Oh, Tina

I love me some Tina Fey.

She makes me weak in the knees. =]

A Letter to Lady Gaga, Part III

Dear Lady Gaga,

This will be the last letter I will write to you, because I've given up. After seeing your latest video for "Telephone", I have come to conclusion that you are just ridiculous. From now on, I will only listen to your music, and will try at all costs to avoid seeing anything with you in it: pictures, videos, etc.

As an entertainer, you're supposed to entertain. Simple enough, but all you do is cause my blood pressure to rise with your absurdity. I know you have your fans, (though only God knows why...) but I simply do not see the appeal. I'm all for being trendy, avant garde, larger than life, etc., but you've surpassed all that and simply become a caricature.

Farewell,
Jason Rico

P.S. For those who would like to see her video, here it is:

Sexism and Gender Roles

Earlier tonight, I watched NBC's new show, The Marriage Ref. I first saw the show last Sunday - when NBC brilliantly decided to interrupt the Olympic's Closing Ceremony to premiere an early episode - and it was surprisingly entertaining. There's something very intriguing about watching other people's relationship problems. Tonight's episode introduced a couple where the wife thought her husband should automatically know how to build a patio simply because he's a man. Surprisingly, Eva Longoria, one of the celebrity panel members, agreed with the wife. The husband argued that was ridiculous and that his wife was being sexist. If she expected him to just be good at manual labor because he was a man, then he expected her to serve him whenever he demanded. After all, that has been the "traditional" role of a woman.

This really got me thinking whether "traditional" gender roles and assumptions are as prevalent today as they were in past generations. Personally, I view the “proper” relationships of men and women as understanding that each gender has certain strengths, and that only by coming together can society be truly effective. For example, men are viewed as being more logical, while women are viewed as being more compassionate. Therefore, coming together ensures that multiple outlooks are used, as opposed to just one. This is not to say that men are incapable of feeling compassion, or women incapable of being logical. Not at all. I simply believe men and women are pieces of a puzzle, and only by equally coming together can the picture be complete.

I was raised in a family where both my father and mother were strong presences. My father was more of a traditional Mexican male, and from him I learned strength. Not physical strength, but the strength to be confident, stand up for oneself, and succeed in life. He taught this lesson to my younger siblings, but I believe he placed emphasis on me learning this. He expected my sisters to be strong for themselves, but he expected me to be strong not only for myself, but also for my sisters, mother and future family. To him, men are the protectors.

My mother, although also Mexican, had the outlook of perhaps more of a modern American woman; but combined it with an understanding of our Mexican heritage. She also placed emphasis on me being a strong presence for my sisters and future family, but instilled in me the importance of treating the women in my life with the upmost respect. It is perhaps more so from her that I learned the relationship between a man and a woman should be an equal partnership. The one thing that both parents taught me is that no matter what views people may hold, it is up to me to buy into them or be myself.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I agree with the husband. He shouldn't magically know how to install a patio simply because he's a man. That's ridiculous. That's like saying I'm magically amazing at soccer, simply because I'm Mexican.

Ridiculous.

A Letter to Lady Gaga, Part II

Dear Lady Gaga,

WTF?! What goes through your mind when you go out in public with a ridiculous getup like this? Look at those two guys next to you. I know exactly what's going through their minds: "Please don't let anyone I know see me next to this weirdo." It's clearly written all over their face.

Please, let someone get you some help, because I think you might have a screw or two loose. I'm worried about you.

Again,
Jason Rico

A Letter to Lady Gaga

Dear Lady Gaga,

Please stop. You've taken it too far. I can understand your desire, and perhaps even need, to be a fashion trendsetter, but the keyword in that phrase is fashion; something which are you straying away from. When you first came onto the scene, you were definitely different, but still fashionable. Now, at the very least you are confusing, and at worst plain ridiculous.

Somewhere along the way, you've forgotten that true fashion is born out of necessity. Whether that need be social, political, economical or other, fashion changes because it needs to; not simply because someone decides it's Halloween all year long. In the 40s, fashion changed because we needed to adapt to WWII. In the 50s, fashion changed because women needed to feel feminine again now that the war was over and the men were back home. In the 60s, fashion changed because people felt the need to fight back and express themselves against the social and political unrest of the times.

And that's the way it's been ever since. There is no need for what you're doing. Do red veils at award ceremonies serve any purpose? How about aluminum foil superhero masks? Or what about giant antlers? That answer to those would be no.

Fashions have evolved because the world has evolved. Lady Gaga, you might be a mutation, but not one that will aid in the evolution of society. Hopefully natural selection will prevail and have another pop star, with true fashion sensibilities, aide evolution, while you go extinct.

Respectfully,
Jason Rico