[16 Dec 11] The Myth of the American Sleepover

[Ameyal]

Ameyal, I don't mean to offend, but... how can someone not know what Dachau was? For an English-speaking person in the early 21st century, it's kind of like never having heard of Mickey Mouse.

No offense at all, technically speaking, I'm not a English-speaking person so... yeah.

[CEOIII]

I googled "The Myth of the American Sleepover", and it sounds like one of those 80s "coming of age" movies that I thought they stopped making after the 80s ended.

As for Lisa's "gay romance in Dachau", the idea that she'd have the rights sold by Friday actually made me picture a cross between "Brokeback Mountain" and "Schindler's List".

Hitler's Final Solution was their final chance at romance.
Adam Lambert and Justin Bieber star in "The Bois in the Striped Pajamas".

Tagline: You are being foolish, we have ways of making you love.(said in a German accent)

[Zanosuke Kurosaki]

I agree, Sara looks nice when she's genuinely enjoying herself. I hope we see that look more often.

Ameyal: Dachau was the worst of the World War II concentration camps.

[Twitcher]

Lisa's gay romance in Dachau stuff reminds me of a shonen-ai fanfic I read once. The plot and concept could've worked if the author had kept the characters and tone consistent, but instead of writing the various leads like adult gay men in relationships, the author stuck to shonen-ai cliches, including the "violently abusive sociopath who is 'redeemed' by the love of his quiet, kind boyfriend" couple. I doubt very much that Lisa will go that route, because ohdeargod MEMORIESOFCYNDI, but I wonder if the fanservice that goes hand in hand with the aforementioned romance subgenre will be present in her paper?

[maritza]

It could be done right. Why not?

[Mr. Brightside]

Oh, I don't doubt that it could be done right. It will, however, be done badly, and the Holocaust is the kind of thing that when it's bad, it's horrible.

Also, I'd thought the poster was a joke... everything I can find about this film makes it look aggressively bland.

[Twitcher]

It could be done right. Why not?

I've actually thought about doing a gay romance fic as a writing exercise, both for the fandom the author was involved in, and for the Bulletstorm FPS, but I'm worried that any romance or sex scene I'd write would come off as IKEA Erotica.

[Ulrikka]

I seldom write here as most of I want to say after reading the comic , is usually already written here. But this time I'm really surprised no one got it with the "gay romance in Dachau" ! Especially after reading the part that Lisa would sell the rights to some film company. What is my point here? Well, there IS a film about gay romance in Dachau. It's called "Bent". Maybe the idea of a love between to gay which is born in a concentration camp seems wrong for you, but the film is really good in my opinion, and not as controversial as you think.

Anyway, you can check it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118698/

[Adrishiana]

I seldom write here as most of I want to say after reading the comic , is usually already written here. But this time I'm really surprised no one got it with the "gay romance in Dachau" ! Especially after reading the part that Lisa would sell the rights to some film company. What is my point here? Well, there IS a film about gay romance in Dachau. It's called "Bent". Maybe the idea of a love between to gay which is born in a concentration camp seems wrong for you, but the film is really good in my opinion, and not as controversial as you think.

Anyway, you can check it here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118698/

I've never seen Bent, myself, but I'll keep it in mind, thanks!

I think the main problem I personally have with the idea is that the plot would have to be handled very carefully, with a great deal of sensitivity and sensibility (not to mention talent), to come off as as anything but... well, thoughtless, disrespectful, and/or ignorant.

I don't know how talented a writer Lisa is, but I think there is a good possibility that, whatever her intentions might be in writing this story, she just isn't there yet when it comes to the maturity she'd have to have to pull it off.

[Valerie]

Ameyal, I don't mean to offend, but... how can someone not know what Dachau was? For an English-speaking person in the early 21st century, it's kind of like never having heard of Mickey Mouse.

I didn't recognize it, either. I also assumed it was a prison story. My dad's a history buff, he would kill me, please don't tell him. D:

[Arky]

* I watched one episode of RGS because it was on directly after Flight of the Conchords. Thought Karl seemed a bit dim, but Ricky came across as pretty much the worst human being ever. I like An Idiot Abroad, where it's mostly Karl (coming across as, again, a touch dim, but not that bad) with Ricky in only low doses (and still managing to come across as The Worst Human Being Ever). The other fellow, whose name I'm blanking on seems nice enough, to the point I really wonder how he puts up with Ricky...

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have been writing together forever, and the way writing partners usually work, most of Ricky's nastiest lines were probably Stephen's ideas.

All of Ricky's comedy personas are meant to be unlikeable assholes in various (starting with The Office). It is, you know, scripted.

[Hexr]

Ameyal, I don't mean to offend, but... how can someone not know what Dachau was? For an English-speaking person in the early 21st century, it's kind of like never having heard of Mickey Mouse.

Not quite that surprising. Where I'm from, everyone knows about concentration camps in general, and about Auschwitz. Dachau is... not general knowledge here, I believe. Also, my bet is that Fiona makes an accidental pass (or something that registers to Sara as such) during the movie. The myth of American Sleepover does not seem like a comedy, awright. Doesn't seem like a mind-screw movie, either.
EDIT:\\

It could be done right. Why not?

I've actually thought about doing a gay romance fic as a writing exercise, both for the fandom the author was involved in, and for the Bulletstorm FPS, but I'm worried that any romance or sex scene I'd write would come off as IKEA Erotica.

What is IKEA Erotica? Sounds like something Swedish and cheap. (Fun fact: A common Finnish stereotype about Swedes can be summed into a joke:
How many Swedish straight men does it take to change a light bulb?
Both of them.
Yeah, I did not say it's a funny joke.)

As for Lisa's "gay romance in Dachau", the idea that she'd have the rights sold by Friday actually made me picture a cross between "Brokeback Mountain" and "Schindler's List".

Hitler's Final Solution was their final chance at romance.
Adam Lambert and Justin Bieber star in "The Bois in the Striped Pajamas".

Tagline: You are being foolish, we have ways of making you love.(said in a German accent)

I laughed out loud at this. Does that make me a bad person? I guess it does.
That being said, I have seen neither Brokeback Mountain nor Schindler's list but I think I might watch a cross between them.

One last thing.

Ameyal: Dachau was the worst of the World War II concentration camps.

How so? According to my memory, and Wikipedia agrees, Dachau was not a death camp. Apparently it was the first, but hardly the worst.
According to Wikipedia, in Dachau (both main camp and subcamps) over 35 000 people died.
In Auschwitz, which was the largest concentration camp, the estimated figure is 1,1 million.
Yes, any concentration camp, and existence thereof, is terrifying, but Dachau was hardly the worst.

[mindstalk]

Huh, I didn't know Dachau was that "small". It seems to have an enlarged reputation, based on being the second camp liberated.

Knowledge of it shouldn't be limited to English-speakers, should be common to anyone likely to have studied WWII Europe at all. So, North Americans and Europeans, maybe not so much Asians. But I don't know about young people, I was shocked a few years ago to find the undergrads I hung out with didn't know what a quisling was. Problem with history is that they keep making more of it...

"IKEA erotica" -> bland and wooden, I'd assume.

[Alice Macher]

"IKEA erotica" -> bland and wooden, I'd assume.

Very close. It's a TV Tropes term to describe a sex scene that's written in a dry and clinical way, as if it were a set of assembly instructions ("Tab A into Slot B").

[sun tzu]

Huh, I didn't know Dachau was that "small". It seems to have an enlarged reputation, based on being the second camp liberated.

Knowledge of it shouldn't be limited to English-speakers, should be common to anyone likely to have studied WWII Europe at all. So, North Americans and Europeans, maybe not so much Asians. But I don't know about young people, I was shocked a few years ago to find the undergrads I hung out with didn't know what a quisling was. Problem with history is that they keep making more of it...

Yeah...When I think "death camp", I think Auschwitz, not Dachau. And not just because my grandmother survived the former.