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Date Posted: 21:53:33 10/04/02 Fri
Author: Scroll
Subject: Very Chinese, actually
In reply to: Humanitas 's message, "Counter-Intuitive Power (spoliers for firefly1.3)" on 21:11:53 10/04/02 Fri

Though I can't speak for all Chinese women, I'm not very in touch with my heritage and not totally sure about yin-yang, but the gist (I think) is that the male essence (yang) is light, above-board, authoritative (Mal's flower wreath), aggressive. The female is dark, below-the-surface, submissive, passive. Yet this doesn't mean that women bow entirely to the men, but that they must use means other than direct force to get their way. They must be subtle and round-about in their approach, which is why more traditional Chinese women (speaking from what I've heard in my family) don't like it when I contradict my dad. I can disagree in private (specifically, in my head), but in public I must follow his lead. There's a lot about body language (much more in Japanese culture, with bowing, eyes being averted) that I just don't understand being raised in Canada.

What I also found interesting was how much Inara and Saffron were opposites but also mirrored each other. Both are Companions, respectable and educated, but living on the fringes of the galaxy amidst questionable people. They know how to use seduction, body language to get what they want, to manipulate others. Inara calls herself a player. But Saffron at first comes off as the total opposite: naive, innocent, subservient, helpless. Whereas Inara has power, grace, and takes her equality for granted.

Mal seemed to have the power, but only because he underestimated Saffron. If she had only been a naive farm girl, would she have had any real power over Mal? Somehow I don't think so.

Somebody better educated in Chinese culture can probably tell you more about how yin-yang works, but apparently it is supposed to be about balance of essences. I don't know. All I know is that while my grandmother is a woman of strong/loud opinions and won't shy away from ragging on my dad, she also believes deeply in patriarchy, the whole father passes the name down to the son, who is the king of the household (or was, until I decided to throw him out of the kingdom).

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