Random Triad

[author_by_night]

1. I've decided that I am actually against the idea of "I messages", which you're supposed to do in a conflict, as every fourth grader is told. Or at least against it when it isn't people you're related to or friends with. Why? Because... well... think of it this way: you're driving down the highway, get cut off, and so you pull up to the other driver's window and say, "excuse me, but I feel upset when you cut me off because I was trying to get to work on time." How does anyone think that'll end?

It can also be used to manipulate people, because in the end, it's really projecting your feelings onto another person. Nobody can control how you feel. Nobody should be held responsible for how you emotionally responded to a situation.

Again, I think if it's in the context of a close relationship, that's a different story - you NEED those kinds of conversations. But it doesn't work in other situations. Especially at school or work, or the highway, when everyone's busy trying to get somewhere, and if they cut you off, they either made an honest mistake or did it intentionally, and being told they suck for making your day suck really isn't going to help in either scenario

2.
I kind of like that the doc crew is almost evil now. But that's really all I liked about the episode. I hate how Jim's storyline feels like it comes straight out of a Disney film - he gets a better job, suddenly he's supposed to be a jerk. I'm not sure if that's intentional, or if they're trying to show the honest problems that DO arise in those situation, in which case they should be showing it a bit better. Because believe me, I've seen it for myself in real life, except it's often not as simple as either bothering to make your daughter's dance recital or not.



3.  So for Harry Potter geeks (and observers) -sea_thoughts and I were talking yesterday about how we'd categorize Harry Potter. We agreed it's not quite urban fantasy, but it's not quite high fantasy either. It's a world within our world as opposed to explicitly our world (except for the times the worlds do collide), but at the same time it's still very much our world. It's almost more like a modern mythos or semi-adult fairy/folk tale. But I don't even know if that's quite right. Thoughts?

Comments

[quinns-crossing.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I never thought of using "I" messages on the road. Usually they ignore me when I honk the horn. Once in a while they flip the bird.

The "I" messages were probably meant for relationships and not for driving. I imagine if someone rolled down the window and used an "I" statement, the other driver would just laugh and drive away. Or maybe they'd say, "I don't care" and THEN drive off.

It doesn't always work in relationships, either. I used to tell my mother that I felt hurt when she yelled and screamed at me, and her only reply would be a snide, "Well, that's just too bad!"

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

Secondary world/wainscoting fantasy? I swear I've come across these terms ...

[blpurdom.livejournal.com]

Does the "wainscoting" part come from Mary Norton's The Borrowers? That's a classic world-beside-our-world universe, although technically not magical.

I guess I would call HP a combination of wainscoting fantasy, mystery and magical realism.

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I came across it in a discussion that might have even been on HP, now that I think about it, used to describe fantasy worlds that co-exist with the real world, but are smaller than it and have to be kept secret.

[parsimonia.livejournal.com]

A while back I was think about the HP movies and what was wrong with them as a whole. They approached each book's story as if it were action/adventure in a fantasy setting, prioritizing cool stunts over plot and relevant details that would be needed later on.

Whereas the books, despite their fantasy setting, are really, truly, mysteries. Which is why those nitty-gritty details feel so damn important. Each clue contributed to the whole, that answer at the end of a series of questions.