Here are some more tumblr posts that made me laugh/cringe and whisper “#same.”
#same pt. 2
Nerd
I Cried During The Force Awakens, and It Wasn’t When You Think
I finally saw The Force Awakens! I waited until my brother came home for Christmas so we could see it as a family. Since so much of the Star Wars universe revolves around family, I think this was the right choice. Thankfully, I successfully avoided spoilers before walking into the theater, so I got to watch wide-eyed and delighted as my 27-year-old self regressed twenty years and became enraptured in the world of my childhood.
If you haven’t seen it yet, STOP READING. SPOILERS AHEAD. Continue reading
No Slut Shaming in Hamilton
I was listening to Hamilton for the 500th time, and I noticed something strange when I got to “Say No to This,” the song during which Hamilton has an affair with Maria Reynolds. I thought, ugh, she ruined his life. When the affair goes public, his political career crashes and burns and his wife understandably distances herself from him. All because of Maria.
Then I realized….the song was decidedly not placing the blame on her. So why was I? My “internalized misogyny” bell started ringing in my brain, and I was horrified to realize I was doing what culture does best: blame the woman. After all, Alexander Hamilton is the hero of the musical. We’ve seen him through years of his life, we’re rooting for him, and we want the best for him. When something goes wrong, surely it’s someone else’s fault. Surely it’s hers (because she seduced him, she corrupted him, she tempted him). Surely she’s the slut, and Eliza is the saint. Surely women exist as a dichotomy, served to bolster or destroy the male hero.
A lesser musical would have followed these old familiar tropes, but Hamilton is not a lesser musical! Throughout the song, Maria is portrayed as a fully developed person and the onus of decision is placed firmly, and repeatedly, on Hamilton’s shoulders.
Maria:
My husband’s doin’ me wrong
Beatin’ me, cheatin’ me, mistreatin’ me…
Suddenly he’s up and gone
I don’t have the means to go on
Maria must bear the fault of intentionally seducing a married man, that’s true. But she isn’t only a seductress. She’s the wife of an abusive, horrible man. (Tellingly, the only time slut shaming happens in the song is when James Reynolds calls her his “whore wife.” We’re obviously not meant to trust his judgement, since he says this in the middle of blackmailing Hamilton.) She seems desperate for a better life with a better man, and let’s face it, during that time in history the only way for her to move upwards was by attaching herself to a man. She’s in a horrible situation, and she makes the wrong choice, but the song never minimizes her or demonizes her.
Hamilton:
I am helpless—how could I do this?
Instead, the blame is placed firmly on Hamilton. No matter how fiercely Maria might have flung herself at him, the musical is adamant: he could have said no. That is, in fact, the name of the song: “Say No to This.” Throughout the piece, Hamilton goes from praying “Lord, show me how to say no to this” to admitting “I don’t say no to this.” To make it even more obvious, the end of the song concludes with a chorus of voices: the ensemble shouts “NO” while Hamilton and Maria sing “Yes!” to each other. If that’s not consent, I don’t know what is.
The fact that Hamilton cheated on Eliza with Maria is a tragedy. But in the face of cultural schemas that portray women as sluts begging for it or temptresses ruining men’s lives, Hamilton says “no.” Maria Reynolds is responsible for her actions only. Alexander Hamilton is responsible for how he responded. It is so refreshing to listen to a musical that does what it can to diminish our dangerous stereotypes.
Solidarity in #Same
Tumblr is a great place to find art or text posts that make you laugh and internally cringe at the same time. When something hits a little too close to home, all you can do is cry, “same!” and find solace in other people sharing your dysfunctions.
What have you found on the Interwebs that made you #same?
I Can Die In Peace, Because I Saw Hamilton on Broadway
… …
I don’t even! Know! Where to begin. Half of me feels very centered and calm, like I could die because life has given me its greatest gift: seeing Hamilton on Broadway with its original cast. The other half of me wants to spin in circles shouting into the sky because life has given me its greatest gift: seeing Hamilton on Broadway with its original cast.
Our hotel is a three minute walk (turn right on 46th) from Richard Rodgers Theatre, so it was a Hamilton kind of day. We walked past at noon, and I tried to control an intense wave of envy when we saw the lucky 21 lottery winners who would be seeing the matinee in just two hours. But we had back-row seats for the night’s performance, so I swallowed my jealousy and followed my mom around other, less important areas of New York City.
We were back at the theater at 4:30. I wanted to be early for #ham4ham, which began at 5:55. Ridiculously early, but serendipitous. I asked a woman standing by a barricade if she was in line for the lottery, and she said no, the matinee was about to let out, and this was where the cast came out to sign autographs. “Okay then,” I said, claiming a front row spot in front of the door. Continue reading
The Death of Cultural Irony
My friend Elizabeth recently brought an article called “‘Hamilton’ and the end of irony” to my attention. Because it is about Hamilton, I was immediately interested, but it drew me in further by making some really interesting cultural observations.
I had the good fortune a few weeks ago to see “Hamilton,” the musical currently swallowing Broadway whole (AND WHOSE CAST RECORDING IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM ONLINE!!!! YES, THIS ABSOLUTELY MERITS ALL CAPS! THIS IS LIKE BROADWAY CHRISTMAS! ALSO THE WHOLE THEME OF THIS PIECE IS SHARING YOUR ENTHUSIASMS!!!).
(Ahem.)
Alexandra Petri makes the astute observation that Hamilton is an earnest musical about an incredibly earnest guy, and that this sincerity is the heart of its success.
I agree! I think we live in an age of sincerity, if I can steal a phrase from Jonathan Fitzgerald’s article “Sincerity, Not Irony, Is Our Age’s Ethos.” Uninhibited love for things is everywhere, from the 90s nostalgia of my generation to the huge success of The Avengers movie. Continue reading
A Cliff’s Note Version of Hamilton the Musical
Even though Entertainment Weekly has called Hamilton “the biggest cultural smash on Broadway this decade” it can be hard to convince people to give the two and half hour, 46-song musical soundtrack a shot. For the sake of the joy and inspiration everyone is guaranteed to find in the story of Alexander Hamilton as told by Lin-Manuel Miranda, I’ve created a Cliff Note’s version of the musical’s story, links to key songs included.
[Side note: You won’t see the actors while listening to the cast album, but I think it is extremely important to note that the majority of the actors and actresses are people of color. Miranda himself is Puerto Rican, and the men who play Aaron Burr, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson are black. Hamilton’s wife and her sister are played by a biracial Asian woman and a black woman respectively. I am so in love with Miranda’s goal of telling the story of America’s past with the voices of America’s present.]
Alexander Hamilton was born on a Caribbean island, the bastard son of a Scotsman and a prostitute. He becomes an orphan when his dad skips out and his mother dies, and the cousin who takes him in winds up committing suicide. When he was a teenager, a hurricane devastated his hometown, and after writing about his experience, a fund was collected to send him to America. Dude has a serious chip on his shoulder, and he is determined to prove his worth by demanding everyone’s attention and hiding his self-doubts (“Alexander Hamilton“). Continue reading
Computer Game Nostalgia
Before I came out to Seattle, I knew there was one very important thing my brother and I needed to do: play computer games. It was one of our favorite things to do together as kids, and this just happens to be the perfect time to be an adult reliving their childhood with computer game nostalgia.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary
Although this was released in 2007, it was on sale for $2.24 on Steam last week, so it’s new to me. Because it’s a recreation of the original Tomb Raider game, it brings back all the feels. I played for a couple hours on my own, delightedly remembering the joy of trying out jumping and climbing moves in Lara’s manor before attempting to explore ruins around the world.
This was a game that was played by Roy more than me, however, because I quickly realized I was not used to using a keyboard to move, jump, climb, pick things up, grapple, and duck, sometimes all in succession. When I once missed a jump, fell into a pit, and was immediately mauled by a bear, my heart had sped up to the rate of an actual adventurer/explorer. Continue reading
My Hamilton Obsession Grows
I have spent…a truly enormous amount of time thinking about Hamilton: An American Musical. I’ve listened to the soundtrack on repeat throughout every day, I’ve started following Lin-Manuel Miranda on Tumblr, and I’ve looked up what Hamilton’s enneagram type probably was (an 8, though I was hoping he was emotional enough to be a 4 like me). Awkward conversations like this happen:
Me: Put Rory [my cat] on Riley’s [my parent’s dog] back.
Mom: I don’t think they’ll like that.
Me: They might.
Mom: I think the cat–I’m sorry, I should call him Rory. Saying “the cat” feels mean.
Me: You can call him whatever you want. It’s like George Washington says: “My name’s been through a lot; I can take it.”
Mom: …
Me: In Hamilton. He said that in Hamilton.
Mom: *sighs*
Me: …I really want to see Hamilton.
Mom: I KNOW.
But that’s the thing with obsessions. Literally everything makes me think of it. And I am determined to convert everyone around me to loving it too. When Kelly asked what I’d been doing lately, I said, “Well, I’ve been listening to this musical. Hamilton? It’s awesome. You should listen to it. Here, let write it down for you.” When I run into anyone who likes history, I practically shove the existence of Hamilton down their throats. When I spent three hours in the car with Sarah, we talked about painful pasts and grace and then I segued into: “Hey, do you like musicals? You do? Have you heard of Hamilton? You haven’t!? Well, is there any way I can plug in my phone and we could listen to….Oh, there isn’t? Yeah, fine, we can talk about Sondheim and Into the Woods, I guess…”
I almost had a convert when I was talking to my brother. With him, I didn’t even have to pretend to segue.
Me: Hey, I’ve been trying to think of a way to work this into our conversation, but nothing is coming up.
Roy: Hah, okay, what is it?
Me: HAVE YOU HEARD OF HAMILTON THE MUSICAL??
Roy: Um. No.
Me: It’s a musical about Alexander Hamilton, but his story is told through rap and hip hop, like the cabinet meetings are rap battles.
Roy: ….That sounds awesome.
Me: I KNOW.
Roy: Send me a link to somewhere I can listen to it! I can’t wait to try it out!
Me: Tell me when you listen to it! And I expect no less than eleven exclamation points. Whether you love it or hate it, I want an emotional response.
Roy: Sure.
It’s been a few days, and nothing! I was so close. However, in a week I will be taking the train out to Seattle to see him, and I am nothing if I am not good at monopolizing conversations and forcing my big brother into “participating” in my obsessions, so this isn’t over.
I mean, honestly, at this point I wouldn’t be surprised if at my fundraiser tonight, I didn’t interrupt myself: “I’m so grateful that all of you turned up to support me, and I’m so excited about working with House of Damaris–you know what else I’m excited about, though? Hamilton the Musical. Lindsay, is there a way I could plug in my phone….?”
One Direction’s Latest (Last?) Album: Made in the A.M.
Hello! It’s me, Tricia, your Too-Old-For-This escort into the wonderful and horrifying world of One Direction! You may remember me from the last time I broke down and indulged my inner tweenager by writing a 1D Manifesto (it is still one of my favorite posts that I’ve ever written). Since then, a lot has happened: Zayn left the band, Louis became an almost-father, they announced that they’re going on a break (which might actually be a break up), and today they released their fifth album.
Now, I’ve always freely admitted that first and foremost, I’m into their pretty faces. Look at these faces!
With every album released, I listen and love with the fondness of someone supporting their cute fictional boyfriend(s). Their music isn’t hard to listen to, and there are always a couple songs that I completely adore. But their sound is not my go-to musical choice. However…when I started listening to Made in the A.M. I found myself loving the entire thing.
Admittedly, the objective part of my brain is broken. Beautiful men do that to me. I have no confidence in my opinions where One Direction is concerned. I KNOW that they’ve musically matured since “That’s What Makes You Beautiful,” but there’s still some elitist part of me that doesn’t want to admit the truth:
I REALLY LOVE THEIR MUSIC. There, I said it. Let the flailing commence. Continue reading
It Is Trish 