I just read an article on Slate that I found quite interesting.
Usually the choice is to go Dutch or Old-School. The problem with the modern Dutch style has some serious problems in the mind of the Old-Schoolers. It can be cold and unfeeling. There's nobody giving in the relationship or really anything that separates things from simple friendship. Not that I'm dating much, but I think I have another option.
The problem with Dutch is the lack of any giving. The problem with Old-School is that it is only the man that is giving, or "providing". People do like to give, and just splitting the bill doesn't make things feel like you're a team. Instead, why not have the woman take the whole bill some of the time, and the man take the whole bill at other times. Don't plan it out or go every other time. That is just as bad.
Chivalry isn't just for men anyways.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Star Gate & The American Century
Ok, so the GRE is over, so my free time just went up considerably. I've started writing up some stuff for the next podcast, and it should come out soon.
While I'm doing that I figured I could comment on something that I've really always found interesting: Stargate. If you don't know what Stargate is, you really need to check it out. It is a good show. The premise of the show is that they find a mystical gate that goes to different worlds. The US military sends out teams of explorers to establish relations with other worlds. It slowly develops from a show about little adventures into a vast political and social network, as Earth struggles to fight evil empires, little spider robots, and more.
When you involve politics in a show, it invariably begins to speak to the particular time we live in. As time goes on, you can see a culture's concept of the outside world begin to develop through the evolution of the show. Foreign adventures became large wars, and then they began to launch spin-off series.
The first spin-off was Stargate Atlantis. Atlantis was arguably a better show, but the foes were arguably scarier. The world wasn't all that bright and shiny. The world of the first series, Stargate SG-1, was quite rosy. Things became even worse in the next series: Stargate Universe. In Universe the main characters are trapped and trying to get home. Some of the episodes are pretty good, but the series was cancelled after a bit.
The world of Stargate quite closely follows the post-Soviet American world. Stargate SG-1 corresponds to the initial wave of pride and possibilities after winning the Cold War. The world slowly becomes more complicated, a mortal foe emerges (radical Islamists for the US), and then suddenly the world traps them in a complicated situation that won't let them come home (Afghanistan and Iraq). If you've watched the show you'll know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, go watch the show. It's a good one.
While I'm doing that I figured I could comment on something that I've really always found interesting: Stargate. If you don't know what Stargate is, you really need to check it out. It is a good show. The premise of the show is that they find a mystical gate that goes to different worlds. The US military sends out teams of explorers to establish relations with other worlds. It slowly develops from a show about little adventures into a vast political and social network, as Earth struggles to fight evil empires, little spider robots, and more.
When you involve politics in a show, it invariably begins to speak to the particular time we live in. As time goes on, you can see a culture's concept of the outside world begin to develop through the evolution of the show. Foreign adventures became large wars, and then they began to launch spin-off series.
The first spin-off was Stargate Atlantis. Atlantis was arguably a better show, but the foes were arguably scarier. The world wasn't all that bright and shiny. The world of the first series, Stargate SG-1, was quite rosy. Things became even worse in the next series: Stargate Universe. In Universe the main characters are trapped and trying to get home. Some of the episodes are pretty good, but the series was cancelled after a bit.
The world of Stargate quite closely follows the post-Soviet American world. Stargate SG-1 corresponds to the initial wave of pride and possibilities after winning the Cold War. The world slowly becomes more complicated, a mortal foe emerges (radical Islamists for the US), and then suddenly the world traps them in a complicated situation that won't let them come home (Afghanistan and Iraq). If you've watched the show you'll know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, go watch the show. It's a good one.
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