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danieldwilliamA very pleasant weekend in Bristol with Bluebird. Mainly pirates but with some psychology and gender politics.
We stayed in a new hotel. Still a Premier Inn, still the best hotel in the world but a new one. When in Bristol and not staying with my sister we usually stay at the Premier Inn in Haymarket. This time we stayed at the smaller one by the waterfront. The hotel itself is new but the attached pub is the Llandoger Trow and dates from the 1664. Legend has it that it was here that Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe and that the pub was the model for the Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island. Lovely old building.
Over dinner on Friday, Bluebird and I had a conversation about gender politics where she used the word intersectionality. We talked about the various waves of feminism, the anti-feminism party standing in Nottingham, Justice for Men and Boys (and the Women who love them) (1), White Feminism, Andrea Dworkin and TERF’s and all kinds of stuff. She seems very engaged with social justice issues. I observe a bit of a USian bias which I think is a result of a preponderance of USian social justice content on platforms like Tumblr.
We then moved on to her favoured and disfavoured schools of psychology. She seems to favour free will over determinism. Finally, over a Café Real (cappacino with a small dish of figs in syrup with marscapone cheese) she explained how she would reform Hogwarts along scientific lines.
On Saturday, I got up had a leisurely breakfast in the old pub and then Bluebird and I went to Waterstone’s to buy some books. She got some book on psychology and I bought three histories on the US Civil War. In this I was inspired by bumping in to a few blog posts about the causes of War including this one.
So, I’ve picked up John Keegan’s, The American Civil War: A Military History, This Hallowed Ground: A History of the Civil War, by Bruce Catton and James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. I’m about one third to a half the way through Keegan’s book. More later, but first impressions; the civil war was a shambles.
We had a stroll around the waterside. A lovely, crisp, dry cold winter’s day. My eye was caught by an advertisement for a Festival of Slapstick in the window of the Watershed Arts Centre for the following weekend. Further strolling brought us to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, also advertising the Festival of Slapstick. I popped in to see what was going on and discovered that we could get tickets for the last performance of Swallows and Amazons for a fiver each. Ticket bought Bluebird and I retired to our room for a nap and a read.
Swallows and Amazons was superb. Very funny, great use of staging (including an idea I'm stealing) and good performances. Also, surprisingly a musical. We really enjoyed the show. Then a Chinese takeaway, were I earned reputation points from the waitress for asking for chopsticks.
Sunday, another leisurely breakfast for me and another lie in for Bluebird. A wee potter round the shops looking at sofas, lunch and then we holed ourselves up in a craft beer pub, with pints of micro-brewed beer and the civil war for me, diet coke and psychology for her.
Then home by train and plane.
(1) For the record I think men and boys are adversely affected by the current way gender is organised in our society, often in very important ways, and that more men should give some political attention to how they too are disadvantaged by traditional male roles. I also think that a time of cultural transition can be unsettling and difficult for everyone involved but it’s not like we’re actually fighting a civil war so I think we’ll just have to get on with it. Men’s Right Activism is unlikely to improve anything for anyone. The last thing we need is an anti-feminist party.
We stayed in a new hotel. Still a Premier Inn, still the best hotel in the world but a new one. When in Bristol and not staying with my sister we usually stay at the Premier Inn in Haymarket. This time we stayed at the smaller one by the waterfront. The hotel itself is new but the attached pub is the Llandoger Trow and dates from the 1664. Legend has it that it was here that Daniel Defoe met Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe and that the pub was the model for the Admiral Benbow in Treasure Island. Lovely old building.
Over dinner on Friday, Bluebird and I had a conversation about gender politics where she used the word intersectionality. We talked about the various waves of feminism, the anti-feminism party standing in Nottingham, Justice for Men and Boys (and the Women who love them) (1), White Feminism, Andrea Dworkin and TERF’s and all kinds of stuff. She seems very engaged with social justice issues. I observe a bit of a USian bias which I think is a result of a preponderance of USian social justice content on platforms like Tumblr.
We then moved on to her favoured and disfavoured schools of psychology. She seems to favour free will over determinism. Finally, over a Café Real (cappacino with a small dish of figs in syrup with marscapone cheese) she explained how she would reform Hogwarts along scientific lines.
On Saturday, I got up had a leisurely breakfast in the old pub and then Bluebird and I went to Waterstone’s to buy some books. She got some book on psychology and I bought three histories on the US Civil War. In this I was inspired by bumping in to a few blog posts about the causes of War including this one.
So, I’ve picked up John Keegan’s, The American Civil War: A Military History, This Hallowed Ground: A History of the Civil War, by Bruce Catton and James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. I’m about one third to a half the way through Keegan’s book. More later, but first impressions; the civil war was a shambles.
We had a stroll around the waterside. A lovely, crisp, dry cold winter’s day. My eye was caught by an advertisement for a Festival of Slapstick in the window of the Watershed Arts Centre for the following weekend. Further strolling brought us to the Bristol Old Vic Theatre, also advertising the Festival of Slapstick. I popped in to see what was going on and discovered that we could get tickets for the last performance of Swallows and Amazons for a fiver each. Ticket bought Bluebird and I retired to our room for a nap and a read.
Swallows and Amazons was superb. Very funny, great use of staging (including an idea I'm stealing) and good performances. Also, surprisingly a musical. We really enjoyed the show. Then a Chinese takeaway, were I earned reputation points from the waitress for asking for chopsticks.
Sunday, another leisurely breakfast for me and another lie in for Bluebird. A wee potter round the shops looking at sofas, lunch and then we holed ourselves up in a craft beer pub, with pints of micro-brewed beer and the civil war for me, diet coke and psychology for her.
Then home by train and plane.
(1) For the record I think men and boys are adversely affected by the current way gender is organised in our society, often in very important ways, and that more men should give some political attention to how they too are disadvantaged by traditional male roles. I also think that a time of cultural transition can be unsettling and difficult for everyone involved but it’s not like we’re actually fighting a civil war so I think we’ll just have to get on with it. Men’s Right Activism is unlikely to improve anything for anyone. The last thing we need is an anti-feminist party.
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no subject
Date: 2015-01-19 11:01 am (UTC)I agree. And what I mostly noticed growing up was men/boys being told that they were _bad_ for doing things associated with women, because it made them unmanly.
Removing the stigma on being associated with women would undoubtedly make this better for a lot of men and boys. And is yet another reason to support feminism :->
no subject
Date: 2015-01-19 11:13 am (UTC)I think there’s a societal assumption that men do not equal parents which plays out in family courts and the operation of the CSA.
The other source of harm is that manly behaviour is often damaging for men (or indeed anyone who practises) as it downplays looking after yourself physically and mentally.
A broader range of acceptable choices for boys would be no bad thing.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-19 11:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-01-19 01:43 pm (UTC)And other myriad examples.
I well remember being the only dad at my daughter's ballet classes and I notice how few mothers there are at my son's rugby classes.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-20 06:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-01-29 04:02 pm (UTC)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killer_Angels
Too late now, probably, but worth reading for pleasure.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-29 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-01-29 04:52 pm (UTC)