WRRRRROAW! (Courtesy of Star Wars.)
Take a look at that trailer. A good, hard look. Tell me, what do you see? Ignoring that weird conversation at the end with Mark Hamill, tell me what this is. How does it make you feel? Did you know about this prior, or are you discovering it now? Does it give you excitement, or does it annoy you?
Me? I’ll tell you what I see: a trailer for an interesting premise. A trailer for an exciting film. A trailer that promises something great. And, finally, a trailer for a movie that happens to be part of Star Wars. That’s what I see.
Unfortunately, it’s not what many people on the internet see. They take one look at this trailer, and…
“Star Wars: Rogue Feminist!!!!!”
“I don't mind using females as a main character, but it starts to feel forced now”
“its the fact that it will keep growing on a larger scale where feminism will be forced down our throats through every thing we see.”
“Feminism has taken over Star Wars… Only one missing to make that official in this trailer was Kylo Ren.”
“PLEASE LOVE US SJWs!”
These are some of the tamer comments, FYI.
This mindset disturbs me. It disturbs me because it’s a growing trend in the nerd community now that films are wising up and diversifying their characters. It disturbs me because it shows a lack of tolerance for the non-stereotypical male hero. And it disturbs me because men have had leading roles for decades, and now that women are getting a chance it’s being touted as “forced propaganda”. Basically, it disturbs me because it reinforces, yet again, that people are scared of ideas that challenge them, most-notably that women can be interesting too.
Let’s look at those five comments individually, so as to see what they imply about people’s attitudes toward women:
1. A movie starring a female lead is automatically feminism-no, it’s called having a female lead. I hate how feminism is so heavily misconstrued that it has to be mentioned whenever a woman is the main character in a story. Feminist stories usually entail a deconstruction of some kind of male archetype, be it aggression to women, dominance in most areas of life, shaming of feminine sexuality, or that they’re not allowed to move up in life. Star Wars: Rogue One is none of these. It’s a war movie that has women in it, which makes sense considering women serve in every Western military and have done so for decades.
Come to think of it, maybe Star Wars: Rogue One IS feminist. I say that because it has a female lead who appears to have depth and is accepted into a rebel cell like it’s no big deal. Given how so many lone wolf women are harassed by men in work environments in real-life, perhaps that’s implying that we should treat women with acceptance, not rejection. Because women are valuable assets to any business. All you need to do is look at their work ethic.
2. Having a woman in a story is considered “forced”-why? Because there aren’t enough women in mainstream action films? Why is it that generic macho-man #4584829 is respectable, but if a woman is put in that position it’s “forced”? What makes an Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone-style lead acceptable, but not a Rey or Katniss Everdeen? Yeah, you don’t think we had enough of the “macho man” stereotype in the 80’s and 90’s, huh?
Even when looking at the Star Wars franchise, how many female leads have we had? The first three films had Luke Skywalker, who was a male, while the prequel films had Anakin Skywalker, who was also a male. Meanwhile, Star Wars Rebels, that show I mentioned recently, has a great cast, but it’s about a Jedi and his Padawan who are, you guessed it, both males. Even Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which had a heavy focus on Ahsoka Tano, centred largely around, you guessed it, two Jedi males. Are we seeing a pattern here?
The only Star Wars story, film or TV-alike, to have a female lead, not including this new one, is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with Rey. And guess what? People complained about her too, calling her a “Mary Sue”. It’s as if her fears and doubts throughout the film, let-alone her occasional screw-ups, don’t count as character flaws! I wonder if people know what “Mary Sue” means…
3-4. Having female characters means that feminism is taking over Hollywood-no, it doesn’t. It simply means women have one of their own to root for for a change.
I like how people keep forgetting how many male-oriented action movies, or films in general, we get every year. Most are generic shoot-‘em-ups, but still. There are plenty of male heroes to choose from, even in big-name franchises. The well will never dry up. If anything, they can go there if a woman scares them so much.
Besides, a woman lead every-so-often should be welcomed, especially since so many nerds are female! Isn’t it amazing how Porco Rosso made a joke about how more than half of the world’s population is women in 1992, and yet we haven’t gotten the memo 24 years later? (Come to think of it, the love for Studio Ghibli films is odd when you consider their roster.) If that’s the case, why are we not seeing more women in mainstream films that aren’t damsels-in-distress or pretty faces? What gives, where are my heroines?
Besides, feminism hasn’t taken over Hollywood yet; after all, if it had, we’d probably start seeing their cavalry and super deadly assassins pop-up in the headlines.
5. Star Wars is pandering to Social Justice Warriors now-pfft! *Starts laughing for 3 minutes straight*
For those who don’t know, a “Social Justice Warrior” is anyone who demands social progress. Wanting equal treatment for women, for example, and being vocal about it makes you a Social Justice Warrior. Unfortunately, it’s been skewed into seeming like something terrible. “Social Justice Warrior” has, therefore, become synonymous with “being demonic” in the eyes of whiney nerds, making it look worse than it is. It's kinda sad.
Also, I’m sorry, but that’s too rich: the internet can’t tolerate people who want to see real change in Hollywood. What, did they not get enough ice cream before the SJWs demanded some? This mentality is harmful and toxic, and it needs to stop. Social change isn’t bad if it’s for the right reasons, and Star Wars catering to people other than white males is one of those reasons. Not all moviegoers are white men, and they deserve their power fantasies. If that bothers you, then you’re kinda sheltered and haven’t experienced any major challenges in your life.
I get that nerds feel intimidated by reality. I’m a nerd too, life wasn’t kind to me growing up. But that gives us no excuse to start lashing out at others, as that makes us look petty and shallow. Star Wars isn’t only our property, we don’t have exclusive ownership. It belongs to everyone, and that’s okay. If a movie in the franchise wants a female lead, especially when its last one was a huge box office draw, then by all means they should go ahead! It’s not the end of the world, after all!
But whatever, human nature is human nature, and people will complain regardless of the logic that you throw at their feet. I only wish we could make fun of the weird name of our lead instead of whine that she’s a girl. (Seriously, Jyn Erso?! Are you sure you didn’t have toilets on the brain when you came up with that?)
"For those who don’t know, a “Social Justice Warrior” is anyone who demands social progress."
ReplyDeleteActually, that would depend on who one is talking to. In the context you're seeing it used in [yes, I've taken the time to read plenty of rants in full], what its typically supposed to mean is someone who takes their desire for social justice into fanatical and/or comical absurdity- in other words, someone like the crazies on tumblr. Are the people complaining about the recent Star Wars movies correct that their diverse casts are a part of this craziness? No, they absolutely are not. But let's be honest- when it comes to the net, the zanier Social Justice types can be *very* loud. I marvel at your incredulity over the fact that "Social Justice Warrior" has become a pejorative. Irrespective of whether it should be, it shouldn't be hard to see *why* it has become one. Internet-based social activism [especially on social media], has a strong tendency towards black and white thinking, as well as incivility and a herd mentality, with saner voices being drowned out on a regular basis. As such, it is singularly efficient at reinforcing and redoubling the prejudices of those it seeks to educate.
As far as the complaints about the casting choices in the recent Star Wars movies- honestly, they're shallow and absurd, [and emblematic of the *other* group of crazies on tumblr, I might add]. Speaking for "The Force Awakens", insofar as it said anything whatsoever about race or sex, it merely reaffirmed something the Star Wars franchise has implicitly acknowledged from the very beginning: that it doesn't matter what your ethnic background or sex is- everyone is equally capable of choosing either good or evil. This installment just made that belief more apparent than before. The Resistance and the First Order are more or less equally diverse from what we see; plainly, there is nothing in this movie to indicate that people who are not white men are somehow better than people who are, or vice-versa. I expect "Rogue One" will be the same.
I agree with the main point of your piece here: that the use of female leads in recent Star Wars movies is no big deal, and in fact makes for a welcome change. With that being said, at the risk of angering you, I feel compelled to state the following: this editorial, while noticeably better than many I've seen on the subject, still includes a fair amount of what I've just been criticizing. Your title is childish clickbait, and you engage in ad hominem attacks on those you criticize. You also strike a discourteous, overly snide tone at several points. The overall effect is one of preaching to the choir, and I could easily see it turning off people who might otherwise be persuaded by the valid points you make in it. I get your frustration, I really do. But all the same, I'm not impressed with your manner writing here.
I acknowledge the fact that SJWs can be a pain in the a** sometimes, they nearly drove a Steven Universe to the point of suicide, so I don't think that claim's entirely fair.
DeleteThat said, yeah...not one of my best. I was actually not pleased while writing certain parts of it, but nothing more refined seemed to want to take shape. In the end, this was really the only end-result I was able to get out while still being honest. But I don't fault you for being disappointed.
As for the title? I don't agree. I kinda like it, even if it's a tad obnoxious. So we'll have to agree to disagree on that one...
I get the feeling the first sentence of your reply is incomplete.
DeleteThanks for taking my criticism well. I was under the impression you would, but this being the internet, I could still have been putting my neck on the chopping block for all I knew.
The missing word is "fan". I only realized that after I'd posted the comment. *Facepalm*
DeleteAs for taking the criticism well, I usually take criticism well so long as it's actually helpful and not malicious. That's always been the case, so don't be too surprised...