Price gouging, or anything else for that matter, does not equal rape

You know what I absolutely hate? When fans use the word rape as an analogy.

For example this comment (found in this comment thread):

Pfft, after the catastrophe that was the Nintendo Wii Europe Event followed
of course by the news that the Wii is not region free, I wen't in a matter of
days from being an avid Wii fanboy to completely and utterly disinterested.I
also know that I am not alone in this. Many, especially Europeans, are just sick
of the rape. I mean, at £133 for GameCube technology + some sensors, even Japan is getting extorted.

There's a sickening amount of privilege being exercised when someone can throw out a comment like this.

Too many times I come across it. And it's random. It's comments like that, the comments that completely trivialize rape, that make me want to leave my fandom behind, never click on my internet browser icon, throw the computer out the window.

It's rape. It's a hate crime. It's serious. Don't use it while in a fit of melodrama.

For Real?

According to Graham Cracker's site, (sorry if this is old news) tomorrow I'm going to find out who the father of baby Helena is.

My money's on Sam, especially after last month's issue. But I have to say that I'm surprised that we'll learn her dad's identity so soon--I expected the whole "who's-the-father" plotline to be dragged out for longer.

Call for Submissions: Feminist Science Fiction Carnival

The fifth Feminist Science Fiction Carnival will happen here at this blog on October 2.

All relevant blog posts about Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy since August 24 onward is fair game--the deadline for the carnival is September 25.

Email me at 100littledolls[at]sbcglobal.net or fill out this submission form. You can also visit the official blog of the carnival if you have any questions about the guidelines and for links to past editions of the carnival.

Here are the guidelines:

--All Weblog Postings on Science Fiction and Fantasy works in all media
(books, comic books, television, film, roleplaying tabletop games and video
games) written from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Fan fiction written from a Feminist Perspective is eligible.
--Posts about fan fiction written from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Posts about conventions and fan gatherings of a Feminist nature are eligible.
--Posts about conventions and fan gatherings written from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Posts about any science fiction or fantasy fandom written from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Posts linking to newsand announcements are eligible, so long as they pertain specifically to the Feminist Sci-Fi Fantasy community.
--Considerations about science fiction/fantasy news from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Analysis of non-Feminist works from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Rants about any of the above written from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Posts which spell “Space” using 3 A’s and two exclamation points and are written from a Feminist Perspective are eligible.
--Posts about Green-Skinned Amazons (from Outer Spaaace!) with more than two breasts that are not written from a Feminist Perspective will not be eligible (and if they aren’t damned funny,* will be reproduced for mockery).
--Posts about Getting Your Girlfriend into [specific type of fandom] had also better be damned funny. If written from a Feminist Perspective (even tongue-in-cheek), they will be eligible.

*Sexist and/or homophobic does not equal damned funny, nor does it constitute anything
approaching a Feminist Perspective.

Looks like I'll be camping out on the eve of November 19

This morning as soon as my fingertips hit a computer keyboard, I headed over to 4 Color Rebellion to get the dirt about the Wii. $250? Sweet. November 19th release date? I can't wait. One type of packaging? Score. Only available in white? Sadness. I've never been a fan of white electronics.

When I first saw the Wii and got an eyefull of the red and lime green versions, I salivated. Alas, it's not to be. I'm sure in the future Nintendo will release different colored consoles, but I won't be able to wait that long!

Also, be sure to check out Wii's official website.

Highlights from the Highlife, Part 1

I’m sorry I haven’t updated sooner—jet lag had to beaten down, family had to be seen, and my last semester of college has begun (I can already tell that it’ll be a lot of work. Papers even have to be written for my yoga class.) I don’t want the blog to lag or suffer for my lack of time management, so my goal is to post at least once a week. Also, I’ve figured that I don’t have time right now to post any one or few massive posts of Japan, so I’ll just write a bunch of little ones.

My first glimpse into Japan was its incredibly easy transportation. We had to get from Kansai International, which is just outside of Osaka to Nagahama, which sits on the eastern side of Lake Biwa in the Shiga Prefecture. The train trip took about two hours. We might have not been able to do it on our own, if not for the JR’s scrolling electronic boards that displayed the stops in kanji, kana and romaji.

Hindsight bias intact from visiting the larger cities of Japan, it’s safe to say that Nagahama is a sleepy city. Though the size of the population (around 80,000) puts to shame the small Wisconsin town I grew up in, and even with it’s array of rice fields, a decent sized main street and distinctive downtown area, it didn’t feel much larger. It was the perfect place in which to compare the rural Japan to urban Japan.

My friend, a JET instructor, lives in an apartment building named Highlife Morii. His apartment is outfitted with a tatami floor, sliding doors, and a toilet that’s located in its own closet-sized room. On top of the back of the toilet had a spout with which you could wash your hands. Yes, with toilet water. I loved it.

Nagahama castle is absolutely beautiful, but I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to go inside of it. Instead, most of the time spent in Nagahama was in Kurokabe Square, or Black Wall Square. Most of the buildings in this area were built, I believe, in the Meiji period. Walking through this winding section of stores and restaurants while taking in the smell of old wood and frying pork felt like traveling back in time. Glass workshops, for which Nagahama is well known for, are also located here. Sculptures, such as the giant kaleidoscope showcased the talent found here. Just one day here was enough for me to shed off all the stress I had brought with me from Chicago.

Looking for a Translator

I'm back to the blog and country. I think I'll leave the play by play of the trip to 100littledolls, I just wanted to bring up some small observations. This was my second opportunity to visit Japan, so I was a little more prepared this time. Meaning, I brought a handkerchief to wipe all the drool off my face every time I walked into a store and saw all the wonderful games that I'll never be able to play. RPGs, Pokemon, strategy games, survival horrors and a remake of Dragon Quest V that looked so yummy. They had their share of stinkers over there, but I was genuinely excited for most games I saw. It was a strange experience. One that happens less and less in the States. I'm not to fond of the FPS GTA clone combo that fill the shelves here in America. It was nice to know that somewhere in the world there are still plenty of games that I would enjoy. (Although I can't play them unless I learn the language or a company brings them over.)

I complain, but I do enjoy and respect many games made in the western hemisphere. And I was shocked that my favorites were no where to be seen. Example: I went to the electronics districts in three major cities, Terimachi Street in Kyoto, Den Den Town in Osaka, and Akihabara in Tokyo, and I did not see one copy of Oblivion. Now I understand that the 360 is doing terrible in Japan, but I thought this game would have at least been pushed more. I mean, its a pretty impressive game. It might not have come out yet, but there weren't any advertisements. I found it weird and kind of sad that even the quality games don't seem to make it tp Japan. The PC sections did have a bunch of the hits from America translated into Japanese, but the consoles were lacking. The imported game section that I did find proudly displayed Tiger Woods, NBA Live, and American versions of Nintendogs. No wonder American game products are seen as lacking if this is all that is seen.

Oh well, I really never thought I would be defending Western games, but I guess its just an extension of the sadness I feel when I know I will never play all those juicy Japanese RPGs. I just wish that there was a better exchange of games between our two countries. Lately I've felt that the two markets have been growing farther and farther apart. I just hope that in the next generation, there will be less polarization, and more of a coutinuaty in the games that are released. (I want more RPGs!) I believe that the Nintendo Wii has the best chance of this in it's early attempt of trying to appeal to everyone. Maybe it'll create more of a cohesive video game world in the process.