A Feminist Hero To Be Admired

[Exilednight]

The year is 1980; the cold war is in full swing and the most powerful women in the world are Margaret Thatcher and Nancy Reagan.

Powerful? Yes, but also right wing hate-filled she-harpies. Not exactly what the feminist movement needs.

But then, in 1981, a woman emerges from the shadow of her celebrity husband to inspire a generation and become a feminist icon.

That woman is - Ms. Pac-Man.

Ms. Pac-Man quickly overtook her husband to become the best selling game in the world. Featuring a strong female protagonist unafraid to eat constantly, kick ass, and look good doing it.

Flashing a sporty red bow, sexy red lipstick and alluring cheek mole AND most significantly; a single eye.

While the blind Pac-Man operated by instinct, or perhaps some kind of echo location, Ms. Pac-man had vision. Perhaps a vision for gender equality; and with four new mazes, different side exits, and faster game play, Ms. Pac-Man knew that nothing would be handed to her. She knew she would have to work even harder to earn what Pac-Man achieved with relative ease, and earn it, she did.

You want symbolism, try this:

In Pac-Man the ubiquities rewards like the apple, cherry, and pear, just sat there passively for Pac-Man to stroll up and take.
In Ms. Pac-Man the treats actually move around and evade her.

Ever subtly subversive, Ms. Pac-Man was preparing a new generation of women for the stark reality of male dominant corporate workforce, and since every Gloria Steinem needs her Anne Coulter, affirmative action was applied even to the underworld as Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde became Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Sue.

Ms. Pac-Man is also a socially conscience crusader, and in the year 2000 she became the official spokesperson for National Alliance of Breast Cancer Association.

Critics of Ms. Pac-Man have branded her a sell-out for not being named Pac-Woman, which is ludicrous.
First of all, Pac-Man comes from the Japanese Fable pocmoc, about a creature who protects children from monsters by eating them. Just having the name Pac-Man doesn't de facto make you masculine, anymore than having the name Pokemon makes you Jamaican.

Second of all, Ms. Pac-Man doesn't even meet her husband until the end of act I, after the second maze; and when she does, she doesn't suddenly become Misses Pac-Man - does she? NO! She stays Ms. Pac-Man she keeps her own name.

So for all this and more, we SALUTE YOU MS. PAC-MAN,

We hope you kick the holy shit out of breast cancer, because breast cancer sucks!

[Lucky 13]

1. Good to see a role model for the kids...

[Exilednight]

2. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit.

[Lucky 13]

7. I hear ya. It's absolutely grim around here.

Apparently primaries cause a temporary loss of people's senses of humor and reason.

We're supposed to be in this together. Remember when we all hated the same people together?! That's the kind of hate I can get behind!

[gabeana]

3. Speaking of women to admire

lets hear it for Emma Goldman, fighting for the rights for working people of the world

[Exilednight]

5. Emma Goldman the Anarchist?

[gabeana]

6. Thats right, how much you know about her?

beside the anarchist label. She is at the forefront of free speech in this country

[Exilednight]

8. I know the basics, but I have a hard time getting past her ability to reason that .......

violence was a legitimate form of protest along with targeted assassination.

[gabeana]

9. thats fair but

from my view during this period the industrilist were mudering men, women, children. Much of this during labor strikes. In Lawerence, Mass. during labor strife the strikers started a Childrens exodus. This was a strategy to ship off their children to family members and friends outside the labor conflict so as to let the strikers concentrate on the strike and not have to worry about their childrens needs. What the town leaders did then is pass a law saying that this was child neglect. In one incident as the children waited with mothers at the train station. The police closed up on them beating the women and children with clubs, still clubbing them as they were forcibly dragged to military trucks, A week later women were beaten by police, one preganat woman was knocked unconsiounce. She was taken to a hospital where her baby was born still born. There was ludlow Massacre, triangle shirt factory fire, countless more atrocitie of the people under the leader goverment and business officials. My favorite quote from this period, is from Eugene Debs before being sent to prison for violating the espinage act of WWI, his crime, speaking out against the draft. His quote upon sentecing, directed towards the judge. "I rather be a free soul in Jail, than a sycaphant and a coward in the streets"

I have always admired people that fought against oppresive systems

[The Straight Story]

4. Has Ms Pac-Man released her personal notes about gobbling up ghosts?

I thought so.... :rofl:

[Bread and Circus]

10. Ms. Pac Man, Galaga, Warcraft III, Starcraft, World of Warcraft - my top 5 in order