Addendum to the Bechdel-Wallace test

[jack]

Talking with Liv, I started suggesting addenda to the Bechdel-Wallace test.

* "is there a female (or other non-white-male-majority-culture) who you describe first in terms of what she does, rather than as 'this woman who...' or in terms of her sexual relationship to the main character?"

* "is there a prominent emotional relationship which is non-sexual?"

My questions would be:

1. Any more?
2. Is it sensible to suggest simplified heuristics for complex problems? (Upside: raise awareness. Downside: encourage simplistic evalutations and even worse, writing to pass the test rather than avoid the underlying problem)
3. Suggestions for names, possibly also webcomic-author related? (Should Shaenon Garrity have one? Should #1 be called after Ripley?

Comments

[rmc28]

I meant that the rates ought to be equal to each other in the gender-blind world, not equal to what they are now, or 50%, for the reasons you give.

[jack]

Oh, sorry. yes.