 |
{ FIREBENDER }
more reason to love Joss Whedon (originally from wellingtonyoungfeminists)
The irony is that he actually doesn’t.
(my apologies to Whedonites.)Just curious, what makes you think that? I know Buffy isn’t a shining example in a few seasons…
To be honest, I’ve only seen Firefly and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog, so I’ll just go into those. Firefly was pretty problematic to me, sadly, even though I really liked it. :/
DHSB: Penny is a nothing character. She exists so that Captain Hammer and Dr. Horrible fight over her, and then she dies. Yes, she’s the love interest… but that’s her function. She’s very one dimensional. I mean, granted, a 45-minute musical is limited in scope, but Captain Hammer and Dr. Horrible are fantastically developed characters, and Penny is… static. She’s just there. and then she dies.
Firefly. Here we go. (I’ve had this discussion before.)
Problematic #1. Inara. Ooooh, boy, Inara. Prostitution is the occupation of highest esteem for women? Really? So, the women held in highest regard are the ones who get paid to service men? Um… ? I mean, I believe sex-workers should be respected, but in the Firefly ‘verse, literally the best thing a woman can be is an object for men. Also, Mal is constantly disrespecting Inara for it, and I can’t stand it. It doesn’t scream makings of a good relationship to me where the two supposed intended lovers are always fighting, and one is always calling the other a whore. Inara has sexual agency, but her self-respect is constantly being challenged by Mal in a highly slut-shaming and patriarchal fashion. Her agency is a function of Mal’s perspective of her work. So, Inara is Problematic #1.
The depiction of River is Problematic #2. YES SHE IS A BADASS AND I LOVE IT. But, this badassery also limits her - she is a messed-up, insane, slightly brainwashed child. She has to depend on her brother (obviously, a man) to help her regain her sanity. Like Inara, her agency is also dependent on a man, but instead, it’s a brainwash bonus.
The episode where Niska kidnaps Wash and Mal is Problematic #3. Zoe is treated more like a possession than someone who made a conscious choice to marry a certain man - see how Wash’s jealousy (a natural follow-up emotion to a sense of ownership/entitlement) strains his relationship with Mal and Zoe. Why fight over how the chick feels when you can just ask her how she feels?
Problematic #4. the YoSaffBridge episode where it ends with Mal and YoSaffBridge on the floor in a very rape-tastic way. This is not an appropriate way to depict or take vengeance on someone who has done you wrong. Flat no.
Problematic #5, and for me, the biggest one: as a progressive, I feel it is very important that feminists are also aware of the intersectionalities of race and gender. Which is why the episode with Jubal Early the bounty hunter is the NUMBER ONE A PLUS REASON why I have reservations about Firefly, and therefore Joss Whedon.
A black man comes on board and threatens all the white women with rape.
…
That one should explain itself.
I’ll expand it a bit anyway.
None of the women can really fight back, except for River, who is crazy. So it takes Simon to try and save his girlfriend, the prostitute, and his insane sister.
So, yeah. A lot of people tell me that these things are for the sake of narrative, and dramatic tension, and so on; but directors and writers can make certain choices about the way they develop their female characters and POC characters, and for Firefly, I think Whedon made some bad decisions on the whole, which is why unfortunately my love for Firefly is severely tempered by how I perceive the female characters and their interactions with the male characters.
So, what do you think?
(also, is the idea that ‘River’s saving the day is a moot point to me because she’s sort of insane’ kind of ableist? someone help me out.)
