So things that have social justice in it had been under fire recently. To the point that something as overt as normalizing trans people is seen as political.
I'm sorry but things had been political. It's just either it had been subtle enough or you just weren't smart enough to see it.
I can see how the phrase "Go Woke, Go Broke" applies. But I think there could be many factors that I will discuss in this post.
Because, whether you like it or not, activists and SJWs (I put them in separate divisions because of levels of sanity and rationality), people are not looking for activism in stories.
If you really are watching a series only for representation, then I don't know what to tell you.
Most people want to see something for various reasons. People seek out a story precisely because of a good story and characters it offered.
Let's look at a popular anime and manga making the rounds in America: My Hero Academia.
In the series, there is a trans man who was introduced in the eighth arc, Hero Team Wild Wild Pussycats' Tiger and a trans woman named Magne, a villain.
In no way were these characters depicted defined entirely by their minority definition. They gained fans precisely because they were good characters. The Wild Wild Pussycats has many fans in the fandom.
Let's look more into an American TV: Star Trek.
Released in the midst of the American Civil Rights movement, in the small screens of families everywhere, in the bridge of the Enterprise sat a black woman, a Japanese man, a Jewish man, a Russian man in a five-year mission of exploration.
Nobody is knocking against Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura. Heck, Uhura was one of the symbols that Martin Luther King Jr. was pleased to see.
Let's look at another recent one: Wonder Woman 2017.
The media is all about the first female superhero solo movie made. Notably, Patty Jenkins did not go all out to make damn sure that this movie is feminist, just a good movie. Its feminism is just a bonus.
Nobody is knocking against Wonder Woman. People had held Wondy as a feminist symbol for a long time before this movie even been greenlit.
However, the film made it clear that her sex does not define Wondy. It's her justice, her kindness, her mental strength was what ultimately made Wondy into the forefront of the DCEU. This is what made her popular. The feminism of the movie was just a bonus.
Here's something that doesn't push diversity above all else: Power Rangers!
I'm pretty sure nobody is knocking against Power Rangers for its diversity, something it has since the beginning of the goddamn franchise. Which people did push against was the accidental casting of the Black, Yellow, and Red Rangers with the races, something Saban didn't even notice but later notice and admit their mistake.
The writing prioritized good writing, not that of their culture or race or POC that ultimately made them special. It is because they are fucking heroes and chose to do the right fucking thing is why these guys are Power Rangers!
Nobody is knocking against the movie cast either for its diversity or rep. If anything I saw, people seemed to praise that they were the first superhero film to even portray LGBT.
You can have your leads. Hell, there are POC leads as the Red Ranger in Beast Morphers and Ninja Storm for example. Even fucking Tommy is a POC Red Ranger - it's in his backstory even - and he's one of the most popular Rangers! Sure people are annoyed with Tommy now but that's because the writing kept shilling him at the expense of other Rangers.
The Captain Marvel film, however...
Brie Larson (*facepalms* I heard of her before but not as an actress. I first heard her from Barbie: Magic of Pegasus music video "Hope Has Wings". Which is why I'm surprised she even became an actress. At best, I thought she would have her music career albeit obscure. Yes, I heard about her from a fucking Barbie movie!), in a sphere of intersectional feminism and the #MeToo movement, repeatedly put herself up on a pedestal, not even acknowledging the past efforts of women and men for equality to put herself as a symbol of feminism. She puts herself up as the end-all-be-all of all feminism and racism while insulting the people that they should cooperate with to create a bigger and better society.
Marvel Studios and Disney, I think you should fire her. Running her mouth did hurt some of your PR. Although your current PR marketing must be insane right now with Galaxy Edge and the criticism lobbed at you by women in power and your former and current employees.
Of course, people would find that insulting.
The point of feminism is equality between men and women with the men no longer having to worry about so-called feminine activities they partake in such as make-up or moisturizing or spa or anything related to femininity and women no longer have to worry about unwanted sexual advances or gender norms. They can simply be feminine and sexual for themselves and not for anybody else. They wear that sexuality and femininity. And just guys wanting to wear skirts would not be confused with drag or that girls have to forced to act masculine or guys have to act masculine to fit into society. Just like the point of fighting racism is having races treated as equal and not having the black/Asian/Native American person chosen because they are that color than any other skill. They have to be chosen because of skill therefore treated as equals. That's the thing: Everyone is treated as equals and they don't have to worry about judgment.
Equality, not superiority and revenge.
America is firmly in a position of social justice over telling good stories that they would rather have characters defined entirely by their minority rather than by their character. It's getting increasingly clear that people can hide behind Progressivism and called those who disagree even with something as simple as storytelling 'sexists' or 'racists'. It's frustrating to see that is no way in building a better society for everyone who is equal and doesn't have to worry about discrimination about the simplest thing.
I'm not an outspoken feminist but I will call out bs that treated men and women unequally. Posturing women as the answer to all and the men as stupid just like the Ghostbusters 2016 or Jennifer Lawrence demanding a larger pay than her costar Chris Pratt rather than asking for the same pay is not the way of feminism's true goal.
Activism is good and all. There is no problem with fighting for what is right.
But most people aren't seeking out stuff because of representation. I'm sorry but people have to get through their heads that the general public doesn't go out of their way to seek representation in works. It's the good stories and characters is what people prefer more than a character defined entirely by their race or sex.
If you seriously push that this movie or tv has a female character as the lead and you push that as the only appeal... you are not going to get the broad audience you seriously want.
Here is what the general public would want:
- Tell a great story
- with great characters
- who just happens to be
- LGTBQI+
- POC
- women
- who are treated respectfully
- but don't make their culture/sociopolitical identity their character entirely
- but that culture influenced their character
- it has to be character first
- don't make them superior when the point is equality and respect
But not at the expense of telling a great story and great characters.
For the radicals, don't use the industry you are in just to get some brownie points. Don't use the industry as a tool for your own personal gain or gratification and hide behind a veil once things go wrong or backfire or that people have the right to criticize. Is this America where freedom of speech is the first amendment? There is nothing wrong with what you believe in but what you are pushing above all else is not welcoming for a lot of people.
If you are adapting a work or want to make diversity in a work that already has diversity:
- understand what makes that work appealing, especially if it has a long history of portraying women, POC and LGBTQI+. Keep true to the spirit of what made it work and endured. Yes, I am looking at Star Trek and Star Wars.
- But don't hit people over the head with feminism, diversity, and LGBT.
- The focus is on a good story and characters, not the number one priority of diversity
- the diversity must be well-handled in all regards
- but don't push diversity as the only appeal
- it would alienate the fans who had stuck through the series
- a general audience wants a good story and characters
- if they want diversity, they can seek out diversity
- but a general audience wants entertainment and escapism, not forcing things they are already aware of in the news
- diversity is a bonus, not a crutch that will make or break the work
- Even metaphors are fine as long as you know what the hell you are talking about
It's the problem that people look for entertainment first, not diversity. If anything, it's just a bonus.
There may be other problems that are involved too, but diversity is not the main problem most shows that have diversity failed. It could be execs or poor damn writing. It could be the industry's poor marketing. It could be anything but playing the blame game on the audience is not the solution.
Above all else, media, DO NOT TELL PEOPLE WHAT THEY SHOULD WATCH AND BELIEVE IN WHEN PEOPLE HAS THE RIGHT OF OPINION. DO NOT BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU AKA THE FANDOM AND CASUALS.
How about a fanfiction?
Dalton by CP Coulter.
This fic has many LGBTIQ+ and some POC in there. However, the major draw of the fanfic is that's good. Even to this day in a somewhat dead fandom of Glee and Dalton, Dalton is still regarded as one of the Klaine classics to read.
Speaking of which, Glee!
Glee, for all its problems, normalized homosexuals and treat these characters as people. Sure, their writing is a mess and does hurt the LGBTQI+ community with their biphobia.
But while the latter problems had been noted, the writing problem had been lobbed at the writers more than you count by the general public. The decreasing viewership is what led to Glee's cancellation, not the lack of respectful representation. I'm pretty sure there were outcries about the poor representation because this is Glee. And series would stir up controversy and criticism once it's let out into the open public who can be vicious.
Glee didn't try IN YOUR FACE representation and posture themselves as better than the people who just want to watch the damn thing. What's alienating watchers and probably some Gleeks was its poor writing.
Insulting your potential audience and alienating a niche audience is not the way to go if you want goddamn money and cookies.
This may don't look like it's part of the subject at hand but I can't help but show that this isn't the problem.
I know that it is easy to blame SJWs or Diversity because that seems easier to blame something somewhat tangible in the American sociopolitical sphere.
But the American Comic Book industry had only been hanging on by a thread by their own business practices which they refuse to change.
When Shounen Jump already their own app and light novels are also available through an app, DC and Marvel aren't primed up for an entire catalog of their goddamn history in a site for dirt cheap.
In this current economy where people would rather spend their subscription wisely and cheaply, DC and Marvel refused to budge and adapt to the current times.
It's only recently they were forced to change in the light of their competitors in Japan actually seem to know what they are doing.
If you can't appeal to the common folk who have no clue how to understand comic books, your shrinking niche market is growing more tinier. Even Linkara, a DC fanboy all the way, agreed with Spacetwinks on all his points of American comic book industry.
You can't keep doing this, Big 2. What you are only doing is just losing readership you desperately need to keep your companies afloat.
Then again, when Disney is running Star Wars and now Marvel to the ground and Universal kept Harry Potter in some modicum of decency... I don't know if DC and Marvel could survive by latching on other industries just to survive. And even then, the businesses who only see money would not see the worth in them and ax them. DC already ax Vertigo. Would Disney unrepentantly ax the comics division of Marvel? Only time will tell.
With their comics not as the originator but as part of the merch in the same way as a cap or a mug.
It's the longstanding problems of DC and Marvel's marketing and distribution system that made it fail currently. Even in the midst of the superhero decade.
Not the SJWs or diversity.
For the love of God, don't blame them or be hypocrites.
Even SJWs, for all their problems, don't deserve the blame for the American comic book industry's decline. They don't deserve the blame and neither do people who have the right idea but took the wrong way entirely either towards their potential audience or general audience who just wants to be entertained, not be forced to sit through propaganda.
I don't want DC and Marvel to fail. I want them to adapt to the times and learn from Shounen Jump and manga in particular or hell webcomics.
What they are doing is not good for their economy and should adapt to the times, should allow themselves to evolve.
I never once thought guilty by association would be in full-force. Even just being a friend, when that friend who is in no way associated with the controversy. I saw James Rolfe faced backlash for having Doug Walker as an associate in a video, I think? Rolfe has not associated with the Change The Channel controversy in any way. He's not mentioned as one of the perps that abused his friends and coworkers.
If they defend these perps, sure, you can say that? Not really?
It's already horrifying people are crucified for simply having another opinion but it's another that they are deemed just as guilty just because they want to be friends, forcing them to keep their relationship in the shadows or that they simply have a different opinion. The world is not black and white. It's grey and people have to know that reality is more complex than a fight over evil that their escapist fantasies like to say.
You could say they pick a side but they at least be empathetic to others' plights or try to understand why or would people make these stuff up or given a choice of neutrality simply because they don't know how to handle or help an escalating situation.
Nowadays, it feels like people have to choose a side. Us vs Them in the Trump administration and culture, huh?
There is nothing wrong with choosing a side, understanding them but decisive or just don't know how to move forward from learning all of this, or ultimately remaining neutral.
I'm just tired in this state of affairs.
America is so thin-skinned that they want to have an easier time blaming others for the mere association than actively trying to help society. Do things yourselves than be lazy and blame others. I know it's not unique to America but being exposed to America who is all loud and proud about this to the point of cultural imperialism is not fun.
It's not enough to point fingers and lay back to let others do the work. Show your support by helping society in ways, vote in people who are competent, not just because they are women or POC. We are to help create a better society of equals, which meant both men and women and POC and everybody else is happy and benefit and cooperate with one other.
It's disheartening to see and know that guilty by association is still happening in American culture where diversity and sex as the only appeals that should draw in the audience are put above respect and freedom.
I don't read FMA for Arakawa's representation of women. I read it because I love the story and characters. Yes, I have the complete collection on my shelves because that's my favorite manga of all time.
I'm pretty sure that rep - even when that rep is different in Japan - was just a bonus for many feminists for those reading it. Because FMA didn't get to the top of many lists just because of representation.
I'm sorry if this post was disheartening to read. I honestly just want everyone to be happy or at least be understanding of each other.
As for me, I'll be reading my favorite manga and anime because this topic is just depressing.
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