Last Tuesday, I posted YouTube videos of two songs from different time periods (“Crazy He Calls Me” by Billie Holiday and “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga), trying to make a subtle point on how gender relations in America have changed over a century. However, most of you hopped on my quip about Fallout 3, which I made only because the video of “Crazy He Calls Me” was from the game’s soundtrack. Now, three days later, Clarence manages to encapsulate what I was getting at:
That being said, Ferdinand, in general females in Holidays time were more sane or at least more responsible adults and in general made better wives. Even in the 20’s and 30’s there was a place for strong women such as Gaga the thing was that:
A. They weren’t the norm though they had thier fans
B. They weren’t actively promoted as THE image a female should strive for, and their sexual power was legitimized through marriage and in no other way
C. Their audience wasn’t generally teenagers, but more mature adultsYep, there is a tremendous difference between the two songs. Gaga’s song might be appropriate for a woman who never intends to marry or procreate or for a girl enjoying a few years (note I said a few) before settling down. The song has a catchy beat but philosophically is empty except maybe to warn guys about female players. Holiday’s has by far the best advice, in that the attitude she displays in her song is very attractive.
You win the prize, sir – a post dedicated to your brilliance. Well played.
And here’s another song by Billie Holiday, thankfully NOT taken from Fallout 3:
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Strong women who “knew their place” and didn’t try to buck the concept of complementary equality have also been a mainstay of classic American country, ie, Loretta Lynn.
Proving women could be strong and beautiful and feminine and even stoic.
Today’s cult of celebrity has steered women AND men into a weird state of shallow clownhood. Lady Gaga is but just one of many.
Here’s something pretty interesting: what Lady Gaga actualy looks like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SIK-yzlxiU
Who knew she was actually decent looking.
I agree with Phoenixism that country women have often been the best examples of how to be a traditional woman without being the feminist inspired cultures dreaded “door mat”.
But then, I liked the second Holiday song better than the other two songs. Billie Holiday may not have lead the most exemplary life (she picked bad boys and abusers, but to be fair to her abuse was all she knew from childhood) and she had a rather tragic death but man, that girl could sing.
Just a quick note – GaGa has publicly stated that the song “Poker Face” is about how she imagined girls when she was with her boyfriend.
Not exactly an example for ANY girl at this point, excet maybe a nascent Lesbian in training.
:-)
Who knew she was actually decent looking.
She’d be perfect with nails as a brunette. :-)
FB,
What do you think about my new post, summarized as “Women, by default, are sociopaths”.
http://dissention.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/altruism-adversarialism-and-women-02/
Apparently you missed our subtle point about F3 being a lot more interesting than your subtle point. So I’ll lay it out for you:
1). We live in a world where Lady Gaga’s messages are a success now. Even if there were still enough women willing to follow the model given in the Holiday song around, the communities around us aren’t worth committing to, and family commitment isn’t just between two people; it’s also between two people on one side and their community on the other.
2). Fallout 3 wasn’t as “good” as 1 &2. But it’s still a better option than many, if not most, combinations of women and communities in the anglosphere today. And similarly, it’s a lot closer in quality to F1&2 than Lady Gaga’s message is to Holiday’s model.
3). Therefore, your note was not semi-related, but simply wrong and filled with fail. Furthermore, your intended point is kind of pointless, because, well, you’re basically just complaining. When your audience would rather disagree with your fanboi bait, what does that say about the meat of your post?
Oh, and on a semi-related note, Billie Holiday is overrated. She’s got a voice like a drill-press, and that’s just for starters.
The man whose life ‘American Gangster’ was based on describes meeting Billie Holiday at a party in Harlem. Her boyfriend was there – and in front on everyone – totally publicly – the boyfriend made Holiday hand over her jewelry and money so he could spend it! She liked the bad boys.
Be as it may, Fallout 3 ain’t that bad.
:-p