
For Zelda-playing daughter, Dad gives Link a sex change - jojomnky
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/11/i-am-no-man-for-zelda-playing-daughter-dad-gives-link-a-sex-change/
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tptacek
I don't understand why parents feel the need to be so politically correct. As
'yummyfajitas is sure to point out shortly, every empirical study ever
conducted has shown that males have a statistically significant advantage in
slaying Octoroks and Peahats.

~~~
zipdog
I find this an appropriate comment by Hofstadter, in the Intro to 'Godel
Escher Bach', on the gender of the Tortoise:

The Tortoise turns out never to have been attributed either gender. But when I
first read it, the question never entered my mind. This was clearly a he-
tortoise. After all, an author only introduces a female character for some
special reason, right? Whereas a male character in a neutral context needs no
raison d'etre, a female does. And so, given no clue as to the Tortoise's sex,
I unthinkingly and uncritically envisaged it as a male. Thus does sexism
silently pervade well-meaning but susceptible brains.

~~~
stcredzero
_This was clearly a he-tortoise. After all, an author only introduces a female
character for some special reason, right?_

This kind of thing certainly applies to me and music. For some reason, it's
hardly noticed when a North American of Hungarian, Polish, or French descent
decides to play Irish Traditional music, but someone with Hispanic, African,
or Asian descent playing that kind of music is frequently asked questions
about how she/he got into Irish Music, or if they're in conservatory or are
studying ethnomusicology, as if only "white" people are the default, normal
human beings. A lot of this plain ignorance. For example, there's a thriving
pan-celtic music scene in South America in countries like Argentina, where
many people are playing the music as part of their heritage from celtic
regions in northern Spain, like Galicia and Asturias, so there's no reason why
the above attitudes should necessarily apply, depending on where in S. America
that person is from.

Most people have a caricatured view of the world, where the only culture that
matters is the majority's, and everyone else's culture is just some kind of
distracting "flavor of the month" which only survives out of some sort of
jingoism and has no deep artistic value on its own. Let me tell you, this
perception has nothing to do with artistic value, and is only an illusion
woven by political and economic power. Often the best music is made by people
who have neither.

~~~
tedunangst
I think the assumption is that white people are the default kind of Irish
people. White people playing some manner of traditional African music get
asked the same questions, and it's not because black people are the default,
normal human beings.

~~~
stcredzero
_White people playing some manner of traditional African music get asked the
same questions_

This can happen. It depends on the context. There are contexts where white
people don't get asked these questions about African music. I'm not so sure
there are contexts where I'm not asked those sorts of questions about Irish
Trad, just times and places where people are more reticent about asking than
others.

Also, there's an additional difference. There is some small fraction of people
who seem to think that I'm somehow defective/slightly crazy/deserving of
ridicule for being of Korean extraction and playing Irish Trad. It's rare, but
there's even sometimes some sense of resentment. More pleasant, but just as
telling, there's sometimes some additional delight or pride that I in
particular would choose to play Irish Trad, where my race seems to play a
part. I never see the above happen in North America with white people who
aren't Irish. I've also seen the same sorts of things happen to African
Americans.

The third thing is this: mainstream North Americans don't view African
traditional or Irish Traditional music as the default, normal music. It's also
something of a "special flavor" to them, even though it was just the default,
normal music in a different culture. An Asian person playing western
"classical" music sometimes results in the same kinds of questions as Irish
Trad, but often it's not even questioned at all.

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eli_awry
This is great, and adorable. When I was a kid, I hated that I was a girl
because boys had all the adventures in books. Fiction by authors that featured
tough girls - Tamora Pierce being a notable example - helped turn that around.
Girls want to go on wild chases in strange lands too!

~~~
ktrgardiner
Probably my absolute favorite book series are The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
by Patricia C. Wrede. The protagonist is a princess who grows up hating all
the typical princess things she's being taught so she convinces people to
teach her swordfighting, magic, Latin, and other things princes are taught.
When she gets fed up she runs away to be a dragon's princess and has all sorts
of great adventures.

Those books are so refreshing and brilliant that I still reread them to this
day.

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AgathaTheWitch
This is a very cool hack, and I support the intention behind it. Still, it is
something I would never do for two reasons:

For one, as an author, I disagree with altering a text for a political
purpose. To be sure, this instance is fairly innocuous, and parents frequently
change bedtime stories on the fly to suit their kids. Nevertheless I consider
the Legend of Zelda to be a text with its own mythology and themes, and just
as I wouldn't rewrite Hamlet as a girl for my daughter, I wouldn't do it to
Link.

Secondly I think it is important to teach kids to have role-models of BOTH
genders. Two of my brother's biggest fictional role-models growing up were
Wonderwoman and Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. In the same way, girls can
learn leadership and toughness from male protagonists and heroes. I'm not
accusing this father of not knowing this, but it would be my approach were I
playing Zelda with my daughter.

~~~
IvarTJ
Both Wonderwoman and Kusanagi are modeled with apparent sex appeal by male
authors. Could they really still be good role models? I ask this as someone
who don't know much about either comics.

~~~
pjscott
Of course they can. Imagine a hypothetical comic with characters of both
genders who are all sparklingly excellent role models in the way they behave.
Now imagine that this comic was drawn by people who designed all those
characters to be blatantly, panderingly sexy -- a fairly common situation,
since sex sells, and cross-demographic appeal makes commercial sense. Does
this make the characters poor role models, in spite of their good
personalities and deeds? I doubt it.

~~~
IvarTJ
These are not hypothetical comics. If the characters are primarly tools to
entice male audiences, then they are unlikely to also serve as good role
models.

~~~
3143
Why is that? Males have poor taste in role models?

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GBond
Hayao Miyazaki uses female protagonist not because it is more "PC" but for the
advancement of the story.

'Miyazaki: I don't logically plan it that way. When we compare a man in action
and a girl in action, I feel girls are more gallant. If a boy is walking with
a long stride, I don't think anything particular, but if a girl is walking
gallantly, I feel "that's cool." '

~~~
Tyrannosaurs
I accept it's not specifically because it's PC, but that's not advancement of
the story, that's just him applying his own perceptions and prejudices.

A girl walking a particular way isn't more significant than a boy walking in a
particular way, he just sees it as such.

Generally in these situations it's best not to worry too much about the
intentions the person had and just look at the end result. After all,
intentions will often be unclear, lied about, recollection of why something
was may change over time and so on.

It's interesting to hear what someone says, but what they actually produce is
more important.

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agentultra
Great idea and cool hack.

I'm about to be the father of a baby girl soon myself and there is no end to
the anxiety I hold for the struggles she's going to face simply because she's
a girl.

Although if she ever wants to know programming, maths, and how to solder a PCB
I intend to be there for her... and perhaps editing hex dumps of games as
well. Thanks for the tip!

~~~
rayiner
As someone who is myself about to be the father of a baby girl any day now,
congratulations!

I have to admit, it is pretty shocking to realize for myself how gender-
normative I am already being. Her room is Tiffany Blue and all her clothes are
already pink. I hope I keep it to these superficial things...

~~~
Kroem3r
It's very easy to encourage and support an outlook where the default gender is
female, where heroes are female (even if they are princesses who favour pink).
For us, all that was easy and natural. I'm now flummoxed by "Math is hard."
And speaking of over-sexualized toys, that cultural norm is also easy to
avoid.

It might be that part of our family culture includes a sense of cliquishness,
so this all may circle back for ass-chewing later on; but for now it's good.

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YoukaiCountry
I foresee some confusing conversations with her peers about the series when
she is a little older.

~~~
chc
You mean about how there's no character named "Maya" in the Zelda canon? I
think they'll be able to work past the character customization. Somehow even
Mass Effect players manage to discuss their game.

~~~
3143
Mass Effect players know and expect that players will have their own version
of the main character with different genders. Nobody has that expectation
about the Legend of Zelda.

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shirro
My young son loves Studio Ghibli films. Nearly all the main characters Kiki,
Chihiro, Ponyo, Arrietty, Satsuke and Mei etc are girls. He is a bit young for
Mononoke and hasn't seen Nausicaä. About the only one he doesn't like is Porco
Rosso. Role models are important but I don't know that all our kids heroes and
game characters have to be same sex.

~~~
rkwz
I thought Porco Rosso was sad compared to Totoro or Mononoke. My friends who
liked other Miyazaki movies didn't like Porco Rosso.

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d0m
Can't wait to read the article about the mom who hacked Lara Croft to have a
guy rather than a girl as heroine.

~~~
rkwz
Link _somewhat_ looks like a little girl. But Lara Croft as a guy?

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BklynJay
Dad of the Year Award: For. The. Win.

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stcredzero
Someone should do a mod of Ico where Yorda rescues Ico.

