Amen!

Spike Jonze owes you 5 bucks, because you're totally sold me on seeing a film I'd planned on avoiding.

I can agree there's utility in that! And I think this is a great way to accomplish that (in the comments — it's not the author's responsibility to "consider the menz" but there's plenty of space for that consideration, and anything else, here in the comments). So I think we're on the same page.

I think your points are well-made, and hit on points that others are making elsewhere, but I don't see the article as indicting men for feeling this way; it's indicting men who blame women for "making" them feel this way. I do think that the way that this hypothesis connects with the cited article is muddy, perhaps,…

"Put your best foot forward" and "be yourself" aren't mutually exclusive pieces of advice. None of his advice encourages people to lie about themselves.

Your points are well made, especially that it's important not to elide the experience of victims by presenting all prisoners as unfairly maligned or unjustly imprisoned. The fact that victim's rights are also regularly ignored and violated makes the conversation especially fraught. Of course, the idea that victims'…

By all means!

The angry, judgmental comments on this thread are upsetting. But I think there's something interesting if you read them a little deeper.

Yes, this is incredibly discouraging. But all of these "what, I'm supposed to feel SORRY for them?" comments really speak to something, I think. Obviously, the article is touching people somewhere — it's making them feel sympathy in some small way. And that is upsetting them, because it's such an integral part of…

As a young'un who had to go to church for a sibling's orchestra practices, I found Revelation to be pretty fun reading. Feet of glowing bronze? Tongues of fire? The Rapture is gonna be crazeballz.

When I was a young'un working part time at Borders, those just flew off the shelves! I've always been tempted to take a look at them just to see what sort of insidious brain-poison they're full of.

I'm not going to cajole you into trying to find a way to post this, because I'm sure you would if you could... but the idea of dishy, terrible dirt about Train of all people has me doing the Mister Burns finger thing.

Let's face it, that collar really leaves nothing to the imagination.

That's a fair take — any personal objections to the script and acting aside it is certainly a cohesive film, well-edited and well-paced, with some impressive set building and costuming. I agree with you about the other films that actually got Oscar nods (Traffic was good enough, I guess), although I thought You Can…

I'd be curious what your take is on Gladiator winning in 2000, because that to me was the "Braveheart moment" that put me off the Oscars. I've heard older Oscar-watchers reference The Sting in the same way.

I knew you were a researcher, but a cancer researcher? You are the pinnacle of badassery. As someone who wants very badly to punch cancer in its stupid face, I have a ton of respect and appreciation for the job you do.

I agree with your points; impact trumps intent, for sure — and 90% of people will think of a pageant queen going for believable, glamorous, over-the-top feminine presentation when they hear the word "drag." And while I agree that the common understanding would be that the drag performer "wants to pass" as female…

OMG, how could I not put the Queen on her throne?!

Now that we know little girls don't buy anything, I guess we know little boys just LOVE Bratz and Monster High.

I think it's a misunderstanding to perceive the goal of drag to truly "pass" as female; for a certain type of drag performer there is certainly a point of pride to being as feminine and convincing as possible, but understanding that drag and makeup are an artifice and separate from the performers' identity is pretty…