Asexuality in Wal-Mart (Open Topic)

[The A Life Team]

Hey everyone,

After what might be our most disjointed episode, we want to know- How do you all feel about these crazy "open topic" episodes??

~The A Life Team

[Guest member25959]

What do you mean by open-topic ?

[The A Life Team]

What do you mean by open-topic ?

"Open topic" episodes are what we're calling the shows we do with no defined topic- unlike "Asexuality and Parents" "Asexuality and the LGBT Community" or similar, we just start talking.... we've done two of those now, and we're curious how you feel about them!

~The A Life Team

[ily]

I think your podcast is long enough to have both planned topics and random discussion in the same episode. Maybe you really can please 'em all! ;)

[The MoUsY spell-checker]

I'm not good at focusing on podcasts, and the open topic episodes makes it more difficult for me.

On your shows with topics, you tend to include a lot of off-topic discussion anyway. I think that's the best. Don't restrict yourselves to staying strictly on topic, because a lot of interesting discussion arises in digression.

[The A Life Team]

I think your podcast is long enough to have both planned topics and random discussion in the same episode. Maybe you really can please 'em all! ;)

Wish us luck...

~The A Life Team

[PiF]

Hey everyone,

After what might be our most disjointed episode..............~The A Life Team

Wait...I was in an episode???

[The A Life Team]

Hey everyone,

After what might be our most disjointed episode..............~The A Life Team

Wait...I was in an episode???

Come to think of it, we did quote you in the poll results for this episode...

~The A Life Team

[PiF]

O

[Siggy]

When you go off topic, sometimes that's when we really get to know who our mysterious podcasters are. 8)

[Parth]

Open topics are okay, but I couldn't help but feel like it had not really... accomplished anything by the time I'd finished listening. I was listening in my car and thus wasn't able to look up the website while you guys were talking about it, so I was a bit lost. I do prefer it when you have a real topic, although I did enjoy your tangent about customs forms.

I think your open topics tend to get to a point where it's basically just some people having a conversation. Yeah that's essentially what it is, but it's not necessarily relevant to the listeners, if you get what I'm saying?

[XxSunshinexX]

I don't think I've ever heard a "Podcast" before. What is it, where do I go to get one, and do I need a pod thingy to play it? I remember this movie, "Invasion of the bodysnatchers" Where people were replaced by Pods.. I don't think I like those kinds of pods.

[pawprint prettysure]

I don't think I've ever heard a "Podcast" before. What is it, where do I go to get one, and do I need a pod thingy to play it? I remember this movie, "Invasion of the bodysnatchers" Where people were replaced by Pods.. I don't think I like those kinds of pods.

You can listen to the A Life podcast here: http://alifepodcast.wordpress.com/ :)

[annwyl_cariad]

I enjoyed this week's episode, but I think it does need to be mostly serious topics. I got some lolz out of you guys reading People of Walmart and generally just getting to hear you talk about non-ace topics, but it was hard for me to stay focused. When you started getting in on the gender stuff at the end, I really tuned in. I think if you did open topic episodes more than about one episode in every four, it might get weird. I don't think every week has to be super-serious, heck, if it was I probably wouldn't listen. I love your random silly tangents. But I like when it comes back to serious stuff.

(Off topic for the poll but I'm going there anyway because I like to talk):

Talking about the gender thing you brought up...I've always felt comfortable as a female, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that I accept my role as a woman because it's easy. I'm female-bodied, people treat me as female, and I have no problem with that. I don't think I'd have had a problem with it if I were born male-bodied and treated as a male (although if I woke up tomorrow as a male I'd probably freak, not because I was male but because I wouldn't know how to be male...how to get along well with Straight Manly Men^TM, how to pee standing up, that sort of thing). I'm now very set into my female gender role, but I think it's only because I've been female all my life. I have no specific attachment to it just for the sake of its "female-ness," if that's a word.

On a really bizarre note, I found People of Walmart from a link on Facebook last Friday afternoon. I may actually have been browsing it at the same time you guys were. o_O

[niapri]

I picked "other" because I love both kinds of episodes, and as others have said, you could stand to have both randomness and planned topics in each episode.

(although if I woke up tomorrow as a male I'd probably freak...)

And I had to respond to this one. Honestly, if I woke up tomorrow as a guy, I'd be, at worst, amused. I'm pretty gender-neutral as it is - not physically(I'm...well-endowed in the chesty-region), but more...personality-and-behavior-wise. And I say gender-neutral for a reason - I don't act like a guy either. Gender simply doesn't enter into the equation for me, which has put me into some awkward social situations. For me, gender is just one more of my personal traits - no more important than my height or my freckles.

That said, my only problem with my gender identity (or lack thereof) is the problems that other people have with it, which distresses me sometimes. I just flat-out don't understand what it means to "be" female, or to "be" male. There are differences in physical capability(i.e., running speed, ability to bear children, etc.), and for me, that's where the distinction stops. I've never seen any personality differences that can't be explained by socialization. If you grow up treated like a girl, you grow up to be more "traditionally" feminine, and vice versa.

[annwyl_cariad]

I've never seen any personality differences that can't be explained by socialization. If you grow up treated like a girl, you grow up to be more "traditionally" feminine, and vice versa.

I think this (the bolded bit) is mostly what I meant. I've been socialized for 21 years as a female. It has become a part of my identity. If I'd been socialized as a male, I'd probably be more comfortable as a man. For the most part I'm not uber-feminine, although I really have my moments, but I'm just comfortable as a woman and have gotten used to it. *shrug*

[Parth]

lol... if I woke up as a man tomorrow, I would be more concerned with the magic that would have caused it rather than the condition itself.