MysterionMuffles Posted October 18, 2015 Posted October 18, 2015 http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/why-do-so-many-father-daughter-movies-feisty-kid-bumbling-dad/276773/ I found this article kind of disappointing. Seems to be further perpetuating male stupidity and modern feminism. I have some thoughts beyond that, but I want to know what you all think first. Especially the final paragraph. That annoyed me so much.
Donnadogsoth Posted October 19, 2015 Posted October 19, 2015 I'm Platonic enough to believe in the politicisation of art, of art as a political tool. The only problem is that art is presently under the control of the wrong people. Despite this, good films and good filmmaking squeak through here and there. I was reading a feminist review of Prometheus recently bitching about the treatment of the female characters in it. People like that help corrupt art by playing against type. Playing against type can be fun here and there, and even make a point about buried potentials, but when everything is playing against type, it gets nauseating. "Type" to my mind is wikkum*-headed families, including extensions and derivatives thereof. * white hetero cisgender Christian male 1
MysterionMuffles Posted October 19, 2015 Author Posted October 19, 2015 can you tell me more about playing against type? what does that mean and what are some more examples of how that's detremental to art and progress, as well as your nausea?
Donnadogsoth Posted October 19, 2015 Posted October 19, 2015 can you tell me more about playing against type? what does that mean and what are some more examples of how that's detremental to art and progress, as well as your nausea? Art doesn't just reflect us, it sculpts us. Playing against the healthy norm of real society can surprise and intrigue, but when type is played against over and over the term ad nauseum starts to apply, and we lose sight of what normal is. The best example I can think of is the female karate master/supermodel character. This is the character who just walked off a fashion show runway, has a perfect weight...and can demolish any man attacker in seconds. This is cute to see once or twice, but how many women are there like this in reality? I'm betting there are some rough women out there, but they probably look rough, they look the part. I realise why this is done: for feminist reasons and to titillate the audience with the ironic surprise factor. There is a sexiness to seeing women performing martial arts manoeuvers. We feel better thinking that women are as martially competent as men—even though the vast majority of “bad guys” remain, well, guys. So that's a note of realism, but it contradicts the superheroine character as indicator of equality of type. Perhaps telling girls they are as tough, or can be as tough, as boys is sending the wrong message. Martial arts is a good thing to learn, but learning toughness from the movies and tv is like learning about war from a videogame: it lies. Hollywood lies. Some of the better films don't lie, or don't lie all the time, but as a rule it's based on lying and lies. So when the type of Woman is so distorted, and accompanied by a distorted type of Man, the population is absorbing the wrong messages about what human beings are, as types. Sophists will, of course, claim exceptions exist everywhere, and of course they're right, but those exceptions don't cancel the type. 2
LovePrevails Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 It misses the main point which is that Dad is never shown as a more sympathetic character than Mum The Dad is only ever a hero if Mum is dead Rarely ever is real-dad the better parent than real-mum, sometimes he's the better parent than secretly evil step-mum 2
Donnadogsoth Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 It misses the main point which is that Dad is never shown as a more sympathetic character than Mum The Dad is only ever a hero if Mum is dead Rarely ever is real-dad the better parent than real-mum, sometimes he's the better parent than secretly evil step-mum Is there an archetypal/psychological reason for the situation you describe? Father is Authority and Authority is rarely as sympathetic or lovable than the pure Nurturing Love represented by Mother. Should Mother die, Father becomes the source of a contradictory mix of nurturing love and authority, making him appear "bumbling," and in need of redemption, typically by the wise love of his daughter. An evil step-mother lacks nurturing love, and is the capital authority in the relationship, making the father the underdog and backup source of nurturing love.
AccuTron Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 ...Perhaps telling girls they are as tough, or can be as tough, as boys is sending the wrong message. Martial arts is a good thing to learn, but learning toughness from the movies and tv is like learning about war from a videogame: it lies. Hollywood lies. Some of the better films don't lie, or don't lie all the time, but as a rule it's based on lying and lies. So when the type of Woman is so distorted, and accompanied by a distorted type of Man, the population is absorbing the wrong messages about what human beings are, as types. Years ago I took beginning Aikido. In the class was one woman who wore a black belt for karate. She was small, maybe under a hundred pounds. (I'm just under six feet and about 175lbs/12.5st/80kg) It struck me offhand that if a guy of any reasonable size or strength could get a hold of one arm or leg, or long hair, he could more or less tear her apart like cooked chicken, no matter how much the other limbs were flailing. In a class exercise, she was supposed to grab my wrist and flip me or something. No clear instructions were made otherwise, so I assumed she really needed to do so, or what's the point of the exercise? So I stood there with one wrist grabbed, and waited for her to do something. She tugged once or twice and looked peeved that I didn't jump past her in a spin. It was a joke. A dangerous joke. She's going around thinking she's a black belt, and the perps think she is more like a cooked chicken, and guess who's probably more correct? The aura of entertaining superwomen fighters is a very dangerous idea to give to girls and women. I'm reminded of zulus and others who believed their magic would deflect bullets. It didn't. 4
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