrote the storyline has never played the Genesis games, and the original creator of the series was not part of production.
o They cared enough to hire David Brin, the writer of the Uplift series, to pen the script for the new game rather than just getting a staff writer to do it. Just because it disregards the story of the first two games doesn't mean it sucks. Then again, he apparently can't tell the difference between the Genesis games and Defender, so he may only have cared about getting a paycheck. The "arguably" above is well-justified, and it's worth noting that gameplay-wise Defender of the Future wasn't half bad.
• Time Travel - In every single game, apart from Ecco Jr.
• Underwater Ruins - Doubles as Scenery Porn.
• Unpleasable Fanbase - On the other flipper, perhaps this is the only "problem" with Defender.
• Womb Level - Defender's final boss.
• Xen Syndrome - Defender gets hit with this bad during Domain of the Enemy.
• Xenofiction - At least, the Genesis games are.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Ecco The Dolphin - Greatest SEGA Game Ever
As I've said elsewhere, I love Ecco. It was my absolute favourite SEGA game, and not because it's about a dolphin. It's beautifully rendered, well mapped out, the challenge is in solving the puzzles throughout the levels before you run out of air, rather than in violently bashing or shooting everything in your way, it spans a whole ocean and features a huge range of marine creatures, has a great score (with the exception of that AWFUL victory tune at the end) and -- most importantly -- it tells an imaginative and moving story. The ending was actually a real surprise, and it was enough to give me nightmares as a kid. The Machine is f*cking creepy.
Here it is in all its original 16bit glory (Ah, the good old Mega Drive days...) played by cubex55 over at Youtube. Enjoy.
Of course, as this is just a recording of someone else’s game, it’s not going to be as engaging as if you were playing it yourself. You don’t get to explore each level in your own time, it’s all done for you so you don’t have the satisfaction (or frustration!) of having to work it all out for yourself, you don’t get the nasty surprises when the sharks and crabs come at you out of nowhere, or when the ice cubes and rocks come flying out of the walls at you. You also don’t get to play around doing all the somersaults and leaps at the surface that you can when you’re playing it.
I kinda feel cubex55 has cheated a bit in places, most obviously in the Open Ocean stage, where he’s just zipped along at the bottom of the screen, avoiding all the challenges on that level... but I guess if your goal is just to get through the whole thing as fast as you can without dying then that’s to be expected. I prefer to play at a slower pace, paying attention to the details as I go.
This game was always going to appeal to me – I’ve always had something of an obsession with the ocean, and Ecco combines that with time travel and aliens, two of my other favourite themes. It’s all very Aliens meets Cocoon. I think it’s slightly hilarious that Ecco inspires his own distant ancestors to leave the land and return to the water, to eventually evolve into his own species. I love how the oldest living creature is a giant DNA double-helix. (I also LOVE the backwards-flying pteranodon!)
One of the things I really appreciate about the game is that you only get anywhere by helping others. Throughout the game, Ecco has to reunite families and locate the precious things of others that they have lost. I think it’s a good moral.
The PC edition of the original splices in some great cinematic animations to tell the story as you go. It was followed by the even more beautifully rendered Ecco the Dolphin: The Tides of Time and Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, which lack some of the charm of the original, in my opinion, but have much better graphics and ditch the traditional left-to-right scrolling format.
Here it is in all its original 16bit glory (Ah, the good old Mega Drive days...) played by cubex55 over at Youtube. Enjoy.
Of course, as this is just a recording of someone else’s game, it’s not going to be as engaging as if you were playing it yourself. You don’t get to explore each level in your own time, it’s all done for you so you don’t have the satisfaction (or frustration!) of having to work it all out for yourself, you don’t get the nasty surprises when the sharks and crabs come at you out of nowhere, or when the ice cubes and rocks come flying out of the walls at you. You also don’t get to play around doing all the somersaults and leaps at the surface that you can when you’re playing it.
I kinda feel cubex55 has cheated a bit in places, most obviously in the Open Ocean stage, where he’s just zipped along at the bottom of the screen, avoiding all the challenges on that level... but I guess if your goal is just to get through the whole thing as fast as you can without dying then that’s to be expected. I prefer to play at a slower pace, paying attention to the details as I go.
This game was always going to appeal to me – I’ve always had something of an obsession with the ocean, and Ecco combines that with time travel and aliens, two of my other favourite themes. It’s all very Aliens meets Cocoon. I think it’s slightly hilarious that Ecco inspires his own distant ancestors to leave the land and return to the water, to eventually evolve into his own species. I love how the oldest living creature is a giant DNA double-helix. (I also LOVE the backwards-flying pteranodon!)
One of the things I really appreciate about the game is that you only get anywhere by helping others. Throughout the game, Ecco has to reunite families and locate the precious things of others that they have lost. I think it’s a good moral.
The PC edition of the original splices in some great cinematic animations to tell the story as you go. It was followed by the even more beautifully rendered Ecco the Dolphin: The Tides of Time and Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future, which lack some of the charm of the original, in my opinion, but have much better graphics and ditch the traditional left-to-right scrolling format.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The Tides of Time
I love this theme, it's from Ecco the Dolphin: The Tides of Time, sequel to my favourite game ever, Ecco the Dolphin. GMCmusic2008 over at youtube re-recorded it, did a beautiful job of it too, you can find it here.
Fishy... For Tom
Have any of you played this? I found out about it through a review over at http://awesomerthanthou.blogspot.com/009/11/game-review-fishy.html
It's addictive, and fun!! The game itself can be found at http://www.freeonlinegames.com/fun-games/fishy.html
Ecco the Dolphin - Book of Days (Enya)
I found this video ages ago... I've watched it hundreds of times, it's a fave. Ecco the Dolphin was my favourite SEGA game, I loved the story (which was essentially a mystery), and it was beautifully rendered with a stunning soundtrack. It was also a largely nonviolent game, the challenge coming from puzzle-solving instead. This clip combines footage from the various Ecco games with one of Enya's better tracks, making it doubly awesome :D
From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWTCBrLfpU
From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWTCBrLfpU
The Ticking Clock
The modern Doctor Who has perhaps the most thrilling soundtrack of any television series I've ever watched, it's one of the main reasons I love the show so much. This track's called This is Gallifrey, Our Childhood, Our Home, and it's probably my favourite piece from the new series. Murray Gold's done some fantastic stuff, but I think this is probably one of his more evocative pieces. I just love that ticking in the background.
My thanks to youtube's dannyboy2k6, from whom I stole this. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idQRiLZukG0&feature=related
My thanks to youtube's dannyboy2k6, from whom I stole this. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idQRiLZukG0&feature=related
Stealing the Enterprise
This is my absolute favourite scene in Star Trek. Ever. Again, it's largely because of James Horner's brilliant score. It's cheeky, dramatic and exciting. Here it is with the dialogue taken out (thanks to timefilm, check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzZBZKqEE-4 )
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sound of My Childhood
This movie is one of my all time favourites, as a kid it scared me half to death and probably traumatised me for life with the death of Littlefoot's mother. The opening few minutes are magnificent. But what made this film really, really special, beyond anything else, was James Horner's stunning soundtrack. Just a few notes brings it all back to me, it's absolutely beautiful.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO06EdQt9sA
The Most Frightening Piece of Music You'll Ever Hear
This is Clint Mansell's Requiem for a Dream. You've probably heard parts of it, it gets used a lot in film trailers these days, but listen to the whole thing, it's a horror film all on it's own. Epic.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Ma4BvMUwU
Monday, November 16, 2009
November 17 2009
Some of you will be aware of what the 17th of November means to me. It's the anniversary of my 'Coming Out,’ the anniversary of the day I told my mum I was gay, way back in 2001. November the 17th is about so much more than sexuality, though.
A lot's changed for me since 2001, I've moved from Oamaru to Christchurch, from Christchurch to Wellington, and from Wellington to Palmerston North. I’ve ditched the ‘gay’ label and moved on to ‘bisexual’ only to drop that for ‘queer.’ I’ve given up on Christianity, become an atheist, then a Satanist, a pagan and finally an agnostic. I’ve been a staunch supporter of monogamy and marriage, an equally fervent advocate of polyamory, and more recently I’ve committed myself to celibacy. I’ve subscribed to beliefs about divine ordination, biological determinism, social coercion, and lately social/environmental/biological interactionism. I’ve changed so much that I scarcely remember who I am and where I came from. I need this day, I need the time to reflect, to try and make sense of it all.
November 17 is about honesty and integrity, about earnestness and accepting responsibility. It’s about facing up to the fact that I create myself, about not laying blame at the feet of others. Every year I commit myself anew to honesty, having lived a pack of lies most of my youth.
You see, I learned to lie, prolifically, convincingly, from an early age. I was so desperate to win approval, from my parents, my peers, my teachers, complete strangers. It’s what I do, I lie, and I lie, and I lie, and I lie. I lie to you all, every time, trying to make myself look better in your eyes. It’s a compulsion. Most of all, however, I lie to myself.
It’s Aaron’s fault, I tell myself, for stealing my stuff and selling it. It’s Mum’s fault for leaning on me too heavily. It’s Bruno’s fault for swinging back and forth and changing his mind. It’s Bryce’s fault for being too needy. It’s Dad’s fault for yelling at me and beating me. It’s Brent’s fault for not telling me the truth. It’s Daniel’s fault for cutting me off when I said I missed him. It’s Scott’s fault for asking me to church. It’s Stewart’s fault, and James’ fault, and Tom’s fault, and Simon’s fault, and Kerry Anne’s and Tamara’s and AJ’s and Eric’s and Seth’s and Glenn’s and everybody else’s fault but my own. I tell myself a history that allows me to live with myself, and I rehearse it so often that I almost believe it.
Almost.
The truth of the matter is, I did this to myself. I brought me here, to this moment, by always choosing the path of least resistance, by avoiding responsibility, by accepting less than I felt I deserved, by doing what I knew would only hurt me in the long run because it was easy or appealing at the time. I have no one to blame but myself.
And I’m still doing it. I’m doing it to you now, right now as you read. There are things I want to say, apologies to be made and lies I want to admit to, but I can’t bring myself even to utter them aloud in the silence and privacy of my bedroom. I’m writing this, leaving out the worst, all those shameful little secrets, all those dirty deeds and most private thoughts.
I live in a world of my own creation, a world where I am the victim, the martyr, who will be one day be vindicated. And yet, some tiny part of me still sees through the falsehoods I’ve spun, retaining enough clarity to wonder whether I could survive being faced with the screaming naked truth, that I am the monster. When the towering edifice of illusion comes crashing down around me, and I see myself as I truly am, will I persist, or will I smash what little remains of my kingdom? Will I wander about in that ruined wasteland, picking up and turning over the fragments, playing my accustomed role though nobody is watching? That tiny watcher in my soul knows the latter is the more likely.
November 17 is for honesty and integrity.
And I fail.
A lot's changed for me since 2001, I've moved from Oamaru to Christchurch, from Christchurch to Wellington, and from Wellington to Palmerston North. I’ve ditched the ‘gay’ label and moved on to ‘bisexual’ only to drop that for ‘queer.’ I’ve given up on Christianity, become an atheist, then a Satanist, a pagan and finally an agnostic. I’ve been a staunch supporter of monogamy and marriage, an equally fervent advocate of polyamory, and more recently I’ve committed myself to celibacy. I’ve subscribed to beliefs about divine ordination, biological determinism, social coercion, and lately social/environmental/biological interactionism. I’ve changed so much that I scarcely remember who I am and where I came from. I need this day, I need the time to reflect, to try and make sense of it all.
November 17 is about honesty and integrity, about earnestness and accepting responsibility. It’s about facing up to the fact that I create myself, about not laying blame at the feet of others. Every year I commit myself anew to honesty, having lived a pack of lies most of my youth.
You see, I learned to lie, prolifically, convincingly, from an early age. I was so desperate to win approval, from my parents, my peers, my teachers, complete strangers. It’s what I do, I lie, and I lie, and I lie, and I lie. I lie to you all, every time, trying to make myself look better in your eyes. It’s a compulsion. Most of all, however, I lie to myself.
It’s Aaron’s fault, I tell myself, for stealing my stuff and selling it. It’s Mum’s fault for leaning on me too heavily. It’s Bruno’s fault for swinging back and forth and changing his mind. It’s Bryce’s fault for being too needy. It’s Dad’s fault for yelling at me and beating me. It’s Brent’s fault for not telling me the truth. It’s Daniel’s fault for cutting me off when I said I missed him. It’s Scott’s fault for asking me to church. It’s Stewart’s fault, and James’ fault, and Tom’s fault, and Simon’s fault, and Kerry Anne’s and Tamara’s and AJ’s and Eric’s and Seth’s and Glenn’s and everybody else’s fault but my own. I tell myself a history that allows me to live with myself, and I rehearse it so often that I almost believe it.
Almost.
The truth of the matter is, I did this to myself. I brought me here, to this moment, by always choosing the path of least resistance, by avoiding responsibility, by accepting less than I felt I deserved, by doing what I knew would only hurt me in the long run because it was easy or appealing at the time. I have no one to blame but myself.
And I’m still doing it. I’m doing it to you now, right now as you read. There are things I want to say, apologies to be made and lies I want to admit to, but I can’t bring myself even to utter them aloud in the silence and privacy of my bedroom. I’m writing this, leaving out the worst, all those shameful little secrets, all those dirty deeds and most private thoughts.
I live in a world of my own creation, a world where I am the victim, the martyr, who will be one day be vindicated. And yet, some tiny part of me still sees through the falsehoods I’ve spun, retaining enough clarity to wonder whether I could survive being faced with the screaming naked truth, that I am the monster. When the towering edifice of illusion comes crashing down around me, and I see myself as I truly am, will I persist, or will I smash what little remains of my kingdom? Will I wander about in that ruined wasteland, picking up and turning over the fragments, playing my accustomed role though nobody is watching? That tiny watcher in my soul knows the latter is the more likely.
November 17 is for honesty and integrity.
And I fail.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Doctor Who Season 5 - What I'm Hoping For
What I've seen evidence for so far (and what it means?):
The TARDIS is looking new again, back to it's 1960s look.
> Maybe D11 crossed his own timeline and stole an earlier incarnation's TARDIS?
We know that River Song will be back, very likely in the in the wake of the crash of the Byzantium that she referred to in Silence in the Library. We see two versions of her - one in military attire, handcuffed, and one dressed to the nines behind some smoke.
> I think the smoky, dressed up River is a message from the future.
> D11 and Amy Pond meet the army-uniformed River, and D11 recognises her, but she doesn't know who he is, an exact reversal of their previous meeting (from his perspective), at the end of her life. Perhaps he introduces himself as the Doctor, but she doesn't believe him, having met and perhaps begun a relationship of sorts with an older incarnation (in Silence she said D10 was the youngest she'd ever seen him and D11 is even younger), perhaps she doesn't know about regeneration yet? I think she'll have faith and help him somehow, and will be subsequently arrested.
We know D11 meets Winston Churchill and some British Daleks, painted in British Army colours.
> I hope that the Daleks are being sneaky, perhaps working with both the Germans and the British, manipulating the outcome of the war while pretending to serve both sides. I hope there are only a handful of Daleks, because they are robbed of their menace by having huge invasion forces wiped out instantly over and over again - they're just too easily defeated! Let them escape to scheme again, rather than be destroyed... please!
>> On the subject of Daleks, I'd like to see them in just ONE story per season, mid-way through rather than at the end, manipulating events rather than going all-out to invade, occasionally being outside of their casings and killing people just as they are. Bring back the Supreme Dalek! Make the ordinary Daleks grey again!
Other hopes:
More emphasis on the weird nature of time-travel -- don't just treat it like a plane trip to another country!
Get rid of Torchwood!
Get rid of the Slitheen - FOREVER!!
Retain some Bad Wolf hints! (though this is pretty unlikely).
Have the Cybermen from this universe come into conflict with the Cybus Cybermen from the alternate universe?
Show UNIT being arrogant and dodgy!
Retain musical motifs from RTD years!
Redeem the Sontarans - make them look less gay!
Make Amy Pond dodgy or criminal!
The TARDIS is looking new again, back to it's 1960s look.
> Maybe D11 crossed his own timeline and stole an earlier incarnation's TARDIS?
We know that River Song will be back, very likely in the in the wake of the crash of the Byzantium that she referred to in Silence in the Library. We see two versions of her - one in military attire, handcuffed, and one dressed to the nines behind some smoke.
> I think the smoky, dressed up River is a message from the future.
> D11 and Amy Pond meet the army-uniformed River, and D11 recognises her, but she doesn't know who he is, an exact reversal of their previous meeting (from his perspective), at the end of her life. Perhaps he introduces himself as the Doctor, but she doesn't believe him, having met and perhaps begun a relationship of sorts with an older incarnation (in Silence she said D10 was the youngest she'd ever seen him and D11 is even younger), perhaps she doesn't know about regeneration yet? I think she'll have faith and help him somehow, and will be subsequently arrested.
We know D11 meets Winston Churchill and some British Daleks, painted in British Army colours.
> I hope that the Daleks are being sneaky, perhaps working with both the Germans and the British, manipulating the outcome of the war while pretending to serve both sides. I hope there are only a handful of Daleks, because they are robbed of their menace by having huge invasion forces wiped out instantly over and over again - they're just too easily defeated! Let them escape to scheme again, rather than be destroyed... please!
>> On the subject of Daleks, I'd like to see them in just ONE story per season, mid-way through rather than at the end, manipulating events rather than going all-out to invade, occasionally being outside of their casings and killing people just as they are. Bring back the Supreme Dalek! Make the ordinary Daleks grey again!
Other hopes:
More emphasis on the weird nature of time-travel -- don't just treat it like a plane trip to another country!
Get rid of Torchwood!
Get rid of the Slitheen - FOREVER!!
Retain some Bad Wolf hints! (though this is pretty unlikely).
Have the Cybermen from this universe come into conflict with the Cybus Cybermen from the alternate universe?
Show UNIT being arrogant and dodgy!
Retain musical motifs from RTD years!
Redeem the Sontarans - make them look less gay!
Make Amy Pond dodgy or criminal!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Words
The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote
I will not relinquish old age if it leaves my better part intact. But if it begins to shake my mind, if it destroys my faculties one by one, if it leaves me not life but breath, I will depart from the putrid or the tottering edifice. If I know that I must suffer without hope or relief I will depart not through fear of the pain itself but because it prevents all for which I would live.
Anne Langbein was my friend. She was witty, poetic, wise, and affectionate; she made the BEST shortbread in the world, had a beautiful rose garden and a conservatory full of healthy, verdant tropical plants of a thousand shades. She had two lovely and devoted grown daughters who were both doing well in their personal and professional lives, and who each had great kids who knew that they were loved. Anne was a potter, and made some gorgeous bowls and urns. She gave me one, and it's one of my most precious possessions.
I met Anne when I was working as a care-giver for Presbyterian Support Services in Wellington. For some clients I helped with personal care such as showering, dressing, preparing and helping with dinner, for others I did housework, grocery shopping and the like. Anne was one of the latter, I collected her groceries every week, did the ironing, swept and mopped the floors, did the dishes and cleaned the bathroom. She was a hard task-master, she was so fussy about me getting the ironing right, making me redo the sheets, towels and handkerchiefs over and over again til I had them perfect, and I did it without so much as a groan even though I thought ironing them as a bit silly, I would have done anything for her.
Anne had Motor Neuron Disease, and couldn't do these things for herself anymore. I pray that no one reading this ever gets Motor Neuron, or anything similar, it was horrible to see her slowly losing the ability to write, to water her plants, to speak, even to swallow. She was so distressed at having to give up her gardening and pottery, it broke my heart. I'm in tears writing this now, she was so brave, and so resolutely cheerful for the sake of the people around her. She'll always be one of my personal heroes, I'll always remember her and I'll always be grateful for the time I had with her.
Anne was tortured by the disease, as everything she loved doing slipped away from her, and she had to rely on others for even the most basic things like using the toilet, lifting a glass of water to her mouth and closing her mouth so that she could swallow, after having been fiercely independent and self-sacrificing her whole life. She tried to commit suicide several times but was physically unable to do it, she asked her daughters to help her when it became to much to bear, but of course they couldn't because of the legal repercussions and the psychological trauma this would bring, and Anne knew this and felt utterly wretched that she'd put them in that position. Eventually, mercifully, she died unaided, but she and her family went through years of hell first, needlessly, because our society prohibits assisted suicide and treats as criminals those who out of compassion help others to die.
For the funeral, Anne's family made all of the dishes that she was known for, faithfully following her carefully handwritten recipes, the pride of place going to the shortbread, which no one else could ever make exactly right. They each stood up that sunny afternoon in her beautifully-tended rose garden and talked about how she used to make them laugh, reciting her funny little housework rhymes and her witticisms, sharing their most treasured memories of an absolutely wonderful and unique woman, a woman who went out of her way to help others, who never wanted to be a burden on anyone, who made everyone she met feel special. I couldn't help thinking that even though she couldn't say a word by the end, she let us see her soul. I have never felt as honoured to be part of someone's life.
I miss you, Anne. Thank you for everything you did, for being strong, for caring so much. I wish it had been easier for you.
Kill a fly in Spring
And you've done a splendid thing,
Kill one in July
And you've only killed one fly.
- Anne
I will not relinquish old age if it leaves my better part intact. But if it begins to shake my mind, if it destroys my faculties one by one, if it leaves me not life but breath, I will depart from the putrid or the tottering edifice. If I know that I must suffer without hope or relief I will depart not through fear of the pain itself but because it prevents all for which I would live.
Anne Langbein was my friend. She was witty, poetic, wise, and affectionate; she made the BEST shortbread in the world, had a beautiful rose garden and a conservatory full of healthy, verdant tropical plants of a thousand shades. She had two lovely and devoted grown daughters who were both doing well in their personal and professional lives, and who each had great kids who knew that they were loved. Anne was a potter, and made some gorgeous bowls and urns. She gave me one, and it's one of my most precious possessions.
I met Anne when I was working as a care-giver for Presbyterian Support Services in Wellington. For some clients I helped with personal care such as showering, dressing, preparing and helping with dinner, for others I did housework, grocery shopping and the like. Anne was one of the latter, I collected her groceries every week, did the ironing, swept and mopped the floors, did the dishes and cleaned the bathroom. She was a hard task-master, she was so fussy about me getting the ironing right, making me redo the sheets, towels and handkerchiefs over and over again til I had them perfect, and I did it without so much as a groan even though I thought ironing them as a bit silly, I would have done anything for her.
Anne had Motor Neuron Disease, and couldn't do these things for herself anymore. I pray that no one reading this ever gets Motor Neuron, or anything similar, it was horrible to see her slowly losing the ability to write, to water her plants, to speak, even to swallow. She was so distressed at having to give up her gardening and pottery, it broke my heart. I'm in tears writing this now, she was so brave, and so resolutely cheerful for the sake of the people around her. She'll always be one of my personal heroes, I'll always remember her and I'll always be grateful for the time I had with her.
Anne was tortured by the disease, as everything she loved doing slipped away from her, and she had to rely on others for even the most basic things like using the toilet, lifting a glass of water to her mouth and closing her mouth so that she could swallow, after having been fiercely independent and self-sacrificing her whole life. She tried to commit suicide several times but was physically unable to do it, she asked her daughters to help her when it became to much to bear, but of course they couldn't because of the legal repercussions and the psychological trauma this would bring, and Anne knew this and felt utterly wretched that she'd put them in that position. Eventually, mercifully, she died unaided, but she and her family went through years of hell first, needlessly, because our society prohibits assisted suicide and treats as criminals those who out of compassion help others to die.
For the funeral, Anne's family made all of the dishes that she was known for, faithfully following her carefully handwritten recipes, the pride of place going to the shortbread, which no one else could ever make exactly right. They each stood up that sunny afternoon in her beautifully-tended rose garden and talked about how she used to make them laugh, reciting her funny little housework rhymes and her witticisms, sharing their most treasured memories of an absolutely wonderful and unique woman, a woman who went out of her way to help others, who never wanted to be a burden on anyone, who made everyone she met feel special. I couldn't help thinking that even though she couldn't say a word by the end, she let us see her soul. I have never felt as honoured to be part of someone's life.
I miss you, Anne. Thank you for everything you did, for being strong, for caring so much. I wish it had been easier for you.
Kill a fly in Spring
And you've done a splendid thing,
Kill one in July
And you've only killed one fly.
- Anne
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Nightmare Fuel
Nightmare Fuel [...] means those things that scared the pants off you as a kid, though they weren't meant to. It's something that was meant to amuse, entertain, or be only slightly scary to the audience; but in execution, they're so trauma-inducing that they may cause adults to void themselves in terror [...] Things that are supposed to scare the pants off you fall under High Octane Nightmare Fuel.
- Tv Tropes Wiki
Made by Flameknight7, Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-db9qgn99o
- Tv Tropes Wiki
Made by Flameknight7, Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-db9qgn99o
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
*SIGH* If Only...
I'd love to see this made into a full movie. I've never been a fan of anime, but this guy's work is pretty good and, well, it's Doctor Who :D
Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPCrGsya1ZI
The Power of Porn, by Christopher White
I regularly recieve links and updates from the National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC) through my work with the local sexual health service providers network, here's one I got today that I thought might raise a few eyebrows.... DR
Retrieved 4/11/09 from http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/dialogues/blog/view/3539/6241?utm_source=NSRC+News&utm_campaign=f910b24a6d-NSRC_Newsletter_November_03_2009_draft_211_3_2009&utm_medium=email
I believe in the Power of PORN!
Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 02:50:09pm
by Christopher White
Today, I'm writing in honor of the the Morality in Media's (MIM) WRAP Week: White Ribbons Against Pornography, which is also supported by one of my favorite anti-gay organizations, Concerned Women for America (CWA). According to the MIM website the event, which is being held all week from October 25 through November 1, "WRAP week is intended to educate the public about the extent of the pornography problem and what can constitutionally be done about it." The CWA goes on to point out the truth about all of us "Pornography advocates" who apparently claim that porn is a "victimless crime" are delusional and spreading lies - I'd like to point out that I am a proud advocate and voracious consumer of pornography, particularly of the online and amatuer produced variety and I have NEVER stated that it is a victimless crime. Mainly, because pornography is no longer a crime in United States - either producing it or viewing it. Of course, I know there are legal issues regarding the production and distribution of porn and that these laws may vary from state to state. I'll let my lawyer friends weigh in on this one.
I want to counter their claims (and misuses of research) with the idea that pornography is actually the opposite of "dangerous" and can actually be beneficial to helping individuals and couples practice lifelong sexuality education and explore their sexual pleasures, fantasies, and desires in a safe and practical way. First, I want to point out that my own research has shown that young men tend to claim that pornography is one of the main resources for understanding the realities of sexual behaviors. That fact may frighten some of you because you might be concerned that what they see in commercial porn may not be truly representative of what happens in real life. To that, I suggest that you give them a little credit for having the critical skills of being able to distinguish between highly produced movies and reality. I would also suggest that this is one more reason why it is so very important that schools and parents provide the necessary education to make sure they have critical thinking skills when it comes to being media consumers. Then, think about it. Where else are young people (or adults for that matter) going to turn to get the graphic depictions that enable understanding of the physics and mechanics of behaviors if not pornography? I am pretty sure there are not many health education books or biology books that provide the actual details of intercourse much less oral sex, anal sex, playing with sex toys, rimming, mutual masturbation, and I could go on and on and on.
Next, I want to ask you to consider the reasons that adults consume pornography. Let's say that it's because we get tired of the same old sexual activities we've been doing since puberty and allow us to consider what the anti-porn people refer to as needing more and more to be able to achieve sexual arousal and pleasure. So what. I think we might want to openly acknowledge that our sexuality and our sex lives change over time, whether it's due to age and changing bodies or because we are in long-term relationships. We crave novelty just as we do in other parts of our lives. Contrary to the idea of porn being dangerous, I suggest that porn is one of the best places to explore your sexuality, to learn new things to try out, and to fulfil your fantasies. It is not an accident that every time a new technology emerges that one of the first things we do is make new, more easily accessible forms of pornography or perhaps that it is actually the desire for new and more easily accessible pornography that drives technology. Most of us love to access porn and want to do so without any fear, shame, or guilt for doing so.
Finally, let's consider ways in which individuals, couples, or even groups of people can have safe, consensual sexual experiences without having to leave the safety and comfort of their own homes. Of course, I am not in anyway suggesting that porn or any kind of online interactions become a replacement for actual live human interactions. But I do think it can be a safe alternative for some people who may want to explore and have a little fun but aren't necessarily interested in picking someone up at a bar, going to a sex club, or cruising in a park or highway rest area. Then there's the individual or couple in a committed relationship who may want to have other types of sexual encounters but have agreed to a boundary that live, in the flesh sexual encounters are off limits. They may choose to engage and interact with others online by chatting, camming, exchanging photos and videos, or even just going online to look at user-generated porn on amateur sites.
For all of these reasons, I think that we ought to consider promoting greater pornography consumption (and production in this user-generated content world we live in) for people of all ages as a way of learning about sex and sexuality throughout our lives and as a way of expressing and exploring our sexualities. We hear a great deal of discussion about the blurring of the virtual and real worlds as more and more people participate in online social networks and other sites on which content is produced by users - photos, blogs, music, videos, and even live video streams from our offices and homes. So why not think the same way when it comes to our sexual lives?
On that note, I encourage all of you to celebrate WRAP by getting off online just a little bit more than you were probably going to do anyway. Have fun!
Retrieved 4/11/09 from http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/dialogues/blog/view/3539/6241?utm_source=NSRC+News&utm_campaign=f910b24a6d-NSRC_Newsletter_November_03_2009_draft_211_3_2009&utm_medium=email
I believe in the Power of PORN!
Wed, Oct 28, 2009 at 02:50:09pm
by Christopher White
Today, I'm writing in honor of the the Morality in Media's (MIM) WRAP Week: White Ribbons Against Pornography, which is also supported by one of my favorite anti-gay organizations, Concerned Women for America (CWA). According to the MIM website the event, which is being held all week from October 25 through November 1, "WRAP week is intended to educate the public about the extent of the pornography problem and what can constitutionally be done about it." The CWA goes on to point out the truth about all of us "Pornography advocates" who apparently claim that porn is a "victimless crime" are delusional and spreading lies - I'd like to point out that I am a proud advocate and voracious consumer of pornography, particularly of the online and amatuer produced variety and I have NEVER stated that it is a victimless crime. Mainly, because pornography is no longer a crime in United States - either producing it or viewing it. Of course, I know there are legal issues regarding the production and distribution of porn and that these laws may vary from state to state. I'll let my lawyer friends weigh in on this one.
I want to counter their claims (and misuses of research) with the idea that pornography is actually the opposite of "dangerous" and can actually be beneficial to helping individuals and couples practice lifelong sexuality education and explore their sexual pleasures, fantasies, and desires in a safe and practical way. First, I want to point out that my own research has shown that young men tend to claim that pornography is one of the main resources for understanding the realities of sexual behaviors. That fact may frighten some of you because you might be concerned that what they see in commercial porn may not be truly representative of what happens in real life. To that, I suggest that you give them a little credit for having the critical skills of being able to distinguish between highly produced movies and reality. I would also suggest that this is one more reason why it is so very important that schools and parents provide the necessary education to make sure they have critical thinking skills when it comes to being media consumers. Then, think about it. Where else are young people (or adults for that matter) going to turn to get the graphic depictions that enable understanding of the physics and mechanics of behaviors if not pornography? I am pretty sure there are not many health education books or biology books that provide the actual details of intercourse much less oral sex, anal sex, playing with sex toys, rimming, mutual masturbation, and I could go on and on and on.
Next, I want to ask you to consider the reasons that adults consume pornography. Let's say that it's because we get tired of the same old sexual activities we've been doing since puberty and allow us to consider what the anti-porn people refer to as needing more and more to be able to achieve sexual arousal and pleasure. So what. I think we might want to openly acknowledge that our sexuality and our sex lives change over time, whether it's due to age and changing bodies or because we are in long-term relationships. We crave novelty just as we do in other parts of our lives. Contrary to the idea of porn being dangerous, I suggest that porn is one of the best places to explore your sexuality, to learn new things to try out, and to fulfil your fantasies. It is not an accident that every time a new technology emerges that one of the first things we do is make new, more easily accessible forms of pornography or perhaps that it is actually the desire for new and more easily accessible pornography that drives technology. Most of us love to access porn and want to do so without any fear, shame, or guilt for doing so.
Finally, let's consider ways in which individuals, couples, or even groups of people can have safe, consensual sexual experiences without having to leave the safety and comfort of their own homes. Of course, I am not in anyway suggesting that porn or any kind of online interactions become a replacement for actual live human interactions. But I do think it can be a safe alternative for some people who may want to explore and have a little fun but aren't necessarily interested in picking someone up at a bar, going to a sex club, or cruising in a park or highway rest area. Then there's the individual or couple in a committed relationship who may want to have other types of sexual encounters but have agreed to a boundary that live, in the flesh sexual encounters are off limits. They may choose to engage and interact with others online by chatting, camming, exchanging photos and videos, or even just going online to look at user-generated porn on amateur sites.
For all of these reasons, I think that we ought to consider promoting greater pornography consumption (and production in this user-generated content world we live in) for people of all ages as a way of learning about sex and sexuality throughout our lives and as a way of expressing and exploring our sexualities. We hear a great deal of discussion about the blurring of the virtual and real worlds as more and more people participate in online social networks and other sites on which content is produced by users - photos, blogs, music, videos, and even live video streams from our offices and homes. So why not think the same way when it comes to our sexual lives?
On that note, I encourage all of you to celebrate WRAP by getting off online just a little bit more than you were probably going to do anyway. Have fun!
The Right Words
Retrieved 4/11/09 from http://amerinz.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-dont-have-time-for-this.html
I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS
By AmeriNZ
I don’t have time for this. This is the busiest week of the month for me, and I have a lot of work to do, so I don’t have time for a blog post. But that’s not what I’m talking about: I just don’t have time for the bullshit anymore: Tonight Maine repealed marriage equality.
This came about because our opponents ran a campaign filled with lies and distortions made possible by millions of dollars in out-of-state contributions. This came about because of out-of-state agitators organised by a prominent national organisation quietly backed by the Mormons.
The people fighting for our side were brilliant: They ran a strong grassroots campaign involving thousands of ordinary Maine folks who made phone calls, went door-to-door and did all they could to keep equality in Maine. However, they had one major handicap: They were in the reality-based world where facts and reason matter, something our opponents know little about, but, apparently, didn’t need to.
Our opponents played on people’s fears, as they always do. They played on people’s ignorance, as they always do. They played on people’s prejudice and hatred, as they always do. And for good measure they just made stuff up, as they always do. Our side couldn’t match the millions of dollars the right’s churches collected to promote the lies and hatred, so it was always an uphill fight.
It’s time to make one thing abundantly clear: Our opponents don’t have a minor disagreement with us—they hate us. It’s not the word “marriage” they have a problem with—it’s that we have any rights whatsoever.
In California, they claimed their problem was with “activist judges” (a term they only use when they disagree with a ruling). If “the people” don’t enact it, it’s not legitimate, they said. Then when Maine’s elected legislature enacted marriage equality, and its elected Governor signed it into law, the religious extremists tripped all over themselves to repeal the law the people’s representatives had enacted. Apparently, by “the people” the religious extremists meant only themselves.
In doing so, the religious extremists glossed over the gross immorality of the majority ever being allowed to vote on the rights of the minority, as if it’s ever proper for voters to decide who has full equality and who does not.
Maine’s governor—who formerly opposed same-sex marriage—was a strong advocate. So were many other prominent Mainers. But the national Democratic Party, including President Obama, were absent. The president issued a mild, vague statement but never said, “vote NO”.
The mainstream news media failed miserably. They treated it as an interesting, possibly significant, curiosity. They never once called out the religious bigots on their lies; maybe they’re too frightened of them.
Still, despite all that, we'll win because we’re on the right side of history. Those who oppose us will be remembered like the famous bigots of the near past—Thurmond, Wallace, and so on—and that day is fast approaching.
So, I refuse to give up on America. Despite all the hate, despite all the money and power being deployed against us, despite the evil being done in the name of their god, I know we will win. I have that hope because America gave it to me as a birthright. I have that hope because generations of Americans have fought and died to nurture it. I have that hope because at this moment, all across America, millions of people are hanging their heads in sadness or shame over how GLBT people are being treated—again. I have hope because, as the president once said, “In the unlikely story that is America, there is nothing false about hope.”
An activist friend suggested the song in the video at the top of this post as an antidote for those filled with sadness from this defeat. I love how very gay it is to take courage from a song by Liza—Judy’s daughter—but I also love the sentiment.
This isn’t the end: It’s just the beginning. We will win—if not tomorrow, then the day after that.
Posted by Arthur (AmeriNZ)
AmeriNZ writes some brilliant posts commenting on life in both in New Zealand and the USA, check out his blog at http://amerinz.blogspot.com/
I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS
By AmeriNZ
I don’t have time for this. This is the busiest week of the month for me, and I have a lot of work to do, so I don’t have time for a blog post. But that’s not what I’m talking about: I just don’t have time for the bullshit anymore: Tonight Maine repealed marriage equality.
This came about because our opponents ran a campaign filled with lies and distortions made possible by millions of dollars in out-of-state contributions. This came about because of out-of-state agitators organised by a prominent national organisation quietly backed by the Mormons.
The people fighting for our side were brilliant: They ran a strong grassroots campaign involving thousands of ordinary Maine folks who made phone calls, went door-to-door and did all they could to keep equality in Maine. However, they had one major handicap: They were in the reality-based world where facts and reason matter, something our opponents know little about, but, apparently, didn’t need to.
Our opponents played on people’s fears, as they always do. They played on people’s ignorance, as they always do. They played on people’s prejudice and hatred, as they always do. And for good measure they just made stuff up, as they always do. Our side couldn’t match the millions of dollars the right’s churches collected to promote the lies and hatred, so it was always an uphill fight.
It’s time to make one thing abundantly clear: Our opponents don’t have a minor disagreement with us—they hate us. It’s not the word “marriage” they have a problem with—it’s that we have any rights whatsoever.
In California, they claimed their problem was with “activist judges” (a term they only use when they disagree with a ruling). If “the people” don’t enact it, it’s not legitimate, they said. Then when Maine’s elected legislature enacted marriage equality, and its elected Governor signed it into law, the religious extremists tripped all over themselves to repeal the law the people’s representatives had enacted. Apparently, by “the people” the religious extremists meant only themselves.
In doing so, the religious extremists glossed over the gross immorality of the majority ever being allowed to vote on the rights of the minority, as if it’s ever proper for voters to decide who has full equality and who does not.
Maine’s governor—who formerly opposed same-sex marriage—was a strong advocate. So were many other prominent Mainers. But the national Democratic Party, including President Obama, were absent. The president issued a mild, vague statement but never said, “vote NO”.
The mainstream news media failed miserably. They treated it as an interesting, possibly significant, curiosity. They never once called out the religious bigots on their lies; maybe they’re too frightened of them.
Still, despite all that, we'll win because we’re on the right side of history. Those who oppose us will be remembered like the famous bigots of the near past—Thurmond, Wallace, and so on—and that day is fast approaching.
So, I refuse to give up on America. Despite all the hate, despite all the money and power being deployed against us, despite the evil being done in the name of their god, I know we will win. I have that hope because America gave it to me as a birthright. I have that hope because generations of Americans have fought and died to nurture it. I have that hope because at this moment, all across America, millions of people are hanging their heads in sadness or shame over how GLBT people are being treated—again. I have hope because, as the president once said, “In the unlikely story that is America, there is nothing false about hope.”
An activist friend suggested the song in the video at the top of this post as an antidote for those filled with sadness from this defeat. I love how very gay it is to take courage from a song by Liza—Judy’s daughter—but I also love the sentiment.
This isn’t the end: It’s just the beginning. We will win—if not tomorrow, then the day after that.
Posted by Arthur (AmeriNZ)
AmeriNZ writes some brilliant posts commenting on life in both in New Zealand and the USA, check out his blog at http://amerinz.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
'What I Do' (The Sequel)
Maori Issues In Research - Short Assignment
by Danny Rudd
My name is Danny Rudd, I am a Pakeha New Zealander, born in Rotorua, and I have lived most of my adult life in Christchurch and Wellington. My mother lived her entire life in the central North Island, her parents were both first generation New Zealanders born to English parents. My father was born in Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island, and spent his early adulthood in Christchurch before moving north to settle in Rotorua. His father was a second generation New Zealander of Scottish heritage, and his mother was a first generation New Zealander born to English parents. There is not a drop of Maori blood in my body, but as a gay man with a half-Maori partner, I believe I can relate somewhat to the concerns of Maori in regards to the range of approaches that have been taken in researching Maori people and communities. The following will outline the research approaches described by Walsh-Tapiata (1997) and Ruwhiu (1999), arguing that for someone of my standing in relationship to Maori, a Maori-Centred research approach is optimal.
Ruwhiu (1999, pp. 44-50) describes seven research approaches that have been taken in studying Maori and their communities, and which together comprise a continuum from disempowering to empowering. The first of these is the Pirating approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.44), in which non-Maori researchers make use of Maori informants and then present the resulting knowledge as their own insights without acknowledging the contributions of those informants. This approach was commonly taken by anthropologists and other social researchers in Colonial times, it would be a mistake however to believe this approach is no longer taken.
The second research approach identified by Ruwhiu (1999, p.45) is the Restructuring approach, in which the particular, culturally and geographically bound experiences and understandings of Maori are fitted into the cultural understandings of another group, commonly of the European settlers, downplaying the differences between them and misrepresenting Maori in so doing. Ruwhiu (1999, p.45) notes that while this approach is inherently limiting to the group being studied, it has paved the way for more equitable relations.
The third research approach described by Ruwhiu (1999, pp.45-46) is the Third-Party approach, in which researcher and researched agree upon an aide or supervisor who facilitates the process of information-gathering. Ruwhiu (1999, p.46) notes that this approach is not optimal however, for while it gives credit to all contributors, it does not necessarily benefit both parties equally.
The fourth research approach mentioned is the Mentor/Tiaki approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.46), in which a researcher gains the benefit of cultural guidance particular to the community being studied and has access to the community as a participant observer, and is accountable to the community. This approach gives Maori a measure of control over the research outcomes.
The fifth approach is the Whanau/Whangai research approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, pp.46-47), where the researcher effectively becomes a member of the Whanau and is expected to meet the obligations of a Whanau member. This approach benefits both the researcher and the researched, allowing the former a far greater understanding of Maori life in being a full participant observer, and benefitting the latter in that the research is intended to strengthen the Whanau, addressing issues that are relevant to that Whanau. This ‘adoptive’ status is conferred on the researcher by the Whanau or Iwi, and cannot be presumed by the researcher. It is entirely possible that my ethnic background and sexuality may prevent my inclusion in this manner.
The sixth approach is the Power-Sharing/Partnership approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.47) which emphasises partnership, participation and protection, observing tikanga or appropriate cultural practice, ensuring that both parties derive equal benefits from the work that is done together. Walsh-Tapiata (1997, p.140) notes that this approach affirms the validity of both Maori and Pakeha methodologies, but asserts that Maori methods are most appropriate in dealing with Maori. This approach may be most appropriate for me where I am working with Maori researchers, but may not always be practical, and arguably will limit my own understanding and my usefulness to Maori communities.
The seventh and most optimal approach is the Empowering Outcome approach, which is focused on researching the questions that Maori want to know about and are concerned with creating beneficial outcomes for those researched (Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.139). This approach can be divided into Kaupapa Maori and Maori-Centred research models.
Kaupapa Maori research is specifically focused on culture (Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.136), it is that which has Maori life and experience as its subject, which is done by Maori researchers, for the benefit of Maori. Kaupapa Maori research highlights the fundamental importance of Whanaunatanga (the establishment of relationships of trust and respect), Te Reo (language and expression), Tikanga Maori (appropriate custom), Rangatiratanga (the right to self-determination) and Mana Wahine/Mana Tane (acknowledgment and respect for the differences between and contributions of both men and women) to Maori people (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.49-50; Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.152). I am excluded from participating in Kaupapa Maori research because I have no Maori blood, however I do not feel excluded in this respect, for while the insistence of Kaupapa Maori researchers that only Maori do research on Maori can certainly be seen as being biologically determinist (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.50), I can sympathise with the sentiments that underlie this position.
I understand that retaining some control over the research that is done on one’s own community is an assertion of the validity of that community’s unique perspective, and affords some protection against researchers unsympathetic to the issues faced by that community. Certainly there has been plenty of research done on queer communities and individuals by ‘outsiders’ which has failed to describe the realities of queer people’s lives and has in fact been used to further marginalise and even criminalise them. Like Maori, lesbian and gay people still face discrimination and issues of invisibility (Baker, 2001, pp.99-100).
I believe however that it is not necessary to experience first-hand the particular form of oppression, discrimination and exploitation faced by a minority to see how unjust it is and work to change it, and indeed there are plenty of Pakeha who sympathise with Maori (Melbourne, 1995, p.16). Maori must seek alliances with other oppressed and marginalised groups across ethnic divisions, as they have many of the same concerns. The insistence that research on Maori communities and Maori people should only be conducted by Maori researchers is inherently limiting, depriving Maori of valuable allies and access to the often greater resources of the non-Maori majority (Poata-Smith, 1996, p.114-115). Maori, particularly, are often materially disadvantaged and thus lacking in resources to challenge the prevailing system (McLennan et al., 2004, pp.208-209; Poata-Smith, 1996, pp.114-115).
It can be argued that circumstances only really improve for minorities when they have allies who are not part of their group, as those ‘alien’ to the wider society often need endorsement from others in the mainstream to be accepted. The application of the Maori-Centred research approach presents an ideal opportunity to forge such alliances. Maori-Centred research shares with Kaupapa Maori research the privileging of Maori experience and world-views, the emphasis on Maori participation at all levels of research, and the expectation that Maori research be conducted in ways that are culturally appropriate to Maori (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.48). It does not, however, necessarily exclude non-Maori, and is therefore the optimum approach for researchers like myself.
Walsh-Tapiata (1997, p.134-135) notes that researchers often find themselves greeted with suspicion and even contempt by Maori, who have been marginalised, misrepresented and exploited by Eurocentric academics in the past. Given my ‘outsider’ status and the various Iwi’s potentially differing responses to the prospect of a non-Maori researcher, I would expect some resistance from Whanau and Iwi, as such it would be appropriate for me to approach the community’s leaders for guidance, and to make myself and my intentions known. I would need to demonstrate an awareness of the validity of Maori understandings and emphasise that the work is to be collaborative, and that the community will be involved in the decision making process at every step if they so choose, including in deciding the intended outcomes of the research.
Key to this process is the principal of Whanaunatanga, the establishment of relationships of respect between myself and the community or individuals I wish to work with, a transparency about who I am, what the research is intended for and how it will benefit them. If possible, the involvement of Maori researchers held in high esteem by the Iwi should be sought, and I should demonstrate some proficiency with Te Reo (Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.153). This last may present a particular challenge, however preparedness (perhaps through enrolment in a Maori language course at Te Wananga O Aotearoa or similar provider) may offset this difficulty, and certainly under a Mentor/Tiaki approach some assistance may be provided by the Whanau or iwi. A third and final issue that may cause difficulties, as already noted above, is my identity as a gay man, this may be too problematic in some cases, and yet I would venture that openness, persistence, and the support of a respected takatāpui advocate may overcome this barrier.
References
Baker, M. (2001). Families, labour and love: Family diversity in a changing world. Crow’s Nest NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
McLennan, G. Ryan, A. & Spoonley, P. (2004). Exploring Society: Sociology for New Zealand students, 2nd ed. New Zealand: Pearson Education.
Melbourne, H. (1995). Maori sovereignty: The Maori perspective. New Zealand: Hodder Moa Beckett.
Poata-Smith, E. Te Ahu. (1996). He Pokeke Uenuku i Tu Ai: The evolution of contemporary Maori protest. In P. Spoonley, C. Macpherson and D. Pearson (Eds.) Nga Patai: Racism and ethnic relations in Aotearoa/New Zealand (pp. 91-115). New Zealand: Dunmore Press.
Ruwhiu, L. A. (1999). Maori knowledges, philosophies and research. Te Puawaitanga o te ihi me te wehi: The politics of Maori social development policy. New Zealand: Massey University.
Walsh-Tapiata, W. (1997). Te Rangahau: Methodological concerns. Raukawa Social Services: Origins and future directions. Waiho ma te iwi e whakarite. New Zealand: Massey University.
by Danny Rudd
My name is Danny Rudd, I am a Pakeha New Zealander, born in Rotorua, and I have lived most of my adult life in Christchurch and Wellington. My mother lived her entire life in the central North Island, her parents were both first generation New Zealanders born to English parents. My father was born in Hokitika on the West Coast of the South Island, and spent his early adulthood in Christchurch before moving north to settle in Rotorua. His father was a second generation New Zealander of Scottish heritage, and his mother was a first generation New Zealander born to English parents. There is not a drop of Maori blood in my body, but as a gay man with a half-Maori partner, I believe I can relate somewhat to the concerns of Maori in regards to the range of approaches that have been taken in researching Maori people and communities. The following will outline the research approaches described by Walsh-Tapiata (1997) and Ruwhiu (1999), arguing that for someone of my standing in relationship to Maori, a Maori-Centred research approach is optimal.
Ruwhiu (1999, pp. 44-50) describes seven research approaches that have been taken in studying Maori and their communities, and which together comprise a continuum from disempowering to empowering. The first of these is the Pirating approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.44), in which non-Maori researchers make use of Maori informants and then present the resulting knowledge as their own insights without acknowledging the contributions of those informants. This approach was commonly taken by anthropologists and other social researchers in Colonial times, it would be a mistake however to believe this approach is no longer taken.
The second research approach identified by Ruwhiu (1999, p.45) is the Restructuring approach, in which the particular, culturally and geographically bound experiences and understandings of Maori are fitted into the cultural understandings of another group, commonly of the European settlers, downplaying the differences between them and misrepresenting Maori in so doing. Ruwhiu (1999, p.45) notes that while this approach is inherently limiting to the group being studied, it has paved the way for more equitable relations.
The third research approach described by Ruwhiu (1999, pp.45-46) is the Third-Party approach, in which researcher and researched agree upon an aide or supervisor who facilitates the process of information-gathering. Ruwhiu (1999, p.46) notes that this approach is not optimal however, for while it gives credit to all contributors, it does not necessarily benefit both parties equally.
The fourth research approach mentioned is the Mentor/Tiaki approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.46), in which a researcher gains the benefit of cultural guidance particular to the community being studied and has access to the community as a participant observer, and is accountable to the community. This approach gives Maori a measure of control over the research outcomes.
The fifth approach is the Whanau/Whangai research approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, pp.46-47), where the researcher effectively becomes a member of the Whanau and is expected to meet the obligations of a Whanau member. This approach benefits both the researcher and the researched, allowing the former a far greater understanding of Maori life in being a full participant observer, and benefitting the latter in that the research is intended to strengthen the Whanau, addressing issues that are relevant to that Whanau. This ‘adoptive’ status is conferred on the researcher by the Whanau or Iwi, and cannot be presumed by the researcher. It is entirely possible that my ethnic background and sexuality may prevent my inclusion in this manner.
The sixth approach is the Power-Sharing/Partnership approach (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.47) which emphasises partnership, participation and protection, observing tikanga or appropriate cultural practice, ensuring that both parties derive equal benefits from the work that is done together. Walsh-Tapiata (1997, p.140) notes that this approach affirms the validity of both Maori and Pakeha methodologies, but asserts that Maori methods are most appropriate in dealing with Maori. This approach may be most appropriate for me where I am working with Maori researchers, but may not always be practical, and arguably will limit my own understanding and my usefulness to Maori communities.
The seventh and most optimal approach is the Empowering Outcome approach, which is focused on researching the questions that Maori want to know about and are concerned with creating beneficial outcomes for those researched (Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.139). This approach can be divided into Kaupapa Maori and Maori-Centred research models.
Kaupapa Maori research is specifically focused on culture (Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.136), it is that which has Maori life and experience as its subject, which is done by Maori researchers, for the benefit of Maori. Kaupapa Maori research highlights the fundamental importance of Whanaunatanga (the establishment of relationships of trust and respect), Te Reo (language and expression), Tikanga Maori (appropriate custom), Rangatiratanga (the right to self-determination) and Mana Wahine/Mana Tane (acknowledgment and respect for the differences between and contributions of both men and women) to Maori people (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.49-50; Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.152). I am excluded from participating in Kaupapa Maori research because I have no Maori blood, however I do not feel excluded in this respect, for while the insistence of Kaupapa Maori researchers that only Maori do research on Maori can certainly be seen as being biologically determinist (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.50), I can sympathise with the sentiments that underlie this position.
I understand that retaining some control over the research that is done on one’s own community is an assertion of the validity of that community’s unique perspective, and affords some protection against researchers unsympathetic to the issues faced by that community. Certainly there has been plenty of research done on queer communities and individuals by ‘outsiders’ which has failed to describe the realities of queer people’s lives and has in fact been used to further marginalise and even criminalise them. Like Maori, lesbian and gay people still face discrimination and issues of invisibility (Baker, 2001, pp.99-100).
I believe however that it is not necessary to experience first-hand the particular form of oppression, discrimination and exploitation faced by a minority to see how unjust it is and work to change it, and indeed there are plenty of Pakeha who sympathise with Maori (Melbourne, 1995, p.16). Maori must seek alliances with other oppressed and marginalised groups across ethnic divisions, as they have many of the same concerns. The insistence that research on Maori communities and Maori people should only be conducted by Maori researchers is inherently limiting, depriving Maori of valuable allies and access to the often greater resources of the non-Maori majority (Poata-Smith, 1996, p.114-115). Maori, particularly, are often materially disadvantaged and thus lacking in resources to challenge the prevailing system (McLennan et al., 2004, pp.208-209; Poata-Smith, 1996, pp.114-115).
It can be argued that circumstances only really improve for minorities when they have allies who are not part of their group, as those ‘alien’ to the wider society often need endorsement from others in the mainstream to be accepted. The application of the Maori-Centred research approach presents an ideal opportunity to forge such alliances. Maori-Centred research shares with Kaupapa Maori research the privileging of Maori experience and world-views, the emphasis on Maori participation at all levels of research, and the expectation that Maori research be conducted in ways that are culturally appropriate to Maori (Ruwhiu, 1999, p.48). It does not, however, necessarily exclude non-Maori, and is therefore the optimum approach for researchers like myself.
Walsh-Tapiata (1997, p.134-135) notes that researchers often find themselves greeted with suspicion and even contempt by Maori, who have been marginalised, misrepresented and exploited by Eurocentric academics in the past. Given my ‘outsider’ status and the various Iwi’s potentially differing responses to the prospect of a non-Maori researcher, I would expect some resistance from Whanau and Iwi, as such it would be appropriate for me to approach the community’s leaders for guidance, and to make myself and my intentions known. I would need to demonstrate an awareness of the validity of Maori understandings and emphasise that the work is to be collaborative, and that the community will be involved in the decision making process at every step if they so choose, including in deciding the intended outcomes of the research.
Key to this process is the principal of Whanaunatanga, the establishment of relationships of respect between myself and the community or individuals I wish to work with, a transparency about who I am, what the research is intended for and how it will benefit them. If possible, the involvement of Maori researchers held in high esteem by the Iwi should be sought, and I should demonstrate some proficiency with Te Reo (Walsh-Tapiata, 1997, p.153). This last may present a particular challenge, however preparedness (perhaps through enrolment in a Maori language course at Te Wananga O Aotearoa or similar provider) may offset this difficulty, and certainly under a Mentor/Tiaki approach some assistance may be provided by the Whanau or iwi. A third and final issue that may cause difficulties, as already noted above, is my identity as a gay man, this may be too problematic in some cases, and yet I would venture that openness, persistence, and the support of a respected takatāpui advocate may overcome this barrier.
References
Baker, M. (2001). Families, labour and love: Family diversity in a changing world. Crow’s Nest NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
McLennan, G. Ryan, A. & Spoonley, P. (2004). Exploring Society: Sociology for New Zealand students, 2nd ed. New Zealand: Pearson Education.
Melbourne, H. (1995). Maori sovereignty: The Maori perspective. New Zealand: Hodder Moa Beckett.
Poata-Smith, E. Te Ahu. (1996). He Pokeke Uenuku i Tu Ai: The evolution of contemporary Maori protest. In P. Spoonley, C. Macpherson and D. Pearson (Eds.) Nga Patai: Racism and ethnic relations in Aotearoa/New Zealand (pp. 91-115). New Zealand: Dunmore Press.
Ruwhiu, L. A. (1999). Maori knowledges, philosophies and research. Te Puawaitanga o te ihi me te wehi: The politics of Maori social development policy. New Zealand: Massey University.
Walsh-Tapiata, W. (1997). Te Rangahau: Methodological concerns. Raukawa Social Services: Origins and future directions. Waiho ma te iwi e whakarite. New Zealand: Massey University.
More of 'What I Do'
176.206
Understanding Social Life
by Danny Rudd
"Critically discuss the relationship between the politics of research and how social scientists investigate the social world."
Course Coordinators:
Lesley Patterson, Avril Bell
The research process does not begin and end with the conducting of a study, rather, research inquiries are always situated within political contexts, and may have wide-ranging and possibly unintended consequences. In conducting research, social scientists strive to be objective and systematic, however their attempts to impose scientific rigour in the investigation of social phenomena may ultimately be unrealistic, as the politics of research that come into play may render such attempts at objectivity futile. What then are the politics surrounding research, and how do they constrain or enable research inquiries?
To understand the relationship between the politics of research and how social scientists investigate the social world, we first must define what is meant by the ‘politics of research’ and ‘how social scientists investigate the social world.’ We begin with the latter question: how do social scientists investigate the social world? Commonly employed research techniques include conducting interviews, designing and administering survey questionnaires, engaging in participant observation and making use of well-chosen informers to create ethnographies, life-histories and analyses of recorded communications and other representations by means of content analysis and semiotic analysis (McLennan, Ryan & Spoonley, 2004, pp.12-13). A fundamental difference between these methods is whether the techniques employed are quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative research may be characterised as “based on precise measurement” (Bilton et al., 1996, p.109), concerned primarily with description of the parameters of a population in regards to a variable or variables. Chamberlain (2000, p.290) notes that in quantitative analysis description is seen as a perfectly valid and desirable outcome. Ajwani et al.’s (2003) Decades of Disparity: Ethnic mortality trends in New Zealand 1980 – 1999, which counts and compares mortality across ethnic and gender and age categories in New Zealand, is an example of quantitative analysis.
Qualitative research, on the other hand, can be described as “the nonnumerical examination and interpretation of observations, for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationships” (Babbie, 2007, p.378). It is concerned more with the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ than with precise measurements. Chamberlain, (2000, p.286) notes an increasing acceptance of qualitative work in sociology, health psychology and other fields, and suggests that this is indicative of “changing notions” of what constitutes research. Qualitative methods include participant observation, content analysis, case-studies, life histories and interviews (Babbie, 2007, p.377), such as those conducted by Hargreaves for her study Constructing families and kinship through donor insemination (2006). What all these quantitative and qualitative methods have in common is that they are critical, reflexive, and disciplined (Bilton et al., 1996, p.100), they are systematic and methodical attempts to accurately describe and understand the social world.
Having now described how social scientists investigate the social world, we turn to the politics of research. What is meant by the ‘politics of research’? Gelles (2007, p.42) uses the term to mean “how research is utilized, abused, and misused in policy and practice”. Similarly Babbie (2007, pp.74, 77) writes that political issues in social research are concerned with the findings of the research and how these are used, noting that “there is probably a political dimension to every attempt to study human social behaviour.” The politics of research therefore refers to how research is applied, and what it means to various interested parties or ‘stake holders’.
Giddens (1997, p.551) notes that “sociological research is rarely of interest only to the intellectual community of sociologists... [but is] ...often disseminated more widely.” Among those interested are members of the public, the government and the media. Social scientists study contentious issues, phenomena that people have much invested in. Members of the public care less about the extinction of a particular forest species or the mechanics of light and sound than they do about their children’s education, their access to healthcare, gender inequalities in the workplace or their likelihood of finding themselves unemployed. The findings of social scientists often inform the ‘common sense’ opinions of the public (Giddens, 1997, p.551), and thus members of the public are stake holders in research.
Politicians are also interested in social research. Social science especially is open to political interference because it is concerned with social life, and this is also the domain of Politics, the arena of policy-making and government (Babbie, 2007, p.79). Politicians need research done; Hodgetts et al. (2004, p.457) note that government can act on issues brought to its attention by social research, as the New Zealand government did with the findings of Decades of Disparity by addressing the health inequalities the report identified as existing between Maori and Pacific populations and the wider population. The authors of the study, Ajwani et al. (2003, p.1), also assert that governments need “reliable and valid information on population health outcomes, how equitably these outcomes are distributed, and the causes or determinants of both the level and distribution of these health outcomes” to reach their health goals. Governments use the information provided by social researchers to decide both where to intervene and how effective these interventions are.
Babbie (2007, p.77) notes that social research is intimately bound up with policy-making and government, and as an example he notes Laumann’s proposed 1987 studies of human sexual behaviour at different stages of life, requested by the National Institutes of Health to direct funding to populations at risk of HIV/AIDS in the United States. Politicians decried this proposed research as being intended to legitimate homosexuality, and diverted the requested public funding to ‘abstinence-only’ sex education for teens. Laumann therefore had to apply for funding from private foundations, and published his findings some years later (The Social Organisation of Sexuality, 1994), but the above is illustrative of the intertwined nature of Politics and social research, and of the fact that politics come into play in research inquiries even before the research is conducted. In this case, the politics of research and funding limited the size and extent of the study.
Another example of the intersection of Politics and research given by Babbie (2007, pp.77-78) is census data, which is collected every few years in different states around the world and used to determine proportionate representation. Parties that have reliable voting blocks (for instance, the Democrats in the United States, who rely on the fact that the urban poor overwhelmingly vote Democratic) are resistant to changes in counting or method, as this might weaken their position. Political parties are important stake holders in social research.
One of the most important ways that social research findings are disseminated is through the news media. Hodgetts et al. (2004, p. 458, 470) note that policy makers are part of the audience of the mediated reporting of research findings, and argue that addressing media coverage of research is important because the media is an important influence on policy formation, as politicians take the content of media reports as a good indication of what the public understands and supports. Hodgetts et al. (2004, pp.455, 458 & 470) note that in New Zealand as in other former colonial societies, media and government are dominated by the heirs to the colonising power (in New Zealand, by Pakeha), and there is a real media reluctance to report research findings that challenge the status quo and advocate societal change, with the effect that such findings are often misrepresented by the media [as was the case with the Decades of Disparity report, which media commentators characterised as attributing Maori and Pacific peoples’ greater ill-health and higher mortality to their own ineptitude and carelessness when the study itself had stressed structural explanations]; this means that researchers “need to become more actively involved in issue management”. Babbie (2007, p.80), citing Gans (2002), notes that social scientists have an obligation to speak out on social issues, because social scientists have in-depth knowledge of society and social inequalities, and can therefore shed much light on contentious issues.
This position is shared by Marxists and Neo-Marxists, who often believe that research should inspire and contribute to activism for social change, that research which stops at description and explanation of social phenomenon can be used to legitimate or justify existing inequalities, and as such it is irresponsible for researchers to ignore the social consequences of their research (Babbie, 2007, p.75). Certainly social researchers often become deeply committed to and involved with civil rights movements, such as the anti-segregation movements in the United States (Babbie, 2007, p.76).
Babbie (2007, pp.74-75) notes that in research “there are no formal codes of accepted political conduct” as there are ethical codes, but that it is generally accepted that a researcher’s own political views should be kept out of their research, they should try to be objective, to aspire to Weber’s value-free sociology. This means avoiding the temptation to distort one’s own research findings or use “shoddy techniques” to further one’s own political agenda, as is occasionally the case. Exodus International in the United States, for example, is known for publishing substandard articles and misrepresenting the research of others to achieve their political goals (Grace, 2008, p.547). But perhaps social scientists cannot in fact be objective, as human beings studying the behaviour of other human beings; if so, then perhaps the most that can be achieved is a degree of intersubjectivity, whereby anyone, regardless of their personal political views, should be able to come to the same conclusions using the appropriate techniques (Babbie, 2007, p.75).
Postmodern perspectives, which consider all claims to ‘truth’ equally valid, are increasingly being adopted by social researchers, and a principle tenet of postmodern social analysis is the assumption that objectivity is impossible (Bilton et al., 1996, pp.102, 129, 610). Babbie (2007, pp.76-77, 78) argues that “social research in relation to contested social issues simply cannot remain antiseptically objective,” and notes that doing research on hot topics opens the researcher up to a great deal of backlash. A researcher can come under personal attack from people who feel threatened by their findings, even within academia, other researchers who are attached to established wisdom or ideology can savage the work of others. It can be difficult, in such contexts, not to overstate or underplay the significance of one’s findings, and given the time and effort that has gone into the research process it is understandable that researchers may be defensive about their work. Impartiality in regards to one’s work is difficult, if not impossible. And yet it remains true that conflict in science actually benefits in that it serves as a source of inspiration, directs inquiry and forces researchers to refine their arguments, (Babbie, 2007, p.80).
In sum, there is more to research than just conducting a study; the research process is at all stages bound up in political concerns. What is eventually studied is influenced from the outset by the researcher’s own biases and interests, as well as by practical limitations such as securing adequate funding. In conducting the actual research, the researcher must be careful to remain as intellectually honest and objective as possible, and yet we should be aware that this may prove difficult and that certainly in some cases, the researcher’s personal political views have influenced their findings and the presentation of those findings. Researchers should be especially aware of these concerns where the research or its findings are particularly contentious. In conducting social research, they should be aware also that their findings may become part of wider public discourse, informing public opinion and government policy, and as such, that their research may have very real consequences for people in society. Further, researchers should be aware that their research is subject to interpretation by media and that their findings may be misinterpreted or perhaps appropriated by interest groups that will misrepresent them, and therefore be prepared to engage with media to minimise such occurrences.
References
Ajwani, S., Blakely, T., Robson, B., Tobias, M. & Bonne, M. (2003) Decades of Disparity: Ethnic mortality trends in New Zealand 1980 - 1999. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health & University of Otago [extracts], pp.i-14, 45-54.
Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11th Ed.), Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth.
Bilton, T., Bonnett, K., Jones, P., Sheard, K., Stanworth, M., Webster, A. (1996). Introductory Sociology, (3rd Ed). Macmillan Press: London.
Chamberlain, K. (2000). Methodolatry and qualitative health research. Journal of Health Psychology, 5(3), 285-296.
Gelles, R. J. (2007). The politics of research: The use, abuse, and misuse of social science data – the cases of Intimate Partner Violence. Family Court Review, 45(1), 42–51.
Retrieved 10/09/09 from
http://www.familieslink.co.uk/download/july07/Politics%20of%20research.pdf
Giddens, A. (1997). Sociology (3rd Ed). Polity Press: Cambridge.
Grace, A. (2008). The Charisma and Deception of Reparative Therapies: When Medical Science Beds Religion. Journal of Homosexuality, 55(4), 545-580.
Retrieved 20/09/09 from
http://pdfserve.informaworld.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/114641_751308139_906684075.pdf
Hargreaves, K. (2006). Constructing families and kinship through donor insemination. Sociology of Health & Illness, 28(3), 261-283.
Hodgetts, D., Masters, B., & Robertson, N. (2004). Media coverage of ‘Decades of Disparity’ in ethnic mortality in Aotearoa. Journal of Community and
Applied Social Psychology, 14,455-472.
McLennan, G., Ryan, A. & Spoonley, P. (2004). Exploring Society: Sociology for New Zealand students (2nd Ed.), Pearson Education: New Zealand,
pp. 77-95.
Understanding Social Life
by Danny Rudd
"Critically discuss the relationship between the politics of research and how social scientists investigate the social world."
Course Coordinators:
Lesley Patterson, Avril Bell
The research process does not begin and end with the conducting of a study, rather, research inquiries are always situated within political contexts, and may have wide-ranging and possibly unintended consequences. In conducting research, social scientists strive to be objective and systematic, however their attempts to impose scientific rigour in the investigation of social phenomena may ultimately be unrealistic, as the politics of research that come into play may render such attempts at objectivity futile. What then are the politics surrounding research, and how do they constrain or enable research inquiries?
To understand the relationship between the politics of research and how social scientists investigate the social world, we first must define what is meant by the ‘politics of research’ and ‘how social scientists investigate the social world.’ We begin with the latter question: how do social scientists investigate the social world? Commonly employed research techniques include conducting interviews, designing and administering survey questionnaires, engaging in participant observation and making use of well-chosen informers to create ethnographies, life-histories and analyses of recorded communications and other representations by means of content analysis and semiotic analysis (McLennan, Ryan & Spoonley, 2004, pp.12-13). A fundamental difference between these methods is whether the techniques employed are quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative research may be characterised as “based on precise measurement” (Bilton et al., 1996, p.109), concerned primarily with description of the parameters of a population in regards to a variable or variables. Chamberlain (2000, p.290) notes that in quantitative analysis description is seen as a perfectly valid and desirable outcome. Ajwani et al.’s (2003) Decades of Disparity: Ethnic mortality trends in New Zealand 1980 – 1999, which counts and compares mortality across ethnic and gender and age categories in New Zealand, is an example of quantitative analysis.
Qualitative research, on the other hand, can be described as “the nonnumerical examination and interpretation of observations, for the purpose of discovering underlying meanings and patterns of relationships” (Babbie, 2007, p.378). It is concerned more with the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ than with precise measurements. Chamberlain, (2000, p.286) notes an increasing acceptance of qualitative work in sociology, health psychology and other fields, and suggests that this is indicative of “changing notions” of what constitutes research. Qualitative methods include participant observation, content analysis, case-studies, life histories and interviews (Babbie, 2007, p.377), such as those conducted by Hargreaves for her study Constructing families and kinship through donor insemination (2006). What all these quantitative and qualitative methods have in common is that they are critical, reflexive, and disciplined (Bilton et al., 1996, p.100), they are systematic and methodical attempts to accurately describe and understand the social world.
Having now described how social scientists investigate the social world, we turn to the politics of research. What is meant by the ‘politics of research’? Gelles (2007, p.42) uses the term to mean “how research is utilized, abused, and misused in policy and practice”. Similarly Babbie (2007, pp.74, 77) writes that political issues in social research are concerned with the findings of the research and how these are used, noting that “there is probably a political dimension to every attempt to study human social behaviour.” The politics of research therefore refers to how research is applied, and what it means to various interested parties or ‘stake holders’.
Giddens (1997, p.551) notes that “sociological research is rarely of interest only to the intellectual community of sociologists... [but is] ...often disseminated more widely.” Among those interested are members of the public, the government and the media. Social scientists study contentious issues, phenomena that people have much invested in. Members of the public care less about the extinction of a particular forest species or the mechanics of light and sound than they do about their children’s education, their access to healthcare, gender inequalities in the workplace or their likelihood of finding themselves unemployed. The findings of social scientists often inform the ‘common sense’ opinions of the public (Giddens, 1997, p.551), and thus members of the public are stake holders in research.
Politicians are also interested in social research. Social science especially is open to political interference because it is concerned with social life, and this is also the domain of Politics, the arena of policy-making and government (Babbie, 2007, p.79). Politicians need research done; Hodgetts et al. (2004, p.457) note that government can act on issues brought to its attention by social research, as the New Zealand government did with the findings of Decades of Disparity by addressing the health inequalities the report identified as existing between Maori and Pacific populations and the wider population. The authors of the study, Ajwani et al. (2003, p.1), also assert that governments need “reliable and valid information on population health outcomes, how equitably these outcomes are distributed, and the causes or determinants of both the level and distribution of these health outcomes” to reach their health goals. Governments use the information provided by social researchers to decide both where to intervene and how effective these interventions are.
Babbie (2007, p.77) notes that social research is intimately bound up with policy-making and government, and as an example he notes Laumann’s proposed 1987 studies of human sexual behaviour at different stages of life, requested by the National Institutes of Health to direct funding to populations at risk of HIV/AIDS in the United States. Politicians decried this proposed research as being intended to legitimate homosexuality, and diverted the requested public funding to ‘abstinence-only’ sex education for teens. Laumann therefore had to apply for funding from private foundations, and published his findings some years later (The Social Organisation of Sexuality, 1994), but the above is illustrative of the intertwined nature of Politics and social research, and of the fact that politics come into play in research inquiries even before the research is conducted. In this case, the politics of research and funding limited the size and extent of the study.
Another example of the intersection of Politics and research given by Babbie (2007, pp.77-78) is census data, which is collected every few years in different states around the world and used to determine proportionate representation. Parties that have reliable voting blocks (for instance, the Democrats in the United States, who rely on the fact that the urban poor overwhelmingly vote Democratic) are resistant to changes in counting or method, as this might weaken their position. Political parties are important stake holders in social research.
One of the most important ways that social research findings are disseminated is through the news media. Hodgetts et al. (2004, p. 458, 470) note that policy makers are part of the audience of the mediated reporting of research findings, and argue that addressing media coverage of research is important because the media is an important influence on policy formation, as politicians take the content of media reports as a good indication of what the public understands and supports. Hodgetts et al. (2004, pp.455, 458 & 470) note that in New Zealand as in other former colonial societies, media and government are dominated by the heirs to the colonising power (in New Zealand, by Pakeha), and there is a real media reluctance to report research findings that challenge the status quo and advocate societal change, with the effect that such findings are often misrepresented by the media [as was the case with the Decades of Disparity report, which media commentators characterised as attributing Maori and Pacific peoples’ greater ill-health and higher mortality to their own ineptitude and carelessness when the study itself had stressed structural explanations]; this means that researchers “need to become more actively involved in issue management”. Babbie (2007, p.80), citing Gans (2002), notes that social scientists have an obligation to speak out on social issues, because social scientists have in-depth knowledge of society and social inequalities, and can therefore shed much light on contentious issues.
This position is shared by Marxists and Neo-Marxists, who often believe that research should inspire and contribute to activism for social change, that research which stops at description and explanation of social phenomenon can be used to legitimate or justify existing inequalities, and as such it is irresponsible for researchers to ignore the social consequences of their research (Babbie, 2007, p.75). Certainly social researchers often become deeply committed to and involved with civil rights movements, such as the anti-segregation movements in the United States (Babbie, 2007, p.76).
Babbie (2007, pp.74-75) notes that in research “there are no formal codes of accepted political conduct” as there are ethical codes, but that it is generally accepted that a researcher’s own political views should be kept out of their research, they should try to be objective, to aspire to Weber’s value-free sociology. This means avoiding the temptation to distort one’s own research findings or use “shoddy techniques” to further one’s own political agenda, as is occasionally the case. Exodus International in the United States, for example, is known for publishing substandard articles and misrepresenting the research of others to achieve their political goals (Grace, 2008, p.547). But perhaps social scientists cannot in fact be objective, as human beings studying the behaviour of other human beings; if so, then perhaps the most that can be achieved is a degree of intersubjectivity, whereby anyone, regardless of their personal political views, should be able to come to the same conclusions using the appropriate techniques (Babbie, 2007, p.75).
Postmodern perspectives, which consider all claims to ‘truth’ equally valid, are increasingly being adopted by social researchers, and a principle tenet of postmodern social analysis is the assumption that objectivity is impossible (Bilton et al., 1996, pp.102, 129, 610). Babbie (2007, pp.76-77, 78) argues that “social research in relation to contested social issues simply cannot remain antiseptically objective,” and notes that doing research on hot topics opens the researcher up to a great deal of backlash. A researcher can come under personal attack from people who feel threatened by their findings, even within academia, other researchers who are attached to established wisdom or ideology can savage the work of others. It can be difficult, in such contexts, not to overstate or underplay the significance of one’s findings, and given the time and effort that has gone into the research process it is understandable that researchers may be defensive about their work. Impartiality in regards to one’s work is difficult, if not impossible. And yet it remains true that conflict in science actually benefits in that it serves as a source of inspiration, directs inquiry and forces researchers to refine their arguments, (Babbie, 2007, p.80).
In sum, there is more to research than just conducting a study; the research process is at all stages bound up in political concerns. What is eventually studied is influenced from the outset by the researcher’s own biases and interests, as well as by practical limitations such as securing adequate funding. In conducting the actual research, the researcher must be careful to remain as intellectually honest and objective as possible, and yet we should be aware that this may prove difficult and that certainly in some cases, the researcher’s personal political views have influenced their findings and the presentation of those findings. Researchers should be especially aware of these concerns where the research or its findings are particularly contentious. In conducting social research, they should be aware also that their findings may become part of wider public discourse, informing public opinion and government policy, and as such, that their research may have very real consequences for people in society. Further, researchers should be aware that their research is subject to interpretation by media and that their findings may be misinterpreted or perhaps appropriated by interest groups that will misrepresent them, and therefore be prepared to engage with media to minimise such occurrences.
References
Ajwani, S., Blakely, T., Robson, B., Tobias, M. & Bonne, M. (2003) Decades of Disparity: Ethnic mortality trends in New Zealand 1980 - 1999. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Health & University of Otago [extracts], pp.i-14, 45-54.
Babbie, E. (2007). The Practice of Social Research (11th Ed.), Belmont, California: Thomson Wadsworth.
Bilton, T., Bonnett, K., Jones, P., Sheard, K., Stanworth, M., Webster, A. (1996). Introductory Sociology, (3rd Ed). Macmillan Press: London.
Chamberlain, K. (2000). Methodolatry and qualitative health research. Journal of Health Psychology, 5(3), 285-296.
Gelles, R. J. (2007). The politics of research: The use, abuse, and misuse of social science data – the cases of Intimate Partner Violence. Family Court Review, 45(1), 42–51.
Retrieved 10/09/09 from
http://www.familieslink.co.uk/download/july07/Politics%20of%20research.pdf
Giddens, A. (1997). Sociology (3rd Ed). Polity Press: Cambridge.
Grace, A. (2008). The Charisma and Deception of Reparative Therapies: When Medical Science Beds Religion. Journal of Homosexuality, 55(4), 545-580.
Retrieved 20/09/09 from
http://pdfserve.informaworld.com.ezproxy.massey.ac.nz/114641_751308139_906684075.pdf
Hargreaves, K. (2006). Constructing families and kinship through donor insemination. Sociology of Health & Illness, 28(3), 261-283.
Hodgetts, D., Masters, B., & Robertson, N. (2004). Media coverage of ‘Decades of Disparity’ in ethnic mortality in Aotearoa. Journal of Community and
Applied Social Psychology, 14,455-472.
McLennan, G., Ryan, A. & Spoonley, P. (2004). Exploring Society: Sociology for New Zealand students (2nd Ed.), Pearson Education: New Zealand,
pp. 77-95.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Weep, Weep For Future Generations...
Here's a short list of some of my favourite quotes from the atrociously spelt and narrated Harry Potter fan-fic 'My Immortal' by Tara 'Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way.' You can find the full hilarious story at http://myimmortalrehost.webs.com/chapters122.htm Just for a bit of context, Ebony/Enoby/Eboby is a vampire goth in Slytherin House at Hogwarts, her bisexual vampire goth boyfriend is Draco/Drak/Darko Malfoy, Harry Potter has changed his name to Vampire and... yes, he's a bisexual vampire goth... noticing a trend? A good third of the story is actually incredibly detailed descriptions of vitually indistinguishable black outfits and identical emo concerts, there's sex, drugs, murder and bad grammar. My Immortal also has perhaps the biggest fanbase of any internet fan-fic - nobody can quite decide if it's serious or a vicious parody. So without further ado (and without any editing)....
Dumbledore: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU MOTHERFUKERS!"
Snake and Loopin were in da middle of da empty hall, doin it, and Dobby was watching!
"STOP IT NOW YOU HORNY SIMPLETONS!" shouted Professor McGoggle who was watching us and so was everyone else.
"I MAY BE A HOGWARTS STUDENT"" Hargirid paused angrily. "BUT I AM ALSO A SATANIST!"
"Hey bitch you look kawaii."
"The Dark Lord shall kill all of you. Then you must submit to him!!!!" Snape ejaculated menacingly. "You fucking preppy fags!" Serious shouted angrily.
"Volfemort has him bondage!"
"You fucking bustard!" yelled Draco at Vampire. "I want to shit next to her!1"
"VAMPIRE POTTER, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" I yelled.
"Why did you do such a thing, you mediocre dunces?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"YOU ARE NOT FIT TO BE THE PRINCIPAL ANY LONGER!" yelled Rumbridge. "YOU ARE TOO OLD AND YOUR ALZHEIMERS IS DANGEROUS! YOU MUST RETRY OR VOLDEMORT WILL KILL YOUR STUDENTS!"
"CUM NOW!1!" Preacher McGongel yielded. We did guiltily.
"Suddenly an idea I had. I clozd my eyes and using my vampire powers I sent a telepathetic massage to Drako and Vampire so they would destruct Snape."
"THE BARK LORD IS PLANNING TO KILL THE STUDENTS!" yelled Cornelia Fudge.
"Crosio!" I shited pointing my wound. Snoop scremed and started running around da room screming.
"OMFS, letz have a groop kutting session!11" said Profesor Trevolry.
A chapter after Loopin "masticates" outside of Enoby's window, Tara took a second stab at it: "You saved me from getting a Paris Hilton p- video made from your shower scene and being vued by Snap and Loopin." Who MASTABATED (c is dat speld rong) to it he added silently.
"Abra Kedavra!" he yelled at Snape and Loopin pointing his womb.
"Noooooo!11" she screamed. All the preps in da theater screamed but everyone else crapped koz Satan and I loked so cute 2gether.
I smelled happily.
"Hey haz aneone fuking seen Draco?" I asked gothikally.
"No Draco told me he wood be watching Hoes of Wax." said Profesor Trevolry.
Dracola used to be called Navel but it tuned out dat he was kidnapped at birth and his real family were vampires. They dyed in a car crash.
"Rid my sight you despicable preps!"
Snoop laughed meanly. He polled down his pants. I gasped- there was a Dork Mark on his you-know-wut!11!
"But it was to late. I knew what I herd. I ran to the bathroom angrily, cring. Draco banged on the door. I whipped and whepped as my blody eyeliner streammed down my cheeks and made cool tears down my feces like Benji in the video for Girls and Bois (raven that is soo our video!). I TOOOK OUT A CIGARETE END STARTED TO smoke pot."
"I laffed statistically."
"We went sexily to Potionz class. But Snap wasn't there. Instead there was…………………………………………Cornelio Fuck!11111"
"“OMFG!!! Im back in Tim again!!!!111” I screamed loudly."
"“Oh my fukking god!!!! Voldimort! Voldimort!” screamed Hedwig as his glock touched Voldemort’s."
"then suddenlyn………………. the floor opened. “OMFG NO I SCEAMED AS I FEEL DOWN. everyone looked At ME weirdly.”"
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Word Association, 30/10/09
Ok, so picking a word, the first thing I see looking up, I will write every distinct word or phrase that comes into my head in the next five minutes. Here goes...
Table
Food
Plaque
Teeth
Dentists
Poverty
Africa
AIDS
Sex
Curtains
Window sill
Dust
Cloth
Kitchen sink
Water
Swimming
Rope swing
Laughing
Dogs
Dad
Shouting
Hitting
Leather belt
Brother
Toy dinosaurs
Transformers
Fooled
Mum shouting
Suitcases
Crying
Bible study
Sunshine
Harbour
Wellington
Cake
Seth
Black wings
Rain
Polite
Cell phone
Library
Computer
Table
Table
Food
Plaque
Teeth
Dentists
Poverty
Africa
AIDS
Sex
Curtains
Window sill
Dust
Cloth
Kitchen sink
Water
Swimming
Rope swing
Laughing
Dogs
Dad
Shouting
Hitting
Leather belt
Brother
Toy dinosaurs
Transformers
Fooled
Mum shouting
Suitcases
Crying
Bible study
Sunshine
Harbour
Wellington
Cake
Seth
Black wings
Rain
Polite
Cell phone
Library
Computer
Table
All Rise
By DannyR
All rise.
Court is now in session.
Thank you, let’s hear from the Prosecution.
Thank you, Your Honour, Jury Members,
And now, ladies and gentle-men
Are you all paying attention?
I present for your inspection
The proof of this man’s transgression.
You may all remember,
When last we were in session
We heard from the Defendant
The ludicrous suggestion
That the cause of his aggression
Was sexual repression,
Spousal rejection,
The want of real respect and
A dearth of affection.
Be not fooled, it is deception,
As a lie, it is Perfection,
It obscures the evidence and
Seems a suitable defence. But
I beg you to reject it,
Don’t be fooled by his expression!
For he may seem penitent and
Resigned to his correction,
But he is hardly repentant,
I argue it was his intention
All along to get arrested
To escape his wife’s revenge for
Hiding all her underwear and
Setting fire to her hair. If
It please you, you should send him
Not to jail but to his bedroom
Without police protection
Where his wife may ease her tension
With a suitable reception;
And inflict on him the sentence, I’d
Suggest she takes a hair-pin
And inserts it up his rectum –
Yes thank you, Counsel for the Prosecution
But I'll decide the restitution.
Of course sir, it was only a suggestion.
But I have a lot invested
In seeing that man there divested
Of his smug self-assurances,
You see sir, he is my ex and
I’ve a personal vendetta,
I’d love to see him get a
Public flogging or even better
Brand him with a scarlet letter –
Yes, thank you Counsel, but I’ve said that
I’ll be the one to choose the sentence. Your
History is not pertinent,
In fact it’s a Conflict of Interest and
I think I'll Hold you in Contempt –
Your Honour, please I beg you,
I really do respect you
I apologise and guess I’ll
Have to step down from the bench –
Now, now, I see you’ve learned your lesson,
Counsel, is your case presented?
Aye the Prosecution rests, sir.
Then I think we’ll take a break here and
Let’s all go for a beer. We’ll
Adjourn ‘til, say, eleven?
Good.
All rise.
All rise.
Court is now in session.
Thank you, let’s hear from the Prosecution.
Thank you, Your Honour, Jury Members,
And now, ladies and gentle-men
Are you all paying attention?
I present for your inspection
The proof of this man’s transgression.
You may all remember,
When last we were in session
We heard from the Defendant
The ludicrous suggestion
That the cause of his aggression
Was sexual repression,
Spousal rejection,
The want of real respect and
A dearth of affection.
Be not fooled, it is deception,
As a lie, it is Perfection,
It obscures the evidence and
Seems a suitable defence. But
I beg you to reject it,
Don’t be fooled by his expression!
For he may seem penitent and
Resigned to his correction,
But he is hardly repentant,
I argue it was his intention
All along to get arrested
To escape his wife’s revenge for
Hiding all her underwear and
Setting fire to her hair. If
It please you, you should send him
Not to jail but to his bedroom
Without police protection
Where his wife may ease her tension
With a suitable reception;
And inflict on him the sentence, I’d
Suggest she takes a hair-pin
And inserts it up his rectum –
Yes thank you, Counsel for the Prosecution
But I'll decide the restitution.
Of course sir, it was only a suggestion.
But I have a lot invested
In seeing that man there divested
Of his smug self-assurances,
You see sir, he is my ex and
I’ve a personal vendetta,
I’d love to see him get a
Public flogging or even better
Brand him with a scarlet letter –
Yes, thank you Counsel, but I’ve said that
I’ll be the one to choose the sentence. Your
History is not pertinent,
In fact it’s a Conflict of Interest and
I think I'll Hold you in Contempt –
Your Honour, please I beg you,
I really do respect you
I apologise and guess I’ll
Have to step down from the bench –
Now, now, I see you’ve learned your lesson,
Counsel, is your case presented?
Aye the Prosecution rests, sir.
Then I think we’ll take a break here and
Let’s all go for a beer. We’ll
Adjourn ‘til, say, eleven?
Good.
All rise.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Clamouring Silence
by DannyR
Too many monkeys screaming in my head,
Footfalls of silence, drumbeats of dread,
A sky full of airplanes, a puddle full of red,
And your voice telling me its time I went to bed.
The dogs protest the passing of the paperboy outside
The sky carries the promise of the dying of the light
The daisies in the vase on the sill have nearly died
And your voice telling me you’re not staying tonight.
The creak of the stairs on my way up to my room,
The moment’s hesitation as I peer into the gloom,
The darkness dispelled by the switch I flick anew
And your voice in the hallway as you bid me adieu.
No spiders ‘twixt the sheets nor goblins underneath the bed,
The pillow soft and cold beneath my weary heavy head,
A hundred thousand promises and the light have fled,
Your footsteps on the path outside a moment and you’ve left.
And still I hear the monkeys and I feel their greedy paws,
They chatter and they screech about societies and laws,
They paint themselves, no longer walking about upon all fours
They lie and steal but still their lies are nothing next to yours.
Shadows in the corners of my room are occupied,
Trees scratching on the windowpane, my eyes open wide,
The creaks and groans of timber, a kitchen full of knives,
The memory of your voice is little comfort now I find.
A shape there in the corner or a jacket on a chair?
A moment hiding ‘neath the sheets and now it’s moved I swear.
But nothing more occurs as into utter dark I stare,
The memory of your voice, the fervent wish that you were here.
Hours passing slowly, marching off into the gloom,
Following the example of the promises untrue
Leaving me alone, awake, here in this darkened room
They leave me to my nightmares, they leave me, just like you.
And still the monkeys scream, and the drumbeats do not fade
Though the light has disappeared with all the promises you made
And I’m drowning in the pool of blood, I cannot see the planes,
I swear I hear a footstep and I wish that you had stayed.
Too many monkeys screaming in my head,
Footfalls of silence, drumbeats of dread,
A sky full of airplanes, a puddle full of red,
And your voice telling me its time I went to bed.
The dogs protest the passing of the paperboy outside
The sky carries the promise of the dying of the light
The daisies in the vase on the sill have nearly died
And your voice telling me you’re not staying tonight.
The creak of the stairs on my way up to my room,
The moment’s hesitation as I peer into the gloom,
The darkness dispelled by the switch I flick anew
And your voice in the hallway as you bid me adieu.
No spiders ‘twixt the sheets nor goblins underneath the bed,
The pillow soft and cold beneath my weary heavy head,
A hundred thousand promises and the light have fled,
Your footsteps on the path outside a moment and you’ve left.
And still I hear the monkeys and I feel their greedy paws,
They chatter and they screech about societies and laws,
They paint themselves, no longer walking about upon all fours
They lie and steal but still their lies are nothing next to yours.
Shadows in the corners of my room are occupied,
Trees scratching on the windowpane, my eyes open wide,
The creaks and groans of timber, a kitchen full of knives,
The memory of your voice is little comfort now I find.
A shape there in the corner or a jacket on a chair?
A moment hiding ‘neath the sheets and now it’s moved I swear.
But nothing more occurs as into utter dark I stare,
The memory of your voice, the fervent wish that you were here.
Hours passing slowly, marching off into the gloom,
Following the example of the promises untrue
Leaving me alone, awake, here in this darkened room
They leave me to my nightmares, they leave me, just like you.
And still the monkeys scream, and the drumbeats do not fade
Though the light has disappeared with all the promises you made
And I’m drowning in the pool of blood, I cannot see the planes,
I swear I hear a footstep and I wish that you had stayed.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
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Science vs Religion
Heart
I guess I just care too much...
