things I don't get about my culture #256423

I went to the movies with BC yesterday. The theatre had the air conditioning cranked so high I spent the last 30 minutes of the movie shivering uncontrollably. Then of course I went outside into the hot, sticky, smoggy Toronto air. By the time we got back to her place I was feeling really ill and it was hours before I was back to normal.

If this was anomalous I might think that something had gone wrong with the air conditioning or that somebody had made a mistake when setting the temperature, but this is my experience Every. Single. Time. I go to a movie. If I'm lucky enough that we've planned for it ahead of time I end up carrying a sweater around in the middle of July just so that I don't freeze my ass off.

For the life of me I can't figure out why they do that. Cool, yes. But why would they imagine that people want to watch a film from inside their refrigerator? Especially when those people are going to have to deal with a 30-degree temperature shift the second they walk out the door.

the stalker and the stalked

So yeah. That stalker thing;

Don't Feed The Stalker.

Item the One. I do think it's a good explanation of how a stalker's mind works and in that regard it's useful. Yes, it was written about the experiences of somebody who was exceptionally lucky in that her husband's work took the threats seriously and were willing to take steps to keep her family safe. That part of the story is definitely unusual and the huge majority of people who will have to deal with stalkers will never be that lucky.

But even for those who are not in the position to leave town and stay in a hotel, who don't have the resources to move from their home or quit their job. Just knowing the "rat pressing the bar" metaphor is information, and all information is useful when you are trying to figure out what the fuck to do in a dangerous situation.

Item the Two. My purpose in posting it before commenting was because I wanted to see if anybody on my f-list pegged it as victim-blaming before I expressed any opinions on it. Not because I think it is, but because the people I saw linking to it and praising it were some of the exact same people who were praising a trope that was going around a few years ago that said, "Any time you give a woman advice on how to avoid rape you are blaming the victim".

I could not fathom how this blog post is any different than the stuff they were decrying as victim-blaming. I still don't get why they think there is a difference, but at least I know I'm not the only person who thinks their isn't one.

Item Three I'm still mulling over, so I'll post it later. Maybe.