Watched Star Wars episode 8. Visually stunning - yes. Action packed - yes. And yeah I do like Rey. But there is more here than meets the eye.
The first Star Wars (whatever episode
that was) was about two young lads who save a princess from a castle (OK Death
Star). Then she gets dressed up in a revealing golden bikini to be enslaved to
a really big …um slug..um… and has to get rescued again. It’s basically a 'boys
own' adventure with some messaging about the Cold War. Communists and feminists were predictably pissed off while everyone else went to the movies and had a good time.
Time moved on and Rogue One had a lot more nuance with strong male and female
characters struggling together, between and within themselves to overcome
emergent evil. I found it compelling, gritty and real (apart from the
obligatory cheesy speeches). Star Wars episode 8 in contrast was basically a feminist tract
in which all the male characters were evil or deeply flawed who need rescuing
by stronger and wiser women. All the female characters on the other hand were
flawless. The Empire is run entirely by men except for one token female warrior
in deliberate contrast to the Rebels who are now gender equitable in the ranks
but run by women generals. Taken together the episodes neatly chart the progress from patriarchy
to equality, then to anti-masculinity and female domination.
Having killed off or neutered all the strong
male characters the rebel alliance is now run by Democrat voting feminists, a
brow beaten X-wing Pilot, a Wookie, and a confused young woman who is seeking to
resolve her family issues by having a teenage relationship with a Sith Lord.
That actually makes sense because he is the only male character left with his
balls intact who isn’t a Wookie. My guess is they will get together around
episode 10 after she has rescued him emotionally and psychologically. Once they
have, you know…’brought balance to the force’ she will go off to save the
Galaxy while he will be a stay at home Dad. By then the Rebel alliance will include
cross dressing men and gender fluid non-conforming trans-species weirdos. Watch
at own risk. Either that or the Empire will die of vitamin D deficiency and
just give up….seriously those guys look like vegans do at the end of a long
winter.
For the record I have no problem with stay at home Dads or career women. I do have a problem with portraying men as all deeply flawed and women as perfect. Its sexism and its wrong.
Oh, and today I got a circular email
from my work boss. In a chronically short staffed organisation which employs
746 women and 619 men they are finding money to employ a “Diversity and
Inclusion Business lead”. So much for bringing balance to the force. Where are
the Sith when we need them?
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