Star Trek Into Darkness Goes, and Goes, Just Not Very Boldly, a Review (via themarysue)
AGREE SO MUCH WITH THIS
New Trek continuously falls on its own sword by both denying the importance of anything from the original – thereby spitting in the faces of fans everywhere – while simultaneously relying on it for dramatic effect. You could call it “New 52 Syndrome”, because it’s essentially the same problem; a formula that manages to alienate both the die-hard devotees the franchise relies on for nostalgia sales, and the new audience it was hoping to draw in by disregarding the property’s heritage.
Dick’s life sucks… well, you know.
Seriously guys it’s like all the DC writers get together and say OK so Dick Grayson let’s fuck up his life real hard ok
And they do. Over and over and over again.
Don’t forget how they took all his friends. Sob.
Alternating between weeping and laughing.
I lost it at the one with the juice box.
hee.
For a demonstration of this, you just need to read some comics. I’d suggest the Hikieta, League of One, Eyes of the Gorgon and the four trades out of Perez’s run.
But okay if you want me to break down the ways in which Wondy is so uniquely badass:
This is a woman who fights Gods. On a regular basis. And wins. Also hydras and monsters and dragons and all kinds of mythological shit. She is deeply connected to myth, which is cool because myth is the coolest thing to exist. Gods! Monsters! questions about the inherent philosophy of deities and how they are connected to our modern society! This stuff is cool as hell.
Wonder Woman has a lasso of truth. This isn’t just a weapon, it’s uniquely connected to her. She has the power of truth and it’s connected to the lasso. And this shit isn’t just a lie detector. It makes people see the truth about themselves. WW’s first big battle post-crisis was against Ares, the god of War, who was gonna blow us all up. He beat the crap out of Diana, but she got her lasso around him and he saw that once he had destroyed the entire world the humans who gave him power with their lust for violence would be gone. He’d be utterly alone and he would crumble and die. This made the God of War break down in tears. And so he left us alone of his own volition. That is the power of the lasso. It shows you the real deal of what’s up. As someone who prefers psycholigical battles to just straight beat em ups, that’s cool as hell. Also, one time WW lost confidence in the truth and it threw the entire universe out of wack because truth and belief became the same and the moon started turning to cheese and shit. Diana was like “oops”. That’s how powerful her lasso is, guys. If WW doesn’t believe in herself, the moon will turn to cheese. It’s a good thing she’s badass enough to maintain the TRUTH OF THE WORLD.
This article is correct on all counts!
Where is it that your piece is set that there just aren’t any POC there? I mean, I’m sure there are places like that. Wherever it is that white people fly to when they take white flight comes to mind. Maybe you’re writing a story set in a gated community in the suburbs of Portland…
“Why are the fairies in Ferngully white, when the movie is set in Australia?
Why is it that the only black people in Middle Earth are orcs?
Why are there Chinese words but no Chinese people in Firefly?
Why did Pixar make a movie set in (whitewashed) Medieval Scotland?
What’s the explanation for the overpowering whiteness of LA in Buffy The Vampire Slayer?
Why are white Disney Princesses from ahistorical fantasy-worlds, but POC princesses have to be from quasi-historical locations?”
If we admit there are structural barriers to entry, and a culture that actively discourages women and men of color from participating, then it logically follows that technology is not a meritocracy. And this threatens many dearly held beliefs of technology workers: It suggests those at the top aren’t there because they’re the best, but because of hard work and privilege. It suggests that the enormous wealth generated by tech startups and founders isn’t justified by their superior intelligence. It requires change from a culture in which male normativity is, well, the norm — to a more inclusive one where penis jokes and booth babes are no longer acceptable (and the mere suggestion to discard them isn’t met with a hailstorm of protest).
In short, it requires geeks to re-examine their own revenge fantasies of being outsiders who now rule the world and admit that they might, themselves, be actively excluding others.
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