I'm assuming that by now, anyone who wants to vote in my film poll has done so, so I thought I'd announce the results:
Congratulations to:
thepolliwog, one4worldpeace, syrinxkat, robingrace, triplethreat310 and majkazmaj for guessing correctly! Of the films in that list, I have NOT seen "Attack of the Clones." (Although a few of you had very good reasoning behind choosing other films - there are definitely some on that list which aren't the usual sorts of movies that I watch). But no, so far I have avoided seeing any of the "first" three Star Wars movies in its entirety (although I've seen parts of some of them, but judging by the M15M parody I read in the book, "Clones" is the one of which I've seen NOTHING). Somehow I just never managed to get excited enough about them to sit through the whole trilogy!
I was secretly disappointed in some of my Harry Potter friends, though - I really expected a couple of people to guess that I hadn't seen "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - since that was the U.K. version, not the American one. But, as it turns out, I've seen both. So, um, maybe I shouldn't be disappointed in them for not guessing incorrectly? It just seemed like a perfect "trick question" set-up, though.
And, since everyone loves a poll (right?), here's another one, as requested bykvratties:
I read a book yesterday, whose premise was based on the "fact" that sisters are categorized by their families in one of two ways: as "smart" or "pretty." This might sound overly-stereotypical, except that in my experience, there's more than a grain of truth there. Certainly in my family, my sister and I were categorized. I was the "smart" one (not really fair, since I am nearly four years older than she is; of COURSE I could converse on a higher level than she could, at any given time); she was the "cute" one (not really fair, since she is nearly four years younger than I am, so of COURSE she was cuter than I was at any given time).
So . . . let's find out whether or not there's something to this.
:D
Congratulations to:
thepolliwog, one4worldpeace, syrinxkat, robingrace, triplethreat310 and majkazmaj for guessing correctly! Of the films in that list, I have NOT seen "Attack of the Clones." (Although a few of you had very good reasoning behind choosing other films - there are definitely some on that list which aren't the usual sorts of movies that I watch). But no, so far I have avoided seeing any of the "first" three Star Wars movies in its entirety (although I've seen parts of some of them, but judging by the M15M parody I read in the book, "Clones" is the one of which I've seen NOTHING). Somehow I just never managed to get excited enough about them to sit through the whole trilogy! I was secretly disappointed in some of my Harry Potter friends, though - I really expected a couple of people to guess that I hadn't seen "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - since that was the U.K. version, not the American one. But, as it turns out, I've seen both. So, um, maybe I shouldn't be disappointed in them for not guessing incorrectly? It just seemed like a perfect "trick question" set-up, though.
And, since everyone loves a poll (right?), here's another one, as requested by
kvratties:I read a book yesterday, whose premise was based on the "fact" that sisters are categorized by their families in one of two ways: as "smart" or "pretty." This might sound overly-stereotypical, except that in my experience, there's more than a grain of truth there. Certainly in my family, my sister and I were categorized. I was the "smart" one (not really fair, since I am nearly four years older than she is; of COURSE I could converse on a higher level than she could, at any given time); she was the "cute" one (not really fair, since she is nearly four years younger than I am, so of COURSE she was cuter than I was at any given time).
So . . . let's find out whether or not there's something to this.
Are you Male or Female?
Female - proceed to Question #2
25(96.2%)
Male - skip to Question #4
1(3.8%)
Ladies: Do you have a sister?
Yes - proceed to Question #3
16(64.0%)
No - skip down to Question #6
9(36.0%)
Sisters - Were you the Smart One, or the Pretty One?
Smart
8(50.0%)
Pretty
1(6.2%)
We were categorized in some other way, which I'll share in a comment
2(12.5%)
There really wasn't a dynamic like this in my home
5(31.2%)
Men: Do you have more than one sister?
Yes - Proceed to Question #5
0(0.0%)
No - Skip to Question #6
2(100.0%)
Men with Sisters: Was one of your sisters the Smart One, and another considered the Pretty One?
Yes!
0(0.0%)
They were categorized in some other way, which I'll explain in a comment
0(0.0%)
No - there was no such dynamic in my family
0(0.0%)
For those of you without Sisters: Even though you have no direct experience, you get to have an opinion too! Have you ever seen evidence of this dynamic happening in families you've known?
Yes! Definitely.
4(44.4%)
Yes, things like this happen, but I've usually seen children categorized in other ways, which I'll share as a comment.
0(0.0%)
No, I've never noticed this.
4(44.4%)
No, and I think it's something you made up to try and get people to vote in your poll!
0(0.0%)
I'm not from here; on my home planet, it's done in an entirely different way (and I'll explain in a comment)
1(11.1%)
Should I have included boys in this quiz? In other words, are brothers categorized in some similar way, too?
Yes! I'll explain in a comment
3(15.8%)
Yes! And I've seen brothers vs. sisters categorized too - and will explain in a comment
2(10.5%)
No, I've never seen this with boys
1(5.3%)
No. Even if it happens with boys, they shouldn't be included, since they get all the attention already!
1(5.3%)
TICKY BOX!
9(47.4%)
:D
- Current Mood:
amused
Comments
In a way, though, it sounds like your family managed to avoid the labels, which really I think is a good thing. I didn't like the labeling. Well, in a way I did, since I genuinely did like feeling like I was smarter than my sister (when I was a child I mean; as an adult, I realize that it's a pretty stupid way of looking at things). And now, I wonder to what extent I really did internalize that label, and still carry it around with me to this day. Well, not so much the being smart, but the NOT being pretty.
Something to think about anyway. :D
The Smart/Pretty thing is hard for me to sort out. I don't have a sister and I haven't seen that phenomenon with my girls but then I have 3 of them so maybe it only works when there are two?
I had a relative once say to me. Daughter #1 is the smart one, daughter #2 is the athletic one and daughter #3 is the pretty one and this was when they were really little girls!! Needless to say I blew a fuse and gave him an earful.
And YAY that you shut down the annoying relative! That's the sort of thing I could see my inlaws saying - it used to make me really angry to see how they compared Kevin's sisters children - J (the boy) was always the good kid, so smart and just all around wonderful, while C (younger, and a girl) was like some sort of bad seed. (Which was stupid, because she was a GREAT kid, too - and they were young at the time - it's not like she was running around doing drugs or anything).
That adds an interesting dimension to this question for me - I wonder how often it's people outside the family who first give these labels. With my sister and I, I just don't remember. I think it might have been my grandparents more than my parents who came up with it. In any case, I think it's mostly my dad and grandfather who actually treated us differently because of these perceived traits. Although later, Robin also got hasselled by teachers at the school who remembered me as being such a great student, and I think she had a hard time living up to that expectation. Which had nothing to do with her actual intelligence (I think we're about equal in that regard); it's just that I had confidence in my intelligence, something she's struggled with for herself (probably because my dad and grandfather treated her like the village idiot).
*sigh*
This is interesting to think about though, isn't it?
Pretty vs. nice. Yeah, I can see how that one would play out, too. *sigh* It all just seems like one more layer of junk for us to scrape off as adults. Another comment reminded me that, in our house, I was the "bad" one to Robin's "good." YAY for labels, huh?
:D
Yet, in the end I had to say that, while I may have thought this, and may continue to think this, my sister is incredibly smart (she's going to optometry school) and I, though I don't always like to admit it, am pretty. I'm not perfect, and I don't have my sister's tall, model-like body, but I'm pretty. And my parents never treated us with the "smart/pretty" dynamic. That dynamic may have existed, but probably mostly in our minds, and not outside of them.
Are you younger, or older? Since it sounds like maybe you were in the same situation as my sister. I think my mum made it clear early on that being like me was NOT something to which to aspire. O_o
*tears hair out in frustration*
Because when I was creating the poll, in very big, bold text, each question had a number right next to it. They were *clearly* "Question #1," and "Question #2," etc. I guess they decided that wasn't important when actually CREATING the quiz. GRRRRRRR.
Although I suppose it's worth noting that pretty much everyone else seemed to be able to figure it out, even without the numbers.
Yes. It seems clear that this is all your sister's fault. And that having a younger sister drives one to early senility. (Actually, my own experience would validate that, as well. Robin is younger than me, after all).
*giggles*
ClevelandBaltimore Wisconsin some place, I have quite a nice life. NO! I don't want any mashed bananas either!!! Ok, your question again? Oh yes, Ticky Boxes are quite nice dear. Keep up the use of them. They make me think of a time way back in the '70's when I...oh never mind...ClevelandBaltimoreWisconsin some place, I have quite a nice life. NO! I don't want any mashed bananas either!!! Ok, your question again? Oh yes, Ticky Boxes are quite nice dear. Keep up the use of them. They make me think of a time way back in the '70's when I...oh never mind...I still suffer from the smart not pretty thing even though rationally, I know I'm just as pretty as my sister but in a dark not blonde way. Every time we're arranged for a visit, my bulimia goes insane as ?*%? would happen if, God forbid, I was fat when I saw her and she wasn't...
It's almost worth being fat fopr her next visit, just to see what really happens.
I also had the nice, friendly, light-hearted (her) vs stroppy, moody, difficult (me) dynamic regularly pointed out to me.
Which neither my aunt nor my brother is really: both are perfectly intelligent people with professional jobs and a fair amount of success in them (particularly my brother, who came second in his final year of Architecture: no mean feat for the family failure, that). Nonetheless, both have complexes about not being as "smart" as their older siblings, and feeling that they were the less favoured child (which, sad to say, is quite true, though my father refuses to see it).
Bottom line: I wasn't smart until I had a baby sister, and that's about the time (age 8) that I stopped being pretty, because, just as you point out, the little baby with the dimples was sooooo cute while my brand-new adult teeth were waaay to big for my face.
Now, is it accidental that that's when I started bringing home better grades than Big Brother?