SPOP and Arcane made me feel even more strongly about the necessity that toxic // abusive siblinghood, especially sisterhood, should have more awareness. for pretty much the same reasons.
collectively, SPOP and Arcane, though, largely their fandoms, had a problem with viewing the youngest sibling as incapable of real harm, at some point in the story.
the eldest ( Adora // Vi ) can do everything right. do their absolute best to keep their loved ones happy and healthy, no matter what it costs them personally. but the moment they make a mistake, even if it's one they heavily regret seconds later, or even if it's not a true mistake at all and just makes the youngest upset, they're considered villains and face constant backlash.
but the youngest can do everything wrong, no matter the intentions, and be praised for it. it's people like that who make me question if Azula, for example, really... should have a redemption to begin with. yes, she's a child, i get that, but that meant she needed help.
Catra isn't seen as solely in the wrong because she thinks Adora abandoned her, when she has absolutely no reason to believe that, and even said plenty of times herself that she made her own choice to stay with the Horde, that she didn't want to leave.
she isn't seen as in the wrong for her inhumane, sadistic, objectifying abuse towards Adora ever since they were children because she's considered a product of her circumstances ( when apparently no one else is ), doesn't know what she's doing ( despite making it clear multiple times she does ), sees Adora as She-Ra ( she almost never uses "She-Ra" when referring to Adora, no matter what form ), etc., etc., etc. she's a girlboss who can do what she wants until she suddenly does something unforgivable, then it's not her fault.
Jinx isn't seen as in the wrong, partially or otherwise, despite the show's intentions from the very beginning, because Vi made a huge mistake in a moment of weakness after realizing her little sister, accident or not, killed their entire family.
she isn't seen as in the wrong for abusing Sevika, obsessing over Vi, which led to her stalking and kidnapping Caitlyn, bombing an entire bridge, killing dozens, if not hundreds, of people ( esp the one that reminded her of Vi, that's not a red flag at all ), etc., etc., because she's evidently mentally unstable and needs help.
and, strangely, she becomes a... hero to Zaun? i'm gonna be blunt, i don't even remember why. instead of her health declining even further after accidentally killing yet another family member, with his last words literally telling her she's done nothing wrong, she feels almost like a stranger in comparison to how she was in s1. there were very few things that didn't set Jinx off, but she feels like... Harley Quinn-esc in s2? if that makes sense?
what i'm trying to say is that i don't feel like people take sibling abuse as seriously as they should, especially not in media.
one of my favorite films of all time is Prince of Egypt and that's largely because it centers around the shifting family dynamics between Moses and those he loves, including Rameses. it adds a lot of depth to terrible people, one's mistakes, how that makes them reshape their whole world and self view, or how it makes them dig their heels deeper in the sand.
Ramses and Moses never had an abusive relationship. at least, not in the beginning. it was clear as day they loved each other. Moses was quick to defend Rameses when they got in trouble with their father, and Rameses was quick to defend Moses when he killed a man.
and, even despite their complete and total differences, with Rameses not being able to see the Hebrews as anything more than objects, slaves, and Moses being a Hebrew and needing to free his people, their love was still there.
it only became hate, from Rameses' side, after it was clear that Moses wasn't able willing to go back to how life was before. but even in that hate, he was still trying to reach his little brother. until his son was in the midst of it and eventually died.
he blamed Moses, when it was him who was at fault for not listening and not freeing the Hebrews.
Prince of Egypt is a beautiful film, artistically and in its writing, and i highly recommend those who haven't seen it to do so. but this is what i mean.
this film held Rameses accountable. Moses held Rameses accountable. and he didn't even hate his older brother, he still loved him, and it pained him to bring the plague to Egypt, his home.
i think it's easier, in some ways, because Moses is the youngest of the two. society generally tends to think that younger people either don't know any better or can lead to better futures. but they're just as capable of bad as anyone else, and people still don't understand this.
it's why, whenever you hear stories of an older sibling being abused time and time again by their younger one, families will excuse it over and over, constantly giving benefit of the doubt, instead of just holding the younger sibling accountable for their actions.
the same issue applies to SPOP and Arcane. it doesn't fully acknowledge that Catra and Jinx are in the wrong for hurting // abusing Adora and Vi, let alone anyone else.
we need more stories that show all possible truths in families. and one of those truths is that the youngest can still be bad and abusive to anyone, just like anybody else.
