Picture Perfect Paranoia

Apologies for the surprise hiatus, guys. Moving out of the dormitory and into the home in the provinces, is what I just did. Such a pain. And I had to re-orient my sleep cycle, as I hadn’t got a decent one in weeks due to Finals. =_=

Remember this? Well, yeah, I’ve already started on writing again. Commentaries are really an exercise in essay writing skills. First, you have to think of a topic, or pick one for the already existing list, to write about, and from there, your interpretation skills come into play. Of course, your state of mind may affect the flow in one way or the other, good or bad.

But enough of my rambling, let’s go over to what this post is all about. Traps.

Yes, traps. People that make the concept of gender identity turn upside down. You think that person you’re talking to, and (if you’re a guy or a girl) attracted to is actually not what you thought that person might be.

Which one is…

“A man? No, he’s a girl!” “A woman? Hell no, she’s a guy!”

…the real better trap?

Let’s pause for a moment, so we can reorient our current perspective on sex about our gender orientation, lol.

Oh and I almost forgot what inspired me to write this all down.

“Well look at her boobs! She has boobs! Like real boobs!”
(Kudos to who can guess who said this?)

And from there, I began on a quest to answer the conundrum started by this. What makes traps attractive, non-sexually by the way, with a particular guy/girl? I’m speaking from the perspective of an anime fan.

So with that let’s go over to the list of topics related to traps (the subject) that I am going to talk about.

1. Gender Identity
2. Internet Anonymity
3. Homophobia (?), and
4. Unlimited Love Pairings

Also in the agenda are the list of sources I will be drawing this “commentary” from:

1. Wikipedia (in English) on Gender Identity and Gender Role
2. textbook on Sociology
3. Anime Nano Podcast Episodes 13 and 15
4. NEW! Happiness! and Otome wa Boku ni Koishiteru

I’ll have to whip out my sociology book for the first 2 topics.

Book defines gender as:

…Gender refers to the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female and male

So what does this mean? Note that the definition states “personal traits” and “social positions”, which means that the designation is very much affected by identification by a large group of people society. It is subject to change.

Also,

…Gender roles (or sex roles) are attitudes and activities that a society links to each sex

Again, note that there must be “attitudes and activities” that a certain individual must engage in to be “identified” as that certain gender.

So what this means is that what characterizes a person’s gender is based primarily by his or her appearance. That’s why when a baby wears a pink-colored clothing, it’s a girl. Otherwise, if “it” wears blue-colored (or in rare cases, green-colored), it’s a boy. Society (with influence from culture) perceives it that way.

Also of note is the way he or she speaks. If it sounds receptive, playful, and timid, you might mistakenly identify the speaker as a girl. On the other hand, if you hear a strong, brave, and assertive speech, you would think that’s a guy talking. Well I can’t blame you for that. You might just be mistaken after going over it, especially when that person (finally) admits to being a gender you wouldn’t thought of it was. ^^

Of course, that’s the reason behind the so-called “Internet Anonymity”. I now pulll out part of my answer on “Why Internet Users are Rude” to fill in

I think this is due to the nature of the “virtual culture” we are in. With the prevalence of Net users, as well as the trait of anonymity that goes with it … They begin to see themselves not as who they really are, but as someone they want to be. … when in the Internet, they can be brash, rude, or even kind. Not all Internet users are bad (or rude, in your question). It’s just that the effect of being on the Internet can have an effect on one’s perception on what is and what is not. It has reshaped our lives, … as well as our perception on things.

Also:

…with the Internet replacing real life interaction as a way of communication, whether it be formal or casual or derogatory, I think the “virtual culture” thus formed influenced the reality constructed by the individual users.

So you see, it’s the effect that causes confusion among us regarding what type of person we are conversing with. It could be a guy, a girl, or maybe even something else. Think about it, you wouldn’t be surprised if you found out earlier if the person you’re talking to, really is a guy, right?

So is it possible that this fear (and probably surprise) about traps somehow induced in us (since majority of us are male here) a fear in what is considered “homophobia”*? Probably, if you can tell the intial reaction of those unfamiliar with the concept of a “trap”. You would see shocked, abhorred, maybe even disgusted responses, if you can detect them.

I blame jpmeyer for the last item. Hung spoke of it during the 13th podcast wherein the purpose of the trap “…is just there so you can have more options…”. lol. I think that would be the case if you’re somehow not satisfied with how the game (or the anime, if such a thing ever comes out) pairs two people as romantically a couple. Just pick out what you think would make a better one, and see what happens.

So there you have it. I’ve exhauseted almost all of my brain cells on this one, so I leave it to you guys. Judge if I’ve made some incorrect assumptions/reasonings/statements, and I’ll see what I can do.

Remember that this is anime.

Excuse me while I rub some ointment on my sore forearms.

And now a surprise gaijin 4koma

traps 4tw *Homophobia to describe dread of close personal interaction with people thought of be gay, lesbian, or bisexual