Author Topic: Your age and your favourite cowboy  (Read 30692 times)

Offline Shuggy

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #20 on: May 05, 2006, 04:53:46 am »
Just to note that at this moment, with 31 votes, the trend is clear: Older men and younger women prefer Jack, younger men and older women prefer Ennis. Of course this is far too few votes to be scientific, even if it weren't self-selected. If you haven't voted, please do so.

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #21 on: May 05, 2006, 06:55:19 am »
Quote
older women prefer Ennis
:'( I'm an older woman  :'( Didn't know this till today. Maybe it's time for me to take my midlife-crisis  ;)
Just kidding.

I fit into the trend. I'm over 35 and prefer Ennis. But I think I would have preferred Ennis in my twenties, too. I have always been into the quiet and solid men. I'm together with one since we both were 17, going on 18.




Offline serious crayons

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #22 on: May 05, 2006, 01:44:38 pm »
I would have preferred Ennis in MY 20s, too. Though he would have been in his 30s -- a little old for me back then.

Heath, on the other hand, would have been about 5, so that wouldn't quite work, either.


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #23 on: May 05, 2006, 02:13:07 pm »
Just to note that at this moment, with 31 votes, the trend is clear: Older men and younger women prefer Jack, younger men and older women prefer Ennis. Of course this is far too few votes to be scientific, even if it weren't self-selected. If you haven't voted, please do so.

I haven't been back to this thread for a while and just thought to check in to see how things were going. Of course this isn't in any way scientific, but Shuggy's summary more or less bears out my "hyphothesis." No, I'm not trying to claim that anything has been proved, just finding it fascinating that the people who have voted in this poll are as of now voting the way I had a suspicion things would go: Older men and younger women preferring Jack, older women and younger men preferring Ennis.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline ednbarby

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #24 on: May 05, 2006, 02:22:41 pm »
I am over the age of both of them put together when they first meet...

GAH!  You *had* to remind me!

As for pretty vs. solid...  I don't see Ennis as solid so much as pessimistic (or some might say realistic).  I think Jack is capable of being in it for the long haul with the person he really loves, so a lack of solidity isn't his problem.  There's a great deal to be said for eternal optimists.  Some call such people fools, but I think the optimists are the ones who change the world.  Without them, we'd all be shuffling around like Ennis, old before our time.  I know I'm getting out of the scope of this conversation a bit, but Jack has come to represent the very essence of hope to me in my recent viewings.  And as a line in one of my other favorite movies goes, when hope dies, we die.  Jack was what kept Ennis alive - what made his otherwise misesrable existence worth having.  And then some.

Given the choice to change, for better or worse, or to live forever in my cold comfort, I'd take the former.

Get busy livin', or get busy dying'.  Damn right.  ;)
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Offline serious crayons

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #25 on: May 05, 2006, 02:39:21 pm »
Just to note that at this moment, with 31 votes, the trend is clear: Older men and younger women prefer Jack, younger men and older women prefer Ennis.

Anybody have any theories as to why this would be?

For the record, I don't prefer Ennis because I think of him as more "solid" or "responsible" or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I think of him as much more confused and screwed up and complicated than Jack, which is part of what appeals to me (for some reason, those are qualities I tend to go for, much to my frequent regret). The other part is, I just think he's cuter.

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #26 on: May 05, 2006, 03:12:38 pm »
Anybody have any theories as to why this would be?

Haven't a clue as far as the women's response. As a middle-aged gay man, I have the uncomfortable suspicion that gay men in my age cohort prefer the more "boyish" Jack for the same reason middle-aged straight men go after young women.

Trust me, it gives me no pride or pleasure to admit what I think I'm seeing in myself.

Oh, here's a late-breaking thought. No offense intended, but is there something "maternal" in the response of more mature women to Ennis? As we see him in the film, is he more conflicted, more in pain, than Jack? Is there something about that condition that "speaks" to a mature woman?
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #27 on: May 05, 2006, 04:50:14 pm »
Oh, here's a late-breaking thought. No offense intended, but is there something "maternal" in the response of more mature women to Ennis? As we see him in the film, is he more conflicted, more in pain, than Jack? Is there something about that condition that "speaks" to a mature woman?

Maybe. I don't consider myself particularly maternal, even though I am in fact a mother. I think I just find depressive pessimists more complicated and interesting than cheery optimists. But I guess that's not an age-specific preference.

Don't underestimate the importance of appearance, though (I say, having perused the "heath heath heath" thread throughout the day). Is there anybody here who prefers Ennis to Jack, but Jake to Heath -- or vise versa?

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #28 on: May 05, 2006, 07:50:51 pm »
Maybe. I don't consider myself particularly maternal, even though I am in fact a mother. I think I just find depressive pessimists more complicated and interesting than cheery optimists. But I guess that's not an age-specific preference.

Don't underestimate the importance of appearance, though (I say, having perused the "heath heath heath" thread throughout the day). Is there anybody here who prefers Ennis to Jack, but Jake to Heath -- or vise versa?

Maybe what I should have said was, Is there something about Ennis that brings out a nurturing impulse (as we might say it does in Jack), but I think you got my drift.

As for the role of appearances, all I can really say for myself is that I still prefer Jack, but I sure as heck wouldn't say no to Heath Ledger!
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: Your age and your favourite cowboy
« Reply #29 on: May 06, 2006, 01:02:06 am »
How is it that I just found this thread?  I guess I just rarely venture into the "polling place" forum.  Anyway, very interesting.

I'm sure my friends here have noticed that I tend to be a Jack fan.  This is certainly not to say that I dislike Ennis in any way.  In fact, I have infinite sympathy for Ennis and my heart breaks for him every time I watch the movie. 

I seem to be the only gay woman (not bisexual) on this board (at least as far as I gather so far).  So my interest in the characters has less to do with finding them attractive in conventional terms (although I'm perfectly capable of seeing them as adorable and romantic) and has much more to do with identifying with their predicaments.  Essentially, I identify with Ennis while I like Jack.  I infinitely admire Jack's boldness in what I see as his courage and lack of inhibitions in pursuing what he wants/ deserves.   I guess what I'm saying is that I'd be attracted to a woman who exhibited the personality of Jack.  But, I find Ennis fascinating.  I understand his stress and anxieties (and I do tend to be more of a cynic and a pessimist... so I'm attracted to optimists, I guess).  While I certainly don't think I'm burdened with the level of "internalized homophobia" that plagues Ennis, I absolutely understand the stress of being circumspect.  I'm very out to lots of friends and colleagues even. But, I'm certainly cautious and quite closeted around lots of people.  I wish I could be as brave as Jack and I hope I learn Ennis's lessons about the dangers of a closeted, half-lived life.

ps. I just turned 31 on April 20.  I don't know if my age is a factor in any of this.
« Last Edit: May 06, 2006, 08:17:20 pm by atz75 »
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